03x09 - Phantoms

[bunniefuu]

SHEPPARD:
?lizabeth, we may have a situation.

Major Leonard's team,
they're late returning from M1 B-129.

We sent them to check out
an unusual energy reading.

An anomalous spike the M.A.L.P.
Picked up on a gate scout.

The planet's uninhabited
but warranted a closer look.

SHEPPARD: The point is they missed a
check-in. They're now six hours overdue.

McKAY: We've tried contacting them
by the radio...

...but the signal is intermittent
at best.

Just a lot of static. Could have
something to do with the anomaly.

SHEPPARD: I wanna take our team,
go see what happened.

Of course.
Take an additional marine unit...

...and the good Dr. Beckett,
just in case.

All right.

Major Leonard, this is Sheppard.
Come in.

Major Leonard.

These things are useless.

I'm picking up
that puzzling energy reading.

- What is it?
- Did I not just use the word puzzling?

Charming.

Tracks. Boot prints.

Let's go find them.

McKAY:
The readings are stronger.

Whatever it is, we're getting warmer.

TEYLA:
Look.

- Genii.
BECKETT: He's been dead for months.

No, really?

Okay, we know our guys didn't do it.

And he wasn't fed on,
so it wasn't the Wraith.

b*llet wounds. Dozens of them.

DEX:
Over here.

- Also sh*t.
- This guy was stabbed. Repeatedly.

By this guy, it looks like.

So they k*lled each other?

BECKETT:
Aye.

Quite possibly. And by the looks of it,
in a violent fashion.

Which begs the question:

What the hell happened
to Major Leonard's team?

DEX: I thought this planet
was uninhabited.

McKAY:
According to the Ancient database.

Well, it recently became habited.

Do you suppose the Genii are
responsible for the energy readings?

Probably. Be our luck if we stumble
on one of their nuclear testing sites.

- Nuclear testing site?
- Just a small one.

What is it?

I saw something.

Well, what? Person? Animal?

- How many syllables?
TEYLA: What is it?

Leonard!

It's probably nothing.

Why am I not comforted?

Hey.

All right, let's go check it out.

Doc.

Oh, for God's sake.
Enough with the bodies.

BECKETT:
Head's snapped completely around.

TEYLA:
By him?

BECKETT:
Quite possibly...

...and then he sh*t himself. Lovely.

DEX:
Wraith bunker, but no Wraith.

It appears to have been
abandoned for some time.

Genii probably stumbled onto it
just like we did.

- And then promptly k*lled each other.
- Why?

Another Hardy Boys mystery.
In here.

All right. We'll check it out.

You and Ronon check out
the immediate area around the cave.

Keep an eye out for our friends,
all right?

What is this?

It appears to be organic.

McKAY: It's like the energy conduit
aboard a Wraith ship.

And every bit as disgusting.

BECKETT:
Possibly.

- Rodney?
McKAY: We've got power.

BECKETT:
What's this, now?

[SCANNER BEEPING]

Well, this is it.

Ground zero for the energy readings.

SHEPPARD: This thing's still active?
McKAY: Apparently so.

- Actively doing what, exactly?
McKAY: It's some sort of E.M. Generator.

It's emitting a modulated
ultra-low frequency pulse.

These energy conduits
are acting almost like antennae.

BECKETT: Is that interfering
with the radio communications?

Probably.

The Genii must have found this,
activated it, couldn't turn it off.

So they did what any other good
soldier would do in their situation.

sh*t the hell out of it.

BECKETT:
Looks like it's healing itself.

That's the beauty
of hybrid organic design.

This frequency, can it hurt us?

No, it's doubtful, apart from
the obvious sterility issues.

- What?
- He's kidding.

You're kidding, right?

TEYLA:
Colonel.

We found the team.

Okay, so where's Major Leonard?

- I don't know.
- We were unable to locate his body.

They were k*lled by MP5 fire,
all three of them.

sh*t multiple times.

Hey, a camera.

Look at this.

LARGENT [ON CAMERA]:
It's a road leading from the stargate.

Kind of wish there was a burger stand
or something around here.

I'm starving.

More of them.

Oh, God. More bodies in here.

What is this place?

[g*nf*re]

Who's that?

We're not gonna make it.

[g*nf*re]

Prometheus, this is Largent.
Where the hell are you?

[g*nf*re]

Ah!

He was calling for the Prometheus.
That ship was destroyed last year.

Major Leonard k*lled his own men?

- Why would he do that?
- I don't know.

Whatever caused the Genii
to turn on each other...

...did the same thing to our people.

- That bloody machine there.
- I'll check it out.

- No. We need to head back to Atlantis.
- What? No, we can't leave.

The generator's still running.

- I know.
- I have to figure out its purpose.

They're probably right.
It may be linked to this.

We'll come back,
but first thing's first.

We have to transport
our dead back to Atlantis.

Then we'll return with more units
and search for Major Leonard.

McKAY: Can we stop for a second?
SHEPPARD: No.

Look, I mean no disrespect,
but this guy's heavy...

...and ever since I was sh*t
in the ass, I've been prone to sciatica.

No?

Down! Down! Down!

What is it?

You okay?

Yeah.

Sergeant, dial the gate.

- Carson!
- I'm all right.

Get my medical kit.

He's dead.

[g*nf*re]

Wraith!

It's not Wraith. It's a*t*matic g*nf*re.

Leonard! Stand down! It's Sheppard.

How bad is it?

You'll be fine, son. Just lie back.

Leonard!

He's gone.

[GROANING]

BECKETT: Easy. Easy. You'll be all right.
You'll be all right, son. Okay.

Are you all right?

Yeah, I think so.

[ELECTRICITY CRACKLES]

We are unbelievably screwed.

It's bad, isn't it?
Am I gonna die?

Look at me. Look at me.
Not if I have any say.

Teyla, keep pressure on the wound,
we need to stop that bleeding. Right.

Is there any other way to dial?

And don't say no
if there is any possibility...

...because I am not in the mood for
your usual impossible heroics game.

I wouldn't do that.

Look, no.

Even if we could somehow
manually dial, there's no power.

Your pal knew exactly
where to set the charge.

- We need to go after him.
- We need to go back.

When we're overdue,
?lizabeth will contact us.

She'll probably get only static,
remember?

Look, as long as that generator
is emitting that pulse...

...we'll have little chance
of responding to Atlantis.

You wanna get out of here?
I need to shut that down.

All right, we'll leave the dead here.
We'll get them when we come back.

I'm sorry about this, Dr. McKay.

Hey, don't worry about me.
You just... Just hang in there, okay?

McKAY: Teyla, you wanna hold this?
TEYLA: Yes, of course.

SHEPPARD:
Doc...

...are they gonna be okay?

Barroso's bleeding internally but
I should be able to keep it in check.

It's Lieutenant Kagan
I'm worried about.

He's suffered severe
penetrating abdominal trauma.

He needs surgery, blood transfusions,
and all I have is my medical kit.

You do what you can
to keep him alive.

- We're gonna get out of here soon.
- Colonel...

...I'm afraid for Lieutenant Kagan.

"Soon" may only be
a matter of minutes.

McKAY:
You see right here?

According to these, if I cut through,
there'd be actuator coils underneath.

It's Wraith tech,
so it's more like actuator veins.

Now, if I can isolate
the primary conduit...

...I can follow it back
to the core.

SHEPPARD: You got it all worked out.
McKAY: Definitely not all.

- Some?
- Actually, very little.

I can only surmise that it's some
sort of Wraith experiment.

I'm trying to impress upon
Dr. McKay...

...determining how to turn
the thing off...

...is more pressing
than learning what it does.

- You don't know what it does?
- I can state that it is a generator.

We already knew that.

Look, the E.M. Pulse
it's emitting is very peculiar.

It's fluctuating in systematic intervals
along the ultra-low frequency.

Is that what made these people k*ll
each other?

McKAY: I hope so.
- You hope?

Otherwise, there are two bizarre
things going on.

One is more than enough for me,
thank you.

I don't think it's doing
what it's supposed to be doing.

It doesn't make sense to have
his prey k*ll before he can feed.

You're right.
I don't think these antennae...

...have overgrown beyond
their intended lengths.

It's as if whoever turned it on
dialed it up to 11 and left it there.

- You don't think...?
- Yeah. Genii.

They must have discovered the place,
messed around...

...without a clue as to what
they were doing.

That's why the place is covered
in this.

- Before they realized...
- Couldn't figure how to turn it off.

So they sh*t the thing,
hoping to k*ll it.

Made it regrow more,
making it more difficult...

...for someone with the ability
to turn it off to turn it off.

- You can't actually turn it off?
- I never said that.

Well, what did you say?

Look, the control console
is sh*t to hell.

I was telling Teyla,
I'll have to bypass it...

...isolate the primary actuator
conduit, follow it to the core.

Once I cut power to that...

[g*nf*re IN DISTANCE]

- Ronon!
- Ronon!

We're gonna go after him.
Rodney, you stay here.

Get that thing shut down.

[g*nf*re IN DISTANCE]

This way.

Has Colonel Sheppard's team
returned?

Not yet.

Oh. They're late.
Have they dialed in the status update?

We've received no communication
from them since they left.

Establish a radio link,
find out what's taking them so long.

I want a team standing by,
in case they need assistance.

Right away.

We're heading in the right direction.

Do you think he's beginning to feel
the effects of the Wraith device?

If he is, let's hope
we find him before he finds us.

BECKETT: You wanted a scalpel?
- Yeah, I need to cut through this.

It's like surgery,
more up your alley. You do it.

- I'm preoccupied, thank you.
- Yeah, how is Kroger?

- Kagan.
- Kagan. Kagan.

What is it with me and names?

- What do you think you're doing?
- I'm fine.

You most certainly are not.
Off your feet now.

Look, I'm okay, doc. We've got
no one covering the entrance.

- I'm going to watch outside.
- We just stopped the bleeding.

If it starts again, I'll be outside
the door, sitting down, off my feet.

I'll be able to keep better watch
there than in here.

Don't run off. The last thing I need
is you bleeding in those woods.

BARROSO: I'm not going anywhere.
Just look after Kagan.

Right.

Okay.

[GRUNTING]

- How's Dr. McKay doing?
- Good.

He'll figure it out,
have us out of here.

Smartest man I've ever met.

Now, you're still bleeding.

I need to go back in...

...apply additional ligatures,
shut off the spigot.

All right?

All right.

SHEPPARD:
What's he looking at?

TEYLA:
I see nothing.

- Ronon.
- Stay back.

[g*nf*re]

SHEPPARD:
Ronon, cover fire!

[g*nf*re]

Leonard, stand down!

Ronon. Stop. Ronon.

HOLLAND:
Sheppard.

What the hell are you doing here?

Holland?

TEYLA:
John?

John?

Are you okay?

Yeah.

He got you pretty good.

All right.

Gotta stop the bleeding.

[GRUNTS]

Leonard?

We're clear.

Leonard must have built this place
before he lost it.

Dressing's a little sloppy.

Still bleeding pretty badly.
I'm gonna change it and then...

...go get Beckett.

John, what just happened out there?

The look on your face. The confusion.

Nothing.

Somebody just popped into mind.

Caught me off-guard.

Do you think it has anything
to do with the Wraith generator?

Hell if I know.

Don't worry.

I'll be fine.
No violent urges yet.

What about you?

Getting any ideas about k*lling me?

- No.
- That's good to hear.

Anyway, if this is some
Wraith experiment gone haywire...

...maybe that part of your DNA
will make you immune to it.

[g*nf*re]

[g*nf*re]

[g*n CLICKING]

Major? It's all right. It's Sheppard.

Listen. There's some strange Wraith
pulses messing with your mind.

We're going to turn it off
and you're gonna be okay.

I've got four Super Soldiers on me.
Where's that backup?

It's all right, major. I'm here all alone.

[expl*si*n]

I'm sorry.

I gotta get his tags.

[ENGINE NOISE]

What's wrong?

Did you hear that?

- What?
- Engines. Like a Jeep.

Not that you know
what a Jeep sounds like.

I hear nothing.

Dr. Beckett...

...thanks for helping me.

I'll have none of that, son.
You hang in there.

We'll get you back to Atlantis,
and patch you up properly.

Do you hear me, lieutenant?

No. Come on. Come on.

ZELENKA: Hello, Sheppard.
This is Atlantis. Please respond.

Atlantis calling Colonel Sheppard.
Please respond.

- How are you doing?
- I've tried dialing three times.

I've tried several RFI filters
to cut through static...

...but still unable to establish contact.

- Send a U.A.V.
- All right.

How goes it, doc?
You need a hand with Lieutenant Ka...

I did everything I could.

Yeah.

- You okay?
- I will be...

...once I'm out of this bloody place.

- Doc?
- Aye?

Doc.

Dr. Beckett.

You made a mistake.
You thought he was dead.

Better off that way
than the other way.

There was no mistake.

That boy was most definitely dead.

No pulse, no respiration.
I tried to revive him but I couldn't.

It could be the effects
of the generator.

I've learned more about this
experiment the Wraith are conducting.

They're trying to improve their ability
to manipulate the minds of their prey.

What? Make people see things?

Exactly. They're pretty good.
They wanted to get better.

Then the Genii dial up the power,
send out a massive pulse...

...which is messing with people's
minds, inciting v*olence...

...pulling up traumatic images and...

- Damn.
- What?

I'm detecting a power surge.

- You said it was at full power.
- That's what we thought.

Could be a result of the Genii
destroying the control console.

See, they've destabilized
any kind of power regulation.

Rodney,
have you experienced anything yet?

No. Everyone's brain chemistry
is different.

Maybe some people
are more susceptible.

Look, I toked pot once in college.
Didn't feel a thing.

- Really?
- Hm.

Well, aside from itchy.

And the overpowering urge to eat
an entire loaf of white bread.

I've been working inside the generator,
which is probably shielded somehow.

[BEEPING]

- Damn it.
- What is it?

- Power levels are increasing again.
- Why?

- Carson.
- All right. I'll leave you to it, then.

No.

- Colonel?
- Shh.

There is nothing outside.

[PEOPLE CHATTERING]

You're telling me you don't hear that?

- What?
- People.

- I hear nothing.
- They're coming closer.

John, listen to me.
There is no one outside.

You are imagining it.

John, wait.

[PEOPLE CHATTERING IN DISTANCE]

HOLLAND: You're out of your mind,
you know that?

Where's the rest of your crew?

You flew back in here alone,
didn't you?

Against orders, am I right?

Command was taking too long...

...coordinating extraction scenarios
with the Afghans.

I didn't think I could wait
much longer...

...and from the looks of it,
I was right.

So, what was wrong
with your helicopter...

...that you had to go
and hide out in an old Russian one?

Mine was burning.

Right.

Can't help but notice
that you're missing yours too.

Small arms fire hit my tail rotor.
Lucky sh*t.

Great. Now we're both
gonna die out here.

Well, there's the Holland I know.
Always so positive.

Place is crawling with Taliban.

Yeah. There are a few here and there.

A few as in how many?

Six or so. We can take them.

Crazy son of a bitch.

Tell me something I don't know.

John?

John, listen to me.

I'm gonna get you out, captain.
Don't worry.

Then you buy first round back
in Kandahar.

Arclight, this is Roundhouse 06.
Do you read?

[U.A.V. MOTOR HUMMING]

[g*nf*re]

- We just lost contact with the U.A.V.
- E.M. Interference?

I don't think so.

The signal was terrible,
so I had it boosted...

...so we were reading something.
All of a sudden it disappeared.

Could it have crashed?

It's a possibility. The E.M. Field could
interfere with its guidance systems.

Or it could have been sh*t down.

I can't risk sending another team...

...without knowing
what's waiting for them.

- How far away is the Daedalus?
- It's on its way back from Earth.

It'll be a day or two
before it's in range.

So we can't rescue them until then?

Arclight, this is Roundhouse 06.
Do you read?

Hey, hey, hey. Come on.

Stay with me.

I didn't come all this way
to leave you here.

Sheppard, when we get out of here...

...I'll make sure I say something
really nice at your court martial.

- Come visit me in Leavenworth?
- No.

It's way too depressing.

Yeah.

Arclight, this is Roundhouse 06.
Do you read?

Arclight, this is Roundhouse 06.
Do you read?

John, whatever it is you are seeing,
it is not real.

Arclight, this is 06. Come in.

Sergeant Barroso.

- What happened?
- No pulse.

Tell me I'm not imagining it.

- Nothing.
- Right. CPR.

Start compressions.

There.

[BEEPING]

What?

Power levels are still rising.
No, no, no. That's impossible.

Okay. That's not right.

What?

Thermal levels should be dropping,
not rising.

Okay, this is nuts. Carson.

Carson, get in here. I need your help.

- Carson!
- He's back. Thank God.

- Nice job.
McKAY: Carson.

- I've been calling you.
- Not now.

I need help. It is impossible
to isolate the conduits...

...and monitor the laptops.

Lieutenant Kagan needs me.
We nearly lost him.

We were barely able to restart
his heartbeat. I'll not abandon him.

- Who's we?
- Sergeant Barroso and I.

- Carson?
- What?

Cold.

Rigor mortis.

That's impossible.
He was just helping me.

Come on.

We need to turn that generator off.

- Aye.
- This way.

[GRUNTING]

John...

...Major Leonard is dead.

There is no more danger.

Now, I need you to get me
to Dr. Beckett.

I can't walk.

[COCKS g*n]

Ronon, don't sh**t! It's us!

DEX:
Ugh!

Clipped him in the arm. Not enough
to k*ll him, enough to scare him off.

- John.
- He's calling his buddies.

We gotta get out of here.

[GRUNTING]

[GRUNTING]

Don't worry.
I'm going to take care of his friends.

Okay, the one on the left,
follow it straight down to the core.

From there, you should be able to...
No.

No, look, the one on the left.
Carson, pay attention.

- I'm trying, damn it.
BARROSO: Doc.

Doc, come in here. I need you.

McKAY:
Hey, what are you doing?

BECKETT:
He needs me.

McKAY: Who?
- Sergeant Barroso.

Barroso is dead. It's the E.M.
Generator messing with your mind.

Kagan's crashed again. Get in here!

- I need you to concentrate.
- For God's sakes, don't you see?

Barroso is dead!

If we don't shut that down
we're gonna be dead with him.

He's trying to stop you
from saving Kagan's life.

Don't let him.

Carson. Oh, my God.

[BEEPING]

BECKETT:
Move aside.

We've got a pulse.

Not for long if McKay
keeps pulling you away.

McKAY: Carson!
- Come on, doc.

- We need to get him out of here.
- All right.

[GRUNTING]

Easy. Okay. Easy. Whoa!

Ow!

[GRUNTING]

As much as I'd like to stop
and take a break...

Oh, am I slowing you down?
I'm sorry.

- Are we going in the right direction?
- Yeah, west.

- Looks east to me.
- It's west.

Because there's a mess
of Taliban east of here.

You know what?

When we get back to Kandahar,
you're buying the next two rounds.

All right. Can you stand?

Stand, sure.

Walk? We'll see.

- See? Not so bad.
- Just go, okay?

See how the sun's moving?
That's west.

Whatever.

West?

[g*nf*re]

Teyla.

Come on. Shut down.

[BEEPING]

Oh, no. Carson!

We need to get out of here right now!

Carson!

[GROANING]

What the hell?

Why didn't it explode?

It's happening to me too.

TEYLA:
Rodney.

- No!
- John, no!

[SPEAKS IN AFGHAN]

Arclight, this is Roundhouse 06.
Come in.

Sheppard...

...whatever happens,
thanks for coming for me.

Arclight, this is Roundhouse 06.
Do you read?

Arclight, this is Roundhouse 06.
Do you read?

I already told you how to fix it.
Cut the power.

Arclight, respond.
We need to get the hell out of here.

The interference is coming
from in there.

- Nothing there but sand.
- There is an entrance to a cave.

- There's nothing there.
- John, you have to trust me.

Now, the enemy is jamming
our radio signal.

You have to disconnect the power.
I can show you how...

...but you have to take me in there.

Take me in there now!

Rodney, you were almost done.
Why did you stop?

Reach in there. The largest cord.

Follow it with your hand
until you reach the end.

Do it, John! Then you can...

Radio for help and get us out of here.

There. That's it.

Pull it.

[SHEPPARD GRUNTING]

Ronon.

Sheppard?

Buddy, you wanna lower your g*n?

- What the hell?
- Yeah, I know.

Let's get the hell out of here.

SHEPPARD:
Beckett.

BECKETT:
Here.

SHEPPARD:
I turned the damn thing off. It's over.

Kagan?

He's alive.

I know you can't dial back in
but I could send personnel through...

...to help with the wounded.
SHEPPARD: Beckett says he can handle it.

Daedalus should be here by night.

And I think we can make it
with the supplies you sent.

How are Rodney and Teyla?

He sh*t me.

They're both fine...

...and I think
Kagan's out of the woods too.

McKAY:
You sh*t me.

None of you are experiencing
after-effects from this device?

Well, I mean,
we're all pretty creeped out.

BECKETT: It was the most unsettling
thing I've ever experienced.

- But we're gonna be fine.
- Well, check in in a few hours.

Weir out.

McKAY:
You sh*t me.

Yes, Rodney, I sh*t you
and I said I was sorry.

- You sh*t me too.
- I'm sorry for sh**ting everyone.

Just... The Daedalus will be here
in a little while.

Just get some rest.

So...

...did you manage to get
Captain Holland to safety?

No.

Well, we survived.

Yes.

We did.

I can't believe you sh*t me.

Get some sleep, Rodney.