TITLE: Missing
AUTHOR: Meloko
EMAIL: meloko8@hotmail.com
CATEGORY: Daniel's past and losing someone close.
SPOILERS: Cold Lazurus
SEASON/SEQUEL: Season 3
RATING: PG
CONTENT WARNINGS:
SUMMARY: When a team goes missing, it triggers off a bad memory for Daniel.
DISCLAIMER: None of this is mine; the actual story is written by yours
truly, but the characters and name etc, don't belong to me.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: The idea came to me while reading an X-Files book, when
Mulder mentioned how the loss of his sister Samantha affected him. Note its
one of my earlier fics.
So there's no confusion **, this means thoughts, I usually write in italics
but it doesn't show up!
Missing
She paced the room for the hundredth time; she just couldn't shake off that horrible feeling that something was terribly wrong. He'd been missing for four days now and there'd been no word from any of the team. This was her brother, her own flesh and blood. They'd always been close ever since they were little, even though there were only a few years between them; he'd always her 'protector'. There to watch over her and it had worked when they were young; no one had ever picked on her, if they did they knew they would have to 'deal' with her brother. Their bond was even closer due to the absence of their busy parents; famous journalists just didn't have much time for two young children, but neither of them had minded; they had each other. "What if something's happened to him?" her mind wondered. "Stay positive" but it was so hard to stay positive when the facts told you otherwise; he had been missing for days and no word from any of the teams. Though she didn't want to admit it; the deathly 'presumed dead' came to mind. "Dead, that I won't believe, he's too strong, too intelligent, to.........he' my brother, he's alive" as hard as she tried she couldn't reassure herself.
"Miss Summers"
She turned round to see the General behind her, her boss, actually everyone's boss, no one except the President could under mind his orders but George, he'd once told her; was a sweet man, who knew exactly how to handle almost every situation.
"Yes Sir"
"Tess, go to bed, I'll get someone to contact you as soon as there was any news" he told her gently. His heart went out to her; this was her brother that was missing. The first time he'd met them, he realised immediately how close they were.
She knew he was right, but what if he came back, or if someone brought news, she had to be there. But her muscles ached and her eyes were heavy and she had to shake herself to keep awake.
"Tess"
She took one last look at the Stargate and reluctantly left.
~
Jack looked at the young women and he felt for her. Not once had her eyes left the Gate and even food she took hesitantly. He knew what it was like to loose someone close: Charlie, his only son, but at least he knew, he wasn't waiting, hoping for news because he already knew. If only............
His eyes started to swell up; still it was painful; though he doubted he'd ever really get over it. What could he say to her? I'm sorry about your brother, it sounded as if he was dead, and that was the last thing he wanted to remind her of.
"Any news?"
Jack spun round. "What have I told you about sneaking up on people?"
Daniel just shrugged. "So no sign of SG6"
Jack shook his head. "Not a peep"
"How many days, has it been?"
"5, I think"
"She must be sick with worry" Daniel sympathised. His mind flashed back to a young girl.
"Daniel" Jack asked concerned. "What's the matter?"
"It's just, I know how she feels"
"How?" he wondered. "When?"
"When I was seven, my best friend, disappeared, obviously not through the Stargate, but it really hurt"
"What really hurt?" Sam asked entering the room.
"Izzy" Daniel replied fondly, almost in a trance.
"Who?"
"A sweet little girl, she had shoulder-length, sunshine coloured curly hair, which I used to gently ping"
"Daniel, you mean child" Jack commented.
"She loved the colour pink and would always have her hair up in pigtails. We did everything together; we only lived a few doors away..."He stopped, remembering something.
"What?" Sam asked.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He looked through each compartment and finally found what he was looking for. An old black and white photograph. He showed it to them.
"Is that you?" asked Sam.
She was pointing to a small young boy with rimmed glasses.
"Yes" he said in embarrassment.
"You were so cute!" she remarked admiring the photograph.
"Well you haven't changed much!" joked Jack.
Daniel was not amused.
Realising his embarrassment, and his cheeks beginning to turn pink, Sam asked. "Who's the girl?"
"That's why I got it out, it's Izzy."
"She's beautiful" Sam commented in admiration.
"How do you manage it Danny boy? Even then you could still swing girls, gotta admire you for it."
Daniel was outstounded; had Jack paid him a complement? On women, no less! After the number of times Jack had given him advice; not that he'd actually taken it but still.
"If you don't mind me asking, why bring her up now?" she realised something. "Wait, she's not just come to work here, or is she your new girlfriend?" Sam joked.
"No" he quietened, in sadness.
"Daniel, I'm sorry, did I say something to upset you?" she worried.
"It wasn't you, just the memory. I can't believe I'm still not over it"
"Some things you never get over" Sam comforted.
"You see, I know how she feels," Daniel explained, pointing to Tess. "Izzy disappeared."
For once Jack was silent, with nothing to say, especially not to crack a joke.
Sam in comfort put her arm around him. "What happened Daniel?" she asked softly.
"It was the summer of................."
Sirens. "Incoming traveller".
All of them jumped to their feet.
"Daniel, get the General" Jack ordered.
Sam rushed over to the computers. "Any signal?"
The technician looked at his screen. "It's SG6," he announced.
Tess's face lit up instantly. "He's ok, he's alive," she thought in joy. All those days of worry were over.
The General entered.
"Sir it's SG6."
"Don't just sit there, open the iris," he commanded.
The wormhole gushed out and within moments a man stepped through, another, a woman and.........it closed.
Tess's heart fell and she couldn't breathe. "Where's Max? Where's my brother?"
They all rushed down to the gate room.
"Where's Max Summers?" the General ordered.
"We were attacked" the man took a breathe, he was breathing heavily. "I thought..." another breathe. "He was behind us, we escaped...."
"So he's still there"
"Let me go through General" Tess begged.
He looked at her. She was pitiful. Her eyes revealed her anguish, her pain.
"I'm sorry Tess but I can't risk anymore teams."
"General, I think SG1 are capable" Jack told him.
"I think you'rE probably right Colonel, but we haven't got a clue what out there. If SG6 can get captured, what's to say you can't? I'm really sorry Tess, but we just can't risk it"
Tess broke down and Daniel put his arm around her in comfort.
"You have to let me go through, he could die," she pleaded, tears streaming down her wet cheeks. "Please."
"I've given my order."
Tess ran out of the room. In her mind he was good as dead.
~
It was hours later and SG1 had met up for a drink at a new bar in town.
"Very modern" Daniel commented.
The place was an array of silver, with silver chairs, tables, floor and not forgetting the spiral staircase.
"Bit too glittery for my liking" Sam remarked.
"Carter, and I thought this would be your cup of tea after all there is lot's of metal!"
"You think, since I'm a scientist, I like metal?"
"Well, you are wearing a gold necklace" Jack defended.
"Necklace, it's not exactly a goldmine, is it?"
"Jeeze, I make one comment."
"Which table?" asked Daniel, in attempt to stop the bickering.
The place was pretty deserted, as it was so early; so they had a bundle of choices.
"I like the look of this table" the Jaffa announced.
"Cause it so different from the rest" Jack commented, although he sat down without another word.
The waitress came over to ask for their orders; her blond hair was put up in pigtails, which reminded Sam of something.
"Martini please" she asked. "Daniel what did happen to Izzy?"
"Vodka on the rocks" she looked at Sam. "As I said before..."
"Two beers" Jack asked. "Thats ok Teal'c?"
"Yes." Amazingly the Jaffa had come quite accustomed to alcohol, and even had a taste for beer.
"Will that be all?" the waitress asked.
"Yep, so Daniel what were you saying?"
"Izzy, well it was the summer of my seventh birthday and it was a hot mid summers afternoon, she was due to come to my house for the afternoon, as we'd planned to visit the park together but.........."
"But what?" asked Sam now enchanted.
"She never came."
"What happened?" asked Teal'c.
"The truth is, we don't know, and the sad fact is we never will."
"She was abducted?" Sam figured.
"Most likely, but they never did find her, or her body. When I was younger, I kept thinking she'd come back, but when weeks had passed, I just couldn't stop thinking about her"
"There was no sign, did anyone see her, I mean this was during the day" Sam remembered.
"No-one, although my road, well cul-de-sac, was pretty small and quite"
"How awful!" Jack commented.
"I just couldn't understand where my best friend had gone, everyday I'd ask my mum, and 'will Isobel be back today'?"
"What did your mum say to that?" Sam wondered.
"She said she'd be home soon, but in time, to make it easier on me, she said she'd moved away to stay with her grandma, of course I couldn't accept it. 'Why mum? Why did she go?' Over time, I got over her, and things got easier but it still was at the back of my mind. When I was older, I was told what really happened."
"I'm so sorry Daniel" Sam comforted.
"It was hard, but..........."
Jack's phone rang and they all felt their pagers go off.
The waitress arrived with the drinks. "One...."
Jack listened to the message and told her. "I don't think we'll be needing those"
SG1 left to see what the news was.
~
"Yes General?"
"Come with me" he told them.
The General took them to the infirmary.
There lying on the bed was a sick man, blood all over him and a woman standing next to him. Tess.
The Doctor opened his hand and showed the team an ornate object.
"Is that Tess's brother?" whispered Jack to Janet.
"Yes."
"Thank God" muttered Daniel.
"What happened?" Sam asked the General.
"Max appeared about quarter of an hour ago holding this," he pointed to the object in Janet's hand.
"May I?" asked Daniel. He took the object and examined it.
"Teal'c you haven't seen anything like this before, have you?"
"I have not, it is not Goa'uld"
"It looks like a special amulet to me" explained Daniel "For their highest God, to protect them, I would imagine"
"Why is it so important?" Sam wondered.
"He's been poisoned" Janet explained. "And this is all we have, he was carrying it, we just wondered if it might help."
"Can I have a look?" asked Sam.
Sam gazed at it and put it in the palm of her hand. "It seems quite heavy...."
"Perhaps the metals heavy?" suggested Daniel.
"I wouldn't have thought it was, there's not that much" she paused and a thought came into her head. She lifted the object up to her nose and smelt it. "There's something inside it, Daniel you said it was an amulet, perhaps it contain some powder to keep away evil spirits."
"Carter, you haven't even opened it" Jack reminded her.
She swept her hand over its smooth surface and found something, a catch. "Voila"
Inside was a pale blue powder.
"Janet can you check it, I think this is what we need," Sam told her.
Janet examined a bit under the microscope. "It appears to be made of some sort of strange plant."
"Could it be a cure?"
"Possibly............"
"Dr Fraiser" Jack called. "He's gone into cardiac arrest."
The women rushed to the patient.
"Pads" she ordered. "Charge, 200 and Clear."
It shocked the body but it didn't work. "300"
Again it made no difference.
"360."
No pulse and they couldn't go any further.
"Try the powder," suggested Sam.
"Carter are you mad, he has no pulse and you want to give him herbs!"
"Sir, he's dying"
Janet returned with the powder and water.
"Put the powder in the water" ordered Sam. "And make him drink it."
Janet did as she said.
They all watched in anticipation. Tess was crying.
A pulse appeared on the monitor.
"It's a miracle."
His heart beat got quicker and within minutes was normal. His eyes opened and everyone left the brother and sister alone.
"How did you know it was going to work?" asked Jack.
"Well amulets are meant to protect people, what if that protection was against a disease, so when I found out it was made from a plant, .........I just hoped" Sam explained.
"Not bad"
"I just wish we could get some more of it, you saw what it did for him..."
"Oh no you don't Carter, he nearly died out there, I don't care what this stuff does, you're not going back" Jack told her.
"I'm just glad she didn't have to go what I went through," said Daniel.
"Yes, but you can always hoped she'd had a good life. I mean with you as a best friend, it can't have been that bad" Sam remarked.
Daniel smiled and got out the picture from his pocket. "Isobel, may you rest in peace"
~Fin~
Missing
She paced the room for the hundredth time; she just couldn't shake off that horrible feeling that something was terribly wrong. He'd been missing for four days now and there'd been no word from any of the team. This was her brother, her own flesh and blood. They'd always been close ever since they were little, even though there were only a few years between them; he'd always her 'protector'. There to watch over her and it had worked when they were young; no one had ever picked on her, if they did they knew they would have to 'deal' with her brother. Their bond was even closer due to the absence of their busy parents; famous journalists just didn't have much time for two young children, but neither of them had minded; they had each other. "What if something's happened to him?" her mind wondered. "Stay positive" but it was so hard to stay positive when the facts told you otherwise; he had been missing for days and no word from any of the teams. Though she didn't want to admit it; the deathly 'presumed dead' came to mind. "Dead, that I won't believe, he's too strong, too intelligent, to.........he' my brother, he's alive" as hard as she tried she couldn't reassure herself.
"Miss Summers"
She turned round to see the General behind her, her boss, actually everyone's boss, no one except the President could under mind his orders but George, he'd once told her; was a sweet man, who knew exactly how to handle almost every situation.
"Yes Sir"
"Tess, go to bed, I'll get someone to contact you as soon as there was any news" he told her gently. His heart went out to her; this was her brother that was missing. The first time he'd met them, he realised immediately how close they were.
She knew he was right, but what if he came back, or if someone brought news, she had to be there. But her muscles ached and her eyes were heavy and she had to shake herself to keep awake.
"Tess"
She took one last look at the Stargate and reluctantly left.
~
Jack looked at the young women and he felt for her. Not once had her eyes left the Gate and even food she took hesitantly. He knew what it was like to loose someone close: Charlie, his only son, but at least he knew, he wasn't waiting, hoping for news because he already knew. If only............
His eyes started to swell up; still it was painful; though he doubted he'd ever really get over it. What could he say to her? I'm sorry about your brother, it sounded as if he was dead, and that was the last thing he wanted to remind her of.
"Any news?"
Jack spun round. "What have I told you about sneaking up on people?"
Daniel just shrugged. "So no sign of SG6"
Jack shook his head. "Not a peep"
"How many days, has it been?"
"5, I think"
"She must be sick with worry" Daniel sympathised. His mind flashed back to a young girl.
"Daniel" Jack asked concerned. "What's the matter?"
"It's just, I know how she feels"
"How?" he wondered. "When?"
"When I was seven, my best friend, disappeared, obviously not through the Stargate, but it really hurt"
"What really hurt?" Sam asked entering the room.
"Izzy" Daniel replied fondly, almost in a trance.
"Who?"
"A sweet little girl, she had shoulder-length, sunshine coloured curly hair, which I used to gently ping"
"Daniel, you mean child" Jack commented.
"She loved the colour pink and would always have her hair up in pigtails. We did everything together; we only lived a few doors away..."He stopped, remembering something.
"What?" Sam asked.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He looked through each compartment and finally found what he was looking for. An old black and white photograph. He showed it to them.
"Is that you?" asked Sam.
She was pointing to a small young boy with rimmed glasses.
"Yes" he said in embarrassment.
"You were so cute!" she remarked admiring the photograph.
"Well you haven't changed much!" joked Jack.
Daniel was not amused.
Realising his embarrassment, and his cheeks beginning to turn pink, Sam asked. "Who's the girl?"
"That's why I got it out, it's Izzy."
"She's beautiful" Sam commented in admiration.
"How do you manage it Danny boy? Even then you could still swing girls, gotta admire you for it."
Daniel was outstounded; had Jack paid him a complement? On women, no less! After the number of times Jack had given him advice; not that he'd actually taken it but still.
"If you don't mind me asking, why bring her up now?" she realised something. "Wait, she's not just come to work here, or is she your new girlfriend?" Sam joked.
"No" he quietened, in sadness.
"Daniel, I'm sorry, did I say something to upset you?" she worried.
"It wasn't you, just the memory. I can't believe I'm still not over it"
"Some things you never get over" Sam comforted.
"You see, I know how she feels," Daniel explained, pointing to Tess. "Izzy disappeared."
For once Jack was silent, with nothing to say, especially not to crack a joke.
Sam in comfort put her arm around him. "What happened Daniel?" she asked softly.
"It was the summer of................."
Sirens. "Incoming traveller".
All of them jumped to their feet.
"Daniel, get the General" Jack ordered.
Sam rushed over to the computers. "Any signal?"
The technician looked at his screen. "It's SG6," he announced.
Tess's face lit up instantly. "He's ok, he's alive," she thought in joy. All those days of worry were over.
The General entered.
"Sir it's SG6."
"Don't just sit there, open the iris," he commanded.
The wormhole gushed out and within moments a man stepped through, another, a woman and.........it closed.
Tess's heart fell and she couldn't breathe. "Where's Max? Where's my brother?"
They all rushed down to the gate room.
"Where's Max Summers?" the General ordered.
"We were attacked" the man took a breathe, he was breathing heavily. "I thought..." another breathe. "He was behind us, we escaped...."
"So he's still there"
"Let me go through General" Tess begged.
He looked at her. She was pitiful. Her eyes revealed her anguish, her pain.
"I'm sorry Tess but I can't risk anymore teams."
"General, I think SG1 are capable" Jack told him.
"I think you'rE probably right Colonel, but we haven't got a clue what out there. If SG6 can get captured, what's to say you can't? I'm really sorry Tess, but we just can't risk it"
Tess broke down and Daniel put his arm around her in comfort.
"You have to let me go through, he could die," she pleaded, tears streaming down her wet cheeks. "Please."
"I've given my order."
Tess ran out of the room. In her mind he was good as dead.
~
It was hours later and SG1 had met up for a drink at a new bar in town.
"Very modern" Daniel commented.
The place was an array of silver, with silver chairs, tables, floor and not forgetting the spiral staircase.
"Bit too glittery for my liking" Sam remarked.
"Carter, and I thought this would be your cup of tea after all there is lot's of metal!"
"You think, since I'm a scientist, I like metal?"
"Well, you are wearing a gold necklace" Jack defended.
"Necklace, it's not exactly a goldmine, is it?"
"Jeeze, I make one comment."
"Which table?" asked Daniel, in attempt to stop the bickering.
The place was pretty deserted, as it was so early; so they had a bundle of choices.
"I like the look of this table" the Jaffa announced.
"Cause it so different from the rest" Jack commented, although he sat down without another word.
The waitress came over to ask for their orders; her blond hair was put up in pigtails, which reminded Sam of something.
"Martini please" she asked. "Daniel what did happen to Izzy?"
"Vodka on the rocks" she looked at Sam. "As I said before..."
"Two beers" Jack asked. "Thats ok Teal'c?"
"Yes." Amazingly the Jaffa had come quite accustomed to alcohol, and even had a taste for beer.
"Will that be all?" the waitress asked.
"Yep, so Daniel what were you saying?"
"Izzy, well it was the summer of my seventh birthday and it was a hot mid summers afternoon, she was due to come to my house for the afternoon, as we'd planned to visit the park together but.........."
"But what?" asked Sam now enchanted.
"She never came."
"What happened?" asked Teal'c.
"The truth is, we don't know, and the sad fact is we never will."
"She was abducted?" Sam figured.
"Most likely, but they never did find her, or her body. When I was younger, I kept thinking she'd come back, but when weeks had passed, I just couldn't stop thinking about her"
"There was no sign, did anyone see her, I mean this was during the day" Sam remembered.
"No-one, although my road, well cul-de-sac, was pretty small and quite"
"How awful!" Jack commented.
"I just couldn't understand where my best friend had gone, everyday I'd ask my mum, and 'will Isobel be back today'?"
"What did your mum say to that?" Sam wondered.
"She said she'd be home soon, but in time, to make it easier on me, she said she'd moved away to stay with her grandma, of course I couldn't accept it. 'Why mum? Why did she go?' Over time, I got over her, and things got easier but it still was at the back of my mind. When I was older, I was told what really happened."
"I'm so sorry Daniel" Sam comforted.
"It was hard, but..........."
Jack's phone rang and they all felt their pagers go off.
The waitress arrived with the drinks. "One...."
Jack listened to the message and told her. "I don't think we'll be needing those"
SG1 left to see what the news was.
~
"Yes General?"
"Come with me" he told them.
The General took them to the infirmary.
There lying on the bed was a sick man, blood all over him and a woman standing next to him. Tess.
The Doctor opened his hand and showed the team an ornate object.
"Is that Tess's brother?" whispered Jack to Janet.
"Yes."
"Thank God" muttered Daniel.
"What happened?" Sam asked the General.
"Max appeared about quarter of an hour ago holding this," he pointed to the object in Janet's hand.
"May I?" asked Daniel. He took the object and examined it.
"Teal'c you haven't seen anything like this before, have you?"
"I have not, it is not Goa'uld"
"It looks like a special amulet to me" explained Daniel "For their highest God, to protect them, I would imagine"
"Why is it so important?" Sam wondered.
"He's been poisoned" Janet explained. "And this is all we have, he was carrying it, we just wondered if it might help."
"Can I have a look?" asked Sam.
Sam gazed at it and put it in the palm of her hand. "It seems quite heavy...."
"Perhaps the metals heavy?" suggested Daniel.
"I wouldn't have thought it was, there's not that much" she paused and a thought came into her head. She lifted the object up to her nose and smelt it. "There's something inside it, Daniel you said it was an amulet, perhaps it contain some powder to keep away evil spirits."
"Carter, you haven't even opened it" Jack reminded her.
She swept her hand over its smooth surface and found something, a catch. "Voila"
Inside was a pale blue powder.
"Janet can you check it, I think this is what we need," Sam told her.
Janet examined a bit under the microscope. "It appears to be made of some sort of strange plant."
"Could it be a cure?"
"Possibly............"
"Dr Fraiser" Jack called. "He's gone into cardiac arrest."
The women rushed to the patient.
"Pads" she ordered. "Charge, 200 and Clear."
It shocked the body but it didn't work. "300"
Again it made no difference.
"360."
No pulse and they couldn't go any further.
"Try the powder," suggested Sam.
"Carter are you mad, he has no pulse and you want to give him herbs!"
"Sir, he's dying"
Janet returned with the powder and water.
"Put the powder in the water" ordered Sam. "And make him drink it."
Janet did as she said.
They all watched in anticipation. Tess was crying.
A pulse appeared on the monitor.
"It's a miracle."
His heart beat got quicker and within minutes was normal. His eyes opened and everyone left the brother and sister alone.
"How did you know it was going to work?" asked Jack.
"Well amulets are meant to protect people, what if that protection was against a disease, so when I found out it was made from a plant, .........I just hoped" Sam explained.
"Not bad"
"I just wish we could get some more of it, you saw what it did for him..."
"Oh no you don't Carter, he nearly died out there, I don't care what this stuff does, you're not going back" Jack told her.
"I'm just glad she didn't have to go what I went through," said Daniel.
"Yes, but you can always hoped she'd had a good life. I mean with you as a best friend, it can't have been that bad" Sam remarked.
Daniel smiled and got out the picture from his pocket. "Isobel, may you rest in peace"
~Fin~
