"Daniel? Get your butt down here."

"Love to, but we're stuck topside at the first checkpoint."

"Crap. Is the rest of gang with you?"

"Keelah and I are here, O'Neill."

"Where's Casper?"

"What do you mean 'where's Casper'? Annika's not with you?"

"Never mind, she just scampered in."

They could hear Sam in the background trying to answer Annika's questions which ran along the same lines as Daniel's original one.

Jack hit the speaker button on the phone so that both sides could hear each other.

"All we know right now is that the Doc initiated the lockdown."

"It's the 'love sickness', isn't it?" Daniel spoke quietly. In his heart he already knew the answer. It was also a process of elimination. The base obviously wasn't under fire or in a foothold because Jack wouldn't have taken time from shooting the bad guys to answer the phone. That only left a medical emergency.

"Pretty safe bet."

"Daniel," Sam butted in, her mind already thinking about confirming containment. "You're at the first checkpoint?"

"Yes."

"Check the logs. When was the last time someone signed out?"

Grateful to have something to do while they waited for an official update, Daniel accepted the folder the Marine slid across the desk to him. He quickly scanned the list. "A lot of people coming in...shift change isn't for another fifteen minutes...doesn't look like anyone's left since midnight."

Annika's voice echoed through the line. "What about smoke breaks? Is anyone up there now?" Her conversation with the Marines a couple of minutes ago nagged at her. She didn't recall seeing Kasuf's or Skaara's names on the log when she signed in. And now that she thought about it, the times she had run into Dodger as he finished up a smoke, he hadn't signed back in either. Guessed that since at those times the smokers hadn't actually been leaving and had only been a few feet away in sight of the guards at all times, the rules had been bent a little.

"No one." Daniel scanned the area just to be sure even though the Marines both shook their heads.

The senior Marine spoke. "Nobody's come up since the Abydonians. That was at approximately 0430."

"Captain Richards was already here getting a last puff before his med check. The three of them went back inside together a few minutes later." The younger Marine dropped his voice worriedly, "Are we infected?"

"Impossible to say yet," Sam answered, having overheard despite the lowered tone. "Not without knowing who is sick, when they returned from off-world or how the sickness is transmitted."

"We have quite a crowd building," Keelah said quietly. She'd been standing back to give the men room around the small desk and as such had an unobstructed view of the personnel who had been arriving for their shift, approaching with concern.

"Until we know that the Marines up there, and yourselves for that matter, are clean, you need to have everyone keep their distance."

"Us?" Daniel didn't hide his surprise. "Why would we be infected?"

"If it's airborne and the Marines have it, they could have passed it to you simply by talking."

Teal'c spun around, for out of the corner of his eye he saw a major from SG-10 step closer. "Stand back. We are possibly contaminated."

The major froze then hastily took a few steps backwards. "What's happening?"

"Possible contagion. We are still determining the threat."

"Keelah, can you please keep an eye on them?" Daniel asked softly. "In case any of them try to be a hero."

She nodded, unable to completely hide the smile that tweaked her lips. Hadn't both Daniel and Teal'c tried not a minute ago to weasel their way in?

"Yeah, I know," Daniel shrugged. "This is a classic case of 'do as I say, not as I do'."

Through the speaker they heard Hammond enter. Those topside assumed the general was surprised to find only three members of his primary team in the briefing room, because Jack spoke. From the way his voice yo-yoed from softer to louder, it was obvious he was waving the receiver. "Daniel, Teal'c and Keelah are topside. They're with the Marines at the checkpoint."

Hammond gave a nod then spoke to the separated team members above. "A mobile command unit is already on its way. They'll be setting up in hanger D. If you can stay on the line for this meeting I'm sure your input will be valuable and it will save me having to repeat myself."

"Of course, sir," Daniel immediately agreed. Not that he had any intention of not listening in, but he was glad to have the official okay.

The CO launched into an explanation of what details he had. "SG-5 returned from P5X-214 at 0500. They have since developed flu-like symptoms and Doctor Fraiser is convinced this is the sickness Annika's vision warned of. She'll be here in a few moments, hopefully with more details. "

"Sir, this is Sergeant Healy," the Marine standing beside Daniel couldn't stop himself from interrupting. "Did you say 0500?"

"I did."

The sighs of relief from both Marines were heard by all.

"What am I missing?" Hammond asked.

"We were determining possible containment issues, sir, before you arrived," Sam stated. "There was a concern that the Marines at the checkpoint may have been exposed. That SG-5 returned at 0500 confirms they were not."

"And no one left the base after SG-5 returned," Daniel added. He wouldn't admit to the mixed feelings at the confirmation that the Marines hadn't been exposed. He was glad that they weren't, and yet exposure would have at least opened the possibility of the four of them being let into the mountain.

"We're sure?" Hammond asked, not at all surprised that SG-1 had already taken the initiative to discover any possible breaches.

"Positive," Teal'c replied firmly.

Jack cleared his throat. "I'm guessing the Doc has more than the sniffles as confirmation?"

"I do, though it's not medical." Janet hurried into the room, clutching a hastily assembled file. "It turns out the natives have quite a difficult name to pronounce. SG-5 nicknamed them the 'Cupidians'."

Like the doctor had, everyone made the connection to 'love sick' immediately.

"What are their symptoms, Doctor?" Hammond asked.

"All have temperatures. Nothing serious at the moment. I've given them paracetamol to try to keep it down. Until we know more about what we're dealing with I don't want to risk giving them anything else. I checked the security footage. Judging by when they removed their shirts to cool off, their temperatures began rising approximately a half hour ago. Lieutenant Whittiker has the more pronounced symptoms. His temperature is higher, sinus congestion, fatigue and muscle ache. Major Harper is suffering from dizziness. We've taken more blood samples, but the initial ones showed nothing out of the ordinary." She paused as Siler entered with a laptop, gesturing to the table. "Just set it here, Sergeant."

The tech sergeant nodded then began tapping at the keyboard.

"I figured you'd want to talk to SG-5 directly. Siler's hooking this up to the security camera in the isolation room."

Hammond gave a nod of approval. "How confident are we that only SG-5 are infected?"

"Well, we took every precaution we could, sir. The new quarantine procedure was implemented fully. The 'gate room was sealed off until SG-5 put on the masks, and the air from the room was filtered before reopening. They had no physical contact with any of the personnel, except the medic who was double gloved and masked. The isolation room has its own air filtering system so no contaminated air can get out. And as of now no one besides SG-5 have presented with symptoms."

"You're doubtful." Hammond said it as a statement.

"Yes, sir. Since it's undetectable in the blood work at least during the incubation period, we can't test for it. For all we know SG-5 were infected from the moment they stepped foot on the planet. Using that time frame as a guide for, we may not know with any certainty for three days if anyone else is infected."

They were interrupted by the general's assistant hurrying into the room with a box of radios, one of which he handed directly to the general. "Colonel Piper from the mobile command, sir."

Hammond accepted the radio and spoke into the speaker. "What's your status, Colonel?"

"We'll be operational in five minutes, sir. We just need you to enter your authorization code to link up to the base systems."

Topside the sound of engines approaching could be heard and Daniel turned to see a mix of a dozen vans, SUVs and trucks speed by towards hanger D.

"Colonel, there are members of SG-1 at the first checkpoint. I want them in constant communication with you and us."

"Yes, sir."

One of the SUVs broke formation and drove back towards them. The personnel cleared the way and the car stopped right up to the checkpoint and the colonel hopped out. Seeing Daniel and Teal'c, he reached into the side pocket of the door and pulled out two radios with a satellite phone stuck on the back with velcro.

"General Hammond," Teal'c spoke into the speaker of the desk phone. "I request Keelah be shown the same courtesy even though her paperwork has not been officially processed."

Keelah was startled by both the request and the strange reference to paperwork. She hadn't expected to be primarily involved in the ensuing operation.

"I'd already taken that as a given," Hammond replied.

Daniel held up three fingers indicating to the colonel that three radio sets would be needed.

With a curt nod of acknowledgement a third radio set was picked up and he jogged over and handed them out. "The phones have a booster signal, you should be able to hear as well as you can on the land line. If you all dial into extension 5629 and add the security code 367, that will allow an immediate secure conference line."

Down in the briefing room the lieutenant was passing around the rest of the radios, which also had the new phone attachments.

"I suggest we all dial in now," Hammond ordered.

Teal'c and Daniel quickly hooked themselves up and entered the sequence of numbers. Keelah hesitantly took hers with a look of bewilderment and Teal'c helped her with the set up. Within a few seconds everyone checked in on the conference line and the landline at the desk was disconnected.

Colonel Piper beckoned at a truck that had pulled up. Marines in full combat gear began jumping out of the back. "Take up positions. You know the drill. No one in or out."

As the men immediately began fanning out, the colonel gestured to Daniel, Teal'c and Keelah to come with him. Daniel and Teal'c strode towards the SUV, Keelah after a moment's pause quickly followed. Climbing into the car they heard Colonel Piper issue an order to the remaining personnel. "Make your way to hanger D, where you will be issued assignments as needed." A second later the colonel was standing on the runner of the SUV and gave a double rap on the roof, his signal to the driver to pull out.

In the briefing room Janet was again speaking. "I've got one of my medics scanning the notes SG-5 took on the planet for their reports into the base computer. They're using the handheld scanner in the isolation container in case the documents are contaminated. SG-5 are insisting that no one was ill, but they might have jotted down some odd behavior without realizing it."

"Doctor Jackson, I'd like you to take a look at those as soon as you arrive at the hanger," Hammond ordered. "We'll also look from this end and compare."

"I'll start with Lieutenant Whittiker's notes," Daniel mused out load. "As the team anthropologist he would have taken down details the others wouldn't have been looking for."

"We should also take a gander at the footage they took," Jack added. He knew the camera lens caught more than the human eye.

"I can organize that, sir," Siler offered, giving a final tap at the laptop keyboard and the screen changed to show the inside of the isolation room where SG-5 were being held. "All done. Just hold the shift button down to speak to them. They just need to press the intercom button."

"Thank you, Sergeant. Be sure to use the isolation container with the camera to be safe." Hammond returned his attention to the doctor.

"Yes, sir." The tech sergeant hurried away to get the digital camera, which had been sealed in plastic along with the team's packs.

Keelah listened with half an ear to the conversation taking place inside the base. She was confused by the position she had unexpectedly been elevated to. When Daniel was being issued details of the task assigned to him, she covered the microphone of her headset with her hand and whispered to Teal'c. "What paperwork were you referring to? Why am I here?"

Teal'c also covered his own microphone so as not to interrupt the conference call. "We have requested you be assigned to SG-1 in a non-combative capacity. You will not be required to go off-world, it will be more of a supportive role."

"Why me?" she asked. There were far more experienced personnel who had a much greater understanding of the goings on at the base.

Daniel leant over from his position in the front passenger seat having heard the whispered query. "Because you're the only one in nine years who has been able to decipher my filing system." He raised an eyebrow at Teal'c. "You didn't tell her?"

"I intended to wait until it was official."

The SUV ground to a halt outside the hanger. When they stepped inside it was to see the room a bustle of organized activity. There were two main groups of computers being set up. One was to patch into the security cameras within the base and establish general coordination between topside and below, but it was to the second table that Colonel Piper led them. Six monitors were sitting in a row already hooked up. "These are a direct link to the base computers, or they will be once I get the General's authorization code. You'll be able to access anything that you could from inside." He paused, directing his next comment to General Hammond. He'd been listening in on the conference call, though he hadn't participated. It wasn't his place to offer an opinion on what was going on inside, and he had his hands full getting the mobile command set up. It was more so that he was up to speed on their progress and that he was immediately available should Hammond need him to do something. "General, we're ready for that authorization code now."

Sergeant Harriman, who had been working with the tech team above to organize the link, scooted his chair back when the general entered. "It's all ready for you, sir."

Hammond gave a nod, but didn't say anything. He just carefully entered the sequence of numbers and letters he had committed to memory. While he waited for Walter to confirm the link was functional, he turned to the second 'gate technician. "Sergeant, start contacting the teams off-world and redirect them to the Alpha site."

"Already on it, sir," he assured.

Walter hung up the phone. "It's working, sir."

"Thank you," Hammond said and then started back to the briefing room. In his ear he heard Daniel's voice as the live feed obviously flicked on in the hanger.

"Hey, nice to see you."

"Does the camera make me look fat?" Jack quipped.

"Don't know. I'm distracted by how white your hair is."

"It's not white, it's grey, thanks to you lot."

Annika gave a wave up to the camera and felt a wonderfully warm tickle beneath her heart in response. It brightened her spirits and she gave a mischievous grin at the lens as she responded to Jack. "You could always dye it."

"I'm going to pretend you didn't say that," the team leader replied indignantly.

The doctor looked up at the CO. "Their fevers are still climbing. Major Harper's dizziness is getting worse and now Captains Lobetski and Lewis are feeling nauseous. If you're going to ask them questions, I'd do it now, sir."

At that moment Sam gave a soft exclamation of 'yes' as the digital file was added to the documents folder. She immediately clicked on the icon, turning the sound down so as not to disturb the others. With over eight hours of footage, for now they didn't have the luxury of time to be able to watch it from beginning to end at normal speed and she started skimming over the frames. Teal'c having also opened the file informed them that he and Keelah would work backwards with the footage.

Hammond, Jack and Janet conducted the debrief of SG-5, their focus being on the villagers rather than on the treaty they had worked out for a regular supply of naquadah, which washed up regularly on the planet's shore from what appeared to be an underwater volcano. SG-5 were giving a rundown on what they had seen in the three days, or rather what they hadn't seen.

"Sirs, we didn't see anybody sick during our entire stay. There weren't even any injuries of any kind," Major Harper repeated for what felt like the umpteenth time. "I don't know how or where or when we would have picked up this flu."

"Perhaps they have a natural immunity?" Janet speculated, deciding not to contradict the major's assumption it was the flu. For all they knew it was a new strain. "Or there could be something in their food that acts as a vaccine."

"They did have a kind of ritual when they baked the bread." Shakespeare's voice was a little groggy. "I thought they were praying over all the ingredients before making the dough, but now that I think about it, it seems they were focused on only one ingredient, a grain they ground to add to the flour."

"But we ate what they ate," Ratty pointed out. "If there was a 'cure' in the food we would have digested it."

"It could take time to build up an immunity in the body's system," Janet said. "If that's the case, and it is this grain, we may be able to make a concentrated version."

"Ah, Doc," Jack played devil's advocate. "You know I hate to be the voice of negativity, but there could also be a very good reason that this grain was diluted with the flour."

Janet conceded the point. Certain cures were fine in small doses, however, too much and it became a poison. "Too high a dose and it could be lethal."

"Not exactly the cure we're looking for." Jack gave a wry grin.

"This is all speculation at this point," Hammond added. "The grain might not have anything to do with this sickness."

Hammond relayed the question.

They saw on the monitor the team exchange looks and a few words, but it was Shakespeare who depressed the intercom button to respond.

"No, sir, nothing like that. They're a verbal society, history and legends being passed down by word of mouth from the elders."

"Did they have the equivalent of a medicine man?" Hammond again relayed Daniel's question.

Another exchange of looks. "Not that we saw."

"That's kind of odd, isn't it?" Annika raised an eyebrow. What she had learned about these kinds of societies was that there was always some sort of authority figure the people turned to when illness or injury struck, even if it was just a priest who would pray to the gods for healing.

"Just because he or she wasn't seen, doesn't mean there isn't one," Daniel explained for the benefit of all. "It's not unusual for the local juju man to live outside of the village."

It was becoming more and more apparent that a trip to the planet would be needed to gather more information, though no one verbalized that fact yet.

"You told the medic that the Cupidian's had hangovers?" Hammond asked, after having briefly looked at the medic's notes from when the team had arrived back.

"There were a few sore heads, sir." Harper rubbed at his eyes. "But no one was even hugging their version of the porcelain throne. There was no sign that anyone was sick."

"Um...is something messing with the colors of the laptop?" Jack nudged Sam to look at the interview screen, not wanting to make a big thing of what he was seeing in case it was a glitch.

Sam frowned, noticing the same color variation. She leant forward across the table to get a closer look at the monitor. "I don't think so, sir."

Everyone else did the same, worry etched on their faces.

"Lieutenant Craver," Janet spoke to the medic in the room who was standing out of the way behind the men of SG-5. "Can you examine Major Harper's right eye?"

The medic gave a nod stepping forward. He managed to mask his surprise while he quickly examined the eye socket. He took an extra couple of seconds to study the left eye then reported in to the camera. "Petechial hemorrhaging, encompassing almost all of the right eye, the left is just starting to hemorrhage."

Topside, Teal'c and Keelah were quietly conversing, rewinding and replaying a ten second window the team took as they were leaving the village. Teal'c placed a hand to Daniel's shoulder to draw his attention to the scene. After replaying it for the archaeologist, Daniel interrupted the medical exam. "Teal'c and Keelah may have something. Sam, go to the time stamp 07:56:32."

The colonel sped forward to the requested time. The image froze on one of the scantily clad women who was waving at the team in farewell.

"What are we supposed to be seeing, Daniel?" Jack asked. As enticing as the native was, she looked perfectly healthy.

"Zoom in on the top right corner, the hut window."

All they saw was shadow.

"I say again, Dani-"

"Click forward a few frames," the archaeologist interrupted.

Sam did so.

Though the image was dark inside the hut, they saw one of the native men come into view. He was looking down at something or someone out of sight below the window. Absently he wiped the back of his hand under his nose before continuing with whatever it was he was doing.

"So the man has an itch, so what?" Jack frowned.

Sam had caught what the three topside had seen. She was already skipping back a couple of frames, and then zoomed in further, focusing on the man's face and hand. There was a dark trickle from his nose that was mostly transferred to his hand when he wiped at it. "That's blood."

"I think we found our patient zero," Janet said quietly. She had noticed the man's lips moving, obviously speaking to someone under the window. "Either him or whomever is there with him. We need to talk to them, find out what they know about this virus."

"We'll go, sir," Jack immediately volunteered himself and those of his team in the room.

"I insist on full haz mat gear," Hammond gave his approval.

"No argument here, sir," the team leader was already planning on that, order or no order.

"The natives don't speak English," Daniel pointed out. "They speak a derivative of Hurrian."

"Do we have a linguist within the base who speaks Hurrian?" Hammond expected Daniel to start listing the names of the archaeologists and linguists to mark them against the personnel list inside. Was surprised when Keelah's voice softly echoed in his ear. "Please speak up, Keelah."

Both Daniel and Teal'c gave the woman a nod of encouragement. Something they had discovered was that the former slave had an almost eidetic memory, at least for anything she had learned since arriving on base. In helping with the cataloguing and translating of the off-world artifacts she had memorized which of the personnel knew which languages and who were experts in the different cultures they encountered.

"Besides Daniel and Lieutenant Whittiker, there's Doctor Matthews, Doctor Thomas, Major Karinski and Captain Norton."

The general paused a moment, both to make sure that Keelah had finished and that Daniel didn't need to add a name or make any corrections. When none were forthcoming he spoke. "Doctor Thomas and Major Karinski are off-world."

"Doctor Matthews is currently enroute to hanger D," Teal'c recalled the woman as being one of the personnel to arrive after the lockdown.

"And Captain Norton is home with the flu," Janet gave the whereabouts of the final unaccounted for linguist. "I don't recommend Lieutenant Whittiker be allowed to return to the planet, the illness is progressing faster in him than the others."

Daniel jumped at the opportunity to get inside the base. "Let me in. I can do the translating."

"We all know the protocol regarding lockdown," Hammond said slowly. "No one in, no one out."

"We need to be able to communicate with the Cupidians," Janet said. "I can't get the information I need with simple hand gestures."

"Dammit." Annika's soft curse made all heads turn to her. Once they saw her rubbing at her forehead they knew she was receiving some kind of psychic message; guessed it had something to do with the current hiccup they were faced with.

"Annika, have you been shown that Doctor Jackson needs be brought in?" Hammond asked, the dilemma clear on his face.

Annika met the gaze of the CO. The general was considering breaking the one iron clad rule of lockdown on the basis of her say so. She wanted to say yes. Her heart was demanding that Daniel be allowed in, she wanted his solid presence beside her. At the same time she didn't want him exposed. Her third sight had just removed whatever guilty moral dilemma she had. She cursed her ethics that wouldn't let her abuse the general's trust in her. "You have no idea how much I want to say yes." She heaved a sigh. "But Daniel and Teal'c cannot be brought in."

"Because they'll become infected?" Jack asked. It was habit for him to push for more information.

She shook her head. "I have no idea if they would or not. They are needed topside for another reason. Something unrelated is going to happen."

"Oy, one crisis isn't enough?" the team leader bemoaned.

"Apparently not." She gave a weak smile. Then she whispered to into her mouthpiece, directly to her husband. "I'm sorry." She knew she had just screwed what minimal chance Daniel and Teal'c had of being let into the base.

"Nothing to apologize for." Daniel tried to hide his disappointment. "No more details about what we will be needed for?"

"No."

"Let's deal with one thing at a time," Hammond pushed the meeting along. "That doesn't solve our communication problem."

"We could jerryrig a radio to our haz mat suits," Sam suggested. "We'd have to leave the Stargate active, but Daniel could speak to the natives through the radios and relay the translation to us in the same way we're doing now."

Before Hammond could give the official go ahead for the mission, the phone rang. He picked up the receiver on the second ring with a sense of foreboding, for no one would interrupt this meeting unless it was an emergency. "Hammond."

Everyone watched the general, looking for some sign of what information was being told. Saw his lips compress into a thin line, his eyes closed and his head bowed taking a moment in silent prayer. Then he drew in a deep breath and squared his shoulders. When he spoke, his voice was grim. "Thank you, Major. Isolate them. Doctor Fraiser will be up shortly." He hung up the phone and met the gaze of those around the table. "Eight more people have just presented with muscle fatigue, temperatures and flu-like symptoms."

"Who?" The word spilt from all their lips.

The general didn't mention names, knowing that wasn't important at this stage. "Two members of SG-2, one from SG-17, two of the scientists working in the labs, one of the archaeological research assistants, one of the kitchen staff and a member of the cleaning crew."

There was a brief silence as they contemplated the significance of that list.

"They all work in different areas of the base," Annika's eyes widened.

Sam drew in a shaky breath. "Which means all of us could already be exposed."

"How?" Janet asked softly.

No one could offer an answer.

"SG-1, gear up, you have a go for as soon as you're ready." With troubled eyes he dismissed the three members of his primary team. "Godspeed." He motioned for Janet to leave with him and both of them strode from the room.

Jack, Sam and Annika exchanged glances, then raised their eyes to the security camera where they knew their teammates were watching them equally worried.

"Well, ladies, I guess haz mat suits just became optional." He gave a half salute to the camera. "Let's go."