Chapter Two
With no discernible path leading down the rocky slope, the descent proved most perilous.
No more than fifteen steps into their adventure Teyla slipped on a well-camouflaged black slime that had eerily clung to her boot when she stepped in it and she went reeling toward a deadly jagged overhang off to their right. She gasped fearfully as she leaned inadvertently dangerously over the edge before she felt a steady hand grab her by the back of her shirt and yank her back towards safety.
Rodney smiled shakily and she nodded towards him in thanks as she began shaking the gooey black substance from the remainder of her boot.
When the rocky descent was finally finished, the four Atlantis members stood immersed in a world of darkness and fire. Mounds of rubble and ash towered over them on both sides and thick clouds of smoke filled the air around them, a welcoming foyer into the very heart of death.
Colonel Sheppard coughed before he spoke loudly to the others in order to be heard over the extreme sounds of groaning metal and the endless crackle of countless fires.
"The Genii said to go straight once we got here! He said we'd know the place when we saw it! Keep your eyes open!"
Weapons at the ready, the team followed Sheppard as he walked forward into the maze of lava filled rivers and blackened earth. The workers they had seen from up above were in close proximity now as they rushed back and forth across the lands around them and seemed completely unfazed by their presence. They appeared to be creatures half sized to a human and their skin seemed totally comprised of the black slime Teyla had slipped in earlier. As the team passed them by at one particularly large boiling stream, Rodney noticed that their eyes were stitched shut in some strange pattern and yet they still seemed to know exactly what they were doing in synchronized harmony.
Gulping, he turned back towards the others and saw the unmistakable looming black structure they were quickly approaching up ahead.
A massive building that looked much like an old worn factory lay before them, covered in soot and dirt. The front door was missing and clusters of those black creatures ran in and out from the front doorway carrying equipment and bundles of ore.
Sheppard turned back and nodded to Ronon and Teyla who instantly raised their weapons further as they slowly approached the entrance.
"Hello?" Sheppard called as he carefully poked his head into the darkened doorway. "Anybody home?"
One of the creatures ran past him, slightly bumping his leg, which caused him to jump considerably before he looked back sheepishly at the others.
Ronon smiled smugly before they all heard the deep voice from within call out, "Enter!"
Sheppard made a gesture for Teyla to take a rear position and he slowly stepped inside the doorway with Ronon and Rodney right behind him.
It took a moment for their eyes to adjust to the semi-darkness, though further into the room small torches lay burning in corners flickering eerily from the small wind of their collective entrance.
The harsh noises from outside were significantly less in the structure and the smaller noises of tiny things moving unseen in the dark were far more prominent as the team stood there, weapons still poised, waiting.
"Why are you here?" the voice spoke through the blackness.
"My name is Colonel John Sheppard and as much as I would like to tell you what it is we're doing here, you wouldn't mind showing yourself first would you?" Sheppard said slowly aiming his weapon around in search of the source.
The flames moved again as a figure stepped forward and revealed a large man much taller and wider than any of them, wearing a filthy dark apron and holding worn metallic tools in each of his grubby hands. He appeared human in form, with his thinning gray hair and flesh colored skin and Rodney was pleased to find his eyes were normal and not at all sewn shut.
"Ah, that's better," Sheppard said in a friendly voice. "We're looking for a man called Balaam. We were told he might be able to help us."
The old man seemed slightly curious but not overly caring as he spoke. "I am Balaam. What is it that you seek?"
Ronon kept his weapon aimed as the others slightly lowered theirs while the conversation seemed so far to be going well.
"Some of our friends have gone missing and we were told that this…this kind of establishment might know something of their whereabouts."
The old man shrugged and continued with his blank expression. "Many people come here."
Sheppard cleared his throat and pointed to the patch on his own uniform. "They would have worn clothing like this."
The old man stepped forward towards Sheppard to get a better view and gave the first sign of a smile as Ronon clicked part of his weapon in apprehension of the old man's gesture.
"Your friend is eager," Balaam said to Sheppard. "I like that."
Sheppard gave a half grimace unsure of what to say but Balaam continued speaking regardless.
"Yes, I have seen your friends, but they left here some time ago. I do not know where they may have went."
Sheppard made a face, the instant dismay quickly washing over him.
Ronon hissed quickly, "He's lying!"
Teyla, Rodney, and Sheppard looked at Ronon surprised at his outburst and just as Sheppard looked back towards the old man to apologize, his own voice caught somewhere in the back of his throat.
The old man's eyes had turned to a thick black slime and covered the entire span of their sockets.
"He's right," Balaam whispered harshly as he stepped back into the concealment of dark just as tiny screeches came from all around the room surrounding them.
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