“Yeah, okay,” said Jack. “But why now? Are you saying it’s a
coincidence
that we step through the gate and people start dropping like flies?”
Daniel nodded. “Coincidence. Bad timing. I think what happens is that the viruses have mutated so they can survive for long periods outside a human host. They go dormant in winter and reactivate in spring.” He shrugged. “And it’s spring.”
“
What
?” Jack demanded. “You’re saying viruses
hibernate
? Like
bears
? Jeez, Daniel, you’ve been reading too much Michael Crichton.”
“Actually, he’s right,” said Dixon mildly. “Tudor England, there was this disease they called the sweating sickness. Came out of nowhere, killed people in less than a day. Only in summer, though. And not millions, like the plague. Just thousands.”
Jack just stared at him. “How in God’s name could you
know
that? Get away from me, Dixon! One Daniel on this team is
enough
!”
Barely registering the insult Daniel looked at Sam, who hadn’t stirred through their conversation. “How’s she doing?”
“Not good,” Jack said shortly.
“And Lotar? Has anyone thought to check in with Teal’c?”
“I did, half an hour ago,” said Dixon. “Lotar’s bad but she’s still breathing.”
“Okay. Okay. So whatever she’s got, and Sam’s got, it’s not what killed the Elders.”
Thank God, thank God
. He screwed his eyes shut, trying to calm his frantic thoughts. “Okay. Bhuiku said not everyone gets sick. That some people, like the Elders, have gone their whole lives without being affected by rebirth. And some people
do
get sick but not everyone dies. Which is what happens at home. Twenty percent of people who catch Ebola survive, for example.”
“Your
point
, Daniel?”
“Yes. My point,” he said slowly, working through the implications. “My point is that the diseases Ra and Setesh introduced into Adjo’s ecosytem have mutated so far from their original strains that the rate of survival after exposure has increased significantly. And that the humans living here now, the descendants of the humans who didn’t succumb during the original plagues three thousand years ago, survived because of some kind of genetic immunity, and through concentrated interbreeding they’ve perpetuated and maybe even strengthened that immunity.”
“Then how come any of them get sick?” said Dixon.
“I don’t know,” Daniel said. “Genetic drift, maybe. Or maybe the way the pathogens mutate coincides with a weakness in some people’s immune systems. Janet’s the doctor, she can work that out.”
“And this explains why Carter and I are sick, but you and Dixon aren’t? We’re genetically inferior?” said Jack. “Gee. Thanks, Doctor Mengele.”
“No, Jack. What I’m saying is it’s a crap shoot.”
Dixon frowned. “Which means there’s no guarantee you and I won’t get sick somewhere down the line. Look at Khenti and his crew. If we’re exposed to a pathogen that’s mutated in a way our immune systems can’t fight…”
“Yes,” said Daniel, nodding vigorously. “Unfortunately. If my theory’s correct.”
“It sounds pretty correct to me,” said Sam weakly, and opened her eyes. “We have to tell Janet. She needs to know all this if she’s going to have any chance of — ”
“Yeah, Carter, we know,” said Jack. “Shut up and go back to sleep. We’ve got one hell of a hike back to the gate in the morning.”
“Yes, sir. Shutting up, sir,” she murmured, and let her eyes drift closed again.
Jack checked his watch. “Okay. By my count we’ve got about six hours till first light and who knows what the medical situation will be by then. Only thing I know for sure is the crap’s going to hit the fan when the villagers find out Khenti and his pals are out of the picture permanently.”
“We’ll have to step in,” said Dixon. “Assume some kind of leadership position. I don’t see we’ve got any choice.”
“Agreed,” said Jack, after a moment. “But there’s no point creating panic tonight. We’ll tell ’em first thing tomorrow.”
Daniel considered him.
Just how bad are you feeling, Jack? You’ve got a good game face, but it’s obvi
ous you’re in a bad way. Do I say this now or do I wait
…
“Spit it out, Daniel,” said Jack, resigned. “Whatever it is.”
Right
. “Probably you won’t want to hear this, but I think we have to consider taking the whole village back to the gate with us.”
“You’re right,” said Jack. “I don’t want to hear that. The
whole village
, Daniel? Are you out of your mind?”
“Jack, it’s a good bet there’s nowhere on this planet safe from infection. Yes, we could leave the healthy villagers behind but what if they get sick after we’ve left?”
Jack was scowling. “Like Dixon said. It’s a crap shoot. They’ll have to take their chances like the rest of us. Like they always do. Us being here doesn’t change that.”
Daniel nodded.
Stay cool. He’s sick, he’s not thinking straight.
Shoutin
g isn’t going to help either of us
. “True,” he agreed carefully. “But Jack, we’re going to have to take
some
healthy people with us to help transport the villagers who’ve already succumbed. If you want to a start a riot, try telling these people we’re only going to help a few of them. Tell mothers they have to leave their sons and daughters behind. Tell husbands you want them to abandon their wives. Tell them that and see how fast you lose control of the situation.”
Silence, as Jack closed his eyes. He looked exhausted. Pummeled with pain. After a moment he dragged his eyes open again.
“So you want me to tell Hammond he’s got to foot the bill for an all-out refugee camp?” He snorted. “You trying to get me fired, Daniel?”
“Jack, we came here to find a way to exploit this planet’s natural resources,” he said quietly. “We were always going to have to provide some kind of compensation. And now that we know those resources are real, and phenomenally valuable, do you think Washington’s
not
going to find a way around this little virus problem? In my book that means we owe the people of Mennufer all the help we can give them as an upfront gesture of good faith.”
“Just Mennufer?” said Jack, his puffy, bloodshot eyes glinting. “There are other villages here, Daniel. I’m surprised you don’t expect me to send them a telegram.”
The thought of those other, unprotected villages cut through him like a sharpened knife. “No. There’s a limit to what we can do right now. I get that. But when this immediate crisis is over then yes. I do expect us to help the other villages beat this problem.”
He held Jack’s gaze steadily, daring him to argue. But Jack didn’t. In honesty, he hadn’t expected him to. They often butted heads over ways and means but Jack could be as compassionate as Mother Teresa… provided military pragmatism wasn’t getting in the way.
“So,” said Dixon, breaking the tense silence. “We sleep now, and turn the village on its ear at dawn. Is that the plan?”
“Yeah,” said Jack, still staring. “That would be the plan.”
“Well, I think it sucks,” said Dixon. “But since it’s the only game in town I say what the hell. Let’s play.”
There was nothing left to say after that. They set their watches, doused every lamp but one, and went to sleep.
A welcome, familiar voice woke them minutes before their alarms had a chance to sound.
“—
calling SG-1. Colonel O’Neill, do you read? I repeat, this is General Hammond calling SG-1. Colonel, do you
— ”
Jack fumbled for his radio. “Yeah, yeah, I’m here. This is O’Neill, General, reading you loud and clear.”
“
My God, Jack
,” said the general. “
You sound terrible
.”
Daniel put on his glasses.
Yeah, but he looks worse
. Overnight
the blisters on Jack’s face had spread to his neck and his hands. The whites of his eyes were so bloodshot they were almost solid crimson. His voice was a thin rasp, as though his throat had turned to sandpaper. His hair looked lifeless, its shimmer of silver turned to tarnish.
“I’m fine, sir,” he croaked. “Don’t tell me you’ve scrapped another UAV just to wish me good morning.”
“No, we’ve got ourselves a naquadah-powered transmitter.”
With a struggle, Jack sat up. “We have? Since when?”
“Since Donnelly and McLaren invented it.
”
“Really? Gee, sir. Don’t tell Carter.”
Sam stirred. “Don’t tell me what?”
“Nothing,” said Jack. “Go back to sleep.”
“Colonel, what’s your status?”
“Well, sir — ” Jack began, then started coughing. Deep, hacking coughs that sounded like his lungs were being shredded.
“Colonel!”
Dixon, who’d already opened the door and lit a couple of extra lamps, took the radio. “Sir, this is Dixon.”
“What’s wrong with O’Neill, Colonel, what — ”
“Well, sir, he’s still poorly. So’s Carter. Basically the crap in that creek we talked about is getting deeper. All the village Elders are dead. On the slightly less gloomy side, Jackson’s figured out what’s going on.”
“He has? Put him on.”
Daniel took the outstretched radio. “Sir, it might be more efficient if I explained it to — ”
“Sorry, son, I ordered Doctor Fraiser to bed for an hour before she passed out on her feet. Explain it t
o me and I’ll see she’s brought up to speed.”
As Dixon fetched water for Jack, who was wheezing like an asthmatic, he gave Hammond an update. “So, I don’t know how, sir, but Doctor Fraiser’s going to have to find a way to treat these mutated versions of ancient Earth viruses. Otherwise we’ll just have to pray our own immune systems can stand up to them.”
“
I see,”
said Hammond, after a long pause. “
Thank you, Doctor Jackson
.”
His breathing recovered, Jack snatched the radio back. “But we’ll be fine, General. Carter’s tough. I’m tougher. Daniel and Dixon haven’t so much as sneezed. So no ordering wreaths just yet, if you don’t mind. Fraiser’ll come up with something. She always does.”
“Colonel, how soon before we can expect you at the Adjo gate
?” said Hammond, neatly sidestepping the verbal landmine.
“Oh. Right. About that…” said Jack, wincing. “I estimate we’ll be leaving Mennufer within the hour, sir. Not sure how long it’ll take us to reach the gate. Could be ten hours, at least.”
“Why so long?”
“Well, sir, because the chances are good we’ll have pretty much the whole village with us. Six hundred people, maybe more. So if you could see your way clear to, I don’t know, getting together a few more tents and ration packs and what have you…”
“
Six hundred
?” said Hammond, sounding incredulous. “
Colonel O’Neill
— ”
“Including babies. Yeah, I know, sir. I’m sorry. Could you just… humor me on this one? Seeing as how I’ve got the bubonic plague, and all?”
A staticky silence. “
My God, Jack
,” said Hammond eventually. “
You
certainly know how to push a friendship
.”
“Yes, sir. It’s one of my more endearing qualities.”
“
You think so, Colonel? Well. We can discuss that thought and other delusions when you return. Now, unless there’s anything else you’ll have to excuse me. It se
ems I have a miracle to accomplish
.”
“No, sir. Nothing else, sir. Thank you, sir.”
“Holy crap,” said Dixon. He almost sounded admiring. “You’re
a work of art.”
Despite all their troubles, Daniel grinned. “Really? I’ve always
thought of him more like a kid’s finger painting. You know. Thick and messy.”
Heavy-eyed, Jack looked at him. “Daniel, I have a gun. Did you forget I have a gun?”
Still grinning, not answering, he fished his own radio free from its vest pocket and toggled it. “Teal’c? This is Daniel. Do you read?”
“This is Teal’c. How are Colonel O’Neill and Major Carter?”
“Still with us. How’s Lotar?”
“I believe the phrase is ‘hanging in there’.”