4.17 "Absolute Power" Transcript

4.17 "Absolute Power"

Episode Guide

• 4.17 "Absolute Power" Episode Guide

Précis

When a "chosen" boy found on the planet Abydos is brought to SGC, he sends a telepathic message, causing Daniel Jackson's personality to undergo disturbing changes. Will the rest of SG-1 be able to solve the mystery of the boy's origin before Jackson becomes a power-hungry warmonger?

Guide | Transcript

Transcript

TEASER

EXT—ABYDOS, OUT IN THE DESERT

[Carter, O'Neill, Daniel, Teal'c and Kasuf are walking in the sand.]

O'NEILL
Yeah, Kasuf. About this voice that spoke to you?

KASUF
Yes. It spoke the name of my daughter, may she rest in peace. I'm not the only one who heard it. Many fear it is a sign that the gods are returning.

O'NEILL
I thought we'd finally convinced you and your people that the Goa'uld were not gods.

KASUF
I said many, not I. But it is easy to understand. In the days of Ra, when he returned from a journey, a great storm would blow through the desert.

O'NEILL
It's just wind. Wind happens.

CARTER
We're talking about a wind that blew out of an active Stargate.

DANIEL
And formed a sandstorm.

KASUF
You forget it said the name Sha're.

O'NEILL
Ahh, well, it's not like a burning bush or anything.

KASUF
I have seen many bushes burn.

O'NEILL
S'pose you have.

KASUF
It is not far now.

KASUF
Here.

DANIEL
There's nothing here.

O'NEILL
Nice light breeze.

KASUF
This is where I heard the voice.

CARTER
I'm getting a build up of static electricity, Sir.

CHILD'S VOICE
Daniel. Daniel.

DANIEL
Anybody else just hear that?

CARTER
I think so.

KASUF
Look.

[A sandstorm blows up in front of them in a column.]

O'NEILL
Now that's impressive.

CHILD'S VOICE
Daniel.

O'NEILL
Daniel? Try to keep it in Kansas, huh.

DANIEL
I was just trying to. I'm Daniel. Who's calling?

[A boy, Shifu, appears as the sand storm vanishes. He walks towards Daniel.]

SHIFU
I am Shifu. I am Harcesis.

OPENING TITLES

EXT—ABYDOS, THE VILLAGE

[Daniel walks out of a tent towards Carter, O'Neill and Teal'c who are sitting at a table.]

DANIEL
Well, I think that he is the Harcesis.

CARTER
How is that possible?

DANIEL
I'm not sure. He says he grew like the weeds.

TEAL'C
Apophis sired the child to be his next host. It is possible that he used Goa'uld technology to manipulate the boy's body to mature quickly.

DANIEL
We know that's possible.

TEAL'C
Does he speak of the knowledge passed onto him by Ammonet and Apophis?

DANIEL
He says Oma taught him to forget.

O'NEILL
Oma?

DANIEL
The alien we encountered on Kheb. Mother Nature.

CARTER
Guess that explains the tornado.

DANIEL
Shifu says he came to Abydos to learn more about his mother.

O'NEILL
Shi-fu?

DANIEL
His name. It means light.

CARTER
I think we should have Dr. Fraiser to have a look at him. If he's been altered to grow quickly, it could still be happening.

O'NEILL
Do you think it's wise to bring him back?

DANIEL
I don't think he's a danger.

O'NEILL
What about his stepmom? Is she coming along?

DANIEL
He says that ultimately a man travels his chosen path alone.

O'NEILL
Smart kid. Get a message to Hammond. Let him know who we're bringing.

INT—SGC, GATE ROOM

[O'Neill, Teal'c, Carter, Daniel and Shifu walk down the ramp. Hammond is waiting to greet them.]

DANIEL
Shifu. This is General Hammond. He's the leader of this facility.

HAMMOND
Welcome to Earth.

SHIFU
A spark lights a flame but the candle will only burn as long as the wick.

O'NEILL
If I may, Sir. I think what he means is the wick is the centre of the candle and ostensibly a great leader like yourself is essential to the whole ball of wax. Basically what it means is, that's it's always better to have a big long wick. Right?

DANIEL
Don't look at me.

[Daniel leads Shifu out of the Gate room.]

O'NEILL
It's right though. Right?

INT—SGC, INFIRMARY

FRAISER
Okay. Now I'm going to take a little bit of your blood with that needle.

SHIFU
Will you return it to me when you are done?

FRAISER
I'm afraid I can't. You see I have to do some tests on it and then it just won't be very good after that.

SHIFU
Leaves fall from the tree once a year but the tree still grows strong and proud.

DANIEL
Go ahead.

FRAISER
Okay.

INT—SGC, BRIEFING ROOM

[Daniel, Fraiser, O'Neill and Teal'c are seated around the table. Hammond joins them.]

HAMMOND
Doctor?

FRAISER
Sir, I found traces of the same nanocyte technology that once prematurely aged Colonel O'Neill. Now I've had them analysed by some of the foremost experts in the field and they say that they appear to be inactive.

O'NEILL
So they shut themselves off already?

FRAISER
Well, it's possible the boy has already reached the preprogrammed age.

DANIEL
Or Oma figured out a way to stop it.

HAMMOND
Either way, we can assume he's in no immediate physical danger?

FRAISER
Yes Sir.

HAMMOND
What about the information this boy apparently knows? What exactly can he tell us?

TEAL'C
He is born with the genetic memory of all Goa'uld who came before him.

O'NEILL
So the kid should know everything Apophis knew when he…

DANIEL
Fathered the boy.

O'NEILL
That.

HAMMOND
That must be an awfully big burden for a young child to carry.

TEAL'C
That is why all Goa'uld are born evil.

DANIEL
It also explains why a benevolent being like Oma Desala would help the boy to bury those memories in his subconscious so he could lead a normal life.

[Carter walks in.]

CARTER
Sir, we've received word from the Tok'ra.

O'NEILL
Oh did we really have to call them?

HAMMOND
We have a treaty with them Colonel, specifically mentioned is the full exchange of all sources of potential information pertaining to the Goa'uld.

CARTER
They say they can use the memory recall device to extract information from Shifu without harming him physically.

FRAISER
What about mentally?

DANIEL
Ahh what about emotionally? I mean think about what we'd be exposing him to. We'd be flooding his mind with the thoughts of a thousand Hitlers. One of whom happened put a snake in the head of his mother. Look I realise we're talking about protecting Earth and potentially eliminating the Goa'uld entirely but…

HAMMOND
It seems to me the boy is fairly wise well beyond his years in fact. Isn't it possible he might comprehend the situation if you explained it to him?

DANIEL
Well I guess so but I doubt he'd be willing to remember. And even if he is how can we ask him to?

CARTER
Well if he forgot once, maybe he could forget again?

INT—SGC, VIP ROOM

[Shifu and Daniel are talking.]

SHIFU
She spoke to you through the Goa'uld hand device?

DANIEL
Yes.

SHIFU
She was strong.

DANIEL
In those moments as Ammonet tried to kill me it felt like I lived a lifetime.

SHIFU
Like a dream.

DANIEL
Yes.

SHIFU
Dreams teach.

DANIEL
Sometimes. In this one I got the chance to say goodbye and your mother told me how important you were.

SHIFU
Oma teaches the true nature of a man is decided in the battle between his conscious mind and the desires of the subconscious. Oma teaches the evil my subconscious is too strong to resist and the only way to win is to deny it battle.

DANIEL
Yeah, see the thing is we can't deny the battle against the Goa'uld forever. The information contained within your buried memories could really help us.

SHIFU
You have chosen a path that leads to me because of this?

DANIEL
Yes.

SHIFU
You must release your burden before you will find your own way again.

DANIEL
Yeah someone else once said that to me. Thing is, this is my way. I chose this path to honour Sha're's strength and ultimately it isn't just about me. Or you for that matter.

SHIFU
I understand.

DANIEL
The Tok'ra have a way to help you remember only certain things. How the Goa'uld technology works, their weaknesses. And then afterwards maybe Oma can help you forget again.

SHIFU
If the instrument is broken, the music will be sour.

DANIEL
The music does not play the musician.

SHIFU
Normally there is truth in that.

DANIEL
Really? Good. Cause I really didn't have any idea what I was talking about. All I know is this is very important or I wouldn't ask.

[Shifu raises his palm out to Daniel. He reaches out to touch his fingertips to Daniel's forehead. A light shines from his fingers. Daniel falls to the floor, unconscious.]

INT—SGC, INFIRMARY

[Daniel is lying on a bed. He opens his eyes. Fraiser picks up the phone.]

FRAISER
Colonel? He's awake.

DANIEL
What happened?

FRAISER
I was going to ask you the same thing. You were talking to the boy and then you suddenly collapsed.

[Focus on Daniel. Flash of some technology, maybe a weapon or a mother ship. O'Neill enters.]

O'NEILL
Hey! How're you feeling?

DANIEL
Fine, I'm fine.

O'NEILL
Er…Listen, what happened with the kid in there?

DANIEL
I asked him for something. Anything that could help us fight the Goa'uld.

O'NEILL
Yeah?

DANIEL
And I think he gave it to me.

INT—SGC, DANIEL'S OFFICE

[Carter and Daniel are in front of a blackboard. Daniel is explaining a chalk drawing.]

DANIEL
These are the long-range sensors.

CARTER
I don't know what to ask first.

DANIEL
Well, the translation may be a little off. Everything in my head is actually in Goa'uld.

CARTER
Where does it get its power from?

DANIEL
Liquid naquada fuel cell here.

CARTER
Liquid naquada?

DANIEL
Well, actually, it's heavy liquid naquada, but don't ask me what makes it heavy—at least not yet.

CARTER
Daniel this…You okay?

DANIEL
Yeah, it's just that strange things just keep flagging in my mind. I'm sorry, what were you saying?

CARTER
Just that this is unbelievable.

DANIEL
I know.

INT—SGC, HAMMOND'S OFFICE

[Carter puts a piece of paper with drawings on it down in front of Hammond. Carter and Daniel are standing in front of Hammond's desk]

HAMMOND
What is it?

CARTER
I guess you could call it a satellite, Sir. According to Daniel it would be capable of detecting approaching Goa'uld ships thousands of light-years away. Its weapons systems could penetrate Goa'uld shield technology and destroy mother ships. Basically, Sir, it's the basis of the perfect anti-Goa'uld defence system.

DANIEL
Of course, we'd need to build an entire network of them and launch them into orbit.

HAMMOND
Can we do that?

CARTER
Well, Sir, this is an entirely new kind of technology. We'd need to bring in outside help. A lot of it. Engineers, physicists…

DANIEL
But ultimately it means we don't have to involve the Tok'ra.

HAMMOND
Why not?

DANIEL
At the moment, the Goa'uld don't care what we're up to—we're no immediate threat. But if it gets out that we've advanced to this level of technology, we wouldn't be able to build this defence system fast enough.

HAMMOND
You think the Tok'ra would betray us?

DANIEL
Maybe not intentionally, but they've had problems with Goa'uld spies before. I don't think it's worth the risk—not when we can do this without them.

HAMMOND
I'll take that into consideration. What about the boy?

DANIEL
Well, he doesn't have to remember anything now. He's given me all the knowledge we need.

HAMMOND
How he did that is what concerns me.

DANIEL
He's no danger, Sir.

HAMMOND
Still, as long as he's here he should be kept under close guard. I'll talk to the Pentagon about bringing in some more personnel to help you out.

INT—SGC, DANIEL'S OFFICE

[Daniel is working in front of the blackboard. Teal'c enters.]

TEAL'C
Daniel Jackson.

DANIEL
Teal'c.

TEAL'C
I was unable to complete my kel'no'reem. What is of such importance that I should be summoned here immediately?

[Focus on Daniel. Flash to Teal'c in Jaffa uniform bowing in front of him.]

DANIEL
Umm, what's this mean?

TEAL'C
I believe the closest translation would be subatomic energy particles.

DANIEL
That's what I thought. Thank you. That's it. You can go back to whatever you were doing.

[Teal'c leaves.]

INT—SGC, BRIEFING ROOM

[Daniel is giving a presentation. Hammond, Carter, Davis and two officials are seated around the table.]

DANIEL
Bottom line is, it's going to require the entire resources of the entire SGC to focus on the retrieval of raw naquada for the time being.

CARTER
Well, if we ask the Tok'ra for help…

DANIEL
Major Davis, you've prepared a budget and timetable based on the data?

DAVIS
The Pentagon had budgeted the construction and launch of the satellite network at $80 billion, estimated time of completion to be two years after the start date.

DANIEL
That's unacceptable.

DAVIS
Well, if we involve the Russians in a cooperative effort…

DANIEL
No.

DAVIS
I'm sorry?

DANIEL
I said no.

DAVIS
The Russian government has agreed to stop using their Stargate on the condition we share all information gathered by the SGC. Now we have to tell them.

DANIEL
No we don't.

DAVIS
But…

DANIEL
It's okay. I have a way of rendering their Gate inactive.

CARTER
You do?

DAVIS
That's really not the point.

DANIEL
The point is we don't know if the Russians are turning round and trading those secrets. This project is too important to get screwed up by petty Earth politics. We're talking about protecting this entire planet from Goa'uld occupation.

DAVIS
I imagine that several of the so-called petty nations of this planet are going to be very curious when we start launching satellite weapons into orbit two years from now.

DANIEL
One year from now.

DAVIS
That's impossible. It would double the cost.

DANIEL
Then it's not impossible, is it? Obviously most of the workload will have to contracted out to the private sector so they'll have to be a strategic division of labour in order to maintain the security of the project. Major Davis, if you could also see to this.

DAVIS
What is this?

DANIEL
Just a few personal requirements. I'm sure the Pentagon will be happy to provide me with given the nature of my continued contributions. Please see that it gets approved as soon as possible. Gentlemen.

[Daniel leaves.]

DAVIS
Personal requirements?

INT—DANIEL'S OFFICE

[O'Neill enters. Daniel is wearing a Goa'uld ribbon device.]

O'NEILL
Hey! What's going on? What are you doing?

DANIEL
I know exactly how this works now, but you need naquada in your blood or you can't make it do anything.

O'NEILL
Have you considered that maybe that's a good thing?

DANIEL
Something on your mind?

O'NEILL
Your behaviour, as a matter of fact.

DANIEL
What about it?

O'NEILL
Well, for starters, who gave you the authority to give orders around here?

DANIEL
Actually, the Pentagon. Look, maybe I haven't exactly been patient lately, but I'm just doing what has to be done. I have the knowledge; I have to make sure it gets used properly. Now I can elevate us to the point of wiping out the Goa'uld or I can watch it all go to waste.

O'NEILL
You're under a lot of pressure, I understand.

DANIEL
I recommended you to oversee the entire naquada retrieval operation.

O'NEILL
Oh yeah, thank you very much by the way. I can either accept the position or retire!

DANIEL
Why aren't you behind me on all this? I mean, I'm finally taking your position. Let's build weapons. Let's kick some Goa'uld ass. Because it's me saying it, I'm suddenly a bad guy?

O'NEILL
Where's Teal'c?

[Focus on Daniel. Flash to Daniel using the ribbon device to blast O'Neill across the room into the wall.]

DANIEL
He's on a mission.

O'NEILL
What mission?

DANIEL
The one I sent him on.

O'NEILL
When's he going to be back?

DANIEL
When he's done. Jack, I've got a lot of work to do and so do you. So, please help me, or leave.

[O'Neill leaves.]

INT—A GOA'ULD PALACE LIT WITH FLAMING TORCHES

[Two Jaffa guards drag in Apophis.]

APOPHIS
Please have mercy. I beg you.

[A ribbon device is activated above his head. Apophis cries out. It is revealed that Daniel is standing over him using the ribbon device.]

INT—DANIEL'S BEDROOM IN A MANSION, ONE YEAR LATER

[Daniel rises from bed. He looks out of the window and sees Carter in a car below. She is being allowed through the gates to the mansion by security guards]

EXT—MANSION

[Carter drives through the gates and parks in the driveway.]

INT—MANSION CORRIDOR

[Daniel steps out of his bedroom to be greeted by a female ASSISTANT.]

ASSISTANT
Good morning, Dr. Jackson. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs is already waiting for your 0900 briefing. You also have a message from Carl Smith at NASA regarding the AG's dispersement mechanism.

DANIEL
Are they on schedule yet?

ASSISTANT
No.

DANIEL
Unbelievable.

ASSISTANT
And Major Carter is here to see you.

DANIEL
Send her away.

[They walk down a staircase into an entrance hall with security guards.]

DANIEL
And find out why she still has a valid security pass.

ASSISTANT
Right away, Dr. Jackson.

SECURITY GUARD
Good morning, Dr. Jackson.

INT—THE MANSION

[Daniel walks into the dining room.]

WOMAN
Morning, Sir.

[The woman hands Daniel a sheet of paper.]

MAID
What can I make for you this morning, Dr. Jackson?

DANIEL
I'm not hungry.

MAID
Of course.

[Shifu is seated at the table eating Froot Loops.]

SHIFU
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

DANIEL
Oma teach you that?

SHIFU
Television.

DANIEL
Glad I've been such a positive influence.

[Carter pushes her way in followed by security.]

CARTER
Daniel!

ASSISTANT
I'm sorry, Dr. Jackson, she insisted.

DANIEL
It's okay.

CARTER
You can't seriously think you're going to get away with this?

DANIEL
What are you talking about, Sam?

CARTER
What you're doing—what you've got planned. That's why you had me removed from the project. You knew I'd figure it out eventually.

DANIEL
I relieved you of your responsibilities because you were starting to crack under the pressure. You seem to have lost all perspective. Quite frankly, I think your jealousy finally got the best of you.

CARTER
Jealousy? I'll tell you why it's hard to maintain perspective, Daniel. Strategic division of labour. All in an effort to stop anyone from seeing the big picture.

[Focus on Daniel. Flash of Carter being tortured with a Goa'uld pain stick.]

DANIEL
What exactly do you think you've figured out, Sam?

CARTER
You know damn well what I'm talking about.

[Carter looks at Shifu]

CARTER
What have you done to him?

DANIEL
You leave him out of this.

CARTER
Can't you see what you've become?

DANIEL
I didn't change, Sam. You did.

CARTER
You can't stop me from telling people what's really going on. They'll listen. You'll never get away with this.

[Carter is dragged out of the by security.]

ASSISTANT
Is she insane?

[Daniel nods.]

INT—JAIL CELLS

[O'Neill is shown in by a guard. He approaches a cell. Carter is inside.]

CARTER
Sir, thank you for coming.

O'NEILL
What are you doing, Carter?

CARTER
I'm trying to do what's right. I have talked to everyone I know. No one's answering my calls, responding to my emails, even my letters.

O'NEILL
Because they think you're nuts.

CARTER
What do you think?

O'NEILL
We're talking about Daniel here. Sometimes he can be a little odd. Every once in a while he gets carried away, but he's not going to do anything to jeopardise the entire planet.

CARTER
I'm not so sure, Sir.

O'NEILL
There are a lot of very smart people who believe in this.

CARTER
He's got them brainwashed.

O'NEILL
Carter!

CARTER
What about Teal'c? You don't still blame Daniel for that?

O'NEILL
I couldn't prove anything. Can you?

CARTER
No. I just have my opinion. But that used to be worth something to you.

O'NEILL
Look, Carter, you helped Daniel create these weapons.

CARTER
I know.

O'NEILL
Well, you couldn't stop it—what do you expect me to do?

CARTER
Talk to him.

INT—A CONTROL ROOM

[Daniel is watching the conversation on a huge monitor.]

CARTER
Sir, you have to try. Somebody has to stop him before it's too late.

INT—MANSION LOUNGE

[O'Neill is standing in front of a fireplace. He's playing with some flowers when one falls to the floor. Daniel enters. O'Neill picks up the flower and quickly puts it back into the arrangement.]

DANIEL
Jack. Nice to see you.

O'NEILL
You too. It's been a while huh? I love the place.

O'NEILL
Love what you've done with it.

DANIEL
I'm sorry I haven't kept in touch.

O'NEILL
Ahh, you've been busy.

DANIEL
Yeah. Well the truth is we couldn't have done any of this without your help and I probably should have been more appreciative.

O'NEILL
The fruit basket was nice.

DANIEL
Can't be a coincidence you showed up here on the day of the launch.

O'NEILL
Is that today?

DANIEL
Yeah, it was supposed to be top secret.

O'NEILL
Who knew?

DANIEL
You want to stay and watch?

O'NEILL
You got a big screen?

DANIEL
Come here.

O'NEILL
Why?

DANIEL
You'll see.

O'NEILL
What?

[A ring transporter comes up from the floor and O'Neill and Daniel vanish inside it.]

INT—CONTROL ROOM/BUNKER

[The ring transporter puts O'Neill and Daniel inside.]

DANIEL
Elevators are such a pain in the ass.

[The bunker is lined with monitors. There are controllers standing at consoles. Daniel crosses to a control chair and sits down.]

VOICE OVER SPEAKER
Tertiary systems are on line.

DANIEL
What do you think?

CONTROLLER 1
Commence calibration of primary sensor arrays in 5, 4, 3, 2…

O'NEILL
It's cool. Kind of like Vegas.

DANIEL
Actually, we've got three-to-one odds in favour of the launch going off without a hitch.

O'NEILL
Hey, I'll take some of that action.

DANIEL
Put Colonel O'Neill down for a hundred.

CONTROLLER 2
Got it.

O'NEILL
Dollars, right?

DANIEL
I'm glad you're here, Jack. After what happened to Teal'c I thought I'd never see you again.

O'NEILL
Ahh, ancient history. Besides, I didn't want to miss watching you save the world.

DANIEL
Yeah, actually Sam thinks I'm trying to take it over.

O'NEILL
Oh, how arch.

DANIEL
Yeah.

O'NEILL
So you threw her in jail, huh?

DANIEL
She was getting dangerous. You think the military didn't take all kinds of precautions to make sure I couldn't just control everything.

O'br/> Ahh, so what is all this?

DANIEL
Basically a big-screen TV so we can watch and fix things if it goes wrong.

CONTROLLER 3
Dr. Jackson? The chairman of the Joint Chiefs is on channel 1.

[General Vidrine appears on a monitor.]

VIDRINE
Congratulations, Dr. Jackson. We've all worked very hard for this day.

DANIEL
Thank you, and congratulations to you.

VIDRINE
We're a go for launch. Commencing twenty-second countdown.

MALE CONTROLLER
All systems are go. The clock is running.

DANIEL
We've got twenty-four delivery systems all launching concurrently. Each one is carrying twelve AG3s that will disperse once they reach orbit.

[On the big screen, there is a rocket ready for launch.]

MALE CONTROLLER
5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Ignition. We have liftoff.

[On the screen the rocket launches.]

CONTROLLER 2
Switching to dispersement tracking system. Dispersement in progress.

[On the screen, we see the Earth from orbit]

EXT—SPACE, JUST ABOVE EARTH

[The rocket is reaching orbit.]

INT—CONTROL ROOM

CONTROLLER 3
AG monitoring system coming on line.

MALE CONTROLLER
All systems are funtioning. The network is in place.

DANIEL
That's it. Pay the winners.

[Daniel pops the cork on a champagne bottle and pours a glass. He offers it to O'Neill, who declines.]

DANIEL
You sure? It's $2 thousand a bottle.

O'NEILL
No, thanks.

DANIEL
Come on, Jack, you're about to become an international hero.

O'NEILL
How do you mean?

DANIEL
Well, now that we have a way of defending ourselves against the Goa'uld, the president is going to make the Stargate's existence public knowledge.

MALE CONTROLLER
Dr. Jackson?

[A reporter appears on the big screen.]

REPORTER
I'm Amy Jenson, live on Capitol Hill. The president has postponed his public address amid speculation that an international crisis is developing over the top-secret launch of what has been called a new cutting-edge satellite communications network. No official statement from the White House yet. However, we assume a statement is forthcoming.

[Daniel goes to the control chair, and Vidrine appears on the big screen.]

DANIEL
What's going on?

VIDRINE
The Russians have gone on high alert. The Chinese are following suit. The Russians are repositioning one of their antisatellite weapons. Looks like they're going to try and take out one of our AG3s.

DANIEL
Did they respond to the statement?

VIDRINE
The Russian parliament considers the secret development and deployment of this new alien technology weapons system to be a direct violation of prior agreements to share all information garnered through the Stargate programme. Unless control of this system is relinquished immediately, it will be considered an act of aggression and will be responded to as such.

DANIEL
That's pretty much what we expected.

VIDRINE
Yes.

DANIEL
Then my advice to the president would be we have to demonstrate what we are capable of.

VIDRINE
I have suggested that to him already, and the president agrees.

MALE CONTROLLER
Receiving authorisation to target Russian satellite.

[On the screen, we see a targeting system.]

MALE CONTROLLER
We have target lock. System is firing.

EXT—SPACE

[Two pyramid-shaped weapons aim and fire at a satellite.]

INT—CONTROL BUNKER

MALE CONTROLLER
Target has been eliminated.

VIDRINE
Very effective. Everyone here is very impressed.

DANIEL
Let's hope the Russians are as well.

VIDRINE
We predicted their next step would be to launch more anti-satellite weapons, and that's exactly what they're doing. I'm sure they're moving rockets into position as we speak.

DANIEL
And your next step?

VIDRINE
We're preparing a proportional response. I'm recommending we take out their launch site.

DANIEL
This is all leading to a full-scale nuclear attack, though, isn't it?

VIDRINE
Unless we comply with their demands, yes, that would be a high probability.

DANIEL
Shouldn't we just nip this in the bud?

VIDRINE
Given our new ability to defend ourselves, we don't see the need to jump the gun. The president is currently rethinking our position on unilateral control of the system.

DANIEL
I see.

[Daniel pushes a button. He now has override control of the defence system.]

VIDRINE
Dr. Jackson, what are you doing?

DANIEL
As I suspected, the president is obviously failing to overcome a lack of necessary leadership abilities. So I'm going to have to step in and prevent a global nuclear war.

[O'Neill is sitting on a raised platform watching the events.]

VIDRINE
You're not supposed to be able to do this. You can't do this.

DANIEL
I've already done this. This bunker is well protected. Don't even think about sending a cruise missile our way.

VIDRINE
Dr. Jackson!

[Daniel turns off the communication.]

DANIEL
I don't know about the rest of you, but I've had about enough of that guy.

[O'Neill stands up.]

O'NEILL
Daniel. What are you doing?

DANIEL
Proportional response only makes sense when the playing field is even. We have a distinct advantage here. Problem is the other side just doesn't realise how wide the gap is. What they really need is a visual aid.

MALE CONTROLLER
AG system targeting Moscow.

O'NEILL
Daniel.

DANIEL
Don't worry, there's no threat of residual radiation spreading. It's quick and clean—it's like cutting your enemy's heart out with a scalpel.

[O'Neill pulls out a gun and shoots at Daniel. A Goa'uld force field protects him from the bullets. Daniel looks disappointed.]

DANIEL
Don't you think it was strange you got through security with a loaded gun?

O'NEILL
A little.

DANIEL
You never were that bright.

O'NEILL
No.

EXT—SPACE

[Several weapons all turn to one target.]

O'NEILL
Daniel, think about one thing before you do this. We never proved that kid was a Harcesis.

DANIEL
What are you talking about?

O'NEILL
Everything he put in your head. The Goa'uld have used mind control before.

DANIEL
You think this is some elaborate Goa'uld plot to get me to destroy the world?

O'NEILL
We've seen them use kids too.

DANIEL
They used Shifu to put a bunch of stuff into my head in order to get me to build the weapons, only to eventually turn them on Earth?

O'NEILL
It's possible.

DANIEL
There's only one flaw in that theory. You're assuming this is not what I wanted all along.

O'NEILL
Don't. Don't.

MALE CONTROLLER
System is firing.

[We see Moscow being destroyed.]

MALE CONTROLLER
Target has been eliminated.

[O'Neill and Daniel look at one another.]

FADE TO BLACK

INT—SGC, INFIRMARY

[O'Neill and Fraiser are standing next to a bed. Daniel is still unconscious on the bed.]

O'NEILL
Still nothing?

FRAISER
No. There's nothing physically wrong with him—or at least anything I can find.

O'NEILL
Except for the fact that he's in a coma.

FRAISER
It's not really a coma. He still has rapid eye movement.

INT—SGC, BRIEFING ROOM

[Teal'c, Carter, O'Neill and Hammond are seated around the table. The Tok'ra Aldwin is standing.]

ALDWIN
The fact is, he may not be the Harcesis at all.

HAMMOND
Are you saying this could be some sort of Goa'uld trick?

TEAL'C
As we have seen, General Hammond, the Goa'uld are not above using human children as weapons.

CARTER
Well, all Shifu would say is that he is teaching Daniel.

O'NEILL
So what do we do?

ALDWIN
As you know, the zatarc detector's original purpose was to detect deception. We could at the very least determine whether the boy is actually Harcesis and possibly what he did to Dr. Jackson.

CARTER
Basically a lie detector test.

ALDWIN
No harm would come to him.

O'NEILL
And what—just hope he doesn't explode in the meantime?

ALDWIN
Hope he really is who he says he is.

HAMMOND
Maybe help Dr. Jackson?

INT—SGC, LAB

[Carter carefully straps Shifu into the detector chair. Teal'c is present. O'Neill and Hammond watch from the observation room.]

CARTER
It's just a precaution. I had this done to me once and I had to wear them too.

SHIFU
The mind is always free.

[Aldwin holds the memory disk next to Shifu's head.]

ALDWIN
This will hurt a little. After that I promise you will feel no pain. I will merely ask you some questions.

SHIFU
Questions are plentiful. Answers are few.

ALDWIN
We'll try and keep it simple. Ready?

[Aldwin goes to the machine.]

ALDWIN
Direct your vision here. First question, what is your name?

SHIFU
Shifu.

ALDWIN
Are you Harcesis?

SHIFU
I am many things.

ALDWIN
Do you possess the genetic knowledge passed on to you by Apophis?

SHIFU
Yes.

CARTER
What did you do to Daniel?

SHIFU
Dreams sometimes teach. I am teaching him.

CARTER
Teaching him what?

SHIFU
That the true nature of a man is determined in the battle between his conscious mind and his subconscious and that the evil in my subconscious is too strong to resist.

[Daniel enters.]

DANIEL
The only way to win is to deny it battle.

SHIFU
As Oma teaches.

[Fraiser enters the observation room.]

FRAISER
He woke up a few minutes ago.

DANIEL
One of these days, I'm going to figure out she's worth listening to.

CARTER
What happened?

DANIEL
I was having a dream.

CARTER
About what?

DANIEL
That's not really important. The important thing is it's time I chose a new path.

SHIFU
And it is time for me to continue on mine.

ALDWIN
Wait a minute—if he really is Harcesis…

DANIEL
He is.

ALDWIN
We can still extract some very valuable information from him.

DANIEL
No, you can't.

ALDWIN
I don't understand.

DANIEL
I know.

SHIFU
Thank you for telling me of my mother.

DANIEL
She would have been very proud of you.

SHIFU
Of you as well.

DANIEL
Will I see you again?

SHIFU
All roads eventually lead to the great path.

DANIEL
Eventually.

SHIFU
Many cross on the way.

ALDWIN
What's going on? We're not just going to let him leave?

CARTER
I don't think we have a choice.

[Shifu becomes a light/energy being and floats out of the infirmary. Daniel, Carter and Teal'c follow.]

INT—OBSERVATION ROOM

[Red alert is sounding in the background.]

O'NEILL
General, I highly recommend you order all personnel to stand down and get the heck out of the way.

HAMMOND
Are you sure, Colonel?

O'NEILL
The alternative might not be so pretty.

[O'Neill leaves.]

HAMMOND
What am I supposed to say?

[Hammond speaks into a microphone.]

HAMMOND
All personnel, this is General Hammond. A glowing energy being is headed for Level 28. We believe it is heading for the Gate room. Lower your weapons and do not attempt to intercept it.

INT—CORRIDOR

[SFs lower their weapons as the energy being passes.]

[O'Neill, Carter, Daniel and Teal'c enter the control room. The Gate has dialled and the wormhole is visible.]

TECH DAVIS
The Gate just opened, Sir.

[The light being enters the Gate room. More SFs put down their weapons. On the ramp it solidifies a little into Shifu. Shifu turns and waves at Daniel. Daniel waves back. Shifu goes through the Gate. The Gate shuts down. O'Neill looks at Daniel, who looks upset but peaceful.]

CLOSING CREDITS

Transcript by Kira Rothery, revised by Elfin for Solutions, 07 Mar 03

4.18 "The Light"

TEASER

INT—SGC, CONTROL ROOM

[O'Neill walks down the stairs from the briefing room. Barber and Carter are in the control room, ready to Gate out. In the background the sound of the Gate dialling out.]

TECH

(background)

Chevron 1 encoded.

O'NEILL
Barber. When you get there, give this to Daniel, will you?

BARBER
Sir?

O'NEILL
We had a bet. I lost.

CARTER
What'd you bet on?

TECH

(background)

Chevron 2 encoded.

O'NEILL
Sports related. Just give it to him. He'll know what it means.

BARBER
Yes, Sir.

TECH

(background)

Chevron 3 encoded.

CARTER
What sport?

O'NEILL
Hmm?

CARTER
What sport did you bet on?

O'NEILL
Curling.

CARTER
Daniel bet on curling?

O'NEILL
Oh yes. His team won the big Bonspiel.

CARTER
Okay. You don't want to tell me what the bet is, that's fine.

O'NEILL
Good. Have fun.

TECH

(background)

Chevron 4 encoded.

INT—GATE ROOM

[Barber walks to the base of the ramp.]

TECH

(background)

Chevron 5 encoded.

INT—SGC CORRIDOR

[Carter and O'Neill walk down from the control room along the corridor towards the Gate room.]

CARTER
So, Sir, are you sure you'd rather take the weekend off than come with me to see this place?

O'NEILL
Ahh, you know I get that way when I work my ass off. In fact, I'd have figured you'd want some time off yourself by now.

CARTER
Oh, I do but Daniel says that of all the…That was the bet? Whether or not I'd go? Don't you have anything better to do?

TECH

(background)

Chevron 7 locked.

[Barber starts to run up the ramp.]

O'NEILL
Barber!

[Barber is disintegrated by the wormhole engaging.]

CARTER
Oh my God!

INT—SGC, GATE ROOM

[Daniel and SG-5 walk down the ramp from the Gate. O'Neill is waiting for Daniel.]

DANIEL
Jack, you've got to see this.

O'NEILL
Daniel. There's been an incident.

DANIEL
Yeah, I know, I got your message, but this is really important. There is this light in this amazing…

O'NEILL
Barber's dead.

DANIEL
What?

O'NEILL
Come on.

INT—SGC, BRIEFING ROOM

[O'Neill, Daniel, Carter, Teal'c and Hammond sit around the table.]

HAMMOND
Did Lieutenant Barber show any signs of depression while on the mission?

DANIEL
The opposite. He was fine.

O'NEILL
How long had he been back?

CARTER
Well, he hadn't been even been Earthside for forty-eight hours.

O'NEILL
What was he doing?

TEAL'C
Awaiting the results of a translation with which I was assisting Daniel Jackson.

DANIEL
If you're asking me if he was suicidal, he wasn't. He was fine—he was better than fine. Didn't anyone talk to him or, like, notice anything?

TEAL'C
Nothing.

CARTER
We were all taken by surprise.

DANIEL
Well, so am I. I don't even know what to say.

HAMMOND
We'll continue to investigate what may have compelled him to do what he did, but it's been my experience that these questions often go unanswered.

O'NEILL
Yes, Sir.

HAMMOND
Dr. Jackson, perhaps you can tell us more about this Goa'uld palace you were studying? Dr. Jackson?

DANIEL
Yes. Ahh sorry. Umm…

TEAL'C
Were there any signs of recent Goa'uld activity?

DANIEL
No. I'm pretty sure no one has been there for hundreds of years but there was this room where there was this pedestal which projected this light matrix hologram onto the ceiling and it was…absolutely stunning.

HAMMOND
Any idea to its purpose?

DANIEL
Ideas, yes, but I was hoping this might tell me more.

[Daniel reaches into a case on the table and pulls out a small hand device.]

DANIEL
It's kind of like a Goa'uld hand held computer. When it's turned on, it displays this Goa'uld dialect I've never seen before, and there are similar writings all over the pillars of the palace. I'm thinking or hoping—crossing my fingers, actually—that they're instructions.

TEAL'C
I would be happy to provide further assistance with the translation, Daniel Jackson.

DANIEL
Thank you. I was counting on it.

EXT—STOCK SHOT, MOUNTAIN ENTRANCE, NIGHT

INT—SGC, DANIEL'S OFFICE

[O'Neill enters. Teal'c is sitting at a computer screen. Daniel is restlessly pacing the office.]

O'NEILL
Hey. What're you watching?

TEAL'C
A digital image. I am endeavouring to translate the Goa'uld writings of which Daniel Jackson had spoken.

O'NEILL
How goes the endeavouring?

TEAL'C
Upon a second viewing I have discovered a figure moving in the background. It does not appear to be one of our personnel.

[Daniel slams a book down on the desk and looks at the hand device in frustration. O'Neill and Teal'c look at him suspiciously.]

O'NEILL
He never mentioned anyone else.

DANIEL
What is wrong with this thing? This thing isn't working.

O'NEILL
Did you check the batteries?

DANIEL
I need to go back to the planet and figure out what's going on.

O'NEILL
Hammond suggested we do that tomorrow.

DANIEL
Well, this thing isn't working, and tomorrow isn't good enough.

O'NEILL
Yes, it is.

DANIEL
I'm going to talk to Hammond.

[Daniel walks out.]

O'NEILL
Hey!

[O'Neill goes after Daniel.]

INT—SGC, HAMMOND'S OFFICE

[Daniel is standing leaning on the desk Hammond is seated at. O'Neill is leaning with his back against the wall.]

HAMMOND
Have you slept at all since you returned?

DANIEL
I fail to see what that has to do with anything.

HAMMOND
SG-1 has been hard at it for weeks. I'm not sending you anywhere until you've all had at least a night's sleep.

DANIEL
I'm fine.

HAMMOND
You're physically and mentally exhausted.

DANIEL
I admit I may have been pushing myself a bit, but this device could hold the key to everything about that entire place, and I can't make any more progress on it here.

HAMMOND
You're scheduled to leave tomorrow morning. One more day isn't going to make a difference.

DANIEL
I'm telling you it is.

O'NEILL
Thank you for your time, Sir.

DANIEL
You know, it is beyond my comprehension how anybody like yourself who has so much power can miss the point entirely.

O'NEILL
Hey, knock it off!

HAMMOND
It's all right, Colonel. This letter is to Lieutenant Barber's family explaining that he died in the service of his country. I've spent the last two hours on it. I can't tell them anything about how he died or anything about the work he did here, only that he's gone. Do you get the point?

O'NEILL
Yes, Sir, he does.

HAMMOND
Get him out of here.

[Daniel walks out. O'Neill hesitates, then follows.]

EXT—STOCK SHOT, MOUNTAIN ENTRANCE, DAY

INT—SGC, CONTROL ROOM

[O'Neill, Teal'c and Carter are geared up ready to Gate out.]

HAMMOND
What's the delay?

CARTER
Daniel hasn't reported in this morning, Sir.

HAMMOND
What?

CARTER
I just called him. I think he picked up, but now I just get a busy signal.

HAMMOND
Yesterday he was demanding to leave immediately.

O'NEILL
Maybe I should give him a wake-up call, Sir.

HAMMOND
Sounds to me like he could use one.

EXT—DANIEL'S APARTMENT, TOP FLOOR OF A FOUR-STOREY BLOCK

INT—DANIEL'S APARTMENT

[O'Neill pushes open the front door, which is ajar.]

O'NEILL
Daniel?

[O'Neill walks into the apartment and closes the door behind him. Sound of the busy tone on the phone that is off the hook on the sideboard. Daniel's glasses are there too. sound of the kettle whistling on the stove. O'Neill approaches the kitchen, then turns. The balcony door is open. The apartment seems empty. O'Neill approaches the balcony door and sees Daniel standing out on the ledge, over the rail. Daniel is holding onto the rail leaning forward, looking like he is about to jump. His eyes are closed, and he's dressed casually.]

O'NEILL
Daniel?

[O'Neill steps into the doorway but doesn't go out onto the balcony.]

O'NEILL
What are you doing out here?

DANIEL
None of it means anything.

O'NEILL
Um. Daniel, why don't you come inside here?

DANIEL
I tried. It just goes away.

O'NEILL
Okay. Then we'll get it back.

DANIEL
You can't get it back.

O'NEILL
Whatever's wrong, we'll…we'll fix it.

[Daniel's head is bowed; he's obviously upset.]

DANIEL
You don't even know what I'm talking about.

O'NEILL
No. No I don't. But come inside.

[There's a sudden change. Daniel looks around like he's just woken up.]

DANIEL
Jack?

[O'Neill quickly steps out onto the balcony and grabs Daniel's arm.]

O'NEILL
Yeah.

[O'Neill rubs Daniel's shoulder and arm, holding him there while Daniel looks about, confused.]

INT—SGC, INFIRMARY

[Daniel is lying in a bed, oxygen monitor on his finger, oxygen tubes in his nose, a whole host of monitor wires running up from under his medical gown. He is unconscious. Fraiser is standing behind a computer screen showing a PET scan. O'Neill is standing at the foot of Daniel's bed with Hammond.]

FRAISER
The PET scan reveals his neurological activity is slowing.

O'NEILL
So?

FRAISER
Neurotransmitters relay messages within the body. Too many or too few of these chemicals transmissions can result in anxiety, depression, or a number of emotional or physical disorders.

O'NEILL
Does this have anything to do with Barber's thing?

FRAISER
The remaining members of SG-5 are reporting almost identical symptoms. Yes, it seems almost certain. Now the only good news is that it doesn't seem to be the result of a contagion.

O'NEILL
Well, if it's not a disease, what?

FRAISER
I don't know. Such a drastic shift in levels is generally drug-induced, but all of their systems are void of any foreign substances. Not to mention that preliminary MALP readings of P4X-347 have ruled out all the usual suspects—air, radiation…

O'NEILL
So if we retrace SG-5's tracks we may be able to come up with something?

HAMMOND
I'm afraid so, Colonel, until we get a grasp on in.

O'NEILL
General, we saw the shadow on the video. Now something or someone is affecting these guys.

FRAISER
More than affecting them, Sir. If their brain function continues to fail, they could be facing a worst-case scenario.

O'NEILL
So we go in MOP2, and bring back samples of the usual suspects.

HAMMOND
You've made your case, Colonel. Watch your step.

O'NEILL
Thank you, Sir.

STOCK SHOT, GATE TRAVEL THROUGH THE WORMHOLE

INT—GOA'ULD PALACE

[O'Neill, Teal'c and Carter step through the Gate wearing environmental masks.]

O'NEILL
Well, I can see why Daniel was so hot on this place.

TEAL'C
Indeed.

O'NEILL
What'cha got?

CARTER
The air's fine, just like the MALP indicated. Whatever affected Daniel and SG-5, they didn't breathe it in.

[O'Neill, Carter and Teal'c remove their masks.]

O'NEILL
Okay, watch your step.

[O'Neill, Carter and Teal'c start to look around. They see a shadow moving between the pillars. They approach cautiously. The shadow is a boy.]

CARTER
It's just a kid. Obviously scared to death of us.

[O'Neill, Carter and Teal'c step into a room in which a blue/purple light is being projected from the top of a pedestal over the ceiling and down the walls.]

TEAL'C
I believe this is the room of light of which Daniel Jackson has spoken.

O'NEILL
Really? Carter, what are we looking at here?

CARTER
Ahh, it doesn't seem to be giving off any detectable radiation, other than visible light. I think it's just decorative.

O'NEILL
Safe?

TEAL'C
It is most difficult to believe that something so beautiful could be dangerous, O'Neill.

O'NEILL
No.

[Carter, O'Neill and Teal'c stare at the light, almost hypnotised. O'Neill looks away with some difficulty.]

O'NEILL
Phew. We'll come back to look at it. Let's go.

[O'Neill walks out of the room. Carter and Teal'c remain staring at the light.]

O'NEILL
Hey, let's go.

CARTER
Right. Sorry, Sir.

INT—PALACE CORRIDOR

[O'Neill, Carter, and Teal'c are walking along.]

CARTER
Sir, I'd like to perform a full spectrum analysis on that light.

O'NEILL
Later.

CARTER
I think there might be a relationship between the light and what's happening to Daniel.

O'NEILL
Thought you said it wasn't dangerous?

CARTER
I'm sure it isn't, Sir, it's just…

[Carter approaches a slightly open door, weapon aimed as she peers inside. O'Neill pushes the door open slowly and steps inside the room. Carter and Teal'c follow. O'Neill finds the boy, Loran, hiding behind a pillar.]

O'NEILL
Hi. I'm Jack. And you are…? Nice digs. Kind of remind me of my first apartment. How are the people upstairs?

LORAN
Loran.

O'NEILL
I'm sorry, I don't know what Loran means.

LORAN
It's me.

O'NEILL
Hi, Loran.

LORAN
Jack.

O'NEILL
Yeah. Anyone else live here with you?

LORAN
Mother and father.

O'NEILL
Can you take me to them? I'd like to talk to them.

LORAN
No. They're not here.

O'NEILL
Not in this place? So you're here alone?

LORAN
Yes.

O'NEILL
Well, Loran, some of my people came here a few days ago.

LORAN
I was hiding.

O'NEILL
Yeah, well you hide very well, because they didn't even know you were here. The thing is, when they came home they all got very sick. We'd like to figure out why. Do you know?

[Loran shakes his head no.]

O'NEILL
Okay, well, we're going to have to look around a little more. Maybe you should come along?

CARTER

(voice over radio)

Colonel. General Hammond has activated the Gate and is on the radio.

O'NEILL
All right go ahead. I'll be there. Come on.

INT—MAIN PALACE GATE ROOM

[The MALP camera is activated. Carter and Teal'c are seen coming in to the room by the camera. O'Neill approaches the camera, followed by Loran.]

INT—SGC, CONTROL ROOM.

[Hammond is standing in front of the MALP computer screen.]

HAMMOND
This is Hammond. Come in, Colonel.

[On the screen we see O'Neill and Loran talking.]

LORAN
Where is he?

O'NEILL
He's just sending his voice over the radio through this thing here. We read you, General.

HAMMOND
I see you've made a friend, Colonel.

O'NEILL
Yes, Sir. Loran, General Hammond.

LORAN
He can see me?

HAMMOND
Yes I can, Son.

LORAN
Hi.

O'NEILL
We haven't found anything yet, Sir, but we've only been at it a few minutes.

HAMMOND
It's been well over an hour, Colonel.

O'NEILL
Well, that can't be.

HAMMOND
Jack, I have some bad news. All of SG-5 are dead.

INT—PALACE GATE ROOM

CARTER
Oh, no.

TEAL'C
What of the condition of Daniel Jackson?

INT—SGC, CONTROL ROOM

HAMMOND
Dr. Fraiser's doing everything she can, but I'm afraid he's fallen into a deep coma. We don't know how much time he has left.

INT—SGC, GATE ROOM

[The iris opens and the wormhole engages. O'Neill steps through and walks down the ramp to be greeted by Fraiser and a medic. O'Neill hands Fraiser a large vial.]

O'NEILL
Here are your samples.

FRAISER
Did you get the boy's?

O'NEILL
Yeah, it's in there.

FRAISER
Get this off to the lab.

[Fraiser hands the vial to the medic, who leaves the Gate room.]

O'NEILL
How's he doing?

FRAISER
I'm afraid his condition is unchanged, Sir.

O'NEILL
Okay.

INT—PALACE, THE LIGHT ROOM

[Carter is working, but she is drawn back to stare at the light.]

INT—PALACE, LORAN'S ROOM

[Teal'c is holding a photo of Loran and his Mother and Father.]

TEAL'C
So approximately how long ago was this image recorded?

LORAN
That's my home. Before we came here.

TEAL'C
So your parents brought you here from another world?

LORAN
Yeah. They were explorers. Kind of like you I guess. So they came here then…What was it that we were looking for?

TEAL'C
If you cannot give us an explanation to our friend's illness, we must continue to search for clues as to what may have caused it.

LORAN
Well, none of your friends are in here. Hey, I have to show you something. This was a present from my father on my birthday.

[Loran fetches out a toy phaser weapon. Teal'c draws his zat gun.]

LORAN
No, it's not real.

[Loran offers Teal'c the toy. Teal'c takes it.]

TEAL'C
Children of the Tau'ri also seem to enjoy colourful weapons that have no function.

LORAN
It's fun.

[Teal'c activates the toy. The tip lights up different colours and there is a sound of a phaser.]

TEAL'C
I see. On my home world of Chulak we do not celebrate the anniversary of one's birth.

LORAN
No presents?

TEAL'C
It is a day like any other.

LORAN
Well, how do you know how old you are?

TEAL'C
I am one hundred and one years of age.

LORAN
You don't look that old.

TEAL'C
So I have been told.

LORAN
So when do you turn 102?

TEAL'C
In forty-seven days.

[Teal'c offers the toy back.]

LORAN
Keep it. It's a birthday present.

TEAL'C
I cannot.

LORAN
In forty-seven days you'll be gone. Right? You keep it.

[Teal'c activates the toy again and smiles.]

INT—SGC, INFIRMARY

[Daniel is still unconscious on the bed. The sound of monitors measuring his heart rate and brain functions. O'Neill is sitting on the bed next to Daniel's. Fraiser is checking another patient on a bed behind them. O'Neill gets up and walks to the foot of Daniel's bed. He picks up a medical chart on a metal clip board and slams it down on a trolley, leaning his elbows on the trolley and putting his head in his hands.]

FRAISER
Colonel? Are you all right?

O'NEILL
What kind of dumb-ass question is that? My friend is lying here on his deathbed. I'm fine.

FRAISER
We're working on the problem, Sir.

O'NEILL
I don't want excuses!

FRAISER
Colonel O'Neill, if you don't calm down right now, I will have you removed from my infirmary. Is that clear?

O'NEILL
I'm fine.

FRAISER
Sir, I'd like to recheck your dopamine levels.

O'NEILL
It's happening to me, isn't it?

FRAISER
Let me find out, please.

[O'Neill is lying on a bed. A medic has checked his blood pressure. Hammond approaches.]

FRAISER
Whatever's causing this actually accelerates neural activity in the brain and causes a dopamine- like effect in the body.

O'NEILL
Kind of like drugs.

FRAISER
Only as long as you're on the planet. Shortly after you returned, neural activity begins to decrease and depression results. Bloodwork confirms it.

HAMMOND
Does the boy carry any immunity we could use to our advantage?

FRAISER
No. His bloodwork came back the same. I don't think he'll be able to leave the planet without experiencing the same narcotic withdrawal symptoms.

HAMMOND
But Colonel 'Neill was only on that planet for a little over an hour.

FRAISER
Yes, Sir, this addiction appears to be almost instantaneous.

O'NEILL
You're telling me I'm addicted to that place?

FRAISER
The intensity of your mood swing into depression seems to be proportional to the time you spent on the planet. All we can do is hope that your exposure wasn't long enough for your symptoms to get as bad as they did with Daniel and the others.

O'NEILL
Great. All those years of just saying no.

HAMMOND
Jack, I tried to recall Major Carter or Teal'c. They haven't responded, and I can't risk sending another team.

[Daniel's monitor starts to beep.]

O'NEILL
What's that?

FRAISER
His EEG is sporadic. This is exactly what happened to the members of SG-5 before they died. Sir you're going to have to take him back to the planet.

INT—SGC, CORRIDOR

[Medics, O'Neill and Fraiser are rushing Daniel on a gurney along the corridor.]

FRAISER
Once you're there I'll need you to send me his vital signs every…

[The ECG flatlines.]

FRAISER
He's coding. No time to resuscitate. Let's go!

[They enter the Gate room. The Gate is already active. They stop at the base of the ramp. O'Neill lifts an unconscious Daniel over his shoulders and carries him up the ramp and through the Gate.]

INT—PALACE, GATE ROOM

[O'Neill dumps Daniel on the floor, cradling his head as he follows him down.]

O'NEILL
Daniel. Daniel. Come on, come on. Dammit. Daniel. Let's go, come on.

[O'Neill attempts to revive Daniel by shaking his shoulders and smacking his cheeks.]

O'NEILL
Carter! Teal'c!

[Loran appears from behind a pillar.]

O'NEILL
Where are my friends?

LORAN
With the light.

O'NEILL
Get them for me, will you?

LORAN
They won't come.

O'NEILL
Well, try!

[Daniel starts to come to.]

INT—PALACE, THE LIGHT ROOM

[O'Neill walks in, Loran stays outside.]

LORAN
I'm not allowed to go in there.

[O'Neill shakes Carter, who is standing staring at the light with Teal'c.]

O'NEILL
For God's sake. Carter! Carter, wake up.

CARTER
You're back, Sir! When?

O'NEILL
Teal'c? Teal'c come on. Yeah, come on out of here right now.

INT—PALACE, GATE ROOM

[Daniel is sitting on the Gate platform, arms folded across his knees, head on his arms. O'Neill, Carter and Teal'c enter.]

TEAL'C
Daniel Jackson.

O'NEILL
Yep. Had to bring him back. It was the only thing that was going to keep him alive.

[O'Neill sits down beside Daniel on the platform.]

CARTER
Sir, how long were you gone?

O'NEILL
Few hours. Hammond tried to contact you.

TEAL'C
He did not.

LORAN
He did. I heard his voice.

CARTER
Where were we?

LORAN
In there.

CARTER
I can't explain it, Sir.

O'NEILL
Fraiser thinks we're all addicted to something here that alters our brain chemistry. And dollars to doughnuts, it's that damn light.

CARTER
Oh, I don't see how that's possible.

O'NEILL

(to Loran)

Hey. You knew, didn't you?

LORAN
No.

O'NEILL
That's why you're not allowed in there.

LORAN
My father said I was too young.

O'NEILL
Uh-huh.

CARTER
Sir, if it's the light itself, then how did Daniel recover just by arriving on the planet?

O'NEILL
I don't know, Major, but I want you to find out. Otherwise we're stuck here indefinitely, and that's not acceptable. Ahh, screw it, we're shutting that thing off.

[O'Neill heads out of the room.]

LORAN
No.

O'NEILL
You stay here.

INT—PALACE, THE LIGHT ROOM

[Carter and O'Neill are looking around.]

CARTER
What are we looking for, Sir?

O'NEILL
The off switch. All right, if we can't shut the thing off…we'll…

TEAL'C
O'Neill!

O'NEILL
Aww, man. Damn, that thing's dangerous.

CARTER
My guess is the control mechanism is somewhere inside this pedestal. If we focus our attention, on that we should be all right.

INT—SGC, CONTROL ROOM

[Hammond is standing in front of the MALP computer. We see Daniel on the screen, back in the palace.]

HAMMOND
Glad to see you're alive and well, Dr. Jackson. We thought we'd lost you.

DANIEL
To be honest, I don't really remember much after yelling at you. Sorry about that, by the way.

HAMMOND
That's all right. Is there anything you need?

DANIEL
Glasses. Um, supplies. It looks like we're not going anywhere for a while. And that little remote computer thing I couldn't make work before.

HAMMOND
I'll send it through immediately. Where's Colonel O'Neill?

INT—PALACE, THE LIGHT ROOM

[Daniel walks in.]

DANIEL
Guys, I've figured out how to…

[O'Neill, Carter and Teal'c are standing staring at the light. Daniel activates the hand-held device. The light switches off.]

CARTER
How did you do that?

DANIEL
Remote control.

O'NEILL
I thought that thing was broken.

DANIEL
Yeah, you were right—it was the batteries.

O'NEILL
I was?

DANIEL
At least, I think it draws power from something in the room itself. That's why I couldn't get it to work back on Earth.

O'NEILL
How long were we standing here?

DANIEL
I'm not sure. General Hammond sent some supplies and Loran and I figured out how to translate the writing on this thing, so…

O'NEILL
That long?

DANIEL
Well, perception of time is one of the first things to go when you're…high. From what I've been able to translate so far with Loran's help, the Goa'uld used to use this place as some sort of opium den. The only difference is their symbiotes must have kept the host's mind chemically balanced once they left.

TEAL'C
Then it is most likely I will be able to leave.

O'NEILL
Oh, how nice for you.

CARTER
Wait a minute. If you turned it off, how come I'm not getting depressed?

TEAL'C
Perhaps it will take some time to feel its effects.

O'NEILL
Let's take advantage of that time.

[O'Neill, Carter, Daniel and Teal'c walk through to the palace Gate room.]

O'NEILL
Loran.

LORAN
Jack.

O'NEILL
All right. Where did your parents actually go?

LORAN
Far, far away from here.

O'NEILL
How far? Which direction? Kid's hiding something. Teal'c, Carter, with me.

EXT—A BEACH WITH STATUES LINED UP ALONG IT

O'NEILL
What?

CARTER
I guess the reality that we may never go home is setting in.

O'NEILL
Oh, Hammond'll keep us supplied with everything we'll need until we can figure this out. It's a nice beach.

CARTER
It'd be a good excuse for you, wouldn't it?

O'NEILL
Huh?

CARTER
To do nothing for a while.

O'NEILL
What?

CARTER
Forget it.

O'NEILL
That would be, "Forget it, Sir."

CARTER
Oh, please—you think I'm keeping that up if we're stuck here forever?

O'NEILL
Listen, Major…

CARTER
No way.

O'NEILL
That's "No way, Colonel."

CARTER
I'm supposed to accept that. That's the way it's going to be?

O'NEILL
That's the way it is.

CARTER
What difference does it make? It's not up to you.

O'NEILL
Carter! You're in withdrawal.

CARTER
Oh, I'm in withdrawal?!

O'NEILL
Yes! So am I.

TEAL'C
O'Neill. Major Carter. I believe I have located the parents of Loran.

[Teal'c shows Carter and O'Neill two half-buried skeletons.]

INT—PALACE, GATE ROOM

[Daniel is seated on the platform reading an instruction manual. Loran shows him a photo of his parents on the back of a camera.]

LORAN
That's my mother and father there. That's me.

DANIEL
You were a lot younger there.

LORAN
Yeah, it's old.

DANIEL
Yeah, about that…

LORAN
Hey, can I take an image of you?

DANIEL
Sure.

[Loran takes Daniel's photo.]

LORAN
That's great. I'm sorry that you can't leave.

DANIEL
Are you? I mean it makes sense that you'd want some company. I'm just thinking maybe that's the reason you didn't tell us how dangerous the light was.

LORAN
No.

DANIEL
It's okay, I'm not mad.

LORAN
That's not why.

[O'Neill, Carter and Teal'c enter.]

DANIEL
What's wrong?

O'NEILL
Oh, we're going through that withdrawal thing again.

DANIEL
I felt fine the whole time you were gone.

CARTER
Actually, Sir, I'm starting to feel myself again.

O'NEILL
Me too. What's going on?

CARTER
Well, something other than that light must be affecting us.

TEAL'C
And we must stay in close proximity.

DANIEL
So not only are we stuck here—we're stuck here.

INT—PALACE, THE LIGHT ROOM

[Daniel, O'Neill, Carter, Teal'c and Loran are standing next to the pedestal.]

O'NEILL
Well, it's sure not as much fun to look at with the light off.

TEAL'C
I feel no compulsion to remain here.

CARTER
Sir, I think you're maybe onto something.

O'NEILL
How's that?

CARTER
The light isn't what's affecting our minds—it's just something to take advantage of our altered state of our brain chemistry.

DANIEL
So…entertainment?

CARTER
Probably more than that. The colour and light interaction with our optic nerve probably triggers the chemical responses, but it's not the direct cause of the imbalance.

O'NEILL
What is the cause, then?

CARTER
There must be a hidden device emitting some form of energy or radiation that we can't detect with our instruments.

O'NEILL
All right, Loran. Why doesn't this room seem to affect you?

LORAN
Too young.

O'NEILL
How do you know that?

LORAN
My father told me.

CARTER
It is possible that this place can only affect an adult physiology.

O'NEILL
Fraiser says he's just as addicted as we are.

LORAN
She's right. The light didn't have any affect on me.

O'NEILL
Then what'd it do to your parents? We need to know what this thing does.

LORAN
When they get back, they'll explain.

O'NEILL
They're not coming back! You know that.

LORAN
They are.

O'NEILL
Someone buried those bodies! Now how do you shut that thing off?!

[Loran activates the pedestal and the base lowers to expose a power core.]

O'NEILL
Figure that thing out.

CARTER
Yes, Sir.

INT—PALACE, LORAN'S ROOM

[Loran is sitting looking at his picture of his parents. O'Neill enters and sits next to Loran.]

O'NEILL
Hey. I'm sorry. Nice picture. Your parents?

LORAN
I killed them.

O'NEILL
You did? I find that…What happened?

LORAN
We found this place. All that they would do is stare at that light. All day. The light didn't affect me—my father said it was because I was too young. But they didn't let me in the Light room anyway. I told them to stop every day. But they'd just tell me to bring them things.

O'NEILL
Okay. So you did that. And?

LORAN
One day I stopped. It was days before their hunger was stronger than the light. Then they came out, looking for me, looking for food, and I snuck into the light room…and I turned it off. Not just the light, everything. I didn't know that it would hurt them. I just wanted to go home.

O'NEILL
It's not your fault.

LORAN
They died because of me. They were screaming. They ran outside. They didn't make any sense. So I did, I turned it back on. But they were already in the water, so far…and they just kept on going, they just kept going and screaming and I'd turned it back on, but they just kept on going. And then they were gone. Next day I found them on the shore.

O'NEILL
Loran. You were trying to help them. You were trying to free them from something. It wasn't your fault.

LORAN
I miss them.

O'NEILL
Yeah.

INT—PALACE, THE LIGHT ROOM

[Daniel, Carter and Teal'c are messing in the pedestal base.]

O'NEILL
What have you got?

DANIEL
We think we can turn it off.

LORAN
Don't let them. You'll die like my parents.

CARTER
If we shut if off cold turkey, Loran is right, we'll go into withdrawal again. But Teal'c and Daniel have translated some of the writing inside this thing, Sir, and we think it was designed to be turned down incrementally.

DANIEL
The Goa'uld who used this place needed human slaves in order to tend to their needs while they were here.

CARTER
We've already taken it down a notch without any harm.

TEAL'C
Within two or three weeks your brain chemistry will return to normal. You may then return home.

O'NEILL
So three weeks in a palace by the beach? Teal'c, you don't have to hang around. Why don't you head back and let Hammond know what's going on?

TEAL'C
Very well.

LORAN
And then you'll leave?

O'NEILL
I think we all will. Right?

CARTER
Yeah. He should return to normal along with the rest of us.

LORAN
Then I can go with you?

O'NEILL
Sure. Come on. Let's go see Teal'c off. You like ice cream?

LORAN
What's ice cream?

ROLL CREDITS

Transcript by Kira Rothery, revised by Elfin for Solutions, 15 Mar 03

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--Kylie Lee 04:59, 7 Jul 2004 (PDT)