Stargate: Atlantis s04e02 Episode Script

Previously on Stargate Atlantis.
No matter where we try to hide on this planet, the Replicator satellite will be able to track us.
Atlantis is leaving.
We're not flying high enough.
We don't have enough power.
McKAY: We are lost.
We dropped out of hyperspace way too soon.
I have no idea where we are.
She's unresponsive and her pupils are sluggish.
I need you to prep the OR and have the scanner ready when we get there.
Several of the main conduits were affected by the brush with the beam.
She's suffering from cerebral edema, which may have caused substantial brain damage.
- What is that? - An asteroid belt? We're going to clear a path through the belt by firing our drones.
Elizabeth's crashing.
If we're going to do this thing, we need to do it now.
What did you do? - I reactivated the nanites.
- Damn it, McKay! Look, I am 100% certain they're not going to try to take her over or contact the others! This is a very bad idea.
There's a planet out there with ZPMs? McKAY: That would be the Replicator homeworld.
You feel up to a heist? Okay, when I say, go ahead and try the left one.
Oh, jeez! I said, when I say! I thought you did say! How's it going, boys? Well, we'd be making a lot more progress if Timmy Torture over here wasn't trying to kill me every two seconds.
I'm not trying to kill him.
So, can you make it jump into hyperspace or not? Yes, I think so.
- You think so? - Yes, think.
You said you could do it.
Correction.
I said "probably" do it.
Yes, he's having trouble with one of the algorithms he created during his brush with near-Ascension.
This is unbelievably complex physics here, all right? I mean, it makes string theory look like non-linear dynamics.
- Okay.
- And even if I do get it working, there's still 1,000 things that could go terribly, terribly wrong.
I get it, it's difficult.
Million-to-one odds, blah, blah, blah Was there something else you needed, or were you here merely to prod and belittle? No, no, not merely.
There's another problem we need to be thinking about.
Such as, what do we do when we get there? Getting this thing to jump into hyperspace may be the easy part.
Infiltrating the city, stealing the ZPM, and getting out, well, I think that's a little dicey.
To say the least.
- McKAY: I've been thinking about that.
- And? And I think that if we stand any chance of succeeding, we're going to need some help.
From who? Feel like taking a trip? The nanites inside you, I think, if we got them in close proximity to the human-form Replicator city, I'd be able to manipulate them to remotely hack into the Replicator mainframe.
We'd be able to find out where the closest ZPM is and the quickest way to get in and out.
Not only that, we'd be able to track their movement as well.
We'll know they're coming before they can even spot us.
Which does not eliminate the danger.
McKAY: Oh, far from it.
But it does give us a significant edge.
What happens if the Replicators take control of the nanites inside me? Well, they won't.
I would block any attempt But if they do? I ordered Rodney to write a kill switch into the nanites' code.
If we trigger the program, it'll neutralize them.
Neutralize them.
You mean shut them off? Yes.
And you said the nanites are all that are keeping me alive.
They are.
If we shut them off, it will kill you.
But that's not going to happen.
All right? I've ordered Rodney to keep an eye on the little bastards, make sure they behave.
We would not ask this of you if it was not the only chance of this mission succeeding.
She's right, if we don't get hold of a ZPM, - this city and everyone in it will - When do we leave? Right now.
What? Wait, no, no, no, not right now.
Look, I haven't finished finalizing the power Finalize it.
We need to move.
You're going to be okay, Elizabeth.
Still, I would like all of you to keep a very close eye on me, and the first sign of any suspicious behavior, do not hesitate with that kill switch.
Okay, but that's not going to happen John, I mean it.
Hey, Teyla! Wait up.
I'm going to need you to sit this one out.
John, if this mission is not successful Zelenka thinks he found a planet that can sustain human life.
He's fairly confident that he can get the city there in one jump.
Without the shields, we would be unable to land.
I know, we won't even have enough power to establish orbit.
You're going to have to do a fly-by, and get everybody else in the Jumper.
You mean abandon the city.
Well, if it comes to that.
All right, these people are going to need a leader.
Somebody who can keep them alive, and keep them together, more importantly, not let them give up hope.
- That's you, Teyla.
- John Look, if I'm not back in 12 hours, give the order.
All right.
Now.
- Are you certain? - Yes.
I only ask because the last time you were less than definitive in your answer Radek! All right.
- Okay.
- Yes? - I think we got it.
- Good, good, now, uh Now, as long as we don't burn up all of the power on the initial jump, then Yes, yes, right, okay.
I'll leave now.
- You ready? - Yes, look, I'm still not sure if this is going to work.
I mean, I've done everything I can to make it Sheppard, we're ready.
All right, Teyla, we're ready to launch.
Understood.
Open the Jumper Bay doors.
Remember, no wild parties while we're gone.
We will try to restrain ourselves.
Good luck.
All right, here we go.
Rodney, you ready? Did I mention that this might not work? And that we could either drop out of hyperspace prematurely, and end up stranded in the middle of deep space, or quite possibly, be vaporized the moment I touch that Just answer the damn question.
Yeah, I'm ready.
Good, sit down.
Here goes.
Okay, opening hyperspace window in three, two, one.
Oh, my.
That's That's beautiful.
Yeah, it is.
It's like Elwynn Forest.
Oh, nothing.
It's one of the lands in Warcraft.
That's a game I play.
Well, occasionally.
Ah.
Oh, wow.
You going to be okay? Yeah, yeah, I just You know, I don't get to get offworld much, or ever, hardly.
Well, you'd better take a picture.
We're not going to be here long.
Oh, right, good idea.
This is Colonel Carter calling the Apollo.
Colonel Ellis, do you read? Five by five, Colonel.
We have stepped through the gate and are ready for transport.
- No, wait, wait.
- Stand by.
Wait.
Welcome to the Pegasus Galaxy, Colonel.
Thank you.
Still no word from Atlantis? Nothing.
I've been going over the specs for these modifications you're proposing for the sensor array.
You're asking for a five-fold increase in power consumption? Plus, you want to cannibalize parts from half a dozen other key systems, including subspace communications.
That's correct.
What if they try and contact us? If they could, they would have done it.
All of this is based on the assumption that they dropped out of hyperspace early.
Yeah, we believe that's the most likely scenario.
All right, let's do it.
Congratulations, Rodney.
Your hyperdrive worked.
Unfortunately, believe it or not, Zelenka was actually right.
We burned up way more power on the jump than we expected.
What are you saying? We can't get back? No, no, what I am saying is that the Actually, that's exactly what I'm saying.
I suppose, once we steal the ZPM, I could utilize its power.
I need to make sure I don't overload the main Let's just take this one step at a time, all right? First things first, let's worry about getting the ZPM.
Right.
Okay, I'm going to try to initialize the link.
What do you want me to do? Nothing.
Just sit there.
It's completely wireless.
Let me know if anything pops into your mind.
What do you mean? Will I just sort of sense something, or is it more of a Oh, my God.
I did it.
I mean, well, she did it.
Look, we have to move fast.
Even though Elizabeth's nanites are only in lurking mode, it won't take long for the Replicators to figure out another player has joined the game.
How you feeling, Elizabeth? Very strange.
I can suddenly see the entire city directly in front of me.
I mean, every corridor, every single room That way.
The ZPM.
Fourth quadrant, top level, easy access.
There's hardly anyone around.
All right, works for me.
All right, we're down.
Rodney, stay here with Elizabeth, keep sifting through the intel.
You guys can guide us through by radio.
behind the Jumper, there's an access door.
Down one flight of stairs, you'll enter auxiliary corridor seven.
Go now, it's clear.
We're at the corridor.
Go right.
At 6.
5 meters, there should be another corridor.
Okay, we see it.
Turn left.
Wait! Go back! It's all right, he didn't see you.
Really? You know that? Yeah.
Like I said, it's very strange.
Can we go now? Yes, go.
Turn left, then right.
It should be directly in front of you.
Yup, I see it.
Hold up, Chewie.
Aren't they going to notice when we pull the plug on this thing? McKAY: Probably, but they've got dozens of ZPMs.
Let's just hope they don't notice until we're long gone.
That's wishful thinking.
We still in the clear? There's a small group of Replicators two corridors over, heading your way, so you need to move quickly.
Got it.
We're on our way.
Hook up the ZPM, we're leaving.
Wait a minute.
We can't go.
What are you talking about? You said you could get the hyperdrive back online.
I mean, we can, but not yet.
Look, while Elizabeth's been connected, I've been going over the Replicator's base code, and I found this.
What is that? The Holy Grail.
It's their whole reason for being.
It's a command code that directs them to attack the Wraith.
But they don't attack the Wraith.
They've been sitting on their nanite asses for 10,000 years.
Well, that's because it's been deactivated.
- And how did that happen? - I have no idea.
Look, maybe the Ancients did it when they realized they couldn't control them.
You're just noticing this now, huh? This is just one in millions of commands in the base code.
Look, I always had a hunch that something like this might be in there, but believe me, it was not easy to find.
Can you reactivate it? Yes, but there's a problem.
Look, I can reprogram the nanites in your brain and use that link to upload the changes, but we'll need to wait for the next merge to affect all the Replicators at once, and we have no idea when that could be.
Not only that, but the instant it happens, they'll know you're there.
They'll take immediate steps to assimilate you.
Then we're not doing it.
John, you know what this could mean.
If the Replicators go to war with the Wraith? Forget about it.
It's not happening.
That's not your call.
The hell it isn't.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, hang on.
There may be another way.
There's a central data core.
It's kind of like a back-up hard drive for all the Replicators.
If I can upload the reactivated attack command directly into that, then we wouldn't need to use Elizabeth.
We could be halfway back to Atlantis when the attack command takes effect at the next merge.
That sounds a little more like it.
Yeah.
There's one small problem, which is not actually a small problem.
The core is at the center of the city, several levels down.
It would be impossible to get there undetected.
Great.
We're going to have to come back after we take the ZPM back to Atlantis and after we land the city.
I don't think we'll have another chance.
He's right.
Once they notice the ZPM is missing, they'll be able to trace the source of the infiltration.
I will never get this kind of undetected access again.
If we're going to do this, it's now or never.
You're going to turn the cloak into an anti-Replicator field? Yes, by interfacing the ARG's control crystal with the Jumper's cloaking generator.
The only question is how far I can widen the field.
Look, go ahead and fly us as close to the center of the city as possible.
There.
But won't we be visible? Yes, we will.
The anti-Replicator field will protect us.
That is, assuming that I can extend the field wide enough to encompass not only the Jumper, but also the Core Room, and also assuming that we can run fast enough to get there, input the command and get back before the Replicators figure out how to override the field and And You know, slaughter us.
Don't worry about it.
You're not coming with us.
- Neither is Elizabeth.
- I'm sorry, what? You guys can guide us through by radio like you did last time.
Wait a minute.
If I'm not there, how are we supposed to input the command? Put it on a tablet.
I'll plug it into the core and upload it myself.
Oh, Plug and Play, huh? What, you think it's that simple? Well, it will be, because you're going to make it that simple.
Yeah, I I need you to stay here, Rodney.
- Why? - Rodney! To keep an eye on me.
You may need to activate the kill switch on the nanites.
You'll be able to keep a closer eye on me if we both stay here in the Jumper.
All right.
McKAY: Hey, get out of that.
Hey The core is beneath that platform.
How far beneath? Nine levels.
Piece of cake.
Anything? No.
Eleven jumps.
I'm sorry.
Even with the scanners' range significantly increased, we've only covered a small area so far.
We still have 39 more jumps before we reach the original Lantian planet.
Thirty-nine? Space is quite vast.
You don't say.
Engage hyperdrive.
Stop number 12.
We're visible.
Engaging anti-Replicator field now.
It's working.
Okay, let's jack it up, see how far we can penetrate.
Penetrate? What? All right, here we go.
It's working.
Damn right, it's working.
It's encompassed the Core Room.
You're good to go.
What, you don't believe me, but you believe her? No offense.
Offense taken.
Straight down, nine levels.
Then a short run down a corridor to the Core Room.
Okay, I've written a basic block-storage transport protocol to upload the attack command directly from this tablet into the core.
All you need to do is plug this cable into the main circuit, it'll automatically configure and upload the command.
Plug it in.
You wanted simple.
I like simple.
Well, we created that adapter to interface with Ancient tech, which the Replicators love to imitate, so you shouldn't have a problem there.
Now, you need to move fast, because as soon as they find out what we're up to, they're going to figure out a way around it.
Just do what you did last time.
We'll be back before you know it.
Let's go.
What is it? An anomalous energy reading in the second quadrant of the communications tower.
- Source? - Undetermined as of yet.
It's creating a disruptive field, emanating downwards from the top level, encompassing nine levels directly below it.
The core.
Okay, we're here.
Left or right? Left.
The shield's working, Rodney.
Good, make sure to stay behind it.
Thanks for the tip.
Now turn right.
All right, we're here.
I'm assuming the big glowy thing is the core.
Indeed, it is.
Okay, there should be an open slot in the control panel that you can plug the cable into.
All right.
Here it goes.
It's plugged in.
Oh, it is? Why am I not reading anything? Are you sure you plugged it into the right slot? There's only one slot, Rodney.
Hurry, John, they're coming, and there's hundreds of them.
Won't the field protect us? McKAY: As long as you hurry.
Okay, look, uh, try plugging it in again.
All right, it's plugged in again.
Still nothing.
Look, what did you do? I didn't do anything.
They keep attacking the field.
They're deliberately sacrificing themselves.
Why would they do that? The more they attack the field, the quicker they can figure out how to override it.
Then we need to get the hell out of here.
Rodney, why is this not working? McKAY: It's not working because the core's not recognizing the tablet.
Well, why not? Look, I don't know! We're almost through the field.
Good.
I'm on my way.
Okay, you're going to need to implement adjustments in the negotiation protocol to exploit parallelism at the device interface.
- What? - What? McKAY: Just do what I say.
Start by unplugging the cable.
Now access the tablet's root directory.
This is not simple.
You have to get them out of there now.
- We're not done! - There's no more time! The Replicators have breached the field! What do you mean, they've breached the field? McKAY: They've figured out how to override it.
Look, we need to move much faster.
You need to make changes to the negotiation protocol to allow for direct data placement.
We need to allow for resynchronization of the packet boundaries within the data stream.
Oberoth is heading to the Core Room.
He knows it's us.
How far is he? Can they make a run for it? No.
Replicators are approaching from every direction.
They're trapped.
Which means they're as good as dead.
We can hear you, you know? What? Uh, no.
When I say, "As good as dead," I mean it as more of a Elizabeth, what are you doing? - Stay here! - Elizabeth, you can't go out there! - Elizabeth! - What's going on, Rodney? - Elizabeth just left the Jumper.
- Why? I don't know.
She just ran out.
Elizabeth, this is Sheppard, do you copy? Elizabeth, respond.
If they capture her I know, I know.
McKAY: So, what do we do now? She said to hit the kill switch on the nanites if she did anything suspicious.
I know, but Sheppard.
Make the call.
Do it.
It's not working.
What? Why not? McKAY: Just give me a second.
I'm not getting confirmation, and don't ask why, because I don't know, okay? I mean, the last time she had active nanites inside her, she was able to exert a certain amount of control.
Maybe, maybe she's doing it here now, or maybe there's interference that's affecting the frequency.
I don't know.
I need to run a diagnostic.
Better yet, why don't you figure a way how to get us out of here? If we're screwed, we may as well complete the mission.
Dr.
Weir? Hello, Oberoth.
You're surprised.
Indeed, I am.
Niam infected me with nanites.
Yes, I can detect them now.
We were able to neutralize them, and then reprogram and manipulate them to suit our needs.
Industrious of you.
Which is why, now that I've been able to establish a physical link through you, I have direct access to the Replicator collective.
I'm in control now.
Okay, I'm plugged in.
Anything? Yes! Yes, it's working! What the hell just happened? The Replicators have all frozen.
Well, I can see that, but who did it? It wasn't me.
It might have been Elizabeth.
Can she do that? I don't know.
I mean, she'd have to link directly with the Replicator collective, which means the chances they'll be able to take over her nanites have just increased exponentially.
How long before they come back to life? Your guess is as good as mine, but I would err on the side of less time rather than more.
- Can we go? - Yeah, first things first.
How are we doing with the upload? Almost there.
Just a few more seconds.
How many seconds? Don't start with that again! I'm impressed with your strength, Dr.
Weir, but I must remind you that it's only a matter of time before I make the necessary corrections to overcome the hold you have on me.
I am prepared to fight for as long as I need.
Good for you.
Your desire to protect your people is admirable, but you will, ultimately, fail.
Keep thinking that.
Keep allowing your arrogance to undermine you.
You know it's true, Dr.
Weir.
I can feel you weakening already.
Despite your desire, this is a fight for which you are clearly ill-equipped.
McKAY: That's it, you're done! Unplug and go! Once again, you have underestimated me.
Whoa! They're moving again! Yeah.
I know.
Well, this is familiar.
I'm trying to decide if this incursion of yours reflects considerable bravery or stupidity.
Where's Dr.
Weir? Her attempts to seize control of the collective proved too taxing for her, rendering her mind and body virtually moribund.
She has been taken to be repaired.
You're going to take control of her.
That has already occurred.
Unfortunately, I was not able to glean all the information I need from her, so I will have to extract it from you.
Information? About the precise location of Atlantis.
You left your planet before we were able to destroy it.
Well, sorry to spoil your plans.
Nothing is spoiled, merely prolonged, and now, with your help, we will complete the destruction.
Seeing how none of us will volunteer the information You know quite well that we have a simple method for extracting what we need.
Problems? What? I figured, you messed with our minds, so I'd mess with yours.
You didn't overpower me, Oberoth.
The Replicator guards didn't capture my team.
It was all a fictional scenario played out in your mind.
In reality, your guards are still frozen, and my team is escaping as we speak.
You were wrong, Oberoth.
I have never underestimated you, but you have clearly underestimated me.
You will not leave this city alive! Maybe not, but my team will.
Still nothing from Elizabeth? McKAY: No.
I can't communicate with her, I can't track her.
It's like she just Just disappeared.
If she's the one who froze the Replicators, that means she's probably still alive.
For the moment, maybe.
- Well, she can't be that far.
- We'll find her.
Well, you better make it fast.
These Replicators could unfreeze at any moment.
Thanks, Rodney! I admire your tenacity, but I won't be fooled again.
You're struggling, Dr.
Weir.
Elizabeth.
Get to the Jumper! You're coming with us.
I can't keep them frozen much longer! We're not leaving you behind! If you don't leave right now, none of us will get out of here, so go! That's an order! - Come on! - Elizabeth! Go! McKAY: Oh, thank God.
Elizabeth? Can we cloak? Rodney, can we cloak? No, not yet.
No, we drained too much power trying to convert the cloak to an AR field.
Look, I'll try to interface the ZPM, but we're going to need some time.
All right, we'll just have to make a run for it, then.
How's hyperspace looking? Not good.
Look, harnessing power from the ZPM is tricky.
If I'm off even just the slightest amount, - then we could all - Two ships heading our way.
Rodney! Look, I need more time! We just lost weapons! - Damn it! - Come on, McKay! This is not simple, you know? If I don't properly calibrate the power output, we could incinerate the moment the hyperspace window opens! I'm picking something up dead ahead.
Oh, crap.
They're powering up weapons! What the hell was that? Colonel Sheppard, this is the Apollo, do you read? Colonel Ellis, is that you? Affirmative.
The 302 Bay is open, and you have permission to come aboard.
I suggest you hurry.
Copy that, Apollo.
We're on our way.
Can I just add that your timing is pretty damn perfect? We would've gotten here earlier, but we had a little trouble finding Atlantis.
Sam? Is that you? It's me, Rodney.
I'll explain when you get onboard.
Colonel, we lost Dr.
Weir on the Replicator planet.
Can you lock on her locator beacon and beam her up? I'm not picking up any signal.
Copy that.
Here's a good one, M35-117.
Does Dr.
Weir know about it? Well, it's not on our primary or backup list.
I purposefully searched for planets we'd never considered before.
The Replicators can probe her mind all they want, they won't find it.
Good.
For us.
Well, look, it's a stable atmosphere, a big ocean.
Besides the large, particularly venomous snake-like creature that inhabits the mainland, it looks to be a welcoming environment.
All right.
Radek, how we doing? All set here.
The ZPM is online.
Okay, here we go.
We did it.
McKAY: Well, there's still the small matter of landing this thing.
I'll just jump in the chair and ease us down.
Well, that could be tricky.
We drained a lot of power from the ZPM just getting here.
We got enough energy to keep the shield up for re-entry.
There better be.
A city this size will create considerable friction.
We come in too fast or too steep, and the shield could attenuate under the stress, and the whole place will be torn to shreds, or burn up, or both.
It never ends with you, you know? What? Tell everyone to buckle up.
We're going in.
Shield's holding.
So far, so good.
- What's wrong? - Angle's too steep.
We keep going like this, we're going to put too much strain on the shield, which means more power draining from the ZPM.
Sheppard, we're coming in too steep.
We need to ease up on the angle of re-entry.
In fact, you mean entry.
You see, we never actually left this Bill.
Oh, right, right.
McKAY: Ease up on the angle! I heard you the first time, Rodney.
And yet we're still coming in too steep! Hang on! We're over the ocean! Sheppard, you need to slow us down.
We're coming in over the water.
Copy that.
McKAY: Still too fast! Slow down! We want to touch down gently, like a leaf kissing the surface of a pond.
Nice kissing.
How we doing? Systems are looking good so far, and plenty of power in the ZPM.
Drop the shield.
Colonel Sheppard, we made it.
The city's floating safely on the ocean.
Excellent landing.
Thank you.
Who do you think's going to replace her? I don't know.
Whoever it is, has tough shoes to fill.
Yes.
Okay, let's give it a go.
Right.
This is Atlantis calling Stargate Command.
Do you read? We read you, Atlantis.
Good to hear from you.
Great to be heard.
Tell General Landry we're back on the grid.
Rodney.
What? Long-range scanners have detected a massive fleet of ships being launched from the Replicator planet, but they're not heading for us.
That's a Wraith planet.
The attack command must have been activated.
What do you know? It worked.
There you are.
Two moons.
Actually, there are five.
It's just these are the only two visible to the naked eye.
- Really? - Yeah.
Huh.
Heard you and Rodney got us reconnected to the Intergalactic Bridge.
Yup.
General Landry was understandably relieved to hear from us.
You know, in all the excitement I never had a chance to congratulate you.
Your promotion.
You're a full-bird colonel now.
Oh, thank you.
So you sticking around? No.
General Landry wants Dr.
Lee and I to gate back, give him a full briefing on the situation here.
The Apollo's going to remain in orbit for the time being in case you need any assistance.
Thanks for saving our asses back there from the bad guys.
That was a risky move.
It was nothing compared to the risk that you and your team took.
Frankly, I'm amazed that you were able to pull it off.
We had a lot of help.
Yeah.
General Landry sends his condolences.
He was deeply saddened to hear about Dr.
Weir.
We all were.
We haven't given up hope.
If there's a chance she's still alive, I'll find her.
I know.