Sam stared at the wall encasing the elevator shaft. Her instruments were no help, absolutely no help at all. What she needed was to get in a suit, and get the spectrometer working again, this was SO not the time for that machine to go on the blink. She cursed and made an adjustment.

"Major?" Jack stood to the side, talking with the MP's after examining the charred walls and floor. "What'cha got?"

Sam sighed in frustration. "Readings are off the scale, sir." She bent and collected her materials before pushing him aside. "We need to get someone suited up and in here, and tell the General to seal off the entire level. The radiation is just too high, and it's climbing." She signaled to the men near the shaft and they quickly started to pack their gear. The Colonel gathered the few instruments near him.

"What, no precautions? You just charge in here?"

"The readings were low when I arrived, but they started sky-rocketing just moments ago. Which is why we are leaving now. Sir." She nodded to the men who passed her and grabbed Jack's arm. Her breath caught as one of the instruments banged against her leg. They closed the blast door behind them.

"Need help?"

Her look bordered on incredulous. "Sir, I need to get someone suited up."

"I know that." Jack set his load down beside Sam's. "And I said, do you need help?"

"Are you volunteering?"

"Do I know what to look for?"

"No, sir."

"Then I'm not volunteering."

This was not the time. . ."Yes, sir. Baker will go in, he should be back with the suits any minute now." She stopped her preparations and looked up with an anxious expression. "Is there any word on Daniel?"

"Just came from there. Minor burns. Scorched throat. Basically he'll feel like shit for a while."

Thank God for that. There were times when she wondered if he should walk around with a sign that said, 'Warning. Close contact could be hazardous to my health.' "He was lucky."

"Yep. He's one unlucky lucky bastard. Teal'c keeps hovering. You'd think he blew up that shaft or something."

That wasn't surprising. "He doesn't like Daniel hurt."

"And you do?" Jack look up as a large yellow radiation suit jaunted down the hall. "Good Holy Mary. . . "

"Sure you don't want to volunteer?" Sam took the other suit offered.

O'Neill contemplated the suffocating helmet and winced. "Not my color. More of a cool tones man myself."

"Oh god, is Teal'c looking at those magazines again?" Sam forced in one leg into the hazmat suit, then the other. Pulling the bulky material over her slim hips was easy enough, but the massive shoulders were a bit much. Obviously not made for a woman. "And they call these things unisex," she muttered.

"Hey, if you're gonna learn propaganda, what better place to start?" He hoisted the suit over her small shoulders and picked up a glove, which looked eerily like it already had a hand in it. "You gonna be okay in there?"

"What, in the hallway or in this getup?" Sam smiled in mild amusement. Jack actually seemed. . . hesitant. "Sir, I've done this dozens of times."

"But you don't know what's in there."

A half-grin colored her face. "That's why we're going in, sir."

"Right." He jammed the glove on her hand. "I'll, uh, I"ll wait here then."

Sam pulled the odd, bulky hood over her head and nodded, then picked up the instruments she had just discarded. A slight whoosh, and she was back in the hall.

Jack hovered at the door, listening, standing on toe, and finally decided he was being as annoying as Teal'c must seem to Daniel. Speaking of which. . . .

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The room was spinning, and he was certain it wasn't supposed to. Daniel closed his eyes and reopened them several times, waiting for the world to stop. The wait wasn't long, and his eyes focused on a lovely redhead in a long white coat, a person he dearly loved, yet under most circumstances hated to see, because it usually meant one thing. "Janet?" he croaked. His throat ached, his eyes stung. He slowly sat up, and felt a hand on his back, one that did not belong to the petite doctor.

"Daniel Jackson. You must rest."

It took a moment to register the unexpected voice. "Teal'c?"

"It is I. I will summon Dr. Frasier, only you must lie down." The Jaffa gently guided Daniel back down to the mattress and turned as the doctor walked in.

"Thanks Teal'c, but I saw him wake." She smiled and gently worked her way past him to Daniel. "How are you feeling?"

"Been better." Daniel swallowed, and wished he hadn't. "Why. . ?" He sat up again, and again felt a large hand on his shoulder.

"You don't remember?"

Daniel winced. "Uh. . ." he winced again and shook his head, trying to jar a memory. The action sent him back to the sheets, and he saw the annoyed look of the Jaffa before closing his eyes briefly. "Fire." He strained to look at the doctor. "There was a fire?"

"An explosion, Daniel. In the elevator. You helped to open the doors, trying to rescue the people trapped inside. Do you remember now?"

"I, uh. . ." he swallowed and brought a hand to his head. Closed his eyes. He thought he heard a voice telling him to rest, and gave into it.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Waking this time was easier. Daniel opened his eyes and blinked a few times, no longer feeling the need to rip them from their socket and feed them to his fish. He focused on his bandaged fingers and felt a sudden shock jolt him as he remembered the last time he lay in a bed, bandaged. . . "Janet?"

She turned and walked to his bed. "Daniel." Her smile betrayed her professionalism. "Well, you look better. Just as well, I had to force Teal'c out of here to. . .what is it?"

He was shaking. So help him, he was shaking. "Please, tell me this isn't deja vu." He continued to study his hands. He noticed each thread in the wrapping, remembering another time when he was reduced to lying in bed, studying the bandages on his hands while steeling his nerve for what was to come.

The smile Janet gave was small. "You're going to be fine. You have some minor burns, and you'll have a funny taste in your mouth for a while. Throat may burn for a bit."

"You sure?"

"I'm a doctor too, Daniel. And I know more about this stuff than you do."

"Can you unwrap my fingers?"

She frowned, sensing something in the unsettled look on Daniel's face. "There's an ointment on them, I don't want. . ."

"Janet, PLEASE!" The panic in his eyes confused her. He could see it, but wasn't about to explain. She gave a slight nod and sat on his beside, raising one of his hands away from his tortured stare. "Do they burn at all?"

"No, no, they feel fine, just-just get the wrap off. Please." His breath was caught in his throat, and he reached over with his other hand, picking at a bandage that wouldn't come off, would never come off, not while he was alive.

But slowly the white did come off, revealing pinkish, greasy skin. Daniel's breath settled. Normal skin. Not blistered, not. . .he noticed her stare. "Sorry. It's just. . .I-I guess the bandages. . ."

"What about the bandages?"

"I. . .uh, the last time. . .it's silly."

Janet frowned, then winced in sympathy. "Oh, Daniel. . . the burns. . . you thought. . ." She winced and carefully lay her hand on his arm.

"Last time I had myself wrapped up," he chuckled in a depreciating manner, and held back a moan as his throat protested, "I dream about it sometimes, or maybe I'm just remembering. I don't like bandages."

"Daniel, I'm so sorry. But there's really nothing to worry about. They probably could have come off in another hour anyway, just don't rub your fingers on anything."

"Not likely." Daniel winced and studied the abused digits, then a light went off in his head as he slowly took in his surroundings. Several people were swathed in white bandages, covering their faces, arms, hands, torso. For a moment he though he was on a dig, or in one of those childhood nightmares where the mummies were freshly wrapped and coming for him, pissed because his parents had broken in on their sacred rest. And of course there was that whole bandage thing again, slowly being wrapped bit by bit, laying in agony, waiting to die. . .he closed his eyes as the emotions crashed in on him, and he tried to still his panic.

"Daniel?" Janet leaned in slightly. It probably never occurred to her that of all things, Daniel's past experience with radiation would result in a phobia like this. She had noticed he had been avoiding the infirmary as much as possible in the past week, but she had been so busy it hadn't occurred to her to think it odd, even though he used to come by to chat briefly, or share a discovery.

"God. Are they going to be okay?"

"At this point it's hard to say," Janet replied, a soft tone covering her professionalism. "Several have third degree burns. The problem at the moment is the possibility of infection. I may have to send them out to the academy, I'm not really set up for long term care."

"But they'll be okay?"

"It's hard to say," she repeated, and Daniel knew that didn't bode well. "Some, maybe. Sgt. Pilkar though. . ." she hesitated as Daniel pinned her with those bright eyes of his. Sgt. Bob Pilkar shared an interest in Egyptian myth, and had read his earlier paper with great interest, sparking some lively conversation. Stories of his trouncing Jack at poker were SGC legend.

"Bob's okay, right?"

"I'm sorry, Daniel. He caught the blast in the face. His eyes. . ."

"Blind?"

"More than likely."

Daniel was at a loss for words, and just shook his head, then realized for the first time that it was bandaged as well. He reached up to touch the binding but his hand was forced down. "I though you said no serious injuries?"

"Another burn. That pad is medicated, your forehead will look a little sunburned, but it's nothing to worry about. I'll give you an ointment for that too if it becomes too uncomfortable, as well as something for the headache I'm sure you're hiding from me."

"Know it all. Can't get anything past you." Daniel smiled faintly, once again studying his fingers His face grew serious. "Those men in front of me. They got the brunt of the blast. . .has anything been said about it?" He hesitated. "Were there. . .?"

Janet nodded slowly. "Three people were inside. They're dead."

"Of course." Daniel hung his head. Of course they were. No one could have survived that. "Who?"

Janet rubbed his arm. "We're still seeing who's accounted for. Now let me check that bandage. There's really no further need to keep you here. I do want a checkup before you leave the base tonight, and first thing in the morning. The General wants to speak with you as soon as you feel up to it. And Daniel," she started to take his hand, but settled for placing a caring hand on his shoulder, "if you get those fears again, don't keep them to yourself. Come talk to me, or Sam, or Teal'c, or even the Colonel if you can stomach him." The last part of the statement was flippant, but it didn't carry.

"Yeah, yeah, sure." Daniel gave Janet a small smile which fell as he studied the empty gurney across from him. Three dead. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Three dead. Here in the SGC.