Stargate: Atlantis s03e20 Episode Script
First Strike (1)
Previously on Stargate Atlantis: Theyre not people.
Theyre machines.
They even built themselves a version of Atlantis.
Probes of your minds uncovered the truth.
You came to live there from your original home a planet called Earth.
Our intention is to destroy it.
They see humans as the favored siblings who receive all the parentslove.
Theyve been seeking revenge since.
Atlantis is under attack from Replicators.
IIl be damned if Im gonna let a bunch of Replicators take our home away from us.
They emit a directional energy beam that disrupts the connection between nanites.
The Replictators fall apart when you fire on them.
Well, we beat them this time.
Maybe we scared them off.
Maybe.
Dr.
Weir? Dr.
Keller, how is my head of medicine? Acting head of medicine actually and thats what I wanted to talk to you about.
Whats up? I need to be replaced.
Excuse me? Look, after Carson Someone had to step up and take over.
And Im glad to help, dont get me wrong but Im not qualified to run a department of this size.
You need someone better.
Everyone down there says youre doing great.
Well, A, Im not sure thats true and B, its been pretty smooth sailing over the last few weeks.
I think Ive been lucky.
The I.
O.
A.
are reviewing candidates but theyre not that great at making quick decisions.
Yeah.
So a week? Two weeks? I just havent been sleeping very well.
This whole being in control thing kind of makes me anxious.
Carson felt the same way his first few months.
I appreciate you trying to lie to me.
Look, I feel very comfortable with my life in your hands and at the end of the day, that means youre doing a pretty good job.
Dealing with the pressure, it does get easier with time.
Right.
How much time exactly? Like itIl get easier the next two weeks and then youIl replace me so I can go back to being a regular doctor? IIl keep you posted.
Thanks.
Can I please have someone else do these? - Performance evaluations? - Yes.
No.
Year-end employee reviews are important.
Theyre how people get promotions and raises.
Look, asking me to do performance evaluations is ridiculous.
I am the first to admit I dont know these people, nor do I care.
If youd like, I can take you to the labs and point at the people who annoy me but thats about as useful as I get.
- All done.
- Of course.
That was quick.
John, wait a minute.
Youve just given everyone excellent and above-averages.
- Can I do that? - No.
I know this isnt the most glamorous part of your job but you are in leadership positions.
And, unfortunately, that comes with administrative responsibilities.
Everybody works for me is excellent and above average.
Do you want me to lie? Because I dont think leaders should lie.
- Dr.
Weir? - Yes, Chuck.
The Apollo just came out of hyperspace.
Theyre ahead of schedule.
Probably just trying to show off, you know, being a new ship and all.
Col.
Ellis, youve made excellent time on your first voyage here.
Thank you.
Im beaming down now.
Very well, weIl- Set up in the conference room.
- Doctor.
- Colonel.
- Welcome.
- Thank you.
Colonel Sheppard.
Dr.
McKay.
This is gonna make things easier.
IIl need to brief you immediately.
Whats going on? Well, Id prefer to talk in private.
Ever since the human-form Replicators made a play for the city weve had the Daedalus make regular reconnaissance fly-bys - of their home planet.
- Yes, we know.
Two months ago it took these pictures.
Im sorry.
What am I supposed to be looking at here? - Nothing.
- Excuse me? This image was taken about three weeks ago in the very same location.
Theyre building ships.
A lot of them.
- Why werent we made aware of this? - Im making you aware of it now.
If theyre coming for us, we should bolster the shield.
- We should- - Theyre not gonna get here.
Im here to inform you that in precisely 12 hours the Apollo, in consort with your team will launch a surgical strike on the Replicator planet.
- So youre gonna blow up their ships? - Thats right.
- Just like that? - Just like that.
How do you plan on doing that? A set of Mark-IX tactical nukes housed in a weapons platform code-named » Horizon.
» How many nukes do you have? The Horizon carries six warheads and four decoys.
Im gonna need you to do a final inspection before we head out.
- Wait.
Six? - Thats right.
Thats not enough.
The Replicators are self-replicating robots - which means that they can - Im aware of that, thank you.
Theyre not like the Milky Way Replicators.
Their ships arent built from nano cells.
Theyre constructed of real material that can be destroyed.
- Six will be more than enough for now.
- « ou »?For now« ou »? Isnt this a bit like poking a sleeping dragon? Why dont we just wait until Area 51 finishes the P.
W.
A.
R.
Ws? Which ones that again? Planetary-wide anti-Replicator weapons.
The Asgard were capable of creating a satellite that could wipe out an entire Replicator planet.
Weve had some trouble making our own, but- Would I have preferred taking out an entire planet at once? Absolutely.
But this image is giving the I.
O.
A.
a lot of sleepless nights.
The Replicators know the location of Earth and with these new ships, have the means to get there.
We cant just sit on our hands while the guys at Area 51 try to come up with a solution.
This missions primary objective is to eliminate key military targets.
WeIl come back and finish once the new weapon is running.
Doctor, IIl need you to start your inspections as soon as possible.
- Yeah, sure.
I just- - Dr.
McKay is ready to beam.
Well, not right- Okay.
Were finished here.
Thank you.
- Can you believe this? - No.
Almost seems too good to be true.
What? Well, if those nukes do what Ellis says they do Since we won back the city, we havent heard so much as a peep from the Replicators.
Well, obviously they havent gone away.
No, but maybe theyve decided that we are more trouble than were worth.
The threat of our A.
R.
weapons is enough to keep them at bay.
You dont build that many ships to make a run at Atlantis.
Theyre headed for Earth.
Colonel.
May I have a word? Sure.
This mission is a mistake.
It most certainly is not.
It is an ineffectual first strike.
You gotta know how dangerous that could be for us.
All due respect, doctor, it wont be ineffectual.
Besides, the I.
O.
A.
doesnt think we can wait.
I think we should stall them.
Try to open a round of negotiations.
Theyre not a race of people.
Theyre a weapon.
Try to keep that in mind.
Weapon or not, theyre sentient.
Negotiating with them could buy us enough time to get the P.
W.
A.
R.
W.
up and running.
Usually, Id be more than happy to go 12 rounds here about whos right and whos wrong, but it wouldnt matter.
I have my orders.
You dont have the authority to tell me to stand down.
So again, with all due respect maam, I have a mission to execute.
Well, the specs check out and weve loaded the target information.
- Theyre ready.
- Yup.
Its good to go.
This is a bad idea, isnt it? We could tell them theyre not ready.
Theres a fault in the guidance system or something.
I thought about that.
Theyre gonna have guys here to contradict us pretty quickly.
Were here alone.
We could make them not ready.
Theyre building an armada, Radek.
I saw them.
They showed me the pictures.
Id feel stupid if wed break this thing only to have the Replicators show up and destroy the city.
Yeah, that would be bad.
IIl tell the colonel were good to go.
- Hey.
- Hey.
Colonel Ellis has asked me to join the mission.
I know.
Im just gonna stay behind in a cloaked Jumper after they launch the warheads - do some battle damage assessment.
- I know that too.
He told me that you called Woolsey and General ONeill - to try to get this called off.
- Yes, I did.
They didnt bite? They did not.
Look, I know you think were doing the wrong thing here but John.
Good luck.
All right.
The Horizon is online the warheads are armed and we are ready for final sequencing as soon as we drop out of hyperspace.
Start now.
Open the bomb bay doors.
Were still in hyperspace.
Were coming out of our jump uncomfortably close to the planet.
I dont wanna waste any time.
Just get it done.
Well, youre the boss.
Ready to launch on your command.
Youre sure about this, right? Like this is the right thing to do? Not the best time for that kind of talk, doctor.
Right.
Sorry.
Coming out of hyperspace in five, four three, two, one.
Launch the Horizon.
We have detonation confirmation on all six warheads.
Sheppard, you have a go for launch.
Copy that.
Im clear.
Jump away.
Very well.
Pick you up in an hour.
Get us out of here.
There is so much radiation interference its hard to get an accurate yield calculation.
Theres more than enough data.
Its not like were taking out a person.
Were taking out massive chunks of a city.
Someone just please tell me if we hit our targets or not.
If this data is right then all of your primaries and most of your secondaries have been incinerated.
Excellent.
- Welcome back.
- Thanks.
- I hear congratulations are in order.
- You heard right.
How was the mission? Was it a success? We did get all the ships.
I wish I could have been there to see it.
Space battles are a lot more exciting on TV than they are in real life.
Dr.
Weir.
Youre going to wanna see this.
Weve got a contact, just came out of hyperspace.
- Is it broadcasting IFF? - No, maam.
- Wraith? - Its very small.
I doubt it.
Raise the shield.
Its taking up a geo-synchronous orbit.
What is it? Maybe we should have the Apollo check it out.
Tell the colonel he needs to get back to his ship.
- Right ahead of us, sir.
- Shields? Affirmative.
Shields are up.
Okay, Ive got a visual.
It looks like a satellite of some sort.
- Its a stargate.
- A stargate? Thats right.
- I thought you said it was a satellite? - Its both.
Its a satellite, but in the middle theres a stargate.
- What could be the purpose of that? - No idea.
- It just activated.
- The gate? Get us away from it.
Sir, the satellite is turning again.
Its hitting the planet.
Its a sustained beam.
That is bad for a dozen different reasons.
Its protected by a shield.
Give me some options, mcKay.
The shields taking its power from the beam.
There was a slight drop in output when you fired.
- Could I get a nuke past its shield? - No.
Probably not.
IIl get in the chair, give it everything weve got.
I said slight, as in.
002.
I doubt any amount of firepower will collapse it - while that beam is active.
- Then what do we do? We stand down and let me think.
Give me five minutes.
IIl brief you.
- McKay, its shooting at us.
- And the shields are holding.
Weve got plenty of time.
Just give me five minutes.
- What have you got? - Were in trouble.
Took you five minutes to figure that out? Youre slipping, buddy.
The satellite is basically a stripped-down ship.
Theres an engine, a shield and navigational systems.
Theres a small power source to take it to its target and power it until the gates dialed.
Once a wormhole has been established, whoevers on the dialing side fires a beam into it and it comes out on our side.
Allowing them to fire on us and power the satellite.
Thats very clever.
As long as they keep the beam powered from home the weapon remains operational.
Oh, and one fun, added side-bonus, is that because their stargate is so close to our planet, we cant dial our stargate.
Were stuck.
Maybe thats a good thing.
The beam will turn off at the end of the gates 38-minute cycle.
We dial our gate at that precise moment, we can neutralize theirs.
And if its not pulling power from the beam anymore then we can collapse its shield and destroy it.
Problem is I dont think its gonna shut down in 38 minutes.
I thought it was physically impossible for an artificial wormhole - to stay open any longer.
- There is one exception to that rule.
The SGC has encountered attacks of this kind on their own stargate.
Weve discovered that if you pump enough energy into it a stargate can be active indefinitely.
That would require an insane amount of power, wouldnt it? Like a black hole or an unlimited number of ZPMs.
So we can assume the Replicators are behind this? - Well, I hope so.
- You hope so? Otherwise weve discovered another powerful enemy.
If it is a normal stargate, can we contact the dialing planet? IIl need to boost the signal considerably to get through the interference, but yes.
See what you can do, please.
Why would you wanna contact them? To negotiate.
Its a waste of energy.
We need to figure out how to destroy it.
Id love to go 12 rounds here about whos right and whos wrong but at the end of the day, Im responsible for the city and you dont have the authority to tell me to stand down.
So with all due respect, I think IIl place my call.
All right.
I think Ive got it.
Theyre responding to the transmission.
- Oberoth.
- Dr.
Weir.
I must say, Im surprised to see you.
Each of us exists within the collective and can be replicated many times.
You need to disable your weapon immediately.
- That is not possible.
- We had no choice but to attack.
You were building warships, they needed to be neutralized.
And now so do you.
That assault was just the tip of the spear.
We were hoping it would bring you to your senses.
If you dont stop this aggression, we will be forced to launch an all-out attack.
Really? Why have you waited? The annihilation of your people is not our goal.
We would like for peace to exist between us.
But we will not stand by while you build weapons that can be used to destroy us.
Interesting.
We feel the same way about you.
Perhaps I should remind you every time weve met in battle our side has been victorious.
Élizabeth, theyre attempting to upload a virus.
- Ive been able to stop it for now- - Shut it down.
- Well, that went well.
- Yeah hes always been one of my favorites.
What if the gate doesnt shut down at the end of its 38-minute cycle? If theyre able to maintain the beams intensity, which Im sure they will- And how long until our shield fails? Twenty-nine hours.
Well, it was worth a shot.
All right.
Were gonna need another plan.
Yeah.
Okay.
Stop dialing.
Its not working.
Sir.
You two give us a minute.
What can I do for you, John? We need to head back to the Replicator planet.
We do, do we? If this satellite weapon is powered by its home world maybe we can neutralize it at the source.
The Apollo is in no condition to get into battle right now.
That beam took a lot out of our shield.
- We gotta do something.
- We did do something.
Im sorry, but I cant help to think that were somehow responsible for this.
Why, because Weir said so? No, sir.
John, listen to me.
I- Ive been over your record.
I know you have your detractors.
But personally, I think youve done a hell of a job here.
Thank you, sir.
You should be running Atlantis, not Dr.
Weir.
Well, then Id be the man and who would I have to rage against? Listen.
Because of us, Earth wont have to deal with an armada of Replicator ships so whatever happens here, we did the right thing today.
Im sorry.
Its just they didnt even consult me.
I imagine they felt the need for secrecy was great.
I have the highest level of clearance humanly possible, Teyla.
No.
Theyre trying to undermine me.
Some of the military doesnt like that a civilian, let alone a woman, is in charge.
Surely General ONeill doesnt feel that way.
And the I.
O.
A.
, theyve backed you.
They believe in you.
Yes, when things are going well, but as soon as we run into a major problem the military steps in and assumes absolute control.
Certainly you dont wish to coordinate military attacks? No, thats not what Im saying.
Our current situation could have easily been avoided.
I told them as much.
But they put no weight behind my opinions regarding the safety and protection of the city.
Yes, the I.
O.
A.
is happy to have me as lead administrator but when it comes to the big decisions If we get out of this, I think I may have to step down.
Give it some time.
You need to step back and- Ive got something.
We were throwing some ideas back and forth.
Well, he was throwing them forth.
While he was droning on about some idea, it suddenly occurred to me.
This city has encountered problems like this before so- I dont need the history of your idea, doctor.
IIl let that be a surprise when I read your autobiography.
Just tell me the plan.
- We submerge it.
- Im sorry? We submerge the city.
I thought you said we couldnt submerge the city.
That was two years ago before the Ancients came and activated new systems.
See- The how is complicated, but I think its possible.
- Its not a permanent solution- - ItIl buy us enough time - until we come up with one.
- Exactly.
- How much time? - Some.
As much as a week.
I dont understand.
Why? The history part would have made that clearer.
Had you been more patient, I would have- McKay.
Ten thousand years ago, when the Ancients were under siege they sank the city to dissipate the Wraiths energy blasts in the water.
This way, the shield was able to hold longer than it could on the surface.
So now we submerge the city.
The water attenuates the satellites beam intensity, buys us more shield time.
We cannot predict how much the beam will be attenuated.
It might not buy us any time at all.
Theres no way to know, but its no reason not to try.
- Get it done.
- I dont think thats your call.
Worst-case scenario, we lose some power from the ZPM? Worst-case is that we read the numbers wrong, use up a ton of power and the city doesnt submerge.
Look, as much as I hate to say it Zelenka is not infallible.
Still, I agree, its worth the risk.
The city has an automatic submersion sub-routine in the system.
IIl need to tweak it a bit to work with one ZPM and disable some safety protocols.
Give me an hour.
- Its been an hour.
- Were ready.
- Youve got to do the- - Oh, just We are ready.
Good.
Get me city-wide.
Attention all personnel.
We are about to attempt to submerge the city.
From what I understand, it could get a little bumpy so this is your last chance to secure equipment and get to the designated safe areas.
Weve come full circle, eh? Yeah.
Feels that way.
Okay, take us down.
Aye, aye, captain.
Shall we? Thats it.
Were down.
The beam still looks pretty serious.
I know.
Just give me a second to- - Crap.
- Told you.
Thank you, Radek.
Very helpful.
- What is it? - The beam is breaking through - more efficiently than we thought.
- The water has no effect? Its having an effect, just not near what we want it to.
That plan took us three hours to execute and bought us an additional 10 hours.
Nine.
Nine.
Okay.
Whats the plan? That was the plan.
I need to learn some science.
What for? Im not all that useful in situations like these.
If we get into a fight or need to break out of somewhere or kill someone Im your man.
But a laser attacking the citys shield I dont know where to chip in.
Thats why were a team, like the Fantastic Four.
Its a comic book where superheroes fight crime and stuff.
See, Id be Mr.
Fantastic, Ronon would be the Thing McKay would be the Human Torch and youd be the Invisible Woman.
I am not invisible.
No, no.
And McKays not a human torch.
Well, how come you get to be Mr.
Fantastic? Because he was the leader and Im the- Im just saying that they were a cool team and were a cool team and they use their strengths to, you know Im gonna go check on McKay.
- Shouldnt you be bickering? - We got nothing to bicker about.
Hes run out of bad ideas.
Finally.
If we survive this, Im putting in for a transfer.
We both know that youve done your best work under me.
Under you? Im my own department head.
We both know that department is a joke.
Why dont you guys just make out and get it over with? I mean, we have, what? Under one day to figure out how not to get destroyed by this satellite thing and you guys are arguing about who works for who.
Every possible scenario ends in failure.
There is nowhere on the face of this planet that thing cannot get us.
- You dont think - No.
Old girl too banged up? The Replicators fixed all the damage.
- We just dont have the power.
- But ideally.
- May be the only way.
- What? The drilling platform.
Your guys have it operational down there, right? Its close, but we couldnt bring it with us.
Bring it where? - We dont need to, we just need a boost.
- You might be on to something.
Hey.
Whats your idea? Hey.
Well, luckily, the umbilical is already in place.
Yes, I know.
Are you capable of outputting the power we need or not? We started drilling into the crust.
I can get you 90 percent of the way there.
- There goes that plan.
- Cant the ZPM make up the difference? No, the ZPMs a little busy powering the shield at max.
- What if it didnt have to? - What? What if we could take the strain off the shield momentarily? Wed need about a minute.
Why? What do you have in mind? Lantias moon has some sizable satellites itself.
Asteroid-like chunks left over from a second moon that no longer exists.
Id like you to beam up Lorne and get a flight of F-302s close enough to nudge one our way.
You wanna bring an asteroid towards us? - Is that wise? - Well, today it is.
All right, guys.
We need to get close enough to clamp on to it.
We get enough of us drilled in, we can fly it like a ship.
A really slow ship thats probably gonna be a real pain in the ass to steer but a ship nonetheless.
Okay, lets take this big gal for a stroll.
Flights three and four, begin your burn, full thrust.
Son of a bitch.
We might be able to pull this off after all.
Flights one and two, begin your burn.
Its working? Its slow, but theyre bringing it towards the planet.
They should get here before our cut-off time.
So we can actually do this? I think so, yes.
Okay.
Time to tell people.
Patch me into the PA, please.
May I have your attention? As you all know, we have found ourselves in a spot of trouble.
The reality is that no matter where we try to hide on this planet the Replicator satellite will be able to track us.
Therefore Dr.
McKay and Colonel Sheppard have come up with a rather ingenious way for us to escape the satellites range altogether.
In the next few hours, we will fire the citys stardrive and head into space.
Atlantis is leaving this planet.
- May I come in? - Of course.
All non-essential personnel have been beamed to the Apollo.
Good, good.
Has Dr.
McKay located your new home yet? Yes.
M12-578.
Its the closest non-populated, habitable planet with a large ocean.
Hes nervous about trying to land on solid ground.
I can understand that.
Listen, I know you dont like me very much- - Colonel, thats not- - Its okay.
To be honest, Im not that crazy about you either.
Okay.
But if Ive crossed the line here or there in regards to your command I apologize.
Im used to making the calls.
But I dont want you to think I dont respect you.
I do, doctor.
Thank you.
I appreciate that.
I wish the rest of the military felt the same way.
Well, I cant speak to that.
I do know General ONeill is awfully fond of you.
Well, Id better be heading out.
- Good luck.
- Thanks.
Were gonna need it.
Zelenka is doing a final pass over all the coding weve done but so far its looking good.
The underwater drilling platforms power outputs dialed up as high as itIl go.
The crew down there has been beamed up to the Apollo.
- Were gonna wreck that thing.
- What, the drilling platform? Oh, hell yes, but 30 percent of our total power requirements are gonna be consumed in the first 10 seconds of flight.
The station will provide us with that power up until we snap the umbilical.
Then weIl switch over to the ZPM.
Now, if we can interrupt the satellites beam which is greatly taxing our power levels we should be able to squeeze out just enough power to actually do this thing.
Hows Lorne doing? Hes making good time.
He should be here in the next 20 minutes.
Well, I guess its show time.
- You sure you can do this? - Fly the city? What else could I be talking about? I flew a V-22 Osprey once.
- Was it as big as a city? - You had to use your hands and feet.
This one you just have to sit down and think: « Fly.
» Okay.
Why dont you just get in the chair and start your pre-flight? Im gonna head up to the control room and Zelenka will monitor power output from the ZPM room.
And good luck.
You too.
Dr.
McKay, can you read me? Five by five.
Lorne, are you in position? Were getting close.
Are you about ready? Zelenka, I need a go or no-go.
Were go.
Non-essential systems are shut down.
Were in the green.
- You ready, Sheppard? - As IIl ever be.
Okay, major, make sure shes moving as slow as possible.
You sure we shouldnt just lob this at the satellite? Theyd navigate back into position.
This is our best bet.
Copy that.
Package is away and on course.
Were heading back to the Apollo.
Good luck.
Okay, calculating travel time based on current speed.
Thats it.
Were good.
Here goes nothing.
Asteroid is entering the beam.
Were on the surface.
Fire the stardrive.
Were not flying high enough.
Its stalling out.
Its not working.
- What are you doing wrong? - Sure, blame me.
- We dont have enough power.
- Oh, sure, blame me.
Its not working.
What other reasons could there be? I have no more power to give you.
- Shut it off.
- What? Lower the shield.
Were about to go into space.
If you plan on breathing - we need the shield.
- Turn it back on at 18,000 feet.
We just need the boost to get started, no? That might work.
Okay, I did it.
Give it all you got.
Thats it.
Were flying.
Thats it, times up.
Raising the shield.
Im taking us into hyperspace.
We did it.
McKay? Élizabeth? I need a medical team to the control room stat.
multiple injuries.
Keller, what happened? Apparently, the beam grazed the tower and blew out- Adams.
That guy just has a cut.
Put pressure on it and move on.
- Theres a lot of people worse off.
- Élizabeth.
Is she gonna be okay? She took quite a fall and her pupils are sluggish.
Im gonna have to get her under a scanner.
IIl know more in a bit.
Oh, God.
Are you all right? - Ive had worse.
- No ones helping you? I told them I didnt need help.
Other people need it more.
- Get this man to the infirmary.
- Yes, sir.
Are you guys all right? - All things considered.
- What happened? Beam grazed the side of the tower before the shield was closed.
- Damage? - Minimal, I think.
I was able to get the shield up quickly.
It took the brunt of the blow.
Oh, what now? What is happening? We just dropped out of hyperspace.
Have we already reached M12-578? No.
Theres no way.
It should have taken another few hours.
- The hyperdrive shut down.
- Why? - I dont know.
- Get it back up.
I just said I dont know whats wrong.
I dont know what happened.
- Where are we? - In the middle of nowhere.
Theres no planets, no moons, no stargates.
How much power do we have? - This cant be right.
- How much? At current consumption, weve got 24 hours of power left.
After that, theres no shield.
No shield, no atmosphere.
- No atmosphere, we- - Can we use the stargate? It needs to be calibrated to a specific location.
We are lost.
We dropped out of hyperspace way too soon.
I have no idea where we are.
Theyre machines.
They even built themselves a version of Atlantis.
Probes of your minds uncovered the truth.
You came to live there from your original home a planet called Earth.
Our intention is to destroy it.
They see humans as the favored siblings who receive all the parentslove.
Theyve been seeking revenge since.
Atlantis is under attack from Replicators.
IIl be damned if Im gonna let a bunch of Replicators take our home away from us.
They emit a directional energy beam that disrupts the connection between nanites.
The Replictators fall apart when you fire on them.
Well, we beat them this time.
Maybe we scared them off.
Maybe.
Dr.
Weir? Dr.
Keller, how is my head of medicine? Acting head of medicine actually and thats what I wanted to talk to you about.
Whats up? I need to be replaced.
Excuse me? Look, after Carson Someone had to step up and take over.
And Im glad to help, dont get me wrong but Im not qualified to run a department of this size.
You need someone better.
Everyone down there says youre doing great.
Well, A, Im not sure thats true and B, its been pretty smooth sailing over the last few weeks.
I think Ive been lucky.
The I.
O.
A.
are reviewing candidates but theyre not that great at making quick decisions.
Yeah.
So a week? Two weeks? I just havent been sleeping very well.
This whole being in control thing kind of makes me anxious.
Carson felt the same way his first few months.
I appreciate you trying to lie to me.
Look, I feel very comfortable with my life in your hands and at the end of the day, that means youre doing a pretty good job.
Dealing with the pressure, it does get easier with time.
Right.
How much time exactly? Like itIl get easier the next two weeks and then youIl replace me so I can go back to being a regular doctor? IIl keep you posted.
Thanks.
Can I please have someone else do these? - Performance evaluations? - Yes.
No.
Year-end employee reviews are important.
Theyre how people get promotions and raises.
Look, asking me to do performance evaluations is ridiculous.
I am the first to admit I dont know these people, nor do I care.
If youd like, I can take you to the labs and point at the people who annoy me but thats about as useful as I get.
- All done.
- Of course.
That was quick.
John, wait a minute.
Youve just given everyone excellent and above-averages.
- Can I do that? - No.
I know this isnt the most glamorous part of your job but you are in leadership positions.
And, unfortunately, that comes with administrative responsibilities.
Everybody works for me is excellent and above average.
Do you want me to lie? Because I dont think leaders should lie.
- Dr.
Weir? - Yes, Chuck.
The Apollo just came out of hyperspace.
Theyre ahead of schedule.
Probably just trying to show off, you know, being a new ship and all.
Col.
Ellis, youve made excellent time on your first voyage here.
Thank you.
Im beaming down now.
Very well, weIl- Set up in the conference room.
- Doctor.
- Colonel.
- Welcome.
- Thank you.
Colonel Sheppard.
Dr.
McKay.
This is gonna make things easier.
IIl need to brief you immediately.
Whats going on? Well, Id prefer to talk in private.
Ever since the human-form Replicators made a play for the city weve had the Daedalus make regular reconnaissance fly-bys - of their home planet.
- Yes, we know.
Two months ago it took these pictures.
Im sorry.
What am I supposed to be looking at here? - Nothing.
- Excuse me? This image was taken about three weeks ago in the very same location.
Theyre building ships.
A lot of them.
- Why werent we made aware of this? - Im making you aware of it now.
If theyre coming for us, we should bolster the shield.
- We should- - Theyre not gonna get here.
Im here to inform you that in precisely 12 hours the Apollo, in consort with your team will launch a surgical strike on the Replicator planet.
- So youre gonna blow up their ships? - Thats right.
- Just like that? - Just like that.
How do you plan on doing that? A set of Mark-IX tactical nukes housed in a weapons platform code-named » Horizon.
» How many nukes do you have? The Horizon carries six warheads and four decoys.
Im gonna need you to do a final inspection before we head out.
- Wait.
Six? - Thats right.
Thats not enough.
The Replicators are self-replicating robots - which means that they can - Im aware of that, thank you.
Theyre not like the Milky Way Replicators.
Their ships arent built from nano cells.
Theyre constructed of real material that can be destroyed.
- Six will be more than enough for now.
- « ou »?For now« ou »? Isnt this a bit like poking a sleeping dragon? Why dont we just wait until Area 51 finishes the P.
W.
A.
R.
Ws? Which ones that again? Planetary-wide anti-Replicator weapons.
The Asgard were capable of creating a satellite that could wipe out an entire Replicator planet.
Weve had some trouble making our own, but- Would I have preferred taking out an entire planet at once? Absolutely.
But this image is giving the I.
O.
A.
a lot of sleepless nights.
The Replicators know the location of Earth and with these new ships, have the means to get there.
We cant just sit on our hands while the guys at Area 51 try to come up with a solution.
This missions primary objective is to eliminate key military targets.
WeIl come back and finish once the new weapon is running.
Doctor, IIl need you to start your inspections as soon as possible.
- Yeah, sure.
I just- - Dr.
McKay is ready to beam.
Well, not right- Okay.
Were finished here.
Thank you.
- Can you believe this? - No.
Almost seems too good to be true.
What? Well, if those nukes do what Ellis says they do Since we won back the city, we havent heard so much as a peep from the Replicators.
Well, obviously they havent gone away.
No, but maybe theyve decided that we are more trouble than were worth.
The threat of our A.
R.
weapons is enough to keep them at bay.
You dont build that many ships to make a run at Atlantis.
Theyre headed for Earth.
Colonel.
May I have a word? Sure.
This mission is a mistake.
It most certainly is not.
It is an ineffectual first strike.
You gotta know how dangerous that could be for us.
All due respect, doctor, it wont be ineffectual.
Besides, the I.
O.
A.
doesnt think we can wait.
I think we should stall them.
Try to open a round of negotiations.
Theyre not a race of people.
Theyre a weapon.
Try to keep that in mind.
Weapon or not, theyre sentient.
Negotiating with them could buy us enough time to get the P.
W.
A.
R.
W.
up and running.
Usually, Id be more than happy to go 12 rounds here about whos right and whos wrong, but it wouldnt matter.
I have my orders.
You dont have the authority to tell me to stand down.
So again, with all due respect maam, I have a mission to execute.
Well, the specs check out and weve loaded the target information.
- Theyre ready.
- Yup.
Its good to go.
This is a bad idea, isnt it? We could tell them theyre not ready.
Theres a fault in the guidance system or something.
I thought about that.
Theyre gonna have guys here to contradict us pretty quickly.
Were here alone.
We could make them not ready.
Theyre building an armada, Radek.
I saw them.
They showed me the pictures.
Id feel stupid if wed break this thing only to have the Replicators show up and destroy the city.
Yeah, that would be bad.
IIl tell the colonel were good to go.
- Hey.
- Hey.
Colonel Ellis has asked me to join the mission.
I know.
Im just gonna stay behind in a cloaked Jumper after they launch the warheads - do some battle damage assessment.
- I know that too.
He told me that you called Woolsey and General ONeill - to try to get this called off.
- Yes, I did.
They didnt bite? They did not.
Look, I know you think were doing the wrong thing here but John.
Good luck.
All right.
The Horizon is online the warheads are armed and we are ready for final sequencing as soon as we drop out of hyperspace.
Start now.
Open the bomb bay doors.
Were still in hyperspace.
Were coming out of our jump uncomfortably close to the planet.
I dont wanna waste any time.
Just get it done.
Well, youre the boss.
Ready to launch on your command.
Youre sure about this, right? Like this is the right thing to do? Not the best time for that kind of talk, doctor.
Right.
Sorry.
Coming out of hyperspace in five, four three, two, one.
Launch the Horizon.
We have detonation confirmation on all six warheads.
Sheppard, you have a go for launch.
Copy that.
Im clear.
Jump away.
Very well.
Pick you up in an hour.
Get us out of here.
There is so much radiation interference its hard to get an accurate yield calculation.
Theres more than enough data.
Its not like were taking out a person.
Were taking out massive chunks of a city.
Someone just please tell me if we hit our targets or not.
If this data is right then all of your primaries and most of your secondaries have been incinerated.
Excellent.
- Welcome back.
- Thanks.
- I hear congratulations are in order.
- You heard right.
How was the mission? Was it a success? We did get all the ships.
I wish I could have been there to see it.
Space battles are a lot more exciting on TV than they are in real life.
Dr.
Weir.
Youre going to wanna see this.
Weve got a contact, just came out of hyperspace.
- Is it broadcasting IFF? - No, maam.
- Wraith? - Its very small.
I doubt it.
Raise the shield.
Its taking up a geo-synchronous orbit.
What is it? Maybe we should have the Apollo check it out.
Tell the colonel he needs to get back to his ship.
- Right ahead of us, sir.
- Shields? Affirmative.
Shields are up.
Okay, Ive got a visual.
It looks like a satellite of some sort.
- Its a stargate.
- A stargate? Thats right.
- I thought you said it was a satellite? - Its both.
Its a satellite, but in the middle theres a stargate.
- What could be the purpose of that? - No idea.
- It just activated.
- The gate? Get us away from it.
Sir, the satellite is turning again.
Its hitting the planet.
Its a sustained beam.
That is bad for a dozen different reasons.
Its protected by a shield.
Give me some options, mcKay.
The shields taking its power from the beam.
There was a slight drop in output when you fired.
- Could I get a nuke past its shield? - No.
Probably not.
IIl get in the chair, give it everything weve got.
I said slight, as in.
002.
I doubt any amount of firepower will collapse it - while that beam is active.
- Then what do we do? We stand down and let me think.
Give me five minutes.
IIl brief you.
- McKay, its shooting at us.
- And the shields are holding.
Weve got plenty of time.
Just give me five minutes.
- What have you got? - Were in trouble.
Took you five minutes to figure that out? Youre slipping, buddy.
The satellite is basically a stripped-down ship.
Theres an engine, a shield and navigational systems.
Theres a small power source to take it to its target and power it until the gates dialed.
Once a wormhole has been established, whoevers on the dialing side fires a beam into it and it comes out on our side.
Allowing them to fire on us and power the satellite.
Thats very clever.
As long as they keep the beam powered from home the weapon remains operational.
Oh, and one fun, added side-bonus, is that because their stargate is so close to our planet, we cant dial our stargate.
Were stuck.
Maybe thats a good thing.
The beam will turn off at the end of the gates 38-minute cycle.
We dial our gate at that precise moment, we can neutralize theirs.
And if its not pulling power from the beam anymore then we can collapse its shield and destroy it.
Problem is I dont think its gonna shut down in 38 minutes.
I thought it was physically impossible for an artificial wormhole - to stay open any longer.
- There is one exception to that rule.
The SGC has encountered attacks of this kind on their own stargate.
Weve discovered that if you pump enough energy into it a stargate can be active indefinitely.
That would require an insane amount of power, wouldnt it? Like a black hole or an unlimited number of ZPMs.
So we can assume the Replicators are behind this? - Well, I hope so.
- You hope so? Otherwise weve discovered another powerful enemy.
If it is a normal stargate, can we contact the dialing planet? IIl need to boost the signal considerably to get through the interference, but yes.
See what you can do, please.
Why would you wanna contact them? To negotiate.
Its a waste of energy.
We need to figure out how to destroy it.
Id love to go 12 rounds here about whos right and whos wrong but at the end of the day, Im responsible for the city and you dont have the authority to tell me to stand down.
So with all due respect, I think IIl place my call.
All right.
I think Ive got it.
Theyre responding to the transmission.
- Oberoth.
- Dr.
Weir.
I must say, Im surprised to see you.
Each of us exists within the collective and can be replicated many times.
You need to disable your weapon immediately.
- That is not possible.
- We had no choice but to attack.
You were building warships, they needed to be neutralized.
And now so do you.
That assault was just the tip of the spear.
We were hoping it would bring you to your senses.
If you dont stop this aggression, we will be forced to launch an all-out attack.
Really? Why have you waited? The annihilation of your people is not our goal.
We would like for peace to exist between us.
But we will not stand by while you build weapons that can be used to destroy us.
Interesting.
We feel the same way about you.
Perhaps I should remind you every time weve met in battle our side has been victorious.
Élizabeth, theyre attempting to upload a virus.
- Ive been able to stop it for now- - Shut it down.
- Well, that went well.
- Yeah hes always been one of my favorites.
What if the gate doesnt shut down at the end of its 38-minute cycle? If theyre able to maintain the beams intensity, which Im sure they will- And how long until our shield fails? Twenty-nine hours.
Well, it was worth a shot.
All right.
Were gonna need another plan.
Yeah.
Okay.
Stop dialing.
Its not working.
Sir.
You two give us a minute.
What can I do for you, John? We need to head back to the Replicator planet.
We do, do we? If this satellite weapon is powered by its home world maybe we can neutralize it at the source.
The Apollo is in no condition to get into battle right now.
That beam took a lot out of our shield.
- We gotta do something.
- We did do something.
Im sorry, but I cant help to think that were somehow responsible for this.
Why, because Weir said so? No, sir.
John, listen to me.
I- Ive been over your record.
I know you have your detractors.
But personally, I think youve done a hell of a job here.
Thank you, sir.
You should be running Atlantis, not Dr.
Weir.
Well, then Id be the man and who would I have to rage against? Listen.
Because of us, Earth wont have to deal with an armada of Replicator ships so whatever happens here, we did the right thing today.
Im sorry.
Its just they didnt even consult me.
I imagine they felt the need for secrecy was great.
I have the highest level of clearance humanly possible, Teyla.
No.
Theyre trying to undermine me.
Some of the military doesnt like that a civilian, let alone a woman, is in charge.
Surely General ONeill doesnt feel that way.
And the I.
O.
A.
, theyve backed you.
They believe in you.
Yes, when things are going well, but as soon as we run into a major problem the military steps in and assumes absolute control.
Certainly you dont wish to coordinate military attacks? No, thats not what Im saying.
Our current situation could have easily been avoided.
I told them as much.
But they put no weight behind my opinions regarding the safety and protection of the city.
Yes, the I.
O.
A.
is happy to have me as lead administrator but when it comes to the big decisions If we get out of this, I think I may have to step down.
Give it some time.
You need to step back and- Ive got something.
We were throwing some ideas back and forth.
Well, he was throwing them forth.
While he was droning on about some idea, it suddenly occurred to me.
This city has encountered problems like this before so- I dont need the history of your idea, doctor.
IIl let that be a surprise when I read your autobiography.
Just tell me the plan.
- We submerge it.
- Im sorry? We submerge the city.
I thought you said we couldnt submerge the city.
That was two years ago before the Ancients came and activated new systems.
See- The how is complicated, but I think its possible.
- Its not a permanent solution- - ItIl buy us enough time - until we come up with one.
- Exactly.
- How much time? - Some.
As much as a week.
I dont understand.
Why? The history part would have made that clearer.
Had you been more patient, I would have- McKay.
Ten thousand years ago, when the Ancients were under siege they sank the city to dissipate the Wraiths energy blasts in the water.
This way, the shield was able to hold longer than it could on the surface.
So now we submerge the city.
The water attenuates the satellites beam intensity, buys us more shield time.
We cannot predict how much the beam will be attenuated.
It might not buy us any time at all.
Theres no way to know, but its no reason not to try.
- Get it done.
- I dont think thats your call.
Worst-case scenario, we lose some power from the ZPM? Worst-case is that we read the numbers wrong, use up a ton of power and the city doesnt submerge.
Look, as much as I hate to say it Zelenka is not infallible.
Still, I agree, its worth the risk.
The city has an automatic submersion sub-routine in the system.
IIl need to tweak it a bit to work with one ZPM and disable some safety protocols.
Give me an hour.
- Its been an hour.
- Were ready.
- Youve got to do the- - Oh, just We are ready.
Good.
Get me city-wide.
Attention all personnel.
We are about to attempt to submerge the city.
From what I understand, it could get a little bumpy so this is your last chance to secure equipment and get to the designated safe areas.
Weve come full circle, eh? Yeah.
Feels that way.
Okay, take us down.
Aye, aye, captain.
Shall we? Thats it.
Were down.
The beam still looks pretty serious.
I know.
Just give me a second to- - Crap.
- Told you.
Thank you, Radek.
Very helpful.
- What is it? - The beam is breaking through - more efficiently than we thought.
- The water has no effect? Its having an effect, just not near what we want it to.
That plan took us three hours to execute and bought us an additional 10 hours.
Nine.
Nine.
Okay.
Whats the plan? That was the plan.
I need to learn some science.
What for? Im not all that useful in situations like these.
If we get into a fight or need to break out of somewhere or kill someone Im your man.
But a laser attacking the citys shield I dont know where to chip in.
Thats why were a team, like the Fantastic Four.
Its a comic book where superheroes fight crime and stuff.
See, Id be Mr.
Fantastic, Ronon would be the Thing McKay would be the Human Torch and youd be the Invisible Woman.
I am not invisible.
No, no.
And McKays not a human torch.
Well, how come you get to be Mr.
Fantastic? Because he was the leader and Im the- Im just saying that they were a cool team and were a cool team and they use their strengths to, you know Im gonna go check on McKay.
- Shouldnt you be bickering? - We got nothing to bicker about.
Hes run out of bad ideas.
Finally.
If we survive this, Im putting in for a transfer.
We both know that youve done your best work under me.
Under you? Im my own department head.
We both know that department is a joke.
Why dont you guys just make out and get it over with? I mean, we have, what? Under one day to figure out how not to get destroyed by this satellite thing and you guys are arguing about who works for who.
Every possible scenario ends in failure.
There is nowhere on the face of this planet that thing cannot get us.
- You dont think - No.
Old girl too banged up? The Replicators fixed all the damage.
- We just dont have the power.
- But ideally.
- May be the only way.
- What? The drilling platform.
Your guys have it operational down there, right? Its close, but we couldnt bring it with us.
Bring it where? - We dont need to, we just need a boost.
- You might be on to something.
Hey.
Whats your idea? Hey.
Well, luckily, the umbilical is already in place.
Yes, I know.
Are you capable of outputting the power we need or not? We started drilling into the crust.
I can get you 90 percent of the way there.
- There goes that plan.
- Cant the ZPM make up the difference? No, the ZPMs a little busy powering the shield at max.
- What if it didnt have to? - What? What if we could take the strain off the shield momentarily? Wed need about a minute.
Why? What do you have in mind? Lantias moon has some sizable satellites itself.
Asteroid-like chunks left over from a second moon that no longer exists.
Id like you to beam up Lorne and get a flight of F-302s close enough to nudge one our way.
You wanna bring an asteroid towards us? - Is that wise? - Well, today it is.
All right, guys.
We need to get close enough to clamp on to it.
We get enough of us drilled in, we can fly it like a ship.
A really slow ship thats probably gonna be a real pain in the ass to steer but a ship nonetheless.
Okay, lets take this big gal for a stroll.
Flights three and four, begin your burn, full thrust.
Son of a bitch.
We might be able to pull this off after all.
Flights one and two, begin your burn.
Its working? Its slow, but theyre bringing it towards the planet.
They should get here before our cut-off time.
So we can actually do this? I think so, yes.
Okay.
Time to tell people.
Patch me into the PA, please.
May I have your attention? As you all know, we have found ourselves in a spot of trouble.
The reality is that no matter where we try to hide on this planet the Replicator satellite will be able to track us.
Therefore Dr.
McKay and Colonel Sheppard have come up with a rather ingenious way for us to escape the satellites range altogether.
In the next few hours, we will fire the citys stardrive and head into space.
Atlantis is leaving this planet.
- May I come in? - Of course.
All non-essential personnel have been beamed to the Apollo.
Good, good.
Has Dr.
McKay located your new home yet? Yes.
M12-578.
Its the closest non-populated, habitable planet with a large ocean.
Hes nervous about trying to land on solid ground.
I can understand that.
Listen, I know you dont like me very much- - Colonel, thats not- - Its okay.
To be honest, Im not that crazy about you either.
Okay.
But if Ive crossed the line here or there in regards to your command I apologize.
Im used to making the calls.
But I dont want you to think I dont respect you.
I do, doctor.
Thank you.
I appreciate that.
I wish the rest of the military felt the same way.
Well, I cant speak to that.
I do know General ONeill is awfully fond of you.
Well, Id better be heading out.
- Good luck.
- Thanks.
Were gonna need it.
Zelenka is doing a final pass over all the coding weve done but so far its looking good.
The underwater drilling platforms power outputs dialed up as high as itIl go.
The crew down there has been beamed up to the Apollo.
- Were gonna wreck that thing.
- What, the drilling platform? Oh, hell yes, but 30 percent of our total power requirements are gonna be consumed in the first 10 seconds of flight.
The station will provide us with that power up until we snap the umbilical.
Then weIl switch over to the ZPM.
Now, if we can interrupt the satellites beam which is greatly taxing our power levels we should be able to squeeze out just enough power to actually do this thing.
Hows Lorne doing? Hes making good time.
He should be here in the next 20 minutes.
Well, I guess its show time.
- You sure you can do this? - Fly the city? What else could I be talking about? I flew a V-22 Osprey once.
- Was it as big as a city? - You had to use your hands and feet.
This one you just have to sit down and think: « Fly.
» Okay.
Why dont you just get in the chair and start your pre-flight? Im gonna head up to the control room and Zelenka will monitor power output from the ZPM room.
And good luck.
You too.
Dr.
McKay, can you read me? Five by five.
Lorne, are you in position? Were getting close.
Are you about ready? Zelenka, I need a go or no-go.
Were go.
Non-essential systems are shut down.
Were in the green.
- You ready, Sheppard? - As IIl ever be.
Okay, major, make sure shes moving as slow as possible.
You sure we shouldnt just lob this at the satellite? Theyd navigate back into position.
This is our best bet.
Copy that.
Package is away and on course.
Were heading back to the Apollo.
Good luck.
Okay, calculating travel time based on current speed.
Thats it.
Were good.
Here goes nothing.
Asteroid is entering the beam.
Were on the surface.
Fire the stardrive.
Were not flying high enough.
Its stalling out.
Its not working.
- What are you doing wrong? - Sure, blame me.
- We dont have enough power.
- Oh, sure, blame me.
Its not working.
What other reasons could there be? I have no more power to give you.
- Shut it off.
- What? Lower the shield.
Were about to go into space.
If you plan on breathing - we need the shield.
- Turn it back on at 18,000 feet.
We just need the boost to get started, no? That might work.
Okay, I did it.
Give it all you got.
Thats it.
Were flying.
Thats it, times up.
Raising the shield.
Im taking us into hyperspace.
We did it.
McKay? Élizabeth? I need a medical team to the control room stat.
multiple injuries.
Keller, what happened? Apparently, the beam grazed the tower and blew out- Adams.
That guy just has a cut.
Put pressure on it and move on.
- Theres a lot of people worse off.
- Élizabeth.
Is she gonna be okay? She took quite a fall and her pupils are sluggish.
Im gonna have to get her under a scanner.
IIl know more in a bit.
Oh, God.
Are you all right? - Ive had worse.
- No ones helping you? I told them I didnt need help.
Other people need it more.
- Get this man to the infirmary.
- Yes, sir.
Are you guys all right? - All things considered.
- What happened? Beam grazed the side of the tower before the shield was closed.
- Damage? - Minimal, I think.
I was able to get the shield up quickly.
It took the brunt of the blow.
Oh, what now? What is happening? We just dropped out of hyperspace.
Have we already reached M12-578? No.
Theres no way.
It should have taken another few hours.
- The hyperdrive shut down.
- Why? - I dont know.
- Get it back up.
I just said I dont know whats wrong.
I dont know what happened.
- Where are we? - In the middle of nowhere.
Theres no planets, no moons, no stargates.
How much power do we have? - This cant be right.
- How much? At current consumption, weve got 24 hours of power left.
After that, theres no shield.
No shield, no atmosphere.
- No atmosphere, we- - Can we use the stargate? It needs to be calibrated to a specific location.
We are lost.
We dropped out of hyperspace way too soon.
I have no idea where we are.