AN: Great that y'all liked it so far. And you really liked the beginning? Well, to be honest that has astonished me a bit.
But okay, if you liked the beginning, you'll enjoy the following as well...
Chapter 4 – Crisis
"You were right, there is some chemical substance in her blood", Janet stated, "it was very hard to find since the particles are very small. What the effects might be I cannot say for sure, yet; and if it's really causing Sam to die..." she shook her head not exactly knowing what more to say.
"Well, the inscriptions ain't helpful in that point, either", Daniel said, "they say nothing more than that."
"At first we should inform the general and then think of possible solutions altogether", Jack proposed.
Sam had to sense that something was apparently wrong, she had become a little quieter resting her head on his shoulder and firmly grabbing his arm.
"I'll go do it, sir", Janet replied walking over to her office.
A short moment later she returned telling the others what the general had decided, "General Hammond requests us to meet in the conference room for an instant discussion of the situation."
"All right", Jack motioned for the exit, Sam still in hold of his hand, "but what about her?"
"I think at the moment you two are obviously inseparable, so keeping Sam here would only lead to further trouble for everyone."
"And maybe she knows something we don't know", Daniel and Janet exchanged a quick glance.
In the conference room General Hammond and Teal'C were already waiting for the others to arrive.
They all took their seats, Sam very close to Jack.
"So what's our current situation, people?' the general opened the briefing.
That moment Jack raised both his eyebrows turning his head into Sam's direction, "Carter, I'd be very thankful when you'd leave your tongue right there where it belongs", he whispered to her harshly.
"Colonel?" Hammond eyed him closely expecting an explanation.
"Err, nothing, sir. The current condition just ain't that peachy at all", O'Neill replied adding softly, "Just hope no one will reckon this to my 2IC's calamity in the end."
"What we got, sir", Janet jumped in for Jack who really had problems with Sam's behavior, "is that there's a drug-like substance in Major Carter's blood making her behave like that."
"And in the writings on the temple wall it's said that there's no way to get rid of this drug and that its final effect is death", Daniel added.
"So we're really facing a big problem here", Hammond said, "Any suggestions?"
"Since the Tok'ra broke contact with us, they're no longer an option, neither are the Asgard at the moment..." Jack started listing the options that they did not have, "maybe I'm just thinking pessimistic, but I don't find a solution. Anybody got something else?"
"There was nothing more to be found back on the planet, either", the general stated.
Teal'C merely raised a clueless eyebrow. Then silence filled the room until the moment Sam suddenly broke it:
"Kali", was all she said before she cuddled up with Jack again.
"What?" Jack questioned.
"Kali", Daniel pondered for an instant, "it's likely she refers to Kali the Destroyer. There was no reference to her or any other Hindu god in the text, but this could be..."
"Maybe this temple once was a place of worship for the Goa'uld Kali", Teal'C supposed.
"So maybe she knows how to reverse things..." Janet said.
"But I don't think she'll help us", Daniel stated, "I've met her on this conference and I won't exactly say she's a nice person to deal with in any way."
"Daniel Jackson is right, I once lead a raid to her central planet. Those of the Jaffa she captured were executed brutally..." Teal'C told them.
"We'd better try, though", Jack retorted, "though y'all know I'm not really starving to deal with another snake head. Sir?" he turned to Hammond.
"Normally I won't let you go on such a mission", Hammond decided, "but under these special circumstances..."
"Thank you, Sir", Jack rose with Sam right behind his back massaging his shoulders.
"Dismissed, you'll have a go in fifteen minutes," Hammond closed the briefing.
"All right, Sam", Jack pushed her hands away from his back, "thank you..."
The team was on the way though the corridor leading to the gate room. Sam was still on Jack's heals since he had left the locker room. Luckily Janet had managed to keep her away from him for the time he needed to get dressed. But as soon as he had been out of the door Sam was jumping at him again.
Now she was giggling like crazy walking by his side Shortly before they reached the door to the gate room she pulled him aside kissing him wildly having fun pinching his lower lip with her teeth and finally – she bit it.
Jack jumped away from her with a start. Daniel shot him a searching glance:
"What is it, Jack?"
"She just bit me, Daniel", Jack tried hard to calm himself down again, "now I'm officially cross with her."
Sam turned around with a playful grin on her face approaching him again. He did not let her get close to him:
"Uh-uh, misses, not closer than that; if ya don't turn around and move your well-shaped bum through that door immediately, I'll kick ya right into it", Jack was unnerved in the whole of his behavior now.
As Sam did not move Jack shooed her through the opening gate room door.
"C'mon, don't grow roots here, I don't wanna wait all day to get started", his tone was no longer pleasant at all.
As the Stargate finally opened Sam refused to go still seeming to find things extraordinarily funny, in Jack's opinion only in order to tease him. But his patience on her acting had come to its very end. He asked Teal'C to carry her through the gate since the Jaffa was the only one who could really withstand her strong winding and kicking.
Finally SG-1 made it to Kali's home world and they could begin their search for help.