Pain flashed through her wrists.
She was bound.
Janet moaned, slowly opening her eyes. As she adjusted to the light in the room, the dark splotches that danced before her eyes morphed into shadowy shapes, forms that finally sharpened into bodies.
Two men. Angry. Brooding.
Quickly, Janet catalogued as many details from the room as possible. Old. Dank. Musty. It was some kind of warehouse or bunker. There seemed to be dusty machinery scattered throughout the room.
The two men stepped closer.
"What do you want?" she demanded.
The two men leered at her before they started to chuckle. Just the condescending menacing look on their faces sent Janet into a rage inside. If these men thought they could intimidate her, they had another thing coming.
She remained firm. "My friends will come looking for me. And let me tell you, the United States Air Force will not take kindly to this." She searched their faces, looking for any sign of compassion. "There are people dying. I have to help them."
"That doesn't concern us," said one of the men.
The comment struck Janet cold. But instead of showing her anxiety, she concentrated on the problem at hand. "Then, what do you want?" she asked.
He smiled. "To show you the truth."
Daniel was torn between believing this was a bad idea and a good one. He wasn't sure if he'd seriously been entertaining the idea of breaking quarantine when he'd initially asked to leave the facility. It just had seemed a good idea at the time. Now that they were out in the open again, he kept stifling the urge to hold his breath.
Myers hadn't reviewed their results yet. She had been distracted, looking for Major Griffith and Doctor Fraiser. They could all be heading in the same direction as ninety-nine percent of the Rusayev. Or, they could be risking their lives by entering an environment that was sure to spell their doom.
But now Janet was missing, possibly dead. He supposed it didn't really matter, infected or not.
Daniel tried to console himself with the thought that Janet was really alive and that they wouldn't show signs of infection for days anyway.
He struggled with these thoughts as they walked up the hill toward the Gate. Jack had wanted to see the scene of the crime and look for any clues that would help them locate Janet. Daniel was both intrigued and fearful at the same time.
As they reached the gates that surrounded the temple that housed the Gate, Daniel immediately could tell something had gone wrong. The forested land surrounding the gates was a mess, not unlike a disturbed dig sight. The yellow hazmat suit was the eye catcher, ripped and torn as it shone under the sun. Nearby, Daniel saw droplets of blood, covering the gates, the grass, and a large boulder by the side of the dirt road. Myers had been kind enough to cover Griffith's body with a sheet.
Jack stopped by the body and lifted the sheet to take a look inside. He didn't say anything as he made a disgusted face and covered the soldier.
"The brush acts as perfect cover," Sam commented, keeping her finger on the trigger of her P-90.
"Yeah, it was definitely an ambush," Jack muttered.
"Why would anyone want to attack doctors?" Daniel asked. He couldn't understand it. The Rusayev knew that Janet and her team were coming to help them, not hurt them.
"Perhaps it was the Baich," Teal'c said.
Jack nodded. "That's what I'm thinking."
"We can't be sure it's the Baich," Sam said.
"No, but it's not like they seemed all too happy to see us," Jack muttered.
Daniel knew Jack had a point. But at the same time, he wasn't willing to jump to any conclusions that might further jeopardize finding Janet. "Maybe there is something we're missing," he said.
"There's always something," Jack said dryly. He glanced over to the temple, his face pensive. After a moment, he turned back to them. Daniel noticed the decisiveness in his eyes. "Daniel, I want you and Teal'c to head back to the city and talk to the Baich living there. Carter and I will join you after we check in with Hammond and pay a little visit with Taras."
Daniel frowned. He didn't think talking to the Baich within the city limits would really help them, but he wasn't going to argue the point right now. Every minute that went by was a minute wasted. As more time passed, Daniel knew that their chances of finding her decreased. They had to act now.
Finally, he nodded, setting back down the hill toward the city. He felt Teal'c, stiff and guarded by his side, on the constant lookout for any movement, any hint of trouble at all. Daniel felt the same. While Daniel felt that he and Teal'c could take care of any problem thrown at them, part of him almost wished for the people who attacked Janet and Major Griffith to show themselves. It would take them one step closer to finding her.
Daniel couldn't help but feel like they were running out of time.
Taras looked nervous.
Sam eyed the administrator closely, watching him shift in his seat. He hadn't expected them to waltz into his office, and he certainly hadn't expected them to barge in during the middle of his lunch. Quickly, he wiped his mouth with his handkerchief before stumbling to his feet.
"Colonel O'Neill. Major Carter." He cleared his throat, rounding his desk to stand in front of them. "I'm sorry. I was not expecting you. I trust this means you are not ill?"
Sam stole a furtive look over at Colonel O'Neill. He didn't answer, opting to remain silent as he assessed Taras. She followed his lead and did the same, until she felt a subtle shift in his posture, one that she understood was her cue to step up to the plate.
"What do you know about the Baich?" she asked.
Taras started, but quickly settled, the only lingering sign of his edginess encapsulated in the nervous wringing of his hands. "They are of no importance."
"No?" O'Neill forced a smile. "Good. Then you won't have any problem telling us about them."
Taras sighed, looking away. He shook his head once before he turned to glare at them. "Why do you concern yourselves with the Baich? We need help. Our people are dying."
"We are trying to help," Sam said. "But we can't without additional information."
Taras sighed and turned his back to them. For a moment, Sam thought that Taras had ended any kind of dialogue and was pushing them to leave. But when he turned around again, she could see the uneasiness in his eyes and the uncertainty in his posture. Just beneath the surface, she was certain she saw this need to release.
She wondered what was holding the man back.
"The Baich do not bother themselves with the city," Taras said quietly.
"Really?" O'Neill asked. "That's not what we've heard."
Taras didn't say anything.
"According to your records, there are Baich that live in the city with you," Sam pointed out.
Taras nodded. "There are some that do live in the city. But they mainly keep to themselves. Some embrace our ways, but many do not."
"Our ways, you say?" O'Neill arched his eyebrow.
Again, Taras sighed. "They believe that science and development angers Pyeerum. We do not."
Colonel O'Neill nodded. He glanced over at Sam.
She stared back at him. He was not happy.
"We read that the Baich population in your city has a very low infection rate," she said, trying to bring the topic back on course. "We're trying to pinpoint a possible immunity in the Baich or a potential cause located in your population for the disease. Are you aware of any differences between the two groups within your city?"
Taras frowned, leading Sam to believe he might not have understood the question. But after a long awkward pause, he finally shook his head. "The Baich within the city have adopted many of our ways, even though they say they do not believe in them." He snorted. "And yet they survive."
Sam blew air out of her lips as she thought. Maybe it came back to a natural immunity after all. But it still didn't explain why their teams had been attacked and why Janet was missing.
"Taras, are you in any kind of direct conflict with the Baich?" Sam asked bluntly.
The man started, noticeably surprised by the question. "No, of course not. We may dislike the Baich for their endless preaching, but we are all one in our cities." He narrowed his eyes slightly. "Has someone told you otherwise?"
"Nope," O'Neill said. "Just wanted to make sure we're all on the same page."
Taras nodded slowly, but the confusion didn't leave his crinkled face. "Is that all you wanted?"
When O'Neill didn't answer, Sam nodded with a polite smile. "Yes, thank you."
"We'll see what we can do," Colonel O'Neill said. He gave a slight wave before walking with Sam out the door.
"You didn't mention the attack at the temple," Sam said.
"He's lying," O'Neill muttered.
Sam nodded. "You don't want to give out any information you don't have to."
"You got it."
Sam grimaced. Her mind drifted back to the events on Euranda. She sincerely hoped they hadn't just walked into the wrong side of a fight and made a deal with the devil. And she knew Colonel O'Neill was thinking the same.
But they remained answerless. If Taras was somehow involved with Janet's disappearance and the death of Griffith, then he couldn't know that they suspected him. If he wasn't involved, his dishonesty with them pointed to some other problem they hadn't figured out yet.
"It doesn't make sense," Sam said. "Taras knows that Janet and our medical personnel can help them through their crisis. He's been keeping information from us in order to expedite that process. Causing conflict will only impede any aid."
O'Neill nodded, but didn't say anything. She frowned and gave him a once over before following him out into the street. "There has to be a reason," she said.
O'Neill shrugged. "Maybe there's something in it for Taras."
"I don't think so."
"Then what?"
Sam chewed on the inside of her lip before she let out a sigh. "I don't know, sir."
The two of them left the city hall and started down the street. The center of town was quiet and empty, leaving Sam to wonder if the city had already started to separate the symptomatic from the non-symptomatic. She wondered if the Baich were separated differently. She wondered just how upset the Baich might be.
Sam stopped.
Colonel O'Neill slowed and arched his eyebrow.
"How strained do you think the relationship between the Rusayev and the Baich is?" she asked.
"Strained enough to watch the bastards die?" O'Neill then muttered something unintelligible under his breath and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. "I think we need to pay the Baich a little visit."
She nodded and was about to start down the road again, but paused, finding herself staring at O'Neill again. He was quieter than usual. Sam doubted it had to do with the pressure of the situation. She pushed aside the chill she felt and looked away.
"What?" he asked.
Sam hesitated.
"What?" he asked again.
"You look a little flushed, sir."
O'Neill grew quiet. "It's not important," he finally said.
"Maybe we should stop to see Captain Myers to check our results."
"Waste of time." He gave her a pointed look. "I think we already know the answer."
Sam felt her stomach flop. She tried to push away the pangs she was feeling and nodded. "Yes, sir."
"Come on," he said, turning away from her as he started back down the road. "Let's hit the Baich's corner of the city and see if Teal'c and Daniel have found anything."