Summary: In 'All My Sins Remembered' the evacuation of the settlements on M9R-373 was cut short as the Replicators destroyed the Gate leaving Lt. Kemp and some of his team behind. enlists the help of Major Lorne to find the missing team while fighting the Replicators. Lt. Kemp and Lt Cadman friendship.
Spoilers: Up to and including Season 4.
Warnings: None
Missing in Action
Chapter 1
A thick cloud of dust hung in the air blocking out the last remaining traces of daylight as the sun sank below the horizon. The cries of fear and panic had long since gone and everything was now deathly quiet. Something stirred in the rubble. A lone man emerged, his clothes dirty and torn. He coughed and spat dust from his mouth as he staggered around in a daze while desperately trying to make sense of his surroundings. The last thing he remembered was dialling the gate and speaking to Col. Sheppard.
"Lieutenant. Looks like things are going well." Sheppard said.
"Most of the settlement's on their way through, but a good number of them have decided to stay behind. I'm not sure they believe us, Sir. I'm requesting Teyla come back and try to talk some sense into the stragglers, because I'm not getting anywhere with them." He remembered saying.
"Hell. I don't think we can do that. The Replicator ship's going to be there within a half hour."
"Well, I don't know what to do. They ..." Kemp paused as he heard that all too familiar sound. "Incoming!" He yelled to everyone.
He remembered the first missile strike which caused chaos and confusion and cut his men off from the gate. He ran for cover by a nearby rocky outcrop. When another missile hit close by, he was thrown to the ground and showered with rocks and burning debris……then blackness.
Now he tried to get his bearings as he surveyed the scene for anything recognisable but in the murky light all that he could see were craters, rubble and scorched earth. Not one building in the village had been left standing as everything had been obliterated by the relentless firepower of the Replicator ships in orbit.
He couldn't begin to fathom how he had survived; apart from a few cuts and bruises he was unscathed. And all alone. He sighed as he wandered aimlessly across the settlement stopping every now and then to kick over some debris with his boots as if by doing so he would find much needed answers. His thoughts were soon interrupted.
"Lieutenant Kemp?" A voice from seemingly nowhere asked.
"What the….. who's there?"
"Me."
Kemp looked around but could see nothing and for a moment thought he was hearing voices. Not a good sign he thought.
"Down here, Kemp." The disembodied voice said.
He looked down and his eyes caught a small hatchway on the ground which had been partially opened; a head poked through it.
"Cadman?"
"Yes it's me."
She continued to push open the heavy hatch with a groan and struggled to pull herself out. Kemp moved forward to lend a hand but was warned away by her glare.
Kemp glanced back down. "Is there anyone else down there?"
"Yes. A small group of villagers dragged me in here after the ship showed. I didn't have time to inform you."
"Good thing you found shelter because it's total destruction out here."
Cadman didn't need to see the devastation, she could smell it. The air reekedof spent explosives, dust and death. Something she was all too familiar with. She was glad the darkness would save the villagers from having to look upon the terrible carnage and the inevitable grieving that would follow. That could wait until daylight.
Cadman and Kemp helped everyone out of the bunker. One by one they climbed out into the now very dim light. Men, woman and children huddled together not quite knowing what to do next. One man towered above them all and approached Kemp his face ashen and downcast.
"Lieutenant Kemp it seems we were mistaken to doubt you. For that I apologise. We have paid a heavy price."
Kemp gave a nod of acknowledgement and immediately recognised this man as part of the group of elders who he had spoken to previously.
"Ortillan isn't it? I'm sorry that you've lost so many of your people. I know you'll want to search your village but it's nearly dark and we should leave until the dust clears. The air here is still terrible." He coughed and cleared his throat as if to emphasize the point. "We need to shelter until morning and then decide what we're going to do. Is there anywhere you can suggest?"
"Come this way." He answered and they all dutifully followed him beyond the remains of the village until they could see grass and the occasional tree untouched by the destruction. As they carried on, a few trees turned into many and they soon found themselves walking on a path through a dense forest.
"Did you see if the Gate was destroyed?" Cadman asked as they followed the villagers along the winding trail.
"I think it took a direct hit but we need to check it out. You never know, it could just be buried." Kemp replied trying to be optimistic.
"And we should look for Captain Jordan."
"Yeah we need to find him." He said quietly, knowing that it could be a grim task.
They eventually came to a small clearing and Ortillan stopped and turned to Kemp and Cadman. "My people will feel safe here. We know this place well and there's water in a nearby stream. We'll go and collect some now before it's totally dark. We also have a few supplies which we kept stored in the bunker. You are very welcome to share it with us."
Cadman saw the small amount of food they unwrapped and laid out before them. She knew that it wasn't going to go far among the fifteen of them.
"It's fine we don't need it, let the children have it."
Kemp raised his eyebrows "Not hungry?"
"I have a power bar in my vest pocket, I'll have that. What about you?"
Kemp felt his pockets and shook his head. "It's OK, you go ahead and eat that tasty bar. I'll survive I'm sure." He teased.
Cadman sighed and broke the bar in two and gave him half. "Here have this. Wouldn't want you to have a hypoglycaemic reaction."
"Sounds painful, what's that?"
"I've no idea but McKay is always going on about it."
It didn't take long for them to devour the food and they gratefully drank the water which one of the villagers had brought them. Kemp tried to take his mind of the still gnawing hunger by scouting the immediate area for somewhere suitable to bunk down for the night.
"Do you think they'll send the Daedalus for us?" Cadman asked while joining in with the search.
"Maybe. If it survives." Kemp replied knowing that any battle with this particular enemy would be difficult and victory, if it were to come, would take time.
"The Replicators are pretty determined aren't they?" Cadman considered.
"Yeah, well, so are we humans."
"So, do you think we should sleep here?" Cadman queried as she shone her flash light over a grassy spot.
"Is that an invitation?" Kemp asked hopefully with a smile.
"You should be so lucky." Cadman muttered in response but then realised she had picked a particularly lumpy bit of ground and cursed.
"Come and check out this area of moss over here. It's nice and soft." Kemp sat down and patted the ground. "You're welcome to join me."
"Hmmm." she considered. "OK, just make sure you keep to your side." Cadman said as she unclipped her P90 and placed it between them.
Kemp glanced at the weapon then back at her and sighed. He expected nothing less.
He linked his hands behind his head as he lay on his back and stretched out his legs. He gazed up at the night sky which had cleared enough to see a few stars and thought about home for a while.
"You know, it's strange not recognising any of the constellations here. Back home I could name a few……the Big Dipper, the Orion and Leo. What about you?... Cadman?"
She didn't answer. She was already asleep.
The next morning Kemp was first to wake up. He took a deep breath and knew the air was already cleaner and fresher as it no longer burned his lungs. Although it was still dark the first traces of light could clearly be seen just beyond the trees. He quietly left the sleeping camp and made his way along the footpath which sloped gently upwards. He continued until he reached the top of the hill and sat to watch the sunrise. He never tired of this part of the day and back home on Earth made a point of getting up early whenever he visited his parents on their farm. He hoped that watching dawn break on this particular morning would give him some much needed inspiration and strength because, however he looked at the situation, he knew the next few days and weeks weren't going to be easy.
When the sun had almost risen, he felt someone sit next to him and without looking, knew it was Cadman. Even though she was a soldier, who worked with ease along side the men, she had that distinctive scent of a woman which he recognised immediately. He liked it.
"So a new dawn, a new day then?" She said brightly as she tried to make herself comfortable on the rocky ground.
Kemp gave her a wry smile. "You're not about to burst into song are you?"
"Not without a couple of beers first." She laughed.
"Now there's a thought. A nice cold beer." Kemp contemplated as he suddenly developed a thirst.
"Or a coffee. Even one from a machine would go down a treat." Cadman said dreamily as she watched the rays of sunlight breaking over the hills and glistening on the nearby ocean.
"It really is beautiful here, isn't it? The parts which haven't been obliterated by the Replicators, I mean." She glanced at Kemp briefly. "You know, you never struck me as the type to watch a sunrise on your own. I never thought that you could be so, so…" she hesitated for a moment.
"What?... Soppy?" Kemp jumped in defensively.
"No! Thoughtful I was going to say. Don't be so touchy." She said giving him a playful slap on the arm.
"Sorry. I'm just preparing myself for what's coming today. This helps me think."
"Just because you're the leader of this mission doesn't mean you're on your own. We're the same rank, you know, and in this together."
They sat without speaking for a while until Cadman broke the silence.
"Come on, let's go and find some proper food, I'm starving."
They both stood and began their short walk back down to the camp. They had only taken a few steps when they heard a loud bang and felt the ground rippling under their feet. They both frowned and exchanged a worried look.
"What the hell was that!"Exclaimed Kemp. "Not more Replicators I hope."
"Wraith?" Cadman queried.
The ground continued to shake with such force that Cadman grabbed Kemp to steady herself. The tremors then stopped as quickly as they started.
"Definitely an earthquake. I've felt them more than once on Earth." Cadman declared.
""You can stop holding me now Lieutenant." Kemp said as he still felt the grip on his arm.
She let go immediately. "Definitely not holding. Just lost my balance that's all."
Kemp raised an eyebrow at her but she ignored it as her stomach growled. "Hear that? The monster needs feeding. Come on."
ooOoo
"This is Caldwell, come in Atlantis."
"This is Colonel Carter, do you have any news?"
"Yes. As well as destroying a Replicator ship, I did as you requested and scanned the planet Sion while we were in the vicinity. There's a lot of interference from the residual radiation but even so there are a few unaffected areas. We did briefly detect life signs in one of them."
"I see, so it's worth a closer look when the opportunity arises." Carter said.
"Yes but there's a problem. The planet appears to be coming very unstable. Our sensors picked up considerable seismic activity on the planet. If we're going to do something it will have to be sooner rather than later."
"Thanks Colonel. I'll get a team together. They'll be ready as soon as you arrive."
Carter taps her earpiece. "Major Lorne to my office, please."
Carter outlined the situation to Lorne. "So we don't have much to go on but if there's a chance Lieutenant Kemp and his team are alive then they're living on a time bomb. The planet is experiencing extreme geological activity. That's where your experience comes in Major. There's no time to waste. I need you to gather together anything you deem necessary and be ready for when Colonel Caldwell gets here.
"Yes Ma'am. I'll see to it right away."
He quickly gathered together any equipment he thought would help with the search. He knew that having local knowledge would be an advantage and luckily found a couple of evacuees from Sion who still remained on Atlantis. With their help he soon had the information needed to draw detailed maps of the area immediately surrounding the Gate and beyond. When the Daedalus arrived one hour later Lorne was beamed aboard with his team and went immediately to the bridge.
"Major."
"Colonel. How long until we arrive?"
"About 5 hours. That's assuming we don't meet any Replicator ships en route. Oh and Major, I have transferred the data we acquired from the scans to that console over there." He said eyeing the only empty seat on the bridge.
"Thank you Sir. I'll get on it right away."
ooOoo
