Virus
Virus
by Gene Este
TITLE: Virus
AUTHOR: Gene Este
EMAIL: gene_este@hotmail.com
CATEGORY: Action/Adventure, Angst, Drama
PAIRING: Sam/Jack
SPOILERS: None
SEASON / SEQUEL: 4
RATING: PG-13
CONTENT WARNINGS: angst, language
SUMMARY: Sam is afflicted with an unknown and frightening illness...The SG-1 team search for someone who may have the answer to Sams' problem, but he may have alterior motives of his own...
STATUS: Unfinished
ARCHIVE: Heliopolis
DISCLAIMER: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. We have written this story for entertainment purposes only and no money whatsoever has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the authors. Not to be archived without permission of the authors.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: I'd like to give a *huge* thanks to my beta reader, Danvers. Without your guidence, I have no idea where I'd be :-). Thanks so much! To Perrin, whom I adore and has been invaluable in his evaluation of this and other stories. I'll make an expert of you yet (oh, and get out of my couchbed! *girn*). To Magrat Rennie (Al says Hi). Admiral Kelley who still hasn't learned how to say hello, to Mike Fenton for changing my opinions on ratings (how'd that happen?). Thanks to Sally Murphy, a woman after my own heart (she's talented, creative, wonderful author, you know, like me *grin*). To Val for completely screwing up my head with her Netspeak (it took a whole bottle of aspirin to get rid of *that* headache). To Al for putting evil ideas in my head (what a demanding muse, I mean *geez*). To microwavable pizzas, to my best friend Sherri who can't stand SG-1 (*grin*). To the deity that is caffiene, and last but not least, chocolate. Until next time, let the games begin!
Janet stood in front of the microscope, analyzing samples of medicine that SG-1 had brought back from a mission to P6X-112 the day before. They were in the midst of negotiations for an exchange of medical supplies, and she was examining a particularly useful vaccine. So far, it seemed as though it could be the cure for the common cold. But there were still more tests to perform; and she had no doubt that she would be here for a while. The long hours were the only thing that she minded about this job. She could be going on leave right now, like most of the SGC, with Cassie. But it wasn't to be.
Sighing, she stood up and stretched. She had been stuck in the same position, leaning over the microscope, for the last ten minutes. As she did, Jack, Daniel, and Jacob walked in.
"Doctor Frasier, have you seen Sam? We're supposed to go see Mark this weekend, and she hasn't shown yet."
"No sir, I haven't."
He nodded, and then scowled. "I wonder where she is. We need to get going."
Jack glanced at Jacob, and then nodded his head towards the microscope. "So do we know what it does yet?"
"Well, the tests aren't complete yet, but I think we may have obtained the cure for the common cold."
"Sweet."
Janet grinned. "Yes sir, I'd say so."
Just then, Sam walked in looking very pale. Jacob frowned, seeing her pallor. "You alright, Sam? You don't look so hot."
She nodded, and winced. "Just a migraine. Janet, I was hoping that you could give me some more Advil."
Daniel raised his eyebrows. "More?"
"I've had a headache ever since we got back from the mission yesterday. Itwasbearable, but it's gradually gotten worse. I had to get some Advil from Janet this morning just to get it back to bearable." She rubbed her neck, and sighed.
"Sam. Come here for a second." Janet asked, as she patted the bed for Sam to sit on.
Sam sat down and Janet felt her forehead and then her cheeks. "Sam, you have a fever. Lt. Samuels?" she called the nurse.
"Yes, ma'am?" A woman said emerging from the closet of the infirmary.
"Take over the tests for the vaccine. Try to have it done by 1600, ok?"
The woman nodded, "Yes ma'am," and went to work.
Janet turned back to Sam with a thermometer. "As for you, here." She put the thermometer in Sam's mouth and turned back to the men who had been watching the entire exchange. All had varying degrees of worry etched on their faces.
"Sorry, sir," she said to Jacob, "But just to be on the safe side..."
"I understand, Doctor."
Janet looked back to Sam when the thermometer beeped. She read it then immediately looked back up at Sam. "Your fever's almost 105." Noticing something odd, she leaned in to see Sam's eyes. "This is strange Sam. Your eyes are dilated." She took out a penlight, and pointed it directly at Sam's eyes, who didn't even flinch. "The light isn't bothering you? With your eyes dilated as they are, you should be extremely sensitive to light."
Sam shook her head. "No...actually it seems a bit dim."
Jack looked from Janet to Sam, and then back at Janet. "Uh, what does that mean?"
Janet didn't answer him, too preoccupied with Sam. "How does the room look to you?" "What do you mean?" Sam said looking confused.
"I mean, is it bright, dark?"
Sam looked around and blinked a couple times. "It does seem darker in here than it usually is." Janet looked at Jacob. Worry intensified on her face, as it did on the faces of the men in the room.
Sam looked back and forth between Janet and her father. "What? It is dark in here isn't it?"
Janet stared at Sam. "No, it isn't. I think we should run some tests to find out why you're running such a high temperature and why your eyesight is being affected. In the meantime, I want you to stay in the infirmary so I can keep an eye on you. I would give you some medicine to counteract the headache, but I don't want anything to affect the tests. Have you taken anything in the past 24 hours that I should know about?"
Sam shook her head. "Only Advil to kill the headache."
"Alright," she then finally turned again to Jacob, Jack and Daniel. "If the three of you could leave?"
None of them made a move. Sam smiled, touched by their concern. "It's okay. You guys go. I'll be fine. Nothing to worry about."
Jack scowled, but complied, pulling Daniel along with him. Jacob sighed and nodded, and left a short time after Jack and Daniel.
"Sam, when did you start noticing that everything was becoming darker?"
She thought a moment. "Around the time the headache started getting bad. I'd say a couple hours, at least."
"Okay," Janet paused, and then gave a small smile. "Let's get started on those tests."
Janet rubbed her eyes and turned back to Sam's test results, hoping that they had somehow changed; or that she had made a mistake earlier and didn't really see what she thought she did. But they hadn't changed. It wasn't a mistake. It was a virus. She didn't know what kind, or what had caused it, but the makeup of it was unmistakable. The tests had pointed to a degenerative virus in Sam's blood. One that had focused itself on the optic nerves. It was somehow causing them to slowly shut down; which would explain why everything seemed darker to Sam than it actually was. Janet sighed again as she looked over the test results. What was even more worrying was the pace at which the virus worked and reproduced; which had been steadily increasing of the past few hours. Where would it stop? What if Sam did go blind? Who was to say that the virus would stop at the optic nerves? It was something Janet couldn't bear thinking about. Janet got out of her chair and sighed. It was time to break the news to Sam.
"Is there anything that can be done?" Sam asked, glancing uneasily from Janet to Jack, who had strayed in while Janet had been away.
"Well, Sam, we're dealing with a medically advanced culture here. The virus may very possibly be common among their people. They could already have a cure."
"And if they don't?" Sam stood up out of her chair and started pacing.
"How do we even know she got it on that particular planet?" Jack questioned from his position propped against the wall, his eyes following Sam's movements across the floor.
She stopped and nodded at Jack as she retook her seat. "The Colonel's right. It could be a virus that is dormant for any amount of time. I could have gotten it on any number of planets."
"Hell, from what it sounds like, she could have gotten it on our own damn planet for all we know." Jack punctuated his last few words with a wave of his hands and pushed himself away from the wall to stand beside Sam.
Sam shared a look with Jack and ran a hand over her eyes and sighed. "Is it communicable?"
Janet shook her head. "It shows no sign of being airborne, or passed by touch, or even by ingestion. If it were, we'd have at least a dozen cases on our hands by now. But we don't. To tell you the truth, Sam, I have no idea how you were infected. There are absolutely no clues to go on. It would help if we knew how..."
"But we don't," Sam finished for her quietly. "We need to tell the others."
Janet nodded. "How's your headache?" she asked, watching Sam continue to rub her eyes.
Sam looked up and lowered her hand. She gave a pained smile. "Bad."
Jack winced as if he could feel her pain. "Look, why don't you stay here, lay down a bit. We'll handle this stuff." He sent a look at Janet, making sure she agreed with him. She gave a small nod.
"I think that would be a good idea. Why don't you go and try to get some sleep?" Even though she had asked a question, it was clear that Sam didn't have a choice in the matter. But then she was in no condition to argue, so she nodded.
"I'll have one of the nurses get you something to sleep in. It'll probably be a hospital gown though, sorry." Janet grinned at that wryly. Sam could only lightly chuckle, afraid to encourage her headache.
Jack's face remained a mask of worry. "We'll be back soon. Go and lie down." He motioned to the beds. They watched as Sam made her way to one of the beds. She had choice of any one since she was the only patient there, and chose one farthest from the entrance, in a place that was quiet and dark. Jack remained for a moment longer to make sure she was settled, and then left the infirmary. Janet looked down at the floor and cursed the situation.Sometimes I really hate my job,she thought, and went to go break the news to the General and the rest of SG-1.
"Is she alright Doctor?" Jacob asked, as soon as she and Jack had entered the briefing room.
Janet hesitated; she was unsure of how to continue. Daniel noticed her discomfort and started to get uneasy. "Janet? What's wrong with Sam?"
Janet decided that straightforward was the best way, but first sat down. The others followed her example, as she had hoped they would.
She took a deep breath and then started, "I believe Major Carter was infected with an unknown virus from P6X-112."
General Hammond was the first to break the silence. "What kind of virus?"
Janet took another deep breath. "There's no evidence indicating that the virus is airborne, or communicable through touch or by ingestion, so I don't know how she was infected. It isn't a threat to the SGC."
Jacob frowned. "You're avoiding the question, Doctor. What does it do and is there a cure for it?"
So much for straightforward. "Sir, the virus is degenerative. It's attacking the Major's optic nerves. It's somehow shutting them down. The dimness she experienced today will gradually worsen until she's completely blind," she paused, and looked down at the table, "From there, I have no idea what the virus will do. As for a cure...we won't know until we go back to P6X-112. There's also the possibility that the virus isn't from that planet, it could be from any one of the planets she's been too. It could even be from here on Earth. Without any history of the illness, there's no way to know."
The room was silent once again. Jack leaned back in his chair. This would mean that Sam's career at SGC would be over. Or at least she would never be able to go off world again. This could get bad. "General, permission to go back to P6X-112."
The General thought a moment. "Granted. But I want you to take all the necessary precautions. I can't risk the rest of you getting infected by this virus. Dr. Jackson, I want you to call Teal'c back; since his symbiote protects him, he won't have to take such safety measures, and he will serve as guard."
Daniel nodded. Just then a woman's voice came over the intercom, "Medical Emergency, Dr. Frasier to Infirmary ASAP."
Janet jumped out of her chair. Jacob called to her as he saw Jack stand to follow Janet, "How many patients are in the infirmary right now?"
"Only Sam, sir!" Jack glanced at Hammond, who quickly said, "Dismissed." Hearing this, Jacob, Jack, and Daniel took off down the corridor to the infirmary.
Janet ran in, with the men on her heels, and saw the nurses struggling to keep the seizuring Sam from hurting herself.
"What happened? How long has she been seizuring?"
The nurse on duty looked at her, bewildered. "I don't know, ma'am. The seizure started right before we called you."
Janet nodded. She barked orders for medication, and as the nurse left to fulfill those orders she found herself overwhelmed with Sam. She looked at the three men in the doorway intensely. "I need you to hold down Sam while I put in an IV."
They ran over to help, Jack taking her shoulders and arms, while Daniel took her legs. Jacob was forced to just stand by and watch the events take place. Jack noticed something dark coming out of Sam's ears, and he sucked in his breath as he realized what it was. "Doc," that one statement was spoken with such quiet urgency and worry that Janet picked up on it instantly. As she moved closer she saw what Jack had called her over for with barely concealed horror, "Oh god."
Janet regained her composure and called to the nurse who had gotten the medication to get something to soak up the blood that was now coming from Sam's nose as well as her ears. In a matter of seconds Janet had her on an IV and administered the meds to control the seizure. Instants later her convulsions calmed, even though she was still bleeding.
It had all taken just minutes, though to those present it had seemed an eternity. Jack and Daniel let go of Sam and stepped back, Janet no longer needing their assistance. Janet went to work on cleaning the blood, which had stopped now, off of Sam's neck and face. Sam started moaning.
"Janet? Oh god...my head hurts..."she said in a small voice, obviously trying to hold back tears.
Janet looked down at her friend in distress. "I know, Sam, I know."
Sam opened her eyes frantically looking around as if trying to find something. "Janet, I can't see you," she said, just before she lost consciousness again, her head tilting to one side.
Jack stared hard at Janet, who returned the almost-glare. "What the hell just happened here?"
She looked back down helplessly to the blood-covered face on the gurney. "I don't know sir."
After Daniel had gone to get Teal'c, Hammond, Jack, Jacob and Janet sat in front of an X-Ray viewer looking at a picture of Sam's blood. It was a disturbing sight.
"See? This is what I don't understand. There are thousands of bricks populating Sam's blood. It"-
Jack held up his hand. "Excuse me, 'Bricks'?"
"These," she pointed to the crystal-like blocks in the picture, "are Bricks. They're packed virus particles. They grow inside a cell, copying itself until it populates the blood. Like I said, what I don't understand is why they aren't replicating. It's like they've stalled. After they shut down Sam's optic nerve, the replicating slowed and then completely stopped. But they aren't dying. Which makes no sense. It's unlike any kind of virus I've ever seen."
Jacob moved to her side to get a better look at the magnified snapshot. "Just as a guess," he asked gravely, "What do you think they'll do when they re-animate?"
Janet thought for a moment. "When they were active, they attacked what I think was the first function they could find. And because they sped up so quickly, Sam's brain was caught off-guard. It could have handled it if it had happened gradually; but it wasn't ready for such a rapid attack. That's why she seizured so badly; and that's why there was bleeding. If it does re-animate, it will go on to find the next function in Sam's body to attack. Then the next, and so on. It'll go on until it shuts down every primary function in her body. We need to find a vaccine before it does that."
Hammond sighed. She looked to see if he had anything to say, but he didn't, so she continued. "I have her on antibodies, but they don't seem to help. If I may say so, sir, we need to get back to P6X-112. The doctors there may know something we don't."
The General nodded. "Colonel, as soon as Teal'c and Dr. Jackson returns I want all of you suited up and ready to go through the stargate. Doctor, you will be accompanying them."
Jack and Janet responded with a simultaneous 'Yes sir'.
"I faxed Sam's symptoms and this picture to USAMRIID about half an hour ago. I labeled it urgent, and with their computer upgrade, they should have run it through and found a related match or matches by now...if it's from here, that is. We should get the results soon."
Hammond nodded, and then left the room. Suddenly, from across the room, they heard Sam moan. They all rushed to her bedside, with Jacob putting his hand on her arm.
Janet leaned in, "Sam? Can you hear me?"
Sam opened her eyes and turned her head in the direction of Janet's voice. She opened and closed her eyes several times, as if trying to blink away something from her eyes. When she finally spoke, it was only a whisper. "Janet? I can't see anything." There was an undercurrent of panic in her voice, which Janet caught, so she put her hand on her arm, like Jacob had. "It's alright Sam, we're all here. How are you feeling? Any pain?"
Still in whispers, Sam replied by shaking her head. "What happened? I can't remember."
"You had a seizure."
"Oh. Well, at least I don't have a headache anymore." Sam said, trying to lighten the tense mood in the room. "Can I sit up?"
Janet looked doubtful. "Are you up for that?"
"Yeah."
"Ok," and Janet used the control attached to the bed to move Sam into a sitting position. Sam found her father's hand and held on to it, gaining a concerned look him.
He exchanged glances with Jack, and then turned back to Sam.
She had a small smile on her face. "I hope Mark didn't give you too much grief for ducking out of another family gathering."
"No. I just told him to blame you. He knows you hate those things." Sam's smile got just a little bit bigger.
"Gee, thanks, Dad. I'll remember that come Christmas time." Jacob smiled, along with Janet and Jack, who were watching the two.
"Off-world activation," came over the intercom.
Sam cocked her head to one side. "Did the general call back Teal'c?"
Jack nodded. Then realizing she couldn't see him he said, "Yeah, we're going to P6X-112 to see if we can find anything out about this."
"I'll be going with them, so Lt. Samuels will be here in case you need anything." Janet told her.
Sam nodded. "You guys have fun."
Jack frowned, but didn't say anything. Janet sighed, but still grinned. "We'll do our best." With that, they all left the room, leaving Jacob alone with Sam.
"How're you really feeling, kiddo?"
Sam's smile left her face. She had always been good at putting up fronts, but this particular situation was taking its toll. "Helpless. Really, really helpless. What am I going to do Dad? I mean, if they can't find a cure, there'll be nothing left for me to do here. My career will be over. What am I going to do without my sight?" her voice shook with the last comment, and Jacob tightened his grip on her hand to show her he was there for her. He sat on the edge of the bed. His head dipped, and Selmak took control.
"It is alright, Samantha. The people of the SGC will not allow more harm to come to you if it is within their power."
"And if it isn't?"
Jacob gained control again, and was just about to come up with something comforting when Daniel walked in fully geared up.
"Jacob, General Hammond wants to see...you...uh...I'm sorry...I'm interrupting..."
He said realizing his inconvenient timing.
"No, it's alright. Go on, Dad. I'll be fine." Sam assured. Jacob looked unsure, but with Sam's squeeze of his hand, he kissed her cheek, and went. Daniel stayed behind, wanting to say something, but just not sure of what.
"Daniel, are you still here?"
"Yeah, how did you know?" he said, then winced at the insensitivity of the question.
Sam just smiled with obvious affection. "You're shuffling your feet. You're the only one I know who does that."
Daniel chuckled softly. "How are you?"
Sam sighed. "I wish everyone would stop asking me that." Daniel returned her sigh. "Sorry."
"It's alright. I appreciate your concern. Uh, don't think I'm trying to get rid of you, but shouldn't you be in the gate room?"
"Yeah, I just wanted to see how you were."
"I'm okay, Daniel. Really. You should go, before the Colonel has someone come find you." Daniel was still hesitant, but went anyway.
She shook her head. Whatever was going to happen, whether she got back her sight or not, it needed to happen. She felt like she was in limbo; waiting between two worlds for a decision that would change her life. And it annoyed her, how her friends kept acting strange around her. Or rather they just didn't know how to act at all.I hope this is over soon...
Hammond was just hanging up the phone when Jacob entered the office. He looked at Jacob with a very tired look. "That was USAMRIID. They've never seen anything like this virus before. They've asked for a sample of Major Carter's lood to see and work on. They hope to help in the development of a vaccine, should the virus go any further through the SGC."
Jacob shook his head. "So what you're telling me is that they don't really care if Sam dies from this, as long as it doesn't become an epidemic?"
George sighed. "Yes. I'm sorry Jacob." Hammond sat back in his chair and regarded his friend with a sympathetic look. "Are you sure Selmak doesn't know anything about this? Anything at all that might help?"
Jacob turned, and Selmak replied, "I know nothing that could shed any light on this, General. I wish I did."
"I know. Thank you Selmak."
Jacob threw himself into a chair in front of the desk, and Selmak once again took the back seat. "So now everything depends on that damn planet. I hope to hell that Jack finds something."
George leveled his stare at Jacob. "So do I, old friend. So do I."
SG-1 plus Janet stepped through the gate into a dimly lit room, met by a tall man with dark hair and intense blue eyes. His name was Darnell, and they had met several times during their visits there.
Jack nodded to him. "Hey Darnell."
"Colonel O'Neill, Doctor Jackson, Teal'c," then he looked at Janet. "I don't believe we've met."
Colonel waved his hand in Janet's direction then back to Darnell as he said, "Doctor Janet Frasier, this is Darnell. He's the head of all the doctors here."
"Hello." She replied curtly. She was ready to start research on Sam's illness. "'Doctor Darnell"-
"Just Darnell, please."
Sighing, she nodded. Darnell, we've come for your help. One of our people, Major Carter, has been suffering from the effects of a virus that we can't seem to identify. This was her last known off-world location before she became sick; and we're hoping you might have some previous experience with cases like this.
"I see. What are her symptoms?"
After Janet had related them, Darnell thought a moment, and then shook his head. "I do not believe I have come across or heard of such a virus. However, our planet has, over the years, become a virtual breeding ground for illnesses. That is why we put so much importance on Medical Facilities and advancement. So we can treat emerging viruses and diseases," he saw the looks of disappointment on the teams faces, "Do not worry, Doctor, I assure you that we will do all we can to identify and treat Major Carter's illness. May I make a suggestion?"
Raising an eyebrow, Janet nodded. "Of course."
"I think it would be best if you moved Major Carter here as soon as possible, so we may be better able to study the virus."
Janet looked unsure. "Why can't you come back to Earth with us, or allow us to bring samples we've taken from Major Carter to you?"
"Uh...our facilities are better equipped than yours, and we never know what we might need from Major Carter. It would take too much time to go back and forth between worlds to acquire what we need."
Jack took a long look at Darnell. His excuse had seemed just that; an excuse. He wasn't sure he trusted this guy. It was strange though, the man had never, in all the times the team had been there, given Jack a reason to distrust him, there was no reason he should have a bad feeling about the guy. But the man was going to help save Sam, and who was he to stand in the way of that? "Look, Darnell, I can't promise anything, but I'll see what I can do."
Smiling a little too brightly for Jack's liking, he nodded. "Thank you, Colonel. Now Doctor," he said, looking to Janet, "I assume you brought a sample of Major Carter's blood?"
Janet removed the knapsack she had been carrying that contained the samples, and handed them to him.
Darnell stared at the samples for a moment, then moved his eyes back to the team. "I will analyze this while you and your superiors decide what you wish to do."
Jack gave a crisp nod, and then signaled Daniel to dial them out.
That's all...for now...
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