Transcript

Summary | Production | Transcript | Fan Reviews

Destiny comes upon a colony of humans who claim that their civilization was founded two thousand years earlier ... by Destiny's own crew.

EPISODE #217
ORIGINAL AIR DATE: 04.18.2011
SYNDICATION AIR DATE: 04.23.2012
WRITTEN BY: Robert C. Cooper
DIRECTED BY: Peter DeLuise
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Transcript by Callie Sullivan

DESTINY. Adam Brody is with another couple of scientists. One of the CO2 scrubbers has been disconnected and slid out of the wall and Adam is looking down at a hand held device.

BRODY: We're down to about twenty percent efficiency here.

(He flicks a switch on the wall and clamps grip the scrubber and slide it back into the wall. Adam looks round at his colleagues.)

BRODY: That's about all we're gonna get. Movin' on.

(They walk away as air again begins to bubble through the scrubber.)


CORRIDOR. Everett Young is walking along but stops and turns as Tamara Johansen comes out of a junction behind him. Her face still shows signs of injuries from her encounter with the lizard cat, so presumably only a few days have passed.

JOHANSEN: Sir.

YOUNG: T.J.

JOHANSEN: Hey, I've had a number of people reporting headaches; a couple of cases of nausea and dizziness. I don't know if they're related but both cases are sleeping in fourth floor C-quarters.

YOUNG: Yeah, something on this bucket is always broken. Rush and Brody are working on it. We need more lime for the air filters.

(Just then a shimmer envelops the ship as she comes out of F.T.L. Young activates his radio.)

YOUNG: This is Young. What do we got?

(On the Bridge, Dale Volker lifts his own radio.)

VOLKER: Uh, two Gates. One is locked out; the other looks promising.

YOUNG: I'll send a team.


OBSERVATION DECK. Eli Wallace walks in and finds Chloe Armstrong and Camille Wray sitting together talking quietly.

WRAY: ... whatever we decide to do, I think the ...

WALLACE (walking over to them): Hey.

WRAY: Oh, hey.

WALLACE: They just reported back. Looks like the planet may have some of the supplies we need.

(He leans against the railing with his back to the windshield.)

ARMSTRONG: Oh. I don't suppose they've found any of those purple fruit we got a while back.

(She grins at Camille.)

WRAY: Oh yeah, yeah!

WALLACE: You liked those? Those were awful!

ARMSTRONG: Oh yeah, they tasted terrible.

WRAY (nodding in agreement): Mmm.

WALLACE (frowning): So why'd you ask?

(Chloe and Camille smile secretively at each other.)

WALLACE: Why am I always the last one to know? What were they good for?

(Camille giggles but Chloe looks over Eli's shoulder as she notices distant movement in the star field.)

ARMSTRONG: Hey, did you see that?

WALLACE: No, no, you can't just change the subject.

ARMSTRONG: No, seriously. Look.

(She stands up and goes closer to the windshield.)

ARMSTRONG: Something moved out there.

(The others in the room walk over to join her and she points.)

ARMSTRONG: There.

(They follow her finger and realise that what looks like a small group of ships is moving towards them.)

WRAY: What is it?

(The vessels come closer and soon their shape becomes obvious. Eli stares in dread.)

WALLACE: Those are drones.

(They are indeed drones identical to the ones that have attacked them before, and as soon as they come into range they begin to fire on Destiny.)

WALLACE: We're under attack.

(He turns and runs from the room.)


BRIDGE. Young, Ronald Greer and Matthew Scott race onto the Bridge as it lowers into the ship to protect itself. The younger men run to consoles at the front and Matt takes Dale's place. Lisa Park is also at a console. Young jumps into the command chair as more screens lower down from the ceiling.

YOUNG: Evasive manoeuvres!

SCOTT: Executing evasive manoeuvres.

GREER: Weapons active.

(The drones swarm around the ship but now she begins to return fire and immediately blows one away.)

GREER: Got one.

YOUNG: How many are left?

GREER: Five.

PARK: There has to be a command ship in the vicinity.

SCOTT: Which means a lot more could be on the way.

(The firefight continues. Another drone is shot down and crashes heavily onto Destiny's surface, setting off more explosions inside the ship. The jolt sends Eli stumbling as he hurries into the Control Interface Room where Nicholas Rush is already working.)

WALLACE (recovering his balance): Woah. That can't be good.

RUSH: We're taking some minor damage. I'm re-routing power to shields and weapons.

(On the Bridge, Greer concentrates as he swings one of the weapons towers around to fire repeatedly at an incoming drone and eventually takes it out.)

SCOTT: Nice shot! You're getting pretty good at that!

GREER: Bring it on.

PARK: Let's hope they don't. Maybe we can handle six of them, but we can't jump back into F.T.L. for another two hours and ten minutes.

(Greer's console bleeps and a red warning light goes white.)

GREER: That's all of them.

(An alarm sounds.)

SCOTT: Wait a minute. Not exactly. The command ship just came up on sensors. It's on an intercept course.

YOUNG: Put 'em on our six; give me maximum acceleration.

SCOTT: Yes, sir.

(He swings Destiny around so that she's heading away from the command ship.)

SCOTT: All right, the command ship is still gaining but just barely now. If we can keep this up until we're good to jump ...

PARK: We can't. Not a chance. We'd blow the engines.

YOUNG: Buy as much time as you can.

(He hurries from the Bridge and goes to the Control Interface Room.)

YOUNG: What the hell happened? I thought we left drone-occupied space behind a long time ago.

WALLACE: Apparently we were wrong.

RUSH: No, we weren't.

WALLACE: Are they tracking us somehow, coming after us?

(Nick shrugs.)

YOUNG: How?

RUSH: I'm not sure.

YOUNG: D'you think it has something to do with the one we have on board?

RUSH: I've considered that. I thought it might be worth the risk, you know, to study it.

WALLACE: It's totally dormant.

YOUNG: Get rid of it.

(Nicholas nods. Lisa radios from the Bridge.)

PARK: Colonel Young, this is Park. Destiny just cut off power to the sub-light, probably to prevent a burnout. D'you want me to override?

RUSH (to Young): I wouldn't recommend it.

YOUNG (into radio): That's a negative. How 'bout the command ship?

PARK: They've slowed as well, but still closing. E.T.A. is less than one hour.

YOUNG: Understood.

(Nick looks round at the countdown clock.)

YOUNG: How long 'til we jump?

RUSH: Yeah, we're cuttin' it close.

WALLACE: We jumped early before.

RUSH: And the damage it caused is precisely the reason why we can't attempt that again now.

YOUNG: I don't think we can survive another full-on attack.

(Nick looks round at him.)

RUSH: You'd better hope that we can.


LATER. Shortly afterwards, Scott, Greer, Brody and a couple of marines have carried the dormant drone into a corridor.

SCOTT: All right. Set her down.

(Carefully they lower the drone to the floor.)

SCOTT: OK, let's move.

(They walk away and close the nearest bulkhead.)

SCOTT (into radio): All right, we've sealed off the area by the docking collar.

RUSH (to Eli): OK. Open the outer door.

(Eli works his console and the drone is ejected out into space. As it passes by one of the weapons platforms, the gun swings around, fires a single shot and blows the drone into bits.)

WALLACE: Destroying that drone only helps us if we make it to the next jump - assuming that's how they tracked us in the first place.

(He looks up from his console as Nicholas frowns at him.)

WALLACE (smiling falsely): Sorry. Just panicking out loud.


LATER. BRIDGE. Far too shortly afterwards, Eli's worst fears are realised as a large ship falls in behind Destiny. Young hurries onto the Bridge.

YOUNG: What's our status?

SCOTT: Command ship's just coming into range.

(Young sits down and looks anxiously at the countdown clock above his head. Out in space, scores of drones deploy from the command ship and head towards Destiny. Dale looks anxiously at his screen as alarms sound.)

VOLKER (nervously): OK.

(In the Control Interface Room, Eli hurries over to Nick's console, looking up at the countdown clock as he goes.)

WALLACE: We're not gonna make it.

(They both look down at Nick's screen which shows the swarm heading towards them. Outside, the leading edge comes into range and the first drones begin to fire. On the Bridge, Lisa looks around at the colonel, terrified.)

PARK: Sir ...

(All around the Bridge, wall panels and consoles begin to explode. Outside the Control Interface Room similar explosions go off and everybody ducks from the sparks. On the Bridge, Scott swings around in his seat.)

SCOTT: We're taking a lot of damage, sir. We can't hold them off.

(Eli looks across to Nick and speaks sternly.)

WALLACE: Now. We have to jump now.

RUSH: Not yet. Transferring all remaining power to the shields.

(More explosions go off everywhere. The countdown clock turns red, going into its last minute of the count. In their different locations, Everett and Nick stare at the clock, willing it on. Finally it reaches zero and beeps. Nick shouts into his radio.)

RUSH: Full power!

(And Destiny jumps. On the Bridge, just about every console is beeping a warning.)

YOUNG: Shut off those damned alarms!

(Lisa turns a dial and the Bridge falls silent.)

YOUNG: How bad is it?

VOLKER: Well, we're still here.


LATER. MESS. Eli sits down at a table with Scott, Greer and Chloe.

WALLACE: That was close.

ARMSTRONG: Yeah. How are the repairs going?

WALLACE: Could be worse, I guess. We could use a few more of those robots.

SCOTT: Shoot, you're lucky you have two!

WALLACE: No, we're lucky we're still alive. This ship can't possibly hold up against another attack like that.

SCOTT: Well, hopefully they can't track us any more.

WALLACE: Don't you hate having to start that sentence with "hopefully"?!


BRIDGE. Dale's console beeps an alert.

VOLKER: We have a planet coming into range.

BRODY: It appears Destiny wants to drop out of F.T.L.

YOUNG: Override it.

(Nick throws a concerned look over his shoulder at him. Adam turns around in his seat.)

BRODY: We need lime for life support. This planet might be a good candidate to have it.

RUSH: Look, we can't stay in F.T.L. forever.

YOUNG: I'd much rather the ship be in a better state of repair.

RUSH: Well, we've dealt with the most critical issues.

(He turns around to face Young.)

RUSH: Look, I can't guarantee it's gonna be safe, but I can guarantee if we don't stop pretty soon, we're gonna have trouble breathing.

(Young looks at him for a moment.)

YOUNG: OK.

(He turns to Dale.)

YOUNG: Drop out.

(Destiny exits F.T.L.)

YOUNG: Please tell me there's no more drones in range.

VOLKER: Screens are clear ... for now, anyway.


GATEROOM. In the Gateroom some time later, a Kino flies into the open Stargate. Scott and Greer, geared up for an offworld sortie, wander over to the console at which Eli is standing.

SCOTT: What do we got?

WALLACE: Good atmosphere, temperature. Trees. Looks nice.

SCOTT: OK, let's go.

(He leads his team through the Gate and they trot down the ramp on the other side, aiming their weapons in all directions. Scott radios as he goes.)

SCOTT: This is Scott. We're gonna check out the immediate vicinity of the Gate. Have Brody and his team standing by.

WALLACE (into radio): Roger that.

SCOTT (to his team): Secure the perimeter.

(The team spreads out around the large clearing in which the Stargate is situated. There is forest all around them. Greer swings around and aims his rifle into the trees as he hears twigs cracking nearby.)

SCOTT: What is it?

GREER: I think I heard something.

(He steps slowly towards the trees. Scott turns and aims in his direction, covering the area. Some seconds later, two humans hurry out of the trees towards them. Scott yells out to them.)

SCOTT: Stop! Freeze! Halt!

(The two people - a young man and woman in their late teens or early twenties - skid to a halt. The woman drops the large knife she is carrying. The man stares at the team for a moment and then holds out his own knife point downwards while holding up his other hand in surrender.)

JASON: Oh. Don't shoot.

(He drops his knife to the ground. Scott stares at him in amazement.)

SCOTT: You speak English!

ELLIE: You came through the Gate!

(She looks at him more closely.)

ELLIE: Oh my God. I know you. You-you're Matthew Scott.

(As Scott gapes at her, her gaze turns to Ron.)

ELLIE: And you're Ronald Greer.

(In his surprise, Matt has allowed his rifle to lower but now he pulls himself together and raises it back up again, speaking sternly.)

SCOTT: How do you know our names?

(Jason and Ellie flinch at his tone, and Ellie looks across to Jason.)

JASON: You're the ancestors.


LATER. Young is briefing a group in the Mess.

WRAY: They call them the ancestors. Why would they say that?

YOUNG: According to Scott, they claim that their civilisation was founded two thousand years ago by the crew of the Destiny. They say it was in their historical archives. They even had copies of old Kino footage and that's how they were able to recognise Scott and Greer.

JOHANSEN: How is it possible?

WALLACE: The other Destiny. They dialled inside a star, right, and the whole ship went back in time, what, twelve hours? When that happened, there was two of everyone - you, me, everyone. We thought that most of them died in the unstable wormhole trying to get back to Earth, but what if they didn't die? What if the wormhole sent them even further back? We know solar flares can do that: cause a wormhole to loop back on itself and move through time.

WRAY: But it didn't loop back on itself.

RUSH: There was no Destiny here two thousand years ago. The wormhole simply jumped to another Gate in the vicinity.

WALLACE: This is unbelievable! Those people are our descendants!

YOUNG: Eli. We didn't go back in time.

WALLACE: Well, no, not us exactly, but the other us. Same D.N.A.

(He looks around at the others as they look bewildered.)

WALLACE: Oh, come on! Am I the only person here who thinks this could be the coolest thing ever?!

(T.J. gives him a rueful smile. Camille still can't smile at all.)

WALLACE: Fine. Don't you at least wanna know what happened to them; how they survived and developed as a society?

ARMSTRONG: You played a lot of Sim City as a kid, didn't you?

WALLACE: Actually, this is more like Sim Earth.

(He turns to Young.)

WALLACE: Come on. We have to go talk to these people.

(Young and Camille share a long thoughtful look, then he turns to Rush.)

YOUNG: There's still no sign of any drones?

RUSH: No, we should be safe enough here at the moment.

WALLACE: See!

RUSH: But please let's not lose sight of why we dropped out in the first place.

WALLACE: Lime for the scrubbers. Yeah, I know, I know.

YOUNG: All right.


PLANET. The Stargate is open and Eli, Chloe and Camille come through. Jason and Ellie gape in amazement as they see them. Matt introduces them to the new arrivals.

SCOTT: Hey, everyone, this is Jason and Ellie.

(The two youngsters walk closer, still gazing in awe at the newcomers as they walk down the ramp. The girls smile at them, and Eli gives them a grin.)

WALLACE: Hullo.

JASON: You're Eli Wallace.

WALLACE: Yeah.

ELLIE (staring at Chloe): Chloe Armstrong.

(She turns her gaze to Camille.)

ELLIE: Camille Wray.

WRAY (smiling): Pleased to meet you.

JASON (laughing in delight): I don't even know how this is possible! You're all dead, thousands of years ago.

WALLACE: Yes and no. There's a perfectly good explanation.

ELLIE: Well, the Testament did say that the Destiny might some day return.

(Camille frowns at Eli, who turns to her.)

WALLACE: The other me could have guessed we'd gone back in time.

JASON: You have to come and meet the others. The settlement's not far.

SCOTT: OK, sure. Lead the way.

JASON: I'll radio ahead and make sure they know we're coming.

WRAY: You have radios.

JASON: Of course.

ELLIE (excitedly): No-one's gonna believe this. They're totally gonna freak out when they see you!

(The Destiny crew laughs at her language and attitude. Eli grins round at the girls.)

WALLACE: This is so cool!


LATER. The group is walking through the woods.

ELLIE: When we first heard you come through the Gate, we thought maybe you were from Novus.

SCOTT: What's Novus?

JASON: The planet where you founded our civilisation two thousand years ago.

ARMSTRONG: You mean this isn't it?

JASON: This place? No. Our people came here as part of an expedition, one of several sent to find other viable worlds.

WALLACE: So you use Gate travel?

JASON: We did, but then one day something happened and we couldn't connect to Novus any more. There are no other Gates in range.

WRAY: So you've been stranded here. How long ago did that happen?

ELLIE: It was before Jason and I were even born.

(She points ahead of them.)

ELLIE: It's just up this way over here.


ELSEWHERE. Shortly afterwards, they walk into the settlement, made up of a collection of tents with a large aerial in the middle. There's an interesting mixture of old fashioned and modern technology around the site, and the team looks in surprise as they watch a couple of kids chase around the camp tossing a ball back and forth. Eli waves as the group approaches.

WALLACE: Hi.

(The kids look at the new arrivals, then turn and run off.)

SCOTT: Oh, hey-hey, it's OK! Don't be afraid!

(The children run deeper into the camp and alert an older man who is sitting on a bench. Everyone else stops and stares at the new arrivals. Camille raises her hand in greeting to some of them.)

WRAY: Hullo.

(The old man stands as the group approaches him. He stares at their faces in amazement.)

YAOZU: Incredible.

JASON (to the Destiny crew): This is Yaozu.

(Camille stares at the old man.)

WRAY: That was my father's name.

(Smiling, she holds out her hand and steps closer.)

WRAY: I'm Camille Wray.

(He reaches out a little hesitantly and clasps her hand in both of his.)

YAOZU: It is an honour to meet you.

WRAY: Likewise.

(He looks around at the others, then gestures them towards a large tent nearby.)

YAOZU: Come in, please.

(He leads them to the open entrance of the tent and, smiling, gestures for them to go inside.)

WRAY: Thank you.

(She leads the others inside. It appears to be their equivalent of the Mess and has several long tables with chairs around them, and a cooking area at the back. Scott and Greer take off their caps as Yaozu gestures to the man and two women - all of them quite old - who are working at the cooking area.)

YAOZU: May I introduce Landon, Abigail and Betty.

WALLACE: Betty.

WRAY: Hullo.

YAOZU: Would you care for some tea?

WRAY: Yes, yes, thank you!

YAOZU: Will you sit?

SCOTT: Sure, why not?

WALLACE: Sitting's good.

(They all sit down around a table with Yaozu as the rest of the settlement gather outside and watch them. Betty brings over a tray with several small metal cups on it and nervously offers it around.)

WRAY: Oh, thank you.

(Greer lifts one of the cups and holds it up in a toast towards Betty.)

GREER: Thank you.

BETTY (smiling at him): You're even more handsome in person.

(Ron chuckles, embarrassed, then looks round at his colleagues.)

GREER: Betty seems nice.

(Matt and Chloe grin. Camille takes a sip of the tea.)

WRAY: Mmm. Oh, that's good! Thank you!

YAOZU: Most of us - myself included - never imagined this day would come.

WALLACE: Uh, Ellie said the Testament spoke of Destiny's return. If that's some sort of written history, I'd love to take a look at it. If I could figure out ...

WRAY (interrupting): Eli. There's time.

(He nods and settles back.)

YAOZU: You have questions for us; we have questions for you as well. But first, let me begin with some ancient words of greeting.

(He raises his cup. The others do likewise. He speaks a few words of Cantonese, then puts his hand on Camille's wrist as she smiles delightedly.)

YAOZU: Which means?

WRAY (smiling around at the others): Uh, roughly, um, may all things go according to the wishes of those who hear it.

YAOZU: That's right.

(They all raise their cups and drink.)


DESTINY. The team has returned and Camille is sitting in Young's office telling him everything.

WRAY: There are about a hundred people in this settlement, and a couple of others just like it scattered in the vicinity of the Gate.

YOUNG: That's not much of a civilisation.

WRAY: But they claim that Novus - the planet they came from - has a population in the millions; and from the sounds of it, they were fairly advanced technologically.

(In the Control Interface Room, Dale, Lisa and Adam are discussing the news with Eli while Nicholas works quietly nearby.)

VOLKER: Obviously they had a head start. I mean, they had our knowledge.

PARK: Did they know they'd gone back in time?

WALLACE: No, but apparently the other me suspected it was possible. I wrote that one day Destiny could return.

PARK: Still, they must have been pretty surprised to see you.

(In the Mess, Scott and Greer are talking with another group.)

JAMES: How long had they been there?

SCOTT: Thirty years.

(Vanessa gasps in surprise.)

SCOTT: They were looking for other viable planets because their homeworld was suffering some kind of a natural disaster - volcanoes, earthquakes or something like that - but, I don't know, they said it was getting pretty bad.

(The conversations overlap each other.)

WRAY (in Young's office): And there was a fair amount of political tension.

YOUNG: Not surprising.

WRAY: No. Oh, but get this: there were two predominant countries on Novus, each based on a distinct political philosophy.

WALLACE (in the Control Interface Room): The people on the expedition were all from one country, called Tenara. They followed the teachings of this book, the Testament, which apparently some of us wrote.

PARK: Wait. "Tenara." That's Ancient. That means the Land of the Young.

BRODY: Or the Land of Young.

WALLACE: There was also another group of evacuees who ... (he rolls his eyes uncomfortably) ... blamed the other me for what happened.

(He looks across to Nicholas, who continues working without looking up. Eli lowers his voice.)

WALLACE: They thought Rush was still onboard Destiny and would one day come and rescue them. Eventually he became some kind of a saviour figure. They broke off and formed a country of their own.

BRODY: Oh, let me guess: Rusha?!

(Dale and Lisa laugh.)

VOLKER: That's funny!

WALLACE: They called it Futura.

VOLKER (losing his smile): Really?

BRODY: What's wrong with Futura?

VOLKER: It's a dumb name.

BRODY: Yeah? How is it dumb?

WALLACE: Apparently ...

(He nods towards Adam.)

WALLACE: ... he came up with it.

(Lisa turns and looks round at Adam with an incredulous expression on her face.)

WRAY (in Young's office): These people we met believe that the Stargate on Novus was either damaged or destroyed in a subsequent earthquake.

YOUNG: Right, so they have no idea what happened on their homeworld.

WRAY: No.

WALLACE (in the Control Interface Room): And check this out.

(He takes a small device, about the size of a flash drive, out of his pocket.)

WALLACE: It's a databank, compatible with Destiny's technology. It has copies of Kino video clips the evacuees made the first few years on the planet. It's us.

VOLKER: It's the other us.

(Eli nods his begrudging agreement.)

WALLACE: Apparently, to the people of Novus, the original Kino's a holy artefact, like the Dead Sea Scrolls.

(With an exasperated tone in his voice, Nicholas walks over towards the group.)

RUSH: Look, are we gonna get the supplies we need or not?

WALLACE: Yeah. They're helping us gather all kinds of stuff.

RUSH: Good. Then perhaps something useful will come out of this after all.

(Throwing an annoyed look over his shoulder, he strolls out of the room. Lisa sighs in disbelief that he could be so uninterested in the new developments, then turns to stare at Adam.)

PARK: I can't believe you helped found an entire country based on the hopes that he would come and rescue you!

VOLKER: I can't believe you named it Futura!

BRODY: Shut up.

VOLKER: Seriously, isn't that a font?

(Eli snorts laughter.)


PLANET. Various members of the expedition are bringing crates, boxes and other containers of provisions towards the open Stargate and piling it up ready for transfer onto Destiny. Scott advises some new arrivals where to put their baskets.

SCOTT: All right, this right here.

(He indicates what's in each nearby container to one of the military team.)

SCOTT: Medicinal; food; food.

(He smiles at the woman who has brought in the latest basket.)

SCOTT: OK, thank you very much.

(He puts a hand on the new basket and looks at his colleague.)

SCOTT: This also goes to Becker, right? There's a station set up in the Gateroom, OK? Make it happen.

(Nearby, a group of the military crew walks up the ramp with provisions and reappears in Destiny's Gateroom. Vanessa is standing nearby and directs each person to the appropriate area of the ship.)

JAMES: Hold. Hydroponics. Just place it right over there.


ELSEWHERE. Camille leads Yaozu, Betty, Jason and Ellie onto the Bridge.

WRAY: This is our Bridge.

JASON: This is awesome!

(Sitting at one of the front consoles, Dale grins in disbelief at Lisa.)

VOLKER: He said "awesome"!

WRAY: I'd like you to meet Doctor Rush.

RUSH: Hello.

(He stands up and steps down from the command chair.)

RUSH: I was just leaving, actually.

(Camille looks in concern at the way that Jason and Ellie step aside out of his departure route and lower their heads as if afraid of him. Although Yaozu and Betty don't appear to be as terrified, they too say nothing. He glowers at them all for a moment, then starts to walk out.)

RUSH: Well, you can stay as long as you like. I'm sure Doctors Volker and Park have many amusing stories to fascinate you with.

(He turns back to where Jason and Ellie have turned to watch him go. They quickly turn away again and lower their heads as he leaves.)

WRAY: Um, is everything all right?

(Yaozu glances at the youngsters as they come closer, still looking unnerved by their encounter.)

YAOZU: There are those somewhat less enlightened among our people who believe he is a demon who rips souls from human bodies and takes them to hell, where they suffer for all eternity.

PARK: It's funny how things have a way of getting twisted and exaggerated over time.

VOLKER: While others don't(!)

(Camille looks at Ellie's frightened face.)

WRAY: Uh, he's not that bad.

ELLIE: Many Futurans worship him like a god.

WRAY: Well, we won't tell him that.


DESTINY. In his office, Eli slots the Novus databank into his Kino reader as Chloe and T.J. stand behind him. A lot of static appears on the screen and Eli works on the console for a moment.

ARMSTRONG: I thought you said it was compatible.

WALLACE: Well, nothing ever works the way it's supposed to.

(He makes some more tweaks and the footage becomes clear and Eli - the other Eli - walks into view onscreen.)

WALLACE: Oh, there.

(His other self gestures around a clearing.)

WALLACE (on screen): This is the spot where we're gonna break ground. Hard to imagine now, but one day - hopefully - this will all be one big city. Oh! And we-we took a final vote last night to name the planet. I suggested it should be something in Ancient. Volker said Novus Mundus, which means "new world." While appropriate, nobody really liked the sound of "mundus" ... except Volker.

(T.J. chuckles.)

WALLACE: Anyway, Novus ended up winning out - which ... it's kinda strange, because it just ... it means "new." Like, new what?

(He shrugs and looks around him.)

WALLACE: Well, new everything, I guess.

(He gestures grandly around and smiles into the Kino.)

WALLACE: So "Novus" it is.


GATEROOM. The Gate has shut down and the crew are busy removing all their new acquisitions from the room. Camille leads the Novus people onto the balcony.

WRAY: And here we are back at the Gateroom.

JASON: This ship is incredible.

WRAY: Well, it has its flaws.

YAOZU: Thank you for showing us around.

WRAY: You're welcome. And thank you for your people's help gathering supplies. They will serve us well for some time.

ELLIE: You've been so kind and patient answering all our questions.

WRAY: My pleasure.

YAOZU: We've only one more thing to ask of you.

WRAY: Of course. What is it?

YAOZU: Will you take us home?

(Camille stares at him in surprise.)

JASON: We haven't been able to dial the Gate. That doesn't mean that all of Novus is destroyed.

ELLIE: Just that the Gate isn't working.

JASON: This ship could take us there.

WRAY (shocked): All of you?

YAOZU: We were supposed to build a colony, but only with the help of our homeworld and an open Gate with providing ongoing support and supplies.

WRAY: I understand that, but ...

ELLIE: We're surviving, but just barely.

YAOZU: We have struggled through great hardship. It's hard to imagine the beliefs of the Futurans could be so close to the truth, but here you are, all of you, come to rescue us.


LATER. Eli, Camille and Nick are with Young in his office.

WALLACE: Shouldn't we try and help them? Forget the relationship. They're human beings. Imagine if the situation were reversed and it was us asking them for help.

WRAY: And we did. And despite the fact that they barely have enough to survive on their own, they've helped us gather everything we need - and more.

RUSH: Yeah, because they thought we were their way off that planet.

YOUNG: Well, correct me if I am wrong, but we can't take that many people on board even if we want to.

WALLACE: Based on the address, I figured out where Novus is. It would only take us a week to get there.

(Nick raises his head in alarm.)

WALLACE: And yes, yes, I've done the math. With the lime we got from the planet, we should be able to make it just before the atmosphere on the ship gets toxic.

RUSH: Yeah, with nothing in reserve. So what happens if we get there and we don't find any more? We're stuck. And that's not to mention the drain on our food and water supplies.

WALLACE: These people were advanced thirty years ago. They could be even more advanced now. Hell, maybe they could even help us restore the ship to its full working capacity.

RUSH: Or they could have died in subsequent earthquakes. I mean, do they even know what was causing the problem in the first place?

WRAY: According to Yaozu, their scientists were beginning to form a theory before the expedition was launched. They had evidence to suggest that a rogue black hole was approaching their solar system.

(Eli closes his eyes.)

YOUNG: Well, I take it that's not good.

(Nick shakes his head.)

WALLACE: The resulting tidal forces could tear the whole system apart.

YOUNG: So we could use all our supplies to get them there and then find no planet.

WALLACE: It might not have happened yet. It could take hundreds of years.

RUSH: Please, let's not forget: we still don't know how those drones tracked us. Now, until we figure that out, our best form of defence is to spend as little time out of F.T.L. as possible. The last thing we need right now is an unnecessary drain on our resources.

YOUNG: The planet's in our path, so we check it out. If they are still alive, maybe we can help them fix the Gate and they can rescue their own people.

(Nicholas nods his agreement.)

WRAY: Is that your final decision?

YOUNG: Let's finish loading the supplies.


KINO VISION. It's night time and the other version of T.J. is sitting on the ground beside a fire with a blanket draped over her. Her teeth are bared and she's sweating. Chloe and Camille are soothing her as best as they can as she screams in agony, then she turns and glares at the Kino as it hovers very close to her.

JOHANSEN: Eli, get that thing out of my face!

WALLACE: Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry!

(In his office on Destiny, Eli glances over his shoulder in embarrassment at T.J. who is again standing behind him with Chloe. In the footage, the Kino backs away and Eli can be seen standing some distance away working on his remote. Camille reaches under the blanket as T.J. gasps exhaustedly.)

WRAY: Yeah, it's time.

(T.J. groans as Camille moves to kneel between her legs.)

WRAY: On the next contraction I want you to push, OK?

(T.J. pulls in a breath, then screams in anguish as she bears down. On Destiny, Tamara watches herself with tears in her eyes.)

WRAY: Keep pushing!

(T.J. howls as she continues to bear down.)

WRAY: Keep pushing! KEEP PUSHING!

JOHANSEN: I'M PUSHING! Where is he?!

ARMSTRONG: Matt said they were scouting a place for an irrigation canal.

JOHANSEN: That was hours ago!

ARMSTRONG: Yeah.

(On Destiny, Chloe walks across to stand behind Tamara, puts her hands sympathetically on her shoulders and cuddles her as they continue to watch the footage.)

WRAY: He's gonna be here, all right? Just stay focussed.

JOHANSEN: OK.

WRAY: Deep breath and then push.

(T.J. hums as she concentrates on dragging in a new breath.)

WRAY: Now!

(T.J. pulls in a sharp breath, then screams as she bears down again, then looks up as Young comes scrambling into view and throws himself onto his knees beside her.)

YOUNG: Hey, hey, hi!

JOHANSEN (breathlessly): Hey! Hey, you made it.

(On Destiny, T.J. smiles fondly as her alt-self and her partner mumble affectionate nonsense to each other and he kisses her forehead.)

WRAY: I can feel the baby's head. OK, on the next contraction, I want you to give one big push, OK?

JOHANSEN: OK.

(Grimacing, she takes another breath as Everett strokes her hair, then she bears down, screaming. A moment later Camille's face breaks into a smile.)

WRAY: OK!

(She ducks her head under the blanket as she pulls the baby free, then looks up again, grinning.)

WRAY: It's a boy!

(Everybody laughs with delight as the baby begins to cry. On Destiny, both Tamara and Chloe are in tears. At the camp, Matt comes over and looks down at the group happily as Everett kisses T.J.)

SCOTT: A boy!

(He squats down and kisses Chloe. Eli, almost in tears, works his remote to turn the Kino towards himself, then flails his arms about, almost unable to string a sentence together.)

WALLACE: The first baby's born on Novus!

(On Destiny, T.J. and Chloe smile, and Eli watches the footage with a wistful look on his face. In the footage, Camille has wrapped the baby in a blanket and now lifts him up and hands him to Everett.)

WRAY: He's beautiful.

(Everybody gazes at the baby in delight as Everett cradles him for a moment, then leans forward and gently puts him into T.J.'s arms before bending over and kissing her deeply. On Destiny, Eli is so engrossed in watching the footage that he jumps as T.J. puts a hand onto his shoulder. He turns and looks at her and she smiles at him through her tears.)


KINO VISION. DAY TIME. Eli, looking a lot older than he normally does, is standing in the middle of a village of sturdy wooden houses with tiled roofs.

WALLACE: We've been here ten years now. Our little town's coming along ...

(He turns and laughs as a couple of small kids run past him.)

WALLACE (affectionately): Guys!

(He turns back to the Kino.)

WALLACE: Some of us even have children. It's been a struggle at times, but it's been kind of fun trying to find ways to make this work.

(He smiles, then looks wistful.)

WALLACE: I just wish my mother could see what I've done, and meet her grandson. That's my only real regret in all this.


KINO VISION. A grey-haired Everett Young is addressing the villagers. He smiles affectionately at everyone as he speaks.

YOUNG: I remember when we first came here was ... well, it feels like a long time ago now ... we had very little. It was really hard, but I think it brought us together. Everything we have here, we built with our own hands. And now we stand at a precipice. Some of us want to divide. Sure, yes, we have our issues and we have our differences, but we can't lose perspective. As your leader, I may not have been perfect, I know that, but I know that I tried my best and that I persevered. Now, as a group, we will survive. We will prosper as long as we can remember above anything else that we need each other, and we need to help each other.

(In Eli's office, he switches off the recording and he, Chloe and T.J. turn to look at Young who has also been watching that last section.)

YOUNG: Well, no, it doesn't ... gonna change anything here now.

WALLACE: I just thought it might sway your decision seeing that they are us. As much as we'd like to ignore their problems, we're all human beings. We have a responsibility to each other, don't we?

YOUNG: Well, unfortunately, what we should do and what we can do are too far apart. We'll stop by their home planet and we'll see what happened.

(Eli nods unhappily.)

WALLACE: I'd like to say goodbye.

YOUNG: Sure.


PLANET. Camille and Eli are standing in the middle of the settlement, talking with Yaozu and the youngsters.

WRAY: It's not a question of not wanting to help. It's a question of resources. There are so many of you and the ship's damaged and ... I'm so sorry.

YAOZU: So it seems the Futurans were wrong after all. I only wish we'd known sooner. We could have avoided generations of conflict.

WALLACE (awkwardly): We may be able to get the Novus Gate up and running again. If we can, we'll dial in and let you know.

(As the listening people mutter unhappily, Jason forces a smile.)

JASON: We'll be waiting.

(Just then there's a huge sonic boom in the sky. Everyone stares around anxiously.)

ELLIE: What was that?

SCOTT: Eli?

WALLACE: I don't know.

GREER (pointing upwards): Over there.

(A drone zooms rapidly overhead and begins to bank around for a second run.)

WRAY: Oh my God.

JASON: What? What was that?

WALLACE: We need to get the hell out of here, now.

SCOTT: Is there a place to hide - a cave?

YAOZU: Not nearby.

WALLACE (to Matt): We have to get to the Gate.

SCOTT (to Yaozu): We need to evacuate you people right now.

YAOZU: I don't understand.

GREER: Incoming!

SCOTT: Go, go, go, go, go, go, go! Run!

(The Destiny crew begin ushering everyone else away from the settlement and towards the Gate.)

WALLACE: Right, go, go, go! Hurry!

WRAY: Let's go!

SCOTT: Go, go, go, go!

(The drone is joined by another one and the two of them soar downwards and begin firing at the village. A shot from one of them clips the base of the aerial and it totters and falls. Greer stands nearby, calmly firing up at the drones as they fly overhead.)

(In space, a shedload more of the drones are attacking Destiny. Young comes onto the Bridge.)

YOUNG: Report.

PARK: The command ship just dropped out.

YOUNG: Can we jump?

VOLKER: Yeah, we're good.

YOUNG (into radio): Brody, this is Young. Dial the planet; get Scott's team back here immediately.

BRODY (from the Gateroom): They just dialled in. Drones are attacking the planet as well. Scott's requesting permission to evacuate the locals to Destiny.

(Young lowers his radio and hesitates as Lisa stares round at him. After a moment he lifts the radio again.)

YOUNG: Tell him to go ahead. We'll hold 'em off as long as we can.

(At the Gate on the planet, the villagers are running towards the Gate and charging into the event horizon.)

SCOTT: Come on, come on, come on, go, go, go.

WALLACE: Come on!

(A woman trips on the grass and falls over. Eli runs over and hauls her to her feet before shoving her towards the Gate again.)

SCOTT (to Eli): Go, go, go! We've got this!

WALLACE: No way!

WRAY: Not until these people are safe!

(They continue ushering and encouraging people onwards. In Destiny's Gateroom, Vanessa is doing a similar job with the new arrivals, keeping them moving so that they don't block the way for people behind them.)

JAMES: All right, guys, keep coming through! Here, keep coming. Don't bunch up!

(On the Bridge, Nick runs in.)

YOUNG: How the hell did they find us?

RUSH: I don't know.

(On the planet, Scott urges the next group of arrivals to swerve towards the ramp so that they'll be lined up by the time they get there.)

SCOTT: To the left, to the left, come on!

(Above him, a drone begins to dive downwards.)

WRAY: Get down!

(Scott and Greer fire towards the drone as it begins its strafing run. One blast hits the ground near to a running evacuee, throwing that person into the air. A second shot from the drone impacts the top of the Stargate, which disappears behind a cloud of black smoke. Greer and Scott swing around, continually firing at the drone as it soars onwards and one of their bullets hits it and it plunges out of the sky some distance away. As it crashes to the ground and explodes, the crew looks up while the sound of the other drones begins to fade as apparently they head skywards. As Scott looks around, he realises why: there is no more active technology for them to attack on the ground. A large chunk of the top of the Stargate is missing.)

(On Destiny, alarms are clamouring for attention as explosions continue to go off all around. Nick looks round from his console.)

RUSH: We can't take much more of this.

BRODY (over radio): Colonel, we've lost the connection to the planet. Scott and his team still haven't come through.

YOUNG (into radio): Try to dial them; find out what happened.

BRODY: We've tried already. The address won't connect.

VOLKER (looking round from his console): The Gate is now saying it's no longer operational.

(Nick hurries over to Dale's station to confirm this, then turns to Young.)

RUSH: OK, that's it. We have to go.

(He locks his gaze onto Young, who hesitates only momentarily.)

YOUNG: Make the jump.

PARK (frantically): Colonel!

YOUNG: DO IT!

(Nick hurries to his console as Lisa despairingly turns back to her own. Destiny's engines begin to hum and seconds later she leaps into F.T.L. flight.)


PLANET. The survivors have returned to the settlement and the injured are being treated. Eli wanders over to Matt and Camille.

WALLACE: I hate to be the one to say this, but we're stranded here.

WRAY: Well, even if we can't use the Gate, Destiny can still come back for us.

(Eli and Matt exchange a glance.)

WRAY: What?

SCOTT: They were under attack as well. The ship was already damaged. Even if they got away, they wouldn't be able to risk it.

WRAY: But the drones are gone.

WALLACE: But they don't know that, and without the Gate, we have no way to tell them.

(Ellie and Jason walk over.)

JASON: What were those things?

SCOTT: Robot ships. No pilots.

WALLACE: A mechanical army of drones, programmed to seek out and destroy all technology foreign to them.

JASON: They took out our generators and long-range transmitter.

WRAY: They were built to win a war between two alien races in this galaxy and when the war was over, the weapons were left behind.

ELLIE: Why would they come here?

(The Destiny crew exchange embarrassed glances.)

WALLACE: That might be our fault.

WRAY: We encountered them a little while ago. It seems they've been tracking us ever since.

WALLACE: We thought we'd lost them, but apparently not. They're chasing Destiny.

GREER: It still doesn't explain how they found us here.

(Eli thinks for a moment, then has a lightbulb moment.)

WALLACE: The Gate. An active Gate is a massive sub-space event. They must have found a way to detect it from long range.

(Camille suddenly realises something and turns to the youngsters.)

WRAY: You said that there were more settlements nearby. Do they have generators and other technology as well?

(Jason's eyes widen.)

JASON: We have to warn them.

(He and Ellie race off. Greer turns to the others.)

GREER: It's probably too late.


DESTINY. BRIDGE. Nicholas has come to the same conclusion as Eli has.

RUSH: It has to be the active Gate. Every time we drop out, we dial.

VOLKER: We've been broadcasting our position through sub-space.

RUSH: It's the only thing that would explain why they attacked the planet and Destiny at the same time.

YOUNG: So we are safe as long as we don't dial.

PARK: But the Gate is our supply line.

RUSH: Well, we can use the shuttle in the meantime as necessary.

VOLKER: The drones' ability to detect an active Gate must have some limitation.

RUSH: Well, I'll have to do the calculations but I agree: we should be able to use the Gates again at some point.

PARK: OK, what about the team on the planet?

RUSH: Well, we don't even know if they're still alive.

VOLKER: Don't we have to take that chance?

RUSH: What, and risk the ship and everyone on board?

(Dale looks at him in disbelief for a moment, then he and Lisa turn to look at Young. Young gazes at Nicholas for a moment, then turns to the others.)

YOUNG: He's right.

(Lisa walks away in disgust.)


CARGO HOLD. The Destiny crew are helping the evacuees settle in, and T.J. is treating the injured. Young walks in and goes over to her and Yaozu. The old man is comforting a young woman whose arm is in a sling. Young looks at him awkwardly.

YOUNG: Listen, I'm sorry. We're, um ... we're not going back.


PLANET. Eli has opened a side panel at the top of the Stargate's ramp and has plugged an Ancient device into it. Matt comes and joins him.

SCOTT: Camille said you were out here. What are you doing?

WALLACE: Uh, had an idea. Wanted to check something out.

SCOTT: I'm assuming this thing's never gonna dial again.

WALLACE (laughing ironically): No.

SCOTT: So, what's your plan?

WALLACE: Gates use short-range sub-space transmitters. It's how they communicate status updates with Destiny before it even drops out or dials and I was thinking maybe we could use it to send a message, tell 'em the drones are gone, it's safe to pick us up.

SCOTT: And won't the signal call the drones back?

WALLACE (a little hesitantly): I would like to say no. The signal is several thousand times fainter than the event caused by an active wormhole.

SCOTT: But you can't know for sure.

WALLACE: It's a ... calculated risk.

SCOTT: But if the signal's that faint, will it even reach Destiny? They've probably already jumped into F.T.L. by now.

WALLACE: No, it should reach them if they haven't gone too far.

SCOTT: So this is a total crap shoot.

WALLACE: It ... Pretty much.

(Matt nods.)

WALLACE: So far I haven't even figured out how to send a message.

(He pulls the cable out of the panel and plugs it in again.)

WALLACE: All I can do is turn this stupid thing off and on.

(Matt looks at him thoughtfully.)


DESTINY BRIDGE. Some time later, Dale is sitting at his console while Adam stands next to him. On the screen, the image of a Stargate is flashing intermittently on and off.

BRODY: "Mundus"?!

VOLKER: Yeah. It's Ancient for "world." Novus Mundus - new world.

BRODY: It sounds stupid.

VOLKER: Yeah, and "Futura" sounds cool?!

BRODY: Yeah. Obviously it's a matter of opinion.

PARK (coming into the room with Young): It's a font.

(Dale wiggles his fingers at Adam and turns back to his console.)

YOUNG: What have we got?

BRODY: Not sure. Have a look.

(Young walks over to the console.)

BRODY: It just started blinking like that. I'm not sure what it means.

(Young watches for a while as the image blinks on and off randomly. Suddenly he gets it.)

YOUNG: I do.

(He grabs his radio.)

YOUNG: This is Young. Rush, Chloe, I need you on the Bridge now.

(Dale finally realises what he has been watching.)

VOLKER: It's Morse code.


PLANET. Yawning, Eli comes out of one of the tents and walks over to where Camille is sitting at a fire in the middle of the settlement.

WRAY: Morning.

WALLACE: Morning.

WRAY: I'm starting to get the feeling that we may have to settle in here for good.

WALLACE: Well, one more shot.

SCOTT: ELI!

(They look up at Matt comes chasing into the camp.)

SCOTT: Hey, hey. You did it!

WALLACE: I did?!

SCOTT: Yeah, it worked!

WALLACE: How do you know?

(The response comes from above as engines roar and a Destiny shuttle-shaped object appears in the sky over their heads and heads towards the nearest open space. As Greer smiles cheerfully and Camille shrieks in delight and throws herself into Eli's arms, the second shuttle swoops over the camp. Greer whoops and applauds and Camille bounces around in front of Eli.)

WRAY: You did it!

SCOTT (grinning): Colonel Young said we're gonna take these people home.

(Much more cuddling ensues.)


DESTINY. The Mess is packed with people queuing for food as Eli collects his ration and looks around for somewhere to sit while trying to avoid bumping into anyone.

WALLACE (squeezing past someone): Sorry.

(He makes his way to a table and looks down at Lisa sitting on the end of the bench.)

WALLACE: Thanks.

(She and T.J., sitting next to her, budge up and make room for him.)

WALLACE: I know I said I wanted to help these people, but I've gotta be honest ...

(He smiles up at the people who are queuing nearby, then turns back to his colleagues.)

WALLACE: I'm glad we're almost there.

SCOTT: I think it's been kinda fun.

PARK: Don't tell that to Rush. He's been even grumpier than usual. He says the CO2 they're producing has completely offset the extra lime we brought on board. When they leave, we'll just be right back to where we started.

ARMSTRONG: Some of them were saying they'd like to stay.

WALLACE: I know. D'you think Colonel Young'll let 'em?

SCOTT: Guess it depends on how many.

JOHANSEN: Well, do you think their planet's gonna be in one piece when we get there?

WALLACE: Oh, absolutely.

(She looks at him doubtfully.)

WALLACE: The way they described the seismic activity, I'd say they've got years before it goes critical.

SCOTT: I don't know. If it was bad enough to make 'em send out those expeditions in the first place ... and that was thirty years ago.

ARMSTRONG: And what about the politics? I overheard some of them talking, and it sounds like things were getting pretty bad. Apparently both sides had nuclear weapons.

WALLACE: No, no, there's no way it would have come to that.

PARK: But they were facing an escalating natural disaster, putting pressure on their resources.

WALLACE: Which just as easily could have brought them together.

(Lisa shakes her head doubtfully. Eli looks round at the others.)

WALLACE: Guys, they're our descendants. We passed down all of our knowledge, our understanding ...

JOHANSEN: ... and apparently some of our disagreements.

(Young walks over to the table and looks at Matt.)

YOUNG: Lieutenant.

SCOTT: Sir?

YOUNG: We're about to drop out. As soon as we're in range, you're gonna be flying the first recon.

SCOTT: Yes sir. I'll go prep the shuttle.

WALLACE (awkwardly): If it's OK ...

YOUNG: Permission granted.

WALLACE (surprised): Thank you!


LATER. Some time later, one of the shuttles is flying towards a large grey planet. Most of it appears to be obscured by cloud. Scott looks around to his passengers.

SCOTT: We'll be passing into the atmosphere shortly.

(Jason and Ellie smile excitedly at each other, while Yaozu looks a little more anxious. Matt turns back and speaks quietly to Eli who is in the seat beside him.)

SCOTT: No radio signals.

WALLACE: Yeah, I noticed that.

SCOTT: They're supposed to be advanced, right?

(Eli looks back at him, biting his lip. In the rear of the craft, Yaozu appears to be having the same concerns and Camille, sitting beside him, can think of no words of reassurance to give him.)


DESTINY BRIDGE. A large group is waiting for reports from the shuttle. Nick walks in.

RUSH: So?

YOUNG: They're entering the atmosphere.

SCOTT (over comms): We're passin' through what appears to be a pretty thick layer of particulate matter; dust and ash.

(The shuttle vibrates gently as it makes its way lower. Scott's console beeps.)

SCOTT: All right, getting a reading on surface temperatures.

(He looks at the readings, his face shocked. He turns to Eli.)

SCOTT: It's pretty cold down there.

(On Destiny's Bridge, Lisa's face fills with dread as she hears him over the open comms.)

PARK: Oh God.

(T.J. and Chloe look around at her. She explains her reaction.)

PARK: Nuclear winter.

SCOTT: All right, cloud's breaking up. We should be able to see something here pretty soon.

(He gazes out of the windshield.)

SCOTT: Woah.

(Behind him, Yaozu rises to his feet for a better view.)

YOUNG (from Destiny): What is it?

(Finally we see Scott's view as the shuttle drops out of the clouds. It does appear to be winter and there's snow in the air, and on the ground below them is a large city of skyscrapers. Jason and Ellie walk towards the front of the ship and stare in awe.)

SCOTT: It's a city. It's a huge modern city and it's completely intact.

ELLIE: It's incredible.

SCOTT: I'm not picking up any radio activity. In fact, we're not getting any E.M. at all.

RUSH (softly): Of course.

YOUNG: What?

RUSH: Well, a layer of dust and ash blocking out sunlight, lowering surface temperatures: there's really only one possible explanation.

VOLKER: Extreme volcanic activity, like a supervolcano or ... worse.

RUSH: Not exactly nuclear winter but just as devastating.

(On the shuttle, Scott looks round to Greer.)

SCOTT: D'you see any movement down there?

(Greer checks his console.)

GREER: Negative.

SCOTT: I'm gonna bring us in for a closer look.

(The crew on Destiny's Bridge waits anxiously, then Scott finally reports.)

SCOTT: Sir, we've done another close pass over the city, including the outskirts.

(The shuttle is now flying through the streets of the city in between the skyscrapers.)

SCOTT: We've not seen any signs of people: no smoke from fires, no tracks in the snow, nothin'. It doesn't look like anyone's been around here for a long time.

(Jason has been staring in horror at Yaozu, but now turns to the others.)

JASON: But millions of people lived here. Where did they all go?

(Nobody has an answer for him. The shuttle flies on through the empty city.)