Another chapter folks. Thanks for all the great feedback. If I don't always get back to you individually it doesn't mean I don't greatly appreciate it - it's simply a matter of time!
Venora
"I have arranged for transport Daniel Jackson", Teal'c had arrived back after having been gone most of the day. He and Daniel had been on Venora for almost three weeks and were now ready to join Ba'al's forces.
Daniel's wound had been deep and it was only in the last few days that he had felt well enough to even consider leaving the planet. If truth be told he could have used more time to recuperate; he was still weak and very sore. Still, he was anxious to get going and rescue Jack and so had convinced Teal'c that he'd be okay. Since the Jaffa was also concerned about his friend and commander, he had agreed. It had taken a few days for them to arrange a ride but now they were ready to leave.
"You're sure you know where we're going?" the archaeologist asked. It had also taken a while to discover where Ba'al's main forces were camped.
"I am sure. I have arranged a flight with a number of Jaffa who are planning to offer themselves to the service of Ba'al. We will accompany them which will be better for us."
"Jaffa? Where are they from?"
"They have served different Gods' all who have been destroyed – Hathor, Apophis, Ra. They are without masters so go to one they perceive is strong."
"There are some of Apophis' Jaffa going? Teal'c, isn't that dangerous? What if you are recognized?"
"They were very young and did not know me. As long as I keep my head covered I will be fine."
"And you're sure they will let you do that?"
"Yes – as long as I claim to be from Andor no one will question me. It means death for one of that tribe to let his head be uncovered."
"Death to whom – the Andoran or the one seeing him?"
"Both"
"Oh, okay then – but what if there is someone there from Andor? Won't that person know you're not from there?"
"We must hope that does not happen."
"That's it? We just hope no one from Andor shows up?"
"Yes. But do not worry. It is highly unlikely. They do not often leave their home planet. What is more important Daniel Jackson is that you learn to behave as a slave. You must always defer to me and never look in the face of either a Jaffa or a Goa'uld. Can you do that?"
"Hey, no problem. I've done it before remember. And anyway, the last thing I want to do is look at either of those guys – present company excepted of course."
"Of course." Teal'c looked at him for a minute, obviously still worried. Although whether it was because of his wound or his ability to act the slave Daniel wasn't sure. Whatever the reason, Teal'c knew they had little choice if they were locate and save Jack.
They had agreed, after quite a few arguments, not to speak of Sam. She was in the back of both of their minds but they'd agreed to take a 'wait and see' attitude. Daniel knew that Teal'c was convinced of Sam's guilt but he still had his doubts. He knew if his large friend found Sam first it would not go well with her. He was afraid that Teal'c would simply shoot first and ask questions later. He knew it was imperative that he find her first.
They finally gathered the few supplies they had managed to buy, beg or borrow and prepared to depart. Feemy came into the room to say goodbye. He'd been good to them but was clearly glad to see them leave. He'd been hearing rumblings of Ba'al being on the move and didn't want to get caught up in anything.
As he stood there, watching the two Tauri prepare to leave, he felt a small twinge of concern. He hoped that they would be successful although he also hoped they would not return to Venora. He wanted his life back to normal.
Just before they two men left he told them to wait. He had something for Teal'c. He walked over to a drawer and pulled out what looked like a bandana. Returning, he handed it to the large man.
"Here, use this. It may help you." Teal'c took it and looked down. It was an Andoran head covering but, sown into the part covering the forehead was Ba'al's emblem.
With a nod of thanks Teal'c removed the one he was wearing and placed the new one on his head, wrapping it so that his forehead was covered. He reached over and handed Daniel his old one.
"I think it best that you cover your head as well Daniel Jackson. As my slave it would be fitting." Daniel took it and placed it on his head, wrapping it as Teal'c had done.
The two were finally ready to go. With a quick 'thank you' to Feemy, they left the house and headed to the rendezvous point.
"Let me do the talking Daniel. You are to speak only when I say you may. The other Jaffa may try and bother you but always defer to me. I will ensure they leave you alone. It is considered bad manners to interfere with another's slave although some will try. You may speak with the other slaves when you are alone but be cautious. They will report anything suspicious to their masters so you must not appear too inquisitive. Simply keep your eyes and ears open and you may learn something of importance."
Daniel agreed, knowing that their lives depended on his discretion. It was not going to be easy but he had had to do much worse in his years with SG1.
They met up with the other Jaffa and slaves who were heading out to join Ba'al at a seedy looking tavern in the oldest part of the town. Daniel's first thought was that he would never want to be caught in this place alone. Being surrounded by a whole bunch of very tall Jaffa was actually a comfort. Something he wouldn't usually have been thinking.
The one in charge – clearly the man arranging the transport – told them all to follow him once everyone had arrived. In all there were 12 Jaffa and at least that many slaves. Although a couple of the soldiers didn't have servants, some had more than one. These Jaffa must have come from wealthier families, or they had done extremely well in the service of their former 'gods'.
He looked carefully at the two Jaffa who had Apophis' mark on their foreheads. They hadn't seemed to react to Teal'c at all, so maybe his friend was right – they had no idea who their traveling companion was.
For the purposes of the trip and their secret foray into Ba'als ranks they had taken the names 'Tro'han' for Teal'c and "D'nor' for himself. He just had to make sure he remembered that! It was a bit simpler for him as he simply referred to Teal'c as 'my Lord'. He knew that once this mission was over he'd hear a lot about that one from his friends.
They reached the transport vessel. Daniel's first thought, on looking at it, was that he hoped it wasn't going to be a long flight. It was going to be very crowded and the ship looked like it was on its last legs (or boosters or whatever). He really wished Sam were with them right now.
They made their way onto the ship and there was immediate jostling for space. It became quickly obvious who the 'strong ones' were as they were the ones who got the best spots. Daniel had to hide his grin – Teal'c got the best space of all in the corner, behind a bulkhead. It meant they had some privacy and also a larger space to throw their things. The fact that Teal'c had spent years as a First Prime was very clear. He knew how to command respect – and to instill fear.
As Daniel laid out their bedding Teal'c made his way over to talk to some of the other Jaffa. He was determined to not only fit in, but to establish himself as a force to be reckoned with. He also knew that by getting to know the others he'd be able to find out more information.
He made his way over to a small group of three or four Jaffa who were seated and engaged in conversation. As he approached they stopped talking, all looking at his head covering. Andorans were known to be fierce fighters and they were being cautious.
"Greetings", Teal'c bent his head in a sign of respect to the others who all returned the gesture. He sat and then pulled a flask from his pocket and with a silent inquiry, offered it to the others.
With a small hesitation the first Jaffa, a man formerly in the service of Ra, took the flask and drank. He then passed it on until all had taken a sip. Daniel did not know it but this small ritual was very important. Any Jaffa would hesitate to kill another with whom he had shared food or drink – at least until it was proven that person was truly an enemy.
"How long until we arrive at my Lord Ba'al's encampment?" Teal'c asked, once the flask was returned to him.
"I've heard it will take about 7 suns", one of Hathor's former Jaffa answered. "Although looking at this vessel I think it may take longer."
"If we get there at all", laughed another, older Jaffa. "This looks like something culled from the garbage heap."
They all laughed at this. Daniel guessed that Jaffa would simply laugh in the face of fear. He knew they had a very 'machismo' society.
The group chatted about inconsequential things for a while, often simply bantering back and forth. Daniel had rarely had the chance to observe Jaffa culture in action. Usually he was engaged in shooting them, not watching them joke with each other.
As much as he often found Jack's humor to be incomprehensible, he admitted to himself that he still got it more than Jaffa humor. He listened to the things that were causing laughter to erupt and just shook his head. He really didn't get Jaffa humor at all.
It was after about 20 minutes of Jaffa 'chit-chat' that Teal'c was able to broach a more serious subject. Turning to the former servant of Ra he asked,
"For what reason do you seek to serve my Lord Ba'al?" The dead silence that followed that enquiry caused Daniel to look up in concern. Had Teal'c blown it?
With a sigh and a small laugh, the Jaffa turned to Teal'c and answered.
"My Lord Ra, whom I served since a child, was killed in battle. I now have no master. Lord Ra was powerful – the most powerful of the System Lords. I have heard Ba'al is like him and one whom I will be proud to call master." He paused and then looked at Teal'c. "But how is it that you do not know this? Surely you have heard of the fate of many of the Gods?" The others now looked at Teal'c suspiciously. How quickly things could turn, thought Daniel.
Teal'c turned and gazed at the speaker calmly. Without a blink he spoke. "I have spent the last seven years on a personal journey in a holy place called Shayan." Daniel choked – what are you doing Teal'c?
"Shayan?" One of the younger of the Jaffa asked. "I have not heard of this place."
"No, you would not have." Teal'c answered. "It is known only to the most wise, most learned of Jaffa. It is a place of great learning and great power. I have spent many years there finding the truth."
"The truth about what?" Hathor's Jaffa asked.
"The truth about the universe and our place in it." By this time there was quiet throughout the room, the other Jaffa having overheard. Everyone was mesmerized by Teal'c's quiet confidence and power.
"And what did you learn of our place in the universe?" the older Jaffa asked, clearly unconvinced.
"It is not something I can say in a few short minutes. It would take years. I learned many lessons from great masters such as Han Solo and Dis'nee. I learned of the great wisdom of Yosemite Sam and that Wile E Coyote will never capture the roadrunner, not until he learns the truth of ACME." Daniel had to hide his head under his arms. He was afraid he was either going to dissolve in laughter or throw up from terror – he couldn't quite tell which was more likely.
"I have not heard of this 'Wile E Coyote'" said a Jaffa from Apophis service. "Was he Jaffa?"
"Yes – he was a fiercesome Jaffa who lost his way. He became obsessed with one enemy and lost sight of his greater purpose." Turning to the others he continued to speak. "During my time in Shayan I did not learn what was happening in the present – I learned to look to the future. On my journey I had many wise and wonderful teachers who taught me my true destiny. I would hope that one day each of you could learn of these wonderful things."
"So tell me Teal'c", asked the older Jaffa. "What is your destiny? Is it not to serve my Lord Ba'al?" Here was a direct challenge. Daniel waited, holding his breath, to see how Teal'c would deal with this.
"I am here because this is the way to the one whom I honor and revere above all others. I would not be here did I not believe that he lay at the end of my journey. This I learned in Shayan. I am here in service to him – and will happily die for him."
The others, including Daniel, all breathed a sigh of relief at Teal'c's declaration. Daniel couldn't believe how Teal'c had dealt with everything, satisfying the Jaffa while not lying in the least. The entire story also gave Teal'c the opportunity to ask questions of the Jaffa. As someone who had been on a personal 'journey' for seven years he could legitimately ask questions about all that had happened during that time.
"Teal'c – you're one brilliant Jaffa." Daniel muttered under his breath. This was going to be a very interesting trip!
P8V 359 Amdahl's Planet
"The men will not take part in any 'foreign' ceremony. They feel it would be blasphemous." Amdahl was speaking to Griff, the spokesperson for the group that had returned.
"How is it blasphemous?" Griff answered. "We do it to honor your people, to thank you for your hospitality. We certainly do not want to hurt or offend you."
"I understand but many of my brothers are not so forward thinking", Amdahl answered. He was confused by these people and didn't know quite how to deal with things. Since most of the women and all the children had been taken his world had been thrown in turmoil. Nothing he had been taught or had grown to believe was working anymore. Maybe these people could help – or maybe, as many in the village were saying, they would lead to their destruction.
"I tell you what", Griff continued. "Why don't you join us? You can see if you think it's okay. After that, if you're satisfied, you can talk to the others. If they're not interested then, well, we won't bother you any more. We just want to share this with you, especially now that you have been blessed with the removal of your women." Griff almost choked on his own words but he knew he had to play along with the men. He really hoped this whole thing would work.
He looked over at Doc Frasier, who was keeping her head down. She knew that a lot was riding on this experiment but she was being very discrete. Normally she would have jumped in and taken charge but this time she let Griff handle things. As he glanced over at the other women it struck him, not for the first time, what an amazing group of people he worked with on a day-to-day basis.
Turning back to Amdahl he could tell the man was tempted. What would make him take the final step?
"So Amdahl – as leader of this village you are the one to make the choice. You are clearly a fine and wise leader so I will say no more. I do hope that you will let us honor you however. It would bring us great joy." Janet looked up and glared at him – okay, he was laying in on a bit thick but he had to do something to convince the man.
"All right" Amdahl answered, his voice sounding scared. "I will be honored to be part of your ceremony. Afterward I will decide whether or not to tell my people. Come, let us go now before the sun goes down.
Once Amdahl had made the decision he wanted to get it over with as soon as possible. He turned and began walking to the temple. Surprised at the quickness of the decision the group from earth quickly gathered their things and followed.
When they arrived at the temple Griff asked Amdahl to run through the various parts of the ceremony with him. Armstrong stood close behind, wanting to make sure she kept an eye on everything and didn't allow anything to happen to her 'charges'. Janet accompanied them as well, checking to make sure that this would work.
Once everything was ready Griff said he would go out again and 'stand guard'. When the local man looked at him in surprise, and some suspicion, Griff quickly explained.
"It's part of our ceremony. The leader is expected to watch over to make sure all are safe. It's only ceremonial but it's considered important. I'll wait outside until you are done."
Amdahl still seemed bemused by the whole thing but he nodded. These strangers were odd but he was willing to go along with it for now. He still hoped they could help him.
As he settled on one of the couches he watched as the other men (he couldn't recall if he'd even heard their names) prepared for the ceremony. After a few minutes they took out some kind of special headgear. One of them walked over to him and handed him one as well (he wasn't to know that his wasn't real – unlike the rest of their's).
The scientists had agreed that they all needed to wear masks, not wanting to be affected by the alien gas. If they incorporated in into their 'ceremony' they figured they could get by with it. They also knew that it would look too suspicious for there not to be one for Amdahl so they had created a false mask that would allow the gas to get to the man.
"Please, put this on", asked Janet in a deep voice. "It is part of our ceremony. This is to honor our gods. We believe the head must be covered out of respect."
Shrugging, Amdahl took the strange headpiece and placed it over his head. He couldn't see too clearly but otherwise it didn't affect him.
Shortly after that the 'men' started the ceremony.
The words were spoken in Spanish first. The team figured that would sound more like it was part of a religious ceremony. They would then begin to add English to the words, slowly getting the message across. They just hoped the alien drug would start to work.
As Bigelow spoke the words Janet stood at the containers. She carefully removed one of the lids and soon smoke started to come out. Glancing over at Amdahl she saw his eyes begin to glaze over. At that point, Bigelow changed into English.
"All people, men, women and children, are created equal. All shall be treated with kindness, respect and compassion. No one will lift a hand against another, man, woman or child, in anger or hatred. Women are not evil – they are good. They are to be loved and respected just as are men. All will live together in peace and harmony and this will bring happiness, health and long-life to all." She kept repeating the words, many times, as Amdahl lay in a stupor on the couch.
Each member of the team hoped, and prayed, that this would work. They were trying to undo generations of hatred and prejudice - something that was a task that normally took generations. What they didn't know was how many of the local attitudes were chemically induced and how many had simply become part of the culture.
In truth, Janet had a real problem with this whole thing. As much as it had been the only thing she could think of to do, she didn't like that she was proposing to brainwash an entire culture. She just wished they could have convinced the people some other way.
"Do you think that's enough Doctor?" Bigelow leaned over and whispered. Her voice was starting to grow horse.
"I think so. If it hasn't worked by now I don't think it ever will." At that the team sat down and waited for Amdahl to come back to them. According to what Daniel and Teal'c had said, it had taken the whole night before they awoke.
"Let's take shifts people. I'll take the first with Armstrong. The rest of you get some rest. You can go out to Major Griff and explain what's happening. Once you're out of here you can take your masks off." She figured the gas had pretty much dissipated even inside but wanted to be sure before they took their masks off in the temple.
The sun had already risen quite high in the sky by the time Amdahl began to wake. He was quite disoriented for a while and they couldn't tell if he had been affected by the ceremony. They couldn't very well come out and ask him what he thought of women now so they just waited.
Once he was able to stand he made his way out of the temple, accompanied by Janet (or the man he thought she was). The others were all sitting outside drinking cups of coffee.
Griff stood up as the native man appeared. "How are you?" he asked.
"I am well. I feel much as I do after our own ceremony." He looked at the group seated around what had been a fire. "I thank you for honoring me with your ceremony."
"You are welcome", answered Janet. "We hope you will tell the others that it was okay. We would be honored to share it with them."
"Yes, I will tell them." He turned and looked at Griff, a puzzled expression on his face.
"I feel very well. Better, in fact, than after our own ceremony. After ours I often feel anger and hatred towards the evil that – " Here he stopped and looked up in amazement.
"Evil? The women?" He looked around. The earth team looked worriedly at each other. It hadn't seemed to work.
"No, that is not true!" he cried. "The women are not evil! How did I think that? They are good, they are to be loved and cared for." The SG team looked at each other and grinned – they'd done it.
"I must tell the others – they must know the truth." He started to hurry to the village but Griff reached out and grabbed him.
"Whoa there Amdahl, I don't think they're going to believe you. I think we'll have to have them go through the ceremony to find out the truth."
Amdahl looked at them, realization beginning to dawn in his eyes. "This was your ceremony? To reveal the truth about the women?" he asked.
"Well kind of", Janet walked up and answered. "We found out that your 'ceremony' was actually a way of convincing you that women were evil as a way of destroying your people. Whoever built the temple wanted you to kill your women and therefore kill your people off. You were too strong for that, however, but you did believe that women were evil."
He looked carefully at the one speaking to him. "You are a woman are you not?" he asked. Looking around he could now tell that most of the people with him were women. He couldn't believe that he hadn't figured that out before.
"Yes. Dr. Janet Frasier", she introduced each of the team.
"Why did you concern yourself with our village?" asked Amdahl. "As much as I appreciate what you have done I do not understand why you have done this."
Janet and Griff looked at each other, wondering how to answer this tactfully.
"Well, you see, we hate to see any people being oppressed. On our w – ur, in our villages we believe in freedom and equality for all. We were disturbed by what we saw and wanted to help. As well, two of our people; Daniel Jackson and Teal'c, were also infected by your ceremony. We knew that if we could help you we could also help them. We could then all try and retrieve the women and children who were taken, as well as our friends."
He looked at them knowingly, realizing that they probably helped more because of their friends than anything. However, he wasn't about to worry over their motives. Now he had to figure a way to help the rest of his people.
He hadn't yet allowed himself to think of his wife and children. For the first time in his life he felt what it was to be a father – and to began to miss his children. He wanted nothing more than to get to know them and to love them.
As far as Martia was concerned, he couldn't say that he loved her. He'd never had that chance. What he did realize was that she was a good person and she was joined to him. He hoped that he would also have the opportunity to get to know her and maybe to grow to love her – if she could forgive him.
He recognized that this was likely to be the biggest challenge. How could women who had been oppressed and abused forgive those who had done this to them? Would they ever be able to live together in peace and harmony?
He hoped so.
He looked up at the visitors who had changed his life. "Let us see how we can heal the rest of the men."
Mithrad's House
After the Colonel had been taken Sam collapsed on the bed. She felt like dissolving in tears but knew that would accomplish nothing.
The last few days had been some of the worst she had ever remembered. She felt torn into pieces by what had happened. She had reached out and grasped at what she really wanted without thought to the consequences – or to what it would mean to Jack. She knew she had hurt him terribly, which was the last thing she had wanted. She just wished she could figure out what to do.
She lay on the bed for hours, trying not to think of what was happening to the Colonel. It seemed like every time they took him it meant something bad.
It was almost twelve hours before she heard footsteps approaching. The door opened and Jack came hurtling in, obviously thrown by the guards who stood outside, laughing. They pulled the door shut and she could hear them talking as they walked away.
She looked at where Jack – no, the Colonel – was picking himself up off the floor. She rushed over to help but he simply waved her away without saying anything. He got to his feet and that's when she noticed he was wrapped in a blanket. From the quick peak she'd had it was evident he'd lost his leather pants.
"Are you all right Sir?" she asked worriedly. He didn't look well at all.
"Fine", he muttered shortly. He made his way over to the bed and laid down, his back turned to her. He didn't say anything else.
She walked over to the bed but was careful to not get too close.
"Colonel. Please, what happened to you?"
He didn't answer for a moment but finally said, in a soft voice.
"Nothing Major. Just leave it."
"But you're hurt."
"No I'm not. They didn't hurt me – just took a tissue sample, that's all."
"A tissue sample? Why?"
"Just wanted to make sure I'd make good strong babies for their hosts." He answered in a flat voice. He hadn't moved since he'd lain down.
"Really? Why now? Do you think they know – " she stopped, unable to continue.
"Can I just sleep Carter? I don't know why, okay. I don't know why any of this is happening. I'm tired and I just want to rest. Can you let me do that?"
"Yes Sir", she said, biting her lip. God, he was still so angry with her. She sat for a while at the table until it began to get dark. She finally had to go to sleep, exhausted herself from all the worry and anguish. She readied herself for bed and then climbed up beside Jack although staying as far from him as she could get without falling off.
She lay there for a long time, unable to sleep. She could tell, from his breathing, that he wasn't asleep either. He was too still, almost frozen, beside her. She wanted, more than anything, to be able to move over and put her arms around him. This time, however, she knew that that action wouldn't be received kindly.
She eventually began to drift off to sleep, unable to stay awake any longer. She slept deeply for a few hours until she woke up suddenly, startled by something. As soon as she was conscious she realized she was pressed up against Jack. She closed her eyes in frustration, angry that she seemed to be constantly pulled towards him, literally and figuratively.
She went to carefully push herself away when she noticed something. She could smell some kind of scent on Jack. Curious, she lent forward until her nose was close to his back. She sniffed and felt as if a knife had been thrust into her. She clearly smelled perfume – a woman's perfume – on him. She then noticed, by the light of the moon shining from the small window high in the wall, that he had faint scratch marks on his back.
Jack had been with a woman – that was clear. Turning sharply she rolled over to her side of the bed, not caring whether she disturbed him or not.
As angry as he had been with her she still would never have expected him to go almost straight from her arms to those of another woman. She felt angry – and hurt – and yes, betrayed. She knew logically that that wasn't fair. They were not a couple, not together. In fact, as the Colonel had so clearly pointed out, she had someone else. And yet, she was devastated. It confirmed that she meant nothing to him – nothing beyond a few quick rolls in the hay.
Furious, and afraid she'd start to cry or pummel him, she rolled off the bed and went into the bathroom. It was her turn to sit on the floor and feel depressed and as if her world had fallen apart.
Jack knew that something was wrong, that Carter was upset over something. He didn't know what it was exactly, but he couldn't get the energy to find out. Ever since his little 'tryst' with D'jindra's 'hooker' he'd felt terrible. He was cold, freezing in fact, and nothing he could do seemed to warm him up. He also felt weak and disoriented, as if he wasn't all here.
He drifted in and out of sleep for a while, vaguely aware that Sam hadn't returned. Eventually he decided that he'd better check on her. He worried that maybe there was something wrong. He hadn't even checked to see if she was okay when he'd returned, to caught up in what had happened to him. Maybe D'jindra had done something to her. Damn, and he hadn't even bothered to ask if she were okay.
He struggled to sit up, shivering uncontrollably. He rolled off the bed, hanging on for a minute until he regained his balance. He shuffled over to the bathroom, feeling like he'd aged a hundred years. Geesh, he began to feel like he had after his little 'cake-eating' episode years ago.
"Sam", he knocked on the door. "You okay in there?" She didn't reply which really worried him.
"Carter! Come on, answer me. Are you all right?" When he still heard nothing he reached down and grabbed the handle. Slowly opening the door he carefully peaked around the corner. At first he couldn't see her in the dark but finally found her in his favorite spot on the floor, wedged between the sink and primitive 'toilet'.
He limped over and lowered himself stiffly to the ground, sitting beside her. Taking a deep breath he realized he felt slightly better and began to talk.
"Carter, I'm sorry. I wasn't feeling so well there. How are you? Are you okay?"
"Fine", she answered, channeling Jack
"Are you sure? You've been in here for a long time."
She looked up at that, an angry expression on her face. "I don't know why that should bother you Sir. You spend your fair share of time in here."
Ouch – she really was angry with him.
"I know Sam, and I'm sorry. I understand that we both need to spend some time alone and this is the only place for it – but it's late and cold. Why don't you come to bed? I won't hurt you."
She laughed – not a pleasant sound. "Asking me to come to bed Jack? I'm surprised. I thought you'd have had enough already."
"What?" he asked, confused. Looking up at her he suddenly breathed sharply – she knew. How, he didn't know, but she knew what had happened. Maybe one of the priests or the guards told her? Damn.
"Sam, come on. You know I didn't mean that. I'm just worried about you. I'll stay up if you'd feel better. I just want you to rest."
"I'm okay right here."
"But it's freezing!"
She looked up at him with a puzzled look on her face. "No it's not Sir. If anything it's hot in here." She then looked more closely at the Colonel and realized he was, in fact, shivering uncontrollably. He also looked paper white and had dark circles under his eyes.
"Sir, you're sick."
"Who me? No I'm not Major, I'm just cold."
She stood up, worried now. Something was wrong. Whatever had happened between the Colonel and some woman didn't matter at this point. He was sick, that's all she could think about.
"Come on Sir. You need to go to bed." She reached down with her hand. "Come on, I'll help you up."
Relieved, but feeling worse than ever, he took her hand. It was a good thing because he didn't know if he could have made it without her. In fact, she needed to help him back to bed. He was so weak he felt like he was going to pass out.
It did help when she put her arms around him. He felt a little better. As soon as he was lying down and she'd gone to get some water he began to feel terrible again. He was so cold – right through to the bone. It was worse even than the time he'd spent in Antarctica.
By the time Sam came back Jack was shaking so badly that she was afraid he'd hurt himself. She piled all their blankets on top of him but that didn't seem to help.
"Carter!" he gasped between chattering teeth.
"Sir, you're sick. Did they do something to you?"
"Just … tried … to sed…uce me."
God, she didn't want to hear this but maybe it was behind what was wrong.
"Seduce you Sir? I don't understand."
"Knocked ..me out. When I … woke up … was woman in bed …with me."
"There was a woman in bed with you and she seduced you?"
"No … tried …. didn' work." He could barely get the words out he was shaking so badly.
"The seduction didn't work?" Relief washed over her – she should have known he wouldn't have had sex with some alien woman. She felt guilty for even thinking such a thing.
Jack didn't have the energy, or even the ability, to correct her. It was him that hadn't worked, not the seduction. Even as sick as he was he realized that in this case discretion was definitely the better part of valor.
"But why?" she glanced down "I mean why would they try and have some woman seduce you? Do you think they wanted to uh have you breed more children?" She had wondered why they hadn't tried to force Jack to impregnate other women. She had figured it was because they had enough men to go around. Now, she wasn't so sure. As she looked again at the Colonel she could have kicked herself. Now was not the time to be worrying about this. Instead she needed to help him.
When it became clear that the blankets weren't helping she knew there was only one thing to do.
"I'm sorry Sir, but I think we're going to have to share body heat. I can't seem to warm you up." He didn't answer, feeling sicker than ever.
Sam reached over and felt his forehead. She was surprised that he didn't seem to have a fever. That seemed to indicate it wasn't an infection or a virus – but what would be causing this she couldn't figure out.
With a deep sigh she lifted the blankets and scooted up as close to the Colonel as she could get. She refused to think how much she had missed this. She wrapped her arms around him and held him close. This time he didn't pull away, seeming to relish the closeness and the warmth.
It took close to 20 minutes but eventually the shivers seemed to grow less, although he was still cold. He started to feel better but knew that something was still wrong. At least now he could speak.
"Thanks Major. I'm feeling a bit better now."
"Good Sir. Do you have any idea what caused this?"
"No – as I told you – they took a small tissue sample and then dragged me back to that temple. I was then knocked out by something – a stun weapon of some sort I think. The next thing I knew I woke up in bed with some 'Mata Hari' plastered all over me. When she realized nothin' was gonna happen she left and they brought me back here. That's all." As he spoke Sam had pulled away, realizing that it was only self-indulgence that kept her there any longer.
"Do you think they did something while you were unconscious?"
"Maybe, although I didn't notice anything when I woke up." He started to shiver again. Maybe he had some sort of alien Malaria. The recurring chills seemed to indicate something like that.
As the shivering grew worse again he tried to tell Sam his theory. She agreed that might be what it was although there was no way to tell. She continued to worry that this was something really bad.
"Saaaamm" he called through clenched jaws. "I'm sooo …. cold."
Damn – she had to do something – but what? Moving back under the covers she pulled him close, trying to warm him. As he began to relax into her she allowed herself to enjoy the moment, knowing it wouldn't last.
As he finally drifted off to sleep she gently kissed him on the cheek.
"I love you Jack O'Neill and we're gonna get out of this."