Title: The Journey

Summary: Daniel and Vala are on a race against time to save a dying Cameron.

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate.

Chapter 2: A Cure

Cameron was getting sicker and sicker by the minute. He face looked ghostly in complexion, he was coughing and sneezing violently, he had a high fever, and he could not eat without vomiting.

Dr. Lam had put him into quarantine, and all of the doctors and nurses had to wear hazmat suits when they needed to take care of him.

Daniel was beside himself with worry. He and Cameron had become good friends over the past few years and he had lost too many people in his life already, he didn't want to lose another.

Vala was worse than Daniel, she went from extreme sadness to extreme anger in seconds. Daniel would try to calm her down, but to no avail. She was upset that her friend might be dying, and angry that nobody had taken her seriously when she had a bad feeling about their mission.

"Dr. Jackson and Vala please report to General Landry's office." Daniel shook himself out of his worried daze and listened to the announcement.

Moments later, he and Vala were sitting in General Landry's office along with Dr. Lam.

"Daniel, Vala, Carolyn has told me that Colonel Mitchell is not responding to any of the treatments that she has tried..."

Carolyn cut him off. "Yes, and if I don't get that fever down, he may die."

Vala's eyes went wide with shock. "He's going to die?"

Carolyn looked at her gravely. "It's possible, he needs a cure and fast."

Daniel turned to the general. "Why did you call us in here?"

Landry sighed and clasped his hands together. "I need you and Vala to go back to that planet. You will wear full hazmat suits at all times of course, but Carolyn and I think that the only way we can find a cure for Colonel Mitchell is to go back to the source of the disease."

"You want me and Daniel to go back?" Vala looked anxious about the thought of returning to the planet.

"Yes Vala. The hazmat suits should protect you from contracting the disease. I just need you two to try to find out what caused this disease and how we might be able to fight it. I would send Carolyn with you, but we are short on doctors right now and Mitchell needs all the help he can get."

"We will do all that we can General Landry," Daniel spoke up.

"Good, now go get ready, you're leaving now."

Minutes later, Vala and Daniel were suited up and headed back to P4K-723. Daniel really hoped that they would be able to find something, anything to help Cameron.

Upon arrival, the pair headed back to the village. It looked much like they had left it the previous day. The carts of fruit still rotted in the hot sun, and Daniel took out a bag to collect a few pieces. He doubted that the fruit had anything to do with the disease, but he wasn't going to leave anything to chance.

Vala wrinkled her nose at the spoiled produce. "This is disgusting, I think we should go back to where the bodies were. Maybe we could find a clue on one of the other victims."

Daniel zipped up the bag of rotten fruit tightly and nodded at Vala. "Yeah, let's go."

When Daniel and Vala got closer to the building's door, Daniel heard an odd shuffling noise coming from within. He looked at Vala and seeing that she heard the noise as well, slowly opened the door and peered around the corner.

The same corpses were still lying there, but there was another body in the room as well, a living body. An old woman with shocks of pure white hair stood with her back facing to them, stooping over one of the bodies.

"What are you doing here?" The woman jumped and turned quickly at the sound of Daniel's voice.

She squinted at Daniel and Vala. "What are you doing here?" She gave them a creepy grin that revealed gaps in her few crooked teeth.

Daniel stepped forward. "Look lady, we are the ones with weapons here, so I suggest that you answer me."

The lady gave an odd chuckle. "You won't harm me, but to answer your question, I'm here to see if I missed any of the survivors since last time that I was on this planet."

Vala noticed the woman's bulging pockets, as well as the trinkets that threatened to spill out of them. "It looks like you've been stealing things."

She shrugged. "Call it what you will, they won't miss this stuff."

Daniel was disgusted at this woman's behavior, but he still had another question. "You aren't worried that you might catch this disease?"

The old lady cackled. "No, I have the cure. You see, this disease ravaged my home planet months ago. I discovered a cure so when I heard that this planet had been stricken, I came to administer the cure and take any survivors back to my planet with me."

Vala's eyes lit up. "You have a cure? We need it! Our friend has contracted this illness and he is dying."

The woman smirked at Vala. "I could give it to you...but I need something in return."

Daniel rolled his eyes. Of course there was a catch, there always was. "What do you want?"

"You don't think I cured these people for free do you? No, no, I required a fee. The people you see here could not afford it, and thus they are here rotting." She laughed eerily again.

Daniel was reminded of Linea for a moment. This woman was not necessarily a destroyer of worlds, but she could be if the world in question could not pay her.

Vala was desperate. "What do you want in return? You want naquadah? We can give you naquadah!"

The woman shook her head, her fuzzy white hair going in all directions. "Naquadah? Now what would an old woman like me do with that? No, I enjoy the finer things in life. I will happily give you the cure, in exchange for the Shashana gem."

Daniel wrinkled his forehead in confusion. "What is the Shashana gem?"

"I've heard of it," Vala piped up. "It is rumored to be one of the most beautiful and valuable gems in the galaxy. A large cut gem that is a brilliant silvery blue color."

Daniel wasn't surprised that Vala knew about this valuable gem. "Of course you would know about it Vala."

She gave Daniel a harsh look. "My father used to tell me that he would find it for me, obviously he never did."

The lady interrupted their bickering. "Yes, that is the Shashana gem. Get it for me, in one piece, and I will give you the cure for your friend. Oh, but I would hurry if I were you, your friend has probably about five to seven days to live if he gets no cure."

Daniel didn't think that he and Vala should be dealing with this lady, but it seemed as if they had little choice. However, he still didn't know if she was being truthful or not. "How do we know that you actually have a cure?" He squinted his eyes skeptically at the woman.

"Do you think I would risk my life to come here, in this disease ridden hell, if I didn't have a cure waiting for me back home? You already asked me why I wasn't worried about catching the disease."

Daniel sighed, they would just have to take her word for it. "Okay, how do we get this gem and how do we get it to you once we find it?"

She smiled wryly. "I will give you the gate address to my home planet, when you arrive ask to see Healer Gana and they will take you to me. If you have the gem that I spoke of, I will give you a dose of my cure. As for finding the gem, I will give you the address to the planet it is rumored to be on. I will warn you that there is a good reason that I have not gone to find the gem myself..."

Vala raised an eyebrow at her. "That is?"

"The gem is hidden in a temple, and not just any temple. This temple has many traps, deadly ones, along the way. It also contains large labyrinths and intricate puzzles that need to be solved to get further into the temple. No one has ever been able to get the gem. Everyone who has tried has either died or given up. Now, I must be going. Good luck, you'll need it."

Daniel turned to Vala. "Looks like we are going on an adventure."

End of Chapter 2. Reviews are always appreciated and loved!

-J