Egeria's Secrets

Chapter 4


A/N: This chapter is back at the SGC and re-writes the episode Fire and Water. Some of the dialogue, particularly from Hammond, SG-1 and Frasier, is directly copied from the episode transcripts, however, I tried to duplicate as little possible. I apologize if it's too hard to follow without rewatching the episode or reading a transcript.
The next chapter returns to Zoe.
And yeah, Zoe and the SCG will cross paths again... soon.


Something was setting off Chad's hinky sense. He wasn't going to compare the loss of scientist who hadn't been part of his team and had only been on three assignments with him to the loss of Dr Jackson from SG1 but there was still something off about Colonel O'Neill and Captain Carter's reactions. Teal'c, he wouldn't presume to read. He retreated from the infirmary and caught Major Louis Ferretti's eye; in non-verbal agreement, the two men headed for the commissary. Coffee wasn't the drink either of them wanted but it would do and the place was empty enough to give them a choice of tables.

Louis broke the silence first. "I can't believe it."

"That Dr Jackson is dead or that things went down like SG1 are saying?" Chad stared down at his coffee not really seeing it.

"Either. Maybe both." Louis spoke softly, carefully. "Did you hear them say they'd only been on the planet half an hour?"

Chad's eyes narrowed slightly. "Nope… didn't they head out at 0700 this morning?"

"Yep, and got back at 1050."

"Hinky."

"They just about freaked out when someone asked about going back for the body. The colonel just about yelled that there was nothing left." Louis met Chad's gaze and they both shook their heads.

"No way."

"Definitely hinky."

Silence fell again as they thought it through.

"The general is on the ball. He'll see it."

Chad shrugged. He had a lot of respect for General Hammond but he hadn't got one of the nine slots of SG team leader by letting things slide. "I'm still gonna go have a word with him. You?"

"Nah… you speak for both of us. I'll go see if Doc Frasier's let Jack out yet, see what he says."


General Hammond was in the briefing room paging through the initial reports from the planet while an airman finished setting up and checking a camera. He looked up when Chad walked in. "Major Bennet. Is there something I can do for you?"

"Not exactly, sir. I was just talking with Ferretti about SG1."

Hammond's expression tightened slightly.

"We both saw SG1 in the infirmary. And we've got nothing concrete to point at but something is not right."

"Not right?" Hammond echoed sharply before hauling his temper back under control. He knew these men; knew this would have come from care and not disrespect. "Explain yourself, Major."

Chad met his CO's eyes as calmly as he could manage. It was pretty calm. "In the infirmary, Ferretti heard one of them say something to the effect of only being away half an hour, and that, sir, does not make sense when they were gone nearly four hours. Beyond that, Colonel O'Neill spent some time talking with me after we lost Zoe. His reactions, such that I observed, just don't fit." He took a deep breath, looking away for a moment before continuing. "Ferretti said they nearly freaked out at the idea of going back to that planet. If SG1's been compromised, if their memory of what happened has been altered, then we can't rely on their report of what happened to Dr Jackson. Sir."

"General!" Jack strode into the room, his face flushed with anger, glaring at Chad. "We saw it happen – we heard Daniel yell for help! What the hell is he insinuating?"

Chad shifted under Jack's look but kept quiet; Hammond's curt dismissal was a relief and having no more to say – or any wish to get further involved – he got out.

Hammond just shook his head at Jack and told him to sit down. "Debrief first, discussion when we have it all recorded."

They started with Teal'c's comparatively succinct report. Sam was second and Hammond finished with Jack. With the questions raised by Chad, Hammond took care not to contradict anything SG1 said, although he did clarify that they did indeed believe they had only been gone a half hour or less. At the end, he made a careful, deliberate statement. "We'll send a team through to recover the body."

"No sir!" Jack's almost shouted as he lurched from dazed misery to wild-eyed alarm, almost bouncing out of his seat in agitation.

"No!" Teal'c spoke loudly a half second later.

Sam's head shot up and she chimed in with a distraught sounding, "Sir, we can't do that!"

"It's…too volatile, sir. The whole area was…very unstable." Jack was almost babbling.

Hammond looked at them and the silence echoed for a few very long seconds. He had no doubts anymore that there was definitely something amiss here. "Very well. Dismissed." he said at last, making the words as gentle as he could.

Jack, Sam and Teal'c immediately stood and walked out.

When they were gone, Hammond turned to the airman who had been transcribing SG1's report onto a laptop. "I want a copy of that on my desk as soon as you've checked it." Barely registered the soft yes sir she responded with, Hammond got up and walked down the stairs to the observation room.

Dr Janet Frasier was waiting at the bottom of the stairs. "General? I have a few more tests to run, but I've got the results back from my initial exams."

Hammond stopped a few paces into the observation room, a spot that allowed him a good view of currently silent and still stargate below. "And?" he asked Janet.

"Well, except for some minor contusions, uh, photosensitivity , which I can probably blame on exposure to volcanic gasses in the atmosphere…they're fine. Frankly, General, I am more worried about their post-traumatic symptoms."

"Doctor, is there anything at all that you found that was out of place?"

Janet frowned slightly. "Nothing physical," she answered slowly. "But their mental state."

"Exactly," Hammond said heavily. "Dr Frasier, they are missing hours from their memory of events, more than three hours at least. They all said they'd only been gone half an hour at the most. On top of that, they reacted with uncharacteristic extreme disturbance to the idea of returning to P3X-866. Of anyone returning there."

She blinked and looked away, looked at the stargate for a moment. "I classified the reaction to going back as part of the post-traumatic symptoms. But… I need to run some more tests." She had one foot on the stairs when Hammond's permission to run whatever tests she needed registered. A quick smile and she was gone.

Hammond sighed and looked across the room. "Harriman," he said, spotting the sergeant. "Which teams are available right now? SG-4, SG2-? SG-7… no, Finn isn't cleared yet."

"Yes sir. Also SG-5 was due to head out at 1400."

"Someone get Major Ferretti to my office."


SG-1 were ensconced in the infirmary and oblivious to the departure of SG-2 for P3X-866.

Dr Mackenzie had been called in when all Janet's tests still showed nothing physical; he suggested trying hypnosis and after leading Sam through just one session, the memory-block collapsed. Just after Jack and Teal'c had made it through the process, the Unscheduled Off-world Activation klaxons began sounding and SG-1 got to the gateroom in time to greet the returning half of SG-2.

The first thing Lt Casey said upon sighting SG-1 was "We found Dr Jackson, he's alive and well."

After that, the report of an aquatic alien holding Dr Jackson and the request for any information about Omoroca of ancient Babylon was rather anti-climatic. The anthropology department of the SGC turned up several references describing Omoroca and what happened to her within the hour; SG-2 took copies of everything they had back with them and then came home – with Daniel – in time for dinner.

When Daniel explained that it was Teal'c's presence that had motivated Nem's actions, the consequences of having a jaffa on a front-line team were re-examined. In the end, SG-1 remained as they were – General Hammond insisted on it, for no clear reason that anyone would understand until more than a year later.