Prologue

"Unscheduled off world activation!"

Daniel Jackson sat in his office staring at the books in front of him, hardly seeing the lines of text he was supposed to be translating and trying his best to ignore the announcement over the loud speaker as it sounded for around the 10th time in the past two hours. He ran his hand over his face, letting out the breath he always seemed to be holding. Seeing that his coffee cup was nearing empty, he decided to make his way to the mess hall.

"Daniel Jackson to the Control Room," Walter's voice called over the loud speaker.

"Great," Daniel muttered to himself before changing directions to the Control Room. When he arrived, both Teal'c and Cam were already standing behind Walter staring expectantly at one of the screens before them.

"What is it?" he asked no one in particular. Cam averted his eyes and Teal'c looked more somber than usual. "Guys?"

"Someone keeps trying to collect call us no matter how many times we deny the charges," Cam answered without looking up.

"Okay..." Daniel suddenly noticed that all eyes in the Control Room were on him. "That sounds more like Dr. Lee's department than mine. So what do you need me for?"

Teal'c took a step forward, his large arms crossed behind his back. "Colonel Mitchell suggested we open the iris momentarily the last time the gate was dialed." He held what looked to be a medium sized rock out to Daniel. "This came through."

Daniel felt his heart drop as he stared down at the rock. Someone had carved a gate address and the words 'Send MALP' onto it. They had signed it 'Vala Mal Doran.' "That's it? Did she send audio? Anything?"

Now it was Cam who took a step forward. "Just a gate address. Nothing else. And we don't even know for sure it was her, Daniel."

"Well we have to go investigate!" He paused expectantly. "We can't just leave her there!" He looked back and forth between Cam and Teal'c, waiting for one of them to back him up. "This is the first contact she's been able to make with us in over 6 months!"

"We know, son," General Landry spoke up from behind. "But we can't go barging in there blind. We're sending the MALP through now. Hopefully, if she's there, she can send us a video transmission." He approached Daniel now, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "But you have to accept the possibility that there might not be anything left of her to save."

Daniel closed his eyes and sighed, unwilling to even entertain the possibility that she was beyond saving. He turned to face the screen, watching the gate room from the window as they sent the MALP through. The .3 seconds it took for matter to be reformed on the other side of the event horizon felt like hours.

"Receiving MALP telemetry," Walter announced. "Bringing up visual."

The camera scanned around until it finally found a cloaked figure huddled nearby. The figure was sitting on the ground, holding their head between their hands as they rocked back and forth.

"This is General Landry of Stargate Command," Landry spoke into the microphone. The figure started, his voice breaking whatever trance they seemed to be in. Slowly, they lowered the hood to reveal dark wavy tresses.

"Vala!" Daniel brought himself closer to the microphone. "Vala, can you hear us? Are you alright?"

Tears began forming in her confused eyes. "Daniel? You're alive?"

"It's me, I'm here. Vala, I need you to listen to me. We need to know what has happened to you."

Her face suddenly lit up wildly. "I need to come there! You have to let me through!"

Daniel turned pleading eyes to General Landry, who shook his head before leaning back to the microphone. "I'm afraid we can't do that, Vala. The last intel we received on you stated that you were compromised. We can send a team through to check you out and extract you if possible."

"No, you don't understand! I am still compromised," she bit her lower lip, looking around. "I don't know how much time I have before they find me. And I don't know how much longer I can stay in control....or until this thing does its job." She lifted her wrist to the camera, revealing the goa'uld marriage bracelet wrapped around it, then turned her wide, fear filled eyes back to the camera. "You have to help me, please. Don't let them do this to me again." Her shoulders were shaking from the sobs she was trying to fight. She took a deep breath to calm herself. "You can open the iris or not, General. But either way I am stepping through the gate. Anything is better than this."

"Vala-" General Landry began.

"OPEN IT!" Daniel shouted. He took a step closer to the general. "Tell her you'll open it. You have to let her through.

Landry shook his head in frustration. "I don't have to do anything! She's been compromised, Dr. Jackson. We don't even know if that's really Vala."

"With all do respect, sir," Cam spoke up, "if you don't open that iris, she and whatever intel she has will be lost to us."

"She'll die!" Daniel pressed.

He heaved a sigh. "Alright, Vala. We'll open it up for you," Landry spoke into the microphone. He looked up to catch the back of Daniel's head as he raced to the gate room. "Someone get Dr. Lee to help with that bracelet."

They all watched expectantly, but Vala still hadn't moved. She seemed lost in thought for a moment before wincing in pain. "Zat me as soon as I step through the gate, not a moment later. Oh! Hazmat!"

"Hazmat?" Cam asked. "Vala, what is going on?"

"You have to quarantine me. I've been sick for some time now but I don't see how that is possible. And I don't know what it is or how it spreads." She paused, looking down at her hands. "I'll redial immediately. If...if I don't come through after two minutes, shut it down. It might not be me anymore after that." Her eyes looked haunted as she reached up, turning the camera to the MALP off. They all waited in silence, inwardly crossing their fingers that they hadn't missed yet another opportunity to save their team member. After a few agonizing moments, the gate lit up once more.

Landry sighed, before nodding to Walter. "Open it up, Chief."