DISCLAIMER: All characters and property of Stargate SG-1 belong to MGM/UA, World Gekko Corp. and Double Secret Productions. This fan fiction was created solely for entertainment and no money was made from it. Also, no copyright or trademark infringement was intended. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. Any other characters, the storyline and the actual story are the property of the author.
Stepping out of the stargate, SG-1 were confronted with a familiar scene - trees, trees and more trees. But it was slightly different from the usual forest they saw.
Fanning out, Teal'c was the first to notice it.
"Colonel O'Neill! I believe you should see this!" he alerted O'Neill.
With Daniel and Sam in tow, Jack wandered over to look at Teal'c's find.
About 25 metres from the stargate was a deep hole, deep enough so that the beam from Teal'c's flashlight revealed nothing but more darkness.
"Looks kinda like a sinkhole," Daniel commented.
Jack looked at him.
"Uh, some Mesoamerican cultures used geologically created sinkholes, such as this one, for sacrificial purposes."
"Sacrificial purposes?"
"Well, tossing live victims down as a way to appease the gods..."
He was cut short by frantic waves from Sam. They looked at her in puzzlement. It was then that they heard it - faint cries for help coming from somewhere down the sinkhole.
"Hello? Hello?!" Daniel called. But the cries continued, unabated.
"Jack, we've gotta help. There could be more than just one person down there, injured or..."
"Daniel, hold on. What if it's a trap?" Jack replied, ever practical.
"A trap? There's a person crying for help down there!"
"Daniel, the Colonel's right. We could be walking straight into a trap," Sam commented.
"So you're just gonna leave them down there?" Daniel couldn't believe it.
"I didn't say that. But we've gotta exercise the right precautions. Okay, I'll go. Carter, bring me that rappelling line over there. Teal'c, shine that flashlight down here."
Jack hooked himself up to the line, anchored himself on the rim then hopped cautiously over the edge. It was slightly slippery on the sheer face, with moss growing in places, and Jack found the going tough.
He hadn't gone more than 10 metres, when they heard a whooshing sound rise above the stillness.
"Uh, Colonel? I think you'd better come back up."
As Jack was preparing to haul himself back up, the whooshing noise grew louder and he found it extremely hard to hold on. He was just about to call out for some help when he was overwhelmed by the strength of the wind and was sucked right off the line.
"O'Neill!"
"Colonel!"
"Jack? Jack! Can you hear us?!"
But there was no response.