Stargate Atlantis
Episode 104 “38 Minutes”
Transcript by Celsitude
SCENE: Opens over wraith planet, inside the puddle jumper. Two unknown
characters are piloting the ship, while Ford is standing behind them.
FORD: How we doing?
FORD: No such thing as close. You thread the needle or
we’re dead.
FORD: Ok, you can do it. Nice and easy. *turns to
speak to McKay* Ok. I think we’re close enough to dial the gate.
MCKAY: Yes! Yes! Just hurry up and get us back.
*Stackhouse presses the dialing pad, we see the puddle
jumper headed to the gate in the distance. Back inside the ship, Sheppard has a
large black insect wrapped around his throat.*
SHEPPARD: Get this damn thing off me!
TEYLA: We can’t.
SHEPPARD: *looks at McKay* Cut it off.
MCKAY: As soon as we establish a connection, radio
back that we’ve got a medical emergency.
TEYLA: There must be something we can do for him.
MCKAY: There’s an emergency first aid kit behind
the pilot’s seat, get it.
*Teyla runs to the front of the ship and gets the kit*
MCKAY: Major, everything we can try to remove it just
makes the pain worse. Now try to be still.
*Teyla moves between the pilots*
TEYLA: Is there no way to go faster?
STACKHOUSE: He’s just trying to get us back in
one piece.
*we see the puddle jumper moving closer to the gate,
the two engines begin to retract into the ship, but not entirely*
FORD: Atlantis base, this is Ford. Jumper One is
inbound with a medical emergency. Please respond.
SCENE: Inside Atlantis gateroom. Weir walks into
control room.
WEIR: What’s going on?
TECHNICIAN: The reconnaissance team is reporting a
medical emergency. I’ve alerted Dr. Beckett. He’s on his way.
WEIR: Put on Major Sheppard.
TECHNICIAN: He’s the one who’s injured.
*Weir looks up with concern*
SCENE: Inside the puddle jumper. McKay and Teyla are
sitting on either side of Sheppard. McKay is going through the first aid kit.
MCKAY: What am I expecting to find in here
that’s going to get rid of that thing?
TEYLA: Something for the pain.
MCKAY: I don’t think Tylenol’s going to do
it. He needs a doctor! How much longer?
FORD: Almost there. *into mic* Flight, Jumper One on
final approach.
SCENE: The scene goes from Ford in the jumper to Weir
in the control room.
WEIR: This is Weir. What’s the nature of Major
Sheppard’s injury?
FORD: Some sort of funky alien bug attached itself to
his neck. He’s completely immobile.
WEIR: *looks concerned* What’s it doing to him?
FORD: *through speaker* We don’t know, but we
can’t get it off him and we tried everything.
WEIR: You understand the risk of bringing something
like that back to Atlantis?
FORD: Yes, Ma’am, I do, but we really
don’t have a choice in the matter.
WEIR: Understood Lieutenant. Good Luck. *to soldier*
Quarantine the jumper bay.
SCENE: In the jumper, Teyla is using strips of gauze
to wipe off Sheppard. The jumper is approaching the gate.
FORD: *pats
*The jumper begins to move through the gate, but the
right engine scrapes against the inner ring. The crew is thrown around inside,
the lights go out and they are stuck halfway through the active gate.*
CREDITS
SCENE: Gateroom. Sirens blaring and Weir is waiting
for the arrival of the jumper.
WEIR: Where are they?
TECHNICIAN: I don’t know, the gate’s still
active. All indications read they should be through by now.
*Weir stands at the balcony with her arms crossed, a
worried look on her face*
SCENE: The gate is literally stuck halfway through the
gate. The back end of the jumper is sticking out of the gate while the front
portion has already gone through. Inside the jumper, the crew is just waking
up. McKay looks up and sees the event horizon within the jumper.
MCKAY: Oh no.
TEYLA: What happened?
MCKAY: The drive pod. The wing things that stick out
while we’re flying must’ve failed to retract. That’s the only
thing it could be. It’s that, or the Stargate shrank, which I highly
doubt. This is a – a big problem.
TEYLA: What can we do?
MCKAY: I don’t know that there is anything we
can do. I mean, this is a very, very big problem.
*McKay looks and sees an arm sticking out of the event
horizon*
MCKAY: Give me a hand.
*McKay and Teyla pull on the arm and yank Lt. Ford out
of the event horizon*
FORD: What the hell was that? *sees event horizon*
That’s strange.
MCKAY: Yes, it is.
FORD: That is the…
MCKAY: Yes, it is.
FORD: That scraping sound…we’re stuck.
MCKAY: Yes, we are. Apparently the engine pods failed
to retract in time. It’s a square peg, round hole.
FORD: Can we pull Markham and Stackhouse out?
MCKAY: Our hands and arms would dematerialize as soon
as we crossed the event horizon. There’s no way to reach for them.
*Teyla looks around and remembers Major Sheppard. She
goes to him. Ford follows*
FORD: The Major?
TEYLA: He must have been knocked unconscious by the
impact.
WEIR: *through the speaker* Jumper one, this is Weir,
what’s your status?
SCENE: Changes from jumper to the control room.
FORD: This is Ford, it’s good to hear your
voice. The four of us are still here but, Markham and Stackhouse are inside the
event horizon.
WEIR: Say again?
FORD: Ma’am, Jumper one is lodged in the
Stargate. Teyla, Dr. McKay and myself are in the rear compartment with the
major. He’s in bad shape. Markham and Stackhouse are in the forward
section.
*While Ford is speaking to Weir, McKay is moving his
hands as though telling them to hurry it up.*
WEIR: How did that happen?
MCKAY: Engine pods…
FORD: We think it was one of the engine pods. But
there’s no way to be sure.
MCKAY: It’s the only viable possibility.
WEIR: If I understand you correctly, you won’t
be able to access the flight controls.
MCKAY: Yes,
WEIR: *Interrupting* Rodney, calm down
MCKAY: *still going* At which point of course…
WEIR: *Interrupting and louder* Rodney! If I’m
going to be any help to you at all, I need to catch up. Lieutenant Ford, back
it up for me.
*McKay looks frustrated. We pan down to Major Sheppard
and Teyla, who is holding a compress to his forehead.*
FORD: We couldn’t I.D. the wraith base of
operations from space, like we did the last time we were there…so we went
to the same landing coordinates as before to get a closer look.
FLASHBACK
SCENE: The jumper is flying over the planet. Sheppard,
Teyla, McKay and Ford have landed on the planet. Sheppard is looking through a
pair of binoculars at a large crater.
SHEPPARD: It’s gone.
MCKAY: What? I thought you said it was in a
mountainside.
TEYLA: It was. We were inside it.
SHEPPARD: Let’s move.
*they start walking towards the crater’s edge.
It’s a huge hole.*
SHEPPARD: This was the spot.
MCKAY: It’s more of a hole than a mountain,
really.
TEYLA: Could it have been destroyed?
FORD: This is definitely not a blast crater.
SHEPPARD: No, looks like they just picked up and left.
So, ship?
FORD: I don’t know, sir. That mountainside was
covered with trees.
SHEPPARD: Yeah, but the wraith hibernate for centuries
right? So a lot of trees could have overgrown in that time.
TEYLA: Then we were held prisoner inside one of the
great ships I showed you in the drawings. They’ve left to begin culling
worlds.
*McKay looks up at the sound of twigs snapping and
sees movement in the trees. It’s wraith soldiers*
MCKAY: There’s movement down there!
*They all turn and see the wraith. The wraith begin
firing their weapons at the 4. They duck and run*
SHEPPARD: Go!
*They run*
END FLASHBACK
SCENE: The puddle jumper
MCKAY: She hardly meant begin at the beginning.
FORD: This is intel she needs to know.
MCKAY: and we have less than 38 minutes.
WEIR: *looks up in surprise* Hold on! Why 38 minutes?
MCKAY: Because that’s the maximum amount of time
a Stargate can remain open in non-relativistic conditions. It’s one of
the more immutable laws of wormhole physics and oh my, look at the time.
It’s now more like 35 minutes. Are we all caught up?
WEIR: I get it. What do you need?
MCKAY: Help.
WEIR: *through speaker* All right. *at atlantis* Let
me put Kavanaugh, Grodin and Simpson in a room. See what they come up with.
MCKAY: *through speaker* That’s good. *in
jumper* And the Czech, the Czech, the Czech whose name I can never remember.
WEIR: Dr. Zelenka?
MCKAY: That’s it. We’ll work it at our
end.
WEIR: What else?
MCKAY: We’ll call you. Thank you. *ends
transmission*
SCENE: Atlantis control room. Beckett enters.
BECKETT: Where’s my patient?
WEIR: There’s been a problem. Conference room.
BECKETT: Oh no.
WEIR: *to tech* Keep a channel open with them at all
times. And turn that damn alarm off.
SCENE: Jumper. The bug on Sheppard’s neck is
expanding like a leech. Sheppard begins to wake up. Teyla is going through the
first aid kit.
SHEPPARD: Hi, Teyla.
*Teyla gets up and comes to sit at his side*
SHEPPARD: Are you all right?
TEYLA: I’m fine.
SHEPPARD: Something tells me we haven’t made it
to Atlantis yet.
TEYLA: No.
*Sheppard looks disappointed, then looks up and sees
the event horizon*
SHEPPARD: Ford?
*Ford moves to sit next to Sheppard*
SHEPPARD: What is that?
FORD: We’re stuck, sir.
SHEPPARD: What?
FORD: In the gate.
SHEPPARD: You mean my day just got worse?
MCKAY: We’re going with the assumption that it
was one or both of the drive pods. I don’t know whether it was mechanical
failure or ….
FORD: or it was damaged as we tried to take off.
FLASHBACK
SCENE: Back on the planet, 3 wraiths fire on the
jumper as it’s taking off. Inside, the crew is being tossed about.
SHEPPARD: We’re taking fire. Let’s get
some altitude!
END FLASHBACK
SCENE: Inside jumper
MCKAY: There’s no way of knowing, really, but
ah, if you know of some way of manually retracting the mechanism…
SHEPPARD: Cockpit, on the left.
MCKAY: The cockpit is regrettably demolecularized at
the moment. But how about somewhere back here?
SHEPPARD: *sadly* No.
MCKAY: No. I didn’t think so. Well, if
you’ll excuse me, I’ll be a foot and a half over there, taking some
readings, feel free to talk amongst yourselves.
SCENE: Inside Atlantis. Scientists are all working at
tables trying to come up with a solution.
WEIR: All Right, you’ve all been briefed. We
have less than half an hour. Where’s Dr. Zelenka?
KAVANAGH: He’s working up a simulation in Puddle
Jumper Two – He went straight there.
WEIR: That’s good.
KAVANAGH: If there was time, it would be.
WEIR: Let’s not admit defeat just yet, Doctor.
There are six people on that ship.
*Kavanagh looks annoyed*
BECKETT: I’m just the medical doctor here, so
forgive me if this is a stupid question. If they just stepped through the event
horizon, wouldn’t they come through the front part of the ship when the
gate shuts down?
KAVANAGH: The front half won’t rematerialize on
this side.
GRODIN: The Stargate transmits matter in discrete
units. The front half of the ship cannot re-materialize until the whole ship
has crossed into the event horizon. The Stargate is essentially waiting for the
contiguous components, meaning the jumper and everyone inside, to enter
completely before it can transport them.
WEIR: He says the gate only sends things through in
one piece.
BECKETT: Right, Sorry.
GRODIN: Unfortunately, the outgoing Stargate won’t
transmit the matter stream until the demolecularization is complete. When it
shuts down, the entire forward section, along with the men inside, will cease
to exist.
WEIR: And what about the others?
GRODIN: The ship will be severed instantaneously along
the event horizon. They’ll be exposed to hard vacuum, in 29 minutes.
SIMPSON: What if they closed the bulkhead door?
WEIR: The rear portion of the ship would remain
pressurized, become a sort of lifeboat.
GRODIN: It will leak atmosphere like a sieve.
SIMPSON: But it could buy enough time to send a second
jumper.
KAVANAGH: And do what?
WEIR: Figure it out. Contact jumper one and make the
recommendation.
SCENE: Inside the jumper. McKay is pushing buttons on
his computer. He gets up and pushes something beside the doors and closes the
bulkhead door. Everything goes dark.
MCKAY: Sorry, here. *raises a light*
*Through the speaker*
GRODIN: Jumper one, this is Atlantis.
MCKAY: Still here.
GRODIN: We recommend closing the bulkhead door.
MCKAY: Oh, good thinking. *looks irritated* What else?
GRODIN: We’re still working on the problem.
We’ll get back to you. Atlantis base out.
MCKAY: Thanks for calling! Anyone else claustrophobic
or is it just me?
FORD: Why’d you close the door?
MCKAY: So that when the Stargate shuts down and the
forward section is severed, we’re not directly exposed to space.
FORD: Will it hold?
MCKAY: Like a screen door on a submarine, I just
prefer apoxia to explosive decompression. It’s a personal thing.
FORD: if the air is gonna get thin in here, you really
do have to calm down.
MCKAY: Wait till you see how thin it gets in 27
minutes…
SHEPPARD: McKay –
MCKAY: Vacuum. That’s thin.
SHEPPARD: Knock it off.
MCKAY: Well, I apologize for being the only person who
truly comprehends how screwed we are!
SHEPPARD: Don’t talk to me about screwed.
*McKay gets quiet, looks at Teyla and Ford. They hear
a scraping sound*
SHEPPARD: And let’s not give up on Markham and
Stackhouse either. There’s plenty of time to solve this thing. But
you’ve got to stop using your mouth and start using your brain.
MCKAY: *looks apologetic* I’m sorry, Major.
I’m…I react to certain doom a certain way. It’s a bad habit
and…and…maybe there’s a way to manually retract the
mechanism.
SHEPPARD: Yeah. Maybe there is.
*McKay pulls down a console and starts looking. Teyla
gets up and puts a jacket behind Sheppard’s head.*
TEYLA: Here. *Sheppard winces* You seem stronger.
SHEPPARD: No, it’s just the pain’s not so
bad now.
FORD: That’s good.
SHEPPARD: No, it isn’t. I can’t feel my
legs. My hands and arms are numb. *McKay looks up in shock* I can barely move
them, and it’s creeping up. Lookit, Lieutenant…what I’m
trying to say is that if you don’t get this damn thing off me, I have
even less time than you do.
SCENE: Jumper 2, Weir walks up to Dr. Zelenka.
ZELENKA: *speaking in Czech*
WEIR: Dr. Zelenka
ZELENKA: Apologies for not attending your briefing Dr
Weir there was no time…
WEIR: I don't want to slow you down but I need to know
what you're working on so I can communicate it to the team on Jumper one.
ZELENKA: We are attempting to retract the um…the
er… the gt…the drive pod back into the fuselage from inside the
rear compartment.
WEIR: Anything yet?
ZELENKA: Well there is much redundancy in ancient
technology, making it dangerous for them to experiment with it in this way.
WEIR: So they might accidentally open the rear hatch
or shut life support off entirely.
ZELENKA: Yes, yes, yes, yes…which is why we are
attempting to isolate the correct control pathway.
WEIR: Understood…What could I do to help?
ZELENKA: Stop talking please *Dr. smiles at Weir, then
continues working on panel, Weir leaves, Dr. begins speaking Czech again*
SCENE: Jumper one
SHEPPARD: Lt., get your knife out and cut this damn
thing off. It can't hurt as much as it did last time.
TEYLA: The last time we almost lost you…
SHEPPARD: Well, you're going to lose me anyway.
FORD: Sir we tried to get it off you when we were on
the planet… we tried everything.
FLASHBACK
SCENE: Planet
*Sheppard is on the ground bug with the bug attached,
Ford sitting next to him with a pistol in his hand, aiming at the bug*
FORD: Ready sir…here we go…*hesitates*
*FORD shoots the bug Sheppard screams out in pain.*
END FLASHBACK
SCENE: Jumper one
FORD: Everything we did just seemed to hurt you
more…the thing just heals itself.
TEYLA: It feeds on your strength…like a wraith.
SHEPPARD: You had to say that.
TEYLA: My father often told stories of creatures such
as this…I always thought he was just trying to keep the children from
straying far from our camp.
SHEPPARD: Great…He tell you how to kill it?
*Teyla shakes her head no.*
FORD: I don't know sir…I'm not sure we can.
SHEPPARD: Well I could use a second opinion. Get
Beckett on the radio.
*McKay looks up from his panel and then goes back to
work.*
SCENE: Control room and Jumper One.
CONTROL GUY: *Into mic* Affirmative. *Beckett walks by
and technician calls to him* Over here sir. This mic is open.
BECKETT: *Into mic* This is Dr Beckett…how's our
patient?
FORD: This is Ford. Major Sheppard is conscious but
the creature is still latched on to him.
SHEPPARD: How do you feel about house calls, Doc?
BECKETT: *through speaker* Would if I could major
Sheppard but you'll have to settle for long distance…I'm told you have
something of a cling-on *closes his eyes when he realizes what he just said*
SHEPPARD: That's funny *little chuckle*…it's
like the ugliest damn tick you've ever seen.
BECKETT: *Grins* How did it attach itself?
SHEPPARD: Well…we were on our way back to the
jumper
FLASHBACK
SCENE: Planet
SHEPPARD: …with the wraith shooting at us…
SHEPPARD: *Grabs Teylas arm pulling her. Stops and
turns back, sets up cover on a fallen tree* Go tell
MCKAY: What about you?
SHEPPARD: I'll be there in a minute! Go! *three of
them run off, Sheppard waits for the wraith to appear*
*He sees three coming at his position and begins
firing. He hits one and runs off into forest, hiding behind tree and firing at
the other two wraith as they run after him.
FORD: *On radio* Major we're cut off from the jumper.
SHEPPARD: Negative. They're should be one at your
three o'clock I drew the other two this way.
FORD: *on radio* They're all around us where'd they
come from?
SHEPPARD: Lt. you know how they can make you see
things that aren't there, the path in front of you is clear Now Move!
*Sheppard gets up from the tree, wraith still firing.
He’s moving backwards while firing in the direction of the wraith. We see
a large cobweb with the creature in the middle. Sheppard backs right into it.*
END FLASHBACK.
SCENE: Control room and Jumper one
BECKETT: Can you describe it to me?
FORD: Yes sir. It's about two feet in length,
including the tail. That's right down under his armpit. It's got two sharp,
spiny things in his neck near the Major's carotid artery.
BECKETT: I'll need more than that, son.
FORD: It's forelegs, I guess you’d call them
that, they're wrapped around the Major's throat. I can't see any eyes. It's got
a real hard shell, but there's a soft leechy part underneath.
BECKETT: Major, what are your physical symptoms?
SHEPPARD: Well, first it felt like a knife in the eye,
since then I've lost all the feelings in my extremities. I can't move.
BECKETT: So it incapacitates first with pain, then
paralysis. *sighs*
SHEPPARD: I need to be able to move around to help
McKay with the mechanical problem. Markham and Stackhouse are dead if I
don’t.
BECKETT: What have you tried?
FORD: I tried to cut it off. I tried to burn it off. I
even tried to shoot it off…9mm, point blank. Not much worse I can do
without killing the Major along with it.
TEYLA: I believe the creature is related in some way
to the wraith.
MCKAY: *looking up* Really?
BECKETT: How so?
TEYLA: It healed itself after each attempt to remove
it by sapping life from Major Sheppard, just as a wraith would.
*Beckett sighs and looks frustrated*
MCKAY: I suppose the wraith had to evolve from
something. It’s probably some sort of prehistoric cousin.
FORD: Listen, Doc. The Major’s getting worse.
We’ve got to do something right now.
BECKETT: You said the creature had an underside of
exposed soft tissue, like a leech?
FORD: Yeah, I tried to cut into it, but the thing
practically strangled him to death.
BECKETT: Son, you don’t cut leeches off. You pour salt on them. *sighs*
SCENE: Scientists think tank.
SIMPSON: If you activate the field, they’ll die.
KAVANAGH: Hey, we can always open it again and if they
fix the problem…
SIMPSON: But they may not have time.
KAVANAGH: If they don’t, we could destroy this
facility!
SIMPSON: Well, I don’t….
WEIR: *Interrupting* You’re supposed to be
working on solutions.
*Kavanagh looks annoyed, Simpson looks down*
KAVANAGH: We think the jumper must be damaged for this
to have happened in the first place. Ancient systems are too advanced for this
to have been pilot error.
WEIR: So?
KAVANAGH: So depending on the extent of the damage, we
can’t rule out a catastrophic power feedback in the drive manifold.
WEIR: Without the technobabble, please.
SIMPSON: Dr. Kavanagh was pointing out that there is a
very slim chance that with the cockpit controls interrupted and the pod
damaged, the main drive could overload.
KAVANAGH: She means to say explode. Especially if
McKay starts nosing around inside the control conduits to retract the drive pod
manually. And he will. I know I would.
WEIR: And Zelenka is working on simulations. I just
came from there.
KAVANAGH: If there is a catastrophic overload, the
full force of the explosion will break up the jumper, follow the burning
fragments through the Stargate like a bomb.
*Weir nods her understanding*
WEIR: *looks at Simpson* You think the risk of this
happening is minimal?
SIMPSON: In my opinion? Yes. *stands up straight and
glares at Kavanagh.*
*Weir looks at the other scientists*
WEIR: You all agree? *they all nod except for
Kavanagh.* Then we take the chance.
*Kavanagh stands up, sighs and crosses his arms*
KAVANAGH: I thought it was important to point out the
risk.
WEIR: Fine. You did. Now please, worry a little bit
more about their lives and less about your own ass.
*Kavanagh looks disgusted at Weir and turns his head*
WEIR: 23 minutes. *She walks out*
SCENE: Halling and his people walk up the steps in the
gateroom towards Dr. Weir.
HALLING: Dr. Weir?
WEIR: I’m sorry, I don’t have time right
now.
HALLING: Neither do those people who are trapped
aboard the ship of the ancestors.
WEIR: News travels fast.
HALLING: I was speaking with one of your expedition
members when she was called in to help.
WEIR: Well, then you are aware that we are very short
on time.
HALLING: I am…still. This is important.
WEIR: Okay.
HALLING: You do not know this, but among our people
there is a ritual prayer that is said when one knows death is upon them.
WEIR: We don’t know that it is.
HALLING: I am told it is all but inevitable.
WEIR: By whom?
HALLING: That is not important. What is important is
that Teyla be allowed to prepare for death. Knowing the time and place of
one’s end is a very rare thing among our people. It is a simple rite that
would not take more than a few moments.
WEIR: Halling. We need to concentrate all of our
efforts on saving them.
HALLING: At the risk of forsaking Teyla’s own
beliefs?
WEIR: It is important that we use what little time we
have to try everything…
HALLING: *Interrupting* I would ask you not to tell me
what is important and what is not in this case.
WEIR: I’m sorry, I can’t have this
conversation right now.
HALLING: Why not?
WEIR: Because we are wasting time.
HALLING: This is time that Teyla could use to prepare.
WEIR: All Right. You perceive death a certain way. I
accept that. In fact, I respect that. But we do not prepare for death, we do
everything we can to stave it off. That is who we are.
HALLING: I am not asking you to suspend your efforts.
WEIR: No, you want me to tell everyone on that ship
that they should expect to die? I will not send them that message and if you
feel that that violates Teyla’s personal rights, I apologize, I truly do.
But there’s nothing I can do about that right now. I have to go.
*Weir walks away. Halling turns and looks confused and
sad.*
SCENE: Puddle jumper
BECKETT: All right, I’ve got everything in the jumper manifest already
laid out here. What’s your personal inventory?
FORD: Okay, from the vests, we’ve got a swiss
army knife, some chocolate, some water, matches, emergency kit. We have
alcohol, iodine, painkillers…
TEYLA: *points to a machine* What is this?
FORD: Teyla found a portable defibrillator in the ship
stores.
BECKETT: I thought of that. Major Sheppard would
receive the same electric shock, it would likely kill him.
FORD: Right.
BECKETT: Try everything one item at a time.
*FORD rummages in the pack in front of him.*
SCENE: Atlantis.
*Weir is walking through the control room. Kavanagh is
trying to catch up to her*
KAVANAGH: Dr. Weir.
WEIR: Kavanagh. I hope you’ve got something to
tell me. *She turns*
KAVANAGH: Yes I do. What the hell was that?
WEIR: *looks shocked* Excuse me?
KAVANAGH: I happily left the SGC because I had had it
up to here with the military running things, and you just busted me like a
private.
WEIR: Don’t be so dramatic. Besides, the Air
Force doesn’t even have privates. *She begins to turn and walk away*
KAVANAGH: Neither do I. You just cut them off. *Weir
turns back to him* Right in front of my research team.
WEIR: That’s what this is about? You’re
embarrassed?
KAVANAGH: Well, humiliated would be a little more
accurate.
*They are raising their voices and other people are
starting to stare at them*
WEIR: I haven’t worked up to humiliation yet.
KAVANAGH: I just assumed that with a civilian in
charge of the expedition, there would be a little bit more…
WEIR: *cutting him off* A civilian is in charge. And
we are cut off from Earth, which makes Atlantis almost like a colony,
doesn’t it?
KAVANAGH: I suppose.
WEIR: Well, I’m Governor of that colony.
KAVANAGH: You know, that’s all very well and
good…
WEIR: Do you have a problem with that?
KAVANAGH: *sighs and looks down* You’re missing
my point.
WEIR: No, you’re missing mine. If you waste one
more minute which could be used to help the people trapped on that ship because
of your ego…I promise you, I will dial the coordinates of a very lonely
planet where you can be as self-important as you want to be.
KAVANAGH: *smiles uncertainly and huffs*
WEIR: You think I’m kidding?
KAVANAGH: You wouldn’t do that.
WEIR: Kavanagh, get back in there!
KAVANAGH: *smiles and nods arrogantly* We’ll
talk about this later.
WEIR: Never again! Go! *Kavanagh doesn’t move*
Go!
*Kavanagh turns and walks away. Weir looks really
pissed.*
SCENE: Puddle jumper 2 and Dr. Zelenka is still working on the control conduit.
ZELENKA: Ow. *licks finger after shock, starts
clicking away again, his pad starts beeping and he starts speaking excitedly in
Czech, gets down from the conduit and grabs a radio.* Dr. Zelenka to control
room. I think I have something.
SCENE: Control room. Grodin and Weir run to computer.
GRODIN: We’re receiving.
WEIR: Jumper one, this is Weir. Dr. Zelenka’s
come up with something.
SCENE: Jumper one.
MCKAY: Zelenka. Why can I never remember that name?
GRODIN: He’s positively identified the control
systems on the port side of the jumper that retract the drive pods. I’m
relaying the schematics to your datapad.
MCKAY: Thank you, now we’re getting somewhere.
FORD: What?
MCKAY: Zelenka’s identified the control pathways
to the engine pod, which means that’s increasing my chances of fixing
this from one in a million to one in a thousand, but, uh…it’s
something. Elizabeth?
WEIR: Yes?
MCKAY: I’ll only have seven to nine seconds to
warn you if I accidentally trigger a catastrophic overload, so if I tell you to
raise the shields…don’t hesitate.
WEIR: We’re aware of the risk, Rodney. Do your
best.
*McKay starts working on the control conduit. Ford and
Teyla go back to working on Major Sheppard*
FORD: We’re starting with iodine.
*FORD unscrews the cap of the iodine and uses the
dropper to put some on the creature. It makes a small noise, but nothing
happens.*
FORD: Scratch iodine.
BECKETT: What else have you got there?
MCKAY: Yes, what have you got there, any food?
FORD: You’re kidding.
MCKAY: I have less than 20 minutes to save our lives,
and I am teetering on the brink of a hypoglycemic reaction, so…
*FORD looks in the bag and tosses something to McKay*
MCKAY: Thank you.
*He opens the chocolate bar and goes back to work. Teyla
watches him curiously and goes back to helping Sheppard*
TEYLA: Here. *She hands something to Ford.*
FORD: We’re going to try alcohol now.
BECKETT: Place a few drops on the soft tissue to see
how it reacts.
SHEPPARD: Save some for me.
FORD Wrong type of alcohol, sir.
SHEPPARD: What’s the good of that?
*The creature barely reacts*
FORD Not much, sir. *to Beckett* No reaction to
alcohol.
BECKETT: Right. What next?
TEYLA: Did the Doctor not say to pour salt on the
creature?
MCKAY: *mouth full of chocolate* I think that was a
metaphor. *Teyla looks at him* But it doesn’t matter, just try everything.
*Teyla looks back to the Major*
*Ford pours salt on the tissue. No reaction from the creature. Beckett and Weir
look increasingly concerned.*
FORD: Water, give me water.
*Teyla hands him a flask. Ford pours some on the
creature. It begins to bloat and tighten around Sheppard’s neck. He’s
in obvious pain.*
FORD: Sir! Sir, are you all right? Sir? Major?
*Sheppard begins to scream, Beckett, the Scientists in
the control room and Weir can all hear him screaming through the radio*
FORD: Sir, are you all right? Sir? Major? Major?
What’s happening?
*Sheppard is reacting to the pain and throws Ford away
from him. Ford hits the side of the jumper and things begin to move. *
WEIR: What’s happening?
*McKay is looking at the control conduit; Ford gets up
from the floor. Sheppard is in serious pain. *
FORD: It reacted to either the salt or the water.
BECKETT: Or the combination of both. Did it loosen its
hold on Major Sheppard?
FORD: Negative.
TEYLA: If anything, it dug in more.
SHEPPARD: Please don’t do that again.
FORD: I won’t sir, I’m sorry.
BECKETT: Most likely a primitive defensive reflex to
salt water.
MCKAY: We moved, when you fell, I must’ve
crossed one of the circuits. I think the engine fired for a microsecond, but it
stopped.
*McKay looks up and sees the event horizon peeking out
beneath the bulkhead doors.*
MCKAY: Oh, no.
FORD: What? *He gets up and walks over to McKay* What?
MCKAY: So much for plan “a”.
FORD: What?
MCKAY: When the Stargate closes now, every molecule of
air in this compartment is going to rush out through there. *He points at the
event horizon.*
TEYLA: We’ve slid in further.
MCKAY: 15 minutes.
WEIR: Ford, what can you tell me?
FORD: The puddle jumper has shifted slightly. The rear
compartment has now breached the event horizon. Dr. McKay…Dr.
McKay…*looking hopefully at McKay*…is still hopeful he can retract
the drive pod in time. *He nods at McKay in support*
*McKay gets up and goes back to work.*
WEIR: Understood. We haven’t come up with
anything yet, but there’s still time.
FORD: Yes, Ma’am.
WEIR: How is Major Sheppard?
SHEPPARD: *in pain* I’m still here.
WEIR: Hang in there, Major. We’re working on the
problem.
SHEPPARD: I know you are. Listen, uh, I’d like
to say something while I still can.
WEIR: Don’t! You’re going to get through
this.
SHEPPARD: *laughs slightly* If I was…He
wouldn’t have let me go.
WEIR: Who wouldn’t have let you go?
SHEPPARD: The wraith.
FLASHBACK
SCENE: On the planet. A wraith approaches Major
Sheppard, who is on his knees with the creature attached. The wraith looks at
him for a moment, realizes what is on him and turns away.
END FLASHBACK
SHEPPARD: I guess he saw me as good as dead, cause he
just walked away, so…*clears throat*…what I wanted to say
was…
WEIR: Save your strength, John, and tell me in person.
SHEPPARD: This is important.
WEIR: *sighs and closes her eyes* I’m listening.
FORD: We should send him through the event horizon. If
Dr. McKay figures it out in time, we can fix the major up on the other side, and
if he doesn’t, we’re all dead anyway.
MCKAY: No pressure.
GRODIN: Major Sheppard would effectively be in
suspended animation for the entire time.
BECKETT: We can’t risk that.
FORD: Why not?
BECKETT: If the creature reacted that violently to a
few drops of water, who knows how it would react to Stargate travel?
WEIR: You’re telling me Major Sheppard
can’t come through the gate while that thing is on him?
TEYLA: Then we must do something now.
SHEPPARD: Hit me with the defibrillator.
BECKETT: *sighs and then starts to smile* You may be
on to something, Major.
FORD: You said that might kill him.
SHEPPARD: That’s the idea.
TEYLA: I don’t understand.
BECKETT: Teyla, you said this creature is like a
wraith.
TEYLA: Yes.
BECKETT: Then how do you think it would respond if,
God forbid, Major Sheppard were to die right now, then?
TEYLA: *starts to understand* It would stop feeding.
BECKETT: Exactly, just as a wraith would.
WEIR: How is that an idea?
BECKETT: We’re suggesting that we fool the
creature into thinking its prey is dead by stopping the major’s heart. If
I’m right, it should let him go.
FORD: So when the thing lets go, we give him another
jolt?
BECKETT: You could give that a try, if it
doesn’t work, send him through the event horizon. He’ll keep there
as good as a deep freeze.
WEIR: John, are you sure you want to do this?
SHEPPARD: I want this damn thing off me.
BECKETT: *to someone offscreen* Be prepared for a code
blue in the jumper bay. Lieutenant Ford, do you know how to do this?
FORD: Yes, Sir. *He gets up and picks up the
defibrillator.* Cut his shirt off.
TEYLA: What?
FORD: Cut his shirt off!
*Teyla grabs the scissors from the emergency bag and
cuts Sheppard’s shirt*
FORD: Charging to 200. Move his tags.
TEYLA: What?
FORD: Remove his chains to the side.
BECKETT: Place the lubrication right on the paddles.
*Ford squeezes some of the jelly onto the paddles and
rubs them together. The machine is beeping*
FORD: Ready to go. Once the bug falls off, I’m
going to have to kill it. I’ll wait for it to charge up again and
I’ll give him another jolt. McKay, if we can’t restart his heart,
I’m going to need that bulkhead door open again.
MCKAY: Done.
*McKay opens bulkhead doors. The blue event horizon is
on the other side.*
FORD: One of us is going to have to get him through.
TEYLA: I will.
*Ford starts to apply the paddles, but hesitates,
looking at the Major.*
SHEPPARD: Do it!
*Ford shocks him, puts the paddles down and feels for
a pulse.*
FORD: No pulse.
*Teyla grabs the creature and starts to try and pull
it off. It struggles against her*
TEYLA: It won’t come off.
BECKETT: Settle. It may take a moment.
WEIR: *looking really worried* Lieutenant?
*Ford begins rubbing the paddles together again to
ready for another shock. Teyla is still pulling at the creature. It finally
lets go. Teyla throws it to the side of the jumper on one of the seats. McKay
moves to the other side. Ford shoots the bug many times. It’s oozing and
appears dead. Ford grabs the paddles and shocks Sheppard, then feels for a
pulse again.*
TEYLA: Nothing?
FORD: Nothing. Let’s get him through.
*McKay moves the equipment out of the way while Teyla
and Ford lift Sheppard.*
FORD: Got him?
TEYLA: Yes.
*Teyla drags him backwards through the gate.*
FORD: This is Lieutenant Ford. The creature’s
successfully been removed from Major Sheppard, but we were unable to revive
him. Both he an Teyla are now on the other side of the event horizon.
WEIR: Thank you, Lieutenant. Rodney, you have seven
minutes.
SCENE: Atlantis jumper bay. Four people are dressed in
bio-hazard suits and have a gurney waiting for Major Sheppard.
SCENE: Jumper one.
MCKAY: I’m only halfway through all the possible
circuit pathways and time’s almost up. We’re never going to make
it.
FORD: Just keep at it, there’s still time.
MCKAY: You should consider stepping into the event
horizon. I’m serious. I’ll keep trying to the end, but given your
choices, that’s a far better way to go.
FORD: And leave you here alone with that thing wrapped
up in my jacket?
MCKAY: You did check to make sure it was dead, right?
FORD: It’s dead.
MCKAY: Good, because explosive decompression and death
by suffocation with that thing on my face…
FORD: *cutting him off* work!
MCKAY: Sorry.
SCENE: Atlantis. The scientists are still working for
a solution.
WEIR: Time?
GRODIN: Two minutes, Twenty seconds.
WEIR: Rodney, we’re down to two minutes.
SCENE: Jumper one.
MCKAY: I know the time. I’ve still got over two
dozen circuits I haven’t tried.
WEIR: Don’t be so methodical, just pick one at
random!
MCKAY: If I do that, I run the risk of attempting to
activate the same circuit twice.
WEIR: Just try!
MCKAY: I’m telling you, there’s no way I
can…
*Suddenly there’s a noise outside the jumper and
the engine starts to whir.*
MCKAY: wait!
*The drive pods retract and the engine starts*
MCKAY: I think I did it! Elizabeth, I think the engine
pod’s retracting.
*Weir sighs in relief and runs to the balcony along
with the entire control room. The athosians are waiting on the steps of the
gateroom. The drive pods have retracted but the jumper isn’t moving. *
WEIR: Then why haven’t you shown up?
FORD: She’s right. Why aren’t we moving?
MCKAY: It’s inertia. The drive shut down before
we went through the Stargate. We’ve shed all our forward momentum.
*Ford runs to the bulkhead doors and tries throwing
himself against them to create some forward momentum.*
MCKAY: You’re wasting your time. For every
action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
FORD: Then what are we going to do?
*Weir is standing on the balcony waiting for them to
come through.*
GRODIN: One minute.
SCENE: The scientists table.
KAVANAGH: Wait, the rear hatch. Blow the rear hatch.
It should give you enough thrust to make it through.
MCKAY: That could do it. But the only mechanism to
blow the hatch is back here.
*McKay points to a circuit panel at the rear of the
jumper. Ford opens the bulkhead doors, then moves to the rear of the jumper. *
FORD: You
go through, I’ll do it.
MCKAY:
No, no. You’ll get blown out into space.
FORD: No,
No, there’s no time to argue, just go!
*Ford starts pushing McKay towards the event horizon.*
MCKAY:
Make sure you hold on to something.
FORD:
Just go!
GRODIN:
Thirty seconds.
*Ford’s
jacket starts to move. The creature is alive and trying to get out of the
jacket. Ford grabs onto a bar in the jumper and opens the circuit cover to blow
the hatch. We can see the creatures legs begin to appear from the bottom of the
jacket. Ford pulls the lever and the hatch is blown. Air starts to rush out of
the jumper, as does the jacket with the creature. Ford is hanging on for dear
life. The jumper moves forward through the gate and arrives at Atlantis in one
piece. Everyone starts to clap, except for the Athosians, to whom Weir nods.*
WEIR:
I’ll be in the jumper bay.
SCENE:
Jumper one in the bay. Beckett is shocking Sheppard.
BECKETT:
Again!
*Someone
is bagging Sheppard. Ford is on a gurney receiving oxygen.*
MCKAY:
He’s going to be fine.
*As Weir
walks past Ford, she grasps his hand. He’s rolled out of the jumper. We
can still hear the flat line of the machine in the background. Beckett leans
over with a stethoscope and listens for a heartbeat. They get two small beats
and then a flat line again.*
WEIR:
Well done, Rodney.
MCKAY:
We’ll see.
BECKETT:
*as the machine starts beeping* We’ve got a pulse. *they continue bagging
Sheppard* Getting stronger! He’s going to be okay.
*McKay
and Weir both sigh with relief. Weir sits down. McKay starts to pace.*
SCENE:
Atlantis infirmary. Sheppard is flirting with the nurse. Teyla, Ford and Rodney
are in the room with Sheppard.
FORD:
Well, I for one, am back in fighting form, thanks to the lovely meal.
TEYLA: My
people were happy to oblige.
FORD: It
tasted like chicken.
*Weir
walks up to the end of the bed.*
WEIR: How
are you feeling?
SHEPPARD:
Starving.
MCKAY:
He’s got quite the hickey, but Dr. Beckett says he’ll be fine in a
few days.
TEYLA: We
should let you rest.
SHEPPARD:
No, you should get me food.
WEIR: I
think we can arrange that.
FORD:
Welcome back, Sir.
SHEPPARD:
I have to admit. It is a pleasant surprise.
*Ford,
Rodney and Teyla go to leave.*
WEIR: By
the way, what were you going to say?
SHEPPARD:
When?
WEIR:
Before, when you thought, you know…
SHEPPARD:
Oh that…
WEIR: I
didn’t want you to say it at the time, but now I’m curious.
SHEPPARD:
I was going to say, um, *pauses*, take care of each other.
WEIR:
That’s nice.
SHEPPARD:
Yep.
MCKAY:
And, indeed, we did.
SHEPPARD:
Yes, you did. Thank you. Again.
MCKAY:
You’re welcome.
TEYLA:
Good night.
*Rodney, Ford and Teyla leave. Weir goes to leave, but
stops and turns back.*
WEIR: You weren’t really going to say that, were
you?
SHEPPARD: I have no idea what you’re talking
about.
WEIR: I didn’t think so.
*Weir leaves and Sheppard lays back to try and sleep.*
The End