"You know, when they told me I'd be travelling to another galaxy, visiting strange new worlds, defending humanity against unimaginable alien threats, this just is not what I pictured!" "We could be saving Earth..." " right here, right now, Major." " Oh yeah?" "How's that?" "Through a greater understanding of the long-term effects of severe ozone depletion on plant life." "You may not want to admit it, but it's a real danger." "Oh yeah!" "Sure!" "Global warming..." "Wraith attack." "I see the similarity now, you're right!" "Yeah, it's great!" "Hey, not too far Doc, OK?" "Ah, not to worry, Major." "I don't think there's much chance any animal could survive the long-term effects of exposure to the sunlight on this planet." "So not a place to build a summer home?" "It's the fact this vegetation is thriving!" "Somehow it's managed to persist despite what should be extremely destructive ionising radiation." "Oh, would you look at that!" "Now what is a williamsonia suardiana doing here?" "Major!" "Doesn't look like the sun killed him." "What do we do?" "Kaufman, this is Lorne... any activity?" "No, Sir." "We got a dead sucker here..." "looks KIA, no more than a day old." "We're on our way." "Come on, Doc," " let's get you back to the Gate." " I..." "I don't understand." "Well, neither do I." "All I know is he didn't do that to himself." "Come on, let's go." "Transcript:" "Callie Sullivan  Scifigate. net" " Is the Gate covered?" " Kaufman and Reed, yeah." "We found a dead Wraith." "Shot several times." "Looked like bullets, but it's hard to say." "The guy was a mess." "The Genii have such weapons." "Doctor Beckett is performing an autopsy." " Here he is now." " I'm not done... not nearly, but I thought you might like to know this." "The enzyme sac under the right arm has been removed." "Ford!" "What's going on?" "Thanks for coming, Rodney." "What?" "I was right in the middle of a..." "P3M-736." "We found a dead Wraith," " maybe killed by Ford." " He could still be there." "Whoa, wait a second. 736?" "The UV index there during the day is something like a thousand." "Bring your sunscreen." "Be ready in ten minutes." "What?" "I wanna get Ford back just as much as everyone else, but do you see my complexion?" " Yes." " Yes, it's very fair!" "Extremely fair." "This isn't fair." "Colonel!" "Colonel." "Something urgent?" " We think we have a bead on Ford." " So I heard." "That was fast." "Base protocol dictates all senior officers be notified of situations Code Orange and above." "Hey!" "How does that go again?" "Red, Orange, Blue or the other way around?" " You mind if we go over that when I get back?" " Colonel!" "You don't have to remind me of our respective positions or that you outrank me, Sir." "I was wondering if I needed to remind you that Lieutenant Ford is a significant threat to the security of this base." "He's also a friend in need." "His condition forces him to seek out the Wraith." "If he's caught, he would compromise..." "Look, I'm gonna find him," " and I'm gonna bring him back." " According to Doctor Beckett's report, there may not be anything that can be done to help him." "With all due respect, Sir, I hope you're not saying what I think you're saying." "Lieutenant Ford has already proven resourceful enough to penetrate security and escape the city." "I'm saying if you encounter him and there's any chance whatsoever that his capture might prove elusive, you are duty bound to eliminate the threat." "Lieutenant Ford may have been your friend, but he's not any more." "I know you understand..." "you'll do what's right." "You didn't seem to have a problem with mercy when it came to Colonel Sumner." "Dismissed." " Lifesigns detector's useless." " I told you so." "Just preserving your streak of being right, officially?" "Doctor Parrish believes that the indigenous plant life retains enough residual radioactivity absorbed during the daylight to, well, to screw up our sensors." " Making it the perfect place to hide." " Yes... or... the perfect place to be exposed to dangerously high levels of solar radiation!" " Any activity while we were gone?" " No, Sir." "Start a sweep... teams of two." "Radio contact every twenty minutes." "It smells like I'm on vacation." "Could it be the simulated tropical aroma of cocoa butter?" "Strong enough for anyone within five miles to smell you." "Like they haven't been tipped off by the Aqua Velva." "It's dark." "Yeah, and the sun will be up in two hours, forty three minutes and..." " ten seconds." " It's raining!" "So we'll be cold and miserable." "Look, the cloud cover will depreciate a small percentage of UV rays, but ninety-five percent of deadly is still deadly." "Doctor Parrish said a day or two of exposure wasn't gonna kill us." "Oh yes, and Doctor Parrish has a PhD in what?" "Right... botany!" "Teyla, you're with me." "Kaufman take Villick, Reed and Sherman cover the gate... and Major you've got McKay." " Oh, lucky me!" " Here, try some." "SPF 100." " A hundred?" " Yeah, can't buy this kind of protection." "Make it myself." " Waterproof too." " Great." "You have any idea what a lone Wraith would be doing out here on foot?" "No, it is unusual." "Perhaps Lieutenant Ford was able to lure him through the Gate." "It looks as if someone might have headed off in this direction." "So exactly... what kind of... special training do you guys have to go through to get this sort of mission?" " You guys?" " Yeah, you know..." "Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines..." "it's a great place to start!" "And by this mission' you mean hunting down a skilled weapons expert hopped up on Wraith drugs in the pitch black of an alien planet?" " Yes!" " Actually," "I skipped that course in Major school." "Yeah, I was afraid of that." "I was hoping Lieutenant Ford might recognise a friendly face" " and just turn himself in." " What, you mean me?" "!" "Well, you were friends, weren't you?" "Oh, yeah!" "When we weren't out on harrowing missions, we used to hang out together." "I'd share my... dreams of a self-sustaining fusion and he... he would talk of how you could sever a man's torso with a P-90!" " What... that means quiet, right?" " Yeah... get down, get down!" "What?" "I thought I saw something move." "What is it?" "I heard something." "Ford?" "Is that you?" "It's John." "Aiden, listen to me." "We wanna help you, please!" "Just come out... we only wanna talk." "What?" "Say something!" "What?" "Talk to him!" "What if it's not him?" "Ford?" "You there?" "It's your... best friend Rodney, Rodney Mc Kay." "Everyone misses you back in Atlantis, and Doctor Beckett's figured out a way to help you, so you've just gotta trust me and..." "Colonel Sheppard, it's Major Lorne." "In pursuit of suspect." "What?" "So are we." "Where are you?" "We're two klicks south of the Stargate." "Where are you?" "What is it?" "Lost him." "Colonel Sheppard." "Stand by." "Teyla's been hit." "Colonel Sheppard, say again." "What's your position?" "Colonel Sheppard, please respond." "Colonel Sheppard." "Come in please." "Colonel Sheppard." "We haven't heard from them since 26:30 Atlantis Standard Time." "I know the lifesigns detector doesn't work there, Major, but can you use the Jumper to search from the air?" "No, ma'am, the foliage is far too dense for that." "I'll send another team to assist." "Well, anyone you could spare would be great." "Anything else you need?" "Elizabeth, it's Rodney." "Yes, hi." "There are... four class one radiation suits in Medlab storage." "We'll need them all." "What?" "Look, I know there's not enough for us all, but we can take turns." "Any sign of Lieutenant Ford yet?" "No, ma'am, not that we can confirm." "Fact is, we don't even know if this is Lieutenant Ford we're dealing with." "Ford?" "Colonel?" "You OK?" "My head is pounding." "Where are we?" "I don't know, but I was just about to ask him." "You might wanna be careful where you point that thing." "Looks like you've got the safety off." "OK, be that way." "But my guess is if you wanted us dead, we'd be dead right now, so why don't you tell us who you are and what you want." "Alright, I'll go first." "I'm Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard." "I am Teyla Emmagan." " Colonel?" " It's my rank... military designation." "Specialist Ronon Dex." " That's you?" " Name and rank." "Military?" "I used to be." "It was a long time ago." "And now?" "Now I'm deciding whether to kill you and your friends." "OK, listen up." "I want regular radio contact." "Report anything unusual... and I'm talking anything unusual at all." "Alright, move out." "Wait, aren't any of them gonna..." "Forget it." "That's just reckless!" "There are four suits." "Not exactly designed for moving through dense brush and rough terrain," " not to mention possible combat." " No, but by my calculations we've been exposed to 327 millisieverts since the sun came up." "It may not sound like much to you but," "I've been keeping a running tally of my lifetime exposure to radiation:" "X - rays, cellphones, plane rides, that whole unfortunate Genii nuclear reactor thing." "My God..." "last week we flew dangerously close to the corona of a sun!" "As it is, I may have to forego reproducing." "Yeah, that's funny..." "I was just thinkin' that might be wise." "Look, the men guarding the Stargate are highly-trained soldiers armed with deadly weapons." "Stargate?" "Stargate, big circle thing." "I've always known it as the Ring of the Ancestors." "No matter..." "I have to make it through." "Look, we didn't come here looking for trouble, and the whole killing thing is really unnecessary." " If your friends try to stop me..." " They won't, if I tell them not to." "Untie us, we'll all go to the Gate together and you can be on your way." "But why should I trust you?" "That's a good question." "Teyla... why should he trust us?" "We mean you no harm." "We are only here searching for a friend." "Drop it!" "I saw him... your friend." "Where?" "When?" "He killed the Wraith that was hunting me." "Hunting you?" "Why are you looking for him?" "His name is Aiden Ford and he is sick." "He needs our help." "Thought he'd been in the sun too long." "It can make you sick here." "We know that, and that may be true, but that's not all that's wrong with him." "Then why is he running from you?" "Well, he's not, exactly." "Then what is he doing... exactly?" "It's complicated." "You can do better than that." "Colonel Sheppard?" "Teyla?" "This is Major Lorne, do you read?" "It's so hot!" "Oh, come on... step it up OK, would you?" "I am moving as fast as I can." "I'm very hot." "Aren't you hot?" "Actually, I'm quite comfortable... but I'm not wearing a fifty pound rubber suit, am I?" "I can't breathe!" "I gotta stop!" "Sweet relief!" "I think the... the fumes from the sunblock are making me dizzy." "I gotta..." "I gotta... just... rest here." "Unbelievable!" "The Wraith was feeding on him." "Apparently they inject some sort of drug into you when they feed." "He killed the Wraith, got an overdose of the drug." "Kinda messed with him up." "But we think we can help him if we can find him." "What is that?" "Radios." "Communication devices." "Our people are trying to contact us." "The cave must be causing some interference with the signal." "What the hell are you doing?" "Getting my hand free." "Didn't feel that way!" "OK, you've had your fresh air." "Come on, let's go." "Well, shouldn't we be headed back?" "It must have been half an hour." "It's been fifteen minutes." "Oh, really?" "I thought..." "It feels longer." "Wow... you must really be some kind of genius!" "Well, as a matter of fact, I, um... wait a minute." "See, why would you say that now?" "Something has to have kept Colonel Sheppard from shooting you all this time!" "Yeah, yeah, OK, I didn't see that one coming!" "Mayday!" "Mayday!" "We are under attack!" "Lorne has been hit!" "I repeat..." "we are under Wraith attack!" "Will you relax, McKay?" "Ford!" "Why don't you drop your gun?" "I know what you're like with weapons..." "I wouldn't want it accidentally going off while it's pointed at me." "Right!" "Good." "Now you and me can catch up." "Doctor McKay, what is your position?" "Please respond." "Major Lorne, come in?" "Let's go." "We can't leave Major Lorne." "He'll be fine." "No..." "You know that the sunlight on this planet is kinda dangerous?" "Not for me." "Actually, if you..." "Listen, McKay... you guys all think I'm crazy or something." "No... no-one thinks that." "Sure." "Here's the thing:" "I'm not just fine, I'm better than fine." "Really." "This is the best thing that ever happened to me." "Well, good!" "Good for you!" "I can prove it." "You just have to give me the chance to prove it." "Well, sure." "Let's..." "let's head back to the Jumper..." "No way." "First I'm gonna prove to you that I'm OK, that things are better this way, then you can go back and tell the others and then they'll let me come back." "You can come back to Atlantis right now." "Doctor Beckett is..." "No." "First we have to save Major Sheppard and Teyla." "You know where they are?" "Yeah." "Which way did you...?" "So obviously the Wraith didn't destroy Atlantis." "Anything else happen since I've been gone?" "Major Sheppard got promoted to Lieutenant Colonel Sheppard." "Really?" " Yeah." " Good for him!" "Yeah." "Keep your hands where I can see them." " I told you, I have to get to the Ring." " Why?" " Because the Wraith are coming." " How do you know?" "I know." "They're hunting me." "Join the club." "You are a Runner." "I have heard stories, but..." "What's a Runner?" "I was captured during a culling on my planet." "I was taken to a ship." "A Wraith started to feed on me." "Something made him stop." "They operated on me... put some sort of tracking device in my back and released me." "They hunted me." "I hunted them back." "I've been running ever since." "Don't do it." "Like I said, we're not here to get in your way." "That's good." "You're lucky I had that set to stun." " You sure this is the right way?" " Yeah, I'm sure." "Keep moving." " You say this guy has them." " Yeah." "What guy?" "I don't know!" "... 'what guy?" "' A guy!" "Look, I was on a Wraith planet..." "P3X..." "P3X-447?" "447..." "I know the address." "And there were Wraith there?" "Yeah." "A whole hive ship." "Anyway," "I was scouting the place out, looking for the best way in so I could kill a couple." " What, for the enzyme?" " Exactly." "McKay, I'm telling you, it's the key to defeating them!" "We could create a whole army of supermen like me!" "You were saying?" " What?" " About the guy." "Right." "So this one Wraith, armed to the teeth, comes walking towards the Gate." "I figure one Wraith by himself is easy pickings, so I followed him here to this planet." "Anyway, I think he was looking for the guy." "How do you know?" "Well, he was running from the Wraith when I killed the sucker." "OK, so what does the guy want with Sheppard and Teyla?" "I don't know." "When I save them, I'll find out!" "Look, you wanna go through the Gate, go." "Give me my radio, I'll order my men not to stop you." "You can tell them in person." "I'm taking you with me." "You know, there's a chance we could help you." "How?" "We know a pretty good doctor... maybe he could take that tracking device out of you." "You think I haven't tried?" "Suit yourself." "And why would you do that?" "Because I'm a nice guy." "Look, I told you." "You hate the Wraith, we hate the Wraith." "It's something we all have in common." "We just want our friend back." "You get this tracking device out of me..." "I'll get your friend back for you." "OK, good." "It's a deal." "Major." " Where's Lorne?" " He's inside, Sir." "What happened to you?" "I got hit by a Wraith blaster looking for you." " Now McKay's missing." " Great!" "What about Teyla?" "Long story." "You can listen to it while I tell Doctor Weir." "This is a joke, right?" "I'm afraid not." "You want me to go to an alien planet and perform surgery on an armed man holding Teyla hostage?" "Yeah, something like that." "And apparently you don't have much time." "The Wraith could show up at any minute." "Oh!" "It's getting better all the time!" "Have they found Lieutenant Ford yet?" "No." "I haven't told you about McKay yet either." "Come on, pack up what you need." "I don't think an operating room and a bloody army will fit through the Gate." "Why are you stopping?" "Because I am tired, and you have no idea where you're going." "How do you know?" "We've been walking around in circles for hours!" "So that's it... you just give up, is that it?" "That's what you do, isn't it... you just give up on your friends when they need you most!" "No-one's given up on you, Ford!" "We wanna help you!" "I'm talking about Major Sheppard and Teyla." "Lieutenant Colonel Sheppard." "Alright..." "Lieutenant Colonel." "So Ford's lost it, Ford's all crazy," "Fool Ford can't even remember a simple little thing." "Hey, I never said that!" "Although the fact that you keep referring to yourself in the third person does indicate clinical dissociation." "You don't even know what a friend is, do you McKay?" "All you care about is yourself." " Will you relax?" " You relax!" "You're pathetic." "You were always making fun of me." "You wanna play a game?" "Pick on Ford." "I could shoot you and leave you here to die." "Shoot me?" "When did this escalate to physical violence?" "You're the one who thinks I'm nuts!" "I'm capable of anything..." "I could go off at any time." "Alright, you wanna shoot me, shoot me!" "Fine!" "I don't care." "It'll just save me suffering one of the many horribly painful deaths" "I have in line after from being exposed to this much radiation!" "And, quite frankly, it'll prove just how far gone you are!" "Now, I'm heading back to the Jumper and you're welcome to join me." "Are you crazy?" "You could have killed me!" "I'm sorry." "Look, you don't know what it's like, almost dying like I did, having your friends turn on you, no-one trusts you." "I'm out here all alone." "You don't have to be alone, Ford." "Look, this drug is messing with your head." "Come back to the Jumper with me, we'll go back to Atlantis, and Dr. Beckett may even be able to figure out a way for you to keep all your new super-powers..." "You think?" "Sure, why not?" "First we've gotta save Colonel Sheppard and Teyla." " No, no, wait." " No!" "That'll prove that I'm OK." "You go back to the Jumper," "I'll meet you there." "Ford!" "No!" "This is not necessary, you know." "How long have you been on the run?" "Seven years." "And you have been on your own all that time?" "Not much choice." "Afraid of bringing the Wraith down on anyone you were with?" "Can't go home." "Can't stay in one place for too long." "Why do you think they do it?" "I don't know." "Sport, training, learn how we fight, measure our will to survive." "You said you heard stories, about others like me?" "Yes." "I have heard of Runners my whole life, but I've never met one." "I did not even believe it was true." "One time I accidentally came across a planet with a village near the Ring." "What happened?" "I stayed... one night... had a real meal for a change." "I flied away the next day." "Didn't matter." "I later heard... the whole village..." "Teyla, this is Sheppard, come in?" "Go ahead, Colonel." "You OK?" "Yes." "We are fine." "I'm here with Doctor Beckett." "He's coming in." "Unarmed." "Ronon would like me to remind you that Doctor Beckett remain unarmed." "Alright, for what it's worth," "I'd never send you in there if I thought the guy was gonna hurt you." "Is that opinion based on some sort of evidence, or is it just a gut feeling that this gentleman isn't dangerous?" "I didn't say he wasn't dangerous." "He could probably kill you in the blink of an eye." "I don't think he will." "Well thank you, I feel much better now!" "You ever heard of Androcles and the Lion?" "Aye... and who are you in this retelling?" "The Romans?" "I'll be right up there." "Hello." "I normally don't make House calls like this, but then again this isn't really a House, is it?" "What's in the case, Doc?" "Surgical implements, diagnostic tools, various drugs, analgesics, antibiotics." "What?" "Ronon, Doctor Carson Beckett." "Doctor Beckett, Ronon." "Pleasure." "I understand you have some sort of a transmitter in your back." "Well, have a seat." "Off with your shirt, and let's have a look." "A little help." "My God!" "Tell me you didn't try to cut this thing out yourself." "Yeah, I tried once with a mirror." "Couldn't quite reach." "Most of it's from two different doctors." "No-one I know who calls himself a doctor would do this." "Is that Ancestor technology?" "That it is." "Son, you're gonna have to put that weapon down and lie down." "Not a chance." "Now you listen to me." "I've located the transmitter." "It's in the soft tissue next to the second thoracic vertebrae." "Good, cut it out." "I can't do that with you sitting up like this, and I'm gonna have to give you some anaesthetic to make you sleep." "No you're not." "Excuse me?" "Ronon, you need to trust us." "I do." "That's why he's here and you're still alive." "Now get to work, Doc." "Look, if you'd just turn on your radio, we could hear what's happening." "The others must have called for back-up by now." "Maybe Sheppard and Teyla don't even need rescuing any more." "Someone's coming." "What do I need this for?" "OK, I'm ready." "Look, I just wanna say one last time, I really don't think this is a good idea." "I'm gonna be cutting very close to your spinal column here." "If you were to flinch..." "I won't flinch." "OK." "Here we go." "I think I've got it." "Don't shoot!" "It's just me!" "What the hell are you doing, McKay?" "What the hell am I doing?" "What the hell are you doing!" "Those are our guys!" "You can't trust them!" "Oh, that's it..." "Yeah I've had it." "Just drop your weapons now!" "You're gonna shoot me?" "!" "I will if I have to." "Ford, I'm taking you in." "Look, you may not believe this, but it's for your own good." "Oh no!" "I'm quite certain I've disabled the device." "It may be too late." "We know at least one Wraith tracked Ronon here." "I'm gonna look for McKay and Ford." "Yes... we will be fine." "Now that the lion's passed out cold." "I'm gonna pick you up with the Jumper as soon as..." "Help me!" "Help me!" "Sir!" "Gate activity over here!" "Cloak the Jumper, now!" "Colonel Sheppard, we've got Gate activity." "Three Wraith Darts just came through." "Great!" "We should head back inside." "He went through there." "Oh, you've gotta be kidding me!" "Colonel, Ronon is gone." "There was another way out of the cave." "Get back to the Jumper!" "Well, look at you!" "Yes..." "look at me!" "It's funny, huh?" " You set this up?" "It's clever." " It wasn't me." "No, huh?" "Well, I'm glad we could both, uh, still laugh about this together." "How about cutting me down now?" "No." "I think I'm still gonna kill you." " What?" "What do you mean, 'still'?" " When did this escalate to killing?" "When you shot me." "It's a flesh wound!" "I knew it wasn't gonna hurt you... you're, you're SuperFord, remember?" "!" "You tried to kill me!" "Wait, hey!" "You... you can't kill an unarmed upside down man!" "Lieutenant!" "Don't." "Ford!" "Hi!" "Doctor Rodney McKay." "Could you, um, get me down please?" "Ford!" "Keep your hands where I can see them." "We wanna help." "You're not getting off this planet!" "I'll show you." "You'll see!" "After they scooped up Ford, the Darts made a beeline for the Gate." "We tried to stop them, but..." "You had him in your sights, and you let him get away." "I shot him once." "Didn't slow him down." "I shot him too." "He ran into the beam." "Are you suggesting he wanted to be taken?" "I think he saw it was the only way off the planet." "Well, I can tell you from the quality time I spent with Ford, he was definitely not thinking straight." "Now thanks to you, he's in enemy hands with information that could compromise all of us." "I don't think he'll give us away." "Oh, thank you so much for your assurance, Colonel." "I'll be sure to include your 'feelings' in my report." "How is it going?" "This place is impressive." "And those Ancestors sure could build them." "The guards are unnecessary." "Well, with your habit of taking people hostage and all..." "I meant, should I want to escape, they will not be able to stop me." "Alright." "Were you able to contact my home world?" "Well, that's why I'm here." "I don't understand." "We have machines called MALPs." "They're capable of transmitting back images and information from other planets." "We sent this one to the address you gave us." "That is Sateda." "I'm sorry." "It doesn't look like anyone survived the last attack."