========================================================================== ACUSATIONS Rachel Brody ========================================================================== Timeline: SeaQuest DSV (Season 2) Author's E-Mail: bi185@freenet.buffalo.edu ========================================================================== ========================= PART 0 - TEASER =============================== SeaQuest "Accusations" By Rachel Brody Monday, May 13, 1996 First Draft TEASER: 1. CORRIDOR Armed soldiers are running through the corridors of SeaQuest. They pass by a group of crew members, shoving them aside. The crew members look confused, but make no move to stop them. One of the soldiers, COMMANDER LEWIS ROYCE, stops and whips out a P.A.L. ROYCE Sir, this is Royce. We have an affirmative signal, and we're going in after him. He clicks off the P.A.L. and clips it to his belt, then follows the rest of the group. 2. CUT TO LUCAS' QUARTERS The room is dark, and LUCAS is working on his computer. In the water tube, DARWIN is watching him. Flashing across the computer screen are symbols, codes, etc. Lucas keeps looking over his shoulder, as if he's afraid that someone will see what he's doing. He is talking to himself. LUCAS Three-seven-red- The screen flashes an "ERROR" message. LUCAS Damn. He continues. 3. CUT TO THE BRIDGE Armed soldiers are also here, along with ADMIRAL ROCHER. Next to each member of the bridge crew is an armed guard. The soldiers are in the process of deactivating bridge functions and downloading information. Several crew members are being escorted off the bridge. BRIDGER (to Rocher) What the hell is going on? How dare you just march in here and- The soldier guarding Bridger powers up his gun, and Bridger stops. SOLDIER (to Rocher) Admiral, Commander Royce reports that his men are in place. Rocher nods. He checks a list. ROCHER Who's Lieutenant Timothy O'Neill? O'Neill stands up nervously. O'NEILL I am. Three soldiers converge on him, and a brief fight results. He is handcuffed. ROCHER (nodding to the soldiers) Lock him in the brig, pending further investigation. FORD What are you doing? ROCHER None of your business- _Commander_. Without warning, Piccolo shoves his guard in the stomach and makes a break for the moonpool. He manages to jump over the edge, but another soldier grabs him by the ankle and drags him out. He struggles for a moment, but is overpowered and handcuffed. ROCHER Take him to the Medical Bay, but keep him under heavy guard. I don't want another stunt like that. He checks his watch. ROCHER (to himself) What could possibly be taking Royce so long? 4. CUT TO LUCAS' QUARTERS Lucas is still working at his computer terminal, and footsteps can be heard in the background. Darwin is still there. DARWIN Lucas late. Lucas looks up, not understanding. LUCAS What are you talking about? DARWIN Lucas late for meeting with Wendy. Suddenly, it dawns on Lucas. He checks his watch. LUCAS Shoot. Darwin, go tell Dr. Smith I'll be right there. I lost track of time. Darwin doesn't go anywhere. Lucas shakes his head. LUCAS Forget it. He begins to shut off his terminal, but must go through a complex series of steps to do so. LUCAS (impatiently) Come on, hurry up, come on. He drums his fingers on the side of the monitor and checks over his shoulder again, making sure that the door is locked. A bang on the door is heard. Lucas looks up in shock, checks his watch, returns his attention to the screen, and types furiously. 5. CUT TO CORRIDOR The soldiers have gathered around the door, and Royce is talking to LIEUTENANT BETHANI MYERS. ROYCE Open up! MYERS We'll need to force the door open. 6. CUT TO LUCAS' QUARTERS Lucas is almost in a frenzy as he coaxes the computer to hurry up. He is standing now, hunched over the desktop, tapping his foot impatiently. LUCAS Come on already. Spit it out! The door flies open, and soldiers rush in. Lucas turns around in surprise. LUCAS Can I help- Royce grabs him by the shoulders and pushes him up against the wall. LUCAS -you? ROYCE Are you Lucas Wolenczak? Lucas looks around the room. He is trying to act nonchalant, but comes across as nervous and hiding something. LUCAS Yeah. What's going on? Royce lets him down. As two soldiers converge on Lucas, he takes out his P.A.L. again and flips it open. ROYCE Sir, we found him. Lucas is watching everything in disbelief. He is so out of it that he doesn't even struggle as the soldiers escort him out of the room. For some reason, Myers stays behind. She walks up to the computer and pulls on a pair of gloves. She ejects the disk and substitutes one from her own pocket, pushing it into the disk drive. She tucks Lucas's real disk away and into her pocket. She leaves the room, touching nothing else. The door slams shut. The camera zooms in on the computer screen before it cuts to.... END OF TEASER =========================== PART 1 ===================================== ACT ONE 1. FADE IN TO MEDICAL BAY Piccolo is lying on a bed, groaning and moaning in faked pain. Smith is examining him, but the two soldiers keep getting in her way. Smith is in a bad mood. SMITH (as she pushes past one of the guards) Do you mind? How am I supposed to work with you in my way? The soldiers don't answer. Piccolo moans again. PICCOLO (closing his eyes in fake pain) Oooh, my foot. SMITH (sharply and impatiently) Shut up, Tony. It's only a bruise. She waves some gizmo scanner thing over his ankle. SMITH (continuing) In fact, I don't see how you could even feel any significant amount of pain. I can't find anything- PICCOLO You sure? Feels like it's broken. Smith places a hand on his ankle and bends it one way. SMITH (tersely) Does that hurt? PICCOLO _Yes_! One of the soldiers gets in Smith's way again. She finally loses her temper. SMITH Both of you, get out! The soldiers exchange glances. SOLDIER #1 Are you sure? She glares at him. SOLDIER #2 Our orders- SMITH (shouting angrily) I don't give a damn about your orders. Get out of the room, NOW! She shoves them both out of the door, locking it. As soon as it is shut, Piccolo hops off the bed and brushes off his hands. PICCOLO Y'know, all of a sudden, my ankle feels a _lot_ better. He peeks out the window, which is covered by a shade. Smith folds her arms over her chest and frowns. SMITH I assume that you have some reason for doing this? PICCOLO (as he looks out another window) Haven't you seen them? They're crawlin' all over the boat. SMITH I assumed that we had taken on some extra crew. Piccolo shakes his head as he walks back toward Smith. PICCOLO Uh-uh. There's an Admiral up on the bridge, in command-- SMITH What happened to Captain Bridger? PICCOLO --and Lieutenant O'Neill got arrested. SMITH Why? PICCOLO Your guess's as good as mine. I made a break for the moonpool, an' they caught me. Smith sits at a desk. SMITH They've been down here for the last few hours. How did they get aboard? PICCOLO Docked about six hours ago. Some admiral said he had to talk to Captain Bridger. SMITH Does anybody- Someone knocks on the door. SOLDIER #1 Doctor, is everything all right in there? Smith looks at Piccolo. SMITH Are you all right? Do you want to go back up there? Piccolo sits back on the bed. PICCOLO I dunno know if I should. My ankle's actin' up again. Smith smiles. SMITH (calling to the soldier on the other side of the door) Everything's fine. But Tony will need to stay here- for at least a few hours. (beat as she tries to think up an excuse) His ankle might be broken. SOLDIER #1 (muffled) Fine. But don't hesitate to tell us if anything goes wrong in there. Smith nods. SMITH (calling) I won't. She looks back at Piccolo, and they smile. Then she frowns as she sits down in the chair. 2. CUT TO THE BRIG O'Neill is sitting in the cell, on a bench, not quite knowing what to with himself. The door opens, and Lucas is brought in. He is put into the same cell as O'Neill after his handcuffs are removed. He stands, peering at the door. LUCAS What did I do to get put in here? O'Neill shrugs. O'NEILL How would I know? Lucas looks at him, and raises an eyebrow. LUCAS Tim? What're you doing here? O'NEILL How would I know? LUCAS (offended) Never mind. Forget I asked. O'NEILL Fine, I will! LUCAS Good. O'NEILL Good. LUCAS Fine then. O'Neill shrugs. Lucas sits next to him on the bench. LUCAS I wonder what we did. O'Neill gives him a "look". He rolls his eyes and turns around, his back to O'Neill. They sit in silence for a few moments. LUCAS Tim- O'Neill glares at him. He shrugs and turns around again. 3. CUT TO BRIDGER'S OFFICE Bridger is sitting in his chair, and Rocher is standing across the desk. ROCHER I'm sorry about this Captain, but there's really nothing that I can do. Bridger humphs. BRIDGER (building to a climatic fury) You could do me the courtesy of telling me why there are armed soldiers swarming over my ship. You could tell me why my communications officer is in the brig, along with who knows who else. You could tell me why I have been kept in the dark about the operations _on my own ship_ for the past three hours. ROCHER (sighs) I can tell you, but it'll have to be kept confidential. BRIDGER Confidentiality can go to hell. Now I want to know what's going on, and I want to know it now! ROCHER (After a few seconds of deliberation) In the past months, there have been leaks in the U.E.O. Security. We have reason to believe that someone is feeding information to the Macronesians. BRIDGER (incredulous) Tim? ROCHER And that kid you've got on board. BRIDGER (more so) _Lucas_? ROCHER Nathan, you don't seem to understand the seriousness of what's going on here. The information that the Macronesians have access to could only be provided by someone in a top position, or by a couple of someones with the knowledge of computers to be able to hack through the security net and the security clearance to get by the communications protocols. BRIDGER Well let me tell you something, _Admiral_. You're evidence had better be dammed convincing, if you expect me to sit back and let two members of my crew be arrested. Rocher nods and taps a few keys on the console. A map appears on the screen, and Bridger looks up at it. BRIDGER What's that? ROCHER The defense plans and clearance codes for every major U.E.O. fortification along the disputed territory. Bridger looks uninterested. Rocher continues. ROCHER Last week, the Macronesians sent an encrypted message to this fort. (he points) Ten minutes later, all essential systems crashed. BRIDGER But that leaves the entire Australian coast vulnerable to attack. ROCHER Exactly. Bridger walks forward and examines the map carefully, for a few seconds. BRIDGER And you think they were responsible for this? Rocher nods. BRIDGER That's preposterous. In the first place, there's no clear motive. In the second, I'd trust both Lucas and Lieutenant O'Neill with my life. Neither of them would sell out the U.E.O. in favor of the Macronesians. ROCHER You don't know that. Money can be damned tempting. BRIDGER There's still no concrete evidence pointing to them. ROCHER And none pointing away. Bridger turns back toward to the screen. BRIDGER So...I assume that there's going to be a formal inquiry. Rocher nods. BRIDGER Then I'd like to be present. As a character witness. ROCHER (shaking his head) You're too personally involved with the culprits-- I mean the accused. BRIDGER What the hell are you talking about?! The whole damn _ship_ is personally involved. ROCHER You more so than anyone else-- you're practically his father! Bridger is speechless. ROCHER (gently) Nathan, I know that this is hard on you, but I'm just trying to find the truth. BRIDGER (incredulous) No, you're not. You've already condemned them both. ROCHER (trying to bring Bridger to his side) Captain, I hope they're both innocent too. Lieutenant O'Neill's record is unscarred as of yet, and Mr. Wolenczak seems like the type who would make fine officer material. Bridger laughs. ROCHER What? BRIDGER I just never pictured Lucas as being the career-officer type. ROCHER My point, Captain, is that I won't stop you from trying to prove their innocence. But don't let me find you in the way of me or my officers. This is a matter of U.E.O. security, and you don't have jurisdiction. He turns and leaves the room. 4. CUT TO MYERS' QUARTERS Lieutenant Myers is on the viewer\communicator device, talking to Perry. She talks quietly, almost in a whisper. The lights are dim. PERRY I'm glad to see that you've gotten aboard the SeaQuest without any problems. MYERS Everything is going according to plans. Rocher is still unaware of the situation. PERRY And you have the information? MYERS All of it. The computers on this ship are poorly guarded. PERRY Wonderful. We will pick you up soon. MYERS In what? Last I heard, you didn't have a ship that could withstand the pressure that it would encounter at these depths. Perry smiles. PERRY Times have changes, Bethani. Trust me. We have what we need. My people tell me that you're near the Garrison Trench? MYERS Yes. PERRY There's a small colony located at the northern end of the trench. Small place. Lots of families, kids. It's a fish farm. (beat) We'll pick you up there. MYERS All right. Myers out. She reaches forward to turn off the viewscreen, but Perry holds up his hand, stopping her. PERRY Hold it. As long as you're on SeaQuest, do you think you could get your hands on some design specifications? She looks at his quizzically. MYERS Of SeaQuest? PERRY If you could... (beat) Let's just say that recently, a few of our buyers have expressed interest in gaining the specifications of U.E.O. navel ships. And a set of SeaQuest's design specs wouldn't be to difficult to come by; not for a person of your immense skill. MYERS (smiling) Sure- Perry smiles, pleased. PERRY Wonderful. I'll let my clients- MYERS On a fifty percent commission. Perry stops, surprised. PERRY You're kidding. MYERS (lightly) You know me better than that. (more serious) I'm not kidding. Fifty\fifty. Take it or leave it. Perry sighs. PERRY Fine. (beat) But I don't want any loose strings. No matter what it takes. Got that? MYERS (nods) No loose strings. I've got it. PERRY And when you get back, I'll- He doesn't finish, because Myers reaches out and cuts the transmission. FADE TO BLACK END OF ACT ONE =========================== PART 2 ===================================== ACT TWO 1. FADE IN TO THE MEDICAL BAY Smith is sitting by the edge of the moonpool, where Darwin is swimming. She takes a glimpse back at the office just as Piccolo peaks out the window. Darwin swims by and she tosses him a ball. There are fewer soldiers on the deck now than there were before, but they are still there. DARWIN Darwin miss Lucas. SMITH (absentmindedly) What? DARWIN When Lucas come? SMITH Where is he? Darwin doesn't answer her. He begins to swim away. She stops him. A worried expression is on her face. SMITH Darwin, where's Lucas? Tell me. DARWIN Lucas in brig. Smith is obviously surprised by this answer. She looks over her shoulder back at Piccolo. SMITH Why? Darwin does the dolphin equivalent of a shrug, then swims away. SMITH See you. She stands and walks back toward the office, which she walks into. Piccolo looks at her. PICCOLO So? What did he say? SMITH Darwin says that Lucas has been arrested. PICCOLO Did he say what for? SMITH No, but this explains why he didn't show up for our appointment. PICCOLO What appointment? SMITH Nothing. She pauses for a moment, thinking. SMITH (continuing) Didn't you say that Lieutenant O'Neill was arrested too? PICCOLO As far as I know. SMITH Then I wonder if the two occurrences could have been connected. PICCOLO But they don't have anything in common. SMITH Are you sure? There has got to be something that we're not seeing. PICCOLO Believe me. They don't have _anything_ in common. 2. CUT TO BRIG LUCAS I wonder when they're going to tell us what we're doing in here. O'Neill doesn't answer. LUCAS Maybe there's been a mistake. O'NEIL The U.E.O. doesn't make many of those. LUCAS At least you're talking now. O'Neill turns around, angry. O'NEILL What do you want me to say!?! That I don't give a damn? Because no matter what we say or think in here, it doesn't change the fact that they think we did something, and they've got evidence to back it up! LUCAS But we _didn't_ do anything. So whatever they think we did is wrong, and we can't prove that we're innocent until we figure out what it is! O'NEILL And how do you propose that we do that from in here? Lucas stops as he realizes that O'Neill has a point. O'NEILL See? Lucas nods as he sits down and leans against the wall. LUCAS Good point. (beat) So, is there anything you'd like to talk about? O'NEILL Not really. LUCAS Me neither. (beat) O'NEILL So, how's your work on the stinger coming along? LUCAS What? O'NEILL I heard you were working on some kind of survival gear. LUCAS Oh yeah. Well, I've gotten most of the bugs out...it's not perfect...it's coming along... (beat) I just need a few more materials from the mainland. Captain Bridger said he'd put in a request. O'NEILL What kinds of materials? LUCAS Mostly air tanks, compressors, ejector...the stuff I don't feel like jerry-rigging. O'NEILL How deep could somebody go and still survive? LUCAS Oh, I dunno. Maybe ten thousand feet. Twelve, if conditions were ideal. O'NEILL That's deep. LUCAS Yup. O'NEILL God, this is boring. LUCAS Uh-huh. O'NEILL Mm-hm. They sit in silence. CUT TO BRIEFING ROOM They're holding a hearing. Rocher, Royce, Myers, and Bridger are sitting at a table-like desk. In front of them are two raised chairs. The door opens and two guards bring in O'Neill and Lucas. They're handcuffed. They sit them down, and begin questioning. MYERS (to O'Neill) Please state your name and rank. O'NEILL O'Neill, Lieutenant J.G. Timothy. MYERS (to Lucas) Please state your name and position. LUCAS Wolenczak, Lucas; Chief Computer Analyst of the SeaQuest. ROCHER Are you familiar with the charges raised against you? O'NEILL No sir. LUCAS No. ROCHER You are both being charged with high treason and piracy of sensitive and restricted data. O'Neill is struck speechless. There is silence, and then Lucas bursts out laughing. LUCAS (through his laughter) Yeah, right. Is this some kind of sick joke? O'Neill elbows Lucas softly. O'NEILL (barely above a whisper) I don't think they're kidding. Lucas is laughing so hard that his eyes are tearing up. LUCAS Of _course_ they're kidding. Neither of us could do that. He looks at Bridger. LUCAS (continuing) Captain...? Bridger looks away, he can't face either of them. Lucas slowly stops laughing when he sees that everyone is being so serious. LUCAS Wait a sec. You aren't kidding, are you. ROCHER Mr. Wolenczak, control yourself or you will be found guilty of contempt of (court) in addition to your other crimes. Bridger's head snaps around at this. BRIDGER What do you mean, guilty? They haven't even had a preliminary hearing yet. Lucas doesn't know how to react. Looks to Bridger, who is staring at Rocher angrily. ROCHER Would either of you like to make a statement? O'NEILL We're innocent. It's incredible that you could even think that we aren't. ROCHER Don't speak for Mr. Wolenczak. LUCAS This is nuts. ROCHER Is that your official statement? Lucas takes a moment to think. LUCAS No. Here's my official statement: This is nuts, _sir_. CUT TO LATER, SAME ROOM. Ortiz is sitting in one of the chairs, he is being questioned. ROCHER Mr. Ortiz, the sensors are capable of picking up transmissions from the presented activities, are they not? ORTIZ Yes, sir. ROCHER But the logs would indicate if this were so, wouldn't they? ORTIZ Yes, sir. ROCHER Then how do you explain the lack of data concerning their activities? ORTIZ I can't, sir, because they weren't doing anything wrong. Rocher is perturbed by this answer. CUT TO LATER, SAME ROOM. Brody is being questioned. ROCHER Lieutenant, as Chief of Security, shouldn't you have been aware of the situation. BRODY Yes sir. ROCHER Were you aware of the situation? BRODY No sir. ROCHER Why not? BRODY Because, sir...frankly, I don't think that there was anything going on. ROCHER Really? BRODY Yes. Sir, I've only known Lieutenant O'Neill and Lucas for a year or so, but I can vouch for their characters. ROCHER And how exactly would you describe their characters? BRODY Tim-- I mean, Lieutenant O'Neill is extreamly reserved. Lucas has saved this ship on numerous occasions, and I feel that he's a valuble member of the crew. CUT TO LATER, SAME ROOM. Piccolo is now sitting in one of the chairs. Rocher is questioning him. ROCHER Mr. Piccolo, you've been Mr. Wolenczak's roommate for quite some time now, correct? PICCOLO Yeah. ROCHER And you would know if he were engaged in illegal activities, correct? PICCOLO (hesitating) I guess so. ROCHER Then why didn't you report either him or Lieutenant O'Neill? PICCOLO They weren't doing anything that needed to be reported, sir. ROCHER (building to a climax) But, by your own admission, you would know that they were! PICCOLO But I- ROCHER (interrupting him) Could the reason for your-- let's call it a lapse in judgement-- be that they included you in their plans? Were you working with them? Bridger looks up, a concerned expression on his face. PICCOLO What?! ROCHER There is also the questions of your actions when my officers arrived on the bridge. You tried to escape. PICCOLO Yeah, but- ROCHER This indicated that you had a guilty conscience. PICCOLO Look, it was instinct. I don't particularly like cops. ROCHER You have a criminal record, do you not? PICCOLO Yeah, but that doesn't mean that- ROCHER On the contrary, it establishes a behavioral pattern. Let the record show that- Bridger slams his fist on the table, _furious_. BRIDGER That is _quite_ enough, Admiral. ROCHER Captain, take your seat. BRIDGER (punctuated with gestures) I don't think so. I have sat here and watched you rake almost every member of my senior staff over the coals on this, and I've had it up to _here_ with your insinuations. Let the record, as biased and warped that it may be, show that you have implied conspiracy, treason, and the information trafficking against some of the best damn people I have ever had the privilege of working with. (disgusted) I'm not letting this...this _witch hunt_ go any further. Tony, you're dismissed! A startled silence. PICCOLO Sir? BRIDGER (through his teeth) I _said_, you've been _dismissed_. Piccolo gets up and heads for the door. No one tries to stop him. Bridger walks purposely around the table-- it has become a dividing line between him and Rocher. He is incredibly furious. BRIDGER (deadly quite) I don't particularly care for your brand of _justice_, Admiral. And I will not-- I repeat _not_-- have you distort the law process any further on board my ship. If you intend on continuing these hearings, you'd better find somewhere else to do so. He turns to leave the room, and walks towards the door. Before he leaves, he turns back and glares at the room. BRIDGER And I'm warning you: don't let me catch you harassing my crew any further. He turns and stalks out of the room. 3. MYER'S QUARTERS Myers is sitting at her computer terminal. Specs of SeaQuest are flashing across her screen. After a few moments, she stops. MYERS There. She pulls a colored disk out of the terminal's disk drive, and tucks it into a watertight container. She then stands and turns off the terminal. Her P.A.L. beeps. MYERS Myers here. ROYCE (fast) Get up to the bridge, on the double! MYERS I'm on my way. She turns it off. 4. CUT TO BRIDGE Alarms are going off, lights are flashing. Rocher jogs onto the bridge and toward Bridger, who is standing. ROCHER What the hell? ORTIZ W.S.K.R.S. picked up a distress call from the Garrison outpost. They've been attacked by unidentified pirates. ROCHER How long? HENDERSON E.T.A. is thirty minutes. BRIDGER They'll never last that long. ROYCE Lieutenant Myers is on her way. ROCHER (to Henderson) Full power! HENDERSON Yes sir. ROCHER (to Brody, who is at communications) Open a channel to the lead sub. Brody does it, and Perry appears on the screen. PERRY Admiral Rocher, I presume? Before Rocher can answer, Myers runs onto the bridge. She sees Perry on the screen, and is startled, but covers it quickly and no one except Ford notices. ROCHER What the hell are you trying to do? PERRY That, my dear Admiral, is not for you to know. Not yet, at least. He disconnects, and the screen goes blank. ORTIZ Captain, they've resumed bombardment of the colony! BRIDGER Lonnie, can't you get any more speed out of this boat? HENDERSON I'm trying! There's something wrong with the engines! They just aren't responding! Myers is smiling faintly. She had something to do with the malfunctions, that much is clear. FORD Sir, there are over a thousand people living on that outpost. BRIDGER Commander Ford, statistics are about the last thing I need right now! ORTIZ Captain, I'm picking up faint readings from- (beat) Sir, there are seven small cruisers coming out of the trench! BRODY They've launched torpedoes! ROCHER Get us out of the way! HENDERSON Going hard about! BRIDGER What the hell do they think they're doing? The bridge tilts as they turn. ORTIZ We've lost the forward W.S.K.R.S. BRIDGER Hail- BRODY More torpedoes on their way! 7. CUT TO BRIG Both Lucas and O'Neill are sitting on their cots. The ship shudders, and O'Neill looks up. O'NEILL What was that? Lucas stands and looks around. He concentrates for a few seconds, thinking. LUCAS It felt like a torpedo detonation. But it couldn't have hit the ship, or we'd- He is cut off when another blast rocks the ship. This time, the ship shakes much more violently, and he is thrown across the room. He smacks into the wall. O'Neill jumps up and rushes over to him. O'NEILL Are you all right? Lucas sits up, his hand over his forehead. He takes it down, and looks at the blood that it smearing over it. LUCAS Yeah. It's probably just a superficial scrape. O'NEILL I don't know about that. It looks bad. I'm going to call one of the guards to get Dr. Smith. Lucas doesn't protest. O'Neill stands at the doorway, and knocks on it loudly. O'NEILL Hey, we need a doctor in here. No answer. O'NEILL Is anybody out there? No answer. LUCAS Don't worry. I'll ride it out. O'NEILL No, you're really cut up. I can't understand why nobody's out there. He helps Lucas prop himself up on the bench, then walks toward the door. There is a small control panel outside the door, he reaches through the bars on the window and flips off the cover. O'NEILL If I can reroute the magnetic polarity on the lock, it'll open and I can get you to the Medical Bay. Lucas doesn't bother arguing as O'Neill begins to work. CUT TO BRIDGE They are still under attack, but Royce and Rocher have backed off, seeing that they have it under control (sort of). Myers is nowhere to be seen. ORTIZ Sir, I'm getting some pretty strange readings. We've entered the trench, and the magnetic attraction of the walls is messing up the computers. HENDERSON (as she pushes away from her station) Engines are off-line. FORD We're sinking. BRIDGER Float the ballasts. BRODY Ballasts away. More torpedoes headed our way. ROCHER (in the background) Where's Lieutenant Myers? FORD Captain, the computer reports that someone's trying to take one of the shuttles- wait, now it says that everything is fine. ORTIZ The computers are probably confused by the magnetics of the trench, just like the sensors. BRIDGER Return fire! BRODY Returning fire. (beat) Two of the cruisers are out of commission. They've ejected lifepods and are headed towards the surface. ORTIZ Incoming! They are hit again and thrown about a bit. BRIDGER Lieutenant Brody, fire at will. BRODY Firing. A couple seconds pass. ORTIZ We hit another one! HENDERSON Sir, they're hailing us. BRIDGER On screen. Perry appears on the screen. PERRY This isn't the last you'll hear from me, _Captain_. He shuts off the connection, and Bridger turns to Ortiz. ORTIZ The fighters are withdrawing. A collective sigh of relief goes up. BRIDGER Status of the Garrison Colony? Ortiz checks his panels and readouts, and looks up slowly. It's bad news. ORTIZ Gone. BRIDGER Gone!?! ORTIZ (as he looks back down at his displays) Confirming, (beat) All escape pods destroyed, no structures of consequence left standing, and no life signs. (beat) (he looks up) They're all dead. FADE TO BLACK =========================== PART 3 ===================================== ACT THREE CUT TO MYERS' QUARTERS Myers is talking to Perry again, on her communications screen. He is obviously angry. PERRY You _said_ you'd be there! MYERS There were problems. I couldn't get out inconspicuously. PERRY Bethani, I lost four of my best people in that attack! The information you're getting is _that_ important to me! MYERS You said not to leave any loose strings. And besides, I've got the information, Rocher has made his arrests, and they don't know I'm behind it. PERRY Dammit; you just don't get it, do you. (beat) I didn't hire you to interpret my orders, just follow them. MYERS (coldly) Then hire someone else. Perry pauses as he realizes he's in danger of losing her. PERRY No, Beth, I didn't mean it that way. I need you. I need the information you're getting me. MYERS Then maybe you should have tried a little harder! Perry steps aside, and we can see wounded members of his crew lying on the floor. PERRY You don't call _this_ hard enough? MYERS It didn't get me off the SeaQuest, did it? PERRY Look, there's another outpost about a hundred or so kilometers east. But that's going to be your last chance. MYERS Don't worry. I won't need another. PERRY Good. 2. CUT TO BRIG O'Neill is fiddling with the controls. O'NEILL I think I've got it. He hits a couple of the wires and hears static, then a voice. It's Myers. O'NEILL Whoops. I wired it through the communications systems. He starts to correct it, but Lucas stands up and joins him at the door. LUCAS Hold on. I recognize that voice. PERRY (voice only, through the communications system) What about medical equipment? There's a market for that too. They look at each other, wondering what's going on. MYERS (same as Perry) The Macronesians? PERRY No. MYERS Who? PERRY Don't worry about that. Can you get it? MYERS I can try. I'll go down to the medical bay and see what I can figure out. PERRY (through comm.) If we had that, I'd be able to break about even, after what the repairs to the subs are going to cost me. MYERS You should be more careful. Attacking SeaQuest wasn't smart. Lucas and O'Neill exchange glances. Lucas mouths "what are they talking about?" O'Neill shrugs. PERRY Just as long as they don't find you. MYERS They won't. Rocher is convinced that it was that kid, and the con officer. Static again, and then the connection is broken. LUCAS Were they talking about what I think they were talking about? O'NEILL I think so. LUCAS Don't you see? That torpedo blast we felt? Us getting accused of something we know we didn't do? It all fits! O'NEILL So what do we do about it? LUCAS I've got to get to a computer; see what I can dig up. (beat, he's thinking) Open the door. Hurry. CUT TO MEDICAL BAY The doors open and Myers enters. Smith looks up sharply. SMITH Can I help you? MYERS No. She walks into a small side room, out of Smith's sights, and begins to go through the medical equipment. She slips a few things into pockets, and continues. CUT TO SMITH'S OFFICE She is talking to Piccolo, who is evidently still hiding out in her office. SMITH I don't know what it is about her; she makes me feel uneasy. PICCOLO Who is she? SMITH I'm not sure. PICCOLO Don't worry about it. She's probably with the Admiral. Smith nods. There is a knock on the door. SMITH Yes? MYERS (from other side of the door) I'm leaving now. I got what I needed. SMITH All right. Bye. She turns back to Piccolo. SMITH But- (she stops, a look of utter horror on her face) Oh my god! Lucas...! PICCOLO What's wrong with Lucas? Smith ignores him and runs out into the main room. Myers is gone. She uses a communications panel and calls Ford. His image appears on the screen. FORD Doctor? SMITH Commander, Lucas is in trouble. FORD I know. But Captain Bridger assures me that everything will be fine. SMITH You don't understand. I mean _right now_. FORD What? SMITH It's hard to explain. There was a female lieutenant in here a minute or two ago. She left, and I suddenly knew that Lucas was going to be in trouble. FORD I'll look into it. OFF SCREEN VOICE What the- FORD Look, Wendy, Lieutenant Brody and I will come down as soon as we can to help you sort this out. But we've got some urgent business to take care of now. Ford out. Smith watches as he disconnects, and walks away. CUT TO BRIDGE Rocher, Royce, Ford, and Brody are standing around one of the displays where Henderson is seated. ROCHER Commander Royce, get a security team on it. Royce nods and leaves. Ford looks troubled. Rocher looks at Henderson. ROCHER When did the security grid pick it up? Henderson looks up at Ford. He nods. HENDERSON About ten minutes ago, but I was only notified a few seconds ago. It's on a delayed release, for some reason. ROCHER That reason being... HENDERSON Someone programmed it. FORD Can you tell who? HENDERSON (hesitating) No. Rocher walks away. As soon as he's out of earshot, she looks up at Ford. HENDERSON It was Tim. Ford looks at Brody. FORD Come on, we've got to go see Dr. Smith. BRODY Why? FORD About O'Neill and Lucas. Brody nods and they leave the bridge. CUT TO CORRIDOR O'Neill and Lucas are running down the hall, being careful to stay out of view. O'Neill is ahead by a few paces, so he rounds the corner first. Royce is there, waiting. O'NEILL (gesturing wildly) Lucas! Run the other way! LUCAS (he doesn't get it) What are you talking about? One of the soldiers fires on O'Neill, and he goes down. Lucas skids to a stop. O'NEILL Run for it! LUCAS (ready to go back for him) Tim! O'NEILL (waving him away) Get going! You've got to prove that- He is cut off when another burst of fire knocks him unconscious. Lucas takes a look around, assessing the situation, and decided that he'd better get going. He runs through a series of corridors, followed by the soldiers, finally going into a side room. He opens up a panel and crawls inside. He pulls the grating back over the hole just before the soldiers run by, they don't see him. He tries to crawl forward, and starts down the duct. CUT TO EMPTY QUARTERS The door opens and Lucas rushes in, heavily injured. He looks around and sees a computer. He sits down and begins to type. On the screen, at first, is just numbers and symbols. Eventually, a picture of Myers appears, followed by a list of aliases and biographical data. Lucas doesn't notice when the door opens, and someone steps into the room. LUCAS I knew it! A gun cycles, charging up. A burst of energy blows up the computer terminal. Lucas turns around and looks. The figure steps into the dim light. It is Myers. END OF ACT THREE =========================== PART 4 ===================================== ACT FOUR FADE IN TO EMPTY QUARTERS Myers is holding the gun, directed at Lucas. MYERS Get away from the computer. Lucas looks at the monitor. LUCAS (sarcastically) What computer? Myers gestures with the gun, and Lucas stands and takes a step away, keeping his hands visible. MYERS How much do you know? LUCAS Nothing. Myers fires the gun, and the energy goes past Lucas' head and into a wall. LUCAS Just what was in the files. She gets ready to shoot the gun again, this time at him. LUCAS Really! She eyes him for a moment, then lowers the gun. MYERS Fine. Get up against the wall. Lucas nods and moves towards the wall. He must pass by Myers to do so. As he walks by her, he suddenly shoves her in the stomach. The gun falls to the floor. A brief struggle ensues, during which she breaks his rib. She winds up with the gun, and he is stuck in the corner. CUT TO CORRIDOR Ford and Brody are running down the corridor to the medical bay. They get to the open doors, and Smith is waiting for them. SMITH We've got to hurry. Something's wrong with Lucas. BRODY (disbelieving) How can you know that? SMITH I _know_. CUT TO BRIDGER'S QUARTERS. Bridger is sitting in a chair, reading a book. Someone knocks on his door. BRIDGER Yes? ROCHER Admiral Rocher. BRIDGER Come in. The door opens and Rocher walks in. He is furious about something, and isn't trying to keep it a secret. Bridger puts down his book. BRIDGER Can I help you? ROCHER Do you know what Commander Ford and Lieutenant Brody are doing, at this minute? Bringer shrugs. BRIDGER Enlighten me. ROCHER (angrily) At this moment, they are _interfering with my security arrangements_! BRIDGER And? ROCHER I insist that you call them off. BRIDGER Do you have anything else to say? ROCHER Not at the moment, although I might at your court martial. Bridger is surprised by this. BRIDGER What? ROCHER As their commanding officer, you are directly responsible for their actions. If you don't call them off, you _will_ be held responsible. Bridger rises out of his seat and walks toward Rocher. When he is standing only a few feet away, he stops. BRIDGER Sir, may I give you some advice? ROCHER Such as? BRIDGER Go to hell. CUT TO CORRIDOR Ford, Brody, and Smith are walking through the hall. Smith is trying to determine Lucas' position from his thoughts. BRODY Don't you have anything yet? SMITH It's not like sonar, Jim. I can't switch it on and off at your convenience. Now shut up while I think. Brody and Ford exchange glances. Ford shrugs. FORD (softly, to Brody) Women. Smith turns and gives him a look. SMITH (mildly annoyed) I heard that. (beat, she snaps to attention.) This way! She takes off, running down a hallway, and they follow her. CUT TO "EMPTY" QUARTERS Myers still has her gun ready to fire on Lucas. He is sitting in the corner, scared, tired, and in a state of general disarray. She quickly moves to the communications panel and opens a channel to Perry. He is annoyed. PERRY What the hell- (beat, he notices Lucas) What's the kid doing there? MYERS I'm not going to be able to get out of here alone without looking conspicuous. PERRY Fine then. Bring him with you. MYERS What!?! PERRY You said you aren't going to get out of there easily, may as well have something more to show for your efforts. MYERS (she is somewhat aghast at this new turn of events) Kidnap him? PERRY Just bring him with you. If anyone asks questions, you were minding your own business when he attacked and kidnapped you. LUCAS You're both insane! MYERS (slowly, convincing herself) It'll work. LUCAS (just beginning to really get it) I'm not going with you! MYERS (ignoring him) Nick, we'll be at the rendez-vous point. She shuts off the channel. MYERS Let's go. LUCAS Where? MYERS Get up. Lucas tries to stand up, but sinks back to the floor, holding his midsection in pain. LUCAS I can't. I think I've got a broken rib or something. MYERS I said get up. Now! She takes a step towards him, and yanks him to his feet. He winces. She grabs him by the arm. MYERS Come on. Lucas suddenly grabs her wrist and snaps it back. She drops the gun, astonished and in pain, and it falls to the floor, where it skitters towards the wall. Lucas shoves Myers over and grabs the gun, then backs up against the wall, in a corner. He waves the gun as she gets up. He is running on instinct and a desire for self-preservation, and has completely lost his grip on reality. He is breathing heavily. LUCAS Don't come near me. MYERS Gimme the gun, kid. You're gonna hurt somebody. LUCAS (as he powers up the weapon) Damn right I am. Myers turns genuinely scared. MYERS Put it down. LUCAS Yeah, right. And have you come after me again? I _really_ don't think so. MYERS You know what'll happen if you shoot me? They're going to have some _real_ evidence against you. You'll go to jail. A rehab center. Your life will be over. She begins to edge towards him, hand outstretched. MYERS (continuing) Just hand it over. LUCAS (wildly) Stay away! MYERS It's not loaded. It's not going to do anything to help you. LUCAS Oh yeah? Then why are you so scared? CUT TO CORRIDOR OUTSIDE EMPTY QUARTERS Royce and his forces come running down the hall from one direction, Ford, Brody, and Smith, from the other direction. They meet in front of the doors to the Empty Quarters where Lucas and Myers are, and it is clear that they are both surprised by the other's presence. Ford and Royce step forward. FORD What are you doing here? ROYCE I might ask you the same thing. Ford sighs, knows that they won't get anything done by standing out in the hall. Smith is becoming frantic, she knows Lucas is in trouble and doesn't want to wait. FORD Look, we both know why we're here. There's no reason for us to stand out here and flex our muscles while we try to outmaneuver each other. Let's just go in. Royce reluctantly agrees. The doors open and they walk inside. INTERIOR OF QUARTERS Lucas has the gun. He has it trained on Myers, who is about to attack him. The door opens, and she immediately changed her demeanor, begins breathing heavily and acting relieved that they showed up. Ford, Brody, and Smith are held back by Royce's soldiers. MYERS Thank god you got here. He's trying to kill me. LUCAS That's not true! FORD (he notices the gun) What the- Lucas, are you okay? SMITH (to Royce, regarding Lucas) He's not well. You've got to let me take him to the Medical bay. Lucas tried to stand up, but he can't. ROYCE Like hell. He's not going anywhere except for the brig. MYERS Lewis, get the gun away from him! Lucas looks at Ford and Smith. LUCAS Guys, tell them I'm innocent. Tim too. (he nods at Myers) She set us up. They don't appear convinced. LUCAS Commander, we've know each other for almost two years. You know Tim and I wouldn't sell out. FORD Lucas, just give them the gun and we'll talk. LUCAS She was going to steal a shuttle and meet some guy with a sub. Tim and I overheard one of their conversations! (he looks at Smith) Wendy, _you_ of all people should know that I'm not lying. Scan me. Tell them. ROYCE (as he looks over at Smith) You can't seriously be considering- SMITH It's only fair. ROYCE (to Ford) This is ludicrous! I'm not going to allow this. FORD Why not? Because it gives Lucas a fair chance? SMITH (she's already completed her scan.) He's innocent. FORD Are you sure? LUCAS She said I'm innocent! Isn't that enough? ROYCE Commander Ford, since when do you take the hunch of a psychic over cold hard facts? FORD Lucas, c'mere. It's okay. Lucas stands to go, when suddenly Myers attacks the guard that has moved to her side. She gets his gun and bolts. ROYCE (slowly, this is hard for him to do) Stop her. The soldiers nod and run out of the room. Smith goes to Lucas' side as he collapses, exhausted. =========================== PART 5 ===================================== ACT FIVE FADE IN TO MEDICAL BAY. Lucas is lying on the bed, and Smith is standing next to him. He wakes up slowly. LUCAS What happened? SMITH You lost a lot of blood, and had a few broken bones. Try not to move too much. LUCAS No, not to me. What happened to Lieutenant Myers? Smith looks uncomfortable. SMITH She almost escaped. LUCAS What do you mean by "almost"? SMITH Captain Bridger had to torpedo the stinger. She died. LUCAS You have the body? SMITH No, but there's no way she could have survived- we're too deep. LUCAS But she could have. I just finished installing a new set of survival gear in the stinger. If she knew that the torpedo was coming, and she had enough time to prepare, she could have- Smith shakes her head and cuts him off. SMITH Lucas, I think you'd better get some rest. You might have suffered more injuries than I thought. LUCAS (frantically) You don't understand! She- Smith sedates him. He fights it for a few minutes, then falls asleep. Smith walks away. CUT TO BRIDGER'S OFFICE Bridger and Rocher are sitting in his office. Bridger is still ticked off at Rocher, but is treating him civily, albeit coolly. O'Neill enters hesitantly. O'NEILL Captain? BRIDGER The Admiral asked to speak with you. Rocher stands and clasps hands behind his back. ROCHER (through teeth) Lieutenant, I'd like to offer my apologies for the inconvenience that my officer's conduct may have caused you. O'Neill and Bridger exchange glances. BRIDGER With all due respect, Admiral, it was more than an inconvenience. Rocher flushes and shoots him a look. ROCHER Perhaps. (to Bridger) My shuttle will be leaving in an hour. Have it ready. He leaves. Bridger begins shuffling papers on his desk. O'Neill stares at Bridger. O'NEILL Sir? Bridger looks up, a "what-you're-still-here" expression on his face. BRIDGER O'Neill? Can I help you? O'Neill looks out the door. O'NEILL Was he, uh... (gestures towards the door) Did he just apologize? BRIDGER You could say that. CUT TO OCEAN Debris from the shuttle is floating towards the surface, slowly. Among the debris is the disk that Myers had recorded the data onto. As it floats past, a gloved hand reaches up and grabs it. FADE TO BLACK THE END ==========================================================================