"Is this really that serious?" General Hammond asked that morning. "I mean, it sounds like a little virus to me."
He was standing at the head of the briefing room table, Janet, Sam, and Teal'c sitting on the sides. Janet said, "Well, sir, we know it's not a virus, but at the moment I'd be reluctant to give a definite answer as to what this—purple—material really is. And it's true that they're not seriously ill, but Daniel's been sick for a few days already, and Sam had a different reaction altogether from the boys. So, I'd say that although it doesn't seem serious, I am a little wary of the situation, sir."
Sam stood up. "Sir, I've looked and looked at the samples, and I can't find anything useful there. It's not even organic; it just seems like some sort of—chemical compound that's found naturally in the soil."
"And that means..." General Hammond trailed off, and looked to the two scientists for help.
"It means," said Janet, "that their bodies can't produce antibodies, because they're not fighting a virus or bacteria. They're fighting—or rather, don't know how to fight—a chemical. One that's not showing any signs that it's leaving their systems."
"And Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Jackson are in the infirmary now, correct?" Hammond asked.
"Yes, that's correct," said Janet. She smiled a little, and said, "I don't even know if Jack realizes he's officially sick yet, not according to me at least. He thinks I'm 'letting' him stay there with Daniel..." she sighed.
"Well, what are we going to do?" asked the general. "Should we wait, or should I send another team to that planet? And if I do, will it be safe for them?"
Janet sighed. "I don't know, sir. The men from SG-4 are okay, but I can't assure you that any team that goes through the gate will...resist it like they have."
"Well," said Hammond, "Since Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Jackson cannot be said to be in immediate danger, I'm going to have to postpone any other missions to PY1-486."
Both Sam and Janet nodded.
"Dismissed," said the general, getting up. Janet and Sam stood and saluted, until he went into his office. Then Janet said, "Sam, if you don't mind, I'd like to see you in the infirmary."
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In the infirmary, they found the Colonel sitting by Daniel's bed, pale-faced and sweaty. Janet had to call off the ruse and order him into bed, something he didn't take kindly to; however, he did it--after a poisonous glance at his doctor and some unintelligible muttering.
Sam sat on an empty bed, waiting for Janet to finish checking up on and scolding the boys. She knew that she'd get a scolding herself: the look in the doctor's eyes in the briefing room told her that much. She twiddled her thumbs as Janet checked the vitals of her two patients, then came over to Sam.
"Sam," Janet said, "If you don't get some rest I'm going to have to give you a sedative. I know you don't feel tired, and that—material may be having a stimulating effect on you, but you can't afford to do without rest entirely. Now do you want to try to sleep on your own, or do you want a shot?"
Sam sighed. She hated being sedated. Hated the groggy feeling it gave her. But the fact was, she knew she wasn't going to be able to go to sleep on her own, so she said, "Sedative, please."
Janet raised her eyebrows, but went to get the drug.
Sam sat fidgeting until she came back. The doctor had her lay down, checked for air bubbles, squirted a little of it out to get it started, then injected it into the Major's upper arm.
And waited.
After five minutes, Sam said, "Janet, I feel exactly the same."
Janet, who had turned around, expecting Sam to be asleep, turned back in surprise. She frowned, and went back to the medicine closet.
"That should've put you down for hours," she said, checking she'd injected her friend with the right drug. Sam, who'd sat up already, shrugged.
"So what do we do now?" asked Sam.
"I have no idea," Janet sighed.
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By noon Daniel was awake again. He'd had a couple of nightmares—mostly the same as the one he'd had before—but Sam, Janet or Teal'c were always there to wake him up.
As Janet came towards him after her lunch, she saw he was finally awake for real and came over. "Hey, Daniel," she smiled. "How are you feeling?"
Daniel shrugged. "Been better," he said. "Where's Jack?"
"He's, uh, over there," she said, pointing behind her to the next infirmary bed.
"Ah," said the hoarse man sagely. "So he's got this...thing too?"
"Yes," said Janet, checking his pulse. "Do you want to know what we know about it, or would you rather wait until you're feeling better?"
"Um," said Daniel, as a cool hand was placed on his forehead, "Now's good."
Janet repeated what had been said at the briefing with General Hammond.
"So...you don't really have any idea what it is or how to cure it," said Daniel matter-of-factly, once she'd finished.
"Well, no," Janet admitted. "Sam's been through the results of her lab tests at least a hundred times, and we can't get anywhere—" she stopped suddenly.
"What?" asked Daniel.
"Oh, nothing," said Janet. "It's just that most of your department has no idea what that stuff from the temple says, so we have no idea what's supposedly going on."
"Get it for me," the sick man said. "I'll translate it."
Janet sighed. "Daniel, why do you think I stopped telling you? You need to rest, and I'm sure we'll find something..."
"Come on, Janet," said Daniel. "You need somebody—" he coughed twice, painfully—"somebody who knows Bantu, and I'm almost positive we have nobody—" cough—"except me who has any idea about it." He broke off, coughing more, until Janet brought him some water. "Thanks," he said breathlessly.
"Daniel," said Janet quietly, "You're not in any shape to be doing work now. You need to rest." She pulled up the blankets briskly and started to turn away.
"Janet!" Daniel said angrily. She turned back. "Listen, Janet, I've been sleeping for long enough. Yes, I'm sick, but I'm not dying, and this is—boring. Let me help."
Janet sighed. "Daniel, I can't do that."
Daniel sighed, defeated. "Yeah, I know."
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