Transcript

Summary | Production | Transcript | Fan Reviews

When Young and Rush are trapped on an abandoned alien ship, Rush has Amanda Perry brought on board in an attempt to steer Destiny to them while keeping his secret.

EPISODE #207
ORIGINAL AIR DATE: 11.09.2010
SYNDICATION AIR DATE: 10.24.2011
WRITTEN BY: Carl Binder
DIRECTED BY: William Waring
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Transcript by Callie Sullivan

YOUNG'S QUARTERS. In his quarters, Everett Young is lying on his back on his bed. He is fully dressed, although he has removed his jacket, and from the look on his face he has been trying to sleep for some time but hasn't been successful. His radio on the bedside table activates and Camille Wray's voice comes from it. She sounds irritated.

WRAY: Colonel Young.

(He reaches across and picks it up.)

YOUNG (into radio): Yeah.

WRAY: Morning briefing. You're late.

(He picks up his watch from the bedside table and squints at it, then lays it down again, sighing.)


MESS. Shortly afterwards he is sitting at a table in the Mess with Matthew Scott, Tamara Johansen and Camille. As the others talk, Young keeps his head lowered as he tucks into his plate of breakfast rations.

WRAY: She's been the most co-operative of all the Lucian Alliance members. Homeworld Security wants to talk to her now.

JOHANSEN: About the planned attack on Earth?

WRAY: Some of Ginn's people - a clan from her home planet - are believed to be the ones behind it. She may know the location of their base.

SCOTT: Or at least point us to the people who do know.

(The three of them look expectantly at Young but his head is still down and he continues eating. Finally he realises that the others have fallen silent and lifts his head. He looks around at them as they gaze at him, and eventually nods.)

YOUNG: OK.


CORRIDOR. Later, Camille approaches the closed doors of Ginn's quarters. Airman Dunning is standing guard outside. Camille knocks on the doors. She waits several seconds, then turns to Dunning.

WRAY: Is she in there?

DUNNING: Yeah, but you should know she ...

(Before he can finish the sentence the lock spins and the doors slide open. Ginn is standing inside with a big awkward grin on her face.)

WRAY: Hello, Ginn.

(She starts to walk into the room but the other woman blocks her way. She stops again.)

WRAY: Um, our people on Earth have asked if you could use the communication stones to come and talk with them.

GINN (a little flustered): Oh. Um, sure.

(She sounds a little breathless.)

WRAY: I'm sorry, did I interrupt something?

(Dunning half-glances over his shoulder at her, then turns away again.)

GINN: No. I, er, was just, um ... sleeping.

(Dunning exhales noisily, apparently fighting off a snigger. Camille looks briefly over her shoulder towards him but he resolutely keeps his face turned away.)

WRAY: Uh, anyway, they were hoping to talk to you this afternoon, if that's all right with you.

GINN: Sure.

WRAY: Good. I'll come by later, fill you in on the protocol involving the stones.

GINN: Of course.

(Smiling, Camille turns to leave.)

WRAY: Thank...

(She starts to trail off as she spots something in the room.)

WRAY: ... you.

(Blocked from Camille's view until now, Eli Wallace's “You are here” T-shirt is draped over the end of the bed behind Ginn. The young woman's eyes widen as she realises that Camille has seen it. Camille smiles politely at her, then her grin widens and becomes more natural as she turns and walks away.)


CONTROL INTERFACE ROOM. As Destiny comes out of F.T.L., Young goes to the Control Interface Room where Adam Brody and Lisa Park are on duty. Adam starts up what sounds like a regular and standard recitation.

BRODY (sounding bored): Twelve hours on the countdown clock but the Gate's not dialling; no planets in range; we tried calling Rush, no response as usual.

(Grimacing, Young activates his radio.)

YOUNG: Rush, come in.

(As he waits for a reply, Lisa's console beeps.)

PARK: Wait a minute. There is something out there, straight ahead of us.

(On the Observation Deck, T.J., Scott and Ronald Greer, together with several other crew members are already standing and watching the object that Destiny is approaching. Dale Volker comes in and joins them.)

VOLKER: What is it?

GREER: Some kind of ship.

SCOTT: Definitely not a seed ship.

JOHANSEN: Doesn't look like the aliens we encountered before, either.

VOLKER (unhappily): New friends.

(He grimaces.)

VOLKER (insincerely): Yay!


LATER. Shortly afterwards, Destiny is drawing closer to the other ship, which is much smaller than she is. Nevertheless they're on a collision course, although no-one is panicking just yet.

JOHANSEN: Looks like it's been through a battle.

GREER: And got its ass kicked.

(On the Bridge, Nicholas Rush is sitting in the central chair. He activates some controls and Destiny's front retros fire, bringing her to a halt very close to the other vessel.)

(Later, a Kino has been sent across the gap and has got into the ship through a large hole in its side. In the Control Interface Room, Young, Eli and Brody are watching the live footage.)

BRODY: Looks deserted. Whoever was on board must have evacuated.

(Young turns and stomps towards Rush as he finally arrives.)

YOUNG: Where the hell were you?

RUSH: I was working.

(Young steps into his way, forcing him to stop.)

YOUNG: I wanna know what the hell you were doing.

RUSH: I was busy. I'm here now. Can we deal with the matter in hand?

(The men lock glares for a moment, then Young steps aside a little, though the expression on his face promises that the conversation isn't finished. Rush goes to his console.)

BRODY: We, uh, sent over a Kino

RUSH: Have you found anything?

BRODY: The ship's empty.

WALLACE: Looks like they were in a battle. Probably abandoned ship.

RUSH: We should send over a boarding party.

BRODY: We've got no shuttle.

PARK: They could use the spacesuits.

VOLKER: What, and they just jump over?

RUSH: Yes. Destiny stopped here for a reason. Who knows what kind of data or technology could be salvaged?

BRODY: Well, who's gonna go?

RUSH: I'll go.

WALLACE (surprised): Kinda risky for you to ...

RUSH (talking over him): The ship is deserted. I'm the expert on alien technology. I should go.


LATER. Nicholas is inside the suit, minus its helmet, and Lisa is briefing him as she checks everything.

PARK: You have just over six hours of suit air in case you can't get the ship's life support online.

(Nearby, Scott looks down at Young who is wearing the other suit. He is sitting down while Scott tightens various clamps. They talk quietly so that the other two can't hear them.)

SCOTT: All right, Colonel, maybe I should go with him instead.

YOUNG: You say that now that I'm already in the suit?!

SCOTT: I'm just not sure it's such a good idea for you to be doing this. The crew needs you here.

YOUNG: I need to keep an eye on him.

(He stands up.)

YOUNG: Don't worry, Lieutenant. I'm not gonna leave him behind.

(He turns to face Rush, his face stern and definitely not making the same promise to him. Nicholas pulls in a shaky breath and tries to stare back at him calmly but his face can't hide his anxiety.)


SCOTT / ARMSTRONG QUARTERS. Eli is visiting with Chloe Armstrong and bringing her up to date with the news.

WALLACE: Rush and Young are gonna go over and check it out, see if there's anything worth salvaging.

(Chloe nods. As Eli walks closer he sees a notebook on the coffee table and picks it up.)

WALLACE: What's this?

ARMSTRONG: Oh, uh, some equations Rush asked me to look at.

WALLACE: D'you understand all this?

(Chloe shrugs. Eli looks apologetic.)

WALLACE: I'm sorry I haven't been by as much lately. I've been really ...

(Dropping the notebook back onto the table, he looks down at her and shrugs, unable to find the words. She smiles understandingly.)

ARMSTRONG: It's OK. I heard you and one of the Lucian Alliance people have been working together a lot. Ginn?

WALLACE: Yeah. Who told you?

ARMSTRONG: Matt.

WALLACE: Ah!

(They laugh. He sits down on the side of the bed and looks at her.)

WALLACE: See, we were working together on this thing - uh, dialling from inside a star - and ... I got to know her, and she is really ... I don't know ... we became friends and then ... I don't know what ...

ARMSTRONG: Hey.

(Smiling, she takes his hands.)

WALLACE: I'm happy for you.


AIRLOCK. In one of Destiny's airlocks, Young securely fastens one end of a long cable rope to a ladder. Once he is certain it's fixed properly, Rush hands him a Kino. Young reports over the suit comms.

YOUNG: OK, we're good. Open the door.

(Adam activates his console from the Control Interface Room, while Rush types on his remote. The Kino heads out of the open airlock door and flies towards the other ship, towing Young with him. The cable trails out behind him. Destiny's nose is now underneath the alien ship, so there's not too much of a distance to cross. Young heads towards the hole in the ship, reporting on what he can see as he gets closer.)

YOUNG: Looks like the Bridge is destroyed.

(Holding the Kino so that Rush can see the footage and guide the small device accordingly, he floats towards the hole and braces himself carefully against the jagged edge. Shortly afterwards he reports again.)

YOUNG: OK, I am in, line is secured. Come on over.

(Rush launches himself out of the airlock and drifts across, keeping one hand on the cable all the way. A little while later, Young reports.)

YOUNG: Destiny, we are onboard the ship.

BRODY: Copy that.

(Inside the ship, Young opens one of the large cases which they brought across and takes out and assembles a rifle. As he cautiously makes his way forward, Rush puts the Kino into the case and secures it there. He picks up both cases and follows Young, who is finding the ceilings quite low and bumps his head noisily as he steps through an open bulkhead. Rush follows him over the step, puts down the cases and presses buttons on the wall panel. The doors slide closed behind them.)

YOUNG: Bulkhead sealed.

WALLACE: Is there life support?

YOUNG: Not yet, but we have gravity, so that is a start.

(The two men progress onwards, Young leading the way and aiming his rifle in all directions.)

YOUNG: The place is pretty banged up. Hopefully we can find a way to access control of the ...

(The comms fall silent. The team in the Control Interface Room look at each other, hoping to hear Young's voice again momentarily, but after a few seconds they start to look alarmed.)

BRODY: Colonel, you still there?

YOUNG: Yeah, we're here.

(He's looking at something ahead of him, but now turns around to Rush.)

YOUNG: Is that ...?

RUSH: It is.

WALLACE (urgently): What? What? What is it?

(Young turns around again and shines his rifle's flashlight towards what they've seen.)

RUSH: Pods.

(There are indeed several dark red round pods ahead of them. They look identical to the ones last seen in “Awakening”.)

RUSH: The aliens we encountered on the seed ship.

VOLKER: Maybe you should come back, not take any chances.

YOUNG: Don't worry. The pods are empty.

BRODY: Well, there could be pods elsewhere on the ship that aren't empty.

RUSH: If there was anything still alive on this ship, the Kino would have noticed it.

(The men progress onwards. Young points to what looks like a console near a window.)

YOUNG: Is that a control panel?

(Rush goes over to it, puts the cases down and starts tinkering with the controls. Behind him, Young looks through the window and down at Destiny parked outside. After a few seconds the console lights up. Young opens a case, takes the Kino out and hands it to Rush who sticks it onto the console, then types on his remote for a moment. He looks into the Kino.)

RUSH: Are you gettin' this?

(Eli looks at his screen which now shows live footage of Nicholas.)

WALLACE: Uh, yeah, yeah. I got it. What is that, a control room?

RUSH: Some kind of engineering station. It appears to only have limited control, but I think I can seal off some of the bulkheads and ...

(He has been tinkering while he spoke and now he moves a slider upwards and the lights come on in the area.)

RUSH: We have life support.

(Lisa is watching footage from the first Kino which is still wandering around the ship.)
PARK: Power's coming on in other parts of the ship as well.

(Young and Rush take their helmets off and put them on the floor, then Nick turns back to the control panel.)

RUSH: Right, I'm gonna try switching over to the ship's communications.

(He tweaks the controls for a moment.)

RUSH: Do you read?

(Brody's voice comes over the speakers.)

BRODY: Loud and clear.

RUSH: OK, I'm also gonna ...

(Before he can finish the sentence, there are two small explosions in the room. As Nick and Young cower from the sparks, the ship's engines fire up and it begins to move away from Destiny, snapping the cable between them. Young yells over continuing explosions.)

YOUNG: What the hell just happened?

RUSH: I don't know! The engines have engaged!

YOUNG: What did you do?

RUSH: I didn't do anything!

YOUNG: Well, shut 'em off!

RUSH: I can't from here!

(Just then the engines stop again. The internal explosions also cease.)

RUSH: The engines have shut off on their own. The power's nearly drained.

(He looks at the console.)

RUSH: It doesn't matter. We're ballistic, moving away from Destiny.

YOUNG: Turn us around, Rush.

RUSH: I can't. Navigation and propulsion cannot be controlled from here.

(He straightens up and stares at the console in despair. The ship drifts slowly away from Destiny.)


CONTROL INTERFACE ROOM. Later, Nicholas is discussing the problem over the Kino with the crew in the Control Interface Room.

WALLACE: No power at all?

RUSH: Emergency reserves. The ship's systems took too much damage.

YOUNG: If we can't turn this thing around, we're gonna have to find another solution.

BRODY: Well, there's not much we can do from here.

VOLKER: Without control of Destiny's core systems, we can't steer back to you.

PARK: Maybe Destiny will realise there's a problem and turn around on its own.

YOUNG: We can't take a chance on something that may or may not happen.

(He stares intensely at Nicholas, who returns his gaze for a long moment before tetchily responding to his unspoken statement.)

RUSH: What?

YOUNG: I don't know. You tell me.

(Nick frowns and hesitates for a long while, but finally realises that he has no choice.)

RUSH: I've been doing some work, writing a programme that should allow me to override Destiny's autopilot and manually fire the ship's manoeuvring thrusters.

BRODY: You what?! Why didn't you tell any of us?

RUSH: Because I haven't been successful as yet! It's extremely complex. Destiny's command programming is not something that can be easily manipulated.

WALLACE: OK, so fill me in. I can help with it.

RUSH: No! (He stutters.) I mean, yes, of course, you and the others can handle some of it, but most of it - that's gonna require someone with a far greater knowledge of Ancient drive systems.

YOUNG: Someone such as ...?

RUSH: Amanda Perry. She can do it.

YOUNG: All right. Let's bring her onboard.

BRODY: The suits consume power while wearing them. You may wanna get out of them.

(Rush and Young glower at each other for a moment, then start stripping off their suits.)


GINN'S QUARTERS. Someone knocks on the doors to Ginn's quarters. She unlocks them and they open to reveal Simeon standing outside. She nervously backs up a step as he looks around her quarters.

SIMEON: Nice room. It's bigger than mine.

GINN: What do you want?

SIMEON: Can I come in?

(He looks pointedly round at Dunning and his own escort. Unhappily Ginn steps aside and he strolls in.)

SIMEON: I, uh, hear you've been getting friendly with some of the people on the ship.

(She looks back at him but doesn't respond. He steps closer and lowers his voice.)

SIMEON: The problem is, when you get close to someone, you start letting your guard down and, um, you say things you shouldn't.

(He bends his head closer to hers, smiling unpleasantly.)

SIMEON: You haven't done that, have you?

(As Ginn looks at him nervously, Camille arrives at the doorway.)

WRAY: Oh. Excuse me. Uh, Ginn, we're all set if you're ready.

(Ginn nods.)

SIMEON: Ready for what?

(Ginn looks anxious. Noting this, Camille steps forward, putting herself between the other two, and looks fearlessly at Simeon.)

WRAY: Nothing that concerns you.

(She smiles humourlessly at him. Taking the hint, he turns and strolls out of the room. Camille turns and looks at Ginn, who nods gratefully to her and then follows her out of the room.)


COMMUNICATIONS LAB. Eli is waiting as Camille leads Ginn in. He smiles at his girlfriend anxiously as she walks over to him, returning his smile.

WALLACE: Are you OK with this?

GINN: Yes.

WRAY: She's given her consent. She's fully aware of the communication stones protocol.

(Eli looks at Ginn, still worried. She smiles reassuringly at him.)

GINN: I'm fine, Eli, really.

(Camille smiles affectionately at the young couple. Eli finally steps aside and pats Ginn's arm gently as she walks past him and sits down at the table. Corporal Barnes is already seated there typing on her laptop as she prepares the transfer.)

WRAY: We may need you to remain on Earth until Doctor Perry has finished helping us with our problem. Is that all right with you?

(Ginn nods nervously, then looks up at Eli again.)

BARNES: Just place the stone on the device when you're ready.

(Ginn reaches out and takes one of the stones from the case. She holds it for a moment and looks up at Eli one last time. He smiles down at her.)

WALLACE: See you soon.

(Nodding, she looks down at the activation box and places the stone on top of it. The transfer takes place and Amanda Perry lifts the hand of her host body and gazes down at it in amazement.)

WRAY: Doctor Perry?

(Amanda looks across to her and smiles.)

PERRY: Camille.

(She grins, delighting in her ability to move.)

WRAY: Um, welcome aboard Destiny. Were they able to brief you on our situation?

(Still focussed on her hands, Amanda manages to concentrate on the more urgent issue.)

PERRY: Yes.

(She sees Eli standing nearby and smiles at him.)

PERRY: Hello, Eli.

(Eli looks down at her straight-faced.)

WALLACE: Hi.

(Amanda lowers her gaze, unsure why he appears to be so hostile.)


ALIEN SHIP. As it continues to drift away from Destiny, Nicholas is now out of his spacesuit and is scribbling in his notebook as he talks with the Control Interface Room.

RUSH: How're you gettin' on with those algorithms I gave you?

BRODY: Slow.

RUSH: And Doctor Park?

BRODY: She went to the Engineering Control Room like you told her. She'll radio you when she's got something, although she didn't look too optimistic when she left.

RUSH: OK. How about Eli?

BRODY: Communications Lab. He's getting Doctor Perry.

(Nick lifts his head and then glances across at Young who is standing nearby, keeping watch in case any aliens should appear. Nick makes a point of leaning down to the console and looking at it closely.)

RUSH: Colonel, it seems there's another undamaged area of the ship.

(He works on the console.)

RUSH: I've pressurised it. Might be worth taking a look, see if there's a shuttle, an escape pod, something like that.

(Young walks over and looks at the console, which presumably is showing him where this new area is.)

YOUNG: Keep me posted on your progress.

RUSH: Yeah, of course.

(Young walks away.)


DESTINY. Eli leads Amanda into the Control Interface Room and takes her to the console showing the Kino footage from the other ship.

PERRY: Nicholas?

(Rush leans closer to the console and its Kino, even though he can't see her.)

RUSH: Mandy.

PERRY: Yes, I'm here. I can see you. Tell me what to do.

RUSH: Good, good. Is Eli with you?

WALLACE: Yeah, I'm here.

RUSH: Good. Go help Doctor Park.

WALLACE: What? Why?

RUSH: Because she's gonna need you far more than Doctor Perry will.

WALLACE: All right, all right. I'm goin'.

(Unhappily, he leaves the room. Immediately Nicholas holds his notebook close to the Kino camera. There is a detailed calculation on it.)

RUSH: Can you read this?

PERRY: Yes.

RUSH: Good. This is the first of several heuristic algorithms I need you to run. They're crucial to discovering a way to manually programme an override to Destiny's propulsion systems.

PERRY: “First of several”?

(Adam walks over and hands her several sheets of paper that he has been working on.)

BRODY: And you thought this wasn't gonna be any fun, huh?!

(He smiles at her as she takes the paper and a pen from him.)

RUSH: Yeah, very funny, Mr. Brody. Time is of the essence.

(Smiling ruefully, Adam walks away. Amanda curls her hand around the pen and pushes the top down with her other hand. From the way that she is struggling to write, either Ginn is left-hand while Amanda is right-handed, or it's simply that Mandy is very out of practice. However, she forces her hand to work and start copying down the calculation from the screen.)

RUSH: Did you get it?

PERRY (checking it quickly): Yeah. Got it.

RUSH: OK.

(He flips over the page and holds the notebook up to the Kino again.)

RUSH: Here's the next one.

(As Amanda starts to write again, Young radios from elsewhere on the alien ship.)

YOUNG: Rush, come in.

RUSH (over radio): Yes, Colonel.

YOUNG: There's no sign of a shuttle or escape pod. If there was, they probably used it to get the hell out of here. I'm gonna check out a few more compartments, then I will head back. Young out.

(Later on Destiny, Amanda has copied down everything that Nicholas has given her. She looks at what she has written so far and begins to realise the significance. She jots down some calculations of her own and looks up thoughtfully, then activates some buttons on her console. A schematic of Destiny comes up and focuses onto one particular area. She looks nervously across to Adam and Dale, who are both busy at their own consoles. She switches the schematic off again.)

(On the alien ship Rush is sitting on the windowsill near the console, anxiously waiting. He jumps up and hurries to the console as Amanda's voice comes over the comms.)

PERRY: Nicholas.

RUSH: Yes, Mandy?

PERRY: These heuristics you gave me.

RUSH: Do you understand them?

PERRY: I think so.

(She glances at the other men for a moment, then looks back to the screen.)

PERRY: Are you asking me to go to ...

RUSH (urgently): Yes! Now. Please.

(Amanda picks up her calculations and looks at the others as she turns to leave.)

PERRY: I'll be right back.

BRODY: Need some help with something?

PERRY: Uh, no, thanks. I'll be fine. I'll let you know.

(Adam nods and she turns and walks out into the corridor. Simeon is walking along with his escort and he hurries over to what he thinks is Ginn.)

SIMEON: We need to talk.

PERRY: I-I'm sorry?

(She realises that he must be mistaking her for the host body.)

PERRY: Oh, I'm not ... I'm Doctor Amanda Perry. I ... we used the communication stones. I was brought aboard to help with the current situation and ...

SIMEON: Where's Ginn?

PERRY: She's on Earth. Look, I'm sorry, but I need to get ...

(She tries to walk past him but he puts his arm around her waist and holds her there.)

SIMEON: No-no-no, we're not done here.

GREER: Hey!

(As if having sensed the danger, Greer appears a short distance along the corridor and strolls towards them as Simeon lets Amanda go and, rolling his eyes in disbelief, turns to face the new threat.)

GREER: Is there a problem?

PERRY: Sergeant, I'm Doctor Amanda Perry. I used the stones to switch with Ginn.

(Greer's eyes are fixed on Simeon.)

GREER: I heard. (He spares her a quick glance.) Welcome aboard.

PERRY: Thank you. I've got quite a bit of work to do and ...

GREER: Then by all means do not let this man stop you.

PERRY: Thank you.

(Greer steps back a pace so that Amanda can squeeze between the two men. As she hurries off down the corridor, Greer gets back into Simeon's face.)

GREER (condescendingly, as if talking to a naughty schoolboy): Off you go now.

(Simeon tries - and once again spectacularly fails - to lock gazes with him. Greer jerks his thumb in the opposite direction to the way that Amanda just went.)

GREER: That way.

(Simeon turns and walks away. Greer throws a dirty look at his escort as the man follows after him.)


OUTSIDE DESTINY's BRIDGE. Shortly afterwards Amanda reaches the massive metallic door blocking the entrance to the Bridge. Consulting her notes, she types in the code on the keypad on the wall. The light above the door turns from red to green and the enormous lock spins. Amanda stares in amazement as the wall drops into the floor, then she pushes the wall button and the Bridge doors open. She walks inside and looks around for a moment, then turns back and pushes the internal wall button to close the doors again. Walking across to the central chair, she sits down, consults her notes again and then activates a switch on a console. The lights come on and all the consoles light up, and the Bridge rises up from its protective shelter and stands proud on Destiny's surface. Amanda looks around in wonder for a long moment, then contacts the alien ship.

PERRY: Nicholas.

RUSH: Mandy, are you there? Did you find it?

PERRY: Yes.

(Nick grabs the Kino remote and types on it. In the Control Interface Room the footage from both Kinos shuts down. Dale notices and types on his console. Adam activates the comms.)

BRODY: Rush, come in?

RUSH: Yes, I'm here.

BRODY: We just lost the Kino feeds.

RUSH: Yeah, probably out of range. It was gonna happen sooner or later. Don't worry about it. Just keep working.

(Adam shakes his head unhappily. Nicholas' voice switches to the Bridge.)

RUSH: Mandy, are you still there?

PERRY: Yes, Nick.

RUSH: Good. This is a discrete channel. No-one else on the ship can hear us.

PERRY: So ... this is the Bridge.

RUSH: Indeed it is. Now we can finally get to work.

PERRY: So what's going on here, Nick?

RUSH: Oh, Mandy, I'm sorry for all the puzzles. I had to find a way of getting you on the Bridge without anyone else knowing.

PERRY: Why the secrecy?

RUSH: Because I've done it: I've broken Destiny's master code. I now have complete control over all its systems.

PERRY: Wait a minute. You have control over navigation and propulsion?

RUSH: Yes, all of it.

PERRY: Then why do you need me? You could have had any of these people ...

RUSH: I needed you because you're the only one I can trust. I can't tell the others - not yet.

PERRY: Why not?

RUSH: Look, I'll explain in time. Right now, I need you to turn Destiny round and come and get us.

PERRY: All right. Tell me what to do.


CONTROL INTERFACE ROOM. Eli walks in.

WALLACE: We lost the Kino feed.

VOLKER: Yeah. Out of range.

WALLACE: Where's Doctor Perry?

BRODY: I thought she was going to your lab.

(Eli looks surprised. Shortly afterwards his voice comes over the ship's comms.)

WALLACE: Doctor Perry, do you read?

(Amanda, now sitting at one of the front consoles, looks round to the central console from where Eli's voice is emanating.)

WALLACE: Doctor Perry, please come in. Where are you?

PERRY: Nick, your friends are calling me.

RUSH: Don't answer - not yet.

(Amanda looks round at the console from which she could reply to Eli if she wanted to. She looks as if she does want to but eventually she grits her teeth and turns back to her calculations. Reaching forward she works on the console, and Destiny starts to bank to port. Brody's console beeps.)

BRODY: Uh, guys, we're changing course. The Destiny just turned in the direction of the alien ship.

(Eli narrows his eyes suspiciously.)

(On the alien ship, Nicholas waits anxiously until Amanda reports.)

PERRY: OK. We're on our way.

(Nicholas sags and braces himself on the wall in relief.)

RUSH: Well done. Well done.

PERRY: So what am I supposed to tell the others?

RUSH: Tell them I sent you to the Engine Control Room. You were able to enter the correct programming that allowed you to fire the ship's manoeuvring thrusters. You're brilliant - they'll believe you.

PERRY: What is going on here, Nick? Why don't you want me to tell anyone the truth?

RUSH: Look, things have changed since you last came on board this ship. You know me better than anyone, Mandy. Please believe me when I say I've got good reasons for this secrecy.

WALLACE (over comms): Doctor Perry, please respond. We really need to talk to you.

(Amanda looks round at the console.)

WALLACE (over comms): We just need to know that you're OK.

(Amanda grimaces, then stands up and goes over to the central console where she flicks a switch to activate the comms.)

PERRY: Yes, Eli, I'm fine. I am in the Engine Control Room. I was able to execute Doctor Rush's programming override.

(Dale looks up, his eyebrows raised in surprise and disbelief. Eli matches his expression.)

WALLACE: Really? So you turned the ship around?

PERRY: Yes! I was able to manually fire the manoeuvring thrusters.

WALLACE (insincerely): Wow. OK. Do you need any help? I can come down and ...

Perry (hurriedly): No-no, it's OK. I'm, uh, almost finished here. I should be coming back to the Control Room shortly.

WALLACE: All right!

(He deactivates the comms. He, Dale and Adam all look unhappy.)

WALLACE: What was she doing before she left?

BRODY: Working on the heuristics Rush gave her.

(He nods towards the console she had been working on. Eli walks towards it.)

BRODY: She took her work with her.

(Eli stops, sighs and turns back to Adam. A moment later inspiration strikes and he turns again and hurries over to the console and starts working on it.)

VOLKER: What?

WALLACE: The Kino feed before we lost it. Always record everything.

(He calls up the recorded footage and fast-forwards through it until Nicholas holds up the first page of his notebook.)

RUSH (on the recording): Can you read this?

PERRY (on the recording): Yes.

RUSH (on the recording): This is the first of several heuristic algorithms I need you to run.


ALIEN SHIP. Young is returning from his recce around the ship. He stops just around the corner from Rush as he hears him talking with Amanda.

PERRY: Well, so far so good. My calculations put us at your doorstep within the hour.

RUSH: I knew it was a good idea getting you on board the ship.

PERRY: Well, you did say you'd find a way to bring me back aboard.

RUSH (chuckling): I did at that.

(Meanwhile in the Control Interface Room Eli is busy scribbling his own translation of the calculations which Rush had provided to Amanda. As he completes his work he raises his head, his eyes narrowed.)

(Very shortly afterwards, he opens the doors to the Bridge and he, Adam and Dale stare inside. Amanda, sitting in the central seat, turns around and looks at them nervously. The boys walk to the railing just inside the doors and gaze around the room in awe. Eli glares at Amanda.)

WALLACE (angrily): What the hell.

RUSH: Mandy, who's that?

VOLKER: Rush?

(He and the others storm around the railing towards the central seat.)

WALLACE (furiously): I don't believe this. You cracked Destiny's master code?

RUSH: Listen to me ...

WALLACE (yelling, furious): You had control of this ship the whole time! Why-why wouldn't you tell any...

(Frantically Rush cuts off the sound, looking round nervously, but it's too late as Young strolls calmly round the corner, holding his rifle half-raised. Nick holds his hands up placatingly.)

RUSH: Look, Colonel, I had every intention ...

YOUNG (talking over him): You broke the code.

RUSH: Yes.

YOUNG: When?

RUSH: Does it matter?

YOUNG (ominously): When?

RUSH: Shortly after the Lucian Alliance attack.

(Slowly, Young walks across the room and carefully and pointedly puts his rifle down.)

RUSH (frantically): I wanted to tell you but I had to make sure I knew everything about this before I let ...

(Young straightens up and punches Rush hard across the face. Nick crumples to his knees.)

YOUNG: I should have killed you when I had the chance.

(He punches him twice more, then picks him up and throws him across the floor. Storming after him, he hauls him up by his hair onto his feet and slams him against the window. Wrapping his hand around his throat, he glares into his face.)

YOUNG (savagely): It's your fault we lost the shuttle, that Riley's dead; your ...

(Rush slaps his hand across Young's mouth and pushes backwards. They struggle for supremacy for a while, then Rush manages to shove him back hard. Young's head smacks against one of the low overhangs. As he stumbles back, dazed, Rush grabs the Kino off the console and swings it, smashing it into his head. Young grabs at him and bundles him to the floor. Rush loses his grip on the Kino and it rolls away across the floor. He manages to roll Young over and straddles him, then seizes his jacket, pulls him upwards and savagely headbutts him. Young cries out in pain. Rush drops him and starts to crawl away but Young rolls over and grabs at him, hauling him back towards him again.)

YOUNG: You murdered that boy!

(Crawling up Rush's body, he wraps his arms around his neck and drags him backwards until Rush is held on his back on top of him. The scientist thrashes, trying to break free but Young swings a leg over the top of him and slams it down hard, driving the breath out of his body. As Rush's movements slow momentarily, Young tightens his choke hold around his throat, strangling him. Nick screams and flails his arm behind him, trying to get a grip on the colonel, but gradually his attempts slow down and then cease as Young continues to throttle him. As Rush becomes completely still, Young finally realises what he is doing and releases him, pushing him away. Nick slumps to the floor motionless. Young gets up, panting heavily, walks over to his rifle and picks it up. After a few seconds, Nicholas stirs weakly. Slowly he lifts his head a little and tries to pull his arm around to brace underneath himself. Young paces around him angrily.)

YOUNG: So that's it? That was your plan? Just keep this whole thing a secret, see how long you can get away with it?

(Nick manages to get his elbows under him.)

RUSH: I had no choice.

YOUNG: Yeah, you did! You could have told me, Rush.

(Nick gets up onto his knees and pauses there for a moment, his head hanging down, then starts to crawl slowly towards the nearest wall.)

RUSH: I couldn't trust you - and I'm not the only one who feels this way.

(Reaching the wall, he turns and slumps down against it.)

RUSH: Several of the crew voiced their ...

YOUNG (talking over him): It's all about control with you, right? Power.

RUSH: Well, someone's gotta lead these people.

YOUNG: D'you think anyone's gonna follow you after this?

RUSH: No-no-no, not me.

(He glowers up at the other man.)

RUSH: But not you, either.

(Young scowls down at him for a few seconds, then turns and walks to the opposite wall and sits down on a ledge.)

RUSH: Come on, Colonel, look at yourself. You can hardly get out of bed in the morning, never mind make command decisions.

YOUNG: Well, look at that. You got me all figured out, don't you?

RUSH: Well, anyone can see it. You know it's true.

(They fall silent for a few seconds.)

RUSH: Look, when I unlocked the code, the amount of information it revealed was ...

(He searches for the most appropriate word.)

RUSH: ... overwhelming. I had to make sure I had a proper handle on this stuff before letting anyone have access to it. If any one of those systems had been improperly handled ...

YOUNG: ... resulting in the shuttle crashing, one of our best young men dying. You mean something like that?

(Nicholas looks away, haunted by the memory.)

RUSH (softly): Yeah. I know I've made mistakes.

(He buries his head in his hand. Young looks away for a moment, then stands up and walks closer to him.)

YOUNG: The simulation the ship just put me through. Was that your doing as well?

RUSH: No-no, that was ... that was the ship - except the part at the end. I had to override the programme to make Destiny jump back into F.T.L.

(Young turns away, perhaps to disguise his disappointment that Destiny actually hadn't judged him fit to lead.)

RUSH: Look, with all that's happened recently, the Lucian Alliance trying to take the ship, lives lost as a result of that ...

(He looks up at Young as he turns back to him.)

RUSH: ... Lieutenant Johansen's baby ...

(Young bites his lip.)

RUSH: It's a heavy burden to carry, I know, but you have to ask yourself this question: “Am I fit to lead these people?” Well, maybe at one time, yeah, but not now. I couldn't tell you about the code, Colonel. How can I trust you when you don't even trust yourself?


DESTINY BRIDGE. As Amanda continues to sit awkwardly in the command chair, Adam and Dale are investigating the rest of the room while Eli is trying to get the comms working with the alien ship.

WALLACE: Rush, are you there? Rush - come in.

BRODY: Out of range?

WALLACE: Probably shut off the radio.

VOLKER (to Amanda): Why didn't you tell us?

PERRY: I'm sorry. I should have, I know. He was just so emphatic about me keeping quiet. He said there was a good reason.

BRODY: Well, at least we're heading towards them now, right?

WALLACE: If Rush is still alive when we get there.


ALIEN SHIP. Young has sunk to the floor and he and Nicholas face each other across the room.

RUSH: So what happens now?

YOUNG: Well, Destiny picks us up and then you tell us everything that you've learned since breaking the code.

(Nicholas looks away.)

YOUNG: Come on - you had to know that this game wasn't gonna last forever.

RUSH: It's not a game, Colonel. Destiny's mission requires a level of commitment I doubt anyone in that ship's prepared to make.

YOUNG: What mission? There is no mission other than getting these people home.

RUSH: You're wrong. It was never about going home. It's about getting us to where we're going.

YOUNG: What the hell's that supposed to mean?

RUSH: These past few weeks, I've learned so much more about the ship, about its mission. It's far more important than we ever thought.

YOUNG: OK, let's ... let's hear it.

RUSH: Are you familiar with the cosmic microwave background radiation?

YOUNG: Noise left over from the Big Bang.

RUSH: A long time ago, the Ancients made a discovery. They found evidence of a structure buried deep within the background radiation. They believed that, at one time, this structure had genuine complexity, coherence, therefore could not have occurred naturally.

YOUNG: How is that even possible?

RUSH: It's not - at least not according to our current understanding of physics, nor could we even see this structure with our technology.

YOUNG: OK, so what are we talking about? Some kind of code, a message?

RUSH: A message, perhaps, or a sign of intelligence from the beginning of time.

YOUNG: Sent by?

RUSH: Hmm. Well, that's the very question they sought to answer when they launched Destiny. That is the mission. We're talking about a mystery rooted in the foundation of reality, a puzzle with pieces scattered across the length and breadth of the universe itself.

YOUNG: I swear to God, Rush, if this is another one of your hoaxes ...

RUSH: Once I'd broken the code, I had access to the ship's complete archive. There are thousands of pages devoted to this: scientific research, philosophical debate ...

YOUNG: If we don't have the technology to see this thing, how the hell am I supposed to believe ...

RUSH (interrupting): Because Destiny is not our technology, Colonel. The Ancients left us their data as well as the ship.

YOUNG: And you've seen this data?

RUSH (nodding): I'll show it to you. I don't promise you're gonna understand it, but it's there. Someone's gotta see this mission through. We're here - why not us? Stop saying we don't belong on that ship. Embrace it; move forward; stop looking behind us.

YOUNG: I just wanna get these people home.

RUSH: Well, I'm starting to think that seeing this mission through may be our only chance of ever doing that.

YOUNG: What does that even mean?

RUSH: We're talking about a level of order present at the very beginning of space/time that goes beyond anything we ever conceived. I believe that the more we learn, the more pieces Destiny uncovers, then the greater our power to control everything around us will be.

YOUNG: So it is about power.

RUSH: Yes, Colonel. Power to change things, control our fate, right the wrongs.

YOUNG: To play God?

RUSH (exasperated): No. To gain greater understanding.

YOUNG: What the hell do you want from me?

RUSH: I want you to work with me, together, side by side, for the benefit of everyone.

YOUNG: Well, it'd be a hell of a lot easier if you'd stop keeping secrets.

RUSH: I think it's fair to say we've had our differences, but that ends today.

(Young looks at him a little dubiously.)

RUSH: You have my word.

(Young laughs ironically.)

YOUNG: Oh, man, you are a lot of work!

(Nicholas looks back at him, waiting to see what his answer will be but just then they are distracted by the sound of Destiny's engines outside. They look towards the window and can see the bigger ship moving closer to them.)

YOUNG: Radio. Radio! Let's go!

(They both scramble up and hurry over to the console. Nick activates the comms. On Destiny's Bridge, the boys are peering up through the front windows at the alien ship as Nicholas' voice comes over the speakers.)

RUSH: Mandy?

PERRY: Yes, Nick, we're here. What happened?

RUSH: No, we're fine, but your angle and speed are off. I need you to circle back, line up Destiny's airlock as close to the ship as possible.

WALLACE: Where's Colonel Young?

YOUNG: Eli, I'm here. We're gonna sort all of this out later. Let's just get us back on board first.

(He turns to Nicholas.)

YOUNG: We should get back in the suits.

(Destiny swings around for another pass. On the Bridge, all three of the boys are back-seat driving while Mandy works the controls, offering her pointless advice.)

WALLACE: Try not to come in so sharply.

BRODY: Yeah, you just wanna pull alongside.

VOLKER: To be fair, you shouldn't be driving, no offence.

PERRY (sternly): Just shut up!

VOLKER (meekly): OK.

(Destiny straightens up and heads towards the alien ship again. With her eyes locked on the screens, Mandy slowly turns a dial one click at a time. Still the boys continue to offer useless advice.)

VOLKER: Easy, easy.

BRODY: Keep an eye on your starboard.

WALLACE: Watch your angle.

SCOTT: What the hell is going on here?!

(The boys look round at Matt's angry voice as he and Camille storm onto the Bridge. Eli holds out an urgent placating hand.)

WALLACE: No time. There's no time.

(He turns back toward Mandy.)

BRODY (to Amanda): You've gotta ease up. That's very sensitive.

WALLACE: Back off as you come in.

(Scott and Camille come closer. Matt points at Amanda in disbelief.)

SCOTT: Is she flying the ship?!

WRAY: Do you know what you're doing?

BRODY: Guys!

WALLACE (to Scott and Camille): Not now!

(He hurries over to the window to watch their approach to the alien ship. On board the other ship, the men have got back into the spacesuits. Nicholas is looking at the Kino which he dropped earlier. Young packs his rifle into one of the cases.)

RUSH: The Kino's damaged. I won't be able to use it to take us back to the ship.

YOUNG: Well, there's another one in search mode somewhere still on the ship.

RUSH: If we can find it.

(On the Bridge, Eli, Adam and Dale are now all at the front window. Adam turns and calls out urgently to Amanda.)

BRODY: Reverse! You're too close!

PERRY: I'm trying!

(But before she can adjust Destiny's approach speed, the nose of the ship bumps into the lower section of the other vessel. Her shields protect her from any damage but inside the other ship there are explosions as the power goes down and the men are thrown all over the place. They stumble to one wall and cling on as the angle of the floor keeps shifting.)

YOUNG: What the hell just happened?

PERRY: I'm sorry, Colonel.

SCOTT: We came in too close. Maybe I should give it a try.

BRODY: No-no-no, no, we're OK. We matched their speed.

VOLKER: Yeah, but how the hell are we gonna get them off that ship?

(They peer through the window at the other ship. While it's now in the same position in relation to Destiny, it's rotating around its own axis.)

PERRY: Nick, are you all right?

(Nicholas and Young are carefully stumbling along towards the exit hole, clinging onto the nearest wall at all times. Presumably the artificial gravity has gone down and only their magnetic boots are keeping them attached to the floor as the ship continues to roll.)

RUSH: I'm OK. The rotation's slow enough.

YOUNG: We've got a bigger problem. The Kino is damaged. We're not gonna be able to use it to get back on the ship.

BRODY: What about the other one?

RUSH: It's lost somewhere on the ship.

VOLKER: They don't have time to go looking for it.

WALLACE: Are you back in the spacesuits?

YOUNG: Yeah.

WALLACE: OK, good. So this is easy. You're just gonna use the ship's centripetal force to propel you the distance.

BRODY: “Easy”?! That ship's just not spinning, it's wobbling! You'll have to calculate each jump separately! The speed of rotation, the mass of each person, the angle of trajectory ...

WALLACE: Already on it.

VOLKER: Eli, if they miss this ship ...

(Eli smiles round at him confidently. Math Boy is on the case.)

WALLACE: They won't.

(He gets back to work.)

YOUNG: We're making our way to the opening in the hull.

RUSH: Eli, how're you coming with the calculations?

WALLACE: I've got your jump worked out, so you'll go first. I'm almost done with Colonel Young's. You'll have to release when I say, at the exact moment. Don't hesitate.

(Nicholas steps into the hole in the wall of the ship and braces him. He looks across at Destiny as she spins giddily past.)

RUSH: OK, I'm in position. Tell me when.

(Eli takes a breath, his eyes narrowed in concentration.)

WALLACE: Ready? ... Now.

(Instantly Nicholas jumps into the void and begins to drift across the gap between the two ships. Scott scrambles from one window to another on the Bridge, trying to find the best view as Nicholas soars towards them and heads towards a flat area on the ship's surface. When he's about thirty feet above the surface, Eli radios him.)

WALLACE: Engage your mag boots.

(Nicholas touches down and the impetus forces him to trot along the surface, his boots dragging him down until he slows enough to stop completely. And a good thing too, because he had been just about to run out of runway. He gets both feet down onto the deck and looks at the emptiness of space ahead of him for a moment.)

RUSH: Destiny, I'm on board.

WALLACE: OK.

(Amanda closes her eyes in relief.)

WALLACE: OK, I got this. Colonel, you ready?

YOUNG: Yeah.

WALLACE: OK. Get ready to release ... now.

(Young pushes off from the ship and begins his journey towards Destiny. Nicholas raises his head and watches his approach. As Young clears the alien ship and comes into view, Nick calls out in alarm.)

RUSH: His angle is off!

(Young is coming in on his back, in relation to Destiny. Nick turns and starts to move towards his landing spot. On the Bridge, everyone looks up in concern.)

WALLACE: He jumped too early.

(Breathing heavily and unable to change his position, Young impacts Destiny's surface on his back. The impetus promptly bounces him upwards again and he starts to drift away. Luckily he came down at such an angle that his body begins to rotate and, as his head rolls round towards the ship's surface, Rush races in and grabs at his hand. They manage to link fingers and Nicholas grits his teeth and clings on until Young's momentum ceases and he can pull him back down onto the surface. Young's feet clang to the deck and the mag boots take hold. He straightens up and stares at Nicholas, who meets his gaze and then nods. Young nods back to him.)

(On the Bridge, Adam sinks back into his chair, exhausted by all the stress. Amanda smiles in delight, and Scott claps a congratulatory hand onto Eli's shoulder before heading away to go to the airlock. Eli smiles proudly.)


LATER. Destiny is back in F.T.L. Young is pacing around the Bridge, taking it all in as the regular crew work at the various consoles. Eli is sitting in the control chair gazing in amazement at his screens.

WALLACE: It's ridiculous, the amount of information here.

YOUNG: Well, just keep looking for that message.

(Adam's console beeps.)

BRODY: Colonel, we've got an opportunity ahead. Several planets in range. Looks pretty good.

YOUNG: All right, let's see if this works.

(He looks round at Eli as he walks past him. Eli nods, then lifts his right hand and crosses his fingers before reaching to the console with his other hand and flicking a switch. Obligingly, Destiny comes out of F.T.L.)

(In his quarters, Simeon looks out of the window at the stars and apparently comes to a decision.)

(At Ginn's quarters, the doors open and Nicholas is standing outside holding two mugs and a water bottle. His face is still bruised and bashed about from his fight with Young but he grins at Amanda.)

RUSH: Hey.

PERRY (smiling happily): Hi.

RUSH (showing her what he's holding): Compliments of Mr. Brody's still.

(Amanda grins as he walks in, and she hits the wall button to close the doors.)

PERRY: Oh, how I've missed its lone redeeming quality(!)

(They sit down at a low table and Nicholas takes the top off the water bottle and pours some alcohol into the mugs.)

PERRY: How's the crew?

RUSH: Uh, angry, but the truth is out now, so that can only be a good thing.

PERRY: And, uh, Colonel Young? I know you didn't trust him before. Can you trust him now?

RUSH (shrugging): I've got no choice.

(She smiles and nods. He raises his mug.)

RUSH: Here. Cheers.

(She clinks her own mug against his and they both drink and then grimace. He puts his mug down and looks at her.)

RUSH: I'm sorry, Mandy. I know I put you in a very difficult position.

PERRY: Oh, it's OK. In fact, I'm flattered. Of all people, you chose to confide in me.

RUSH (softly): Well, of course.

(His gaze is intense as he looks at her.)

RUSH: You're the finest person I know.

(Flattered, she tries to hold his gaze but eventually has to look away. Her smile, however, is hopeful as she waits to hear what he'll say next.)

RUSH (softly): I've thought a lot about you - about seeing you again.

(She lifts her eyes to his again.)

PERRY (softly): Me too.

RUSH: But this time ... this time it's different.

(He reaches out and takes her face in his hands. She leans in towards him and they start to kiss ... just as the lock spins and the doors slide open. Eli strolls in smiling, then stops dead as he sees what's happening. He raises his eyes to avoid looking at them as they pull apart.)

RUSH (tetchily): Yes?

WALLACE: Colonel Young wants to see you on the Bridge.

RUSH: Can it wait?

WALLACE: No. He said to come now. It's urgent.

RUSH (to Amanda): I'll be back soon.

(Standing up, he leaves the room. Amanda also stands up. Eli watches Nicholas go, then turns to her unhappily while he tries to sound as nonchalant as possible.)

WALLACE: You know, sometimes, with the stones, it's easy to forget you're in another person's body.

(He meets her eyes pointedly. She stares back at him as the implication of what he said hits her. Eli turns and walks out of the doors, then turns back and glowers at her as he slaps the button to close the doors. Amanda turns and looks into the wall mirror, and Ginn's face looks back at her. Outside, Eli shoves his hands into his pockets and walks away unhappily. Standing in the shadows unseen, and without his escort for some unknown reason, Simeon waits until Eli has gone and then walks to the doors of Ginn's quarters and pushes the wall button. The doors slide open. As Amanda looks at him in confusion, he walks inside, then turns and pushes the button on the inside wall. The doors slide closed.)