A/n-Ok, here's the second half of the shaft sequence. I'm not going to say too much about this one, because most of the important stuff was said last chapter. Silmirfo4077, if you kill Elladan, I WILL be forced to put terrible pain upon you! AND TO THE REST OF YOU, DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT INJURING MY FAVORITE CSI OR LOTR CHARACTERS! :snarls:
Disclaimer-I don't own National Treasure, or Riley (poo), or anything else that I have stated in previous disclaimers. I also don't really know much about serious injuries besides the basic first aid stuff. I do, however, own the woman with the water bottle in chapter 2!
Ben slowly turned the crank, allowing the elevator to drift somewhat smoothly downward. He was surprised that the mechanism worked so well, having rested in the same place for two centuries. It was simple; a system of pulleys, levers, and counterweights; a primitive elevator. Even the ropes seemed to be in good condition. The key word was "seemed". The snap of a rope breaking would normally be a rather soft noise, but the acoustics in the room amplified it. Ben barely had time to see what had happened before the elevator plummeted downward, carrying him and his friends into the abyss. He screamed along with the other two, the sound swallowed by that of rushing air.
Luckily, the elevators were better constructed than they had given credit. The brakes caught on a backup mechanism, and the elevator jerked to a stop, roughly sending the passengers to the floor and giving them several new bumps and bruises.
"Are you alright?" Ben asked, leaping to his feet and helping Abigail up. She held a hand to her head and winced, but deemed that it was nothing more than a bump. Riley, however, was slower to get to his feet and swayed slightly. Ben noticed this and shot a concerned look at Riley. However, the dizziness soon passed and Riley warded him off.
"We've got to get off this thing!" Abigail wailed, looking around for some extended platform that they could get on. There seemed to be nothing near enough and that they would be stuck dangling in the middle of a chasm until Ian and Powell decided to come rescue them.
"Excellent plan," Ben replied, resting for a moment and trying to return his heartbeat to a normal rhythm.
"Not that excellent," Riley added, for once dropping the optimistic, comic-relief attitude. That, if anything, was a sign that Riley was not well, and Ben gave him another anxious look. However, Riley did not catch the look; he was too busy judging the distance between the stuck elevator and a walkway that hugged the wall. Riley had always been good at math and with computers; it did not take him long to decide that he could make the jump, if he had a running start. He knew that Ben would never let him try to make it, and the opportune moment presented itself when Ben took off the Declaration, probably to hand it to Abigail. Riley adopted a runner's starting position and raced two steps before he leapt off into the gap.
"Hey!" Abigail cried, noticing his actions too late. Ben turned, just in time to see Riley achieve the opposite side and fall over, nearly rolling down the stairs. Riley gave a half-relieved, half-exhilarated whoop.
"Ow," he added, grabbing the wood supports for dear life when he realized how close he had been to falling down the stairs. Saying "Ow", however, was slightly verbose when one factored in everything Riley had been through in the past day, "That was easy," he finished, waving an arm to dispel the concerned looks on Ben and Abigail's faces. Ben grinned; it seemed that the optimistic Riley was back.
"Ok, you take this," Ben said, indicating the Declaration.
"Here," Riley replied, extending a hand to catch it. However, another ominous crash indicated that the elevator would have no more running and jumping around. Another of the ropes snapped, sending the entire contraption into a steep, 45° slope. This time, however, it was Abigail who found herself dangling above the abyss, with only a wooden beam stopping her from plummeting again. She gave a shriek as the elevator swayed dangerously. Ben offered her an arm, which she caught. He was stronger than the rotten board, at any rate.
As the elevator swayed, Ben realized that he no longer had the Declaration in his possession. He looked around fearfully, hoping that it hadn't fallen. If it had, there would be no way to retrieve it. He did not want to face the FBI without the Declaration. Luckily, it was still on the elevator. Unfortunately, it was precariously situated at the very edge of the platform, liable to roll off at the next swing.
"The Declaration," Abigail whispered, seeing it. She looked at Ben worriedly. Again, Ben was in a terrible situation: save Abigail, or save the Declaration? It gave him a terrible sense of déjà vu.
"Do you trust me?" he asked. Abigail found the question slightly inappropriate at the moment. She herself had a sense of déjà vu, but she knew Ben would make the same decision. It had turned out all right in the first place; there was no reason it would not turn out all right this time. She nodded, wondering what Ben was cooking up in that genius brain of his. The elevator swayed again, and to Abigail's surprise and terror, he let go of her hand. Maybe she had been wrong about Ben. She had thought that their kiss earlier had meant something. Riley was very lucky then, that Ben had decided that his life was worth more than a historical document.
Ben rolled over swiftly and grabbed the Declaration, right before it fell into the abyss, never to be seen again. He hoped Abigail would forgive him for dropping her.
Abigail was terribly surprised when she landed hard on a wooden extension. She had thought she would land with a sickening thud on the floor below, probably near Shaw. Her opinion of Ben returned to its original level. Ben cast a glance down at Abigail, who was rising to her feet with no apparent signs of injury. He intended to apologize, but another crash cut him off as the elevator jerked again, falling to an even more unforgiving angle. He nearly slid off, except for that at the last moment, he grasped the same board that Abigail had. "If only there was someone left to save me," Ben mused, knowing that it would be nearly impossible for him to escape this time. Riley and Abigail were too far away, and Ian and Powell were yet to do anything. Why would they now?
"Oh no, Ben!" Abigail cried, now ashamed that she had been questioning his priorities. She didn't want him to die because he saved her. She watched in horror as he struggled to pull himself back up. He couldn't pull off the same trick that he had with her; the elevator was not swaying far enough any longer, "Hang on!" she added, hoping that she could think of something she could do to help. She knew there was nothing, but saying it just made her feel slightly less guilty.
Ben could feel the nails straining against his weight; he could feel the board coming out. He knew it was now or never. If only there was something he could do…Salvation came in the form of a rope. It was probably the last thing he had expected, but also the best thing that could've happened. It was apparent that Ian needed him around a bit longer. Had it been Riley or Abigail in that situation, Ben was sure that Ian would've let them fall before lifting a finger to help. Especially now, as it was quite possible that Shaw's death had driven Ian off the deep end. Ben did swung over to one of the walkways, resisting the urge to let out a Tarzan yell of triumph that he had not fallen. Abigail was at his side in an instant, clutching the arm she had fallen on. The pain had just registered in her mind, which had been preoccupied with the danger.
"I'm sorry," Ben finally cried, "I'm sorry I—I dropped you, I had to save the Declaration…" Ben said, stumbling over words as he quickly scanned her for injuries. Besides the fact that she was holding her arm, she appeared fine.
"No, don't be. I would've done exactly the same thing to you," Abigail said, smiling slightly and knowing that she truly would've. Ben gave her a puzzled glance.
"Really?" He asked. "She did work in the National Archives," he rationalized. It still sounded odd coming out of her mouth though.
"I would've dropped you both," Riley said, breaking up any sort of intimate moment that could've happened then, "Freaks," he added under his breath. It was impossible not to notice the chemistry between the two. Neither Ben nor Abigail noticed that Riley was still slightly unsteady on his feet. The clacking sound of an elevator also intruded on them, signifying that Ian and Powell had decided to return.
"Get on," Ian said, not even inquiring as to their state of being. Either he knew already, or he did not care.
"Ian," Ben said, trying again to rationalize with the man, "It's just not worth it,"
"You imagine that your lives are any more valuable to me than Shaw's," Ian said. Ben was now positive that Ian had snapped. Though he did not seem to be speaking to Ben, however, the statement was more directed at Abigail and Riley. It was the surefire way to get Ben to do anything Ian willed, "We go on," he finished. Abigail sighed and shook her head exasperatedly. Ben exchanged dirty glares with Ian, until he remembered something his father had told him once about status quos. They were even right now; though Ian and Powell were outnumbered, they had firearms and Ben was the only one of the three who was still in perfect physical condition. He had to keep the status quo. He entered the elevator, closely followed by Riley and Abigail, though both were not happy about using the primitive and ancient mechanisms.
The elevator slowly descended to the end of the rope. There was a sturdy platform built there, and a rather large room that seemed better constructed than anything else in the chasm, "Now what?" Riley moaned. His head hurt, the dimness of the chasm made his eyes hurt, his feet hurt, and he was tired. He knew that if he let on that he was not feeling well Ben would force him to sit out on the adventure, and that truly was not an option. Not everyone got the opportunity to find a treasure that could change the course of history, and he was determined to offer whatever he could to the expedition. But even he knew he had limits, and he knew that he was dangerously close to them. Any more collapsing woodwork would probably push him too far. Ben tied up the elevator and pulled it close to the platform, giving everyone a much easier way to get off. Abigail handed Ben the torch.
"Ok," Ben said, stepping off the elevator, "Let's go," he motioned for everyone else to follow him. He burned away cobwebs and entered a room. He lit the other torches and looked around. The room was completely empty, except for a single lantern hanging in the middle. Ben walked slowly around, the disappointment obvious in his face. Powell lit the lantern
"What's this?" Riley asked, obviously confused.
"Where's the treasure?" Powell added, just as confused as Riley.
"Well?" Ian asked, determined to find his fortune. Ben gave a sad look.
"This is it?" Riley asked, incredulous, "We came all this way for a dead end?" He didn't add the last part; "I was kidnapped, beaten, and nearly killed for this?" For he did not blame Ben for his kidnapping; he blamed himself for letting himself be kidnapped. Ben looked as if he had a headache.
"Yes," he said, his voice low and disappointed. Ian made a disbelieving sound and turned away, running his fingers through his hair.
"There's got to be something more!" Riley added. "Ben had to be bluffing, he had to! It was a plan to get Ian away!" He thought, but the cold truth was rearing its ugly head, "Another clue…" Riley began. He was not happy about this, and was unintentionally taking it out on Ben.
"Riley there are no more clues!" Ben shouted, "That's it! It's over! End of the road! The treasure's gone, moved taken somewhere else!" Riley shrank back slightly. He had never seen Ben that angry, especially not with himself. Even when Riley had gone and gotten himself kidnapped and cost them the Declaration, Ben hadn't been angry. Ben noticed almost immediately that taking out his anger on Riley was a bad idea; the younger man was withdrawing into himself, probably to wallow in self-pity. He was not given the chance to apologize, either.
"You're not playing games with me, are you Ben?" Ian asked, moving forward, "You know where it is," Ben gave Ian a disbelieving glare.
"No," Ben said, shaking his head. Ian clearly had a dangerous look on his face. Ben knew he would achieve nothing by lying, however.
"Ok," Ian said. Ben thought for a moment that Ian was accepting Ben's statement. The next word, however, threw all rationale out the window, "Go,"
"Hey, wait a minute!" Ben cried, as Ian and Powell moved onto the elevator and shoved off, rising several feet away from the room in which he, Abigail, and Riley were standing.
"Hey, Ian wait!" Riley cried, shock registering in his eyes. He had a low opinion of Ian and Powell, but he hadn't thought that it would've ended so; he didn't think that Ian himself would be capable of killing someone. Riley had imagined that Ian would order someone like Shaw to do the nasty deed. But with Shaw gone, Ian truly must've gone off the proverbial "deep end".
"Ian, don't!" Abigail cut in. She also hadn't realized what Ian was capable of.
"Ian, we'll be trapped!" Riley finally stated the obvious.
"I know that, Riley," Ian sneered, "I can leave you here, and I will unless Ben tells me the next clue," The threat was very real, which made the prospect terrifying.
"There isn't another clue!" Abigail snapped, "Ben told you that already!"
"Ian, why don't you come back down here and we can talk through this together?" Riley asked, his voice quivering slightly. He had to try to be brave for his friends, otherwise he wouldn't have spoken up at all. He felt that at this point they had a low opinion of him; he had gotten himself kidnapped, cost them the Declaration, led Ian and company to Parkington Lane's grave marker…he felt it was his fault that Ian was trying to leave them in the empty room. And he had to try to get him, Abigail, and Ben out of this situation. He owed them that.
Ben risked a glance at Riley behind him. What is he trying to do? Ian's to smart for that, and if Ian truly has lost it…he refused to finish that thought. He looked back and tried to make his friend shut up, to no avail. Ian rolled his eyes, gave a very exasperated look, and did almost exactly what Ben expected him to do: yank out the gun, click of the safety, and point the barrel right at Riley.
"Don't speak again," Ian said, as if speaking to a young child. Riley paled and gulped visibly. How many times had he faced a gun today? The young man had lost count.
"Ok…" Riley whispered, mentally willing Ian to put away the gun.
"Ben, the clue. Where is the treasure?" Ian asked, though he seemed unsure of whom to point the gun at. On the Charlotte and at Independence Hall, Ben had proven that he cared more for the safety of others than his own safety. He would tell the next clue, for there surely was another clue, if Ian threatened the life of the lovely Dr. Chase or Riley. Abigail opened her mouth, probably to insist that there was no more clues, that the treasure had probably been moved, possibly before Charles Carroll had given the note to Thomas Gates, 200 years ago. Ian pulled the hammer of the gun. His patience was wearing thin.
"The lantern!" Ben finally blurted out. It wasn't only his life on the line any longer.
"Ben," Abigail said softly. She knew how badly it hurt Ben to practically hand the treasure over to the "bad guys", but it was something that had to be done. She knew that much about Ben's character. She knew that if it had only been him in the stone room, he would've been shot before giving up the treasure. But he would do anything to prevent any more harm coming to her or Riley.
"In King Solomon's temple, there was a winding staircase. It signified the journey that had to be made to find the light of truth," Ben began softly, but his voice grew stronger when Ian lowered the gun, "The lantern is the clue,"
"And what does it mean?" Ian asked. Ben's speech clearly went right over his head. It was something that he never would've figured out on his own.
"Boston. It's in Boston. The Old North Church, where Robert Newman once lit a lantern in the steeple, to signal to Paul Revere and William Dawes that the British were coming. One if by land, two if by sea," Ben said. At this, Abigail gave a very perplexed look. Luckily, Ian didn't catch it, "One lantern, under the winding staircase of the steeple, that's where we have to look," Ben finished, a self-satisfied look on his face. This confused Abigail even more. If he was giving the next clue away to Ian, why would Ben have that almost-concealed half-smirk on his face.
"Thank you," Ian said, and turned away.
"Wait, but you have to take us with you!" Abigail cried.
"Why, so you can escape in Boston? Besides, with you out of the picture, there's less baggage to carry," Ian sneered.
"What if we lied?" Ben asked, protesting fiercely. He didn't give up the entire clue about the lantern just to be left behind!
"Did you?" Ian asked, malicious interest glimmering in his eyes. He raised the gun again.
"What if there's another clue?" Abigail asked, covering for Ben.
"Then I'll know right where to find you," Ian said. Truthfully, that thought had never occurred to him. However, he knew that there was no way for Ben, Abigail, and Riley to get out once he left, "See ya, Ben," Ian finished. Powell took it as the cue it was. The elevator slowly clacked upward, and with it went the only way out of the pit.
"No!" shouted Ben, glaring up at Ian.
"There's no other way out!" Riley added, this fear overcoming that of being shot. At Riley's cry, Ian motioned Powell to stop.
"I thought I told you not to speak again," Ian said, and before any of the other three could protest, Ian raised his gun and fired.
MWAHAHAHA who left you with an EVIL CLIFFIE! Did Riley survive? Did Ian finally get him? Am I going to get beaten for this chapter? I can answer the last question: probably…
OHMYGOSH OVER 100 REVIEWS! I FEEL SO HONORED! OMGWTFLOLAWOLRSPV! Thanks for all the support, y'all!
NITPICKING ALERT! In the movie, Patrick Gates says that Thomas Newton lit the lanterns in the Old North Church for Paul Revere. There are two issues with this: it was Robert Newman who lit the lanterns in the church, and both William Dawes and Paul Revere rode through the towns calling the men to arms against the British. See, I DO research my writing!
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