Briefing Room, SGC.
"Welcome back everyone" said General Hammond as he motioned towards the redhead, and then towards a seat at the briefing table. He then looked at Major Carter, Colonel O'Neill and then at Willow once again, "Miss Rosenberg, I assume that my officers have made you feel at home here?"
"Yes, thank you" replied Willow as she took a seat, "and please call me Willow. Miss Rosenberg makes me feel old… umm.. not that I'm saying that anyone here's too old or anything, or that I'm old or… I mean that… I…."
"Breath, Red" said the Colonel as he raised an eyebrow at the redhead.
"Sorry" she replied, "when I get nervous, I kinda babble a bit."
"That's alright, Willow" said Daniel as General Hammond gave a little cough, making the others look back at his as he put his hands on the table before looking at Willow.
"Willow, the reason we're here is that I have just had another chat with the president" said the General as Willow nodded her head. The bald man then looked at the rest of SG-1 before he started talking again, "he feels that if what Willow is saying is true, then she would be a huge asset to this program, and I agree with him."
Willow widened her eyes in surprise when the General told her that they had already conducted a background search her and they felt that she'd be given security clearance to find out what the General and the others really did in the base. There was one part of the redhead that was terrified when the General mentioned the words 'security clearance' and 'what really goes on down here', but there was another part of her that was excited to have the chance of doing something new. Willow didn't know why, but there was a part of her that was thanking her own carelessness in not properly ending the wishing spell. It was a few seconds later that the General handed her a folder which the redhead then opened, only to find several sheets of paper inside. The General then told her that she was looking at a Non-Disclosure Agreement.
"I need you to sign these non-disclosure forms" said the General as Willow looked back up at the man, "they basically state that if you tell anyone about what you see or hear in this facility, you will be arrested and charged with treason against the United States Government. It would be your choice to accept or reject the offer I am planning to give you, but you will not be able to tell anyone about it. Do you understand, young lady?"
"Yes, as long as I have the choice of rejecting or accepting your offer" said Willow nervously.
"Very well" said the General, "but even if you sign it, and you decide not to accept the offer; the NDA is still in effect. You cannot tell anyone what you see or hear."
"I.. I understand" said Willow nodding her head as she picked up the pen that was in the corner of the folder, and then she read the agreement.
Once Willow had read and signed the forms, General Hammond asked Major Carter to take over the briefing. She told Willow about the history of the Stargate, the extent of the Stargate network, the Goa'uld, the Jaffaa, and the Asgard. She decided to leave out the Ancients for now; the Major was afraid that too much information too soon could scare Willow. Once the blonde officer finished explaining everything, the others were just smiling and looking at Willow.
Willow stared back at them with her mouth open like a goldfish; she was stunned. It took a few seconds before she shook her head and leaned forwards.
"Wait a sec, there really are aliens? I mean little green men from Mars?"
"Grey, actually. Roswell grey" interrupted the Colonel as he lifted a finger.
"And they're not from Mars. Their home world is called Orilla and it's in the Othala galaxy", added Daniel.
"Othala Galaxy? How many aliens have you encountered? Are they good, bad? Like in Star Trek?" asked Willow excitedly.
"Well, it's a bit complicated." added Daniel chuckling, "you see, most of the civilizations in our galaxy are made up of humans who were taken from Earth thousands of years ago. The people living in these worlds are really the descendents of these kidnapped souls. So technically they aren't aliens, just their culture and practices are alien to us.. but if you really look closely at how they live, at their cultures.. most of them are modeled on how their ancestors used to live on Earth."
"Wow, this is heavy" breathed Willow.
"Willow Rosenberg, what do weights have to do with our conversation?" asked Teal'c with a confused expression.
"Uh, nothing Murray" said Willow shaking her head it just means that it's a lot of information."
"Indeed., however I should mention that my name is Teal'c" said the dark skinned man as Willow snapped her head at him and grinned when she realized that he may not be from Earth. It was then she noticed the symbol on his forehead, and then things clicked in her head… and her grin only got wider, "Murray is a cover name not of my own choosing. I am a Jaffa and I am fighting with SG1 and the Tau'ri to free my people".
"Wow, I'm sitting next to an alien", said Willow excitedly, "Sorry, not alien. But you're from outer space and that's just so cool. Xander would kill to be here right now"
"I do not feel this Xander should murder someone to meet me", said Teal'c with his eyebrow raised.
"Um… Teal'c… buddy, that's just a figure of speech. No murder happening" explained Jack while he shook his hands.
"Murr… Sorry, I mean Teal'c said something about SG1 and the Tau'ri. What are they?" asked Willow as she turned to the General, and then at Major Carter and the others.
"SG1 is the front line team for Stargate Command made up of me, Major Carter, Daniel and Teal'c here" explained Colonel O'Neill as he motioned towards each member and then looked at the redhead, "we get the hardest assignments. It seems every week we get shot at by some crazy Goa'uld."
"As for the Tau'ri, well, technically speaking, we are the people of the Tau'ri. It means the first world. Earth was from where the Goa'uld took people as slaves and brought them to other worlds. But we can go through more of that later" explained Dr. Jackson.
"Wow," Willow said surprised.
It was then that the General turned to Willow, and asked her something that the redhead thought was not possible, she knew that messages had been sent out to space but there was no response. And now she found out that there's been an organization working in secret that's been sending people to other planets. The redhead brought herself back to Earth when the General asked her how she'd feel about joining the Stargate Program. The young woman just couldn't believe her ears when the General promised her that her magical abilities would be kept above top secret; that her file would only be for the President alone and that not even the vice-president or the joint chiefs will know about her abilities. Willow listened while the General continued by saying that her background check showed them that she's an incredibly intelligent young woman who would be an asset to the program and to the country.
"The Air Force is looking for the best and brightest, Willow" said the General, "if you choose to accept this offer, we would be putting you into the Air force Academy and you will be doing various work here at the SGC during the summer and on breaks. Once you graduate, you will be put into a SG team and sent out on missions through the Stargate. So what do you say?"
"For a chance to visit other worlds and see aliens?" asked Willow excitedly as she looked at the General, and then at Major Carter, Daniel, and Teal'c before looking at the General again, "Oh I would definitely accept."
"Very good" said the General nodding his head, "I'm glad to hear that. In the meantime, I will finish all the paperwork. I will also have Colonel O'Neill make arrangements for you to call your folks and friends. Also, we will make arrangements to bring back anything you require from your home. But remember, you can tell your friends and family anything, except about the existence of the Stargate program, aliens and everything we talked about here. In that understood?"
"Yes sir" said Willow smiling.
The redhead knew that her feeling earlier was right, that her accidental arrival at the SGC because of her wish was a blessing in disguise. These people believed that she was intelligent and resourceful enough to join their ranks, not just because she has magic powers, but because of the person she is.
"Dismissed people" said Hammond
"Hey Willow, we're going for a bite to eat in town. Feel up to joining us?" asked Daniel to the blushing and smiling girl.
"Sure" said Willow. "Please lead the way."
TBC.