Transcript

Summary | Production | Transcript | Fan Reviews

While Colonel Young and Kiva grapple over control of the ship, a pulsar threatens everyone on board with deadly radiation.

EPISODE #120
ORIGINAL AIR DATE: 06.11.2010
SYNDICATION AIR DATE: 05.16.2011
WRITTEN BY: Joseph Mallozzi & Paul Mullie
DIRECTED BY: Andy Mikita
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Transcript by Callie Sullivan

DESTINY GATE ROOM. Commander Kiva of the Lucian Alliance paces around slowly, awaiting Young's decision on whether or not he will allow her demand for medical supplies. T.J. Johansen is on her knees beside Hunter Riley, whose head wound appears to have worsened, as he is now lying on his back half-conscious. Finally Everett Young's voice comes over the radio.

YOUNG: This is Young.

(Young is in the Infirmary watching as Matthew Scott and Camille Wray pack supplies into bags.)

YOUNG: We've got the medical supplies you requested. We are prepared to give them to you as a show of good faith.

(Nicholas Rush, standing in the doorway watching everyone, turns away with a look of disgust on his face. Young watches him as he walks away.)

KIVA (over radio): Thank you.

YOUNG (into radio): One condition. You and I meet to make the exchange.

KIVA: Agreed.

(Deactivating his radio, Young walks over to the other two.)

YOUNG: Let's do this.


LATER. Young, Scott, Camille and a small military contingency walk towards the Alliance-held area.

YOUNG (into radio): Brody.

(Adam Brody activates his radio from the Control Interface Room.)

BRODY: Ready.

(Reaching the last corner before the sealed bulkhead, Camille stops as Young and Scott step forward and look carefully around the corner. The team take up positions behind them and Young looks back as Ronald Greer, who has changed into casual clothes, approaches carrying the medical bags and wearing a backpack containing further supplies. Young turns to Scott.)

YOUNG: Now, remember: quick kills, centre mass.

SCOTT: Yes, sir.

(He moves off to take his own position. Young looks round to check that Greer is behind him.)

YOUNG: All right.

(He turns and leads Greer around the corner.)

YOUNG (into radio): You ready to do this?

KIVA (into radio): We're ready.

(Tucking the radio into her waistband, she starts to walk towards the doors, looking at her main henchman, whose name is Dannic.)

KIVA: Bring the medic.

(Dannic reaches down and pulls T.J. to her feet. Shaking off his grip, she follows Kiva. On the other side of the nearby bulkhead, Young activates his radio again.)

YOUNG: Open the door.

(Brody presses the appropriate buttons on the console and two adjoining bulkheads open. Young and Greer step through the furthest one and approach Dannic who is standing just inside the other bulkhead.)

YOUNG (into radio): I'm in.

(The bulkhead closes behind him and Greer. Dannic turns and beckons down a side corridor and T.J. comes around the corner, followed by Kiva and another couple of her minions. Kiva looks at Greer.)

KIVA: Who's this?

YOUNG: Ronald Greer is also a medic.

(On the other side of the closed bulkhead, Scott and his crew silently move into position.)

KIVA: Another offer of good faith?

YOUNG: In exchange for Lieutenant Johansen.

KIVA: First things first. (To T.J.) Go and check the supplies and see they're what you need.

(T.J. and Greer move towards each other. She unzips the first bag that he's carrying and looks briefly inside it, then uses the opportunity to look up and shake her head minutely at Young as if to say that she doesn't want the exchange. Greer takes off his backpack and hands it to her. Putting it on, she picks up the other two bags and looks back at Kiva, who nods to her. She starts to step towards Kiva again, then stops as the lights begin to fritz. Immediately Dannic and Kiva aim their pistols at the others, and Greer snatches out his own pistol and raises it.)

YOUNG: Hold your fire!

KIVA (simultaneously): Don't shoot!

(Greer's pistol is aimed directly at her head. Kiva locks her eyes on him as the lights go out. In the Control Interface Room Brody glares at the console in horror as it fritzes and then all the lights and controls go off.)

BRODY: No, no, no, no!

(He calls out.)

BRODY: Power just went out throughout the whole ship!

(Rush is just arriving into the room.)

RUSH: I can see that, Mr. Brody. Please step aside.

(He pushes Brody out of his seat and sits down himself.)

(In the corridor, T.J. looks nervously towards Young. The only illumination is some faint emergency lighting and a couple of flashlights being held by Kiva's henchmen.)

YOUNG: T.J., get behind me.

KIVA: She takes one step in your direction and I will shoot her myself.

GREER (still aiming at Kiva's head): I've got the shot, sir.

KIVA: My men have been ordered to execute the prisoners if I am killed. (To T.J.) Step back in my direction.

(T.J. looks at Young for a moment longer, then turns and moves towards Kiva. As soon as she is in reach, Dannic grabs her arm and shoves her roughly behind him, where the other men seize her and bundle her away. Dannic follows them, walking backwards with his gun aimed until he disappears around the corner. Greer takes a step closer to Kiva, his pistol still aimed.)

GREER: Sir, I've got the shot.

YOUNG: Stand down, Sergeant.

(The lights flicker again and then come on. Kiva backs away, her pistol aimed towards the men. As she retreats around the corner, the bulkhead between her and the men closes as the one behind them opens and Scott's team comes through. Young turns away from the closed bulkhead in frustration.)

YOUNG: Dammit.

(In the Gate Room, David Telford turns towards Kiva as she storms back into the room.)

TELFORD: What happened?

KIVA: They surprised us.

TELFORD: What do you mean?

(Without even looking in their direction, Kiva aims towards a small group of military prisoners sitting nearby and fires a single shot. The bullet hits Corporal Rivers in the chest and he crumples to the floor as the other men scramble away momentarily, then hurry back to check on him.)

KIVA (angrily to Telford): They surprised us. Do you want me to explain it again?

TELFORD (furiously): The hostages are useless to us if they're DEAD!

KIVA (glaring at him): At least they serve a purpose.

(Pocketing her pistol, she takes out her radio and storms over to T.J., holding it up for her.)

KIVA: Tell them.

(T.J. looks across to the military men checking on Rivers. One of them looks up at her and shakes his head.)

KIVA (louder): Tell them.

(Taking the radio, T.J. activates it.)

JOHANSEN: Colonel.

YOUNG (into radio): I'm here.

JOHANSEN: She just killed Rivers.

(Young walks a few paces before answering.)

YOUNG (into radio): Understood.

(Snatching the radio away from T.J., Kiva storms out of the room.)


CORRIDOR. Elsewhere on the ship, Eli Wallace and Chloe Armstrong are still sitting side by side on the floor in an unexplored part of the ship. Eli looks across to see that Chloe's eyes are closed. He nudges her with his knee.

WALLACE: Hey. Don't fall asleep. It's dangerous.

ARMSTRONG: That's a concussion.

WALLACE: OK. Then it's boring.

(They both chuckle and she snuggles her head onto his shoulder. Unseen by her, Eli grimaces.)

ARMSTRONG: So what do you think they'll do with them?

(Eli is finding it hard to concentrate with her cuddled up to him.)

WALLACE: Who?

ARMSTRONG: The prisoners.

WALLACE: Probably drop 'em off on some planet. I don't ... I don't know.

ARMSTRONG: I just hope everyone's OK.

WALLACE: I just hope it's over.

(He gazes wistfully into the distance for a moment.)

WALLACE: Well, not much we can do about it.

(He nudges Chloe so that she'll lift her head from his shoulder.)

WALLACE: Come on.

(He starts to scramble up.)

WALLACE: So, rest time is over.

(He picks her up off the floor and settles her into his arms again before heading slowly off.)

WALLACE: Ah, this feels familiar!


CONTROL INTERFACE ROOM. Young storms in and glares at Rush, Brody, Dale Volker and Lisa Park.

YOUNG: What the hell just happened?

VOLKER: We still don't know.

PARK: We're just getting systems back online, then maybe we can analyse ...

YOUNG (furiously): Screw analyse. Fix it!

BRODY: We've gotta know what's broken first.

YOUNG (loudly, sternly): Do it now.

(The others stare at him, waiting for him to calm down. He turns away, breathing rapidly and fighting his fury. After a few seconds, he turns back to them, still visibly upset.)

YOUNG: Rivers is dead.

PARK (appalled): What?!

(Brody looks down, shocked. Rush also lowers his gaze.)

RUSH (calmly): Well, it was gonna be someone.

(Young looks at him for a moment, then starts to step towards him but soon breaks into a run and tries to throw himself at him. Brody and Volker grab him and try to hold him back, knowing that he'll beat Rush to a pulp if he gets his hands on him.)

VOLKER: Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!

(Rush looks at Young, unafraid.)

RUSH: Or would you prefer it was Chloe, or Eli? Lieutenant Johansen, perhaps?

(Young stills, glaring at him. The other men release him. Rush points at him angrily.)

RUSH: Don't bloody tell me you weren't thinking the same thing.

(Young steps towards him again. Brody grabs his jacket just in case. Young points angrily back at Rush.)

YOUNG: I want you to figure out what's wrong with this ship and fix it. Fix it now.

(Tetchily Rush slams his notebook onto the console. Young turns his gaze to Brody, who lifts his hands clear of his jacket and steps away. Unnoticed by any of the men, Lisa is still taking in the news of death of Rivers, who was one of her many sources of “reading material”. Young glowers at Brody and Volker for a moment, then leaves the room. Rush watches him go.)


STORAGE ROOM. A storage room off the Gate Room has been set up as a temporary medical bay for the Lucian Alliance. Kiva's lieutenant, Varro, is lying unconscious on a table with his top cut open to reveal the bullet wound on his left shoulder. T.J. has unpacked some of her supplies and has fitted Varro with an oxygen mask. An Alliance man comes in.

KOZ: I have orders to help.

JOHANSEN: What's your name?

KOZ: Koz.

(T.J. points to the nearby equipment.)

JOHANSEN: I'll let you know what I need.


GATE ROOM. In the Gate Room, two Alliance men drag Rivers' body away. Telford watches them, then looks up at Kiva as she stands on the upper level. He gazes at her unhappily for a while, then walks away a little.


MESS. Young is getting himself something to eat. Camille Wray sits at a table nearby.

WRAY: You do know there is a way to save them? You're just not wired to consider it.

YOUNG: I'm not surrendering this ship.

(Camille rolls her eyes.)

WRAY: And what exactly is so wonderful about it?!

YOUNG: We give up, she kills everyone, except for those who have value to her. And let me tell you: that's not a hell of a lot of people.

(In the Gate Room, Kiva activates her radio.)

KIVA: Colonel.

YOUNG (into radio): This is Young.

KIVA: I would like to speak to the civilian.

(Taking his radio from its sleeve on his jacket, Young walks over to Camille and offers it to her. She looks at it unhappily, then takes it and activates it.)

WRAY: This is Camille Wray.

KIVA: Colonel Young has proved that he cannot be trusted. Can you?

WRAY: Yes.

KIVA: Then why did you let them plan an ambush?

WRAY: I voiced my disagreement.

KIVA: And you could not stop them?

WRAY: No, obviously not.

KIVA: For that, one of your men was killed. If you fail to live up to your promise twice, I will kill again. Do you understand?

(Camille stands up from the table and paces, upset, before she answers.)

WRAY: No, I don't understand ... but I do believe you.

KIVA: Then I would like to take you up on your initial offer, with one modification. Four of your men for four of ours; and food and water for three days.

WRAY: Will food and water be offered to the hostages?

KIVA: They're no good to me dead.

WRAY: Then we're agreed.

(Deactivating the radio, she holds it out to Young, who walks over and takes it back.)

(While she has been talking with Camille, Telford has come up the stairs to Kiva.)

KIVA: Next time, we take supplies with us in the first wave.

TELFORD: If there is a next time.

(He turns and starts to go down the stairs again, but pauses as the lights again start to flicker on and off, then finally shut off. The same thing happens all around the ship. In the medical bay and operating on Varro's shoulder, T.J. looks up in exasperation.)

JOHANSEN: Dammit! (To Koz) Flashlight! Flashlight!

(Koz picks up a flashlight and switches it on.)

KOZ: What's happening?

JOHANSEN (exasperated): I don't know, Koz. I'm up to my wrists in someone's body right now.

(After a few moments the lights begin to come on again. T.J. glances up briefly and gets back to work as Koz switches the torch off again. She extracts a bullet from Varro's shoulder, drops it down nearby and then presses a pad over the wound, sighing.)


CONTROL INTERFACE ROOM. Rush is checking panels just outside the room as Young arrives back. As a peace offering, he has brought a tray with mugs of water and bowls of emergency rations with him.

YOUNG: Do we have any answers yet?

RUSH (taking a mug): Just the one.

(Young takes the tray over to Brody who takes a bowl of liquid from it.)

BRODY: Every crash has been exactly forty-six minutes, thirty-seven point four seconds apart.

YOUNG: So?

(He takes the tray to Volker who picks up a bowl.)

VOLKER: It'll be easier to show you. Brody?

(Lisa takes a bowl and Young then puts the tray down and goes over to the holoscreen as Brody activates it. It shows two bright lights rotating in circular orbits. The two orbits are marked and are intersecting each other.)

YOUNG: OK, so what am I ... what am I looking at?

RUSH: That's our problem. It's a binary pulsar.

VOLKER: It's a combination of a rotating neutron star and probably a white dwarf orbiting around a single point in space.

YOUNG: What does ... what does that mean to us?

VOLKER: Pulsars give off gamma radiation and X-rays as they rotate - short deadly bursts of ionised radiation.

BRODY: The shield and the hull are protecting us right now.

VOLKER: Right, but the pulsar is literally feeding off of the white dwarf, stripping off material and creating an accretion disc.

PARK: And the white dwarf ploughs through that material every orbit ...

VOLKER: ... which gives off an even bigger gamma ray burst on top of what we're already getting hit with, and that's why our systems are shutting down. The shield has to draw extra power in order to compensate.

RUSH: And that happens every forty-six minutes, thirty-seven point four seconds. It's what's killed that man ... and it's gonna be what kills us.

BRODY: The Lucian Alliance just happened to dial in when the damned thing was in range. The Destiny had to drop out of F.T.L. to make the connection. It's bad timing; bad luck.

YOUNG: Well, then why are we still here?

PARK: Our F.T.L. capability has been compromised.

YOUNG: Compromised?

PARK (defensively, anticipating his impending anger): Don't yell. We don't know why yet.

RUSH: The shield is what's keeping us alive, but sooner or later it's gonna fail. And when it does ...

YOUNG: ... we're dead.

RUSH: Yeah.


LATER. In the Mess, Darren Becker and his team are preparing and packing up the rations to give to the Lucian Alliance. Nearby, Camille is on the radio, explaining the whole situation to Kiva.

WRAY: The radiation burst is what's causing the system malfunctions.

KIVA (into radio): Which will only get worse.

WRAY: Because the shield will fail eventually, yes ... unless we can find a way to make the jump to F.T.L.

KIVA: How much time?

WRAY: According to Rush, we can withstand two more of the bursts. People will start dying by the third.

TELFORD: We saw what one of those bursts did to a man when he wasn't protected by the ship's hull.

(Kiva glowers at him, then reactivates her radio.)

KIVA: First we'll make the trade, and then we'll discuss this new problem.

(Deactivating the radio, she looks round at Dannic.)

KIVA: Has their medic completed Varro's surgery?

DANNIC: Not yet.

KIVA: Well, then, find out what's taking so long.

TELFORD: I'll do it.

(He strolls out of the room and goes to the medical bay where T.J. is sewing up Varro's shoulder wound. Koz is standing on the other side of the table holding up a bag of fluid which is draining into Varro intravenously.)

TELFORD: Lieutenant. She told me to check on your progress.

JOHANSEN: Tell her it'd be a hell of a lot faster if the damned lights didn't keep going off.

TELFORD: Well, that's a whole other problem. The Destiny came out of F.T.L. within range of a pulsar.

(T.J. looks round at him, surprised.)

TELFORD: We don't have much time before the shield fails. Colonel Young and his people are trying to solve it, but ...

JOHANSEN: ... she won't let them.

(Telford locks eyes with Koz for a moment, perhaps trying to indicate to him that Kiva may not be the great leader he thinks she is.)

TELFORD: I'll do my best to convince her.

JOHANSEN: You do that.

(Telford leaves the room. T.J. looks up at Koz, who immediately looks away and looks down at Varro instead. T.J. gets back to work.)


MESS. Becker and crew pack the last of the Alliance supplies into cases. Camille activates her radio.

WRAY: Lieutenant Scott, we've got the supplies that they've requested and we're ready to make the prisoner exchange.

SCOTT (into radio): Copy that.

(He and a military team have been waiting outside a room in which the four Alliance men are being held. He hits the door panel and the doors slide open. The military go inside and march the men out.)


MEDICAL BAY. As T.J. finishes her work on Varro, she suddenly drops her instruments and clutches the side of the table as her knees buckle. She winces in pain. Koz hurries around the table to her and reaches out to support her but she pushes him away.

JOHANSEN: I'm fine. I'm fine.

KOZ: And Varro?

JOHANSEN (stripping off her surgical gloves): I've done all I can for him.


GATE ROOM. A team of Alliance men are arming themselves and checking their weapons. T.J. and Koz come in. Kiva walks over to them.

KIVA: Will he live?

JOHANSEN: I got the bullet out and stopped the bleeding, so he should have a chance. I'd like to take a look at the other wounded.

(Kiva looks at her neutrally for a long moment. T.J. holds her gaze.)

KIVA: Fine.

(T.J. reaches down to one of the Destiny military crew who has a badly bleeding arm.)

JOHANSEN: Let's go.

(Riley, who has at least partially recovered and is sitting nearby, stands and helps him to his feet and T.J. escorts them away. Kiva watches them go and heaves out a quiet sigh.)


MESS. Becker picks up a large trunk which has been filled with supplies and takes it out of the room. A woman reaches for something else. Camille helps her pick it up.

WRAY: You got it?

(The woman nods. Scott comes into the room and calls out.)

SCOTT: Camille? Come here.

(She turns and sees what he is holding in his hands.)

SCOTT: Uh ...

WRAY (taking it from him): What's this?

SCOTT: A flak vest. Just in case.

(She laughs ruefully.)

WRAY: How can I expect them to trust me if I can't even demonstrate a willingness to trust them in turn?

SCOTT: All due respect, ma'am, I don't think they can be trusted,

(Camille looks down at the vest for a moment, then a little reluctantly hands it back to him.)

WRAY: You tell Colonel Young I appreciate his concern.

SCOTT (smiling): Yeah, the colonel said you wouldn't take it. I just thought I'd try anyway.

(She laughs briefly, then her smile fades as she realises what she's about to face. She walks out of the room with Scott following her.)


ELSEWHERE. At the closed bulkhead, Young and Greer are waiting for the others.

GREER: Are you sure about this, sir?

YOUNG: No.

GREER: Good enough for me.

(They turn as Camille walks towards them, followed by Scott and the prisoners who are carrying the food and water supplies.)

YOUNG (to Camille): Hope you make a better impression than I did.

(She smiles briefly and the group walks past Young and Greer and goes to the bulkhead. Camille activates her radio.)

WRAY: Commander Kiva, are you ready?

KIVA (over radio): We are.

(Camille looks back down the corridor to Young, who activates his own radio.)

YOUNG: Brody, open it.

(He walks away around the corner as Brody activates his console. The bulkhead doors slide open and Scott starts to lead the others inside.)

WRAY: Lieutenant.

(He turns back to her.)

WRAY: Thank you. I'll take it from here.

(Scott looks nervously at Dannic who is waiting nearby. Reluctantly, he clicks the safety onto his rifle and turns away, stepping back over to the other side of the bulkhead doors. Camille beckons to the Alliance prisoners and they pick up their supplies again and follow her inside the Alliance zone. Once they're all inside, Camille lifts her radio again.)

WRAY: OK, Mr. Brody.

(The bulkhead doors slide closed. Camille turns back to face Dannic who walks back to the corner and beckons to Kiva who comes around, followed by three Destiny crew members. The first two are civilians and the third is military. Camille frowns.)

WRAY: I asked for civilians.

KIVA: These are the two we had.

WRAY: We agreed on four for four.

(Kiva half turns and steps aside, and two Alliance men drag Rivers' body along the corridor towards Camille. She gasps in appalled horror as they dump him at her feet and then turn and walk away. Kiva looks down at his body for a long moment, then raises her eyes to Camille's.)

KIVA (flatly): Four.

WRAY: What about Lieutenant Johansen?

KIVA: She stays.

WRAY: Even if we figure out a way to jump back into F.T.L. - and right now the odds are not good ...

KIVA (interrupting): Then we'll be right back where we started.

WRAY: Yes, but this doesn't have to end with one of us losing. If we could just figure out a way to work with each other then maybe we could ...

KIVA (talking over her): I can see that you're someone who enjoys talking through problems, but if you don't solve this new one, then neither of us will have anything to talk about.

(She jerks her head to the former prisoners behind Camille, who pick up their supplies and take them into the Alliance zone. The three Destiny crew members walk over to stand behind Camille. Kiva turns and walks away, followed by her men. Dannic closes the bulkhead doors as he goes. Fighting off tears, Camille lifts her radio.)

WRAY: Brody.

(The bulkhead behind her opens. Scott beckons to the crew members.)

SCOTT: All right, get in the Infirmary.

(As they walk away, he and two other military men hurry over to Rivers' body. As the other men bend down to lift him, Scott goes over to Camille.)

SCOTT: Where's Chloe and Eli?

WRAY (nodding her head at the departing crew members): She said they were the only two civilians.

(Scott looks around, bewildered.)

SCOTT: Then where the hell are they?


CORRIDOR. They are in yet another corridor, a very narrow one. Eli is panting heavily as he walks along sideways with Chloe in his arms.

WALLACE: 'Scuse me, just ...

(Groaning, he throws Chloe upwards to get a better grip on her. He turns straight on to the corridor and moves onwards, only to knock her injured leg against a wall stanchion. She groans.)

WALLACE: Ooh! Ooh, sorry, sorry.

(He turns sideways again and continues on as she groans again.)

WALLACE: Sorry.

ARMSTRONG: Oh, take a break, Eli.

WALLACE (hiking her upwards again): Noo, no-no-no-no-no. We'll be gettin' close by now.

(He smiles down at her.)

WALLACE: You know what? We should do this twice a week. This is the kind of exercise that really motivates me, carrying a wounded person the length of the whole ship, in low oxygen! Good times!

ARMSTRONG: Thank you, Eli.

WALLACE: Wait 'til it's your turn to carry me!

(He chuckles.)

ARMSTRONG: You're an amazing friend.

WALLACE: You can never have too many of those ... unless you're one of those people on Facebook who just accepts everybody's Friend request.

(They have reached a wider area which seems to be a junction of corridors. He takes her to a nearby wall and gently settles her down onto the floor with her back against the wall, then straightens up, shaking his hands to get some of the cramp out of them.)

WALLACE: It's like, come on, you know, be a little selective.

(As he talks, he walks over to a nearby bulkhead and hits the wall panel. The lock spins and the doors slide open ... and instantly air starts rushing out through the gap. Eli is almost sucked off his feet but manages to grab hold of the door frame. Chloe is sucked along the floor and just manages to grab a handhold on the wall.)

ARMSTRONG: Eli!

(As they struggle to cling on while the air howls past them, Eli uses all of his waning strength to try to pull himself inside the doors again. After several long painful seconds he succeeds and slaps the door panel and the bulkhead slides closed again. As the air settles, he tumbles to the floor and lies on his back, gasping. He glares upwards, furious at himself.)

WALLACE: Dammit!

(Lying beside him, Chloe gasps as she catches her breath.)

WALLACE: Sorry. Sorry.

ARMSTRONG: It's OK.

WALLACE: Are you OK?

ARMSTRONG: I'm OK.

(Eli rolls over onto his side and props himself up on one elbow, checking her tourniquet.)

ARMSTRONG: Yeah.

WALLACE: Sorry.

(He takes her hand and looks down at her, worried.)


INFIRMARY. Scott has been checking in on the released crew members, and perhaps being briefed by the military man who had been held.

SCOTT: OK, thanks.

(He comes out of the room to where Greer is waiting.)

SCOTT: Yeah, there's no sign of Eli or Chloe. There's no fatalities on our side except for Rivers.

GREER: They must be hiding somewhere.

SCOTT: I hope so.

(He looks down, concerned.)

GREER: Look, that boy would take a bullet before he'd let them touch a hair on her head.

(Scott nods, his gaze still lowered.)

GREER (sternly): Lieutenant.

(Scott raises his gaze to look at his friend.)

GREER: Don't get distracted.

SCOTT: I'm not, I'm not. I just, uh ...

(He blows out a breath.)

SCOTT: I just wanna get this done with.

GREER: And I wish the colonel would give the word so that we can go in there and properly resolve the situation.

(He taps his fist gently and rhythmically against Scott's chest to emphasise his point.)

GREER: Look, he'll do the right thing when the right time comes. You gotta trust that, one hundred percent.

(Scott looks at him, shaking his head in admiration.)

SCOTT: I don't know how you do it, man.

GREER (firmly): Well, you need to learn.


MEDICAL BAY. Varro has recovered consciousness and is sitting on the side of the table as T.J. walks over to Riley to start cleaning his head wound.

VARRO: Thank you.

JOHANSEN: Your commander already showed her appreciation by not killing me.

VARRO: Must be difficult to be forced to save the life of your enemy.

JOHANSEN: No. I would have done it anyway.

(Pouring some sterile water onto a pad, she puts it to Riley's head and gets him to hold it there as she goes over to collect something else.)

JOHANSEN (to Varro): How's the pain?

VARRO: Bearable. Look, I'm trying to say ...

JOHANSEN (turning to glower at him): I don't really care. I've been on my feet for far too long, and I have other patients, so excuse me.

(She turns back to Riley and continues to treat his wound. Varro exchanges a glance with Koz and both of them look at her with begrudging admiration.)


CORRIDOR. In the distant corridor, Chloe is starting to look distinctly grey. She gazes blankly into the distance. Eli is sitting on the other side of the corridor, not looking at her.

WALLACE: Conserving air, or unconscious?

ARMSTRONG (tiredly): Just thinking.

(Eli waits a few seconds, then gestures vaguely.)

WALLACE: About what?

ARMSTRONG: I used to think I had a lot of friends ... but I don't.

WALLACE: They're a billion light years away, but they're still your friends.

ARMSTRONG: No. They don't really care about me ... (she laughs ruefully) ... and I don't really care about them either.

WALLACE: That's nice(!).

(Chloe looks at him intently.)

ARMSTRONG: No, no, because until I met you, I didn't really know what a friend was. Do you know what I mean, Eli?

WALLACE: No.

ARMSTRONG: A friend is someone who will support you no matter what ...

(Eli looks away from her, his face filling with pain.)

ARMSTRONG: ... like you.

WALLACE (awkwardly): Chloe, why don't we, uh ...

ARMSTRONG (tearfully): And I ... I'm not just saying that because I feel like I'm gonna pass out. And even if I do, I just wanna say it first.

WALLACE (nonchalantly, not meeting her eyes): And you did, so ...

ARMSTRONG: But whenever I say stuff like that to you, you always react like I've just awarded you some runner-up prize.

(Finally Eli looks at her.)

ARMSTRONG: And it's not.

WALLACE: I know. It's ...

(He gazes at her as if he longs to tell her everything.)

WALLACE: It's just that ...

(He trails off. She closes her eyes, tears running down her face.)

ARMSTRONG: I know.

(Eli laughs bitterly.)

WALLACE: Of course you do.

(He tilts his head back, still chuckling painfully. After a moment his grin fades and he frowns and tilts his head as his eyes rest on something in the distance.)

WALLACE: Hey. There's a console over there.

(He scrambles to his feet and walks towards it.)

WALLACE: Didn't notice that when we came in.

(He gets closer.)

WALLACE: And it's got power.

ARMSTRONG: Can you call for help?

WALLACE: I can try.

(He starts to work the buttons.)


Outside Destiny, the sky fills with white light as the distant pulsar swings around again. Inside the ship, the lights begin to fritz. Rush looks up in the Control Interface Room, then looks across to Lisa's position.

RUSH: Doctor Park.

(She activates her console and Rush goes over to the holoscreen.)

RUSH: Look, it's not much of a solution, but we don't have to shield the entire ship.

YOUNG: Just the side facing the pulsar, right?

RUSH: Right.

PARK: We'll have to leave some shielding on the underside of the ship, but we should be able to transfer something like ninety percent.

RUSH: Should buy us enough time to restore F.T.L. capability.

WRAY: So why haven't you guys done it yet?

BRODY: Because it can't be done from inside the ship.

VOLKER: Well, it could if we had control of the core systems, but we don't, so ...

RUSH: No-no-no, look-look, someone's gonna have to go for a walk.


LATER. CORRIDOR. Shortly afterwards, he is walking along a corridor with Young, Scott and Greer.

RUSH: I can tell you where to go, what to do. The mechanics of it are relatively simple.

GREER: Yeah, well, then, why don't you put on a spacesuit and do it?

RUSH: Well, uh, you get the F.T.L. drive back online while I'm gone and you've got a deal.

(Scott turns to Young.)

SCOTT: We'll get it done, sir.

YOUNG: I know you will. Gear up.

(They go inside the room where the spacesuits are stored. The two younger men start to strip off their outer gear.)


CONTROL INTERFACE ROOM. Camille is explaining to Kiva what's happening.

WRAY (over radio): They have only the time between the gamma ray bursts to complete their work. The next one is less than twenty minutes from now, so obviously time is an issue.

KIVA (into radio): So what do you need from us?

WRAY: There's a hull breach in the access corridor that's under your control. It's the exit point closest to the array. We need you to let us in.

(Kiva thinks for a minute, then lifts her radio again.)

KIVA: Transfer control of all the ship's systems to us and we will let them in.

WRAY: You do understand that if you don't help us save this ship, we will all die.

KIVA: Oh, I understand completely - and I want you to transfer the ship's systems to us.


ELSEWHERE. Telford makes his way to the area where the Alliance cut through the walls to gain access to the corridors. Two men are guarding the nearest closed doors to that area.

TELFORD: When was the last time you ran a security sweep in there?

(The men don't answer.)

TELFORD: Never mind. I'll do it. Radio.

(One of the men gives him his radio.)

TELFORD (into radio): Calvos, this is Telford. Give me access to the damaged section.

(From a Gate Room console, Calvos sends the command and the doors unlock and open. Handing the radio back to the guard, Telford walks inside and goes over to the hole. Taking out a flashlight, he shines it through the hole and then steps through and heads off. Checking carefully behind him to ensure that no-one from the Alliance is following him, he walks to some exposed pipework and extracts the radio which he had previously hidden there.)

(In the Control Interface Room, Young, Camille and Rush are discussing Kiva's new demands.)

YOUNG (to Camille): Are you telling me you think she's bluffing?

RUSH (snorting): She doesn't have to. She knows who she's dealing with. But to be fair, you don't have much of a choice. At least it'll keep some of us alive ... for a while, anyway.

WRAY (sarcastically): Yeah, like you.

RUSH: You forget I've recently been in their employment. I wouldn't envy me just yet.

(Young's radio clicks three times. He takes it out and switches to channel six as previously arranged.)

YOUNG (into radio): David?

TELFORD (into radio): Yeah, Everett.

YOUNG: It's about damned time.

TELFORD: Listen, do it. Transfer control of the ship and surrender yourselves - everyone but Rush and Brody. Have them retreat to one of the auxiliary control rooms.

YOUNG: They're gonna notice Rush is missing.

TELFORD: Tell them he panicked and ran away. They'll believe it. By the time they start looking for him, it'll be too late. At the first available opportunity, I'll access one of the Gate Room consoles and transfer control of the ship back to Rush.

YOUNG: Well, the second they find out, they're gonna start shooting prisoners.

RUSH: Then I won't let them find out ... not right away, anyway.

(He holds out his hand for the radio. Young gives it to him.)

RUSH (into radio): I won't lock them out completely. They can have control of the ship until I decide they can't.

TELFORD: They'll herd all of the prisoners into one compartment - and if they don't, I'll suggest it. When they do, I'll contact Rush on this channel. I'll tell him which compartment, then he can vent the atmosphere from all the surrounding ones.

(Rush has handed the radio back to Young, who activates it again.)

YOUNG: Where are you gonna be?

TELFORD: You let me worry about that. I gotta go.

(Deactivating the radio, he tucks it back out of sight in the pipework just as the two guards come around the corner. Shining the flashlight around as if he has been checking the area, he turns back to them.)

TELFORD: It's all clear.

(He walks back towards them and looks back down the corridor a little nervously.)

TELFORD: Best not to stick around.

(He leads them away.)


CONTROL INTERFACE ROOM. Young changes channel and contacts Kiva.

YOUNG: This is Colonel Young. I am prepared to surrender control of this ship provided certain conditions are met.

KIVA: Go ahead.

YOUNG: I need you to guarantee me the safety of my people.

KIVA: Agreed.

YOUNG: Nobody gets hurt during the changeover, and no retribution afterwards.

KIVA: Anything else?

YOUNG: That's all.

(He deactivates his radio.)

RUSH: Well, Mr. Brody, time to panic and run off.

VOLKER: Hold on a sec. We just got a message from an unexplored part of the ship.

(He points to Rush's console. Nick looks at the message.)

RUSH: It's Eli. What are we gonna do?

YOUNG: Well, you've gotta go. Good luck.

RUSH: Yeah, you too.

(He and Brody leave the room. Young looks at Lisa.)

YOUNG: Transfer control to them.

(Lisa starts working on her console.)


ELSEWHERE. In their area of the ship, Chloe looks weakly across to Eli as he sits at the nearby console.

ARMSTRONG: Anything?

WALLACE: I wrote it in Ancient, so it could take a while for somebody to ...

(Just then the console beeps and Ancient text appears on the screen.)

ARMSTRONG: What is it?

WALLACE: I've got a message.

ARMSTRONG: What's it say?

(Eli looks at the message unhappily.)

WALLACE: Oh no. We'd better stay put.


GATE ROOM. Files are flashing across one of the consoles. Calvos looks at them, then looks up at Kiva.

CALVOS: Transfer complete.

(Kiva nods towards the doors.)

KIVA: Open them.

(Calvos types and all the doors around the Gate Room open. Outside one set, Vanessa James and three other military people are standing ready, with their hands on their heads. Alliance crew go out to collect them and bundle them away. Alliance squads head out all around the ship and round up the Destiny crew at gunpoint, taking them to the Mess. In the Control Interface Room, Volker and Lisa raise their hands as a couple of squads arrive and take them away. In the Mess, the Destiny crew sit around talking quietly and nervously, and watch as Volker and Lisa are brought in.)


NEAR THE GATE ROOM. Young and Camille are waiting with Scott and Greer who are now wearing the spacesuits and carrying the helmets. Kiva, Dannic and a couple of henchmen arrive. One of the men takes Young's pistol from him and pats him down for more weapons.


MEDICAL BAY. T.J. is dressing the airman's injured arm. Varro is walking around nearby.

VARRO: No shooting. That's a good sign.

(T.J. glances round at him briefly but doesn't speak. He looks down at his injured shoulder and grimaces.)

VARRO: I think the stitching is torn.

JOHANSEN: You're moving around too much.

(She walks over and looks at the wound.)

VARRO: I understand your anger at losing the ship, but it wasn't really yours to begin with. When all this is settled, past sins on both sides will have to be forgiven.

(T.J. picks up her stitching equipment.)

VARRO: Truce?

(He raises his hand for her to shake. She glances at it briefly, then starts to work on his wound. He grimaces, but whether with frustration or pain it's not clear. The lights start to fritz again.)


CORRIDOR. Out in the corridor everybody looks up as the lights fritz and then go out. Scott suppresses a nervous sigh and looks anxiously at Greer, who returns the look. A few moments later the lights flicker and then come back on again. Kiva activates her radio.

KIVA: Open them.

(The bulkhead behind the boys opens.)

YOUNG: Forty-six minutes, gentlemen.

SCOTT: Yes, sir.

(He and Greer go through the doors and walk over to a hole in the ceiling covered by the force shield. The hole is perfectly round, and thus is one of those which was cut by one of the alien ships.)

KIVA (into radio): They're in.

(The doors close again. The boys put their helmets on and check each other's connections to ensure that they're fitted properly. In the Gate Room, Calvos speaks into his own radio.)

CALVOS: Attenuating the shield strength in that compartment.

(Unseen behind him, Telford walks away. Greer walks over to the hole in the ceiling and stands underneath and watches as the force shield dissipates over the hole.)

CALVOS (over radio): Dialling back artificial gravity.

(A moment later, Greer begins to rise up into the air.)

(Telford has made his way into the corridors again and finds a small room with electrical conduits in it. Going inside, he tries to tug one of the devices off the wall to disrupt the power, but can't budge it. He slams his hand angrily against it, then pulls out his pistol, cocks it and goes just outside the room. Using the wall as cover, he leans around, aims back into the room and fires at least four times at the conduits. Sparks fly everywhere.)

(New information begins to appear on Calvos' console. He activates his radio.)

CALVOS: Commander, one of the power relays just went down.

(Receiving the news, Kiva walks away from Young and Camille and heads for the Gate Room. Dannic moves into position to keep an eye on the others.)


DESTINY EXTERNAL HULL. On the exterior surface of Destiny, Greer has exited the hole and is standing beside it. Scott now floats up into view and Greer catches his hand and pulls him across to the surface.


GATE ROOM. Telford nonchalantly strolls back in as Calvos works busily on his console. It beeps negatively at him.

TELFORD: Something wrong?

CALVOS: We just lost a power relay.

TELFORD: Well, why aren't you dealing with it?

(Calvos keeps working but the console beeps negatively again. Calvos looks up at Telford, who jerks a thumb out of the room.)

TELFORD: Go. Go. I can open and close doors.

(Calvos picks up his radio and hurries away. Checking to make sure there's nobody around to see him, Telford goes to another console and starts working on it. Files begin to swarm across the screens.)


AUXILIARY CONTROL ROOM (possibly the room that Rush used when the civilians tried to take over the ship). Rush and Brody walk into the room holding hands. Actually, they're probably not holding hands but it really does look like it for a moment there, and your transcriber's vivid imagination refuses to admit that Brody is simply handing something to Nick. They go to separate consoles and start to work. As Brody's screen comes online, the transferring files begin to swarm across it.


EXTERNAL HULL. On the surface of the ship, Scott and Greer reach a round, raised, illuminated section which forms part of the shield array.

GREER: This is it?

SCOTT: Yeah. It's where he said it was gonna be.

(He bends down and pushes a large round button into its setting. The central part of the array unlocks and begins to lift up.)


GATE ROOM. Telford is concentrating on the console and only realises at the last second that someone is coming into the room beside him. He snatches out his pistol and aims it at Kiva, who raises her pistol simultaneously. They both fire at once.


AUXILIARY CONTROL ROOM. The files stop appearing on Rush's console.

RUSH: No-no-no-no-no.

BRODY: What happened?

RUSH: The transfer's just stopped.


EXTERNAL HULL. Outside, the central section has raised up to its full height, slightly taller than the boys. On either side of it, each of them pulls down a lever until it is at ninety degrees to the device. They give each other a thumbs-up, then each reach for a second lever and pull it down. In the area where the lever used to rest is a panel with an illuminated depiction of Destiny's outline. They poke carefully at certain buttons on the panel, then bend down to push the levers back up into position again. Greer grimaces and bares his teeth as his lever won't lift up. Scott, having apparently got his own lever up, comes around to Greer's side.

SCOTT: What's the matter?

GREER: It won't lock.

(He bends down to it again and grunts with effort as he strains to raise it into position.)

SCOTT (over radio): Colonel Young, this is Scott. How're we doin' for time?

YOUNG (into radio): Fourteen minutes.

(Scott moves closer to the lever and he and Greer both get both hands onto it. Gritting their teeth and grimacing with the effort, they push the lever upwards and back into position. The central device illuminates. One of the boys pushes the large button again and the device starts to lower back down again. Job done.)


GATE ROOM. Calvos and a couple of other Alliance men walk into the Gate Room, and stop and stare in shock at the scene that greets them. Calvos and one of the others hurry over to Kiva who is lying motionless on the floor. There is a lot of blood under her. They turn her over.

CALVOS (into radio): This is Calvos.

(He looks across to where his other colleague is looking at Telford, who is also lying on the floor with a lot of blood around him.)

CALVOS: Kiva and Telford have both been shot.

(His colleague puts a hand to Telford's neck. Calvos checks Kiva.)

CALVOS: The commander is still breathing but unconscious.

(In the corridor, Dannic hears the report.)

DANNIC (into radio): Get them to the medic.

CALVOS: Yes, sir.

DANNIC: Is there any sign of the enemy?

CALVOS: None.

(He goes back to the console as the other two pick up Kiva and carry her away. In the corridor, Dannic lowers his radio and looks at Young.)

DANNIC: Where are your men?

YOUNG: What?

DANNIC: Your soldiers. How did they get into the Gate Room?

YOUNG: I don't know what the hell you're talking about.

(Dannic reaches over and takes Young's radio from its sleeve on his jacket and hands it to a colleague, then grabs Young roughly by the arm and starts to bundle him away.)

YOUNG: I've got people outside this ship!

(Ignoring him, Dannic shoves him onwards. Other Alliance men urge Camille to follow him. As he leads them away, he talks to another Alliance soldier.)

DANNIC: The enemy has somehow breached our lines. Both Telford and Kiva have been shot. I'm assuming command.


EXTERNAL HULL. Outside the ship, Scott and Greer have reached the hole in the surface. The force shield is back in place over it. Scott activates his suit's comms.

SCOTT: Uh, Colonel Young, this is Scott. We're ready to come back in. Lower the shield.

(They stand and look down expectantly at the shield for a moment, then Scott radios again.)

SCOTT: I repeat: this is Scott, over.

(Inside, Dannic hears Scott's voice from the radio but ignores it.)

SCOTT: The shield is still up. We cannot get back inside.

YOUNG (to Dannic): He just saved our damned lives. Lower the shield.

DANNIC: Keep moving.

YOUNG: Lower the damned shield!

(Dannic spins around and backhands Young across the face. Young crumples to his knees, groaning.)

SCOTT (into comms): Lower the shield!

GREER: Try a different channel!

(In the Auxiliary Control Room, Rush hurries to adjust his radio to the same setting.)

SCOTT: This is Scott. Please respond!

(Finally Nick gets the channel right.)

RUSH (into radio): Lieutenant, something's gone wrong. We have to find you another way back inside the ship.

SCOTT: No-no-no-no, there's no time for that, Rush.

GREER: Whoa-whoa-whoa, what other way is there?

(Nick scans along the length of Destiny's surface and finally spots something.)

RUSH: There's an airlock in the forward section.

BRODY: Yeah, we think it's an airlock. It's in a totally unexplored part of the ship. Besides, we can't open it from here.

RUSH: Eli.

(Brody looks at him, puzzled.)

RUSH: Eli.

(He activates his radio.)

RUSH: Lieutenant, I need you to head back towards the front of the ship.

SCOTT: Negative. Negative.

RUSH: Listen to me: that's the way in.

GREER: We're looking at the way in right now.

RUSH: You need to go there as quickly as you can. Go right now!

(Scott and Greer look at each other for a long moment, weighing up the options, then turn and start to lope towards the front of the ship.)

SCOTT (into comms): We're on our way.


ELSEWHERE. At Eli's position, his console bleeps. Sitting on the floor nearby, Chloe turns her head.

ARMSTRONG: What's going on?

WALLACE: Uh, I'm getting a message.

ARMSTRONG: What's it say?

WALLACE: That I've gotta go.

ARMSTRONG: What do you mean?

WALLACE (typing as he speaks): I'm telling them where you are, so you'll be safe until they come.

(He hurries over to her, squats down and takes her face in his hands.)

ARMSTRONG (plaintively): Where are you going?

WALLACE (staring intently into her eyes): Whatever happens, you know, right?

ARMSTRONG: Eli, you're scaring me.

(He leans forward and kisses her fiercely on the cheek, then pulls back and looks into her eyes again.)

WALLACE: I've gotta go.

(Standing up, he hurries away.)

ARMSTRONG: Eli!

(Reaching open bulkhead doors, Eli turns back and looks at her one last time, his face full of regret at having to leave her, but then determinedly pushes the wall button to close the doors behind him as he runs off. Quietly, Chloe starts to cry.)

MEDICAL BAY. T.J. looks round as one of the Alliance men carries Kiva's unconscious body in and lays her on the table. Varro hurries over to Calvos.

VARRO: Calvos. What happened?

(One of the other men has brought Telford in and has dumped him more unceremoniously on the floor nearby.)

AUXILIARY CONTROL ROOM. Brody looks anxiously at his watch.

RUSH (under his breath as he watches his screen): Come on, come on.

Outside, Scott and Greer are trotting as fast as they can along the surface.

MESS. The doors to the Mess Hall slide open and everyone looks around as Dannic shoves Young roughly through the doors. He falls to the floor.

DANNIC: Separate the civilians. Take them to another compartment.

(Alliance men go inside and start bundling anyone not in uniform out of the room. Young, his nose bleeding, looks up in concern.)

CORRIDOR. Eli races along a corridor and hurls himself at a ladder at the end, climbing it as fast as he can.


MEDICAL BAY. Varro lifts a radio.

VARRO: This is Varro. What are you doing?

DANNIC (from the Mess): I'm gonna put an end to this.

(Young gets to his feet as the last of the civilians are ushered out of the room. Dannic and the others go outside and the doors close behind them. Dannic speaks into his radio.)

DANNIC: Bring their injured soldiers to me.

(Alliance men in the Medical Bay raise their rifles and walk towards Riley and the other injured airman. T.J. immediately lifts her hands and backs away from Kiva.)

JOHANSEN (to Varro): Not if you expect me to save your commander.

(One of the Alliance men walks towards the other airman, beckoning to him to stand up. The man slowly stands up, then rushes towards him and grabs at his arm, trying to get his rifle from him. He punches the Alliance man in the face and makes another grab at his arm. They swing around wildly and the Alliance man's finger tightens on the trigger, spraying the room with automatic gunfire. Everyone else heads for the floor, but it's not immediately clear how many are doing so of their own volition and how many have been shot. Riley cries out as he goes down and so may have taken some gunfire. At last the airman manages to hurl the man to the floor and wrestles his rifle off him. Flipping it around, he fires down at the man just as Varro grabs him from behind, pulls out his own pistol, swings it around into his chest and pulls the trigger. Blood sprays everywhere as the bullet flies out of the airman's back.)

(Varro drops the body to the floor and looks around. Nearby, Koz gets up off his knees and stares around wild-eyed. Catching his breath, Varro walks slowly around the room. The Alliance man is clearly dead. And nearby, T.J. lies on her side, her eyes closed.)


AUXILIARY CONTROL ROOM. Brody stares at his screen, frowning in concern.

BRODY: They're not gonna make it.

(In the corridors, Eli throws himself at the next bulkhead, slamming his hand against the wall panel. The doors open and he pelts off down the next corridor.)

(Scott and Greer race along the ship's surface.)

(Back at the junction, Chloe's eyes roll and then close as she loses consciousness.)

(In the Medical Bay, Varro kneels down to T.J. and gently turns her over onto her back. Her abdomen is covered with blood.)

(Elsewhere on the ship, the civilians are being bundled along the corridors.)

(Scott and Greer are still racing in the direction of the airlock. Inside, Eli's face is agonised as he pushes himself to the full extent of his energy as he races along the corridors.)

(The Mess Hall doors open again and a squad of Alliance men walk in, their rifles raised. One of them gestures to Destiny's military crew to kneel. When they don't immediately comply, the Alliance men move amongst them, pushing them down onto their knees. Everett Young stands at the front of his people, his hands folded in front of him and his eyes fixed ahead of himself as one of the Alliance men gestures over and over again with his rifle for him to kneel. Ignoring him, Young raises his eyes skywards, his eyes filling with tears as the lights begin to flicker and fritz.)

(Moments later, the lights go out.)