Stargate Sg1 Revolutions: The Broca Divide
In the briefing room of the Cheyenne Mountain Complex the four members of SG-1 were sitting on the left side of the table, and Colonel Makepeace and Lieutenant Johnson were sitting on the right side while two other officers were standing.
They were each looking at copies of reports, and Teal'c seemed surprised that a report was set in front of him.
"When we completed interviews of all the refugees you brought back from Chulak, ten of them identified the final four symbols the Goa'uld's used to escape through the Chulak Stargate. When we disregard the last one as point-of-origin..." Hammond said as he walked over to the computer monitor sitting near the head of the table.
The display showed a ring divided into seven sections, four of which contained glyphs.
"...that leaves three to work with. Captain Carter's computer model has thus far extrapolated only one set of symbols from the Abydos cartouche that contains these three glyphs." Hammond continued.
"Let me guess... that's where we're going." Jack said as he raised his hand.
"Very good, Colonel." Hammond said dryly.
"Thank you, sir. I pride myself on my deductive reasoning skills." Jack said with a smirk as Carter turned and gave him a look, trying not to show her amusement.
"In one hour, you will go through the Gate to the planet represented by these symbols. It has been designated P3X-797." Hammond said.
Lieutenant Johnson was reading the report, but couldn't help but glance up at Teal'c, eying the Jaffa warily.
Teal'c noticed the distrustful look and returned Johnson's gaze calmly. Making the Marine look back down at the report again.
"Couldn't we call this planet something that's a little easier to remember?" Danielle asked.
"Uh, it's based on a binary code the computer uses for extrapolation." Carter explained.
"Which makes it much easier to remember." Jack said, getting a smile from Danielle and Sam.
"We sent an M.A.L.P. probe through thirty minutes ago. Atmosphere is breathable, no detectable radiation, temperature approximately 40 degrees Fahrenheit." Hammond continued.
"Can we see the video playback, sir?" Jack said, trying to cover up a yawn.
The General hesitated for a moment before moving to stand behind his chair. "There is no playback."
"Why no playback?" Jack asked curiously.
"It appears to be very dark where the Gate resides on this planet." Hammond explained.
"Well, the MALP probe has lights on it, doesn't it?" Carter asked.
"We think they were... broken during transport through the Gate." Hammond answered.
"This is crazy! We don't know what could be there waiting for us when we come through." Danielle pointed out.
"Don't you worry about that. That's why the SG-3 Marines are coming with. You can count on us to watch your backside." Makepeace said as he looked Danielle up and down.
Danielle blushed at the obvious come-on by the Colonel. She hadn't even thought about a man romantically since she got married.
Jack didn't look too happy about it either as he glared at Makepeace.
In the Gate room the Stargate was already in the middle of a dialing sequence. O'Neill, Carter, Teal'c, and several other officers walked into the gate room. They had their gear, as well as helmets with night-vision goggles.
"Chevron four, encoded!" Harriman said over intercom.
Another segment of the Stargate symbols slid into place, and another chevron lit up as Danielle rushed up to O'Neill and Carter, carrying her helmet under one arm.
"Chevron five, encoded!" Harriman said over intercom.
"You're late." Jack said as he handed Danielle a set of goggles. "Put these on."
"What's this?" Danielle asked as she took them and started looking them over.
"Chevron six, encoded!" Harriman said over intercom.
"Thermal night-vision goggles." Carter answered.
"Hey, here's a question—" Jack said as he adjusted his gear. "Why doesn't the MALP have a set of these?" He said as he held up the goggles, making Carter grin.
"Chevron seven, locked!" Harriman said over intercom as the wormhole activated with the usual plume of blue and white energy particles.
"SG-1 and SG-3, you have a go! Repeat, you have a go!" Hammond said over intercom.
Makepeace stepped forward, pushing Carter aside. "Okay! We'll take point!"
Jack put a hand up to block Makepeace's path before he could go to the Gate. "We'll go through first. You watch Dani's backside remember?" He said with a final glare at Makepeace before starting up ramp.
"Have it your way, flyboy." Makepeace said as he stood back.
Still carrying her helmet, Danielle hurried after O'Neill, catching up with him in the middle of the ramp.
"Could you stop bringing that up?" Danielle asked, referring to Makepeace's backside comment from earlier.
Jack stopped and Danielle put on her helmet, still holding the night-vision goggles as Teal'c came up to them as well.
"Makepeace knows you're a married woman, that should be enough reason for him to back off." Jack explained.
With a rueful look on her face, Danielle merely gestures towards the Gate with her free hand as if to say "after you."
"Give us ten count, then come on down!" Jack said to Makepeace.
Jack stepped up to the event horizon. He stopped and ran his fingers back and forth through the wormhole, like a kid testing the water before jumping in. Satisfied, he stepped through. Carter, Danielle and Teal'c followed, pausing for a moment before stepping through the Stargate.
At the back of the Gate room the SG-3 Marines started up the ramp. Makepeace and another soldier were the first to reach the event horizon, and stopped, looking it up and down.
Makepeace slid the strap of his gun off of his shoulder, sticking the muzzle of the gun into the wormhole as they waited. "One-one-thousand..." He said with a sigh. "Two-one-thousand..."
On the other side of the wormhole it was dark, pouring rain. The Stargate was situated in the middle of a dark forest.
O'Neill stepped out of the Gate first, with Teal'c, Carter, and Danielle behind him. They descended the steps slowly, weapons drawn and ready. O'Neill paused at the DHD to flick a bit of moss off the weed-
and-moss-covered device.
The MALP was sitting a few feet away from the DHD, partially covered in dirt and debris. Jack kneeled down beside it, brushing a fallen branch off the device before turning to Carter, Teal'c, and Danielle.
"Fan out." Jack ordered. He pulled the night-vision goggles down over his eyes as the other members of the team did.
As Jack looked through the goggles he didn't see anything immediately except for trees.
Jack heard something moving in the brush, and turned towards the sound. He saw a shape large enough to be human disappearing behind a tree, another shape slipped behind a tree.
Teal'c was able to see another shape through his goggles. This one was more obviously humanoid. It was running between the trees.
Jack saw something crouch behind some fallen logs and took a step towards them. He turned and through his goggles he got a brief glimpse of a dark and hairy humanoid form lunging towards him.
Jack's attacker pounced on him with a guttural yell, knocking him to the ground. A second later, Danielle was knocked down similarly just as a third one knocked over Sam.
Four more creatures rushed out and attacked Teal'c, trying to bring him down similarly and beating at him with sticks but Teal'c stood his ground and clinging to his staff weapon.
One of the creatures grabbed the staff weapon, trying to wrestle it from Teal'c's grip. In the struggle, the
staff weapon went off, and the stray staff blast hit the branches of a tree.
Teal'c's assailants were finally able to drag him down to the ground, still pounding on him. One of them stood up, holding a huge rock over his head and prepared to bring it down on his prey.
He never got the chance as the sound of machine gun fire filled the clearing. The creature who was about to crush Teal'c was hit and stumbled, losing his grip on the rock. It fell harmlessly beside him.
The others beating on Teal'c stopped and looked up in fright as the SG-3 Marines rushed through the Gate, weapons drawn.
"Fire!" Makepeace ordered as the last of his team came through the gate.
The Marines shot off another round of bullets, firing in the air. Startled and confused, the creatures stopped beating on SG-1 and ran for the trees, forgetting about their quarry.
Danielle realized that she wasn't being assaulted anymore, sat up, her goggles askew and one eye visible.
The Marines ceased firing and Makepeace came up as Danielle, helping her to her feet. "Are you okay?"
"Thank you Colonel," Danielle said as she brushed herself off. "I'm okay."
Jack staggered to his feet, dazed. His helmet and goggles were gone, and blood was trickling from a gash on his forehead. "No, I'm okay. Thanks for asking. Everybody else?" Jack asked the rest of his team.
"I'm real glad it was you who took point!" Makepeace said with a smile.
The creature that was about to crush Teal'c lay nearby, dead. O'Neill moved towards it, with Carter beside him.
"What were those things?" Danielle asked, feeling woozy.
"I haven't the slightest idea." Jack said, just as confused as everyone else. He knelt down beside the dead body of the creature and rolled it over on its back.
Carter shined a flashlight onto the creature's face. While the eyebrow ridge was unusually heavy and sloping, the face of their attacker looked almost human. Carter stared in surprise, and pulled the flashlight away.
In the forest on P3X-797. SG-1 and SG-3 made their way cautiously through the trees. It was still as dark as ever, and all of the team members were wearing their night-vision goggles.
O'Neill and Makepeace were in the lead. They could hear guttural groans in the distance, and Makepeace stopped.
As Makepeace looked through the goggles; the usual green-and-black display was disrupted by the yellow-orange shape of a nearby campfire just beyond a nearby tree.
O'Neill saw it too, and come up beside Makepeace, pulling his goggles off to squint into the distance.
Makepeace pulled off his goggles as well, glancing at O'Neill. O'Neill pointed to the right, indicating that they should take positions on the other side of the campfire.
Makepeace turned back towards his men. "Johnson!" He said as he gestured for his men to follow him, and they filed past O'Neill, heading off to the left.
Jack lead SG-1 in a different direction, moving closer to the campfire to get a better look. They crouched down in the brush, staring at the human like creatures moving around the campfire.
"Danielle! What are they?" Jack whispered.
"Well, they don't look completely Homo sapien." Danielle observed. "Uh, the larger brow ridge would imply Homo erectus, but then again, they'd have canine teeth..."
Back to the campfire one of the primitive people stood up. A young woman, her dark hair and dress covered with dirt, was clinging to a tree near the fire.
"...uh, they could be Australopithecus, but the brow ridge would be less prominent..." Danielle continued to observe them.
"You don't know, do you?" Jack accused.
"Um… No." Danielle answered as she continued to watch them. She had never seen anything like this before.
Unlike her captors the young woman looked normal, and was completely terrified. Carter noticed her and frowned. "Why does that one female look different? She looks more human." She asked.
One of the cavemen grabbed the woman roughly by the arm, trying to drag her off. She struggled and cried, trying to get away from him.
"We have to stop him!" Carter said in alarm.
The caveman pulled the woman down on her hands and knees, moving to mount her from behind. She screamed and kicked, clawing at the ground as she tried to get out from under him.
"That's - how prehistoric males probably had sex. Forcibly. The strongest male gets to mate; that's survival of the fittest." Danielle said, feeling the same way about it as Sam.
As the woman crawled away from him, the caveman grabbed her skirt, trying to tear it off, and grabbed her around the waist, forcing her down.
"It's rape, and I think we should stop it!" Carter said as she started to get up, but O'Neill stopped her.
"Carter!" Jack hissed, but before he could say any more, a thud attracted his attention, and then another. Stones were flying into the campsite, striking the cave people left and right. Under the onslaught, the primitives retreated, and the would-be rapist got off the woman as the cave people dashed into the trees.
"Where are those rocks coming from?" Danielle wondered.
"There!" Jack pointed to the other side of the campfire. A group of white-robed figures could be seen through the trees, pelting the primitives with rocks.
Makepeace came up behind Danielle, and O'Neill turned to him. "Makepeace! You and your men take the wide left flank. We'll take the right. Copy?" Jack whispered.
Makepeace nodded and moved off to the left.
"Let's go." Jack whispered to his team as He got up and moved off.
Makepeace's men headed to the left, seemingly away from the white-robed figures, while SG-1 moved right in single file, heading directly towards the white robed people.
The white-robed people were completely covered in a filmy white material from head to toe, hooded and veiled in white, and were using slings to throw the stones. They immediately stopped throwing stones, however, when SG-3 surrounded them.
"Don't move!" One of the soldiers ordered.
Surprised, the figures looked around in fright as the sound of weapons being drawn could be heard all around them. They didn't try to run, however.
O'Neill and Danielle rushed into the middle of the clearing, with Teal'c and Carter behind them.
"All right, hold your fire!" Jack shouted.
"Lower your weapons!" Danielle asked, right beside him.
The soldiers keep their weapons drawn. "They could be Goa'uld," one of them shouted.
"Just keep 'em covered." Jack ordered as he stepped over to the nearest of the figures, a woman, pulling the white cloth away from her neck to examine it. The side and back of her neck was unmarked.
"There's no entry scar." Jack said as he dropped the cloth, irritated. "They're not Goa'uld's. Lower your weapons, kids." He ordered.
The soldiers obeyed, and O'Neill backed off. The white-clad people exchanged puzzled looks, and then fell to their knees, heads bowed.
"Any idea what they are?" Jack asked as he turned to Danielle.
The man closest to O'Neill looked up at that. He removed the veil covering his face, revealing himself to be human. "My lord, we are the Untouched. I am High Councilor Tuplo."
"We are pleased the gods have deemed us worthy of a return visit." The woman said, looking up.
"Gods." Jack said as he looked at Danielle.
"Ah... Only the gods come through the Stargate. I think they're talking about us. We should probably start getting used to this kind of treatment." Danielle said.
"Oh, for crying out loud, we're not gods. Get up." He said as he took the woman's hand, and pulled her to her feet.
"Please." Danielle said as she helped another one of them up as well.
Confused by this behavior, the Untouched allowed SG-1 to help them stand.
"Perhaps they wish us to treat them as mortals. A test?" The woman asked Tuplo.
"Please. Let us take you to the Land of Light." Tuplo said as he moved past the woman, heading into the forest.
Jack, Danielle, and the rest of the soldiers started to follow.
The young woman from earlier was huddled, shaking in terror. The white-robed woman helped her up, guiding her along.
Tuplo and his people were carrying lanterns as they lead the SG teams through the trees. As O'Neill stepped out of the trees, he squinted, surprised; it was suddenly bright and sunny.
Another soldier and Carter stepped into the light as well. SG-1 and SG-3, led by the Untouched were literally stepping from night time to day time. One half of the meadow was dark, while the sun illuminated the other half.
As the group approached a rise they looked down into the valley and saw a fair-sized city below.
The Untouched lead the SG teams up the front steps of a temple in the center of the city. At the top of the stairs there was a pillar that housed a bronze bull's head.
Inside the temple the young woman they found was lying on her side on embroidered cushions. On each side of her there was a bull's head, the horns forming an arch over her as two guards stood watch.
Past the guards, a long table was set in the middle of the chamber. The chamber was lined with square crimson pillars striped with brown.
"Love what they've done with the place." Jack said as he looked around.
"I was going to do my living room like this, but... it didn't go with my other stuff." Carter joked.
"It looks Minoan." Danielle observed.
Tuplo and Leedora, the woman Jack first spoke to along with two other natives, joined them. All four had changed out of their white robes for more colorful and 'normal' attire.
"Welcome. Please, come. Sit." Tuplo asked.
They all moved to stand around the table, with the Untouched taking the right side while SG-1 took the left.
"Is she all right?" Carter asked as she looked at the girl they had found, who was moaning and seemed to be in pain.
"I do hope. She... is my daughter." Tuplo replied.
"What's her name?" Sam asked.
"She is called Melocia. I can only hope we rescued her in time from the hands of the Touched. We must now wait to see if she has been cursed by them." Tuplo answered.
"The creatures that took her - what were they, exactly?" Jack asked curiously.
"They are the Touched. They were unfortunate enough to be cursed by the hilk'sha," Tuplo answered.
"Hilk'sha?' Danielle asked. "There's a word like that on Abydos. Is that 'gods of the earth?'"
"Gods of the underworld. Evil gods." Teal'c added.
"The hilk'sha needed only to touch the unfortunate among us, and they would become possessed. Pure evil, like wild animals." Leedora said.
"So these... 'Touched' people used to live here with you?" Jack asked.
"They were us... until they changed. They became too dangerous and we were forced to banish them to the Land of the Dark." Tuplo explained.
"And where are these evil gods now?" Jack asked.
"Oh, they do not show themselves. We know only of their presence because of their actions." Leedora explained.
"When was the last time the good gods came around?" Jack asked.
"Well, if you are not them, then it has been at least a generation." Leedora explained.
"A generation… Okay... um... will you excuse us for a moment?" Jack asked as he got up and the four Untouched rose as well.
"Ah, no... please, no. Wait." Jack stopped them.
The Untouched remained standing there as O'Neill lead the rest of SG-1 over to one of the thick pillars a few paces away.
"Sounds like the Goa'uld's aren't here and haven't been for some time." Jack observed.
"That is my assessment as well." Teal'c concurred.
"Danielle? Carter?" jack asked, wanting their input as well.
"I agree." Carter nodded.
"In that case, gear up. We'll move out in fifteen minutes." Jack decided.
"Wait a minute, move out?" Danielle asked, stunned. Weren't they going to stay to look around?
"Yeah. Back to the Stargate, back to Earth, terra firma, home, you've heard of it?" Jack asked, slightly sarcastically.
"Uh... well... uh... we should stay a while longer and study this society - learn how they've evolved from a Minoan culture. I mean, " Danielle said, feeling agitated. "You see those statues over there - those are bulls. The bull is all throughout Minoan culture and art, but we never really knew why."
"Hey, I'm a big fan of all this stuff. But art appreciation is not what this mission is about. Get your gear together. " Jack ordered as he and Teal'c turned and walked away as Danielle and Carter stood there,
disappointed.
The two SG teams walked through the Stargate, arriving in the SGC Gate room. As they walked down the ramp Hammond walked in. "Find anything?" He asked curiously.
"Uh, no, sir." Jack answered.
"Yes, sir. Uh, actually, sir, we found a whole heck of a lot. Sir." Danielle disagreed as she walked up to stand beside Hammond.
"Some beautiful decor, nice folks. Nothing of strategic importance, sir." Jack explained.
"All right, get cleaned up. Mission debriefing in half an hour." Hammond said, accepting Jack's explanation.
"Yes, sir." Jack said.
In the SGC briefing room Danielle jumped up from her seat beside Teal'c halfway through the debriefing. "I'm sorry, sir, I know I'm not officially part of an SG team, but I have to protest."
"Let me guess, Doctor Jackson, this is the science versus military discussion again?" Hammond asked.
"Well... yes. This mission was a perfect example of my argument. We should have stayed on that planet longer; it was the perfect opportunity to study Minoan culture." Danielle explained.
"Not to mention primitive man," Carter explained.
"This really isn't necessary, Doctor, as I've already—" Hammond started to say.
"Sir, would you let me finish, please?" Danielle interrupted.
Hammond hesitated, then reluctantly closed his mouth and let Danielle finish although it wasn't necessary.
"Ok. Um, the people on the dark side are pre-Stone Age, but the people on the light side are clearly from the Bronze Age. So what better opportunity to study the Broca Divide?" Danielle continued.
"The what?" Jack yawned. "Excuse me."
"The Broca Divide. Pierre Paul Broca was a 19th century anthropologist. He founded modern craniometry to study craniums and brains and to compare the divide in intelligence between early species of mankind." Carter explained.
During this explanation, Johnson rocked back and forth in his seat, glaring fiercely at Teal'c.
Johnson's eyes were wide, his nostrils were flaring, and he looked like a wild animal about to charge.
The others attending the briefing didn't notice his strange behavior, except for Teal'c, who looked at him curiously.
"Fascinating." Jack said as he looked to Hammond. "Should I start the debriefing, Sir?"
"That would be a good idea, Colonel." Hammond replied.
"Wait a minute," Danielle said. She still hadn't gotten a chance to explain why they should go back to the planet.
"Dr. Jackson, you're wasting your breath. You've already won the argument." Hammond explained.
"But I have to insist you... " Danielle started to say before she looked up. "What, what, what? I've already won?" She asked, confused.
"The President agrees with you. He's asked that we evaluate the scientific and cultural value of each mission from now on. " Hammond continued.
"Oh, for crying out loud." Jack said, clearly annoyed.
"He has?" Danielle asked in surprise.
"That's great!" Carter said happily.
At that moment, something in Johnson snapped. He leapt to his feet and lunged at Teal'c, grabbing him by the collar. "Wonder how that thing in your gut would like his neck ripped in half?"
"Please release me, Lieutenant Johnson." Teal'c asked.
"Johnson! Let him go!" Makepeace said as he jumped up.
"Not until this Gould apologizes." Johnson demanded.
"Johnson Stop!" Danielle said as she stood up as well. "This isn't going to help anyone."
"What would you know about it?" Johnson snapped, as he turned to face Danielle. You married one for Christ's sake. We should kill you, and this Gould."
Danielle visibly flinched at what Johnson said as she sat down quietly.
"Lieutenant Johnson, take your seat now." Hammond ordered, as he stood up.
"No! " Johnson yelled, growling, he took a swing at Teal'c with his free hand.
Teal'c calmly caught the lieutenant's fist, holding it in a crushing grip as Johnson grunted in pain.
Still gripping his attacker's fist, Teal'c stood up, yanked Johnson's arm behind him and shoved the lieutenant face down on the table in one fluid move. He kept Johnson's arm pinned behind his back, holding the lieutenant down.
"General, I would prefer to not hurt this man." Teal'c said as he glared down at Johnson.
Hammond stared in surprise as two soldiers rushed over and grabbed Johnson's arms, dragging him over to face the General.
"What is your problem, Marine?" Hammond asked angrily.
As Johnson struggled in the soldiers' grip, he started foaming at the mouth, which pretty much answered Hammond's question.
"Take him to the infirmary." Hammond ordered the soldiers. "Tell them to keep him in restraints and check him out."
Johnson grunted and snarled as he was dragged out of the briefing room as the others watched in shock.
In the Gate room Danielle was holding a clipboard, standing beneath a stepladder beside the Gate, helping Sam.
"Are you going to be okay?" Sam asked from the top of the ladder.
"What do you mean?" Danielle asked, hoping to avoid the question.
"Come on Dani, I saw the way you reacted to what Johnson said." Carter added.
"I know, I shouldn't let it bother me. Johnson wasn't thinking straight, I know." Danielle replied.
"It's okay to be upset Dani." Sam said. "What he said wasn't right."
"I miss him." Danielle opened up. "A lot." She said as she thought about Sha're. "It felt nice to have a family again."
"We'll do everything we can to get him back." Carter promised.
"So what do you think that was all about with Johnson?" Danielle asked as she changed the subject.
"Beats me. Maybe he was drunk." Carter said, knowing that it wasn't a good idea to push Danielle for too much right away.
"I don't know. It didn't quite seem like inebriation." Danielle disagreed.
Carter didn't reply, focusing on the readings instead. Behind her, two men in the control room were locked in some kind of struggle as Carter turns and sees them. "What the—"
Danielle looked up as well. In the control room window the two men managed to roll over the consoles and crash straight through the glass partition.
Still struggling, they fell to the floor of the Gate room amidst a shower of glass. Carter and Danielle dropped what they were doing and discarded their equipment at the foot of the ramp as they rushed over, checking the pulses of the two men.
The man Carter was checking was staring blankly at nothing, his mouth hanging open and bloody cuts all over his face.
The bay door slid open and an officer rushed in as Carter got up. "What the hell's going on?"
"I don't know! I didn't see anything!" A second officer said.
Carter ran over to the emergency phone and picked up the receiver. "We need medics, section C, stat! Two men down!" She said as she slammed the phone down, glancing back at the fallen men apprehensively and paused, scratching at her suddenly itchy neck.
Later in the locker room Jack opened his locker, drying his face with a towel before shoving it inside. He touched the cut on his forehead, wincing. As he turned away, the locker slammed shut. O'Neill turned to see Carter, wearing a tank top, standing there.
"Carter! Uh..." Jack said as he pulled his shirt on. "Sorry, didn't know you were in here.
To Jack's surprise, Cater pulled him to her, grabbing his head and kissed him passionately.
"Mmph! Hey!" Jack said as he pulled back. "What the hell's going on?"
"I want you." Carter said simply as she kissed him again.
"Why?" Jack said in a muffled voice. "I mean, no!" He said as he pulled her off of him. "Carter, this is a little out of line, don't you think?"
Sam grabbed him by the shoulders and shoved him down on the bench, straddling him. "You want me?"
She said as she lowered her head down and kissed him a third time.
"No, no-" Jack said, causing Sam to pull back for a second. "Not like this, not like-" Jack said before Sam kissed her again. "Carter! What's gotten into you?" He said as he shoved her off him.
She tried to kiss him again, but he got the upper hand, grabbing her shoulders and rolling off the bench, pinning her to the ground.
"It's about time you saw a doctor, Doctor." Jack said firmly as he hauled her up.
In the infirmary Carter was strapped down to a cot, with Dr. Fraiser securing her ankles as she kicked and struggled ineffectively as a medic secured a wrist strap.
"Keep her from hurting herself until the sedatives take effect." Fraiser ordered.
As two other medics attended to Carter, Dr. Fraiser walked over to stand beside O'Neill.
"Is this pretty much what Johnson has?" Jack asked.
"Oh, I'd say so." Fraiser agreed. "And the other members of the team. This is the strangest thing I've ever seen."
"Come on. Let's take a look." Fraiser said as she walked off.
Fraiser lead Jack down a corridor of the SGC, approaching a row of holding cells. A few pairs of orderlies passed by with patients on gurneys as Fraiser stopped at one of the cells.
"We converted DEFCON-1 living compartments from when this place was a missile silo into isolation chambers. You never know what you're going to bring back through the Stargate." Fraiser explained.
She stopped at one of the cell doors and slid open the panel that covered a small barred window. Johnson was crouched beside the metal bed frame, handcuffed to the bed. His brow ridge was swollen, and he snarled rattling the bed frame as O'Neill peered through the bars in disbelief.
"Notice the swelling of the brow ridge?" Fraiser asked. "Some are even developing new follicle growth."
"Any idea what's causing it?" Jack asked.
"Wish I knew. I've got calls in to every specialist in the service, but - I've got one hand tied behind my back because of the need-to-know classification of the Stargate project." Fraiser answered.
She reached over and slid the panel shut, then lead O'Neill over to the next cell where Insistent pounding could be heard from within. "And it's spreading. We got two more in an hour later."
Fraiser stopped at the cell door, and O'Neill slid the panel back to look inside. Its occupant was pounding madly on the wall, heedless to the amount of injuries he was inflicting upon himself in the process.
"I've never seen a behavioral disorder like this. All the victims are acting like animals." Fraiser said.
With a roar, the afflicted man pulled down the bunk bed, knocking it to the floor. He climbed on top of the fallen bed frame, crouching atop it and breathing heavily as he glared at the door.
"You think Carter has the same thing?" Jack asked.
"Mmm-hmm. The behavior fits." Fraiser confirmed.
Jack slid the panel shut, and they turn and head back down the corridor.
"All the victims are behaving like primitives. Most female low-level primates tend to choose their sexual partners according to who would give them the strongest offspring. The leaders of the pack, or a tribe, were usually the prime choice. You should be flattered." Fraiser said.
"Oh, yeah. I'm honored." Jack said sarcastically.
In the control room Danielle came up the steps, a paper cup and a stack of printouts in hand. She finished off the contents of the cup and set it aside as she hurried across to O'Neill, who was standing by a window and nursing a sore shoulder.
"Jack! There you are. I was going on the Internet to do a little research on Australopithecus, and…" She stopped seeing O'Neill's shoulder "wow, what happened to you?"
"Oh, I - got in a little wrestling match with Carter." Jack replied.
"Why?" Danielle asked in confusion.
"I guess she's got whatever Johnson's got. Had to drag her off to the infirmary." Jack added.
"What, did she start a fight with you, like Johnson did with Teal'c?" Danielle asked.
"No, she, uh - tried to seduce me." Jack mumbled.
"Oh. You... poor man." Danielle said with a laugh.
"No, it wasn't like that. She was like a wild animal. She was nuts." Jack replied.
"Well, is she all right? I should go see her." Danielle asked in concern.
"Why?" Jack asked, his tone suddenly changing.
"What do you mean, 'why?'" Danielle asked. "Because I care about her." She said as she started to go, before Jack grabbed her by the arm.
"You care about her? What's that mean?" Jack asked as his eyes narrowed.
"It means I care about her, she's my friend. Please let go." Danielle said, wondering what was going on with Jack, she didn't like the way he was looking at her.
"You're supposed to care about me. Why are you thinking about her all the time?" Jack said, refusing to let go of Dani's arm.
"What are you talking about?" Dani asked, even more confused.
"What's going on?" Makepeace asked as he walked into the room.
"I'm talking about Samantha." Jack said as he ignored Makepeace. "You just stay away from her, okay?" Jack said, clearly more of an order than a question.
"Okay. Okay, Jack." Dani said as she figured out what was going on. "I think you should come with me to the infirmary, okay? Just let go of me and - let go of my—" Dani said as she tried to get Jack to let her go.
Makepeace walked forward, wanting to find out what was going on.
Seeing that Jack had no intention of letting her go Dani started to struggle to get free of Jack's grip, finally breaking free Danielle fell back, crashing into a rack of equipment.
Makepeace surged forward as something changed in him as well and he charged Jack, crashing into him and sending them both to the floor.
When Danielle sat up she saw Makepeace and Jack wrestling on the floor as they tried to beat the living daylights out of each other.
"Security! Get in here!" An officer said after seeing what happened.
Harriman and four other officers came up from behind and pulled Jack and Makepeace apart. It took all five of them to drag Jack and Makepeace away as Danielle finally stood up as a female technician came to check on her. "Are you okay?"
"I think so." Danielle said as the technician helped her to stand, as they watched the officers drag O'Neill and Makepeace away.
In the infirmary an orderly finished taking a blood sample from Danielle and removed the tourniquet as Fraiser and Hammond come over to her cot. Teal'c was sitting nearby, waiting to get his blood taken as well.
"We've managed to isolate an organism in the victims' bloodstreams." Doctor Fraiser said.
"Organism? Like a parasite?" Hammond questioned.
"More like a-a parasitical virus. And from what I can tell, it seems to feed on chemical transmitters in the body. That includes neurotransmitters. As they're depleted, all but the most primitive parts of the brain seem to just... shut down." Fraiser explained.
"That's why they act like animals?" Hammond asked.
"Actually, the organism seems to release a hormone that stimulates the primitive regions of the brain that are normally dormant. I-I have never seen anything like this on Earth." Fraiser continued.
"Exactly. 'On Earth.'" Dani said as she hopped off the cot. "That would explain the Touched."
"Beg your pardon?" Hammond asked.
"That is what the primitives were called on P3X-797. The Touched." Teal'c explained.
"But I think, given recent events," Dani said as she glanced over to where Carter was lying. "I think it's safe to say that they aren't born primitive, they must have this very contagious disease. And we came
in contact with it."
"So... the question is, why haven't you and Mr. Teal'c come down with the symptoms?" Doctor Fraiser asked.
"Um... Mr. Teal'c - Teal'c's symbiote probably protects him." Danielle theorized.
"That would be likely." Teal'c agreed.
"Well - what about you, Dr. Jackson?" Fraiser asked.
"Well, that beats me." Dani said as she thought about it. "You're the doctor, Doctor. Uh, maybe I have a natural immunity."
"Perhaps you will develop symptoms later." Teal'c guessed.
"Thank you for the moral support." Dani said in a lightly sarcastic tone.
"I am checking both of your blood for the presence of the organism, and I would bet that you both have it." Fraiser concluded. "This appears to be highly contagious." She told Hammond.
"Are you saying we could have brought a new plague to this planet?" Hammond said, alarmed.
"Yes, sir, that's exactly what I'm saying." Fraiser said solemnly.
"Well, that's it. I'm ordering this mountain sealed off. No one comes in or goes out until we get a handle on this thing." Hammond decided as he turned and left.
A second later, they heard high-pitched howling, accompanied by a heavy thud. Danielle turned in the direction of the sound. Teal'c - who has apparently finished giving a blood sample - got up and ran out of the infirmary, with Fraiser and Danielle right behind him.
In the corridor Teal'c tossed his jacket on a nearby bench as he lead Danielle, Fraiser, and a medic to the source of the sound, one of the cells.
The heard another thud coming from within. Teal'c slid the panel away to reveal an extremely agitated Jack, who let out another howl, throwing his entire weight against the door.
"He is going to damage himself." Teal'c stated.
"I've been pumping him with sedatives to control him, but they wear off fast." Fraiser explained as she turned to the medic, who handed her a syringe. "Help me give him some more. GO! GO!" She ordered the guards to unlock the door, and Jack dived forward with another howl, but Teal'c and the guard forced him back into the cell.
The two of them managed to hold him, and Fraiser moved in and stuck the needle into O'Neill's shoulder.
After a few seconds, O'Neill stopped howling and slumped in their grasp, his head lolling forward as Teal'c and the guard eased him down onto the bunk.
The next day at the Cheyenne Mountain Complex General Hammond was in his office, standing at the partition, looking through the star map into the briefing room, when his phone buzzed. Turning away from the glass, he slowly walks to his desk, sat down, and picked up the red phone.
"Yes, sir, this is General Hammond." He answered the phone. "Sir, I'm afraid I have a serious situation here. It appears we've brought a very contagious disease through the Stargate. …Yes, sir, that's right. …No, sir, I've ordered the mountain sealed off, but I think you should order in an armed division to set up a second line of defense. …Well, sir, my recommendation is that anyone attempting to leave the mountain should be shot on sight... and the body burned.
In the infirmary Carter was strapped to a gurney, as two medics wheeled her out. They passed Hammond on their way in as Fraiser joined him as they crossed the noisy, chaotic room.
"Good news, General." Fraiser said.
"I could use some of that about now. What is it?" Hammond said gratefully as they come over to where Teal'c and Danielle were standing, still unaffected.
"These two," Fraiser indicated to Teal'c and Danielle "don't appear to have the organism in their system. Now if we can just isolate why they've been able to resist it."
"Perhaps we should ask the Untouched how they avoid contracting the disease." Teal'c suggested.
"Maybe they know something we don't." Danielle agreed.
"I could use a blood sample from one of the uninfected. Maybe they have something in their systems to protect them - something we can synthesize." Doctor Fraiser suggested.
Hammond didn't reply immediately as he moved away a few paces, thinking. After a moment, he turned back to them. "All right." He said pointing at Teal'c and Danielle. "Either of you know how to draw blood?"
Danielle and Teal'c just stared at him blankly.
"Doctor, teach them. You go through in half an hour. Gear up." He said as he turned and started towards the door.
"W-w-w-w-wait! Wait! Just the two of us?" Danielle questioned in surprise.
"You're immune! I don't know anyone else who is!" Hammond explained.
"We technically aren't even members of an SG team." Danielle pointed out.
"After this consider yourselves officially part of Sg-1." Hammond said. "I'll make sure it goes through." Hammond promised as he left the infirmary, and Teal'c and Danielle exchanged looks.
In the Gate room. The Gate wormhole to P3X-797 was open as Teal'c and Danielle entered, both geared up and ready to go.
"Do not worry, Danielle Jackson. The Touched were easily frightened by your loud Earth weapons. We can easily subdue them." Teal'c said, noticing the fear and Danielle's eyes.
"That's easy for you to say." Danielle said as Teal'c walked through confidently.
Danielle hesitated for a second, making sure to pull on her night-vision goggles before she stepped through the wormhole as well.
Danielle and Teal'c walked through the trees, but Danielle noticed something and stopped, urging Teal'c to halt as well. "Teal'c!"
Danielle lifted the night-vision goggles and switched on the flashlight at her hip. The beam slid across the forest floor to illuminate a familiar figure lying unconscious in the dirt.
Danielle knelt down beside it and carefully turned the body over. Teal'c crouched at the body's feet. When Danielle recognizes who it is, she switched the flashlight off. "It's Melocia. She's alive."
"It appears she is afflicted." Teal'c observed.
"So they just - dump her out here?" Danielle asked as she checked her pulse, obviously not liking the way that this culture treated the sick.
"We dump them in a small room." Teal'c pointed out.
"To protect them." Danielle insisted.
"To protect everyone else. There is little difference." Teal'c pointed out.
Danielle glanced back at Teal'c. "You know, you're right? They're like lepers." She said as she checked Melocia's breathing. "And the dark side's a leper colony."
"What is a leper?" Teal'c inquired.
"I'll tell you about it later," Danielle promised, realizing that Teal'c knew nothing about her world's history as she started pulling a blanket from her pack. "We have to help her." She said as she covered Melocia with the blanket.
"Are you planning on helping me?" Danielle asked, a little frustrated that Teal'c was just standing there.
"It is a long journey. We should leave her." Teal'c said, standing up.
"No. No, let's…" Danielle said as she tried to lift Melocia up, obviously having trouble. "Please Teal'c, we can't leave her like this."
Teal'c turned, and through his night-vision goggles he saw that they were surrounded by the Touched. Teal'c promptly fired his weapon in the air, turning his back to Danielle. Danielle turned and spotted several of the Touched advancing from the other side.
"Teal'c!" Danielle pleaded, not wanting to leave Melocia behind.
"Fire your weapon! It will frighten them off!" Teal'c said before he could pick up Melocia and fired off another round into the air. This time the sound got results. The Touched in front of Teal'c howled and retreated.
Behind him, a group of the Touched grabbed Danielle and Melocia and dragged them off.
Teal'c continued to fire, unaware of his friend's plight. When it appeared that the last of the Touched had retreated, Teal'c ceased fire and turned back to where Danielle should be standing. "Danielle Jackson!" He called out when he realized that she wasn't there.
"Danielle! Danielle Jackson!" He called out more urgently, finding no trace of her.
In the SGC O'Neill was at the window panel of his cell. It slid open and his head jerked up. The guard peered into the cell before opening the door to admit another guard and an orderly, with Hammond
between them. Hammond was wearing a straitjacket and was obviously sedated, followed by Fraiser.
"Sorry, Colonel O'Neill, but your private room just became semi-private." Fraiser said.
The guard and the orderly carefully eased Hammond down to sit on the bottom bunk. O'Neill remained huddled on the cot nearby.
"We're running out of places to put all the victims. We've used the brigs, we've used the temp quarters, some of the storage rooms." Fraiser said. As she let out a frustrated sigh and started towards the door.
Struggling to articulate, his mouth opening and closing, Jack finally managed to speak. "Doc... doc..." He croaked.
Hearing him, Fraiser stopped and turned. "Did you say something?"
"Give... more..." Jack managed to say before breaking off, in apparent pain, his head dropping forward.
Fraiser took a hesitant step towards him, making sure to stay out of arm's reach. "What? Give more what?" She questioned as She knelt down so that they were at eye level.
"More..." Jack started to say. Unable to finish, he extended his arm towards her as if asking for a shot.
"An injection?" Fraiser asked in surprise. "You mean you want more sedative? You've already had more than the maximum safe dosage, twice as much as anyone else because you've been more violent. "
"Give." Jack insisted.
"No. It's not safe." Fraiser decided.
"GIVE!" Jack yelled before saying in a softer tone. "Give."
"Why are you so insistent?" Fraiser asked curiously.
Jack didn't answer, and stubbornly held out his arm.
Fraiser sighed and gestures to the orderly. She knelt down beside O'Neill, rolling up his shirt sleeve and patting and swabbing the area.
O'Neill didn't resist as she took a syringe from the orderly and injected the sedative, watching her patient carefully. The sedative quickly took effect, and O'Neill's head dropped forward limply.
"Must have been in a lot of pain." Fraiser said sympathetically. She hesitated for a second before reluctantly rising and starting towards the door. Suddenly, O'Neill jerked awake with a gasp.
"Doocc!" he yelled.
Fraiser stopped, and turned, staring at him in shock. "Colonel O'Neill?"
Jack nodded, trying to get a word out, but barely able to mouth a "yes." Fraiser knelt down beside him again as O'Neill struggled to speak.
"So you are still in there somewhere." Fraiser smiled.
"Dream... dream?" Jack asked hopefully.
"I'm afraid not, Colonel, it's very real. This is interesting... sedatives must knock back the primitive mind. Colonel, listen to me. I am not going to be able to keep you at this level for very long. It is too dangerous. It could cause permanent brain damage." She said urgently.
"What? Wha…" Jack broke off, trying to get himself together "what is it?"
"It's a parasitic virus. All we can tell is that it seems to mess with body chemicals - all of them. Testosterone levels skyrocket, thus the aggressive behavior. It's a histamine-alytic, which means it breaks down histamine. " Fraiser explained.
"Experiment." Jack said.
"What?" Fraiser asked, not sure what he was asking.
"Experiment. On... me." Jack finally said.
"Experiment on you?" Fraiser asked as she shook her head. "No, sir, I can't do that."
Jack took her chin gently in one hand, urging her to look at him. "Use me."
Fraiser looked down for a moment, then reached up to wrap her fingers around his.
ON the light side of the planet P3X-797. Teal'c approached the temple that Tuplo led SG-1 to earlier, hurrying up the steps. He walked past the guards posted at the entrance into the main hall as Tuplo and
Leedora come out to greet him.
"Welcome back, my Lord. Where are your friends?" Tuplo asked.
"My friends are ill because of this place." Teal'c said.
"They have joined the Touched." Leedora said fearfully.
"They were cursed by the hilk'sha." Tuplo agreed.
"It is not a curse." Teal'c disagreed. "It is a disease. I lost my friend on the dark side of this planet. You must help me retrieve her."
"Why?" Tuplo demanded. "So she can give you the curse? So she can give all of us the curse? No, no! She is better off where she is." He said, clearly afraid of what would happen to the rest of his people.
"She does not have the disease. She is immune. She is not cursed." Teal'c tried again.
"Then by now, she is gone." Tuplo said solemnly as Leedora nodded.
"She had your daughter with him." Teal'c said.
"Melocia... is dead." Tuplo said, finding it hard to say the words.
"No." Teal'c denied. "She is out there. On the dark side. I have seen her. Help me retrieve her and my friend." Teal'c asked.
"She is among the Touched," Tuplo said as he walked past Teal'c in agitation. "She can no longer... function amongst us. Therefore, she is dead."
"She is not dead." Teal'c said.
"If I believed otherwise, do you not think I would help my own daughter?" Tuplo asked as he turned to face Teal'c.
"Many of us have loved ones among the Touched. My own father is there. But we accept that we cannot help them. Therefore, they are dead to us." Leedora told Teal'c.
"How can you be so without heart?" Teal'c asked, bewildered by their beliefs.
"I must ask you to leave." Tuplo said coldly as he moved to stand beside Leedora.
"If you will not help me find my friend, then I must have a sample of your blood." Teal'c demanded.
"Our blood?" Leedora asked in shock. What possible reason could he have to want that?
"Blood is our life force." Tuplo said, clearly appalled by the idea as well.
"I assure you it will cause you no harm." Teal'c sad, trying to convince them.
"I cannot abide this... one in my presence any longer!" Leedora said angrily as she turned on her heel and stormed out.
"You are not welcome here. When we return, I expect to find you gone." Tuplo said, just as angry as Leedora before he turned and followed Melocia.
The other Untouched gathered there following him out. Teal'c watched them go, then turned back to the main entrance. The two guards posted there remained standing at attention, spears in hand.
Teal'c calmly turned and walked back the way he came, making a show of leaving through the main entrance. But as he reached the threshold, Teal'c clubbed the left guard in the head with the butt of his rifle, knocking him unconscious.
The other guard lunged at him with the spear, but Teal'c grabbed the spear, shoving the blunt end into the guard's stomach and then clubbing him in the face with it. The guard went down hard, lying flat on his back.
Taking the needle from his vest, Teal'c knelt down beside the unconscious guard. "I am sorry. " He said as he stuck the needle into the guard's arm to draw blood.
Back on the dark side of the planet Danielle was being dragged further into the forest. She had lost her night vision goggles a while ago, and it was pitch black.
Melocia was being carried by another one of the touched. Danielle knew that it was only a matter of time before Melocia would become sick.
She also knew what the touched did to the women, she couldn't let that happen, as she started to struggle even more. "NO!" She said as she kicked the one that was pulling her through the forest, but it didn't do any good. The touched that was pulling her didn't even looked like he felt it.
As the situation started to get more desperate for Danielle, something happened. Something that she had hoped would never happen again.
The touched that were surrounding Danielle were suddenly flung away from her by an invisible force, two of them skidding back almost ten feet.
The touched quickly got up, frightened by what had happened. When they looked at Danielle they saw that her eyes were glowing a bright white, overpowering the darkness around her.
The touched grabbed the still unconscious Melocia and ran further into the forest screaming in terror, not seeing Danielle collapse to the ground unconscious.
It was evening at Stargate Command. In the infirmary Fraiser and a medic were tending to a wounded Carter who was strapped down to a gurney.
Teal'c walked into the infirmary and was surprised to see that Carter has been injured.
"All personnel, be advised that the mountain is now under a Code 5 lockdown. The mountain is now under a Code 5 lockdown." A voice sounded over the intercom.
Seeing Teal'c, Fraiser left Carter to the care of the medic and moved to greet him.
"Thank God you're back." Fraiser said, relieved.
"What happened to Captain Carter?" Teal'c said as he stared at the gurney.
"She was stabbed by her roommate." Doctor Fraiser explained. "Don't worry, it's superficial, she's going to be okay." She said as she lead him out into the hall. "We've run out of space. We've had to start doubling up on the ISO rooms."
"I have retrieved the blood sample you requested." He said as he took the sample from a pocket of his vest and handed it to her.
"Good work, Mr. Teal'c." Fraiser said as she took the vial.
"Colonel O'Neill." Teal'c said as he walked up Jack's cell.
Jack was leaning against the wall of his cell with his eyes closed. At the sound of Teal'c's voice, though,
he looked up. "Teal'c?" He asked with difficulty.
"I am afraid I lost Danielle Jackson on the dark side of the planet. I am sorry." Teal'c said as he knelt down to O'Neill's eye level.
A short time later the door to the cell swung open and Fraiser walked in. O'Neill and Teal'c were sitting on the bottom bunk as she entered, the guards remaining at the door.
"Colonel O'Neill?" Fraiser asked. "I think I might have something." She said as she sat down on the edge of the bed, clearly excited.
"I was examining the blood sample that Mr. Teal'c brought me, and then it hit me. There was very little histamine in it." She said, stopping at the confused look on Jack's face. "If the people on that planet are human as you say, they have to have histamine in their blood." Fraiser tried to explain.
"How does this help us?" Teal'c asked.
"Well, as I said before, this microbe is a histamine-alytic. It feeds on histamine. The Untouched have no histamine in their bodies, so the organism couldn't survive in them." Doctor Fraiser explained.
"I do not understand." Teal'c said, still confused. "It is the Untouched that become the Touched. If they have none of the substance of which you speak, why then do some of them change?" He asked.
"Because only some of them have this low histamine level, which means that there's probably a naturally occurring antihistamine in their diets. The ones who don't eat it eventually contract the organism. Which is what gave me an idea. I have acute rhinitis, caused by severe allergies." Dr. Fraiser explained.
O'Neill and Teal'c exchange baffled looks. "Explain." Teal'c said.
"I take strong antihistamines every day. I have no histamine for the microbe to feed on. Just like the Untouched, the organism starves in my body." Fraiser explained.
"What of Danielle Jackson?" Teal'c asked. "To my knowledge she does not have allergies, nor does she take antihistamines."
"That's something I have to ask her about." Doctor Fraiser said. "Dr. Jackson doesn't have any histamine in her body either. I ran the test myself, she must have some kind of medication with her."
"That is not possible doctor." Teal'c stated. "Danielle Jackson has not been allowed to leave the base, and has spent her free time in my company after Colonel O'Neil, and Captain Carter have left for the day. I have never once seen her take any kind of medication."
"It's something that we're going to have to look into, but since she doesn't have any histamine in her body either it supports my theory." Fraiser said thoughtfully. "I hope she's going to be okay." She was worried about what could have happened to Danielle, especially after she had found out that she was captured by the touched.
"Does this mean you have a cure?" Teal'c asked hopefully. The sooner that they had a cure, the sooner that they could search for Danielle Jackson.
"We have to try mega-doses of chloropheniramine malleate on someone and see if it works." Fraiser said as she stopped to retrieve a syringe from her lab coat.
"Me. Find Dani." Jack said, having trouble forming the words.
"I thought you might say that." Fraiser said with a small smile. "Now the dose required to completely clear the body of histamine for a long enough period of time could be harmful." Fraiser said seriously as Jack looked at her, determined to try in spite of the risk.
"You're sure?" Fraiser asked, hoping that Jack understood what he had said.
Jack just nodded his head.
Doctor Fraiser hesitated for a moment before getting to her feet and moving over to the IV bag that was attached to Jack's arm. Fraiser injected the contents of the syringe into the IV, and a second later, Jack's head started to droop.
"Now all we can do is wait." Fraiser sighed. "You'd better lock him up again." She instructed Teal'c.
Teal'c got up from the bunk and guided Jack to lie down, pulling a blanket over him.
Danielle woke up with a splitting headache as she sat up. She groaned as she cupped her face in her hands. This was the most painful that she had ever remembered it being.
For the millionth time she wondered how it was all even possible, what the SGC would do to her if they ever found out about it.
She already had a very good idea what they would do. They would make sure she wasn't assigned to any SG team, regardless of what General Hammond had promised her, and with it destroy any chance she had of finding Sha're.
Dani looked around, trying to figure out where she was. The most important thing was getting out of the dark side of the planet. The last thing she needed was for the touched to find her again.
Looking down Dani was just barely able to make out the tracks that the Touched had made as they dragged her through the forest.
She quickly set off in the opposite direction, heading towards the light side of the planet.
A few hours later Teal'c was waiting outside of O'Neill's cell, leaning against the wall with his eyes closed. Suddenly his eyes flew open at the sound of banging from inside Jack's cell.
"Teal'c!" Jack banged on the door. "Doc! Open the door! Teal'c!" He shouted.
Teal'c got up and slid the panel aside to look into the cell. O'Neill who was looking like his old self, stared back at him.
"Colonel O'Neill?" Teal'c questioned, hoping that he was back to normal.
"Lucy, I'm ho-ome!" Jack said happily in an altogether horrible impersonation of Desi Arnaz.
"I am not Lucy." Teal'c said, losing hope that the cure worked.
"I know that. It's a reference to an old TV-" Jack stopped, realizing it would take too long to explain. "Never mind. Open the door."
"I will summon the doctor." Teal'c replied.
"No, come on. I'm fine. I'm back to being myself. Just open up." Jack insisted.
"I cannot be certain that you are back to being yourself. You referred to me as 'Lucy.'" Teal'c denied.
"Oh, for crying out loud, will you just open the door? We need to find Dani!" Jack said.
Looking slightly skeptical, Teal'c obeyed, unlocking the cell door. He also wanted to find Danielle Jackson as soon as possible.
Jack stepped out, clearly in control of himself again. "This stuff works. Let's find Doc."
It had taken Danielle a while but she had finally found her way to the light side of the planet. She had to hide under some bushes a few times when she heard some of the touched walking through the forest.
Danielle walked up the steps to the main hall to find that guards had their weapons pointed at her, one of them with a large bruise on his head.
"Wait!" Danielle said as she put her hands up in surrender. "I'm not one of the touched."
The guards still had their weapons pointed at her when finally Tuplo and Leedora came to the entrance, hearing Danielle.
"Tuplo, Leedora." Danielle said, feeling relieved. "Could you please tell the guards that I'm fine? I'm not one of the touched."
"Your friend attacked our guards." Tuplo said coldly. "We should take you back to the Touched." He threatened.
"What?" Danielle asked, not knowing what was going on. "Wha-what are you talking about?"
"Your friend attacked our guards after we told him to leave. He demanded we give him our life force." Leedora said equally as coldly.
"Teal'c?" Danielle asked. "Big guy, gold emblem on his forehead?" Danielle asked, still trying to figure out what was going on.
Tuplo nodded. "He then attacked our guards and stole their life force."
"Your life force?" Danielle asked. "You mean your blood. They must be trying to find a cure." Danielle realized.
"It is a curse." Tuplo denied. "There is no cure."
"They're going to try to break the curse." Danielle promised. "Now that they have a sample of your blood they can find an answer."
"Arrest her." Tuplo ordered, not believing a word of it.
"You don't understand." Danielle tried again. "We're trying to help-" Danielle said before the guards pointed their weapons at her. "Ok…ok," Danielle said with a sigh as she held up her hands. The last thing she needed was for it to happen again. She didn't want to hurt anyone again.
In the Stargate embarkation room the Gate was spinning as the SGC dialed out. Tranquilizer guns were being passed out to the teams by Fraiser and another officer. "The guns are loaded with tranquilizer darts filled with chloropheniramine. Now a direct hit on a Touched man or woman should knock them out long enough in order to starve the disease." She explained. "Good luck."
"Thanks, Doc." Jack said.
"Are we going to try to tranq all of the Touched?" Carter asked, also feeling back to normal.
"Just the ones that get in the way of us finding Dani. We'll leave the rest for the Untouched." Jack explained.
"You think she's still alive?" Carter asked hopefully.
The Stargate wormhole activated and O'Neill turns to see the open wormhole. "I hope so." He said as he started up the ramp, with Carter and Teal'c following.
On the dark side of P3X-797, the SG teams approached the campsite where they hoped Danielle had been taken, but she wasn't anywhere to be seen, the only one they found was Melocia, who was eating some meat off of a large bone.
"I don't see her anywhere." Carter said as she looked around the campfire. "Are you sure that the Touched caught Danielle and Melocia?" She asked Teal'c.
"I am certain." Teal'c replied. "Melocia was with us they were captured. They were the ones that captured her."
"Alright… we'll tranq this group and take Melocia back with us. Maybe we can get the Untouched to help us track down Dani." Jack said as he signaled to the others, and they raised their weapons, moving into position.
Hearing the click of the tranquilizer darts, some of the Touched moved towards them, but were taken down by the tranq darts easily.
With a clear path to Melocia, Carter, O'Neill, and some of the other soldiers climbed over the small rise they were crouched behind and approach the campfire where Melocia was sitting. She dropped the bone and crouched, ready to spring, growling, as the SG teams surround her.
"Just let me give her an injection." Carter said, hoping that Melocia understood her. She retrieved a syringe from her vest and slowly approached Melocia with it in her hand. After a few steps, Melocia growled and pounced, but was stopped in mid-leap by the tranquilizer darts from the other soldiers' guns. As the tranquilizer hits her systems, she stumbled backwards and slumped to the ground unconscious.
On the light side of the planet SG-1 and two other soldiers come up to the entrance of the temple. With O'Neill and Carter leading, Teal'c carrying Melocia over his shoulders, and the two other soldiers bringing up the rear. A shocked Tuplo and Leedora met them at the bottom of the steps.
"What are you doing?" Tuplo demanded
"You must not bring the Touched among us!" Leedora said, shocked at what they were doing.
"Just hear us out, please?" Jack asked.
"We found a cure. And we can bring back Melocia." Carter said.
"And your father." Teal'c added, speaking to Leedora.
Tuplo and Leedora exchanged glances, Tuplo finally speaking. "Put him in the isolation circle. We will hear you."
Teal'c obeyed carrying Melocia past them, and into the temple, walking towards the isolation circle.
"Teal'c?" Danielle asked in surprise as she sat up. She hadn't expected to see anyone from the SGC quite so soon.
Teal'c climbs up to the platform and gently lay Melocia down on the cushions. "Are you well Danielle Jackson?" Teal'c asked, surprised to find her here.
"Dani?" Jack asked in surprise, seeing her as well. "We thought you were captured."
"I'm okay," Danielle replied, standing up. "I was able to get away and find my way back here."
"We're just glad you're okay." Sam said, relieved as well.
"If you are not gods, how did you destroy the curse?" Tuplo asked, still skeptical that they had even found a cure.
"As we've been saying, Tuplo, it's not a curse. It's a disease." Jack explained.
"A sickness." Carter added.
"You'll see." Danielle promised, knowing that it was the only way to convince them.
Hearing a groan Carter, Danielle and O'Neill walked quickly over to Melocia.
Dazed, Melocia sat up, a bit confused but back to his old self. "Where am I?"
"The light side of the planet, you're cured." Danielle said as she knelt down beside her with a smile.
"She's back to normal." Jack said with a smile as well.
"Explain." Leedora demanded.
"We know how to... lift the curse." Carter said, trying to explain it to them in a way that they would understand.
"Huh! If you are not gods..." Tuplo trailed off, not sure what to believe.
"Come out there with us. We'll show you." Jack said as he walked out of the temple, followed by Dani, Teal'c, and Sam.
At the edge of the woods, at the boundary between the light and the dark sides of P3X-797. Tuplo, Leedora, and the SG teams approached the boundary, stopping as they saw figures emerging from the woods. But the approaching humans were not behaving like animals; they were walking perfectly upright, shading their eyes against the brightness of the sun.
Leedora moved to the front of the group, recognizing an old man coming out of the trees. "Father!" She shouted happily as she ran to embrace him, crying happily as the old man enfolded her in his arms.
"Oh, oh..." The old man said, overwhelmed, and happy to see his daughter again.
Tuplo smiled and embraced his daughter as well. It was over! The cure was broken he thought happily. Breaking off the embrace, he guided Melocia over to where SG-1 was standing and knelt down in front of Sg-1.
"You have done it, my lord. Thank you." Tuplo said to Jack.
"We'll teach you how to take care of the rest." Jack said helping the man to stand up. He pated Tuplo on the shoulder and turned away, heading towards the light side. As the rest of Sg-1 turned and followed him.
"Uh, sir?" Carter asked.
"Yeah?" Jack asked, already knowing what it was about.
"About my earlier behavior... I wasn't myself, and-" Carter said uncomfortably.
"Oh, Carter, I don't even remember your earlier behavior." Jack led her on.
"You don't?" Carter asked hopefully.
"No, I was infected too, remember?" Jack reminded her.
"Right! Good, I'm - I'm glad." Carter said relieved, as Dani watched them with some amusement.
"By the way, how's the wound?" Jack continued.
"Wound?" Carter asked, wondering how Jack knew about it.
"I understand you got stabbed in the stomach?" Jack asked.
"Oh, yeah, that - that was nothing. With any luck, there won't even be a scar." Carter said.
"Well, good. I was concerned." Jack replied.
"You were?" Carter asked.
"Sure." Jack smiled. "If it doesn't heal properly, you'll never wear that sweet little tank top number again."
Carter stopped in her tracks at that, and Jack kept on walking as Carter stood there for a second, looking chagrined.
"…you know, me Teal'c and Doctor Frasier were the only ones not effected by virus." Danielle said with a smile. "How's the jaw Jack?" She said as she directed a smirk at Jack.
The smug grin on Jack's face vanished as he shot a look at Dani. She wouldn't would she?
"I think you missed the best part Sam." Danielle started to say. "Why it isn't every day that you mmph." Danielle started to say before Jack covered Dani's mouth with his hand.
"Well, look at the time," Jack said quickly. "We better get back to the SGC, general Hammond's probably worried sick." He said as he pulled Dani ahead with him. There was no way that he was going to let that little secret out any time soon.
Carter watched as Jack dragged Dani ahead of them, now REALLY wondering what had happened, before breaking into a smile herself as she and Teal'c caught up with them.
As Sg-1 stepped through the Stargate they found General Hammond and Doctor Fraiser already there waiting for them.
"It's good to have you back Sg-1, Doctor Jackson." Hammond greeted, back to his old self again.
"It's good to be back." Danielle agreed.
"Doctor Jackson could you come with me please?" Doctor Fraiser asked. "I just have a few questions I'd like to ask you."
"Sure," Danielle said as she followed Fraiser to the infirmary, wondering what was going on.
"I was wondering what kind of anti-histamines you were taking, and for what reason?" Fraiser asked.
"What?" Danielle asked. "I'm not sure what you mean?"
"When I tested your blood you had no anti-histamines." Fraiser explained. "Histamine is what the virus fed on, that's why you and I were immune."
"But I haven't had anything except the food on base." Danielle pointed out. "I haven't even been allowed to go anywhere without an escort."
"I know." Dr. Fraiser agreed. She had realized the same thing. "Do you have any medical files from your previous doctors?" She asked.
"Um… I've never had a doctor before." Danielle said. "I was born on a dig in Egypt." Danielle explained. "I've never been sick enough to be taken to a doctor, especially while I was on a dig." She said leaving Doctor Fraiser stumped.
"I'll have to do some more tests later." Doctor Fraiser said with a frown as she thought about all of the possibilities, "but your body may not produce histamine."
"Excuse me," An officer said as he walked into the room. "I'm here to escort Dr. Jackson to the briefing room."
"I'll see you later Dr. Frasier." Danielle said as she was escorted to the briefing room.
Danielle didn't have much to say during the first part of the debriefing, it was mostly things that they had already gone through on their first visit to P3X-797.
Finally it came to the point where Danielle had to explain what happened to her when she was captured by the touched, she just hoped that they believed her.
"…the touched grabbed me and Melocia when Teal'c was fighting them off." Danielle started. "I… um… kicked one of them, …you know… down there." She said as Jack and Sam smiled knowingly.
"Anyway, I ran into the forest, and I hid in some bushes until they left, and then snuck back over to the light side of the planet." Danielle finished.
To Be Contiued…
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