Instantly, John and Rodney were transported to a small cavern. It was dark inside, but a blinding light shone down on them, making it impossible for their eyes to adjust to the darkness of the room.

A deep voice broke through the silence, "For what purpose have you come?"

John looked at Rodney before responding hesitantly, "Well, we are searching for a device-"

"Not just any device," Rodney cut in, "it's a locket…one that offers protection from your enemies."

"Surely, you know that the device you seek has been hidden for centuries in order to protect it from men who would use it for evil. Why would we release it to you?"

"Um…because…we…um…well, we need protection from the Wraith," Rodney fibbed.

"You speak lies…those who are dishonest can never take hold of the locket."

The voice paused for a few moments before continuing, "You will use the device for your own gain – to give it to men who would sell it. You should never have come."

John glared at Rodney and stepped forward. "No, Rodney is wrong. He's…well, he's nervous. Look, what he meant to say is that we need it to save the lives my team. They are being held captive, and if we do not return with the locket, they will be killed."

John waited for a response, but none came, so he continued to explain the situation.

"I don't plan on handing the device over to these people permanently, but I do need to make them believe that I am helping them in order to free my team. Once they are safe, I guarantee that I will return this device to its place of protection here."

John glanced at Rodney, "We do not want to use it for our own gains."

"Listen to him. He's telling you the truth," said Rodney.

John was impatient as he waited again for a response. He lifted his hand to shield his eyes from the glare of the light. He wanted to see what was in the room and who was talking to them.

"Look," he said finally, "I'll do anything you want, but I'm not leaving here without that device."

After a few seconds of silence, the voice responded to John, "Your cause is noble, but how far are you willing to go? Are you prepared to make the sacrifice that is required?"


Moments after John and Rodney disappeared, Elizabeth gasped as the large door leading into the room slammed shut. Arlon tried to pry it open, but it was no use. The door was locked solid and wouldn't budge.

A few seconds later, Elizabeth froze as she heard the unmistakable sound of water rushing into the room. She felt panic rise from deep within her. They were trapped, and the room was flooding quickly.

"Oh my God," she uttered quietly.

"What's happening?" screamed Teryle over the sound of the water.

"I don't know," she responded.

He pointed his gun at her, "Turn it off."

"I can't…I don't know how."

She walked to the control panel and began to move the control pieces, but they did not respond to her touch. Teryle pushed her out of the way, but his effort to stop the water failed as well. The cold water was rising quickly. After only a few minutes, it had almost reached Elizabeth's waist.

Teryle began to panic. He grabbed Elizabeth's jacket and pulled her close. "Is Sheppard doing this? Tell him to turn it off!" he yelled.

"Why would he do this?" she yelled back. "Do you really think he would sacrifice our lives to save his own?"

Teryle reluctantly let go of her, "I have no doubt that he would willingly sacrifice my life, but not yours."

Elizabeth stared at him while she regained her composure. When the water reached her shoulders, she looked around at his men who were still carrying all of their supplies.

"I suggest you offload your backpacks and any unnecessary weight you have on you. It looks like we will be swimming soon."

Because there was no second floor, the ceiling in the room was much lower than in Atlantis. Elizabeth estimated that it was only around 12 – 15 feet high. Judging by the rate that the water was filling the room, they had only a few more minutes before the entire room would be under water.

It was an unnerving thought. Elizabeth's eyes scanned the room for options – for a way of escape, but she found nothing. There were doors on the other side of the room, but the guards had already tried to open those. The console was completely under water – and it didn't respond to her touch. She tried to reach John and Rodney over the radio, but there was no response. Wherever they had been taken, they could not respond to her repeated calls for assistance.

She tried to remain calm as the water level rose higher. This was not the way she wanted to die. As soon as the thought entered her mind, she pushed it away. She couldn't think like that. She couldn't give up that easy. There must be a way out. She wondered what John would do in this situation. How would he escape? He seemed to have a knack for getting out of tight situations.

She swam over to the wall and found something to hold onto as she tried to think of a way out.


"Take him back to the cell," Maldon said roughly as he kicked Ronon one last time.

He was angry. The Satedan was stronger than he had expected. After 3 hours of intensive questioning and beatings, he had revealed nothing about the Atlanteans. Ronon was bordering on the edge of unconsciousness, and Maldon knew he would need time to recover before being questioned further. He would break him down eventually, but for now, he would be returned to his cell with the others.

Teyla had just closed her eyes when she heard footsteps coming down the hallway. She jumped up as the two guards approached their cell. They were half carrying, half dragging Ronon along with them.

Marie gasped as she saw his condition. The guards opened the cell door and threw his torn, bloody body on the floor. Teyla ran to him.

"Ronon, it's Teyla. Ronon…can you hear me?"

His eyes opened for a few seconds, and he found her face. He searched her eyes and choked out the words, "I'll be fine" before he passed out from exhaustion and pain.


"What are you willing to risk for this device?" The question was repeated as the spotlight shut off.

John turned on his flashlight revealing a small empty room. No one was there, and it puzzled him.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"That is of no consequence to you," the voice responded.

"Okay," John said uncertainly. "What do you want from me?"

"Your choices control your destiny. They determine what type of man you will become. They control whether you live or whether you die. So, now you have a choice to make."

"That doesn't sound good," Rodney whispered to John.

"It never is," John responded with a sigh.

As he spoke the words, an image was displayed on the wall in front of them.

"What the hell?" John exclaimed as he walked forward to get a better look. He saw Elizabeth and the guards fighting to stay above the rising water in the room from which they were just transported.

"What is going on here?" Rodney was horrified.

The water was nearing the ceiling. Only a few feet remained before the room would be completely flooded. John could see that Elizabeth was struggling to remain afloat. Teryle and the two remaining guards were also struggling. One of them was bobbing in the water, slowly losing his battle.

"Why are you doing this?" John yelled looking around the room. "What do you want?"

"John!" Elizabeth screamed his name in desperation as the water level was only inches from the celing. He quickly turned around to face the screen again. The fear and despair in her voice overwhelmed him. He desperately wanted to be there – to protect her, to save her.

"Dammit," he yelled as he punched the wall in frustration.

"The device you seek gives you the authority to decide who lives and who dies. Choose now – you can obtain the device or save the lives of the people who accompanied you on this journey."

"You don't understand what you are asking me to do…" John replied.

Rodney spoke up, "You can't be serious. If he saves them, then the rest of our team will be killed. That's an impossible choice….you know, this is sick. How can you possibly-."

"Time is running out. Make your decision now."

John looked at the display again. Elizabeth was breathing rapidly. Her entire body was immersed in water. Her face was pressed to the ceiling – only her eyes, lips and nose were exposed. She was trying to suck in her last breath of air before the water reached the ceiling. Only Teryle remained with Elizabeth. The others had already lost their battle. John felt his calm demeanor deteriorate. He couldn't let her die like this, but he wouldn't sign the death warrant on Ronon, Teyla and Marie either. He heard Elizabeth say his name once more. In a last ditch effort, he turned away from the display, stared and the ceiling and yelled loudly…

Tbc


Well, I couldn't resist the evil cliffie…stay tuned for more. Please review!