Ghost Signals, Episode 8: Part 4.3
AC SECOND CLASS DEZ-LEI (whispering, to Steggy) You have any idea what the good Doctor is scheming? 'Cause I fail to see how this alone will steer Three Angels from ruin.
STEGGY (shrugs, to AC Second Class Dez-Lei) No idea. Honestly though, she's always been more instinctual than tactical in her biz. If she thinks that thing'll be helpful, I trust her judgment.
AC SECOND CLASS DEZ-LEI A fair enough summation...
STEGGY (pause, with a smirk) In case things go south though, I gotta say- it's been a blast to know ya, AC Second Class.
AC SECOND CLASS DEZ-LEI Was--Was that a compliment I just heard? One not tipified by an expletive... (Steggy chuckles) I'm not sure whether to be flattered or frightened I'm about to get offed.
The two of them share a nice friendly silence tipified by a mutual smile between them both.
RAIVEN (V.O., to Steggy) Cap, I just spied an AI-compatible interface on the back here. If you wanna tag along.
STEGGY (nods, to Raiven) Ready and willing, Doc!
BACK TO:
INT. THREE ANGELS INTELLIGENCE- Thirty Minutes Later
Jaryd and Captain Riggs in the middle of the intelligence compound, looking at the radar screens as the mysterious fire cloud barrels down at their position.
JARYD "Tis the witching time of night", Orbed is the moon and bright, And the stars they glisten, glisten, Seeming with bright eyes to listen — For what listen they?" The Captain glances back at them, puzzled by the source of the comment.
JARYD (explanatory, to Captain Riggs) John Keats. An old poet- one of my favs from my youth. Not sure why it seemed fitting for the situation, but...it does.
PRIVATE POEHLER (V.O.) The acid cloud should be over the gate in 2 minutes.
CUT TO:
A shot of Private Poehler glancing back at the two of them a second later, filling them in with the rest of the news.
PRIVATE POEHLER (Cont., to Jaryd and Captain Riggs) Probability of acid rain precipitation's just jumped to 77.23%.
As she says it, the sound of rattling starts to echo down from the ceiling.
PRIVATE POEHLER Scratch that- now it's 97.23%.
BACK TO:
JARYD (to Captain Riggs) You got all essential and non- essential crew far out of the Loading Bay?
CAPTAIN RIGGS Yes, Mayor. All that remains is a contingent of drones loaded up to the brim with SteelSeal.
JARYD How soon will they be off?
CAPTAIN RIGGS They'll be skyward momentarily. Should reach the gate and begin the application process before we get any structural issues hopefully.
JARYD We've never flown them against a rush of acid rain. What happens if it starts affecting the drones' Nav systems?
CAPTAIN RIGGS We trigger a self-destruct on the cannons that should plug up the hole with the rest of the SteelSeal.
JARYD Good, good...
CUT TO:
INT. CARGO BAY
A rush of drones emerging from the doors, taking flight one after another; a cannon attached to the shoulder of each one of them. The camera follows them as they enter the empty cylindrical area that leads up to the gates.
You can see the metal of the gates start to degrade moment by moment. It reaches a point that a hole starts to form on a section of the left gate; a stream of water dropping down to the area.
The water hits one of the drones on its right arm, slicing it off and disrupting its flight path. The fiery explosion it causes sets off a chain reaction that takes out many of the drones in the area over the course of a few moments.
From within the flames, we see the front of Raiven's exosuit cutting through on its way to the gate.
STEGGY (from the helmet speaker) Flying in an armored super suit to a gate to save lower lifeforms- betcha this wasn't something you thought would happen growing up.
RAIVEN I did write a ficto as a youngling that came close. Fairly dirty one, if memory serves.
STEGGY No! Please tell me you have a copy I can read...once we're not on the verge of death. Again.
RAIVEN (chuckles) I'll show it later.
STEGGY Hold ya to it, Doc.
We move to a rear shot of the suit as it nears the gates; a rush of white suddenly filling the screen along with the sound of explosion.
TRANSITION:
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM- Many Years Ago
From this initial white glow, it changes to the glow of the ceiling lamp along with the pale tan of the ceiling tiles all around it. The only sounds that can be heard initially is medical equipment and the faint sound of music elsewhere.
CUT TO:
A ground level shot of the room itself where we see Renee, now in her early 50s, near death in a hospital bed; various wires and prods littering the top half of her body. In the distance, you can see a hard metal door that is going through a process on the other side to open up.
At the end of this process, the camera zooms in on the door as it opens revealing Mina walking in wearing a full body contamination suit; her wrinkled face visible through the plastic covering in the center of the helmet.
DOCTOR (to Mina, through the helmet speaker) You have five minutes. Try not to damage the suit, or you'd risk getting infected.