Orpheus - Chapter 7
Seven down three more to go! Again thanks again to mizz_magenta my beta.
Chapter 7
At the foot of the stairs leading down into the tomb, John could see the rainwater trickle down the steps. From the heavy patter of raindrops, he could tell it was pouring outside. Since Elizabeth's body was already very weak, drenching her in heavy rain might compromise her health further. However, he was not sure how long the rain would last, for they could end up waiting here indefinitely.
“Elizabeth?”
“Hm?”
“It’s pouring outside, we should wait for it let up. I’m going to put you down here and go back for your stuff, okay?” Elizabeth lifted her head slightly to look at John. “I promise you. I’ll be right back. Here.” He took the radio in his pocket. “Here is your radio. If you need anything, call me. I'll hear you. I’ll be right back.Promise.”
She agreed with a weak nod and John eased her onto the ground and leaned her against a wall a short distance from the stairs, just in case the water started to flow deeper into the tunnel.
John brushed a brown curl from her face and lightly touched the scratch on her cheek. “I’ll be right back,” he said again, then grabbed his flashlight, and ran back into the catacomb.
As soon as John traveled a few feet down the corridor, Elizabeth could see the darkness envelop him. He promised he would return to take her home, but she missed him already.
She turned her head towards the entrance and saw the rubble that was once a wall. She had been alone in the darkness for so long that she longed to go outside, even if it was raining. She tried to stand, but the slightest movements made her head spin. She decided it was best to wait for John.
Leaning her head back against the wall, she closed her eyes and listened to the rainfall outside. After a while, she heard the echo of John’s footsteps returning. He jogged passed her and tried to see if the rain had lessened.
“How are you feeing?” John asked, returning to her side.
“Thirsty,” she said.
“And hungry, I bet. It’s still raining, but it looks like it lightened up. I think I can get us back to the building without us getting too wet,” he said and scooped her up in his arms again.
Thunder rumbled across the sky as they came to the surface. The rain had trickled down to a light drizzle as they made their way back to the building.
“Looks like we might have to stay the night,” he said when he saw a flash of lightning light the sky followed shortly by another thunderous roar. He quickened his pace and made sure not to jostle Elizabeth too much as the building came into view. He glanced down at her. Her head was tilted down and buried in his chest as she tried to shield her face from the drizzling raindrops that clung to her brown curls like shimmering pearls.
When they reached the shelter, John settled Elizabeth down in the corner furthest from the entrance. Then he began sifting through his supplies, found a bottle of water and a small towel before returning to Elizabeth’s side.
“Here, drink some water.” He uncapped the canteen and put the bottle to Elizabeth’s lips. He slowly tilted the bottle for her to drink. “Easy now, there is plenty of water here, and more,” he nodded towards the outside as the sound of heavy rainfall began again.
Though her body craved water, she could not resist stopping and smiling at his comment.
“Do you want more water?” he asked. She nodded, and he placed the canteen. He then picked up the towel to wipe away the rainwater on her face.
“You brought a towel?” Elizabeth asked, amused, after she had satiated her thirst.
“Can’t travel the galaxy without one,” he smirked and continued to dab the towel on her cheek.
A breeze blew into the room and Elizabeth shivered in her damp clothes.
“Let’s get you into some warmer things.” He helped remove her damp jacket and grabbed a blanket he had brought along with his supplies, and wrapped it around her.
“Did you bring the kitchen sink too?” she asked.
“Of course, it’s out in the back,” John replied, as he took a turn about the room to find a spot to let her jacket dry. Eventually he just draped it over the Lethe orb. It wasn’t like he was planning to use the orb again anytime soon. “Good to see you’ve still got your sense of humor,” he said and went back to sifting through his supplies.
Elizabeth shrugged and leaned her head back against the wall. “It helps that I’m not alone in the dark anymore.”
“And I bet a bowl of Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup would help even more.” He proudly pulled out a can from his bag.
“Did you bring that back from Earth?”
“I swiped it from the commissary. I knew they were holding out on us.” John put the can down and started to pile some wood he had gathered for his campfire the day before. “As soon as I get the fire up, I’ll cook you dinner.”
“Thank you, John.”
“It's nothing. It’s not like I’m really cooking, just open the can-"
“No, John," she interrupted him, "I mean, thank you, for coming back for me.”
“Of course, I'd come back for you. ‘Leave no man behind’, right?”
“No, thank you... for remembering me,” she finally said in a near whisper.
John looked into her eyes and he could see tears starting to brim around them. He could only imagine how she managed to survive all alone in the dark catacomb. He was surprised to see her still so strong after several days without food or water. People had a tendency to underestimate Elizabeth from first glance, but he new better.
“I would never forget you, Elizabeth,” he said and lit the campfire. “Now,” he changed the subject, “let’s see that arm of yours.”
He furrowed his brow at the sight of Elizabeth’s bruised arm. “What happened?”
Elizabeth closed her eyes as she struggled to remember. “I’m not too sure. After you left, another Wraith came in. He knocked the gun from my hand and slammed me against a wall. I think that is when I broke my arm." She brought her hand up to her forehead. "That’s all I can remember right now.”
“It’s all right.” He found a spare tourniquet and started to make it into a makeshift sling. “I can’t think when I’m starving either. Here.” He carefully looped the “sling” around Elizabeth’s arm and neck. “Hopefully, that doesn't cut off circulation to your hand.”
After wrapping the blanket around Elizabeth again, John moved over and rubbed his hands together over the fire to warm them. Picking up the can of soup, he used his dagger to open the top, poured its contents into a small pot, and held it over the fire to warm it.
Every now and then, he would stir the pot with a spoon and sneak a peek over at Elizabeth from the corner of his eye and see that her eyes were closed. John wished the rain would cease and let him take Elizabeth back to Atlantis where she could get some much needed food and a comfortable bed to recover in, but this was not too bad. They had a roof over their heads and a warm fire. They would survive one evening here.
The soup came to a slow boil and its aroma permeated the small room. John took a sip of the soup and gently shook Elizabeth to wake her.
“Dinner is ready,” he said holding up the small pot. He scooped up a spoonful and blew on the steaming soup before bringing it to Elizabeth’s lips.
Elizabeth never thought that canned soup heated over a campfire could taste so good. She felt odd having John feed her, although he didn’t seem to mind and patiently fed her until she finished half of it. Even though she had not eaten for days, her appetite was small, though the discomfort from her fractured arm may have attributed to it.
“Are you sure you’re full?” John asked stirring the spoon in the pot.
When Elizabeth nodded, he shrugged and finished off the soup himself then he offered her some water, which she graciously took.
“You should get some rest,” John said, putting the empty pot off to the side. He grabbed his dry jacket and folded it up into a pillow, placed it on the ground, and helped her to lie down.
Another flash of lightning lit up the sky as John put several more branches into the fire. He wanted the rain to stop so he could retrieve the keystone. But the heavy rain clouds and increase in thundering signaled that the rain was not going to end for several more hours.
He looked over at Elizabeth’s sleeping form and decided he should retrieve the stone before she woke, but before he reached the door, she stirred.
“John? Where are you going?” she asked, her eyes looking up at him.
“You should be resting,” he knelt down next to her.
“Where are you going?” she repeated.
“I’m going to get the keystone and some things I left at the tomb entrance.”
“It’s still raining outside,” she said.
“I’ll be fine. I’ll be back before you even know that I’ve gone. Here.” He placed her radio beside her. “If you need anything, I’ll only be a click away.”
Just as he was about to get up and leave, Elizabeth grabbed his hand. John took her hand into his. “I’ll be fine. Just get some rest. When you wake, I’ll be here. I promise.” He gave her hand a squeeze and left the building.
By the time he reached the tomb entrance, John was soaked. The rain had washed away the excess dirt that layered the entrance cover. The tomb entrance was closed with the keystone still upon it. John did not remember closing the entrance. He was not sure if he even knew how. Presently, that was unimportant.
He quickly retrieved the stone and grabbed a few other things he had left in the rain, which included his vest that he had removed earlier when uncovering the panel.
As he made his way back, a thunderous roar echoed in the sky. And when John thought the rain could not fall any harder, the skies proved him wrong. At least back at the building, he had someone waiting for him and a nice warm campfire to dry him with, he thought, and continued jogging through the rain.
How do you find something that has been forgotten?
Elizabeth woke up with a start. In her hands, she clutched the radio John gave her.
It was real. John had went down into the depths of the tomb and brought her back to the world of the living. She did not know how long she had dozed off, and she wondered if John had returned. She saw a shadow across the room and turned her head slightly to see clearer.
From the firelight, she could see that John was soaking wet and his clothes clung tightly to his body. He was in the process of taking out some things in his bulletproof vest before laying it out flat to dry. He then attempted to dry out his black T-shirt by twisting the corners of it. Eventually, thinking Elizabeth was asleep; he pulled off his shirt so he could wring it out more effectively.
Elizabeth could not help but noticed how the water made John’s back glisten in the amber light. The way his muscles rippled with every movement made her feel guilty for her close observations of him.
He held his shirt near the fire hoping the heat would dry it quickly, but John still had another dilemma. His pants were soaking wet as well. Like his shirt, he had not thought to bring an extra pair with him.
John sighed and decided to make the best of it and sat down with his legs outstretched next to the fire, and tried squeezing water from the material. John leaned back on his elbows like he was sunbathing and glanced over at Elizabeth, who had immediately closed her eyes when he looked in her direction.
Thinking that Elizabeth was still asleep, he continued to dry himself. He took the towel, dried his hair, and then hung the towel around his shoulders.
He placed his hand on his T-shirt to see its drying progress. He figured that it would be a while until his clothes dried, so he grabbed some nearby sticks and fed them into the fire.
During this time, Elizabeth continued observing him through her half opened eyelids. She watched the movement of his lean arms as he raked his fingers through his unruly hair and then tossed another stick into the crackling flames.
“Who knew Doctor Elizabeth Weir was a peeping Tom?” John said lighting one end of stick with the fire.
Elizabeth closed her eyes and blushed. She hoped that if she remained silent and continued to pretend sleeping John would not continue to accuse her of peeping.
“But since you are injured,” he continued. “I forgive you.” He crawled over to where she laid and sat back against the wall. “How are you feeling?” He placed a hand on her forehead.
“Tired, and still dizzy when I move,” she said trying to sit up.
John gave her a hand to help her sit back up. She leaned her head tiredly against the wall and gave John a sidelong glance.
“Aren’t you cold?”
“Not really. I’m just freezing.”
“Here.” She handed him his rolled up jacket. “I’m not using it anymore.”
“No, I think you need it more than me,” he said. Elizabeth gave him a glare that made him immediately change his mind and took the jacket from her hands. “For someone who can barely stand, you’re pretty intimidating.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” she said as John slipped on his jacket.
“As you well should,” he said and reached over for the triangular keystone. He fiddled with the stone in his hands for a while and looked over at Elizabeth, who was also looking at the keystone.
“Elizabeth, you don’t know how happy I am to find you,” he confessed.
“Same here.”
“I mean, no one remembered who you were, or even knew you existed. I even tried to look for evidence of you, but it was like you were wiped away from everything,” he explained. “I almost thought I was going insane.”
“When I was trapped down there, I thought I had gone insane too,” she admitted. “I saw something, an Ancient. She called herself Mneme. She said she was the one responsible for that.” She pointed to the orb that her jacket was draped over.
“Ah, good ol' Lethe, the bane of my existence... Well, more your existence. Since it made you disappear. But you’re here, so you exist. Everything should be fine now.”
“I hope so,” she said and leaned her head against John’s shoulder.
As Elizabeth drifted off to sleep, John hesitantly wrapped his arm around her to keep her warm, and continued keeping watch for the night.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 7
At the foot of the stairs leading down into the tomb, John could see the rainwater trickle down the steps. From the heavy patter of raindrops, he could tell it was pouring outside. Since Elizabeth's body was already very weak, drenching her in heavy rain might compromise her health further. However, he was not sure how long the rain would last, for they could end up waiting here indefinitely.
“Elizabeth?”
“Hm?”
“It’s pouring outside, we should wait for it let up. I’m going to put you down here and go back for your stuff, okay?” Elizabeth lifted her head slightly to look at John. “I promise you. I’ll be right back. Here.” He took the radio in his pocket. “Here is your radio. If you need anything, call me. I'll hear you. I’ll be right back.Promise.”
She agreed with a weak nod and John eased her onto the ground and leaned her against a wall a short distance from the stairs, just in case the water started to flow deeper into the tunnel.
John brushed a brown curl from her face and lightly touched the scratch on her cheek. “I’ll be right back,” he said again, then grabbed his flashlight, and ran back into the catacomb.
As soon as John traveled a few feet down the corridor, Elizabeth could see the darkness envelop him. He promised he would return to take her home, but she missed him already.
She turned her head towards the entrance and saw the rubble that was once a wall. She had been alone in the darkness for so long that she longed to go outside, even if it was raining. She tried to stand, but the slightest movements made her head spin. She decided it was best to wait for John.
Leaning her head back against the wall, she closed her eyes and listened to the rainfall outside. After a while, she heard the echo of John’s footsteps returning. He jogged passed her and tried to see if the rain had lessened.
“How are you feeing?” John asked, returning to her side.
“Thirsty,” she said.
“And hungry, I bet. It’s still raining, but it looks like it lightened up. I think I can get us back to the building without us getting too wet,” he said and scooped her up in his arms again.
Thunder rumbled across the sky as they came to the surface. The rain had trickled down to a light drizzle as they made their way back to the building.
“Looks like we might have to stay the night,” he said when he saw a flash of lightning light the sky followed shortly by another thunderous roar. He quickened his pace and made sure not to jostle Elizabeth too much as the building came into view. He glanced down at her. Her head was tilted down and buried in his chest as she tried to shield her face from the drizzling raindrops that clung to her brown curls like shimmering pearls.
When they reached the shelter, John settled Elizabeth down in the corner furthest from the entrance. Then he began sifting through his supplies, found a bottle of water and a small towel before returning to Elizabeth’s side.
“Here, drink some water.” He uncapped the canteen and put the bottle to Elizabeth’s lips. He slowly tilted the bottle for her to drink. “Easy now, there is plenty of water here, and more,” he nodded towards the outside as the sound of heavy rainfall began again.
Though her body craved water, she could not resist stopping and smiling at his comment.
“Do you want more water?” he asked. She nodded, and he placed the canteen. He then picked up the towel to wipe away the rainwater on her face.
“You brought a towel?” Elizabeth asked, amused, after she had satiated her thirst.
“Can’t travel the galaxy without one,” he smirked and continued to dab the towel on her cheek.
A breeze blew into the room and Elizabeth shivered in her damp clothes.
“Let’s get you into some warmer things.” He helped remove her damp jacket and grabbed a blanket he had brought along with his supplies, and wrapped it around her.
“Did you bring the kitchen sink too?” she asked.
“Of course, it’s out in the back,” John replied, as he took a turn about the room to find a spot to let her jacket dry. Eventually he just draped it over the Lethe orb. It wasn’t like he was planning to use the orb again anytime soon. “Good to see you’ve still got your sense of humor,” he said and went back to sifting through his supplies.
Elizabeth shrugged and leaned her head back against the wall. “It helps that I’m not alone in the dark anymore.”
“And I bet a bowl of Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup would help even more.” He proudly pulled out a can from his bag.
“Did you bring that back from Earth?”
“I swiped it from the commissary. I knew they were holding out on us.” John put the can down and started to pile some wood he had gathered for his campfire the day before. “As soon as I get the fire up, I’ll cook you dinner.”
“Thank you, John.”
“It's nothing. It’s not like I’m really cooking, just open the can-"
“No, John," she interrupted him, "I mean, thank you, for coming back for me.”
“Of course, I'd come back for you. ‘Leave no man behind’, right?”
“No, thank you... for remembering me,” she finally said in a near whisper.
John looked into her eyes and he could see tears starting to brim around them. He could only imagine how she managed to survive all alone in the dark catacomb. He was surprised to see her still so strong after several days without food or water. People had a tendency to underestimate Elizabeth from first glance, but he new better.
“I would never forget you, Elizabeth,” he said and lit the campfire. “Now,” he changed the subject, “let’s see that arm of yours.”
He furrowed his brow at the sight of Elizabeth’s bruised arm. “What happened?”
Elizabeth closed her eyes as she struggled to remember. “I’m not too sure. After you left, another Wraith came in. He knocked the gun from my hand and slammed me against a wall. I think that is when I broke my arm." She brought her hand up to her forehead. "That’s all I can remember right now.”
“It’s all right.” He found a spare tourniquet and started to make it into a makeshift sling. “I can’t think when I’m starving either. Here.” He carefully looped the “sling” around Elizabeth’s arm and neck. “Hopefully, that doesn't cut off circulation to your hand.”
After wrapping the blanket around Elizabeth again, John moved over and rubbed his hands together over the fire to warm them. Picking up the can of soup, he used his dagger to open the top, poured its contents into a small pot, and held it over the fire to warm it.
Every now and then, he would stir the pot with a spoon and sneak a peek over at Elizabeth from the corner of his eye and see that her eyes were closed. John wished the rain would cease and let him take Elizabeth back to Atlantis where she could get some much needed food and a comfortable bed to recover in, but this was not too bad. They had a roof over their heads and a warm fire. They would survive one evening here.
The soup came to a slow boil and its aroma permeated the small room. John took a sip of the soup and gently shook Elizabeth to wake her.
“Dinner is ready,” he said holding up the small pot. He scooped up a spoonful and blew on the steaming soup before bringing it to Elizabeth’s lips.
Elizabeth never thought that canned soup heated over a campfire could taste so good. She felt odd having John feed her, although he didn’t seem to mind and patiently fed her until she finished half of it. Even though she had not eaten for days, her appetite was small, though the discomfort from her fractured arm may have attributed to it.
“Are you sure you’re full?” John asked stirring the spoon in the pot.
When Elizabeth nodded, he shrugged and finished off the soup himself then he offered her some water, which she graciously took.
“You should get some rest,” John said, putting the empty pot off to the side. He grabbed his dry jacket and folded it up into a pillow, placed it on the ground, and helped her to lie down.
Another flash of lightning lit up the sky as John put several more branches into the fire. He wanted the rain to stop so he could retrieve the keystone. But the heavy rain clouds and increase in thundering signaled that the rain was not going to end for several more hours.
He looked over at Elizabeth’s sleeping form and decided he should retrieve the stone before she woke, but before he reached the door, she stirred.
“John? Where are you going?” she asked, her eyes looking up at him.
“You should be resting,” he knelt down next to her.
“Where are you going?” she repeated.
“I’m going to get the keystone and some things I left at the tomb entrance.”
“It’s still raining outside,” she said.
“I’ll be fine. I’ll be back before you even know that I’ve gone. Here.” He placed her radio beside her. “If you need anything, I’ll only be a click away.”
Just as he was about to get up and leave, Elizabeth grabbed his hand. John took her hand into his. “I’ll be fine. Just get some rest. When you wake, I’ll be here. I promise.” He gave her hand a squeeze and left the building.
By the time he reached the tomb entrance, John was soaked. The rain had washed away the excess dirt that layered the entrance cover. The tomb entrance was closed with the keystone still upon it. John did not remember closing the entrance. He was not sure if he even knew how. Presently, that was unimportant.
He quickly retrieved the stone and grabbed a few other things he had left in the rain, which included his vest that he had removed earlier when uncovering the panel.
As he made his way back, a thunderous roar echoed in the sky. And when John thought the rain could not fall any harder, the skies proved him wrong. At least back at the building, he had someone waiting for him and a nice warm campfire to dry him with, he thought, and continued jogging through the rain.
How do you find something that has been forgotten?
Elizabeth woke up with a start. In her hands, she clutched the radio John gave her.
It was real. John had went down into the depths of the tomb and brought her back to the world of the living. She did not know how long she had dozed off, and she wondered if John had returned. She saw a shadow across the room and turned her head slightly to see clearer.
From the firelight, she could see that John was soaking wet and his clothes clung tightly to his body. He was in the process of taking out some things in his bulletproof vest before laying it out flat to dry. He then attempted to dry out his black T-shirt by twisting the corners of it. Eventually, thinking Elizabeth was asleep; he pulled off his shirt so he could wring it out more effectively.
Elizabeth could not help but noticed how the water made John’s back glisten in the amber light. The way his muscles rippled with every movement made her feel guilty for her close observations of him.
He held his shirt near the fire hoping the heat would dry it quickly, but John still had another dilemma. His pants were soaking wet as well. Like his shirt, he had not thought to bring an extra pair with him.
John sighed and decided to make the best of it and sat down with his legs outstretched next to the fire, and tried squeezing water from the material. John leaned back on his elbows like he was sunbathing and glanced over at Elizabeth, who had immediately closed her eyes when he looked in her direction.
Thinking that Elizabeth was still asleep, he continued to dry himself. He took the towel, dried his hair, and then hung the towel around his shoulders.
He placed his hand on his T-shirt to see its drying progress. He figured that it would be a while until his clothes dried, so he grabbed some nearby sticks and fed them into the fire.
During this time, Elizabeth continued observing him through her half opened eyelids. She watched the movement of his lean arms as he raked his fingers through his unruly hair and then tossed another stick into the crackling flames.
“Who knew Doctor Elizabeth Weir was a peeping Tom?” John said lighting one end of stick with the fire.
Elizabeth closed her eyes and blushed. She hoped that if she remained silent and continued to pretend sleeping John would not continue to accuse her of peeping.
“But since you are injured,” he continued. “I forgive you.” He crawled over to where she laid and sat back against the wall. “How are you feeling?” He placed a hand on her forehead.
“Tired, and still dizzy when I move,” she said trying to sit up.
John gave her a hand to help her sit back up. She leaned her head tiredly against the wall and gave John a sidelong glance.
“Aren’t you cold?”
“Not really. I’m just freezing.”
“Here.” She handed him his rolled up jacket. “I’m not using it anymore.”
“No, I think you need it more than me,” he said. Elizabeth gave him a glare that made him immediately change his mind and took the jacket from her hands. “For someone who can barely stand, you’re pretty intimidating.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” she said as John slipped on his jacket.
“As you well should,” he said and reached over for the triangular keystone. He fiddled with the stone in his hands for a while and looked over at Elizabeth, who was also looking at the keystone.
“Elizabeth, you don’t know how happy I am to find you,” he confessed.
“Same here.”
“I mean, no one remembered who you were, or even knew you existed. I even tried to look for evidence of you, but it was like you were wiped away from everything,” he explained. “I almost thought I was going insane.”
“When I was trapped down there, I thought I had gone insane too,” she admitted. “I saw something, an Ancient. She called herself Mneme. She said she was the one responsible for that.” She pointed to the orb that her jacket was draped over.
“Ah, good ol' Lethe, the bane of my existence... Well, more your existence. Since it made you disappear. But you’re here, so you exist. Everything should be fine now.”
“I hope so,” she said and leaned her head against John’s shoulder.
As Elizabeth drifted off to sleep, John hesitantly wrapped his arm around her to keep her warm, and continued keeping watch for the night.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10