Transcript

Summary | Production | Transcript | Fan Reviews

Destiny is attacked by drone ships while attempting to recharge its power reserves, forcing most of the crew to gate to a nearby planet while Eli tries a risky alternative.

EPISODE #219
ORIGINAL AIR DATE: 05.02.2011
SYNDICATION AIR DATE: 05.07.2012
WRITTEN BY: Linda McGibney
DIRECTED BY: Andy Mikita
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Transcript by Callie Sullivan

DESTINY. Destiny is heading towards a distant star and its accompanying planet. In his office, Eli Wallace is watching Kino footage retrieved from the Novus database. On the screen, his alt-self's grandson is standing outside Eli Wallace Elementary addressing the villagers.

MATTHEW (onscreen): I'd like to thank you all for coming to this very special occasion: the dedication of our beautiful new school.

(As the speech continues, Nicholas Rush comes to the open doors and taps on the doorframe.)

RUSH: Hey. D'you have those calculations?

(Eli looks around and his eyes widen momentarily but then he scrabbles about on his desk and finds a piece of paper and hands it to Nick.)

WALLACE: Uh, bottom left corner.

(Nick looks at the paper, struggling to find which bottom left corner, because Eli has written calculations in different directions on the paper.)

RUSH: Well, here's hoping something comes of Mr. Brody's paper-making project!

(Eli laughs briefly, his eyes still fixed on the screen.)

MATTHEW (onscreen): Now, please help me welcome our guest of honour ...

RUSH: How many times have you watched that?

MATTHEW (onscreen): ... two-term mayor ...

(Finally Eli pauses the footage. He turns around and looks at Nick as if it's obvious why he keeps watching.)

WALLACE: There's no T.V.

RUSH: Look, really, Eli, if you've nothing better to do, there's far more important ...

WALLACE: I'm adding this footage to my documentary. I think it's important.

RUSH: Oh yeah? Why's that, then?

WALLACE: They're our descendants!

RUSH: Not mine. I wasn't there.

WALLACE: OK. They're still us.

(Nick frowns.)

WALLACE: Humans. I just wish they hadn't all left. I kinda liked the idea of having the new faces around.

RUSH: Oh yeah. Well, if they really did spread all over the galaxy, I would suggest that the chances of bumping into them again are pretty high.

(Eli shrugs.)

RUSH: Plus, this isn't a passenger ship.

(He turns and walks away. Eli shakes his head ruefully.)


BRIDGE. Destiny is thundering towards the enormous planet. Nick walks onto the Bridge where Dale Volker and Adam Brody are watching their monitors.

RUSH: What's this?

VOLKER: It's a gas giant.

BRODY: For some reason, Destiny has decided to manoeuvre around a fat gas giant in order to line up with the star. What's that about?

RUSH: Well, I'm sure Destiny has its reasons. It's happened before.

VOLKER: Yeah, but it takes forever.

RUSH: Are you in a hurry to be somewhere?

BRODY: No, but power reserves are still at forty percent.

VOLKER: It's as bad as my grandfather.

(Adam looks round at him curiously.)

VOLKER: He was always filling his Buick at half a tank. Destiny's kinda doing the same thing.

(He grins at the others. Nick gazes back at him flatly.)

VOLKER: It just struck me as funny.

RUSH (tetchily): Oh, yeah, that is funny - that his life and the lives of those around him depended on making it to the next gas station. That's bloody hilarious really.

YOUNG: Are we there yet?

(Nick turns as Everett Young walks onto the Bridge.)

BRODY: Thirty seconds from contact.

(Young sits down in the command chair, activating the ship-wide comms.)

YOUNG: This is Young. We are about to perform an aerobraking manoeuvre. There may be turbulence. Stand by.

(Switching off the comms, he looks around to Nick who has walked over to brace his hands on the consoles beside the chair.)

YOUNG: Good morning.

RUSH: Morning.

YOUNG: You good?

RUSH: Tired.

(Destiny begins to vibrate as she starts her plunge into the planet's gravity well. She slingshots around the planet and heads straight towards the star ... but there's a large object in the way and it's a horribly familiar shape. On the Bridge, alarms sound.)

BRODY: We've got drones, dead ahead, a ton of 'em.

VOLKER: And a command ship.

YOUNG: What the hell are they doing here?

BRODY: Coming right at us.

(Young and Rush stare in disbelief at the sight of the command ship silhouetted against the sun. Its drones race towards Destiny. Matthew Scott hurries onto the Bridge and takes Dale's station. Dale runs over to another console.)

SCOTT: Where did they come from?

BRODY: Maybe they were here all along and we couldn't see them from behind the planet.

VOLKER: Still have a couple of minutes or so before we can safely go back into F.T.L.

(More consoles lower from the ceiling.)

YOUNG: How soon will they be on top of us?

VOLKER: Couple of minutes.

YOUNG: Lieutenant, let's see if we can get around them.

SCOTT: Yes, sir.

(Destiny banks hard to starboard. The drones and command ship immediately change direction as well.)

SCOTT: Sir, the swarm of drones and the command ship are manoeuvring to stay between us and the star. Unless you wanna head right out ...

YOUNG: That is a negative. Where the hell is ...?

(Before he can finish the question, Eli runs in.)

WALLACE: How many of them are there?

BRODY (mock-nonchalantly): Oh, I don't know. I lost count at about a hundred.

YOUNG: Can we jam them?

VOLKER: Drones are thirty seconds out.

WALLACE: I can't jam them in thirty seconds.

RUSH: Doesn't matter. We can jump soon.

YOUNG: Maybe we should just punch through. They won't follow us into a star.

RUSH: We're never gonna make it.

YOUNG: We need to refuel.

RUSH: Well, Destiny can choose another star. There's no point fighting unless we have to.

VOLKER: Ten seconds to contact.

YOUNG: Lieutenant, go to F.T.L.

RUSH: Not for another fifteen seconds.

YOUNG: How is that not close enough?

VOLKER: They're firing.

(The drones reach Destiny and swarm all around, firing at her. The ship jolts repeatedly under the impacts and Nick clings on to the consoles as he struggles to keep his feet, his eyes locked on the countdown clock.)

RUSH: Five seconds.

YOUNG: Lieutenant, stand by.

SCOTT: Yes, sir. F.T.L. in three, two, one.

(And Destiny jumps. As everyone takes a breath and checks their screens, Young activates the comms.)

YOUNG: This is Young. We are clear of the drones.

(He switches off the comms and looks at the crew.)

YOUNG: OK. What the hell was that?

VOLKER: It's like they were lying in wait.

RUSH: Maybe we just got unlucky.

YOUNG: You mean they just happened to be here?

RUSH: Well, they have to be somewhere.

WALLACE: Yeah, but space is really, really big.

RUSH: Look, as far as we know, they can only track us when we activate the Stargate, so please, let's not over-react.

(He storms off the Bridge. Eli waits until he's out of earshot and then turns to the others.)

WALLACE: How about let's not under-react?

(The others look back at him thoughtfully. He nods, then turns and chases off after Rush.)


CONTROL INTERFACE ROOM. Nick has called up the holographic screen and is looking at a map as Eli comes in.

WALLACE: You don't really think it was a coincidence?

RUSH (sighing noisily): Call it wishful thinking if you like.

WALLACE: Because you realise if it's not a coincidence ...

RUSH: ... then we have a very big problem.

WALLACE: No. No-no-no. We're totally screwed. This could be it - the end of the line!

RUSH (wearily): Yeah, I just said that.

(Eli turns and gestures at the map.)

WALLACE: So, why do we need to find another star? Destiny will just fly towards the nearest red dwarf in our path.

RUSH: Which is exactly why we shouldn't go to that one.

(Eli turns and narrows his eyes as he looks at Nick.)

WALLACE: You think they were waiting for us.

RUSH: Look, we know they can't track us, but it is possible that they can predict our course, meaning if Destiny hadn't plotted that time-consuming manoeuvre ...

WALLACE: ... we'd've had to fight it out for the whole three hours before we could go to F.T.L. ...

RUSH: ... or be forced to jump prematurely ...

WALLACE: ... which would've shredded our F.T.L. dri...

(He trails off as the appalling truth hits him.)

WALLACE (shocked): We got lucky.

RUSH (softly): Yeah, we did. And we can't count on luck a second time - plus we've no option but to recharge, so ...

(He starts to work on his console.)

RUSH: ... we go off the path.

(On the holographic map, a star begins to flash well away from the route that Destiny ought to be taking.)


LATER. Destiny is out of F.T.L. and moving slowly forward. On the Bridge, Camille Wray has joined the usual suspects and is standing anxiously at the rear railing with Eli.

YOUNG: Contacts?

(Vanessa James looks round from her console.)

JAMES: Nothing yet.

VOLKER: Well, we're too far off from the primary for sensors to pick anything up. I wouldn't celebrate.

WRAY: Why did we drop out so far away?

WALLACE: To make sure that the minimum time elapsed before we could go back to F.T.L. Don't wanna run into drones with time on the clock.

(Camille sighs.)

WRAY: Still don't understand what they want from us.

WALLACE: It's nothing personal. It's what they're programmed to do: destroy all technology other than their own. And apparently they weren't programmed to give up.

SCOTT: A few seconds away from F.T.L. capability, sir.

YOUNG: Copy that.

WALLACE: So far, so good.

(Camille paces across to the nearby steps and walks down into the main area of the Bridge.)

WRAY: This room needs more chairs.

(Young looks round at her, then stands up from the command chair and steps away.)

YOUNG: Here. Please. Go ahead.

WRAY: No-no-no, that's your ...

YOUNG: What am I, Captain Kirk? I need to stretch my legs anyway. Please.

(He walks away and she steps up to the chair.)

WRAY: Thank you.

(She sits down. Immediately Nicholas walks over and glares at her.)

RUSH: Don't touch anything.

(She stares at him in disbelief as he walks away again.)

SCOTT: And that's three hours. We can jump any time now.

WRAY (settling into the chair): That's good!

WALLACE: That's huge! I mean, I don't wanna jinx anything, but I think we might actually be able to ...

(An alarm beeps.)

JAMES: Sir? We've got a contact down-range.

WALLACE: Dammit!

YOUNG: They headed our way?

SCOTT: Yes, sir. Multiple drones, multiple vectors. There's a command ship too, holding position between us and the star.

GREER: That's a blockade.

YOUNG: How long before they reach us?

RUSH: It doesn't matter. We can't fight our way through this, plus we're running low on power anyway.

YOUNG: Lieutenant, get us out of here.

SCOTT: Yes, sir.

(And Destiny jumps again.)


LATER. MESS. A council of war is being held in the Mess. David Telford has stone-transferred into the body of Lieutenant Scott.

YOUNG: So Sergeant Greer was bang-on in his assessment. The drones cannot track us, so instead they've blockaded the stars from which Destiny recharges.

TELFORD: They can't possibly be waiting at every star in your path.

WALLACE: It doesn't matter. They only have to be at the next one.

TELFORD: What do you mean?

RUSH: Well, our reserves are such that we're only gonna get one more chance.

JOHANSEN: Systems are shutting down all over. I just lost power in the Infirmary.

RUSH: Well, fortunately, Eli has an idea. It's absolute insanity; and it's the only choice we've got.

(He gestures to Eli to elaborate.)

WALLACE: Don't over-sell it!

(Nervously he stands up and looks around at everyone.)

WALLACE: OK. So the drones have figured out our weakness. Destiny needs to replenish its reserves and only uses certain kinds of stars to do it.

TELFORD: Main sequence spectral K or M - mostly red dwarves.

ARMSTRONG: So we recharge off another kind of star. What's so crazy about that?

WALLACE: The only way to make sure the drones won't be waiting is to pick a star that Destiny wouldn't fly into in a million years.

GREER: No, don't-don't tell me. Death Star!

(Eli looks at him and laughs briefly, then his face becomes serious again.)

WALLACE: Close.

(He looks around to include everyone, his face nervous.)

WALLACE: Um, a blue supergiant.

(Telford scoffs in disbelief. Dale's jaw drops.)

VOLKER: Are you kidding me?!

WALLACE (shrugging): We said it was crazy.

VOLKER: Yeah! It's crazy times a thousand! D'you have any idea how much heat a Class O star puts out?!

(He looks round at the others.)

VOLKER: I'm telling you right now: we can't survive something like that.

WALLACE: And I never said we would.

VOLKER: Well, then, I think it's a very bad plan!

WALLACE: The shields will hold!

VOLKER: Yeah, which is terrific, Eli, except the temperatures we're talking about are way outside Destiny's life support margins. A few compartments are gonna get over four hundred degrees.

RUSH: Which is why the majority of the crew will go to a planet within range, and a team will stay behind to manually pilot the ship through.

TELFORD: Why not just programme the ship to do it, and all of you can go?

WALLACE: Because even if Destiny accepted the programming - which I doubt - the core systems would shut themselves down because of the temperature. Somebody's gotta stay on board.

WRAY: And just who gets to decide that?

TELFORD: We use the communication stones and get the most qualified people aboard.

RUSH: The most qualified people are already on board. It's myself and Eli.

TELFORD: You're volunteering for this?!

(Nicholas stares at him silently for a few seconds, hurt by his sarcasm, then rallies.)

RUSH: This is our own lives that are on the line. You're not even bloody here.

JOHANSEN: But those kind of temperatures ...

YOUNG: The suits can handle it.

RUSH: It won't be comfortable, but yeah.

ARMSTRONG: Wait. How do we know there'll be a planet orbiting the star you're talking about?

RUSH: Well, there won't be - certainly not a habitable one.

WALLACE: But we think there'll be at least one or two Stargates in nearby star systems.

JOHANSEN: Won't an active Stargate attract drones to the planet we go to?

RUSH: Eventually, yeah.

YOUNG: But hopefully not before we can gate back.

RUSH: Hopefully not.

TELFORD: Are we sure the drones won't expect us to try this?

GREER: It's crazy times a thousand.

VOLKER: I take it back, Eli - it's a great plan.

(He immediately lowers his eyes and stares at the floor in horror. Eli, who had just been about to smile, frowns instead.)

TELFORD: OK, guys. I'll try to sell this idea to Homeworld, but I'm telling you right now ...

YOUNG (interrupting): David, we're not asking permission. We're informing you. We're low on power and we don't have time to screw around. We're doing this.


DESTINY HYDROPONICS DOME. Shortly afterwards, many members of the crew are in the Hydroponics garden, harvesting whatever they can pick. Matt is picking small tomatoes and Chloe Armstrong is doing similar work nearby. Lisa Park walks in and packs some items into plastic boxes.

SCOTT: If we keep 'em on the vine, we could have smokin' sun-dried tomatoes!

ARMSTRONG: "Smokin'," all right. Every plant in here is going to burn to the ground.

SCOTT: Don't ask me why that doesn't happen every time.

PARK: Well, the E.M. of a Class O star is just too intense for the shield to attenuate over such a large transparent surface.

(Matt looks up at the dome for a moment.)

SCOTT: I'm guessin' the Observation Deck's not the place to be either.

PARK: It'll be like an oven in there, too. But Brody is working on refrigerating our original Hydroponics compartment so there'll be plants to start over.

ARMSTRONG (despairingly): "Start over"! Just when we were on the verge of being able to feed ourselves.

PARK: If we just had a little more time.

SCOTT: Destiny drops out in twenty minutes. We gate off the ship ten minutes after that. Save what you can; cross your fingers.

(Lisa raises her head. Clearly she has just had a thought.)


LATER. Not long after that, the members of the crew are hurriedly packing and then making their way towards the Gateroom as Young's voice comes over the comms.

YOUNG: This is Young. All personnel to the Gateroom for evacuation. Pack light - we will not be gone long.

(On the Bridge, Dale is sitting in the command chair typing as James works on a console at the front. Suddenly all the consoles shut down. Vanessa frowns round at him.)

VOLKER: Did you do that?

JAMES: No!

(All the lights on the wall panels shut off and the consoles in the ceiling rise back up into their hiding places. A single beep begins to repeat, sounding very much like a countdown.)

JAMES: Come on.

(Jumping up, she hurries towards the door, Dale following her. Just as they trot outside, the doors close and the bulkhead rises up into place and the lock spins. Frowning, James gets out her radio and activates it.)

JAMES: Colonel, the Bridge just locked down.

YOUNG (into radio): Understood. Head to the Gateroom.

(He is in the Armoury with other military crew members who are gearing up.)

GREER: I hope we don't have to use any bullets. We're runnin' low.

YOUNG: Brody'll have to make some new ones.

(T.J. checks her watch.)

JOHANSEN: That's time, sir.

(Everybody picks up what they have gathered together and they leave the room. In the corridor outside, Lisa comes over to Young.)

PARK: Colonel.

YOUNG: You should be in the Gateroom.

PARK: There's a third suit. We should take advantage of it.

YOUNG: Well, Rush said he and Eli ...

PARK: Yeah. There's new hybrids in the dome we could lose forever; medicinals that might help T.J. from worlds we'll never go back to.

YOUNG: Well, that whole compartment's gonna go up in flames.

PARK: You have to gate off the ship while we still have the power to dial out. That leaves more than enough time to collect as many as I can, then back up Rush and Eli.

YOUNG: OK.

PARK: 'Cause Rush isn't as great as he thinks, and, besides, I'm our expert on the suits.

YOUNG: I said OK.

(He turns and walks away.)

YOUNG: Good luck.

PARK: OK!

(She hurries off. Young makes his way to the Gateroom and finds Scott in the throng.)

YOUNG: Everyone here?

SCOTT: Except Rush.

YOUNG: Nice of him to see us off(!)

SCOTT: And Doctor Park.

VOLKER: What?

YOUNG: She volunteered to use the third suit.

GREER (turning to Dale): Didn't even try to talk her out of it. She can handle herself.

(Dale turns away unhappily as Adam reports from one of the consoles.)

BRODY: F.T.L. drop-out in three, two ...

(Destiny enters normal space. In the Control Interface Room, Nicholas looks at the schematic on the holographic screen and then picks up his radio.)

RUSH (into radio): This is Rush. We're on direct approach to the Class O star. Roughly twenty-four solar masses. No drones in sight.

YOUNG (from the Gateroom): That's good. What's our clock?

RUSH: Can't give you a precise time on that. To be safe, no less than seven hours.

YOUNG: Understood. Stand by.

(Deactivating his radio, he turns to Eli at one of the consoles.)

YOUNG: Gates in range?

WALLACE (unhappily): We've got ... one.

YOUNG: I'll take it. Dial it up.

(Eli types and the Stargate begins to spin. Everybody clears out of the kawhoosh zone.)

(At the other end of the wormhole, the answering Stargate kawhooshes and, blimey, would you look at that?! Not only is the Gate not in a forest, it's in a building! It looks like an abandoned warehouse or factory, but it's a definite recognisable structure. A Kino flies through the Gate and heads forward through the open doors and out into what may have been a delivery bay. Outside are brick and concrete buildings. If we were on Earth you would imagine they had been built maybe in the 1960s or 1970s. The whole place looks unused and like it has been abandoned for some time. Back on Destiny, Eli watches the footage in disbelief.)

WALLACE: Holy crap, we dialled Pittsburgh!

(Adam checks the readouts on his remote.)

BRODY: Atmosphere and temperature's good.

YOUNG (watching the footage beside Eli): Looks like a human city all right.

WALLACE: The Archive said our people spread out from Novus for centuries. That's enough time for dozens of planets to be settled with large populations.

YOUNG: They don't seem as advanced.

WALLACE: Depending on resources, ideology, isolation, they'd all advance at different rates. This has to be one of them.

BRODY: Make that "used to be." Looks abandoned. I'm not seeing any indication of life.

YOUNG: We'll find out when we get there. (To Scott) Lieutenant, move us out.

(Nodding, Scott turns and heads towards the open Gate, Greer preceding him by a few feet.)

SCOTT: All right, people, let's go!

(They walk through the Gate, rifles raised, and are followed by a group of marines, then by the rest of the crew. For a while Young watches them depart, then he turns back to Eli.)

YOUNG: Hey. Crazy or not, it's a hell of a plan.

(He offers him his hand. Eli stares at it in surprise for a moment, then turns and takes it.)

WALLACE (shaking his hand): Thanks.

YOUNG: Yeah.

(Releasing his grasp, he turns towards the Gate. The others have all gone through.)

WALLACE: I should go suit up, help Lisa in the dome.

YOUNG: I'll see you some time after oh seven hundred.

WALLACE: Ish. We'll dial when it's cool enough to come back.

(Turning and walking backwards towards the Gate, Young nods to him, then turns again and walks into the event horizon. The Gate closes down behind him. Eli stands and watches the Gate as it rotates back into its "ready" position and steam briefly billows out from either side of its clamps. A moment later the consoles close down and most of the lights go off.)


PLANET. Young strolls down the Gate ramp and calls out to everyone.

YOUNG: All right, people, let's find a spot and relax. We're gonna be here for a while.

(He walks over to his main team and speaks more quietly.)

YOUNG: My gut says to stay put and wait it out, but this could be a gold mine. What do you guys think?

JOHANSEN: Cities have hospitals. I've been washing bandages for months. If we could even find a pharmacy ...

WRAY: ... or a grocery store.

GREER: Or a gun store.

YOUNG: The thing is, these people left for a reason. We don't know what.

GREER: Have you ever been to Pittsburgh?!

JAMES: Hey! I was born there.

(Scott grins as Greer turns his head away from the ferocity of James' glare.)

WRAY (to Young): I think it's worth the risk.

YOUNG: All right. (He looks at Scott.) We'll, uh, we'll go out in small teams. Light armaments.

SCOTT: Yes, sir.

WRAY: Wait. Shouldn't we all go?

JAMES: We'd cover more ground that way, sir.

YOUNG: This already goes against my better judgement. I want you two to stay put, and you keep these people safe. Understood?

JAMES: Yes, sir.

(Camille also nods. Varro, almost recovered from his fall, limps over to them.)

VARRO: Colonel ...

YOUNG: You too. It could hit the fan in here just as easily as out there.

(He includes James in his instructions.)

YOUNG: If we are not back in seven hours, I want you to get everyone back on the ship. No search teams, no waiting, OK?

(Varro and James nod. Young turns back to Camille.)

YOUNG: Anything in particular you want me to look for?

WRAY: I'd kill for a new outfit!

(She grins at him.)

YOUNG (smiling): I'll keep that in mind.

(He turns away. Camille looks at T.J. standing beside her.)

WRAY: Good luck.

JOHANSEN: Thanks.

(The teams make their way out onto the street, looking around cautiously. Everything looks abandoned, rusty and dirty. As they reach a T-junction, Young points to the left as he looks at Scott.)

YOUNG: We'll head this way. Be smart.

SCOTT: Yes, sir.

(The two of them lead their groups in different directions.)


HYDROPONICS. Wearing environmental suits but with the helmets off, Lisa and Eli are picking plants.

WALLACE: This was a good idea.

PARK: Yeah. I just wanted to grab as many as we can, you know? In some ways, this garden was our biggest accomplishment.

WALLACE: You mean, besides the still!

PARK (giggling): I mean besides staying alive! You know, I come here a lot just to think, ever since it got repaired. You know when you lay down on the ground and you look up at the stars? My father and I used to do that a lot when I was a kid. Taught me all the constellations.

WALLACE (looking up through the dome): These stars are always changin'.

RUSH (over radio): Eli, what are you doing?

(Eli punches a button on the arm panel on his suit.)

WALLACE: Helping Doctor Park.

RUSH: Well, time to stop doing that. Rush out.

(Eli and Lisa exchange a look as the comms click off. Eli switches off his suit comms, stands up and looks at her.)

WALLACE (plaintively): Don't leave me alone with him too long please!

PARK (laughing): Just gonna grab a few more. I'll be right behind you.

(Picking up his bag of plants and the suit's gloves and helmet, Eli leaves the room.)


PLANET. Scott and Greer's team makes its way through the city and eventually reaches a wide street. There's a strong steady wind blowing and dust billows along the asphalt. The team walks on, passing by the various shops. Some of them have recognisable signs above them, although the English spelling is frequently unusual and the fonts are strange.

ARMSTRONG: I wonder how long they've been gone.

BRODY: It's hard to say. Nature can reclaim a city pretty fast. Years at least.

ARMSTRONG: They were just like us, and we never knew them.

BRODY: What I can't figure out is why there's no vehicles.

(Dale walks to one of the closed stores and puts his hands up against the glass, trying to peer through the half-closed blinds.)

SCOTT: Hey, don't waste time searching stores and buildings that don't have anything useful in 'em.

ARMSTRONG: If we see a shoe store, I'm goin' in!

SCOTT: New boots would be useful.

GREER: Lieutenant!

SCOTT (turning back to him): Yep?

GREER: We should split up; go on opposite sides of the street. We'll cover more ground.

SCOTT: Yeah, good idea.

(He looks around the group.)

SCOTT: Uh, Brody, Chloe ...

(He looks at two extras ... I mean crew members.)

SCOTT: ... and you two. You're with me.

(He leads his team to the left hand side of the street while Greer, Volker, another marine and a civilian head to the right.)


DESTINY. As the ship gets ever closer to the huge blue star, Eli clumps into the Control Interface Room to find Nicholas still in his everyday clothes.

WALLACE: You're not wearing your suit.

RUSH: Well, there's plenty of time before we reach the star, plus we can work better without them.

WALLACE: Yyyyeah, but now I look ridiculous.

(He looks down at his suit. Nick nods his agreement.)

RUSH: Yeah.

(He hands him a notebook.)

RUSH: Will you double-check these figures for me?

(Sighing, Eli takes the notebook and clumps towards his console.)

WALLACE: Then what?

RUSH: Well, it's your plan. You tell me.

(Sighing again, Eli turns back to face him.)

WALLACE: I know that. I was just asking.

RUSH: So was I.

WALLACE: I asked first.

RUSH: Eli, both of us have to know exactly what we're doing here. There's no room for improvisation. If we get this wrong, we've got a very big problem.

WALLACE: Yeah! We'll be dead!

RUSH: Which I find problematic, so how d'you wanna do this?

WALLACE: I don't understand the question.

RUSH (exasperated): Oh, bloody hell! We're all doomed!

WALLACE: What?! We-we ... (he makes some inarticulate noises) ... we pilot the ship manually through the star! That's the plan!

RUSH: Who is going to be the pilot, and who is going to be the co-pilot?

WALLACE (gesturing awkwardly towards Nick): I just assumed ...

RUSH: Look, there's no question in the end that it's gonna take both of us to pull this off.

(Eli nods his agreement.)

RUSH: But only one of us should input the actual course corrections. Now, I'm trying to determine who that should be.

(Eli looks at him for a long moment, his eyes narrowed suspiciously.)

WALLACE: OK. I'll do it.

RUSH: There. That wasn't so hard, was it?

(Eli turns and walks over to his console, smirking.)

RUSH: Now double-check those figures for me.


HYDROPONICS. Lisa is tugging plants out of the soil as quickly as she can. An alarm starts to beep insistently. She straightens up and peers through the dome, shielding her eyes against the glare of the approaching star. She gathers her bags, gloves and helmet and walks towards the doors but they slide closed and lock just before she reaches them. Walking across to the wall panel, she jabs her elbow against the button a couple of times but it beeps negatively at her. Putting her stuff down, she activates her suit comms.

PARK: Rush, this is Park.

RUSH (into comms): Yeah, go ahead.

PARK: Destiny's locked down this compartment and I need you to override the door.

WALLACE: I'm on it.

(He clumps across to another console and types on it. The console beeps negatively at him. Frowning, he inputs the commands again but still gets the beep.)

WALLACE: It's not working.

(Nick looks up at him in concern as Eli tries again. In the Dome, Lisa hits the wall panel again, but to no avail.)


PLANET. Dale trots up the steps into a building marked as the "Lucky Bar" (although the ‘k' has fallen off). Inside, the marine is already on his way out clutching a double handful of cans to his chest. Greer kicks open a door from the kitchen and strolls out.

GREER: Look what I found.

(He drops another handful of cans onto the bar and gestures to them triumphantly. Dale picks up a couple of them and looks more closely.)

VOLKER: All the labels are worn off. We don't know what's in them or how old they are.

GREER (waving his hand dismissively): We'll find out when we open 'em, OK?

(He turns around and heads back into the kitchen. Unhappily, Dale unzips his backpack and starts putting the cans into it.)

VOLKER: Mmm, botulism!


PLANET'S STARGATE. Back at the Stargate, Varro limps back into the warehouse. James walks over to meet him.

VARRO: The sun is fading. It'll be dark soon.

JAMES: Six hours to go.

(Doctor Morrison walks over to Camille and hands her a large sheet of printed paper.)

MORRISON: Check this out. I found it over there.

WRAY: Hmm. Looks like a newspaper.

(She straightens it out. It does indeed look like the front page of a broadsheet called the "Terminus Tymes". Morrison points to the huge single word in the middle of the page.)

MORRISON: Look at the headline.

(The word reads simply, "ATAK!!" Unseen by the crew at present, the smaller headline on the back of the sheet reads, "Terminus Under Seige!" Camille looks at the page in concern and reads on.)


ELSEWHERE. Nearby, Young has found his way onto the flat rooftop of a building, and stares out at the vista of the city before him. Practically every building has been blasted and destroyed. He activates his radio.

YOUNG: This is Young. I found a decent vantage point of the city. It wasn't abandoned. These people were wiped out.

(Down in the streets, Matt activates his radio.)

SCOTT: We're about halfway across town, sir. You want us to head back to the Gate?

YOUNG: Not yet. We, uh, have no idea how long ago this happened or who did it. Hopefully they're, uh, they're long gone. Just keep searching for supplies.

SCOTT: Yes, sir. Greer, d'you copy that?

GREER: Yeah. Keep shoppin'. Keep shoppin'.


WAREHOUSE. Morrison is pacing around reading the newspaper sheet.

MORRISON: I'm getting the gist of this. I think they're saying that the attack came from space - some kind of machines that went after their technology first. Hey, what does that sound like to you?

WRAY: I-I don't know, Morrison, but just keep it down.

MORRISON (loudly): What, don't you think these people have a right to know what they might be up against?

(As people turn around to look, James hurries over and speaks quietly but firmly to him.)

JAMES: What I think is, you need to stay calm.

(He stares at her. She gazes back at him sternly.)

JAMES: Give it to me.

(Irritably he hands her the sheet. She exchanges a long glance with Camille as Morrison stomps off, then she walks over to Varro who is sitting on the floor nearby putting together an anti-tank missile launcher.)

JAMES: What are you doing?

VARRO: The colonel asked me to keep these people safe, so that's what I'm doing.


STREET. Out in the street, Greer's team has reached a shop called "Draxxon Elektroniks." Ron stares at it and sighs noisily.

GREER: What kind of city doesn't have a gun shop?

VOLKER: Maybe they were Canadian.

(Greer turns his head, gazing down the street with his whole body alert. Dale looks at him.)

VOLKER: What?

(Greer frowns, gesturing to his ear.)

GREER: Listen.

(Nearby, Scott calls out.)

SCOTT: Greer, do you hear that?

(At Greer's position, Dale is listening but there doesn't appear to be any new noise over the constant rush of the wind.)

VOLKER: I don't hear anything.

GREER: Shut up.

(Finally a soft hum can be heard just about the sound of the wind.)

SCOTT: Let's get inside!

GREER: Come on, come on, come on! In here! Go! Go!

(His team follows his instructions. On the other side of the street, Scott is similarly getting his team to safety.)

SCOTT: Get in here. Get inside, get inside, get inside. Go-go-go-go-go!

GREER (to his team): Go! Go!

(The teams hurry into two stores on opposite sides of the street as the humming gets gradually louder. Scott and Greer take up positions where they can see out into the street without being seen from the outside as the humming turns into a buzz.)

GREER (into radio): Lieutenant?

SCOTT: I hear it, but I can't see it.

(The buzz becomes even louder, and now a small drone swoops down the street. Greer and Scott duck out of view as it whizzes past.)

SCOTT (into radio): Colonel, we have what appears to be a single drone at our position. Request permission to engage.

(Some distance away, Young is trotting down some stairs from a rooftop.)

YOUNG (into radio): That's a negative. We don't know how many there are. Go to radio silence. Do not reveal your position. Young out.

(In the street, the buzzing gets louder again as the drone returns, this time cruising very slowly down the road. Greer gently gestures to his team to stay down out of sight and they duck down lower below the windows. Over the road, Scott's team are sitting on the floor behind a table while Matt himself stays flattened against the door frame where the drone can't see him.)


DESTINY. HYDROPONICS DOME. Lisa squints up at the very bright sunlight and then hits the wall button again. Still the doors don't open.

PARK (anxiously): Guys?

RUSH (over comms): Destiny's closed off the compartment from the rest of the ship. For some reason we don't understand, it's refusing our override command.

WALLACE: We're working on it, but in the meantime you should put the rest of your suit on. We're only a few minutes out; it's gonna start gettin' pretty hot in here.

PARK: OK.

(She picks up her helmet and starts to put it on. In the Control Interface Room, Nicholas looks frustrated.)

RUSH: We don't have time for this.

(Eli looks up briefly from working on his console.)

WALLACE: It was a good idea.

RUSH: Yeah, well, maybe it was, but she took too long and now she could end up paying the price.

(Eli types again. Again he gets a negative beep. He thumps the console angrily.)


PLANET. T.J. and a couple of civilians, together with Corporal Barnes, are walking along when they meet Young.

JOHANSEN: Hey.

YOUNG: Hey.

(He sees that Tamara and the civilians are all carrying bags that appear to be stuffed full.)

YOUNG: Success?

JOHANSEN: The hospital's probably in the part of the city that was taken out. We found what passed for a pharmacy - mostly cleaned out but ...

YOUNG: Why don't you take what you've got back to the Gate? It's gonna be dark soon.

JOHANSEN: What about Scott and Greer's team?

YOUNG: I'll worry about them. You guys get going.


STREET. Back at the main street, the drone is patrolling ever more slowly along the road, and now it stops completely. Scott frowns out at it from his hiding place. Sitting on the floor behind a table, Chloe calls out softly to him.

ARMSTRONG: What's it doing?

SCOTT: I'm not sure. I think it knows we're here.

ARMSTRONG: Are you sure there's only one?

BRODY: One too many.

(The drone turns ninety degrees and starts to drift towards the shop in which Scott and his team are hiding. Seeing this from the other side of the road, Greer thrusts out a hand towards Dale.)

GREER (urgently): Give me a can, give me a can.

(Dale scrabbles a can out of his backpack and tosses it across to Greer. Catching it, he steps out of the shop doorway and hurls the can as far as possible down the road. It clunks noisily onto a newspaper dispenser as Ron ducks back inside the shop. The drone spins around and fires a single shot towards the noise and the dispenser is thrown up into the air by the blast. As it crashes down to the ground again, the drone beetles off towards it to investigate.)


DESTINY. In space, Destiny is plunging towards the star. In the dome, a shimmering heat haze is enveloping everything as Lisa - now fully suited up - stands anxiously near the doors.

PARK: Guys?

(She tries unsuccessfully to keep the terror out of her voice.)

PARK: You haven't forgotten about me, have you?

WALLACE (over comms): Still workin' on it.

(Nick has finally got into his suit although, like Eli, he doesn't yet have his helmet on. He looks at his own console.)

RUSH: That's the second time Destiny's tried to abort our approach and the second time I've had to override it.

WALLACE: If it'll let you do that, why won't it let us open the damned door?

RUSH: I don't understand that either.

(Eli tries one last time to input an override command but again gets the negative beep. He thumps the console angrily again.)

WALLACE: That's it.

(He starts to walk away from the console.)

WALLACE: I'm going down there to try to fry the door open.

(Nick looks at him as he picks up his helmet. He activates the comms.)

RUSH: Doctor Park, this is Rush. Can you hear me?

PARK: Yeah, I'm still here.

RUSH: Now listen very carefully.

(He holds up a hand to Eli to indicate that he should also listen. Eli stops and turns towards him.)

RUSH: Eli is spending more time and energy on your predicament than we can afford.

PARK: Well, thank you, Eli!

RUSH: No-no-no, you don't understand. The point is: Eli has to stop worrying about you and start worrying about the more important task of flying this ship.

(Eli stomps over to his own console and activates the comms.)

WALLACE: You're what's important. Don't listen to him.

RUSH (to Lisa): You're wearing the E.V.A. suit. That should provide you with enough protection even inside the dome. You know that better than me.

PARK: You want me to stay in here? What about the plants I saved?

RUSH: Doctor Park, forget about the plants and please listen to me very carefully. There's a collection pool near the centre of the compartment. As long as you're fully immersed and secured during the transition though the star, then the water should provide enough protection to see you through.

PARK (nervously): You really think that's gonna work?

RUSH: I promise you it will. Look, I'm sorry, but there's really no other way. Rush out.

(He disconnects the comms. Eli stares at him for a long moment, then turns away.)

WALLACE (angrily): Son of a bitch.

(Nicholas watches him out of the corner of his eye, afraid that he might still leave the room. When Eli instead goes to his console, he still daren't look at him.)

RUSH: She'll be fine.

(His face, however, suggests that he isn't in the least bit confident that he can keep the promise he just made to Lisa.)


PLANET. Night has fallen and still the drone is patrolling up and down the street. On opposite sides of the street, Matt and Ronald again draw back and remain hidden as it slowly flies past the shops. Sitting on the floor, Dale looks up and speaks softly.

VOLKER: It was probably drawn in by the Stargate activation at first, then picked up our radio signals.

GREER: Whatever. We can't stay. Sooner or later we've gotta make a move.

VOLKER: Listen.

(The constant hum from the drone is joined by a further hum. Greer and Scott look up in concern. At the Stargate, the crew members look upwards anxiously as a hum approaches their location and whizzes over the top of the roof.)

MORRISON: D'you hear that? They're comin'.

JAMES: Everybody stay still.

(She glares at Morrison as she walks past him.)

JAMES: And stay quiet.

(Back at the shops, the second drone hovers down to join its chum. Dale lowers his head despairingly.)

SCOTT: There's two of them out there now.

BRODY: If there's a lot more left over after the attack, they'll be scattered all over the planet.

ARMSTRONG: What are we going to do?

SCOTT: I don't know.

(One of the drones switches on a bright spotlight which shines straight into Scott's shop. Everybody ducks out of sight. On the other side of the street, Greer looks across to his team.)

GREER (softly): OK. It's made the lieutenant's position. When I start firing, you run.


PLANET'S STARGATE. Although it has gone quiet again, Morrison is pacing and fretting. Seeing that James is outside the doors and looking outwards, he hurries over to a bag on the floor and pulls out a remote. Camille sees what he's got and walks over to him.

WRAY: What are you doing?

MORRISON (looking down at the remote): This thing's showing two other planets in range.

WRAY: Yeah, but only this one's in range of Destiny.

MORRISON: Well, I'm not gonna sit around here waitin' to get killed.

(Stepping directly in front of the Gate, he starts typing on the remote. The Stargate lights up and begins to spin.)

WRAY: Hey!

JAMES: What are you doing?!

(She races towards him. He turns to face her.)

MORRISON: Gettin' the hell ...

(He doesn't finish the sentence, because James punches him hard in the face, pulling the remote from his hand. Before he even hits the floor she is typing and the Gate shuts down again.)

(At the shops, the drone which isn't illuminating Scott's hiding place zooms off and away. James' voice comes over the radios.)

JAMES: This is James. Morrison tried dialling the Stargate but I think I stopped him in time.

SCOTT (into radio): Negative, negative. One of the drones is now headed your way. Stay off your radio and try ...

(The drone outside the shop fires a single shot. The windows blow out. Greer storms out into the street and begins firing short bursts at the drone. Dale and his colleagues jump up and head outside, running for a nearby alleyway. Scott, unharmed by the shot, comes out and joins in firing at the drone which seems initially uncertain who is the greatest threat but eventually turns and fires towards Greer. He dives out the way, rolls straight back up onto his feet and resumes firing. Also shooting at it, Matt turns his head and yells into the burning shop behind him.)

SCOTT: Get out of there!

(Chloe, Adam and the others scramble out of the door and race away. The boys continue firing, and the drone fires towards Matt but he again gets away from the shot safely and resumes firing. And now from down the street comes a third burst of gunfire as Colonel Young arrives, and he's got a bigger and more powerful rifle. The drone goes into panic mode, spinning on its axis and firing randomly in all directions as it is assailed from three sides at once, but now it's turning so fast that it can't aim properly and its shots are wildly off their mark. And finally the onslaught is too much and some of the bullets find weak spots and at long last the drone falls out of the air and thuds to the ground and shuts down.)

(The men walk cautiously towards it, watching it closely. Nearby, the teams come out of hiding.)

SCOTT: Thanks for the back-up, sir.

YOUNG: All good.

(Confident that the drone is down for good, he turns away.)

YOUNG: Come on. We should get out of the open.

(As Greer kicks the drone to tell it exactly what he thinks of it, Young walks to a couple of packs that he had dropped on the street and picks them up.)

GREER: You found something?

YOUNG: Let's move!

(He leads the teams away.)


DESTINY. Destiny is firewalking. As she plunges into the outer surface of the star, Eli - now fully suited up - is typing frantically on his console as an alarm blares loudly and insistently. He looks up at the ship in frustration.

WALLACE: I get it! You don't wanna do this! Can we shut that off, please?

(Nick types and the alarm stops.)

WALLACE (his gaze locked onto his console): Ah. Thank you!

RUSH: Navigation systems're beginning to shut themselves down. You now have full manual control.

WALLACE: Got it. Our approach is good.

(There's an explosion somewhere on the ship and Eli and Nick cling onto their consoles as she jolts violently.)

RUSH: Main interior temperature just passed one hundred and fifty degrees Fahrenheit and rising.

WALLACE (still typing): What if Destiny locked down the compartment and wouldn't let us override because it knew that the dome couldn't sustain the stress of going through the star?

(Nick looks across to him. Without raising his eyes from his console, Eli smiles viciously.)

WALLACE: You already thought of that.

RUSH: I'd considered the possibility, yes.

WALLACE (gazing across at Nick frantically): You told her she'd be fine.

RUSH: And I still believe that, but only if you do what you're here to do and stop worrying about something you can do nothing about!

(Again Destiny jolts violently. Eli gets back to work.)


PLANET. T.J. and her team are making their way back towards the warehouse. They look up as they hear the approaching buzz of a drone.

JOHANSEN (quietly): Take cover!

(They duck into an alleyway and watch as the drone soars overhead and vanishes again.)

JOHANSEN: All right, let's go.

(They hurry off again.)


PLANET'S STARGATE. At the Stargate, the crew members are mostly sitting on the ground. A few are whispering very quietly to each other but everyone's attention is focussed upwards. James makes her way outside and frowns as she hears an approaching buzz. Looking up, she sees the drone high in the sky, flying towards the area. Taking a breath, she steps out into the open, activating her radio as she goes.

JAMES: This is James. We've got a drone at the front door.

SCOTT (into radio from some distance away): Dammit, ell-tee, I said to stay off your radio. You are drawing the signal.

JAMES (into radio): Yes, sir. I'm counting on it.

(She stands and stares up at the drone as it turns and heads directly towards her. And from out of the darkness a short distance away, Varro steps into the open, aims his launcher carefully and then fires. The missile soars up and blows the drone to bits. Some distance away, Young and his team stop and stare up at the explosion in the sky. Back at the warehouse, James ducks back as burning lumps of metal crash down all around her. She turns and starts to walk towards an approaching Varro just as T.J.'s team arrives.)

JOHANSEN: Nice shot!

VARRO: Thank you!

JOHANSEN: Anyone hurt?

JAMES: Yeah. Morrison. I broke his nose.

(T.J. grins and pats her arm as she trots past her, and everyone heads inside.)


DESTINY. In the dome, Lisa takes her bags of precious plants and walks to the metal collection pool. She stares around the room frantically, desperate for a better option but eventually sits on the edge of the pool and swings her legs over. Stepping in, she kneels down and reaches forward to a bar just below the water. Using it as a handhold, she takes some terrified breaths and then pulls herself down under the water.

(Outside, Destiny's shields are burning, fritzing repeatedly under the intense heat as she sinks deeper into the sun. In the Control Interface Room, an alert beeps as the ship jolts violently again.)

WALLACE: OK, we're in the star!

RUSH: Shields are holding. Activating collectors.

WALLACE: We're going in too steep.

RUSH: Variance is nominal. You're doing fine.

WALLACE: The fluctuations are waaaaay greater than I predicted. I'm not sure I can stay ahead of it.

RUSH: You can do this.

WALLACE (becoming high-pitched and panic-stricken): I don't know why I ever thought I could!

RUSH: I know you can.

WALLACE: There are too many variables!

(Nicholas lurches across to Eli's console.)

RUSH: Eli! You're the only one who can!

(Never lifting his eyes for a moment, Eli types frantically and rapidly.)


HYDROPONICS DOME. In the dome, the plants begin to burn. In the pool, Lisa gasps in terror and closes her eyes as the water begins to boil around her.


PLANET. On the planet, Young has led the team into an underground tunnel.

SCOTT: You sure this is the right way, sir?

YOUNG: Short cut.

GREER: Are you sure?

YOUNG: It's the one I took to find you. Yes, I am sure.


DESTINY. CONTROL INTERFACE ROOM.

RUSH: Reserves are at maximum capacity. Retracting collectors.

WALLACE: We're pulling out. Edging the photosphere. Sub-light drives are at full power!

RUSH: You've done it!

WALLACE (still typing busily): Almost.

(As Destiny begins to exit the star, the Hydroponics garden is ablaze. Lisa grimaces as the water continues to boil away, leaving her back exposed. Moments later part of the dome gives out and explodes away. Screaming, Lisa is sucked upwards and one of the bags of plants is ripped out of her hand, but her mag boots hold her to the base of the pool as she is hauled upright but not pulled away. She stares in horror, then wails in agony as the air boils around her.)

(Unaware of this, Eli stares in amazement at his screens.)

WALLACE: We did it! We made it through!

RUSH: Mean interior temperature three hundred and ten degrees!

(He grins across to Eli.)

WALLACE: Oh, is that all?(!)

(He laughs in delight and relief.)

RUSH: I should start cooling the Gateroom first. They could be back ...

(He trails off as his console shows four areas of the ship flashing red. He stares in horror as he realises that one of them is the Hydroponics garden. Eli looks up and sees his expression.)

WALLACE: What?

RUSH: The Hydroponic dome's been breached.

(Eli turns and races out of the room.)

RUSH: Eli!


PLANET. Camille is showing the newspaper to T.J.

WRAY: This was printed on the third day of the attack. The plan was to move the Stargate from a place they called Terminus to an older part of the city - I guess here.

JOHANSEN: No technology to attract them.

(Vanessa, who has been standing with them, walks away and looks anxiously at her watch, then looks across to Varro who is standing at the doorway and also awaiting the arrival of the missing teams.)

WRAY: From what I could make out, volunteers were driving vehicles away from the city to draw the drones - save as many people as they could.

(Finally Young and his team arrive.)

JAMES (relieved): Sir! Welcome back.

YOUNG: Nice work, Lieutenant.

JAMES: Varro's the one who fired the shot.

(Young turns back and nods an acknowledgement to Varro.)

YOUNG: Well, let's just get out of here before more show up.

SCOTT: Half hour to go.

YOUNG (irritated): Well, how is that not close enough?

(Camille looks at the bag which he has dropped at his feet.)

WRAY: What's in the bag?

YOUNG: Hopefully, that is your new outfit. I couldn't find a gun store or a grocery store, but I found a dry cleaner.

(The girls standing around him grin at each other, then Camille shows him the newspaper.)


DESTINY. Panting heavily, Eli is running as fast as he is able inside the heavy suit. He slaps open a set of doors, stumbles through them, spins around to close them behind him, and races onwards.

WALLACE: Lisa! Come in!

(He charges towards the doors to the Hydroponics dome. A heat haze is shimmering all around the doors.)

WALLACE: Lisa! It's Eli! I'm outside! Can you hear me?

PARK (over comms): I'm at the door! The compartment's vented!

WALLACE: Rush, did you hear that?

RUSH (over comms): Yes, yes. We're through the star. I may be able to override.

(He types for a moment.)

RUSH: Are you secure?

(Eli takes a firm handhold on the wall.)

WALLACE: Ready!

(The doors slide open and the air begins to stream out. Lisa is standing just inside, her feet clamped to the ground by her boots, and still clinging on fiercely to one of the bags of plants. She is buffeted fiercely by the air rushing out through the breached dome. Eli reaches out for her.)

WALLACE: Take my hand!

(They lean towards each other, both frantically trying to seize each other's hand, and finally manage to catch hold. Eli tugs with all his strength, pulling her forward, and she manages to clump forward one step at a time until she finally makes it through the doorway. Eli pulls her to him and slams the wall button with one hand. The doors slide closed and lock. Lisa whimpers as Eli turns to her and pulls her upright.)

WALLACE: OK? You OK?

PARK (whimpering): Eli.

(She sobs hysterically.)

PARK: I can't see.

(She weeps as he pulls her to him.)


PLANET. The crew members look upwards as a loud sonic boom sounds above them. A deep rumble follows and doesn't stop.

SCOTT: Sounds different than before.

GREER: I don't much like the difference.

YOUNG (to James): Dial the Gate.

WRAY: No - we're ten minutes too soon!

YOUNG: Close enough!

(Vanessa activates the remote while everybody gathers their belongings and steps away from the Gate. It lights up. On Destiny, her Stargate also lights up and begins to spin. Nick, who had been standing at the console about to dial out, steps away and watches the Gate anxiously.)

(On the planet, Young, Greer, Scott and Varro walk a little way away from the warehouse as the Stargate kawhooshes inside. They're more interested in the strange black rolling clouds in the sky. Soon all becomes clear as a massive shape lowers down through the clouds and slowly becomes recognisable as a command ship, hovering just above the buildings a terrifyingly short distance away. The four men back up slowly, then turn and hurry back into the warehouse.)


DESTINY. On Destiny, the last arrivals come through the open Gate, which closes behind them. Nick, still wearing his suit but with the helmet off, walks over to greet them. Young blows out a breath.

YOUNG: Woo! Hot in here!

RUSH: You're ten minutes early.

YOUNG: We didn't have much of a choice.

RUSH: Lieutenant Johansen, there's a patient waiting for you in the Infirmary. Eli's with her now.

(Greer looks across at him urgently.)

JOHANSEN: What happened?

RUSH: Flash blindness. Hopefully it's temporary.

(T.J. and Greer race out of the Gateroom. Dale watches them go, obviously wanting to go with them but realising that it's not his place to do so. Young turns back to Nick.)

YOUNG: Otherwise?

RUSH: Eli got us through. I kept checking his calculations, looking for a mistake, but there wasn't any.

(He shakes his head in admiration.)

RUSH: It was genius. I've never seen anything like it.

(Young blinks at him and smiles. Nick grimaces.)

RUSH: Please don't tell him I told you that.

YOUNG: Might have to do it again.

RUSH (shaking his head): The drones aren't gonna fall for that trick again, plus that star's extremely rare, so the chances ...

YOUNG (talking over him): So we're ... we're back to where we started.

RUSH: No, not exactly.

(He looks across to Dale, who is standing nearby with Adam.)

RUSH: At least you've got a full tank of gas.

(He turns and walks away. As Young takes his jacket off, Adam and Dale look at each other.)

BRODY and VOLKER (simultaneously and flatly): Yay.


And Destiny jumps into F.T.L. flight.