Cam and Daniel, who were sitting in chairs in the office, turned hopeful eyes to him. "A cure?" Daniel asked.
"Well, sort of. We need something before it's complete."
"And it is..." Cam prompted the doctor.
"A Prior. Or at least some of his DNA." Bill waved his hands before him. "You will do better just getting a Prior here."
"Oh well I'll just call up my friend who's a Prior than," Cam said sarcastically. I shook my head at him. "Ok so how do we get a Prior?"
"By disabling his powers," Bill said with confidence.
"And we do that how?" Daniel asked.
"A disrupter."
"Bill," I said, clearing my throat before one of the guys strangled him. "I think we need to get packing and you can give full details as we get ready."
"Oh, right. That's excellent." Bill nodded, pursing his lips together. "Do we know that the Sodan can be trusted?"
"Yes. And if we need them, they will help," Cam said with conviction.
"Yes, that's good," Bill said almost to himself. We followed him out, Cam and Daniel gathering what they needed to go to the Sodan home world. "Doctor, you may want to go. Sometimes even a human medication could be used to ... handle this situation."
- - -
I blinked for a moment and lowered my sunglasses. I nodded at Cam as he refitted his hat. Daniel was gazing around with his own sunglasses on him. "So where to?"
"Thata way," Cam pointed. He readjusted his pack and started to walk, Daniel and I trailing after him. I fingered my side arm for a moment and gripped the med bags strap harder as we cut a path through the trees and brush.
"Looks like Canada," I muttered. Daniel shrugged and we silently kept walking. Soon Cam pulled short and we were surrounded by sword bearing men. I smiled weakly at the surrounding men who never smiled back.
"Mitchell," one of the men said coming up to Cam. "You are back."
"Ya we are. We need your help."
Thirty minutes later we stood in the Sodan village, walking by warriors who were battling, children playing with sticks and women who picked through the small gardens around the path. Daniel looked around the buildings as Cam talked to one of the leaders. It seemed surreal to be in the place where a month or more ago Cam was struggling for his life.
"Ok, we have a go," Cam said five minutes later, bouncing out of the building with a smile. "They said that a prior would be coming back here. Apparently they asked the Sodan to kill some people, but they didn't, and well we all know how the Ori get." Cam paused as he fluttered his arms about. Daniel raised an eyebrow and I wished I could give something to Cam to make him act normal.
"Right, so the Sodan went to the place and saw that they were not armed people plundering nor violent but farmers. Anyway the Sodan said they would help get the guy to come and we could do what ever we wanted."
"Are you sure they said that?" Daniel asked cautiously.
Cam shrugged. "Well not in that exact wordage, but the intent was there. And that's good enough for me."
I looked at him and looked around. "Well as long as they don't get other messages mixed, like we are enemies, I can deal with that. I'll just say I am a doctor and unarmed when they rush us."
"Oh you are so not right, Bailey," Cam said as he leaned against the hut, as we began to wait for the Prior showed up.
- - -
Daniel had a thumb war on his hands. The prior was throwing Cam around like he was a rag-doll, and yelling back to us "it is not working!" just as he slammed into the ground. I started counting my band-aids. I think Cam was very glad when Daniel found the right frequency. I at least I heard less screaming and groans of agony.
The Prior turned out to be a self-defeatist after we beat him down about how we were superior, he and those he followed were not, and that we needed his help. We sent him and ourselves back after our 3-hour trip. Cam was massaging his elbow as we came down the ramp.
"We have blood," Cam said as Dr. Lee came into view.
"Carter and Orlin will be please," Bill said.
"Perfect, well, I'll hand you this," Cam said, turning a vial over. Bill scurried out of the room and I turned to Daniel and Cam.
"Examination time," I said, giving a half-hearted smile.
"Oh what find no joy in that?" Cam asked as we walked down the hall.
"Oh I find it great joy. I am just not looking forward to the next few hours as I assist Sam and Orlin."
Daniel pushed the elevator button. "Why?"
I shrugged. "I hardly remember what a bed feels like, and I know we are all under constant pressure. I know I am making a big deal out of nothing, but I don't have motivation for anything more then closing my eyes at the moment."
"Maybe you can take a nap; I'm sure Sam and Orlin can wait a few hours," Daniel said lightly.
"No, I'll just take some coffee and pie and be ok, thanks though." I said, pushing the fatigue that we all felt into the back of my mind.
- - -
I don't know who jumped more, Sam, Orlin or me as we heard the distinct sound of glass shatter.
"Oh no," came Orlin's small voice. "I'm so sorry," he said, turning his eyes to Sam and me. He bent to pick the shards up but Sam caught his arm and pulled him away.
"It's ok. We can use something else, don't worry."
"I'm sorry Sam. I think I better leave before I do something else," Orlin said, his worried eyes sweeping over the broken glass and spilled blood.
I called Landry and he informed Carolyn and me that he was on his way, and within five minutes he was standing in the doorway, behind him Cam.
"So now what?" Cam asked.
"I want you all to go back to the Sodan and bring Orlin with you. Maybe he can convince the Prior to come to Earth and help save our people," Landry said after a moment. "Dismissed."
We filled past Landry as he turned to follow us and once more suited up to go back to the Sodan home world.
- - -
Another two-hour conversation and no Prior later, we came back to Earth. Cam looked over the very small welcoming committee that was made up of Walter Harriman and one of Daniel's assistants.
"Welcome back, SG-1... and Orlin, and Doctor, Sir," he said as he met us at the base of the ramp. He nodded to Landry as they walked toward the "Dr. Lam has begun to move patients into other quarantine rooms, Teal'c said he would be coming back as soon as he can."
"Good, good," Landry said distracted. I knew he like the rest of us had been disturbed to find out that the Ori wanted to come to the Milky Way to destroy the Ancients. We had taken the Ancients and their presents almost fro granted. Maybe not the most sociable of people, but they were our protectors of sorts any way.
Landry was talking quietly to Walter when he suddenly stopped and leaned against the wall, breathing in deeply. I turned back to see if he was ok, and noticed he was chalk white, and his forehead was damp.
"Ok sir, we need to get you up to the infirmary stat," I said, gripping his arm and helping him toward the nearest ward. "Cam, get Carolyn. Tell her we have a new case."
"New case?"
"General Landry has been infected with the Prior Plague."
- - -
Carolyn made her way through the gurneys, stopping at a few to talk to the patients. I was sitting in a corner, typing up progress reports. I felt like I was being very useless dong this, but I know it had to be done. Carolyn came over and took the other seat, but clearly did not want to talk, so I saved the latest entries and watched her.
"I saw the latest reports," she started slowly. "Three thousand people dead. I can't believe it."
I nodded, sweeping my gaze over the room full of sick personnel. I had received several updates from other colleges all saying this was worse than the Black Plague that swept over Europe in the Middle Ages. I had questioned this, but most had simple said that it was bad, very bad. I think what had frustrated them the most was that there were no answers to where this had come from. I could not very well have said, "Oh well you see, we are under attack from radical religious fanatics who are promising ascension and they hate us." That would only lead to more questions.
Carolyn leaned back and closed her eyes, trying to conserve any energy for the next rounds. She sat up as the door to the sick bay was opened.
"I would advise that you stand aside, DoctorLam and DoctorDeBarr," Teal'c's cool voice said as he came into the room. Nodding we scurried from the room and took up positions in the observation deck.
"Nice to see you joining us," Cam said as he came in after us. "Teal'c just got home and brought a visitor."
"Who?" I asked. Cam gestured to the sick bay and I blinked. Standing beside Teal'c was Gerak dressed in Prior clothing. They seemed strangely fashionable off world these days. He leaned into Teal'c and seemed to say something, causing Teal'c to leave the room. "What is he doing?"
"He says he is here to assist," Teal'c said, now joining us in the observation room.
Gerak looked around the room for a moment and raised his staff, as he did so a bright light came bursting out of it and cascading around us. As the light subsided, I looked back to the sick bay and saw Gerak standing still. A moment later he was consumed in flames. Carolyn and I tried to rush past the group to help save him. But Teal'c stopped us.
"It is the price he knew he would pay," he said solemnly.
- - -
Within days we were sending a vaccine out to the public. All of the infected personnel were cleared and had joined to assist the doctors in administering the drug. Sam and I worked with a steadily declining Orlin to write the formula down incase we ever needed it again. In the end, however, Orlin could only sit and watch us as we drew chemical diagrams and formulas.
Sam sat now blinking back tears as we pulled away from an institutional home where Orlin now stayed.
"He does not remember me. Does not remember a thing," she said softly. Daniel put an arm around her and the car descended into silence as I merged with the traffic to go back to the SGC, the world saved to see another day.
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Collateral Damage