Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

TEASER

EXT. SANTA MONICA FREEWAY – MIDDAY

TRAFFIC hums along under a hot California sun. A FAMILY in a station wagon. A MOTORCYCLIST in the next lane. A CAMPER VAN up ahead.

A HEAT-SHIMMER ripples across the sky — then a FLASH of an angular silhouette, there-and-gone.

The STATION WAGON swerves. TIRES SCREAM. The CAMPER lurches, clips the divider, and ROLLS onto its side. The MOTORCYCLIST dumps the bike, sliding.

HONKS. PANIC. A multi-car pileup BLOOMS in seconds.

CUT TO:

EXT. FREEWAY SHOULDER – CONTINUOUS

Two men in tan jackets, TROY and DILLON, sprint toward the wreck. They are cool under pressure, wrong-footed by Earth chaos but trying very hard to look like they belong.

TROY
(quiet, to Dillon)
Your navigation shimmered. We spooked them.

DILLON
I’m aware. The cloaking grid glitched when I adjusted for crosswinds.

They reach the CAMPER. FUEL drips. A WOMAN inside moans.

DILLON
We need to stabilize the roof.

He glances around, then subtly taps his wrist-computer under his sleeve. A faint, nearly invisible GRAVITY RIPPLE braces the camper.

WOMAN (O.S.)
Help… my husband—

TROY
(to Dillon) Minimal enhancement. Keep it subtle.

DILLON nods, guilty.

SIRENS in the distance. The professionals are coming.

CUT TO:

INT. RAMPART GENERAL HOSPITAL – DAY

DIXIE at the base station. DR. KELLY BRACKETT and DR. JOE EARLY glance up as the radio crackles.

DISPATCH (V.O.)
Squad 51, Engine 51, respond to a multi-vehicle accident, Santa Monica Freeway at Cloverfield. Time out 13:42.

BRACKETT
(to Dixie) Let’s be ready, Dix.

She’s already moving.

CUT TO:

INT./EXT. STATION 51 / SQUAD BAY – DAY

CAPTAIN STANLEY points as ROY DeSOTO and JOHNNY GAGE jump into SQUAD 51. ENGINE 51 rolls right behind them.

STANLEY
Let’s go, people! Watch your step on that freeway.

Johnny grins — the old adrenaline gleam. Roy is steady, focused.

CUT TO:

EXT. FREEWAY – LATER

The SQUAD and ENGINE arrive. Organized chaos. Hoses deploy, flares placed. Chet, Marco, and Mike move like a machine.

JOHNNY
(to Roy, low) You see that? Like a wave in the air.

ROY
I see patients. Let’s move.

They split: Roy to the MOTORCYCLIST, Johnny to the CAMPER.

At the shoulder, JAMIE HAMILTON — reporter and friend to Troy and Dillon — jogs up, out of breath, eyes bright with relief at the sight of 51.

JAMIE
(to bystanders) Make a path!—
(then, to the squad, calling)
Gage! DeSoto! Thank God—

Johnny pivots, surprised to hear his name.

JAMIE (CONT’D)
(to a shaken driver) It’s okay. They’re not just paramedics — they’re the best in the county.

Johnny can’t help the tiny puff of pride. Roy doesn’t look up.

ROY
(to motorcyclist) Can you hear me? Squeeze my hand.

MOTORCYCLIST
(gritty) I’m okay… saw a… ship… then—

ROY
We’ll talk later. Keep still.

At the camper, fuel still drips. Johnny kneels by the WOMAN.

JOHNNY
Ma’am, I’m Johnny with the Fire Department. Can you tell me your name?

WOMAN
Julie.

JOHNNY
Julie, I’m gonna get you out. Just breathe for me. Roy! Need a backboard over here!

TROY (arriving)
We’ve stabilized the roof.

JOHNNY
You two Good Samaritans?

DILLON
We were… nearby.

Johnny eyes their clean clothes, spotless shoes, calm faces in the wreckage. Odd.

CAPTAIN STANLEY
Gage! Fuel on the ground — watch your sparks!

JOHNNY
Copy!

Johnny leans into the camper. The roof shouldn’t be holding… but it is. He frowns, then shakes it off.

JOHNNY (CONT’D)
(to Julie) On three. One… two… three.

They slide Julie onto the board.

CUT TO:

EXT. FREEWAY – CONTINUOUS

Roy confers with RAMPART over the bio-phone.

ROY
Rampart, this is Squad 51. We have multiple victims. One female, possible chest contusion, respiration 24, pulse 110 and weak. One male motorcyclist, road rash, no loss of consciousness, complaints of right wrist pain, possible fracture.

BRACKETT (V.O.)
51, splint the wrist, start O2 on the female. IV TKO if her pressure drops below 100 systolic.

ROY
10-4, Rampart.

DIXIE (V.O.)
Ambulances are en route, 51.

CUT TO:

EXT. FREEWAY – CAMPER – CONTINUOUS

Johnny and Dillon carry Julie. Dillon’s grip is… steady. Too steady. A subtle flicker from his sleeve. Johnny catches the glint.

JOHNNY
(to Dillon, light) You a weightlifter or something?

DILLON
I manage.

They load Julie into the ambulance.

JAMIE appears at Johnny’s shoulder.

JAMIE
You’re Gage, right? I’ve done pieces on Rampart. Ask around — Dr. Brackett will vouch for you.

JOHNNY
(flustered, pleased) Well— we try.

JAMIE
(urgent, low) Those two— they’re friends of mine. Try not to… make a federal case.

Johnny looks from Jamie to Troy and Dillon, who are already helping Roy compress a splint.

JOHNNY
Lady, we make medical cases. Federal’s above my pay grade.

A faint HUM — like a transformer winding up. Johnny glances toward the overpass.

For the briefest instant, a sleek Viper-shaped silhouette shimmers into visibility in the air — then is gone. Johnny blinks hard.

JOHNNY (CONT’D)
(to himself) …That’s not a Chevy.

SMASH TO BLACK.

END TEASER

ACT I

EXT. FREEWAY – LATER

Engine 51 has foam on the ground; the camper fuel hazard is handled. Ambulances are loading. Chet cracks a nervous joke, Marco ignores him.

ROY
(to Brackett, via bio-phone) Rampart, patient Julie Ortiz: BP 104 over 68, pulse 112, respirations 24, shallow. Chest tenderness left side, equal breath sounds, no paradoxical motion. We’re starting O2 via mask.

BRACKETT (V.O.)
Copy, 51. Transport and advise on any change. Any signs of head trauma?

ROY
Negative.

JOHNNY steps away, eyes still on the overpass where the shimmer appeared. On the asphalt below the span: faint char streaks like something hot touched down — but no debris, no skid marks.

CAPTAIN STANLEY
Gage! You with us?

JOHNNY
Yeah, Cap. Just— thought I saw something.

STANLEY
Save the sightseeing for after we clear. Help Roy.

Johnny returns, kneels by the MOTORCYCLIST.

JOHNNY
You still with me, partner?

MOTORCYCLIST
(gritty chuckle) I saw a spaceship.

JOHNNY
You and me both.

ROY shoots him a look. Johnny shrugs: later.

Nearby, TROY quietly checks a dazed DRIVER’s pupils — competent hands for a “civilian.”

TROY
(to Driver) Follow my finger. Good. Keep breathing slow.

ROY clocks the skill, curious.

ROY
You a medic?

TROY
Where I’m from… everyone learns first aid.

ROY
Must be some neighborhood.

AMBULANCE ATTENDANT
We’re ready for the female.

ROY
(to Johnny) Ride in with her. I’ll follow with our biker.

JOHNNY
You got it.

Johnny loads up with Julie, doors CLOSE, ambulance PULLS OUT.

CUT TO:

INT. AMBULANCE – MOVING – DAY

Johnny monitors Julie. Dillon sits opposite, pretending to be just another helpful bystander.

JOHNNY
She’s breathing better. We’ll get you squared away at Rampart, Julie.

Julie squeezes Johnny’s hand.

JULIE
Thank you…

Johnny glances at Dillon’s wrist — is that a device? Dillon tucks his sleeve.

JOHNNY
(pleasant) You two from around here?

DILLON
Just visiting.

JOHNNY
Uh-huh.

Johnny makes a mental note.

CUT TO:

INT. RAMPART – EMERGENCY – DAY

Doors BURST open. DIXIE meets the gurney.

DIXIE
What do we have?

JOHNNY
Julie Ortiz, chest contusion, borderline pressure, O2 administered. Complains of left-side pain.

BRACKETT steps in.

BRACKETT
Let’s get a chest film and an EKG. Labs, type and cross, just in case.
(to Johnny) Good work, Gage.

Johnny clocks Dillon, lingering.

BRACKETT (CONT’D)
You with her?

DILLON
We happened to be nearby.

BRACKETT gives Dillon a once-over — athletic, unruffled, too unruffled.

BRACKETT
You look steady for a pileup.

DILLON
We… keep calm where I’m from.

DIXIE (smiles, to Johnny)
Does everyone from “where he’s from” come in looking like a Life magazine ad?

Johnny grins despite himself.

CUT TO:

INT. RAMPART – TREATMENT ROOM – DAY

DR. EARLY runs an EKG on Julie. The tracing looks normal enough. He nods.

EARLY
Bruise, maybe a cracked rib, but her rhythm’s fine. Let’s watch that pressure.

DIXIE
I’ll set her up.

They wheel Julie out.

Johnny steps into the hall, spots JAMIE hustling in with a notepad.

JAMIE
How is she?

JOHNNY
Lucky. We got to her fast.

JAMIE
(earnest) Thank you. And— about my friends—

JOHNNY
—who are from “out of state.” Right.

They trade a look: she knows he’s not fooled; he knows she won’t spill.

CUT TO:

EXT. FREEWAY – DAY

Back at the scene, Roy finishes packaging the motorcyclist as TROY helps. Cap Stanley calls for a sweep.

STANLEY
Marco, Chet — pick up the dry chem. Mike, check that shoulder for hot spots.

Roy steps away, taps the bio-phone.

ROY
Rampart, this is Squad 51. Second victim stable, we’re transporting.

BRACKETT (V.O.)
Copy, 51. See you soon.

Roy glances up at the overpass — just a bridge. No ships. He shakes his head and gets back to work.

CUT TO:

INT. RAMPART – HALLWAY – LATER

Johnny and Roy converge near the base station. Dixie hands them fresh paperwork.

DIXIE
Your lady’s in X-ray. Biker’s getting cleaned up in Two.

ROY
Thanks, Dix.

JOHNNY
(to Roy, low) You ever see scorch like that with no debris?

ROY
No.

JOHNNY
And you didn’t see the—

ROY
No.

JOHNNY
Okay. But Jamie Hamilton knew our names before we said them.

ROY
(small smile) A lot of people do.

JOHNNY
Not like that.

BRACKETT steps over, a chart in hand.

BRACKETT
Good work at the scene. Oh— and who were your Good Samaritans?

ROY
Friends of a reporter. Out of state.

BRACKETT
Mm. Tell them thanks. And tell them to stay out of traffic on the Santa Monica.

Johnny and Roy exchange a look: if only it were that simple.

END ACT I

Chapter Text

ACT II

INT. RAMPART – EXAM ROOM – DAY

TROY sits on a gurney, sleeve rolled up. A shallow but nasty GLASS CUT runs along his forearm. JOHNNY works quickly, cleaning the wound. ROY preps the BP cuff.

JOHNNY
(grinning, while wrapping)
Don’t I know you from somewhere? You look real familiar…

TROY
(startled, then covering)
Uh… must be a face in the crowd.

ROY
(eye-roll, exasperated)
Johnny…

Johnny smirks but gets back to work.

ROY
(to Troy) This might pinch. Just stay still.

He takes Troy’s vitals, frowns at the numbers.

ROY (CONT’D)
Pulse steady at 38… BP one-sixty over forty. Johnny, check this.

JOHNNY
(low whistle)
Well, he’s either a marathon runner… or he’s not from around here.

TROY
(covers quickly)
We train. Conditioning.

BRACKETT enters, clipboard in hand.

BRACKETT
How bad?

JOHNNY
Clean laceration. I’ll need a few sutures. But his numbers are… odd.

BRACKETT
Odd how?

ROY
Pulse too low, pressure too wide. He’s not even breaking a sweat.

BRACKETT
(to Troy) You a professional athlete?

TROY
(stiff) Something like that.

DIXIE
(smiling, trying to lighten)
Well, if you ever want to try out for the Olympics, we’ll vouch for your heart.

Brackett doesn’t smile.

BRACKETT
I’ll want a baseline EKG before you leave. Just to be sure.

TROY
No!
(catches himself, softens)
No… thank you. That won’t be necessary.

Brackett and Dixie exchange a look. Johnny’s eyes narrow, but he keeps working.

INT. RAMPART – HALLWAY – MOMENTS LATER

JAMIE hustles in, spotting Johnny and Roy outside the exam room.

JAMIE
(quiet, urgent) He’s fine. Really. Just patch him up and let him go.

ROY
Ma’am, we don’t cut corners. If a patient presents abnormal vitals, we document it.

JAMIE
(pleading) Then document it however you want. But don’t ask questions you don’t want answers to.

Johnny looks back at Troy through the glass. Troy meets his eyes, calm but guarded.

JOHNNY
(mutters)
Yeah… real familiar.

INT. RAMPART – BASE STATION – CONTINUOUS

DIXIE files the chart. BRACKETT leans close to EARLY.

BRACKETT
Vitals like that and he’s upright, steady. No distress. What do you think?

EARLY
I think… either the machine’s lying, or we are.

They glance toward the exam room. The mystery deepens.

FADE OUT.

END ACT II

Chapter Text

ACT III

EXT. INDUSTRIAL YARD – DAY

A TANKER TRUCK lies on its side, leaking fuel. Fire crews swarm. ENGINE 51 hoses foam. SQUAD 51 sets up triage. Smoke drifts thick.

CAPTAIN STANLEY
Watch that spill! Contain it before it reaches the drainage ditch!

Chet and Marco work hoses. Mike handles the pump. The tension is high.

ROY and JOHNNY hustle with gear toward a WORKER pinned by debris.

ROY
(to worker) We’ve got you. Stay still.

They wedge cribbing, start lifting.

Nearby, TROY and DILLON arrive with JAMIE close behind. They blend in, but eyes dart skyward.

JAMIE
(to Troy, low) You feel that? They’ve followed you.

Troy grimaces. Dillon glances at his wrist device — faint blip.

DILLON
Two signatures. Closing fast.

A SHRIEK from the sky — a pair of CYLON CENTURIONS descend, weapons glinting.

CIVILIANS scatter, screaming.

JOHNNY
(startled) What the—

Laser fire SLAMS into the pavement near the tanker. A FIREBALL erupts. Roy shields the worker as Johnny drags him clear.

ROY
Johnny! Move!

CAPTAIN STANLEY
Everybody down! Cover!

The firefighters dive for safety behind the rig.

JAMIE
(hushed, terrified)
They’ve found Earth.

TROY
(to Dillon) We can’t let them report back.

DILLON
Agreed.

They draw concealed COLONIAL BLASTERS. Smooth, efficient. They peel away from the squad and engage.

CYLON #1
By your command—

Troy FIRES, the Centurion EXPLODES in sparks.

CYLON #2 unleashes a volley. Dillon ducks, rolls, returns fire. The Cylon staggers, collapses in a shower of flame.

JOHNNY, crouched behind the Squad with Roy, catches it all.

JOHNNY
(to Roy) You seeing this?!

ROY
(grim, focused on patient)
I’m seeing a tanker that’s about to blow. Pressure on that dressing, Johnny!

Johnny obeys, but keeps darting glances at the firefight.

CUT TO:

EXT. TANKER SITE – CONTINUOUS

Engine 51 crews douse flames. Cap Stanley barks orders.

STANLEY
Forget the shooters! Keep that foam steady! We lose this tanker, half the block goes with it!

Chet looks up, eyes wide at the blast aftermath, but keeps the nozzle down.

CUT TO:

EXT. INDUSTRIAL YARD – CONTINUOUS

The last Cylon collapses in flames. Troy and Dillon exchange a grave look.

DILLON
If two made it through, more may follow.

TROY
Then Earth is no longer hidden.

Jamie pales, shaken.

JAMIE
What do we tell them?

TROY
Nothing. They’ve already seen too much.

CUT TO:

EXT. TANKER – MOMENTS LATER

The fire is contained. The worker is packaged, loaded into an ambulance. The Squad regroups, shaken but alive.

JOHNNY
(to Roy, quietly) I swear I saw two chrome giants with rifles.

ROY
(flat) I saw flames, smoke, and a patient who almost died. That’s enough.

CAPTAIN STANLEY
(approaches) You boys okay?

ROY
We’re fine, Cap.

Johnny hesitates, then nods. But his eyes linger where the Cylons fell — nothing left but scorched pavement.

SMASH TO BLACK.

END ACT III

Chapter Text

ACT IV

INT. RAMPART – TREATMENT ROOM – LATE AFTERNOON

TROY sits on the gurney, forearm prepped. BRACKETT gloved, JOHNNY assisting with a sterile tray. DIXIE stands by with gauze; EARLY observes, curious.

BRACKETT
(to Troy) You’ll feel a sting with the lidocaine.

He injects. Troy barely blinks.

BRACKETT (CONT’D)
Most people jump.

TROY
Conditioning.

Brackett begins suturing. The bleeding slows almost immediately, clotting swiftly.

EARLY
Huh. Rapid hemostasis.

DIXIE
I wish all my bleeders behaved like that.

BRACKETT
(to Johnny) Vitals.

JOHNNY
Pulse thirty-eight, regular. Pressure one-sixty over forty. Resp twelve, unlabored. Skin warm, dry.

BRACKETT
(skeptical) On a laceration and local anesthesia, with that pulse.

EARLY
He’s either an Olympian… or something else.

Brackett ties off another stitch, stands back.

BRACKETT
I want an EKG. Baseline. Humor me.

TROY
No EKG.

BRACKETT
(steady) Son, this isn’t about secrets. If there’s something unusual about your physiology, I need to know in case you crash on my table.

Troy meets his gaze, then looks away.

JAMIE slips in, contrite but firm.

JAMIE
Doctor— if they’re different, it’s because of training. Classified training. Aerospace-related. They’re evaluated… elsewhere.

Brackett studies her, then Troy, then the neat line of stitches.

BRACKETT
I don’t have to like that answer. But I don’t have to be a policeman, either.

He strips his gloves.

BRACKETT (CONT’D)
You feel dizzy? Short of breath? Chest pain?

TROY
No.

BRACKETT
Then you’re discharged— with the understanding that if you so much as feel lightheaded, you come back. Immediately.

EARLY
And if the people running your “program” want to share a baseline someday, my door’s open.

JAMIE
(soft) Thank you.

DIXIE
(smiles, practical) I’ll get you a tetanus booster and dressings. Try not to wrestle any more sheet metal today.

Troy almost smiles.

CUT TO:

INT. RAMPART – BASE STATION – MOMENTS LATER

ROY finishes a chart. Johnny hands off used instruments to Dixie.

ROY
We clear?

JOHNNY
Yeah. Stitches are clean. Brackett’s not happy, but he’s letting it go.

ROY
Good. We’ve got a supply run and a drill back at the station.

Johnny hesitates.

JOHNNY
Roy— I know what I saw.

ROY
I know what I did. I kept a man breathing and a tanker from going up. That’s enough for me.

Johnny nods, unconvinced.

CUT TO:

EXT. RAMPART – AMBULANCE BAY – SUNSET

JAMIE, TROY, and DILLON slip out a side door. The sky is turning gold.

JAMIE
You can’t leave them there much longer. The cloak hum will draw attention.

DILLON
We’ll relocate. Higher altitude, farther west.

TROY
(to Jamie) You did well.

JAMIE
I told the truth they’d accept. The rest… I’ll keep off the record.

They share a look — gratitude and the weight of a bigger secret.

CUT TO:

INT. RAMPART – NURSES’ STATION – SAME

BRACKETT signs off on the chart. EARLY leans in.

EARLY
You’re really letting it go?

BRACKETT
(quiet) They saved lives. And if I push, I’ll get answers I can’t chart.

DIXIE
(smiles) That’s my Dr. Brackett.

They share a small, tired smile.

CUT TO:

EXT. INDUSTRIAL YARD – DUSK

The scorched patch where the CYLONS fell is now just blackened concrete. ENGINE 51 wraps hoses. CAPTAIN STANLEY surveys the scene, satisfied it’s safe.

STANLEY
(to himself) Strange day.

CUT TO:

TAG

INT. STATION 51 – NIGHT

Quiet. The day is done. Roy pours coffee. Johnny stares out the apparatus bay door at the stars.

ROY
You gonna drink that or read it a bedtime story?

JOHNNY
You ever feel like the city’s bigger than we think? Like there’s stuff happening just… over our heads.

ROY
Every time we roll out. Doesn’t change our job.

They sip. Silence. A tone from the radio — but it’s just a test. They relax.

EXT. LOS ANGELES SKY – SAME

High above the city, two faint Viper silhouettes shimmer into view for a heartbeat — then vanish, cloaking as they bank west and disappear into cloud.

INT. STATION 51 – CONTINUOUS

ROY
C’mon, partner. We’re on at 0700.

JOHNNY
Yeah.

He kills the bay lights. Black.

EXT. REMOTE HILLSIDE – NIGHT
The two cloaked Vipers rest under the stars. TROY and DILLON climb the ladder rungs, Jamie waiting at the bottom.

DILLON
(activating comms) Lt. Dillon reporting. Encounter confirmed. Two Cylon Centurions destroyed. Earth’s security compromised.

BOOMER (V.O., tinny over comms)
Acknowledged. We’ll advise Commander Adama. Maintain low profile until further orders.

Troy looks down at Jamie, who hugs her coat tight against the night air.

TROY
You kept our secret today. That wasn’t easy.

JAMIE
(softly) Secrets don’t scare me. The thought of more of those things coming… that does.

DILLON
That’s why we can’t fail.

They climb into the cockpits. The engines THRUM faintly, cloaking fields shimmer. Jamie steps back, eyes following as the Vipers vanish into the night sky.

FADE OUT.