Date : 31.01.2008
Title : The A.U. Series : Lost City Of The ZPM's
Author : ElaineDex
Chapter : 5 of ?
Rating : M
Pairings : None at this point in the story.
Warnings : Some Sexual Content, Romance, Adventure, Maybe Some Strong Language.
Spoilers : This story has character's in it from my Loves series and follows on from my last story - New Beginnings.
Feedback : Yes please, always welcome whatever it may be.
Disclaimer : Dr. Ellie Harrison, Lt. Matthew Franks, and any O/C's are mine. Lyssa Hunter belongs to Kazavid and is from her Atlantis stories Behind The Mask and Reunions. Stargate Atlantis, unfortunately, has nothing to do with me.
Summary : Can the teams survive an adventure fit for Indiana Jones as they search for a whole city supposedly full of ZPM's?
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Ellie woke a while later to find someone had put their jacket over her and she snuggled into its warmth just as Sheppard tapped her shoulder.
"Come on Ellie…time to move on", he said and she moaned softly and sat up.
"Is this yours?", she asked, holding the jacket out to him but Sheppard shook his head and pointed at Lorne who was putting his bedroll away and he smiled at the look of dismay that crossed her face.
Ellie stood and after taking a couple of her pills she moved over to Lorne and held his jacket out to him.
"Thanks", she said simply and he nodded once and stuffed the jacket into his pack.
When everyone was ready they headed back into the trees to try and make their way toward the temple that they knew was in the distance. If they could reach that then the city and the ZPM's should be within their reach.
They were walking quietly when Ronon stopped and looked around.
"What is it?", Sheppard asked and Ronon frowned.
"I'm not sure…I just get the feeling that we're not alone here", he replied and Rodney piped up,
"So you got the feeling too huh?".
Suddenly something whizzed by Rodney's ear and he cried out in shock.
"Arrows!! Take cover!", Sheppard yelled and they scattered to the trees as more arrows reigned down.
"Who the hell are these Nimrods?", Sheppard said as quite a few men wearing nothing more than loin cloths and carrying spears and bows and arrows appeared.
"I don't know, but lets just shoot 'em", Ronon said taking aim with his blaster.
"Did Michael say anything about this place having locals?", Lorne said to Ellie as he took aim with his P-90 and Ellie shook her head.
"What do we do Sir?", Franks' voice came through the comms as he and Teyla observed from their position.
Sheppard pulled a face as he tried to think of a plan.
"Rodney, fancy trying to talk to these guys?", he asked and Rodney looked at him in horror from his position behind a tree with Lyssa.
"Who? Me?", he squawked and Sheppard sighed.
"I'll do it", Ellie said and Lorne looked at her out of the corner of his eye as she continued, "I got us into all this so……", she trailed off as she began to cautiously step toward the warriors holding out her hands to show them that she wasn't armed.
Everyone took aim just in case as Ellie cleared her throat.
"Hi…..", she began, frowning as the warrior types began to leer at her as though they'd never seen a woman before and one stepped forward and reached for her and Lorne wasted no time in firing off a shot that hit the man in the shoulder.
The warriors scattered in fright and Ellie turned to Lorne.
"Was that necessary?", she asked as he moved out and grabbed her arm, propelling her toward the others who had also moved out from hiding.
"I thought so", he bit out as they all began to run.
"Come on before they come back with reinforcements", Sheppard called out as they raced through the trees.
Finally they stumbled out of the other side of the jungle and saw before them the decidedly dodgy looking rope bridge that stretched out over the immense nothingness between them and the temples' entrance.
"Oh cra…..", Rodney began but Sheppard cut him off.
"Everyone get on there….start crossing…NOW!", he yelled and Rodney yelped as he was pushed onto the wooden slats and he gripped the rope hand-rails as he wobbled precariously.
"Move McKay", Ronon growled and Rodney slowly began to move forward.
"I think maybe someone else should have gone first", Teyla commented as their progress across the bridge was too slow for her liking.
"You're not kidding", Franks replied glancing back to check the 'Nimrods' hadn't re-appeared behind them.
"Come on McKay…speed it up a little", Sheppard said but Rodney couldn't bring himself to move any faster.
"Don't look down…don't look down", he chanted to himself as he moved.
Finally they reached the other side and entered the temple…everyone except Franks and Teyla who were cut off from the others as the huge stone doors slid shut extremely quickly for objects as heavy as they were.
Franks and Teyla exchanged a look that said, 'Damn' and they tried to open the doors knowing full well that they wouldn't be able to budge them.
Inside Sheppard and the others stared at the doors, unable to believe that Teyla and Franks had been locked outside.
"Teyla!", Sheppard yelled but he couldn't hear any response through the thick stone and so he tried his comms.
"Teyla…Lieutenant…come in?".
Teyla's voice came back crackly but it came back and that was the main thing.
"Colonel…we cannot re-open the doors".
"I know….damn it…", Sheppard replied turning to the others, he continued, "I really didn't want us to split up in any way but looks like that choice has been taken away now so, Lieutenant, Teyla…head back to the jumper…make contact with Elizabeth and tell her we could be a while…and be careful".
"You too Colonel", Teyla replied as she and Franks turned back toward the bridge.
Sheppard and the others then turned to take in the many-pillared hall that stretched before them and Ellie and Rodney made gasping noises at it's beauty.
Every column was ornately decorated and glowed in the torch light.
"Who do you suppose lit them?", Ronon asked indicating to the flaming torches that there anchored to the walls.
"I don't know but lets not stick around to find out", Sheppard replied, nudging Rodney and Ellie with his elbows.
"No time to stop and stare. Keep moving".
They all walked across the magnificent hall, dwarfed by its immense pillars and entered a tunnel at the other end that was also illuminated by burning torches.
"Okay Docs….where next?", Lorne asked looking to Ellie and Rodney who referred to their maps.
"Uh…this way", Ellie said pointing to an entrance off the tunnel they were stood in.
They went in the direction she said and Rodney groaned loudly when they came to the edge of a deep, but not very wide cavern which they needed to swing across again.
"I don't believe this", he wailed, throwing his hands in the air and looking to Sheppard who sighed.
"At least its not as wide as the last one", he offered and Rodney rolled his eyes.
"Okay…Lorne, Ellie, you go first", Sheppard said and Lorne moved forward and grabbed the twine that was hanging down.
He held out an arm to Ellie and she moved toward him, wrapping her arms easily around his neck as though they did this kind of thing all the time.
Once they were on the other side, Lorne threw the twine back toward the others and Ronon caught it. They didn't wait for Rodney and Ronon to swing over as there wasn't much room on the ledge, instead they moved through the doorway and into another side room of which the wall suddenly moved, closing them off.
"What the hell…..", Lorne said, trying to move the wall and Ellie watched on with a worried expression on her face.
"Major? What happened?", Sheppard asked through Lorne's ear-piece.
"I don't know Sir, once we entered the room the wall just shifted and cut us off.
"Damn it…okay, hang on until the four of us get across", Sheppard replied.
"Sir", confirmed Lorne.
Ronon and Rodney swung across and pressed themselves against the wall of the ledge to give Lyssa and Sheppard some room to land when they swung across.
The four of them moved into the room that had been opened up because the original wall had moved to trap Ellie and Lorne.
Before any of them had a chance to say anything though, a wall came up from the floor and cut Ronon and Rodney off from Sheppard and Lyssa.
"Son of a bitch", Ronon said as Rodney flapped his arms in exasperation.
"Great. Just great", he moaned.
"So what do we do now?", Sheppard asked through the comms as he and Lyssa looked at one another, "Lyssa and I are pretty screwed seeing as we're the only ones who don't have a Doc and a map with us".
"Maybe you two should just stay put and Rodney and Ronon and Major Lorne and I can carry on searching", Ellie suggested but Sheppard pulled a face and Lyssa bit back a smile as he said,
"I'm not really liking the idea of that".
"Why not? I'd love to just stay put….", Rodney muttered and Ronon glared at him.
"Well I could try to guide you through but it'll be difficult as you'll probably end up going in a completely different direction to Lorne and I", Ellie said and Sheppard raked a hand through his floppy hair.
"Look…everyone just try and find your way out of this place and Lyssa and I will try to do the same. Keep in radio contact and if you do see any ZPM's lying around do please pick them up", he said and Ellie sighed as Lorne stared at her.
"What?", she snapped and he shook his head and she knew he blamed her for this although it was hardly her fault that the temple had took it upon itself to split the eight of them up.
She studied the map and then said,
"According to this we have to go through there", and she pointed to the exit from the room they were in before continuing, "And then we have to travel upwards".
"Let's go then", Lorne said moving forward and into the next room where they were faced with a completely blocked off room with a rope ladder hanging from a hole in the extremely high ceiling.
As Ellie stared at it, Lorne smirked.
"I guess this is where the travelling upwards comes into it", he said.
"After you then", Ellie said, stepping aside but Lorne shook his head.
"This is your party Doc….you should go first…and besides, I should go second in case anything decides to come after us".
Ellie sighed and went to put her foot onto the first rung of the ladder and then she realised something that made her pause.
She fixed Lorne with a warning glare.
"If you look up my dress it'll be the last thing you do", she said seriously but Lorne's only external reaction to her hostile comment was to blink.
"I won't look up your dress".
Ellie tugged at the skirt of her sundress, wanting it to suddenly morph into trousers as she replied,
"See that you don't".
She stepped onto the ladder and moved up the rungs quite a way before she felt Lorne step on below her, his weight swaying the wobbly contraption and she clung on for dear life.
She closed her eyes as her face flushed.
He had to be looking up her dress…but dare she look down to find out?
Lorne fought against the urge to look up for as long as was humanly possible but he needed to know how far ahead of him Ellie was and how she was doing.
He moved up a few more rungs and then looked up and the first thing his eyes focused on were Ellie's sexy white lacy panties and then her perfectly formed buttocks and thighs.
He was so taken by the sight that he completely missed his footing and swung precariously, shaking the rope ladder.
"Whoa!", he muttered at the same time as Ellie turned to look down and lost her grip on the swaying rope and began to fall, screaming as she plummeted toward Lorne.
End of chapter 5