Tegan Chronicles
Let it Rain 1
"Saaaaam!" Tegan's voice carried across the field as she charged toward the blonde major.
Sam looked up in time to see Tegan take a flying leap, stretching her body in front of the staff weapon pointed in her direction. Jack watched in horror as the staff weapon directed at Sam's chest engaged, his mind barely registered the sounds of rapid gunfire or Tegan's war cry, as the staff weapon fired.
"Let it Raaaaaaaain!" The staff blast hit her square in the chest shielding Sam from any damage.
"NOOOOooooo!" Sam's voice echoed in the ears of her teammates, but it was too late. Tegan lay motionless at her feet, a gapping hole in her chest. She'd managed to kill a few Jaffa before being taken out herself.
"Sam, drop your weapon." Jack's voice was soft and full of regret.
The Jaffa surrounded them, and even before Tegan had been hit they were far too out numbered to even retreat back to the gate.
Sam bent to check for a pulse, but was stopped by another staff weapon, which was thrust into her chest. "She is dead. Move away, unless you wish to join her."
Sam stepped back without further provocation. Tegan had given her life to save hers, and she wasn't about to make it all for naught in a matter of seconds. She was pushed forward and away from Tegan's lifeless form to join her other teammates who were about to be transported onto Apophis' ship as prisoners.
"Where's Major Kiser?" General Hammond looked over the group as the gate deactivated.
Janet watched them anxiously.
"She didn't make it sir." Jack hung his head.
"Are any of you injured?"
"No sir." He responded quietly.
"Then I'd like to debrief now." General Hammond stretched his arm to the door.
"Sir?" She was strangely detached, as if she was watching some silly cartoon.
"Yes doctor, you can sit in on it." General Hammond followed the still stunned team into the debriefing room with Janet on his heels.
"When Sam joined us at the transport rings, the C4 we'd set earlier went off blowing away a fair amount of the Jaffa, and leaving the others scrambling for cover."
"It was then that we made our escape." Teal'c picked up where the Jack left off. "We returned to where Major Kiser had fallen, but she was not there."
"What do you mean she wasn't there?" General Hammond leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbows on the oblong table.
"The Jaffa must have moved her." Teal'c glanced around the room.
"She sure as hell didn't walk away." Jack's voice was sobering.
"Very well, SG1 you are on stand down until further notice. I'll be interviewing you each separately, standard protocol."
"Yes sir." Jack was the only one, aside from Teal'c, to have spoken since their return.
"Sir, I'd like to see them in the infirmary." Janet spoke softly.
"We're fine Janet." Sam barked out.
"I'll be the judge of that. Sir?"
"You heard the doctor." General Hammond gave a nod. "You're dismissed."
"We have to go back!" Sam pushed Janet's worried hands away as Jack got up to leave the infirmary.
"Carter?"
"She's not there because Apophis knows about Nirrti's reward. His Jaffa would've taken her back to his ship and put her in his sarcophagus."
"Is it possible?" Janet was trying to remain the consummate professional, even though on the inside she was falling apart. At this point any hope was worth holding on to.
"They would have taken her back with us." Teal'c burst her little bubble.
"Maybe they went back before we got there?" Daniel wasn't going to just give up on the possibility either.
"Why else would her body just disappear?" Sam jumped off the bed she was on. "We have to go back."
"They're long gone by now." Jack shook his head.
"We could contact the Tok'ra." Daniel straightened his glasses. "They may have an operative inside of Apophis' ranks."
"It's worth a shot." Jack agreed. "I'll talk to General Hammond."
"Sam," Janet put her hand on Sam's forearm to stop her from leaving. "Was she…"
"She…" Something in Janet's eyes kept her from recounting how bad the wound really was. Jack had already painted a pretty graphic picture when they debriefed, although it hadn't been nearly as graphic as Sam's point of view. "As much as I hate to say it, I hope I'm right. At this point Apophis is her only hope."
"You're sure she was dead."
What more did she need? She nodded, "I saw her eyes Janet. I've got to go."
"How are you holding up?" Janet walked into the Stargate control room where Sam was waiting for any word from the Tok'ra.
"I'll be better once we know they've at least got someone on the inside." She stared at the gate, willing it to activate. "General Hammond has her status as wounded and missing in action."
Janet nodded, that would be easier to tell Cassie, at least for now. She wished she didn't have to tell Cassie at all. The girl had already been through so much in her short life. Watching her entire race, including her own parents, be wiped out by a mad woman. Being found and brought to earth only to find out she had a bomb in her chest. How hard it must have been in the brief seconds Sam was actually going to follow orders and leave her in the bottom of that nuclear missile silo. Luckily the distance from the gate caused the organic bomb to break down and be reabsorbed into her chest. It wasn't that long ago she'd almost lost her 'second' mother and now Tegan. Exactly who was Tegan to Cassie? A friend, an older sister figure? More importantly who was Tegan to Janet? To SG1?
"Let me know what you find out." Janet turned to leave.
"I will."
Out of curiosity they'd tried to send a MALP back through to the planet, to see if the Jaffa were still there. To see if there was any possibility Tegan was alive. The MALP never made it through. "Why would he destroy the Stargate?"
"I do not know." Teal'c looked at Jack.
"If he has Tegan, he may not have wanted us to come back through." Sam was still waiting to hear back from the Tok'ra. Their initial contact had been positive, in that they did have an operative on the inside. It was questionable how long it would be before they would be able to make contact with him.
"It is most improbable." Teal'c responded. "Apophis thinks he is a god, he would not fear our return."
"Teal'c's right." Daniel's comment earned him a sigh from Sam.
It had been a little over three weeks when Jack showed up in the door way to Janet's office. She knew without question he was the bearer of bad news, and she braced herself accordingly. Professional, she reminded herself. How was she going to tell Cassie?
"We just heard from the Tok'ra." He looked old, and worn. His eyes glistened with tears waiting to be shed. "Apophis doesn't have Major Kiser, and as far as they can ascertain, none of the system lords do."
"So that's it, we're just…"
"General Hammond is calling off all searches. We can't get back to the planet, and even if she did survive the initial wounds, she wouldn't have lasted long." He looked away, not wanting to see the emotion brewing deep in Janet's dark eyes. "Her injuries were far worse than Captain Daniels'."
Janet had already gathered as much from hearing his description in the debriefing. She couldn't stop the visuals from flashing through her mind, as if she'd been there and actually seen it. "She was a hero."
"She was." Jack took a deep breath. "We're having a memorial service in the gate room Tuesday. All missions are canceled until Wednesday, and everyone should have returned to base by then."
Janet nodded. "How's Sam?"
"She went to her quarters after we met with General Hammond." He looked at her for a long moment, sitting there stoically. "I'm, uh, gonna head out. Daniel, Teal'c and I are going to drown our sorrows. You're welcome to come."
Janet shook her head.
"I'm going to see if Sam wants to come." He pointed over his shoulder. "If you need anything I'll have my phone on."
"Sam I'm coming in." Janet opened the door to her quarters and announced her presence.
"No." Sam protested weakly from her curled position behind the bed. She'd hid there earlier when Jack had come in looking for her, and didn't have the energy or will power to get up.
"Yes." The door clicked closed behind her petite frame.
Sam looked across the darkened room as Janet hesitated. "Go home."
"Come with me."
"No." Sam's voice cracked on the word. "I'll go home later."
"You really shouldn't be alone." Janet stepped forward as her eyes finally adjusted to the darkness.
"Jack's alone, Teal'c is alone, Daniel is alone. Why should I be any different?"
"Jack and Daniel went out to drown their sorrows. Teal'c went along to keep them out of trouble, and call for a cab if they drink too much." Janet explained as she slowly closed the distance.
"I'm fine. I want to be alone."
"I don't think you need to be alone." Janet could just make out the dark huddled form on the other side of the room.
"I'm fine, just leave me alone."
Janet sat on the foot of Sam's bunk leaving plenty of space for her. "I'm not. I lost a really good friend, and I don't know how I'm going to break the news to Cassie."
Sam sighed, she'd been so caught up in her own grief she hadn't stopped to think the other woman might be hurting too. She surely hadn't stopped to think how it would affect Cassie. A new wave of tears made their way down her cheeks. "She died because of me."
Janet shook her head, not that Sam could see her in the dark. "No, she died because she didn't want you to die."
"I always figured she'd die a hero, just didn't want it to be before I did." Sam tried to put some humor in the statement, but failed. "Janet, I don't know what to do. I don't know how to go on from here."
"I know." Janet replied quietly. "I… I think she would want you to continue doing what you've been doing."
"Cassandra."
"That's never good." Cassie looked up from the book she was reading, the soft concern in her mother's voice causing her to panic.
"Tegan's memorial service is going to be Tuesday. I'll think it's ok if you want to miss school for it." A tear slipped down her check. She'd been so strong and hadn't cried until now.
"That's crazy, Jack said she was missing in action. That means she's coming back, you all just have to find her."
"Cass." Janet sat down on the couch, fighting the tears that refused to stop. "Tegan was badly wounded protecting Sam."
"So you can fix her. You always fix people." She wasn't going to just accept this. "It's your job to fix people."
"She wouldn't have even made it back through the Stargate alive." Janet wrapped her daughter in her arms. "We had thought, we hoped Apophis had taken her back to his ship, but Tok'ra intelligence says that didn't happen."
"I…" Cassie pushed her mom away. "I'm going to my room."