"I absolutely cannot believe John let Emily explore the forest on her own!" Rodney remarked as he and Ronan pushed their way through the thick foliage.
"Complaining won't get you anywhere," Ronan replied. This was the fifth time Rodney had mentioned it since the team had split up.
"Yes, bu-"
"AH!" Ronan exclaimed as he dropped through what had appeared to be solid ground.
Without thinking, Rodney rushed forward. It didn't do much good. He tripped on a root and tumbled through the opening.
"Get off me!" Ronan demanded as he tried to get up.
Rodney obliged with a pained groan. "Where are we?"
"Looks like we fell into a hunting trap," Ronan replied as he stared up into the light that was leaking through the mouth of the deep hole into which they'd fallen.
"Oh great. Is there anyway we can get out?"
"Yeah, but it might take awhile."
"Look, just get me out of here," Rodney replied, hysteria creeping into his voice.
"Fine. Now give me a boost."
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
"I have a bad feeling about this place," Sheppard muttered as he and Teyla made their way through a well-trodden path. "Emily said no one lived here."
"It is possible that people came here through the Stargate after the Ancients left."
"True, but that would mean some one brought them here and I really don't feel like running into a wraith today."
After another mile of silence the two came upon a sight that made them stop. A vast sprawling village spread out like a spider web along a deep valley. Earthy brown huts and buildings stuck out above the rich green that filled the rest of the depression in the ground. A noticeable statue stood in the very center of the village with what appeared to be people surrounding it. Sheppard and Teyla wasted no time in sliding down the valley's steep sides and walking into the locals' hometown.
The few residents who had yet to make it to the statue greeted them with strange looks. It took quite some time before they found anyone who was willing to talk to them. She was a short middle-aged woman with deep-set black eyes, a creamy complexion, and a very prominent chin. Strangely enough it was neither Teyla nor Sheppard who had prompted the conversation. It was the woman.
"May I help you, visitors?" she asked in a deep voice as she sized up the vastly taller explorers.
"Yes. We would like to speak with the leader of the village," Teyla replied.
"Very well, but you will have to wait after services. He will speak to you then."
"Services?" Sheppard questioned.
"Yes. Today is a holy day for my people. You are welcome to join us if you like."
"What kind of services are they?" Teyla asked, a little skeptical.
The woman shrugged. "A few prayers, a service, and a speech from our leader. It will all be over in two hours."
"That would be . . . lovely," Teyla said quickly with a smile.
"Wonderful, please follow me." With that, the woman turned her back to them and began to lead Teyla and Sheppard through the winding streets of the village.
Sheppard shot his partner a dirty look the second the woman's back was turned. "We could have at least talked about this first," he mumbled
"It is best to show you accept a people's customs before you speak with them. Turning the invitation down would have been an insult. Besides, what would we have done for two hours?" she whispered back.
"I don't know, walk around the village."
"Then we would have looked like spies."
"I don't ca- wow."
The two craned their necks upward at the gargantuan pieces of sculpted granite towering above them and the many people surrounding it. A feeling of dread sunk deep into their very being. Towering above them, like a vicious beast ready to attack, was a detailed sculpture of a wraith. An alter stood before it holding what appeared to be the necessary worship items.
Sheppard swallowed hard. "Did I mention I never liked church?"
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
Meanwhile, Emily was barreling westward at a breakneck speed. No unusual noise came to her sensitive ears nor did anything seem like a link to her past. Exhaustion finally took over and she stopped. She did a mental time check. She still had ten minutes before shed have to radio in. She'd made the unfortunate mistake of running and talking at the same time. This caused her to stop running so early.
Emily heaved a sigh as she leaned against a tree. Frustration mixed with a hint of exhaustion wracked her body. Why wasn't she getting any results? Admittedly, it had been thousands of years since she'd seen the planet last. Still, she should have found some sign of her people. Ancients built everything to last.
"What the hell's wrong with me?" she muttered as she stood up straight.
She shook her head slowly. Something was wrong. Emily could feel it. The edges of her vision were fuzzy and she felt weak in the knees. Could it be stress? She shook her head. She'd seen worse in her time. The running? Not a chance. Emily had always been the fastest and had the most stamina. She closed her eyes tightly as she tried to get her thoughts together.
"Androida?" a soft voice whispered.
Her eyes flew open and she let out a gasp. Instinct told her to back away, to run, to radio for help, but her legs wouldn't listen. All Emily could do was stand there, stiff as a board, gazing at the massive, disgusting form of a wraith.