Transcript

Summary | Production | Transcript | Fan Reviews

Simeon makes his escape from Destiny, sending Nicholas Rush on a vengeful mission to catch him. But Young and Greer must attempt to retrieve Simeon unharmed.

EPISODE #208
ORIGINAL AIR DATE: 11.16.2010
SYNDICATION AIR DATE: 10.31.2011
WRITTEN BY: Robert C. Cooper
DIRECTED BY: Robert C. Cooper
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Transcript by Callie Sullivan

DESTINY BRIDGE. Immediately after the end of the previous episode, Everett Young is sitting on the step leading up to the central command chair. Adam Brody, Dale Volker and Lisa Park are sitting in chairs at the front consoles and have turned them around to face Young. They're talking about Nicholas Rush and his actions in not telling them about the Bridge before now - and the consequences.

BRODY: How can you just forgive him?

YOUNG: Well, who said I did?

VOLKER: He's done nothing but lie to us.

YOUNG: I don't believe he intended for Riley to die.

PARK: Yeah, but he was responsible.

YOUNG: And he's gonna have to live with that. I'm not saying he was right.

BRODY: What are you saying?

YOUNG: That I'm trying to understand why he did what he did.

(Just then he looks around as Nicholas comes in with Eli Wallace. They stop at the railing near the doorway.)

RUSH: Something wrong?

YOUNG (standing up): On the contrary. So far it seems like everything you said is true.

VOLKER: About the Ancients finding evidence of a signal once being broadcast across the universe.

(Adam turns around and calls up the signal on his console.)

BRODY: It is amazing. Distinct structure in the background radiation.

YOUNG: That sounds like static to me.

WALLACE: Were you expecting “Stairway to Heaven”?!

VOLKER: This is huge.

BRODY: It suggests more than a random order to the universe.

VOLKER: Possibly constructed by intelligent life. We're assuming you had no luck deciphering any of it.

(Nicholas purses his lips for a moment.)

RUSH: Is this the reason you brought me up here?

WALLACE: Well, you have planted false information in the database before.

(Nick throws him a dark look. Eli looks back at him.)

WALLACE: I'm just sayin'.

YOUNG: Actually, I'm consulting. Part of a new spirit of co-operation. As you may have noticed, we dropped ourselves out of F.T.L. There are three planets in range.

RUSH: Conditions?

VOLKER: One's a wasteland, but two show promise.

RUSH: OK, I'll have a look.

(He starts to walk around the railing but Young steps into his way.)

YOUNG: No, no. You go on, you go get some rest.

RUSH: No, no, I'm fine, I'm OK.

YOUNG: Sure you are. I will tell you when there is something worth writing home about. Sorry to have bothered you. Go ahead.

(He nods reassuringly to him.)

RUSH: OK. Thanks.

(He turns and starts to leave. Eli straightens up from where he has been leaning on the railing and steps towards him.)

WALLACE (awkwardly): Hey ...

(Understanding what he's concerned about, Nicholas raises a reassuring hand as he walks away.)

RUSH: Don't worry, Eli, nothing's gonna happen. Nothing's gonna happen.

(Eli stops and watches him go.)

VOLKER: We can start gathering some Kino data.

YOUNG: Go to the Gateroom. I'll put together some teams.

VOLKER: Yeah.

(He, Adam and Lisa leave the room. Eli walks over to Young.)

WALLACE: You don't have any idea how much longer Homeworld Command is gonna wanna talk to Ginn, do you? I mean, it just seems like they've been questioning her for ... for ...

(He sees Young's expression.)

WALLACE: ... I'm gonna go to work.

(He walks over to a console as Young smiles.)


CORRIDOR. In the corridors, Nicholas walks to Ginn/Amanda's quarters and knocks on the closed door.

RUSH: Mandy?

(He knocks again.)

RUSH: Mandy, it's Nick.

(After several seconds of no reply, he looks at the wall panel, uncomfortable about opening the doors without her permission. However, eventually he pushes the button and the doors slide open. His face fills with horror as he sees Ginn lying on her back on the floor, her eyes open and fixed. Unable to believe what he's seeing, he slowly walks forward and kneels down next to her. He reaches a shaking hand towards her face and puts his fingers onto her cheek, then pulls them back again, his expression shocked and anguished. He grabs a radio off a nearby table and activates it.)

RUSH: This is Rush. I need help. Ginn's quarters. Now.

(Dropping the radio to the floor, he stares down at the young woman's body in despair.)


COMMUNICATIONS LAB. Shortly afterwards, Vanessa James races into the Communications Lab. Snatching up a communication stone, she sinks into the chair and drops the stone onto the activation box next to the one which has swapped the consciousnesses of Ginn and Amanda Perry.


GINN'S QUARTERS. In Ginn's quarters, Tamara Johansen has arrived and is gently closing Ginn's eyes. Nick stands nearby, his face full of shock. T.J. looks up as Young escorts Eli in. The young man stares down at Ginn in disbelief.

JOHANSEN (sympathetically): Eli ...

(Matthew Scott's voice comes over Young's radio.)

SCOTT: Colonel, this is Scott. All the Lucian Alliance members are accounted for and locked down except Simeon. Michaels was assigned to him and he is not responding on radio.

(Out in the corridors, Simeon is on the move. Holding a pistol - presumably taken from Michaels - he fires into a wall panel as he goes past it. It sparks out and the corridor plunges into darkness. The lights also go out in Ginn's quarters and the surrounding area. Under the cover of the darkness, Simeon's approach to Airman Dunning and another crew member goes unseen and their first awareness of him is when he guns each of them down with a single shot. As they drop to the floor, he goes to the doorway which they had been guarding and opens the doors.)

(In Ginn's quarters, Eli sinks onto side of the bed, his eyes still locked on his dead girlfriend. T.J. looks at him with concern, then she turns and looks round at Nick who is staring down at the floor as the implications of what may have happened to Amanda really begin to hit him.)

JOHANSEN: We don't know for sure. It's never been confirmed that that's what happens ...

(Behind her, Young is snapping orders into his radio.)

YOUNG: ... corridors until further notice. Teams of two, room by room. I want him found.

(Simeon has gone into the room which the airmen had been guarding. It's the Armoury. Emptying out a bag, he begins to fill it with the gear that he needs. He zips himself into a flak jacket, then unlocks a case which seems to contain devices taken from the Lucian Alliance members. As well as the devices which they had used to unlock Destiny's doors, the case contains some other small round gizmos. He carefully lifts a couple of them out of the case and packs them, then grabs ammunition and a rifle and checks it over. Young's voice comes over a nearby radio.)

YOUNG: Airman Dunning, come in?

(Simeon looks through the open doors and sees that the radio is attached to Dunning's jacket.)

YOUNG: This is Young, please respond.

(Vanessa's voice comes over the radio from the Communications Lab. She has returned to her own body.)

JAMES: Sir, this is James. Amanda Perry is dead.

(T.J.'s head snaps round to look at Nicholas. His eyes widen, then he turns and walks out of the room.)

YOUNG: Rush. Hey, Rush.

(Ignoring him, Nick disappears from view.)

JAMES (over radio): Sir, there's more. Ginn told Homeworld Command some things you'll wanna hear.

(She hurries out to meet with the colonel. Elsewhere, Nicholas storms along a corridor. After a while he loses control and screams with rage, slamming his hand brutally against the wall. He screams again as he continues onwards.)

(In Ginn's quarters, Eli slowly pulls himself to his feet. He stumbles forward, his face wet with tears.)

WALLACE: Colonel.

(Young turns to face him.)

WALLACE: Give me a gun.

YOUNG (sternly): Wait here.

(He looks around to T.J., who nods to confirm that she'll keep an eye on Eli. Young leaves the room.)


GATEROOM. Dale and Lisa are looking at one of the consoles, but raise their heads as they hear a hissing out in the corridor, followed by the sound of a smoke canister being dropped to the ground. Three gunshots ring out and a man's voice cries out in pain. Lisa turns to look through the smoke which is now billowing down the corridor, and Simeon comes out of the smoke, raising his pistol and aiming it straight at her. Terrified, she raises her hands and starts to back away. Dale cries out in alarm as Simeon walks quickly towards her and wraps his arm around her neck from behind.

SIMEON: Close and lock the doors.

(As Dale hesitates, Simeon points his pistol at him.)

SIMEON: NOW!

(Nearby, Nicholas finds a couple of airmen lying on the ground with their eyes closed. He squats down to the nearest one and checks his neck pulse, then snatches the man's radio from his jacket and pulls his pistol from his hand.)

(In the Gateroom, the first set of doors slides closed and locks. As the second set close, Nicholas straightens up and we realise that he is just outside the Gateroom. The smoke clears a little and he can see Simeon with his arm around Lisa's neck. Raising his own pistol, Nick begins to walk towards him, but the doors slide closed in between them. Angrily Nick hits the wall button but the lock has already engaged. Inside, Simeon glares at Dale.)

SIMEON: Dial.

(As Dale starts working on his console, Nicholas activates his radio.)

RUSH: Two men are down. He's locked himself in the Gateroom with at least one hostage.

(Inside the Gateroom, the Stargate begins to spin. Dale looks at Simeon anxiously.)

VOLKER: Nobody's getting in here. Just please let her go.

(As the first chevron engages and the Gate spins on, Simeon releases his grip on Lisa and steps away a little, now aiming his pistol at her head. He looks across to Dale and crooks his finger at him, beckoning him closer.)

SIMEON: Come here.

(As Dale slowly steps closer, his hands raised, Simeon shrugs the bag off his shoulder and drops it to the floor.)

(Elsewhere, Ronald Greer has found another downed airman and is reporting into his radio.)

GREER (softly): Colonel, this is Greer. I found Michaels. He's dead, sir.

(Geared up and wearing a flak jacket, Young is storming along a corridor with a couple of marines checking every turn.)

(In the Gateroom, Dale is gazing apologetically at Lisa as he fastens plastic ties around her wrists. He looks across to Simeon.)

VOLKER: Look, take me instead.

PARK: No!

SIMEON: Shut up, both of you!

(The Stargate kawhooshes. Simeon points his pistol at Lisa.)

SIMEON: Move.

(Dale bites back sobs as the other two head towards the Gate. Outside the Gateroom, Nicholas yells into his radio.)

RUSH: Mr. Brody, I need the door open now!

BRODY (into radio from the Bridge): I'm working on it.

(He continues to work on his console. Seconds later the doors unlock and Nicholas walks in to where Dale is standing and staring at the open Gate in anguish. Dale looks round at him.)

RUSH: Where'd he go?

VOLKER: He went through.

(Grabbing a Kino remote from the nearby console, Nicholas tucks it into his jeans and breaks into a run as he heads towards the Gate.)

VOLKER: Wait. Wait!

(Ignoring him, Nicholas plunges into the event horizon. Outside, Scott and his team come across the downed airmen and spread out cautiously, unaware that the danger has gone. They make their way carefully into the Gateroom just as the Gate shuts down.)

SCOTT: Where is he?

(As the steam rises up either side of the Gate, Dale turns from where he was staring towards it.)

VOLKER: He took Park. Rush went through after 'em.

SCOTT: Re-dial.

(Dale hurries to the console and starts to work on it.)


DESERT PLANET. On an alien planet, Nicholas stands at the top of the Stargate's ramp. It's daytime, and he has arrived at another desert planet. Little more than scrub is growing nearby and the rest is dark sand, dunes and rocks. He looks carefully around in all directions as Lisa sits on the ground near the ramp. Her hands and legs are tied with plastic tethers, and she is fighting back tears.

PARK (tremulously): There's something on my back.

(Nicholas continues to look all around for any sign of Simeon.)

PARK: He put something on my back.

(Still checking around in all directions, Nicholas walks slowly down the ramp towards her. As he steps around her he sees that one of the round devices is stuck onto Lisa's cardigan. Lights are running around the device, indicating that it is active. Nicholas sighs and looks around the area once again, while Lisa holds back her terrified tears, afraid of jolting her body too much. He looks down at the device again.)


DESTINY. The injured airmen are being brought to the Infirmary. T.J. is with one of them, putting pressure on his gunshot wound as he is carried into the room.

JOHANSEN: Let's move! He's bleeding badly. I need help here! Get him on the table.

(As crew members help to lift the injured man onto one of the tables, Corporal Barnes is working nearby on another airman.)

BARNES: I've got a chest wound over here.

JOHANSEN (working on her own patient): Is the airway clear?

BARNES: Yes.

JOHANSEN: Use the plaster to apply pressure. You wanna avoid air in the wound.

(Barnes follows the instructions as T.J. continues to treat the other man.)

BARNES: He's bleeding pretty bad.

JOHANSEN: I can't get away.

(Barnes works for a moment longer, then turns to look at T.J.)

BARNES: He stopped breathing.

(T.J. looks across at her in anguish but is unable to leave her own patient.)

JOHANSEN (encouragingly): Do what you can.

(Both women get back to work.)


GATEROOM. In the Gateroom, the Stargate is spinning as it dials out. Young's team arrives, checking the area out carefully before the colonel himself walks in and goes over to Scott.

YOUNG: Talk to me.

SCOTT: Simeon went through with Park hostage; Rush went after 'em.

YOUNG: Well, we need Simeon alive.

GREER: Sir?

YOUNG: Ginn told Homeworld Command that he knows the details of the Alliance attack being planned against Earth, the location of the base, who's involved. He may be the only way to stop 'em.

SCOTT: Assuming he'll tell us.


DESERT PLANET. The Stargate is spinning as Nicholas kneels behind Lisa with his fingers either side of the device. Her voice shakes as she speaks.

PARK: It's a bomb, isn't it? One of theirs.

RUSH: Yes.

PARK: We studied them, didn't we? Ginn - she told us how they work.

(Some distance behind the two of them - and obviously unknown to them - Simeon is watching them through the telescopic sight of a rifle aimed at the centre of Nick's back. The Gate kawhooshes. As Simeon grimaces unhappily at the prospect of reinforcements, Nick snatches up his radio and activates it.)

RUSH: This is Rush. Do not come through. Repeat: do not come through. Attempting to disarm an explosive at the base of the Gate. Do you copy?

YOUNG: This is Young. Copy that.

(He calls back to Dale.)

YOUNG: Keep the Gate open.

RUSH (into radio): I'll let you know when it's clear.

(He puts the radio down. Simeon has a radio and so has probably heard the conversation. With the Gate open and knowing that reinforcements are likely to arrive at some time, he stands up and starts to move off. At the Gate, Lisa tries to keep her terrified trembling under control as Nicholas takes a careful grip of the device on her back. He looks up momentarily as there is a disturbance in the event horizon of the Stargate but it's a Kino flying through. In the Gateroom, Young goes over to the console to look at the footage as the Kino flies around to the side of the pair.)

RUSH: I'm gonna try and remove the cover.

(Slowly and carefully he turns the cover until it comes loose, then gently lifts it clear. A regular beeping can be heard coming from inside the device. In the Gateroom, Vanessa is gearing up into more protective clothing, including a hard helmet.)

VOLKER: Rush, this is Volker. Can you hear me?

(Nicholas gets his spectacles out of his pocket. His hands are shaking slightly as he puts them on.)

VOLKER: You can't disarm it, but you can remove the proximity sensor.

RUSH: Yeah. Please shut up.

(Dale puts his hand over his mouth to silence himself as Nicholas looks closely at the various components inside the device. After a few seconds Dale can't help himself.)

VOLKER: There's a fuse.

RUSH: I know. I just ... these pinholes are too small. I just ... I don't have anything that's gonna do this.

(He lowers his hands.)

RUSH: I'm sorry. I can't.

(Lisa starts to sob.)

PARK: Oh God. OK. It's OK. It's OK. Get out of here, it's OK. It's OK.

(In the Gateroom, the crew stares at the screen or at the Gate in anguish. On the planet, the device begins to beep more quickly as it goes into its final countdown. As Nicholas sits back on his heels in despair, he suddenly makes a startling realisation.)

RUSH: Oh, wait-wait-wait-wait!

(He snatches off his glasses - the ones that he repaired many months ago using a twisted piece of metal to fashion a new arm. It's much thinner than the regular arm and now he snaps it off his glasses and leans forward and carefully pokes the end into the device. In the Gateroom, Dale automatically reaches his hand towards the screen as if to help and guide him. Nicholas fixes the end of the metal into place and then uses the end of the other arm of his glasses to flick out the proximity sensor. The device whines and the speed of the beeping rises dramatically. Nicholas pulls the device from Lisa's back, stands up and hurls it as far away from him as he can. Even as he bends down and grabs at Lisa to push her backwards to the ground, the device hits the ground and explodes and the explosion is almost over before Nick gets Lisa flat, but it was far enough away that they are unharmed. He looks round at her.)

RUSH: OK? You all right?

PARK (weakly): Yeah.

(He helps her to sit up again. In the Gateroom, Young looks round to Scott.)

YOUNG: Go.

(Scott beckons to his team and they head towards the Gate. On the planet, Nicholas is already up and walking away into the hills. The Kino chases after him. Behind him, Scott and Greer race through the event horizon and screech to a halt at the top of the ramp, checking in all directions. Scott hollers after Nicholas.)

SCOTT: Rush!

(Nick keeps walking.)

SCOTT: I got him.

(He hurries after him. Still checking all around him, Greer walks down the ramp towards Lisa.)

SCOTT: Rush!

(Greer kneels down and puts his arm around Lisa and she clings to him as over half a dozen more troops come through the Gate, which then closes down. Scott disappears from view as he chases after Nicholas.)

(Nick himself is some distance ahead, typing on the remote to send the Kino ahead of himself. Scott follows more cautiously behind, aiming his rifle in all directions as he progresses through the rocky landscape. There's cover everywhere and Simeon could be hiding in a million different places, and this is proven shortly afterwards when a single gunshot is fired towards him. Scott throws himself to the ground while, some distance away, Nicholas tries to work out which direction the shot came from. The Kino is high above his head and looking around but a moment later two shots in quick succession hit the device and it drops out of the sky, ruined.)


DESTINY. Young goes to a set of closed and guarded doors and, without bothering to knock, slams the wall button to open them. Varro is inside and stands up as Young walks in.

VARRO: What happened?

YOUNG: Simeon killed the man guarding him, then he killed Ginn.

VARRO: Where is he?

YOUNG: He took a hostage through the Gate.

VARRO: Colonel, I swear I had no ...

YOUNG (interrupting): Before he got to her, Ginn told Homeworld Command that Simeon had intelligence about an attack that was being planned against Earth.

(Varro turns away, looking guilty.)

YOUNG: Are you kidding me?

VARRO: Ginn and Simeon were from the same clan.

YOUNG: Are you saying you knew nothing about this?

VARRO: You know the Lucian Alliance are made up of different factions. There are many secrets between them. If I did know, I would have told you before now.

YOUNG: Is there anyone else on board from that clan?

VARRO: No. Colonel, about Simeon: don't under-estimate him. If I'm guilty of anything, it's not warning you about him sooner.

YOUNG: He's not gonna get away.

VARRO: Let me help.

YOUNG: I think you've done enough.

VARRO: And I think it might be better if you just let him go.

YOUNG: He killed three people; injured four more.

VARRO: You'll lose more people trying to bring him in alive.

(Young glowers at him, then turns and walks out of the room, slamming the button as he passes. Varro calls out to him as the doors slide closed.)

VARRO: He's dangerous! Trust me!


DESERT PLANET. On the planet, Nicholas is walking fairly randomly through the hills, probably taking the easiest route as he searches for Simeon. He turns a corner and sees another explosive device attached high up on a rock formation ahead of him. The lights on the cover are circling rapidly and now there's a familiar high-pitched whine. Nick turns and runs in the general direction of away. Back at the Stargate, Greer and team look as there's an explosion in the nearby hills. As dust and smoke rises into the air, Greer breaks into a run, heading for the source. He raises a fist and calls out to the others as he goes.

GREER: Stay-stay-stay-stay.

(In the hills, Scott calls into his radio as he too heads towards the explosion.)

SCOTT: This is Scott. I'm OK. Hold your positions!

(He reaches Nicholas who is just scrambling back onto his feet, covered in sand and dust.)

SCOTT: You hurt?

RUSH (a little vaguely): No, no-no, no, I'm fine, I'm fine.

(He stumbles forward again. Scott grabs at his arm.)

SCOTT: No, wait. Wait-wait.

(Nick pulls himself free and continues forward.)

SCOTT (sternly): Stop!

(Nick turns back and glares at him.)

SCOTT: What the hell? Rush, we need Simeon alive. He may have intel on a Lucian Alliance attack on Earth.

RUSH: D'you think he's gonna tell you?

(He turns and starts to walk away again but Scott hurries after him, grabs his arm and spins him around again.)

SCOTT: It's not my problem right now. I've got orders.

RUSH: I don't care!

(Again he turns away and again Matt grabs him and spins him back towards himself.)

SCOTT: Listen, Rush. I get it, OK? I can see how angry you are, but you're gonna get yourself killed and you have no idea where he'd be hiding. Just give me a second.

(He turns away and activates his radio just as Greer arrives.)

SCOTT: Lieutenant James, do you read?

JAMES: Yes, sir.

SCOTT: We'll recon our position due west of the Gate. I want two men left behind to guard the Gate in case he circles back. The rest will split up into two teams of three. One will head south-west, the other north-west. Radio contact every fifteen minutes.

JAMES: Roger that. James out.

(Scott lowers his radio and looks round at Rush.)

SCOTT: Do I have to send you back to Destiny or are you here to help?

(Nick glowers at him, then turns and reaches into Greer's backpack, presumably looking for more ordnance. Scott grabs him, pulls him away and spins him round one more time.)

SCOTT: Listen. Listen.

(He gets into his face.)

SCOTT: We have orders. Right now, we need him alive. As far as I'm concerned, as soon as the colonel's done with him, you can do whatever the hell you want to the son of a bitch. I don't care.

GREER: If you don't kill him, I will.

SCOTT: Right now, there could be lives at stake - people back on Earth. We may be a billion light years away but we still may be able to do something about it. Are you hearing me?

(Reluctantly, and without meeting his eyes, Nicholas nods. Scott looks down at his watch.)

SCOTT: OK. We've got nine hours 'til Destiny jumps back into F.T.L. If we have not found him in four and a half, we are turning back.

(He glares at Rush sternly.)

SCOTT: Let's move.

(Nodding, Nicholas turns and follows Greer as they continue their search across the rocky terrain.)


DESTINY BRIDGE. Adam and Dale sit at adjacent consoles. Adam glances across to his colleague and sees that he is lost in thought.

BRODY: Hey.

(Dale blinks, then looks across to him.)

BRODY: You OK?

VOLKER: Yeah.

(Adam continues to look at him, encouraging him to continue.)

VOLKER: I just ... I don't understand why he let me live.

BRODY: Well, he's a soldier. I mean, to him this is a war, and you were unarmed.

VOLKER: What, you think he was being honourable?!

BRODY: That, or he knew how much it would torture you.

(Dale blinks again, but before he can respond Eli storms into the room. Angrily he stomps across to the central command seat and throws himself down into it.)

WALLACE: Colonel Young wants us to stall the clock, so that's what I'm gonna do: I'm gonna figure out how to stall the clock.

(Dale and Adam look at each other in surprise at the frustrated tone in his voice. Lisa comes in.)

PARK: Hey, what can I do?

(Dale gets up and hurries over to her.)

VOLKER: Hey. Are you OK?

PARK (forcing a smile): Yeah, I'm fine.

VOLKER (plaintively): Look, I-I'm so sorry.

PARK: Yeah, I know. You did everything you could.

(Giving him a reassuring smile, she heads for one of the front consoles. Adam looks at her as she passes him.)

BRODY: You sure you're all right?

PARK: Yeah.

(She sits down and looks at the screen.)

PARK: Where are we at?

WALLACE (without looking up, and still sounding annoyed): We're tryin' to stall the clock.


INFIRMARY. Looking exhausted and unhappy, T.J. peels off a pair of blood-soaked medical gloves. Young arrives and walks over to her.

YOUNG: Hey, T.J.

(Sighing heavily, she looks round at him.)

JOHANSEN: Dunning, Graham and Loheed are all probably gonna make it. Infection is always a risk.

YOUNG: How-how about Henderson?

(Tearfully she shakes her head. He puts a comforting hand on her shoulder and looks around the chaos that is the Infirmary, with the floor covered with blood-stained dressings.)


DESERT PLANET. On the planet, Team Scott is continuing onwards. Perhaps to break the uncomfortable silence, Scott addresses Nicholas as they walk along in single file.

SCOTT: This message you found in the ship's database.

RUSH: More of a signal, a repeating pattern.

SCOTT: D'you have any idea what it means?

RUSH: No.

SCOTT: Obviously you think it's important.

(Sighing, Nicholas stops walking and chuckles ironically. Greer takes advantage of the halt to squat down and look at the ground more closely.)

RUSH: Yes, it's important. Its existence defies the very laws of physics. Is it a message from God, the almighty creator of the universe - as I'm sure you would like to believe - well, I don't know. We'll just have to wait and see, won't we?

(While he was talking, Scott had taken off his backpack and put it on the ground to retrieve his water bottle. Nicholas now picks up the pack and heads off rapidly.)

RUSH: Let's go.

(As he walks away from them with the pack in one hand and his pistol in the other, Greer watches him thoughtfully.)

GREER: I don't care if the colonel forgives him. I never will.

SCOTT: I'm not sure if anyone's forgiven him, but maybe he's right. Fulfilling Destiny's mission is the best chance of getting home one day.

GREER: All I'm saying is, from now on he'd better watch his own back.


DESTINY BRIDGE. Young is checking up on progress.

BRODY: We have no control over the clock yet. We're definitely not gonna solve this before Destiny jumps back into F.T.L. this time.

YOUNG: This time?

BRODY: Well, we have to stay in F.T.L. a minimum of four hours, at which point we can drop back out again. The good news is, we'll still be in range.

(During the conversation, Young keeps looking across to Eli who is pointedly avoiding his gaze. He watches as the young man now stands up and stomps across to another console, then turns back to Adam and Dale.)

BRODY: That'll be our last chance, though.


DESERT PLANET. Team Scott stands on a ridge as the sun gets lower in the sky. Nicholas is tinkering with the Kino remote while Scott is looking into the distance through a pair of binoculars.

GREER: Not much time left.

RUSH: They'll still be able to drop out in range.

SCOTT: Check it out.

(He offers the binoculars to Nicholas.)

RUSH: What is it?

SCOTT: Some kind of animal.

(Nick takes the binoculars and looks through them. A long distance away is a creature which looks like nothing we've ever seen before. Bipedal and with short arms, a long tail and big eyes, it appears to be grazing the bare earth.)

GREER: Is it something we can barbecue?

(Ignoring him, Nick hands the bins back to Scott, picks up the backpack and continues onwards. Scott and Greer exchange a look, and then follow him.)


DESTINY. SCOTT / ARMSTRONG QUARTERS. Chloe Armstrong has got hold of a piece of chalk from somewhere - maybe Nicholas gave it to her - and is writing complicated mathematical equations on the wall. They appear to be made up of a combination of human and alien symbols. She pauses her writing as Destiny's engine note changes. As the engine tone continues to rise she turns and walks to the window to watch as the ship jumps into F.T.L.


DESERT PLANET. Team Scott continues onwards, making its way into a shallow gully. As Greer marches onwards, Nicholas' pace begins to slow, his feet drag and his head begins to drop as he walks along. He puts his hand up to his mouth and blinks rapidly as, at long last, the shock of what has happened begins to hit him. As Matt catches up to him he looks across and sees Nick's expression, and diplomatically turns away and steps past him. Nick lowers his hand and begins to walk again but he can't hold back his pain any longer and seconds later his face begins to crumple as the tears come. The first sob escapes from his lips and moments later he breaks down completely. The boys stop and turn towards him as he stumbles to a nearby rock and sits down and weeps. Matt nods a “Leave him be” message to Greer and walks closer to Nick, offering him his water bottle. For a while Nick continues to cry but then takes the bottle. Again Matt turns away diplomatically and sits down a few paces away while Nicholas tries to pull himself together.

SCOTT (gently): I can see why you would blame yourself. For what it's worth, you didn't mean for this to happen.

RUSH (tearfully): I brought her on board.

SCOTT: I understand why you kept the secret; why you felt you couldn't trust Colonel Young.

(Nicholas looks round at him for a moment.)

SCOTT: But we're gonna have to work these things out - all of us together from now on; learn to trust each other.

RUSH: What happened to following orders?

SCOTT (smiling ruefully): Yeah, well, some things are more complicated than that.

RUSH: Congratulations(!)

SCOTT: Well, I'm sayin' we have to try and figure out what's right.

(Nick puts his hand over his mouth as he almost breaks down again.)

RUSH (tearfully): Not me.

SCOTT: Revenge isn't gonna bring her back.

RUSH (in a tearful whisper): I know.

SCOTT: You think it's gonna make it easier to live with?

(Nick shakes his head, unable to speak.)

SCOTT: I don't even know if we're gonna find him anyway.

(He stands up and looks around.)

SCOTT: Could be hidin' anywhere.

(A short distance away, Greer is slowly stepping forward along the rocky surface, peering closely at the ground. Eventually he squats down to get an even closer look.)

SCOTT: Guess the good news is he'll probably die a miserable death out here.

RUSH (a little calmer now): He's got a Kino remote. He'll probably wait for us to leave and then try and use the Gates to find his way back to the Lucian Alliance we left behind.

GREER: Lieutenant.

(Scott walks over to the sergeant. Nicholas stands up and follows him as Greer points down to the ground in front of him.)

GREER: That looks like a track.

(It is indeed a track and the man who made it is up ahead, hidden behind a rock and with his rifle aimed at Greer. He fires a single shot, which bounces off the ground scant feet in front of the sergeant. Team Scott races for cover as Simeon fires at them again. They dive into the rocks nearby and, as the soldiers aim their weapons towards the source of the bullets, Nicholas pulls out his Kino remote.)

SCOTT (to Greer): D'you see him?

GREER (pointing): I think he's up there.

(He raises up to get a better look and Simeon, who has a perfect bead on him through his telescopic sights but fortunately is a stereotypical can't-hit-the-side-of-a-barn baddie, fires and misses by inches. Greer throws himself down again, and Scott activates his radio.)

SCOTT: James, this is Scott. Do you read?

JAMES: Go ahead, Lieutenant.

SCOTT: Yeah, he's got us pinned down.

JAMES: We heard the shots.

SCOTT: Right, good, that means you're close. We are at the bottom of a canyon and he is dug in somewhere on a ridge north-west of our position.

JAMES: I see the canyon. We're topside, moving to flank him now. E.T.A. is five minutes.

SCOTT: Copy that.


DESTINY BRIDGE. Eli is back at the central console. Lisa gets up from her own console and walks across the room, looking concerned at his angry expression as he glares down at his screen. Chloe's voice comes over the radio.

ARMSTRONG: Eli? Eli, it's Chloe. Can you hear me?

(Irritably, Eli snatches up the nearby radio and activates it.)

WALLACE: I can hear you.

ARMSTRONG: T.J. told me what happened. I'm really sorry.

WALLACE (brusquely): Look, I can't talk right now.

(Lowering the radio, he glares across the room.)

WALLACE: What are you doing?

(Lisa, Adam and Dale turn to look at him or raise their heads nervously.)

WALLACE: Are you in the navigation interface?

(Looking guilty, Dale turns around in his chair and looks at him.)

VOLKER: Yeah.

WALLACE: I told you to stay out of that.

VOLKER: Sorry. I just thought ...

(Eli storms across the room and shoves Dale out of his seat.)

WALLACE: You know, this is complicated enough without you messing up everything I'm trying to do.

(Typing briefly on the console, he turns and stomps back to the central console. As the others stare at him in disbelief, Chloe's voice comes over the radio again.)

ARMSTRONG: Eli.

(Sinking into the chair, he snatches up the radio again.)

WALLACE (into radio): Sorry, I don't have time right now. I'll ...

(His voice begins to tremble a little.)

WALLACE: ... I'll come and see you later.

(Adam and Dale exchange a glance before Adam looks across to Eli.)

BRODY: We need to drop out.

(Slamming the radio down, Eli rolls his eyes as if everyone around him is an idiot.)

WALLACE: So drop out!

(He glares at Adam.)

BRODY (mildly): Just warning you.

WALLACE (insincerely): Great.

(Adam turns back to his own console as Eli shakes his head angrily. Destiny comes out of F.T.L. On the Bridge, the clock beeps and begins its countdown.)

VOLKER: Eight hours.

PARK (sighing): Great(!)

(Adam picks up his own radio and activates it.)

BRODY: Colonel Young, this is Brody.

YOUNG (over radio): Go ahead.

BRODY: We've got eight hours on the clock.

YOUNG: I'll notify the team on the planet.

BRODY: One last time to be clear, sir: this'll be our last window.

YOUNG: Understood. Young out.

(Lisa nervously walks across to Eli's station and looks at him sympathetically.)

PARK (softly): Eli ...

(Eli turns his head slightly in her direction but doesn't lift his eyes.)

WALLACE: Just leave me alone.

(Now he raises his eyes and looks at her with determination.)

WALLACE: OK?

(Nodding unhappily, she walks away.)


DESERT PLANET. Nicholas is still busily working on the Kino remote. Some distance away, Vanessa and two other marines are walking along the ridge.

JAMES (into radio): Lieutenant, we're approaching his position. Stand by.

SCOTT (into radio): Roger that.

(Nicholas appears to come to some sort of realisation. Rolling over, he peers over the top of the rock that's covering him from Simeon's view, and then suddenly stands up.)

SCOTT: Rush, get down!

(On the ridge, Vanessa beckons her team forward. Nicholas points at Scott.)

RUSH: Tell them to get back.

(Team James continues to creep forward to the edge of the ridge. Nicholas yells at Scott.)

RUSH: Tell them to get back!

SCOTT (into radio): Get back! It is a trap!

(Team James reaches the edge and looks over.)

SCOTT (into radio): I repeat: it is a trap!

(At the same moment Vanessa sees a bag lying on the ground a few feet below them. She screams out.)

JAMES: TAKE COVER!

(The bag, which clearly contains more than just one of the Lucian explosive devices, detonates and a massive explosion erupts as she and her colleagues turn to run, but it's too late and they are enveloped with debris, dust and sand as the fireball surges around them. Team Scott stare in appalled horror at the size of the distant explosion. Scott screams into his radio.)

SCOTT: James! James, come in!

(There is no response.)


ELSEWHERE. A little later Vanessa raises her head and groans. Blood is pouring down her face and she groans again as she pushes herself up and onto her knees. Nearby, one of her team is lying on his back unmoving. Behind her, the other man staggers to his feet and, cradling his left arm with his right, stumbles towards his colleague. Vanessa activates her radio.

JAMES: Sir, we've got wounded up here.

SCOTT: How bad?

JAMES: Torres is unconscious. Looks like Webber's arm is broken.

SCOTT: Corporal Lee, do you read?

(From the other team, one of the crew reports.)

LEE: Read you, Lieutenant. Moving to cover Lieutenant James' position.

SCOTT: Assist with getting the wounded back to the Stargate.

LEE: Yes, sir.

(Greer suddenly makes a realisation and steps towards Nicholas, who is again tinkering with his remote.)

GREER: How did you know?

RUSH: I had a feeling. I stood up and presented a target; he didn't shoot.

JAMES (over radio): What about you, sir? We can't leave you here without back-up.

SCOTT (into radio): Stand by.

(He too walks closer to Rush.)

SCOTT: I saw you doing something with that Kino remote.

RUSH: Yeah, I was checking the time.

SCOTT (furiously): Dammit, Rush, stop lying to me!

RUSH: OK. I thought there might be a way for one remote to pinpoint the location of another.

SCOTT: You knew he wasn't on that ridge any more.

RUSH (angrily): Well, I've only figured it out now!

GREER (slowly, dangerously): Do you know his position?

RUSH (equally slowly): Yes, I think so.

(Scott chews the inside of his mouth for a moment, then turns his back on Rush to stop himself from killing him. He grabs at his radio and activates it.)

SCOTT: James, we think we've found a way of tracking Simeon using the Kino remote. Get the wounded safely back to the Gate and check back in. By my calculations we've got a little less than an hour before we've gotta turn back. We are goin' after him.

JAMES: Roger that.

(Deactivating his radio, Scott glares at Rush.)

SCOTT: Let's move.


DESTINY. The doors to the Armoury are open and Eli is inside, dressing in camo and standing dangerously near a table which has rifles lying on top of it. Young strolls in and leans casually against the doorframe.

YOUNG: Hey, Eli. What you doin'?

WALLACE: Going to help on the planet, and I don't care what you say. I'm not gonna be able to figure out how to stall the clock in the time we have.

YOUNG: What exactly do you think you're gonna do on the planet?

WALLACE: I don't know. Something.

YOUNG: He's already injured two more marines. These are highly trained combat ...

WALLACE (talking over him): Do you even know how complicated Ancient programming algorithms are? 'Cause Rush didn't solve it and he's had a couple of months.

(The colonel looks at him calmly.)

YOUNG: I need you to get back to the Bridge.

(Eli laughs, on the verge of tears.)

WALLACE: Even if I could find a way to quickly bypass all the protocols and add time to the clock, I have no idea what the consequences might be down the line.

(He walks closer to the colonel, his face and voice frantic.)

WALLACE: For all I know, we may end up burning out all our power before we reach the next star.

(He glares into Young's face.)

WALLACE: Are you ordering me to do that?

YOUNG (calmly): I am considering the fact that we may be able to save lives on Earth.

(Eli's bitter laugh sounds more like a sob.)

WALLACE: Only if we catch Simeon alive, and if he just tells you what you wanna know. 'Cause, really, what are the chances of that?

(He turns back to the table and points at the rifles, looking over his shoulder at Young.)

WALLACE: Now, are you gonna let me have one of these weapons, or not?

(Deliberately, Young raises his voice.)

YOUNG: You're angry, is that it, Eli? I get that.

(Eli nods sarcastically as he leans on the table. Young straightens up and walks closer.)

YOUNG: I also know that this is not something that is in you; and that's not something that you should be ashamed of. Now listen to me.

(He leans on the table as Eli glowers back at him.)

YOUNG: Killing someone, no matter how much you think they deserve it, is gonna change you, all right? Don't you act like you are the only person aboard this ship that has lost someone that they care about.

(Finally his words hit home and Eli blinks several times.)

WALLACE: I know.

YOUNG: Good. I need you to get back to the Bridge.

(He turns and leaves the room. Eli lowers his head, his face still full of grief and rage.)


DESERT PLANET. Simeon walks briskly across an open area towards the next rise. Pausing at the bottom of the climb, he looks back and sees Team Scott appear on the other side of the valley. Grimacing, he starts to haul himself up the rocks, but it's a very steep climb. Behind him, Scott sees him.

SCOTT: There!

(The team breaks into a run and scrambles to a place where they can take cover easily. Greer leans his rifle on the top of the rock and lines his rifle up.)

GREER (sing-song): Got him!

(He watches Simeon through his scope for a few seconds.)

RUSH: Shoot him!

(Greer lines up his rifle so that it's aimed at Simeon's right thigh, then fires a single shot. As the bullet impacts the back of his leg, Simeon almost collapses to his knees, grasping at the rocks to keep himself upright.)

RUSH: What are you doing? Shoot him!

GREER: I did.

RUSH: Again!

(Simeon has scrambled almost to the top of the outcrop, and Greer fires another bullet to impact the rocks just ahead of him. The Alliance man totters and falls forward, disappearing from view.)

RUSH (furiously): What the hell's the matter with you?

(He shoves Greer in the back with both hands. Greer instantly spins round to grab at him.)

RUSH: You had him in your sights!

(He and Greer yell at each other as Greer pushes him away.)

SCOTT: Rush! He did the right thing.

RUSH (yelling, almost incandescent with fury): What is the point of being able to track him if we can't catch him?!

SCOTT: He is wounded now. Killing him could kill countless people back on Earth.

(Nicholas gestures convulsively and repetitively with his pistol, his voice rising almost to a scream.)

RUSH: We are running out of time, and you're dreaming if you think he's ever gonna tell you what you wanna know!

(A single gunshot rings out from some distance away. The bullet hammers through Greer's left shoulder and exits again, and the impact sends him tumbling to the ground. Scott scrambles after him.)

SCOTT: Hey! Easy, easy.

(He peers down to look at the wound as Greer wails quietly in pain.)

SCOTT: You're gonna be OK. It doesn't look that bad.

(He rummages in his vest for a dressing, shakes it out and presses it hard into Greer's shoulder.)

SCOTT: Rush?

(He looks around but Nicholas has disappeared.)

SCOTT: Rush!

(He scans all around the area but there's no sign. He looks back down to Greer, whose shoulder is now covered with the blood which is pouring from the wound. He lifts the dressing momentarily and looks underneath.)

SCOTT: Ooh, I gotta get you back to the ship.

GREER: No, don't. Go get him. I'm-I'm-I'm fine.

(He tries to sit up but Matt pushes him down again.)

SCOTT: No, you're not. You are bleeding pretty bad.

GREER: I thought you said it didn't look that bad?

SCOTT: Uh, I lied.

(Greer pushes his cap off and clutches at his head in frustration and pain as Matt leans down onto the wound while activating his radio with his other hand.)

SCOTT: Rush! You gotta listen to me! Greer has been hit. I gotta get him back to the Gate. You were right - we are out of time. You have to turn back, do you hear me? This is not worth it.

(Nicholas, already some distance away, listens to Matt's voice but takes no notice as he continues onwards.)

SCOTT (into radio): We need you, Rush. Don't throw everything away for this.

(Nicholas continues walking, all his concentration focussed on the Kino remote.)

SCOTT (into radio): Rush?

(Underneath him, Greer writhes in pain as blood continues to pour out of his wound.)

SCOTT: (into radio): Rush?

(Nicholas keeps walking.)


DESTINY. Again Young walks to guarded closed doors and hits the wall button to open them, but this time it's Chloe who's inside the room. She turns away from her chalked wall calculations and looks at him calmly as he stares in surprise.


DESTINY BRIDGE. Some time later he walks onto the Bridge with Chloe at his side. Her guard is tagging along behind. Young looks down at the team.

YOUNG: She says she can help.

(The crew looks round at her with a combination of surprise, doubt and suspicion.)

WALLACE: Really? How?

ARMSTRONG: You know Rush has been giving me problems to solve, equations. I ... I didn't understand any of it at first, but I would stare at it for hours and then suddenly something would pop into my head and-and I would write it down.

(Eli gets out of his seat and walks closer to her, smiling sympathetically.)

WALLACE: Yeah, I know. Look, I get it. You wanna help ...

ARMSTRONG (talking over him): Look, the point is, I think I'm starting to understand it, Eli. It's like I'm slowly getting control of whatever's in my head.

BRODY: Or it's getting control of you.

(They look round to him for a moment, then Eli turns to Young.)

WALLACE: You really want us to give her access to the ship's systems?

ARMSTRONG: Eli, this is me talking. Please. I really think if I could just see what the problems are ...

(Rolling his eyes in disbelief, Eli turns away.)

YOUNG: It can't hurt to let her look, can it?

VOLKER: Actually, yes, it could. We're assuming that any solutions she may provide us are what we really need.

BRODY: Yeah, and not some sub-routine that could sabotage the ship. The last thing we need right now are those aliens attacking us again!

YOUNG: And that's what I'm counting on all of you for.

(Looking at them sternly, he turns and walks away. Eli locks gazes with Chloe for a moment, then unhappily jerks his head in a “Go on, then” gesture. She walks around the railing and heads towards the front of the Bridge.)


DESERT PLANET. Simeon is sitting in the shade running the flame of a small gas torch over the blade of his knife. Once he considers that the blade is hot enough, he tosses the torch back into his bag, then braces himself and presses the blade to the bullet wound in his leg. The skin around the area sizzles as it burns and he grunts in pain but continues to hold the blade in place for several seconds to seal the wound. Eventually he lifts the knife again and slams it into its holster. Grimacing as he braces himself to move out, he reaches to the radio he is wearing on his jacket, activates it and hisses a single word into it.

SIMEON: Rush.

(Deactivating the radio momentarily, he smiles unpleasantly before pressing the Talk button again.)

SIMEON: I know you didn't care enough about Ginn to risk your life coming after me. I'm sure it was that other woman she was connected to.

(Some distance away, Nicholas walks along as he listens to the voice coming from his radio.)

SIMEON: You must have really cared for her. I understand revenge. Your people have killed enough of mine - people I cared about.

(He hesitates for a moment, then continues.)

SIMEON: I let you live. You know why?

(He moves the radio closer to his mouth and hisses into it.)

SIMEON: I wanted you to live with it the way I have. I wanted the pain to eat you alive. I know it's a fate worse than death. I let you live, but next time I won't. You want your revenge? You come and get it, Rush. I'm gonna put you out of your misery.

(Nicholas keeps walking, his face blank.)

SIMEON: Come and get me.


DESTINY BRIDGE. Eli is sitting on the floor near to the station at which Chloe is sitting. He is working on a laptop and taking no notice of her as she stares at a schematic of Destiny. After a while she reaches out and presses some buttons, and new files come up. Hearing the beeping, Eli looks around as she begins to type rapidly and two-handed on the console.

WALLACE: Hey, what are you doing?

(She types even faster.)

WALLACE (scrambling to his feet): Chloe.

BRODY: Stop her!

(Eli grabs her wrists and pulls her hands away from the console. She gazes up at him blankly for a moment, then her eyes clear and widen.)

ARMSTRONG: It's OK.

WALLACE: What do you mean, it's OK? What did you just do?

ARMSTRONG: I don't know, but it's OK.

(She tries to reach for the console again but he pulls her hands away.)

WALLACE: You said you were in control.

ARMSTRONG: I am.

WALLACE: Do you even know what you just did?

ARMSTRONG (frowning uncomfortably): No. I'm sorry, I ...

(Eli turns and beckons to her guard before leaning down to help her to her feet.)

WALLACE: You should go back to your quarters.

(She looks around, bewildered. Eli pulls her upwards.)

WALLACE: Come on, come on.

(Reluctantly, she lets him hand her over to the guard who escorts her out of the room. Adam jumps into her seat as Dale and Lisa also come over to see whether they can work out what she has done. Eli stands and watches sadly as Chloe leaves.)

BRODY: Eli, you should look at this.

(Eli turns and walks over to the console, leaning over Adam's shoulder to look at the screen. He frowns as he sees what Chloe has done.)


DESERT PLANET. Simeon is limping as quickly as he can across an open plain. Some distance behind him, Nicholas stands at the top of a pile of rocks and watches him through binoculars. He's never going to be able to catch him and even if he does, Simeon will see him coming a mile off. Nick looks around thoughtfully and then sees something that makes him raise his binoculars again. A long way off and to the right of Simeon, a large herd of the two-legged beasties is grazing quietly, minding its own business. Nicholas swings the binoculars to the left again, to where Simeon is still a long way from the nearest cover. He lowers the binoculars and thinks for a moment, then kneels down to the backpack on the ground and rummages through it, revealing - amongst other things - a small block of C4 explosive.


OFFWORLD STARGATE. Standing at the foot of the ramp, Vanessa jerks her head to one of her colleagues who trots off to help the approaching Scott, who has Greer's arm draped over his shoulder. The airman takes Greer from him and helps him closer to the ramp before gently lowering him to the ground.

SCOTT: They stall the clock yet?

JAMES: No, sir. Less than two hours now 'til Destiny jumps again, and they say that's it.

SCOTT: Dial the Gate.

(Vanessa trots a few paces away from the ramp, then turns and starts working on her remote.)

JAMES: What about Rush?

(Matt turns and looks at her without replying as the Gate begins to spin. Unhappily he looks down at his watch and then turns and gazes out into the desert, willing Rush to return of his own volition.)


ELSEWHERE. As Simeon continues to limp towards the nearest cover, a single gunshot hits the ground near his feet. He slows down as three more bullets fly around him. Nicholas, standing amongst the rocks behind him, continues to fire single shots until Simeon stops and turns to face him. The Alliance man grins as if challenging him. Nick raises the pistol again and fires several more shots. It's not clear whether he's a terrible shot or is missing deliberately. Eventually Simeon gets fed up with this and lifts his rifle, firing a single shot towards the scientist. The bullet skims off the nearby rock and Nick ducks down, taking cover as Simeon continues firing. It's a real Mexican stand-off with the two men firing at each other but, more importantly, Simeon is now limping towards Nicholas, grinning manically as he comes, and this means that he's moving away from the cover behind him. Sitting down behind the rocks for a moment, Nicholas pulls out the clip from his pistol and checks it. Whether he has a clue what it's telling him is open to debate and he slots it back into the gun again as Simeon progresses closer, still firing intermittently. Nick rummages in the backpack and pulls out a detonator switch. Lifting up the cover, he flicks the switch.

(Simeon turns and looks to his left as a large explosion goes off in the distance. Frowning, he turns and looks towards the rocks where Nick is hiding, trying to puzzle out why Nick would have done that. The rumbling sound of the explosion echoes around the rocks ... and doesn't fade. If anything, it gets louder. Simeon turns and looks in the direction of the explosion as the rumbling begins to sound like thunder ... and now here comes the herd, panicked into a stampede by the explosive, and it's heading straight for him. There's nowhere he can go and he stands his ground in resignation as the creatures - all bigger than horses - charge straight at him.)

(Behind the rocks, Nicholas sits and listens to the herd as it thunders past. By now Simeon has been knocked to the ground and lies face down as the herd runs around him ... and over him, some of them trampling him as they gallop past. Nick waits until the herd has passed and then slowly stands up and steps around the rocks. The ground in the open space ahead of him is trampled and roughed up. Slowly but with determination he walks out into the area and heads for the crumpled body lying face down on the ground. Battered and bloody, Simeon painfully rolls over onto his back and looks up at the man standing over him.)

SIMEON: I have information.

(He grins. Nicholas lifts his pistol, aims it down at his head and fires a single shot. Lowering the gun again, he turns and walks away.)

(Later, having collected the backpack and put the gun away, he begins his long walk back to the Stargate. He's in no particular hurry and keeps up a steady but unhurried pace. After a long time he finally reaches the Gate. There's nobody else around and at last it hits him that he might have been abandoned again. He looks down, breathing heavily and fighting off tears ... and moments later Scott strolls into view from behind the ramp, Vanessa comes around the nearby rocks, and various other members of the military crew arrive from all directions. Nick sinks to his knees in relief.)

SCOTT: You're late.

(He walks towards him dangling a water bottle from his fingers. Nick reaches up for it as he gets closer.)

RUSH: I know.

SCOTT: Nine hours late.

(He kneels down next to him as Nick takes a long drink.)

RUSH: How's Greer?

SCOTT: He's gonna be OK. You?

(Nick lowers the water bottle and drops his head.)

SCOTT: You didn't answer your radio.

RUSH: The battery died a long time ago. You didn't come after me.

SCOTT: No. Eli figured out how to track the Kino remote, same way you did. We saw two signals heading back this way together - figured one of you had them both and the other was dead.

RUSH: True.

(He takes another long pull from the flask.)

SCOTT: You couldn't have known you had so much extra time. What in the hell were you thinkin'?

RUSH: I knew Eli would figure out how to stall the clock.

SCOTT: Really? Because he didn't.

RUSH (shocked): What?

SCOTT: Chloe calculated a new F.T.L. course. She turned the ship around to come back and get you.

(Nick takes a moment while he lets that sink in.)

RUSH: Good for her.

SCOTT: You gave her those equations knowing she might be able to figure it out.

RUSH: I did.

(He drinks again. Scott smiles ironically and looks across to Vanessa.)

SCOTT: Dial the Gate.

(Nodding, she turns towards the Stargate and lifts her remote.)

SCOTT (to Nick): Eli said there may still be unforeseeable consequences as a result.

RUSH: Well, there always are, aren't there?

SCOTT: I hope you were right about Simeon not telling us about the attack on Earth.

(He stands up and turns towards the Gate as it begins to dial.)

SCOTT: I'd hate to think we could have prevented it.

(Nick gazes into the distance, thinking it all through. Matt looks down at him.)

SCOTT: You feel any better?

(Vanessa looks across to Nick as he slowly climbs to his feet. He gazes towards the Stargate and closes his eyes briefly as the grief hits him again, then he opens his eyes and looks towards the Gate, waiting for it to return him to the only place he knows as home.)