ACT ONE
FADE IN:
4 EXT. DEEP SPACE NINE
A straight top-down view of the station, the three rings clear. The
Defiant sticks out sideways at its usual berth, and a couple of other minor freighter ships elsewhere.
But the entire station is completely DARK. No power from the fusion core, no lights in the windows, no flashing indicator lights for docking ships. The entire construction is dead in space. Nada. Rien. Zilchingtons. Power? Nope.
5 INT. DS9 – MAIN OPS CENTRE
Totally dark in here too. The entire scene should be lit only by starlight coming through the high windows, and by the FLASHLIGHTS that concerned officers wave about.
There’s a light moving around inside the commander’s office – another flashlight that we can see through the glass. There’s a CLUNK and a HISS. The door begins to inch open, pumped step by step using the manual release.
Once it’s open enough, RO LAREN squeezes through.
RO
Report! What the hell happened?
Somewhere in the dark, NOG’s voice echoes. She finds him standing in the engineering alcove to her left.
NOG
We don’t know, sir. All power is
completely gone.
RO
Where are the backups?
NOG
I don’t know! There was no damage
or explosion. The power just...
wasn’t there anymore.
RO
Alright, gimme a roll call. Cenn!
CENN (o.s.)
I’m here, Commander.
RO
Bowers!
BOWERS (o.s.)
Aye, sir.
6 INT. DS9 – PROMENADE / QUARK’S BAR
It’s the same situation here. Totally black except for the stars shining through the windows.
But there’s chaos. SCREAMS and CRASHES from inside Quark’s as the patrons stumble about in the dark. The sound of BARKS from Pif and YIPS from his puppies.
At the security office, the door is being pumped open again using the manual release. EVIK emerges into the darkness, his own flashlight leading the way. He spots SEVAK already heading calmly towards him.
EVIK
Sevak! What’s going on?
SEVAK
Unknown, Commander. The station
appears to have suffered a massive
power failure.
EVIK
I want you to track down every
Starfleet officer you can find, hand
them a weapon and a flash-light,
and make sure they’re keeping
people calm. Until we know more,
keeping the civilians safe is our
top priority. Here.
Evik hands Sevak his own flashlight, and the Vulcan heads past Evik into the security office to grab the weapons.
Then Evik heads across to Quark’s. The sounds of panic are rising. At the door, Evik attempts to shout over the crowd.
EVIK
Ladies and gentlemen...
But he can’t be heard over the din. Without his own light it’s harder than ever to see anything. But then he feels something against his leg, and he looks down. He can just make out Pif reaching out to touch his leg with a paw.
EVIK
Pif?
PIF
Oh, Commander! I’m glad it’s you!
EVIK
Can you get everyone’s attention?
PIF
Watch me. Oh, I guess you can’t.
Pif turns, takes a deep lungful, and BARKS repeatedly at the top of his voice. He barks and barks and barks until the entire crowd has come to attention.
But before Evik can speak, there’s a CRACK and a FIZZ, and a green light comes from the bar area. It’s QUARK, breaking open an emergency flare that he kept behind his bar. The green light reveals the bartender, with a papoose strapped to his chest and one of Pif’s puppies riding inside it.
QUARK
Commander Evik! I demand an
explanation!
EVIK
When I have one to give, Quark, I’ll
be happy to. Ladies and gentlemen,
I’m afraid I do not know what has
caused this power outage, but I
assure you that the crew is working
on the problem. In the meantime,
please all stay where you are,
remain calm, and don’t do anything
that may result in you or anyone
else being injured. Thank you.
The crowd mostly follows his instructions, except for a few whimpers and mutters here and there. Evik follows the green light and heads slowly towards the bar, feeling his way.
The whole time they’re talking, the puppy riding in Quark’s papoose continually reaches out with his paws and tries to SWIPE at the burning flare, quite unafraid.
EVIK
Quark, I’m putting you in charge here.
QUARK
Me?! You’re in charge of security.
EVIK
And I’m mobilising every Starfleet
officer I can find, security or not.
But in the meantime, this is your
bar, and you’re responsible for
your customers. Keep them calm
and safe. Understood?
QUARK
(reluctant)
Understood.
(to puppy)
Stop that.
EVIK
(shouts out)
Any Starfleet officers in this room,
please make your way calmly and
quickly to the main exit of the bar.
I’ll meet you there and issue orders.
With a nod towards Quark, Evik turns and begins to make his way back to the entrance again. Quark gulps with nerves.
7 INT. DS9 – MAIN OPS CENTRE
Ro shines her flashlight around Ops – huge and cavernous in the darkness. High vaulted ceilings, worried faces, totally dead computer panels. There’s not even emergency lighting.
RO
Is it just us? Or is the whole
station affected?
NOG
Everybody be quiet for a minute.
FOCUS IN on Nog’s giant Ferengi ear, as he closes his eyes and concentrates, stretching his senses out as far as he can. After a few moments, he shakes his head sadly.
NOG
Sounds like the fusion core is off
too. No vibration in the decks.
I’d say it’s the whole station.
RO
Can anybody get a signal out?
Nog, Bowers and Cenn all try their combadges. They all give a dull SQUIGGLE sound. Nog is paradoxically excited.
NOG
They’ve still got power. There’s
just no signal ‘cause the station’s
comm system is down. But...
He pulls out a tricorder, opens it up. It comes to life, the light almost too bright in this darkness.
NOG
Yes! We can retune the tricorders
to serve as signal boosters.
RO
Okay everybody, grab yourselves
a tricorder and tie it in to your
combadges. Now! Good work, Nog.
All around Ops, tricorders start popping into life, small dots of light around the station’s darkened nerve centre.
8 INT. DS9 – CARGO BAY
Just as dark here as everywhere else. We can only hear Candlewood stumbling around in the dark.
CANDLEWOOD
No... no... no... no no no no no
nonononononono! This is not good,
oh this is definitely not good. What
did you do, what did you do?
He stumbles into something, and YOWLS as he goes flying, thrown to the floor. One of the crates of old junk falls with a CRASH, unidentified objects smashing or clanging or thudding into Candlewood’s ribcage with a startled grunt.
CANDLEWOOD
Oh, come on!
9 INT. DEFIANT – SHUTTLE BAY
Normal lighting in here. Prynn sits cross-legged on the deck, one of the
Defiant’s tiny shuttlepods on the sci-fi version of a carjack, her hands in the guts of the machine.
She’s humming along to herself, quite happy, unaware of any issues. Then her combadge crackles to life.
RO (comm)
(broken, static-y)
...Commander Ro to any Starfleet
officer who can hear me. Please
respond immediately. Repeat,
this is Commander Ro...
That seems odd, thinks Prynn. She taps her badge to reply.
PRYNN
Commander? This is Lieutenant
Tenmei. Is there a problem?
RO (comm)
Tenmei! Where are you?
PRYNN
The Defiant. In the shuttle bay.
RO (comm)
And do you have power?
PRYNN
Ummm... yeah. Why?
RO (comm)
The station’s had a catastrophic
power failure. I need you to
access the Defiant’s main computer
and tie in every combadge on the
station to its signal network.
PRYNN
I’m on it, sir.
Getting the urgency now, Prynn drops what she was doing and runs to a computer panel, working it at top speed.
10 INT. DS9 – MAIN OPS CENTRE
Ro sags with relief to know something is working. One by one, everybody’s combadge comes to life with a bright BEEP. Ro thumps a console in victory.
RO
Great work, Prynn! Now what do
the sensors say? Any sign of other
ships out there?
A pause as Prynn works the computers again.
PRYNN (comm)
Not that I can see, sir.
RO
Okay. Keep the computer working
on the combadges. Stand by for more.
(taps badge again)
Ro to Evik. Respond!
11 INT. DS9 – PROMENADE
Standing with a crowd of Starfleet officers just outside Quark’s, lit only by the bobbing flashlights being handed out by Sevak, Evik responds with relief to the combadge.
EVIK
Commander! Yes, this is Evik.
RO (comm)
Report – what’s your status?
EVIK
Total blackout, not a single panel
or light is working. I’m putting
armed officers at every point in
the station, with orders to find
and protect civilians.
RO (comm)
Good man. Prynn’s working on
getting all the combadges routed
through the Defiant. Stand by.
12 INT. DS9 – INFIRMARY
BASHIR is also breaking out the flashlights here. He hands one to RICHTER, then moves off to a biobed that contains an alien PATIENT, unconscious and in mid-surgery.
RO (comm)
Ro to Bashir. Report, doctor.
BASHIR
Ro? What the hell’s going on?
I was in the middle of surgery!
RO (comm)
Is your patient in any imminent
danger of dying?
BASHIR
Well, he wasn’t until the power
went out.
RO (comm)
We’re working on it, Doctor. Do
what you can and we’ll get back
to you. Ro out.
The signal dies. Bashir throws his hands up in frustration.
13 INT. DS9 – MAIN OPS CENTRE
Ro leans against a console, mind working fast.
RO
Tenmei. Status.
PRYNN (comm)
All combadges connected now, sir.
RO
Commander Ro to all hands. Level
one emergency is in effect. This is
not a drill. All hands report to your
supervisors for orders.
(taps badge)
Okay, Prynn. Beam Bashir and
anyone with him to the Defiant’s
sickbay. Warn him first. Then beam
me and Bowers to the bridge. You
start warming up the Cooper for
immediate launch.
PRYNN (comm)
Understood, sir. Tenmei out.
RO
(deep breath)
Cenn, Nog, you’ve got Ops. Just...
keep trying to figure it out.
CENN
Sir... what about the Yridian
freighters? As far as we know
they’re still locked down. They
won’t know what’s going on.
RO
Try to get in contact with their
captains, and tell them to stay
where they are. They’re better
off in there than we are in here.
(taps combadge)
Tenmei – energize.
Ro and Bowers dissolve in bright and glittering transporter beams. Cenn turns back to the crew, awaiting their orders.
14 INT. DS9 – CARGO BAY
Candlewood struggles out from beneath his pile of junk. He staggers back to his feet, begins feeling his way around.
CANDLEWOOD
Alright, what’s that? That’s a
crate. Okay. And this... yes,
yes... feels like a computer
console. So, if I reach round the
back, underneath the flap... Yes!
A flashlight bursts into life in his hand, revealing him standing by the computer console. The device he plugged in is still there. He unplugs it again, looks it over.
CANDLEWOOD
I don’t know what you did, but it is
unacceptable behaviour. Bad... thing!
Waving the flashlight around, he finds the large cargo bay door. He heads over to it, finds the manual control, and slowly pumps the door open inch by inch. He pokes his head out into the corridor. It’s pitch black.
CANDLEWOOD
Yep, definitely not good.
He sees something out of the corner of his eye. A light has come on at the far end of the corridor to his left.
CANDLEWOOD
Yes!
The light moves towards him. The station’s usual lighting system, coming to life one panel or bulb at a time before moving on. It gets closer. And closer. Candlewood gulps.
CANDLEWOOD
...Or no.
The ripple of power moves on past Candlewood, ignoring him, and carries on down the corridor to his right.
CANDLEWOOD
The hell was that?
15 INT. DEFIANT – BRIDGE
Ro and Bowers are on the bridge, working panels and bringing things to life.
BOWERS
Sensors don’t detect any other
ships in the vicinity, aside from
the freighters already docked, and
a standard Bajoran patrol at the
edge of the system.
RO
Contact the Militia, tell them our
situation and request assistance
– tech and tactical. Damn it! I
can’t disengage the docking
clamps - they’re frozen.
BOWERS
Which means the runabouts will
be the same way.
RO
Yeah. Ro to Tenmei – you ready?
PRYNN (comm)
Yessir.
RO
Okay, I need you to get outside
and give us a visual on whatever
the hell’s going on out there.
Keep your sensors open and
your weapons hot, just in case.
Ro works some more panels...
16 EXT. DEFIANT
In the belly of the ship, the circular hatch opens and the tiny shuttlepod
Cooper drops out, immediately zooming away.
The
Cooper manoeuvres away from the ship and out into open space. After a moment it turns around again... and we see the station. As seen at the top of Act One – completely dark, with the
Defiant and the two freighters still docked.
17 INT. SHUTTLEPOD
Prynn at the controls. She looks out, dismayed.
PRYNN
Cooper to Defiant – it’s just like
you said, sir. No power anywhere.
RO (comm)
Okay, what –
PRYNN
Wait!
There’s the light again. In a couple of windows on the docking ring, and moving.
18 EXT. DEEP SPACE NINE
The light moves around the station, getting faster and faster all the time. It loops around the station, exploring the different decks, crossing over from the docking ring to the habitat ring and back again, but always looping around and around, running around the darkened station.
19 INT. SHUTTLEPOD
Prynn stands up to see clearer out of the window. Her jaw drops in utter confusion as she watches the light loop around and around and around...
FADE OUT:
END OF ACT ONE
