Human (episode)/Transcript

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 * Human (episode)" Episode Guide

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TEASER

INT&mdash;RUSH'S HOME BEDROOM

[Rush awakens, lying next to his wife, Gloria. He stares at her for a moment, then sits up. The sun is streaming through the window. He checks the time; the clock reads 6:46. He gets out of bed and starts writing notes in a small spiral notebook.]

INT&mdash;RUSH KITCHEN

[Rush sits at the breakfast bar, still writing. Gloria enters and readies a tea kettle to boil. Violin music plays in the background.]

GLORIA Have you seen my glasses?

[He looks up, thinking and scanning.]

RUSH Bread box.

[She spots them on top of the bread box and puts them on.]

GLORIA You're up early.

RUSH Am I?

GLORIA I thought you'd sleep in.

RUSH Got things to do.

GLORIA Four o'clock?

RUSH What?

GLORIA Dr. Browning.

RUSH Oh, yeah, right. That's today. Right.

[He opens a new sheet of his notebook and writes 4??? and underlines it. Gloria stares at him, bemused, for a few moments, then gets back to fixing breakfast.]

RUSH Listen, I, uh&hellip;I won't be able to make it today.

GLORIA (surprised) Nicholas&hellip;

RUSH (with reassuring smile) Nothing to worry about.

[The tea kettle starts to boil as he gathers his things and leaves.]

INT&mdash;RUSH HOME

[Rush walks down the hall and enters a room just to the left of the front door, his study.]

INT&mdash;RUSH STUDY

[He stares in surprise. His study is covered floor to ceiling in various papers and formulas, some written on top of each other. Books and papers are scattered on his couch and desk. He goes to start writing notes from his pad on the large portable whiteboard he has there, only to stop short when he sees that it too is covered in formulaic writing.]

END TEASER

OPENING CREDIT

INT&mdash;UNIVERSITY LECTURE HALL

[Rush stands in the front of the lecture hall, talking to a large group of students in the auditorium-style classroom.]

RUSH Okay, who can tell me the significance of Shor's algorithm?

[He nods to a male student, who stands.]

STUDENT Uh, it's a quantum algorithm used for integer factorization. It's important because it can, in theory, be used to break the widely used public-key cryptography scheme known as RSA. RSA is based on the assumption that factoring large numbers is computationally infeasible. Uh, this assumption is valid for classic computers. No classical algorithm is known that can factor in polynomial time.

[While the student has been speaking Rush hears the string music and sees Ancient formulas passing by him in a telescopic effect as he focuses on the student. Rush rubs his forehead, not responding. The student waits expectantly, biting his lip.]

STUDENT Professor Rush?

RUSH Yeah. Very good.

[He turns to his blackboard.]

INT&mdash;UNIVERSITY CORRIDOR

[Rush walks distractedly through the crowded corridor, staring at his notes. A woman, Constance, runs up to him.]

CONSTANCE Nicholas! Nicholas? What are you doing here?

RUSH I'm sorry, Constance. Not now.

CONSTANCE I thought you were taking Gloria to the oncologist today.

RUSH She wanted to go by herself.

CONSTANCE That doesn't sound like her. Are you sure she really meant it?

RUSH Oh yes, quite sure.

CONSTANCE Nick! What's wrong with you? I thought you'd be worried sick!

RUSH (distracted) I am. Very concerned.

[She stops short, staring at him in surprise.]

INT&mdash;RUSH'S OFFICE

[Rush stares at his blackboard full of formulas, the Ancient writing telescoping by him as he focuses. He glances over to his right where the door to his office is. Beyond it is a closed door, out of place with the architecture. It looks metallic and has a brass latch. The phone rings. He answers.]

RUSH Yes?

[The conversation switches between Rush's office and the Rush home, where Gloria speaks on a portable phone.]

GLORIA (holding back tears) It's back.

RUSH (sighing as he glances at formulas) I had a feeling.

GLORIA You did? You&hellip;you never said so.

RUSH No.

GLORIA (sobbing) I can't go through this again. I can't. Nick? Nick, are you there?

[Rush writes down more numbers in his notebook.]

RUSH (distractedly) Yes, yes.

GLORIA (nonplussed) Are you coming home?

[Rush stares at the board and the formula, and then to the wall where there's only an open doorway where a student walks past. The metallic door is gone.]

GLORIA Nick&hellip;

RUSH Yes, soon. Soon.

[He hangs up on her. Crying, she turns off the phone.]

INT&mdash;RUSH HOME

[Rush unlocks the door to his house, number 46. He hears slow mournful violin music playing as he enters. He pauses and sees Gloria in the living room playing the beautiful melody, "Vissi d'Arte", from Puccini's Tosca. Her back is to him. He watches her for several moments, then enters his study, shutting the door behind him. Gloria hears him, and stops playing, looking sad.]

INT&mdash;UNIVERSITY CAMPUS, DAY

[Rush walks along the quad, staring around. He spots a car with a California license plate that reads 46YYR9P. He quickly scribbles it in his notebook. From a nearby building, Daniel Jackson, comes out a door and spots him standing there. Daniel starts jogging towards Rush, holding a stitch in his side as if he's been running around for quite a while.]

DANIEL Professor Rush? Professor Rush. Hi, I'm uh, I'm Dr. Daniel Jackson.

[He puts out his hand to shake. Rush looks down and shakes it automatically.]

RUSH (resigned) So you are.

DANIEL (out of breath) I'm&hellip;sorry to accost you here. I dropped by your office, and they told me that you hadn't come in for the day.

RUSH Do you know, I really don't have time for this.

DANIEL Actually, I think you're going to want to hear what I have to say. Is there someplace more private we could talk?

RUSH You're going to tell me about the Stargate program.

[Daniel glances around to see if anyone's overheard as he moves to catch up with Rush, who has resumed walking.]

RUSH (continuing) Your current dilemma&mdash;how to unlock the Stargate's ninth and final chevron. Specifically, how much energy will be required.

DANIEL How do you know that? Those details are highly classified.

RUSH The project hasn't even been named yet, has it? How about "Icarus"?

[Daniel stops short. Rush turns and faces him.]

RUSH I know it because it's already happened&hellip;and you're just a figment of my imagination. Reliving all of this is just a necessary evil, an unfortunate side-effect to a process I can't control. And it keeps getting in the bloody way of what I need to do. You, the University, the clouds in the sky, all just a dream, a distant memory&hellip;and one I'd really rather went away.

[He turns and walks away, leaving Daniel standing there.]

INT&mdash;CHAIR ROOM

[Rush is seated in the chair, his arms restrained and two sets of three screw-like rods pressed to the sides of this head. His eyes are closed, and they move as if he is in REM sleep. Brody and Volker are there. Eli and Young enter.]

YOUNG What the hell's going on?

[Later TJ arrives and checks Rush's blood pressure with a cuff. She takes off her stethoscope.]

TJ His pulse is strong; BP's elevated, but not dramatically.

BRODY (guiltily) He didn't want to involve anyone else.

YOUNG I am in command of this ship, and that means you don't do anything without involving me. Do you understand?

ELI What is all this?

BRODY We modified the interface. We were hoping it would allow us to use the interface without causing damage to the subject.

YOUNG And?

BRODY Rush is the first subject.

YOUNG Let's wake him up.

BRODY I can't. Severing the connection externally could be very dangerous. He has to do it himself.

[Young looks to TJ, who nods her agreement.]

BRODY Look, with or without me, Rush still would've done it.

TJ (incredulous) Even after what happened to Franklin?

BRODY This is the only way to unlock control of the ship. The code has to be in the databank somewhere.

[Eli starts studying the connections.]

YOUNG Let's forget about Rush for a second. If he wants to kill himself, so be it. How do you know this modification you've made is not going to backfire, put the whole ship in jeopardy?

BRODY I don't.

ELI How does this new interface work?

BRODY We created a buffer to slow down the transfer of information. We also limited the connection to a narrow range of the subject's subconscious. That should protect the vast majority of his brain. In a worst case, we hope only the memories that we targeted could be lost. And if it works, the data stored in the ship's computer should be made available to Rush through a dream.

ELI (grinning) A dream?

BRODY A semi-lucid one. Sort of a&hellip;stimulated recall of the memories in question.

ELI How does he wake up?

BRODY There's a built-in trigger. It should appear to him as a distinctive door. All he has to do is open it and walk through.

TJ He seems stable for now.

YOUNG Okay, let's say this is working, do you have any feedback? Do you know what Rush is actually doing in there?

BRODY No.

YOUNG If anything goes wrong, I'm pulling the plug.

[Young leaves.]

INT&mdash;RUSH'S HOME

[Rush comes in. Constance sits at the dining room table, talking with Gloria.]

CONSTANCE Get on a plane. Go.

GLORIA I don't want to go alone.

CONSTANCE I'll go with you.

[Rush pauses, overhearing. Constance sees him, but Gloria, back to him, doesn't seem to notice his arrival.]

GLORIA Thank you. The truth is, as much as I like, to, I&hellip;I don't think I have the strength.

[Rush enters his study and shuts the door. Gloria looks over at the sound.]

INT&mdash;RUSH'S STUDY

[Rush adds equations to his whiteboard from what he's written in a notebook. Constance opens the door and enters.]

CONSTANCE Nicholas?

[She looks around, shocked at all the formulas papering the walls.]

CONSTANCE My god, Nick.

RUSH Don't worry. I haven't lost my mind. Not yet, anyway. But as you can see, I am rather busy.

CONSTANCE Ignoring it isn't helping anyone. Burying yourself in work this way&hellip;she needs you&mdash;

RUSH You know, thank you for your concern, but, you know, I really cannot&hellip;deal with any distractions at the moment.

CONSTANCE Is that what your dying wife is to you? A distraction?

RUSH No, no, no. Of course not!

CONSTANCE (intensely) She wants to go home one last time. You should take her.

[Gloria is listening right outside the door.]

RUSH Constance&hellip;I know you mean well. I really do. But I can't go anywhere. Not now.

[Gloria rolls her eyes and backs away.]

EXT&mdash;SPACE

[Destiny flies faster than light.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY MESS HALL

[Chloe sits alone at a table. She sees Eli take a tray and pass by her table to sit alone across the room. She goes over and sits across from him.]

CHLOE Hey.

ELI Hey.

CHLOE Are we okay?

ELI (flatly) Sure. Why not?

CHLOE You chose to sit here by yourself instead of with me.

ELI You looked busy.

[She looks down. Eli watches her expectantly.]

CHLOE I need to know that we're going to be okay. I know you think that I betrayed you, and I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you. It will never happen again. Your friendship means too much to me.

[Eli nods shakily. The ship shifts out of faster than light.]

ELI (sighing) Never a dull moment. Shall we see where we are now?

[They get up and leave.]

INT&mdash;GATE ROOM

[Eli and Chloe enter the room. The gate is active. Young and Volker are already at a console. Scott and Greer stand nearby.]

ELI What do we got?

YOUNG Take a look.

[He moves away to give them a look at the monitor. It shows the video from a kino on the new planet. There are several large stone ruins dotting the landscape.]

CHLOE Are those buildings?

ELI Were. They look like ruins.

VOLKER It's the first signs of civilization on a planet out here.

CHLOE Human?

SCOTT No signs of any life.

ELI We should go check it out.

[Volker glances back to the countdown clock.]

VOLKER Six hours on the clock.

YOUNG (to Greer and Scott) You guys gear up.

[Scott and Greer start to leave.]

ELI I'd like to go.

CHLOE Me, too.

[Everyone looks startled.]

ELI Chloe has been studying all of Dr. Jackson's work.

YOUNG (skeptical) Really?

SCOTT (skeptical) You have?

CHLOSE I have.

ELI (surreptitious to Chloe) Say something archeological.

CHLOE (promptly) Stratification.

ELI (sotto voce) That's good.

CHLOE Thank you.

[Scott and Greer exchange looks.]

ELI Plus&hellip;didn't you say you took Ancient History?

CHLOE I did.

ELI At Harvard.

YOUNG Well, I don't really see how that helps us billions of light-years from Earth, but I get it.

ELI I'm pretty sure we've established that this ship is no safer than any planet.

CHLOE Kidnapped by aliens. Right here.

YOUNG I don't have a problem with either of you going. I never said I did. Just&hellip;be careful.

SCOTT (nodding) Yes, sir.

[The four leave. Young laughs.]

INT&mdash;UNIVERSITY LECTURE HALL

[Rush stands in front of the classroom of students again. He wears jeans and a long sleeved blue shirt. Formulas are written all across the blackboard, some written in Ancient.]

RUSH Every code that's ever been cracked. Every cipher in the last two millennia has been based on those that came before them. This code, however, is so old, there may be no known predecessor.

STUDENT You're talking about a proto-encryption.

RUSH Exactly, right.

STUDENT Well&hellip;how do we attack it with no basis, then?

RUSH None of you? Nothing? None of you see any pattern in this? So what good are you lot then? Why are you here?

STUDENT There's symbols up there I've never even seen before!

RUSH (nearly shouting) Yes, you have! Yes, you have, because I have! And you are all me!

[He stares out at the class, who are all looking back at him blankly.]

RUSH (shouting) Get out! All of you just get out!

[The students all quickly gather their belongings and head out of the room, murmuring confusion. Daniel stands to one side at the top of the classroom as they file out. He too wears jeans and a shirt, but a blazer over it.]

DANIEL It's not their fault.

[Rush comes over to sit in one of the student chairs.]

RUSH (sighing wearily ) Yeah, I know. I'm the one who can't solve it, despite the fact it's right in front of me.

DANIEL Have you given any thought to what we talked about?

RUSH Oh yeah, I'm going to fail at that too.

DANIEL I'm sorry?

RUSH Solving the issues of dialing the ninth chevron. I'll devote two and a half years of my life to that. Meanwhile my wife&hellip;is going to spend her dying days alone while I'm off&hellip;out&hellip;trying to solve that little problem.

[Daniel inhales deeply, looking uncomfortable.]

RUSH And then some kid&hellip;some big child with no meaningful education is going to jump in at the last moment&hellip; (snaps fingers) &hellip;And solve it just like that. No sense of ambition. He spends most of his time playing ridiculous games, yet he's the genius I'll never be. He's the one who should be here now, seeing what I'm seeing.

[Daniel's expression turns wry and knowing. He goes over and sits against the lecture desk.]

DANIEL Look, obviously you're not yourself right now. I do understand what it is you're going through.

RUSH Yeah, I know.

DANIEL I lost my wife and there was nothing I could do to save her. It's a terrible, helpless feeling.

[Rush looks at Daniel directly, considering. Then he shakes his head.]

RUSH Yeah, my wife is&hellip;not the answer. Data does come quicker when I'm with her, but quicker's not going to help me if I can't interpret. There's patterns I'm just not seeing.

DANIEL (standing) I'm just saying, if you need time, take it. Be with her. That's more important right now. That's more important than&hellip;anything.

RUSH Yeah, thanks. You've been really helpful.

[He goes back up to the blackboard and starts to erase some of the calculations. Some blood drops to the floor in front of him.]

DANIEL Your nose is bleeding.

[Rush turns and grabs a tissue, looking frightened.]

EXT&mdash;PLANET, DAY

[Scott, Greer, Eli, and Chloe, all but Scott dressed in desert camo fatigues, approach the ruins. The kino floats in front of them.]

SCOTT Wow.

ELI The kino really couldn't do this place justice.

CHLOE (impressed) It's pretty incredible.

ELI Awesome.

[They chuckle together. The team arrives at the ruins.]

GREER It doesn't look like anybody's been here for a long, long time.

SCOTT Well, we have about six hours to figure out what happened. Let's look around.

INT&mdash;CHAIR ROOM

[TJ blots away the remaining blood from Rush's nose, where he's been bleeding in reality. Brody monitors things. Young enters.]

YOUNG Progress?

TJ His nose was bleeding; it's stopped now.

YOUNG What does that mean?

TJ I don't know, exactly, but it can't be good for him. The way this thing messes with the brain. His heart rate and BP have been fluctuating.

YOUNG You said he was stable.

TJ I said "for the moment". That was over an hour ago.

YOUNG (to Brody) No way at all to tell if he's having any success?

BRODY No, all I'm able to monitor is the rate the data's flowing into his mind, and that's been fluctuating as well.

YOUNG What are the odds that yanking him out of there will kill him?

[TJ and Brody stare at Young.]

BRODY (pointedly) I wouldn't even hazard a guess.

INT&mdash;RUSH KITCHEN

[Gloria and Rush sit across from each other at the kitchen table. Rush, as usual, is working in his notebook.]

GLORIA I've spent most of the last twenty years watching what I ate, denying myself the things I most loved. And now, I could eat anything I want, and nothing seems appealing.

RUSH (distracted) Yeah.

[The string music plays in the background.]

GLORIA Why are you here, Nick?

RUSH Because this is what happened.

GLORIA You have work to do; go do it.

RUSH I am doing it. It doesn't seem to matter where I am.

GLORIA You have the chance to change so many things. The one thing you can't change is what's happening to me. Don't let that hold you back.

[Rush stops writing and looks up at her. She is the center focus of his telescopic vision of the formula, which is moving faster than usual. He gets up and comes over to her side of the table, taking her hand gently.]

GLORIA When the time comes, I know you'll be there.

EXT&mdash;CAVE ENTRANCE, PLANET RUINS, DAY

[Eli and Chloe are crouched by a cave entrance, studying the kino remote. It shows footage of the kino wandering through one darkened hallway after another.]

ELI Okay, every time I turn, I see another wall, so what do you think that means?

[Chloe shrugs. Scott approaches.]

SCOTT What do you got, buddy?

[Greer arrives.]

ELI (slightly uncomfortable) Well, it's pretty cool. Looks like a network of underground tunnels. We should check it out.

SCOTT Why?

CHLOE Don't you want to know who once lived here?

GREER How does that help us?

ELI Hey, so far Destiny has stopped on planets that had something on them that we needed. I'm not saying that's always going to be the case&hellip;

SCOTT What, did you see anything on the kino?

ELI No, but we&hellip;

GREER (aggravated) What could possibly be down there that we would need?

ELI I don't know. How about a power source capable of dialing back to Earth?

SCOTT (scoffing) Oh, come on.

ELI You never know!

SCOTT These people don't look like they were that advanced.

CHLOE Actually, many advanced alien civilizations found in the Milky Way and Pegasus galaxies lived in what appeared to be primitive stone architecture that concealed extremely powerful technology.

[Everyone stares at her.]

CHLOE I admit, that was a big nerd moment, but it-it's true, isn't it?

SCOTT All right, you got the kino footage. Let's go.

ELI (hesitantly) Yeah, that's the thing. We don't&hellip;have the kino footage&hellip;

SCOTT What do you mean?

ELI It's&hellip;it's a bit of a maze down there.

SCOTT You lost it?

ELI No, I took a wrong turn trying to steer it out. I just need to take a look and get my bearings. The footage could be important.

[Eli tries to steer with the remote again and grunts in frustration.]

SCOTT Okay. Okay.

GREER All right, I'm going to stay up here and cover your backs.

ELI (smiling) What are you, scared?

[Scott freezes and looks at Greer. Greer's expression has gone cold, and he slowly turns towards Eli in a menacing manner.]

ELI (taken aback) That was a joke.

[The tension remains with no one responding. Greer takes a couple of threatening steps closer.]

ELI (chuckling nervously) I'm sorry. I must have mistakenly thought we were on that level now. You know, friends who can kid each other like that.

[Greer takes off his sunglasses. He looks angry.]

ELI (worried) Please don't kill me?

SCOTT Come on. Sergeant, you can take up the rear. We won't go far.

GREER Yes, sir.

[They all step down into the caves, Greer still glaring at Eli.]

INT&mdash;CAVE

CHLOE (low, to Scott) What's his problem? I didn't think anything scared him.

SCOTT He's a little claustrophobic.

[Greer warily steps down. He looks around, remembering being a very young child and hiding in a small closet while there was movement outside and loud noises.]

EXT&mdash;PARK, DAY

[Gloria and Rush walk through a park, Rush still writing in his notebook.]

GLORIA I need to sit down.

RUSH Okay.

[They sit on a nearby bench. Ahead of them a large flock of birds suddenly takes flight. Gloria watches them with wonder. Rush also watches, seeming to count them. He makes a notation in his notebook. Gloria sees him do it and sets her jaw.]

INT&mdash;HOSPITAL CORRIDOR

[Rush sits writing in his notebook as a nurse wheels Gloria to him. He sees them waiting, and puts his notepad away to take over wheeling.]

INT&mdash;CHURCH

[Gloria and Rush are amongst the congregation as an Episcopal priest reads from the pulpit. Gloria reads along in her bible while Rush continues to write.]

PRIEST "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we shall not fear. Though the earth be removed. Though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea. Though its waters roar and be troubled. Though the mountains shake at the swelling thereof. There is a river, the streams whereof make glad the city of God&hellip; the holy habitation of the Most High.

INT&mdash;RUSH HOME

[Gloria says goodbye to a violin student, hugging the girl as her mother picks up the case. Rush watches from a distance.]

GLORIA I want you to practice, okay?

LITTLE GIRL Okay.

PRIEST (voiceover, continuing) "&hellip;God is in the midst of her. She will not be moved. God will help her when the morning dawns."

LITTLE GIRL'S MOTHER Thank you.

INT&mdash;RUSH BEDROOM

[Rush sits at the edge of the bed working as Gloria packs for the hospital. He does not see her turn way and try and hide her sobs.]

INT&mdash;CAVE

[There is a distant whooshing as the team use their flashlights in the darkened cave. Cobwebs are everywhere.]

ELI What was that?

SCOTT Probably wind.

CHLOE (nervous) Anyone else think we've seen enough?

SCOTT Weren't you the one hoping for dead bodies?

CHLOE Some evidence of human skeletal remains actually, and there don't seem to be any. Oh well.

[Chloe steps into a large cob web.]

CHLOE (panicking) Oh! Oh, god, get it off! Eww! Get it off! Get off! Okay, that's it! I am out of here. Ugh. God.

[She storms back the way they came.]

SCOTT Good idea. Let's go.

[Chloe approaches the entrance with the others following.]

GREER (drawling a warning) Stop!

[Chloe freezes, turning slowly back.]

CHLOE Why?

GREER Don't move.

CHLOE Oh my god, what? What? What is it?

[Scott and Greer point the lights on their rifles up to the ceiling. A three-foot large spider is crawling across the ceiling. It opens its maw to show rows of razor sharp teeth as it nears Chloe.]

GREER Run.

[Greer shoots at the spider while Scott pulls Chloe back to safety. The roof of the cave collapses under the fire, blocking their exit entirely.]

ELI I think you got it.

EXT&mdash;SPACE

[Destiny floats in space.]

INT&mdash;CONTROL ROOM

[The Stargate is active. Young keys his radio. A pale Riley stands at the console.]

YOUNG (into radio) Lt. Scott, this is Col. Young, do you read? (after a pause) Lt. Scott? Sgt. Greer? Do you read?

SCOTT (over radio, scrambled reception) This is Scott, sir. Oh, I'm glad to hear your voice, sir. We are&hellip;in a bit of pickle down here.

[The conversation switches between Young and the cave where Scott's team is trapped.]

YOUNG What's that?

SCOTT We are trapped in an underground tunnel. We were exploring the ruins. Sergeant Greer was forced to fire his weapon. Uh, the tunnel collapsed on us. No one is hurt. Eli and Chloe are looking for another way out, but if they can't find one, we're going to need help getting out of here, sir.

[Young checks the Ancient timer.]

YOUNG Why was Sergeant Greer forced to use his weapon?

SCOTT There was a spider, sir. It was approaching Chloe.

YOUNG A&hellip;spider?

SCOTT It was a sizable spider, sir.

YOUNG (chuckling) I'll, uh, send a team. Young out.

RILEY Less than two hours before we jump into FTL.

INT&mdash;CAVE

SCOTT (to Greer) This is my fault. We shouldn't have come down here.

[Eli and Chloe return.]

ELI So, the good news is, we haven't run into any more spiders.

SCOTT Did you find the kino?

ELI No, unfortunately these tunnels seem to go on forever. We haven't found any other sort of exit or access to ground level.

SCOTT We heard wind howling.

ELI (hyperventilating) No, no, that's what you said it was. Me, I'm already having trouble breathing.

SCOTT No, there's air down here.

ELI Oh, my heart rate is very high. Aw, slightly dizzy. Oh&hellip;

[He lies down on his side.]

SCOTT All right, calm down. There's got to be more than one way in and out of here.

CHLOE I take it the digging is not going well.

GREER We got C-4.

SCOTT That's not going to do anything but make things worse. Colonel Young just radioed through the 'gate. They're sending a rescue team.

ELI And-and what are they going to do?

EXT&mdash;RUINS, DAY

[James leads a team, including Volker, towards the cave entrance.]

JAMES (into radio) Lt. Scott? It's Lt. James. Do you read?

[The conversation switches between James' location and Scott in the cave.]

SCOTT James, we hear you. Where are you?

JAMES We just found the tunnel entrance. Is everyone okay down there?

SCOTT Yeah, we're fine. Look, uh, how bad is it?

[She exchanges pessimistic looks with Volker.]

JAMES (into radio) I'm, uh, not going to lie to you. It does not look good. But we're going to get you out of there. (to others) Okay, let's get to work.

INT&mdash;RUSH'S STUDY

[Rush lies on his couch, surrounded with paper. He listens to the song "English Rose". He remembers happy times with Gloria from the past. Daniel leans against the door frame and knocks on it.]

DANIEL Dr. Rush? I-I'm sorry. I rang the bell several times. The, uh, the door was open.

[Rush turns off the music.]

RUSH Yes.

DANIEL Your, um, nose is bleeding again.

[Rush grabs a fresh tissue and blots it.]

DANIEL I've got some great news. Our source inside the Lucian Alliance has come through. We've got the location of a planet that might just suit our power requirements.

RUSH Well, that's&hellip;terrific.

DANIEL I thought you'd be more excited. I-I mean, it's going to take some doing. There's a-a mining outpost being run by a small&mdash;

RUSH (interrupting) Dr. Jackson do you understand anything&hellip;on that board?

[Rush points and Daniel stares at the whiteboard of formulas for several seconds.]

DANIEL (clearing throat) Uh, no, not really, why? Should I?

RUSH No. I don't either. I didn't expect it to just present itself. I mean, why should it? It's a code. It's meant to be hidden.

DANIEL A code for what?

RUSH Destiny.

[Daniel looks at him blankly.]

RUSH This is all information stored in her memory banks. At least, I suspect, a small fraction of it. All completely meaningless to me in this form, without context. And unfortunately, I don't think staying here any longer is going to make it much clearer.

DANIEL Are you going somewhere?

RUSH Yep. I'm done.

[He reaches for the door handle of the "exit" to his dream, a closed metallic door next to the doorway of the study.]

DANIEL How's your wife doing?

[Rush pauses and leans against the door.]

RUSH She's dying. Today, actually.

DANIEL (softly) I really am sorry.

RUSH Yeah, so am I.

DANIEL Shouldn't you be with her?

RUSH You keep saying that.

DANIEL Yeah, well, it's true, isn't it?

RUSH What's the date today?

DANIEL You say your wife is going to die today, but you don't remember what day it is?

RUSH No, please, please, please. Just tell me.

DANIEL April 6th.

RUSH April the sixth&hellip;

[The phone rings. Rush snatches it up and starts speaking before the person on the other end can say anything.]

RUSH She's taken a turn for the worse. The doctors say the situation's very grave. They don't think she's going to make it through the day. Thank you.

[Daniel watches Rush hang up the phone and erase some of the formula on the white board. Instead he writes in large letters "April 6". His nose is still bleeding.]

RUSH April 6.

DANIEL What does that mean?

RUSH I don't know, but Gloria didn't die on April 6th.

[He erases the word "April" and replaces it with "4".]

DANIEL Well, it's not the ultimate answer to life, the universe, and everything. That's forty-two. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

RUSH (distractedly) Yes, thank you. You've been very helpful.

EXT&mdash;RUSH ENTRANCE

[He leaves the room to walk out to front door. He stares at the house number, "46" and reenters the study.]

INT&mdash;STUDY

RUSH The address of this house is number four, not forty-six.

[Daniel stares at Rush expectantly.]

RUSH Why does it say forty-six on the door?

DANIEL Well, forty-six divided by two is twenty-three. I'm sure you've heard of the "Twenty-Three Enigma".

[He sits on Rush's couch.]

RUSH Yeah, it refers to some&hellip;ridiculous notion that everything and anything is connected to the number twenty-three.

DANIEL Most rational people acknowledge the enigma is merely evidence of the mind's power to perceive truth in almost anything.

RUSH (thinking) And if you look for it, you're going to find it.

[He remembers the alarm clock says 6:46 and that he wrote the time in his notebook. He also remembers seeing "46" as the first two numbers on the license of the car he spotted just before first meeting Daniel. The priest was reciting Psalm 46 during the church service, as indicated by Gloria's bible. He spotted 46 birds taking flight in the park with Gloria. The last answer to a paper in his classroom was number 46. There were more in the formulas.]

RUSH So, what is this? Is this my mind playing tricks? Am I seeing something that's not there? Convincing myself this is somehow signifi&mdash;significant? Gah!

[He grimaces in pain and clutches his left arm and chest.]

DANIEL Dr. Rush?

INT&mdash;CONTROL ROOM

[Young stares at the countdown clock.]

YOUNG (into radio) Lt. James, this is Col. Young. Come in?

EXT&mdash;CAVE ENTRANCE, DAY

[The military people are moving rock after rock.]

JAMES I wish I had better news for you, sir. We're doing the best we can, but&hellip;things are pretty slow moving.

INT&mdash;CAVE

[The group are moving rocks from their side as well, but there are still so many.]

YOUNG (over radio) You're running out of time.

JAMES (over radio, sadly) Yes, sir, we know.

ELI (hyperventilating) Okay, can I panic now? We've got less than half an hour. We're not going to make it. Seriously, what are we going to do?

[Scott bites his lip in worried frustration.]

INT&mdash;CHAIR ROOM

[TJ takes away her stethoscope from checking Rush's heartbeat. She sees Young enter.]

TJ Sir, he just suffered some sort of cardiac event. He seems somewhat stabilized, but I don't know how much more of this he can take.

YOUNG Leaving him in there is going to kill him.

TJ I think so, sir. It's just a matter of time.

YOUNG (to Brody) And you said pulling him out could kill him too?

BRODY I know I advised against it, but maybe it's better to opt for risk over certainty.

YOUNG Unfortunately, things are not going well on the planet. It looks like we're not going to have enough time to dig them out. However, if Rush can find the master code, we may be able to stall Destiny's jump into FTL.

BRODY We risk sacrificing Rush.

YOUNG According to you, he's choosing to stay connected to that chair.

TJ He may not be aware of the danger that he's in.

YOUNG And if we jump into FTL, Eli, Scott, Greer, and Chloe are going to be left behind. So right now, looks like our best chance is&hellip;Rush.

EXT&mdash;CAVE ENTRANCE, DAY

[James and other military have formed a line, removing rocks by passing them to each other to a clear area. She spots Volker coming over.]

JAMES (to others) Hey.

[They pause in their work.]

VOLKER We couldn't find any other access.

JAMES (looking down) Maybe it's time we made one.

INT&mdash;CAVE

[Scott and the others have been trying to remove some rocks on their end.]

JAMES (over radio) Lieutenant, we're running out of time.

SCOTT (into radio) Yeah, we know.

[The conversation switches between James and Scott.]

JAMES We're going to use C-4 to try and blow a hole in the top of the tunnel. How far back do you estimate you are from the collapsed opening?

SCOTT Uh, not far, about ten meters.

JAMES Move as far back as you can, and let me know when you're clear.

SCOTT (into radio) Copy that. (to others) Let's go, guys.

[Everyone moves far away from the collapse.]

EXT&mdash;RUINS, DAY

[They have moved back to take shelter behind a wall some yards from the cave entrance. Volker arrives by James's side, putting on a flak helmet.]

JAMES Good?

VOLKER (grimacing) We'll see.

JAMES (into radio) We're ready up here.

SCOTT (over radio) Hopefully, we're clear down here.

[She arms the detonator.]

JAMES Fire in the hole!

[She presses the detonator. The explosion shakes the ground and a large segment of ground collapses.]

INT&mdash;CAVE

[There's now even more rubble where the cave has collapsed.]

JAMES (over radio, worried) Lieutenant, do you read?

SCOTT Yeah, we're still here. Doesn't look like that had the desired effect.

[The conversation switches between James and Scott.]

JAMES (sadly) No, sir. We just made things a lot worse. I'm sorry.

SCOTT No, it's not your fault, L.T. You did the best you could. No&hellip;you get your team back to the ship.

JAMES (desperately) Sir, we still have time&hellip;

VOLKER Not much.

[James stares at Volker.]

SCOTT (insistent) That was an order, Lieutenant. Go.

[James and her team leave.]

INT&mdash;GLORIA'S HOSPITAL ROOM

[Gloria lies in bed, weakened. Constance sits at her side. Constance spots Rush at the door and leaves the room. Rush sits at Gloria's bedside.]

GLORIA You're not here for me.

RUSH I've already been through this.

GLORIA No, you haven't. Not really.

RUSH I was here.

GLORIA You can't lie to yourself. You chose this memory, because it's one you'd rather just forget. What you need is here now, that's why you're here. It's not for me. You just want your answer.

RUSH I need an answer.

GLORIA You're dying.

RUSH I know.

GLORIA You'd rather die than fail? What have you become, Nicholas? The things you've done. That's not who you are, it's not you.

RUSH I always had it in me&hellip;to make the hard decisions. I have reasons. Good reasons.

GLORIA To hurt people? Are you sure? You tell yourself my death gave you courage. In truth, it made you callous. You're not the man I loved.

RUSH (softly) He died with you.

GLORIA I was never your conscience, Nicholas. You still have one of your own, you just need to listen to it. Some people live their whole lives and never find what we had. Don't let what happened to me change you this way. It's nobody's fault.

[He begins to weep.]

RUSH (brokenly) I know&hellip;I know that.

GLORIA It's one stupid gene, passed on to me by my mother, incapable of performing its one simple function&mdash;to repair damaged DNA.

[Rush stares in sudden realization. Gloria notices and smiles.]

GLORIA That's it, isn't it? That's why you're here?

[Rush looks up and spots the "exit" door in between windows to the exterior of the hospital room. He sighs.]

GLORIA Of course. Go.

[He kisses her hand, holding it close to him as he sobs.]

GLORIA (holding back tears) I know how much you loved me. Stop taking it out on everyone else.

RUSH (weeping) I haven't forgotten you, Gloria, and I never will.

INT&mdash;CHAIR ROOM

[The chair restraints retract. Rush leans forward, half-collapsing out of the chair.]

TJ Doctor Rush?

[Brody and Young reach out to brace Rush from falling.]

YOUNG Rush, now listen to me. We've got five minutes to stop this ship from jumping into FTL.

RUSH (bewildered) What?

YOUNG (insistent) People's lives are depending on it.

RUSH (weakly, collapsing back) I-can't-can't&hellip;I can't do that. I can't do that. I can't do anything about that.

[He bends over, groaning in pain. Brody and TJ help lower him to the footrest of the chair. Young leaves.]

INT&mdash;GATE ROOM

[Young enters. James's team are already in the gate room, standing as an honor guard. Riley is by the controls.]

[The conversation switches from Young to the cave.]

YOUNG Lt. Scott, can you hear me?

SCOTT Yes, sir.

YOUNG We can't stop it.

[Scott and the others exchange resigned looks.]

SCOTT Understood, sir. God be with you, Colonel&hellip;all of you.

YOUNG It's not over, son. Don't give up.

INT&mdash;CAVE

[The others all sigh.]

INT&mdash;CONTROL ROOM

[The Stargate shuts down. Young watches the Ancient timer count down to zero.]

EXT&mdash;SPACE

[Destiny enters faster than light.]

INT&mdash;CAVE

[Eli looks at the kino remote, watching the time.]

ELI They just jumped.

[They exchange sad looks.]

INT&mdash;CONTROL ROOM

[Young enters the control room, where Volker, Brody, and Rush are hard at work.]

YOUNG What are you doing out of the infirmary?

RUSH I got work to do, Colonel.

YOUNG How about solving the access code that's going to allow us to turn this ship around?

RUSH (chuckling mirthlessly) Well, funnily enough&hellip;

YOUNG I thought you didn't find anything.

RUSH I didn't say that. I said I couldn't stop the ship then and there. And even though it nearly killed me, I managed to find a clue which may give us control of this ship once and for all.

YOUNG A clue?

BRODY Forty-six.

YOUNG Well, that seems a little too simple.

RUSH It's the number of chromosomes in human DNA&mdash;genetic code.

YOUNG This helps us how?

VOLKER Well, we know in other cases with their later technologies that the Ancients used sensors that restricted access by detecting specific genetic markers.

BRODY The access code to the Destiny is not like that. It's definitely numerological. The problem we've had cracking it is that we had no basis, nowhere to start.

VOLKER We were just taking wild shots in the dark.

YOUNG And now?

RUSH Now, we know where to start. They used their own genetic code, likely a specific one. More evolved than ours, no doubt. But, all we have to do now is run through the variations.

BRODY We're still talking about billions of possibilities here.

RUSH I-I've written a program which is going to go through the permutations.

YOUNG So how long is this going to take?

RUSH Several days.

YOUNG (skeptical) Really?

VOLKER (scoffing) Or, several years.

RUSH Well, I was trying to be a little bit more optimistic.

YOUNG (wry, skeptical) That's a little different for you.

[He starts to leave. Rush shakes his head in aggravation.]

YOUNG Rush&hellip;all this, was it worth risking your life for?

RUSH (quietly) We'll see.

FADE OUT

END CREDITS

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