SGA 3.19 "Vengeance" Transcript

3.19 "Vengeance"

Episode Guide

Précis

The team stumbles upon the results of Michael's genetic experimentations and ends up fighting for their lives against a giant bug army.

Guide | Transcript

Transcript

PREVIOUSLY ON STARGATE ATLANTIS

[Excerpts from 1.04 "Thirty-Eight Minutes", 2.07 "Instinct", and 2.08 "Conversion" are shown.]

END EXCERPTS

TEASER

EXT—ATLANTIS, DAY

INT—ATLANTIS WORK OUT ROOM

[Ronon stares down his opponent.]

RONON
Eyes straight ahead. Focus on me. Never, ever look away from your enemy. Shows weakness. Are you weak?

MCKAY

(weakly)

Uh… No?

[Ronon faces McKay. Both are holding blunt sticks shaped like swords. McKay is dressed in a gii too big for him. A protective covering and yellow belt are strapped around his waist.]

RONON
Good. Are you ready?

MCKAY
Uh…

[Ronon raises his hand to strike. McKay raises his own arms anticipating to counter. Ronon takes advantage of his unprotected abdomen and strikes, causing McKay to groan and double over.]

RONON
McKay, what did I say? Don't take your eyes off me! Got to anticipate the next move. You all right?

[McKay wheezes and groans, unable to speak from the blow. He nods and gives the thumbs-up sign. Ronon claps him on the shoulder.]

RONON
All right. Well, I'm trying to ease up so I don't hurt you.

MCKAY

(voice a whisper)

Thanks.

RONON
You're getting better.

MCKAY
Really?

RONON
No.

MCKAY

(disappointed)

Oh.

[They get back into fighting positions again. The door opens, and Sheppard and Weir enter.]

SHEPPARD
How're the Ninja lessons going, Jet Li?

MCKAY
What do you want?

WEIR
We lost contact with the Taranans.

RONON
You mean the volcano people?

SHEPPARD
Super volcano people.

MCKAY
What happened to them?

WEIR
Well, we don't know.

SHEPPARD
Seeing how we lost contact with them.

WEIR
They usually check in from time to time from their new settlement. We've been sending them food, medical supplies.

[Ronon signs for McKay to keep his eyes on Ronon's own, anticipating the next attack. McKay keeps his back to Sheppard and Weir.]

SHEPPARD
It's the least we can do since getting the Orion blown up.

WEIR
But we haven't heard from them for a few months. I tried to contact them by radio, but no response.

MCKAY
Ah, so send a MALP.

SHEPPARD
Eh, we just did. Everything looks okay, but the, uh, settlement's a couple kilometers from the gate, so we don't know anything yet.

WEIR
I want you to check it out.

[McKay lowers his hands and turns around, surprised.]

MCKAY

(annoyed)

What?

[Ronon shouts and strikes at that unguarded moment, again striking McKay in the shielded part of his abdomen. Sheppard winces in sympathy. McKay looks up, whimpering, and pantomimes he was supposed to keep his eyes on Ronon.]

RONON

(nodding)

Eyes. Yes.

SHEPPARD

(drily)

May want to change first.

MCKAY

(whimpering)

Right.

[Sheppard and Weir leave. McKay looks up to see Ronon approaching; he flinches, but Ronon just claps him on the shoulder as he too leaves. McKay sighs.]

WORMHOLE EFFECT

EXT—NEW TENARA, DAY

[Sheppard's team approaches the settlement. It is a small town, with well-masoned houses and shops.]

MCKAY
They've gotten a lot done in the short time they've been here.

TEYLA
Well, they're hard-working people. I've made several trips to assist them in getting settled.

SHEPPARD

(into radio)

This is Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard from Atlantis calling anyone in the Taranan settlement. Please respond.

[There is no response.]

SHEPPARD
I thought I'd give it a shot. All right, let's go.

[He puts on his glasses, and they continue to the settlement.]

INT—TERANAN OFFICE

[The team enters an office, filled with furniture and equipment similar to Earth in the mid-twentieth century. The computers are modern.]

SHEPPARD
Anybody home?

MCKAY
Well, it looks like they abandoned the place.

RONON
Well, maybe they found somewhere better to live.

TEYLA
They left everything behind. Why would they do that?

SHEPPARD
Let's get these workstations powered up. Maybe we can figure out where these people went.

[McKay checks his scanner.]

MCKAY
Oh. I got something. A single lifesign.

TEYLA
Where is it?

MCKAY
It's below us.

[He studies the device, showing a single blip far underground.]

MCKAY
Quite a way below us.

SHEPPARD
They built underground?

TEYLA
No. One of the previous civilizations that lived here was similar to the Genii, living below the surface to avoid detection by the Wraith. They left behind several underground passages, but the Taranans didn't utilize them.

MCKAY
Well, someone is.

SHEPPARD
How do we get there?

[Teyla leads the way.]

INT—TERANAN UNDERGROUND CHAMBERS

[Ronon is the last to repel down to the chamber, sliding down easily in one swoop. They turn on the flashlights on their rifles. The area is a cement underground bunker.]

SHEPPARD
Rodney?

[McKay points, and Sheppard leads the way down a corridor. The team patrols together, Ronon checking a side passage, and watching their rear. Teyla opens a door, finding a mucus-encrusted large sack.]

TEYLA
Wait!

RONON
Whoa! What is that?

TEYLA
It looks like a cocoon of some sort.

RONON
What's inside it?

[Ronon stoops to investigate.]

SHEPPARD
Well, whatever it is, it's not inside anymore.

[He looks at the empty cocoon. McKay continues to watch the single life sign as the team exchange worried looks.]

END TEASER

OPENING CREDITS

EXT—ATLANTIS, DAY

INT—ATLANTIS CONTROL ROOM

[Weir approaches Chuck.]

WEIR
Has Colonel Sheppard's team dialed in with a status report yet?

CHUCK
Well, not yet, but they haven't been gone that long.

WEIR
Go ahead and dial them.

[Chuck does so.]

INT—TERANAN UNDERGROUND CHAMBERS

[The conversation switches between Atlantis and Sheppard's team.]

WEIR

(over radio)

How's it going there?

SHEPPARD
I think I know why we lost contact with the Taranans.

WEIR
Why?

SHEPPARD
They're gone.

WEIR
What? All of them?

SHEPPARD
Looks like it. The entire settlement is deserted. Rodney's picked up a lifesign underneath the tunnel, but we're tracking it. We don't think it's human, though.

WEIR
Why not?

TEYLA
We discovered a large cocoon in one of the rooms under the settlement. We think whatever hatched from it is what we're detecting.

WEIR
Did you just say "cocoon"?

SHEPPARD
Yeah, it's like a big, slimy…

MCKAY
It's a pod.

SHEPPARD
I was going to say "egg," but who knows what the hell it is.

WEIR
I'm sending in back up.

RONON
We can handle it.

WEIR
I know you can handle it, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. I'll send in a team of Marines to assist you.

SHEPPARD

(resigned)

All right, if you feel the need.

WEIR
I feel the need. Weir out.

[McKay's lifesigns detector starts beeping more rapidly.]

SHEPPARD
It's a hell of a complex down here.

RONON
It's like a maze.

MCKAY
We're closer.

SHEPPARD
How far?

MCKAY
Forty meters? It's stopped moving, so we're gaining ground.

[Sheppard glances back to the rest of his team.]

SHEPPARD
All right, good. Look, if it makes any sudden moves, I want you to make sure that—

[Belatedly, Sheppard realizes that Ronon has disappeared.]

SHEPPARD
Where's Ronon? Ronon!

INT—TERANAN UNDERGROUND ROOM

RONON

(coughing)

In here.

[Ronon looks disgusted and upset. His teammates join him to see the source of his distress. It is filled with human corpses piled onto each other.]

MCKAY
Oh, my God.

TEYLA
Taranans.

SHEPPARD
Wounds on their neck, all of them. Does this look familiar?

MCKAY
Looks disturbingly familiar.

SHEPPARD
You don't think, uh…

[He looks up, noticing Ronon has once again disappeared.]

SHEPPARD

Ronon?
(annoyed)

Oh, for God's sakes…

TEYLA
Ronon!

RONON

(calling from another room)

In here.

INT—IRATUS BUG LAB

[Sheppard, Teyla, and McKay join Ronon in this lab. Ronon is looking at a table with straps to hold down humans. An iratus bug sits in a liquid chamber.]

SHEPPARD

You can't wander off like that. You got to…
(noticing the room's contents)

Oh, no…

MCKAY
The Iratus bug.

SHEPPARD
I hate those things.

MCKAY
That explains why the wounds look so familiar.

TEYLA
What is it doing here? Iratus bugs are not indigenous to this planet.

RONON
Well, somebody brought it here.

MCKAY
Let's hope it's the only bug they brought.

SHEPPARD
So, some kind of a Wraith experiment?

MCKAY
I doubt the Taranans did this to themselves.

TEYLA
I do not sense any Wraith in the settlement.

[McKay notices his detector beeping more rapidly.]

MCKAY
Oh…our little friend is on the move. It's headed right for us.

SHEPPARD
How fast?

MCKAY
Very fast.

RONON
It knows we're here.

[Ronon heads out to meet the threat.]

SHEPPARD
Ronon. Stun.

RONON

(furious)

Why?

SHEPPARD
Stun!

[Ronon sets his gun as they all warily watch the room of corpses, looking for danger. McKay's scanner beeping quickly. They watch, growing increasingly nervous.]

NEGLEY

(over radio)

Colonel Sheppard, come in.

[Sheppard jumps, startled.]

EXT—NEW TARANAS FOREST, DAY

[Negley's team of marines patrols the forest.]

NEGLEY

(into radio)

Colonel Sheppard, this is Lieutenant Negley, do you copy?

INT—IRATUS BUG LAB

[The conversation switches between the forest and underground chamber.]

SHEPPARD

(whispering, impatient)

Yes, Lieutenant.

NEGLEY
Sir, my team has just come through the gate, and we're proceeding to the settlement north—

SHEPPARD

(cutting him off sharply)

Great, terrific. We'll meet you there. Right now I need radio silence. Sheppard out.

[McKay checks the steady beeping of his scanner.]

MCKAY
It stopped.

SHEPPARD
Why?

MCKAY
How am I supposed to know?

SHEPPARD
Where is it?

MCKAY
Well, I think it's out in the tunnel.

[Sheppard leads the way.]

INT—CORRIDOR, TERANAN UNDERGROUND COMPLEX

[Sheppard's team warily goes through the room of corpses and out into the tunnel.]

MCKAY

(whispering)

It's close.

[They cautiously move forward. From a side passage, a half-man, half-insect creature attacks Ronon, pinning him to the wall. Sheppard, Teyla, and McKay open fire on it. It screams in pain and backs off, knocking down Sheppard. Ronon unsheathes his sword and chops off one of its limbs. It runs down the hall on its human legs. They continue to shoot at it as it disappears down the corridor.]

TEYLA

(to Ronon)

Are you all right?

RONON
Yeah, I'm good.

MCKAY
What the hell was that thing?

TEYLA

(looking down)

What is that?

[Ronon crouches with a sigh and picks up the appendage he sliced off. It looks like a forearm with a three-fingered insect "hand".]

RONON
That's a piece of an arm, it looks like.

SHEPPARD
Let's hope that slows him down.

MCKAY
Well, maybe it'll bleed to death.

RONON
Or just grow another arm.

[He drops the arm back onto the floor.]

EXT—TARANAS SETTLEMENT, DAY

[Negley's team are still close to the Stargate when they hear the wormhole activating behind them. Negley turns to spot a dart flying through.]

NEGLEY
Dart!

[His team take defensive positions and start to fire on it, but the dart's culling beam swallows them all.]

INT—TARANAS UNDERGROUND COMPLEX

[McKay watches his scanner, tracking the creature.]

MCKAY
It's still moving away from us.

SHEPPARD
Let's hope losing a chunk of his arm slows him down.

RONON
We need to finish it off to make sure.

SHEPPARD
Couldn't agree with you more.

MCKAY
Yeah, and how are we going to do that? Huh? Am I the only one who noticed that our bullets had no effect on it?

TEYLA
It appears to have a hardened shell on its back.

SHEPPARD

(indicating Ronon's gun)
Set that thing to "kill" again.
(into radio)

Lieutenant Negley, this is Sheppard. How far away from the settlement are you? Negley, this is Sheppard, come in.

MCKAY
You did say "radio silence."

SHEPPARD

(worried, into radio)
Negley. Respond!
(frustrated)

Aw, great.

[McKay taps Sheppard on the arm and points to a side passage.]

MCKAY
It's through that doorway.

[Sheppard heads to a sealed metal door. Getting into defensive positions, they open it, then cautiously step inside. They find a room filled with cocoons.]

SHEPPARD
This is not good.

EXT—ATLANTIS, DAY

INT—WEIR'S OFFICE

[Chuck enters the office. Weir is at her desk, studying some papers.]

CHUCK
Dr. Weir, we just received a data transmission from the Taranan settlement… Lieutenant Negley, checking in.

WEIR
And how're they doing?

TECHNICIAN
Well, they've contacted Colonel Sheppard's team, who are about ten kilometers further inland from the settlement. Negley and his team are on their way to meet up with them.

WEIR
Ten kilometers inland? What are they doing there?

CHUCK
Well, they found the Taranans. Apparently they've abandoned their settlement for a better location inland.

WEIR
What about the cocoon, and the lifesign they were tracking?

CHUCK
There was no mention about it. It was a brief transmission. They were almost out of range.

WEIR
Okay. Good. Keep me posted.

[Chuck leaves.]

INT—TARANAN UNDERGROUND COMPLEX ROOM

[Sheppard and Ronon exit the room, rejoining Teyla and McKay, already in the hall.]

SHEPPARD
We searched the whole room. That thing ain't in there. Just a bunch of unhatched eggs.

MCKAY
Pods.

SHEPPARD
Whatever.

TEYLA
Is there another way out?

RONON
No, that's the only door to the room.

MCKAY
Yeah, well, they must've found another way out, because it is still on the move.

[Sheppard looks up at the ceiling.]

SHEPPARD
Alien.

[They all stare blankly at him.]

SHEPPARD
The movie Alien. They use the airshafts to move around the ship.

MCKAY

(annoyed)

And then systematically killed the entire crew, one by one. Thank you for bringing that up.

SHEPPARD

(innocently)

They didn't kill them all.

TEYLA
What do we do now?

RONON
Track this thing down and kill it.

SHEPPARD
Agreed, but…first things first.

INT—POD ROOM

[Sheppard's team sets C-4 explosives on the various cocoon pods.]

TEYLA
The structure is very peculiar.

MCKAY
Yeah…I believe the word is "disgusting."

INT—TARANAN UNDERGROUND COMPLEX CORRIDOR

[Ronon unsheathes his sword and looks around.]

INT—POD ROOM

[Teyla approaches. One of the creatures starts to break through, grabbing at Teyla and McKay. They both back away, frightened.]

MCKAY

(panicked)

Go! Go! Go! Go! Sheppard! They're hatching!

[Sheppard sets the last explosive.]

SHEPPARD
We're good! Let's go!

INT—TARANAN UNDERGROUND COMPLEX CORRIDOR

[Ronon spins to see Teyla, McKay and Sheppard running out. A creature growls behind them.]

MCKAY
Shut the door. Shut the door!

[Ronon and Sheppard shove the door closed, but the creature gets two of its appendages leaning out. Sheppard aims his rifle inside the room and fires. The creature drops back, screaming. They seal the door and run for cover. Once they are a safe distance, Sheppard keys his remote detonator.]

SHEPPARD
Fire in the hole.

[A fireball appears further down the hall where the chamber was.]

SHEPPARD
Everyone okay?

TEYLA
Yes.

RONON
I'm good.

MCKAY
I think you singed my eyebrows. Think you used enough dynamite there, Butch?

[The others ignore McKay as they go investigate.]

INT—POD ROOM

[The room is filled with smoke and debris. The pods have been destroyed. McKay looks at his scanner.]

SHEPPARD
Rodney?

MCKAY
I think we got them all.

SHEPPARD
That's good.

MCKAY
Except for our armless friend. He's still on the move.

SHEPPARD
Let's go get him.

[They leave.]

INT—TARANAN UNDERGROUND COMPLEX

SHEPPARD

(into radio)
Lieutenant Negley, this is Sheppard. do you read? Negley? Respond.
(to self)

Dammit.

TEYLA
Perhaps they encountered the creature.

RONON
And what, it killed all four of them?

SHEPPARD
No way. One creature isn't going to take out four Marines.

MCKAY
It almost killed all of us.

RONON
But it didn't.

SHEPPARD
We need to find them.

TEYLA
If they were alive, we would see them on the lifesigns detector.

MCKAY
Not if they didn't make it to the settlement. This thing only has a range of a hundred meters.

SHEPPARD
Where's the creature now?

[McKay checks his scanner and stops.]

MCKAY
Wait a minute. It's back that way.

[He nods back the way they came.]

SHEPPARD
Behind us?

RONON
You just said it was that way.

MCKAY
I did. Well, it was, but it must have-must've doubled back.

SHEPPARD
Damn air shafts.

TEYLA
Obviously it knows its way around this place better than we do. Perhaps we should consider returning to the gate.

RONON
What, you mean give up?

TEYLA
No, not give up. We can find out what happened to the Marines and request additional backup so that we may do a proper search of the settlement.

MCKAY
I like this plan. I mean, if we're taking a vote.

RONON

(to Sheppard)

Sounds like giving up to me.

SHEPPARD
Teyla's right. Enough of this cat and mouse. We're better off doing a full-scale sweep of this area.

MCKAY
Including the airshafts.

SHEPPARD
All right, how do we get out of here?

TEYLA
This way.

EXT—NEW TARANAS CLEARING

[The team walks through a forest clearing.]

TEYLA
In all the worlds I have been to, I've never encountered anything like it.

SHEPPARD
Did anybody get a good look at that thing?

SHEPPARD
Aside from the severed appendage, no. That thing moved incredibly fast.

RONON
In some ways, it looked almost like a human.

MCKAY
If by "human" you mean clad in a grotesquely proportioned exoskeleton, yes, very human.

RONON
I meant it looked like it had two arms and two legs.

SHEPPARD
It looked like a giant bug to me. I hate those things.

TEYLA
If it was indeed a Wraith experiment, well, perhaps it was created by combining the genetic elements of the Iratus bug with the Taranans.

MCKAY
Which is, as we know, exactly how the Wraith evolved. The Iratus bug bites human, human DNA mixes with theirs, a thousand years go by—Wraith.

RONON
So, what, they're trying to create more Wraith?

SHEPPARD
That doesn't make any more sense. If they wanted to create more Wraith, wouldn't it be easier to get a male and female, you know…get a room?

MCKAY
It doesn't work that way with the Wraith, all right? At least, we don't think it does. We're not entirely sure as to the Wraith's reproductive methods.

SHEPPARD
I don't want to be around to watch that film.

MCKAY
Anyway… look. It's probably less likely they were trying to create another Wraith than they were actually trying to create some kind of a hybrid creature, probably to use as a weapon.

SHEPPARD
Super-Wraith? That's all we need.

EXT—NEW TARANAS STARGATE

SHEPPARD
Well, that's the whole distance from the settlement, and I don't see any sign of the Marines yet.

MCKAY
Maybe they went back to Atlantis.

SHEPPARD
No, they would've radioed us.

TEYLA
They must have encountered the creature. There's no other explanation for why they are not responding to us.

MCKAY
If that thing took them all out, then that is one nasty bug…person.

SHEPPARD
Dial us out.

MCKAY
Right.

[McKay tries to dial the Stargate. The first glyph makes a flat sound. He tries again with the same result.]

MCKAY
No.

RONON
What?

[McKay bends down and reaches into the DHD control panel.]

MCKAY
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

SHEPPARD
Rodney?

MCKAY
The control crystal's missing.

TEYLA
Missing?

RONON
We can't dial out?

SHEPPARD
Well, fix it!

MCKAY
This is not a matter of fixing, okay? The crystal is just gone. Someone has removed it to prevent anyone else from dialing out.

[Teyla sighs in frustration.]

INT—TARANAN UNDERGROUND COMPLEX

[Michael walks down a corridor by the pod room. He steps inside and stares in horror at the destruction, and breathes heavily with fury.]

EXT—NEW TARANAS STARGATE AREA

RONON
Stay here?

RODNEY
Hey, Elizabeth will wonder why we haven't checked in. She'll dial up, get our status, we can request backup, also a puddle jumper to come get us.

SHEPPARD
We don't know how long that'll be. That could be hours.

TEYLA
We'll be safe here. The lifesigns detector will alert us if the creature's nearby.

MCKAY
She's right. We can set up a— a—what do you call it? A-a-a perimeter. Wait it out.

SHEPPARD
We're not leaving without those marines. Let's go back to the settlement.

[Ronon and Teyla exchange looks but follow him away.]

INT—TARANAN UNDERGROUND COMPLEX CORRIDOR

[The team walk down a corridor. Teyla stops, her breath quickening.]

SHEPPARD
What?

TEYLA
I am sensing something.

RONON
Wraith?

TEYLA
I cannot be certain.

SHEPPARD
Rodney?

MCKAY
No. No, I've still just got the one reading. He's still on the move, heading, uh— No! No, I'm picking up another lifesign. It's popped up out of nowhere.

[He shows Sheppard the display indicating the four of them, and two separate life signs.]

RONON
How is that possible?

SHEPPARD
Maybe one of those eggs hatched.

MCKAY
Well, maybe. That, or-or part of this settlement is shielded.

RONON
Maybe it's one of the marines.

SHEPPARD
Well, if it is one of those marines, the something Teyla's sensing is heading right toward him.

[They head down a staircase. McKay's scanner beeps more rapidly.]

MCKAY
They're close.

[They nervously aim at every opening with their weapons as they pass by. Teyla spots something in a darkened room and enters to investigate. The door shuts behind her.]

[The others hear the door slam.]

SHEPPARD
What was that?

[McKay turns to find Teyla is gone.]

MCKAY
Teyla!

RONON
Teyla!

[They run to the shut door. A pipe bursts over them, spraying them in steam. The creature tries to attack in the confusion.]

INT—TARANAN UNDERGROUND COMPLEX ROOM

[Teyla smacks at the door, trapped inside.]

TEYLA
Ronon!

INT—TARANAN UNDERGROUND COMPLEX CORRIDOR

[The creature moves, but does not seem to be able to see the team, who don't fire at it for fear of striking a teammate with the limited vision.]

INT—TARANAN UNDERGROUND COMPLEX ROOM

[Teyla pounds on the door from her side.]

TEYLA
John!

[Teyla can hear the creature out there. Sensing something behind her, she spins, her rifle light showing Michael standing there.]

INT—TARANAN UNDERGROUND COMPLEX CORRIDOR

[The creature appears out of the steam. Everyone shoots at it. It falls. McKay gasps as they assure it's dead. Sheppard uses his combat knife to pry open the door. The room is empty.]

MCKAY
Where'd she go?

[He checks his scanner.]

MCKAY
I'm reading two lifesigns moving away from us, but one floor up, I think, that, or more air shafts.

SHEPPARD
Let's go.

[They head down the corridor.]

MCKAY
Wait! They disappeared.

SHEPPARD
What?

MCKAY
The lifesigns, they just vanished. I was right, part of the settlement must be shielded.

[Sheppard and Ronon move faster.]

MCKAY
Wait, no, we won't be able to track them!

INT—MICHAEL'S LAB

[Teyla awakens to find herself strapped down to a table. She does not notice Michael next to her.]

TEYLA
What…?

MICHAEL
This will proceed much more quickly if you don't resist.

TEYLA

(fearful)

Oh…Michael?

MICHAEL
Hello, Teyla.

INT—TARANAN UNDERGROUND COMPLEX CORRIDOR

MCKAY
You need to aim for the stomach area. It seems to be more vulnerable. It's a soft underbelly. You were able to kill it when you hit it there before.

RONON

(annoyed)

Thanks.

SHEPPARD
Which way?

MCKAY
I don't know. It's not showing me anything. It's useless.

RONON
This way.

[They follow Ronon's lead.]

INT—MICHAEL'S LAB

TEYLA
You are the one who's done all this?

MICHAEL
"All this"?

TEYLA
This…experiment. You murdered those people. You allowed those bugs to feed on them.

MICHAEL
A necessary step in the process.

TEYLA
To create these creatures? Why are you doing this?

MICHAEL
Do you not recall our last encounter? How you left me to die on that desolate planet? The hive that finally rescued me—they could tell something was different. They sensed the human in me. To them…I was unclean. I barely escaped that hive with my life. So now I find myself hunted by both humans and Wraith. So you can understand my need to protect myself. To…survive.

[Michael goes to a table full of forceps and scalpels and other large and sharp instruments, picking and choosing. Teyla strains against her bindings.]

TEYLA
It did not have to be like this. You could have lived with us.

MICHAEL
As a human? My consciousness erased by your retrovirus? No. I will live the rest of my life as I choose—but I can't do it alone. So, having taken my cue from the experiment your people performed on me… I figured out how to reverse the process…to create a being even more formidable than a Wraith. It began with the feeding…

FLASHBACK

[Michael watches as an Iratus bug feeds on a screaming Taranan man in the very chamber where Teyla now is.]

MICHAEL

(voiceover)

I allowed the bug to gorge itself, to absorb as much human DNA as possible. This, of course, led to the death of the subject. The timing of the feeding was critical, ensuring that the bug laid its next egg quickly, before the genetic material could filter out of its body.

[Michael discards the body in the room carelessly on a pile with many other Taranans the room of corpses Ronon discovered.]

[Later in his lab, Michael injects serum into the eggs. And later still, he watches the pods as they develop.]

MICHAEL

(continued voiceover)

The embryo then contained enough human DNA for me to manipulate. I accelerated the development, augmenting the complexity of its physiology. There were several adjustments…several mistakes…until I finally found the perfect balance between strength, agility, and resilience.

END FLASHBACK

MICHAEL
A perfect animal to do my bidding.

[Michael gazes rapturously to the doorway. A growling can be heard. Teyla, frightened, looks to the door. One of the creatures stands there.]

INT—TARANAN UNDERGROUND COMPLEX CORRIDOR

[The rest of the team runs to the end of a corridor, where a metal door is sealed shut. They can't open it.]

MCKAY
Must be some kind of security lockdown. Whoever took Teyla no doubt triggered it.

SHEPPARD
We've got to open this up.

RONON
Stand back.

[Ronon immediately fires at it. McKay and Sheppard can barely duck in time. The blast has no affect on the door.]

SHEPPARD
Jeez! You mind giving us a little more "heads up" before you start blasting everything?

RONON
You got any more C-4?

INT—MICHAEL'S LAB

MICHAEL
I saw how you and your team destroyed the incubation room. But don't think that's the only one in this complex. And don't think that this is the only planet from which I am conducting this experiment.

[Teyla looks horrified as the creature moves away.]

MICHAEL
That's right. Soon, hundreds of these creatures will be at my disposal, and their numbers will continue to grow—so long as I have human subjects in supply. And now that you're here…I do.

[Michael moves away. Teyla tries to get out of her bindings.]

INT—TARANAN UNDERGROUND COMPLEX CORRIDOR

[McKay, Ronon, and Sheppard take cover at a side corridor.]

SHEPPARD
All right, that's the last of the C-4. Let's hope it's enough. Ready?

[He triggers the detonator. Nothing happens.]

MCKAY
What happened?

[Sheppard peeks around the corner. The explosion finally happens, and Sheppard barely ducks in time. The door is blown.]

SHEPPARD
All right. Let's go.

[They run to the broken door and cautiously enter. McKay's scanner beeps.]

MCKAY
Whoa. Serious energy spike.

RONON
What does that mean?

MCKAY
We've probably just entered the shielded section of the settlement.

INT—MICHAEL'S LAB

[A red light appears.]

MICHAEL
Your friends are coming for you. They'll meet the same fate as you…one by one.

[He nods to the creature at the doorway, who leaves.]

TEYLA
Others will come for us. Dr. Weir will send—

MICHAEL
Don't concern yourself with Dr. Weir. She thinks your team has met up with the Taranan people, and all is well. One of the marines she sent to help you was…kind enough to assist me in transmitting a message back to Atlantis.

TEYLA

(sighing, pleading)

Oh…Michael…please don't do this.

MICHAEL
After what you did to me…twice…how could you expect anything less?

TEYLA
What happened back on the planet—

MICHAEL

(interrupting)

No more excuses. Your experiment failed. You decided to kill us.

[Michael picks up a small box and brings it over to the foot of Teyla's table.]

TEYLA
We believed we were left with no choice.

MICHAEL
And now I'm in the same position. You drove me to this.

[He opens the box. An Iratus bug comes out and starts climbing up Teyla's body.]

INT—TARANAN UNDERGROUND COMPLEX CORRIDOR

MCKAY
Oh, my god.

[Sheppard and McKay crouch by the bodies of two of Negley's team.]

RONON
Where are the others?

[He moves ahead.]

RONON
Sheppard. Over here.

[Sheppard and McKay run ahead to where Ronon crouches over the other two dead marines. Sheppard pulls Negley's dogtags. There is a chirping of insects.]

RONON
You hear that?

MCKAY
Oh, it sounds like bugs.

SHEPPARD
Come on.

[He and McKay head out. Ronon takes the other man's dogtags and closes his eyes.]

[Sheppard leads the group while McKay works with his scanner.]

SHEPPARD
Put that thing away. I thought you said it didn't work in this area anyway.

MCKAY
Please, I-I just thought I could recalibrate it to take into effect the—

[The creature tackles McKay. Sheppard turns and starts shooting at it. Ronon fires at it as well.]

INT—MICHAEL'S LAB

[Michael hears the shrieking of the creature and gunfire in the distance. Teyla also hears. Michael stalks away.]

INT—TARANAN UNDERGROUND COMPLEX CORRIDOR

[The trio stand over the creature's limp body.]

SHEPPARD
It's dead.

[McKay collapses in relief.]

INT—MICHAEL'S LAB

[The bug chirps as it climbs up Teyla's leg and torso towards her throat.]

TEYLA
John! John!

[The bug backs up a few steps, frightened by Teyla's screams, but hisses and decides to strike. Ronon's gun blasts it away. He and Sheppard stand in the doorway.]

SHEPPARD

(to Ronon)
Nice shot!
(To Teyla)

You okay?

[The three men rush in and start to unstrap Teyla's bindings.]

TEYLA
Yes. It's Michael. He is the one doing this.

SHEPPARD

(surprised)

Michael? Our Michael?

MCKAY
He's alive?

TEYLA
Yes. He created the creatures, and he's attempting to build an army of them.

RONON
Where is he?

TEYLA
I don't know. He ran off as soon as he heard the gunfire.

SHEPPARD
All right, we need to come up with the best plan here.

RONON
The best plan is to kill him.

[Ronon starts after him.]

SHEPPARD
Hey, just hang on a sec.

MCKAY
Maybe I should check out these workstations. There might be some intel…

RONON
We don't have any time.

MCKAY

(continuing, insistent)

…such as how many of these creatures he created, and if they have any weaknesses that we might be able to exploit.

SHEPPARD
All right. Teyla, you stay with Rodney. Ronon and I are going after Michael. We'll stay in touch on the radio.

MCKAY
Can't. Shielded, remember? Look, the energy spike, it fouls with radio communications as well.

SHEPPARD
Well, then un-shield it. Let's go.

[Sheppard and Ronon leave. McKay sighs and gets to work.]

INT—TARANAN UNDERGROUND COMPLEX CORRIDOR

SHEPPARD
You go that way, I'll go the other. Oh, hey, wait. Set your gun to stun.

RONON

(exasperated)

What?

SHEPPARD
Yeah, we're going to need to question him.

RONON
No.

RONON
No more talking, no more questioning. I'm going to do what we should've done the first time we captured him.

SHEPPARD
Ronon, listen to me—

RONON

(interrupting)

No, you listen to me, John. This whole retrovirus thing was a mistake. I said it then, no one listened to me. It was a bad idea.

SHEPPARD
We had to try. If it worked, we wouldn't have to—

RONON
But it didn't work! Admit it. It just made things worse. How long do you want to keep paying for it?

INT—MICHAEL'S LAB

MCKAY
It is amazing how much work he's been able to get done in such a short amount of time. He's quite the industrious little fella…or Wraith… or whatever. What does he look like now? I mean, is he full-on Wraith again?

TEYLA
Not quite. There are still human characteristics present in him. No doubt it's why I was confused when I first felt his presence.

MCKAY
You would think that the human side of him would temper his aggression a bit.

TEYLA

(sarcastically)

Yes…because we humans aren't aggressive at all.

MCKAY
Well, certainly less aggressive than— Oh, sarcasm. Yeah. Nice.

TEYLA
What Michael is doing right now must be stopped, and he cannot be allowed to escape. He's far too dangerous.

MCKAY
Eh, you're preaching to the choir, my dear.

TEYLA
But I understand his anger. His life has been destroyed. He no longer has a home or a family…

MCKAY
He had a family?

TEYLA
I don't know. But I've often wondered what he left behind when he was captured by us. We know nothing of his past, other than he was a Wraith.

[McKay studies Michael's data.]

MCKAY
A very smart Wraith.

TEYLA
Perhaps he was a scientist.

MCKAY
Sure. Probably. Why not? One of their very best, I would wager.

TEYLA
Like you.

MCKAY
Right. Wait a minute.

TEYLA
What is it?

MCKAY

I think I just figured out how to disable the EM interference that is causing the shielding.
(into radio)

Sheppard, you there?

[The exchange switches between the lab and the corridor where Sheppard patrols.]

SHEPPARD
Yeah, I'm here.

MCKAY
I got the shielding disabled.

SHEPPARD
So I see.

MCKAY
Any luck finding Michael?

SHEPPARD
No sign of him yet. Is that lifesigns detector working yet?

MCKAY
Oh. Of course.

[He pulls out the lifesigns detector and checks it. He sees several dots massed in front of Sheppard's life sign.]

MCKAY
Oh, my god.

SHEPPARD
What?

[Teyla joins McKay to look over his shoulder.]

MCKAY
I am reading a ton of lifesigns near you.

SHEPPARD
Well, define "ton" and define "near."

MCKAY
A few dozen? I mean, they're all bunched together.

SHEPPARD
Prisoners in a holding cell, maybe?

TEYLA
Or worse.

[Teyla goes back to keep watch on the corridor.]

INT—TARANAN UNDERGROUND COMPLEX CORRIDOR

[Michael goes to a closed door and opens it. Several of the creatures walk out.]

MCKAY
Whatever they are, someone just released them, and they're headed your way.

SHEPPARD
Oh, crap.

INT—TARANAN UNDERGROUND COMPLEX

[Ronon moves down a corridor. He's attacked by a creature as he turns a corner. He distracts it with a knife and then blasts it in the vulnerable underbelly, killing it.]

[Sheppard patrols another corridor.]

MCKAY

(into radio)

Keep going, straight up the tunnel. Ronon should be coming around the corner towards you…now.

[Michael comes around the corner, his weapon at ready. Sheppard raises his own sidearm.]

SHEPPARD
It's not Ronon.

INT—MICHAEL'S LAB

MCKAY

(afraid)

It's one of the bugs?

SHEPPARD
Michael.

[Teyla and McKay exchange looks.]

INT—TARANAN UNDERGROUND COMPLEX CORRIDOR

MICHAEL
Colonel Sheppard.

SHEPPARD
No offense, but I was kind of hoping never to see you again.

MICHAEL
I had hoped just the opposite.

SHEPPARD
Well, then. You've seen me. Now, say your goodbyes…but first, give me the control crystals to the DHD.

MICHAEL
I don't think so.

SHEPPARD
Or I can just kill you.

MICHAEL
Unless I stun you first.

[They can hear a creature approaching.]

SHEPPARD
As much as I'd like to sit around chatting…

MICHAEL
Extraordinary, aren't they?

SHEPPARD
Your army of bug people?

MICHAEL
I thought you'd be impressed.

SHEPPARD
Not so much.

MICHAEL
After all, I'm merely continuing the experiment your people began.

SHEPPARD
What then? Take over the entire galaxy? That's a little too "Dr. Evil," if you ask me.

MCKAY

(over radio)

Sheppard, the creatures are closing in on you fast. You better get moving.

SHEPPARD
You and Teyla go to the gate. We'll meet you there.

MCKAY

(over radio)

All right.

SHEPPARD
Give me the control crystal.

MICHAEL
I can't do that, Colonel.

SHEPPARD
Just so we're clear, I have no problem killing you.

[Michael lowers his stunner and steps forward.]

MICHAEL
And I have no problem with dying. Because even if you kill me right now…I'll die knowing that you and your team did not get off this planet alive.

[The creature attacks Sheppard, throwing him down the corridor. Michael runs away. From the other direction, Ronon arrives, blasting the creature off of Sheppard.]

INT—TARANAN UNDERGROUND COMPLEX

[Teyla and McKay hurry to where their rappelling equipment is hooked up.]

TEYLA
Go!

MCKAY
Rope climbing's the reason I got bronze instead of silver in the ParticipAction program.

TEYLA
What?

[Creatures get closer. Teyla looks down the corridor.]

TEYLA
Hurry! They're coming!

[She fires at them while McKay hurries to climb up.]

INT—TARANAN UNDERGROUND COMPLEX CORRIDOR

[Ronon and Sheppard run down the corridor, firing at creatures as they meet them.]

SHEPPARD

This is messed up. (seeing something to the side)

This must be where they got up.

RONON
What?

SHEPPARD
Air shafts. It's about time we used them.

[He and Ronon climb into an air shaft ladder.]

EXT—TARANAN FOREST, NIGHT

[Sheppard and Ronon reach the surface. Ronon blasts away some creatures trying to follow them. They look around, spotting a dart parked on the surface.]

RONON
Michael's.

SHEPPARD
No doubt.

RONON
You thinking what I'm thinking?

SHEPPARD
I fly it, pick you, Rodney, and Teyla up. We use the dart's DHD to dial the gate.

RONON

(considering)

I was thinking "blow it up," but your idea's better. Get moving.

[Sheppard runs to the dart. Ronon blasts some creatures climbing up the air shaft. He hears more converging on them in the forest. They appear out of the fog, surrounding him.]

RONON
Sheppard!

[The dart powers up. Ronon starts firing on them. The dart culls Ronon.]

EXT—NEW TARANAS FOREST, NIGHT

[Teyla and McKay run through the forest. McKay checks his scanner.]

MCKAY
Wait!

TEYLA
What is it?

MCKAY
Lifesigns up ahead.

TEYLA
Colonel Sheppard? Ronon?

[They hear the creatures growling nearby.]

MCKAY
Doesn't sound like it. Lifesigns behind us, too. It's closing in fast. Oh, god.

[The scanner beeps frantically and McKay spots dots on all sides drawing closer to Teyla and McKay.]

MCKAY
We're surrounded.

[Teyla and McKay stand back to back, searching for enemies. Teyla is hit by a Wraith stun blast. She falls. McKay turns, but he too is felled by the stunner. Michael strides forward. A dart flies overhead. It culls Teyla and McKay before Michael can get to them. He breathes heavily, looking frustrated.]

INT—ATLANTIS CONTROL ROOM

[The Stargate activates. Weir approaches Chuck's station.]

CHUCK
Incoming wormhole. Colonel Sheppard's IDC.

WEIR
Lower the shield.

INT—ATLANTIS GATE ROOM

[The shield lowers as Weir approaches the Stargate. Sheppard's team walks through.]

WEIR
Are you all right? Where are the marines?

SHEPPARD
Didn't make it.

WEIR
What?

MCKAY
We barely made it ourselves. We had to commandeer a Wraith dart just to dial out.

SHEPPARD
We ditched it on another planet. We didn't want to risk damaging the control room. Daedalus can pick it up later.

WEIR
What happened to the Taranans?

RONON
They're dead, all of them.

WEIR
Wait a minute. Lieutenant Negley sent a message saying they just relocated to a new settlement.

TEYLA
No. It was Michael. He sent the transmission. He's the one that's killed the Taranans.

WEIR

(shocked)

Michael?

SHEPPARD
We'll tell you about it in a minute, but first, is the Daedalus here yet?

WEIR
It's still a few days out. Why?

SHEPPARD
We're going to need it to make another stop on the way.

WEIR
Okay.

EXT—ATLANTIS, NIGHT

INT—ATLANTIS CORRIDOR

[Weir walks down a corridor, deep in thought and looking disturbed. Teyla meets her in the passageway and notices her demeanor.]

TEYLA
Elizabeth?

WEIR
I just came from McKay's lab. He's been examining the research he was able to upload from Michael's experiment.

TEYLA
Has he been able to determine just how many more of those creatures Michael was able to create?

WEIR
Well, not an exact figure, no, but Rodney believes it's well into the hundreds.

[Teyla gasps in shock.]

WEIR
Yeah, and it appears Michael has similar labs on at least three different planets.

TEYLA
It's amazing how quickly he's been able to incorporate our science into his.

[Weir is still deep in thought.]

TEYLA
What is it?

WEIR
Michael found out about the Taranan settlement through information the Wraith hacked from our database during our brief alliance with them last year. We led Michael straight to them.

[She walks away.]

INT—WEIR'S OFFICE

[Weir studies a tablet computer. Sheppard enters.]

SHEPPARD
Colonel Caldwell just radioed. They did a full sweep of the planet. No lifesigns. They searched the settlement. No Michael, no creatures.

WEIR
He already dialed out.

SHEPPARD
Yep. Got the control crystal back in the DHD. Rodney's trying to figure out the last address dialed, but, uh, well, you know how long that takes.

WEIR
Yeah, I'm sure Michael immediately dialed elsewhere to cover his tracks.

SHEPPARD
Yeah, you can count on that.

WEIR
We need to find him. He's already too dangerous.

SHEPPARD
And I'm sure we're number one on his hit list.

FADE OUT

END CREDITS

Transcribed for Solutions by Aurora Novarum, August 2008.

SGA 3.19 "Vengeance" Transcript

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