Beyond the Night
By
Numb3rsfan
Last time on "Shadows and Darkness"...
Once everyone was seated, all eyes went to General David Eddings who was going through some papers that were right in front of him. Finally the General looked up and addressed the people right in front of him.
"Two hours ago a MALP was sent to P4X-774. It picked up a distress call before unexplained electrical activity killed our connection to the MALP." General Eddings began. He pressed a button on a small recorder and seconds later a male voice; obviously human filled the room.
"...dead, losing life support...gotta...i...one is out there please...need assistance!"
It wasn't a long message but it was clear that someone needed their help, pronto.
"When do you want SG-2 to go, sir?" Jason asked. His team was basically the only team assembled there at the base. He could brief them and have them ready to go within twenty minutes; Jason knew he could!
"SG-2 will not be going on this mission. I need the best of the best and that is you four. Each of you bare unique talents that are required for this mission. I need you all to find out what's going on and rescue any survivors that you find. Gear up and report to the Gate Room in ten minutes. Dismissed."
"Where...where am I?" Sara asked as her brain tried to answer that very same question.
The world around her was unfamiliar. The last thing she remembered was darkness and pain; how in the world did she and for that matter everyone else get to...wherever the hell they were now?
"You are on Deep Space Nine..."
"It's a message from Starfleet. A Borg cube has been spotted on long range sensors." Kira said in utter disbelief.
Hearing the word 'Borg' Commander Sisko whirled around to face Kira; his mind already filling with the memories of losing his beloved wife to the Borg in the battle of Wolf 359. Not only did he lose his beloved Jennifer but his son Jake lost his mother that day; all thanks to Captain Jean-Luc Picard...no...Locutus and the rest of the Borg.
"What? Where is the Cube headed?" Ben asked, approaching Kira's console. He watched as she tapped a few more buttons before her skin became white.
"Here, the Cube is coming here Commander. We have 7 hours, 49 minutes before it arrives." Kira said.
SGTNGSGTNGSGTNGSGTNGSGTNG
"Sir, the heat signatures that were detected...while I can not explain it, they belong to my colleagues." Cypher began, however he paused at seeing the confused look on Benjamin's face.
"Not Major McCallister and the others but four others from the SGC. Major Sadie Ford, Captain Anthony Lowrey, Captain Steve Archer and Sergeant Joanne Rhodes. Rhodes is actually a team mate of mine while Lowrey actually serves on SG-2 with Major McCallister. I don't know how they got here sir, but it appears they got here much the same way we did." Cypher said.
SGTNGSGTNGSGTNGSGTNGSGTNG
"Come on Captain, move it!" Cypher ordered.
"Be with ya in just a second!" Sara replied through gritted teeth as she worked, trying to hold the Borg's hands back. Using her weight Sara bashed the Borg in the head with her head, causing him to stumble back. Seeing that the Borg was stunned, Sara released it's hands and turned towards the lift, but before she could move she felt a sharp pain on the side of her neck. "AAAHHHH!" She yelped. As her mind tried to process what was happening, it soon became clear. One Borg; she had forgotten about the single Borg drone that had been trailing them. When she had stunned the one Borg drone, the second one must have been close by.
Dropping to her knees in shock, Sara barely registered Cypher calling out to her. Looking up as the two Borg drones walked past her, heading for Cypher, Sara yelled "Just go! Don't let em get you too!"
SGTNGSGTNGSGTNGSGTNGSGTNG
Clearing his throat Jason took two steps forward, keeping his rifle at the ready.
"You can assimilate me...OVER MY DEAD BODY YOU ASSHOLES!" He said before he started firing his rifle at them.
Once he started firing he yelled "RUN!"
Nolan took no further encouragement. He ran at the alcove, leaping up on to the side plate before grabbing on to the piping. As quickly as he could he swung on it, reaching out for the top of the generator.
Hearing a yell down below, Nolan looked down just in time to see Jason get over run by several Borg.
"MAJOR!" Nolan yelled. He couldn't believe what he had just seen. Jason had been...no...it couldn't be true...could it?
In shock Nolan saw Jason drop to his knees, two holes on the side of his neck visible.
SGTNGSGTNGSGTNGSGTNGSGTNG
"Alright Major, fine. We'll go back and report in. Major McCallister saved my life once and I'll be damned if I don't get the chance to return the favor. This isn't over yet!" Nolan said. His voice was even yet serious. He picked up the two extra P-90's off of the floor, knowing they had belonged to Jason and Sara. Shouldering the weapons he walked past Sadie and her team before heading towards the doorway that led back down to the Stargate; Cypher following at his heels.
This isn't over yet...
The words rang clear in Sadie's mind as she watched Major's CarMichael and Borodin leave the room.
"No...it never is, is it?" She muttered to herself.
SGTNGSGTNGSGTNGSGTNGSGTNG
And now the conclusion...
Chapter One: Remembrance
Major Nolan CarMichael stood staring at a wall covered in different plaques and medals; his hands clasped tightly behind his back. This wall was nicknamed the Wall of Memories because each plaque; each metal that was pinned to it told the story of a valiant officer killed in the line of duty to protect the Stargate. Among the hundreds of names, only two of which actually meant something to the Major; Major Jason McCallister and Captain Sara Cafferey.
It had been a year and a day since the loss of the Major and Captain. Ever since that time Nolan had been chomping at the bit to get clearance to go back to that planet to try and find them, not to mention rescue them but it wasn't that simple. General Eddings and General Mjolnir both had read his and Major Ford's reports about the failed mission to P4X-774; they had read about their time on Deep Space Nine as well as their little meeting of the minds with the Borg.
General Eddings had called the Major crazy; practically to his face! He had ordered the Major and the rest of the people who had been sent to P4X-774 to undergo a series of tests to see if there was something the matter with them. The tests took several months to complete but in the end they all came back negative.
It took several more months to get reinstated back on to an active Stargate team since General Eddings still thought he was crazy, but after General Mjolnir's recovery and the subsequent removal of General Eddings from command of Stargate Command, getting Major CarMichael and the others back on to their old teams was fairly simple.
A shadow fell across one of the gold medals, alerting Nolan to the fact that someone was standing behind him, but this didn't worry the Major; he knew who it was.
"Major."
The voice was strong and familiar. It was the voice of his commanding officer; General Mjolnir. The General and Nolan had been friends for a good many years, but the fact that the General had agreed to the tests that General Eddings had ordered had really hurt Nolan's confidence in the General; even now he was having a little trouble getting past that.
"General Mjolnir." Nolan respectfully greeted, even though he still didn't turn around.
Movement off the corner of his eye told Nolan that the General had moved and was now standing right beside him.
"Sources tell me you've been coming here every day since you were reassigned back to SG-3. If there's one thing I learned Major it is this: you shouldn't dwell on the past, it blinds you. There is nothing you can do to change the past. Look towards the future; you have a bright future." General Mjolnir said, his voice soft with the hint of understanding to it.
Nolan took a moment to reflect on the General's words before fixing him with a somewhat hurt look.
"That may be true General, however it's not that simple. The Major and the Captain are still alive and we just abandoned them. We never went back; we couldn't go back! What's that saying, 'No man left behind'? Well we sure fucked that up."
General Mjolnir seemed unfazed by the Major's words, even though he understood where all the hate was coming from. He himself had had to do things he wasn't proud of, there were things he still regretted to this day but he had moved on; at least as much as was possible. Now if only Nolan could do the same.
"If there was any proof that they were alive I would have sent you back but listen to yourself. You told me that you had been on a fictional station fighting beings that only exist in the realm of fantasy. How can you truthfully expect us to believe you? What's more believable, you all were knocked out, someone came and removed the Major and the Captain without your knowledge and disappeared with them, or your story of the both of them having been assimilated by the Borg?" Asid said.
Major CarMichael saw the truth in what Asid was saying. Jason and Sara being kidnapped was more believable than them being assimilated by the Borg yet...
"If I hadn't of been there and seen it with my own eyes I wouldn't have believed it either. But I know the truth General, I know that they are still alive and they need help. We can't just continue to turn our backs on them. They are under your command!" Nolan said.
"I am painfully aware of that fact Major. Even if what you tell me is true, how do you expect to get back to Deep Space Nine? Hmm? You have no idea how you got there, neither do the others." Asid shot back.
Nolan folded his arms. This was really getting them no where, and what the hell was Asid bringing it up once more?
"It's a logical assumption that we get back to DS9 by returning to the planet we were on before; P4X-774."
Asid remained silent, thinking over what Nolan said. He wanted the Major to put all this behind him. SG-3 needed their Commanding Officer in top form and so far all Nolan seemed to be doing was brooding over the loss of Major McCallister. Asid had known the Major had saved Nolan's life when the original Stargate Command had been destroyed; was Nolan's attitude due to some feeling that he owed Jason a favor?
Sighing, Asid finally came to a decision.
"Will going to that planet one last time help you to move on?" He asked.
Hearing that Nolan realized he had to play his cards right to get permission to go back.
"Yes sir." He replied.
"Well then...follow me please." Asid said.
Nolan raised an eyebrow but remained silent as he followed the General. He was unsure of where they were going but his questions were soon cleared up as they approached the Briefing Room. Upon entering the room Nolan was a little taken aback by who all was there. He saw Major Sadie Ford, Captain Cypher Borodin and Sergeant Joanne Rhodes, both having been called back from Atlantis, as well as Captain Chicago Eastlyn, one of the newer SG-2 members.
"All of those who were there have pretty much said the same thing Major. They all want the chance to go back and Captain Eastlyn needs the off world experience, therefore...I am authorizing a mission to P4X-774. Find out what happened there and if our people are there...bring them back. Nothing more and nothing less. Major Ford will be in charge of the team, you will serve as the XO. Gear up and then report to the Gate Room ASAP." Asid said.
So it was done; they were going back. Nolan had been a little surprised that General Mjolnir had requested the presence of Borodin and Rhodes, given that they were assigned to Atlantis, however given the fact that they had been on the original teams that had been on Deep Space Nine...it did make sense.
As everyone filed out of the Briefing Room, Nolan looked back at the General, nodding his head in thanks.
No words needed to be spoken, Asid understood what Nolan was trying to say.
"Good luck Major." Asid said as he watched as Nolan then turned to rejoin the group that was headed to the armory.
