seaQuest DSV (1993) s01e07 Episode Script
Give Me Liberté
Docking procedures completed, sir.
And still no acknowledgment from Aqua-Sphere 7.
It's very strange.
We did call ahead, didn't we? We're sure someone's home? 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.
Could be their com-net's down.
It's happened before.
Don't suppose you looked under the mat for the spare key? No.
No, sir.
But the replacement team tells me they have an emergency access code for the pressure lock.
It should work from our side.
All right, Commander, etiquette be damned.
If we catch somebody in the shower, we can apologize later.
Hello! This is Commander Jonathan Ford of the seaQuest.
We have your replacements and supplies.
Seamen.
Anyone here? Hello? Captain.
You two, check the other rooms.
Aye, sir.
Dinks are probably playing hide and seek with us.
I don't know, Captain What's that smell? This is pretty weird.
Something in here must have Place is pretty torn up.
Commander, in here! Wait.
I think we might have something.
What is it, Commander? What the hell Dear God! Commander, you better see this.
What happened here? I don't know.
Somebody do something.
No.
I've never seen Okay.
Everybody calm down.
Calm down! I said quiet! Play by play, Commander.
Just call it.
Captain, there's been some kind of incident here, sir.
The entire Aqua-Sphere 7 research team is Well, we have six bodies, sir.
No survivors.
Something has turned this place into a tomb.
The 21st century.
Mankind has colonized the last unexplored region on Earth the ocean.
As captain of the seaQuest and its crew, we are its guardians.
For beneath the surface lies the future.
They're here? The bodies arrived 10 minutes ago.
All right.
What do we know so far? So far? Three male, three female, all dead so far.
All right, there are signs of trauma, but nothing that should've caused death.
So, if the autopsies don't tell me anything I'll run CGI's and check for chromosomal and genetic abnormalities.
Don't worry.
Dead can tell us plenty.
We just have to know how to listen.
Anybody home? Just kidding.
Commander Ford, may I speak to you for a minute? Hey.
Captain sent me down to see if you needed anything.
Good.
You know, I think you're looking at this thing all wrong.
Don't think "isolation", think "paid vacation".
I don't want a vacation.
I just wanna get out of here.
Sorry, I can't provide that one for you.
But anything else.
Hey, you like puzzles? No, Krieg, I don't like puzzles, and I want you out.
Okay.
Let me know if you change your mind.
Captain, you mind explaining to me why we're being quarantined? It's necessary until we find out what killed the Aqua-Sphere team.
They may have picked up a virus or a bacteria.
Picked it up where? They spent the last 60 days at 7,000 feet alone, by themselves.
I think I'll get started on the autopsies.
Captain, six people are dead.
We don't have a clue how or why.
Yes, and I've got six families to notify, too.
I'd appreciate anything from you that I didn't already know.
Yeah? So then get me out of here.
Let me take a team back to Aqua-Sphere Captain, if you had seen the way we found them, I mean, their faces I mean, they died so hard.
Commander, no one likes to feel helpless.
I can understand that.
But until Dr.
Westphalen said otherwise, you're quarantined.
Is that clear? This isn't an experiment, okay? We're not a bunch of lab rats! Mr.
Levin? Yes? Commander Ford here doesn't think that this quarantine is necessary.
As head of the replacement team, do you agree with that assessment? I might have if you'd asked me five minutes ago.
And that means what? 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.
I'm on the fault line, Captain.
I'm coming up on the coordinates from the Aqua-Sphere 7 work log that Dr.
Levin found.
Okay.
I'm on the mark.
Terrain's pretty rugged.
Lots of fractures, but nothing that looks like Wait.
Wait, wait, wait.
This could be it.
Well? Liberté space station.
Didn't that thing crash its orbit almost a decade ago? October 19, 2009.
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 space scow takes a bath, and we get the dive order.
Missed the end of the game, and we never did find her.
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.
The Liberté was the North Sea Confederation's baby.
They lit the candle on her twenty and three.
That's PL.
PL? Pre-Lucas.
Would you mind getting to the point? The point is the North Sea Confederation is hiding something.
You're sure of that? I jacked into their Internet.
Everything there was too clean.
"Mission's purpose: peace and exploration.
" Yeah, right.
It said the Liberté had a four-man crew and all four got pulled before the big splash.
Not exactly.
At least not according to their autonomous zone.
"Autonomous zone"? An electronic file where corporate weasels stash their dirty laundry.
A cover-up? Without a doubt.
The zone only confirms one round trip, not four.
Some old doc by the name of Guy Peche.
Guy Peche? Yeah, Guy Yeah, I guess so.
Do you know him? Sure.
I met him years ago at a futurist 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? I don't know.
After the Liberté, it's like he disappeared or something.
Can we find him? 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 going to get us out of here so I can figure out what the hell Sound the alert.
Man overboard.
Turn that on.
Get out.
You forgetting we're on the same side here? I mean, the game goes on, whether you're on the bench or not.
Now, I'll speak to Dr.
Westphalen about the quarantine.
But I suggest you have a little more confidence in your teammates.
It seems to be a virus that primarily attacks the central nervous system.
It could be a synthetic or maybe a genetic alteration.
The only thing we know for certain is that it's fatal.
And where does it come from? Well, you tell me.
Someone finds a space station at the bottom of the ocean, they go in.
Three days later, they're all dead from a virus no one's ever seen.
The canister Levin found on the Liberté? That means Jonathan, all of them, they all have it.
Yes! Well, how do you plan to attack this? Plan? I'm not even certain what it is.
Well, you better be certain, or we're all dead.
You wanted to see me? I need the results of our blood tests ASAP.
And don't forget to cross-reference all the data I sent for.
All right? 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.
What, are they afraid they're gonna catch something? Please, listen.
If the solution to this crisis lies either within the Aqua-Sphere 7 or the Liberté space station then the best place for treatment will be right here.
Remember that.
Sir? Sailor? My wife, sir.
In case I don't That is, is there any way I could Captain, request permission to contact my wife.
She's upworld with her family.
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 here 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 rough scrapes together and we're gonna get through this one.
I want you to have faith in Dr.
Westphalen and me.
We do not intend to quit and I'd be very surprised if any of you would either.
Thank you.
Captain, Doc Peche's address.
It was buried in their autonomous zone.
Thanks.
And they tagged my computer search.
Who tagged you? Someone at the North Sea Confederation, I guess.
A tracer dogged my link all the way home.
Dogged your link? They know where we are.
But do they know what we have? I doubt it.
You know, probably gonna find out sooner or later.
Well, I hope it's later.
Nice work.
There are to be no lapses.
I want those gloves worn at all times.
And then just wait.
Oh, Captain! I've written out a list of questions for you to ask Dr.
Peche to help me understand this virus, or whatever it is.
Thanks.
But I don't think I'll need them.
Really? And did you get a degree in Advanced Genetics on that island of yours? 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.
Since I'm not going anywhere Just put out the good towels.
We may be having company.
Captain, your launch is ready.
And there's a shuttle jump waiting for you on the surface.
Thank you.
As long as Commander Ford is in charge I expect you to be his eyes and ears on the Bridge.
Yes, sir.
I'm about to put you in a very awkward position.
Sir? You know him as well as anyone does, don't you? We're friends.
He wouldn't enjoy relinquishing his command, would he? Relinquishing to whom? To you.
If his health, in any way, compromises his performance I expect you to relieve him immediately.
Is that understood? Yes, sir.
Thank you.
What is happening to us? 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.
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 looked like they lost control.
Like they just went Their scratches, their bruises They did it to themselves.
They did it to each other.
I am trying, Commander.
But you're gonna have to help me.
You've got to fight this.
Holding at 4,000 yards off the bow.
How about it, O'Neill? Anyone pick up over there yet? She's identified herself as the Lafayette.
Her registry? North Sea Confederation.
WSKRS are picking up all kinds of sonar activity directed mostly at the floor.
You suppose they'd mind telling us what they're looking for? No harm in asking.
Lafayette, this is the seaQuest.
Request you identify your mission, over.
They've come for their space station.
They want the Liberté.
Well, it's the right address, but I don't know.
I was kind of expecting something a little more Romantic? Well, at least uptown.
I mean, the man's an astrophysicist.
This is a pretty earthy neighborhood.
Let me go up and check.
What was that all about? That, Cap? I was just asking her for some directions.
She didn't have any.
So, nobody home up there? What now? We wait.
I got to be honest.
I don't like their attitude.
They say they won't leave until we back off and give them the Liberté.
What does the captain think? The captain isn't here.
Remember? It's your call.
Right, right, right.
Okay.
Blast them out of the water.
What? Is that a problem? Yes, it is.
They're UEO, North Sea Confederation.
I mean, technically, they do own the Liberté.
Then give it to them.
Tell them we'll leave the area.
Jonathan there may be something very dangerous aboard the Liberté.
It might be unwise to Damn it, Lieutenant Commander, I gave you an order.
Actually, you've given me two.
What does the captain think? I don't know.
I'll ask him, okay? Position: 40 degrees north, Depth: 500 meters.
Your attention, please.
On Captain Bridger's orders, I will be relieving Mr.
Ford of command.
Get me the captain of the Lafayette.
Aye, aye.
As you were.
Captain Longet, Commander.
Captain Longet, this is Lt.
Comm.
Hitchcock commander of the seaQuest.
These are not your territory waters.
Please back off at once.
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 Have to what? Attack? Come on, Captain.
We could blast you right out of the water.
SeaQuest, it is my understanding that you are a peacekeeping vessel.
Lafayette's torpedo tubes are flooded.
They're on it.
Understand this, Captain.
You are not to go anywhere near the Liberté.
Over.
Torpedo doors closing.
They're backing off.
Sorry, partner.
You're gonna have to find someplace else to curl up tonight.
Dr.
Peche? No! Je suis Captain Nathan Bridger, and my friend, Mr.
Crocker.
Get out of here.
Please! We've met before.
Don't you remember? I don't remember anything.
Brussels, the futurist conference.
I'm here to ask for your help.
This is about the Liberté.
You got the wrong man.
No, Doctor.
I remember you very well.
Please go.
There is nothing more to say about the Liberté.
We found it.
Impossible, there is no more Liberté.
Oh, not as you remembered it.
Now it's at the bottom of the ocean.
Lie.
This is a trick.
Why are you doing this to me? Because something from the Liberté is killing my crew and you may know about it.
Please go.
I have to write.
A book to finish.
Doctor, I'm sure your book is very important, but people are dying.
That's what people do.
They die.
The only thing that survive are pain and guilt.
Maybe one day you will read about it.
What was it like up there, on the moon? I'm still affected by it.
What did you see when you looked down at the Earth? It was like a magnificent blue marble.
Blue marble? That's the color of my world.
Two scientists in two different worlds.
I'm offering you a chance to see mine.
Tell me, Captain is your world really wonderful? Come with me, see for yourself.
The ocean, it is very much like space.
Dark, mysterious Yes, it's full of mysteries.
But that's what attracts us, isn't it? Look, Captain, I'm not so sure anymore if I can help you.
I really shouldn't have come.
What happened aboard the Liberté? What was your confederation trying to hide? The North Sea Confederation put me into space to conduct research.
Genetic.
Very experimental.
Very wrong.
Why were you the only one that made it back? It was an accident, an onboard contamination.
I was in the safe room.
That's why I was the only one allowed to return.
What happened to the Liberté? The self-destruct system is fired.
It must have just blown it out of orbit.
Crashed to the bottom, lost.
Until now.
Welcome back, Captain.
How is he? 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.
How are things at the Liberté? Reclamation detail has her pumped dry and pressurized.
Good.
Dr.
Peche, this is Lt.
Comm.
Hitchcock.
She'll get you to Dr.
Westphalen.
And I'll be with you in a moment.
Commander? Aye-aye, sir.
Come right this way.
We were working on the DNA of the 21st chromosome.
Or is it the 22nd? It's so long ago.
I'm not sure.
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.
In the test chamber.
They created a disease.
As a biological weapon? Yes, a new strain of meningitis.
Sounds like somebody was playing God.
Then you must have been working on the antidote? Perhaps if you could just tell me No.
No antidote.
How could you create a disease and not the cure? What are you looking at? This isn't a zoo.
Sorry.
So Dr.
Peche, how long did your friends live? It took two days for the rescue shuttle to reach me.
They were still alive then, but Dr.
Peche, please.
It was the 21st chromosome and the DNA strand code was G-T-A-G.
Are you certain? No.
Doc, this is no time for guessing games.
This is your fault.
You'll have to fix it.
I can't do this.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
Hey, good tidings from your local friendly morale officer! How about some goodies, everybody? Pick that chin up, huh? Magazines, spread them around.
Commander, what do you say about a little interactive video, huh? Actually, I pulled something from my personal and private collection.
Not interested.
Not interested? What are you, nuts? No.
Look, Commander, I know you don't like me.
You think I'm cocky and arrogant, and, hell, you may be right.
But I want to help you, all right? I want to help.
So why don't you give this thing a try, huh? I have a feeling it's gonna really work for you.
Just ease it on Leave me alone! I'm tired of everybody's pity.
I'm tired of being watched, and I'm tired of you! Commander! Let go of this thing.
Come on, let go! So just leave me alone.
Let go, you hear me? That'll be enough! I asked you to stop.
Stop it! You're gonna tear this What the hell did you do that for? I'm sorry.
No, this didn't happen.
This did not happen.
Can you please step aside? I gotta get out of here.
Lieutenant! You're not going anywhere.
Sorry.
Captain! Captain, it's just a very small tear.
I really don't think it affected any Captain? Where's Dr.
Peche? Does it matter? What does that mean? I'm sorry.
He left.
He seems to be keener on drinking than thinking these days.
I didn't bring him this far for drinking.
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! We need you.
You can help us.
But I don't know what to do.
What is it? What aren't you telling me? What's changed you from the man I used to admire? There were two survivors.
Not in the records.
I know.
The record shows that I was the only one to leave the space station but there was another who didn't.
Who? Who didn't? Pierre.
His name was Pierre.
He was in the test chamber like everybody 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.
Please, help me! He begged me, begged me to let him out.
Begged, until his voice was no more than a whisper.
But I wouldn't.
I was scared to be contaminated.
So I let him die.
It was as if I would have pulled the trigger with my own hand.
You understand? I was responsible for his death.
A moment's weakness, Doctor.
A moment.
And Pierre Pierre He may be the antidote.
It's possible.
If Pierre was unaffected, he must have had a natural immunity.
But we'll need a sample of his DNA to find the resistant coding.
But you're sure it's still good after all these years? Well, the low water temperature in his space suit should've protected what we need.
It is worth going for.
A small amount of his bone marrow could be enough to create an antidote.
And you'd identify the remains, Doctor? Yes.
All right, excuse me.
Lieutenant Commander, get us a launch.
We're going aboard the Liberté.
Aye-aye, Captain.
Something I should be aware of, Mr.
Ortiz? High altitude tracking signal, sir.
Gotta be a satellite.
Target? Captain, we've just received a transmission from the North Sea Confederation.
They advise we clear the area immediately.
They say they're gonna destroy the Liberté whether we like it or not.
Targeting radius, 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? Well, it's probably a little nearsighted.
How nearsighted? I doubt it'll be able to tell the difference between us and the Liberté.
Well, that's certainly comforting.
Once it's locked on, how long before it could fire a missile? No more than a couple minutes.
If there's a cure down below, that doesn't give us much time to find it.
Captain, request permission to Oh, no.
I need you here.
I'll feel a hell of a lot better down there knowing that you're up here.
What about the missiles? Well if they're launched I'll trust that you'll keep them from hitting either of us.
Ready, Chief? Right with you, Cap.
Doctor, are you still up for this? Yes.
I want to go.
Just decrypted this message, Lieutenant.
I intercepted it from the North Sea Confederation.
Read it to me.
"Confirmation of targeting lock on the Liberté.
"Aircraft awaiting missile launch command.
" Commander, sensors picking up water entry of missile-like object.
Weapons, launch countermeasures.
Let me see the WSKRS, Mr.
Ortiz.
Putting it up.
Countermeasure has been launched.
WSKRS shutting down to avoid interference with countermeasures.
Going to audio only.
Weapon has locked onto our countermeasure and is homing.
This seal won't take many more like that.
We better get our hunk of bone and get out of here, Cap.
Which one? This one.
Yeah.
This is Pierre.
I know his watch.
It was a gift from his wife.
Do you wanna carve? Do it! Second missile in the water.
Launch countermeasures.
Countermeasure has been launched.
What's that? Canister of death.
And they got away with it.
We'll see about that.
That seal's letting go, Cap.
Hurry up! We gotta get out of here fast.
Here.
Come on.
I left once when I shouldn't have.
I won't do it again.
Excuse me? It is what I deserve.
This thing ain't gonna hold together much longer.
Listen, you're a survivor.
Life gave you a get-out-of-jail-free card.
You don't hand it back.
Come on, Cap! Poor man's exhausted.
Sensors have just picked up water entry of a third missile.
What is taking them so long? Weapon has locked onto target and is homing.
Intercept it, Mr.
Ortiz.
Too late.
It's locked on Liberté.
Time to impact? Fifty seconds.
Then we'll hit it before it hits them.
Flood tubes one and two.
Tubes one and two flooded and ready.
Time to impact? Forty seconds.
Prepare to fire torpedoes.
Commander cancel that order.
If they wanna destroy their own space station, let them.
We've got everything off it we need.
What about the virus? An explosion could scatter it.
Not if there's nothing to scatter.
How's it going? We're waiting for the latest line of blood test results.
What's your gut feeling? Well, I've changed the solution.
How dare genetic doctors cross that line between healing to killing? I'm counting on you to cross it right now.
Doctor, I'm getting a read-out.
I think it's working.
It is.
It's working! That astronaut's cell kicked some major chromosomal butt.
How soon before they come out to play? Very soon.
Why don't you tell them the good news? No.
I think it should come from you.
I never really knew you had that Florence Nightingale thing in you.
I don't know what's worse, dying or being helped by dinks.
Ladies and gentlemen, I have some very, very good news.
So, I did make an impression at that conference.
I talked too much, didn't I? 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 tell me, Captain, is the seaQuest everything you dreamt? If properly used, yes.
Even more.
Captain, you were right about your world.
The water, it has a very cleansing effect.
Merci, Captain.
Merci beaucoup.
Hello.
I'm Bob Ballard from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
SeaQuest is surrounded by small vehicles called WSKRS which stands for "Wireless Sea Knowledge Retrieval Satellites".
Behind me is the vehicle upon which they were based.
This autonomous undersea vehicle went to sea for the first time this year but when it completes its final tests it'll be able to stay underwater for months on end.
Join us on the next exciting adventure of seaQuest DSV.
And still no acknowledgment from Aqua-Sphere 7.
It's very strange.
We did call ahead, didn't we? We're sure someone's home? 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.
Could be their com-net's down.
It's happened before.
Don't suppose you looked under the mat for the spare key? No.
No, sir.
But the replacement team tells me they have an emergency access code for the pressure lock.
It should work from our side.
All right, Commander, etiquette be damned.
If we catch somebody in the shower, we can apologize later.
Hello! This is Commander Jonathan Ford of the seaQuest.
We have your replacements and supplies.
Seamen.
Anyone here? Hello? Captain.
You two, check the other rooms.
Aye, sir.
Dinks are probably playing hide and seek with us.
I don't know, Captain What's that smell? This is pretty weird.
Something in here must have Place is pretty torn up.
Commander, in here! Wait.
I think we might have something.
What is it, Commander? What the hell Dear God! Commander, you better see this.
What happened here? I don't know.
Somebody do something.
No.
I've never seen Okay.
Everybody calm down.
Calm down! I said quiet! Play by play, Commander.
Just call it.
Captain, there's been some kind of incident here, sir.
The entire Aqua-Sphere 7 research team is Well, we have six bodies, sir.
No survivors.
Something has turned this place into a tomb.
The 21st century.
Mankind has colonized the last unexplored region on Earth the ocean.
As captain of the seaQuest and its crew, we are its guardians.
For beneath the surface lies the future.
They're here? The bodies arrived 10 minutes ago.
All right.
What do we know so far? So far? Three male, three female, all dead so far.
All right, there are signs of trauma, but nothing that should've caused death.
So, if the autopsies don't tell me anything I'll run CGI's and check for chromosomal and genetic abnormalities.
Don't worry.
Dead can tell us plenty.
We just have to know how to listen.
Anybody home? Just kidding.
Commander Ford, may I speak to you for a minute? Hey.
Captain sent me down to see if you needed anything.
Good.
You know, I think you're looking at this thing all wrong.
Don't think "isolation", think "paid vacation".
I don't want a vacation.
I just wanna get out of here.
Sorry, I can't provide that one for you.
But anything else.
Hey, you like puzzles? No, Krieg, I don't like puzzles, and I want you out.
Okay.
Let me know if you change your mind.
Captain, you mind explaining to me why we're being quarantined? It's necessary until we find out what killed the Aqua-Sphere team.
They may have picked up a virus or a bacteria.
Picked it up where? They spent the last 60 days at 7,000 feet alone, by themselves.
I think I'll get started on the autopsies.
Captain, six people are dead.
We don't have a clue how or why.
Yes, and I've got six families to notify, too.
I'd appreciate anything from you that I didn't already know.
Yeah? So then get me out of here.
Let me take a team back to Aqua-Sphere Captain, if you had seen the way we found them, I mean, their faces I mean, they died so hard.
Commander, no one likes to feel helpless.
I can understand that.
But until Dr.
Westphalen said otherwise, you're quarantined.
Is that clear? This isn't an experiment, okay? We're not a bunch of lab rats! Mr.
Levin? Yes? Commander Ford here doesn't think that this quarantine is necessary.
As head of the replacement team, do you agree with that assessment? I might have if you'd asked me five minutes ago.
And that means what? 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.
I'm on the fault line, Captain.
I'm coming up on the coordinates from the Aqua-Sphere 7 work log that Dr.
Levin found.
Okay.
I'm on the mark.
Terrain's pretty rugged.
Lots of fractures, but nothing that looks like Wait.
Wait, wait, wait.
This could be it.
Well? Liberté space station.
Didn't that thing crash its orbit almost a decade ago? October 19, 2009.
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 space scow takes a bath, and we get the dive order.
Missed the end of the game, and we never did find her.
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.
The Liberté was the North Sea Confederation's baby.
They lit the candle on her twenty and three.
That's PL.
PL? Pre-Lucas.
Would you mind getting to the point? The point is the North Sea Confederation is hiding something.
You're sure of that? I jacked into their Internet.
Everything there was too clean.
"Mission's purpose: peace and exploration.
" Yeah, right.
It said the Liberté had a four-man crew and all four got pulled before the big splash.
Not exactly.
At least not according to their autonomous zone.
"Autonomous zone"? An electronic file where corporate weasels stash their dirty laundry.
A cover-up? Without a doubt.
The zone only confirms one round trip, not four.
Some old doc by the name of Guy Peche.
Guy Peche? Yeah, Guy Yeah, I guess so.
Do you know him? Sure.
I met him years ago at a futurist 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? I don't know.
After the Liberté, it's like he disappeared or something.
Can we find him? 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 going to get us out of here so I can figure out what the hell Sound the alert.
Man overboard.
Turn that on.
Get out.
You forgetting we're on the same side here? I mean, the game goes on, whether you're on the bench or not.
Now, I'll speak to Dr.
Westphalen about the quarantine.
But I suggest you have a little more confidence in your teammates.
It seems to be a virus that primarily attacks the central nervous system.
It could be a synthetic or maybe a genetic alteration.
The only thing we know for certain is that it's fatal.
And where does it come from? Well, you tell me.
Someone finds a space station at the bottom of the ocean, they go in.
Three days later, they're all dead from a virus no one's ever seen.
The canister Levin found on the Liberté? That means Jonathan, all of them, they all have it.
Yes! Well, how do you plan to attack this? Plan? I'm not even certain what it is.
Well, you better be certain, or we're all dead.
You wanted to see me? I need the results of our blood tests ASAP.
And don't forget to cross-reference all the data I sent for.
All right? 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.
What, are they afraid they're gonna catch something? Please, listen.
If the solution to this crisis lies either within the Aqua-Sphere 7 or the Liberté space station then the best place for treatment will be right here.
Remember that.
Sir? Sailor? My wife, sir.
In case I don't That is, is there any way I could Captain, request permission to contact my wife.
She's upworld with her family.
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 here 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 rough scrapes together and we're gonna get through this one.
I want you to have faith in Dr.
Westphalen and me.
We do not intend to quit and I'd be very surprised if any of you would either.
Thank you.
Captain, Doc Peche's address.
It was buried in their autonomous zone.
Thanks.
And they tagged my computer search.
Who tagged you? Someone at the North Sea Confederation, I guess.
A tracer dogged my link all the way home.
Dogged your link? They know where we are.
But do they know what we have? I doubt it.
You know, probably gonna find out sooner or later.
Well, I hope it's later.
Nice work.
There are to be no lapses.
I want those gloves worn at all times.
And then just wait.
Oh, Captain! I've written out a list of questions for you to ask Dr.
Peche to help me understand this virus, or whatever it is.
Thanks.
But I don't think I'll need them.
Really? And did you get a degree in Advanced Genetics on that island of yours? 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.
Since I'm not going anywhere Just put out the good towels.
We may be having company.
Captain, your launch is ready.
And there's a shuttle jump waiting for you on the surface.
Thank you.
As long as Commander Ford is in charge I expect you to be his eyes and ears on the Bridge.
Yes, sir.
I'm about to put you in a very awkward position.
Sir? You know him as well as anyone does, don't you? We're friends.
He wouldn't enjoy relinquishing his command, would he? Relinquishing to whom? To you.
If his health, in any way, compromises his performance I expect you to relieve him immediately.
Is that understood? Yes, sir.
Thank you.
What is happening to us? 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.
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 looked like they lost control.
Like they just went Their scratches, their bruises They did it to themselves.
They did it to each other.
I am trying, Commander.
But you're gonna have to help me.
You've got to fight this.
Holding at 4,000 yards off the bow.
How about it, O'Neill? Anyone pick up over there yet? She's identified herself as the Lafayette.
Her registry? North Sea Confederation.
WSKRS are picking up all kinds of sonar activity directed mostly at the floor.
You suppose they'd mind telling us what they're looking for? No harm in asking.
Lafayette, this is the seaQuest.
Request you identify your mission, over.
They've come for their space station.
They want the Liberté.
Well, it's the right address, but I don't know.
I was kind of expecting something a little more Romantic? Well, at least uptown.
I mean, the man's an astrophysicist.
This is a pretty earthy neighborhood.
Let me go up and check.
What was that all about? That, Cap? I was just asking her for some directions.
She didn't have any.
So, nobody home up there? What now? We wait.
I got to be honest.
I don't like their attitude.
They say they won't leave until we back off and give them the Liberté.
What does the captain think? The captain isn't here.
Remember? It's your call.
Right, right, right.
Okay.
Blast them out of the water.
What? Is that a problem? Yes, it is.
They're UEO, North Sea Confederation.
I mean, technically, they do own the Liberté.
Then give it to them.
Tell them we'll leave the area.
Jonathan there may be something very dangerous aboard the Liberté.
It might be unwise to Damn it, Lieutenant Commander, I gave you an order.
Actually, you've given me two.
What does the captain think? I don't know.
I'll ask him, okay? Position: 40 degrees north, Depth: 500 meters.
Your attention, please.
On Captain Bridger's orders, I will be relieving Mr.
Ford of command.
Get me the captain of the Lafayette.
Aye, aye.
As you were.
Captain Longet, Commander.
Captain Longet, this is Lt.
Comm.
Hitchcock commander of the seaQuest.
These are not your territory waters.
Please back off at once.
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 Have to what? Attack? Come on, Captain.
We could blast you right out of the water.
SeaQuest, it is my understanding that you are a peacekeeping vessel.
Lafayette's torpedo tubes are flooded.
They're on it.
Understand this, Captain.
You are not to go anywhere near the Liberté.
Over.
Torpedo doors closing.
They're backing off.
Sorry, partner.
You're gonna have to find someplace else to curl up tonight.
Dr.
Peche? No! Je suis Captain Nathan Bridger, and my friend, Mr.
Crocker.
Get out of here.
Please! We've met before.
Don't you remember? I don't remember anything.
Brussels, the futurist conference.
I'm here to ask for your help.
This is about the Liberté.
You got the wrong man.
No, Doctor.
I remember you very well.
Please go.
There is nothing more to say about the Liberté.
We found it.
Impossible, there is no more Liberté.
Oh, not as you remembered it.
Now it's at the bottom of the ocean.
Lie.
This is a trick.
Why are you doing this to me? Because something from the Liberté is killing my crew and you may know about it.
Please go.
I have to write.
A book to finish.
Doctor, I'm sure your book is very important, but people are dying.
That's what people do.
They die.
The only thing that survive are pain and guilt.
Maybe one day you will read about it.
What was it like up there, on the moon? I'm still affected by it.
What did you see when you looked down at the Earth? It was like a magnificent blue marble.
Blue marble? That's the color of my world.
Two scientists in two different worlds.
I'm offering you a chance to see mine.
Tell me, Captain is your world really wonderful? Come with me, see for yourself.
The ocean, it is very much like space.
Dark, mysterious Yes, it's full of mysteries.
But that's what attracts us, isn't it? Look, Captain, I'm not so sure anymore if I can help you.
I really shouldn't have come.
What happened aboard the Liberté? What was your confederation trying to hide? The North Sea Confederation put me into space to conduct research.
Genetic.
Very experimental.
Very wrong.
Why were you the only one that made it back? It was an accident, an onboard contamination.
I was in the safe room.
That's why I was the only one allowed to return.
What happened to the Liberté? The self-destruct system is fired.
It must have just blown it out of orbit.
Crashed to the bottom, lost.
Until now.
Welcome back, Captain.
How is he? 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.
How are things at the Liberté? Reclamation detail has her pumped dry and pressurized.
Good.
Dr.
Peche, this is Lt.
Comm.
Hitchcock.
She'll get you to Dr.
Westphalen.
And I'll be with you in a moment.
Commander? Aye-aye, sir.
Come right this way.
We were working on the DNA of the 21st chromosome.
Or is it the 22nd? It's so long ago.
I'm not sure.
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.
In the test chamber.
They created a disease.
As a biological weapon? Yes, a new strain of meningitis.
Sounds like somebody was playing God.
Then you must have been working on the antidote? Perhaps if you could just tell me No.
No antidote.
How could you create a disease and not the cure? What are you looking at? This isn't a zoo.
Sorry.
So Dr.
Peche, how long did your friends live? It took two days for the rescue shuttle to reach me.
They were still alive then, but Dr.
Peche, please.
It was the 21st chromosome and the DNA strand code was G-T-A-G.
Are you certain? No.
Doc, this is no time for guessing games.
This is your fault.
You'll have to fix it.
I can't do this.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
Hey, good tidings from your local friendly morale officer! How about some goodies, everybody? Pick that chin up, huh? Magazines, spread them around.
Commander, what do you say about a little interactive video, huh? Actually, I pulled something from my personal and private collection.
Not interested.
Not interested? What are you, nuts? No.
Look, Commander, I know you don't like me.
You think I'm cocky and arrogant, and, hell, you may be right.
But I want to help you, all right? I want to help.
So why don't you give this thing a try, huh? I have a feeling it's gonna really work for you.
Just ease it on Leave me alone! I'm tired of everybody's pity.
I'm tired of being watched, and I'm tired of you! Commander! Let go of this thing.
Come on, let go! So just leave me alone.
Let go, you hear me? That'll be enough! I asked you to stop.
Stop it! You're gonna tear this What the hell did you do that for? I'm sorry.
No, this didn't happen.
This did not happen.
Can you please step aside? I gotta get out of here.
Lieutenant! You're not going anywhere.
Sorry.
Captain! Captain, it's just a very small tear.
I really don't think it affected any Captain? Where's Dr.
Peche? Does it matter? What does that mean? I'm sorry.
He left.
He seems to be keener on drinking than thinking these days.
I didn't bring him this far for drinking.
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! We need you.
You can help us.
But I don't know what to do.
What is it? What aren't you telling me? What's changed you from the man I used to admire? There were two survivors.
Not in the records.
I know.
The record shows that I was the only one to leave the space station but there was another who didn't.
Who? Who didn't? Pierre.
His name was Pierre.
He was in the test chamber like everybody 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.
Please, help me! He begged me, begged me to let him out.
Begged, until his voice was no more than a whisper.
But I wouldn't.
I was scared to be contaminated.
So I let him die.
It was as if I would have pulled the trigger with my own hand.
You understand? I was responsible for his death.
A moment's weakness, Doctor.
A moment.
And Pierre Pierre He may be the antidote.
It's possible.
If Pierre was unaffected, he must have had a natural immunity.
But we'll need a sample of his DNA to find the resistant coding.
But you're sure it's still good after all these years? Well, the low water temperature in his space suit should've protected what we need.
It is worth going for.
A small amount of his bone marrow could be enough to create an antidote.
And you'd identify the remains, Doctor? Yes.
All right, excuse me.
Lieutenant Commander, get us a launch.
We're going aboard the Liberté.
Aye-aye, Captain.
Something I should be aware of, Mr.
Ortiz? High altitude tracking signal, sir.
Gotta be a satellite.
Target? Captain, we've just received a transmission from the North Sea Confederation.
They advise we clear the area immediately.
They say they're gonna destroy the Liberté whether we like it or not.
Targeting radius, 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? Well, it's probably a little nearsighted.
How nearsighted? I doubt it'll be able to tell the difference between us and the Liberté.
Well, that's certainly comforting.
Once it's locked on, how long before it could fire a missile? No more than a couple minutes.
If there's a cure down below, that doesn't give us much time to find it.
Captain, request permission to Oh, no.
I need you here.
I'll feel a hell of a lot better down there knowing that you're up here.
What about the missiles? Well if they're launched I'll trust that you'll keep them from hitting either of us.
Ready, Chief? Right with you, Cap.
Doctor, are you still up for this? Yes.
I want to go.
Just decrypted this message, Lieutenant.
I intercepted it from the North Sea Confederation.
Read it to me.
"Confirmation of targeting lock on the Liberté.
"Aircraft awaiting missile launch command.
" Commander, sensors picking up water entry of missile-like object.
Weapons, launch countermeasures.
Let me see the WSKRS, Mr.
Ortiz.
Putting it up.
Countermeasure has been launched.
WSKRS shutting down to avoid interference with countermeasures.
Going to audio only.
Weapon has locked onto our countermeasure and is homing.
This seal won't take many more like that.
We better get our hunk of bone and get out of here, Cap.
Which one? This one.
Yeah.
This is Pierre.
I know his watch.
It was a gift from his wife.
Do you wanna carve? Do it! Second missile in the water.
Launch countermeasures.
Countermeasure has been launched.
What's that? Canister of death.
And they got away with it.
We'll see about that.
That seal's letting go, Cap.
Hurry up! We gotta get out of here fast.
Here.
Come on.
I left once when I shouldn't have.
I won't do it again.
Excuse me? It is what I deserve.
This thing ain't gonna hold together much longer.
Listen, you're a survivor.
Life gave you a get-out-of-jail-free card.
You don't hand it back.
Come on, Cap! Poor man's exhausted.
Sensors have just picked up water entry of a third missile.
What is taking them so long? Weapon has locked onto target and is homing.
Intercept it, Mr.
Ortiz.
Too late.
It's locked on Liberté.
Time to impact? Fifty seconds.
Then we'll hit it before it hits them.
Flood tubes one and two.
Tubes one and two flooded and ready.
Time to impact? Forty seconds.
Prepare to fire torpedoes.
Commander cancel that order.
If they wanna destroy their own space station, let them.
We've got everything off it we need.
What about the virus? An explosion could scatter it.
Not if there's nothing to scatter.
How's it going? We're waiting for the latest line of blood test results.
What's your gut feeling? Well, I've changed the solution.
How dare genetic doctors cross that line between healing to killing? I'm counting on you to cross it right now.
Doctor, I'm getting a read-out.
I think it's working.
It is.
It's working! That astronaut's cell kicked some major chromosomal butt.
How soon before they come out to play? Very soon.
Why don't you tell them the good news? No.
I think it should come from you.
I never really knew you had that Florence Nightingale thing in you.
I don't know what's worse, dying or being helped by dinks.
Ladies and gentlemen, I have some very, very good news.
So, I did make an impression at that conference.
I talked too much, didn't I? 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 tell me, Captain, is the seaQuest everything you dreamt? If properly used, yes.
Even more.
Captain, you were right about your world.
The water, it has a very cleansing effect.
Merci, Captain.
Merci beaucoup.
Hello.
I'm Bob Ballard from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
SeaQuest is surrounded by small vehicles called WSKRS which stands for "Wireless Sea Knowledge Retrieval Satellites".
Behind me is the vehicle upon which they were based.
This autonomous undersea vehicle went to sea for the first time this year but when it completes its final tests it'll be able to stay underwater for months on end.
Join us on the next exciting adventure of seaQuest DSV.