Finally the Odyssey came home and delivered us, along with some alarming news, onto Earth's front steps, hoping that the Ori were not close behind. Vala was particularly relieved to be back on Earth and hurried to her quarters as soon as the whole crew was cleared. Daniel went to his lab to study Merlin’s history some more. Cam stood in the infirmary bouncing a ball in the middle of the floor until Dr. Lam, in a rage, tore the ball in half and threw him out. Sadly his attempts at asking her out fell on deaf ears. I told him it was all about timing. Sam and Teal’c assisted Daniel in research and in studying the super gate. It still could be opened, and that scared us all.

"Come in!"

"General, Sir," I said, coming into General Landry's office. "I'm baaack."

"I am glad, Doctor. We have some interesting leads that may actually use your unique talents."

"That I can put a tranc into someone while under fire?"

"No, but that is good to note, incase it comes down to that. I hear your step father is a farmer." Landry leaned back for a moment and smiled. "I admire someone who works with their hands to get the land to bend. I believe you were also the cultural engineer aboard the Prometheus."

"Yes sir. I helped study the interlaced societal customs of population, medicine and land interactions."

"We have found several planets that could use that skill to help persuade the populations not to accept Origin," Landry said at last. "We are facing the enemy in a new way; we have to approach them in a new way. If we can appeal to their reasons and hard sciences, then may have the upper hand."

"It sounds like a good idea, sir. However I have duties aboard the Odyssey."

"The Odyssey has been grounded for a few weeks; indefinitely if the Oversight committee has anything to do with it. I think this would be a good chance for you to stretch your legs in other ways."

"How do you always know what's going on before I do?"

Landry got up and smiled. Tapping his shoulder he said, "Because I am the General."
- - -

Vala was left behind while SG-1 trekked to a planet which Daniel was sure either held Marlin's device, or at least would get them closer to it. They were happy to be whole and on a mission together. Vala, however, was not as excited.

"A shrink. I mean what will this say now? I already had one of those silly things when I first came here."

"That was not a psychological evaluation. Well not a full one. You sort of had a quick one since you seemed so eager to slip into a coma."

Vala pulled a face. "Well it was an easy enough thing. It should take no time and then I can go and help the team."

I stood up and shook my head. "You’re not going anywhere. Landry ordered a battery of tests and than something like a hearing. We will look to see what parts of your qualifications help us."

"Oh I am more then qualified. Just as Daniel, he knows," Vala said, flashing a grin.

"Right. Dually noted. Here are some paper tests, and once you have completed them, bring them back and Dr. Lam will set you up with a doctor to do the psych evaluations."

"Why can't you do it?" she asked, shuffling through the papers.

"Because I am a body doctor, not a head doctor."

She studied me for a moment and raised an eyebrow. "Then you can tell me if Daniel's…"

"Ahhh!" I held up a hand. Shaking my head I closed my eyes. "Just take the tests, bring them back. Thanks."

I closed the door on Vala as she walked down the hall, a curious glint in her eyes.
- - -

Air Force Medical School is as stressful as the non-AF med school. Drugs and abusers run the mad house if you look far enough down the pill isle. I have seen good Doctors, pilots, and officers go down in flames because they are popping the same uppers and downers given to the patients. Just en-mass.

I flipped through a chart as I cleared SG-18. Two of them had suffered side effects of medication and Ori close encounters interactions. I gave them a low dosage of a drug cocktail to override their symptoms. The other half of the team shuffled out as Landry came in.

“Doctor! I need you to gather up as many bottles of amphetamines and other drugs. I hear No-Doze works,” he said standing before me.

“It does. Um, why? What late night project are you working on?” I said, hanging the chart on the wall.

“They are not for me, Doctor. They are for SG-1.”

I paused for a moment. “I should have known our short spell of no incidences would come to an end. What happened now?”

“The planet they are scouting seems to cause some sleepiness that puts people into comas.” He raised a hand and shook his head. “No, you can’t go.”

As I went through Med School, I never thought I would be the one to order the uppers and practically hand-deliver them through the gate. But now that SG-1 and a medic team needed to stay awake, I would gladly plunge the amphetamines down their throats. Well maybe not that drastic, but I would have done it myself.

Landry arranged for a small team to work around the clock, we stayed off the uppers, thank you, to reverse the effects. Lam and I each took turns evaluating the data we knew, wishing someone could actually go to the planet. Landry had offered a hazmat team but my brother flatly refused. Carolyn went on another triad while I saw the wisdom in the decline.

I was taking a break when Dr. Hutchison came storming out of his office.

“She is impossible! Look at these!” he said, stuffing papers into my hands. “It’s like she WANTS to be found a raving loony!”

I arched an eyebrow and looked at him. “I don’t think ‘loony’ is a medical term.”

“When it comes to her, it is,” he said, jabbing his thumb in the direction of his office.

I looked down at the papers and glanced down at some of the answers Vala had written down. I blinked twice and re-read one of the question/answers.

Question two: You are in the desert. You see a tortoise lying on his back in the hot sun. You recognize his plight but do nothing to help. Why?

Answer: Because you are also a tortoise.

“I don’t know if ‘loony’ is really the right definition,” I said, handing the papers back. “Perhaps ‘need intense supervision’ is really in order.” Dr. Hutchinson’s face fell. I patted his arm as I passed. “We’ll just leave out who should supervise her. White lab coats in my opinion. Or highly creative people who appreciate thinking out of the box. Leaps and bounds out of the box.”
- - -

It was as close to being entombed in a box that I had seen Cam come. One more thing I would not bring up over Christmas with the family. Sam and Daniel were in separate stasis chambers with Teal’c close behind, arriving at least alive to us a few hours later. Carolyn flooded the chambers with a mixture of gasses to kill the parasite that had infected them.

Hours later I was making my rounds and I heard muttering voices coming from the corner SG-1 had claimed as their own. Drawing near I paused.

“I’m glad you were there,” Sam was saying.

A soft chuckle and a cough was the response. “I couldn’t have done it with out you, either Sam.” I smiled as Daniel’s voice came finally. “We needed each other to stay awake. I guess all those late night coffee sessions was training for this past day.”

“I thought for sure I would end up like Ackerman and Reimer.”

“We would never have let that happen.” Daniel’s voice became quiet. “I would never have let that happen.”

They fell silent for a while and I moved on to check on Cam and Teal’c. They were doing well, their levels stabilizing. I checked in on Sam and Daniel and smiled. They had fallen into a natural sleep, hands reaching out for each other.

I went back to my office and snapped off the desk lamp. There was no bond stronger then SG-1’s bond to each other and their friends – and that made all of us who knew them feel very privileged to be part of that bond. They would go to the ends of the earth for one another, and never sleep until each was safe.
The Pegasus Project