A/N: Sorry for the delayed update. To give you a brief overview: SG1, minus Sam, found an amnesiac Carter after she'd been missing for some time. She was taken back to the SGC, where it was discovered she had a Goa'uld in her. After this symbiote was successfully removed, Dr. Frasier learns some disturbing things about this new breed of symbiote...

The next stop on Jack's tour of the base was Carter's lab. She walked to her lab table. Although most of the room was cleaned out, a few items she'd been investigating when she had been lost were still left there. She moved to a box holding several raw samples of minerals she'd been examining and lifted out the fragments one by one. Jack watched patiently.

"This is from...that planet with the bright pink trees... called..." Sam shut her eyes and tried to recall the name.

"You're right, it had pink trees, and I don't recall the planet's designation, either, if it makes you feel any better." Jack moved a couple steps closer, encouraged by what she had remembered.

"And this gadget was given to us by the, uh, the Asgard." She finally spit out triumphantly. "I've been trying to figure out how to make our own version for months now, haven't I?"

"I don't know, Sam, you'll have to ask your scientist buddies."

"Well, go get Dr. Lee. He'll tell you. He's the one who mapped out all the schematics for this thing."

"We'll ask him then." Jack was grinning. "What else looks familiar in here?"

Sam continued around the room, pointing and handling different objects and giving tidbits of information about each one. Her memory, at least here in her lab, was the best it had been since her return.

"Jack, I mean, sir, it's all starting to come back! I mean, there's still some pretty big gaps, but I'm remembering things now, really remembering them." Sam looked triumphant.

"Sir," Jack mumbled. He turned away for a minute. Until he'd heard the fateful word come from her mouth, he'd been unconsciously enjoying her lack of memory regarding the restrictions on their relationship. He'd felt guilty about not telling her, but doggone it, he liked the informality and easy warmth that had characterized their relationship while her memory was impaired.

Sam was not aware of his disappointment. Excited by the return of some of her memory, she was eagerly looking around the lab.

"There's not much research left in here, Major," a deep voice informed them from the doorway.

"Dr. Lee!" Sam smiled.

He smiled broadly at her acknowledgment of him. "I was told you had amnesia. Sounds like you're doing better. Congratulations, Major Carter. If you would like, I'll take you to the main science lab and you can see what we're working on right now."

Jack smiled at them both and patted Sam's shoulder.

"Could you escort the Major to my office when she's done, Dr. Lee?" he requested.

"Just a concession to Dr. Frasier," he explained when Dr. Lee looked curiously at him. "She's only allowed out of the infirmary if she has an escort."

Sam rolled her eyes.

"Will do, Colonel," the scientist answered.

Jack went back to the infirmary to tell Janet where he'd left Sam. He wasn't taking any chances on incensing the fiery Doctor again. Sure enough, when he walked in alone, she charged up to him with her lips set in a thin line.

"Wait, she's okay. She's with her geek friends in the main science lab. She's starting to remember stuff."

"Really?" Janet sounded surprised. "Well, the test results are back on the symbiote we removed from Major Carter, and it's pretty interesting. Let me show you the report."

He followed her into her cluttered office and sat down on a chair that rolled around, but he stopped his movement and remained still when Janet gave him a disciplinary glance.

"The Goa'uld who produced this symbiote has been involved in some pretty serious experimentation. This was a genetically engineered and enhanced symbiote. Our report indicates that this symbiote was bred not just to overpower the host, but to completely erase the host. This is a stronger, more potent Goa'uld, one that literally obliterates the host. Up until now, 'something of the host' survived, and after extraction, the host has been able to live a normal life, in those few cases where successful extractions have been performed. This is a much more dangerous form of Goa'uld, if there can be such a thing."

"Why then is Carter beginning to regain her memories?"

"First of all, you should know that I seriously doubt she will completely regain them, although I hope I'm wrong. For some reason, this symbiote was implanted into her at a much earlier age than usual. I would guess no more than three or four weeks after birth. I think the Goa'uld are trying to devise a way to bypass the need for Jaffa incubation. Fortunately for Sam, they weren't successful in her case. She was a test subject. Which means-"

"-there are probably a lot more humans out there, imprisoned and being used as test subjects."

"And, if the Goa'uld succeed, they are going to be able to claim hosts much more completely, wiping out the human host's brain completely, and without the middleman step of the Jaffa."

"Which means the Jaffa are going to be in danger."

"One way or another, yes, I believe so. The Goa'uld will either use them as hosts directly or kill them, would be my guess."

Jack fell silent, thinking.

"I guess the SGC should contact our allies, especially the Tok'Ra, and come up with a plan. I'm going to call a briefing on this. I'll contact you soon. Be ready to give this report."

Jack left, leaving Janet to prepare her report for the briefing. He went to the General's office immediately and told General Hammond about Janet's findings and got the briefing scheduled for later that afternoon.

"Now I'm going to the science lab to get Carter and tell her what Janet said," Jack informed Hammond. "She should hear it before the briefing."

"Agreed, Colonel. See you soon."

"Carter," Jack said. Sam looked up from the computer screen she'd been happily studying to see her commanding officer standing in the doorway, looking grim.

"Yes, sir."

"We need to talk."

"Okay," Sam replied. She got up and walked over to him, her face beginning to reflect the concern she saw in his. "What's the matter?"

"Not here," Jack cautioned, looking at the men and women in the lab, all watching the two officers.

"Okay," Sam repeated. She followed Jack out into the hallway and they began to walk with no particular destination in mind.

"Dr. Frasier has the results on the symbiote that was removed from your head, Sam, and the news isn't good. It looks like the Goa'uld you were captured by was experimenting on you, trying to develop a super-symbiote."

Sam smirked. "A super-symbiote?" She asked dubiously.

"Yeah, that's what we're calling it. The symbiote you were infested by was bred, genetically engineered, to be able to implant at an earlier age and to wipe out the host completely. Luckily, the symbiote wasn't strong enough to wipe you out."

"Not...completely." Sam looked anxious and worried.

"Right. But, the bad news is, Doc thinks some of the memory loss may be permanent."

"But what's more important is if that Goa'uld somewhere out there succeeds. The humans of the Galaxy will be in even more danger from the Goa'uld, if that's possible," Sam said.

"There's more. The Jaffa will no longer be needed as incubators. We don't know know what this means. Certainly, the Jaffa armies are valuable to the Goa'uld in their own rights. But it could mean the death of many Jaffa if they are no longer needed to incubate infant symbiotes."

"Don't go, Jack. I know you're getting ready to tell me you've planned a countermission. If you are taken by one of these symbiotes..."

"We haven't actually decided what to do yet. Hammond is contacting our allies right now. The problem is, we don't know where you came from. Finding this Goa'uld could be difficult. Sam, try to remember anything you can from your captivity." Jack stopped walking and turned to her with an intense gaze.

Sam met his eyes for a second and then looked away desperately.

"I know this is really important. But I can't remember anything about it. Nothing. I just remember waking up on the planet where you found me."

"What about memories that don't make sense, images, words, symbols? You've remembered a lot just in the past day or two. Try, please?"

"Okay, okay," Sam agreed, donning a look of concentration and trying to do what Jack was asking of her.

She was surprised to suddenly find herself surrounded by two strong arms that held her possessively. She automatically hugged back.

"What?" She asked.

"I just wanted you to know that whether or not you remember anything, anything at all, doesn't matter to me a bit. What matters is that you're here, and you're safe."

""I remember a table. I was lying on it." Sam volunteered. There was a far-away focus to her eyes. "And a symbol of a hand holding a crown."

"Good," Jack encouraged, only half-interested in what she was actually saying. He was taking full advantage of her distracted state and had still not let go of her.

"The Goa'uld said something." Sam continued.

"What?"

"I'm working on it." Sam wriggled out from his arms, much to Jack's disappointment, and began pacing the hall in an agitated state.

"Aaggh! It's important... he said...no she, it was a she... she said... Orban."

Jack was stunned. "Are you sure?"

"That's it. Orban," Sam confirmed.

Jack grew pale. "Then this could be really important. And really bad." He all but dragged her towards Hammond's office.