Previously on Stargate Atlantis:
Currently, Stargate Command has no vessels...
...capable of engaging the hive ships before they reach Earth.
Even if we could catch up, I don't know how long we'd last.
The lingering stench of what they transformed you into will never fade.
Wouldn't it have been prudent to send a ZPM to Earth on the Daedalus?
- Colonel Sheppard, is that you? - Who's this?
Targeting the generators will be most effective.
This ship has been seriously damaged.
- It's hard to find something to overload. - Let Mikey try.
He's helping us.
- I've just opened fire on the transport. - Beam them directly to the bridge.
It took out our life support. Backups aren't responding.
The only breathable air within light-years is on the Wraith ship.
- There's also Wraith. - Unless we send over the gas.
- We finish the plan we started. - Start sending people over, sir.
They're all human, the air is good.
I think we're out of the woods.
Incoming wormhole.
Opening the iris.
Receiving video transmission.
- Stargate Command, this is Atlantis. - I'm here, Teyla.
Any word about our people?
Unfortunately, no.
But the hive ship we have been tracking is still on course for Atlantis.
- We expect its arrival shortly. - Activate the cloak.
Proceed.
- Cloak is engaged. - What about our defenses?
All rail gun positions are manned and operational...
...and Dr. Beckett is in the drone control chair.
Patch me through to him.
- Carson? - Élizabeth?
How are you doing?
- Oh, just peachy, thanks. You? - I'm sorry to put you in this position...
...but you're the only person besides Sheppard and O'Neill...
...who have actually fired a drone from that chair.
They're the two people I nearly killed when I did that.
- You'll do fine. - Is this even necessary? I mean...
...we've got the cloak up, chances are they won't find us.
I would agree with you, but this ship is moving faster...
... than we've seen a hive ship move, which means...
... either it's a ship the Daedalus is chasing...
...or they shared the information they stole from us with other Wraith.
Either way, the cloak might not do us much good.
Great.
Hive ship just dropped out of hyperspace.
Dr. Beckett, stand by.
- Receiving a signal. - Atlantis, this is Sheppard. Come in.
- John? - They made it?
We're out of food, water, and we haven't slept in days, but, yeah, we made it.
So now would not be a good time to fire on us.
After all, wouldn't wanna damage your new hive ship.
This is Daedalus. We're clear.
Sorry to sneak up on you, doc. Subspace communications were down.
- I came this close to blasting you. - You showed remarkable restraint.
Makes me all the more confident in you.
- Next time? Oh, no, no... - Oh, yeah, the retrovirus worked great.
Really? How many are there?
The ship didn't have a full complement to begin with, but still, there are a few.
This is a few?
The official count is just under 200.
A lot were killed in battle, a lot more killed each other...
...when the gas started changing them. We should consider ourselves lucky.
A hive ship like this could carry thousands.
Aye.
Don't misunderstand me, Dr. Weir.
I'm not here to lecture you on the moral complexities of your situation.
The IOA has no official position on the matter one way or the other.
Because when there's a tough decision to be made...
...they suddenly have no opinion.
The lives of 200 former Wraith are not high up on their list of priorities.
But the way you dealt with the recent crisis...
...and the manner in which you responded to their authority...
And there's the issue of whether the intelligence that allowed these hives...
...to get as far as they did was passed to any other Wraith colonies.
According to Michael, it was not.
I don't have to tell you that your willingness to trust this Wraith...
...is not going to make for a strong defense.
I didn't know I was on trial.
Look...
...Pegasus is so far away they never thought the Wraith would be a threat...
...to anyone outside the members of the expedition itself.
It was their objection to having Atlantis...
...under military control that put me in this position in the first place.
Nothing renews your appreciation for the military...
...like the threat of invasion from life-sucking aliens.
Michael?
Even though I saved Colonel Sheppard's life...
...and helped him stop the hives from reaching Earth...
...you still place me under guard.
You have betrayed our trust in the past.
Trust?
I was your prisoner then.
And despite what I've done for you...
...here I am once again.
I can't say I'm surprised.
I wasn't welcome among my own kind, why should I be welcome here?
What are you talking about?
She looked at me as if I was some kind of unclean thing.
I may appear as a Wraith again on the outside...
...but as far as they're concerned, I'm...
That is why I need your help.
- What do you want? - I can't stay here...
...and I can't return to the Wraith...
...which means I need to make my own way...
...and to do that...
...I need supplies and a ship.
We are grateful for your help, but we can never release you...
...not with the information you possess. - Then kill me now.
There is another way.
- Take the treatment again? - Yes.
What I am is not a disease you can cure.
Your life as a human could be long and full.
And if I remember nothing of what or who I am...
...if this consciousness is erased...
...what is the difference between that and death?
And if I do remember and revert back to my true nature...
...what will happen then?
Dr. Beckett has made significant advances.
The treatments are more effective now.
Eventually, he may find a permanent solution.
If you really believed that...
...those Wraith you transformed wouldn't be in stasis on the ship.
They'd be here...
...reveling in your hospitality.
Come in.
Dr. Weir?
Mr. Woolsey.
The IOA has decided that, for the time being...
...you should continue to head the Atlantis expedition.
You're surprised?
Yes, I am.
I guess this means that international mistrust of the U.S. Military...
...is far more powerful than their fear of life-sucking aliens.
The truth is, the delegates are split.
In order to avoid a deadlock, they decided on a temporary reinstatement...
...pending a detailed report on the situation in Pegasus.
- Written by? - Me.
I'll be going back to Atlantis with you.
Have you ever been off-world before, Mr. Woolsey?
Sure. Once.
- And how did that go for you? - I was nearly killed.
Well, we will do our best to make sure that doesn't happen this time.
Stargate Command has put in a request to the Asgard for transportation?
They don't have a lot of ships to spare...
...but that will shave almost two weeks off our travel time.
I've never met an Asgard.
You, I think, will love them. They got a great sense of humor.
Really?
No.
You figure out how to fly this yet?
Yeah. Fly, shimmy, spin like a top. You didn't think it'd be hard?
Just proves my confidence in you wasn't misplaced.
We can't get the ship to respond to anything but the basics.
That doesn't do us much good.
Really? Look, all the more sophisticated systems, like navigation...
...respond to Wraith neural interface, in the same way Puddle Jumpers...
...can only be controlled by people with ATA genes.
- So we still need a Wraith to fly it. - I'm working on a manual override.
Just haven't had much luck yet.
What about Teyla? Teyla's got the Wraith gene thing. Maybe she can fly it.
That's worth a try, but that's not the only problem.
At least half of the ship's power generating capacity is gone.
Even if I had access to spare parts, which I don't, I doubt I could fix it.
Now, if we're gonna fly this thing and hope for weapons...
...we need to cut back on our current power consumption.
- Meaning what? - Meaning the 200 prisoners...
...we've got in stasis, we can't keep them in there forever.
- Are you my executioner? - I wish.
I'm just glad he's not gonna remember this.
All right, this is weird.
- Why? It's just a bunch of guys. - I know what they really are.
Keep that to yourself and try to act normal.
Colonel Sheppard, I need to speak with you.
I'm sorry...
Oh, my name is Lathan. At least that's what I've been told.
- Okay. - Many of us have questions, colonel.
Like how long we're going to be kept here.
- That's up to Dr. Beckett. - He said he doesn't know.
Which means he doesn't know the exact date.
Sorry, this is a medical situation, and he has medical reasons.
You people are under quarantine.
Why only the men?
Your women are immune to the strain, so are most of my people.
- We've been over this a few times. - I know...
Until Dr. Beckett can clear you, there's nothing I can do.
- How's it coming? - I'm gonna need more time.
You'd be better off conducting this research back on Atlantis.
And what, just leave them here?
That was the plan, you remember that, Carson?
But they're not ready yet.
You were supposed to teach them to administer the drug themselves.
I have trained several to act as my assistants.
Then there should be no problem.
There's more here to what I'm doing than just sticking needles in their arms.
For one, I have to make sure there's no signs of reversion.
This planet has no gate. They've got no way off.
Whatever happens, we're covered.
- That's not what I meant. - Have any of them started to remember?
I don't think so. The drug keeps them stable as long as they get a daily dose.
We don't have the manpower or the resources to babysit them forever.
If I can't come up with a solution, we'll have to abandon them?
- Eventually. - Then what?
They'll turn back into the Wraith...
...and without any other food supply, they'll start feeding on each other.
Well, I'm not ready to give up just yet.
And like it or not, for the moment, they are human...
...and they're my responsibility.
- I'll stay until the first resupply mission. - That won't be for another week.
They'll bring enough food to last them until they can harvest their own.
I'll be perfectly safe.
We're leaving a security team with you.
What did he say?
Nothing. He won't tell us anything.
He's hiding something.
Like what?
I only know that something's not right.
Everything they've told us about our homeworld...
...the plague, how they rescued us...
...I don't remember a single part.
Because memory loss is one of the symptoms.
How do you know that's true?
We don't know them.
We don't even know ourselves.
They're helping us.
By keeping us trapped here with barely enough food...
...and no idea when or if we'll ever be allowed to leave?
I say that's not good enough.
What are you suggesting?
They only have a handful of soldiers. We outnumber them 10-to-1.
- And then what? - They have some sort of ship.
It's how we got here. If we have hostages...
What if they're telling the truth...
...and we are really carrying some kind of deadly plague?
Even if we somehow survive and get away...
...all we'll be doing is spreading this disease wherever we go.
Do you really wanna risk that?
If we don't act before that ship leaves, we'll be stranded forever.
Michael's right, Lathan. It's too risky.
Colonel Caldwell?
- Woolsey. - Mind if I join you?
Of course.
- How are you settling in? - I'm not sure about this uniform.
You stand out more in a suit and tie.
Believe me, I've done enough of these investigations to realize...
...that no amount of camouflage is going to disguise who I am...
...or what I'm doing here.
Are you expecting something less than full cooperation?
We're just having a conversation.
As commander of the Daedalus, I have standing orders to help out...
...whenever possible, but I'm not a member of this expedition.
I don't answer to the IOA...
...and unless otherwise directed by my superiors...
...I don't have to answer your questions.
The only reason you're not the commander of Atlantis is that Dr. Weir...
...insisted that post go to Colonel Sheppard.
If she were to leave...
...you would be the most likely candidate to take over.
That's not why you're here.
The IOA doesn't really want militarization.
They're just afraid they may have no other choice.
I think you've already spoken to Dr. Weir.
No.
I've just been around long enough to know what's going on.
It sounds like you're saying you won't come out against Dr. Weir...
...only because you're not confident of the outcome.
No, what I'm saying, Mr. Woolsey...
...is have a pleasant evening.
You guys head back to the ship.
Okay, doc, last chance. We're packed up and ready to roll.
Colonel, we've got a problem. Lathan's missing.
He didn't turn up for his last treatment and nobody's seen him. Have they?
No, but...
But what?
It's all right, Michael. Tell him what you told me.
Lathan's convinced this is some kind of elaborate lie.
I told him you were doing your best to help us.
That maybe the sickness was playing with his mind, but he wouldn't listen.
- You're saying he's not lost, he's hiding. - It's possible.
It's best if we find him as soon as possible...
...before any symptoms of the plague reoccur.
- Okay, let's get a search party going. - We'd like to help.
He is one of us.
- Anything? - Nothing.
Morrison, report.
We're just coming up on the river. Still no sign of him, sir.
All right, keep me posted.
Michael.
Lathan.
What are you doing out here?
- I'm proving a point. - You missed a treatment.
I know, but I'm starting to remember.
It's just flashes, images in my head...
...but something's definitely coming back to me.
Don't you see what this means?
They're not curing us, they're keeping us this way.
We must make our move, and quickly.
I'm sorry, but you should have stayed at the camp.
- Colonel Sheppard. - Go ahead.
We found him, sir.
What's your location?
We're halfway up the ridge that runs south of the camp.
He must have been climbing down and lost his footing.
Are you saying he's injured?
No, sir.
He's dead.
I've prepared the injections for this morning's first group.
On you go.
You'll be fine. I've seen you do it a dozen times.
Besides, I've got work to do here.
You're going to examine the body?
The cause of death is quite obvious. His neck was broken.
But there are tests I can perform that could help my research.
At least that way something good might come of this.
We've all logged more than a few miles these past few weeks.
I'd just like to say that seeing you now, sitting across from me...
...looking at your faces...
...it makes me feel very...
You don't have to say it.
- We feel the same way you do. - Oh, she feels hungry too?
Now, Teyla, I understand navigating the hive ship...
...wasn't a particularly pleasant experience.
The neural interface was quite exhausting.
That was just flying straight. She'll never pull off anything complex...
...like combat maneuverability, weapons control...
How many maneuvers can you pull off?
Well, does standing still count as a maneuver?
No.
Sorry I'm late. My interviews are running a little longer than expected.
And you are...?
Richard Woolsey. He is chief liaison to the international committee...
...that oversees the Atlantis expedition.
He will be conducting individual interviews with each of you.
As well as observing all senior staff meetings.
Right.
So, what did I miss?
Rodney was about to run down the progress made adapting the hive controls.
Excellent. Please continue.
Thanks.
Dr. Beckett, this is Lieutenant morrison. What's your location?
I'm on the ridge where Lathan's body was found.
If you don't mind my asking, what are you doing there?
I wanted to check on something. I think we may have a problem.
What kind of problem?
I was so caught up running tests on Lathan's tissues, I almost didn't notice.
Notice what?
There isn't enough blood on the ground.
Meaning his heart wasn't pumping when he fell.
He definitely died when his neck was snapped...
... but I think the rest of his injuries occurred postmortem...
...presumably to make it look like an accident.
Look, it's gonna be dark soon.
You'd better start back now. We'll talk about it when you get here.
All right.
It would appear from this incident that the lies you're telling these people...
...are beginning to wear a bit thin.
One adverse reaction out of 200.
Do you hold out much hope...
...for the long-term success of this little science project?
That's not what this is.
You may have never set out to create this community, but you did create it.
We did what we had to do in order to survive.
I'm sure it seemed like a good idea at the time.
Even if Dr. Beckett comes up with what appears to be a long-term solution...
...would we ever trust them enough to integrate them into any...
...society of humans?
- Probably not. - Which brings me to my first question.
What do you want me to say?
I supported Élizabeth's decision to form an alliance with Michael...
...and I supported her decision to put all those people on the planet.
That support hardly shines through when you hesitate to call them people.
Out of curiosity, how much trouble is it gonna cause you...
...if I knock this Woolsey guy in the head?
- May I ask why you'd like to do that? - Just an impulse I had.
One I suspect I'm gonna have again next time I see him.
He may not even have to say anything.
I've never seen you like this. What did Woolsey say to you?
Besides judging every damn decision you've ever made?
John Sheppard, are you defending my honor?
And judging me for agreeing with you.
Don't be too hard on him.
I think, of all the circling wolves, he's the least likely to actually bite.
In fact, he might even convince the others to leave us alone.
All right, so...
...no head-knocking.
It's the thought that counts.
Lieutenant Morrison, this is Dr. Beckett. Come in.
Morrison.
I'm afraid the lieutenant and his men are indisposed.
Listen to me. You're sick. You need to take your medication now.
It's too late for that, doctor.
I've regained enough memory to know you've done this to me not once...
...but twice.
You witnessed how hurt, how betrayed I felt the first time.
Well, try to imagine how I feel now.
- Why'd you have to kill Lathan? - He was stirring up trouble.
I knew our only chance was to wait until Sheppard left with the soldiers.
- Most of them anyway. - With the ship gone, what's the point?
- You've got no hope of escape. - That's where you're wrong.
What have we got, Rodney?
Long-range sensors picked up a hive ship.
Coming this way?
No. Wait a minute.
- This doesn't make any sense. - What?
It's headed straight for the planet where we left Beckett and the prisoners.
There's no reason for the Wraith to be interested in that planet.
No stargate, and no indication it ever supported a human population.
It is completely off the grid.
I think we have to consider the possibility that we have a leak.
- You mean a spy? - Not necessarily in the city itself.
I would begin by focusing on our contacts...
...within the various indigenous populations, including...
- If you believe any Athosians... - Let's not jump to any conclusions here.
Isn't it true there are humans in this galaxy who serve the Wraith...
...even worship them?
How hard would it be to infiltrate one of our allied groups?
Do you think we post this information on the city bulletin board?
If the Wraith had that information, they'd be on their way to Atlantis...
...not some nameless planet with a couple of hundred people.
We need to focus on getting those people out of there.
If the Wraith find them and figure out what they are...
We've got a problem, again.
- How much time do we have? - Two days.
We could... Well, you could beat them there in the Daedalus.
The hyperdrive is still offline. Hermiod needs at least another 24 hours.
- We should light a fire under his bony... - That still might not be good enough.
- If we leave right now in the hive ship...? - We'd be cutting it close.
What are our chances of surviving a ship-to-ship encounter?
If I can get the manual interface working, I'd say less than slim.
Do what you can on the way.
How many have reverted?
Those you saw in the forest, plus a few more.
And the others?
They'll serve as an offering to the hive that's coming for us.
- That's hardly bloody fair. - The strong survive, doctor.
The few of us who began to realize something was wrong...
...got together and formed a plan...
...even while on the medication.
The weaker minds among us will stay that way...
...thanks to your drugs and the training you gave us.
If your memory's coming back, remember what happened...
...last time you tried to rejoin the Wraith.
It will be enough to escape this rock.
What do you need me for? There must be a reason you're keeping me alive.
I need to know what secondary security measures...
...Colonel Sheppard put in place before he left.
What are you talking about?
The more my memory returns, the more I begin to doubt...
...that he would have left us here without setting up some kind of fail-safe.
There's no way off this planet. That was the fail-safe.
How many years will I have to take away before you tell me what I want to know?
That's hardly a threat, since you're obviously gonna kill me anyway.
You underestimate your own value, doctor.
Look, they don't tell me this sort of thing. I'm just a doctor.
Maybe you shouldn't have been so quick to kill Lieutenant Morrison.
I don't like to question military men. They're like our own Wraith warriors.
Unimaginative...
...rigid thought patterns.
But you, on the other hand...
...are trained to have an open mind...
...and you have a strong sense of empathy toward others.
It's not as strong as it used to be, believe me.
You're exactly what I need.
Now...
...let's begin.
- Do we have weapons yet? - Sort of.
What does that mean?
We can fire, but not in any particular direction.
You'll have to do better.
No one wants to survive this mission more than I do.
We're using up a lot of power to maintain speed.
- We're not gonna have a lot left. - We're going fast to avoid fighting.
Theoretically.
Just keep working.
Atlantis, this is Daedalus. We're ready to go.
Are you sure you wanna do this? I understand Hermiod isn't too happy...
...about having the hyperdrive in service so soon.
He's cleared us to fly. Whether or not he's happy about it is beside the point.
Anyway, I'm sure Colonel Sheppard would appreciate the help.
Thank you.
- Daedalus out. Set a course. - Yes, sir.
That's it. We're out of hyperspace.
You all right?
I believe I have been able to establish a stable orbit.
All right, nice work. Any sign of the other hive ship?
No, we're clear.
- All right, patch me through to camp. - All right, just give me a second.
That's weird.
A bunch of secondary systems just came online.
You're a genius, Rodney.
True, but I didn't do it.
It's like they just woke up by themselves.
They're keyed into the sensors.
- The ship must have detected something. - Detected what?
- Wraith life signs. - From the planet?
- How many? - There's 20 or 30.
- What about human? - Still well over 100.
- So some reverted. - They'll be feeding on each other.
What about Beckett and Morrison's team?
I have no way to distinguish them from other life signs.
I can't say for sure either way.
How did they contact the ship so far out?
I have no idea. Teyla, what do you think?
It is possible that a group acting together could communicate over larger distances.
Live and learn.
- I'll live some more, hopefully. - What about the fail-safe device?
- What kind of kill zone are we looking at? - Everything in a three-mile radius is toast.
You sure? We've got no margin for error.
The blast radius doesn't just stop at three miles.
What about the ones that are still human?
There's nothing we can do for them.
Well, I suppose we could not incinerate them.
If Michael got his memory back...
...they could all know about Atlantis and how to find Earth.
We can't take that chance.
Once we get our people out, we'll give you the signal...
...you set off the nuke.
Carson.
He's barely conscious.
- Did you find the others? - They were fed on.
- There's not much of them left. - Help me get him up.
Come on.
- Rodney, come in. - What's happening?
We've got Carson. Morrison and his team are dead. We're heading back.
We're clear. Light it up.
Understood.
Fail-safe detonation in...
... three, two...
...one.
Now you see what they really think of us.
I don't understand.
The bomb is receiving a detonation signal.
If I hadn't deactivated it...
...we'd all be dead.
Rodney?
- I don't understand it. - What happened?
- You mean what didn't happen. - You telling me the bomb didn't go off?
They got to it.
We cannot leave the Wraith here to be found by the hive.
Get back to work on those weapons, Rodney. We're not going anywhere.
- Should we search for the prisoner? - There's no point.
He's been taken up to their ship by now.
In any case...
...he's served his purpose.
There's nothing left for us to do but wait for our brothers to rescue us soon.
- How you doing with the weapons? - We couldn't hit the side of a barn.
- Hive ships are a hundred times... - A giant flying barn, we couldn't hit that.
- What about a stationary target? - Motion in space is relative.
- I'm talking about on the planet. - Well, that I might be able to do.
Target the camp.
- Wait just a minute. - We've had this discussion before.
- There's no choice. - We could go down...
...take as many as possible. - We have no time.
The other hive ship's gonna be here, we won't survive a battle. It's my call.
There's over 100 men down there that believe we are their saviors.
They're about to become casualties of war.
It has to be done.
Fire.
It's the other hive. We're taking multiple hits.
- The target? - Hard to say...
...how accurate our fire has been.
Blanket the entire area. We can't afford a mistake.
Engines are offline. We're venting atmosphere. Power's about to fail.
- Report. - We've just about reached the planet.
Drop us out of hyperspace.
It's debris from a hive ship, sir.
- Life signs? - No, sir.
What about the planet?
I'm not getting anything.
I see.
Daedalus, this is Sheppard. Come in.
Sheppard, where the hell are you?
Oh, right, sorry.
We're picking up a Jumper, sir. Five life signs.
You got here in good time, colonel. We were looking at a long ride home.
You're still not certain if any of the Wraith on the planet survived?
Not certain, no.
My people were concerned about their own survival at that time.
Understandably.
But, of course, it's my fault they were in that position in the first place.
If I had just disposed of those prisoners, none of this would have happened.
Isn't that what you're gonna write in your report?
Quite the contrary, in fact.
It was your decision to fire on the camp from orbit that eliminated the threat...
At least we hope it was eliminated.
- -And allowed your team to escape.
I didn't make that decision.
But you would have.
Lf, hypothetically, Dr. McKay had managed to get the hive subspace...
...communicator working, and you'd been apprised of the situation.
Well, I...
I might have.
- Close enough. - But that's not what happened.
The IOA doesn't need to know that.
In fact, they don't wanna know that.
In my business, sometimes it's more important not to let inconvenient facts...
...get in the way of the greater truth.
And the truth is...
...you should remain here, in charge of this expedition.
For the moment.
Dial Earth, please.
corrections and synchro by THU22