Title: Chaos Theory Chapter 3
Author: Stepf
Summary: Downed in the wilderness, will Jack and Sam survive?
Thanks: Again, this is one of my biggest reviewed WaT fics ever, and thank you to everyone who has taken the time, I so appreciate it to the bottom of my heart. My beta, E, I cant thank you enough..
AN1: Again, everything about the island is factual and researched. Basically what you are learning here is you don't want to go there in the dead of winter. Also, the shipwrecks discusses herein are real and also researched. Look at me getting all crazy.
On with the show
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Chapter 3: Darkness Falls
To avoid injuring herself on the jagged metal sticking out of every conceivable place, Sam carefully opens the closet the pilot mentioned. She easily finds the medical kit and several blankets, but has to search some before finding the map that had come loose in the crash.
Now increasing her speed, mostly to keep warm, Sam finds Jack's carry on bag. Looking through it, she quickly pitches half the contents inside to make room for everything they need. One change of clothes apiece-they both kept one in their carry ons just in case, several blankets and the survival kit she had also found in the closet. Luckily they had both decided to dress casually and warmly on the plane, since it was a long flight in closed quarters, figuring they could change when they landed. Never before had an idea been so fortunate. She places the map in an outside pocket and leaves room for the medical kit.
Moving on to Jack, she attempts to rouse him, not sure what she will do if she can't wake him. She ignores the dizzy feeling starting to overtake her, and touches his head lightly, rolling it back to rest on the headrest. Deciding to take some advantage of the situation, she pulls back Jack's shirt and quickly wraps up the wound, using all that she was taught in field med training. Once that task is completed, she places the med kit into the bag and returns to attempting to wake Jack.
"Jack.Come on, baby, wake up for me." She sighs, his lack of consciousness concerns her. She reaches out and touches his face lightly. "Jack.JACK!"
Finally she gets a response, a low moan, but it's better than nothing. "Come on.I know it hurts, Jack, but you gotta work with me here. I can't carry you."
A soft voice responds, "Why not?"
"The academy doesn't go over how to carry your unconscious boss through the snow in the middle of winter. I'll write a letter and complain later. How you feeling?"
"Like shit. What the hell happened?"
"Plane crashed. Both the pilots and the other passenger are dead. It's just you and me."
He harrumphs at this and slowly starts to move his extremities; she can see pain cover his face as he moves his wounded arm. Removing his seat belt, he slowly starts to stand, gripping her shoulder as support. Finally finding some sort of balance, he takes in the carnage around them and lets out a low whistle. While standing, she helps him into the heavier winter coat that he had removed for the flight, which thankfully hadn't disappeared in the crash. She had been wearing hers on the plane due to a slight chill in the air.
"We should be dead."
"Yeah, we should," she says quietly.
"Are you ok?" he asks as his eyes roam her body looking for injuries, only finding the gash at her hairline. Reaching out, he lightly touches the skin around the wound, allowing his hand to slide down her face to her jaw line before pulling away.
"Yeah, I'm ok. Are you dizzy?"
"Yeah, little bit, but it's passing."
She nods and helps him move to the back of the plane so he can assess the outside. Looking around, he speaks. "Where the hell are we?"
"Isle Royale National Park. Welcome to the least inhabited island in the country."
"Great.wait. How did you know that?"
Showing him the map, she gives him a wan grin. "The pilot told me before he died. Gave me some instructions on staying alive out here."
"Lemme guess, don't get eaten by a grizzly bear," he deadpans.
"Not funny. We are supposed to stay on the trails and find a ranger station. I have a map." With a flourish, she pulls the map out of the bag at her feet. "The only problem is a map is no good if you don't know where you ARE on the damn thing."
"Yeah.Any idea what time it is?"
"Three thirty.my watch still works."
"That New York or Michigan time?"
"It's the same time zone, Jack."
"Oh, right. Well that means not much time until the sun goes down. We need to either make camp here or start looking for that trail."
Both of them look out into the large expanse of wilderness in front of them. Jack finally speaks. "I think first light might be best; plus we have shelter here. But staying past tomorrow might not be a good idea. Those bodies are going to start attracting predators."
She shivers slightly at the morbid thought, though it is the reality of the situation.
"Ok, you sit back down. I'll go looking for something to start a fire."
He nods and sits in the last row of seats and watches as she wanders out into the woods, looking for tinder.
"Don't go too far," he hollers after her.
She merely waves to acknowledge his words and goes back to hunting. Sam honestly isn't sure how the hell to get them out of this. Sure, they were all trained in survival, but nothing had quite prepared her for this. They had almost no food or water, though the vast amounts of snow would help on that end; plus they aren't exactly dressed appropriately and have no clue where they are on an island with no inhabitants. She could only hope that the pilot HAD managed to get that SOS out before they crashed and someone was looking for them.
Washington DC Same day, Four PM
"Uh huh..no, thank you for calling. I'll inform everyone. Yeah.please do." Vivian closes her phone and takes a deep breath. This really isn't good. When the Houghton sheriff had called her, she wasn't sure what was going on; now she needs to inform the team that Jack and Sam are missing and presumed down in a plane crash. Quickly, she calls Danny and Martin into Jack's office; both the men sit in front of Jack's desk.
"We have a problem. During their landing into Houghton, Jack and Samantha's plane experienced what the local authorities believe is a massive power loss and went down somewhere over Lake Superior." Her voice is serious, but tinged with sadness; someone needs to keep it together, and that person is her.
"Are they.oh god." Danny starts the sentence but can't seem to finish it.
"They don't know. I'm in contact with the local sheriff and the NTSB is on the way. The last radioed location before contact was lost was directly over Superior, well north of the airport."
"Oh god." Martin parrots his colleague. "If they went down in that water.it's too cold to survive long."
"We don't know WHAT happened yet. This is all preliminary. I just wanted to let you guys know."
Both men nod somberly, each lost in their own thoughts before Martin speaks up. "I want to head out there."
"Me too," Danny adds.
"There isn't anything we can do. And I'm not sure Van Doren will go for it." She pauses and looks at her colleagues' pleading faces. "I'll look into it. Until then, we have a case to work, ok?"
"Yeah," They reply in unison but remain seated, wonder where their friends are, and if they are alive.
Unknown Location Isle Royale, Michigan
They are huddled next to the fire Sam had started as close to the plane as she dared. It was enough though; with the warmth from the flames and the protection of the plane, it wasn't bitterly cold, though she would have preferred a bed.
"Nice job with the fire. Where did you learn that?"
"Girl Scouts."
He looks over at her over the blanket wrapped around his shoulders. They are sitting side-by-side on two plane seats that are on the ground now, allowing them to be closer to the fire but not sit directly on what remained of the cold sheet metal of the fuselage. "You were a Girl Scout?"
"For a little bit, not long. Enough to learn how to make a fire, so I suppose it was enough."
He nods and watches her shiver slightly. "You warm enough?"
"Warm as I'm gonna get, but I'll survive. I can't even guess to the temperature out here, but it's colder than I've ever felt." Again she shivers deeply; she can feel it through her whole body. Carefully she slides closer to the fire, being careful not to move outside its protection from the wind.
"Sam, come here." He indicates for her to move towards him.
"Jack."
"Jesus, Sam, just get your ass over here. I'm not proposing marriage -- you look cold."
She smirks and slides out of her seat, moving to sit between his legs, with her back pressed against his chest. She readjusts her blanket so it covers her front now, their body heat sufficient to warm her back. Once she is done getting comfortable, she feels Jack wrap his long arms around her, rubbing her arms lightly. Several moments of silence pass as they each enjoy the feeling of each other.
"You think someone will look for us?" she asks in a small voice, leaning her head against his chest.
"I don't know, Sam. I'd think so, but they have no idea what happened to us."
"I wonder if Danny and Martin and Viv know yet."
"Probably. Viv was my contact, so I'm sure they know. But, Sam, for all they know we are down with the Edmund Fitzgerald."
"The what?"
"The Edmund Fitzgerald. Come on, Sam, you don't remember that song?" He pauses a moment before singing. "The legend lives on from the chippewa on down of the big lake they called Gitchigumi. The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead when the skies of November turn gloomy
With a load of iron ore twenty-six thousand tons more than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty. That good ship and crew was a bone to be chewed when the 'gales of November' came early."
"Can't say I can recall that one."
"Hmmm, probably before your time."
"Anyway.the Edmund Fitzgerald?" Talking, even about something so inane as a ship kept Sam's mind off the cold. Plus, the feel of his warm breath on her neck certainly helped ward away the chill.
"It was a freighter, carrying iron ore from Wisconsin to Detroit when it encountered one of the worst storms ever recorded on Lake Superior. November 10, 1975 it went down with 29 people aboard; they were all lost to the lake."
"That's awful."
"Yeah. They found the wreck, but it's sat there for 28 years, untouched."
Suddenly something occurs to her. "How do you know about that?"
"I've always been interested in ship wrecks. There's something so haunting about them. Trapped under all that water, preserved for time, a marker of a horrible tragedy."
"I never knew."
"About the Fitz? Most people haven't unless you're from the area."
"No, that you even had an interest."
"Well it's been a while since I've had time to read up."
She considers that for a minute. "Tell me more...about other wrecks."
"Ok, there's always the one off the coast of North Carolina. Six hundred souls lost.."
She interrupts him with a tired voice. "Why do they say 'souls lost'?"
"I don't know, Sam. Anyway, it was the SS Central America, went down in a hurricane in 1857, I believe. Six hundred people and an estimated one billion dollars in gold.."
As he spoke, Jack's soothing voice sinks her deeper and deeper into sleep until she finally gives in and closes her eyes, hoping that when she woke up, she would find herself at home, safe.
tbc...
Author: Stepf
Summary: Downed in the wilderness, will Jack and Sam survive?
Thanks: Again, this is one of my biggest reviewed WaT fics ever, and thank you to everyone who has taken the time, I so appreciate it to the bottom of my heart. My beta, E, I cant thank you enough..
AN1: Again, everything about the island is factual and researched. Basically what you are learning here is you don't want to go there in the dead of winter. Also, the shipwrecks discusses herein are real and also researched. Look at me getting all crazy.
On with the show
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Chapter 3: Darkness Falls
To avoid injuring herself on the jagged metal sticking out of every conceivable place, Sam carefully opens the closet the pilot mentioned. She easily finds the medical kit and several blankets, but has to search some before finding the map that had come loose in the crash.
Now increasing her speed, mostly to keep warm, Sam finds Jack's carry on bag. Looking through it, she quickly pitches half the contents inside to make room for everything they need. One change of clothes apiece-they both kept one in their carry ons just in case, several blankets and the survival kit she had also found in the closet. Luckily they had both decided to dress casually and warmly on the plane, since it was a long flight in closed quarters, figuring they could change when they landed. Never before had an idea been so fortunate. She places the map in an outside pocket and leaves room for the medical kit.
Moving on to Jack, she attempts to rouse him, not sure what she will do if she can't wake him. She ignores the dizzy feeling starting to overtake her, and touches his head lightly, rolling it back to rest on the headrest. Deciding to take some advantage of the situation, she pulls back Jack's shirt and quickly wraps up the wound, using all that she was taught in field med training. Once that task is completed, she places the med kit into the bag and returns to attempting to wake Jack.
"Jack.Come on, baby, wake up for me." She sighs, his lack of consciousness concerns her. She reaches out and touches his face lightly. "Jack.JACK!"
Finally she gets a response, a low moan, but it's better than nothing. "Come on.I know it hurts, Jack, but you gotta work with me here. I can't carry you."
A soft voice responds, "Why not?"
"The academy doesn't go over how to carry your unconscious boss through the snow in the middle of winter. I'll write a letter and complain later. How you feeling?"
"Like shit. What the hell happened?"
"Plane crashed. Both the pilots and the other passenger are dead. It's just you and me."
He harrumphs at this and slowly starts to move his extremities; she can see pain cover his face as he moves his wounded arm. Removing his seat belt, he slowly starts to stand, gripping her shoulder as support. Finally finding some sort of balance, he takes in the carnage around them and lets out a low whistle. While standing, she helps him into the heavier winter coat that he had removed for the flight, which thankfully hadn't disappeared in the crash. She had been wearing hers on the plane due to a slight chill in the air.
"We should be dead."
"Yeah, we should," she says quietly.
"Are you ok?" he asks as his eyes roam her body looking for injuries, only finding the gash at her hairline. Reaching out, he lightly touches the skin around the wound, allowing his hand to slide down her face to her jaw line before pulling away.
"Yeah, I'm ok. Are you dizzy?"
"Yeah, little bit, but it's passing."
She nods and helps him move to the back of the plane so he can assess the outside. Looking around, he speaks. "Where the hell are we?"
"Isle Royale National Park. Welcome to the least inhabited island in the country."
"Great.wait. How did you know that?"
Showing him the map, she gives him a wan grin. "The pilot told me before he died. Gave me some instructions on staying alive out here."
"Lemme guess, don't get eaten by a grizzly bear," he deadpans.
"Not funny. We are supposed to stay on the trails and find a ranger station. I have a map." With a flourish, she pulls the map out of the bag at her feet. "The only problem is a map is no good if you don't know where you ARE on the damn thing."
"Yeah.Any idea what time it is?"
"Three thirty.my watch still works."
"That New York or Michigan time?"
"It's the same time zone, Jack."
"Oh, right. Well that means not much time until the sun goes down. We need to either make camp here or start looking for that trail."
Both of them look out into the large expanse of wilderness in front of them. Jack finally speaks. "I think first light might be best; plus we have shelter here. But staying past tomorrow might not be a good idea. Those bodies are going to start attracting predators."
She shivers slightly at the morbid thought, though it is the reality of the situation.
"Ok, you sit back down. I'll go looking for something to start a fire."
He nods and sits in the last row of seats and watches as she wanders out into the woods, looking for tinder.
"Don't go too far," he hollers after her.
She merely waves to acknowledge his words and goes back to hunting. Sam honestly isn't sure how the hell to get them out of this. Sure, they were all trained in survival, but nothing had quite prepared her for this. They had almost no food or water, though the vast amounts of snow would help on that end; plus they aren't exactly dressed appropriately and have no clue where they are on an island with no inhabitants. She could only hope that the pilot HAD managed to get that SOS out before they crashed and someone was looking for them.
Washington DC Same day, Four PM
"Uh huh..no, thank you for calling. I'll inform everyone. Yeah.please do." Vivian closes her phone and takes a deep breath. This really isn't good. When the Houghton sheriff had called her, she wasn't sure what was going on; now she needs to inform the team that Jack and Sam are missing and presumed down in a plane crash. Quickly, she calls Danny and Martin into Jack's office; both the men sit in front of Jack's desk.
"We have a problem. During their landing into Houghton, Jack and Samantha's plane experienced what the local authorities believe is a massive power loss and went down somewhere over Lake Superior." Her voice is serious, but tinged with sadness; someone needs to keep it together, and that person is her.
"Are they.oh god." Danny starts the sentence but can't seem to finish it.
"They don't know. I'm in contact with the local sheriff and the NTSB is on the way. The last radioed location before contact was lost was directly over Superior, well north of the airport."
"Oh god." Martin parrots his colleague. "If they went down in that water.it's too cold to survive long."
"We don't know WHAT happened yet. This is all preliminary. I just wanted to let you guys know."
Both men nod somberly, each lost in their own thoughts before Martin speaks up. "I want to head out there."
"Me too," Danny adds.
"There isn't anything we can do. And I'm not sure Van Doren will go for it." She pauses and looks at her colleagues' pleading faces. "I'll look into it. Until then, we have a case to work, ok?"
"Yeah," They reply in unison but remain seated, wonder where their friends are, and if they are alive.
Unknown Location Isle Royale, Michigan
They are huddled next to the fire Sam had started as close to the plane as she dared. It was enough though; with the warmth from the flames and the protection of the plane, it wasn't bitterly cold, though she would have preferred a bed.
"Nice job with the fire. Where did you learn that?"
"Girl Scouts."
He looks over at her over the blanket wrapped around his shoulders. They are sitting side-by-side on two plane seats that are on the ground now, allowing them to be closer to the fire but not sit directly on what remained of the cold sheet metal of the fuselage. "You were a Girl Scout?"
"For a little bit, not long. Enough to learn how to make a fire, so I suppose it was enough."
He nods and watches her shiver slightly. "You warm enough?"
"Warm as I'm gonna get, but I'll survive. I can't even guess to the temperature out here, but it's colder than I've ever felt." Again she shivers deeply; she can feel it through her whole body. Carefully she slides closer to the fire, being careful not to move outside its protection from the wind.
"Sam, come here." He indicates for her to move towards him.
"Jack."
"Jesus, Sam, just get your ass over here. I'm not proposing marriage -- you look cold."
She smirks and slides out of her seat, moving to sit between his legs, with her back pressed against his chest. She readjusts her blanket so it covers her front now, their body heat sufficient to warm her back. Once she is done getting comfortable, she feels Jack wrap his long arms around her, rubbing her arms lightly. Several moments of silence pass as they each enjoy the feeling of each other.
"You think someone will look for us?" she asks in a small voice, leaning her head against his chest.
"I don't know, Sam. I'd think so, but they have no idea what happened to us."
"I wonder if Danny and Martin and Viv know yet."
"Probably. Viv was my contact, so I'm sure they know. But, Sam, for all they know we are down with the Edmund Fitzgerald."
"The what?"
"The Edmund Fitzgerald. Come on, Sam, you don't remember that song?" He pauses a moment before singing. "The legend lives on from the chippewa on down of the big lake they called Gitchigumi. The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead when the skies of November turn gloomy
With a load of iron ore twenty-six thousand tons more than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty. That good ship and crew was a bone to be chewed when the 'gales of November' came early."
"Can't say I can recall that one."
"Hmmm, probably before your time."
"Anyway.the Edmund Fitzgerald?" Talking, even about something so inane as a ship kept Sam's mind off the cold. Plus, the feel of his warm breath on her neck certainly helped ward away the chill.
"It was a freighter, carrying iron ore from Wisconsin to Detroit when it encountered one of the worst storms ever recorded on Lake Superior. November 10, 1975 it went down with 29 people aboard; they were all lost to the lake."
"That's awful."
"Yeah. They found the wreck, but it's sat there for 28 years, untouched."
Suddenly something occurs to her. "How do you know about that?"
"I've always been interested in ship wrecks. There's something so haunting about them. Trapped under all that water, preserved for time, a marker of a horrible tragedy."
"I never knew."
"About the Fitz? Most people haven't unless you're from the area."
"No, that you even had an interest."
"Well it's been a while since I've had time to read up."
She considers that for a minute. "Tell me more...about other wrecks."
"Ok, there's always the one off the coast of North Carolina. Six hundred souls lost.."
She interrupts him with a tired voice. "Why do they say 'souls lost'?"
"I don't know, Sam. Anyway, it was the SS Central America, went down in a hurricane in 1857, I believe. Six hundred people and an estimated one billion dollars in gold.."
As he spoke, Jack's soothing voice sinks her deeper and deeper into sleep until she finally gives in and closes her eyes, hoping that when she woke up, she would find herself at home, safe.
tbc...
