Submerged

Chapter One: Underwater

A/N: So this will probably end up being a three or four chapter story, but knowing me, who really knows? I've always realized Sam is my favorite character to put in perilous situations. Maybe I should do a Jack or Daniel one at some point. Not Teal'c though. He's too tough for that ;)

Enjoy!

Dark, salty water filled her mouth and nose, eyes squeezed shut as she tumbled head over feet in the raging surf. Waves crashed all around her, lifting her comparatively small body and tossing her like a piece of driftwood. She couldn't breathe. Panic made her eyes snap open as her whole body was submerged yet again, the violent current buffeting her in all directions. Underneath the waves all she could see was blackness. 'If space were an ocean…'

Sam kicked desperately at the dragging liquid, sputtering and gasping when her head broke the surface. She took as deep a breath as her straining lungs would allow before another massive wave crashed down on her, spinning her limp body beneath the surface. Forcing her eyes open, she flailed her arms, trying to find where the ocean ended and the air began. Which way was up?

In her mind, she saw Daniel standing on the edge of the rocky crag, arms reaching out for her, as the rocks beneath her gave way and she tumbled into the water below. They never should have been on that cliff—not in this weather. Rain and wind were pounding against the uneven cliffside and nights on this planet were nearly pitch-black, the only light coming from faint stars.

But Daniel had to see where the path led. "Maybe there's a power source down there! Something that can help us fight the Goa'uld!" She had shaken her head, telling him that there was no evidence to suggest there was anything worth finding down there and besides, the storm was rolling in. He had pursed his lips and done his little frustration dance before pointing at one of the monoliths that surrounded the deserted city.

He had proclaimed that the writings said there was a weapon unlike anything the "golden-eyed ones" had ever seen before. Teal'c had looked skeptical and asked why, then, had the people not used it and saved themselves from destruction.

Daniel didn't have an answer to that one.

But Sam's curiosity was piqued and she had succumbed to Daniel's eagerness. She had left Teal'c to guard the entrance to the path with strict instructions to return through the Stargate for reinforcements should they not return in an hour. Then she and the archaeologist had picked their way carefully down the cliff.

And now she was here.

Her throat felt like it was on fire as salt water pushed its way into her mouth. The ocean on this planet was huge, making up almost 95% of the surface. And she was being dragged further from land. Her head broke the surface again and this time she heard Daniel desperately screaming her name above the wind. She tried to yell back, but she was too out of breath, all of her strength going into keeping herself afloat.

"Sam! Sam!" She couldn't see him, it was too dark. And she was too far away.

'I'm going to drown.' She felt the sudden inexplicable urge to laugh. Of all the ways she could die and it was going to be something as human as drowning. In an ocean.

Pain exploded behind her eyes as a wave hit her from behind, dragging her down yet again. Her lungs screamed in protest—she hadn't had a chance to take a breath. Her waterlogged mind suddenly jumped back a couple of years, when she and the general had been trapped in a quickly sinking Goa'uld ship.

The general.

Daniel and Teal'c were going to have to tell him what had happened to her. They were going to have to explain her error in judgment. No doubt they would blame themselves, but she knew the truth. It was only her fault. And the general would know that too. 'Boy, is he going to be angry.' The errant thought almost made her laugh, but her lips were pressed together too tightly.

Her body gave a short spasm as her lungs cried out for air. Sam looked up, but truthfully, she had no idea where the surface was. With a horrifying certainty, she realized she had already taken her last breath. And it hadn't even been a good one.

….

"Teal'c! Teal'c!" Daniel screamed over the driving rain as he raced up the path, slipping at every turn. "Teal'c! Help!"

The big man was suddenly in front of him, grabbing Daniel's upper arm to steady him. "Where is Colonel Carter?" He yelled, eyes wide as he searched behind the archaeologist.

"She fell! The rock underneath her gave way! She's going to drown, Teal'c!" The second the words left his mouth, Daniel felt like throwing up. She'd been right there—right next to him. And he hadn't been able to save her.

Without another word, Teal'c had bounded down the path, Daniel close at his heels, to where Sam had last been standing. Their flashlight beams swept the water, but there was no sign of a blonde head. Just crashing black waves. As the storm grew in intensity, the waves reached higher and with detached horror Daniel realized they had only minutes until the path was submerged.

"I do not see her!" Teal'c yelled, face a mask of fear and frustration. "Daniel Jackson, I do not see her!"

"Teal'c!" Daniel grabbed the man's arm and shoved him back against the rocks as a wave crashed down on top of them, soaking their already drenched skin. Daniel felt his flashlight get torn from his hand as he and Teal'c slid sideways. The cliff was giving out.

"We must go!" Teal'c sputtered as another wave slammed into them.

"But, Sam…!" Teal'c grabbed his vest and began yanking him up the path. They were shivering so hard, it made running almost impossible, their knees locking and muscles clenching. Teal'c felt the rocks below him start to fall and with one last burst of inhuman strength, leapt, pulling Daniel with him.

They landed with an unceremonious thud, the ground underneath them blessedly solid. Daniel whipped around, sitting up, and looked with horror at the sharp edge where the path had been. "No!" He yelled, slamming his hands into the dirt and half-crawling to the cliff—he looked down and felt bile rise into his throat. It was a sheer drop. "Sam!" He screamed, wind carrying his anguished voice away.

"Daniel Jackson!" Teal'c grabbed his shoulders with both hands and yanked him to his feet. Lightning cracked overhead as Daniel pushed against the bigger man.

"We can't leave her!"

Teal'c struggled to still the younger man as he pulled him towards the gate. "There is nothing we can do!"

"We can go in after her!" He broke free and made to run at the cliff, but Teal'c grabbed him around the waist and threw him over his shoulder.

With his free hand, Teal'c slammed in the correct coordinates and pressed in their IDC. But his fingers were stiff and his mind jumbled in panic and he could only hope he pressed the right sequence. "I am sorry, Daniel Jackson!" He clutched the man tighter as he ran towards the wormhole. "I am sorry."

They tumbled through the gate, Teal'c releasing Daniel as the unforgiving metal grating raced up to meet them. They rolled to a stop, both soaking wet and gasping for air. Jack raced down from the control room, dread filling his every fiber. "Daniel! Teal'c! What happened?"

"We have to go back!" Daniel was yelling, fighting the airmen that were trying to restrain him.

Jack's startled eyes found Teal'c, whose head was bowed, eyes staring sightlessly at the floor. "Where's Carter?" When neither man responded, Jack felt like the floor was tilting beneath him. "Teal'c, where is Colonel Carter?"

"I am sorry, O'Neill." Teal'c did not raise his eyes.

He was going to be sick. He was pushed aside as the medical team rushed in with stretchers. Daniel fought and called out to Jack that they had to go back, had to try, but Jack barely heard him. He was staring at Teal'c, the most stalwart member of SG-1, hell, of the entire planet. Teal'c, who had just fallen to one knee, hands clenched at his sides. Teal'c, whose teeth were gritted as he let out a wordless yell of grief.

Grief.

Suddenly, everything was too much—the lights too bright, the yelling too loud, the pain too much.

She was gone.

TBC

A/N: Oh, the drama…next chapter up soon!