03x16 - The Ark

[bunniefuu]

Initiating separation manoeuvre
in three, two, one, mark.

Separation is negative.
Switching to back-up.

Disengage. Come on!

Dammit!

The bolts will not work.
I repeat: the expl*sive bolts will not fire.

Unable to separate ship.

I don't know if you can hear me but
it looks like I'm gonna have to ride this one down.

EIGHT HOURS EARLIER

- Well, you wanted to take a look. Now you have.
- What? We just got here.

We've been here long enough.
There's nothin' here of any use to us.

We can't know that until
we've explored deeper into the station.

I guarantee you you're gonna see
pretty much the same technology

that you're looking at here,
which I call vintage 1967.

Oh, yeah, yeah. You know, we hollowed out a
lot of moons back in the sixties.

Well, if we did, this is what it would look like.

What about that shuttle, huh?
You know, that we saw when we docked?

- That was very double-oh-seven.
- Ah, see? Even you were intrigued.

A little bit.

Elizabeth gave us the go-ahead to explore
this station if and I underline the "if" there

we find anything we can use
against our many and sundry bad guys.

This technology's antiquated at best.
These containers are just full of supplies.

Building a place like this inside a moon
must have taken tremendous resources.

Whoever built it must
have had a damned good reason

and if we wanna find out what that reason is,
we need to look further inside.

- Teyla, Ronon, are you listening to this?
- Yes. Yes we are, Colonel Sheppard.

- You guys care what's inside this place?
- No.

Perhaps it would be more appropriate
for a team of scientists to return.

- Good idea. We're out of here. - Oh, wait-wait-wait-wait.
I need to find out what's inside.

I'm the same way with Christmas presents and pi?atas.
One more compartment, other side of this door.

OK. Just one more.

Looks like some kind of control room.

Look at that.

- Intrigued?
- Looks like it was built for re-entry.

Looks like some kind of rudimentary
computer system but it's locked up.

Let's see if I can reboot it and get power online.

D'you think that's such a good idea? Didn't you say
this station's probably powered by a nuclear reactor?

Well, it's definitely powered by a reactor and
I just increased its power output.

Rodney!

- You said you wanted to take a closer look
at that shuttle. - I did not!

Ah, well, you were thinkin' it. Besides, I'll have
life support online in no time.

- Closing outer doors.
- Why?

So we can repressurise the hangar
so we can get out of these suits.

- It's not our job to satisfy your curiosity.
- Hey, we can't stop now. We just cracked open the pi?ata.

- Hey, what's that? - Picking up an energy spike
from one of the other compartments.

- Now it's gone.
- Good

Not good. There's something frighteningly familiar about
that energy signature. Check your life signs detector again.

We've got company.

Alright. Who the hell is this guy?

You reported that there were
no life signs. How did he get there?

We don't know yet.

Some kind of a energy spike right
when his life signs popped up.

I recognised the energy signature as very similar, virtually
identical, to Wraith beaming technology.

I think he was automatically reintegrated
when life support systems started up.

Beaming technology?!

A minute ago you said the station was antiquated.

- Other than the one upgrade.
- And the artificial gravity.

Say early Apollo programme.

Well, I'd need to take a closer look but I am pretty sure
that that device is modified Wraith technology

probably from a crashed Dart.
If you think about it, it's actually a brilliant fusion of...

And what do you intend to do
with this person we've now assumed responsibility for?

Oh, I dunno. I didn't think that far ahead.

Yeah, obviously not.
But if one person beamed out of nowhere...

...there may be others where he came from.
I was thinking the same thing.

He is regaining consciousness.

Alright, we'll find out in a minute. Our
boy's waking up. Call you in one hour.

One hour it is.

It is alright. You are among friends.

The w*r is over?

We're not from here.
I'm Sheppard; this is McKay, Teyla, Ronon.

Herick.

I am sorry, Herick, but we have scanned
the surface of your planet.

If your world was at w*r with the Wraith, the w*r
was lost many years ago.

More like centuries. I mean, there is
nothing down there but ruins and plant life.

Dial up the sensitivity a notch, alright?

Defeat was expected, but the computer was supposed
to extract me automatically in order to restore the others.

Unfortunately the computer froze. It was completely
locked up. Probably should have used a Mac.

- What, what others?
- The others in storage.

You used Wraith beaming technology
for long-term storage? That's crazy.

Well, the energy patterns couldn't
possibly stay stable that long.

- Our engineers found a way.
- Back up a sec. How many others?

Each module was to store over a thousand.

- Then this place was...?
- Created to save the last of my people.

Once the Wraith were gone,
and the planet was once again habitable

I was to fly one of the two shuttles back
to the surface, but obviously something went wrong.

On that subject, there's only one shuttle out there.

That's impossible.

Please, I must get to the pattern storage room.

The second storage pattern module
was to be stored on the other shuttle.

Half those chosen for this were to be on board

including my wife and son.

Let him go.

You two stay here.

They were to launch within hours of us.
Jamus gave me his word.

- Maybe the Wraith got to em before they could get to it.
- No.

They were ready. I spoke to the pilot myself.
They were just hours behind us.

Sheppard, I'm getting another power spike.
What's going on?

What are you doing?

Getting answers.

- They were to be here when I awoke!
You gave me your word! - Herick!

Alright, take it easy. Let the man have a breath.

- I don't understand.
- Where is the second storage device?

They waited too long to launch
the second shuttle. Herick, I'm sorry.

I worked every day of my life to complete this place

with the promise that when it was done,
my wife and son would be among the ones saved.

You made me that promise when
you stored my pattern in the device.

Shortly after you were stored in the device,

word came from the planet that the last group
had not yet made it to the second shuttle.

With the launch of the first just hours before,
the secret was out. There were riots on the street.

Much of our leadership was in that last group.

You delayed the launch.

How long did you wait?

A day

but in that day the Wraith came,
Herick, through the Portal.

We knew it was the beginning,
we knew it was an advance scout.

It had happened far too many
times in our history. We knew.

Why didn't you order them to launch?

Because the second shuttle would
have led the Wraith straight here.

It was the only way.
You must understand that.

- Sounds to me like you did it to save yourself.
- No...

...to preserve the others
who were already in storage.

If the Wraith had followed the second shuttle,

if they'd discovered what we had done,

they would have blasted this moon from the sky.

It was the hardest decision I have ever made,

but if I had not made it,

your life's work would have meant nothing.

Another life sign just appeared
on the shuttle's HUD.

Oh. Hi.

McKay. Doctor Rodney McKay.
I was the one who powered up your station.

- ... And you're welcome.
- My people are grateful for your assistance.

- We don't need them.
- We do have a ship.

One that ? no offence ?
is better than that shuttle you've got there.

We can get you back down to the planet
and restoring your civilisation in no time.

Does your ship have an internal power
supply attuned to the storage device?

Herick wishes to finish the task
that will complete his life's work.

And when you have flown our
people back to the surface,

then the new era
we have dreamed of will begin...

free of the Wraith... for all time.

For all time.

Forgive me.

- I must prepare the shuttle for launch.
- Of course.

Look, if you want a hand with the control room,
I could, um...

- Or maybe not.
- We'll leave you folks to it.

Look, Sheppard. I wouldn't leave
this guy with that guy right now ?

not unless you want this guy dead.

- You really think he would, uh...?
- I would.

Jamus, we're gonna stick around for a while
? make sure everyone gets safely back to the planet.

- Happy to give you a ride if you need one.
- Thank you. I'm most grateful.

Why don't you head up to the Control Room?

Teyla, we're gonna stay a little longer.

Herick.

I understand how difficult this must be for you.

- I too have lost many loved ones to the Wraith.
- What I feel was not caused by the Wraith.

- Still, if there is anything we can...
- You've done enough.

I do not understand.

If you had never come,
if I had never awoken,

my last thoughts would have been of hope
for the future, and the love I have for my family.

I never would have to feel what I feel now.

Gather your team and leave this place.

Herick.

Herick.

Ooh. He's not doing so good, is he?

No.

Is everyone still in there?

It appears we spent far longer in
the device than was ever intended but, yes,

it seems our engineers did very well.

Colonel Sheppard?

- I'm concerned about Herick.
- There's nothing we can do for him.

- He just warned us to leave.
- He's understandably distraught.

He'll be fine when he gets to the planet.

Just the same,
I'm gonna go and see what he's up to.

You stay here.

What is he doing?

Herick, what are you doing?

Sheppard, you need to get
Herick out of that shuttle now!

We're on our way.

Herick, if you're doing
what I think you're do...

He's fired up the engines! Hang on!

What's happening?

The outer doors won't hold! You need to shut the
hatches to your compartments! All of them!

Sheppard, Ronon, come in.

Sheppard, Ronon, come in.

Still here. Barely.

- I was pretty sure you were dead!
- Yeah, well, same here.

Accordingly to the readings in here,
your compartment was almost completely vented.

It took almost a minute to repressurise.

Don't move.

Teyla?

Teyla.

I am fine, but Jamus is injured.
He will need medical attention.

He's gonna have to wait.

McKay, what the hell just happened?

Herick just k*lled himself and tried to take us
with him. Chances are, he's succeeded too.

I watched him open the rear hatch
of the shuttle before he fired the main engines.

Why would he do that?

- You know, I never really got to know him, so, uh...
- OK, OK. What do you know?

The compartments between us are in vacuum,

possibly damaged by the expl*si*n.

- We're cut off from each other.
- What else?

Look, just give me a second to figure out
how screwed we are and I'll get back to you.

Herick?

We believe he took his own life,
and tried to k*ll us.

- Why would he...? - It is best that you do not move
until we know the full extent of your injuries.

And the device?

It appears to be intact.

I told you, don't move. Your shoulder's dislocated.

Just wait for Beckett to get here, alright?

Weir will send a team as soon as she
doesn't hear from us, which should be

any minute now.

- That's disturbing.
- I don't like to wait.

- OK, time for the How Screwed We Are report.
- Alright, go ahead.

There's no way to seal the compartments
between us from here,

and there's too many hatches left open.
Herick was obviously trying to vent the station to space.

Look, I'm gonna need to suit up,
see what I can do.

- Doesn't sound too screwed.
- But I'm not finished yet.

Because the shuttle was attached
and exhausted all of its fuel during the burn,

the moon has been knocked out of its orbit.

- How much time do we have?
- Before we burn up, or before we suffocate?

Because the reactor scrammed
and shut down during all this,

so we're down to emergency power, most of which
is being channelled into the people storage device.

- Well, I don't know! Pick one!
- Not done yet!

Cause there's still the fact that the Jumper
was blasted out of the docking port,

so there is no way off this rock in either case.

- Well, Weir will send a rescue team.
- We don't have much time left.

The moon was already in a low orbit to start with.
We're beginning to skim the outer atmosphere.

- We're gonna slow down exponentially.
- Think of a brilliant plan, Rodney!

That's what you do best.
Using as little oxygen as possible.

Should I just repeat everything I just told you?

We don't leave our people behind...
did you forget that?

- No. - Good! They'll show up,
and they'll get us out of here. Clear?

Yes. That's clear. McKay out.

- I am sorry for this.
- You blame yourself?

I gave the order that ended
the lives of Herick's family.

- You made a difficult decision. - If these thousand souls
can yet be saved, it will have been the right one.

- I'm not good at this.
- What?

- Waiting to die.
- Don't think about it.

- I don't like small spaces.
- Could be worse.

- Personally, I'd rather die fighting.
- I'd rather not die.

- I'm just sayin'...
- OK, look.

If this rock burns up in the atmosphere,
I'll fight you to the death myself. Deal?

You're on.

Right.

- Oh no. No. I've got a problem here!
- What's happening?

I'm alive!

I'm dead! I'm so dead!

Rodney? What's happening?

The Control Room window's just been hit by a piece
of debris from the expl*si*n. It's about to breach!

- McKay?
- Can't talk now!

- We just lost the Control Room.
- Didn't seem like it controlled much anyway.

True. Alright. I'm gonna take a look around... see if I can
figure out a way to seal the compartments between us.

I figure it would be nice
if we were all together as we burn up.

- McKay. - I'm sorry. I mean, as we get rescued.
I always get those two confused.

Alright.

If anyone's counting,
we have another problem.

I can't seal the compartments between us
because one of the hatches won't shut.

What's wrong with it?

Looks like the entire bulkhead was twisted
when Sammy su1c1de decided to fire up his rocket ship.

- We're gonna need that hatch, McKay.
- Yes, I know that. I am the one who told you. I'll try.

- It's been over an hour?
- Yes, ma'am.

Alright, then. Dial them up.

Colonel Sheppard, do you read me?

Loud and clear, and your timing's perfect. Now,

you need to get Beckett here with a rescue team
and some cutting equipment as soon as possible.

Do it.

What's happened?

We've got ourselves in a damaged moonbase in a decaying
orbit, cut off from each other, and we lost the Jumper.

That happened. Well, there's more
to it than that, but you get the idea.

Help is on its way.
What else can we do?

Hurry!

Colonel Sheppard, this is Major Lorne.

We are en route, and on afterburners.
We should have you out of there in no time.

Understood. You're gonna have to convert
the Jumper's cloak into a shield

and extend it to the station to create a seal.

- We're already on it, sir.
- How are my patients doin'?

- Jamus could use your help.
- Tell em we'll be there in a jiff.

- You guys hear that?
- Yay! Faint hope!

We did, John.
We're glad to hear it.

- Your friends are coming for us? - Yes.
And Doctor Beckett as well. He will take good care of you.

And my people?

- I'm sure that if it is at all possible...
- It must be!

There are over a thousand souls in this device.
An entire people will be gone forever if we don't find a way.

Doctor McKay.

- Busy working right now. Call back later.
- It is a matter of great importance to Jamus.

Yeah, well what is it?

Will it be possible to take
the people stored in the device along with us?

No. No, there's not a chance. Look,

the internal batteries would run out in half the time
it would take me to patch in a compatible power source.

Look, maybe, maybe if I could keep
it in the compartment, but

we're not sticking around that long.
We're in a decaying orbit, remember?

Then there is an excellent chance
that we will be able to save them.

What? No-no-no-no-no-no-no! I said no.

- Jamus will be very happy to hear this.
- What are you...?

Oh, OK. Yeah, tell him no problem.
The more the merrier.

Doctor McKay assures me
that it will be possible.

OK, we're in.

Come on! Oh!
What the...?!

I thought I'd take over, Doc.

Oh, thank God!
I can't get the hatch shut.

I can't get Sheppard, Ronon or Teyla out of
the compartments until I get the hatch shut.

Not a problem.
Just head on back to the Jumper.

No. No, we don't leave our people behind.

You're not goin' anywhere, Doc.

You're just headin' back to the Jumper
to figure out how much time we have

before this moon starts
breakin' up in the atmosphere.

Right. Right.

- Teyla, love, can you hear me?
- Yes, Doctor Beckett. It is good to hear your voice.

Aye, you too. We should be able
to repressurise and have you out in no time.

Just hang on a wee bit longer.

Our rescuers have arrived.
We will be able to get out of here soon.

And the device?

I'm sure we will do everything in our power.

Hayden Thorton is our people's
greatest living poet.

He is among those stored in this device.

Our greatest scientists, Torrell
and Barnum, are stored in here as well,

along with two hundred children.
You must promise me.

I wish I could, but I cannot promise
what is beyond my control, Jamus.

We've got a good seal on the damaged hatch.
The station is repressurising.

OK, we're good to go.

Colonel, Teyla, you're safe
to open your hatches.

Great! McKay, how much time do we have?

Not much. We're getting dangerously close to the planet's
atmosphere. The moon won't survive another orbit.

It is time to leave.

Jamus, what are you doing?

I cannot allow you to leave.
Not until you ensure the safety of my people.

Teyla, you can open the hatch. It's safe.

- Hey, Doc.
- Colonel. Ronon, you OK?

- Yeah, I'm good, Doc.
- What's the problem?

Teyla's hatch is locked from the inside.

Teyla? Open up the door
we've gotta get out of here.

I can't do that, John.

Jamus has my sidearm and will not let me leave
until we find a way to preserve the storage device.

Alright. Tell him we'll try.

I've already done so.
He does not believe me.

Put him on the radio.

- Jamus, can you hear me?
- I can.

I want you to listen carefully. If there was time to save
the storage device, we would, you know that.

We got into this mess by offering to stick around
and help you in the first place. But..

we can save you this is your life
we're talkin' about, alright?

So just open up the door.

I have her w*apon.

This rock is gonna burn up in the atmosphere.

Meaning if you don't open this door, you'll die.

Then I will die with my people.

OK. Open up the door and let Teyla out
and you can die with your people.

Get the torch.

Jamus, we're gonna open up
this door one way or the other.

And if we have to do it the hard way,
my offer to take you with us is off the table.

There is nothing more to say.

Sacrificing your own life will not save them.

My life does not matter.

If you live, their memory will be preserved.

You still do not grasp what is at stake

just how many have sacrificed so that
our people could have a future.

It took the resources of
five generations to build this station.

We fought a w*r we knew we could not win
so that there could be a future.

You knew you could not win the w*r?

We came to realise that if there were
no more survivors, the Wraith would not return.

We built weapons to ensure that when the
w*r was over, there would be no more survivors.

- You k*lled your own people?
- We k*lled Wraith.

Every ship that landed
was struck by our atomic weapons.

We knew that the radioactive cloud
would spread over every continent.

- We knew the planet would be uninhabitable
for many years. - So you built this place.

That we could rebuild without fear
of the Wraith ever returning.

So, you see, these souls must survive.

If they do not, the many hundreds of thousands
lost in the w*r will have d*ed for nothing.

Don't. Don't.

Your life is all I have to bargain with.
I do not wish to take it.

This is taking too bloody long.

I'm goin' as fast as I can.

Any moment now, Colonel Sheppard will
cut through that door.

If you sh**t me, they will surely k*ll you.

Perhaps the only way to preserve your people
now is to preserve their memory.

If you die, they will be forgotten. Their
deaths will go unrecorded, and the Wraith will have won.

Or leave here with us now and keep the spirit
of your people alive inside you.

Document their achievements, their struggles and
triumphs. Tell their story to anyone who will listen.

The choice is yours.

I never intended to take your life.

My only hope is that Colonel Sheppard is sincere
in his statement that he will leave no-one behind.

Colonel! Colonel.

You can stop what you're doing now.

I'm ready to open the door.

Now he's ready!

Alright. We're gonna open up the door..

I wanna see your w*apon on the ground
and your hands in the air

Sheppard, what's going on? I'm picking up
another power surge.

- Are you gonna be able to get her out of there or not?
- I have no idea how to determine who's who in this thing.

- Look, maybe if I had a few hours... - Well, you don't. - Yes,
I know, but short of randomly beaming people out one by one...

- There's a thousand people in this thing.
- I am aware of that.

- It's time to go, sir.
- Just give us a minute.

I'm sorry, sir, we don't have a minute. As soon as this rock hits
the atmosphere, it's gonna start to break up. We've gotta go now.

Alright. Can you get this thing disconnected?

Yes, but I've already told you. There's no way
I can rig up a compatible power source for the Jumper.

- I'm not talking about the Jumper.
- What?

- I always wanted to fly a space shuttle. Now's my chance.
- Oh, no-no-no-no-no.

Just get this thing disconnected and help
these guys get to the Jumper while I suit up.

Look, I know how much you love to think
you can fly anything but it is not...

Listen! Just get this thing disconnected.
That's an order.

I think he's crazy. The thing's how many
hundred years old? And it's out of fuel.

He said he could fly it.

- You do realise you're out of your bloody mind, right?
- Yeah, probably.

Alright, you're all set.

Once you're inside the shuttle, it should be
fairly easy to get the device into the receptacle.

Alright, let's do it.

Just... can I say one more thing?

As long as you say it as fast as you can.

Don't do this. It's impossible.

- Willing to bet a week's wages on that?
- Yeah, how're you gonna pay up if I win, huh?

Thanks for caring!

- Yeah.
- Alright. Radio Atlantis as soon as you're clear.

Keep a safe distance with the Jumper.
I'll try to maintain radio contact.

Hey. Remember...
you still owe me a fight to the death.

I look forward to that.

Get us out of here, Captain.

Alright. I've got the device locked in place.

Looks like internal power switched on automatically.

Closing rear hatch now.

See you guys on the ground.

Will do, sir. Good luck.

We're clear, sir.

The moon's decelerating in the upper atmosphere.

You've only got a few minutes
to familiarise yourself with those controls.

Pretty straightforward.

We're gonna lose radio contact
as you pass through the atmosphere.

I know, Rodney.

I'm saying that if you have
anything that you'd like to say,

- now would be a good time to say...
- No, not really.

Gettin' some chop.

Now would probably be
a good time to disengage.

Hopefully the expl*sive bolts
will throw him clear of the moon.

Initiating separation manoeuvre
in three, two, one, mark.

Separation is negative.
Switching to back-up.

Disengage. Come on!

Dammit!

The bolts will not work. I repeat: the expl*sive bolts
will not fire. Unable to separate ship.

I don't know if you can hear me
but it looks like I'm gonna have to ride this one down.

- What's happening? - He can't separate the ship.
He's gonna burn up inside the moon.

There it is!

- Get as close to the crash site as possible.
- Yes, sir.

- Can you tell if he's alive?
- Not yet. Wait.

I'm detecting one life sign.

That's one week's pay you owe me, Rodney.

Well, technically, I didn't take that bet.

Hang tight, sir. We're on our way.

Take your time, Major.

Take your time.

So, I have the hard landing
and she gets the bed rest.

Well, I tried to tell Carson
that I was perfectly fine but he insisted.

A number of people reintegrated from the storage
device experienced a small amount of memory loss.

I just want to make
certain that you're... all there.

She does look a little thin.

- Just until the morning.
- Thank you.

And I assume you have come to the Infirmary
in order to have your head examined.

- Hey, I pulled it off, didn't I?
- Yes, you did.

I'm gonna head back to Stargate Operations.

Major Lorne is about to return
to drop off supplies to Jamus' people.

Hey, what are you gonna do with him, anyway?

Uh, his injuries were such that
he didn't survive the reintegration.

It doesn't break my heart.

- He only did what you or I would have done.
- Are you kidding?!

He held you hostage and almost
got both of us k*lled.

He tried to save his people...
and he succeeded, through you.

That's not the reason I did it.

I know.

Don't go feelin' special.
I'd have done it for any one of you.

- Of course.
- Except for maybe McKay.

- Yes... I think even for Rodney.
- Maybe.