I wrote this story over eight months on four continents, six airplanes, five trains, one bus, two subway systems, two different notebooks and at least four computers, and it was not until I was half way through this chapter that I realized I had a way out of the corner I had been so excellently painting myself into since way back in chapter one. It's been quite the ride, and it ain't over yet!

Inferno

There was chaos in the 'Gate room. This was not altogether unusual. The chaos this time, however, was not military, nor was it technical. Instead, a host of men and women in white lab coats swarmed the room, their footsteps drowned out by the voices of Alison Crombie as she gave her report, and Dr. Warner as he issued orders to his teams. Janet was unresponsive as they carried her out of the 'Gate room on a gurney, but Warner's main team fought to stabilize Daniel right there on the ramp. Jack, Sam, Teal'c and SG-3 had stepped on to the back half of the ramp as soon as the wormhole had dissipated, giving the teams as much room as they could. From their vantage point they watched the scene unfold, feeling rather useless.

General Hammond waited for Warner to get all of his people out of the 'Gate room before he left the Control room and headed out on to the floor to talk to Jack.

"Colonel, report!"

"We tracked them to the caves, sir," Jack began. "Carter tells me it's the old naquadah mine. Daniel, uh, donated blood to Janet and sedated himself. He's in worse shape than she is Short term, anyway."

"We'll debrief immediately," Hammond said, turning on his heel. "I want to know everything now, so that we can all get down to the infirmary as soon as possible."

SG-1 and 3 smartly followed their commanding officer out of the now completely silent 'Gate room.

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Despite the near desperation on the part of Jack, Sam and, presumably, Teal'c, the debriefing took almost two hours. During this time, Jack had done almost none of the talking, instead shredding piece after piece of the note paper in front of him until Sam had reached across the table and taken it away from him. Hammond was about to release them, when Dr. Warner came up the stairs into the Briefing Room.

"Yes Doctor?" Hammond said as three heads snapped to face the newcomer.

"We've, um…." Warner seemed unprepared for the intensity of the attention he was receiving from SG-1. "We've stabilized Dr. Jackson."

All four people at the table sighed in relief and Teal'c smiled. Warner took a half-step back towards the stairwell and continued.

"He lost a lot of blood, but we've completed the transfusion. He should wake up in about half an hour. Janet," Warner paused. "Janet is a little more of a challenge."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Jack's relieved smile had been replaced with a glowering frown.

"I don't know." Warner sounded completely defeated. "If she's in a coma, she'll require 24 hour care and if she's awake, she'll be completely mad, in a fair amount of pain and extremely violent."

"Surely there is another alternative, Doctor Warner." Teal'c said.

"If there was, I never would have sent her back to that…planet in the first place!"

"Alternative," Sam mused. "Alternative! Sir, Doctor, if a person is allergic to penicillin, but requires an antibiotic, what do you give them?"

"In Janet's case, anything not ending with '-cillin' will suffice, but it is not as strong."

"Sir, I – "

"What ever you and Dr. Warner need, Major," Hammond said just as Jack opened his mouth to ask a question. Hammond cut him off too. "Jack, you and Teal'c go to the infirmary. Keep me in the loop people. Dismissed."

During his time at the SGC, Teal'c had noticed that Jack often used Sam as a walking, talking barometer to gauge the pressure of life or death situations. If the Major was smiling, then things would be socially awkward, but end up all right. If the Sam was abrupt, then it was going to be a bumpy ride, but something scientifically unsound would pull them out of it. Teal'c had never seen this particular expression on Sam's face before, but he recognized it. It was pure, unadulterated determination, and God help whoever got in her way.

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The results were less than encouraging. If there was enough Erythromycin to cancel out the garlic, there wasn't enough garlic to affect the blood cells, and if there was enough garlic to affect the blood cells, the erythromycin wasn't enough to keep the cells from exploding. It had been half and hour, Sam had blown up three test tubes and she and Warner were having no luck. Sam had just sacrificed a fourth beaker to the cause when the phone rang.

Warner brushed the glass into the hazmat container as Sam spoke on the phone. For a physicist, Warner had to admit that Sam was a fairly competent serologist, but even beginner's luck wasn't helping.

"Daniel's awake," Sam reported.

Warner looked around at their failed and detonated experiments.

"Let's go see him then."

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"How are you feeling Dr. Jackson?" Warner asked.

"Weak as a kitten, light as a feather, pounding head, throbbing hand," Daniel rhymed off quickly, "Can I go home now?"

Warner elected not to dignify that with a response, instead fiddling with Daniel's IV and abandoning the room altogether.

"Where are my glasses?" Daniel asked. Sam passed them over. "And how is Janet?"

"Not well," said Sam hesitantly after a few moments of silence wherein she realized that Jack was not going to help her out. Daniel's face fell. "We used your idea though. I tried an alternate penicillin. It wasn't strong enough."

Daniel looked at her blankly.

"On the planet? You told me to find an alternate."

"Oh that," Daniel said, understanding at last. "That's a good idea, but I meant use an alternate method completely. I meant use the healing device."

"Daniel, I – "

"What is the downside?" Daniel's voice was uncharacteristically charged and colour returned to his still pale face. "Warner gives her the antidote, as is, and you keep the penicillin from killing her. If we're lucky, she'll be cured."

"Daniel, what if I'm unlucky?"

"If you're unlucky, she dies," Daniel said flatly. "Believe me, at this point, she wants cured or dead."

"Carter?"

"It's risky sir."

"Can you do it, Sam?"

His choice of word was deliberate. He wasn't ordering a USAF Major to go the extra mile to save a fellow officer, he was warning a uniquely gifted woman that she might well end the life of one of her best friends.

"Yes sir. I can."

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to be continued…