This world was definitely teaming with life, from dense overgrown forests to wildlife around every corner and all the while the team was having a hard go of it. Time was definitely not on their side, and Sheppard's prophetic statement about their slow pace came true having them arrive to the signal's source with just an hour and half left of daylight. It also put them at the four-hour check-in with Atlantis.
"Atlantis, this is Sheppard, do you read?" John stopped and motioned for the team to take a breather.
"Sheppard, how's it going out there? Have you found the source of the signal yet?" Carter asked leaning on a control console with Radek looking up at her from his own monitoring of the signal.
"Well…" Sheppard began as he looked around to survey his surroundings and his team. Ronan was leaning against a tree breaking sticks and Teyla was scooting next to Rodney as he slowly bent down to sit on a fallen tree.
Sheppard started again, "We are finally at the ravine. It took us a little longer than expected but we're here." As he said this he noted that Rodney had put down the energy detector and was rubbing his right temple. His right eye had started to swell a bit and a dark shadow rimmed under his eye.
"What took so long?" Carter didn't understand how it took so long to cover such a small distance.
"The terrain of this new planet is not that forgiving," he paused then continued, "You could say it's a jungle out here. Plus Rodney likes to massage his face with rocks apparently."
"Is everyone ok?" Sam was now wondering what had happened to them out there.
"Oh, everyone's ok, for the most part." John was peering over at Rodney, "Rodney has a nasty cut above his right eye…"
"And its throbbing like a second heartbeat," Rodney butted in on the conversation.
"...and he's a bit grumpy," John continued. "It's been a slow go of it because of the meandering rocky up and down trail we've been blazing. However we are here and are about to repel down the ravine. Luckily, the drop doesn't seem to be that far…it's just very dark down there," as he peered over the edge.
Ronon, having enough of a break, began to work the rope around a large tree for them to repel down.
"Rodney, are you ok enough to continue?" although Sam was concerned about the signal, she had to admit that her concern for Rodney was stronger.
"Yeah, although it hurts, its not that bad. I just want to get down there and find out what it is," Rodney was popping off the top of his canteen and swallowing some Tylenol that Teyla handed him.
"Ok, but you will, in a short time, be losing your light. Do you have supplies to make camp?" Sam knew they wouldn't be able to make it back to the jumper and being out in the open in new territory was a bit concerning.
Sheppard was already testing the line that Ronon had fixed. "We'll be fine, we have enough time to repel the 80 feet down to take a look around and then we'll set up camp."
"Be careful and Radek wanted me to remind you that there is still concern for this venomous snake-like creature that the ancient database talks about being found on this planet."
"Well, we haven't seen anything so far…just a bunch of birds and something resembling a deer but with stripes. With any luck that creature died out long ago," John said hopefully. "We'll radio you as soon as we find out anything or in another four hours."
"Alright, Carter out."
John got going by clipping in to the harness, while Rodney did the same and Teyla came to stand by Ronon.
"Rodney, I'm gonna go first and then you can come down. Ronon will send down your pack after you." Sheppard started edging over backwards, not before cracking some glow sticks and letting them drop to provide an idea of where he was going. "Here goes nothing." And with that Sheppard slid down into the ravine.
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Rodney lost his grip when he was 10 feet off the ground and screamed like a little girl as he landed on his knees then fell back on his rear.
"Nice flying Robin!" John went to give him a hand up. "But I guess there can only be one Batman."
"Oh hardy har har…" Rodney got up dusting off his clothes and then quickly moved out of the way as their packs came down after him.
"Ronon, Teyla – were going to have a look around. I want you both to stay up top while we see what this is," said Sheppard.
John turned to see Rodney already heading off in the direction behind him.
"It should be right down this way," Rodney quickened his pace a bit. "right about here," he said looking up from his scanner but saw much of nothing except for a few writings on the rock wall.
"So where is it McKay?" Sheppard couldn't believe they came this far, be this close and still baffled.
"I don't know," Rodney looked back to scanner and up again, "It should be right here." He then proceeded to brush one of the symbols pushing along the way.
Suddenly the wall began to push out and John pulled Rodney back away from the protruding rock slab.
A faint blue glow started filling the room from the wall opening. The wall then stopped moving to reveal a bizarre looking device that pulsed. John and Rodney slowly took cautious steps toward it.
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"What do you make of it McKay?" Sheppard said as he circled the pedestal that the device sat upon.
"It would help if I understood some of these symbols in here. There so worn it's hard to make out."
"Strange that the Ancient database doesn't mention anything about this device or this place." Sheppard couldn't understand why the Ancients wouldn't fill like it was worth mentioning.
"The text that Radek and I have been researching about this planet leads us to believe that this was only a planet that they explored a few times to catalogue the wildlife and perform geological surveys."
John stopped walking around and turned to Rodney, "but why the hell would the ancients build a device in such a place? I mean locked away in a ravine…makes you think that they wanted this place to never be found."
Rodney had to admit that he really couldn't argue with John's logic, nor was he anywhere closer to finding the answers behind the location of the device, what it did or why a distress signal was being emitted.
"Sheppard, what have you and McKay found?" Ronon was beginning to get bored. And in the hour that they had been left up top, he and Teyla had already set up camp and created a quick lean-to type shelter to cover the four of them.
John heard Ronon's question coming in intermittently through a static that wasn't there before.
"Ronon, hang on, I can hardly hear you…it must be this device," said John as he walked back out to where they repelled down. John looked up and could hardly make out Ronon's figure peering over the edge.
"Can you hear me now?" asked John.
"It's definitely better," said Ronon as he too was trying to make out John at the bottom of the ravine, "wonder why we have static all of a sudden?"
"I'm not sure but it's probably due to being so close to the device and its signal that it is emitting. How are you and Teyla?"
Teyla answered, "We are fine John. Ronon and I have set up camp…why is the device sending out a signal?"
"Not sure yet…Rodney is still working on it."
"Ah ha!" exclaimed Rodney over his radio, "I…nk…I…go…it." Rodney's radio was much worse as he was still in the room with the device.
"Oh..no...th…s'ot…ood," came again from Rodney.
"What did he say?" asked Ronon.
"Couldn't quite make it out. I'm going to check on him…I'll be right back," and with that John walked back to the room.
"Rodney, I couldn't hear you. Did you say something about it being good?" John stopped and looked to Rodney trying to gather his gear, "What are you doing?"
"What no no no no no…I said NOT GOOD," Rodney said with wild terror in his eyes, "We've got to go…It's…not happy…"
"What did you do?" John was trying to keep calm but already noticed that the blue glow was starting to pulsate faster.
"Nothing…it just started doing that," as he waved to the device.
"Well what's it doing?"
"I got into the logs…found out this device was a to provide ancients arriving to this planet with current seismic wave activity…that's why the location…this ravine is the epicenter…"
"WHAT?"
"Think Andreas Fault…think this as the alarm…now think about how fast you can run…because what I could read…is that its going to be big…and we don't want to stick around this ravine much longer."
As soon as Rodney and John got out the door a tremor already set in sending them into the rocky wall.
John touched his radio, "Ronon, Teyla – get ready to head out – we have an earthquake coming that's not going to be pretty."
Teyla and Ronon had felt the tremor to and was already getting ready to move.
Rodney made it up first and John was quickly behind him.
"We've got to go…NOW!" exclaimed Rodney as they all could feel the tremors strengthening.
John touched his radio as they started running, "Carter, we…fou…out the…evice…it's a seismograph…emors…alr'y star….put up…ur…ields."
"Oh my god!" Sam made out enough through the static to understand and knew that since they were not too close to land that Atlantis should fair ok but would raise the shields in case the waves got too high. "Can you make it back in time?"
"'ot sure…ow…mu..ime..we…have," John got that out before his radio went completely dead. The device must have completely shorted out the signal with its output.
All Sam could do was look on in horror…not knowing if her team, her friends would make it through.
TBC