Into The Fire: part three, chapter four
In reply: I know that this part of the story doesn't happen in Atlantis - I'm well aware of this fact. However, I want this story to start BEFORE she goes to Atlantis. Kapeshe?
Don't worry, though. She'll get there soon enough, I just want to show her how she is on Earth and then see her evolve on Atlantis.
The search party arrived through the gate at what seemed to be mid to late morning on the planet. Fanning out they silently began their trek into the shadowy forest, praying to find the two missing officers alive. Perschke, the only member of his team allowed to join the SAR, gripped his P90 so tightly his knuckles were bone white. If anything happened to either of his teammates because of his failure to return sooner or even to go get them right away he knew he wouldn't be able to live with himself. He and Mike had been friends since basic training, their kids were like cousins, and their wives were practically sisters they were so close. Christmas' were held together, and come Easter there was a gigantic egg hunt on the Perschke family farm.
And Orr… she was a good kid.
To him, well into his 40s, that's what she was, just a little girl. The kid was only 24 for Christ's sake; she should still be in college and hanging out on the beach, not stuck on some alien planet. Kids these days, he thought with the first smile he'd had in 24 hours.
"Sierra Golf Niner, Foxtrot India India. Over."
"Foxtrot India India, Sierra Golf Niner. Go ahead, over."
"How far up the path is the rock? Over."
Perschke looked around, gathering his bearings.
"Oh, I'd say from my location a half click. Over."
"Copy that, Niner. Out."
He was tempted to add a double click like they normally would, but he had to remind himself that this was a serious situation, calling for the serious use of the radio procedures, and not a slack, civilian-like op.
"Alright – It was right around here where Orr called the halt," he showed the tracks to the two marines and member of SG1 that were tagging along behind him. "She and Colonel Trapper moved up ahead and were gone for approx three hours before we headed out after them. After another half hour we heard the 'zat fire and booked it back to the 'gate."
The Jaffa Teal'c raised an eyebrow.
"You did not attempt to determine the whereabouts of ColonelTrapper or RhoannanOrr?"
Perschke swore at himself internally for his decision and shook his head remorsefully.
"It was dark, the colonel and lieutenant had obviously been overpowered without a shot, and I needed to get my civilian and sergeant back to the base. And I think even you would have been freaked out – the things were trying to use our radios to track us and they had these drawings of people being hung from trees everywhere."
Teal'c said nothing but bowed his head slightly and looked around with sharp eyes.
Aside from the occasional radio chatter, the group was silent.
When they reached the monolithic stone they met up with four other groups, but none had seen any clue of the location of the missing people. The spread back out and began searching beyond the monument to the west and north.
Perschke was slowly loosing hope of even finding the bodies of Mike and Orr when the disquieting clicking filtered over the radio.
Oh shit, he thought, not again.
Back at the SGC Elizabeth Weir grimaced as a tired faced Brigadier General O'Neill attempted to explain the situation concerning a missing member of her expedition team.
"Lieutenant Orr," She sighed, dropping the file back onto O'Neill's desk. "she's the one that was bugging me for the past two months to get onto the team."
Jack sighed and nodded, "yeah, she was bugging Carter to bug me, too."
"So do you know if they're alive or what?"
"We can at least assume they were alive for awhile after they were taken," he rubbed his face, ignoring the scratching from his unshaved face. "From what I hear, there were these ritualistic drawings on a big rock that showed people being tortured or something. Daniel of course had to see these in case they gave some insight as to what got them or where they are… but it's all rather sketchy, I think."
Weir leaned back in her chair and suppressed a groan.
"Should I expect to have a recovering from injury member of my expedition…"
O'Neill admired her tact, but all he could give her was a shrug.
One of their radios was blaring away loudly, wakening Michael Trapper from his unnatural sleep. Over the headset he could hear Ian's voice describing the stone to others, apparently at least two other SG teams. Never had the crackly voice of his best friend sounded so wonderful.
Grunting as his ankles throbbed painfully, he turned himself to come face to face with a death-like lieutenant Orr. He nearly screamed at the sight.
Hey eyes were wide open and cloudy, and blood had trickled down from her nose and a gash on her cheek all across her face. He had to lean in closer and hear shallow breaths before he could assure himself that she was really alive.
The clicking started again, and Trapper looked around to see three tall… things gathered around a table where his handgun, Orr's zatnikatel and radio sat. One was reaching out and tapping on the trigger piece, creating the click. For a moment all three stood there, all tall and creepy, then one of them just drifted away into the forest. Trapper played with this in his head for a while before guessing, with horror, at what it meant. They were hunting for the others.
He tried to remember what had happened earlier – They had gotten their hands untied and he was trying to free his feet when one of the things shot Orr with her own 'zat, then something beaned him in the head and he was out of it. Again.
Whatever had happened after that, it looked like Orr took the brunt of it as she now had several bruises and cuts that hadn't been there earlier. Shit.
