Hide and Seek

"Hide and Seek" is the third episode of the first season of Stargate Atlantis.

Synopsis
A strange entity is accidentally unleashed on the city, and it's want for energy means grave danger for the Atlantis Expedition.

Plot
In the infirmary, Dr. McKay is talking to mice as Dr. Beckett prepares a gene therapy inoculation. Beckett wonders why McKay was eager to volunteer, and McKay simply responds that he's always eager to help. Also, he wants to be able to use Ancient technology just like Major Sheppard. All Beckett can give is a maybe, as this is the first human trial. McKay wonders why they haven't done it before, to which Beckett simply responds that it's legal in the Pegasus Galaxy. Before McKay can make any more objections, Beckett inoculates him with the ATA gene therapy.

Meanwhile, Grodin and Weir are discussing various city maintenance topics. The water from the ocean is automatically being desalinized, so there will be no fresh water shortages. Grodin also informs that most Ancient technology only requires activation, while only some of it requires the gene to work. Weir also wants some areas designated for recreation, and wants to get rid of the 10,000 year old plants. They are also working to assign crew quarters to everyone.

As they enter the control room, the first thing Weir sees is Major Sheppard pushing Dr. McKay off of a Balcony. Concerned, she rushes to the edge, and sees an uninjured McKay stand up. He is happy to say that Beckett's gene therapy worked, and he has the ATA gene. He was also able to activate a small personal shield, which stood up to the balcony fall, a shot in the leg, and a punch from Grodin. However, a small problem arrises when he can't get to the emitter to take it off.

Back in the infirmary, Beckett and Grodin are celebrating the success of the first ATA Gene Therapy test, much to the annoyance of Dr. McKay. But when McKay mentions a toast, Grodin suddenly wonders if McKay has tried to eat or drink anything since he put the shield on. Immediately worried, he tries to drink a glass of coffee, but he cannot. He complains about dying that day, but Beckett says that he can survive about three days without water. McKay tries to deactivate the device with his mind, but is unsuccessful.

In the confrence room, Sheppard is discussing security around Atlantis. Although Teyla offers the Athosians' help, Weir politely refuses, on the grounds that they need to be trained in Tau'ri weapons and tactics. Also, they fear searching the city too ruthlessly, an idea which McKay supports, stating that the smallest thing they find could kill them (a reference to his own future demise via dehydration).

Concerned for McKay's life, Weir goes to Beckett to ask if there is anything he can do. She also is having Grodin's team look through the tech manuals that came with the device. Beckett thinks it may be a result of giving the gene artificially, but Weir has another theory. On the basis that Ancient technology is controlled by a mental component, she thinks that subconciously, McKay might be afraid and unwilling to take the device off, and would naturally take it off when it came to the point of severe dehydration. She reminds Beckett that there are other fail-safes in Ancient Technology, and doubts that they would build a device that could kill the user. Meanwhile, Grodin has just finished installing a new self-destruct system, which requires two security codes to activate. Everyone will be issued a unique, personal code, which they will have to memorize. The system is in place as a last measure of defense against the Wraith. Lt. Ford is worried that it won't do enough damage, but McKay assures him that it will, regarding it would be equivalent to a 20 kiloton nuclear explosion. Sheppard wants to let Teyla in on what they're doing, but Weir is still hesitant about the loyalty of the Athosians.

That night, Sheppard is recounting a scary story for the Athosian children, but they get distracted when he mentions a hockey mask. Soon, they become more interested in Hockey than the story Sheppard was originally telling them. However, not liking hockey himself, he tries to get the children interested in football, but it gets time for bed. After the children all head back to their rooms, Sheppard warns Teyla not to let McKay in on his opinion of hockey. But Teyla wants to hear more about football, to which Sheppard says he can do better than talk.

In his room, Jinto asks his father about how safe they are in Atlantis. His father only says that nothing except their love is certain. He also asks about the wind, and the ghosts of the Ancestors (Ancients), but his father asks him to go to sleep.

In the conference room, Sheppard, McKay, Teyla and Ford are watching a videotape recording of a football game that Sheppard brought along. Teyla is a bit confused about the outcome and exact nuances of the game. At that time, Weir comes in, wondering why she wasn't invited. However, the more pressing question is why Sheppard brought along a tape of football as his one personal item, to which he responds that the Atlantis Expedition is the biggest Hail Mary of all time, and that the game is metaphorical. Teyla then asks what a Hail Mary is, but Sheppard is unable to accurately respond, so he side-tracks to Ferris Wheels.

Meanwhile, Jinto, who cannot sleep, sneaks out and gets his friend. They want to play a game of Wraith Hide and Seek, Jinto Seeking. After some attempts to find Wex, he starts to look in a closet with Boxes from Earth. However, Jinto disappears, and Wex can't find him. Wex tells Halling.

Halling goes to Major Sheppard's quarters, and delivers the news. Even though Jinto knows not to touch anything, Sheppard starts a city-wide search, and Wex is afraid of monsters. In teams of two, they start searching the city, but suddenly power starts to fluctuate. They can't use sensors, because the sensors won't indicate seperate people, but they do pick up a strange energy reading. Dr. Weir tries to contact him with the internal communication system, but suddenly, the Stargate dials itself, and McKay is starting to seriously consider the possibility of ghosts.

Teyla, though, may have a lead. One of the Athosians, Marta, saw what she claims to be a Wraith illusion. Teyla, however, can't sense any Wraith, but Weir still puts everyone on the alert. All the searching stops, and at the same time, more Athosians report this shadow. Halling also offers a prayer to the Ancient Spirits, asking forgiveness if they have angered them. At the same time, McKay's condition worsens, and he faints from hunger. As Sheppard leaves the infirmary, another power loss happens, but this time, he sees the same shadow the Athosians saw. As soon as it passes, the lights come back on, but the shadow also passed Grodin, and went to feed on one of the Naquadah generators. Sheppard and Grodin both report this to Weir and her first idea is to turn off all of their generators. However, if they did that, this being would go and feed off of the people of the city, so they have to leave the generators on.

As Weir makes a city-wide call, Jinto suddenly comes on the com line, scared, but safe. Jinto starts to retrace his steps through the city, and they find the room that had boxes, however, the boxes are not there. Sheppard pushes a button on the panel, and they are transported to another part of the city, where they find Jinto. They can also explain the malfunctions as faulty operation of the main systems by Jinto.

Back in the gate room, Grodin has figured out a way to track the entity. He has it going in circles by turning on and off the power generators, but Weir fears that they might be angering the creature. However, the entity crosses Ford and Stackhouse. Though Ford can open a door, he cannot make it in in time, and get's scorched by the entity.

In the infirmary, Ford is recovering from his wounds, and Beckett asks about this posing any real danger. Ford's companion is feeling guilty, but Sheppard reassures him there was nothing he could have done.

Back in the lab, McKay found the source of the energy creature, or more accurately, a sentient. They captured it in a Subspace containment device, which Jinto accidentally opened. However, the entity gets exponentially dangerous, so they have to find a way to recapture it in the device. A few moments later, McKay finds a way to use the device, and at the same time, the shield deactivates.

Back amongst the Athosians, the children, and some of the adults, are fearing sleep because of the creature. However, Teyla comes up with the story that the darkness fears fire, and the Athosians light candles for protection. For good luck, Weir does the same, and they prepare themselves to capture the entity. However, the attempt fails, as the creature seemed to recognize the trap, and avoided going into it again. Teyla has a new idea, though. She thinks that maybe the creature wants to leave, and that they should let it go through the stargate. Despite objections from McKay, they put the plan into action. A naquadah generator is powered up to be used as bait, and they open the Stargate to M4X-337. However, before they get the generator though, the probe's battery dies, and the creature starts to feed on the Stargate energy. As a last resort, McKay puts on the shield device, and goes into the entity. From there, he throws the naquadah generator through the event horizon, and the entity leaves through the gate.

After it is safely gone, medics come to help McKay, who passed out once again.

Background notes

 * The device used for trapping the energy being is the same prop used in SG-1 episode Sight Unseen. In that case, it let people see creatures from another dimension.
 * Only the Region one DVD contains a commentary for this episode.
 * This episode indicates a number of countries involved in the Atlantis Expedition through flag patches; Canada, Germany and United States.

Series continuity

 * Between the original Stargate film, Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis, this is the first episode in which Colonel/Brigadier General Jack O'Neill is neither seen nor mentioned.
 * This episode and the Stargate SG-1 episode "Lockdown", which premiered on the same night, both featured villains of a non-corporeal state penetrating the heroes' headquarters.
 * Another personal shield would later be used in the season three episode "Irresponsible".