ACT ONE

FADE IN:

INT. POLICE WEIGHT ROOM -- DAY (2:53)

We see a gorgeous green and blue beach resort, bright sky, and a luxurious ship -- DAMN, it's only a wall poster.  Good modern rock BLARES, and hard GRUNTING. 

Buff TY DAVIS and MAURICE BOSCORELLI pump iron, sweaty, solid manhood, biceps, thighs, faces surging blood to the music.

BOSCO

...Tellin ya, man, you gotta go to Negril Beach .  Everything's included... that's the way to go.

DAVIS

Lots of fun, eh?

They seem to be in sync with each other's hard, pumping rhythms.

BOSCO

Fun -- hah!  Nothing but fun.  Lots of Island Girls, for the taking.  Sure you know about that.

DAVIS

Can't say I do...  Never been out of the country.

Their rhythms seem to ratchet up a notch, into a competition.

BOSCO

Never out of the country.  Davis, you innocent boy...

DAVIS

(squeezing a smile)

Careful with that word, 'boy'.

They are definitely competing.

BOSCO

I'm gonna make it my mission... to guide you to the island pleasures.  Dancing natives -- ooohh, boy.

But Davis sprints to the end of his repetitions.  Sits up, big, black, beautiful.

DAVIS

Do I look like I need a guide?

HALLWAY OUTSIDE THE WEIGHT ROOM

Sully shuffles by.  Then, Yokas appears around the corner, looking a bit frazzled.

SULLY

(to Faith)

Relax, you're on time.

YOKAS

Barely.  Had to take an illegal rape victim to the Crisis Center.

SULLY

Illegal rape victim?

YOKAS

Undocumented alien, OK?

They pass the Weight Room doorway.

SULLY

Why didn't you just bring her into the station?

YOKAS

Why, why.  Don't you think I tried?

Both poke their heads inside the...

WEIGHT ROOM

Sully's hand jiggles with the radio volume. 

BOSCO

...They teach you scuba diving,  game fishing, parasailing...

(off seeing Sully and Yokas)

Hey, you guys, why don't you get your lazy butts in here, join us?

WIDE SHOT to contrast the two pairs of bodies, Ty and Bosco rippling in sweat, and the older, less fit Yokas and Sully.

YOKAS

Who has time to work out with two kids and a husband.

Bosco shows off his muscle power.

BOSCO

Hey, Sull, you really should try it.  Increases your endurance.

SULLY

Nothing wrong with my endurance.

BOSCO

So, what's going on with that Ruskie neighbor? 

(pump)

Heard about some immigration problem. 

What sensitivity.  Sully watches Bosco strain himself, hopes he's in pain.

Davis flexes, looks like he can live 200 years.

BOSCO

This does wonders for your state of mind, Sull...  Just a suggestion.

Sully stares, hitches up his paunch, maybe Bosco's right about exercise. 

SULLY

Hey, I'll think about it.

BACK OUT IN THE HALLWAY

FAITH

You -- start working out?

SULLY

Why -- I can't?  I'm too far gone, is that what you're saying?

The SERGEANT walks by them with letters, pokes his own head inside the...

WEIGHT ROOM

SERGEANT

(to Davis )

Congratulations, big guy.  Passed your scuba certification.

He puts a letter in Ty Davis's face.

DAVIS

(smiling over at Bosco)

Guess I won't need much diving instruction, after all.

Ty gets up, proud to get the last word over on Bosco.

SERGEANT

(handing an envelope to Bosco)

This is yours.  You can give talks at local schools, instead.

BOSCO

(rips it open, looks)

What's this?  'Recruiting Initiative'?

INT. FIREHOUSE ENGINE BAYS -- DAY

NED HASPEL, older guy, SLAMS the door of BUS BOY 55-3, stands by a tad irritated as KIM rifles through a line of grocery bags loaded onto a big cart.  She's checking everything off against a huge receipt roll.

HASPEL

What are you so pissed about?

KIM

Buy huge quantities of food, always go overboard.  What's this -- 9 pounds of spaghetti?  I can't eat spaghetti.

HASPEL

I thought you were Italian.

KIM

Listen, my heritage is irrelevant.  It's bad carbohydrates.

Doc shows up to help with the bags.

HASPEL

Kim's mad because of all the carbos.

KIM

There's a limited Common House Fund.  You carnivore men, you're eating out us girls...  Of our rightful parts.

Doc and Haspel stop, smile a beat.  Kim shoves the roll of receipt tape into Doc's chest on her way out.

KIM

Oh, don't be so cheap and vulgar.

DOC

Cheap?

HASPEL

Vulgar?

DOC

I hear that Zone Diet does wonders for your disposition, too.

KIM

Go ahead, Doc, justify yourself and invalidate me.

HASPEL

Don't forget about a good teasing.

Doc and Haspel share a look of, What's Her Problem?

EXT. 55-DAVID (MOVING) -- DAY (3:02PM)

Bosco, Yokas, drive by a COFFEE SHOP window.  Bosco looks long and hard at Sully and Davis standing inside.

INT. COFFEE SHOP -- CONTINUOUS

Sully and Davis talk to attractive server FIONA, working the tables.  She holds dirty plates in each arm.

FIONA

Are you guys going to be staying?

SULLY

No, justa couple coffees, to go.  When you get a chance.

FIONA

No problem.  It is my pleasure.

It's subtle but she glances more at Sully.  There's an old vibe between these two, Davis can still pick it out.

FIONA

(going behind the counter)

Never see you handsome guys in here anymore...  Two coffees, coming up.

DAVIS

(aside to Sully)

I remember why you avoid this place.

Sully looks blank, but Davis makes an urging motion at Fiona.

DAVIS

She definitely likes you, man.

SULLY

Why must you always do this?

DAVIS

Do what?

SULLY

Embarrass me.

Fiona returns, none too soon.

FIONA

So, Sully, you guys find that Asian kid you were looking for last time?

SULLY

Greek girl.  Yeah, the Port Authority.

DAVIS

It was the park.

SULLY

The park.  My memory's bad.

She hands them coffees.  Davis pays $5.

DISPATCH (OVER RADIO)

Units in 55, respond to ship on fire, headed for shore, approximately one zero zero, and pier.

SULLY

Oh, great, crowd control.

FIONA

Hey, come by again, and catch up.

DAVIS

Definitely.  We will.

Sully and Davis head out onto --

EXT. THE STREET

SULLY

You can't leave it alone, can you?

This banter has a familiar ring.

DAVIS

                  She comes on strong for you, man 

SULLY

You're trying to screw me all up.

DAVIS                      (grins)

Don't need to try.

INT. FIREHOUSE ENGINE BAYS -- DAY

ALARMS are going off.  CREWS scrambling.  DISPATCH SQUAWKING over the speakers.

DISPATCH

...Repeat, Squad 52, Engine 57, ship on fire, one-oh-one and FDR.  Possible Haz-Mat cargo.

Crews pile into the trucks, make last-second equipment checks. 

CAPTAIN            (yelling at crews)

Ready HAZMAT!  Crew is abandoning ship, report all power, and backup systems down!

The Captain boards his FLASHING red Excursion and leads the engines out of the house, running hot with HORNS, SIRENS.

INT. 55 DAVID (MOVING) -- DAY

Bosco drives, Yokas rides the RMP.  LIGHTS and SIRENS blare but they continue in silence, then:

BOSCO

Why so quiet?

YOKAS

Nothing to talk about.

BOSCO

Since when?

YOKAS

You trying to get on my wrong side?  And, no crap about my sedentary lifestyle either.

They drive through more silence.

BOSCO

Some fooling around going on with a couple of our co-workers, from what I can tell.  What's new, huh?

YOKAS

I'm steering clear of it.

BOSCO

Oh, me too, sure.  But, what is there besides getting into other peoples' business?

YOKAS

If they're a few minutes late for the shift, it's on them.

BOSCO

Right.  Mind your own business, that's all you know.

YOKAS

Yeah, you could learn a lesson there, Bosco, I'll tell you that much.

BOSCO

You had a rape call before the shift, and you're on time.  By the way, what happened to the victim?

YOKAS

What's that supposed to mean? 

BOSCO

I didn't see her.  You drop her off a Rape Crisis Center ?  She illegal or something?

YOKAS

Shut-up about it, Bosco.

That's a definite No-Go zone.

BOSCO

Did you hear about this new Recruiting Initiative?

They pull into the docks.  It's a lot of smoke, a freighter on fire -- one of those rusty old buckets with high front and back sections, low part in the middle.  The name is San Cristobal .  Yokas coughs.  Both get out.

BOSCO

Yeah, they told me, Boscorelli, Help us recruit high school pipsqueaks.  Or else, we'll give you more CEU's.

YOKAS

Doesn't sound like a bad deal.

BOSCO

Why'd they pick me, though?

YOKAS

I wonder.

INT. BUS ADAM 55-3 (MOVING) -- DAY (3:14 PM)

Doc drives.  Carlos is sullen, feet up, chewing a sliver of skin from his pinky finger and looking at the passing city.  Doc watches him, smiles, a long beat.

DOC

Go ahead.  Vent your feelings. 

CARLOS            (not looking over)

What?  We're on our way to a fire.

DOC

Okay...  Doesn't mean you can't talk.

CARLOS

Hey, I'm trying to get somewhere and that slug beats me for every crummy assignment.  I have to win sometime.

DOC

Not much chance of that.

CARLOS

You're happy when he wins, too.

Doc looks back slyly, not afraid to let Carlos know the truth.

CARLOS

Man, I got no time to study, no social life as it is.  It's like, I'm trapped between work, and school, school and work, takes so much energy.  Which... don't get me wrong, I like it, but, I do, I want more time for myself.

Doc looks almost amused.

DOC

I'm curious, why you want to be a doctor, anyway?

CARLOS

When I was little... real little, a close relative got an infection...

MEMORY FLASH -- INT. SHACK -- NIGHT

4 year-old Carlos, with baffled face, witnesses a YOUNG WOMAN die in a dirty room.

BACK TO PRESENT SCENE

CARLOS

We couldn't afford a doctor anyway.  But, she died because no doctor was around.

Doc waits to see if there is any more to it.

DOC

Kim's pretty upset at how the House is being run.  Sounds like you two have a few complaints in common. 

CARLOS

She's been weird since Bobby died.  But she's right about the House Fund.  And, I'm right about the assignments.

DOC

Good luck fighting City Hall.

EXT. DOCKS -- MOMENTS LATER

We're next to the burning ship, flames engulf the stern, smoke billows out amidships.  The POLYGLOT CROWD is SWARMING for closer looks.

COYOTE, 30, a balding, muscular MAN in a soiled white uniform with one epaulet missing, DISAPPEARS into the large crowd.

SQUAD 52 CHARGES up to the dock, LIGHTS, SIREN going.  The ENGINE COMPANY is right behind. 

55-DAVID is working already, Bosco and Yokas doing their best to keep people back.

In rapid succession, we hear,

CAPTAIN

Get hooked up to the hydrants!  Set up Incident Command Center right here. 

SERGEANT

Incident Command here!

CAPTAIN

Put the Rehab Area back ten feet!  All personnel, suit up in SCBA's!

DOHERTY

Suits on!

The men grab tools, hooded yellow suits, man the lines and attack hydrants. 

Above them HELICOPTER NOISE approaches.

A red Coast Guard copter HOVERS, while ONLOOKERS watch behind railings, from the FDR PARKWAY, and up close.  

Bosco, Yokas pull people back.

SERGEANT

Set that perimeter back 300 feet!

BOSCO

300 feet, good freakin luck, pal!

Bosco YANKS the arm of some KID, who books it to the fire.

ALEX                   (to crowds)

Back up!  Back across the street!

Alex stands in the swirls of chaos, with a hose.  She drags it past them, positions herself to shoot water on the fire.

ALEX

Where's the police back-up?

BOSCO

I'd better see Davis and Sully here quick!

The FIREFIGHTER at one hydrant SPINS the wrench, the water SNAKES fast and hard through the hose, ROCKS Alex back, but she holds her ground.

Water spouts in the ship from the first wave of firefighters.

Jimmy Doherty calls back --

DOHERTY

Give me more water!

SCAN THE CROWD

Coyote, the balding, muscular man in soiled white uniform, tries to blend into crowd, but he's looked at funny by others.

EXT. DOCK AREAS -- CONTINUOUS

Police cars arrive at docks with a flourish.  Cops fan out.  A POLICE LIEUTENANT swaggers out of a cruiser.

POLICE LIEUTENANT                 (on bullhorn)

This is the New York Police, step back!  Behind the yellow tape, please, everyone, step back..

Firefighters run up the lines, several men drag hoses, tanks.  The water shoots up into the ship, but if anything it seems to smoke more.

POLICE LIEUTENANT

...Attention, this is the New York Police, remain behind the barriers, this is a danger zone.  I repeat, a serious danger zone.

The crowd responds to the 'danger zone' phrase, many falling back.  Some KIDS are tackled trying to get away from police. 

Engines, ladders, EMS , hoses everywhere.  A fireboat arrives, sprays water.  The fire flames up.

EXT. REHAB AREA -- LATER

Led by Alex Taylor, Jimmy Doherty and Ned Haspel, a row of firefighters from the first shift, plop down for rest break.

HASPEL

Mother of a fire.  They should just sink her, put everything out.

ALEX

I'm sure that's next.

Jimmy shrugs off Kim's aid.  EMS attend to the other crew.

EXT. EDGE OF DOCK -- AFTERNOON

We're near the fire.  More fire trucks pull in, firemen leap out and deploy gear.

Captain GARCIA appears on the gangplank, hurrying off his flaming ship and getting hosed.  The Fire Captain spots him.

CAPTAIN

Hey, you... get the hell out of there!

Bearded, white shirt and epaulets, Garcia stands before his ship for a moment, framed in fire, COUGHING, holding books.

SERGEANT

Get that man out from there!

Jimmy Doherty approaches him at a cautious pace.  The man is bewildered.

DOHERTY

Sir, are you the ship's Captain?

GARCIA

Yes.  Garcia.

DOHERTY

Sir, come on.  We got it from here.

GARCIA

How can I help?

Doherty and Garcia head back toward the ICC.

INCIDENT COMMAND CENTER -- CONTINUOUS

The Captain and Sergeant throw down, and set up equipment. 

CAPTAIN

You the captain?  Are those the plans?

GARCIA        (hands over the books)

Yes, the ship's plans.  I saved them.

CAPTAIN

Looks like a hell of a fast fire you got there, Captain Garcia.

SERGEANT

We count 15 crew.  Roster says 18.

Doherty comes over to help.  They study the plans on a table.

DOHERTY

We gotta go in and search for them.  Where's the cargo manifest?

GARCIA

The cargo is mostly wood, and paints.

Concerned looks bounce from face to face like ping-pong balls.

FIRE SERGEANT          (looking over plans)

Does this show every passageway, access hole and ventilation system? 

Captain Garcia nods, despondent. 

DOHERTY

What's the water in so far?

GARCIA

500 gallons, about...            (shaking his head)

We did everything we could.

CAPTAIN

500 gallons in, and no water pullout capability. 

FIRE SERGEANT

We're pumping in a thousand a minute, with 5 hoses.  Plus the fireboat...

CAPTAIN                     (nodding)

She'll capsize soon.  Slow the rate.

DOHERTY

Get another head count.  I'll go through the ship with a bullhorn.

CAPTAIN

Quickly.  No more than a five minutes.

In T-shirts and shorts for only a brief time, Doherty suits back up, puts on his breathing hood, takes a bullhorn, heads out.  Carlos begins to watch him. 

Then, the Captain GRABS Jimmy by the arm, yanks him back.

CAPTAIN

No super-hero crap, Jimmy! 

DOHERTY

Lombardo, let's go!  We got five!

ANOTHER ANGLE ON THE INCIDENT COMMAND CENTER

The Police Lieutenant struts up to the ICC.

LIEUTENANT         (to the Fire Captain)

Are you appointing a Safety Officer?

CAPTAIN

I don't have to yet.  I'm still considering this a small incident.

LIEUTENANT

Small incident, huh?  I'll be waiting.

CAPTAIN

You guys were late.  Keep all those standing-around-looking-concerned people away.

LIEUTENANT

Don't overstep your authority.

CAPTAIN

Don't overstep yours, Lieutenant. Get off my ass.   

EXT. PERIMETER CORDON -- CONTINUOUS

Police establish a stronger perimeter with tape, barriers.

BOSCO AND YOKAS AT THE EDGE OF THE CROWD

Working crowd control, trying to keep GAWKERS back.  A FOREIGN KID on a bike, wearing a school uniform, calls over.

FOREIGN KID

Hey, what's going on?

BOSCO

Judging from the ship, the smoke, I'd have to guess a ship on fire.

FOREIGN KID

People get hurt?

The kid couldn't look happier at the thought.

BOSCO

Three naked girls jumped from the upper deck.  A couple guys went in after them.  You just missed it.

FOREIGN KID

Wow... awesome...

But, what's this?  Behind Yokas, someone wearing a uniform with torn epaulet, shoves through.  It's Coyote, he's in tough shape, heads for the paramedic trucks.

YOKAS

Yo...  Yo... where're you going?

It's chaotic, firefighters pushing hoses, equipment forward.

COYOTE              (Spanish accent)

I'm going to help out.

YOKAS

Help out who?

The guy's still walking, Yokas cuts him off.

COYOTE

I was on the ship...

He could be a crewman, has the look, uniform.  But he came from the wrong direction.

YOKAS

You have ID?

COYOTE

People are in danger.

Now Yokas is sure.  Something's wrong about this guy.

YOKAS

We still need some kind of ID.

Coyote studies Yokas, looks past her to the trucks, the ship.

COYOTE

I have to get help.

BOSCO

We got a problem over here?

Bosco joins them, he can smell a problem a mile away.

YOKAS

This gentleman was just telling me he was on the ship.

Coyote spots Captain Garcia, and Chief Engineer at the ICC.

COYOTE

Capitan!  Capitan!

EXT. INCIDENT COMMAND CENTER -- CONTINUOUS

Garcia looks about, locates the voice, runs over.

GARCIA

He's my officer.  He was very brave.

The Fire Captain, Chief Engineer follow running.

CHIEF ENGINEER

He was fighting back the flames and protecting all the other men.

Coyote falls in front of them.  They rush him to the..

REHAB AREA

He's placed on a stretcher.

CAPTAIN

Doc!  Help over here!

Doc looks up from treating someone, grabs an oxygen bottle.

CAPTAIN

(to Sergeant)

Tell Doherty we found one survivor!

COYOTE

Please, help me.

Doc begins taking vitals, working on him.

GARCIA

You must save him, please?

DOC

Stand aside, Captain, please, just let us do our work.

EXT. EDGE OF DOCK -- AFTERNOON

Jimmy and Lombardo in SCBA fireproof suits, hoods, are poised.

LOMBARDO

Five minutes, right?

DOHERTY

Five minutes, yeah.

(leaps aboard)

If we don't find someone.

Lombardo's not buying that it's only going to be 5 minutes.

DOHERTY

Relax.  We know who's missing, and where to look.

LOMBARDO

That's different.

INT. SHIP PASSAGEWAY -- MOMENTS LATER

Jimmy Doherty cuts through smoke, Lombardo branches off behind, takes another route.  They SMASH open compartment doors, KICK empty extinguisher canisters.

DOHERTY                 (on bullhorn)

Attention, this is the New York Fire Rescue...

Doherty is ROCKED in a passageway when a steam valve BLOWS, and smoke engulfs him as he falls.

FADE OUT:

END OF ACT ONE