All it took was a matter of seconds for Daniel to be swallowed by the crowd. They converged on him, swarming like a plague of locusts, pushing him farther and farther from Teal'c. Daniel shouted, but his voice was lost amidst the cheers and chants of the Baich. He went for his radio and then his gun, only to find his hands slapped and jostled by the bodies that were shoved against him.
"Wait!" he yelled. "You're making a mistake!"
He felt the crowd shift, and he shifted with them, thrust into the thinning forest that surrounded the outskirts of the city. He wasn't sure just how long he fought them or how long they fought back, but before he could think of another way to break free, he realized the group had dissipated, and the ground had begun to slope beneath him. Daniel nearly lost his footing, stumbling over the uneven earth. There was an urgent tug at his hand, and suddenly he was propelled forward. Instead of questioning the guidance, Daniel went with the flow, catching only glimpses of the woman's blonde hair as she ran ahead of him. Quickly, he matched her pace, wondering what was so dire that her hand clutched him like a steel vice.
"Where are we going?" he asked her, speaking in her native tongue. "What are we doing?"
But she didn't look at him or answer him and kept running, pulling him along with her. When she finally stopped, breathless, Daniel realized he had been herded to a secluded area behind an old rundown shed.
Daniel tensed and drew his sidearm.
The woman blinked, her nervous gaze falling onto the gun, but she didn't let go of his arm. "Help. Please."
Daniel stared at her. She was young, no more than twenty, he thought. And while she still was youthful, with a healthy glow to her fair cheeks, Daniel didn't miss the bluish circles underneath her eyes or the invisible weight that crushed her small frame. Slowly, Daniel brought the gun down.
"They can't know," she whispered.
"Who can't know?"
She swallowed hard, bringing one of her shaking hands to tuck a stray lock of hair back under her kerchief. "We're not bad people. We love Pyeerum. Pyeerum watches us. He guides us. He is good."
Daniel held back the queasiness he felt in his stomach as he listened to her speak. But in the end, he couldn't keep silent. "Pyeerum isn't—"
"No, listen!" she said, holding up her hands. "We're good people. We're peaceful people. They aren't us. They are twisted and no good."
Daniel took a step forward and held her shoulder, offering a supportive hand. "Who are they?" he asked gently.
"The ones that do this." Her voice was trembling. "The ones that watch. The ones that make sure we don't speak."
"You mean the Rusayev?" he asked, even though he knew that wasn't the answer.
She shook her head emphatically.
Daniel felt a knot forming in his throat. He'd studied into international politics enough over the past couple years to know where this conversation was heading. He squeezed her shoulder, hoping that she could read the sincerity in his eyes.
"Why?" he asked. "Why tell me?"
She hesitated, shooting an uneasy look into the woods and blinked back tears. "I have babies."
Daniel followed her gaze to the nearest tree. There, hiding behind the trunk, he found two twin boys poking their heads out in the open, their curious blue eyes watching him intently.
They couldn't be any older than four.
"Their father is dead. They will come to us next. They will come to me now that I spoke to you. They will come for them. Don't let them come for them." She grabbed his jacket. "Don't let them come for them!"
Daniel opened his mouth but nothing came out. Instead, he felt numb from the anger over the woman's situation. He stared dumbly as the tears spilled onto her dirty cheeks.
There was a crackle from his radio. "Daniel Jackson?"
Daniel started at the sound of Teal'c's voice. Instinctively, he went for his radio, but froze when he saw the panic in the woman's face. She tensed, her eyes becoming wild as she stared at Daniel's vest. Her fear was palpable enough for Daniel to feel.
Without another thought, Daniel turned off the radio and focused solely on her. "I'm not going to hurt you. I promise." He put away his sidearm as a sign of his earnestness.
The woman relaxed a little, finally releasing her hold on Daniel. If anything, she looked embarrassed, her face reddening as she took a step back.
"What's your name?" he asked.
"Irina." She rubbed her hands together. "It is Irina."
"How did you get mixed up in this, Irina?"
"My husband. He was a writer. He wrote for newspapers. He wrote about them."
"How many of them are there?"
"Many."
"How many of you?"
"Many more."
Daniel straightened his back and frowned at her.
"We are afraid," she said. "We are afraid. They have strange devices that not even the Rusayev have." She glanced back to the two boys playing in the leaves. "I don't want them to die."
Daniel touched his lips as he thought. He didn't know what kind of equipment the rebel Baich had or if they would be able to pinpoint any of his radio transmissions. He didn't know what other technology they could have confiscated in order to try to gain the upper hand on the Rusayev and their fellow brethren. Then, the full reality hit him suddenly without warning.
Daniel pushed down the pain in his stomach and gazed at her. "The plague?"
"They said that Pyeerum wills it," she said quietly. "They said that we are not devout enough and that is why we die." She set her jaw, the anger broiling in her eyes. "We are not a stupid people."
"No," Daniel said. "You're a brave people."
She offered a subdued smile.
Daniel smiled back in return, even if he felt sick. These rogue Baich were messing with technology they didn't understand. He didn't know if it was something left over by the Goa'uld that had been buried in the temple or if the rogue group had advanced to that level of technology on their own, just playing along as cover.
Whatever the reason, they had killed Major Griffith and had taken Janet. They needed Janet for something.
And he was willing to bet that once they had it, they would kill her.
"Where are they?" he asked.
Irina seemed taken back by the question, taking a step back as she frowned at him.
"I need to know," he said. "They have…a friend of mine. It's important."
Irina glanced back to her children again. Daniel read the hesitation on her face, the uncertainty in her body. For her, her main goal was protecting her children, to save the ones she loved.
Daniel cleared his throat. He knew what he had to do.
"Don't worry. I'll protect you. We'll take you and yours sons back with us if we have to."
"You will take us down the Path?" she asked, her eyes wide.
"I'll do whatever it takes."
Irina let out a nervous laugh. She licked her lips, rubbed her palms down the side of her dress, and then pointed deeper into the woodland. "Through there and past the river, they have a building. It is their main building. They call it a temple but it is not a temple. It is where they go."
Daniel craned his neck, concentrating on searching through the forest. He didn't like the idea that they were this close to the rogue Baich. He knew Irina would have to be desperate to take such a risk. That also told him that confronting him out here was safer than in the city or by the hills outside the city walls.
"They have spies in the city."
Irina nodded. "They watch everywhere."
Daniel shook his head, but kept his temper in check. "How many of them are at that building?"
"I don't know," she admitted. "Not many. The Rusayev do not bother with them. Not with the holy places. Many of them stay within the city and the towns to watch us."
Daniel glanced back to the woods. After he a deep breath, he resolved himself to the task. He took a step toward the deep woodland, but Irina stopped him by grabbing his arm.
"It is dangerous. They will kill you."
"I have to go. They have my friend. If I don't go, they'll just keep doing this."
Irina looked away. Once again, her hands had started to shake and he thought she might begin to cry.
"Don't worry," he said again. "I promise to protect you. Do you have a place to hide? A special place to keep safe?"
She shook her head.
Daniel sighed and took a quick survey of the area. He didn't feel comfortable leaving Irina here but he couldn't take her with him. And forget the city. He knew that they wouldn't stand a chance.
"Are there any other major temples here aside from the one at the Path?" he asked.
"We have another by the hills outside of the city. It is where many of us go."
"Is it popular enough that if someone was hurt there, there would be an uprising?"
She smiled. "It is."
"Take your kids with you. Go to the temple to pray. Do not leave the temple. Just stay there." Daniel took a deep breath. He hoped this would work. "Just do whatever you normally would do in the temple. If they don't want the rest of the Baich to turn against them, you'll be safe there."
"And you will come back for us?"
Daniel nodded. "I will come back for you."
Irina nodded quickly, urging the children to come to her. The twins started to charge for her, giggling as they ran up and grabbed her skirt. They quickly silenced when they saw Daniel.
He gave them a wistful smile before getting down to business.
"Here." Daniel unhooked the zat from his belt and handed the weapon to her. "Use this if anyone tries to hurt you. Shoot once and they'll leave you alone. Shoot twice and it…" Daniel didn't have the heart to finish the thought.
She stared at the weapon.
"And if anyone confronts you about me, deny it. Tell them I took you. Tell them all about me." He swallowed hard. "Do whatever you have to so you can protect yourself."
Her eyes widened as she curled her fingers around the zat. "But--?"
Daniel withdrew his sidearm again and held it up for her to see. "I'll be okay."
He had to be okay. He knew that too much was riding on it.
He took another deep breath and started for the forest. He supposed it was now or never.
"Daniel Jackson!" she called, stopping him before he moved on. "My husband. He had found a word. A word of meaning. It is Stasya. Use it."
Daniel stared at her, studying the sincerity in her face as he committed the word to memory. He gave Irina and her boys one final nod before he started to stalk off into the woodland. He wasn't sure how he was going to break into the building or even what he might expect. He wished that the rest of SG-1 were with him. Or maybe a few Marines. But he knew that he couldn't wait for backup. He just wasn't sure he could do this alone.
Then again, he'd been through far worse. He let out a nervous laugh and disappeared into the forest.