Give Me Liberte
(Aqua-Sphere 7 – Romanche Fracture Zone, Depth 7474 Feet)
(Sea Launch)
Ford: (into PAL) Docking procedures completed sir. There’s still no acknowledgment from Aqua-Sphere 7.
Bridger: (on bridge of seaQuest, into radio) We did call ahead didn’t we? We’re sure someone’s home.
Ford: (into PAL) Oh, Captain, you know these Aqua-Sphere scientists. They work in virtual isolation, sixty day rotations; decent food lasts about a month, decent conversation even less. Believe me, when we show up with replacements they’re usually rolling out the red carpet.
O’Neill: (on bridge of seaQuest) Could be their com-net’s down. It’s happened before.
Bridger: (on bridge of seaQuest, into radio) Don’t suppose you looked under the mat for the spare key?
Ford: (into PAL) No, no, sir, but the replacement team tells me they have an emergency access code for the pressure lock. It should work from outside.
Bridger: (on bridge of seaQuest, into radio) All right, Commander, etiquette be damned. If we catch somebody in the shower we can apologize later.
Ford: (into Aqua-Sphere 7) Hello, this is Commander Jonathan Ford of the seaQuest. We have your replacements and supplies. (no reply) Seaman.
(enters)
(seaQuest – Bridge)
Ford: (on loudspeaker) Anyone here? Hello.
Crocker: (walks over) Captain.
Ford: (on loudspeaker) You two, check the other rooms.
Bacher: (on loudspeaker) Aye, sir. They’re probably playing hide and seek with us.
Ford: (on loudspeaker) I don’t know, Captain.
Scientist: (on loudspeaker) What’s that smell?
Ford: (on loudspeaker) It’s pretty weird in here. This place is pretty torn up.
Scientist: (on loudspeaker) Commander, in here.
Ford: (on loudspeaker) Wait, wait, I think we might have something.
Bridger: (into radio) What is it?
Ford: (on loudspeaker) What the hell?
Scientist: (on loudspeaker) Dear God.
Levin: (on loudspeaker) Commander, you better see this. (all start talking at once)
Ford: (on loudspeaker) OK, everybody, calm down, calm down. I said quiet!
Bridger: (into radio) Play by play, Commander, just call it.
Ford: (on loudspeaker) Captain, there’s, uh, there’s been some kind of incident here. The entire Aqua-Sphere 7 research team, well, we have six bodies, sir, no survivors. Something has turned this place into a tomb.
(Hallway)
Bridger: They’re here?
Westphalen: The bodies arrived ten minutes ago.
Bridger: All right, what do we know so far?
Westphalen: So far? Three male, three female, all dead, so far. All right, there are signs of trauma, but nothing that should have caused death, so if the autopsies don’t tell me anything I’ll run CGI’s for chromosomal and genetic abnormalities. Don’t worry, dead can tell us plenty, we just have to know how to listen.
(Sea Deck)
(Commander Ford and the scientists are inside the hyperbaric chamber.)
Krieg: (knocks on glass) Anybody home? Just kidding. Commander Ford, may I speak to you for a minute? Captain sent my down to see if you needed anything.
Ford: (inside chamber) Good.
Krieg: You know, I think you’re looking at this thing all wrong. Don’t think isolation, think paid vacation.
Ford: (inside chamber) I don’t want a vacation. I just wanna get outta here.
Krieg: Yeah, sorry, I can’t provide that one for you, but anything else? Hey, you like puzzles?
Ford: (inside chamber) No, Krieg, I don’t like puzzles. And I want you out.
Krieg: OK, let me know if you change your mind. (leaves, Bridger and Westphalen walk over)
Ford: (inside chamber) Captain, you mind explaining to me why we’re being quarantined?
Westphalen: It’s necessary until we find out what killed the Aqua-Sphere team. They may have picked up a virus or bacteria.
Ford: (inside chamber) Picked it up where? They spent the last sixty days at seven thousand feet, alone, by themselves.
Westphalen: I think I’ll get started on the autopsies. (leaves)
Ford: (inside chamber) Captain, six people are dead, we don’t have a clue how or why.
Bridger: Yes, and I’ve got six families to notify too. I’d appreciate anything from you I didn’t all ready know.
Ford: (inside chamber) So get me out of here. Let me take a team back to Aqua-Sphere 7 and figure out what happened, Captain. If you’d seen the way we found them, I mean their faces, they died so hard.
Bridger: Commander, no one likes to feel helpless, I can understand that. But until Doctor Westphalen says otherwise, you’re quarantined. Is that clear?
Ford: (inside chamber) This isn’t an experiment, OK, we’re not a bunch of lab rats.
Bridger: (walks over to next pane of glass) Mr. Levin.
Levin: (inside chamber) Yes.
Bridger: Commander Ford here doesn’t think that this quarantine is necessary. As head of the replacement team, do you agree with that assessment?
Levin: (inside chamber) I might have if you’d asked me five minutes ago.
Bridger: And that means what?
Levin: (inside chamber) I’ve been trying to identify a canister I saw over on Aqua-Sphere 7. It didn’t mean anything until I reviewed their data discs. One work log in particular, from three days ago, is very interesting. They went outside the sphere to map a new fault line, a pretty routine process generally, but the log says they found something which doesn’t exactly belong down here.
(Bridge)
Hitchcock: (operating the H.R. Probe) I’m on the fault line, Captain; I’m coming up on the coordinates from the Aqua-Sphere 7 work log that Doctor Levin found. OK, I’m on the mark. Seems pretty rugged, lots of fractures but nothing that looks like — wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. This could be it.
Bridger: Well, (reading from screen) Liberté Space Station.
Ortiz: (whistles) Didn’t that thing crash into orbit almost a decade ago?
Crocker: October nineteenth, twenty and nine, seventh game of the World Series. Seattle was chasing Havana with two on in the bottom of the ninth, down by one, and then this, this space scow takes a bath and we get to dive for her. Missed the end of the game and we never did find her.
Bridger: You didn’t find the Liberté, but somebody else did. I remember hearing about the salvaging, but now, that doesn’t make sense. As long as we’re here, let’s go inside. Lieutenant Commander, take us in.
(Sea Deck)
Lucas: (running in) The Liberté was the North Sea Confederation’s baby. They lit the candle on her in twenty and three. That’s, uh, PL.
Ford: (inside chamber) PL?
Lucas: Pre-Lucas.
Ford: (inside chamber) Would you mind getting to the point?
Lucas: The point is, the North Sea Confederation is hiding something.
Bridger: You’re sure of that.
Lucas: I jacked into their Internet, everything there was too clean. Mission’s purpose: peace and exploration. Yeah, right. Said the Liberté had a four man crew and all four men got pulled before the big splash. Not exactly, at least not according to their autonomous zone.
Bridger: Autonomous zone?
Lucas: Electronic filework where corporate weasels stash their dirty laundry.
Bridger: Cover up?
Lucas: Without a doubt. The zone only confirms one round trip, not four. Some old doc by the name of, uh, Guy Pesh.
Bridger: (surprised) Guy Peche?
Lucas: Yeah, Guy … yeah, I guess so. You know him?
Bridger: Sure, I met him years ago in a futurists conference. He’s one of the great genetic physicists in the world. He’s a man who really made a difference in my life. Where is he?
Lucas: I don’t know. After the Liberté it’s like he disappeared or something.
Bridger: Can we find him?
Ford: (inside chamber) Who cares? Man goes into space, man comes out of space, right? Is that pretty much it, because if it is I’d like to know how that’s gonna get us out of here, so I can figure out what the hell — (Lucas turns of speaker)
Lucas: Oh, sound the alert, man overboard.
Bridger: Turn that on. (angrily Lucas does and leaves) You forgetting we’re on the same side here? I mean the game still goes on whether you’re on the bench or not. Now, I’ll speak to Doctor Westphalen about the quarantine, but I suggest you have a little more confidence in your teammates. (leaves)
(Later)
Westphalen: It seems to be a virus that primarily attacks the central nervous system. It could be synthetic or maybe a genetic alteration. The only thing we know for certain is that it’s fatal.
Bridger: Where does it come from?
Westphalen: Oh, well you tell me. I mean someone finds a space station at the bottom of the ocean, they go in and three days later they’re all dead from virus no one’s ever seen.
Bridger: The canister Levin found on the Liberté. You mean Jonathan, all of them, they all have it.
Westphalen: Yes.
Bridger: Well how do you plan to attack this?
Westphalen: Plan! I’m not even certain what it is! (walks away)
Bridger: Well you better be certain, or we’re all dead.
(Even Later)
Scientist: You wanted to see me?
Levin: (inside chamber) I need the results of our blood tests ASAP. And don’t forget to cross reference all the data I’ve sent to you. All right.
Westphalen: (approaches chamber) Um, I’ve conferred with the NORPAC surgeon general and the chief of genetic medicine at the Mayo Clinic and the dean of neurology at Johns Hopkins, and it’s been decided that, for the time being, you will remain in isolation aboard the seaQuest.
Ford: (inside chamber) What, are they afraid they’re gonna catch something?
Westphalen: Please, listen, if the solution of this crisis lies either within the Aqua-Sphere 7 or the Liberté Space Station, than the best place for treatment will be right here. Remember that.
Bacher: (inside chamber) Sir?
Bridger: Sailor.
Bacher: (inside chamber) Uh, my wife, sir, in case I don’t, uh, that is, is there any way I could, uh, … Captain, request permission to contact my wife. She’s upworld with her family.
Bridger: Permission granted. We’ll bring her up to a depth where you can make a call. And that goes for all the rest of you, too. All of you are here by choice. You volunteered and you qualified to serve. You’re here because of your excellence … Military … Science … We’ve come through a lot of tough scrapes together and we’re gonna get through this one. I want you to have faith in Doctor Westphalen and me. We do not intend to quit, and I would be very surprised if any of you do either. Thank you.
(Hallway)
Lucas: (Bridger exits room and closes door, Lucas walks over) Oh, Captain, Doc Peche’s address. It was buried in their autonomous zone.
Bridger: (takes paper) Thanks.
Lucas: Oh, and they, uh, tagged my computer.
Bridger: Who tagged you?
Lucas: Someone at the North Sea Confederation I guess. A tracer dogged my link all the way home.
Bridger: Dogged your link?
Lucas: They know where we are.
Bridger: But do they know what we have?
Lucas: I doubt it. They’re probably gonna find out sooner of later.
Bridger: Well I hope it’s later. Oh, nice work. (goes down stairs)
Westphalen: (coming up stairs with another scientist) There are to be no lapses. I want those gloves to be worn at all times and then destroyed. Oh, Captain, I prepared a list of questions for you to ask Dr. Peche to help me understand this virus, or whatever it is.
Bridger: Oh, thanks, but I, I don’t think I’ll need them.
Westphalen: Really, and did you get a degree in advanced genetics on that island of yours?
Bridger: If I find this Dr. Peche, and if he knows anything about what’s killing my crew, I don’t think I’ll be asking him the questions. You will be.
Westphalen: Well, since I’m not going anywhere —
Bridger: Just put out the good towels. We may be having company.
(Launch Bay)
Hitchcock: (Bridger enters) Captain, your launch is ready and there’s a shuttle jet waiting for you on the surface.
Bridger: Thank you. … As long as Commander Ford is in charge, I expect you to be his eyes and ears on the bridge.
Hitchcock: Yes, sir.
Bridger: I’m about to put you in a very awkward position.
Hitchcock: Sir?
Bridger: You know him as well as anyone does, don’t you?
Hitchcock: We’re friends.
Bridger: He wouldn’t enjoy relinquishing his command, would he?
Hitchcock: Relinquishing to whom?
Bridger: To you. If his health in any way compromises his performance, I expect you to relieve him immediately. Is that understood?
Hitchcock: Yes, sir.
Bridger: Thank you.
(Sea Deck)
Ford: (inside chamber) What is happening to us?
Westphalen: Let me see your hand, open your fingers. There’s loss of motor control, could be ALS, could be an accelerated form of Bulbar palsy.
Ford: (inside chamber) Hey, look at me, talk to me. You gotta do something, Doc, you gotta do something quick. You weren’t there, you don’t know, I mean, those people, they, they, they looked like they lost control, like they just went … their scratches, their bruises; they did it to themselves, they, they did it to each other.
Westphalen: I am trying, Commander, but you are going to have to help me. You’ve got to fight this. (walks away)
(Bridge)
Ortiz: Holding at four thousand yards off the bow.
Hitchcock: How ‘bout it, Mr. O’Neill, anyone pick up over there?
O’Neill: She’s identified herself as the Lafayette.
Hitchcock: No registry?
O’Neill: North Sea Confederation.
Ortiz: WSKRS are picking up all kinds of sonar activity, directed mostly at the floor.
Hitchcock: You suppose they mind tellin’ us what they’re lookin’ for?
O’Neill: No harm in asking. (into radio) Lafayette, this is the seaQuest, request to identify your mission, over.
Frenchman: (on radio) SeaQuest, this is the Lafayette, (continues in French)
O’Neill: They’ve come for their space station. They want the Liberté.
(Montbard, France - North Sea Confederation - 131 Rue Dijon)
Crocker: (pulls up in car, gets out) Well, this is the right address. I don’t know, I was expecting something a little more, uh, …
Bridger: Romantic?
Crocker: Well, at least uptown. I mean, the man’s an astrophysicist. This is a pretty earthy neighborhood.
Bridger: Let me go up and check. (goes up stairs)
Crocker: (girl walks by) Salut beauté. (continues in French, girl responds angrily, in French, slaps Crocker, and walks away) Adieu, adieu, adieu.
Bridger: (coming down stairs) What was that all about?
Crocker: Oh, what, that, Cap? I was just asking her for some directions, she, she didn’t have any. So, nobody home up there? (Bridger shakes his head) What now?
Bridger: We wait.
(seaQuest – Sea Deck)
Hitchcock: I gotta be honest, I don’t like their attitude. They say they won’t back off until we leave and give them the Liberté.
Ford: (inside chamber) What’s the Captain think?
Hitchcock: The Captain isn’t here, remember. It’s your call.
Ford: (inside chamber) Right, right, right. (thinks) Blast ‘em out of the water.
Hitchcock: (confused) What?
Ford: (inside chamber) Is that a problem?
Hitchcock: Yes, it is. They’re UEO, North Sea Confederation. I mean, technically they do own the Liberté.
Ford: (inside chamber, angrily) Than give it to them. Tell them, we’ll leave the area.
Hitchcock: Jonathan, there may be something very dangerous aboard the Liberté. It, it might be unwise to —
Ford: (inside chamber) Damnit, Lieutenant Commander, I gave you an order.
Hitchcock: Actually, you’ve given me two.
Ford: (inside chamber, opens hand, sees blood where nails dug into skin) What’s the Captain think?
Hitchcock: I, I don’t know. I’ll ask him.
(Bridge)
Hitchcock: (enters) Your attention please. On Captain Bridger’s orders I will be relieving Mr. Ford of command. Get me the Captain of the Lafayette.
O’Neill: Aye, aye. Captain Longet, Commander.
Hitchcock: (into radio) Captain Longet, this is Lieutenant Commander Hitchcock, commander of the seaQuest. These are not your territorial waters, please back off at once.
Longet: (on radio) Please understand that this is not personal, but I have my orders. If you do not allow me access to the Liberté I will have to —
Hitchcock: (into radio) Have to what? Attack? Come on, Captain, we could blast you right out of the water.
Longet: (on radio) SeaQuest, it is my understanding that you are a peacekeeping vessel.
Ortiz: Lafayette’s torpedo tubes are flooded, they’re on us.
Hitchcock: (into radio) Understand this, Captain, you are not to go anywhere near the Liberté, over.
Ortiz: Torpedo doors closing. They’re backing off.
(Montbard, France - North Sea Confederation - 131 Rue Dijon)
Guy Peche: (walks up) Pardon.
Crocker: Sorry partner, you’re gonna have to find some place else to curl up tonight. (Peche replies in French)
Bridger: Doctor Peche?
Peche: No. (goes up stairs, Bridger and Crocker follow, Peche opens door)
Bridger: Je suis Captain Nathan Bridger and my friend Mr. Crocker.
Peche: Get out of here. (tries to close door, Bridger forces it open)
Bridger: We’ve met before, don’t you remember?
Peche: I don’t remember anything.
Bridger: Brussels, the futurist’s conference. I’m here to ask for your help. This is about the Liberté.
Peche: You’ve got the wrong man. (Crocker points to picture)
Bridger: No, Doctor, I remember you very well.
Peche: Please go, there is nothing more to say about the Liberté. (takes picture)
Bridger: We found it.
Peche: Impossible, there is no more Liberté.
Bridger: Oh, not as you remember it. Now it’s at the bottom of the ocean.
Peche: Lie. This is a trick, why are you doing this to me?
Bridger: Because something from the Liberté is killing my crew, and you may know about it.
Peche: Please go, I have to write, a book to finish.
Bridger: Doctor, I’m sure your book is very important, but people are dying.
Peche: That’s what people do, they die. The only things that survive are pain and guilt. (goes to window, pours drink) Maybe one day you will read about it.
Bridger: (goes to window) What was it like up there, on the moon?
Peche: I’m still affected by it.
Bridger: What did you see when you looked down at the Earth?
Peche: It was like, like a big blue marble.
Bridger: A blue marble … that’s the color of my world. Two scientists in two different worlds. I’m offering you a chance to see mine.
Peche: Tell me, Captain, is your world really wonderful?
Bridger: Come with me, see for yourself.
(Sea Launch)
Peche: The ocean, it is very much like space. Dark, mysterious …
Bridger: Yes, full of mysteries. But that’s what attracts us, isn’t it?
Peche: Look, Captain, I’m not so sure, anymore, I can help you. I really shouldn’t have come.
Bridger: What happened aboard the Liberté? What was you Confederation trying to hide?
Peche: The North Sea Confederation put me into space to conduct research, genetics; very experimental, very wrong.
Crocker: Why were you the only one that made it back?
Peche: It was an … an accident, an onboard contamination. I was in the safe room, that’s why I was the only one allowed to return.
Crocker: What happened to the Liberté?
Peche: The self destruct system misfired.
Crocker: Musta just blown it out of orbit.
Bridger: Crashed to the bottom, lost, until now.
(seaQuest – Launch Bay)
Hitchcock: Welcome back, Captain.
Bridger: How is he?
Hitchcock: Not good. He’s starting to fall apart. Now, there’s another problem. The North Sea Confederation sent over a warrior sub to take the Liberté. Now, I’ve managed to scare them off for the time being.
Bridger: How are things at the Liberté?
Hitchcock: Reclamation detail has her pumped dry and pressurized.
Bridger: Good. Uh, Doctor Peche, this is Lieutenant Commander Hitchcock. She’ll get you to Doctor Westphalen.
Peche: Enchanté.
Bridger: And I’ll be with you in a moment, Commander. (leaves)
Hitchcock: Aye, aye, sir. Uh, come right this way. (all leave)
(Sea Deck)
Peche: (hesitatingly) We were working on the DNA, on the twenty-first chromosome, or is it the twenty-second? So long ago, I’m not sure.
Westphalen: That’s all right, that’s all right. We’ll work through this together. Now, if I knew the exact purpose of your research, I could help you pinpoint the affected chromosome. You said that you exposed your test subjects to sprays?
Peche: In the test chamber. They created a disease.
Westphalen: As a biological weapon.
Peche: Yes, a new strain of meningitis.
Lucas: (walking past) Sounds like somebody was playing God.
Westphalen: Than you must have been working on the antidote. Perhaps if you could just tell me —
Peche: No.
Westphalen: No antidote. How could you create a disease and not the cure?
Ford: (inside chamber, angrily) What are you looking at? This isn’t a zoo.
Lucas: Sorry. So, Doctor Peche, How long did your friends live?
Peche: It took two days for the rescue shuttle to reach me. They were still alive then, but …
Westphalen: Doctor Peche, please.
Peche: It was the twenty-first chromosome. And the DNA strand code was GTAG.
Westphalen: Are you certain?
Peche: No.
Lucas: Look Doc, this is no time for guessing games. This is your fault, you’ll have to fix it.
Peche: (picks up vials, shakes) I can’t do this, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. (leaves)
(Later)
(Krieg enters the hyperbaric chamber wearing an oxygen suit. He’s passing out things to the people in the chamber.)
Krieg: Hey, hey, good tidings from your local friendly morale officer. How about some goodies everybody, pick that chin up, huh. Magazines, spread ‘em around. Commander, what do you say to a little interactive video, huh. I pulled something from my personal, and private, collection.
Ford: (inside chamber) Not interested,
Krieg: (inside chamber) Not interested, what are you, nuts? Oh, uh, look Commander, I know you don’t like me. You think I’m cocky and arrogant, and well, you may be right. But I wanna help you, all right, I wanna help. So why don’t you give this thing a try, huh. I have a feeling it’s really gonna really work for you. Just ease it on —
Ford: (inside chamber) Leave me alone. I’m tired of everybody’s pity, I’m tired of being watched, and I’m tired of you.
Bridger: (entering) Commander.
Krieg: (inside chamber) Let go of this thing, let go.
Ford: (inside chamber) Just leave me alone.
Bridger: (angrily) That’ll be enough.
Krieg: (inside chamber) Stop it, you’re gonna tear the — (suit rips) The hell’d you do that for?
Ford: (inside chamber) I’m sorry, I’m sorry.
Krieg: (inside chamber) Oh, no, no, no. This isn’t happening. This is not happening. Could you please step aside, I gotta get outta here. (goes to leave chamber)
Bridger: Lieutenant. (Krieg stops) You’re not going anywhere. I’m sorry.
Krieg: (inside chamber) No, no, Captain, Captain. It’s just a very small tear, I really don’t think it affected anything, Captain.
Bridger: (walks away and over to Westphalen and Wolenczak) Where’s Doctor Peche?
Westphalen: Does it matter?
Bridger: What does that mean?
Westphalen: I’m sorry, he left. He seems to be keener on drinking than thinking these days.
Bridger: I didn’t bring him this far for drinking. (leaves)
(Mess Hall)
(Dr. Peche sits at a table with a bottle in front of him. Bridger walks in and pushes the bottle off the table.)
Bridger: What the hell do you think you’re doing? Now you can quit on yourself if you like, but I’ll be damned if you’re gonna quit on me and my crew. You can’t hide yourself in a bottle, people are dying here. I need you, you can help us.
Peche: But I don’t know what to do.
Bridger: What is it? What aren’t you telling me? What’s changed you from the man I used to admire?
Peche: There were two survivors.
Bridger: Not in the records.
Peche: I know the record shows that I was the only one to leave the space station, but there was another, who didn’t.
Bridger: Who? Who didn’t?
Peche: Pierre, his name was Pierre. He was in the test chamber like everyone else, but for some reason he did not get sick. I waited two days for the rescue shuttle, two days I watched them suffer, listened to their screams and curses. Pierre’s suffering only came at the hands of the others. He begged me, begged me to let him out, begged until his voice was not more than a whisper. But I wouldn’t, I was scared to be contaminated, so I let him die. I was as if I would have pulled the trigger with my own hands. You understand, I was responsible for his death.
Bridger: A moment’s weakness Doctor, a moment. Pierre … Pierre, he may be the antidote.
(Bridge)
Westphalen: (getting of Mag-lev) Yes, it’s possible. If Pierre was unaffected he may have had a natural immunity. But we’ll need a sample of his DNA to find the resistant coding. (enters bridge)
Bridger: (following) But you’re sure it’s still good, after all these years.
Westphalen: Well the low water temperature in his space suit should have protected what we need. It is worth going for, a small amount of his bone marrow could be enough to create an antidote.
Bridger: And you’d identify the remains, Doctor?
Peche: Yes.
Bridger: All right, excuse me. Lieutenant Commander, get us a launch, we’re going aboard the Liberté.
Hitchcock: Aye, aye, Captain.
Bridger: (hears sonar pings) Something I should be aware of, Mr. Ortiz?
Ortiz: High altitude tracking signal sir. Gotta be a satellite.
Bridger: Target?
O’Neill: Captain, we’ve just received a transmission from the North Sea Confederation. They advise we clear the area immediately. They say they’re going to destroy the Liberté whether we like it or not.
Ortiz: Targeting radius one thousand meters and closing,
Bridger: They’re covering their tracks. They’re afraid we might have proof that they were using the Liberté to test biological weapons. Mr. Ortiz, how well can that satellite see?
Ortiz: Well it’s probably a little nearsighted.
Bridger: How nearsighted?
Ortiz: I doubt if it will be able to tell the difference between us and the Liberté.
Crocker: Well, that’s certainly comforting.
Bridger: Once it’s locked on, how long before it can fire a missile?
Ortiz: No more than a couple minutes.
Bridger: If there’s a cure down below that doesn’t give us much time to find it.
Hitchcock: Captain, request permission —
Bridger: Uh, uh, uh, oh no, I need you here. I’ll feel a helluva lot better down there knowing that you’re up here.
Hitchcock: What about the missiles?
Bridger: Well, if they’re launched, I’ll trust that you’ll keep them from hitting either of us. Ready, Chief?
Crocker: Right with you, Cap.
Bridger: Doctor, are you still up for this (exiting bridge)
Peche: Yes, I want to go.
(Later)
O’Neill: Just decrypted this message, Lieutenant. I intercepted it from the North Sea Confederation.
Hitchcock: Read it to me.
O’Neill: Confirmation of targeting lock on the Liberté. Aircraft are waiting missile launch command.
Ortiz: Commander, sensors are picking up water entry of a missile-like object.
Hitchcock: Weapons, launch countermeasures. Let me see the WSKRS, Mr. Ortiz.
Ortiz: Putting it up.
Ortiz: WSKRS shutting down to avoid interference with countermeasures, going to audio only. Weapon has locked onto our countermeasure and is homing.
(Liberté space station)
Bridger: This seal won’t take many more like that.
Crocker: We’d better get our hunk of bone and get out of here, Cap. (enters Liberté) Which one?
Peche: This one here, this is Pierre. I know his watch, it was a gift from his wife.
Crocker: (to Bridger) You wanna carve?
Bridger: Shh. Do it.
(seaQuest – Bridge)
Ortiz: Second missile in the water.
Hitchcock: Launch countermeasures.
Phillips: Countermeasure has been launched.
(Liberté space station)
Bridger: What’s that?
Peche: Canister of death, and they got away with it.
Bridger: We’ll see about that.
Crocker: That seal’s letting go, Cap, hurry up.
Bridger: We gotta get outta here, fast. Here. (throws bag to Crocker) Come on.
Peche: I left once when I shouldn’t have. I won’t do it again.
Bridger: Excuse me.
Peche: It is what I deserve.
Crocker: This thing ain’t gonna hold together much longer.
Bridger: Listen, you’re a survivor, life gave you a get out of jail free card. You don’t hand it back.
Crocker: (from launch) Come on, Cap.
Bridger: (punches Peche) Poor man, exhausted. (drags Peche into launch)
(seaQuest – Bridge)
Ortiz: Sensors have just picked up water entry of a third missile.
Hitchcock: What is taking them so long?
Phillips: Weapon is locked on target and homing.
Hitchcock: Intercept it, Mr. Ortiz.
Ortiz: Too late, it’s locked on Liberté.
Hitchcock: Time to impact?
Ortiz: Fifty seconds.
Hitchcock: Than we’ll hit it before it hits them. Flood tubes one and two.
Phillips: Tubes one and two flooded and ready.
Hitchcock: Time to impact?
Ortiz: Forty seconds.
Hitchcock: Prepare to fire torpedoes.
Bridger: (entering) Commander, cancel that order. If they want to destroy their own space station, let them. We’ve got everything off it we need.
Hitchcock: What about the virus? An explosion could scatter it.
Bridger: Not if there’s nothing to scatter. (Crocker holds up bag)
(Sea Deck)
Bridger: How’s it going?
Westphalen: We’re waiting for the latest line of blood test results.
Bridger: What’s your gut feeling?
Westphalen: Twice I’ve changed the solution. Oh, how dare genetic doctors cross that line between healing and killing?
Bridger: I’m counting on you to cross it right now.
Lucas: Doctor, I’m getting a readout.
Westphalen: (looks into microscope, excitedly) Oh, I think it’s working, it is, it’s working.
Lucas: That astronaut’s cell kicked some major chromosomal butt.
Bridger: How soon before they come out to play?
Westphalen: Very soon. Why don’t you tell them the good news?
Bridger: No, I think it should come from you. (follows Westphalen to chamber)
Krieg: (inside chamber) I never really knew you had that Florence Nightingale thing in you.
Ford: (inside chamber) I don’t know what’s worse, dying or being helped by dinks.
Westphalen: Ladies and gentlemen, I have some very good news. . . .
(Mess Hall)
Bridger: So I did make an impression at that conference. I talked too much, didn’t I?
Peche: Of course, but you told the most wonderful stories about a magnificent underwater vessel you hoped to build. I was certain you exaggerated in your excitement, but then again … Is the seaQuest everything you dreamt?
Bridger: If properly used, yes, even more.
Peche: Captain, you were right, about your world, the water. It has a very cleansing effect. Merci, Captain, merci beaucoup.