McKay and Zelenka come up with a plan to repair the Ancients' weapon satellite. Bates and Teyla get into a fight. He is found unconscious and badly injured shortly afterwards.

All hope seems lost, until Colonel Everett arrives suddenly from Earth. He is determined to defend the city until the arrival of a ZPM, brought by a new ship.

Fallen into the Wraith trap, McKay initially resigns to fatal captivity in a cocoon, but Ronon keeps struggling to attempt escaping, or at least taking some Wraith down with them. Sheppard managed to hide his glider on the very hive ship, seeking a way out, surprised to get radio contact with Michael, who seeks revenge after the ingrate queen has him semi-restrained as 'too human' suspect. While they try to sabotage the hive and maybe escape, the Daedalus and Orion race just in time to fight the two hive ships before they may attack earth. Weir is summoned to SGC for a pointless grilling by the International Oversight Advisory, finding them bureaucrats unable to risk a decision beyond questioning what was already done. So she returns, never mind the career risk compared to a Wraith culling. Sheppard manages to reach the Daedalus and his party comes up with a daring plan to overpower the hive with the weaponized retrovirus, despite bombarded damage compromising even their life-support systems.

Radek discovers an alien device that Rodney finds holds serious surprises. Sheppard runs into a reincarnated Acastus Kolya who plans to attack Atlantis. An IOC representative arrives to replace Woolsey who receives advice from a mysterious woman.