A Bind and a Half, by DrGemini86 (DrGemini24)

Summary: A virus cripples the SGC's systems and threatens to spread further. Meanwhile, Sam is shocked to learn that she has a bind of her own. Inspired by ST:TNG: The Child. SamDaniel.

Pairing: SamDaniel

Rating: T

Season: 8-ish

Category: Established Relationship

Genres: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Drama, Family, Mystery, Relationship, Tragedy

A/N: Inspired by the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode, 'The Child'. If you're not familiar with it, don't worry. Also, no Pete in this story – there's no room for him. Reviews are most definitely welcome. :o)

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Jack ascended the stairs to the control room amid blaring sirens and flashing red lights which signalled an incoming wormhole. He found Daniel standing by Walter's chair as the 'gate technician tapped a few buttons on the keyboard in front of him. Jack nodded in acknowledgement of the archaeologist but said nothing as he stood next to him, his arms folded across his chest.

Walter said, pressing a button on his earpiece, "Receiving IDC..." He paused as he something changed on his screen. He said, "It's SG-3's IDC – a little earlier than scheduled."

Jack acknowledged what the Sergeant had said as they watched the Iris open. As a siren continued to sound, armed soldiers waited in the gateroom below, their firearms trained on the event horizon. There was the usual 'kawoosh' of the unstable vortex before the event horizon stabilised to a shimmering luminous blue pool. There was a glooping noise as Colonel Reynolds appeared through the event horizon, followed shortly by the rest of his men, and a team of scientists they had been escorting.

Reynolds and his men handed over their firearms to the waiting soldiers. He glanced up to the control room at Jack, who nodded; a non-verbal code between the two men that a mission had gone to plan. Jack looked at Daniel curiously. He asked,

"Daniel, I have to be here... for some 'big boss' reason... What are you doing here?"

Daniel nodded at a woman who was one of the last personnel to arrive through the 'gate. He then looked at Jack, and said in reply, "I'm eager to see the soil samples that Doctor Palmer has collected."

Jack was about to say something in reply when they heard a crackling noise. Their eyes widened in horror as yellow energy appeared through the event horizon, crackling as it emerged. Most of the personnel fled from the gateroom as others remained behind, guns aimed at the event horizon. Jack yelled at Walter,

"Shut it down!"

Walter said, frowning deeply, "Sir, I'm trying to but the controls are unresponsive. Someone's going to have to manually override the 'gate."

Jack was about to leave the control room when he noticed Siler run through the gateroom towards his and Daniel's left. The sergeant ripped open the small metal cupboard the housed the manual override for the Stargate. He pulled a large switch just as the yellow energy crackled towards him. He was blown backwards as though he had been electrocuted, the sergeant's body slamming against the wall beneath the window of the control room. Walter frantically tried to shut things down from his end. Jack leaned over his shoulder to yell into the microphone,

"Fall back to the corridor! Medical team to the gateroom."

He turned to a just as shell-shocked Daniel. The General said gruffly, "Right, time to get your girlfriend."

Daniel managed to tear his eyes from the havoc that had been wreaked below them. He then fled the control room, rushing off to find Sam. Jack then watched as computer screens flickered, and the blast doors slid up and down repeatedly.

Walter raised his hands finally, helpless. He looked up at Jack, and said, "There's nothing I can do, Sir. Something has taken control of our systems."

The lights flickered and then everything went dark, an eerie silence in its place. The base's emergency lighting kicked in, and Jack forgot about being 'The Man', being cool under pressure and mostly professional. He swore very loud, and this time, Walter didn't flinch.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Sam slept uneasily in her bed in her on-base quarters. She hadn't had much in the way of sleep for a while – how long exactly, she wasn't sure. It probably counted as misconduct – her sleep-fogged mind was never big on regulations – but she was sure that Jack would understand – he always seemed concerned that she rarely seemed to have time to get an adequate night's rest for whatever reason.

While she tossed and turned, a bright yellow light, similar to the one in the gateroom, illuminated the ceiling. It appeared to coalesce into a mass as it descended on Sam's sleeping form. The light engulfed her before fading into her body. She woke up, gasping for breath as she sat bolt upright. Something was wrong; something was very wrong, and she didn't know why.

Suddenly, she felt very nauseous. Leaping out of her bed, she fled to the en-suite bathroom where she promptly vomited into the sink. Before she could catch her breath, she vomited again. Holding onto the sides of the sink, she began to feel dizzy. She frowned as she started to see double, and then nothing as she collapsed to the ground as darkness fell all around her.

Some time later, Daniel tapped on the door of her quarters, a just as concerned Teal'c behind him. Daniel called her name before opening the door. He frowned in the gloom of the emergency lighting and called her name again. Worried, he removed a small flashlight from his trouser pocket and shone it around the room. He paused the beam of light on seeing that the bathroom door was open. Following a hunch, he cautiously walked towards the door, calling her name.

He ran to her side on seeing her weakly attempt to move from her position on the floor. As Teal'c rushed to make a phone call, Daniel cradled her body in his arms and said, "Sam! What happened?"

She replied, breathing shallowly, "Something's wrong."

Before Daniel could process that, Teal'c had swept her up in his arms and, without a word, left the quarters. The archaeologist, feeling helpless, followed, wondering just how bad his day could get. He jogged behind the Jaffa, noticing Sam slip in and out of consciousness. When she was conscious, he noticed that she appeared groggy and confused.