I've written quite a few scripts, eight of which I've turned into novels that are sold on Amazon. Back around 1980, shortly after attending USC Film School as part of my navy career as a broadcast journalist, I had high hopes of becoming a successful scriptwriter. This was mainly because within a year after being transferred to the Atlantic Fleet Audio Visual Command, I was hired to rewrite a script called "Space Patrol," which was produced and released as "Midnight Movie Massacre."
Thinking I was on a roll, I began conjuring up of an idea for another script. Having been to the Philippines on three different deployments during the 1960s, I was familiar with some of the country. And having grown up in the 50s as one of millions of "war babies," I was exposed to quite a few World War II-era movies. So, I came up with the idea for a script called "Up from the Deep" about allies captured in the Philippines who are being transported aboard a Japanese freighter that is attacked by American planes and sunk. In addition to the 1,400 or so allied POWs aboard the ship, the cargo holds were filled with contraband, including teak logs and gold.
The gist of the story is the ship is sunk and there are survivors who learn that it mysteriously surfaces several years after the war because of the teak logs. The story evolves into a race by competing forces to get the gold. As a fan of Clive Cussler, I wrote to him to ask if it was plausible for the teak logs to bring a ship back to the surface. Surprisingly, he answered (this was in the days of mail, no email) and said it sounded logical, so I went ahead and wrote the script.
I did not have connections in Hollywood at the time, so the script sat on my hard drive, or more accurately on a floppy disc and subsequent hard drives over the years. I also wrote the story as a novel, but the draft was destroyed and I did not have a copy, so the script sat for years. Recently, I thought of trying to write it again as a novel, but thought what the hell, I'll share the script here just to give it some sort of permanence on the Net.
If you're into reading scripts, I hope you enjoy Up from the Deep. In cutting and pasting the script formatting was lost. I've done a bit of reformatting for those not accustomed to reading scripts. I'll come back and keep working on it, but I think you can still make sense of it.
I'll be sharing my other scripts from time to time.
BLACK SCREEN
THE SOUND OF WATER ON METAL
A BURST of yellow light, then the sound: PTOW!
EXT. BATTLEFIELD -
NIGHT
The light reveals rain
hitting a scarred, rusty helmet. Below its rim blood-red eyes peer out over
slick, gray mud.
SLOW PULL BACK reveals
rivulets of water running down twisted lengths of concertina wire. There is a
strange mixture of beauty and horror. At first, the wire resembles delicate
strands of web, shinning with dew. It is
a deadly web, though. A mangled hand is entangled in its grasp.
Body parts sink in mud,
broken weapons and a torn Japanese flag clings to the wire, flapping as a gust
of wind tears it from the wire. It drops
into a trench filled ankle-deep with water, just as a boot steps on. The light from the flare
flickers and fade. There's another POP and the light source is renewed.
American and Filipino
soldiers huddle under the remains of tent halves, broken pieces of wood and
metal. The camp defenders are alive, but
they don't look much better than the dead bodies at the line of wire. As some of the men try to
hide from the rain, others accept their fate and sit numbly against mud walls
of their fox holes.
Inside the camp, a soldier
carries an ammunition box and struggles through the thick mud that SUCKS at his
boots. He dodges shell craters and a burned out truck.
Just beyond the truck a
makeshift corral holds several ponies. Tethered, they stand with their backs to
the weather. The soldier pulls his coat up around his neck with his free hand
and picks up his pace. He finally makes it to more solid ground, then along a
wooden path to a gun emplacement.
ENT. MACHINE GUN
EMPLACEMENT - NIGHT
The soldier, BRIAN SHANNON,
ducks under a low ceiling and sets the ammo box down on a ledge cut out of the
wet earth. He sits back heavily and digs into his battered coat until he finds
a pack of Japanese cigarettes and his last match. He takes great care in lighting the
cigarette; inhales a long and deep.
In the bunker with him are
two others: STEVE CODY, tall and powerfully-built, sitting against the opposite
dirt wall, his hands wrapped around a metal coffee cup for warmth. The other
man, BOBBY LEE WILLIAMS, a skinny boy from Arkansas, stares out the gun slit
into the darkness.
Cody sips from the cup,
looking over the rim at Shannon.
Sure, sarge. If anybody's
got any, they
ain't sayin'. And I can't
say I blame
them, either.
Bobby Lee turns from the
machine gun. He's always grinning.
I don't know what ya'll
worried 'bout. Hell, Everson and
Rezalas'll be here, no time. You'll see. Come
first light,
we'll be waltzin' outta here.
Don't we always?
We never sat around waiting
for the Japs to come and
get us before. I think Sangrini has hung us out to
dry.
Cody picks up his sawed-off
shotgun and wipes it tenderly with a rag. Shannon takes a drag on the
cigarette.
Cody looks up. He hears a
familiar sound, the faint sound of a metal object dropping into a tube then a
dull THUMP. The other two didn't hear
anything. Almost too casually Cody shifts to the opposite wall and plants his
back against it. Shannon looks at him curiously.
The EXPLOSION rips mud and
debris up outside the bunker and SLINGS it through the gun slit. Shannon and
Bobby Lee dive for the floor.
EXT. CAMP - NIGHT
EXPLOSIONS erupt throughout
the camp. One lands in a fox hole. A man SCREAMS. Bodies fly into the air. A soldier runs from fox hold to fox hole.
He's headed across open ground to help a wounded man when he's VAPORIZED in a
BLINDING FLASH.
Just as suddenly as it
began, the shelling stops. Smoke drifts across the camp and the silence is
almost as deafening as the shelling was. Slowly, helmets rise above the muck
and eyes peak out. A wounded soldier calls for help. No one moves.
INT. MACHINE GUN
EMPLACEMENT - NIGHT
Cody peers out the gun slit
into the darkness. He cocks his head. Listens. He gazes across the machine gun
at a worried Bobby Lee.
Shannon comes up on the
other side of Cody, who steps away from the gun and picks up a field phone. He
cranks the lever and waits until someone at the other end answers.
He hangs up and returns to
the gun slit.
EXT. WIRE - NIGHT
Dim figures glide silently
through the concertina wire. Here and there, a face. Some mere boys; others
battle-hardened veterans. All scared. All determined.
POP!
The entire area is bathed
in yellow light from the parachute flair. For one terrible instant, the
Japanese stare wide-eyed, frozen in the moment as the bright object hangs
overhead.
The spell is shattered when
the camp's defenders open fire on the Japanese. A heavy-set Japanese officer
stands and raises his sword over his head.
The sword goes down and he
leads his men forward, oblivious to the murderous fire. All around him men fall
to become stepping stones for those who follow behind.
INT. MACHINE GUN
EMPLACEMENT - NIGHT
Bobby Lee is caught up in
the battle fever as he swings the machine gun, raking the on-rushing Japanese
marines.
Holy shit! Where'd they all
come from? Son of a bitch,
there's another bunch. Get em, get em, get em!
Cody fires out the slit
slowly and deliberately. Through the slit two men are blown off their feet by
the shotgun blast. Others fall from the machine gun fire.
Shannon brings up the last
ammo box. He can't believe what he sees through the slit: it looks like a
forest of legs. Fascinate, he forgets for a moment to fire. Then he HEARS a
grunt and turns in time to see Bobby Lee's body hurled across the bunker and
crash into the opposite wall. Shannon rushes over to him and cradles Bobby
Lee's head. Bobby Lee's chest is a gaping hold.
He spits up blood and chokes as he touches his chest curiously, then
looks up at Shannon's sad face.
A PIERCING SCREAM.
Bobby Lee's eyes open wide.
A Japanese soldier drops
down into the gun emplacement. It was his scream that causes Bobby Lee to use
every bit of strength he has left to shove Shannon aside just as the Japanese
soldier opens fire with a machine gun.
Shannon is knocked cold as
his head slams into a support beam.
Cody whirls around, sees
the Japanese soldier and shoots him point blank. For the first time, he sees
that Bobby Lee has been hit. He glances over at Shannon, who is bloodied and
covered with gore from the two men. Cody thinks Shannon is dead. He looks out
the slit, then again at his two friends and rushes out into the night.
Men's SCREAMS and the
SOUNDS OF KILLING echo throughout the camp. The dead Japanese soldier's body
lies slumped in a corner. Bobby Lee's body looks like a rag doll cast aside.
Next to it, Shannon stirs. Slowly, he rises, as if pulling himself from a deep
sleep. He staggers toward the entrance, not noticing either body.
EXT. CAMP - NIGHT
Shannon steps out of the
emplacement into HELL.
Fighting, explosions and death go on all around him.
It's as if he's immune to harm as he staggers amidst the carnage. He slowly
begins to regain his wits, then goes down on one knee as an explosion nearby
showers him with dirt. He finds a weapon and starts to run, passes one Japanese;
shoots another. It's all so arbitrary.
Another EXPLOSION sends him
sprawling. He gets up, leans against his rifle for support, then touches his
face. His hand comes away covered with blood. He's numb. He looks up just as a
Japanese marine charges at him with fixed bayonet. Just before the man reaches
Shannon, four hands come up from a crater behind him.
Shannon is YANKED into
the crater.
The Japanese soldier leaps
to the crater's lip, rifle raised to jam the bayonet. His eyes go wide with
surprise as a rifle and bayonet juts up from inside the crater and spears him
dead center. He sways on the edge of the crater for a moment, then topples in.
The body falls across
Shannon's legs. Shannon panics and struggles to get it off him. He finally
manages to kick it away and stares at it as if it's some horribly, foreign
object.
Welcome, Corporal Shannon.
Besides Shannon, there are
three others in the crater with him: a Filipino soldier, JOSE, and his two
young sons, PHILLIP and JAUN. Shannon acknowledges them with a shaky nod.
Shannon looks anxiously
over the crater. The fighting continues in the distance.
Corporal, the camp is
finished.
Jose studies Shannon, waiting
for an order. Shannon realizes, awkwardly, that he is the ranking man in the
hole.
Jose motions to the trees
in the distance. Shannon ponders this, then pulls himself together.
The four come out of the
crater together, crouched and running. The rain has started again and the
fighting has moved to the far end of the camp. As they make their way toward
the wire, several other camp defenders join them.
They stop at the wire and
stare out across the vastness of the open ground between the wire and the trees
that mean safety to them. Looks of doubt are exchanged.
A long BURST of MACHINE GUN
FIRE from inside the camp makes up their minds. Shannon motions and they start
for the trees.
The mud sucks at their legs
as they struggle across the open ground. Each man's face tells a tale of
desperation, fear or determination.
They are near the middle of
the field when the mud erupts in hundreds of deadly geysers. Shannon grabs his
shoulder in pain. A man next to Shannon SCREAMS and falls. To Shannon's left
another man sinks to his knees then falls face first into the mud. Ahead,
Shannon sees Jose's sons turn and fire back toward the wire.
The older son, Juan, is hit
and thrown back as his rifle flies into the air. Oblivious to his brother's
fate, 13-year-old Phillip continues to fire the weapon that is almost too big
for him to handle.
Shannon reaches Phillip and
sees the boy is wounded. Shannon grabs Phillip just as the boy begins to sink
to his knees. Shannon struggles to carry Phillip as bullets spatter around
them.
Shannon hoists Phillip into
his arms and ignores his own pain. His eyes are riveted on the trees. Then he
HEARS something. It is a wild, almost animal-like SCREAM that changes the MOOD
instantly from stark terror to surprise and the turning of fortune against the
Japanese.
AT THE TREE LINE is a scene
straight out of hell. Men and horses come SCREAMING and charging out of the
trees.
Shannon stops in his
tracks. He is as surprised as the Japanese. A seemingly endless mass of men
charge across the open ground, led by a half naked Cody, who is wildly swinging
a bolo knife in one hand and firing his shotgun in the other. Cody lets out a
chilling WAR CRY.
The Japanese break and run,
not even bothering to fire at the charging mass. Shannon sees Jose and makes his way over to
the old soldier and hands him his son. Without a word, Shannon heads back to
the camp to join the fighting.
THE CAMP
Covered with blood, Cody
presents a nightmarish spectacle.The
horse kicks and snorts in terror and excitement, just as much caught up in the
killing frenzy as Cody, who hacks at a fleeing Japanese marine with a
bolo. Then Cody swings in the saddle as
another Japanese rushes him and nearly cuts the man in half with the shotgun.
To Cody's right is another
fighter on horseback. He is a tall, mustachioed Filipino who rides recklessly
through the Japanese. He swings his bolo and BELLOWS bloodthirstily.
VICTORIO REZALAS pulls the
reins tight and his pony's haunches dig in as he rears up and paws the sky just
as a bullet cuts across his face.
Rezalas whirls his horse around and sees the Japanese soldier who shot
at him. He kicks the animal hard and it leaps forward eagerly.
The soldier runs around a
burnt-out truck with Rezalas hot on his heels.
Just as the pony and rider
come round the truck, the Japanese soldier jumps out and swings his rifle up.
The long bayonet catches the animal just below the jaw, and with a TERRIFIED
SCREAM the pony falls forward, CRUSHING the soldier and throwing Rezalas.
Rezalas is dazed and is
trying to regain his feet as another Japanese charges at him. Rezalas tries to
stand firm. The Japanese is overconfident, sure of his kill. He does not see a
huge figure loom up behind him.
A BOLO KNIFE swings down.
The Japanese soldier's body runs a few more steps, minus its head. Cody's horse
dances around excitedly. Cody waves at
Rezalas with his bloodied bolo.
Rezalas waves Cody off,
indicating he's okay, then runs off into the dark to join his men.
EXT. CAMP - SUNRISE
Smoke rises from the
earth.
The bodies of Japanese, Filipinos
and Americans lay embraced in death. The survivors walk through the carnage
checking the bodies as others go about the business of the living: cooking
breakfast, cleaning up equipment, bandaging wounds and catching up on sleep.
Cody washes blood from his
body. Others sit near a small fire. Rezalas eats heartily from a can of
rations; Jose tends to Phillip's wounds and Shannon rests against a log.
Finished, Cody joins them.
How many of your people
will stay?
The regulars only. The
other-- they have farms to tend.
How many do you figure can
go on?
Counting the walking
wounded, twenty-five, thirty, tops.
We can't stay here. And we
can't take the wounded.
The wounded will be safe
now that the Japs are moving out.
You haven't heard? He's
returned. As promised.
Leyte. Three days ago. The
Japanese are scurrying
to Subic and Manila as fast as their fat little legs can
carry them,
with everything they can steal, and...He stops and looks at Cody.
They are taking the
prisoners from San Marcelino aboard a ship at Subic.
Cody rises and slips his
shotgun over his shoulder as he picks up a canteen and other gear.
They'll be in more danger
than ever
if they leave on a Jap ship.
Coast watchers have
reported many sinkings. But you risk
much to attempt this.
I also have friends in San
Marcelino.
I don't think we got a
chance in hell.
(drops
a heavy arm on Shannon's shoulder)
My ancestors were once very
good at taking ships
on the high seas when the Spanish were here.
Because they'd see us
before we got near
the ship and blow us out of the water, that's why.
Besides, we ain't got no boat.
In my village of San Filipe
there are
any outriggers. The soldiers
do not watch them.
The finality in the one
word tells the others there is no more debate about the matter.
You are not going, little
one.
Phillip stands like a small
gladiator, hands on his hips, defiant.
That one is wounded, and
he's going.
He is a soldier, Phillip.
I am a soldier, too. I kill
many Japs.
I fight beside my father and brother.
Yes, you are a soldier.
And, as one, you will
obey my orders. You will stay with the wounded.
(holds
up restraining hand to silence the boy)
You are a brave fighter.
But the wounded
need your protection in order to make it to the
mountains. Phillip starts to object;
Rezalas
takes the boy's chin in his hand.
(gentle
but firm)
EXT. OLONGAPO CITY -
NIGHT
The streets are empty of
civilians as they hide behind shuttered windows. Military trucks, loaded with
Japanese troops and equipment roar down the dirt roads between ramshackle
buildings. A truck passes an alley and two dark figures move swiftly through
the shadows.
Cody peeks around a corner
and sees soldiers marching toward him. He and Razalas dive into a pile of
garbage as the squad of Japanese marines passes. A moment later, Cody and
Rezalas emerge from the mess and hurry along until they reach the houses
alongside a slow moving river. The brightly lit military base across the river
is in stark contrast to the darkened town.
Cody moves silently toward
the river. They slip into the water and swim across the narrow river to the
opposite bank, then climb up through tall grass and work their way around the
fringes of the camp.
At the top of a small hill
they look down at the pier where huge cranes lumber down railroad tracks,
carrying pallets to be loaded on a waiting ship.
Two trucks drive the length
of the pier and pull up alongside the ship. The name of the ship can be seen on
the fantail: Kure Maru.
Japanese marines jump out
of the trucks and form two lines leading up to the ship. The four other trucks
drive up. Marines flip back the canvas covers and motion their weapons for
those inside to get out. The prisoners are mostly Filipino, but there are a few
Europeans. As they're herded toward the ship, a staff car pulls up next to the
ship. The driver gets out and hurries around to open the door. A high ranking
Japanese officer, COLONEL ONO, gets out. After him, another officer
gets out.
It's an American. COLONEL SANGRINI.
Cody and Rezalas are
surprised to see Sangrini.
That son of a bitch! It's
Sangrini!
That is quite all right.
You will not disturb anyone.
Cody and Rezalas turn
slowly to see a young Japanese marine officer and four marines with weapons
aimed at them. The officer smiles pleasantly.
Please, gentlemen. Let us
join your friends below.
EXT. PIER - NIGHT
Colonel Sangrini is talking
with the Colonel Ono. In the background the last of the prisoners climbs up the
gangway to the ship. Sangrini whirls around in surprise.
Nice to see you, Colonel.
Cody and Rezalas walk out
of the dark into the circle of light with their hands clasped behind their
heads. The Japanese marines push them forward with the butts of their rifles.
Cody stares at Sangrini as he and Rezalas are moved toward the ship. Sangrini
is visibly shaken under the gaze.
INT. COMPARTMENT -
NIGHT
More than 50 prisoners are
crammed into the small room deep inside the ship. At first, Cody and Rezalas
are looked on with suspicion. Then a Filipino recognizes Rezalas, pushes his
way through the crowd and they embrace almost as lovers. They cry openly.
Cody searches for one face.
He finally sees her. She kneels as she tends an old man, her father, JOHN
PEDERSSON. Cody makes his way through the prisoners until he is standing over
MARIA PEDERSSON as she brushes aside a long strand of hair from her father's
face. John touches her cheek and she takes his hand and kisses it gently. John
looks past her and sees Cody. When Maria looks into her father's eyes she sees
he is looking at someone behind her.
She turns and GASPS.
His name barely escapes her
lips. She looks at him unbelieving. Then she comes into his arms.
Steve-- my love. We thought
you were--
Cody holds her close and
strokes her black hair gently as she sobs.
Three years-- they told me--
I thought--
thought you were dead.
Cody holds her a long time.
He is on the verge of loosing it himself, but doesn't. Finally, he holds her
back at arms length and brushes the tears from her cheeks. She smiles up at him
bravely, and composes herself.
I'm sorry. I haven't cried
in-- I didn't think I had any tears left.
I didn't want to believe
them. They said
you had been killed.
Then we heard you were
alive. The rumors-- we just were never sure.
They were almost right,
once. But that was then.
I heard about your
mother. Your father?
Maria moves aside and for
the first time he realizes the old man is her father.
The old man looks up
smiling through broken teeth and starved.
Sure took your own sweet
time getting here.
There is deep affection
between these two men and it shows as Cody places his hand on John's shoulder.
John grabs Cody's arm.
Do you have any fight left
in you old man?
You give me a weapon and
I'll show you how much
fight I've got left. Rezalas approaches them.
Rezalas brings over a
ragged looking corporal. His uniform is barely recognizable as that of an
Australian soldier.
The corporal has some
interesting news as
to where we just might be headed.
Long way from home, aren't
you, corporal?
I been around these bloody
nips a long time,
now, and I can pretty well understand their lingo.
Well, you
see, I overheard one of them talkin'
about we was headed for the Lubang Island.
That's near Minora, I
think.
I got a question for you,
sarge. I been in and out of the
Jap
prison camps pret'near all the bloody war, an'
you don't appear to me the type
to get caught so easy.
What gives?
We've come to get you out.
That would be a neat trick.
EXT. PIER - NIGHT
The ship's horn BLASTS and
the mooring lines are thrown to the pier. The Kure Maru pulls away from the
pier.
EXT. SUBIC BAY -NIGHT
The ship slips past Grande
Island, where thick concrete walls surround where huge shore guns guard the
mouth of the bay.
INT. COMPARTMENT -
NIGHT
Cody rolls over on the cold
metal deck and gazes around the crowded room. Everyone appears to be sleeping.
He nudges Rezalas. They sit up and each hikes up his pant leg and pulls out
long, thin-bladed knives, along with delicate strands of wire. They move like
cats across the room.
EXT. AT SEA - NIGHT
The Kure Maru sails without
running lights. Completely dark, it is silhouetted against a full moon as it
cuts a path through glass-smooth water.
EXT. OUTRIGGERS -
NIGHT
A silent cadence of
short-handled paddles dips into the water, propelling five outriggers toward
the Kure Maru.
INT. PASSAGEWAY -
NIGHT
A lone guard stands near
the door leading into the prisoner's compartment. His head sinks slowly as he
drifts off. His head jerks back up suddenly and he sniffs the air. He jumps up
and sees SMOKE. Without hesitation, he swings open the heavy door and steps
into the compartment. Fatal mistake!
INT. COMPARTMENT -
NIGHT
Cody comes up behind him
and shoves the knife into the guard's neck, severing the windpipe. Another
prisoner grabs the dead man's weapon. Cody hands the body to Rezalas.
INT. PASSAGEWAY -
NIGHT
Cody leads the way. As they
make their way along another passageway, a shaft of light cuts across their
path as a door swings open and a Japanese sailor steps out. For an instant the
enemies stare at one another, then the sailor bolts back into the room.
INT. SLEEPING
QUARTERS - NIGHT
Rezalas snatches a chair
and hurls it at the sailor, striking him in the back, sending him sprawling
into two sailors. A third sailor jumps for a gun and Cody smashes him in the
face, knocking him out.
MINUTES LATER
Cody and Rezalas finish
tying the sailors up and stuff them into a locker.
INT. PASSAGEWAY -
NIGHT
The groups splits up, each
headed for passageways on opposite sides of the ship. Cody holds a hand up to
stop his group just as a door opens and a Japanese marine steps out. He spots
the prisoners and leaps back in the room, slamming the door. An instant later
an ALARM begins ringing throughout the ship.
CODY
No sense pussy-footin'
around, now.
VARIOUS SHOTS as the
prisoners, armed with wrenches, meat cleavers and axes, go up against the well
armed Japanese sailors and marines.
Casualties are heavy on both sides. Rezalas' group is caught in a
cross-fire.
His men a being slaughtered
when an arm comes out of seemingly no where between the prisoners and the
Japanese. It hurls a grenade that bounces down the passageway, careens off a
wall like a well-banked cue ball and scuttles into the Japanese. There's a FLASH
and EXPLOSION, then silence. Out of the small group, only Rezalas, Maria and
John Pedersson are left alive.
Cody steps out of his
hiding place.
Where'd the hell you come
from?
Cody just nods with his
head for them to follow as he steps into a small opening in the bulkhead, then
disappears up a ladder. Rezalas leans in and looks up, then follows Cody, with
Maria and John close after.
INT. VENT - NIGHT
One by one, they climb up
the narrow tunnel into the vent. Once there, they crawl and can hear SOUNDS of
FIGHTING elsewhere in the ship. After a long struggle through the narrow vent,
they emerge into:
INT. CARGO HOLD -
NIGHT
They stand on a catwalk
high above a cavernous cargo hold, filled with thousands of crates and military
equipment, including a tank, a truck, a field gun and Colonel Ono's staff
car. They hurry down a ladder to the
deck and Cody leads them through a maze of crates to a door that leads into
another cargo hold. Instead of crates, this one is filled to the ceiling with
giant teak logs, stacked neatly in place and chained to the deck.
They make their way through
the cargo hold and step through another door into a third room. Like the first,
it is filled with crates and equipment. Cody leads them to an open crate.
This is where I found the
grenade.
He reaches in as he motions
to another crate.
(refers
to writing on crate)
My Japanese isn't all that
great, but I think you'll
find something useful in there.
Rezalas finds an ax and
smashes open the crate. Out spills several machine guns. He grins and tosses
one to Maria and another to her father. Cody looks into another crate, then
looks up curiously.
Rezalas and the others go
over to the crate and peer down into it.
Rezalas looks up at Cody
with a grin, reaches in and pulls out a gold ingot. On its side is the Seal of
the Philippines.
I knew they were thieves,
but this--
(points
to two other crates)
They're all marked the
same, as property of--
A BURST OF GUN FIRE cuts
him short.
(tosses
ingot back in box)
We've got bigger problems.
EXT. KURE MARU -
NIGHT
Outside the ship everything
is tranquil.
INT. BRIDGE - NIGHT
The ship's CAPTAIN appears
calm, but the men standing around the bridge with him are anything but calm.
Danger is near and they know it.
EXT. BRIDGE WING -
NIGHT
A young lookout is too busy
watching over his shoulder in fear and neglects his duty to scan the sea for
danger.
INT. BRIDGE - NIGHT
The Captain glances around
the bridge at his men, then:
Aye, aye, Captain. Full
speed.
There is no need for
concern. Our marines will
have everything under control soon. We must
remain in
position.
EXT. OUTRIGGERS -
NIGHT
They approach the ship as
it moves toward them. The first boat moves into position just as the ship
resumes full speed. Too late, the men in the outrigger cannot change course and
the Kure Maru runs them down. Their SCREAMS are muffled as the boat slips
beneath the cargo ship's bow.
The other outriggers pull
alongside the ship as it moves past them. Grapnel hooks fly through the air. As
the lines go tight, the tiny boats swing around and skip across the ship's wake
and the men begin to climb up the ropes.
EXT. ABOARD SHIP -
NIGHT
A wounded Japanese Sailor
lurches along the deck. As he runs toward a ladder leading to the bridge, he
spots a grapnel hook sliding across the deck then snag on a lifeline. The
sailor glances over the side and sees the outline of a man clinging to the
rope. Frantically, the sailor looks for a weapon, spots a fire ax mounted on
the bulkhead, grabs it and runs to the railing.
Just as the man climbs
aboard the sailor swings the ax. The man SCREAMS and falls back into the sea.
The sailor looks over the side again and someone in one of the outriggers fires
up at him, striking him in the chest.
EXT. NEXT DECK UP -
NIGHT
A Japanese Marine is about
to shoot at one of the men climbing up the rope when Rezalas steps out of the
dark and plunges a knife into the man's back. Rezalas hurries down to the next
deck to help his men aboard and is surprised, then angry, as Phillip climbs
aboard the ship.
So, this is how you obey my
orders!
Behind Phillip, Shannon
climbs aboard.
You! Why did you let this
one come?
If he doesn't obey your
orders, how the hell
do you expect me to make him obey mine!
Besides, he got the boats.
The three whirl around as
Cody rushes up.
We take the bridge and the
ship's ours.
Come, I'll show you how to
claim a prize ship.
INT. BRIDGE - NIGHT
The Ship's Captain paces
nervously. He rings the engine room. An AMERICAN VOICE answers:
Joe's place. What'cha need,
bub?
The Captain looks at the
receiver, then hangs up. As he turns to his crew, a door opens and the biggest
Filipino he's ever seen steps onto his bridge. As his crew cowers, the Captain
faces his enemies.
In the name of the
Philippine government in exile,
and our brave President Osmena, I claim this
ship and her cargo...
POW!
Everyone jumps as the
Captain fires his pistol. A tiny red hole appears in the middle of Rezalas'
shirt. He looks curiously at the Japanese Captain, then at his chest.
What a stupid thing to
do...
He takes a step toward the
Captain and is dead before he hits the floor. Cody catches him and eases the
body down as two men grab the Captain's arms. Others bring their weapons up at
the Captain and his crew.
No! That's exactly what he
wants.
Then I'll be glad to do it
for him!
Pedersson steps between
Cody and the Captain.
Cody studies the Captain's
face. There's no fear. He lowers his weapon. The Captain eyes Cody with contempt
then jerks free his right arm from the Filipino holding him, yanks the man's
bolo knife from his belt and shoves it into his own belly.
Cody looks down at the
dying Captain. Phillip tries his best not to cry as he strokes Rezalas' hair.
We got company, Sarge.
Better come see.
Cody and the others step
out onto the bridge wing. Across the moon-lit water are at least 25 ships. The
Kure Maru is in the middle of a JAPANESE CONVOY.
Anyone know how to drive
this boat?
Perhaps I can be of
assistance.
Everyone turns as three
soldiers and Maria lead Colonel Sangrini to the bridge wing.
We found him hiding in the
nip colonel's room.
Ono decided not to come
along peacefully.
Maria and her father
exchange a knowing glance. He smiles his approval. One of the soldiers nudges Sangrini forward.
SOLDIER #4
This one was enjoying all
the comforts of home.
Cody steps toward Sangrini
with all intentions of smashing his skull, when, again, Pedersson stops him
with a hand on his arm.
If he knows how to pilot
this ship...
Cody jerks his arm away.
We'll manage without him!
Sangrini tries to step back
from Cody but runs into a wall of bodies.
I'm an American officers!
I was a prisoner, just like
you.
To hell you say! He was all
cozy with that Ono.
Colonel Ono was a fellow
officer. He was
only showing respect for my...rank...
(grabs
Sangrini by throat)
This catches everyone's
attention. Up on
his tiptoes, Sangrini looks puzzled.
It's very quiet all of a
sudden. All eyes are on Sangrini.
The crates in the cargo
hold were labeled as
the personal property of Colonel Ono.
I don't know what you're
talking about.
Cody suddenly takes a
pistol and slips it
under Sangrini's chin.
Wrong answer. You're going
over the side.
He starts to move the now
terrified Sangrini to the side.
You don't happen to know
how to navigate, do you,
Colonel? Sangrini grabs at the
glimmer of hope.
Cody starts to lift
Sangrini over the side.
I can! I can! Please,
don't!
Pedersson puts a hand on
Cody's shoulder.
Unless you can navigate
this ship, I don't think we
have much choice.
That'll be more difficult
than you think.
The captain of that
destroyer isn't going to let one
of his charges simply pull away from the
convoy.
We'll worry about that when
the time comes.
Cody grabs Sangrini's
shirt. For an instant, Sangrini is sure Cody is going to toss him over the
side. Then, to his relief, Cody shoves him toward the bridge.
Someone take care of the
bodies. Get someone
down to the engine room who knows what he's doing.
A young Filipino soldier
steps forward.
I work in my father's
garage before war. I can do it.
The sun is high and the
Kure Maru is still in the middle of the convoy, which can be seen through the
bridge windows. Pedersson peers through binoculars. Two soldiers guard the
Japanese bridge crew. Sangrini watches the instruments. Cody steps in to the
bridge.
Pedersson follows Cody out
onto the bridge wing and gazes across the water in the direction of a Japanese
destroyer. The ship is signaling in their direction with flashing lights.
As Sangrini steps out,
Pedersson motions toward the destroyer.
Sangrini studies the
destroyer.
They want to know why we
haven't replied to any
of the maneuvering instructions. They suspect something.
I don't think we have to
worry about it any longer.
Cody turns from the
binoculars. In the background the destroyer is turning and heading for the Kure
Maru.
We have to surrender or
they'll blow us out of the water.
That's insane! This is a cargo ship. How do you
expect to
fight a heavily armed destroyer?
Cody ignores Sangrini and
turns to Pedersson as he points to the bow of the Kure Maru and two
antiaircraft guns.
Get some men on those guns
and wait for my signal.
Sergeant, those are
antiaircraft guns. The only thing
you'll accomplish with those is getting
everyone
aboard this ship killed.
Pedersson gives a slight
smile and heads down a ladder.
SERIES OF SHOTS as
Pedersson and Shannon direct two quickly improvised gun crews in manning the
gun turrets. Others hide in various locations around the ship.
EXT. LEFT GUN MOUNT -
DAY
Keep down. Be ready, in
case that ship
swings around to this side.
(to
man holding ammo clip)
The man pats the clip and
nods.
EXT. BRIDGE WING -
DAY
From his elevated position,
Cody watches the activity in the gun mounts. Maria and Phillip join him and
watch as the destroyer comes closer. Maria slips an arm around Phillip's shoulders.
EXT. JAPANESE
DESTROYER BRIDGE WING - DAY
The Japanese Destroyer
Captain studies the Kure Maru as his ship pulls up alongside the battered cargo
ship. There's no sign of life.
AERIAL SHOT
The two ships steam side by
side. The AMPLIFIED VOICE of the Destroyer Captain drifts across the water:
EXT. DESTROYER WING -
DAY
DESTROYER CAPTAIN
Hail, captain of the Kure Maru. What is the problem?
The Captain speaks into a
megaphone. Then puts it down and picks up his binoculars and scans the Kure Maru.
HIS POV: SLOW PAN
RIGHT TO LEFT, FROM THE KURE MARU'S BOW AND THE TWO ANTIAIRCRAFT GUNS TO THE
BRIDGE. STANDING ON THE BRIDGE IS A TALL, DARK MAN, LOOKING BACK AT THE CAPTAIN
WITH HIS OWN BINOCULARS. THEY STARE AT ONE ANOTHER FOR A LONG MOMENT. THE VIEW
SUDDENLY SWINGS BACK TO THE GUN MOUNTS AND THE CAPTAIN REALIZES WHAT HE MISSED
BEFORE:
The GUNS ARE POINTED AT
HIM! There is an ERUPTION of smoke and fire as they BLAST point blank at his
destroyer.
VARIOUS SHOTS between
destroyer and Kure Maru. Explosions rip the destroyer apart. Sailors run to
their battle stations as the general quarters klaxon BLARES. Seamen run along
the destroyer's decks. The gunners on the Kure Maru track with the seamen like
ducks in a shooting gallery. Men are blown apart or hurled over the side into
the water.
High in the superstructure
of the Kure Maru men fire down at the destroyer with pistols and rifles. The
right antiaircraft gun crew blasts away at the destroyer. The destroyer gun
mount begins to turn toward the Kure Maru. Pedersson points to the destroyer
gun mount.
Fire at the gun mount! Fire
at the gun mount!
On the destroyer, the
Captain calls out orders to his gun crews and watches in agony as his ship
burns from end to end. Just as his gun crew is about to fire there's a huge
explosion in the water between the two ships. Water erupts upward and pours
down on both vessels.
On the Kure Maru men shout
excitedly when they see one of the distant Japanese ships go up in a ball of
flames. They cheer wildly as a line of American dive bombers and torpedo planes
come screaming down out of the blue sky at the convoy.
Cody watches in fascination
as the destroyer's guns swing skyward and begin to fire at the planes. Then he
realizes something.
Get us away from that
destroyer!
Before the order can be
translated to the Japanese quartermaster, the Kure Maru is rocked from stem to
stern when a bomb tears into it. One of the giant cargo booms is torn from the
deck and, as it crashes through the superstructure, it crushes several men.
EXT. LEFT GUN MOUNT -
DAY
The men are puzzled.
What the hell are they
doing?
This is just another Jap
ship to them!
VARIOUS SHOTS as men
scramble for cover or fire up at the planes from both ships. Some are knocked
off their feet as bombs continue to explode on either ship.
Cody glances across the
water and spots the Destroyer Captain directing his men. At that moment, their
eyes meet. The Captain salutes Cody. Then another bomb rips into the Karu Maru.
Cody leans over the edge of the bridge wing and shouts to some men below:
The gun crews hesitates a
moment. Another explosion makes up their minds for them. They swing the
antiaircraft guns upward.
The planes dive so close to
the ships the men can see the pilots. One plane explodes in a burst of flame
and steel. The gun crew CHEERS, then realizes what they've just done. They go
back to the grim work of trying to stay alive.
A tremendous EXPLOSION
sends everyone aboard the Kure Maru sprawling. When they get up, they find that
the destroyer has VAPORIZED. Smoke and fire cover the water, but there's no
sign of the ship and its men.
Everyone looks to where
he's pointing. Two torpedo planes skim the surface of the water as they head
directly at the Kure Maru.
The planes fly straight and
true. The Pilot of the lead planes gives a thumbs up to his friend in the other
plane, just as the second aircraft burst into flames, flips and crashes into
the sea. The Pilot turns back to face his target. He pulls the lever and the
torpedo falls away. Then he pushes the button on the stick and 20mm cannon
shells cut across the deck of the ship.
The plane streaks past the
ship as the right gun crew fires away at it. The shells finally catch up with
the plane and it explodes, just as the torpedo smacks into the side of the Karu
Maru. The ship is lifted out of the water. Thick, black smoke belches from
every part of it as the ship begins to settle, dead in the water.
The decks are littered with
dead and dying. No one is left to fight the fires. Cody watches from the bridge
at the carnage. Maria and Phillip are at his side. She tries to peer through
the smoke. Then she sees her father as he staggers out of the smoke, carrying a
badly burned man.
They hear a WHINE and look
up as a dive bomber drops out of the sky. They watch helplessly as the plane
FIRES its guns. Her father and the other man fall under the fire.
Maria SCREAMS and FAINTS.
INT. BRIDGE - DAY
As Phillip follows, Cody
carries Maria through what is left of the bridge. The entire bridge crew is
dead.
EXT. MAIN DECK - DAY
They are surprised to find
themselves walking in water up to their knees.
We've got to get out of
here. She's going down.
MOMENTS LATER
Cody tries to organize the
survivors. Many stand around in shock, looking more dead than alive. Cody helps
Maria over the edge to Phillip in a raft, then turns to those standing around
in a daze.
This wreck isn't going to
stay up forever.
You've got to get off, now!
NO ONE MOVES. Some stare
across the vast, empty sea. Cody tries to encourage them and pushes some toward
the edge. Some seem to snap out of it and begin to lower themselves onto the
rafts or into the water. Cody starts to climb over the side, when:
If you're leaving this
scow, I need a lift.
Shannon stumbles out of the
smoke. His clothes are shredded and smoke drifts from him like a mist. He is
covered with blood and gore. He is badly burnt and his left arm is gone. He
collapses.
EXT. ON THE WATER -
DAY
The survivors drift a short
distance from the ship. There are twenty or so men and women clinging to debris
as the ship slowly sinks.
ON THE RAFT
Maria strokes Shannon's
head as he lies unconscious. Phillip hugs his legs for warmth. Another woman
tends to more of the wounded. Cody and others cling to the side of the raft.
(glances
at those around him)
Phillip sees something in
the distance. He studies it for a moment.
VARIOUS SHOTS as the storm
builds. Cody swims to the other rafts. He does the best he can to get people to
hold on or tie themselves to the rafts. Some are just too badly hurt and, as
the storm hits, these are the first to disappear. One by one, the survivors'
numbers dwindle.
Cody clings to the raft,
but his strength is no match for the power of the storm and he is washed away.
As he drifts he can hear Maria SCREAMING his name. The crashing waves and rain
soon obliterate any sign of the rafts.
Cody is ALONE.
He goes under a few times,
then he bumps into the body of a Japanese sailor with a life jacket. Cody struggles
to get the jacket off the body. By the time he gets it off the body he is too
tired to slip it on as he clings to it.
FADE OUT
FADE IN
EXT. FREIGHTER S. S.
MORNING STAR - DAY
A sledge hammer hits a
pelican hook, releasing an anchor chain that rattles across a steel deck. The
anchor splashes into murky, brown water.
EXT. SUBIC BAY - DAY
The rusting freighter sits
in the middle of Subic Bay.
SUPER: FIVE YEARS
LATER,
EXT. MAIN DECK,
MORNING STAR - DAY
Five years older and a lot
harder looking, Cody leans on the lifelines and gazes across the bay. His POV
of Grande Island, its shore gun wrecked and rusting as it is already being
reclaimed by the jungle. A sign hangs from the same cranes that once served
Japanese ships: "Welcome To Subic Bay Naval Station."
Cody notices three of the
ship's seamen preparing to lower the motor whaleboat. An old sailor walks by
him and Cody says without turning:
How long before the boat
goes ashore?
The seaman stops his meager
attempts to look busy.
T'wont be long. We be
lowering the whaleboat any minute.
(grins
through broken teeth)
Hell, man, Shannon being
the only other
Irishman in these parts, where else would a man go!
He spits over the side.
There's a SCREAM of protest from the whaleboat. He motions toward the town of
Olongapo, just outside the Navy Base.
They calls that fair city
the armpit of the East.
More'n two hundred bars on just two streets, an'
fifteen thousand ladies.
They HEAR the whaleboat
motor start up as the boat is lowered to the water.
How long's the ship going
to be here?
We're takin' on lumber an'
headin' for Pusan.
Course, as fast as
Ridgeway's movin', we might see
Seoul this time. Use to pull me some good
liberties in
Seoul. Knew me the prettiest little China girl, there.
Your boat's 'bout ready. If
we should meet in town,
the first drink's on me.
They shake hands and he
spits over the side then rambles off. Cody looks over the side and sees one of
the boat crew securing it to the ship's ladder.
A loud speaker CRACKLES and HISSES, then a VOICE announces:
All passengers, the launch
will be leaving for
ship's landing in five minutes.
Cody tosses his Duffle bag
over his shoulder and heads down the ladder. He tosses the bag to a sailor,
steps aboard the whaleboat, retrieves the bag and heads for the back of the
boat, where he sits and watches the other passengers come down the ladder.
First down is KEMP SAWAYA,
a man almost as big as Cody. Deeply tanned, he wears his prematurely gray hair
close cropped. Behind him is STERLING GILES, a little man who looks like he
belongs in a bank teller's cage. Last to come down is a huge black man, ANDREW,
powerfully built, with shaven head. As he lands in the boat, a seaman tosses
the line away and the coxswain pushes the throttle forward. The boat pulls away
from the ship.
EXT. PIER - DAY
The boat unloads its
passengers as a dusty, gray Navy bus waits.
INT. BUS - DAY
As he climbs aboard, Cody
notices several Filipino pygmies squatting at the end of the pier. They have
spread out a large bamboo mat and are displaying miniature bows and arrows,
bolo knives and blowguns for sale.
The young American sailor
driving the bus swings into his seat and flips a series of switches. He notices
Cody's interest in the pygmies.
They're negritos. They're
the only Flips allowed
on the base.
He closes the doors and
jams his way through the gears. The old bus kicks up a cloud of red dust that
settles over the pygmies as it pulls away from the pier.
Cody gazes out the dirty
windows as the bus maneuvers across the base. He sees flashes of that night
when he and Rezalas scurried across the base when it belonged to the Japanese.
The Driver yanks open the
door and the passengers file out.
EXT. NAVY BASE MAIN
GATE - DAY
They pass through the gate
that's guarded by American Marines, who seem impervious to the smothering heat
and humidity. Cody and the others pass through the gate and into the bustling
town of Olongapo.
As he crosses a small,
concrete bridge that spans a sluggish river, Cody looks at the ramshackle
houses built up on stilts that line one side of the foul river. It's the very
same river he and Rezalas swam across earlier. He HEARS children calling out:
Several canoes with young
girls float in the center of the river near the bridge. They hold out wire
baskets and beg for the sailors to throw coins. In the water, their brothers
swim and call out to the servicemen.
A young sailor tosses a
coin and three boys dive for it. One youth gets it and tosses it into a girl's
basket. Another sailor tosses a coin. The boys recognize the Filipino ten
centavo for what it is and let if fall into the water. None dive for it. One
swimmer flips a finger at the sailor.
You cheapskate number one!
I know you. I tell
girlfriend you butterfly.
She give you
"Pilipino" haircut.
He draws a finger across his
throat. The sailor laughs uncomfortably. He throws a quarter. The boys grin
triumphantly then dive for the coin.
EXT. OLONGAPO - DAY
The town is alive with
shoeshine boys, pimps and girls of every shape and shade. Gaudy, multicolored
expatriated Jeeps rumble up and down the dusty streets. The drivers dart their
vehicles in and out of traffic, all the while leaning on their horns.
As Cody moves down the
street, sailors and marines drift from one bar to another. Vendors sell roasted
meat and young transvestites, Bennieboys, compete with the female prostitutes.
Cody stops at a money
exchange and scoops up a pile of pesos as he continues down the street.
Suddenly, he is surrounded by a playful band of children. They laugh and scream
as they chase one another around him in a supposed game of tag. As they run off
two of the boys bump into Cody, then join their playmates running down the
street.
Cody watches curiously as
the children run by Sawaya, who is walking toward him. Sawaya seems amused as
the children run by him. Then he reaches out and GRABS one of the boys by his
wrists. Sawaya picks the SCREAMING boy up and throws him over his shoulder as
he moves toward Cody.
Bystanders watch, but no
one attempts to help the boy. The other children watch for a moment, but when
they spot an approaching policeman, they run off. All, except one boy, that is.
He watches for a moment longer. But when he sees there's nothing he can do, he
runs away.
Across the street from
Cody, a tough looking Filipino man watches as Sawaya walks up to Cody. He pushes a big straw hat back on his head
and walks slowly, never taking his eyes off the two Americans.
Sawaya comes up to Cody and
puts the still protesting boy down.
You better check your
pockets.
Cody checks his wallet.
Then he discovers his front shirt pocket, where he had stuffed the pesos, has
been neatly cut away. The money is gone. He looks down at the boy.
The boy, CARLOS, about 12,
squirms and tries to pull away. Sawaya holds on to his neck.
I no have his damn money!
Sawaya notices the Filipino
policeman approaching. He turns Carlos slight so, he too, sees the man.
Give the man his money, or
I'll give you to that man.
Carlos' eyes widen in fear.
He hesitates, then holds out his hand, revealing the crumpled bills. Cody
scoops them up and slides them into his pant pocket just as the policeman comes
up to them. He looks at Carlos and taps a wooden club in the palm of his hand.
This one, he give you
trouble.
No, officer. No trouble at
all. We were
just asking him to take us to the Shamrock.
Shamrock that way, on the
right.
Next time, you maybe get
directions from
someone more better than street thief.
(touches
Carlos with club)
I see you again, soon
maybe.
He touches the brim of his
hat with the club to the men then walks away.
Why you do that? I take
money. Why you say I don't?
Never mind. Do you know
where the Shamrock is?
Sawaya releases the boy,
who immediately regains his cocky street behavior.
I know all Olongapo. You
want number one boy, I him.
Cody looks at Carlos and
gives a rare smile.
All right, number one. Lead
the way.
Cody and Sawaya look at one
another in amusement at the boy's brashness. Then Cody takes out his money and
peals off a ten peso bill.
CODY
Carlos eyes the bill
hungrily.
He'd kill his best friend
for that much.
Cody doesn't like the
comment. Carlos doesn't pay any attention to it. The boy looks around to see if
anyone has seen the money and hurriedly stuffs it in his pocket.
I think you already have.
Just lead the way. Number one, what's your name?
You got a last name,
Carlos?
With that, he turns and
heads down the street.
Some other time, perhaps.
I've got to meet
someone on the other side of town.
It's a small town. Maybe
we'll run into each other.
They nod
"good-byes" and Sawaya jumps into a passing Jeepney. Down the street,
Carlos turns to look back.
EXT. SHAMROCK CLUB -
DAY
Carlos stops in front of an
open doorway. Stairs lead up to the Shamrock Club on the second floor. Blaring
50's music cascades down to the street.
Carlos starts up the
stairs. Cody grabs him and sets him on the sidewalk.
Why? Number one stay with
boss.
Well, number one, the boss
says you stay put.
You're too young to be going in a place like this.
I born in place like this!
I don't care. You stay
here.
I no want to be your number
one!
As he says this, Carlos
spots the Filipino with the straw hat watching them. Carlos runs off down the
street. Cody watches him for a moment.
Well, there goes ten pesos.
He turns and heads up the
stairs.
INT. SHAMROCK - DAY
It's a dark hole of a place
and it takes Cody's eyes a moment to adjust. It is early morning and there are
already three sailors in the club. Two are with girls picking out songs on the
jukebox. The third sits at a long bar talking with the barmaid. Over in a dark
corner, the rest of the girls chatter and laugh in Tagalog as they eat their
breakfast of rice and vegetables and put on makeup. One comes out of a back
room brushing her teeth, while another folds up a mattress. The barmaid hands
the sailor another beer, then comes down to the end of the bar as Cody sits
down.
She takes a frosty bottle
of beer and pours it into a glass for him.
She looks up as she wipes
off the bar with a rag.
Cody downs the beer in one
steady gulp, then slams the empty glass on the bar, startling the girl. He
leans close to her.
She backs away until she
bumps into the liquor bottles. She looks to the sailor for a sign of support.
He doesn't want to get involved. Cody straightens up and eases up a bit.
She looks involuntarily
toward a curtained doorway at the back of the club. She knows Cody noticed the
look.
Maria, a man want to see
Mr. Shannon.
She looks back at Cody
nervously, then toward the curtain as it parts and Maria steps out. At first,
she does not recognize Cody as she walks toward him.
Cody turns at the sound of
her voice. His breath catches at her beauty. As she comes closer, she finally
recognizes him. Her hands go up to her mouth.
Maria rushes into his arms.
He holds her for a long moment and caresses her long black hair. When she backs
away from him, she takes his hands in hers. Tears streak her face as she looks
up at him.
Too long. Brian's been
looking forward to you coming?
She shakes her head,
fighting the tears.
You're early. We weren't
expecting you for
another week. Brian's out of town.
I caught an earlier ship
leaving Singapore.
(beat)
It'll give me a chance to
look around town.
It's changed. When Brian
gets back we
can drive up and see the old place.
That'd be good. Can I buy
you a drink.
Arm in arm, they go over to
a table. Maria has the barmaid bring over a special bottle of wine. They are
just taking a drink when two rough looking Filipino men come up the stairs. Maria
tenses. Cody touches her arm and she jumps slightly. She attempts a smile. It's
forced. Cody watches the men as they walk over to the bar.
Maria takes a healthy slug
from her drink, then gets up.
Nothing. Excuse me. I have
to take care of some
business. Have another drink. I'll be right back.
Maria walks over to the
bar. Because of the blaring jukebox, Cody can't hear what's being said between
Maria and the two men. He notices the girls in the back of the club have grown
still and are watching intently. Only the two sailors at the jukebox seem
unaware of what is going on.
Maria reaches across the
bar, opens the cash register and hands one of the men some money. He takes it
without counting and puts it into his pocket. Then he reaches out and grabs
Maria's wrist. He's bending it back when Cody steps up behind him.
Even the sailors cut their
chatter at the sound of Cody's cold tone. The two Filipinos, however, are not
easily impressed. The man holding Maria glares at Cody.
She's a friend. That makes
it my business.
The other man steps aside
and with a flip of the wrist a long-handled butterfly knife unfurls in his
hand. He lunges at Cody, who catches his
outstretched arm with his right hand and, in one swift motion, twists it behind
the man's back. Cody puts a knee in the man's back, pulls the arm up, then out.
The arm SNAPS and the man SCREAMS in agony.
The other man pulls Maria
closer to him.
You make big mistake. This
no business of yours.
At the end of the bar, the
sailor sees the Filipino reach behind his back and pull out a gun.
Watch it, he's got a gun!
As the Filipino brings the
gun up, Cody kicks out. His foot neatly misses Maria's head as it catches the
man in the throat. The gun slides across the floor and the man sinks to his
knees, clutching his crushed throat. He gasps for air as Cody calmly brings up
a knee in his face. The man reels back and crashes up against the bar. Cody
turns to the other man, who is just regaining his feet. His dislocated arm
hangs limp at his side.
Take your friend and get
out while you can.
With one arm, the man
struggles to help his friend up. Except for the sound of the one man trying to
breathe through his cracked windpipe, the bar is quiet as a tomb.
I wish you hadn't done
that.
Maria goes back to the
table, away from prying ears.
Steve, I'm grateful.
Really. But if it isn't the Huks,
then it's the police or someone else. It's
the way.
They'll be back. You know that.
They are Huks. Many support
them.
(glances
at girls in back)
I thought the Huks were for
the people?
Why are they bothering you?
She takes a pen and paper
from the smock she's wearing and scribbles an address, then hands it to him.
Go out the back. Please, go
quickly.
Carlos tops the stairs on
the run and slides to a stop in front of Cody.
We go! Police, they come!
Carlos runs over to the
curtains.
Men you beat up pay police.
They come for you, now!
INT. STAIRWAY - DAY
Carlos leads Cody down the
back stairs.
EXT. STREET - DAY
They run out of the
building and hop aboard moving Jeepney. Cody hands the driver the note. The
Jeepney squeals to a stop. The Driver turns around to Cody.
You pay five pesos, okay?
Big trouble to take you out
of bounds. You pay first. Five pesos!
Carlos jumps between Cody
and the Driver.
No! You bandit! Pay him one
peso. No more.
Cody looks back at the
still empty back door, but HEARS heavy boots coming down. He shoves a five peso
bill in the Driver's hand. The man is satisfied. He leers at Carlos in triumph,
then turns and jams the Jeepney through its gears as they speed away.
INT. JEEPNEY - DAY
MOVING SHOT as the vehicle
lurches in and out of heavy traffic. Behind them, four gray-clad policemen,
carrying semi-automatic weapons, run out of the Shamrock's back door. Carlos is
sullen.
You number one fish. You
pay his price.
We didn't exactly have a
lot of time to sit around and
argue about it.
Carlos ignores the
explanation as he folds his arms across his chest and sulks. The Driver turns
and looks at Carlos. He laughs at the boy then turns back to his driving.
EXT. STREET - DAY
The Jeepney darts through
traffic and the Driver leans on the horn. Another turn and the atmosphere
changes instantly. There are no neon signs, no bars, girls, pimps or sailors.
They are replaced by ramshackle houses, built of scrap lumber and corrugated
metal. Children play in dingy doorways and old men squat alongside the homes,
smoking long pipes. Women stand about. One holds a baby on her hip; another
washes clothes in a concrete table; others carry fruit and fish.
It is a GRAY, SMOKE-FILLED
WORLD.
And STRANGELY QUIET.
They are in the OUT OF
BOUNDS area of Olongapo.
The Jeepney slides to a
stop. Cody and Carlos get out and it speeds away in a cloud of exhaust and
dust. The few people who are out seem to melt into the surroundings. Cody and
Carlos stand in front of a two-story building. Cody studies the note and looks
up the stairs that run alongside the building to the second floor. A small
store is on the ground floor.
Cody studies the building
carefully and looks up and down the street. There's a slight movement at one of
the upstairs windows. Cody sees it.
INT. STORE - DAY
Disgruntled, Carlos follows
Cody into the dank little store. An ageless man watches them from behind the
counter. An elderly couple changes their minds about staying and leave. They
eye Carlos with suspicion. He glares back insolently.
Cody goes over to an old
Coca Cola machine, opens the top and takes out a San Meguel and an orange soda,
then goes to the counter and pays for the drinks. He hands the soda to Carlos.
Carlos, you go out and
watch for anyone
who doesn't belong here.
Carlos shrugs and takes a
sip from the soda. The old man behind the counter stiffens slightly but does
nothing as Cody heads for the back of the store. Cody sets his Duffel bag down,
opens it, and takes out a sawed-off shotgun. The old man ducks down behind the
counter as Cody parts a curtain and disappears.
INT. APARTMENT - DAY
The apartment is dark
except for a single beam of light that cuts through a large room. A dark figure
pulls the window curtains apart slightly and looks down to the street. He has a
gun in his right hand.
Another figure comes up
behind the first. The second figure moves like a cat. The first figure peers
out the window as the business end of the shotgun nudges the back of his neck.
The man raises his right hand with the gun in it.
The gun falls to the floor.
Cody shoves the man to the center of the room as he reaches over and flips on a
wall light switch to reveal Shannon, who acts more embarrassed than afraid at
having a shotgun aimed at him. He quickly
regains his composure.
Cody keeps the shotgun
trained on Shannon.
You were expecting someone
else?
Cody picks up the pistol.
You never know who might
pop in these days.
God, it's good to see you.
Cody finally relaxes, sets
the gun on a table and lowers the shotgun. He takes Shannon's hand in a warm
handshake.
All right, what's going
on? Maria said you were out of town.
Cody nods "yes"
and pulls up a chair from the kitchen that he straddles.
I gathered that much from
your wire.
What you don't know is that
right after we sent it,
Sangrini's people got wind...
Sangrini! I thought someone
would have taken care
of him by now.
Not likely. God knows,
there's plenty who'd like to. You
can't get near him. He's got his own private
army and he's more
Powerful than ever. Hell, he has more money than he could
spend in a lifetime.
But not enough to pass up
$30 million in gold.
Shannon's expression tells
Cody there's more bad news.
Not what, who. There's this
guy who goes by the name of
El Jefe, who wants in on the action. Fact is, he
wants it all.
I've heard about him. Huk
leader.
You mean little Phillip
Costa?
He's not little anymore.
After the war, his father's farm had
been taken over by the large land-holding
companies,
like most of the small farms. They tried to appeal to the
government. The
corporations paid off the officials. Sangrini
headed one of the biggest. The small farmers joined
the Huk movement. For a while they put up a
good fight,
but they just about got wiped out last year.Phillip's old man was
one
of the first to get himself killed.
Shannon gets up and goes
over to the refrigerator and takes out two beers. He hands one to Cody, then
sits back down. With only one arm, he has to hold the beer between his knees
while he uses a bottle opener to pop open the bottle.
Right after that, Phillip
took over the band that roams
around here. Now they need money for weapons, so
they've turned to the protection racket.
I saw some of their work at
the Shamrock.
I was there when a couple
of them came in to collect.
She's okay. But if those
two are an example of Phillip's control...
I'll keep that in mind.
Now, what about the gold?
Shannon pulls himself up
out of the chair and paces.
I've got to make sure Maria
is...
Relax, she's fine. She'll
be here any time.
I came a long way. Now, I'm
no greedier than the next
guy, but there's no sense in dealing with two
opposing teams.
Is there any chance of working something out with Phillip?
It's political with him. He
figures since the gold came from
the Luzon mines, it rightfully belongs to the people.
And he represents the
people?
They turn at the sound of
the front door opening. Cody raises the shotgun as Maria comes in. She is
startled to see the weapon pointed at her, but regains her composure and heads
for the kitchen with an armful of groceries.
I see you two have gotten
reacquainted.
Shannon goes over to her.
Are you okay? Steve said
there was...
Maria pats him
affectionately on the arm and kisses him on the cheek.
Yes, and Steve took care of them...for now.
How long has it been since
you've had lumpia?
Then I suppose it's about
time I fix you some.
She goes into the kitchen
and Shannon shakes his head in wonder.
INT. LIVING ROOM -
NIGHT
The dinner dishes remain on
the table nearby. The three sip beer and Shannon finishes telling a story:
...she kept me alive. She tied
me to that raft when
the storm came up. Afterwards, Maria and Phillip and
me
were the only ones still alive... as far as we knew.
Maria is upset and gets up
as she starts to clean the kitchen table. She stops with a handful of dishes
and looks at Cody.
We drifted for days. There
was no sign of...
After a while, we figured
we were the only ones who made it.
Maria tries to smile, but
can't quite manage it.
By the time we were found,
I had her feeling
so sorry for me she had to marry me.
Liar. You wouldn't let
anyone feel sorry for you.
I've never known a man who
could joke about what he's
gone through.
Now you've gone an'
embarrassed me. Go with you,
now and get me another beer, like a good lass.
Maria brings him a beer.
She touches his leg as she passes him. Neither sees a slight shift in Cody's
expression. Maria goes back and brings out a plate full of food and heads for
the door.
Where you going with that?
The boy, Carlos, he's still
out side.
Cody jumps up and takes the
food from her.
I forgot about him out
there. I'll take it to him.
A subtle smile shows Maria
is surprised, and pleased, at this side of Cody.
EXT. STAIRS - NIGHT
Carlos looks up from the
bottom of the stairs when the door opens. Cody carries the food down to him.
The boy takes the food without a word and wolfs it down with his fingers.
ACROSS STREET
The Filipino man with the
straw hat watches from the shadows.
INT. HOUSE - NIGHT
Cody walks in leading
Carlos. As Maria smiles, it's a debate who's more embarrassed, Cody or Carlos.
Well, he was hungry, and
it's getting cold out there.
He said he didn't have any
place to sleep.
She goes over and puts an
arm around Carlos' frail shoulders and leads him into another room.
I have a boat and diving
equipment in the village of San Antonio.
You do know something about
this new aqualung gear?
(holds
up beer as Maria enters)
A toast. To the Kure Maru.
May she one day rest in peace.
Two bottles CLINK in a
salute.
EXT. BUS DEPOT - DAY
The old Victory Liner bus
depot is a sea of brown skin, dusty clothes, crying babies, squealing pigs and
clucking chickens. People jostle and
elbow as they climb aboard various buses.
Packages and crates of animals are passed up to waiting hands on top of
the buses. Cody, Maria and Shannon board one of the buses.
INT. BUS - DAY
Shannon and Maria make
their way to an empty seat. Cody scans the crowd outside the bus. In the back
of the bus, Carlos hides from them.
EXT. BUS DEPOT - DAY
The old bus pulls
away. A moment later, the Filipino in
the straw hat steps out of a doorway. He takes his sun glasses off and cleans
them on his shirt tail as he walks over to a black sedan and climbs in next to
the driver. As the electric window rises and the car pulls away, he turns and
reveals Sangrini in the back seat.
EXT. MOUNTAIN ROAD -
DAY
GEARS GRINDING, the bus
struggles up a steep grade. The bus is like a huge, rusting ark as it carries
its cargo of humans and animals through the mountain pass.
INT. BUS - DAY
Cody seems oblivious to the
din as he stares out the window at the dense jungle.
EXT. MOUNTAIN ROAD -
DAY
The grade is getting
steeper and the bus crawls up the road. A truck approaches from behind. As it
begins to pass the bus, the Driver honks the horn.
INT. BUS - DAY
The Bus Driver signals with
a wave of his arm out the window for the truck to pass. Cody glances to his
left and sees the truck. He also sees Sawaya in the front seat. Sawaya looks up
and their eyes meet. There is a coldness in Sawaya's expression as the truck
speeds past.
EXT. MOUNTAIN ROAD -
DAY
The bus finally reaches the
top of the hill, then races down the other side and through a small village,
scattering dogs, chickens and villagers.
The bus maneuvers around a
twisting curve. As it comes around the curve, three men stand in the middle of
the road. All are ARMED.
INT. BUS - DAY
The Driver jams the brake
peddle to the floor. Women and children SCREAM in panic as the men SWEAR at the
Driver. Cody sees the gunmen through the dirty windshield. He glances back at
Shannon and Maria. They look concerned, but not frightened. In the back of the
bus, Carlos peeks out from behind a man.
EXT. MOUNTAIN ROAD -
DAY
The gunmen stand firm as
the bus slides to a stop. One man with a machine gun fires a burst in front of
the bus. Screaming and crying can be heard. The gunmen with the machine gun
approaches the bus door. The frightened Driver can only stare down at him.
Open the goddamed door, you
idiot!
A woman SCREAMS and it's
like a rushing river. The cries and screams pick up momentum, working its way
back through the bus. The Driver opens the door.
The terrified people pile
out of the bus. The three masked gunmen separate Cody, Maria and Shannon from
the others. Even though they are wearing masks, there's something familiar
about one of them. Cody studies the man when his attention is pulled back to
the bus as a gunman screams:
Little shit! Do as I say!
Cody is stunned to see
Carlos being dragged from the bus by his hair over to the other Filipinos.
Carlos struggles with the gunman. The gunman lets him go and slaps him hard
across the face. Carlos is not stupid. He quits resisting.
I tell you, you make big
mistake.
Cody turns to the man. The
RASPY VOICE marks him as the man Cody hit in the throat. The man touches a dark
bruise on the side of his neck as he glares.
Behind them the other two
gunmen bark orders in Tagalog at the passengers. Slowly, at first, they move
away from the bus, not sure if they're going to be killed or not. When they're
far enough from the bus to be sure the gunmen are not going to shoot them, they
move quickly around the next bend in the road.
One of the gunmen takes a
can of gasoline off the back of the bus and goes inside, where he pours the
contents over the seats. He jumps out, tosses the can in a ditch, then strikes
a match and flips it in the open door. He pulls down his mask and walks toward
the others smiling as the bus begins to burn.
All watch silently as the
fire builds and the windows explode. The gunmen laugh as the terrified pigs and
chickens scream. Then there's only the ROAR of the fire and EXPLODING objects
inside the bus.
One of the gunmen leers at
Maria and starts to grab her. Shannon jumps in the way. The gunman swings
without hesitation, hitting Shannon in the face, sending him spinning back,
where Cody catches him. The other two gunmen trot over to them.
One of the two men suddenly
pitches forward, face first into the dirt. The back of his head is a bloody
pulp. Cody dives for Shannon and Maria, knocking them to the ground. A second
gunman turns toward the trees. He fires his weapon wildly, then runs behind a
rock. He rises to shoot at the tree line and Cody steps up behind him. A knife
flashes across the man's throat.
The Huk from the bar
realizes his two friends are dead. He screams insanely and swings around,
pointing his weapon at Shannon and Maria. He is just about to squeeze the
trigger when there's a puff of dust in the middle of his back, then a red
stain. He drops to his knees and falls forward, dead.
Cody doesn't act surprised
when Sawaya steps out from the trees. He is, however, somewhat surprised to see
Giles holding a sniper rifle, as he leads Carlos.
Good to see you again,
Cody.
My associate, Sterling
Giles.
Giles steps forward, smiles
and shakes hands all around.
Sawaya reaches back and
brings out Carlos.
I believe you know this
young fellow. Says
he's with you.
Carlos stares at the three
bodies, then at Cody.
I guess we can't throw him
back now.
We better do something with
them.
Giles goes over and grabs
the shirts of two of the bodies and, with surprising strength, hauls them to
the ditch. He comes back for the third.
Never would have figured
the little guy to be in this sort
of business.
Old Sterling, there, is one
of the best... in the business.
Just what business are you
in, Mr....
Kemp Sawaya. And my friend
is Sterling Giles.
We're here to help you get the gold from the Kure Maru.
Please, Mr. Shannon, let's
not play games.
I know all about her and
the cargo she carried.
Hell, everyone in
the PI knows about the Kure Maru.
Give me one good reason why
we should cut you in?
I kinda figure you owe me.
I've had tougher folks than
them try to put me under.
I ain't dead yet.
All the same, you're going
to need all the help you can
get when you go up against Sangrini and El Jefe.
We can handle Sangrini. And
as for El Jefe...
Sangrini's got a boat and
is about to go after the Karu Maru himself.
It's my business to know
these things.
Cody, Shannon and Maria
exchange glances.
Great! That's equal shares,
right.
Now wait just a damned
minute! No one...
Equal risk, equal shares.
Sure, why not! Why don't we just broadcast it all over
the
whole country so's anyone who wants to tag a long
can just jump aboard.
Shut up. He might be of
some use.
Why think you, Mrs.
Shannon. And that I might, since
you have more trouble than a few scrawny Huks
to worry about,
my friend.
We'll see who's friend you
are.
You better make up your
mind fast. Sangrini's got
some hired help himself.
We know. There's not a pro
in the bunch.
Remember the big black on
the ship, Andrew?
You might recall him better
from a piece of work he did in
Sierra Leone.
For a few diamonds, he
wiped out an entire village of
400 people.
They hop into the truck and
speed away.
EXT. SAN ANTONIO -
DAY
The truck eases through the
fishing village toward a long wooden pier. Something is wrong. The villagers
are out and about, but they are distant and fearful. Even the children keep
away.
EXT. PIER - DAY
The truck pulls up onto the
pier. A large boathouse sits to one side. At the end of the pier is the
ESMERALDA, Shannon's boat.
EXT. ESMERALDA - DAY
The boat is a curious
mutant, having been built from spare parts of many boats after the war. Someone
had begun to paint it, but had botched the job. Shannon notices Cody's look of
dismay.
Don't let her looks fool
you. She may not be pretty,
but she's got heart. She'll take us anywhere we
want to go.
Give the old girl a chance.
I've had the engines worked on,
and she's tight as a drum. She'll do herself
proud.
Looks like something I once
threw up.
I think she is very
beautiful. She looks like my friend's
Jeepney. Only bigger.
Shannon looks over the boat
for someone.
Now where's that old fart?
I told him to have her
fired up and ready to go.
Shannon walks up gangplank.
Edwardo. He's probably
tanked again.
The others come aboard.
Maria and Giles sit at a small table in the middle of the afterdeck. Sawaya
leans against a lifeline and Cody ventures down into the cabin. Carlos follows
Cody.
I knew I shouldn't have
paid him all at once. Hell, he
probably drank himself to death.
He slides a hatch cover to
the engine room back and looks down inside.
I tell you, when I find
that old man, I'm gonna kill...
Shannon stares down into
the engine room. His POV: The crumpled
body of an old man. His hands are tied and his head is a mass of purple and
yellow mush.
Shannon stumbles away from
the hatch. Sawaya goes over and looks down for a moment, then turns abruptly
and jumps for his Duffle bag. Reading his reaction, Giles starts to reach
inside his jacket for his weapon.
EXT. WHEELHOUSE - DAY
The door opens and Sangrini
steps out. Andrew is beside him holding a BAR machine gun.
I wouldn't, if I were you.
Weapons are COCKED. Shannon
and the others turn to see Sangrini's men lined along the pier. Their weapons
are trained on those in the boat. In the front ranks is the Filipino who has
been following Cody all along.
You bastard! You didn't
have to kill the old man!
Shannon starts to move
toward the ladder leading up to the wheelhouse. Andrew lowers his weapon and
points it at Shannon.
No, but your hired thug probably did.
INT. CABIN - DAY
Cody and Carlos HEAR the
exchange above. Cody peeks out the door and sees his Duffel bag leaning against
a wench. It is too far away. He searches the cabin for a weapon.
EXT. WHEELHOUSE - DAY
Sergeant Cody, if you'd
please join us on deck.
INT. CABIN - DAY
Cody looks up the ladder,
then to Carlos and puts a finger to his lips. He points to a small hatch.
Carlos nods that he understands.
We're waiting, sergeant. I
would hate to have to
put a bullet in one of your friends.
EXT. DECK - DAY
Cody emerges from the
cabin, hands over head. Sangrini signals for some of his men to come
aboard. As they do they search Cody and
the others for weapons.
One of the men starts for
her. Shannon is about to step in the way, when Cody does. The gunman stops and
looks up at Sangrini.
The man leers as he feels
Maria up and down. After one time he
knows there's no weapon, but he gets a good feel all the same. Shannon can barely hold his temper. Maria
looks into his eyes, signaling for him not to try anything.
Andrew comes down the ladder,
landing in front of Cody. He reaches out and grabs Maria, pulling her to him.
His arm around her neck, he glares at Cody, who starts for him, but is stopped
when the other men snap their weapons to their shoulders. Andrew grins at Cody
and holds a gleaming combat knife to Maria's throat. He motions for Cody to
come for him with a flick of the knife.
That's enough, Andrew. You
can let Mrs. Shannon go, now.
Andrew slowly withdraws the
knife and replaces it under his coat. He smiles at Cody.
You come to me one day. I
cut you good.
There's really no sense in
us fighting one another.
We can be of use to one another.
Where have I heard that
before!
You have the men and
expertise on
the aqualung equipment.
And we know where the Kure
Maru is.
I have men who can dive.
And I can offer my protection.
From me? I would call it cooperation. No,
I am offering you
protection from El Jefe.
We have nothing to fear
from him.
I don't think he will take
it too kindly that you killed three of
his men. You have as much to fear from
him as you do me.
We both want the gold.
We're both more than willing to do
anything to get it,
Only I am... realistic. I
am willing to share.
You're not in a position to
refuse me anything. Cooperate, or
my men will begin some very unpleasant work
on your
companions... beginning with the little woman.
You bloody coward. Give me
a chance and...
Enough! Will you cooperate
or not?
Sangrini comes down the
ladder, takes Maria by the arm and leads her off the boat. His men escort the
others. They follow Sangrini to the boathouse.
INT. BOATHOUSE - DAY
Sangrini leads them around
a wooden walkway that encircles a magnificent yacht.
I named her Vesuvius. Like
her namesake, her real power
is beneath the surface. You will stay here
tonight. I have business
in town. When I return, we will leave.
Sangrini turns to the
Filipino with the straw hat, RAMON SANTOS.
Sangrini bows slightly to
Maria, then leaves. Santos escorts them aboard the Vesuvius.
INT. VESUVIUS - DAY
They go down a steep ladder
and through a narrow passageway, through a large dining room, then into a small
room. Santos locks the door behind them.
INT. STATEROOM - DAY
Cody peers out a small
porthole. He can't see the guards, but he can HEAR one. Cody leans away from
the porthole and studies the tired faces in the room.
EXT. ESMERALDA -
NIGHT
Carlos slips over the side
into the water and swims around the pier to the boathouse. A few feet from the
boathouse he hears a THUD up on the pier. Just as a guard comes to the edge of
the pier, Carlos takes a deep breath and slips beneath the surface.
A few moments later, he
surfaces near a piling. He swims silently to the boathouse. He hears two men
talking above him on the pier. He takes another breath and goes under the
boathouse.
INT. BOATHOUSE -
NIGHT
Carlos surfaces beside the
Vesuvius. He almost chokes when he sees that he has come up next to a man's
legs on the walkway. Carlos pushes back under a little too quickly, causing a
slight SPLASH.
Santos turns at the SOUND.
He studies the ripples in the water, then shrugs it off and goes back to
stoking a fire in a 50-gallon oil drum. He breathes in the aroma of a pot of
bubbling rice and vegetables.
The cook smiles, picks up a
wooden bowl and fills it, then hands it to Santos. Carlos surfaces on the other
side of the boat. He freezes when he HEARS someone above.
Hey, how about some chow?
The guard walks around the
bow over to the gangway.
What the hell. I haven't
had anything to eat, all day.
He walks down the gangway
and accepts a bowl. Carlos slips aboard the boat and crawls on all fours along
the cabin. He checks each porthole until he comes to the one where he sees Cody
and the others.
INT. STATEROOM -
NIGHT
Cody hears TAPPING. He
turns to see Carlos' grinning face through the porthole. Cody jumps up and
opens the small window.
No! I told you to go for
help.
Before Cody can reply,
Carlos disappears.
INT. BOATHOUSE -
NIGHT
Carlos creeps back and
peeks around the edge of the cabin. The three guards are eating and talking.
Carlos rounds the corner and starts down into the cabin. He panics when his wet
feet slip on the stairs and he falls forward. He flails out and grabs a brass
hand-hold attached to the ceiling above the stairs. As he hangs, he listens.
The guards laugh. Carlos looks down. He is only a few feet from the deck. He
drops and runs down the passage-way to the door of the room where Cody and the
others are held prisoners.
(studies
the padlocked door)
INT. STATEROOM -
NIGHT
INT. CABIN - NIGHT
Carlos searches through
book shelves near the door. Nothing. He passes a display case full of crystal.
He checks a gun cabinet. Locked. He checks the bar. Still no key. He goes back
to the door.
Try to find something to
take off the hinges.
A screw driver or
something.
Carlos goes over to the
galley.
INT. STATEROOM -
NIGHT
Sawaya looks out the
porthole. He stiffens as the guard turns as if to come back aboard the boat.
They're not going anywhere.
As Sawaya watches, Santos
takes out a bottle, gulps down a healthy swallow and holds it out to the guard,
who laughs nervously then takes the bottle.
INT. CABIN - NIGHT
Carlos searches the drawers
in the galley. He discovers several knives, but no screw driver.
INT. BOATHOUSE -
NIGHT
The cook hands the bottle
over to Santos, who takes another quick drink. The guard is getting edgy. He
glances toward the small room at the back of the boathouse.
If the black one wakes up,
he'll skin me.
That one sleeps like the
dead. Stop worrying.
INT. CABIN - NIGHT
Carlos closes the last
drawer. He looks around and finally spots a small latch at the bottom of the
wall. He pulls on it and a door swings up. Inside he finds cleaning gear and a
large tool box.
INT. BOATHOUSE -
NIGHT
The guard has had enough.
He hands the bottle back to Santos.
INT. CABIN - NIGHT
Carlos catches the last
screw from the top hinge. He steps down from a chair. He stops when he hears
the guard coming back aboard the boat. He turns back to the door and attacks
the remaining screws in the bottom hinge.
EXT. BOAT - NIGHT
The guard takes out a pack
of cigarettes and lighter. When he strikes the lighter he sees the trail of wet
footprints going down into the boat. He clicks the lighter shut and tosses the
cigarette over the side as he unslings his weapon and inches toward the door
leading down into the cabin.
INT. CABIN - NIGHT
Carlos hears a board CREAK
somewhere up the passageway. The screw driver slips and gouges his left hand.
He ignores the wound and works at the hinge.
The guard eases down the
ladder and makes his way through the passageway. Carlos steals a glance over
his shoulder and can see a white sneaker step up to the door. He turns back to
the hinge.
Carlos turns slowly and
finds himself looking down the barrel of a machine gun. The guard motions for
Carlos to move away from the door.
Carlos moves sideways from
the door, forcing the guard to turn his back to it.
Carlos continues to move
sideways.
Stop! I asked you a ques...
The guard realizes what the
boy was up to. He turns and sees the screw driver. Just as he notices the
bottom hinge hanging from one screw, the door explodes down on him.
INT. BOATHOUSE -
NIGHT
Santos hears a CRASH from
inside the boat.
A noise! You better go
check it out.
Why don't you check. I'll
stay here and watch.
Santos rests his weapon on
the window sill, aimed at the Cook.
No problem. I'll check it
out.
The Cook picks up his
weapon and strolls to the gangway. He is nervous as he gets aboard the boat and
edges over to the door leading down into the cabin.
INT. PASSAGEWAY -
NIGHT
The Cook eases down the
ladder and stays close to the bulkhead as he moves down the passageway. He
makes it to the door. He slowly pushes the door latch down, then throws the
door open and is just bringing his weapon up when he is hit by a blast from a
machine gun. The Cook's body is thrown down the passageway.
Cody runs to the body,
takes the weapon and tosses it to Sawaya. He runs for the ladder. Sawaya goes
over to the gun cabinet and smashes the glass door.
EXT. BOAT - NIGHT
Cody tops the ladder and
comes out on deck just as Andrew runs out the room at the back of the
boathouse. Andrew's puzzled expression disappears when Cody pops up with a
shotgun. Andrew dives for a stack of crates just as Cody fires. The top crate
turns to sawdust. Cody pumps another shell into the chamber as other men emerge
from the back room, firing as they come. Cody ducks and sparks fly as bullets
ricochet off Vesuvius' steel hull.
The last man out the door
doubles over, then flies back when he's hit by another round. Cody hears a
REBEL YELL from inside the boat. Cody jumps up and fires at another fleeing
man. The shot misses him and tears out a chunk of the door frame just as the
man leaps through the door.
The boathouse is a beehive
as bullets whine through the air from all directions. Sawaya and Giles make
their way outside and around the superstructure as Cody pumps shell after shell
into the crates and out windows. Andrew sits behind his cover, which is being
whittled away. He shouts:
Santos leans in the window
and rakes the Vesuvius as Andrew jumps for the door. Sawaya squeezes off a long
burst at Andrew as he races for the door in a zigzag pattern. Bullets rip up
the wall and floor behind him. Sawaya is just about to catch up with Andrew
when the Thompson submachine gun is ripped from his hands. He jumps behind the
protective armor and sees the shattered gun on the deck.
EXT. BOATHOUSE -
NIGHT
Sangrini's men pour fire
through the wooden walls.
INT. BOATHOUSE -
NIGHT
Cody and the others fire
right back through the walls. The door to the back room opens and the man who
was hit earlier stumbles out with a a .45 pistol clinched in his hand. He tries
to make it to the side door. Cody fires and the slug catches the man in the
leg. He spins and flattens up against the wall where he is cut down by fire
from his own friends. he falls against
the steel drum, knocking it over, sending smoldering embers over the walkway.
The dry wood bursts into
flame and the fire races up the walls then across the ceiling. In seconds the
Vesuvius and all aboard her are engulfed in a furnace. Cody shields his face
against the heat. He spots Sawaya moving around toward the wheelhouse.
Can you get this thing
going!
They duck inside as the
windows begin to explode. Burning debris rains down on the boat. Sawaya pushes
a button and the engine roars. He jams the throttle in reverse. The boat
lurches back and suddenly stops. Sawaya looks out a shattered window and sees
the boat is tied to the walkway. He shouts over the roar of the fire:
The lines! Got to untie the
lines!
Cody and Giles jump to the
walkway. Cody runs forward; Giles runs to the stern. Giles is driven away from
the lines by the heat. He picks up the .45 pistol on the walkway and fires at
the line. The rope gives way.
Sawaya squints through the
shimmering heat and spots Cody struggling with the rope. He pushes the throttle
forward slightly, putting slack in the line. Cody tosses it in the water.
Sawaya pulls the throttle back just as the roof of the boathouse starts to cave
in.
The boat's sudden move
catches Cody by surprise. He leaps for the boat but misses and plunges into the
water. He surfaces and grabs the rope. The Vesuvius crashes through the flaming
door in a shower of sparks and splinters, pulling Cody with it.
EXT. PIER - NIGHT
The gunmen leap for cover
as Shannon and the others spray the pier. Andrew fires at Giles and smiles as
the distant figure clutches his side and topples into the water. Too late, he
sees another man swim around to the other side of the boat, out of the line of
fire.
EXT. BOAT - NIGHT
Cody sees Giles come up
once then go below the surface. He kicks hard and dives. A few moments later,
he comes up towing Giles by the hair. Cody swims for the boat, where Carlos and
Maria lower a ladder and help them aboard.
INT. WHEELHOUSE -
NIGHT
Cody joins Sawaya and
Shannon. They are out of range, but Andrew and his men continue to fire at
them. The bullets fall harmlessly into the water several yards from the boat.
I need a drink. Why don't
we see what kind bar Sangrini keeps.
Sawaya studies the water in
front of the boat as he steers her toward open sea.
EXT. WHEELHOUSE -
NIGHT
As they head for the lower
compartments, Shannon tells Cody:
I gave him the first set of
bearings. He seems to
know a bit about navigation. Lucky for us, since Edwardo
was
going to skipper the Esmeralda.
Not so lucky for Edwardo.
EXT. PIER - NIGHT
Sangrini's black sedan
pulls onto the pier. He gets out and surveys the scene. Remarkably, he doesn't
go into a rant, which seems to frighten his men more than if he had. He just
walks towards the end of the pier and the Esmeralda.
INT. ESMERALDA ENGINE
ROOM - NIGHT
As one of Sangrini's men
primes the ancient engine, two others drag Edwardo's body out. The man pushes
the starter button. The engine wheezes,
groans and belches to life. There's an explosion of thick, oily smoke. The man
tinkers with the engine and it smoothes out. He grins at Sangrini.
INT. ESMERALDA
WHEELHOUSE - NIGHT
Sangrini scans the bay with
binoculars. Andrew watches beside him.
EXT. PIER - NIGHT
The Esmeralda pulls away
from the pier, leaving a trail of gray smoke and a thin coat of oil on the
water.
EXT. VESUVIUS - DAY
The rising sun paints the
Vesuvius in a warm glow.
INT. VESUVIUS
WHEELHOUSE - DAY
Cody relieves Sawaya at the
wheel.
ANGLE ON CHART on table,
particularly Sulu Sea region.
Cody holds a large
handleless mug of steaming coffee. He sips as he stares across the water. Maria
is seated by a window. It is a quiet moment as all watch the rising sun.
Cody and Maria exchange a
glance. A WARMTH passes between them.
The boat SHUDDERS. There's
a HIGH PITCHED GRINDING SOUND. Then the boat begins to SHAKE VIOLENTLY. Cody
shuts off the engine and the NOISE and VIBRATIONS stop instantly. Sawaya comes
running through the open door.
Felt like it came from
below.
Shannon enters the
wheelhouse.
EXT. VESUVIUS - DAY
Cody pushes past the others
and slides down the ladder to the main deck. The others follow. Cody looks over
the side, then turns to Sawaya.
Get the gear. We'll have to
go down for a look.
UNDERWATER - DAY
Plankton-filled beams of
light streak down through the water and disappear in the depths. Cody and
Sawaya swim under the hull and immediately see the problem: a broken piece of
timber from the boathouse is lodged between the hull and the prop. A blade is
embedded into the wood. They try to pull it free. No good. Cody signals for
them to surface.
On the surface, they pull
their face masks up as the others lean over the side to talk to them.
There's a piece of wood
wedged into the prop.
We need something to pry it loose.
Giles sprints down into the
boat and is back in a moment with a five foot length of pipe.
This won't take too long.
Cody and Sawaya slip their
masks on and dive under the boat.
INT. WHEELHOUSE - DAY
Carlos watches the sea with
binoculars. There's a movement in the water. It doesn't seem to register with
him at first. Then he sits up when he sees it again. A large dorsal fin cuts
through the water. Carlos runs out the door shouting and pointing frantically:
Shark! Shark! Over there!
EXT. MAIN DECK - DAY
Shannon, Maria and Giles
look where Carlos is pointing. Giles acts immediately. He starts to put on
diving gear. His wound makes it difficult.
You're in no condition to
go down.
Dammit, woman, help me or
get out of the way!
His outburst catches
everyone by surprise. Maria helps him into the gear. He grabs a speargun and
drops into the water.
UNDERWATER - DAY
Cody and Sawaya are
surprised to see Giles, especially with the speargun. Giles points out toward
the beams of light. At first, they don't see anything. Then a dark form circles
one of the beams of light. It is GIGANTIC. They watch, mesmerized, as the huge
creature circles the light, opens its huge mouth and pierces the light, sucking
in thousands of pounds of tiny sea life. It is a whale shark.
EXT. MAIN DECK - DAY
Maria recognizes the animal
for what it is.
It's harmless. It only eats
plankton.
INT. WHEELHOUSE - DAY
Empty, no one sees a tiny
green BLIP on the radar screen.
EXT. MAIN DECK - DAY
Everyone is intent on
watching either the whale shark or the divers' bubbles. They don't notice the
Esmeralda approaching from behind them. Carlos turns to go up to the wheelhouse
and sees the boat. It's already too late.
Andrew fires a machine gun burst across the Vesuvius' bow.
UNDERWATER - DAY
The three divers hear the
bullets hitting, then streaking through the water. They also see the hull of
another boat pull up alongside the Vesuvius.
EXT. MAIN DECK - DAY
Shannon starts to reach for
the .45 in his waistband.
That would be a big
mistake.
Shannon takes the weapon
out slowly and drops it to the deck. Santos jumps aboard the Vesuvius with a
line and secures the two boats together. Sangrini and Andrew step aboard.
Santos comes from looking
over the side.
Sangrini joins Santos and
sees the air bubbles coming up from below the boat. A pair of swim fins sail
over the side and land on the deck.
Hey, someone give me a
hand.
Sangrini nods to Andrew,
who goes over to the side. Giles looks up in apparent surprise. He starts up
the ladder.
Giles reaches down and
takes the knife from the leg scabbard and hands it up to Andrew.
UNDERWATER - DAY
Cody and Sawaya slip out of
their tank harnesses and fasten them to the shaft. They turn down the flow of
bubbles and swim away. They pass beneath the Esmeralda's hull, then split up.
They rise slowly on opposite sides of the boat.
EXT. ESMERALDA - DAY
Sawaya comes up under an
old tire hanging over the side. He holds on a moment to catch his breath, then
climbs aboard. Forward, Cody huddles against the superstructure. Each works his
way aft. Cody peeks around a corner and sees a guard with his back to him. He
climbs up to the wheelhouse. Sawaya sneaks into the superstructure through a
side door. Speargun in hand, Cody positions himself above and waits for Sawaya
to make his move.
INT. ESMERALDA - DAY
Sawaya looks through a
small opening in the door at the guard's back. The guard suddenly turns, but
his eyes are shut tight as his mouth opens wide in a tremendous yawn. He
doesn't see Sawaya right in front of him. Sawaya's hand shoots out, grabs the
surprised man by the back of the head and rams his face into the door. The man
goes limp. Sawaya pushes the door aside, grabs the man's weapon and sights in
on Sangrini's head.
EXT. ESMERALDA - DAY
Okay, let's everyone just
relax. Put the
hardware down, real slow.
Andrew spins around. His
weapon is coming up when he sees Cody sighting down the speargun at him. Andrew
lowers his weapon.
Andrew shoves it across the
deck.
Santos and three others
throw their weapons down.
Too bad. I was really
hoping you'd try
something. All right, everyone move back.
Sangrini and his men move
back as Sawaya and Cody come aboard.
MOMENTS LATER, Sawaya and
Giles put on the finishing touches to hog-tying Sangrini and his men.
Yesterday, you made us a proposition.
Today, I have one for you.
We'll be taking the
Esmeralda back and you can have your fancy toy.
Of course,
it'll take a bit of doing to get her running again.
Not really. We'll take the
diving gear. If you do
manage to get her moving, I suggest you head back to
Luzon.
Next time, I'll shoot you
on sight.
Leaving us out here like
this, you might as well
do it now and get it done with.
I'm really sorry you feel
that way.
I will hunt you down. I
will find you.
Cody raises the speargun
and points it at Andrew's chest.
Well, I can't very well go
around with something
like that hanging over my head. So I might...
Cody squints one eye as if
he could miss from five feet away. Andrew's chin thrusts out defiantly. Cody's
finger closes down on the trigger. Andrew's eyes twitch. Sweat forms on his
forehead.
...as well take care of you
right now.
Then I won't have to worry
about you anymore.
As the others watch in
shocked silence, Andrew's rock steadiness is betrayed by his sweat-drenched
face.
Andrew jumps back and
crashes against the bulkhead. The spear strikes the wooded deck between his
legs. He looks down at the shimmering spear and slowly raises his head to glare
in hatred at Cody.
I will kill you, slow, with
my hands.
Maybe. But not today, big
fellow.
Sawaya closes the door to a
small room in which Sangrini and his men have been placed, then slips a length
of pipe through the handle and jams it under the dogging levers on either side
of the door.
INT. ESMERALDA ENGINE
ROOM - DAY
Giles climbs down into the
engine room and surveys the machine. Sawaya looks down through the open hatch.
Giles strokes the big
engine as if petting a cat.
They stopped making these
20 years ago.
No tellin' how long she'll
hold out.
Do the best you can. We've
got a ways to go.
Giles turns to his work. In
moments it's obvious he's at home with machinery.
The boat belches a cloud of
smoke and pulls away from the Vesuvius.
The men turn from battering
the heavy metal door.
This is getting us nowhere.
He points to the smallest
man in the group.
See if you can squeeze
through there.
Sangrini motions to one of
the portholes. The man studies it a moment, then shucks off his clothes. Two
men get on either side of him and hoist him up. The man slips his head through,
then grunts as his shoulders collide with the bulkhead. They back him away,
then he bends his shoulders, sticks one arm through first, then slips through
easily.
EXT./INT. VESUVIUS -
DAY
The little man climbs up
the side of the boat, scampers back down into the vessel and takes the steel
bar out of the door. Andrew bursts through without so much as a thanks and runs
outside. He goes up to the wheelhouse and searches the horizon. There is no
sign of the Esmeralda. Sangrini enters
the wheelhouse.
Get someone over the side
and see what the problem is.
I'll be by the radio in case he sends word.
Santos, Felipe, over you
go!
Santos and FELIPE obey
without question. They dive over the side.
UNDERWATER - DAY
The two find the empty
tanks and the wood. Santos unbuckles the tanks and lets them drift away. Then
they go to work on the piece of wood.
INT. ESMERALDA
WHEELHOUSE - NIGHT
The last rays of the sun
cut a path through the clouds. Shannon takes the chart out of a cardboard tube
and spreads it across a table. Cody, Sawaya and Maria look on as Giles mans the
wheel. Shannon indicates a location on the map.
The Semirara Islands.
That's our first stop. We'll pick up fuel
and supplies, then one more stop
before we head for the Kure Maru.
Shannon rolls the chart
back up and puts it back into the tube.
EXT. ESMERALDA - DAY
As the sun rises the boat
SOUNDS SICK. A few miles away a tiny island hovers over the horizon.
INT. ENGINE ROOM -
DAY
Giles walks around the
tired, old engine, treating it as a living thing. Oil can and rag in hand, he
dabs here and squirts there. All the while, he talks to it affectionately:
Come on, baby. You can do
it.
EXT. AERIAL - DAY
The Esmeralda is a tiny
speck on a wide track of ocean, with an equally small island a few miles away.
The tired engine can be heard from high above.
EXT. PIER - DAY
The Esmeralda is tied up to
a rustic pier. An even more rustic looking, weather-beatin old man greets them.
Shannon jumps to the pier and they embrace. Shannon turns to the others as they
step down to the pier.
Everyone says
"hi" or simply nods a greeting as Shannon goes on:
SHANNON (CONT'D)
He was a coast watcher during
the war. We met on my first year down here looking for the Kure Maru.
INT. TRADER'S HOUSE -
NIGHT
All, except for Carlos, are
seated around a rough, wooden table. The boy is sleeping on a bed in a corner.
They sip warm Australian beer and laugh at some joke.
Oh, I get a few Moros in
here ever so often.
I enjoy the solitude. But I
tell ya, when this here mad \Irishman
came in here with this wild story about a
ship of gold
floatin' around, I did think he was a bit daft.
Shannon grins as Trader
slaps him on the back.
I was beginning to wonder,
myself.
Trader, do you miss
Australia?
At times, yes, I do. But
there's nothing back there for
me. Nothing.
He gets a far away look,
then snaps out of it as he notices Carlos sleeping in what has to be an
uncomfortable position.
The boy's gonna get a crook
in his neck.
Maria starts to get
up, when Sawaya stands and takes a pipe
out of his pocket.
Still formatting....
SAWAYA
I'll take him out to the
boat and put him to bed. I need to get my tobacco pouch, anyway.
TRADER
He's welcome to stay here
tonight.
SAWAYA
We'll be pulling out early.
No sense waking him.
TRADER
Have it your way.
INT. ESMERALDA -
NIGHT
Sawaya sets the boy gently
on a bunk, closes a door and goes over to a radio. He switches it on. The radio
HISSES and CRACKLES to life. Sawaya turns the volume down, then dials in a
frequency and speaks softly into the microphone:
SAWAYA
Hunter, this is Bay Wolf,
over.
STATIC CRACKLES from the
speaker, then:
HUNTER'S VOICE
Bay Wolf, this is hunter,
over.
EXT. WHEELHOUSE - DAY
Shannon straightens up from
the chart and rubs the stump of his missing arm. He touches the image of a
large island on the chart.
SHANNON
Mindanao. There's a Moro
village at the southern end. We'll meet the men who found the ship.
Cody is at the wheel. He
blows down the tube leading to the engine room, then calls down:
CODY
Giles, ahead, quarter
speed.
GILES' VOICE
Quarter speed, it is.
EXT. PIER - DAY
Trader stands at the edge
of the pier and watches the Vesuvius approaching.
TRADER
Who'n blazes? This is turning into a regular tourist trap.
Standing on the bow, Trader
sees the biggest black man he's ever seen.
EXT. BOW OF ESMERALDA
- DAY (SUNSET)
Cody gazes across the
churning sea to the accompaniment of the ever-complaining engine.
MARIA'S VOICE
It's beautiful, isn't it.
Cody turns to Maria. The
sun casts a warm glow on her copper skin. He comes up close to her and touches
a strand of her hair.
CODY
Yes, she is.
She looks up into his eyes
and her lips part slightly. He takes her face in his hands and kisses her
lighting on the lips, then her now wet cheeks and her eyes as the tears flow.
MARIA
Oh, Steve, I loved you so.
He pulls her to him. She
rest her head on his chest.
CODY
(emotional)
I know.
MARIA
I don't know what to do. I
love Brian, but there's a part of me that still cares for you.
He holds her a moment, then
release her.
CODY
You have your life with
Brian, now. I loved you... I probably will always love you.
(beat)
Brian needs you.
MARIA
And you don't?
He doesn't answer. She
studies him, then stands on her toes and kisses him. She walks away, leaving
him ALONE.
EXT. WHEELHOUSE - DAY
(SUNSET)
Shannon watches as Maria
walks away from Cody. He has seen it all.
EXT. PIER - NIGHT
The Vesuvius roars away
from the pier. The men on her decks watch as flames jump skyward from Trader's
home. A body lays sprawled in the yard. Andrew watches with satisfaction.
EXT. ESMERALDA - DAY
The boat enters a narrow
channel into a shallow bay. Haze from hundreds of cooking fires hangs over a
village built up on stilts over the water. Under each hut is a small canoe.
Tied further out are the large, sea-going outriggers.
SHANNON'S VOICE
All stop!
Sawaya is on the bow and
releases the anchor. Shannon watches as village children race for their boats
to come out to them.
EXT. BAY - DAY
Each of them rides in a
canoe guided by a teenage child toward the village. From one of the huts a
beautiful young girl waves to them.
MARIA
That's my namesake. She's
the chief's great granddaughter. My goddaughter.
SHANNON
It was her father and
brother who found the Kure Maru.
(chuckles)
I'd like to have seen that.
She came up out of the fog like a ghost. Old Mahamound and his boy thought it
was some kind of sea beast, from what I hear.
The younger MARIA waves
anxiously at them. Behind her, a bent and incredibly wrinkled old man peers out
the window and smiles a toothless smile. The canoes pull up under his hut.
INT. CHIEF'S HUT -
DAY
The CHIEF embraces Maria,
then Shannon. Sawaya and Cody are too big and imposing for such familiarities,
so he holds out a thin hand and shakes vigorously with each. Shannon introduces
each to the old man.
SHANNON
Gents, this is Chief Yahya
Al-Shahrani.
(to
Chief in Moro dialect)
My dear friend, please meet
Mr. Sawaya and Mr. Cody. And this is Mr. Giles. The boy is Carlos.
Giles is more to the
Chief's liking and he gets a slobbery embrace. The Chief is obviously drunk,
and has been for years. He goes on talking as Maria translates:
MARIA
Chief Al-Shahrani has
graciously invited us to a party tonight...
CODY
Well, thank the chief for
us, but please explain that we must leave right away.
MARIA
Steve, I don't think you
understand. He is celebrating his birthday. Many barrios will be coming.
CODY
That's all fine and dandy,
but...
SHANNON
It's no use, Steve. He'll
lose face if we don't accept. We won't get any help from the young men.
Shannon puts an
affectionate arm around the Chief's shoulders, talking at him and about him at
the same time. The Chief doesn't understand. He's just giddy about seeing his
friends and having one more excuse to throw a party.
SHANNON (CONT'D)
He may fart a lot and smell
like a dead fish and tuba, but he's still the chief and he carries a lot of
weight in these parts.
VARIOUS SHOTS of the feast
as tuba (drink) and San Meguel fills every glass and gourd. Dancers leap
lightly between bamboo poles performing the Tinikling Dance; chickens and hogs
are chased down and killed to appear on spits over hot coals. Food is
everywhere: corn, rice sweet potatoes and bananas, fish and every type of sea
creature, mangoes, papayas and breadfruit. People sing and sway to island
music.
Giles attempts the
Tinikling Dance. Neither sober nor agile, he is immediately cut down by two
hard blows to his ankles. Everyone howls at his expense as he clutches his
bruised ankles.
INT. VESUVIUS - NIGHT
Sangrini studies two green
electronic BLIPS on the radar screen.
SANGRINI
Too big to be them.
Probably and interisland steamer.
ANDREW
I don't like it.
SANGRINI
What's not to like?
ANDREW
No feel right. Too many
'tings go wrong. Dis my operation, I pull out.
SANGRINI
It's not, and I'm paying you
better money than you'd be getting holding up some banana republic. We keep
going. Besides, he'll contact us.
ANDREW
I still don't like it.
INT. CHIEF'S HUT -
DAY (SUNRISE)
Giles rolls over and a
shaft of sunlight cuts across his face. He grabs his head and MOANS.
GILES
Oh, my aching head!
Through squinting eyes he
studies the carnage. Bodies and debris are everywhere. Giles laughs, then
regrets it when he sees the toothless Chief sprawled across the breasts of a
huge woman.
Across the room Cody stares
out a window as the sun creeps up over the mountains. One by one, each person
comes to life. Cody turns to the others.
CODY
Let's get moving.
SAWAYA
The man has no soul.
GILES
Or pity.
EXT. HUT - DAY
Cody and Sawaya stand at
the bottom of the ladder and help the others into canoes.
INT. CANOES - DAY
It's a quiet trip out to
the Esmeralda. Maria, Carlos and Shannon sit quietly, while Giles lays a trail
of last night's feast behind his canoe, to the amusement of the children
paddling. Moments later, a canoe bumps
into the Esmeralda. Cody hurries up the ladder. He starts to turn to help the
others up when:
A GUN MUZZLE TOUCHES the
back of his head. He stiffens.
SAWAYA
stands on the aft ladder
and helps the others up onto the Esmeralda. Finally, he starts to climb aboard
and finds himself staring into the muzzle of a machine gun. He steps aboard
while the man keeps the gun pointed at his face. The others are lined up
against the superstructure with their hands clasped behind their heads.
SAWAYA (CONT'D)
I have a feeling we've been
through this already.
GILES
It does feel familiar.
The man with the gun nudges
Sawaya over to the others. A young Filipino comes down from the wheelhouse and
stands in front of Cody.
PHILLIP
It is good to see you
again, Sergeant Cody.
CODY
Wish I could say the same,
Phillip.
Cody lowers his hands,
ignoring a gunman's nudge in the ribs to put them back up.
PHILLIP
You have caused me many
problems, Sergeant.
CODY
We're all civilians, here.
PHILLIP
The Hukbong Magpapalayang
Bayan are not
CIVILIANS. WE FIGHT
FOR OUR LANDS AND INDEPEN-
dence.
CODY
And not very well.
PHILLIP
You killed three of my men.
CODY
You shouldn't consider them
much of a loss.
PHILLIP
You talk big for someone
with a gun in his back.
In one swift move, Cody
kicks out, striking the guard just below the chin. The man almost bites his
tongue off and, as he howls in pain, Cody snatches the machine gun. He calmly
aims it at Phillip. Instantly, Phillip's men aim their weapons at Cody.
CODY
Tell them to put their
weapons down.
PHILLIP
I can't do that. I'm not
afraid to die for the cause. My men will just kill you and the others. In the
end, we will still get the gold.
CODY
I wouldn't count on it. We
bump each other off and Sangrini takes all the marbles.
Phillip mulls this over
then nods for his men to lower their weapons. He points toward the horizon.
PHILLIP
He is out there.
CODY
How do you know that?
PHILLIP
We passed him in the
dark... after he had finished with the one called Trader.
SHANNON
What about Trader?
PHILLIP
He is dead.
Shannon is stunned and
starts to drop to his knees. Sawaya holds him up.
CODY
The way I see it, either we
team up or Sangrini wins and your people lose again.
PHILLIP
You will lose, too.
CODY
Only gold. You want
liberation. That costs.
Phillip looks around at his
men. They seem eager to cooperate. He holds out his hand and smiles at his old
friend.
EXT. COASTLINE - DAY
The Esmeralda and two
outriggers hug the coast.
EXT. AT SEA - NIGHT
The three boats plow
through pounding waves.
INT. ESMERALDA
WHEELHOUSE - DAY
Cody and Phillip look out
the windows at a thick, white wall of fog.
CODY
I've never seen fog like
this.
The Esmeralda is stopped.
Waves can be heard BREAKING against a distant shore. The others join them.
Giles and Carlos are outside the wheelhouse, but a window is open so they can
talk to those inside.
SHANNON
Damned eerie stuff.
Giles takes his glasses off
and wipes them with his shirt.
GILES
Thicker than split pea
soup.
Phillip's men gather on the
main deck. They are wary of the quiet softness closing in around them. One of
the men jumps at a SHRILL YELL coming through the fog. It is the VOICE of one
of the men from the outriggers.
PHILLIP
She is here.
EXT. ESMERALDA - DAY
The fog begins to
dissipate. At first, they see nothing. Then a faint shadow begins to
materialize. First, the outriggers, then a giant black SHAPE looms out of the
fog. It looks like the battered head of a beached whale. Finally, they can see
the war-battered bow of the Kure Maru sticking out of the water at a precarious
angle as it rests against a reef. The fires and explosions of five years ago
have melted the ship down into a twisted mass that hardly looks like the ship
she once was.
SHANNON
There's an island another
two hundred yards past the ship. We'll be able to put
a group ashore to set up
camp.
SAWAYA
How do you know about the
island?
SHANNON
I've been all over these
island over the last five years.
CODY
(studies
the sky)
It can turn nasty real
quick this time of year. Looks like it wouldn't take much to break her lose.
SHANNON
Let's get moving, then.
INT. WHEELHOUSE - DAY
Sawaya steers the Esmeralda
and eases her closer to the wreck.
EXT. ESMERALDA - DAY
Phillip leans over the side
and studies the water.
PHILLIP
She's sitting on the edge
of a trench. A good wind comes up and she's gone.
GILES
I don't understand what
brought her up in the first place.
SHANNON
The logs. Remember, she was
carrying a cargo hold full of Teak logs. When she went down she reached a point
of negative buoyancy and wouldn't sink any further because of the logs. Teak's
been known to stay buoyant for centuries.
SAWAYA
What were the odds of
finding her. There's a million square miles of ocean between here and where she
went down.
SHANNON
I wasn't going anywhere.
The Moros know this area like you know your home town.
There were at least three
big storms out here that I believe brought her up, cause the villagers were
scared of this ghost ship they saw. I figured it had to be her and that the
prevailing currents would eventually bring her up around here after the next
storm.
(POINTS AT SHIP)
And, by God, there she
sits.
GILES
Lucky for us.
CODY
We better get onboard
pronto and see what's inside.
VARIOUS SHOTS as Cody,
Sawaya and one of Phillip's men prepare to dive. Maria, Carlos and a couple
more men row over to the island and set up camp. The three divers leap into the
water.
UNDERWATER - DAY
The three swim close to the
ship. The current is rough and they struggle against it. Just above them they
can see the white waves breaking against the hull.
SURFACE OF WATER -
DAY
They surface in the
whitewater and approach the ship. Cody tries first to get aboard as he catches
a wave and rides it up the edge of the ship just as the wave breaks. He slips
beneath the surface and lets the wave roll back, then scampers as best he can
with swim fins to get clear of the next incoming wave.
Sawaya goes in next, then
Phillip's man. After they get aboard, they make their way through the jagged
wreckage, searching for an entrance down into the ship. The metal has been
melted and fused together.
SAWAYA
(shouts
over noise of waves)
Doesn't look like there's a
way in!
CODY
Then it's the hard way.
Cody is backing into the water
when a huge wave hits the side of the ship. IT MOVES, throwing them off
balance.
SAWAYA
What the hell!
Sawaya stumbles and steps
over a sharp piece of metal, gouging his thigh. Blood oozes from the torn
wetsuit. Sawaya grabs a steel cable and keeps himself from further injury. Cody
didn't see what happened as he disappears into the water.
UNDERWATER - DAY
They make their way
alongside the ship, eyeing what little superstructure is left. Sawaya sees a
door, lights a flare and swims into the ship. Cody and the Filipino wait as
Sawaya squeezes through the jammed door and swims into the darkness.
INT. SHIP - DAY
Sawaya finds himself in a
passageway. He goes only a short way and discovers it's completely caved in. He
looks around. There is no other way in. Then he hears a strange THUMPING sound,
like someone beating on a very big base drum. He gives up and works his way
back to the door.
EXT. SHIP - DAY
They swim further down,
staying near the hull. There's a myriad of tropical fish. The ship is alive
with sea creatures. Cody reaches out to touch a bright colored fish and it
coyly swims away just out of reach. He runs a gloved hand along the
barnacle-encrusted hull.
There's a gradual change in
the MOOD of the water. Cody SENSES something is WRONG. There's a FOREBODING
feeling. Then he realizes what's wrong: all the fish are gone. Not a trace of
life besides themselves.
Cody reaches out and grabs
Sawaya by the arm and points to his leg. BLOOD is steaming from the wound. Now
they know what they're looking for. They stop swimming. Cody and Sawaya ease
their spearguns from behind their backs. They wait. They stare into the
blackness below them.
The SHARK is at first just
a darker shade of blue. Then gray. They watch, mesmerized by its size as it
swims far below them. Suddenly the animal turns and swims straight up at them.
Caught in the open, they can only watch as the shark comes at them.
Sawaya shakes his head to
clear his self-imposed stupor, then holds the still burning flare out in front
of him just as the shark is almost on them. It darts away. It doesn't go far,
though. It turns and comes back, ignoring Sawaya and heads for Cody.
Cody jerks to the side just
as the GAPING MOUTH closes down with a GRINDING CRUNCH. Cody's air tank is
caught in the shark's teeth. The animal shakes violently, throwing Cody around
like a rag doll.
CODY'S POV as he's shaken.
Bubbles and blurry images of Sawaya and the other man. Then he BLACKS OUT.
Cody is suddenly free and
Sawaya helps him swim to the surface. Cody looks down and can see the shark
swimming away. The flare sinks slowly behind the shark.
EXT. ESMERALDA - DAY
Sawaya helps Cody up the
ladder. The Filipino diver is already aboard and gives Cody a hand up. Shannon
reaches over and takes hold of Cody's tank and sees the broken teeth and that
the tank is partially crushed.
SHANNON
What happened?
Sawaya comes aboard as Cody
struggles out of the harness.
SAWAYA
It was my fault.
CODY
It's no one's fault.
SAWAYA
I know better than to go
into the water bleeding...
SHANNON
Bleeding?
Sawaya shows him the wound.
It's more serious that it first appeared.
MARIA
We better take care of that
right away.
You won't be doing any
diving for a while.
SAWAYA
Come on, it isn't that bad.
She grabs his leg and the
pain almost floors him. She smiles at him. He has to sit down.
SAWAYA (CONT'D)
Maybe you're right.
CODY
Phillip can dive with me.
UNDERWATER - DAY
Phillip, Cody and another
man plunge into the water. Cody leads the way straight down. They keep their
spearguns ready, but there's no need this time. The shark is no where to be
seen. They swim to the gaping hole in the stern that was blown there by the torpedo.
They light flares and head in.
INT. SHIP - DAY
The flares cast an eerie
glow. It is like a submerged cavern. The force of the torpedo obliterated
several compartment into one mass of twisted steel. Bulkheads are buckled and
doors jammed. They swim out into a passageway and move steadily upward until
they come to a door blocking their way. Jammed partially open, Cody squeezes
his head through. He holds a flare out in front of him. He can see the a cargo
hold. Below are the charred remains of several trucks and a car.
Cody backs out and they
swim up. There's a SLOW GROAN and they stop. TEARING METAL sounds echo through
the water and the ship MOVES slightly. A RUMBLE goes through the ship. She is
slowly breaking apart.
Cody looks from Phillip to
the other man. Too late, Cody sees the STARK TERROR in the man's eyes. He turns
and swims straight down. Phillip and Cody chase him. Cody reaches him first and
grabs his air tank. He pulls the man back just as Phillip catches up and tries
to pin the man's arms.
Terrified, the man knocks
them away and swims blindly into a bulkhead. He goes limp and his mouthpiece
drifts away. Cody reaches over and replaces the mouthpiece and checks the man's
mask. Blood oozes from a jagged cut on the top of his head.
Phillip touches Cody and
points at his watch. Cody slips an arm around the man and begins to make his
way through the passageway, as Phillip collects the spearguns and follows.
EXT. ISLAND - NIGHT
The group sits around a
fire eating fish and rice. The mood is relaxed as one man plays an old guitar
and two others begin an impromptu dance. Soon, Maria is up and dancing with
them. They laugh, drink beer, eat and sleep.
RED COALS shimmer. Everyone
appears to be sleeping. Then a lone figure slips out of the camp, climbs into the
skiff and rows out to the Esmeralda.
EXT. WHEELHOUSE -
NIGHT
The figure is visible
through the window. He listens to the STATIC from the radio, then gives his
muffled message.
EXT. ISLAND - NIGHT
The figure slips back into
camp and lies down. He has not gone unnoticed. Sawaya watches as Carlos makes
himself comfortable in the sand.
UNDERWATER - DAY
Cody and Sawaya swim down
to the Kure Maru. Each carries two tanks. Behind them, two of Phillip's men
carry extra tanks.
INT. SHIP - DAY
Cody leads Sawaya through
the ship to where he and Phillip had stopped. They swim only a short distance
when they find their way hopelessly blocked by debris. Sawaya goes back to a
door they had passed. It is closed and dogged down tight.
Cody checks their time as
Sawaya finds a dogging wrench and goes to work on the door. One by one, he
breaks the levers free. It takes both of them to break the door open, then they
swim through.
Sawaya lights a fresh flare
and they see they're in a cargo hold. They swim above the burned trucks and
find that the further they swim, the less damage there is. They swim slow and
careful, picking their way through a growing maze of crates and equipment still
fastened to the deck.
They're still swimming up
when the ship SHIFTS again. Sawaya moves under a ladder and gantry. Cody looks
up and sees heavy crates hurtling down at him. Sawaya reaches out and grabs one
of Cody's tanks and yanks him out of the path as the crates cascade by them,
tearing other crates apart, adding to the avalanche of silt and broken wood.
Cody thanks Sawaya with a
thumbs up. They swim up through the silt until they reach a bulkhead. They feel
their way along it until they come to another door. This one is different from
the others. It has a small locking wheel in the center that, when turned, moves
three locking levers that secure the door. They find a long metal rod and break
the door lose. Then they open it and swim through into another cargo hold.
They are dwarfed by the
huge TEAK LOGS. Still chained to the deck, they are, however, standing almost
straight up due to the extreme angle of the ship as it sits on the reef. As
they swim between the logs they hear the THUMPING heard earlier. They discover
two of the logs have broken free of the chains and are bobbing about like two giant
battering rams as they crash up into the bulkhead.
They swim warily between
the logs to another door similar to the one they last went through. Cody finds
a fire ax, but it falls apart as he takes it from the bulkhead. Sawaya takes
out his knife and slips it through the spokes of the locking wheel. He pushes.
Nothing. He braces his feet against the end of a log and pushes. The wheel
GROANS, then breaks free. He spins the wheel.
WHOOSH! KAPOW! The door
EXPLODES open. Sawaya is flung back and is pinned between the bulkhead and the
door as crates and debris tumble through the opening. Cody hugs the bulkhead,
trying to see through the silt.
Finally, the downpour
stops. Cody swims over to where he last saw Sawaya. The door opening is
completely clogged. As the silt clears, Cody makes out Sawaya trapped behind
the door. Cody pulls at the door. It doesn't budge. He braces his feet against
the bulkhead and pulls. It MOVES just enough to get Sawaya out. His right arm
is shattered. Cody checks his watch. He cradles Sawaya and begins the journey
out of the ship.
EXT. SHIT - DAY
They come out of the ship
and head up toward the surface.
EXT. ISLAND - NIGHT
The group sits around the
fire. Maria nurses Sawaya's splinted arm. She is just giving him a shot a
morphine. Cody tells Phillip and the others what happened.
CODY
We made it as far as the
number two hold. When we pried open the door between there and number one, it
blew open and caught Kemp behind it.
Maria looks at Sawaya. He's
in pain, but resting.
SHANNON
He's lucky to be alive.
CODY
More so than you think. If
you recall, number one hold had munitions in it.
After this long submerged,
it's got to be pretty touchy. As it is, we're going to have to find another way
in.
SHANNON
We're running out of time.
CODY
I don't care how much gold
is down there. We can't spend it if we're dead.
EXT. ESMERALDA - DAY
SHANNON
Then I guess we'll just
have to find another way in.
MARIA
There is another way.
They turn to find her in a
wetsuit with a tank slung over her shoulder.
MARIA (CONT'D)
The air vent... remember.
CODY
Yes. But there's no telling
what condition it's in.
MARIA
Only one way to find out.
CODY
Whoa, you're not going
anywhere.
MARIA
You listen to me, Steve
Cody. I didn't sit around then, and I'm not sitting around now.
I'm just as good a diver,
if not a damned
SIGHT BETTER, THAN
YOU OR ANY OF THESE HALF-
wits. With Kemp out of it,
you need all the qualified help you can get.
She points to the darkening
horizon.
MARIA
If you look around, you'll
see that you weren't far from wrong about storms. We haven't got time to sit
around debating. I'm going!
Cody studies the ominous
clouds gathering far to the north.
CODY
There's no debating down there.
You do as I say... or stay up here.
INT. KURE MARU - DAY
Four divers are outlined by
the torpedo hole as they enter the ship. Through several DISSOLVES they work
their way through the ship until they find the air vent. Cody goes in first,
then Maria, Phillip and one of his men.
Cody leads the way through
the narrow vent. It's a tight squeeze and, after getting snagged up a couple
times, they manage to work their way through the twists and turns. Suddenly,
they run out of tunnel. They are in a CAVERNOUS BLACK PIT, the NUMBER ONE CARGO
HOLD. Their flares aren't sufficient to light up the huge room. They swim down
into the darkness.
They begin searching
through thousands of crates and equipment. It's a jumbled mess. Gradually, they
become separated. Maria swims over a piece of machinery and happens to look up.
She sees a thin beam of light coming from above. She swims up toward the light.
The others keep searching.
Cody is looking over a crate when a dark figure looms up behind him. A hand
reaches out and touches him. Startled, he spins around to face Maria. She
points up and signals for him to follow her.
INT. CHAIN LOCKER -
DAY
Cody breaks through the
surface of the water into another room--FILLED WITH AIR. He looks around in
amazement. Maria is climbing out of the water. She slips off her tank and hangs
it on a pipe. She takes off her swim fins and begins to climb up, then turns
back to look down at Cody.
MARIA
Coming?
Cody swims over to the
ledge, removes his tank and fins and follows her. She looks over a ledge from
above him.
MARIA (CONT'D)
You're not going to believe
this.
They work their way up
through the forecastle, over anchor chain and around wenches. They see the
light above and in a few moments find themselves...
EXT. BOW - DAY
...STANDING IN BRIGHT
SUNLIGHT at the very tip of the bow of the ship looking out across the water.
Cody studies the wreckage they just emerged from.
CODY
I'll be damned! From here
you can't tell there's a way in.
MARIA
Better late than never.
CODY
Now all we have to do is
find the gold.
(studies
clouds)
Day. Two at the most. It's
coming our way.
EXT. ESMERALDA - DAY
The boat has been moved
closer to the wreck. The skiff is headed from the Kure Maru. One of Phillip's
men waves and holds up a bar of gold for those on the Esmeralda to see.
VARIOUS SHOTS as the
venture proceeds smoothly. Divers bring up gold to the air pocket, where a
chain of men brings it outside and lowers it to the skiff in a wire basket on a
rope. The excitement builds as the ingots begin to pile up on Esmeralda's deck.
Men take turns cleaning the gold, stacking and admiring it. Shannon keeps count
in a ledger of how much is brought up.
Slowly, Shannon begins to
notice a change in Phillip's men. A glance here, a touch there. The enormity of
the treasure is beginning to show on some of their faces. Some seem to be
plotting with their eyes, while others continue to work diligently.
Cody comes aboard with the
last load for the day. The sun is just setting and the sky is brilliant red.
Cody looks at the sky.
CODY
It doesn't look as bad
today. Maybe the storm is turning toward the mainland.
SHANNON
We can hope. I figure we
haven't got a third of it yet, and there's better than ten to fifteen million
sitting here, not counting the diamonds.
CODY
Diamonds?
SHANNON
Colonel Ono also liked to
collect diamonds.
Easier to carry in case he
had to run for it.
CODY
How do you happen to know
this?
SHANNON
I found them on his body. I
put them in a safe place... who would've thought the U.S. Navy would sink her,
huh.
MARIA
You never mentioned them to
me.
SHANNON
There was no need to; not
unless I found the ship.
CODY
Where?
SHANNON
In his car. The glove compartment.
CODY
Anything else we should
know about?
SHANNON
No, that's it.
CODY
I'll check it out tomorrow.
We best turn in. It's gonna be a long day.
INT. ESMERALDA
WHEELHOUSE - NIGHT
Sawaya is bent over the
radio, concentrating on sending out a message. He doesn't hear someone enter
behind him. Then something hits him in the back of the neck and he goes down.
He lays unconscious beside the radio, the microphone still in his hand, as a
VOICE says:
HUNTER'S VOICE
Bay Wolf, come in, over.
MINUTES LATER, Sawaya moans
and rolls over. He props himself up on his good arm and looks up at Cody and
Shannon. Cody holds a gun on Giles, who he pushes roughly into the captain's
chair. Cody points the .45 at Sawaya, motioning for him to rise.
CODY
How long you been working with
Sangrini?
SAWAYA
I'm not.
Sawaya leans against the
wall for support. His head is killing him.
SAWAYA (CONT'D)
It isn't what you think. I
can explain, but you're not going to like it.
SHANNON
We don't need any more of
your lies.
Sawaya is dazed and
confused. Carlos watches from the door.
SHANNON (CONT'D)
What are we going to do
with them?
Cody looks at Giles, who
doesn't look all that worried. In fact, there's a bit of a smile on his face.
GILES
I don't think murder is
your style, mate.
CODY
Maybe not mine, but if I
should decide to turn you over to Phillip...
The smile disappears.
CODY (CONT'D)
We'll put them in the rope
locker until we can figure out what to do with them.
(to
Carlos)
Take the skiff back and
pick up the rest.
(beat)
And don't say anything
about this, okay.
CARLOS
Okay.
INT. ROPE LOCKER -
DAY
Cody pulls on the rope
behind Sawaya's back to make sure it's secure, then steps out and locks the
door. He goes up...
EXT. ESMERALDA - DAY
(SUNRISE)
... on deck and joins Phillip,
Maria and Shannon. The sun is just coming up. The sky is bright red.
CODY
Red sky in morning, sailor
take warning.
They look toward the
approaching storm.
PHILLIP
It's moving fast.
Cody starts to suit up for
a dive.
CODY
It'll be close.
INT. KURE MARU - DAY
Cody and Phillip pick their
way through the ever-shifting cargo. There are a few gold ingots left. As they
place each in the wire basket it is lifted up.
INT. CHAIN LOCKER -
DAY
Maria takes an ingot out of
the basket and stacks it on a ledge with others.
EXT. ISLAND - DAY
Carlos guns the motor as
the men step in the skiff and take their seats. The motor WHINES and the boat
plows through the now choppy water headed for the Esmeralda.
EXT. OCEAN - DAY
They are a few hundred feet
from the Esmeralda when the Vesuvius comes around the island. Carlos sees it
and cranks the throttle for all it's worth. A burst of machine gun fire just
misses the skiff. Carlos dives over the side a second before a second burst
hits the skiff, killing three men. Two others manage to dive over the side.
They swim for the Esmeralda. Carlos is too scared to swim. He stays with the
wreckage of the skiff.
The men on the Vesuvius
fire at the two swimmers. One is hit and when his friend turns back to help
him, he is struck. They quickly disappear beneath the waves. Keeping the
wreckage between himself and the Vesuvius, Carlos watches helplessly. He cries
silently:
CARLOS
You promised.
EXT. VESUVIUS - DAY
Andrew peers down his
weapon at Shannon and another man on the Esmeralda as the Vesuvius pulls up
alongside.
ANDREW
Down on your bellies!
Shannon glares at Andrew as
he steps aboard the Esmeralda. Andrew walks up to Shannon and hits him in the
side of the head with the butt of his weapon, then shoves Shannon to the deck.
The other man needs no such convincing. He goes down quickly.
Andrew watches as two of
his men search Shannon and the other man. Just then, a door bursts open and
another of Phillip's men charges Andrew with a bolo. Andrew whirls around and
shoots the man twice.
Sangrini emerges from the
Vesuvius and comes over to the Esmeralda.
SANGRINI
Anyone else down there?
Andrew kicks Shannon in the
ribs when he doesn't answer.
SHANNON
Yeah!
EXT. KURE MARU - DAY
Maria crouches out of sight
and watches what's going on aboard the Esmeralda.
INT. CHAIN LOCKER -
DAY
She climbs back inside and
tugs on the line that goes down to Cody and Phillip. A few moments later, they
surface.
MARIA
Sangrini. They've killed
your men, Phillip.
EXT. ESMERALDA - DAY
Sangrini motions toward the
Kure Maru.
SANGRINI
The others out there?
SHANNON
Why don't you go find out
for yourself.
Andrew grinds Shannon's
hand into the deck with the heel of his boot. Shannon strangles the SCREAM in
his throat. Santos stands near the edge of the boat. He turns to Sangrini.
SANTOS
Colonel, air bubbles. Over
there.
Sangrini motions for his
men to spread out.
SANGRINI
This time, no surprises.
Swim fins fly onto the
deck. Cody comes aboard. Sangrini and his men are hiding. Cody turns and helps
Maria aboard. When he turns back Sangrini and Andrew step out from hiding. Cody
makes a half-hearted attempt for a speargun.
ANDREW
You're a dead man if you
do.
Cody shrugs, then backs
off. Andrew signals for a man to take Cody's and Maria's knives.
SANGRINI
Phillip?
CODY
He was on the island.
ANDREW
Then he is dead.
Maria "acts"
shocked. Sangrini is happy about this.
SANGRINI
(to
one of his men)
Bring up the others.
A moment later, Shannon and
Phillip's last man are brought up.
SANGRINI (CONT'D)
Someone's missing. Where is
he?
CODY
He's tied up in the rope
locker.
SANGRINI
I trust you weren't too
harsh with him.
CODY
I thought about drowning
him.
SANGRINI
Sergeant Cody, I'm
genuinely surprised.
I believed you were
actually fond of him.
CODY
What ever gave you that
idea?
SANGRINI
When he radioed, he
specifically asked that we not harm you.
Behind Sangrini, Santo
brings Sawaya and Giles up from below. Cody motions with a nod toward them.
CODY
You can tell him I'm not
grateful.
Sangrini turns and sees the
men. He has an odd expression when he turns back to Cody.
SANGRINI
Is this who you're talking
about?
(laughs)
Oh, sergeant, what a fool
you are. You have hampered the one man who could have helped you the most.
Cody and Shannon exchange
puzzled looks. They look to Sawaya, who has a "I tried to tell you"
expression.
SANGRINI (CONT'D)
This is Commander Kemp
Sawaya.
SHANNON
Commander?
SANGRINI
(motions
to Giles)
And his faithful sidekick,
Chief Warrant Officer Sterling Giles. Both of the Naval Intelligence Service.
SHANNON
Naval Intelligence!
SANGRINI
Yes. They were here to
recover the gold for the government. Whose government, though, I'm not quite
sure of.
SHANNON
I don't understand. Who
contacted you?
SANGRINI
Why, the boy, Carlos, of
course.
MARIA
He wouldn't do that.
SANGRINI
Yes he would. And he did.
You see, we have his brother. They're quite loyal, these street thieves.
SHANNON
Not like your kind of
thief, I take it.
SANGRINI
I'm bored with this. We'll
be going down to get the rest of the gold... and my diamonds.
SHANNON
Your diamonds?
SANGRINI
Of course.
INT. ROPE LOCKER -
DAY
Santos pulls on the rope
and Sawaya winces in pain. Giles and Shannon are tied up beside him. Andrew checks the ropes.
ANDREW
Good. Get topside.
SANTOS
Yes, sir.
EXT. ESMERALDA - DAY
Sangrini slips on a face
mask.
SANGRINI
Ready?
ANDREW
Oui.
They leap into the water.
Cody and Maria are next, followed by Santos and another man. All are armed with
spearguns.
UNDERWATER - DAY
Cody leads them down the
side of the wreck. Along the way, he nudges Maria closer to the hull, forcing
Andrew to the outside. Sangrini swims a few yards behind, while Andrew stays
just off Cody's right shoulder.
When Cody makes his move it
is so subtle neither Andrew nor Sangrini are alarmed. He bumps into Maria. Her tank CLANKS against the hull and ECHOES
through the water. Santos and the other man turn to see what happened. Sangrini
waves them on and they head down.
For the brief moment that
Santos and the other man have to swim through their own bubbles they are
unaware of the dark shape coming up at them. Cody sees it, though, and guides
Maria closer to the hull.
Andrew sees Cody's move and
senses something is wrong. He looks down toward Santos and almost chokes on his
mouthpiece when he sees the huge shark coming straight up. Andrew points
frantically with his speargun, but his warning is useless.
When Santos and the other
man see the shark it is already too late. In one terrified burst of
desperation, the other man drops his speargun and heads for the surface. The
shark suddenly changes course and heads straight at him. Santos watches in
horror as the creature races past him and hits the other man just above the
knee.
Cody grabs Maria and heads
for the entrance into the ship, while Sangrini and Andrew are distracted.
The water around the
wounded man and Santos is now alive with sleek, gray bodies. Sharks dart in and
out, snatching bits and pieces of what's left of the man. Santos looks away
from the carnage and realizes he has drifted away from the ship.
Sangrini and Andrew make no
attempt to help Santos, but use the distraction as they stay close to the hull,
working their way to the opening. Santos clutches his speargun as the sharks
close in. One darts in at him. Santos fires, hitting it just under the pectoral
fin. The fish jerks wildly and the others attack it. Santos drops the empty
speargun and takes out his knife and waits. A shark rams him in the face,
knocking away his mask. Santos swings the knife blindly. Another shark hits him
from behind and drags him into the darkness.
INT. KURE MARU - DAY
Cody glances over his
shoulder as he leads Maria through the ship. Andrew and Sangrini follow their
bubble trail.
EXT. ESMERALDA - DAY
The men left behind on the
boat don't see Carlos slip aboard behind them. He moves quickly along the
companionway, then ducks down inside.
INT. ESMERALDA - DAY
Carlos looks for some place
to hide. Then he hears Shannon's voice through a door:
SHANNON'S VOICE
See if you can reach it
with your toe.
INT. ROPE LOCKER -
DAY
Giles is stretching for all
he's worth, trying to pull the rope toward him when the door opens and Carlos
looks in.
SHANNON
Carlos!
GILES
The door, Carlos, close it.
Carlos shuts the door. When
he turns around tears stream down his face.
CARLOS
I thought they kill all of
you...
SAWAYA
Carlos, untie the ropes.
Hurry.
EXT. ESMERALDA - DAY
The approaching storm is
beginning to churn the water. The boat pulls at her anchor chain. Sawaya and
Shannon are an odd looking pair as they come slowly up the ladder: a one-armed
man and a man with a broken arm. Between the two, they have two good arms,
though. It's difficult going up the
ladder as the boat bounces around.
The boat suddenly pitches
violently, then drops from under them. Sawaya loses his balance and falls forward.
One of Sangrini's men hears the NOISE and rushes over to the door. He looks
down at Sawaya and Shannon. He brings up his weapon and starts to squeeze the
trigger.
A BURST OF GUN FIRE catches
him in the back. The man lurches forward and falls over Sawaya and Shannon,
crashing on the deck below them.
EXT. VESUVIUS - DAY
Giles swings the .50
caliber machine gun around.
EXT. ESMERALDA - DAY
The two remaining men jump
for cover as Giles fires down at them into the boat.
INT. ESMERALDA - DAY
Bullets go right through
various compartments, including the engine room and into the hull. Water begins
pouring in.
EXT. ESMERALDA - DAY
One of the men catches a
full burst and is knocked over the side. The other fires from his hiding place.
Sawaya and Shannon make it
to the top of the ladder and dive in opposite directions just as the man fires
at them. The man sees someone and shoots. He smiles when he sees Shannon fall,
blood splattered on his shirt. He takes aim at Shannon's head. Then he hears
something to his right. He aims for the top of the ladder just as Carlos' head
comes into view. Sawaya and Shannon both see Carlos.
Sawaya jumps to his feet
and the man swings the weapon toward him. Behind the man, Shannon struggles up,
grabs a marlin spike from a rack and throws it at the man. The heavy spike hits
the man in the side. He SCREAMS and turns to fire at Shannon. Just as he
squeezes the trigger, Sawaya hurls a long butcher knife. Too late. The gun goes
off.
The man drops the gun and
clutches desperately at the knife sticking out of his neck. It's useless. He
sinks to his knees and topples over. Sawaya and Giles rush to Shannon.
INT. KURE MARU - DAY
Cody swims in the lead down
the twisted remains of a ladder when Maria's tank becomes snagged. She
struggles to free herself. She looks up to see Cody is unaware of her problem
and is swimming away. She renews her struggle, but can't free herself. Desperately,
she looks around, then eyes her wedding ring and begins to tap it on the tank.
Cody hears the signal, turns and sees she is in trouble. He races back to her.
Cody is just getting her
free when Sangrini and Andrew swim around the corner. There is no escape. Cody
signals his surrender as the two men approach with raised spearguns. Sangrini
doesn't waste any time. The ship is beginning to move every now and then. He
motions for them to lead the way.
EXT. KURE MARU AND
THE TWO BOATS - DAY
A huge black cloud moves
across the face of the sun.
INT. KURE MARU - DAY
Just before they enter the
cargo hold, the beam of light that led Maria to discover the air pocket,
disappears. They swim down toward the crates. Andrew sees some gold on the deck
and starts for it, but Sangrini holds him back. He motions for Andrew to watch
Cody and Maria. He swims down and passes the gold over to Colonel Ono's staff
car.
Sangrini reaches through
the passenger window and opens the glove compartment and takes out a pouch. He
unwraps several layers of oil cloth, revealing a handful of huge, magnificent
diamonds. He puts them in a small canvas bag and ties it to his belt, then
swims back to the others.
Andrew guards Cody and
Maria as they place ingots into a burlap bag. As Sangrini approaches, he
notices that Andrew is acting strangely. Andrew drops a bag of ingots and
begins to struggle with his tank. Cody and Maria watch curiously. As Andrew
rids himself of his tank he swims at Maria. She realizes what he's up to and
tries to back away. Cody goes after Andrew.
Andrew is just about to
grab Maria when Cody gets him around the neck. Andrew flips Cody away from him.
Cody comes back at Andrew when Sangrini hits him with the butt of his speargun
between the shoulder blades. Maria is not match for Andrew. He takes her tank
and greedily sticks the mouthpiece between his lips, leaving Maria to drown.
From out of nowhere,
Phillip hits Andrew from behind. Sangrini stares in disbelief as Phillip and
Andrew twist and turn in a deadly struggle. Sangrini aims his speargun, but
can't fire for fear of hitting Andrew.
Cody swims painfully slow
down to Maria, who is slipping into unconsciousness as she sinks to the deck
below. He grabs her around the waist and inserts his mouthpiece between her
lips. She jerks as she takes her first breath. He shares his air with her as
they swim up.
EXT. ESMERALDA - DAY
The Esmeralda and Vesuvius
crash against each other in the boiling sea. Sawaya watches the water
anxiously.
INT. ESMERALDA ENGINE
ROOM - DAY
Giles works frantically to
get the engine started as he sloshes in knee-deep water.
INT. ESMERALDA
WHEELHOUSE - DAY
Carlos watches the Kure
Maru. The dark sky is lit by lightning and the CLAP OF THUNDER is
instantaneous. Then the rain comes in a BLINDING TORRENT. Sawaya looks toward
the Kure Maru as lightning streaks across the sky. He sees Maria standing on
the bow. Then she jumps into the sea. Sawaya runs over to the hatch and shouts
down to Giles:
SAWAYA
Get up here! I need your
help!
Sawaya goes over to the
railing and is joined by Giles, who has to shout to be heard:
GILES
What!
SAWAYA
Help me!
Sawaya desperately tries to
get a rope around his hips.
GILES
What do you think you're
doing!
SAWAYA
Maria, she's out there!
She'll never make it!
Help me with this!
Giles hits him behind the
ear and eases him to the deck. Without hesitation, he ties one end of the rope
to the railing and the other around his waist. He looks down at Sawaya and
smiles.
GILES
I was the all-state champ;
not you!
He leaps into the frothy water
and swims away.
INT. KURE MARU CARGO
HOLD - DAY
Cody swims down and sees
Sangrini floating just above Phillip and Andrew, who are still going at each
other. Andrew is finally able to kick himself free of Phillip. Sangrini aims
the speargun at Phillip, but stops when Andrew renews the attack.
The ship is MOVING. Cargo
shifts and starts to break away and tumble down.
Phillip backs up against a
bulkhead and waits as Andrew comes at him with a knife. Above them, Cody knocks
a huge crate lose and it begins to fall.
Phillip looks past Andrew and sees the falling crate, which rips away
other crates and the resulting avalanche tumbles toward them. At the last
moment, Phillip pushes away and moves to the side, just as the crates slam into
Andrew. Phillip disappears in a cloud of silt.
Cody swims around a crate
of explosives and discovers the head and right arm of Andrew sticking out from
behind the crates. Cody doesn't see Sangrini come up behind him. Sangrini
brings up the speargun and is just about to pull the trigger when Phillip swims
out between him and Cody. The spear hits Phillip in the back. Cody turns to see
Phillip's body. Then he sees Sangrini and explodes up after him.
Sangrini looks around
desperately for a weapon. He sees Andrew's speargun laying on a crate and races
for it as Cody pulls himself along the crates. As he swims past Andrew's body,
he rips the knife from his dead fingers.
EXT. ESMERALDA - DAY
Sawaya and Carlos help the
exhausted Giles and Maria aboard. Giles collapses on the deck. He struggles for
air, then gasps:
GILES
All-state swim champ comes
through...
SAWAYA
That was 20 years ago!
MARIA
You won't hear any
complaints from me!
They look up when they hear
a LOUD GRINDING SOUND. The Kure Maru breaks away from the reef and drifts
toward deeper waters. Then they hear another SOUND.
A SIREN!
They turn to see a Navy
destroyer coming around the island.
INT. MOTOR WHALEBOAT
- DAY
A U.S. Sailor puts blankets
over them and the COXSWAIN pulls away from the Esmeralda.
NAVY COXSWAIN
Soon as we get you aboard
the Mahan, we'll get a tow line back to her, sir!
INT. KURE MARU - DAY
Sangrini is backed up
against a bulkhead. He waits for Cody. He sees something to his left, up in the
silt. He moves to his right and backs up against the crates that clog the door
between the two cargo holds. He peers through the silt. Then a dim figure of a
man appears in front of him. He aims the speargun.
INT. CARGO HOLD
NUMBER TWO - DAY
The ship SHAKES VIOLENTLY.
A CHAIN SNAPS.
A LOG SHOOTS STRAIGHT UP
and CRASHES into the bulkhead.
Another log BREAKS FREE and
SHOOTS UP.
This one hits the open door
and PLOWS through the debris, crushing Sangrini's body into the crates in front
of him. Above Sangrini's lifeless body the silt clears and Phillip's body comes
into view. Cody is nowhere to be seen.
Sangrini's hand seems
determined to carry out the last will of its owner as the fingers TIGHTEN and
the speargun FIRES. The spear sinks deep into an ammunition crate.
EXT. DESTROYER - DAY
Sawaya and Maria stand on
the bridge as they watch sailors in the whaleboat towing the Esmeralda toward
the destroyer. They hear the UNDERWATER EXPLOSION in the Kure Maru.
The force of the explosion
pushes the Kure Maru high out of the water. They can see the gaping hole where
the Number Two Hold used to be. The ship breaks in half and sinks to her grave
for the final time. Giles comes over to them. Sawaya touches her arm.
SAWAYA
It was never supposed to go
this far.
LOOKOUT'S VOICE
Commander!
The LOOKOUT points to where
the Kure Maru had been only a moment before. The water is BOILING, then
something SHOOTS out of the water, FLIES into the air, then CRASHES back with a
SPLASH.
THEN IT HAPPENS AGAIN!
AND AGAIN!
SAWAYA
(realization)
The logs!
Sawaya peers through
binoculars. Another log shoots skyward. He looks HARD, then a trace of a smile.
SAWAYA (CONT'D)
I don't believe it.
MARIA
What?
Sawaya lowers the
binoculars and looks at her in disbelief and wonder.
SAWAYA
It's Steve.
She GASPS. He hands her the
binoculars and she searches the water. Cody clings to one of the logs as the
whaleboat heads over to him. He's hauled into the boat. Maria lowers the
binoculars. She looks down at Carlos clinging to her side. He slips his hand in
hers.
A YOUNG SAILOR sticks his
head out of the bridge door.
MAHAN SAILOR
Message, sir. From Subic.
Sawaya takes the message
and reads it. He turns to Carlos.
SAWAYA
They've found your brother.
He's all right.
Carlos smiles through tears
as he hugs Maria. Behind Sawaya the SHIP'S CAPTAIN comes out on the bridge wing
with them.
MAHAN CAPTAIN
Well, commander, it appears
we have us a successful mission.
Sawaya looks at Maria and
Carlos.
SAWAYA
But at what price?
The Captain follows
Sawaya's gaze to Maria and Carlos.
MAHAN CAPTAIN
Too bad about her husband.
What'll she do, now?
Sawaya looks out to the
whaleboat, where he can see Cody standing in the bow.
SAWAYA
Oh, she'll be all right.
The Lookout points toward
the Esmeralda.
LOOKOUT
Captain, something's happening!
MAHAN CAPTAIN
Now what?
They watch as two sailors
who were left on the Esmeralda jump into the water as the whaleboat turns to
pick them up.
SAWAYA
It looks like the old gal
is about to give up the ghost.
MAHAN CAPTAIN
That about cuts it! Now
we've got nothing!
As they watch, the
Esmeralda slowly ROLLS OVER and, with one last belch of smoke, goes under.
INT. WHALEBOAT - DAY
Cody stands up as the boat
approaches the destroyer. The Coxswain turns to him.
COXSWAIN
Looks like there isn't much
left.
CODY
It all depends on how you
look at it.
As the CAMERA PULLS BACK
reveal the canvass bag that Sangrini had. It is now tied to Cody's belt. His
hand touches it reassuringly. The boat pulls up next to the destroyer and he
waves up to Maria.
ENDING CREDITS
FADE OUT
