Stargate: Atlantis s01e13 Episode Script

(Zelenka) 7,549.
(McKay) Oh, please.
Prime.
4,021.
(Zelenka) Nice try.
Not prime.
Lieutenant Ford, 599.
- I don't care if it's a prime number or not.
- Yes or no? - No.
- It's incredible.
10 for 10.
- He is terrible.
- I suck at Prime, Not Prime.
- Somehow I'm gonna sleep tonight.
- It's gone way beyond prime numbers.
It's a true/false game.
Just by guessing, you should get at least half right.
- Prime.
- That's an easy one.
- You hearing this, Hays? - Not really.
Too busy doing my job.
We've been through this section of Atlantis, Dr Killjoy.
It's structurally sound.
Lieutenant Ford, would you mind being a subject of research paper on statistical improbabilities? This is payback for guys like me beating up guys like you in high school, right? (Weir on radio) What's it like out in the suburbs? With the exception of the storage room, which the lovely Dumais informs me is in no immediate danger, it appears in relatively good shape.
- Even after all the flooding? - It's dark, damp and smells terrible.
But from an engineering standpoint, we're good.
- Head back.
- Heading back.
All right, you clowns.
I don't often get a chance to say this, so savour it.
Good work, boys and girls.
Let's go home.
Wait, wait, wait.
We're missing Johnson and Wagner.
Wagner, Johnson, what's your position? We need backup! They're coming at us! - What? - Where are they? - Down this corridor.
- We're on our way! Johnson.
Johnson, you OK? McKay.
He's dead.
- Johnson, what happened here? - They got him.
Who got him? Calm down.
There's nothing here.
- Can't you see them? They're everywhere! - I need a medical team here stat! Ah! Aagh! It's no use.
She's gone.
This is Dr Beckett.
What is the nature of the emergency? It's too late.
They're gone.
- Who's gone? How? - Wagner and Johnson.
- I need a containment team.
- I'm sorry? - A containment team? Why? - People don't see things and drop dead.
We've been surveying unexplored areas.
I think they were exposed to something.
If they were infected, there's a very good chance that we were too.
- I recommend level-four quarantine.
- Agreed.
Carson, you hear all that? We'll get into our hazmat gear and head down.
Sit tight.
- I'll make sure Dr Weir's briefed.
- Thank you.
You heard the man.
Follow me.
We're just gonna stay here? - That's the plan.
- May I say it's a terrible one? - No, you may not.
- We should get the hell outta here.
If it is airborne, we may be infected.
Heading back would only endanger the rest of the population.
- What if we're not? - There's no way to know.
- But I feel perfectly fine! - End of discussion.
Peterson, we're staying here.
Actually, wait a second.
Everyone follow me.
They've begun to institute a level-four quarantine.
It can't really be a biological infection, can it? I have no idea what it is.
But we should play it safe and initiate self-regulated quarantine in the city.
- That's pretty severe.
- The Ancients suffered from a plague.
If McKay's team have stumbled upon it and become infected, we need to take every precaution to prevent an outbreak.
We will suspend any and all gate activity and keep everyone where they are, just until we have a clearer picture of exactly what killed Wagner and Johnson.
Agh! - You have not been practising.
- Yes, I have.
- If this was really a fight - I would have shot you by now.
No matter how many hours I put into this, you're still gonna kick my ass.
It is not for the winning that we practise.
What's the point? (Weir over intercom) May I have everyone's attention? We have run into a questionable medical situation.
At Dr Beckett's suggestion, we have decided to put the city into a self-regulated quarantine.
For at least the next couple of hours, I need everyone to stay where they are and report anyone moving freely through the halls.
I hope you'll understand.
Thank you.
What the hell is this? Did you bring your radio? This is the section Wagner and Johnson explored? - Yes.
- So we're retracing their steps? My motivations are based on self-preservation.
Wait, wait.
Ford's right.
Doesn't this increase our chances of getting infected? Let me spell this out for you, OK? If there is a bacterial agent and it is not airborne, it should be safe for us to look around as long as we take precautions.
However, if it is an airborne agent, there's a good chance we've already been infected.
Shouldn't we wait for Dr Beckett? Those men were only there for 12 hours.
That's an alarmingly short incubation period.
If anyone else is infected, as in maybe us, seconds are gonna count, Lieutenant.
All right, light.
Let's go.
Everybody stay here.
Ford.
- You just told - Everybody except Ford.
You think I'm going in there by myself? Uh-uh.
(McKay) Don't touch anything.
This is not good.
- I'm ranking military officer here.
- (Weir) I'm aware of that.
You were off radio and we had to act quickly.
This is all protocol put into place long before this expedition even began.
Bates and I agreed this was the best plan of action.
All right.
Teyla and I are coming up to join you.
We are in quarantine.
Everyone stays where they are.
We're nearly a mile away on the east pier.
Do you really think I'm in any danger walking to the control room? We don't know where they contracted the virus.
This is a medical situation.
Only authorised personnel in hazmat suits roam freely.
Those rules apply to everyone, including you.
Well, then, get someone to bring me a hazmat suit.
Everyone in hazmat is configuring the lab to deal with a possible outbreak.
If an opportunity arises, I will send someone to come get you.
In the meantime, radio contact will have to do.
All right.
Just keep us in the loop.
Will do.
Any of these open containers could have released the virus that killed them.
How would it survive for all these years? Viruses can remain dormant for long periods.
I'm hoping the answer will be found in the database.
- OK, I think that - Yes, yes, yes.
It's not networked in with the rest of the Ancient systems.
It only contains information about the experiments that took place in this room.
- Weir, it's McKay.
- Go ahead, Rodney.
- Where's Beckett? - It takes time to load a team into suits.
We've stumbled across something a little troubling.
That's not what I wanted to hear.
We may have found an Ancient viral lab where Wagner and Johnson were exposed.
There's no way of knowing whether the Ancients were just studying the viruses or actively creating them.
The storm's done quite a number on this place and I've got Dumais.
Dumais? - Dumais! - What the hell are you? Dumais! Dumais! (she yells) (Dumais screams) Tell Beckett to pick up the pace! I've just lost another member of my team.
- Where's Peterson? - What? Peterson! I think we have him.
He's trying to make his way back.
Grodin is locking all the doors in the hallway and killing power to the section.
You need to send someone to stop him.
- It's under control.
- No, it's not under control.
He knows as much about Ancient technology as I do.
At the very most, what you're doing will just slow him down.
- Where does that hallway lead? - Straight here.
Peterson, this is Elizabeth Weir.
Can you hear me? I can't imagine how frightening this whole ordeal must be, but Dr Beckett has reached the rest of your team and begun to treat them.
I think the best thing for you to do is to head back.
If Beckett gives you a clean bill of health, you can get back to the city.
- Are you sure he can hear me? - Positive.
Can you do anything to make it harder to get through those doors? I can try.
- You seem perfectly fine.
- Dumais seemed fine, until she wasn't.
I've had them set up a small field station.
- We've started the autopsies.
- Any ideas? - You're all in good shape.
- Stop trying to convince me I'm fine.
I think we all know better.
Are we done here? - Yes.
- I'll see what I can get from the database.
Let me know what the autopsy shows up.
Oh, and tell your pathologist to start with their heads.
- Someone has to do something.
- (Weir) We are doing something.
- Grodin's working - Not good enough.
Someone has to go out there and stop him.
Teyla and I are ready.
Peterson isn't thinking straight and he's endangering the entire population.
We don't yet know the nature of the virus.
This is still a medical situation.
- We don't have time.
I'm heading out.
- Seal the gym.
- What the hell is this? - You are the ranking military officer.
- I can't chance you getting infected.
- I can't chance you getting infected.
Bates.
- Yes, sir? - Unlock the gym.
- Yes, sir.
- Stand down, Bates.
- You are not in command here, Major.
- We'll agree to disagree.
Bates, open the door.
- Don't.
- He's heading right for you.
So we'll stop him.
We'll talk him down, block his way.
Bates, I am ordering you to open the doors between the gym and the med lab now.
We're heading out.
I'm sorry, ma'am.
It doesn't really matter now, does it? Dr Beckett, I have the preliminary autopsy results on the first two victims, sir.
- Anything of interest? - They both died of a brain aneurysm.
In itself, it isn't all that remarkable.
The chances of two people next to each other dying of it is statistically improbable, but it's not the smoking gun we were hoping for.
- You said - Get to the good part, Dr Biro.
What is truly interesting is both ruptures happened in exactly the same place, right above the visual cortex.
And the third one - Dumais? Just getting to her now, sir.
I'll let you know.
- She did say brain aneurysm? - That's right.
Best news I've heard all day.
Let me show you something.
You should not have undermined Dr Weir's authority in front of Bates.
Sometimes Elizabeth makes a decision and gets locked into it.
That's a problem.
She is not the only one who suffers from that affliction.
Dr Weir, this is Sheppard.
Teyla and I are ready to head out.
What's Peterson's location? Elizabeth.
He's in section E19, level three.
Let's go.
I haven't read the entire entry, but it looks like our guy.
Six-hour hibernation, reoccurring visions, and best of all, so I left it till last, brain haemorrhage or aneurysm.
That definitely sounds familiar.
Maybe there's something here about how to No! Sorry.
Rodney? I've been seeing things.
Since when? About an hour.
First, you think it's just your eyes playing tricks They get worse.
You too? They come right at you.
- It's like a ghost.
- I've been over the survey schedule.
Johnson and Wagner started off on their own but crossed paths with Dumais an hour later.
Dumais died almost exactly an hour after Johnson and Wagner.
- Who did they meet up with next? - My greater concern is who Dumais met.
Dumais? Who'd she run into? Me.
She ran into Hays and me.
We're next.
- Dr Peterson, I presume.
- I'm not going back there.
You don't have much of a choice.
Easy.
I go back there, I get infected, that's murder.
Once we ensure you are not infected, you can go back into the city.
Until then, you are a threat to the rest of the population.
- You won't shoot one of your own team.
- You will not be allowed back to the city.
Just wait a second! Take me back to the med lab.
Quarantine me there.
I'll go voluntarily.
Just please don't make me go back there.
Really, I'm fine.
I feel perfectly fine.
Dr Weir, this is Sheppard.
Peterson has agreed to go back to the med lab until we can get this situation resolved.
Stop! Oh, my God.
Is he all right? He's been shot.
- What's going on? - Ancient controls are unresponsive.
Peterson transported into the mess hall.
- For some reason we can't follow him.
- The city has put us into a lockdown.
- Override it.
- I can't.
Atlantis must be designed to respond to outbreaks.
It locked down when Peterson transported out of the east side.
Why not when Johnson and Wagner were infected? The detection systems might have been affected by the flooding in those areas.
Once Peterson entered the mess hall, the pathogen was instantly detected and the city protected itself.
- What are my options? - Limited.
As of now, we're completely locked out of the mainframe.
I am about to die of a brain aneurysm.
How does a heart monitor help? If you die, we'll have a better idea of how.
- At that point, I will cease to care.
- A lot of other people live in the city.
Yes, the living.
I thought we were in a lockdown.
Why did that open up for us? Weir, this is Sheppard.
Are you able to get the transporters online? Doesn't look promising.
Atlantis itself seems to have sensed a threat and taken over most of the controls.
- So it's shut down the transporters? - That's right.
- I wish we would have thought of that.
- We did think of that, Major! That entire section had to be powered up to open the door to Peterson.
If you hadn't gone after him, he wouldn't have been able to use the transporters.
Do you still feel it was a good idea? - Where'd he transport to? - The mess hall.
Everyone else respected the quarantine.
There were only a few people.
- You made your point.
- Make your way back to the city.
Wait in Beckett's lab for further instructions.
- Dr Beckett.
- Any progress, Dr Biro? Just finished Dumais' autopsy.
Would it surprise you to learn it was an aneurysm? - No, it wouldn't.
Thank you.
- Didn't think so.
The position of the rupture could explain the visions.
Swelling in that area could account for the hallucinations.
I'm no MD, but wouldn't brain swelling just mean that we experience weird visual anomalies? - It would depend on the person.
- Our visions are so similar.
Wouldn't the visions we experience be more random? - Most likely.
- The things we're seeing are identical.
You think it might have something No! No! Hays, remember, it's not real! No! No! They're coming right at us! Can't you see them? (Beckett) His heart might resynchronise.
- He's not fine! Do something! - There's nothing to do.
One, two, three, four, five.
- One, two, three, four, five.
- Stop.
It's not his heart.
Just stop.
How are you feeling? I'm I'm I have a sister.
We're not close.
I don't even know how you'd find her - Don't talk like that.
- She's the only family I have.
Someone should tell her what happened.
And make it sound good, OK? Tell her I I died saving someone.
Kids.
I died saving kids, a bunch of them.
I've got some theories on looping the power in the gate to charge a dummy ZPM.
It probably won't work, but you should have someone look at it.
- We'll look at it together.
- Stop interrupting my last thoughts.
This is important stuff you need to hear.
Now, if you're here for more than a year, I've left some notes on how to roll blackouts to maintain your power.
And, oh, tell everyone that I was inches away from a theory of unification, but the notes, they were lost when I died saving the - Kids.
- Yeah.
OK.
I should be dead now.
- You ran into Dumais at the same time? - Exactly.
Then, yes, you should be dead.
Oh, God.
- I'm still here.
- (Ford) Yes, you are.
- Interesting.
- Interesting? - Don't take this the wrong way, but - Why? Exactly.
I don't care.
I mean, I really don't care.
- (Sheppard) Dr Weir.
- Yes, Major? We've reached the city, but we haven't hit the quarantine.
- You sure it's locked you out? - I can't get into my office.
It hasn't given us any trouble yet.
- Hazmat suits.
They're protected.
- What? The city must sense they're in no danger of infection.
It makes sense.
Atlantis allows protected personnel to assist the infected.
We should make our way to the mess hall.
Everyone will be scared and confused.
(Weir) I agree.
Get to the mess hall and report back.
Are you certain you wanna see this? How could something organic be that efficient? Just because it's out of the ordinary for us doesn't mean it's not commonplace here.
I don't buy that.
Most habitable planets we've encountered are carbon copies of Earth in terms of environmental conditions.
- Unless - I'll be back.
What's up, Rodney? Incubation to completion is exactly six hours, the visions are identical, and the location of the aneurysm is the same for every single deceased.
- Is that what I think it is? - It's a nanovirus.
One manufactured to kill humans.
- A nanovirus? - (McKay) That's right.
Let's pretend I don't know exactly what that is.
Nanotechnology, it's technology that operates on a nanite scale.
- Around a billionth of a millimetre.
- They're microscopic machines.
They carry out very specific tasks.
The idea of swallowing a pill and having a million robots cure whatever ails you.
You're all infected with microscopic machines? No bigger than a single-cell organism, although instead of having a purpose of curing a disease The virus terrorises its victims by tapping into their visual cortex and rupturing an artery in their brain.
- Infecting others along the way.
- But I doubt they can multiply.
I don't know how many it takes to kill a human, but eventually I imagine they'll spread themselves too thin.
- Could it be Wraith? - That would definitely be my first guess.
- I'm not so sure about that.
- But the visions, the shrill sound They're terrifying, but why would the Wraith create the equivalent of a WMD? They're killing us not because they want us dead but because they need us for food.
It would be like cattle farmers creating mad cow disease.
You did come across it in an Ancient lab.
Wiping out the Wraith's food supply is a last-ditch consideration? The Ancients would never create something like this.
- It doesn't explain the visions, either.
- Who built it is the least of our concerns.
Good point.
We have yet to determine how one contracts it.
It is very possible that none of you have been infected.
- Then why are you in hazmat suits? - Just as a precaution.
- Major Sheppard.
This is McKay.
- What is it? I could use your help at my lab.
Go.
I will be fine.
There's only one thing that explains why I survived.
Rodney has the Ancient gene.
Hays did not.
- But Rodney's not an Ancient.
- But he's been inoculated with the gene.
You're saying the virus is designed to only kill humans? - Well, I'm human.
- Yes, we're making a point, Rodney.
- Give everyone the gene therapy.
- It's not gonna do it.
- I've been given the gene.
It didn't take.
- I'm already on it.
The gene therapy is only effective in 48% of recipients.
If I was given the gene shot, how long would it take to kick in? - A minimum of four hours.
- I don't have four hours.
I met McKay and Hays 90 minutes after they met Dumais.
I have a little under an hour before my brain explodes.
Aiden, listen to me.
You've been up for almost 20 hours now.
- You're not thinking straight.
Stay calm.
- Calm? I have a million tiny robots in my veins whose only purpose is to kill me! - You stay calm.
- We are about to have hallucinations.
We are infected, Carson.
How do you expect us to act? - (Ford) There's gotta be another way.
- I am working on it.
- (Sheppard) McKay, I'm here.
- You see it? - The big thing in the middle of the room? - That's the one.
Should I pay attention to all these warnings? (McKay) Not today, no.
What are you gonna do? The virus is effectively a machine run by a computer.
The best way to knock out a computer is with an electromagnetic pulse.
We're through shutting down the electronic gear from Earth.
We're still locked out of the Ancient controls, though.
The Ancient technology works differently than ours.
An EM pulse shouldn't have any long-lasting effect.
We're ready.
We're all set, Rodney.
OK.
Here we go.
Wait! How are we gonna know if it works? Sheppard's dialling up the most powerful pulse the generator can manage.
It should affect most of the central tower.
Once it wipes out the virus, the city should end the lockdown.
- It won't make it here? - If the pulse works, we'll walk you to my lab, sit you in front of the EMP and repeat the process.
- Major.
- It's working.
- When should I hit the discharge button? - There should be a red overload light.
- I see it.
- Wait till it comes on, give it a ten count and then discharge.
- Ten count? - Don't worry.
I've been around more EMPs than anyone.
This is gonna be I'm gonna be fine, right? Yes.
That's a yes.
You'll be fine.
- (McKay) Anything? - Is it possible it might take time? Doubtful.
Are you still locked out of the Ancient mainframe? Got any other ideas? It didn't work! It didn't work! - It's still unclear.
- What? Either it worked or it didn't! - They're trying to determine - They're They're everywhere.
You are experiencing a hallucination.
Oh, my God.
- I've already tried that.
It's blown.
- Before we reset the sub-switch.
Maybe we shouldn't have overloaded it.
It's fixable.
We just need to use trial and error.
Even if we get it working, who's to say the pulse is gonna get bigger? Ford and Zelenka have 20 minutes before their arteries rupture.
Are you sure an EMP will kill this thing? - Yes.
- All right.
I have an idea.
- What do you mean, no? - (Weir) It's too dangerous.
You'd rather lose a third of our population? - We're not there yet, Major.
- We are there! Ford and Zelenka are next.
The people in the mess hall have a little over three hours.
People are gonna keep dying unless we do this.
Even if we get the EMP generator online, the chances are slim we would ever get it powerful enough.
Can we bring the infected to the generator? The city won't let infected personnel through.
The major is right.
The only way to create an EMP strong enough is to To detonate a nuclear explosion in the atmosphere.
I heard.
It sounds severe, but if the major was able to overload a generator 20 miles above the city, we'd be safe from a radiological standpoint, and the blast would create a devastating electromagnetic shock wave, enough to knock this virus out.
Hopefully without destroying our computer equipment.
It's worth the risk.
OK.
You have a go.
- I'm almost in position.
- (Weir) Understood.
Will the EM pulse have any effect on the puddle jumper? I'm hoping not.
I'm more worried about the shock wave.
- Good luck.
- You too.
You'll only have 30 seconds once you release it.
Get as far away as you can.
Get as far away from the nuclear explosion as possible.
- That's good advice.
Thanks.
- You're welcome.
I'm releasing the generator now! Detonation in 25 seconds.
Detonation in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.
Major Sheppard, come in.
This is Weir.
Please respond.
Communications may have been disrupted by the blast.
Major, do you read me? This is Sheppard.
I've cleared the blast.
I'm returning home.
- Glad to hear it, Major.
- Did it work? We're about to find out.
We should know almost right away.
The pulse only lasts a couple of microseconds.
The city's already ahead of us, Rodney.
You have a green light to return.
Are you OK? Yeah, just a little nuke.
Nothing, really.
The naqahdah generator plan was very clever.
Good work.
Thank you.
Now I'm going to bed.
We need to discuss what happened earlier.
Now? That can never happen again.
Look, I'm sorry about You're expertised in military matters, and I should defer to those expertised in such situations.
Thank you.
But you are not the one who decides what is and what is not a military situation.
General O'Neill and Colonel Sumner warned me that you don't respect the proper chain of command.
- Sometimes I see a situation different - No, listen to me.
You endangered yourself and the lives of many others.
Because I thought it was the best course of action to take.
- And, by the way, I saved your ass.
- I know you did.
But you have to trust me.
- I do.
- Do you? You have a minute? We've spent some quality time with the nanovirus samples.
- They've all been incapacitated.
- Well, that's good news.
Yes.
Also I think we can rule out that they were created by the Wraith.
They're different than any Wraith technology.
If not the Wraith then who made 'em? I honestly don't know, but whoever they were, let's hope they're not still around.
Let's hope.