Though the likelihood was high they were already infected, the three members of SG-1 took every precaution. The bulky but sealed environment of the haz mat suits with the air filter packs on their hips gave them a sense of security, even if it was a false one. After a double check of their suits they stepped through the wormhole.

As soon as their feet touched ground, Jack activated the radio clipped to the outside of his suit. Though Janet and Hammond were also listening in, he spoke directly to Daniel since he would be their primary verbal communication with the natives. "Daniel, do you read me?"

"Loud and clear. And the video streams are now online. Annika, I need you to tilt your camera down a bit, we're only getting the tree line."

"Okay." She adjusted the tiny lens built into the hood of the suit.

"Let's move out," Jack ordered taking point. "Keep your eyes peeled for any vengeful natives." They had been in enough of these situations that they didn't need their resident archaeologist to remind them that when a disaster, natural or otherwise, struck on the less advanced worlds, typically the natives blamed the 'strangers from the Chaapa'ai'. There was an eighty percent chance that if the villagers were sick they would see it as their gods being displeased with them. And then a fifty-fifty chance they would try to make amends by sacrificing the strangers.

Following the path SG-5 had taken they made good time to the settlement. As they drew near, they slowed, taking in the scene before them.

"I don't think we need to worry about superstitious vengeance," Annika murmured.

The area was unnaturally still, with no sign of movement, except for two of the camp hounds snuffling outside one of the far huts. They wagged their tails at the newcomers and trotted over to them.

"Look at this." Sam was crouching by the side of the first hut. It was another dog, however, this one was dead. Blood trickled from its eyes, nose, mouth, ears and anus. Cautiously she laid a gloved hand to the body. "Still warm. Rigor hasn't had a chance to set in."

"So why are these two okay?" Annika patted the smaller of the dogs, which had rolled over seeking a belly scratch. They didn't seem to have any symptoms at all.

"Contaminated water supply?" Sam suggested. "Or food?"

"Aw, crap." Jack had snuck a peek through the hut window. "Patient zero is not going to be very chatty."

The general and colonel entered the hut, leaving Annika to keep an eye on the outside. There were two bodies inside. One they recognized as the man from the video footage. He had been left where he'd fallen, half on a straw pallet, bleeding from every orifice just like the dog had been. The second man was on another pallet positioned under the window. The color of his skin, what they could see through the blood, and his clothing, marked him as an outsider from the tribe. The stiffness of his body compared to the native told he had died at least two hours before the other.

"General, I need you to bring his body and all of his belongings back to the SGC," Janet requested, "to see if there's any clue where he came from." She met the worried gaze of Hammond, equally disturbed by the images coming through the camera link. Both were thinking the same thing. This is what would happen to their people if they didn't find a cure or vaccine quickly.

"Jack, we've got movement." Annika's voice crackled into their earpieces.

Gesturing for Sam to gather what belongings she could see of the traveler, he joined his teammate outside.

From one of the huts a group of three women had timidly emerged. They were covered in blood, which Jack and Annika assumed was transfer from caring for the sick and dying, that is until they drew closer.

"Holy mother of god," Annika felt her stomach churn. The women were bleeding from their pores. "Jack, do you recognize the one on the left?" she whispered.

"Yeah," he replied grimly. It was the woman who not four hours ago had been waving so happily goodbye to SG-5. "I guess we can rule out the magic grain theory."

The virus in the other women hadn't progressed as far. They had blood seeping from their nose and ears, and there were growing red patches across their chests from where blood was seeping from their nipples. Their terrified eyes were bright red, their eyeballs full of blood, and Annika had to hold back a sob as she realized they were crying bloody tears.

Having seen the bodies inside, Jack had had a tiny chance to prepare himself for what lay ahead in the rest of the village. Annika hadn't had that warning. "Casper, you okay?"

"Not really." She gave him a wane smile.

"Daniel, what are they saying?" Jack turned the volume up on the radio at his hip.

The linguist took a moment to translate the disjointed hysterical words from the women. "They're requesting help, they don't know what's happened, why the gods have cursed them." He paused as the women spoke all at once. "They're absolutely terrified."

"Can you try to calm them down?" Annika asked.

Daniel took a deep breath then keeping his voice as soothing as possible, he explained who they were, making sure to state that SG-5 had also become ill since they had left that morning. He was pretty sure these three weren't in any fit state to exact revenge yet if they were desperate enough they might try.

From the women's reactions, it was clear two of them were holding onto lucidity by a thread, but the third seemed to understand. Though it was obviously difficult for her to speak, her voice was raspy and even through the radio Daniel could hear a horrible gurgling emanating from her lungs as she breathed, she responded to Daniel's introduction, gave her name, Ret'atti, and those of the women with her, Pari'lua and Velenna. The younger of the women wobbled on her feet and Ret'atti reached out to support her despite being just as unsteady.

"We want to help you, but we need to know what happened. When did your people start to get sick?"

Ret'atti began to recount the morning's devastating events while she led Pari'lua over to what was the meeting circle in the center of the village. Annika helped Velenna to walk over and sit down because it was obvious that she wouldn't make it by herself.

All of those watching, felt their hearts wrench and at the same time admired the women's pride for trying to maintain their people's tradition even though they could hardly walk and they had been reduced to a village of three.

Daniel quietly translated what Ret'atti said. "The first they knew that anyone was ill was after SG-5 left. Doran, the leader of the village, had greeted a traveler just after sunrise. When Doran emerged from the hut he was bleeding. Thinking the traveler had attacked him, some of the men went to seek retribution and remove the traveler from the village. He was already dead inside. Others tried to tend to Doran's wounds, or what they thought were wounds. Within a few minutes those who'd had contact with Doran and the traveler were described as being...like fire to the touch. After that it was like the rest of the village fell sick at once. People started dying within an hour though the first to succumb were not the first ill."

Everyone was silent for a few moments as they processed the information. Janet was the first to voice the primary anomaly with the woman's story.

"The timeline doesn't match. Daniel, ask them if they're positive about when the man arrived."

Daniel repeated the question. "Yes. He arrived just as they were sitting down for their morning meal, she remembers because she was annoyed at the interruption. Doran went to greet him as is their custom."

"Was he already sick?"

He asked the question, listened to the rather longwinded reply, and then translated the answer for them. "Doran told them that he was before he lost consciousness. The man was feverish which was why Doran offered a place to rest. The bleeding started, from what she understands, a few minutes after."

Teal'c skipped back the video SG-5 had taken. The guys had been playing around, joking with the some of the children while they ate. They could hear Shakespeare patiently explaining how the camera worked to one of the kids and he was panning the screen around to demonstrate. They caught a glimpse of the woman who had given the timeline frowning after her mate as he politely excused himself from the eating circle. Teal'c glanced at the time display. "This verifies the timeline the woman has given as correct."

"But that means there was less than a half hour incubation period from the Cupidian's first contact to when SG-5 got that shot of Doran bleeding. Yet it took over three hours for the first symptoms to manifest in SG-5. Four for the blood vessels to burst in their eyes and they haven't started bleeding freely yet. In the time it took for the whole village to die, they have only got the first stage."

"So what's different between us and them?" Jack threw the question out to any and all.

"They could be genetically deficient in their immune systems," Teal'c suggested.

"It could be a mutated strain."

"Doc, you don't sound hopeful."

"That doesn't account for the dog," Sam understood Janet's hesitance. "It has to be something communal."

"Maybe environmental?" Daniel suggested. The tropical climate of the planet was completely different to the controlled environment of the SGC. "Aren't certain viruses affected by cold and heat?"

"Bring the survivors back to base," Hammond ordered.

"Sir, I don't know that they will be able to walk that far." Annika had felt how heavily Velenna had been leaning against her to move those few steps to the meeting circle.

"We'll send through one of the anti-grav units through," Hammond suggested. "Along with three haz mat suits for the women. That way they'll be contained as soon as they come through." He didn't add that the suits would also disguise the women's condition somewhat. He already had a base full of worried people, didn't need them to start to panic at what could well lay ahead for themselves. The general gestured to his assistant to organize the unit and suits, and the lieutenant double timed it to make it so.

"I'll retrieve it, sir," Sam offered.

Jack gave a nod and Sam set off at a jog back towards the 'gate.

Janet scanned the mission notes from SG-5. Couldn't find the information she needed. "Daniel, ask them how many villages there are."

The linguist asked and carefully listened to the women's reply, asked for clarification, then translated it back. "There's another village set up like the Cupidians, as in they are the primary meet and greet for travelers coming through the Stargate. There are twenty clans who live in the surrounding hills and mountains who keep to themselves. Very territorial, the only contact they have with the two primary villages is when they come down to trade their crops and ore seasonally. The population of the primary villages is approximately three hundred each, the other clans each are approximately half that, give or take."

"Do they know if the other village or clans are sick?"

Everyone again waited for the translation.

"It was so quick, it didn't occur to them to check." Daniel grimaced, "By the time it did there was no one well enough to travel the distance."

"General, we have to quarantine the planet," Janet ordered. "We can't let anyone leave until we know the cause, how it was spread..."

Annika cut her off, horrified. "We'd be condemning three thousand odd souls to death."

"All it would take is one infected person to go to one of the trading planets and the sickness could spread galaxy wide. With how virulent it is, it would be pandemic proportions in hours."

"Nobody likes it, Casper," Jack said softly. "But better three thousand than trillions."

Annika could see the logic. It didn't make it any easier to agree with.

"Our containment could be moot," Sam grimly pointed out, listening in as she jogged. "Patient zero came from somewhere. If wherever he came from hasn't implemented stringent containment measures, which since he made it here I'm not hopeful, the virus could already be spreading."

"Let's just contain what we can," Hammond said. "Colonel Carter, the unit is coming through now.

"Unless they have similar procedures to us and can create a portable power source," Teal'c was thoughtful.

Sam winced, hating to voice the theory of following that thought through. "By the time they would be declared missing and have someone come search for them, they would already be dead."

"Our only other option, sir, is to destroy the Stargate." Jack waited for the CO's response.

"General, for all we know the reason patient zero went to that planet is because there's a cure there somewhere. We'd be destroying our only quick access to it," Janet added. "We don't have enough answers to know either way."

"Just remove the crystals for now," Hammond decided. "We'll reassess once we know precisely what we're dealing with."

Janet put in another request. "If possible I'd like to know for sure if the other village and clans are infected. It could give us an idea if the virus is contact based or airborne."

"I doubt they'd be able to get near the clans," Daniel concluded, rereading the mission notes and taking into account the women's description of their neighbors. "They won't come out for strangers. SG-5 scouted the area for two days and didn't catch a glimpse of them."

"Well, at least the village then."

"We can do that, Doc," Jack confirmed. "Casper, you feel up to a hike?"

Annika nodded.

"We'll drop Carter off at the 'gate, get her, the body and the ladies back so you can start figuring out what's what."

"What about the rest of the bodies?" Sam asked, gliding the anti-grav unit to a stop at the edge of the meeting circle and unclipping the suits. "Shouldn't we send a containment team?"

In making the suggestion Sam had been following SOP for biohazard situations, however, Hammond had caught the CMO's hesitance at the idea. "Doctor Fraiser?"

"Decomp brings with it a whole new set of problems on its own."

"I hear a but coming, Doctor."

She sighed. "We can't bring in a containment team from the outside because of the lockdown. If our people are infected, and right now there's no reason to think they're not, they're going to need to conserve what energy they have to combat this."

"For now leave the village as is," Hammond decided.

With Daniel quietly explaining to the Cupidians what to do it didn't take long to help the women dress in the haz mat suits. Jack and Sam sealed the body of the traveler in a body bag and loaded him onto the back of the anti-grav unit, placing another sealed bag with his belongings on top. They carefully helped the woman onto the unit, encouraging them to sit as close to the middle of the pallet as possible. With the two seemingly uninfected dogs trotting beside them they headed back to the 'gate.

The Cupidian women had been made as comfortable as possible in the one remaining isolation room. Daniel had continued acting as a translator to explain the medical tests and directions the med team were giving, but for the moment they were resting. Sam was assisting Janet in trying to isolate the virus in the blood work. To distract himself from worrying about Annika and Jack still being on the planet, Daniel was studying the security footage from when SG-5 had returned, looking for how the virus had been transmitted. Steadfastly he refused to look at the time that ticked over in the corner of the computer screen telling him it had been forty-two minutes since they had disconnected the wormhole to the planet...forty-two minutes where the natives from the other village could be trying to seek forgiveness from the gods using his wife and best friend as the sacrificial lambs.

Watching the footage wasn't doing anything to help keep him calm. It was only adding to his sense of frustration and uselessness at being stuck topside. He'd lost count of how many times he had seen this segment and every time he failed to see that moment of contact between SG-5 and SG-2. And there had to be one. The possibility of it being airborne had been ruled out since SG-5 had been wearing the masks the whole time. He didn't even have a possible touching point because the camera angle was frustratingly perfect. SG-5 stepped out of the elevator, SG-2 stepped on. The gap between the two teams was never smaller than a foot. There was none of the usual horsing around causing accidental brush-ups against each other. Even the medic hadn't touched anyone. There wasn't one point of contact. And yet there had to be. Somewhere. He just wasn't seeing it.

Daniel rubbed a hand over his eyes, deciding he needed a break from the screen. He rose and made his way over to the urn set up along the wall. Grimacing as he sipped at what the Air Force called coffee, he surveyed the goings on in the hanger. Everyone as working to a purpose, efficient, calm, like a life threatening disease wasn't running rampant below their feet. A disease so virulent that in the space of four hours since SG-5's return, a quarter of the personnel were reporting symptoms, and unless they discovered how it was being spread, could well infect every person inside. Though the images of those villagers were burned into his skull, he wouldn't let himself think that it could possibly get so bad within the SGC. They would find a cure, they had to, there was just no other acceptable possibility.

"Thanks, Doctor Jackson."

"No problem." He held the door open. At least I've been some help today, he thought ruefully. After the man had entered he let the door go and as it clicked shut it triggered a spark in Daniel's mind. He hurried back the computers and clicked back a few frames to where the two teams 'converged'. SG-5 stepped out. Ferretti was the first to step in. One hand reached to press the button for level twenty-two. His other hand extended out, resting against the side of the lift door, stopping the lift from closing until all of his team had filed inside. He froze that moment on the screen. Then on the monitor beside it he also brought up the security footage, but this time not for SG-5's exit. He switched back the time frame to a minute beforehand and changed the camera to the one on level twenty-eight, SG-5's entry point. Freezing that moment he compared the two images, then sat back in his seat. "Damn."

"Something is amiss, Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c paused his review of the mission footage.

"I've just found the point of contact."

"That's a good thing, isn't it?" Keelah asked.

"Yes and no," Daniel sighed. He pressed the speaker button on the radio so he wouldn't have to repeat himself. "General Hammond, Janet, Sam, I've determined how the virus was spread on base."

"Go ahead, Doctor Jackson," Hammond replied instantly.

"Entering the elevator to go the isolation room, Major Harper held the door open with his hand for his team. Ferretti did the same for his team on level twenty-one after SG-5 got off. Harper and Ferretti are basically the same height, their hands reached out to touch the same spot."

"And SG-5 having returned from a tropical planet, were hot and sweaty and hadn't showered in three days," Janet picked up the story, drawing the same conclusion. "The grime and oil from his skin transferred to the lift."

"Which transferred to Ferretti," Daniel finished.

"The virus could be so easily transferred?" Hammond felt his skin go cold as he realized he had also held the lift open for Janet after the lockdown briefing. Had the sudden urge to disinfect his hand though he knew in all likelihood it was already too late. He was stunned by how a simple act of courtesy done without conscious thought could have such serious consequences. He calculated the time frame in his head. Over three hours of people unknowingly passing the virus from one to the other. "So the whole base could well be infected."

"Yes to both, sir," Janet replied. "How many people have used that elevator since SG-5 or had contact with SG-2?" She also recalled the general's gentlemanly act done out of habit. During the rush of the initial lockdown she had run to catch the elevator, sliding her hand between the doors to stop them closing. How many people had she inadvertently touched since then, passing folders, preparing medical equipment, using the phone?

"From the elevator, SG-2 went to the mess hall." Teal'c was already changing the security footage to the eatery. While SG-2 may have been the first 'carriers', there were countless others who had used that lift, carrying the virus to different parts of the base. But with SG-2, they now had a 'who' to focus on. They could clearly see the progress of the contamination, at least they could see this one path. Nyan had passed a knife and fork to Ferretti, brushing the major's fingers, then picked up two more sets for his other teammates, thus probably contaminating some of the other utensils in the holder and Brooklyn and Dodger. Dodger cheekily jumped the queue to grab the last piece of toast and placed a hand against the scientist ahead of him so as not to bowl him over. The scientist at the end of his meal deposited his tray in the collection rack where the kitchen hand in turn took them away for washing. From there it just snowballed.

"If Major Ferretti was the first to become infected after SG-5, then why has he not shown any symptoms?" Keelah asked.

"There are many possible reasons," Janet replied. "The simplest of which is that each person reacts differently. So far we have eight specific symptoms and no one person has all of them. It could be he is marginally more resistant or it could hit him all at once any minute now."

"He's in isolation with the rest of his team?" Hammond asked.

"Yes, sir."

The general picked up on the slight hesitation in the CMO's voice. "Doctor?"

"Well, sir, if we continue to isolate every person who has had contact with an infected person, there's not going to be anyone left to do anything, including you and me."

"I see your point." Hammond said thoughtfully. "Your recommendation?"

"For those like Major Ferretti whom we know for certain had contact with the virus, we can keep them on the two ward levels helping out there. For the rest of the personnel until they become symptomatic I'd let them keep working as they are."

"Very well, Doctor."

The klaxons began wailing announcing an off-world activation. A few seconds later, Walter reported receiving Jack's IDC.

"General O'Neill and Mrs Jackson are returning."

"I'll be right down, sir." Janet was already heading for the elevator to get the update from the planet.

Jack dropped into a crouch once the second village came into view. Annika mimicked the action without having to be told. Their sight wasn't perfect from such a distance, but the bright orange of their suits already made remaining inconspicuous difficult.

The general considered trying to crawl closer, using the long grass as cover, then vetoed the idea. There were too many sharp little pebbles to go slithering on the ground. Puncturing the suits was not something he wanted to risk. "Why don't they make these things in camo?" he grumbled. "Can you make out any of the people?"

"Not really."

Jack twisted his head back at the tone she used. Annika had moved back a few steps, deeper into the trees, looking everywhere except at the village. "Casper?"

"I don't need twenty-twenty vision," she said flatly. "The entire village has an aura of sickness and death."

Jack gave a single nod and returned to his former position, trying to gather as much visual intel as he could. A moment later he heard through his comm unit Annika draw in a steadying breath then she was once again crouched beside him. She fiddled with the video camera that had a better lens range than the built in ones from the suits. The two silently watched the small screen as she panned around the camera.

There were quite a few people still well enough to walk. Splotches of blood on their clothes and bodies confirmed what Annika had seen of the aura. It looked like no one had escaped infection. The wind changed direction, bringing with it the sound of voices. Neither Jack nor Annika needed to be a linguist to understand what was being said. The pain and confusion of their anguish had a universal translation.

"We've got enough," Jack said quietly. "Let's fall back to the 'gate."

Annika didn't argue, she was more than ready to leave. As they walked back, she scanned the surrounding mountains in the distance, where the clans were, looking for any sign of that sickly aura indicating they had been infected. Didn't know whether to be relieved that all she saw were tree tops, no hint of any kind of aura, healthy or otherwise. Maybe the clans lived on the other side of the mountains.

"They infected too?"

Jack's question made her jump. "Don't know. Can't see any signs of life." She glanced at her friend and saw his brow furrow behind the plastic shield. "Jack?"

"Gimme the camera for a sec."

She handed it over with a raised eyebrow. "What's up?"

Jack hit the replay button, motioning for Annika to watch it with him. "Anything strike you as odd?"

She studied the scene, trying to filter out the aura's taint that surprisingly had been captured by the camera. It was hard to be objective and it took a good minute before she realized what was wrong besides the obvious. "There are no men...or children walking around."

Jack nodded, glad that she had confirmed his suspicions. "Think it's a coincidence?"

Annika was already shaking her head before the question had fully left his lips. "What kind of disease strikes who is traditionally the strongest and the weakest first?"

"A damned ugly one."

A flash of images bombarded her mind as the screen panned over a hut on the outskirts of the village. "Go back a sec."

Jack jumped back a few seconds and paused the replay. Alternated between looking at Casper who now had a familiar out of focus gaze and at the screen. Waited patiently for the vision she was seeing to finish.

"That's ground zero for this village...a young man from the first village...had a secret lover there...snuck off to be with her."

"That's how it spread here?"

She nodded.

"Well, that's a good thing. Means the bug can't travel distances without a host. You getting anything else?"

A few more images flickered in front of her eyes. "The young man...he started to go into the hut where patient zero was to tell Doran that SG-5 were leaving. Doran shooed him out, physically turning him around at the door...he-" She cut off her shoulders drooping.

"He 'what'?" Jack asked gently.

"SG-5 taught them the custom of shaking hands in friendship the night before at the treaty signing...to show that he remembered it, he shook each of the team's hands."

"And that's how they became infected." Jack drew the conclusion.

"Yes." Her eyes once again returned to the mountainside in the distance.

Jack followed her gaze. "Their isolation works in their favor."

"Yeah, we can hope."

The two set off again, neither feeling the need to speak to fill the silence. They had almost reached the Stargate when Jack cleared his throat. "Casper, how are you doing?"

"Why do you keep asking that?" By her count, Jack had asked three variations of the same question since they had arrived.

"Your hocus pocus vibes. You feel more stuff than the rest of us. And since I personally want to throw up right now, I'm just checking you're not getting swamped."

Annika was touched by the general's consideration. "I'm fine, well as fine as can be expected on a planet of the walking dead."

Jack studied her from the corner of his eye.

"Honest, Jack. I think the suit is acting like a barrier, because I'm not feeling any extra emotions other than my own, and occasionally Daniel's."

"Bond thingy still acting up?"

"It comes and goes," she shrugged. "But right now I'm strangely numb."

Jack could sympathize with that. He was kinda shell shocked himself. It was hard to comprehend that this morning these people had been healthy and alive. "Yeah, numb is a pretty good description."

Reaching the Stargate, the pair set about manually dialing it. Jack had the DHD control crystals, which he had removed after sending Sam and the Cupidians through, tucked snugly in the light pack he had hung over his shoulder. That there was no irate native or other person hopping up and down at being stranded, told him the precaution of taking the crystals earlier hadn't been necessary. But at least they knew for sure that no one had left the planet, especially when the first chevron locked and lit up, indicating a manual dial up hadn't been done while they'd been gone. The general suppressed a shudder at how eerily still this place was, not even the wind was blowing at the moment. This was a dead planet even if some of the natives hadn't succumbed yet. Found himself wishing that the two dogs had remained. They had started to follow Annika and him when they'd set off for the second village, but had scampered off a short ways down the track. Their presence would have at least given some hope that this virus was beatable, that some souls would survive even if they were just of the canine variety.

"Jack."

He heaved the next chevron into place before looking at what had caught Annika's attention.

The two dogs hadn't returned to the village as they'd thought. They were lying in the tall grass a few meters away, their chest heaving, though hardly a sound escaped. They looked mournfully up at them, with blood filled eyes.

"So they didn't escape it either." In his mind he was already planning to send Annika through the 'gate first, then take a few seconds to put the dogs out of their misery. He pulled the inner circle into place, locking the last chevron. Riding on the skirt tails of the ka-woosh of the wormhole billowing out, two gunshots echoed in the air. He automatically reached for his gun before he registered that Annika was pointing her nine mil angled to the ground a few feet in front of her.

"At least I could stop some suffering today, even if it is just for two dogs." Her tone was slightly defensive, a little unsure if it had been the right thing to do, ready to accept any berate.

"Was gonna do the same thing." Jack gave a firm nod of approval. "Let's go."

Together they walked into the event horizon.