by Karen Miller
Teal’c said, “It would explain why they have begun attacking again, now that your people are vulnerable.”
“Abominable,” Magasi said. “I do not believe even the Faratar would do something so ghastly.”
One of the guards said, “They wish to annex this land, subjugate the people. Why would they poison that which they wish to own?”
“Those in search of power have done far worse things in the heat of battle.”
Janet held up her hands to stop the debate. “Okay! We don’t need to know exactly how this illness began, right now we just need to know what it is. Sarah, Wendy, set up over there, please?” She scanned the patients and said, “Do they know who we are? Why we’re here? I don’t want to just start poking and prodding without a little bit of introduction.”
Magasi nodded. “We informed them that specialists were coming. They might be a little trepidatious about having an alien treating them, but I am certain it will go away if you can help ease their pain.”
“I’ll do what I can.” She put on a pair of gloves and moved to the nearest patient. He was lying on a bed high enough that she didn’t have to crouch or bend over to converse with him. His trembling hands were folded on his chest, and he was sweating through his thin shirt despite the cool temperature of the room. She offered a reassuring smile. “Hello. I’m Dr. Janet Fraiser.”
“And I am Whara.” He looked past her to Magasi. “Taoiseach Magasi says you are from another planet.”
“That’s right. It’s a place called Earth. From what I’ve seen of your world, they’re very similar. We’re just a little farther along when it comes to medicine and technology. I’d like to see if I can help you.”
He smiled weakly. “That would be great, Dr. Fraiser.”
“Call me Janet.” Wendy brought over a small medical kit. “Let’s start with your symptoms…”
She spoke to several of the patients and compared their initial symptoms with those Sarah and Wendy examined. Fever, headache, nausea, cough, and abdominal pain seemed to be universal, while some were also complaining of chest pain and shortness of breath. She had just finished with her last patient when Sam came down to tell her SG-2 and SG-3 had arrived. “They’re setting up a perimeter,” she said as she looked around the sickroom. “Just in case the other side tries to attack again. Daniel is trying to set up a high-level meeting to discuss a more solid truce.”
“Colonel O’Neill is probably furious he’s missing this now.”
“Oh, I’ll never hear the end of it. ‘Carter,’” she said, affecting a deeper, gruff voice, “‘Why is it when you do a boring diplomatic mission, you get to have all the fun?’”
Janet chuckled. “Poor guy.”
Sam looked at the patients. “How are things going down here?”
“As well as can be expected, given the circumstances. I asked for a room with ventilation to the outside so I can run some tests. I’m rushing as carefully as I can because I know General Hammond will want us back as soon as possible. Hopefully we’ll know more in a few hours.”
“Hours as in home by dinner or…?”
“I can’t be more specific, Sam. I’m sorry. Ideally I would say you have to wait two or three days for just one result, but I know we’re working against the clock.”
Sam said, “Okay. Let me know if you need anything from us.”
Janet thanked her and went into the makeshift laboratory. Magasi had left hours ago, but his men were still lingering near the stairs. She couldn’t tell if they were there to watch her team or if they were acting as security in the event of another attack. Whether they were guards or babysitters, she was glad Teal’c had elected to remain as well. There was a high window that looked out at ground level, and Teal’c was positioned on the steps so he could see out. He loomed large above the Ialaran officials, a silent warning that Janet and her medical team were protected.
As Janet began the tests, she thought about Magasi’s skepticism of her ‘dichotomy.’ A doctor who also served in the military. Of course she wasn’t a front-line soldier. She didn’t carry a P-90 into war zones to shoot Jaffa, but she had the training to do just that if the need arose. She likened it to the fact that Daniel had also become proficient in using firearms due to the nature of their jobs.
Her ex-husband had been equally confused, but for different reasons. He, like her father, was an Army grunt. There was a time just after their marriage when he tried to convince her she didn’t need to work at all. She was fresh out of high school and still trying to decide what to do about college, and he floated the idea of becoming a homemaker like her mother. “There’s no shame in it,” he said. “Lots of women are homemakers and they’re happy.”
She agreed with him on that point. Her mother was one of the most fulfilled women she knew. Marjorie Fraiser raised three children while her husband was deployed. She would knit and make alterations for the other families in the neighborhood. She taught Janet the importance of having a sense of humor and living a life that was her own and not beholden to anyone else. It was her mom who convinced her to think about the military.
Her father wanted her to join the Army, like him, but her heart was set on the Air Force. She knew the Army would make her into a soldier that could mend a broken bone whereas she preferred to be a doctor who happened to have a rank and followed regulations. She wanted to be part of something, not just another cog in the machine. The Air Force would provide that.
She waited until her mind was made up before she suggested the idea to her husband. The first time she brought it up, he laughed and kept reading his magazine. The second time, he only looked at her as if she’d started speaking another language. He didn’t grace her with an actual response until the third time she said she wanted to join the Air Force.
“You outta your mind, honeybuns?” He didn’t even bother taking his eyes off the game. “There’s a reason why they call it ‘this man’s army’.”
“I’m not joining the Army. I’m joining the Air Force. They’ve had women since World War II.”
“I don’t know, Janet. Why don’t we think about it for a little while before we do anything drastic?”
So Janet thought about it. She thought about it as she studied for and took the qualifying test, which she passed with flying colors, and the physical fitness test. When she got her results, she placed them on the dinner table just after her husband had been served. He frowned at them where they lay, and then finally picked them up and ran his eyes over the words.
“What is this?”
“It’s my future,” she said as she began eating. “You can either be a part of it or not.”
He stared at her and then dropped the papers. “I’m proud of you, baby. Those are some good scores. But just because you got in doesn’t mean you have to go.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s how it works.”
He put down his fork and rested his hands on either side of his plate. “I’m not going to be married to some flygirl soldier, Janet.”
“I’ll be a doctor first, a soldier second, and I doubt I’ll actually be flying anything. And if that’s not a person you can be married to… then that’s your choice.”
The divorce went through quicker than she would have thought. She knew he was reacting from a position of pride, a necessity to protect himself in the eyes of his macho friends. She considered herself lucky that she’d only lost three years to his special brand of shortsighted misogyny. Soon she was too busy to waste much time thinking about him. The only time he crossed her mind was when she knew he would’ve been irritated. Late hours studying instead of taking care of him, focusing on her work rather than fulfilling his every need.
Janet pushed thoughts of him away and forced her mind back to the task at hand. She was running the serology by rote, using whatever shortcuts she could think of that wouldn
’t compromise the results. Outside the air was suddenly split by a wail that rose in volume until it was impossible to ignore. Her Scottish grandmother would have warned her it was the banshee’s cry, but Janet spent most of her childhood in Texas. She knew a storm siren when she heard one, no matter what planet she happened to be on.
She rose from her seat and left the lab to make sure her instinct was correct. Teal’c had taken note of the siren as well. He held his staff weapon with a tight grip, ready to use it at a moment’s notice, and was turned so he could see the window without moving his head. The Ialaran guards were gone, but Janet tried not to read too much into their absence. Teal’c looked over at her before she could announce her arrival.
“Is everything okay?”
Teal’c said, “The leader of the Ialaran guard assured me it was nothing more than a weather alert. Immediately thereafter he and his men left to see if their assistance was required.”
“And that took all of their men?”
“So they claim,” he said quietly.
She could see through the window that the sky had darkened dramatically in the time she’d been working. She wished she’d had the foresight to adjust her watch to local time; the change in light could be due to a storm moving in or simply the approach of night. Teal’c’s radio came to life with Sam’s voice. She was speaking in a hushed tone that amped up Janet’s worry.
“Teal’c, come in.”
“I am here,” he said.
“How many Ialaran guards are with you?”
Teal’c said, “They departed at the sound of the sirens.”
“That’s what I was afraid of. I think they know something they’re not telling us. They’ve doubled up on guards, and every point of entrance has been turned into a blockade. And Magasi has been acting squirrely since we dropped you off in the infirmary.”
Teal’c looked at Janet, who said, “Squirrely, uh, it means he’s been jumpy and tense.”
“I see.” He inclined his head toward the window and looked outside as he ran this through his mind. “Major Carter, do you require my assistance?”
“Not yet. I just wanted to make you aware of the situation.”
Janet stepped closer so she could be heard over Teal’c’s radio. “Sam, it’s Janet. Do you think we’re at risk?”
“Not from the Banu. But I think they’ve gotten word their enemies are about to make a move, and they’re keeping that information from us for some reason.”
Janet said, “Well, it’s obvious. They don’t want us to leave. They finally got a medical team here that can help their people, and now they think we’re going to run.”
Sam said, “I’m starting to think that might not be such a bad idea. Banu Canton pushed back their enemies once before. If we went back to the SGC until things cooled off again…”
“I won’t go,” Janet said. Teal’c looked at her curiously, but she ignored him. “Major, we have no idea how long it would be before we came back. Every person in this room could be dead by then. If we don’t find out what’s causing people to get sick, it could spread. I’m staying here until I have some answers.”
There was silence on the other end of the radio. Finally Sam came back. “Okay. I’ll contact the SGC to let them know things are heating up here, and I’ll push Magasi for more information.”
Teal’c said, “I would like to remain here with Dr. Fraiser and her team.”
“I was just about to suggest that. I’ll let you know if we need you up here.”
He dropped his hand from the radio. “You would truly remain even if the fighting were to reach this building?”
“Of course,” Janet said.
“Then I shall not leave your side.”
Janet smiled. “Thank you, Teal’c. I’m going to get back to my work.”
He dipped his head in a bow.
Janet checked in with Wendy, who was helping to make the patients comfortable, and then returned to the lab. Sarah looked up from her own work. “Everything okay out there?” she said.
Janet took her seat. “Night, war, or a storm. Maybe all three.”
“Well, General Hammond promised us ‘interesting’ when we signed up.”
Janet laughed. “That he did.”
The war resumed at six-thirty in the evening, by Janet’s watch. She knew it was much later on Ialara but it was hard to gauge having spent most of her time holed up in the lab. At first she thought it was lightning cracking overhead, but she quickly realized it was artillery fire. Teal’c received an update over the radio and left his post at the stairs to explain to her what was happening. Apparently Faratar Canton had used the storm to cover their approach, attacking as the people of Banu Canton were taking cover. Sarah finally got up the courage to ask Teal’c if they were in danger.
“Major Carter does not believe so. Magasi has surrendered the pretense of normalcy and admitted they are under siege. I believe the combined forces of the Banu military and the teams sent by the SGC shall be sufficient to hold off any direct attacks.”
Janet had joined them again. “I think they’d be even more sufficient if you’re up there with them.”
“I shall remain here to watch over you.”
Janet sighed, “Teal’c, if they get this far, we’ll already be in deep trouble. I’ll feel a lot safer if you’re topside keeping them at bay.” He hesitated again, so she put her hand on his arm to guide him back to the stairs. “I’ll be fine here with Sarah and Wendy to keep working on the illness. You’re wasted down here. Tell Sam I ordered you to leave your post and go help.”
“I do not believe you have the authority —”
“Teal’c.”
He wisely reconsidered finishing the thought.
“We have radios to call for help and we have guns to hold off anyone that does get this far. Just go up there and make sure they don’t get a chance.”
“As you wish, Dr. Fraiser.”
He turned and ascended the stairs two at a time, ducking through the doorway at the top and disappearing onto the ground level. Outside, Janet heard another volley of small-arms fire. It sounded even closer than it had before, but her anxiety was eased by the familiar clatter of a P90 in response. She looked away from the rain-streaked window and saw Wendy and Sarah were watching her. They were Air Force officers, just like her, and she knew they would have made the same decision if they were in charge.
“How are we doing?”
Sarah said, “We can have extremely preliminary results from the serology in a few hours. We can look for specific things and eliminate what it isn’t.”
“A few patients required tranquilizers when the storm moved in,” Wendy reported. “They’re resting comfortably, and I’m monitoring them to make sure there are no adverse reactions.”
“Keep up the good work, Wendy. Sarah, let’s get back to it.”
Well aware of how long she’d been on the planet, and knowing how she would react if a member of any team revealed they hadn’t eaten, Janet searched the pockets of her vest until she found a protein bar. She tore it open and ate as she stared at the work table.
She wanted to be confident for Wendy and Sarah, and especially for SG-1, but there was a possibility she wouldn’t find the answer. She’d operated under much stricter time limits than these, been forced to compromise proper procedure to beat a ticking clock, but there wasn’t much that could compare to an army beating down the door. If the Faratan Canton took over again, there was a chance anyone she saved would just be taken prisoner or killed. But she couldn’t think like that. She had to keep searching for the answer as long as she was able.
She had trained for moments like this. She had spent years studying how to isolate and treat exotic diseases in the most remote locations imaginable. Of course, at the time, her idea of a remote posting wa
s Afghanistan or maybe Sudan. Alien worlds were an impossibility she never even once entertained. In her time at the SGC she’d seen truly remarkable, terrible things. She now faced diseases that had no corollary on Earth, or which affected alien physiology but couldn’t cross over to the Tau’ri, or ancient viruses that had been wiped out for centuries only to thrive on some alien world. In all these cases it fell to her expertise to find out what was causing the ailment and not only how to cure it, but how to ensure the diseases didn’t spread to Earth. It was a responsibility she didn’t take lightly.
And she would never forget how fortunate she was to serve at the SGC. Seven years earlier she’d been working at the Air Force Academy Hospital when she was ordered to report to Cheyenne Mountain. Their chief medical officer had been killed and she was the closest ranking physician available to fill in. She didn’t know what to expect when she arrived at what she assumed was NORAD, but the stack of non-disclosure forms and the veritable wall of security made her incredibly anxious as she was led into the bowels of the mountain. Despite all the buildup, when she finally stepped out of the elevator she found herself in the same unremarkable concrete box she recognized from other postings. Between her own work and her father’s career, it seemed half her life had been spent in corridors just like that one.
Standing at the intersection of the corridors was General George Hammond. Janet smiled when she thought about the first time she met him. Hammond looked like a big bear of a man but his face was kind and comforting. He chuckled slightly when he saw how wide-eyed she was. “It’s a bit daunting, isn’t it?”
“Yes, sir. I thought I was only filling in until a more permanent replacement could be found.”
“That was the plan. And if you decide to leave after you see what I’m about to show you, no one would think any less of you.”
