Transcript by Callie Sullivan

YOUNG'S QUARTERS. Colonel Everett Young is shaving. The wound on his forehead is still quite livid, so presumably no more than a few days have passed since the events of the previous episode. He peers at his reflection in the stained mirror on the wall and recollects himself punching Nicholas Rush savagely in the face on the planet. Young lowers his head briefly, trying to come to terms with what he has done as he recalls dropping Rush to the ground and glaring down at his unconscious body. Young lifts his head again and tries to look himself in the eyes in the mirror as he remembers walking away and leaving Rush to his fate. He closes his eyes, trying to force the memories away.

INFIRMARY. Some time later he is sitting on a bed in the Infirmary and staring straight ahead as Lieutenant Tamara (T.J.) Johansen shines a penlight into each of his eyes.

JOHANSEN: No headaches? Any blurry vision?

YOUNG: I'm fine.

JOHANSEN: You sleeping OK?

YOUNG: T.J., I'm good. I gotta go.

(He stands up and starts to walk away.)

JOHANSEN: Sir ...

(He stops and turns back to her.)

JOHANSEN: You lost someone under your command.

YOUNG: Most recently three people - Gorman, Spencer and Rush. It happens.

JOHANSEN: Well, I know how much it affects you.

YOUNG: Different ways I let them down.

JOHANSEN: So, if you ever wanna talk about it, I'm here.

YOUNG: I know.

JOHANSEN: You should.

YOUNG: I'm sorry?

JOHANSEN: Like you said, you felt like you let Sergeant Spencer down. We all do. And there's been a lot going on between you and Rush.

YOUNG: What are you saying?

JOHANSEN: That emotionally a lot has been left unresolved.

YOUNG: Another time.

(He walks out of the Infirmary. Just outside, Camille Wray is approaching.)

WRAY: Colonel. Off to file your latest report back to Earth?

YOUNG: That's right.

WRAY: I'm curious about the details you intend to provide regarding the incident with Doctor Rush.

YOUNG: Exactly what happened.

WRAY (a little awkwardly): I'm scheduled to file my report with Earth later today, and it may cast some doubt on your version of events.

YOUNG: There were only two people on that planet - me and Rush.

WRAY: I'm talking about the obvious issues between the two of you.

YOUNG: That doesn't change anything. Listen: if you wanna accuse me, you should have the guts to come right out and accuse me.

WRAY: I don't have proof of anything.

YOUNG: I think you just wanna be in charge again.

WRAY: I'm saying you had plenty of motive.

YOUNG: Really? Do you think that I want people on this ship suspecting me of murder?

WRAY: Maybe that burden is easier to bear than actually dealing with Rush.

YOUNG: Well, I'll admit it: I don't miss the man.

(He turns and walks away. Camille watches him go for a moment, then turns and sees T.J. standing just inside the Infirmary, having overheard the entire conversation. T.J. looks at her awkwardly, then walks away.)

ELSEWHERE. In a seating area located at a junction of several corridors, Lieutenant Matt Scott is with Master Sergeant Ronald Greer who is pacing around the area talking to Doctor Caine.

GREER: I say we're all better off.

CAINE: Oh, well that's reassuring(!) So if you don't measure up, you just get left for dead? Well, what exactly is the criteria, then, for sticking around?

(He looks at Matt.)

CAINE: D'you agree?

(Young arrives.)

YOUNG: All right. Let's do this.

(He leads the others to the Communications Room where Caine begins to set up the communications device. A Kino floats nearby and Greer walks over and looks into it.)

GREER: All good.

(In his quarters/office elsewhere on the ship, Eli Wallace sits at the Kino console and looks at the footage.)

WALLACE: All good.

(As Greer moves away from the camera and Caine continues setting up the communication stones, T.J. walks into Eli's office with Lieutenant Vanessa James.)

JOHANSEN: Hey, Eli.

(He smiles round at the women.)

JOHANSEN: Hey, when you get a chance, can you check the shower system? The pressure's been kinda low.

WALLACE: Sure. Once I'm done here.

(The women look at the footage on the screen. Vanessa grins round at T.J.)

JAMES: Doctor Caine's pretty cute, huh?

(Eli looks round at her, startled.)

JAMES: There is nothing sexier than a widower ...

(Eli tries to interrupt her but she continues.)

JAMES: ... a man who's proven that he can make a commitment and is single through no fault of his own. (She grins at T.J.) I mean, what more could you ask for?

(In the other room, Caine looks up awkwardly as Vanessa's voice comes clearly through the Kino.)

CAINE: I can hear you.

(Scott bows his head, trying to hide his smile. In Eli's office, Vanessa's smile drops and she stares at the screen in horror as T.J. sniggers.)

JAMES (awkwardly): Uh, I-I'm so sorry!

CAINE (embarrassed): How ‘bout we just carry on like nothing happened?

JAMES (plaintively): OK. Thank you!

(She turns and walks away as T.J. and Eli burst into giggles.)

JAMES: God! Kill me now!

(T.J. bounces out of the room after her, still giggling, and claps sympathetic hands onto her shoulders as they walk along.)

(In the Communications Room, Caine tries not to look awkward.)

CAINE: All right. I think we're ready.

(Young picks up one of the stones and holds it for a moment, then puts it down on top of the box. He closes his eyes in expectation of the jump into someone else's body. As the light levels change around him, he opens his eyes again and frowns. Wherever he is, it certainly isn't the lab at Homeworld Security. Instead, he's standing in a corridor of a ship that definitely isn't Destiny. While the corridor is still fairly dark in the same way that Destiny's are, the lights and markings on the walls are different. He walks forward cautiously, then glances behind him. A moment later he notices the clothing he is wearing. It's a body-hugging uniform made of a black sort of plastic fabric with grey plastic trim.)

(He hesitantly walks on, turns a corner and sees at the end of the corridor a large opening in the floor. Just then a platform rises up into the opening and standing on the platform is a spindly alien. It's about the same height as him but is very thin. It has two arms and two legs and is standing upright. Its skin is a fluorescent pale blue and it has a large rugby ball-shaped head with glowing blue eyes. It is wearing the same uniform as Young. As the platform stops moving, the alien glances disinterestedly at Young, then turns, steps off the platform and walks off down another corridor. Young stares after it in disbelief.)

(Back on Destiny, the others have been watching Colonel Young as he stood still for several seconds, but now his head moves and he stares around the room.)

SCOTT: Welcome aboard Destiny. Lieutenant Matthew Scott.

(Young's head turns and looks down at Caine sitting at the table. Caine smiles at him and flips him the "peace" sign with two fingers. Young's head turns again and looks at Scott and Greer standing nearby. Greer looks at his expression with concern.)

GREER: You OK?

CAINE: Ex-excuse me?

(Young's head turns back towards him. Caine waves at him.)

CAINE: Hi. How are you?

(Worried about the man's reaction - or lack of it - Scott steps forward and puts a hand onto Young's arm. Instantly Young - or, rather, the alien inside Young - grabs Scott by the throat with one hand and surges forward, shoving Scott violently back against the wall while simultaneously shoving Greer away. Eli's eyes widen with shock as he watches the footage.)

WALLACE: Ooh! Woah!

(Greer charges back in and wraps one arm around Young's neck while lifting him off his feet with the other. He bundles Young's body to the floor, straddles him and wraps both his hands around Young's throat, half suffocating him. As Scott grabs at his own throat and struggles to catch his breath nearby, Caine pulls the communication stone off the box and drops it back into its carrying case. On the floor, Young stops struggling and stares up into Greer's face.)

YOUNG: Sergeant, what happened?

GREER: I have absolutely no idea, sir.

(Carefully, he releases his grip on Young's throat.)

INFIRMARY. T.J. has just finished checking Young over. Matt stands nearby and looks round at Caine.

SCOTT: Well, what do you think?

CAINE: I ... I'm an I.T. tech, you know. I fix Earth computers, not Ancient communication devices.

(He looks round at Eli, who shrugs.)

WALLACE: Malfunction in the connection?

SCOTT: Well, that's quite a hiccup.

YOUNG: I've seen worse.

JOHANSEN: We don't exactly know what these stones do, do we?

CAINE: Well, no, not personally. I just got put on stone duty ‘cause Riley's not back on his feet yet.

(T.J. lowers her eyes and addresses Young a little reluctantly.)

JOHANSEN: You know, sir, you have been under quite a bit of stress.

YOUNG: Oh, you're not suggesting that I imagined it?

(She glances up briefly, letting her gaze take in everyone in the room before lowering her head again.)

JOHANSEN (hesitantly): ... No.

SCOTT (to Young): Whoever took over your body was acting kinda strange.

YOUNG: Look, there is no way that I hallucinated that ship or that alien. My imagination isn't that good.

(He gets up off the bed that he had been sitting on.)

YOUNG: I was on a ship and I saw an alien. (He looks at Caine.) Now, I wanna know exactly what happened, what went wrong, and why. And until then, the Communications Room and that device are off limits. Understood?

(He looks at Eli, then Caine, then Scott, waiting for each one of them to nod their understanding. Once they have all done so, he leaves the room.)

LATER. Young is sitting in his quarters, sewing up a hole in one of his socks with what looks like some rather thick twine. Camille strolls to the open doorway and taps on the door.

WRAY: Got a minute?

YOUNG (glancing up at her briefly): Please, sit.

(He carries on with his sewing as she comes in and sits down opposite him.)

YOUNG: You know, I always feared limited resources meant that every day would be a struggle for survival, but I never thought it would come to this.

WRAY: Is that supposed to be some sort of hint?

YOUNG: Yeah, it's a hint. If you're wondering what to get me for Christmas, I need socks.

(He smiles sarcastically at her. She rolls her eyes, unimpressed, as he gets back to his sewing.)

WRAY: I heard about today's "incident".

YOUNG: Caine's looking into it.

WRAY: Y'know, I find it interesting that the device just happens to malfunction moments after we had our conversation this morning.

YOUNG: I guess it's kinda coincidental.

WRAY: That's one word. Another is "convenient".

YOUNG (looking up at her): And another is "surprising". OK, your turn.

WRAY: You actually think that this will keep me from filing my report back to Earth?

YOUNG: Actually, yeah. No, I'm pretty sure it will.

(Camille smiles bitterly and leans forward.)

WRAY: When the time comes, let's hope that those who sit in judgement of you grant the mercy you denied Doctor Rush.

YOUNG: I believe you mean "allegedly denied Doctor Rush." Communications with Earth will resume as soon as I am completely satisfied that the next attempt to connect will not result in another coincidence, or a convenience, or a surprise.

(Angrily, Camille stands and walks out of the room. Young also stands and follows her to the doorway, where he uses the button on the wall to close the doors.)

MESS. Private Darren Becker has a jar of small round red objects and he spoons a couple of them into a bowl held by Chloe Armstrong. She smiles at him.

ARMSTRONG: Thank you.

(Excitedly, she turns and walks over to a table where Eli is sitting. She takes a seat.)

ARMSTRONG: We have tomatoes! (She squeaks with delight.) We finally have tomatoes!

(Eli is toying with one of his own tomatoes with his fingers. His tone is much less excited as he speaks.)

WALLACE: More or less.

(Picking one of the tomatoes from her bowl, Chloe sighs in anticipation, then pops it into her mouth and closes her eyes as she begins to chew. Eli looks up as her ecstatic expression rapidly becomes one of puzzlement. He snorts and nods as she opens her eyes.)

ARMSTRONG: Wow. That's odd.

(He nods in agreement.)

ARMSTRONG: So I was talking to Doctor Inman and she said the hydroponics team will have strawberries for us in about a month.

WALLACE: Sort of strawberries. Talk to me when they can finally start growing meat.

ARMSTRONG: Well, actually, I heard they're working on a soy-based protein.

(Eli lifts his head and adopts a silly accent.)

WALLACE: Happy Thanksgivin', everyone! Enjoy your tofurkey!

ARMSTRONG: You're in a bad mood. What's the matter?

WALLACE: I haven't slept much. Colonel Young has me working round the clock trying to figure out everything that Rush was working on.

(At a nearby table, the conversation becomes loud enough to interrupt Chloe and Eli. They listen in as a woman argues with Doctor Dale Volker.)

WOMAN: You can't be serious. Colonel Young was willing to sacrifice his own life so that one of us could have a shot at getting on the shuttle when the ship was heading towards that star. You think he's a cold-blooded murderer?

VOLKER: I wasn't saying that.

(Snorting angrily, the woman leaves the table and walks away. Scott comes over from collecting his own meal from Becker. He sits down next to Chloe.)

SCOTT: Can you believe it? Tomatoes!

(He pops one in his mouth and starts to chew. Chloe smiles expectantly at Eli as he watches Matt's face.)

SCOTT: What?

HYDROPONICS LAB. When we last saw the lab in "Life," it had just a single shoot but now there are many plants growing. Camille has gathered a group of people together, including Volker, Adam Brody and Lisa Park.

WRAY: From the second we got on this ship, they've been the ones calling all the shots: what we eat, where we sleep, what we do and when. And we just sit back and let them.

VOLKER: Yeah. They're the ones with the guns.

WRAY: Yeah. I mean, we have every right to be afraid. (She sighs.) Look at what happened to the last person to challenge them.

(Unknown to her, there is a Kino inside a nearby air vent and Eli is watching the footage in his office.)

VOLKER: So, what do you think we should do?

WRAY: I don't know.

LATER. Some time later, Destiny exits into normal space. Some time after that, the Stargate has been dialled and a Kino has been sent through to the planet at the other end of the wormhole. It is sending back footage of rocks with plants growing out of the top of them. Scott and Young are standing beside Brody as they look at the footage on the console in the Gate Room.

SCOTT: Purple plants. Are you kidding me?!

BRODY: Well, purple chlorophyll is sensitive to red and infrared light. The planet's probably orbiting a red dwarf.

YOUNG: The Kino says breathable atmosphere, water and oxygen.

BRODY: Well, I'm concerned about potential stellar flare activity - spot radiation.

YOUNG: All right, then. (To Scott) We'll suit up.

(As they turn to leave the Gate Room, Lieutenant James runs urgently towards them.)

JAMES: Sirs! You've gotta see this.

(The men break into a trot and follow her to the nearest room with a window facing the front of the ship.)

JAMES: It just showed up.

(They walk into the room and stare in amazement at the sight of a squat, chunky-looking spaceship parked just in front of Destiny's nose.)

CONTROL ROOM. Shortly afterwards, Young and Scott walk into the Control Room where Eli is already working on a central console.

YOUNG: Eli?

WALLACE: Bringing it up ... now.

(He calls up an image of the alien ship onto the holographic screen. He and the others walk over to the screen and gaze at the sight for a long moment.)

WALLACE: Wow. What is it doing?

SCOTT: Nothing - yet. Just sittin' there.

WALLACE: Maybe we should try communicating with it?

YOUNG: How?

WALLACE: Uh, well, we have broadcast capability. Course, there's no way in hell they'd understand us.

YOUNG (turning to him): Eli.

WALLACE: But I guess there's only one way to find out!

(He goes back to his console and starts working on it.)

SCOTT: Two alien encounters in a day. What are the chances?

YOUNG: I am thinking likely zero.

WALLACE: OK. Sending ... now.

(He walks back over to the other two.)

WALLACE: Let's hope they speak Ancient.

YOUNG: There is no way this is a coincidence. I bet you I was on that ship this morning.

SCOTT: You figure you piqued their curiosity? They came here to check on us?

YOUNG: I'm thinking they've been checking on us for a while. There's no way they can find us this fast.

(The console beeps. Eli returns to the console and sits down, looking up at the others anxiously.)

WALLACE: They answered back.

(Young and Scott walk around the console to look at the screen. Eli looks up at Young, his eyes wide.)

WALLACE: That's not a translation.

(He looks back at the single word which has appeared on the screen. It reads SURRENDER.)

YOUNG: They answered in English!

SCOTT: I mean, how the hell's that possible?

WALLACE (shrugging): I ...

YOUNG: What did you say?

WALLACE: "Hello! We're peaceful humans from planet Earth. We mean you no harm and we'd like to meet you." What do I do? What do I say back?

YOUNG: Nothing.

WALLACE: Nothing?!

YOUNG: Nothing. Get our weapons online.

(He takes out his radio and activates it, lifting it to his mouth.)

YOUNG: This is Colonel Young. All personnel report to designated areas.

(He deactivates the radio again and looks at Scott.)

YOUNG: Lieutenant, I need you and Greer on that shuttle.

SCOTT: Yes, sir.

(He hurries away.)

OBSERVATION DECK. On the Observation Deck, many members of the crew are gathering and are looking out at the ship with concern and muttering to each other anxiously. Dale Volker looks at the ship nervously.

VOLKER: Something's happening.

(in the Control Room, Brody runs in, skids to a halt at the sight on the screen, then hurries over to his own console. Eli looks up anxiously.)

WALLACE: I ... I think they're launching smaller ships.

(He adjusts the view on the holographic screen so that it shows overhead schematics of Destiny and the alien ship. Red dots indicate the smaller vessels departing the other ship.)

(Lisa Park comes into the Observation Deck and stares in shock at the sight.)

PARK: Oh my God.

(Through the front window, the smaller vessels can now be clearly seen heading towards Destiny. In the Control Room, Eli looks up in concern.)

WALLACE: Uh, only thirty percent of the weapons are coming online.

(He looks panic-stricken at Brody, who reminds him of the reason.)

BRODY: Rush put limits on how many could be activated at once.

WALLACE: Right, right, after what happened to Riley. (He looks across to Young.) We were still in the process of checking each gun's functionality.

YOUNG: Well, find a way around it, Eli.

SHUTTLE. The rear doors open and Scott and Greer hurry in. Scott presses various controls to get the doors and bulkheads closed and the shuttle warmed up while Greer sits down at what must be a weapons console and belts himself in. Scott sits, activates more controls and looks round to check that Greer is ready. They nod to each other.

SCOTT: Disengaging.

(The clamps holding the shuttle in place retract and the shuttle begins to move forward, lifting upwards from Destiny and heading up into space. The crew members in the Observation Deck watch with worried concern as the shuttle flies towards the alien ship and the approaching fighters. The graphics on the Control Room screen show that there are at least nine fighter craft. Young turns to Eli.)

YOUNG: Eli, come on.

WALLACE (looking up indignantly and full of panic): Hey! Hey, first real space battle over here!

(To his credit, he does then get straight back to work.)

(In the shuttle, Greer activates controls and the ship begins exchanging fire with the fighters. He hits one of them and it explodes.)

SCOTT: You got it? You got it?

GREER: Just about.

(He continues firing and takes out another fighter but other fighters have already swarmed past and are heading for Destiny. Young watches their approach on the holoscreen.)

YOUNG: Eli, activate the forward battery.

WALLACE (through gritted teeth): That's what I'm trying to do.

(On the Observation Deck, the crew members watch nervously as a small swarm of fighters heads towards them. A few of the crew turn and run from the room while many of the others automatically start to back away. James finally realises that she needs to get everyone out of the room. She grabs the nearest person and shoves him towards the doors.)

JAMES: Come on, get back.

VOLKER: Let's go.

JAMES (grabbing a woman and pulling her back from the window): Come on.

(At last Destiny begins firing towards the approaching fighters. Almost immediately one of them gets blown out of the sky and a second one is quickly obliterated. The others soar on, skimming along the edge of Destiny. The last people on the Observation Deck drag themselves away from the view and begin to leave the room. In the Control Room, wall consoles behind Brody explode. He cringes away from the sparks but keeps looking at his console.)

BRODY: We're taking heavy fire.

YOUNG: Can you boost power to the shields?

BRODY (running to another console): I'm working on it.

WALLACE: Shield power's being drained by the weapons.

(Out in the corridors near the Observation Deck, two military crew members are running along. There's a massive explosion and the lead marine goes down. The woman following him is caught by electricity constantly sparking between the walls. She convulses for several seconds on her feet, then drops to the floor. Hearing the nearby noise, James, Park and Volker run out to investigate. James, ahead of the other two, realises the danger and stops, holding her hand out to the others.)

JAMES: Stay back!

(She watches helplessly as electricity continues to spark across the corridor in front of her. In the Control Room, Eli reports.)

WALLACE: We've got surges happening all over the ship. The weapons system wasn't ready for this.

YOUNG: Eli, everyone on board this ship is counting on you.

WALLACE (grimly, without raising his head from the console): Don't need to hear that.

(Young walks over to him.)

YOUNG: You can do it.

(Eli lifts his head and slams his hand down onto the console.)

WALLACE: No! No, I can't!

YOUNG: Yes, you can.

WALLACE: Why is this all on me, OK? (He gestures towards Brody.) What about him?

YOUNG: I don't care. (He glances round at Brody and raises his voice sternly.) Both of you - I need this ship working now.

WALLACE (working on his console again): You should have thought of that before you got rid of Rush.

(Young stares in shock for a moment.)

YOUNG: Just fix it.

(Eli glares at him momentarily, then gets back to work.)

(Outside, another weapon comes online, swings around and begins firing at the fighters. The shuttle has turned around and is also firing and destroys another fighter. The firefight continues as one of the ships whizzes dangerously close over the top of the shuttle, firing at it. The shuttle jolts.)

(In the electrified corridor, T.J. arrives and sees James and the others standing helplessly nearby. Finally James kicks herself into action and runs down another corridor as electricity continues to spark back and forth past the downed woman. James finds a room with a junction box inside. She pushes open the door and makes her way cautiously inside the tiny room, cringing and keeping herself away from the walls which themselves are sparking. She reaches forward, grabs the lever and pulls it downwards. The power goes down in the nearby corridors and the last of the electricity sparks across the walls before the whole area goes dark. T.J. switches on her flashlight as James comes out of the room.)

JAMES: You guys OK?

VOLKER: Yeah.

JOHANSEN: Check her.

(She and James run towards the downed woman.)

JAMES: OK.

(As T.J. kneels down beside the woman, James runs off to see if anyone else has been injured.)

CHLOE'S QUARTERS. Sitting on her bed in her quarters, Chloe stands up and walks over to her window, looking out at the firefight. Outside, one of the fighters whizzes in close to Destiny and lands on a level surface. In the dark corridors, a marine called Dunning makes his way cautiously along as he hears the loud clang of the ship landing. Nearby, the doors to Chloe's room open and she walks out. Heading down the corridor, she meets Dunning at a junction. He holds out his hand in warning to her as a large red hot circle appears in the ceiling above them. The heat in the circle increases in intensity until it burns through and that section of the ceiling drops to the floor. Chloe jumps back and stares up at the bright light emanating from the hole in the ceiling, then she walks closer to the light and stares up through the hole just as an ominous chittering sound comes from above her.

CONTROL ROOM. Young looks at the holoscreen in surprise as the fighters begin to head back towards their mother ship.

YOUNG: They're falling back.

(On the surface of Destiny, the fighter takes off and heads out into space. In the corridor below, Dunning is clinging onto a wall and gasping as air funnels out of the hole in the ceiling. Several seconds later automatic repairs kick in and a forcefield forms across the hole. Dunning slumps to the floor, catches his breath, then gets up and looks around for Chloe. He gazes up at the hole in the ceiling and the shimmering forcefield and activates his radio.)

DUNNING: Colonel Young, this is Airman Dunning. Please respond.

(In the shuttle, Scott watches the fighters turn and head away.)

SCOTT: They're retreating.

GREER: We've got ‘em on the run. Let's give ‘em something to remember us by.

(Scott nods his agreement and sends the shuttle in pursuit, firing towards the fleeing fighters.)

(In the Control Room, Young has just heard Dunning's report and looks at Eli urgently. Eli activates the comms to contact the shuttle.)

YOUNG: Lieutenant, I need you to end pursuit and fall back to Destiny.

SCOTT: But, sir ...

YOUNG: Do not engage. I repeat, do not engage. Chloe may be on board one of those ships.

(Greer sits back from his console, lifting his hands away from the controls as Scott stares in shock at the departing fighters. A moment later he fires the shuttle's retros to turn her around and send her back towards Destiny.)

LATER. Shortly afterwards, the shuttle has docked and Young meets the two young men as they exit the ship.

SCOTT: What the hell happened?

YOUNG: Easy, Lieutenant. It was nobody's fault. We were not ready for this.

GREER: They gave up pretty quick.

YOUNG: Well, the attack may have been a distraction to try to come in close and take prisoners, to try to gain intel.

SCOTT: Why are we the enemy?

YOUNG: I don't know.

SCOTT: Sir, that ship is still within shuttle range. Request permission to take ...

YOUNG: Permission denied.

SCOTT: Colonel.

YOUNG: You wouldn't stand a chance. With me.

(He turns and walks away. The men follow him.)

GREER: What are we gonna do?

YOUNG: I'm going after her.

SCOTT: How?

YOUNG: The communication device.

SCOTT: Sir, you are only assuming that's the same ship that you were on.

YOUNG: Yes, well, I'll find out when I'm onboard.

ALIEN SHIP. Chloe regains consciousness and opens her eyes. She is completely under water and a large breathing mask is clamped over her face. A monitoring device of some sort, with three yellow lights on it, is attached to her left temple. She looks around, terrified, as she realises that she is upright in a tank full of clear liquid. She is wearing a skin-tight black leather/plastic diving suit, and various tubes are attached to her. Panicking, she pounds on the glass as air bubbles out of her mask. A few seconds later she stops and stares in shock as a spindly large-headed alien walks towards her outside the tank. It looks identical to the one that Young saw earlier. It looks in through the glass at her for a moment, then leans forward and screams in a high-pitched voice. Chloe flinches back, flailing in terror.

DESTINY INFIRMARY. All is chaos as T.J. tries to coordinate the many injured people. She helps a woman with a damaged arm.

JOHANSEN: Let's elevate this.

(Helping her to bend her arm, she directs her into the room.)

JOHANSEN: Have a seat over there and I'll get to you as soon as I can, OK?

(She hands the person off to a helper.)

JOHANSEN: Thanks so much.

(Camille runs in.)

WRAY: Anything I can do?

JOHANSEN (running over to start treating a head wound): Take your pick. Grab some gauze.

(She makes soothing noises to her patient as Camille picks up some gauze and comes over to her.)

WRAY: Chloe was taken.

(James, who is treating Doctor Caine who has a head wound, hears her.)

JAMES: What? How?

WRAY: One of the ships latched on, cut a hole.

(Nearby, Lisa Park calls out as she checks a woman who is lying on one of the beds.)

PARK: I can't get a pulse over here.

JOHANSEN: Grab the bag.

(She looks at Camille, indicating the patient she has just been treating.)

JOHANSEN: Keep the pressure on him, please.

(She hurries over to the woman on the bed and starts chest compressions as Lisa grabs an air bag. Adam Brody hurries in and looks around for Caine.)

BRODY: Caine.

CAINE: Yeah?

BRODY (beckoning): Caine, we need you.

CAINE: OK.

(Taking a sticking plaster from James, he follows Brody out of the room.)

COMMUNICATIONS ROOM. Young is sitting on one of the seats and Greer is knelt in front of him, fastening restraints around his legs to attach them to the legs of the seat. Greer looks up at Young as he tests whether he can move his legs.

YOUNG: OK, that's good.

(Greer stands up and starts to attach restraints around one of Young's wrists, tethering him to the arms of the chair.)

YOUNG: Tighter.

(Greer tightens the restraint as Caine comes in. Scott leans down to Young.)

SCOTT: Sir.

(Young is still concentrating on the restraints.)

SCOTT: Sir.

(Young looks up at him.)

SCOTT: Let me do it.

YOUNG: Lieutenant, it's not gonna happen.

(Aware that a Kino is recording everything, Caine speaks up as he sits down at the table.)

CAINE: For the record, I think this is a very bad idea.

YOUNG: Yes, but it's the best of the bad ideas. (He looks across at Caine.) Go.

(Eli hurries into his office where Brody is watching the live Kino footage from the Communications Room.)

WALLACE: I think I got most of the weapons back online. How long's he going in for?

BRODY (vacating the seat): Twenty minutes, then we pull him out.

WALLACE (sitting down): OK.

(Young is holding a communication stone. Greer stands behind him, ready to strap that arm to the seat as soon as he has laid the stone down.)

CAINE: Colonel, you can always go back in if you don't find her.

(Scott nods his agreement.)

CAINE: Go ahead.

(Young reaches over and drops his stone onto the box. Moments later he looks around the corridor of the alien ship. He is wearing the black plastic uniform again. Cautiously he heads off along the corridors.)

(In Destiny's Communications Room, the alien in Young's body jolts and tugs at its bonds. Everyone watches it nervously.)

(On the alien ship, Young turns a corner and stops abruptly at the sight of a small control room or laboratory immediately ahead of him, with five aliens busily working in it. One of them turns and sees him - or rather, the alien that he has taken over. It chitters to him. Unable to do or say anything convincing, Young simply stands still and gazes back at it. It looks at him for a moment, then makes a disparaging sound and turns back to its work. Young turns away and heads off.)

(In Destiny's Communications Room, Scott sits down facing the alien in Young's body. Caine, on the other hand, stands up and backs away a little nervously.)

SCOTT (slowly to the alien): We are not your enemy. We mean you no harm.

(The alien grunts as it struggles against its bonds. Caine looks at Scott.)

CAINE: I don't think it understands you.

GREER: They-they spoke English.

CAINE: They sent a one-word message. For all we know, they have a translation device on their ship or something.

SCOTT: But we sent it in Ancient.

(He looks at the alien.)

SCOTT: Why did you attack us?

(The alien gurgles threateningly at him.)

ALIEN SHIP. Young turns and frowns as he sees something in the distance. He makes his way towards a room at the end of the corridor. The doors to the room are open and at the far end is an upright water tank containing a figure inside. It's not completely visible due to poor lighting and the fact that the glass is slightly grubby, but it's enough to pique Young's interest and he walks into the room. As he gets closer it's clear that - unlike the aliens - whatever is inside the tank has hair which is floating with the gentle movement of the liquid. Young wipes his hand across the glass to clear the view and stares in amazement at the person inside, their face partly covered with a breathing mask, and a monitoring device with three yellow lights stuck to their temple. Their eyes are closed. But this isn't Chloe. It's Nicholas Rush. Young backs away from the tank in shock.

(Pulling himself together, Young walks back to the doorway of the room, looking for something that will close the door. He finds a button, presses it and the door dutifully slides shut, obscuring him from any passing aliens. He goes over to a console in the room and stares at it, but doesn't have the first idea how to work it. Looking around, he sees that there are several metal pipes on the walls. He goes over to one and tries to tug it free of the wall but it won't budge. He goes over to a row of thick glass tubes on the opposite wall and, pulling on one and then another, manages to yank the second one off the wall. Wielding it and testing its weight, he walks over to the tank and swings it as hard as he can against the glass. The tube thuds off it harmlessly. He swings it again. This time the glass cracks a little. Inside the tank, Rush wakes up and flinches away from the glass as Young swings a third time. Two more swings and the glass shatters, spewing all of the water and Nicholas Rush out onto the floor. Young ducks out of the way and watches as Rush flails around on the floor like a stranded fish.)

(Back on Destiny, Scott continues trying to communicate with the alien in Young's body.)

SCOTT: Why did you take one of our people prisoner?

(The alien continues swearing at him in its own language - at least, it sounds like swearing to me. However, those watching Young's body cannot hear a sound coming from his mouth.)

(In the alien lab, Rush pulls off his face mask, tugs all of the tubes off his body and looks up in terror at the alien standing nearby and watching him. As it walks towards him he scrambles backwards, his eyes wide with fear. The alien stops and holds out its hands in a placating gesture. Rush frowns and looks back at the tank.)

RUSH: Why did you do that?

(Unable to speak through the alien's mouth, Young can do nothing but wait to see if Rush can work it out for himself. Rush points to himself.)

RUSH: You wanna help me?

(Pointing to the console, he slowly gets to his feet, reaches onto the console and picks up a similar device to the one stuck to his own temple. However, the new device has three red lights on it instead of the yellow ones on his own. He reaches up to the device on his temple and painfully peels it off. He slowly waves it at the alien.)

RUSH: This is how you read my mind. Do you understand?

(He walks nervously towards the alien, holding the yellow device towards it.)

RUSH: This one transmits.

(He shows it the red device.)

RUSH: This one receives.

(He offers the yellow device to the alien, and Young takes it. Rush backs away nervously, then begins to stick the red device onto his own temple, showing the alien how to do it.)

RUSH: Like this. Here, like this.

(Young lifts the device towards his own temple.)

RUSH: Yeah. Yeah.

(Young presses the device onto his temple and immediately yells in pain. Rush also cringes and grimaces as pain hits him. Young collapses to the floor, crying out in anguish and clutching his head. Rush holds his own head and watches the alien gurgling in anguish and clutching its head. Then finally the two devices connect and, inside his head, Rush sees Colonel Young putting the communication stone onto the box and switching into the alien's body. Then he sees Young in the Control Room radioing to Scott.)

YOUNG: Do not engage. Chloe may be aboard one of those ships.

(Then Rush sees Young putting the stone onto the box and switching into the alien a second time. He gazes down in amazement at the alien writhing on the floor and clutching its head.)

RUSH: Colonel Young!

(Groaning, Young rolls to the side ... and then lifts his head in Destiny's Communications Room. He stares around in shock.)

YOUNG: What happened?

CAINE: He's back.

(Scott hurries over to the colonel.)

YOUNG (urgently): What just happened?

SCOTT: The alien ship is closing in on us.

(As if to prove his point, weapons fire impacts Destiny and the lights flicker.)

(On the other ship, the alien stops writhing and takes its hands away from its head. Rush grimaces as - inside his mind - he sees various images of the alien going about its daily routine, working in labs, walking around the ship ... and looking into another water tank at Chloe Armstrong. Nick's eyes snap open and he stares down at the alien as it starts to get to its feet, growling at him. He backs away from it nervously, realising that this is the real alien and not Colonel Young. The alien approaches him and swings an arm at him but Rush punches it hard in the face and then surges forward, seizing it around the throat. Growling, the alien tries to push him off but the water and broken glass under its feet cause it to slip and it tumbles onto its back with Rush still clinging to its throat.)

(On Destiny, Young looks urgently at Caine.)

YOUNG: Send me back.

(Greer hurries over to loosen his tethers so that he can reach the stone. Young yells at Caine.)

YOUNG: Send me back now!

(On the alien ship Rush is straddling the alien and squeezing at its throat with all his strength. The alien gurgles and struggles weakly, then Rush gets his grip right and snaps the alien's neck. It becomes still.)

(On Destiny, Caine looks at Young.)

CAINE: Go.

SCOTT: Good to go.

(The stone is already on top of the box. Young reaches over and puts his fingers on it as Greer tightens his grip on the tether, preparing to tighten it the moment the transfer happens. Young glances up at him.)

YOUNG: Get ready.

(He lifts his hand off the stone and Greer instantly reels it in and straps it tightly to the arm of the chair. Young closes his eyes, awaiting the transfer, then frowns and opens his eyes.)

YOUNG: It's not working.

(He glares at Caine.)

YOUNG (shouting angrily): Why isn't it working?!

(A massive blast hits the ship. Sparks fly everywhere.)

YOUNG: Untie me.

(On the alien ship, Rush grabs the glass tube that Young had used to break the tank. Peeling off the device from his temple, he drops it to the floor and heads for the door, leaving the dead alien lying there.)

(In Destiny, Brody and Eli are charging through the corridors towards the Control Room. They belt inside, ducking various exploding wall panels as they go, and scramble to their consoles.)

(In the Communications Room, Caine finishes his checks.)

CAINE: There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with the device.

(Scott looks at Young urgently while Greer is untying him.)

SCOTT: Did you find Chloe?

(Young shakes his head.)

(In the Control Room, Eli grabs a radio.)

WALLACE: Uh, guys? You may have noticed they're attacking us again.

(As Caine packs up the communications equipment, Young grabs a radio and heads out of the room.)

YOUNG (into radio): Eli.

WALLACE (into radio): Our shields aren't gonna hold for much longer!

YOUNG (into radio as he trots through the corridors): Bring the main weapon online! Fire on the big ship!

SCOTT: Chloe is still onboard that ship!

(Young glances at him briefly, then lifts his radio again.)

YOUNG (into radio): Do it now, Eli! Return fire! Everything we've got!

(Scott stops running and stares after Young in despair. Greer stops just behind him, knowing that Young is right, but ready to support his friend if he needs it.)

(From Destiny's underside, a huge cannon-like weapon lowers down into position and fires a single shot towards the alien ship. The shot impacts the front of the ship and fizzles there. It's not clear how much damage it has done.)

(Inside the alien ship, Rush is trotting barefoot through the corridors, holding his glass tube. His memories of the alien's mind lead him straight to the tank holding Chloe. He goes inside the room just as a blast impacts the ship and shakes it.)

(From an external viewpoint, Destiny's main weapon sends a slow but steady volley of weapons fire towards the alien vessel.)

BRODY: We can't keep this up. The whole weapons system is overloading. Shields are down almost fifty percent!

WALLACE (anxiously): I know.

(Elsewhere on the ship, Scott has broken into a sprint. Greer belts along behind him.)

GREER: Where are you going?

SCOTT: To try and save Chloe.

(On the alien ship, Rush has smashed Chloe out of her tank. As she lies on the floor, he peels the monitoring device from her temple as she opens her eyes, gasps and cringes away in terror. He speaks soothingly to her as he takes off her mask.)

RUSH: It's OK, it's OK. It's OK, it's OK.

(She stares at him in amazement.)

RUSH: It's OK, it's OK.

(He puts his hand gently on the side of her face.)

RUSH: We have to go. Here.

(Taking her arm, he helps her to sit up, then pulls her to her feet. He picks up his glass pipe weapon and they start to leave the room. The ship jolts as weapons fire strikes it and they struggle to keep their feet. As Rush straightens up again, his eyes widen and he hurries towards the edge of the room. Chloe, realising that he may have spotted something moving outside the room, joins him in cowering against the wall out of sight of the corridor.)

ARMSTRONG: Oh God. (In a whisper) Where are we going?

(Rush peers out and sees that the coast is clear.)

RUSH: This way.

(They hurry off down the corridors as the ship is struck again.)

(On Destiny, Young hurries into the Control Room.)

YOUNG: Report.

WALLACE: Bad, and more bad.

BRODY: Too much power is going to the weapons. Our shields are gonna fail.

YOUNG: Bolster the shields. Devote all remaining weapons power to the main weapon and keep firing on the big ship.

(Scott and Greer run into the shuttle and Scott starts flicking switches. As the rear hatch closes, they take their seats.)

GREER: Not like you, taking the shuttle without asking.

SCOTT: He'll say no, and I don't wanna disobey an order. (He looks round at Greer.) You got a problem with that?

GREER (concentrating on his console): You wanna save her? Do it.

SCOTT: I'm going. You don't have to.

(Greer looks round at him.)

GREER: I'm already here.

DESTINY CONTROL ROOM. Shortly afterwards, Brody reports in the Control Room.

BRODY: They're retreating.

YOUNG (sternly): Keep firing.

WALLACE (quietly to Young): We fire again, and we risk blowing ourselves up.

YOUNG: I don't have a choice. Do it.

(In the shuttle, Scott notices the fighters moving away.)

SCOTT: Oh, they're ... they're retreating.

(Greer looks up and sees one fighter heading towards Destiny.)

GREER: All of them except that one.

(Unclipping his seatbelt, he stands up. Scott also stands and they turn towards the rear of the ship.)

(In the Control Room, Brody notices something.)

BRODY: Wait.

(The alien mothership's engines fire up, creating a vortex around the rear of the ship, and it jumps either into F.T.L. or into hyperspace and disappears. Eli checks his console, then nods in relief.)

WALLACE: They're gone.

(Young looks round at the countdown clock over the door, hoping that they'll jump into F.T.L. themselves soon.)

(Elsewhere, Scott and Greer are hurrying towards where they think the fighter may have landed. Hearing a strange noise close by, they stop and look at each other in concern, then turn towards the noise. A red hot circle is appearing in the ceiling. The heat in the circle increases in intensity until it burns through and that section of the ceiling drops to the floor. Scott and Greer jump back, drawing their weapons and aiming them. Moments later, Chloe jumps out of the fighter without any warning and drops to the floor. Turning and seeing the boys aiming their pistols at her, she runs towards Scott and hurls herself into his arms.)

ARMSTRONG: Matt!

(Greer hurries forward as a second figure drops to the floor. He aims his pistol down at Rush.)

GREER: Colonel Young said you were dead.

RUSH: Oh, did he? Did he say how it happened?

GREER: Rockslide.

RUSH: Ah, well, obviously he was wrong again.

(Nodding towards the pistol aimed at him, he gestures for Greer to aim it somewhere else. As Matt and Chloe continue cuddling and murmuring sweet nothings to each other, oblivious to anyone else, Greer lowers his pistol and activates his radio.)

GREER: Colonel Young, this is Greer, come in.

YOUNG (into radio): Go ahead.

GREER (into radio): You are not gonna believe this.

(Young's face says that he already suspects that he knows what he's being asked to believe - and he's not happy about it at all.)

LATER. Destiny has re-entered F.T.L. In the Mess, Rush is sitting at a table with Eli, Chloe, Volker and Brody, explaining what happened to him on the planet after he found himself alone.

RUSH: I managed to, uh, activate the systems on the crashed ship. Found the database, had only just begun to look through it when the aliens showed up. I guess it must have accidentally activated some kind of distress beacon. Anyway, I'm glad it did. I would have died out there.

(He spoons up a mouthful of rations.)

BRODY: Well, there were a few people who thought Colonel Young left you to die on purpose.

(Rush smiles.)

RUSH: I imagine there were. No-no. He would have rightly assumed that I was ... I was gone ... in the rockslide.

(Eli frowns suspiciously round at Chloe but she can't take her eyes off the man who saved her.)

WALLACE: So what happened when the aliens brought you on their ship?

RUSH: To be honest, I don't remember that much. The few times I was conscious they were probing my mind. (He looks down, his face haunted.) It's something I'd rather not think about, really. I know they were frustrated. I seemed to be able to resist giving them the information they wanted.

ARMSTRONG: He used their own neural interface against them, getting what he needed so we could escape.

RUSH: The location of the fighter bay, basic operating systems.

WALLACE: Anything else - like why they wanted to destroy us?

RUSH: I don't think they did wanna destroy us. What they really want is Destiny. Probably only care about us because we recently came aboard. No - what they want is a way past her defences; try and find out what secrets she might hold. (He clears his throat.) Unfortunately, I didn't have time to find out any more. My first priority was getting Chloe and I off the ship.

(Chloe smiles gratefully at him.)

VOLKER: Well, it's good to have you back.

WALLACE: Both of you.

YOUNG'S QUARTERS. The knock that Young has been expecting sounds on his closed doors. Standing up, he walks over to the doors and opens them. Nicholas Rush is indeed standing outside and he spreads his hands as if to say, "Yep, it's me all right."

RUSH: So ...

YOUNG: So ...

(He gestures for Rush to come in, and closes the doors behind him. Rush strolls over to the mirror and checks his reflection.)

RUSH: I suppose you're wondering why I didn't tell everyone the truth.

YOUNG: It's your word against mine. I didn't tell anyone you tried to frame me for Spencer's death.

(Rush sits down on a low cabinet against the wall.)

RUSH: Well, that's true.

(Folding his arms, he shrugs.)

RUSH: No, I just wanted to know whether I can assume that you are gonna try and kill me again next chance you get.

YOUNG (walking to his desk and sitting down): I saved you from those aliens.

RUSH: You fired on an alien ship while I was still aboard.

YOUNG: Well, so was Chloe. It was a command decision, protecting the greater good.

(Rush smiles sarcastically.)

RUSH: Yes indeed. Look, I realise that I did provoke you.

YOUNG: Well, if it means anything, I regret leaving you on that planet. Don't get me wrong: I think you deserved it, but I regret that I lost control, that I became a man that I couldn't respect any more.

RUSH: Well, you're here, I'm here. We just have to live with it, don't we?

YOUNG: Well, so does everyone else on board. They don't need the distraction. They don't need to doubt their leadership, and this ship needs to be ready for the next encounter.

(Rush nods his agreement. He stands up and starts to stroll towards the door.)

YOUNG (pointedly): ... if we haven't found a way home by then.

RUSH: Of course.

(Reaching the doors, he turns back towards Young who stands and walks closer to him.)

YOUNG: So, what? We just pretend nothing happened?

RUSH: Well, it's not like we were ever friends.

(Young walks over to the doors, then turns to face Rush.)

YOUNG: For the sake of the crew.

RUSH: For the sake of the crew.

(Young turns and slams his hand against the wall panel. The doors unlock and slide open, and Rush leaves.)

OBSERVATION DECK. T.J. is sitting and typing on a laptop as Doctor Caine comes in carrying a metal cup and a water bottle.

CAINE: Hey there.

JOHANSEN: Hi.

CAINE: D'you mind?

JOHANSEN: No, it's OK.

(She gestures to the chair beside her. Caine sits down, sighing, then waves the bottle at her.)

CAINE: You wanna try some?

JOHANSEN: What is it?

CAINE (smiling as he unscrews the top): It's a little something that Doctor Inman's been working on. She claims it tastes like gin. (He pours some into the cup.) I say it's a little closer to rubbing alcohol.

(T.J. laughs.)

JOHANSEN: Solid sales pitch! Um, no, thank you!

(Caine grins.)

CAINE: All right!

(He toasts her with his cup.)

JOHANSEN: So, uh, what do you think? You and James - any, any chance there?

CAINE (shaking his head): It-it could just get really awkward, you know, if things didn't work out. I mean, being stuck on this ship with someone you've had a bad relationship with ...

(T.J. nods, apparently understanding the situation all too well. Young - unseen by her or Caine - comes to the doorway of the deck and hears the end of the conversation.)

CAINE: ... No thanks. It's probably best to just keep things professional for as long as we can. Anyways, I mean, we'll see. I mean, if we're here much longer, I hereby reserve the right to completely change my mind.

(T.J. laughs. Young turns and walks away.)

A montage of scenes ends the episode. In one of their quarters, Matt and Chloe lie spooned together in bed. Matt is fast asleep but Chloe is unable to sleep, perhaps reliving her memories of her time on the alien ship.

(In her quarters, Vanessa James sits on her bed crying. She looks at the empty space beside her, wishing someone could be with her. She hugs herself, sobbing with loneliness.)

(In the Control Room, Nicholas Rush is back at his usual console. Adam Brody completes some work on a panel outside and then strolls in, exchanging pleasantries with him as he walks past.)

(In Eli's office, he and Young continue watching footage from the hidden Kino overlooking the Hydroponics Lab.)

(In his quarters, Ronald Greer takes a small white piece of paper out of his kitbag. Sitting down on his bed, he lifts up the paper and looks at it. It might be a photograph, or it might be a note from someone. Whatever it is, it makes him smile affectionately with happy memories.)

(In the Infirmary, T.J. is making her rounds, checking on her several patients and noting their condition on her notepad.)

(On the Observation Deck, Caine sits alone and finishes his drink.)

(In his quarters, Young is lying on his back on his sofa, finishing sewing up the hole in his sock.)

(Later, in the Hydroponics Lab, Rush picks a leaf off one of the plants and nibbles on it as he walks over to Camille.)

RUSH: The colonel's dangerous.

WRAY: We need to do something about that.

RUSH: I tried.

WRAY: I know.

RUSH: Damn near killed me for it.

(Camille walks closer and looks into his face.)

WRAY: Next time will be different.