Chapter 5

Janet looked up from Sam's test-results as someone walked into the infirmary. "Oh, hi, Jonas," she greeted him with a smile. "What's up?"

"Just wondering if you had Sam's blood work back yet," he told her, sitting on one of the beds.

"I just got the results," she told him, not looking up from the report. "I'm going to have to go over them in more detail before I know anything."

"Okay." Jonas nodded faintly.  

Janet looked up at him. "How long are you going to be on-planet? Cassie and I would love to have you over for dinner some night."

He smiled. "I'd like that."

"Great. How about tonight?"

Jonas closed his eyes and braced his hands against the bed as his head started to swim and a vision pushed its way into his awareness.

"Jonas?" Janet asked, worried by the dizzy spell.

"Tonight's not going to be good for you," he told her. He opened his mouth again to elaborate, then quickly closed it, aware that she was staring at him. Oops…

"You're getting visions again," she said softly. "Jonas, this isn't good. We're going to need to get you down to X-ray right away..."

He shook his head. "It's okay, Janet," he assured her. "I'm under a neurologist's care at home."

"You have another growth?" She shook her head, concerned. "Jonas, we need to get it out."

"No!" he protested, shaking his head. "Janet, no amount of surgery is going to change what's happening to me."

"But this thing could kill you."

He shook his head again. "Janet, you told me that the last one was benign."

"That doesn't mean this one is, too, Jonas..."

"It is. I know it is." He shook his head. "Janet, please trust me on this. Nothing is going to change what I am, what I'm turning into. It's nothing to be afraid of," he assured her.

Janet stared at him helplessly for a few moments before sighing and nodding. She may not have liked it, but he had the right to decline treatment. And maybe he knew something that she did not... He could see the future, after all.

"So, why isn't tonight going to be good for me?" she asked finally.

"You're going to be very busy here. I counted at least six badly injured people."

"Damn it." She sighed softly, shaking her head. There were seven teams off-world right now, three of them together on a very dangerous mission to one of Anubis' worlds. "SG teams?"

"If I said yes, and you got the off-world teams recalled, how do you know that that wouldn't be what caused them to get hurt?" he asked quietly.

Janet stared at him, startled both by the question and by his pained tone. "How can you live with this?" she whispered.

"It isn't always easy," he admitted. "Sometimes it just comes down to picking your battles. The more distant something is, the bigger an impact you can have on it, but not always in the ways you mean to. You just never know."

"How can it not drive you crazy, though?" she asked, shaking her head.

He shrugged. "It's a part of who I am, now. I'm getting better at handling it."

"Huh." She nodded faintly. "So, what's your gut tell you about this one?"

"That recalling those teams would be a very bad idea." Pausing and sighing softly, he added, "But that you should have your trauma team on-call anyway."

Janet echoed his sigh, moving to sit next to him on the bed. "So, would I have been the cause or not?"

He shrugged, turning to face her. "Sometimes you cause what you're trying to prevent, sometimes you can avert it. And sometimes you just end up making it even worse. You can never be entirely sure until it's already happened."

"How can you ever do anything? I would be... completely immobilized," she told him.

"There are times when I have been," he admitted. "You just have to play the probabilities. Eventually, you end up doing something right."

"And in the meantime?"

"And in the meantime, you hope." He shrugged. "Look, the prophecies we should be worried about right now are Sam's, not mine."

"I can't argue with that," Janet agreed. "I should finish looking these test-results over."

He nodded and rose. "I'm going to go see if I can help her get more out of these dreams, draw a clearer picture of what's going to happen. The more we know, the better our chances of preventing this."

"Okay, Jonas. It's good to see you again."

"You, too, Janet. I'd love to take you up on that offer to come over some time."

"I'll let you pick the day," she said with a faint smile, shaking her head.

"Good idea," he agreed, grinning. "I'll let you know."

"You do that," she called after him as he left. She sighed softly, glancing down at Sam's chart. Still nothing resembling a growth or tumor, but her blood-work was definitely abnormal. Highly increased levels of Serotonin, Acetylcholine, Norepinephrine...

Definitely not healthy.

Shaking her head, she rose to make her report to the General.

***

"If you fight it, you're never going to be able to see it all," Jonas advised Sam. "Now, I know it's hard not to resist something that scary, but you have to try."

She inhaled deeply, nodding. "Is this going to work with me awake?"

"Doctor Mackenzie thinks that, if you're in a deep enough state of hypnosis, it will."

"Okay, let's get this over with."

"Okay, just try to relax," he said, sitting down across from her. "Usually I start by closing my eyes."

Sam nodded and did as suggested, raising one eyebrow at the sound of tapping on the door to her room. "Wonder who that is?" she asked, glancing at Jonas, who shrugged. Shrugging herself, she rose and opened the door. "Oh, hello, sir."

"Any luck yet?" Jack asked without preamble.

"Sir, it's only been five minutes," Sam pointed out.

"What's with the candles?" he asked, gesturing around the small room. Every flat surface was covered with lit candles.

"Teal'c uses candles," Jonas answered, shrugging.

"Huh..." Jack glanced around the room again, his expression dubious.

"Would you like to join us, sir?" Jonas offered. "If Sam doesn't mind..."

Jack glanced down at Sam, who shrugged. "Don't mind if I do."

Jonas quickly retrieved a chair for Jack, and Sam could have sworn that his grin was knowing. She shook her head and sat cross-legged on the bed again as the two men settled themselves.

"Okay, just breathe like I showed you," Jonas reminded her as she closed her eyes. "Close out everything around you and turn your mind inward. Listen to the sound of your heartbeat."

Sam nodded imperceptibly, focusing on keeping her breathing slow and even and allowing the rhythmic beating of her heart to lull her. Jonas' quiet, gentle voice soothed her as he continued chanting instructions, and the smell of the Colonel's aftershave reminded her that he was close by, that she was protected.

"Okay, now reach back," Jonas murmured. "Remember Delphi, like it was in your dreams. Remember yourself in that temple with Teal'c and Daniel. Do you see it?"

Sam's breath caught in her throat, and she shook her head slightly.

"It's okay, Sam," Jonas assured her. "They're only dreams, memories. It can't hurt you."

"No," she protested, shaking her head. "Get out!"

"It's not real," Jonas reminded her firmly. "It can't hurt you. Just go with it..."

"Don't, you can't! He's my friend, damn it!" she groaned, shaking her head more violently, oblivious to the two men in the room with her.

"It's okay, Sam," Jonas soothed.

"Damn it, Jonas," Jack protested, scowling at the younger man. "Does she look 'okay' to you?"

"No!" Sam whimpered. "No, not him, too... You can't." Letting out a low groan, she fell backwards on the bed and whispered, "We die together, our love..."

"Carter?" Jack demanded, jumping to his feet and moving to her side. Her entire body was trembling and her face was streaked with tears. "Are you okay?"

"No," she whispered. "Sir, I..."

"It's okay, Carter," he murmured, glancing at Jonas. The young man looked ill. "Was that really necessary?"

"It's not his fault," Sam muttered, shaking her head. "I have to do this."

Jack sighed softly and brushed back her hair. "Yeah, probably. But right now I want you to rest. Don't make me make that an order."

She nodded, smiling gratefully up at him. "Thanks for being here."

"That's what friends do."

"Here, Sam," Jonas murmured, appearing at the bedside with a pill and a glass of water. "These are the ones Doctor Frasier said would help with the anxiety."

"Thank you, Jonas." She gave him a weak smile as Jack helped her sit up long enough to swallow the pill.

"Get some rest," he murmured, squeezing her shoulder. "We'll try again later. There's no hurry."

"Okay. I'll see you later."

"Yeah." Giving her shoulder a final pat, Jonas turned and left the room.

"You okay?" Jack asked quietly.

"No." She shook her head. "I... I remember fighting against her, but she was too strong. And when I would fight, she would punish me..."

"You're shaking," he noted. "Should I get Doc Frasier?"

"No," she whispered, closing her eyes. "Just..."

"Do you want me to leave?" he asked reluctantly.

She shook her head again.

"Then I'll stay," he answered.

"Thank you." She opened her eyes as he climbed to his feet. "Sir? What are you doing?"

"Just breaking a few regulations," he informed her, locking the door before returning to the bed. "Come here," he directed, sitting with his back against the wall and extending his arms.

She stared at him with wide eyes for a long moment. "Sir?"

"It's okay, Carter," he assured her. "I promise not to try to take advantage of you. Not my style."

Biting her lower lip and blinking back tears, Sam gratefully slid into his arms, resting her cheek against his chest. "Thank you, sir."  

"Just rest," he suggested. "I'm here if you need me."

Sam decided that any response she might make to that comment would only get her in trouble in her current emotional state. Sighing softly, she closed her eyes and focused on the sound of his heart and the warmth of his body. He was alive, none of it had been real. The fact made it easy for her to forget everything she had experienced during her vision. Except pulling the trigger and seeing the shocked look on his face. She doubted anything would ever erase that gut-wrenching impression.

Shaking, she buried her face in his chest, clinging to him until she had cried herself to sleep.

***

The experience of being rough-handled into a Gua'old's throne-room by a half-dozen Jaffa would have been a lot more daunting to Sam if she had not experienced it several dozen times before. As it was, she was less focused on the present than on the impending interrogation, steeling herself. Apollo had already questioned the others extensively. Jack had been splinting Teal'c's arm when the Jaffa had come for her. Daniel had every indication of a severe concussion. Jack, in spite of the fact that he had been severely tortured more times than Sam cared to think about, was obviously in bad shape himself.

And now it was her turn...

The construction of the throne-room was Classical Greek, with columns and low couches everywhere. The attendants were dressed in togas and the Jaffa in armor after the Spartan style. Apollo was lying sprawled on a low couch set upon a dais at the far end of the throne-room, listening attentively to a woman kneeling beside him. At first, with her mane of white hair, Sam thought she must have been quite old. She grunted as the Jaffa forced her to her knees, making the woman look up.

When she looked up, Sam realized that the priestess was actually quite young in spite of her white hair. She regarded Sam with an unsettling smile and burning eyes. "My lord's sister awaits his pleasure," she told Apollo in a sibilant hiss.

He turned his attention from Sam to the priestess. "Does she now, Cybil?" he murmured.

"Mmm." She nodded faintly.

"Well, now..." He rose and stepped down from the dais, approaching Sam. "Female of the Tau'ri," he started, accepting the GDO from an attendant. "This was found in your possession. What is it?"

"It is a key," the Cybil intoned. "The key to unlock the gate."

"Hmm," Apollo murmured, smiling down at Sam. "What is the code?"

Sam remained silent. One of the Jaffa backhanded her. She bit back a pained cry and glared at the Jaffa.

"Defiant, aren't we?" Apollo murmured, nodding to himself. "A fighter. Cybil, will we have answers from her?"

"Not as she is now, my lord."

Apollo nodded faintly. "All in good time, then." He nodded and gestured to two of the Jaffa. "Strip her," he ordered.


"Wh--" Sam began to protest, struggling against the Jaffa holding her as two more quickly removed her uniform.

Apollo nodded to himself, walking around her in a slow circle and giving her a thorough looking-over. "Many scars," he noted, nodding to himself. "You have survived numerous battles, haven't you?" he asked her.

"Go to hell!" Sam spat.

Apollo smiles faintly. "Our royal uncle might take offense at such an incursion into his territory."

The Cybil's head shot up. "Sokar is no more," she informed Apollo. "This one brought about his end..."

"Did she now?" he asked, his expression delighted. "Oh, you must be something... Our sister will approve." He nodded to one of his Jaffa. "Bring her to the temple," he ordered. "Do not harm her. I'll question her again after Cybil is through with her. Go." 

"Can I at least have my clothes back!" Sam protested as the Jaffa half-carried her off.

"Appropriate clothes await at the temple," the Cybil assured her, rising and following. "You have pleased our lord. You will please our lady. Hold," she ordered. The Jaffa stopped in their tracks as the Cybil moved to stand in front of Sam. "You will do well," she murmured, reaching up and lightly caressing Sam's cheek. "Our lady will approve mightily." With these words, she reached into her gown and withdrew a slender dagger, lightly flicking it across the hollow of Sam's throat. "It is not pleasant at first, but you will come to savor it."

Darkness overtook Sam before she could react.

Her next conscious memory was of pain and a Gua'old voice demanding, "What is the code?"

"Carter, Samantha, Major--" she began, only to feel searing pain shooting through her body.

***

She woke up screaming.

"Easy, Carter. Easy," Jack's voice filled her awareness. His hands cradled her face and his voice continued to murmur soothingly until she relaxed into his arms again.

"God," she whispered, shaking. The Gua'old definitely had some efficient forms of torture...

"Another vision?" he asked quietly after a long moment spent rocking her and waiting for the tremors to subside.

"Memory, it was a memory," she told him. "They drugged me. I think they drugged me..." She trailed off abruptly, aware that she was still lying in Jack's arms. She sat up abruptly, straightening. "Sorry, sir," she murmured.

He sighed and shook his head. "Carter, you don't have to act like I'm contagious here. We're not breaking any regs..."

She jumped to her feet, pacing the room. The line was a fine one and they both knew it. Too fine most of the time. But that was not what occupied her attention right now.

"They drugged me," she repeated, lifting her hand to her throat. There was a tiny round scar there, fading rapidly along with the other marks of her interrogation. "I didn't remember before..."

"You sure?" Jack asked, eyeing her uncertainly. "Carter, would you just sit down for a minute and stop pacing! You're making me nervous, here!"

"Sorry, sir."

She sat down, doing her best not to fidget. She felt ready to crawl out of her skin. They had done more than drug her. She had lost a substantial amount of time. They had taken her to the temple, done something to her there.

Jack pulled the other chair in front of hers and sat down. "Why don't you tell me about it," he suggested.

Closing her eyes and inhaling deeply, she quietly relayed the contents of the dream-memory to him.

"Okay, I think we should probably talk to Janet about this right now."

Warning claxons abruptly started going on. "Unscheduled off-world activation!"

Jack frowned and rose. "Who's due back?"

"No one," Sam answered, shaking her head and rising. "We should get to the Gate-room."

He nodded, following her from the room and half-jogging towards the observation-bay.


"Receiving IDC code," Sergeant Davis was announcing as they jogged up the stairs. "It's SG-3."

"They were part of the team raiding Anubis' base," Sam murmured, shaking her head. That could not be good.

"Medical teams are on their way!" Jonas panted, jogging into the room.

"We don't know that anyone's hurt yet," General Hammond protested.

"Oh, Jonas knows," Jack muttered as the iris opened and men came pouring out of the wormhole, energy-weapon blasts following them. "Jonas knows..."

"Close the iris!" one of the soldiers below shouted. "Get it shut right now!"

"Do it," Hammond ordered, nodding.

"That's not all of them," Sam whispered, taking a quick headcount. There were, by her count, five unaccounted for.

Shaking her head, she followed Jack into the Gate-room. The medical teams were still on their way, so the less-wounded soldiers were helping their more severely injured comrades, carrying them off the ramp, applying pressure to injuries, or just reassuring them when there was nothing else to do. Several of the injuries were severe enough to be life-threatening. Most of the remaining team-members would be out of action for weeks. Not one of them was unscathed.

"There was an ambush," a Lieutenant was explaining to Hammond as she struggled to staunch the flow of blood from a wound in her CO's chest. Her own face and torso were badly burned, her uniform a charred tatter. "Anubis' drones, they came at us from all directions..."

"Okay, take it easy," Hammond directed, giving her shoulder a reassuring pat. He looked up as Janet arrived, leading several teams of medical personnel. "That was fast. Good job."  

She nodded an absent acknowledgement as she dropped to her knees next to the Lieutenant, assessing her CO's condition. "Okay, you're doing fine," she told the young woman. "Can you hold that for one minute?" she asked. At the girl's shaky nod, she rose, unable to believe that the girl was still conscious. "Tull, Mead, I have chest trauma and heavy bleeding! Take care of him. Sanders, I've got third-degree burns, forty percent coverage, over here!"

Two doctors and a nurse immediately detached themselves from the throng of personnel swarming through the Gate-room doing triage, hurrying to the injured pair. Janet moved on to the next injured person in line, quickly barking orders and assigning priorities to individual cases and injuries. One man was almost certainly not going to make it and she spent a long moment debating whether to even bother treating him or not before calling a team over to do what they could for him.

Rising and wiping her bloody hands on her lab coat, she glanced up to the observation room, where Jonas still stood, watching the scene beneath with sad eyes. When he saw her, he dropped his eyes, looking away. Shaking her head, she returned to her treatment of the wounded.