Whispers/Transcript

Episode Guide
SGA 5.07 "Whispers" Episode Guide

Transcript
TEASER

EXT&mdash;PLANET, NIGHT

[Two men move through some woods, one holding a lantern to find the way. The other, Mirellus, is holding a basket of something.]

MAN I told you we should have started back sooner.

MIRELLUS Well if we left when you had said, we'd have been returning home empty handed.

[The man gestures for them to stop.]

MIRELLUS Why are we stopping?

MAN I saw someone&hellip; Hello?

MIRELLUS There's nobody there.

[They walk forward.]

MAN Hello?

[The see someone crouched in the fog, indistinct.]

MAN Are you all right, friend? Are you lost?

[He reaches for the man, whose head twitches. They both back away and turn to run. Mirellus gets away, but his friend does not follow, and is lost in the fog. Mirellus turns away and comes face-to-face with a man in a gas mask.]

ONE YEAR LATER

INT&mdash;LAB ON PLANET

[The all-woman team of Porter, Vega, Mehra, and Teldy explore a dark, wet corridor.]

PORTER The signal's getting stronger.

[Vega tosses a glow-stick on the ground to mark their path, then sees that it has landed beside a gas mask.]

VEGA Hey, what's this?

[She picks it up.]

MEHRA It's really creepy is what it is.

TELDY (from down the corridor) We found something.

[Vega and Mehra join the others further down the tunnel. They see something.]

TELDY I think we'd better contact Atlantis.

EXT&mdash;ATLANTIS, DAY

INT&mdash;BECKETT'S QUARTERS

[Beckett is packing a bag of clothing.]

MCKAY I can't believe you're leaving. I mean, you know, you're sick, we cure you, you go away for six months to recover, you finally come back and now, what, you're here a week, you're leaving again?

BECKETT I'm sorry, Rodney, but for the time being I realize that my place isn't here.

MCKAY What? Of course it is. What are you, kidding me?

BECKETT As a doctor, I can't just sit by and do nothing while people in this galaxy are suffering &mdash; especially when I know I've had a hand in what's happened to them.

MCKAY C'mon, you cannot blame yourself, all right? Look, Michael forced you to help him. He was the one disseminating the drug.

BECKETT Aye, and I'm the one that helped the Hoffans perfect it.

[Sheppard arrives.]

BECKETT Colonel. Just in time to give us a hand.

SHEPPARD Actually, Doc, you're gonna have to delay your travel plans. Just got word from Major Teldy. They've found another one of Michael's labs.

END TEASER

OPENING CREDITS

EXT&mdash;PLANET, DAY

[Sheppard and Beckett walk through a heavily wooded forest with no clear paths.]

BECKETT I wish you'd told me we'd be doing so much walking.

SHEPPARD Did I forget to mention that?

BECKETT Aye, you did. You also forgot to mention the fact that we'd be rappelling down the side of a mountain! My legs are seizing up.

SHEPPARD Well, that's what happens when you do nothing for six months of R & R.

BECKETT Not to mention two months in a stasis pod, thank you!

SHEPPARD Two months?! Try eight hundred years! That'll give you rubber legs.

TELDY Colonel!

[Teldy and her team meet them coming the other way. Sheppard seems surprised by the team's make-up. He and Teldy salute each other.]

SHEPPARD (introducing Beckett) Major Teldy, Doctor Beckett. Doctor Beckett, Major.

TELDY This is Sergeant Mehra, Doctor Porter, and of course you've already met Captain Vega.

SHEPPARD I didn't realize you, uh&hellip;

TELDY That my team was a bunch of girls, sir?

SHEPPARD That's not what I was gonna say.

BECKETT No!

SHEPPARD But, you know, now that you mention it &hellip;

TELDY Well, I was told to pick the best and the brightest. Funny how that worked out.

SHEPPARD Yeah. Funny.

TELDY Shall we?

[Sheppard nods. He and Beckett are awkward.]

BECKETT Aye. Yes.

[The team turns around back the way they had come. Beckett and Sheppard fist-bump each other.]

INT&mdash;CATACOMBS NEAR LAB

[They all enter the corridor leading to Michael's lab.]

PORTER We were passing through the area when we picked up a low level energy signature. We were able to triangulate and get a lock on the signal and then follow it down into these catacombs. It's a bit of a walk.

INT&mdash;MICHAEL'S LAB

[They arrive sometime later. The room has Wraith-type computer terminals and stasis pods. Everything is in a state of disrepair.]

PORTER The signal finally led us to this.

BECKETT Stasis pods. I spent some time in a number of Michael's labs when I was his prisoner, but this is one I'm not familiar with.

TELDY Well, looks like the cleaning crew hasn't been around in a while.

[Mehra taps on the door of a chamber.]

SHEPPARD Hey, Sarge!

MEHRA Sorry, Colonel.

SHEPPARD And can we hold off touching stuff here? Last thing I need is another three tons of rubble falling on my head, all right?

PORTER It's all right. I've disabled the security protocols.

SHEPPARD You can do that?

PORTER Oh, yeah.

SHEPPARD Why the hell didn't McKay think of that?

PORTER There was no way for him to have known. But thanks to the information that he gathered from that experience, I'm able to bypass the security protocols this time.

SHEPPARD Well, what've you got?

BECKETT Well, data related to Michael's experiments in this lab. This could prove to be very valuable.

PORTER Going through all of this information may take a while, though.

BECKETT Oh, aye.

VEGA Maybe we should go check out the village.

SHEPPARD What village?

TELDY We spotted it this morning. It's just a few clicks south of here.

VEGA The locals might have some information.

SHEPPARD I guess that beats sittin' around here watching these guys read. (to Mehra) Sergeant, you're with them. Make sure they don't geek out too much, all right?

[Sheppard, Teldy, and Vega leave, leaving Mehra to watch Beckett and Porter. Beckett and Porter look at a computer terminal.]

BECKETT Nice work, Doctor.

PORTER Thank you.

BECKETT Very nice.

[He looks at Mehra, who turns away as if put off by the flirtation going on.]

EXT&mdash;FOREST ON PLANET, DAY

[Sheppard, Teldy, and Vega head toward the village.]

VEGA You know what I'd love right about now?

SHEPPARD Let me guess&hellip; a beer.

VEGA A puddle pumper.

SHEPPARD Well, that could've been arranged had I known we'd be walking for so long.

TELDY Yeah, well, the area's too heavily forested. There's nowhere to land. Besides, this is good exercise. Firms up your glutes and calves.

SHEPPARD Oh, great. Couple more hours of this and I can skip my cardio funk workout.

INT&mdash;MICHAEL'S LAB

[Mehra takes a bit from a power bar while Beckett and Porter work at the computer. Mehra idly taps on a chamber door, the silhouette of a human-shaped being visible behind it.]

MEHRA They alive?

BECKETT They're in stasis. Their physical and chemical processes have been suspended but, yes, they're alive.

MEHRA So, can you wake 'em up?

BECKETT Well, without the proper understanding of their respective conditions, I'm afraid that might kill them.

MEHRA Hmm. Just gonna keep them on ice until you figure something out, huh? Well, I guess it doesn't matter to them, or their families who've probably written them off. But, boy, that would make for one hell of a reunion, huh?

[Beckett looks uncomfortable, and Porter clears her throat while staring pointedly at Mehra.]

MEHRA I think I'm going to check the perimeter. Holler if you need me.

[She walks out.]

PORTER (to Beckett) I'm sorry.

BECKETT You have no need to apologize, and frankly, neither does she. She's right. Resurrections make for very interesting reunions, especially when the dead man had no idea he was dead to begin with. I'm sorry. How about you, Doctor Porter?

PORTER Oh, Alison.

BECKETT Alison. Any interesting experiences you'd like to share? Encountered any dangerous predators? Been cloned lately?

PORTER No. But in all fairness, I am new to the Pegasus galaxy, and I hear that cloning is more of a second-year thing.

BECKETT Third, actually.

PORTER (smiling) Oh.

BECKETT Oh.

[His laptop, connected to the Wraith terminal, beeps.]

BECKETT Hang on.

PORTER What is it?

BECKETT It appears to be Michael's earliest version of a human-iratus hybrid.

EXT&mdash;VILLAGE, DAY

[The rustic village appears deserted and overgrown. Sheppard, Teldy, and Vega walk slowly through.]

SHEPPARD Hello? Anyone here? All right. Let's split up, take a look around. Maintain radio contact.

VEGA Yes, sir.

[The move off.]

INT&mdash;VILLAGE BUILDING

[Vega enters alone and shines her flashlight around the room.]

INT&mdash;VILLAGE CORRIDOR

[Teldy explores the area.]

EXT&mdash;VILLAGE STREET

[Sheppard comes out of a building.]

SHEPPARD (into radio) Vega, you got anything?

VEGA (over radio) Nothing on this end. Uh, it looks like the locals cleared out a while ago.

SHEPPARD Yeah. The question is why?

[Someone is watching Sheppard as he walks away.]

INT&mdash;MICHAEL'S LAB

[Beckett works on his laptop.]

BECKETT Incredible. According to this, these earliest test subjects weren't technically human-iratus hybrids. They're a combination of several other life forms.

PORTER Maybe that's why he discontinued this line of research. It proved overly ambitious.

BECKETT Well, no. According to this, the experiment was a success.

PORTER So what does that mean?

BECKETT Well, it means there's nothing we could do for them, because these things in here&hellip; aren't people any more.

[While they look into a stasis pod, Mehra comes up behind them.]

MEHRA Hey!

[The startle and turn around, sighing in relief.]

MEHRA Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. Just wanted to let you know it's gonna get dark soon, so are we gonna make this thing an all-nighter or&hellip;?

BECKETT No, Sergeant.

EXT&mdash;VILLAGE, DAY

[Something watches Sheppard walk by a doorway. It follows Sheppard out onto the street, to find Sheppard sitting on some stairs and looking back, his P-90 ready.]

SHEPPARD Hey.

[The "something" is Mirellus. Teldy and Vega approach from behind him.]

VEGA Easy.

MIRELLUS Who are you? Where do you come from?

SHEPPARD Well, we came through that big round thing. We're explorers. Who are you?

MIRELLUS My name is Mirellus.

TELDY Well, Mirellus, why don't you tell us what happened here? Where is everyone?

MIRELLUS Gone.

SHEPPARD Why?

MIRELLUS It began about a year and a half ago. Locals started disappearing. From the surrounding forest at first and then from within the village itself. Day, night &mdash; they vanished without a trace. There was no reason for what was happening. No explanation except one: this village was cursed. And so we abandoned it.

SHEPPARD Then why are you still here?

MIRELLUS I now live in the next village. I spotted you exiting the caves, and I followed you to find out what you were doing here and, if necessary, to warn you.

SHEPPARD (standing and approaching) Well, what can you tell us about those caves?

MIRELLUS They are also rumored to be a dangerous place&hellip; although the fact that you survived the visit would suggest otherwise. What did you find there?

BECKETT (over radio) Colonel Sheppard, do you copy?

SHEPPARD (into radio) Don't tell me you're already done, Beckett.

INT&mdash;MICHAEL'S LAB

BECKETT (into radio) Oh no, far from it. We've downloaded some information into the tablets. We'd like to go over it this evening. Ideally, we'd like to stick around, possibly bed down in the village if there's room for us.

EXT&mdash;VILLAGE, DAY

SHEPPARD (into radio) Ah, well, I think there's a little room here, yeah.

BECKETT (over radio) Great, we'll head your way then.

SHEPPARD (to Mirellus) Sorry about that.

MIRELLUS I wish you luck if you're planning to stay.

SHEPPARD Whoa, whoa. We're not finished with this conversation.

MIRELLUS Night is falling, and this isn't a safe place. I must go.

SHEPPARD All right, suit yourself.

[Mirellus leaves.]

EXT&mdash;FOREST ON PLANET, DAY

[Night is falling. Beckett, Mehra, and Porter head toward the village.]

BECKETT So, Sergeant, I hear you served with Stargate Command before transferring over.

MEHRA Yeah, but Pegasus had more of what I was looking for.

BECKETT And what was that?

MEHRA Bad guys who need killin'.

BECKETT Oh!

MEHRA The Milky Way just hasn't been the same since the Ori got their butts kicked.

BECKETT Well, some would argue that the situation's actually improved&mdash;

[Mehra signals for them to stop.]

BECKETT What is it?

MEHRA Thought I heard something.

BECKETT What?

[She scans the area.]

MEHRA It's probably nothing.

[The move out.]

BECKETT (to Porter, on edge) Geez.

[Something is watching them from the forrest and comes out of cover after they leave.]

EXT&mdash;VILLAGE, NIGHT

INT&mdash;VILLAGE BUILDING

[Everyone has gathered.]

SHEPPARD All right, we're going over to the next village to talk to some locals. You guys need anything, want anything?

PORTER Yeah. If you happen to pass a Starbucks, I'll take a grande triple sugar free vanilla latte.

SHEPPARD No problem! Sarge&hellip;

MEHRA I'm babysitting. Yes, sir.

SHEPPARD Be back in a couple of hours.

[Sheppard, Teldy, and Vega leave.]

INT&mdash;MICHAEL'S LAB

[Something moves through the corridors, stopping in front of a pod. Its door slides open, and green gas escapes, obscuring everything.]

INT&mdash;VILLAGE BUILDING

[Beckett and Porter work on their tablet computers. Mehra sits against the wall, behind them, reading "The Martian Chronicles".]

PORTER (fatigued) Oh! I feel like I'm back in college studying for my mid-terms.

BECKETT I know what you mean. Where was that, then?

PORTER Cal Tech. Go Beavers!

BECKETT Aye! What year did you graduate?

PORTER 1996.

BECKETT Oh! So you're just a youngster!

PORTER Oh! Thank you.

[Mehra laughs at the scene. They turn to look at her.]

MEHRA I just read something funny.

[The turn back from her.]

MEHRA And really obvious.

BECKETT Anyway, what brings you here to the Pegasus galaxy?

PORTER Well, you can just chalk that up to my sense of adventure. A desire to visit strange, unexplored worlds; meet new and interesting people&hellip;

[They laugh flirtatiously.]

MEHRA (annoyed) Okay, I'm gonna go check the perimeter. Be back in twenty&hellip; Unless there's a sock on the doorknob.

[She leaves. Beckett and Porter laugh uncomfortably.]

BECKETT She's a character, that one.

PORTER Yeah.

EXT&mdash;FOREST ON PLANET, NIGHT

[Sheppard and his team walk through woods. It is hard to see.]

TELDY This fog sure rolled in quickly.

SHEPPARD Vega, are you sure we're heading' in the right direction?

VEGA More or less.

[Teldy's flashlight goes out. She taps it.]

TELDY Oh, dammit.

[Sheppard's goes out.]

SHEPPARD Great. Mine too.

TELDY Something in the fog's messing with the lights. Makes you wonder what we're walking through.

VEGA Or breathing.

[Sheppard makes the signal to stop.]

VEGA What's the matter?

SHEPPARD I think I saw something.

TELDY What?

VEGA okay, I definitely saw something that time.

[A figure rushes by. The three stand with their backs to each other, weapons raised.]

EXT&mdash;VILLAGE, NIGHT

[Mehra strolls casually, whistling to herself. The looks over at the village well. She picks up a rock, climbs the steps to the well, and drops it in. She listens for the rock to land. The flashlight on her P-90 fades out. She hits it.]

MEHRA Damn.

[She looks down to see an old doll lying in the leaves that looks like it was fashioned after a zombie. She picks it up.]

MEHRA Creepy!

[She tosses it back to the ground and continues her patrol. Behind her, fog begins to rise from the well.]

EXT&mdash;FOREST ON PLANET, NIGHT

VEGA It's probably just some animal.

TELDY Just some animal that seems to be stalking us. What a relief.

SHEPPARD Quiet! I heard something.

[Mirellus appears out of the fog, surprising them.]

SHEPPARD Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!

TELDY Hey, hey, hey! Easy, Mirellus!

SHEPPARD What's going on?

MIRELLUS Demons!

SHEPPARD What are you talking about?

MIRELLUS They're out there in the mist.

VEGA (sarcastic) Demons, right.

MIRELLUS They're after me! All of us are in danger.

SHEPPARD Take it easy.

VEGA With all due respect, we're not buying any of this, are we?

TELDY Stay sharp, Vega.

[Vega takes a few steps away from them.]

VEGA Well, let's get back to Atlantis before&mdash;

[Something grabs her from behind and pulls her straight back into the fog. The others rush toward her.]

TELDY Vega! Vega!

[They find her lying on the forest floor. Sheppard checks her pulse.]

SHEPPARD Crap.

[Sheppard sees a figure moving in the fog. It approaches, then attacks. Sheppard shoots it, and it screams and falls. He and Teldy see more figures moving. He grab Vega's gun.]

SHEPPARD Fall back!

[Teldy, Sheppard, and Mirellus head away.]

INT&mdash;VILLAGE BUILDING

PORTER I'm really glad that we got this opportunity to work together, Carson.

BECKETT So am I, Alison.

[The hear gunfire outside.]

PORTER What was that?

BECKETT I don't know.

[The rush outside. Beckett activates his radio. Mehra joins them.]

BECKETT (into radio) Colonel, is everything all right? Colonel, do you read? Colonel? (to others) I'm getting nothing on the radio.

MEHRA Get back inside. I'll check it out.

BECKETT I'm coming with you.

MEHRA Like hell you are!

BECKETT I'm not gonna let you go out there by yourself.

MEHRA (insistent) The colonel told me to take care of you. That is exactly what I'm doing. You two are staying here, as far away from that gunfire as possible. Now, you get back inside, and you lock that door.

BECKETT You can't tell me to&mdash;

MEHRA That is an order.

PORTER Carson, come on.

[Carson concedes. Mehra leaves.]

PORTER Come on.

[They go back inside the building.]

INT&mdash;CATACOMBS NEAR MICHAEL'S LAB

[Sheppard, Mirellus, and Teldy make their way to the lab.]

MIRELLUS I'm sorry. I didn't know.

SHEPPARD What are you talking about?

[The reach the lab.]

TELDY Oh my god. The pods have been opened.

MIRELLUS It was me. I released them.

SHEPPARD Why?

MIRELLUS When you asked about the caves, I knew you'd found something. I came to see for myself.

SHEPPARD Why?

MIRELLUS Because my wife was among the missing. When I saw the bodies sealed in those things, I thought that maybe&hellip; I didn't know. I thought that I could save her.

SHEPPARD Twelve pods. That means there's twelve of those things running around out there.

TELDY Minus the one you took out, that leaves us with eleven.

SHEPPARD (into radio) Beckett? Doctor Porter?

[There is only static.]

TELDY That must be the mist. I mean, it's messing with our flashlights; probably radios too.

SHEPPARD How's your Wraith language skills?

TELDY I'm guessing about as good as yours are.

SHEPPARD All right, we need Beckett and Doctor Porter here.

TELDY Let's go get 'em.

MIRELLUS But the demons are still out there.

SHEPPARD We'll be back for you.

[Sheppard and Teldy head out. After a moment, Mirellus is too uncomfortable to stay behind.]

MIRELLUS Wait!

INT&mdash;VILLAGE BUILDING

[Porter looks out through through the slats boarding the windows.]

PORTER It's getting pretty foggy out there.

BECKETT I shouldn't have let her go out there by herself.

PORTER You were under orders.

BECKETT I should have insisted.

PORTER And she probably would have decked you. You don't know Dusty.

[They hear a faint sound.]

BECKETT What the hell was that?

PORTER Maybe she's back.

[Beckett opens the door.]

BECKETT Sergeant? Sergeant, is that you? Dammit.

[Beckett starts to put on his gear.]

PORTER What are you doing?

BECKETT I'm going out there.

PORTER Dusty told us to stay inside.

BECKETT Look, it's probably nothing, but just in case it's someone, I'd like to surprise them instead of the other way around.

BECKETT Look, Alison, I'll be fine. You just stay put, okay?

[She nods.]

BECKETT All right.

[He goes out into the fog. His flashlight fails.]

BECKETT Sergeant? Sergeant Mehra?

[He sees a creature. It is making strange clicking sounds like they heard earlier.]

BECKETT Dear Lord!

[He steps backward to escape, but snaps a twig. The creature hears and launches itself after him. Beckett runs, trips, then gets back up. He comes to rest against a rock. He looks all around, pointing his gun, panting in fear. He senses something and quiets. A creature is right there, trying to hear or smell him. Its eye sockets are scarred over. It expels some fog. Not hearing Beckett, it slithers away. Beckett's radio screams static in his ear. He grabs it. The creature descends on him again, this time to attack. Mehra shoots it from behind. Mehra grabs Beckett to get him up.]

MEHRA Come on!

BECKETT Geez, Sergeant!

MEHRA Move it, move it! Go!

INT&mdash;VILLAGE BUILDING

[Mehra and Beckett rush in.]

MEHRA What the hell was that?

BECKETT Where's Alison?

MEHRA What were those things?

BECKETT Lower your voice. I think those creatures hunt by sound.

[Sheppard, Teldy, and Mirellus burst in.]

BECKETT Oh, God!

SHEPPARD Judging from that, I guess you already know what's going on.

MEHRA Where's the Captain?

SHEPPARD She's gone.

TELDY Where's Porter?

BECKETT We don't know.

SHEPPARD Oh, that's great All we need now is for the Prom Queen and the kid in the wheelchair to wander off and we're all set.

BECKETT We have to find her. She has no idea what's out there.

SHEPPARD What the hell is out there?

BECKETT Michael's experiments.

TELDY Yeah, I think we figured that one out.

BECKETT It's an early version of the hybrid. It's been genetically altered to incorporate the predatory characteristics of several other creatures.

MEHRA What other creatures?

BECKETT I'm not sure. All I know for certain is that they're blind and they hunt by sound. And that fog out there is not a natural weather phenomenon. I saw one of them exude the mist from the gills on its neck.

TELDY What, like a squid releasing its ink?

BECKETT Except that's a defensive mechanism. These creatures clearly use the fog as a predatory device.

TELDY Which I'm guessing explains the gas masks back at the lab.

BECKETT God knows what the prolonged exposure to this mist could do to us.

SHEPPARD I've got a great idea. Let's not find out.

MIRELLUS We should wait here until dawn; then it will be safe.

BECKETT Those things out there are not nocturnal. Day or night, it doesn't matter.

SHEPPARD Besides, we can't sit around. We've gotta find Porter.

MIRELLUS You can't be serious! You're going out there?

SHEPPARD (to Beckett) Get back to work on that data. Try and figure out a way on how to deal with these things.

BECKETT That might be a problem, Colonel. There's a reason Michael abandoned that research. Even he couldn't control those creatures.

SHEPPARD Great.

EXT&mdash;VILLAGE STREETS, NIGHT

[They walk through the fog using large chemical glow-sticks for light.]

SHEPPARD All right. Sure you're gonna be okay here?

BECKETT As long as we're quiet, we'll be safer in here than you are out there.

[He stakes a glow-stick in the ground.]

SHEPPARD All right. We're going to split up to cover more ground. Back in twenty.

BECKETT Good luck.

[The move off, each patrolling in their own. Sheppard hears the clicking and turns around, but not in time to see the creature. He continues on. Teldy holds her light-stick over the well. A creatures climbs the side of the well and attacks her. She fires her weapon. Nearby Mehra hears the gunfire and rushes to help. Elsewhere, Sheppard descends a staircase and hears stuttered breathing. He comes upon Porter, sitting in a corner in fear.]

SHEPPARD Shh. Whatever you do, be quiet.

[He helps her up and the head off.]

INT&mdash;VILLAGE BUILDING

MIRELLUS This was a mistake.

BECKETT Keep your voice down.

MIRELLUS (loudly) I told him it was too dangerous!

BECKETT Shh! Quiet!

MIRELLUS Instead of coming back here, we should have gone to the next village. We'd be safe there.

BECKETT Shut it!

MIRELLUS Now we could all&mdash;

[Creatures burst through the door and drag Mirellus out. Beckett raises his gun but has no clear target. He rushes to pull a sliding wooden door across the new hole in the wall. Fog starts seeping under the door, and creatures rattle the door.]

EXT&mdash;VILLAGE, NIGHT

[Sheppard and Porter meet up with Mehra after they wave their glow-sticks at each other through the fog.]

MEHRA Ali, you okay?

PORTER Yeah.

SHEPPARD Let's head out.

[They move away together. The see another glow-stick moving nearby.]

MEHRA Colonel. It's Major Teldy. She doesn't see us.

[She moves toward the light only to find the light-stick is embedded in the shoulder of a creature. She shoots it. Sheppard approaches.]

SHEPPARD (to Mehra) Take the six.

[The approach and enter the building where they'd left Beckett, finding Teldy there.]

INT&mdash;VILLAGE BUILDING

SHEPPARD I thought you were dead.

TELDY Yeah, for a while there, so did I.

SHEPPARD What about the others? Think they made it out?

TELDY (bending down to look) Well, I'm guessing at least one of them didn't. I've got blood.

PORTER Carson?

SHEPPARD No way to know.

EXT&mdash;VILLAGE, NIGHT

[Carson makes his way through the fog.]

INT&mdash;VILLAGE BUILDING

TELDY One of those things came crawling right up out of the well. It got me thinking. Those catacombs &mdash; they run for miles in every direction. So I'm guessing that one of them runs right to that well and into the center of town.

MEHRA That would explain how Michael could snag his test subjects without being seen.

SHEPPARD All right, well, we saw twelve of those pods in the lab. I killed one back in the forest, so&hellip;

MEHRA I tagged two &mdash; which, incidentally, puts me in the lead.

TELDY All right, well that brings us down to nine.

SHEPPARD Okay, so now what? Any ideas?

PORTER Well, those creatures possess a heightened auditory system that allows them to hunt blind. We could try exploiting it.

MEHRA How?

PORTER I don't know. Maybe luring them into an ambush.

MEHRA What the hell do you plan on using as bait?

PORTER (inspired, she holds up a laptop) This.

EXT&mdash;VILLAGE, NIGHT

INT&mdash;VILLAGE BUILDING

[Sheppard uses his compass and some bullets to represent the plan on a table.]

SHEPPARD All right, here's how it's gonna work. While you three are taking up high ground positions, Teldy and Porter here, Mehra over here. I'm gonna be on the ground setting charges.

PORTER You're gonna blow the well?

SHEPPARD Yeah, that's the plan.

PORTER Okay, well you'd better use the timer. If the fog is messing with our radios and flashlights, chances are a remote detonator won't work either.

SHEPPARD All right. Once I get to the well, I'll turn on the computer.

PORTER Okay. Well, I programmed it to emit an ultrasonic burst, so that'll draw them right to you. But remember, if it gets near the fog&hellip;

SHEPPARD I'll put it halfway down. That should keep it out of reach and working long enough to attract all nine. You three, just take up positions, sit tight until you hear a signal, then open up on anything that moves.

TELDY And what's the signal?

SHEPPARD That would be the well blowing sky high.

MEHRA And where will you be?

SHEPPARD Well, hopefully as far away as possible.

TELDY What if this goes sideways?

SHEPPARD Don't be so negative, Teldy.

TELDY I'm serious, Colonel.

SHEPPARD You take up positions, you sit tight and wait for the signal. You don't move. You don't make a noise until the well blows.

MEHRA Colonel, what if&mdash;

SHEPPARD I think I've made myself clear, Sarge.

MEHRA Yes, sir.

SHEPPARD Do we all know what we're doing?

TELDY Yes, sir.

MEHRA Sir.

SHEPPARD Let's go.

[The all grab their gear.]

EXT&mdash;VILLAGE NEAR WELL, NIGHT

[Teldy, Porter, and Mehra take up positions on balconies overlooking the well. Sheppard approaches the well and starts to wench up the bucket, cringing because of the nose the rusty mechanism makes. Once the bucket is raised, he gets his gear from his backpack. He activates the laptop and puts it in the bucket, then lowers the bucket as quietly as possible. He steps back and sets the timer on the C-4 block for five minutes. Before he can throw it in the well, a creature attacks him, knocking the C-4 from his hand. The fight each other.]

EXT&mdash;BALCONY ABOVE WELL, NIGHT

[Nearby, Porter and Teldy hear the commotion but can't see anything.]

PORTER What the hell's going on down there?

EXT&mdash;VILLAGE NEAR WELL, NIGHT

[Sheppard fires on the creature, and Beckett joins him to help.]

EXT&mdash;BALCONY ABOVE WELL, NIGHT

TELDY Not yet.

PORTER Dammit!

TELDY Just wait for it.

EXT&mdash;VILLAGE NEAR WELL, NIGHT

[Sheppard stays on his hands and knees, searching the area.]

BECKETT You all right?

SHEPPARD Yeah.

BECKETT Alison?

SHEPPARD She's, uh, she's safe.

BECKETT Thank god. What, did you lose something?

SHEPPARD Uh, my C-4.

[Unseen, the C-4 timer has clicked down to one and a half minutes. More creatures move in.]

BECKETT Colonel, I think it's best that we get moving.

SHEPPARD Yeah, I get you.

[The try to move away, but find themselves surrounded, backed up against the well.]

EXT&mdash;BALCONY ABOVE WELL, NIGHT

PORTER Come on, come on! (seeing movement) I see them.

TELDY If you shoot now, you'll risk hitting the colonel. Just wait for the signal.

[The C-4 explodes. Teldy, Porter, and Mehra fire into the area around the well, killing several creatures.]

PORTER Colonel?

EXT&mdash;VILLAGE NEAR WELL, NIGHT

[The three walk among the dead creatures.]

TELDY Is that all of them?

MEHRA Eight, nine, plus the other three &mdash; that makes twelve.

[A creature rises up. They kill it.]

MEHRA Sorry. That's nine. Plus the three, makes twelve.

TELDY Right.

SHEPPARD (over radio) Major.

INT&mdash;CATACOMBS

TELDY (over radio) Colonel! Where are you?

SHEPPARD (into radio) Down the well, in the catacombs. I got Beckett. Need the three of you to rappel down here and join us.

EXT&mdash;VILLAGE NEAR WELL, NIGHT

TELDY (into radio) On our way.

INT&mdash;CATACOMBS NEAR MICHAEL'S LAB

[The reunited team makes their way through. The glow-sticks they had left earlier are still lit.]

PORTER Oh, I just want to get back to Atlantis and sleep for a week.

BECKETT Aye, I know what you mean. I promise this won't take long.

[Allison seems to hesitate.]

BECKETT Alison, are you okay?

PORTER Uh, yeah. Hey, guys, d'you mind if I just hang back here? I've had enough mad science for one day.

SHEPPARD Yeah, sure.

[Beckett takes on her equipment.]

MEHRA I'll keep her company.

BECKETT We'll be quick.

[Mehra gives Porter a knowing look, and she rolls her eyes.]

INT&mdash;MICHAEL'S LAB

BECKETT I want to make sure I get all the data on these creatures to save a return trip.

INT&mdash;CATACOMBS NEAR MICHAEL'S LAB

[There is a sound.]

PORTER What was that?

MEHRA What?

PORTER I thought I heard something.

MEHRA Relax, okay? There were twelve pods, we counted twelve kills. We got 'em all.

PORTER Yeah.

[Mehra hears something and aims her weapon.]

INT&mdash;MICHAEL'S LAB

[Sheppard notices a door he hadn't seen before. He approaches and pushes a button that opens it.]

TELDY What is it?

[They enter. There are is another row of pods, also open.]

SHEPPARD Oh, crap.

TELDY We didn't get them all.

INT&mdash;CATACOMBS NEAR MICHAEL'S LAB

[Mehra looks carefully at a wall.]

MEHRA It's nothing.

[A creature hangs from the ceiling and screams. They start shooting it.]

INT&mdash;MICHAEL'S LAB

[They hear the gunfire and head off running toward the catacombs.]

INT&mdash;CATACOMBS NEAR MICHAEL'S LAB

[Fog rolls down the corridor toward them.]

SHEPPARD Porter! Mehra! All right. If they overtake our positions, I want you two to fall back. Take the second tunnel up. Go to the surface, dial the Gate.

TELDY Now who's being negative?

[A creature rushes out of the fog. They shoot it and then all the others who follow. They move slowly down the corridor.]

MEHRA (shouting to them) All clear?

SHEPPARD All clear.

INT&mdash;BECKETT'S QUARTERS ON ATLANTIS

[McKay watches as Beckett packs.]

MCKAY Can't believe you're leaving already. You've been here, like, less than two weeks.

BECKETT Well, I've completed my research into Michael's test subjects and passed my findings on to Doctor Lynch and his team, and now it's time to move onto the more important work of saving lives.

[Sheppard enters.]

SHEPPARD Hey, Doc.

BECKETT Maybe I spoke too soon. Another off-world situation requiring my expertise?

SHEPPARD Actually, I just came to see if you needed some help.

BECKETT Oh! Much appreciated.

SHEPPARD Oh, and by the way, how's Porter?

MCKAY Who?

BECKETT She's fine, fine. A couple of weeks of R and R and then she'll be back in the Pegasus galaxy. You know, Colonel, someone like her could be of real benefit to the type of work I'll be doing.

SHEPPARD Yeah, I'll bet.

MCKAY Who's Porter?

BECKETT Something you might want to mention to Mr Woolsey.

SHEPPARD Yeah, consider it done!

[Sheppard picks up one of Beckett's bags and they start to leave.]

BECKETT Thank you!

MCKAY Fine, you know what? I don't even want to know! Don't tell me!

[He changes his mind and starts to follow them.]

MCKAY Okay, come on, tell me!

[The door closes before he can get through it.]

FADE OUT

END CREDITS

Transcribed for Solutions by Michelle, November 2008.

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--Michelle 22:35, 8 November 2008 (PST)