214 Touchstone
Transcript by cjane57
Starring:
Richard Dean Anderson - Colonel Jack O'Neill
Michael Shanks - Dr. Daniel Jackson
Amanda Tapping - Captain Samantha Carter
Christopher Judge - Teal'c
Don S. Davis - General George Hammond
Also starring:
Tom McBeath - Colonel Harry Maybourne
Matthew Walker - Roham
Tiffany Knight - Princess La Moor
Eric Breker - Major Reynolds
Jerry Wasserman - Whitlow
Written by Sam Egan
Directed by Brad Turner
Opens to view of Stargate from the briefing room window. The members
of SG-1 along with Gen. Hammond are sitting around the table.
Sam: In the 5 weeks since our return from PX7-941
Daniel: Known to its indigenous population as Madrona.
Sam: We've been able to process most of the data we've
collected and as a result we think we've corroborated some startling
first hand observations.
Gen. Hammond: Which are?
Sam: Well…sir, the inhabitants of this planet can proactively
affect their own climate.
Jack: That's a bit of an understatement General. They can call it
up just like (snapping his fingers) that.
Daniel: You got a crop that needs some water, order some rain, you
have a crop that needs sun, and it's literally a matter of dialing
it up.
Gen. Hammond: You sure you weren't under the local voodoo?
Sam: Believe me General, no one was more skeptical than I, but the
fact is we may have stumbled on the most important piece of
technology the SCG missions has discovered to date.
Teal'c: Even the Goa'uld do not possess such technology.
Gen. Hammond: And you think you know how they do it.
Sam: Well our best theory is the planet was terraformed about 900
years ago.
Daniel: Now the Madrona's are technologically primitive so it's
likely the planet was terraformed by another alien race.
Sam: Weather…. seems to be regulated by this device (turning on a
monitor with a picture of a statue holding a device in it's right
hand)
Daniel: The Madronans call it a Touchstone. It's an ancient
artifact probably made by the other alien race.Uh.. It-It's right
there (pointing at the picture) it's in the statue's hand.
Sam: And the high priest turns a series of calibrated rings, which
seem to determine meteorological conditions over the entire planet's
surface.
Gen. Hammond: We have any idea what makes it tick?
Jack: That's why we'd like to go back, sir. Carter wants to get a
closer look with some of her specialized doohickeys.
Gen. Hammond: Doohickeys?
Jack: I believe that's a technical term, sir.
Sam: (Smiling, turning the overhead lights back on with a remote) My
instruments will measure the Touchstone's emissions and hopefully
give us a better idea of how it works.
Gen. Hammond: Any chance we can borrow it for a few days, do a
little backwards engineering?
Sam: You have to understand General, the Touchstone maintains the
weather on this planet.
Gen. Hammond: Right….ok then…go see what you can figure out.
(Sam and Jack nods)
Jack: Ok
Going through the gate…the team step out to darkness with
lightening. There is a temple a short distance from the Stargate
with a body of water in the background. Several people are standing
there. A man and a woman approach the team.
Daniel: (Bending his knees and bowing at the waist with his hands
together) Greetings Roham, Princess La Moor
Princess La Moor: It's the visitor's, Uncle.
Roham: We demand that you return the Touchstone.
Sam: What! I-It's missing?
Roham: Do Not play games. You must return it at once.
Jack: (Taking off his sunglasses) No games. We didn't take it.
Roham: It is gone. Come…see for yourselves.
They all follow them into the temple. Jack walks past the guards and
up to the statue looking at the place where the Touchstone was.
Sam: Well I guess this explains the storm clouds outside.
Roham: Without the Touchstone to shield us we will soon be overtaken
by the elements. It's only a matter of time before we begin to
die because of your theft.
Jack: Alright…here's a question for you. If it was so important why
wasn't it guarded?
Roham: It was guarded. We let down our guard because of your people.
Princess La Moor: We trusted you.
Jack: We did NOT take it.
Teal'c: Had we taken the artifact, there would have been no need
to return to this place.
Princess La Moor: There were witnesses.
Jack: And what did these witnesses see?
Princess La Moor: A group of people taking the Touchstone in the
dead of night. They were dressed much as you are and carried weapons
like yours.
Sam looking puzzled looks to Teal'c
Jack: Did they see where these people went?
Roham: They left by your Stargate.
Daniel looks around.
Princess La Moor: As you know, none of our people know how to use
the portal.
Teal'c raises his eyebrow, Jack cocks his head.
Roham: Guards…Disarm the wrongdoers.
Jack: (Pulling his Beretta and pointing it at the nearest guard)
HOLD IT!
Teal'c and Sam look around concerned
Jack: Alright…we came here in peace, we expect to go in one….piece.
Roham: Then explain yourself, but be warned. If your answers are not
satisfactory, then we have no choice but to seek retribution.
Teal'c: Taking revenge on us will not return the Touchstone for we
are not those who took it.
Roham: Perhaps not, but it will lead us to those who did.
Jack: Only if they care what happens to us. Look, let me give you a
little life lesson on thieves. They're not really in touch with
their feminine side. Caring would be on a low(Roham turns away from
him and Jack looks at La Moor puzzled) priority.
Princess La Moor: My uncle grows impatient.
Daniel: If the thieves took the Touchstone used the gate to escape
then the only hope to get it back is to let us go back through the
gate.
Sam: And if they did come from Earth, we have technology to help us
find out who the thieves might have been.
Roham: How do we know that you will not use the gate to escape
responsibility?
Jack: Trust Us?
Princess La Moor: We are a simple people Colonel. We have no means
to protect ourselves from this disaster. If my uncle decides to
trust you this day, our entire future will depend on that decision.
Jack: Ok, that's a little pressure! But we can handle that.
A high wind blows into the temple. Two guards close the double doors.
Roham: Let them go..(Princess La Moor looks at Jack, Daniel looks at
Sam)….please help us.
INTRO
View of outside Cheyenne Mountain- then to the open Stargate as SG-1
walks through and down the ramp.
Gen Hammond: Colonel! Why are you back so early? You were suppose to
be studying that weather device.
Jack: And we would be , sir. If it were still there.
Gen Hammond: What do you mean?
Jack: We should talk in your office.
They walk away. Then we see them entering Hammond's office.
Gen. Hammond: What's this about? ( walking over and sitting down
at his desk)
Jack: (closing the door and walking over to stand in front of the
desk) The Touchstone was stolen, sir. By people wearing SGC
uniforms. Came and went through the Stargate.
Gen Hammond: What? Well who was it?
Jack: Everyone involved here would like to know that, sir.
Gen Hammond: I don't appreciate your implication Colonel. Why
would I send your team to study the thing if I knew it wasn't there?
Jack: No implication intended, sir, but circumstances do beg the
next logical question…which is…Would any one of the other SG teams
have gone through without your order?
Gen Hammond: Not without my knowing about it.
Jack: Yes, sir. General…Mind if I have Carter recheck the dialing
computer. Just to see if there are any signs anyone….sneaking
through the gate….. covertly, …behind your back as it were,
sir.
Gen Hammond: Nothing happens regarding the Stargate without my
knowing about it, if a person sneezes near it I get a report.
Jack: (looking disappointed) I understand, sir. (he walks over and
opens the door)
Gen Hammond: Colonel..(Jack turns around) Have Cater check it anyway.
Jack: (looking relieved with a slight smile on his face) Thank you…
very much, sir.
Jack walks out closing the door on a very worried General.- Carter
is sitting at a computer going through a search. Daniel and Teal'c
are sitting in front of another monitor.
Jack: (walking into the room) Anything yet?
Sam: Not on the Touchstone, sir.
Daniel: Possibly it's affects. Have you been watching the weather
channel?
Jack: I'm more of a C-SPAN guy.
Teal'c: Observe O'Neill (hitting the enter button on the keyboard.
The monitor shows a ragging river.)
Voice from monitor: Chalk it up to the El Nino, but enough severe
storms has struck all over America. (Jack sits down) And of all
places Phoenix Arizona, causing widespread damage(monitor shows
people rowing in a boat through the streets of a flooded town)
Reports of injuries are still trickling in.(monitor switches to cars
driving on a flooded street) We have flooding in Palm Springs
California and Florida
Daniel: That's not all. There's record rainfall in Albuquerque, golf
ball size hail in the Panhandle and three major rivers are cresting.
Teal'c: Something is definitely altering this planets weather.
Jack: And you think it's this Touchstone. Kind of a reach isn't it.
Daniel: Well…not really if you think about it. Whoever left that
device originally on Madrona probably keyed it to the atmospheric
conditions of that planet. Somebody steals it and brings it back to
Earth, starts fiddling around with it with no idea of what they are
doing….and…who knows?
Jack: We don't know it's on Earth.
Sam: I'm thinking it is. There was a huge transitory glitch three
days ago when SG-2 returned from a routine mission roughly the same
hour as the Touchstone was taken.
Teal'c: But SG-2's point of origin was galaxies away from
Madrona.
Sam: Yeah, but the energy spike is off the charts. You remember what
happened the last time the gate's power supply was overloaded?
Daniel: It….. jumped to the second gate in the Antarctic.
Jack: (leaning back in his chair) Yeah! Thanks for the memory.
Teal'c: Captain Carter, are you suggesting that SG-2 used the
second gate to steal the Touchstone?
Sam: No. Not SG-2. They're mission went as planned through our
gate, but these readings suggest that someone might have been using
the second gate a split second after SG-2 used ours.. to try to hide
the energy spike in ours.
Jack: Kind of like shooting off a gun when a trains going by
(everyone looks at him) To hide the sound.
Sam: Yes, sir. Now lets see if I'm right. SG-2's log should
have the same electronic signature that was present the last time
the wormhole jumped it's tracks. Bear with me.
Jack: Bearing.
Sam: (keying at the keyboard…monitor shows NO MATCH) Damn, it
should show up on the primary meta-log…nothing.
Daniel: Try the back up log.
Sam: Yeah….possibly (keying in some more-searching…still NO
MATCH) Now if someone did systematically try to erase all the
relevant data it would be easy to overlook a third tear back up
(keying again-searching..MATCH FOUND) Yes…there it is. The second
gate had tohave been used. The energy signal is identified.
Daniel: Who would have been authorized to use the second gate? I
thought it had been officially decommissioned.
Jack: It was…officially.
Gen. Hammond is in his office talking on the red phone. Jack
approaches the office and knocks on the door.
Gen Hammond: Come (Jack enters. Hammond motions for him to sit
down.) No, I need to talk to him now. Son, do you know what color
this phone is? Yes..I'll hold.(Hammond places his hand over the
receiver) Carter find anything?
Jack: Yes, sir. Apparently the second gate is being used.
Gen. Hammond: What? I was given top-level assurances that gate was
to be sealed.
Jack: A case of the left hand not knowing what the right foot is
doing, sir?
Gen. Hammond: That's what I'm trying to find out. (into the
phone) No, It can't wait, son. Well make sure he gets the message
the second he comes out. (hanging up the phone)
Jack: And suddenly the President wasn't available.
Gen. Hammond : Every time I call. He's tied up. It's like
someone is orchestrating his schedule to keep us from speaking today.
Jack: Got a someone in mind, sir.
Gen. Hammond: This is gonna sound paranoid, Colonel. Back when the
SG program began, there was a philosophical skirmish about its
mandate. Some people wanted to make sure that any and all
discoveries were brought back regardless of considerations like
interplanetary diplomacy.
Jack: Do you mind if I ask who these "some people" were?
Gen. Hammond: The truth is I'm not sure I ever fully knew who
they were. I had a feeling that someone chose not to surface during
the debate. Not military-politicians pulling strings behind the
scenes. No one said so exactly. 30 years in the service you develop
an instinct about these things.
Jack: General, is your gut telling you that this group, person,
whatever is responsible for stealing the Touchstone?
Gen. Hammond: I'm a long way from drawing that conclusion, but
I'll be damned if I'll be blocked by some sycophant in the White
House. I have other channels I can pursue, markers I can call in.
Jack: General, I know I don't have to tell you this, but whoever
these dark side guys are…. they can do some pretty nasty damage
if they figure out how to work this thing.
Gen. Hammond: I know, Colonel. I know. Let me do some digging.
In the briefing room Gen. Hammond, Jack, Daniel and Teal'c are
seated at the table. Sam walks in…
Sam: In an effort to determine whether the Touchstone was being used
on Earth, I figured out a way to measure the Doppler shift for
gravitational and radiation emissions. I used one of my monitoring
instruments and tied into two NOAA satellites.
Gen. Hammond: What did you find?
Sam: Well, sir…it's somewhere in the Nevada desert. Now from
the crude triangulation I was able to determine it's….
Gen. Hammond: (cutting her off) Nevada?
Sam: Yes, sir. Something wrong?
(Hammond looks at Jack)
Jack: The second gate ended up in Nevada didn't it, sir? Nellis?
Gen. Hammond: Yes.
Teal'c raises his eyebrow. Daniel looks puzzled
Jack: Well if the gate is there, it makes sense that the Touchstone
has at least been there.
Gen. Hammond: You're going to love this, Colonel. Guess who just
got himself reassigned to Nellis?
Jack: Do tell.
Gen. Hammond: Colonel Maybourne.
Jack: Oh,well, there's good news!
Daniel: Nellis, that's the base we send the technology we bring
back through the gate, right?
Gen. Hammond: Yes. The Groom Lake Facility.
Jack: Area 51
Hammond is coming down the stairs to the control room where SG-1 are
seated around a monitor.
Gen. Hammond: What are we looking at?
Sam: We sent the MALP back to Madrona. (Scene shows snow blowing
around) It's basically a blizzard, sir. Winds gusting up to 80
miles an hour. It gets any more intense and their whole planet's
a write-off.
Teal'c: How much time do they have remaining?
Sam: Well, if my extrapolations are correct we're looking at 48
hours maybe 72 before all the terraforming is kaput.
Jack: Permission to take a little trip to Nevada, sir.
Gen. Hammond: Ok. I'll call the Commander at Nellis and get you
cleared.
Jack: Uh….General….it's become pretty obvious that our own people
are involved here. The government types, you know. How do you know
who to trust?
Sam: We already have the necessary clearance level, sir.
Gen. Hammond: Colonel. I need some documents hand delivered to the
Groom Lake Facility.
Jack: Are those documents sensitive enough to warrant a 3-man team
with a Jaffa escort?
Gen. Hammond: Absolutely
White Chevy suburban drives up to the guard post. SG-1 gets out. A
soldier meets them. They are all in shadows.
Major Reynolds: Colonel O'Neill. Major Reynolds NID. (saluting)
Welcome to Area 51.
Jack: Yeah, nice to meet you.(saluting quickly) This is Captain
Carter, Dr. Jackson and Teal'c.
Major Reynolds: Gentlemen, Ma'am. I can't tell you what an
honor it is to meet you. You guys are a bit of a legend around here.
Jack: Yeah…well…thanks. We were hoping to meet with Colonel
Maybourne.
Major Reynolds: He's been paged, sir. I'm sure if you'll
come inside he'll find you there.
Daniel: So….you obviously know who we are.
Major Reynolds: Of course, sir. If it wasn't for you and the
other SG teams, we'd be out of business here. Follow me please.
Jack puts on his cap and they follow him inside. Walking down a hall.
Major Reynolds: To your left is medical research. They're focusing
on the potential cure for Alzheimer's the SG-5 brought back. The
other side is geology, space metallurgy and artifacts study. That's
where they're pouring over your notes on that Heliopolis place,
Dr Jackson. The meaning of life stuff. I love that.
Overhead speakers: Dr Dobson to room 483, Dr Dobson.
Major Reynolds stops at a door and punches in a code. Two people in
white lab coats walk through and open a door. Inside is a death
glider. Close up of Jack then Teal'c. Several people are working
on it. Close up of Daniel.
Major Reynolds: That's where we are studying those 2 Goa'uld death
gliders you were in after you guy's did your hero thing (doors
close) Nice work by the way.
Jack: Yeah….thanks.
Close up of Sam.
Major Reynolds: This way (opening the door) This is the bioresearch
lab.
Jack: This where you're keeping the little green men?
Major Reynolds: There are no alien life forms at Area 51.
Jack: (looking at Teal'c) Present company excluded of course.
(Teal'c bows his head)
Colonel Maybourne: Colonel O'Neill.
Jack: Hello, Maybourne.
Colonel Maybourne: Major, if you'll excuse us. (Major Reynolds
leaves)
Colonel Maybourne: Teal'c, it's good to see you are well.
Teal'c: (walking up to Maybourne) In my culture, I would be well
within my rights to dismember you.(walking on past him)
Colonel Maybourne: (watching Teal'c pass him) Well….that's
interesting.
Jack smiles
Colonel Maybourne: Is there something I can do for you, Colonel
O'Neill?
Jack: Yeah. We assume the Touchstone was brought here.
Colonel Maybourne: Excuse me?
Sam: Maybe you have a different name for it. The weather controller
from Madrona PX7-941.
Colonel Maybourne: It seems that someone has sent you on a fool's
errand, Colonel. Nothing even remotely like that here.
Teal'c: You are however aware of our mission.
Colonel Maybourne: I remember a reference to it, but correct me if
I'm wrong, nothing came back from the survey.
Jack: Not by our team.
Colonel Maybourne: Another SGC team?
Jack: You tell me.
Colonel Maybourne: If you're looking for specific answers,I'd ask
that you be a little less cryptic with your questions.
Jack: Fine….where's the damn Touchstone?
Daniel: Has the second Stargate been activated?
Colonel Maybourne: It's been under complete lock-down since
it's arrival here. It hasn't even been powered up.
Sam: Do you mind if we have a look?
Colonel Maybourne: I guarantee it's been dormant since you came
through it.
Jack: Then there's no harm in taking a look. Is there?
Maybourne turns to leave and Teal'c is standing right behind him.
He almost runs into him. Maybourne looks at Jack and then walks
around Teal'c looking very nervous. SG-1 all smile at each other….A
large door is opening. As it raises we can see the legs of 5 people
lined up side by side. As it gets higher , we see its Daniel, Sam,
Jack, Maybourne and Teal'c. There are guards standing around as
well. There is a very large crate in the middle of the room.
Colonel Maybourne: There it is. Happy now, Colonel?
Jack: Carter.
They all walk into the room. Jack unfastens the latches and raises
the lid. Teal'c climbs up on the crate. They move around the
packing and see the Stargate in the crate.
Colonel Maybourne: Satisfied?
Jack: (looking discouraged) Not really. Just proves it got packed up
real nice after it was used.
Colonel Maybourne: I assure you that gate has been in that crate
since it was brought here from the Antarctic.
Jack: Come on, Harry( taking off his sunglasses) You and I have been
through this dance before.
Sam: Uh….Colonel. This gate is plastic.
Colonel Maybourne: What?
Teal'c: Captain Carter is correct.
Colonel Maybourne: That's ridiculous. (walking up to the crate
and feeling the gate)
Jack knocks on the gate. Daniel watches as Maybourne walks away from
them looking concerned.
Colonel Maybourne: (turning back to them) That's the gate that
was brought back from the Antarctic. It's been under lock and key
since it got here.
Jack looks at Daniel.
Sam: This gate's plastic. Where's the real one?
Jack: So……what the HELL happened to the Stargate?
Colonel Maybourne: It's obviously been moved.
Jack: So it can be fired up without raising any eyebrows?
Colonel Maybourne: That's highly speculative.
Jack: (walking up to Maybourne) I don't know who's giving you
orders Maybourne, but they better come from where the air is REAL
thin.
Colonel Maybourne: Is that a threat, Colonel?
Jack: You tell me the punishment for losing a Stargate.
Colonel Maybourne: That presumes there was no authorization to move
the Stargate.
Daniel: So…..who authorized it?
Colonel Maybourne: That's classified.
Jack: We have the highest clearance.
Colonel Maybourne: Within the military, you do.
Jack: (looking around astonished) Are you telling me…. this is a
civilian operation?
Colonel Maybourne: (to the guards) Gentlemen, Colonel O'Neill and
his people need an escort back to their vehicle.(the guards walk up)
Jack: Who's pulling the strings, Maybourne?
Colonel Maybourne: Take a piece of advice, Jack. Let this one drop.
Jack: (very angry) DROP IT?
Colonel Maybourne: Please….Don't make these gentlemen have to
get disrespectful.
Jack looks at Maybourne then around at everyone else (very angry.)
Grabs his cap and they all leave….Outside Cheyenne Mountain- Then
to the briefing room. Sam, Daniel(drinking coffee) and Teal'c are
seated at the table. Jack is standing at the end of the table.
General Hammond walks in.
Gen Hammond: We're operating under a virtual blackout(sitting at
the head of the table) No one will confirm or deny a thing.
Sam: Well this is too bizarre. The only other Stargate on the planet
gets spirited away and it's business as usual.
Gen Hammond: There's nothing usual about it, Captain. Someone's
clamped down on the communication channels.
Teal'c: What of the Touchstone?
Sam: Well…sometime while we were gone, my instruments readings
dropped to zero.
Daniel: So either they've stopped using it or they've found a
way to shield it from detection.
Sam: Well…the weather anomalies have abated on Earth.
Daniel: They probably realized experimenting with it was causing too
many problems or attracting un-necessary attention.
Sam: Exactly, Now if we can't track the Touchstone, there may
still be a way to track the second gate on Earth.
Jack: Oh Sure! Let's just put out an APB for a huge honkin two
story metal ring with 39 little pictures all nicely engraved on it.
(fixing his tie and sitting down)
Sam: Actually, I had another thought.
Gen Hammond: Go ahead, Captain.
Sam: We use our gate to go to Madrona then do a quick180 and return
through the second gate here on Earth.
Teal'c: Captain Carter, If one were to input the Earth's
coordinates on the Madrona dialing device he would be sent back to
the gate on
this facility.
Sam: You would. Unless you intentially overpower the gate.
Daniel: Of course…the way the wormhole arced to send the two of
you to the other gate. We just have to duplicate those conditions.
Gen Hammond: As you may recall, it was a minor miracle that either
of you survived that incident.
Daniel: What if we used the MALP robot?
Sam: Perfect. The GPS could give us an exact position as soon as the
MALP made it through.
Teal'c: Someone would have to accompany it to Madrona then put in
the correct address on the dialing device.
Jack: Uh…I would be that person.
Daniel: I'll go too.
Sam: You'll also need to bring the necessary equipment to
modulate the power on the gate.
Gen Hammond: Let's do it.
They all get up…..wormhole slash and travel through the gate.
Jack and Daniel step out dressed in cold weather gear, carrying a
large box between them. It's a blizzard. Back in the control room.
Sam is sitting in front of a monitor with General Hammond and Teal'c
standing behind her.
Sam: They've arrived through the Madrona gate, sir.
Gen Hammond: Here we are transporting our people across the galaxy
to find something we've lost in our own backyard. Incredible.
Back on Madrona …Roham, princess La Moor and several others come
out of the temple.
Princess La Moor: They're back uncle Roham.
Roham: Did they bring the Touchstone?
Jack: Not yet. We're working on it.
Roham: Don't you understand. Look around you. The rivers have
turned to ice. Before long all our croplands will be disseminated.
Princess La Moor: Why did you return?
Daniel: We have to set this machine from here to track the
Touchstone.
Roham: You're lying!
Jack: We're not lying.
Daniel: Look, we really are trying to help.
Roham: Come now (everyone goes back into the temple leaving Jack and
Daniel standing there. They finish hooking up the machine and attach
it to the Stargate. Daniel goes to the DHD and starts dialing.
Sam: (control room) They should be inputting the last address now.
Madrona- Jack turns on the machine and walks over to Daniel. Patting
him on the shoulder a couple of times. Daniel presses on the center
of the DHD activating the gate. Travel through the gate. In the
control room the chevrons on the gate light up momentarily.
Gen Hammond: Status, Captain.
Sam: (looking at a computer monitor) It's through, sir. It's on
Earth.
Gen Hammond: Well…Where the hell is it?
Sam: Switching over to terrestrial video signal. We have visual, but
it's dark.
Gen Hammond: Can you make out anything?
Sam: No, not much, . Looks like there's somebody moving.
Teal'c: Can you ascertain its location?
Sam: I'm resetting the MALP global positioning system to Telsat
13….attempting to triangulate. (monitor shows a room, then a hand
holding a gun just before it loses signal.)
Gen Hammond: What the hell happened?
Sam: They blew it away, sir.
General Hammond, Sam and Teal'c are in the control room.
Jack: (walking in followed by Daniel) Carter?
Sam: The link is gone. They destroyed the MALP.
Jack: Did you get the coordinates?
Sam: Didn't have time for a full triangulation, but we've got it
narrowed down.
Jack: How far down?
Sam: Well…as far as we can tell, it's in Southern Utah.
Jack: Oh well….Southern Utah.
Daniel: Well at least that's a start.
Gen Hammond: I have one last marker I can call. Let me see what I
can find out.(He walks out of the room)
There is a man sitting on a bench as General Hammond, dressed in
casual clothes sits next to him.
Whitlow: Hello General.
Gen Hammond: Whitlow.
Whitlow: Shall we walk.
Gen Hammond: As I told you on the phone. I don't really have time
for all this cloak-and-dagger stuff. I need to know.
Whitlow: Please….walk. It makes it harder for the parabolic.
Gen Hammond: (chuckling) Glad to see the paranoia quotient is as
high as ever.(they get up and walk)
Whitlow: It's dangerous times George. You never know who's
listening. What do you need to know?
Gen Hammond: Two things. Who's got the Stargate? Who's got the
weather device?
Whitlow: I wish I had that info.
Gen Hammond: I don't have time for games, Whitlow.
Whitlow: George, really, as much as I'd love to clear our little
IOU, I don't know anything. I don't even know what you're talking
about in regards to a weather device, but are you telling me the
Stargate is missing?
Gen Hammond: The second one, yes.
Whitlow: That doesn't sound like a good thing.
Gen Hammond: Come on Whitlow, you've got your fingers in every
agency. You haven't heard anything. Military intelligence? NSA?
CIA?
Whitlow: George, if it were military, I'd know about it. It's
got to be civilian.
Gen Hammond: Anything strange going on at Nellis?
Whitlow: There's always something going on at Nellis, and most of
the time it's strange. But nothing about a Stargate or a
weather…thingy. Hey! Does this have something to do with all the
weird weather lately?
Gen Hammond: How about Southern Utah? Heard about anything going on
there?
Whitlow: Southern Utah? Yeah, as a matter of fact. A requisition
just crossed my desk requesting a C-5 for a classified pick-up at a
NID landing site. It's in Utah.
Gen Hammond: Hm….No idea what it's for?
Whitlow: Not officially, but I don't have to tell you a C-5 is a
big airplane. Big enough to hold a Stargate and transport it
anywhere in the world.
Gen Hammond: Where's the strip?
Whitlow: Just south of the Black Mountains. About 40 clicks west of
Parowan.
Gen Hammond: Thank you, Whitlow (turning to walk away)
Whitlow: George(Hammond turns around) Does this mean we're even?
Gen Hammond: If it pans out, it does.( walking away)
Briefing room- SG-1 are all lined up on one side of the table. Gen.
Hammond walks in…
Gen Hammond: Ok, here's the deal. This NID landing strip
doesn't officially exist therefore I don't think there's a
jurisdictional issue. But even if there is, that C-5 is Air Force
property and it is our jurisdiction.
Jack: Can we go now, sir?
Gen Hammond: There's a chopper waiting up top. It will take you
to Hill Air Force Base. From there you're on your own.
Jack: Thank You (Teal'c and Daniel leave)
Gen Hammond: One other thing, Colonel. We don't know if the
people who took the gate and the Touchstone are friend or foe.
Therefore under no condition are you to fire on them. Understood?
Jack: (looking confused) Under no conditions….fire.
Gen Hammond: That's right.
Sam : What if they fire on us, sir?
Gen Hammond: Then you are to take cover. Do not return fire unless
it's the only option remaining in order to defend yourselves.
Jack: General….I don't think that's gonna…
Gen Hammond: (cutting him off) Those are my orders, Colonel.
We're already going way out on a limb on this one. I don't want my
people mortally wounding another American who may just be following
orders. Understood?
Jack: Yes, sir.( Jack and Sam look at each other before walking out)
Outside a large building, Jack, with his hat on backwards, is
looking through a periscope along the side of the building to see if
it's safe to approach. Putting it away and taking his gun in his
hands, they all move through a gate and along the building to a
door. Seeing a broken window above him, Jack takes out the periscope
and sneaks it up for a look inside the building. He sees a large
Stargate size crate, a white moving truck with the back raised and
two men standing by the crate. Another man walks toward the crate
carrying a small metal box.. Taking the periscope down. He signals
the others as to what he saw. An airplane lands on the strip. With
gun ready, they all move into the building. The noise from the
airplane covers their footsteps. There are two men standing at the
crate, one kneeling down beside a small metal box.
Jack: Stand too, gentlemen.(guns clicking) Keep those hands visible.
All three me raise their hands
NID man: Who the hell are you?
Jack: No one's damn business! Step away from the crate.
Jack walks past the men toward the crate. The sound of the gate
dialing, then the splash of the gate opening straight up and falling
back to an open wormhole. Everyone falls to the floor. The man that
dialed the DHD in the back of the truck , jumps down and grabs for
the small metal box.
Jack: Stop (firing shots around the box. The man turns and jumps up
on the crate and into the wormhole. Two more jump through. The last
man tries to grab the small box.)Don't do it. (Firing shots
around the box, hitting the man in the arm. He turns and jumps
through the wormhole. Daniel jumps up into the back of the truck to
the DHD just as to blinks out.)
Daniel: Arrrgh!
Jack: What?
Daniel: I missed the address.
Sam: (opening the small metal box and taking out the Touchstone) At
least we have this.
SG-1 step through the gate to a blizzard on Madrona and walk toward
the temple. Roham, Princess La Moor and several others meet them.
Princess La Moor: They've come back uncle Roham! Just as I told
you.
Roham: Do they have the Touchstone?
Princess La Moor: They do.
Jack hands it to Roham who turn the dials. Yellow dots of light are
seen all around coming from the Touchstone. They all walk into the
temple as the blizzard just stops. Roham turns, gives the Touchstone
to Princess La Moor, who takes it to the statue and puts it backs
where it belongs.
Roham: (bowing his head to Jack) Thank You.
Jack: You're very welcome.
Daniel: We hope the faith and trust between our two worlds have been
restored.
Princess La Moor: You have lived up to your promises. (bowing down)
Let there always be peace between our worlds.(getting up)
Roham: We must remain vigilant, lest those that trespassed before
come back to violate the sanctity of the Holy Touchstone.
Jack: Yeah, just make sure your guards are paying attention this
time.(handing him his seplicure.)
Roham: Blessings be upon you.
Princess La Moor removes the cover she had around her shoulders,
walks over to the double door and opens them. The sun is shining on
the Stargate. Close up of Jack…..Outside Cheyenne Mountain- The
briefing room. General Hammond and SG-1 are sitting around the table.
Sam: And everything should be back to normal within a few weeks both
here and Madrona.
Daniel: That's simply why we think they'll be happy we return
through the gate to do the studies we had hoped to do.
Jack: Any ideas what happened, sir?
Gen Hammond: To be honest, it's still something of a shell game.
The
investigation has been taken out of my hands.
Jack: By whom?
Gen Hammond: I'm still trying to find that out.
Daniel: So we may never know who those men were who went through the
gate.
Gen Hammond: Not unless you can tell me where they went. Well, until
then all SG units are to be on watch for four NID guys wandering
around on other planets.
Jack: Great! So all this could happen again, huh?
Gen Hammond: No, Colonel! This time I was able to ensure that our
Stargate will be the only one in use.
Sam: Sir, The second Stargate is being retired?
Gen Hammond: Yes, Only this time there will be a permanent iris
welded over it and it will be placed under round-the-clock guard
under the command of the SGC, my command.
Jack: No lying and deceit, smoking mirrors?
Gen Hammond: You'll be there yourself. All of you will when they
put it away for good.
Back to the building at Nellis with the Stargate in the crate. Two
men are welding an iris in place. Major Reynolds and Colonel
Maybourne are standing beside the crate. SG-1 along with General
Hammond are standing a little ways back. Jack walks up to Maybourne
taking off his sunglasses.
Jack: This put you out of a job Maybourne?
Colonel Maybourne: Oh! You'd be surprised. Strange things happen
in high places, Colonel.
Jack: Don't I know it.
Colonel Maybourne: People gets reassigned. So does property.
Artifacts gets misplaced, orders change. Everyday a new day.(walks
away)
Ending Credits.
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