Quarantine/Transcript

Episode Guide
Quarantine" Episode Guide

Transcript
TEASER

INT&mdash;MCKAY'S LAB

[Sheppard watches the applause for the ending of a computer golf game on one console as McKay fidgets and grooms himself nearby.]

SHEPPARD Come on, dude, one more round.

MCKAY Nope, I can't.

SHEPPARD We don't have to do eighteen. We can do nine, easy course, par three.

MCKAY Nope, Katie's expecting me.

SHEPPARD Well, be late. Women like it when guys are late.

[McKay stops his grooming and walks over, looking pleased.]

MCKAY No, they don't. And I can't be late&mdash;not for this lunch.

SHEPPARD Why's that?

MCKAY Can you keep a secret?

SHEPPARD No.

MCKAY (not listening) Right. I, uh, I got this&hellip;on my last trip to Earth.

[He shows Sheppard a ring, still in its box. It is a very small diamond embedded in a plain silver or platinum band.]

MCKAY I feel it's time that, uh, Katie and I moved the relationship to the next level.

SHEPPARD Second base?

MCKAY No. Marriage.

SHEPPARD (shocked) Really?

MCKAY Yes.

SHEPPARD (incredulous) You?

MCKAY Yes.

SHEPPARD Married?

MCKAY What, you don't think I'm ready? You think I'm-I'm rushing things?

SHEPPARD I didn't say that&hellip;!

MCKAY Well-well, I'm not. I'm not ready to set a date or anything, but, uh&hellip;

[Sheppard studies the ring closer, noticing the tiny stone.]

SHEPPARD Is this a diamond?

MCKAY Yeah, eighth of a carat, actually. Conflict-free and um, I got a good deal, actually.

SHEPPARD (drily) I'm sure you did.

MCKAY All right&hellip;so&hellip;here I go&hellip;

[He takes off his radio headset and lays it on the table.]

SHEPPARD Well, I-I'll buy you a beer later. We can celebrate&hellip;

MCKAY Yeah, or, uh, drown my sorrows should she say no.

SHEPPARD (bracingly) No, no, none of that.

MCKAY Right.

SHEPPARD Well, go get the girl!

MCKAY Oh.

[McKay heads out, meeting Teyla on her way in. Teyla's pregnancy is obviously showing.]

TEYLA Rodn&mdash;

MCKAY Can't talk.

[He hurries out.]

TEYLA John&hellip;do you have a moment to talk?

INT&mdash;INFIRMARY

[Keller spots Ronon entering with a bloodied arm.]

KELLER Another sparring accident?

RONON Actually, I slipped in the shower.

KELLER Oh, really?

RONON Nah. Sparring accident.

KELLER This is the third time this week I've had to patch you up.

RONON Mmm.

KELLER You know, there are a lot of other ways you can spend your free time.

RONON Not as much fun, though.

[Keller shakes her head as she puts on rubber gloves.]

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS CORRIDOR

[Zelenka and Carter meet outside an elevator transporter.]

ZELENKA Hi, Colonel.

CARTER Doctor! Where you headed?

ZELENKA Control room.

CARTER Oh, me too. We can share.

ZELENKA Splendid.

[The door opens, and they wait for it to empty before entering.]

INT&mdash;BOTANY LAB

[McKay wanders through the outer lab.]

MCKAY Katie?

KATIE I'm in here!

[He finds her in an inner part of the lab.]

MCKAY Great! Awesome! I hope you're hungry.

KATIE Oh, I am.

MCKAY (nervously) Yeah, me too. Very hungry. Hungry, hungry, hungry.

KATIE (chuckling) Are you all right?

MCKAY I'm&hellip;fine. Uh&hellip;yeah&hellip; Wow, this is much more, uh&hellip;

[Katie comes closer. McKay is swaying, shifting nervously.]

KATIE You're sweating.

MCKAY (wiping his brow) Oh, am I? I suppose I am. Okay, um, I guess I-I should, uh, jump right into this. You know, rip the band-aid off, as they say&hellip;not-not that this is painful in any way. It's quite the opposite, actually.

KATIE (laughing) Rodney, what's wrong?

MCKAY It's nothing. In-in fact, everything's right&hellip;with us, I mean. So, I-I was thinking&hellip;I don't know about you, but-but the way I see it, um, I thought that, uh, maybe&hellip;it's time that we&hellip;you know&hellip;start entertaining the notion&hellip;

[He reaches into his pocket for the ring box. Suddenly klaxons blare and the door to the outer lab seals shut.]

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS INFIRMARY

[As Keller treats Ronon's arm, the doors seal shut, closing them off from other areas of the infirmary.]

INT&mdash;SCIENCE LAB

[Two scientists look up as their door seals them into the lab.]

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS CORRIDOR

[Personnel look alarmed as the doors everywhere close.]

INT&mdash;MCKAY'S LAB

[A heavy door lowers, sealing Teyla and Sheppard inside the lab.]

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS BOTANY LAB

[McKay and Katie hurry to the door, the former trying the controls. The doors remain shut.]

KATIE What happened? Why'd the doors close?

[McKay tries to pry open the doors. Katie helps, to no effect.]

KATIE (concerned) Rodney, what's going on?

MCKAY (worried) It's locked. We're trapped.

END TEASER

OPENING CREDITS

EXT&mdash;ATLANTIS, DAY

INT&mdash;MCKAY'S LAB

[Teyla and Sheppard try and open a side door, to no avail.]

TEYLA We are locked in.

SHEPPARD (into radio) Rodney, come in!

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS INFIRMARY

[Keller tries one door as Ronon struggles with another one.]

KELLER This one's locked, too.

RONON What the hell is going on here?

KELLER (into radio) Doctor McKay, this is Doctor Keller. Are you there?

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS TRANSPORTER

[Zelenka checks the door controls while Carter studies the back control panel and keys her radio.]

CARTER (into radio) Rodney, this is Sam, do you read?

ZELENKA (closing the panel) The control mechanism is not responding. Perhaps I can physically open the door.

[Carter moves to help him try and pry open the door.]

ZELENKA Transporter doors are lighter; they're not nearly as heavy as other doors in the city.

[They both grunt as they use brute force to no effect.]

ZELENKA Curses in Czech.

CARTER (into radio) Rodney, this is Sam, please respond.

[There is only open static on the radio.]

CARTER (into radio) Colonel Sheppard, do you read? (to Zelenka) Are you getting anything?

ZELENKA No. Communications must be down.

CARTER Oh, great.

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS BOTANY LAB

MCKAY (snapping his fingers) All right, I'm gonna need a radio. I left mine in the lab.

KATIE Uh, radio? It's in there.

[She points to the door they're trying to open.]

MCKAY What do you mean? What, you don't have a radio in here?

KATIE It's a plant cultivation room. We haven't needed one.

MCKAY Well, you need one now! Look, that alarm was a quarantine lockdown!

KATIE Quarantine?

MCKAY Atlantis's, uh, self-protection against another outbreak. It's sealing off sections of the city to prevent the spread of a disease. I, uh, tweaked the, uh, system after the recent Kirsan fever outbreak.

KATIE But&hellip;there was no lockdown during that outbreak.

[McKay paces nervously, looking around.]

MCKAY Well, hence the need to tweak the system, you know? Institute more vigorous protocols. Okay, I need to get to a computer, assess the degree of the situation. I mean, is this just a few sections that have been sealed off, or, uh, maybe the whole tower&hellip;? Computer's in the other room, isn't it?

[Katie nods.]

MCKAY With the radio&hellip;

[Katie shrugs.]

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS INFIRMARY

[Ronon tries to pry open the door to no avail.]

KELLER there must be another disease outbreak. McKay said he was going to modify the quarantine system to make it more efficient.

RONON How does cutting off the radios make it more efficient?

KELLER Obviously, there's a glitch in the program. Problem is, without communications, he can't tell me how bad the outbreak is or give me the pass-codes to open whichever doors are deemed safe.

RONON (sarcastic) Ah, great.

KELLER Well, in any case, I should be ready to treat the sick when they bring them in. Will you help me?

RONON Tell me what to do.

INT&mdash;MCKAY'S LAB

[Sheppard studies the sealed door.]

SHEPPARD I could really use Ronon's gun right about now.

TEYLA John, look.

[He comes back over to the computers.]

SHEPPARD What?

TEYLA It appears there's been another outbreak.

[Sheppard pulls up a schematic of the base and read-outs on the main screen, deleting the "golf program" still there.]

TEYLA What is a&hellip;"category five?"

SHEPPARD I'm guessing it's a lot worse than categories one through four. We could be here a while.

[He glances nervously at Teyla's protruding abdomen. Teyla catches his glance.]

TEYLA What?

SHEPPARD It's just that every time one of these things happens in the movies, the pregnant woman goes into labor.

TEYLA I'm still a long way from my due date.

SHEPPARD Yeah, it's the same thing in the movies, and then "wham."

TEYLA Relax, John. I will be fine.

SHEPPARD Why don't you sit down?

TEYLA I'm all right.

SHEPPARD Y-y-you know, just to be on the safe side, let's sit down.

[Sheppard rolls over a stool. Teyla humors him, sighing.]

SHEPPARD Let's see what else we can find out.

[He continues typing into the computer.]

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS TRANSPORTER

[Carter and Zelenka both heave heavy sighs.]

CARTER Quarantine lockdown.

ZELENKA Yes.

CARTER Well, I don't know why communications would be affected.

ZELENKA Well, Rodney did say he was going to modify some of the Ancient protocols. Perhaps he made a mistake&mdash;made the, uh, security measures a little too aggressive?

CARTER We need to try to access the mainframe.

[She picks up Zelenka's computer from the floor.]

ZELENKA Yes, but unfortunately, that's all you'll be able to do. This tablet has limited RAM. It's configured mainly for read-only field diagnostics.

CARTER Well, we should at least be able to determine the extent of the lockdown.

[She turns the computer on. The screen instantly shows a picture of a pigeon.]

ZELENKA Yes, oh sorry. That-that's one of my pigeons.

[He takes the computer and shuts off the image of the pigeon. Carter studies him.]

ZELENKA I-I raise them&hellip;as a hobby&hellip;back home?

CARTER Ah.

ZELENKA Let's see what we have here.

INT&mdash;MCKAY'S LAB

SHEPPARD You comfortable? You want anything? You want to lie down? Eat?

TEYLA This is what I wanted to talk to you about.

SHEPPARD What?

TEYLA Your decision to remove me from the team's missions.

SHEPPARD We're not going to go through this again, are we?

TEYLA No, no, no. It-it's all right. I-I understand.

SHEPPARD It's not permanent. You-you're just going to have to ease off, then you have your baby, and&hellip;in a few months, you're back in action.

TEYLA Will I be? If it is wrong to place myself and my unborn child in danger now, will it be any less to do so when he is born? John, it's bad enough that my son may grow up without a father, but if I were to be hurt&hellip;or killed? He would be left without a mother as well.

SHEPPARD It's tough, I know. I got a friend from college, she's a cop, three kids. She goes through this every day when she goes to work.

TEYLA How does she make peace with herself?

SHEPPARD Well&hellip;she figures, she's fighting bad guys, keeping them off the streets, so not only is she protecting her kids, she's protecting other kids, too.

[Teyla sighs.]

SHEPPARD Look&hellip;you have to understand&hellip;your child has a family here, in case anything ever happens.

[Teyla replies with a wan smile.]

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS TRANSPORTER

[Zelenka and Carter pour over the readout.]

ZELENKA Category five?

CARTER The entire city?! Either this disease spreads more rapidly than anything I've ever encountered before, or&hellip;

CARTER AND ZELENKA Something's wrong.

ZELENKA (continuing) Yeah, look at the levels. Primary&hellip;secondary systems&hellip;Look, wild fluctuations in every sector.

CARTER Other systems are down too, not just communications. Long-range scanners are out. Ventilation in several areas, including this tower.

ZELENKA Oh, oh, and plumbing too! Oh, dear.

CARTER It's like the city's entire operating system is on the fritz. Oh, this may not even be a lockdown at all. This entire lockdown could be the result of a malfunction. Don't worry, I'm sure McKay is sitting at a workstation fixing this problem as we speak.

INT&mdash;BOTANY LAB

[Katie and McKay stand helplessly by a plant table.]

KATIE I'm sure others are working on the problem. Doctor Keller, Doctor Zelenka&hellip;Colonel Carter&hellip;

MCKAY (sighing) Oh they better be.

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS INFIRMARY

[Ronon tries to use an i.v. pole to pry open the doors. It snaps in his arms. Keller races over from another section.]

KELLER Hey! Hey-hey-hey-hey.

[She studies his injury. The wound is bleeding heavily through the bandage.]

KELLER (scolding) You tore your stitches! Gah, honestly, I don't think I've met anyone with such reckless aggression.

[Keller leads him over to the beds and goes to get some supplies. Ronon smirks at her.]

KELLER That's not a compliment.

RONON If you say so.

KELLER Lay [sic] down.

[Ronon does so. Keller puts on gloves to treat the wound.]

KELLER Okay, look, I don't think we're going to have any luck opening those doors on our own. We're probably just better off waiting for McKay and the others to&hellip;figure out what needs to be done and-and which doors are even safe to be open.

RONON So we're just supposed to sit here and wait?

KELLER Yes! And&hellip;be ready at a moment's notice to&hellip;treat the sick.

RONON (smiling) I'm not very good at sitting and waiting.

KELLER (scoffing) No kidding. Well, maybe we could pass the time by&hellip;getting to know each other better.

[Ronon studies her.]

RONON What do you have in mind?

[Keller stops treating his wound as she realizes Ronon's supine position. Her eyes widen.]

KELLER (flustered) Oh! I-I mean, I didn't&hellip;you know, I meant, just, like&hellip;talk. I didn't mean&hellip;

[Ronon gives a wry smile and nods.]

KELLER (still flustered) Yeah, so, anyway, um&hellip;let's talk.

[Ronon looks around blankly. Keller gives a pained smile.]

INT&mdash;BOTONY LAB

[Katie attempts to try and pull off the door panel.]

KATIE Can't you fiddle with this and get the door open?

MCKAY I could "fiddle with it", sure. As to actually getting the door open? Not a chance. The quarantine protocol completely disables the door's control mechanisms. The whole point of it is to keep people from getting out.

KATIE Oh, it's going to be okay. Doctor Keller and Zelenka have&mdash;

MCKAY (panicking) We don't know that! We have no idea if it's going to be okay. For all we know, Zelenka and Keller could already be infected! We don't even know how much of the city is in quarantine! If this is serious, and we have no reason to believe otherwise, we could be looking at a city-wide lockdown.

KATIE (crossing her arms) You are thinking the worst case scenario.

MCKAY Hello? This is what I do! Someone needs to think ahead to the worst possible outcome to any situation in order to properly defend against it.

KATIE Any situation? Even the good ones?

MCKAY Hey, it doesn't take much for a-a good situation to-to turn ugly. One minute you're happily riding your bicycle back from acing your Lagrangian Mechanics midterm, you know, the warm breeze in your face, next thing you know, you're flying through the air 'cause you just hit a pothole.

[Katie lowers her arms and walks closer.]

KATIE (sympathetically) Aw, Rodney, did that happen to you?

[McKay paces, walking past Katie's attempted embrace without noticing. She looks nonplussed as she ends up just brushing his arm.]

MCKAY The point is, one must always be on guard, you know? Always looking out for the potholes. Now, you can-you can call me a catastrophist, but it's a&hellip;necessary burden I bear.

KATIE A mindset like that, and a person would live in a constant fate of worry and fear.

MCKAY (despondently) You forgot despair.

[He sighs.]

INT&mdash;TRANSPORTER

ZELENKA Well, it's definitely a malfunction, and surprisingly, it's nothing Rodney did. Look at that, I'm reading a sudden spike in power caused by an intense ionospheric storm earlier today. This new planet continues to surprise us. It is going to require some drastic recalibration to account for any future ionospheric activity, that's for sure.

CARTER Well, first things first. We need to get to a workstation and fix this malfunction.

ZELENKA (sighing) Yes, I agree. You know, I'm a little bit puzzled as to why Rodney hasn't solved this problem yet. He's been a little bit off his game lately.

CARTER Maybe he doesn't have access to a computer.

ZELENKA (incredulous) Rodney? Without his computer? This I have yet to witness.

CARTER Well, whatever the cause, since there's no outbreak, there's no reason for us to be stuck in here.

ZELENKA Well, yes&mdash;other than the doors being sealed shut&hellip;and heavier than we had previously thought.

CARTER Can you use this tablet to access this control panel? Maybe we can at least figure out a way to get the doors open.

[Carter opens the panel Zelenka worked on earlier and studies it.]

ZELENKA Doubtful. The transporter panel has no wireless interface. And even if we could hook it up directly, you know, with the limitations of the RAM on this tablet&mdash;

[Carter grabs the computer out of Zelenka's hand.]

CARTER May I? Thanks.

[Not waiting for a response, she plugs the computer into the panel with a cord attached to the system.]

ZELENKA (quietly) Yes, of course.

INT&mdash;MCKAY'S LAB

TEYLA Well, life signs all over the city. Everyone is trapped as we are.

SHEPPARD Ventilation's down, which means we're running out of air.

[Sheppard happens to notice McKay's headset on the table.]

SHEPPARD He's in the botany lab!

TEYLA Who?

SHEPPARD Rodney. He-he went to pick up Katie Brown for a lunch date. Ha-have you been in that plant room? There's no computers, no radio&hellip;

TEYLA If he's locked in there&hellip;

SHEPPARD He's going to be freaking.

INT&mdash;BOTANY LAB

[McKay tries to use a trowel to pry open the door to no effect.]

MCKAY (groaning) Ohhh.

[He crouches weakly.]

KATIE (sympathetic) Oh, are you all right?

MCKAY I don't know. I feel a little dizzy&hellip;a little feverish.

KATIE H-here. Rodney, come on. Sit down.

[She carries a stool over. He collapses into the chair with an air of malaise. She feels his forehead.]

KATIE Hmm. You don't feel warm.

MCKAY Are you sure? 'Cause, uh, oh&hellip;my joints ache. It's usually the first sign of a fever.

[She takes his wrist and checks his pulse.]

KATIE (concerned) Pulse&hellip;ooh&hellip;120?

MCKAY (brightening) That's normal.

KATIE Oh.

MCKAY I've always had a rapid heartbeat. Eh, ever since I was a kid. I mean, even when I was in a deep sleep, our-our-our family doctor once wrote a paper about it.

KATIE Oh.

MCKAY (worried) How are you feeling?

KATIE (taken aback) I'm fine.

MCKAY Okay, well you let me know when you start feeling sick, all right?

INT&mdash;MCKAY'S LAB

TEYLA It seems there was some sort of disturbance in the planet's ionosphere a few hours ago. After that is when the system became unstable.

SHEPPARD New planet, new problems.

TEYLA Well, there may not even be a disease outbreak.

SHEPPARD Yeah, but the city's still on lockdown. You know, if Rodney can't get a hold of a computer, he's not going to be able to shut it down.

TEYLA Perhaps Doctor Zelenka or Colonel Carter can do it.

SHEPPARD Eh, if they could've, they would've done it already. They probably can't get a hold of one, either.

TEYLA Well, can anyone do it?

SHEPPARD (shaking his head) They'd have to know Rodney's password. Fortunately&hellip;I do.

TEYLA (surprised) He told you his password?!

SHEPPARD (typing) Well, he didn't think I'd remember it. 1&hellip;6&hellip;4&hellip;3&hellip;1&hellip;8&hellip;7&hellip;9&hellip;1&hellip;9&hellip;6&hellip;8&hellip;4&hellip;2

[The computer beeps acceptance.]

SHEPPARD See? It doesn't take a genius.

TEYLA It-it doesn't?

SHEPPARD 1643 is the year Isaac Newton was born; 1879, Einstein. And 1968&hellip;

TEYLA (nodding) The year Rodney was born.

MCKAY Never underestimate the size of that man's ego.

TEYLA Wait. Weren't there other numbers?

SHEPPARD 42.

TEYLA And what is that?

SHEPPARD It's the ultimate answer to the great question of life, the universe, and everything.

[Sheppard misses Teyla's blank confusion as he studies the computer display.]

SHEPPARD Okay, we're in.

INT&mdash;TRANSPORTER

[The stuffiness inside the unventilated small area causes Zelenka to take off his jacket.]

CARTER Oh, that's a good idea.

[She sets down the computer to take off her own jacket and push up her sleeves. Zelenka notices Carter's cleavage, then immediately tries to avert his eyes. Carter doesn't notice.]

CARTER Okay, much better.

ZELENKA Yes&hellip;much better.

CARTER The control panel won't recognize authentication.

ZELENKA That's because it's not configured. As I said earlier&mdash;

CARTER I know. Which is why I've written a work around to free up memory to allow for local device input.

ZELENKA (impressed) Oh! So fast?

CARTER Well, there's obviously not enough RAM to handle the city's entire operating system, but we should at least be able to open these doors. All I need to do is get it to recognize the authentication command.

ZELENKA Perhaps if you bypassed the secondary crystals and go directly to the&mdash;

[He begins to reach into the control panel.]

CARTER (warning) No, I don't&mdash;

[A power surge fries the panel, knocking Zelenka off his feet and into the far wall.]

CARTER Oh, God! Radek!

[Zelenka shakes his arm as Carter crouches by him.]

ZELENKA Ah.

[He gathers himself and looks at the doors.]

ZELENKA They didn't open.

[Carter looks at the computer. Her face falls.]

CARTER And the tablet's fried.

[She sighs.]

INT&mdash;MCKAY'S LAB

[Teyla has stopped looking at the computer. She sits on a stool, staring off into space as Sheppard continues to look at displays.]

SHEPPARD Oh, crap.

TEYLA What is it?

[She stands and comes over.]

SHEPPARD Part of the, uh, lockdown program includes broadcasting an alert beacon to, uh, approaching ships to warn them about a disease outbreak.

TEYLA The city is doing this right now?

SHEPPARD Five by five. Clear enough for the entire neighborhood to pick up.

TEYLA (sighing) Can you shut it off?

SHEPPARD Not from here. It can only be turned off from the subspace transmitter, which is up in the control room, which means the guys upstairs either haven't noticed it, or, more likely, they don't have Rodney's password to turn it off.

TEYLA As long as that signal is broadcast, Atlantis is vulnerable to discovery.

SHEPPARD If it hasn't already happened.

[They sigh, worriedly.]

EXT&mdash;ATLANTIS, DAY

INT&mdash;BOTANY LAB

KATIE How are you feeling?

MCKAY The same.

[Katie sighs. McKay takes her hands.]

MCKAY Hey. You look like you could use some cheering up.

KATIE As a matter of fact, I could.

[McKay nods and takes a deep breath, wanting to speak, but nervousness overtakes him and he can't say anything.]

KATIE (frustrated) What is it?

MCKAY It's nothing, uh&hellip;

[He searches wildly for a distraction and points to a cactus in the distance.]

MCKAY Oh! Hey, isn't that the, uh&hellip;

KATIE Oh, the Rodneyana Villosa? The plant I named for you.

[They walk over to it. It is tall and thin with tufts on the tip.]

MCKAY (lamely) Right. Right. It's grown.

KATIE Yes, it's really flourished here. I've-I've been kind of doting on it, giving it a little extra TLC, and it-it just gets bigger and bigger.

[McKay starts having a choking cough. Katie hurries to his side. He recovers instantly now that the conversation isn't involving their relationship.]

KATIE (worried) We need to get you to the infirmary!

MCKAY I already told you, it's impossible. Look, the whole point of the lockdown is to prevent the spread of disease, which means no one's going anywhere.

KATIE But how are the doctors supposed to treat anyone if they can't reach them?

MCKAY I'm sorry, Katie. Look, I've no doubt infected you by now.

KATIE But I feel fine. You'd think I'd have at least a few symptoms.

MCKAY Every disease is different. I mean, we have no idea what the incubation period for the strain is. It could be hours; it could be days. I mean, who knows when I caught it! No, it's just a matter of time before you succumb too.

[Katie's face falls.]

MCKAY Anyway&hellip;what were we talking about?

KATIE You were going to cheer me up.

MCKAY Oh, right.

[There is an awkward silence.]

INT&mdash;INFIRMARY

[Keller paces as Ronon lies on the bed. He sits up.]

RONON Are you okay?

KELLER Yeah. I just&hellip;I don't like sitting around, either. Especially when there's people out there who, um, need me.

RONON You're not letting them down.

KELLER There's a disease outbreak. And I'm a doctor, stuck in this room&mdash;

RONON That's right. Stuck. It's not your fault you can't get to them, so don't put the blame on yourself.

[Keller gives a weak smile and nods. Ronon smiles.]

RONON You remind me of someone I used to know. She put way too much pressure on herself.

KELLER Someone from Sateda?

RONON (contemplative) Yeah&hellip;

KELLER Who was she?

RONON She-she was someone I cared about. (clearing his throat) She was killed during the siege.

KELLER (after a pause) I'm sorry.

RONON I-I wanted her to leave. But she chose to stay behind and help the others. (coughs, and smiles self-consciously) Should've forced her to go.

KELLER It's not your fault. She chose to stay. Don't put that blame on yourself.

[Ronon stares at Keller.]

RONON (quietly) No.

INT&mdash;MCKAY'S LAB

[Sheppard tries to jerry rig the door's control panel, but it won't open.]

SHEPPARD Oh, come on!

TEYLA Nothing's working.

SHEPPARD Okay, on to Plan B.

[He starts searching the lab.]

TEYLA Which is?

SHEPPARD Which is&hellip;uh, blast our way out of here, and get to the control room. Start searching for any explosives Rodney might've left.

TEYLA Well, I doubt that he would&mdash;

[Teyla pauses and stares down at her abdomen. Sheppard looks over when she stops talking and notices her expression. She has a look of awed surprise on her face as she starts holding her belly.]

SHEPPARD (worried) Don't tell me that you're, uh&hellip;

TEYLA (grinning) The baby just kicked.

[Sheppard starts over to her.]

SHEPPARD Really?

TEYLA There it is again. Here.

[Teyla takes Sheppard's hand and guides it to where the baby is kicking.]

SHEPPARD Little guy wants to get out of here as much as we do.

[Teyla takes a deep breath and winces.]

SHEPPARD (worried) Teyla? You okay?

[Teyla lets out a breath and nods.]

SHEPPARD Just hang in there. I'm going to get everybody out of here.

[She leans her head on one hand and sighs. Sheppard walks over to the small outside window in the lab. He picks up a stool as Teyla starts over to him.]

SHEPPARD You stand back.

TEYLA What are you&mdash;?

[Sheppard smashes the chair through the window, breaking the glass.]

TEYLA John, what are you doing?

SHEPPARD The control room is only four floors above us. All I have to do is climb up, and I'm in.

TEYLA Climb the tower?! Is that even possible?

[Sheppard steps out to the window ledge.]

SHEPPARD Sure. Batman did it all the time.

[He looks up the tall tower, then looks down to the city far below. Teyla's jaw is set with worry.]

SHEPPARD Piece of cake. Don't worry, I'll be fine. I'll turn off that beacon.

EXT&mdash;ATLANTIS TOWER, DAY

[Sheppard begins to use architectural moldings and vents to climb the tower.]

INT&mdash;TRANSPORTER

[Carter sits on the floor, eyes closed. Zelenka sits nearby, shifting nervously.]

ZELENKA I-I'm sorry, I honestly thought that if we bypassed the secondary crystal and over&mdash;

CARTER (talking over him) Radek! I know! We've been through this! I'm not angry with you.

[Radek nods.]

CARTER We could really use one of your pigeons around now.

ZELENKA (alarmed) Well, they're not for eating!

CARTER No, no! I meant, you know, to get help&hellip;like homing pigeons. You attach a little S.O.S note their feet, and&hellip;boop!

[She mimes releasing a pigeon into the sky.]

ZELENKA Yeah, but there's no window in here.

CARTER I know. I was just&hellip;

[Carter gives up; there's another awkward silence.]

EXT&mdash;ATLANTIS TOWER, DAY

[Sheppard continues to climb the tower. He reaches for a section of a light, but it breaks in his hand, leaving him dangling by one hand. He's able to regain his footing and reach an outcropping, finally climbing over the balustrade to the control room balcony.]

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS CONTROL ROOM

[Chuck watches Lorne and others try to wrench open a door in the gate room below. He heads over to the terminals.]

BANKS Okay, I got ventilation restored to most of the tower. Still working on getting air up here, but so far, nothing's responding&mdash;

[A planter is thrown through the balcony window from outside, startling all of them. Sheppard climbs through the broken window.]

CHUCK Colonel! How did you get out there!

[Sheppard rushes to a terminal.]

SHEPPARD Long story. We've got to turn off the beacon. It's broadcasting our location to every ship in the neighborhood.

[Sheppard starts typing at a keyboard.]

BANKS We already tried that. It's password protected.

[Lorne and others come upstairs, drawn by the noise of the shattering glass.]

LORNE What happened? (spotting Sheppard) Colonel! Where the hell'd you come from?

[Sheppard finishes typing in McKay's code.]

SHEPPARD Beacon's deactivated.

[They all pause, cautiously relieved. Suddenly all the power goes out to their computers and a klaxon blares.]

CHUCK The computers just shut down&mdash;all of them.

LORNE Is that the, uh&hellip;?

SHEPPARD Self-destruct.

EXT&mdash;ATLANTIS, DAY

[The self-destruct klaxon can be heard throughout the city.]

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS TRANSPORTER

CARTER That's the self-destruct sequence!

ZELENKA Why would anybody arm it?

CARTER More importantly, how much time do we have?

ZELENKA I don't know. Whoever arms it designates the duration, you know? Depending on how quick he wants to&hellip;blow up the city.

[They exchange worried looks.]

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS INFIRMARY

[Ronon bounds out of bed.]

RONON The hell with this.

KELLER (worriedly) Ronon&hellip;

[Ronon tosses aside the broken piece of i.v. pole and tries to pull the door apart by hand.]

KELLER Ronon! We've already tried! It's not going to open.

RONON We'll just have to blast a hole in it.

[He starts searching through supplies.]

KELLER With what? You don't have your gun.

RONON You got any C-4 in here?

KELLER In the infirmary?!

RONON Anything we could use to act as an explosive.

KELLER I don't know&hellip;uh&hellip;the oxygen tanks, maybe?

[Ronon smiles and follows her over to the tanks.]

RONON Right. Shoot 'em like Sheriff Brody did&hellip;in, uh, the movie Jaws.

KELLER (bemused) Yeah, I know. I-I've&hellip;seen it. How do you&hellip;?

[Ronon picks up the large tank.]

RONON Sheppard showed it to me. It's a good movie. (notices labels) Flammable. All right, all we need is a gun to shoot it with. You got one in here?

KELLER Again, infirmary, not armory.

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS CONTROL ROOM

LORNE (to Sheppard) I don't get it. Why would you arm the self-destruct?

SHEPPARD (piqued) I didn't.

[The klaxon shuts off.]

CHUCK Finally!

SHEPPARD You shut it down.

CHUCK Nah, just the alarm.

BANKS The city actually armed the self-destruct by itself, Major.

LORNE Well, why?

BANKS Last thing I saw on the screens was a "breach of quarantine" alert.

[Sheppard looks at the broken window.]

SHEPPARD My coming into the room caused the city to think the disease was spreading.

LORNE Whoa, whoa, whoa. But you said earlier that there was no outbreak.

SHEPPARD No, there isn't. But the city doesn't know that.

BANKS It's all part of the system-wide malfunction. The city must think there's a disease, and now it's out of control.

CHUCK So blowing up Atlantis is its final counter-measure.

SHEPPARD Did you see how much time was left on the self-destruct?

CHUCK No. Computers shut down before I could see.

SHEPPARD All right. If we can't shut it down from here, we're gonna have to turn it off at the source.

BANKS That's in the main power room.

CHUCK That's six levels down.

LORNE We can't get there. Jumper room's sealed off, as well as every other corridor out of the gate room.

SHEPPARD I'll just have to climb back down.

BANKS The power room's in the center of the tower. Even if you climbed back down, you'd still have to get through several sealed doors before reaching it.

SHEPPARD (to Lorne) You got any C-4?

LORNE Yeah, a little bit.

[He reaches into his tactical vest and pulls out a small block.]

SHEPPARD (disappointed) That's it?

LORNE (shrugging) That's it.

SHEPPARD (to Banks and Chuck) You two, with us.

INT&mdash;BOTANY LAB

[Katie and McKay sit next to each other on a bench.]

KATIE The alarm turned off. That's a good sign, right?

MCKAY (despondent) I don't know.

KATIE Well, I mean, maybe someone found a cure for the disease, or at least figured out how to turn off the self-destruct.

MCKAY Or maybe someone just figured out how to turn off the alarm. Oh, I have to lie down.

[He sluggishly moves over to the floor to stretch out and lie down. Katie follows him, crouching down to protest.]

KATIE (admonishing) Rodney, you can't give up! You have to keep fighting. I know it looks bleak, but&hellip;

[As McKay lies down, the ring box falls out of his pocket. Katie picks it up.]

KATIE (stunned) What's this?

[McKay looks up and sees what she's holding.]

MCKAY Oh&hellip;that's&hellip;when I&hellip;came here today&hellip;I&hellip;was going to propose&hellip;ask your hand in marriage.

[He groans as if aching and lies back down as Katie studies McKay and the box, still in shock.]

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS INFIRMARY

[Keller puts on a protective mask as Ronon lugs over more oxygen tanks.]

KELLER This is not going to work.

RONON What are you talking about? This is your idea.

KELLER Yeah. After which, I immediately said, there was a one-in-a-million chance it would work.

[Ronon uses a couple of his dreadlocks to tie back the rest of his hair.]

RONON Yeah, well, this is that one.

KELLER If I cut more than a millimeter too far&hellip;

RONON The tank'll blow. I know. So just make sure you don't cut too far. Just score it, like you said. Okay, look, if you don't do it, I'm gonna do it. C'mon, you got this.

[Ronon moves a tank, while Keller warily starts to use a circular saw near the valve.]

INT&mdash;MCKAY'S LAB

[Teyla tries to see Sheppard. She even steps out onto the ledge. Seeing the height, and the distance, she climbs back inside, sighing as she clutches her belly.]

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS INFIRMARY

[Keller stops scoring the valve.]

KELLER (nervously) Okay. That's it. I mean, that's-that's as far as I should go.

RONON All right. Let's do it.

[Ronon picks it up and moves it over to where he has the other tank set up leaning against a scanner while on a bed. Another bed sits at a ninety degree angle facing the door. After placing the other tank on the other bed and checking his setup, he joins Keller in the inner area and the crouch on the other side of the door. Ronon starts working with buttons on a scanner.]

RONON All right. You ready?

KELLER No.

[Ronon presses the final sequence. The scanner starts to move. The first oxygen tank falls onto the other, right where the valve is scored. The tank starts to ricochet around the room like a rocket. It finally stops.]

RONON You okay?

KELLER Yeah.

RONON All right&hellip;

[They get up and go around the corner. The infirmary is in shambles, but the door remains solidly closed.]

KELLER Oh, you've got to be kidding me.

[They stare in disappointment.]

RONON It's a lot stronger than a shark.

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS CORRIDOR

[Sheppard sets some C-4 in a doorway, then goes to join Lorne, Banks, and Chuck around a corner.]

SHEPPARD Fire in the hole.

[He sets off the C-4.]

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS TRANSPORTER

[Carter and Zelenka jump to their feet, hearing the explosion.]

ZELENKA That was close.

[They listen at the door, then start to pound on it.]

CARTER Hello?!

ZELENKA Hey!

CARTER Hey! In here!

ZELENKA We're in here!

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS CORRIDOR

[Carter and Zelenka's pounding and yelling can be heard by Sheppard's group.]

LORNE You hear that?

SHEPPARD The transporter. Somebody's in there.

[They jog to the transporter doors.]

SHEPPARD Grab a side.

[Sheppard and Lorne force the doors open. Zelenka and Carter help. As soon as there's enough of an opening, Zelenka jumps out, gasping for air. Carter follows, breathing deeply.]

SHEPPARD Colonel. You all right?

CARTER Yeah, I'm fine.

ZELENKA (insulted) I'm fine, too.

SHEPPARD There's no outbreak. It's just a malfunction.

CARTER We know. Was Rodney the one who finally disabled the self-destruct?

SHEPPARD No, it's still armed, and I haven't heard from Rodney.

CARTER I need to get to a workstation.

CHUCK Computers are down.

LORNE We're trying to get to the main power room, so we can physically cut the power to the self-destruct.

[Carter nods.]

SHEPPARD But all the doors are sealed shut. We just used the last of our C-4 getting here.

ZELENKA (disappointed) Does that mean we're still stuck here?

SHEPPARD (nodding) That's what it looks like.

[Zelenka sighs.]

CARTER How much time is left on the self-destruct?

BANKS We don't know. Computers shut down before we could see.

CARTER So it could happen any time.

[Chuck nods. Carter exchanges concerned looks with Sheppard.]

CARTER (sarcastic) Great.

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS BOTANY LAB

[Katie paces the room, looking at the ring. McKay still lies on the floor.]

KATIE (smiling, amazed) You were going to propose to me? Today?

MCKAY Well, I mean, before the&mdash;before the lockdown.

KATIE So&hellip;? Why don't you?

MCKAY Now? You want me to propose now?

KATIE (smiling) Don't you want to hear my answer?

[McKay lies back,.]

MCKAY Well, it doesn't really matter anymore, does it?

KATIE (stunned) How can you say that?

MCKAY Oh, I don't know. Maybe because we're moments away from our deaths?

KATIE Don't talk like that! There's still a chance someone could come through this door&mdash;

MCKAY Katie, please. Enough already. As much as I'd love to believe that someone's going to swoop in and save the day, the fact that no one has tells me it's probably not going to happen. I'm sorry if that's bleak and-and-horrible and fatalistic, but there it is.

[Katie stares at the door, her expression one of sadness and disappointment.]

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS CORRIDOR

[Carter and Lorne try a door to no avail.]

ZELENKA What are we going to do now?

LORNE What can we do?

[Sheppard stands on a bench, looking at an air vent near the ceiling.]

SHEPPARD Does this vent go to the power room?

ZELENKA Yes! Yes, I believe at least to the tower's main ventilation flue.

CARTER Well, that system's shut down. Those vents will be closed off.

BANKS Not anymore. We were able to get it back online in most of the tower just before the computers went down.

[Shepaprd pries open the grate. He reaches back and Lorne hands him a flashlight. Sheppard peers inside.]

SHEPPARD All right, it looks clear. It's going to be a tight squeeze, though. There's no way I can move in here.

CARTER I'll do it.

ZELENKA No. I'll do it.

CARTER Are you sure?

ZELENKA (determined) Yes. I'm small enough. I can crawl through there. I'll have the power off in no time.

[Carter nods and taps him on the arm.]

CARTER (conceding) All right.

SHEPPARD Attaboy.

[Sheppard climbs down from the chair. Zelenka takes his place. Preparing himself and sticking the flashlight in his mouth, he looks back at everyone.]

LORNE Ready?

[Zelenka nods.]

LORNE Ooop!

[He and Sheppard shove Zelenka into the ventilation shaft, where he begins to crawl.]

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS INFIRMARY

[Ronon and Keller sit on the floor, leaning against the footboard of an infirmary bed.]

RONON I had you wrong.

[Keller looks over.]

RONON When you first came here&hellip; I thought you were weak. That you didn't belong.

[Keller rolls her eyes.]

KELLER That's the story of my life. Growing up, I skipped three grades. I graduated at fifteen. Got my bachelor's degree before I was even old enough to vote. I missed out on a lot of things. Any kind of social event. You know, parties. And dances&hellip;I don't ever remember a time in my life where I belonged.

RONON Yeah, well&hellip;blowing up that tank&hellip;you really showed yourself.

[Keller smiles self-deprecatingly.]

KELLER But it didn't work.

RONON That's not the point.

[They stare at each other.]

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS VENTILATION SHAFTS

ZELENKA "I'll have the power off in no time." muttering in Czech Idiot! more muttering in Czech.

[He reaches a cross-section of vents with a deep hole straight down. Zelenka looks around, then pushes himself to the "downward" vent. He flips himself around to slide down.]

ZELENKA Aah.

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS INFIRMARY

[Ronon shifts closer to Keller, who rests her head on his shoulder comfortably.]

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS BOTANY LAB

[Katie sits on a stool and contemplatively studies McKay, who still lies flat on the floor, waiting for death.]

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS CORRIDOR

[Sheppard, Lorne, and Carter watch the ventilation shaft.]

SHEPPARD Come on, Radek.

CARTER (confidently) He'll make it.

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS INFIRMARY

[Ronon leans his head closer. Keller looks up at him and smiles.]

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS POWER ROOM

[Beeps and a timed alarm buzzes as Zelenka falls through the ceiling vent and lands on the floor.]

ZELENKA Ah! Oooh!

[He stumbles to his feet, shaking his right hand, and hurries over to the wall, where he starts powering down several huge circuit breakers near the naquadah reactors.]

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS INFIRMARY

[Ronon and Keller lean in to kiss. The lights go off, distracting them.]

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS POWER ROOM

[Zelenka continues to shut down the last of the circuit breakers, shaking his right hand still.]

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS CORRIDOR

[The lights go off.]

CARTER (smiling) He did it.

[Everyone exchanges relieved looks.]

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS POWER ROOM

[Zelenka resets the circuits, restoring power.]

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS INFIRMARY

[Ronon and Keller resume what they were doing, but the lights coming on distract them again. They sit upright as they hear the outer door sliding open, freeing them.]

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS CORRIDOR

[The lights go on and the door opens behind Carter.]

INT&mdash;MCKAY'S LAB

[The blast door raises, freeing Teyla. She leaves with a relieved smile.]

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS BOTANY LAB

[The door to the lab opens. Katie and McKay stand.]

MCKAY (shocked) Oh my god! They found a cure or figured out how to override the program. I don't believe it! We're going to make it! We're not going to die!

[He turns and hugs Katie, who grins and laughs as well, but doesn't return the hug as enthusiastically. They break apart, and McKay notices she's still holding the engagement ring box.]

MCKAY (awkwardly) Oh.

KATIE (awkwardly) Hmm.

[They both stand, not facing each other, in an awkward silence.]

EXT&mdash;ATLANTIS, NIGHT

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS MESS HALL

[Zelenka, Sheppard, Teyla, and Ronon sit at a table in the mostly empty room.]

TEYLA (skeptical) You crawled the entire way there, in those tiny vents?

RONON I'm surprised you even fit in there.

SHEPPARD Oh, he fit all right. There's plenty of room.

ZELENKA Well, not "plenty".

SHEPPARD You should've seen him. He looked like one of those little hamsters in, uh, one of those&hellip;

ZELENKA (dismissively) Yes, yes, yes, yes. The important thing is I was able to make it and shut off the power in time.

RONON Hey, did you hear? McKay thought it was a real outbreak. He even started getting sick; thought he was, um&mdash;

[He stops talking as he notices Keller approaching. He takes his legs off a spare chair and sits up. Keller glances at him with a sidelong smile.]

KELLER Hi. Mind if I join you?

SHEPPARD Sure, go ahead.

[Ronon sits up straighter in his seat, sobering the half-smile on his face to a scowl as he notices Sheppard and Teyla watching them with interest.]

RONON (sharply) What?

SHEPPARD (shrugging) Nothing.

[Carter arrives.]

CARTER Well, it's been several hours now, and there is no indication that anyone out there has picked up our alert beacon. I think we're in the clear.

SHEPPARD Well, we should keep an eye out, just in case.

CARTER Great work, Radek. Everyone on this base owes you a debt of gratitude.

[She clasps him on the shoulder.]

ZELENKA (proud) Well, thank you.

SHEPPARD McKay would love this.

[Everyone chuckles.]

INT&mdash;ATLANTIS BOTANY LAB

[McKay enters.]

MCKAY Katie?

[Katie appears, rolling a cart full of plants, including the Rodneyana Villosa.]

KATIE Hello, Rodney. I see you're feeling better.

MCKAY Uh, yes, I&hellip;uh&hellip;Well, I mean, uh, it was probably just&hellip;you know&hellip;an allergic&hellip;thing. I'm fine.

KATIE And the, uh, quarantine. Is it true there was no outbreak?

MCKAY Uh, no, it was a malfunction. A planetary anomaly&mdash;ionospheric disturbance. I've actually, uh, recalibrated the system, so it'll take into effect future activity so, uh, we should be fine.

KATIE Someone said it was Doctor Zelenka that finally turned off the self-destruct?

MCKAY (miffed) Technically, yes, but it was actually more of a group effort. But that-that's not why I came here. I, um&hellip; Here's the thing. Over the last year and a half, I have become aware that I have certain&hellip;I don't want to use the word "flaws"&hellip;uh&hellip;uh, "shortcomings", perhaps? You know, for example&hellip;on occasion, I-I can be negative&hellip;and-and demanding, and-and a tad arrogant. But, uh, I'm also finding that just being aware of your, uh, shortcomings?&hellip;is-is just the first, minute step on the road to betterment. And the real trick seems to be actually do something about it.

KATIE (uncomfortable) I know. It's difficult.

MCKAY The point is, I came here earlier today to propose marriage to you. But after what happened, I realize that I may have been&hellip;rushing things. I just don't think I'm ready for this.

KATIE (soberly) I know.

MCKAY (surprised) You do?

KATIE (nodding) I don't think I'm ready, either.

MCKAY Oh. Okay. Good. That's good. It's not that my feelings have changed or diminished&mdash;

KATIE No! No, of course not.

MCKAY Just&mdash;I mean&hellip;if we got married now, I would make your life miserable, and-and&hellip;you are far too good a person for that.

KATIE Don't be so hard on yourself.

MCKAY Easier said than done, right?

[They share sad smiles, then an awkward silence.]

MCKAY Okay. So, raincheck on lunch?

KATIE (with false brightness) Absolutely.

[McKay turns to go.]

KATIE Rodney?

[McKay turns back.]

MCKAY Hmm?

KATIE Bye.

MCKAY (casually) Bye.

[He leaves&mdash;only realizing the air of finality in Katie's tone after a few steps. He turns back to see her sadly watching him go as the door closes.]

FADE OUT

END CREDITS

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