"Leviathan", shooting draft, revised by Jeb Stuart
LEVIATHAN
Screenplay by
David Webb Peoples
and
Jeb Stuart
Revised Draft
September 8, 1987
FACE IN ON
THE SURFACE OF THE OCEAN
sunny and placid then slowly WE BEGIN DESCENDING UNDERWATER
Moving down from the bright surface waters, through layers
of fish and marine life...
A school of vibrantly colored fish move with the current,
their numbers are enormous, their movements in unison.
Suddenly out of the darkness a barracuda cuts through the
school, taking out four or five before disappearing into the
shadows. The school moves on as if nothing happened,
quickly closing ranks where the missing ones swam only
seconds before.
WE MOVE DEEPER AND DEEPER
Fish disappear, darkness envelopes us. Cold and lifeless
where light has never penetrated...Five thousand feet, ten
thousand. Deeper, where only strange, self-illuminating
echoniderms move eerily through the currents. Then suddenly
WE HEAR STATIC from RADIO TRANSMISSION. THEN VOICES...
JONES
Burritos...Enchiladas...
DEJESUS
(hispanic voice)
Oh, gag, man, how can you eat that
stuff?...
BOWMAN
(female)
I can't wait for fresh vegetables...
Several voices suddenly break into argument..."vegetables?"
"shit," "burgers"...Suddenly another voice rises above the
others.
BECK'S VOICE/ RADIO
Okay, cut the chatter. You're
not out of here, yet. Who's the
hook? Seven?...You got a hook on
container 22?
A pause, then more voices.
SIXPACK'S VOICE/ RADIO
(redneck drawl)
The man's asking if you're hooked
on 22, you dumb shit.
JONES' VOICE/ RADIO
Watch your mouth, Sixpack. Hello,
Shack, Seven, here. I ain't the hook,
over.
A light flares out of the darkness, suddenly illuminating an
IMMENSE SHAPE--fifteen hundred pounds of hardened metal
nearly seven feet tall. It is a motorized diving suit and
we see the stenciled name, WILLIE across the front
breastplate. As it pivots we see the stationary worklights
around the base of a large underwater mining operation, THE
SHACK. Then a woman's voice.
WILLIE'S VOICE
(woman's voice)
Six to Shack. I'm the hook.
INSIDE THE SHACK/ CONTROL ROOM
littered with papers, half-full coffee cups, and a confusion
of wires and very low-tech, high-tech equipment BECK sits at
the monitor controls. He is younger than we expected,
twenties, clean cut good looks. He'll be a hell of a good-
looking man at thirty-five, he just needs to be hardened.
From the looks of the coffee cups around him he's on his
way.
BECK'S VOICE/ RADIO
Okay, Six, let's wrap this container
and call it a day.
Above him a bank of monitor screens. Each one labeled with
a crew member's name and providing a video picture from a
camera mounted on their helmet. Beck reaches above him and
throws a console switch which activates another monitor
labeled ROV. With a joystick he manipulates an outside
camera(the ROV), its picture we see on the monitor. It is
moving.
UNDERWATER
WILLIE'S POV The inside of her helmet is a grid of LED
gauges monitoring air reserve, body temperature,
atmospheres, heart rate, blood pressure.
She stops next to a pair of railroad-like tracks and removes
the tool attached to the end of her arm. The move is
practiced and professional, like a cook changing the tool on
a set of egg beaters. First, she inserts the existing tool
into a lock on her opposite arm which holds it while she
disengages the tool. Next, she selects the next tool from
the storage compartment at her waist and punches it into
position. Sixpack's voice comes over the radio.
SIXPACK'S VOICE
Hey, Willie, you trip on a
tit or something? We're all
waiting on you, honey.
WILLIE
(under control)
Keep your pants on Sixpack.
I promise you'll be inside before
"Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood" comes on.
OVER THE RADIO WE HEAR other men's voices laughing. They
like Willie and cheer her on. "Tell him, Willie," "Atta
girl," etc...
Willie CLICKS in her last tool and turns. Expertly she
hooks a large dumpster-like container, the container to what
looks like an underwater parachute--A CONTAINER
TRANSPORTER--which when filled with oxygen it lifts the
massive container onto the tracks where it can be hauled-in
by a winch.
WILLIE'S VOICE
Six to Shack...Hook's on. Ready
to winch.
UNDERWATER MACHINERY
Halogen lights illuminate bits and pieces of dredges and
dumpsters squatting in the gloom. A winch begins grinding
and the big, newly hooked container lurches down the tracks.
It comes to the end where a winch fits it into place with
several others to complete a set. We hear BECK'S VOICE.
BECK/ RADIO
Ok, that's it. Come on in.
More motor suited DIVERS appear, their helmet lights
glaring. Their breastplate names catch in the dim lights:
COBS, BOWMAN, WILLIE.
As they approach the UNDERWATER LOCK, where an elevator will
transport them up into the Shack, we see signs of human
life: a basketball goal attached to the side of the
building; stickers and signs: "No Bozos," etc. A formal sign
towers over the entrance. It says: TRANSOCEAN CORP. SHACK 6.
ON ONE OF THE CREW
He moves behind the others. Suddenly he freezes in his
tracks and slowly rotates his helmet--on his shoulder in the
glare of his helmet beam WE SEE the a hideous looking SEA
SPIDER. It's thick legs moving eerily down his arm.
Carefully, so as not to disturb the creature, a mechanical
motor hand moves into position below it, and in one quick
movement, snares it.
CLOSE ON METAL WAIST POCKET. The latch opens and the
writhing sea spider is shoved inside. From the pocket WE
MOVE UP the diver's suit until we see the name SIXPACK on
the breastplate. He looks around to see if anyone has
noticed then continues on toward the shack.
ON TWO DIVERS(JONES AND DEJESUS)
They walk together to the Shack. A Latino VOICE, DEJESUS,
comes over the radio singing an old Miller Beer jingle in an
exaggerated accent.
DEJESUS
When it's time to relax....
One thing stands clear...
INSIDE ON BECK
As he listens to the singing over the tinny speaker, we see
he aches to be a part of their comaraderie, but is alienated
by age and rank. He is the shack boss, management. He
listens as a BOOMING BLACK VOICE joins in off-key.
JONES' VOICE(O.C.)
Mil-ler's tastes too good to
hurry through...
As the singing continues, Beck looks over at an empty chair
in front of a bank of equipment monitors. The vital signs
of each miner and his equipment are registered on this
console. The chair in front of them sits conspicuously
empty. This doesn't please Beck, neither does a hand
written sign under the console which states: THE DOCTOR IS
OUT.
DEJESUS' POV
Inside his helmet we see the grid of LED gauges monitoring
vital signs.
DEJESUS
...beer after beer...
Suddenly a red warning light begins blinking in the bottom
corner inside DeJesus' helmet. The words to the song freeze
in his mouth. His voice becomes edged with panic.
DEJESUS(cont'd)
Oh, shit...
JONES/ RADIO
(to DeJesus)
Hey, Hazy, I'm not that bad, man.
DEJESUS
(rising terror)
Jonesy! I'm losing compression...
I'm going to blow my suit, man!
Beck! Doc! Help me!...
INSIDE
Beck grabs his microphone. He tries to remain calm but
there is a definite tremble in his voice.
BECK
Give me a readout, DeJesus.
DEJESUS(ON RADIO)
(gripped with panic)
Ahhhh!
OUTSIDE
The other divers move quickly to DeJesus.
BECK (ON RADIO)
DeJesus! A readout!
JONES
He don't need a readout,
man, he needs help!
BECK(RADIO)
(anything but calm)
Stay calm!
BOWMAN
Calm!? Where's Doc?
INSIDE
Beck stands in front of the equipment monitors, lost.
BECK
(trying to
keep control)
The internal monitors read
normal.
ON THE MINERS, PANICKED
COBB
Where's Doc?!
BECK(RADIO)
He's not at his station.
DEJESUS
(panicked)
Oh, mother of Jesus, forgive
me of my--
BECK'S VOICE
(making a decision)
Get him into the Shack.
DeJesus' gauges begins a countdown to implosion. "15, 14,
13..." DeJesus is grabbed by his co-workers and hurried the
last few yards to the SHACK.
INSIDE/SHACK - SAME
ON BECK sweating bullets, turns a dial on the instruments
and suddenly, DeJesus' gauges jump to life. We see the same
countdown in progress on the Shack's gauges!..10, 9, 8...
OUTSIDE
ON DEJESUS He is forced into the LOCK, the underwater
elevator room is eerily lit. His readout continues inside
his helmet...5, 4, 3...DeJesus screams.
ON BECK
DeJesus' scream comes over his radio in the control room.
Beck hits the elevator switch--nothing happens. He hits it
again harder and suddenly DeJesus voice is drowned out by
the SCREAMING VACUUM PUMPS of the elevator. It's moving!
Beck looks up at the monitor of the interior Lift Lock.
INSIDE/LIFT LOCK
WE SEE DeJESUS'S SUIT dripping wet. It stands inside the
Lift Lock, ankle deep in greasy bilge water.
CLOSE ON HIS EYES, for a moment they remain closed, then
suddenly they flutter. He's alive!
THE MESS - LATER
The blackboard prominently displayed on the wall of the Mess
features neatly stenciled letters that say: "DAYS TILL
PICKUP". The number scrawled on the chalk-smudged board
obviously changes daily. Right now, it's a "3"...
A CLUNK, CLUNK and a Coke can rolls out of a compact COKE
MACHINE. A big, sandy-haired man, SIXPACK, takes the soft
drink, pops the top and downs it in one long pull while he
looks over an arguing group of deep sea miners: JONES,
Black, athletic, 30's; COBB, 50's, a career miner with a
mouthful of gum; BOWMAN, 35, attractive, hardened woman, she
has seen more of the world than any of them; WILLIE,
twenties, fresh good looks, master electrician, optimist.
DEJESUS, Latino, wiry muscles, he keeps his head down, still
shaken from his experience.
The strain of a month of working two miles beneath the
ocean's surface has drawn nerves tight.
BOWMAN
I'm telling you, it's the suits!
JONES
Fuck the suits, it's the people
monitoring them. It Doc had been
there like he's supposed to it never
would've happened!
SIXPACK
And just what the fuck would he
have done to stop it, huh?
Sixpack looks over the group, then suddenly crushes the
empty Coke can in his hand, punctuating the action with a
huge belch.
SIXPACK(cont'd)
That would have been you, DeJesus...
DeJesus keeps his head down.
SIXPACK(cont'd)
Yeah...I was standing next to a guy
who blew a suit once in the
Indian Ocean...little tiny hole
in the fucking toe of his suit
...ocean came in and the
pressure crammed his whole
fucking body up into his helmet.
They just buried his helmet.
DEJESUS
(coldly)
I know all about implosion, man.
SIXPACK
Yeah, I bet you do.
(laughs)
I bet you were imploding in
your pants.
(laughs then imitates
a hysterical DeJesus)
Jonesy! Doc!...Help me! Help me!
DeJesus springs for Sixpack's throat AS WE CUT TO
BECK - SAME
Beck's eyes are blazing with cold authority as he speaks.
BECK
Knock it off, Sixpack! I know
it's been a long month for every-
one, but we can't let something
like this tear us apart...
Beck glares, ready for an argument, but as WE PULL BACK we
see he's talking to the mirror, in his tiny quarters.
Apparently he fails to convince himself because his hard
look fades and he mutters unhappily as he turns away.
BECK
Shit...
He turns around to face a smiling picture of himself at
college graduation with his Eastern establishment looking
father. Leadership "how-to" books like The One Minute
Manager, etc. line his bookshelf with technical manuals on
underwater mining.
He opens his door to leave when SUDDENLY A LOUD METALLIC
GROANING NOISE stops him cold. The entire Shack seems
shifting, like a giant waking from a nap.
MESS
The NOISE stops the fight between DeJesus and Sixpack cold.
All eyes go to the ceiling and walls.
JONES
Fuck the suits man...this
place is going to kill us first.
Just as suddenly as it began the GROANING NOISE STOPS and in
its place WE HEAR an intermittent RATTLE in the air system.
Only Cobb seems undisturbed by this sound.
DEJESUS
(listening)
There it is again...
(sitting down again)
Two more days. I tell myself
'you can make it two more days--'
BOWMAN
What's the weather like up top?
WILLIE
Clear for pickup.
JONES
Let's hope it holds.
Cobb looks up disgustingly.
COBB
Then what? Huh?
(to everyone)
Then what? You folks think
going up top's the answer to
all your problems. Well, it ain't.
BOWMAN
Give us a break, Cobb...
COBB
A break? You folks don't need a break,
you need psychiatrists. 'Know what
you'd be doing if you were up there,
right now?
SIXPACK
(a boorish leer)
Eating pussy and drinking brew...
COBB
Eating pussy my ass. What about
lines at the bank: What about
getting stuck in traffic?
SIXPACK
(grinning)
Wherever I can find it.
Everyone laughs but Cobb, WE SEE he's serious.
COBB
Bullshit! I'll tell you
what you'd be doing! You'd
be watching news on TV
that's so fucking bad it
makes you nauseous. So you
go out and get in your car
to get some fresh air and
after you've been driving for
five minutes you realize the
air's so damn dirty you don't dare
breath it! That's what you've
got to look forward to...
LOWER RING CORRIDOR
Beck approaches the Mess and as he nears it we hear Cobb
ranting inside.
COBB'S VOICE(O.S.)
...And if you're lucky
enough to make it back home
to your house that looks the
fucking same as everyone else's,
you'll find your wife's just as
fat as she was when you left and
the only reason your kids ain't
strung out on the drugs they were
using when you left is that
they've found some new drugs
which fuck 'em up even more!...
You people just don't appreciate
how good you've got down here...
BECK hesitates at the door to the Mess, as though screwing
up his courage, then takes a deep breath and enters as we
CUT TO
INSIDE THE MESS
Everyone looks up as Beck enters and the room goes quiet.
Beck notices Doc's empty chair.
BECK
Doc eat already?
JONES
The good doctor hasn't showed yet.
Looks are exchanged. Sixpack smirks knowingly.
BECK
(to DeJesus)
How do you feel, DeJesus?
DEJESUS
(obviously embarrassed
to be singled out)
Okay.
BECK
Better let the Doc take a
look at you, after dinner.
SIXPACK
Yeah, since he was busy earlier
when you needed him.
He cracks up and Beck turns on him.
BECK
Cut it, Sixpack.
Sixpack shuts up, but Beck notices the others feel the
seriousness of Doc's absence during the emergency.
BECK(cont'd)
Leave the Doc to me. I'm
going to talk to him.
SIXPACK
(sarcastically, under his
breath to Bowman)
'Makes me feel better already...
Beck gets his tray but it is clear he is thinking about
something else. He clears his throat.
BECK
I've been looking at the duty
roster...at the shack hours
outstanding...
JONES
Uh, oh...I see where this
is going...
BECK
(ignoring Jones)
...all of you owe time and I
thought tonight would be a good
time to---
COBB
(erupting)
No way, Mister Beck! No
fucking way! We just did a
full shift, you can't call
Shack duty on top of a full
shift. It's a contract violation!
JONES
Whooo! Right on, Cobb! Let's
hear it for our shop Steward!
SIXPACK
Hear that Becky, er, Mr. Beck?
Company got to abide by the rules.
FIVE FACES STARE AT BECK. THEY'RE LOOKING FOR WEAKNESS.
THIS IS A CHALLENGE TO HIS AUTHORITY.
BECK
I know all about the contract.
The point is you can follow the
goddamn contract to the letter and pull
your shack duty tomorrow...or you
can get it done tonight and call
tomorrow a down day. It's up to you.
This leaves the group momentarily speechless. Even DeJesus
comes out of his stupor.
DEJESUS
You giving us a day off?
Beck nods. Cobb eyes him suspiciously.
COBB
What about our quota?
BECK
You're only twenty-five
tons off quota. Barring an
unforeseen problem you should
reach it easily on the last day.
(he looks at the group)
It's just a day off. You don't
have to take it, I just thought it
might help.
The others look around for agreement but Jones doesn't need
anyone else's approval, he's already made up his mind.
JONES
Count me in.
Bowman nods her head also and the others unanimously agree.
Buoyed, Beck moves ahead, businesslike...
BECK
Cobb, Jones, I want you to do
something about that damn rattle
in the air system...
(to Bowman and Sixpack)
Bowman and Sixpack...living quarters...
SIXPACK
(disgustedly)
Shit...
BECK
Williams...get DeJesus' suit on
the "sick rack" and do a diagnostics.
(to group)
Any other suit problems she should
know about?
Sixpack suddenly looks up as the group disperses.
SIXPACK
(to Willie)
My pocket. Check my pocket,
will ya, honey?
WILLIE
(annoyed)
Your pocket?
SIXPACK
The latch is screwed up. Or
the hinge.
WILLIE
(disgusted)
Right.
LOWER RING CORRIDOR - SAME
ON BECK He starts out of the Mess and by chance finds
himself walking with Willie. Beck is obviously
uncomfortable with the crew, even after 28 days together.
She smiles, friendly, at ease.
WILLIE
You did good...
BECK
(a little surprised)
What?
WILLIE
Today...with DeJesus. That
was smart thinking to get him
inside...
BECK
There probably wasn't anything
wrong with his suit...
WILLIE
Still...you did the right thing.
She turns off toward the Swamp, leaving Beck with the tiny,
but honest compliment. He savors it.
THE SWAMP - LATER
The "Swamp" (where DeJesus came up), is ankle deep in greasy
bilgewater. The door slides open, Willie enters, and
switches on a bank of fluorescent lights. The room is
spooky even with the lights. The giant machine suits, we
saw earlier outside, hang from racks like sleeping monsters.
Willie straps on a utility belt and checks her tools--a
motorized screwdriver, a power wrench, a long-necked,
laser-tipped soldering iron(looks like a long-necked
screwdriver)--then splashes through the bilge water to the
control switch and hits the START button.
NNNNNNNNNN. A motor moves one of the suits along the track
toward Willie. As it turns the corner toward us we see it
says: DEJESUS.
DOC'S OFFICE - SAME
Beck opens the door to Doc's quarters and we see Doc putting
on a fresh shirt. A man in his 50's, he must have once been
quite handsome and intelligent, but has now gone to seed.
DOC
I must have dozed off.
Beck looks on the cabinet and sees a bottle of Old Granddad
Whiskey. He picks it up.
DOC(cont'd)
Snakebite medicine...Never
pack my bag without it.
Beck doesn't smile. He puts the bottle back down and Doc
watches him in the mirror.
BECK
Are you planning on working tomorrow?
DOC
Well, I'll be on the golf course
in the morning. Then, if I don't
have any babies to deliver--
BECK
(cutting him off)
We almost had an accident today.
DeJesus' suit...
The Doc stops buttoning his shirt and locks eyes with Beck.
DOC
You got something to say to me, son?...
Beck definitely has something to say, but confronted, he
falters.
BECK
I...I think it's important to
have the second officer on deck.
Doc smiles, and goes back to buttoning his shirt.
DOC
I'll keep it to nine holes
in the morning.
THE DORMITORY - SAME
Small but functional. The bunks can be closed-off with a
privacy door. Photographs and bumper stickers on the walls
of the bunks provide the only personal touches in an
otherwise sterile environment.
Willie's bunk is wallpapered in detailed interplanetary
maps; Sixpack's privacy door has a bumper sticker which
proclaims: "I MAY BE FAT, BUT YOU'RE UGLY AND I CAN DIET."
DeJesus' has posters of the Alps, and the Rockies; Bowman's
has clipped pages from "Gourmet" of meals she dreams for;
Cobb's has nothing, as if perfectly content to be where he
is instead of somewhere else. Inside Jones' bunk is an
indoor basketball goal.
Bowman and Sixpack scrub down the walls of the dorm with a
sponge and pail. Sixpack pauses and smirks, his eyes on
Bowman's chest.
SIXPACK
Christ...what a pair...
BOWMAN
(sharply)
What was that? What'd you say?
SIXPACK
I said, "What a pair" the
boy wonder Shack Boss and his
drunken doctor buddy make...
(innocently)
Why? What did ya think I said?
CORRIDOR "A" - SAME
Jones and Cobb are kneeling in a corridor, unfastening a big
plate on the floor with a power wrench. Overhead a huge
plexiglass conduit flows with water from the desalinization
system. The interior wall of the corridor is meshed wire
exposing the throbbing machine floor of the Shack.
Cobb removes the last bolt and Jones lifts off the
floorplate exposing the guts of the shack--the BILGE--dark
and wet. Without the plate the RATTLE in the air system is
much louder and sinister.
JONES
Listen to it for Christsake.
COBB
Ah, it's just old, like me.
You don't see the Doc opening
me up every time I get a new creak
in my joints...I say, as long as
it's recycling the air let
the next shift deal with it.
But, 'long as we're here...
He pulls a retractable ladder from inside the hole and drops
it down into the wet darkness, without hesitating he climbs
down, stopping at the bottom to look up at Jones. Jones
seems in no hurry to accompany him.
COBB(cont'd)
You gonna sit there on your
butt or give me a hand?
Jones reluctantly starts down after him.
BECK'S QUARTERS - SAME
Beck in his quarters. He seems to be talking to himself but
as we move around him we see he is talking to a video
monitor. On screen we see MARTIN, 30's, a slick
bureaucratic executive with TransOcean Corp. whose face is
all we see on the video monitor.
BECK
Two hundred and fifty-two
tons of Magnesium and 15 tons
of Sodium.
MARTIN
(taking notes)
Sounds like a good week, Beck.
In fact...I put your folder
in front of the Vice President
of District Operations last night...
Beck stops. Martin notices his concern.
MARTIN(cont'd)
You're good executive timber,
Beck. A lot of management trainees
wash out when they have to go under
for their first tour. But you've done well.
BECK
(smiles, relieved)
Thank you, Martin.
MARTIN
Don't thank me, yet, but it is
important to know where you're
going and who your friends are...
'Know what I mean?
He stares hard at Beck, but doesn't wait for an answer.
MARTIN(cont'd)
The one thing I've learned in
this company is you can't have
enough friends. It's the only
way to survive.
CLOSE ON A BOOM BOX/ LOWER RING CORRIDOR - SAME
The boom box sitting on a wall pipe is blaring John Denver's
Rocky Mountain High.
DeJesus is singing along loudly in his thick accent as he
works on the intercom system. He finishes, closing a metal
box which says: ONBOARD COMMUNICATIONS.
SWAMP - SAME
ON WILLIE She has connected DeJesus' suit to the diagnostic
computer and is going through the computerized
checkpoints--an electronic list of literally hundreds of
possible problems.
WILLIE
(to herself)
Probably a short.
Suddenly, the computer pauses on one: It says: Electrical
Short.
WILLIE(cont'd)
Good guess, Williams.
She types in a "help" command and the computer screen
displays an electrical circuit pattern that would leave most
Electrical Engineers baffled. Willie hardly bats an eye.
WILLIE(cont'd)
Piece of cake.
She immediately opens the circuit panel on DeJesus' suit and
pulls the laser soldering iron out of her tool belt. With
two quick spot welds she repairs the short, then replaces
the panel. Finished, Willie presses the control switch and
the suits begin to move along the track. A new suit rounds
the corner toward us. It says SIXPACK.
THE BILGE - SAME
The walls are dark and moist. Water drips from the pipes.
The rattle in the air system continues loudly as Jones leans
over and hands Cobb another tool. Crouched in the humming
machinery, Cobb spits his wad of chewing gum into a greasy
hand, kneads it a couple of times, then grins at Jones.
COBB
Okay, watch this..
THE SWAMP - SAME
The monotonous clatter of the air system is the only sound
in the gloomy SWAMP as the huge suit labeled SIXPACK stops
directly in front of Willie. She reaches up to open the
pocket latch when she stops...listening. THE NOISE IN THE
AIR SYSTEM HAS STOPPED.
THE BILGE - SAME
Jones looks incredulously at Cobb. He can't believe that's
all it took. Cobb starts gathering up the tools.
JONES
So that's all you do?...
COBB
Shhhh...don't tell no one.
(winks)
Job security.
THE SWAMP - SAME
In the gloomy silence, Willie reaches for the hinged pocket
in the waist of Sixpack's suit. Some water drips out. She
pushes the spring a second time. The pocket opens.
Nothing.
WILLIE
(miffed)
Nothing wrong with this...
SUDDENLY THE HIDEOUS SEA SPIDER SPRINGS OUT onto the
workbench where it wriggles grotesquely toward Willie. She
backs away and it drops into the water at her feet.
THE DORMITORY
Bowman looks at DeJesus who comes to the door, then to
Sixpack who convulses with laughter against the bulkhead.
WILLIE'S VOICE(O.C.)
(over intercom)
Fuck you, Sixpack! You think
you're funny? You're not funny!
ON BECK
He hesitates then presses the TALK button on the intercom.
BECK
This is Beck. Is there a
problem, Williams?
SWAMP
Willie watches the Sea Spider move in the water toward her
as Beck's words come over the P.A. Ignoring Beck she
watches the spider right as it moves to her feet then brings
the soldering iron down into the water with a LOUD HISS
skewering it. She presses the intercom button and lifts the
skewered sea spider out of the water.
WILLIE
(to Beck)
A little problem, sir...but I've
got a handle on it now.
TIME CUT TO:
THE MESS - LATER
BOWMAN sits at a portable computer terminal and watches
stock prices scroll across the screen. Every so often she
freezes a stock and types the command: INFO. The screen
immediately changes to a financial report of the company in
question as if prepared by a broker. In a matter of seconds
Bowman can learn all the major aspects of the company.
Across the room from her, Willie exercises with dumbbells
while she studies an astronaut training manual. She looks up
at Bowman.
WILLIE
Made your million, yet?
BOWMAN
(studying the screen)
Not yet.
WILLIE
How's TransOcean doing?
This causes Bowman to turn and look at Willie.
BOWMAN
You got money in this tub?
WILLIE
I signed-up for the stock option.
Bowman shakes her head and goes back to the computer and
types in TransOcean Corp.
DORMITORY
ON COBB He lies on his bunk under a sunlamp, but wears a
T-shirt and long pants. DeJesus does a jigsaw puzzle of a
snow covered Swiss mountain scene.
DEJESUS
Hey, man, you know that in
Switzerland--and this country's
the size of East L.A., okay?--they
speak 54 different dialects?
Fifty-four!
COBB
Who cares?
DEJESUS
I do, man. That's a beautiful
place. When I get out of here
I'm going there. Find a nice
little snow covered chalet, warm
little woman, crackling fire--
He looks up and sees Cobb's sunbathing attire and laughs.
DEJESUS
Hey, Cobb...Man, why don't you
take off your shirt and pants,
man? You should do that wearing
what you're going to wear at the
beach.
COBB
(sharply)
This is what I wear at the
beach, goddamnit.
MESS - SAME
COMPUTER SCREEN The report appears on screen with a
capsulized history of the TransOcean company, its philosophy
and growth plans and most current financial report. A final
column called "insider tips" says:
BOWMAN
(reading)
"Major development in
South Indian Ocean set for
fall of 2010..."
(to Willie)
That sounds interesting, but they're
too tied to their holdings. Remember
a year ago when they lost that tanker?...
The bottom fell out of their stock and
I lost a bloody fortune. That's
when I decided to diversify.
Willie looks at Bowman a moment, then keeps exercising.
WILLIE
You take your money, too
seriously, Bo.
BOWMAN
(sharply)
You're damn right I do. Five
years down here and I'll pull
in more than 15 topside. I'm not
down here for the fun, I'll tell
you that.
SIXPACK'S VOICE(O.S.)
"Fun?" Somebody talking fun?
They look up to see Sixpack at the door to the Mess wearing
only a robe. With a leer he stares at Willie exercising.
SIXPACK(cont'd)
(saccharine sweet)
Hey, Willie, honey...Sorry about that
little incident tonight...Everyone's
been so tight lately, I thought
a little humor'd loosen us all up,
you know?
Willie doesn't bite, she looks hard at Sixpack.
WILLIE
Get out of here, Sixpack.
Sixpack smirks. He waves a copy of Penthouse opened to the
Pet of the Month and sings cheerfully.
SIXPACK
(leaving)
I got a date with an angel...
CLANK, BANK, CLUNK. A coke can tumbles noisily from the
Coke machine. Jones retrieves two cans of Coke and comes
out of the Galley with a snack. He stops in front of
Bowman and the computer.
JONES
Hey, Bo...when're you going to
be off that thing? I want to
find out tonight's NBA scores
and check the weather.
BOWMAN
(not taking her eyes off
the screen, answers him)
The weather's good, I already
checked, but I'll be off in a minute.
WILLIE
(to Jones)
Hey, Jonesy, who's the best power
forward in the NBA...Jameson?
JONES
Jameson? Who're you trying to
con?
They grin at each other--a standing joke and Jones leaves.
DORMITORY
Jones enters the Dorm with his snack and tosses a can of
Coke across the room to DeJesus.
JONES
Hey, Hazy! We got a day off
tomorrow, Kemosabi! Let's get
shit-faced!
DEJESUS catches the can and pops the top sending a shower of
carbonation all over Cobb under the sunlamp.
JONES(cont'd)
How about you, brother Cobb?
Little Wild Turkey?
Cobb wipes the Coke from his sunglasses and shakes his head.
DEJESUS
No, man, Cobb is a Chivas drinker,
from way back. Ain't that right
Cobbie?
Jones and DeJesus laugh and take long pulls on their Cokes.
Cobb turns and watches them. This is obviously a nightly
ritual.
COBB
You guys are crazy. What
the hell you play that stupid
game for?
DEJESUS
(acting drunk)
What game, Cobb?...I'm on
my way to Nirvana...
COBB
You're on your way somewhere
all right...the looney bin.
DEJESUS
(laughing)
I'm on the way to the looney
bin? Hey, man, I'm not the dude
sun bathing in his clothes.
INT. SIXPACK'S BUNK - SAME
CLOSE ON The Pet of the Month as she smirks coyly from the
centerfold, her body twisted into an awkward position
representing mad desire.
Sixpack closes his privacy door then smirks back at the
photo.
SIXPACK
Oh, Darlin'...come sit on
my face...
He stirs in the bed and adjusts his pillow and SCREAMS! The
SEA SPIDER is suddenly right there on his shoulder, dead.
Sixpack sits bolt upright in his bunk and slams his head
against the roof of the bunk, then stumbles out screaming.
He hits the floor and rams his foot into a table and screams
in more pain.
The whole dorm looks up amazed, Cobb takes off his
sunglasses, even Jones and DeJesus temporarily "sober up" to
stare.
SIXPACK
That bitch!
MESS
Sixpack storms into the Mess with the dead Sea Spider. He
points angrily at his bleeding foot. Jones and DeJesus move
up to watch.
SIXPACK
(moving into room)
Bitch! Look what you did!
WILLIE
(imitating Sixpack)
Sorry, darling...Just thought a
little humor would loosen us all
up...you know?...
Everyone laughs, but Sixpack. He has revenge in his eyes.
He holds out the ugly, limp creature and advances toward
Willie.
SIXPACK
You think you're so funny?
Wait till you taste this!
As he pushes the dead creature into her face BECK'S VOICE
behind him makes him freeze.
BECK'S VOICE(O.S.)
That's enough!
Everybody turns to see Beck standing in the doorway.
SIXPACK
Look at my foot, sir! This
bitch put a goddamn sea
monster in my bunk!
BECK
(cold as ice)
How do you know it was Williams?
SIXPACK
(trapped)
Huh? I...uh...uh...
BECK
All right, Sixpack, you and
Williams are gonna pull water
duty tomorrow--
SIXPACK AND WILLIE
(protesting)
Bullshit! What?! She...He...
BECK
(cutting them off)
At ease! You both have a half
day...Anymore shit and its a full
one.
CLOSE ON BLACKBOARD/ MESS - MORNING
SCREECH! Chalk on the blackboard as Bowman writes "2" in
place of yesterday's "3" over the neatly lettered words
"Days Till Pickup."
Jones, sitting next to Cobb, looks up from his tray of
cereal and holds his head in mock misery.
JONES
Oooooh. Damn! Not so loud.
Turn down the music.
COBB
What music? There ain't no
music.
DeJesus enters holding his head and sits on the other side
of Cobb.
DEJESUS
Oooooh.
Cobb looks from one man to the other, realizing what they're
doing.
COBB
You know it's really crazy to
pretend to be drunk, but it's
fucking insane to pretend
to have a hangover.
BOWMAN
(to Jones and DeJesus)
Your "hangovers" made you miss
the Sixpack Good Morning Show.
(imitating Sixpack)
"No goddamn boy is going to make
me go out on a down day."
JONES
(grinning)
Yeah? How'd the kid hold up?
COBB
(pleased)
Pretty good. He sent them
out videotaping outcrop.
UNDERWATER - SAME
CLOSE ON A whirling cylinder tool we see is attached to the
end of Willie's mechanical suit arm. Like a drill its
diamond bits cut into the rock outcrop to take a core
sample. It's a sinister hand-attachment, something Captain
Hook would have loved.
Above her the ROV maneuvers into position for a better view.
INSIDE THE SHACK CONTROL - SAME
Beck is in the control station, staring at the video
monitors--the image from the ROV. Willie removes a slender
instrument, like a bicycle pump and with a quick pump
motion, CHUNK, CHUNK...activates an explosive charge. She
puts it into the hole she made with the drill and backs off.
BECK
Charge set?
WILLIE'S VOICE(RADIO)
Charge set. Backing off.
(to the ROV)
C'mon Rover let's get out
of here.
Like a good dog, the ROV follows her to a safe position.
ON MONITOR THE CAMERA HOLDS ON THE SPOT. SUDDENLY THE
GROUND SHAKES VIOLENTLY ON THE MONITOR SCREEN--A MINI
EARTHQUAKE CHARGE.
WILLIE RETURNS TO THE SITE OF THE CHARGE AND REINSERTS HER
DRILL, EASILY REMOVING A TEST SAMPLE.
Willie holds out the sample to the ROV so Beck can see
inside.
INT. CONTROL ROOM/ CLOSE ON BECK'S ROV MONITOR
He stares at the image on the screen.
BECK
I need more light on that, Four.
OUTSIDE
WILLIE
(to Beck)
Roger...
(to Sixpack)
More light, Sixpack...
There is no answer. Willie turns around. Her helmet lamp
eerily illuminating the darkness around her. Sixpack is
nowhere to be seen.
WILLIE(cont'd)
Sixpack?
She turns in the other direction and suddenly blinding
lights are turned on.
SIXPACK
Boo!
Sixpack laughs. His lights now on, he stands right behind
her.
WILLIE
You shit....
BECK'S VOICE
What's going on, Four? What's
happening?
WILLIE
We're fine, Shack. His lights
malfunctioned for a minute. How's
this?
She again holds out her hand to the ROV.
INSIDE SHACK
Beck looks at the monitor and presses a red button to start
the tape, then after five seconds releases the button.
BECK
That's great. Now let's move
35 degrees southwest.
WILLIE AND SIXPACK MOVING
WILLIE
(to Sixpack)
You screw around like that again and--
SIXPACK
What's wrong, did you miss me?
WILLIE
Hardly.
SIXPACK
Don't worry, darlin, I'm...
Suddenly Sixpack's foot hits some loose rock and slides.
Willie turns in his direction and sees his headlight
turning, becoming smaller, then disappearing as his radio
goes dead.
INSIDE ON BECK
BECK
What's wrong?! What happened?
UNDERWATER
ON WILLIE She has stopped in her tracks. All around her is
blackness. Her helmet light hardly penetrates the darkness.
WILLIE
Sixpack?! Sixpack...
Then she looks down--a cliff right in front of her feet.
The drop is thirty feet into a waving sea of tubers.
BECK'S VOICE brings Willie back.
BECK'S VOICE(RADIO)
Willie? What's going on?
WILLIE
He's gone. I think he's
fallen. I'm going down after him.
MESS
Jones is bench pressing 200 pounds on a fold-down compact
gym, while DeJesus huffs and puffs on an exercise bike.
DEJESUS
That's it Jonesy...Sweat it
out, man...Got to get the poison
out of our blood.
Jones grits his teeth and struggles against the weight,
suddenly Bowman throws open the door and sticks her head in.
BOWMAN
Sixpack is lost.
CORRIDOR - MOMENTS LATER
Bowman, Jones and DeJesus are heading for the control room
where they are joined by Cobb.
COBB
Weren't they tied? They're
supposed to be tied.
They all enter the
CONTROL ROOM
Beck is at the console with Doc in his chair.
JONES
How far away is she?
DOC
Two hundred meters.
WILLIE'S VOICE silences them.
WILLIE'S VOICE(RADIO)
Four to Shack...nearing the
bottom. Look at this...
They all stare at the monitor. The screen is filled with
huge waving tubers.
DOC
My God, look at the size of
those tubers....
DEJESUS
Nine, ten feet high...
BOWMAN
If he had his blinkers on--
JONES
It wouldn't make any difference in
there...He could be two feet away and
on fire and she'd still not see him!
UNDERWATER
ON WILLIE She moves through the dense waving forest of
giant tubers, parting them with her hands as she moves
slowly.
WILLIE
Sixpack?
CONTROL ROOM
BECK
Why can't we pick up his signal?
DEJESUS
(a joke)
Maybe he got eaten?
BOWMAN
(dryly)
What would be dumb enough to
eat Sixpack?
ON WILLIE
She moves aside the last of the tubers and freezes at the
sight in front of her.
WILLIE'S VOICE(RADIO)
Four to Shack...you picking
this up?
INSIDE
All eyes suddenly go to the monitor. A huge dark maw fills
the screen.
BECK
Affirmative...Widening picture.
The image on the screen widens and we see the opening is a
huge gash in the side of a sunken ship.
BECK(cont'd)
(to DOC)
Tighten the picture on the
upper righthand corner.
CLOSE ON THE MONITOR: The picture zooms in on the corner
and Willie's added light suddenly brings the letter "M" into
focus.
Beck presses the red record button and pans the ROV slowly
across the bulkhead of the ship. The next letter is an "A".
Then suddenly a Cyrillic letter appears, then others.
COBB
What the?...
DOC
Russian.
WILLIE'S VOICE(RADIO)
I'm going inside.
BECK
What's your air reading?
WILLIE'S VOICE
Twenty minutes...
BECK
Twenty minutes!...Who had
tank duty?
BOWMAN
Who else...Sixpack.
JONES
The man is unbelievable...
I say, leave him in there.
BOWMAN
(dryly)
What about his suit? That's
a million five the company's
got to replace. They'll make
somebody go get it.
BECK
(to Willie)
Willie, we're giving you five
minutes...after that we're coming in.
WILLIE'S POV
Her life-support gauges move eerily around the perimeter of
her mask. She moves along steadily down darkened corridors.
She opens a door and it drops from its corroded hinges--a
cloud of sludge rises off the bottom. The room looks empty.
WILLIE
Sixpack?...Answer me.
She throws open another door. It also looks empty, then
WHAM! a grotesque ECHONODERM slams into her helmet. Willie
bats it aside and as soon as she recovers shines her light
into the room.
WHAT SHE SEES: The ship's infirmary. Broken glass,
stainless steel...the light does strange things, reflecting,
sparkling...
WILLIE(ON RADIO)
The infirmary...
BECK'S VOICE(RADIO)
Three minutes...
Her helmet-mounted camera pans the room one more time, then
as she turns to leave it captures a strange gleam of white
in the corner--A LARGE HUMAN-LIKE SKELETON. Willie doesn't
see it.
INT. THE CONTROL ROOM
CLOSE ON DOC He stares at the monitor screen. Did he see
something or were his eyes playing tricks? He looks across
the console and sees the videotape is recording.
UNDERWATER
ON WILLIE She moves to the end of the hall. It ends with
two doors.
BECK'S VOICE(RADIO)
One minute.
Willie hesitates at the junction and PUSHES OPEN the door on
her left, SOMETHING HUGE BEHIND IT MOVES--IT'S SIXPACK. His
mechanical arms suddenly rise and in their grasp we see the
ship's huge safe.
SIXPACK
(laughing)
I'm rich, honey. Rich!
THE SWAMP - LATER
The door to the Russian ship's safe stands open. BANG!
BANG! Jones and DeJesus hammer safety deposit boxes with a
chisel. While the others watch, Sixpack pleads his case
with Beck.
SIXPACK
It's all mine if I'm on report.
Otherwise you gotta take me off
report before you look at any more...
Ain't that right, Cobbie?
COBB
You're on your own, Sixpack, you
fucked up everybody's day off...
DeJesus pries off the top from the first safety deposit box
and dumps the contents on the workbench...several wallets,
wristwatches, a pocket watch, a wedding ring...Bowman who
stands with a clipboard begins taking inventory.
BOWMAN
Personal effects...
WILLIE
(considering
a watch)
Timex...
She picks up something else, a pack of soggy chewing gum and
tosses it to Cobb.
WILLIE(cont'd)
Here's something for you, Cobbie.
JONES
(checking a wallet)
Russian money...Don't look like much.
Jones opens the next box and dumps it out onto the
table...Life Savers candy, a postcard of a fat Russian woman
in a bathing suit. Bowman looks at it.
BOWMAN
(grinning to
Sixpack)
Yeah, I'd say you can retire
with all this loot.
SIXPACK
Shut up.
Everyone chuckles. More papers and a small, book-shaped
object wrapped in plastic. Jones unwraps it. It's a video
tape. He looks at the label.
WILLIE
What is it?
JONES
(reading)
"Debbie Does Dallas"...
(looks up and
grins)
Hell, it's in Russian. I can't
read it...
DOC
May I see it?
Jones hands it to Doc who looks at it.
DOC (cont'd)
It's a log of some sort.
Jones pries the lid off another box and dumps it
out--Papers, more cheap watches.
ON SIXPACK He notices something silver, the size of a
paperback book, under a stack of papers. Discreetly he
covers the object with a piece of paper and slides it off
the table out of sight.
Jones opens the last box, and something rolls across the
table toward the edge and starts to drop when it is caught
by DeJesus. He holds it up and we see--a clear liquor
bottle.
WILLIE
Vodka.
COBB
What assholes, they lock booze
in the safe.
DEJESUS
Probably confiscated. No
booze on board, same as us.
Doc turns the bottle around in DeJesus' hand so he can read
the label.
DOC
(eyeing the bottle)
Stolichnaya.
Everyone looks at Doc.
COBB
You read Russian?
DOC
Russian, French, Italian, Spanish,
Greek, German, a little Hindu, some
Serbo Croat and a smattering of
Swahili...standard pre-med background...
Cobb stares at him a second then:
COBB
Bullshit.
DOC
(grins)
...and a Russian grandmother...
Beck ignores them and addresses Bowman.
BECK
I want all this stuff impounded
in the supply safe.
He lifts the bottle of Stolie out of DeJesus' hands.
BECK(cont'd)
...except this...it goes in my
safe.
A disappointed crew watches Beck leave with the bottle. Doc
stops him.
DOC
(to Beck,
holding up the videotape)
You mind if I take a look at
this?
BECK
(leaving)
Be my guest.
RING CORRIDOR - LATER
The gloomy corridor outside the Infirmary. It is empty,
silent. Suddenly the door to the Infirmary opens slightly
and Bowman peeks out. Seeing the corridor is empty she
slips out with a a manila folder.
DORMITORY - SAME
Bowman hands the envelope to DeJesus, who's grinning
delightedly.
DEJESUS
You got 'em!
Sixpack and Jones are there too. Sixpack scowls.
SIXPACK
What good's the kid's med
records anyway!
DEJESUS
Watch and learn, amigo...
CONTROL ROOM - LATER
CLOSE ON MONITOR SCREEN
We see a thin, bearded man in his late fifties, a RUSSIAN
SHIP'S CAPTAIN talking to the camera in Russian. The tape
is of poor quality and water spotted.
DOC'S VOICE(O.S.)
(translating)
Another party last night. More
Vodka. The infirmary is filled
as it is. I confiscate what
I can, but I know the Government
Observers have more...
Suddenly, the captain hears a noise off-screen and goes to
the camera and turns it off. The tape goes blank.
ON DOC
He stops the tape and presses another button on the console.
WILLIE'S VIDEO of the huge hole in the hull of the ship
appears on another screen.
DOC(cont'd)
See that gash? The way the
edges protrude inward is like
from a torpedo explosion. It
couldn't have come from within.
Like an accident.
He looks back at Beck who we see is sitting behind him, and
has also been watching the tape. Beck looks at Doc and
shrugs.
BECK
What do you want me to say?
That it all sounds mysterious?
DOC
These observers were doing something.
A test...I think they sank that ship
on purpose to cover up their mistakes.
BECK
What mistakes?
(he shakes his
head wearily)
Look, I think it's no big deal but
if you want to find out why this
ship sank have Maritime run a check.
He gets up and goes to the door. Doc watches him.
DOC
I did. They have no record of
the wreck.
(beat)
The Marshal Goloviev is now on
a tour in the Baltic Sea.
Beck stops. This is a mystery.
CLOSE ON COMBINATION LOCK/ BECK'S QUARTERS - SAME
Fingers fiddle with the combination. He pulls on the
handle. The safe doesn't budge.
DEJESUS
(whisper)
It's not the phone number...
We pull back to see that DeJesus is alone in Beck's darkened
quarters, he talks to the P.A. Suddenly we hear BOWMAN'S
VOICE over the intercom.
BOWMAN'S VOICE
(on intercom)
Okay, try the social security
number...
DeJesus puts his fingers back, on the safe dial.
DEJESUS
Okay, give it to me...
INTERCUT WITH BOWMAN IN DORM.
BOWMAN
(reading off of Beck's
forms)
Two...twelve...ninety-six.
SIXPACK
(scoffingly)
You guys are so full of shit...
Who's going to use their
birthday...
DEJESUS VOICE
(over intercom)
BINGO!
SIXPACK
(suddenly sitting up)
Like I said, that bottle's mine!
CONTROL ROOM - SAME
ON Beck at the door and Doc.
DOC
I want your permission to
check that vodka.
Beck looks at him. It is obvious that he doesn't trust Doc,
with the vodka, but he's diplomatic.
BECK
This is a mining shack, not
a lab, Doc. If there's something
strange with the vodka it's safe
till we get back.
UPPER RING CORRIDOR
ON COBB Standing watch for DeJesus. Suddenly the door to
the Control room opens and Beck walks out. Cobb grabs a
walkie-talkie.
COBB
Beck's coming.
BECK'S QUARTERS/ ON DEJESUS
He hears Cobb and freezes. He looks around--the cramped
quarters don't offer much in the way of hiding places.
INTERCUT WITH BOWMAN AND OTHERS IN DORMATORY
They react similarly to the sound of Cobb on the P.A.
ON COBB AND BECK/ CORRIDOR
Beck stops outside his door and sees Cobb.
BECK
Something wrong, Cobb?
COBB
(struggling)
Uh..Excuse me sir, it's the air
recirculating system, sir...
BECK
What's wrong with it?
COBB
(thinking fast)
...I'd really have to show it to
you.
BECK
(beat)
All right...
Cobb smiles, he can't believe his luck, then Beck holds up
the videotape.
BECK(cont'd)
...Just let me put this in
my safe...
Before Cobb can react Beck opens the door to his quarters
and steps inside.
BECK'S QUARTERS WE SEE no sign of DeJesus. Cobb follows
into the room, looking carefully around for sign of DeJesus.
In the mirror to Beck's bathroom, Cobb spots DeJesus
pressing against the wall. Cobb suddenly starts to sweat
bullets. Beck quickly unlocks the safe, opens it, and puts
the videotape right next to the bottle of Vodka.
We see Cobb's reaction. Beck turns.
BECK
Something wrong?
Cobb shakes his head weakly and starts to follow Beck out,
he sneaks a look back at DeJesus in the shadows who gives
him a thumbs up.
MESS - LATER
Five specimen cups filled with vodka. Bowman takes hers and
looks at it questioningly. Cobb watches the door for signs
of the officers.
BOWMAN
Cute, DeJesus...Specimen cups?
JONES
Aw, loosen up, Bowman...
(he looks over and
notices Willie)
Hey, Willie, I got one served
up for you.
Willie shakes her head.
WILLIE
No, thanks. I've got my
blood tests in three days.
DEJESUS
That's all you do is exercise.
You got to learn to live a little.
WILLIE
After my astronaut training physical,
then I'll tie one on.
SIXPACK
Forget space cadet, I'll drink hers.
COBB
Hey what happens it he goes
back and finds the bottle missing?
DEJESUS
He won't...
He holds up a plastic IV bag filled with clear liquid.
DEJESUS(cont'd)
I poured the vodka in here.
Cobb, Jones, DeJesus, Bowman, and Sixpack grin and clink
glasses, then knock back their vodka. Afterwards we get
their reactions.
JONES: Looks concerned.
BOWMAN: Shakes her head, something's wrong.
DEJESUS: Can't get the taste off his tongue.
COBB: Seems totally satisfied.
SIXPACK: who has held the liquid in his mouth savoring it,
suddenly spits the vodka out.
SIXPACK
Shit! It's water!
JONES
Beck switched it!
DEJESUS
Can you beat that? The sonof-
abitch doesn't trust us!
Willie grins at her co-workers and Beck's move and jogs out
into the corridor. Sixpack disgustedly tosses his shot
glass away and leaves.
SIXPACK
That little turd. If I
ever get the chance I'll
fix his ass.
The others put down their glasses disappointedly except
Bowman. She watches Sixpack.
DORMITORY
SIXPACK'S BUNK He closes his privacy door and hesitates as
if listening for the others, then he removes a silver flask
with Cyrillic lettering--the silver object he palmed in the
Swamp--and smiles as he takes a long pull. Suddenly WHAM!
The Privacy door to Sixpack's bunk is slammed open.
Startled he turns startled to see--BOWMAN.
BOWMAN
Didn't I ever tell you vodka
was my favorite drink?
She holds out her glass. Sixpack looks around the Dorm,
it's empty, then grins sheepishly and pours her a shot.
CORRIDOR "B"
ON WILLIE She is jogging through the corridors. Suddenly
there is a GREAT GROANING NOISE. Willie stops and looks
through the steel mesh wall into the machine floor. The
dark shapes of the machines move monstrously in the dim
light. The GROANING ends and she jogs on to the Swamp.
As she passes the door she notices the light and stops. Beck
stands with a clipboard by an equipment cabinet filled with
the parachute-like Container Transporters we saw outside.
He sees her.
BECK
That was a loud one wasn't it?
WILLIE
After a month of it you'd think
I'd be used to it.
She moves into the Swamp and goes to the Lift Lock, stopping
under one of the ladders she leaps up and grabs a metal rung
above her and begins doing her chin-ups as Beck watches her
lean body easily doing the exercises.
BECK
(watching her)
How's astronaut training?
WILLIE
Why? You going to give me hard
time like the others?
BECK
No. I'm just being friendly.
WILLIE
(beat)
Good...It's going good.
Beck tries to concentrate on his inventory, but continues to
watch Willie's sexy, athletic body.
BECK
Whatever made you want to
do a tour down here?
WILLIE
I need electrical field
experience on my resume.
Everything helps...
(she watches him)
Why are you here?
BECK
Everybody in corporate training
serves a tour on the line. Sup-
posed to hone leadership skills
or something.
WILLIE
Has it helped?
Beck shrugs.
WILLIE
I guess there's not a lot of
adventure in the Control Room.
Beck looks up and they lock eyes.
BECK
You think I should hang around
more with the crew?
WILLIE
Well, I always heard you don't
"learn" leadership, you earn it.
(beat)
How did you know they'd get
into the vodka?
Beck looks up from his clipboard and smiles.
BECK
I guess I figured if I was in
their shoes that's what I would've
done.
WILLIE
(smiles)
Maybe you're more one of us
than you think...sir.
INT. MESS/ BLACKBOARD - MORNING
SCREECH! The chalk shrieks across the blackboard, making a
"1" over the words "Days Till Pickup."
Jones looks up from his cereal at Bowman, the culprit with
the chalk.
JONES
Puuleeeeze...
INT. DORMITORY - SAME
DeJesus puts on his wet suit which goes under his large
mechanical suit and gets ready to join the others in the
mess. He notices Sixpack's privacy door is still closed and
bangs on it.
DEJESUS
Hey, Sixpack...Rise and shine
amigo...
There is no answer. Carefully he opens the door and is
surprised to find it empty.
INT. INFIRMARY - SAME
CLOSE ON Sixpack's eye. We pull back to see it is being
examined by Doc who frowns.
DOC
Let's see your tongue.
Sixpack obliges as Beck enters.
BECK
What's wrong?
DOC
Pretty good imitation of
a hangover and I ought to know.
SIXPACK
Well, it ain't! It feels a
thousand times worse.
DOC
Where?
SIXPACK
I...I dunno. I just feel...
wrong.
DOC
Take off your shirt.
Sixpack pulls off his shirt. Doc frowns in surprise.
WHAT HE SEES: SIXPACK'S TORSO There are strange black
areas, each of them an inch in diameter.
DOC (cont'd)
(concerned)
How long...how long have you
had these?
SIXPACK
(surprised, scared)
Shit, Doc...I didn't know I
had them.
Doc peers closely at the skin where it's discolored. It's a
different texture. Beck watches as Doc touches a spot and
Sixpack screams in agony. Doc and Beck lock eyes.
BECK'S QUARTERS - SAME
CLOSE ON MARTIN on Beck's video monitor. He is drinking a
cup of coffee.
MARTIN
...as long as you know it's
not in your contract.
BECK
I know that.
MARTIN
Well, suit yourself, then...its
your decision...
(he chuckles)
Ha ha...a little joke...suit
yourself...
Beck interrupts impatiently.
BECK
How's the weather for pickup
tomorrow?
MARTIN
(looking at a report,
then up at Beck)
Beautiful.
THE SWAMP - MORNING
The crew members climb into their suits.
COBB
Bad as he is there's no way
we can make our quota with-
out his sad self out there.
You just can't do it.
DEJESUS
(angrily)
He's tanking on us...
WILLIE
No...he's really sick. I heard him
last night. The company will take
that into consideration...
JONES
Honey, the company don't give
a flying fuck about "whys," they
just look at the numbers and
the contract says if we miss our
quota they only got to pay us
half-pay for the entire month.
DEJESUS
(convinced)
'Cocksucker's tanking on us...
Suddenly all eyes go to the door, Beck enters.
BECK
(to DeJesus)
No, he's really sick...He won't
be going out today.
The crew increases its bitching...
COBB
There goes our quota...
BOWMAN
Thirty days, right down the toilet...
Beck ignores them and goes to the control rack which sends
the suits around the room and pushes number 8--his suit.
DeJesus and Jones share a look. Bowman and Willie watch him
carefully. As Beck's suit stops in front of him the room is
quiet, they can't believe their eyes. Awkwardly, Beck
tries to get into his suit. Cobb breaks the silence.
COBB
Excuse me, sir...
BECK
Is this a contract violation,
Mr. Cobb?
COBB
No sir...I just wanted to know
if you needed a hand?
Beck sees he's sincere, then looks at the others and Willie.
She nods slightly. Beck turns back to Cobb.
BECK
(beat)
Thanks...
INT. THE INFIRMARY - SAME
Doc and Sixpack. Doc takes a blood sample, seals it and
opens a cabinet under the sink where a supply of blood is
stored in a refrigerated unit. The plastic bags of blood
are labeled with the various crew members' names.
Sixpack watches him from the examination table. He is
shivering violently and scared.
SIXPACK
(he's losing it)
Please, Doc...I'm cold...I hurt...
We see a change in Doc's demeanor. He is suddenly needed
and it has touched something in him and we see him rising to
the challenge.
DOC
I'm just going to take a tiny
piece of skin to look at under
the microscope...Afterwards I'll
give you a sedative.
Skillfully Doc takes a skin sample. Sixpack screams.
VIEW THROUGH THE MICROSCOPE
An enlarged view of the cells in alarmingly hyperactivity.
We see it literally spreading before our eyes.
ON DOC
He leans back from the microscope. There is awe on his face
for the first time since first year medical studies--and
there is fear of the unknown. He looks over his shoulder at
Sixpack, his shivering has stopped, he lies still on the
table.
UNDERWATER
Lights move in the blackness, but there is an order to the
actions and a crispness to the voices. People doing work
that is moving sharply. Pride in what they're doing.
DEJESUS
Okay, number 23's full.
BECK
Let's get it out of here and
bring in a new one.
JONES
Yes sir...
BOWMAN
Hook's on 24...
BECK
Let's have her...
The Container transporters fill with compressed air and lift
the container as the miners guide it to the track...
INT. INFIRMARY/ SHACK - SAME
Doc is at the console of his computer. As words appear on
the screen, obviously in response to his query...
"...would appear to indicate a virus of unknown origin..."
Doc shakes his head disgustedly.
DOC
(to himself)
No kidding? "A virus of
unknown origin." Come on and
tell me something I don't know...
like what's going on...
ON SCREEN
More words come up. "...no idea..."
DOC(cont'd)
(typing, angrily)
Then take a guess, goddamnit!
He finishes typing and waits for an answer. The cursor
flashes the word "PROCESSING". Then an answer comes up.
"Genetic Alteration?" The words send a chill down Doc's
spine.
SWAMP ROOM - LATER
The mood is happy. Like a high school football locker room
after a winning game. DeJesus climbs out of his suit and
slaps Beck on the shoulder.
DEJESUS
Good work out there, Mr. Becky.
Beck, obviously pleased, looks at the others. Jones sums up
the feelings of the entire group.
JONES
Thank you, sir.
Beck's grin suddenly disappears at the sight of a flashing
red light over the intercom.
INFIRMARY - LATER
Beck is standing in the doorway of the Infirmary, glaring at
Doc, who sits with his bottle of Old Granddad.
BECK
Dead? This morning you said
he had some skin disorder.
DOC
He did.
BECK
Well, how the hell does a
skin rash kill you in eight
hours?!
Doc looks at Beck wearily and hands him a mask.
DOC
Here. Put this on. You examine
him.
BECK
I'm not a doctor.
DOC
For this...you don't need to be.
Beck hesitates, then puts on the mask.
SICK ROOM
As Beck enters, masked, Sixpack's back is to him under the
sheets. Slowly he pulls back the sheet and recoils from the
sight. The black splotches have nearly all grown together.
His fingers have lengthened and become more webbed. Most
dramatically the sores on the sides of his neck have become
flared and elongated. Though not bleeding, the open veins
are visible.
INFIRMARY
Doc pours some bourbon in a glass, and takes a sip. Beck
enters dazed from the sick room and their eyes meet.
BECK
The mask is because you think
it might be...catching?
DOC
I don't know. I've been back
and forth with Narragansett Naval
all day, consulting with the best
people in maritime medicine, the
best people in viruses...
BECK
(impatiently)
And?
DOC
And they didn't believe the
symptoms I described...
BECK
(beat)
Why Sixpack?
DOC
It could be a million things,
something in the air, food....
(he looks up and
locks eyes with Beck)
But he went on that ship and so
did Williams...
(beat)
I want to examine the crew.
BECK
(still in shock)
Yeah...right...
He starts to the door and Doc watches him.
DOC
I've reported the death to
the company.
INT. THE MESS - SAME
The mess is quiet. All eyes are down. Sixpack's absence is
noticeable.
JONES
"Routine," my ass! Ain't nothin'
"routine" about no physical check-
up 10,000 feet down...especially
when we're getting picked up the
next day!
COBB
He didn't say it was a "routine
check-up," he said it was a "routine
precaution."
WILLIE
Must be bad. Even sick
Sixpack never missed a meal.
DEJESUS
It's this fucking air system....
COBB
Ain't the food or the
air system, he's just sick...
Everybody gets sick every
now and then. It's all
part of being human!
Bowman suddenly becomes pale.
BOWMAN
Well, I must be human because
I'm sure as hell sick.
She gets up from the table and dashes for the toilet.
INT. SHOWER ROOM - LATER
EXAMINATION SEQUENCE
CLOSE ON WHITE SKIN/(COBB)
Pale skin, fishbelly white with white hairs, seen closely...
COBB'S VOICE(O.S.)
I guess I'm kinda...outta shape...
(a pause, no answer)
This skin condition...what is it?
Like herpes, or measles, or what?
DOC'S VOICE(O.S.)
It's difficult to describe.
Doc is scrutinizing Cobb's flabby body closely. They're
alone in the shower room. Stainless steel, and mirrors. Doc
stops and checks a place on Cobb more closely.
COBB
(watching, nervous)
Christ, it'd be a hell of a thing
if I went back to the roof with
some kind of herpes thing. My
wife wouldn't understand that at all...
Doc peers closely, satisfies himself that it's nothing.
DOC
You seem all right.
COBS
(relieved)
She wouldn't understand. She'd
think I was down here fucking
my head off.
DARK SKIN/ PORES Black skin, seen very close, the pores
appearing like craters.
We're looking at Jones' naked body...rippling muscles.
JONES
(grumbling)
This whole thing's unnecessary, Doc.
Only "skin problem" I got is
white people...
(beat, suspiciously)
How come you're wearing those
gloves?
INT. SHOWER ROOM/ SMOOTH SKIN - LATER
Firm, lovely breasts, smooth skin...
WILLIE'S VOICE(O.S.)
This disease...do you know
what causes it?
Doc turns Willie around and examines her firm naked
buttocks.
DOC
Not yet. You got any ideas?
WILLIE
(suddenly)
You don't think it was from going
on that ship do you?
DOC
That's a possibility. But if
it was that simple why haven't
the symptoms begun on you?
Doc turns away to let her dress.
WILLIE
You mean I'm okay?
DOC
You're fine.
SHOWER ROOM/ TAN SKIN
DeJesus' body is being examined...tan skin, wiry muscles
seen very close. As we move along the skin, it seems every
moment as if the next instant will reveal a dread blemish...
DEJESUS' VOICE(O.S.)
What do you mean, "a skin problem"...
your skin changes?
DeJesus, naked, with his back to us. Doc examines him.
DOC
It blackens...becomes scaly.
DEJESUS
(joking)
You mean like a fish?
DeJesus chuckles, but something about the thought stops Doc.
DOC
(almost to himself)
Yes...like a fish...
DEJESUS
(smiles)
I was just joking, Doc.
CONTROL ROOM - SAME
Beck sits in his chair reading the TRANSOCEAN OFFICERS
INSTRUCTIONAL MANUAL.
INSERT: The chapter he's on says: BODY DISPOSAL AT SEA.
The face of Martin stares back at us.
MARTIN
Well, according to Maritime law,
you, as commander of the Shack
have the authority to dispose of
the body. However, the company
doesn't want you to do that.
BECK
What you don't understand is that
my crew is in jeopardy.
MARTIN
But you don't have any proof
at this point to assume that
this disease is contagious, do
you?
BECK
I'm not anxious to find out, either.
MARTIN
Beck, trust me. If the company
felt that you or your crew were
in any danger we would authorize
an immediate emergency pickup.
We could be there in a few hours.
BECK
Do it.
MARTIN
(beat)
Unfortunately. We can't.
He picks up a sheet of computer paper.
MARTIN(cont'd)
There is a typhoon about 600
miles off the coast of Baja.
It's not coming your way but the
Company doesn't want to lose
you folks or an emergency ship
should it veer your way.
BECK
What're you saying? That we're
not even going to be picked up
tomorrow?
MARTIN
It shouldn't be a long delay.
BECK
But it's a delay! How long?
A day? Two days?!
MARTIN
Twelve hours, no big deal. We
should know something first
thing in the morning. Don't
worry.
WASHROOM - SAME
Willie enters the room with several sinks and a couple of
toilet stalls. She approaches one of the sinks and pulls a
toothbrush from the pocket of her robe.
WILLIE
Bo? Doc says you're next.
Just then she hears a retching sound from one of the stalls.
WILLIE(cont'd)
Bo?...You okay?
INFIRMARY - SAME
Willie and Jones help Bowman into the Infirmary. She is
weak from nausea. They help her onto the examination table
and look around for Doc. Jones sees a light on in the Sick
Room.
SICK ROOK - SAME
Sixpack's body lies under a sheet in the Sick room. The
door opens and Jones looks in, sees Sixpack but in the dim
light, doesn't realize the sheet covering him, covers the
body totally. Jones smiles.
JONES
(whispers)
Hey, Sixpack...Hey, my man...
How you feeling?
There is no answer and Jones slowly approaches the body.
JONES
Hey, man, we made quota to-
day. No thanks to you, you
dog, but we made it...Beck
helped us...We just dropped
Bowman off. I hope what you've
got ain't catching...
He is almost to the table and reaches out to touch Sixpack
when suddenly the body stirs. Sixpack's foot moves slightly
under the sheet as if shifting in his sleep. Jones stops.
JONES(cont'd)
Oh, man, sorry...you go back
to sleep.
INFIRMARY - SAME
Jones returns to the examination room. Bowman is now
undressed and under the blankets on the examination table.
WILLIE
Who were you talking to?
JONES
Sixpack...
WILLIE
How is he?
JONES
Sleeping. No sign of Doc,
though. I'll check the
control room. You look
in the shower room...
They leave Bowman GROANING on the examination table and head
back to the main corridor. As they leave WE HOLD ON the
door to the sick room behind Bowman.
Bowman writhes on the examination table in pain. Carefully
she climbs off the table and goes behind a partition to
throw up.
CLOSE ON BOWMAN
At the sink in the infirmary. She rinses her face in the
sink and pulls back her hair, suddenly she stops and brings
her hands in front of her face.
INSERT HER HANDS. Huge clumps of hair have come out in her
hands. And then she sees her hands themselves. Scaly.
BOWMAN
Oh, God...what's going on?
She turns and looks at the light on in the Sick Room. Slowly
she goes to the door and enters.
SICK ROOM
Bowman approaches the body of Sixpack.
BOWMAN
(panicked)
Sixpack...what's going on?
No answer. She pulls back the sheet and gasps.
CONTROL ROOM - SAME
ON BECK AND DOC.
DOC
(panicky)
You have to call them back.
Explain that this is an emergency.
Jones enters.
JONES
Excuse me, sir...Bowman's
sick. She's downstairs in
the infirmary.
DOC
(concerned)
The infirmary?...
JONES
Yes sir, ain't that where we
usually go when we're sick?
DOC
We're simply concerned about
her...proximity to...
BECK
(to Jones)
Sixpack's dead.
Jones looks from one officer to the other then grins.
JONES
Bullshit...I was just talking
to him. I saw him move.
BECK
What?...
LOWER RING CORRIDOR - SAME
Beck hits the floor off the ladder and rushes to the
Infirmary with Jones. He opens the door and freezes.
WHAT HE SEES: The examination table where Jones left her is
empty. The room deserted.
JONES
(pointing to
examination table)
I left her here.
DOC comes up behind them, then turns. He hears to a HISSING
SOUND down the ring corridor. He turns from the others and
moves slowly toward the noise.
SHOWER ROOM
Doc enters the shower room, full of steam and the SOUND OF
WATER.
DOC
Bowman?
There is no answer and he moves toward the shower.
DOC
Bowman. It's Doc. I'm here
to help you.
The water continues to run. No answer. Carefully, Doc
opens the shower door.
WHAT HE SEES: Bowman. Dead. Her wrists have been cut and
blood swirls down the drain.
Doc sadly squats down beside her. The death effects him
greatly. He feels helpless, then suddenly his eyes widen
and he carefully reaches out and takes Bowman's limp arm,
turning it supine. There, running the length of the arm, WE
SEE the black scales.
INFIRMARY
Jones and Beck lay Bowman's body carefully onto the
examination table in the infirmary. Through the Sick Room
door we see the sheet shrouded body of Sixpack. Doc covers
Bowman with a sheet as
WE CUT TO
THE MESS - LATER
The remaining crew, Doc, and Beck assembled in the Mess.
Doc sits quietly, almost in a daze.
BECK
I can't tell you much about
it, except that none of you
show any symptoms.
DEJESUS
And it killed Bo?
BECK
No...she killed herself.
ON WILLIE the news hits her hard.
JONES
We're getting out of here just
in time.
BECK
There's now a problem with the
weather for pickup. There's a
typhoon in our sector...
...We're going to be delayed
twelve hours...
DEJESUS
Typhoon?!
JONES
Twelve hours!
COBB
At least we get time and
a half. That's in the contract.
JONES
Fuck double pay, man! I
want out of here!
Their argument is suddenly cut short by a NOISE from the
corridor. A THUMP! The crew stops their grumbling and
listens. A moment later we hear another THUMP! Beck looks
at Jones.
BECK
(motions for Jones
to come with him)
Jones...
(to the others)
Stay here.
RING CORRIDOR
Beck leads the way slowly toward the Infirmary where the
sound is coming from. Outside the door they hear it once
more. THUMP!
Carefully he enters the Infirmary and WE SEE the
examination table is empty! Beck goes to the Sick room and
stops in the doorway. Jones moves behind him and his eyes
suddenly widen.
WHAT THEY SEE: Both bodies now are in a motionless, hideous
conglomeration on the the table.
SLAM CUT TO
CLOSE ON HEAVY ZIPPER
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. It is quickly pulled shut, running the
length of a heavy plastic bag, closing both bodies inside.
INT. CORRIDOR "B" - LATER
Dressed in their rubber latex suits Cobb, Jones, DeJesus,
Beck, and Willie carry the body of Sixpack and Bowman in the
zippered bodybag. Now, well over three hundred pounds, the
bodies strange shape and dead weight make it difficult to
transport.
DEJESUS
C'mon, Cobb...you're slacking...
COBB
(angrily)
I ain't, goddamnit...It's
Jones!..
Before Jones can argue, Beck cuts them off.
BECK
Shut up, all of you.
COBB
Mr. Beck, the contract states that
no body can be disposed of without
authorization of---
JONES
Fuck the contract, man!
The group turns into the Swamp where Doc waits for them by
the Lift Lock. Rounding the corner Cobb bangs into the side
of a bulkhead and drops his corner of the "package." Like
dominoes, Willie also looses her grip, then DeJesus. The
bodybag splashes into the grimy bilge water making it even
harder for everyone to get a handhold.
BECK(cont'd)
C'mon...Lift!
The group struggles to raise the bodybag and just get it to
their shoulder when suddenly we go tight on DeJesus's face.
DEJESUS
Hey!...I feel something.
It's moving! He's alive!
COBB
I feel it, too...Someone's trying
to get out.
Cobb drops his end intentionally and he kneels looking for
the zipper.
JONES
Cobb, what're you doing!
COBS
But he ain't dead! He ain't
dead.
BECK
Cobb! Stop!
But Cobb grabs the zipper and starts to unzip the heavy bag.
Beck tries to stop him when suddenly, WHAM! a DARK
APPENDAGE RIPS through the zipper and flails like a
pressurized firehose. It beats wildly for several second,
then lashes out at Cobb--ripping a gash on his forearm.
While Cobb screams in pain, Beck yanks the appendage off
Cobb's arm revealing a mouth full of needlesharp teeth and a
sharp tongue-like proboscis which has stabbed Cobb like a
dagger.
COBB
It bit me! It bit me!
While Beck and Willie wrestle the strong flopping appendage,
Doc rushes to the Lift Lock.
DeJesus and Jones struggle to force the lurching bodybag
into the Lift Lock.
JONES
Push Hazy!
The bodybag shudders like a huge cocoon about to lose its
occupant. Jones digs his shoulder down into the task just
as the bag suddenly RIPS in several places. A tear RIPS
OPEN next to Jones' head revealing the head of BOWMAN, her
vacant eyes only inches from Jones' face.
JONES
Oh, Jesus Christ! I ain't
never gonna sleep again!
Suddenly a WHINING NOISE sounds behind them. Beck looks
back to see Cobb approaching with a battery operated
underwater chain saw. He's clearly intending to cut the
Creature with the whirring blade.
BECK
No!
COBB
It bit me!
DEJESUS
It's Sixpack!
COBB
I'm going to kill it!
DeJesus turns to block Cobb while the others continue to
wrestle the bodybag into the Lift Lock. The bag suddenly
splits and a scaly arm protrudes. It reaches out grabbing
DeJesus. Beck pulls him free and yells.
BECK
Close the Lock! Now!
Doc hits the lever. The elevator doesn't move!
RRRRRRIIIIIPPP! A scaly leg rips out of the body bag!
BECK(cont'd)
Hit it again!
Doc hits the elevator switch again, harder.
NNNNNNN! The Lift Lock door whines closed and a horrifying
SCREAM rises from the Lock.
CLOSE ON THE LIFT LOCK
The end of the appendage is severed in the closing door,
disappearing unseen into the greasy bilge water.
BECK(cont'd)
Flush it!
Doc flips a switch and the SCREAM OF THE VACUUM PUMPS drown
out the SCREAM in the Lift Lock, the wails of Cobb, and the
splashing sounds of the severed three-foot section of gory
muscle which slip silently and undetected under the
workbench.
A second later the elevator returns empty, silent,
bloodstained.
Beck turns on the video monitor of the exterior Lock. The
exterior worklights illuminate millions of bubbles from the
flush and the struggling movements of the bodybag before it
grows still once again and disappears beyond the range of
the Shack lights...into the darkness.
Beck turns and looks at his savaged crew. Willie, Jones,
DeJesus, Doc look like wet-suited butchers. Splattered in
blood, numbed by the experience, they are brought together
by having simply survived. Jones holds up Willie. DeJesus
leans against the bulkhead. In the far corner Cobb sobs
quietly.
SHOWERS - LATER
Clouds of steam. Vaguely seen through the steam, Willie is
scrubbing herself almost desperately, as though the
spattered blood of the creature had penetrated into her
skin. Finally she gives up almost in tears and rests her
head against the wall of the shower stall.
DORMITORY - SAME
Beck and Jones open the privacy door to Sixpack's bunk.
After some digging which produces five month's supply of
pornography, the empty flask clatters to the floor. Beck
picks it up.
BECK
I think we just found our
problem.
MESS - LATER
Cobb pours himself a cup of coffee with a shaky hand. Jones,
and DeJesus sit at a table and Willie laces up her shoes for
a run. There is a feeling of anger among them.
DEJESUS
Serves his ass right to get
it. Motherfucker brings that
shit onboard. I hope his
fucking ass rots in the sea and
is shit upon by the fish.
JONES
'Fucker could have gotten us
all killed.
COBB
He knew better than that.
Willie finishes tying up her shoes and looks at them all
coldly.
WILLIE
You guys sure weren't so holy
when you were shooting that
vodka...It could have been you.
She gets up and walks out into the Ring corridor.
THE RUSSIAN SHIP
WE ARE MOVING along the ship's corridor that Willie walked
looking for Sixpack.
WE PULL BACK TO REVEAL WE ARE WATCHING A VIDEO SCREEN IN THE
CONTROL ROOM
Doc and Beck replay the tape of Willie's search for Sixpack
on the Russian ship. On the monitor screen we see Willie's
POV of the infirmary. The light dances off the broken glass
as she turns, then the flash of white we saw before as the
light moves out into the corridor.
DOC
Hold it! Rewind it.
Beck rewinds it.
ON SCREEN we see the scene again. Light dancing off the
cabinets. As the light starts to turn--
DOC
Stop it.
Beck pauses the tape. We see nothing. Doc is confused.
DOC
Back it up slowly.
Beck does and we watch Doc's face as he stares intently at
the screen. Suddenly he sees it.
DOC
There.
ON SCREEN We see it. Caught in the turn of the camera, now
frozen on the screen is the clear gleaming skeletal remains
of a man. Only it is clear that this is no ordinary man.
Fingers and appendages are lengthened and broader than
normal. But it is the large head and long sharp teeth that
especially catches our attention.
MESS - SAME
ON A BEAUTIFUL BAVARIAN SETTING
as a hand suddenly moves into frame and we see the scene is
actually one of DeJesus' jigsaw puzzles. He takes a piece
of blue sky from the hundreds of pieces on the table and
places it perfectly into position on the puzzle. Jones
watches him amazed.
DEJESUS
You know that Innsbruck
has 64 square miles of ski
slopes, man? Think about that.
Sixty-four square miles.
He picks up another piece of blue sky and effortlessly fits
it into place as Jones watches. It's blowing Jones' mind.
JONES
How'd you do that?
DEJESUS
What? That?...I've done this
one before. You hungry? I'm
hungry.
He gets up to go into the mess and Jones looks at him in
amazement.
JONES
Hungry? After what we just
went through I may never
eat again.
ON WILLIE
She jogs down the corridors toward the Swamp. The Shack
CREAKS and Willie looks down through the grating passing
below her feet. It is dark down there. Her feet pound off
the metal grating.
LOW ANGLE We watch Willie from below as she jogs past. THEN
WE TILT DOWN to the dark, still water of the bilge. Suddenly
something stirs in the water--a ripple like a trout in a
stream.
CONTROL ROOM - SAME
Using a computer plotting program to measure the dimensions
of the skull on the videotape, Doc enters these measurements
as they are read off to him by Beck. As each of the
measurements go into the computer an image of a skull begins
to appear on the computer screen, followed by a name:
DANAKIL MAN.
BECK
They found this?
DOC
No. I think they isolated
him in genetic engineering.
Homo aquaticus...
BECK
Was there such a thing?
DOC
Danakil man?...one of our
ancestors. Named for the
Danakil Alps in Ethiopia.
BECK
Not exactly a big ocean
country.
DOC
It was when it counted a couple
of million years ago when the
seas came in and drove us into
the water. Most homo sapiens
didn't make it...Danakil man...
adapted.
ON WILLIE
running. She jogs past the machine room. Looking in, the
machines seem alive, pulsing, the beating heart of the
Shack. There is something else though. We feel something
in there watching her.
CONTROL ROOM
On Doc.
DOC
Some say that's why we're
basically hairless, for less
water resistance, faster swimming
speeds...
BECK
But what about those scales...
or that leech-like thing that
bit Cobb?
DOC
Why stop with just one aspect
of marine life? Why not incorporate
the best genetic components the
ocean has to offer?...
BECK
(pointing to screen)
Well, if they were perfecting an
aquaman, then why's there a dead
one onboard that Russian ship? Why
isn't he out swimming around?
Doc looks up at the image on the screen. The huge skull
stares back hauntingly.
DOC
(beat)
He obviously lacked something
in his environment.
DORMITORY - SAME
ON COBB He sits on his bunk and peers under his bandage.
He turns on an overhead reading light and looks again.
Suddenly a voice startles him.
JONES' VOICE
Turned black yet?
At first startled, Cobb recovers and answers sharply.
COBS
That ain't funny.
JONES
Relax, Cobb. If it was
going to turn, it would have
done its trick by now.
COBB
That's easy for you to say.
You ain't the one that got bit.
Jones starts to leave when he suddenly notices something on
Cobb's bunk. He picks it up and we see a photo of Cobb's
family.
JONES
Don't tell me you're getting
soft on us, Cobbie? You're
the fellow who always said--
Cobb snatches the photo back from Jones and glares at him
with the same old, hard "Cobb look."
COBB
Nothing's changed, goddamnit!
Jones leaves, and Cobb waits till he is gone then looks back
at his photo. His look changes, softening. Absently he
scratches his bandage.
SWAMP
Willie enters and checks her running time on her watch. She
bends over to catch her breath then straightens suddenly.
OVERHEAD SHOT
WE are watching her from above. For a moment she is quiet
as if listening for a noise somewhere in the Swamp. She
looks around slowly and her eyes come to rest on the
Workbench.
MESS - SAME
DeJesus looking for food. In the gloom of fluorescent
lighting he opens and closes various cabinets looking for a
snack.
He notices that the floor's wet near the sink. He frowns
and hears a SMALL NOISE, like something shifting slightly.
He moves to investigate, crouching low, peeking into the
shadows under the sink, into a litter of cleanser bottles,
pails, rags...All he can see are shadows. He looks more
closely, actually sticking his head under the sink when
SUDDENLY SOMETHING TOUCHES HIS SHOULDER FROM BEHIND! DEJESUS
JUMPS, BUMPING HIS HEAD ON THE SINK AS HE WHIRLS TO SEE.
JONES, looming over his shoulder, looking down at him.
JONES
Man, everybody is jumpy...
What are you doing?
Not fully recovered from the start, DeJesus rubs his bruised
head.
DEJESUS
Getting some food.
JONES
Under there?
DeJesus gets to his feet, points at the water under the
sink.
DEJESUS
Look. Water.
JONES
Probably the plumbing. You
gonna make me finish that puzzle
by myself, or what?
DeJesus continues to scrutinize the water then looks back at
Jones.
DEJESUS
No, I'll be right there.
He looks down at his sandwich as Jones starts out of the
galley. Something is missing.
DEJESUS
(to himself)
Mustard. Need mustard...
He opens the refrigerator and finds the mustard jar empty.
DEJESUS
(muttering to himself)
Sixpack...
He throws the jar in the trash then opens the cabinet next
to the refrigerator for a new jar, and reaches inside.
SUDDENLY, LIKE A SNAKE, A TWO FOOT CHUNK OF MUSCLE ATTACHES
TO DEJESUS'S WRIST! WITH HIS FREE HAND DEJESUS TRIES TO RIP
THE TWISTING, WRITHING THING OFF. PULLING AT IT HE REVEALS
PART OF SIXPACK'S FACE--ONE EYE AND PART OF HIS
MOUTH--UNDERNEATH THE SURFACE.
DeJesus falls against the side cabinets screaming and
causing an avalanche of pots and pans.
DEJESUS
(in pain)
Ahhh!
INSIDE THE MESS
Jones is now putting a piece of the puzzle into place when
he hears THE CLATTER OF POTS AND PANS.
JONES
Hey, Hazy...what're you doing
now...cooking?
There is no answer and Jones looks up.
JONES(cont'd)
(concerned)
Hazy?...
He goes to the door and looks in. His eyes widen at the
sight of DeJesus staggering toward him with the squeezing
hunk of muscle.
JONES(cont'd)
Holy shit!
DEJESUS
Help me, Jonesy. Oh, God,
help me! It's getting inside
me, I can feel it!
He keeps coming at Jones who backs away slowly from his
friend.
JONES
Hazy, please...I'm going to
get you some help, man...just
don't touch me...
Jones finds himself backing away until he is by the door to
the Galley. He closes it, rushing through into the Mess to
the Ring corridor where he runs into Cobb.
COBB
What's going on?
JONES
It's Hazy...It's got him!
Stay here and don't let him
out. I'm going to get the Doc.
Jones runs out and leaves Cobb by the door. Cobb watches
him go. As the noise in the Mess intensifies, we hear
banging on the door, then DeJesus' anguished cries.
DEJESUS
Help me! Help me!
Cobb backs slowly down the corridor toward the dorm.
UPPER RING CORRIDOR - SAME
Jones meets Beck and Doc leaving the control room.
JONES
It's got Hazy!
BECK
What has?
JONES
One of those chunks of
Sixpack! Like a big leech,
with those teeth!...
DOC
We've got to get him to the
infirmary.
JONES
What are you going to do to
him?
DOC
I'm going to try to remove it.
JONES
I've got Cobbie downstairs
watching the door.
INT. LOWER RING CORRIDOR - SAME
Deserted. There is no sign of Cobb and the door to the mess
stands open. The mess is empty. Beck is the first one down
the ladder followed by Jones.
JONES
Cobb? Hazy? Oh, shit...He's
gone...
Cobb returns with a mining tool.
JONES
You let him get away!
COBB
I ain't doing nothing for that
thing without something to
defend myself.
JONES
That thing happens to be
my friend.
BECK
Shut up, both of you! We've
got to find it.
Beck suddenly looks around noticing something.
BECK(cont'd)
Where's Willie?
COBB
Oh, God, she's out there...
BECK
Jones...come with me. Cobb,
you and Doc check the rooms.
INT. THE LOWER "B" CORRIDOR - SAME
Jones and Beck move down the spooky corridor toward the
Swamp. Overhead, water moves through the desalinization
conduit. Jones eyes it warily.
SWAMP
They enter the quiet Swamp. The suits hang silently like
sleeping monsters. Beck steps into the equipment room.
Jones walks along the suits which hang in front of him.
Their empty masks stare at him hauntingly. He reaches the
end and stands in front of the ladder where we earlier saw
Willie doing chin-ups. He looks down and sees her headband
floating in the bilgewater.
JONES
Willie...
Suddenly Willie lowers herself from the bar behind him.
WILLIE
Yeah?
The sudden sight of her nearly gives Jones heart failure, he
stumbles backwards into the ankle deep water and Willie
drops from the bar laughing.
WILLIE
(grinning)
What on earth's the matter
with you?
JONES
I ought to smack your face!
Willie picks up the strain in Jones' voice, her smile fades.
WILLIE
What's wrong?
JONES
DeJesus...It's got him.
THE EQUIPMENT ROOM - SAME
Jones, Willie and Beck move quickly. Beck pulls a portable
laser drill which fits into the arm of the mechanical suits
and attaches a portable power unit to the back. Turning it
on it becomes a sinister close-range weapon.
Willie opens an equipment cabinet and reveals deflated
container transporters. Beck notices and then looks up at
Jones who opens a locked cabinet and takes out the bicycle
pump/earthquake device we saw Willie use earlier.
BECK
I thought they were your friends?
JONES
Were, Doss were.
Beck reaches out and takes the powerful weapon away from
him.
BECK
You fire that in here and
you'll bring the whole place
down.
Jones thinks about it for a moment, then reaches for one of
the Acetylene tanks. He lights the end of it and a long
blue tongue of flame whips out the door into the Swamp.
Jones grins.
INFIRMARY - SAME
Doc and Cobb move into the Infirmary. Doc goes into his
office. He takes three scalpels out of an equipment drawer
and then looks up, through the levolor blinds into the
infirmary. What he sees upsets him.
INT. SWAMP - SAME
Jones working the intercom.
JONES
(to intercom)
Jones to Doc. Doc?...Cobb?
He looks back to Beck, concerned.
JONES(cont'd)
(to Beck)
Think it got 'em?
BECK
No, it's not going through.
The intercom's busted. I thought
DeJesus fixed that?
JONES
(beat, realizing)
He did.
INFIRMARY - SAME
Doc leaves his office and slowly goes into the Infirmary to
the storage counter across the room--where the blood is
stored. WE SEE what disturbed him...the door to the
refrigeration unit is ajar. Doc opens the door to the
cabinet. The plastic bags are now empty. Each one has been
drained.
LOWER RING CORRIDOR - SAME
Cobb moves out of the Infirmary, carefully down the eerie
corridor, his mining tool in front of him for security.
There is a sinister feel to the place. Each step only
reveals a little bit of space ahead of him. Suddenly he
stops. In front of him across the hall a cabinet which
says: ONBOARD COMMUNICATIONS, is torn open. It is where
DeJesus fixed the intercom the day before.
CLOSE ON THE CABINET
The door is shattered. Carefully, Cobb opens the door and
WE SEE the guts of the wiring have been torn out--the entire
system has been disabled.
Cobb carefully examines the damage WHEN SUDDENLY A SCALY
HAND-LIKE APPENDAGE slams into the cabinet door trapping
COBB and sending his weapon to the floor. Cobb turns
directly into
THE LEECH-LIKE MOUTH! It's sharp teeth shine in the light,
poised to strike.
Cobb's eyes closed, screams like a maniac, waiting for the
tentacle to attack. Then suddenly an UNGODLY SCREAM echoes
in the corridor.
COBB opens his eyes to see the tentacle gone. Doc is
holding the smoking mining drill, his eyes glazed, as if he
has seen the devil itself.
COBB
What happened?
DOC
(absently)
It...almost got you.
COBB
What was it?
Doc shakes his head dumbly. He is in total shock.
THE MESS
The remaining group is assembled around the table. Jones
watches the door with one of the homemade flamethrowers. He
listens.
COBS
(excitedly)
I saw it! It's big!
BECK
Big?
JONES
Bigger than DeJesus? How?
DOC
It's had a meal.
He holds out the empty blood bags. A change has come over
Doc since Bowman's death. The experience has slightly
deadened him.
WILLIE
It needs blood?
JONES
Fucking great...You telling
me we got a fucking dracula
in here with us?
DOC
It would explain the suction-
like appendages.
JONES
Like a leech.
BECK
That's why there's a dead one
on the ship. It ran out of blood.
JONES
What dead one on the ship?
He looks from Doc to Beck.
JONES(cont'd)
(sharply)
Someone want to let the rank
and file in on your little
secret?
Doc looks at Beck, then Jones.
DOC
The monster appears to be
a genetic aberration...
JONES
No fuckin' lie...
DOC
...It has many traits of deep
sea marine life...regeneration,
scales, gills, even a period
of dormancy...
(more to Beck)
but the fact that it remembered
where the plasma was stored, or
where the communication wiring was,
may imply that it has some other
quality...
COBB
(panicky)
What?...What?
Beck locks eyes with Doc.
BECK
(to Doc)
That it acquires intelligence
from its victims?
DOC
Intelligence may not be the right
word...
JONES
Fuck semantics, Doc!
You saying its like part
DeJesus, part Sixpack, part
Bowman?!
DOC
(tiredly)
I don't know. I'm guessing.
COBB
(losing it)
I say we should go get in the
escape bubbles and get the hell
out of here!
JONES
And hit the surface in the
middle of a typhoon?...No, thank you.
I'll take my chance down here.
Willie looks at Beck.
WILLIE
What can we do?
BECK
Our only chance is to lure
it to the Swamp and flush it
like we did the other.
COBB
And how're we going to do that?
Beck checks his flamethrower and looks at Jones.
TIME CUT TO
THE MESS - LATER
ON BECK He flexes his arm as a needle is taken from it. WE
SEE a half-pint of blood in a bag, held by Doc. He secures
it and hands it back to Beck.
DOC
Be careful with it.
BECK
Don't worry, I don't want to
give up any more.
He looks over at Jones who watches the door. Jones looks
back and nods. The coast is clear.
LOWER RING CORRIDOR - SAME
The door to the Mess opens and Beck slips into the shadows
of the hall. A second later Jones follows. In the dim
light they begin moving toward the Lower "B" corridor to the
Swamp.
MESS - SAME
Cobb, Doc and Willie alone in the Mess. Cobb scratches his
bandage. Doc notices.
DOC
Still bothering you?
COBB
Itches like hell.
DOC
Take it off and let me have
a look.
Cobb pulls back the bandage and looks at the gash.
INSERT COBB'S WOUND Pink and healing.
DOC
Looks good to me. I'll re-bandage
it, though.
He looks at Willie.
DOC(cont'd)
Willie, would you clean it
for me. I'm going to the
infirmary for supplies.
He turns and Willie stops him with a firm grip.
WILLIE
You can't go out there alone.
DOC
I'm the Doctor. I have to
do what's best for this crew.
(he pulls away)
I need my bag.
THE LOWER RING CORRIDOR - SAME
The door opens and carefully Doc steps out into the
corridor. He looks toward the Infirmary then starts up the
ladder to the Upper Level instead.
CLOSE ON DROPS OF BLOOD INTO A SMALL POOL
a grisly sight.
WE PULL BACK TO REVEAL the drops coming from the plasma bag
of Beck's blood. Beck stops the drip and moves on into the
darkness of the corridor.
CONTROL ROOM
Doc moves behind the computer keyboard in the dim light of
the Control room. His face lit by the computer monitor. He
types furiously.
COMPUTER SCREEN
"Emergency Escape Bubbles...ready for activation..."
DOC pauses looking at the message, then moves his hand to
the SEND command and presses it.
THE MESS - LATER
Willie prepares a clean bandage as Doc examines the cut. He
smiles at Cobb like a friendly country doctor. The tired look
now gone from his eyes. He seems revitalized.
DOC
There, good as new. Just
keep your paws off of it.
(to Willie)
Do you have the new bandage ready?
She nods. Doc turns back to the sink and Cobb holds out his
arm to let Willie put the new bandage on. As Cobb's arm
comes up we suddenly notice a slight movement under his
shirt. Willie stops just before applying the bandage. The
movement intensifies--like snakes moving wildly beneath the
cloth. Cobb whitens...breaks out in a sweat. Willie backs
off.
WILLIE
Doc?...Doc!
She steps back and Doc moves into her place as suddenly a
leech-mouthed tentacle erupts from Cobb's waist. It's razor
sharp proboscis punctures Doc's chest right at the heart and
the leach mouth with it's hundreds of teeth attaches with
vacuum-like suction.
DOC
No!
But it is too late. Willie falls back screaming as Cobb's
gash RRRRRRRIPS OPEN! THE FLESH OPENING GROTESQUELY FROM
THE INSIDE AND INVERTS SCALY--SPREADING OVER COBB'S BODY
LIKE A BUSHFIRE!
CORRIDOR "B"
CLOSE ON THE POOL OF BLOOD
A huge shadow falls over the pool left by Beck. A scaly
tentacle suddenly whips across the floor. The DEJESUS
CREATURE! WE SEE THE FLASH OF ITS APPENDAGES. IT'S HEAD.
AN EYE OPENS AND LOOKS UP.
WHAT IT SEES The outline of Beck lying "hurt" fifty feet
away.
It starts down the corridor toward it's prey--Beck.
ON BECK
A little behind him with the homemade flamethrower, Jones
waits in the shadows. Suddenly Beck hears something.
BECK
(whispers)
I hear something. Don't fire
until we're both in the Swamp.
Jones moves a little farther back.
BECK(cont'd)
Don't let him see you.
JONES
Don't worry...
As the Creature approaches WE SEE Beck stand up like a
wounded animal. He begins dragging his "injured" leg behind
him as he retreats toward the Swamp. THE FOOTSTEPS MOVE
FASTER. IT'S CLOSING!
INT. RING CORRIDOR - SAME
ON WILLIE She bursts out the door to the MESS and heads
toward Corridor "B."
DOOR TO THE SWAMP
Beck moves through the door to the Swamp and positions
himself by the door. He looks back and WE SEE Jones for the
first time, flamethrower poised, ready to fire.
JONES
C'mon baby c'mon...
ON THE SHADOW OF THE CREATURE
It moves steadily toward the door, moving right to the
doorway. Carefully it moves a dark, horrible hand-like
appendage inside the doorframe.
ON BECK AND JONES
poised to kill when suddenly both men hear the same thing.
WILLIE'S VOICE(O.S.)
Beck? Jones!?
ON WILLIE
She turns the corner and freezes. There, less than ten feet
away is the Creature. A tentacle whips excitedly like a
tail!
WILLIE
Oh God...
AS THE CREATURE starts to turn for Willie, Beck suddenly
closes the vault-like door to the swamp on Creature's hand,
trapping it vise-like in the door.
BECK
Run Willie! Run!
The Creature throws back its head and SCREAMS in pain as the
heavy door severs its appendage.
ON BECK AND JONES
As the writhing hand-like appendage squirms in front of them
Jones blasts it with his flamethrower until the hand curls
like a piece of bacon and it ceases to move.
JONES
Well done. Just like
momma makes 'em.
Beck opens the door--the corridor is empty. Willie and the
creature are gone.
ON WILLIE RUNNING
She heads back toward the Ring corridor around the inner
path toward Corridor "A". In a full run now, every panel
and instrument looks even more sinister--where is Cobb/Doc
CREATURE?---
ON THE DEJESUS CREATURE'S SEVERED APPENDAGE
As the Creature moves after Willie we see its bloody stump
suddenly sprout a new appendage! Like a starfish it grows
another leech like tentacle to replace the one it lost.
ON WILLIE
She turns down Corridor "A". A NOISE overhead in the water
conduit causes her to look up WHEN SUDDENLY A BLACK ARM
REACHES OUT FROM THE SHADOWS, AND PULLS HER INTO THE DARK
DOORWAY TO THE MACHINE FLOOR----IT IS JONES! He pulls her
between him and Beck in the shadows.
BECK
(whispered)
Where's Cobb and Doc?
WILLIE
(recovering)
Cobb's cut...It was in him!
It got Doc...
JONES
Oh man, that's just great...
BECK
C'mon.
CONTROL ROOM
Beck is followed inside by Jones and Willie. It is empty.
BECK
Lock the door.
Jones rolls the large vault-like door closed and locks them.
Beck goes to the console and checks the instruments.
Suddenly he sees something that causes him to freeze in his
tracks. A red light blinks ominously on the console.
BECK
Shit! He sent them all.
WILLIE
The escape bubbles?
She and Jones stop in front of Doc's console.
JONES
(gravely)
Look at this.
Beck looks at Doc's computer screen.
ON SCREEN WE SEE DOC'S MESSAGE: "...hope that our sacrifice
will mean that the human race will never know this awful
mutation..."
WILLIE
What is it?
JONES
The good doctor signed our
death warrant.
SUDDENLY THERE IS A TREMENDOUS BANGING ON THE DOOR! LIKE A
HUNDRED SLEDGEHAMMERS POUNDING THE HEAVY STEEL DOOR TRYING
TO BREAK IT DOWN. Jones readies his weapon but just as
suddenly, the BANGING STOPS. Beck, Willie and Jones all
nervously exchange looks.
WILLIE
Well, at least we're safe inside
here.
JONES
For how long?
Beck slides behind the Console and quickly types in a
message. WE SEE IT ON THE SCREEN. "SHACK SIX REPORTING.
PLEASE DISREGARD PREVIOUS MESSAGE---"
SUDDENLY MARTIN'S FACE APPEARS ON THE VIDEO SCREEN.
MARTIN
Thank goodness, you're still
alive!
JONES
(yells nervously
at the screen)
Hey, man, you better get
your ass out here right now
and get us. You hear me,
motherfucker? Right now!
Martin smiles calmly back at the three of them.
MARTIN
Please relax, Mr. Jones. Every-
thing is under control. Naturally,
when we received Dr. Warren's
message we were concerned but
would never have deserted you.
Jones lets out a breath. Willie stares straight at the
screen.
WILLIE
When are you coming for us?
MARTIN
(smiles nervously)
Well, that's the bad news.
The typhoon did turn your way.
(he looks at weather
printout)
Right now it is on a course--
JONES
Just answer the question, man!
When are you coming?!
MARTIN
(beat)
Hopefully in the next 48 hours.
BECK
Forty-eight hours!
MARTIN
I realize you must have gone
through hell--
JONES
Gone? Man, we're still here!
MARTIN
(firmly)
I can't change the weather.
Try to get some rest. I'll
keep you posted.
He turns off his screen and the picture in front of Beck,
Jones and Willie goes blank.
BECK
He's right. Why don't you get some
rest. I'll stand the first watch.
TIME CUT TO
CONTROL ROOM - LATER
Jones sits near the vent sound asleep, his weapon across
his stomach. Near him Willie lies still, eyes open. She
watches Beck across the room, standing at the window.
He stares outside into the darkness for a moment, then
as if a thought suddenly occurs to him he looks at the
blank computer screen.
CLOSE ON COMPUTER SCREEN
"Request weather summaries January 14-21." The cursor
blinks back ominously then races across the screen. "FILE
CLOSED."
BECK
(to himself)
Martin, you asshole...
Suddenly he hears a voice behind him.
WILLIE
They know, don't they?
BECK
(quietly)
Yeah...I think they're just
deciding what to do with us.
WILLIE
Maybe they already have.
She moves into Doc's seat in front of the console and calls
up the stock market program that Bowman was monitoring
earlier.
ON SCREEN WE SEE: Stock prices.
Willie types in a series of commands.
BECK
What are you doing?
WILLIE
Seeing how my stock's doing...
ON SCREEN: The words TransOcean Corp. The capsulized report
comes up on screen: "TransOcean Corp. took a bath on world
markets today when news of a tragic mining accident was
revealed to investors. The Board of Directors...."
WILLIE
(impatiently)
Where?....
She scrolls forward in the report and suddenly freezes the
words.
THE SCREEN: "...accident took place in Shack Six, Southeast
Sector of Pacific Zone 10...Seven dead. All bodies
missing." Their names follow.
ON WILLIE as her name comes up she shivers.
BECK
I can't believe they'd
just leave us.
A voice behind them causes them to turn.
JONES
Welcome to the union, boss.
We're all expendable.
He is now awake. He sits up against the air vent. Suddenly,
Beck listens, the room is deathly silent. He looks over to
the air vent. Jones is listening also.
WILLIE
What is it?
JONES
The air's stopped.
WHOOP! WHOOP! Suddenly a KLAXON HORN sounds hysterically.
A blue light on the console blinks on and off. It says
"AIR." Beck turns to the instruments.
BECK
We're on backup air.
WILLIE
How much time does that give
us?
BECK
Less than an hour. It's ruptured
an air duct.
WILLIE
Can't we fix it?
JONES
There're twenty miles of
pipe in the bilge, they
could have tapped-in anywhere.
SUDDENLY WE HEAR A SOUND WE HAVEN'T HEARD IN A LONG TIME.
The RATTLE THAT JONES AND COBB FIXED. Jones and Beck home
in on the tell-tale noise.
JONES
(almost to himself)
Cobb...Job security...
He locks eyes with Beck.
BECK
They're drawing us out.
He leaves his seat and Jones checks his weapon as Willie
watches.
WILLIE
You can't go out there, that's
what they want.
Beck checks his make-shift flamethrower.
BECK
We don't have much choice...
without air, the internal
pressure will fall and--
JONES
Crunch...Implosion.
Willie watches them a moment then picks up one of the mining
tools, the laser-drill, she powers-it up to check it. Her
action stops both men and she catches their looks.
WILLIE
You don't think I'm sitting
in here, do you?
INT. CORRIDOR "A" - SAME
Carefully the three move into the Lower Ring Corridor. As
they move we suddenly hear a new sound, DEEP, LIKE DISTANT
THUNDER. The sides of the shack tremble slightly.
WILLIE
(low)
The shack...
JONES
She's wondering what's
happening. We're losing
air faster than I thought.
BECK
(to Jones)
Which way?
Jones moves to the lead and turns down Corridor "A."
INT. CORRIDOR "A"
The SOUND of the power-wrench removing the bolts from the
flooring. The cover is removed and Beck and Jones peer down
into the darkness. Willie stands guard with the flame-
thrower.
ON JONES He peers into the darkness below. He wasn't a big
fan of the bilge even before the Creature, now he's scared
shitless.
BECK
I'll go first.
Before Jones can protest Beck drops the ladder and climbs
down into the dark bilge. Jones waits till he's at the
bottom, then starts down behind him. Willie looks back.
WILLIE
Don't spend all day down
there.
JONES
Don't fuckin' worry, I
ain't.
BILGE
From somewhere in the darkness we hear the HISSING SOUND OF
ESCAPING OXYGEN and the FAMILIAR RATTLE OF THE AIR SYSTEM.
As soon as Jones reaches the bottom rung Beck shines a light
into the eerie underground area.
Pipes run overhead and on the walls. A broken electrical
conduit sparks over their heads. The floor is ankle deep in
greasy water. They start toward the noise.
ON WILLIE
Her back is to the solid wall(outside wall). Her eyes move
from one end of the corridor to the other, not lingering
long enough to distract her. Sweat runs down her face and
we hear another tremor in the Shack.
WILLIE
(to herself,
calming herself)
Okay, Williams...let's hear a
tune.
(beat, quietly
at first)
"Off we go...into the wild
blue yonder..."
ANOTHER RUMBLE FROM THE SHACK causes her to pause. She
catches her breath and starts again.
WILLIE(cont'd)
"...flying high into the sky..."
She suddenly looks into the Main machine area (behind the
wire mesh of the other wall). Was it something moving?
BILGE
ON BECK He moves around a corner we recognize from before
with Jones' and Cobb's repair. Beck floods the area with
light and the break in the line is visible. The pipe has
been torn from the wall, it is totally unreparable. What's
worse, electrical wires hang down, showering sparks into the
water.
JONES
Jesus Christ...
BECK
Can you fix it?
JONES
No way...
BECK
Think! Can we stop it?!
Block it up?! Shut down
the line somewhere?! Think!
JONES
I am thinking, man! You
think I want to die! I am
thinking! I--
Suddenly his eyes widen. Beck sees this and turns. In his
light WE SEE THE GLINT OF LONG TEETH AND THE HUGE BLACK
FRAME OF THE COBB/DOC CREATURE! It's leech-like appendage
whipping in front of it like an excited cat's tail. Before
it can strike, Jones pushes Beck out of the way and fires a
blast of flame from his flamethrower. The CREATURE SCREAMS
and disappears.
As Beck falls his light lands in the bilge water and goes
out sending the bilge into greater darkness.
JONES
I hit it. But I can't see
it! Can you see it?!
BECK
(standing)
No.
Jones looks back at the ruptured pipe and suddenly has a
thought.
JONES
The Swamp. There's an over-
ride switch in the Swamp.
They start for the ladder when WWWWHHHHHHHHIP! out of the
darkness the appendage wraps like a bullwhip around Jones'
arm. The deadly proboscis, which stabbed Cobb, is poised
like a dagger about to be plunged into the black man's
thigh.
JONES
(screams)
Ahhh!
Instinctively Beck whips out the mining saw and severs the
tentacle. The unseen Creature's SCREAM echoes through the
Bilge. Beck grabs Jones by the arm and pulls him toward the
ladder.
BECK
Hurry...Get out!
Quickly they slosh toward the ladder and hole in the floor
fifteen feet away, moving closer...ten...eight....then
suddenly ANOTHER APPENDAGE thrusts between the rungs of the
ladder at them. Beck ducks and leaps to the side. He is
less than six feet from the Creature. In the dim light WE
SEE it wickedly bare its teeth.
Beck's eyes go to the walls from one side to the other and
spot the exposed power cable. The Creature steps forward
directly under the hole in the floor. It is about to lunge
when a voice from above distracts it.
WILLIE'S VOICE(O.C.)
Hey, you?
The Creature looks up and sees:
ON WILLIE STANDING OVER THE OPENING, HER FLAMETHROWER
POINTED STRAIGHT DOWN. SHE FIRES, SENDING A SEARING BLUE
FLAME INTO THE BILGE.
BECK watches the flame roar down on the monster and it gives
him the moment of distraction he needs. He leaps out of the
bilge water and onto a pipe on the wall then rips the broken
power cable from the wall.
BECK
Jones! Get your feet out
of the water!
Jones jumps up and grabs a pipe running overhead as Beck
thrusts the sparking cable into the water at the Creature's
feet.
IN A BLINDING FLASH OF ELECTRICITY
The current surges through the Cobb/Doc Creature sending it
instantly rigid. A second later it crashes forward into the
water.
Moving hand over hand toward the ladder Jones quickly climbs
out, followed by Beck.
THE SHACK CONTINUES TO SHAKE, EACH JOLT STRONGER THAN THE
LAST. As they emerge Willie helps them.
BECK
C'mon, the Swamp!
They start for the Swamp down Corridor "A" when an enormous
shudder goes through the Shack, causing the lights to blink
and the floor to open beneath Beck. The jolt knocks him
back into the bilge. Only grabbing onto the pipes just
above the water stops him from falling back in.
JONES stops and looks back over the missing grating.
JONES
Beck!
Jones moves instinctively back for him, but another jolt
only widens the gap. Beck yells to be heard over the din of
the collapsing Shack.
BECK
Go on!
JONES
No!
BECK
That's an order!
JONES
Fuck your orders!
He leaps across the gap onto a remaining grating and thrusts
his hand down into the darkness. Beck lets go of one hand,
then the other, to grab Jones' extended arm. In one
Herculean effort Jones pulls him out of the bilge. Together
they leap across the chasm as the Desalinization Conduit
collapses over their heads and water floods into Corridor "A"
behind them. They have to go around the other way!
AS THEY RUN
KLAXON HORNS SOUND and a RECORDED FEMALE VOICE warns: "Five
minutes until implosion..."
FLASH CUTS OF:
THE LIGHTS FLICKER AND FAIL, CAUSING THE EMERGENCY LIGHTING
TO GO ON, AND CASTING AN EERIE STROBE EFFECT ON THE ESCAPING
THREE CREW MEMBERS
FALLING CEILING BEAMS CRASH DOWN IN FRONT AND BEHIND...
SEAMS BEND UNDER THE STRAIN, RIVETS POP...
STRAINING MACHINES SEND SCALDING GEYSERS OF STEAM INTO THE
CORRIDORS...AND SUDDENLY THE FLOOR GIVES WAY BENEATH WILLIE!
She leaps up and grabs an overhanging pipe and swings to the
firm ground.
JONES LEADS THE WAY TOWARD THE SWAMP, WITH WILLIE BEHIND
HIM, AND BECK COVERING THE REAR.
THEY reach the end of the corridor and Willie and Jones turn
into the Swamp Annex. Willie hits the door opener. RRRRRR
IT DOESN'T BUDGE. The pressure has bent the door frame.
BECK ARRIVES
WILLIE
It's jammed!
Immediately Beck backtracks to the corridor and pulls a hand
held spreader--like a "Jaws of Life"--from the wall. He
turns back to the Swamp when a BLACK SCALY ARM SUDDENLY
BURSTS THROUGH THE WIRE MESH OF THE MACHINE FLOOR AND PULLS
BECK AGAINST THE WIRE! IT IS THE DEJESUS CREATURE.
His head held in place by the powerful arm, Beck looks
almost directly into the dark eyes of the Creature. Its
gill-like slits flare. Its mouth opens and we see a flash
of its razor sharp teeth.
Before Beck can move the leech-like appendage ruptures the
steel mesh and its razor-sharp proboscis plunges like a
knife for Beck's face. At the last instant Beck move his
head and the proboscis slams into the steel mesh. The mesh
loosens the creature's grip and Beck manages to reach a
mining drill from the tools on the wall. As the appendage
starts to strike again Beck buries the whining tool into the
Creature's tentacle and breaks free.
Scooping up the spreader Beck rushes to the Swamp door where
Jones and Willie are trying vainly to hand crank the door
open.
JONES
Where the hell've you been?
BECK
I got hung up! Try this!
Willie stands back and Beck thrusts the Spreader into the
tiny crack in the door the hand crank had made. With Jones'
help the two men force open the door and all three rush
inside the SWAMP. Beck closes the door behind them.
THE RECORDED FEMALE VOICE INTONES: "Five minutes to
implosion." And we feel it happening:
THE BILGE WATER ON THE FLOOR OF THE SWAMP RIPPLES WITH THE
VIBRATIONS
THE WALLS SHAKE
THE HUGE METAL SUITS ROCK LIKE CLOTHES ON A CLOTHES LINE.
ONE FALLS AND CRASHES INTO THE WATER
JONES throws open the control panel and grabs the red
handled emergency air switch, but he can only move it half
way! It is jammed by the pressure.
JONES
It won't go!
Willie grabs it with him, but even together it is not
enough. THE HANDLE BREAKS OFF IN THEIR HANDS!
STEAM JETS WHIP DOWN ON THEM FROM ABOVE!
THE WATER AT THEIR FEET NOW BOILS FROM VIBRATION!
THE FEMALE VOICE INTONES: "Four minutes..."
BECK TURNS AND SEES THE SUITS IN THE LOCK
He grabs Willie and pushes her toward the Lock where her
suit hangs.
BECK
The suits! Get in them!
Willie moves quickly but Jones doesn't.
JONES
The suits! Are you crazy!
How're we going to get to
the surface?
Beck yanks open the equipment locker revealing TANKS OF
COMPRESSED AIR AND DEFLATED CONTAINER TRANSPORTERS.
BECK
Like this.
He looks up at Jones who grins with renewed hope and they
begin pulling the equipment out.
BECK(cont'd)
Get them in the Lock!
Jones and Beck drag the tanks and the parachute-like
Container transporters to the lock.
ON WILLIE She climbs into her suit and activates her
generator. Instantly her Vital Signs spring to life around
the perimeter of her helmet.
THE FEMALE VOICE TREMBLES FROM THE VIBRATIONS..."Three
minutes...to...implosion..."
Beck and Jones throw the last of the supplies onto the
elevator and Beck holds out the SEISMIC TOOL Jones tried to
arm himself with earlier. He takes the tool from Beck and
sticks it in the vest of his wet suit.
Then suddenly he sees that there are only two suits in the
Lock. Beck will have to wait on his to move along the track
to the Lock.
JONES
Your suit, Becky!
BECK
Just get in yours!
Jones climbs onto the Lock platform and slides into his
suit.
Beck hits the Suit track button and his suit begins moving
along the track toward the Lock. A suit turns the corner
from the storage room followed by one labeled BECK.
Beck looks at the walls, they're shaking harder. He moves
along the suit rack when suddenly THE CREATURE BURSTS FROM
BEHIND THE SUITS SHATTERING THEM LIKE AN EXPLOSION! A HUGE
TENTACLE HURLS TOWARD BECK LIKE A SPEAR.
BECK ducks just in time, grabbing a fire ax and chopping off
the appendage. Another tentacle jabs for Beck.
WILLIE
(screams)
Look out!
But it is too late. It knocks the ax from Beck's hand and
sends him to the floor. Beck looks up at the Lock in time to
see Jones seal himself into his suit.
JONES/RADIO
I'm in.
BECK
(to the others)
Go!
WILLIE/RADIO
No!
THE CREATURE APPROACHES BECK
Beck looks at the others one last time.
BECK
Go, now! That's an order!
Jones hits the elevator button and the Lock closes as the
elevator sends them down without Beck.
BECK stands and arms himself with a mining drill, which he
swings at the Creature driving it back. As Beck gets the
upper hand, the Creature turns its hideous face and Beck
freezes. There attached to the back of the Creature's head
is the grotesque face of DeJesus!
DeJesus' eyes suddenly blink. He's still alive! His lips
tremble in agony.
DEJESUS
Kill me...Kill me!
Beck, momentarily stopped by the face, lunges forward with
the drill and embeds it in the side of the Creature.
As the Creature falls back hurt, Beck looks up at the lock
elevator as it returns--IT IS EMPTY--The others have made it
out! His suit continues down the track and stops in the
Lock. He still has to make it, if he can just get there!
THE RECORDED FEMALE VOICE SOUNDS: "One minute to
implosion..."
Beck races to the Lock and starts to climb into the suit.
His arms slide into place, his legs drop into the heavy
metal shell and as he seals up the back he activates the
generator.
BECK'S POV. His vital signs light up around the perimeter
of his helmet, but he sees something else--the Creature
charges toward the Lock--its arm reaches out to yank Beck
out of the elevator! Instinctively, Beck swings his
motorized leg into the Creature's snarling mouth, knocking
it backwards and stunning it long enough for Beck to hit the
elevator button. BUT IT DOESN'T WORK!
BECK
No!
He hits again, still nothing!
THE RECORDED FEMALE VOICE..."Nineteen, eighteen..." Her
voice begins to quiver.
BECK POUNDS ON THE BUTTON AND LOOKS UP JUST AS THE CREATURE
DIVES FOR HIM, ITS HUGE SCALY HAND GRABBING HIM AROUND
BECK'S LEG!
CLOSE ON THE ELVATOR BUTTON Beck pounds it one last time
and NNNNNNNNNNNN!
THE LOCK CLOSES, CRUSHING THE CREATURE AS IT FLUSHES BECK
OUTSIDE SECONDS BEFORE THE ENTIRE STRUCTURE COLLAPSES WITH
IMPLOSION AND SUDDENLY EXPLODES IN A HUGE SHUDDER OF ENERGY!
UNDERWATER - LATER
WHOOSH! A parachute-like Container Transporter zoom toward
the surface. A heavy-suited crew member flashes past us.
Its helmet light pierces the darkness, then disappears. A
moment later another Transporter follows, racing out of the
darkness after the first.
BECK'S POV We see the vital signs lit in a ring around his
helmet. The depth gauge races past with blinding speed as
he moves closer to the surface.
WILLIE'S POV She tilts her head upwards. She snaps off her
light and sees instead of black, a lighter gray, then
suddenly faint traces of light in the water above her. At
first it seems like her eyes are playing tricks on her, then
we see it again--a glimmer of light.
WILLIE(RADIO)
Light. Beck, I see light!
ON BECK
He follows her look. Light is coming fast, brightening as
they rise. The LED numbers inside their helmets click
off..."125, 100, 75..."
BECK(RADIO)
Wait till you reach thirty-
five before you blow your suit...
WILLIE'S VOICE(RADIO)
Roger.
WILLIE'S POV Her numbers count down "....70, 60, 50, 40..."
WILLIE(RADIO)
Ejecting.
She yanks at the handle on the chest plate and WHOOSH! The
plate bursts open and reveals a second interior handle. Her
hand gropes for it.
SUNLIGHT IS STREAMING DOWN THROUGH THE WATER AS SHE RUSHES
UPWARD.
WHOOSH! The helmet and torso of the suit are blown open as
she pulls the second lever detaching her from the balloons.
No longer oxygen supported or being pulled upward, Willie
frees herself from the heavy suit and swims to the surface.
SUDDENLY SHE BREAKS THE SURFACE AND CATCHES A GLIMPSE OF THE
SUN, DAZZLING THROUGH A MILLION DROPLETS OF WATER AS A HUGE
SWELL CARRIES HER UP EVEN HIGHER.
Then she's underwater again, struggling desperately to pull
the tab on the life jacket around her neck. Suddenly a MALE
HAND GRABS THE TAB FOR HER AND PULLS. She looks up at Beck.
WILLIE
We made it!
BECK
Where's Jones?
Holding onto each other Willie and Beck ride a swell. At
the crest WE SEE JONES in the trough below, face down. Beck
breaks away from Willie and swims through the waves to reach
Jones. Reaching him Beck pulls his face out of the water
and inflates his life jacket.
WILLIE
Is he okay?
Beck lays Jones head back against the life jacket. For a
moment. Jones seems lifeless, then his eyes blink and squint
against the sunlight. Beck turns back to Willie and as he
and Jones ride the next crest he gives her the "thumbs-up."
WILLIE(cont'd)
(jubilant)
The sun! The sun!
Jones looks at Beck and grins.
JONES
What happened to that typhoon?
CALM SEA - LATER
BECK, WILLIE AND JONES cling to each other as they search
the horizon.
WILLIE
Are you sure you saw something?
JONES
How many times I got to tell
you. I saw a ship.
WILLIE
Well, why haven't they answered
our flares?
BECK
We'll fire one more, that
leaves us one last one.
BECK pulls the flare off his latex wet suit and fires it
into the sky casting a comforting yellow glow over the dark
water. The light fades, Willie looks at Jones.
WILLIE
Are you okay, Jonesy?
JONES
(weakly)
Tip top, Willie...tip top.
WILLIE
(testing him)
Who's the best power forward
in the NBA...Jameson?
JONES
(tired, but
with fight)
Jameson? Who are you trying
to con...?
They both manage a weak laugh, then Beck sees something.
BECK
I'll be damned. Look!...A flare!
As a small swell lifts them up we can see a tiny flare just
fading against the sky.
WILLIE
It saw us!
JONES
Answer them and quit kicking me!
WILLIE
I'm not touching you!
WHOOOOOOOOSH! Beck fires another flare into the sky. As the
flare arcs downward, Willie feels another bump and for the
first time sees the SHARKS CIRCLING THEM.
WILLIE
No...no, no, no.
The SHARKS tighten the circle as the flare fades.
EXT. U.S. COASTGUARD SHIP'S BRIDGE - SAME
A CAPTAIN watches the flare fade through his binoculars and
speaks to someone O.S.
CAPTAIN
I thought you said you'd
combed this area?
He lowers his binoculars AS WE WIDEN TO REVEAL MARTIN
standing on the bridge. He also lowers his binoculars and
smiles coolly as he lies.
MARTIN
We did....Many times.
CAPTAIN
(looks at Martin
then to a Lieutenant)
Initiate rescue.
We hold on Martin's face as from
THE FORE DECK OF THE SHIP
A rescue chopper with pontoons lifts off the deck and banks
off toward the fading flare.
OCEAN - SAME
Jones, Willie and Beck stay bunched close together.
Suddenly Willie feels another bump.
WILLIE
(panicky)
It hit me! Where are they?!
BECK
I can't see them!
Suddenly he is bumped by a shark. Willie sees one only two
feet away. They are surrounded. Suddenly Jones stare to
taunt the sharks aggressively.
JONES
All right! I've had enough
of this shit! You want meat,
motherfucker? Come on, eat
me, sucker, try some dark meat!
He pushes away from the group despite Beck's attempt to stop
him.
JONES(cont'd)
(taunting sharks)
What's wrong you snout-nosed
bastards? My meat too tough
for you?!
Amazingly the sharks begin to disappear. Willie and Beck
watch stunned. Even Jones is surprised.
JONES(cont'd)
(to Willie and Beck)
Whoa! Did you see those fools
run? They know whose boss.
He jabs his arm upward in triumph and for the first time WE
SEE a gash across his forearm.
UNDERWATER POV
As Jones crows triumphantly, WE SUDDENLY SEE HIS WET SUIT
RIPPING ALONG HIS THIGHS!
SURFACE/OCEAN
Jones is chortling, suddenly his smile vanishes, something
is happening...
WE hear the DRONE OF THE APPROACHING HELICOPTER...THUMP,
THUMP, THUMP...The blades of the helicopter sound out over
the waves. It's lights are visible. Willie and Beck wave
frantically as Jones drifts closer to them!
UNDERWATER
JONES' LEGS His wet suit is now completely split open and
WE SEE THE BLACK SCALES SPREADING!
THE HELICOPTER
hovers over the group below and lands on the water. Its
blades beat the surface into waves. The WINCH OPERATOR
hurls out a rescue harness and Beck helps Willie into the
ring. He CLICKS the fastener and suddenly they both lock
eyes. Before Willie can say anything Beck falls back and
signals the Winch operator who begins hauling her to safety.
Immediately Beck locks back at Jones and extends his arm.
BECK
Jonesy...Give me your hand!
WILLIE reaches the helicopter and quickly climbs out of the
harness. The Winch operator throws it back across the water
where
BECK grabs the harness.
BECK
C'mon, Jones!
Jones reaches out his hand. He is almost there WHEN
SUDDENLY RISING OUT OF THE WATER BEHIND THEM IS THE
SIXPACK/BOWMAN CREATURE IN ALL ITS HIDEOUS GLORY! HUGE AND
GRUESOME, ITS LONG TEETH GLIMMER IN THE LIGHT. IT GOES FOR
BECK BUT JONES MOVES BETWEEN THEM.
BECK
Jonesy, No!
JONES
Get out of here, Becky!
The Creature grabs Jones and pulls him violently under.
Beck watches horrified as his friend disappears. Numbed he
clips the rescue harness around him when suddenly, WE SEE a
boiling of water where Jones disappeared...bubbles
rising...and then Jones' bloody and tattered life vest bobs
to the surface several feet away from Beck.
Beck reaches out for it just as the Creature appears again!
It turns and focuses on Beck. Beck keeps going for the life
vest as the Creature starts for him.
ON HELICOPTER
The Winch operator and Willie watch in horror as the
Creature bears down on Beck.
WINCH OPERATOR
Is he in the harness!
CLOSE ON JONES' TATTERED VEST Beck reaches it. His fingers
wrap around the bicycle pump-like, seismic tool in Jones'
vest pocket. The Creature is right on top of him!
CHUNK, CHUNK, Beck cocks it like a pump shotgun as tentacles
rise wickedly out of the water and wrap around Beck's body
in a death grip. It's horrible mouth starts to open.
BECK
C'mon, motherfucker open up!
The Creature's mouth widens and as it starts to strike Beck
thrusts the seismic tool into its gaping maw and is suddenly
pulled from behind--out of the creature's grasp! The rescue
cable is taut! The helicopter is taking off!
BECK'S POV/ RISING SHOT. Beck rises suddenly out of the
water, the Creature growing instantly smaller below him
until BOOM! the Seismic device explodes in the
Sixpack/Bowman Creature, blowing it to bits across the ocean
surface! The shock wave sends the helicopter banking off
toward the ship with Beck safely attached by cable below it.
The winch operator pulls him in.
EXT. COAST GUARD SHIP - LATER
Beck, dressed now in crisp white clothes, stands on deck of
the ship. He glances occasionally at a door nearby marked
INFIRMARY, then looks up as the Captain approaches and
shakes his hand.
CAPTAIN
Mr. Beck, I understand
you passed your physical with
flying colors. And Ms. Williams?
BECK
(worried)
I don't know yet, she's still
in there.
CAPTAIN
Well, you'll be glad to know
you have a friend onboard.
Beck looks up surprised as suddenly Martin joins them.
MARTIN
(excitedly)
Beck! I told them you'd
make it. No one back at
TransOcean believed me, but
I never gave up on you once.
(smiling)
So, how are you feeling?
Beck looks at Martin for an instant then hauls off and in
one incredibly smooth punch knocks Martin on his can across
the deck.
BECK
Better...A lot better.
Just then the door to the infirmary opens and Willie appears
with a new outfit on. Smiles at Beck.
WILLIE
I'm fine!
Beck lets out a slight sigh of relief as a STEWARD
approaches with a tray of WHOLE COOKED FISH, HIDEOUS LOOKING
THINGS LIKE ANGLERS, LOBSTERS, CRABS...MINIATURE LEVIATHAN.
The sight is almost too intense for Beck and Willie. The
Captain notices.
CAPTAIN
I thought we might have some
wonderful seafood. But, if there's
something else you'd rather have...
Willie stares at the tray of seafood uneasily then looks at
the Captain and smiles.
WILLIE
How about a burger and fries?
She and Beck laugh as they sit at a finely set table on the
deck with the Captain.
AS WE PULL BACK the ship becomes smaller and smaller in the
distance and WE ARE AT THE
SURFACE OF THE OCEAN
riding the swells, rising and falling before slipping
beneath the waves and descending again into the cold
depths.
THE END
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