CHAPTER TWO:
Lara carefully made her way down the embankment, stopping before the paved area. "Stay back." She said.
Lara crouched down and looked at the stones. None of them looked out of place. So much for easy, she thought.
Lara picked up a rock and threw it onto the stones. Blades whizzed out from one side of the cliff wall before disappearing into the opposite wall. A faint whirring noise filled the air.
"Is there anyway we can get around it?" Sam asked.
"No." Daniel replied. "The temple is surrounded by cliff walls on all sides but this one. There's no way down, but through here."
Lara turned to SG-1. "We can get through it." She said.
"How?" Jack asked.
"Run."
"Run?" Jack repeated.
"It would seem unwise to run on the stones, Lara-Croft." Teal'c stated.
"Not really," Lara explained. "The blades are at about knee height. There's a slight delay before the blade exits the wall. As long as you sprint the distance you should miss them."
Jack looked at Lara. "And what then? What if there's more booby traps inside?" he asked. "That is, if we get past the door."
"The pillars." Lara said.
"The pillars?" Jack asked. "What are we supposed to do, climb them?"
"If you think it would help!" Lara snapped.
Daniel hid a smile. "I see what she's getting at, Jack. The pillars will give us cover while we deal with the door."
Jack frowned.
"He is correct, O'Neill." Teal'c said. "The pillars will indeed give us cover."
Lara smiled triumphantly. "Shall we go?" she asked.
Jack glared at her, and turned to his team. "Does everyone think they can make it?"
Sam, Daniel and Teal'c nodded. "Fine." Jack said. "Miss Croft?"
Lara nodded, and took a deep breath. "Here we go." she muttered, and began sprinting forward.
She heard the slight whoosh and click of the blades behind her as she ran, as well as the footsteps of the others. A few seconds later, she reached the pillars.
While she waited for the others to catch up, Lara examined the door before her. Hieroglyphs decorated the door, but they seemed to form incoherent sentences. "Great." She muttered to herself.
By now, SG-1 had reached the pillars. Panting slightly, Daniel nodded towards the door. "So?"
"It's a puzzle." Lara said. "It looks like we have to unscramble the message."
"Ahh," he said, pushing his glasses up his nose.
Daniel made to step forward, but Lara grabbed his shoulder. "Wait." She said.
Tilting her head to one side, Lara studied the walls and stones about the door, and then the roof. "It seems okay." She said after a while. "Just be careful."
Daniel walked to the door and began studying the hieroglyphs. A few seconds later Lara joined him. Soon they were talking in hushed tones.
Dejectedly, Jack sat down against a pillar. "Any idea how long this is going to take?" he called.
"I don't know, Jack." Daniel called back. "Half an hour?"
Jack groaned and began thinking of all the things he would rather be doing. Sam joined him on the ground a few minutes later.
* * *
"I've got it!"
Lara looked at Daniel expectantly. "Yes?" she asked.
"It's a warning of sorts," he told her. " 'He who does enter here must bring the blessing of the Gods.' "
Lara nodded. It made sense. She reached up and began to slide the hieroglyphs into place. To her left, Daniel did the same. When they were done, they heard a click, and Lara pushed open the heavy door. "Time to go!" she called.
They entered the temple cautiously, weapons drawn, but found no one inside. The temple, it seemed, was just a large stone room. "I don't get it." Jack said. "Why go to all that trouble to protect an empty room?"
"Maybe they took it with them when they left." Sam replied.
"It's not empty." Daniel said. "Look at the walls."
Hieroglyphs covered the walls, from ceiling to floor. Lara scanned the room, looking at them all. Then a small altar caught her eye. "There's an altar over there." She said, walking towards it.
Daniel barely nodded, engrossed in the hieroglyphs.
"Croft." Jack began, hurrying over to Lara.
But he never got a chance to finish, as when they reached the middle of the room, the floor gave way beneath them, and they plunged into the darkness.
Lara carefully made her way down the embankment, stopping before the paved area. "Stay back." She said.
Lara crouched down and looked at the stones. None of them looked out of place. So much for easy, she thought.
Lara picked up a rock and threw it onto the stones. Blades whizzed out from one side of the cliff wall before disappearing into the opposite wall. A faint whirring noise filled the air.
"Is there anyway we can get around it?" Sam asked.
"No." Daniel replied. "The temple is surrounded by cliff walls on all sides but this one. There's no way down, but through here."
Lara turned to SG-1. "We can get through it." She said.
"How?" Jack asked.
"Run."
"Run?" Jack repeated.
"It would seem unwise to run on the stones, Lara-Croft." Teal'c stated.
"Not really," Lara explained. "The blades are at about knee height. There's a slight delay before the blade exits the wall. As long as you sprint the distance you should miss them."
Jack looked at Lara. "And what then? What if there's more booby traps inside?" he asked. "That is, if we get past the door."
"The pillars." Lara said.
"The pillars?" Jack asked. "What are we supposed to do, climb them?"
"If you think it would help!" Lara snapped.
Daniel hid a smile. "I see what she's getting at, Jack. The pillars will give us cover while we deal with the door."
Jack frowned.
"He is correct, O'Neill." Teal'c said. "The pillars will indeed give us cover."
Lara smiled triumphantly. "Shall we go?" she asked.
Jack glared at her, and turned to his team. "Does everyone think they can make it?"
Sam, Daniel and Teal'c nodded. "Fine." Jack said. "Miss Croft?"
Lara nodded, and took a deep breath. "Here we go." she muttered, and began sprinting forward.
She heard the slight whoosh and click of the blades behind her as she ran, as well as the footsteps of the others. A few seconds later, she reached the pillars.
While she waited for the others to catch up, Lara examined the door before her. Hieroglyphs decorated the door, but they seemed to form incoherent sentences. "Great." She muttered to herself.
By now, SG-1 had reached the pillars. Panting slightly, Daniel nodded towards the door. "So?"
"It's a puzzle." Lara said. "It looks like we have to unscramble the message."
"Ahh," he said, pushing his glasses up his nose.
Daniel made to step forward, but Lara grabbed his shoulder. "Wait." She said.
Tilting her head to one side, Lara studied the walls and stones about the door, and then the roof. "It seems okay." She said after a while. "Just be careful."
Daniel walked to the door and began studying the hieroglyphs. A few seconds later Lara joined him. Soon they were talking in hushed tones.
Dejectedly, Jack sat down against a pillar. "Any idea how long this is going to take?" he called.
"I don't know, Jack." Daniel called back. "Half an hour?"
Jack groaned and began thinking of all the things he would rather be doing. Sam joined him on the ground a few minutes later.
* * *
"I've got it!"
Lara looked at Daniel expectantly. "Yes?" she asked.
"It's a warning of sorts," he told her. " 'He who does enter here must bring the blessing of the Gods.' "
Lara nodded. It made sense. She reached up and began to slide the hieroglyphs into place. To her left, Daniel did the same. When they were done, they heard a click, and Lara pushed open the heavy door. "Time to go!" she called.
They entered the temple cautiously, weapons drawn, but found no one inside. The temple, it seemed, was just a large stone room. "I don't get it." Jack said. "Why go to all that trouble to protect an empty room?"
"Maybe they took it with them when they left." Sam replied.
"It's not empty." Daniel said. "Look at the walls."
Hieroglyphs covered the walls, from ceiling to floor. Lara scanned the room, looking at them all. Then a small altar caught her eye. "There's an altar over there." She said, walking towards it.
Daniel barely nodded, engrossed in the hieroglyphs.
"Croft." Jack began, hurrying over to Lara.
But he never got a chance to finish, as when they reached the middle of the room, the floor gave way beneath them, and they plunged into the darkness.