Original subtitles

If this infection has spread to marine mammals,

it could be in the food chain

down to the plankton.

This entire ecosystem could be in jeopardy.

[Hudson] Mr. Wolenczak, what's your analysis?

I'm picking up extremely high concentrations

of a strange microbe in the area, sir.

U.e.o. Database is identifying it as...

Pherma-21.

That can't be right.

Pherma-21 is a synthetic microbe.

It was specifically designed

to break down industrial pollutants.

It shouldn't have any effect on marine life.

Looks like it does now.

That's because this isn't pherma-21,

not anymore.

Its micro structure is entirely wrong.

This is a mutation.

How did it get here in the first place?

Seaquest used pherma-21 to clean up a dioxin spill

near the Bermuda rise 12 years ago.

It must have drifted here in that time.

Which means this is our fault, sir.

And, in these currents,

the infection could drift into commercial fishing waters

completely wiping out the economy

of the greater antilles region.

Protein structure doesn't seem too complicated.

I might be able to neutralize it

with a catalyzing enzyme treatment.

You'd save the area lots of heartache and strife.

I hope so, sir.

Captain, I'm picking up multiple contacts--

several ships in formation dead ahead.

Hail the lead ship,

tell them this region's off-limits.

Sir...

They're hailing us.

Put it through.

Aye.

Attention, seaquest.

This is Nathan Bridger.

I'm not letting you go any further.

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Shuttle mr-5 has arrived--

docking bay 2.

Thanks for hearing me out, captain.

You make yourself hard to ignore.

I know.

Well, well.

It's good to have you back on board, sir.

Lucas.

Well, it's ensign wolenczak now.

Yeah, so I see.

This is my colleague, Dr. Johansen.

Oh, from the Ballard institute.

Not anymore.

How do you do?

Why are you here, Nathan?

Well, Oliver, this outbreak is the direct result

of something I did 12 years ago.

We're here to see it doesn't happen again.

So is seaquest.

Yes. We'd like to know your intentions.

All right, but this is a u.E.O. Operation.

I apologize,

but Dr. Johansen doesn't have security clearance.

I'll wait in the shuttle.

Sorry.

What the hell prompted you to join up?

To give captain Hudson a reason to keep me aboard.

We needed a science officer.

The ensign's done a wonderful job.

It's been an educational experience.

I never thought of you as career Navy.

Captain on the bridge.

At ease.

Jonathan.

Good to see you, sir.

Mr. Piccolo.

Moved up from the helm, I see.

Yes, sir. I took the officer's exam.

I'm still waiting to hear.

Congratulations. You'll do just fine.

Where's Brody?

Lieutenant Brody was killed in action

during the macronesian spindrift incident.

A lot more's changed around here

than the dress code.

That's not what we're here to discuss.

O'Neill.

Sir.

Get mcgath on the vidlink.

I'll be in the wardroom.

I've been studying this pherma strain,

and all my data comes to one conclusion--

that the outbreak is ready to collapse.

It's spread all it can.

If left alone, it'll burn itself out.

So you're suggesting we do nothing.

Exactly.

A policy of hands off is what's called for.

Wolenczak, is it?

No, sir,

I don't think it is.

Captain Bridger's projections

are based on a constant mutagenic rate.

If we don't take action

and his numbers are off by even 1%,

the virus won't collapse.

It'll get worse and spread.

That's not going to happen.

The only way it won't happen

is if we destroy the microbe now.

I've been working on an enzymatic treatment.

If we disperse it through the zone,

the pherma strain should die off within weeks.

You want to introduce a new bio-agent into this environment?

That's how the outbreak started.

It's an active solution to the problem.

Oh. Oh, Oliver, you know all about that.

What Nathan's referring to,

I was on the containment team

sent in to handle the Caracas hanta virus.

We evacuated the area,

detonated an X-ray laser at the center of the zone,

killed every organism in a 50-mile radius.

Yes, and then he had to walk those streets,

see those empty houses--

no sounds, no life.

Nothing ever lived there again.

We contained the virus.

We had no choice.

We do.

I'm sorry, Nathan.

I'm going with ensign wolenczak's recommendation.

Seaquest will have to go through my ships.

Be reasonable. We're on the same side.

Not this time.

Captain Hudson.

Sir.

You have your orders.

Yes, sir.

Captain.

We are not going to move.

Nathan, I know you well enough

not to try talking you out of this,

but I'm going through, no matter what.

I never thought we'd see this day, Lucas.

With all due respect, captain...

You always taught me to think for myself.

That's exactly what I'm doing.

I'm not so sure

that's what you're doing...

Ensign.

Captain Bridger's shuttle's returned to his ship,

but still no sign of movement along the blockade.

Broadcast a general hail.

I want to give them a final warning.

No response, sir.

Helm.

Sir.

Ahead slow, bring us around their line.

Aye-aye, sir.

They're moving to block, sir.

What are you going to do, sir?

Do you have a recommendation, Mr. Ford?

With all due respect, sir,

I think this is your call.

You're absolutely right.

Mr. Piccolo.

Sir.

Stand down.

Readying e.M.P. Torpedoes. Maximum spread.

Relax,

I'm just going to knock out their power systems.

Setting charge for 75%.

Flooding tubes able-1, -2, -3.

Firing.

Three direct hits confirmed, sir.

Full system failure in two of the ships.

Captain Bridger's vessel doesn't appear to be affected.

He's shielded his systems.

He was expecting us to come at him with e.M.P.S.

This was his boat, sir.

E.m. Shielding is holding. All systems operational.

But they'll be around us in minutes.

I don't think so.

Full ahead, bearing 000.

Captain Bridger's ship's increasing speed.

We're on collision course.

600 meters and closing. They're not evading.

I didn't think he would.

300 meters and closing--fast.

Should I begin evasive maneuvers?

Steady as she goes, fredricks.

200 meters.

Dive planes down 20 degrees now.

They're veering off.

I can't believe Bridger blinked.

Man still loves this boat.

Wolenczak, what's going on?

Something's wrong with the magnetic drive impellers, sir.

The system's totally destabilized.

Captain, we'll blow the impellers

if we don't shut them down.

Shut it down, ensign.

Engines off-line.

All power down.

Son of a bitch.

We're being hailed, sir.

It's captain Bridger.

Put him on.

Aye-aye.

Captain, I'm the one who designed seaquest.

I know how to disable her.

If you try to put her systems back on-line,

I'll knock them down again.

You'll forgive me for trying anyway.

The only way to deal with this pherma strain

is to listen to me.

We did listen, sir...

And we disagreed.

This is your response, captain?

You didn't give me much choice.

I'm going to keep the seaquest here

until this outbreak is over.

I believe I'm right, sir.

I know you do, Lucas.

I know you do.

How well do you know this ship?

Well enough.

Captain, it's getting worse.

The time we've been out,

the infection zone's increased 13%.

Doesn't look like it's burning itself out, does it?

Wolenczak, what have you got?

Nothing yet, sir.

Somehow captain Bridger

locked on to seaquest's engines,

disrupting our magnetic drive frequencies,

which means that the problem

lies with the propulsion control grid.

That system should be shielded.

It is.

I think captain Bridger

accessed a w.S.K.R. Telemetry stream

to override it.

Clever of him.

Yes, sir.

Very, very clever.

I reconfigured the propulsion relays

and w.S.K.R. Frequencies.

If captain Bridger tries it again, it won't work.

I know this is difficult for you.

Yes, sir, it is.

Main power standing by, sir.

We can power up anytime.

Let's stay dead in the water

just a little bit longer.

What's the status on those other ships?

With the exception of captain Bridger's ship,

they're still on emergency power.

Good.

Piccolo.

Arm lasers.

Aye-aye, sir. Lasers up.

Captain Bridger is not a hostile target.

He was our commander and our friend.

This is a mistake.

We have an outbreak to deal with.

Bridger became a hostile target

when he disabled this ship.

There is no other way. Back to your station.

Mr. Piccolo, target the propulsion array

and fire as it comes to bear.

They figured out how to restore power.

Lucas did.

He fused our propeller to our drive shaft.

Our systems are crashing.

Direct hit to main screws.

They're dead in the water.

Their main power levels are low, sir,

but stable.

Do they have enough power for life support?

Yes, sir.

Disabling his ship

was the equitable response to his actions.

Then why doesn't it feel equitable?

Our actions are based upon a scientific judgment you made.

Forget about your personal feelings.

They're not the issue.

Mr. Ford, get us underway.

Aye-aye, sir.

All stations power up.

Helm. Resume previous course.

Ahead 2/3.

Aye-aye.

Captain Bridger's hailing us.

Put him on.

Aye, sir.

You're making a big mistake, captain.

You didn't leave me much choice.

Enzyme production is at full capacity.

We're ready to begin, sir.

Go ahead.

Deploying enzyme charge...

Now.

I've programmed the dispersal pattern

into fire control.

Charges will be released as we move through the zone.

How long before we see results?

I designed the enzymes to break down protein

in the pherma strain.

It's going to take time,

but we should see the complete effect within a few weeks.

Microbe levels should begin to drop immediately.

Good work, ensign.

Carry on.

Thank you, sir.

Sir.

Sir, uh...

Listen, we left captain Bridger's ship

in a really bad state.

I'd like permission

to assign some rescue assets to his fleet,

if that's possible.

Absolutely.

My old man loved to shoot pool.

He was good, too-- state champion.

He'd use me for warm-up games

before his friends would drop by.

Sir?

One afternoon, when I was 17,

I ran 100 points at him.

I beat him bad.

I felt like a hero, then like a thief,

but mostly angry.

Angry because my old man

turned out to be a human being

just like the rest of us.

Go easy on yourself, ensign.

You released your enzymes, didn't you?

Yes, sir, I did.

Remember that years from now

when this ecosystem's in ruins.

Sir, if you'd been monitoring the water toxicity levels,

you'd notice that my solution is working.

Yeah, maybe for now.

Is it so hard for you to admit

that maybe, just once,

you could've been wrong?

It's never been a competition.

You should've trusted me.

And, sir, you should've trusted me.

I did.

Lucas sad?

I'm not sad, Darwin.

I'm just... Frustrated.

Darwin not understand.

Frustrated.

It's like, um...

It's like when you're really hungry

and you go hunting.

No matter how long you chase this fish,

you don't catch it.

That's frustration.

Darwin good hunter.

Always catch fish.

It's just a human problem, I guess.

Oh, hey, Lucas.

Hey, Tim.

What brings you here?

I don't know.

Figured this is the one place

Hudson wouldn't be.

Do you remember

when working on this ship was a career

instead of an adventure?

It was always an adventure, Tim.

Just a little different now.

That's an understatement.

Yeah, I guess it is.

You know, even Bridger's different.

No, he's not.

He's the same.

We've changed.

Then why does he still treat me like a kid?

I don't know, Lucas.

Half the time,

Hudson treats me the same way.

Ford to wolenczak.

We're in position to release the last enzyme charge.

Captain wants you to run a water toxicity scan.

I'm on my way.

[Sigh]

You hit captain Bridger pretty hard, ensign.

I hope it's worth it.

According to our measurements,

most of the water in the zone

is within u.E.O. Safety levels.

I'll tell the antilles fishing fleets

they can resume commercial operation shortly.

Well done.

I'd like to get back to the zone perimeter,

complete my toxicity scans.

Right away.

Helm.

Sir.

Ahead 1/3.

Bring us to course 157 Mark 2.

Captain, I'm getting an overpressure alert

on deck two.

It might be a faulty baffle plate.

Thank you, lieutenant. Check it out.

Try this one, dagwood.

What is an... Overpressure alert?

It's what happens when we get

pressure fluctuations on the hull.

What are fluctuations?

Problems.

O.k.

Is this a problem?

Bridge! We've got a problem on engineering deck.

The whole compartment's flooding.

We've got a ruptured baffle plate!

This is a serious breach!

Damage control to engineering.

Get those people out of there.

Seal off that compartment.

Blow aft ballast.

Level us off.

Ballast tanks responding, sir.

We're zero bubble, sir.

We have a hull breach.

It's not just a structural collapse.

It's the ship's bioskin.

It just ruptured, sir.

Dr. Perry to bridge.

Captain here.

We've got a real problem here.

We got lieutenant Henderson and dagwood out,

but they're very sick.

I think they've been infected with the pherma strain.

Wait. That microbe only affects marine life.

No, no. Not anymore.

The protein structure

of the pherma strain has changed.

It's...mutated,

because it's affecting different forms of life now,

including the ship's bioskin.

My enzyme didn't destroy the microbe.

It made it worse.

How'd this happen?

The microbe passes from sea water right through the skin

at an incredibly fast rate.

The symptoms begin almost immediately thereafter.

Is there anything we can do?

I'm trying broad-spectrum antibiotics,

but all I can do for now is reduce pain.

If we're going to have any chance of saving them,

we'll need a lot more information about this microbe.

We're in the right place, doctor. We're at patient zero.

Doesn't make sense, Lucas.

Our bioskin is genetically engineered

to be completely inert.

It's not supposed to react to marine organisms.

Apparently, it doesn't apply to the pherma strain.

Oh...what the hell is that?

Massive... Bacterial infection.

The microbe's breaking up the ship's bioskin.

That must have been what caused the rupture.

It also means there could be more.

Well, we could increase the hull pressure.

That should shore it up for a while, anyway.

Yeah, but not forever.

The microbe's turning the bioskin into mush.

If more of it gets infected,

seaquest may not be able

to withstand ocean pressures anymore.

It's over, Nathan.

We had our shot, and we lost.

There's got to be something in this ecosystem

to stop the pherma strain.

I've got to try to find an antigen.

Our shuttle will never survive

a deep submergence mission.

You won't help by getting killed.

I'm not helping anyone here, either.

We've sealed off decks 10-27,

and I've converted all security teams

to damage control details.

We'll need all of them.

Six of the teams have been infected.

[Hiss] I want every available--

sir.

Thank you, lieutenant.

Warning. active hull breach.

Executing emergency protocol.

Sealing compartment.

Sir, I'm on a full biomedical alert.

I can't contain the outbreak.

I'm getting six new patients an hour.

We can't send a medical team in

while you're in the infected zone.

And we can't leave.

We'll work this out over the vidlink.

Give me a few hours to assemble a viral task force.

I don't have a few hours.

Does she have a chance?

I don't know if any of us do, sir.

Our projections indicate

this infection will hit the coastline

in less than 12 hours.

Why didn't you see this coming, ensign?

There's a lot about the mutation we still don't know.

We may have a bigger time window than we estimated.

Or we might not. Do you know what this microbe will do

to the population of the antilles region

if it gets into their water table and food supply?

If we can't neutralize the microbe,

we have to destroy it completely.

I recommend detonating a gamma warhead

in the contaminated area.

Captain...

We're in the contaminated area.

As long as the bioskin is infected,

we can't leave.

I know that, commander.

Oliver.

There are over 200 people on seaquest.

Yes, sir. And there are 10 million people

in the antilles region.

Barring any other solution,

I think this is the correct, equitable response

to the problem.

I can have a missile ready to launch in...10 hours.

Thank you, sir.

No, captain.

Thank you.

Thank you all.

All right. We still have 10 hours.

Let's get ahold of captain Bridger.

I've got a new sample of the strain.

He knows more about the outbreak than anyone.

Together we can figure a way out of this.

Absolutely. Give it a shot.

Wolenczak to Bridger. Please come in.

This is Dr. Johansen.

I need to speak to captain Bridger.

He went to find something in this ecosystem

to counteract the pherma strain.

He was heading for the nares trench,

but we lost contact with his shuttle 20 minutes ago.

He took a ds-9 shuttle down a 8,000-foot trench?

It was the only way.

And he believed it was worth the risk.

Doctor, the u.E.O. Is sending in a gamma warhead

to wipe out the microbe in less than 10 hours.

You must evacuate the area!

Give me Bridger's last position.

Transmitting coordinates now.

O.k.

[Beep]

[Beep beep beep]

Captain Bridger, this is Lucas.

I'm right alongside your ship.

Please acknowledge.

Get away from here, Lucas.

There's nothing you can do for me.

I told you to stay away.

Why are you doing this, sir?

Somebody had to do something.

Why couldn't you trust me?

You were asking us

to stake millions of lives on your belief,

and I couldn't do that.

The situation demanded an immediate response.

You wanted to stake

millions of lives on your belief.

Yeah.

Yeah, I did.

But you've never been able to concede anything.

When you thought your son died,

you turned your back on the Navy.

When you felt that seaquest stopped being what it should be,

you left!

Lucas...

I've got my principles.

What else would I have left?

And I have mine.

But they're just not the same as yours anymore, captain.

They've changed. I've changed.

You were wrong.

If I could do it all over again,

I'd make the same decision...

Because I felt

that that was the most appropriate call

under the circumstances,

and I believed it was right.

I think...It's time one of us had a third option.

That's why I'm here.

Under those circumstances,

I'm glad to see you.

I'm glad to see you, too.

This dive...

Wasn't a complete failure.

I found this.

It's a species of algae.

It's still alive.

It's got a natural immunity

to the pherma strain

I wanted to use it as an antigen,

but there's not enough

to undo the damage that's been done.

Maybe not here, but...

It looks like it has the same catalyzing function

as my original enzyme.

If we can modify the synthesis rig--

we could manufacture enough

for what we need.

You got room for another passenger?

I know you probably can't hear me...

But I had a girlfriend all through high school.

Her name was Kim Nichols.

We dated all through my senior year.

And then I went off to the academy,

and she went off to college.

A few years later,

I heard that she had gotten married.

I felt like this...

Gigantic...

Hole had opened up and...

Swallowed me.

And being the emotional genius that I am,

I realized that...

It was because I loved her.

But I had never told her.

I'm not going to make that same mistake

with you, Lonnie.

I love you.

And I'm not letting you go.

Not like this.

All senior officers who are able,

report to the bridge.

O'Neill.

Sir?

Put me on shipwide.

Aye, aye, sir.

To all crew, this is the captain.

When we joined the u.E.O.,

we took an oath to protect the world's oceans

at any cost.

That is why seaquest was created.

That is why this crew is here.

But it seems that this ship and this crew

have become part of the danger.

And we may have to pay the price

to finish our mission.

I don't have a lot of comfort to offer,

but I want you to know

that we started this together,

and we will end this together.

Thank you. That is all.

The warhead is ready for launch, sir.

Proceed.

Attention. this is a u.E.O. General alert

to all vessels in the greater antilles region.

Gamma warhead detonation will occur in 1 hour, 30 minutes.

Minimum safe distance from the blast center is 100 kilometers.

You've got to admire Hudson's convictions.

Let's not try to kill ourselves doing it.

Seaquest, this is wolenczak. Come in.

Hudson here.

Captain Bridger found an algae

with a natural resistance to the pherma strain.

We think we could synthesize an antigen

and neutralize the infection.

We'll be there in five minutes.

I'll try and buy time.

What is it, captain?

We may have found a cure, sir.

Recall the missile.

I can't. It's past fail-safe.

We couldn't risk anyone trying to stop it.

Thought we'd try and shoot it down.

You thought we'd panic.

You picked the wrong boat!

How many subfighter pilots we got ready?

They're all in medbay.

We'll have to settle for me.

Spector-two to seaquest.

Requesting missile telemetry.

Switching now, sir.

Changing course to intercept.

The antigen's working.

O.k. I'm flushing the tanks.

Start downloading antigen sequence.

I'm on it.

I think he's going to make it.

If we can increase the rate of synthesis,

I think we're all going to make it.

Come on.

Seaquest,

I have target lock.

Arming torpedoes.

Captain, wait!

That missile's a tactical warhead,

which means it's probably designed to explode on impact.

If you use your torpedoes--

it'll detonate and take me with it.

Yes, sir.

Thank you, lieutenant.

Time to target.

3 minutes, 22 seconds.

If I can't use a hammer,

I'll just have to use a scalpel.

Arming pulse lasers.

Scratch one warhead.

Coordinate and set recovery.

Captain, we have enough to try the antigen.

We're set for a controlled release

through the ship's hydropressure tubes on your order, sir.

Proceed, ensign.

Yes, sir.

Ensign, you seem to have the situation well in hand.

He's coming along very nicely, sir.

The antigen even neutralized the microbes in the bioskin.

Give it a week or so to regenerate,

it should be as good as new.

You're a stubborn man, Nathan.

And what does that make you?

How's the food?

Ah...

It's solid.

Beyond that...

What?

Uh...

I'm just happy to see you.

Thanks.

You're welcome.

Jonathan...

That was a scary place I was in.

Nothing...

But this lonely, burning fever...

And the fear

that I might not ever see my friends or my family again.

And I might not ever see you again.

But, um...

Even though I was afraid and I was lonely,

I knew you wouldn't let me go.

And that you loved me.

There's just one thing I don't understand.

What's that?

Who is Kim Nichols?

And why do I feel like

writing her a thank-you note?

What do you think, Darwin?

What's the verdict?

Water clean, but empty.

Well, we've killed every microbe in the area.

Of course, nothing else is living here, either.

You think this part of the ocean

will ever thrive again, sir?

I don't know.

But nature has a way of finding her own equilibrium.

I hope you're right.

I'm not always right.

I've had a chance to study your data, Lucas.

I think I was wrong about the spread of the microbe.

Would have eventually burned itself out,

but not without contaminating a whole coastline,

so some action was necessary.

There. I've said it.

That means a lot to me, sir.

Thank you.

Bridger stay with Darwin?

No, I'm afraid not.

You going back to your fleet, captain?

[Laughing] It's hardly a fleet.

Well, it's a group of people that believe in the same things you do.

That's true. And there's a lot of work to be done.

I still have to find my son Robert and his wife.

You're going to find them, captain.

Maybe he'll find me.

By the way,

I would like very much for him to meet you.

I think you two would get along just fine.

I'd like that.

Captioning made possible by universal television, national broadcasting company,

and 1995 nci caption club/ grantsmanship

captioning performed by the national captioning institute, inc.

Public performance of captions prohibited without permission of national captioning institute