STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE "The Quickening" (fka "The Healing Touch") #40510-495 Written by Naren Shankar Directed by Rene Auberjonois THE WRITING CREDITS MAY NOT BE FINAL AND SHOULD NOT BE USED FOR PUBLICITY OR ADVERTISING PURPOSES WITHOUT FIRST CHECKING WITH THE TELEVISION LEGAL DEPARTMENT. Copyright 1996 Paramount Pictures Corporation. All Rights Reserved. This script is not for publication or reproduction. No one is authorized to dispose of same. If lost or destroyed, please notify the Script Department. Return to Script Department FINAL DRAFT PARAMOUNT PICTURES CORPORATION March 6, 1996 STAR TREK: DS9 - "The Quickening" - 03/08/96 - CAST STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE "The Quickening" CAST SISKO TREVEAN KIRA EKORIA BASHIR EPRAN DAX NORVA O'BRIEN LATIA ODO ATTENDANT QUARK PATIENT WORF COMPUTER VOICE Non-Speaking Non-Speaking N.D. SUPERNUMERARIES STAR TREK: DS9 - "The Quickening" - 03/06/96 - SETS STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE "The Quickening" SETS INTERIORS EXTERIORS DEEP SPACE NINE DEEP SPACE NINE WARDROOM RUNABOUT PLANET PLANET'S SURFACE HOSPITAL RUINED CITY TENEMENT HOUSE CITY STREET TENEMENT DOORWAY RUNABOUT DEEP SPACE NINE -"The Quickening"- 03/08/96 - PRONUNCIATION STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE "The Quickening" PRONUNCIATION GUIDE BORANIS bore-ON-us CORDRAZINE CORE-druh-zeen EKORIA eh-CORE-ee-uh EPRAN eh-PRAWN GAVARA guh-VAR-uh HEMANI heh-MAHN-ee JENKATA jen-KAW-tuh KENDI KEN-dee KUKALAKA KOO-kuh-LAW-kuh MILANI mill-LAWN-ee NORVA NOR-vuh NYKALIA nuh-KALE-ee-uh OBATTA oh-BOUGHT-uh TAKANA tuh-KAHN-uh TAMAR tuh-MAR TEPLAN TEP-lun TREVEAN truh-VEE-un TILO TEE-low DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - TEASER STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE "The Quickening" TEASER FADE IN: 1 EXT. SPACE - DEEP SPACE NINE (OPTICAL) Establishing. 2 INT. WARDROOM (OPTICAL) where KIRA is watching O'BRIEN as he opens a PANEL next to the WALL MONITOR, which is OFF. She's shaking her head as if something has happened that she can't quite believe. O'Brien studies the panel innards for a beat, then reaches to get a TOOL from his TOOLKIT. O'BRIEN Looks like he used some sort of encryption program to bypass the access protocols. KIRA Unbelievable... the nerve. The DOOR OPENS and ODO escorts QUARK into the room. He sees the hard look on Kira's face and flashes his most ingratiating smile. QUARK You wanted to see me, Major? ODO Don't pretend you don't know what this is about. Quark shrugs that he doesn't. KIRA Maybe this'll jog your memory. (to computer) Engage monitor. The monitor engages, but instead of the familiar UFP insignia coming up, a MOVING GRAPHIC appears advertising Quark's, much like the one we've seen on monitors behind the bar itself. Quark's VOICE comes over the com-system, singing a JINGLE that might go something like this: DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - TEASER 2. 2 CONTINUED: QUARK'S VOICE (sing-song) Come to Quark's, Quark's is fun, come right now, don't walk, run! A beat later, the usual UFP insignia APPEARS. Quark, who's been mouthing along with obvious pride in his handiwork, smiles with pleasure. QUARK I love the part where my name rotates around... He trails off when he sees the cold stares from our people... ODO Tampering with the station's com- system is a class-three offense. QUARK It's just a little advertisement. (when this doesn't sway them) I didn't put one up in Ops. ODO I'm sure the magistrate will take that into consideration when he calculates your fine. The DOOR OPENS and WORF ENTERS, looking particularly annoyed. He's carrying a GLASS MUG at his side. WORF (to Quark) You. Quark has a bad feeling about what's coming next. QUARK As you can see, we're very busy here. Station business. WORF How did you do it? O'BRIEN How'd he do what? DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - TEASER 3. 2 CONTINUED: (2) WORF I ordered a glass of prune juice from a Replicator in the Defiant's Mess Hall. This is what it came in. He holds up the mug for all to see, and it starts to play the JINGLE from a tiny hidden speaker. 3 INSERT - THE MUG Etched in its surface is a drawing of Quark's face, and underneath it, the words: COME TO QUARK'S FOR FREE REFILLS! Below this, in smaller letters: LIMIT ONE PER CUSTOMER. 4 RESUME SCENE Kira is livid. She turns to Quark, keeps her anger in check. KIRA If all your little "advertisements" aren't purged from our systems by the time I get back from the Gamma Quadrant... (a threat) I will come to Quark's, and believe me, I will have fun. And with that, she turns and EXITS. A beat, then Quark steps toward O'Brien. QUARK Let me help you with that, Chief... Off this moment... 5 EXT. SPACE - RUNABOUT (OPTICAL/STOCK) as it emerges from the wormhole in the Gamma Quadrant. 6 INT. RUNABOUT Kira and DAX are in the control seats, BASHIR is at a side console (The SIDE WINDOW PLUGS are in place). Bashir is excited about their mission and can't keep from sharing his enthusiasm. DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 TEASER 3A. 6 CONTINUED: BASHIR According to Chief O'Brien the scan resolution on the new sensors is amazing. We could practically do the entire bio-survey from orbit. KIRA Suits me. The sooner we get out of the Gamma Quadrant the better. BASHIR (moving to stand between them) How can you say that? DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - TEASER 4. 7 NEW ANGLE Including the front windows and the starfield in the distance. BASHIR Those little points of light out there are the great unknown, beckoning to us. I wish I could visit every one. KIRA You might want to skip the ones with Jem'Hadar bases on them. Bashir marvels at the starscape outside -- tongue half- in-cheek, he knows how what he's about to say will go over... BASHIR Is it my imagination... or are the stars a little brighter in the Gamma Quadrant? Kira glances over at Dax with a "is-he-kidding" look. DAX (deadpan) Is it my imagination, or has Julian lost his mind? Bashir smiles good-naturedly... KIRA (smiling) Setting course for the Gavara system... 8 EXT. SPACE - RUNABOUT (OPTICAL/STOCK) as it shoots into warp. 9 INT. RUNABOUT A few hours later. Kira is at the helm, Dax at a side console. Bashir ENTERS from the rear. DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - TEASER 5. 9 CONTINUED: Suddenly Kira reacts to something on her console. KIRA I'm picking up some kind of emergency signal. It's fragmented. (off console) They say their homeworld's been attacked... Massive destruction... heavy casualties... (beat) They're asking any passing vessel for assistance... DAX (off console) Looks like the signal's coming f rom somewhere in the Teplan system. BASHIR That's just outside Dominion space. KIRA (grim) Let's hope the Jem'Hadar know that... (working) Setting new course... 10 EXT. SPACE - RUNABOUT (OPTICAL/STOCK) as the Runabout banks off. DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - TEASER 6. 11 EXT. PLANET'S SURFACE - DAY (OPTICAL) Bashir and Dax MATERIALIZE on the surface... Both have PHASERS and TRICORDERS at their sides and he has his MEDKIT. They find themselves standing near a concrete outcropping. KIRA'S COM VOICE Let's stay in close contact. If the Jem'Hadar come this way, we're going to have to get out of here fast. BASHIR Acknowledged. They move around the outcropping to see... 12 EXT. RUINED CITY - DAY (OPTICAL/MATTE) What might have once been a bustling modern city street. The few structures still standing are gutted, blackened and scorched by fire. Shanties and other makeshift structures are propped against them. The inhabitants of the planet, dressed in tattered rags, can be seen milling about. They look human, but they all have BLUE, vein-like WELTS on their faces. Some sit listlessly, with nothing to do. others are carrying water in makeshift containers, lugging firewood, tending fires burning in rusted-out cylindrical containers. A few push wheelbarrow like carts in front of them -- produce vendors, willing to barter their paltry merchandise. There is no sign of power being generated anywhere, and the inhabitants use the now useless artifacts from their once-industrial civilization for other purposes -- what might have once been an alien refrigerator, for example, might now serve as part of someone's home. A MAN passes by pulling a CART with three dead BODIES on it, partially covered by a tarp. Our people react to the scene of devastation before them... DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - TEASER 6A. 12 CONTINUED: BASHIR What happened here? Some of the inhabitants have noticed our people, and are eyeing them warily from the distance. Suddenly a woman comes staggering out of a nearby structure. We will come to know her, if only briefly, as NORVA. Unlike the others, her welts are RED and inflamed, and her face is covered with them. DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - TEASER 7. 12 CONTINUED: (2) She's in obvious pain, is having difficulty walking, but manages to croak out a plea for help. NORVA Help me... She collapses, and Bashir moves to assist her. She struggles to get the words out -- NORVA (anguished) Please... don't let me die here... take me to Trevean... BASHIR Trevean? NORVA Hospital... DAX (to Bashir) I'll try to find out where it is... Dax moves off to try to talk with the inhabitants... BASHIR I'm going to give you something for the pain... He takes out a HYPO, twists the dial, then injects her. A young man, who we'll come to know as EPRAN, sees this and approaches. He watches Bashir SCAN Norva with what might almost be disapproval. EPRAN You're not from this world. BASHIR No... When Epran talks about the sick woman, he seems to have more disdain for her than sympathy. EPRAN The Blight's quickened in her. There's nothing you can do. Bashir can't accept this, continues to scan her. EPRAN You should leave here. Now. Go back to where you came from and forget about this place. DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - TEASER 7A. 12 CONTINUED: (3) And with that, he turns and moves away. Bashir continues working, through this unsettling moment... FADE OUT. END OF TEASER DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - ACT ONE 8. ACT ONE FADE IN: (NOTE: Episode credits fall over opening scenes) 13 EXT. RUINED CITY - DAY Norva is still in a great deal of pain; Bashir scans her with his MEDICAL TRICORDER to find out why. In the background, some of the inhabitants watch our people with a mix of curiosity and suspicion. Dax returns, and oddly her hair is down, no longer pinned by a barrette. BASHIR The painkiller I gave her isn't having much effect. (giving her another hypo) These people's neurophysiology is so different from ours, I doubt this "blight" is any danger to us. Dax nods an acknowledgment. DAX (gesturing) I got us transportation to the hospital. Bashir looks over and sees a WOMAN approaching them, pushing a CART. She looks older than her forty years, beaten down by circumstance. BASHIR (sotto) How'd you manage that? These aren't the friendliest people I've ever met. As if in reply, Dax tosses her head to show her hair is unbound. Bashir looks, and the Woman has her scraggly hair partially kept by Dax's barrette. The Woman flashes a craggy grin, pleased with the trade and how she looks. Off this moment... DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - ACT ONE 9. 14 INT. HOSPITAL as Bashir and Dax ENTER holding Norva. For a moment, our people think they've come to the wrong place -- it looks more like a restaurant than a hospital. There are two groups of people in different parts of the room, each sitting on cushions around low tables. Each group is centered around someone who appears to be the guest of honor. He or she is dressed in nicely kept CLOTHING; not new or flashy, just clean and not tattered. The discerning viewer might notice that the two guests of honor have RED markings on their faces, while everyone else has the more common blue markings. The guest of honor is the only person at each table partaking of a meal; while not opulent by our standards, the food, the drink, the very setting itself, is strikingly luxurious for this bleak world. The room is LIT by OIL LAMPS positioned here and there, and in one corner an Attendant is cranking an alien PHONOGRAPH by hand. DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - ACT ONE 10. 14 CONTINUED: It's been modified to work without power, and as the engraved cylinder rotates, the machine plays soft ALIEN MUSIC. DAX This is a hospital... ? Before our people can figure out what's happening, an ATTENDANT approaches them. Like his colleagues he's wearing a robe over his street clothes, similar to a doctor's coat, but now tattered and no longer white. He zeroes in on Norva, sees her red markings. ATTENDANT She's quickened... He beckons two colleagues over. ATTENDANT Take her to Trevean. The two assistants start to carry her toward a door leading to a back room. The Attendant turns back to our people. ATTENDANT You're offworlders. DAX Yes. ATTENDANT Don't worry, we'll take care of her now. He moves off. DAX (sotto) I haven't seen a single person who doesn't have lesions on their face... Bashir nods, indicates the two "guests of honor" in turn. BASHIR His look inflamed... so do that girl's over there -- DAX Like the woman we brought in... A moment as they ponder what it could mean... DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - ACT ONE 11. 14 CONTINUED: (2) A distinguished-looking man of about forty ENTERS from the door through which Norva was taken. He wears a "wallet" full of vials at his side, and is just closing it up when he enters. It's TREVEAN, and as soon as the male PATIENT (red welts) at the nearest table sees him he calls out to him. PATIENT Trevean... Our people react as they realize this is the man Norva asked to see. Trevean turns at the sound of his name -- it's clear from the faces of everyone in the room that he is a respected, almost revered figure. The patient, who is not in any way debilitated by his condition, raises a goblet to toast him. PATIENT Thank you... (motioning around him) For this. TREVEAN You deserve nothing less... He says this with a simple kindness that speaks to a genuine generosity of spirit. PATIENT (to all) Yesterday morning when I awoke, I saw that it had finally happened... I'd quickened. I always thought I'd be afraid... (smiles) But I wasn't. Because I knew I could come here. (with emotion) Last night I slept in a bed for the first time in my life. indicating the phonograph) I fell asleep listening to music. There is an almost audible sigh from the gathered group, as if they can scarcely imagine the luxury. PATIENT This morning I bathed in hot water... I put on clean clothes. (to all at his table) And now I'm here, with my family and friends... DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - ACT ONE 11A. 14 CONTINUED: (3) PATIENT (Cont'd) Thank you, Trevean... for making this day everything I dreamed it could be. The man holds his goblet up, then drinks its contents down. Everyone smiles as he does this except a young woman at the table who we'll come to know as EKORIA. She's trying not to show how upset she is. DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - ACT ONE 12. 14 CONTINUED: (4) When the patient finishes and sits down, the people at his table move to hug him one by one. Trevean turns away and approaches our people... TREVEAN You're the strangers who brought Norva here... DAX (nodding) How is she? TREVEAN It was too late for her. Our people react to this sad news... TREVEAN If only she'd come sooner, I could've helped her. BASHIR Then there is a treatment for the Blight? Trevean is almost surprised by the question. TREVEAN There is no cure. It's always fatal. BASHIR I don't understand -- you just said you could've helped her. Trevean takes a breath, considers for a beat. TREVEAN Why are you here? DAX We received a distress call, we're here to help in any way we can. BASHIR I'm a doctor. Trevean reacts to the word, nods thoughtfully. BASHIR I have access to sophisticated diagnostic equipment. DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - ACT ONE 12A. 14 CONTINUED: (5) Trevean holds up a hand to stop him, impatient with where this is going. TREVEAN We had sophisticated equipment once. Do you think our world was always like this? Two centuries ago, we were much like you. We built great cities, traveled to neighboring worlds... DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - ACT ONE 13. 14 CONTINUED: (6) TREVEAN (Cont'd) We believed nothing was beyond our ability. We even thought we could resist the Dominion. Our people react. TREVEAN I see you've heard of them. (beat) Then take care not to defy them... or your people will pay the same price we did. The Jem'Hadar came... and left our world crushed, as an example to others. Dax and Bashir exchange an uncomfortable look; the potential parallels to the Federation are ominous. Trevean motions to the Attendant. TREVEAN Bring Milani's child to me. (turning to our people) More than anything, the Dominion wanted my people to bear the mark of their defiance. And so they gave us the Blight. Trevean holds the BABY out for us to see... it has the same blue welts on its face as everyone else. It's a tragic sight, a symbol of hopelessness. TREVEAN We're all born with it... and we all die from it. The Blight quickens... the lesions turn red... and death comes soon after... Some die in childhood... most before they can have children of their own... only a few live to be my age. BASHIR Trevean... if you're willing to tell us what you know about the Blight, we might be able to help. Trevean shakes his head as if to say it's no use. TREVEAN You should go. (a warning) If the Jem'Hadar find you here... DAX We're willing to take that risk. DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - ACT ONE 14. 14 CONTINUED: (7) Suddenly we hear a clattering SOUND. Our people turn and see that the man who toasted Trevean has dropped his goblet onto his plate. He's propped up against a cushion, his body TREMBLING, as if he's having some kind of mild seizure. Strangely, no one is moving to help him. Instead, all watch him with almost wistful expressions. Bashir makes to start toward him, but Trevean tries to grab his arm and stop him. TREVEAN Don't -- Bashir breaks away and hurries toward the table. BASHIR (to the guests) Give him some room... The people at the table react to Bashir's approach with confusion, as if they have no idea why he's interfering. Trevean motions to the Attendants to deal with Bashir. As Bashir tries to examine the man, the people near him try to push him away. BASHIR I'm a doctor. Ekoria reacts to the word... suddenly the Attendants are on Bashir, pulling him away. ATTENDANT (to Bashir) Leave him alone, you're ruining everything. BASHIR Can't you see he's dying? They pull him back to Trevean, who's moved closer to the table. TREVEAN (calmly) Of course he is. He came here to die. Trevean sees our people's confused looks. DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - ACT ONE 15. 14 CONTINUED: (8) TREVEAN People come to me when they quicken. I help them leave this world peacefully, surrounded by their family and friends. BASHIR What are you saying? TREVEAN The herbs I give them cause death within minutes... DAX You poison them? TREVEAN The Blight kills slowly. No one wants to suffer needlessly. (beat) Like the woman you brought to me. BASHIR (in shock) You... killed her... TREVEAN (nods) I did what she asked of me. BASHIR I thought this was a hospital... that you were a healer... TREVEAN I am. I take away pain. Trevean turns, sees the confusion and pain on the faces of the people whose death ritual was interrupted by Bashir. TREVEAN You disrupted Tamar's death; it was supposed to be a very special moment for his family. I'm going to have to ask you to leave. Our people are too shocked by what they've learned to argue... off their faces as they turn to go... DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - ACT ONE 16. 15 EXT. RUINED CITY - DAY Bashir sits on a discarded crate of some kind, alone with his thoughts. Alien SUPERNUMERARIES move through the street, going about their meager tasks, casting the stranger wary glances. The man we saw earlier carting bodies out of the city is now returning, his cart empty, his grim work done. Dax approaches... DAX I found the distress beacon in an abandoned building not far from here. It has its own power source. My guess is that it's been repeating the same message for the last two hundred years. BASHIR (resigned) There's nothing for us to do here... we should go... A small voice from off-screen interrupts. EKORIA (O.S.) Are you really a doctor? Our people turn and see that Ekoria, the pregnant girl from the "hospital," has been standing in the shadows watching them. BASHIR Yes. EKORIA I've never met a doctor before. DAX Now you have. (smiles) What do you think? She half-smiles, disarmed by Dax's light manner. DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - ACT ONE 17. 15 CONTINUED: EKORIA They say there's a woman in Nykalia who makes a potion that numbs the nerves. She gives it to people so they can withstand the pain of quickening and live a little longer. But Nykalia is so far away. Her hand falls unconsciously to her swollen belly. Bashir realizes she's afraid she won't live long enough to have her baby. BASHIR (gently) When are you due? EKORIA Not for another two months. DAX (kindly) That's not so long... EKORIA You never know when the quickening will come to you. BASHIR I'm Julian. What's your name? EKORIA Ekoria... DAX I'm Jadzia.... EKORIA Did you come here to help us? BASHIR No one here seems to want our help. EKORIA I do. And I know others who'd welcome it, too. Suddenly Dax's combadge CHIRPS. DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - ACT ONE 18. 15 CONTINUED: (2) KIRA'S COM VOICE Kira to Away Team. INTERCUT WITH: 15A INT. RUNABOUT Kira at the com. DAX Go ahead. KIRA Sensors just picked up two Jem'Hadar ships headed this way... Bashir and Dax react to this unsettling news and we... FADE OUT. END OF ACT ONE DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - ACT TWO 19. ACT TWO FADE IN: 16 INT. RUNABOUT Dax and Bashir have beamed back up to the Runabout to discuss what to do with Kira. KIRA (off console) The Jem'Hadar are leaving the Kendi system... looks like they're heading for the Obatta cluster. DAX Sounds like they're on a patrol route -- which means this system is probably next. KIRA We'd better go. (working console) Stand by to get underway. BASHIR Hold on, Major... we can't just leave these people. They need our help. KIRA And they'll get it. As soon as we get back we'll notify Starfleet so they can put together a relief mission. BASHIR That could take weeks, maybe even months. We're here now. Bashir can see Kira considering what he's saying, presses his case. BASHIR Do you remember the plague on Boranis Three? People were dying by the thousands and no one there knew why. It took us an hour to identify the pathogen, and three days to dose the watertable and inoculate the entire population. (beat) DAX We might be able to do the same thing here. DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - ACT TWO 20. 16 CONTINUED: Kira wants to help as much as Bashir and Dax do, and his argument has swayed her. KIRA All right... it's worth a try. But we can't risk the Jem'Hadar detecting the runabout. (glances at console) I'll take it to the Jenkata Nebula... BASHIR Come back for us in a week. With any luck, we'll have a cure by then. Kira nods, wishing she could be as confident as Bashir... off this moment... 16A EXT. RUINED CITY - DAY (MATTE/OPTICAL) Establishing... 17 INT. TENEMENT HOUSE - DAY A large room that has been subdivided by flimsy partitions and hanging curtains. Families live in areas no bigger than closets; CRATES and other scraps of wood and metal serve as makeshift tables and chairs. There's no running water, few windows, and the only LIGHT comes from oil lamps. Still, despite the poverty, the place is relatively clean and well-kept. There are even a few flowers here and there. We HEAR the constant background din of people talking, children squalling, etc. Ekoria leads Dax and Bashir through the maze of partitions; they're carrying cargo containers full of MEDICAL SUPPLIES. They stack them with other supplies they've carried in and put in Ekoria's living area, a small room demarcated by curtains. There's a crude mattress in one corner, a makeshift table and stools. There are even attempts at decoration. Ekoria has collected various ARTIFACTS that have caught her eye -- pieces of now useless technology that she's using for other purposes. EKORIA I'm sorry I don't have more space to offer you. DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - ACT TWO 21. 17 CONTINUED: BASHIR Don't be. This is fine. (gesturing) Can I use this table for my equipment? EKORIA Whatever you need. Dax begins to clear a workspace as Bashir starts unpacking his equipment and setting it up. Ekoria helps Dax, who comes across a small PAINTING on a scrap of wood. It looks like it was done with homemade paint; the colors are a little faded and inconsistent, but even so, it's quite nice. It depicts what the city we've seen might have looked like before the destruction -- the buildings are graceful, trees line the streets, and the people are well dressed. DAX Did you do this? EKORIA My husband did. He died last winter. A flicker of grief flashes across her features, but she pushes past it, keeps helping Bashir and Dax set up. EKORIA It's what he imagined our world used to be like. He painted a mural similar to it on the side of a building near here. (shaking her head and smiling) He traded a good pair of boots for the paint he needed. (with pride in him) He wanted to show people how things were, he thought it might give them something to work toward... DAX (smiles) Maybe later you could take us to see it... EKORIA (pleased) All right. They continue working for a beat... once the equipment is set up, Dax glances around with satisfaction. DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - ACT TWO 22. 17 CONTINUED: (2) DAX Well... looks like we have ourselves a clinic. Bashir turns to Ekoria... BASHIR The first thing I need to do is run a complete biospectral analysis on an asymptomatic individual. Dax smiles at his Doctorese, translates for Ekoria. DAX Loosely translated, that means he needs a volunteer. Ekoria smiles and nods she's willing. DAX Great. (wry) If you'll just have a seat, the doctor will be with you in a moment. Ekoria doesn't get it, looks confused. DAX (conspiratorial) They love to keep you waiting, it makes them feel important. Ekoria smiles, and Bashir beckons her over to the table. BASHIR (picking up his tricorder) How'd you like to see a picture of your baby? She is stunned by the possibility... off the hopeful image of Bashir beginning to scan we... DISSOLVE TO: 18 INT. TENEMENT HOUSE - LATER where Bashir is hunched over some tabletop instrument studying a readout. Dax is preparing tissue samples for him, using a high-tech dropper to add small quantities of chemicals to a rack of tubes. DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - ACT TWO 23. 18 CONTINUED: They're engrossed in their work, and don't notice Ekoria rummaging through her shelves looking for something to offer her guests. We see her poke through some empty containers, and that it pains her not to have anything for them. She considers for a moment, then takes a special box off the shelf. She looks inside, and we see she's saved a few cans of food, some jars with alien looking vegetables pickled in them, and two wine-like bottles. These are items she's been hoarding for her death ritual, the meal she one day plans to have in Trevean's hospital. She hesitates, as if unsure she wants to share these very precious items. Suddenly -- BASHIR There it is. DAX (moving to look) Let me see. Ekoria can hear the excitement in their voices -- EKORIA What's happened? DAX (looking into scanner) We've isolated the virus. EKORIA Is that a good thing? BASHIR It means we can start analyzing its molecular structure, look for binding sites so we can tailor an antigen. DAX (translating for Ekoria with a smile) It's a very good thing. Ekoria smiles -- DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - ACT TWO 24. 18 CONTINUED: (2) BASHIR (to Dax) I'm going to start mapping the nucleotides. Do you know how to run a protein sequencer? DAX I think so. Ekoria sees the enthusiasm with which they set to work, makes her decision -- she reaches and starts taking her hoarded items out of the box. with genuine enthusiasm: EKORIA I hope you two are hungry. BASHIR (without looking up) Starving. EKORIA Good. Dax looks up and sees her laying out her hoard. DAX Looks like a feast. EKORIA It was supposed to be. Dax tweaks to something -- DAX What do you mean? Ekoria is reluctant to answer, she doesn't want to look like a bad host. EKORIA Nothing. Do you like Takana root tea? DAX (moving to her) Ekoria, where did you get all this food? EKORIA (admitting it) I've been saving it for the hospital... for my death. Our people react to this admission -- DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - ACT TWO 25. 18 CONTINUED: (3) EKORIA (smiling) Something tells me I'm not going to need it anymore... The hopefulness embodied in her gesture makes it impossible for our people to refuse to accept what she's offering them. Off this moment... 19 EXT. CITY STREET - DAY (OPTICAL) Alien SUPERNUMERARIES as needed. Ekoria watches as Bashir, in the background, talks to a woman sitting in front of her shanty. She has RED welts on her face, and Bashir is asking her if she's willing to let him study her. She shakes her head "no," and Bashir moves to join the others. BASHIR She's not interested either. EKORIA I don't understand why you need people who've quickened to make your cure. BASHIR (as they continue on) I need to study the progression of the-- Bashir bumps into someone heading the other direction, turns to apologize... BASHIR Sorry... He realizes it's Epran, the young man from the Teaser, except he's quickened -- his welts have gone RED. Epran recognizes our people, studies them appraisingly for a beat. He's a man tempered by hardship, with a bitter wit. EPRAN You're still here. BASHIR Yes. EPRAN I see the Blight has spared you. Maybe it doesn't like the taste of your blood. DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - ACT TWO 26. 19 CONTINUED: BASHIR It seems to like yours. Epran reacts to the fact Bashir has noticed his red welts. EPRAN (sardonic) I'd invite you to my death, but we don't know each other that well. He turns to move off... BASHIR What if I told you there was a chance you didn't have to die? Epran stops, hesitates, then turns to face Bashir again. A few other passersby heard what Bashir said, and look on out of curiosity. BASHIR I'm a doctor. The crowd reacts to this claim. EPRAN (mocking) Don't tell me... you have a cure. BASHIR I'm working on one. EPRAN What will it cost me? A good coat? A tilo of oil? A small knot of people are starting to gather. BASHIR It won't cost you anything. The crowd responds skeptically, and Ekoria rises to Bashir's defense. EKORIA (hard) He can help us. Listen to him. Bashir raises his voice, makes his case for all to hear. BASHIR I need volunteers, people who've quickened. DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - ACT TWO 27. 19 CONTINUED: (2) EPRAN What will you do? See how loud we scream as the Blight burns through us? This brings appreciative laughs from the gathering crowd. BASHIR I have medicines that dull pain; I have equipment unlike anything on your world. He surveys the crowd, spots a young boy with his arm in a sling. BASHIR How'd you like me to fix that arm so you can go play with your friends? The boy hesitates... Bashir moves to him, gently removes his sling. BASHIR I'm not going to hurt you... He takes out his tricorder, scans the bone. BASHIR You've got a fracture right here. I'll bet it hurts. The boy nods... Bashir passes a DEVICE over his arm, bathing it in a warm GLOW... BASHIR How's it feel now? The boy flexes his arm... a look of utter astonishment crosses his features -- he's fine. He scampers off, happy as can be. A hush of awe comes over the crowd... EPRAN (amazed) It isn't possible... EKORIA It is. You saw it. He can find a cure for us. But he needs our help. Epran seems ready to consider it, but then Trevean steps out of the crowd... TREVEAN Fixing a broken bone and curing the Blight are two different things. DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - ACT TWO 28. 19 CONTINUED: (3) BASHIR I know that. Trevean pitches his voice for all to hear... TREVEAN Others have come to our city with promises of a cure. They stirred up hope... took food and clothes in exchange for their elixirs, then moved on. (beat) But their promises were always lies. Murmurs of assent from the crowd... TREVEAN And the poor wretches who believed in them always came to me in the end, begging for release... BASHIR I just want to do what I can to help. I'm not making any promises. TREVEAN Take care that you don't. Because we've dealt with those who give false hope before. Wherever they'd moved on to, we found them... (with an edge) And believe me, their deaths made the Blight look like a blessing... With the crowd swayed to his side, their mood ugly, Trevean turns and moves away... off Bashir's face as he takes in his words... FADE OUT. END OF ACT TWO DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - ACT THREE 29. ACT THREE FADE IN: 20 INT. TENEMENT HOUSE where a somewhat dispirited Bashir is hunched over a scanner, continuing to work despite the fact that no one volunteered to take part in his study. Ekoria is standing at the counter that serves as her kitchen, engaged in some domestic chore. After a moment, Bashir smacks the table with his hand. EKORIA (concerned) What's wrong? BASHIR I'm trying to chart the life-cycle of the virus. (frustrated) It would be a lot easier if I'd gotten more tissue samples... Ekoria realizes what he's saying, and feels ashamed for her people. Bashir lets out a tired breath, gets back to work. Ekoria studies him for a beat, amazed that he's still plugging away... EKORIA Maybe you should go home. Maybe my people don't deserve your help. BASHIR (disagreeing) They've just been suffering so long they've lost hope that things can be better. EKORIA It's more than that. We've come to... worship death. She turns to him, explains what she means. EKORIA I used to wake up -- (pointing to it) -- look at myself in that mirror, and be disappointed that I hadn't quickened in my sleep. DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - ACT THREE 30. 20 CONTINUED: EKORIA (Cont'd) Going to Trevean seemed so much easier than going on living. BASHIR But you don't feel that way anymore... EKORIA Not since the baby... She touches her swollen belly, smiles... EKORIA My little boy... I wonder, can your machines tell me what he's going to look like when he grows up? BASHIR Not really... EKORIA Maybe he'll look like his father... Her eyes go wet with emotion... EKORIA I want to be here for him... to hold his hand when he takes his first step... kiss his knee when he scrapes it in a fall... DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/1-9/96 - ACT THREE 31. 20 CONTINUED: (2) BASHIR With any luck, you'll see him have children of his own... A moment between them, then the SOUND of approaching footsteps. A beat later the curtains part and Dax appears. DAX There are some people here who want to see you... She pulls back the curtain and reveals Epran standing there with two other symptomatic (red welted) people. He studies Bashir and his equipment with his typically skeptical manner. EPRAN I suppose you're going to want to bleed me? Bashir smiles slightly when he realizes Epran has come to volunteer. BASHIR Just a little. Epran sits heavily, offers his arm. EPRAN (glum) I canceled my death for you... I was really looking forward to it. Off this moment we... DISSOLVE TO: 21 INT. TENEMENT HOUSE - DAYS LATER - DUSK Most of the curtains and partitions that once divided the room have been pulled aside -- the former inhabitants have sacrificed their rooms to make space for Bashir's expanding clinic. Twenty-fourth century medical scanners, diagnostic readouts, and other equipment stand alongside primitive makeshift beds. There should be plenty of BLINKIES and LIT PANELS to indicate power is in use. In addition to Epran and the other two people we saw in the previous scene, there are about ten other patients in various stages of the Blight (all with red welts). DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - ACT THREE 32. 21 CONTINUED: The atmosphere is busy, upbeat... and hopeful. 22 ON BASHIR as he hands Ekoria a HYPO, takes one for himself. BASHIR All right, everyone gets three milligrams, including you. She nods, and with endearing concentration, twists the unit to parcel out a dose, then carefully administers the hypo to herself. BASHIR Perfect. She smiles and nods, and they part ways... 23 ON DAX as she tends to Epran, whose welts have gone to a deep red. He seems to be in some pain. She puts a NEURAL PAD on Epran's forehead and activates it. Once it starts to BLINK he visibly relaxes. DAX There... this'll dull the pain. He nods, regards her for a beat. EPRAN I like your spots. DAX You told me that yesterday. EPRAN (shrugs) I still like them. She moves off with a smile... meets up with Bashir. DAX Epran has stopped responding to the cordrazine... I had to put him in an inhibitor field. DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - ACT THREE 33. 23 CONTINUED: BASHIR (nodding) He's farther along than anyone here. But I'm hoping he'll be the first to respond to the antigen. They watch as Ekoria chats with a patient, bringing a smile to his face before injecting them... BASHIR (sotto) Think of it... she might very well be holding the cure in her hand. Do you think we should tell her what she's giving them? DAX She's nervous enough about using that hypo. It's better to wait till we're positive. The truth is, Bashir is sure... but doesn't want to say it. BASHIR I suppose. He arches his back, stretches his tired muscles. DAX Why don't you take a break? You've been working nonstop for days. He nods, moves away... off Dax's face as she watches him go... 24 EXT. TENEMENT DOORWAY - NIGHT (NOTE: IDEALLY THIS COULD BE CHEATED ON STAGE) where Bashir is sitting on a crate, taking in the night air. After a beat, Ekoria comes out from inside the clinic. DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - ACT THREE 34. 24 CONTINUED: EKORIA Dax wanted me to tell you that Epran's white blood cell count has gone up another twelve percent. Bashir is deeply pleased at this news... BASHIR That's great news. EKORIA It is? BASHIR Trust me. EKORIA (simply) I do. He turns and sees the admiring look on her face... EKORIA I did from the start. I don't really know why. BASHIR (making light of it) I'd like to think it's my bedside manner... (off her look) Doctors and nurses are supposed to project an air of caring competence. (gesturing inside) You were doing it in there. EKORIA (surprised) Me? BASHIR I've been watching you. You're very good with the patients. EKORIA I'm just trying to be kind. BASHIR A lot of people don't want to be around the sick. It reminds them of their own mortality. DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - ACT THREE 35. 24 CONTINUED: (2) EKORIA It doesn't bother you? BASHIR Sometimes... but I think I'd rather confront mortality than hide from it. When you make someone well, it's like you're chasing Death off, making him wait for another day. EKORIA But Death comes to everyone in the end. BASHIR Not to Kukalaka. EKORIA Kuka-who? BASHIR My first patient. A teddy bear. EKORIA What's that? BASHIR Sort of a soft puppet, stuffed with wadded cotton. When I was a boy, I took him everywhere I went. After a few years, he started to get a little threadbare, until one day his leg tore open and his insides spilled out and made a mess. My mother was all set to throw him out, but I wouldn't have it. At the tender age of five, I performed my first surgery. I re- stuffed him, and stitched his leg closed. From then on, I did whatever it took to keep Kukalaka together. I must've sewn, stitched or patched every square inch of him. EKORIA Why were you so determined to keep him in one piece? He looks at her, wants her to know something about him: BASHIR I wouldn't be much of a doctor if I gave up on a patient, would I? DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - ACT THREE 36. 24 CONTINUED: (3) She hears the unspoken promise in his statement, made to her and her people. A moment, then... EKORIA Where's Kukalaka now? BASHIR (tossing it off) Some closet somewhere... Ekoria gives him a probing look... BASHIR (admitting it) On a shelf in my room... They share a smile... Suddenly -- DAX (0. S. ) Julian. Dax emerges from inside, a panicked look on her face. DAX Get in here, now. CUT TO: 25 INT. TENEMENT HOUSE - NIGHT as Dax leads Bashir and Ekoria to Epran's bed. The diagnostic console beside him is BEEPING URGENTLY and Epran is wracked with terrible pain. 26 CLOSE ON EPRAN (OPTICAL) as Bashir holds his head so he can examine his face. A large red WELT has formed underneath the Neural Pad on his forehead, and as we watch, red tendrils SNAKE OUT from it and crawl across his face... off this terrible moment we... FADE OUT. END OF ACT THREE DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - ACT FOUR 37. ACT FOUR FADE IN: 27 INT. TENEMENT HOUSE - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT Epran continues to writhe in pain as Bashir scans him with a TRICORDER, desperate to find out what's gone wrong. Dax administers a HYPO, but it has no effect on the pain. BASHIR (off tricorder) Something's causing the virus to mutate... DAX Could it be a reaction to the antigen? BASHIR (urgent) I don't see how -- I need a micro- cellular scanner. Dax hurries to get one... EPRAN (through the pain) Bashir... The word is as much an accusation as a plea for help... Ekoria does her best to comfort him. EKORIA He'll take care of you... you're going to be all right... She looks at Bashir, hoping that this is true... Dax hands Bashir the scanner and he activates it, passes it over Epran... 28 CLOSE ON EPRAN (OPTICAL) as the scanning beam passes over his face, several NEW WELTS surface on his skin, red and inflamed... 29 RESUME SCENE as Bashir reacts, realizing what this means... DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - ACT FOUR 38. 29 CONTINUED: BASHIR My god... it's the EM fields from our instruments. Suddenly ANOTHER PATIENT, LATIA, lets out a moan of pain... a beat later, the diagnostic scanner next to her starts to BEEP URGENTLY... Bashir snatches the Neural Pad off Epran's forehead. BASHIR (to Dax and Ekoria) Shut everything down -- now! Another patient gasps in pain and his scanner goes off. A WOMAN who was visiting a sick friend runs out of the room, terrified... Bashir, Dax and Ekoria hurry around the room frantically shutting off equipment... the patients moan in pain, reach imploringly for help as our people pass... DAX (calling across the room) All right, everything's off. Bashir bends to examine Latia... BASHIR The mutation rate hasn't slowed... the effect must be cumulative... LATIA (anguished) Help me... BASHIR (giving him a hypo) Give everyone four milligrams of cordrazine... Ekoria and Dax set to work around the room with HYPOS. As Ekoria approaches Epran, he lets out a strangled cry... she sees his body go limp, puts a hand to his chest. DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - ACT FOUR 39. 29 CONTINUED: (2) EKORIA His heart's stopped! Bashir hurries over and immediately begins to administer CPR to Epran's still form... he massages his chest, gives him a few breaths, repeats the process... BASHIR Come on... breathe... He continues giving CPR well past the point of no return... BASHIR Breathe. Finally, Dax tries to stop him... DAX Julian... But he keeps at it... DAX Julian. She pulls him back... Bashir looks down at Epran's still form, devastated by what's happened. Suddenly Trevean and two of his Attendants burst in, summoned by the woman who ran out. Trevean looks around, aghast at the suffering he sees. His features go hard, his voice cold. TREVEAN (to Bashir) What have you done? Bashir doesn't answer him, his attention is on Latia, who's reaching a hand out to him... LATIA Help me... Bashir gives her another HYPO, but it's no use -- the virus is burning through the poor woman's body. When she sees Trevean -- LATIA Trevean, please... Trevean moves toward her, reaching into his "wallet" for a VIAL of liquid. DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - ACT FOUR 40. 29 CONTINUED: (3) Bashir sees what he's going to do, moves to intervene. TREVEAN Get out of my way! LATIA (imploring) Trevean... TREVEAN She's asking for me! You have no right to interfere! A terrible moment as Bashir struggles with what to do... until finally, he let's Trevean push past him... He watches as Trevean pours the contents of the vial into the dying woman's eager mouth... LATIA (through her pain) Thank you... A moment, then she dies... other patients spot Trevean and his Assistants in their midst, start calling out to them... Dax looks to Bashir for guidance, sees that he's decided not to interfere... she watches as they go about their grim business... off Bashir's devastated features... DISSOLVE TO: 30 INT. TENEMENT HOUSE - MORNING The room is now completely silent. In the span of one night, the once-thriving clinic has become a morgue. Every one of the Patients is now dead, every body on every bed covered with a dingy sheet. Trevean and his men have gone, their work done. Bashir sits in a corner, shattered. Dax approaches him... after a quiet moment, he speaks, his voice far away... BASHIR I remember running a hematology scan on Epran the other day... there were changes in the viral base-pair sequence, and I didn't know why... DAX There's no way you could've known it was because of our instruments. DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - ACT FOUR 41. 30 CONTINUED: BASHIR I should've put it together... I should've run more tests. But I was so bent on finding a cure I ignored the warning signs. DAX That's not fair and you know it. BASHIR (hard) Isn't it? (beat) I'm going to let you in on a little secret, Jadzia. I was looking forward to tomorrow: to seeing Kira again and casually asking, "how was the Nebula?" By the way, I cured that Blight thing those people were having. DAX It's not a crime to believe in yourself, Julian. BASHIR (gesturing all around) They believed in me. Look what it got them. He stands, moves away... BASHIR Trevean was right... there is no cure... the Dominion made sure of that. (bitterly) But I was so arrogant, I thought I could find one in a week... Dax studies him for a beat before replying... DAX Maybe it was arrogant to think that. But it's even more arrogant to think there isn't a cure just because you couldn't find it. DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - ACT FOUR 42. 30 CONTINUED: (2) And with that, she turns and EXITS... leaving Bashir with a great deal to think about... 31 EXT. RUINED CITY - DAY as Bashir wanders through the street, lost in thought... As he passes, people point him out to each other -- there's the doctor who caused so many to die painfully. A MAN passes in front of him, spits on the ground... Bashir can't even look him in the eye... continues on... 32 EXT. ANOTHER PART OF THE CITY - DAY as Bashir makes his way through the ruined street, something off-screen catches Bashir's eye... 33 NEW ANGLE revealing that Bashir's standing in front of the MURAL Ekoria's husband painted. Even though it's weathered and damaged in places, from this angle, it looks like he's standing in the long-gone street itself -- magically transported to a better time and place. He stands there, struck by the hopefulness embodied in the act of painting such a thing amidst all the destruction... until -- EKORIA (O.S.) I'm glad you got a chance to see it before you left. He turns at the sound of her voice... and reacts to the sight of her. 34 INCLUDE EKORIA We see that the welts on her face have gone RED -- she's quickened. BASHIR (stricken) Ekoria... She smiles sadly... her hand falls to her belly... DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - ACT FOUR 42A. 34 CONTINUED: EKORIA I thought I was going to make it... I really did... BASHIR I'm sorry... EKORIA Don't be... you gave me hope. I hadn't felt that since my husband died... She looks at the Mural, smiles as she remembers him. EKORIA I'm going to see Trevean tomorrow... I wish you could be there... BASHIR I have to go... EKORIA I understand... She moves to him, kisses him tenderly on the cheek... EKORIA Good-bye... A moment between them, then she turns and moves away... Bashir hesitates, then calls after her... BASHIR Ekoria, wait... We see a look of determination on his features, then cut to -- 35 EXT. SPACE - RUNABOUT (OPTICAL) in orbit. DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - ACT FOUR 43. 35A INT. RUNABOUT Bashir and Dax have beamed up to the runabout to talk with Kira. The mood between them is somber... Bashir is saying good-bye. KIRA Are you sure about this? BASHIR I can't leave these people... not now. Kira can see the depth of feeling in him, doesn't argue... KIRA Whenever you're ready, contact the station and we'll have a runabout here within days. Dax moves to him... DAX You know what really worries me, Julian... ? (off his look) That without me, you won't have anyone to translate for you... They share a smile... he moves toward the transporter pad, where some supplies are stacked in CONTAINERS. DAX (heartfelt) Good luck... 35B EXT. RUINED CITY - DAY (OPTICAL) as Bashir MATERIALIZES in the street, the supplies at his feet... Passersby see him, give wide berth to the doctor who brought so much suffering... off his resolve to do what he can for these people we... 36 OMITTED FADE OUT. END OF ACT FOUR DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 0-3/19/96 - ACT FIVE 44. ACT FIVE FADE IN: 37 INT. TENEMENT HOUSE - NIGHT Ekoria is resting quietly in bed... Bashir is working at a table arrayed with test tubes, beakers, Bunsen burners, and other low-tech medical equipment. His twenty-fourth century equipment has been packed away in crates and stacked in one corner. Bashir adds a drop of liquid to a tube, twirls it around, and the liquid changes color -- he lets out a frustrated breath. Ekoria comes out of her reverie at the sound... EKORIA What is it? BASHIR (disappointed) There's not a trace of the antigen I gave you in your bloodstream... (unable to figure out why) Your immune system must've rejected it... Ekoria winces and stiffens as she's hit with a spasm of pain. Bashir moves to her side... BASHIR Is it bad? She nods, we can see her fighting the pain. DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - ACT FIVE 45. 37 CONTINUED: BASHIR I can give you another hypo, but you've got a lot of cordrazine in your system already. It might be hard on the baby's metabolism. She nods that she understands... EKORIA I'll wait... He smiles at her bravery in turning down the painkiller... off this moment we... CUT TO: 38 INT. TENEMENT HOUSE - CLOSE ON A BEAKER - DAY suspended on a wire frame over a Bunsen burner, a viscous yellow liquid bubbling inside. EKORIA (O.S.) What is that smell? 39 WIDEN to include Ekoria in bed, Bashir at his worktable. The progress of the disease can be seen on her face -- there are a few more welts, and they're redder and more inflamed. BASHIR I'm making a salve for your lesions... EKORIA (wry) As long as I don't have to drink it... He moves to her side... BASHIR How do you feel? DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - ACT FIVE 46. 39 CONTINUED: EKORIA I've been better... BASHIR Can you sit up for me? She nods, and he helps her to sit up. He takes an improvised STETHOSCOPE he's constructed -- a cone- shaped tube -- and places it on her back. BASHIR Breathe... She does, and we hear that her breath is a bit ragged. BASHIR Again... Bashir doesn't like what he hears, but tries not to show it. BASHIR Let's see how the baby's doing... She pulls her blanket down off her belly, and Bashir feels her swell, touching to see what position the baby's in. BASHIR His head's over here now... EKORIA I'm not surprised... feels like he's been turning somersaults in there... He puts the stethoscope to her belly. After a beat, he repositions it, listens again. BASHIR His heart's getting stronger every day... I'd say another six weeks... Ekoria's features fall... EKORIA I'll never make it that long... Bashir isn't about to lie to her... DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - ACT FIVE 47. 39 CONTINUED: (2) BASHIR (gently) I can induce labor in another two weeks... the baby will be old enough then. Ekoria nods, sets this as her goal in her mind... EKORIA Two weeks... Off her determination... DISSOLVE TO: 40 INT. TENEMENT HOUSE - NIGHT Ekoria's resting fitfully, her disease having progressed still further. She moans in her sleep, shifts uncomfortably. A HAND reaches into FRAME, dips a brush into a beaker... then dabs the yellow salve onto Ekoria's inflamed welts. After a moment, her eyes flutter open, she focuses... 41 WIDEN to include Trevean, sitting at her side with the brush in his hand, looking down at her with kindness. Bashir is not in the room, having gone to fetch supplies. She reacts to Trevean's presence in the dim light cast by the oil lamps -- EKORIA Trevean... (softly) Am I... dead? TREVEAN (gently) Is that what you want? Part of her wants it, but another part of her wants to hang on... TREVEAN I can end your suffering... He touches her belly gently... DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - ACT FIVE 48. 41 CONTINUED: TREVEAN Your child will die having known nothing but peace... A moment as pain and hope fight it out within her... EKORIA No... he deserves a chance to live... TREVEAN The Blight will take him in the end. Trevean says this from a deep weariness, a well of suffering. Suddenly -- BASHIR (O.S.) I thought you let people come to you... Trevean turns to see Bashir in the doorway, carrying two containers of water hung from a stick across his back. BASHIR I didn't realize you made house calls. Trevean stands, moves to face him. TREVEAN I was concerned that she might be too weak to come. Bashir studies Trevean for a beat... BASHIR I don't understand why you're so obsessed with death, Trevean. From what I've seen, you've lived with the Blight longer than anyone else. TREVEAN Yes... and I've seen more suffering than anyone else. Trevean lets his words hang in the air... long enough to let Bashir realize that his question contained its own answer... DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - ACT FIVE 49. 41 CONTINUED: (2) TREVEAN Good-bye, Ekoria... I hope you live to see your baby... She smiles, accepting the sincerity of his wish... With a final look, Trevean walks past Bashir and out the door, having given him a glimpse of what drives him. A quiet moment, then... EKORIA Trevean means well... he's a kind man, in his own way... Off Bashir as he considers her words... CUT TO: 42 INT. TENEMENT HOUSE - DAYBREAK as Ekoria arches her back and cries out in pain... 43 WIDEN to include Bashir, poised between her legs... she's in labor... BASHIR That's it... push. Ekoria tries to gather her breath for another push... BASHIR Good... now breathe... She pants, tries to swallow back the pain... after a beat, Bashir breaks into a grin... BASHIR I can see his head. I'm going to turn it around... gather your strength for one last push... She steals herself, draws in a breath... and pushes -- a moment, then she hears the SOUND she's been hanging on to life for: her baby's CRY... She smiles through her pain... falls back on her bed. The effort of giving birth has brought her to the brink of death... DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - ACT FIVE 50. 43 CONTINUED: Bashir sees that Ekoria is barely hanging on, brings the bloodied baby near her face so she can see... BASHIR Ekoria... Her eyes open partway; she's too weak to lift her head, but she smiles at the sight of her son... EKORIA He's beautiful... Bashir gives him to her, starts to wipe away the blood and placental tissue... then a look of utter astonishment crosses his features... BASHIR My god... He wipes away more blood to be sure... BASHIR He doesn't have any lesions... (with awe) The antigen must've been absorbed through the placenta... he doesn't have the Blight... EKORIA It's a miracle... She dies, a smile on her lips... Bashir looks down at her still form, then picks up the baby, Ekoria's last gift to her people... The emotion of it all overwhelms him... he doesn't know whether to collapse in tears or cry out for joy... off this bittersweet moment... 44 OMITTED 45 INT. HOSPITAL - DAWN where Trevean is looking at the baby in Bashir's arms, awed by what it represents... Trevean's Attendants stand nearby, staring at the tiny bundle in his hands in stunned silence... TREVEAN I see that I misjudged you... DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - ACT FIVE 51. 45 CONTINUED: Earlier, Bashir might've been tempted to throw what's happened in Trevean's face, but not anymore -- he's come to understand that Trevean is a compassionate man living in a terrible time. BASHIR Every pregnant woman should be inoculated as soon as possible... the antigen will protect their babies... The two men regard each other, the rancor between them has evaporated in the face of what's happened. Finally... TREVEAN I'll see that it's done... Bashir acknowledges with a nod... BASHIR Ekoria had no family left... A moment, then... TREVEAN I'd be happy to raise her son as my own... BASHIR (smiling) I think she'd have liked that... Bashir hands him the child... off the moment between the two men... 46 OMITTED CUT TO: 47 EXT. CITY STREET - DAY where Trevean is holding the baby up for all to see... a crowd is gathering around him, people are running to Join and see the miracle for themselves... 48 PULL BACK TO REVEAL Bashir, standing at a distance... watching this scene of newfound hope... off this moment... 49 EXT. SPACE - DEEP SPACE NINE (OPTICAL) Re-establishing. DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - ACT FIVE 52. 49A INT. INFIRMARY where Bashir is sitting at a diagnostic console, running tests on some samples he brought back from the planet. COMPUTER VOICE Nucleotide sequencing complete... viral reproduction normal. Bashir lets out a frustrated breath, takes a TUBE out of a SLOT in the console, slides in another. BASHIR Let's try an A-to-C base pair reshuffling... The Computer BEEPS and sets to work... After a beat... SISKO (O.S.) Doctor... Bashir turns to see SISKO has ENTERED, holding a PADD. SISKO I read your report. Sisko says the two simple words an officer wants to hear from his captain. SISKO Good work. Bashir accepts this politely, but with little enthusiasm. BASHIR Thank you, sir. COMPUTER VOICE Nucleotide sequencing complete... viral reproduction normal... Sisko realizes what Bashir is doing; off his look... BASHIR (quiet) People are still dying back there. SISKO Yes... but their children won't. Bashir takes little solace in this... BASHIR That's what I keep telling myself... DEEP SPACE NINE: "The Quickening" - 03/19/96 - ACT FIVE 53. 49A CONTINUED: Sisko nods that he understands what he's going through... a moment between them, then Sisko turns and EXITS... A beat, then Bashir slides another tube into the slot, works the console. BASHIR Initiate reshuffling sequence... The computer works, and Bashir sits there, patiently waiting... we start to PULL BACK, until Bashir is framed inside the Infirmary... off the lonely image of the doctor working into the night we... 50 OMITTED FADE OUT. END OF ACT FIVE THE END