6.04 "Frozen" Transcript

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6.04 "Frozen"

Episode Guide

Précis

A frozen female alien that might predate human evolution by 50 million years is discovered in Antarctica. She might, in fact, be part of the race that invented the Stargate. After SG-1 manages to thaw her back to life, they discover she may be the source of a deadly virus.

Guide | Transcript

Transcript

EXT—ANTARCTIC BASE

[A large snow vehicle is being driven towards the domed base.]

INT—ANTARCTIC BASE

[Carter and Dr. Michaels are conversing over a video link.]

MICHAELS
It's a blip. A shadow on the ultrasound. Too deep to tell. You know, maybe a…a dead seal. Anyway, we're, uh, we're gonna rule it out and pack up for the season. Another week or two, it'll be dark most of the time, much too cold to work outside. As far as coming back next year, well, you know it's not up to me. The Pentagon reevaluates our presence here every year. Take it up with them.

CARTER

(Over the monitor)

Well, maybe my new conclusions about the DHD will be enough to convince them that we should continue.

INT—SGC CARTER'S LABORATORY

MICHAELS

(over the monitor)

I'm sure coming from you, it'll hold more weight.

CARTER
The one found with the Antarctic Gate died shortly after it was brought back to Area 51. It was used a few times and then just ran out of energy. That was the first indication we had that the power sources fueling the Gate technology have a limited life span. We've run a number of tests comparing the power source to other off world DHDs. We think we now have evidence that the Gate we found down there is one of the oldest in the entire system. It could be as much as 50 million years old.

INT—ANTARCTIC BASE

MICHAELS
The Antarctic plate wasn't covered by a glacier back then. It wasn't even at the South Pole.

INT—SGC CARTER'S LABORATORY

CARTER
Well, the Gate didn't necessarily originate there. It could have been moved from another planet at any point in time, but that's what we need to try and determine.

MICHAELS

(over the monitor)

How?

CARTER
There has to be something else down there.

INT—ANTARCTIC BASE

[Michaels sighs, frustrated.]

MICHAELS
I mean we've been here four years running. Since we dug out those two Jaffa we've found nothing. If this latest lead turns out to be…

[A door opens.]

FIRST MAN
Hey Michaels, the thing in the ice.

SECOND MAN
It's something.

[Michaels looks at the two men, surprised, as they smile.]

FADE OUT

OPENING CREDITS

EXT—ANTARCTIC BASE

[SG-1, with Fraiser, have just arrived at the Antarctic Base. Jonas pauses and looks back.]

JONAS
Why's the plane leaving?

O'NEILL
Cold's no good for the electronics. It'll be back.

JONAS
When?

INT—ANTARCTIC BASE

[As they get under cover, Michaels and the two men approach them.]

O'NEILL
Let's ask these folks.

[Carter and Michaels shake hands.]

CARTER
Hi.

MICHAELS
Hi. It's nice to finally meet you, Major.

CARTER
You too. Dr, Michaels, this is Dr. Fraiser.

[Michaels shakes hands with Fraiser.]

MICHAELS
Doctor.

FRAISER
Doctor.

[Dr. Michaels introduces her colleagues.]

MICHAELS
Uh…Doctors Woods and Osbourne.

FRAISER
Doctor.

WOODS
Doctor.

OSBOURNE
Major.

CARTER
Doctor.

WOODS
Major.

FRAISER
Doctor.

O'NEILL
All right. That's enough.

OSBOURNE
Well, welcome to Antarctic, Colonel.

O'NEILL
Thanks. Great to be back.

OSBOURNE
Let's go inside.

[They walk from the snow-covered entryway into the body of the building.]

JONAS
How long is this gonna take?

WOODS
A few days, maybe more. Why?

JONAS
Long range forecast doesn't look good.

[Carter, walking slightly ahead of Jonas and Fraiser, whispers to Michaels.]

CARTER
Bit of a weather freak.

MICHAELS

(quietly)

He'll love it here.

[They enter the building. Jonas begins to unzip his jacket.]

MICHAELS
Uh…you might want to leave your coats on. We're keeping the quarantine lab below freezing to maintain the specimen.

WOODS
We thought you'd want to see it right away.

CARTER
Absolutely.

[Michaels begins a brief tour of the base.]

MICHAELS
As you can see, we're quite well equipped. We have a research lab, observation room, and in here, the quarantine lab.

INT—ANTARCTIC BASE—QUARANTINE LABORATORY

[They enter the quarantine lab where a large block of ice is lying on a table. There is something within the ice.]

WOODS
After digging up those Jaffa the first year, we expected to find a lot more a lot faster.

[They all stand around the table.]

MICHAELS
I named her Ayiana. Means eternal bloom.

JONAS
Native American Indian?

MICHAELS
Mm hmm. My grandfather was one-quarter Cherokee.

FRAISER
How do you know it's a she?

MICHAELS
Ultrasound.

WOODS
You're guessing.

MICHAELS
The form appears to be female, although, I admit, it's hard to tell for sure.

FRAISER
Have you, uh, have you made a guess about her age?

MICHAELS
Mm…25 to 35?

OSBOURNE
Give or take several million years.

[Carter looks up from studying the ice block, surprised.]

CARTER
Several million?

WOODS
That's what the preliminary analysis of the oxygen content in the ice indicates.

JONAS
Yeah, but didn't humans evolve on this planet somewhere between 8 and 9 hundred thousand years ago?

MICHAELS
That's what we thought.

[Fraiser looks pleasantly surprised.]

FRAISER
Oh, this could be big.

MICHAELS

(to Carter)

As you said, evidence now points to the Stargate found here predating the glacier.

[Carter nods her head in agreement.]

TEAL'C
The Jaffa found near the Stargate could not have been frozen there that long ago.

MICHAELS
Not even close.

JONAS
Dr. Jackson theorized that when the Gate from Giza was buried roughly 2000 years ago that the Goa'uld managed to open up the Antarctic Gate.

CARTER
Well, that's because a crevasse was formed. It allowed the wormhole to connect and ultimately create a larger opening. The Jaffa were frozen after that.

FRAISER
But she wasn't.

MICHAELS
Much before that.

TEAL'C
So she's neither Jaffa, nor Goa'uld.

MICHAELS
Well, whoever this is, she was probably around when the Antarctic Gate was first being used.

OSBOURNE
We need to take more core samples to determine if she was actually frozen in the same vein.

[Fraiser has walked around the ice block, studying it. Standing next to Michaels, she fingers a hole in the ice.]

FRAISER
Did you do a tissue sample?

MICHAELS
Mm hmm. I'd like you to have a look.

O'NEILL
Listen. Could somebody bottom-line this for me?

FRAISER
Well, Sir, we could be looking at evidence that human beings evolved long before we thought they did.

MICHAELS
And maybe not even originally on this planet.

O'NEILL
Darwin would be crushed.

INT—ANTARCTIC BASE—OFFICE

[O'Neill and Teal'c walk into a room containing a screen showing the observation lab, and an area for clothing. O'Neill throws up his hands in frustration.]

O'NEILL
Doh!

TEAL'C
What is it O'Neill?

O'NEILL
I forgot to tape The Simpsons.

[Teal'c does not react, but simply looks at O'Neill.]

O'NEILL
It's important to me.

[Teal'c turns away, eyebrow raised.]

INT—ANTARCTIC BASE—RESEARCH LABORATORY

[Dr. Fraiser is looking into a high-powered microscope. Michaels is sitting next to her.]

FRAISER
This is incredible.

MICHAELS
I know. No adipocere.

JONAS
What's that?

[Jonas is sitting behind them. Another screen shows the ice block in the observation lab.]

FRAISER
It's a residue that forms on dead animal tissue when exposed to moisture.

[Fraiser rolls her chair away from the table to face Jonas and Michaels.]

FRAISER
But that's not the most amazing part. These tissue cells are intact.

[Fraiser looks amazed.]

MICHAELS
That's what I was hoping you'd say. I thought maybe I was losing my mind.

JONAS
I'm sorry…uh, what?

FRAISER
When you freeze live cells, crystals form and ultimately destroy the integrity of the cell. That's why we haven't been able to develop a viable method of human cryogenic preservation.

JONAS
So…

FRAISER
So…these cells are perfect. They could be from you or me.

INT—ANTARCTIC BASE—QUARANTINE LABORATORY

[Fraiser and Michaels are wearing surgical masks and latex gloves. They manoeuvre an overhanging heat lamp over the block of ice as the others watch in the adjoining observation room. The ice begins to slowly melt. Time goes by as water slowly drips from the block. A monitor in the observation room shows the temperature slowly increase to fifty degrees.]

MICHAELS

(speaking into a headset microphone—documenting the procedure)

Right hand, right arm and partial head exposed. The clothing appears tailored. Material unknown.

[Fraiser is also speaking into a head-mike.]

FRAISER
Peeling back what appears to be the right sleeve covering the face.

[Fraiser slowly removes the cloth with large tweezers, revealing a perfectly preserved female face, still partially frozen into the ice.]

FRAISER

(to Michaels)

You got it?

[Michaels folds the cloth away from the face.]

MICHAELS
Yeah.

FRAISER
Okay.

[Fraiser looks at the woman, amazed.]

FRAISER
She is remarkably preserved.

[Fraiser shines her penlight into one of Ayiana's eyes. The pupil reacts to the light. Fraiser, stunned, flicks off the light and looks at Michaels. Both look shocked. Fraiser again shines the penlight into the eye and again the pupil reacts. She turns to the observation room window.]

FRAISER
I got a cortical response. Sam, I need your help!

[Michaels wheels a machine towards the table.]

FRAISER
Let's go.

INT—ANTARCTIC BASE—OBSERVATION ROOM

JONAS

(to Carter)

What's goin' on?

CARTER
Electroencephalogram. It measures brain-wave activity.

[Carter puts on a mask and leaves the observation room.]

INT—ANTARCTIC BASE—QUARANTINE LABORATORY

[Ayiana is being prepared for the EEG, with leads being placed on her head.]

MICHAELS
All right, go, Sam.

[Carter switches on the equipment, and immediately one of the lines on the monitor shows wave activity.]

CARTER
Delta waves.

MICHAELS
That's impossible!

CARTER
We've seen stranger.

FRAISER
We've gotta get her out.

CARTER

(to O'Neill in the observation room)

Sir, crank up the heat!

INT—ANTARCTIC BASE—OBSERVATION ROOM

[O'Neill turns to a panel at his right and rotates the controls.]

INT—ANTARCTIC BASE—QUARANTINE LABORATORY

[The heat lamps switch on to a high setting. A monitor shows the temperature increasing to 79 degrees. The ice around Ayiana has mostly melted.]

FRAISER
On three. When you're ready, Jonas.

[Hands move to Ayiana's shoulder and arm, ready to lift her.]

JONAS
Okay.

FRAISER
Okay. One, two, three.

[Jonas and Carter lift Ayiana's upper body, Michaels her legs. They move her onto a gurney.]

FRAISER
Easy.

[Carter moves the heat lamp to over Ayiana's body.]

CARTER
Okay.

[Michaels checks Ayiana's temperature with an ear thermometer.]

MICHAELS
Temperature is 73 degrees.

FRAISER
Good.

[Fraiser is cutting away Ayiana's clothing.]

FRAISER
No sign of frostbite. I assume you don't have bypass?

MICHAELS
No.

FRAISER
Okay, let's try, uh, warm saline, one milligram epi, and do a blood gas.

[Michaels nods in agreement and moves away from the gurney, as do Fraiser, Carter and Jonas. O'Neill looks on from the observation room.]

MICHAELS
You know the medics have a saying down here. You're not dead until you're warm and dead.

FRAISER
It's because anything below 82 degrees and life signs are often undetectable.

[They are preparing to give Aiyana an EKG.]

MICHAELS
Okay, we've got disorganized electrical activity.

FRAISER
I'm intubating. Tilt her head, Sam.

[A monitor in the observation room shows Fraiser inserting the respiration tube guide into Ayiana's throat.]

FRAISER
I'm in…give me the tube. That's it…okay.

[As the bag is massaged, the medical monitor bleeps and shows a heartbeat.]

MICHAELS
There's a heartbeat.

JONAS
Hey, uh, she's bleeding.

[The blanket around Ayiana's arm is drawn away to show a small, bleeding wound.]

FRAISER
Sam, you take over bagging?

CARTER
Got it.

[Fraiser bandages the wound.]

MICHAELS
PH is 6.9. She's acidotic, but her PO2 is 98.

[Carter looks up at the heart monitor.]

CARTER
Ten beats per minute.

[As Fraiser looks across to the heart monitor, the regular beeping turns continuous and Ayiana's heartbeat flatlines. Suddenly the monitor flat-lines.]

FRAISER
She's in V-fib

[Fraiser sets up the defibrillator as Michaels walks over to the monitor.]

FRAISER
Charging to 200.

[Fraiser grabs the paddles and prepares to "shock" Aiyana.]

FRAISER
And clear…

MICHAELS
Wait!

[The continuous beeping has been replaced by regular beeps. Fraiser turns to see a heartbeat on the monitor.]

FRAISER
Sinus bradycardia.

MICHAELS
30 beats per minute. BP 60 over 40 and rising. I can't believe this is happening.

[Suddenly Aiyana blinks her eyes. Carter looks at her, amazed.]

CARTER
She's conscious.

[Fraiser looks at Carter, shocked, while O'Neill looks on from the observation room.]

INT—ANTARCTIC BASE—QUARANTINE LABORATORY

[The scene is from Ayiana's perspective. Fraiser and Carter, looking down at her, are indistinct. Ayiana's breathing is loud.]

FRAISER
She's breathing on her own.

[As an oxygen mask is removed, Michaels and Jonas appear over her.]

JONAS
I think we're scaring her.

[Ayiana looks around, obviously frightened. There are EEG leads still attached to her head, and a tube down her throat.]

JONAS
It's okay. Hey, it's okay. It's okay. Shhh. Can we take the tube out?

[Aiyana flinches away as Jonas lays his hands on the gurney.]

FRAISER
Yeah. It's okay. Sam, give me a hand.

[Aiyana is gasping, obviously scared. Fraiser moves to the head of the gurney to remove the tube from Ayiana's throat.]

FRAISER
Easy…easy…hang on.

[Michaels attempts to comfort Aiyana by rubbing her legs as Fraiser removes the tube. O'Neill, Teal'c,Osbourne and Woods look on from the observation room.]

FRAISER
Take it easy. It's okay. It's okay.

[Fraiser removes the tube, causing Aiyana to cough several times, then take deep breaths.]

FRAISER
It's okay. There you go.

[Suddenly, Ayiana begins convulsing.]

FRAISER
Oh, ho, whoa! Michaels, 2.5 milligrams Valium.

[Michaels moves to inject the drug in the IV line, while Carter, Fraiser and Jonas hold down Aiyana.]

FRAISER
Easy, nobody's gonna hurt you. It's okay. Okay. Here we go.

[Aiyana clams as the drug takes affect.]

FRAISER
Here we go. Yeah.

INT—ANTARCTIC BASE—RESEARCH LABORATORY

FRAISER
We didn't do anything, Sir. She revived herself. It was as if the thawing process just triggered an internal response telling her body to come back to life.

O'NEILL
But not a snakehead, right?

FRAISER
No, Sir.

O'NEILL
All right. Then what are we dealin' with here?

FRAISER
Something not humanly possible. Not as far as I know.

TEAL'C
Then she may indeed be not of this world.

CARTER
As far as we knew up until now, all human life in the galaxy was transplanted to other planets from Earth by the Goa'uld. Now, the odds of a totally alien life form evolving to look exactly like us are…are astronomical.

JONAS
Actually, if she's as old as we think she is, wouldn't it be us evolving to look like her?

CARTER
True.

WOODS
We really need to check out the site again. At least get another core sample to prove the age of the ice.

O'NEILL
You guys need some help?

OSBOURNE
We can handle it.

[Michaels enters from the Quarantine Lab.]

MICHAELS
Uh…she's awake again.

JONAS
Think I'll try talking to her.

[O'Neill nods in agreement.]

INT—ANTARCTIC BASE—QUARANTINE LABORATORY

[Ayiana is lying on the gurney, looking drowsy and dressed in green medical scrubs. Her arms are restrained at her sides. Jonas and Michaels enter, both wearing surgical masks.]

JONAS
Hey.

[Aiyana appears scared, moving away slightly on the gurney. Jonas lowers his mask a little, looks at Michaels and then removes the mask completely.]

JONAS
It's…uh…Jonas.

[Jonas smiles at her. Michaels also removes her mask.]

MICHAELS
Francine.

JONAS

(to Michaels)

We don't need these restraints anymore, do we?

[Jonas removes the restraint on her left wrist as Michaels moves around the other side of the gurney.]

JONAS
It's all right, it's all right. It's better, huh?

[Michaels removes the restraint from her right wrist.]

JONAS

(to Michaels)

Want to sit her up?

[Jonas and Michaels support Ayiana's back as they help her into a sitting position.]

JONAS
Can you speak? You speak?

[Jonas also gestures with his hands, indicating a movement from the throat.]

MICHAELS
Uh, maybe she just doesn't understand us.

JONAS
I'd be very surprised if she did, but that doesn't mean we can't communicate, right?

[Jonas points to himself.]

JONAS
I'm Jonas.

[Ayiana looks puzzled.]

JONAS
Jonas. It's my name.

AYIANA
Jo…Jo—nas.

JONAS
Yeah.

MICHAELS
I guess she can speak.

JONAS
Jonas, though, Jonas is my name. It's my name.

[Jonas points to Michaels.]

JONAS
Francine is her name. Do you have a name? Hmm?

[Ayiana raises her right sleeve to look at the bandage on her bicep.]

JONAS
That bothering you?

MICHAELS
Oh, that's my fault. I'm sorry.

AYIANA
S…Sor-ry?

JONAS
Yeah, sorry. It's what you say to somebody when you, uh, cause them pain or sadness or you've done something you feel bad about.

MICHAELS
We didn't know. Let me have a look? It's okay.

[Michaels raises the sleeve and removes the bandage. There is no longer a wound on the arm.]

MICHAELS
That's amazing.

AYIANA
Am-a-zing.

MICHAELS
Yes, you are.

AYIANA

(to Jonas)

Am-a-zing.

[Jonas smiles and nods in agreement.]

INT—ANTARCTIC BASE—RESEARCH LABORATORY

[Carter is sitting at a monitor.]

CARTER
The weather system Jonas was worried about is blowing in more quickly than first predicted.

O'NEILL

(into radio)

Woods, Osbourne, this is O'Neill. Come in.

WOODS

(over radio)

Yeah, Colonel, I read you.

O'NEILL

(into radio)

That storm is headed our way.

WOODS

(over radio)

Roger that. We're almost done here. It'll be dark soon anyway.

[Michaels and Jonas enter the lab.]

WOODS

(over radio)

Just…be back in a couple of hours. Woods out.

JONAS
Well, we didn't really learn anything.

O'NEILL
Nothing?

JONAS
No, no, not even her name. There's obviously a communication barrier. She can speak, but, uh…

FRAISER
There's really no telling what the effects of being frozen that long are. Even with her ability to…uh…preserve or heal herself physically, parts of her mind could have been damaged beyond repair.

MICHAELS
The wound on her arm is completely gone.

FRAISER
What?

MICHAELS
I mean, if we can figure out how she's able to regenerate…

TEAL'C
Could she not be deliberately hiding something?

JONAS
What reason would she have to hide anything?

CARTER
Fear.

INT—ANTARCTIC BASE—QUARANTINE LABORATORY

[Ayiana is sitting up on the gurney, with Michaels standing next to her. Jonas enters, carrying a tray.]

JONAS
I thought you might be hungry. I brought you some…uh…food.

[Ayiana looks puzzled.]

JONAS
You eat it.

[Jonas picks up some food from the tray and eats it.]

JONAS
It's not very good, but, uh…try it.

[Aiyana takes the tray from Jonas and eats some of the food. She shakes her head and grimaces. She selects a small amount of different food from the tray.]

JONAS
That's not much…

[Ayiana starts to greedily eat the food.]

JONAS
…better. I guess if you've been frozen for that many years…

[Ayiana stares at him as she continues eating. Michaels removes her jacket, obviously warm.]

JONAS
You all right?

MICHAELS
Yeah, yeah. I just think we have the heat turned up a little high in here now.

JONAS

(to Aiyana)

Hey, I want to show you something…uh…here, look, look.

[Jonas shows Ayiana a notebook, opened to a page with a drawing of a Stargate. He points to the drawing.]

JONAS
Have you ever seen this? Yes? No?

[Ayiana slows her eating and looks at the drawing.]

AYIANA
Amazing.

[Jonas appears a little frustrated.]

JONAS
We're going to try something else.

INT—ANTARCTIC BASE—OBSERVATION ROOM

[Carter enters and joins Fraiser at a terminal.]

FRAISER
Look at this.

[The monitor shows different brain wave patterns.]

CARTER
What are they?

FRAISER
EEGs I took of Cassandra when she was suffering the effects of Niirti's genetic experiment.

CARTER
Cassie started developing telekinetic abilities.

FRAISER
Mm hm. These are the ones I took of Colonel O'Neill when he had the knowledge of the Ancient repository downloaded into his brain. Now, I've been comparing them…to Ayiana's…

[Fraiser brings up another brain wave pattern on the screen.]

CARTER
Connection?

[Fraiser nods.]

CARTER
Okay, Niirti was trying to create genetically enhanced human beings. And the Ancient device was rewriting Colonel O'Neills memory until the Asgard put a stop to it.

FRAISER
It was doing more than that. It was activating dormant areas of his brain. Sam, look, what if there's more than just a coincidental similarity in these patterns?

CARTER
So you're saying this woman is…?

FRAISER
I'm saying that she's another example of an advanced stage in the potential human evolutionary process.

CARTER
Leading to what?

FRAISER
Antarctic cod can live in water so cold, other fish would develop ice crystals in their blood. Now, they've had 40 million years or so to adapt to the change of temperature in the water and they've developed this protein that acts like anti-freeze.

CARTER
They're fish.

FRAISER
Given enough time, evolution can do some pretty amazing things. Look, we know that humans can become much more powerful beings. We've seen it happen with Daniel.

CARTER
Uh huh, with the help of other powerful beings.

FRAISER
Yes. We think this woman might predate human evolution on Earth by 50 million years.

CARTER
Yeah, but that would put her behind us on the evolutionary timeline, not way ahead.

FRAISER
Unless…

CARTER
Unless…our evolution isn't the first time it's happened. That's not big, Janet, that's huge!

FRAISER
Okay, look, it's just a theory and we certainly don't have any hard evidence, yet.

CARTER
Yeah, yeah, but if you're right! This woman could be part of the race that first invented the Gate.

FRAISER
One stage of their development, anyway.

CARTER
A living Ancient.

FRAISER
And we look just like her.

CARTER
That could mean that…that our evolution wasn't just some biological accident.

[The monitor behind Fraiser is showing the quarantine lab. Michaels has just collapsed to the floor. Jonas yells up into the camera, drawing Carter and Fraiser's attention.]

JONAS
Dr. Fraiser!

[Carter and Fraiser leave the lab and can be seen over the monitor entering the quarantine lab. Ayiana is standing to the side, obviously frightened.]

INT—ANTARCTIC BASE—MAKESHIFT INFIRMARY

[Fraiser is tending to Michaels, who is lying on one of the beds. Fraiser is wearing a surgical mask which she removes as she walks away from the bed.]

INT—ANTARCTIC BASE—RESEARCH LABORATORY

[Fraiser enters from the infirmary which is immediately next door. O'Neill and Carter are sitting at a small table.]

FRAISER
Michaels fainted. She's running a high fever. I need to do more tests.

CARTER
Aiyana?

FRAISER
She's fine.

[Teal'c is sitting at a monitor.]

FRAISER
I know what you're thinking.

O'NEILL
And?

FRAISER
It's possible she may be carrying a contagion of some kind.

[O'Neill grimaces at Carter.]

TEAL'C
Would she not also be ill?

FRAISER
There are a number of examples of diseases that have no effect on the carrier, but can still infect others. It may be that her healing abilities are fighting off the infection in her own system without eradicating it completely.

O'NEILL
Should…Jonas still be in there?

FRAISER
He wants to be. Chances are, he's already been exposed, it's possible we all have. If this did come from her, we need to know as much as she can tell us.

CARTER
The C-130 is scheduled to pick us up tomorrow.

FRAISER
Better call it off.

O'NEILL
Ah, they couldn't have flown in this weather anyway.

FRAISER
Until I know a lot more about what's going on here, we're quarantined.

EXT—ANTARCTIC BASE

[A storm is raging outside the station.]

INT—ANTARCTIC BASE—RESEARCH LABORATORY

O'NEILL

(into radio)

Woods, Osbourne, this is O'Neill. Come in.

[Only static is heard over the radio.]

INT—ANTARCTIC BASE—MAKESHIFT INFIRMARY

[Michaels is lying on the bed, perspiring and breathing laboriously. Fraiser is wiping her face. O'Neill can be heard on the radio in the next room.]

O'NEILL

(into radio)

Osbourne, Woods. This is O'Neill. Come in.

[Only more static is heard. Carter enters the infirmary.]

CARTER
How is she?

FRAISER
Not good. Fever won't come down, she's not responding to antibiotics. Whatever this is, it's fast.

CARTER
Woods and Osbourne still aren't back and they're not responding on the radio.

FRAISER
If they developed the same symptoms as Michaels, they could be weak, disoriented or even passed out.

CARTER
You definitely think this came from Aiyana?

FRAISER
Well, Michaels seems to have been affected first and she was the one working with the tissue sample.

[Carter sits on one of the beds in the room.]

EXT—ANTARCTIC BASE—ENTRANCEWAY

[The doorway opens and Osbourne enters, carrying a case. He stumbles to the ground just inside the doorway.]

OSBOURNE
Help!

[O'Neill and Teal'c come running from the complex , followed by Carter and Fraiser. O'Neill kneels down beside Osbourne. Osbourne waves at the case he was carrying.]

OSBOURNE
The core samples.

O'NEILL
Where's Woods?

[Osbourne is obviously freezing cold and has difficulty breathing. They start removing his headgear.]

OSBOURNE
Got separated…hoping he made his way back here.

O'NEILL
What about the snow cat?

OSBOURNE
Got stuck in a drift.

CARTER
It's minus thirty. He won't last for long out there.

FRAISER
He's running a high temperature. Help me get him back to the barracks.

[O'Neill and Teal'c help Osbourne to his feet and take him through to the infirmary.]

INT—ANTARCTIC BASE—MAKESHIFT INFIRMARY

[They lay him on a bed not far from Michaels.]

FRAISER
Sam, I'm gonna need your help.

CARTER
Hopefully, Woods activated his EPIRB.

[O'Neill and Teal'c leave as Carter and Fraiser begin removing Osbourne's outer clothing.]

EXT—ANTARCTIC BASE—ENTRANCEWAY

[O'Neill and Teal'c are clothed in warm gear. They each mount a snow mobile. Carter and Jonas watch them leave.]

CARTER
Stay in radio contact.

O'NEILL

(into helmet radio)

Roger that.

[O'Neill and Teal'c drive out. Carter walks over to where Osbourne collapsed and picks up his hat and the case he had been carrying. She and Jonas run back into the complex.]

INT—ANTARCTIC BASE—QUARANTINE LABORATORY

[Ayiana is looking out of the window as the outer door to the complex closes. Jonas enters the lab. Ayiana looks at him then looks back out of the window.]

JONAS
Oh. Dr. Woods is lost. Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c went out there to find him. Hope they do. Dr. Michaels and Dr. Osbourne are both…sick. Dr. Fraiser thinks that we may have been, uh, infected by some disease that you're carrying.

[Ayiana moves her head slightly, as though understanding Jonas.]

JONAS
Eventually, we're all gonna be very sick. But…you have no idea what I'm talking about, so…

[Aiyana moves towards Jonas, a questioning look on her face. She gestures to herself as though questioning her actions.]

JONAS
Do you? You can understand me?

[Aiyana nods her head in the affirmative.]

JONAS
You're a quicker study than I am. So, is there anything at all that you can tell me about this disease you're carrying? Why you're not sick? You don't know? Y-You don't remember anything?

[Ayiana shakes her head.]

JONAS
Do you know how you're able to heal yourself?

[Ayiana shakes her head again. Jonas sighs in frustration.]

INT—ANTARCTIC BASE—RESEARCH LABORATORY

[Fraiser enters from the infirmary.]

FRAISER
I'm going to boost the dose of antibiotic, but so far I haven't seen any sign of bacterial growth in the culture.

[Fraiser walks to Carter, who is sitting at a monitor.]

FRAISER
If this is a virus, there is nothing else I can do here.

CARTER
How much time do they have?

FRAISER
Days, hours. I don't know. Michaels' kidneys have started to shut down and that's a bad sign.

CARTER
The ice core sample that Osbourne brought back places Ayiana in the same vein as the Stargate. She's at least three million years old. But if she comes from a race that actually predates the glacier and your theory is correct, she could be a lot older.

O'NEILL

(over radio)

Carter, come in.

[Carter moves to the two-way radio.]

CARTER

(into radio)

Colonel, this is Carter.

EXT—SNOW-DRIVEN LANDSCAPE

O'NEILL

(into helmet radio)

We've found the abandoned 'cat. We'll continue the search on foot. Visibility is near zero and I keep losing a satellite lock on the tracker.

[Teal'c is nearby, pointing a bright flashlight into the snow.]

CARTER

(over radio)

The cold must be affecting the active antenna on your SatNav.

O'NEILL

(into helmet radio)

We'll keep looking. O'Neill out.

[The wind is howling and the snow is swirling all around them. Teal'c has to shout loudly.]

TEAL'C
Dr. Woods! Dr. Woods! Dr. Woods!

INT—ANTARCTIC BASE—RESEARCH LABORATORY

[Fraiser taps on the window of the quarantine lab and gestures at Jonas to join her.]

INT—ANTARCTIC BASE—QUARANTINE LABORATORY

[Jonas is sitting on a gurney with Ayiana looking at a notebook. He moves from the gurney into the research lab.]

INT—ANTARCTIC BASE—RESEARCH LABORATORY

JONAS
It's unbelievable.

FRAISER
What?

JONAS
She understands everything I'm saying. Everything. I told her exactly what's been happening and she seems to…to know that she…she's responsible for it somehow, you know? Like it's her fault.

FRAISER
She told you that?

JONAS
Not in so many words, no.

FRAISER
Well, what about something that could help us?

JONAS
Not yet, but, uh, it doesn't mean that her memory won't come back. It's logical that the…the mind would take longer than the body to heal.

FRAISER
The problem is, Jonas, we don't know how much time we have.

JONAS
Right.

[Jonas sighs.]

EXT—SNOW-DRIVEN LANDSCAPE

[Teal'c and O'Neill are searching.]

TEAL'C
O'Neill!

[Teal'c gestures to the ground. He and O'Neill walk over to find Woods, collapsed in the snow.]

EXT—ANTARCTIC BASE—ENTRANCEWAY

[O'Neill and Teal'c enter the complex on the snow cats with Woods being towed behind on a stretcher. Fraiser and Jonas are waiting for them at the entranceway and move towards Woods.]

FRAISER
Let's get him into the lab. On three. One, two, three.

[O'Neill, Fraiser and Jonas lift Woods from the towing unit.]

INT—ANTARCTIC BASE—QUARANTINE LABORATORY

[They place Woods on a gurney in the lab.]

FRAISER
He's in hypothermic shock. We need to get his clothes off.

[Aiyana stands watching as Fraiser and the others begin Woods' clothing.]

FRAISER
We need to get him wrapped in warm blankets.

[Teal'c places a blanket over Woods as O'Neill removes his own head gear. Jonas removes Woods' boots.]

FRAISER
Sam, I need you to hook him up onto the monitor.

[Fraiser cuts through Woods' clothing as Ayiana moves around to watch. Jonas pulls off a sock to reveal severe frostbite on Woods' foot. He shakes his head.]

JONAS
This can't be good.

[Carter turns back to see what Jonas is talking about.]

CARTER
Oh, my God.

[Carter places EKG leads on Woods' chest as Fraiser begins to bag him. Jonas removes the sock from the other foot, which is in the same frostbitten state. The heart monitor flatlines.]

FRAISER
He's in V-fib. You get the paddles, I'll get the gel.

[Both Jonas and Ayiana are looking on, concerned.]

FRAISER
Charge to 200.

[Carter sets the charge and prepares the paddles, then hands them to Fraiser.]

FRAISER
Okay. Everybody clear!

[As Fraiser prepares to shock Woods, Ayiana steps up to the gurney.]

O'NEILL

(to Ayiana)

Whoa, whoa, Hey!

[Ayiana places her left hand on Woods' head.]

JONAS
No, no, no. Wait. Wait.

FRAISER
Jonas!

JONAS
Let's see. Let's see what she does.

[Aiyana places her right hand on Woods' stomach. Jonas walks around towards Ayiana who is grimacing and breathing heavily. Suddenly, woods takes a deep, gulping breath. Jonas stands next to Ayiana as Fraiser and Carter look on, amazed. Carter looks to Woods' feet, which seem to glow as the signs of frostbite disappear. Fraiser returns the paddles to their stand as O'Neill and Teal'c look on, stunned. Woods takes another deep breath, then Ayiana gasps and collapses. Jonas catches her. Fraiser looks at the heart monitor which is now showing a normal heartbeat.]

FRAISER
His vital signs are back to normal.

[Fraiser checks Woods' pulse as he opens his eyes. She looks across at Jonas who is supporting Ayiana. Jonas nods, shocked. Carter again checks Woods' feet, then looks across at O'Neill in disbelief.]

INT—ANTARCTIC BASE—QUARANTINE LABORATORY

[Jonas enters the lab. Ayiana sits up on the gurney where she has been resting.]

JONAS
You okay?

[Aiyana nods her head in the affirmative.]

JONAS
Do you know what you did?

[Ayiana briefly nods her head.]

JONAS
Do you know how you did it?

[Ayiana shakes her head.]

JONAS
Can you do it again?

[Ayiana frowns.]

JONAS
Dr. Michaels and Dr. Osbourne are both…they're in very bad shape. And if you can't help them…

[Jonas shakes his head as Ayiana nods hers in the affirmative.]

INT—ANTARCTIC BASE—MAKESHIFT INFIRMARY

[Fraiser is sitting on the edge of Michaels' bed, checking her pulse. Jonas and Ayiana enter the room and Ayiana kneels down next to the bed. She places her hands on Michaels in the same way as she did with Woods.]

INT—ANTARCTIC BASE—RESEARCH LABORATORY

[O'Neill, Teal'c, Carter and Woods are in the lab as Fraiser, Osbourne, Michaels and Jonas enter.]

CARTER
Guess it worked.

O'NEILL
So this is good, right? When she wakes up, she can zap us all?

FRAISER
Not necessarily. Healing them really exhausted her.

[Fraiser walks away. Carter follows. Fraiser sits at a monitor and is joined by Carter.]

CARTER
What is it, Janet?

FRAISER
It's a blood sample from Ayiana. I'll know more in a little while.

[Carter sits in a chair behind Fraiser. Fraiser turns to look at her.]

FRAISER
Hey, are you okay?

CARTER
Yeah. What do you think the problem is?

FRAISER
Whatever or however she is able to do what she does, it weakens her. More each time. I mean, she's still carrying that virus herself, Sam. I'm afraid there's going to be a point where she puts herself at risk.

[Carter rises and pats Fraiser on the arm.]

CARTER
Good luck.

FRAISER
Yeah.

INT—ANTARCTIC BASE—RESEARCH LABORATORY

[Fraiser enters the lab.]

FRAISER
Okay. I can't say for sure, but her white cell count is down significantly.

[Teal'c is standing against a wall as Jonas lounges in a chair, reading. O'Neill is lying on a couch. Carter and Michaels are sitting at a monitor.]

FRAISER
White blood cells are a major part of our immune system and…she's still basically human.

[O'Neill is massaging his forehead.]

O'NEILL
What does that mean?

FRAISER
It means that you, me, Sam and Jonas are all going to get a lot worse over the next day or so and…I don't know what will happen if we let her try to heal all of us.

CARTER
She could die.

FRAISER
She could save some of us or all of us, who knows.

MICHAELS
You know, maybe she just needs some time to get her strength back.

FRAISER
Well, for the moment, none of us are in dire need, so I suggest we get some rest.

TEAL'C
I will stand watch.

FRAISER
No. Teal'c, if you don't Kel-No-Reem your immune system will be vulnerable too.

WOODS
We'll watch her.

OSBOURNE
Yeah, it's the least we can do.

MICHAELS
Yeah, I'll run some tests on the three of us, looking for antibody markers. I mean, hopefully, whatever she did to us means we're now immune to re-infection.

FRAISER
Okay. And the rest of us will get some sleep. That's an order.

[Teal'c nods his head.]

EXT—ANTARCTIC BASE

[The storm is still raging.]

INT—ANTARCTIC BASE—MAKESHIFT INFIRMARY

[Ayiana is lying on one of the beds. Woods is sitting next to her but appears to be dozing. Suddenly, she wakes and sits up.Woods also wakes.]

WOODS
Hi. Thank you. You saved my life. I have to admit I feel a little guilty, being okay while Colonel O'Neill and the rest of them keep getting sicker.

[Ayiana raises her hands and looks at them. She gently touches one hand with the other, then rises to stand in front of Woods .]

WOODS
If we could just figure out how…

[Ayiana caresses Woods' face and he loses consciousness. She leaves the infirmary.]

INT—ANTARCTIC BASE—SLEEPING QUARTERS

[Carter and Fraiser are asleep, Carter on the top bunk, Fraiser on the bottom. Ayiana enters and kneels next to Fraiser. She places her hands on Fraiser in the same way as with woods and Michaels.]

INT—ANTARCTIC BASE—RESEARCH LABORATORY

OSBOURNE
The storm is passing.

MICHAELS
Good. Maybe now we'll be able to get a disease control team in here.

OSBOURNE
I'm gonna relieve Woods.

MICHAELS
Okay.

[Osbourne leaves. He passes Teal'c who is sitting in a chair, Kel-No-Reeming. He is surrounded by lit candles.]

INT—ANTARCTIC BASE—MAKESHIFT INFIRMARY

[Osbourne enters, finding Woods unconscious and no sign of Ayiana.]

OSBOURNE
Norm, wake up…Norm…

[Unable to rouse Woods, he leaves.]

INT—ANTARCTIC BASE—SLEEPING QUARTERS

[Osbourne enters the room and switches on the lights. Carter and Fraiser are awake and getting dressed.]

OSBOURNE
She's missing. Woods is unconscious.

[All three hurry out of the room.]

INT—ANTARCTIC BASE—STORAGE AREA

[Osbourne, Fraiser and Carter enter. Osbourne points to a door.]

OSBOURNE
Check there.

FRAISER
Yeah.

[As Osbourne goes to another door, Fraiser and Carter enter a room, followed by Osbourne.]

INT—ANTARCTIC BASE—ROOM

[Jonas is bending over an unconscious Ayiana who is lying on the floor. Carter checks Ayiana's pulse as Fraiser goes to O'Neill who is lying, unconscious, on a cot.]

FRAISER

(to O'Neill)

It's okay. It's okay.

[Fraiser checks O'Neill's pulse and places her hand on his forehead.]

FRAISER
He's burning up.

EXT—ANTARCTIC BASE—ENTRANCEWAY

[A number of people enter wearing biohazard suits and carrying equipment.]

INT—ANTARCTIC BASE—QUARANTINE LABORATORY

[O'Neill is lying in an enclosed rescue stretcher. He has an oxygen mask over his mouth.]

FRAISER
You're going to be fine, Sir. I'll see you soon.

[Fraiser is wearing a biohazard suit as she closes the lid on the containment stretcher. As O'Neill's stretcher is wheeled out, Ayiana appears, also lying in a containment stretcher. She too is wheeled out.]

INT—ANTARCTIC BASE—RESEARCH LABORATORY

[Everyone in the complex is wearing a biohazard suit except for Teal'c, who is holding his.]

CARTER
Teal'c, even though you don't have the disease, you could still carry the virus. We'll all get properly cleared once we get back to the SGC.

[Teal'c nods at Carter.]

INT—SGC—INFIRMARY QUARANTINE OBSERVATION ROOM

[Carter is sitting in the room. Hammond enters.]

FRAISER

(over speakers)

Blood pressure's holding 80 over 40. I wanna do a manual and uh, get me the results of his latest bloodwork.

HAMMOND
How's he doing?

CARTER
They're doing everything they can, Sir.

HAMMOND
We talked to the Tok'ra. They said this might be beyond their help, but they're sending someone anyway.

CARTER
His best chance is Ayiana, Sir. She managed to halt the virus completely in the rest of us.

HAMMOND
Why hasn't she been able to stop it in herself?

FRAISER

(over speakers)

From what I've been able to learn so far, Sir, the virus ultimately acts like cerebrospinal meningitis by attacking the brain. Despite the physical similarities, Ayiana's brain chemistry seems to be quite different from ours. I suppose it's possible she's able to trigger an immune response in us that she can't muster in herself once the disease reaches an end stage.

HAMMOND
What are the odds she'll survive?

[Fraiser shakes her head slightly, negatively. Carter and Hammond look at each other. Carter sighs. All three turn to look at O'Neill who is lying on a bed.]

INT—SGC—INFIRMARY QUARANTINE

[Ayiana is lying on a bed. A heart monitor beeps in the background. Jonas, wearing a biohazard suit walks up to her bedside. She is wearing a nasal canula. As Jonas approaches, she slowly opens her eyes.]

JONAS
Hey. Glad to see you're awake. I had a feeling that you were gonna make it. Thanks for what you did for me. You didn't have to do that. Not for any of us.

[Ayiana frowns and grimaces in pain.]

JONAS
Hey, take it easy, huh? Gotta get your strength back. Colonel O'Neill still needs your help. More than that, we want you to live. I want you to live.

[Ayiana weakly shakes her head.]

AYIANA
Sor-ry.

[As Ayiana loses consciousness, the regular beeping turns continuous and Ayiana's heartbeat flatlines.]

JONAS
Ayiana!

[Personnel dressed in biohazard suits rush into the room. Jonas is pushed aside as they begin working on Ayiana. Fraiser enters.]

JONAS
She just, uh…

FRAISER
Bag her.

JONAS
She just…

FRAISER
Give me one milligram epi.

[Fraiser sets up the defibrillator as Jonas stands behind her.]

FRAISER
Charging to 200.

[Fraiser grabs the paddles and prepares to "shock" Aiyana.]

FRAISER
Clear! Nothing. Charging to 300. Clear! Come on, come on. Again. Clear!

[Ayiana's heartbeat continues to flatline as Jonas helplessly looks at Fraiser.]

INT—SGC BRIEFING ROOM

[Hammond, Thoran, Carter and Teal'c walk up the stairs into the room.]

THORAN
His condition is beyond the healing of a hand device. However, there is a symbiote who is in dire need of a host.

CARTER
What happened?

THORAN
The former host was mortally wounded on assignment and the symbiote was unable to heal him. We believe that would not be the case with Colonel O'Neill. Physical trauma is much more difficult to deal with than disease.

TEAL'C
I do not believe Colonel O'Neill would chose to become a Tok'ra.

[Teal'c looks at Carter who nods in agreement.]

THORAN
I am aware of the Colonel's dislike for our kind. However, I am surprised that you think he would choose death over blending.

[Jonas enters the room from the stairs, out of breath.]

JONAS
Ayiana's dead. Dr. Fraiser did everything she could, but…

CARTER
She may have been on borrowed time from the start.

[Jonas nods in agreement.]

HAMMOND
Jonas, this is Thoran of the Tok'ra. Thoran, this is Jonas Quinn. The Tok'ra are offering a symbiote in hopes that it can heal Colonel O'Neill.

JONAS
What does Colonel O'Neill have to say?

HAMMOND
Colonel O'Neill's in a coma. The fact is we may be in the position of having to decide for him.

CARTER
How can we do that?

THORAN
No Tok'ra symbiote would choose to blend with an unwilling host permanently. Perhaps a temporary arrangement can be reached.

HAMMOND
What do you mean?

THORAN
The symbiote, Kanan, is someone I know well. I have no doubt that he would be willing to blend with O'Neill, cure him, and then leave him again if another suitable host can be found.

TEAL'C
If not?

THORAN
I assure you he would ultimately sacrifice himself rather than remain with an unwilling host. Kanan's former host died before he was able to reveal the details of what we believe was vital intelligence about the undercover mission he was on. I cannot stress enough how important that information could be.

CARTER
Sir, I think it's obvious we all want to do anything we can to help Colonel O'Neill, but I really think this is something we at least have to give him the opportunity to decide for himself.

INT—SGC—INFIRMARY QUARANTINE

[Carter enters, wearing a biohazard suit and joins Fraiser at O'Neill's bedside.]

FRAISER
I'm administering 0.1 epi. I don't know if this is gonna work.

CARTER
Will it hurt him?

FRAISER
Can't get much worse.

[Fraiser moves away and Carter leans in closer to O'Neill.]

CARTER
Sir, I don't know if you can hear me. The Tok'ra have offered you a deal. There's a symbiote that needs a host.

[Hammond and Jonas are standing in the observation room, looking down. Fraiser moves to stand at the foot of the bed.]

CARTER
They think it could cure you. Now, it may be your only chance. It would only be temporary. It would come out of you as soon as they found another host.

[O'Neill is lying on the bed, sheened with perspiration. He seems to be unconscious and is wearing an oxygen mask.]

CARTER
Sir, are you getting any of this?

[Carter moves away slightly and looks at Fraiser. Jonas and Hammond look down, concerned.]

O'NEILL

(weakly)

Carter?

[Carter leans down over the bed again.]

CARTER
Yeah, I'm right here.

O'NEILL

(whispers)

Over my dead body.

[Carter closes her eyes and slightly shakes her head.]

CARTER
Sir, the symbiote's host died while they were on a mission. The Tok'ra have strong reason to believe that the symbiote has vital information to reveal and this would give him that chance. Now, they promised that if no other host was found within a reasonable amount of time, the symbiote would sacrifice itself rather than stay in an unwilling host. Sir, please.

[O'Neill flicks a look at Carter, frowns and seems to nod his head infinitesimally, then closes his eyes. Carter smiles and nods at Fraiser. They both turn to look up at the observation room.]

INT—SGC GATEROOM

[O'Neill is back in the containment stretcher. Carter, Thoran, Teal'c, Jonas, and two medics are carrying the stretcher. They walk through the Stargate.]

FADE OUT—END CREDITS

Transcript by Helen for Solutions

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--Kylie Lee 18:47, 28 Jun 2004 (PDT)