The Return, Part 2/Transcript

Episode Guide
SGA 3.11 "The Return Part 2" Episode Guide

Transcript
PREVIOUSLY ON STARGATE ATLANTIS

[Excerpts from 3.05 "Progeny" and 3.10 "The Return Part 1" are shown.]

TEASER

EXT&mdash;ATLANTIS, NIGHT

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS CORRIDOR

[Woolsey cowers in a corner of a darkened corridor. He hears a noise, gets up, and cautiously approaches, holding a pistol.]

WOOLSEY (whispering) General?

[He looks around the corner.]

WOOLSEY General!?

O'NEILL And if I'm a Replicator?

[Woolsey jumps back, startled, then looks chastened.]

WOOLSEY Then I've just exposed my position.

O'NEILL Again.

WOOLSEY I'm sorry. I'm not very good at this.

[O'Neill and Woolsey move back to where Woolsey had been before. O'Neill pulls out a power bar from his pocket and hands it to Woolsey.]

O'NEILL Here.

WOOLSEY Thank God! I'm starving!

[He starts eating the bar ravenously, then peers at O'Neill.]

WOOLSEY Was this all you could find?

O'NEILL (sarcastically) No. Actually there was a lovely buffet.

WOOLSEY How did the recon go?

O'NEILL Well, the Stargate Ops is crawlin with `em. There's no way we're gonna get across to the Jumper Bay.

WOOLSEY Are they looking for us?

O'NEILL I plum forgot to ask.

[O'Neill and Woolsey sit on the floor, against the corridor wall.]

WOOLSEY Well, as long as the life signs detectors aren't working in these damaged areas, we should be able to hold out until they rescue us.

O'NEILL Uh, Richard, there's not going to be a rescue.

WOOLSEY What?

O'NEILL Landry has standing orders to nuke the city if there's any sign of a foothold situation.

WOOLSEY What kind of a standing order is that?

O'NEILL Mine.

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS STARGATE OPERATIONS

[The Stargate activates.]

TALUS What's happening? Activate the shield.

[Cetus works some controls.]

CETUS I can't.

EXT&mdash;ATHOSIAN PLANET, NIGHT

[The puddle jumper hovers in front of the active Stargate.]

INT&mdash;PUDDLE JUMPER

MCKAY That's confirmation. The Gate shield is lowered.

SHEPPARD I hope this little plan of ours works.

MCKAY Yeah, you and me both.

EXT&mdash;ATHOSIAN PLANET, NIGHT

[The puddle jumper flies through the active wormhole.]

WORMHOLE EFFECT

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS GATE ROOM

[The puddle jumper flies into the Gate room via the wormhole. Its shields are active. Replicators immediately begin to fire on the ship from various positions.]

INT&mdash;PUDDLE JUMPER

SHEPPARD Authentication code Alpha Six Delta Charlie Niner. General O'Neill, Woolsey, do you copy?

[The scene switches between Sheppard's and O'Neill's locations as they communicate by radio.]

O'NEILL Sheppard? Is that you?

SHEPPARD Yes, sir. I need to know if you're anywhere near Stargate Operations.

O'NEILL No, we're not.

SHEPPARD (into radio) That's good. Can't talk right now, sir. Get back to you in a couple of hours. Sheppard, out. (to McKay) Drop the package.

[McKay presses some buttons.]

MCKAY Package is away.

SHEPPARD Hold on.

[The puddle jumper goes into reverse. The event horizon has already shut down, so the vessel flies back through the inactive Stargate and through the glass behind it.]

TALUS Follow me.

[Two replicators approach a black box sitting under where the puddle jumper was. It emits a beeping sound that becomes more rapid.]

EXT&mdash;ATLANTIS, NIGHT

[As the puddle jumper flies away, the tower housing Stargate Operations explodes into a fireball.]

INT&mdash;PUDDLE JUMPER

[Everyone looks on in amazement, and Ronon smiles.]

SHEPPARD That went well.

[Weir winces and shrugs.]

EXT&mdash;ATLANTIS, NIGHT

[The puddle jumper flies away from Atlantis.]

END TEASER

OPENING CREDITS

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS CORRIDOR

WOOLSEY That sounded like an explosion.

O'NEILL Because it was.

WOOLSEY Is Sheppard attacking the city?

O'NEILL He'd better be.

WOOLSEY Why can't he get back to us for two hours?

O'NEILL I don't know.

EXT&mdash;CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN, NIGHT

INT&mdash;SGC CONTROL ROOM

[Harriman sits at his station. Landry paces behind him.]

HARRIMAN It's coming up on 2300 hours, sir.

LANDRY I can see that, Chief.

HARRIMAN Yes, sir.

LANDRY I have to assume Sheppard heard my message and chose to ignore it.

HARRIMAN There's no way to be a hundred percent certain, sir, but&hellip;

LANDRY He heard me alright. They're already in Pegasus doing goodness knows what. Which leaves me no choice but to lock out their IDCs and invalidate their personal authentication codes.

HARRIMAN But, sir, if they're successful in rescuing&mdash;

LANDRY We have no way of knowing whether they've been successful or if they've been compromised. I have my standing orders, and I'm damned well going to follow them. Now, when you're done locking out those IDCs, have Doctor Lee report to my office.

HARRIMAN Yes, sir.

EXT&mdash;ATLANTIS PLANET

[The puddle jumper flies in space around the planet.]

INT&mdash;PUDDLE JUMPER

MCKAY It's good to be back, however briefly.

BECKETT I feel like I'm gonna be ill.

RONON Don't be.

WEIR All right, just take some deep breaths, Carson.

[Beckett sighs and nods.]

TEYLA Should we not have informed General O'Neill of our plan?

SHEPPARD He knows we're here. We'll contact him again as soon as we get closer to the city.

MCKAY Well, that is gonna be easier said than done. With all those hits we took, it's gonna be impossible for me to convert the shield back to a cloak.

SHEPPARD And by "impossible", you mean &hellip;

MCKAY I mean "not possible". What do you think I mean?

SHEPPARD Well, hopefully we took out the sensors when we blew the tower.

WEIR Well, you said they could rebuild remarkably fast. How long before they restore critical systems?

MCKAY (shrugging) Who knows? A couple of hours?

SHEPPARD There's the painting and redecorating.

MCKAY (inspired) If we time this right, this could work to our advantage.

[A panel beeps and the HUD appears in front of them, displaying something in space nearby.]

SHEPPARD Got him! Right where we left him!

[McKay checks his laptop computer.]

MCKAY That's him.

RONON Who else would it be?

MCKAY True. His power levels are barely registering. It's no wonder the Replicators didn't find him.

SHEPPARD All right, I'll swing around and pick him up. Watch yourselves, I'm closing the bulkhead.

[The bulkhead door closes behind Teyla and Ronon.]

EXT&mdash;SPACE

[The puddle jumper approaches Niam floating in space. The cargo door opens.]

INT&mdash;PUDDLE JUMPER

TEYLA Will we not be vulnerable to the same nanovirus with which Niam infected Elizabeth?

[Teyla, Ronon, and Weir exchange nervous looks. Beckett still looks ill.]

BECKETT He's been floating in space for over a month now. He's resting in such a harsh environment, direct solar radiation has severely diminished his power levels. We're fairly certain he's almost completely incapacitated.

RONON Is he dead?

MCKAY He's mostly dead. Besides, we don't have a choice. He's the key to our whole plan.

WEIR (nervously) All right. But if he even twitches&hellip;

RONON Don't worry.

[Ronon brandishes his weapon. Weir smiles.]

WEIR Thank you!

SHEPPARD Got him. Closing the rear hatch. (to Beckett) Take the seat.

[Sheppard joins Teyla and Ronon. Beckett replaces him in the pilot's chair.]

BECKETT The compartment's re-pressurized.

[McKay turns, a handheld computer at ready. The bulkhead door opens and Sheppard, Teyla, and Ronon all point the anti-replicator weapons at Niam. Niam lies sprawled on his back, looking frozen. They turn back to McKay, who winces and gets up to join them.]

MCKAY Okay, okay.

[McKay and Sheppard move closer to Niam. McKay starts scanning Niam.]

MCKAY Okay. Okay, this is good. His power levels are minimal but not too minimal. I'm fairly sure he doesn't have the juice to regain consciousness.

[Two of Niam's fingers move.]

MCKAY Wh-whoa!

[McKay stumbles back as Ronon and Sheppard stand at ready. Niam's fingers settle back. His chest rises and falls as if breathing.]

MCKAY I was fairly sure.

SHEPPARD Just&hellip;load the program.

[McKay more cautiously approaches with the handheld device.]

EXT&mdash;ATLANTIS, NIGHT

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS WORK STATION

TALUS Repairs are under way in Stargate Operations, but we have lost all main sensors.

CETUS We are trying to route all the telemetry through these terminals but they were not designed to take on so many systems.

TALUS We have stationed several observers around the city. If the gateship returns, we will detect it visually.

CETUS They communicated briefly with someone within the city. We'll send search parties here and here.

[He indicates places on a glass schematic of the city.]

TALUS All of the Ancients were killed. Their commander attempted to conceal that fact as I probed her mind.

CETUS There may have also been a small number of humans.

TALUS We would have detected them.

CETUS They may be hiding where the sensors are inoperable. If we want to capture the ones who attacked us, we must first capture those they came for.

INT&mdash;PUDDLE JUMPER

[Sheppard is crouched near McKay.]

SHEPPARD Well? Done yet?

MCKAY I think we're good to go.

SHEPPARD All right. I'll take us back.

[Sheppard gets up and moves to the pilot chair.]

WEIR Why don't we do this from here?

MCKAY Do what from here?

WEIR Render the Replicators helpless, Rodney? Remember the plan?

MCKAY Of course I remember the plan. It's my plan.

SHEPPARD Uh, actually, using Niam was Elizabeth's plan.

WEIR Thank you!

MCKAY It was mostly my plan. (muttering petulantly) It was my freezing program.

BECKETT You said they'd be frozen in place six or seven hours. Why not do it now?

MCKAY Because I've gotta keep Niam at nominal power levels, otherwise we risk him waking up. Look, low power means short range. Short range means we need to get closer.

TEYLA How much closer?

MCKAY Much.

RONON With no cloak?

MCKAY No cloak.

SHEPPARD Good to be back home, huh?

WEIR Hmph. There's no place like it.

INT&mdash;LANDRY'S OFFICE

[Landry is seated behind his desk. Lee enters and sits in one of the chairs.]

LEE I realize I was duped, General, but they were incredible. It was like a scene out of The Sting.

LANDRY Calm down, Bill. That's not why I brought you in here.

LEE (continuing) In my defense, this was obviously something they had planned for a long time&mdash;

LANDRY Forget about it. I'd like to know your opinion on the best way to disable the Gate Bridge between galaxies.

LEE (blankly) We just finished building that.

LANDRY I'm aware of that.

LEE Okay. Uh, well, umm, I-I suppose if one were to detonate a Mark Nine at the midway station, that'd pretty much do it.

LANDRY I thought so. I'd like you to supervise the preparation of a Mark Nine to keep our options open.

[Lee slumps back in his chair.]

LEE Ah. You know, you could always dismantle it. Of course, it would take a bit more time.

LANDRY Which we may not have.

[Landry stands, but Lee remains slumped in the chair.]

LEE (shocked) Wow. Th-that is such a shame.

[Lee stays seated in the chair, lost in thought.]

LANDRY Doctor, why are you still in my office?

LEE (abashed) Uh, right.

[Lee quickly exits.]

EXT&mdash;ATLANTIS, NIGHT

[The puddle jumper flies towards the city.]

INT&mdash;PUDDLE JUMPER

SHEPPARD All right, we're about a mile out.

MCKAY Okay, I'll start broadcasting the virus now, but, uh, we're gonna need to get closer than that.

EXT&mdash;ATLANTIS

[A replicator standing guard on a balcony spots the ship. In another part of the city, a hatch opens, and five drones fly out, heading towards the puddle jumper.]

INT&mdash;PUDDLE JUMPER

TEYLA Drones!

SHEPPARD McKay!

MCKAY We're still not close enough.

SHEPPARD Hang on!

EXT&mdash;ATLANTIS, NIGHT

[Sheppard flies the puddle jumper through the city in an evasive pattern, dodging the four drones chasing them as they maneuver past the various buildings. Sheppard is able to have some detonate against other buildings, but some are still on their tail.]

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS CORRIDOR

[Woolsey and O'Neill can hear the drones exploding.]

WOOLSEY That sounded like another explosion.

O'NEILL Yes. Yes, it did.

WOOLSEY What does that mean?

O'NEILL Something exploded.

WOOLSEY But is it Sheppard attacking the Replicators, or the Replicators attacking Sheppard?

O'NEILL We'll find out!

WOOLSEY How did they even get here? Through the Gate?

O'NEILL I've been sitting next to you through the whole thing. Why do you think I have more information?

[Woolsey drops his pistol and shrugs off his loosened tie in frustration.]

WOOLSEY Look, I told you I wasn't good at this.

O'NEILL He said he'd be back in a couple of hours. That gives him a good&hellip; (checking watch) &hellip;eleven seconds.

[Another explosion happens, rocking the corridor.]

WOOLSEY What was that?

INT&mdash;PUDDLE JUMPER

WEIR If we keep this up, there won't be much of a city left to save.

SHEPPARD (annoyed) I'll try to run the drones into your least favorite buildings. McKay!

MCKAY It should be working.

BECKETT Well, it's not working!

MCKAY Well, if I give him any more power, he'll wake up and kill us all!

RONON (bitingly, to McKay) Sheppard can't keep this up forever.

EXT&mdash;ATLANTIS, DAY

[One of the drones strikes the puddle jumper on its starboard side, though shields cushion the impact.]

INT&mdash;PUDDLE JUMPER

TEYLA Shields have been damaged.

SHEPPARD Alright, I've had enough. I've got a different idea.

EXT&mdash;ATLANTIS, NIGHT

[The puddle jumper engines retracts and it dives into the ocean. The drones do not follow.]

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS CORRIDOR

WOOLSEY They're overdue.

O'NEILL Not yet.

WOOLSEY It's been well over eleven seconds.

O'NEILL Yes. But you've been ignoring the dramatic element of&hellip;suspense.

SHEPPARD (over radio) General O'Neill, are you there, sir?

O'NEILL See?

WOOLSEY Oh, thank God!

O'NEILL (into radio) Yes, we're here. You're late.

INT&mdash;PUDDLE JUMPER

SHEPPARD Sorry, sir. Had to go into space and pick up some&hellip;frozen goods.

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS CORRIDOR

[O'Neill and Woolsey exchange looks.]

O'NEILL (into radio) Whatever. Where are you now?

INT&mdash;PUDDLE JUMPER

SHEPPARD We're not exactly inside the city yet. We're headed toward an underwater Jumper Bay.

EXT&mdash;OCEAN, NIGHT

[The jumper moves through the water.]

INT&mdash;PUDDLE JUMPER

WEIR Well, what we think may be an underwater Jumper Bay.

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS CORRIDOR

O'NEILL Is that Doctor Weir I hear?

INT&mdash;PUDDLE JUMPER

WEIR Yes, General. It's good to hear your voice too.

O'NEILL (over radio) I didn't say it was good, Elizabeth. Please, don't be offended as I express my "surprise" that Landry would send you on a mission like this.

WEIR Well, sir, General Landry didn't sanction this mission.

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS CORRIDOR

O'NEILL So, am I to assume you are not surrounded by heavily-armed SG teams and young strapping marines?

INT&mdash;PUDDLE JUMPER

WEIR You've got Colonel Sheppard, Ronon, Teyla, McKay, myself, and Doctor Beckett.

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS CORRIDOR

O'NEILL (sarcastically) Woo! Doctor Beckett, is it? Well, I'm comforted.

INT&mdash;PUDDLE JUMPER

BECKETT What's that supposed to mean?

[Weir shakes her head.]

MCKAY Okay, ready to open the lock.

SHEPPARD We've got a plan, sir, a&hellip;good one.

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS CORRIDOR

O'NEILL Yes, Colonel, I'm sure you do. But in the unlikely event you don't fail miserably, you're fired.

INT&mdash;PUDDLE JUMPER

SHEPPARD Yes, sir. Look&hellip;forward to that.

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS CORRIDOR

O'NEILL They have a plan.

WOOLSEY (without confidence) I heard.

INT&mdash;PUDDLE JUMPER

[Through the window, it can be seen that Sheppard is maneuvering the jumper into an underwater bay.]

BECKETT (quietly) Careful.

SHEPPARD Thanks, Doc!

MCKAY Okay, closing the outer door. Yes. Now, I just have to pressurize the compartment and we are&hellip;

[The computer beeps. McKay looks surprised.]

MCKAY Huh?

SHEPPARD What?

MCKAY It's not letting me do it.

BECKETT The water's not draining out.

MCKAY Yeah, excellent observation, thank you.

[Weir steps to the rear of the puddle jumper.]

WEIR It is, however, draining in.

[McKay looks over in dread.]

MCKAY Oh, not again.

[Sheppard gets up to look at the leaks. Beckett immediately mans the pilot chair.]

SHEPPARD Well, guess we took some damage.

MCKAY (panicking) I just want to point out that this was not my idea.

SHEPPARD You said, "Get us close to the city." This is pretty damned close!

MCKAY And yet, no cigar!

SHEPPARD All right. Just open up the outer doors. I'll figure something else out.

MCKAY Right.

[More beeps from the computer.]

MCKAY Oh&hellip;dear.

WEIR What?

MCKAY I don't think I'm gonna be able to open the outer door.

WEIR Why not?

MCKAY I think it might be jammed.

SHEPPARD "Might?"

MCKAY Okay, "is".

SHEPPARD (irritated) Well, that's unfortunate.

MCKAY Yeah, I'd have to agree with you on that.

SHEPPARD This part of the plan isn't going so well.

INT&mdash;JUMPER BAY

[The bay is still filled with water.]

INT&mdash;PUDDLE JUMPER

WEIR There must be a manual override somewhere.

MCKAY In the bay's control room, yes.

SHEPPARD Okay, I'll swim to it.

[Sheppard reaches up to check something on the ceiling.]

MCKAY &hellip;which is sealed from the other side.

SHEPPARD Of course it is!

TEYLA Perhaps General O'Neill can reach it.

MCKAY Good. Okay, give me half an hour to get Niam to the right power level, so we can do this.

SHEPPARD We've got more than one fracture. We don't have that kind of time. (into radio) General O'Neill? We're gonna need a favor.

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS CORRIDOR, ONE LEVEL ABOVE JUMPER BAY

[Woolsey and O'Neill head towards a hatch with ladder access to the next level.]

[The conversation switches between McKay in the jumper and the others in the corridor.]

MCKAY (over radio) Okay, there should be a hatch leading down to the next level. Do you see it?

O'NEILL Yep. Sure do. We see it.

MCKAY The Control Room should be almost directly below.

[Woolsey and O'Neill look down into the hatch and exchange looks.]

O'NEILL Okay, slight problem here.

MCKAY What's that?

O'NEILL Well, the level below is completely flooded, too.

MCKAY Ah. I, uh, couldn't convince you to take a swim today, could I?

[O'Neill sighs. He hands his P-90 over to Woolsey and takes off his outer fatigue shirt and boots.]

O'NEILL All right. If you hear something, don't call out to it. Shoot it.

WOOLSEY Understood.

O'NEILL Anything that's not me is a Replicator, so don't hesitate.

WOOLSEY (nervously) You won't be gone long, will you?

O'NEILL Uh, kinda depends on the temperature of the water. Let's see.

[He dips a toe into the water and yanks it out quickly.]

O'NEILL Not long.

O'NEILL (into radio) McKay? What do I do once I get down there?

MCKAY It's a manual override. It should be in the center of the console. It'll be obvious once you get in there.

O'NEILL (into radio) All right.

WOOLSEY Good luck.

O'NEILL Thank you.

[O'Neill sets the radio down on the railing and starts climbing down the ladder. He takes several deep breaths.]

O'NEILL All right, here we go.

INT&mdash;FLOODED CONTROL CHAMBER

[O'Neill dives under and starts swimming towards the control room. It is the second room after the hatch. O'Neill can see the jumpers in the bay. He swims around a station in the center of the control room. There is a panel on each of four sides, and all are filled with buttons, knobs, and levers. O'Neill looks nonplussed, then heads back to get more air. He surfaces with a gasp to find Woolsey waiting.]

WOOLSEY Did you do it?

O'NEILL (gasping) Radio.

[Woolsey reaches for the radio and hands it to O'Neill.]

O'NEILL (into radio) McKay.

MCKAY (over radio) Did you do it?

O'NEILL (angry) You and I have very different ideas of what "obvious" is.

INT&mdash;PUDDLE JUMPER

MCKAY Well, I've never seen it before!

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS CORRIDOR, ONE LEVEL ABOVE JUMPER BAY

O'NEILL There are dozens of controls down there I wouldn't even know how to describe!

INT&mdash;PUDDLE JUMPER

MCKAY Well, it's an emergency control. It should be among the most prominent.

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS CORRIDOR, ONE LEVEL ABOVE JUMPER BAY

O'NEILL God.

INT&mdash;FLOODED CONTROL CHAMBER

[O'Neill dives again and enters the control chamber. He finds a lever and tries it. It controls the door he used. It closes. Panicked he keeps pulling the lever, then the one next to it. The door opens slightly. He goes to the other side and finds another lever. He pulls that and water starts to drain out of the jumper bay. He turns to leave, but the lever snaps back up, stopping the procedure. O'Neill has been underwater too long. He goes to the door and has to physically pry it open enough to get out.]

[On the surface, Woolsey keeps checking his watch. O'Neill surfaces.]

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS CORRIDOR, ONE LEVEL ABOVE JUMPER BAY

WOOLSEY God, you can hold your breath a long time! You almost gave me a heart attack!

O'NEILL (coughing) Me too.

MCKAY (over radio) General. It sounded like you had the right control. Why did you stop?

O'NEILL (into radio) It's a dead man's switch. I have to hold it in place.

INT&mdash;PUDDLE JUMPER

MCKAY (into radio) I had no idea.

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS CORRIDOR, ONE LEVEL ABOVE JUMPER BAY

O'NEILL (sarcastically, into radio) Really?

O'NEILL Oh, God.

INT&mdash;FLOODED CONTROL CHAMBER

[He dives again and heads directly to the lever, holding it down.]

INT&mdash;PUDDLE JUMPER

[The team sees the water level lowering.]

MCKAY He's doing it! He's almost got it!

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS CORRIDOR, ONE LEVEL ABOVE JUMPER BAY

[Woolsey hears footsteps approaching.]

MCKAY (over radio) Tell him, like, thirty more seconds and we're &hellip;

[Woolsey quickly shuts off the radio so no one can hear. He turns to the corridor, holding his rifle.]

WOOLSEY I can do this.

[Under water, O'Neill sits still with his eyes closed, holding the control.]

INT&mdash;PUDDLE JUMPER

[Sheppard and Ronon are passing out weapons.]

MCKAY (into radio) Woolsey? Woolsey, come in.

SHEPPARD Something's wrong. (he lowers the cargo hold door) McKay, you stay here and reprogram Niam. We're gonna go meet General O'Neill and Woolsey, all right? We'll wait for your okay.

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS CORRIDOR, ONE LEVEL ABOVE JUMPER BAY

[O'Neill breaks the surface again, looking triumphant.]

O'NEILL Woo! Yeah!

[He looks up to see weapons pointed at him by two replicators. More are holding Woolsey captive.]

REPLICATOR Don't&hellip;move!

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS BRIG

[Woolsey and O'Neill are marched into the brig, the Replicators holding them by painful grips to the shoulders. When in the room, they are released.]

O'NEILL (wincing) Ow!

TALUS Where are the others?

[Woolsey and O'Neill exchange looks.]

O'NEILL What&hellip;others?

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS CORRIDOR

[Sheppard and the others find several discharged cartridges from where Woolsey must have tried to hold back the replicators before capture.]

TEYLA They have been captured?

SHEPPARD Yeah, it looks like.

WEIR Which means their minds will be probed for information any minute now.

INT&mdash;PUDDLE JUMPER

SHEPPARD (over radio) McKay, fire up that virus.

MCKAY I am working as fast as I can.

SHEPPARD The Replicators have O'Neill and Woolsey.

MCKAY Unfortunately, that information can't make me work any faster.

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS CORRIDOR

[Sheppard groans.]

SHEPPARD This way.

[The team heads out.]

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS BRIG

CETUS What were you doing in the flooded sections of the city?

O'NEILL The backstroke, I think.

TALUS What are you planning?

O'NEILL Well, I was planning to retire, but, man, is that overrated. I mean, it's not like I'm a workaholic or anything, but, you know, I like to stay active&hellip;with the community. It's-it's a health maintenance sort of thing, you know?

[The replicators hold Woolsey and O'Neill as Talus and Cetus approach.]

O'NEILL I don't like where this is going.

WOOLSEY What are they doing?

[Talus and Cetus place their hands into O'Neill's and Woolsey's heads.]

INT&mdash;O'NEILL'S SUBCONSCIOUS

[O'Neill and Talus stand on the ramp of the Gate room, an active wormhole beside them.]

O'NEILL Whatcha doin'?

TALUS Probing your mind.

O'NEILL Kinda roomy, ain't it?

TALUS Your ability to resist is quite remarkable, General O'Neill.

O'NEILL (smiling) It's not the first time I've had a hand in my head, as it were.

TALUS If you do not give me what I am looking for, I am sure Richard Woolsey will.

O'NEILL I'll tell you what, you look around, and I'll tell you if you're gettin' warmer or colder, alright?

[Talus's expression changes to one of satisfaction.]

TALUS Ah. There it is.

O'NEILL (unhappily) So&hellip;hot, I guess.

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS BRIG

[They release Woolsey and O'Neill, who cry out in pain.]

WOOLSEY That was the worst thing I've ever experienced.

[O'Neill puts a hand on Woolsey's shoulder.]

O'NEILL Yeah. It gets worse.

INT&mdash;PUDDLE JUMPER

MCKAY Okay, if I&hellip;that should&hellip; Yeah. Okay, yes. Stand by. (into radio) I've got his power levels about as high as I'm comfortable with. I'm gonna try to get him to &hellip;

[McKay suddenly senses something and turns around. Niam stands behind him, fully conscious.]

NIAM You've been warned about tampering with our base code, Doctor. You won't get a second chance.

[McKay fumbles for the ARG and is able to reach it and fire before Niam can touch him.]

SHEPPARD (over radio) McKay? Come in, McKay.

MCKAY (panicked) Fall back to the Jumper! We're gonna need a new plan.

EXT&mdash;ATLANTIS, NIGHT

INT&mdash;PUDDLE JUMPER

[The rest of the team have joined McKay in the jumper. Sheppard studies the broken replicator blocks from where Niam disintegrated.]

WEIR He just came to life?

RONON They must have got to O'Neill and Woolsey.

SHEPPARD O'Neill would've never given us away.

TEYLA Obviously their minds were probed.

SHEPPARD Well, they know we're here and how we got in.

MCKAY Which is how they were able to reactivate Niam, which pretty much screws Plan A.

BECKETT Could you activate the freezing program another way?

MCKAY No. I need to load the program directly into a Replicator and spread it that way.

WEIR All right, so that plan's out the window. We need another one.

RONON Well, these weapons blow them apart, right? I say we just start killing `em.

MCKAY Well, normally I would share your run-and-gun enthusiasm, but these weapons are only gonna work for so long before they manage to identify the frequency they use to disrupt the bonds that hold the Replicators together.

RONON What'd he say?

SHEPPARD They build up an immunity.

MCKAY Exactly. Look, the freezing plan would have worked because they would be unable to communicate with each other while we were blasting them, but the more we shoot, the greater the likelihood these weapons are gonna become ineffective.

WEIR Okay, so what are our options?

RONON I just gave you one.

SHEPPARD We'll call that&hellip;Plan B.

WEIR Anyone for a Plan C?

MCKAY (snapping his fingers) C-4. How much do we have?

SHEPPARD A bunch. Why?

MCKAY Well, it's desperate&hellip;

WEIR Well, so are we.

MCKAY We need to split into groups.

SHEPPARD I was gonna suggest that anyway. Why? What are you thinking?

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS WORKSTATION

CETUS We far outnumber them. If we conduct a search&hellip;

TALUS We will be able to locate them more effectively once repairs are complete.

CETUS The damage was severe. We had to dismantle our ship to provide the raw materials.

TALUS Once repaired, Atlantis will be all the ship we need.

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS BRIG

[Woolsey and O'Neill sleep. McKay and Sheppard enter the room, destroy the Replicator guard, and approach the cell.]

O'NEILL Well, it's about time!

WOOLSEY Oh, thank God!

SHEPPARD Alright, get 'em out of here. I'll stand guard.

[Sheppard stands by the entrance to the room. McKay uses his handheld computer and tries to work on the door controls. O'Neill appears very irritated, Woolsey relieved.]

O'NEILL Hey! "Thanks for the rescue!"

MCKAY Oh, hey! No problem.

O'NEILL No! You should be saying: "thanks for the rescue"!

[He points to himself.]

MCKAY (contrite) Oh! Uh, right. Thanks. Should have you outta there in no time. This won't take long at all. (His face falls.) Oh, my. They've changed the codes.

WOOLSEY But you can crack it, right? You need to get us out of here.

MCKAY Yeah, of course I can. Just give me like one&hellip;two seconds.

O'NEILL So I guess that frozen Replicator plan didn't pan out?

MCKAY Yeah, not-not so much.

O'NEILL (still irritated) How's that Plan B working for ya? Good?

MCKAY Actually, it's more like Plan C. "C" as in C-4, if you catch my drift.

O'NEILL No.

MCKAY Let's just say that we're concerned the Daedalus won't be able to carry out your standing orders.

WOOLSEY What?!? To destroy Atlantis with nuclear weapons? I thought we were past that! Why are we going back to that?

MCKAY Yeah, it's the only way.

O'NEILL Can you do that?

MCKAY Yeah. If we plant charges in all ten of the shield emitters before the Daedalus arrives, that way when the Replicators try to activate the shield&hellip;

WOOLSEY The C-4 detonates, the Daedalus beams a warhead into the city, and we all get vaporized.

O'NEILL Sounds more like a Plan F, doesn't it? As in: "we are totally f&mdash;

MCKAY (interrupting) If we can fight our way back to the bay, then we'll be able to fly the jumper to a safe distance. That is, if we can get the underwater bay door open.

O'NEILL You can't even open this door!

MCKAY (defensively) Hey, I'm workin' in it!

O'NEILL Yes. I see that.

SHEPPARD We got company. (to O'Neill) Sorry, sir, we're gonna have to come back for you.

MCKAY No-no-no-no-no-no, we can't leave them here. They know too much.

SHEPPARD What'd you tell `em?

MCKAY Uh, uh, I mean, they guessed most of it.

[Sheppard smacks McKay in the back of the head.]

SHEPPARD What, and you filled in the rest?!

MCKAY I thought I would have time to get them out of here! (to O'Neill) Look, just forget what I said.

[O'Neill has been watching this exchange shrewdly.]

O'NEILL Sheppard, get out of here while you still can. That's an order.

SHEPPARD Sorry it has to be this way.

O'NEILL Yeah, I get it. Go.

WOOLSEY (resigned) So, we're back to being vaporized.

EXT&mdash;CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN, DAY

INT&mdash;SGC CONTROL ROOM

[The Stargate is active. Landry enters the room and stands by Harriman's station.]

LANDRY What is it, Chief?

HARRIMAN We're receiving a subspace data burst via midway in the Alpha Site. Daedalus is holding station at their failsafe point and awaiting your order.

LANDRY Reply to Colonel Caldwell that General O'Neill's order stands. Atlantis is to be destroyed at all costs.

HARRIMAN Yes, sir.

EXT&mdash;ATLANTIS, DAWN

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS SHIELD EMITTER

BECKETT Done &hellip; and done.

TEYLA Good. We are well ahead of schedule.

BECKETT Perfect. Now let's find some place out of the way and wait for this thing to be over.

INT&mdash;ANOTHER ATLANTIS SHIELD EMITTER

RONON Come on. One more to go.

WEIR Almost done. We haven't run into a single Replicator.

RONON I know. It's weird.

WEIR Woolsey and O'Neill said that there are hundreds of them. Where are they?

RONON Let's go.

INT&mdash;ANOTHER ATLANTIS SHIELD EMITTER

MCKAY Okay, that should do it.

SHEPPARD One more to go&hellip;

MCKAY &hellip;And it's all over but the crying.

SHEPPARD Hopefully them, not us.

[There is a sharp noise and then a humming.]

MCKAY What the hell?

[He starts looking at the readout screens.]

MCKAY No wonder they weren't coming after us. They've been busy repairing the city.

SHEPPARD What is that?

MCKAY They brought their ZPMs to power the stardrive.

SHEPPARD So that sound is..?

MCKAY The city about to take off.

EXT&mdash;ATLANTIS, DAWN

[The city starts to rise.]

INT&mdash;ANOTHER ATLANTIS SHIELD EMITTER

MCKAY Time to start crying.

SHEPPARD They'll still have to activate the shield to take off, won't they? We got most of their emitters.

MCKAY Yeah, "most" ain't gonna cut it. For this plan to work, it is all or nothing.

SHEPPARD What do they want to fly around for?

MCKAY Well, maybe they wanna fly home, back to their homeworld.

SHEPPARD And take on the Daedalus. Well, how are we gonna stop 'em?

MCKAY Well, I&hellip;

SHEPPARD Drones. They fired drones at us. That means the Chair is active and powered.

MCKAY You wanna fire drones at the city? We're nowhere near the Chair!

SHEPPARD But Teyla and Beckett are.

[He reaches for his radio.]

INT&mdash;ANOTHER ATLANTIS SHIELD EMITTER

[The scene switches between Teyla/Beckett and SHeppard/McKay.]

BECKETT (into radio) You want me to do what?!

SHEPPARD (into radio) Just do what I say.

BECKETT All right, I'll give it a try. But no apologies if I happen to destroy the entire bloody city.

SHEPPARD Stardrive, Carson. Concentrate on the stardrive.

BECKETT (sighing) Right.

SHEPPARD And, Teyla, you may have to fight your way in.

TEYLA I'm ready, Colonel.

SHEPPARD Use your ARG sparingly. They may build up an immunity. You may have to go to Plan &hellip; B.

BECKETT Okay. Which one's that, again?

[McKay rolls his eyes.]

SHEPPARD (into radio) Never mind. Just go.

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS CHAIR ROOM

[Teyla enters and destroys the four guards there with two ARGs.]

TEYLA Clear.

[Beckett enters and approaches the chair.]

BECKETT Thank you, dear.

TEYLA Hurry.

[He sits in the chair and activates it.]

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS CONTROL ROOM

[The hole in the window is still present where the Puddle Jumper escaped, but another window has appeared behind it. Everything else looks fine. The Replicators return to the controls.]

CETUS They've taken out the guards in the Chair Room.

[They notice a display lighting.]

TALUS What are they doing?

INT&mdash;CHAIR ROOM

[Beckett scrunches his face in concentration.]

EXT&mdash;ATLANTIS, DAWN

[Drones come out through a tube in the city. The three drones rise and then fall.]

INT&mdash;CHAIR ROOM

[Beckett concentrates.]

EXT&mdash;ATLANTIS, DAWN

[The drones go underwater and head underneath the city.]

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS CONTROL ROOM

[The room rocks from an explosion. Talus indicates some Replicators should go respond.]

CETUS They've hit the stardrive.

TALUS A search and destroy team is on their way to the Chair Room now.

CETUS Make sure they understand we need them alive.

[Telus leaves.]

INT&mdash;CHAIR ROOM

TEYLA Beckett!

[Beckett fumbles to get out the chair and raise his sidearm, but by the team he positions himself, Teyla has been stunned, and Beckett is outnumbered. He slowly lowers his sidearm and kneels in surrender.]

BECKETT Okay, lads, easy. Easy.

[Replicators grab Beckett and manhandle him and Teyla out of the room.]

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS SHIELD EMITTER

[Ronon and Weir finish as Replicators arrive. One grabs Weir as Ronon loses a fight with two others.]

INT&mdash;ANOTHER ATLANTIS SHIELD EMITTER

[Sheppard and McKay finish up and are instantly surrounded by Replicators.]

SHEPPARD And I was so sure we were gonna survive this one.

MCKAY Me too.

[They surrender and are led away.]

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS BRIG

[McKay and Sheppard are thrown into a cell where the rest of the rescue team are.]

REPLICATOR Bring the prisoners from the other cell.

[Some Replicators leave.]

SHEPPARD Everyone okay?

WEIR So far.

BECKETT I'll be fine.

RONON Why aren't we dead yet?

SHEPPARD Probably saving us for a little recreational mind-probing. Did everyone get the&hellip;?

TEYLA (quickly speaking) We completed our task.

WEIR So did we. In the nick of time.

RONON (to Sheppard) You?

MCKAY Yeah. Just under the wire.

[Woolsey and O'Neill are led into the cell. Talus stands at the doorway.]

TALUS Did you really think you'd be able to stop us?

SHEPPARD Well, of course we did. Why else would we be here?

O'NEILL Colonel? Am I gonna have to fire you?

SHEPPARD No, sir. I think you'll have that to look forward to when we get back.

TALUS I'm afraid your plan has been discovered, Colonel Sheppard. It is over.

[Talus glances at Woolsey, and everyone stares at him.]

WOOLSEY (protesting) He put his hand in my forehead. How can you resist that?

O'NEILL Well, I like to close my eyes and think of England.

TALUS Mr. Woolsey informed us of everything we need to know. All of your C-4 has been removed from the emitters. I'm afraid they won't be destroyed when the Daedalus arrives&hellip;which should be in any moment. Your plan has failed.

[Another Replicator holds out the C-4 they've collected. Weir looks disappointed.]

CETUS (over intercom) Talus. The Daedalus is approaching the planet.

TALUS (over intercom) As expected. Activate the shield.

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS CONTROL ROOM

[Cetus presses the button.]

REWIND EFFECT TO EARLIER

INT&mdash;PUDDLE JUMPER, EARLIER

MCKAY (snapping his fingers) C-4. How much do we have?

SHEPPARD A bunch. Why?

MCKAY Well, it's desperate&hellip;

WEIR Well, so are we.

MCKAY We need to split into groups.

SHEPPARD I was gonna suggest that anyway. Why? What are you thinking?

MCKAY If we're gonna destroy these guys using Replicator disruptors, we have to hit them all at once. We'll probably only get a dozen or so shots off before they manage to figure out the frequency.

SHEPPARD So, what, you gonna get 'em all to stand in one place at the same time?

MCKAY Clever, yes. Or we could figure out a way to send one massive blast through the city. Look, follow me.

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS SHIELD EMITTER, EARLIER

[McKay is showing the inside of an emitter to the others, demonstrating while he speaks.]

MCKAY Atlantis has ten of these emitters with which it creates the city's shields. So, if we can interface the crystals from the disrupter weapons with those of the shield emitters, we should be able to trigger a massive anti-Replicator wave throughout the city.

SHEPPARD Okay, that's where splitting into teams comes in.

MCKAY Exactly. Now, I need to show you how to do this, so listen carefully. You slide out the crystal tray, you take the crystal from the Replicator weapon, you place it in the third slot from the right. Third symbol from the left activates the crystal tray. Clear on that? Great.

[While McKay speaks, he replaces the crystal and activates the tray.]

[The team starts walking away from the emitter.]

TEYLA They are bound to find one of our groups working on the shield emitters.

MCKAY I already thought of that. That's what the C-4's for.

RONON We blow them up?

MCKAY No. We feed them misinformation.

SHEPPARD All right. (holding up an ARG) Once you guys have made all your alterations, avoid using your shiny new toys even if that means getting caught, okay?

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS BRIG, EARLIER

MCKAY If we plant charges in all ten of the shield emitters before the Daedalus arrives, that way when the Replicators try to activate the shield&hellip;

WOOLSEY (realizing) The C-4 detonates, the Daedalus beams a warhead into the city, and we all get vaporized.

O'NEILL That sounds more like a Plan F, doesn't it?

INT&mdash;CORRIDOR OUTSIDE ATLANTIS BRIG, EARLIER

[Sheppard and McKay move away from the brig.]

SHEPPARD General O'Neill didn't buy it, but I think Woolsey did.

MCKAY Well, I did win a Sears drama festival award when I was a kid. Could have made it a career if I wanted to.

SHEPPARD Wish you would've.

MCKAY Hmm?

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS BRIG, EARLIER

[Cetus and Talus again probe Woolsey's and O'Neill's minds.]

CETUS We need to get to the shield emitter stations. Remove the C-4 explosive you find there.

O'NEILL Way to resist.

WOOLSEY I said I wasn't good at this!

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS BRIG, PRESENT

CETUS (over comm) Talus, the Daedalus is approaching the planet.

TALUS As expected. Activate the shield.

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS OPERATIONS CENTER

[Cetus activates the shield.]

EXT&mdash;ATLANTIS, DAY

[The shield raises, and also sends an anti-replicator wave flowing down through the levels of the city. Everywhere replicators disintegrate, including those in the brig.]

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS BRIG

MCKAY Ha! It worked! I can't believe it worked!

WEIR (proudly) Rodney, amazing.

MCKAY Well, it was-it was a group effort.

SHEPPARD Good old Plan D. Works every time. You guys stay here a sec.

[Sheppard and Ronon leave to investigate.]

WOOLSEY Excuse me, but what just happened?

MCKAY We turned the shield into a giant Replicator weapon.

O'NEILL I knew that!

WOOLSEY You knew?

O'NEILL Well, I've seen Carter crack enough codes to know that McKay was faking the door thing.

WOOLSEY He was? I bought it completely.

TEYLA I believe that was the point.

WOOLSEY Wait a minute, you-you used me?

BECKETT You're alive, and you're welcome.

[Ronon reenters the room.]

RONON Hey, we're clear.

WEIR Okay, we've gotta get to the Control Room and contact the Daedalus.

[The start leaving.]

O'NEILL You see, Richard? You were good for something.

WOOLSEY (mildly comforted) Thanks.

EXT&mdash;SPACE

[The Daedalus moves through hyperspace.]

INT&mdash;DAEDALUS BRIDGE

KLEINMAN Sir. I have an incoming message from Atlantis.

CALDWELL Atlantis? Is it Replicators?

KLEINMAN No, sir. It has Colonel Sheppard's authentication code.

CALDWELL Open a channel. (into comm) Colonel, I'd like to believe this is you.

SHEPPARD Well, it is. Authentication code Alpha Delta Charlie Niner Six.

CALDWELL That code is no longer valid, Colonel.

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS STARGATE OPERATIONS CENTER

O'NEILL Hey, Caldwell. General Jack O'Neill here. That valid enough for you?

INT&mdash;DAEDALUS BRIDGE

CALDWELL You may have been compromised, sir.

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS STARGATE OPERATIONS CENTER

WEIR We're lowering the city's shields, Steven. You can send a team to come check us out if you need to. We'll explain everything.

INT&mdash;DAEDALUS BRIDGE

CALDWELL Get a team of marines ready to beam down.

KLEINMAN Sir.

CALDWELL Should be an interesting explanation.

INT&mdash;WEIR'S OFFICE

[Weir looks around the empty room. O'Neill enters.]

O'NEILL Getting all settled in?

WEIR Easily. Although their decorating..? Little bit spartan for my liking. But the Replicators did do a fine job on rebuilding Stargate Operations back to its original state. How about yourself? Do you check out okay?

O'NEILL Apparently I don't have any little tiny robots floating in my bloodstream, which is always nice to hear.

[O'Neill and Weir share commiserating looks.]

WEIR Huh! That it is. So what now?

O'NEILL Oh, a jumper ride home to the SGC, followed by a hot shower, followed by a hot toddy, followed by&hellip;

WEIR I was thinking a&hellip;little more selfishly. What are the chances of my team staying here in Atlantis?

[O'Neill sighs.]

O'NEILL Oh. Elizabeth, if it were up to me, I'd&mdash;

WEIR It is up to you.

O'NEILL Right. (after a pause) You can stay.

WEIR Really?

O'NEILL You're probably still gonna have to get the rubber stamp from the IOA, but since you saved Woolsey's ass and you did a fair job on mine, I don't think that'll be a problem.

WEIR Well, I think I speak for all of us when I say thank you very much.

O'NEILL Hey, you came back to rescue me.

WEIR Hmm! Yes, we did.

O'NEILL Of course, next time, consider bringing Carter with you.

[She smiles.]

O'NEILL Welcome home.

[Weir is overcome with emotion and hugs O'Neill. O'Neill is taken aback at first, then hesitantly returns the hug.]

EXT&mdash;ATLANTIS, DUSK

FADE OUT

END CREDITS

Transcribed for Solutions by Aurora Novarum, June 2008.

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