Quantum Mirror Series 3

Quantum Mirror Series 3

The gate closed behind them as SG10 walked down the stone steps into the marshy water that flooded the partially sunken streets of the ancient city. The stone buildings were surrounded by a thick green jungle and over grown with moss and vines. Massive trees crept back into the city over the centuries growing over and between the temples.

"Wooooo!" Colt bellowed as he walked out of the event horizon.

"I think it's actually more humid here than on Alpha Base," Ward said as he stepped down into the water. The ground beneath was paved with stone at some point in the distant past, but the water crept in as the city sank.

"This place looks deserted," Ford said. "How long do you think?"

"At least a few hundred years, depending on how fast this jungle grows," Colt answered.

"Spread out and stay alert. This look familiar Natock?" Ford asked.

"No."

The city sprawled in every direction around the gate. At one time a thriving metropolis, but now it lay crumbling and sinking slowly into the water.

"Colt?" Ford asked pointing at the temples.

"These temples look very similar to the ones in Thailand. The jungle even looks the same."

"You think there's a connection?" Jefferson asked.

"Somehow there always is," Colt said as he wadded past a shattered fountain between the buildings. "We should take a look at that temple in the distance. It's the biggest thing around here, so that should make it the most important. There may be some records there."

They walked in silence for fifteen minutes through the knee deep water. Each of them watched carefully as shapes of varying size and color slithered past their legs in the water. The jungle buzzed with insects and small animals that closely resembled birds, flittering through the trees. The life in the jungle became louder and louder as more time passed since the gate opened and closed, disturbing the animals.

When they reached the temple Colt noticed that it sloped slightly to one side. The base sank into the jungle marsh years ago. He wondered if the flooding was the cause or just the result of a natural disaster. Colt sloshed up the steps onto a stone terrace in front of the temple and looked around for inscriptions. He stepped over a massive tree root that was pushing its way between the stone tiles. Everyone else followed him up onto the dry terrace.

Colt carefully approached the main entrance to the temple and looked over the inscriptions around the door way. He folded the computer on his chest down and then opened it. He flipped the screen up in front of him and reached into a pouch on the back of his belt. He took out a small eight inch long light scanner. He plugged it into his computer and swept the scanner over the inscription. The red light from the hand unit created a three dimensional copy of the letters in his computer.

"Anything yet?" Ford asked as he stood beside Colt looking back into the jungle.

"Not yet. I need to scan as much of the text in as possible to get an accurate translation."

"I bet Dr. Jackson could do it in ten minutes," Ward said as he walked along the side of the temple looking up into the jungle canopy.

"I bet he can out-shoot you too," Colt barked. Ford smiled. "I need to add as much details as I can for context before I run the translation programs."

"What shall we do while we wait?" Natock asked.

"Look around for anything that seems important. Stay in radio contact," Ford said.