"McKAY:" "She used to leave the lights on all over the house, every room." "It drove my father nuts." "For me, it was my brother, only we had no lights." "He used to leave candles burning everywhere." "Well, you know what?" "No one wants to hear any more stories about how poor you were as a child, all right?" "We already feel as sorry for you as is humanly possible." "He burnt the house down, you know." "My sister was afraid of the dark." "They used to blame me for leaving the lights on." "Of course, my father believed her." "He never sided with me." "We had to live in a tent, in the dead of winter for three months." "You know, at least my stories relate to what we're doing." "So do mine." "We're trekking all over the city, shutting down everything the Ancients activated, while they were oh so briefly in control, so that we can stop the power draining from our one precious ZPM." "How does that relate to your idiot brother burning the house down?" "If we don't succeed..." "We're not gonna have to live in a tent in the dead of winter." "It's a metaphor." " Dr. McKay." " Thank God." "The control panel, it's completely shot." "Really?" "You think so?" "You know, I don't get these Ancients." "They're supposed to be so smart." "Why activate something that you don't need and you're not using?" "Maybe they didn't have time to get to it, you know, before the human-form Replicators that you reprogrammed attacked." "Yes." "Yes, we all know what happened." "You're just angry that you couldn't figure out how to override the Ancient protocols that kept us from shutting this place down remotely from the control room." "McKAY:" "And neither could you." "Yes, but I didn't bet everyone a month's pay that I could do it." "Okay, you know what?" "Look around." "See if you can figure out how to turn this place off, whatever it is." "Hey, are you sure you should be going up there?" "How else am I going to find out what this room does?" "God forbid there should be anything in the Ancient database." "The trouble is, we just don't have the time to..." "Here we go." "Okay, there should be a main power switch..." "Yes, I know that." "What do you think I'm doing?" "All right." "All right, double or nothing." " You're on." " All right." "All right." "It's gonna be around here somewhere." "Rodney, what happened?" "I'm not sure." "But I think I just lost big time." "As far as I can tell, he's fine." "I was hit by a mysterious energy pulse." "How can that possibly be fine?" "I've run every test I can." "Blood work, MRIs, X-rays, the lot." "I found no anomalies in any of the results." "Okay, one more time, mysterious energy pulse from a device created by the Ancients?" "I mean, who knows what kind of long-term effects I could be in for." "I mean, there's gross mutation, giantism, invisibility." "That would be cool." "I turned into a bug." "All right." "Like I said, as far as I can tell, you're as healthy as a horse." " I'm clearing you for active duty." " Are you insane?" "Look, I need to be put under guard." "Who knows what I could become." "What are the chances it could make him more pleasant?" " Oh, thank you." " I'll keep an eye on him." "Thank you." "Can you still see me?" "What are you saying?" "I thought that you were showing off." "Normally, if Dr. Esposito weren't around," "I doubt you would've been as reckless as you were." " McKAY:" "Are you insane?" " Which one's Esposito?" "Oh, the long, dark hair." "All right, the one with the perfect little..." "Would you mind?" "We're trying to work here." "For the record, I was going to say smile." "Yeah, sure you were." "What've you got?" "Nothing." "Whatever you did fried all the power conduits leading into the room." "Whatever I did?" "McKAY:" "Up until very recently, this lab was entirely underwater, quite possibly for over 10,000 years." "How is that my fault?" "Well, that part of it isn't." "Okay, that's it." "I'm going for lunch." "How is he doing?" "Same old Rodney." "You sure?" "He looks a couple of pounds heavier to me." " Ronon." " What?" "He eats all the time." "It's not like he exercises." "Feeding his unhappiness." "Hello, I'm right here." "I can..." "I can hear you." "For your information, I'm exactly the same weight I've been since I got here." "I need to eat regularly, otherwise I become hypoglycemic, and I am generally a very happy person." "Colonel Sheppard, please have your team report to the control room immediately." "Colonel Sheppard." "WEIR:" "We received this transmission six minutes ago from Major Lorne's team." "Atlantis Base, repeat, we're under attack and cut off from the gate." "I counted at least 20, maybe more." "Request backup immediately." "Where are they?" "M72-656." "Have a team of Marines meet us in the Jumper Bay." "Dr. Weir, any word?" "Not yet." "It has only been an hour." " You wanted to see me?" " Yes, I could use your help." "I managed to get power to a part of the console to access the lab's research logs." " And that's good news?" " Well, I'm not so sure." "I could use a second opinion." "It seems much of this refers to different elements of human physiology." "It mentions the mutation of base genetic coding?" "I realize Dr. Beckett said that there are no evident effects from Rodney's exposure to the device," " But it seems..." " It's meant to manipulate human DNA." "Dr. Weir to the Jumper Bay." "The rescue team has returned." "Let's go." "McKAY:" "What else could it be?" "You're losing your mind." "McKAY:" "I'm telling you, it's a bit of a coincidence." "Well, then prove it." "Colonel?" "Everyone's present and accounted for." "How bad is it?" "And who's been hurt?" "No one, Doc, we're all fine, thanks to McKay." "So he says." "Rodney?" "Well, to be honest, I'm not entirely sure." "I wasn't even sure it was me at first, but the correlation's impossible to ignore." "I saw Lorne's team pinned down, the bad guys closing in," "I just thought, you know, wouldn't it be great if all of their weapons jammed at the same time?" "Okay, next thing I know, they're all running away, so..." "So you think because you wanted it to happen, it just did." "It was a little more than that." "Okay, you know what?" "Watch this." "I'll..." "Rodney!" "Rodney!" "Believe me, I find this as disturbing as you do." "Like bloody hell you do!" "Put him down." "Oh, God!" "Have there been any other instances of this power manifesting itself?" "Powers." "Plural." "What else can you do besides telekinesis?" "Well, super-hearing for one, and I'm not sure, but I think I may actually be getting smarter." "It's hard to say for sure because I was pretty smart to start with, but recently I've been having some ideas that I don't think even I would've thought of before." "Does super-ego count as a power?" "Oh, finally, look." "Keep it coming." "He can also be dealing with a super-appetite, although it's hard to tell because he ate so much before." "Very funny." "My God, he's eating again?" "I have a very active metabolism." "Aye, among other things." "The scans show a dramatic increase in synaptic interaction throughout all the sections of Rodney's brain." "Much higher than normal human levels." "There was an incident at SGC just over a year ago." "I recall that file." "I studied the data." "Fascinating." "SG-1 discovered a highly-evolved human being in stasis." "Turned out he was the result of experimentation by a Goa'uld named Anubis." "He was trying to create a means of artificially accelerating the human physiology to the point of Ascension." "Well, that device I found must've been some kind of an accelerator." "We know that the Ancients developed all kinds of powers as they evolved." "Though it's just a matter of bad luck that we didn't run into that lab earlier." "Seriously, me a superhero." "Who would've thought it?" "Look, we all agree the Ancients were pretty screwed up." "We do?" "All the ones I met were arrogant and condescending and not for good reason." "Now, they made giant mistakes and never fixed them." "They were still human." "Then there were all those crazy rules." "Those only came after they Ascended." "Whatever." "All right, maybe this thing doesn't work on everyone." "Who knows?" "But we do know it works on McKay." "It has only been a day." "Assuming it's safe." "Well, to be honest, even if it's not, if we can get a significant advantage over the Wraith and the Replicators..." "John, I agree, this device may have great potential." "And with great potential comes great responsibility." "I know." "Like a lot of other things we have found in this city, it is a very advanced piece of technology." "For all we know, it could also be very dangerous." " Just saying..." " Yes, you can be next." "Thank you." "You know, if you're compiling a list, I..." "Could we stay focused, please?" "Right." "Come on, you can't keep me cooped up in here forever." "You might not be sick, Rodney, but I think we can both agree what's happening here is far from normal." "Exactly." "So let me go out and start using my powers to do some good." "Are you going to finish that?" "I'm serious!" "We have no idea of the extent of your genetic mutation." "Please, mutation has such negative connotations." "Advancement is more like it." "Until we know exactly what's going on here." "Carson!" "I'm still me." "Anyway, it's not like you or these guys could stop me from leaving anyways." "No, but I could." "Oh, you care to put that to a test?" "Do you?" "Well, no, not really." "Anyways, as I was saying, I think you're fine to go about your daily duties, as long as you have someone with you, and you..." "Check in every couple of hours." "Yes, yes." "Bye-bye." "You know, we could be a team." " You could be my sidekick." " Sidekick?" "Yeah, it'll be like Batman and Ronon." "Has a nice ring to it." "Yeah, you keep eating like this, it's gonna be more like Fatman." "I'm warning you, you will probably be bored out of your mind unless you find incredibly advanced physics to be..." " McKAY:" "Really?" " What?" "What?" "You think so?" "Hey, she thinks I'm hot." " I didn't say anything." " McKAY:" "Oh, no, no, no." "I'm sure that you..." "Oh, of course, no, I should've known." "She meant you." "I don't know what you're talking about." "McKay, she didn't say a word." "Oh, my God." "I can read minds." "Oh, this is cool." "No, it isn't." " Oh, I'm fine." "No, yes, and it doesn't." " What?" "I can read your mind, everyone's actually." "That was very cool for the first, like, 10 seconds there, but now I'm finding it a little disturbing, so I'm trying to tune it out as much as I possibly can, well, sort of." "Anyways, look, I wanted to get your permission to access the control chair." "I've got some pretty interesting ideas for maximizing our ZPM by reconfiguring the city's power systems." "It's too complicated to explain, but trust me when I say that you are going to be incredibly happy with the results." "Look, Elizabeth, I know, you have every right not to trust me, but I promise you, I'm gonna make things much, much better, okay?" "Good." "She wants you to shoot me if you think for even one second that I might be trying to take over the city for my own evil purposes." "I'm kidding." "That was a joke." "Is your weapon set to stun?" "Wait, never mind." "There, I did it myself." "Okay, to the chair room, Ronon." " Can I shoot him now?" " I can hear you!" "Look, she just wants you to keep a close eye on me." "Come on, let's go." "Chop, chop." "Much to do." "I will send a science team down to supervise." "What the hell is he doing?" "Don't ask me." "Actually, I wasn't." "I have no idea." "Rodney, you are affecting power all over the city." "I know." "Awesome, isn't it?" "No." "I can't work." "It's just temporary." "Rodney, I'm trying to determine if that device did any permanent damage to you." "Quite frankly, given your usually rampant hypochondria," "I'm surprised you don't seem to care." " You're jealous." " That is ridiculous." "You should be working with me, trying to figure out what is happening to you." "Instead, you're here, burying your head in the sand." "That is not true." "My head, which happens to be housing my ever-evolving brain, is actually being better utilized here doing important things that will affect everybody." "He tries to hide it, but deep down, I'm the wind beneath his wings." "Well, how's it coming?" "Actually, I think I'm just getting to the good bit." "Don't you hate it when people interrupt right when things are getting good?" "I know McKay is some super-genius now, but I find the flickering lights incredibly unnerving." "Dr. Coleman has, however, reluctantly admitted it does seem as if Rodney is significantly improving the city's power system." "Whatever." "Anyway, you were saying..." "Well, we know the Ancients evolved physiologically to a certain point where they could transform into a state of pure energy." "Ancient History 101." "Yes." "We also know that not all of them managed to get there." "You're saying some of them needed a kick in the pants." "So to speak." "I think this machine was not meant to help them fight the war against the Wraith, but rather to help them escape it." "An Ascension machine?" "Like the one the Goa'uld tried to create in the Milky Way." "Are you saying McKay's going to Ascend?" "Unfortunately, there's a whole lot more to Ascension than just being physically evolved." "Believe me, after spending six months with a bunch of pansy wannabes, I know." "But what does this mean for McKay?" "Like I said, just getting to the good bit." "I'll leave you to it." "John, wait." "We need to talk to Rodney right away." "You can all relax." "I'll have us back online in two minutes." "We need to talk to you." "What do you mean I'm gonna die?" "I'm not even sick!" "I feel great, never better!" " That Ancient device..." " Has accelerated my evolution." "Eventually I'll reach a point where I'm physically capable of Ascension, but Ascension takes more than that, there's a mental component." "I need to know how to make it happen, which I don't." "Yet, I'm getting smarter by the minute." "It's a pretty good assumption I'll be able to figure it out on the way." "Okay, so it's not as easy as that." "Well, even if I don't, so I stay a highly-evolved human." "I mean, I don't have to Ascend." "It's a choice, right?" "No?" "What do you mean, no?" "Oh, that stupid Ancient device doesn't work properly, does it?" "It's set in motion a series of genetic mutations that will result in my death if I don't Ascend?" "There is something easier about this." "That's why the Ancients didn't put it into common use." "It's just one more in a long line of abysmal, over-ambitious failures!" "Oh, God." "I'm a dead man." " Dr. McKay." " Yes, yes..." "It's because I stopped in the middle." "I will fix it, just give me a second here." "That's it." "Okay, there's still time left, right?" "So maybe there's a way to reverse the process." "Zelenka!" "Where's Zelenka?" "What the hell has he been doing?" "We have massive power surges throughout the grid." "Shutdown protocols are not responding." "Damn it." "Come on, Radek, come on." "He's not breathing." "We need to intubate." "Start an IV, wide open." "Get that monitor set up." "Right, on my count." "One, two, three." " Radek!" "Get the leads set up, please." "He's in V-tach." "Prepare to defib." " Clear." " Move!" "Rodney, the man is dying." " I know." "Just give me a second." "I know." "Heart rate's good, breathing's steady." "Pulse is good." "Radek, you okay?" "What happened?" " Rodney." " Hold on." "I see you've been busy." " Yeah, I invented a new math." " Really?" "It's gonna change the human understanding of the universe as we know it." "How is Zelenka?" "You need to ask?" "I'm blocking out people's thoughts." "It was becoming too overwhelming." "I wasn't able to think." "Rodney..." "I know what you're gonna say." "Oh, no, just intuition, I swear." "I just..." "I tried to fix the Ancient device, but it wasn't meant to reverse the process." "Once the mutation has started, it cannot be stopped." "Actually," "I was gonna say, if you want any help in understanding Ascension..." "Oh." "Well, I've already re-read everything I could in the database." "Well, it's not exactly a clear-cut set of instructions, is it?" "No, and to be honest, you know," "I've never been all that big on the whole idea of Ascending in the first place." "There's too many rules, you know?" "I mean, to me, life is about working towards achievement, you know?" " Discovering things..." " Getting credit for it." "Exactly." "I mean, once you know it all, what do you do then?" "I don't know." "I don't think that Ascension necessarily means the end." "Yeah, see?" "Never been big on leaps of faith, either." "I mean, sure, there was a part of me that, from the beginning, knew that this was too good to be true." "Nothing this great could ever happen to me without really, really bad consequences." "Anyways, now I have come to terms with that, and I just wanna get as much done in the time I have left and not waste my time on a bunch of mumbo-jumbo" "I'm not gonna understand anyways." "Oh, I've come up with a way for increasing the Daedalus' shield power." "Tell Hermiod to give me a call if he needs any help understanding the base code." "I'm sure Colonel Caldwell will be thrilled." "Look, Rodney, I'm not gonna try to convince you that Ascension is right for you, or even possible, for that matter." "I don't know." "But I wonder if you have considered the fact that if you did somehow manage to Ascend, you can always theoretically re-take human form." "Why didn't I think of that?" "I don't think it's gonna work." " I had this shipped from the SGC." "Aye, I know." "The Ancient device used to measure a person's synaptic activity." "Ah, more than that, the brain's evolutionary level." "Look, it's basically an Ascend-o-meter." "I really don't think we're going about this the right way." "If you're a highly-evolved super-genius, put up your hand." "From everything I read about the subject area..." "Look, when you get down to it, even mental states are actually only physical states, are they not?" "I mean, the brain is just a chemical supercomputer." "Well, I suppose an incredibly complex..." "Yes is all you need to say, my friend." "Look, the universe may seem mystical to those without understanding, when in truth anything and everything can be quantified." "Look, all that hocus-pocus stuff is just a way of getting the brain into the proper electro-chemical state to allow the final physical evolution, at which point the matter that makes up this body will turn into pure energy." "What mere mortals would refer to as the mystery of Ascension is actually just a scientific process." "It's just protons and electrons." " Protons and electrons." " If you say so." "Now, if you don't mind, can we..." "Yeah, that's it." "Now, based on what I've extrapolated from the Ancient research," "I have been able to set measurable parameters for achieving the proper mental state." "Once I reach 96% synaptic connection, as measured by this device, all I need to do is maintain an EEG frequency of 0.1 to 0.9 hertz and presto." "I rise to a higher plane of existence." "Okay, let's assume for one completely insane moment that you are right." "Those frequencies are associated with near-comatose patients." "No one who's actually awake can just will themselves anywhere close to that, no matter how bloody relaxed they are." "No unevolved person." " Give it a rest, Rodney." " Just turn it on." "Your synaptic activity's abnormally high." "Over 60%." "Yes!" "I don't have much time left." "As I said, by my calculations, when I reach 96%, I either Ascend or die." "Now, what's my EEG?" "Twenty-nine hertz, which is about average for someone in an extremely heightened wakeful state." "Okay, so I just need to clear my mind and relax." " What's it at now?" " Thirty." "What?" "Oh, come on, that's impossible!" "You must have me hooked up wrong." "No, I didn't, thank you very much." "We're getting a clear reading." "Rodney, the Ancients that eventually learned to Ascend dedicated their entire lives preparing for this moment." "Trust me, this will work." "I just need some more time." "Now stop talking so much." "You're rippling my pond." "I think he's having a hard time accepting this can't be solved with science, no matter how brilliant he is." "You know what he needs?" "He needs to release his burden." "Yeah, well, you know McKay." "Maybe Dr. Heightmeyer can help." "Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of you." "Me?" "You lived with the Ancients for six months on the brink of Ascension." "You helped them face their fears and finally Ascend." "I fought a scary monster." "That's what I do best." "And for Rodney, I'm sure this seems like a pretty scary monster." "I don't think this is gonna work with you hooked up to the machine." "How else am I gonna know if it's working at all?" "Look, you're teaching me how to meditate." "Not exactly good odds there to start with." "I realize that." "Truth is, I was never really very good at this myself." "So why am I here?" " Elizabeth made me." " Oh." "Yeah." "Me, too." "I was with those Ancients for six months." "Maybe I picked up something that might be able to help you." "Yeah." "The first thing I think you need to come to terms with is this is not a means to an end." "What?" "Well, of course it is." "No, no, no, you can't do that." "You can't think that you're just gonna Ascend and then re-take human form and be done with it all." "That is exactly what I'm trying to do." "Look, from what I understand, dishonesty's not gonna help the process." "Good point." "You know, while we're at it, my knees are killing me." " How does anyone relax like this?" " Find a position that works." " Right." "Okay." " Fine." "Now, I want you to become aware of your breaths going in and out of your body." "In and out." "Do it without talking." "Oh, right." "Now, I want you to think about the things that you worry about the most." " You mean like death?" " There's no talking." "Think of anything that makes you anxious." "Oh, God, there's so many things." "Not talking happens to be one of them, by the way." "Deal with it." "Now." "Imagine yourself sitting on a Ferris wheel." "What?" "Look, I told you, I didn't pay much attention to what the Ancients were teaching me." "I like Ferris wheels, so that's what I thought about and the fact that the woman teaching me how to meditate was very attractive." "Why am I not surprised you didn't Ascend, huh?" "Okay, look, I'm a busy man, you're a busy man." "We're both busy men." "Just relax, all right?" "I'm gonna try to remember what the woman taught me." "All right." "Now, there's a dark storm swirling around your head." " How is that comforting?" " I'm getting there." "I just thought of a brilliant adjunct to the chaos theory." " Look, I should write this down..." " McKay!" "Letting it go." "Letting it go." "Now, the sky is clearing." " All your troubles are fading away." " Bright blue sky." "I am there." " How am I doing?" " Don't think that way." "Oh, forget it." " Look, this is never gonna work." " What's wrong now?" "I just realized why light behaves as both particles and waves." "Rodney, if you don't try to do this..." "I know." "I don't have much time left." " Hey." " Just a second." "What are you doing?" "There are, like, 50 simulations I'd like to be running right now, but the computers can't keep up with me, the irony being that I've actually figured out how to make them run 10 times faster," "but I haven't had time to actually stop and do it." "Oh, I've uploaded the virtual prototype for a hyperspace generator for the Puddle Jumpers into the database." "Well, that sounds great." "Are you sure that this is how you want to..." "Spend my last couple of days alive?" "Don't have much choice, do I?" "Rodney, I think it's very decent and noble of you to want to leave a scientific contribution behind, but I still believe there's a chance you can Ascend if you put your mind to it." "We both know that that is a waste of time." "Maybe you could do it, but..." "I don't know if I could, but you are certainly selling yourself short by not even trying." "To be honest, I don't have the first clue where to start." " Stop thinking." " See, I don't understand that." "One of the biggest things that holds people back is that somewhere deep down they believe they're not deserving." "You have to release your burden." "Oh, please!" "I know spirituality to you is a load of mumbo-jumbo, but it does help people find peace with themselves." "But you have to believe." "I'm not talking about religion." "I'm talking about shedding yourself of guilt, of anger, of ill-feeling, of anything that makes you feel shame." "And then you can focus all of your energy on Ascending." "So what you're telling me is that I don't think I'm worthy." "Rodney, I don't know what you truly believe about yourself." "For all I know, you use your intelligence to compensate, to make yourself feel better for other things you think you may lack." " Like what?" " That, I can't tell you, but maybe you could start reading your own mind?" "Rodney, I don't care what you're gonna say." "I'm gonna keep working on this, okay?" "Well, I appreciate that." "You saved my life, so the least I can do is try to save yours, you know?" "Radek?" "I think it's safe to say that I am, at times, a petty, vindictive, even jealous man." "I sublimate my own anxieties or feelings of inadequacy by creating a bubble of hostility around myself." "I know that you, probably more than anyone else, have had to bear the brunt of that hostility." "Rodney, you don't have to..." "Actually, I do." "Here's the thing." "You're a brilliant scientist and a decent human being, and you should not have had to endure the kind of abuse that you've taken from me in the past few years." "I hope you can find a way to forgive me for all the things I've said and done to you." "You deserve much better than that." "So I wanted you to know that." "Yes." " Rodney." " Mind if I come in?" " Shouldn't you be..." " Hope you don't mind." "I was talking with Halling and he happened to mention that it was the anniversary of the death of your father next week." "He did?" "Okay, I might have asked a few pointed questions, but I just thought it would be nice if..." "What I mean is, I would be honored if you let me share the memorial tea ceremony with you." "I don't know if it's wrong to do it early or anything, but I may not be around next week." "Anyway, I understand it's something you're not supposed to do alone." "Thank you, Rodney." "No, no, no, no, no." "I know exactly what to do." "You are the one who's lost a loved one." "I will serve you." "Hey, buddy!" "Pal!" "Been looking all over for you!" "Checked the gym, the mess." "Wasn't there." "No, you weren't." "Usually one of those is a good bet." "So, where are you off to?" "Shooting range?" "A little target practice?" "I don't need practice." " Oh, no." "No, no, of course you don't." "Look, I don't know how much time I have left, so I'm just gonna cut to the chase here, ask you a rather personal question." "Hopefully, you won't just hit me in the face." "Asking away." "Those scars on your back from your encounters with the Wraith, you know, with the tracking device?" "Are those, like, a badge of honor for you, or are they just a constant reminder of something you'd rather forget?" "I mean, I know it's none of my business." "I just..." "I try not to let things I can't change bother me." "That's very healthy." "I hope you don't mind." "I just healed them." "You're not still trying to find a way out of this for me, are you?" "You think I'm gonna give up?" "Look, all the Ancients that experimented with that device, they either Ascended or died, most of them the latter, which is why it did not get put into common use." "Like you said, there were exceptions." "Yes, well, this will all be over soon, and you can get back to some real work." "Rodney, don't." "No, no, no, I'm not fishing for sympathy." "I just..." "Hey, I just wanted to give you that." " What have you invented now?" " Oh, nothing." "It's a book." " About what?" " You." "Well, you've taken a lot of crap as the leader of this expedition, and I just thought someone should leave a record of all the good things you've done, everything you've done right." "Everything I do is on record for review." "Oh, yes, I know, I know." "I just thought that I would have somewhat of a unique perspective that other people might benefit from." "You know, I actually took the liberty of doing some research into your past, and I included that as well." "I'm sorry if I'm not a very good writer." "It might be a bit overly-maudlin in places..." "Rodney, this is 500 pages long." "When did you..." "Anyway, that's all." "Right." " What's it down to?" " It's not important." "What?" "Of course it is." "It's gotta..." "What?" "Seventeen hertz?" "It's not even close!" " It's closer than you've ever been." " Oh, forget it." "Look, if you have to keep asking, you're obviously not getting it." "This is about letting go." "I don't know how to do that, okay?" "I'm me." "I don't know how not to be me." "Look, thank you for all of your help." "I think in the grand scheme of things, we're good, aren't we?" " Of course." " Right." "Look, if it's not too much trouble, I'd like you to read my eulogy." "I refuse to discuss that." "Just keep it simple." "Make up a few nice things." "I'd like my little sister to be there." "And, oh, you should know that I told Beckett that he should most definitely do a full autopsy." "He can use my body for any kind of experimentation that might prove helpful, and..." "Oh, and I'd like to be cremated, with my ashes to be thrown out into space from the Jumper..." "Rodney..." "Rodney!" "Medical team to my quarters." "The synaptic activity in your brain has reached over 90%." "I don't know why, but it seems the more pervasive evolved state of the cortex is causing lapses in the lower brain function." "It's almost as if your body's losing its natural ability to keep itself alive." "When Ascension occurs naturally, the physical body's no longer necessary in the final stages." "Rodney, I don't know how much more you can take." "About 6%?" "There must be something we can do." "McKAY:" "It's okay." "You know, I'm actually feeling a sense of peace, interspersed with moments of sheer terror, of course." "Rodney, as far as this Ascension thing," "I know you didn't have much success, but at this point, what do you got to lose?" " May as well go out fighting, huh?" " Absolutely." "Hook me up." "Carson?" "Thank you." "Thank you for everything." "I only wish I could have done more, my friend." "Clear blue skies." "All my troubles, just drifting away." "Okay, stop talking now." "Rodney, you're a good person." "Know that we love you." "You love me?" "Really?" "All of you?" "In the way a friend feels about another friend." "You're just saying that because I'm gonna die." "Oh, God." "I can't believe I'm gonna die." "All right, just back to the blue skies." "Let your thoughts go." "Concentrate on your breathing." "Oh, my God." "He's not breathing." "Quick, bag him." "We need to get him on a ventilator." " Carson, he gave us strict orders..." " You don't understand." "He just told me how to save him." "We're en route." "His pulse is very weak." "Are you ready?" "We will be." "Almost." "Right." "Hurry." "He can't breathe on his own." "Okay, stand back." "Rodney?" " It worked!" " Did it?" " Well, I'm alive, aren't I?" "Sounds like him." " Yes, yes." "I can't hear one of your thoughts." "The telekinesis is gone." "I'm still smart, I think." "Yes!" "Yes, I'm me!" "I'm my old self!" " Are you certain?" " Yeah, I'm alive!" "I feel great!" "I feel hungry." "He's fine." "And you said it was impossible." "McKAY:" "Yeah, it just came to me." "I was floating in this big black emptiness, and then the answer just came out of nowhere." "Look, the device was designed to manipulate your DNA." "It couldn't reverse the evolutionary advancement process because everyone's DNA was different." "It makes certain changes that causes the DNA to evolve in ways specific to your own unique physiology." "Yeah." "In order to manipulate the DNA back to the previous state, the program required a precise reference point." "Fortunately, I keep blood samples from all the Atlantis team members for baseline comparisons." "I don't understand what any of you are talking about." "It's good to have you back, buddy." " Yes, well, it's good to be back." " Yeah!" " Hey, how are you feeling?" " Terrible!" " Should I get Carson?" " No, no, no." "Physically, I am fine, but this doesn't make any sense." "I can't figure out any of these equations." "I mean, the algorithms are complete gibberish." "I mean, this is torture." "I can clearly remember exactly how important this all is, but I cannot figure out why or how." "Well, I just dropped by to show you this." "Your EEG readings from your last meditation." "Oh, my God!" "It's .03 hertz." "I did it!" "I mean, I was in the zone!" "I could have actually Ascended!" "You said you were floating in a big empty space when the idea of how to save yourself came to you." "I may have momentarily thought about how hard it is to rid oneself of ego and that existence without the individuality of consciousness would be pointless but..." "Now I say that, that's probably what gave me the idea to reprogram the device with my old DNA." "Yeah, I thought so." "Yeah, well, you know what?" "I don't care if you don't think I was capable of Ascension." "I never wanted to do it anyways." "In fact, you know what?" "I am very happy with who I am." "And you love me." " What?" "I never..." " You so did!" "Yeah, I may not be able to understand this new math I created, but I distinctly remember that you said you love me." "Actually, I said we love you and..." "And what?" "What, you were just saying that because you thought I was dying?" "No, I said it..." "See?" "You love me!" "It's true, you've said it, now I know." "I always suspected it." "In fact, you know what?" "I've always noticed that there's been an indefinable and yet magical chemistry between us that I think I covered in Chapter 10." " Rodney." " You had lunch yet?" " Yes." " Mid-afternoon snack, then?" "I will keep you company." "Now, is Sheppard still bugging you to let him use the Ascension device to turn himself into some kind of a superhero?" "Oh, yes." "Despite the fact that the Ancient database states that its effects on people are wildly unpredictable and that I'm just lucky I wasn't instantly melted down into a pool of protoplasm." " Yes." " Yes." "Well, maybe you should let him." "I think not."