Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize.
!Warning! this chapter contains spoilers for "Heroes".
I apologize for the past few chapters being boring, but action never happens all the time. But there will be action soon...and some death...just to warn you...now on with the chapter!
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Cassie curled up in front of the fire and opened up her book. Kurt sat across from her, his legs folded under him. He looked up and smiled. "Good evening Cassandra. How are you?"
"I'm good. How about you?" she asked.
"Very well, thank you," he replied. "How is young Sage doing?"
"He's gotten a better grip on his powers in the past two weeks. His powers are equivalent to that of Jean's when she's not the Phoenix," she replied.
"A valuable ally," Kurt murmured.
Several students suddenly stormed into the room and turned on the television, flipping it to a news channel. The X-Men and Professor Xavier were close behind. "Sam, what's going on?" Cassie inquired.
"Just watch," Sam replied, standing behind Kurt.
Sage stood near Cassie as the President appeared on the television. Cassie frowned as she recognized Hammond standing behind him along with several other Generals from different countries. Scott told the students to quiet down and he turned up the volume on the set.
"My fellow Americans and people of the world, I come before you today with the greatest announcement in all of mankind. For the past nine years, a secret government organization, known as Stargate Command, headed by the Air Force has been traveling to thousands of different planets in our galaxy through a device known as the Stargate. It was discovered in 1928 at a dig in Giza, Egypt by Doctor Langford. Nearly seventy years later it was finally activated by Doctor Daniel Jackson. Since then and through the numerous trips through the device, we have found great improvements for our technology as well as new allies against any enemies out in this galaxy. And we have encountered enemies called the Goa'uld. And they have tried to attack and destroy our planet and way of life.
"All of their efforts, however, have been thwarted by the SGC's first line of defense; a team code named SG-1. The team could not be here today, but I think I speak for everyone when I say my thanks to them for saving our butts. Time and again they have proven their valor and honor by willing to sacrifice their lives for people, human and alien alike, they don't even know. But words cannot express their heroism. This evening, all of the major network TV stations will be showing a documentary from two years ago that my predecessor had made for when the SGC program became public knowledge. It will be shown around the world in every language we have. That's all I have to say. Thank you." The President waved away the questions and left the podium.
"We can travel to other worlds? Sweet!" Bobby Drake exclaimed.
"I wonder what other planets are like," Rogue mused.
"Similar to Earth," Cassie replied. Everyone looked at her. "Well…most of them have to be anyways if they're to sustain human life."
"What time is the documentary on?" Jean asked.
"Eight o'clock," Sage answered, looking at the TV Guide.
"Then those who wish to watch it shall come here at seven fifty," Xavier said. "I, for one, am looking forward to it."
He turned his chair and rolled away. The X-Men and some of the students slowly walked away, each talking about the Stargate. Sam sat down on the couch near Cassie when everyone, save for Kurt, had left.
"I wonder what made them decide to tell the public about this Stargate Program," Kurt said after a moment of silence.
Sam shrugged. "It's been kept secret for nine years. I suppose President Hayes thought it was time to come clean…especially with all the close calls they've had," she said, whispering the last part.
"You knew about this program?" Kurt queried.
Sam nodded her head. "I'm the one who found a way to power the Gate and how to dial it." A faint smile touched her lips. "I'm also the leader of SG-1."
Kurt's yellow eyes widened in surprise. "So that is why you have been gone so long and have refused a position on the team for so long."
Sam nodded. "Yeah. I suppose you could call the SGC a galactic version of the X-Men," she said, an amused grin on her face.
Three hours later the lounge was packed with the students, the TV already on the station the documentary was going to be on. Everyone in the mansion was there, including Cassie and Sam though they were at the back of the room. Kurt was perched on top of a small bookshelf while the others had to find comfortable places.
"It's starting!" Scott hollered over the din. Everyone immediately quieted down and turned their attention to the television.
A man with semi-curly, short black hair appeared on the screen in a dark blue suit in front of the flag for the SGC. "People of the world, thank you for tuning in. My name is Emmett Bregman. About two years ago, I was asked by the President to do a documentary on a top secret project known as Stargate Command. During my stay there, I was overwhelmed by the bravery and courage of every man and woman under the then Commanding Officer of the SGC, General George Hammond. Every day they risked their lives going through an alien device to other worlds to ensure the freedom of all mankind, not just those on Earth.
"All the teams at the SGC are of vital importance. They are each priceless in their own way. But the one team that everyone at the SGC looks up to is SG-1. This team consists of the then Colonel O'Neill, Major Carter, Doctor Jackson, and Teal'c. They've risked their lives and, for damn good reasons, have violated orders to protect our planet and the lives of our allies. I was amazed at their selflessness and how they refused to leave anyone, man, woman, child, or otherwise, behind."
Bregman paused for a moment. "This documentary deals with the daily happenings of Stargate Command. Though my crew and I were not permitted to document any ongoing activities, the people interviewed convey emotions they've felt while at the SGC. I wish I could have interviewed everyone there to learn all the thoughts and feelings, but SG-1, 2, 3, and Doctor Fraiser should purvey all that the SGC stands for. I will also warn people, there are some graphic images in this documentary that was provided by Doctor Daniel Jackson of SG-1. Enjoy."
Bregman faded from view and the documentary began with a shot of the Stargate. The first group of people showed on the film were some of the technicians, giving a tour of the Control Room and the Gate Room. Next was Senator Kinsey and several of the students booed at him. Sam and Cassie giggled softly. Janet's interview was next and some of the students, mainly Sage, glanced at Cassie before turning their attention back to the big screen TV.
Finally, the interviews with SG-1 came. Daniel was first and he rambled on about ancient civilizations and how the humans on other planets were taken from Earth thousands of years ago. Next was Teal'c who said very little. After the Jaffa's interview finished, three words appeared on the screen that caused everyone to look at Sam in shock and awe: Major Samantha Carter, SG-1. She reddened and shifted uncomfortably.
Her interview finished shortly and Jack appeared, answering Bregman's questions. Bregman next appeared on the screen, his voice a little thick when he spoke. "The men and women of this command constantly put themselves in harms way. The footage you are now about to see was taped during a real mission by Dr. Jackson. The footage is unedited, but I urge everyone to at least try and watch what you are about to see. It shows what these people are doing on a daily basis and the lengths they go to so they can save one life."
He faded away and a shaky image of a soldier lying on the ground appeared on the screen. He was clearly in pain as he was trying to apologize to his wife for dying. They could hear Daniel and Janet's voice trying to calm him down when a bright yellow-orange blur whizzed by the camera and struck Janet in the stomach.
"What happened? Is she hit?" the airman on the ground demanded.
"I got him Dr. Jackson!" another airman yelled.
"Janet? Janet? MEDIC!" Daniel screamed, dropping the camera and began administering CPR to the fallen doctor. The image slowly began to fade.
Sam turned to Cassie and noticed tears sliding down her face. "You okay?" she asked softly, resting her arm around her friend.
"She never told me how close she was to death," Cassie whispered softly. Sam hugged the young woman and gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.
Bregman reappeared on the screen. "Due to the heroic efforts of Major Doctor Janet Fraiser, and the quick action by Dr. Jackson, no one lost their lives that day. Unfortunately, lives are lost in this command." Images of fallen soldiers began to appear on the screen. "These men and women sacrificed their lives so that we can live in ignorant bliss as to what's going on out in the galaxy. I hope for those people who are watching that they realize how trivial the problems on our planet seem and set aside their differences. Thank you for watching." The images turned into the flag for the SGC before the credits began rolling.
Everyone turned to Sam, the shock still in their eyes. "Y…you're part of the SGC?" Jubilee sputtered in shock.
Sam nodded. "I'm now the team leader of SG-1." Their eyes bugged out even more. Sam shifted a little. "It's not that big of a deal," she muttered.
"But…don't they care that you're a mutant?" a young boy around thirteen asked.
Sam smiled. "With the things we've seen and had done to us, they probably wouldn't care."
"Things like what?" Rogue asked.
"Lots of things," Sam replied. "Daniel's died a few times, we've all been brainwashed, General O'Neill was almost turned into a Goa'uld and had the Ancient knowledge downloaded into his head, the guys have switched bodies…" she trailed off.
"What about you?" Alex asked.
"Well, I've died once, became a host to a Tok'ra symbiote who died saving my life, been trapped with the others in a prison and in a virtual reality, the team was turned into androids, sent back in time, met myself from an alternate reality, stopped an alien incursion at the SGC, blew up a few ships, blew up a star once too, met an Ascended being, had an alien computer program downloaded in my head, been hunted by a Goa'uld warrior known as a Kull, been in a space race, hallucinated on a space ship, and I was kidnapped by a dying man who had obtained a Goa'uld and wanted to use it to heal himself and then removed after and thought I held the key to that."
"And yer still sane?" Logan asked, looking at her with new respect.
Sam shrugged. "You get use to it."
"You blew up a sun?" Beast asked, clearly intrigued.
Sam nodded. "We were on the Tok'ra home world at the time and there was a fleet of Goa'uld motherships on the way. We had a mothership of our own at the time so we used that to fly the Stargate to the sun, dialed a Gate that was being sucked into a black hole, and threw it into the sun. Enough of the sun's elements were sucked through the Gate before it was destroyed that it unbalanced the sun and turned it into a supernova," she explained.
"Fascinating," Beast murmured, going over what Sam had just said in his mind. "A most ingenious solution."
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