"McKAY:" "She used to leave the lights on." "All over the house." "Every room." "It drove my father nuts." "[CHUCKLES]" "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 stories about how poor you were as a child." "We feel as sorry for you as is humanly possible." "Yeah." "He burned the house down, you know." "McKAY:" "My sister was afraid of the dark 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." "At least my stories relate to what we're doing." "Well, so do mine." "We're trekking all over the city shutting everything the Ancients activated while they were in control so that we can stop the power from draining from our one precious ZPM." " How does that relate to your brother?" " 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." " Mmm." "Thank God." " The control panel." "It's completely shot." " Really?" "You think so?" "I don't get these Ancients." "They're supposed to be smart." "But why activate something that you don't need and you're not using?" "Maybe they didn't have time before the Replicators that you reprogrammed attacked." "Yes, yes, we all know what happened." "Ah." "Voilà." "You're angry you couldn't figure out how to override the protocols that kept us from shutting this place down remotely." "McKAY:" "Neither could you." " Yes." "But I didn't bet a month's pay that I could do it." "Okay, you know what?" "Look around see if you could figure out how to turn this place off." "Hey, are you sure you should be going up there?" "How else am I gonna find out what this room does, huh?" "God forbid there should be anything in the Ancient database." " There probably is, we just don't have..." "Oh, here we go." "[POWER ACTIVATING]" " Okay, there should be a switch." " What do you think I'm doing?" "All right." "All right, double or nothing." " Oh, you're on." " All right." "All right, it's gotta be around here somewhere." "[POWER SURGING]" "[McKAY GRUNTS]" "Rodney, what happened?" "I'm not sure." "I think I just lost." "Big time." "[MACHINES BEEPING]" "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've found no anomalies in the results." "Once more, mysterious energy pulse." "From a device created by the Ancients?" "Who knows what I could be in for." "I mean, there's gross mutation, giantism, invisibility?" "That would be cool." "I turned into a bug." "Like I said, as far as I can tell, he's as healthy as a horse." " I'm clearing you for active duty." " Are you insane?" "I need to be under guard." "Who knows what I could become." "Could it make him more pleasant?" " Thank you." "SHEPPARD:" "I'll keep an eye on him." "Thank you." "Can you still see me?" "[EQUIPMENT BEEPING]" " What are you saying?" " Well, that you were showing off." "[CHUCKLES]" "Normally, if Dr. Esposito weren't around I doubt you would have been reckless." "McKAY:" "Are you insane?" " Which one's Esposito?" " Oh, the long, dark hair." " Right, the one with the perfect little..." " We're trying to work here." " For the record, I was gonna say "smile."" " Sure you were." "What have you got?" "Nothing." "What you did fried the power conduits leading into the room." "Whatever I did?" "Look, up until very recently, this lab was entirely underwater possibly for 10,000 years." "How is that my fault?" " Well, that part of it isn't." " Okay, that's it." "I'm going for lunch." "TEYLA:" "How's he doing?" "SHEPPARD:" "Same old Rodney." "RONON:" "You're sure?" "He looks a couple pounds heavier to me." "TEYLA:" "Ronon." "RONON:" "What?" "He eats all the time." "It's not like he exercises." "SHEPPARD:" "He's feeding his unhappiness." "Hello." "I'm right here." "I can..." "I can hear you." "Huh." "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." "MAN [OVER PA]:" "Colonel Sheppard, have your team report  to the control room immediately." "Colonel Sheppard." "WEIR:" "We received this transmission six minutes ago from Major Lorne's team." "MAN [OVER RADIO]:" "Atlantis base, repeat, we are 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." "[VEHICLE SPEEDING UP]" "ZELENKA:" "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 the console to access the lab's research logs." "Well, that's good news." "Well, I'm not so sure." "I could use a second opinion." "[TYPING]" "It seems much of this refers to different elements of human physiology." "[TYPING]" "It mentions the mutation of base genetic coding?" "I realize Dr. Beckett said that there were no evident effects from Rodney's exposure to the device." " It seems..." " It's meant to manipulate human DNA." "MAN [OVER PA]:" "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." "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 hit?" "No one, doc." "We're all fine." "Thanks to McKay." " So he says." " Rodney?" "To be honest, I'm not 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?" "The 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..." "Ah!" "Rodney." "[GASPS]" " Rodney." " I find this as disturbing as you do." "Like bloody hell you do." "Put him down." "[PANTING]" "Oh, God." "Have there been any other instances of this power manifesting itself?" "Powers." "Plural." " What can you do besides telekinesis?" " Well, super-hearing for one." "I'm not sure, but I may actually be getting smarter." "It's hard to say because I was smart to start with." "I've been having ideas that I don't think I would've thought of." "Does super-ego count as a power?" "Oh, finally." "Look, keep it coming." "We could also be dealing with a super-appetite." "It's hard to tell because he ate so much." " That's very funny." " My God, he's eating again?" "I have a very active metabolism." "BECKETT:" "Aye, among other things." "The scans show an increase in synaptic interaction throughout the sections of his 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." "WEIR:" "SG-1 discovered an evolved human in stasis." "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." "That device I found must have been an accelerator." "The Ancients developed powers as they evolved." "McKAY:" "It's just bad luck we didn't run into that lab earlier." "Seriously." "Me, a superhero." "Who would have thought it?" "[CUTTING FOOD]" "SHEPPARD:" "Look, we all agree the Ancients were pretty screwed up." "We do?" "Well, the ones I met were arrogant and condescending and not for good reason." "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." "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." "To be honest, even if it's not." "If we get an advantage over Wraiths and Replicators..." "John, I agree, this device may have great potential." "With great potential comes great responsibility." "Like other things we have found in this city it is a very advanced piece of technology." "For all we know, it could be very dangerous." " I'm just saying..." " Yes, you can be next." " Thank you." " Hmm." "If you're compiling a list, I'd..." " Could we stay focused, please?" " Aye." "Come on, you can't keep me cooped up in here forever." "You might not be sick but what's happening here is far from normal." "Exactly." "So let me go out and start using my powers to do some good." "Ooh." "Are you going to finish that?" "I'm serious." "We have no idea of the extent of your genetic mutation." "Mutation has negative connotations." "Advancement is more like it." " Until we know 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." "RONON:" "No, but I could." "Oh, you care to put that to a test?" " Do you?" " Well, no, not really." "Anyways, as I said, you're fine to go about your daily duties as long as you have someone with you." "Check in every couple of hours." "Yes, yes." "Bye-bye." " Uh..." " You know, we could be a team." " You could be my sidekick." " Sidekick?" "It'd be Batman and Ronon." "Has a nice ring to it." "Keep eating and it's gonna be more like Fatman." "McKAY:" "I'm warning you." "You'll be bored out of your mind, unless you find advanced physics to be..." " Really?" " What?" "What, you think so?" "Heh." "Hey, she thinks I'm hot." "I didn't say anything." "McKAY:" "No, no, I was sure that you..." "Of course." "No, I should have 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." "[BEEPS]" "Oh, I'm fine." "No, yes, and it doesn't." " What?" " I can read your mind." "Everyone's." "It was cool for the first 10 seconds there." "I'm finding it disturbing, so I'm trying to tune it out as much as I can." "Well, sort of." "I wanted to get your permission to access the control chair." "I've got ideas for maximizing ZPM by reconfiguring the city's power systems." "It's complicated to explain, but trust me you are gonna be happy with the results." "Élizabeth, I know." "You have every right not to trust me but I promise you." "I'm gonna make things much better." "Okay?" "Good." "She wants you to shoot me if you think that I might be trying to take over the city for evil purposes." "I'm kidding." "That was a joke." "That's..." "Is your weapon set to stun?" "Wait, never mind." "[GUN BEEPS]" "There." "Did it myself." "To the chair room." "Ronon." " Can I shoot him now?" " I can hear you." "She 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." "[MACHINE BEEPS]" "[POWER SHUTS DOWN]" "[SPEAKS IN CZECH]" "[ENERG Y BUZZING]" " 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." "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's happening." "Instead, you're burying your head in the sand." "That is not true." "My head, which happens to be housing my ever evolving brain is being better utilized here doing important things that will affect everybody." "[SPEAKS IN CZECH]" "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?" "[POWER FLICKERING]" "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's improving the city's power system." "Whatever." "Anyway, you were saying?" "[SIGHS]" "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." "Are you saying some needed a kick in the pants?" "So to speak." "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?" "Well, there's a whole lot more to Ascension than being physically evolved." "Believe me, after spending six months with a bunch of pansy wannabes, I know." " What does this mean for McKay?" " Like I said, just getting to the good bit." "Then I'll leave you to it." "John, wait." "We need to talk to Rodney right away." "[POWER SHUTS DOWN]" "[ENERG Y BUZZING]" "You can all relax." "I'll have us back online in two minutes." "WEIR:" "We need to talk to you." "What do you mean I'm gonna die?" "I'm not sick." "I feel great." "Never better." " That Ancient device..." " Has accelerated my evolution." "I'll reach a point where I'm 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." "It's a good assumption I'll be able to figure it out." "It's not as easy at that." "Well, even if I don't so I stay a highly evolved human." "I don't have to Ascend." "It's a choice, right?" "McKAY:" "No?" "What do you mean, no?" "That stupid Ancient device doesn't work properly, does it?" "It's set in motion a series of mutations that'll result in death if I don't Ascend?" "There is something easier about this." "McKAY:" "The Ancients didn't put it into use." "It's just one more in long line of abysmal over-ambitious failures." "Oh, God." "I'm a dead man." " Dr. McKay." " Yes." "Yes, I just..." "It's because I stopped in the middle." "I will fix it." "Just give me a second here." "[POWER SHUTS DOWN]" "That's it." "[SHOUTS IN CZECH]" "There's time left." "There's a way to reverse the process." "Where's Zelenka?" "What has he been doing?" "We have massive power surges." " Shutdown protocols are not responding." " Damn it." "[POWER FLICKERING]" "[POWER EXPLODING]" "[SCREAMS]" "Come on, Radek." "Come on." "He's not breathing." "We need to intubate." "Start an IV, wide open." "Get that monitor set up." "BECKETT:" "Right, on my count." "One, two, three." "Radek." "BECKETT:" "Get the leads hooked up, please." "He's in V-tach, prepare to defib." "[EQUIPMENT WHINING]" " Clear." " Move." "BECKETT:" "Rodney, the man is dying." "No." "Just give me a second." "I know." "[ENERG Y SURGING]" "[GASPS]" "[MONITOR BEEPING]" "BECKETT:" "Heart rate's good." "Breathing's steady." "Pulse is good." "[EXHALES]" "Radek, are you okay?" "What happened?" "[SIGHS]" "WEIR:" "Rodney." " Hold on." "I see you've been busy." "[TYPING]" "I invented a new math." "Really?" "It's gonna change the human understanding of the universe." "How is Zelenka?" "Uh..." "You need to ask?" "I'm blocking out people's thoughts." "It was becoming too overwhelming." "I was..." "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." "Uh..." "I've already re-read everything I could in the database." "Yeah, it's not exactly a clear-cut set of instructions, is it?" "No, and to be honest, I've never been big on the whole idea of Ascending." "There's too many rules." "You know, I..." "To me, life is about working towards achievement." "Discovering things..." " Getting credit for it." " Once you know it all, what do you do?" "I don't know." "I don't think that Ascension necessarily means the end." "Yeah, see, never been big on leaps of faith either." "There was a part of me that knew this was too good to be true." "Nothing this great could ever happen to me without really bad consequences." "Anyway, I have come to terms with that." "I just wanna get as much done and not waste my time on mumbo jumbo I'm not gonna understand." "Oh, I've come up with a way for increasing the Daedalus' shield power." "Tell Hermiod to give me a call if he needs help understanding the base code." "I'm sure Colonel Caldwell will be thrilled." "[TYPING]" "Look, Rodney, I'm not gonna try to convince you that Ascension is right for you or even possible for that matter." "But I wonder if you have considered the fact that if you did somehow manage to Ascend you can always theoretically retake human form." "Why didn't I think of that?" "BECKETT:" "I don't think it's gonna work." " Had this shipped." "BECKETT:" "The Ancient device used to measure a person's synaptic activity." "More than that, the brain's evolutionary level." "It's basically an Ascendometer." "I don't think we're going about this right." "If you're a highly evolved super-genius, put up your hand." "Oh." "From everything I read about the subject area..." "When you get down to it, even mental states are actually only physical states." " The brain is a chemical supercomputer." " 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." "All that hocus-pocus stuff is just a way of getting the brain into the proper electrochemical state to allow the final physical evolution at which point, the matter that makes up this body will turn into pure energy." "Oh." "What mere mortals would refer to as the Mystery of Ascension is just a scientific process." "Just protons and electrons." " Protons and electrons." " If you say so." "Now, if you don't mind, can we...?" "Ah." "Now, based on what I've extrapolated from the Ancient research I've set measurable parameters for achieving the proper mental state." "Once I reach 96 percent synaptic connection as measured by this device all I need to do is maintain an E.E.G. Frequency of 0,1 to 0,9 hertz and presto." "[SNAPS FINGERS]" "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 will themselves anywhere close to that no matter how relaxed they are." " No unevolved person." " Give it a rest, Rodney." " Just turn it on." "[BEEPING]" "Your synaptic activity is high, over 60 percent." "I don't have much time left." "By my calculations when I reach 96 percent, I either Ascend or die." "Now, what's my E.E. G?" "Twenty-nine hertz, which is average for someone in a heightened wakeful state." "Okay, so I just need to clear my mind and relax." "[SIGHS]" " What's it at now?" " Thirty." "What?" "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." "This will work." "I need some more time." "Now stop talking so much." "You're a ripple in my pond." "[SIGHING]" "I think he's having a hard time accepting this can't be solved with science no matter how brilliant he is." "SHEPPARD:" "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?" " Mm-hm." "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." "How am I gonna know if it's working?" "You're teaching me how to meditate." "Not exactly good odds to start with." "I realize that." "Truth is, I was never really very good at this myself." " So why am I here?" " Élizabeth made me." " Oh, yeah?" "Me too." " I was with Ancients for six months." "Maybe I picked up something that might be able to help you." "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, you can't do that." "You can't think you're gonna Ascend and retake human form, and be done with it." "That is exactly what I'm trying to do." "Look, from what I understand, dishonesty is not gonna help the process." " Good point." " While we're at it, my knees kill me." " How does anyone relax like this?" " Find a position that works." "All right." "Okay." "SHEPPARD:" "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." "Deal with it." "Now imagine yourself sitting on a Ferris wheel." "What?" "I didn't pay much attention to what the Ancients were teaching me." "I liked 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?" "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." "[SIGHS]" "All right." "[SIGHS]" "Now there's a dark storm swirling around your head." " How's that comforting?" " I'm getting there." "I just thought of a brilliant adjunct to the chaos theory." "McKay." "Letting it go, letting it go." "Now, the sky is clearing." "All your troubles are fading away." "Bright blue sky." "I am there." "[BEEPS]" " How am I doing?" " Don't think that way." "Forget it." "Look, this is never gonna work." " What's wrong now?" " I 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." "[DOOR OPENS]" " Hey." " Just a second." "[TYPING]" "[COMPUTERS BEEPING]" "What are you doing?" "There are 50 simulations to run, but the computers can't keep up." "I've figured out how to make them run 10 times faster but I haven't had time to 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 wanna 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 is a waste of time." "You could do it..." "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." " I don't understand." "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 helps people find peace with themselves." " But you have to believe." " Not 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." "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?" "[POWER FLICKERING]" "I don't care what you're gonna say." "I'm gonna keep working on this." "Well, I appreciate that." "I mean, you saved my life, so the least I can do is try to save yours." "Radek I think it's safe to say that I am, at times, a petty, vindictive, even jealous man." "I supplement my own anxieties or feelings of inadequacy by creating a bubble of hostility around myself." "I know that you, 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." "I mean, 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 forgive me for all the things I've said and done to you." "You deserve much better than that." "And so I wanted you to know that." "Yes." "[DOOR BEEPS]" " Rodney." " Mind if I come in?" " Shouldn't you be...?" " Hope you don't mind." "[SIGHS]" "I was talking with Halling, he mentioned it was the anniversary of the death of your father." "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 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." "I know exactly what to do." "You are the one who has lost a loved one." "I will serve you." "Hey, buddy." "Pal." "I've 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, of course you don't." "I don't know how much time I have left, so I'm gonna cut to the chase 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." "[SNIFFS]" "I hope you don't mind." "I just healed them." "You're still trying to find a way out of this?" "You think I'm gonna give up?" "The Ancients that experimented with that device either Ascended or died." "Most of them the latter, which is why it did not get put into use..." "Like you said, there were exceptions." "This will all be over soon and you can get back to real work." "Rodney." "Don't." "No, no, no." "I'm not fishing for sympathy." "I just wanted to give you that." " What have you invented now?" " Oh, nothing." "That's a book." " About what?" " You." "You've taken a lot of crap as the leader." "I thought someone should leave a record of the things you've done." "Everything you've done right." "[SIGHS]" "Everything I do is on record for review." "Yes, I know." "I thought I'd have a unique perspective other people might benefit from." "You know, I actually took the liberty of doing some research into your past and included that as well." "I'm sorry if I'm not a good writer." "It might be a bit overly maudlin in places." "[COMPUTER BEEPS]" "Rodney, this is 500 pages long." "When did you...?" "Anyway, that's all." "Right." " What's it down to?" " That's not important." "What?" "Of course it is." "It's got to..." " What, 17 hertz?" "It's not even close." " Well, 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..." "We're good, aren't we?" "Of course." "If it's not 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 sister to be there." "And..." "You should know that I told Beckett that he should definitely do a full autopsy." "He can use my body for any kind of experimentation that might prove helpful." "And..." "Oh, then I'd like to be cremated." "I'd like my ashes to be thrown out into space from the Jumper so..." "[GROANS]" "Rodney!" "[GROANS]" "SHEPPARD:" "Medical team to my quarters." "The synaptic activity in your brain has reached over 90 percent." "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 is 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 six percent." "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 have you got to lose?" " May as well go out fighting, huh?" " Absolutely." "Hook me up." "McKAY:" "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." "SHEPPARD:" "Concentrate on your breathing." "[SLOW, RHYTHMIC BEEPING]" "Oh, my God." "[STEAD Y TONE]" "He's not breathing." "Get him on a ventilator." " Carson, he gave us orders..." "BECKETT:" "You don't understand." "He just told me how to save him." "We're en route." "His pulse is weak." "Are you ready?" "We will be." "Almost." "BECKETT:" "Right." "Hurry, he can't breathe on his own." "Okay, stand back." "[POWER SURGING]" "BECKETT:" "Rodney?" " It worked." " Did it?" " Well, I'm alive, aren't I?" "SHEPPARD:" "Sounds like him." "McKAY:" "Yes, yes." "I can't hear one of your thoughts." "Telekinesis is gone." "I'm still smart, I think." "Yes." "Yes, I'm me." "I'm my old self." " Are you certain?" "McKAY:" "Yeah, I'm alive." "I feel great." "I feel, uh..." "Um, hungry?" "Oh, he's fine." "And you said it was impossible." "McKAY:" "The answer just came to me." "I was floating in this black emptiness and the answer came out of nowhere." "Look, the device was designed to manipulate your DNA." "It couldn't reverse the process, everyone's DNA is different." "It makes changes that causes the DNA to evolve in ways specific to your own unique physiology." "To manipulate the DNA, the program required a precise reference point." "I keep blood samples from the Atlantis team members for comparisons." "I don't understand what any of you are talking about." " What..." " It's good to have you back, buddy." " Mmm!" " Yes, well, it's good to be back." "Yeah." "[TYPING]" " Hey, how are you feeling?" " Terrible." " Should I get Carson?" " No, no, no, physically I'm fine but this just doesn't make any sense." "I can't figure out any of these equations." "The algorithms are complete gibberish." "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 0,03 hertz." "I mean, 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 thought about how hard it is to rid oneself of ego." "That existence without the individuality of consciousness would be pointless..." "Ooh." "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." "I never wanted to do it." "I am very happy with who I am." " And you love me." " Hmm?" "What?" "I never..." "You so did." "I may not understand this new math I created but I remember that you said you love me." "Actually, I said, We love you." "You were saying that because you thought I was dying?" " No, I said it because..." " See?" "You love me." "It's true." "You've said it." "Now I know." "I suspected it." "In fact, I've always noticed that there's been an indefinable and yet magical chemistry between us that I think I covered in Chapter 10." " Hmm." " Rodney." " Have you had lunch yet?" " Yes." " Mid-afternoon snack, then?" " I will keep you company." " Ah." "Now, is Sheppard still bugging you to let him use the device to turn into a superhero?" " Oh, yes." " Hmm." "Despite the fact that the database states its effects are unpredictable." "That I'm lucky I wasn't instantly melted down into a pool of protoplasm." " Yes." " Huh." "Well, maybe you should let him." "I think not."