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stargatefan.com : episodes > season 2 > next episode: the fifth race

A brightly burning sun is shown and a stream of gas funnels toward an extremely bright pinpoint of light. Something happens and waves extend out from the pinpoint, resulting in a large swirling center that is pulling the gas stream and rock debris toward it.

A planet is shown, then a group of people is seen running through the sand. They are dressed in SGC uniforms and keep glancing nervously behind them. The leader screams for the Captain to dial home as they frantically move toward the Stargate. One member screams that they are not gonna make it, but their leader is sure they'll make it and yells "Dial now!" as he looks behind them, skyward. Their voices are distorted and their movements extremely labored.

Back at SGC, Jack is whispering to Carter, "Look, I know I should know this by now, and I swear it will be the last time I ask, but these wormholes we go through…they're not always there, right?"

Sam responds with an amused expression "No sir, they can only form between two open gates."

Jack makes a face "What's with the 'worm' part… the 'worm' thing… I don't get that…"

Sam, unsure if he's serious, "That's just a metaphor!

Jack quips "Alright… I know that!"

Sam goes on to explain "Imagine the galaxy is an apple… we burrow our way through the center of the apple like a worm instead of going around the outside!"

Jack is following "OK."

Sam continues "Of course, the diameter of the apple is just a two-dimensional representation of space-time and the hole isn't really a hole per se… but an interdimensional conduit…" she realizes she's losing him.

Jack shakes his head "OK… I'll be alright."

Sam smiles "OK."

Alarms buzz and flash as chevrons begin to engage. Lt. Simmons reports "We've got an unscheduled incoming traveler." The iris is closed. They discuss how SG teams 4, 6 and 10 are the only teams currently off world, with Daniel being on PX3808 with SG-6. A signal comes in, but the computer can't identify it. Sam recognizes a repeating pattern and orders the Lt. to speed it up. At 600% speed, it translates into SG-10'S iris code, Henry Boyd's team. They don't know why the signal is so slow, but regardless - Jack points out they need to open the iris "or the next thud we hear will be Henry Boyd's team!" General Hammond OKs opening the iris, but no one comes through. Finally, the wormhole disengages.

Jack steps up "General, SG-1 would like the rescue mission."

"Not yet Colonel," Hammond responds. He wants to send a probe first to see what's happening. Apparently, SG-10 was on a routine exploratory mission to P3W451. A planet in a binary system, where the life had recently become extinct. Hammond finally tells Jack "In the event I authorize a mission, SG-3 will back you up."

Jack is clearly upset "In the event, sir? I recommended Major Boyd for this command, if he's in trouble I want to go in."

Hammond says he is aware of that and Jack simply responds "Yes, sir."

The MALP signal is uplinked, but only appears as redness. The telemetry signal is even slower than before, with an extreme red shift on the video. Carter suggests how to compensate, and an image appears. Only 11 frames of picture are received in 6 minutes, so SGC can't tell exactly what is happening. The team is definitely afraid and seems to be pursued by something.

Jack concludes "The picture tells us all we need to know, the team is in trouble - probably under attack - permission to go in, sir."

As Hammond begins to nod yes, Sam snaps "Negative, sir!"

Jack snaps back "What do you mean 'negative'?"

Sam reacts "I'm sorry Colonel, but if I'm right - we can't help them."

The MALP tilts up to the sky and gets a wider image, revealing a black hole.

Hammond wonders "Why don't they gate out of there?"

Sam explains "They are trying to, sir, but the closer you get to a black hole…"

Jack adds, "Time slows down."

Teal'c stares in awe, "It almost appears to stand still."

Sam says "From our perspective, yes - but time is relative. As far as SG-10 is concerned, only a few seconds have passed!"

Hammond asks, "Captain, what will happen to them?"

"Their bodies will be pulled apart by increasing tidal forces."

Hammond is growing more disturbed "There's nothing we can do to save them?"

Jack stares, stone faced "They've had it, sir."

"You know that for a fact, Colonel?"

Jack snaps again "No sir, I don't - but have a look at Major Boyd's face, what does that say to you?"

The screen shows Boyd, open-mouthed in pure terror, with the backdrop of the black hole in the sky behind him.

In reluctance, Hammond orders "Very well then, disengage the Stargate."

Sam doesn't want to "Sir, we are witnessing something that the laws of physics say we can't possibly witness!"

Jack is sick, and with barely restrained anger spits out "We are witnessing good men dying in slow motion…CAPTAIN!"

Sam realizes "You are right, sir." They try to shut down the Gate, but it won't disengage.

Meanwhile, troops in full battle gear are seen surrounding the surface entrance to the SGC, guns at the ready. Contact with the SGC has been lost for four hours now, and the people sounded "funky" before that - everyone was talking real slow. A Special Forces team enters a shaft, which leads directly to level 28, and begins to climb down.

Hammond tries to call the President, but the phone doesn't work. They try to physically disconnect the Gate, but it is stuck. The event horizon visible in the Gatelight begins to swirl in a circular motion. Hammond leaves to go up some levels and find a working phone. Jack asks Carter "What would happen if we just - pulled the plug?"

Siler and O'Neill go to the main power vault and pull breakers. Sparks fly, shorting out. As a last resort, they pull the main breaker. A jolt of electricity hits Siler. The Gate begins to make loud whining noises, with sparks of electric current shooting out - one hitting Teal'c. The idea doesn't work, even with the power cut; the Gate won't shut down. Carter assumes it must be pulling energy directly from the black hole.

As Sam helps Teal'c to his feet, they notice the Stargate is pulling smoke toward it. Sam holds up her dog tags and they are sucked in! She immediately reacts "Lieutenant! Close the iris!" The black hole's gravity is coming through.

Major Davis from the Office of the Joint Chiefs greets Hammond as he steps off the elevator; a squad of soldiers is with him. Hammond is instructed to fly to a meeting with the President.

Dr. Frasier is running to answer the medical emergency when the Special Forces team accosts her - pushing her up against the wall - wondering if she might be an alien hostile. She shows her tags, as the leader of the team identifies himself as Col. Frank Cromwell, Air Force, Special Operations.

Major Davis tells Hammond that the SGC is experiencing time dilation - time is passing slower in the facility than it is topside. Hammond tells them about the wormhole to the black hole, and he boards the plane to see the President.

Back at the SGC infirmary, everything begins to shake. Sam comments "Gravity waves!" She tells Jack how their space-time is beginning to warp just like on P3W451… "We're in trouble, sir!"

Jack orders her to "Think of something!" He leaves and runs into Col. Cromwell and Frasier. Jack knows Cromwell and does not seem happy to see him.

Jack quietly states "Been awhile."

Cromwell responds "Yeah, 5 hours - got everybody worried upstairs."

Jack is confused now "What's with the 5 hours?"

Cromwell explains "That's how long this facility has been out of contact with the outside world. Pentagon suspects alien hostiles."

Jack snipes "And they sent YOU?" Jack goes on to explain the problem to Cromwell, as Sam joins them. "Captain Carter… Colonel Cromwell… He's come to rescue us - but I wouldn't count on it!"

Sam is clearly more agitated "For some reason, the warping of our space-time is in advance of the gravity field rather than as a result of it. It's probably a lensing effect of the Stargate itself, but I can't be sure."

Jack thinks about what she's saying as Cromwell jibes "Don't even pretend you understand that!"

Sam has come to the realization that they are connected to the gravity field of the black hole through the Stargate, and it is expanding in their direction. Hammond reappears, he has been to Washington and back - 18 hours. Jack is shocked "I thought you were on the phone!" The time dilation is growing worse as the field expands. The Pentagon wants to autodestruct the Stargate as they feel the gravity field will keep the blast entirely within the mountain. Carter is afraid the base might be destroyed, but leave the wormhole intact. Hammond reminds her they must follow orders that have come from the highest level!

Hammond asks for volunteers to stay behind and initiate the countdown. Both O'Neill and Cromwell volunteer. Jack would clearly prefer anyone else, but there is no one. The SGC is evacuated. Jack and Frank are told to wait 5 minutes, and initiate the countdown.

Once topside, Sam calculates that 20 minutes below has translated to 22 hours topside! "When you told Colonel O'Neill to wait 5 minutes, you were really telling him 6 hours, maybe more!"

Hammond responds as he walks off, "Captain, relativity gives me a headache!'

Cromwell is looking at the monitor image of SG-10, "Who is this?"

Jack responds "Henry Boyd - good officer, smart, reminds me of Carter a little bit. This was their first mission as a team."

Cromwell is amazed "They look scared to death!"

Jack stares "He's on a planet about to be swallowed by a black hole…and he KNOWS it!"

Carter is furiously calculating in a tent topside. She is trying to get a handle on quantum gravity. Finally she tells Teal'c in exasperation "They don't really know what the hell is going on, so they're just gonna blow it up! There doesn't seem to be a damn thing I can do about it!"

The two men in the SGC are down to the last 2 minutes. Cromwell seems anxious to talk about something, but Jack keeps cutting him off, finally standing with his back towards the man.

Sam is absolutely certain the explosion will destroy the SGC but leave the wormhole intact, which would gradually pull the mountain and the rest of the world into it. She comments wistfully "At least Daniel will live out there!" An idea comes to her as she talks to the General, she wants to use a bomb but focus the energy of the blast - causing the wormhole to overload and jump to another gate - then they can just shut it down.

One minute remains in the gate control room autodestruct sequence. Cromwell tries to talk once more "We used to be friends, Jack,"

Jack is tight-lipped "Yup."

Cromwell lets go "I was sick to my stomach when I found out you were still alive… I wanted to go back for you."

Jack isn't drawn in yet "Why don't we just do this and get the hell out of here?"

Cromwell persists "Somebody dropped a dime on the incursion - you got hit - you went down. I made a judgment call to save the rest of the team!"

Jack is angry now, and lets loose "I saw you take off! Then I saw 4 months of my life disappear in some stinkin Iraqi prison!"

Cromwell yells, "I thought you were dead!"

Jack screams back "YOU THOUGHT WRONG! What do you want? You want me to forgive you?"

Cromwell pauses "Yeah, I guess I do…"

Jack isn't about to "That's tough… whatever happened to 'nobody gets left behind'?"

Cromwell retorts "Well what about him?" and gestures to SG-10 on the monitor.

Jack shakes his head "That is a totally different scenario!"

Cromwell pleads "That is the same damn thing, Jack!"

Suddenly, one of the glass windows in the control room buckles and shatters. Carter and Teal'c come in with a shaped charge bomb that needs to be placed close to the gate. Repelling ropes are being pulled horizontally toward the gate by the strong gravity. Jack and Frank each clip onto a rope and begin to ease the bomb down. Carter explains how it must be at a certain distance and angle also the time must be set at the source due to the time dilation.

Cromwell looks at Jack "Man, she is…"

Jack finishes "Way smarter than any of us… I know!"

The men move slowly across the ropes, feeling the tremendous G forces as they near the gate. Another window shatters, sending glass shards all over the two men, and one wedges in Cromwell's rope. Before they can set the timer, the iris creaks and groans then rips away - sucked into the swirling wormhole. The pull on the men intensifies. Cromwell's weakened rope snaps. Jack holds onto him as long as he can, but loses him to the pull of the wormhole. Jack pulls his way up to the bomb, arms it and with Teal'c's help begins to pull himself toward the control room.

The bomb explodes and all fades to white.

Jack wakes, heavily bandaged and groggy in the infirmary. Janet, Daniel, Sam, Teal'c and Hammond are all there. Daniel is first to greet him "Hey Jack! Did I miss anything?"

Jack states "I made it."

Hammond marvels at how they all made it, and a trinium-strengthened iris is being worked on.

Jack asks, "What day is it?"

Daniel gently explains "Since you reported for work yesterday? Two weeks have gone by!"

Jack relaxes a bit "I think I'll sleep in…"

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