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FINAL STAND .HE Final Stand 2/13/87 # FADE IN: EXT SKY - JUMPSHIP - MORNING The jumpship screams across the landscape TOWARD CAMERA, shooting past us and then away into the distance UNDER: POWER (VO) Database Journal: 1/7/99. Captain reporting. En route to sector seven, grid coordinates nine-by-five. It used to have a name, once. Not any more. INT JUMPSHIP - COCKPIT TIGHT on Scout working a portable monitor/laptop computer, wires hanging everywhichway. The workspace is cramped -- he has it all pretty much in his lap, on the floor, the others visible just behind, at their stations. POWER (VO/cont'd) Scout's first attempt with the biodread receiver gave us enough date to locate their next target. Just hope we get there in time. Power squeezes past the cockpit seats and leans over toward Scout, who barely looks up from his work. POWER Pick up anything else? SCOUT Not yet. That's the problem with biomechs -- they're hard to pin down. Broadcasting all over the spectrum. POWER Keep at it. Shout if you get anything. He claps Scout on the shoulder, heads back into the cockpit. Pilot is at the controls, Tank beside her, as Hawk examines a grid-map. POWER Status? HAWK Last survey shows two, maybe three hundred civilians in the area. POWER How long to evacuate everyone? Best guess. TANK Three trips -- say, one hour. POWER Not good enough. Dread forces could be on us by then, digitize the whole bunch before we even -- Suddenly a warning light FLASHES on the console. Pilot notes it. PILOT Speak of the devil. Biodread at six o'clock. EXT SKY - ANOTHER ANGLE - SOARON Streaking TOWARD camera and banking around. (INTERACTIVE) INT JUMPSHIP - COCKPIT Everyone's getting into battle positions. POWER Has it seen us yet? PILOT I don't think so -- not yet. And suddenly Power is all business, taking his place at the helm, flipping switches and checking coordinates. POWER Let's keep it that way. Hawk, you get those antiques installed? HAWK On line and ready to go. POWER Fire number one. EXT JUMPSHIP - UNDERBELLY A pair of side-hatches swing open, revealing two air-to-air missiles, looking pretty old but useable. One of the missiles FLARES to life and BLASTS off into the distance. EXT SKY - SOARON Streaking along when suddenly it looks behind, sees the oncoming missile racing toward him from behind. Soaron banks, swerves. The missile stays right on his tail. He fires at it, just misses. SOARON Pursuit mode. Maximum burn -- now. His jets flare brighter as he picks up speed, starts to bank around to face the oncoming missile. (INTERACTIVE) INT JUMPSHIP Power smiles grimly. POWER Distracted. Good! And -- fire two! Bring us up on it, 90 degree angle, fast! EXT JUMPSHIP The second missile flares to life and is FIRED. EXT SKY - SOARON Hovering, facing the oncoming missile. He raises one hand, FIRES. (INTERACTIVE) The missile is hit, EXPLODES. SOARON Target destroyed. Follow-up attack projected. It turns, back to us, (INTERACTIVE), SEES: EXT JUMPSHIP - FORWARD LASERS The lasers FIRE TOWARD CAMERA. (INTERACTIVE) SOARON Zooms in and out of the rays, FIRING as he goes. (INTERACTIVE) SOARON Enemy sighted -- preparing to -- (hears sudden roar) -- what? He spins around. Too late. THE MISSILE - streaking right INTO CAMERA -- SOARON - tries to get out of the way, executing evasive maneuvers, FIRING (INTERACTIVE). But it's too late -- THE MISSILE - hits, EXPLODES. Smoking, damaged, Soaron FALLS. INT JUMPSHIP All smiling. Hawk looks to Power. HAWK Nice. It expected a follow-up attack, but not from two directions at once. POWER Should buy us just enough time to get those people out. Maximum drive, Pilot. PILOT Full throttle, Captain. EXT GROUND - ANGLE TOWARD SKY As the jumpship shoots past overhead, PAN DOWN to Soaron, now in various pieces, but his eyes still glowing. Tracking with the passing jumpship. SOARON Systems disabled, my lord. Required time for regeneration: two hours. And on the word "regeneration," a segment of broken wing suddenly shoots out, repairing itself. Growing. EXT VOLCANIA - ESTABLISHING Stock. Gouts of fire from the rim. (INTERACTIVE) INT VOLCANIA - DREAD'S CHAMBER Where Dread focuses his attention on a map lit with tiny grids. He frowns. On one screen, riddled with static, is Soaron's POV. DREAD Finalize regeneration and then complete the mission. Locate the humans, digitize and store. SOARON (VO) Yes, my lord. Dread toggles a button. The image vanishes from his screen. MENTOR More salvaged artifacts from Seattle for your examination, Lord Dread. Dread steps down from his chair to a wall panel (small, two feet by two feet) that opens to reveal a MIRRORED INTERIOR as he approaches. Inside it we can SEE a collection of seeming junk. He goes through it, smiling as he picks out a working music box, an antique locket, a pocket-watch -- all UNDER: DREAD Yes -- this we'll save -- and this, nice, very nice -- -- and then he stops. Picks up one of those children's glass- and-wood wind-up music-boxes. Below the glass lid a cardboard cutout of a rather grotesque robot lay still. He touches it. The music GRINDS to life. The robot dances a twisted, almost spastic kind of dance. Dread looks from the robot to the mirrored reflection of his own face, and back. He frowns. Throws the music-box back into the panel. Heads back to this seat. A glass sheet slides down as a JET OF FLAME fills the small container. The robot burns as it dances . . . . EXT RUINED CITY The Jumpship, in fg, has landed. The ramp lowers. Power and the rest clamber out, looking up and down the debris-clogged street. Weapons drawn, they take up positions on either side of the street and start moving down and away. Scout is in the lead. POWER All right -- hit it. Quarter and search by sectors. First one to find anybody, chirp in. Keep it loose. QUICK SHOTS: Everything quiet, dead. Scout, skirting under a broken window ledge, then popping up to look inside. Nothing. He moves on. Pilot looking in a door, moving on. She stops, glances down, picks something up. We SEE it close: a makeshift doll, made of a cloth cut in human shape, stapled to a torn baseball marked with pen-drawn eyes and mouth. Sad and abandoned. She starts to throw it away, rethinks, sets it gently on a ledge. Moves on. Hawk racing across a street, hitting the wall, listening, moving on. Exchanging a glance with Power further on. POV ANGLE - TANK SHOOTING THROUGH a curtained window. The curtain moves slightly, as if someone is holding it back. Through the window we SEE Tank moving down an intersecting street. At an angle to the window, we can see several women and children huddling against a wall. KASKO (OS) (quietly) Well, well, what do you know? WOMAN Please, if you'll just let us go -- KASKO (OS) Quiet! This is what I've been waiting for. With that, the curtain falls closed again. EXT STREET Power and Hawk squat down beside an old suitcase on the ground. Clothes are scattered everywhichway. As if thrown there. Then: SCOUT (OS) Captain! Over here! They head off toward INT ALLEY Move into the shot slowly, moving with Power and Hawk as they enter the alley -- and we see what they see: burned husks of cars, garishly painted slogans and pictures, including the words THE MARAUDERS; the leftover ash of a huge bonfire; cases of food and (presumably) alcohol scattered everywhere. The rest are already on the scene as Power and Hawk enter. POWER . . . marauders. HAWK Looks like it. POWER Hit and run. Take what they can and burn the rest. Bad enough we've got bio-dreads to worry about; but looters -- humans preying on other humans -- Tank comes up on the run, stops beside Power. TANK Marauders hit the place hard, Captain. Drove everybody out. Best guess is the whole sector's abandoned. HAWK At least it puts them out of Dread's reach. POWER (grudgingly) Yes -- but I'd prefer it if we could've gotten them to the Passages, someplace relatively safe -- And suddenly they're all alert, all diving for walls and cover at the sudden sound of: KASKO (OS) I'd be worried about my own safety right now, if I were you! Tank starts. Frowns. Scans the rooftops. TANK (half to himself) That voice -- I know that voice -- POWER Could be a trap. Power on! QUICK SHOTS: Instinctively, reflexively, they press their actibadges. With a FLASH of PYROTECHNICS their softsuits transform. They unsling their heavy-duty weapons. Scan the area. KASKO (OS) How about the safety of others? Eh? Care about that, any of you? POWER (to Scout) Get a fix. Cross and triangulate. SCOUT'S POV - THROUGH VISOR Everything red-tinted. We HEAR Kasko's voice with a slight REVERB, tiny cross-hairs (VIDEO) intersecting on the visor to focus on a rooftop across the street, all UNDER: KASKO (OS/cont'd) You always were worried about the little guy, Michael. Better start worrying now, old friend. Worry real hard. BACK TO SCENE Scout suddenly points to the indicated rooftop. SCOUT There! POWER (to Hawk) Go! Hawk's jets flare to life. He shoots up toward the rooftop -- ANGLE - ROOFTOP As Hawk comes over the edge of the ledge, weapon in his hands. Ready to fire -- when suddenly he sees who's up there: one man. Dressed in fatigues, and cammies, and leather, and bits of old and blasted armor plating -- something cobbled up from your worst nightmare of the ultimate thug. He's big. Powerful. Muscled but the kind of lean you get from using those muscles to beat the crap out of other people. His face is scarred, dirty. In one hand he holds a device of some sort; in the other hand he holds a walkie talkie. He stares into Hawk's visor with contempt. KASKO Kill me, pal, and everybody dies. Hawk hesitates. Then lowers the blaster. Kasko smiles. It's not a pretty sight. EXT STREET Hawk lowers to ground level as, across the street and down, Kasko comes out of a ruined building and approaches -- but stops at a safe distance. Even through the armor, we see Tank tense. TANK Kasko . . . . POWER You know him? Tank presses his actibadge. The powersuit reverts back to its normal soft form. He nods. He's not happy. TANK Yeah. I know him. Name's Kasko. Came out of the same experimental community I did. Genetically engineered. A mutant. KASKO Same as you. Tank's face tightens. He doesn't like this topic much. TANK (quiet) Like me. WIDEN As the rest reach for their actibadges. Switch them off. Revert to their normal uniforms. KASKO Ah, much better. Now we can talk like civilized people. TANK We've got nothing to say to you, Kasko. KASKO (snaps it out) This isn't the time for high-and- mighties, Michael. Not with the lives of women and children at stake. (snigger) Thought that'd get your attention. See, not everyone got out. Still a half dozen, mainly women and kids -- slow, you know. I was about to let 'em go, then head out myself, join up with the rest of the gang. Then I saw you drop in. Lucky me. Kasko holds up the device. We see that he's clutching it tight. KASKO A simple detonator. Radio-controlled. On a dead-man switch. Kill me, and I let go. I let go -- and boom. Women and kids go bye-bye. Big mess. The other half's wired to a timer. If I don't stop it, in one hour, it goes boom anyway. Unless we make a deal. TANK Don't believe him, Captain. The man's slime. He starts forward, angry. Power puts out a restraining hand. POWER How do we know you really have hostages? Kasko smiles, flicks on the walkie-talkie. Speaks into it. KASKO Showtime, lady. Do it like I told you, or it's bye-bye time. WOMAN (VO) (over walkie-talkie) Hello? Someone, please, help us! He's -- he's going to kill us. He's got plastique, wired to the door. Ogod, he says he'll blow us all up, help us, please. Please! During this, we SEE the anguish on everyone's face. Scout takes a sudden step forward. SCOUT (very quickly) Where you are? WOMAN (VO) We're in the -- Suddenly Kasko crushes the walkie-talkie in one hand. Smiles. KASKO Sorry. Line's . . . dead. Do we deal? Power looks to the rest. They haven't got much choice. POWER What do you want? KASKO From you -- nothing. It's him I want. We have an old score to settle, don't we? And he's indicating Tank. Tank says nothing. KASKO Here's the deal. I'll release the hostages before the bomb goes off -- on one condition: you come out and face me. One on one. Without the armor. Think about it -- but not too long. He turns and walks off a few paces. Leans up against a wall, every inch of him cocky and self-assured. Power and the rest confer. TANK Captain -- POWER Negative, Tank. It's too dangerous. HAWK If we told him about the bio-dread -- TANK He wouldn't believe us. Even if he did, it wouldn't matter. He's mad, captain. You've got to let me do it. POWER If a biodread gets here and you're out of armor, you'll be helpless. TANK I know. Captain, we're running out of time. Power is anguished. He doesn't like the decision that seems to be creeping inevitably forward. PILOT He's right. I don't know which'll hit first, the blast or a biodread, but either way the hostages are finished unless we move fast. POWER (finally) All right. Meanwhile we'll try to find the hostages on our own. The second we do, we're coming after you. Got it? Tank nods. Face set, a mask, he starts back toward the jumpship. POWER Blast. I don't like this. I don't like this at all. They start off after him. EXT OPEN TERRAIN Soaron raises an arm, or what remains of it. Flexes. Another replacement section of the arm suddenly appears. SOARON Regeneration fifty percent complete. Time remaining: one hour. CLOSE on those eyes. Hateful. (INTERACTIVE?) EXT JUMPSHIP Tank comes down the ramp -- minus his armor. Muscle-shirt and pants, shoes. He's BIG. The rest stand before him. He pauses. TANK One favor. If it comes down to the last minute, get the hostages out of here. I can take care of myself. Promise me that much. Power hesitates, then nods. POWER You have my word. And when this is all over, you can tell us what the heck it's all about. TANK Maybe. We'll see. He starts off. And from nowhere, everywhere, we HEAR: KASKO (OS) Come on out, Michael! I'm waiting for you! Street rules? TANK (pause, then firmly:) Street rules. And he continues on a pace. Pilot calls out to him. PILOT Tank? Street rules? Tank doesn't even look back. Calls over his shoulder: TANK To the death. And on that note, he walks off into the distance, and we FADE OUT: End_Act_One Act_Two FADE IN: EXT JUMPSHIP - STREET Scout works on the ruined walkie-talkie with a screwdriver, the laptop computer in his hand. Power, pacing, stops beside him. POWER How much longer? SCOUT (struggling with it) Just a bit. I was hoping he'd break it -- then leave it. The speaker may be broken, but there's still the -- With a CRACK the panel he wants pops out. He holds it up, smiles. SCOUT -- the crystal. Just interface this with the receiver, and we should be able to locate the other walkie-talkie, assuming it's still transmitting. POWER Then get to it. We've only got forty- five minutes left. With a nod, Scout starts ripping into the laptop computer. Power moves on, joins Hawk and Pilot. PILOT You think Tank can take this guy? HAWK He's been through worse. POWER Yeah. I just wish I knew what was going on out there. EXT STREET - DEEP IN RUINED CITY Where Tank moves cautiously up a buckled sidewalk, buildings -- little more than skeletons of girder and brick -- looming over him on either side. Kasko could be anywhere, and he knows it. KASKO (OS) Just like old times, back in Babylon Five, isn't it? TANK Look -- you want me, you got me. Come on out. Let's finish this. KASKO (OS) I'm in no hurry. Plenty of time to die, Michael. All the time in the world. Suddenly there's a RUMBLE from somewhere above: a crumbling smokestack is shattered from behind. The lethal rain of bricks streaks down toward Tank, who barely manages to leap out of the way in time. He lands hard against the bulk of a ruined car. Kasko appears at the ledge of the building, squats and looks down at Tank. He's enjoying this immensely. KASKO I promised I'd find you someday, remember? Pay you back. All you had to do was be quiet. I could've been in charge at Babylon Five -- but then you went to the Council, had to tell them what we were up to. And you didn't like the Council any more than I did. TANK They were bad. Murderers, madmen -- but you would've been worse. You're a sick man, Kasko. And Kasko looks about ready to kill Tank with his bare hands. KASKO Sick?! Do_you_know_what_they_did_to me? Tank stops. Nods. His head drops. It's not a pleasant memory. TANK Yes. But if I hadn't stopped you, hundreds, thousands would've been killed, I -- Suddenly he stops, looks around. Kasko's gone. He tenses. Then: the whistle of something cutting through the air. He leaps out of the way just as a six-foot shaft of lethal metal pipe -- virtually a spear -- comes shooting across the street, hits the side of the car, and penetrates two-thirds through. Tank comes to a tuck-and-roll stop, on his feet, hands ready, eyes everywhere. But there is only the hollow mocking of: KASKO (OS) You always were a loser, Michael. Tank's face tightens, but he doesn't say anything. Just picks himself up and continues down the street, hugging the wall. EXT OPEN TERRAIN Where Soaron comes to his feet. Sways, but he's stable. UPSHOT on him as he tries his back-jets. They FIRE (INTERACTIVE), but just for a second before flaring out, with a sputter and GRIND. Soaron turns, looks off in the direction the jumpship went in. SOARON Not quite yet. But soon. Soon. With that, Soaron turns, and blasts the bejeebers out of a boulder. EXT JUMPSHIP - STREET As Scout comes barreling out of the jumpship. The laptop computer is BEEPING, slowly, steadily. He runs to the rest. SCOUT Captain! I've got it! Picking up the frequency loud and clear. POWER Can you get a fix on the location? SCOUT It'll take a while -- HAWK We don't have a while. PILOT Twenty minutes till the bomb goes. Who knows when a biodread'll get here. POWER Then let's get started. Which way? Scout checks the laptop computer. Swings it around. The beeping is louder in one direction. He points. SCOUT That way. Come on! He heads off. They follow him. EXT ANOTHER STREET - RUINED CITY Tank comes to a door. Listens, then kicks it in. Nothing. He looks back at the street. TANK We're running out of time, Kasko. You said you'd release the hostages. Then, suddenly, a door across the street opens. From inside: KASKO (OS) Why don't you come in and make me? Tank heads across the street. INT RUINED BUILDING Tank comes to the doorway, looks inside. Nothing. Just debris and fallen beams and bits of furniture. The plaster is off the walls and (most importantly) the ceiling in places. As Tank checks out the room, he hears footsteps up above, on the second floor. He moves to the stairs, starts up. INT UPSTAIRS ROOM Virtually the same as the one below. (Can be redressed to double as the downstairs room, and the room where the hostages are being kept.) Kasko's sitting on a chair against the wall opposite the door, where Tank enters. Kasko is toying with the detonator. KASKO You know, I was thinking. You're right. Time's nearly up. If you don't find those people soon -- boom. Guess you should take this before they get hurt. Here. Take it. He holds out the detonator. Tank looks to either side, sees nothing -- but knows there's more going on here. He doesn't trust this guy one bit. But he doesn't have much choice. He starts forward -- and suddenly there's a CRACK as the flooring gives way! With a YELL he falls down through the rotten boards. DOWNSHOT through the hole, as Kasko looks down at Tank, prone on the floor down below. Unconscious. He heads for the door. EXT ANOTHER STREET - CITY Power, Scout, Tank and Pilot move quickly down the street. The laptop computer BEEPS faster, louder, as they proceed. Finally, Scout stops before a building. The BEEPING is insistent, loud. SCOUT This is it. C'mon! POWER Wait. Power goes up to the door. Turns the knob slowly. Nothing. It turns easily. He shifts it open just a bit. INT BUILDING We SEE his fingers slithering around the doorjamb. Feeling for wires. Finally, finding nothing, he slowly opens the door -- and REACTS at what he sees: across the room is a second, locked metal door leading into a storage room. The bomb has been welded onto the door at the jamb. The knob is wired, and there are additional contact wires at the top and bottom of the door. There are three lights on the device: green, yellow, red. The green light is on. The digital count-down readout says 08:30. Power rushes to the inner door, the others behind him. POWER Pilot, check for rear windows. PILOT (heading back out) On it. POWER (through door) Hello? Can you hear me? Are you okay? INT STORAGE ROOM Where the Woman rushes to the other side of the door -- but stops before it without touching it. We see the other women and kids scattered around the room. WOMAN Yes! We hear you! Please, get us out of here! INT MAIN ROOM Where Power is closely examining the device as Pilot rushes in. POWER You'll be okay -- just stay clear of the door. PILOT This is the only way in or out. POWER (long exhale) Right. Okay -- let's do it. And he begins to examine the detonating device. INT BUILDING - MAIN ROOM Where Tank regains consciousness on the floor. He clutches his head, tries to stand. His knees are like rubber, barely sustaining him as he pushes himself up -- only to be roundly kicked down again by Kasko. KASKO Welcome back to the real world. TANK (realizing) Time -- what time -- how long -- Kasko sits on a stool across the room, against the street wall. He holds the detonator in his hands. We see now that the device also has three lights on it: green, yellow, red. Green is lit. KASKO Five minutes. But I decided, why wait? One little push of the button, and -- bye bye. And I wanted you to see it happen. I want your last thoughts to be that those people died because of you. Tank slowly works himself up to one foot, still a little unsteady. TANK Let them go. They're not important. It's me you want -- let them go. KASKO Noble right to the end. Sad, really. You've lost the killer instinct. If I didn't know better, I'd say you were holding back. What'sa matter -- lose your taste for violence? TANK Something like that. KASKO Too bad -- for them. Say goodbye. He toggles up the safety on the detonator. Tank's eyes go wide. He's going to do it. Instinctively, with a YELL, he leaps to his feet and charges across the room, hitting Kasko with all he's got -- TANK Nooooooooo! EXT STREET -- and the impact carries them both right through the thin wall and into the street. The detonator rolls out of Kasko's hand and TOWARD CAMERA. It's now flashing yellow. INT OTHER ROOM Where as Power reaches to cut a wire, the light suddenly flashes yellow. POWER Everybody else out. Fast! (at their hesitation) Move it! Hawk, Scout and Pilot hesitate, then leave. Power keeps working. EXT STREET Kasko rolls to his feet, and Tank does the same. The detonator is equidistant from them both. Kasko makes a move for it. Tank blocks his way. Kasko -- smiles. With a YELL he charges Tank, and the face-to-face battle we've been waiting for begins in earnest. There's nothing pretty about it: down and dirty and rough. Punches, trips, cuffs, each trying to do the maximum amount of damage to the other. (Details left to fight director.) INT OTHER ROOM Power hesitates over the last wire. He clips it. The countdown stops at 01:05. He kicks the door open, hurries the people outside. POWER Everybody outside! Hurry! EXT STREET Everyone scrambles out and down the street as Power turns the people over to Pilot and Scout. POWER Get them to the jumpship, fast! Hawk, with me! They race off down the street. EXT OTHER STREET Where the private war between Tank and Kasko continues, though they are both utterly exhausted, both pretty damagaed. They roll in renewed battle, slugging and punching until they're both on their knees. Kasko, caught in a grip, reaches across the ground for the detonator. Can't quite make it. He chops Tank, gets free. Crawling, he manages to snare the detonator. He puts his thumb to the detonator -- KASKO You -- lose. He presses the stud. Nothing. No sound. Except, suddenly, from around one corner: POWER (OS) Tank? Tank! We got 'em! C'mon! Soaron's on the way -- we have to clear out, now! KASKO (stunned) No -- TANK (smiles grimly) You lose. Kasko charges, but Tank delivers a roundhouse blow that sends him flying. Tank stands, a little wobbly, and starts to head off -- when suddenly we HEAR the sounds of approaching jets. He signals to Power and Hawk coming around the opposite corner -- TANK Down! Fast! And everybody, Kasko included, hits the dirt. He takes cover in a doorway, the others hug the down-slope of the hilly road, peeking out as Soaron appears, flying down the middle of the street, not seeing them yet. He slows. Looks. Listens. TANK (whispers) You guys get out of here. POWER Forget it. We can't leave you here -- without armor you wouldn't stand a chance. HAWK Question is, how do we activate the suits without it seeing us and getting Tank? Meanwhile, in the doorway, as Soaron draws closer, Kasko fumes. KASKO (to himself) No, Michael -- I don't lose. Not yet. He waits. Then, suddenly, he rushes out of the doorway and into the street. He rushes toward Soaron, waving to get its attention, pointing to where Tank, Power and Hawk are concealed. KASKO Over there! Hey! Power and his bunch -- they're over there! Soaron turns, sees him. SOARON Organic sighted. Obliterate. And he raises his digitizer -- FIRES -- KASKO No! Noooooooooo! -- digitizing Kasko as Power and Hawk reach for their actibadges. POWER Now! Power on! PYROTECHNICS as the powersuits are activated. Soaron turns, sees them -- too late. They FIRE. Sparks FLASH on Soaron's armor. He reels. Blasts bounce, burn, and throw up smoke. (INTERACTIVE) POWER Move it! Come on! They begin running for all they're worth. Soaron shoots through the smoke and pursues, jetting past us. (INTERACTIVE) EXT STREETS Power, Tank and Hawk running, giving it all they've got. They race PAST CAMERA, BLASTS from Soaron impacting all around them. They fire back. We just SEE Soaron above, streaking past on a strafing run. ON SOARON Moving fast. Faster. Jetting around a corner. (INTERACTIVE) EXT JUMPSHIP - THROUGH COCKPIT WINDOW Pilot hits the engines as she sees Tank, Power and Hawk racing toward the ship. PILOT Buckle down, everybody! I think we've got trouble! INT JUMPSHIP - CARGO HOLD Scout helps everyone get against a far wall -- SCOUT Hold tight, and don't move! -- then rushes for the cockpit. EXT JUMPSHIP - RAMP Tank, Power and Hawk make for the ramp. BLASTS hit all around them. (INTERACTIVE) Power stops, waves the others on. POWER Go on! I'll catch up! They do. He returns fire, taking what cover he can. A BLAST hits Soaron throws him back, stuns him. (INTERACTIVE) HAWK Jonathan! Come on! Power runs for the ramp, which is already retracting. He leaps through it as the jumpship starts moving: INT COCKPIT - Pilot FIRES aft lasers. (INTERACTIVE) SOARON - Hit by the lasers, tumbles in mid-air, over and over. EXT JUMPSHIP Turns away from camera and speeds away. SOARON rights himself, sees the ship taking off. Starts to move after it, but the ship's clearly got too much of a head start. He stops, hovers. SOARON Next time. DISSOLVE TO: INT JUMPSHIP Just behind the cockpit. It's later. Tank finishes pulling on the softsuit top. Power comes up behind him. Tank sees him, but only nods. Lost in thought. POWER How're you doing? TANK Okay. It's a lie. They both know it. Power waits. Tank looks down. TANK Jonathan, when I escaped from Babylon Five, I swore I'd put that life behind me, start over. Then he comes along -- brings it all back. Makes me just like him. POWER You're not like him. He enjoys what he does. You don't. TANK Thing is, when I finally beat him, I -- god help me, Jonathan, I liked it. So what makes me different from him? He smashes a hand into a bulkhead. Torn. Power follows. POWER Simple. Tank, he wanted to fight. But you held back as long as you could. Yeah, you used sheer force. You had to. Or be killed. Difference is -- he was fighting for revenge. You were fighting for them. He indicates the rescued people with a nod of his head. Tank follows the look. Frowns. Considers. POWER Will that do? TANK (a beat) Yeah, I -- I guess. For now. Thanks. Power meets his glance. Smiles. Claps Tank on the shoulder, then heads into the cockpit proper. The rest look over at him at: POWER All right, people -- next stop, the Passages . . . then let's go home. HAWK Amen. EXT JUMPSHIP As the jumpship screams over the landscape, heading away from camera, we FADE OUT: The_End .pa .he CAPTAIN POWER And the Soldiers of the Future "Final Stand" written by J. Michael Straczynski FIRST_DRAFT February 9, 1987 FINAL 2/13/87 Landmark_Entertainment_Group