Brothers and Sisters
(seaQuest DSV - Ward Room)
Rusty Thomas: (on loudspeaker) Mayday, mayday, this is Colonel Thomas, Landau Munitions Depot. We're in marine submersible Romeo Lima three four four approximately one half hour out, bearing two niner five. We've encountered severe turbulence off the sea mount. Having trouble holding - port runner. Dan, port!
Dan Walker: (on loudspeaker) Linda!
Linda Walker: (on loudspeaker) I'm all right.
Rusty: (on loudspeaker) Zero thrust, approaching crush depth.
Linda: (on loudspeaker) Oh God, the children.
Rusty: (on loudspeaker) We're going down.
Linda: (on loudspeaker) Rusty … (tape ends)
Bridger: That transmission was received almost three years ago. Colonel Thomas and Sergeant Walker and their families were living at the Landau Munitions Depository. They were there to decommission stockpiled weapons. Apparently what we just heard was their unsuccessful attempt to leave the facility. Our mission today is twofold. One, to find the lost submersible.
Ford: Chief Ortiz is plotting a WSKRS search pattern.
Bridger: Thank you. And the primary mission is to, uh, permanently seal the depository. Commander?
Hitchcock: Well, if the structure's stable we go in and plant C84 explosives. If not, we back off and fire long range at her supports.
Bridger: The location was designed so that a blast of sufficient force would collapse the overhanging geology and entomb the depot. The obvious way to do this would be C84, but Doctor Westphalen is against sending any party over to plant the charges.
Westphalen: Yes, I am. This is what the surrounding terrain looked like three years ago, and this is what it looks like today. Now, undersea slide has filled in the opposite slope. This has caused, um, a funnel effect, which increases the hydrodynamic forces exponentially.
Hitchcock: Our external examination shows structural weakening of the depot has taken place.
Bridger: All right, do we let Mother Nature do the job for us?
Hitchcock: I wouldn't advise it. If the depot is weakened in piecemeal, it could come down the sea mount.Ford: And that would scatter a lot of high yield weapons, among other things Timberwind NTR's, Tacid Rainbow AGM's, MLRS Reload, Pallet Quantums -
Ortiz: (over loudspeaker) Captain to the bridge, Commander to the bridge.
Bridger: Report, Mr. Ortiz.
Ortiz: (over loudspeaker) We're being targeted, sir.
Bridger: By whom?
Ortiz: (over loudspeaker) The munitions depot.
(Bridge)
O'Neill: (as Bridger, Ford, and Hitchcock enter) Captain, I've received a warning signal from an automated defense system.
Ortiz: The tube is flooding, Captain, launch imminent.
Bridger: Sound collision, brace for impact. (missile hits seaQuest, bounces off)
Ford: It's a dud.
Bridger: Damage report.
Hitchcock: None showing, sir.
Ortiz: Captain, I believe that torpedo was fired manually. There's someone down there, sir.
Bridger: Commander, send out the H.R. Probe. (Hitchcock does so) Give me visual.
Hitchcock: Aye, aye, sir.
(On the vid-link there are three children pushing a torpedo. A small little girl comes to the window and looks out before a teenage girl comes and pulls her away from it.)
Bridger: Children.
(Bridge - Later)
Westphalen: (coming over) OK, there were six children on the depot, their ages would range from six to sixteen now if they're still alive.
Bridger: They looked alive to me. (into radio) What's your position now, Commander?
Ford: (on launch) Captain, we're underneath the docking bay. It seems deserted, completely unprotected.Bridger: Mr. O'Neill?
O'Neill: Sending on all frequencies, no response.
Bridger: (into radio) You can go in now, Commander, but remember, they're just children.
Ford: (on launch) Yes, sir. (opens door) All right, be alert. Let's go. (enters depot)
(Landau Munitions Depot)
Ford: (into PAL) Branching corridor, Captain.
Bridger: (on bridge of seaQuest, into radio) Keep your group together.
Crocker: Commander, look at this.
Ford: (into PAL) Stand by. (enters room) Entering the main complex, it's been rigged as a communal sleeping area.
Bridger: (on bridge of seaQuest, into radio) How big are the bunks?
Ford: (into PAL) Child size.
Crocker: Old AU-26, this has got a nuclear warhead on it.
Zack Thomas: Hold it right there.
Ford: (into PAL) Captain, we found the children. Stand by.
Zack: Who are you?
Ford: Commander Jonathan Ford. Who are you?
Zack: Zachary Thomas.
Ford: Did you fire at our vessel, Zachary?
Zack: You didn't listen to our warning, you didn't go away.
Ford: We can't, we have to evacuate this depot. It's being destroyed.
Zack: This is our home.
Ford: Where are your parents?
Zack: They're gone, but they're coming back.
Ford: Please, point your spears at the floor, we're not pointing our weapons at you. (all do) Thank you.
Hitchcock: You know, we have hot food and warm clothes back at the boat.
Zack: We're not leaving.
(A groan can be heard coming from behind him.)
Ford: Who's that? (motions for Hitchcock and Crocker to see)
Hitchcock: (examining boy) What happened to him?
Cleo Walker: Tony went into the torpedo tube to open the outside door, then he got sick.
Hitchcock: He was exposed to the outside pressure?
Cleo: Yes.
Hitchcock: He's got an embolism.
Ford: Med tech, get over here. (into PAL) We need a stretcher.
Crewman: (on PAL) On the double.
Zack: What are you going to do with him?
Ford: I'm taking him to seaQuest.
Zack: No.
Ford: This kid's about to die.
O'Neill: (on bridge of seaQuest) Captain, I've got Commander Ford.
Bridger: (on bridge of seaQuest, into radio) What's the situation?
Ford: (into PAL) Captain, we've got a kid with an embolism.
Bridger: (on bridge of seaQuest, into radio) I'll have Doctor Westphalen meet you at the hyperbaric chamber.
Ford: (into PAL) OK, we're on our way.
Crocker: No, he can't wait for a stretcher. We gotta get him outta here now. (picks up Tony) Come on. (leaves)
Kids: (in unison) Tony!
Zack: Cleo, don't leave.
Cleo: I have to stay with Tony. Come on boys, come on Zack. (leaves)
Hitchcock: (to Ford, holding Hope) I'll meet you back down at the launch.
Ford: Come on, Zack, let's go.
Zack: I ain't leavin'. (runs away)
Ford: Come on, Zack, hey! (after others) Go on without me, send the launch back.
(seaQuest DSV - Hallway)
Lucas: (running through halls, turns corner, bumps into crewman) I'm sorry, man, my fault. (runs off)
(Bridge)
Lucas: (enters bridge, walks over to Bridger) Captain.
Bridger: Those clam doors are closed for a reason, Lucas, I don't need you on the bridge right now.
Lucas: Well, I heard there were some kids on the boat.
Ortiz: (walking by) WSKRS are holding position, sir.
Bridger: Thank you. (to Lucas) You know what, might be a good idea for you to talk to them. But try and show a little sensitivity. Their parents died three years ago and left them stranded on the depot.
Lucas: Yeah, sure, um, do you know where they are?
Bridger: Yes, they're with Doctor Westphalen on the sea deck. Lucas, remember, you are still a part of this crew. (Lucas leaves)
(Landau Munitions Depot)
Ford: (walking down hallway) Zack? Zack, please, there's nothing to be afraid of.
(seaQuest DSV - Sea Deck)
Westphalen: Matthew, Brawley, come here, I want to show you something. Now, do you see those bubbles? (points to flask in Crocker's hand) Tony is sick because he's got bubbles like that in his blood, and we don't like that, do we? So we put him in a hyperbaric chamber. Now, the hyperbaric chamber will get rid of the bubbles. Do you know how they're going to get out? (the boys shake their heads) You see his feet are up in the air? The bubbles are going to go up his legs and out his toes, and then the lady in there will catch them. And then Tony will be just fine. Now, bet you guys are hungry, aren't you? How would you like some sandwiches? Chief?
Crocker: Oh, that's my specialty right there. How about peanut butter, maybe some, uh, grape jelly? (the boys nod their heads) Let's go get it. (leaves with boys)
Cleo: He's not all right, is he?
Westphalen: No, no he's, uh, very sick, but I believe he's going to be fine, honestly. You know what you can do best to help him? Let him rest. He's going to be in there for hours, and if he sees you out here, he's going to tire himself out by, you know, putting on a brave front. Really, all he needs is to sleep. (Lucas enters) Lucas, have you met Cleo?
Lucas: No. (smiles)
Westphalen: Well, Lucas, Cleo; Cleo, Lucas.
Lucas: Hi.
Cleo: Hi.
Westphalen: You know, this is the most spectacular ship on or under the oceans and Lucas knows every corner of it. Would you like to show Cleo around?
Lucas: Yeah, sure.
Westphalen: Good. (Lucas and Cleo just look at each other) Go. (Lucas and Cleo walk over to the moon pool)
Lucas: I'd like you to meet somebody. This is Darwin.
Cleo: He's great. I never had a pet.
Lucas: Well he's not really a pet, actually, he's, um, more of a friend. Come on, I'll show you around. (They leave as Krieg enters and walks over to Hitchcock, who is playing with Hope)
Krieg: See, wha'd I tell you? You're a natural. Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock.
Hitchcock: You're the most hateful man on the face of this Earth. (She takes Hope by the hand and leaves.)
(Landau Munitions Depot)
Bridger: (on PAL) Status, Commander?
Ford: (into PAL) I sent Torrance up a level to check areas that haven't been flooded yet. A few more rooms and I'll have my sweep down here completed.
Bridger: (on bridge of seaQuest) Any luck finding the boy?
Ford: (into PAL) Zach, no, sir, but I am definitely on the right track.
Bridger: (on bridge of seaQuest, into radio) Keep me informed. seaQuest out. (sits down on Matthew and Brawley) What, get outta here!
(seaQuest DSV - Hallway)
Lucas: My dad just dumped me here, never even asked what I thought. "It's for your own good son, it'll teach you discipline and responsibility." Yeah. It's not so bad or anything, it's just that I'm living with two hundred adults who do nothing all day but run my life.
Cleo: You're lucky.
Lucas: You're kidding, right?
Cleo: I'm only fifteen years old and I've been like a mother to five kids since I was twelve. They all think I know what I'm doing, but … We catch our food with nets and traps, and we never know if there'll be enough. I take care of Matthew and Brawley and Hope, they're always getting sick because we can never keep any place warm enough or dry enough for them. I worry all the time that they'll get hurt and I won't know what to do. And if there's a little time left for myself, than I sleep, 'cause I always feel so tired (sits down on stairs)
Lucas: How could they just leave you alone like that?
Cleo: Well Nana was with us.
Lucas: Nana?
Cleo: Zack's mom. But she got sick. We tried to take care of her but … At the end she told me and Zack that we had to be strong, look after everyone. She said as long as we stayed together we'd be all right.
Lucas: Listen, um, there's no one here you need to take care of right now, and as far as I know there's nothing you need to do, so how 'bout we do something fun? (holds out hand) What do you say?
(Landau Munitions Depot)
(Ford walks down a hallway and comes to a dead end where Nana is buried. There is a shrine to her with candles still burning. Ford lights another candle then turns and walks away.)
(seaQuest DSV - Bridge)
Bridger: Not good for Indian braves to draw on Captain's navigation tables.
Crocker: I'm sorry, Cap, it's my fault. I lost sight of these two for one second and they were gone. They're slicker than an armadillo on a West Texas highway. I'll tell you that much. Let's go find Lieutenant Krieg, you'll love him, he's a barrel of fun. (Crocker takes the boys away)
Westphalen: (enters and puts a chart on the table) These are the latest hydrodynamic projections. Doesn't look good.
Bridger: I know. I've been changing helmsmen every thirty minutes. Maintaining a course in these currents is exhausting.
Westphalen: Are Commander Ford and the boy on their way back yet?
Bridger: We're working on it. (Westphalen leaves, Bridger tries to rub writing off table) Crocker!
(Lucas's Room)
Lucas: (entering, Cleo follows) OK, just hold on, hold on, I know it's around here somewhere. (picks up seapoc) Yeah, you are going to love this game, it's great.
Cleo: I like it.
Lucas: (confused) What?
Cleo: This room.
Lucas: Really?
Cleo: Uh huh. It's messy, it's cramped, smells like you.
Lucas: Thank you.
Cleo: And it's warm, like my home from before.
Lucas: I'll, um, find that game I was telling you about.
Cleo: (sits down, notices Darwin) Does he always follow you?
Lucas: Oh yeah, yeah. (sits down) We, uh, we sorta stick together. You know, like odd birds of a feather. (excitedly) I found it, you gotta see this, it's great, it's a hyper reality pirate game. Yeah, you gotta check this out, this baby goes way beyond cyberspace.
Cleo: Would it be OK if we didn't play a game?
Lucas: Yeah, yeah sure. Um, we could, uh, we could watch a movie. You like movies? I got some, uh, great interactives. (Cleo shakes her head) No movies. OK.
Cleo: You know what I'd like?
Lucas: Name it.
Cleo: Could we listen to music?
Lucas: Yeah. I've got, um, I've got classical, I've got country, Neurohouse, maybe a little old-fashioned rock n' roll?
Cleo: How 'bout something soft?
Lucas: Soft?
Cleo: You pick it.
Lucas: OK. Yeah, I think you'll like this. (plays music)
Cleo: It's been so long. It's perfect.
Lucas: You didn't have music at the depot?
Cleo: (stands up) We were moving, we sent it all away.
Shai: (singing) As I look into your eyes I often fantasize about your kiss, and somehow I just knew it would be like this.…
Lucas: That's three years without music.
Cleo: Well, sometimes we'd sing whenever Hope or the twins got scared. It would make them feel better. We'd all just get together and we'd sing.
(Lucas and Cleo dance.)
Shai: (singing) Follow me, I'll be your guide. Take me with you, let me ride. I will do most anything you say, baby, 'cause baby, I'm yours, oh, baby, all yours, oh, baby. (yours, yours, yours, yours) Ah, tell me what you need and I will make sure I provide your every one. Hey, babe, make a list of pleasures, I'll give you treasures 'till the end of time, live long. Ooh, ahh …
(Landau Munitions Depot)
Ford: (into PAL) Torrance has finished the security check on his level, sir.
Bridger: (on bridge of seaQuest, into radio) Good. What's the structure's stability?
Ford: (into PAL) I'll be happy to get out of here. Stand by. (enters another room) What the … (into comlink) It's some kind of play room. Wow, woah. (falls in, wrestles under balls with Zack)
Bridger: (on bridge of seaQuest, into radio) Commander Ford?
Torrance: Commander? (depot shakes and Torrance falls in)
Bridger: (on bridge of seaQuest, into radio) Commander.
O'Neill: (on bridge of seaQuest) His unit's active, sir, he's just not answering.
Bridger: (on bridge of seaQuest) What's that noise?
Ford: (stands up in balls with Zack pointing spear at him) Easy Zack, easy, take it easy.
Bridger: (on PAL) Commander?
Ford: (into PAL) I found Zack, sir.
Zack: Shut up about me.
Bridger: (on bridge of seaQuest, into radio) What's going on down there?
Ford: (into PAL) I have a situation, sir.
Zack: Just shut up and turn that thing off.
Ford: (into PAL) SeaQuest, stand by.
(seaQuest DSV - Gym)
Krieg: Hi. (pauses) Katie, about before -
Hitchcock: I don't have time, Ben. I'm on duty in twenty minutes. You know, tick, tock, tick, tock.
Krieg: Sometimes I slip into old habits when I see you, ya know.
Hitchcock: Since when is insensitivity an old habit?
Krieg: The tick tock thing was supposed to be a joke. I came down here to apologize. I'm sorry. (heads toward door)
Hitchcock: Ben, that little girl, she's so trusting, so hungry for love. Even from me and I'm just a stranger. She made me feel what it's like to want a baby. It's wonderful, scary. And then you come along with your biological clock thing, and it's like twisting the knife.
Krieg: I can explain that, I'm an idiot. I never see the line until I've crossed it. But I never meant to be cruel. Look, we never should have married. I mean, I wasn't in love with you. I was in love with the idea of us. Top of our class, fast track careers, the best and the brightest. Heck, I was marrying myself.
Hitchcock: Is that supposed to be a compliment?
Krieg: Oh, sure it is. An insensitive thoughtless one, but a compliment. Look, I used to fantasize about havin' my own ship, but you, you're command material.
Hitchcock: My fantasies never included children. But now, I'm never gonna get a command with a baby on my hip.
Krieg: You'll get whatever you want because you deserve it. Maybe someday you'll even find the right guy. Of course, he won't be as good looking as me.
(Hitchcock throws her towel at him as she leaves the room)
(Bridge)
Lucas: (entering with Cleo) Captain?
Bridger: Oh, Cleo, listen, Zack is refusing to leave the depot and he's threatening one of my officers. I'd like you to speak to him.
Cleo: OK.
Bridger: (into radio) Commander, this is Captain Bridger. We'd like to speak to Zack.
Zack: (on depot) Well, I don't wanna talk to you.
Bridger: You see, That structure is collapsing, we have to get him outta there.
Cleo: (into radio) Zack?
Zack: (on depot) Cleo, are you OK? How's Tony?
Cleo: (into radio) He's in a special chamber, he's getting better.
Zack: (on depot) I want you to come back.
Cleo: (into radio) It's not safe there any more.
Zack: (on depot) That's a lie, they're telling you lies.
Cleo: (into radio) Zack, please, listen to me.
Zack: (on depot) No, no, no. You come back here. Everybody's leaving me. We promised Nana, you come back here now. Get away, get outta here, I don't need ya, any of ya.
Bridger: (into radio) Commander?
Ford: (on depot, into PAL) Give me a little time with him Captain. I'm not ready to give up on him yet.
Part Two