Instinct/Transcript

Episode Guide
SGA 2.07 "Instinct" Episode Guide

Transcript
TEASER

EXT&mdash;PLANET, NIGHT

[Sheppard's team walks into a village. There are some lanterns on, but it seems deserted.]

SHEPPARD Another great vacation getaway in the Pegasus galaxy.

TEYLA Where is everyone?

RONON There's smoke from the chimneys. They're inside.

MCKAY Can't say I blame them. There's nothing I hate more than a damp cold.

SHEPPARD Let's check this out.

[He leads them to a building.]

INT&mdash;TAVERN

[The team enters the crowded tavern. Everyone turns to stare at them.]

SHEPPARD Howdy, folks.

BARKEEP Who are you?

SHEPPARD Sheppard. This is Teyla, Ronon, McKay.

BARKEEP You from Ratira?

SHEPPARD No.

BARKEEP From over the mountains, then?

SHEPPARD A little further.

BARKEEP Huh. Then you've come a long way. You'll be in need of food and drink. Sit.

[They come in and sit at a table.]

MCKAY I take it you don't get many strangers around here.

BARKEEP No. Especially not those that travel near dark.

SHEPPARD Why is that?

BARKEEP You really don't know?

GORAN Callum. (to Sheppard) What's your business here?

SHEPPARD No business, really. We're just travelers.

GORAN Then you best keep traveling.

MCKAY Yeah.

SHEPPARD All right, then.

[The team starts to stand up.]

BARKEEP Wait. Goran, you can't send them out there.

GORAN They look like they can take care of themselves. It may not even start tonight.

BARKEEP It's been three months. How much longer do you think it'll wait?

MCKAY Hi. What are you talking about?

GORAN The Daimos.

SHEPPARD Never heard of it.

GORAN It lives in the forest. It'll be feeding soon.

MCKAY And it is, what, some kind of an animal, or&hellip;

GORAN It's a creature. It has the appearance of a man, but it can suck the very life from your bones. Leaves only a dead withered husk behind.

[As he speaks, the team realizes what he is talking about.]

SHEPPARD Sounds familiar.

END TEASER

OPENING CREDITS

INT&mdash;TAVERN

[Goran now sits with the team; the barkeep serves them all drinks.]

SHEPPARD Look, we know you're not used to dealing with strangers, but we may be able to help you with this little problem you're having. We're used to dealing with this kind of thing.

TEYLA We call them the Wraith.

GORAN These are the creatures from the old stories? From the time of the cullings?

MCKAY So you have heard of them.

GORAN Yes, but the histories of them are incomplete. They tell of the great ships that descended from the sky, but there's no description of the Wraith themselves. Although there were a few among us who guessed that Daimos might be one of them.

TEYLA Why?

GORAN Because it, too, came from the sky.

FLASHBACK

EXT&mdash;VILLAGE, DAY

[Goran describes what happened as scenes from the time are shown.]

GORAN (voiceover) It was about ten years ago. A bright light appeared above the village&hellip;

[Goran and others watch a light streak across the sky and into the ground over the horizon.]

GORAN (voiceover) &hellip;crashed into the hills. We didn't know what it was, but people were terrified.

YOUNGER GORAN Hurry, get in the house.

VILLAGER Come on!

EXT&mdash;FOREST, DAY

[The villagers hunt for the downed ship.]

GORAN (voiceover) I went with some of the other men to investigate.

MAN Over here!

GORAN (voiceover) We found the wreckage, a few wounded survivors.

[Wounded Wraith lie on the ground amidst the wreckage.]

GORAN (voiceover) We didn't know what they were. We decided to take no chances.

[The villagers kill the Wraith with primitive wooden weapons and axes.]

EXT&mdash;FOREST, NIGHT

[The villagers burn the Wraith bodies in a large bonfire.]

GORAN (voiceover) We slaughtered them, burned the bodies.

END FLASHBACK

INT&mdash;TAVERN

RONON Wise decision.

GORAN Unfortunately we didn't get them all and although none of us saw it, evidently one of them survived.

FLASHBACK

INT&mdash;VILLAGE, NIGHT

[The villagers come back. A woman screams at what she sees &mdash; a desiccated body.]

GORAN (voiceover) It took its first victim that very night. We tried to hunt it down, but we couldn't find it.

END FLASHBACK

INT&mdash;TAVERN

GORAN It's been out there ever since. It feeds three, four times a year. Takes two or three people each time. Two years after the crash, it took my own son.

RONON That's it? One Wraith, in the forest?

GORAN Yes.

[Ronon loads his weapon and starts to stand.]

RONON I'll be done by morning.

SHEPPARD Whoa, whoa, whoa. We'll all go together, in the daylight.

BARKEEP You're really going to help us?

SHEPPARD Well, like the man said, it's just one Wraith. It'd be downright unneighborly if we didn't.

BARKEEP In that case, drinks are on me.

[Ronon sits back down.]

MCKAY Uh, well, let's not forget the food.

EXT&mdash;VILLAGE, DAY

[McKay works on an instrument as villagers walk by. He notices a boy watching him and becomes annoyed.]

MCKAY What?

BOY (approaching) Is it true? You're going to hunt the Daimos?

MCKAY It looks that way.

BOY I heard it has two heads, and it can turn you to stone just by looking at you.

MCKAY Well, you heard wrong.

BOY My uncle says it'll come and take me if I don't do my chores.

MCKAY He said that, huh? Well, then, if we get rid of it, you've got nothing to worry about, you'll never have to do chores ever again.

BOY Really?

MCKAY Yes. Look, go away.

[The boy walks away. McKay looks up to see Sheppard, Teyla and Ronon looking at him with chastisement.]

MCKAY What?

[Goran joins them.] GORAN As far as we know, no one was taken last night, but it will strike, and soon.

RONON (loading his gun) We'll kill it before that happens.

SHEPPARD You must be great at parties.

EXT&mdash;FOREST, DAY

[They search through the forest, Ronon leading the way.]

MCKAY We're talking about a hundred square miles of forest here.

SHEPPARD Be patient. Ronon's been going up against the Wraith one on one for the last seven years. If anyone can track this thing, it's him.

MCKAY And exactly how is he going to do that, huh?

RONON (from a distance) It helps to have good hearing.

MCKAY Right.

[Sheppard slaps McKay on the back of the head as he walks past.]

MCKAY Carry on.

[Later, Sheppard and Teyla walk together.]

SHEPPARD What about you? You sensing anything?

TEYLA I'm not sure.

SHEPPARD What do you mean?

TEYLA There is a presence here&hellip;but it is different. I cannot quite explain it.

[Ronon holds up his hand, then gestures for them to look ahead.]

RONON It's in there.

[The see a flash of the Wraith running behind a tree. Ronon runs toward it.]

SHEPPARD Ronon! Damn it.

[They all follow, chasing the Wraith through the forest. Ronon arrives outside a cave; the others arrive in a moment.]

RONON It's in there.

SHEPPARD Was it Wraith?

RONON Yeah.

MCKAY You see it?

RONON No.

MCKAY Well, how do you know?

TEYLA Ronon is correct. I can definitely sense it now.

[They turn on their gun flashlights and go inside.]

INT&mdash;CAVE

[They make their way into the cave. In their flashlights they glimpse a young, female Wraith.]

TEYLA A female.

[She runs, and the team chases her. She runs into a laboratory built into the cave, with crossed beams and plants in the ceiling. An older man is there.]

INT&mdash;LABORATORY IN CAVE

ZADDIK Ellia?

[He hugs her protectively. The team runs in and raises their guns at them.]

SHEPPARD Get out of the way.

ZADDIK No, please. Don't shoot. She's not what you think&hellip; She's my daughter.

[Sheppard and the others stare in shock and disgust.]

ZADDIK She means you no harm.

RONON She's a Wraith.

ZADDIK Maybe so, but she's different. I swear to you.

SHEPPARD Let me guess&mdash;Wraith with a heart of gold?

ZADDIK She doesn't feed. She's never taken a human life.

TEYLA How is that possible?

ZADDIK Please, lower your weapons, and I'll explain it to you.

[Sheppard does so, and the others follow.]

ZADDIK It's all right.

ELLIA Father&hellip;

ZADDIK No, I won't let them hurt you. (to the team) I raised her as my own.

TEYLA You live here, together?

ZADDIK This was part of a mine before the last culling. It's not much to look at, I know, but we don't have much choice. The people of the village would not understand.

SHEPPARD Gee, I wonder why.

TEYLA The villagers told us there was a Wraith in the forest. It came here in a crashed ship ten years ago.

ZADDIK Ten years ago? Ellia was just a child. Do you really think that she could be responsible for the deaths that happened immediately after the crash?

MCKAY So you know about that, then?

ZADDIK I was there. I helped kill the survivors.

FLASHBACK

EXT&mdash;FOREST, DAY

[We see Zaddik's point of view as he finds young Ellia on the ground.]

ZADDIK (voiceover) But when I found a young female lying unconscious some distance from the crash&hellip;I couldn't bring myself to hurt her. I brought her here to this cave to hide her from the others. To this day, the people of the village don't know, and you must promise not to tell them. She's not responsible for what's been happening.

END FLASHBACK

INT&mdash;LABORATORY IN CAVE

RONON Then who is?

ZADDIK I believe another Wraith survived the crash. An adult. That's who you should be looking for.

TEYLA If she does not feed, how does she live?

ZADDIK At first I fed her as you would any child and that seemed to suffice. But then something began to change.

[As he speaks, McKay looks around at the lab, which has various old-fashioned chemical components.]

ZADDIK The food no longer gave her any sustenance. There was a hunger growing in her that would not be satisfied. I heard the stories of the other creature, what it did to survive, and I was afraid that was what Ellia would become. And so I&hellip; started to experiment. I have extensive knowledge of the chemical properties of various medicinal plants that grow in this forest. Are you interested in science?

MCKAY I'm not sure that's what I would call this, but yes.

ZADDIK Ellia's hunger was growing stronger every day, and I wasn't sure that I could do anything for her. But eventually&hellip; I came up with this.

[He holds up a flask.]

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS INFIRMARY

[Sheppard briefs Weir and Beckett.]

WEIR A drug that allows the Wraith to survive without feeding?

SHEPPARD That's what he said.

WEIR Is such a thing even possible?

BECKETT We don't know enough about Wraith physiology to say for certain, although, I must admit, it's intriguing that this Dr. Zaddik claims the Wraith survived on normal food for a time.

SHEPPARD Why?

BECKETT Well, if he's telling the truth, it might be the answer to a very puzzling question. Right now, our best guess is that the Wraith evolved from the iratus bug.

SHEPPARD Like the one that attached itself to my neck a year ago?

BECKETT That's right.

SHEPPARD I hate those bugs.

BECKETT Trust me, I know. We've speculated that they evolved into the Wraith when they began to take on the characteristics of the humans they were feeding on. Now, there are many aspects of human physiology that are quite useful&mdash;bipedal motion, opposable thumbs, large brain capacity. But the human digestive system serves no purpose in the adult Wraith. So, why have one at all?

WEIR Because they eat normal food when they're young.

BECKETT Exactly then at some point, they lose the ability to sustain themselves with that food.

SHEPPARD So it's a teenage thing&mdash;pimples, rebellion, life-sucking.

BECKETT Something like that. The question is, what causes it? If it's due to some chemical deficiency, like a diabetic's inability to process sugar, then it's possible it may be addressed with some kind of drug.

WEIR So Zaddik could be telling the truth.

BECKETT I'd like to go to the planet and check into it.

WEIR Is that really necessary? I'm sure we could get a sample, bring it back here for you to analyze.

BECKETT It's not just the drug I'm interested in. This young Wraith could be very important for our research.

SHEPPARD What research?

BECKETT We're working on a retrovirus that would alter Wraith DNA, essentially stripping out the iratus bug elements of their genetic code and leaving only the human aspects behind.

SHEPPARD A drug that turns Wraith into humans?

BECKETT Effectively, yes. But so far, we haven't had much success, partly because we lack the living tissue and blood samples we need to test it.

WEIR (to Sheppard) You think this girl would be willing to provide them?

[Sheppard starts to shrug.]

BECKETT Look, I realize we can't bring her back to Atlantis but I could take the retrovirus and the equipment necessary for the analysis with me to the planet. A few days with a cooperative test subject could be worth months of theoretical research. Elizabeth, I don't have to tell you how important this could be for us.

WEIR (to Sheppard) Is she dangerous?

SHEPPARD She's a Wraith.

SHEPPARD Although&hellip; I have to admit she does seem a little different.

INT&mdash;LABORATORY IN CAVE

[Ellia is grinding leaves with a mortar and pestel.]

ZADDIK Remember, the leaves must be dried and finely ground.

ELLIA Like this?

[He starts to walk around. The liquid in the flask is boiling.]

ZADDIK A little more. Now&hellip;why is distillation an important step?

ELLIA To remove the toxins from the Ferassin root?

ZADDIK Precisely. We wouldn't want the serum to send you into paralytic shock, now, would we?

ELLIA (smiling and rolling her eyes) No, Father.

MCKAY Seriously, have you seen anything like this before?

TEYLA No, I have not. She is unlike any Wraith I've ever encountered.

MCKAY What if it's all an act?

TEYLA If she were a killer, why would he protect her?

MCKAY Well, maybe the act's for his benefit, too.

TEYLA They live here together, Rodney. If she were like other Wraith, he would be her first victim.

SHEPPARD (over radio) Teyla, this is Sheppard.

TEYLA (into radio) Go ahead.

EXT&mdash;FOREST ON PLANET, DAY

[Sheppard, Beckett, and Ronon are walking.]

SHEPPARD (into radio) We just got back with Beckett. Ronon's going to take him up to the cave. I'm going to check in with the villagers.

TEYLA (over radio) What are you going to tell them?

SHEPPARD (into radio) I'm still working on that.

[They stop. Sheppard hands the equipment box he's been carrying to Ronon, then heads away to the village.]

INT&mdash;LABORATORY IN CAVE

[Beckett starts to unload his equipment, starting with a laptop.]

ZADDIK This equipment's remarkable. Where did you get it?

BECKETT Oh, here and there. Let's start by analyzing that drug of yours, shall we?

ZADDIK Oh, yes. Of course.

[Ellia arrives, and Beckett sees her for the first time.]

ELLIA Would you like some tea?

ZADDIK Oh, thank you.

[She hands a cup to McKay, who reluctantly takes it.]

BECKETT Oh, no thank you.

ELLIA (to Ronon) Would you like some?

RONON No.

ELLIA Are you sure? It's very good.

RONON I said no.

[She puts the tray down and brings back a plate of biscuits.]

ELLIA Maybe some biscuits? I baked them myself.

[He slams the plate out of her hand, furious.]

RONON Stay away from me!

[Ellia screams at him in a Wraith voice. Ronon draws his weapon and aims it at her.]

TEYLA (holding up a hand to stop him) Ronon!

[Ellia rushes out of the lab. Zaddik follows.]

INT&mdash;CAVE

[Ellia is sitting on the ground, crying. Zaddik sits beside her.]

ZADDIK It's all right. It's okay.

ELLIA They hate me, don't they, Father?

ZADDIK No. No, no, no. They just don't know you.

INT&mdash;LABORATORY IN CAVE

TEYLA Was that really necessary?

RONON You can dress her up and teach her table manners, but that's not going to change who she is.

SHEPPARD (over radio) Teyla, this is Sheppard. Come in.

TEYLA (into radio) Go ahead, Colonel.

SHEPPARD (over radio) Is Ellia still in the cave?

TEYLA (into radio) Yes.

SHEPPARD (over radio) Has she been there the whole time?

TEYLA (into radio) Yes. Why?

EXT&mdash;VILLAGE, DAY

[Villagers are gathered around a desiccated body.]

SHEPPARD (into radio) They just found another victim. Apparently he's only been missing for a couple of hours, which means she couldn't have done it. It looks like Zaddik might have been telling the truth after all.

[The dead body is wheeled by on a hay cart.]

VILLAGER We must defend ourselves.

FEMALE VILLAGER There they are.

GORAN Colonel Sheppard. Is there any progress with this hunt?

SHEPPARD We're working on it.

GORAN Maybe we could help you.

SHEPPARD That won't be necessary.

BARKEEP We're sick of doing nothing. We're sick of being afraid all the time. That thing is hunting in daylight now. We'll never be safe.

SHEPPARD Just be patient. We'll take care of it.

INT&mdash;LABORATORY IN CAVE

[Sheppard has joined them.]

ZADDIK You see? I told you she wasn't responsible for the killings. The serum makes it unnecessary for her to feed.

SHEPPARD Can you confirm that?

BECKETT Not yet. It'll be a while before I can complete my analysis.

SHEPPARD All right. Well, in the meantime, there's another Wraith out there.

TEYLA I believe Ellia may be able to help us find it.

ZADDIK How?

TEYLA May I speak with her?

ZADDIK All right.

INT&mdash;ELLIA'S BEDROOM IN CAVE

[Ellia is sitting on her bed. Teyla joins her.]

TEYLA May I join you?

[Ellia looks up then away. Teyla enters.]

TEYLA Ellia, we need your help. You can sense the other Wraith.

[Ellia looks away.]

TEYLA It is all right. It is nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, I have the same ability.

ELLIA Really?

TEYLA I sensed you in the forest, when you were watching us. And I knew even then that you were different. Your father has raised you well. He has taught you right from wrong. You are not like the other one.

ZADDIK I don't let him in. I don't like what he shows me.

TEYLA I know but you have to try. Now, we need to find him.

ELLIA You don't understand.

TEYLA I have tried myself, but I can get nothing. Please.

ELLIA All right.

TEYLA Good. Now, concentrate.

[Ellia sees scenes of the forest. She comes back, gasping.]

TEYLA Try again.

[She sees the forest again, and a river bank.]

ELLIA I saw a river.

INT&mdash;LABORATORY IN CAVE

[Teyla enters.]

TEYLA Zaddik? Is there a river nearby?

ZADDIK Yes, just to the east.

SHEPPARD All right, let's go. McKay, stay here and help Beckett.

MCKAY Uh, medical research is not really my thing.

SHEPPARD And hunting Wraith?

MCKAY But, I mean, I can stay&hellip;and help Beckett.

[Sheppard and the others leave.]

MCKAY Never could get into biology. There's just too much information about the human body. One time, I took it as an undergrad, I diagnosed myself with half a dozen separate medical conditions before I had to drop the class.

BECKETT Really.

MCKAY Yeah, believe it or not, back then, I was a bit of a hypochondriac.

BECKETT You know, this does require a certain amount of concentration.

MCKAY (teasing) What, am I bothering you?&hellip; Maybe I'll go get some air.

[McKay leaves.]

EXT&mdash;NEAR RIVER ON PLANET, DAY

[Sheppard, Teyla, and Ronon arrive.]

TEYLA This must be the river she saw in her vision.

SHEPPARD Assuming she's telling the truth. Just because there's another Wraith doesn't necessarily mean you can trust her.

[Ronon finds a print in the sand.]

SHEPPARD What do you got?

RONON Fresh tracks. It's him.

TEYLA Now do you believe?

SHEPPARD I still think there's something more to this than she and Zaddik are telling us.

RONON He's heading upstream, into the hills.

[They move on.]

INT&mdash;LABORATORY IN CAVE

[Beckett continues to test Zaddik's medicine.]

ZADDIK (to Beckett) Let me ask you something. If you can prove to everyone that I'm telling the truth, that Ellia no longer needs to feed, do you think the villagers would accept her?

[Beckett doesn't look hopeful.]

ZADDIK That's what I'm afraid of.

[Ellia is eavesdropping on the conversation.]

ZADDIK No matter how hard we try to convince them, they'll always see her as a monster. I'm getting old, doctor.

BECKETT Oh, you've got lots of time.

ZADDIK Never have as much as we think you have. And when I'm gone, she'll be alone. I&hellip;tried to teach her about love and human companionship. But that's exactly what she'll never have.

[Ellia looks down in sadness at what she hears.]

BECKETT Zaddik, there's something I want to show you. I didn't say anything at first, because I didn't want to get your hopes up.

[He opens a case and takes out a metal vial.]

BECKETT It's a retrovirus&hellip;something I've been working on.

ZADDIK I don't understand.

BECKETT Oh, God. How am I going to explain this? Part of Ellia is human, and part of her comes from a creature we call the iratus bug. It's the part that makes her look the way she does and where her desire to feed comes from. Now, it's possible, by means of this retrovirus, we can strip away those parts, and leave only the human parts behind.

ZADDIK (smiling hopefully) You mean she'd be like you and me?

BECKETT Yes. Now, I must warn you, the retrovirus is still experimental. In fact, it's only been tested on cell cultures in a laboratory, and so far, without much success. I'm hoping that what we can learn from your daughter will help me perfect it.

[McKay rushes in.]

MCKAY We've got a problem.

BECKETT Why didn't you just radio me?

MCKAY Yeah, well, I could've, but&hellip;

[McKay, Beckett, and Zaddik rush out. After they are gone, Ellia comes in and opens Beckett's case, the one with the retrovirus.]

EXT&mdash;FOREST ON PLANET, DAY

[McKay, Beckett, and Zaddik take up a position where they can see a group of villagers walking on a path in the forest.]

VILLAGER This way.

BECKETT Looks like they decided to join the hunt.

ZADDIK If they find Ellia, they'll kill her.

MCKAY (into radio) Sheppard, this is McKay.

EXT&mdash;FOREST ON PLANET, DAY

[Sheppard answers from where they are hunting the Wraith.]

SHEPPARD (into radio) What is it, Rodney?

MCKAY (into radio) The villagers are on the move, and it doesn't look like they're going to a picnic.

SHEPPARD (into radio) Are they heading for the caves?

MCKAY (into radio) Not at the moment, no.

SHEPPARD (into radio) All right. Get back there and sit tight. (to Ronon and Teyla) We're losing time, guys.

INT&mdash;LABORATORY IN CAVE

[Beckett, McKay, and Zaddik return. They look around.]

ZADDIK Ellia? Ellia? She's not here.

[Beckett sees a vial has been moved inside his case.]

BECKETT Good Lord.

MCKAY What?

BECKETT She took the retrovirus.

ZADDIK You said it wasn't ready.

BECKETT It's not, not by a long shot.

ZADDIK What'll it do to her?

BECKETT To be honest, I have no idea.

EXT&mdash;FOREST ON PLANET, DAY

[Sheppard, Ronon, and Teyla continue to search.]

[The conversation switches between the lab and Sheppard's position.]

BECKETT (into radio) Colonel Sheppard, come in.

SHEPPARD (into radio) Go ahead.

BECKETT (into radio) We've got another problem. Ellia's gone, and she's injected herself with the retrovirus.

SHEPPARD (into radio) Why would she do that?

BECKETT (into radio) She must've overheard us talking about it. I told Zaddik it might be the key to making her human.

ZADDIK Please, you've got to find her before the villagers do.

SHEPPARD (into radio) Look, Ronon says we're close. If we lose the trail now, we may never catch the Wraith.

BECKETT (into radio) Rodney and I will find her.

SHEPPARD (into radio) All right, but be careful.

BECKETT (into radio) Understood.

INT&mdash;LABORATORY IN CAVE

ZADDIK I'll come with you.

BECKETT No, I think it's best if you stay here.

MCKAY Look, is there anywhere that she likes to go&mdash;any favorite hiding spots or favorite places?

ZADDIK Yes, she often goes off for hours at a time, up into the hills. I don't like it, but she doesn't listen to me.

BECKETT It's a start.

[McKay and Beckett leave.]

EXT&mdash;FOREST, DAY

[McKay and Beckett search.]

MCKAY You know, I thought it was pretty nuts when Ronon was trying to track a Wraith through this forest.

BECKETT Now that it's just us, do you feel any better?

MCKAY Oh, yeah. Supremely confident.

INT&mdash;LABORATORY IN CAVE

ELLIA Father.

ZADDIK (seeing her) Ellia.

[They embrace.]

ZADDIK Oh&hellip;where did you go?

ELLIA I was hiding. I didn't want the others to know&hellip;

ZADDIK To know what? Ellia, why did you take the retrovirus?

ELLIA Because I don't want to be this way anymore. I hate what I am.

ZADDIK If you heard what Dr. Beckett said, you know the retrovirus isn't ready.

ELLIA I had no choice. When they kill the other Wraith, I won't be able to pretend anymore.

ZADDIK Pretend what?

ELLIA I've wanted to tell you for a long time&hellip; Your serum doesn't work, Father. It never has.

ZADDIK (smiling reassuringly) That's impossible. It's been two years since you&hellip; Since the last time. That wasn't your fault. It was my idea. I needed time to perfect the formula.

ELLIA But it wasn't working. The hunger just&hellip;got worse.

ZADDIK (realizing) What did you do?

ELLIA I'm sorry, Father.

ZADDIK No. No, that was the other one.

ELLIA It was both of us. I sensed him out there. I knew when he was feeding, and I would go out at the same time.

ZADDIK No. No, it can't be.

[Ellia grunts and bends over in pain.]

ZADDIK Ellia?

ELLIA Stay away!

ZADDIK What is it? What's happening?

[She grimaces in pain. Her hand starts to change color to dark purple, like an iratus bug. The color change moves up to her face. She screeches.]

ZADDIK Let me help you.

[She pushes him away.]

ELLIA No!

[She runs out. Zaddik stays behind, terrified.]

EXT&mdash;FOREST, DAY

[Ronon checks a small cave with strings of cloth hanging outside it.]

RONON Sheppard. This is where he's been making camp. He was here less than hour ago.

EXT&mdash;FOREST, DAY

[McKay and Beckett hunt elsewhere.]

MCKAY You hear anything?

BECKETT No.

MCKAY Huh. Me neither.

[A Wraith drops down from a tree right beside Beckett. It hits him and knocks him flying. McKay gets off a couple of shots, then the Wraith knocks the gun out of his hand and him to the ground.]

[Nearby, Sheppard and the others hear the shots and go running in that direction.]

[At McKay's location, the Wraith starts to lean over McKay, but Ellia arrives and tackles the Wraith. They fight for a moment, and Ellia breaks the Wraith's neck. Ellia's skin is much darker and her left hand is claw-like. She advances on McKay with a threatening expression.]

MCKAY Easy, now. You went through the trouble to save my life. It'd be a shame to kill me.

[Beckett shoots Ellia, wounding her in the shoulder. She screeches at him then runs away.]

BECKETT You all right, Rodney?

MCKAY (shakily, grasping at his chest) Yeah, just peachy. What the hell was that?

BECKETT The retrovirus is having the opposite effect than we intended.

MCKAY I guess so.

BECKETT Oh, God.

MCKAY On the&hellip;yeah, but&hellip;

[Beckett pats him reassuringly. He mumbles and puts his hand up under his tee-shirt to feel for a feeding wound.]

[Elsewhere in the forest, Zaddik finds Ellia.]

ZADDIK Ellia? You poor girl. You never deserved this.

[She growls and approaches him.]

ZADDIK I know part of you is still there.

[She snarls and grabs him by the neck.]

ZADDIK Aah! Ellia, please. This isn't you.

[She throws him hard into the hillside. She stands and screeches loudly. Both Atlantis groups hear her and run toward the sound.]

[McKay and Beckett find Zaddik lying on the forest floor.]

MCKAY Zaddik!

BECKETT Are you all right?

[He grunts in pain.]

BECKETT Don't try to move.

ZADDIK It was Ellia&hellip;but it wasn't her fault.

VILLAGER Over here! Here, come on!

[Goran and other villagers arrive.]

MCKAY No, no, no! You people need to go back to the village! It is not safe here.

GORAN Who is that?

ZADDIK Don't you remember me?

GORAN No&hellip;it can't be&hellip; You were taken by the daimos.

ZADDIK No, Father.

MCKAY Father? I don't understand. You're&hellip;you're his son?

GORAN If my son were alive, he'd be 34 years old.

ZADDIK Precisely.

[Sheppard's group has arrived.]

BARKEEP There's another one of those things out there. Look what it did to Zaddik. I say we go after it, now!

SHEPPARD No one's going anywhere. We'll handle this. Stay calm. How is he?

[Beckett stops over to talk to them.]

BECKETT I've given him something for the pain, but his injuries are too severe. He's not going to make it.

GORAN This can't be happening. It's not possible.

ZADDIK I'm sorry. Don't blame Ellia. It was my idea. You&hellip;have to have to understand&hellip;that when I found her, I'd just lost my own wife and son to a fever.

FLASHBACK

[Zaddik finds Ellia after the crash.]

ZADDIK (voiceover) She was just lying there, helpless. When I saw her, I knew what I had to do. As I told you, in the beginning, she survived on food and water like any young girl.

[Zaddik lifts up the Wraith child and carries it away.]

INT&mdash;LABORATORY IN CAVE

[A younger Ellia collapses in pain, the younger Zaddik comforting her.]

ELLIA No. No!

YOUNGER ZADDIK It's all right. Take what you need.

ELLIA I can't.

[He takes her hand and puts it to his chest. She begins to feed off of him.]

YOUNGER ZADDIK Yes, you can.

END FLASHBACK

EXT&mdash;FOREST, DAY

ZADDIK She took what she needed from me to survive&hellip;until I perfected the serum.

FLASHBACK

[Zaddik collapses after Ellia finishes feeding.]

ELLIA Father? Father? I'm so sorry.

[She holds him, sobbing; he is only slightly more aged than he was.]

END FLASHBACK

SHEPPARD She never fed on anyone after that?

ZADDIK (after a hesitation) No.

SHEPPARD All right. Teyla, Ronon, you're with me. The rest of you, stay here.

BECKETT Colonel, the retrovirus is acting quickly. The human part of her is almost gone.

SHEPPARD You said she killed the other Wraith and saved McKay's life.

BECKETT Yes, but I'm not sure she knew what she was doing. She's operating on a purely animal level right now.

TEYLA Is there nothing you can do for her?

BECKETT I might be able to reverse the effects, if you bring her back alive, but I doubt she'll cooperate. She's also stronger and faster than any Wraith I've ever seen.

SHEPPARD (in a high-pitched, sarcastic voice) Great.

GORAN (to Zaddik, upset) All this time&hellip; We thought you were dead.

ZADDIK There was no other way. They never would have accepted us&hellip;And I couldn't abandon her.

GORAN Why?

ZADDIK She&hellip;needed me.

[Goran appears very upset.]

[Elsewhere in the forest, Sheppard and Teyla walk.]

BECKETT (over radio) Colonel, this is Beckett.

SHEPPARD (into radio) Go ahead.

BECKETT (over radio) Zaddik's dead.

SHEPPARD (into radio) Understood.

[Ronon has stopped.]

RONON She knows we're here. She's watching us.

TEYLA (sensing Ellia) Ellia? We want to help you. Dr. Beckett can make you better, but you have to come with us. We will not hurt you.

[Ellia tackles Teyla to the ground. They struggle, an Teyla throws her off. Sheppard and Ronon hear it and come running.]

RONON Die!

[Ronon shoots Ellia, but she runs away. Ronon and Sheppard stop to check Teyla. She is unconscious and has blood on the back of her head.]

RONON She took a blow to the head when it hit her.

SHEPPARD Stay with her.

[Sheppard takes his jacket off for Ronon to use to pillow Teyla's head.]

RONON Sheppard&mdash;

SHEPPARD That's an order.

[Sheppard runs off.]

EXT&mdash;FOREST, DAY

[Sheppard hunts Ellia, but she is watching him.]

[Teyla wakes up.]

RONON Teyla?

TEYLA What happened? Where's Colonel Sheppard?

RONON He went after the creature.

TEYLA You let him go alone?

RONON Well, he wanted me to stay with you.

TEYLA (exasperated) I am fine. Go.

RONON Aren't we supposed to follow his orders?

TEYLA Sometimes we are allowed to make exceptions.

RONON Who decides when it's one of those times?

TEYLA We do.

RONON That's good enough.

[He jumps up and runs off.]

[At Sheppard's position, he turns to see Ellia approaching him along a large downed tree.]

SHEPPARD Ellia? Don't make me do this.

[She screeches at him. He shoots her with the machine gun as she attacks him, but she lands on him and tries to attack. He pulls his knife, but she holds that arm away from her. While she does that, her left-hand claw cuts his right arm. Blood flows from the wound. Ronon arrives and shoots Ellia. Sheppard rolls away. Ronon shoots her again. Then Ronon and Sheppard both fire on her, killing her.]

RONON You okay?

SHEPPARD Yeah. She tried feeding on me.

RONON She wasn't going to let us take her back.

SHEPPARD Yeah. I know.

[Ronon starts to walk back the way he came. Sheppard looks at his arm, which is bloody from three puncture marks. He looks at Ellia again, then turns to follow Ronon.]

FADE OUT

END CREDITS

Transcribed for Stargate Solutions by Michelle, December 2011.

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--Michelle 22:10, 5 December 2011 (PST)