Chapter six
Jack heard the comments made by Hammond and heaved a sigh of relief they were alive and conscious. Now all they had to do was get to them.
"Teal'c," said Jack thoughtfully, "If this was a trap that Carter and Daniel tripped then there's got to be a release switch right?"
"It is possible O'Neill," They separated and began looking around the DHD for hidden buttons or levers.
"Got it!" cried Jack pushing a button on the one of the temple walls. There was a grating noise and machinery began to groan into life.
Daniel shrugged at Sam as the gate disengaged.
"What now?" asked Sam. Sinking down near their pile of MRE's. Daniel eyes the food and his stomach grumbled. "GRR." Sam smiled at him. Daniel blushed. "We should keep our strength up." She said opening one of the packages. They divided a second meal between them and both ate silently.
Daniel swallowed his last bite and took a gulp from his canteen. He paused mid-swallow.
"Did you hear that?" Sam stopped too.
"Hear what?"
"I thought I heard a kind of creaking."
"Creaking?"
"Yeah, like a rusty hinge or something." Just then the entire cave began to shake. Small rocks tumbled from all around them, but the shaking intensified and suddenly huge boulders were falling from the caved-in wall.
"Run!" yelled Daniel and they threw themselves in to their little alcove. Sam went first and Daniel covered her with his body. She struggled beneath him but he just pushed her head down and rested his head on her shoulder.
Jack looked triumphant when part of the wall slid back and showed a clear tunnel. But that smile vanished when the ground began to shake violently. They each grabbed Sam and Daniel's packs and stood in the cave entrance until it passed.
"Earthquake?" asked Jack.
Teal'c shook his head. "It is more likely that the machinery you've activated is extremely old and caused the rocks to fall."
"And you're telling me this now!" cried Jack.
"I did not consider it until now, but your actions are consistent with why there was so much collateral damage when Major Carter and Daniel Jackson activated the device."
"Well, let's hope we didn't do too much damage on the other side of that wall." Jack grimaced.
The rocks rained down around them and Daniel grunted occasionally as larger rocks bounced off his back. After a few minutes the rock fall slowed and finally stopped. Daniel rolled off Sam groaning at the pressure on his back.
He looked up squinting in the gloom, a large section of the stalactites above had been loosened and was rocking gently, his impaired vision didn't catch the movement in time but as he and Sam began to stand he heard it drop.
"Sam!" he yelled and shoved her out of the way. The force of the push knocked her to the floor and Daniel lost his balance too falling forward with a surprised yelp. The rocks fell with a crunch and Daniel looked up sharply faintly aware that someone had screamed.
Hee, hee, EG! Cynic
