Disclaimers, etc. in Part 1

Chapter 6

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Nearly an hour passed before Janet appeared in General Hammond's office. Jack had been banished to his own office soon after Janet left, due to the fact that he destroyed every pen on the General's desk with his impatient fidgeting. The General picked up his phone and summoned SG1 to the Briefing Room, deciding they should all hear whatever Janet had to say directly from her, rather than it being relayed numerous times.

It took less than four minutes for Jack, Daniel and Teal'c to assemble in the Briefing Room, much to Janet's amusement. They greeted her politely but, when she didn't immediately start to speak, Jack demanded to know what was going on, why she had run out of the General's office so quickly earlier.

"Colonel," warned General Hammond, giving Jack a look that said 'sit down and be quiet so that the doctor can speak'.

"I think I've identified what the poison is actually doing to Sam," started Janet, "the reason she thinks you're dead, Colonel." They all looked at her inquisitively, eagerly awaiting her explanation. "The part of her brain that is being attacked by the poison is the part that is thought to control memories, but the poison also seems to have infiltrated another part, which wasn't noticeable at first. I think it actually affected that area first, but it was such a small amount compared to the rest we didn't really take it into account." Glancing around the room, she realized she was losing them and sought to clarify further. "The other part affected is that which holds our fears, phobias, that kind of thing." They nodded in understanding. "It was what you said earlier that gave me the clue, Colonel," she continued, eliciting raised eyebrows of surprise from Jack. "You mentioned that this all sounded like a bad dream and you're right, well half-right."

"Carter's dreaming?" queried Jack, his brow furrowed again.

"No. She's very much awake, but she thinks her worst fear has come true." Janet stopped again, giving them a moment to prepare for what she was about to say. "I think when Sam was hit by the bullet and the poison was released into her bloodstream, it marked an instant in time for her. Although she carried on as normal after that, when she became unconscious the poison targeted the part of her brain that holds her fears. Somehow, and I have no idea how, but I've given up trying to explain everything that happens in the SGC, somehow the poison then affected her memory, taking it back to the moment she was shot and replacing everything that happened after that with Sam's worst fear."

"This doesn't make any sense," stated Jack.

"I know, Colonel, but hear me out. I've talked to Sam again and I asked her what she was thinking about when the bullets were flying around from the sniper. I eventually got her to admit that she saw a bullet come very close to you and she was scared you were going to die. Of course, she then went on to tell me that you did die, but we know that's not what happened."

"But, I get in dangerous situations all the time, Carter's used to it," said Jack.

"It may happen all the time, Colonel, but she's not used to it." Janet's gaze switched to the General and she gave him a meaningful look. He understood her silent question and nodded for her to continue. "Colonel, Sam's worst fear is that you will be killed. The poison has taken that fear and played a trick on her mind, which is why she's convinced you're dead."

"Oh, come on!" said Jack in disbelief. "No way could that happen and, even if it could, her worst fear would be losing her Dad, or Mark and the kids."

"No, Colonel, I talked to her, her worst fear is losing you." Janet's tone was gentle and she gave Jack a tender look, knowing how he was going to feel.

Daniel knew how Jack was going to react as well and he quietly said, "It's not your fault, Jack," but his comment went unheeded as Jack's shoulders drooped in defeat and he scrubbed a weary hand over his face.

"What do we do now?" asked the General, drawing attention away from Jack, though Hammond still watched him carefully.

"I still don't know," admitted Janet. "I'm convinced that this is what's happened, but I have no idea how to reverse the process."

"Okay," nodded Hammond, "the Tok'ra should be here soon, let's hope they can help."

"There has to be some kind of anti-venom on the planet," said Jack pointedly, but the General ignored him.

"We'll review the situation again after the Tok'ra give their verdict on the poison and the healing device."

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"What do we do now?" asked Jack. He was once more in Hammond's office, where he had just been informed that the Tok'ra were unable to identify the poison or the unknown chemical elements and that they were reluctant to use the healing device under such circumstances.

"The scientists are still working on the poison, Colonel, I think we should wait a while longer," replied Hammond.

"No."

"Colonel?"

"General, we gotta go back to the planet. There's nothing else left."

"Colonel, I can understand your reasoning, but we don't know for sure that they will have anything to counter-act the poison."

"Come on, if they're using poisoned bullets you can bet they have something to counter-act the poison in case there are any mishaps."

Jack was leaning on the back of a chair, attempting to stare down the General, and his voice was getting louder and more incredulous with every word he spoke.

"Jack," said Hammond quietly, using his first name to show that it was a friend talking, not a CO, "there are a lot of issues to consider."

"I can't just sit around and do nothing, George."

"I know, but if you go back to that planet and are hit by a bullet, you could be killed. If that happens, Sam's worst nightmare won't just seem real, it will be real."

"She thinks I'm dead anyway, I'm not allowed to go anywhere near her because I make her worse." He looked at the General almost pleadingly, adding, "I'll wear full body armor," as a compromise. When the General still wasn't convinced, Jack admitted slowly, "She thinks I'm dead and not being able to see her, to convince her I'm real… it's killing me anyway, at least my way I'd be doing something."

"Colonel – Jack," said Hammond eventually, "you need to be careful." Jack understood the double meaning behind the words; he needed to be careful on the planet, but he also needed to be careful with what he said, he was starting to reveal things he shouldn't.

"I know what I'm doing," replied Jack, his own words holding a double meaning.

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The event horizon disappeared behind them as Jack, Daniel and Teal'c arrived back on the planet. Their weapons were raised and they were poised for action, but the whole area seemed vacant.

"Never a sniper around when you need one," muttered Jack sarcastically as they cautiously made their way to the familiar dunes. As soon as the words left his mouth, a bullet flew past his head, then another one from a different direction. "Typical," he grumbled. "Nothing, and then two come along at once, just like buses."

Teal'c cocked an eyebrow at O'Neill's words and Daniel gave a wry smile before all three started returning fire.

"Whatever you do, make sure at least one of them stays alive," ordered Jack. Their mission was to talk to the sniper and get a cure for Carter's condition and Jack had every intention of fulfilling it; if the sniper happened to get killed after they got the cure, that was just something he'd have to live with.

They swapped fire for a few minutes while Jack decided on a course of action.

"Daniel, you stay here and keep firing warning shots," said Jack. "Teal'c, head for the guy on the left, I'll take the guy on the right, I think that's who shot Carter. Go around back and try to take them without having to shoot. Use your Zat if you have to, but stun only. Try not to use it though, I don't wanna have to wait for them to wake up before talking to them." Both Teal'c and Daniel nodded their agreement to the plan. "Daniel, you're gonna have to keep Teal'c and I informed of the other's progress, but maintain radio silence unless one of us initiates communication, okay?"

"Okay."

"Take this radio," continued Jack, fishing out a spare radio from his jacket. "Switch to channel one, keep the other one on three. Teal'c, you stay on three and I'll use channel one, that way we won't risk being disturbed as we're approaching the snipers."

Teal'c understood O'Neill's plan as soon as he produced the second radio, but Daniel appreciated the explanation. He switched it to channel one and placed it beside him on the ground. "Alright, I'm ready," said Daniel with more conviction than he felt. Finding a comfortable position, he started shooting more frequently, trying to fool the snipers into thinking that Jack and Teal'c were still with him.

Stealthily, Jack and Teal'c made their way to the snipers, keeping low behind the dunes and not firing their weapons so that their positions would not be known. Jack had no idea where Teal'c currently was, but he hoped he was near his target. Using his Black Ops training, he crept behind the sniper, clutching his Zat. Bringing it into contact with the sniper's neck, he said threateningly, "Drop your weapon," knowing that his tone of voice and the weapon in his hand would be enough to alert the sniper of his intentions, even if his words weren't understood.

The sniper turned quickly, trying to catch Jack unaware, but he failed and Jack pushed into him, bringing the Zat under his chin. Pressing his body against the sniper to restrict movement, and holding the Zat with one hand, Jack used his free hand to work his radio. "Daniel, I have the sniper under control. Repeat, I have the sniper."

"Okay, Jack," said Daniel in reply. "Teal'c has the other one."

"Conscious?"

"Yeah, he didn't have to shoot."

"Good. Get Teal'c and bring the other sniper to my position. Be careful, we don't know if there are any others."

"On our way. Daniel out."

"What do you want?" demanded the sniper, alerting Jack to the fact that he spoke English. Jack surveyed his captive carefully, noticing that he seemed to be little more than a boy. He decided to wait until Daniel arrived before speaking, knowing he could easily lose control and wanting someone there to restrain him if necessary.

"Jack," called Daniel as he and Teal'c came into view. Teal'c was dragging the other sniper alongside him, nodding to O'Neill as they approached. "What now?"

"You wanted to know what we want," said Jack to his prisoner, "well, you're about to find out." The fleeting look of fear on the sniper's face brought a brief smile to Jack's lips and he hoped the interrogation would prove to be easy. "The bullets you're using, they're poisoned?" No reply was forthcoming and Jack shook the sniper harshly, waving the Zat in his face. "You have something to counter-act its effects?"

"No," said the sniper, an evil grin appearing.

"Don't gimme that!" growled Jack. "I want to know what the poison is and I want to know how to get rid of it. Now!" he yelled as more silence ensued.

"You were here before, I hit one of you."

"Yes, and now you're going to tell me how to get rid of the poison."

Daniel watched Jack question the sniper and wondered what extent Jack would go to in order to help Sam. Killing the sniper wouldn't serve any real purpose, unless it provoked the other sniper into providing answers. More silence followed and Daniel decided to step in. He politely explained the situation, telling them that they knew what the poison was designed to do and then asked them for help.

"Why did you come?" asked the sniper in Jack's grip.

"For help. Our friend means a lot to us," said Daniel.

"No, the first time. Why did you come?"

"We're explorers," started Daniel, but he was cut off.

"No," argued the sniper. "You wanted our treasure."

"Your treasure? Oh, you mean the Naquadah." The sniper looked blank at that word. "You possibly call it something else," said Daniel. "There's some of it present in the poison that coated the bullet you used to shoot our friend."

"Yes. You can't have it," said the sniper firmly.

"That's okay. We thought this planet was uninhabited, but we would have talked to you before taking anything," said Daniel gently, encouraged when the sniper seemed to believe him. "The poison… is there something that can reverse its effect?"

Although Jack's sniper appeared to believe Daniel, the one in Teal'c's hands did not and he loudly replied, "No, there is not," with a sickeningly wicked smile gracing his features. He gave the other sniper – who looked younger – a look and received a brief nod in response. "Our people developed the…poison, as you call it, many years ago but, if there ever was a cure, it has long since been forgotten." He took great relish in holding O'Neill's gaze as he spoke, watching the Colonel fight his emotions. "You will know by now that your friend thinks her greatest fear has come true, that is our way of punishing people who steal our treasure."

"She didn't steal anything!" yelled Jack.

"It was her intent to do so, do not try to deny it."

Jack let go of the sniper he was holding, thrusting him towards Daniel. He then took a step towards the man with Teal'c, looking at him menacingly. "You must have a cure, you wouldn't take the risk of one of your own people being hit by a bullet."

"Those bullets are only used in battle. If one of our people is hit by one, they are quickly put out of their misery."

"Tell us what's in the poison," demanded Jack, trying to find another way to get information to ultimately help Carter. If they knew what it consisted of, they could try to create a cure themselves.

"Has she passed the fear stage yet?" asked the sniper. Jack didn't reply, but the confusion on his face betrayed him. "She will eventually die of a broken heart. Her greatest fear will seem even greater to her, until she reaches the stage where she cannot continue."

"You don't know, Carter," said Jack, "she's too strong, she'll learn to live with what she thinks has happened."

"It will not work."

"It will," stated Jack vehemently, "you'd be surprised what people can cope with if they have to." Daniel's gaze flickered to Jack, watching as the sadness of losing his son hit him once more.

"The poison will weaken her. No-one will believe what she tells them has happened, as it has not actually happened. This will frustrate her, she will grow to hate them. Soon, she will have no reason left to live."

Daniel let out a gasp, recognizing some of what had been said. When he had last tried to convince Sam that Jack was alive, she had yelled at him ferociously, telling him she didn't trust him anymore, that she no longer considered him a friend.

"What are you saying?" demanded Jack, grabbing the sniper by his collar.

"The poison will make her hate everyone and eventually she will also hate herself, until she can no longer bear to be alive." He stopped and looked directly at Jack as he sneered, "She will kill herself."

Jack let go of him abruptly and stumbled backwards. Catching Daniel's eye, they shared a look , their own terror reflected in the other's face.

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TBC…

I didn't plan for this chapter to get as angsty as this, but who am I to fight it? I'm sorry to say (honest, I am) that the next chapter will be pretty angsty too.

Thanks again for all your reviews.