Illness (4th Chapter in the "Arrival" series)
Illness (4th Chapter in the "Arrival" series)
by Bexy
Title: Illness (4th Chapter in the "Arrival" series)
Author: Bexy
Email: bexy81@hotmail.com
Category: Action/Adventure, Angst, Drama, Series
Episode related: 506 Rite of Passage
Season: Season 6
Pairing: Daniel/other
Rating: PG
Warnings: violence
Summary: As Daniel gets the co-odinates for Heom, Becara suddenly goes into a voilent seizure. The true nature of her 'illness' rears it's ugly head.
Sequel to: Suspicion Can Make You Blind (3rd Chapter in the "Arrival" series)
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. I 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 author(s).
ARRIVAL:
ILLNESS
Chapter four
In the briefing room over looking the de-activated stargate General Hammond and Dr Fraiser sat along with SG-1 at the large familiar, mahogany red and black table. They were discussing what to do with their most recent unexpected visitor.
"For all we know it could be a trap. Hell, it probably is!" Jack stated plainly, not afraid to let the others know what he thought.
"How exactly?" Daniel asked, pushing him to clarify how he came to that conclusion.
"Think Daniel. Like with Cassandra. We take her in, sympathise with her, and then, when we try to help her by letting her go, or going back with her, the Goa'uld pounce. They're not above all that kind of low-life stuff y'know" Jack explained, giving him a reminding eye.
"But Colonel, if what she is saying is true, then we could be exposing ourselves to some illness that we know nothing about. Dr Jackson said that she had told him that it would be too dangerous to hold her here," Dr Fraiser added, making sure that they were awear of all the facts
"Another way to make us send her back," Jack pointed out, glancing sideways at Daniel.
"Perhaps. However, I personally don't like the risks. For all we know this could be a deadly fleash eating virus, or, just a common cold. At the first sign of anything medicly related I am putting her into quarentine," Janet told them matter of factly, concerned not just for the welfare of the base personel and that of Earth, but she was also concerned about Becara. General Hammond nodded in agreement.
"What baffeled me was how she got here in the first place," he stated.
"Well, there was a window of about one and a half seconds before the Iris was closed," Daniel stated as he leanded forward and locked his fingers together. It was common knowledge that they couldn't activate the Iris before the event horizon was engaged. Otherwise the vortex that shot out would disintigrate the Iris into nothing, it would defeat the purpose of having the defencive shield at all.
"She's got to be lady luck herself then," Jack pointed out, "she's extremely lucky that she didn't get killed. And I mean, extremely, EXTEMELY lucky," he pressed, stressing the last repartition a little too far.
"That is an understatement," Teal'c said slowly in reflective thought from the far end of the table.
"I'll say," Sam agreed as she glanced back at the Jaffa.
"We need more information," Hammond simply said to the others.
"Perhaps we should get the co-ordinates and take a look at her home world first for ourselves," Teal'c suggested.
"That's a very good idea," General Hammond said, "we need to find out if she is really telling us the truth or not. Before anything bad happens" The others paused in brief thought and without objection. "Dr Jackson, you seem to be most likely to get her to open up to you. I want you to find out these gate co-ordinates, and if you can, see what else you can learn about this, new Goa'uld." Daniel nodded. General Hammond, now satisfied that they had come up with a reasonable plan of attack, told them that they were dismissed.
~
Becara looked up from her position on the bed as Daniel was let back into the small room that she was currently being confined to. It seemed to Daniel that she still hadn't moved since he was in there last. Becara noticed that this time he did not have company and she automaticly felt a lot more comfortable because of it.
"Hey," he simply said in greeting has he closed the door behind himself.
"You are alone this time," Becara pointed out as he came over closer. He nodded and grabbed the only other piece of furnature in the room, the coffee table, and pulled it over to use as a seat.
"Yeah, I am. The others are, busy," Daniel lied. Becara knew this, she knew how these things went. It was not the first time that she had been in a simmilar situation, however, she hoped that it would not be her last.
"Oh, I see," she said as she watched him get comfortable on the table, "and to what do I owe the pleasure then of this visit?" She was being half polite and half sarcastic. Daniel picked up on this. Then he decided that it would probably be best not to beat around the bush with her.
"Well," he began slowly, he leaned his elbows forward onto his knees and cupped his hands together, "firstly, I just want to be sure that you understand why this is happening. It isn' t anything personal, it's just that the safety protocall is there for a reason. We can't be certain if your are telling the truth or not, as much as we would like to believe you. You have to understand the risk we would be taking if we did let you return"
"Daniel, I know," Becara replied as she leaned forward in a simmilar manner. Daniel, once again was presented with a reply that he was not expecting. "I understand, and I fully agree with the reasons that your people have for not being very forth-comming with help. I know first hand how bad the Goa'uld are as much as you do. I do not want your people to have to deal with them, as much as I want to deal with them myself."
"But, you have some entitlements as well," Daniel found himself telling her, "we're not about to just let you die."
Becara smiled at him and glanced down at the carpeted floor. It was the first time that Daniel, or anyone for that matter had seen her smile. It was the kind of smile that just made you want to smile back. And it looked so much better on her than that sad expression that she had been forced to drag around for so long. "Thank you," she simply said. She then looked up at him and the heart lifting smile that she had displayed just a moment ago faded.
"But...how?" she asked him.
"We can't let you go back, not untill we're certain of the facts. Or should I say; not untill my colieges are certain," Daniel informed her, reffering to the doubtfull others.
"So, you belive me then?" Becara questioned, her face softening once more.
"Yes, I guess I do. I don't know why. But, you need someone to belive you," he told her. She smiled again; that was what he wanted.
"You are very kind," Becara complimented him. She cocked her head to the side slightly as a thought entered her mind, "but, that is not why you are here is it?"
"Erm, no. It' s not. For us, them, to believe you, they need more information. They want to go to your home planet and check things out first hand," Daniel addmitted.
Becara wasn't too sure about this, but she saw that there was no other alternative. "I will give you the co-ordinates if you really desire them, but, I should warn you about the situation of the planet that you would embark to," she began, a look of concern crossing her face once more. Daniel stared at her and furrowed his brow.
"Go on," he replied, his interest now peaking.
"When you first travel through the Stargate there will be Jaffa there, at least two. Lord Rahotep uses the Gate often, so expect them to be very alert. Almost every time I travel back they sieze me and drag me off without thinking twice. If you do go there then you must be prepared," Becara explained. Daniel nodded. "Although, I gather that you would not go anywhere without protection regardless," she added.
"Well, we always have a weapon of some sort each with us," Daniel informed her.
Becara nodded, "if...when you do defeat them you must travel up the nearby road that leads to Rahoteps stronghold. A huge palace of black marble floors and gold walls. He is very vain. You will be able to see it from the Stargate. You must not turn left once you reach the High Temple, regardless if it looks like an easier road to his palace. There will be many Jaffa using this route and you will be surely spotted. Take the other path. It may be a little longer and narrower, but that is why my masters Jaffa do not use it."
"Okay, right at the High Temple to get to the palace," Daniel summerised. Becara nodded and then frowned.
"There is only one problem with the second trail. It does not lead all the way to Lord Rahoteps palace. It actually passes directly behind it," she told him.
"No, no that's good. We'll cut across and check things out," Daniel replied. Becara sighed and looked at him worried. She didn't speak and she didn't move. "What's wrong?" he had to ask.
"If you are captured, you WILL be tortured to death," she told him slowly, "I have heard the screams of many a man that have crossed the Goa'uld Rahotep. Please, be very careful. He shows no mercy at all, and is too quick to judge. He is extremly stubborn and very hard to please."
"Sounds like all the other Goa'ulds that we've defeated so far," Daniel pointed out with a small smile. But he did not get the responce that he was after this time. He thought that she might be slightly relieved apon hearing that they had dealt with his kind before, however she just seemed even more concerned. Daniel guessed that something had happened to her that directly involved this new System Lord. He frowned also, leaning in towards her. "Do you have anyone you can return to? Anyone at all?" he simply asked. He had an awful feeling.
Becara didn't reply strait away. It was obvious that he had come across something. She lowered her eyes from his and shook her head. "He killed my mother when I returned home late once. Then my younger brother, slain by his own hand when I came back without the information that he demanded of me. My sister, she was taken just to spite me to do his will. I, I doubt that she is even alive anymore. Then, my dear father...He was...." she never finished her sentence. Instead she closed her eyes and sat silently.
Daniel felt really bad now for reserfacing those memories. He got up and sat beside her and placed his left hand on her middle back for comfort. "I'm sorry," he apoligised, "but I had to ask."
Becara nodded, opening her eyes and looking strait ahead, "I know. But there is no one else." She paused and Daniel let her take her time, "I know I said that I do not want to live in a world that treats strangers the way yours does, but there are far worse ways of life. I would rather stay here and die. But that would be far too dangerous for you and your friends." Daniel frowned and then noticed that she was looking down at the silver device that was implanted onto her wrist. His thoughts changed now to other things.
"What do you mean?" he asked slowly, not knowing if it was something that he would really want to hear.
"I cannot be totally certain, as most of what I know is from patchy memories that I have from falling in and out of conciousness at the time. I have never fallen ill on another planet. Not to the extent that I have on Heom," she told him. Daniel looked at her confused.
"Sometimes, if Lord Rahotep was feeling particularly nasty, he would make me wait untill the few moments before it would be too late to give me the treatment," she explained. The expressions on Daniels face went from confusion to shock, to anger, and to concern. He doubted that this Rahotep character was going to be on his list of people he let live given the chance.
"Anyway," Becara continued, before he could say anything, "I remember, as I began to worsen, that people were reluctant to come near me. They said that they recieved an electric shock every time that they touched the metal bench that I was laying on. At first I did not know what to make of it but, then I realised that the more I thought about it the worse the shocks became to those watching me. Then, I remember waking once to voices cursing and yelling. When I opened my eyes the people were litterally floating above the floor and they could not move. I guessed that it was because of me. That was when they first discovered one of the side affects of this illness."
"Telekanisis," Daniel simply said, completely engrossed in the story being told. Becara looked at him strangly, and then it clicked that she had never heard that term before. "It's what we call it when a person has the ability to manipulate objects by a means other than a physical one," he explained. Becara nodded now understanding. Daniel suddenly had a revelation. "Hang on," he began, furrowing his brow in serious concideration, "were you burning up with a terrible fever?"
"Yes," she replied as she looked up at him very interested, "why?"
"Maybe, just maybe, this illness, we may have come across it before," he replied with enthusiasim. "The symptoms seem to be the same. But the only way to find out is to wait for the virus to show itself," he told her.
Becara stared at him and frowned, then she looked down at the light in the center of her implant. It was very dull and soon it would be compleatly gone. "Then you will not have to wait long," she told him, "once this indicating light goes out then the illness will rise and take over. It could happen at any moment."
Daniels eyes widened, "then we should have you in the infermary now!" he exclaimed. He stood up and went to the door. The SF outside opened it and Daniel told him to call for General Hammond and Dr Fraiser immedeatly. The officer nodded and went to the nearby intercom on the wall. Daniel turned back to their guest and told her that things were going to be fine. She wanted to believe him, but she wasn't too sure.
"Do you still want those symbols you need to dial to Heom?" she then asked him. Daniel nodded and pulled out a pen and paper from his back pocket. He held it out for her to draw the co-ordinates herself. She quietly found the pen to be rather clever, being the first time she had ever used one, and then she proceeded to draw in single lines the shapes of the symbols.
While he waited Daniel moved back over to the door and looked out to see if the others were on their way yet. The hall was empty except for the two guards posted outside. Then he heard a small tap as if something little had fallen to the floor. He turned back to Becara to see her sitting oddly and the pen on the carpet. She looked strange, her arms were pulled in close to her sides and her eyes were closed.
"Becara?" Daniel asked as he frowned, "are you okay?" there was no responce. He moved over to her, and as he did so he saw her begin to shiver slightly. Concerned, he quickly kneeled down in front of her and held onto her shoulders, "Becara? Are you alright? Look at me." Instead of nodding and opening her eyes as he would have liked, she fell forwards into him and the shaking suddenly became worse. Now Daniel's eyes widened, he was very worried.
"We need a medical unit in here!!" he yelled out to the guards outside, "now!!" One of the men turned and glanced into the room and then quickly moved to the intercom. The other looked in after him and then opened the door. He had his hand ready to his hip over his gun but he soon found that he wouldn't need it. He pushed gainst the door untill it was all the way open and it stayed that way. Then he darted into the small confinement to give Daniel much needed assistance.
By now Becaras shaking was more like an epileptic seizure. Daniel carefully layed her onto the floor instead of the bed and made sure that she was out of harms way. Her small body shook violently as her face contorted with a writhing pain. A second later Dr Fraiser came racing into the room full of purpose, followed by three other medical assistants. General Hammond stopped at the doorway with the other SF.
"What's going on?" she immedieatly asked Daniel as she leaned down next to the young woman. He shifted out of Janets way and let her take controll. She quickly put her hand over Becaras forehead and then told the others to help her roll her onto her side carfully. "Daniel?" she pressed as she glanced up at him sideways.
"She was just sitting there one minute, and the next she was having a full on seizure," he simply replied. He noticed in all the fuss that the light on her wrist was gone now. It took two minutes before Becara calmed down. They couldn't move her untill she did, and they were glad that she quickly regained conciousness.
"I think she may have the same virus that Cassandra had," Daniel simply said as they put her onto the nearby stretcher. Janet halted and stared at him in surprise, she then frowned.
"What?! How?" she simply asked.
"I'll explain later," Daniel replied. Dr Fraiser nodded slowly, obviously wanting an explaination then and there but knowing that there was no time for it. She then followed her staff with her paitent to the infermary. Daniel stood next to General Hammond in the doorway and watched as they left.
"You'd better fill me in Doctor," Hammond said as he looked over at the man. Daniel nodded as he looked down at the peice of paper that he had retrieved from the floor with its seven symbols drawn onto it. They then followed the others and the scene was soon left with the two SFs not really knowing wether or not they should stay or go. They decided to stay.
~
Jack, Sam and Teal'c made their way into the shielded medical room. They were unable to put her in any of the beds in the infermary because her body was generating an EM field and the computers were going haywire. At least in here it was isolated, the closest thing that Dr Fraiser could get to quarentiene at the moment. A couple of the staff had small burns on their hands along with Dr Fraiser, and when they explained to them that it was a result of them touching the metal side railing on the bed, Daniel only nodded knowingly.
"What happened?!" Sam asked as they gathered around. Becara was lying unconcious in the bed and her skin looked clammy and flushed. She had an extremely high temperature and it was steadily rising. Janet was just glad that the convulsions had stopped
"We're not compleatly sure," Janet replied as she glanced over, "but I have this feeling that I know what it is," she turned back to them, "I have to run some more tests, however, this looks suspiciously a lot like Cassandras case."
Sam looked at her in the same way that Janet had looked at Daniel when he had suggested it as well, "you're kidding?" Janet looked back down at the young woman and shook her head slowly in reply.
"And what's more, now we know that she was telling us the truth," Daniel added, hoping that they would all agree with him. However, he was certain that particular members wouldn't.
"We still need to check out this planet," Hammond imformed them. "Dr Fraiser, let me know the instant that you learn anything new. I won't send SG-1 untill we have a reasonable idea of what is happening here." With that she set to work as the others got orginised to leave as soon as Hammond gave the go ahead.
~
Sam and Daniel were the first ones to hear the news. They had been particularly interested and had arrived way before Dr Fraiser was finished. However, the news was both good and bad. Becara was awake now and she appeared to be handeling the illness rather well, regarding the fact that her temperature was 87 degrees and rising.
"You were right Daniel, she does appear to have contracted some sort of retro-virus, very simmilar to that of Cassandras infection. She has an abnormal EM field, like Cassies, but, this seems much more controlled than hers was. So an MRI is out of the question. I have administered some anti-viral medication but, I doubt it will do much if anything. Her body isn't producing any anti-bodies to fight the virus. My guess is that she will follow along the same course as Cassie did, so, we'd better do something fast before her body can no longer sustain the changes that this virus is doing to her DNA," Janet explained as they wandered over to the paitent in question. They looked down at her, she was awake, but her eyes where closed. When she senced the presence of others she slowly opened them and looked up at the three faces.
"How are you feeling?" Janet asked her after she glanced at the medical equipment that Becara was hooked up to. The young woman tried to smile but it was obvious that she was not in the best of ways.
"I have been much better," she said lightly, trying to amuse herself. Daniel and Sam smiled at the comment. Somehow now, she didn't seem such a stranger.
"I would think so," Dr Fraiser agreed as she went around to the other side of her bed to check a computer screen. "I gave her some dantralin to reduce the fever, however it dosen't seem to be having any affect. I don't want to give her more than I have to," she added to the others as her eyes scanned the images and text before her.
"We're sorry that we didn't believe you," Sam said apolageticly. Becara exchanged glances between the two and she could tell that the Major was sincere. Daniel put his hands in his pockets and looked down at the floor beside the bed. It seemed to Becara that he felt uncomfortable being there. In fact, it was really because he was still annoyed that the others hadn't been more forth comming in the first place.
"I understand," she replied slowly and with a dry voice. Her eyes appeared to be real rich green, however this was only enhanced by the fact that the whites had gone red with bouts of crying earlier when they were away. She had been in great pain, and even an injection of morphine took too long a time to have the desired effect. Daniel looked down at her and the expression on his face told her what he was thinking, he was not happy. He knew that she shouldn't have had to have gone through that. Even if she was a spy, there were such things as human rights. That was how he felt anyway, and he was resolute in his desicions.
"Sam, I have an idea, but I need your help if it's to work," Dr Fraiser then said as she turned to them. As if the two were connected mentally Sam seemed to get the same notion.
"The Goa'uld devices Nurti used to heal Cassandra," Sam agreed. She half smiled to herself in both amusement and annoyance, surprised with herself that she hadn't thought of that earlier.
"Yes. Of course it may not work. This isn't the same retro-virus, and, no offence, but you aren't as skilled at using the Goa'uld devices as Nurti would've been. But it's worth a try on all accounts," Janet replied, showing that she had indeed, unlike Sam, had the passing thought before.
"What is this?" Becara asked confused and half dazed.
"It doesn't matter right now," Daniel reassured her as he put his hand out onto her shoulder gently, "we're going to get you better and that's all you need to worry about."
"I say we try it," Sam said as she glanced between Daniel and Becara. She looked up at Janet ernestly, "before she gets too bad." Janet nodded and in a blink of an eye, Sam had run off to retrieve a Goa'uld hand held healing device, which she had sucessfully used before, and another device, also used for healing, that was relativly new.
Dr Fraiser was just about to call General Hammond down to the sheilded room when she noticed Daniel getting antsy. She looked down at Becara and she realised that she now had her eyes closed again. What starteled her, and by the expression on Daniels face, him also, was that her eyelids had begun to flutter. Then her arms became ridgid and that was when Janet ran back over to her.
"What's happening to her?" Daniel asked concerned, not very well versed in medical matters.
"I have no idea," Janet said worridly as she looked up at him in concern. As she tried to get a temperature reading, all the small glass and metal objects in the room began to rattle lightly. Quiet at first, tinkeling as if someone was tapping them together lightly. Then the rattling turned to a louder clanging and the shelves and benches began to trembel. A low rumbeling sound filled the room and everyone immedeatly thought they were experienceing a freak tremmor.
Nurses and other personel were trying to hold things still when suddenly a glass flask smashed where it stood alone on the stainless steel bench top. Then as if it set off a chain reaction, the rest of the glasswear in the room exploded, shattering sharp and dangerous shards over the petrified staff. The medical personel yelpled in shock as they crouched to the floor for cover from the tiny sharp missiles. Whatever didn't break flew across the room at breackneck speeds and smashed onto the walls and floor around them. Daniel and Janet covered their heads with their arms and turned their backs as the bag connected to Becaras drip line exploded violently and drenched them all, including the paitent.
Suddenly it all stopped and Becara sat upright with a fright from the cold liquid. She was breathing as if out of breath and she covered her mouth with her hands. There was no more shaking of shelves or exploding test tubes and flasks. The nearby personel slowly got to their feet and looked about themselves in shock. That definatly was no tremmor. Earthquakes do not cause glass jars and tubes to blow up spontainiously, let alone fly across the room. In the background the base alarm was sounding.
Drenched in the syrupy drip liquid, Daniel and Dr Fraiser turned back to see an equally wet Becara sitting upright in bed, wide awake and breathing heavilly as if woken from a nightmare, her hands shaking. She turned to see the huge mess that now covered the room and then she looked up at Dr Fraiser, eyes wide and confused. With great concern Janet moved over and put her hand on her forhead. Then in amaizment she looked over at Daniel.
"Her fever, it's, it's dropped dramaticly!" she exclaimed perplexed.
Daniel frowned in thought and removed his now dripping wet glasses. He was extemely lucky that they hadn't exploded also, unlike Janets thermometer. With his other hand he wiped away the liquid that was in his eyes and he took a good look around him and then down at the young woman in the medical bed.
Becara turned to the archeolagist and a look of revilation swept over her face, "it's getting worse," she simply said to him. He frowned and then his face turned to worry as he looked up at Janet slowly, recalling the tale about what happened to the Jaffa that had kept her to the brink of death. Just then General Hammond hurried in along with Jack. They soon discovered that not only had Becara had been telling the truth, that she had a very good reason for wanting to be let go so badly.
...to be continued...
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