Title: Downfall
Author: Amanda
Rating: Um, whatever PG is now called?
Category: Daniel/Janet, angst
Spoilers: 2010
Thanks to: Vicki and Little Red for beta-ing.
Author�s Notes: I�m pretty sure I futzed with the timeline of the Aschen stuff for this, because they never really mention when the anti-aging vaccine was introduced, just that the birthrate has dropped drastically in the last 2 years. I�m of the opinion that they would have only given it to a few select people to begin with, before giving it to the general population, so let�s all hold that belief, at least for the duration of this fic, okay? I�m going to say that the Aschen would have had the vaccine around the time they arrived, or shortly thereafter, but that the vaccine didn�t go wide until much later. Alrighty then.
Summary: The Aschen were supposed to save us. What went wrong?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Daniel found his wife in the nursery. They lived in a fairly large house with numerous rooms so the nursery didn�t need to grow up with Sophie, as she had moved into a different room when she outgrew her crib. They were keeping the nursery up in case they decided to have more children, something they weren�t entirely sure about yet. If it were to happen, he would be ecstatic, but if it didn�t, that was okay too. However, the nursery was the last place he would have thought to look for Janet, as Sophie hadn�t been in need of the crib for several years now. Unless�. "Janet?"
She looked up from the pillow she had on her lap, startled. "Hi." Her face was red and her makeup was smeared.
"What�s going on?" Daniel moved toward the rocking chair she was sitting on and knelt in front of her. "Something you want to tell me?"
She wiped at the remnants of tears on her cheeks. "You know that child we've been talking about for a while now? If it happens, it happens?"
"Of course. Are you�?"
She cut him off with a harsh "No. And I never will be, thanks to them." Her tears began falling again and he reached up to pull her out of the chair and into his arms.
"What are you talking about, honey?"
"The Aschen�they did this." She tightened her arms around Daniel and rested her forehead against his shoulder, sobbing quietly.
"I�m still not quite sure what you�re talking about here." He pulled back from her and put a hand to her cheek, forcing her to look at him. "Tell me what is going on. Please."
"You know that Sam and Joe have been trying to have a child for a few years now, right?" He nodded, and she continued. "Today, after the ceremony, we hung around for a while and got caught up. She said that she and Joe are still having problems conceiving. I told her I would run a few of my own tests, just to see if the Aschen were missing something." She paused to take a deep breath.
"And?"
"They were certainly missing something. Or rather, they were ignoring something that was obviously there, allowing Sam to think it was still possible for her to become pregnant when it is clearly not."
"What do you mean?"
"Her ovaries are damaged. They told her she was fine and that they just had to �keep trying�."
"They lied to her," he stated.
"Yes. And to the rest of us." She stood and moved in front of the window. Daniel followed and, standing behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist. "They�ve cut the birthrate over 90% and no one had any idea about it until now," she continued.
"What?"
"It�s true. Sam had Mollem give her access to the Aschen computer core. We were only looking for something that would explain why they were lying to Sam. We definitely weren�t expecting to find what we did. But the proof is right in the Aschen computer. They�ve given us the anti-aging vaccine, the anti-cancer vaccine. They�re giving us longer, healthier lives but taking away our ability to reproduce. It even seems like the anti-aging vaccine is the cause of this. The birthrates have dropped everywhere the vaccine has been introduced."
He said nothing for a minute, taking in what she said. "Are you sure�about you?"
"Yes. As soon as Sam and I finished with the Aschen computer, I ran the same tests on me that I ran on Sam. Same results."
Daniel�s mind reeled. How could the Aschen do this? They were supposed to be the saviors of Earth, not the ones to destroy it. They had saved them from the Goa�uld, only to do this a few years down the road? It didn�t make any sense. And yet, a part of him thought about Jack and his warnings about the Aschen that no one had listened to. He had been right all along and now it was too late to do anything.
He held his wife a little longer while she calmed down. He glanced at his watch; they were meant to meet Teal�c and Sam in an hour and a half. "How�s Sam taking all of this?"
"She�s angry, as she has every right to be. She was among the first to be given the vaccine."
Janet herself had only taken the vaccine recently. She�d had misgivings about it in the first place and it was only after being pressured by a few high up Aschen officials that she got it. Daniel had refused to take it as well, supporting his wife in her decision and following her example. Now, knowing what she did, she was glad they both had decided to wait to take it; because they had waited, she and Daniel were able to have Sophie. Their daughter was now 7 years old. If they had taken that vaccine when the Aschen first offered it 9 years ago, Sophie never would have been born.
Daniel shook his head. "I still can�t believe this has happened and no one had a clue. The Aschen were supposed to save us. What went wrong?" He didn�t doubt what Janet was telling him, it was just difficult for his mind to wrap around what she said. How could they have allowed this to happen?
"I don�t know." She leaned against him, covering his hands with hers. "I�m glad we were able to have Sophie. I feel terrible for Sam and Joe; they�ll never get to have children, thanks to the damn Aschen."
"Jack was right all along." They had all been so blinded by what the Aschen could do for them, they�d completely ignored the warnings Jack had given. How stupid they had been.
"We believed the Aschen were perfect. We had no reason not to, Daniel."
"I know, but that doesn�t make this any easier." Janet turned around to face him, keeping within the circle of his arms.
"I know." She leaned up to kiss him. "We should probably go get ready for dinner."
"Yeah. What are we going to do?"
"I don�t know," Janet answered. With one last look back into the nursery, Daniel and Janet made their way to their own bedroom.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
When they got home from the restaurant, they got straight into bed. It wasn�t that late, but they were both exhausted from the long day and brainstorming about how to fix their mistakes.
"What happens once this note is through the gate?" Janet asked once they were settled into bed, her head resting on his chest, an arm thrown possessively across him.
"We will, for all intents and purposes, cease to exist. But, if it makes you feel any better, we will all probably die trying to get through the automated defenses around the �gate. Well, everyone but you, since you�ll be on Chulak."
"If that was supposed to make me feel better, Daniel, you really need to work on your cheering up skills."
He smiled at her. "Sorry. I�m just trying to take this all in. I still can�t believe this is happening, you know?"
She nodded against his chest. "I just wish Sophie and Cassie would be coming home before we do this. I�d like to see them before we all go to our deaths."
"Now who needs a lesson in cheering up?" Pulling her closer to him, he continued, "I think its better that they don�t know what�s going on. Besides, don�t you want them to have their sister bonding time?"
"Does it really matter if we�re really doing this?"
"I suppose not, but if this doesn�t work, and we all die, Cassie will be all that Sophie has left."
"Now that�s a scary thought," Janet said with a laugh.
"I know." There was moment or two of silence, which Daniel broke, asking, "Do you think Jack will help us?"
"I�m not sure. I know how upset he was when we didn�t listen to him. It�s been how long since any of us talked to him? Who knows if he�ll even listen to what Sam has to say?"
"For our sake, I hope he does."
"Me too." She yawned. "Good night, Daniel. I love you."
"Night. I love you, too."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Janet stood at the top of the escalator, waiting for the announcement of her Chulak departure. She saw Jack walk past her, then Daniel arrive. The announcement made, she made her way down to the gate. She looked up and saw Daniel, who was watching her leave.
She knew this was going to work. It had to. They had to take back what had happened. The Aschen could not get away with what they had done. As she approached the ramp, she looked up at Daniel, who waved her goodbye.
The walk up the ramp seemed to take forever and as Janet walked up to the wormhole, her thoughts were of Daniel and her daughters, Cassie and Sophie and the other children she and Daniel would have had if it weren�t for the Aschen. This had to work.
With one last prayer, Janet stepped through the wormhole.