Transcript

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Rush expresses concerns when Earth approves Eli's plan to dial the Stargate home from inside a star – and is proved right when a duplicate of himself shows up with a warning from the future.

EPISODE #212
ORIGINAL AIR DATE: 03.14.2011
SYNDICATION AIR DATE: 02.06.2012
WRITTEN BY: Brad Wright
DIRECTED BY: Peter DeLuise
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Transcript by Callie Sullivan

MESS. The "not pretty" briefing which Nicholas Rush promised at the end of the previous episode has begun and the main military staff, scientists and civilians have gathered to bring each other up to date on the aftermath of the recent battle against the alien cluster. Everett Young walks in.

YOUNG: All right. Somebody say something. How bad is it?

BRODY: It isn't any one thing; it's the accumulation. This ship just wasn't up to fighting a battle like that.

VOLKER: A big chunk of the life support is still down too.

SCOTT: But you can repair it, right?

BRODY: With what? Even if we knew how, we don't have the spare parts. I mean, I'm talking about things that are broken and burnt out that I don't even know what they do.

VOLKER: Now, if life support was our only problem, we might be able to figure something out ...

BRODY: ... but there are dozens of systems on the brink of failure: weapons, shields ...

PARK: Well, they're operating.

BRODY: And at mission-critical levels?

(He looks up at Young pointedly.)

BRODY: We are down to one last everything. There's practically no redundancy.

VOLKER: Practically no redundancy.

BRODY (tetchily): Wasn't funny the first three times.

VOLKER (wearily): I'm very tired.

TELFORD: OK, we know what the problems are. What are the solutions?

(Lisa Park and Dale Volker exchange a long glance. It looks like both of them pretty much want to say, "There are no solutions." Finally Lisa draws in a breath.)

PARK: Well, what I think we're trying to say ...

RUSH (interrupting): We make do as best we can and carry on with the mission.

YOUNG: Well, it doesn't sound like that's what they were trying to say.

RUSH: You're talking like we have a choice here.

WALLACE: Actually ...

RUSH (shaking his head): Eli, please ...

WALLACE (turning to address the whole group): Ginn and I figured out how to dial the ninth chevron back to Earth while Destiny recharges in a star.

YOUNG: Without blowing up the ship, you mean?

WALLACE: Yeah.

RUSH: No!

JOHANSEN (rolling her eyes): Here we go.

RUSH: Look, Eli's solution, however brilliant, fails to consider the thousand things that could go wrong when attempting to open a wormhole in a star.

WALLACE: I can show you the simulation ...

RUSH (talking over him): More to the point, it could cause the same kind of overload that happened on Icarus.

SCOTT: Well, who cares if we're not even gonna be here?

RUSH: Well, I do, Lieutenant, along with anyone else who cares to remain aboard this ship.

(David Telford rolls his eyes.)

TELFORD: Rush, come on, man! Nobody in their right mind would stay.

(Nick turns to Young.)

RUSH: You said you understood how important this mission was.

YOUNG: I did.

RUSH: So, what's changed?

WRAY: Nicholas, you know what's changed.

(Young walks closer to Nick.)

YOUNG: Look, I was all on board with this, you know that. But if the ship can't fly, there is no mission. It's not like we're just giving up here.

RUSH: Well, that's exactly what we're doing.

TELFORD: Well, fortunately for the people on this ship, the decision is not yours to make.

RUSH (furiously): Well, thankfully, it's not your bloody decision either!

YOUNG (loudly): Rush!

RUSH: We can get through this.

(He points angrily at the scientists.)

RUSH: They are just being defeatist.

YOUNG: My first responsibility is the safety of these people. I'm sorry.

(Nicholas nods, his eyes darting everywhere as he weighs up his options.)

RUSH: Yeah, right.

(He turns and leaves the room.)


BRIDGE. Nicholas walks in to find Ronald Greer leaning casually on the railing near the entrance. As Nick approaches, the sergeant straightens up and holds out a hand to stop him.

GREER: Uh, whoa.

RUSH: Stand aside, Sergeant.

(Greer continues to hold his hand out until Nick gets the point and stops.)

GREER: I can't do that. Colonel's orders.

RUSH: Since when?

GREER: Just now.

RUSH: Did he say why?

GREER: I didn't ask.

RUSH: OK. Could you tell me where else I've been banned from, save me wasting my time?

GREER: Pretty much any place that you can push buttons.

RUSH: Ah.

GREER: And I've got people where all the buttons are.

(Nicholas turns and walks away.)


YOUNG'S QUARTERS. Everett is meeting with Telford and Camille Wray.

YOUNG: Destiny's course is taking us toward a star roughly eighteen hours ahead - we assume to recharge. We-we should be ready.

WRAY: Oh, we've been ready for a long time.

TELFORD: I'm ready and I just got here. (He grins at Young.) I can only imagine what it's like for you.

(There's a knock on the closed doors. Young walks over to them and pushes the button to open them. Nicholas is standing outside and looks a little surprised to see that he's not alone. Young, on the other hand, looks at him calmly.)

YOUNG: Hey. We've been expecting you.

RUSH: It seems you can predict my every move.

YOUNG: Well, I had to make sure you didn't lock us out of the dialling programmes.

RUSH: The thought never crossed my mind.

(He looks at the other two and strolls into the room.)

RUSH: I see the elders have gathered.

WRAY: You should know: Eli is using the stones right now to run his calculations by the best people on Earth.

RUSH: They'll tell him what I told them: the work is brilliant but what works on paper does not necessarily work within a star.

WRAY: Well, Eli said that he's taken that into consideration.

RUSH: Eli is not an astrophysicist. Inside a star there are magnetic fields, enormous pressures, solar flares, conditions that make events unpredictable by any mathematics. Now, will Eli's connection to Earth work? Possibly. But what happens the moment that wormhole's been established is anybody's guess. It could blow a hole in the fabric of space/time.

(While he's been talking, Telford has walked closer to him, watching him. Now he turns to Young.)

TELFORD: He's out of his freaking mind, you know that?

YOUNG: Hold on.

(He turns back to Nick.)

YOUNG: So, what are you asking us to do?

RUSH: Let me talk to the crew. At least some of them understand how important it is to remain on this ship.

TELFORD: Nobody is going to agree to that.

(Ignoring him, Nick turns to face Young.)

RUSH: You say you've no choice but to leave. I've no choice but to stay.

(Young looks at him for a long moment.)

YOUNG: We're gonna brief everyone in the Gateroom the minute we come out of F.T.L. You can address them then.

(Nick looks down, licking his lips awkwardly.)

RUSH: It would carry far more weight if you were standing alongside me.

(He raises his eyes to Young's. Everett meets his gaze.)

YOUNG: I can do that.

(Telford turns and throws a surprised look at Camille, who matches it. Nicholas is silent for a moment, almost overwhelmed by the colonel's generosity. Eventually he pulls himself together and looks around at all three of them.)

RUSH: Thank you.

(He turns and leaves. Young closes the doors again. Telford shakes his head in disbelief.)

TELFORD: You're not serious.

WRAY: Oh, I think he is.


CONTROL INTERFACE ROOM. Doctor Bill Lee from Stargate Command is standing gazing at the holographic screen. He is wearing Eli's YOU ARE HERE T-shirt and jacket and so has obviously done a stone-swap with the young man. Adam Brody and Matthew Scott are standing nearby.

BRODY: We've run the simulation a dozen times. It works.

(Bill shakes his head in disbelief.)

LEE: So the gamer came up with power flow algorithm?!

SCOTT: Eli, yeah.

(Bill continues to stare at the simulation on the screen. He shakes his head again, half unhappily and half admiringly.)

LEE: I've gotta say, you know: when we tried to solve this back on Earth, there were a lot of smart people in that room.

BRODY: Well, don't tell him I said this, but he's arguably the smartest person I've ever met.

(The man standing in front of him blinks and wobbles for a moment. Eli is back in the room, but of course the others aren't aware of this yet.)

BRODY: You all right?

WALLACE: I'm fine. I'm back.

SCOTT: What did they say?

WALLACE: The math works, so we're on.

(He frowns.)

WALLACE: Who was the smartest person you were just talking about?

(Adam swallows nervously.)

BRODY: ... Einstein.

(Matt frowns momentarily, then resumes an innocent look as Eli turns towards them.)

WALLACE: Einstein?

BRODY (utterly failing to look nonchalant): Yeah, he was ... he was pretty smart.

WALLACE (still frowning): "But don't ever tell him you said that"?

SCOTT: All right, come on, let's go tell the colonel the news.


RUSH'S QUARTERS. Nick is lying on his back on the bed, holding a sheet of paper covered in writing on his chest. His eyes are closed. A few moments later Destiny shimmers as she comes out of F.T.L. and Nick's eyes open immediately. He looks down at the sheet of paper he is holding.

(Shortly afterwards, he opens the doors to his quarters and steps out. All around is a hive of activity as crew members gather together their personal possessions and other essential stuff to take home with them. He looks around as everyone hurries off towards the Gateroom, chatting excitedly and pretty much ignoring him. Looking very lonely and uncertain of himself, he walks to the Gateroom. Young is chatting with Tamara Johansen but looks around as he sees Nick approaching.)

YOUNG: Hey, T.J., can you give us a minute?

JOHANSEN: Yeah.

(She steps away as Young turns to the scientist.)

YOUNG: Can you keep this ship flying?

RUSH: Yeah, with help.

YOUNG: Then I need to know an absolute minimum number of personnel you need to do it.

RUSH: Well, as many as possible, obviously.

YOUNG: I need a number.

(Nick thinks for a moment.)

RUSH: I'll say a dozen.

YOUNG: Plus you and me?

(Nick, who had been looking around the room, snaps his head around to gaze at the colonel in surprise at his revelation that he is intending to stay. For a moment he is so stunned that he can't think, but then he pulls himself together.)

RUSH: No, including us.

YOUNG: So, ten.

RUSH: Yeah. Look, I've written down most of what I intend to say.

(He offers the piece of paper to Young.)

RUSH: If you've got anything you might wanna add ...

(Before Young can look at it, his radio activates.)

TELFORD (over radio): Everett, is Rush in the Gateroom with you?

YOUNG (into radio): Yeah. What is it?

TELFORD: I need both of you on the Bridge.

RUSH: No, we don't have time for this just now.

YOUNG (into radio): David, we're just gonna talk to the crew. Can it wait?

TELFORD: Negative. Get up here. Trust me.

(Young looks at Nicholas.)

YOUNG: We have time.

RUSH (unhappily): Yeah. Time they might need to decide.

(Young has already turned and is walking across to Tamara. Rush follows him.)

YOUNG (to T.J.): Keep everyone here. We'll be right back.

JOHANSEN: Uh, sure.


BRIDGE. The view from the windows shows that Destiny is heading directly towards the nearest star. Young and Rush walk in to where Telford and Volker are standing.

YOUNG: What is it?

TELFORD: It was in orbit around the star. Destiny picked it up when it turned towards us.

VOLKER: And then we got the radio broadcast.

RUSH: From who?

VOLKER: You.

RUSH: I don't understand.

TELFORD: Neither do we.

(He raises a finger and points towards the ceiling speakers.)

TELFORD: Wait for it.

(There's a long moment of silence.)

RUSH (impatiently): Wait for what?!

(Before he has finished the question a voice comes over the speakers.)

RUSH's VOICE: Repeat: this is Doctor Nicholas Rush calling the Destiny. I'm aboard the shuttle, headed your way. Please respond.

RUSH: Well. Isn't this an interesting turn of events?!

YOUNG: What is this?

RUSH: Well, I wouldn't know, Colonel. How 'bout you tell me?

(Young looks at Dale, who leads him across to a console.)

VOLKER: It's not a recording, if that's what you're thinking. It's a sub-space broadcast, and beyond the fact that it sounds exactly like Rush, I can tell that that's our shuttle. And it's on an intercept course.

TELFORD: Even though, according to this ... (he points at another screen) ... the shuttle is still docked with Destiny.

RUSH's VOICE (over comms): Again, this is Doctor Rush. I need assistance with the docking procedure. I know you can hear me.

RUSH: Have we responded yet?

VOLKER: No, not yet.

RUSH: Well, best not to keep me waiting.

(He walks over to the command chair and flips a switch to open the comms before sitting down.)

RUSH: Hello, this is also Doctor Nicholas Rush. How can we be of assistance?

RUSH's VOICE: Tell them not to try and dial Earth. It won't work. If they go through with it, they're all gonna die.

YOUNG: This is Colonel Young. Doctor Rush is sitting right next to me.

(In the approaching shuttle, an identical Nicholas Rush is sitting in the front seat. He is very grubby and has a nasty burn on his right cheek.)

ALT-RUSH: Yes, obviously. We've just spoken. The only reasonable explanation is that, somehow, I've come back through time.

TELFORD: "Reasonable explanation"!

ALT-RUSH: I couldn't be sure until I'd seen you dropping out of F.T.L., which happened roughly twelve hours ago on my timeline.

YOUNG: And we're supposed to just take your word for this?

ALT-RUSH: Shortly after we dropped out of F.T.L., Colonel, you asked me for a number. I told you ten plus two.

(Nicholas and Young both look surprised and take a moment to digest this proof. Nicholas turns off the comms. Dale frowns in confusion.)

VOLKER: Twelve?

RUSH: Yes, well calculated, Mr. Volker, but I think you're missing the point here.

TELFORD (to Young): Is that true? Did you just have that conversation?

YOUNG: Yeah. Yeah, we did.


GATEROOM. As Destiny heads onwards towards the sun, the shuttle is flying away from the star towards the larger vessel. Unaware of all this, the rest of the crew is milling around in the Gateroom. Scott looks at his watch.

SCOTT: It's weird. I was completely stoked about this mission.

(Chloe Armstrong nods.)

ARMSTRONG: Yeah. We all were.

SCOTT: All of a sudden I can't wait to see my kid.

ARMSTRONG: Wow. I should have thought the hardest thing was gonna be introducing you to my mom!

SCOTT: OK, that makes me more nervous than going through the dang Gate!

(Eli walks over to them.)

WALLACE: Hey. When we get back, we're all still gonna hang out, right?

(He looks around to include T.J. and Vanessa James who are standing nearby.)

ARMSTRONG: Yeah, of course we will.

SCOTT: We will have a reunion every year.

WALLACE: I was thinking more along the lines of Fridays!

(The others laugh.)

JAMES: Depends on whether you're stationed Earthside.

WALLACE (chuckling): You can guarantee that Earth will be my station.

ARMSTRONG: But you're joining Stargate Command.

(Eli laughs disparagingly.)

WALLACE: Like they're gonna ask me!

JOHANSEN: They'll ask you, Eli. You'll be right up there with the other S.G.C. brainiacs like Doctor Jackson and Colonel Carter and, uh ...

(She turns to Vanessa.)

JOHANSEN: What was that guy's name, kept staring at your, uh ...?

JAMES (grimacing): Eww. McKay.

JOHANSEN: Yeah, McKay. (She turns back to Eli.) They'll ask you, right when we get back.

(Matt's radio activates.)

YOUNG (over radio): Lieutenant Scott, come in.

SCOTT (into radio): Yes sir. Is there a problem?

YOUNG: Yeah. Join up with Greer, head to Shuttle Bay Two.

(Matt trots away. The others watch him go with concern.)


ELSEWHERE. Shortly afterwards Scott and Greer trot towards the shuttle bay with their rifles ready. Nearby the shuttle comes down and lands, and the clamps raise up and fasten around it. Young, Telford and Rush walk towards the bay and are joined by the other two. They reach the bulkhead and Scott and Greer take up their positions.

YOUNG: Open it.

(Greer reaches across and hits the wall panel. The locks on the bulkhead spin and the door raises up. The Nicholas Rush from the future [or is it the past? My head hurts.] has already exited the shuttle and is standing just behind the bulkhead with one hand braced on the wall. He looks wearily at the team and then his eyes lock onto Telford. Slowly he steps forward, then he breaks into a run and throws himself towards the colonel, clawing at him. Scott and Greer grab him as he passes them and hold him back.)

SCOTT: Easy!

(Alt-Rush flails his arm towards Telford, his face savage.)

ALT-RUSH: Don't listen to him! He's gonna try and kill you all!

(Nick stares at his future self in shock. Still trying to claw at Telford, the older version of himself passes out, and Greer and Scott carefully lower him to the floor. Greer stares up at the others.)

GREER: What in the hell?

(Young lifts his radio.)

YOUNG: T.J., this is Young.

JOHANSEN (from the Gateroom): Yes, sir. The gang's all here.

YOUNG: Yeah, they're gonna have to wait. We need you in the Infirmary.

(Frowning, T.J. looks around the room, then hurries out. Camille hurries after her.)


INFIRMARY. The new arrival has been brought in and is sitting on the side of a bed as T.J. cleans the skin around the burn on his cheek.

JOHANSEN: How did you get the burn?

ALT-RUSH: There was an overload. I couldn't stop it. Explosions all over the ship, one after another. The air became so toxic I had no choice but to abandon.

YOUNG: At which point you somehow went back twelve hours in time?

ALT-RUSH: No-no, that would have to happen inside the star. The ship itself must have passed very near a solar flare in the exact moment we locked the nine chevron address. Temporal event - like we've seen cause time travel through wormholes - somehow affected the entire ship.

(He glances across to Young.)

ALT-RUSH: One of those unpredictable things I remember warning you about.

(He looks down, his face haunted by the memories, then looks across to his younger self who is unsuccessfully hiding a smile.)

ALT-RUSH: What are you smiling at?

RUSH: Well, you should know.

ALT-RUSH (bitterly): What, fascinating, is it? You wouldn't think so if you'd been through what I've been through.

RUSH: Well, I won't have to now, will I?

WRAY: Look, we can still do this if ... if we could just learn from your mistakes.

ALT-RUSH (angrily): My mistakes?! The only mistake was trying it in the first place!

TELFORD: No-no-no, wait a second. She's right. Just because it went wrong the first time around ...

JOHANSEN: Wait. Isn't it the same time again?

RUSH: No, not entirely. We'd end up with two of us staying behind next time. If we kept going long enough, we'd soon have an entire crew.

(He smiles quirkily at his other self, who doesn't find it as amusing.)

YOUNG: Well, we still have an hour before we run Eli's programme. Tell us what happened.

ALT-RUSH: Up to the point you received my radio signal, you know what happened.


FLASHBACK. GATEROOM.

YOUNG: I need a number.

(Nick thinks for a moment.)

RUSH: I'll say a dozen.

YOUNG: Plus you and me?

(Nick, who had been looking around the room, snaps his head around to gaze at the colonel in surprise at his revelation that he is intending to stay. For a moment he is so stunned that he can't think, but then he pulls himself together.)

RUSH: No, including us.

YOUNG: So, ten.

RUSH: Yeah. Look, I've written down most of what I intend to say.

(He offers the piece of paper to Young.)

RUSH: If you've got anything you might wanna add ...

YOUNG: So I'll speak when you're done. But just so we're clear: if we don't get the ten volunteers ...

RUSH: We will.

(He looks confident as he says it, but he might be faking his certainty. Young nods.)

YOUNG: OK.

(Smiling at him, he turns away and heads towards the stairs. Nick follows him.)


THE PRESENT.

ALT-RUSH: You were true to your word, Colonel. You stood alongside me.


FLASHBACK. In the Gateroom, Nick is standing a few steps up the stairs nervously clutching his piece of paper. Everett calls out to everyone.

YOUNG: Ladies and gentlemen, if I could have your attention please. Doctor Rush would like to say a few words.

(Nick looks at everyone anxiously as they turn towards him. Pulling in a deep breath, he looks down at his notes.)

RUSH: My friends.

(There are some quiet sniggers at this. He looks up as some of the crew members exchange amused glances.)

RUSH: Oh yes, perhaps that's an over-statement. But we are at least shipmates who have - up until now - shared great adversity.

(He glances down at his notes again.)

RUSH: I know a lot of you - probably most of you - also share the hope of going home. It is a fact that the conditions inside a star bode very poorly for the sustained viability of a wormhole, and I owe it to you all to tell you that.

(Eli, tossing a Kino from hand to hand, grimaces ruefully at the way that Rush is trying to undermine his assertions that his plan will work. Telford is more vociferous in his disagreement.)

TELFORD: Stop trying to scare people and get on with this.

(Young, now standing at the foot of the stairs near Nicholas, throws Telford a dark look but doesn't say anything. Nick looks at his notes for a moment then raises his head again.)

RUSH: The Ancients did not devote the efforts of an entire generation to build this ship on a whim, neither was Destiny named on a whim.

(His voice becomes more animated and his face begins to show his passion as he continues.)

RUSH: Over a million years ago, the Ancients discovered a complex structure buried deep within the background radiation: the fingerprints of an intelligence that existed very near the beginning of time itself.

(Telford frowns as he looks around the faces of the crew and sees that some of them are starting to listen more closely.)

RUSH: Destiny was launched in search of that intelligence. Who knows how close we are to finding it; how close we are to learning ... in the Ancients' words ... "the destiny of all things"? I don't pretend to know when that's gonna be, in which stars that will happen, or even how that will change our view of the universe. I only know that Destiny has come this far, and if we abandon her now ...

(He briefly lowers his head, almost fighting off tears.)

RUSH: ... there'll be no coming back. All of that knowledge will be lost forever.

(He gazes out at the crew, his notes lowered and forgotten, speaking from the heart.)

RUSH (softly): I believe this journey is the reason I'm here, but I can't hope to do it alone. I ask you to come with me.

(Young waits for a long moment to allow the plea to sink in, then addresses the crew.)

YOUNG: Now, I believe that those of you who wanna go home deserve that chance, but I joined Stargate Command for a reason, so I too am willing to stay aboard.

(Telford sighs unhappily.)

YOUNG: What we are looking for are ten volunteers. So I am asking those of you who want to be here to please step forward.

(Almost instantly Ronald Greer walks forward. Young smiles at him as he walks past him and then turns to face the others. Dale Volker stares downwards, wrestling with his thoughts, but a few seconds later he starts to move, glancing briefly at Adam and Lisa as he walks past them and heads towards the front. Seconds later Tamara Johansen steps forward, followed closely by Chloe Armstrong. Matt Scott looks at her unhappily for a moment but then follows her. Vanessa James steps forward a moment afterwards.)

(Nearby, Telford glowers as he realises there are only four more people required. Nick bites his lip as he makes the same realisation and shortly afterwards Varro also comes forward, followed by two other members of the Lucian Alliance. Two scientists have also stepped forward and now there are already more than ten volunteers, but yet another soldier joins the team. Eli looks up at Rush with a resigned expression on his face for a long moment, knowing that he doesn't have to stay, but a few seconds later he begins to walk forward anyway.)

(He has only taken a couple of steps when Telford loses it and storms a few steps up the other staircase before turning to the crew.)

TELFORD: All right, listen to me. You've already accomplished the damned mission! Our goal was to investigate the ninth chevron address, and you've done that! Now, I do not deny that there once was a mission, but if it was as important as Rush claimed it to be, they sure as hell couldn't expect us to do it. There is no noble voyage to save the universe, or to meet God, or whatever it is that Rush has sold you on! There is only the day that this ship dies.

YOUNG: David. We don't know that.

TELFORD (glowering at him and the other volunteers): I've got a good mind to try to take you all back by force.

GREER (flatly): Good luck with that.

(He and Telford exchange a long look of mutual dislike, then Telford turns to the rest of the crew.)

TELFORD: Those of you still taking part in the evacuation are going to form two lines. Everything we carry with us becomes a projectile in a nine chevron transit, so we are going home with the clothes on our backs, nothing more. Eli has warned them to expect us, but it seems that a radio signal does not reach across a nine chevron connection, so I'll go first to warn them that we're on our way. You will follow in three-second intervals, two at a time. Eli, are we ready?

WALLACE: Yeah. The programme's all set.

(His eyes widen a little as he realises the significance of what he's about to say.)

WALLACE: You're good to go.

(Young turns his head and looks up at Nicholas, who replies with a tiny nod. Telford glowers at them again, then turns to the evacuees.)

TELFORD: Fifteen minutes, people ... and we go home!


THE PRESENT. Nick from the future is still sitting on the side of the bed, his face haunted.

ALT-RUSH (quietly): And fifteen minutes after that, you were dead.


SHORTLY AFTERWARDS. T.J. is gently cleaning the burn on alt-Rush's cheek. Telford walks closer, looking down at him belligerently.

TELFORD: If all those people stayed aboard, why were you the only survivor?

ALT-RUSH (tiredly): I told you. There was an overload.

WRAY: It doesn't matter. We have a second chance now!

(She looks at alt-Rush.)

WRAY: You just need to tell us what went wrong; what we can do differently.

ALT-RUSH: Eli's programme is based on precise timing in the recharging process.

RUSH: A time which is fast approaching.

YOUNG: All right, so you dialled the ninth chevron. And?

ALT-RUSH: It worked. We made the connection.


FLASHBACK. Destiny is firewalking. Plunging rapidly towards the sun, her shields begin to burn and, on her underside, the power cells lower down and begin to glow as they harvest energy. The ship sinks lower into the star, disappearing from view.

(In the Gateroom, the Stargate is spinning. The evacuees have lined up either side of the Gate and are watching anxiously as it slows and stops before the next chevron hums and lights up. Eli stares at the Gate in delight.)

WALLACE: Chevron nine is locked!

(The Gate connects and an enormous vortex kawhooshes outwards before settling back down into a stable event horizon. Instantly Telford walks rapidly towards the Gate, holding up three fingers to the evacuees.)

TELFORD: Wait three seconds, then follow me!

(He heads into the event horizon and the two rows of people move to stand beside each other in front of the Gate. As a couple of soldiers at the front hold out their hands to stop people progressing too quickly, the event horizon fritzes and an alarm sounds at the consoles.)

RUSH: No-no, wait, wait.

(Young hollers out over the excited conversation of the crew.)

YOUNG: Stop!

(The crew looks around anxiously as Young walks over to Nick.)

YOUNG: What is it?

RUSH: The wormhole is unstable. See for yourself.

YOUNG: Well, shut it down.

RUSH: I can't.

WALLACE: One of the mains blew out. My programme can't compensate. We'll have to configure the power levels on the fly.

RUSH: Yes, Eli, that's what I'm doing. I've almost got it.

(Young calls out to the evacuees as they stare at the continually-fluctuating wormhole.)

YOUNG: Everybody stand by!

(Eli looks at his console. The graphic of the Stargate flashes, beeping. Eli looks up at Young worriedly.)

WALLACE: It's as stable as we're gonna get.

(Young looks across to Nicholas, who nods urgently to him. He turns and yells at the evacuees.)

YOUNG: OK, go, go, go!

(The three-second rule forgotten, the crew surges towards the Gate. The soldiers at the front try to slow them down but this is panic and everyone shoves their way forward. Some people fall and are trampled underfoot as the others continue their rush to get off the ship. From an external perspective, Destiny begins to exit the core of the star. Alarms sound on the consoles.)

RUSH: It's beginning to overload.

WALLACE: Well, we were supposed to be gone by now!

RUSH: We can't stay ahead of this!

(Destiny shakes alarmingly under the stress as the terrified evacuation continues. Nick looks across to Eli.)

RUSH: We're losing her!

(Eli shakes his head, unable to do anything to help.)

YOUNG: That's it. Everyone, we're going through. Let's go!

SCOTT: All right, you heard him. Let's go! Come on!

(The volunteer team runs for the Gate. The evacuees have finally made it through and so the way is clear for this last group, who race into the event horizon leaving only Young, Nick and Eli at the consoles, while Greer waits at the Gate. Nick looks across to his colleague.)

WALLACE: Eli, there's nothing more you can do.

(Eli stares at him and at Young in distress. Outside, the first of Destiny's engines explodes as a result of the overload. She jolts violently.)

YOUNG: Eli, get the hell out of here!

(Anguished, Eli grabs his Kino from the console. Presumably this is the one holding the documentary which he has been recording since he first arrived on the ship. Clutching it in one hand, he runs for the Gate. Young turns to Nicholas.)

YOUNG: Rush.

RUSH (with his eyes fixed on his console): I can't maintain a stable connection and argue with you at the same time. Now please go.

(Young stares at him frantically. Nick raises his eyes and glares at him.)

RUSH: Go!

(Unhappily, Everett backs away towards the Gate, finally turning and joining Greer and they race through the event horizon. Moments later the wormhole disconnects and the Gate shuts down. As the steam vents up from the sides of the Gate, Nick looks up and slowly walks away from the console, staring in grief as distant explosions can be heard. He knows that Destiny doesn't have long to live. He walks slowly towards the Gate, clutching his head in anguished despair.)


THE PRESENT.

ALT-RUSH: I don't really know how long I stayed there. Felt like hours. Kept waiting for the end to come. But Destiny fought to stay alive.

WRAY: How are you sure that we ... they all didn't make it?

(Alt-Rush smiles bitterly.)

ALT-RUSH: Well, I didn't say they all didn't make it.

(He looks round accusingly at Telford.)


FLASHBACK. Nick is making his way along the corridors, being hurled about as Destiny goes through her death throes. He finally makes it into the Communications Lab, sits down at the table and opens the case containing the communication stones. Flicking on the activation box, he picks up one of the stones, holds it momentarily and then drops it onto the box.

(At Homeworld Security on Earth, Nick opens his eyes and finds himself wearing a military uniform. He raises his eyes to Major Peterson who is standing nearby.)

RUSH: I'm Doctor Rush. How many of them made it through?

PETERSON: I'm sorry, sir. Only one, hours ago. He's been waiting to switch with someone to see why the others didn't follow.

(Nick bows his head and, on the screen beside him, his host body does the same. Seeing the movement out of the corner of his eye, Nicholas looks across to the footage and scowls as he realises that the only person who made it safely off the ship is David Telford.)

(On Destiny, Telford in Rush's body runs into the Gateroom. Alarms are blaring as he stares around the empty room in appalled horror.)


THE PRESENT. T.J. is putting a sticking plaster across alt-Rush's cheek.

ALT-RUSH: The connection was made ...

(He turns and glares at Telford again.)

ALT-RUSH: ... but you were the only one that made it through to Earth.


GATEROOM. Everyone is sitting or standing around mumbling about the delay. Varro walks over to Scott and Greer.

VARRO: We were told we'd be leaving for Earth by now. What's happening?

GREER (straight-faced and calmly): Some funky, funky stuff, man.

YOUNG (over radio): Lieutenant Scott, come in.

(Matt blows out a long breath as he answers his radio.)

SCOTT: Sir, you are cuttin' it awful close here.

YOUNG: Stand down, Lieutenant. We've decided not to go ahead.

(Standing nearby, Adam stares in disbelief as he hears the message.)

BRODY: You've gotta be kiddin' me.

(Lisa puts a comforting hand on his arm as Scott activates his radio again.)

SCOTT: Sir?

YOUNG: We have reason to believe the evacuees will not make it through alive. Send everyone to their quarters.

SCOTT: Understood.

(The muttering from the crowd gets louder as the military crew - looking just as exasperated and disappointed as their civilian colleagues - move into position to herd everyone out of the Gateroom.)

(In the Infirmary, alt-Rush turns to Young.)

ALT-RUSH: You made the right decision.

RUSH: Yeah, about bloody time.

TELFORD: I wanna use the stones to confirm his story.

YOUNG: Well, we've never used a stone inside a star and I don't think now's the time to start it. But I'll tell you what: you can go talk to yourself once we're safely on the other side.

WRAY: Safely?!

YOUNG: I think now we all need to be on the Bridge.

(He leaves the room.)

RUSH: Ah well. At least I'll have someone to engage in a decent conversation.

(His future self looks across to him, not particularly amused.)


BRIDGE. Your transcriber is getting a headache even trying to work out the timelines here, but is assuming that Destiny has either just done her own firewalk through the star, or the crew have diverted her around the sun to avoid the solar flare which might throw them back in time. Whichever, with the two Rushes sitting at adjoining consoles at the front, the Bridge now rises up out of its protective shell as the ship moves further away from the star behind her. As the windows emerge into space, Young and Telford move forward and stare at the sight of another Destiny floating nearby, not far from the star.

TELFORD: There it is.

YOUNG: Well, I think that's confirmation, don't you?

(Telford nods.)

RUSH: We're altering course and accelerating.

ALT-RUSH: Well, we're close enough to get a decent look at her.

(Destiny heads closer to her future self. On the Observation Deck, several of the crew have gathered and are staring at the sight of their own ship ahead of them. For most of them, this may well be the first time that they have ever seen what their home looks like from the outside. Chloe looks sadly at the other ship as they pull closer to her, then looks across to Eli whose face is a picture of agonised guilt as he watches the ship which his actions helped to kill. Destiny pulls alongside her crippled self, the top of which is tilted towards her, and the crew crane their necks to look at the other vessel.)

SCOTT (thoughtfully): There but for the grace of God, huh?

WALLACE (anguished): It's my fault. Everybody on that ship died because of me.

ARMSTRONG: Yeah, well, the only reason we're even in this situation is because you all tried to save me.

BRODY (gazing at the damaged ship): D'you guys see what I see?

JAMES: What?

BRODY: The damage is confined mostly to the engineering spaces. The main living compartments look intact.

PARK: So?

BRODY: I've got an idea.

(He turns and races from the room. Charging down the corridor, he yells at people ahead of him.)

BRODY: Out of the way! Out of the way! Move, move, move!

(People hurriedly step aside as he pelts on down the corridor, runs into an elevator and slams his fist into the controls. As the doors close, he starts pacing frantically around the small box.)

(On the Bridge, both of the Rushes have swung around in their seats to talk with the colonels. Young is looking at alt-Rush.)

YOUNG: You just said it was falling back toward the star.

RUSH: That was me, actually.

YOUNG (shrugging): OK.

ALT-RUSH: I'm telling you we need to get over to that ship.

TELFORD: It might be worth the risk if we can salvage ammunition, food, supplies ...

(Adam races in.)

BRODY: No-no. That's not what he's talking about.

(He stops, panting, as Young turns to look at him.)

YOUNG: Well, what is it, then?

BRODY (breathlessly): Spare parts. I had the same idea. I ran all the way to you as well.

(He smiles proudly at them. Young gazes blankly at him, then unclips his radio and holds it up pointedly, reminding Adam that he could have just used one to tell them his idea. Adam stares at it, mentally kicking himself.)

BRODY: Hmm!

TELFORD: How much time do we have before we're out of range?

YOUNG: Well, we can't take a shuttle. The other ship is too close to the star, and Destiny is accelerating away.

ALT-RUSH: We can arrange a short F.T.L. jump; use the Stargate.

TELFORD: It's the same Gate! Can it dial itself?

BRODY: I don't see why not. Destiny's address isn't based on a fixed point in space. We'll have to input the distance calculation but you ...

(He looks at alt-Rush, who gazes back at him impassively. Nervously, he turns to his own Rush.)

BRODY: ... guys should be able to work that out, right?

RUSH: Yeah, between me, Eli and ... me.

YOUNG: All right, well let's start putting together a list.

BRODY: Yeah.

(Still panting, he turns and leaves the Bridge.)

TELFORD: I'd like to lead the team over there.

ALT-RUSH: I should go as well. I'm the only one who knows which systems were affected by the overload.

YOUNG: Listen, Rush ... I don't even know if that's what I should call you.

ALT-RUSH: Well, it is my name.

YOUNG: Fine. What I'm trying to say is that you've been through hell and back. You don't gotta do this.

TELFORD: The man wants to help, Everett. Let him help. We're gonna need all hands for this.

(Young looks round to his own Rush, who nods his agreement. Everett turns back to the other man.)

YOUNG: OK.


GATEROOM. Destiny is in F.T.L. flight. In the Gateroom, a huge group of volunteers has gathered to go and scavenge the dying ship. As our Nick works on a console at the rear of the room, the other Rush stands nearby watching him, biting his nails anxiously. Adam stands in front of the Stargate and holds up a couple of identical devices to show to the teams.

BRODY: These are priority number one. We want as many as we can get our hands on.

(He shows the bottom of the device in his right hand, which is black.)

BRODY: This one's burnt out.

(He show the clear underside of the device in his left hand.)

BRODY: This one's good. Now, they're in every console, power relay and pretty much every piece of equipment aboard the ship. Open 'em up, pull 'em out and move on.

GREER: What do you call those things?

BRODY: I don't know. "Things that make it go."

(Telford smiles.)

PARK: We should find concentrations of working parts in the Bridge, Control Interface and Neural Interface Rooms.

BRODY: Number two: these things.

(He holds up another smaller something.)

BRODY: And don't ask me what they're called. I'm not even sure how they work.

(He turns to Dale standing beside him and gestures for him to speak.)

VOLKER: We also have to get our hands on the other repair robot, and shield emitter relays.

TELFORD: We'll get everything on the list. If there's still time, we'll move on to our secondary objectives.

JOHANSEN: Yeah, how much time do we have?

TELFORD: We'll assess that once we're aboard.

YOUNG: Conditions will be difficult. They will be dangerous but make no mistake: we need to salvage these things if we are going to survive.

(He looks at his watch and, right on cue, Destiny shimmers as she exits F.T.L.)

YOUNG: Dial the Gate. Everyone step back.

(Everybody moves out of the way as the Stargate dials and then kawhooshes.)

YOUNG: Send the Kino.

(Eli works his console and a Kino floats across the room and into the event horizon. The teams move forward to await the go-ahead. Eli watches the footage from the Kino as it floats across the other Gateroom and swings around to look at the same console at which Eli is standing. He checks the readings being sent back.)

WALLACE: It's getting hot already, but the air is still breathable. I'd call it a green light.

YOUNG: Let's move.

(He steps away as Telford and Greer lead the teams through the Gate. The Rushes pick up their own bags and are the last two through the event horizon.)


DYING DESTINY. The salvage teams arrive on the damaged ship and spread out around the Gateroom. Alarms are sounding insistently. As the Rushes come through the Gate, they hurry through the crowd and each head for a console. Telford looks around at the others.

TELFORD: Form into your teams and stand by.

(Chloe and Dale, amongst others, raise a hand to signify that they're a team leader, and their groups gather near them.)

ALT-RUSH: OK, I'm reading power and life support on both the Bridge and Control Interface Room.

RUSH: Forty minutes 'til the shield fails.

TELFORD: Then that's the time we have.

(He looks at Scott.)

TELFORD: Lieutenant, that means your team heads straight to the Armoury.

SCOTT: You got it.

(He, Greer and several others hurry away. Telford turns to the others in the room.)

TELFORD: You know your assignments. Let's go!

(The teams head off in all directions. Telford lifts his radio and activates it to report back to the home ship.)

TELFORD: This is Telford. We are proceeding. Forty minutes on the clock.

RUSH (to his other self and Lisa): OK, let's go.

(They hurry off.)

YOUNG (into radio from the other Destiny): David, be careful.

TELFORD: Will do.

(All around the damaged ship, the salvage teams run swiftly along the corridors to their destinations. On the other ship, Young is already pacing near the console. Camille looks at him.)

WRAY: Someone should report to Homeworld Command; explain what's been going on.

YOUNG: Well, you go ahead - and when you're back, you can explain it to me.

(She smiles ruefully at him, then walks away. Eli doesn't look up from his console.)

WALLACE: They must think we're all dead.

YOUNG: Didn't happen.

WALLACE (looking round at him): Yeah. It did.

YOUNG: Not to us, Eli.

WALLACE (anguished): You can say anything you like; tell me to take one timeline at a time, but if Rush wasn't sent back by a freak of physics, we'd all be dead by now.

(He looks back down at his console, upset. Young can think of nothing to say that will comfort him and instead looks at his watch and then at the Stargate, worrying about his teams on the other side.)


DYING DESTINY. The teams begin to reach their destinations. Scott's team runs into the Armoury, some of them carrying stretchers, and begin to load all the weaponry that they can carry. Volker's team arrives on the Bridge, where another alarm is beeping insistently.

VOLKER: I'll start here.

BRODY: Let's make this quick. Spread out. Over here, guys.

(The team members work their way around the Bridge, pulling components from every panel they can find. Dale finishes in one spot and moves to another, grimacing at the noise.)

VOLKER: Can we try to get that alarm off?

(At the rear of the ship, another part of the engines blows up and sets off a bit of a chain reaction. Destiny jolts and everybody looks up in concern.)

(Tamara's team arrives in the Infirmary and runs inside. Sparks shower from consoles and wall panels and the air is filling with smoke.)

JOHANSEN: Start at the back!

(Shoving her flashlight into her mouth, she begins sweeping together all the medication and dressings she can find as her colleagues do likewise.)

(Varro's team makes its way to a closed set of doors. He pushes the wall button and the doors open, immediately issuing a huge blast of flame. Varro hurls himself to the side, slamming the button to close the doors again. Once they have shut he looks round at his colleagues.)

VARRO: Guess we're not going in there.

(Darren Becker's team arrives at Hydroponics and they begin pulling up all the plants and stuffing them into boxes.)

(In the Control Interface Room, Nicholas tugs components out of one of the consoles while alt-Rush is working on another one. Standing nearby, Lisa looks at the two men and frowns.)

PARK: So this must be pretty weird for you two, huh?

RUSH: Yes.

(The other one doesn't bother replying, and both of them continue cannibalising the consoles for parts.)

(On the Bridge, Dale looks at the latest component he has tugged from a console.)

VOLKER: Half the ones I'm pulling are burnt out from the overload.

(Adam takes his flashlight from his mouth and reaches for the device.)

BRODY: I'll take what we can get.

(Dale hands it over.)

BRODY: Go get your CO2 nodes. We need to breathe too.

(Dale trots to the rear of the Bridge and looks at another team member.)

VOLKER: Penault. You're with me.

(The two of them head off.)

(In a corridor elsewhere on the ship, Telford slides down a ladder and then activates his radio.)

TELFORD: That's half time! Start packing it up!

(He meets a team returning with their haul.)

TELFORD: Get back to the Stargate, quickly as you can. Go!

(He chases off in another direction.)

(In the Armoury, Matt and his colleagues are finishing their packing as the sun glows strongly through the windows.)

SCOTT: Gettin' hot, huh?

JAMES: Yeah, but it's a dry heat.

(As Scott grins round at her, the ship shakes violently as more explosions go off at the rear of the vessel.)

SCOTT: All right, that's it. We're outta here. Move! Go!

(Putting their backpacks on, the team picks up the stretchers loaded with weaponry and heads out of the doors.)

(Elsewhere Telford is chasing around and rounding up teams.)

TELFORD: Get back to the Gateroom, double time!

(He trots into a storeroom near the Mess where Chloe's team is gathering all the food they can find.)

TELFORD: How're we doin'?

ARMSTRONG (showing him the boxes she's just taken off the shelf): We eat tonight.

TELFORD: Excellent. Get outta here.

ARMSTRONG (to her team): Pack it up!

(Everyone grabs their bags.)

ARMSTRONG: Come on, let's go!

(They run off.)

(In the Infirmary, T.J. has tied as much as she can carry into a sheet and now lugs it up onto her shoulder as she calls out to her team.)

JOHANSEN: All right, that's it, let's go!

(They too grab their haul and race off.)

(Meanwhile Team Rush has arrived in another control room, and the boys look at a large console thoughtfully.)

ALT-RUSH: What do you think?

RUSH: I think it's not on the list.

(Despite the comment, alt-Rush walks over to the wall panel and takes down the grating covering it. Behind it are two large power conduits, one of them lit and the other one dark.)

ALT-RUSH: It'll double the amount of weapons we can bring online.

(As he reaches for the lit conduit, Nick turns to Lisa.)

RUSH: Do we even have time for this?

(Lisa lifts her radio.)

PARK: Colonel, we've come across a piece of equipment that could significantly increase our weapons capability, but we're up against the clock.

TELFORD (over radio): For that, we should risk it.

(Alt-Rush snorts sarcastically.)

ALT-RUSH: For once he agrees with me!

(Shrugging off his backpack, he reaches for the conduit again and starts trying to tug it free.)

RUSH: Look, I'll go and I'll bring back the proper tools. Be careful not to touch the damaged one - about a thousand volts running through that.

ALT-RUSH: D'you think I might know that?!

(Nick grimaces and half-smiles, then turns and leads Lisa away. Alt-Rush continues trying to find a way to get the conduit free. He manages to tug the top connector off, then squats down to see how he can lift the rest of it clear. Just then he hears or senses movement behind him and his head snaps round as Telford walks in.)

TELFORD: Didn't mean to sneak up on you.

(He walks over, shining his flashlight onto the panel.)

TELFORD: This is it?

ALT-RUSH: Yeah. The others took the parts we had back to the Gateroom. My younger self is coming back to help, but I don't wanna wait for him.

TELFORD: You don't trust him either, huh?(!)

(Rush ignores him.)

TELFORD: So what went wrong?

ALT-RUSH (sighing in irritation as he continues to work on the conduit): What are you talking about?

TELFORD: Not that I think you would kill them all deliberately.

(Furious, Rush lets go of the device and straightens up.)

ALT-RUSH: I tried to save them!

(Telford strolls around in front of him, getting into his face. Nicholas backs up a step or two.)

TELFORD: You don't think I buy that story? Rush valiantly keeping the Gate open while the ship explodes all around him?

ALT-RUSH: I don't care what you think.

TELFORD: It wouldn't be the first time you'd sabotaged the ship to make an ass out of me, would it? The last time we tried to dial Earth from inside a star comes to mind, among others. So what went wrong?

ALT-RUSH: The wormhole was unstable.

TELFORD: I'm talking about what really happened.

ALT-RUSH: Their blood is on your hands, not mine.

TELFORD (yelling): They would have all made it home but you did something!

(He pokes his finger repeatedly onto Rush's chest as he speaks.)

ALT-RUSH (also yelling): I was trying to buy them some time!

TELFORD (still yelling and poking at him with every syllable): Oh, and there is not a single person left alive to confirm it!

(Rush, now incandescent with rage, shoves Telford away from him.)

ALT-RUSH: Get your hands off of me!

(David's back slams against the open wall panel. He stares wide-eyed at Rush as the scientist points at him furiously.)

ALT-RUSH (screaming ferociously): You're the coward! You're the one who didn't believe in the mission! You're the one that killed them!

(He stops and his eyes widen as he suddenly realises that Telford's left arm had slammed against the damaged conduit and that David's wide-eyed gaze is sightless and unseeing. David's body trembles slightly as the power surges through him.)

ALT-RUSH: Oh no!

(He hurries forward and automatically reaches towards the colonel but realises that there is no way he can touch him and pull him away without electrocuting himself. He claps his hands over his mouth in horror as he realises what he has done.)

ALT-RUSH (whimpering high-pitched): Oh no!

(David's body continues to tremble, and his sightless eyes now begin to fill with blood. Rush stumbles back, still aghast with horror and unable to believe what's happening. Some seconds later, sparks fly and the conduit powers down. Telford's dead body drops to the floor and smoke begins to drift upwards from his chest. Still wide-eyed with horror, Rush steps forward and stares down at him in anguish.)


GATEROOM. In the Gateroom, the teams are gathering with their spoils. Scott leads his own team in and directs them to a gap on the floor where they can lay the stretchers down.

SCOTT: All right, right over here.

(He looks around as Nicholas runs in and trots over to a toolbox to collect something from it.)

SCOTT: Hey, Rush, where's your other, uh ...?

RUSH: He's found something for the weapons system.

SCOTT: There's no time!

RUSH (grabbing the tool and hurrying out again): He's got time. I'm just going back to help him.

SCOTT: All right, I'll go with you.

(He points at one of the scientists.)

SCOTT: Dial the Gate and keep it open for us. T.J., get these people out of here.

(He chases off after Nicholas. T.J. calls after him.)

JOHANSEN: Don't stay too long!

(She turns to the teams.)

JOHANSEN: All right, everybody move out. We're gonna dial the Gate.

(Everybody grabs their bags and moves them out of the way. On the other Destiny Eli straightens up from where he has been leaning on the console as the Gate begins to spin.)

WALLACE: They're dialling back.

YOUNG (consulting his watch): Good.

(He looks round as Camille comes back in.)

YOUNG: That was fast.

WRAY: I wasn't finished reporting, but when Colonel Telford found out that we were still here, he insisted that he be allowed to use the stones to switch with someone - preferably himself.

WALLACE: That's weird.

YOUNG: Yeah, well, it can wait. At least they know we're alive.

(The Gate kawhooshes and the three of them turn their attention to it.)


DYING DESTINY. Alt-Rush steps closer to David Telford's body and peers down at it. Another explosion goes off nearby and he stumbles, almost bumping into the panel, but he braces himself and then looks down at Telford again. Finally the import of what he has done hits him and he breaks down in tears.

ALT-RUSH: Oh no!

(He pounds his fist against the nearby wall, sobbing, then runs to the nearest doors and slams the wall panel to open them. With his face full of anguish, he looks back at Telford one last time and then hurries away. Smoke continues to rise from Telford's chest as he lies there alone.)


DESTINY. Back on the other Destiny, the retrieval teams have arrived back and are unloading their spoils and carrying them away. Young activates his radio.

YOUNG: Lieutenant Scott, where the hell are you?

SCOTT (over radio): We're going after something that's supposed to double the weapons capability, sir.

YOUNG: Negative. You don't have time for that. I need you to locate Colonel Telford - he's not answering his radio.

(Matt is following Nicholas as the two of them run into the control room. Nick skids to a halt at the sight that greets him. Matt is still talking into his radio.)

SCOTT: Roger that, sir. We're coming right ...

(He stops dead as he sees what Nick is looking at, and his thumb slips from the radio's Talk button.)

YOUNG: Scott, say again. You were cut off.

(Matt and Nick walk forward slowly, staring in disbelief at the sight of Telford lying there. The whites of his eyes are completely bloodshot and smoke is still rising from his body. Matt manages to activate his radio.)

SCOTT: We found the colonel, sir. He's dead.

(Everyone in the other Gateroom turns and stares at Young as they hear Scott's voice.)

YOUNG (into radio): Where's Rush?

SCOTT: He's right beside me. I don't know where the other one is.

RUSH: I do.

(Dropping the tool he'd been carrying onto the floor, he runs off. Scott tries to stop him.)

SCOTT: Hey-hey-hey! Rush!

(But Nick has already gone. Scott lifts his radio again.)

SCOTT: Sir, Rush just ran off on me.

YOUNG: Let him go.

SCOTT: But, sir ...

YOUNG: You only have a few minutes before the shield fails. Let him go. That is an order, Lieutenant.

(Unhappily Scott shines his flashlight onto Telford's body one last time, then he turns and races for the Gateroom.)

(Elsewhere, Nicholas is pelting along the corridors. Eventually he races into the Chair Room and - as he had expected - his alternate self is already there, standing in front of the Chair and staring down at it. He lifts his head slightly as Nick walks in but doesn't meet his eyes.)

ALT-RUSH: It was an accident.

RUSH: I believe you. (He draws in a breath.) But they won't.

ALT-RUSH: No.

RUSH: Tell me: when you dialled Earth, what really happened?

(Alt-Rush closes his eyes briefly.)

ALT-RUSH: I told you what happened.

(Nicholas nods, though it's not clear whether he completely believes himself or not. He looks at the Chair.)

RUSH: And so now you're trying to decide whether or not to sit in that Chair.

ALT-RUSH: Well, wouldn't you, in my place?

RUSH: I'm not sure if even the knowledge of the Ancients can help you now.

(His older self looks round at him briefly.)

ALT-RUSH: Well, I really don't have anything to lose at this point.

(He looks down at the Chair again.)

ALT-RUSH: Imagine what I could learn.

RUSH (softly): Well, you won't have much time.

ALT-RUSH: Well, time's relative. We've just proved that, haven't we?

(Nicholas gazes at his alternate self, quite possibly feeling almost jealous of the opportunity that has been presented to him.)

RUSH (softly): So what are you waiting for?

(The older man looks round at him.)

ALT-RUSH: I need your help.

(His eyes filling with tears, Nicholas nods his understanding and walks to the console. The other man gazes at the Chair for a few moments longer, then turns and sits down. Nick activates the controls, then looks up towards his other self, who settles into the Chair but doesn't look across to him.)

ALT-RUSH (quietly): Thank you.

RUSH: Goodbye.

(He activates the final command and the restraints spring out and trap the other Rush's wrists and ankles. The headpiece flips over the headrest and the prongs move inwards and make contact with his temples. He closes his eyes. A bright white spotlight shines down onto the Chair from above it and the rest of the room darkens. Nicholas walks around to the front of the Chair and gazes down at his other self for a long moment, then turns and leaves the room.)

(From an external viewpoint, Destiny is plunging backwards towards the star. Massive explosions go off at her rear end as more of her engines fail. The ship jolts violently, almost throwing Nick to the floor as he stumbles away from the Chair Room. Behind him, white steam or smoke begins to furl downwards from the ceiling to envelop the Chair and its inhabitant.)

(Nick races towards the Gateroom, ducking explosions as he goes. At the Gate, Scott is standing right at the edge of the event horizon with his head lowered, about ready to give up the wait, but now he raises his head as Nicholas comes pelting into the room. Behind the scientist, the corridors begin to explode. Scott gestures him forward as if it will make him run faster.)

SCOTT: Come on, come on, come on!

(Nick charges onwards and hurls himself towards the event horizon. In the Chair Room, we get one last glance of the older Nicholas as he sits calmly with his eyes closed, steam billowing around him as he merges with his Destiny.)

(From outside, we see that Destiny is finally succumbing to the heat surrounding her. She shimmers as she plunges backwards into the star, and she gently and unspectacularly - but ever so beautifully - disappears from view.)


On her younger sister, Nicholas and Matt come crashing through the Stargate's event horizon just as the Gate shuts down. Nick falls to the floor. As he pulls himself up onto his hands and knees, Matt leans over and glowers down at him.

SCOTT: You're welcome.

(He walks away as T.J. kneels down to Nick and hands him a water bottle.)

RUSH (breathlessly): I'm OK, I'm OK.

(He takes the bottle and drinks from it. Matt walks over to Chloe and they hug. Camille comes over to Nick and leans down to him.)

WRAY: Nicholas?

RUSH: Yeah.

(He pulls himself to his feet.)

WRAY: Where's the other Rush?

RUSH: I don't know.

YOUNG: You told Scott you knew where he went.

RUSH: I was wrong. Went looking for him - couldn't find him.

YOUNG: Maybe he decided to go down with the ship.

RUSH: Doesn't sound like me.

YOUNG: Still, you must, uh, you must be pleased about one thing.

RUSH (lifting the water bottle to his lips again): What's that?

YOUNG: Well, we can ... we can fix the ship; get on with the mission.

(Nick takes a long drink before lowering the water bottle and nodding.)

RUSH: Yeah, of course.

(He nods again.)

RUSH: Get on with the mission.