This is my way of giving tribute to what happened on a Tuesday morning in September five years ago. I am by no means trying to detract from what happened; it was a tragedy. This is just the only way I know how to pay homage to those who lost their lives that day. Never forget that it wasn't just the Twin Towers that were hit, but also the Pentagon and the people of United 93.
This takes place mid-way through season five of SG-1. I also did a bit of research to get the timeline of events right so it should be somewhat accurate.
I do not own Stargate SG-1 or any affiliated characters.
I apologize in advance if this story offends anyone. I do not mean to offend, only to give my respects to those who died.
"I feel a great disturbance in the Force...as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced...I fear something terrible has happened..."
- Obi-Wan Kenobi, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
September 10th, 2001
Major Samantha Carter looked over at her four friends. General George Hammond had ordered them to take some time off, even Doctor Janet Fraiser. The General had told them they had been working too hard, especially after they had narrowly saved Earth from a collision with an asteroid.
"I just don't understand why we have to get up at six in the morning," Jack whined. "We are on vacation."
The five friends walked into their hotel room and dumped their bags on the floor. "Considering there is five of us and only one shower…" Sam trailed off, amused by her commanding officer's childlike behavior.
"Major Carter is indeed correct O'Neill. It will take time in the morning to clean ourselves," Teal'c said.
"Don't worry about it sir," Janet said. "You can sleep in the following days."
Jack continued his grumbling as he pulled his things into the room he, Daniel, and Teal'c would be staying in. Sam and Janet carried their things into their own room. The friends quickly unpacked and changed into their nightclothes.
"Is he always like this on a trip?" Janet asked.
Sam shrugged. "Not so much. I think he's more upset about having to catch such a late flight out here and the time change."
Janet nodded. "Hurrah for jet lag," she muttered.
"No talking about us!" Jack ordered from the other room.
Sam and Janet giggled. "Wanna open the window Sam? It's a bit warm in here and I can't figure this air conditioning unit out."
"It's not rocket science," Sam jibed.
"Hardy ha, ha," Janet retorted.
Sam chuckled and opened the blinds. The lights of Manhattan met her eyes and she cracked the window open. She leaned against the frame, smiling at the hustle and bustle of the city at eleven at night. She lifted her gaze from the street and stared at two towers that loomed over the city. A frown slowly formed on her face as faint screams and explosions echoed in her ears.
Sam jumped when Janet placed a hand on Sam's shoulder. "You all right?" the doctor asked.
Sam nodded. "I'm fine. Just daydreaming."
Janet nodded, slightly unconvinced. "You gonna be able to sleep?"
Sam rolled her eyes. "I have slept in big cities before," she said. "It's just weird to have two weeks off is all."
"I hear that," Janet agreed.
"Bed you two!" Jack yelled.
The two women looked at each other and nodded. "Yes dad!" they called back.
"I may be old, but I'm not that old," Jack snapped, poking his head in. "Carter, I know we've operated on less sleep, but Fraiser…"
"Will stick you with the biggest needle I can find if you finish that sentence, sir," Janet cut in with a serious voice.
Jack held up his hands and backed away. "Yes ma'am," he said and left. The two friends shook their heads in amusement and climbed into the two beds. Janet quickly fell asleep, but Sam laid there, the screams and explosions still haunting her. After a half an hour of trying to figure it out, she shrugged it off and rolled over onto her side. She soon fell asleep to the sounds of New York.
- - - - - - - - - -
September 11th, 2001
Early the next morning, the five were hurriedly getting dressed. "I still don't understand why we have to wear our fatigues," Jack complained. "We're on vacation for crying out loud."
"Jack, one of the reasons we are here is to talk to some of the politicians here," Daniel said, buttoning up his dark blue shirt.
"Then shouldn't we be wearing our dress blues?" Janet asked.
Sam shrugged. "I'm not complaining. Fatigues are far more comfortable than dress blues," she said, tying her boots. "And don't forget, this senator not only likes us, he challenged three of us to a paintball game."
"My kind of senator," Jack agreed. "Let's go. We gotta meet this guy and it's 0827," he said. Jack, Sam, and Janet hefted their duffel bags that held their weapons vests and the five filed out of the room and down to the street. Before stepping outside, the three Air Force officers put on their hats. They continued on their way, heading down to the subways. They boarded the ACE train near Times Square and headed downtown.
After several minutes they got off at the stop for the Trade Center. They climbed up to the street. Everyone but Teal'c put on a pair of sunglasses. "Nice day," Janet commented, looking around at the city street. The Twin Towers rose up behind them.
Sam turned and looked at the buildings behind them. "You all right Sam?" Daniel asked.
She looked up. "Yeah. I just…do you ever get the feeling that something bad is about to happen?"
"It's called Kinsey," Jack said with a grin.
"I'm serious sir. I've had this feeling since last night."
"Perhaps you are worried about something," Teal'c suggested.
Sam shrugged. "Maybe." She lifted her gaze to the sky and her eyes widened. She slowly reached up and removed her sunglasses. "Oh my god…" she breathed.
"What?" her friends asked, following her gaze.
"They're gonna hit!" Janet cried.
"Everyone MOVE!" Jack bellowed. People on the street stared at him as if he were crazy when something above them exploded. Screams and shrieks filled the street. The five pushed people away from the World Trade Center.
"Get clear!" Daniel shouted over the screams.
Jack pulled out a cell phone and hit the speed dial. "General? It's O'Neill. We've got a bit of a problem. A jet just hit the North Trade Tower. We're gonna be a little late to the senator's. Yes sir." Jack hung up the phone.
"What'd Hammond say?" Sam asked.
"Stick around here to help evacuate," Jack said. He turned to Janet. "You and Daniel start helping the wounded. Carter, Teal'c, with me."
"Where are you going?" Daniel asked.
"To get those people out of there!" Jack yelled behind him. The three ran towards the smoking tower. "Carter! Tell the other tower to evacuate!"
"Yes sir!" She ran inside the building past the security checkpoints and halted at the receptionist's desk.
"What happened? We heard something explode," the receptionist said.
"A plane hit the North Tower. You need to get everyone out of here," Sam said.
"Was it an attack?" a security guard asked.
"We don't know," Sam said.
"Then how do we know it's safer out there?" the security supervisor said. "Tell everyone to remain calm and inside the building. Let them know what happened." The receptionist nodded.
"It'd be better if you evacuated," Sam said. "But if you're sure, then at least tell them to be prepared to evacuate." The supervisor nodded.
Sam ran back outside and saw several dozen police cars and other emergency vehicles arriving. She ran over to the highest ranking police officer she could find. "Lieutenant," she said breathlessly.
"You need to clear the area," the officer said.
Sam shook her head and pulled out her military ID. "I'm Major Carter, USAF."
The officer studied the ID for several moments before nodding. "What happened?" she asked.
"A large plane struck the North Tower around…" she glanced down at her watch, "0845. It looked like a 747 or 767."
The Lieutenant looked down at her watch. "So that was five minutes ago."
Sam nodded. "My CO ran into the North Tower to help evac people. I went into the South Tower to let them know what happened."
"Any ideas on how it could've happened?" a Fire Chief asked.
Sam shook her head. "Nothing definite yet. We were actually here to meet a senator. But it had to have been deliberate. No way the pilot didn't see where they were heading," Sam said.
"Carter!" Jack yelled, dropping off an injured man at an ambulance. He ran over. "Colonel O'Neill, USAF."
"Lieutenant Amanda Judge."
"Carter, any thoughts on how this happened?" Jack asked.
"Had to have been deliberate. It was too clear a day for the flight crew not to see where they were going," Sam answered.
"I was afraid of that." He turned to Judge. "I know this is your city, but I recommend you evac the South Tower as a precaution."
Judge nodded. "Couldn't agree more. Chief Tapping," she said, hurrying away with the Fire Chief.
"Carter, let's get our vests on and load them up with med supplies," Jack said.
Sam nodded and they ran over to their discarded duffel bags. They pulled out their vests and swiftly put them, years of practice guiding their hands. Once that was done they ran over to an ambulance. Janet looked up from a young woman she was tending to, a nasty looking gash running down her leg.
"Chris! Give Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter medical supplies!" Janet ordered an EMT. The man nodded and pulled out several dozen bandages and gauze pads. Jack and Sam quickly stuffed them into their vest pockets. Once they had an ample supply of medical gear, they ran to the North Tower.
"We need to get up to those floors," Jack said, looking up at the burning building.
"I don't think we'll be able to," Sam said. "With the fire, the elevators won't be working and it's too far to go up by stair."
Jack turned to her. "Suggestions?"
"Help evac as many people as we can," she said. "It's all we can do."
Jack nodded. "Right. We'll go up as high as we can within…five minutes and help the people there." They ran inside and pushed their way up the emergency stairwell. Several firemen ran with them. Due to their training and how fit they were, they managed to get to the twentieth floor before they had to stop.
They shoved their way onto the floor and began guiding people to the stairwell. Sam ran over to the south windows and knelt down next to a scared woman. "Come on," Sam told her. "Let's get you out of here." She helped the woman up and Jack came over. He took the woman and guided her over to the stairs.
Sam took a moment to look out the window. Her eyes widened in horror. "SIR! TAKE COVER!" she bellowed. She leapt over a desk and forced a worker down, shielding the worker's body with her own. A moment later they heard and felt an explosion. Pieces of debris crashed through the window, shattering the glass. When it had quieted down somewhat, Sam and Jack rose to their feet, helping the workers up.
"Son of a…" Jack murmured, looking out the window. About a dozen floors above them in the South Tower was a large fire and gaping hole.
"Sir," Sam said.
"Right. Come on kids! Let's get out of here!" They finished evacuating the floor. Jack turned to Sam. "Get back over to the South Tower and help there."
"What about you and Teal'c?" she asked.
"We'll continue to evac this building." He sighed. "What I wouldn't give for Asgard beaming tech," he muttered.
"Amen," Sam said. As she went down the stairs, Jack went up another floor.
Sam ran outside. "Sam!" Daniel shouted, running up to her. "Another plane. It…it…" he sputtered.
"I know," Sam said.
"You're hurt," Daniel said.
She frowned and lifted a hand up to her forehead. She removed her hand and found that she was bleeding from some cuts on her face. "They're superficial, don't worry," she assured him.
He ignored her and quickly placed a band-aid over the more serious of the gashes. "Where're you going?" he asked.
"South Tower," she said. "But first…" she murmured. She pulled out her cell phone and hit several numbers. "General? It's Carter. Another plane hit the South Tower. Yes sir, I think they were both intentional. Yes sir," she said and hung up.
"What'd he say?" Daniel asked.
"He's calling the Pentagon to apprise them of the situation," Sam said. "How are you and Janet doing?" she asked.
"Trying to keep up. Everyone seems to be in shock," he said.
Sam nodded. "Tell me about it. I should…"
"Oh my god!" a woman screamed.
The pair looked up and stared in disbelief. "They're…jumping…" Daniel said slowly in astonishment.
"Daniel! Focus!" Sam snapped. "We have to help those we can. I know it sounds cold, but we have no choice." He nodded. Sam watched him run back over to Janet. She let out a slow breath and ran into the South Tower.
"We…we got hit…" the receptionist stuttered.
"You'll be fine," Sam assured her. "Go with this officer, he'll get you out of here," she said, motioning for a police officer to come over. He pushed the receptionist out of the building.
Sam ran over to the stairs and ran up. A long line of evacuees was hurrying down the stairs, doing their best to remain calm. Sam couldn't help but admire their professionalism. "Keep going!" she told them.
"Who attacked?" a voice asked.
"I don't know. I'm more concerned with getting you people out of here. Keep going and stick together!" Sam returned, taking the stairs two at a time. Her lungs and legs were burning with exhaustion, but Sam pushed on.
- - - - - - - - - -
Sam, Jack, and Teal'c sat down on the curb, taking a much-needed rest. They took small sips of water to cleanse their parched throats. They were covered in soot and sweat. Janet came over and Daniel held out his bottle of water. Janet took it and sat next to them. She took several sips before handing it back.
"How long since it started?" Daniel asked.
Jack looked down at his watch. "One hour," he said. His phone began ringing and he flipped it open. "O'Neill." His face grew hard. "You're certain sir? Yes sir." He closed his phone and put it back in his pocket.
"Is something the matter O'Neill?" Teal'c inquired.
"The Pentagon was hit by a hijacked plane," Jack said slowly.
"Three coordinated attacks," Janet said.
Sam ran a hand through her hair. "Has the President said anything?"
"Just that these attacks were possibly done by a terrorist group," Jack said. They sat in silence for several minutes, trying to process the day's events.
"We should get back to work," Sam suggested.
"Indeed," Teal'c agreed.
They slowly rose to their feet when a faint rumble met their ears. They looked up at the towers. "It's collapsing!" Daniel exclaimed.
"RUN!" Jack roared.
The team began helping people to their feet and pushing them away from the falling South Tower. Sam heard faint crying amidst the screams and looked over. She saw a small girl clutching a stuffed toy, sitting on a gurney.
"We must escape Major Carter!" Teal'c shouted.
Sam ignored him and ran over to the small child. She looked up and saw a large cloud of dust and smoke pluming towards her. Making a decision, Sam picked the girl up and climbed into the ambulance. Teal'c climbed in as well and shut the doors. They watched as daylight faded away.
"Are you all right?" Sam asked the small child.
"I'm scared," the girl sobbed.
Sam held the girl close. "You're safe now."
As Teal'c opened his mouth to argue, Sam glared warningly at him. "Indeed," Teal'c said instead.
"But it's so dark outside," the girl sniffed.
"I know. But we have lights in here to keep the dark out," Sam said. "I'm Sam by the way. What's your name?"
"Amanda," the girl sniffled.
"That's a pretty name," Sam said. "What's your friend's name?" she asked, indicating the Dalmatian plushy.
"Lucky," Amanda answered.
"He is lucky to have a friend like you," Sam said with a smile.
"What's his name?" Amanda asked, pointing at Teal'c.
"We call him Murray because it's way too hard to say his real name," Sam said with a wink. The girl giggled. They sat in silence for several minutes.
"She appears to be resting," Teal'c said softly, indicating Amanda.
"Good," Sam said. "We need to get out of this ambulance and somewhere safe. Being by a falling building is not a good idea."
"But the building already fell, did it not?" Teal'c asked.
Sam shook her head. "I'm talking about the North Tower Teal'c. If the South Tower fell, then there's a good chance the other one will."
"Have you a plan?" he inquired.
"We need oxygen tanks and masks. I don't really feel up to breathing in all the debris," she said.
"Indeed. I shall go attempt to locate three of them."
"Teal'c…" Sam began.
"I am better protected than you," he said. "I will return." Sam nodded and he slipped out of the ambulance. The Air Force Major closed her eyes and dozed off. She was jerked awake by Teal'c returning to the ambulance, soot and ash covering him, making him look like some sort of ghost.
"You okay?" Sam asked.
"Indeed," he replied, handing her two of the oxygen masks and tanks.
Sam glanced down at her watch. It was 1023. "Let's get out of here." The Air Force Major gently shook Amanda. The small girl opened her eyes. "We're all gonna leave now and get somewhere safe, okay?"
"Will my Mommy be there?" she asked.
"We'll find her," Sam assured. "Now, you get to be a junior firefighter now, okay? I need you to wear this mask and to keep it on until I say, all right?"
Amanda nodded. Sam smiled and fitted the small mask and tank on the girl. She then placed on her own mask, as did Teal'c. "It would prove wise to run north. I believe that is the direction O'Neill and Daniel Jackson ran," Teal'c said.
Sam nodded. "Amanda, we have to run very fast. Is it okay if Teal'c carries you?" The girl nodded. Sam briefly watched Teal'c pull Amanda onto his back. She kicked open the ambulance doors and they stepped outside. She glanced briefly down at her watch and noted that it was 1028. "Let's go!" she ordered and they began to run. Barely a minute later, loud rumbling met their ears and both adults knew that the other tower was falling. Teal'c tightened his grip on Amanda and put on more speed, as did Sam. Both were now sprinting down the deserted street.
"Carter!" a voice bellowed. She and Teal'c veered for the voice and were hastily pulled into a building. Sam leaned against the wall and slid down, exhaustion finally creeping up on her.
Teal'c set the small girl down and nodded to Jack and Daniel. Janet was kneeling next to Amanda, making sure she had no serious injury before moving onto Sam. "You all right?" the doctor asked.
Sam pulled off the mask, sweat mixing with the dirt and dust on her face. "The other tower fell," she said softly.
"We saw," Janet said, checking the minor cuts on Sam's head.
"Also got word from Hammond. There was another plane that was hijacked," Jack said, leaning against the wall.
"Where's my Mommy?" Amanda asked. "Is she in here?"
"I'll help you find her," Daniel said, not wanting her to hear about more death and chaos. Amanda looked at Sam who nodded it was okay. Daniel picked her up and they walked deeper into the building where more people were hiding from the dust and debris.
"What did the plane hit?" Sam asked.
"Nothing actually. Hammond didn't know all the details, but it seems like the passengers on the flight tried to get the plane back," Jack said.
Sam frowned. "Tried?"
"It uh…crashed…out somewhere in Pennsylvania I believe," he answered.
"Holy Hannah…four hijackings in one day…" Sam whispered. The others nodded in agreement.
- - - - - - - - - -
Janet and the rest of SG-1 stared at the mountain of rubble that was once the tallest towers in New York City. The sun was slowly sinking in the west and rescue workers were bringing in lights and other equipment.
"Looks like that feeling you had was right," Daniel said to Sam. She nodded absently, struggling to keep her emotions under control. She was silently grateful that the little girl had found her mother.
"We did all we could I guess," Jack murmured. There was an underlying tone of anger in his voice and the others knew he wanted to beat whoever had done this to death. The others felt the same way.
"Hammond said that all the teams off-world have been recalled to help in the search and rescue," Sam said. "Some of the Tok'ra are coming to help as well."
Daniel looked at Sam. "The Tok'ra? Hammond told them?"
She shook her head. "My Dad came for a visit today when all this happened. He reported back to the others, telling them what had happened."
"So they're coming to help," Jack said.
Sam nodded. "They'll be posing as a special medical team so they can use the healing device on the more serious injuries. At least, that's what Hammond and my Dad told me," she said.
The team watched a group of firefighters and police walk by. "With everything we do, we get called heroes a lot," Jack began. "But those people, they're the real heroes. They risk their lives everyday to help those in need. They may not save worlds, but they save something more important: lives. Even those ironworkers down there are more heroic than we are. Sure we helped evacuate people from the towers, but they're risking their lives right now trying to find survivors." The others nodded slowly, knowing that what Jack had said was true. Those willing to die for the safety of others were real heroes and will always be heroes.
END
This is all I could write of what happened. If you like, leave a review but please don't send me a flame review. That's highly disrespectful, especially considering what this tribute story is about.