All in all, considering his considerable experience in Special Forces and the SGC Jack should have known that the night of revelry celebrating a job well accomplished was really just the calm right before the DHD exploded; or the mothership landed, or whatever this planet's version of it hitting the fan was.

He was sitting at breakfast with a hangover that was just on the right side of bearable, indicating a great night with just the right amount of celebrating. Breakfast was also doable, not as bad as some of the things they had been offered in their interplanetary travels. Daniel was certainly wolfing it down with abandon, talking in between bites and swallows as usual and Jack was ignoring half of it, as usual. But it was a pleasant enough morning.

It would be more pleasant if Sam had stayed to have breakfast with him. She and Teal'c had gone off earlier to explore. He was just starting to get concerned about where they might be when his radio crackled.

"O'Neill?"

"Go," Jack answered with his thumb on the button. Daniel shut up and watched, suddenly still. Teal'c hardly ever used the radio.

"We have a situation."

A few choice words came to the forefront of Jack's head. He bit them all back and went for 'professional military commander' instead.

"Situation?"

Sam came on. "Sir. It's Maybourne."

The choice words demanded an outlet again, making Jack grind his teeth.

"What did he do?"

"I think you should meet us. We managed to get him into the upstairs rooms."

"Roger that. On our way."

Jack stood, pushing his plate aside. Daniel took two more forkfuls of scrambled egg and then hurried after him towards the stairs.

Jack was muttering a string of unflattering phrases under his breath.

Dogging his heels, Daniel said, "Letting Maybourne out of our sight for twenty four hours is never a good idea."

"Right," Jack said, briskly, "Except for the part where I didn't have to look at Maybourne for twenty four hours. That was fantastic."

"Well," Daniel said soothingly, "Soon we'll be back at the SGC, where every day is a day without Maybourne."

Jack grunted as they got to the top of the stairs and turned into a corridor. "That should be the new SGC slogan."

He started to say more and came to an abrupt stop. So abrupt Daniel ran up on his heels.

"What the hell?" Jack said.

There was an odd sort of parade coming towards him. Sam was walking next to Maybourne, who was shuffling along, lurching into walls in ways that looked painful. Sam's hand was resting on her belt knife. Teal'c was bringing up the rear with his knife already drawn.

Maybourne was looking dazed, confused – which Jack thought was fitting since in his opinion Maybourne had been dazed and confused since the first day they had met. As Jack watched with Daniel peering over his shoulder, Harry stumbled and walked head first into a candle sconce sticking out of the wall. Jack winced. Daniel inhaled sharply.

Maybourne just kept walking without making a sound.

"That's gonna leave a mark," Jack observed.

They got closer and now Jack could hear Harry muttering something incoherent under his breath.

"Is he drunk?" Daniel asked.

"Weirdest case of being drunk I've ever seen," Jack answered. Louder, to Carter, he said, "What is he saying?"

"Brains, sir," Sam answered, using her foot to guide Harry back to the center of the hallway. "It's all he's said since we found him wandering around in the woods."

"You found him?" Jack asked, "Is that why the two of you went wandering off this morning? To look for him?"

"No, sir," Sam answered, "We wanted to explore, just like we told you. But we ran into some people at the market who suggested that we should go find our missing 'friar'."

"And you did this?" Jack asked, incredulous.

Sam looked uncomfortable for a moment and then said, boldly, "Yes, sir."

Jack turned to Teal'c. "You went with her?"

"Yes."

"You didn't call me first?"

"We were not entirely certain you would care," he said, blandly.

Perplexed, Jack said, "Why did you?"

Teal'c answer was immediate and final. "I did not."

Jack flashed a look at Carter and she smiled weakly. She nudged Harry again to keep him from putting out an eye on the next candle sconce.

"Braaains," Harry muttered, shuffling past them and walking into the door of his room.

Sam reached around him and pushed the door open. Harry staggered inside and promptly fell down.

Jack regarded him closely, lying on the floor, still muttering.

"Is his leg supposed to be able to bend like that?" He asked.

"Oh my god," Daniel whispered.

"What?"

"He-he-he's been turned into a… a."

"Spit it out, Daniel!" Jack snapped.

Daniel looked from one team mate to the other. There was a certain amount of horror in his expression that was making the whole carillon of Jack's warning bells ring. In the room, Harry was rolling over and getting to his feet.

"I think," Daniel said. "I think he's been turned into a zombie!"

(0)

"Daniel," Sam said, "You don't believe someone can be turned into a zombie any more than I do!"

"No," Daniel admitted, "But look at him."

Maybourne was wandering around the room again, bumping into furniture and still muttering, "Braaaains." His head was lolled to the side and he was pulling up one arm as if it was about to fall off.

"If he was a zombie shouldn't there be more, you know," Jack made a vague gesture with his hand in Maybourne's direction, "decaying flesh? Rotting teeth? Hair falling out?"

"Well, I'm not a zombiologist," Daniel began.

"But you play one on TV?" Jack interrupted.

Daniel frowned at him. Jack smirked.

"I think we should go down into the village and ask around. That's where Maybourne went last night."

"The feast in the castle was too tame for him?" Jack asked.

Daniel shrugged. "Probably."

"I'll go," Sam said.

"As will I," Teal'c said.

Jack hesitated but decided that Sam's pretty face and congeniality would probably serve the purpose. The town folk liked and respected her and no one would bother her with Teal'c at her side.

"Go, but I want regular reports," Jack said. He didn't need any more of his people getting 'zombied'.

Not that he considered Maybourne one of his people.

Daniel turned to follow them and Jack caught his arm.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"I thought I'd go get Harry something to eat," Daniel said.

Jack gaped at him. "He wants brains."

Daniel shrugged. "Brains are a common food in some cultures. In some they're a delicacy. It's a vital source of Omega fatty acids. Indonesian cattle brain curry is quite good actually."

"Why do you tell me things?" Jack demanded. He looked a little green.

"I thought you'd find it interesting."

"What I find it is deeply disturbing!" Jack said.

At that moment Maybourne tried to shuffle out of the room.

"Braaains," he moaned, piteously.

Jack put a hand in the center of Maybourne's chest and shoved him back into the room. Then he slammed the door.

"Umm," Daniel said, slowly, "You really should keep an eye on him. He might go out the window."

"And this would be bad because…..?"

"Well, just the paperwork," Daniel reminded him.

Jack sighed. "Okay, go find him some…. Food. I'll stay here."

Daniel nodded. But he waited until Jack opened the door again.

"Go," Jack said, firmly.

"I'm going!" Daniel said; and he hurried down the stairs.

(0)