Suddenly, the room erupted into chaos. SF agents swarmed from the doorway, firing away. Sam! He saw her aim her zat and fire at Prescottt. Yelling orders to the other soldiers, Sam pulled the device from his head and flung it across the room. She freed him from his ropes and helped him stand. He looked slightly dazed.
"Jack!" Daniel was clutching his leg. He was surprised when Jack shrugged off Sam's hands and staggered away to lean against the wall. His hands were cupped on either side of his head. Daniel imagined he had a hellish headache. Oh, if Jack had all that running around in his brain, he probably wasn't thinking too clearly.
Sam gave a small, confused shrug and knelt by Daniel. "We came in as soon as we heard the gunfire. I'm so sorry, Daniel." She kept a grip on his hand as a medic arrived to check his leg. He flinched slightly when an IV line was inserted into his arm. He was glad for it though, since the pain in his leg immediately eased.
He looked beyond the blond major to Anna. Two medics were trying to check her over, but she was trying to fight the men. Her movements were leaving thick smears of blood on the gray floor. He could hear her speaking in Goau'ld. His mind was too foggy to understand it. He shivered. "Jack," he croaked. He tried again. "Jack!"
Jack came over and knelt down. "Are you OK? I'm sorry, Danny." He rested his hand on Daniel's shoulder. He'd almost lost him again.
"No, Anna. 'M OK. 'Elp er." The painkiller was making him drowsy. He concentrated. "Help Anna."
Jack's head swiveled around. "Crap!" He hurried to the struggling trio. "Stay and help Daniel, Carter."
The marine had stopped moving, laying in a shaking ball on the floor. He took off his shirt and covered her the best he could with it. God, what a mess.
"She has no idea where she is or what the hell is going on. " Jack knelt by Baker. He wondered where she thought she was. Hell, she could be living in half a dozen people's nightmares, including his own. He rubbed a hand over his face. He watched Teal'c help Daniel over. Carter strode purposefully next to him. She passed the table with the implements and kicked it over. Jack felt his face twitch with shock. Temper tantrums weren't her normal thing.
"Carter, you alright?"
"Yes, sir. I'm just really disgusted over this." Her lips tightened. "And I feel guilty."
Why would she feel guilty? "Carter, there's no reason to feel guilty. What could you have done?"
"I should have listened to you." Jack flinched at the bitterness in her voice. "Sorry, sir."
"Don't be. It's on me. Well, anyway, Carter, make sure she isn't gonna die right now, and we'll take her to Frasier. Daniel, let the medics take care of you."
Daniel rode in the unmarked ambulance with Anna. He was so tired he could barely think, but he forced himself to quietly murmur to her. He hoped it helped. By the time they were in the infirmary, his eyes were closing. He barely heard Jack's voice saying he'd be alright.
Jack stared at his friend. God, Daniel'd been shot in front of him, almost killed. Again. In front of him. He hunched down into the chair.
It was his job, his life, to protect them. All of them. And he'd failed. Sure, they managed to survive most of the time. Thank God for the sarcophagus, the Asgard, the Tok'ra, the Nox, because he sure as hell hadn't been able to save anyone those times. Was that his problem? He just wanted to keep any possible threat from his team. Was he becoming paranoid about everything that might hurt them?
He felt guilty for not trusting Daniel, for taking his paranoia too far. Not that it was his fault. Damn it! All he'd done was alienate Daniel because he was afraid. Because of something beyond his control. He hated the NID. He could see how this all came about, now that he thought about it. Now that he knew about it. He should have made Janet put him on medical stand down. He should have talked to Daniel. Hell, he was an ass.
And he needed to see Janet again, and then talk to Hammond.
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"Sir, I'd like a word with you." Jack leaned in the doorframe of General Hammond's office. Janet Frasier stood just behind him. "It's about Baker."
"Jack, I've already told you. Several times. This is something coming from higher than me. Besides, according to Dr. Frasier, she won't be alive long enough to be a problem for you."
"Yeah, I know. I know all of it. I have the last few months of Baker's life in my head." He paused. "Can we come in? Please, George."
"Alright." Shaking his head, the general tossed aside a file. "Is this worth opening the drawer?"
A shot of courage? "Oh, yeah. Listen, I have to tell you some things. First, uh, Baker was sent in here on purpose. She was hiding from those goons, that's true. But she was also here for me. Well, to watch me, anyway."
"What!" George carefully set down the bottle. "I need an explanation."
"I was apparently singled out. They wanted to get rid of me. I don't know, something about my suspicious nature." He pursed his lips, trying to find the words. "They gave me a drug long before Baker came, months before. The Doc can explain it better."
Janet straightened. "It's almost totally undetectable, unless you know what to look for. I believe it was given on a regular basis by a certain nurse who has not come back to work since the rescue. Apparently, Anna knew about it, but was prevented from saying anything."
"Prevented?" Hammond stared at her.
"Brainwashing. Mind control. You know the Goa'uld can do that. Well, they did it. The NID. She couldn't help it. The most she could do was come and observe, maybe find out who gave him the drug."
"Jack, are you compromised?"
"No, maybe." He rubbed his neck and took a drink. It burned, but it spread a bit of warmth through him.
"I need to know. What does this drug do?"
"It causes a person, me in this case, to-" He didn't know how to explain this right.
The doctor took over for him. "It causes fluctuations in every single hormone and most mood stabilizing chemical in the body. Some are just minor fluctuations, others are more severe. We didn't notice them because someone switched the test results." She grimaced. "Since the Colonel has amazingly avoided serious injuries in the last few months, I didn't personally monitor every test."
"What do these levels cause?"
"Oh a whole party of insanity in my brain." Jack said, but rather than his usual wittiness, it sounded more weary.
"The friction between you and Dr. Jackson?" George asked casually, letting him know Janet had ratted him out.
"Yes, partly. I had trouble sleeping, and some lapses in memory. Also, some paranoia. I started to obsess about Charlie, everything reminded me of people I couldn't save. Especially Daniel."
"Jack-" Hammond stopped, not sure what to say.
"It affected my behavior, my attitude. I was feeling too much. Every time Daniel did something Daniel-y I over-reacted. I got angry. I thought of Charlie being dead, and then Daniel being dead. Fear made me angry, too. Arguing made me angry. Hell, I couldn't stand to be near him, but I was terrified when he wasn't in my sight." He let his head sink back. "When Baker came, I focused a bit more on being paranoid about her. She knew about the drug."
"How?"
"She remembered it. Well, she saw someone else's memories. However you say it." Jack waved a slightly shaking hand. "She wanted to try and warn me, but trying to act agaist the brainwashing was impossible. She was trying to find the mole. I think it was supposed to be her last hope of redemption. I get the feeling she had some issues with her former mission objectives. She was slowly going insane, George. I can relate. I only had a few months of her life, she had years of who knows how many people's lives."
"What were they hoping to accomplish?"
"They were hoping I'd get sent to the psych ward at Academy. Once my behavior had gotten to the point where I couldn't function, they'd have let my real test results out. They could have taken it from there." He paused. "Otherwise, if I could hide it well enough, I'd eventually snap and either kill someone or take myself out. They were banking on my, uh, past history and the stress of the job to explain it away." He shuddered.
"Treatment is fairly simple, once the drug is no longer being administered. He's pretty much back to normal already." Janet smiled.
"This is all in your report?" George pursed his lips. "You know you'll have to see the psychiatrist."
"Yeah, and you know what? I kinda think I need to. I really thought I was going crazy." And he isn't sure he still isn't. "But not McKenzie."
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Daniel opened his eyes slowly. He felt slightly detached from his body, and his mind was sluggish. He slid his gaze to the left to see Jack dozing in one of the infirmary chairs. As the memories came back, he squeezed his eyes closed. He watched a nurse enter the room and smile at him.
"I've got to ask you the usual questions." And doesn't that suck, that there are 'usual questions'?
After he answered to her satisfaction, Janet came in. They remained quiet as she double-checked his chart. "Well Daniel, it looks like you'll be just fine."
"Anna?"
Janet's face tightened. "She's suffered massive brain damage. I don't think it's going to be long before..." she trailed off.
"I'm sorry. I know you liked her."
"So did you." Ah, always with Janet, patients came first. She'd grieve in private.
"Yeah." They were silent for a minute. "How could she have lived that way for so long?"
"Daniel, what they did to her, well, I can tell you, it was hard for her."
"You have no idea." They both turned to Jack, who was rubbing his hand up and down his face. "I only got some of her memories, but what I got was bad. It was worse than having an Ancient database in my head."
"Well, Colonel, as you can see, Daniel is going to be fine, so I want you to get some rest."
"In a minute."
"You get five."
"Jack..." He didn't know what to say. How had they gotten here? Where simply being alone together made him uncomfortable?
"Daniel..."
"It wasn't your fault. Mind altering substances excuse most anything."
"Yeah, but I said some things..." Jack's voice trailed off.
"I know. And if I really believed you, well, I'd be pretty mad, Jack."
"The thing is, though, I do. Worry, I mean. The drug didn't add things, just made them more...volatile."
"Yes, and we worry about you. We're a team." Daniel sighed. "We knew there was something wrong. We should have helped you despite what you said or did."
"You didn't know all of it. I kinda hid some things from everyone. I'm sorry." Jack said quietly. There wasn't much more to say. He could explain all he wanted, it would still take time. Just as it had taken time after so many other times their trust had been bent.
"Me, too."
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A week later, Daniel, with Teal'c's help, managed a visit with Anna. She was hooked up to wires and tubes. He sat for a few minutes, wondering what she would have been like if she hadn't gone through that. He was startled when he saw her eyes were wide and staring. She struggled to speak to him.
"Daniel?"
"Shh. Don't talk. I'll get Janet." She grabbed his arm with surprising strength.
"He's scared...of losing...you...all of you."
"What? Let me get the doctor, OK?"
Her eyes squeezed shut then opened, burning with something. "O'Neill... loves you...brother."
"Anna, be still, calm down." Her monitors were beeping a little faster. He heard nurses rushing into her area.
"His memories. Loves you... family. Scared.. of you... for you... fail you. Drug ... made him... act... " Her eyes slid closed as the monitors screamed. He was gently pulled away by Teal'c. They watched in silence as every treatment and life saving measure was tried. She was gone.
"I am sorry, DanielJackson. She was a fine warrior and an honorable person."
"Yeah." He felt sad for her, sad for his loss, and confused. But, God, he was glad she had finally found some relief to her suffering. She wasn't tormented by what had been done to her. He went to his bed. He stared at the wall, thinking.
He asked the nurse to see if Jack could come to the infirmary. All the things Jack had said and done... it had hurt. In the end, though, was it important? They were friends. More than that.
When Jack entered, a suspiciously short time later -had he been waiting in the hall?- Daniel wanted to tell him so many things. "I missed you." I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, I forgive you, you're my friend, I love you. You're my family.
He felt Jack's arm slide around his neck and pull his head and shoulders into a hug. "Yeah." Thank you, I missed you more, I didn't mean any of that stuff, I love you, too.
A/N See there was a reason Jack was acting totally out of character. Anna Baker was only there to provide a way for Jack's problems to be noticeable to everyone, including himself. She also provided a way for everyone to learn what was happening while keeping the players for the bad guys mainly hidden.