Passage through the Ages by Spirit of Chrysophylax
Author's Note: Story originally posted as A Moment in Time on penname Wormhole's account. This is the revised, renewed, and beta'd rewrite.
Chapter One: The Beginning
John headed for Elizabeth's office to see if she was ready for the little excursion they had planned. She decided it was high time; she wanted to explore the city, needless to say, he jumped at the chance to show her around.
John walked into her office just as she was closing down her computer. "You ready?"
Elizabeth looked around to make sure everything was in order before reaching for her BDU vest on the back of the spare chair. She pulled it on. "As ready as I'll ever be."
"Rodney checked the areas we're heading into; he and his sensors assured me we shouldn't encounter any structural problems or flooding."
After straightening herself out, and having put the BDU vest on, she responded to John's information. "Better safe than sorry."
John maneuvered out the way to allow her access out the office. "After you."
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It took five minutes, but eventually 'by hand' John and Elizabeth managed to open the door to a concealed room; the doorway was only noticeable by the dim lighting surrounding the corridor they were in.
"Stay here, let me see if it's safe."
Elizabeth didn't listen to John, and followed him in. "I'm not missing out on all the fun, Major."
John rolled his eyes, and suppressed the urge to argue the matter. "Okay, just stick close to me."
The lighting had come on automatically, the minute John walked in. The room was large; the only other difference compared to all the rest they discovered was the age to its design. It looked old and worn, as if it were a favorite of the Ancients.
Elizabeth pointed to something in front of them. "John, look at the back wall."
Nearing the wall, they could see two stone carved 'palm' motif panels embedded into it. Elizabeth rubbed the aged old dust from them and it became more noticeable that only two right hand prints showed. "No text explaining them."
John activated his earpiece to see if Rodney could find anything in the Ancient database that would explain them, but he only received static. Elizabeth tried hers, but she got the same response.
The sound of the door closing shut behind them startled them.
Quickly John ran over to it, but it didn't open on his command. "I don't like this – a minute ago that door wouldn't budge, and now we're locked in."
Elizabeth turned her attention back to the hand motif. "Maybe this will open…" Slowly she positioned her right hand over one of them.
John turned back round, the minute she pressed her hand against it, sliding the panel in as she did so. They waited to see if anything would happen, but nothing did. "Nope, it's definitely not an emergency switch for the door."
Disappointed, Elizabeth made to pull her hand away, but found she couldn't move it. She started to panic slightly. "John! I can't remove my hand."
John quickly returned to her position to help her loose, but even the combined effort didn't help.
Elizabeth indicated the one to her left. "Try the other one and see what that does."
John hesitated a bit; he didn't want them both to become stuck with no way out. He pulled up his sleeve and mirrored Elizabeth actions. That was the last thing he remembered before waking up with a face full of grass.