06x19 - The Changeling

[bunniefuu]

Let us proceed.

Scalpel.

You all right?

What?

Another nightmare?

Yeah.

What about?

Nothing.

I'm fine.

Go on back to sleep, Probie.

You got a big day tomorrow.

Hey, you know, if I was doing what you're doing for my stepfather, I'd

- I don't know.



- I'm fine with it.

I know you are.

I'm just saying that I'd be having nightmares, too.

All right.

Listen, T.

You made me feel like one of the team.

If there's anything I can do, just Probie, forget about it.

All right?

Now go on back to sleep, man.



- You sure you're OK?



- Yeah.

Yeah, man.

Now go on, get outta here.

Major Carter.

Teal'c.

I thought you were gonna get in a few hours of kelno'reem.

I was unable to do so.

Does that happen often?

It is rare, but it does happen.

Most often when recovering from an injury.

You look OK to me.

Why don't you try a glass of warm milk?

I would prefer not to consume bovine lactose at any temperature.

A cup of herbal tea, then.

It can't hurt.

Very well.

You might just be preoccupied with the upcoming mission.

Don't deny you're worried.

It's all over your face.

What's on my face?

You know, T, maybe Carter's right.

You should think about this a little more.



- What?



- The whole kidney thing.

You're talking about the transplant.



- Yeah, we're talking about the transplant.



- What do I need with two?

Yeah.

One'll do you, right?

Isn't it true that you can lead a perfectly healthy life with just one kidney?

I'll go check on breakfast.

T, this is major surgery.

I know that.

We've gotten second and third opinions, and they all come back the same.

They're not gonna find a better match than I am.

Either I do this or Brae dies.

And, frankly, after all Brae's done for me I owe him.

If there was another option It's already arranged and booked.

I go in day after tomorrow.

Gentlemen and lady.

Breakfast is served.

That's "Captain" to you, Probie.

And it better be good.

We're away, guys.

Pull the charger.

Let's get it outta here.

OK, let's roll.

Rescue to engine seven.

We have a two

-car head

-on collision.

One of the vehicles is leaking gas.

Roger that.

Confirm location at Taylor Way overpass.



- Roger that.



- ETA 5 minutes.



- Ten

-four.



- Over and out.

OK, Probie.

Get ready to get your feet wet.



- Ready.



- Yes, you are.

Probie, air up.

Ray, stretch out a preconnect.

Terry, I want foam on that line.

Can you hear me?

Chief, we got one adult male and a kid trapped inside.

The other driver's outside.

The red vehicle's leakin' gas pretty bad.



- I got the gas leak.



- Great.

Hi there.

Can you hear me?

Good boy.

I need you to stay still.

We'll get you out soon.

He's alert and responsive.

What have you got?

OK.

Give me a hand here.

Let's pop the door.

Stay still.

We're gonna get you out.

Come on, Probie.

Hurry up with that clamp It's all right.

You're gonna be all right.

Easy now.

On my count.

Three.

Two.

One.

I need a charged line Let's get this fire out.

I can't charge the line There's no pressure.

Everybody outta there T, get your ass outta there.

That's an order.

Save yourself.

I'm getting you out, old man.

Save yourself No Teal'c

- Get a medical team down here, now

- Yes, ma'am.

Whatever happened, you seem fine now.

Still, I've never heard of any Jaffa fainting before, let alone you.

I did not faint.

Sorry, but you did.

One minute I was talking, the next minute you were lying flat on your back.

Could this be to do with his inability to kelno'reem earlier?

Kelno'reem meditation is necessary in order for a Jaffa to rejuvenate his body, but not being able to do it just once wouldn't cause you to faint, would it?

No, it would not.



- And you're not in any pain?



- None.

Maybe you were just bored with what I was saying.

Oh.

Fine.

On that note, I'll say goodnight.

'Night, Sam.

Prescribe him some warm milk.

I have no intention of remaining.

This has never happened before.

I want to run some tests.



- That would be completely

- Ah Doctor's orders.

Now close your eyes and try to relax.

OK?

Very well.

You are one lucky son of a bitch.

O'Neill.

Brae.



- Brae, he was in that car.



- What?



- He was in the car.



- Who was?

Brae.

Did you get him out?

T, he's two floors up, waiting for his new kidney.

We're trying to arrange for him to come down for a little visit.



- What happened to the guy in the car?



- He was dead before we got there.

I could have sworn Listen they're thinking of postponing the surgery for a day or so.



- I'm fine.



- Sure you are.

How's your head?

Pretty bad.

Why don't I go see what Western medicine has for you, huh?

Chief?

Thanks for being here for me, man.

Any time.

Brae, you old fart, are you still alive?

Chief, you sorry excuse for a human being.

When are you gonna get the message and stop visiting me?

Like a moth to flame, I can't help myself.

Hi.



- Hi, Jack.

Is he awake?



- Yeah.

He's got a little bit of a headache.

I'm not surprised he's in pain.

He was sent flying, the way I hear it.



- Yep.

Why don't you go on in?



- Jack?

You go ahead without me.

Um Did T say anything about Brae?

About thinking he was the guy in the car?

Yeah.

I mean, he's been mumbling in his sleep.

Do you think he's OK?

Do you think this transplant thing is making him?

This is a big deal.

I think it'd mess with anyone's head.

I know a resident psychologist here.

I'll talk with him.

He's good.

You'll like him.



- Thanks, Jack.



- Yeah.

I don't know what I would do, my love.

You'll never have to know.

You wanna tell me what the hell you were thinking?

Hm?

I guess I wasn't.

We're firemen.

There's risking your life and there's being stupid.



- Guess which one you picked.



- I know.

I know.

His only fault is he wants to help people.

By sacrificing himself.

It doesn't matter now.

It's over.

He's all right.

No, he's not.

What are you talking about?

You're starting to scare me.



- You should be scared.



- Brae.

Why aren't you b*rned anywhere?

The car exploded right in your face and you come away from it with a headache.

Something's wrong.



- He knows it.



- What is happening?



- I'm sorry.

I didn't mean to wake you.



- Wake me?

According to these readings, you've been fast asleep.

My mind was filled with images.

Thoughts of me, yet I was not entirely myself.

Happens to humans all the time.



- It's called dreaming.



- You don't dream while in kelno'reem?

Not in this manner.

While in a state of kelno'reem I am in control of my thoughts.

So how do you feel?

It was so real.

Ooh, I love when that happens.

It's not uncommon in the first moments after one wakes up to feel disoriented.

Not uncommon for humans.

Very strange for Jaffa.

So, Doc, this is Teal'c we're dealing with here?

Aside from the dreams and the fainting, he's still well?

And he's still better off than 99 per cent of my patients.



- Tests show you're in perfect health.



- Good.

So he can go back to work?

If the dreams don't become debilitating or you faint again, I don't see why not.



- Excellent.

Let's go.



- Just two more minutes.

I'd like to perform a routine examination of his symbiote, and then you can go.

Hi.



- Hi.



- I'm Dr Daniel Jackson.

I'm one of the resident psychologists here.

I heard you might like to talk.

So Daniel Jackson.

You can just call me Daniel, if you like.



- You think I'm crazy.



- No, not yet.

We just met.



- We haven't met before?



- No.

No, I don't think so.



- I'm sure we have.



- Maybe in another life or something.

If you believe in that sort of thing.

Some people do.

I just came by to talk.

About what?

Whatever's on your mind.

Possibly about this operation that's scheduled for tomorrow.

It's postponed because you were blown 20ft across a street.



- I'm going through with it.



- I never said you shouldn't.

But a couple of your friends just thought you might wanna talk about it, so Just so you know.

Can we get out of here?

Maybe go for a walk or something?

Sure.

You're the doctor.

Right.

Let's go.

So how did Brae become your stepfather?

Technically, I guess he isn't.

I kinda just think of him that way.

He raised me after my father d*ed.

He did good.

You got a good job.

You help people out.

From what your friends tell me, you're quite the hero.



- That was just plain stupid.



- What was?

What brought me here in the first place.

We came on a crash site and one of the drivers was hurt pretty bad.

You thought he was Brae, your stepfather.

Who told you that?

Your friends care about you.

That's why they've asked me to see you.

It's good.

You're giving up a part of yourself, a vital part.

And you're doing it out of love.



- So?



- So?

So maybe you're afraid.

Maybe you're afraid that you won't be yourself.

The doctor said I would lead a normal life afterwards.

Self

-preservation is a powerful instinct.

Not afraid, Doc.

Not one bit.

That's quite a burden, all that denial.



- I can't let you have the operation.



- No, you can't stop me.



- Yes, I can, actually.

And I will.



- Why?

We don't destroy one man's life to save another.

Look at me, Doc.

I'm the healthiest human being you've ever seen.

I'm 100 per cent.



- I'm not just talking about your body.



- Then what?

You've been having nightmares almost every night, I've been told.



- Big deal.



- And, and it's a big "and", yesterday you had an hallucination.

I'm sorry, but that is a big deal.

All I'm saying is, your life is as important as Brae's.

So if you go through with this, you have to accept what it's going to do to you.



- I wanna save Brae.



- I know you do.

I wanna help you do that.

That is a promise.

If you know your way back, I have to go.

I'm late for another appointment, so

- Is my hour up already?



- No.

Your 20 minutes are up.

We'll work our way up to an hour.

Hey, let's go.

You know how much it costs to keep that thing on?

I'm ready.

Good.

Let's move out.

What's wrong with you?

Nothing is wrong, O'Neill.

I need you to focus.



- I am ready.



- All right, then.

You are afraid to die.

No.

Because you know I will be waiting for you in the afterlife.



- Who are you?



- You know who I am, Teal'c.

I am your god.



- No

- Excuse me, sir.

Are you lost?

No.

I'm

- Are you sure you're all right?



- I'm fine.

It's It's the wrong room.

Sorry.

Sir?

Sir?

You cannot escape your fate, shol'va.

C'mon, let's go.

You know how much it costs to keep that thing open?

Bra'tac's waiting for you.



- Something is wrong.



- What is it?

He must have taken it.

Who must have taken what?

Shut it down.

Teal'c.



- My symbiote is gone.



- Fraiser gave you a clean bill of health.

My symbiote is gone My symbiote is gone Get a medical team down here right now Help me.

Help me.

Hold on, old man.

Help me.

Help me.

It's just a nightmare.

You're safe.

I was in the hospital.

That's right.

They performed the transplant and you recovered.



- They sent you home.



- What?



- I don't remember.



- You saved his life.

I don't remember coming home.

But you are home with me.

And everything's all right.

O'Neill O'Neill picked me up and he took me home.

That's right.

Brae's gonna be fine.

And so are you.

It's just a nightmare, my love.

I feel like Shauna, I feel like I'm going insane.



- A few bad dreams

- You can't tell anybody about this, OK?

Cos I don't want people to think I'm going crazy.

I promise.

When I'm there, this is the dream.



- When you're there?



- I'm part of something.

m*llitary, or underground, or a secret place.



- Listen to what you're saying.



- I'm serious

- It's a dream.



- They say this is the dream.

And when I'm there, I believe it.

There, it makes sense that this can't be real.

And when I'm here Honey look at me.

Look at me.

Kiss me.

How can that not be real?



- How are you feeling?



- Better.

And you?

They haven't told you?

They say my body's rejecting the new kidney.

What?

They're pumping me full of antirejection dr*gs

- this, that, everything

- but I gotta say if it if it doesn't take, I'm ready to go.

I really am.

How do you know this operation isn't keeping me from going to a better place?

Come on, Brae.

Don't even start talking like that.

Why are we so afraid of dying?



- I'm not afraid.



- I am OK?

I'd rather die myself than let you go.

So you hang in there.

Because I did not go through this so you could give up on me.

Am I late?

I thought it was supposed to be at eleven.



- It is.



- Oh.

Good.



- Been up to see Brae?



- Just came from there.



- How's he doing?



- His body is rejecting the new kidney.



- You knew that might happen.



- There's gotta be something we can do.



- You've done everything possible.



- I didn't go through this so Brae could die.

Why are you going through this?

Why do you think this is happening?



- I mean all of it.

Brae, the nightmares

- The nightmares are gone.

You're not dreaming you're part of some secret m*llitary operation underground?



- Shauna told you.



- No.



- Then how the hell do you know?



- I just I know.

It doesn't matter.

Fine.

I'll ask her myself.

Because we've talked about this before.

You just don't remember.

Like you don't remember the operation or getting discharged from hospital.

Right?

Right?

Well, tell me about it again.



- I'm part of something a team.



- Who's on this team?

Same as our fire hall

- Chief O'Neill, Captain Carter.

Even Probie's there.



- Probie is who?



- Probationary fireman.



- It's the same as a rookie.



- Right.

His name's Jonas.

And what does this team do, the one in your dream?

Go places, you know?

Try to make a difference, to help people.

You're firemen.

No.

We, um You're just gonna have to trust me.

All right.

We go to other planets, through a big ring of shimmering blue water.

Ah, I'm not even human.



- So you're a

- A Jaffa.

I carry this thing around in my gut that's called a symbiote.

Helps keep me alive.

Something like a kidney.

Something you might be hesitant to give up?

Let me ask you this

- does Brae fit anywhere into your dream?

Which one?

I don't even know what's real any more.

You're not alone.

Philosophers have been trying to figure that out for a long time.

So let me just get this straight.

When you're there, this is the dream.

And when you're here, that's the dream.



- They're both so real.



- In both you have nightmares.



- I'm not meant to dream in the other one.



- Because you're Jaffa?

Don't ask me.

I That's really neither here nor there.

The point is, both can't be real.

No.

So you're trying to figure out which of the lives is real, so that you can stay there, or here or wherever it is you're supposed to be, once and for all.

Maybe the answer to that question is something you haven't even considered.

Maybe neither one is real.



- What?



- Think about it.

If you can't distinguish between them, if the one seems equally as real as the other, maybe you don't belong in either one.

Then what do I do?

Hang in there just a little while longer.

You can't leave me here like this.

I haven't left your side, Teal'c.

I'm not going to.

That's a promise.



- O'Neill.



- It's OK.

You're gonna be all right.

Just hang in there.

Teal'c, listen.

This is important.

How long have you gone without your symbiote?



- Bra'tac.



- He's alive.

But I need to know how long.



- You must save Bra'tac

- We'll do our best.

Let's take them both directly to OR one.

Let's move.

Easy.



- What happened, Colonel?



- It was a setup from the get

-go.



- The meeting of the rebel leaders?



- It was no meeting.

It was an ambush.

We found over 100 rebel Jaffa dead.

Every one had had their symbiotes removed, except one.



- Bra'tac.



- Only he and Teal'c were left alive.

Teal'c left over three days ago.

How did he survive that long without his symbiote?

Teal'c survived the ambush, then used his own symbiote to keep both he and Bra'tac alive.

He knew we'd show up when he was late.

How long can two Jaffas survive with only one symbiote?

We have no idea.

Until a couple of hours ago we didn't even think it was possible.

Report to the briefing room in one hour.

Yes, sir.

We've stabilised them by using the same method Teal'c must have used, otherwise he would have been dead.

We're transferring the symbiote from one to the other.



- How long can you keep them both alive?



- I don't know.

It's a miracle they've survived.

Don't ask me how Teal'c had the strength to keep it up.

Dr Fraiser, why can't we just get him another symbiote?

We've looked into it.

It's impossible to find a symbiote that isn't being used.

Right.

We contacted the Tok'ra when we received your emergency transmission and apprised them of Teal'c and Bra'tac's condition.

Jacob is on the way.

If it comes to a choice We have to consider that Teal'c has already made a choice.

According to Dr Fraiser, he's gone through hell in order to see it through.

Let's hope it doesn't come down to that.



- Dad, thank God you're here.



- Hopefully I'm not too late.

How are they?

Shauna "Shauna"?

Shan'auc.

She was very important in Teal'c's life.

When a Jaffa goes without his symbiote for any length of time, at least according to Jaffa legend, his life flashes before his eyes.

It might help if you talk to him.

Yeah.

Uh Teal'c, you gotta hang in there.

I need you.

You made me feel like one of the team.

If there's anything I can do Don't worry about it, Probie.

Go back to sleep.

"Probie"?

Dr Fraiser.



- What's their condition?



- Critical.

All three of them.

Three?

Due to his age and the fact that his body shows signs of rejecting the symbiote, Bra'tac has had it longer than Teal'c.

The strain is too much for the symbiote.

I don't think it could restore either one of them at this point.



- What about a hand device?



- I brought something better.

Something that should work as effectively as a symbiote, at least for the short term.



- What's that?



- Tretonin, sir.



- The drug the Pangarans offered us?



- Whoa That's ground Goa'uld, isn't it?

It's a little more refined than that, but yes, it is derived from Goa'uld symbiotes.

It supplanted the immune systems in the Pangarans.

Why not for the Jaffa?

It won't work.

It was designed to take the place of a human immune system.

We've since refined it specifically for Jaffa physiology.

The Tok'ra have wanted an end to Jaffa dependence on symbiotes for centuries.

We've worked on this tretonin variant since you introduced us to the Pangarans.



- But it hasn't been tested.



- But even if it does work, Teal'c and Bra'tac will be as dependent on the tretonin as the Pangarans.

Given time, we can solve that problem.



- But at least they'll be alive.



- If I knew that this is what Teal'c wanted Janet, this could lead to freedom from Goa'uld oppression for all Jaffa.

That's something Teal'c and Bra'tac want more than anything.



- Do it.



- Yes, sir.

Teal'c without Junior that's a concept.

Hey, Teal'c.



- Am I dreaming?



- No, not this time.

It's late.

Everyone's gone home.

I just wanted to make sure you were OK.



- What of Bra'tac?



- Bra'tac's fine.



- Thanks to you.



- And to you as well, I believe.

No.

No, that was you.

I don't know anyone that could have done what you did.

You kept him alive for three days without ever thinking about yourself.

Every time you gave up your symbiote you knew it might be for the last time.

This experience has been very different for me.

It seemed so real.

Your mind took you where it needed to go to get you through this.

I promise you, this is real.

You're just gonna have to trust me on that.

Go to sleep.

When you wake up, everything is gonna be fine.

Is that a promise, Daniel Jackson?

That's a promise.