Sam sat at the table in the briefing room, waiting for the General to get off the phone. She looked at the file in front of her, and she gently adjusted it so that it was straight in front of her. She looked back over at the General's office as he hung up the phone and walked into the briefing room. She moved to stand as the General waved his hand, motioning for her to stay in her seat.

"Colonel Carter, I've read your proposal." Landry said, seriously.

"And?" She asked, expectantly.

"And, I'm not exactly sure what an aneurysm feels like, but I suspect I'm pretty close." He said, sitting at the head of the table.

An amused half-smile played on her lips as Mitchell released a sigh of relief. "Boy, I'm glad I'm not the only one."

"Can you put this in layman's terms?" Landry asked, looking over at her.

"Well, simply speaking, sir," she began. "Based on the research that was done on Anubis's genetic experiment, Khalek, we believe we may be close to developing a technology that could inhibit a Prior's special abilities."

"Are we talking about a anti-Prior gun here?" Mitchell asked, flipping through the report. "Because I don't remember seeing the word "gun" anywhere in here."

"Well, it wouldn't be a "gun" exactly," she said, looking over at Mitchell. "But that is kind of what made us think it was possible."

"Because I was able to shoot Khalek while he was focused on defending himself from you." Daniel said, pointing at Mitchell.

"Which meant he wasn't omnipotent." Sam said, nodding.

"You think the Priors are the same." Landry inferred.

"We've identified specific portions of the brain that were active when Khalek was using his unique abilities." Sam said, seriously.

"Now he had those abilities because he was in a much more evolved state, very close to ascension." Daniel continued. "Now we're hoping the Ori are affecting the Priors in much the same way."

"Dr. Lee and I are working on a way of targeting and neutralizing those higher brain functions using a field generator emitting fluctuating ultrasonic frequencies." She reported.

"And my headache was just going away." Landry muttered.

Sam smiled. "I don't want to sound overly optimistic, sir, but I think we may be close to testing within a couple of days."

"Mmm. I would like to report that something positive came out of that whole "Khalek" situation." Landry mused.

"Yes, sir." She said, efficiently.

"Keep me posted." He said as he stood and left.

Sam and Mitchell stood until he was out of the room.

Sam bit the inside of her cheek worriedly as she sat down. "He didn't look too impressed." She sighed.

"Oh, trust me. "Anti-Prior gun" would've gone down better." Mitchell said, closing his report and sending it back to her.

She sighed as he left.

-

"Hey, Bill." She greeted as she walked into the lab.

"Colonel! What did the General say?"

"That he wants us to keep him in the loop," she said with a grin.

"Yes!" He said, pumping the air with his fist.

An amused smile crossed her lips as she pulled up some of the project files. "I told him that we might be ready to test something in a couple of days," she said, casually.

"Wha…A couple of days?!?" He sputtered.

"Well, we'll just have to roll up our sleeves and burn some midnight oil if we have to." She said, matter-of-factly as she sat down at the table behind him.

"Ah…midnight oil." He said, sardonically. "Why didn't you just tell them we'd come up with a viable means of creating cold fusion while you were at it?"

"Sure, if you've got something." She teased with a beaming grin.

Bill managed a bitter chuckle as Sam smiled and reached for her iPod and placed the small buds into her ears. This had been one of the gifts that Jack had slipped into her suitcase when she'd left for her tour with the Prometheus, and she'd found herself ever grateful for the peace it had afforded her. Suddenly, the melodious sounds of Bach's unaccompanied cello suite came through the headphones, helping her to relax and think clearly as she began her work.

A few moments passed before Bill turned to look at her. "Can you hear me?" He asked, loudly.

Sam looked up, surprised, pulling out the earpieces. "What?"

"I…uh,…no, I,…right. Sleeves up…and…working." He said, shaking his head as he literally pushed up his sleeves and returned to his keyboard.

Sam smiled as she put the earpieces back into her ears. With a small smile, she opened her email manager. In only a few seconds, she'd put together a quick email which she was sure would put a smile on Jack's face, even if she wasn't able to speak to him on the phone for the next few days.

To: Jack O'Neill

From: Samantha Carter

So, I have another use for that iPod you got me. Ignoring Dr. Lee. It worked rather brilliantly.

Miss you, but am off to work on another project which will keep me busy for the next few days. Call you when I finally get home.

XO

Sam

She sent the email with a small smile, eagerly awaiting the response.

The sensation that someone was watching her caused her to look up alertly. Only a moment later, she returned to her work, dismissing the feeling as readjustment to working in a lab at the SGC.

-

Six hours later, a small window appeared in the corner of her screen as she worked, signaling to her that an email had just been received. She clicked on it, opening her email account to find an email from Jack.

She smiled softly as she clicked on the message.

To: Samantha Carter

From: Jack O'Neill

Glad I could help to corrupt you even further than I already have.

Hey, you haven't talked face-to-face with Fisher since he got back from his mission, have you?

Sam's brow furrowed in confusion as she began writing her response.

To: Jack O'Neill

From: Samantha Carter

No, I haven't spoken face-to-face with anyone from that team lately. I've been stuck in my lab all day. Why? Is something wrong?

She sighed as she sent the email. She'd been at her desk for nearly six hours; it was probably time to go and do something else.

"Hey, Bill, I'm going to get something to eat."

Dr. Lee nodded. "I'll keep...keep working on this- stuff."

She walked into the commissary and retrieved a cup of blue jello and a simple ham and cheese sandwich. She slowly walked to one of the empty tables.

"Apparently Fisher is fine, but all of the members of his team are down." One of the nurses said, looking over at her companion.

"So, what? The Ori used Fisher as a carrier?"

"It would seem so."

Sam inhaled sharply as she listened to the conversation somewhat curiously.

"How many people have been affected by the virus?"

"We can't tell. There are the four SGC staff members, but Fisher went off-base to an awards' ceremony. Apparently, General Hammond, himself, was there."

Sam tensed. No wonder Jack had been concerned.

Sam quickly finished her food before she hurried up to the surface and retrieved her cell phone. She dialed Jack's cell.

"O'Neill."

"Jack." She greeted.

"Sam? I thought you were stuck in your lab."

"I was. But after I got your email, I decided to get some dinner, and then I heard about what was going on with Fisher and the rest of his team."

"You know, Fisher was at an awards ceremony with Hammond..."

"I know."

"I just wanted you to know that I'm okay." She said after a moment.

"Thanks, Sam." He said, seriously.

"I've got to go back to work on that, uh, ultrasonic frequency emitter."

"Oh. Right."

"I'll call you later, " she assured.

"Keep those emails coming."

"I promise." She said, seriously.

"Love you."

"Backatcha." She said with a soft smile as she hung up and returned to the base.

-

Sam stopped by her personal lab to retrieve a few files for her work before she returned to Bill's lab. The loud vibration of loud heavy metal music caught her attention as she approached the lab. She walked in to find large speakers set up around Bill's workstation.

He seemed somewhat unaffected by the noise.

"Hey!" She called, trying to get his attention as she closed the door to the lab and put the files on her worktable.

"HEY!" She called again, louder.

Finally, she reached for the controls to the music player, and turned it off.

Bill sat up and looked up at her. "What are you doing?" He asked, confused.

"What are you doing?!?" She asked, incredulously.

"I'm testing frequencies." He said, motioning to his equipment.

She picked up a CD before she showed him her finding. "With "Dark Pariah"?!?"

"I can't hear a thing. Noise-canceling technology." He said, motioning to his earplugs.

Sam sighed as she looked at the screen. "How's it coming?"

"Oh, well…I mean, we all know our auditory senses are a direct line to certain brain functions, and we know that they respond differently to different sonic frequencies, but, uh, you know, trying to achieve something as specific as isolating one small part of the brain, that's like…I mean it's like uh…it's like…trying to do…something that's…impossible." Lee laughed helplessly.

"Good analogy." She returned somewhat sarcastically.

"Oh, come on…I haven't slept." He said seriously.

She walked back toward her workstation before she looked up, feeling the sensation that someone was watching her for a second time.

"What?" Bill asked, looking over at her.

Sam continued to look around for a moment before she looked back at Bill. "What?"

"No, I said it first. What are-what are you looking at?"

"Nothing. I think I'm just tired, too." She said, shaking her head.

She leaned down and rubbed her face with her hands. Burning the midnight oil was nothing new to her, so why was it so much harder than usual? Probably because she hadn't burn the midnight oil for more than six months.

-

"This is going nowhere, and my sleeves are up as high as they can go." Bill sighed several hours later.

"Perhaps if we tried a different kind of spread spectrum…maybe a combination of waves." Sam suggested.

Bill looked up at her, blinking as he tried to comprehend her words. "Yeah, but, uh…" He shook his head in confusion. "Look, I…I'm sorry, the only thing I can confirm with any kind of certainty is that sleep deprivation definitely has an adverse effect on all brain function. Um, I'm going to get some coffee. Do you want anything?"

"No, I'm good." She said, shaking her head.

He left, rubbing his neck tiredly as she played with her pen and studied the monitors.

"You're so close."

"I know." She said, somewhat distracted.

Alarm bells went off in her mind as she realized that she should have been alone, and she turned to find a boy standing near Lee's workbench.

"Hello, Sam. It's good to see you again. I've missed you."

"Who are you?" She asked, puzzled. This child seemed to know her, and had somehow gotten past all of the security protocols and into her lab.

"I had no choice but to take this form. It's me, Orlin."

She inhaled sharply as she stared at the boy. "That's impossible."

"I know you're confused, Sam." He said, seriously. "But we don't have time to debate this. Your device needs to be finished."

She raised an eyebrow, and he took her place at the computer, quickly inputting some data into it.

"What are you doing?"

"Finishing the parameters for the device so that it will be most effective."

She pulled him away from the computer keyboard. "Stop."

"Sam, we don't have time." He insisted.

"What's my birthstone?"

"Emerald. I made one for you with your microwave."

She tensed before she reached for the phone on the wall. "Sir? We have a situation..."

-

Sam stood beside Dr. Lam, Daniel, and General Landry as they watched Orlin through the window of the observation room.

"As far as I can tell, he's a normal human adolescent." Dr. Lam said, looking at the rest of the group.

"Who claims he's an Ancient who has descended and taken human form." Landry continued.

"There really is no other explanation, sir, for how he could've gotten into the base, or know the things he knows. I'm pretty sure he's given us the key to finishing the anti-Prior technology Dr. Lee and I were working on." Sam said, seriously.

"According to the mission report on your first encounter with Orlin, you two…had a…intimate relationship?"

Dr. Lam's eyes widened, and Sam grimaced. Not that kind of intimate, she thought to herself. "Uh, well…w-we did, but uh, he didn't look like that…He was…"

"Taller?"

Sam swallowed with a thin smile. "He was a grown man."

"Ah. So why come back as a boy this time?" Landry asked, curiously.

"He said he had no choice, sir." Sam said, seriously.

"He had to take a younger form in order to preserve as many of the Ancient memories as possible."

"The knowledge he possessed as an ascended being was too massive for a normal human brain to handle." Daniel continued. "We're guessing that having a younger brain gave him a slightly better chance of retaining the knowledge a little longer."

"That makes sense, actually. The neural make-up of a still developing mind has the potential for better memory retention than that of an adult." Dr. Lam said, seriously.

"Ultimately, sir," Sam continued. "He says he will lose most of the knowledge. Sir, I think he's taken a huge risk just to be here. We should at least hear him out."

"Mmm." Landry said, thoughtfully.

-

They walked up to the briefing room where Sam sat next to Orlin as Landry took his usual place at the head of the table.

"I'm sorry—aren't you breaking some major cosmic rules here?" Daniel asked, looking at Orlin from across the table. "I mean, why did the Others let you go without wiping your memory clean?"

"Honestly, I don't really know." He admitted as Sam looked over at him, attentively. "I guess enough of them felt it was necessary for someone to step out of line and warn you."

"I'm assuming you're talking about the Ori. We're already aware of the threat they pose."

"Believe me, you don't know everything. A long time ago, the Ori and the Alterans were one society, human, on an evolutionary path to ascension, but a philosophical division grew. The Ori grew more and more fervent in their religious belief. The Alterans…for lack of a better way of putting it…believed in science. The Ori tried to wipe them out."

"So instead of going to war, the Alterans built a ship, left their galaxy, and came here." Daniel extrapolated. "Uh, we know that both the Alterans and the Ori eventually ascended, and that the Ori passed on a religion called "Origin" to the next evolution of humans they created."

"Yes," Orlin began, soberly. "But the central promise of the religion, everything Origin's followers devote themselves to, is a lie."

"Are you saying that the Ori don't offer their followers ascension?" Daniel asked, surprised.

"No." Orlin said, seriously. "Most certainly not. Then they'd have to share."

"Share what?" Landry asked, curiously.

"The power they sap from those who worship them."

"Wha—how is that possible?" Sam asked, absolutely shocked. "I mean, are you-are you saying there's a real, physical transfer of energy to the Ori that occurs simply through a human being's belief in them?"

""Simply" is not how I would put it. It's quite complicated, but possible. And for it to have a measurable effect, it requires massive numbers of humans relinquishing their will. Nevertheless, it is one of the main reasons the Ancients have so strongly believed in strict non-interference in the lower planes."

"Because the temptation to manipulate and align lower life forms in some order for your own purposes could result in exactly this type of abusive corruption." Daniel continued quickly.

"The Ori empower themselves by sapping the life force of those willing to surrender themselves to them."

"Unknowingly. And this promise of salvation in return…"

"Leads to nothing but death of the most meaningless kind."

"Because there's no conscious effort to achieve enlightenment without being spoon-fed by the Ori." Daniel finished.

"Do the Priors know this?" Sam asked absolutely shocked. "I mean, are they complicit?"

"No. They are merely pawns. The more worlds the Priors convert, the more powerful the Ori become. They must be stopped."

"Why don't the Ancients, er, Alterans, whatever you call yourselves now…why don't you stop them?" Landry asked, curiously.

"I am one of them no longer," Orlin explained. "And even if I was, it is unclear whether such action would result in victory. Nor is such an endeavor at that level necessarily the next best step to further enlightenment. All I can say for sure is that if this galaxy were to succumb and bow to the Ori, it would be very bad for everyone."

Sam bit the insides of her cheeks, worriedly.

"Colonel, could you bring Orlin down to the infirmary again? Maybe he can help Dr. Lam," Landry said, standing.

Sam nodded as she followed suit. "Yes, sir."

"I can do that, sir." Daniel offered. "Sam's got that whole anti-Prior device that she's working on."

Sam looked over and shook her head. "Dr. Lee can handle it."

"Are you sure?" Daniel asked, eying her seriously.

"Daniel," she muttered somewhat warningly.

"Okay..." He said, giving it up as they got strange looks from Orlin and Landry.

"Everyone okay?" Landry asked after a moment.

"Yes, sir." Sam said before she looked back at Orlin.

"You know, I think I'll come with you," Landry said, as he turned from returning to his office.

Orlin moved to follow the General as Sam gathered up her files.

"Sam, is this really the best idea?" Daniel hissed.

"Daniel, it's my job." Sam returned in a harsh whisper. "He'll understand."

"You haven't told him yet?!"

"I haven't had a chance!" She defended.

"Call him, Sam." Daniel persisted.

"Colonel?" Landry asked, looking back.

"I'm coming, sir." Sam said, turning back to him.

-

"We're hoping that as long as you're here, you may be able to help us." Landry said as they entered the isolation room.

"I no longer possess the power to simply cure this plague as I could have as an ascended being." Orlin explained. "However, with the knowledge I still retain, I believe I can synthesize a cure using your own medical technology."

"You built a stargate in my basement with spare parts from a toaster." Sam said with a shrug.

"Actually, this'll be a little harder than that." He said, seriously.

Sam looked at Landry, exchanging stupified looks with one another.