So here's the next installment of my story; I hope you enjoy it!
Please review!
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John stepped back and wiped the sweat off of his brow. Off to his right, he could see Major Lorne doing the same thing.
"I don't seem to be making any progress sir," the major sounded tired and dejected.
John closed his eyes, "I'm not getting anywhere either Lorne; don't beat yourself up about it."
Truth was, nobody had been able to do anything more than chip away the surface of the ruins' remarkably hard stone. They had been working for nearly three hours straight and had almost nothing to show for it. Lorne's team looked absolutely exhausted, and McKay had given up a long time ago.
With a heavy sigh, John turned his back to the wall and collapsed against it, dropping his unwieldy tool as he slid to the ground. Seeing their leader resting against the ruin, Lorne and his team followed suit.
John covered his face with his hands, the emotions he'd been keeping at bay for the last few hours threatening to overwhelm him with a sudden flash of intensity.
"Sir?" The concern in the major's voice was almost enough to undo him.
"This is fascinating!" McKay cut in excitedly, running his fingers over the writing next to the transportation device.
If looks could kill, John's would have vaporized Rodney where he stood.
McKay's face paled, "What? I thought that it might be helpful to finish translating this in case it mentioned a way in."
"And did it?" John felt hope flare, only to have it shot down by McKay's reply.
"Umm…not exactly, no," Rodney looked sheepish, "Not for us anyway."
John looked at him expectantly.
"Huh? Oh, ah yes. The text actually parallels the Classical Greek story of Theseus the Ionian hero."
John had to dredge up memories of his high school literature class, "You mean the guy who went to that island with a labyrinth to kill the Minotaur?" His eyes widened as he realized the connection.
"That's him, but interestingly enough, this passage seems to be written from Ariadne's point of view."
Sheppard and Major Lorne exchanged confused looks.
John asked the question they were both thinking, "Whose point of view?"
Rodney rolled his eyes, "You know, the princess who fell in love with Theseus and ended up being betrayed by him. Sometimes she's portrayed as being the Guardian of…" His voice trailed off as understanding dawned on his face, "Of course!"
"McKay, what is it? The Guardian of what?" John demanded.
Rodney finally looked at him, eagerness in every fiber of his being, "Ariadne is the guardian of the labyrinth. The passage Elizabeth and I translated on the far wall, it spoke of the Guardian, the one who cries tears of betrayal."
"So Ariadne was an ancient?" Lorne hazarded a guess.
"I would say so, and Theseus probably was as well." Rodney glanced over at the two officers.
John furrowed his brow, "So she had this place built?"
McKay shrugged, "All the signs seem to point toward that being the case."
"Why would she have a navigational device?" John stood and walked over to where McKay was crouched, intrigued despite himself. Maybe they would be able to figure out how Elizabeth had been transported inside.
Rodney snapped his fingers, "In the story, Ariadne supposedly gave Theseus a ball of twine or something similar, so he wouldn't get lost in the labyrinth."
"Boy, those Ancient Greeks were a little off, weren't they?" Lorne's dry wit brought only a ghost of a smile to John's face.
"Yes well, balls of twine, advanced technological devices…they're all the same really." Rodney's voice dripped with sarcasm
"So how did El…Elizabeth get inside," John stumbled a little over her name, something that didn't go unnoticed by the other two men, nor by the rest of Lorne's team.
Rodney cleared his throat. "Actually I was just getting to that. Right here," he pointed to a particular line in the text, "it says that only those who know of the Guardian's pain will be allowed to enter.
"Well now we all know," Lorne pointed out, "So why can't we go in?'
McKay shook his head, "It's not talking about having simple knowledge of the story. I think it means that only those who empathetically know will be allowed to enter…those who've experienced the same type of heartbreak. Though how that fits Elizabeth I don't…"
"Simon," John interrupted suddenly.
Seeing Rodney and Lorne's blank stares he elaborated, "Her ex-boyfriend back on Earth. While she was gone he met someone else."
The Major mumbled something under his breath that sounded like 'idiot," but John couldn't be entirely certain.
Rodney nodded, "That would make sense."
John bit his lip and frowned, "I don't understand something: Why would this Ariadne build a place that only people who know how she feels can enter?"
For once, Rodney looked at a loss.
John's face twisted in anger. "And why would this ancient," he pointed furiously toward the ruin, "let these people in only to be attacked by some monster!"
He started pacing, a plethora of emotions playing across his features.
Rodney watched him sadly; life really wasn't fair sometimes. It was one of the only times Elizabeth had left the relative safety of Atlantis, and she had ended up losing her life; and John had ended up losing the person he cared for the most. The sad thing was he doubted John or Elizabeth had realized just how much they meant to each other…until it was too late.
He caught Lorne's eye and the two of them shared a look of concern and sorrow.
For some people, the void left by Dr. Elizabeth Weir would never be filled.
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