Stargate SG-1 s04e15 Episode Script

Chain Reaction

(Stargate alarm) - Report.
|- It's SG-1 , sir.
They're under fire.
Colonel O'Neill, this is General Hammond.
|Report status.
(O'Neill) We're pinned down.
Carter was able to dial the gate.
|We're trying to get clear to come through.
Open the iris.
Evacuate the gate room.
Colonel O'Neill, we're taking fire.
Report.
Colonel O'Neill.
Sir? Give them some more time.
So, essentially, we were ambushed|on the way back to the gate.
- We almost didn't make it out.
|- If you'd been longer, you wouldn't have.
- I was about to close the iris.
|- Considering the SGC was taking fire, .
.
we're glad you waited|as long as you did, sir.
Strictly speaking, if I'd followed|procedure, you'd all be dead right now.
Well, sir, every time we go through|the Stargate, it's a calculated risk.
I realise that, Major.
But I'm getting tired|of sending good people out there, .
.
never knowing|if they're going to come back.
I've had enough.
I'm sorry, sir.
What are you saying? I wanted you all to be the first to know.
Effective immediately, I'm stepping down|as commander of the SGC.
Come to see me off, Colonel? Nope.
I've come to talk you out of this.
- Thank you.
You can finish later.
|- Yes, sir.
Jack, weren't you there|for my goodbye speech? Yes, I was, of course.
You know that.
And it was lovely, General.
But do you think I believe you're quitting|because we ran into a little trouble? Hell, we've been presumed dead before.
I don't have to|explain myself to you, Colonel.
No, sir, you don't.
|You're my commanding officer.
But could you throw me a bone? Jack, this has been a long time coming.
I'm asking you to|respect my decision and accept it.
When I took over this command,|the Stargate was inactive.
This was supposed to be an easy|assignment on my way to retiring.
General, need I remind you|that I was retired? Some things are worth|changing your plans for.
I've had enough.
Let me just say it's been|a pleasure serving with all of you.
We'll miss you, sir.
It won't be the same without you, sir.
On Chulak, when a great warrior retires|from battle, we sing a song of lament.
Fortunately we are not on Chulak.
Take care of yourself.
(Carter) So what do we know|about this new guy? Not much.
I hope he's not a spit-and-polish,|brass tacks - Hard-ass?|- I was building up to that.
Ten hut! My name is Major General Bauer.
I'll be your new commanding officer.
I'd just like to say I look forward to|working with all of you.
Thank you.
Squadron, at ease! Always leave 'em wanting more I guess.
I guess I just was expecting|someone a little more inspiring.
Spend time at the Pentagon and|it's easy to become a bureaucrat.
(Bauer) Or a politician.
Depends on where your interests lie.
- General, l|- At ease, Major Carter.
I've been going over your research|into naqahdah reactors.
Very impressive.
Large-scale application is|mostly theoretical right now, .
.
but the mineral shows|great potential as a power source.
It shows interesting properties when used|in conjunction with nuclear ordnance.
Well, it does tend to increase|the explosive effect.
Yes, sir.
The Pentagon feels|that the Stargate project, .
.
while exposing Earth to great danger,|has yet to produce any practical returns.
We've been working on a device .
.
to take advantage of this|naqahdah-enhancing effect.
I'd like you to take part in the operation.
- What about my duties with SG-1?|- You've been reassigned.
- What?|- As have you, Dr Jackson.
An archaeologist has|no place on a frontline unit.
You'll be a consultant,|going off world only as required.
- General Bauer|- The decision has been made, Major.
I suggest you get to work.
(Bauer) Come.
- Colonel O'Neill.
|- General.
Thank you, Kim.
I've just been going through|your mission reports.
- Yes, sir?|- They're satisfactory.
You might want to include|bullet-point summaries with each section.
Makes for an easier read.
Bullet-point summaries? Is there a problem with that? General, I realise the format|of my reports is of vital importance But now I'd like to discuss why you're|dismantling my team without discussion.
General Hammond may have allowed you|a certain latitude in his presence, .
.
but you'd do well|to watch your tone with me.
General Hammond|kept us together for a reason.
The fact is, if it wasn't for SG-1 , .
.
right now you'd be sittin'|with a snake in your head, - .
.
instead of your head up your a|- Colonel! No one around here is above reproach.
If it continues,|your long history of insubordination .
.
will come to a swift and unspectacular|end under my command, I assure you.
Now I suggest you take some time|to think things over.
Decide if you still want to be|a part of this operation.
Dismissed.
- Hello, Jack.
Come on in.
|- General.
Good to see you're keepin' busy.
Have a seat.
- What are you doing?|- A little vacation.
- Didn't you just take some time off?|- Yeah.
This one wasn't by choice.
Not everyone is gonna be|as patient with you as I was.
That's why I'm here, sir.
- Bit of a rough adjustment?|- Oh, no.
Everything's fine.
SG-1's been dismantled, .
.
Daniel's got a desk job,|Teal'c's with SG-3 .
.
and Carter's working on some kind of|doomsday machine.
Same old, same old.
- Are you serious?|- For once, yes.
It's going to take time to get used|to the man.
I'm sure he's competent.
Come on, General! I've never met anyone who liked|doing what they do more than you.
And you were good at it.
Great.
You'll never convince me|you just got fed up.
I'll never buy that.
I'm sorry.
It's out of my hands, Jack.
- What does that mean?|- I can't discuss it.
General? You don't understand.
And I won't unless you explain it to me.
Two weeks ago, I was contacted|by a representative of the NID.
He suggested I should become|more aggressive in my policies.
They have no jurisdiction over you.
They wanted to gain access|to offworld technology, .
.
which they're unable to do since|we shut down their side operation.
- You told 'em to go to hell?|- Of course.
Then he told me, if I didn't cooperate,|there would be consequences.
The next day, two men in plain clothes, .
.
driving a black, unmarked car,|picked up my granddaughters at school.
- I don't believe it.
|- They took them for a ride, .
.
then brought them home.
|The girls were fine, but I got the message.
We're talking about an organisation|as powerful as the CIA.
These people are above the law.
|I can't protect my family 24 hours a day.
I had no choice.
Of course not.
Don't get yourself|into trouble over this, Jack.
You know me, sir.
Jack O'Neill.
What a pleasant surprise.
At ease.
How are things progressing, Major? The hardware's almost ready.
But it's|the ratio of naqahdah to lithium hydride.
We don't have enough weapons-grade|material to complete the bomb.
- Then we'll have to get some more.
|- We're talking about refined naqahdah.
- It's extremely rare.
|- Not on P3S-452.
- That planet is a Goa'uld stronghold.
|- I realise that.
I'm confident a well-armed strike force|can get the job done.
Nice of you to come by.
|I don't get a lot of visitors.
- I find that hard to believe.
|- In my line of work, .
.
people don't stick by you|through thick and thin.
Most of my associates are busy|trying to forget they ever knew me.
Your former associates are why I'm here.
They're causing some problems|for a friend of mine.
General Hammond.
- What do you know?|- Why should I tell you? Because I can help you.
I've been convicted of treason.
|What can you do? Air Force One and I go way back.
- I suppose I'll have to trust you.
|- I wasn't gonna say it.
It's very simple.
When you shut down the|offworld operation with the second gate .
.
you cut off the NID's|access to alien technology.
So they sent you to work for the Russians.
The Pentagon made the Russians|deep-six their gate .
.
in exchange for continued sharing|of information and technology.
- We have the only operational gate.
|- Exactly.
The NID thinks Hammond and the policies|of the Stargate programme are too soft.
So this Bauer guy is part of it? Truth is, I don't know.
|I been out of the loop for a little while.
But it's possible he's just a patsy, .
.
unwillingly manoeuvred into position|because he's got the right mentality.
- All sounds so cloak-and-daggery.
|- They're a special ops, Colonel Jack.
Why do you pretend to smell like roses? Hey! I never threatened a two-star general|by kidnapping his grandkids.
Don't pretend to be so naive, either.
- How do I get him to back off?|- You really wanna play in my sandbox? - Tell me what I have to do.
|- Quid pro quo, Jack.
You're facing the death penalty.
|The best I can do is put in a good word, .
.
maybe recommend|they commute your sentence to life.
You'll have to do a lot more than that.
I can get you the information you need.
Names.
Proof of certain influential|people's involvement with the NID.
- Keep talkin'.
|- My word is useless.
You want hard evidence, you're gonna|have to get me outta here for a few days.
Are you nuts? Do you know how many strings|I'd have to pull to make that happen? One big one.
I know you're prepared to do it, Jack,|or you wouldn't be here.
I won't bother to say "You can trust me.
" (Stargate alarm) Receiving transmission, sir.
|It's SG-3's iris code.
Open the iris.
Where's Major Wade? Dead.
- What happened?|- We met heavy resistance.
- Lieutenant Morrison gave cover fire|- What about the naqahdah? - I believe I secured a sufficient amount.
|- Excellent.
You can give me your full briefing later.
(medic) I've stopped the bleeding.
|Get him to the infirmary.
Have you heard of IKEA? You ought to feel privileged, Jack.
No one,|not even the NID, knows about this place.
"Charles Bliss"? Now you know|one of a hundred names I go by.
I see you're on that famous beer and|mustard diet.
How's that workin' out? No, thanks.
If anyone tries to boot the computer up|without this disk, the whole thing fries.
- What are you doin'?|- Accessing NID files on the lnternet.
- On the lnternet?|- The organisation is made up of cells.
They communicate with each other|by accessing bulletin boards on line.
Information is deposited on any number|of firewall-protected floating servers .
.
and accessed using|decoding software and passwords.
Yada-yada, blah-blah.
|Why'd we have to come here for this? Because the decoding software|happens to be on this computer.
- They've deactivated my password.
|- There's a shocker(!) I'll try to hack in through the back door.
The naqahdah from P3S-452 has been|successfully incorporated into the device.
I'm glad to hear it.
Here's the test site.
- This planet has plant and animal life.
|- Yes.
But the aerial survey shows no signs|of habitation within 50 miles of the gate.
That may not be good enough.
I'll need some time|to run some simulations.
We've never done this before and I'm not|sure how destructive this device will be.
Major, the whole point|of the experiment is to determine .
.
how destructive the device will be.
Request denied.
- But sir|- Proceed with the preparations.
Yes, sir.
Jack Once you get the information to link|key names to the NID, what will you do? - What do you think?|- You'll turn it over to the Pentagon .
.
and hope the proper chain of command|leads to justice.
- You tryin' to tell me somethin', Harry?|- You can't take down the entire NID.
- And they'll kill you for trying.
|- That wouldn't be very nice.
You might be able to hold the evidence|over them and get Hammond reinstated.
- So I should sit on this?|- It's your play.
Damn! (vehicle approaches) I thought you said|nobody knew about this place.
They've probably been tracing me|since I went on line.
- You got a way outta here?|- Give me a second.
- What are you doin'?|- Burning the hard drive.
(hollow knock) Nice! And a nice try to you.
We're ready, sir.
First observation MALP is in position.
Prepare to send the bomb through.
Seal it up.
Yeah, Daniel.
How are things at camp? Um not good.
General Bauer's testing|his new naqahdah bomb.
He's taking short cuts which|Sam thinks could be disastrous.
Maybourne claims he doesn't know|if Bauer's NID or just a gung ho patsy.
Either way, he's dangerous.
Hang in there and do what you can.
|I'll check back.
You want one? No.
There's still something about you|that puts me off my food.
I know you've got a strong stomach, Jack.
|I read your file.
Now what does that|have to do with anything? You wanna help General Hammond,|you have to get your hands dirty.
Are you willing to see this thing through? Under no other circumstances|would I sit here and watch you eat.
Yeah, well, things are about to get|a lot more dicey.
They're onto us.
Our only chance now is|a more direct approach.
Such as? We have to connect someone with|influence to the on-line websites.
The only way to do that now is straight|through one of the high-profile associates.
Who are we talkin' about here? An old friend.
- We have to stop the test.
|- Why is that? The aerial survey shows evidence|of an old Goa'uld mine.
It's probably been shut|for thousands of years, .
.
but there could still be|a lot of naqahdah present.
Our soil samples|indicate only minute traces.
The geological survey I read|said there was none.
- We're not stopping the test.
|- You don't realise the implications of this.
Or maybe you do.
- Are you making an accusation, Major?|- You knew all along, didn't you? You were hoping for a chain reaction|with the naqahdah in the soil.
- That entire planet could be destroyed.
|- The possibility has been considered.
Most Goa'uld worlds have|a high incidence of naqahdah.
This would be a very effective|weapon against them.
There's only one problem, sir.
|When that bomb goes off, .
.
we'll still be connected|to the planet by the Stargate.
Radiation, gravitation and time distortion|has come back through a wormhole.
I am told we should be able|to get just enough data .
.
before the Stargate is destroyed|and the wormhole disconnected.
- Who provided this intelligence?|- That is not your concern.
Sir, we've seen the Stargate|survive a direct hit from a meteorite.
We have no way of knowing|what might happen.
A risk assessment has been made|and it was deemed acceptable.
End of discussion.
- How long have you known the guy?|- We go way back.
- Looks like a party.
|- (rings doorbell) - Yes?|- Please tell the senator .
.
Colonel Maybourne and|Colonel O'Neill would like to see him.
- He has guests.
|- Tell him he has two more.
- What the hell are you doing here?|- Our invitations must be lost in the mail.
This is not a good time.
- Who is it, dear?|- A couple of old friends.
Afternoon, ma'am.
I'm Mr Starsky.
|This is Hutch.
Well, come in, come in.
We're just having a little get-together.
Oscar, down.
It's all right.
He seems to like you, Mr Starsky.
Birds of a feather, ma'am.
Dear, Starsky & Hutch is an old TV show.
Oh! You're actors, then? Maybe we'd better go up to my study.
This won't take long.
The weapon is in position.
- What happened?|- We've lost transmission.
The observation MALP was destroyed.
The wormhole did not disconnect.
Sir, I'm picking up increasing|levels of radiation in the gate room.
- Gamma rays, ultrahigh frequency.
|- Shut down the gate! No response.
|Radiation levels approaching critical.
Close the iris.
Radiation decreasing.
(Carter) lf the iris succumbs|to the heat and loses integrity, .
.
there will be no way to stop radiation|bombarding the base.
We must evacuate.
We were sure the other gate|would be destroyed.
Sir, we have to act now.
Attention all personnel.
By order of General Bauer, commence|immediate evacuation of the base.
Repeat: immediate evacuation.
|This is not a drill.
We can monitor the gate|from a security station on level 16.
- What's going to happen, Major?|- I have no way of knowing that, sir.
I guess your risk assessment|didn't cover this.
Gentlemen, I have the undersecretary|of state, the governor of Maryland .
.
and half the United States congress|in my living room, so let's make it quick.
What in God's name|can I possibly do for you? We need some information on the NID.
The NID? Snaky government agency involved in|all sorts of illegal covert operations.
Like blackmailing air-force generals.
You are making less and less sense to me|as the seconds are passing away, .
.
along with my patience.
So you're not aware of all the money|they gave to your re-election campaign? If you question my campaign finances,|tell the federal elections commission.
- That's just the tip of the iceberg.
|- Aren't you supposed to be in prison? Colonel O'Neill asked the president .
.
to help me dig up some information|about my former associates.
And you trust this man? No.
I'm sorry, General, but this conversation|has lost all amusement for me.
- I have a party to get back to.
|- We're not goin' anywhere.
- Excuse me?|- I'm not leavin' till I get what I came for.
Oh.
And what are you going to do? Well I was thinkin' about shootin' ya.
Jack what are you doing? Gettin' a little dirty for you, Maybourne? Bringing the gate room on line.
The iris is holding,|but it's starting to heat up.
- How long before it loses integrity?|- I'm not sure.
We may have turned that planet|into a giant ball of superheated plasma.
It could power the gate for months.
- We have to autodestruct.
|- The other gate survived the explosion.
- Would not ours as well?|- At least it would be buried under rock.
(Carter) It wouldn't stop|pumping out radiation.
- Eventually the heat will melt the iris.
|- Then what do we do, Major? There is a chance that the gate|will shut down on its own.
- The 38-minute window.
|- There's no way to know for sure.
These are untested circumstances.
How long has the gate been open? Coming up on 21 minutes.
Colonel, have you|taken leave of your senses? I'm with Maybourne.
What does that say? How dare you come into my house,|waving a gun? Not waving - pointing.
Sit down.
I hope you realise you're making|the biggest mistake of your life.
When this is over, I promise|you'll regret the day we ever met.
That day's come and gone, Senator.
If you don't care about your own career,|think about your friends.
- What does that mean?|- You mess with me, .
.
and Dr Jackson will be|out of the SGC permanently .
.
and Major Carter will be cleaning toilets|in an air-force weather station in Alaska.
And as for the alien, Teal'c Let's just say I know some bioengineers|in the Department of Defense .
.
who'd love to get their hands|on his symbiote.
OK, I'm in.
I need the password.
I'll give you a choice:|white meat, or dark meat? - You wouldn't dare.
|- It's usually something familiar, .
.
like a wife's maiden name.
I have a wife, three children,|seven grandchildren .
.
and various nieces and nephews.
Good luck.
Try "Oscar".
(Maybourne) That's it.
We're in.
I'm downloading now.
Kinsey's on-line activities connect him to|NID actions over the last year and a half, .
.
including the secret operation|I ran out of Area 51 , .
.
the involvement with the Russians .
.
and the threats to Hammond.
(O'Neill) You're a piece of work, Kinsey.
You try to shut down the SGC.
You make a speech about how|you hate secret organisations, - .
.
then jump in bed with the NID.
|- I still think the gate's a Pandora's box.
It should be buried for ever.
But as long|as it's open and is a threat to this planet, .
.
then I'm gonna make sure|it's used the way it should be used: .
.
to defend God's creation.
Blow the rhetoric|up somebody else's nose.
- You're just a power-hungry hypocrite.
|- The only currency in this town is power.
So if I have to shake hands with the devil|in order to do the Lord's work, - .
.
then so be it.
|- You self-righteous son of a bitch.
- Where do you get off?|- Judge not lest ye be judged! I read the mission reports|from that mountain.
You play with the fate|of this planet on a daily basis.
I'm doing the job I was asked to do.
I doubt very much your constituents|could say the same about you.
Please! Given the chance, half of all|American citizens won't even vote.
And the half that do vote are|too stupid to know what they're doing.
Which explains how you got elected.
In order to expose me, you're gonna have|to compromise the secrecy of the SGC.
Are you really willing to do that? (Maybourne) I'm done.
Give it up.
What are you going to do?|Take down the whole NID? Nope.
Here's the deal.
Get them to reinstate Hammond,|or this disk goes to the press.
It'll never see the light of day.
I don't think you'll see the light of day if|your friends find out you're the weak link.
You learned to play hardball pretty fast,|didn't you, Colonel? I had a good teacher.
Trouble, Jack.
Approaching 38 minutes.
Who made the call? Your wife? Give me the disk|and you might just get outta here alive.
They won't come in here|with the group he's got downstairs.
But we've still gotta get out.
- It's still open?|- Yes, sir.
Well, there's no point staying here.
I'll inform the president from the surface.
Yes, sir.
I'm sure it'll be|much safer up there(!) (Teal'c) Major Carter! - What happened?|- The gate shut itself off.
- Are you sure?|- It's over.
For what it's worth, Major, .
.
l'm sorry.
Great party, Mrs K.
Thank you.
Senator Kinsey! Senator Kinsey! We've heard you are planning|to run for the White House.
- The White House?!|- Are you declaring your candidacy? Diane, this is really not|how I intended this to come out.
So it's true, then, Senator? Well now that you're all here We've often talked about my goals.
Do I think I would make a good president?|You're damn right I would.
You know how I feel about things.
|You know how hard I've worked.
The potential I see|in the people of this great nation .
.
and the way so many|of its leaders have let them down, .
.
it's enough to bring tears to your eyes.
The solutions to the problems|faced by our government are so simple.
Listen to the people.
- Jack, come in.
|- General.
- It's good to have you back.
|- Thank you.
I hear I missed quite a bit|of excitement while I was gone.
- You'll have to ask Carter about that, sir.
|- I'm looking forward to the debriefing.
As am l.
Jack what do I owe you for this? Continued latitude,|patience and understanding.
So just be yourself, sir.
(phone rings) Hammond.
It's for you.
- Hello?|- Hello, Jack.
Maybourne.
- Where are you?|- I'm not in jail, if that's what you think.
(nuta steel band) I e-mailed myself a copy of the evidence|when I saved it to disk for ya.
I know.
Kinsey got me transferred|to a nicer facility .
.
while I await my execution.
It made things simple after that.
Why didn't you try to escape|when you were with me? Come on, Jack.
You trusted me.
I didn't want you|to look bad for the president.
Besides, you're too good|to have let it happen.
- So what are you gonna do now?|- Short term, I'll have a few margaritas.
- And after that, who knows?|- Yeah, right.
Thanks for all your help.
General about what you owe me? Anything I can do.
Well, nothing right now, but .
.
one day I may ask you to .
.
buy back my soul.

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