Cassandra's Pre-Entrance
1,000 years in the future.
Or 979 years, to be precise.
A much older Cassie, or Cassandra as she is called now, is standing in what used to be the SGC director’s office, looking at some papers. Every once in awhile she goes to check some figures on a very large and complicated computer looking thing. She moves some figures around and mutters to herself. "Good thing I found that," she snerks quietly.
She moves downstairs, talking to herself and moving around like all those who have spent a great deal of time by themselves tend to do. She approached a mirror that held no reflection, then went to the computer beside it and checked more calculations. She looked at an object on her wrist - a large object that served many purposes, much more useful than the watch of olden days. "Almost ready." She turned a knob on the mirror and took a deep breath -
And the sound of a chevron locking resounded through Cheyenne Mountain. "What the- No one should be coming here! All teams go to the P8X-9E83 now." She heads toward the gate room. "If that’s McBeard coming here to check up on me again I’ll-" She abruptly stops walking. "No. What's the solar forcast today?" She goes to yet another computer, her eyes slowly waking with rememberance. "I remember this. Sam told me.."
Suddenly her eyes widen. "Oh no."
Cassandra runs the rest of the way to the gate room, punching buttons on the object on her wrist. "They can’t see..
Ohh..How many chevrons have passed?"
She reaches the gate room to find Jack, Teal’c, Sam and Daniel already on the entrance ramp. She takes a steadying breath as she sees that the hologram has safely cloaked the gate room and her own figure. She steps forward and smiles. "Hello, Jack."
Jack turns around and stares at her and she can only grin. She wouldn’t have missed this for the world, even if it does put the other trip on a tight schedule. She walks up to the ramp. "Teal’c? Daniel?" She laughs with delight, her eyes getting some of their old twinkle in them. "I hardly recognized you with hair."
The four look at each other completely confused before Jack steps forward. "Do..do we know you?"
Cassandra silently curses the hologram, but realizes that even without it the likelihood of them recognizing her is fairly small. But even so, out of all of them..Sam should know. Even with the hologram. "Sam will recognize me. Come closer."
Sam slowly comes down the ramp, the others behind her. She studies Cassandra closely, and Cassandra worries slightly.. either that she won’t recognize her.. or that she’ll recognize her a little too well. Suddenly Sam’s eyes light up and she smiles wide. “Oh my god.” She hugs Cassie tight. "Cassandra!"
Cassandra laughs and hugs her back. "Dear Sam."
Jack taps Sam on the shoulder. "Excuse me. Who -is- this?"
Sam looks at Jack, still smiling, "Cassandra."
Jack looks back at her somewhat disbelieving, "Cassie’s thirteen years old."
Cassandra smiles. "Not anymore, Jack." She nods and easily recalls what had been rehearsed so many times before. "I’ve been expecting you - my entire life, in fact. You entered the Stargate a few seconds too soon, so the flare threw you far into the future. I’ve come to send you back where you belong."
Daniel interrupted, just as Sam had told her. "How did you know we’d come here?"
"When I was old enough to understand, Sam explained what happened, and that I’d be the one to send you home."
Sam nods, understanding. "Like a self-fulfilling prophecy."
Cassandra nods. "Mm-hmm. As much as I would love to spend more time with you, the timing must be precise. You have to go."
Sam looks slightly lost. "Already? But there’s so much that you-"
Cassandra's gaze is firm but gentle. "You of all people know I can’t." She begins to fiddle with the object on her arm again and a wormhole lights up. As Sam takes out her GDO and types in the activation code, Cassandra speaks up again. "I will tell you this: your journey’s just beginning." The four turn and look at her for a moment before walking up the ramp and back through the wormhole.
Cassandra looks at the deactivated Stargate for a few moments before a beeping from the object on her wrist brings her back to reality. She looks at it, pushes some buttons and some figures flash across the stone in the middle of it. "I’ve got to go. I’m cutting it close.." She moves her fingers around the stone and the hologram on the gateroom disappears to reveal beeping computers, open books, charts, pictures of SGC members and figures. She moves her fingers again and the hologram around herself disappears as well. "That’s better." She nods at the room. "Hopefully I will have no use for you again."
She hurries back to the reflection-less mirror, turns the knob and steps through.
Or 979 years, to be precise.
A much older Cassie, or Cassandra as she is called now, is standing in what used to be the SGC director’s office, looking at some papers. Every once in awhile she goes to check some figures on a very large and complicated computer looking thing. She moves some figures around and mutters to herself. "Good thing I found that," she snerks quietly.
She moves downstairs, talking to herself and moving around like all those who have spent a great deal of time by themselves tend to do. She approached a mirror that held no reflection, then went to the computer beside it and checked more calculations. She looked at an object on her wrist - a large object that served many purposes, much more useful than the watch of olden days. "Almost ready." She turned a knob on the mirror and took a deep breath -
And the sound of a chevron locking resounded through Cheyenne Mountain. "What the- No one should be coming here! All teams go to the P8X-9E83 now." She heads toward the gate room. "If that’s McBeard coming here to check up on me again I’ll-" She abruptly stops walking. "No. What's the solar forcast today?" She goes to yet another computer, her eyes slowly waking with rememberance. "I remember this. Sam told me.."
Suddenly her eyes widen. "Oh no."
Cassandra runs the rest of the way to the gate room, punching buttons on the object on her wrist. "They can’t see..
Ohh..How many chevrons have passed?"
She reaches the gate room to find Jack, Teal’c, Sam and Daniel already on the entrance ramp. She takes a steadying breath as she sees that the hologram has safely cloaked the gate room and her own figure. She steps forward and smiles. "Hello, Jack."
Jack turns around and stares at her and she can only grin. She wouldn’t have missed this for the world, even if it does put the other trip on a tight schedule. She walks up to the ramp. "Teal’c? Daniel?" She laughs with delight, her eyes getting some of their old twinkle in them. "I hardly recognized you with hair."
The four look at each other completely confused before Jack steps forward. "Do..do we know you?"
Cassandra silently curses the hologram, but realizes that even without it the likelihood of them recognizing her is fairly small. But even so, out of all of them..Sam should know. Even with the hologram. "Sam will recognize me. Come closer."
Sam slowly comes down the ramp, the others behind her. She studies Cassandra closely, and Cassandra worries slightly.. either that she won’t recognize her.. or that she’ll recognize her a little too well. Suddenly Sam’s eyes light up and she smiles wide. “Oh my god.” She hugs Cassie tight. "Cassandra!"
Cassandra laughs and hugs her back. "Dear Sam."
Jack taps Sam on the shoulder. "Excuse me. Who -is- this?"
Sam looks at Jack, still smiling, "Cassandra."
Jack looks back at her somewhat disbelieving, "Cassie’s thirteen years old."
Cassandra smiles. "Not anymore, Jack." She nods and easily recalls what had been rehearsed so many times before. "I’ve been expecting you - my entire life, in fact. You entered the Stargate a few seconds too soon, so the flare threw you far into the future. I’ve come to send you back where you belong."
Daniel interrupted, just as Sam had told her. "How did you know we’d come here?"
"When I was old enough to understand, Sam explained what happened, and that I’d be the one to send you home."
Sam nods, understanding. "Like a self-fulfilling prophecy."
Cassandra nods. "Mm-hmm. As much as I would love to spend more time with you, the timing must be precise. You have to go."
Sam looks slightly lost. "Already? But there’s so much that you-"
Cassandra's gaze is firm but gentle. "You of all people know I can’t." She begins to fiddle with the object on her arm again and a wormhole lights up. As Sam takes out her GDO and types in the activation code, Cassandra speaks up again. "I will tell you this: your journey’s just beginning." The four turn and look at her for a moment before walking up the ramp and back through the wormhole.
Cassandra looks at the deactivated Stargate for a few moments before a beeping from the object on her wrist brings her back to reality. She looks at it, pushes some buttons and some figures flash across the stone in the middle of it. "I’ve got to go. I’m cutting it close.." She moves her fingers around the stone and the hologram on the gateroom disappears to reveal beeping computers, open books, charts, pictures of SGC members and figures. She moves her fingers again and the hologram around herself disappears as well. "That’s better." She nods at the room. "Hopefully I will have no use for you again."
She hurries back to the reflection-less mirror, turns the knob and steps through.