It hadn't taken long for Janet to draw blood samples. The blood work had been run through the centrifuge and the yellow protein floating on top had been carefully siphoned out. Working on the optimistic theory that it would work, she'd left the Abydonians with Jenkins to draw larger samples. One of the medics was writing up a list of the worst infected, to administer the protein to them at the first sign of Whittiker showing any improvement. It would be impossible to develop enough of the protein for everyone with only one blood donation from each of the off-worlders, so they'd be giving it to worst infected, hoping the others could hold on until more blood could be drawn without endangering the Abydonians' health.

Sam and Annika anxiously paced the corridor outside SG-5's room for the doctor to arrive. When the lift opened and Janet emerged with a medic on her heels in case the lieutenant had an adverse reaction, she gave the women a tight smile.

"This is the right thing to do?"

"Janet, right now we don't have a choice," Sam replied.

With Sam and Annika peering inside from the doorway to stop from crowding the room, Janet said a small silent prayer and moved towards the lieutenant's bed. The man was unconscious but Major Harper was still aware of his surroundings, barely.

"What's happening?"

"We have a possible treatment," Janet informed softly. "We're going to try it on the lieutenant."

Harper picked up on her wording and worried tone. "If it...fails...will it help you find a real cure?"

"Possibly."

Harper gave a nod.

Though Janet didn't need the team leader's approval, she was grateful to have it. She carefully emptied the syringe into the medication dispenser of Whittiker's drip. Her fingers were on the dial to release it into the tube when the sound of the corridor phone ringing made everyone jump.

Sam picked up the receiver. Before she could speak, Jenkins' voice urgently loud came through. "Stop Doctor Fraiser."

She didn't question the order. "Janet, wait!"

The doctor's hand froze, her head spinning around to the colonel in query. Sam held the phone out to her. In a few quick strides Janet had the phone plastered to her ear. Listened to what her 2IC had to say. "Thank you, Major." Receiver still gripped in her hand so tightly her knuckles turned white, she answered the question her friends were about to ask. "Sha're has started to bleed from her ear canal." In a burst of frustration and disappointment she slammed down the phone. "Dammit!"

They were back to where they had started.

It had taken ten minutes of skulking uphill to meet up with Maybourne's men due to a heavy mist making visibility poor. Maybourne, however, seemed to know where he was going and he guided them to a copse of bushes just outside the gate of the chain link fence they'd been shown the pictures of. Daniel had to admit Maybourne's men, who were dressed in tactical gear, were very good at blending in to their surroundings. He hadn't spotted either one until they moved. The fact that Teal'c had tensed slightly told the archaeologist that he hadn't seen them either. The hired men, just like the pilot, didn't speak to Daniel or Teal'c directly but gave a nod at them in greeting then reported in to their boss. Daniel supposed he should have been grateful for the set of binoculars the first man handed to him.

"The mercs arrived fifteen minutes ago and were taken straight in. Kinsey's voice carried and we heard him mention moving out ASAP."

"As time is not in our favor, perhaps we should wait for them to clear the chained gate and ambush them," Teal'c suggested.

A few seconds later two mercenaries emerged with guns trained ahead. Behind them came two more, one on each side, flanking the man they recognized as Kinsey's aide who was now the Goa'uld host. Kinsey walked slightly behind the trio, a smug smirk plastered on his face. He had a laptop bag hung over one shoulder and a bag holding something the size of a football under his arm. Bringing up the rear were the last two of the hired guns. The men following and beside the Goa'uld kept their weapons pointed at the snakehead, not trusting that despite the shackles he had on his wrists and ankles that he wouldn't try to escape.

"They're idiots," Daniel whispered in shock. "Look how close they are to the host." He was however, relieved to see the shackles. They had speculated that Kinsey was working with a Goa'uld rather than holding him prisoner. Not that the distinction would matter in the grand scheme of things for Kinsey's future. The senator was going down whether it be by a bullet today or by a sealed Presidential order. It just made the archaeologist feel better to know that Kinsey wasn't quite as traitorous as they believed he could have been in his quest for power.

"The Goa'uld has ample opportunity to switch into a non-restrained body." Teal'c immediately picked up on where his friend's comment was leading.

"So why hasn't he?" Maybourne asked of no one in particular.

"I have no idea," Daniel replied, refocusing his binoculars to get a closer look at the Goa'uld. "What's that around his neck? It's like no pendant that I've seen." He passed the binoculars to Teal'c.

The Jaffa drew in a sharp hiss. "Kinsey is a fool. It is a Goa'uld tracking device."

"That's why he hasn't tried to escape." Maybourne gave a disgusted shake of his head. "He's waiting for a rescue."

The escorts had just cleared the fence and had closed tighter around the Goa'uld now that they were out in the open.

"The second anyone gets a clear shot, take him out," Daniel ordered.

The next few seconds seemed to happen in slow motion. From behind trees opposite them, a dozen Jaffa appeared within the mist, firing staff weapons at the mercenaries. The two men in front shot back, managing to shoot two of the Jaffa before getting themselves shot.

"Shit, we've got to stop them." Daniel fired off two rounds at the Jaffa, taking one down and wounding another.

"Which ones?" Maybourne asked shooting at the Jaffa, taking note that his agents weren't hesitating with their own shots.

"Both," Teal'c replied, aiming alternately at the Jaffa and mercenaries.

Unfortunately the remaining mercenaries didn't see their shooting as assistance and began returning fire at the five men. The Goa'uld dove passed the mercenary to his right and lunged at the senator using the man as a human shield.

"The snake picked the wrong hostage," Maybourne muttered, taking careful aim and fired. The bullet hit Kinsey in the shoulder, passed right through and lodged in the Goa'uld's upper chest.

The howls of agony from both echoed through the trees. The Jaffa, still firing their staffs now primarily at SG-1 and Maybourne since the mercenaries were pretty much lying in pools of their own blood, leapt forward to protect their god, forming a circle around him. The leader of the Jaffa team pressed at a jeweled device on his hand and the blinding light of a ring transporter descended. A second later all that remained was a pile of dead or almost dead bodies, leaving the 'good guys' stunned by the suddenness and bizarreness of the attack.

Daniel was already pulling his cell phone from his pocket, hitting the speed dial to the Mountain. "Jack?"

"No, it's Sam, Daniel."

"Is the Prometheus in range of Earth yet?"

"Possibly. They might have just come into scanning range."

"Tell them to look for a Goa'uld ship in orbit above Colorado. Don't know which kind." He took a breath. "The Goa'uld was just rescued taking Kinsey as hostage."

"Hold on." Sam had just returned to the briefing room dejected after the news Sha're was in phase two of the virus. She was certain that the key to the cure lay with the personnel she had listed and had been about to once again look for the elusive clue when Daniel had called.

Daniel could hear her running the few steps to the control room and then listened as she raised the Prometheus. Waited with baited breath for the commander's response.

"We're in scanning range but our scans are not picking up any trace of a Goa'uld ship...wait, standby...our sensors are picking up residual readings of a hyper light window having been opened up...standby."

Sam caught the surprise in Ronson's tone. Could only wait a few seconds before her need to know what was going on intruded. "Colonel, can you track it or not?"

"Colonel, the sensors must be malfunctioning." He sounded frustrated. "According to the readout there were over fifty hyper windows opened in the last minute."

"Fifty? How is that possible?"

"Either there were fifty ships that somehow remained undetected by the satellites, or this Goa'uld has the trick of creating dummy windows to throw off the sensors to mask his real path."

"You mean like a Goa'uld version of chaff?" Sam quirked an eyebrow though no one was there to see it. That was new. And the last thing they needed.

"I've got the technicians working through the data now," Ronson continued on. "But it'll take time to sift through it all to see if there are any anomalies to identify the real window."

"Thank you, Colonel," Sam sighed. "Daniel, did you catch that?"

"Yeah, Sam."

"Daniel Jackson, this Jaffa is alive." Teal'c was kneeling by one of the warriors, applying pressure with his hands to an abdomen wound.

Daniel skidded over to him, tossing the phone to Maybourne so he had both hands free to help stem the blood flow from an arterial bleed in the Jaffa's thigh. "Who is your god?" he demanded in Goa'uld. "What planet does he come from?"

The Jaffa gasped as he writhed in pain from the gunshots. Stared back at Daniel, though whether it was a defiant move to protect the identity of his god or if he was beyond the point of understanding anything said to him, Daniel couldn't tell. What he did see a few seconds later was the warrior's eyes glaze over in death. "Damn it."

Teal'c started searching the bodies of the other Jaffa, looking for some clue as to where they'd come from. Jaffa armor could be as distinctive as the crests... Teal'c did a double take, his eyes darting to all of the slain Jaffa. "They bear no mark of a Goa'uld."

"Isn't that odd?" Sam asked through the phone.

"Unheard of," Teal'c confirmed.

Daniel raised something else that had been nagging at him about the ambush. Wiping his hands on his shirt to get rid of most of the blood, he took back the phone from Maybourne. "Um...was it just me, or was the rescue a bit sloppy?"

"They did seem to be a little green," Maybourne agreed.

"Indeed," Teal'c nodded. "There was no need for the Jaffa to be on the ground. They could have simply ringed the Goa'uld aboard as they had the beacon to lock onto."

"Daniel, is there any security footage or transcripts of Kinsey interrogating the Goa'uld?" Sam asked.

"Kinsey was holding his laptop when he was ringed up. We haven't had a chance to search the bunker."

"Find out what you can."

"Will do." The archaeologist responded to the order, then paused. "Sam, why are you in charge?" He wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer.

There was silence for a moment, then her voice came through softly. "Jack's in a coma. It happened just after he spoke with you."

"A coma? That's not one of the symptoms, is it?"

"No, not so suddenly without warning. He wasn't symptomatic at all...still isn't...except he mentioned feeling numb."

Daniel knew that wasn't a normal symptom either. "You and Annika?"

"We're both experiencing numbness to different degrees." Sam could hear her friend's worry down the phone line, then launched into what Annika's vision had shown about SG-1 being different. "Annika's with Jack now trying to force a vision to figure out why."

"What else has happened?" Daniel had worked long enough with Sam to know when she was holding back. And right now she sounded positively forlorn.

She heaved a sigh. "We thought we had a possible cure." She gave a quick rundown of the theory with the Abydonians being carriers of a vaccine and their disappointment when Sha're had begun to show symptoms. "I'm at a total loss at what to do next."

"One of us will have an epiphany." Daniel tried to instill as much confidence in his voice as he could. Truth was, with how helpless he was feeling about assisting with the virus and the whopping failure of taking out the Goa'uld, being confident wasn't easy. "We always do."

"Yeah." Sam suddenly needed to end the call, if she didn't she knew that she would burst into tears and as acting CO she couldn't allow herself to do that. "When you finish the search of the bunker head back to the base."

Daniel was about to immediately agree when he caught sight of his shirt. It was covered in the Jaffa's blood. Glanced at Teal'c to see that he was just as filthy. "We'll have to stop at home first. The state of our clothes would raise questions."

"Okay." Sam had a sudden thought. "We'll need to send a clean up team."

Her voice must have carried because Harry plucked the phone from Daniel's fingers, much to the archaeologist's ire. "Sam, I'll take care of it. Consider it part of the service."

"Give the phone back to Daniel, Maybourne."

"You've really got that 'colonel' tone down pat," Harry drawled though he handed the phone back.

"What's there that Maybourne wants?" Sam asked once she was sure her teammate was back on the line.

Daniel did a mental sweep of the area. "Hand guns and few rifles from the mercenaries, staff weapons..." He couldn't imagine him wanting the Jaffa armor, then he remembered something else which wasn't visible from their current position. "A helicopter." From the disgruntled look Maybourne shot at him he knew he had hit the nail on the head. "But as I was going to say before Maybourne interrupted, we have a zat', we can do the clean up here."

"Good. Bring the Goa'uld weapons back, get rid of the rest. Oh, and take photos of the mercenaries, we'll see if we can trace back their history." Sam wasn't the only one to think that Kinsey hadn't been working alone. She paused. "Let Maybourne have the helicopter. It's probably black market but I want a full history on that too before he rewrites the history."

"Okay. Do you want to tell him his salvaging rights?" Daniel grinned.

Sam gave a snort of laughter. "Sure."

The phone was once again passed around.

"Oh, come on," Maybourne grumbled when he heard Sam's 'offer'. "Let me have at least one staff. I don't always hang out on Earth you know."

"It's not a negotiation, Maybourne," she snapped.

"You're just no fun anymore, Sam," he complained. "Anything else, Ms Acting CO?"

"I can always change my mind and have Daniel zat' the helo as well," she warned.

"Nice to see you're not letting your promotion go to your head," he said unrepentant. "I'll return your boys home soon." He disconnected the call before Sam could put her 'threat' into action and gave the phone back to Daniel.

"You realize what the ramification of Senator Kinsey's abduction is?" Teal'c sounded none too happy as he continued his search of the downed men. There was a detail nudging his mind that he could not quite identify.

Daniel nodded, beginning to take the photos of the mercenaries with his cell, his irritation and frustration growing by the second. "Yes. We're going to have to waste our time trying to find the Goa'uld and rescue his traitorous ass."

"On the upside," Maybourne was oddly optimistic, "regardless of his condition upon his return, he will be off your back once and for all." Inwardly he admitted that he would miss Kinsey; the man had been a worthy adversary. From the scowls he received from the two members of SG-1 he surmised his Pollyanna point of view was not going down too well at the moment. He took photos of his own of the mercenaries. "I'll check unofficial channels for anything on them."

Daniel's retort came out bitter, giving a nod of acknowledgement at Maybourne's ID search. "Kinsey will just be replaced by someone else who will be an even bigger thorn in our sides." The photos taken, he began to systematically triple zat' the bodies.

"Well, if you need dirt dug up on them, you know how to contact me," Maybourne offered. He liked nothing more than to concoct blackmail material.

"We'll probably take you up on that." Though Daniel hated to admit it, Maybourne's talents were a necessary evil.

The former NID agent grinned slyly. "For a modest fee, of course."

Despite himself Daniel grinned back. "Of course."

It suddenly occurred to Teal'c what was wrong besides the already identified anomalies of the Jaffa. "I can barely sense the prim'tas." He removed the armor breastplate of the warrior he was crouched next to.

Maybourne crinkled his nose in distaste when Teal'c unceremoniously dipped his hand into the dead man's symbiote pouch and yanked the lifeless eel-like creature out. "Glad I skipped breakfast."

Daniel was also frowning though not from repulsion. He bent closer to examine the symbiote. "It's a little small, isn't it?"

"It is," Teal'c confirmed.

"Is it newly spawned?" There was doubt in his tone. From what he knew of the life cycle of the infant Goa'uld, they weren't implanted until they had grown to at least twice the size of the one Teal'c was holding now.

Teal'c wiped the viscous fluid from around its head. "From its coloring it is barely a few months old, yet it has the fully developed fins only found on a mature symbiote."

"A defective queen?" Maybourne threw out the possibility. "One that's lost its mojo?"

"Perhaps," Teal'c replied, checking the remains of the other fallen Jaffa. "They are all of a similar odd development."

"We should take one back with us. Run some tests." It was unlikely that it would lead to any useful information regarding identifying the Goa'uld, however, it was enough of an anomaly that it had piqued his curiosity. And smaller long shots than this had paid off. Daniel's hand automatically patted at his pockets for the kit of miscellaneous items that traveled with him on a mission. Grimaced when he remembered he was wearing civvies. "Anyone have a bag?"

One of the former NID agents ripped open a pocket on his vest and produced a small zip lock bag he used for trash when he was on a stake out.

"Thanks." Daniel held it open while Teal'c slid it inside. For lack of a better place, Daniel gingerly tucked it in his jeans. It wasn't the best sensation in the world to have the flaccid alien squelching against his hip. He just prayed the bag wouldn't burst.

Maybourne chuckled at the archeologist's expression. "Why, Doctor Jackson, is that a symbiote in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?"

"Funny, Maybourne. Real, funny," he scowled.

"Sorry, couldn't resist." Maybourne decided in the interest of his well being to change the subject. His keen eyes spied the strap of a bag peeking out from beneath one of the dead Jaffa. "Hey, look what Kinsey dropped." He rolled the Jaffa away to reveal the football sized bag the senator had had slung over his shoulder. Grimaced a little as he realized it wasn't quite as bulky as when they had first seen it.

Daniel crouched down, gingerly opening the zip. The sound of broken stoneware clinking together just made him more annoyed. A look inside told him all he needed to know. A Canopic jar, or rather what was left of one, was scattered throughout. It had obviously been shattered from the dead weight of the armor-clad Jaffa falling on top of it. He picked up one of the larger shards to examine it. "Maybe I can piece it back together. There could be an inscription telling who was imprisoned inside." Slung the bag over his shoulder.

Teal'c rose, having completed his search. "There are no identifying marks on any of the Jaffa armor, nor keepsakes." Like Earth's military men, Jaffa often kept small mementos on their person when they went into battle, normally concealing them in small pouches beneath the solid metal collars. He accepted the zat' from Daniel and in a short time the only evidence a firefight had occurred were the pools of blood staining the ground.

"Let's move on to the bunker." Daniel led the way.

As they walked Harry radioed in to his man watching the pilots of the transport helicopter. Daniel hardened his heart as he heard the order to take the men out. The mercenaries had been in cahoots with Kinsey, putting god knew how many people at risk by assisting with holding the Goa'uld. He shuddered at the havoc the snakehead could have caused if he had escaped before his rescuing Jaffa had arrived.

"There's not going to be anything of worth left inside," Maybourne predicted, motioning to his men to hold back. Both of them were trained pilots and he sent them to claim his 'prize', being careful that the two SG-1 members were far enough away that they couldn't overhear the coordinates he gave to a private airfield. He ordered them to fly his newest acquisition there and to wait for him to return after he had dropped off Daniel and Teal'c.

"We might get lucky." Daniel was trying to be hopeful, but given the track record of the last twenty-four hours it was difficult. "If Kinsey was confident that no one knew about this place he might have gotten sloppy."

Despite them knowing the security hadn't been reactivated, they all held their breath when they entered the cave mouth and were poised to sprint right back out again if someone so much as breathed heavily. Once they moved a few feet beyond the security panel they had to use flashlights, given to them by the former NID agents before they'd left, to see where they were going. The corridor twisted and turned like a snake for approximately two hundred meters and they saw thin piping zigzagging against the rock wall with small nozzles poking out every twenty meters or so. There were also lights strung up every ten meters though they were unlit.

Daniel assumed the security system and lights were hooked up to at least one generator somewhere along the way. "We'll have to do something about the gas. We can't leave it here for anyone to stumble across it."

"I'm sure I can find a use for it."

Maybourne's tone was just a tad too casual for Daniel's liking, so before the man could launch into another 'negotiation', the archaeologist simply activated the zat' again and in a few short seconds the tubing and its deadly substance had been obliterated.

The last bend in the cave opened up to a large naturally formed cavern that had been cleared out by hand decades ago. There were four camping cots set up along the sidewall and a small bench in the corner. From the cans and cartons stacked beneath it and the portable stove on top, it had been used as a kitchenette. In the center of the room was a barred cell made of iron rungs. Inside was another cot, an open toilet and a small table. Upon closer inspection of what was littered on the tabletop, it appeared that the Goa'uld had developed a taste for coffee, which Daniel took as a personal affront, and for Pop Tarts. Three feet away from the cell was another table with two chairs facing the cell.

Daniel made a beeline for the foodstuff, much to Maybourne's surprise, and after a quick rummage through the packages picked up a can of coffee with a grateful sigh. "Oh thank god."

"Not exactly your blend, is it?" Maybourne quipped, with a hint of bafflement. He knew Jackson well enough to know about his love of coffee. It was just bizarre that he would react such a way now, and over instant coffee at that.

Daniel didn't reply. He simply pried open the tin and tipped what was left of the granules out onto the table. With a relieved smile he carefully pulled the bag holding the symbiote from his jeans and shoved it in the can. "Much better," he murmured, tapping the lid back down. It had been totally unnerving to have a Goa'uld, even a dead malformed one, on his person. Now he could devote his full attention to the search.

Maybourne had the good grace to keep any smartass comments to himself.

While Daniel had been ridding himself of the unwanted 'package', Teal'c found two alcoves where two separate generators lay. One was still warm to the touch. Looking at the cords still attached, he concluded the one that had been recently switched off had been used for both the security and incidental usage, like Kinsey's laptop and whatever other electrical items they'd needed. The second generator only had cords leading to the security system. He assumed that was the backup generator.

As they suspected there wasn't anything of note left behind. They'd even searched the trash bin they'd found, hoping for a scribbled note, with no such luck.

Daniel resisted the urge to throw something to relieve his frustration and annoyance. It might make him feel better for a couple of seconds but he refused to let his emotions show with Maybourne around. This 'side trip' with Maybourne had been a distraction and for that short time he had managed to push the problem of what was happening at the SGC out of his mind. A glance at Teal'c and he knew his friend was having as much trouble containing his emotions as he was. Actually, he thought as they all headed back out into the open, the entire situation must be harder on Teal'c. Daniel had been able to 'distract' himself with researching other outbreaks and tracing the origins, he'd been able to translate for the Cupidians. Teal'c was a warrior. He was trained for action. How difficult was it for him to not be able to do anything except wait and hope that a cure would be found for the virus?

Maybourne radioed the pilot and within a few minutes the three of them had been winched up into 'the Quiet One' and were being flown back home. It was a silent trip for the most part, the predicament of their loved ones now once again in the forefront of Daniel's and Teal'c's minds. Maybourne had the sense to keep his mouth shut even though for him the day had turned into quite a successful one; he'd done what he'd been hired to do, had gained a helicopter and as an added bonus he'd even been able to shoot Kinsey.

When the helicopter once again set down in the park near the SG-1 members homes, the former Air Force officer gave a nod at Teal'c, who was gathering up the staff weapons they had taken with them, then gave half a grin at Daniel. "Say hello to your spitfire of a wife for me. And that my offer of a job still stands."

In spite of the worry he was feeling and his personal dislike of Maybourne, Daniel smiled back. "You wouldn't want that, Maybourne, one touch from her and she will know all your deepest darkest secrets." His smile turned wry. "Probably already does."

"That might be refreshing." An almost wistful expression crossed the man's eyes. He'd only met Annika once, when the whole team had responded to his text message during their visit to the White House. For whatever reason the redhead had taken an instant liking to him, much to the surprise of everyone, Harry included. "I hope she's okay...that things work out on base."

"Careful, you're sounding almost nostalgic." Daniel for the first time considered that Maybourne truly regretted what he'd done, that he missed being a part of the SGC.

He shrugged. "Regrets are something a man like me can't afford to have." The moment of sentimentality was gone. "I'll let you know if I come up with anything about the mercenaries."

Daniel gave a wave of acknowledgement before hopping out of the helicopter to join Teal'c. By the time the helicopter had once again lifted off, the two men were already halfway across the park. The pair didn't feel the need to speak to fill the silence as they grimly jogged down the familiar streets. When they reached their yards, Teal'c adjusted his hold on the staffs. "I'll keep these secured until the senator's abduction is made official."

"Good idea." Daniel closed the small front gate behind him. "Head back to the base in fifteen?"

The Jaffa gave a curt nod, confirming the timeframe was enough to shower and change and headed for his own door.