Author's Note: Just in answer to a review: The three of them are still in
the snow... they just have air, now.
Edited Author's Note: Oops! This chapter had to be redone, since for SOME reason it cut off the last sentences. Sorry about that! (I like to leave you guys hanging, but that's ridiculous.)
~*~
The Search and Rescue teams made good time getting to the turn off of the road. Carter had been pacing, shivering in the cold mountain air as she waited for some word telling her where the avalanche had occurred and if the people missing were members of the party that she'd been planning on joining. When the SUVs pulled off the road, and the search teams got out to talk to the Highway Patrol officers and Department of Forestry officials, Sam walked over to hear what they were saying. One of the men tried to block her, but she held up her Military ID, and told him that she wanted to hear what was going on as well. In the off chance that they might need a National Guard support team, or even better, that Sam might be able to get them a couple of search choppers – if they could get the snow pack stabilized – the officers let her listen in on the conversation.
The leader of the S&R team pulled out a map and draped it across the hood of his truck so everyone could see it, then the teams gathered around to listen to what they were dealing with.
"Approximately 4:30 this afternoon we had a hard pack avalanche hit this area right here. Almost immediately the CACC got a call from an old woman that runs a lodge up there. Seems they were having a party or something when the avalanche hit. Luckily, most of them were inside, and the lodge stayed up. Unfortunately, it appears that three people – two adults, one boy – were outside, and are now missing."
"Oh, God." Sam felt her stomach drop. The others looked at her, concerned, but Sam waved them off, biting her lower lip to keep from saying anything else.
"They were going to start a search of their own, but those folks aren't prepared for this kind of thing, and we are. You all know that if the kid and the two adults were completely buried they don't have a lot of time. Hopefully, we'll be able to find them. Even better, they weren't buried, and were just carried off."
His tone made it clear that he didn't expect that to be the case.
"We'll drive up to this point," Again he pointed on the map. "And then we'll proceed on foot from there. The snow is still pretty unstable, but the CDOT is working on that, and they're bringing in snow removal equipment. There are a number of people trapped in the lodge, as well, but they have blankets and fireplaces, so they're not our primary concern. The missing are."
There were nods all around. These men and women knew what they were doing, Sam saw.
"What can we expect from the military, Major?"
"What do you need?" Sam asked.
"Lights, mostly, and people to hold them. We don't have a lot of manpower, so if you can get us that, it'd be a big help. Until the snow is stable, we're going to be searching on foot, and it's going to be rough getting there. We probably won't make it before dark, and it's going to be dark in less than two hours."
"I'll get you whatever you need," Sam promised him, reaching for her cell phone. She'd call Hammond, and he could call out the Guard, or someone. The Military had their own S&R people, after all, and Sam wasn't going to be shy about asking for them.
~*~
They searched for hours but with no luck. Shadow went back and forth on the hard-packed surface of the snow, but every now and then she'd fall through the snow and one of them – sometimes more – would have to haul her out before they could continue searching. The humans were wearing snowshoes, so they didn't have the trouble that the black lab did, but they weren't having any luck with the poles, either.
Lucille and Shelby took Shadow in, and had the boys warm her up and dry her off. It gave them something to do, after all, and they were all scared. Of course, the two older women were scared, too, but they knew that someone had to keep things together, and they accepted that as their responsibility.
"Any luck?" Daniel asked, sitting up straighter. Waiting was harder than searching, as far as Daniel was concerned. He'd been trying to reassure the boys that Jack, Andrew and Teal'c would be okay, but he was having trouble believing it himself, and knew he didn't sound all that reassuring. Watching Shawn was even worse, since Daniel was poignantly aware just how much the little boy loved Jack, and blamed himself for not being out there where he could have helped.
Shawn had found Jack's dog tags on the coffee table where Jenny had left them once she'd wrestled them from Micah, and the boy wouldn't put them down. He just stared at them, occasionally brushing away a tear when he allowed himself to think of the worst that could happen. These were the times that Daniel would pull Shawn close and hold him. Most of the time the other boys would come over and want to be held as well, and Daniel did everything they needed him to, and told them everything would be fine. Even if he wasn't so sure. Daniel couldn't even imagine what David and Miyra were going through.
"No, not yet," Shelby said as she watched William and Simon dry Shadow off with a fluffy towel. "We'll find them, though. And the Search and Rescue people must be on the way by now."
"That's right," Lucille said, coming into the room with an old-fashioned coffee pot, and a large metal tea kettle, both of which she set on the hearth of the fireplace to heat the water. "They'll have all sorts of equipment and more people than we have. Don't worry, boys, we'll find them."
She sounded so sure of herself that even Daniel felt a little ray of hope. Maybe Jack, Teal'c and Andrew really were okay. After all, Jack had been through far more than this and had managed to survive. Teal'c was tough, and had Junior, and Andrew was with the two people that Daniel was sure could get him through this alive if anyone could. He sighed, and wished there was some way they could get a hold of the Asgard or something. Their allies were never there when they needed them the most, it seemed.
"Hear that?" Daniel asked Shawn, resting his chin on the top of the boy's head, his brown hair tickling Daniel's neck. "We'll find them. Jack and Teal'c are tough, and Andrew's scrappy, remember?"
Shawn nodded, and Daniel devoutly hoped he was right.
Edited Author's Note: Oops! This chapter had to be redone, since for SOME reason it cut off the last sentences. Sorry about that! (I like to leave you guys hanging, but that's ridiculous.)
~*~
The Search and Rescue teams made good time getting to the turn off of the road. Carter had been pacing, shivering in the cold mountain air as she waited for some word telling her where the avalanche had occurred and if the people missing were members of the party that she'd been planning on joining. When the SUVs pulled off the road, and the search teams got out to talk to the Highway Patrol officers and Department of Forestry officials, Sam walked over to hear what they were saying. One of the men tried to block her, but she held up her Military ID, and told him that she wanted to hear what was going on as well. In the off chance that they might need a National Guard support team, or even better, that Sam might be able to get them a couple of search choppers – if they could get the snow pack stabilized – the officers let her listen in on the conversation.
The leader of the S&R team pulled out a map and draped it across the hood of his truck so everyone could see it, then the teams gathered around to listen to what they were dealing with.
"Approximately 4:30 this afternoon we had a hard pack avalanche hit this area right here. Almost immediately the CACC got a call from an old woman that runs a lodge up there. Seems they were having a party or something when the avalanche hit. Luckily, most of them were inside, and the lodge stayed up. Unfortunately, it appears that three people – two adults, one boy – were outside, and are now missing."
"Oh, God." Sam felt her stomach drop. The others looked at her, concerned, but Sam waved them off, biting her lower lip to keep from saying anything else.
"They were going to start a search of their own, but those folks aren't prepared for this kind of thing, and we are. You all know that if the kid and the two adults were completely buried they don't have a lot of time. Hopefully, we'll be able to find them. Even better, they weren't buried, and were just carried off."
His tone made it clear that he didn't expect that to be the case.
"We'll drive up to this point," Again he pointed on the map. "And then we'll proceed on foot from there. The snow is still pretty unstable, but the CDOT is working on that, and they're bringing in snow removal equipment. There are a number of people trapped in the lodge, as well, but they have blankets and fireplaces, so they're not our primary concern. The missing are."
There were nods all around. These men and women knew what they were doing, Sam saw.
"What can we expect from the military, Major?"
"What do you need?" Sam asked.
"Lights, mostly, and people to hold them. We don't have a lot of manpower, so if you can get us that, it'd be a big help. Until the snow is stable, we're going to be searching on foot, and it's going to be rough getting there. We probably won't make it before dark, and it's going to be dark in less than two hours."
"I'll get you whatever you need," Sam promised him, reaching for her cell phone. She'd call Hammond, and he could call out the Guard, or someone. The Military had their own S&R people, after all, and Sam wasn't going to be shy about asking for them.
~*~
They searched for hours but with no luck. Shadow went back and forth on the hard-packed surface of the snow, but every now and then she'd fall through the snow and one of them – sometimes more – would have to haul her out before they could continue searching. The humans were wearing snowshoes, so they didn't have the trouble that the black lab did, but they weren't having any luck with the poles, either.
Lucille and Shelby took Shadow in, and had the boys warm her up and dry her off. It gave them something to do, after all, and they were all scared. Of course, the two older women were scared, too, but they knew that someone had to keep things together, and they accepted that as their responsibility.
"Any luck?" Daniel asked, sitting up straighter. Waiting was harder than searching, as far as Daniel was concerned. He'd been trying to reassure the boys that Jack, Andrew and Teal'c would be okay, but he was having trouble believing it himself, and knew he didn't sound all that reassuring. Watching Shawn was even worse, since Daniel was poignantly aware just how much the little boy loved Jack, and blamed himself for not being out there where he could have helped.
Shawn had found Jack's dog tags on the coffee table where Jenny had left them once she'd wrestled them from Micah, and the boy wouldn't put them down. He just stared at them, occasionally brushing away a tear when he allowed himself to think of the worst that could happen. These were the times that Daniel would pull Shawn close and hold him. Most of the time the other boys would come over and want to be held as well, and Daniel did everything they needed him to, and told them everything would be fine. Even if he wasn't so sure. Daniel couldn't even imagine what David and Miyra were going through.
"No, not yet," Shelby said as she watched William and Simon dry Shadow off with a fluffy towel. "We'll find them, though. And the Search and Rescue people must be on the way by now."
"That's right," Lucille said, coming into the room with an old-fashioned coffee pot, and a large metal tea kettle, both of which she set on the hearth of the fireplace to heat the water. "They'll have all sorts of equipment and more people than we have. Don't worry, boys, we'll find them."
She sounded so sure of herself that even Daniel felt a little ray of hope. Maybe Jack, Teal'c and Andrew really were okay. After all, Jack had been through far more than this and had managed to survive. Teal'c was tough, and had Junior, and Andrew was with the two people that Daniel was sure could get him through this alive if anyone could. He sighed, and wished there was some way they could get a hold of the Asgard or something. Their allies were never there when they needed them the most, it seemed.
"Hear that?" Daniel asked Shawn, resting his chin on the top of the boy's head, his brown hair tickling Daniel's neck. "We'll find them. Jack and Teal'c are tough, and Andrew's scrappy, remember?"
Shawn nodded, and Daniel devoutly hoped he was right.
