Transcript

Summary | Production | Transcript | Fan Reviews
Everett Young in stasis ("Gauntlet")

Cut off from every star and every planet in their path, the crew takes a stand against the drone command ships. Meanwhile, Eli comes up with an extreme plan to escape drone space for good.

EPISODE #220
ORIGINAL AIR DATE: 05.09.2011
SYNDICATION AIR DATE: 05.14.2012
WRITTEN BY: Joseph Mallozzi & Paul Mullie
DIRECTED BY: Andy Mikita
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Transcript by Callie Sullivan

INFIRMARY. Tamara Johansen is slowly unwinding a long bandage from around Lisa Park's eyes as Lisa sits on the side of a bed. Ronald Greer is standing at her side.

JOHANSEN (to Lisa): How are you feeling?

PARK: Oh, great! I haven't had this much rest in weeks!

(She laughs.)

PARK: Never thought I'd say this, but I'm actually looking forward to getting bleary-eyed analysing data!

(T.J. removes the last of the bandage, revealing two dressings taped over Lisa's eyes.)

JOHANSEN: Well, let's see what we're at.

(Ron looks at Lisa anxiously as T.J. gently peels off one of the dressings. Lisa keeps her eyes closed.)

PARK: I've been seeing occasional flashes of light. I think that's a good sign, right?

(As T.J. peels off the second dressing, Everett Young comes in and stops some distance away from the group.)

JOHANSEN: OK, open your eyes.

(Lisa opens her eyes carefully, keeping her gaze lowered. She blinks a few times.)

JOHANSEN: Lisa?

PARK: Uh, it's still dark. I can't see.

(T.J. shines her penlight into each of Lisa's eyes.)

JOHANSEN: Anything?

PARK (tearfully): No.

(She starts to sob. Tamara pulls her forward and holds her as Ron reaches out and strokes her back helplessly. Young slowly turns and leaves the room.)


LATER. CORRIDOR. Shortly afterwards he is walking along the corridor. Camille Wray comes out of a side turning.

WRAY: Colonel, you got a second?

YOUNG (sighing tiredly): Can it wait?

WRAY: You look terrible.

YOUNG: Thank you!

WRAY: You're running yourself ragged, OK? Get some rest.

YOUNG: Way ahead of you. That's where I'm going.

(As Camille turns away, Nicholas Rush's voice comes over Everett's radio.)

RUSH: Colonel Young, this is Rush. Come in.

(Camille turns back to Young.)

WRAY: No, ignore that. You're no good to us exhausted.

RUSH (over radio): Colonel Young?

YOUNG (lifting his radio and activating it): This is Young.

RUSH: Could you join us in the Control Interface Room, please? We've something we want to show you.

(Young looks across to Camille, who throws up her hands in exasperation.)


CONTROL INTERFACE ROOM. As Young and Camille walk into the room, Eli Wallace turns to them.

WALLACE: We did it.

YOUNG: Fantastic!

WRAY: What'd they do?

YOUNG: I have no idea.

WALLACE: We found a way to track the command ships that control the drones.

WRAY: How?

RUSH: We managed to isolate the sub-space signals they use to communicate with each other.

WALLACE: Then we plugged the data into Destiny's long-range sensors, and it worked.

WRAY: So we know where they are. Then we can avoid them and find safe planets to re-supply.

WALLACE (his face unhappy): That was the idea, anyway.

YOUNG: Let's see it.

(Eli types on his console and the holographic screen comes up, showing a graphic of the route which Destiny is taking.)

WALLACE: This is the path that the seed ships plotted for us through this galaxy.

(He types again and some of the approaching stars are marked with blue flags.)

WALLACE: These are the upcoming Gates ...

(With a resigned expression, he hits one more key on his console.)

WALLACE: ... and these are the command ships.

(Each of the flags indicating a Stargate is overlaid with a red flag.)

WRAY: Oh my God.

RUSH: Look, we've pushed this as far as sensor capability will allow, and the results are the same. As far as we can tell, they're waiting at every Gate between here and the edge of the galaxy.

WALLACE: We're screwed.


EARTH. HOMEWORLD COMMAND. A civilian and a man in uniform are sitting and waiting, the civilian leafing through a magazine on the coffee table in front of them. Sergeant Graham walks in and looks at the marine.

GRAHAM: Colonel Young?

RUSH (in the uniform): No, I'm Rush. (He gestures to the civilian.) This is Young.

(They both stand.)

GRAHAM: Colonel Telford's waiting for you.


TELFORD'S OFFICE. Shortly afterwards, the two men have been taken to David Telford's office and have brought him up to date.

TELFORD: You sure your sensor data is accurate?

RUSH: Of course it is.

TELFORD: And they're at every single Gate?

YOUNG: Well, they figured out how we operate. They know which stars we use to recharge; they know that we use the Gate to re-supply. They're everywhere we wanna be along that path.

TELFORD: So go off the path - use the shuttles to check out ungated worlds.

RUSH: We can't do that. There's over three hundred billion stars in that galaxy. Only a small percentage of them have planets. An even smaller percentage are capable of sustaining life. The seed ships did the legwork; they found the needles in the haystack. If we go off on our own, it could be months, maybe even years, between viable worlds. It's not an option.

TELFORD: What's your supply situation?

YOUNG: We're looking at about a month's worth of food and water.

TELFORD: What about power?

RUSH: We'll die of thirst before that becomes an issue.

YOUNG: We could really use a supply line from home, David.

TELFORD: Well, the only planet we know of with the power requirements to reach you is still refusing to help. Woolsey is still pushing diplomacy, but he's not making much progress. Whatever the solution is, you're gonna have to make it happen on your own.


DESTINY. Chloe Armstrong walks into the Infirmary. T.J. is alone inside.

ARMSTRONG: Hey! I'm collecting inventory reports. Guess it could be a while before we can use the Gate again.

JOHANSEN: So I hear.

(She finishes an entry on a computer tablet and brings it over.)

JOHANSEN: We're actually in pretty good shape down here for the moment.

(Smiling, she hands the tablet to Chloe and walks to another part of the room. Chloe looks across to her.)

ARMSTRONG: Matt told me about Lisa. Do you think her condition's permanent?

JOHANSEN (sighing): I don't know. I mean, there should have been some progress by now.

ARMSTRONG: It's not your fault. You don't have the right equipment, the resources ...

JOHANSEN: Even if I did, it wouldn't make a difference. There's no treatment. Her corneas were burned by ultraviolet radiation. If they don't heal on their own ...

(She trails off momentarily.)

JOHANSEN: Well, I know it seems unfair but sometimes you just have to play the hand that you're dealt.

ARMSTRONG: Why do I get the feeling you're not just talking about Lisa?

(T.J. stops what she's doing but keeps her back turned to Chloe, who steps closer to her.)

ARMSTRONG: There's still hope - for her and for you.

(Tamara turns to her, sniffling.)

JOHANSEN: A.L.S. is a death sentence, Chloe - you know that. And it's not gonna be pretty. It'll start with muscle weakness and cramping, then I'll have trouble walking, talking, feeding myself, and eventually full paralysis will set in but my mind will be unaffected. I'll be a prisoner trapped inside my own body.

(Her voice drops as she fights her tears.)

JOHANSEN: Like I said, you play the hand you're dealt.

(She walks away.)


BRIDGE. Nicholas has returned to his own body and is updating Eli together with Adam Brody and Dale Volker.

BRODY: So, no help from home.

RUSH: No.

VOLKER: Well, that doesn't leave us many options.

RUSH: Well, we can't run, we can't hide. We'll have to fight.

WALLACE: There's a lot of them out there.

RUSH: We don't have to take on all of them - just as many as we have to in order to re-supply when necessary.

VOLKER: That's still a pretty tall order considering we've only taken out one of their command ships.

WALLACE: And even that was with help.

RUSH: Well, we do have the element of surprise now we're able to track them.

(None of the boys looks at all reassured by that.)

RUSH: OK. We choose a target, drop out of F.T.L. and open fire before it's got a chance to respond.

WALLACE: But what if it does manage a response?

RUSH: Well, if we don't destroy it immediately, we can at least cause enough damage to gain a huge advantage.

BRODY: So, let's say this works once, maybe even twice. But we're gonna start taking damage and it's gonna take its toll.

RUSH: Well, we find a way to minimise that damage.

VOLKER: Oh yeah? And I suppose you've got an idea on how we manage that?

RUSH (smiling briefly): As a matter of fact, I do.


YOUNG'S OFFICE. The boys have relocated to the office and Nick is explaining his idea.

YOUNG: So you're saying we dial up the shields?

RUSH: Well, no, not exactly.

WALLACE: It's more like we tune them.

BRODY: When we're in battle, the shields continuously cycle through various frequencies in the hopes of matching incoming energy-based attacks. The closer the match, the easier the attack is to absorb and consequently the less damage we take.

VOLKER: It's a guessing game, like Rock Paper Scissors.

(Eli shrugs his agreement.)

RUSH: But in the case of the drones, we don't have to guess.

WALLACE (pointedly): Thanks to someone's brilliant idea to bring one on board.

RUSH: The energy signature of their weapons is a fairly limited range. We can target specifically for it.

WALLACE: We just need to override Destiny's normal randomised shield pattern.

VOLKER: And Paper covers Rock every time.

YOUNG: If all Destiny has to do is find the right match, why does it bother cycling in the first place?

BRODY: Because matching and maintaining a single specific pattern makes it vulnerable to all other forms of attack.

VOLKER: Right, like if they throw Scissors and we're guessing Rock. ... Not to push the analogy too far.

BRODY (flatly): Too late.

YOUNG: So if we are wrong, it would be like we have no shields at all.

RUSH: We're not wrong.


BRIDGE. As Destiny continues in F.T.L. flight, Young walks onto the Bridge and takes the command seat.

GREER: Main weapon is charged and ready.

YOUNG (into comms): Rush, what's your status?

(Nick replies from the Control Interface Room where he is working with Eli.)

RUSH: Looks like Destiny's accepting our override. Shields are at maximum. Modulation is limited within target range.

(The Bridge lowers down into the ship, and additional screens lower down from the ceiling. Matthew Scott, sitting at the pilot's console, looks around to Dale.)

SCOTT: Who calculated the F.T.L. jump?

VOLKER: Chloe.

SCOTT: Think we'll come out in range?

VOLKER: Well, it's a bit like trying to hit a dime with a bullet from a thousand yards, but she's pretty good.

(Matt shrugs and turns back to his console. Shortly afterwards, Destiny exits F.T.L. flight and shame on you for doubting your girlfriend, Matthew. If anything, Chloe's calculations have been too good, because the command ship is just a few hundred yards in front of Destiny. Alarms bleep and everybody looks at the screens.)

YOUNG: What is that?

VOLKER: Collision alert. We're about to hit.

SCOTT: Hold on!

(He throws Destiny up into a sharp climb but her underside scrapes across the top of the control ship as she goes. Everybody clings on as she jolts violently. The moment Destiny clears the control ship, it starts deploying drones which race towards her. Not yet aware of this, Dale looks round at the others, giggling.)

VOLKER: I take it back. She is very, very good!

(Greer's console beeps an alarm.)

GREER: Uh, we've got incoming.

(The drones begin firing at Destiny. Their blasts impact the shields, which barely flicker.)

WALLACE: It's working! Their weapons are having almost no effect.

RUSH (into comms): Concentrate on the command ship. Ignore the drones.

GREER: I don't have a shot!

SCOTT: Working on it.

(He swings Destiny around as the drones continue to fire uselessly at her. As soon as the main weapon is pointed towards the command ship, Greer begins firing. The first few shots go wide but finally a blast hits it.)

VOLKER: Command ship is damaged but still operational.

SCOTT: Bringing us around again.

(Suddenly there's a massive impact on the ship and some of the panels at the rear of the Bridge blow out. An alarm sounds.)

YOUNG: What's that?

VOLKER: Shields just dropped ten percent.

(Destiny jolts violently again. More explosions go off on the Bridge and in the Control Interface Room.)

WALLACE: What's going on? All of a sudden their shots are getting through!

RUSH: That's not weapons fire.

(From an exterior viewpoint we see what's causing the explosions. The drones have changed their tactics and are flying straight into the ship at full speed, crashing onto the surface and exploding. With the shields at the wrong settings, they're not preventing this new assault at all.)

SCOTT: It's the drones! They're flying right into us! It's a kamikaze run!

VOLKER: Shields are down to half and still dropping.

BRODY: We've lost power in multiple sections.

GREER: I'm down three gun positions! I can't hold 'em off!

YOUNG: Forget it. There's too many, anyway. Just give me another crack at the command ship.

SCOTT: She's trying to out-manoeuvre us. I need some more time.

VOLKER: We don't have it! Shields are failing.

(Scott swings our girl around again as the drones continue to plunge straight into her. Matt does his best to concentrate as explosions continue going off around the Bridge.)

SCOTT: Almost there.

(He looks around to Greer, who is watching his own screen intently as the sights begin to line up the enemy craft.)

GREER: We got 'em.

(Even before he is fully lined up, he begins repeatedly firing the main weapon. The first several blasts fly harmlessly past the left of the ship but Destiny is swinging to starboard and after a few seconds the blasts impact the edge of the vessel. Greer continues firing as Destiny continues to slide to the right and about eight blasts strafe across the ship. It can't take the assault for long and soon explodes in a massive fireball.)

VOLKER: Direct hit. Command ship's been destroyed.

SCOTT: Looks like the drones have gone dormant.

YOUNG (into comms): Away teams to the shuttles. Let's make this quick. We don't wanna stay here any longer than we have to. Go.

(Scott and Greer jump up and race off the Bridge. In the Control Interface Room, Nick and Eli take a breath for the first time in several minutes. Eli looks across at Nick exhaustedly.)

WALLACE: We can't do this every time we need to re-supply.

RUSH: Nah. We need another plan.


LATER. A shuttle comes in to land and the clamps rise up to attach her to the ship. Eli reports as he walks onto the Bridge.

WALLACE: Second shuttle just docked. I guess they found a few edibles, but the pickings were pretty slim.

YOUNG: Get us out of here.

(Eli trots to the front console, and a few moments later Destiny jumps into F.T.L. flight.)


CORRIDOR. Some time later, Young is walking tiredly along the corridor when Eli trots up behind him.

WALLACE: Colonel. D'you have a minute?

YOUNG: I know it sounds like a crazy idea, Eli, but I was actually thinkin' of gettin' some sleep ...

(He reaches the doors to his room and slaps the wall panel to open them.)

YOUNG: ... so unless you have some genius idea that solves all our problems ...

(He strolls inside the room. Eli follows him.)

WALLACE: As a matter of fact, I do ... but you're not gonna like it.

YOUNG: Well, that goes without saying. I am notoriously hard to please. So - let's hear it.

WALLACE: OK.

(He frowns a little as Young takes his jacket off and drapes it over the back of a chair, then focuses his thoughts again.)

WALLACE: Another day, another galaxy.

YOUNG: What the hell's that mean?

WALLACE: This is just one of a thousand galaxies in Destiny's path, and I think you'll agree it's turned out to be something of a hostile environment.

YOUNG (sitting on the edge of the bed and taking his shoes off): So?

WALLACE: So, we skip it. One continuous F.T.L. jump out and around the length of this galaxy, across the gap to the next one until we reach the first Gate on the other side.

YOUNG: Well, how long's that gonna take?

WALLACE (hesitantly): ... That's the part you're not gonna like. We're only about a third of the way through this galaxy, plus the gap to the next one's quite a bit larger than last time. On top of that, thanks to the ass-kicking that was just handed to us, we've got power issues ... and some not-insignificant damage to the F.T.L. drive that we won't have time to fix, which means we'll be operating at reduced speed, which means we might actually run out of ...

YOUNG: Eli. How long?

WALLACE: Three years, give or take.

(Everett lowers his head and chuckles.)

YOUNG: Wow. Three years.

(Eli nods.)

YOUNG: We barely have enough for a month. What do you suggest we do for food and water while all this is happening?

WALLACE: Nothing.

(Young frowns at him. Eli smiles back smugly.)

WALLACE: That's the genius part, by the way.


STASIS CHAMBERS. Eli activates the controls outside one of the pods and its door slides up. He gestures to the pod as Young looks at it. Nicholas is standing at a nearby console with a look on his face that suggests that he either just chewed a wasp, or he's mad as hell that he didn't think of this first.

WALLACE: Once you're sealed inside the stasis pod, your metabolism shuts down. You don't need food or water. Basically you just sleep through the whole thing. And we found several other corridors like this one. There should be enough for everybody.

(Young steps up to the edge of the open pod and peers inside.)

WALLACE: And thanks to the, uh, the research that Brody and I have already done ...

(Nick smirks.)

WALLACE: ... we know they work.

YOUNG: Three years?

WALLACE: Give or take.

YOUNG: You keep saying that.

RUSH: What Eli is neglecting to mention is that a jump like this is gonna require every last ounce of power we have, and if his calculations are off ...

WALLACE: They're not.

RUSH: ... and we fall short even by a fraction, a tenth of one percent ...

WALLACE: We won't.

RUSH: ... then we're gonna drift the rest of the way and instead of three years, it'll take a thousand.

(Young's head snaps around to look at him.)

RUSH: Or more.

(Young turns to look at Eli again.)

YOUNG: I assume you were gonna get to that part.

WALLACE: Look, I've run the numbers. This could work. But we have to do it soon. We're bleeding power from a dozen systems and we can't risk dropping out to recharge.

RUSH: There are too many things that could go wrong. We have to find another way.

(Young steps down from the pod and paces for a moment before turning back.)

YOUNG: All right. Uh, how long would it take you to prep the rest of these pods?

WALLACE: Uh, a day, maybe.

YOUNG: Get to work.

(Eli looks at him proudly for a moment, then turns and trots away.)

RUSH: Colonel ...

YOUNG: You've got twenty-four hours to come up with a better idea.

(He walks out of the room.)


CAMILLE'S QUARTERS. Young has come to explain everything to her.

WRAY: Three years?!

YOUNG: Yeah. That's in a best-case scenario.

WRAY: The thought of being sealed in one of those things for so long kinda creeps me out.

YOUNG: I don't like it much either, but we're quickly running out of options.

WRAY: Well, if we're gonna do this, I recommend that everyone be permitted a final visit to Earth - say their goodbyes.

YOUNG: All right. You make the arrangements - but it's gonna have to be pretty quick. We'll pretty much have to shut down everything to make this work, and if we take too long, we're gonna run out of power.


CORRIDOR. Nick is in the corridor where he does his thinking. Flicking through a notebook, he scribbles a calculation on the wall with chalk, then promptly crosses it through several times. He paces, turning from wall panel to wall panel as he looks at various calculations. Trying to write another calculation and realising that it's useless, he flings the chalk in exasperation to the floor.

RUSH (furiously, under his breath): Ah, gods!

(He gets back to work but soon hurls the chalk angrily to the floor again. Pacing, he searches through his notebook but then tears out some of the pages in a fit of pique and chucks them onto the floor. Chloe's voice comes from behind him.)

ARMSTRONG: How's it going?

RUSH: Huh?

(He turns as she walks closer. He sighs in frustration.)

RUSH: It's not.

ARMSTRONG: For what it's worth, I went over Eli's numbers. It's true there's not much margin for error, but I think it might just work.

RUSH: Yeah, if we're lucky.

(He gestures around the walls.)

RUSH: Destiny is on this path for a reason. We've only strayed from it once and that's what caused all this trouble in the first place.

ARMSTRONG: But we're not going off the path - at least, not for good. We're just skipping part of it.

RUSH: Yeah, well that's what bothers me. This ship was launched to solve a mystery, not by arriving at some ultimate destination where all the questions are answered at one time, but by accumulating knowledge bit by bit. If we skip over this galaxy, then who's to say we won't skip over some vital piece of the puzzle - and then all of this, everything we've been through, could be for nothing.

(He turns back to face the wall and looks around for a piece of chalk to pick up.)

RUSH: There's gotta be a way to defeat them. I just need more time.

ARMSTRONG: Which we don't have. Look, you're right: if we go into those pods, we're taking a chance. We might miss something, or we might sleep a lot longer than we planned and never see our loved ones again. Or we might never wake up at all. But Destiny will keep going. If we stay and we don't find a way to defeat the drones, we'll all be killed and this ship will be destroyed, and then this really will have all been for nothing.

(Nick looks down unhappily, knowing that she's right.)


LATER. Some time later, Adam reports from the Stasis Chamber where several of the scientists are checking over the pods.

BRODY: Colonel, this is Brody. We're ready to put the first group into stasis.

(A little later, the group walks to one section of the pods. Adam calls out to them as he bustles past.)

BRODY: Please just step into your assigned pods.

JOHANSEN: Don't worry. I'll be monitoring your progress.

(The group go to their pods. T.J. walks over to Varro as he steps up to his pod and turns to face the front.)

VARRO: See you soon.

JOHANSEN: Soon.

(She smiles at him as he steps back. Adam types on the nearby console and the doors slide down over the pods. T.J. continues to watch Varro as the light levels change inside, he closes his eyes and then the interior of the glass door frosts up slightly. She stares at his motionless body.)


EARTH. Eli, in a marine's uniform, trots up the steps to his mother's house and knocks on the door. Maryann Wallace opens the door and frowns as she sees a man wearing a uniform with the name JEFFRIES on it standing there. She glances over to the car parked on the other side of the road with a man in dress blues standing outside it, then looks back to the man on her doorstep.

WALLACE: It's me, Mom.

(Smiling with delight, Maryann steps closer, holding out her arms.)

MARYANN: Eli!

(They hug.)

WALLACE: I don't have much time.

(He pulls out of her embrace and steps back to look her in the eyes.)

WALLACE: Just long enough to say goodbye.


WALLACE HOME. Later, the two of them are sitting at the kitchen table.

WALLACE: We've got smart people working on it - really smart, but still ... three years. Even if it all goes well, three years at least. I'm sorry.

MARYANN: Eli ...

WALLACE: I can't help thinking that if I had made different choices in my life, you wouldn't be alone right now.

MARYANN: If you had made different choices, you wouldn't have seen the incredible sights you've seen, done the amazing things you've done.

WALLACE: I feel like I've abandoned you.

MARYANN (shaking her head): You haven't abandoned me. You're living your life. I mean, it was hard when I didn't ... when I didn't know where you were or what you were doing, but now I understand.

(She smiles at him.)

MARYANN: You don't have to be here, Eli. I just ... I just need to know: are you happy?

WALLACE: In spite of everything ...

(He looks surprised, as if it's the first time that he has realised this.)

WALLACE: ... yeah. I am.

(He smiles at her.)

MARYANN (returning his smile): It's good enough for me.


DESTINY. In the Stasis Chamber, Adam is working on a console and getting a negative beep. He works the controls again and gets the same beep. When he gets the response a third time, he lifts his radio and activates it.

BRODY: Volker.

VOLKER (over radio): Yeah.

BRODY: You on the Bridge?

VOLKER: Yeah.

BRODY: Good. I need you to run a diagnostic for me.


YOUNG'S QUARTERS. Everett walks in, closes the doors behind him, drops his radio onto the desk and takes his jacket off, draping it over the back of the chair. Going over to the bed, he sits down on the end and bends down to untie his shoes. Kicking them off, he walks around to the side of the bed, sits down again and buries his face in his hands tiredly. Somebody knocks on the doors. Everett lets out an exhausted sigh, then lifts his head.

YOUNG: Come in.

(The doors open and Dale is standing outside. Young looks round at him.)

YOUNG: What?

VOLKER (walking into the room): Well, as you know, we've been powering up all the stasis pod corridors and it's been ... it's been going pretty well up until now. But, uh ...

YOUNG: Well, what is it?

VOLKER (stepping closer): It's the last section. It must have taken some damage, possibly even before we came on board the ship. We can't bring those pods online, so ...

(Young looks round to him.)

VOLKER: We're not gonna have enough for everyone.


BRIDGE. Everett and Dale have joined Nicholas and Adam.

BRODY: The damaged pods put us eight short of the total we need.

YOUNG: But what's the problem?

RUSH: Well, the ship's very old, that's the problem.

YOUNG: All right, we'll try that again: can we fix it?

BRODY: Not with the material we have on board.

VOLKER: We need something called palladium hydride. It's a component of the high-temperature superconductors that are critical to the pod systems.

YOUNG: Where do we get this stuff?

BRODY: In ores and alloyed with other metals, ideally on planets and systems that have seen substantial meteorite activity.

VOLKER: Right. Now, we do have a possible candidate and it's locked out for good reason: the meteorites make the place dangerous, if not toxic; but there is still a command ship in the system.

RUSH: They know nothing about human physiology or what makes a planet viable - they just know there's a Gate.

BRODY: We can still get around the lockout if we want to.

YOUNG (looking at Nick): Can we survive another fight?

RUSH: Even if we did, we'd use up far too much power. The ship would never make the jump to the next galaxy, which kind of defeats the purpose of going to this planet in the first place.

YOUNG: Well, what are you telling me? That we don't have a choice but to leave eight people out; tell them, “Good luck - you've got as long as the food and water lasts”?

BRODY: We can't even do that. The power requirements needed to maintain life support for eight people for that long would make us fall short.

VOLKER: Whoever stays out would have to ...

YOUNG: ... kill themselves, yeah.

RUSH: You've no choice, Colonel. If you want Eli's plan to work, you're gonna have to come up with eight names.


QUARTERS. Lisa and Ronald are sitting cross-legged facing each other and holding hands on her bed. The lights are out and Lisa's eyes are closed throughout the conversation.

GREER: It just goes from bad to worse.

PARK: So, what's Colonel Young decided?

GREER: He hasn't yet, but ...

PARK: Don't even think about it.

GREER: What?

PARK: Volunteering to be one of the eight. I know you, Ron.

(He smiles.)

GREER: Maybe I would if it came to it, but I wouldn't ask seven others to do it with me, and I don't think Colonel Young would either. I mean, the way I see it, we all came here together and - if need be - we'll all go out together.

PARK: Maybe it won't come to that.

(Releasing his hands, she turns and begins to scoot herself off the side of the bed.)

GREER: What?

PARK: Take me to Colonel Young.

GREER: Why? What are you thinking?

(Lisa picks up a pair of dark glasses that somebody has lent her and puts them on.)


BRIDGE. Eli is pointing to a schematic of the ship as he talks to Young, Adam and Dale.

WALLACE: We need to fall back to this section and seal off the surrounding corridors. Shut down life support to those areas and then re-route power ...

GREER: OK, we're here.

(The men turn around as he escorts Lisa through the doorway.)

YOUNG: Sergeant?

GREER: Doctor Park has something she'd like to share.

(He leads her to the railing and she puts her hands onto it.)

PARK: We use a decoy. We drop off one of our shuttles, unmanned, a short F.T.L. jump from the planet, then we set it to broadcast a powerful sub-space burst mimicking a Gate dial-out.

(The three scientists look at each other thoughtfully.)

BRODY: It ... it'll take a lot of power and it might damage a few systems ... but I'm guessing the shuttle doesn't survive this plan anyway.

PARK: No. The command ship'll investigate, taking the drones with it, and probably attack the shuttle; but in the meantime we take advantage of the distraction to dial in and get the palladium hydride.

VOLKER: We can recalibrate the shields on the shuttle just like we did Destiny and remote-pilot an evasive course that'll make it harder for the drones to connect with a suicide run.

WALLACE: if we're gonna sacrifice it anyway, we can rig the engines to go critical ...

(Dale points at him excitedly.)

WALLACE: ... ram it straight into the command ship, give 'em a taste of their own medicine!

BRODY: And we'd still have one shuttle left.

YOUNG: I - I think it sounds like a great idea. Let's do it.

(As the boys eagerly run to their consoles, he walks over and puts his hand over Lisa's on the railing.)

YOUNG: Hey, that's good work, Doctor Park.

(She smiles as he walks away. Ronald proudly takes her other hand.)


LATER. Some time later, Destiny exits into normal space.

VOLKER: All right, we're in position.

YOUNG (into comms): Rush, this is Young. Launch the shuttle.

(In the Control Interface Room, Nick works his console and the clamps release from one of the shuttles. It lifts up from its parent ship.)

RUSH: Sub-space link is in place. We should be able to get shuttle telemetry and access the flight controls with minimal delay.

YOUNG: Understood.

(He looks to the front of the Bridge where Vanessa James and Dale are working.)

YOUNG: Get us as far away from here as possible.

(Destiny heads away. In the Gateroom, Scott, Greer and Doctor Morrison are wearing the environmental suits and are walking towards the Gateroom holding their helmets while a couple of marines push Eli's Kino sled behind them.)

SCOTT: You know what we're looking for, right?

MORRISON: Well, I can identify the rocks, but we can't test for concentration. Our best bet is to bring back as much as possible.

SCOTT: If this works, we should have enough time to load up as much as the Kino sled can hold.

MORRISON: And what if it doesn't?

(Matt and Ron glower at him, then everyone turns towards the Stargate to await news from the Bridge.)

(In the Control Interface Room, Eli looks at his screen which is showing a red blinking light indicating the command ship parked near the planet they want to go to.)

WALLACE: OK. I think we're good.

RUSH (into comms): Broadcasting the signal now.

WALLACE: Let's hope they take the bait.

(On the Bridge, Dale is watching the same blinking light from the command ship.)

VOLKER: Come on, come on.

(The boys in the Gateroom pace anxiously.)

(Eli and Nick watch the blinking light on their screens.)

(On the Bridge, the blinking light finally goes off.)

VOLKER: Oh, that's it! The command ship just dropped off the screen. They've gotta be in hyperspace.

BRODY: They're on their way.

YOUNG (into comms): Gateroom, this is Young. Start dialling.

(Corporal Barnes works her console and the Stargate activates and begins to dial. Three crew members help Matt, Ron and Morrison to put their helmets on. The military boys check their weapons. The Stargate kawhooshes. Your transcriber sobs, because this is the last time she'll ever type those three words in a new transcript. Barnes sends a Kino through the Gate and Greer leads the other two - pushing the Kino sled - into the event horizon.)

BARNES (into comms): This is Gateroom. We have a connection. Away team is en route.

RUSH (to Eli): Start removing shuttle engine safety protocols. We're gonna have to time this overload to the last second.

(Eli starts working. Time passes. On the Bridge, Young is pacing. He walks over to Dale's station.)

YOUNG: Got anything?

VOLKER: The screens are clear.

(Just then a red blinking light appears on his screen.)

VOLKER: Oh! Hold on. The command ship just dropped out near the shuttle.

(Young hurries back to his chair.)

JAMES: They're launching drones.

YOUNG (into comms): Rush, you're on.

RUSH: Initiating evasive manoeuvres.

(Out in space a long way away, the shuttle's engines fire up and she begins to fly an erratic path as drones swarm around her and fire at her. Her shields shimmer as the shots hit them, but they hold.)

YOUNG: Barnes, what's our status with the away team?

(Barnes is watching Kino footage from the planet.)

BARNES: They found several impact craters near the Gate. They've already begun collecting samples.

(The shuttle continues her random path through the drones, avoiding their attempts to crash into her. However, one of them manages to clip her port wing and she swings wildly for a few moments. In the Control Interface Room, Eli looks across to Nick.)

WALLACE: Woah! Watch out!

RUSH: It's all right, I've got it. Stabilising. Initiate the overload.

WALLACE: You're sure? We can't get close enough.

RUSH: Just do it.

(Eli starts to type. On the Bridge, James reports.)

JAMES: They're launching more drones. The shuttle doesn't have much time.

(Eli continues to type.)

WALLACE: Overload in ten seconds.

(Dodging in and out of the kamikaze drones, the shuttle finally lines up with the command ship and heads unerringly towards it.)

WALLACE: ... six, five, four ...

(The shuttle charges relentlessly towards the command ship, finally reaching it and slamming into it near the front. Her engines blow and the resulting explosion sets off a chain reaction. The command ship goes up in a massive fireball.)

(On the Bridge, the red blinking light on Dale's screen goes out.)

VOLKER: It's gone.

(He turns around to Young.)

VOLKER: But it's a pretty safe bet more are on their way.

YOUNG: Yeah, we're not gonna wait around to find out.


GATEROOM. Some time later the Gate has dialled back in and Scott and Morrison push the sled through, Greer following behind them. As the Gate shuts down, Adam hurries over to look at the large quantity of coal-like chunks of material tied onto the top of the sled. Young walks over as crew members help the boys take their helmets off.

YOUNG: Nice work, gentlemen.

SCOTT (to Adam): You got what you need?

BRODY (looking round at him): We're good.

(He turns to the crew members around the sled.)

BRODY: Let's get this stuff out of here.

(They push the sled out of the room.)


Shortly afterwards, Destiny jumps into F.T.L. flight again.


LATER. SCOTT'S QUARTERS. Matt is sitting on the end of his bed, lost in thought. Camille comes to the open doors and walks in.

WRAY: You ready to go?

SCOTT: I ... I-I-I don't even know what I'm gonna say. He doesn't even know I'm his father. I'm just some guy who shows up every once in a while to see how he's doin'.

(He sighs as he looks up at Camille hopelessly. She walks across and sits down next to him.)

WRAY: And, uh, how is he doing?

SCOTT (awkwardly): His mom ... I think she's a good person. I just don't think she's a good parent. Folks from Homeworld Command tell me if I was to make the phonecall, they'll step in; see he's raised in a proper home.

WRAY: Well, I wouldn't make any rash decisions.

SCOTT: What-what about you? What are you gonna say to Sharon?

WRAY: Oh, uh, I, uh ... I just got back and I didn't see her. She's at a conference in Brussels. Not enough time.

SCOTT (smiling sympathetically at her): Sorry.

WRAY: You know, um ... (she clears her throat) ... you go back billions of light years, cross an entire universe, and you're just separated by a couple of thousand miles!

(She looks down, biting her lip.)

WRAY: Anyway, um, I-I got to talk to her on the phone.

(She smiles a very fake smile at Matt.)

SCOTT: What'd you say?

WRAY (hesitantly): I, uh, I said I was sorry; that, um, this wasn't fair to her any more and she should just move on.

SCOTT (softly): What'd she say?

WRAY (looking down): Not much. She, uh, she just started crying.


STASIS CHAMBER. In the Stasis Chamber, the next group is preparing to go into the pods. As Vanessa walks across to Eli, he opens his arms to her and they hug. Nearby, Barnes walks into her pod and turns around to face the front, looking scared. The rest of the group step into their pods, Eli works the console and the doors lower down.


EARTH. On Earth, Chloe's mother sobs frantically as her daughter breaks the news to her. Chloe wraps her arms around her and they hold each other tightly.


ELSEWHERE. In a park somewhere on Earth, Lisa can see through the eyes of her host body. Standing near a lake and holding an umbrella over her head against the rain, she fondly gazes out over the water, trying not to cry.


BALIC HOME. At Annie Balic's house, she and eight year old Matthew trot down the stairs to the street. She stops and zips up his jacket for him. Sitting in a car nearby, Matt watches as she kisses her son's cheek and then takes his hand and leads him off down the road. Unnoticed by them, Matt looks away thoughtfully for a long moment, then puts the car in Drive and pulls away.


DESTINY. STASIS CHAMBERS. The next group is going into stasis. Dale pats Eli's arm as he walks past him, and Adam shakes Eli's hand, smiling. Ronald helps Lisa, wearing her dark glasses, into her pod. Adam and Dale clasp hands for a long moment, then Dale steps back into his pod. Almost cruelly, he has been allocated the pod opposite Lisa's, and he gazes across at her as she takes off her glasses and gives them to Ron. He backs down the steps, and the two men who adore her the most gaze at Lisa one last time as the doors to the pods lower down.


MESS. The last eight crew members still awake are sitting at a table having a final meal together.

YOUNG: Eat up, everybody. Except for the canned goods, this is all going to waste anyway.

WRAY: For once, I'm stuffed! I can't eat another bite.

GREER: Mmm. (He reaches for the nearest container.) I think I could use just a little bit more!

(The others laugh.)

SCOTT: All right, Colonel. How 'bout a toast?

YOUNG: Really?

SCOTT (nodding): Yes.

YOUNG: All right. All right, why not?

(He sits up straighter and looks around at the group.)

YOUNG: Well, uh, we've been through a hell of a lot together, that's for sure. I guess it'd be easy to dwell on everything that we have lost ...

(He looks poignantly at T.J. for a moment.)

YOUNG: ... but I think today I would rather think about what we still have, and maybe what we've gained. We're a family now, whether we like it or not.

(He looks across the table at Matt.)

YOUNG: Sons ...

(He looks at Chloe.)

YOUNG: ... daughters ...

(His gaze turns to Camille.)

YOUNG: ... sisters ...

(She smiles wryly. He turns to look at Nick and pauses for a long moment.)

YOUNG: ... even the, uh, slightly crazy uncle who - despite everything - still manages to come through for you in the end.

(Nick raises his eyebrows in an unwilling acknowledgement of his description as the rest of the group laughs. Everett picks up his mug.)

YOUNG: You are the smartest ...

(The camera focuses briefly on Eli.)

YOUNG: ... bravest ...

(Ronald.)

YOUNG: ... most compassionate ...

(Tamara.)

YOUNG: ... people that I have ever had the honour to serve with.

(He raises his mug.)

YOUNG: To family.

(The others raise their mugs and clink them together.)

THE CREW: Family.


STASIS CHAMBERS. Shortly afterwards, the crew walks into the Stasis Chamber. Chloe turns around to Matt and they kiss softly one last time.

SCOTT (quietly): Sweet dreams.

(She walks into her pod and turns to face the front. Everett smiles at her affectionately, then nods to Matt as he walks towards his own pod. Everett moves to stand in front of the pod which Ronald has just walked into.)

YOUNG: You all right?

(Ron sighs out a deep breath, then folds his hands in front of him and smiles at his commander.)

GREER: Yes, sir.

(Nodding, Everett walks across to Camille's pod, where she is standing in the entrance and fiddling nervously with her necklace. She smiles at him.)

WRAY: Well, guess you're finally gonna get some sleep.

YOUNG: Three years. That should be enough.

(They smile at each other, then she steps back into the pod. He turns to T.J. who is standing nearby.)

YOUNG: Lieutenant, go ahead.

JOHANSEN: You sure?

YOUNG: Yeah, yeah. We're gonna be fine.

(They look at each other for a long moment, then she turns and walks into the nearby pod. He turns to watch her and they again hold a long gaze before he turns his head towards Nicholas and nods his head. Nick types on his console and the pod doors lower. Everett looks around at his family as the stasis sets in, sending them all to sleep. Eli, standing at another nearby console, tilts his head back to lean against the wall behind him, looking very lonely. The three of them can find nothing to say to each other.)


EARTH. HOMEWORLD COMMAND. Everett, back in a civilian's body, is in Telford's office.

YOUNG: So Rush and Eli are finishing up the last of the programming. They should be done by the time I get back.

TELFORD: You're not going to go and see Emily?

YOUNG: We're done. Why re-open old wounds?

TELFORD (walking around his desk): You know, for what it's worth ...

YOUNG (interrupting): David, listen. My marriage - that was ... that was broken a long time ago, and I have no-one to blame but myself.

TELFORD: Whatever happens, we're not giving up on you.

(He smiles.)

TELFORD: Some of us may have a few more grey hairs, but we'll still be here.

(He offers his hand.)

TELFORD: Good luck, Everett.

(Everett takes it and clasps it.)

YOUNG: Thanks, David.


DESTINY. Eli and Nick are arguing as Everett walks into the Control Interface Room.

WALLACE: How could we have missed it?

RUSH: There was no way of knowing.

WALLACE: But we ran a diagnostic.

RUSH: And it showed no problems because at that stage, that particular section had yet to be fully engaged.

YOUNG: What's going on?

WALLACE: We repaired the eight pods, but one of them was more damaged than we thought. It came online with the rest of them, but when we ran final checks, it just ... died. We might be one short.


LATER. Nick is inside the damaged pod working on the side panel while Eli is at a console. Everett is pacing nearby.

RUSH: OK, try it now.

(Eli works his console but gets a negative beep twice in succession.)

WALLACE: It's no use.

(Nick pokes his head out of the pod.)

RUSH: Right. Go back down to the Control Interface Room and go through the database.

WALLACE: There's over seventeen hundred pages devoted to this system.

RUSH (going back into the pod): You'd better get started, then.

(Sighing, Eli leaves the room. Everett is gazing at the frozen form of Tamara in her pod but turns as Nick speaks again.)

RUSH: Colonel. We have to talk.


CONTROL INTERFACE ROOM. Some time later, Everett walks into the Control Interface Room.

YOUNG: Eli?

WALLACE (irritably): Before you ask, the answer is No. I haven't found any magical solutions yet. It's gonna take time.

(Everett leans against the door jamb.)

YOUNG: According to Rush, if two of us go into the pods now, today, the one that stays outside could keep minimal life support going for two weeks before it starts eating into the power reserved for the jump.

WALLACE: Sounds about right.

YOUNG: Well, he's volunteered to be the one.

(Eli's head snaps round and his eyebrows shoot upwards.)

WALLACE: You're kidding me. Really?!

YOUNG: Yeah. He says he's most qualified to figure out what's wrong with the pod and then fix it.

WALLACE: I don't know about that.

YOUNG: Yeah, and I don't think I can let him do it. I think it's, uh ...

(He straightens up and walks into the room.)

YOUNG: ... it's gonna be me.

WALLACE: You're gonna fix the pod.

YOUNG: I'm obviously not gonna fix the pod, Eli.

WALLACE: Then you're talking about suicide.

YOUNG: I can't trust him. I can't be sure he's gonna do the right thing when the time comes.

WALLACE: I'll admit he's not perfect, but I don't think ...

YOUNG (talking over him): And what if - what if he doesn't find the solution? What if, after two weeks, he loses his nerve and he keeps the life support going, even for just a few days? What happens?

WALLACE: Then we drop out early and drift.

YOUNG: And wake up in a thousand years.

WALLACE (softly): If we wake up at all.

YOUNG: Right. It's the only choice.

(He turns and starts to walk away.)

WALLACE: No, it's not.

(Everett turns and walks back towards him, frowning. Eli turns to him.)

WALLACE: I'll do it.

YOUNG: Eli ...

WALLACE: If you stay out, it's automatic - you're dead. If I do it, at least I have a chance - maybe even a better chance than Rush. For too long, I've been content to stay in his shadow, play the part of the eager young protégé, take his orders. But ...

(He looks off into the distance for a moment, then smiles.)

WALLACE: ... I'm not afraid to say it any more: I'm smarter than him.

(Everett raises his head.)

WALLACE: ... and all three of us know it.

YOUNG: I-I can't ask you to do that.

WALLACE: And I can't take No for an answer.

(Everett gazes at him, realising that the young man has finally come of age. Eli smiles.)

WALLACE: Sorry.

(He grins.)


ELI'S QUARTERS. Eli is lying on his bed listening to music on his mobile player. Nicholas comes to the open doors and knocks.

WALLACE: Hey.

(He sits up and switches off the music, taking out his earphones.)

RUSH: He told me about the conversation.

WALLACE: Ooh. Right.

(He swallows hard.)

WALLACE: Awkward.

(He sits up.)

RUSH: No, not really. I knew he wouldn't trust me enough to let me stay.

WALLACE: You did?

RUSH: In case you hadn't noticed, we do have history.

WALLACE: Is that why you volunteered in the first place? Because you knew he wouldn't accept?

(Nick shrugs.)

RUSH: What difference does it make?

(Eli shakes his head at him, no longer able to be surprised at Nicholas' deviousness.)

RUSH: Now ...

(He swings the seat in front of the Kino screen around and sits down.)

RUSH: ... the only thing I failed to anticipate was that you would volunteer to take my place.

WALLACE: So you did want it to be Young.

RUSH: I don't want anyone to die, Eli. This isn't even my idea, remember?

WALLACE: But you didn't come up with a better one.

RUSH: Not in the allotted time, no, which just goes to prove my point. We're gonna need you on the other side.

WALLACE: Oh.

(He sits back on the bed.)

WALLACE: I'll be there.

RUSH: You know, maybe I haven't said this often enough, Eli, but you do have ...

(He pauses momentarily, not meeting the younger man's eyes. Eli frowns. Eventually Nick looks up again.)

RUSH: ... you do have tremendous potential. I'd hate to see you throw it all away.

WALLACE: I'm not. Anyway, what's the point of having potential if you're not gonna step up when you really need it?

(Nicholas nods and stands up.)

RUSH: You've come a long way from that video game slacker I discovered a year ago.

WALLACE: Thanks. You've been pretty consistent.

(Nick smiles. After a moment Eli grins back at him, then Nick turns and walks away. Eli smiles fondly for a while, then his smile fades and he sighs sadly.)


STASIS CHAMBER. Everett is standing in front of T.J.'s pod watching her as Eli and Nick come in. He turns to face them as Eli types in final instructions to the console outside the pod which is waiting for Nicholas. Nick looks at Everett.

RUSH: Colonel.

(Everett nods to him, and he turns to Eli.)

RUSH: Mr. Wallace.

(Eli stares at him as he walks into the pod, shocked and moved by his respectful greeting. Nick turns to face the front and Eli presses the button to close the door. Nicholas clasps his hands in front of him and closes his eyes, the light changes inside the pod and the stasis takes hold. Outside, Everett turns to Eli.)

YOUNG: You're sure about this, right?

WALLACE: I've never been more sure of anything in my life.

(Smiling, he offers his hand to the colonel. Ignoring it, Everett reaches out and pulls him into a hug. They embrace for a long moment, then Everett steps back.)

YOUNG: You're a good man, Eli. You get this done. I'm gonna see you on the other side.

WALLACE (smiling): Right!

YOUNG: Right.

(He walks into his pod and Eli presses the button to close the door. They nod to each other one last time, and Everett's body goes into stasis. Eli walks slowly along the row of pods, gazing in at each of his friends and looking very alone.)


ELSEWHERE. All around the ship, the lights begin to go out. All the rooms we have come to know so well - the Control Interface Room, the Infirmary, the Bridge, the Gateroom - slowly disappear into darkness as Destiny powers down in direct contrast to how we first saw her forty episodes ago when she awoke to receive her new arrivals. Out in the corridors, the lights go out on level after level until we reach the Observation Deck, where Eli Wallace is standing at the railing looking out at the F.T.L. vortex. He looks very young, very lonely and very afraid as he watches space rush past him. He stand there for some time, lost in thought, and then - perhaps inspired with some thought or idea, or simply because he has realised just what an amazing life he has had in the past months - he begins to smile. His smile becomes wider and he raises his head and gazes out into space with a look of new hope and optimism.

And as she flies away from us and disappears into the distance, Destiny continues her unending journey into deep space.


[And your humble transcriber - who hasn't stopped crying for the last several hours while working on this - completes her 159th transcript for GateWorld, drops everyone a curtsey, looks up blinking at the real world out there and wonders what she's going to do with herself in this Stargate-less universe. And then goes off for another bloody good cry. Peace out, everyone. Love and hugs, Callie x]