Miller's Crossing/Transcript

Episode Guide
Miller's Crossing" Episode Guide

Transcript
TEASER

INT&mdash;MCKAY'S LAB

[Zelenka and several other scientists sit at their laptops. McKay stands before a whiteboard covered with writing, studying a formula.]

MCKAY Huh. Maybe if we&hellip;um&hellip;No&hellip; Nope. Huh.

FEMALE SCIENTIST Why don't we bring the Wraith in on this?

MCKAY No.

FEMALE SCIENTIST A lot of this new nanite coding is based on his calculations, so maybe&mdash;

MCKAY A) He wouldn't help us. B) We don't need his help. And C) Somebody get me a coffee.

FEMALE SCIENTIST You've been silently staring at that board for three hours.

MCKAY Eh, it'll come to me.

ZELENKA (frustrated) Just e-mail her already.

[The other scientists shift uncomfortably as they continue to watch with interest. McKay turns around slowly to face Zelenka.]

MCKAY Excuse me?

ZELENKA Rodney, we're stuck. We've been stuck for ten hours. Just ask her for help. Please.

MCKAY I'm not stuck.

ZELENKA The last time we had a block like this, she helped us through it, right?

MCKAY That was for something completely different!

ZELENKA I cannot sit here waiting for you to have an epiphany! I'm losing the will to live!

MCKAY (thinking) I suppose there could be more important things I should be working on.

ZELENKA (talking quickly) However you want to sell it to yourself, that's fine.

[He slaps his laptop shut and leaves. Everyone else quickly follows suit. McKay is soon the only one in the room.]

MCKAY Hmm.

EXT&mdash;MILLER HOME, VANCOUVER, B.C. CANADA, EARTH, DAY

INT&mdash;KITCHEN, MILLER HOME

[The Miller family of Kaleb Miller, his wife Jeanie, and their daughter Madison are all in the kitchen. Madison is pushing a large slab of cookie dough onto a baking sheet.]

MADISON Dad, done!

MILLER Just one big cookie?

MADISON Yep.

JEANIE Don't you want to use your cutters?

MADISON Nah, I just want a big one.

[The parents laugh. The laptop on the counter chimes.]

JEANIE Oh.

[She goes to check the computer.]

MILLER You may want to flatten the dough a little bit.

[He goes to help her.]

MADISON No.

MILLER No? Just a giant cookie mountain, that's what you're going for?

MADISON Yeah.

MILLER Okay. (to Jeanie) Anything good?

JEANIE It's from my brother. He's stuck again. Do you mind if I&hellip;?

MILLER (waving her to stay with the laptop) Yeah, I got this. (to Madison) Here, you want to help with mine?

MADISON Okay.

MILLER Okay.

MADISON I need a lot of flour.

[Jeanie grabs a notepad and starts writing calculations as Miller works with Madison.]

MILLER Oh. How 'bout some more chocolate chips?

MADISON But not the whole bowl.

MILLER No, that-that would be too many.

EXT&mdash;MILLER HOME, VANCOUVER, B.C., CANADA, EARTH, NIGHT

INT&mdash;MASTER BEDROOM, MILLER HOME

[Jeanie rolls over in bed and opens her eyes to see Miller lying awake, looking concerned.]

JEANIE You can't sleep?

MILLER I thought I heard something?

JEANIE Madison?

MILLER I don't know. I'm going to check it out.

[He gets out of bed.]

JEANIE She probably just snuck downstairs for more cookies.

MILLER (chuckling) That's actually not a bad idea.

[Before he gets to the bedroom door, it bursts open. Two men dressed all in black and wearing ski masks and goggles enter. They are heavily armed with laser sights on their weapons. Miller is forced to the floor. Jeanie whimpers and cowers in the bed as one of them aims his gun at her head.]

ASSAILANT You're coming with us.

END TEASER

OPENING CREDITS

EXT&mdash;CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN, DAY

INT&mdash;SGC GATE ROOM

[NID Agent Barrett waits at the bottom of the Gate ramp as McKay, Sheppard, and Ronon arrive through the active wormhole. McKay is wearing civilian clothing, while Sheppard and Ronon are dressed as usual. McKay is carrying a backpack.]

BARRETT Gentlemen. I'm Agent Barrett. I work with the NID. Mr. Woolsey has asked me to help you any way that I can. I'm sorry that we couldn't meet under better circumstances.

MCKAY Have the kidnappers tried to make contact with us yet?

BARRETT No, I'm afraid not.

MCKAY Okay, well I need to get to Vancouver.

BARRETT Okay, the Daedalus is in orbit, so it will be a quick trip.

[He leads them out of the room.]

SHEPPARD Have you learned any new information yet?

BARRETT No, not yet. The NID is liaising with CSIS on the ground. They are expecting us.

SHEPPARD C-what, now?

MCKAY Canadian Security Intelligence Services. They're&hellip;kinda like our CIA.

SHEPPARD "CSIS." That's the best you guys can do, huh?

[Barrett leads them all into the elevator, noting their outfits. McKay is in civilian garb, but Sheppard has on his black BDUs, and Ronon is wearing his usual leather outfit.]

BARRETT We will be out in the open, so&hellip;perhaps a change of clothes first?

[Ronon looks down at himself.]

RONON What?

EXT&mdash;SUBURBAN STREET, VANCOUVER, B.C, CANADA, DAY

[A sedan parks on the street. Several law enforcement vehicles and personnel are around. McKay, Sheppard, Barrett, and Ronon get out. Sheppard wears black slacks and a jacket with a white button down shirt. Ronon is dressed identically, except he wears jeans.]

RONON I look dumb.

SHEPPARD It helps you blend in a little.

RONON I'm gonna stand out no matter what you dress me in.

SHEPPARD That's a good point.

[As they enter the Miller home, one of the bystanders watching the activity takes a keen interest in the newcomers and starts dialing his cell phone.]

INT&mdash;LIVING ROOM, MILLER HOME

[Forensic specialists and other law enforcement are scattered throughout the home. Miller sits on his couch, next to Madison. He sees McKay and the others enter.]

MILLER Hey, look. It's your Uncle Mer.

MCKAY Hey, lady.

MILLER You going to say hi?

MADISON Where's Mom?

MCKAY Uh&hellip;I&hellip;she&hellip;

MILLER I told you she-she's had to go away for a bit, but she's going to come back soon, okay? (to McKay) Can I, uh&hellip;?

[He gestures to speak privately.]

MCKAY Yeah.

MILLER (to Madison) Okay, Sweetie.

[Sheppard joins Madison. McKay and Miller move into the kitchen.]

INT&mdash;KITCHEN, MILLER HOME

MILLER Who did this?

MCKAY We're not sure, but we have the best people in the world working on this and all the resources of&mdash;

MILLER (upset) You know, when y-you came back here last year, she almost didn't go back with you to Atlantis. I-I said, "Go. You have to do it. You'll regret not going."

MCKAY I know you did.

MILLER She knew it was going to be dangerous, but you two are so competitive.

MCKAY Listen to me. We're gonna&mdash;

MILLER This is your fault, Rodney.

MCKAY Hey, just a second.

MILLER She got kidnapped because of you.

MCKAY Okay, we do not know that for sure!

MILLER We don't? Really? You-you figure four masked men with guns broke in her to steal her secret apple dumpling recipe? A jealous neighbor, maybe?

MCKAY Okay, you're angry. You have every right to be&hellip;

MILLER (half to himself) If something happens to her&hellip;

MCKAY Kaleb? We're gonna find her.

KALEB (pleading) Just&hellip;bring her back. Bring-bring her home.

MCKAY I will.

INT&mdash;LIVING ROOM, MILLER HOME

[Miller reenters and moves to where Sheppard has been entertaining Madison.]

MILLER Come on, Mad.

MADISON Where we going?

MILLER Just away for a bit.

[He picks her up, and they leave. McKay rejoins Barrett, Sheppard, and Ronon.]

MCKAY I told him to get a hotel. There's no reason for them to stick around here.

BARRETT All right, thanks, guys. Give us the room, please.

[The remaining law enforcement officials pack up and leave.]

BARRETT So, where do you want to start?

MCKAY Jeanie and I were corresponding by e-mail. Um, she was, uh&hellip;I was bouncing some ideas off her.

BARRETT What about?

MCKAY Well, before Sheppard's Wraith showed up, I was trying to perfect my nanite medical program.

[Sheppard looks surprised.]

RONON That thing you used to save Weir?

MCKAY Yeah, a better, more complex version of that, but yeah. Of course, as soon as we found out that the Replicators were attacking human worlds throughout the galaxy, we obviously switched our focus to shutting them down once and for all.

BARRETT And you sent Jeanie the program that you were working on?

MCKAY Yeah. I just-I needed a new set of eyes.

SHEPPARD The question is, what does it have to do with her being taken?

MCKAY Yeah. Well, maybe the Trust or some other Earth-based organization wanted info on me or about the Program. But regardless, my e-mail and her capture happened too close together not to be connected.

BARRETT Right. That sounds like a good place to start.

MCKAY Has anyone touched her computer?

BARRETT No. No, I-I told them that you wanted to take a look at it first. Nobody's touched it.

[He sits by her laptop.]

MCKAY I'm gonna need to take it apart. This is going to take some time. Why don't you go back to the hotel? I'll call you if I find anything.

SHEPPARD It's okay. We'll stay.

MCKAY Seriously. This could take ten to twelve hours. I'm just-there's nothing you can do here. Just go back to the hotel. I'll call you if I find anything.

[Ronon and Sheppard exchange looks but back off, leaving McKay working on the laptop.]

INT&mdash;COMPUTER ROOM

[Two men dressed in black combat gear bring Jeanie into the room. Her hands are tied in front of her and a black bag is over her head. One guard leads her to a chair and sits her down. He takes off the bad and they leave. Jeanie is disoriented, but gets up and heads over to the door.]

WALLACE Here.

[She spins to see Wallace. She hadn't noticed him before. He walks over, holding a knife.]

JEANIE No. Wait! Please.

WALLACE Shh. It's all right. Let me?

[He gestures, and Jeanie holds still. He cuts her hands free. She instantly backs away.]

JEANIE Who are you?

WALLACE My name is Henry Wallace. I'm sorry to have&hellip;I need you to do some work for me.

EXT&mdash;VANCOUVER MOTEL, NIGHT

INT&mdash;HOTEL ROOM

[Ronon and Sheppard sit in the room. A cell phone rings. Sheppard gets up to answer it.]

SHEPPARD (into phone) Hello?

INT&mdash;BARRETT'S CAR

[Barrett drives, while McKay sits in the passenger seat, talking on the phone.]

MCKAY (into phone) So, someone was monitoring my sister's computer. I think I've cracked their Trojan. And I've got an address. Barrett and I are on our way there now.

[The rest of the conversation takes place switching between the two locations.]

SHEPPARD I thought you said it was going to take ten hours.

MCKAY Hey, even I underestimate how smart I am sometimes.

SHEPPARD All right, stay at the house, and-and we'll all go together.

MCKAY It's too late, we're almost there. I'll give you an address. You can meet us.

[Sheppard sighs and grabs a notepad.]

SHEPPARD What is it?

EXT&mdash;WAREHOUSE DISTRICT, NIGHT

[McKay and Barrett walk to a building.]

MCKAY This looks like the place.

BARRETT Shouldn't we wait for Sheppard and Ronon?

[McKay makes a dismissive gesture.]

MCKAY Okay, stand back.

[McKay moves to kick open the door. As he does, Barrett tries the knob. It's unlocked, and he opens the door.]

MCKAY Okay, well that works, too.

[Barrett unholsters his pistol. McKay doesn't wait and charges in. He glances back at Barrett.]

MCKAY You wouldn't happen to have another one of those on you, do you?

BARRETT Yeah, I got a shotgun in the car.

[Barrett backs up, but gets surprised by a gunman, dressed like the ones who raided the Miller home. He's knocked down, and another gunman aims his rifle at a surprised McKay.]

EXT&mdash;WAREHOUSE DISTRICT, NIGHT

[Sheppard and Ronon's SUV drives through the streets. They arrive at the address to find Barrett lying on the street, his head bleeding. There is no sign of McKay or anyone else.]

SHEPPARD You okay? What the hell happened?

BARRETT (wincing in pain) Two men. They must have been following us.

RONON McKay!

BARRETT He's not here. They took him.

INT&mdash;COMPUTER ROOM

[The armed men lead McKay into the room. His hands are tied behind his back and the bag is over his head. Jeanie stands when she sees him. They take off the bag and release his hands.]

JEANIE Meredith?

MCKAY Jeanie! Thank god you're alive!

[As the men leave them, McKay moves to his sister and they embrace.]

JEANIE What are you doing here?

MCKAY I came back to Earth as soon as I heard you'd were kidnapped.

JEANIE Have you seen Madison and Kaleb?

MCKAY Yes. They're, uh, they're a little shaken, but they're okay. I put a security detail on them, so you don't have to worry.

JEANIE Then, how did you&hellip;?

MCKAY I got ambushed trying to track down the guys who took you.

JEANIE (rolling her eyes) Oh, great. That's just great. First you get me captured, then you&mdash;

MCKAY Whoa, whoa, whoa. I got you captured?! How do you figure that?

JEANIE Oh, come on! They were monitoring my computer, right?

MCKAY Yeah. So?

JEANIE So would I be here if you hadn't sent me those e-mails?

MCKAY Possibly.

JEANIE Meredith!

MCKAY (distracted by the room) What is this, a lab?

JEANIE (sarcastic) Wow, that's great detective work there, Nancy Drew.

MCKAY Where the hell are we?

JEANIE I have no idea. They-they put me on a plane&hellip;

[McKay starts playing with the computers.]

MCKAY Yeah, me too. Any idea who's behind any of this?

[Wallace enters with some guards.]

WALLACE Doctor McKay. I've heard a lot about you. It's a pleasure.

[He puts out his hand to shake. McKay backs up and says nothing.]

WALLACE I thought you might show up if your sister&hellip;went missing. We couldn't count on it, of course, but it's a pretty big bonus.

MCKAY Bonus? Look, I have no idea who you are, but you have made a terrible mistake bringing me here. Now, I suggest you let us both go right now, otherwise about a hundred marines are going to come kicking down your front door in the next two minutes.

WALLACE I'm pretty sure they won't, actually. Your subcutaneous transmitter has been deactivated.

[McKay's face falls.]

MCKAY Who are you?

WALLACE I should've started with that. My name is Henry Wallace. I'm the president of&hellip;

MCKAY DMT. Great.

WALLACE You know who I am, then.

MCKAY (tightly) I'm familiar with your work.

JEANIE What's DMT?

MCKAY It's Devlin Medical Technologies. They're a predominantly government-funded contractor. And unfortunately for us, they manufacture our subcutaneous transmitters.

JEANIE Oh, great.

MCKAY Yeah. How do you even know I exist? Your company is only privy to very basic information about newly declassified experiments the military's working on.

WALLACE No, more accurately, my company is given limited access to alien advances discovered through the Stargate program, and is asked to integrate them into Earth-based technology.

MCKAY (shocked) You're not cleared to know that.

WALLACE No, I'm not. But after years of being&hellip;stupefied by the military's endless and unbelievable advances, I started to do a little digging. That's how I found out about the SGC, Atlantis, you&hellip;and that's why we've been monitoring your family's e-mails for quite some time now.

MCKAY What do you want from me?

WALLACE I've hit a wall and need some help.

INT&mdash;MEDICAL WING

[Wallace leads McKay and Jeanie to stand outside a patient room. A doctor monitors a teenage girl, lying on the bed.]

WALLACE My daughter. Sharon.

MCKAY What's wrong with her?

WALLACE She's suffering from acute lymphocytic leukemia.

MCKAY Well, I'm very sorry, but, uh&hellip;

WALLACE She's been particularly unresponsive to induction chemotherapy, Prednisone, Vincristine, cranial irradiation&hellip;

MCKAY I don't even know what all that means. How am I supposed to help?

WALLACE Look, the best doctors in the world have told her to start saying her good-byes. Begin making funeral plans.

MCKAY That's what I'm saying. Neither of us are doctors. Look, yes, I have a PhD&mdash;two actually&hellip;

WALLACE The latest project my company has been working on for the SGC involves applying advances in nanotechnology to cure injury and disease. We were close to a prototype.

MCKAY (realizing) Wait a second. Wait&hellip;

WALLACE Sharon was injected with the first batch of nanites one week ago.

MCKAY You've barely got manufacturing perfected. I'm working on the coding. It-it's months away! They're not ready!

WALLACE My team thought they'd ironed out most of the coding.

MCKAY "Ironed out?" It's not that easy!

WALLACE I know that&hellip;now. They're malfunctioning.

MCKAY Well, of course they are.

WALLACE And it's not just that they're not working. They're&hellip;they're actually causing more problems than the cancer. Her body is rejecting them. When I intercepted your correspondence with Jeanie, I desperately needed someone familiar with the coding to come fix the programming.

MCKAY Right, so Jeanie was just the bait.

WALLACE No. From what I could tell, she had a firmer grasp of the coding than you did.

MCKAY (offended) I don't think it's fair to judge me on a couple of e-mails. I mean, they don't reflect the entire&mdash;

JEANIE Meredith! It doesn't matter.

WALLACE If we don't do something quickly, Sharon's going to die. Get the nanites fully operational, and I'll let you go.

MCKAY (skeptical) Really?

WALLACE Absolutely.

MCKAY And if we don't?

[Wallace smiles.]

INT&mdash;SGC CONTROL ROOM

[Barrett, Sheppard and Ronon stand in the room. Harriman speaks to someone on a monitor.]

HARRIMAN (into comm) That's right, sir. They must've neutralized the transmitter.

RONON What about the lead you were following?

BARRETT Uh,&hellip;dead end. It's a small, rented room with a router that ported data to a site in Singapore. I mean, who knows where it was forwarded from there. We've got our best IT guys on the job, though. We're going to start tracing the paper trail, and hopefully it's going to turn up a lead. We've been combing the security, traffic, and ABM cameras from the area where we got ambushed, talking to witnesses. We've got half the Vancouver P.D. on this one. We're going to get 'em.

[He leaves.]

INT&mdash;COMPUTER ROOM

[McKay and Jeanie both work on computers. One monitor shows Sharon unconscious in the medical wing.]

JEANIE They're not communicating.

MCKAY What?

JEANIE The nanites. That's what causing all the problems. They're going after some cells redundantly. They're ignoring others. They've caused at least three partially clogged arteries&hellip;Something in their coding is stopping them from understanding each other.

MCKAY (distracted) Great, great.

JEANIE Are you even listening to me?

MCKAY Eh, you lost me at "nanites".

JEANIE (snapping her fingers) Hey, idiot! We need to solve this coding problem.

MCKAY No, what we need to do is get the hell out of here.

JEANIE (slowly) I know. By solving the coding problem.

MCKAY So young, and so naive.

JEANIE You got a better idea?

MCKAY Yes! Look, they gave us these computers network access so we could monitor Sharon in real time, right? Which means I can also hack into the security mainframe.

JEANIE What about Sharon?

MCKAY What about us?

JEANIE We can do this, Mer. We can help this girl!

MCKAY And then what? He's just going to let us go? Wha-you think he's just going to give up his life&hellip;uh&hellip;lose his company, get carted off to prison? You think he'll be fine with that?

JEANIE He's desperate. I think any parent would understand.

MCKAY Oh, you think. All right, let's just for a second imagine that we live in this magical land of unicorns and wizards and kind-hearted people who you can take at their word. Let's assume that he lets us go if we save her. But what if we fail, huh? What if she dies? How happy do you think he'll be then? You think he'll just let us waltz out the door with an "aw shucks, well better luck next time, tiger" attitude, huh?

[Jeanie doesn't respond, but her body language indicates she sees his point.]

MCKAY Exactly. We need to get out here. I've been working on a code to unlock all the keypad doors. You ready?

[He stands and still presses keys.]

JEANIE What happens after you get the door open?

MCKAY Well, I memorized the building's layout from this computer here.

[Jeanie sighs in resignation.]

JEANIE Okay.

[He presses some buttons and the doors unlock, opening slightly.]

JEANIE (surprised) Huh.

MCKAY (whispering) C'mon.

[He moves to the door, checking that the coast is clear.]

MCKAY Come.

INT&mdash;HALLWAYS

[McKay and Jeanie sneak through the halls. Jeanie tries a door, but it's locked.]

JEANIE (whispering) You said there was a stairway entrance here.

MCKAY (whispering) Well, there's supposed to be. Okay. Wait. Wait-wait-wait. Uh, we gotta go back.

JEANIE Go back?!

MCKAY Because I got all mixed around. We've got to start again. Maybe what I thought was north was south. It's hard to tell.

JEANIE I can't believe I am betting my life on your sense of direction.

MCKAY What are you talking about? I have an excellent sense of direction.

JEANIE Oh really? Remember when we went to West Edmonton Mall, and Dad had to call the police to find you?

MCKAY That mall is huge!

JEANIE There are maps every seven meters!

MCKAY Misleading ones. Now c'mon. We've got to go back.

INT&mdash;SECURITY ROOM

[Wallace enters and looks at the monitor for the computer lab. He sees it is empty. He picks up the phone.]

INT&mdash;HALLWAY

[Klaxons blare.]

MCKAY Oh shoot!

[They start to run. Security come around a corner. They spin around and run the other way. The guard fires what looks like a pistol, but McKay looks to be hit with a zat blast. He lies writhing on the floor then loses consciousness.]

INT&mdash;COMPUTER ROOM

[McKay regains consciousness to find himself and Jeanie tied to chairs. Wallace waits nearby, looking disappointed.]

WALLACE Why would you do that? Why would&hellip;? My daughter is dying!

MCKAY You kidnapped us. What did you expect?

WALLACE I shouldn't have given you network access.

MCKAY Yeah, well, it's a rookie mistake.

JEANIE (warning) Meredith.

WALLACE You're never going to help me. Are you?

MCKAY You're going to kill us either way. What exactly is our incentive?

WALLACE I gave you my word!

MCKAY Which means exactly nothing to me.

WALLACE (pleading) Please. My wife died three years ago. I can't go through that again. Sharon's all I have. You can save her.

MCKAY Look, this is an experimental medical program. It may never work. All this might have been for nothing.

WALLACE Worst case scenario, I thought I would have weeks with Sharon. Now, if things stay as they are, I'm lucky to have days.

MCKAY You never should have injected her.

[Wallace's expression changes to one of determination. He goes over to a table in the room and pulls out a large pneumatic device.]

WALLACE No, no. It will work. It has to work.

MCKAY What is that?

[Wallace stands over Jeanie.]

WALLACE A dose of nanites.

JEANIE (frightened) Meredith.

MCKAY W-w-wait, please! No.

WALLACE I'm sorry. You need an incentive.

MCKAY Don't!

[Wallace injects Jeanie with the nanites. McKay is horrified.]

WALLACE Fix this, or they both die.

[Wallace leaves.]

[Later, they are both untied and working on the computers. Jeanie breathes heavily and rubs her neck where she was injected. McKay notices.]

MCKAY You okay?

JEANIE Yeah, I'm fine.

MCKAY Well, you were right. They're not communicating. They're not doing a lot of things they should be doing, in fact.

JEANIE Yeah, I know.

MCKAY See, the thing is, even though DMT manufactured their own nanites? The-the coding, the programming? Most of it's lifted directly from the Replicators.

JEANIE Right.

MCKAY Well, the thing is? As much as I hate to admit it, we're only just beginning to understand that coding. The Wraith we've been working with has helped us make leaps and bounds, but it's&mdash;

JEANIE (surprised) Wait a second. You've been working with a Wraith?

[McKay goes to stand beside Jeanie and look at her terminal.]

MCKAY Yeah, it's a long story. What I'm trying to say is, this program that we're pushing on it is designed to, uh, restrain them, very specifically, to make sure they don't get out of control. So much so&mdash;

JEANIE (interrupting) That they're completely ineffective.

MCKAY It's like we tied their hands behind their backs.

JEANIE So we have to cut them loose.

MCKAY Exactly. These nanites can't replicate. Technically, by unleashing them, we might make all our little problems go away.

JEANIE (dryly) Okay, that shouldn't be too complex. Altering two, maybe three thousand lines of code.

MCKAY (dryly) Yeah, it's a&hellip;cinch.

JEANIE Yeah.

[He walks back to his station.]

MCKAY Look, I'm-I'm really sorry about all this.

JEANIE I really don't want to talk about this right now, okay? We need to write this program and upload it to my nanites. I will yell at you later. Okay?

MCKAY (unsettled) Okay.

[They both get back to typing in silence.]

INT&mdash;SPARE SGC CONFERENCE ROOM

[An airman brings more files into a spare conference room. Ronon, Sheppard, and Barrett pore over boxes of paper files.]

SHEPPARD We're going in circles here.

RONON I don't even get what we're doing.

BARRETT We're trying to match the corporations. See, the company that rented the space for the internet router was owned by another company which was owned by another and owned by another.

SHEPPARD Trying to connect the company that was monitoring Jeanie's computer to a company that would want to take her.

BARRETT Probably a company owned by the Trust. We just haven't found a connection.

SHEPPARD They knew enough to shut down the transmitter.

BARRETT Exactly. You know, the fact that they even knew that tells us that they're pretty intimate with the operations of the Stargate program. Again, the Trust.

SHEPPARD We should widen the net. Maybe it wasn't one of them.

BARRETT Other known enemy groups?

RONON Or an ally?

BARRETT Chinese? Russians?

SHEPPARD McKay said he was working on a program to shut down the Replicators. Was he working in tandem with anyone here on Earth?

BARRETT No, no. Not that I know of. Look, wait. There was a medical company that was working on other nanite programs, but-but they didn't have any direct dealings with him.

SHEPPARD And which company was that?

BARRETT I don't know. But give me a sec, I'll find out.

[Barrett gets up. Ronon also starts to leave.]

SHEPPARD Where are you going?

RONON Get some food.

SHEPPARD In case you forgot, McKay and his sister are still missing.

[Ronon turns back at the door.]

RONON (sighing) What? You want my help dissecting corporate structures? When you find someone to point a gun at? You let me know.

SHEPPARD Fair enough.

[He waves him off and gets back to the paperwork.]

INT&mdash;COMPUTER ROOM

[McKay paces nervously.]

MCKAY What's it been? A couple hours?

JEANIE Something like that.

MCKAY So, what? No updates? I mean, I know we're hostages and all, but c'mon! It took me like ten seconds to upload the program to you. What's taking them so much time?

JEANIE It's going to take a while to figure out if our coding patch actually makes the nanites fight the cancer.

MCKAY When we activated them in Weir, she was healed almost instantly.

JEANIE That time the Replicator cells actually replaced her damaged cells. Our guys have to heal them.

MCKAY But still, by now they should've seen massive changes in her condition. I mean, why aren't they telling us anything?

JEANIE Okay, sit down! You're driving me crazy!

[McKay sits and sulks.]

JEANIE So, are you going to marry that Katie girl?

MCKAY What?!

JEANIE You heard me.

MCKAY Where did that come from?

JEANIE I'm trying to take my mind off the fact that I have tiny robots running through my veins because you needed help with your homework. Would you rather talk about that?

MCKAY Not really.

JEANIE So, are you going to marry her?

MCKAY I don't know.

JEANIE You've been dating for over a year now.

MCKAY I'm aware of that, thank you.

JEANIE Do you think you're going to find someone better?

MCKAY No, it's not that.

JEANIE (grinning) 'Cause you're not.

MCKAY Hang on.

JEANIE The fact that you found a nice girl who's willing to put up with all your many little flaws is a miracle.

MCKAY Look&mdash;

JEANIE (amused) Plus, physically&hellip;Well, how do I put this? You're no John Sheppard.

MCKAY (standing, annoyed) Okay. Let's go back to talking about how this is my fault, 'cause I think I like that&hellip;

[A guard enters.]

MCKAY &hellip;better.

GUARD Come with me.

[They exit the room.]

INT&mdash;MEDICAL WING

[McKay and Jeanie enter the room. Wallace is by his daughter's bedside. She is sitting up and looking well.]

WALLACE (smiling and gesturing to McKay and Jeanie) Oh, come in! Come in! Sharon, I want to introduce you to Rodney McKay, Jeanie Miller. They're the ones that saved you.

SHARON It's very nice to meet you. Thank you so much.

[Jeanie and McKay share shocked looks.]

JEANIE How are you feeling?

SHARON Better than I've felt in years.

MCKAY And the cancer?

WALLACE We can't find any trace of it.

[Sharon smiles in relief.]

INT&mdash;SGC COMMISSARY

[Harriman sits at a table across Ronon in the crowded commissary.]

HARRIMAN And I'm nervous, right? Because, you know, it's an admiral I'm talking to. So I say to him: "Sir, if you use an I-37 form instead of an N-1, you can save yourself from using, like, like a hundred G-72s!" And there's this pause.

[Ronon goes to take a bite of his sandwich, but Harriman stops him. Ronon drops his sandwich and sits back, looking obviously aggravated.]

HARRIMAN No one says anything for like, I dunno, it felt like minutes. Finally the admiral looks over at Landry and he goes: "Hank, not only is your boy right, but I think we found ourselves a new Bingo caller for Sunday nights!"

[Harriman laughs at his own joke. Ronon glares.]

HARRIMAN (unaware) Bingo! God! I-37! N-1! G-72! Bingo! Who ever said the admiral didn't have a sense of humor? Oh! Then there was this other time when General O'Neill&hellip;and I&hellip;we were&mdash;

[Sheppard enters. Ronon immediately stands.]

RONON Tell me you have something!

SHEPPARD Devlin Medical Technologies.

RONON That means?

SHEPPARD We got somebody to point your gun at.

RONON Sweet.

[He rushes out. Sheppard steals one of Harriman's fries and then follows. Harriman is annoyed at losing his audience, then chuckles to himself.]

INT&mdash;WALLACE'S OFFICE

[An elated Wallace pours champagne.]

MCKAY What are you going to do with us?

WALLACE Hey! We're celebrating here.

MCKAY She's still got nanites inside her, and we are both still hostages, so you'll excuse me if I skip the champagne.

WALLACE I'm a man of my word. I'm going to let you go.

MCKAY What, just like that?

WALLACE (smiling) Just like that.

JEANIE But you'll be arrested.

MCKAY (low, to Jeanie) Not helping.

[Wallace goes back to pouring champagne.]

WALLACE I know. I've known I was going to prison from the moment I decided to kidnap you. I don't care. My daughter's going to live. That's all that matters. I can't expect you to understand.

MCKAY You're right, I don't.

WALLACE We've done a great thing here today, and not just for my daughter. Hell, we might have just cured cancer altogether. So please, a toast&hellip;to the future.

[They all take glasses. One of the guards enters.]

GUARD Sir, we have a problem.

[Wallace follows him out. McKay looks worried.]

INT&mdash;MEDICAL WING

[Wallace, McKay, and Jeanie enter to find Sharon has coded and medical staff are performing CPR on her.]

DOCTOR Clear!

[He shocks Sharon.]

DOCTOR Nothing. Going again! Clear!

[He shocks her again and checks her vitals.]

DOCTOR Turn it off. (to Wallace) I'm so sorry.

WALLACE She was fine. I don't understand.

DOCTOR Her heart just stopped. We couldn't get it pumping again. I'm not sure what happened.

[Wallace goes over to her bed, brokenhearted.]

MCKAY (in panicked whisper to Jeanie) We need to get out of here.

[Jeanie stays staring at Wallace.]

JEANIE I know.

MCKAY (low) I need to get you back to the SGC. Your nanites are running the same program&mdash;

JEANIE (cutting him off) I know.

MCKAY Okay. I'm going to see if I can distract the guard, I need you to go&mdash;

[She heads over to Wallace.]

MCKAY (panicked whisper) Jeanie! Jeanie, what are you doing?

JEANIE (to Wallace) I'm so sorry&hellip; My brother and I need to leave. We need to get to a bigger lab with more scientists. Please!

WALLACE I don't know what to do.

JEANIE I can't imagine what you're going through right now. And I know you're angry. I would be too. But&hellip;if I go untreated&hellip;Look, I have a family. A husband. A daughter. Please! I need to get help, and I can't do it here.

WALLACE I'm sorry.

[Sharon gasps and the monitors come back to life. She wakes up, pulling her hand out of her father's grasp and looking around in confusion.]

WALLACE Sharon? (to doctor) You said she was dead.

DOCTOR (bewildered) She was.

INT&mdash;COMPUTER ROOM

[Jeanie and McKay are back at work. Wallace waits nearby.]

MCKAY The nanites are still active.

JEANIE No. Once they've beaten the cancer, they're supposed to shut themselves down.

MCKAY That's never been tested in a live subject, and it's only worked sporadically in simulations. Look, I told you, this programming is nowhere near ready to implement.

WALLACE Wait, you're saying the nanites brought her back to life?

MCKAY It's the only viable explanation.

WALLACE Then why did she die in the first place? Shouldn't they have kept her alive?

JEANIE That's a good point.

MCKAY (inspired) Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait. The doctor said her heart just stopped, right? Seemingly out of nowhere.

[Jeanie leaps onto McKay's train of thought.]

JEANIE Does Sharon have any heart problems? Unrelated to the cancer?

WALLACE Yes, she has a mitral regurgitation problem. Heart murmur.

MCKAY What, you don't think&hellip;?

JEANIE We broadened the parameters. They weren't just programmed to cure the cancer.

MCKAY Once they were done with the leukemia, they moved onto the heart murmur. And the easiest way to fix that&mdash;

WALLACE Is shut it down while they repaired it.

JEANIE That doesn't make any sense. Shutting down the heart and starving the brain of oxygen would cause&hellip;severe brain damage.

MCKAY Damage they could technically fix.

JEANIE They could repair the tissue, yes. But the patient would lose their memories, their-their language skills, any sense of self.

MCKAY They don't care about that. Look, they were designed to fix the body of all physical maladies. I mean, preserving a sense of self isn't one of their directives.

WALLACE So&hellip;she's going to be stuck in this vegetative state?

MCKAY Technically, her brain is perfectly healthy. It's-it's like she's been&hellip;reset to zero, so to speak.

JEANIE (worried) Meredith. What about me? I don't have any cancer. They'll look around and go straight for&hellip;

MCKAY Your epilepsy.

JEANIE I don't want to be shut down for repairs.

MCKAY Okay, okay, the first thing we got to do is make sure&mdash;

[A blast takes out the door lock. Marines knock down Wallace as Sheppard and Ronon rush in as well, guns at ready.]

SHEPPARD You guys okay?

JEANIE How did you&hellip;?

MCKAY We need to get Jeanie to the SGC immediately. Is the Daedalus still in orbit?

SHEPPARD You're welcome. It was a daring rescue.

MCKAY Yes, yes, yes. Thank you. But we're nowhere out of the woods yet. We have to get to the SGC now!

SHEPPARD (keying radio) Daedalus, this is Sheppard. We need a lift.

[As Wallace watches, the team and Jeanie are beamed away.]

EXT&mdash;CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN, NIGHT

INT&mdash;ISOLATION LAB

[Barrett, Sheppard, Ronon and McKay are in the lab.]

MCKAY Okay, I've put Jeanie in a medically induced coma, and I've broken her legs.

RONON You what?

MCKAY Well, we need to slow down the nanites. Look, this could buy us ten hours, at least.

SHEPPARD You&hellip;broke her legs? Couldn't you just give her a disease or something?

MCKAY She needed an immediate and severe trauma. Besides, if we shut them down before she's properly healed, all she has is a few broken bones.

SHEPPARD Instead of a disease she'd have to fight alone.

MCKAY Exactly. Now, I'm pretty sure we can't just keep doing this. I mean, sooner or later, the nanites are going to abandon her broken bones and move to her brain, so we need to move fast.

BARRETT Can't we just blast her with an electromagnetic pulse?

MCKAY No. These nanites were designed specifically to be immune to EM field fluctuations.

SHEPPARD Wonderful.

BARRETT So we have a little over ten hours to come up with a program that shuts down the nanites.

MCKAY Right.

SHEPPARD So what's the plan?

MCKAY Well, as embarrassing as I find this to say&hellip;I need some help.

INT&mdash;SGC GATE ROOM

[Sheppard and McKay and several armed SFs wait at the bottom of the ramp. The wormhole is active.]

SHEPPARD This was a bad idea.

MCKAY Yeah, well it's the only one I got.

[The Wraith Todd arrives with two guards. He is restrained. He staggers down the ramp, breathing hard and looking around with interest.]

TODD Why have you brought me here?

INT&mdash;LEVEL EIGHTEEN LAB

[Two guards wait outside the lab while McKay, the Wraith, and other guards stand inside.]

MCKAY Look, you understand the Replicator coding better than anyone. If we're going to do this quickly, then&hellip;we need your help. (struck with the sudden reversed position) And why should you care? I mean, we're going to kill you either way, right? That's what you're thinking? Okay, okay, um, so&hellip;incentives. Uh, first off, we have no interest in killing you. Of course, you've probably already figured that out by now. But we can't let you go either because you know too much about Atlantis, unless you could prove that you were trustworthy. And&hellip;this would go a long way towards proving that.

TODD Hmm.

MCKAY Right. Yeah. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't buy that either. Heh. Do you have any relatives? Do the Wraith have brothers or sisters? I-I don't know how it works. But with us, with&hellip;my people? Those bonds mean a lot. My sister's in trouble, and it's pretty much all my fault. You could help us. You-you could save her.

[The Wraith yawns.]

MCKAY Doesn't mean anything to you, does it? I suppose it wouldn't mean much to me either if I was in your place. Okay, okay, you and I both know that if we can figure out how to shut down these Earth-made nanites, it would be a giant step towards shutting down the Replicators. I know you lost your hive. I have no idea how horrible that must have been for you.

[The Wraith growls.]

MCKAY But knowing that they're still out there? That-that you alone could do something about it? That's gotta be driving you crazy. So don't do this for me. Don't-don't do this for my sister. Do this for yourself. Do this because you know you can, and because you know it'll help destroy the Replicators once and for all. Whaddya say?

[The Wraith grunts and nods.]

MCKAY Thank you.

'MONTAGE

[The SFs release the Wraith's restraints.]

[McKay and the Wraith talk as the Replicator code scrolls past on a monitor.]

[Jeanie lies in a coma in the infirmary.]

[McKay and the Wraith each work at computers.]

END MONTAGE

MCKAY All, right, there's a few bugs to code out, but I think we're close.

TODD We?

MCKAY Hey, I have been contributing. Now if I could suggest a few, uh&hellip;

[The Wraith stumbles to his knees.]

MCKAY You okay?

TODD No.

[The Wraith collapses onto the floor.]

INT&mdash;SGC VIP ROOM

[McKay and Sheppard are alone in the spare conference room.]

SHEPPARD What if he's faking? Maybe he's just milking it for a hot meal?

MCKAY No, I believe him. He can't finish the coding without feeding. I understand exactly what he's doing, but he's far more versed in implementing it than I am. Maybe if I had a couple of weeks, but he's the only one who can do it in a day.

SHEPPARD I don't know what to say, but the NID is not going to provide us with a human for him to feed on.

MCKAY I know. It needs to be me.

SHEPPARD What?

MCKAY (scared, but determined) I want him to feed on me.

[Sheppard steps closer to him.]

SHEPPARD You want to what?!

MCKAY Let him feed off of me. Get his strength back, then he can finish the coding and save Jeanie.

SHEPPARD Then what? Force him to give you your life back?! He's not going to do that.

MCKAY Sharon died. Half an hour ago.

SHEPPARD (nonplussed) I don't understand. What happened?! I-I thought the nanites would&hellip;

MCKAY This time, it wasn't a problem with the programming, it was a manufacturing defect. Look, in layman's terms, the nanites ran out of steam while they were repairing her arteries. She bled out internally. There was nothing we could do. I can't lose my sister, John. How am I going to explain that to her husband? To-to her kid?

SHEPPARD That Wraith'll kill you.

MCKAY That's my choice to make.

SHEPPARD No, it's not. You're an invaluable of my team, and you report directly to me.

MCKAY Really? You want to talk about chain-of-command right now?

[Sheppard's eyes are wet with tears.]

SHEPPARD (intensely) You are not doing this.

MCKAY She's here because of me! I can't fix the problem, but I can help the guy who can. Look, this was not an easy decision to make.

SHEPPARD I can't.

MCKAY (begging) Please.

SHEPPARD I'm sorry.

INT&mdash;SGC HOLDING ROOM

[Wallace and Sheppard sit across a table from each other.]

SHEPPARD We're going over the data. We don't understand what happened. I'm sorry.

WALLACE And Jeanie?

SHEPPARD She's not going to make it. We brought in a, uh&hellip;specialist from the Pegasus Galaxy. Part of an enemy race called the Wraith. Somehow, McKay has convinced him to, uh, create a program to shut down the nanites in Jeanie's body.

WALLACE And?

SHEPPARD He was close, real close. But, uh, he hasn't fed in a few weeks, so he collapsed. He's too weak to finish the coding modifications.

WALLACE (upset) I don't understand. If it means saving her life, why not just feed him?

SHEPPARD Well, he feeds on&hellip;humans. Their life force.

WALLACE (nodding, thinking) I see.

SHEPPARD Little hard to find volunteers.

WALLACE So Jeanie will&hellip;

SHEPPARD She's gonna die. Just like Sharon.

WALLACE (with remorse) I'm so sorry.

SHEPPARD I'm sure you are.

[He reaches into his shirt pocket and pulls out some photographs. He tosses them down one-by-one on the table. Wallace picks them up.]

SHEPPARD This is, um, Kaleb, her husband. And, uh, Madison, her little daughter.

[Wallace weeps.]

WALLACE I never meant for any of this to happen.

SHEPPARD I know you didn't. But it did. Now McKay's blaming himself, and I know better&hellip; You know better.

[Wallace takes a deep breath.]

INT&mdash;LEVEL EIGHTEEN CORRIDOR

[McKay heads to the door to the isolation lab and runs a key card through. It rejects it. He tries again with the same result.]

MCKAY Oh, come on.

[An SF comes over.]

GUARD Can I help you, sir?

MCKAY Um, no. No problem.

GUARD May I see that, sir?

MCKAY Uh&hellip;.no you may not.

GUARD Sir. The card please.

[A resigned McKay hands it over. The guard looks at it.]

GUARD You're not Doctor Lee, sir.

MCKAY Oh, is that Lee's card? You know, we were just at the gym and, uh, must've swapped pants. So, uh, would you just open the door for me?

GUARD Not without a card, sir.

MCKAY I'm Doctor Rodney McKay. This is my lab. Would you please open the door?

GUARD (shrugging) I can't do that, sir.

MCKAY (fiercely) This is a matter of life and death! Open the door!

GUARD I'm under&mdash;

[The door slides open from the inside. The Wraith is standing and working. Sheppard is beside him. There are medical personnel and guards there.]

MCKAY (surprised) Sheppard?

SHEPPARD Let him in.

[The guard lets McKay pass.]

INT&mdash;LEVEL EIGHTEEN ISOLATION LAB

[McKay enters and sees the orderlies wheel out a body bag.]

MCKAY What?

SHEPPARD I was showing Wallace the labs. The Wraith got the upper hand. That's what the report's going to say.

MCKAY You&hellip;

[Sheppard watches them wheel out Wallace's body with an inscrutable expression.]

SHEPPARD (to McKay) Come on, you've got work to do.

WRAITH No, he does not. I've completed the reprogramming.

SHEPPARD That was quick. Well, get it uploaded.

[McKay looks around in wonder, then joins the Wraith in working.]

EXT&mdash;CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN, DAY

INT&mdash;SGC INFIRMARY

[Jeanie wakes up. McKay sits by her bedside.]

MCKAY Jeanie?

JEANIE (confused) Mer&hellip;?

MCKAY It's okay. It's okay.

JEANIE Man&hellip;.medical comas are weird.

MCKAY Yeah, well, you're not the first to mention it.

JEANIE Did you&hellip;?

MCKAY Yes.

JEANIE So I-I'm&hellip;

MCKAY You are absolutely fine. I mean, aside from a few inert nanites in you.

JEANIE Thanks, Mer.

[She sits up.]

MCKAY You can&hellip;I'm really sorry about all this.

JEANIE Oh, I am going to hold this over your head for&hellip;forever.

MCKAY Huh. Totally fair.

[She swings her legs over the bed to stand. McKay assists her.]

JEANIE Like, you're going to eat a lot of vegetarian food. Heh, heh. And not complain about it.

MCKAY Sure, sure.

[He puts her slippers on the floor for her to step into.]

JEANIE And you're going to read Madison three stories instead of her usual two.

MCKAY All right.

JEANIE You're going to buy me a car.

[McKay reaches for a robe for her then stops short.]

MCKAY Well, let's not get out of control, here.

JEANIE You almost got me killed. That's at least a car, a nice one&mdash;a hybrid!

MCKAY Yeah, well, we'll talk about it on the way home.

JEANIE Home. That sounds great.

[She reaches forward and hugs him.]

JEANIE I love you.

MCKAY Yeah.

[They break apart and Jeanie glares at him expectantly.]

MCKAY (shrugging) I love you too.

[She chuckles as he hands her the robe.]

EXT&mdash;ATLANTIS, NIGHT

INT&mdash;SHEPPARD'S QUARTERS

[Sheppard lounges on his bed reading a comic book as McKay enters.]

SHEPPARD Hi!

MCKAY Hey.

SHEPPARD Look who's back. How was the family?

MCKAY Uh, it was great. Bought 'em a Prius.

SHEPPARD Guilt.

MCKAY Yeah. Listen&hellip;I can't believe what you did.

SHEPPARD I don't really want to talk about it.

[Sheppard keeps reading the comic book to emphasize the point.]

MCKAY You talked Wallace into sacrificing himself.

SHEPPARD (carefully) No, I didn't.

MCKAY Well, then how did he&hellip;

SHEPPARD I&hellip;

[Sheppard closes the comic book.]

SHEPPARD I presented a situation. He volunteered.

MCKAY Still, you talked a man into killing himself.

SHEPPARD He wanted to make things right. I merely, uh&hellip;

MCKAY Presented the situation.

SHEPPARD Yeah.

MCKAY Thanks.

[Sheppard nods, his expression vulnerable. McKay stands.]

MCKAY Want to get something to eat?

[Sheppard studies McKay, then tosses his comic aside.]

SHEPPARD Sure.

[They walk out of the room.]

MCKAY Say&hellip;you and I are about even when it comes to looks, right?

SHEPPARD Who's been lying to you?

MCKAY No, I'm serious.

SHEPPARD I am, too. Who's been lying to you?

FADE OUT

END CREDITS

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