Stargate: Atlantis s01e04 Episode Script

- How we doing? - I got it lined up pretty close.
No such thing as close.
Thread the needle or we're dead.
You can do it.
Nice and easy.
- OK.
We're close enough to dial the gate.
- Yes! Hurry up and get us back! - Get this damn thing off me.
- We can't.
- Cut it off.
- Radio back that we've got an emergency.
There must be something we can do.
There's an emergency first-aid kit behind the pilot seat.
Get it.
Everything we do to try to remove it makes the pain worse.
Try and be still.
- Is there no way to go faster? - He's trying to get us back in one piece.
Atlantis Base, this is Ford.
Jumper One is inbound with a medical emergency.
Please respond.
(Stargate alarm) - What's going on? - The team has a medical emergency.
- Dr Beckett is on his way.
- Put on Major Sheppard.
He's the one who's injured.
- What am I expecting to find? - Something for the pain.
- He needs a doctor.
How much longer? - Almost there.
Flight, Jumper One on final approach.
This is Weir.
What's Major Sheppard's injury? Some sort of alien bug attached itself to his neck.
He's completely immobile.
- What's it doing to him? - We don't know, but we can't get it off.
You understand the risk of bringing it back to Atlantis? Yes, ma'am, but we don't have a choice.
Understood, Lieutenant.
Good luck.
Quarantine the jumper bay.
It's all automatic from here.
Here we go! (Stargate alarm) - Where are they? - I don't know.
The gate's still active.
They should be through by now.
- Oh, no.
- What happened? The drive pod The wing things that stick out must have failed to retract.
That or the Stargate shrank, which I highly doubt.
This is a big problem.
- What can we do? - I don't see anything we can do.
This is a a very, very big problem.
Give me a hand.
What the hell was that? - That's strange.
- Yes, it is.
- That is the? - Yes, it is.
That scraping sound We're stuck.
Yes, we are.
The engine pods failed to retract in time.
It's a square peg, round hole.
- Can we pull the others out? - Our hands would dematerialise.
It's There's no way to reach for them.
The major.
He must have been knocked unconscious by the impact.
This is Weir.
What's your status? This is Ford.
The four of us are still here, but Markham and Stackhouse are inside the event horizon.
- Say again? - Ma'am Jumper One is lodged in the Stargate.
Teyla, Dr McKay and I are in the rear compartment with the major.
He's in bad shape.
Markham and Stackhouse are in the forward section.
- How did that happen? - Engine pods.
We think it was one of the engine pods.
- There's no way to be sure.
- It is the only possibility.
You won't be able to access the flight controls.
An intriguing conundrum, one I would love to discuss in detail until this ship is cut in two! Rodney, calm down.
Rodney! If I'm gonna be any help, I need to catch up.
Lieutenant Ford, back it up for me.
We couldn't ID the Wraith base of operations from space like last time, so we went to the same landing coordinates as before to get a closer look.
- It's gone.
- What? - I thought it was in a mountainside.
- It was.
We were inside it.
Let's move.
- This was the spot.
- It's more a hole than a mountain, really.
- Could it have been destroyed? - This is not a blast crater.
No.
It's like they just picked up and left.
So, ship? The mountainside was covered in trees.
But the Wraith hibernate for centuries, right? So a lot of trees could have overgrown.
Then we were held prisoner inside one of the great ships in the drawings.
They've left to begin culling worlds.
There's movement down there.
Go! (firing continues) - She hardly meant begin at the beginning.
- She needs to know.
- We have less than 38 minutes.
- Why 38 minutes? That's the maximum amount of time a Stargate can remain open.
It's one of the more immutable laws of wormhole physics.
Look at the time.
It's now more like 35 minutes! - I get it.
What do you need? - Help.
Let me put Kavanagh, Grodin and Simpson in a room, see what they come up with.
And the Czech whose name I never remember.
- Dr Zelenka? - That's him.
We'll work it at our end.
We'll call you.
Thank you.
- Where's my patient? - There's been a problem.
Keep a channel open.
And turn that damn alarm off.
Hi, Teyla.
- Are you all right? - I'm fine.
Something tells me we haven't made it to Atlantis yet.
No.
Ford? - What is that? - We're stuck, sir.
- We're what? - In the gate.
You mean my day just got worse? We're going with the assumption it was one of the drive pods.
It was damaged as we tried to take off.
We're taking fire.
- Let's get some altitude! - I'm trying, sir! There's no way of knowing, but if you know a way of retracting the mechanism - Cockpit on the left.
- The cockpit is demolecularised.
How about somewhere back here? - No.
- I didn't think so.
I'll be a foot and a half over there taking some readings.
Feel free to talk amongst yourselves.
You've been briefed.
We have less than half an hour.
- Where's Dr Zelenka? - He's working up a simulation.
- That's good.
- If there was time it would be.
Let's not admit defeat yet.
There are six people on that ship.
Forgive me if this is a stupid question.
If they step through the event horizon, won't they come through the front part? - The front half won't rematerialise here.
- The Stargate transmits in discrete units.
The front half cannot rematerialise until the whole ship crosses the event horizon.
The Stargate is essentially waiting for the jumper and everyone inside to enter completely before it can transport them.
The gate sends things through in one piece.
Sorry.
The Stargate won't transmit the matter until the demolecularisation is complete.
When it shuts down, the forward section and the men inside will cease to exist.
- And what about the others? - The ship will be severed instantaneously.
They'll be exposed to hard vacuum in 29 minutes.
What if they close the bulkhead door? The rear of the ship would remain pressurised.
It would leak atmosphere like a sieve.
- We could send a second jumper.
- And do what? Figure it out.
Contact Jumper One and make the recommendation.
- What are you doing? - Sorry.
Here.
- Jumper One, this is Atlantis.
- Still here.
We recommend closing the bulkhead door.
- Good thinking.
What else? - We're still working on the problem.
- We'll get back to you.
Atlantis Base out.
- Thanks for calling (!) - Anybody else claustrophobic? - Why'd you close the door? So when the Stargate shuts down, we're not directly exposed to space.
- Will it hold? - I just prefer hypoxia to decompression.
- It's a personal thing.
- The air's gonna get thin.
Calm down.
Wait till you see how thin it gets in 27 minutes.
Vacuum! - Knock it off.
- I truly comprehend how screwed we are! Don't talk to me about screwed! And let's not give up on Markham and Stackhouse either.
There's plenty of time to solve this thing.
Stop using your mouth and start using your brain.
I'm sorry.
I'm just I react to certain doom a certain way.
It's a bad habit and - Maybe we can manually retract it.
- Yeah, maybe.
Here.
- You seem stronger.
- It's just the pain's not so bad now.
- That's good.
- No, it isn't.
I can't feel my legs.
Hands and arms are numb.
I can barely move 'em.
The feeling's creeping up.
Look, Lieutenant What I'm trying to say is if you don't get this damn thing off me I have even less time than you do.
(speaks Czech) Dr Zelenka.
Apologies for not attending your briefing.
I need to know what you're working on so I can communicate it to Jumper One.
We are attempting to retract the, um, uh the drive pod back into the fuselage from inside the rear compartment.
Anything yet? Ancient technology makes it dangerous for them to experiment in this way.
They might accidentally open the rear hatch or shut life support off entirely.
Which is why we are attempting to isolate the correct control pathway.
- Understood.
What could I do to help? - Stop talking, please.
(speaks Czech) Lieutenant, get your knife out and cut this damn thing off.
- It can't hurt as much as it did last time.
- We almost lost you.
- You're gonna lose me anyway.
- We tried when we were on the planet.
We tried everything.
You ready, sir? Here we go.
Everything we did just hurt you more.
The thing just heals itself.
- It feeds on your strength like a Wraith.
- You had to say that.
My father often told stories of a creature such as this.
I thought he was just trying to keep the children from straying from our camp.
Great.
Did he tell you how to kill it? - I'm not sure we can.
- Well, I could use a second opinion.
Get Beckett on the radio.
Affirmative.
Over here, sir.
This mike is open.
How's our patient? (Ford) He's conscious, but the creature's still latched onto him.
- How d'you feel about house calls, doc? - Would if I could.
You'll have to settle for long distance.
I'm told you have something of a cling-on.
That's funny.
It's like the ugliest damn tick you've ever seen.
- How did it attach itself? - We were on our way back to the jumper with the Wraith shooting at us.
- Go tell Markham to get ready for take-off.
- What about you? I'll be there in a minute.
Go! (Ford) Major, we're cut off from the jumper.
There's one at your three o'clock.
I drew the other two this way.
They're all around us.
They make you see things that aren't there.
The path in front of you is clear.
Now move! - Can you describe it to me? - Yes, sir.
Two feet in length, including the tail.
That's wrapped under his armpit.
It's got two sharp spiny things in his neck.
I'll need more than that, son.
Four legs.
I guess you could call them that.
They're wrapped around his throat.
I can't see any eyes.
It's got a hard shell, but there's a soft leechy part underneath.
Major, what are your physical symptoms? At first it felt like a knife in the eye.
Since then I've lost all the feelings in my extremities.
Can't move.
So it incapacitates first with pain, then paralysis.
I need to be able to move around to help McKay.
Markham and Stackhouse are dead if I don't.
- What have you tried? - To cut it off, burn it off.
I even tried to shoot it off.
Nine mil, point-blank.
Not much worse I can do without killing the major.
I believe the creature is related to the Wraith.
- Really? - How so? It healed itself by sapping life from Major Sheppard, just as a Wraith would.
The Wraith evolved from something.
It's probably some sort of prehistoric cousin.
The major's getting worse.
We gotta do something right now.
You said the creature had an underside of exposed soft tissue like a leech.
I tried to cut into it.
It practically strangled him.
Son, you don't cut leeches off.
You pour salt on them.
- If you activate the field, they'll die.
- They may fix the problem.
- They may not have time.
- We could destroy this facility.
You're supposed to be working on solutions.
We think the jumper must be damaged for this to have happened.
Ancient systems are too advanced for pilot error.
So we can't rule out a catastrophic power feedback in the drive manifold.
Without the technobabble.
There's a very slim chance that when the control is interrupted and the pod damaged, the main drive could overload.
She means to say explode.
Especially if McKay starts nosing around inside the control conduits.
And he will.
I know I would.
And Zelenka is working on simulations.
If there is a catastrophic overload, the explosion will break up the jumper, follow the burning fragments through the Stargate like a bomb.
You think the risk of this happening is minimal? In my opinion yes.
You all agree? Then we take the chance.
- It was important to point out the risk.
- Fine.
You did.
Now, please, worry a little bit more about their lives and less about your own ass.
- Dr Weir.
- I don't have time.
Neither do those people trapped aboard the ship.
News travels fast.
I was speaking with someone who was called to help.
Then you are aware we are very short on time.
I am.
Still this is important.
OK.
You do not know this, but among our people there is a ritual prayer said when one knows death is upon them.
- We don't know it is.
- I am told it is inevitable.
- By whom? - It 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 will not take more than a few moments Halling We need to concentrate all of our efforts on saving them.
At the risk of forsaking Teyla's beliefs? It is important that we use what little time we have I would ask you not to tell me what is important.
- I can't have this conversation.
- Why not? - We are wasting time.
- Time Teyla could use to prepare.
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.
I am not asking you to suspend your efforts.
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 apologise, I truly do.
But there's nothing I can do about that right now.
I have to go.
(Beckett) We've got everything from the jumper manifest laid out here.
- What's your personal inventory? - OK, we got a Swiss Army knife.
(Ford) Some chocolate, some water, matches, emergency kit.
We have alcohol, iodine, painkillers.
What is this? Teyla found a portable defibrillator.
The major would receive the same electric shock.
It would likely kill him.
Try everything, one item at a time.
- Dr Weir.
- I hope you've got something to tell me.
Yes, I do.
- What the hell was that? - Excuse me? I left the SGC because I had had it up to here with the military.
- You just busted me like a private.
- The air force doesn't have privates.
Neither do I.
You just cut them off.
Right in front of my research team.
- You're embarrassed? - Humiliated would be more accurate! I haven't worked up to humiliation yet! I just assumed that with a civilian in charge there would be a little bit more A civilian is in charge, and we are cut off from Earth, which makes Atlantis like a colony, doesn't it? - I suppose.
- I'm governor of that colony.
- That's all very well and good - Do you have a problem with that? - You're missing my point.
- You're missing mine.
If you waste one more minute which could be used to help the people on that ship because of your ego, I will dial the coordinates of a very lonely planet where you can be as self-important as you wanna be.
You think I'm kidding? - You wouldn't do that.
- Kavanagh, get back in there.
- We'll talk about this later.
- Never again.
Go.
Go! (speaks Czech) Dr Zelenka to Control Room.
I think I have something.
We're receiving.
Jumper One, this is Weir.
Dr Zelenka's come up with something.
- Why can I never remember that name? - He's identified how to retract the pod.
I'm relaying the schematics.
- Now we're getting somewhere.
- What? Zelenka's identified the pathways to the engine pod, increasing my chances of fixing this from one in a million to one in a thousand.
- It's something.
Elizabeth.
- Yes? I'll only have nine seconds to warn you if I trigger a catastrophic overload.
If I tell you to raise the shields, don't hesitate.
We're aware of the risk, Rodney.
Do your best.
Starting with iodine.
(squelchy buzzing) (squelchy buzzing) - (Ford) Scratch iodine.
- What else have you got there? - You got any food? - You're kidding? I have 20 minutes to save our lives and I am on the brink of a hypoglycaemic reaction, so Thank you.
Here.
- Gonna try alcohol now.
- Place a few drops on the soft tissue.
- Save some for me.
- Wrong type of alcohol, sir.
What's the good of that? Not much, sir.
No reaction to alcohol.
Right, what next? Did the doctor not say to pour salt on it? I think that was a metaphor.
But it doesn't matter.
Just try everything.
Water.
Give me water.
Sir? Sir! Sir, are you all right? Sir! Major! (Sheppard yells) (Ford) Sir, are you all right? Sir! Major! Major! What's happening? What's happening? - It reacted to either the salt or the water.
- Or both.
- Did it loosen its hold? - Negative.
- It dug in more.
- Don't do that again.
- I won't, sir.
I'm sorry.
- A primitive defensive reflex to salt water.
We moved.
When you fell, I crossed a circuit.
The engine fired for a microsecond but it stopped.
- Oh, no.
- What? What? - So much for Plan A.
- What? When the Stargate closes now, every molecule of air is gonna rush out through there.
We slid in further.
- Ford, what can you tell me? - The jumper has shifted.
The rear compartment has breached the event horizon.
Dr McKay Dr McKay is still hopeful he can retract the drive pod in time.
Understood.
We haven't come up with anything yet, but there's still time.
Yes, ma'am.
- How is Major Sheppard? - I'm still here.
Hang in there, Major.
We're working on the problem.
I know you are.
Listen - I'd like to say something while I still can.
- Don't.
You're gonna get through this.
If I was he wouldn't have let me go.
Who wouldn't have let you go? The Wraith.
I guess he just saw me as good as dead, 'cause he just walked away.
So what I wanted to say was Save your strength, John.
Tell me in person.
This is important.
I'm listening.
We should send him through.
If Dr McKay figures it out, we can fix him up on the other side.
- If he doesn't, we're all dead anyway.
- No pressure.
He would effectively be in suspended animation.
- We can't risk that.
- Why not? If it reacted that violently to water, how will it react to Stargate travel? He can't come through with that thing on him? Then we must do something now.
Hit me with the defibrillator.
- You may be onto something, Major.
- You said that might kill him.
- That's the idea.
- I don't understand.
Teyla.
- You said this creature was like a Wraith.
- Yes.
Then how would it respond if, God forbid, Major Sheppard were to die right now? - It would stop feeding.
- Exactly.
As a Wraith would.
How is that an idea? We fool it into thinking its prey is dead by stopping the major's heart.
- If I'm right, it should let him go.
- Then we give him another jolt.
If it doesn't work, send him through the event horizon.
He'll keep there as good as a deep freeze.
- John, are you sure you wanna do this? - I want this damn thing off me.
Prepare for a code blue.
Lieutenant, do you know how to do this? Yes, sir.
Cut his shirt open.
- What? - Cut his shirt open! Charging to 200.
Move his tags.
Move his chain to the side.
Place the lubrication right on the paddles.
Ready to go.
Once the bug falls off, I'm gonna have to kill it.
I'll wait for it to charge up and give him another jolt.
If we can't restart his heart, I'll need that bulkhead door open again.
Done.
- One of us will have to get him through.
- I will.
Do it! No pulse.
- It won't come off.
- Settle.
It may take a moment.
Lieutenant? - Nothing? - Nothing! Let's get him through.
- Got him? - Yes.
The creature has been removed from Major Sheppard, but we were unable to revive him.
He and Teyla are now on the other side of the event horizon.
Thank you, Lieutenant.
Rodney, you have seven minutes.
I'm only halfway through the pathways.
We're never gonna make it.
- There's still time.
- You should consider the event horizon.
I'll keep trying, but that's a far better way to go.
- And leave you here with that thing? - You checked it was dead? - It's dead.
- Explosive decompression with that - Work! - Sorry.
- Time? - Two minutes, 20 seconds.
- Rodney, two minutes.
- I know the time.
- Still got over two dozen circuits to try.
- Just pick one at random.
- And attempt to activate a circuit twice? - Just try! - There's no way I can - (whirring) Wait I think I did it.
Elizabeth, I think the engine pod's retracted.
Then why haven't you shown up? She's right.
Why aren't we moving? It's inertia.
We've shed all our forward momentum.
You're wasting your time.
For every action, there's an equal and opposite reaction.
Then what are we gonna do? One minute.
Wait.
The rear hatch.
Blow the rear hatch.
It should give you enough thrust.
That could do it.
But the only mechanism to blow the hatch is back here.
- Go through.
I'll do it.
- You'll get blown into space! Go! (bleeping) I'll be in the jumper bay.
Again.
He's gonna be fine.
- Well done, Rodney.
- We'll see.
(Beckett) We've got a pulse.
Getting stronger.
He's going to be OK.
- How are you feeling? - Starving.
He's got quite the hickey, but Dr Beckett says he'll be fine in a few days.
- We should let you rest.
- No, get me food.
- We can arrange that.
- Welcome back, sir.
- I have to admit, it is a pleasant surprise.
- By the way, what were you gonna say? - When? - Before, when you thought, you know - Oh, that.
- I didn't want you to say at the time.
But now I'm curious.
I was gonna say, um Take care of each other.
- That's nice.
- Yeah.
- And indeed we did.
- Yes, you did.
Thank you.
- Again.
- You're welcome.
Good night.
You weren't really gonna say that, were you? I have no idea what you're talking about.
I didn't think so.