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"Rising, Part 2" (Stargate Atlantis)

A new Stargate team embarks on a dangerous mission to a distant galaxy, where they discover a mythical lost city – and a deadly new enemy.

EPISODE #102
ORIGINAL AIR DATE: 07.16.2004
SYNDICATION AIR DATE: 09.26.2005
DVD DISC: Season 1, Disc 1
WRITTEN BY: Brad Wright & Robert C. Cooper
DIRECTED BY: Martin Wood
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Transcript by Callie Sullivan

ALIEN VILLAGE. The attack by the Wraith ships continues. Sumner is running through the camp. Some villagers run towards him but a white beam comes out of the sky from one of the ships and transports them away.

SUMNER: Fire on those ships!

(Everyone fires at the ship flying overhead. Sumner sees something moving nearby and swings his rifle round to shine its light at what he has seen. It's a white wispy ghost-like apparition. Almost as soon as he has spotted it, it disappears. He looks around and more apparitions float around, appearing and disappearing. He looks around, bewildered.)


FOREST. Teyla and Sheppard are running back towards the camp. Teyla is way ahead of Sheppard.

SHEPPARD: Teyla!

(Teyla doesn't slow down and disappears from sight.)

MARINE (over radio): Colonel, they're on the ground. They're all around us!

(Sheppard raises his gun as a fighter flies overhead, then looks around him.)

SHEPPARD: Teyla?

(Seeing movement behind him, he spins and fires at a ghost-like apparition. Then, from another direction, Teyla appears, walking right through another apparition.)

TEYLA: They're not really there. (Sheppard stares at her in amazement.) Do not trust your eyes. The Wraith can make you see things that are not there. We must hurry.

(They run off.)


VILLAGE. The Wraith ships continue to fire on the village. Sumner and his men are firing both into the air and at the ghostly apparitions.

SHEPPARD (over radio): Colonel, this is Sheppard. What you see on the ground is just an illusion. Concentrate on firing on the ships.

SUMNER (shouting to his men): Fire on the ships! Fire on the ships! (He runs to Sergeant Bates who is transfixed by the sight of the apparitions. Sumner grabs him.) Bates, snap out of it.

BATES: They're everywhere, sir!

(Sumner drags him to a new position and points into the sky.)

SUMNER: Take that thing down!

(Bates fires a missile launcher at the ship and destroys it. Another ship swoops overhead, sending out a white beam from its underside, and Bates and Sumner are transported away.)


FOREST. As Sheppard and Teyla run through the forest, another transporter beam sweeps along the ground behind them. Sheppard dives out of the way but the beam captures Teyla and transports her away.

SHEPPARD: Teyla? Teyla!

MARINE (over radio): Sir, the colonel's been taken.


ALIEN STARGATE. Ford is standing near the D.H.D. as it starts to dial automatically.

FORD (into radio): The Gate's coming on again. Two enemy ships approaching.

SHEPPARD (over radio): Let ‘em go -- we've got friendlies on board. Look at the dialling device -- burn those symbols into your mind.

(The two remaining Wraith ships approach and plunge through the active Stargate. As the Gate shuts down behind them, Ford stares at the D.H.D., memorising the symbols.)


NEAR THE VILLAGE. Sheppard is walking through the wreckage of the downed Wraith ship, some of which is burning while other parts of it are sparking. He looks in horror as he sees an alien-looking hand, severed just below the elbow. The hand is dragging itself along with its fingers.

SHEPPARD: Son of a ... (He shoots the hand twice. Then he spins round as Jinto runs up behind him.)

JINTO: Help! Help me!

(Sheppard turns back to the hand. It's now motionless.)

JINTO (tearfully): I can't find my father.

(Sheppard puts his hand on Jinto's shoulder sympathetically.)


ATLANTIS. Doctor Weir walks over to Doctor Peter Grodin, who is looking out of a large window into the ocean.

GRODIN: Here it comes.

WEIR: What am I looking for?

(There's an explosion in the distance out in the ocean above part of the city and air bubbles up through the water.)

GRODIN: There. Another part of the forcefield just failed. I don't think we have much time.


ATLANTIS CONTROL ROOM.

WEIR: How are we doing? Look, if we can just buy ourselves another day, maybe we could ...

McKAY: This city is sacrificing parts of itself in order to maintain these main areas but catastrophic failure is inevitable.

WEIR: Not in my wildest dreams would I hope to find the lost city of the Ancients so completely untouched, so pristine, and we have no choice but to walk away from this?

McKAY: In order to save it.

WEIR: To save it for whom? We don't have enough power to send a message. As far as Earth is concerned we're just going to be missing, presumed lost.

McKAY: We'll be back. We'll find a power source somewhere in Pegasus.

WEIR: We have yet to hear from Colonel Sumner. We've got no idea what's out there.

McKAY: We can't wait. It is time to go now.

(Frustrated, Weir walks away from him, then activates her radio.)

WEIR (into radio): Attention all personnel. This is Weir. (The base begins to shake violently.) Stand by for immediate evacuation. (To McKay) Dial the Gate.

(McKay pushes two chevrons, but the Gate then starts dialling in.)

McKAY: We've got an incoming wormhole.

(The force shield comes on and the Gate activates.)

GRODIN: I'm reading Lieutenant Ford's identification code.

WEIR: Let him in.

(McKay lowers the shield. Sheppard comes through the Gate, followed by the rest of the marines and the villagers.)

SHEPPARD: Step in folks, move away from the puddle.

(Weir runs down the steps to him.)

WEIR: Major Sheppard? (As the last people come through, the Gate shuts down. The base continues to shake.) Major Sheppard, who are all these people?

SHEPPARD: Survivors from the settlement. We were attacked. Sumner and some of our men were taken. (He finally notices the way that the base is shaking.) What's going on?

WEIR: We are in no condition to help anyone right now.

SHEPPARD: What the hell's going on here?

WEIR: We are about to abandon the city.

SHEPPARD: Going back there is a really bad idea.

WEIR: Major Sheppard, the shield is about to fail and the ocean is about to come crashing in on us. Do you have a better place for us to go?

(Sheppard turns to the villagers.)

SHEPPARD: Jinto, do you have any other address we could gate to?

JINTO: Yes. Many.

(Sheppard grabs his arm and hurries him towards the stairs leading to the Control Room.)

WEIR: He's just a boy.

JINTO (as he is hustled past her): I am Jinto.

SHEPPARD: She's pleased to meet you.

(On a computer screen, the message “SHIELD FAILURE IMMINENT” appears.)

McKAY: The shield is collapsing!

(There's a flash of light as the shield begins to fail and the base jolts so hard that everyone is thrown off their feet. From an external viewpoint, the city of Atlantis begins to rise off the ocean floor. Inside, people scramble to get out of the way as the base continues to shake, causing boxes and crates to fall and crash around.)

GRODIN: I'm dialling an address.

WEIR: No, wait!

McKAY: She's right.

(Externally, we watch as the city rises faster through the water. From a viewpoint high above the ocean, the water boils as the rising city approaches the surface.)

SHEPPARD: We're moving!

(The city breaks the surface -- the towers first, then the rest of the city. As the Control Room lifts above water, sunlight pours in through the windows. As the city settles into its new position on the ocean surface, the internal lights come back on. Weir and the others walk in amazement to the nearest window, which still has water pouring off it, and look out in awe.)

FORD: We're on the surface.

WEIR: I was hoping for another day. Looks like we just got a whole lot more than that. Let's not waste it.

(We get a high shot over the city. A small tidal wave is moving away from the city in all directions, caused by the rising of the city. There is no sign of land in any direction.)


LATER. Everyone has had a little time to get used to their new situation. Ford is organising the Atlantis crew and the villagers in the Gateroom.

FORD: People, listen up. No-one gets to sit down until they've cleared two pieces of equipment off this deck. Now let's go.

(Up in the Control Room)

McKAY: The last Zero Point Module is depleted, but limited power. Turned out that our generators aren't going to hold back an ocean. Life support systems are working but the planet's atmosphere's breathable -- well, notwithstanding the inevitable allergens.

WEIR: So now can our naqahdah generators supply enough power to the shield for defensive purposes?

McKAY: Not even close.

SHEPPARD: On the surface without a shield? We're target practice.

McKAY: I'm acutely aware of that, Major, but thank you for reinforcing it.

SHEPPARD: When can you tell me where the Wraith took Colonel Sumner and the others?

McKAY: Even with the six symbols Lieutenant Ford provided there are still hundreds of permutations ...

SHEPPARD: Seven hundred and twenty.

McKAY: Yes. I knew that of course. I'm just surprised you did.

SHEPPARD: Take away the coordinates you can't get a lock on, and that's your one. When you find it, send a M.A.L.P.

(McKay walks away.)

WEIR: Major. A word.

(She leads Sheppard away from the others. As they approach a glass wall, to their surprise it automatically slides open. They walk out onto a balcony. There's a gentle breeze.)

WEIR: Wow!

(They walk to the edge of the balcony and look down at the ocean. After a moment, Sheppard remembers why they came out there.)

SHEPPARD: Let me guess: you're not gonna let me rescue my people.

WEIR: Major, you don't even know if they're alive.

SHEPPARD: You don't leave people in the hands of the enemy. And the fact that we are having this conversation in private lets me know that you know damn well that it's wrong, and it will totally undermine your leadership. So as ranking military officer I ...

WEIR: Alright, just shut up and listen to me for a moment, alright? Come on, what do we know about the Wraith? One of the few things we do know is that they are the enemy that defeated the Ancients. When we first began to use the Stargate we found on Earth, we got ourselves into serious trouble -- why?

SHEPPARD: I don't need a history lesson ...

WEIR: Because the people in charge didn't consider the ramifications before they reacted.

SHEPPARD: They took our people -- how am I supposed to react?

WEIR: And we're defenceless -- you said so yourself. How do you know going off on some half-assed rescue mission isn't gonna to bring them all right back here to our doorstep?

SHEPPARD: Maybe it will. But it's the right thing to do. Why? Because it is!

WEIR: John ...

SHEPPARD: If we're not gonna do this -- and I mean right now -- let's just turn tail and pack up, because they're coming.

WEIR: You don't know that.

SHEPPARD: Our people are in the hands of the enemy, Doctor. Do you know what that means? It is just a matter of time before the Wraith figure out that this is the base of our operations.

WEIR: I just need more information. I mean, who knows, maybe we could negotiate a peaceful ...

SHEPPARD: Peaceful? Are you kidding?! We weren't there for more than a few hours before they showed up.

WEIR: Is it possible they came because of you, and that one of these people you brought back here with you tipped them off?

SHEPPARD: It's possible.

WEIR: See, that is exactly the kind of snap decision I'm referring to!

SHEPPARD: They're not all bad people, and, you know, if we're gonna stick around here, we need friends.

WEIR: OK. I see your point. Now you see mine: I will not authorise a rescue mission unless I am sure there is at least a remote chance of success. I'm not sending more good people, including you, to their deaths.

SHEPPARD: OK.

(He walks away back into the base. Weir leans on the balcony and looks out over the ocean.)


WRAITH CELL. Teyla wakes and sits up. Halling and Toran help her to her feet.

TORAN: Are you alright?

TEYLA: Where are we?

(Colonel Sumner is standing near the door to the cell. The door looks like a metal spiderweb. He turns to look at Teyla.)

SUMNER: Any idea what to expect?

TEYLA: No.

SUMNER (indicating Toran): Your friend was the one who said the Wraith would come if we went down into the ruins.

HALLING: Perhaps you should have heeded his warning.

SUMNER: How do I know he's not the one who told them?

(Loud thumping footsteps can be heard approaching.)

HALLING: Someone comes.

(A Wraith walks along the corridor to the cell. It is male, tall and thin and has very long white hair down its back. It is clearly not human, and has a seriously big mouthful of teeth. It wears a floor-length coat or robe. It is accompanied by two guards, similarly tall and thin but we can't see their faces because they're obscured by a mesh-like mask. The three of them reach the cell. The door opens and they walk in. Sumner steps forward.)

SUMNER: I'm Colonel Marshall Sum...

(With a gesture, the Wraith throws Sumner across the cell. He crashes to the floor. The Wraith looks at Toran and gestures at him. One of the guards walks over to him.)

TORAN: No, please.

(The guard grabs him by the throat and lifts him off his feet, then turns and walks out with him.)

TEYLA: Take me in his place!

SUMNER: No, take me! (He stands up.) We're the ones you're after, right? I'm their leader.

(The Wraith just looks at him dismissively, then turns and leaves with the other guard. The door seals behind them.)

TEYLA: They have no need to explain themselves.

SUMNER: Yeah, I got that.


ATLANTIS CONTROL ROOM. A M.A.L.P. has been sent through to the Stargate coordinates that Ford memorised.

GRODIN: We're receiving visual telemetry.

WEIR (looking at the screen): I can't see anything.

McKAY: No atmospheric readings at all.

(A round object flashes past on the screen.)

SHEPPARD: Wait, what was that?

McKAY: Rotate the camera.

(The camera pans around and shows a round bright light, then moves around further to show that the M.A.L.P. is floating way above a ringed planet. As the camera pans some more, we see the Stargate drifting in space. [The round object was presumably another planet (or moon) in the system, and the light was the sun.])

McKAY: Well, there goes that M.A.L.P.!

SHEPPARD: It's in space!

McKAY: It's in high orbit around a planet on the far side of the galaxy.

WEIR: You're sure this is the right address?

McKAY: It's the only one we could get a lock on.

WEIR: Very well. Shut it down. (To Sheppard) I'm sorry. (She walks away as the Gate shuts down.)

(McKay has a thought.)

McKAY (to Sheppard): Come with me, Major. (He walks away. Sheppard follows.)


SHORTLY AFTERWARDS. McKay has taken Sheppard to a bay seen briefly in Part 1. In the bay are several small lozenge-shaped ships, stacked in rows one above another. McKay and Sheppard enter one of the ships from the rear. As they walk in, the lights automatically come on. There are two seats at the front end, with a control panel in front of them. As Sheppard touches the panel, it lights up.

McKAY: Think you can fly it?

SHEPPARD: What do you say we find out? (He sits down in the left-hand seat.)


INFIRMARY. Using microscopes and magnifying devices, Doctor Beckett is examining the severed arm that Sheppard shot on the alien planet. Weir comes in.

WEIR: Doctor Beckett, what was it you wanted me to see?

(Beckett picks up the arm and shows it to her.)

BECKETT: These cells have none of the normal human inhibiting proteins whatsoever. That gives them an incredible ability to regenerate.

WEIR: What about the movement Major Sheppard saw?

BECKETT: As far as independent behaviour, I'd say that anything he saw was caused by a residual command reaching the severed nerve endings.

WEIR: Alright. Anything else?

BECKETT: The being this arm belonged to -- if I was a betting man, I'd say it was old. Very, very old.

WEIR: How old?

BECKETT: As long as these cells are properly nourished, I don't see a life form like this ever dying of natural ageing the way we do, and they'd be bloody hard to kill.

WEIR: I don't like the sound of that.

BECKETT: I don't blame you.


SHIP BAY. McKay brings Weir in. There's a slight humming sound.

WEIR: What is that noise?

McKAY: I don't ... He was right here. (He calls out.) Major!

(There's a rippling, and one of the ships uncloaks right in front of them. It's hovering slightly above the ground, and Sheppard is at the controls. He talks to them over a comms system.)

SHEPPARD: You said you want a tactical advantage?

WEIR (gazing in amazement at the ship): Alright, so you can fly that thing. It doesn't mean you can pull off a rescue.

SHEPPARD: Doctor, this is why you brought me here.


CONTROL ROOM. McKay is at the control desk. Weir trots down the stairs to join him.

WEIR: Ready?

McKAY: I have no idea. This technology is so far beyond us, I haven't a clue what we're dealing with. For all I know, we could ... (Weir gives him a look.) Yeah, ready.


SHIP. Ford and a group of marines have joined Sheppard on board.

FORD: Alright, boys, get ready to go. (As the bulkhead in the centre of the ship closes, shutting the marines in the rear compartment, he comes up front and sits down next to Sheppard.) Gateship One ready to go.

SHEPPARD: Gateship One?! A little puddle jumper like this?!

FORD: It's a ship; it goes through the Gate: Gateship One.

SHEPPARD: Oh no, no, no, that's all wrong.

FORD: Doctor McKay thought it was cool.

SHEPPARD: Oh, OK. Well, it's official -- you don't get to name anything. Ever. (He speaks into the comms.) Flight, this is ... (he grins) Puddle Jumper. We're go for launch.

(In the Control Room)

McKAY: Er, this is Flight. I thought we were going with Gateship?

SHEPPARD (over comms): Negative, Flight.

McKAY: Stand by. (He turns to Weir.) It's a ship; it goes through the Gate, I, I ... (He trails off and speaks into the comms irritably.) Fine -- Puddle Jumper, you are clear for launch.

SHEPPARD: Dial it up, Lieutenant.

(In between the two seats is a smaller version of the dialling device in the Control Room. Ford punches in the Gate address. In the Gateroom, the Stargate dials out and kawhooshes. Above the Gate, the ceiling irises open and the Puddle Jumper hovers slowly down until it is lined up with the Gate, then moves forward and through the event horizon. Weir and McKay watch it go.)

WEIR: Be safe.


PUDDLE JUMPER. The ship is through the Gate and in orbit around the Wraith planet. It cloaks.

SHEPPARD: Wow, this is cool.

FORD: Looks like you got the hang of it.

SHEPPARD: Tell you what, Lieutenant, a lot of fighter pilots would kill to fly this thing. It's like it reads your mind.

(Almost immediately, readouts appear superimposed over the front windshield.)

FORD: Did you do that?

SHEPPARD: I-I was just wondering where we go from here.

FORD: I'll take that as a yes. So how do we find them once we land?

SHEPPARD: Well I've been thinking about that too ... (On the wall beside him, a panel opens to reveal a small hand-sized device with a screen on it. He takes the device off the wall, looks at it and then puts it into his jacket pocket.) Now I'm thinking about a nice turkey sandwich.

(Sheppard and Ford look around the cabin but nothing else materialises.)

FORD: Worth a try.


WRAITH CELL. The Wraith and its guards return and walk into the cell. The Wraith walks over to Colonel Sumner, looks at him disparagingly for a moment, then snarls before turning and leaving. Sumner looks back at the others, then resolutely walks out with the guards.


PUDDLE JUMPER. The ship has flown down to the Wraith planet and is hovering just above the ground. Out of the front windshield can be seen a huge structure with trees growing on top of it. Sheppard and Ford look at the structure, then share a look of concern. Ford gets up and goes towards the rear of the ship. The bulkhead opens to show the marines in the back.

FORD: Lock and load.

(The Puddle Jumper decloaks and lands. Everyone gets out and checks the immediate vicinity.)

SHEPPARD: Alright, teams of two. Learn what you can, lay down the defences as you see fit. I want to be able to light this place up if we have to. (To one of the marines) Two clicks, you're clear to talk.

STACKHOUSE: Yes, sir.

SHEPPARD: Do not engage the enemy. (To Ford) You're with me.


WRAITH HALL. The guards bring Sumner into a large hall. In the middle of the hall is a long dining table with food on it, though the food doesn't look very appetising. Sitting in a chair at one end is a skeletal, ancient-looking man. He looks like he's been dead for centuries. It's also clear that this is Toran. Sumner looks at him for a while, then walks away, looking around the room. The ceiling appears to be very high but is obscured by mist. Suddenly a female Wraith -- similar in appearance to the male Wraith but with long dark red hair and wearing a long white shift dress -- drops down out of nowhere and lands on the floor behind Sumner. He spins round to face her.

WRAITH: You must feel hunger by now. (She snarls.)


WRAITH CORRIDORS. A guard stomps down the corridor. After it has passed, Sheppard and Ford come out of hiding.

SHEPPARD: Thought getting in was going to be the hard part.

FORD: That's the first one we've seen. (He attaches some C4 to a wall.)

(Sheppard gets the hand device out of his pocket and looks at it. There's a moving dot on the screen.)

SHEPPARD: Little dot should be him. Go over there. (Ford walks in the direction he indicated, then comes back. A corresponding dot shows on the screen.) Yeah, that's you.

FORD: So we got ourselves a life signs detector. (He grins.)

SHEPPARD: We can name it later.


WRAITH CELL. Sheppard and Ford carefully approach the cell.

TEYLA: Major?

SHEPPARD: Shh. Are you alright?

TEYLA: How did you find us?

HALLING: Is my son alive?

SHEPPARD: He's well and waiting for you. Where's Colonel Sumner?

BATES: He was taken by the Wraith.

TEYLA: We don't know where.

SHEPPARD: Well, how about when?

TEYLA: Not long.

SHEPPARD: I knew something had to go wrong. (He clicks his radio.)

STACKHOUSE (over radio): This is Stackhouse, go ahead, sir.

SHEPPARD: How about a diversion a little bit? You really need to make some noise out there.

STACKHOUSE: Yes, sir.

SHEPPARD (to Ford): Ready the C4: blow a hole and get these people out of here on my signal, alright? I can find the colonel with this (he looks at the scanner). There aren't that many Wraith around. I should be able to do this. If I'm not back in twenty minutes, blow the cells and get out.

FORD: You're the only one who can fly these people out of here.

SHEPPARD: Yeah, I'm going to fly us all out of here, including the colonel.

FORD: Just saying I should be the one to go, sir.

SHEPPARD: Twenty minutes. I'll find him. (He moves off. Ford starts handing C4 through the bars to the marines.)


WRAITH HALL.

WRAITH: What do you call yourself?

SUMNER: Colonel Marshall Sumner, United States Marine Corps.

WRAITH: So little fear. Is it valour ... or ignorance?

SUMNER: We travelled through the Stargate as peaceful explorers.

WRAITH: You must eat, yet you resist your hunger. Why?

SUMNER: Why have you taken my people prisoner?

WRAITH: You trespassed upon our feeding ground.

SUMNER: Feeding ground?

WRAITH: All living things must eat. In this I'm sure we are similar. You feel hunger even now -- I can sense it. Yet you resist. Why?

SUMNER: Why do you care?

WRAITH: Hunger is distasteful.

SUMNER (looking at Toran's corpse): Looks to me like the food didn't agree with him.

WRAITH: There we are quite dissimilar, Colonel Sumner. (She leans over Toran, running a long fingernail down his head.) We don't require our food to agree with us.

(Nearby, Sheppard -- with the help of his scanner -- is searching for the colonel.)

WRAITH: What do you call your world?

(Sumner refuses to answer. The Wraith repeats the question but this time her mouth doesn't move and the sound of her voice reverberates. She's clearly exerting telepathic force on Sumner, who struggles under the pressure.)

WRAITH (silently): What do you call your world?

SUMNER (struggling not to speak, but unable to resist): Earth.

WRAITH: It is not among our stars.

SUMNER (still struggling): No.

WRAITH: Tell me of Earth. How many more are there of your kind? (Again, Sumner tries not to let her into his mind.) Thousands? Millions? (delighted) More. Our feeding ground has not been so rich in ten thousand years.

(Sheppard is still making his way towards the hall.)

WRAITH: Your will is strong. (She points at Toran.) This one begged for his life.

SUMNER: Is that the kind of treatment I can expect for myself and my people?

WRAITH: As I have said, all living things must eat.

SUMNER: Then we're done talking.

WRAITH: I think not. Kneel. (Sumner doesn't move. She reaches towards his head. He grabs for her hand but she runs a fingernail down the side of his face. Her voice echoes in his mind.) Kneel. (Sumner falls to his knees.) I have not tasted such strength in so long. (She reaches down and rips his shirt open.)

SUMNER: Go to hell.

WRAITH: Earth first.

(She bends down and slams her open palm onto his chest over his heart, her nails piercing his skin. He screams.)

(Nearby, Sheppard hears the scream and hurries towards the sound.)

WRAITH: How many years must I take from you before you tell us what I wish to know? (Sumner is visibly ageing in front of our eyes.) Or shall I take them all?

(Sheppard is still trying to find the source of the sound. Sumner screams again -- in the few seconds since we last saw him, he has got even older.)

WRAITH: Where is this new feeding ground?

SUMNER (his teeth gritted against her onslaught): I won't.

(Sheppard finally reaches the hall. He is above ground level and there is a gap in the wall from where he can see what's happening on the floor below. He shoots the Wraith, who looks round but doesn't move, then shoots one of the two guards. The guards must not be made up of the same stern stuff as the Wraith themselves, as the guard falls to the floor. The Wraith continues to press her hand against Sumner's chest, draining his life force from him, and the bullet holes in her body heal themselves. Sheppard shoots the other guard. He then aims at the Wraith again but then looks past her at Sumner, who is now extremely elderly, with white hair, and clearly near death. Sumner looks up at him with his aged eyes and nods at Sheppard. Reluctantly, Sheppard shifts his aim from the Wraith's head to her hand and fires a single shot. The bullet goes through her hand and through Sumner's heart, killing him instantly. The Wraith looks up and snarls ferociously. Sheppard is shot with some kind of beam from behind. As he collapses, we see that he was shot by the male Wraith.)

FEMALE WRAITH: Bring him.


SHORTLY AFTERWARDS. Sheppard is being held down on the table by a guard as the male Wraith leaves the room. The female Wraith walks over.

SHEPPARD: How's the hand feeling?

(She holds her hand up in front of him and the bullet hole heals instantly.)

WRAITH: Much better.

SHEPPARD: I'm sorry to hear that.

(The Wraith sees the scanner device in his pocket and takes it out. She looks at it, clearly recognising it -- or who made it.)

WRAITH: How did this come to you?

SHEPPARD: I don't remember.

(She snarls again. Suddenly the guard is shot in the head -- Lieutenant Ford has arrived. He fires multiple shots at the guard and it collapses. Sheppard grabs his radio.)

SHEPPARD (into radio): Light it up.

(All around the outside of the building, explosions go off. The Wraith screams in fury. The male Wraith and a guard come running but more explosives blow up in their faces.)


WRAITH CELL.

BATES: Cover! (Everyone ducks as the cell door blows.)


WRAITH HALL.

Ford shoots at the Wraith, who turns to face him. Sheppard grabs one of the fallen guards' weapons -- a long spear-like gun [think Wraith-equivalent of a Jaffa staff weapon]. As the Wraith turns back towards him, he rams the spear straight through her chest and out the other side. She gasps at the impact.

SHEPPARD: That has to kill you.

(He pulls the spear out of her. She collapses to the floor.)


WRAITH CELL. Teyla and the others are climbing through the gap blasted in the cell door.


WRAITH HALL.

SHEPPARD (to Ford): How'd you find me?

FORD: Tread marks. Standard issue. Sir, let's go.

WRAITH (lying on the floor, clearly in pain): You don't know what you have done. We are merely the caretakers for those that sleep. When I die, the others will awake. (She gasps, and her voice deepens for her final dramatic announcement.) All of them. (She dies.)

(Sheppard puts the Wraith weapon down and grabs the scanner.)

FORD: What's she talking about? How many are left?

(Sheppard looks at the scanner. A whole lot of dots start to appear on the screen. Sheppard and Ford look up into the high ceiling. The view is now clear -- the ceiling is honeycombed with hundreds of cells, presumably sleeper cells for the Wraith. In each of the cells, a figure is stirring.)

FORD (handing Sheppard a pistol): Sir, we need to leave.

SHEPPARD (into radio): Bates, we're on the go.

BATES (over radio): So are we. Colonel Sumner?

SHEPPARD: Negative.


ATLANTIS. GATEROOM. Weir is standing near the Stargate, gazing at it. McKay comes down the steps to join her.

McKAY: Doctor Weir, we're getting reports in from all over the city. Some pretty interesting stuff. We've only been able to provide power to certain sections but even then the things that are coming up are just ... (He trails off, realising that she's not paying any attention).

WEIR: I should never have let them go.

McKAY: For what it's worth, you made the right decision. Give them time.


WRAITH PLANET. Everyone is running back through the woods towards the Puddle Jumper.

STACKHOUSE (over the radio from the Puddle Jumper): Major, the Jumper is secure for the moment.

SHEPPARD (into radio): We have a big problem. (To Ford) Lieutenant, take our six. I'm going to take them back to the Jumper.

FORD: Be right behind you.

(He hangs back as the others race off. In the distance, the Wraith structure is burning. Wraith fighter ships fly out from the structure and head off. In the woods Teyla, sensing something, slows down, looks back, then heads back towards Ford, who is alone and looking nervously around. He sees a wraith [i.e. the wispy apparitions seen early at the village] and fires at it. Teyla arrives and snatches his rifle off him.)

TEYLA: There's nothing there.

FORD (taking his rifle back off her): I'm sure I saw something.

TEYLA: Only what the Wraith wish you to see. Firing your weapon will reveal our position. Come on.

(The two of them run off.)


PUDDLE JUMPER. The escapees arrive at the Puddle Jumper.

SHEPPARD: Get in! (He grabs a rifle off one of the marines and runs back the way he came.)


Nearby, Teyla and Ford are running. A Wraith fighter soars overhead and its transporter beam sweeps along the ground towards them. Teyla hurls herself at Ford, throwing both of them out of its path. They fall to the ground. Another fighter swoops over and fires at them. There's a massive explosion nearby. Sheppard appears, firing up at the fighter, which flies away with smoke trailing behind it.

FORD: Thank you, sir.

SHEPPARD: Let's try not to make a habit of this.

(The three of them run to the Puddle Jumper and get in. The other marines follow.)

STACKHOUSE (looking up just before he gets in): We got incoming!

SHEPPARD (throwing himself into the pilot's seat and speaking to the ship itself): Okay, now what am I thinking?

(The Puddle Jumper rises up off the ground and cloaks as it heads up into the sky.)

SHEPPARD (looking round at all the others): Everybody OK back there?

TEYLA: We are well enough.

FORD (coming forward and resuming his seat): Hope that was the hard part.

(As they go into space, they can see several Wraith fighters ahead of them.)

SHEPPARD: Crap. I don't think we've gotten to the hard part yet.

(Many Wraith fighters are stationed around the Stargate.)

TEYLA: What can we do?

FORD: We're safe as long as they can't see us.

SHEPPARD: They don't have to -- there's only one way for us to go. The minute we activate the Stargate they can start shooting blind and blow us away on our approach.

FORD: Then how can we get through?

SHEPPARD: We should draw them away from the Gate, double back.

(The Puddle Jumper decloaks. As soon as the fighters see it and start heading towards it, Sheppard swings the Jumper around and heads away from the Gate. Many of the fighters follow it.)

SHEPPARD (to Ford): Be prepared to dial the Gate on my mark.

(The fighters fire at the Puddle Jumper -- Sheppard swerves to avoid them.)

SHEPPARD (to Ford): See anything like a weapons console over there?

(Immediately the Puddle Jumper again answers Sheppard's thoughts. A weapon deploys from the side of the ship and fires an energy drone -- the same sort that attacked Sheppard's and O'Neill's helicopter in Part 1. The drone surges unerringly towards one of the fighters and blows it up.)

FORD: Try and go invisible again.

SHEPPARD: I tried -- it must be damaged. Dial the Gate.

(Ford starts punching the symbols.)


ATLANTIS CONTROL ROOM. The Gate starts dialling in.

GRODIN: Offworld activation.

WEIR: Raise the shield.


PUDDLE JUMPER. The Stargate activates. Two Wraith fighters are still guarding it. Sheppard swings the Puddle Jumper around and fires a salvo of drones at one of them, destroying it.

SHEPPARD (to Ford): Get ready to punch in your code on the next pass.

(Ford takes out his G.D.O. [note for anyone who doesn't watch Stargate SG-1: G.D.O. = Garage Door Opener -- the casual name for the device which sends an identification code through the Stargate so that those back at base know it's safe to lower the shield].)

FORD: What's the range on these things?


ATLANTIS CONTROL ROOM.

WEIR: Do we have an identification code?

McKAY (checking a laptop): Nothing yet.


The Puddle Jumper shoots down the second fighter guarding the Gate.

SHEPPARD: Enter your code. (Ford starts punching in his code.) Hang on!


ATLANTIS CONTROL ROOM.

McKAY: I'm reading Lieutenant Ford's I.D.C.

WEIR: Let ‘em in.

(Grodin hits the controls to lower the shield.)

(As Sheppard swings the Puddle Jumper around to avoid the Wraith fighters pursuing him, they fire on him. Some of their shots go through the Gate and reappear in the Atlantis Gateroom, exploding against the wall. Everyone dives for cover behind consoles.)

WEIR (shouting over the noise of the explosions): Give them a few more seconds.

(Sheppard finally has the Puddle Jumper lined up with the Gate.)

FORD: We're going too fast.

SHEPPARD: I know.

(As the Puddle Jumper approaches the Gate, its engine pods retract into the side of the ship to make it more streamlined. It plunges into the Gate at a fantastic speed. Two Wraith fighters follow.)


ATLANTIS CONTROL ROOM. The Puddle Jumper comes racing through the Gate but immediately stops just yards into the Gateroom. This ship has mega inertial dampeners, as nobody comes flying through the front windshield.

WEIR: Reactivate the shield!

(Grodin hits a button and the shield comes back up. There are two loud thuds on the shield, then the Gate shuts down. The Puddle Jumper rises up towards its bay. Inside the ship, Sheppard smiles with relief.)

SHEPPARD: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Atlantis. Please remain seated ‘til the Puddle Jumper has come to a full and complete stop.


ATLANTIS. NIGHT TIME. There's a 'getting to know you' type party going on in the Gateroom, with all the Atlantis crew milling around with the villagers. Sheppard and Ford walk out onto the balcony and look out over the dark water.

FORD: I guess this is home now.

SHEPPARD: I guess so.

FORD: I'm thinking of a little place with an ocean view. Out of the way.

(Weir walks up behind them.)

WEIR: Major. Lieutenant. (She holds up mugs for them to take.) I thought the occasion merited opening this. Compliments of General O'Neill.

SHEPPARD: Cheers. (They all drink. Weir notices that Sheppard doesn't look happy.)

WEIR: You did good, John.

SHEPPARD: I don't know about that.

WEIR: Hey, there was no way you could have saved Colonel Sumner.

SHEPPARD: I have to live with it. (Weir nods understandingly.) I'm beginning to think you were right -- I have made things much worse. I haven't made us many more friends out there.

WEIR: No? (She turns towards the Control Room/Gateroom.) Look around you.

(Sheppard looks at the villagers milling around happily. Nearby, Halling is having an affectionate moment with Jinto -- the two of them have their foreheads touching like they did in Part 1. Teyla is standing next to Halling, and she has heard what was just said.)

TEYLA: I agree, Major Sheppard. (She walks over to him, puts her hands on his shoulders and bows her head. Sheppard glances at Ford, who grins at him. Sheppard rolls his eyes a little, then lowers his own head so that his forehead touches Teyla's. They stand like that for a moment, then Teyla raises her head.) You have earned both my friendship and that of my people. With our help you will make many more friends.

(A little way away, Doctors Beckett and McKay are watching the interchange. McKay is gnawing on something on a stick -- it looks like a very thin kebab.)

BECKETT (wistfully): How come I never make friends like that?

McKAY: You need to get out more.

BECKETT: We're in another galaxy -- how much more out can you get?!

McKAY (suddenly looking suspiciously at his kebab): Is there lemon in this?! (He hurries off to find out.)

(Teyla and Ford leave the balcony. Sheppard starts to follow them but Weir stops him.)

WEIR: One more thing, Major -- something I'd like you to sleep on. I have a few thoughts on it myself but ...

SHEPPARD: Thoughts about what?

WEIR: Who the members of your team might be.

SHEPPARD: My team?

WEIR: Well, you are the ranking military officer now, or do you need to be reminded of that? We need to get back out there; do what we came to do.

(She turns and leans on the balustrade, looking out at the ocean. Sheppard joins her.)

SHEPPARD: You do realise I can get us into all sorts of trouble, right?

(She nods amicably.)