Everyone stood silently where Daniel had jumped scanning it with their torches as if somehow the light would now reach the bottom. Jack stood shell shocked one of his best friends had just jumped to his death. Teal'c stood next to him silently cursing the young archaeologist for his stupidity preferring to use his anger rather then his grief to get himself through this. Reynolds and Grover stood there awkwardly not knowing what to say nor wanting to say anything letting Sg1 have the time to grieve and say goodbye.
When a radio buzzed Jack ignored it thinking it was the gate team that was until he heard the voice
"Jack its Daniel come in" Jack grabbed his radio grinning
"You son of a bitch" He yelled into the radio happily
"Jack it's a test of faith you have to jump but I would recommend not head first" Daniel told them, Jack looked at his team who all nodded the fact Daniel was alive was enough for them to trust him.
"Ok" Jack agreed, Teal'c went first jumping off, then Grover the Reynolds and lastly Jack.
He took a deep breath stepping off the edge and he was falling, his stomach dropped the wind rushing past his face. Then suddenly he stopped and was on the floor he landed on his knees taking a moment for his heart to recover and his body to stabilise after the huge adrenaline rush. Standing up his legs felt like jelly and he was having a hard time remembering how to walk.
"Everyone ok?" He asked, spotting everyone around him
"Yes Sir" Grover replied sounding as shaken as Jack felt
"Wow what a rush" Reynolds said standing up,
"Teal'c, Daniel?" Jack asked
"My symbiote does not like that, I have to agree" Teal'c told him looking quite green Jack smothered a grin aware Teal'c wouldn't be amused.
"Daniel?" he asked swinging his light round to see a pale form on the side blood trickling down the side of his face, Jack rushed over
"Daniel you ok?" he asked panicked
"Yeh slight cut but I'm ok" Daniel reassured him, Jack ran him through a few basic concussion tests satisfied he wasn't concussed.
"Ok your fine" Jack told him
"I know" Daniel replied. Standing up he shone his torch round finding writing on one side
"Well that wasn't there before you arrived" he commented
"What does it say?" Jack asked impatiently
"Solve these 7 riddles to prove you are wise" Daniel translated before it disappeared
"It's like they want to you to show you are intelligent enough to have the weapon" Grover offered
"The truth will set you free" Daniel said, running through all his ancient knowledge for the answer,
"There is no one truth" Daniel said then translated it into ancient, "The ancients believe there is no one truth as everything is subjected to time, place and interruption" he explained to the rest, the writing faded and another appeared
"I soar without wings, I see without eyes, I've travelled galaxies but I've never left my home" Daniel read looking at the rest lost as to what it could be,
"A leaf" Reynolds guessed but everyone shook there head
"The sun or light" Grover contributed Daniel nodded translating it the room shook and the ceiling began dropping. Jack found his mind wondering back to Sam and Jake imagining himself there with them in his moment of death when it hit him.
"My imagination" he said, everyone looked at him in surprise going through it
"It fits" Reynolds offered his opinion. Daniel translated it and the writing disappeared and the room stopped shaking
"Well done Jack" Daniel complimented sounding surprised as more writing appeared
"Only one colour but not one size, stuck at the bottom yet easily flies. Present in sun but not in rain, never doing harm and never feeling pain" he translated again looking to the team for help, everyone looked totally lost on this one
"Fire" Jack suggested
"But that does harm" Daniel pointed out,
"Ice" Reynolds offered
"It's not present in the sun" Grover informed him sounding cocky, Reynolds glared at him silently reminding him not to be so rude to his commanding officer but his eyes drifted passed him to where the torch hit,
"Shadow" Reynolds said, everyone nodding as Daniel said it,
"So far so good" Jack said relieved
"What falls but never breaks, what breaks but never falls?"
"I believe it is night and day" Teal'c said straight away everyone looked at him impressed
"It is a Jaffa tale" he offered as Daniel translated it.
"If a man carried my burden he'd break his back. I am not rich but leave silver in my track"
Again everyone looked at each other desperately thinking
"Well it's not a man" Jack said
"So what it's an animal?" Reynolds said
"A Snail" Grover yelled everyone looking at him he blushed "Sir" he added belatedly, Jack just waved his hand dismissing it watching Daniel translate it
"My thunder comes before my lightning. My lightning comes before my rain. My rain dries up all the land it touches."
"Hurricane" Grover offered
"No a volcano" Daniel said knowingly translating it straight away
"Last one" Jack pointed out
"Light as a feather, nothing in it but the strongest man can't hold me for 4 minutes" Daniel told them, everyone went quiet thinking
"Breath" Teal'c said everyone nodding as it fitted Daniel translated it and a door opened.
"Great" Reynolds said as his radio activated
"Sg3 here hourly check in everything normal" Hardwood reported Reynolds responded
"Going through Ancient tasks check back in 1 hour" he ordered
"Yes Sir" they checked out as they entered the next stage of the testing. In this there was simply a long tunnel they began walking down it, half way down they could hear a child screaming. They began running towards the noise weapons drawn, the passage split, one was where a child was screaming down the other they could see a big honking space gun, without even questioning it they ignored the gun going for the child. Jack was leading the way with the others close behind arriving there was a small girl hiding behind a rock a fierce looking creature that looked similar to a lion but was a lot bigger.
"Jack the ancients believe all life is sacred" Daniel warned
"We use zats then" Jack ordered, then signalled for Daniel and Teal'c to go left and Reynolds and Grover to go right he then fired his gun into the air, the lion turned charging at Jack going past the rest of the team Teal'c zatted it knocking it unconscious. Jack ran to the girl
"Hey it's ok" He soothed reaching to touch her but she disappeared a white person appeared
"You chose to help one in need instead of going for the weapon, this shows real strength of character the specifications for the weapon will be given use it for good and be warned if you use it for evil then be warned the consequences will be grave" the hologram spoke in English, she disappeared leaving pieces of paper. Jack grabbed it placing them in his bag, an exit appeared on the right side they went through it coming out right near the gate,
"Hardwood, Oliver on your 5" he radioed letting them know not to shoot,
"Dial it up Daniel" Jack ordered, Daniel did so and together they stepped through.
Sorry its taken so long it took ages to find suitable riddles, tell me what you think and thank you to everyone who has reviewed