Jack walked through the entrance first, stating that because he was senior
officer around, it was his right. Everyone knew it wasn't because he wanted
to see what was in the pyramid first; he wanted to be the one that set off
any traps that might have been waiting for them. Mitchell had argued this
with him, but O'Neill wouldn't back down.
"Relax, Melony," He'd told her, giving her his cockiest grin. "I've seen Indiana Jones at least as many times as you have. I know what I'm doing."
"Uh huh."
She didn't relax, and she was right behind him when he went through the stone doorway, ready to back him up if he needed it.
"Wow."
Jack had looked around him when he got inside, and then looked up, shining his flashlight up as well.
"Wow."
Mitchell bumped into O'Neill's back. She was looking up as well, and hadn't realized he'd stopped.
"What is-?" Sam looked up as she entered as well, looked up, and her eyes widened. "Wow."
"Cool."
The other three turned to see that Anderson had entered the pyramid as well, and looked at him. He seemed to feel their eyes on him, because his gaze went from the ceiling and over to them.
"What?" He asked, innocently.
Daniel walked in, leaving Teal'c at the doorway to cover their six. It wouldn't do for something to happen to cause the doorway to suddenly close or something and have them all trapped inside, after all, and Teal'c was easily the strongest of them, so if it came to moving rocks, they were all willing to trust him.
"This is great," Daniel said, looking up for only a moment before moving to look at the inner walls.
The pyramid was far bigger on the inside than Daniel (and the others) had expected. The outer walls rose to almost 60 feet, tapering at the top, but inside Daniel would have been surprised to find a twenty foot ceiling, and expected even less. What he saw was a ceiling that went at least 50 feet high, and was completely covered in some sort of glimmering crystals. The light of the flashlights were refracting and reflecting off these crystals, and the effect was an incredible light show that made the light seem to trickle down the runes on the inner walls and over the next doorway like a waterfall. It was truly incredible.
"What's in here?" Jack asked, pulling his gaze from the light show and moving across the large main room towards the doorway that had the lights going around them. It seemed as if the crystals were simply there to draw attention to the door. Mitchell followed him, and they walked past Daniel, who had stopped to look at more pictures on the walls, and was running his hands along them as he mumbled to himself, obviously trying to translate them.
The two Colonels stuck their heads through the doorway simultaneously, Jack going higher, Melony going lower, and they both made an identical noise of appreciation. This room was fabulous.
It was smaller – much smaller – than the main room, but the walls here were covered in the same crystal that the ceiling of the other room was. Inlayed in these crystal walls, the two Colonels could see runes and glyphs of some sort, even though neither had stepped into the room yet. When Jack shined his flashlight into the room and the beam of light hit the far wall, the crystal walls went crazy, reflecting everywhere, and seeming to take the single beam of light and turn it into far more. Soon the entire room was lit up as brightly as the day outside, although it was apparently empty.
"Turn your light off, Jack." Mitchell told him. She wanted to see how long it took for such a bright room to go dark again. Jack did what she said, and hit the button, and the affect was instant. What had once been incandescently bright was now completely dark.
"Wow."
O'Neill hit his flashlight again, and the room lit up once more.
"I wonder where they got the crystal?"
"No clue. I haven't seen any. Maybe somewhere else on the planet there's a mine, or something."
"You know..." They both turned and saw Carter looking up at the main ceiling still, holding her flashlight. "If these crystals can intensify a single flashlight beam so thoroughly, can you imagine what kind of laser they'd be able to make?"
Neither of the two Colonels had a clue, since lasers weren't something either of them dealt with. Jack walked onto the little room, forgetting in the brightness of the room, and the interesting play of lights that they really hadn't explored it all that well, yet, and that they were still supposed to be watching for dangers, both hidden and otherwise. Mitchell saw the trap that was sprung before he did. She'd seen Indiana Jones a bunch of times, too, after all, and she was already in that mindset.
A piece of floor gave way only slightly under Jack's boot, although that wasn't what she'd seen. She had just happened to be looking at the far wall, and saw the small area that had been solid only a moment before suddenly open up slightly. She didn't KNOW what was coming, she was acting on instinct. And that instinct brought her right hand up and pushed O'Neill to the side. Not far. Just a few feet.
"Jack!" It wasn't a yell. It was a 'hey! Pay attention to what's going on around you' call, and it got his attention immediately. By then, though, the trap was set, and the two wicked looking small darts were on the fly.
They missed O'Neill. Only by a foot at the most, and only because he'd been pushed aside. There was a solid 'thunk' as one of them hit Mitchell's cast, and a yelp of surprise when the other one buried itself deeply into the fleshy part of her forearm, just an inch above where the cast stopped.
"Damn it."
"Relax, Melony," He'd told her, giving her his cockiest grin. "I've seen Indiana Jones at least as many times as you have. I know what I'm doing."
"Uh huh."
She didn't relax, and she was right behind him when he went through the stone doorway, ready to back him up if he needed it.
"Wow."
Jack had looked around him when he got inside, and then looked up, shining his flashlight up as well.
"Wow."
Mitchell bumped into O'Neill's back. She was looking up as well, and hadn't realized he'd stopped.
"What is-?" Sam looked up as she entered as well, looked up, and her eyes widened. "Wow."
"Cool."
The other three turned to see that Anderson had entered the pyramid as well, and looked at him. He seemed to feel their eyes on him, because his gaze went from the ceiling and over to them.
"What?" He asked, innocently.
Daniel walked in, leaving Teal'c at the doorway to cover their six. It wouldn't do for something to happen to cause the doorway to suddenly close or something and have them all trapped inside, after all, and Teal'c was easily the strongest of them, so if it came to moving rocks, they were all willing to trust him.
"This is great," Daniel said, looking up for only a moment before moving to look at the inner walls.
The pyramid was far bigger on the inside than Daniel (and the others) had expected. The outer walls rose to almost 60 feet, tapering at the top, but inside Daniel would have been surprised to find a twenty foot ceiling, and expected even less. What he saw was a ceiling that went at least 50 feet high, and was completely covered in some sort of glimmering crystals. The light of the flashlights were refracting and reflecting off these crystals, and the effect was an incredible light show that made the light seem to trickle down the runes on the inner walls and over the next doorway like a waterfall. It was truly incredible.
"What's in here?" Jack asked, pulling his gaze from the light show and moving across the large main room towards the doorway that had the lights going around them. It seemed as if the crystals were simply there to draw attention to the door. Mitchell followed him, and they walked past Daniel, who had stopped to look at more pictures on the walls, and was running his hands along them as he mumbled to himself, obviously trying to translate them.
The two Colonels stuck their heads through the doorway simultaneously, Jack going higher, Melony going lower, and they both made an identical noise of appreciation. This room was fabulous.
It was smaller – much smaller – than the main room, but the walls here were covered in the same crystal that the ceiling of the other room was. Inlayed in these crystal walls, the two Colonels could see runes and glyphs of some sort, even though neither had stepped into the room yet. When Jack shined his flashlight into the room and the beam of light hit the far wall, the crystal walls went crazy, reflecting everywhere, and seeming to take the single beam of light and turn it into far more. Soon the entire room was lit up as brightly as the day outside, although it was apparently empty.
"Turn your light off, Jack." Mitchell told him. She wanted to see how long it took for such a bright room to go dark again. Jack did what she said, and hit the button, and the affect was instant. What had once been incandescently bright was now completely dark.
"Wow."
O'Neill hit his flashlight again, and the room lit up once more.
"I wonder where they got the crystal?"
"No clue. I haven't seen any. Maybe somewhere else on the planet there's a mine, or something."
"You know..." They both turned and saw Carter looking up at the main ceiling still, holding her flashlight. "If these crystals can intensify a single flashlight beam so thoroughly, can you imagine what kind of laser they'd be able to make?"
Neither of the two Colonels had a clue, since lasers weren't something either of them dealt with. Jack walked onto the little room, forgetting in the brightness of the room, and the interesting play of lights that they really hadn't explored it all that well, yet, and that they were still supposed to be watching for dangers, both hidden and otherwise. Mitchell saw the trap that was sprung before he did. She'd seen Indiana Jones a bunch of times, too, after all, and she was already in that mindset.
A piece of floor gave way only slightly under Jack's boot, although that wasn't what she'd seen. She had just happened to be looking at the far wall, and saw the small area that had been solid only a moment before suddenly open up slightly. She didn't KNOW what was coming, she was acting on instinct. And that instinct brought her right hand up and pushed O'Neill to the side. Not far. Just a few feet.
"Jack!" It wasn't a yell. It was a 'hey! Pay attention to what's going on around you' call, and it got his attention immediately. By then, though, the trap was set, and the two wicked looking small darts were on the fly.
They missed O'Neill. Only by a foot at the most, and only because he'd been pushed aside. There was a solid 'thunk' as one of them hit Mitchell's cast, and a yelp of surprise when the other one buried itself deeply into the fleshy part of her forearm, just an inch above where the cast stopped.
"Damn it."