Chapter 25- Outbreak
A/N: Who would have thought that during the Coronvirus pandemic that my Stargate story would fall on the episode of them dealing with a virus? But, oh, well, it is what it is and my character, Laura still is not coming down with it on account of her parasitic genes, for all those who were wondering.
Down in the gateroom, Laura was helping Daniel and Carter with the Stargate. Daniel had a clipboard in his hand, while Laura and Carter were on ladders, checking the gate and the iris. "What do both of you think that was all about with Johnson?" Daniel asked while Laura spliced a wire and Carter put a new one in its place.
"Beats me," Carter said as she picked up a remote.
"Maybe he was drunk," Laura said.
"I don't know, kid. Didn't quite seem like inebriation," Daniel said. A loud thump got their attention. Laura, Carter, and Daniel looked up to see one man toss another man into the glass separating the viewing tower from the gateroom.
"What the-" Carter started to say. The two men shattered the glass and went right through it and to the gateroom floor. Laura, Carter, and Daniel went right to the bodies. Laura put her hand on one of the men's necks, and started when she didn't feel a pulse. Carter was in front of the other man and moved for Laura to see his sightless eyes, revealing he was dead too.
Laura ran to the phone and picked it up. "We need medics! Section "C," stat! Two men down," Laura said as she looked back at the fallen men.
Laura stood in the infirmary watching as Johnson got steadily worse. "I wish I knew what this was, Laura," Dr. Frasier said. The woman was new to the base, but had been in the Air Force for quite a long time.
"Me too, Doctor. This came on so quickly. Do you have any idea what it is?" Laura asked.
"I wish I did," Frasier said as a gurney was rolled in with Carter on it. The woman was spasming uncontrollably, even with the restraints holding her down.
"Carter?" Laura asked as Dr. Frasier injected Carter with a sedative.
"Keep her from hurting herself until the sedatives take effect," Dr. Frasier said as Jack came in and Laura hugged him tightly.
"This pretty much what Johnson has?" Jack asked.
"Oh, I'd say so, Dad. Right, Doctor?" Laura asked Frasier.
"And the other members of the team. This is the strangest thing I've ever seen. Come on. Take a look," Frasier said as she led them down to a lower level.
"What are we looking at?" Laura asked.
"We converted Def-Con one living compartments from when this place was a missile silo into isolation chambers. You never know what you're gonna bring back through the Stargate," Frasier said as a loud guttural scream punctuated her words and she opened a port in the wall.
Laura's eyes widened as she and Jack peeked in. It was Johnson, or Laura thought it looked like Johnson. He looked like the caveman that Laura had seen on the planet. It was the same illness that had infected the people on the dark side of the planet. "Whoa," Laura said under her breath.
"Notice the swelling of the browridge? Some are even developing new follicle growth," Frasier said.
"Any idea what's causing it?" Jack asked.
"Wish I knew. I got calls into every specialist in the service. But I've got one hand tied behind my back because of the need-to-know classification of the Stargate Project. And it's spreading. We got two more in an hour later," Frasier said as she closed the viewport and they walked to another cell. Jack opened the viewport to reveal Colonel Makepeace, pounding the walls and his blood all over the area where he was pounding.
"I have never seen a behavioral disorder like this. All the victims are acting like animals," Frasier said as Makepeace knocked over the steel bunkbeds and crouched on them.
"You think Captain Carter has the same thing?" Laura asked.
"Mm-Hmm. The behavior fits. All the victims are behaving like primitives. Most female low-level primates tend to choose their mates according to who would give them the strongest offspring. The leaders of a pack or a tribe are usually the prime choice," Frasier said.
"I guess you should be flattered that Carter thinks you're hot, Dad," Laura said with a dry voice. Jack had told her that Carter hit on him and once the concern had passed Laura had found it kind of funny.
"Oh, yeah, I'm honored," Jack said, clearly not finding it nearly as funny as Laura did. Jack went to the gateroom and Laura stayed in the infirmary with Doctor Frasier, helping the victims.
Laura looked up from the IV bag that she was putting sedative into. Doctor Frasier had shown her how to give the meds and due to her genetic Goa'uld memory, she had picked it up fairly quick. Laura nearly dropped the needle as Jack and Daniel came in. Daniel had blood running sluggishly from a cut on his lip and Jack was being held to a gurney by restraints. "Oh, Dad. What happened?" Laura asked as she went to her father and looked up at Daniel.
"I don't know. We were talking about Carter trying to hit on him and how she got hurt and he attacked me when I said I was gonna check on her," Daniel said, looking as clueless as Laura and Frasier felt.
"Doctor, have you found anything new?" Laura asked Frasier.
"I think so. We've managed to isolate an organism in the victim's bloodstreams," Frasier said as a nurse took a sample of Daniel's blood.
"Organism? Like a parasite?" Hammond asked.
"More like a parasitical virus. Nothing like what Mr. Teal'C and Laura have in them. And from what I can tell, it seems to feed on alines and cholines, chemical transmitters in the body that includes neurotransmitters," Frasier said.
"And the side effects when the virus feeds is what we are seeing now?" Laura asked.
"Yes. As they're depleted, all but the most primitive parts of the brain seems to shut down," Frasier said.
"That why they act like animals?" Hammond asked.
"Actually, the organism seems to release a horomone that stimulates the primitive regions of the brain that are normally dormant. I have never seen anything like this on Earth," Frasier said, looking confused.
"Exactly. "On Earth." That would explain "The Touched," Daniel said as he got up from the hospital bed he had been sitting on.
"Beg your pardon?" Hammond asked as Daniel walked past him.
"That's what the primitives were called on P3X-797. The Touched," Teal'C said.
"But I think given recent events, it's safe to say they aren't born primitive. They must have this very contagious disease. And we came in contact with them. Isn't that special?" Daniel snarked.
"So, the question is, why haven't you, Laura, and Mr. Teal'C come down with the symptoms?" Frasier asked the same question Laura was thinking.
"Um, Mr. Teal'C- Teal'C's symbiote probably protects him and Laura's Goa'uld DNA has probably safeguarded her as her mind and her bloodstream has Goa'uld DNA all in it," Daniel said.
"That would be likely," Laura said.
"What about you, Dr. Jackson?" Frasier asked, looking at Daniel.
"That beats me. You're the doctor, Doctor. Maybe I have an natural immunity," Daniel said.
"Perhaps you will develop symptoms later," Teal'C said gravely.
"Oh, yeah. That's reassuring," Laura said, nearly choking on a laugh.
"Thank you for the moral support," Daniel said sarcastically.
"I am checking all three of your bloods for the presence of the organism, and I would bet that all three of you have it. This appears to be highly contagious," Frasier said, looking at Hammond.
"Are you saying we could have brought a new plague to this planet?" Hammond asked in shock.
"Yes, Sir, that's exactly what she's saying," Laura said.
"Well, that's it. I'm ordering this mountain sealed off. No one comes in or goes out until we get a handle on this thing," Hammond said with finality before leaving the infirmary.
Laura nodded as a loud scream filled the air. They all ran to one of the isolation chambers as a woman's voice blared over the intercom. Laura looked in as Teal'C opened the port. Jack came up to the port, screaming and his face had started to change to that of a caveman's. "Doctor, do something. He's going to damage himself," Laura said, feeling tears come to her eyes as she looked at her father.
"I've been pumping your father with sedatives to control him, but they wear off fast. help me give him some more. Let's go, go!" Frasier said and an orderly gave her the sedative.
The soldier guarding the door opened it and Daniel and Teal'C held him as Frasier injected the sedative into him. Laura stood back, her hand on her mouth, tears falling down her cheeks. Daniel and Teal'C lowered him to his bunk and Laura went to him, pressing her wet face into Jack's hand as she raised it to kiss it. "Doctor, save my dad. Find a cure. If I could be of any help, examine me for the cure," Laura said.
"I hope I won't have to, Laura. I'm going to test all of your blood samples and see what I can find," Frasier said as they stood to leave. Laura dropped a kiss on Jack's forehead and left the room with the others.
"If anything happens, come get me. Even if I am asleep, wake me," Laura said to the airman at the door.
"Yes, Miss," the man said as Laura went back to the infirmary.
