(End of "Xenocide," see previous post for beginning.)
Once out of earshot, Jack tells Carter that he was already considering turning in his resignation, but with this whole plan to exterminate the Der'kal... he's made up his mind. Tomorrow he's going to go to President Hayes and turn over his job as head of Homeworld Security. He'll ask for a post that puts him outside the ISGC chain of command (and therefore no longer Carter's superior), and if Hayes refuses, he'll resign from the Air Force then and there. Sam immediately tries to tell him not to, that they need him too much, but he silences her with a single glance, pulling her close. Jack whispers that they've both waited far too long for this, and it's about damn time they got to act on their feelings. But before either of them can do anything else, Sam's cell phone rings, and they're forced to pull apart. It's Mitchell, saying that the jumper pilot is getting annoyed that she's not back and that Talbot is expecting that at the ISGC soon. With a final word of good-bye and an agonized glance at Jack, Sam heads outside and boards the jumper.
However, a figure in the shadows of a nearby building watches as the Ancient craft departs for Colorado, then turns its head to watch General O'Neill come outisde and flag down a taxi. The figure pulls out a radio and begins to say something into it, but it's impossible to hear over the roar of New York City traffic.
Arriving back at the ISGC, SG-1 crowds into an elevator for the short ride down to sublevel 28. As they wait, Carter explains Jack's determination to find a way around the Air Force regulations at all costs, something applauded by the other three. However, all merriment fades when the door to the elevator opens to reveal several medical personnel rushing to and fro, and dozens of crash carts being rushed down the hall towards the gate room. The team heads for the control room just in time to see a horrible sight; hundreds of wounded Jaffa are pouring through the stargate, many with life-threatening injuries or missing limbs. Mitchell demands to know what in the world is going on, and Talbot comes down the stairs just in time to explain; Ankgor is about to fall to the Der'kal, just as the Tok'ra had feared. The attack began less than two hours ago, and it was timed perfectly. The bulk of the Free Jaffa forces there had just departed to engage a Der'kal task force laying siege to a nearby human world, but that was clearly a diversion.
Carter asks if the Asgard defenses Earth provided are being of any use, but Talbot says that the Der'kal were somehow able to disable every last one of the orbital satellites. The ground-based ion cannons are still functioning, but the fact that the enemy could hack into Asgard systems is disturbing, especially considering the same satellites constitute most of Earth's own defenses. Already straining at the bit, Mitchell asks how many DSC-304s are in orbit. He thinks that if they can scrape together a fleet large enough, they can... but Talbot cuts him off. She reminds him that, according to the alternate-timeline Jonas ("The Time Traveler"), that is exactly what led to Mitchell's death and, ultimately, the fall of the Alliance to the Der'kal. SG-1 must remain alive, and Ankgor is already too far gone regardless. Nothing short of a divine miracle could save that planet now, and all they can do is tend to the wounded and pass them along to refugee worlds.
But Vala thinks that's not good enough. How long can they keep doing this, and how long until even the refugee worlds are under attack? This is just proof that the Der'kal need to be stopped now, before billions more die. Daniel sighs, muttering that he thought they'd ended this argument, but Cameron shoots back that Vala's right. This is just proof that the time has come to strike a decisive blow, and if they can't do it with ships, Agent One may be the only option left. By sending the virus through now and infecting the attacking ships, they could save the planet. Carter, however, argues that they have no way to get the virus into the ships anyways, not short of blowing a hole in each one and injecting it. There's no way to beam it aboard, and it's highly unlikely the Der'kal will let SG-1 come in so they can spread it. With finality, she orders Mitchell to simply stop talking about it. Angry but unable to say anything more, he does.
With that out of the way for now, Carter asks what they can do to alleviate the situation with the refugees. Talbot says that Dr. Lam is doing everything she can, but what they really need is more room. Some of these people can be moved offworld, but with the stargate tied up, there's no way to get them there. Vala points out that Earth has a substantial fleet of BC-303s now, and they're perfect for moving large supplies... or, in this case, people, to other worlds. Nodding, Talbot grabs the nearest phone and asks to connect to O'Neill at once to requisition the 303s for refugee transit to Chulak, where they can be dispersed across the Jaffa Nation.
Some time later, Carter is in her lab looking over a genetic molecule structure; Agent One. Sighing, she picks up a vial of the virus lying on her desk, along with a package from Area 51 that it came in. Suddenly, there's a knock on the door and Mitchell enters, carrying a brown paper bag. He hands them over and takes a seat, explaining that he brings macaroons as a peace offering. Sam says that it's okay, and that she knows how much he just wants to do what he thinks is right, but she simply can't rationalize xenocide with herself. Cameron says that he, too, understands, and for the time being has decided to simply go along with her view of things. He still believes Agent One should be used, but there's no point in destroying a friendship over it. Smiling, the two of them open the bag and start to much on the macaroons.
Above the two SG-1 members, at the entrance to Cheyenne Mountain, a man in an Air Force uniform is being waved through a checkpoint. As he moves toward the elevator, he checks to make sure his pistol is loaded, then re-holsters it. As the elevator doors close behind him and he hits "SL 28," he reaches inside his jacket and makes sure something is well-attached there... a mimic device! But before anything else can be seen, the doors close and he descends into the ISGC.
In Washington, Jack O'Neill plops down heavily into his chair, flipping through a few file folders. His phone buzzes and a secretary informs him that he has a visitor with the highest security clearances, and Jack tells the woman to let him in. The door opens and a middle-aged man sporting a business suit walks in... one of Trust agents from the cloaked al'kesh in orbit. He closes the door behind him and holds out his hand in welcome, concealing a locator beacon. As soon as Jack's hand touches his, he grabs a radio in his pocket and says "Now!" At once, the two are beamed away, arriving a second later on the al'kesh, where four armed men quickly detain O'Neill. The general demands to know what's going on, and the Trust agent explains that they need to pick something up and leave without a problem, and without Jack there to authorize the firing of the orbital defense array, they shouldn't have much of a problem. Besides, no one would interrupt a meeting between he and a high profile businessman, so there's little chance of the kidnapping being discovered. The plan is foolproof.
Jack asks just what the Trust wants on Earth, and the agent merely smiles at him, muttering, "You built the perfect weapon, general. But if you won't aim and fire it, we will." The message is clear; the Trust is going to distribute Agent One themselves and wipe out the Der'kal, committing the xenocide Col. Carter is so afraid of. Helpless, Jack is dragged off to a holding cell.
In the ISGC, the military man from the elevator (another Trust agent) calmly walks towards Carter's lab, which Mitchell is just leaving. Cameron gives the Trust man a cheerful hello, oblivious to his true identity, and rounds a corner to head upstairs. Sam, meanwhile, is still analyzing the composition of Agent One, and doesn't notice when the agent enters. So she also doesn't see him pull out his pistol and place it just behind her head, at least not until he orders her to stand up and back away from the computer. Stunned, Sam spins around, ready to fight, but freezes when she sees the gun. Unable to do anything else, she slowly backs away and watches as the Trust agent picks up the vial of Agent One, as well as the package it came in, which contains two dozen others, as well as a readout of the chemical composition. With this, the Trust will be able to manufacture as much of the virus as they need quite quickly, especially given their access to replication technology.
Before Carter can do anything else, the agent re-holsters his pistol, pulls out a zat, and stuns her. Then he walks to her computer and plugs in a USB stick, watching a progress bar flash up. As soon as it compeltes, he leaves, heading upstairs. He passes by the briefing room, glancing in to see Dr. Talbot conversing with two Air Force officers, and goes up a flight of stairs and into another hallway. After a moment, he comes to a door and hacks the lock, entering the puddle jumper bay installed after the Midway station was completed. He stuns the sole guard inside and steps into a jumper, powering it up; he has the ATA gene!
Downstairs, the computer monitors flicker as an alert is sounded. Someone is trying to steal a jumper, and guards are already rushing away. The stargate suddenly shuts down; even with the refugees pouring in, the Trust agent somehow overrode the incoming wormhole. Immediately, it redials, this time outbound, and activates. Mitchell, standing in the control room, sees the jumper start to descend and orders Walter to close the iris to prevent him from escaping... but Walter doesn't move. Mitchell repeats his order, unable to believe his eyes, but Walter says that, for once, he's with the Trust. He knows what they're doing and he refuses to stop them. For thirteen years he's sat by and let things happen, but now he sees a chance to save his own people (he tearily explains that one of his sisters was killed by the Der'kal offworld), and he's going to take it.
Mitchell watches, horrified, as the jumper aligns with the gate, and pulls out his pistol. He's going to close that iris, and if Walter stands in his way... but Walter doesn't care anymore. Mitchell gives him one last chance, then sees the Seargant going for the override that will lockdown the controls. Cameron does what he has to; fires a single shot into Harriman's chest, knocing him down and no doubt killing him. He leaps forward and slams his palm onto the iris controls, but it's no good, the jumper is already gone and the wormhole disconnecting.
Knowing that all Hell is no doubt about to break loose, Mitchell asks Walter why he did it, but the only reponse he gets is a shake of the head; he did what he had to, in his mind.
In orbit, the Trust commander watches from the pel'tak of his al'kesh as a status report comes in; his man in the ISGC did his job, and his teams at Area 51 have just tagged a dozen crates of Agent One with beacons. He orders the crates beamed aboard, then tells his pilot to break orbit and get out of here. The camera pans enough to reveal who this man is, as well... Robert Kinsey.
The al'kesh decloaks and passes by two DSC-304s, but they're facing the wrong way and cannot fire immediately. The commander of the first 304 shouts for the Asgard satellites to come online, but they remain inactive, and the al'kesh easily glides to safety, opens a hyperspace window, and flees. It's over, but the worst may be yet to come...
Spoiler:
Once out of earshot, Jack tells Carter that he was already considering turning in his resignation, but with this whole plan to exterminate the Der'kal... he's made up his mind. Tomorrow he's going to go to President Hayes and turn over his job as head of Homeworld Security. He'll ask for a post that puts him outside the ISGC chain of command (and therefore no longer Carter's superior), and if Hayes refuses, he'll resign from the Air Force then and there. Sam immediately tries to tell him not to, that they need him too much, but he silences her with a single glance, pulling her close. Jack whispers that they've both waited far too long for this, and it's about damn time they got to act on their feelings. But before either of them can do anything else, Sam's cell phone rings, and they're forced to pull apart. It's Mitchell, saying that the jumper pilot is getting annoyed that she's not back and that Talbot is expecting that at the ISGC soon. With a final word of good-bye and an agonized glance at Jack, Sam heads outside and boards the jumper.
However, a figure in the shadows of a nearby building watches as the Ancient craft departs for Colorado, then turns its head to watch General O'Neill come outisde and flag down a taxi. The figure pulls out a radio and begins to say something into it, but it's impossible to hear over the roar of New York City traffic.
Arriving back at the ISGC, SG-1 crowds into an elevator for the short ride down to sublevel 28. As they wait, Carter explains Jack's determination to find a way around the Air Force regulations at all costs, something applauded by the other three. However, all merriment fades when the door to the elevator opens to reveal several medical personnel rushing to and fro, and dozens of crash carts being rushed down the hall towards the gate room. The team heads for the control room just in time to see a horrible sight; hundreds of wounded Jaffa are pouring through the stargate, many with life-threatening injuries or missing limbs. Mitchell demands to know what in the world is going on, and Talbot comes down the stairs just in time to explain; Ankgor is about to fall to the Der'kal, just as the Tok'ra had feared. The attack began less than two hours ago, and it was timed perfectly. The bulk of the Free Jaffa forces there had just departed to engage a Der'kal task force laying siege to a nearby human world, but that was clearly a diversion.
Carter asks if the Asgard defenses Earth provided are being of any use, but Talbot says that the Der'kal were somehow able to disable every last one of the orbital satellites. The ground-based ion cannons are still functioning, but the fact that the enemy could hack into Asgard systems is disturbing, especially considering the same satellites constitute most of Earth's own defenses. Already straining at the bit, Mitchell asks how many DSC-304s are in orbit. He thinks that if they can scrape together a fleet large enough, they can... but Talbot cuts him off. She reminds him that, according to the alternate-timeline Jonas ("The Time Traveler"), that is exactly what led to Mitchell's death and, ultimately, the fall of the Alliance to the Der'kal. SG-1 must remain alive, and Ankgor is already too far gone regardless. Nothing short of a divine miracle could save that planet now, and all they can do is tend to the wounded and pass them along to refugee worlds.
But Vala thinks that's not good enough. How long can they keep doing this, and how long until even the refugee worlds are under attack? This is just proof that the Der'kal need to be stopped now, before billions more die. Daniel sighs, muttering that he thought they'd ended this argument, but Cameron shoots back that Vala's right. This is just proof that the time has come to strike a decisive blow, and if they can't do it with ships, Agent One may be the only option left. By sending the virus through now and infecting the attacking ships, they could save the planet. Carter, however, argues that they have no way to get the virus into the ships anyways, not short of blowing a hole in each one and injecting it. There's no way to beam it aboard, and it's highly unlikely the Der'kal will let SG-1 come in so they can spread it. With finality, she orders Mitchell to simply stop talking about it. Angry but unable to say anything more, he does.
With that out of the way for now, Carter asks what they can do to alleviate the situation with the refugees. Talbot says that Dr. Lam is doing everything she can, but what they really need is more room. Some of these people can be moved offworld, but with the stargate tied up, there's no way to get them there. Vala points out that Earth has a substantial fleet of BC-303s now, and they're perfect for moving large supplies... or, in this case, people, to other worlds. Nodding, Talbot grabs the nearest phone and asks to connect to O'Neill at once to requisition the 303s for refugee transit to Chulak, where they can be dispersed across the Jaffa Nation.
Some time later, Carter is in her lab looking over a genetic molecule structure; Agent One. Sighing, she picks up a vial of the virus lying on her desk, along with a package from Area 51 that it came in. Suddenly, there's a knock on the door and Mitchell enters, carrying a brown paper bag. He hands them over and takes a seat, explaining that he brings macaroons as a peace offering. Sam says that it's okay, and that she knows how much he just wants to do what he thinks is right, but she simply can't rationalize xenocide with herself. Cameron says that he, too, understands, and for the time being has decided to simply go along with her view of things. He still believes Agent One should be used, but there's no point in destroying a friendship over it. Smiling, the two of them open the bag and start to much on the macaroons.
Above the two SG-1 members, at the entrance to Cheyenne Mountain, a man in an Air Force uniform is being waved through a checkpoint. As he moves toward the elevator, he checks to make sure his pistol is loaded, then re-holsters it. As the elevator doors close behind him and he hits "SL 28," he reaches inside his jacket and makes sure something is well-attached there... a mimic device! But before anything else can be seen, the doors close and he descends into the ISGC.
In Washington, Jack O'Neill plops down heavily into his chair, flipping through a few file folders. His phone buzzes and a secretary informs him that he has a visitor with the highest security clearances, and Jack tells the woman to let him in. The door opens and a middle-aged man sporting a business suit walks in... one of Trust agents from the cloaked al'kesh in orbit. He closes the door behind him and holds out his hand in welcome, concealing a locator beacon. As soon as Jack's hand touches his, he grabs a radio in his pocket and says "Now!" At once, the two are beamed away, arriving a second later on the al'kesh, where four armed men quickly detain O'Neill. The general demands to know what's going on, and the Trust agent explains that they need to pick something up and leave without a problem, and without Jack there to authorize the firing of the orbital defense array, they shouldn't have much of a problem. Besides, no one would interrupt a meeting between he and a high profile businessman, so there's little chance of the kidnapping being discovered. The plan is foolproof.
Jack asks just what the Trust wants on Earth, and the agent merely smiles at him, muttering, "You built the perfect weapon, general. But if you won't aim and fire it, we will." The message is clear; the Trust is going to distribute Agent One themselves and wipe out the Der'kal, committing the xenocide Col. Carter is so afraid of. Helpless, Jack is dragged off to a holding cell.
In the ISGC, the military man from the elevator (another Trust agent) calmly walks towards Carter's lab, which Mitchell is just leaving. Cameron gives the Trust man a cheerful hello, oblivious to his true identity, and rounds a corner to head upstairs. Sam, meanwhile, is still analyzing the composition of Agent One, and doesn't notice when the agent enters. So she also doesn't see him pull out his pistol and place it just behind her head, at least not until he orders her to stand up and back away from the computer. Stunned, Sam spins around, ready to fight, but freezes when she sees the gun. Unable to do anything else, she slowly backs away and watches as the Trust agent picks up the vial of Agent One, as well as the package it came in, which contains two dozen others, as well as a readout of the chemical composition. With this, the Trust will be able to manufacture as much of the virus as they need quite quickly, especially given their access to replication technology.
Before Carter can do anything else, the agent re-holsters his pistol, pulls out a zat, and stuns her. Then he walks to her computer and plugs in a USB stick, watching a progress bar flash up. As soon as it compeltes, he leaves, heading upstairs. He passes by the briefing room, glancing in to see Dr. Talbot conversing with two Air Force officers, and goes up a flight of stairs and into another hallway. After a moment, he comes to a door and hacks the lock, entering the puddle jumper bay installed after the Midway station was completed. He stuns the sole guard inside and steps into a jumper, powering it up; he has the ATA gene!
Downstairs, the computer monitors flicker as an alert is sounded. Someone is trying to steal a jumper, and guards are already rushing away. The stargate suddenly shuts down; even with the refugees pouring in, the Trust agent somehow overrode the incoming wormhole. Immediately, it redials, this time outbound, and activates. Mitchell, standing in the control room, sees the jumper start to descend and orders Walter to close the iris to prevent him from escaping... but Walter doesn't move. Mitchell repeats his order, unable to believe his eyes, but Walter says that, for once, he's with the Trust. He knows what they're doing and he refuses to stop them. For thirteen years he's sat by and let things happen, but now he sees a chance to save his own people (he tearily explains that one of his sisters was killed by the Der'kal offworld), and he's going to take it.
Mitchell watches, horrified, as the jumper aligns with the gate, and pulls out his pistol. He's going to close that iris, and if Walter stands in his way... but Walter doesn't care anymore. Mitchell gives him one last chance, then sees the Seargant going for the override that will lockdown the controls. Cameron does what he has to; fires a single shot into Harriman's chest, knocing him down and no doubt killing him. He leaps forward and slams his palm onto the iris controls, but it's no good, the jumper is already gone and the wormhole disconnecting.
Knowing that all Hell is no doubt about to break loose, Mitchell asks Walter why he did it, but the only reponse he gets is a shake of the head; he did what he had to, in his mind.
In orbit, the Trust commander watches from the pel'tak of his al'kesh as a status report comes in; his man in the ISGC did his job, and his teams at Area 51 have just tagged a dozen crates of Agent One with beacons. He orders the crates beamed aboard, then tells his pilot to break orbit and get out of here. The camera pans enough to reveal who this man is, as well... Robert Kinsey.
The al'kesh decloaks and passes by two DSC-304s, but they're facing the wrong way and cannot fire immediately. The commander of the first 304 shouts for the Asgard satellites to come online, but they remain inactive, and the al'kesh easily glides to safety, opens a hyperspace window, and flees. It's over, but the worst may be yet to come...
((To Be Continued))
Is everything okay?!
I got 5 and Teyla got-
I got 8.
This isn't Atlantis?
I don't think so.
If this is not the Lost City…then where is it?
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