Chapter 4

O'Neill twirled a pencil in his hand. Carter sat with her head in her hands, leaning on the table. Landry had called twenty minutes ago to tell them he was almost to Richmond and he had information regarding Daniel, and he didn't sound very pleased.

"What do you think Landry found out?"

O'Neill shrugged.

"I know you have a guess."

O'Neill sat the pencil down. He looked up, seeming to be searching the print of a painting across the room for an answer.

"I don't think it's anything good. If it were, he would have told us over the phone."

"What do you think President Hays said about this?"

O'Neill looked at her. "If I were President Hayes, I would have... You know what he probably said, Sam."

She closed her eyes, nodding.

The door opened and she slowly opened her eyes. Landry walked in with Kimberly. Carter stood up, not taking her eyes off the thu'lo. She walked around to O'Neill and the two hugged, kissed and sat back down. Landry sat down across from them. Carter slowly sank into her chair, feeling out of place suddenly.

"President Hayes has ordered Daniel to be taken to PX9 3G5 and that the gate is to be destroyed."

Carter caught her breath. Did she understand this right?

"They want us to abandon Daniel on the planet and bury the gate?" O'Neill asked.

"The virus only spreads if he dies and upon reviewing the data found on PX9 3G5, it has been determined we don't have a facility that will contain the virus."

Carter shook her head. "I can't... We can't do that to him, sir!"

Landry nodded. "I know." He looked at Kim. "Doctor Lam believes that the virus won't harm goa'uld and it's quite possible that a goa'uld may either cure it or repair the damage it's done so Daniel can survive until a cure is found."

Carter and O'Neill looked at her. She looked into O'Neill's eyes.

"We contacted the Tok'ra to see if perhaps they would be willing to allow one of their simbiot to join with Daniel." Landry continued. "They agreed, but wanted Daniel to live with them. I was negotiating a way to avoid that and mentioned we needed him here to test cures for the virus. They immediately ended the negations. So..."

"So you've asked the thu'lo?" Carter asked, looking back and forth from Kim to Landry.

"What did they say, Kim?" O'Neill asked.

"They haven't said anything yet," Landry answered for her. "They apparently do things with a majority vote and were vague about that -- even Kim hasn't explained that to me. But she says we will know in the next few hours whether they will help Daniel or not."

"You want Daniel to use a thu'lo simbiot as a cure?" Carter asked.

Kim looked up at her, her eyes flashing.

She told Carter in a deep, resonating voice and condemning tone, "You treat this like a curse for just Daniel, Sam! If a thu'lo agrees to this, it'll be giving up its freedom so he can live. So your friend can live and not be dumped on some planet like trash!"

For a second Carter was tempted to retort with violent anger, but it suddenly left. The thu'lo were trying to help, probably even bridge a cap the system lords had created between humans and themselves. But above that, if Daniel did this, he'd live.

"President Hayes wants this to happen, doesn't he?" Carter asked Landry.

"Yes. He believes an alliance with the thu'lo could prove invaluable."

"Are we going to do this without Daniel's permission?"

Resonating and deep, Kim snapped, "No!"

"Kim, we discussed--" Landry began.

"And I made it quite clear that we would not do this if Daniel was incapable of making the decisions for himself. I would rather go to PX9 3G5 and die with him than force him to have to be joined with a thu'lo against his will."

Landry frowned, but nodded. Kim looked at Carter. The glow faded from her eyes.

"We do not use human like the others, Sam. This may be an exception, but not against Daniel's will. Do ya get it?"

Carter nodded.

A cell phone started ringing. Kim reached in her pants pocket and pulled out a phone.

She flicked it open, pressing it to her ear. "Hello?" She listened to the caller and a strange expression came to her face. "Are you sure?" The caller said something. "Is he here? All right. I'll come pick him up." Kim hung up, staring at the phone. "The thu'lo voted on it two hours ago and it was unanimous that we would help Daniel. They've just had a volunteer come forward and are preparing to remove him from his body. I have to go pick him up."

"Do you need an escort?" Landry asked.

Kim stood, looking at him. "No. Just my husband. I'll need Daniel conscious when I get back."

Landry nodded.

O'Neill stood with Kim, taking her hand as they left the room. Carter looked at Landry. She wanted to say this was wrong, but a small selfish voice was keeping her quiet. This meant they'd have Daniel back, in some form or another.


A soft hand stroked Daniel's face. He slowly opened his eyes and smiled. Sha're leaned over him, her body blocking the bright sunlight.

"Sha're," Daniel whispered.

"No, Daniel. It's Kim."

The illusion broke. Kim was sitting on the edge of his bed, stroking his cheek. Daniel closed his eyes against the pain in his head. A vice had been attached and was tightening.

"Daniel, can you hear me? Open your eyes. Look at me."

His head rolled to the side, toward her voice.

"Goa'uld." he whispered.

"Daniel, open your eyes. Please look at me. It's Kim, Jack's wife. Please look at me."

Daniel's eyes drifted open. They were slightly dilated and had some difficulty staying still, drifting left or right, and never kept still.

"Daniel, are you awake?"

"I... Don't know."

She smiled. "Sounds like it to me. Daniel, you're really sick."

He closed his eyes. "Why is everyone talking at the same time?"

"Focus on my voice only, Daniel. Ignore all those other voices. Can you do that? Can you focus on my voice, Daniel?"

"You sound like a goa'uld."

"That's because I am one. I'm a thu'lo. Do you remember what a thu'lo is?"

"One of the good guys. Michelle was one. She... Kidnapped Jack. No. No. He tried to stop her and fell through. He does stupid things like that."

Kim smiled. He does, but do you understand why my voice sounds like it does?"

"Yes. All those other voices..." He grimaced.

She laid a finger on his chin, gently turning his face back toward her. "Ignore them. Ignore everyone but me, okay, Daniel? I need you to focus on my voice only because you're dying."

Daniel put more effort into focusing on her. "I'm dying?"

"Yes. Now listen. The President has advised them to take you to the planet you got this from, leave you, and bury the gate. Unless you agree to the alternative."

"I'm guessing it's not much better."

"You'll have a goa'uld in you for the rest of your life." Kim reached over and picked the bowl. She sat it down in his line of sight and the thu'lo in it moved close to the side as if it were trying to see Daniel. "The Tok'ra wouldn't help. They're afraid of getting the virus I think. We didn't feel like finding you a system lord. So that leaves thu'lo."

"Thu'lo don't take live hosts."

"Normally, no, but they, we, want to maintain relations with the Tau'ri. That and you're pretty valuable, Daniel... That's not all true. You have friends that love you and don't want to loose you. So... let me tell you about Frank." Kim looked at the bowl. "Frank is even older than me. He was around before there were even pharaohs in Egypt, before Ra even came. He's met all kinds of people: Cleopatra, Napoleon Bonaparte, kings and queens and peasants and even Leonardo da Vinci. He knows languages you've never even heard of. He's a great man... I guess you wouldn't call him a man, would you?"

Daniel moved his hand across his body, touching her leg. She looked at him.

"Jack and Sam had a goa'uld... They almost killed them."

Kim leaned over Daniel, looking into his eyes. "We asked five thu'lo that we thought would compliment who you are. When Frank learned about you and what you've done, he volunteered, but he isn't known for his courage. He has never fought in a war and ran from duels. He won't get you killed."

"Can he cure the virus?"

"We don't know."

A tear slid across Daniel's nose. "If he can't cure the virus, he'll die with me."

"Yes."

"He's already being more courageous than you've made him out to be."

Kim smiled, laying her hand on Daniel's cheek. "He is, isn't he? Do you want to do this? This is forever, Daniel. You can't change your mind once you two join."

He nodded a little. "Let's get it over with."

"Alright. Sam."

Carter walked up on the other side of the bed, smiling when Daniel turned his head. She reached over the railing, taking his hand.

"Hey," he whispered.

"Hi. Ready?"

He nodded.

The two rolled Daniel onto his side, exposing the back of his neck to Kim. Carter pulled a chair up to the bed and laced her fingers around Daniel's, staring into his eyes.

"This is going to hurt, Daniel," she whispered.

"I know." Daniel closed his eyes, waiting for the pain.

Kim opened the Tupperware dish and pulled out a goa'uld. It wiggled in her hands like a fish trying to get free.

"Easy, Frank," Kim told it.

She put the bowl on a table nearby and lowered Frank near Daniel's neck.

"Okay. Frank's going to burrow in. Hold on, Daniel."

Frank moved on his own. He tore through Daniel's skin and began burrowing into his body. Daniel whimpered. And then he screamed. Kim leaned over Daniel, whispering reassuring words in his ear. When his screams stopped it was unexpected. He lay panting, staring glassy eyed at Carter.

"Daniel?" Carter asked.

Daniel's eyes flashed golden. Frank smiled.

"Kim, you didn't say the first thing I'd see would be so beautiful."

Carter pulled her hands back. Kim took his hands.

"How are you two?" Kim asked him.

Frank closed his eyes. "He's weak and I'm tired."

"Get some rest." Kim kissed his temple. "I'll be here when you wake up."

She looked back when O'Neill laid his hand on her hip.

"Are you sure you want to stay here?" she asked him. "Frank may not help. He could still die."

O'Neill looked around the tent they were in. He knew Daniel hadn't even noticed they weren't in a building anymore. Outside the birds of PX9 3G5 squawked loudly. He sat down on the edge of the bed next to her.

"Do you think this will work, Carolyn?" Carter asked as she sat down next to her.

"It's too soon to tell."

Cater looked at her. "You didn't have to come, you know. I could have handled this."

Lam shrugged. "I couldn't think of anywhere else I'd want to be right now. If he doesn't make it, better that he dies with friends than alone, isn't it?"

Carter smiled, nodding.