Sir. Colonel.
I need you to read this.
Good morning to you, too, colonel.
Sorry, sir. How are you?
What is it?
It's a report from the tok'ra.
They've discovered a gravitational disturbance
with their long—range sensors.
Another ori incursion?
Well, it could simply be a yet undiscovered black hole,
but the tok'ra won't have a ship in range for some time.
I've located a planet with a Stargate close to the disturbance.
Ifyou'll permit me to take a...
Go. Sg—5 should be available.
Thank you, sir.
(Siren wailing)
Harriman: Unscheduled offworld activation.
Walter?
I'm receiving an Iris code, sir.
It's colonel Carter.
That was fast. Open the Iris.
Yes, sir.
(Rumbling)
Colonel, tell me you've got good news.
Actually, sir, I think there was a little glitch.
We were on the wrong planet, sir.
Was the intel wrong? N—n—no, sir.
When we arrived, there was no sign of the malp.
I checked our telemetry based on known star positions.
And we weren't on p3x—584, sir.
Somehow, we got sent to a different planet.
Walter?
I'm reviewing gate diagnostic, sir.
How could this happen?
If it is a gate malfunction
it's a pretty big one, unlike any we've seen before.
Chief, inform all offworld teams
to use the Alpha site until further notice.
Yes, sir.
Ifthere's something's wrong with this gate,
I wanna know what it is before anyone else walks through it.
Yes, sir. Find the problem.
Until we do, all gate activity is shut down.
Carter: Run the cross-comparison program.
Hey, how's it going?
As far as our computer is concerned
the dialing sequence to p3x—584 ran perfectly normal.
Except for the fact you ended up 12,000 light—years off—course.
Oh, here's something.
Carter: Huh.
Maybe it wasn't our fault.
I thought it was always our fault.
We just ran a program that compares the energy signatures
of the last 30 outbound trips to look for anomalies.
It's kind of like a bump.
A bump?
Actually, more like a series of bumps exactly 8.5 seconds apart.
Oh! Well, that explains everything.
Actually, it might.
Defense mechanism?
Carter: Yes, sir.
I think each of these spikes represents a request by the offworld gate
for an authorization code.
If the correct authorization code is not entered in time,
you are prevented from reaching the planet.
That doesn't explain how you and 56—5
ended up halfway across the galaxy.
Well, I have a theory about that, too.
Instead of using an Iris like we do,
the offworld gate stores incoming data in its buffer system.
Then if the correct code isn't received,
it dials a random address
and empties the buffer into the new wormhole.
Interstellar call forwarding. That's pretty cool.
How did the malp get through to 584?
I mean, initial telemetry confirmed it was on the right planet.
My guess is the 584 security system filters incoming matter
based on certain protocol.
Organic versus inanimate, for instance.
Well, that seems like an awful lot of trouble to keep people out.
Which makes me curious as to what's being hidden there.
You always want what you can't have.
I've calculated it'll take the prometheus two weeks
to reach 584 at maximum speed.
If the ori are constructing a supergate there,
we may not have that much time.
I will contact the high council
and have a Jaffa ship scout the area.
Can you figure out a way to crack this authorization code?
We'll certainly try, sir.
Teal'c, no offense, but, uh, I'd feel better
if we investigated this ourselves.
Dismissed.
(Siren wailing)
Harriman: Malp is en route.
We've placed a bacterial culture
inside the malp's cargo compartment.
Hopefully, the organic material will force the 584 gate
to hold the malp and ask for an authorization code.
I'm receiving the gate's authorization request.
Now we just hope this program works.
What does that mean?
I think it was good.
The malp is coming online.
Rotate the camera to the left.
It's the first malp. It worked.
Good.
All right, let's see what all the fuss is about.
We'll have to wait till nightfall
to get a visual confirmation of a black hole.
In the meantime, major, you can set up the gravity sensors.
I'll make sure we can dial home.
Sgc, this is 56—1 leader. We have arrived safely.
Landry on radio: Thank you, colonel.
We'll dial again in 15 minutes.
Prometheus is standing by.
Hopefully that won't be necessary, sir.
Mitchell out.
I'd rather not wait around two weeks for a ride.
We're gonna go have a look around.
I think I found the problem.
You seen anything like it before?
Nope
and I don't wanna remove it
until I know exactly how it's connected to the system.
The good news is it won't affect any outbound dialing.
Altman on radio: Colonel Carter,
we've got the gravity sensors up and running.
Good, I'll be right there.
Jackson: Hey, guys, it's Daniel.
You might wanna come and check this out first.
I got it. You check out the black hole.
Wow, it's amazing what people leave laying around.
Where do those go?
Only one way to find out.
I don't think anyone's been home for a while.
Looks like some kind of science lab.
This looks familiar.
It's nirrti's DNA manipulation device.
Nirrti?
She was the Goa'uld that was trying to create an advanced host, right?
Ended up with a bunch of super freaks who turned on her.
That was a cool file.
This writing is in ancient.
Oh, I was wrong.
There is someone home.
Wait, wait.
What? I was looking for the light switch.
New guy.
Hey, you touched that!
I... I know how to read that.
(Grunting)
I got a faint pulse.
(Grunting)
Carter, get back to the gate.
Tell the sgc we need a med team here right away.
Well, you're clean.
No sign ofany exposure to infectious agents.
Great. How's pod man?
Also going to be fine.
I suspect the convulsions were just a reaction to coming out of stasis.
Although his preliminary test results were quite interesting.
How?
We've been able to study the genetic characteristics of the ancients
from the database sent back to us from Atlantis.
Our patient x definitely shows
some physiological similarities.
Do you think he's an ancient?
I'm running a more detailed analysis.
There were some other strange anomalies.
But in the meantime, why don't we ask him?
Hello.
I'm Dr. Carolyn I am. Do you understand me?
(Gasps)
(Whispering) Yes.
Good. Try to relax.
There's nothing to be afraid of.
You're safe.
You're on a planet called earth.
I'm lieutenant colonel Samantha Carter
of the United States air force.
Cameron Mitchell. Ditto on the other stuff.
Can you tell us your name?
It is khalek.
Khalek.
We found you on another planet, in stasis,
in what looked like some sort of science lab.
Earth?
Yeah, that's right.
(Sighing)
I want to go home.
Home? Where is home?
He took me.
I was a prisoner.
So long.
He did experiments on me.
He who?
I never knew his name.
Please, I just want to go home.
Can you tell us what this guy looks like?
(Sighs)
Do you have the Stargate address for the planet you call home?
The symbols to dial?
Yes.
Okay. When you're feeling better, we'll see what we can do.
So not an ancient.
Too bad.
Poor guy. This is exactly what nirrti did.
Kidnapped people and then experimented on them.
Yeah, but khalek there said "he."
Well, I'm sure nirrti wasn't the only Goa'uld
with an interest in evolved human hosts.
That lab looked more ancient than Goa'uld.
You think it was an ancient experimenting on him?
I don't know,
but I'm sure Jackson will get to the bottom of it.
In the meantime, we'll get the address to khalek's homeworld
and send a malp
hopefully, it'll still be somewhere he wants to go back to.
(Static buzzing)
(Stargate opening)
Hey, what's up?
Well, looks like that, uh, black hole
is just a regular old black hole.
No giant ori supergates.
That's good.
Teal'c said you could use some help in here.
Yeah, there's something wrong with the power supply.
It's driving me nuts.
Well, we'll look into it.
Colonel Mitchell says the man we found in stasis is not an ancient.
He was being held prisoner and experimented upon.
They do not believe that he knew his captor.
Have you found anything, Daniel Jackson?
Uh, just pages and pages of logs, notes about the...
(Static buzzing)
What is it?
Oh, this is bad.
(Stargate closing)
Where is he?
Isolation room 1.
Under guard? Why? What did you find?
I should've known when I saw the ancient writing.
He used to use it as code on his ships.
Dr. Jackson...
The lab does not belong to an ancient.
It belonged to Anubis.
But he's long gone now.
Yes, but the man he left behind
is not a victim of experiments.
He's a genetic hybrid. He was grown in that lab.
I'm 5 o rry?
(Sighing) Whatever he told you, he's lying.
The Goa'uld pass on genetic memory.
Now he may not have a snake in his head,
but the man we defrosted and brought back here
has Goa'uld DNA intermingled with his own.
He may as well be the son of Anubis.
The log entry said Anubis managed
to replicate his pre—ascension DNA
using the genetic manipulation device.
Then, he combined it with human DNA
and was able to rapidly grow our——our friend there.
Lam: The analysis I did suggests that khalek
is significantly more evolved than we are.
Much more in line with the human form
of the ancients prior to ascension.
So he could have all kinds of super—funky powers.
The subjects nirrti manipulated
demonstrated telekinetic and psychic abilities.
Like the priors.
The goal of the experiments seems to have been to create an advanced human.
With a little Anubis blended in.
Carter: You said he used his pre—ascended DNA.
Do you think he was doing these experiments before he ascended?
No, you see, that time line doesn't track with the log.
Plus, it says he had to reproduce his DNA.
Which means he was doing all this after he ascended,
and was sent back by the ancients, well, halfway.
But this doesn't make any sense.
Even a highly evolved human host
wouldn't be as advanced as he was.
Why bother?
Maybe he didn't like being stuck in limbo.
Maybe even a small step back to mortality
was worth it to him on some level.
Perhaps he was attempting to create an even more powerful servant
than the kull warriors.
No matter what Anubis' ultimate goal was,
khalek is extremely dangerous.
Options?
Put him back in his pod.
I doubt we'd be able to get the one from 584 back here.
If we leave him there, others could circumvent the security
and find him as we did.
We could post guards.
What about the Antarctica pod?
(Chuckling) Look, I think we need to consider
whether we wanna preserve him at all.
Hmm.
Look, the fact is, we don't know how successful Anubis was.
Khalek is advanced, yes,
but we don't know how far along he actually is.
Now, if he is aware of his own state of evolutionary advancement,
and I'll bet you anything he is,
then it's possible the only thing keeping him from ascending right now
is that he hasn't figured out how.
What would that take?
I——I don't know, b—but if he can do it,
if——if——if he knows how or figures out how, at the very least,
we're gonna have another Anubis on our hands.
And at that point, it's gonna be too late to stop him.
Well, he couldn't progress his state of being while he was in stasis.
Look, you know I would never suggest this lightly,
but he is what he is,
and given the danger he poses,
I think we have to ask ourselves,
what is the point in keeping him alive at all?
I hear you, Dr. Jackson.
For the moment we're taking every security precaution we can.
I'll contact Washington, discuss how we're going to proceed.
In the meantime, I suggest all of you learn as much as you can,
including what khalek does and doesn't know.
Khalek, can you hear me?
(Whispering) Yes.
My name is Dr. Daniel Jackson.
Why have you restrained me like this?
Why is everyone suddenly acting like they fear me?
Look, you can drop the act.
I don't understand.
Have you contacted my homeworld?
We found you on your homeworld.
I understand ancient.
Those research notes Anubis left...
We know that you were grown in that lab.
That you possess Anubis' DNA
and his genetic memories.
My memories do include you, Dr. Jackson.
A confrontation you once had with my father.
I sense it is some time since I was last awake.
What has become of him?
I'm not here to answer your questions.
The others,
they wish to study me, don't they?
Why else would I still be here,
given the danger you know I pose?
They want to learn what I am, how I came to be.
But you...
Have you ever taken a life, Dr. Jackson?
I believe you have killed a man.
My memories are so sharp and clear.
It's as if they happened only moments ago.
The countless lives my father extinguished,
of those that came before him and did the same.
(Sighs)
(Whispering) Such pleasure it gave them.
But I have not experienced it myself yet.
Does it really feel that good?
Millions ofslaves bowing before me,
a galaxy of desperate, pitiful life forms at my feet.
That's clearly intoxicating.
I can almost taste it as if it was me there
and not those whose memories I possess.
But nothing...
Nothing do I anticipate more than the sweetness I know I will feel
when I kill for the first time.
I can hardly wait to watch as fear stops a man's heart.
So much more intimate,
one—on—one
to watch as the blood flows from his veins
and savor his ever—fading hope for life.
There's only one way to stop it.
I know you wish to take my life.
And I promise you, before this is over,
one of us will feel the pleasure.
Mr. Woolsey. Given the timing, this can't be a good sign.
The international committee overseeing the sgc
has read and considered your recommendation
to place the prisoner back in stasis.
At least until we can decide what to do with him.
We think that's a mistake.
Oh, you think we should kill him?
On the contrary,
we think he must be studied.
You understand how dangerous he is.
We understand how dangerous you seem to think he is.
There's very little corroborating evidence at this point.
That's why more study is required.
Is this a joke?
Because if you look closely, I'm not laughing.
You and your people went before the senate appropriations committee
and demanded that the budget for this facility not be cut in half. Why?
Because of a formidable new enemy
that now threatens our galaxy.
What would we do without you?
All we have heard is that the ori
must be taken more seriously than the Goa'uld.
That the priors who represent them
are extremely powerful and dangerous in their own right.
And yet, in the months since this threat emerged,
not one proposed countermeasure,
not one shred of technology,
not even so much as a theory or strategy to fight these missionaries
has resulted from ongoing Stargate operations, until now.
And you want to freeze him.
Go, go. You're on a roll.
Based on the report, the only thing that we do know about this khalek
is that physiologically, he may be very much like the priors of the ori,
an advanced form of human far along in evolutionary development.
First and foremost, studying him may be the key
to learning a way to fight the priors.
Actually, that had not escaped me.
Not to mention the fact that he may be
the missing link between ourselves and ascension.
Certainly that merits more research.
The members of the committee feel very strongly about this.
Then neither they nor you understand the risks.
Oh, we do.
The issue is, if this command doesn't have
the ability and security in place to take full advantage
of an opportunity like this,
then we believe we need to re—evaluate its leadership,
and ultimately its operation.
If woolsey and the bean counters
are gonna force us to keep khalek conscious,
maybe we better figure out what he's capable ofand fast.
It was like he was goading me into killing him,
like he wanted us to do it.
He knows he's on the path to ascension,
maybe he thinks that's the final step.
Ifthat's the case, we have no other choice but to freeze him again.
With strict instructions never to defrost.
Teal'c: Indeed.
Unfortunately, we must now convince others
this is the prudent course of action.
Major Altman seems to think he has something that will help us.
Altmanzyeah, this unit, it seems to be self—contained.
Well, it's what analyzes a subject's current physiological status
and feeds back into the DNA manipulator.
We should be able to bring it back with us
and rig it to give us a better idea
of how advanced khalek really is.
That'd be good. Nice work.
I'm gonna keep working on the translation.
He's out cold, colonel.
I gave him enough sedative to keep him out for hours.
You can't be too sure.
That should be good.
Carter: We're pretty sure these red patches indicate areas of the brain
where synaptic activity is maximized.
A normal human brain, you or I, say,
should show roughly 5% to 10% coverage.
Me being five, you being 10.
So, what's that at now,
Carter: Sixty—eig ht, exactly.
Daniel says the research theorized
that 80, possibly 90% activity was required
for conscious, willful ascension.
Mitchell: So he's not there yet.
(Beeping) Well, no, but...
Wait a minute. What's that?
That wasn't there a minute ago.
Carter: No.
The percentage justjumped to 71.
Are you saying this guy is evolving right before our eyes?
(Monitor beeping rapidly)
His heart rate's increasing.
I wonder if that has something to do with the brain scan device.
I'm gonna administer some more sedative.
No——no, just a sec, let me just make sure
that there's no interference with the lines here.
(Groaning)
(Exclaims)
(Thudding)
I shot him twice at point—blank range.
And he appears to be healing very quickly.
I should've emptied the clip.
I don't get it, sir.
How can woolsey not know that keeping this guy around is a bad idea?
He's an ass.
So, what? He's risking a catastrophe just to embarrass us?
Woolsey's a pretty straight shooter.
I think he really believes this is gonna be of benefit.
We're the ones who've spent the last eight years
justifying enormous risk for the advancements we've made.
The fact is, we are recording some incredible data.
Khalek's healing ability, his advanced brain function.
That scanner was still operating
when he was using his telekinetic ability
and we've been able to isolate the areas of the brain
that he was maximizing at the time.
See, I... I think the point is...
Is that he has telekinetic abilities
and he's continuing to evolve while we sit around yammering about it.
All the while, he's getting closer and closer to ascending.
You should know there are now 50,000 volts
running through that floor, sir.
And a tok'ra shield generator barring the door.
It's one—way,
so we can still fire bullets in there if we have to.
Finally, Dr. Lam believes your abilities
can be controlled with a dopamine inhibitor.
A shunt has been inserted into the base of your skull
and a massive dose will be automatically injected
should you try anything else.
(Scoffs)
Thanks for the warning, Richard.
Or do you prefer dick?
No, you didn't tell me your name.
Shame about major Altman.
He's going to be fine.
We'll see.
Any further outbursts will not be tolerated.
(Scoffs)
Whatever you say, dick.
(Stargate opening)
Hey, I heard you guys could use some help.
Yeah. We heard what happened. How's major Altman?
Oh, he's gonna be okay.
The ascendometer says khalek's about 80% there.
Ascendometer?
Mitchell.
Wish I'd thought of it.
After khalek was shot and started to heal,
it shot up another 5% or so.
Yeah, we're helping him.
The healing process helped him to learn
another aspect of his advancement.
I'll bet anything he wanted to get shot.
You think?
Well, according to the research, the way it works is
the subject gets a treatment in this machine.
And certain physiological changes are made in the brain.
Then it takes some time, weeks, months, to adjust.
The individual needs to get used to the changes,
learn how they work,
it's a gradual process.
That's what the scans are showing us.
Khalek is learning to use the advancements
the latest treatment gave him.
Now, eventually with enough physical evolution
and mental control he will reach a critical stage
where he will learn to shed his physical body and exist as energy.
I always felt there was a——a spiritual component to ascension.
That you had to be a good person at heart to do it.
Yes, certainly, when there's an ancient helping you.
Well, obviously when the process happens naturally there are no rules.
Well, if you can call this naturally.
Still, the ori prove you don't have to be moral to ascend.
Who knows, maybe it's—— it's part of the grand cosmic balance.
Good and evil have to co—exist on all levels.
Well, for now, khalek is still mortal.
I don't think he really wants to die
before he's figured it all out.
He's probably been hiding the full extent of his powers from us.
For all we know, he's—— he's mocking us
because he knows we can't really hurt him.
What else have you learned? Not much.
I don't think this database is gonna be much help anymore.
We've been through it twice now.
The reason I came is because I have an idea.
Based on the data we've collected
from the scans of khalek's brain,
I'm thinking that we can run a simulation on the DNA machine
to see where it's really going.
To the best of our knowledge this has never been done before, right?
Artificially advance a human being to ascension using technology
rather than the help of another ascended being.
Jackson: The log is incomplete.
Anubis seems to have been stopped
before he could finish his experiments.
Letssee if it's really going where we think it is.
I mean, at the very least, maybe get a time frame.
General.
I'm reconsidering the arrangement
with the international committee
that's keeping you here.
Then I suggest you start going through your budget
because without their support...
How can you still be convinced
that this is the right course of action?
The scans indicate his advancement has plateaued
at roughly 80% of potential brain activity.
That might have something to do with the dopamine inhibitor.
How long are we gonna keep this up?
Until we find a way to counteract
someone with his abilities in the field.
According to your own account,
the man was able to read your mind.
Doesn't that concern you?
Gravely.
The fact that there are dozens of priors with abilities like his
roaming the galaxy right now also concerns me.
And the committee representing
the free nations of this planet, general.
For the moment, in my opinion,
this situation is under control.
I certainly hope that the point at which you change your mind
isn't too late.
You wanted to see me?
I'm pulling the plug.
You can notify the committee that the sgc no longer requires their support.
General, khalek's condition is stable.
You've taken ample security precautions.
Every minute we have to study him, record data,
the closer we get to a means offighting the priors.
Not to mention the possibility of solving
the mysteries of our own existence.
The issues we face can be overwhelming at times.
I can see how someone might lose their perspective.
I haven't lost perspective, general.
I recognize the importance of this research.
That's why I'm not gonna let you stand in the way.
Ultimately, the decision is mine.
I'm having khalek transferred back
to his stasis pod on 584 immediately,
regardless of the consequences to this command.
Thank you.
Putz.
Just about done.
Each of these sections represents a treatment in the machine
and the resulting advancements.
You said khalek has had five treatments?
Yeah, according to the log.
Well, then this is where he should be now on the chart.
Does that mean what I think it means?
We need to report this to Landry.
Yeah.
There's one more thing I think you should do first.
Mitchell: Just to give you a heads up,
we're gonna keep you attached all the way home.
If you try anything, you're gonna be a drooling idiot
in a couple of seconds.
Corporal.
(Siren wailing)
Continue.
Go ahead.
We were just preparing to send khalek through to place him back in stasis.
Badidea, 584's the last place
we should be taking him right now.
In fact, it was probably what he was hoping for.
This is general Landry.
Landry: Belay the order. Re—secure the prisoner.
Back in the seat.
Now, explain why I just did that.
The reason his advancement has plateaued
is not because of the dopamine inhibitor.
Jackson: He's gone as far as he can.
Now he may have learned to use the physical advancements he now has
but he'll never be able to ascend in his current state.
He needs more treatments from that machine to make it happen.
Get clear.
(Electricity surges)
Jacksonzthe one place we can't send him to is the lab on that planet.
And I bet he's been waiting for us to try it.
This is Mitchell.
Tell general Landry the prisoner is secure.
(G roan s)
Seems things are no longer in control, dick.
(Alarm blaring)
You okay?
Mitchell: Yeah, I'm fine. Just help me up.
No, you're not, you have a concussion. You need to stay put.
Well, look, my head can wait.
We just finished securing him.
He went nuts and killed two sfs.
You think he could have heard us?
He'll go for the gate room.
Gate room.
Gqgd
(all shouting)
Levels 12 through 28 are now secure.
Full emergency contingent is in position and on high alert.
There.
Target is on level 21.
Hallway b, heading north.
Over here!
(All groaning)
Security system's down.
We've gone to auxiliary power.
Damn.
(Grunting)
He went that way.
Medical team to level 24, hallway d.
Meet me at the gate and call this in.
Target is headed down emergency exit tube three.
(Grunting)
(Guns cocking)
(People screaming)
(Guns firing)
Get those doors open.
Harriman: I'm trying, sir. Controls are not working.
They're sealed shut.
(People chattering)
(Alarm blaring)
(Rumbling)
Halt the dialing program!
I can't, sir.
You should've killed me when you had the chance.
He's locked us out of the system.
Iris control is still down, too.
(Mechanical humming)
Incoming worm hole.
Cutting auxiliary power to the blast doors.
(Electricity surges)
Carter on radio: Cameron, the electronic locks are down.
You should be able to pry the doors open.
Yeah, that's easy for you to say.
What took you so long?
Iris will not close.
Nice shot.
(Thudding)
I rigged the call—forwarding device on 584 to dial back here.
And you didn't tell me?
We were going to, sir, but we didn't get a chance.
It's a good thing, too, or he would've heard us.
Medical teams to level 28.
Base is secured.
Woolsey: Dr. Jackson.
I just wanted you to know, the men who died,
I'm going to see to it personally
that their families are well taken care of.
Look, for what it's worth,
I understand how you felt,
and why you took the position you did.
It almost sounds like you might find it in yourself
to forgive me.
No.
That doesn't mean we don't all want what you're looking for.
And the answers are still out there.
You were right about the risks.
Believe me, I wish I'd been wrong.
Me, too.