They had left the base as close to the midnight 'curfew' as possible without breaking it. Daniel had followed Teal'c and Keelah in his jeep, since they were uncertain if both cars would be needed for whatever this mystery event was. The archaeologist had given them a slightly disheartened wave from his driveway before trudging into his home. They had agreed that they would try to get some sleep, though the Jaffa knew that would in all likelihood be an impossibility for his friend. He and Keelah had offered to keep Daniel company but Daniel had declined, claiming that there was no need for all of them to be sleepless if they could help it. Given that they were all anxious about the state on the base, Teal'c thought it unlikely that he would be able to rest, however he was determined to try. He assumed from what Annika Jackson had been able to reveal about this 'event' that it would require him to be as alert as possible. He and Keelah had bid each other goodnight and separated to their own bedrooms. After leading himself through a meditation to help him relax he had gradually nodded off into a fitful sleep.

The scared whimper could barely be heard, yet it was enough to yank the Jaffa from his slumber. He was on his feet in an instant, his hand gripping the nine mil he kept under his pillow. Silently he padded down the hall, eyes scanning the shadows, expecting to find an intruder. He paused outside Keelah's room, taking a moment to do a sweep of the darkened living room to ensure there was no one lying to accost him from behind.

Satisfied he would not be ambushed, he twisted the doorknob, and slowly pushed the door open. He trained the gun around the room, seeing no silhouettes hidden within. Made sure there was no one hiding behind the door, then double checked the closet. Only then did his gaze land on the bed, just as another quiet cry reached his ears. He realized that the only intruder was the invisible one of Keelah's memory who'd infiltrated her dreams.

Keelah was lying twisted on the bed, the blankets tangled around her. The whimper became louder, more desperate, and her head thrashed against the pillow in an effort to escape the nightmare haunting her.

In two quick strides, Teal'c was by her side, gently shaking her to rouse her. The nightmare's grip refused to let her go.

"They can't die...I've just found them...please..." Her hands reached out to clutch his biceps. "Help me."

"Keelah, awaken." He gave her a firmer shake, noting that her hands on his skin were cold and clammy. "You are dreaming."

For a second her grip tightened and then froze. Her eyes sprang open, wild with fear and panic until she was able to focus on his dark face. "Teal'c?"

"Yes."

That single word in the familiar deep baritone calmed her racing heart. "What happened?"

He sat down on the edge of the bed, gently rubbing his hands over her arms to restore some warmth to her body. "You were having a bad dream."

She drew in a few shaky breaths. "I...I remember...it was a mix of the past and...and present."

"A cure will be found," he assured, making sure that his voice held only confidence and not any of the nagging worry from the last update that Doctor Fraiser had not made any progress.

"You sound so sure." Keelah wished she knew where Teal'c drew his faith. He was so firm in his convictions, as though simply believing things to be would make them so. She was so full of doubts and fears.

"There is no room in my mind for doubt."

Unable to meet his eyes, suddenly ashamed by having what she considered a childish episode, she caught sight of the red numbers of the digital clock. Less than two hours had passed since she had turned out the light. "I'm sorry for disturbing your sleep."

"It is of no consequence." He couldn't help but notice that she had not released her hold of him, though he was pretty sure she was unaware of the fact that her body was still seeking comfort. "Would you like to discuss the other segments of your dream? I am told it assists if you recount the event aloud."

Keelah's headshake was immediate. "No. Speaking of it will not change what has happened...I just need new memories to replace those."

"New memories will come with time," he promised, though he was concerned that she wished to suppress her past. "But you should not try to deny the memories of your history. They have made you into the person you are."

She gave a bitter laugh her gaze dipping to the sheets knotted around her. "A grown woman who cowers in the dark."

"A woman who is a survivor," he corrected, gently titling her chin up, so that she would look him in the eye. "A woman who was able to push beyond her oppression from a cruel enslaver and find her freedom."

"Is that what you truly see?" It was too dark to read his expression, but she was beginning to identify the nuances of sincerity in people's tones.

"I do," he replied softly. "My greatest hope is that one day you too will see it."

"I think I'm alright now." Only just realizing that she was still clinging to him like child, she forced her hands to drop away. "Thank you for waking me up."

Teal'c gave a nod of acceptance. He started to rise, however he sensed there were still remnants of the nightmare dancing around in her mind. "Shall I turn the bedside light on?"

What she would really have liked was for Teal'c to remain with her. His strong solid presence always made her feel safe. She bit her lip in the effort to stop the cowardly request from spilling from her mouth.

"There is no shame in leaving the light on," Teal'c said softly, leaning over to flick the switch. Understood that fighting her inner demons would happen with small steps.

In the soft glow of the light, Keelah caught a small teasing smile to his lips as he stood up and straightened the blankets around her.

"It stops one from walking into walls if one needs to rise during the night."

Her returning smile was grateful for his thoughtfulness and understanding. To her surprise he sat back down beside, making no move to leave. She adjusted her pillow, raising a curious eyebrow at him.

"I shall remain until you fall asleep."

The firm statement did funny things to her stomach. "Thank you." It came out as a whisper, her voice box for some unknown reason unable to produce anything louder.

Teal'c's reply was equally quiet. "You are welcome."

Sharing another smile, Keelah closed her eyes, hoping that she wouldn't take too long to drift off so that Teal'c wouldn't have to waste much more of his rest time watching over her.

When Teal'c was certain that Keelah was asleep, he slid off the bed, taking care not to disturb her. Silently he crept out, leaving the door ajar so that he would hear if she had any further sleep disturbances. No sooner had he stepped foot into his own room when another cry reached his ears. He hurried back the way he had come and his heart twisted to see her curled up in a tight fetal position. His hand reached out, intending again to wake her, yet as soon as he touched her shoulder the tension seemed to melt away from her. Refrained from speaking when he realized that she was still asleep. She didn't uncurl, however her breathing returned to regular and steady. Teal'c stood there watching over her for a few minutes then cautiously removed his hand. He waited as much time again, looking for any sign of distress. Five minutes later he slowly backed out of the room.

This time he didn't even make it down the end of the hall. The sound that tore from her throat held such fear that he ran, not walked, back to her. Once again his touch immediately soothed her. Determining that he wouldn't get any sleep if he left, for even if Keelah did not have any more nightmares, he would be constantly be on alert listening for her, he moved to the opposite side of the queen size bed. After adjusting the pillows he made himself comfortable in a sitting position on top of the blankets. Then replacing his hand on Keelah's shoulder, he rested his head against the headboard, settling in to keep silent vigil through the rest of the night.

Teal'c supposed that it was the stress of the day that had caused such an onslaught of nightmares. He could understand that, the situation at the SGC was troubling. And never before had he felt so inadequate. Usually in a crisis he was involved, right there in the thick of things to assist, even if he was just a sounding board for his team to work through theories and possible solutions. Being banished to the outside, unable to do anything except wait, was stretching his nerves. He did not like this feeling of uselessness.

Keelah uncurling into a more comfortable position caused him to glance down at her. Her less defensive position of being stretched out on her side had him reassess that last thought. He wasn't completely useless. If he could help Keelah get through the night peacefully then it wouldn't be a total loss. He brushed a stray lock from her face. He was glad that she'd had that moment of forgetfulness that had caused her to leave the artifacts in the jeep. If she had not, then she too would be locked in the SGC with a deadly virus running rampant. There was a sick hollow feeling at the thought of her contracting the virus. She had already been through so much at the hands of her master, he did not want her to go through any more hardship. With that thought floating through his mind, he drifted off to sleep.

It wasn't a great shock to him to be woken a couple of hours later by yet another one of Keelah's nightmares, especially when he realized that in his own sleep his hand had dropped to the sheet, breaking contact with her. Automatically he reached for her. To his surprise she began to shy away from him, creeping closer to the mattress edge. To stop her from completely rolling off, he hooked his arm around her waist, and slid her back to the middle of the bed and to him, and they wound up in the spoon position. Rather than calm her, her breath began to come in haggard gasps and she struggled to get away, almost clawing to get to the edge once again. Perplexed by the unusual behavior, Teal'c was about to release her, when he realized she wasn't trying to move all of herself, just her lower half.

"Please, no more, Master."

The whispered plea wrenched at his heart. Knew that this nightmare was reliving one of the numerous anal rapes inflicted upon her. He fought down the rage that threatened to consume him at what she had endured. If he ever got his hands on that monster, he would make him pay for all the pain he had caused her. Every lash of the whip, every rape by him and his associates, he would repay tenfold, and then if the ‘master’ were lucky, he would kill him. He shifted his hands, one to her shoulder, the other to her knee furthest away, and gently pulled, rolling her body so that she was facing him, rather than have her back to him. Her struggles lessened and in a few moments her breathing returned to normal. Teal'c settled back down, being careful not to disturb her now peaceful slumber.

Teal'c was just nodding off, when Keelah muttered something unintelligible. He tensed, concerned she was being plagued by yet another nightmare. To his relief, the soft sigh she gave was one of contentment. The word 'safe' blew softly from her lips and she snuggled deeper onto the mattress, nestling into his side and resting her head on his shoulder. Teal'c relaxed, his hand absently caressing her back. It gladdened his heart that Keelah regarded him as safe. It was a significant step in her personal development. He was determined not to do anything that would hinder her healing process, make sure that he never gave her a reason to doubt her trust in him. Couldn't bear it if he was the cause of stunting her progress to becoming a confident, self-assured person. His arm unconsciously tightened around her as her steady breathing lulled him back to sleep.

Jack quickly removed the hand painted, carved stick from the footlocker at the end of the bed and flipped the lid shut. One of the members of SG-15 was of Indian descent and wanted the prayer stick to pray to the gods of his ancestors. Jack didn't really put much faith in praying to any mystic entity who in all likelihood didn't exist, or if the 'god' did exist was some sort of alien impersonating the deity. He put his faith behind his team; they had come up with more solid results in the past than any amount of praying. But to each his own. If praying gave this particular person the hope and courage to hang in there until they came up with a cure, then who was he to argue? And fetching the stick made Jack feel somewhat useful. He'd listened in on Jenkins reporting in to Janet about the results thus far. He didn't really understand the medical jargon, however the CMO's expression told the story. Whatever it was they had been trying wasn't working and they were moving on to one of the other Earth treatments the Prometheus had been able to beam in before jetting off to the Alpha site to collect the stranded teams. He refused to contemplate that a cure would not be found. That simply wasn't an option. Sam or Janet would have an epiphany or Casper would get a hocus pocus message to guide them in the right direction. His mind clung to those thoughts.

There were a couple more people on level twenty-five working in the base quarters. Janet had sent them down to strip the beds of the linen. Clean bedding was becoming a scarcity, though at the rate people were dropping, there wouldn't be many people left to actually change the sheets. Walking by one of the small bunkrooms, Jack glanced inside to see Skaara hunched over one of the footlockers. The general paused with a frown when he saw the young man pick up a pocket knife from the tray inside and slip it into his pocket, then quietly shut the locker and reached for the blanket on the bed.

Jack struck a deliberately casual pose, leaning in the door jam. "I going to assume you're just minding that knife until Captain Gregory is back on his feet."

Skaara spun around, his eyes wide, cheeks flushing in guilt. "O'Neill, what are you be doing here?"

"I don't report in to you, kid." Jack pushed off the jam and stepped inside. "Put the knife back. And I expect anything else you may be 'minding' to be returned to their rightful owners."

"I have not anything else," he denied defiantly.

"Yeah, sure you don't." Jack held the boy's gaze, unwavering, his disbelief clear on his face. "You're lucky that we need every able bodied person at the moment, otherwise I would lose no sleep in tossing you in the brig."

For a second anger flared in Skaara's eyes then he gave a nonchalant shrug and fished the knife from his pocket and returned it to the locker. Like a belligerent child he slammed the lid closed. "Happy now?"

"Peachy." Jack blocked the Abydonian's way when he tried to leave. "You fell in with the wrong crowd in the past. Fine. That was another life. You will shape up or I will plant a boot so firmly up your ass your tonsils will be tying my laces."

"I am not the Skaara you know," he said hotly. "Do not be comparing me to him."

"Oh I'm well aware you're not the boy I considered a son," Jack drawled. "The Skaara I know would not steal from someone's deathbed. Even having had a snake in his head he was able to keep a hold of the morals he'd been taught by his people."

"You know not what it was like..."

"You're right, I don't. And frankly I don't care." It cost a lot for Jack to utter those words, because he did care. However, from what he knew of this boy's experiences he had been allowed to get away with far too much shit in the past and had milked on the sympathies of the other realities to get what he wanted. "You skipped out of your world..."

"I used the mirror to save my family," Skaara butted in. "If we had stayed we would have died."

"Semantics." Jack mimicked the shrug Skaara had given earlier. "If you don't want to get kicked out of this universe then you've got to start playing by our rules. Your world may have condoned the five finger discount but here we do not, especially where our friends and colleagues are concerned."

Skaara finally broke eye contact, his gaze dipping to the floor.

"You've had a rough time. Open your eyes, kid. Everyone's had a crappy time. This is just another day in paradise." Jack waved his hand around in the air. "It doesn't make you better than everyone else, doesn't give you the right to walk around with a chip on your shoulder. What it does make you is the same as every person on this base. It makes you a part of a community who understands the shit you've gone through and they're willing to help you if you'd only give them the chance."

The Abydonian remained silent, his only acknowledgement of the dual chastisement and offer of acceptance within the SGC was the slight straightening of his shoulders.

Jack gave a disappointed shake of his head. "Go. Get out of here. Go to level twenty-three where Captain Gregory is dying and try to offer him as much comfort as your selfish little mind is capable of."

Skaara swallowed and for the briefest of seconds Jack thought he caught a glimpse of remorse reflected in his eyes, then he was striding out to the corridor. He watched the angry young man stalk away and heaved a sigh as he followed him out. Raised an eyebrow at Kasuf who was standing just outside the door, his arms laden with sheets and blankets. It was obvious the elder had pretty much heard the majority of the confrontation.

Kasuf was also watching his son's retreat, with worry and abject disappointment at what Skaara had been caught doing.

Jack saw that the man felt obliged to apologize, especially since Skaara hadn't even hinted at saying sorry, and he held up his hand forestalling him. "Not your place, Kasuf. The boy wants to be treated like a man then he's got to take responsibility for his own actions."

The Abydonian gave a single nod then he shrewdly studied the man who was so similar to the Jack O'Neill he had known. "You care for my son."

"I care for the man I know he can be," Jack felt it was important to make that distinction. "What happened to change him?"

Kasuf considered how to answer. "If I had known what Dan'yel's world was truly like I would not have allowed Skaara to come. He is a sponge, absorbs the character of those around him." He adjusted his hold on the linen in his arms. "When we came to Earth it was so different from what we knew, I admit I was overwhelmed and was not able to be the strong hand that Skaara needed. The Dan'yel who married my daughter...he was a scholar. He could be a leader and was when necessary, yet he preferred to bury himself in the ancient words inscribed in our temples. I am not judging, he was who he was, and he was young...I pushed him into the role of head of the family when he was not ready. Perhaps if Dan'yel had been as...experienced...as the Dan'yel of this world, things may have been different. He is more assertive, more aware...less of a dreamer."

"Yeah, Daniel pretty much had his bubble burst the day his Sha're was taken from him and was made into a Goa'uld." Jack remembered how wonderfully optimistic his friend had been. Looking back, it wasn't until he had Descended that Daniel truly gained the confidence and authoritativeness that now colored his actions.

Kasuf continued on. "Skaara was angered at the work Dan'yel found for him, considered it beneath him as the son of a Chieftain to be what he considered a servant, especially after only just gaining freedom from Ra's enslavement. The rules of the society, particularly for those enmeshed in the secrecy of the Chaapa’ai program...he found them more binding than being a slave. The gang he joined gave him the authority he thought he deserved, at least for a short time, until one of the members was killed by a rival gang."

Something with that explanation didn't sit right with Jack. Kasuf was right. He did care about Skaara, which begged the question of why his counterpart had not. "Where was I in your original world?"

"Within days of our coming to Earth you were charged with setting up the Alpha site." Kasuf knew the man, or at least his counterpart, well enough to know where the general was leading. "You were rarely there in the first two moon cycles and then after that you were on missions with SG-1."

"Okay," Jack drew the word out. "So that accounts for a couple of months what about the other seven odd years?" He couldn't believe that the other Jack would not have kept trying to put Skaara on the right path.

Kasuf shook his head in bewilderment at the time frame. "There were no seven years. We stepped through the mirror for the first time a few days short of the eleventh moon cycle."

The general blinked blankly at man until the penny dropped. Damn, that time travel do-hickey was more trouble than it was worth. "Kasuf, what year do you think we're in now?"

The elder frowned thinking back. "When we arrived at Dan'yel's world we were told the year was 1997 by your measure of time. We traveled through the mirror before the year's end and then were traveling through to the different realities for at least six moon cycles, so it's now 1998, is it not?"

"Um...try 2004."

"That is impossible," Kasuf declared.

"Not as much as you'd think," Jack shrugged. "When you were jumping through those mirrors, I don't suppose you noticed a little do-hickey attached to the top of one?"

Kasuf shook his head. "Everything happened so quickly."

Kasuf's eyes widened. "You are certain?"

Jack nodded. "I can only assume that in at least one of your mirror hops you also jumped times from your original timeline and were skipping parallel to the reality where Daniel and Casey were."

"The technology of the universe is astounding." He sounded awestruck.

"Yeah, as astounding as it is, it can be a pain in the ass sometimes." Jack's tone was dry. "The Ancients have a very nasty habit of leaving their toys out for anybody to pick up and play with."

Kasuf's gaze darted down the corridor, the path Skaara had taken. "Our arrival has also been...a pain in the ass." He sounded out the colloquialism.

"Oh I don't know." Jack gave the older man a reassuring grin. It wasn't Kasuf's fault his kids were spoilt brats. "I'd take a dozen of those Skaara's in lieu of some of the other people and things that have turned up."

He returned the smile, though it was a little unsure. He noticed the prayer stick in the general's hand. "Did you want me to take that to someone?"

Jack had almost forgotten about his original reason for being down in the crew quarters. "Thanks, Kasuf." He passed over the rod. "Captain Goldeneye is in the first row, tenth bed."

Kasuf carefully placed it on top on the blankets in his arms then started for the elevator. He turned back after a couple of steps. "Gen'ral O'Neill, thank you for caring enough to discipline my son. I will not dispute whatever measures you wish you employ."

Jack gave a nod of acknowledgement, then decided to finish the task Skaara had been assigned. Folding the sheets and blankets, he couldn't help but compare the person he'd just caught stealing with the Skaara he knew. He was willing to cut the kid some slack, but not much. If he didn't get a new attitude damned quick, Jack didn't know what they would do with him. They couldn't integrate him into Earth's society, not until he could be trusted not to let slip the knowledge of the Stargate and beyond, and trust him not to continue with the bad habits he'd picked up in his original reality. They couldn't exactly put him through the standard boot camp either, again because of his loose tongue. He supposed Teal'c could get him up to speed. Jack would place bets that Skaara would only ever make one smartass comment, and then once the lad woke up in the infirmary as a consequence, he'd exhibit the required respect, but Jack didn't really want to have any one of his team resort to violence. Plus Teal'c would only be able to train him in between missions. Skaara needed a constant solid force of supervision. Wondered maybe if the Free Jaffa held the solution. They had started a training camp of young men to be warriors and he knew the Master Trainers wouldn't take any of Skaara's attitude crap.

The sound of his cell phone beeping indicating an incoming text message pulled him from his thoughts. Only one person he knew risked communicating with him that way. The 'risk' being that Jack wouldn't accidentally delete, forward or otherwise destroy the message before reading it, rather than any security risk. He frowned at the short message displayed, deciphering the cryptic words.

"Damn, Harry, your timing sucks," he muttered. It seemed Murphy's Law was still his annoying companion. This had to happen while the base was in lockdown where he couldn't do a damned thing about it. He started to reply to Maybourne that he was on his own, then stopped mid word as it dawned that this was the 'unrelated event' Casper had warned about. The 'secrecy' she'd seen referred to Maybourne himself, a man who as far as anyone outside of SG-1 and Hammond knew, was either off-world, dead or locked up in prison for treason. Jack erased the few letters he'd entered and started a new return message.

Once he'd hit the send button, he hurried down to Hammond's office to use the secure phone line to give Daniel a heads up to expect a visitor. The archaeologist picked up after the first ring. "Sitting on the phone were we?"

"You expected anything else?" Daniel tried not to jump to conclusions. If Jack was joking then it was a good sign. Well, maybe not a good sign, more like a 'situation normal' sign.

The general heard the weariness in his best friend's voice. "You get any sleep?"

Daniel rubbed at his temple in a vain effort to relieve the headache thumping his skull. Put it down to eyestrain from staring at the computer screen all night, which matched nicely with the crick in his neck and the blanket of worry he'd tucked around himself. Absently his mind murmured that he'd been getting a lot of eyestrain headaches lately and that he should probably get tested for new glasses. Shoved the thought away to be dealt with when his wife wasn't contaminated with a deadly virus. "I'd guess about as much as you."

Jack correctly interpreted that as 'not a wink'. "Daniel, you got that scrambler thingy handy?"

"Uh, sure." And, yep, there was nothing like a pounding heart to get the blood flowing after a night of anxiety! He fished the small device he'd been given before leaving the base a few hours ago, from his pocket. Attaching it to the phone he tried not to pre-empt his mind by imagining the possible bad news Jack was about to tell him. "Okay, go ahead. How's Annika?"

"Same as when you left," Jack assured. Personally he was surprised that question hadn't been the first thing out his friend's mouth when he picked up.

"You and Sam?"

"Ditto."

Daniel heaved a sigh of relief. "And everyone else?"

"We lost the Cupidians at about 0200. Two of ours, Airman Simms and Captain Rodrigeuz just an hour ago. There are twelve more pretty close but hanging in there." Niceties over, Jack got down to the reason of his early morning call. "I got a message from Hutch." It was habit for him to use the code name for Maybourne despite the secure line. He read out the message Harry had sent.

"Locally?" Daniel's eyebrow shot up in surprise. "The...er...rat would risk that?"

"Apparently," Jack replied. "I've directed Hutch to pay you a visit."

"Okay, I'll let Teal'c know."

"It looks like there will only be a small window of opportunity for us...you," he corrected, "to make a move."

"What are we authorized to do?"

"Daniel, if there's a snake involved it's not about capture. Shoot to kill."

"Backup?"

Jack scanned the list of personnel sent home yesterday. The most experienced teams were either stuck inside the Mountain or were still en-route on the Prometheus. "Given the time issue and that pretty much everyone topside is a tad green, that's your call."

"Okay. I'll decide once I get more details from Hutch." Daniel cleared his throat. "What about the rat?"

"Not that I don't trust Hutch...but, well, I don't trust him...as far as I'm concerned the moment you or Teal'c get visual confirmation that the rat does have a snakehead, he becomes a traitor. The President has made it clear that he would prefer the rodent to stand trial...so if it's convenient try and keep his traitorous butt alive. Don't go out of your way or nuthin'."

"Understood. I'll check in when it's over."

"Right. And, Daniel, don't get yourself shot or dead. Casper would have my guts for garters and Sam would be none too happy either. And you know how I feel."

"Yeah," Daniel grinned. "The paperwork is a pain in the ass."

"Exactly. So you're under orders not to add to my pile."

"That's an order I plan to obey to the letter," Daniel promised. "I'll talk to you soon." He disconnected the call, then grabbed his nine mil and zat' from where he put them next to his computer when he'd sat down upon arriving last night. Snagged his jacket from the hallstand and was out the door to get Teal'c.

Jack replaced the receiver in its cradle, absently flexing his fingers to get the circulation flowing. The odd numbness that he'd been feeling for the last few hours was steadily getting worse. He didn't recall it being a symptom of this godforsaken virus and put it down to tension. He knew his shoulders were as tight as they'd ever been, especially whenever he looked at the folder containing the death certificates waiting for his signature. They could wait, he decided. Whether he signed them now or later wouldn't make those poor souls any less dead. He shoved the folder aside and set off to find Annika to let her know that her mystery event was in play. At least it resolved one issue, even if it didn't help with the plague killing his people.

Taking a chance that Casper and Sam were taking a much needed break, he headed for their most obvious 'hidey hole'. His guess was rewarded when he heard their quiet voices drifting out from Daniel's office.

The two women gave him tired smiles as he entered.

"I have solved your mystery hocus pocus event," he announced. "Well, technically Maybourne did." He quickly explained about the message and what he'd assigned Daniel and Teal'c to do.

"They're going to take down a Goa'uld on their own?" Annika felt her heart jump into her throat.

"It just takes one bullet. And they're both good shots. Maybourne's no slouch either."

"I won't be shedding any tears if Kinsey gets caught in the crossfire." Sam's distaste for the senator was clear by her expression. "I can't believe he actually has a Goa'uld in custody." She grimaced. "Actually I can." Gave her head a disgusted shake. "He's got to know the snake won't cave under interrogation."

"I guess that's why he was after the memory device." A chill ran down Annika's spine. "Kinsey's damned lucky we foiled that little heist. If he was going to get close enough to attach the device he would've been close enough for the symbiote to switch tents."

"Well, in a couple of hours Kinsey will be officially out of our hair." Jack flexed his shoulders as that numbness shot down his back. "His goose is cooked even if he convinces Daniel, Teal'c and Maybourne not to shoot him."

"Jack, are you okay?" Sam watched her fiancé with concern. The color had drained from his face leaving his skin a pasty grey.

The general tried to shake his head but his muscles refused to work. The sensation was spreading like a wave from his spine to the rest of his body. His limbs felt like dead weights. "Actually, I'm feeling kinda numb..."

"Jack!" Sam dove across the room to catch his fall, managing to stop, barely, his head from cracking on the corner of the desk. She directed his fall as best she could, laying him on the floor. Vaguely she heard Annika radio Janet, as her fingers felt for a pulse. Sucked in a haggard breath of relief when she found one. It was slow and steady, a total contrast to her own, which was pounding like she just run a marathon. "Jack, can you hear me?" She gently slapped his cheeks trying to rouse him. There was no response. "Jack!"

Keelah stirring drew Teal'c into wakefulness. He glanced at the bedside clock, surprised to see that it was after four in the morning. In his previous experience with such troubling situations on base, rarely did he sleep longer than an hour at a time. Keelah's body stretched, drowsily relaxed against him and he knew that she wasn't quite awake enough to comprehend their intimate positioning. He didn't move, not wanting to startle her, finding it strangely comforting to have her snuggled into him. A few seconds later her muscles tensed telling him she was now fully aware. When she started to pull away, embarrassed by the position she had sought unconsciously in her sleep, he gently placed his hand over hers, which was resting on his stomach. After a moment of resistance she stopped trying to extricate herself and looked up at him with questioning eyes.

"You stayed?"

"You appeared to rest easier with my presence," he replied easily.

"Thank you." Her soft bashful response was endearing.

The sound of someone thumping on the front door made them both jump.

Teal'c slid from the bed, motioning for Keelah to remain. Hurrying down the hall, the knocking came again, this time louder. He peered through the peephole and recognized the early morning visitor.

Daniel had his cell in his hand, obviously about to phone Teal'c to get his attention, for he snapped the phone shut the moment the door opened. Dressed in the same clothes as yesterday, the man looked like he hadn't slept at all.

"Daniel Jackson, you have word from the base?" He immediately stepped aside to let his friend enter.

"Nothing as far as a cure goes." Daniel lifted his glasses and rubbed at his eyes. "I've spent the night researching ancient plagues. Since there have been documented cases going back two thousand years on Earth, I thought maybe it was possible the virus was brought here by the Goa'uld. I was hoping to find a clue to the origins, backtrack to the original planet to see if they have a cure or vaccine."

"I take it you had no success."

"Not a bit," he sighed. "But that's not why I'm here. Jack got a message from Maybourne."

"He has acquired the location of the Goa'uld Senator Kinsey is hiding?"

"Looks like it. With the lockdown, Jack told Maybourne to come to us. He wants us to check it out, kill the Goa'uld if possible."

"Will we have backup?"

Daniel grimaced. "That's up to us. There's no one on the outside of the Mountain who has had any real experience dealing with the snakes."

"They would be more of a hindrance than a help." Teal'c gave a nod. "Could not some of the crew of the Prometheus assist?"

"The Prometheus is still in transit from the Alpha site collecting the teams who were diverted there. We could wait, but Maybourne's not sure how long the Goa'uld will be kept there."

"And we cannot risk him avoiding capture again." Teal'c glanced at the clock. "When should we expect Maybourne's presence?"

Before Daniel could answer they heard Keelah call out, her tone tense. "Teal'c! Daniel!"

Teal'c recognized that her voice wasn't a query of their whereabouts rather it was an urgent call for their presence.

Daniel pulled the nine mil from the back of his jeans. He crept down the hallway with Teal'c by his side.

Teal'c automatically reached for his gun until he remembered that he'd left it in Keelah's room. Cursing himself, he pushed open the door, which he had left ajar, with one hand, ready to leap into action.

The first thing both men noticed was a man balanced precariously half in on the window ledge, his hands raised awkwardly above his head. The second was that Keelah had Teal'c's nine mil trained on him.

"He was trying to get in," she said quietly.

Recognizing the would-be thief Daniel lowered his gun. "Maybourne, haven't you heard of using the front door?"

"I'm a federal fugitive with a death warrant," Harry quipped, though he didn't feel safe enough to lower his hands with a gun still trained on him. "I avoid front doors as much as possible."

"This man is a friend of yours?" Keelah hesitantly followed Daniel's cue, and replaced the safety on the gun.

"I wouldn't call him that," Daniel replied dryly. "He's the proverbial pain in the butt with a few useful connections."

"Keelah, the next time he attempts to enter in such a manner, you would be within your rights to shoot him." Teal'c glared at Maybourne.

"Now, Teal'c, don't be like that." Harry finished climbing through the window. "Shoot me and you won't get the intel I have." He refrained from mentioning the Goa'uld, not sure if the woman had clearance. He may have been convicted of treason, but he wasn't about to let slip the truth about aliens, he did have some morals after all. He studied the young woman with the skin of pale milky coffee, curiously. Having no knowledge of her existence, when he had heard the click of the safety flicking off during his sneaky entrance, he'd thought maybe he had come to the wrong house or that Jackson had moved, then wondered where she had been hiding because the bed had been empty when he had peeked through the window. The first worry had been allayed when she had called for the Jaffa and archaeologist; the second remained a mystery. "And who are you, sweet thing?"

"None of your concern," Teal'c growled, taking an unconscious protective step in front of Keelah.

"Maybourne, do not even go there," Daniel warned, recognizing the challenge in his friend's stance. "Especially when that 'sweet thing' still has a gun and Teal'c has his hands."

Harry's eyebrows shot up at Teal'c reaction then began edging closer towards Daniel. "No offense intended. Just wanted to congratulate her on her quick thinking and her stealth."

"We shall move this conversation elsewhere," Teal'c demanded.

Daniel gestured for Harry to precede him and then followed him out.

Teal'c held back a moment with Keelah. "Are you alright?"

She nodded. "He just startled me."

The Jaffa's lips twitched. "I believe you startled him more." It was almost force of habit that had him brushing his lips against hers. "Join us when you are ready." He quickly ducked to his room to change from the loose fitting pants he'd been using as pajamas since Keelah had moved in, and to get a shirt. When he entered the living room it was to see Maybourne sitting in the easy chair with Daniel sitting across from him on the couch.

"Kinsey's gone camping." Harry thrummed his fingers on the cushioned armrest.

"I'm sorry," Daniel pinched the bridge of his nose, thinking that he really must be tired for his brain to have completely misinterpreted what Maybourne had said. "Is that a euphemism I'm just not understanding?"

"Nope. The good senator packed a sleeping bag, put on his hiking shoes and took himself off into the wilderness."

"Kinsey?" The archaeologist shook his head in disbelief. "The man of the thousand dollar suits who won't go anywhere without his entourage?"

"The one and only. He left his home a week ago. We lost the sneaky bastard in Dulles airport. Took this long to pick up his trail. Using a pseudonym he hopped a private helicopter, which we tracked to a spot near here, a bunker. It's isolated, no roads, just barely a hiking trail."

"What makes you think he intends to move the Goa'uld?" Teal'c asked. If he was understanding the story so far, Kinsey had been interrogating the Goa'uld for a week, why would he choose now to relocate?

"I and my men have been watching the area all night. Less than a half hour ago a helo arrived with six armed mercenaries in a small clearing and began double timing it to the bunker. There's no other reason to bring an armed escort in."

"How long have we got?" Daniel asked.

"The hike takes about forty minutes. Assuming Kinsey wants the mercs refreshed for the trip back he'll let them rest up. Minimum time an hour, if we're lucky."

"How'd you get here so fast?" Keelah had heard the conversation as she dressed and had just emerged from her room.

Harry shrugged. "I was already on my way here when my men called in the helo's arrival. Plus they don't call my helo 'the Quiet One' for nothing. I can get in closer to the bunker than the tub Kinsey's got."

"Kinsey's taking advantage of the lockdown since he knows we're on to him," Daniel mused.

"Just as well he doesn't know I'm your ace up the sleeve," Harry grinned.

Daniel exchanged a look with Teal'c. The short time frame had pretty much cinched once and for all the question of calling in backup, even if they were willing to use the less experienced personnel available. "Your men, do they know what we'll be dealing with?"

Maybourne nodded. "They're former NID who escaped through the cracks of prosecution."

"Do you trust them?" Teal'c asked.

"I trust the money I'm paying them," Harry replied, then cleared his throat. "Speaking of which, shouldn't we discuss reimbursement of my expenses for this snake hunt?"

"Why don't we consider this as part of your debt for being a traitor?" Daniel suggested. He was very much aware that Maybourne hadn't disclosed the actual location of the bunker and they didn't have the time to waste haggling.

Harry's snort told them what he thought of that idea but he gave a shrug of indifference. "I'll just hack in to a couple of unofficial slush funds and make a withdrawal."

Pretending he didn't hear that Daniel rose to his feet. "We should go. We'll work out the particulars on the way."

Maybourne followed suit, raising an eyebrow towards Keelah. "Is 'sweet thing' tagging along?" He knew he was pushing his luck but he just so enjoyed walking on the edge of a knife. Was rewarded with a glare from the big guy and an annoyed eye roll from the archaeologist. Oddly enough the only one unperturbed by the nickname was the woman herself and she was the first to answer his question with a shake of her head.

"I have had little experience with such things."

"Could have fooled me," he replied dryly. She must have moved like lightning to get that gun trained on him so quickly just a few minutes before. And he still hadn't figured out where she had been hiding. He headed for the door. "My helo is in the park around the corner."

"Where did you get a helicopter from?" Daniel was barely a step behind him.

"Do you really want to know?" he breezed.

Daniel considered what he knew of Maybourne. "Forget I asked."

Teal'c grabbed his jacket from the closet. As he did so, he remembered Keelah's adversity to being alone while they were on a mission. "If you would like to return to the base..."

Keelah cut him off, following them to the door. "If I return without you and Daniel then it will be known you were not following a lead on the virus. I will remain here until you return." She stopped at the threshold.

His mind insisted that it was simply for appearances sake that he took an extra moment to place a kiss to her mouth. Feeling a rush of warmth shoot through his body he absently noted that Keelah really had picked up the art of a good kiss. Reluctantly he drew away.

"Be safe," she whispered, her mind latching onto his slow head nod of assurance that he would.

Daniel waited patiently at the front gate giving his friends as much privacy as possible. Maybourne, however, was openly watching as though he had never seen a couple kiss before. Daniel decided to distract the man. "Why'd you wait so long to make contact with us?" He couldn't help but think that if Maybourne had called sooner none of SG-1 would be trapped in the Mountain.

"I was trying to get visual confirmation of the Goa'uld," Maybourne shrugged, reluctantly taking Daniel's hint and turning his body sideways from the romantic couple.

"Did you?"

"No." Harry truly studied the archaeologist's face for the first time since his arrival. Saw the worry and haggard creases marring his features. "So this lockdown...Bad?"

"When is a lockdown ever good?" Daniel snapped.

"Just making conversation." He knew when to back off. To his relief Teal'c was striding towards them and he set off down the street leading the way. "The helo's this way."