Stargate SG-1 (1997–2007): Season 6, Episode 14 - Smoke & Mirrors - full transcript

Previously on "Stargate SG-1":

You can't take down the entire NID,
and they'll kill you for trying.

You might be able to hold the evidence
over them and get Hammond reinstated.

- I'm not leavin' till I get what I came for.
- And what are you going to do?

Well, I was thinking about shootin' ya.

Kinsey's online activities connect him to
NID actions over the last year and a half.

Hell, you've been back in time,
forward in time. You've seen it all.

I just wonder how things turn out.

I wonder how far you'd go to stop me
becoming president of the United States.

Senator's been hit!

The assassination of Senator Kinsey has
sent shock waves through Washington.



With his party's convention
just weeks away,

the senator was considered
their most likely choice

for second spot on the presidential ticket.

Hey! I'm back.

What'd I miss?

Sir, Senator Kinsey is dead. He was shot.

- What?
- It's been all over the news for three days.

- I've been on vacation.
- It looks like a professional hit.

The shooter fired from a hotel room
across the street and then disappeared.

- Any suspects?
- Police aren't saying anything.

One can assume that a man in Senator
Kinsey's position will have many enemies.

Colonel.

General.

I'm sorry, but these men are here
to escort you to Peterson.



You'll be flown to Andrews and turned
over to the authorities in Washington.

Sir, what is this?

Colonel O'Neill is under arrest
for the murder of Senator Kinsey.

What?

- You'll have to come with us, sir.
- I don't think so.

- Colonel...
- General, I've been on vacation.

I believe you, Jack, but for the moment
we're going to have to cooperate.

- There's no way Colonel O'Neill did this.
- Yes, Major, but my hands are tied.

How could they think he did it?
He wasn't in Washington.

Actually, it looks like he was.

Major Davis is acting as liaison between
the Pentagon and the district attorney.

- He has a report for us. Major?
- Thank you, sir.

This is from a security camera in a hotel
across the street from the shooting,

just a couple of minutes after it happened.

The trajectory of the bullet indicates that
the shot did in fact come from this hotel.

- That doesn't prove anything.
- Based on this,

the FBI searched the colonel's house
and his cabin. They didn't find anything.

But a neighbour said they saw Colonel
O'Neill dumping something by the lake.

They sent down a diver,
who came up with this.

Ballistics match it with the bullet
that killed Senator Kinsey.

I don't know what to say, sir. It's no secret
there was bad blood between them.

Come on. They had a few run- ins.
That's hardly a motive for murder.

I've read the file on Kinsey,
but it is a little vague.

The senator was involved with individuals

who were unhappy with the way
Stargate Command was being run.

They tried to force
General Hammond to resign.

Colonel O'Neill connected
Kinsey to their illegal activities

and threatened to go public
unless he got them to back off.

So, technically,
Kinsey was protecting the SGC.

True, but he wasn't happy about it.

But that's not a motive to kill him.
It's a motive to keep him alive.

Unfortunately, we can divulge none of
this information to the civilian authorities.

Senator Kinsey was shot
in broad daylight on a public street,

in front of civilian witnesses.

If we tried to shift this to a military court,

it would be a disaster
for the current administration.

With respect, the current administration
owes a lot to the colonel.

I'm aware of that, Major,
as is the president.

Unfortunately, there's nothing
he can do for Colonel O'Neill at this time.

On the other hand, I'm not a politician,

which is why I'm suspending
SG-1's offworld duties

and assigning you
to get to the bottom of this.

The full resources of this command
are at your disposal.

- Thank you, sir.
- Dismissed.

Colonel.

How are you doin'?

I'm accused of a murder I didn't commit.
How do you think I'm doin'?

When are you being
transferred to Washington?

Couple of days.

General Hammond has suspended
our offworld duties

in order that we may
investigate this situation further.

Unfortunately, it's not going very well.

There is evidence that places you
at the scene of the shooting.

I was fishing.

Look, Kinsey wasn't exactly
my best buddy,

and on occasion I felt like
beating the crap out of him,

but I didn't kill him.

They somehow have a video

that clearly places you
in Washington DC three days ago.

I don't believe this.

We know you've been
on secret missions before.

I wasn't on a mission, Jonas.
I was in Minnesota, on vacation.

Did you encounter anyone
that can verify your story?

I was 20 miles away
from the closest town, alone.

That was the point.

Perhaps this is all
part of an elaborate plan.

Those responsible chose to act at a time
when they knew you would have no alibi.

I checked the video to see if it had been
doctored, but it appears to be genuine.

So either that really is Colonel O'Neill
or someone who looks exactly like him.

We have encountered
duplicating technology before.

I was thinking the same thing, but those
mimic devices are under heavy guard.

Mimic devices?

Someone wanna fill me in?

Three years ago, we had
a foothold situation here at the SGC.

Aliens gained control
by using mimic devices

to impersonate and then replace
base personnel, including myself.

- Why haven't I heard this before?
- Given the seriousness of the breach,

a decision was made to erase all mention
of the incident from official records.

- Where are these devices now?
- Area 51.

- How many do you have?
- We recovered 12 from the SGC.

They're all stored here.

- Has anyone studied them recently?
- We've all been focusing on the X- 303.

There we go.
All present and accounted for.

It's a fake.

All the mimic devices were switched.

Someone duplicated the duplicators?

The last test was six months ago. It could
have been taken any time after that.

There has got to be some way
that we can use this to clear you.

I don't think the alien- technology
defence is gonna fly.

If I understand this,
there is someone out there

that can make himself look exactly
like you. That's gotta be relevant.

It's classified information, Jonas.

But we can use it to find
the real assassin... maybe.

- So how do these things work?
- It's a two- part process.

First, you pass a person
through a scanning device,

which uploads their image
into a holographic sequencer.

- Which looks like this.
- Exactly.

Then you place that sequencer
on your body

and you instantly take on
the appearance of the person scanned.

- Was the scanning device taken?
- No, it's still at Area 51. We checked it.

So they can only impersonate
a limited number of people.

12, to be precise, including
Colonel O'Neill, Dr Fraiser and Daniel.

What about General Hammond?

The alien impersonating him
was trapped with several others.

They activated some kind of self- destruct
and blew themselves up.

In case you're wondering,
Teal'c and I were never scanned.

That's good to know.

I've requested all the personnel files on
those who had access to these devices.

I'd like the two of you to check them out.

- What about you?
- I'm going to Washington.

I need to look up an old acquaintance.

Major Carter.
I'm here to see Agent Barrett.

Major Carter. I was wondering
how long it would be before you came by.

Welcome to NID headquarters.

Only eight people at Area 51 have had
authorised access to the mimic devices.

- We must speak to them all.
- Most have moved to the X- 303 project,

so they're still living in Nevada.

Wait a minute. There's something.

Dr Brent Langham.

Deceased.

Killed in an automobile accident
three weeks ago.

Given the circumstance, that would seem
to be a highly unlikely coincidence.

What exactly are you
implying here, Major?

That the NID had a hand
in the assassination of a US senator?

Very few organisations have the
resources to pull off something like this.

And the man accused
happens to belong to one of them.

The SGC is not behind this.

Senator Kinsey was no friend
of the Stargate Command.

He tried to take you down more than once.

We don't engage in criminal activity,
Agent Barrett, unlike the NID.

The Prometheus incident was
orchestrated by a handful of rogue agents.

What about Steveston, Oregon?
You sat by and watched

while the Goa'uld took over
an entire town of civilians.

That was an officially
sanctioned operation.

It would've succeeded if it wasn't for you.

Are you kidding me?
Your agents were compromised

and your organisation
was about to be infiltrated.

Look, Major...

The videotape of Colonel O'Neill clearly
places him at the scene of the crime,

and the murder weapon
was found near his cabin.

So, if you'll excuse me...

I've got work to do.

It says here that by 2075

the Earth's oceans will be too warm
to sustain most coral reefs

and, once they're gone, the ecosystem
of the planet will collapse.

That's a cheerful thought.

We spend all of our time trying
to protect the world from the Goa'uld.

Maybe we should worry a little more
about protecting it from ourselves.

What are we doing out here,
Agent Barrett?

My office is bugged.

It's standard procedure to record
all conversations in NID headquarters.

What I'm about to say, Major, nobody else
can know, especially my superiors.

What are you talking about?

There's a cancer at the NID, a shadow
organisation that operates outside the law.

- It's time they were exposed.
- I agree.

The Prometheus incident
was the last straw.

I was called to the White House
for an assignment.

What does this have to do
with Colonel O'Neill?

Senator Kinsey was working for me.

He was about to give me enough evidence
to bring down the leadership of the group.

How did you convince him to do that?

I know about a few of the skeletons
in the senator's closet.

- And it is an election year.
- You blackmailed him.

I'll do whatever it takes
to bring these people down, Major.

Who else knows about this?

As of this moment, the president,
a few members of his staff, and you.

- You're working alone?
- The smaller the operation, the better.

You have no idea how far the corruption
goes. The SGC isn't immune.

You're taking a big risk talking to me.

I need your help.
And you haven't told me everything.

What makes you so sure
that Colonel O'Neill is innocent?

When you work with someone
that long, you know.

There's something more than that.
There's something you're not telling me.

Your job requires you to be suspicious
of everybody, even your co- workers.

Where I'm from, we trust each other
with our lives every day.

Maybe that's something
you can't understand.

I guess it's never too late to learn.

When the mimic devices were found, eight
scientists were assigned to study them.

The Pentagon hoped to adapt
the devices for use in the field.

However, while the holographic images
created by the aliens lasted indefinitely,

those created in the lab only lasted
for three to four minutes at a time,

due to problems with
electromagnetic interference.

So the project was scaled back, and five
of the team members were reassigned.

The remaining three were
Dr Singh, Dr Healey,

and this fellow - Dr Brent Langham.

They continued working for six months
with no breakthroughs.

Finally, the project was shut down.

Dr Healey and Dr Singh
were transferred to the X- 303 project.

And Dr Langham?

He was supposedly killed in a car crash
two days before the transfer was due.

The body was burned.
He was identified through dental records.

But the coroner missed something.
Toxicology report came back clean.

No signs of any drugs or alcohol
in the victim's blood.

- Why is that unusual?
- Dr Langham was epileptic.

His condition required regular doses
of anticonvulsant drugs.

There should have been
traces of those drugs.

The dental records were falsified.

The body recovered
at the crash site was someone else.

So you're saying this Dr Langham
took the mimic device

- and engineered his own disappearance.
- Or someone engineered it for him.

Are we suggesting, then,
that this scientist shot Kinsey?

I doubt it. He had
no paramilitary training.

Perhaps Dr Langham merely
provided the mimic devices for a fee.

But he can lead us
to whoever was responsible.

I don't care what it takes.
I want you to find this Dr Langham.

Yes, sir.

OK, what is this?

The rifle used to kill Senator Kinsey was
not one you pick up at your local store.

This is a one- stop shop
for unregistered weapons.

High- end goods, professional clientele.
There's a chance our shooter was here.

Why don't you shut them down?

I let them operate
in exchange for information.

Sometimes you gotta cross the line.
You just gotta know when to step back.

- Hey, Leo.
- Leo.

Agent Barrett. When are you gonna
get yourself a new suit?

- Black is good for any occasion.
- It's also thinning.

Who's your friend?

Major Samantha Carter,
United States Air Force.

We can talk in front of her.

What can I do for you?

We wanna know about a 700
with a customised breakdown stock.

Yeah. I moved one last week.

In all likelihood, the weapon you sold
was used to assassinate a US senator.

What's your point?

Was the buyer a regular customer?

No, I never seen him before.

- Is that the guy?
- That's the guy.

Did he look at any other weapons
besides the 700?

As a matter of fact, he did.

A sound- suppressed revolver rifle.

- Did he handle it?
- Sure.

- Was he wearing gloves?
- No.

- Has anybody handled it since?
- No, just Leo here.

How much?

There's one full set of prints
and one partial,

but neither of them match Colonel O'Neill.

It's a little strange.

Assuming the full set matches Leo,

that would mean the partial
belongs to the shooter.

- Maybe.
- It's the best lead we have.

The shooter probably
won't have a criminal record.

In fact, there's a good chance
he may not exist on any database at all.

Except maybe NID personnel files.

You said it yourself, Agent Barrett -
there's a cancer in your organisation.

Kinsey was gonna bring them down,
so they had him killed.

So did they hire an outside contractor
or use one of their own?

Give me the disk.

I'll check the files
and call you in a couple of hours.

Good call, checking for a second weapon.

- Thanks.
- You're welcome.

So where do we start?

It is probable that Dr Langham
has assumed a new identity.

New name, new address,
new social security number.

Can't change his medical condition.

Do not many thousands of people
suffer from this affliction?

Yes, but there's a wide
range of treatments.

Dr Langham was on specific drugs,
including primidone and carbamazepine.

So... we can access
the national pharmaceutical database

and focus on new prescriptions
written in the past three weeks.

We cross- reference that
with age and gender,

and we should be able
to narrow down the field.

- Have Teal'c and Jonas found anything?
- They have a lead on a missing scientist.

They think he may have
taken the mimic devices.

If the shooter was NID, we can track him
using the prints from the second rifle.

What about this Agent Barrett?
Are you sure you can trust him?

I think so.

You mustn't tell him about the foothold
incident. I shouldn't have even told Jonas.

I know, sir.
I'm hoping it won't come to that.

I'll keep you posted, sir.

- So?
- You were right.

The prints match
an NID agent named Mark Devlin.

- How'd you learn to drive?
- Daniel Jackson instructed me.

- When was that?
- I believe the year was 1969.

- Can I help you?
- We're looking for a Mr David Zwydel.

- That's me. What's this about?
- Our apologies.

- You are not the man we are looking for.
- Sorry, I must have made a mistake.

Have a good day.

- That guy look familiar to you?
- He did not.

Really?

He looked familiar to me.

No, wait, wait, wait.

I know that guy.

When I first came to Stargate Command,
he was an airman in the gate room.

I'm positive.

Mr Zwydel.

Mr Zwydel!

Around back.

Nice shot.

Dr Langham, I presume.

Indeed.

- You found Dr Langham.
- He's in a holding cell on level 16.

- Well done. Has he said anything?
- No, sir. But he did ask for a lawyer.

That could be a problem. We're not
following proper procedure here.

Sir, he stole top- secret material
and is an accessory to murder.

Dr Langham is also the only one that
can verify Colonel O'Neill's innocence.

Not necessarily. Major Carter
and Agent Barrett are pursuing a lead

that may take them to the real assassin.

- And if it doesn't?
- I know how you feel.

No one wants Colonel O'Neill back more
than I do, but this is a delicate situation.

I understand this man had some injuries
when you brought him in.

Dr Langham was reluctant
to accompany us back to the SGC.

- He required some convincing.
- All I'm saying is we have to be careful.

We're way outside our jurisdiction
and, like it or not, this man has rights.

He will volunteer the information.
Of that I am certain.

Look, this is a waste of time.
I got nothing to say.

OK, I took the mimic devices, but I didn't
know what they were planning to do.

What? You think I'm part of some kinda
murder conspiracy? Well, you're wrong.

All right, I'll tell you what I know,
but you have to promise me protection.

I'll get us in.

- What are you doing?
- Covering you.

Thank you. Get up.

Right.

When you switched the devices,
where'd you take them?

Washington. They wanted me
to take them myself,

because using a middleman
would be too risky.

- To whom are you referring?
- They call themselves the Committee.

They run the whole show.

We're going to need names.

This is conspiracy to commit murder.

I didn't know they'd use
the devices to kill anybody.

They told me they were gonna analyse the
technology for commercial applications.

Why would you believe that?

You don't think money
has anything to do with this?

In six months, there have been at least
ten new patents traceable to Area 51.

I'm talking industrial chemicals,
metallurgy, computers, you name it.

- So they're selling alien technology?
- No, they're buying it.

The members of the Committee aren't
secret agents, they're businessmen.

The rogue NID agents work for them.

They got millions invested
and they expect to make billions

by incorporating alien advancements
into their product lines.

This was about protecting the planet.

Nobody said it had to be
a non- profit business.

Give us the names
and we'll ensure your safety.

Well, I'm gonna need a few more details.

You work for the air force.
You don't have witness protection.

But we do have the Stargate.

- What do you mean?
- If these men are as powerful as you say,

there's probably nowhere
on Earth you'd be safe.

Fortunately, we have other options.

We need to talk.

Who else knows about
this operation at Stargate Command?

Why?

- We've got a leak, Major.
- Wait a minute.

Agent Devlin was waiting for us.
Somebody tipped him off.

Not necessarily. Think about it.

You used a computer
to access those personnel files.

Maybe somebody tracked you.

Don't answer that.

- It's General Hammond.
- If they think we're dead, that's good.

You trust me, you trust my team.

Sir, what's happening?

Did he talk?

No, that's great news.

Yes, sir. Understood.

What is it?

We've got the names of those
responsible for the assassination.

- What's that supposed to mean?
- We have an inside source.

Who?

I can't.

This assignment
came from the White House.

If you don't tell me what I need to know,
I'm gonna have to make a phone call.

You're the one who's
always talking about trust.

The man who shot Kinsey
was using a piece of alien technology.

A device which creates
a flawless holographic disguise -

in this case, a duplicate image
of Colonel O'Neill.

It was a perfect plan to
get rid of Kinsey and the colonel.

Wait a minute. Why have I never
heard about this technology before?

We encountered the devices during
a foothold situation. It was a close one.

Kinsey wanted to shut down
the Stargate programme,

so it was covered up
by presidential order.

- Who's your source?
- A scientist at Area 51.

- He smuggled the devices out.
- That's not enough.

They're onto us. If we don't
move fast, they'll disappear.

We need more than one scientist
who made a deal for immunity.

That's all we have.

What?

Senator Kinsey's not dead.
He's in a coma.

- We've got him under 24- hour guard.
- Why didn't you tell me?

Because we needed to keep
his condition a secret for his protection.

If he recovers, he can provide us with the
information to bring these people down.

- So we were both keeping secrets.
- That's the way the game's played.

You've got a...

Anyway, the Pentagon's been informed.

They're sending a man to the hospital.

- Did I...?
- Close enough.

- Who are they sending?
- A liaison officer.

- Major Davis.
- Major Davis, yeah.

What?

There are 12 alien devices capable
of mimicking specific individuals.

Major Davis was one of them.

- Sergeant.
- Major Davis.

- I've come to check on the senator.
- Yes, sir.

- Agent Devlin, how did it go?
- Kinsey's dead.

Are you sure? He was supposed
to be dead the first time.

He wasn't wearing a bulletproof vest
this time. So, yeah, I'm sure.

There were a few complications, though.

- What's goin' on?
- Fire alarm. We need to move him.

We must ask you to wait here, sir.

Why is that, Sergeant?

Secondary casualties
are not our concern.

Major Davis can answer for those as well.

We still have a loose end.
They have Dr Langham in custody.

That's not important. His accusations
will be a minor inconvenience for us.

I suggest we use the mimic devices
to eliminate another thorn in our side.

- Someone at the SGC?
- General Hammond.

Once he's gone, we can replace him
with someone more sympathetic to us.

If they know about the devices,
they'll be prepared.

Devlin's right. Besides, now that
Kinsey's dead, we have other options.

I think it's time we sent someone
to talk to Hammond,

get him to reconsider
those retirement plans.

He doesn't seem like the type
to bow to pressure.

Well, then, we are going to
have to be very convincing.

Agent Devlin, I would like you
to pay General Hammond a visit.

Impress upon him our concerns for
the safety and wellbeing of his family.

If he still refuses to play ball?

Then kill him.

What is this?

General Hammond sends his regards.

Get your hands up. Come on, get'em up.

The hologram lasted six and a half
minutes. That's a new record for us.

- You took a big risk.
- I knew you were listening.

What makes you think I was gonna come
in before they incriminated themselves?

When you work with someone,
you just know.

Ah, Colonel O'Neill.

Glad you could make it.

What do you want, Kinsey?

I thought we should have a little chat
before we meet the press.

Did you need to gloat a little?

Don't be that way, Jack.
You need this as much as I do.

You'll only get public vindication

if the two of us appear
on the 6 o'clock news shaking hands.

Yeah. I'm not sure it's worth it.

The American people don't want their
air- force officers to be assassins, Jack.

They want them to be heroes.

I'm gonna make you a hero.

Shall we?

First of all, I want to apologise
to you and to the American people

for the deception
surrounding my untimely demise.

It was an unfortunate
but necessary final step

in my investigation
of certain antidemocratic forces

that had taken root
in several key government agencies.

The ringleaders of this conspiracy
have now been taken into custody.

Of course, taking a bullet was not part of
my original plan to bring these men down.

But the success of the operation was well
worth any personal sacrifice on my part.

And I want the American people
to know that, if elected,

I intend to bring that same determination

and zeal for justice
with me to the White House.

I would also like to thank Colonel
Jack O'Neill of the United States Air Force

for the vital role he played
in my investigation.

I can't go into details
for reasons of national security,

but I can assure you all

that any evidence pointing to the colonel
as my would- be assassin

was simply part of the operation.

Colonel.

Smile, Colonel.
You just won me the election.