STARGATE SG1
Episode 810
"ENDGAME"
By
Joseph Mallozzi & Paul Mullie
Transcribed by
Callie Sullivan
SGC. NIGHT TIME. CONTROL ROOM. Walter is sitting at the control
desk looking at some papers on a clipboard. A male technician,
Sergeant Mackenzie, trots up the stairs. Walter looks round to
see who it is, then turns back to the front again, throwing down
his clipboard and pen, bored. Mackenzie walks over to him.
MACKENZIE
What’s going on?
HARRIMAN
Not much.
(Mackenzie grabs a chair, rolls it over to the control desk and
sits down.)
MACKENZIE
I hate the graveyard shift. Nothing
exciting ever happens on it.
(Walter turns round to face him.)
HARRIMAN
Hey. Just ‘cos it’s three a.m. here,
it doesn’t mean that it’s not daylight
on other planets. (He leans forward,
as if to tell a secret. Mackenzie leans
forward towards him.) There could be
a team coming in hot - any ... second
... now.
MACKENZIE
Yeah, that’s true!
(Both of them turn their heads to look at the Stargate. They
stare at it for several seconds.)
MACKENZIE
So - coffee?
HARRIMAN
Yeah!
(They get up and walk over to the coffee pot at the back of the
room.)
MACKENZIE
Let me ask you something. It’s late
at night and there’s not that many people
around - do you ever get the urge just
to dial up the Gate and check out another
planet, just for a few minutes?
HARRIMAN
That’d be a no.
MACKENZIE
Me-me-me neither.
(They turn to the coffee pot. At that moment a white glow fills
the room behind them, then fades away.)
HARRIMAN
What the hell?
(Unseen by either of the technicians, a computer screen starts
flashing the message “OFFLINE” over and over again. Slowly, nervously,
Walter and Mackenzie turn to look at each other, then turn all
the way around to face the Gateroom. Mackenzie stares blankly
at what he sees; Walter’s eyes widen and his jaw drops. We finally
get to see the Gateroom. Two airmen are standing in the Gateroom
staring at the ramp. At the top of the ramp is ... nothing.)
MACKENZIE
The Gate’s gone!
HARRIMAN
I can see that!
(Mackenzie looks round at Walter.)
MACKENZIE
Are we gonna get in trouble for this?
(Walter looks round at him. He clearly has no idea.)
SGC. DAY TIME. INTERVIEW ROOM. Daniel is sitting on one side
of a table. Walter and Mackenzie are sitting on the other side.
A camera is at Daniel’s side, pointing at the technicians, and
a tape recorder is on the table.
DANIEL
What about your instruments? Were you
detecting any signs of Gate activity?
HARRIMAN
No, sir.
DANIEL
Did anyone approach the Gate at any
time?
HARRIMAN
No.
MACKENZIE
No.
DANIEL
So no unusual activity of any kind.
(Walter and Mackenzie both shake their
heads.) OK. (He scribbles on the paper
in front of him and switches the tape
recorder off.)
MACKENZIE
Sir, are we gonna be facing any kind
of disciplinary action for this?
DANIEL
No, Sergeant, I think it’s safe to say
there was nothing you could have done.
MACKENZIE
Thank God! I mean, there wasn’t. One
minute we were getting coffee, the next
minute the Gate was ...
DANIEL
Wait a minute! Wait a minute. You were
getting coffee? (He stares at them sternly.)
MACKENZIE
Um ... we... it ... (He and Walter look
very uncomfortable.)
(Daniel glares at them for a moment longer, then his face breaks
into a grin.)
DANIEL
I’m joking, I’m joking, this is a joke,
I’m sorry. OK, that’s all, thank you,
guys, I appreciate that. (He stands
up and turns off the camera.) OK. (He
leaves the room, leaving Walter and
Mackenzie looking shattered.)
BRIEFING ROOM. Daniel and Jack are standing at the window gazing
down into the Gateroom [or should it now be called ‘the Room’?!].
Sam is working on a computer further back in the Briefing Room.
DANIEL
Well, I’d-I’d hate to be the guy that
has to explain this to the President.
(Jack turns and stares at him. Daniel sees his look and shrugs,
then looks away and winces.)
CARTER
Sir. I’ve got the video surveillance
footage. (Jack and Daniel walk over
to her.) The Gate disappeared at oh
three oh seven. There were two airmen
in the Gateroom and two technicians
in the Control Room but none of them
saw or heard anything out of the ordinary
prior to the flash.
(She starts the video, which initially shows the Gate in its
normal position, then white light envelops the Gate and it is
whisked upwards and out of view.)
DANIEL
Is it just me or does that look like
an Asgard beam?
CARTER
It does - which makes no sense. Why
would they take our Gate?
O’NEILL
Yeah. Usually they ask nicely before
they ignore us and do whatever they
damn well please.
DANIEL
What about the Prometheus? Didn’t the
Asgard install beam technology as well
as a hyperdrive?
CARTER
Yeah, it’s in the hangar. We’re still
making adjustments to the new engines.
There is another possibility. We know
that Anubis possessed Asgard beam technology.
We also know that Ba’al took over much
of his fleet.
DANIEL
You think Ba’al stole our Gate?
CARTER
To be honest, right now I don’t know
what to think.
O’NEILL
Well, I need some answers.
CARTER
That’s not gonna be easy, sir. Without
a Gate, we have no access to offworld
intel. We have no way of knowing what’s
going on out there.
O’NEILL
You’ll think of something. In the meantime
(he throws a black look at Daniel),
I have a phonecall to make. (He walks
away. Daniel smiles part-smugly and
part-apologetically.)
DANIEL
Is Teal’c still on P4S-161?
CARTER
Yeah, his meeting with the rebel Jaffa
leaders should be over by now. When
he can’t contact us he’ll follow protocol
and head to the Alpha site.
ALPHA SITE. Teal’c, dressed in a Jaffa robe, comes into the Control
Room and walks over to Colonel Pierce.
TEAL’C
Colonel Pierce.
PIERCE
Teal’c.
TEAL’C
What is the situation?
PIERCE
We’ve been out of contact with Earth
for seven hours now. We can establish
a wormhole but all we get is a “do not
proceed” response to our IDC.
TEAL’C
As was the case when I attempted to
return from my mission.
PIERCE
We’ve had lockdowns before, but the
fact that they’re not responding to
any of our radio calls has me concerned.
Right now we have no idea what’s happening
at Stargate Command.
TEAL’C
I will return to P4S-161. The rebel
Jaffa will provide me with a cargo ship
which I will then take to Earth. (He
nods to Pierce and turns to leave the
room.)
PIERCE
Teal’c. (Teal’c turns back to face him.)
We’re not jumping to conclusions; this
may be just a malfunction - but it’s
also possible Earth has been compromised.
TEAL’C
Indeed. (He walks away.)
SGC. SAM’S LAB. Daniel walks in.
DANIEL
Find anything?
CARTER
Yeah, as a matter of fact I have. I’ve
been going over Gateroom security tapes
and the sensor logs. For two days before
the Gate disappeared, we were getting
this anomalous reading. (They look at
the computer screen showing the reading.)
We assumed it was residual feedback
from a recent overhaul of the superconductors,
but I don’t think so. Look at this.
(She shows Daniel one of the security tapes. In fast-forward
mode, various technicians and scientists move up and down the
ramp until just one scientist in a white coat is left at the
top of the ramp. He squats down to the Gate and seems to place
something on it before standing up again.)
DANIEL
What was that?
CARTER
I don’t know, but I checked the time
code and this corresponds with the exact
moment that the sensors began recording
the anomaly. (She types on the keyboard
and the computer screen closes in on
the frozen image of the scientist, then
cleans up the picture so that they have
a clear image of the man.)
DANIEL
I think we need to talk to this guy.
BRIEFING ROOM. Jack is holding a file with a photograph of the
scientist in it.
CARTER
Doctor Kevin Hartkins. He’s been with
the programme seven months. Clean record,
nothing out of the ordinary - except
that he’s gone missing.
DANIEL
He failed to report for duty this morning.
When we checked his apartment, it was
cleaned out.
O’NEILL
This is starting to sound familiar.
DANIEL
You think it’s The Trust?
CARTER
Well, they’ve been busy lately. They
had Teal’c under surveillance, they
blackmailed you, and they tried to kill
Alec Colson. Obviously the operation
is a lot bigger than we first thought.
Now, as far as we know, the NID has
been clean for over a year but there
are still dozens of ex-agents who are
unaccounted for - and they continue
to receive financing from unknown sources.
DANIEL
If they could take the Gate out from
under us, they could empty the vault
at Fort Knox.
CARTER
Not necessarily. If they could take
the Gate any time they wanted, they
would have, but that doesn’t explain
what Hartkins was doing, or the anomalous
signal.
O’NEILL
Got a theory?
CARTER
The Prometheus has Asgard beam technology
but not Asgard sensors, which means
that we can’t pinpoint specific targets
unless they’ve been tagged in advance.
What if whoever did this has the same
problem?
DANIEL
You think the anomaly was a locator
beacon?
CARTER
Yeah, which Hartkins placed directly
on the Gate. I mean, there’s no other
way they could pull this off.
O’NEILL
So my stamp collection is safe - how
does that help us find the Gate?
CARTER
Well, if they wanna keep using the beam,
they’ll have to keep using the beacons.
We could request NSA satellite time
to see if we could detect the signal.
O’NEILL
Do it.
P4S-161. Teal’c comes through the Gate, then levels his staff
weapon at the sight that greets him. Many Jaffa are lying on
the ground near the Gate. He goes over to one and bends down
to check for a pulse, then stands and levels his staff weapon
again as a Jaffa comes out from behind nearby bushes, aiming
his own staff weapon. Teal’c then realises who it is - it’s M’Zel,
last seen in “Death Knell”.
TEAL’C
M’Zel.
M’ZEL
Teal’c. (He runs towards him.)
TEAL’C
What has happened here?
M’ZEL
When I arrived, they were all dead.
TEAL’C
All?
M’ZEL
I will show you. (He leads Teal’c away.)
EARTH. WAREHOUSE. Two black Air Force cars are parked outside.
SFs are surrounding the warehouse, weapons aimed, as a third
car arrives. Three of the troops run over to the car and crouch
behind it. Sam and Daniel get out and crouch behind the car with
the sergeant in charge of the troops as he reports to them.
SERGEANT
We took out a couple of guards and made
the area secure. Satellite intel puts
the signal somewhere inside this complex.
CARTER
Alright. You three are with us. Keep
your men on the perimeter - no one in,
no one out.
SERGEANT
Understood.
(He gives commands into his radio as they all run towards the
warehouse. As they reach one of the doors, he puts explosive
on the lock and everybody ducks back. The explosives blow the
lock. The sergeant pulls the door open, and one of his men tosses
a smoke grenade inside. It explodes, and smoke fills the air.
The five of them run inside, checking out the area. Daniel spots
something.)
DANIEL
Sam! (He pulls back a cover from a couple
of rockets.)
CARTER
Daniel, these are VX rockets.
(Daniel goes to some glass canisters filled with a glowing blue
liquid and picks one up.)
DANIEL
Yeah? What’s this?
CARTER
Methylphosphonothioic acid.
DANIEL
Which is?
CARTER
Nerve gas.
DANIEL
OK - putting that back! (He nervously
puts the canister down again.)
CARTER
There’s enough here to kill several
hundred thousand people.
DANIEL
What would the ex-NID be doing stockpiling
this stuff?
CARTER
I have no idea.
(A member of The Trust, hidden behind some boxes, raises his
head into view. One of the SFs spots him.)
SF
Colonel!
(He fires at the man, who returns fire. As the SGC personnel
fire at him, he continues shooting back, and some of the canisters
are smashed by flying bullets. Sam gets into a position to zat
the man and he goes down. The SFs run cautiously towards him.
Behind them, unnoticed, the smashed canisters are leaking gas.
Daniel turns and sees them.)
DANIEL
Ah - we’ve got a problem here! What
do we do?
CARTER
It’s too late.
(They stare at the canisters. After a few seconds Sam tilts her
head in confusion.)
DANIEL
Nothing’s happening.
CARTER
This doesn’t make sense. The effects
are almost instantaneous. We should
all be dead.
P4S-161. M’Zel leads Teal’c to the edge of a Jaffa camp. Teal’c
stares at the sight that greets him.
M’ZEL
You see?
(Teal’c walks forward into the camp. The camp covers a large
area - and hundreds of Jaffa are lying dead on the ground.)
SGC. BRIEFING ROOM. Jack is looking at photographs taken in the
warehouse. Sam hands him a small capsule with the blue liquid
in it.
CARTER
We managed to identify the liquid we
found in the warehouse. It’s symbiont
poison - specifically the new formula
we were working on in conjunction with
the Tok’Ra. (Jack gingerly puts the
capsule down on the table, then wipes
his fingers off against each other before
wiping his hand on his sleeve.) It’s
more stable than the original and easier
to produce, but just as deadly to the
Goa’uld.
DANIEL
And the Jaffa.
CARTER
Exactly - which is why we agreed not
to use it except in defensive situations.
Sir, the people behind this have the
Gate and they have rockets capable of
delivering the poison in aerosol form
over large areas. I think The Trust
intends to launch a full-scale chemical
attack against the Goa’uld without any
regard for the millions of Jaffa lives
that could be lost in the process.
O’NEILL
So, they didn’t get the memo.
(Sam shrugs.)
DANIEL
The guy from the warehouse isn’t talking
but he was carrying this. (He takes
an ID badge out of his pocket and hands
it to Sam, who passes it to Jack.) It’s
an Area 51 identification badge.
AREA 51. Sam and Daniel, wearing overalls, are sitting in a room.
A scientist, wearing overalls with a white coat over them, comes
in.
BRICKSDALE
Colonel Carter, Doctor Jackson. Sorry
to keep you waiting.
CARTER
Doctor Bricksdale. I believe you’ve
been briefed on our situation?
BRICKSDALE
Yes, I have.
CARTER
Well, as a result of our investigation,
we have reason to believe that your
security has been compromised.
BRICKSDALE
With all due respect, Colonel, we’re
not the ones who lost the Stargate.
DANIEL
But alien technology has gone missing
from Area 51 before.
BRICKSDALE
Yes. However, our security measures
have been significantly increased since
then. No one’s allowed to bring anything
in or out - no computers, no cellphones,
not even their street clothes, as you’ve
seen. (He looks at their overalls.)
All personnel are subject to a thorough
search and scan every time they leave.
CARTER
Look, whoever took the Stargate has
access to Asgard beam technology. Last
year when Osiris came to Earth, she
used that same technology, which she
activated remotely with a wrist device.
After she was captured, that wrist device
was brought here, and you worked on
it.
BRICKSDALE
And it’s been here ever since.
DANIEL
Well, if you don’t mind, we’d like to
see it.
ALPHA SITE. CONTROL ROOM. Colonel Pierce is talking with Teal’c.
PIERCE
Doctor Harris checked out some of the
dead Jaffa on P4S-161. You were right
- it was the Tok’Ra symbiont poison.
TEAL’C
I would not have believed it had I not
seen it with my own eyes.
PIERCE
I knew the Tok’Ra had lost patience
with the alliance, but I never thought
they’d do anything like this.
(M’Zel storms into the room.)
M’ZEL
Teal’c! I have received word from our
Jaffa brothers. Three more Goa’uld planets
have been attacked. Millions are dead.
AREA 51. SECURITY ROOM. Bricksdale leads Sam and Daniel into
the room and puts his hand onto a palm scanner. He then goes
over to a bank of drawers in the wall as one of them slides open.
Inside are several Goa’uld devices, including Osiris’ hand ribbon
device with the wrist device attached to it.
BRICKSDALE
You see? Right where we left it.
CARTER
Sorry if I’m a little sceptical but,
uh, we’ve been down this road before.
(She places a sensor in the tray and
activates it. The sensor beeps. Sam
looks round at Daniel.) It’s real. (She
takes the sensor out again.)
BRICKSDALE
Like I said. We figured if Osiris’ ship
was still up there, we could use the
wrist device to get on board. Unfortunately
it’s not only keyed to the presence
of naqahdah in the blood of the user
but also specific Goa’uld DNA. We tried
to create an adapter using samples of
both elements but we didn’t get anywhere.
DANIEL
So the ship is probably still in orbit
but cloaked.
CARTER
In which case we have no way to find
it.
ALPHA SITE. CONTROL ROOM.
M’ZEL
The Tok’Ra will be made to pay for this
treachery!
PIERCE
Let’s just calm down a second. We need
to figure out what’s going on.
M’ZEL
What more do you need to know?! The
Jaffa are being murdered - poisoned,
like vermin!
PIERCE
The Tok’Ra have had this chemical weapon
for a long time. Why would they suddenly
decide to use it now?
TEAL’C
Perhaps the failure of the alliance
convinced them that there is no other
way.
PIERCE
There’s something else going on. It’s
not a coincidence that this happened
immediately after we lost contact with
Earth.
TEAL’C
It does seem unlikely. (To M’Zel) We
must speak to the Tok’Ra directly.
PIERCE
That’s not so easy. Ever since they
left the Alpha site, we haven’t had
much intelligence on their movements.
We have no idea where their new base
is.
TEAL’C
We still know the location of some of
their operatives. (To M’Zel) I believe
our best chance for contact is P3S-114.
A Tok’Ra operative named Zarin is undercover
commanding one of Ba’al’s garrisons
on that world.
M’ZEL
I will come with you.
PIERCE
Woah - hold on a minute here. You’re
talking about walking into Goa’uld-occupied
territory, and there’s no Jaffa fifth
column there to help you out. Without
sympathetic warriors in Zarin’s ranks,
how do you plan to avoid being captured?
TEAL’C
We do not.
PIERCE
What?!
M’ZEL
Only by being captured will we be brought
before the commander.
PIERCE
That’s how you’re gonna make contact?!
TEAL’C
We must speak to the Tok’Ra. There is
no other way.
PIERCE
It’s too risky. You walk in there unannounced
and Zarin could have you sacrificed
just to maintain her cover.
TEAL’C
That is a great possibility.
PIERCE
You realise the second you walk through
that Gate, you’re on your own?
TEAL’C
Understood.
EARTH. NEVADA. STREET. Bricksdale is waiting nervously. He opens
his cellphone and starts to dial a number, but stops as a car
pulls up. Hoskins, the Trust member last seen in “Affinity”,
gets out of the car.
HOSKINS
So what’s the big emergency?
BRICKSDALE
I can’t do this any more!
HOSKINS
You’ve already taken the money, Doctor.
Little late for cold feet.
BRICKSDALE
You don’t understand! They came to see
me! They asked me about the wrist device!
HOSKINS
Who?
BRICKSDALE
Two people from Stargate Command.
HOSKINS
And you arranged a meeting with me?!
BRICKSDALE
What?
(The sound of an approaching engine can be heard, and a black
van screeches around the corner.)
HOSKINS
You were followed.
(He pulls a rifle out and fires at the SFs getting out of the
van. They dive for cover as Bricksdale cowers. Hoskins throws
a dark look at Bricksdale, then turns and fires multiple shots
into the lock of a nearby warehouse door, blasting part of the
door to bits. As a second van arrives, he pulls open the door
and runs inside. SFs run towards Bricksdale, who has his hands
in the air. One of the SFs pushes Bricksdale face down onto the
bonnet of his car. Other troops run into the warehouse. Inside,
Hoskins is reloading his rifle as he walks along quickly. As
the SFs come inside, he turns and fires at them. They take cover,
then Hoskins runs up some stairs.)
SERGEANT
Careful with your fire - we need him
alive!
(They run up the stairs.)
(On an upper level, Hoskins blasts out the lock of a door leading
to a gantry on the outside of the building. He kicks open the
door and runs along the gantry, reloading again. He runs along
a couple of roofs, then drops to the ground. Checking the area,
he takes a device out of his pocket and presses it. Nearby, Sam,
wearing a snazzy black leather jacket, rises up from where she
has been hiding behind a car and zats him. He falls to the ground,
dropping the device, which is beeping. She picks it up. An Asgard
transporter beam envelops her and whisks her away.)
(Sam reappears in the cargo hold of a Goa’uld ship. Behind her,
Jennings, also last seen in “Affinity”, takes out a zat gun of
his own and shoots her. She collapses to the ground. Jennings
picks up a radio as he walks towards Sam.)
JENNINGS
Brooks.
BROOKS
Go ahead.
JENNINGS
We’ve got a small problem here. Take
a locator beacon and get down to Hoskins’
last position.
BROOKS
What happened?
JENNINGS
We’ve got an uninvited guest.
(A wide shot of the cargo hold shows that the Stargate is at
the end of the room. There are several VX rockets nearby.)
P3S-114. PYRAMID. Three Jaffa walk into the throne room and kneel
before a woman sitting on the throne.
ZARIN
Speak.
JAFFA
My Lord Zarin, two enemy Jaffa have
been captured near the Gate. One of
them is the shol’va Teal’c.
ZARIN
Are you certain?
JAFFA
I am. Lord Ba’al will be most pleased,
will he not?
ZARIN
Yes, of course. You have done well.
Now bring them to me.
JAFFA
Yes, my Lord. (He and his colleagues
rise and leave the room. Zarin looks
smug until they have left, then looks
concerned.)
SGC. INTERROGATION ROOM. Bricksdale is seated at a table in the
middle of the room. Daniel is standing on the other side of the
table, while two SFs stand nearby.
DANIEL
I’m gonna ask you again - where’s Colonel
Carter?
BRICKSDALE
I don’t know!
(Daniel turns to the SFs and jerks his thumb towards the door.
The SFs leave the room as Bricksdale looks worried. Daniel closes
the door behind the SFs, then comes to the table and sits down.)
DANIEL
You’re gonna need to start co-operating.
BRICKSDALE
I can’t!
DANIEL
A decorated officer of the United States
Air Force and a member of one of our
government’s most top secret organisations
is missing, and you’re implicated. (Bricksdale
covers his face with one hand, almost
crying.) I don’t think you’re gonna
just walk away from this.
BRICKSDALE
They’ll kill me!
DANIEL
We can protect you. (Bricksdale shakes
his head, sobbing.) And we can also
choose to ignore your two million dollar
Cayman Island account. (Bricksdale raises
his head and looks at Daniel.) Didn’t
think we’d find out about that, huh?
BRICKSDALE
So if I help you, I can keep the money?
DANIEL
We can come to an arrangement.
(Bricksdale sits back in his chair, looking much more confident.)
P3S-114. PYRAMID THRONE ROOM. Teal’c and M’Zel are marched into
the room to face Zarin. M’Zel is easily pushed to his knees,
but it takes a staff weapon in the back of the knees to get Teal’c
down.
JAFFA
The prisoners, my Lord.
ZARIN
Leave us.
JAFFA
My Lord?
ZARIN
I intend to question them myself. Leave
us, now.
(All the Jaffa in the room leave. Once they have gone, Zarin
walks forward.)
ZARIN
Are you mad?! What are you doing here?
(Teal’c and M’Zel rise from their knees.)
TEAL’C
We must speak with you.
ZARIN
Speak with me? Do you not realise that
by coming here you have placed all our
lives in danger?
TEAL’C
Are you not in control of this garrison?
ZARIN
I am - and, as such, it is my responsibility
to see to it that you are tortured for
information until such time that Ba’al
arrives to witness your execution.
SGC. INTERROGATION ROOM.
DANIEL
So what’s it gonna be?
BRICKSDALE
You said Colonel Carter was missing?
DANIEL
Mm-hmm.
BRICKSDALE
Well, she’s probably on the ship.
DANIEL
Osiris’ ship. So you did manage to get
on board.
(Bricksdale nods.)
BRICKSDALE
About a year ago, some men came to see
me. They knew everything about my work,
the Stargate, Osiris. They knew there
was a possibility that a cloaked ship
had been left in orbit and they wanted
it badly. I told them that the key was
the wrist device but I couldn’t get
it out of there, at least not through
the front door.
DANIEL
What do you mean?
BRICKSDALE
One day I was in the lab working on
the adapter. Next thing I know I found
myself on the ship. I had remotely activated
the transport beam.
DANIEL
Which you failed to report.
BRICKSDALE
It was killing me that I wasn’t able
to tell anybody I’d figured it out.
I had to keep telling them it wasn’t
working. Anyway, after that I went back
and forth half a dozen times, but at
the end of the day the wrist device
was always back where it belonged.
DANIEL
And you beamed the others up using locator
beacons.
BRICKSDALE
Well the beam was the only thing that
worked without the command codes. And
that’s where you came in.
DANIEL
The translation. (He closes his eyes
and sinks back in his chair.)
BRICKSDALE
Osiris worked for Anubis, and Anubis
had all his command codes translated
into Ancient. (Daniel mouths the word
‘Ancient’ along with him.) Once they
had full control of the ship, thanks
to you, they had no need for me. They
kept a permanent presence up there twenty-four
seven, worked in shifts. I went back
to Area 51 and sabotaged the adapter.
The project was shelved and no one was
the wiser.
(Daniel has an expression on his face that looks like a bulldog
chewing a wasp. After a moment, however, he leans forward.)
DANIEL
Can you get the wrist device to work
again?
BRICKSDALE
Absolutely.
OSIRIS’ SHIP. CARGO HOLD. Sam, lying on top of a metal box, wakes
up and sits up, to find her hands tied behind her back. Brooks
is working nearby and walks over to Hoskins.
BROOKS
Launch window in three minutes. Ready
for off-grade.
HOSKINS
Get down to the engine room - check
the power relays.
BROOKS
Yes, sir. (She leaves.)
(Jennings notices that Sam is awake and nods towards her.)
JENNINGS
Sir.
HOSKINS
Colonel Carter. Welcome aboard.
CARTER
Where are we?
HOSKINS
We’re in a polar orbit around the Moon
- cloaked, of course.
CARTER
This is the ship Osiris left behind.
HOSKINS
We really have to thank you. If you
hadn’t caught her, we never would have
had this opportunity.
CARTER
You know they’re gonna come after you.
JENNINGS
Prometheus is undergoing a refit.
CARTER
They still have sublight engines. Once
they realise you’re in a ship, they’ll
launch - and even with a cloak, you’re
giving off an energy signature.
HOSKINS
We’re operating at minimal power. Maybe
after a year of intensive scans, they
might be able to find us, but this won’t
take that long.
(Sam sees Jennings take a capsule of symbiont poison and start
to put it into the top of a VX rocket.)
CARTER
You’re gonna launch a chemical attack
against the Goa’uld.
JENNINGS
We already have. We’re starting with
Ba’al’s territory, since he is the most
immediate threat right now.
CARTER
You realise you’re killing millions
of innocent Jaffa?
HOSKINS
Spare me, Colonel. The Jaffa are a race
of warriors, bred specifically to serve
the Goa’uld and enslave humans throughout
the galaxy.
CARTER
They’re indoctrinated from childhood
to believe that the Goa’uld are their
gods. They don’t have a choice.
JENNINGS
So they’re just following orders, right?
Where have I heard that argument before?
CARTER
What about the rebel Jaffa? They’re
growing in numbers every day.
JENNINGS
We consider them acceptable losses.
HOSKINS
It’s very simple, Colonel. Earth faces
an imminent threat, and we have a weapon
that can eliminate that threat. We intend
to use it.
(Jennings has finished inserting the capsule into the rocket,
and the rocket now seals.)
JENNINGS
We’re ready. (He goes over to a computer.)
HOSKINS
What’s the next target?
JENNINGS
P3S-114.
HOSKINS
Dial it.
JENNINGS
Yes, sir. (He goes to another computer
and types. The Gate starts to dial out.)
P3S-114. THRONEROOM.
ZARIN
You force me to choose between abandoning
my mission and allowing you to die.
M’ZEL
I would worry more about my own life
if I were you, Tok’Ra. (He wraps both
hands around her neck and starts to
strangle her.)
TEAL’C
M’Zel! (He walks close to him.) I feel
as you do, brother, but this is not
the way.
(M’Zel continues to strangle Zarin for a moment, then looks round
to Teal’c, who nods at him. He lets Zarin go.)
ZARIN
Why are you here?
M’ZEL
We know about the attacks.
ZARIN
What attacks?
TEAL’C
The Tok’Ra have been using the symbiont
poison against the Goa’uld. Jaffa of
three worlds have been annihilated thus
far.
ZARIN
Impossible.
M’ZEL
We have seen it with our own eyes. An
entire Jaffa army lying dead on the
ground with no wounds, no signs of battle.
How do you explain this?
ZARIN
I cannot - but I can assure you that
the Tok’Ra are not responsible. If these
attacks had been planned, I would have
been informed.
OSIRIS’ SHIP. The Stargate kawhooshes.
JENNINGS
Initiating launch sequence.
CARTER
You can’t do this. It’s murder.
JENNINGS
That’s where you’re wrong, Colonel -
it’s war. Launching in three, two, one.
(The VX rocket launches and heads into the wormhole. Sam closes
her eyes in grief.)
P3S-114. OUTDOORS. A group of Jaffa are walking along. The leader
raises his hand as the sound of a rocket can be heard. They stop
and look up as the rocket soars into the air. The Jaffa drop
to the ground and raise their staff weapons as the rocket starts
to curve around and head towards the ground.
P3S-114. THRONE ROOM. Zarin turns and looks upwards as the sound
of a distant explosion can be heard.
ZARIN
What was that?
(The sound of approaching feet can be heard. Teal’c and M’Zel
sink back down to their knees and Zarin stands imperiously in
front of them as her Jaffa enter the room.)
JAFFA
My Lord. We are under attack.
ZARIN
How?
JAFFA
A weapon was fired through the Gate.
It exploded over the ...
(Zarin gasps in agony and clutches the back of her neck. She
starts to fall to the floor, still gasping.)
JAFFA
Lord Zarin! (He runs towards her.) Lord
Zarin. (He holds her as she collapses
to the ground in agony. She gazes up
at the Jaffa in anguish, then dies.)
TEAL’C
Brothers! We must leave immediately!
(He and M’Zel get to their feet.)
JAFFA
Kree! Da’nok! (The other Jaffa aim their
staff weapons at Teal’c and M’Zel.)
You are not going anywhere, shol’va.
(He aims a zat gun at Teal’c.)
TEAL’C
You do not understand.
(M’Zel gasps in pain and clutches his stomach. As Teal’c grabs
hold of him and supports him, the other Jaffa also start to collapse
in agony. The sound of squealing symbionts can be heard.)
TEAL’C
M’Zel, there may still be time.
(M’Zel collapses to the ground, his symbiont squealing in pain.
Teal’c cradles his head. M’Zel gazes up at Teal’c, grunting in
agony.)
M’ZEL
I die ... free. (He dies.)
TEAL’C
Indeed. (He stands and looks at the
bodies all around him.)
EARTH. Prometheus is in Earth orbit. Colonel Pendergast is in
the big chair.
COMMS OFFICER
Sensor grid R-14 shows no anomalies,
sir.
PENDERGAST
Very well. Proceed to the next grid.
COMMS OFFICER
Yes, sir.
PENDERGAST
She’s out there somewhere.
SGC. INTERROGATION ROOM. An SF opens the door and Daniel walks
in with a case. He puts it on the table and opens it. Osiris’
ribbon device is inside. He turns the case around to show Bricksdale.
DANIEL
Make it work.
OSIRIS’ SHIP.
JENNINGS
Our next target is P5R-357.
HOSKINS
Let’s do it.
CARTER
I wouldn’t bother. Ba’al abandoned that
planet six months ago when the naqahdah
mines went dry.
JENNINGS
She’s lying.
CARTER
Go ahead. Waste another rocket. That’s
one less planet you’ll be able to destroy.
HOSKINS
She does have more up-to-date intelligence.
JENNINGS
She’s bluffing.
HOSKINS
You can make this a lot less painful
if you help us select optimum targets.
CARTER
What are you talking about?
HOSKINS
You know as much about the current tactical
and strategic positions of the different
System Lords as anyone on Earth.
CARTER
I don’t know as much as you think.
HOSKINS
You know enough to help us get maximum
effect with minimum collateral damage.
You’re the one who wants to save innocent
lives.
CARTER
Nice try.
JENNINGS
So - are we going for P5R-357 or not?
(Hoskins looks at Sam, trying to gauge what she knows. She doesn’t
return his gaze.)
HOSKINS
Go to the next one on the list.
(Jennings shakes his head, annoyed, but moves the cursor on his
computer down to the next address.)
SGC. CONTROL ROOM. Daniel is arming himself ready to go up to
Osiris’ ship. Siler is working on the ribbon device nearby. Jack
comes down the stairs.
O’NEILL
Alright - tell me again why I should
agree to this?
DANIEL
Because it’s the only way we have to
get on the ship, and if they’ve changed
the command codes, I’m the one who has
the best chance to decipher the Ancient
symbols.
O’NEILL
And if there are ten armed goons when
you get there, you’re the one that’s
gonna ... get ... (He draws his hand
across his throat.)
DANIEL
Better ideas? (He looks at Jack, then
across to Siler. Siler looks startled.)
O’NEILL
Look, Daniel, just because I don’t have
a better idea is no reason to do anything.
(Daniel looks puzzled. Jack thinks through what he just said
and looks confused.)
DANIEL
Look, once I shut down the cloak, Prometheus
will be able to pinpoint the ship’s
location. Then all I have to do is disable
the hyperdrive and wait for the cavalry.
They’ll never see it coming!
O’NEILL
Which is one of the advantages of the
totally insane idea.
DANIEL
Yeah - where’d I learn that from?! (He
looks at Jack, who looks bewildered.)
OK. (Siler hands him the ribbon device
and moves away towards Jack. Daniel
holds the device in one hand, and activates
his zat gun with the other. It’s pointing
straight at Jack and Siler. Siler moves
cautiously behind Jack. Jack looks round
at him, then realises what Daniel’s
doing and backs away himself. Daniel
looks behind him at a scientist standing
on the other side of the glass star
map. The scientist sees his look and
moves away.) See you soon. (He activates
the device, and is transported away.)
OSIRIS’ SHIP. Daniel transports onto the bridge. There’s nobody
around. He goes to a computer and types on the keyboard. The
message “Access denied” appears on the screen. He types again.
Again the message “Access denied” comes up.
DANIEL
Come on! (He types again. The message
“System error” comes up.) Fine. (He
goes to the front of the ship, presses
some buttons which open a panel of crystals,
and zats the crystals. In space, the
ship comes out of its cloak and we see
it for the first time. It’s an al’kesh.
Daniel leaves the bridge.)
PROMETHEUS.
COMMS OFFICER
Sir, we have something. Definitely a
ship. Bearings 157 by 229, five hundred
thousand kilometres.
PENDERGAST
Battle stations! Plot an intercept course.
COMMS OFFICER
Yes, sir.
Pendergast presses a button on the console on his chair.
PENDERGAST
General O’Neill, this is Prometheus.
O’NEILL
Go ahead.
PENDERGAST
Looks like Doctor Jackson pulled it
off, sir, we have ‘em on our screens
and we are moving in.
O’NEILL
Understood.
OSIRIS’ SHIP. In the cargo hold, Hoskins and Jennings are inserting
another toxin capsule into a rocket. Brooks comes in.
BROOKS
We’ve got a problem. I just monitored
a sixty percent drop in our power consumption.
HOSKINS
The cloak! (He takes a zat gun out of
his coat pocket and starts to leave
the room with Brooks. He turns to Jennings
and gestures at Sam.) Stay with her.
(Elsewhere on the ship, Daniel is creeping around. After a while
he is hit by a zat blast and drops to the ground. Hoskins and
Brooks walk around the corner, Hoskins still holding his zat
gun out in front of him.)
HOSKINS
Get up to the bridge - get that cloak
back online.
BROOKS
Yes, sir.
PROMETHEUS.
COMMS OFFICER
We’re in weapons range, sir.
PENDERGAST
They noticed us yet?
COMMS OFFICER
I don’t think so. They seem to be operating
at minimal power, no evasive manoeuvres.
PENDERGAST
What about the hyperdrive?
COMMS OFFICER
Still no signal from Doctor Jackson.
PENDERGAST
General O’Neill, we have a problem.
The ship’s cloak is down, sir, but Doctor
Jackson has yet to confirm whether he
has disabled the hyperdrive or not.
O’NEILL
Just give him a little more time.
PENDERGAST
Right now, sir, they are sitting ducks.
If they spot us, they can run, and we
won’t be able to catch them. We can’t
afford to let them get away, General.
I recommend we open fire immediately.
(Jack looks concerned as he considers his options.)
PENDERGAST
General, please advise.
OSIRIS’ SHIP. Brooks cautiously makes her way onto the bridge,
then sees the burnt-out panel of crystals.
CARGO HOLD. Daniel joins Sam and sits down beside her. Hoskins
stands over them. Jennings comes into the room and sees Daniel.
JENNINGS
Where the hell did he come from?!
HOSKINS
He got the wrist device.
JENNINGS
Any chance there’s more of them on board?
HOSKINS
It only lets one person up at a time.
BROOKS
Hoskins, this is Brooks.
HOSKINS
(into radio): Go ahead.
BROOKS
The cloak’s been disabled. I don’t know
if I can get it back online.
HOSKINS
This position is compromised. We need
to get out of here now.
BROOKS
Yes, sir.
JENNINGS
What about them? (He nods at Sam and
Daniel.)
HOSKINS
We can’t take them with us.
DANIEL
I don’t mind going for a little ride.
CARTER
Me neither.
(Hoskins raises his zat gun and aims it at Daniel.)
HOSKINS
Sorry about this, Doctor Jackson.
(The Gate starts to dial in. Hoskins and Jennings turn and stare
at it in disbelief.)
JENNINGS
Incoming!
(They drop to the floor to avoid the burp as the Gate kawhooshes.
As they start to get up, Daniel jumps up and throws himself at
Hoskins. Sam, her hands still tied behind her back, kicks Jennings’
feet out from under him. Hoskins’ zat gun flies across the floor
as he and Daniel crash to the floor. Hoskins’ radio also skitters
across the floor, then a voice comes from it.)
TEAL’C
This is Teal’c of SG-1.
(Daniel and Hoskins start to scramble up. Daniel punches Hoskins
hard in the face. He tries to punch him again but Hoskins blocks
the blow and punches him in the stomach, then in the face. Daniel
falls to the floor.)
TEAL’C
This is Teal’c of SG-1. Repeat, this
is Teal’c.
(Jennings is trying to get up but Sam kicks him in the face,
knocking him out.)
TEAL’C
Repeat, this is Teal’c.
(Daniel grabs the radio.)
DANIEL
Teal’c, this is Daniel, we need your
help, c’mon through!
(Hoskins sees the zat gun lying nearby. He runs over and picks
it up, aiming it at Daniel. Behind him, Teal’c comes through
the Stargate. Hoskins turns and aims his zat at him, but Teal’c
shoots him in the chest with his staff weapon. The Gate deactivates.
Teal’c walks forward, looking at Hoskins’ body.)
CARTER
Somebody wanna untie me?
BROOKS
Cargo hold, what’s happening down there?
Cargo hold, respond. (Daniel looks at
the radio, knowing there’s nothing he
can do.) Jennings, Hoskins, where the
hell are you?
(On the bridge, Brooks puts the radio down and starts typing
on the computer. She goes to another computer and types, and
the engine sound increases.)
(In the cargo hold, Daniel is untying Sam. They look up as the
engines fire up.)
DANIEL
What’s happening?
(Sam runs over to the computers and looks at the screen.)
CARTER
She’s bringing the hyperdrive on line.
Get to the Gate.
(Teal’c and Daniel run over to the Gate.)
(On the bridge, Brooks goes over to the pilot’s seat and sits
down.)
PROMETHEUS.
COMMS OFFICER
They’re trying to run, sir.
PENDERGAST
Dammit! (Into radio) General O’Neill,
they are powering up their hyperdrive
- we are out of options.
O’NEILL
Can you disable the ship without destroying
it?
PENDERGAST
I cannot give you any guarantees.
(Jack hesitates.)
OSIRIS’ SHIP. CARGO HOLD. Sam is frantically rummaging through
Jennings’ pockets. Finally she finds his locator beacon and activates
it as she runs towards the Gate.
PROMETHEUS.
COMMS OFFICER
Sir, we’re picking up a signal coming
from inside the ship.
PENDERGAST
What is it?
COMMS OFFICER
Locator beacon, sir. Same frequency.
PENDERGAST
Lock onto the signal - activate transport
beam.
COMMS OFFICER
Beam activated.
OSIRIS’ SHIP. Brooks finishes her preparations, puts both hands
on the steering device and pulls it towards her. Outside the
ship, a hyperspace window opens and the al’kesh flies into it.
PROMETHEUS.
COMMS OFFICER
Ship’s gone, sir.
PENDERGAST
Cargo Bay, report.
VOICE
This is Cargo Bay. We have the Gate,
sir, as well as Teal’c, Colonel Carter
and Doctor Jackson.
PENDERGAST
Teal’c?! (Into comms) Acknowledged.
(Into radio) General O’Neill, it looks
like you were right. We have the Gate
and SG-1 aboard. They’re all alive.
(In the SGC Control Room, Jack closes his eyes in relief.)
O’NEILL
That’s good news. Bring ‘em home.
PENDERGAST
Yes, sir. (He smiles, then nods to his
officer, who starts to fly the ship
home.)
(In the Control Room, Jack blows out a relieved breath.)
SGC. GATEROOM. The Gate is back in place. Sam is supervising
various technicians who are reattaching the superconductor interfaces.
She walks down the ramp to Daniel, Jack and Teal’c.
CARTER
The good news is, the Gate is fully
operational again. We can resume offworld
missions immediately.
DANIEL
And the bad news is, The Trust now has
a fully functional Goa’uld al’kesh.
CARTER
We’ve installed jamming devices around
the Gate to prevent any locator beams
from operating in the future.
TEAL’C
What of the Tok’Ra poison?
CARTER
Well, they left most of it behind, but
they still have enough to wipe out at
least half a dozen Goa’uld worlds.
DANIEL
In retrospect, maybe you should have
destroyed the ship when you had the
chance.
O’NEILL
Yeah. Tough choice. (He turns and walks
away.)
THE END
|