Previously on Stargate Atlantis...
The hive ships will be in range of the satellite in 49 hours.
That satellite is the only thing standing between the Wraith and Atlantis.
And you think it's powerful enough to take out a Wraith hive ship?
According to the Ancients' database, it should be able to take out all three when fully charged.
This is bad. Very bad.
I'm not sure I can fix this.
The Wraith are not interested in destroying Atlantis.
They're coming here to get to Earth.
Which means stealing the city, which is why we have a self-destruct in place.
We're having trouble docking with the satellite.
See what you can do from your side.
There isn't time for that.
Get to a safe distance, then come get me once the satellite has taken care of the Wraith ships.
We have a kill.
There's no time.
Just get the hell out of here!
Atlantis, this is McKay. We have lost the satellite.
Did you manage to take out any more ships?
Negative.
The two other hive ships are intact.
You can't do any more out there, Rodney.
Return to Atlantis.
Welcome back, Rodney.
Where are we?
Our scanners show the hive ships have started moving again,
although their pace has slowed considerably.
Obviously, you gave them something to think about.
If they get here in two hours or two days, it doesn't change the fact that we're out of options.
We can't hope to fight them.
So, unless either of you has any more ideas...
The last group is assembled and ready for evac.
All right, then.
Let's get this done.
Ready?
Self-destruct is armed.
Prepare to load the virus into the Ancient mainframe.
Rodney, dial the alpha site.
Dialing.
We've got an incoming wormhole.
We're receiving an I.D.C.
Who is it?
Stargate Command.
Are you sure?
Positive.
Lower the shields.
Dr. Weir?
Yes.
Colonel Everett, United States Marine Corps.
You should know...
General O'Neill sends his compliments on a job well done under extraordinary circumstances.
You are relieved.
We were about to evacuate.
Without a fight.
Yes, sir.
On my order.
That evacuation order is rescinded.
I assume you've armed the self-destruct device?
Yes, sir, we have, but as Dr. Weir was trying to tell you...
I am going to need you to disarm it immediately.
Hold on a second, Colonel.
I don't think you fully grasp our situation...
You have three Wraith hive ships bearing down on your position
and precious little to defend yourselves with.
That about sum it up?
You got our message.
We got your message.
It's down to two hive ships. We managed to destroy one.
Good for you.
That should make my job a little easier.
What exactly is your job, sir?
I should think that would be obvious to you by now, Major.
We are going to defend Atlantis at all costs.
Colonel.
Signed by General O'Neill.
Colonel, it's not that we don't appreciate the thought,
but if you had read the report on the armada headed this way,
you'd know there's not much we can do about it.
Oh, I read your report cover to cover, Major.
They must have found a ZPM.
That's the only way they could have dialed in from Earth.
It was discovered in Egypt by a group of archaeologists.
The damn thing has been under our noses the whole time.
Fantastic. Wait a minute.
How could you possibly bring the ZPM back here?
You need it to maintain the wormhole.
As we speak, it is being transported up to the Daedalus, our new battlecruiser.
Sister ship of the Prometheus.
I didn't even know it was finished.
With the ZPM boosting her engines, she should be here inside of of four days.
That is how long we have to hold this base.
Major Sheppard, dial Pegasus alpha site, recall all military personnel.
As well, any civilians who would like to return and help take part in damage control are welcome to do so.
And when you're done with that, please join me and my officers in the conference room.
We'll discuss our tactical position.
Colonel Everett.
Fine, you're in charge, but I should be at that briefing.
When it comes down to any other aspect of Atlantis, I will be happy to include you.
We're talking about our tactical position.
- I understand that... - Good.
Somebody want to please turn off that self-destruct?
This schematic is based on the information we got in your message.
Can I assume it's accurate?
Yes, sir.
Captain, deploy plan alpha-two.
Yes, sir.
Sergeant, alpha-two.
If you don't mind my asking, Colonel, deploy what exactly?
We brought along a few rail guns.
They were originally slated for Prometheus to replace their current close-in armament on her next refit.
They will deliver an impact velocity of mach 5 at 250 miles.
A standard magazine will hold 10,000 rounds.
The self-destruct has been aborted.
Thank you.
Did you contact the alpha site?
I asked major Sheppard to wait until I had a chance to talk with you.
- Is that a fact? - Yes, sir.
Major, dial the alpha site.
Colonel, you've been here all of five minutes.
Now, I have been responsible for the lives of the people on this base,
both military and civilian, for the past several months.
I'm not about to put those lives in jeopardy until I at least know how you intend to defend this city.
I don't need to explain myself to you, Doctor, and I don't need your cooperation.
But you could probably use mine.
Sir.
So with all due respect, please answer Dr. Weir's question.
Is that a threat, Major?
No, sir.
I understand you need to establish a clear chain of command, but if you cut Dr. Weir out of the loop,
you'll only alienate the people whose trust and respect she's earned, which is everyone on the base, including me.
Is that a fact?
Have a seat.
I should be in that meeting.
I am the foremost expert on the defense capabilities of this city.
You know how it is.
When military steps in, scientists take a back seat.
Until they need us.
They don't think they need us.
They don't think they need us right up until the point that they need us.
- And then... they need us. - Then they need us.
Take a look at this.
Six naquadah-enhanced nuclear warheads, 1,200 megatons a piece.
They emit almost zero E.M. and are otherwise invisible to radar.
Once deployed, they will detonate by proximity fuse.
Space mines?
That's right.
We'll use jumpers in stealth mode to place them in a pattern between the armada and Atlantis.
Major, we were hoping you could help us with that.
Yes, but I recommend keeping a couple in reserve.
Negative. We'll only get one shot at this.
We'll have to consider the possibility...
Four of my men are pilots.
Beckett is giving them the gene inoculation right now.
Assuming it takes, you will familiarize them with the jumpers,
and they will become our fighter screen.
Along with me.
I have another job for you.
I understand that this base is equipped with a chair weapons platform,
like the one we found in Antarctica.
Yes, but we have no way of powering it.
We do now.
We brought a mark II naquadah generator.
We found a way to increase the power output by 600%.
It won't last nearly as long, but it should power the chair for as long as we need it to.
This is beginning to sound like a plan.
I'm glad you approve.
We know this is a long shot, but like I said, all we have to do is hold out until the Daedalus gets here,
then we can use the ZPM to power the city shield.
Any questions?
All right, then.
Now that Dr. Weir has been informed of our plans, I would greatly appreciate it
if you'd execute my order and contact the alpha site.
Yes, sir.
And Major.
This is last time I give you an order twice.
Understood.
You must be Teyla.
And you are Colonel Everett.
Major Sheppard spoke very highly of you in his report.
Of course, a more recent report has me a little concerned.
You think I may once again fall under the influence of the Wraith?
Major Sheppard assures me that won't happen, but I do need you to stay out of the way.
Do you not need every able body to help defend Atlantis?
I think we can handle it.
He's not even trying.
We've tried this a dozen times.
But never with this power source.
I'm serious. Major Sheppard's your man.
Of course he is, but he's training pilots and deploying space mines right now,
so we're stuck with you.
Now, listen to me very carefully, do exactly what I tell you to do,
and hopefully no one will get hurt.
Rodney, there must be someone else.
Concentrate on powering up the chair.
Nothing else, nothing more, nothing but.
Don't start thinking...
don't tell me what not to start thinking about, or I'll start thinking about it.
Please power it up.
Good.
Good... good.
And... oh, no.
What? Did I do something wrong?
So... see?
Nothing to worry about.
Get him out of the chair.
Elizabeth. Excuse me.
I've hooked up the generator, and the chair platform is operational.
That's good news.
Not so much.
Why? What's wrong?
We're down to just a few dozen drones.
And you're just finding this out now?
There was no way of determining that until the chair was initialized,
and that was only possible once the mark II was tied in.
The chair in Antarctica controlled thousands of the damn things.
Yes. I know.
They were probably used defending Atlantis the first time the Wraith attacked the Ancients.
Even a few dozen will help us keep them at bay for a while.
What is it?
We have incoming. I don't know where they came from.
They just appeared all of a sudden.
What's going on?
We've just detected a wave of objects approaching the planet.
How many?
A hundred plus.
How come they weren't detected by the long-range sensors?
Because they're rocks... asteroids.
The Wraith must have harvested them from this system's asteroid belt
and accelerated them towards us from a safe distance.
The mainframe's taken this long to determine they were a threat.
Can they do much damage?
Oh, yeah, even if most of them burn off in the atmosphere,
but that's not why they're doing it.
They're headed toward the mines.
Well, can they be deactivated?
No.
Well... that's that.
Your mines made one hell of a bang, Colonel.
I'm sure the Wraiths' ears are ringing.
What's the status of the hive ships?
There's no way of knowing.
The mine detonations must have overloaded the sensors.
How long till they're back up?
There's a lot of residual radiation.
It'll keep us blind for hours.
Yeah, well, they're still out there, and we just lost our primary line of defense.
You wanted to see me, Colonel?
I was told I could learn a lot about the history of Atlantis in this room.
We haven't used it much because of the power requirements.
Still, I would like to see for myself how the Ancients lost the first time,
try to avoid their mistakes.
Yes, sir, we could do that.
This is the status of the Pegasus galaxy before the Ancients encountered the Wraith.
The blue stars represent systems either inhabited by or protected by the Ancients.
Then... this is how it looked after they fought for almost a hundred years.
Until Atlantis was all that was left?
Yes, sir.
That's when the siege began.
For several more years, the Atlantians were able to hold off their attackers,
relying on the city's shield and superior weaponry,
including the weapons satellite system.
No matter how many Wraith ships they destroyed, more kept coming here.
They could win almost every battle, but they saw no way to win the war.
So... they submerged the city... and left.
That's it. That's the story.
But the picture is pretty clear.
So you think this is a no-win situation?
No, sir.
What I mean is, even if we beat them this time, they're going to come back.
Major...
I think I should tell you that colonel Marshall Sumner was a very good friend of mine.
We served together a lot of years and you know...
I cannot, for the life of me,
figure how it is that you could go as far as you did and not save him.
- How you could get that close... - By the time I reached colonel Sumner...
worse, you admit to firing the shot that killed him.
Because I believe that's what he wanted me to do.
You knew him that well, did you?
You weren't there, sir.
I wish, for his sake, I was.
There isn't a night that doesn't go by where that moment doesn't play in my head...
and every time it does...
Control room...
This is colonel Everett. Report.
Sir, we've just detected a wave of darts inbound.
I'm on my way. Head to the chair.
We'll finish this later.
What's happening?
Multiple signals, sir, closing fast.
Dr. McKay must've been right about the nukes damaging the sensors.
We couldn't see them until they were right on top of us.
Are my gunners in position?
Yes, sir.
About our damage control parties?
They're all in position.
All right. Darken the city.
Remember, short steady bursts.
Here they come!
McKay, fire it up!
It'll take a minute.
We don't have a minute.
This generator can only power the chair because it operates in a state of barely-controlled overload...
Just get the damn thing working.
That's what I'm trying to do.
Colonel, it's Radner.
Go ahead.
It looks like some of them are starting to make kamikaze runs.
What happened?
We lost primary systems.
One of our gun positions is dark.
Ferrell, why aren't you firing?
Ferrell, report.
Colonel, this is lieutenant Ford.
I'm near Ferrell's position.
I'm on it!
You've got power. Go!
Power is out in sections of the city.
The long-range scanners and the internal sensors are down, but we're working on them.
I want to know the status of those hive ships A.S.A.P.
They're coming. That's their status.
Tomorrow, the day after, the day after that... eventually,
they'll get here.
Whether we're here to greet them or not is another matter.
Rodney.
Look, the chair is out of drones.
How do you expect to handle the next wave?
I'm open to suggestions.
Really?
We target the hive ships.
With what?
We fly the puddle jumper in stealth mode right down their throats.
Are you volunteering for a suicide mission?
It won't be a suicide mission if McKay and Zelenka
can figure out a way to remote-control the jumpers.
Can you do it?
I knew this was going to happen.
Is that a fact?
Yes, it's a fact.
Look, you show up here with your guns and your brush cuts,
but when it comes to actually saving the city,
you turn to the scientists, and every time, what you ask is impossible.
When was the last time you slept, Doctor?
Shut up. I have an idea.
The chair.
Of course, the chair.
The problem is tying it to the jumper's systems.
Without overloading the generators.
Possibly using the drones on the jumpers themselves as a means of propulsion...
while increasing the inertial dampening to maximum.
It won't be very maneuverable, but possibly, possibly...
Is that a "yes?"
No, it's a "possibly."
I'll take it. How much damage can one puddle jumper do?
I've got an idea about that, too.
I think I know where we can get another nuke.
Major, I don't know how sympathetic the Genii will be to our situation.
The Genii?
They want to test their weapon.
Now's your chance.
Let me pass!
I need to talk to Dr. Weir!
Teyla?
What's the matter?
The Wraith...
they are in Atlantis.
The Wraith piloting the kamikaze ships beam into the city right before they hit.
So they're trying to take the city intact.
How many are we talking about?
How many darts crashed?
Between 20 and 30, and internal sensors are still down.
Well, we have this.
It can't differentiate between Wraith and human,
but if we confine all base personnel to the designated areas,
the blips that show up out of bounds will be the likely targets.
Let me see that.
It won't do you any good. You need the gene.
I got the gene therapy, too.
We wish to help.
This is quite a large city, you need as many people searching as possible.
She is the one who sensed the Wraith presence in the first place.
Captain.
Get some weapons for these people.
Yes, sir.
There's other people on this base that possess the Ancient gene... Dr. Kusanagi, for example.
I'm sure she'd relish the opportunity to help.
I am exhausted and starving, so sit down.
Carson, it's out of drones.
You couldn't do any damage if you wanted to.
Thank you.
Okay, we're in business. Head down to the jumper bay.
Radio me when you get there.
You okay?
How about next time you can be the bait?
Yeah, maybe. Next time.
Okay, this way.
We just received the response from the Genii.
Let's hear it.
This is Prenum of the Genii.
We welcome the opportunity to open a dialogue between our two people.
Send your representative... one person, unarmed.
Is that all?
Yes, ma'am.
Colonel Everett, this is Weir.
As we'd hoped, the Genii have asked us to send a representative.
I'm set to go.
Good. I can't imagine anyone more qualified.
Pull this off, and I'll buy you a drink.
You've got a deal.
Dial the gate.
Dr. Weir...
I am Prenum of the Genii.
I'm rather surprised... no, astonished that you would have the audacity to come here.
You heard our message.
The Wraith are at our doorstep.
And we are understandably delighted at the prospect of your demise.
That may be so...
but, still, we have something that you want.
C-4.
More than that.
We have an opportunity for you to test your weapon
at no risk to yourselves, and a chance to strike at the Wraith.
You have no idea how close they are.
The Wraith have come, Doctor.
Six days ago.
Fortunately, we detected their approach
and we were able to shut down our reactors in time.
Hundreds of lives were lost on the surface,
but thousands more were saved because our underground complex went undetected.
So, you see, the threat to the Genii has come and gone.
So far as the Wraith are concerned,
this planet is no longer of interest to them.
We have the design that Dr. McKay provided for us,
and our prototype bombs are nearly complete.
So why would you ask me to come here?
So that we may trade the C-4...
for your life.
Damn it.
This is Everett.
The Wraith just took out one of our generators.
What's the nearest generator station?
Number three, but Teyla's group is closer.
Teyla?
We are already on our way, Major.
We'll meet you there.
I have already offered you the C-4.
And you want our prototype weapons in exchange.
That's not a bargain for the Genii.
What would you do if you had the C-4 right now?
Incorporate it into your weapons?
Yes.
And you would test them.
Of course.
I am offering you the chance to test your weapon design on a Wraith hive ship,
at no risk to your own people,
and still have enough to build dozens more.
Now, if you are too proud or too stupid to see...
Be careful, Doctor.
I am way past careful.
Now, you know what the deal is,
and it's a damn good one, so take it or leave it.
Yeah. That's it.
Okay... let's give it a test.
Standing by.
Carson,
I need you to clear your mind
and think about the puddle jumper.
Think about bringing it online.
Come on, come on, come on...
any time now.
Carson...
look, I know you can do this.
Just activate the puddle jumper.
Yes!
Yes! Yes! Yes!
Rodney, Rodney,
it works!
Oh, God.
Give me your radio.
Thank you.
This is Weir.
I've got the prototypes.
Prototypes. Right.
That should be the last of them.
Colonel.
Well done, Doctor.
I...I have to admit it,
I am impressed.
Well, maybe there's hope for me yet.
I'm in your chair.
I thought it was your chair.
Yeah, well, I...
I don't sit much.
I was just going over the...
We have a problem.
We have a lot of problems.
I just finished examining the Genii nuclear devices.
They're incomplete.
I could finish it, but it's going to take time.
How much time?
About a day.
We don't have a day, Doctor.
Well, like I said, we have a problem.
You wanted to see me, Rodney?
Yes. I need something to keep me awake.
Yeah, me too.
I've already given you something.
We're building nuclear bombs.
Staying awake is sort of a prerequisite.
Snappy.
All right,
I'll get you another stimulant.
Carry on.
Thank you.
I'm sorry you lost some of your people.
Many have died, Colonel.
This is jumper four.
We have a visual on the hive ships.
This is Everett.
Jumper four has just informed us the Wraith hive ships are approaching the planet.
Defense team, to your positions.
Doctor?
Thank you.
This is Weir.
Now, I know how tired you all are,
and how much we have asked of you these past few days.
Hopefully, the Daedalus will arrive soon,
but until that happens, our fate is in our own hands.
If, during the course of this battle, that mission fails,
I will give the order to evacuate.
Now, we all hope it won't come to that,
but if it does...
don't hesitate.
That is all.
Time's up.
Oh, what a coincidence. We're done.
Oh... so... chair room?
Right.
Colonel.
We're heading into the bay to load up the jumpers.
Understood.
Remember...
I owe you that drink.
Slow. Slow, slow, slow.
Right here.
Sheppard, are you ready?
Rodney?
The generator's not powering up like it should be.
They're sending in another wave!
Major, we need to go!
McKay!
There's something wrong. Power levels are dropping!
Rodney, nothing is happening.
Why are there no jumpers in the air?
We must have exhausted the mark II's energy output.
It's dead!
So long, Rodney.
There's got to be a way to...
Major!
Heads up, people! They're in the base.
Colonel, we have a problem.
What is it?
We may need to give the order to evacuate.
Elizabeth, wait!
You can't.
I have to, and you know it.
John...
Go.
What's the status on that damn jumper?
It's on its way.
Dr. Weir, major Sheppard is taking the jumper out.
I'm aware of that, Dr. Zelenka.
Start prepping jumper two.
Teyla, I'm hearing gunfire. What's your status?
Teyla, do you hear me?
Teyla?
Hopefully, if I take this one out,
the other one will back off.
Go, go, go, go!
We can't stay here, Elizabeth.
He's right, they're beaming in all over the place.
We're not going anywhere.
Not yet.
You know, if this works,
somebody might have to do it again.
Understood.
Come on. Keep up!
Over there.
You let Sheppard fly that jumper?
Help me arm the self-destruct in case this fails.
They haven't detected my approach.
The weapon is armed and ready.
I'm going in.