2.13 "Spirits" Transcript

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2.13 "Spirits"

Episode Guide

Précis

When the SG-11 team does not return from its mission, Hammond attempts contact and Jack O'Neill is injured. Carter leads the SG-1 team through the Stargate to find SG-11 and negotiate with the mystical natives for a precious mineral. After they are captured, the team are led by the friendly Tonane to the great spirits of his people.

Guide | Transcript

Transcript

TEASER

INT—SGC—BRIEFING ROOM

[Daniel, O'Neill and Carter are seated around the table. Teal'c, who is standing, opens a white case and hands one of several rocks from inside the case to Carter. She, seated next to O'Neill, holds the rock between them so they can both look at it. General Hammond is standing near the observation window, looking out.]

HAMMOND
It's our hope that this material may one day help us fight the Goa'uld.

O'NEILL
What is it?

HAMMOND
Trinium. Captain Conner and SG-11 discovered it on a routine exploratory mission on the planet PXY-887.

CARTER
Yeah, I remember hearing about this. It's supposed to be 100 times lighter and stronger than steel.

[Teal'c has just squeezed and crushed one of the rocks with his hand.]

HAMMOND
That's a sample of raw Trinium, which is too brittle for manufacturing because of its impurities. We commissioned SG-11 to extract more Trinium samples from the planet. As of this morning, they are 48 hours overdue for the weekly check-in. It's time to find out why.

DANIEL
Any indigenous people on the planet?

HAMMOND
Well, not according to a preliminary sweep by the UAV.

O'NEILL
Well, it is a big planet, sir.

HAMMOND
True enough…and Conner's people have only scouted within a few miles of the base camp, but they picked up no radio traffic, EM signatures, no sign of any indigenous life whatsoever.

[The alarm klaxon goes off.]

TECHNICIAN
Incoming traveler!

FEMALE TECHNICIAN

(walking into briefing room)

SG-11 is returning.

HAMMOND
There'd better be a damned good explanation.

[SG-1 join Hammond at the observation window and watch the wormhole activate. While they are watching, an arrow whizzes out of the wormhole, through the observation window glass and into O'Neill's right biceps. All fall to the floor when the impact occurs.]

HAMMOND
Everyone all right?

[O'Neill is face down. He puts up his left arm to flag attention to himself.]

O'NEILL
Uh, no…Oh, no.

[Daniel is right there to help him sit up. O'Neill is in obvious pain and holding back. He looks down at his now blood-stained shirt and at the metallic arrow stuck in his arm.]

O'NEILL
Oh, God.

END TEASER

OPENING CREDITS

INT—SGC INFIRMARY

[Daniel, Carter and Teal'c walk into the infirmary to see O'Neill, who is lying in one of the beds.]

O'NEILL
Hi, kids.

CARTER
We're about ready to ship out, sir. You going to be ok?

O'NEILL
I'm not dead, Captain. Just grounded for a few days.

CARTER
Well, if the bullet proof glass hadn't slowed it down…

O'NEILL
Oh, please. Aliens are always poking me full of holes.

CARTER
Right.

DANIEL
Uh, you might be interested to know that the…arrow was native North American, but of advanced design.

[Daniel hands the front half of the arrow to Carter, who then hands it to O'Neill.]

CARTER
Our preliminary tests show it was made of pure forged Trinium. If there are Native Americans on this planet, they've come a long way, technologically, in the past few hundred years.

DANIEL
And we just marched in and started mining.

[General Hammond walks in as O'Neill looks at the arrow and then Daniel.]

HAMMOND
I've just talked to the Pentagon. While they're obviously concerned about finding SG-11, they also want to avoid further upsetting the indigenous people.

CARTER
Meaning they don't want to risk losing the Trinium.

HAMMOND
You're secondary objective is to negotiate a mining treat with these people. Obviously, we've started our relations on the wrong foot.

O'NEILL
But that's so rare, sir.

HAMMOND
Captain, as you are taking over command of SG-1 on this mission, my superiors have ordered me to remind you to be diplomatic.

CARTER
Yes, sir.

O'NEILL
Just as I would be.

[Daniel looks at Teal'c. Teal'c glances at General Hammond.]

HAMMOND
SG-1, you have a go.

[They all three turn to leave.]

O'NEILL
Sam…

[Carter stops and turns back to face O'Neill.]

CARTER
Colonel?

O'NEILL

First command?
(she nods)

Cool.

CARTER
I'll do my best, sir.

O'NEILL
I know you will, Captain.

CARTER
Thanks.

[She grins, then looks at General Hammond, gives a quick nod and leaves, closing the door behind her. O'Neill smiles.]

EXT—PLANET PXY-887—SG-11's CAMP

[There is a black raven sitting on a rock in the middle of SG-11's camp. It caws several times and then takes off as Carter and Daniel approach the camp.]

TEAL'C

(over radio)

Captain Carter, I am outside the blasting site. It appears to be deserted. I will investigate further.

CARTER

(into radio)

Affirmative. At location now.

[She and Daniel head into the tent. She sniffs, moves out of her ready position as she approaches a coffee pot. She picks up the pot and sniffs again.]

CARTER
Ugh…coffee's boiled dry.

[Daniel activates a computer screen that has gone to sleep.]

DANIEL

(reading the screen)

"Currently extracting an average of 47 pounds of Trinium ore per day to increase our production four-fold as the engineers have requested…" It's a requisition request from Captain Conner. He just stops in mid-sentence.

CARTER
Looks like they all stopped what they were doing and just left.

[Teal'c enters the tent.]

TEAL'C
I found no sign of struggle at the blast site. However, a pair of footprints led me to two separate detonators. The first had been discharged. The second had not.

CARTER
So SG-11 was taken by surprise before the second charge went off.

TEAL'C
That was my first conclusion, but there were no footprints leading away from the mine. It's as if they disappeared where they were standing.

DANIEL
Creepy…

[They hear a strange breathing sound. Teal'c exits the tent to investigate. We see a wolf on the hillside looking down on the tent as Teal'c emerges with his back to the wolf. The wolf leaves and Teal'c turns as he hears the wolf's departure. Carter and Daniel emerge from the tent as well.]

TEAL'C

(puts staff weapon to rest)

I am certain I heard something.

DANIEL
Ghosts?

TEAL'C
Jaffa do not believe in such things.

CARTER
Let's see if we can't find something more tangible.

[They are walking through the nearby woods. Carter has her weapon ready. Daniel is not far away. Suddenly, Teal'c calls from a rock above their heads.]

TEAL'C
Captain Carter!

[Teal'c points to a spot further ahead and to Carter's left. She comes around a tree to see a large totem pole. The top of the totem pole is a raven whose wings enclose many smiling faces. Below that is a wolf, below that is a raven eating a snake and below that several people in bondage. Daniel is standing looking at the pole as Carter approaches. Carter pulls out her knife and taps the handle against the silver parts of the pole. They are definitely metallic.]

CARTER
Trinium…just like the arrow.

[Teal'c comes up the path behind them.]

CARTER
Can you interpret it Daniel?

DANIEL

(pointing up)
It's…uh…it's a clan crest…I believe, akin to the style of the central coast Salish Indians. It…it tells the story of the clans origin. This one tells of how they were brought here from a distant planet by evil rulers. Now, according to this figure…
(points to Jaffa-like figure)

…uh, the evil rulers were probably Jaffa, taking them from Earth.

CARTER
So this was once a Goa'uld planet?

DANIEL
Well, according to the crest, the Goa'uld were destroyed by Xe-ls, who's protected them ever since.

CARTER
Xe-ls?

DANIEL
He's the Salish's main spirit. On Earth he's a benevolent one, traditionally, and represented by this raven figure.

[There is a sound and Teal'c takes a ready position, aiming his staff weapon at the direction of the sound.]

CARTER

(raises her weapon as well)

What?

[Teal'c moves forward slightly, but puts his weapon at rest again.]

TEAL'C
A wolf.

[He continues listening and looks as though he is following the sound around and behind him. Suddenly a wolf does cross the path behind him. Teal'c raises his weapon again, pointing at the wolf.]

TEAL'C
There!

[The wolf has now disappeared. Carter lowers her weapon and looks at Teal'c.]

TEAL'C
It was there.

[Suddenly, they hear the whiz of a dart.]

DANIEL
I heard that.

CARTER
Me too.

[Teal'c is looking strangely toward his shoulder. A second whiz is heard.]

CARTER
Teal'c?

[Two darts have struck Teal'c in the back. He is beginning to collapse when Carter is hit with a dart. She falls near Teal'c. Daniel is hit and falls, too. Carter maintains consciousness long enough to see five Native American looking males approaching with bows.]

EXT—PXY-887—SALISH VILLAGE

[There is a lodge and several teepees as well as other crude structures for drying meat. There are several villagers doing chores.]

INT—SALISH LODGE

[Carter is lying on a bench in just her t-shirt, pants and boots, waking up. Teal'c comes from a bench off to her left. Daniel is just waking on a bench closer to the door. All are in just their t-shirts, pants and boots. Carter walks toward the door, which is open. As she nears the opening, a male stops her by standing in the doorway aiming his bow and arrow at her.]

CARTER

(raises her hands and backs up)

Whoa! Hi…we were just stretching our legs.

[When she backs into the building, the man leaves.]

CARTER
If we're prisoners, it's a good sign that Conner and SG-11 are too.

[Carter walks to look out the open carvings that adorn the front of the building.]

TEAL'C
This dwelling makes an odd prison.

CARTER
I don't know.

[She takes out a pocket knife or other small sharp instrument and scratches at the carving.]

CARTER
These walls are made of a flexible Trinium fiber. I'll bet it's water-proof and it is incredibly strong.

DANIEL
It's amazing, they've managed to…evolve technologically, yet essentially maintain their way of living.

TEAL'C
Yet we observed no facilities for manufacturing. There should be visual indications of processing.

DANIEL
Well, the Salish on Earth are migratory depending on the season, so…

CARTER
Wonder how far we are from the mining camp?

[Three of the male villagers enter the room.]

TONANE
Couple of days' walk. I am Tonane.

CARTER
Captain Samantha Carter, SGC.

TONANE
Long name.

CARTER
OK, how 'bout Sam?

TONANE
Sam.

CARTER
Uh, these are my friends…Dr. Daniel Jackson…

TONANE
Doc?

DANIEL
Daniel's fine.

TEAL'C
I am Teal'c.

TONANE
The spirits say you have a demon inside you, Teal'c.

TEAL'C
The demon will cause you no harm. I give you my word.

TONANE
Normally, that would mean a great deal to me, but how do I know the value of your word? We've only just met.

CARTER
We mean you no harm, Tonane.

TONANE
If you mean us no harm, why did you bring weapons?

CARTER
Self-defense. Our friends are missing. We need to find them.

TONANE
They're not missing. They're with the spirits.

DANIEL
Wh…you mean dead?

TONANE
No, no, no…with the spirits.

CARTER
Uh-oh…the spirits.

TONANE
You don't know the spirits, Sam?

DANIEL
Oh, we-we know the spirits. We definitely—definitely know the spirits, but there's so many in the forest. Specifically which spirits are they with?

TONANE
Xe-ls probably. Maybe T'akaya.

CARTER
Are we prisoners?

TONANE
No. You're free to go.

CARTER
Can we have our weapons back?

TONANE

(shrugs)

OK.

EXT—PXY-887—SALISH VILLAGE

[SG-1 are outside the building. They are putting their gear back on. In the background, children are running around and laughing.]

CARTER
One more thing, Tonane, our friends…

TONANE
We were returning from our winter camp and we saw your friends making war on our mountain, trying to take the ke.

CARTER
Ke…Trinium?

TONANE
Yeah, that's what your friend called it. After Xe-ls took your friends, he told me to shoot an arrow through the circle of standing water to warn your kind not to return. I guess you didn't understand.

CARTER
Oh, no…we understood, but warning or no warning, it's not our custom to abandon our friends.

TONANE
I could introduce you to Xe-ls…and we could tell him it was all a misunderstanding.

CARTER
So, what you're saying is…you'll take us to where our friends are?

TONANE
I don't know where your friends are, but Xe-ls will.

[Carter and Daniel look at each other, puzzled.]

TONANE
It wouldn't hurt to ask. Right, Sam?

CARTER
Right.

[Tonane walks away.]

TEAL'C

(quietly to his teammates)

Clearly, Tonane is blaming the spirits for his actions.

CARTER
Well…clearly…but if it's the only way to get back SG-11, then I say we let him.

[Carter shrugs and turns to follow Tonane. Daniel looks at Teal'c one last time, then follows Carter. Teal'c hesitates before he follows the others.]

DANIEL

(quietly to Carter)

Look, wherever we're going, there's probably going to be a…a ceremony of some kind. I don't know, they might even ask you to dance. But whatever it is, no matter how ridiculous it may seem, just try to go along with it.

CARTER
Don't worry.

[She speeds up a bit to catch Tonane.]

CARTER
Tonane, uh, I was wondering…how is it that you remove the impurities from the ke so that it won't crumble?

TONANE

(blows out a big breath)

Well, first, we ask the, uh, the spirits to ask the mountain for the ke. Then, if the mountain is in a good mood, they drop the ke in the river. The river cleans the ke until it's shiny…and then we take it out of the river and shape it into whatever we need.

CARTER
Oh.

[They head into a forest.]

TONANE
Xe-ls! T'akaya!

DANIEL
Wait…you're not going to perform a ceremonial dance or…or something?

TONANE
My great-great grandfather used to call the spirits that way, but one day Xe-ls just said, call my name, and that's what we do.

[Teal'c moves ahead of them as he hears a sound. A wolf appears, snarling. Then the wolf walks up and stands in front of them.]

TEAL'C
Captain Carter.

[Tonane walks around Teal'c to see the wolf.]

TONANE

T'akaya, my friend. My, your coat shines beautifully today.
(Speaking out of the side of his mouth to Carter)

A little flattery couldn't hurt, Sam.

CARTER

(trying to play along)

My, what big eyes you have.

TONANE

(to Carter)

Ask her about your friends.

CARTER
T'akaya…do you think our friends might be…

[She shakes her head and looks at Daniel.]

TONANE

(to Carter)

She's right there.

CARTER
I can only see a wolf, Tonane. Uh, a beautiful animal, granted…but not a spirit.

TONANE
You can't see the wind, either, Sam, but you know it's there. You can hear it. You can feel it. You can see its effects on the trees. It's the same with the spirits. You see a wolf, but T'akaya is there.

[Suddenly a raven caws and lands in a nearby tree, behind the group.]

DANIEL
Tonane…is…is that Xe-ls?

TONANE
Yes, it is, Daniel.

[Daniel turns and walks a little closer to the tree where Xe-ls is perched.]

DANIEL
Xe-ls…we mean you and Tonane no harm. We apologize for any misunderstanding you've had with our friends. If you would release them we'd be very grateful.

[The raven caws in response. Daniel turns to the others.]

DANIEL
Did you hear that? I'm almost sure that he said he would release them.

TEAL'C
I believe I heard it also.

TONANE
Is that what you heard, Sam?

CARTER
Uh…what I heard was a…little different.

TONANE
I thought I heard him say that he would think about it, then he would get back to us.

CARTER
Riiight…that's what I heard.

DANIEL
Well, are you sure? I mean, he just…

CARTER
Daniel…forget it. Let's just let the bird think about it. Come on. Tonane, do you mind if we look around a little while Xe-ls is making up his mind?

[She doesn't wait for a response.]

TONANE
Fine by me. Xe-ls will catch up to us.

[The raven caws and flies away as Tonane nods at him and then turns to accompany SG-1. They continue into the forest a short distance. The raven caws and lands on a pine tree ahead of them. Tonane approaches the raven.]

TONANE
Well, that was fast.

[The raven caws a few more times.]

CARTER
Uh, I'm sorry, I missed that one.

[The raven caws once more.]

TONANE
Xe-ls has granted your request. You're friends will be released.

CARTER
Did he say when?

TEAL'C
Captain Carter…

[Carter turns to see T'akaya walk into a mist in front of them. Seconds later, all seven members of SG-11 walk out of the mist.]

CONNER
Captain Carter…

TONANE
How does it feel to see the wind, Sam?

EXT—PXY-887—APPROACHING THE SALISH VILLAGE

[Tonane, SG-1 and SG-11 are walking together.]

CARTER

(to Conner)

So, where have you been for the last 48 hours?

CONNER
I…can't say. The last thing I remember, I was writing a requisition for more blasting caps. Next thing I know, I'm walking out of this mist and there you are.

DANIEL
And…that's it?

CONNER
Yes…except my head feels like it just got back from a 3-day pass, but I don't remember having a good time. We must have been drugged.

TEAL'C
As were we.

[Tonane approaches Conner, having arrived from near the back of the pack.]

TONANE
Hello, Cap. Still smiling, I hope.

[He gives Conner a little jab to the arm.]

CONNER
You…

CARTER
Whoa…Tonane. Captain, this is Tonane. He's our friend. He said he asked you to stop blasting. Is that true?

CONNER
Yes, he did, but we'd already set two hot charges. I told him to wait until after the blast and then we'll talk. He just walked away.

CARTER
OK. It's not so important right now. You can save it for the report. Tonane, perhaps you and I can have that conversation that Captain Conner should have had with you earlier?

TONANE
About taking the ke from the mountain?

CARTER
Yes.

TONANE
That's not up to me, Sam. You have to ask the elders of my village.

INT—SALISH LODGE

[Carter is meeting with the village elders.]

ELDER 1

(speaks first in native tongue)

I am sorry. We understand, Sam, that you have no ill intentions. That you only wish to extract the ke. But your methods are wasteful and violent. They not only upset our people, but our spirits.

[He says something in his language to the elder sitting on his right, who then speaks to Carter.]

ELDER 2
Why can you not be content with the ke that the spirits send down the river?

CARTER
Our people may need more than the river can provide, but we don't wish to shorten your supply. Now, we do have other mining methods that are less destructive.

[Elder 1 speaks to Elder 2 in his language again. Elder 2 nods in agreement.]

ELDER 1
Perhaps Tonane could return with you through the circle of standing water and see these methods?

CARTER
Uh, y-yeah, that's a solution. Um…have any of your people ever traveled through the circle before?

[The raven, who has perched on the interior rafters of the building, caws. ]

ELDER 1
The spirits say it's too dangerous.

TONANE
Can't be that dangerous. They're alive…and I love to travel.

CARTER

(sounding reluctant, but resigned to the idea)

Great…then it's settled.

INT—SGC—INFIRMARY

[Carter is talking with O'Neill, who is now sitting on a bed, fully clothed, with a sling on his arm.]

CARTER
So, the elders agreed to allow Tonane to come back and observe our alternative mining methods and…here we are.

O'NEILL
Sounds like fun. I'm sorry I missed it. Good job, Captain.

CARTER
Thank you, sir. How's the…

[indicating his arm.]

O'NEILL
Fine…fine.

[He then notices Tonane, who has entered with General Hammond.]

TONANE
I thought you were going to show me your mining methods, George.

HAMMOND
We intend to, but first we need you to take a brief medical exam.

O'NEILL

(eyebrows raised)

George?

HAMMOND
Tonane, this is Colonel Jack O'Neill.

TONANE
Jack?

O'NEILL
Yeah, that'll do. It's an honor to meet you, sir.

[O'Neill offers his left hand and Tonane takes it. They shake hands.]

HAMMOND
I know it looks strange, Tonane, but it's completely safe. Even our people are being examined.

CONNER

(from behind Tonane)

Don't worry, Tonane, it won't hurt.

INT—SGC—BRIEFING ROOM

[Video of various mining techniques are being displayed on a monitor set at the head of the table for Tonane to observe. Tonane touches the monitor, fascinated by the moving picture. SG-1, General Hammond and Conner are all in the room with Tonane.]

TONANE
Stop the images, please.

[Daniel presses a button on a remote and the monitor goes dark.]

TONANE
These ways are just as wasteful and destructive as the others.

HAMMOND
That's only the first part of the process, Tonane. Later, we restore the land and replant the trees. You haven't seen those images yet.

TONANE
I'm convinced that our way is best.

O'NEILL
Your way meaning…your spirits ask the mountain to send the stuff…to you down the river?

TONANE

(smiling)

Yes, Jack. It's the best way…and the only way we will…allow you to take the ke.

HAMMOND
I see. Perhaps, uh, Dr. Jackson would show you the rest of our facility? I'm sure you'll find it interesting.

DANIEL

(surprised by the request)

Uh…yes…I-I'd also like to show you images of your ancestors.

TONANE
Ancestors?

DANIEL
Oh, yeah, yeah. This may come as a bit of a shock, but we believe that your great-great-great- great-great-great-great grandfather may have actually come from here.

TONANE
From here?

DANIEL
Um…I'll show you.

[Tonane leaves the briefing room with Daniel. No one else moves.]

O'NEILL
Well…his mind's made up.

HAMMOND
That's unfortunate.

CONNER
They are offering to share the Trinium, sir.

HAMMOND
Small deposits, washed down from the mountain over thousands of years. That may be enough Trinium to meet the needs of Tonane's tribe, but not enough for any practical application. Therefore, I have been ordered to consider other initiatives.

CARTER
Initiatives?

HAMMOND
Nothing sinister, Captain. The NID has a proposal before the Pentagon suggesting that when the Salish migrate south, we send another SG team to the planet to continue extracting samples and leave again before the Salish return.

O'NEILL
You mean steal it.

CARTER
I'm not comfortable with that, sir.

CONNER
Sir, they set us free last time, but if they caught us mining the mountain again, they might not be so gracious.

HAMMOND
I don't like the idea of lying to Tonane's people any more than you do, but the next time the Goa'uld attack, we might not be so fortunate. We need whatever military advantages we can find. If that means Trinium…

CARTER
Sir, I am all for getting the Trinium, but there has to be an alternative.

O'NEILL
Is anyone at the Pentagon or along the chain of command remotely concerned about their aboriginal rights, repeating history, that annoyingly pesky moral stuff…

HAMMOND
That's enough, Colonel.

CARTER
With respect, General, I think he's right.

O'NEILL
Yeah, what the hell? Worked before.

HAMMOND
I've got assurances that it will only be a small exploratory operation with much less damage to the mountainside, and hopefully, what they don't know won't hurt them. Dismissed.

[Hammond walks into his office. Conners watches him go.]

O'NEILL
Sweet.

[O'Neill leaves through another door with Carter on his heels. Teal'c is not far behind.]

CARTER
Colonel, we should go back in there and…

[Carter stops. O'Neill doesn't even slow down. Teal'c stops beside Carter.]

TEAL'C
He is very upset.

CARTER
Yeah, so am I.

[She walks away. Teal'c follows her.]

INT—SGC—BRIEFING ROOM

[Conner walks into General Hammond's office. He doesn't knock, just opens the door.]

HAMMOND

(obviously perturbed)

I have a meeting, Captain. Was there something else?

CONNER
Yes, sir.

[Conner brings his fists and elbows together in front of his face. The General is surrounded by a white light and seemingly disintegrates. Conner returns to the briefing room to find five members of SG-11 waiting for him.]

CONNER
As I suspected, they intend to deceive our friend Tonane. It's time to show the Earthlings the power of the spirits.

[Conner next appears in one of the SGC labs. A female scientist or doctor is his next victim. A male doctor witnesses the event and has time to press the wall alarm before he, too, become a victim. Alarms begin t owail.]

VOICE

(over P.A. System)

Code 9! Code 9!

[We see soldiers running through halls, carrying gear.]

SOLDIER
Move! Move! Let's go!

[O'Neill is following the soldiers but stops short as he sees the white light take one of them. He ducks into a door way as a second white flash occurs. He watches as two members of SG-11 walk past. He waits a second, weighing his options and decides to ascend stairs in the room he has ducked into.]

O'NEILL

(to himself)

Damn it.

[He walks into the control room, which is empty. He pushes buttons to close the blast doors and sound an intruder alert. Then he gets on the intercom via a phone hand set.]

O'NEILL
Code 9! Code 9! This is not a drill! I repeat, not a drill!

INT—SGC—CORRIDOR

[Daniel and Tonane are walking down a corridor.]

TONANE
What's that sound mean, Daniel?

DANIEL

(looking around at soldiers running every which way)

Uh, it mean that…

[He looks at a door behind him.]

DANIEL
It means that I'm going to show you a part of the base that most people rarely get to see.

[He opens the door. Tonane follows him and Daniel closes the door behind them. The door is to storage closet 24P6-314.]

INT—SGC—A DIFFERENT CORRIDOR

[O'Neill running down a hallway illuminated by flashing read lights. Blast doors are closing behind him at junctures in the hallway. He stops short, startled by Carter and Teal'c coming out of the door he was trying to reach.]

O'NEILL
Aah! Jeez!

CARTER

(hands up)

Sorry, sir.

O'NEILL
Are we the only ones to make it to the armory?

CARTER
Looks like it. Why the code 9?

O'NEILL
Brace yourself…SG-11 is boppin' around, waving their arms, makin' our people disappear.

TEAL'C
So we did not bring back SG-11?

O'NEILL
I don't think so. Where's Tonane?

CARTER
With Daniel. Archives.

TEAL'C
From where did the alarm originate?

O'NEILL
The lab.

[They take off down the hall, opening blast doors as they go. Soon O'Neill arrives at the lab where the alarm button was first pushed. O'Neill hears the sound of wings flapping and then sees Dr. Warner, who pushed the alarm button.]

WARNER
Colonel?

O'NEILL
Warner?

[Carter and Teal'c arrive.]

CARTER
The corridors and the other lab are empty.

O'NEILL

(to Warner)

What happened?

WARNER
It's Tonane. He came into the Infirmary and just waved his hand and made everyone disappear.

[O'Neill raises his eyebrows and looks at Carter, who returns his puzzled look.]

WARNER
I hid. He didn't see me. I pushed the panic button after he left.

O'NEILL
What about Conner and his team?

WARNER
It's Tonane we have to find. The others are meaningless.

[Warner walks past Teal'c and Carter to head out into the hall. O'Neill raises his brow again.]

O'NEILL
Meaningless?

[He, Carter and Teal'c follow Warner.]

O'NEILL
So…who are you?

[Warner stops and turns to face O'Neill and the others.]

WARNER
Excuse me? Dr. Warner.

O'NEILL

(cocking and raising his pistol)

I don't…think so.

[Teal'c raises his Zat as well.]

WARNER

(seeing that he is exposed)

I am one of Tonane's guardian spirits, Colonel O'Neill. If you know where he is, take me to him. Otherwise, if you harm him or myself…your people will never be returned to you.

O'NEILL
We don't respond well to threats.

WARNER
Neither do we.

[Just as he is raising his arms up, Teal'c zats him. He falls, face down, to the ground, stunned. Then the image dissolves to reveal his true form. He is now lying face up. He is humanoid. His face is rather different in that it has several gill-like slits where a nose would be. He is wearing a long metallic looking gown. O'Neill jumps back a little when he sees the change occur. Then the alien—Xe-ls—opens its eyes. He appears to be having difficulty breathing.]

ALIEN
You will be punished.

[He loses consciousness.]

O'NEILL
All right, let's get him…it…back to the infirmary.

[Teal'c picks up the alien and begins dragging him back to the infirmary. Two guards come around a corner and slow as they see General Hammond and a wolf.]

HAMMOND
It's all right airmen. She's with me.

[Hammond brings his fists together and the two airmen disappear. Hammond and the wolf transform into aliens that are similar in appearance to Xe-ls. Hammond's alien appears to be male and the wolf appears to be female—T'akaya.]

T'AKAYA
I have lost contact with Xe-ls. Has Tonane been found?

ALIEN
Not yet.

T'AKAYA
Stay here in the form of the General. No one is to leave. I will find Xe-ls and Tonane. If we lose contact, destroy this place and return home with the others.

[T'akaya transforms back into the wolf and the other alien has resumed the form of General Hammond. The wolf walks down the hall past the storage closet where Daniel and Tonane are waiting. Daniel has the door open a crack and witnessed the entire exchange. He turns back to Tonane.]

DANIEL
Anyway, like I was saying, um, this is, um, a storeroom and the reason we we store things is so that we always have them on hand. Like this.

[He picks up a canister of something.]

TONANE
Can I go home now?

DANIEL
OK, Tonane, I won't lie to you. There is a problem. We have to find Jack.

TONANE

Okay.
(Looks around)

He's not in here.

DANIEL
Right.

INT—SGC—INFIRMARY

[Xe-ls is now lying on a gurney. Carter is standing beside him, observing. He is still unconscious.]

O'NEILL
Is he going to be all right?

CARTER
It's hard to say, sir. The only real sign will be when he has the strength to make us all disappear.

[Just then, the door behind Teal'c opens and Daniel and Tonane walk in.]

DANIEL
Jack?

O'NEILL
Daniel?

DANIEL
Are you you?

O'NEILL
Yeah. You?

DANIEL
What?

O'NEILL
Never mind. Tonane, we need to talk.

TONANE
Daniel says you have some problems. Maybe I should just go home.

O'NEILL
Uh…not just yet. Our people are disappearing all over the base and it has something to do with you. Did you know Conner and SG-11 are really aliens?

TONANE
What are aliens?

O'NEILL
Come here.

[O'Neill takes Tonane to see Xe-ls. Tonane is shocked to see Xe-ls appearance.]

O'NEILL
That is an alien. It also happens to be one of your spirits.

CARTER
Probably Xe-ls.

TONANE
Xe-ls? Is that you?

[Xe-ls is not fully conscious and is unable or unwilling to answer.]

TONANE
If he was, Jack, he's probably answer.

TEAL'C
In the world of my origin there were beings who pretended to be gods so they could conquer my people and rule with fear. Perhaps that is the way of your spirits.

TONANE
I feel sorry for your people, Teal'c…but my spirits aren't evil. They don't rule us. They protect us.

O'NEILL
Tonane…that is Xe-ls…and right now, he's trying to conquer this base. Now, I wanna know why and, more importantly, I wanna know how to stop him.

TONANE
The spirits I know wouldn't threaten your people unless you were doing something to threaten mine. Are you, Jack? Because if you are, there's no way to stop them. Xe-ls and T'akaya and the other spirits…they'll destroy you.

INT—SGC CORRIDOR

[The wolf is prowling through the corridors again. Three soldiers come up behind her, weapons drawn. She turns and looks at them and there are flashes of light. She continues on her way and the hall is now empty.]

INT—SGC—INFIRMARY

[Tonane is looking at Xe-ls, who is still struggling to regain consciousness. SG-1 is a short distance away, talking.]

DANIEL
OK, from what I overheard, they won't destroy the base until they've found Tonane.

TEAL'C
Clearly, we must convince the aliens that we will make no further attempts to extract Trinium from their world.

O'NEILL
The fact is, we got caught plotting behind closed doors. Now, I don't know how we're going to convince 'em our word is good for squat. I mean, my God, we shot that one. We come across any more of 'em, I don't think it's going to be a very long conversation.

DANIEL
OK. We can still appeal to the elders. Tell them what's happened.

O'NEILL
You mean, fess up?

[They all look at O'Neill.]

O'NEILL
Yeah, OK. You and Teal'c try and Gate back. See if you can get 'em to speak to the spirits for us.

[Daniel and Teal'c leave. O'Neill and Carter go back over to Tonane and Xe-ls.]

O'NEILL
Tonane…it's time for the truth.

INT—SGC—CONTROL ROOM

[Daniel and Teal'c arrive in the control room. Daniel pushes a few keys on a keyboard and the blast doors open up. The wolf is sitting on the ramp. Teal'c starts to head to the Gate room when Daniel stops him.]

DANIEL
No…just…let me try and talk to her first. Wait here.

[Daniel walks cautiously into the Gate room while Teal'c watches from the control room.]

DANIEL
T'akaya, before you make me disappear or bite me, just hear me out.

[T'akaya transforms into her true form again. She looks at Daniel. In the control room, two more aliens have approached Teal'c and he flashes away before he can fire his Zat at either of them. Daniel turns to see Teal'c disappear. Then turns back in time to see T'akaya bringing her hands up. He cringes.]

DANIEL
Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! I-I know where Xe-ls is.

T'AKAYA
Where? Where is Xe-ls?

DANIEL
Do you promise to hear me out?

[T'akaya lowers her hands in acceptance.]

INT—SGC—INFIRMARY

CARTER
Sir, it's possible he's still suffering from the effects of the Zat gun.

O'NEILL
I don't think so, Captain. He just doesn't want to show himself.

[Suddenly, Tonane disappears in a flash of light and another alien walks in the door. Carter raises her Zat and is flashed away. O'Neill raises his pistol, but stops as he hears Daniel yelling from behind the alien.]

DANIEL
Wait! No! Jack, it's OK. Just let them tend to Xe-ls.

[O'Neill is still indecisively waving his pistol back and forth as Daniel, T'akaya and others enter the room.]

O'NEILL
How do I know you're really Daniel?

DANIEL
Because.

O'NEILL

(seeing he really has no choice)

Yeah, OK.

[The six other aliens line up three on each side of Xe-ls' bed. They put their forearms up and bring their hands together. Then they lower them over Xe-ls' body and light is emitted from their hands and over his body. They pull their hands away and all but T'akaya walk away from the bed. T'akaya approaches Xe-ls head. He suddenly wakes up.]

XE-LS
Thank you.

[T'akaya nods and Xe-ls sits up. He puts his hands together and everything dissolves around them.]

INT—SGC—GATE ROOM

[They all suddenly appear. Xe-ls turns to walk up the ramp.]

XE-LS
T'akaya, destroy this place.

DANIEL
Wait! You promised to listen.

XE-LS

(mockingly)

What they don't know won't hurt them. Isn't that what your leader said, Colonel? Their word means nothing.

T'AKAYA
And so would mine…if I were to do as you asked. I have made a promise to this one…so that we could save your life.

XE-LS
I am listening, but I do not guarantee that your words will sway me from punishing you.

O'NEILL
For what?

XE-LS
For trying to deceive the Salish and steal our ke…and for attempting to destroy the trust and faith between Tonane's people and my own.

O'NEILL

(clears his throat)

OK. I give you my word that we'll give up this mining operation.

T'AKAYA
Even if we could trust you, your superiors will not be swayed by your oath.

O'NEILL
So, don't take my word. Shut down your Stargate. That way, no one will be able to come to your planet unless you allow it.

[T'akaya and Xe-ls look at each other.]

T'AKAYA
Star travel is of no use to us. Let us close down the Gate.

XE-LS
This does not erase the second transgression.

O'NEILL
What? Exposing who you are to Tonane? You've been posing as gods, for heaven's sake.

T'AKAYA
Is that what you believe we do? When we removed the Goa'uld from our planet a millennia ago, we adapted our form to those of the Salish spirits so that we could protect and coexist along side them in harmony, without interfering in their natural evolution…and now, because of you, that harmony has been broken.

XE-LS
In time, they will fear us, and use the ke we scatter through the rivers and forge weapons against us.

DANIEL
No. The Salish people you so honor, came from this world. Even now they value the natural world far more than technology. Trust them.

O'NEILL
If you really do respect Tonane's people, you shouldn't be posing as their spirits. Trust them.

T'AKAYA
Our friend, Tonane, is wise. And so is our friend, Jack.

XE-LS
So he is.

[Xe-ls bangs his hands together again and Tonane reappears.]

O'NEILL
Tonane…Xe-ls. Xe-ls…Tonane.

TONANE
So, you're Xe-ls?

T'AKAYA
And I am T'akaya. We are honored by the names your forefathers have given us.

XE-LS
You view us now in our true form…but this is only one of many forms we can take. Our friends from this world call us aliens. You call us spirits. From now on, Tonane, you and your people may view us in the form which pleases you best.

TONANE
You have always been kind to my people. So, whatever makes you happy.

T'AKAYA
I think this form makes us happy.

[The Gate begins d ialingout.]

TONANE
Does this mean I can go home now?

O'NEILL
Uh…yeah, I think it does.

TONANE

(takes O'Neill's hand)

Goodbye, Jack.

[The Gate opens and Tonane walks up the ramp.]

DANIEL
Oh, wait! Um, what about our friends?

T'AKAYA
Your friends are right beside you, Daniel.

[Xe-ls thumps his hands together and everyone appears back in the Gate room.]

HAMMOND

(confused)

Colonel O'Neill?

[O'Neill watches as all the spirits and Tonane enter the wormhole.]

O'NEILL
Um…I'll explain it all later, sir.

[Hammond nods his consent and turns to see Tonane before he enters the Gate. O'Neill waves and Tonane walks into the circle of water.]

FADE OUT

END CREDITS

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

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--Kylie Lee 08:22, 30 Aug 2004 (PDT)