04x20 - The Last Man

[bunniefuu]

So, how did it go, Sir?

The Genii contact didn't show up.

I can't say I'm surprised.

What are you saying, Major,
the Genii can't be trusted?

Well, they did try and k*ll you and
Dr. McKay, along with that little girl.

True, true, and normally, that's
the kind of thing I'd take personally,

but Ladon claims
he didn't order the hit.

He's trying to get on our good side.

Do you think they know anything
about where Michael took Teyla?

They've got solid intel,
and we're following up every lead,

- no matter how thin.
- Okay, so, what do you want to do?

Well, I'm gonna go ahead.

You stay behind for a few hours,
tell me if he shows up.

Will do.

We're gonna find her, Major.

Yes, Sir.

Somebody turned up the heat.

Hello?

If this is a surprise party,
it's not my birthday.

This is Sheppard, anyone read?

I repeat,

this is Sheppard,
anyone on this channel?

All right, this is either the most
elaborate practical joke of all time,

or I'm in serious trouble here.

This is Sheppard,
anyone on this frequency?

- Sheppard, is that really you?
- McKay?

- Can't believe it. It actually worked!
- What are you talking about?

- What the hell is going on here?
- I imagine

you're a little confused right now.

God, for you, like, what,
five minutes has passed?

Look, I need you to describe exactly
what you're seeing.

- Where are you?
- In the control room. It's deserted.

- Is there any power?
- No, everything's dead.

Yeah, and did I tell you
the ocean's gone?

Sorry, what?

The big blue thing
out the window, it's gone.

It's a desert, and it's about
120 degrees in here.

Jeez, the planet must've undergone
some serious climate changes.

If you don't start giving me
some answers pretty soon here...

Okay, look, I understand this is hard
for you. Just do me a favor

and go to the hologram room.

- Why?
- Just do it, please.

All right, I'm here.

- Well, activate the hologram projector.
- There's no power

It's connected to an independent
power source. Don't worry, it will work.

Hey there.

- Rodney?
- God, it's good to see you again.

- You're a hologram?
- No...

Of course.

I'm tapped into
the City's internal sensors

so I've got eyes and ears, so to speak.
You look good.

You look...

Different.

That's 'cause you remember me
the way I was.

- What, you mean earlier today?
- Ah, it's funny, you know?

I've spent the last 25 years of my life
trying to make this work

and I never once thought
what I was gonna say to you.

You can start by telling me
what the hell's going on here.

Right, right. Okay...

Remember that mission report,

SG-1 stepped through the Gate,

their wormhole accidentally intersected
with a solar flare

and they were sent back to 1969?

Well, vaguely.

Well, something similar
has just happened to you.

I was sent back in time?

No, in fact, you were sent forward
into the future.

How far into the future?

Interesting question,
and one that was not easy to figure out.

I had to determine
the exact characteristics

of the solar flare in question...

48,000 years, give or take?

- This is a practical joke.
- I'm afraid not. Freak accident. Sorry.

You're telling me I just traveled 48,000
years into the future, in 10 seconds?

It's kinda cool when you think about it.

Surfing a 30-foot wave in Waimea
is cool.

Dating a supermodel is cool.
This is not cool!

All right, calm down.

If I'm in the future,

- that means you're...
- Dead.

Dead and buried, and turned to dust
a long, long time ago,

along with everyone you ever knew.

There's no way of knowing what the state
of human civilization is,

whether it even still exits. I mean,

we've obviously abandoned this City.

Yeah, obviously.

There's not enough power
for you to gate back to Earth,

and without a MALP, going anywhere else
would be far too risky.

It is entirely possible that you are
the last human being alive.

You're not doing a very good job
of cheering me up here.

Oh, consider yourself lucky, young man.

While I was figuring out this plan,

I had no way of knowing whether
the City would even survive this long.

What plan?

I took advantage of some progress
in hologram technology

to create this simulation.

I'm able to move anywhere
inside the City.

I'm fully interactive, and I'm designed
to mimic the exact response

and appearance
of the great Dr. Rodney McKay.

Couldn't use anyone else, huh?

Funny.

I'm linked to the City's main systems,

but I have an independent core drive,

which is sealed in the foundation
of one of the outer buildings,

along with a Mark-12 naquadah generator

and a couple of other,
well, key components.

It's kind of like a...

well, what would you say...
like a time capsule, so to speak.

It's really nice to have company,

but if what you're saying is true,
what good does it do me?

Oh, trust me,
I wouldn't go to all this trouble

just so we could have a chat.

No, I'm... I'm here to bring you back.

Come along.

- Where are we going?
- Stasis chamber.

- Why?
- Buy some time.

Oh, that really explains everything.

Theoretically, we can send you back
exactly the way you got here,

using the Gate, the right address,
and a solar flare.

Only problem is, we're waiting
for something very specific,

a prominence with exactly
the right shape, size,

characteristics, and relative
position in space

so that it will interact
with the wormhole

in exactly the right manner,

and send you back exactly the right
amount of time.

- And that doesn't happen every day.
- Exactly.

- How long are we talking about?
- 700, 800 years, 1000 tops.

That's your plan?

I'm 48,000 years into the future,
and you want to put me on ice

- for another thousand?
- Tops.

We need to be precise.

If I don't get you back within
two months of the moment you left, then

it'll be too late.

Too late?
What the hell is that supposed to mean?

Things didn't exactly go well for us
after your disappearance.

Once I figured out what happened to you,

I realized there was
nothing we could do.

The air force pronounced you KIA,

and they gave you a very nice
m*llitary funeral back on Earth.

Obviously, the casket was empty,

but, you know, it's the thought
that counts.

From there...

From there,
things went from bad to worse.

We kept searching for Teyla, but

we just didn't have the resources
to cover enough ground.

It took us two months
before we finally found her

in one of Michael's hideouts,

but by then it was too late.

She'd had the baby.

I guess,

after that...

he didn't have any use for her anymore,

so he k*lled her.

It's not your fault.

I should have been there.

And you will be,

and knowing the address
where we eventually found Teyla,

you will be able
to get there much quicker.

You know, save Teyla, save the baby,
change the fate of the galaxy.

What do you mean?

It was the turning point, the key to
everything. Once Michael had that baby,

he was able to complete his research
and perfect the hybrids.

After that, well, he really
kicked things into gear.

He stepped up his campaign of exposing
human populations to the Hoffan drug.

Jennifer did her best to find a way
to combat the effects,

trying to lower the mortality rate,
but ultimately,

it was a losing battle.

With their food supplies tainted,

the infighting between
the Wraith factions got worse.

Michael waited until they were
at each other's throats,

and then he made his move.

Status.

Both hives are heavily damaged.

They've lost hyperdrive
and they're venting atmosphere.

Well then, let's finish it.

He took advantage of their weakened
state and their internal divisions,

and in less than a year,
he had the Wraith on their knees.

Literally.

You know, the irony is,

I never asked for any of this.

I was taken prisoner by the humans,

tortured,

experimented on,

and when I finally escaped
and returned to my Wraith brothers,

instead of being welcomed back,

I was met with scorn.

You will pay for this.

You still have your pride.

Good for you.

With the Wraith in disarray,

Michael returned to the humans
he'd infected with the Hoffan drug.

He selected the strongest
and the healthiest of the survivors

and converted them to hybrids.

The rest he exterminated.

You think by saving Teyla,
we can change all this.

I know it. All I have to do is
get you safely to a stasis chamber,

I will reprogram the sensors...

- That could be a problem.
- No, no, that's not a problem.

We'll just find another way around.

There is no other way around.

The sand has penetrated
the lower levels.

48,000 years into the future,

you've still got a knack
for stating the obvious.

All right, what do we do?

- I don't know.
- What do you mean, you don't know?

Well, I wasn't programmed
for this variable.

You said you had 25 years
to work on this plan.

Well, McKay did, and he brilliantly
anticipated a lot of potential problems.

It's just that, well,

this wasn't one of them.

All right,

go up two levels turn right,
there's an outer door.

It's only a quarter of a mile
across the plaza.

- You can't do that.
- Why not?

Not only is it extremely hot out there,

but for the last half an hour, the
barometric pressure has been dropping,

and the wind speeds
have increased significantly.

- Storm's coming.
- A sandstorm.

- You ever been in one of those?
- As a matter of fact, I have.

Oh! Then you know what that means.

It's not like we have
a lot of options here.

That sounds pretty nasty out there.

The winds are gusting
over 50 miles an hour and increasing.

The visibility's basically zero.
You can't go out there.

- You're just gonna have to wait it out.
- For how long?

Well, I don't know,
maybe a couple of hours.

Are you hungry? Do you have any food?

I suppose it doesn't really matter.
We'll wait for the storm to blow over

and have you out of here
in no time at all.

Well, you'll actually be here
for 700 years, but...

you know what I mean.

What about everyone else?

I mean, you told me about Teyla,
but what about the rest of them?

No way we would've rolled over and
let Michael take over the whole galaxy.

No.

Well, what happened?

The IOA and the m*llitary were reluctant
to commit a lot of resources

to protecting the human populations
of another galaxy,

but Sam...

Sam wouldn't take no for an answer.

Finally, they decided
to give her a new ship,

the Phoenix.

It was barely off the assembly line.

Half the Asgard systems
weren't finished, the other half

weren't working.

We spent the better part of a month
getting her ready for combat.

We worked day and night, side by side.

Zelenka might have been there as well,
I don't really remember.

I do remember never feeling so drained

in my entire life.

Eventually, though,

we managed to get her in working order.

All right, everything checks out.

Weapons, shields, long-range sensors,

all in the green. She's good to go.

Great work, Rodney.

Now I want you, Radek, and your team

to head back to Atlantis
and take a couple of days off.

When you're good and rested,
get to work on the City's shields.

Do anything you can
to maximize efficiency.

You're gonna need them.

- Well, what about you?
- I'm gonna take her out.

For the time being,
Major Lorne is in command of Atlantis.

Take some time.
You're as exhausted as we are.

Intel suggests that Michael's about
to move against several human worlds.

- We have to get out there now.
- So let someone else go.

Right.

Hey...

Good luck?

Thanks, Rodney.

For everything.

They started a series of hit and run
ops, real guerrilla style.

- One of the hives has been neutralized.
- What about the other one?

Minimal damage.
They're powering weapons.

Should we swing around for another pass?

Forget it. Get us out of here.

For a while, it really worked. They were
able to inflict considerable damage

despite terrible odds,

but, eventually, their luck ran out.

Michael deliberately leaked some intel

that he was about to att*ck
a heavily-populated human world.

Sam thought she could get there first,

but she was wrong.

- We've got a hive ship, 6:00.
- It's an ambush.

- Here comes another one, dead ahead.
- Evasive maneuvers!

- We're boxed in.
- Return fire!

We've lost Asgard weapons!

Switch to missiles, fire all batteries!

Help him. Go.

We've got an overload,
it's the hyperdrive!

Reroute the power!

No response. System is going critical.

I'm beaming you to the planet.
Head to the Gate as soon as you can.

- What about you?
- I'll be right behind you.

After she got the crew off,
she must have lost the transport system.

With her engines about to go critical,
I guess she figured

she didn't have anything to lose.

With her last breath, she took out
three of Michael's hive ships,

and we buried another empty casket.

- Where the hell have you been?
- I was inputting our...

new solar flare
requirements to the long-range sensors,

and I found out
what happened to the ocean.

You gonna tell me, or keep it a secret?

The sun in this system is dying.

- It's running out of fuel.
- Wouldn't that make it colder?

No. As it consumes the heavier elements,
it begins to expand.

It's basically turning into a red giant.

Okay, so mystery solved. Let's move on.

No, no, you don't get it.

This isn't some kind of
cyclical climate change,

this is a one-way ticket.

This planet is going to get
hotter and hotter.

Eventually, the atmosphere
is gonna burn off.

- How long before that happens?
- It is impossible to say,

but my best estimate is under 500 years.

You said I'd be in stasis
for at least 700.

Right.

So the moment you step out of
the stasis chamber, you'll be k*lled.

- You gotta think of something.
- I am trying. It's like I said...

You didn't anticipate the variable.
I get it.

All right, can the Mark-12
power the shields?

Theoretically, but there would never be
enough power left over to maintain

my systems, the long-range sensors,
the stasis chamber...

The City has solar
power generators, right?

Yes, which would come in very handy

if we were trying to power
a couple of electric golf carts.

- You're thinking like the old McKay.
- I can't really help that.

- Look, what are you saying?
- The sun's going red giant, right?

Increased solar energy.

The worse it gets,
the more power we'll have.

Oh, my God, that could work.

We use the shields
to protect the atmosphere.

Exactly.

We couldn't do it indefinitely,
but it would buy us 100 years or so.

It's gonna have to do for now.
Open up the door.

- What about the storm?
- It's been going on for seven hours.

- It could go on for days.
- It'll be dark soon.

All the more reason to get going. All
I got to do is walk in a straight line.

- It might not be as easy as you think.
- Never said I thought it would be easy.

Look, I haven't eaten.

I was hungry on my way back to Atlantis.
The longer we wait, the weaker I get.

All right. Look, I can't go outside,

but I can stay in contact with you
over the radio.

Like you said!

Just keep walking in a straight line!

You'll hit the building
on the other side!

Then feel your way to the door!

I'll be waiting for you there!

- Sheppard, can you hear me?
- Yeah, I hear you!

- How you doing?
- Never better!

Yeah, I'm still here.

Tell me about Ronon.

What, now?

Yes, now!

Talk to me, Rodney.

Right...

Well...

after what happened to you and...

and then Teyla,

I guess he didn't feel comfortable
on the base anymore.

He persuaded Sam to let him go off-world
and recruit a strike force.

By this time, the galaxy was in a panic.

Word was spreading that Michael's agenda
was to wipe out Wraith and human alike.

Ronon didn't have much trouble
finding volunteers.

One!

Two!

They were just simple villagers,
with no m*llitary experience,

but he trained them
in all forms of combat.

He even convinced Sam to let them
have some of our equipment.

Radios, expl*sives, P-90s.

It wasn't long before he had himself
a pretty effective combat force.

They ran a few successful ops against
some of Michael's ground facilities,

and then one day,

they got a key piece of intel.

Michael had taken over a Wraith lab
and was using it

to create more of his hybrids.

They decided to take it out.

That's when they ran into someone...

unexpected...

- What the hell are you doing here?
- I suspect the same as you.

Michael is using this facility
to create more of his soldiers.

I intend to destroy it.

By yourself?

There is something to be said
for stealth over brute force.

Ronon, come in.

Go ahead.

One of the guards must have got a signal
off, because a cruiser just landed.

- We're about to be overrun.
- As I was saying...

We have to abort.

Give me the C-4.

Take the men back, meet up with second
squad, and then head for the Gate.

Signal me when you get there.

Go!

You intend to complete your mission?

You're damn right.

As do I.

I was going to write
an elaborate program

designed to slowly create a fatal error

in the primary capacitor,

but I doubt there will be time
for that now.

I was just gonna blow it up.

Naturally.

Force of habit.

Indeed.

This is it. If we detonate in here,

the secondary explosions will certainly
take out the entire facility.

All right.

- You know another way out of here?
- Follow me.

Fall back!

They're in here!

I suggest you detonate now
while we still have a chance.

We wait for my people to clear, period.

Very well.

- We can't hold them off forever.
- Just keep f*ring.

Ronon, we've reached the Gate.

All right, I want you to head back now,

no questions asked, is that understood?

Understood.

Are we done?

Yeah.

I'm sorry. I...

I wish some of these stories
had happier endings.

Sheppard, are you still with me?

You're bio-signature's
barely registering!

Oh, God...

There you go, you can do it.

I'm still here.
Look, I'd help you up, but, I'm...

- How long was I out?
- All night.

You don't look good.
We should get you to the chamber

- as soon as possible.
- Agreed.

I've already prepped the solar panels.
You're good to go.

Here.

Take the first crystal.

I've loaded all the intel we got
on Michael after your disappearance,

including the address
where we found Teyla.

You know, you never told me
what happened to you.

I mean, in the past.

Oh, you don't want to hear about that.

Why not? Obviously, you survived.

- Only because I quit.
- Quit what?

Atlantis, Stargate Command,
the whole thing.

- Well, that doesn't sound like you.
- Yeah.

Well,

we were under new management.

I was down in the infirmary,
having suffered a...

well, a pretty serious injury.

It's a splinter.

That doesn't mean it doesn't hurt.

All right. It's just,

you've kinda come at a bad time.
It's a little busy in here right now.

Yeah, I can see that.

Dr. Keller, Dr. Mckay...

Mr. Woolsey.

I understand you managed to get yourself
appointed our new commander.

That's right.

I only wish it were
under better circumstances.

May I ask what's going on here?

We're organizing some medical supplies
for one of our off-world refugee camps.

I see.
I'm going to have to ask you to stop.

- I'm sorry?
- The IOA is initiating a new policy.

Immediate recall of all base personnel.

From now on, we'll be focusing entirely
on the defense of this City.

Furthermore, Doctor,
your department is gonna be scaled back.

Without the Gate bridge and

with the need to keep at least one ship
in orbit for defensive purposes,

resupply is going to be difficult.
We need to prioritize.

I don't understand this.
I'm already understaffed as it is.

Because you've overextended yourself
with all these humanitarian efforts,

and your continued attempts
to find an antidote for the Hoffan drug.

Once you have refocused
your attention back

to the medical needs of this base
and its personnel,

I don't think you'll have a problem.

Wait a second,
people are dying out there.

I know,

and believe me, if I thought

there was anything I could do about it,
I would.

What about Michael?

Michael knows the defensive capabilities
of this base and our ships.

The IOA thinks it's highly unlikely
he will launch an unprovoked att*ck.

So that's it?

We're supposed to just stand back
and let him take over the Galaxy?

How many more of our own people
have to die, Doctor?

Colonel Sheppard, Colonel Carter,
Ronon, Teyla, they were your friends.

Sheppard is not dead.

Right.

He's just been transported 48,000 years
into the future.

I guess that makes him
one of the lucky ones.

The idea of standing by
and doing nothing

while the rest of the galaxy
was suffering

was too much for Jennifer to take.

The more I thought about it,

the more I realized she was right.

If you've come here to try
and convince me to stay,

you're wasting your time.

- I already made up my mind.
- No.

I've come here to tell you
I'm leaving, too.

We had three weeks on the Daedalus
with nothing else to think about

but everything that had happened.

We went over it a thousand times,
trying to imagine

what we might have done differently.
It was awful.

At least we had each other.

By the time
we got back to Earth, well...

We weren't just colleagues anymore.

Wait a minute, you and Keller?

Why do you find that so surprising?

I'm just saying, if we start monkeying
with this timeline here,

there's no guarantee
it's gonna turn out the same.

That's what I'm counting on.

You survived, you got the girl,
doesn't sound bad.

No...

No, at first, it was great.

I got a high-paying job
with an aerospace engineering firm.

Jennifer started her own practice.

Things were just starting
to come together.

We should've known
we wouldn't get off so easy.

I'm sorry to say,
but all her internal organs are failing.

Of course, no regular doctor
could diagnose what was wrong with her.

We wound up back at Stargate Command,
less than a year after we'd left.

Complications due to repeated exposure
to the Hoffan drug.

No cure.

I thought I was gonna lose my mind.

I didn't know what to do.

After everything we'd been through,
to have this happen, it was too much.

And that's when I had my idea.

- Where have you been?
- I've been working.

- Working? On what?
- The solution, to everything.

You, this, all of this.

I mean, Atlantis, Pegasus,
Michael, everything.

- What are you talking about?
- I'm gonna change the timeline.

I'm gonna make it so none ever happened.
I mean, you won't get sick,

Teyla won't die, Michael won't complete
his research, none of it.

- Oh, Rodney...
- I already worked out the basic plan.

Details will be a bit more complicated.
I'll have to create a new form of math

to do the calculations,
but I know I can do it.

What's done is done.

You can't change the past.

You can. I can, and I'm going to,
even if it takes the rest of my life.

You think that's what I want?

Well, why not?

The year I spent in Atlantis, I...

I saw more things
than people even dream about

in their lifetime.

- I don't have any regrets.
- Well, I do.

I've got a whole boat-load of them,

- and I want to do something about it.
- No.

Just promise me

that you're not gonna waste
the rest of your life chasing

after something that's already gone.

But I couldn't let it go.

She d*ed three days later.

I quit the research firm,

took a job teaching physics
at a local community college.

Not much money,

but it gave me the free time I needed.

I'll admit it wasn't much of a life.

Jeanie came by every once in a while
to check up on me.

When she realized she wasn't
gonna be able to convince me to stop,

she decided to pitch in
and help me with the calculations.

But eventually, even she got fed up.

I never wavered.

Years went by. 25 years to be exact...

And suddenly, I had it.

There was only one problem.

I needed to get back to Atlantis.

I didn't have a lot of friends
at Stargate Command,

but I only needed one.

Dr. McKay, good to see you.

- General Lorne.
- Come on in, have a seat.

I...

I read your proposal.

You didn't tell anyone else, did you?

I'm not quite as stupid
as you might think, Doc,

but I'm sorry,

there's just no way I'd ever be able
to get this authorized.

Well, then don't.
You don't have to tell them what it is.

Tell them it's a research project.
Tell them whatever the hell you want.

Rodney...

You're talking about
altering the timeline here.

Changing history. Changing everything.

Do you really think that either of us
has the right to make that call?

Let's cut to the chase.

You saw what happened in Pegasus.

You know what's happening here.

You really think this is the way
it's supposed to be?

Maybe he felt sorry for me. Maybe...

he figured it wasn't gonna work,
but he let me through.

The rest you know.

Well,

I guess I've had a tough day,
but you've had a tough 25 years.

Okay,

we're ready.

Now, if this works,

I'll be waiting right here
when you come out.

We don't have much time to get you to
the Gate, but I think we can manage it.

- And if it doesn't work?
- Well, you won't feel a thing.

Basically, you just won't wake up.

Right.

In the past 25 years, you happen
to notice who won the Superbowl?

I'm afraid not.

Stanley cup? World series?

- I was never really a sports fan.
- Right. I had to ask.

Good luck, John.

Unscheduled off-world activation!

What have you got?

Receiving IDC.

It's Colonel Sheppard.

Lower the shield.

Security!

- John...
- Colonel.

It worked. It worked.
Rodney, you're a genius.

- Okay.
- John, what happened?

- How much time has gone by?
- 12 days.

12 days... okay.
She wouldn't have had her baby yet.

Look, I know this sounds kinda weird,
but we're on the clock.

- John, what are you talking about?
- I know where Teyla is.

We don't have time for this.

There are procedures
we have to follow, you know that.

I am not a clone.

No, your medical came back clean,
telemeres and all,

but there are other things
we need to discuss.

You have to admit, this is a
pretty wild story, even for this place.

But that's my whole point.
How could I make this up?

Sam, believe it or not, I found it.

It was in the sensor logs. It's a solar
flare capable of interfering

with the wormhole from M4S-587,

at exactly the moment that he dialed.

Why didn't the Gate's failsafe
prevent the wormhole from locking?

Well, we've had a number of glitches
since we last updated

- the operating system.
- A glitch?

Yes, well, you should know

that I'll be giving Zelenka
a stern talking-to.

Can we go now?

Look,

I know you've already been debriefed
about the future events,

all the things we're hoping to avoid,
but there's just

- one more thing I need to know.
- What?

Do I still have hair?

No. Let's go.

- Rodney, you got anything?
- Hold on.

Yeah...

Yeah, I've got
some kind of a data terminal.

I'll see if I can power it up
and hack in.

This is it.
This is where they found her.

- How do you know?
- Because he described it to me.

Look at this.

- McKay, we got something.
- What is it?

Some twisted version
of a maternity ward.

I think we're too early, though,
but he's gonna bring her here.

Hold on, I'm in.

Jackpot.

- What have you got?
- I've got Gate addresses,

I've communication codes,

I've even got his research
into the hybrids. He's history.

No, no, no, what happened?

What's that?

- Oh, no...
- Doc?

It's a countdown.

Colonel, it's a boobytrap.
We've got to get out of here, now!