Stargate: Atlantis s03e12 Episode Script

Previously on Stargate Atlantis: I know definitely that the Jumper is somewhere in this area.
Friendly? Or are you hungry? Must be broadcasting at a frequency you can hear.
Sending through 1000.
Your sea monster.
It’s still swimming around in circles in the same area which means- I have the Jumper.
The animal is circling around it.
All you have to do is open your door, walk to my Jumper.
McKAY: Hey, pal.
You won’t get to eat me today.
- He’s the reason we found you.
McKAY: Really? How did the camping go? Oh, splendid.
I was able to run ground-penetrating radar tests to test the dielectric permittivity of the region’s subsurface.
Sweet.
What about you? How was the hunting? If there was any game it was scared off by the noises the machines made.
I said I was sorry.
It was necessary for the tests.
You volunteered to go.
Well, if I do something like that again, shoot me.
He was like this all night, you know, very agitated.
Had me scared.
He’Il be all right.
Get him home, get him a nice warm bath, hot meal- Oh, no.
- What? - Where’s Atlantis? - It should be right in front of us.
- Why isn’t it? I don’t know.
Is it cloaked? No.
They would have radioed us.
- What are you saying, we’re lost? - Wait.
Adjust your heading The navigation system is off.
- Why? I don’t know.
It could be any of a number of reasons clock drift, the fluctuations in the magnetosphere from the sunspots.
There it is.
See? No harm, no foul.
You might want to take Teyla up on her offer for meditation lessons.
- You could use a little unwinding.
- Just land this thing.
And then slowly exhale allowing each breath to cleanse you restoring your body and spirit.
Feel your mind clearing open to all that surrounds you.
Embrace the silence.
Ronon? I’m sorry, I do not understand.
McKAY: Élizabeth.
Did you get my e-mail? Which e-mail? One of the seven today? Or one of the 18 yesterday? I know I’m being unusually persistent but that should underscore its importance.
We cannot keep all three ZPMs from the Replicator takeover, Rodney.
We get one.
I don’t know how to make it clearer for you.
I felt if I could just outline the reasons for keeping them.
- You know, bullet point, very brief.
- It was 26 pages.
But if we hope to persuade Stargate Command- Okay, so tell me.
Who would you deprive of the other ZPMs? The Antarctic outpost? No, they need it to protect Earth.
How about the Odyssey? They’re getting the ZPM to help in their fight against the Ori.
Already we have enough power now to raise the shield and cloak the city and dial home.
Can you start seeing the glass as half-full? You mean one-third full.
- No more e-mails.
- Right.
I’m sorry.
You weren’t expecting that? I was tired.
It was a long day.
- And to be honest, I- - You don’t care much for meditation.
Never could sit still long enough for it.
All the more reason for you to consider- What is it? That woman.
What woman? Hey, hey.
What’s wrong? What? McKAY: Hm.
Hey.
How long have you been standing there? - Hour or so.
- What? Why didn’t you say anything? I feel like a- Oh, it’s the kidding.
- What did you wanna show me? - Right there.
- Wow, all that water.
- Just wait for it.
That’s my friend.
He’s back.
The scan’s clean.
No sign of any physical abnormality.
We’ve seen devices that mess with people’s minds cause them to hallucinate.
They’ve had corresponding neural activity to indicate a problem.
No, I’m afraid for the moment there doesn’t appear to be any physiological reasons for her hallucinations.
Then why did she see what she saw? I don’t quite know.
Many ancestors died here recently.
During the Replicator invasion, the crew of the Tria were all murdered.
Perhaps they attempted to ascend but were prevented from doing so.
Trapped between this plane of existence and the next.
You mean ghosts? If you ask me, it’s too much meditation.
- Is she gonna be okay? - I don’t know.
She just needs rest.
We’ve been through a lot- - There you are.
- I told you- - No, not you.
Sheppard.
- Thank you.
Not that I don’t wanna talk to you, in fact, you’Il find it interesting as- What are you saying? Check it out.
I found it in the Ancient database.
They’ve a subsection on indigenous Lantian animal life.
Did you know there was a lobster-like crustacean the size of a Buick? - Hm.
And what is that? - That’s Rodney’s whale friend.
But not actually a whale.
Whale-like, but not a mammal.
- It’s a fish.
A big fish.
Ancients have a name for it? Yeah.
Flagisallus.
They were terrible at naming things.
- I’ve just called it whale, for now.
- And why are you studying this? McKAY: Because he’s there now, circling the city.
Probably the whale that saved me last year when I was trapped in that Jumper.
I thought Zelenka and I saved you.
You did, technically, only after Sam led you to me.
Sam? It’s the whale.
I named him after Samantha Carter.
It’s for personal reasons.
You named him after Samantha Carter.
Well, Sam’s a boy’s name too.
And how do you know he’s a he? Because I cross-referenced the renderings in the database with the whale outside and you’Il see, the males have a prominent- It’s okay.
Never mind.
I’Il take your word for it.
I trust this little diversion isn’t cutting into your work time? Oh, no, of course not.
No, I’m just dabbling in my free time.
All right then, boys, dabble away.
So these whales, did the Ancients say they’re good eating? - Oh, you wouldn’t.
- I would.
Hello? Wait.
You don’t understand what the woman is saying? No.
I believe she’s speaking in the ancestral tongue.
You said she’s afraid of the burned man? No.
It is my sense that she’s trying to help him.
Whatever it is she fears, I do not know.
- Did you try to talk to her? - Yes.
But she seems unaware of me.
It is as if I’m not even there.
If these are apparitions, why do you think they’re appearing to you? Too much meditation.
Something Ronon said to me.
Well, there are those who believe that meditation is a way of opening a door to the spiritual world.
If these are ancestors trapped between planes of existence perhaps they’re trying to communicate something to me.
Maybe they believe I can help them to move on.
I don’t know why she’s experiencing these visions.
She’s always been one to shoulder a lot of emotional responsibility.
She may be carrying guilt over what happened to the Ancients here recently.
- Why? It wasn’t her fault.
- No, of course not.
But somewhere deep inside her she may feel complicit in the actions that led up to their murders.
I’Il continue working with her, see if I can sort things out.
I’Il make sure she gets rest even if it means taking her off the next mission.
Oh, she does seem tired.
She hasn’t been sleeping well and she’s been complaining of headaches.
Dr.
Beckett gave her a clean bill of health.
Well, we’Il just keep an eye on her.
Hopefully it’Il all pass.
Let’s hope so.
Thank you.
Now both of you are seeing them? Why do you suppose that is? Well, that’s why we’ve come to you.
Perhaps they believe that appearing to two people will increase the chance their message will be heard.
If, in fact, they are trying to communicate something to us.
Or maybe it’s just the power of suggestion.
It’s been documented that when one person sees a ghost it won’t be long before others around them see it too.
You said it yourself.
You’ve all been through a lot recently.
When’s the last time you took a day off? Exactly.
Have you seen any more apparitions? - Not recently.
- How are the headaches? Still have them.
Have you been able to sleep? Perhaps Dr.
Beckett can prescribe something for you.
For both of you.
Here you are.
You are not going to believe this.
I’ve been monitoring Sam on the scanners- Stop calling him that.
- Why? - It’s creepy.
No, it’s not.
Here he is, circling the city.
He won’t leave.
- You didn’t feed him, did you? - No.
Look, now, if I widen the scan Another whale.
- Yeah, probably the mother.
That guy’s the size of a football field.
A Canadian football field.
- So the first one was a baby? - Yeah.
Hey, want to take a closer look? McKAY: Uh Radek.
Didn’t know anyone was here.
- Do you need to use the Jumper? - Yeah.
Gonna check out some whales.
Rodney’s on his way.
He’s taking some Dramamine, but, yeah, we can take another Jumper.
Just be careful.
I’m not sure if I fixed the navigational glitch.
The other Jumpers might be affected as well.
We won’t go far.
We’Il stay within sight.
Plus, you’Il be tracking us from the control room.
I will? Oh, yes, I will.
Did you say whales? These should help.
But don’t take them until you can have at least eight hours of uninterrupted rest.
Around here? When does that ever happen? Both Dr.
Heightmeyer and I think you should take the time to make it happen.
- All right.
Thank you, Carson.
- Thank you.
- You all right? - Yeah, I’m fine.
I just- I never feel safe in these things underwater.
But in space you’re okay? Yeah, of course I am.
Why wouldn’t I be? - Zelenka, are you there? I’m here.
Hello.
The whales are deeper, less than a kilometer, in your 2:00 position.
Oh, there they are.
Should have a visual on them any moment now.
McKAY: There’s Sam.
And there’s Mama.
We need to get a closer look.
Ronon? You saw them too.
McKAY: All right, not too close, okay? We still have no idea what these things eat.
What? What is it? Nothing.
Just got a headache all of a sudden.
- Where’d they go? - I don’t know.
Oh.
- They’re right in front of you.
- Yeah, well, we’re aware of that.
- What’s wrong? - Now my head’s hurting too.
- That’s not a coincidence.
- I don’t think so.
- I’m pulling back.
- Good idea.
Perhaps it’s the whales’ echolocation mechanism.
It’s creating uncomfortable vibrations- Yes, Radek, we are moving away.
Try to keep up, okay? Oh, my.
my what? I’m detecting several more whales.
How many more? Dozens more.
They’re still several kilometers away from you but they’re heading towards you.
- Rodney.
- What? Your nose is bleeding.
Oh.
Now you’re all seeing them? I just got word that other people in the city are starting to see them too.
Some see the burned man, others the Ancient woman and a few, such as Ronon, see what appear to be scientists.
Something’s going on here.
Two things remain constant.
All of the apparitions are Ancients, and they seem pretty worried.
It is as if they are trying to warn us about something.
Dr.
Weir.
- Yes, Radek? You’d better come to the control room, right away.
Be right there.
What’s their status? They’re moving away from the whales.
Hopefully that will alleviate their pain.
John, this is Élizabeth.
How are you holding up? Other than feeling like my head’s about to explode, I’m fine.
I thought we were moving away from them.
I’m trying to, but they’re cutting us off.
What happened? These whales are getting way too close.
Oh, crap.
John, what’s going on there? Rodney’s passed out.
His ears are bleeding.
We gotta get out of the water.
Medical team to Jumper bay.
John, are you all right? John.
We’re out of the water.
Rodney’s in trouble.
- Have a medical team ready.
- Already done.
Their eardrums have been perforated.
How? The whales are emitting an intense, low-frequency pulse, like a sonar as well as an EM field.
The combination is dangerous to humans.
Particularly in close proximity.
It’s the whales.
Hearing’s been impaired.
It’Il heal.
It’s their echolocation.
It’s creating very powerful vibrations.
The closer we got, the worse it became- Yes, yes, Rodney, we know.
Oh.
- What? - They should rest.
Agreed.
I’Il come back.
The whales are approaching from every direction.
It appears that they’re converging on Atlantis.
- We’re their destination? - Yes, it appears so.
The signals they emit are their way of communicating with each other.
The closer they get to the city the more it may affect the people living here.
- Even above the waterline? We are already being affected.
Several are experiencing headaches not as severe as Dr.
McKay’s or Col.
Sheppard’s.
- If these whales get any closer- - Turn on the shield.
Aye.
These apparitions we’ve been seeing if they are indeed trying to warn us of something, perhaps this is it.
I first saw the Ancient woman at the same time Rodney saw the first whale.
The pain’s going away.
I think my hearing’s getting better too.
What about you? Rodney.
Canadian Football League’s a joke.
Celine Dion is overrated.
Zelenka is smarter than you are.
Hey.
I found mention of a biolab in the database.
Ancient scientists used it to study animal life.
We should check it out.
Okay.
Meredith.
How’s it going? More people are falling ill.
Headaches, nosebleeds.
I’m giving everyone painkillers until we figure out how to stop this.
How are you feeling? My head’s throbbing a bit, but I’Il manage.
You? I’m fine.
Here.
Painkillers.
- Just in case.
- Thank you.
I hope it doesn’t get- Hey, hey.
What’s this? That’s a damn good question.
Who said you could get out of bed? We’re feeling a lot better.
I beg to differ.
Back to bed.
- We need to check out a lab.
- What lab? It’s a biolab.
It turned up in my whale research.
It’s in one of the flooded areas of the city.
Formerly flooded.
With the area repaired, we’re able to access it.
The Ancient biologists used it to study animal life on the planet.
There may be more information stored.
Such as, how to tell these whales how to get out of here.
But we won’t know that for sure until I can have a look at it.
All right.
Dr.
Weir? - Go ahead.
- Daedalus just arrived in orbit.
They’re requesting permission to beam people down.
What do you mean, no? I’m afraid things down here might get a lot worse before they get any better.
It’s safer for you to stay up there until we can sort this problem out.
I’m sorry, I do not understand.
Come on.
Gotta get you to the infirmary.
This is it.
All right.
Let’s see.
- Did you put up the shield? Yes, but it only extends so far.
And the whales’signals seem to be able to penetrate it.
We might manage it if there were only a few whales but we’re talking hundreds now.
They’re swimming closer as we speak.
Dr.
mcKay is checking out an Ancient biolab.
Hopefully there’Il be information there that could lead to a solution.
And if there isn’t? We’Il consider evacuating Atlantis until the whales leave.
Supposing they don’t leave? What are you suggesting? You’ve got plenty of drones in your arsenal.
- You’re saying we should kill them? - Before they kill you.
McKAY: They’re not trying to kill us.
It’s quite the opposite.
I think they’re trying to help us.
Help us? - Come on.
You should see this.
- I see your hearing is improved.
- What? What is he-? It’s like a receiver calibrated to the specific frequencies on which the whales communicate.
Ancients designed it to study whales so they could learn their songs.
They were studying the language trying to assign frequencies to emotions and identify moods.
All sorts of tree-huggy stuff.
Tell them about the ghosts.
Not ghosts.
Image projections.
There appears to be a causal relationship.
They may be what’s been projecting the images and this receiver should be able to interpret them.
Seems we’ve been going backwards.
The ghosts aren’t warning us.
- They’re not? McKAY: No.
No, the whales may be using the images to warn us.
About what? Yeah, well, that- That I don’t know yet.
Judging from the way this machine is freaking out, it can’t be good.
All right.
How are you faring? I keep seeing them.
Aye.
Me too.
I just spoke with Colonel Caldwell.
The Daedalus infirmary is ready to beam up the sickest of the patients.
Good.
Teyla should be amongst the first to go.
- No.
I’m staying.
You’re far too sick, dear.
He’s a pilot.
The burned man.
I just noticed his uniform.
He is an Ancient pilot.
- Carson.
- Aye.
Your nose.
Oh, bloody hell.
Excuse me.
How’s he doing? I don’t know.
He’s taking a while, a lot longer than he usually takes.
He can hear you, you know.
Yeah, we know.
Okay, let’s have a listen.
- Who’s that? - The woman, the Ancient woman.
- That’s her voice, I’m sure.
She’s speaking Ancient? No.
I mean, it doesn’t sound like the language.
The phonetic rhythm is similar but I don’t recognize any of the words.
That’s because it’s gibberish.
To be more accurate, it’s an attempt at mimicry.
Look, it turns out the receiver is also a transmitter.
They weren’t just trying to learn, they were attempting to teach theirs by sending auditory and visual signals.
While doing that, they experienced a traumatic moment which the whales stored in their genetic memory.
- The images we’ve been seeing? - Exactly.
Reruns.
Now, unfortunately, these whales are several generations removed from the incident, they’re finding the language a tough go.
It’s like trying to sing the lyrics to » Macarena.
» You sound out words, but you have no idea what you’re singing.
Okay, so this traumatic event I’m assuming it’s the war against the Wraith.
That would be my assumption, yes.
The whales are trying to warn us it might happen again? - I don’t know.
Possibly.
- So what? The Wraith might attack.
- Tell us something we don’t know.
- Interesting thing is Ancients seemed aware of the whales’deficient mimicry skills.
So they incorporated an acoustic language filter into the receiver.
That’s what’s been taking me so long to figure out.
Well, did you figure it out? Let’s have a listen, shall we? - I guess the answer’s no.
- Well, just hang on, hang on.
If I- Right.
Hey, wait a minute.
Play that back again.
This is Ancient.
At least I can make out a few of the words now.
Incursus? Something was attacked or overtaken.
- Meaning Atlantis.
- No.
I don’t think so.
- Adarus? - What’s Adarus? I don’t know.
They’ve arrived.
Hundreds of them.
Dr.
Weir.
- Go ahead, colonel.
The sick patients have been beamed up.
Infirmary’s filled.
Thank you.
Unfortunately, more people are falling ill down here.
So it’s not making much of a dent.
Whether these creatures are communicating or not you have to deal with them.
If they don’t- I’m sure there are options besides killing them.
- What’s wrong? - We figured it out.
I did most of the figuring- Adarus is a ship.
We found it in the Ancient database.
It’s an Ancient science vessel.
About The entire crew was killed except for the pilot.
The burned man.
Teyla noticed the uniform.
He was an Ancient pilot.
- Which would explain the burns.
- What does? Ship got hit by a blast of radiation from the sun.
It’s a coronal mass ejection on a scale that dwarfs anything our sun has ever emitted.
Apparently, the sun in this system goes through an unusually turbulent sunspot cycle every 15,000 years or so.
Ancients have records of this class of CME occurring twice.
The ship was very close to the sun.
It was a massive prominence.
It arced up, and collapsed when the magnetic field weakened.
An intense proton stream traveling at over 4000 kilometers per second.
Most of the crew was killed the pilot opened up a hyperspace window as they were hit.
He flew the ship here, jumping ahead of the radiation to warn everyone.
They raised the shield, extended it to protect a large portion of the planet.
What? This is going to happen soon? Not soon.
It’s happening right now.
How are you doing? I have felt better.
- You need any more pain medicine? - No.
It does not seem to help anymore.
Well, just hang on.
You’re gonna be fine.
Teyla, look at me.
Look at me.
You gotta hold on.
You gotta teach me those meditation lessons.
You are hopeless.
Yeah, I know.
Teyla.
Nurse.
McKAY: The magnetic field is already beginning to weaken.
When that prominence collapses, the coronal mass ejection will occur.
It’Il erupt from a very small area, a mere pinprick in comparison to the total sun surface, but it’Il immediately begin to fan out.
Within a few million miles, the blast will cut a swath wide enough to take out this planet.
How much time? It will collapse any moment.
Less than an hour before radiation hits.
- Why didn’t we notice this? McKAY: These things happen quickly.
This kind of sunspot cycle is chaotic, impossible to predict.
That caused the glitch in the Jumper’s navigational system.
Not to mention our focus was on attack from the Wraith, not the sun.
The whales were aware this was happening? - A lot of animals: whales, dolphins- - Pigeons.
- -are affected by anomalies in the magnetosphere.
It’s as if their internal compasses are somehow- Pigeons? Yeah, homing pigeons.
Yes, I used to raise them before coming here.
We’d consult solar charts before our pigeon races.
- Pigeon races.
- Rodney.
It’s still a mystery how they sense this trouble but they do well before we do.
What are our options? Raise the shield, stretch it wide enough to protect a portion of the planet.
Attenuated, more of a thin bubble, it was able to block enough radiation.
We have found evidence of mass extinction - on other parts of the planet.
- Wow.
Now we know what caused it.
Okay, so our shield is already activated.
What else? Small problem.
The Ancients had three ZPMs at their disposal.
We, as you know, only have one.
Maybe I was insistent on keeping them because I, too, am able to sense trouble on the horizon.
Just like a pigeon.
So we just need to get the other two ZPMs back here temporarily.
The Odyssey’s away.
In the time it would take them to return the blast wave would hit us.
How far can we extend the shield with one ZPM? Enough to cover the city and perhaps a bit of the ocean surrounding it.
- We should evacuate.
McKAY: We can’t gate to Earth.
We need the ZPM’s power for the shield.
- The intergalactic bridge? - Midway isn’t completed.
We’d need to ferry people by Jumper.
Again, no time.
We’Il send everyone to the Alpha site, pick them up when it’s over.
I don’t think you understand.
Look, the shield will protect the city from the initial blast, yes.
The entire ecosystem of this planet will be damaged beyond recovery for hundreds of years.
We’re talking no plant life, which means no breathable air.
Beckett.
Élizabeth.
Damn it.
Sergeant Bale.
Developed an aneurysm from the pressure.
First fatality.
- How is she? - Out of time.
I guess we all are.
Sheppard.
You got a plan? Sure.
Look at them seeking shelter underneath the umbrella of the city.
No.
We don’t have nearly enough power.
We can extend the shield 20 kilometers beyond the city, maybe.
There’s no way of knowing whether we can sustain it under a radiation blast of 50,000 rem.
Colonel Caldwell, this is Sheppard.
- Go ahead, Colonel.
- I think we have a plan.
We do? McKAY: This is not a good plan.
Sure it is.
You realize how close we’Il get to the sun? Pretty damn close.
- Suicidally close.
We’Il be toast.
- We’re taking the ZPM to give the Daedalus’ shield an extra boost.
Okay, you want to deflect the coronal mass ejection away from the planet.
- Like an umbrella.
- Okay, listen to me.
This, this is the sun.
And this, this is us.
A bolt of energy unlike anything you can possibly comprehend is gonna shoot out of the photosphere at a tremendous velocity.
Okay? It is going to immediately start fanning out, like so.
- I know.
- Which means we’Il have to be really close to the sun if we wanna intercept that stream and deflect it - before it can start spreading out.
- I know.
I don’t think you do.
I don’t think you grasp the reality of just how damn hot it gets that close the sun.
We’re taking the ZPM, to strengthen the shields.
From the blast wave, yes, even with the shields at that strength the buildup of residual heat could cause problems for the Daedalus - and everyone inside it.
- Could.
Could cause.
Okay, tell me.
If this is such a great plan, why didn’t the Ancients do it? They were in a war.
They probably didn’t have a ship at the time and like you said, they had three ZPMs.
Rodney.
- What? The prominence has begun collapsing.
Colonel Caldwell, we’re ready.
How’s it going, Rodney? - You know, this might look easy but it’s actually more complicated than just flipping a switch.
Hurry up, please.
We’re there.
What? We are? Already? Didn’t have far to go.
In position, doctor.
Shields are up.
We need that extra power from the ZPM now.
Yes, yes, I just need to- Oh, no.
What? The prominence is collapsing into the photosphere.
Brace yourselves.
Rodney.
The ZPM is online.
How long will this last, doctor? Anywhere from a few seconds to several hours.
Hours? You never said anything about hours.
We’re building up heat behind the shield.
I told you this wasn’t a good plan.
How are they doing? According to my calculations, the blast should have hit by now but I’m reading no discernible increase in radiation.
So they’re doing good.
Yes.
So far, anyway.
McKAY: Temperature is rising too fast.
I’m already detecting several failed sensors on the bow.
If this keeps going, the heat could damage the hull.
Not could.
It’s already damaging it.
We have a breach at the 302 bay.
Seal it off.
Another breach, deck four.
We’re venting atmosphere.
Rodney? It’s over.
And we’re not toast.
We’re not toast.
Good plan, huh? Most of them are gone now.
They began dispersing almost immediately.
Without so much as a thank you.
No, thank you.
- How are you feeling? - Much better.
Walked the whole way over here, didn’t see one ghost.
Nor did I.
- Mind if join you? - If you fall asleep one more time Hit me with that.
- They’re gone, Rodney.
- Not all of them.
Look.
- Let me guess.
Your buddy Sam.
- I’d like to think so.
I like to think he’s saying goodbye.
Makes sense.
He saved your life.
Now you saved his.
You’re even.