Complete
Drama
Spoilers for Heroes - Part 2
Season 7
Disclaimers:
Stargate
Sg-1 and its characters are the property of Stargate (II) Productions,
Showtime/Viacom, The SciFi Channel, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. This
story is written purely for my own entertainment, and that of anyone else who
may happen to read it. No infringement of copyright is intended. It is not
intended and should never be used for commercial purposes.
The original characters,
situations and ideas contained within this work are the property of the author.
Author's Notes:
Be aware, this fic deals with Janet's fate.
Acknowledgements:
Another fine job of betaing from the ever-wonderful Sho.
The Prophet, February 26th 2004
Rarely had any intruder penetrated so deeply into the Cheyenne Mountain facility, but then, rarely had an intruder had so many advantages. She knew the layout, knew the access codes and even knew the people. It was child's play for her to find her way to the main laboratory.
Of course, many people would have said that this intruder was a child.
Cassandra gave the safe a long glance, then tried a number. The lock opened. Cassandra gave a bitter-sweet smile; Sam was always telling her that the problem with security systems was people, yet she still used Cassandra's Earth birthday as the combination for her safe.
Pushing such thoughts aside, Cassandra opened the door and crouched down in front of the safe. She ran her eyes over the racks of devices. Is that it? She thought to herself, touching an ornate bracer. Unlikely. Well what about the hand device then? No; she knew that it was a box.
"Or do I?" she wondered aloud, suddenly uncertain. She honestly could not remember if she had heard the device referred to as a box or not. A Pandora's Box perhaps, but that would not mean anything. It was a metaphor, Daniel had explained; a reference to a myth from the culture of ancient Greece.
At last, Cassandra's eyes settled on a device that was a box and at once she was certain that her search was over. She reached into the safe and took it, lifting the metal cube carefully, almost reverently from its shelf. "Now comes the hard part though," she murmured. "Getting the thing off the base." A slight smile flickered across her lips as she recognised the iconography which decorated another device. "That will do the trick," she realised.
She heard footsteps behind her. She knew that she had to act quickly. She closed the safe, clipped the second device to her belt and switched it on. She felt her skin tingle and the world around her became strange and dim. She cradled the box against her and stood up straight.
"Hello, Cariad."
The soft voice sounded distant, but came clearly, even across the transphase divide. The familiar sound was so unexpected that Cassie almost dropped her precious burden. She gathered her wits, reminded herself that she was invisible, and turned around.
Llew stood in the doorway. To Cassandra's phase-shifted vision, her boyfriend practically glowed; whether that was due to the Asgard nanites which riddled his system or whether all living beings would look like that she could not say. She ached to deactivate Nirrti's camouflage device and throw herself into Llew's arms, but she knew that she only had one shot at this before her nerve failed and she could not let that happen.
She headed for the door, hoping to slip past Llew, but he turned to follow the movement. Cassandra froze and Llew stopped turning.
"Come on, bach," Llew said, kindly. "At least talk to me."
"Let me go, Llew," Cassandra begged.
"If you really believe that you have to go," he promised. "But can I see you first. Please."
Reluctantly, Cassandra switched off the phase-shift device. "Hey," she said, weakly.
Llew smiled, then nodded his head towards the device on her belt. "Is that what I think it is?"
"What do you think it is?"
"A false hope," Llew replied, sadly.
"Then no."
Llew shrugged. "My mistake. So what is it?"
"Daniel called it the Fountain of Life," she told him. "It's a device for bringing the dead back to life."
"Ah. I was right then," Llew said.
"No," Cassandra insisted, trying to push past him.
"Cariad; stop."
"Llew; I have to try. I can't give up this chance, just because it might not work."
"I'm not worried that it might not work," Llew assured her. "I'm not worried about that at all. I doubt whether it would be here at all if it didn't work."
"Then...what?" Cassandra demanded.
"You know," Llew assured her, kindly.
Cassandra began to weep. "I can't, Llew. I can't...can't lose her."
Llew stepped forward and folded Cassandra in his arms.
"I have to get her back," Cassandra sobbed.
"You can't, Cassie. There's no way."
"But you..."
"Was gone for moments when my mind was barely formed."
"The Fountain..."
"Cassie."
"A sarcophagus could..."
"Finish that thought," he whispered.
"A sarcophagus could heal her. If...If they'd had a sarcophagus...they would have used it to save her," Cassie realised.
"Which must mean...?"
"That...That there must be a reason why they didn't use this."
Llew nodded. "I don't know what that reason is," he admitted. "But you know how much Sam and Daniel loved your Mam, Cassie. Don't you think then, that it must have been a good reason."
Cassandra nodded, momentarily too choked by tears to speak. The device fell from her hand; Llew caught the device and gasped in alarm at the touch. Hurriedly he placed the box on the table.
"Are you alright?" Cassandra asked.
"Cold," Llew replied.
Cassandra took Llew's hand and held his palm against the warmth of her cheek.
"It isn't a gentle device," Llew said. "I'm very glad you weren't exposed to it, Cariad. Whatever it does, it changes people."
"So...If I'd used it on my Mom...?"
"I shudder to think."
"Oh, God!" she gasped. "What was I thinking."
"You weren't," Llew replied. "You were feeling. That's what people do at a time like this."
"You always..." Cassandra looked into Llew's grey eyes. "How did you get here?" she asked.
"I flew," he replied.
"But...I mean...I couldn't find you. I called, but you weren't there. Your Mam didn't know where you were. She was beside herself."
"Yeah." Llew grimaced. "I'm so, so sorry about that, Cariad. I was already at Heathrow, trying to get a last-minute cancellation to the States. Once I found a flight to New York I called Mam to make arrangements with General Hammond; she said you'd been trying to reach me but I had no way to call you. I tried from New York; then again from Colorado Springs, but you'd already left."
"How did you know?"
"Don't I always know?" Llew asked. "I should have called you, but I guess...I guess I just forgot you wouldn't feel me coming."
Cassandra shook her head in amazement. "You could sense what I was feeling; all the way from England? That's incredible."
Llew kissed her forehead. "Like you then." He wrapped his arm about her shoulder and gently removed the camouflage device from her belt. "Come on," he suggested. "Major Carter's sorted out something for dinner in the mess hall. Let's get away from all these weapons and these...poisoned devices."
"Yes," Cassandra replied. "Let's get out of here. Dinner sounds good as well." She squeezed his shoulders and smiled sadly. "How do you always manage to be here to say just the right thing, Babes?"
"Well, I have to," he replied. "Otherwise, one of these days you wouldn't be around to save my arse from an alien warlord when I need it."
The two young people walked back to the door, arms around each other. Daniel was waiting in the corridor, but he hung back to give them room.
"So, what now?" Cassandra asked.
"I'm supposed to be going on a dig in Wales next week," Llew replied. "The director's one of Mam and Daniel's old school friends. They could swing us a favour or two, I'm sure; if you'd like."
Cassandra's smile grew warmer. "That sounds beautiful," she replied.