seaQuest DSV (1993) s02e17 Episode Script

Something in the Air

Captain Bridger, last week a UEO scientific expedition uncovered a chest fabricated from a substance that we cannot identify.
It was discovered amongst other ruins from the Temple of Haim, which dates it back over 6, 000 years.
Nathan, if this chest is what we think it is, it!s going to force us to revise most of our current thinking regarding ancient history.
We need seaQuest to send a landing party to Alpha Colony to provide services and security for our scientific team.
Until we know for sure what we have, this is strictly eyes-only.
Wow.
It's nothing like the brochure.
All the comforts of home.
Yeah, if home happens to be a UEO penitentiary.
I think the UEO's more humane to its prisoners.
You might be right about that.
Some of us might know each other.
But just for the record, playing for my team: Dr.
Susan Kaufman, head of Anthropological Research at the University of lllinois, Dr.
Karen Sommers, our expert in text and languages, Professor Tom Kearny, expert in things less tangible but no less significant.
What he means is I have a PhD in theology.
And what is tangible, Bill, is a matter of opinion.
I'm Dr.
William Crichton, Bill, please.
General wrangler for all these experts.
Well, now that we know who we are, I don't know about you people, but 6,000 years of waiting have left my patience stretched pretty thin.
I say we get down to the business at hand, eh? I don't believe this.
What is it? It says, "Do not open until Christmas.
" Professor, I think you should do the honors.
Well, darling, if what's in this chest is what we think it is, every day will be Christmas.
Have you been able to make any of this out? We're beginning to get a sense of the mathematical logic involved.
We thought we had it at one point, but somehow it didn't fit together.
We're still working on it, though.
Well? Nothing, Bill.
Absolutely nothing.
The reaction from the UEO might best be described as shock.
I think the word here, Captain, is "disappointment.
" "Stunning disappointment," might be more accurate.
How about the writings on the outside of the chest? Dr.
Sommers says she needs a little more time, but not to give up hope.
What's on the outside of the chest might give us a clue as to what was inside.
Well, if she finds anything I'll get to you right away.
Good night.
Thank you.
Didn't anyone ever teach you that it's polite to knock first? If you don't mind, it's getting late.
We had a long trip.
Look, I think you'd better What is this? What are you doing? What are you? Here we go.
This is the time that separates the men from the boys.
Come on, come on.
Eight seconds left Come on.
playing a tight man-to-man.
Nash back to Wilson Yes, yes, yes! No, no, no! Yes, yes! No, no! Yes! at the top of the key.
He shoots! Yes, yes, yes! No, no! Yes, yes! No! Don't nobody move.
You all owe me money.
Where you going? Grease this.
All right, here you go.
Thank you.
I'm the lucky winner.
I'm the lucky winner.
All right, you two, pay up.
I bet on the Spartans, and the Spartans won.
Tough luck, DW.
You gotta beat the spread.
The spread? You gotta beat the spread, pal.
Ow, ow, ow! Is he trying to pull the sheep over my eyes? That's "wool," Dagwood.
And you do have to beat the spread.
It's the Alpha Base, it's the Alpha Base.
It's the Alpha Base.
Come in, Alpha Base.
And I owe you one.
Piccolo? The "almost late" Piccolo.
So, how's your secret mission? You guys sing songs and dance around the campfire, and exchange secret handshakes last night? Well, actually the big mission's turned into something of a fizzle.
So, how are things on the home front? You guys getting by without me? It's tough, but we're doing our best.
So, Tim, buddy, just between the guys here, what!s going on down there? Sorry, Tony.
Loose lips and all that.
Hey, who got you Darlene's phone number when you were on your knees begging? Darlene? Yeah.
Speaking of fizzles Later, Tony.
Not my fault.
Oh, oh, oh.
Yes! Susan? Bill, you and Lonnie take the east sector.
Wendy and Professor Kearny can check the depot.
Jim, you and Tim check the airlock.
And Dr.
Sommers and I will check the loading dock.
Now, everybody's on an open channel, so if you find anything, just holler.
Let's move.
Well, we could split up and save time, or we could do this together.
I think together might be a better idea, sir.
Yeah, that's what I was thinking.
And "Bill" will do just fine.
I don't outrank you.
This way.
Doesn't look like anyone's used this place in over a century.
Yeah.
It's okay, it's okay.
Here, look.
It's not very fashionable, but considering what it was designed for, useful.
I feel so stupid.
Yeah? Well, then you're one step ahead of me, because I'm still feeling terrified.
Come on, let's go.
I can't believe we used to mine like this.
When strip mining on the surface was outlawed, the miners came down here.
Till the UEO put a stop to it, they were wreaking the same kind of havoc on the ocean floor.
So much for so little.
What!s the problem, Commander? Captain, I'm requesting permission to seal off Alpha Base.
Why? There's been a murder.
Okay, we've sealed off the base.
Now, until we know what's going on here, no one is to use the radio or leave the base without my orders.
What is it? Well, Dr.
Crichton and I just finished examining Susan's body.
And? Well, without the proper equipment, it What'd you find, Doctor? She was completely exsanguinated.
There wasn't a drop of blood left in her body.
Commander, I think you should all come with me.
This is taken directly from the inscription off the chest.
Remember, I told you we couldn't match it up with anything in the university computer? Well, we finally figured out why.
Watch.
It's a mirror image.
Well, have you deciphered it? Well, it's a little shaky, but here goes.
"Set, the void is eternal home.
" Wait a minute, Karen.
What is this here? Set.
What is "Set"? The ancient Evil One.
A demon.
According to most theologists, it was the first name given to Pure evil.
Yeah.
But why would someone write it in a mirror image? That took me a while, too.
Maybe because I didn't really want to know.
The chest is translucent.
You can almost see right through it.
What I think, is that the inscription was meant to be read from the inside.
I'm not sure I follow your reasoning, Commander.
I'm not asking you to follow my reasoning, Doctor, only that you follow my orders.
Now, no one is going back to the seaQuest until we know what's happened here.
I've informed Captain Bridger, he's informed Secretary General McGrath.
The UEO supports this course of action.
Yes, but if we have released some sort of I don't know what to call this.
Some sort of evil.
Wouldn't it be best if we were to leave Alpha Base immediately? The only evil here, Dr.
Crichton, is on two legs.
And I take it you agree with your lieutenant's assessment? I am not about to endanger the rest of my crew or the seaQuest.
Now, something or someone killed Dr.
Kaufman.
Whoever or whatever it is, it is here with us now.
It's contained.
Dr.
Sommers, do you really believe what you said before? About the inscription being meant to be read from the inside? Unless you have a better explanation.
I wish.
I've been trying to come up with one for the last four hours.
You seem to know something about ancient theology.
Yeah, well, what I don't understand tends to make me nervous, so I read a lot.
And that helps? Not really.
The more I read, the more questions I have.
Every time I go past a library, I get an anxiety attack.
Well, maybe you should stick to the easy ones, like The Little Engine That Could.
Yeah, I remember that one.
"I think I can, I think I can.
" Yes.
Gave me nightmares for weeks.
Hold on here.
What is it? I'm not exactly sure, but there's writing on the bottom here.
From what I can make out, this might be some sort of an instruction manual.
An instruction manual? What do you mean? Well, it's written in the same code.
It's gonna take me some time, but the first line reads, "To whomever finds that which has been cast out.
" How long will it take you to figure out the rest of it? It depends.
The lines from here to the university are pretty slow.
What if Lucas could relay your information through his computer on seaQuest? Yeah, that would help.
If the lines were up to speed, Or better, if you can.
Yeah.
You really intend to spend the night here? Well, we'll buddy up.
Everybody in pairs.
That way, it'll be easier to To keep an eye on each other? You coming? See you in a minute? Dr.
Smith, be careful.
What's wrong? I don't know.
I just got a chill.
Don't you feel it? It just got really cold.
I didn't feel anything.
I'm all right.
I'll just feel better when we get back on seaQuest.
Yeah, won't we all? Good night.
Good night.
I'm the lucky winner, I'm the lucky winner, I'm the luck Later.
You know the part I don't understand? Besides all of it? Tony said that betting was going to be fun, but I'm not having any fun.
Lucas, you!ve got a vidlink coming in.
Yeah, I'll be right there.
Dagwood, look, it's the luck of the draw.
Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you don't.
Gotta go.
I understand.
Tony said he got lucky Saturday night.
I wonder what he bet that girl? It should be coming through right now.
Transmission complete.
I've got it.
Good.
Now, you've got a faster connection to the university net.
See if you can contact Dr.
David Krasnow and see what he can make of this.
Yeah.
I'll get back to you.
How you holding up? When I worked on the solar station with my father, all I wanted was to be a UEO sailor.
Now that I'm a UEO sailor, I spend an awful lot of time wishing I was back at that solar station.
Can I ask you something? Shoot.
How well do you know Dr.
Crichton? Why do you ask? Interested? I don't know, but he seemed to be.
Yeah, I'm not surprised.
The Divorce Syndrome.
But I think he's peaking.
Look, don't take this the wrong way, but for the past two months, Bill's asked most of us female staff out for coffee, and most of us have good naturedly refused.
He's a good man, though.
Just going through tough times.
I'll tell you when he gets over it, though, he'll be a great catch.
Yeah, if he ever gets over it.
I think I'll be fine, having a beautiful woman looking after me.
Are you all right? Yeah.
I just can't get rid of this chill.
Thanks.
You think you'd do it differently, next time.
Excuse me? I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
It's truly none of my business.
You're an empath.
It's okay.
Say what you were going to say.
You feel that you did something wrong, that you weren't husband enough, or father enough.
But you gave all that you had to give.
Correction.
I gave I gave most of what I had to give to my work.
I only gave what I had left to give to my family.
But you love your work.
There's one problem there, my work doesn't keep me warm at night, my work doesn't love me back.
You know, it's ironic.
I come from a fairly religious family.
The more I became interested in science, the less my parents were interested in me.
Religion and science are not mutually exclusive.
Now you tell me.
My parents were How can I put this politely? They were fairly parochial.
I think I saw science and knowledge as an escape, as a way out from their From this little world that they had built, so I buried myself in facts.
The facts, nothing but the facts.
Then the facts came, the parents left.
And your wife felt the same way? Well, it was supposed to be different.
I was the esteemed, knowledgeable professor, and she was my student.
It was perfect.
I thought I'd finally met someone who loved me for my love of science.
Well, it sounds like you're not as wise about women as you are about science.
You get an "A.
" This is between us, okay? All the science, all the facts and knowledge in the world, don't amount to the proverbial hill of beans if there's Nothing inside.
If there's nothing to believe in, that's bigger than the facts.
Am I making any sense? Eloquently.
Alpha Base? Come in, Alpha Base.
Commander, are you there? Captain.
I think I!ve just received some information that may be useful to you.
That would be useful.
According to Secretary General McGrath, it seems that last winter, the UEO used the Alpha Base as a secret site for negotiations with the Mid-Atlantic Alliance.
However, certain modifications had to be made to make the site secure.
What sort of modifications? The entire base is covered with hi-scan video recorders.
You mean it's bugged? To the teeth.
If they!re right, there!s a possibility that you may have a recording of the murder itself.
Commander, I found one of the cameras.
Okay, look, all we have to do is follow this conduit, and it should take us right up to the main panel.
Great.
How long will it take? A place this size, about half an hour.
All right.
Get Brody and Dr.
Smith.
Tell them I want to see them.
And if any of the others ask any questions, tell them I said it's seaQuest business.
Right, sir.
Okay, okay, okay, I'm sorry.
I know it took me more than half an hour to trace the camera, but I think I finally found the link to Dr.
Kaufman's room.
Let's take a look.
Didn!t anyone ever teach you that it!s polite to knock first? It!s really getting late.
We had a long trip.
Look, I think you!d better What is this? What are you doing? What are you? You can't possibly believe that I At this point, Commander, I'm prepared to believe just about anything.
Put the gun down, Dr.
Crichton.
Do we all have to see that playback again, Commander? I don't think you're fully aware of the ramifications of your actions, Doctor.
You're here under UEO authority.
Commander Ford is the commanding officer of record.
And they still execute people for mutiny.
Then it might be wiser if I took my chances with the UEO.
You can't possibly believe that I killed Dr.
Kaufman.
I'm sorry, Commander.
Lieutenant Brody said it himself, he believed that whatever was behind this, was thoroughly human.
Did you change your mind, Lieutenant, or did your suspect list exclude friends? I don't think so, Doctor.
Put it down.
I'm not the enemy here, Lieutenant.
I said put it down! Now.
On the floor.
Kick it over here.
I'm sorry, but I prefer to eat in private.
Get it down! All right, let's do this.
Two, three, go! No.
Get back! Jim, wait! Jon No, check the arms locker.
See if there's an alternative to bullets.
If you think Jim, just do it.
Unless you're as prepared to shoot Dr.
Sommers as Dr.
Crichton was to shoot me.
Sir, whatever's in that room is not Dr.
Sommers.
And it wasn't me in Dr.
Kaufman's room.
A lot of good that would do me if I'm on a slab with a bullet through my head.
Okay, okay.
Let me listen and see if I can hear anything.
No.
It's quiet.
I'll watch all of you as you die.
Karen? This is the best I could get.
It's Priazime.
Good.
All right, take it easy.
Look, Ma, no strings! What are you looking at, huh? How long will it last? We've got about an hour.
Okay, we've got an hour to get her secured.
Let's go.
Okay, that's about as tight as I can get them.
Now the question is, who's going to stay behind and watch her? We don't have to.
We can monitor her from here.
These rooms are wired with infrared motion and heat sensors.
It's part of the security system from the UEO.
We can watch from the main panel, okay? All right.
Let's go.
Okay, that's a heat reading.
If she moves, we'll be able to see her.
All right.
Jim, you, Tim and Lonnie stay on watch.
I'm going to need you to examine Professor Kearny.
Whatever comes of this, I don't know.
Yeah, that's a good idea.
Jim, she's moving.
Let's go.
She's still here.
Yeah, well, there's something moving around in here.
Yeah? Well, whatever was here isn't here anymore.
Tim? What's going on here? I spoke with Lucas a half hour ago.
He spent the last four hours on-line with Dr.
Krasnow.
Now, they haven't finished with it all yet, but they gave me what they have.
I should have been told about this.
There wasn't time.
You have a captive audience, Commander.
Well, Dr.
Krasnow confirmed one thing that we already know.
The name Set, or the demon, the Evil One.
It seems we have truly opened Pandora's box.
Does it say anything about how to destroy this thing? Well, if it hasn't been destroyed in over 8,000 years, it's unlikely it's going to be destroyed now.
Then we're all gonna die here.
Maybe.
We do know a little bit more about it than we did before.
It seems that Set needs a human host before he can feed.
It's become fairly clear to us, just what it is that sustains him.
Professor Kearny was found in the same condition as Dr.
Kaufman.
There was no blood left in his body.
There was something else, I wrote it down.
"To steal the very air, to return, the void is home.
" Your guess is as good as mine.
Dr.
Krasnow is working on alternative translations.
The best that I could come up with is that it's airborne.
It needs the air we breathe to get what it needs.
This is crazy.
It seems that we're most vulnerable to attack when we're asleep.
Apparently, our conscious awareness is enough to keep it out.
So what do you suggest we do? Drink coffee and take amphetamines? Yes.
Except, to the best of my knowledge, we have no amphetamines.
I've got three pots of coffee going in the kitchen now.
Fight the demon with coffee.
They should advertise.
How do you intend to get us out of here? I don't.
Not unless we find a way to contain it.
Someone over 8,000 years ago managed to get it into that chest.
I figure if they can do it We can't even see it, for God's sake.
How do you intend we catch it? We can track it.
O'Neill's got it on the sensors as we speak.
It's in Sector K at the moment.
You sound as if you've already thought this over.
I have.
It's unlikely that our weapons are going to have any effect on it.
It's not physical, at least, not without a host.
We're pretty limited here at Alpha Base in terms of resources, so we're going to have to make do with what we have.
And what would that be? Well, we've got electrical generators.
If we can get it to where we want it, Tim can set up a grid.
We should be able to give it a pretty good shock.
That's easier said than done.
Okay, let's say Tim puts a grid up.
And after that, how do you expect to get it where you want it? Well, we're going to have to build a mouse trap.
A mouse trap.
And where do you intend to get the cheese? It's coming toward him.
It stopped.
It knows.
Is it within the grid? Close enough.
Then do it.
Two, one, now! We didn't even slow it down.
Look, we've got it on the sensors.
Why don't we just leave it here and get back to the seaQuest? Because we opened the box, Lieutenant.
You want to take the chance we let this thing loose in the world? Hey, I'm open to alternatives.
Yeah, well, we all are.
I'm gonna get back on the horn with Lucas.
There's still more coming in on that translation.
The rest of you, grab some coffee while it's still hot and strong.
Maybe Dr.
Krasnow can tell us something.
Okay, I!m afraid that!s all we!ve got, Commander.
Lucas, do you pray? Not since I was real little.
Well, now might be a good time to start again.
Thanks.
Well? Nothing.
There's some more references to the "sleep of death" and "the void," but nothing of any use.
Commander, I've been thinking about something.
At the moment, you're a step ahead of me.
I've been thinking about the phrase, "The void is home, and to steal the very air.
" What's a void that steals the air? A vacuum.
Right.
Where do we find this thing? We find it 2 miles deep, buried in the ocean, in an airtight chest.
Well, you might have something, Tim.
Maybe if we can get this thing in the airlock, we can pump out all the oxygen.
If you're right, then I owe you a big, fat, juicy steak dinner at Corey's.
I'm a vegetarian, but thanks anyway.
Well, then, a juicy eggplant.
Let's go.
Okay.
Well, I can definitely adjust the compressors.
The trick is to get that thing in there.
I mean, I don't think it's going to fall for the same trick twice.
Yeah, but if it thought we were leaving, and it needs air, and it can't go out into the water, it just might follow us.
It's worth a try.
All right, all right, a half hour.
We pack our gear, we'll meet back in the main room.
This is the only shot we've got.
This is a bad time, Bill.
Yeah, well, it's the only time I've got right now, Alyson.
Of course.
Why should anything have changed? You had a free moment in your busy schedule, so you pulled yourself away from work to call.
Well, it!s a bad time for me.
Alyson, I just wanted to say I'm sorry.
It!s too little, too late, Bill.
I can!t tell you how many nights I waited up for you, and hoped you would come home and say those very words.
I!m not waiting up anymore.
Smart guy you picked, huh? Look, Bill, this really is a bad time.
Yeah, right.
Maybe next week, okay? Right.
I'm sorry to bother you.
You seen Dr.
Crichton? No.
All right, why don't you guys head out toward the airlock? I'll see if Maybe you'd like to speak to your mother, Mr.
Ford.
I see her quite often.
I'm not listening.
I get it.
"Sticks and stones will break my bones.
" Dr.
Crichton, no! Let go, Jonathan.
It's the only way.
The lock's jammed! We can't budge it! It's too late! Oh, no! Dr.
Crichton! It's over.
Whenever you're ready, Tim.
Aye, aye, sir.
You handled yourself very well back there, Jonathan.
Thank you, Captain.
You know something? All the times that I wish I'd had the command, this time I wish you'd been there.
Nonsense.
You're gonna be running this boat one day.
If you think that it's too late, we can do it tomorrow.
Come on, Dag, it was a figure of speech.
No, it is not.
Nice! Excuse me.
Piccolo.
I don't know how to break this to you, but you're out of uniform.
Tell me about it, sir.
He took my pants! We had a bet.
I said I would win, he said, "My pants.
" It's just a figure of speech, Dag.
I'll give you $10 for them.
A bet's a bet.
So, you won a bet.
Five in a row.
I beat the spread, I got his pants.
Yeah, right.
Very funny.
Whatever.
Cute shorts.
Luck of the draw, pal.
Sometimes you win, sometimes you don't.
I'm the lucky winner.
I'm the lucky winner.
I'm the lucky winner.
I'm the lucky winner.
Hi, there, I'm Kathy Evison.
Imagine swimming along, and suddenly coming face to face with one of these guys, a Killer whales are not actually whales at all, but dolphins.
Their names come from the fact that these animals are the ocean's top predators, and known to be actually whale killers.
Preying mostly on fish and seals, killer whales find their prey with a type of sonar called echo location.
Also known as orcas, killer whales are extremely social and complex animals, who, though not endangered, are only protected in US waters.
See you on the next adventure of seaQuest.

Previous EpisodeNext Episode