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Homeworld Command tries to convince an ally occupying a naquadria-rich planet to let them try to dial Destiny, but suspects that they have already been infiltrated by the Lucian Alliance.

EPISODE #215
ORIGINAL AIR DATE: 02.27.2012
SYNDICATION AIR DATE: 02.27.2012
WRITTEN BY: Rémi Aubuchon
DIRECTED BY: Helen Shaver
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Transcript by Callie Sullivan

EARTH. WASHINGTON. HOMEWORLD COMMAND. I.O.A. representative Richard Woolsey, formerly the civilian commander of the city of Atlantis, is sitting at a table. Beside him is David Telford wearing his dress blues. Opposite them sit four men wearing suits. Their fashion is not quite Earth-like, demonstrating that these gentlemen are representatives of another planet.

WOOLSEY: Mr. Ambassador. When we first spoke of using your planet's core as the power source to dial the nine-chevron address, it was a scientific mystery. Now it has become a necessity.

OVIRDA: It was always your intention to send people.

WOOLSEY: Not these people, not so unprepared. If we could open a supply line of equipment and relief personnel ...

OVIRDA: Mr. Woolsey ...

WOOLSEY: Planets with the required properties to do this are exceeding rare. What's more, ninety-nine percent of the work is already done. Your facility draws power from the core; the Stargate is in place ...

OVIRDA: Twice this has been attempted, and twice the planets were destroyed by a catastrophic chain reaction.

TELFORD: The overload at Icarus was a direct result of the enemy bombardment. In the second case ...

OVIRDA: We acknowledge there were mitigating factors in both cases. Nevertheless, our scientists believe Doctor Rush's solution is inherently dangerous.

WOOLSEY: Which is why we asked you to come here, sir. We have a new solution.

(He nods to a soldier standing nearby, who walks to the door and opens it. Standing outside is someone immediately recognised by regular viewers of "Stargate: Atlantis" in particular. As he walks into the room, Woolsey introduces him.)

WOOLSEY: Ambassador Ovirda, Doctor Rodney McKay.

(Walking to the end of the table, McKay puts his briefcase down and nods politely to the ambassador.)

McKAY: Ambassador.

(Ignoring the other men on that side of the table, he turns and nods to Woolsey and Telford.)

McKAY: Gentlemen.

(He gets his laptop out.)

McKAY: Just-just take a second to boot up. There isn't anywhere I can plug in, is there?

(Woolsey hesitates.)

McKAY: Ah, it'll be fine.


DESTINY. In his quarters, Nicholas Rush is standing at the wall mirror trimming his beard with a pair of scissors.

PERRY: Knight to Queen's Bishop five.

(Frowning, Nicholas turns around to where Amanda Perry is lying on her stomach on the edge of his bed and smiling across to him. His chess set is also on the bed. He walks over to the bedside and leans his hands onto the bed, looking over the top of her head at the chess board. He is almost close enough to touch her - if he could touch her - and she reacts accordingly, looking rather overwhelmed and turning her face away to prop her head onto one hand and follow his gaze to the chess board. Nick looks at the game for a long moment, then straightens up again.)

RUSH: Move it yourself.

(She giggles. He chuckles in response and walks across the room to put the scissors down.)

PERRY: Very funny! You're not concentrating.

RUSH: Well, I couldn't beat you when you were a flesh and blood person. What chance do I have now?

PERRY: I'm a person, Nick.

RUSH: Of course you are.

(He sits down on the other side of the bed.)

RUSH: I mean, what I meant to say - what I should have said is that you're more than that.

PERRY: I'm still me.

RUSH: What are you doing right now?

PERRY: I'm here with you.

RUSH: And?

PERRY (getting off the bed and walking around it): And, uh, analysing the structure you found in the database, and accessing the ship's sensors so I can study the nearest ...

(She trails off.)

RUSH: Wow!

(She laughs ruefully as she gets his point. She sits down on the bed again, closer to Nick.)

PERRY: OK. You have a point.

RUSH (smiling): So much more than a flesh and blood person.

PERRY: Then why is that the only thing I dream about?

RUSH (sadly): I have the same dream, and you're in it.

(Amanda's eyes drift away from his, and she stands up and walks away a few paces. Nick lowers his head sadly, then she turns back towards him.)

PERRY: There is a way.


EARTH. McKay has finally got his laptop fired up.

McKAY: OK, good to go.

(He turns it around on the table so that everyone can see the screen. Currently there is just a blue background with the words "It's all in the Algorithm" in the middle of the screen.)

McKAY: Sorry. Now, I'm sure we're all familiar with the old adage "It's all in the Algorithm." So ...

OVIRDA (interrupting): Doctor. I'm gonna stop you there.

McKAY: All I said was, "So."

OVIRDA: I'm not a scientist.

McKAY: No, but that's not a problem. I-I dumbed it down.

OVIRDA: There's no point in wasting our time.

McKAY: I can talk very, very fast.

(The ambassador stands up.)

OVIRDA: Let me ask you this: if our roles were reversed, would you be so blithe as to put Earth's population at risk?

McKAY: Well, there's no risk. That's the point.

OVIRDA: Hopefully, once our own scientists have had a chance to go over your work, they'll reach the same conclusion.

TELFORD: There's no time for that.

WOOLSEY: Colonel ...

TELFORD (to Ovirda): The Lucian Alliance wants Destiny. They know that your facility can get them there, and you know damned well that they will not take "no" for an answer.

OVIRDA: There's an excellent argument to dismantle the facility altogether.

TELFORD: Don't think that that will stop them. They will move in faster. They will do anything to get to the Destiny, and won't give a damn if they blow up your planet in the process.

OVIRDA: Then don't let them.

WOOLSEY: If we were allowed to show you that Doctor McKay's dialling solution is safe ...

OVIRDA: Oh, that is the price of your protection from the Lucian Alliance?

WOOLSEY: As a life-long practitioner of diplomacy, you must understand that sovereign states act in their own interest.

OVIRDA: The defence of a supply line, for example.

WOOLSEY (holding his gaze): For example.

OVIRDA: If and when our scientists reach the same conclusion as Doctor McKay ...

McKAY: No-no-no-no-no-no. It could take months for them to understand the science.

OVIRDA: Then that is how long you will have to wait.

TELFORD: The Alliance won't be as patient.

OVIRDA: I have no choice but to hope that you are wrong. Good day, gentlemen.

(He leaves the table and heads towards the door. As his colleagues stand and follow him, McKay grumpily shuts the lid of his laptop. Woolsey rubs his brow tiredly. Telford waits until the Langarans have left the room before speaking.)

TELFORD: The Lucian Alliance got to them. He just proved that to me.

(The other two look at him in surprise.)

TELFORD: We have to move.


LATER. Shortly afterwards, the three of them are walking along the corridors towards Telford's office.

McKAY: He didn't even look at my work.

WOOLSEY: Because he wouldn't have understood it in the first place.

McKAY: You saw my presentation. A cat could understand it!

WOOLSEY: He knows their government will only listen to the assurances of their own experts. We would do the same.

TELFORD: They've already made a deal with the Lucian Alliance.

WOOLSEY: I seriously doubt that.

TELFORD: I can prove it.

(Reaching the door to his office, he opens it and walks in. Everett Young is waiting inside.)

YOUNG: David. How'd it go?

TELFORD: Pretty much like I expected.

(Young turns to McKay.)

YOUNG: Doctor McKay, your reputation precedes you.

(Rodney frowns as he sees a young airman in front of him offering a hand to shake.)

AIRMAN: Some of it even good.

McKAY: And you are?

TELFORD: Sorry. Communication stones. This is actually Colonel Young, commander of the Destiny.

(He nods Young towards Richard.)

TELFORD: You know Woolsey.

(Too late, Rodney offers his hand but Young has already turned towards Woolsey and is shaking his hand.)

WOOLSEY: You said something about proof?

(Young gives a file to each of the civilians.)

YOUNG: Not exactly, but close enough.

TELFORD: We parked a dozen or so listening satellites around Langara.

(McKay and Woolsey look at the papers in the files.)

TELFORD: The communications are encrypted in a Lucian Alliance cipher we haven't broken, but there's enough back-and-forth to suggest that some sort of negotiations have been going on for some time.

WOOLSEY: Does the I.O.A. know this?

TELFORD: General O'Neill briefed the Chairman and the President this morning at an emergency meeting.

YOUNG: We are in an undeclared war with the Alliance. Now, if the Langarans have already sided with them, they can launch another attack on Destiny at almost any point.

McKAY: Without the benefit of my solution.

TELFORD: Which would make dialling the ninth chevron a hell of a lot more dangerous for the Langarans.

WOOLSEY: So we're "protecting them from themselves," is that it?

YOUNG: Well, if that's how you wanna put it, sure.

TELFORD: The general's authorised a mission to Langara.

WOOLSEY: What sort of mission?

YOUNG: We're calling it a "proof of concept," but before we get into that, we'll need McKay to run through his presentation.

McKAY: Ah! OK.

(He reaches for the briefcase which he had put down.)

YOUNG: Not here.

(He walks out of the room. McKay looks unhappy, as if he has guessed what's coming next.)


DESTINY. McKay opens his eyes in the Communications Room and looks down at the mirror on the table. He claps his hands to his cheeks at the sight of Adam Brody staring back at him.

McKAY: Who's this?

(Standing beside him, having returned to his own body, Young looks across to Vanessa James who is in charge of the stones.)

YOUNG: That's a good question. Where's Rush?

JAMES: He sent Mr. Brody in his place. He said you wouldn't care.

YOUNG: Oh, I don't. Doesn't mean he can do whatever he wants.

McKAY: What's wrong?

YOUNG: Rush was supposed to switch with you and go over your data on Earth.

McKAY: Wait. I thought I was here to talk to Rush?

YOUNG: No-no-no. You're here to talk to Eli. If you convince him, you've convinced me. Lieutenant, would you mind?

JAMES: Yes, sir. I'll take care of it.

(She stands up as Rodney looks down at the tatty clothes he is wearing with some distaste, then his attention is distracted by the fact that Vanessa's chest is directly at his eye level. He gazes at it intently as Young walks out of the room, activating his radio.)

YOUNG: Rush, where are you?

(Vanessa points two fingers at Rodney's eyes and pulls his gaze up towards her face.)

JAMES: I'm up here.

McKAY: Right, of course.

(He stands up.)

McKAY: We met at Stargate Command. It's, uh, Vanessa, right?

JAMES: Yeah.

McKAY: Hmm.

(He smiles admiringly at her as she starts to put her jacket on.)

JAMES: After you.

McKAY: Mm, no, ladies first.

(He gestures her towards the doorway. Knowing that he only wants her to go first so that he can ogle her backside, she stares at him pointedly as she continues shrugging herself into her jacket. Rodney gets the point.)

McKAY: I'll go.


ELSEWHERE. Outside the Chair Room, Chloe Armstrong is rubbing her hands together nervously as she waits for Colonel Young to join her.

YOUNG: Hey.

ARMSTRONG: He ran into me - literally - a while ago in a hurry somewhere.

YOUNG: He didn't say anything?

ARMSTRONG: He said to tell you he was taking the day off.

YOUNG: What does that mean?

ARMSTRONG: That's what I said. We just found him.

(They walk into the room where Nicholas is sitting in the Chair with his eyes closed and the headpiece connected to his temples. Tamara Johansen has been checking him over.)

JOHANSEN: His vitals are stable. There's some kind of programme running that I've never seen before. Don't ask, 'cause I don't got a clue.

YOUNG: I heard he's taking the day off.

JOHANSEN: Looks more like he's taking a nap. I'm reading delta waves; stage four sleep - very deep.

YOUNG: So now's when I say, "Wake the bastard up," and you tell me it's dangerous.

JOHANSEN: Well, it is.

YOUNG: All right. Well, let's find out what the hell he's doing and report back to me.


Nick can only hope that they don't find out what the hell he's doing, as he is currently lying face down and naked on his bed as a very naked Amanda crawls over his back, stroking and kissing his skin.

PERRY: You are in an immersive simulation programme. It was already in the Destiny's database. In fact, some of you have already experienced it.

RUSH: Colonel Young's no-win scenario.

PERRY: Hmm.

(She kisses her way down his spine as she speaks.)

PERRY: It was already so capable of hyper-realistic sensory input.

(Nick hums in approval. Mandy slides back up his body again.)

PERRY: All I had to do was find a way that we could experience it together.

RUSH: And that's where the Chair comes in.

(She slides across to lie next to him.)

PERRY: In a way, you're outside of your physical body right now. This would have been enough when all of it was only in your head. This way we can feel each other's touch.

(Wrapping one hand around his neck, she gently tugs him closer and kisses him deeply.)

RUSH: You must have had to put in some kind of conditions in order for the scenario to play out.

PERRY: Mmm. That was the easy part. The parameters are so simple that you should be able to come and go as you wish.

RUSH: So it's just the two of us, then, in our own little world?

PERRY: We have the whole matrix of the ship to ourselves.

(She and Nick kiss more frequently as they speak.)

PERRY: I think we could even take a shuttle somewhere if we really wanted to.

RUSH: Oh, really?

PERRY: Mmm-hmm.

RUSH: Well, we could try that some time.

PERRY (kissing him more deeply): Mmm. Not now.

RUSH: Definitely not now.

(He pulls her closer. And then they dun sex.)


CORRIDOR. Walking along a corridor, Young calls out as he sees Ronald Greer almost doubled over with pain as he braces himself against the wall.

YOUNG: Greer, are you nuts?

(Hearing his commanding officer's voice, Greer forces himself upright.)

YOUNG: You just donated a damned kidney.

(Ronald turns and limps on down the corridor, trying not to show his weakness.)

GREER: I just needed some exercise.

(Lisa Park comes racing down the corridor towards them.)

PARK: There you are!

(After only a few paces, Greer has to stop and brace himself against the wall again, doubling over as the pain becomes too much.)

PARK: Sorry, Colonel, he snuck out.

(As she pulls one of Greer's arms around her shoulders and supports him, Young leans into his face.)

YOUNG: Listen to me, Ronald. You're no good to me dead. I need you to get back to the Infirmary.

GREER: Yes, sir.

YOUNG: OK.

GREER: Yes, sir.

(Panting heavily with the strain, he allows Lisa to lead him away.)


ELSEWHERE. In a corridor elsewhere on the ship, McKay is standing and arguing with Eli Wallace. There are calculations chalked all over the walls.

McKAY: No-no-no-no. See, this is where you are completely wrong. It is impossible to make that deduction because it falls outside of the boundary conditions.

WALLACE (chalking something on the wall): This changes the boundary conditions!

McKAY: It doesn't work that way!

WALLACE: If you make the change, yes it does!

(He gestures dramatically at the calculations.)

WALLACE: Read the writing on the wall, man!

McKAY: Listen, kid. One semester at M.I.T. does not make you a ...

YOUNG (interrupting as he arrives with Vanessa): Gentlemen. I take it there are problems with this?

McKAY: What?

WALLACE: He-he thinks we're talking about your nine-chevron dialling solution.

McKAY: No-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no. We've moved on.

(He points towards Eli as the others walk closer.)

McKAY: Very, very bright, this kid. I mean, in many ways he reminds me of, uh, me at that age. 'Course, I was carrying around a lot less, um ...

WALLACE: Hair?

(Rodney throws him a look, which Eli returns with his own quirky smile.)

YOUNG: So, it'll work?

WALLACE: Oh, yeah, yeah. I wish I'd thought of it.

McKAY: Thank you!

YOUNG: Great. But just to be clear, without blowing up the planet?

WALLACE: I'd say the odds of that are ...

McKAY: ... statistically zero.

(Eli nods his agreement.)

YOUNG: Good.

McKAY: Now, Rush's original calculations were sound, don't get me wrong. It's just that he was using a trinary instead of a quad base, which of course threw off ...

YOUNG: Yeah, I don't really care, just as long as Eli says we're good to go.

WALLACE: Yeah. Yeah, we're good.

YOUNG: Let's go.

McKAY (indignantly): I just got here!

YOUNG: Well, you can come back any time. In fact, we pull this off, you can come back in person.

(He nods to Vanessa, who begins to escort Rodney back to the Communications Room. Rodney turns and points at Eli as he goes.)

McKAY: This is not over, mister.

WALLACE: Huh! Bring it!


EARTH. TELFORD'S OFFICE. Telford is bringing Woolsey up to date as Rodney, back in his own body, comes in. Young has also transferred back into the airman's body.

TELFORD: Brody bought McKay's solution.

McKAY: Of course he did.

(He sits down, looking anxious.)

McKAY: Look, he didn't eat any citrus when he was in my body, did he, 'cause I am not feeling well.

WOOLSEY: I assume this means you're going ahead with your mission.

YOUNG: I don't see that there's a choice.

WOOLSEY: Of course there is. Clearly the Alliance is putting something substantial on the table. If we go to them with some sort of a peace offering of our own ...

TELFORD: General O'Neill believes the Alliance will move in a matter of days, whether they're invited or not by the Langaran government. He also believes the Langarans would prefer siding with us if given the choice.

WOOLSEY: I agree, wholeheartedly!

YOUNG: Well, the goal of our mission is to make that choice easier by proving that Doctor McKay's solution is safe.

McKAY (exasperated): Oh, it's safe!

TELFORD: Our secondary goal would be to determine whether or not they've already made a deal with the other side.

McKAY: And if we find that out?

YOUNG (sternly): Well, then we will act accordingly. The Lucian Alliance is not gonna be allowed to attack Destiny again.

(Woolsey looks across to McKay for a moment, then turns back to the colonels.)

WOOLSEY: I think I can speak for both of us when I say that if your intention is to take their facility by force, we'll have no part of it.

YOUNG: Oh, of course not, Mr. Woolsey. We're gonna give them a peace offering.


DESTINY. Young, back in his own body again, comes with Eli to the Communications Room where Chloe and Tamara are keeping an eye on Nicholas.

YOUNG: T.J., any change?

JOHANSEN: I don't ... I don't think he's asleep. He's in something closer to a coma.

WALLACE: What's wrong with this guy?!

YOUNG: You know what, T.J.? This timing sucks, but Scott and I, we've gotta do this thing. You are in charge. Keep a defence team in the Gateroom at all times.

JOHANSEN: Yes, sir.

YOUNG: I also need you to check in on Greer. I ran into him in the corridor this morning.

JOHANSEN: What?!

YOUNG: He didn't look good.

JOHANSEN: No-no, he shouldn't be walking around!

YOUNG: Right.

(She hurries out of the room.)

WALLACE: Uh, aside from "taking the day off," did Rush say anything that might give us a clue as to why he did this?

ARMSTRONG: Not to me.

YOUNG: Well, maybe he couldn't bring himself to see how McKay improved on his work.

WALLACE: Look, I'm not saying he doesn't have an ego the size of a bus, but Rush would kill to bring people and supplies from Earth.

(Young walks closer to the Chair, looking at Nick closely.)

YOUNG: So, what was so important?

WALLACE: Oh, I'm sure he planned to tell me at our next heart-to-heart(!)

YOUNG: Just do me a favour. Get him on his feet so I can knock him on his ass when I'm back.


INFIRMARY. Greer wakes up as T.J. gently mops his sweat-covered forehead.

JOHANSEN: Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you.

GREER: Does it have to be so hot in here?

JOHANSEN: It's not. You have a fever, which means you're fighting another infection.

GREER: Good to know. I'll fight harder.

JOHANSEN: I wish it worked that way.

GREER: It does.

(T.J. walks away to fetch some water for him. Nearby, Dale Volker sits on the end of his bed watching Ronald worriedly. Tamara comes back and puts her hand under Ron's head, helping him to raise it as she puts a mug to his lips. He drinks a mouthful of water and lays his head back, sighing contentedly.)

GREER: See? I feel better already.

(He looks across the room at Dale.)

GREER: How's Volker?

JOHANSEN: Great, for a guy sporting someone else's kidney. I really didn't expect you to be the one who got sick.

GREER: Better me than him.

JOHANSEN: Why's that?

GREER (grinning): 'Cause I'm strong.

(She smiles back at him.)

JOHANSEN: Yeah, you are. But no more walking around, OK? You need to sleep. That's an order.

GREER (closing his eyes): Yes, ma'am.


CHAIR ROOM. Adam, back in his own body, looks up from his console.

BRODY: I got nothin'. You?

WALLACE: There's hardly any brain activity at all. It's like he's not even ...

(He trails off as a thought occurs to him, then hurries over to Adam's console.)

WALLACE: Go back in the logs as far as you can. His present physical state has nothing to do with this.

(Adam works his console, then both of them stare in amazement as text flows up the screen.)

BRODY: Holy crap.

WALLACE: Yeah. That is one hell of an upload.

BRODY: Over nine hundred terabytes were transferred into the Destiny's memory.

(Eli glares over to Nick's silent form as Chloe comes over to look at the console.)

ARMSTRONG: Eli, what am I looking at?

WALLACE: The complete and unabridged consciousness of one Nicholas Rush.


CORRIDOR. Nicholas and Amanda are walking along the corridors of Destiny. Their consciousnesses can apparently choose their own clothes, because they are both dressed in clothing they don't own on the ship. Romantically (apparently), they're also barefoot. Nick is touching the walls as he walks along.

RUSH: Feels strange with no-one else around.

PERRY (giggling): Thanks a lot!

RUSH: Eh? Oh! Must be different for you too.

(He takes her hand as they continue along the corridor.)

PERRY: Yeah, it's hard to explain. I mean, there are hours when I feel oblivious to the fact that there are even other people aboard.

RUSH: Yeah?

PERRY: Like when I'm looking outside of the ship, taking in the galaxy around us. And at other times I can pore through data in fractions of a second that would take me hours to read if I was ...

(She hesitates.)

RUSH: If you were, uh, what? A person, you mean?

(They stop walking and he pulls her into his arms. She wraps her arms around his neck.)

PERRY: I much prefer being here with you - I mean physically here. Existing as consciousness is ... lonely.

RUSH: Ah, you needn't be lonely ever again.

(She strokes his hair, gazing into his eyes.)

PERRY: You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear you say that.

(They kiss for a long moment, but Nick starts talking almost before he breaks the kiss.)

RUSH: In fact, if there was a way for me to interact with Destiny's real systems ...

(Still holding her hand, he starts to walk along the corridor again, thumping the wall at one point.)

RUSH: ... we could spend even more time together.

PERRY: But we can't. The system is isolated.

RUSH: It wouldn't be much of a simulation if it had real-world repercussions, would it?

(He stops and turns to her.)

RUSH: We'd best let Eli and Ginn know, for their sake.

PERRY: For now, is it OK if we keep it our secret?

RUSH: Yeah, of course.

(He pulls a face.)

RUSH: I really need to go now.

PERRY (pulling him into her arms again): Do you have to?

RUSH: Well, for one, I've been away long enough for Colonel Young to start getting hysterical.

(She giggles.)

RUSH: And another is, I have to work.

(She nods reluctantly.)

RUSH: So, is there a door somewhere, or do I just click my heels together?

PERRY (smiling): It's even easier than that.

RUSH: Yeah?

(Grinning, she pulls herself free and trots off down the corridor, looking back to indicate that he should follow. She leads him to the Chair Room.)

PERRY: All you need to do is sit, close your eyes, and when you open them you'll be back.

RUSH: Yeah. And the shouting, and the pointing, and the demanding of answers shall begin. Cannot wait(!)

PERRY: But you'll be back soon, won't you?

(Looking at her worried expression, Nick walks around behind her and wraps his arms around her waist.)

RUSH: Well, you can always come visit me in the real world.

(She nods and leans back into his arms as he kisses her shoulder.)

RUSH: I know it's not the same thing, but, hey, at least you know I love you for your mind as well as your body.

(She giggles.)

PERRY: Yes.

(Turning, she pulls herself free of his arms and puts a hand on his shoulder.)

PERRY: Go. Sit.

RUSH: OK.

(He walks around to the Chair and sits down in it.)

PERRY: I'll come say goodnight to you later.

RUSH: I'll see you then.

(Sitting back in the Chair, he puts his hands onto the arm rests. The lights come on above the Chair and the restraints spring out. Mandy watches him fondly as the headpiece comes over the head rest. Nick closes his eyes as the contacts move in to connect with his temples. Almost immediately they retract again, the lights go off and the Chair releases him. He opens his eyes. He is still wearing the shirt and jeans that he doesn't own on the ship, and Mandy is standing nearby.)

RUSH: Amanda.

(He looks round at her.)

RUSH: It didn't work.

(She stares at him in surprise and confusion.)


LANGARA. A large industrial facility is belching out smoke into the air. Inside, a large shaft has been bored down to the naqahdria core and pipework is feeding the energy to generators. At the end of the room is the Stargate. Langaran military guards are patrolling around, and their captain turns as the Gate begins to dial in. He calls out to his teams.

CAPTAIN: Defensive positions!

(Around the facility the troops move into place, aiming their rifles towards the Gate as it completes its dial-in and kawhooshes. Moments later Richard Woolsey walks through the event horizon, holding his hands out to the sides.)

WOOLSEY: I am unarmed.

(A major in dress blues follows Woolsey out of the Gate, carrying a small case. The Gate shuts down behind him.)

CAPTAIN (sternly): Mr. Woolsey, you were not expected.

WOOLSEY (walking slowly down the steps, his hands still raised): I am here at the request of my government, bearing gifts for both the ambassador and your chief administrator.

(Nearby, a young soldier picks up a phone and turns to the captain.)

SOLDIER: Should I call him for you, sir?

CAPTAIN: Not yet.

(He looks back at Woolsey as the soldier hangs up the phone.)

CAPTAIN: What sort of gifts?

(Richard turns to his colleague who holds the case flat for him so that he can open the lid.)

WOOLSEY: Symbols of our friendship. Artefacts carved by the Ancients themselves over a million years ago.

(He turns the case towards the captain, showing two gold coloured boxes inside. The captain steps closer and reaches towards them but Richard brushes his hand away.)

WOOLSEY: I would prefer if you didn't.

CAPTAIN: You don't think I would allow you to give something like this to Administrator Halpern without looking it over first?

(Sighing, Richard nods his agreement and gestures towards the case. The captain opens the lid of one of the boxes and sees a small black stone inside, resting on top of an illuminated screen. He picks it up ... and now Matthew Scott is in the man's body. His eyes widen as he makes the adjustment but he keeps his face as neutral as possible. Richard looks at him pointedly as Scott puts the stone down again.)

WOOLSEY: Well, Captain? Is it acceptable?

SCOTT: Looks fine to me.

WOOLSEY (closing the case and handing it back to the major): Then may I present it to the administrator?

SCOTT: Absolutely.

WOOLSEY: Excellent. I know the way.

(It's a good thing too, because Scott obviously doesn't, and he falls in behind Woolsey and the major as they walk away. The young soldier turns and watches them go, frowning.)


DESTINY. COMMUNICATIONS ROOM. On Destiny, the captain finds himself sitting in the Communications Room with his hands handcuffed to the arms of the chair. He looks around and then screams in terror as he sees Scott's face in the mirror in front of him.

CAPTAIN: What is this?!

YOUNG: You are on board the Destiny. I promise you you won't be harmed and you will be returned to your own body shortly.


LANGARA. On Langara, Woolsey, Scott and the major make their way to the office of Chief Administrator Halpern, who looks up in surprise as they walk in.

HALPERN: Woolsey! What are you doing here?

SCOTT: He's brought a gift, sir, for you and the ambassador.

(Halpern looks across to what, to him, looks like the captain of his security team.)

SCOTT/CAPTAIN: I've already inspected it. I'm sure it's harmless.

(He turns to the major who holds up the case so that he can start opening it.)

HALPERN: Captain, what you should have done is instruct Mr. Woolsey to return home immediately.

WOOLSEY (smiling pleadingly at him): At least read the inscription on the bottom of the stone. Please.

(Shortly afterwards, Halpern looks around Destiny's Communications Room in horror. In Colonel Young's body, he too is sitting with his wrists handcuffed to the arms of a chair.)

HALPERN: How is this possible?

JAMES: That I can't tell you, sir. Just stay calm. It shouldn't take too long.

(In the administrator's office, Young adjusts to his arrival into Halpern's body and looks up at Scott who is standing in front of him with the open case in his hands.)

YOUNG: We, uh, we pulling this off?

SCOTT: So far so good, sir.

(Everett looks down his own body at his shirt and waistcoat.)

YOUNG: What the hell am I wearing?!

WOOLSEY: SG teams four and five should be arriving in five minutes.

[And yes, he does actually say, "SG-1 teams four and five ..." but that makes no sense so I'm editing on the scriptwriter's behalf ...]

(Young reaches for Halpern's jacket which is hanging on the back of his chair.)

YOUNG: Well, let's go welcome them to our facility.


DESTINY. Inside Destiny's mainframe, Nicholas watches as Amanda works on a nearby console. She looks up at him in concern.

PERRY: It should have worked.

RUSH: Well, there's no point in panicking just yet.

PERRY: Maybe you should try it again.

RUSH: I have tried.

(She nods, flustered, and walks over to another console.)

PERRY: Maybe I can, uh, shut the simulation down another way.

RUSH: No-no, Amanda, that's a really good thought, but you can't do that from in here. The system's isolated. You told me so yourself. In fact, nothing you're doing at the moment's having any effect whatsoever.

(Frustrated, Amanda shakes her head and walks away from the consoles.)

PERRY: I don't know how I could have been so stupid.

RUSH: Oh, no, that's-that's ... that's one thing you're not.

PERRY (trying to smile reassuringly): It's probably just a glitch.

RUSH: Probably. But ... I can't leave and you can't fix it from here, so ...

(He looks at her expectantly.)

PERRY: Right.

(She looks at him nervously.)

PERRY: You'll be all right?

RUSH (smiling): I'll be fine. You go.

(She looks at him for a moment longer, then closes her eyes and concentrates. Instantly her body fades and disappears. Nick bites his lip anxiously.)


CORRIDOR. In the real Destiny, Eli walks into the corridor outside the Chair Room, calling out.

WALLACE: Ginn? Ginn!

(Inside the room, Adam has his fingers to Nicholas' neck as he checks his pulse. He calls out to Eli in exasperation.)

BRODY: Eli! She's in the ship's memory! It's not like she can hear you any better or worse out there!

WALLACE (walking back into the room): Then why isn't she answering me?

ARMSTRONG: Why are you so sure she can help us?

WALLACE: I think I know what Rush is doing, because Ginn and I had the same idea and, you know ...

(He points upwards to indicate the two girls.)

WALLACE: ... I think they talked.

ARMSTRONG: What?

WALLACE: In their ascension research, the Ancients experimented with the transfer of human consciousness all the time. I mean, it's how the stones work, right?

BRODY: We have no clue.

ARMSTRONG: Why would he do that?

(Eli turns and looks at her awkwardly, hoping she'll work it out for herself. Unfortunately for him, she doesn't.)

WALLACE: OK, so this is a little ...

(He laughs in embarrassment.)

WALLACE: The night before last, Ginn was visiting me in my quarters. We were talking and I said something like, "Wouldn't it be great if we could do more than talk?"

ARMSTRONG: You mean actual physical contact.

WALLACE: ... Yeah.

(Adam frowns for a moment, then catches on.)

BRODY: Oh! You mean ...

WALLACE: Yes! Yes, that's what I meant. Honestly, I was, I was just thinking out loud, but the suggestion did not go over well.

BRODY: Well, Eli, she just died and had her consciousness uploaded into the ship's memory, and you're just thinking about getting yours?

WALLACE: What? No, no, no-no-no. That part she was all for.

(Chloe lowers her head, hiding a smile.)

ARMSTRONG: Then why?

WALLACE: 'Cause she said it would be dangerous.

ARMSTRONG: Why?

WALLACE: You don't think uploading a human consciousness and back again is a little dangerous?

(They look at Nicholas' silent body in the Chair for a moment.)

WALLACE: When I tried to talk her into it anyway, she got mad ... or depressed ... or some combination of the two, and I haven't seen her since.


LANGARAN FACILITY. Scott, in his guise as the captain, has formed some of his team into an honour guard. Woolsey and Young-as-Halpern walk towards them.

WOOLSEY: I'm sure the discoveries we make will be of great benefit to both of our worlds.

YOUNG: Well, the ambassador and I couldn't agree more.

(The young soldier frowns across to the group where - to his eyes - Chief Administrator Halpern stops and turns to Richard.)

HALPERN: We're happy to help in any way we can.

WOOLSEY: Our people will be dialling in momentarily.

HALPERN: Of course.

(Young turns to the soldiers and walks through their ranks, speaking loudly so that his voice will carry to everyone in the room.)

YOUNG: We have agreed to attempt dialling the Stargate's nine chevron address immediately. This will be done to prove the viability and the safety of such a connection so that we will be able to provide ongoing support to their people on the other side. Now, I am confident that there is no danger.

(He looks at Scott.)

YOUNG: Captain.

SCOTT (loudly so that everyone can hear him): The team from Earth will be arriving shortly. We will give them our complete support and co-operation. Stow your weapons. These people are allies. Dismissed.

(As the defence team moves to follow their orders, the young soldier holds his ground.)

SOLDIER: Captain, what's going on?

SCOTT: I overheard them. They've offered to share in everything: information, technology ...

SOLDIER: The administrator said drawing that much power could overload the core, rip open the planet's crust.

SCOTT: Yeah, he's good.

SOLDIER: What?

SCOTT: He was bargaining.

(Clapping the young man on the arm, he walks away. The soldier frowns, still not convinced.)


DESTINY MAINFRAME. In their false world, Amanda has rejoined Nicholas on the Observation Deck.

PERRY: I'm sorry I was gone so long.

RUSH: I've been having quite the existential time of it, actually!

PERRY: Ah!

RUSH: Trying to perceive the difference between this place and the real world. And if there is one, well, I haven't found it.

(He taps the edge of the bar. It clonks reassuringly.)

PERRY: So, you'll still come back, then?

RUSH: Well, I have to go away first in order to come back.

PERRY: Well, it shouldn't be a problem any more.

(He smiles proudly at her.)

RUSH: Never a doubt. What was the problem?

PERRY: Actually, it was Ginn.

RUSH: Ginn? What's she got to do with this, then?

PERRY: I don't think she approves of this.

RUSH: None of her bloody business.

PERRY: I know. But somehow her disapproval manifested itself in keeping you here.

(Nicholas looks at her, trying to work out how that makes sense.)


LANGARAN FACILITY. The Stargate is open and Telford and McKay come through, followed by various military members of the S.G.C.

YOUNG: Colonel Telford, gentlemen, welcome.

(He steps forward and shakes Telford's hand. Rodney offers his own hand.)

McKAY: McKay. Doctor Rodney McKay.

(As they shake hands, Young widens his eyes at Rodney slightly. Woolsey also looks at him nervously until Rodney gets it.)

McKAY: Right.

(Telford smiles, then turns to Young/Halpern.)

TELFORD: With your permission, Administrator, we'll get started.

YOUNG: The facility is at your disposal.

TELFORD: McKay, put us to work.

McKAY: Right. You and your team check to make sure the power relays are still connected to the Stargate, while I hook up their woefully antiquated excuse for a mainframe.

(Telford and the SG teams move out while Young walks closer to Scott.)

YOUNG: I want somebody on every entrance of this building.

SCOTT: It's a big building, sir.

YOUNG: Well, use their own people if you have to.

(He walks away. The young soldier still frowns suspiciously as he watches him go.)


DESTINY MAINFRAME. Nick and Amanda are holding hands in the Chair Room.

RUSH: Shall we have another go, then?

(She nods. He kisses her on the cheek, then walks over to the Chair and sits on the edge of it. She raises a hand to him.)

PERRY: 'Bye.

RUSH: We'll see.

(He sits back. The lights come on overhead and the restraints deploy. He closes his eyes as the head piece flips into place and the contacts connect with the sides of his head. Immediately they retract again, the lights go off and the head piece and restraints withdraw. As he opens his eyes, Adam is standing in front of him and calls out to the others.)

BRODY: He's back. He's back!

RUSH (tetchily): There's no need to shout. They can see me!

(He's back in his normal clothes.)

WALLACE: What the hell were you thinking?

RUSH: I'm thinking I'm rather hungry. How long have I been away?

PARK: Almost twelve hours.

RUSH: That seems about right.

(He stands up and starts to walk out of the room. His legs have stiffened up and he stumbles along unsteadily.)

PARK: You know, if you're gonna do something like this, you should tell someone.

RUSH: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

BRODY: Young is pretty pissed!

RUSH: Yeah, well, he can shout at me later.

(Eli follows him from the room.)

WALLACE: How could you be so blasé about this? You could have died in there!

RUSH: You can shout at me on the way to the Mess if you like!

(He hobbles on. Eli turns around and throws a look at the rest of the team, then turns and follows after Nick.)


MESS. Nicholas is tucking into a meal while Eli sits opposite him.

WALLACE: I don't believe it.

RUSH: Amanda said it was some kind of subconscious act of disapproval.

WALLACE: Ginn would never hurt anyone.

RUSH: Ah, it doesn't matter anyway. I'm back.

WALLACE: What was it like?

(Nicholas looks thoughtful for a moment, then looks around the room to make sure nobody's too close to hear him. He beckons to Eli and leans forward across the table. Eli does likewise.)

RUSH (softly): Entirely ...

(He pauses for a long moment.)

RUSH (softly): ... personal.


LANGARAN FACILITY. Young is talking quietly with McKay as Rodney checks the place out.

YOUNG: We're not gonna be able to keep up this charade forever. How long is this gonna take?

McKAY: I gave you my best guess in the briefing.

YOUNG: You also said you'd re-assess once we got here.

McKAY: Well, the facility's already drawing power from the naqahdria core, which speeds things up considerably. On the other hand, this is more or less 1940s technology, which can slow things down.

(He gestures towards the Stargate.)

McKAY: Then again, there's the "they don't build things like they used to" factor.

YOUNG: One hour or two, McKay - which is it?

McKAY: If we end this conversation right now, I can still manage the former.

(Young turns and throws him a look.)

YOUNG: Sheppard's right.

(He walks away. McKay looks at his back indignantly.)

McKAY: About what?

(Young keeps walking, and eventually Rodney turns back to his work. Woolsey walks over and joins Young as they lean on the balcony overlooking the Gate.)

WOOLSEY: Perhaps now would be a good time to undertake our secondary objective.

YOUNG: By all means. I'll show you to my office.

(They turn and walk away. In the stacks nearby, the young soldier has overheard their conversation and now he hurries away.)


SHORTLY AFTERWARDS. Richard is in Halpern's office rummaging through all the paperwork. There's a lot of it and he's in there some time, but eventually he finds a folder whose contents cause his face to fill with concern. Meanwhile Young has gone back out to the main facility and is keeping an eye on things. Nearby, Rodney comes out of the stacks and types on a small device as a female Langaran worker watches him.

WORKER: How can you possibly control the power flow from so small a device?

McKAY: Because, technically speaking, as far as you're concerned I'm from the future.

(Telford walks over and speaks to the woman.)

TELFORD: Doctor McKay appreciates your help.

(He puts a comforting hand on her arm, smiling at her. She takes the hint and walks away. Telford turns to Rodney.)

TELFORD: What is it with genius and social skills?

McKAY (absently): Hmm?

TELFORD: Never mind. We're good to go as far as the Stargate is concerned.

McKAY: All right. Good, good. Just loading the programme, so ten minutes tops.

TELFORD: I'll just come right out and ask. Once we've proven we can do this, would you be interested in joining Destiny's crew?

McKAY: Oh, I never actually, uh ...

TELFORD: I know that you can pretty much write your own ticket as far as assignments are concerned, but there isn't a more exciting mission out there.

McKAY: Well, there's the niggling issue of not being able to get home.

TELFORD: Not yet, but we get the right people aboard, return Destiny to its former glory ...

McKAY: If that's even possible.

TELFORD: That's why I need you.

McKAY: I thought Colonel Young was in command.

(Telford throws a glance towards Young who is wandering around the facility nearby.)

TELFORD: Let me re-phrase: that's why we need you.

(Rodney nods in an "I thought so" way, then walks off.)


DESTINY. Nicholas is in his quarters, thoughtfully riffling the pages of an empty notebook. He looks up and smiles as Amanda reappears.

RUSH: Mandy.

PERRY: I just wanted to make sure you got back all right.

RUSH: Home again.

PERRY: I'm glad. I was worried.

RUSH: I know you were.

PERRY: The last thing I would ever want is ...

(She trails off and raises her head in concern, then vanishes. A shimmer envelops Destiny as she comes out of F.T.L. but the ship shakes violently for a moment. Elsewhere on the ship, Eli braces himself on his console and then straightens up, looking around in concern.)

WALLACE: What the hell was that?

GINN: An emergency shutdown of the F.T.L. drive.

(He turns and sees her standing nearby.)

WALLACE: Ginn.

GINN: I don't think there will be any damage, but I needed the distraction. Doctor Rush is in danger.

(Eli walks across to her and we now see that they're in the Chair Room and Nicholas is still in the Chair with his eyes closed and the device active.)

WALLACE: I know. We've been trying to get him out.

(He walks closer to her and automatically reaches out to hold her, but stops just before his hands don't touch her.)

WALLACE: And I've been looking for you.

GINN: It was a mistake. She didn't do it intentionally but there's no way out of the simulation.

WALLACE: Who are we talking about?

GINN: Doctor Perry. I tried to reach out to you sooner but she keeps stopping me, or suppressing me. It's hard to explain. It's taking all of my concentration just to be here.

WALLACE: Why would she do that?

GINN: She's trying to buy time to solve the problem in her initial programming of the simulation, but she can't. The only way to end this is from the outside.

(She stares at him intently. He frowns.)

GINN: You have to do it, Eli.

(Eli asks the question unwillingly, already knowing that he's not going to like the answer.)

WALLACE: How?

GINN (hesitating for a moment): You have to ...

(Her image disappears.)

WALLACE: Ginn!

(He walks around the room, staring about desperately.)

WALLACE: Ginn!


In his quarters, Nick straightens up as Amanda reappears.

RUSH: Hey. What happened?

PERRY: I sensed a potential overload in one of the F.T.L. drive modules. I was able to stop it with an emergency shutdown.

RUSH (smiling): Very good.

(She smiles and walks closer.)

PERRY: So, should I leave you to your work or can we sit and talk a while?

RUSH: Well, I should work really.

(She smiles ruefully.)

PERRY: I'll see you soon.

RUSH: Sure.

(She leans forward and kisses him on the cheek, then fades out of existence. Nick blinks and puts his hand to his cheek unhappily. The physical contact has confirmed his suspicions.)


LANGARA. Telford looks at his watch anxiously as Rodney attaches more wiring to a device near the Stargate. Woolsey walks over and clears his throat pointedly to get Young's attention. They both walk closer to the other two.

WOOLSEY: We have a problem.

TELFORD: You couldn't find proof?

WOOLSEY: Oh, I found proof all right: that for the past several months the Langarans have steadfastly refused to have anything to do with the Lucian Alliance.

YOUNG: It doesn't take that long to say "no."

WOOLSEY: In each exchange, they've been offered more - much more. And each time they've refused - apparently out of concern for jeopardising their alliance with us. I told you ...

TELFORD (interrupting): Woolsey, we had damned good reason to suspect ...

WOOLSEY (interrupting): Yes, because of our spy satellites.

TELFORD: This changes nothing.

(The telephone on the wall begins to ring. They all turn to look at it, then Woolsey turns back to Young.)

WOOLSEY: I believe it's for you, Administrator.

(Taking the hint, Young walks over and answers it.)

YOUNG: This is Administrator Halpern.

(He listens for a moment.)

YOUNG: Sir, I-I, I don't, I don't know who you've spoken to, but there is nothing to be concerned about. Everything ...

(He stops as apparently the phone goes dead.)

YOUNG: Ambassador?

(He hangs up and turns to the others.)

YOUNG: They're on their way.


DESTINY ... or, rather, Destiny's mainframe. Nicholas walks along the corridors, passing various crew members as he goes but not speaking with or being spoken to by any of them. He walks into the Control Interface Room, goes over to his console and looks at Eli who is standing at his normal console.

RUSH (typing as he speaks): Shouldn't you be trying to get me out of the neural interface Chair?

WALLACE: I might if you were still in the neural interface Chair, but seeing as how you ...

(He looks down at his console as it beeps warningly.)

WALLACE: What are you doing?

RUSH: Nothing to be concerned about.

WALLACE: You're dialling shield strength back all over the ship.

RUSH: Yeah. Not to worry.

WALLACE: No, you ...

(Alarms start to sound around the ship, accompanied by flashing lights.)

WALLACE: Stop, stop!

(He hurries over towards Nicholas.)

WALLACE: Listen, if shield strength drops below four percent, the ship will rip itself apart!

RUSH: You'll be fine.

(Nonchalantly, he turns and strolls out of the room.)

WALLACE: No, no, I won't ... You ...

(Frantically he turns to Nick's console and tries to undo what he's done, but the console beeps negatively at him. Nick strolls to the Observation Deck where Amanda is looking out at the F.T.L. vortex. She turns as he comes in.)

PERRY: Why are you doing this?

RUSH: Because I haven't left the simulation yet, have I? It's time for me to find a way out myself.

PERRY (anxiously): This isn't the way.

RUSH: Look, all simulations require parameters, conditions beyond which the programme scenario can no longer continue. If this doesn't stop it, I don't know what will.

PERRY (frantically): No, no, Nick, this is really happening. You're gonna kill everyone on this ship.

(He looks at her, hurt that she should continue to try to deceive him like this.)

RUSH (softly): I don't think so.

(They turn and look out of the window as the shield fails and the front of the ship begins to disintegrate, going up in a giant fireball. The inferno works its way slowly along the ship towards them and Nicholas watches calmly and unafraid as it reaches them and everything goes black.)


LANGARAN FACILITY. Scott and the SG teams are trotting around the facility to check that it's secure. Rodney types busily on a laptop near the Stargate while, nearby, Young walks over to Telford.

YOUNG: David. We need to reconsider what we're doing.

TELFORD: Better to beg forgiveness than ask for permission. That's what my dad used to always say.

YOUNG: Well, that only made sense when we could achieve a dial-up before we got caught.

TELFORD: We still can.

(He walks closer to Rodney.)

TELFORD: McKay, what are you waiting for?

McKAY: Programme is ...

(He types one last figure on his laptop.)

McKAY: ... running.

(The Stargate begins to spin. Unhappily, Young turns away but Telford steps into his way.)

TELFORD: Listen to me, Everett: I need to get back there and you need supplies.

(Scott trots over to them.)

SCOTT: Sir, there's a sizeable force gathering outside the building.

McKAY: Chevron one is encoded.

(The Gate stops as the first chevron locks, then it spins on. Young walks across to where he can be heard by everyone in the facility and calls out above the sound of the Gate spinning.)

YOUNG: If I could have your attention, please. For safety reasons, I need all Langaran personnel to leave this room immediately. Thank you.

(The staff begin to leave.)

WOOLSEY: There's no time. We should stop now and dial Earth.

TELFORD: No! We can't quit now; not when we're this close.

WOOLSEY: This will be a diplomatic disaster.

TELFORD: I give a damn about those people on that ship. I make no apologies for that. If we stop now, we give up any chance of helping them!

YOUNG: And if we don't stop, people will get hurt, David.

TELFORD: We've got two trained SG units, plus you and me. All we need to do is hold them off until we can make a connection.

(In the corridors around the central Gateroom, Langaran troops have made their way into the building and are hurrying along.)

McKAY: Chevron two encoded.

WOOLSEY (to Telford): Then what?

TELFORD: We stand down. We explain what happened, the whole thing, but at least we will have proven to them that it works.

McKAY: Chevron three encoded.

(Scott calls out in warning as Langaran troops run onto the gantries around the room.)

SCOTT: Sir!

(Young calls out to the SG teams who are taking up defensive positions and aiming their rifles at the new arrivals.)

YOUNG: Do not fire! I repeat: do not fire unless fired upon!

TELFORD: Everett, I do not wanna hurt anyone any more than you do, but we've only got one shot at this.

YOUNG: You wanna get back that bad?

TELFORD: Not just for my sake. This place can be Destiny's lifeline.

McKAY: Chevron four encoded.

(Accompanied by the young soldier, Ambassador Ovirda walks onto a gantry above the Gate and looks down at the team from Earth.)

OVIRDA: We know what you're attempting to do and it will not be tolerated.

(Young goes into Halpern mode.)

YOUNG: Ambassador, the Earth's delegation has convinced me that there is no danger.

OVIRDA: I don't know who you are, but Administrator Halpern would never agree to this.

McKAY: Chevron five encoded.

OVIRDA: My forces have been instructed to open fire if the dialling process reaches the eighth chevron.

TELFORD: We just want to prove to you that it can be done, that's all.

OVIRDA: The choice is yours.

(Young looks up at the determination on the ambassador's face for a moment, then walks down the steps and goes across to Rodney.)

YOUNG: Power levels?

McKAY: Well within my predictions.

YOUNG: So it would have worked?

McKAY: Absolutely.

(Raising his voice, he calls out to the SG crew standing directly in the kawhoosh zone.)

McKAY: Chevron six is locked, by the way, and I would not be standing there.

TELFORD: They won't shoot.

(Lowering his voice again, Rodney looks at Young.)

McKAY: Colonel, look, I may just be the brilliant scientist relegated to shouting out the obvious in terms of chevrons here, but while I'm stating the obvious, this mission is already a failure. It's only gonna get worse.

(Chevron seven locks and the Gate spins on. Young turns and walks towards the Gate. Woolsey looks at Rodney.)

WOOLSEY (quietly): Thank you.

(Young walks back up the steps and stands just in front of the spinning Stargate. He turns back to face Rodney.)

YOUNG: Shut it down.

(Nodding, Rodney turns and types rapidly. The Gate groans as it shuts off. Young looks up at the ambassador, then raises his hands in surrender. All around him the SG teams lay down their arms. Angrily, Telford raises his own hands.)


DESTINY CHAIR ROOM.

WALLACE: There's no way to shut down the simulation.

JOHANSEN: Why not?

WALLACE: Because Perry's the one who programmed the parameters. Unconsciously or not, she's keeping him there.

BRODY: So what are we doing?

WALLACE: Ginn told me the only way to do it's from the outside. Doctor Perry pulled her away from me before she got the words out, but ...

(He looks around at the others briefly, his face full of pain.)

WALLACE: ... I'm pretty sure I know what she was gonna say.

(He begins to work on his console.)


Inside the mainframe, Nicholas wakes up lying on his bed. Amanda is standing at the foot of the bed looking at him sadly.

PERRY: Why did you do that, Nick?

RUSH (sitting up): To prove that it wasn't real.

(She looks down.)

RUSH: Why did you lie to me?

PERRY: I-I thought it was some kind of glitch. I thought it was something that I could repair. If I could just keep your body alive while I found a way, you wouldn't have to worry.

RUSH: So what do we do?

PERRY: It's out of my hands now. Ginn finally got through to Eli.

RUSH: It was never her fault, was it?

PERRY (shaking her head): No. It was an innocent mistake in programming the parameters of the simulation. It's so simple that nothing could go wrong.

RUSH: What-what-what were the parameters?

PERRY: I don't blame you.

RUSH: For what?

(She looks away, blinking back tears.)

RUSH: Amanda. What were they?

PERRY: That we love each other. That's all. That was the only thing that needed to happen, and then you could have come and gone as you wished.

(He stares at her, unable to take it in.)

PERRY: I love you, Nick, but you don't ...

RUSH: No!

(He stands up and walks closer to her.)

RUSH: No-no, of course I do! That can't be the problem.

PERRY: It's not something you can will to be true.

RUSH: But it is true. I love you.

PERRY: This wasn't fair to you to begin with. I ... I've felt this way about you for most of my life ...

RUSH: No, no, no, Amanda, please listen to me here, now, I mean, not diverted to some bloody programme.

(She closes her eyes and sways tiredly.)

PERRY: You don't have much time. Eli has already started deleting the memory where our consciousness is stored.

RUSH: You and Ginn?

PERRY: It's the strangest feeling.

RUSH (frantically): Stop him!

PERRY: I can't.

RUSH: No, try! Protect yourself!

PERRY: I know you blame yourself for my death, but don't, OK?

(She reaches out and puts her hand on the side of his face.)

PERRY: 'Cause if that hadn't happened, then I never would have felt this.

(Nick draws in a tremulous breath, his eyes full of tears.)

RUSH: I do love you. I swear it.

PERRY (softly): Goodbye.

(She fades from view. Nick weeps.)


BRIDGE. On the Bridge, Scott returns to his own body. He is standing near the front windows with his hands cuffed in front of him. Standing nearby, Vanessa recognises the change.

JAMES: Is that you?

(Scott looks around as Young, also standing and cuffed, returns to his body.)

SCOTT: Yeah, it's us.

YOUNG: Yeah.

JAMES: How'd the mission go?

YOUNG: They've agreed to release our people in exchange for the defence of their planet from the Lucian Alliance; also the removal of the Stargate from their power facility. So: mission not accomplished.

(Vanessa grimaces. He holds up his bound hands.)

YOUNG: Speaking of letting prisoners free ...

JAMES: Oh!

(She takes out a pair of clippers and steps across to cut the tethers.)

JAMES: They seemed decent enough. I didn't think there'd be harm in showing them the ship and crew that they were trying to help.

(She walks across to release Scott.)

JAMES: I hope that was all right.

YOUNG: Lieutenant, in the grand scheme of things, I think that was the best decision any of us has made all day.


INFIRMARY. Nicholas regains consciousness on one of the beds. He sits up as T.J. comes across to him.

RUSH: What happened? How did I get here?

JOHANSEN: You've actually been back for a couple of days. It just took you that long to come out of the coma.

RUSH: What?

(He looks across to where Eli is sitting nearby, staring at him with eyes full of controlled fury.)

RUSH: Eli, what the hell did you do?

WALLACE: What the hell did I do?

(He stands up and walks closer, his face furious.)

WALLACE: I transferred the memory where they were stored into quarantine. They're cut off from the rest of the ship now, and us.

RUSH: "They"?

WALLACE: "There is no other way." That's what Ginn said. So that's what I did ...

(He glowers at Rush with hatred in his eyes.)

WALLACE: ... to save you.

(He turns and walks out of the room. Nicholas tries to get out of bed.)

RUSH: No, Eli ...

(T.J. pushes him back down onto the bed.)

JOHANSEN: Forget it.

(He stares frantically after Eli.)

JOHANSEN: You need to rest. In fact, you're lucky to be alive.

GREER (from a nearby bed): Listen to her, Doc. She knows what she's talking about.

(Nick looks across to him. Ron appears to have broken his fever at last, is no longer sweating and generally looks better. Nick lays his head back down on his pillow and gazes sadly into the distance.)