Chapter 3
Internet Café, Washington, DC
August 6, 2010
Seated at a computer station in an internet café, Janet watched with some amazement as her daughter displayed definitely illegal computing skills as Cassie skilfully accessed the Aschen network core that now underlay all computer-networking systems. As she understood, only Aschen personal were able to access the Aschen core and yet Cassie had just breezed right in.
"The medical sub-core has its own code you're not going to be able to access," Janet cautioned.
Cassie snorted and typed in more lines of code. "Mom, the Aschen students suck at keeping their codes secret—I'm in, I'm in. Now what? It's calling for search parameters."
Janet could only suggest that she try medical records.
"I don't think I'm going to find anything specific to me in there," Cassie stated dryly, the search box curser still flashing.
"So maybe this has happened to some other people." Janet reasoned. "Do a general search. Human reproductive statistics."
Taking the suggestion Cassie entered the search parameters and waited for the computer to compile its results. Minutes later she exclaimed, "That's it."
Janet looked at the Aschen text displayed on screen and inquired, "You can read this?"
Cassie shrugged, "It's sort of a requirement nowadays for the really advanced stuff at university." As she read the data more thoroughly a frown began to crease her brow. "Oh, that can't be right. If I'm reading this properly, the worldwide birth rate has dropped ninety-one percent in the last two years."
"What?" Janet barely managed to keep herself from shouting the word.
"That's what it says right here," Cassie tapped the computer screen.
"Yeah, but we would know," Janet insisted.
"Oh God." Frantically Cassie hit keys on the keyboard, exiting from the Aschen core network and logging off their internet session.
"Cassie, what's wrong?"
"Not here Mom," Cassie answered rising from her seat. Making her way to the counter she paid for their time, making sure to use cash. As the two women departed the café Cassie linked her arm through her mother's as they began walking down the sidewalk.
"What happened? Did you get caught?"
Cassie shook her head. "No. I learned that it's happened everywhere the anti-ageing vaccine has gone."
"But that means…" Janet began her voice horrified.
"They're doing it systematically," Cassie grimly concluded.
. . .
After contacting Daniel and Teal'c, who was still present at Daniel's request on Earth and in the city, the four met at an outside bistro. Cassie and her mom informed the two men about what they had discovered and the four held a grim conversation regarding the planetary infertility, media blackout, and realisation about just how dependent Earth was upon the Aschen. Not only the dependency, but how isolated they were from all their former contacts and allies.
None of them knew where the survivors of the Tok'ra were. Earth also did not have the support of the Jaffa for with the end of the war with the Goa'uld in 2003, the Jaffa were a dying people from the loss of their symbiote source.
They did not even control the stargate anymore.
"Now I wish we could take it all back," Daniel said bitterly as he looked at the drink in his hands. "How could we have been so blind? I pride myself on my culture observation skills and yet I was so blind!"
"We cannot retract our choice. The past cannot be changed. Only the future," Teal'c stated.
"But with the Aschen controlling everything," Janet began as she randomly flipped through newspaper articles on her newssheet e-reader, "and our military and every other on Earth a fraction of what they use to be because of the end of the Goa'uld War…"
Cassie's thoughts turned to how the US had begun downsizing its military forces—with other nations following suit—after the war's end in 2003, starting with the discharge of those that were a part of StarGate Command. Shortly after the closing of SGC, her mom had started a civilian doctoral practice in the Springs but had moved to Washington when she had enrolled in medical school at Georgetown University. Daniel had become a professor at the University of Chicago and Teal'c had returned to the Jaffa full time.
"Do they?" Cassie pulled her mother's newssheet e-reader towards her, a curious note in her voice as an article caught her attention. "Do they really control everything?"
"Well yes, the media, transportation which includes the stargate, medicine, agriculture," Daniel began listing the areas where Ashen knowledge or technology had been implemented.
Cassie electronically highlighted a letter to the editor regarding the Throwbacks on her mother's e-reader. She tapped a nail against the term with a raised eyebrow as she showed the screen to the other three at the table. "They may control the technology and think they control the populace, but this proves otherwise."
She watched as Daniel's eyebrows rose upwards as well as he read the highlighted term.
"I am familiar with the social phenomena termed by sociologist to be Traditionalists, although they had acquired the degrading tag of Throwbacks in the media, for those that did not accept the Aschen and eschewed their medicine and technology. I confess I've only given them a cursory examination during their development—figuring they were no more serious than a resistance to a transformed Earth history and change in culture—but if it is more than just a delusional cult…" Daniel leaned forward and took the e-reader from her and gave it a thorough read through
"Remember, it's only the people that have taken the anti-ageing vaccine that are sterile," Cassie reminded them.
"And you believe these people would be fertile?" Teal'c inquired.
Cassie nodded. It was only nine percent of Earth's population but even that meant the planet's still viable breeding populace was double the current total population of the United States.
Moreover, that percentage was more than enough to continue propagation of Earth's people.
"I'll do some research into these Traditionalists," Daniel announced as he tagged and sent the highlighted letter to his email. "Once we know more about them, maybe we'll be able to think up something."
"Perhaps we should also speak with O'Neill." Teal'c finally voiced what had been lurking in the back of all their minds.
Cassie had thought about Jack upon learning about the Aschen's deception, and her mom had said she had similar thoughts while they had waited for the two men. For Jack alone had cautioned and then futilely fought against the alliance. She remembered—even thought she'd been a typical sixteen-year-old more focused on her budding relationship with Dominic—the fighting and the vicious words that had been said the closer the treaty date had come until finally, on the date the alliance was signed, Jack just moved to Minnesota.
But what she and her mom had discovered meant that it had not been Jack that had turned his back, but that they had turned their back on him when he was trying to get them to see more than the Aschen showed them. Cassie saw on their faces that it was a bitter pill for them to swallow: that they had ignored his warnings and alienated him in their desperation to end the war with the Goa'uld.
"Yeah," Cassie said softly. "We can try and find him."
"Then I shall inquire at his cabin," Teal'c informed them as he alone knew of the location of Jack's retreat in Silver Creek, Minnesota.
Cassie wondered as she looked at her mom, Daniel, and Teal'c that even if they did manage to find Jack: would they even get help from him. For really what could they do against the government and the Aschen? What options were there so they could save Earth?
Well, all they could do was ask.