Stargate SG-1 (1997–2007): Season 7, Episode 3 - Fragile Balance - full transcript

SGC security stop a teenager who has gained access to the facilities by using Jack O'Neill's key card. When asked how he got hold of the card, his answer is simple: he claims to be Jack O'Neill. Although incredulous at first, the knowledge the young man displays about their operation eventually convinces them that they are in fact dealing with Jack. All he can remember is being in a dream-like state and being taken by the Asgard. Medical tests reveal that his body is changing at the cellular level and Jacob Carter recommends that Jack be put into stasis until they can figure out what exactly has happened to him. Jack's solution is to leave the SGC without permission. Soon after he leaves, Dr. Carter and Jacob figure just who they are really dealing with.

General, what's this all about?

At 0920 hours this morning, someone
tried to enter the base using this.

- Colonel O'Neill's security lD.
- After he was taken into custody,

- he insisted on seeing you.
- Me? Why?

I was hoping you could figure
that one out, Major. Open it.

Thank you.
Now we're getting somewhere.

Sergeant, that coffee
I asked for half an hour ago.

Anytime you feel like getting it...

He's a boy, sir.

As it turns out, Carter, yes, I am.
For the moment.

Do I know you?



Come on.

It's me.

We tried to contact Colonel O'Neill,
even sent someone to his house.

Do you understand
how much trouble you're in?

lmpersonating a military officer
is a federal offence.

I am not impersonating anyone.

I am Jack O'Neill.

Finally.

Hot chocolate? Are you kidding?

Where did you get this?

I didn't... I didn't get it anywhere. It's mine.

- Because you're Colonel O'Neill.
- Exactly.

Last night I ate some dinner, had a beer,
went to bed, and woke up like this.

Can we please get to the part
where you and Fraiser run some tests,



find a cure, make me big again?

- This is the security breach?
- Daniel, tell them who I am, please.

OK, love to. Who are you?

This young man
claims he's Colonel O'Neill.

It's a joke, right?

- What's going on?
- Daniel!

Sounds like him -
at least the loud, grating parts.

OK. You want proof?

Carter, you once carried a Tok'ra named
Jolinar who gave her life to save you.

Daniel, until recently
you were an ascended being.

You broke the rules, you got
kicked out of the Oma Desala fan club,

and had your memory erased.

And you and Bra'tac both just
lost your snakes in a Goa'uld ambush.

Had your tretonin yet this morning?

How could this child
possess such knowledge?

Because it's me.

Anyone care to speculate how a boy
could be aware of classified information?

- Well, sir, it could be him.
- There is a physical resemblance.

But he can't be more than 15 years old.

Are you saying Colonel O'Neill has
regressed more than 30 years overnight?

- Stranger things have happened.
- Name but one.

The time he got really old, the time
he became a caveman, the time we all...

Why don't we move on to
the testing portion of this exercise?

- Are you certain, Doctor?
- Within an acceptable margin of error,

the boy's DNA is virtually identical
to Colonel O'Neill's.

- What size margin of error?
- Very small.

In a court of law,
the DNA sample we took

would be considered a high-probability
match to that of Colonel O'Neill.

There is a tiny abnormality,
but for all intents and purposes, it's him.

"Tiny abnormality" - like the fact he's a
few years younger than he's meant to be?

To be honest, this is out of my league.
We've got specialists flying in.

We'll run more tests,
see what we can learn.

In the meantime, we'll try
to make him as comfortable as possible.

I'll go set up a PlayStation.

You know... I think you two
are enjoying this just a little too much.

Well, you are kinda cute.

That's "sir" to you.

And being trapped inside a scrawny
little body isn't my idea of cute, Carter.

Does possessing a younger body
not have certain advantages, O'Neill?

No. Not seeing it. What do you mean?

Do you not experience
increased health and vitality?

My vitality was just fine, thank you.

I think what Teal'c is saying is valid.

How many of us wouldn't trade everything
for the chance to live our lives over?

Yeah, well, I don't plan
on staying like this.

Well, in the meantime,
may I make a suggestion?

Try enjoying this as much as we are.

Sir.

It's nice to know
some things don't change.

I wasn't exactly expecting visitors.

We'll send this stuff to the lab for analysis.

Well, if they find MSG,
I will never order from them again.

What are we doing here exactly?

This is the last place
you remember being...

Older?

Are you conducting
a scientific experiment, O'Neill?

Come on. That salsa's still good.

What was the last thing you ate, sir?

Four cheese burritos,
some guacamole on the side.

- Anything else?
- A beer. Then I hit the sack.

So whatever happened to you must
have occurred once you were asleep.

Hey! Do you mind?

Teal'c!

Whoa.

- O'Neill.
- What is it?

Either I'm remembering
a particularly bad dream,

or the Asgard paid me
a little visit last night.

What you're saying
makes no sense.

Jack's account sounds like a number
of UFO abduction case files I've read.

This you remember.
My birthday you forget.

Looks like you'll have a lot more.

This encounter is incongruous
with all previous contact with the Asgard.

Thor has indicated that the Asgard kept
an eye on human development on Earth.

But we're allies now. We've
cooperated on a number of missions.

- This I would not have agreed to.
- What could they possibly hope to gain

from secretly making you younger
against your will?

I got nothing.

I'd like to cross-reference the abduction
accounts, see if I can find a connection.

Please do. Major, I believe you have
a briefing to run at 1300 hours.

- Yes, sir. I'll be there.
- The F-302 briefing?

- I thought I was running that.
- It would be best if the major handled it.

I'm sure you can impart
any information she needs to know.

- But I'm the one who...
- Good. Dismissed.

Come in.

Jack, try to understand. Your situation
puts me in a very difficult position.

No offence, but you're not the one
who went to bed watching CNN

and woke up
as part of the MTV generation.

Which is why Major Carter's
handling that briefing.

I've flown the 302 more than anyone else.

Be that as it may, the bottom line is,

a room full of seasoned pilots aren't
going to respect the opinion of a boy.

Sir, I just look like one for the moment.

But those men in that room
need my expertise.

And if they're gonna be working here,
they're gonna have to get used to...

- unusual things happening.
- Look, Jack.

No one is disputing that you may continue
to be a valuable asset to the SGC.

But under the circumstances,
there's nothing I can do. I'm sorry.

Yes, sir. I understand.

Dumb idea.

It would appear that many Tauri have
encountered beings from other worlds.

Little do they know
how close they are to the truth.

What exactly are we looking for,
Daniel Jackson?

Any abduction accounts
that match Jack's story,

and anyone claiming to have physically
regressed several decades overnight.

- We need to enter our search parameters.
- It has already been done.

Wow! That's a lot of people.

Indeed.

Let's see if any of these match Jack's
story. He said he saw four green lights.

That's a little more reasonable.

That's interesting. Of the narrowed-down
accounts, the most recent is from...

- 19 years ago.
- Eight are here in the States.

If these addresses are still valid,
we should talk to these people in person.

- What do you hope to learn?
- I guess we'll know when we learn it.

As your intel packages show, the F-302 is
a spaceworthy fighter-interceptor aircraft

reverse-engineered
from Goa'uld technology.

Your upcoming mission has been dubbed
"Operation Blue Phoenix".

It'll be a live-fire combat simulation to
test the 302 against actual death gliders.

- Captain?
- According to our mission reports,

you were second seat
on the most recent 302 mission.

Yes, and it included close combat. We'll
cover what was learned in that encounter.

- Didn't Colonel O'Neill pilot that mission?
- Yes, as a matter of fact he did.

He also commanded the X-302 on both
hyperspace window missions, didn't he?

What's your point, Major?

With respect, ma'am,
shouldn't he be running this briefing?

Colonel O'Neill is unavailable.
However, I have several computer models

to help you understand
how the 302 handles in combat situations.

No offence, but those won't help me
when I'm pulling 6G's in a dogfight.

As you should know, Captain,
the 302 has inertial dampening systems

which I am more than qualified
to explain in detail, so let's just...

- I just dropped by to say... Ow!
- Sir, please do not resist.

..stay focused.

- OK, I'm warning you.
- Sir...

Didn't I just say I was warning you?
Hey! Ooh!

That's it! Now I'm mad.

You can release him.

I'll forgo the charges
for assaulting a superior officer.

Carter.

- Could have taken 'em.
- I'm sure.

Sorry I'm late. What'd I miss?

We were covering
the 302's flight capabilities.

Then here's what you need to know.

- Major, is this a joke?
- No, this is... Colonel O'Neill.

I'm only gonna say this once,
so I'd suggest that you listen up.

- Whatever you say.
- Hey!

I realise that it doesn't actually say
"Colonel" on my uniform, but it should.

Yes, sir.

Now, velocity is key
during engagement with a glider.

Your instincts tell you to floor it
because it's more manoeuvrable,

but you've got to stay in control.

The inertial dampeners only compensate
90% when pulling negative G's,

so the real trick is knowing your enemy,
so you can anticipate their next moves.

OK.

Death gliders 101 .

May I ask why the United States Air Force

has taken a renewed interest
in my story after 26 years?

All I can tell you is that
we have some new information.

- Will it prove my story true?
- Eventually.

- Maybe.
- Please tell us what happened to you.

I was asleep in my bed, and a light
appeared in my room and took me.

- Took you where?
- Some kind of spacecraft, I suppose.

I was weightless,
floating in midair, and yet...

It was dark, cold. I couldn't move
a muscle even though I was wide awake.

- After the light hit you, then what?
- The devices came.

They were these green glowing balls
that floated around me.

After the small green spheres
stopped scanning him...

..they left him alone for a long while.

And then a voice spoke to him,
telling him not to be afraid,

- and that he would soon be safe again.
- Did Professor Wu see who spoke to him?

All the accounts are basically identical.
They match Jack's version of events.

Except none of them experienced
any physical changes as a result.

But everything else is bang on - taken
while sleeping, out-of-body experience.

All this does sound familiar -
cliché even, if you watch enough TV.

But they all described four green globes
buzzing around them like insects.

That's too specific a detail
to be a coincidence.

The being that abducted them - I assume
they described an Asgard as well.

Short, big eyes, no hair, weird voice.

The Asgard haven't responded
to our attempted communications.

If help is coming, it better arrive soon.

It's open.

How are you doing?

Well, I think I'm getting
another zit, and, uh...

Oh! Yeah, I'm still a kid.

But beyond that,
I'm doing just peachy, thanks. Why?

Well...

Janet just finished going over the genetic
team's analysis of your test results.

How bad can it be?

You're probably not feeling the effects yet,

but something is happening to your body
at the cellular level.

Basically your genetic structure's
growing more unstable...

Colonel...

you're dying.

Honestly, I feel fine.

You'll start to notice symptoms
as the condition worsens.

- How long do I have?
- It's hard to say.

Say it anyway.

Weeks, days, I don't know.

You'll notice fatigue first. In the end,
your body's vital organs will shut down.

It's like something inside you
is causing a total system failure.

I don't get it. We helped save
their skinny asses from the replicators,

and as a thanks they shrink me
and leave me to die.

We're exploring
every option we have, Colonel.

We just need you to hang in there.

Thanks for coming.
I'm sure it'll help coming from you.

- How are Mark and the kids?
- Good. Great. I'll tell them you said hi.

I'm sorry. Sam told me
what was going on, but...

What could anyone possibly
hope to gain from this?

Can we just, uh... get on with it?

I'm not getting any younger.

Well, as I told Sam,
our options are pretty limited.

You came all this way to say goodbye?

At this point, I'm here
to recommend we put you in stasis

- until we understand your condition.
- You wanna freeze me.

We're not talking about cryogenics
as we know it here on Earth.

The risk involved is minimal.

I've been down this road
with the Tok'ra before.

No offence, Jacob, but the last time
you guys helped me out of a "jam",

I ended up rescuing an old girlfriend
I'd never met before.

We would never subject you to another
blending without your permission.

Good. Cos it's never gonna happen.

No pressure, Jack.
But you need to make a decision.

We have a team standing by.

But if you wait too long,

we may not be able to reverse
the cellular breakdown.

Colonel, please.

It's your choice, Jack.

- Can I have five minutes to think about it?
- You can have ten, Colonel.

- Do you think he'll do it?
- If I have to drag him there myself.

I didn't come all this way
to watch him die like this.

We have a security breach,
level 25, guest quarters.

Security teams have swept the base
three times, inside and out.

They've found nothing. I think
it's safe to assume he's no longer here.

He knows the SGC as well as anyone.
If he wanted a way out, he'd find one.

I've notified the authorities.
With any luck they'll find him soon.

Sir? There's something
you all need to see.

Go on home, kid, before I call the cops.
It's a school night, for cryin' out loud.

How about lite beer?

Gimme a break.

Harley?

- Excuse me?
- Yeah, Harlan Beck.

You served in Operation Proven Force
out of Incirlik.

Yeah, during the Gulf.
How'd you know that, kid?

What, are you kidding? I ran...

I mean, uh... my uncle
knew a Lieutenant Beck from the war.

Said he was a stand-up guy.
Flew an AC-130 gunship over Baghdad.

Then your uncle
had to be in the Special Ops.

Yeah, he was. Colonel Jack O'Neill?

You're Jack O'Neill's nephew?
I didn't know he had a sibling.

Well... used to.

Uncle Jack's been like a father to me
since my folks died.

So how's old Jack doin', anyway?

He's fine. He's not that old, either.

Well, tell him... tell him
Harley said to watch his six.

Hey. Yeah, uh... speaking of six...

Look, seeing as how
you know my uncle and all,

you think you could do me a little favour?

Selmak has had a chance to digest
some of the DNA test results,

and it seems Colonel O'Neill's condition
isn't what we thought.

- He isn't dying?
- He is, but we think we know the cause.

When we first compared the DNA
samples, the match was almost perfect.

- You said there was a tiny abnormality.
- Yes. Selmak thinks he knows why.

This is not Colonel O'Neill.

- But...
- He's a clone.

I see. Keep me informed.

No word yet on...

What exactly do we call him at this point?

Duplicate O'Neill?

Sir, we think we have a clearer idea
of what might be going on.

- Enlighten me.
- We know the Asgard clone themselves.

They clone their bodies, then transfer
their consciousness from one to the next.

They suffer from grave diseases
due to thousands of years of cloning.

Leading to extinction
if they can't solve the problem

of diminishing returns
in their cloning technology.

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

We had the abductees' DNA
that Teal'c and I interviewed

scanned for the same abnormalities
as Duplicate O'Neill.

As far as we can tell,
none of them are clones.

- Which means?
- In all likelihood, the Asgard responsible

took the original people
and replaced them with duplicates.

They study the originals
and then switch them back.

You think whoever took the real
Colonel O'Neill is going to return him?

It's all we've got, sir.

We're hoping the fact that the clone
didn't mature is a mistake.

What makes you think that?

The previous actions of this Asgard
indicated his desire to remain covert.

Jack's clone is a dead giveaway.

The Asgard doesn't know there's
a problem or he'd have tried to fix it.

They'll figure it out
when they try to switch him back.

If they try to switch.

If we don't track down the duplicate,
we may not get the real O'Neill back?

We're sure the Asgard could find him
if he wants. That's not the real issue.

We wish to apprehend the Asgard.

Intercepting the next switch
may be our only shot.

- Hammond.
- General Hammond, sir.

I have a Lieutenant Colonel Beck from
the 10th Air Base Wing on the line for you.

- It has to do with Colonel O'Neill.
- Patch him through.

Yes, sir.

Unless you brought beer,
that's close enough.

Colonel, we need you
to come back with us.

How'd you find me?

Lieutenant Colonel Beck called General
Hammond and placed you in the area.

A man from whom you bought bait
recommended this river.

Tell Jacob thanks, but I'm
not interested in the deep-freeze deal.

We're not here to take you to the Tok'ra.
There may not be much time.

- Never is, is there?
- OK. Well...

There's no easy way to tell you this, so...

Sam's just gonna
come right out and say it.

Well, sir, as you know, the Asgard
depend on a cloning technology...

Oh, for cryin' out loud!

You have been cloned, O'Neill.

What?

We think the Asgard took the real you
and made a copy - an unstable one at that.

The "real" me?

Yeah, the original. That's not
your "real" anything. I'm sorry.

Where's the original?

That's what we hope to find out.
But we need your help.

We've calculated a seven-day gap
between abductions,

which puts us at tonight.

This plan sucks.

Look, I know you don't think
I am who I am,

but as far as I'm concerned, I am...

who I am.

The switch is our only chance
of capturing whoever's behind this.

What about the fact
that this body is dying?

Has anyone even thought
about that for a second?

Oh. I see.

You don't care, as long as
you get the original back.

We just... We don't know
what else to do for you.

Perhaps the Asgard responsible
can correct his mistake.

Fine. Give me a nine-mil.
I'll get it out of the sucker.

We don't know who or what
we might be facing yet.

Exactly why you can't just
use me as bait and hang me out to dry.

You'll never intercept an Asgard beam.

The only chance you have
of capturing this guy is me.

Come on.

A zat gun.

Thank you, sir.

Carter, you still got your ears on?

- Yes, sir.
- Daniel? Teal'c?

- Everything appears to be normal, O'Neill.
- Yeah? Not to me.

Wanna go over the instructions again?

Don't worry, Carter.
I'm sure I'll figure it out.

Colonel, you all right?

Jack! Jack!

O'Neill.

What are you all doing in my bedroom?

Hello. Do not be afraid.

- I assume this is important.
- Just a little, sir.

OK.

Wrong console.

Far right jewel thingy... up.

Ah! And three o'clock.

I was having the weirdest dream.

You see, Carter?
Told you it was no problem.

What's goin' on?

Wow. You know, I'm really
much taller than I think.

Carter?

Colonel O'Neill, meet... Colonel O'Neill.

- What's goin' on?
- We're pretty sure this Asgard over here

kidnapped you and attempted
to replace you with a clone.

How long was I asleep?

- Seven days.
- It's a record.

So you're...

- You.
- ..me?

Yeah. Believe me, if you think it's weird,
imagine how I feel being the copy.

He has awakened.

- What's happening?
- We were kinda hoping you could tell us.

- No, no, no. This is all wrong.
- Hey!

I'll tell you what's wrong.

I just woke up, I haven't had coffee,
let alone a pee in seven days,

and I find out you stole my ass
and made a... mini-me.

Carter, I should be irked currently, yes?

Yes, I would be.

- Why don't you tell us who you are?
- Loki.

According to Norse mythology,
that's the god of mischief.

- What did you want with Colonel O'Neill?
- I have nothing more to say to any of you.

Hey! We just saved your flat little
white asses from the replicators.

- This is the thanks we get?
- At least you're gonna live.

What?

Maybe you're a little put out. But this guy
didn't hit the right buttons on the Xerox.

This body is gonna fall apart
if he doesn't fix me.

I cannot. All the clones
suffer the same fate.

OK. I'm going back
to my original question.

What's going on?

I am a scientist, a former geneticist
with the Asgard Ruling Council.

- Former?
- I was stripped of my stature

after I was caught performing
unsanctioned experiments on humans.

What, you've got sanctioned ones?

I had the courage to do what was needed
to advance our cloning technology.

Instead of courage,
some might call it a lack of morality.

Our population cannot withstand
the duplication process for much longer.

How can experimenting on humans
change that?

Your bodies are similar to
our original form thousands of years ago.

Using your physical make-up
as a template,

I hoped to construct a clone that could
contain our massively superior intellect.

- My research was unsuccessful.
- So much for massively superior intellect.

- I was gonna say that.
- I was going to say

it was unsuccessful prior to
my being caught and banished.

- I would have found what I needed.
- Why risk coming back after 19 years?

Because I thought he was the one.

- Me?
- Me?

I believed his genetic code
contained the key.

- Mine?
- Mine?

Stop it.

He was physiologically advanced enough
to carry and utilise all the data

from the Ancients'
repository of knowledge -

impossible for any human
one generation ago.

He is a significant step forward
on your evolutionary path.

- You just found this out recently?
- I learned it when all the Asgard did.

O'Neill is legendary.

The Asgard fleet has been distracted
by the war with the replicators

and subsequent relocation of our people.

So you took the opportunity when
no one was looking to sneak back here.

I do not regret my actions.
I am trying to save my people.

Look, I know this isn't all about me,
but come on.

- Seriously, I'm dyin' here.
- I cannot reverse your fate.

Nor can I explain why you did not mature
to the proper age as you should have.

Well, easy to see why
they kicked you out of the science club.

All right, I've heard enough.

Carter!

Can you call Thor on this thing?

- Please, do not.
- We've tried contacting the Asgard.

- You'd think if Thor knew about this...
- OK, pretty sure that's it.

All right, how long are we going...

You all right?

Actually, no.

What do we do if Thor doesn't show up?

Never mind.

Well, it's about time.

I apologise for not coming sooner.

Loki, what have you done?

Seems he's been playing Dr Moreau
behind your back.

Yes. Dr Moreau.

- You know why I am here.
- You should have known

O'Neill's genetic coding
was safeguarded for his own protection.

Excuse me?

A marker was placed in your DNA to
prevent attempts at genetic manipulation.

- The abnormality.
- That's why the clone didn't mature.

Yes. Loki will be punished for his actions.

Is it true that Colonel O'Neill is the key
to solving your cloning problems?

No.

- But I thought I was advanced.
- Indeed you are, O'Neill.

But our scientists
have already determined

that while you are an important step
forward in the evolutionary chain,

the missing link we have been
searching for still eludes us.

I'm sorry.

Again, I apologise for any inconvenience
Loki may have caused.

Yeah, that's what I'd call it.

Unfortunately, the eventual genetic
breakdown of the clone is not my doing,

but rather a result of Loki's inept methods.

There was no need
for the clones to survive.

Look, Thor.

Is there anything you can do for him?
The whining's starting to grate.

- You wish your clone to live?
- You can't just let me die.

- He's just a kid.
- Are you certain, O'Neill?

I'm thinking.

- Yeah.
- Very well.

I will attempt to repair his DNA.

If successful, he should continue
to mature at a normal human rate.

Thanks.

You sure about this?

I've thought a lot about it.

You know, you... me. I mean,
we never really did embrace high school.

Haven't you ever wanted to go back
and do it all over again,

especially with all you know now?

No.

Well, from here on in
you and me are different.

Which is why I'm gonna do this.

Hey, listen. Do me a favour, huh?

Don't worry, I wasn't gonna keep in touch.

- Yeah, it'd just be a little...
- Weird.

Weird, yeah.

Yeah.

But if you need anything, just...

The air force has set me up. I'll be fine.

You sure about this?
I mean, it's high school.

Yes. Go forth, young man.