SGA 5.19 "Vegas" Transcript

5.19 "Vegas"

Episode Guide

SGA 5.19 "Vegas" Episode Guide

Précis

Detective John Sheppard investigates murders in Las Vegas linked to an unusual man with superhuman abilities.

Guide | Transcript

Transcript

TEASER

EXT—NEVADA DESERT, DAY

[Buzzards circle overhead as crime scene investigators study a pentangular roped-off section of the desert. While some study a body; a woman outside the perimeter takes photos of flagged tire tracks. She notices a run-down, aged, red Camaro drive up and park. Sheppard steps out of the vehicle. She tries to get his attention as he walks to the crime scene.]

REPORTER
Sheppard! Detective Sheppard…Detective Sheppard! Come on, John. I'm breaking this with or without you.

SHEPPARD

(muttering)

What is she doing here?

REPORTER
Is this victim related to the others? If we have a serial killer on our hands, people have a right to know.

[One of the technicians approaches Sheppard.]

CSI TECH
Victim was most likely a white male.

[Sheppard does a double take.]

SHEPPARD
"Most likely?"

CSI TECH
No clothes. No I.D. Wasn't killed here.

[Flashback theory shows victim and killer struggling in a car.]

CSI TECH

(pointing to another area)

Got tire tracks leading from the road. Based on size, tread-wear and spread, we're probably talking an older model pickup.

[Flashback theory shows the killer stepping out of his vehicle, opening the passenger side door, and dumping the body out before walking back to the driver's side.]

CSI TECH

(pointing to a stain in the sand)

Got radiator fluid down here. Looks like the vehicle has a leak.

[Flashback theory shows truck leaking radiator fluid as it drives away from the scene.]

[Sheppard looks around the scene, then walks over to where the body is covered by a plastic tarpaulin. He pulls it back to show a dried husk of a human corpse, almost a skeletal mummy. There is a gaping wound in the victim's chest.]

CSI TECH
Pretty much the same as the other seven.

SHEPPARD
Same chest wound.

CSI TECH
Yeah.

[Flashback theory shows the victim struggling with the killer in the car, yelling while the killer overpowers him and lays his right hand on the man's check. The victim's heart stops beating and withers into the husk shape…like after a human has been fed on by a Wraith.]

[Sheppard re-covers the body and stands.]

CSI TECH
I thought I'd seen everything.

SHEPPARD
Yeah, me too. One day, we'll learn.

[Sheppard walks back to his car. The Las Vegas Strip can be seen on the horizon.]

END TEASER

OPENING CREDITS

EXT—LAS VEGAS, DAY

INT—LAS VEGAS POLICE MORGUE

[The murder victim lies on a table. A coroner starts to autopsy the victim—the coroner is Keller. She wears heavier eye makeup than previously seen. Sheppard stands at the end of the table.]

SHEPPARD
Thomas Crane. Reported missing three days ago. Thirty-nine years old.

KELLER
You think this guy was thirty-nine?

SHEPPARD
Check the dental records. It wasn't natural causes.

KELLER
Nope. Looks like some kind of rapid cellular breakdown.

[Sheppard moves to stand next to her.]

SHEPPARD
The other victims? They had the same chest wound. That same bizarre aging.

KELLER

(nodding)

I read the other autopsies. Cause was undetermined. All I know is, we're not dealing with a contagion.

SHEPPARD
No chemical residue?

KELLER

(exasperated)

Detective, you'll get a copy of my report.

[Sheppard steps back, but doesn't leave.]

SHEPPARD
Previous victims all had radioactive residue around their…wounds.

KELLER
When I'm done.

SHEPPARD
What did you say your name was again?

[She takes off her mask.]

KELLER
Keller…Jennifer.

SHEPPARD
I've got eight bodies in three months, and I don't like it when the lead coroner on my case gets replaced by someone who doesn't look old enough to be in medical school.

[Keller shoots him an enigmatic smile.]

KELLER
Maybe someone feels the need for some fresh eyes on the case.

SHEPPARD
They should've just replaced me.

[He heads to the door.]

KELLER
Do you have any leads?

SHEPPARD
I've got a bunch of bodies being dumped in the desert, and it looks like…the life's been sucked out of them.

KELLER

(cautiously)

You really think that's possible?

SHEPPARD
I don't know where you're from, but out here, anything's possible.

[Sheppard leaves. Keller replaces her mask and gets back to work.]

EXT—METROPOLITAN POLICE HEADQUARTERS, LAS VEGAS, DAY

[2362 Point Boulevard.]

INT—POLICE HEADQUARTERS

[Sheppard heads down a staircase, talking on his cell phone.]

SHEPPARD

(into phone)

Anyone treated with symptoms related to radiation poisoning. Go back a month…No, it's not going to come back to you. I promise.

EXT—LAS VEGAS, NIGHT

EXT—LUCKY ROLLERS MOTEL, NIGHT

[The low-rate motel is crowded with several cars in front of their respective guests' doors. The motel is decorated with holiday lights on the trees in the landscaping.]

INT—HOTEL ROOM

[A man finishes vomiting in the room's toilet, flushing it and blowing his nose before returning to his bed, where the telephone receiver lies open. He picks it up. He looks pale and is shivering and feverish. His voice trembles weakly as he talks.]

SICK GUY

(into phone)

Hi…I don't know. I told you. They said it was a virus or something. Probably food poisoning. You should see the place they've got me at. Not exactly Bellagio. The whole trip's been a useless waste of time, too.

[He notices his nose is bleeding and grabs for a tissue.]

SICK GUY
Oh…oh! My nose is bleeding again! I'd better go!…Yeah, I will. Love you, too.

[He hangs up the phone and lies back on the bed, holding pressure on his nose to stop the bleeding. He hears loud noises from the room adjoining his. Rolling his eyes, he pounds on the headboard.]

SICK GUY

(shouting)

Turn it down, will ya?!

[He stumbles to his feet and out of his room.]

SICK GUY

(mumbling)

Son of a bitch.

EXT—LUCKY ROLLER MOTEL, NIGHT

[He heads over to Room 50 next door and pounds on the door. The music is very audible from the room. The tenant answers, flexing his Wraith feeding hand. The sick guy stares in horror at his neighbor.]

INT—METROPOLITAN POLICE HEADQUARTERS

[Sheppard works at his desk. His cheek bears a bruise. The same Johnny Cash poster that graces the Atlantis Sheppard's quarters in the Pegasus Galaxy hangs on the wall in this Sheppard's office. He studies crime scene photos as his supervisor and a suited Woolsey approach his door. Captain Hendricks knocks on the open door frame as he and Woolsey enter Sheppard's office.]

HENDRICKS
Sheppard? This is Agent Woolsey, FBI.

[Woolsey puts out his hand to shake.]

WOOLSEY
Nice to meet you.

[Sheppard stares at them both, but neither gets up nor accepts Woolsey's hand.]

HENDRICKS
What the hell happened to your eye?

SHEPPARD
Has this case moved jurisdiction?

HENDRICKS
Not yet.

WOOLSEY
I'm not at liberty to discuss our interest at this time, but I'd appreciate your cooperation.

[Sheppard leans back in his chair.]

SHEPPARD
Well…I got nothin'.

WOOLSEY
I'm surprised at that, Detective. The victims are turning up much more frequently. This is obviously a progression.

HENDRICKS
The first few bodies were buried, and we only found them because coyotes dragged one onto the 564. Now, they're just being dumped out into the open for the vultures.

[Sheppard receives a text message on his phone. He checks it while they still talk.]

WOOLSEY
So is that more careless, or more bold?

SHEPPARD
Somebody want to tell me why the coroner's report on the latest victim shows no signs of, radioactive, um, what do you call it?

WOOLSEY
Isotopes. I assume because there weren't any found.

[Sheppard grabs his jacket as he stands.]

SHEPPARD

(challenging)

Well…there were on the first seven.

[He leaves. Woolsey watches him go with a worried expression.]

HENDRICKS
Where you goin'?

SHEPPARD
I've gotta go see a nurse.

EXT—LAS VEGAS, DAY

INT—HOSPITAL

[A nurse shows Sheppard some medical records as they stand in the lobby.]

NURSE
Well, this guy was seen yesterday.

SHEPPARD
Where is he?

NURSE
Oh, he's an out-of-towner at a motel. The chart should say.

SHEPPARD

(incredulous)

What, you-you just let him go?

NURSE
He was seen by a doctor. We get people in with flu-like symptoms all the time.

SHEPPARD
All right. Well, what made him stand out?

NURSE
He was also having nosebleeds. Could've been unrelated, also common because of the dry air. But then you mentioned radiation poisoning…

[Sheppard folds up the copy of the records and shifts restlessly.]

SHEPPARD
Thanks.

NURSE

(worried)

Hey, look, if he really was exposed, it could be serious.

SHEPPARD
I'll track him down.

[He moves to leave, but she blocks his path.]

NURSE
Um…do you want me to take a look at that…eye, John?

[She circles the area on her own face. Sheppard gives a self-deprecating smile.]

SHEPPARD
No, no, I'm—I'm fine.

[He walks away.]

NURSE

(calling after him)

Hey! Uh…you gonna call me?

SHEPPARD

(absently)

Yeah. Yeah, sure.

INT—LUCKY ROLLER MOTEL OFFICE

[Sheppard enters. He places a copy of the medical report with the man's driver's license on the counter in front of the clerk. He also sets his police badge down next to it.]

SHEPPARD
Do you know that guy?

HOTEL MANAGER
Checked out yesterday. Is that a medical report?

[Sheppard folds up the paper and puts it back in his pocket, along with his badge.]

SHEPPARD
No.

HOTEL MANAGER

(worried)

If he had something, I gotta know. Have that room cleaned up properly. Wash the sheets, you know?

SHEPPARD

(drily)

Yeah. Wash those sheets. In the meantime, let me look at your register.

[The man hands over the guest register. Sheppard scans the names.]

INT—WRAITH'S MOTEL ROOM

[Hard-rock music ("The Beautiful People" by Marilyn Manson) blares loudly as the Wraith, shirtless, stands before the dresser mirror. He applies cover-up make-up to his cheek slits. He also puts prosthetics on his forehead, ears, and teeth. He puts on other makeup and contact lenses over his reptilian eyes. When finished being dressed and coiffed, he looks human, albeit with a Goth fashion sense. He puts on dark sunglasses, walks past the husk of the sick guy's body, and exits his room.]

EXT—LUCKY ROLLERS MOTEL, NIGHT

[The Wraith heads to a truck with a silver motor home trailer hooked to it. From his own car, Sheppard watches the Wraith walk away.]

EXT—LAS VEGAS, NIGHT

[The Wraith walks unnoticed through the crowds in the city's nightlife, turning some heads. He walks near the Bellagio and its fountains. He enters Planet Hollywood. The Rolling Stones song "Sympathy for the Devil" plays as he walks.]

INT—PLANET HOLLYWOOD CASINO

[Several patrons are in the casino floor. Brad Wright sits at a table playing Blackjack. The Wraith passes the floor entertainments and makes his way to a private room game on the second floor.]

INT—PRIVATE GAME ROOM

[The Wraith sits at a table with several players in a high-stakes match of Texas Hold 'Em Poker. Two of the players know each other and chat as the game goes on.]

MOE
They were fighting. She tried to break it up. You know, it was an accident.

MO'S FRIEND
You couldn't find the finger?

MO
We were up all night looking for it.

MO'S FRIEND
Yeah, but you found it.

MO

(shrugging)

Out on the lawn. When the sun came up. We got it in the fridge.

MO'S FRIEND
And where's the housekeeper?

MO
She's at the hospital. She lost a ton of blood.

MO'S FRIEND
Really? Don't they need the finger?

MO
Nah. It was too late to re-attach it. She'll be all right.

[A couple people fold before the flop, where the dealer displays the five of diamonds, four of spades and ace of diamonds.]

MO'S FRIEND
What finger was it?

MO

(waving his pinky finger)

Pinky.

MO'S FRIEND

(incredulous)

And you still got it?

MO

(shrugging)

Hey, what are you supposed to do with a finger? Besides, we thought maybe she'd still want it. You know?

[The poker player folds. Mo checks. The Wraith raises. Another player folds.]

MO'S FRIEND
Hey, what about the dogs?

MO
What about them?

MO'S FRIEND
You gotta get rid of 'em, no?

MO

Whaddya mean? I love those dogs!
(nodding to dealer)

I know. I'll see him.

[He places chips into the pot. The Wraith shows his hand. Mo scowls and tosses away his hand (apparently the turn and river of the hand happened while the conversation continued).]

MO

(to Wraith)

Nice hand, huh? Got me again! It's almost like you can read minds, huh?

MO'S FRIEND
Only yours.

MO
Look at this guy. He won't even look at me. You've been taking my money all night; you won't even look at me?!

[Sheppard has entered the area and is frisked by the bodyguard at the door before being allowed to go down the short hallway into the room.]

MO'S FRIEND
Come on, Mo. Leave it alone. He's a freakin' wacko.

[Sheppard sits at the table.]

MO

(to Sheppard)

Aren't you a little out of your league here?

SHEPPARD

(surly)
What are you, my mother?
(to dealer)

Go ahead. I'll ante.

[The dealer starts dealing out hold cards to all the players. Sheppard's seat is directly across from the Wraith. They stare at each other.]

[Play continues for several hands. The Wraith most often wins.]

[On one hand, Sheppard ends up with a pair of sixes (hearts and diamonds). He stares at the Wraith. The Wraith raises and Sheppard calls. The deal of the flop shows a six of spades, and two sevens. Sheppard now has a full house. The Wraith raises again, and Sheppard calls. The turn card is another seven. Sheppard studies his hand, then stares at the Wraith, who raises again.]

DEALER
Twenty-two thousand to call.

[Everyone watches with interest. Mo licks his lips.]

MO

(to Sheppard, about the Wraith)

He doesn't have it.

MO'S FRIEND
Shut up.

[Sheppard folds. The Wraith takes the pot. Sheppard licks his lips. Mo shakes his head in irritation.]

MO
He didn't have it. No way.

[The Wraith stands.]

MO
Wait, where you goin? You can't leave now. Look at this guy! Hey!

[He grabs the Wraith's arm. The Wraith twists it and shoves the guy back with supernatural strength. He roars. Mo falls back into a glass table. The cocktail waitress screams. Sheppard stands and the Wraith climbs over the table and attacks him next, pushing him to the floor before attacking one of the bodyguards. Sheppard is still stunned from the force of the blow as the Wraith runs down the short hallway. The bodyguard there aims his gun but the Wraith diverts his aim as the gun fires several times. He knocks that bodyguard away and opens the door as Sheppard finally scrambles to his feet and gives chase, grabbing the bodyguard's abandoned gun on his way out the door.]

INT—CASINO

[Sheppard chases the Wraith through the hallways and down a stairwell. The Wraith leaps down levels at a time. They run through a kitchen, the Wraith knocking carts of dishes into Sheppard's path to delay him. ]

EXT—CASINO ROOF

[The Wraith ends up on a casino roof, Sheppard still close behind. He finally reaches the edge and as Sheppard watches leaps over. He falls, still making a running motion, many stories and something like 200 feet to the ground. Horrified, Sheppard leans over the edge and sees the flattened body far below. As he watches in shock, the Wraith struggles to his feet and looks up. It limps away, gradually gaining momentum. By the time he has reached the end of the alleyway, he's running as if in full health.]

INT—WRAITH'S MOTEL ROOM

[The hotel manager lets Sheppard into the room, where they instantly spot the sick guy's body.]

HOTEL MANAGER
Oh, geez!

[Sheppard steps in and crouches by the body.]

HOTEL MANAGER
You don't think that's contagious, do you?

SHEPPARD
You said the guy next door checked out yesterday?

HOTEL MANAGER
I never saw him. He used the t.v.

[Sheppard flashes his light up to where the manager is leaning on the doorframe.]

SHEPPARD
Don't touch anything.

[The manager straightens off the doorframe.]

HOTEL MANAGER
Sure.

[Sheppard looks around the rest of the room. In a bag on the bed is a large amount of cash.]

HOTEL MANAGER

(straining to see the contents)

What is it?

SHEPPARD
It's a crime scene. Get lost.

[The man leaves.]

EXT—LUCKY ROLLER MOTEL PARKING LOT

[Sheppard puts the bag of money in his trunk. He notices the empty space next to his car has a radiator stain, still wet. A flashback reminds him of the leak at the crime scene and how the killer's vehicle was thought to have that leak. Three SUVs pull into the parking lot. Woolsey exits the rear passenger side of the middle one.]

WOOLSEY
Detective?

SHEPPARD

(nervously)

We've got another body here. I was just about to call it in.

WOOLSEY
I heard about what happened at the casino.

SHEPPARD
You following me?

WOOLSEY
There's a satellite locator on your car. If you don't mind, we'd like you to come for a little drive.

SHEPPARD
Do I have a choice?

[Woolsey winces.]

SHEPPARD
Right.

[He gets in the car with Woolsey.]

EXT—AREA 51, DAY

[The SUVs drive to nondescript buildings in an otherwise empty area of the Nevada desert.]

INT—AREA 51 HALLWAY

[Woolsey stands outside a holding room. Through the window in the door, he looks at Sheppard standing in the back of that room. McKay, dressed in an upscale suit and with nicely coiffed hair, approaches Woolsey. McKay's demeanor is much more professional and less neurotic than the Atlantis McKay, and he speaks more slowly.]

WOOLSEY
He won't sign.

MCKAY
Well, we should tell him anyway.

WOOLSEY
We can't trust him.

MCKAY
He might be able to help us. I'm going to at least try.

[McKay enters the room.]

INT—SHEPPARD'S HOLDING ROOM

[Sheppard stands on the opposite side of a large table from McKay. McKay tosses a tablet computer onto the table.]

MCKAY
Detective? I'm Doctor Rodney McKay. I realize that you have no way of grasping what's going on here. There's really only one thing you need to understand. If you fail to cooperate, I have the power to ruin your life.

SHEPPARD
You don't realize how little I have to lose.

MCKAY
I know everything about you. You've never been married. The only thing you own is a car. You have $2,363.00 in the bank and are $13,000.00 in debt…not counting the off-the-books gambling losses to a guy named "Mikey."

[Sheppard swallows nervously.]

MCKAY

(smug)

What else? You finally passed your detective exam after four years and two failed attempts…

[Sheppard rolls his eyes and mumbles to himself.]

MCKAY
…and now barely scrape by on quarterly performance reviews. Am I getting this right?

SHEPPARD
I also like spearmint gum.

[McKay tosses a pack of spearmint gum on the table.]

MCKAY
Have some.

SHEPPARD
I was joking.

MCKAY
No, you weren't.

[He frowns and crosses the table to stand directly in front of Sheppard.]

MCKAY
Let's go back further, shall we? You were a helicopter pilot in Afghanistan, but were dishonorably discharged for disobeying orders and trying to rescue a field medic trapped behind enemy lines. You were shot down—obviously survived, but unfortunately the crash killed four American soldiers, along with eight civilians.

[Sheppard shuffles, obviously upset.]

MCKAY
You avoided jail time. The record was sealed for various "political reasons." These things happen, right?

[McKay sneers as he steps away, turning his back on Sheppard.]

MCKAY
Somehow, you've managed to live with yourself since then, but I'm not sure other people would if they knew the truth.

SHEPPARD

(feigning indifference)

I don't really care.

MCKAY

(sadly)

Yeah. That's too bad.

[Sheppard sits at the table and grabs a stick of gum as McKay heads for the door. McKay pauses and turns back.]

MCKAY
You know…I once met another version of you. He was very different.

SHEPPARD
What?

MCKAY
Nothing is what you think it is.

SHEPPARD
That really doesn't come as a surprise to me.

[McKay sits across from him.]

MCKAY
Look…we're not bad guys. We just want to keep the planet safe.

SHEPPARD

(caustic)

I doubt that very much.

MCKAY
I don't expect you'll believe me at first. I'm about to tell you some incredible things: wormhole travel through a device called a Stargate, ancient races of humans on other planets, other dimensions in space and time, even infinite variations of our own, known reality, where alternate versions of you and I play out events in ways you can't…possibly imagine.

SHEPPARD

(scoffing)

Space aliens?

[He smiles at McKay, who continues to look deadly serious. Sheppard's smile falters.]

INT—WRAITH TRAILER

[The Wraith sits despondently on the trailer cot. Part of his "human" make-up has fallen off, but some of the prosthetics remain.]

FLASHBACK

EXT—SPACE, EARTH ORBIT

[Darts dogfight F-302s above Earth. Ancient drones destroy the hive ship. The Wraith snarls in the cockpit of his ship as he loses control; his dart falls towards the atmosphere, heading towards North America.]

END FLASHBACK

[Throughout the flashback, the Wraith becomes more and more agitated as he remembers the trauma.]

INT—AREA 51, CHAIR ROOM

[Sheppard stares at the Antarctic Ancient chair. McKay joins him.]

MCKAY
It was found under a mile of ice in Antarctica five years ago and later moved here. It runs on a power source that extracts energy from vacuum space. We call it a "ZedPM"…well, "ZeePM". Sorry, I'm Canadian. If you have the right genetic code, it allows you to control some pretty cool weaponry remotely with your mind. That's how we were able to defeat the Wraith hive ship that attacked Earth three months ago.

SHEPPARD

(hoarsely)

Are there more?

MCKAY
What? Chairs?

SHEPPARD
No. Aliens.

MCKAY
Oh yeah. Lots more. Fortunately, they're in another galaxy—and for now, don't know where Earth is.

[He walks towards the exit. Sheppard continues to stare at the chair, overwhelmed.]

MCKAY
Detective?

[Sheppard follows McKay out, never having touched the chair.]

INT—AREA 51 WAREHOUSE ROOM

[McKay and Sheppard stand on a balcony overlooking a warehouse floor full of half-a-dozen wreckages of darts.]

MCKAY
They're called darts—small, fast, single-pilot attack ships. We're lucky we took out the hive as quickly as we did. Each one can carry hundreds of these things.

SHEPPARD
And the guy dumping bodies in the desert?

MCKAY
Is an alien…a Wraith—genetic hybrid between human beings and something called an Iratus bug. It feeds on human energy—literally saps the life out of people using a sucker on their hands. I suppose it all sounds like science fiction to you.

SHEPPARD
I'm not really a fan.

INT—AREA 51 CORRIDOR

[Sheppard and McKay walk down a corridor. Military sentries line the corridor.]

MCKAY
My team and I usually operate out of Atlantis in the Pegasus Galaxy, but we were called back to Earth to deal with this situation because of our expertise with the Wraith. Now, the one that you've encountered has obviously been doing a fairly good job of blending in.

SHEPPARD
What, disguising himself as a human?

MCKAY
Based on your description and the video surveillance from the casino.

SHEPPARD
What do they normally look like?

[McKay runs a keycard by a sentried door. It opens.]

MCKAY
Normally…they look like that.

[Sheppard stares in horror at a Wraith in a glass cell. It is "Todd", but he looks unkempt and manic.]

INT—OUTSIDE WRAITH CELL

SHEPPARD
Why do they do it?

MCKAY
You mean feed on humans? That's just what they are. We're just…cattle to them.

TODD
Fish in a pond. Busy, busy. Lots to do, here and there.

MCKAY
This one fancies himself a bit of a poet…not good.

TODD
Dry as a desert outside. No place to go.

MCKAY
He's also delirious from starvation.

TODD
Eat up! Get stronger! Think, and hope. Think…and hope. Don't look now! Oh, keep dreaming. There must be some other reason for your existence.

[He focuses on Sheppard as he talks.]

SHEPPARD
Didn't you get anything from him?

MCKAY
Nothing. And believe me we've tried…everything.

TODD

Defiance tastes like life itself. No river. No water. Die in the desert. Darkness all around. The harvest moon is rising. Wraith are never-ending.
(he gets closer to the wall in front of Sheppard)

I know the future. Come inside…I'll show you…your destiny, John Sheppard!

[Sheppard appears frozen in place.]

MCKAY
They can get in your head.

[Sheppard snaps out of it and follows McKay out.]

INT—AREA 51 CORRIDOR

[Sheppard catches his breath outside the room, looking rattled.]

MCKAY
You okay?

[Sheppard nods.]

SHEPPARD
Are people ever going to know the truth?

MCKAY

(scoffing)

It's not my decision. Personally, I think people choose to live in their own happy little delusions. They don't really want to know the truth.

[Keller walks by, smiling at McKay as she passes. McKay watches her pass with interest.]

MCKAY
Jennifer.

KELLER
Rodney.

[Sheppard looks nonplussed his "coroner" is in the facility. He follows McKay down the corridor in the other direction from Keller.]

SHEPPARD
Did…the other victims had radioactive residue on them?

MCKAY
They all did. Once we got wind of it and our suspicions were confirmed, the whole thing was ultimately going to be covered up. But you tracked down the target before that could happen.

SHEPPARD
Well, in serial cases, you're supposed to look for any victims who got away.

MCKAY
Which is how you found the motel and the man who reported radiation sickness. He was most likely exposed 'cause he was in the room next door to the Wraith. See, we didn't think to look for bystanders that could've been accidentally exposed due the proximity.

SHEPPARD
To the alien?

MCKAY
No, no. However, we do believe that the radioactive material in this case is being transferred from the target to the victims. But the source, mmm, it's been shielded from our scanning capabilities.

[He looks concerned. Sheppard notices.]

SHEPPARD
What is it?

MCKAY

(hesitating a moment)

Look, we know that the Wraith don't need to feed as often as the target does. I mean they feed for pleasure, but not in this case. Not if it means leaving a trail behind.

SHEPPARD
Some other reason…?

MCKAY
If they're sick or injured, they can regenerate, but it requires energy. We believe that the target is unavoidably exposing himself to high doses of radiation and is having to eat to counteract the effects.

SHEPPARD
What's the source?

MCKAY
He's building a device. We're not sure of its intended function, but we know that he was able to…salvage certain parts from his crashed dart before we could get to it.

SHEPPARD
Well,…wh-what about the rest?

MCKAY
The Wraith are smart. It wouldn't take him long to learn the ins and outs of the way things work around here. We have reason to believe that he has already acquired some of the necessary materials, but he needs more. He also needs untraceable currency, or we would've found him by now.

SHEPPARD
So he makes money playing poker. There's got to be a better way than that.

MCKAY
Well, I guess he could rob a bank, but it's risky, and it draws a lot of attention. No, the Wraith love…games. And with their mental abilities, they are very good at them.

[In the room at the end of the corridor where McKay and Sheppard are, Zelenka briefs a room full of people. His appearance is not disheveled, but instead, he too is sharply dressed. He does not wear glasses.]

ZELENKA

(from inside room)

The following is a worst-case scenario…should the device be detonated.

[McKay looks irritated.]

MCKAY

(to Sheppard)

Excuse me. Wait here.

INT—CONFERENCE ROOM

ZELENKA

(to group)

Now, based on the material we suspect has already gone into the core, there's a very strong likelihood.

[McKay strides in angrily, his demeanor now similar to the familiar Atlantis version.]

MCKAY
It's not a bomb!

ZELENKA

(sighing, trying to ignore McKay)

We need to be prepared for every possibility.

MCKAY
What would be the point in cooking over half of the United States?

ZELENKA
Revenge.

MCKAY
Not his first choice. He wants to send up a flare signaling the location of Earth to the rest of the Wraith.

ZELENKA

(to group)

Excuse me.

[He steps over to McKay. They begin arguing in low tones, but the voices are loud enough the rest of the room, including Sheppard by the door, can hear them.]

ZELENKA

(patiently)

Rodney, he would not need that kind of power to activate a Wraith communicator.

MCKAY
He does if he wants to send the message to Pegasus and be rescued in his lifetime.

ZELENKA
But that would require a massive boost.

MCKAY
Yes! It would require more energy than he has now.

ZELENKA
And not even a ZPM…

MCKAY

(interrupting)

I know!

ZELENKA
That kind of burst is uncontrollable.

MCKAY
Look, I never said it wasn't dangerous. It could open up any number of anomalies.

ZELENKA

(snarking)

Like the interdimensional rift?

MCKAY
Look, will you stop bringing that up?! Why do you have to constantly remind me, especially in front of other people?!

ZELENKA
You are such a child!

MCKAY
And yet, I am still smarter than you!

[McKay walks away, piqued. Zelenka stares at the abrupt leaving in shock, mouth agape, hands on hips. McKay gestures for Sheppard to follow as he leaves the room.]

MCKAY

(to Sheppard)

Don't worry, everything's under control.

EXT—AREA 51, DAY

[McKay and Sheppard stand by some military vehicles. A suited man waits by an SUV.]

MCKAY
Thank you for your cooperation, Detective. If you think of anything else, call me at this number.

[He hands Sheppard a business card. Sheppard studies the card, pensive.]

SHEPPARD
If he's not finished yet, why'd he stop hiding bodies?

MCKAY
I don't know. Overconfidence that he can't be caught?

[Sheppard taps the card against his hand, considering.]

SHEPPARD
He left money behind.

MCKAY

(intrigued)

How much?

SHEPPARD

(reluctantly)

A few thousand?

MCKAY

(chuckling)

Not enough to worry about, I guess.

SHEPPARD

(quietly)

That's it? You're just going to let me go?

MCKAY
That field medic…the one you defied orders to go back and try and rescue…you knew her personally. You were…involved.

SHEPPARD
Well, you know everything.

MCKAY

(pensively)

It's a hard choice. Certainly, you didn't intend things to go as badly as they did. Things just don't always go the way we plan… We know where to find you.

[Sheppard starts to leave. A jet flies overhead, loudly.]

MCKAY
Detective?

[Sheppard stops. McKay approaches him.]

MCKAY
Remember when I told you I once met another version of you?

SHEPPARD
Yeah.

MCKAY
I know you'll probably think this sounds ridiculous, but, uh, a little while ago we accidentally opened a rift in space-time—went through to an alternate version of reality. It was very similar to ours in many ways. We met a team, much like the one I work with, only…you were the leader. You were a hero—saved the world several times over.

SHEPPARD
Doesn't sound much like me.

MCKAY
I don't think there's much difference between you…and that other John Sheppard I met. It's amazing how one incident can entirely alter the course of your life. Still, I like to believe you have the same strength of character. That's why I told you the truth.

[McKay walks away.]

SHEPPARD

(calling after him)

What do you want me to say?

MCKAY

(not breaking stride)

For now? Nothing.

EXT—METROPOLITAN POLICE HEADQUARTERS, DAY

INT—SHEPPARD'S OFFICE

[Sheppard packs up his personal effects into a box. He rolls up his Johnny Cash poster and sets it on top. His badge and gun remain on the desk. Captain Hendricks enters.]

HENDRICKS
What's going on?

[Sheppard hands him the box, then pulls out the poster and walks out with it, not looking back.]

EXT—NEVADA ROAD, DAY

[Sheppard drives in his car down the highway. He turns on the radio and listens to Johnny Cash's Solitary Man. While driving he glances down to the bag of cash sitting on the seat beside him. Then he thinks about the events he's learned in the last few days in a series of flashbacks.]

FLASHBACK

MCKAY
It feeds on human energy—literally saps the life out of people using a sucker on their hands.

[The Wraith victim corpse lies in the desert.]

TODD

(voiceover)

Dry as a desert outside.

[The Wraith falls several stories.]

TODD

(voiceover)

No place to go.

MCKAY
He wants to send up a flare signaling the location of Earth to the rest of the Wraith.

TODD
Wraith are never-ending. I know the future.

ZELENKA
But that would require a massive boost.

MCKAY
Yes! He needs more power than he has!

TODD
I'll show you your destiny, John Sheppard.

[The corpse lies in the desert.]

[Antifreeze is on the desert floor.]

[Sheppard finds the money.]

[There is an antifreeze puddle in the motel parking lot.]

[Sheppard imagines the fluid leaking from the killer's vehicle.]

[Sheppard watches the Wraith walk towards a trailer from his stakeout point.]

END FLASHBACKS

[Sheppard sharply spins the car around and heads back the way he came at high speed.]

INT—AREA 51 WAR ROOM

[Zelenka types at a computer while McKay briefs Woolsey behind him.]

MCKAY
Recalibrating the scanners to look for similar isotopes at maximum sensitivity just shows us huge patches of radioactive desert.

WOOLSEY
From forty-year-old nuclear testing.

ZELENKA
Yeah, we're talking about hundreds of square miles.

MCKAY

(sighing)

It's like a needle in a haystack.

ZELENKA
Or he could've abandoned whatever resources he had and just gone into hiding.

MCKAY

(scornfully)

Oh, yes. He probably got a job as a Klingon at Star Trek: The Experience.

WOOLSEY

(sadly)

That shut down.

ZELENKA

(disappointed)

Really? Damn. I wanted to see that.

[Harriman approaches.]

HARRIMAN
Doctor McKay, there's a call for you. John Sheppard.

[McKay scrambles for a phone.]

MCKAY

(into phone)

Hello?

SHEPPARD

(over phone)

I found him.

MCKAY

(to others)
He thinks he's found him!
(into phone)

How?

EXT—NEVADA DESERT, DAY

[The conversation continues between McKay's location and Sheppard, where he's speaking on his cell phone.]

[Sheppard looks at a trailer sitting below large power lines.]

SHEPPARD
I remembered the trailer from the motel. It's one of those old Silver Bullets. It's just a hunch. You said he needed more power. So, I drove along some of the more remote power lines into the city.

INT—AREA 51 WAR ROOM

[McKay snaps at Harriman.]

MCKAY

(to Harriman)

Harriman, he's going to tap into the grid.

[Harriman moves to a terminal.]

WOOLSEY

(to Harriman)

We should have John Sheppard's coordinates.

INT—WRAITH TRAILER

[The Wraith sits at a combination of Wraith and Earth technology. He types on a keyboard, then moves one lever, powering something. He has repaired his make-up and appears semi-human again.]

INT—AREA 51 WAR ROOM

MCKAY

(into phone, concerned and insistent)

Listen to me. I know what I said, but do not engage. Do you hear me?

[He only hears static. He stares worriedly at the phone.]

INT—SHEPPARD'S CAR

[Sheppard hears static. He checks his cell phone and sees the display reads "No Service".]

SHEPPARD
Oh, crap.

INT—WRAITH TRAILER

[The Wraith activates more controls.]

EXT—NEVADA SKY, DAY

[Two A-10 Thunderbolt (aka Warthog) ground attack aircraft, already airborne, turn sharply back toward Sheppard's location.]

INT—AREA 51 WAR ROOM

HARRIMAN
ETA to target…three minutes.

INT—WRAITH TRAILER

[The Wraith powers another lever.]

EXT—NEVADA DESERT, DAY

[Sheppard slowly drives toward the trailer.]

INT—WRAITH TRAILER

[The Wraith hears Sheppard approach. He goes to a closet.]

EXT—NEVADA DESERT, DAY

[Sheppard opens his glovebox and pulls out a pistol, checking the magazine is loaded and cocking the gun. He gets out of the car and cautiously approaches. A shot comes through the window. Sheppard looks down; he has been shot in the left upper chest. He turns and runs for cover behind his car. More automatic weapon fire riddles the car. Sheppard empties his gun at the trailer, then scrambles for a spare magazine in the glove box. The Wraith exits the trailer, automatic rifles in each hand. Sheppard continues to shoot, hitting the Wraith but having no effect on him. Sheppard eventually collapses, sitting up against the tire, his torso bloody from the bullet wound. The Wraith rounds the vehicle. Sheppard half-heartedly tries to fire, but his gun has been long emptied. The Wraith drops his guns and flexes his feeding hand, which is gloved. Sheppard resignedly takes off his glasses. The A-10 jets approach. The Wraith sees them and runs back to his trailer.]

INT—WRAITH TRAILER

[Panicked, the Wraith activates his controls to full force.]

EXT—NEVADA DESERT, DAY

[Sheppard looks around as if trying to see what's going on. An energy pulse emanates outward from the trailer and across the desert.]

INT—AREA 51 WAR ROOM

HARRIMAN
We have widespread power outages being reported across the state.

ZELENKA
Daedalus is transmitting new sensor data.

MCKAY
Got it! Massive subspace event. Ten times the size of power of an active Stargate and getting stronger. The scope increases the longer it stays active.

WOOLSEY
What is it?

MCKAY

(worried)

It's a transmission…coded in Wraith. I'm working on it.

HARRIMAN

(to Woolsey)

Target has been acquired, sir.

WOOLSEY
Take it out.

EXT—NEVADA DESERT, DAY

[The A-10s swoop low over the trailer, firing their 30mm nose-mounted gatling guns at it. Inside the trailer, the Wraith screams his defiance. The weapons fire hits the target. The trailer explodes while Sheppard stays in the semi-protected cover of his car. The jets turn sharply and fly away.]

INT—AREA 51 WAR ROOM

HARRIMAN

(excited)

We have a direct hit! Target has been neutralized.

ZELENKA
Transmission has ceased.

MCKAY

(disturbed)

It contained the location of Earth.

WOOLSEY
Is there a chance it reached Pegasus?

MCKAY

(sighing)

No.

ZELENKA
Rodney, I've seen this energy signature before.

MCKAY
I know. It looks like the device tore a small hole in the space-time continuum.

WOOLSEY
Do you think that was intended?

MCKAY
No. It couldn't have been. Most of the energy meant to carry the Wraith transmission went through the rift.

WOOLSEY
To where?

ZELENKA
Well, there's no way to know for sure.

MCKAY
Other realities.

WOOLSEY

(sighing)

I'm sorry, but I only care about us right now.

MCKAY
If John Sheppard hadn't found that Wraith when he did, that transmission definitely would've made it through to Pegasus. He saved our asses.

ZELENKA
Yes, but that transmission would've been stronger in any other reality exposed to the rift.

MCKAY

(worried)

They could be in a lot of trouble right now.

EXT—NEVADA DESERT, DUSK

[Debris from the trailer explosion litters the area, some still on fire. Sheppard stumbles away from his car and tries to walk, but only gets a few steps before collapsing. He rolls onto his back, grimaces for a moment, then relaxes as if resigned to dying. He lies staring at the sky as Johnny Cash's "Solitary Man" plays.]

FADE OUT

END CREDITS

Transcribed for Solutions by Aurora Novarum, January 2009.

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--Michelle 18:47, 2 January 2009 (PST)