chapter one
Sam entered the tiny bank. It was Saturday and her flight was in 6 hours. She hadn't seen her husband in 3 weeks and she missed him. This had been their norm for the last couple of years, either he would fly to Colorado Springs to visit her or she would visit him at his home in DC they'd stay for a few days then head back to their respective cities. It was hard but they were making it work. Now finally, she was making the move to DC.
She got in line behind a couple of teenagers, and thought about her busy morning. Most of her errands were done. Her bags where in the trunk of her car and her furniture had been sold. The few items from her home she was taking with her had been boxed and would be kept in storage till they found a place that would work for both of them. Jacks house was okay when she went for short visits but they needed something they could grow into together. She had made one impromptu stop before going to the bank. Slipping her hand into her purse, she felt the brown paper package crinkle beneath her fingers (Almost didn't believe she'd got it and felt the need to touch it, just to make sure it was still there).
The line was moving at a snail's pace and she wondered what the problem was. Sticking her head out to the side she started counting bodies as she scanned ahead. Nine people to go before it would be her turn. She looked ahead to the tellers. Only one window was open. So this was going to be a long wait. You'd think they'd have another one open on a Saturday she huffed slightly annoyed but she remained calm as the next person in line stepped up to the teller. She heard the soft swish of the doors open and close and glanced over her shoulder as a man stepped up and stood in line behind her. The teenagers ahead of her were getting louder as they talked about their Friday night escapades. She suddenly felt old. When she was a teenager she hadn't done half the stuff these girls were talking about.
Off to the side there were some chairs currently occupied by an elderly gentleman, who was reading a newspaper .He had a greying beard and needed to squint his eyes while he read even though he wore thick glasses. The other occupant was a young blonde woman in her early twenties, who reminded her of Cassie except she was sporting a very prominent baby bump. Her hands were folded under her belly as she leaned back on the soft cushions. The woman was mouthing something to someone in the line ahead of her. Sam looked and saw a broad shouldered young man. She guessed him to be in his early twenties, brown hair; brown eyes twinkled as he laughed at whatever joke the young lady had shared with him. Up ahead, the next person stepped up to the teller and everyone shuffled forward. Next in line was a woman who was trying desperately to keep her little boy in check, as he tried to get away from her.
Sams mind wandered back to the morning wakeup call she'd gotten from Jack...
"Good morning sleepyhead" he'd said, when she picked up her phone after having spent a few moments searching for it and finally locating it between her pillows.
"Morning" she said biting back a yawn, then felt the bile rise in her throat and barely made it to the bathroom where she proceeded to lose the portion of mushroom soup she had chocked down the night before. This was getting ridiculous. She eventually made it back to her phone and discovered 6 missed calls, all from Jack. She pressed the call button and it barely had a chance to ring before he answered.
"You ok?"
"Yeah I'm fine"
"You don't sound fine"
"I've just been pushing myself to finish the simulations I had running in the lab before my official transfer came through"
"Translation… you've been burning the midnight oil and you haven't been eating or sleeping. I'm surprised you even made it home last night"
"General Landry ordered me off the base" she said dryly.
"Good man."
"I can't wait to see you, Jack"
"Me too, in fact I have a surprise for you when you get here"
"Oh? Really? What is it?"
"You'll just have to wait and see" he answered cryptically.
"Jack" she said in a sing song voice.
"Carter" he teased.
"Sir?"
"Gotta go" Jack chuckled at their playful banter, "love you"
"Yeah, sure you betcha" she used his catchphrase.
The line was moving and pretty soon the woman and her kid left the bank. As she watched them leave she noticed the man behind her brush his hand through the top of the little boys head.
"Cute kid" he said to the mother. He noticed Sam at that moment and said "they just wanna play at that age" she offered him a watery smile then turned as the line moved again.
"So, you got any kids"
"Uhm... no" she answered in that awkward polite way when a stranger becomes chatty, thinking about the little brown paper package nestled in her handbag. Distracted for a moment she didn't notice the masked men enter the bank.
When the security guard went down and his blood started spilling onto the floor, time seemed to slow down and speed up all at once. Screams of fear and a low whimpering echoed through the bank.
"Everyone down on the floor." Came the icy voice of the armed robber towering over the dying man. His three masked companions armed to the teeth. "No one else needs to die today" he said casually as he stepped over the man.
Sam lay down on the cold floor, trying not to call attention to herself. She could hear one guy at the door calling out to his comrades as the other masked men approached the teller handing over black bags to be filled with cash.
"I'm so glad you've all decided to be so co-operative" said the robber who Sam guessed to be in charge. "It always helps when an example has been made" gesturing to the guard lying at the door. By now he must surely be dead Sam thought judging by the large pool of blood steadily spreading across the floor, his skin still and grey.
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