KULO LUNA - $BILLION DOLLAR WHALE
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A humpback whale caught in ghost fishing nets
(Directors/producers: this is a 110 page script written in Final Draft) SCENES: ONE (Opening sequence London Bridge Station, Shard, England) SCENES: TWO (Aqua, Shard restaurant, London, England) INT. AQUA SHARD RESTAURANT - MORNING Simon ushers Storm into the private dining suite - parquet floors, sleek furnishings, glass walls. The suite's only table is occupied by GEORGE FRANKS, who stands and greets Storm as he enters. He is around 60 years of age, elegantly suited, distinguished with a meticulously trimmed moustache. His handshake is firm. FRANKS John. So glad you could drop in. Coffee? STORM Black. No sugar. Simon tips his head and retreats as Franks motions for Storm to take a seat then sits opposite. On the table between them a tablet on a zigzag stand angled so both men can view it. TABLET SCREEN IMAGE: Storm's YouTube channel - 'STORM'. A still image from the live stream video of Storm climbing the Shard heads the page. Caption reads: 'STORM STORMS THE SHARD' The page is populated by rows of other video thumbnails - 'STORM'S CLEANER OCEANS CAMPAIGN' and 'STORM'S BLUE ECONOMY' and 'STORM'S PLASTIC FREE WORLD' and 'STORM WINS WORLD SOLAR CHALLENGE' and others. The page boasts 23 MILLION SUBSCRIBERS and 12 BILLION VIEWS. FRANKS Well that will certainly take some beating. How was it? Are you okay? STORM A little more exhilarating than my usual morning workout but, yes, I'm fine thanks. FRANKS Compelling viewing, I have to say. STORM You were watching? FRANKS From the edge of my seat. To judge by the numbers on your YouTube page I wasn't the only one, either. -- 23 MILLION SUBSCRIBERS - 12 BILLION VIEWS -- STORM Let's hope it has the desired effect. Simon returns to the table and pours the coffee just as Storm's ring tone sounds. STORM Excuse me. The face of Hawk on Storm's mobile. HAWK (TELEPHONE VOICE) At least someone's enjoying breakfast. EXT. STREET - MORNING Hawk stands outside Starbucks. He checks his watch. HAWK There's nowhere open down here yet, as you can see. He holds his phone up so Storm can see the CLOSED sign on the Starbucks door. HAWK I'd ask to join you up there but it's the heights thing. Hawk glances up at the full terrifying height of the Shard. INTERCUT BETWEEN STORM IN THE SHARD AND HAWK IN THE STREET WITH STORM -- Storm smiles. STORM What's the SP? WITH HAWK -- Hawk tries and fails to hail a cab. HAWK All major news outlets have the footage and by the close of play the live stream will have gone viral. I'll make sure of that. WITH STORM -- Storm sips his coffee. HAWK (TELEPHONE VOICE) Barring the end of the world you'll be the day's lead story. STORM What would I do without you? HAWK (TELEPHONE VOICE) How honest do you want me to be? STORM It was a rhetorical question. WITH HAWK -- Hawk hails another cab and this one pulls over. HAWK Well anyway I'm off to find an all- nighter. He jumps in and cab pulls away. WITH STORM -- Storm sets his cup in its saucer. STORM Good luck. Hawk blinks out. Franks raises an eyebrow - 'Anyone I know?' STORM Dan Hawk - prefers just Hawk. He has an eye for detail. FRANKS And organisation by the sound of it. Where did you find him? STORM He was assigned as my race engineer for the solar challenge a few years back. Kind of stuck around. A child prodigy. Graduated from Oxford with a distinction when he was fifteen - computer science and artificial intelligence. I'd never tell him so, but he's something of a genius. FRANKS Thank you Simon. Simon serves two egg white omelettes. They talk as they eat. FRANKS Speaking of genius, I need to talk to you about your uncle, Professor Storm. STORM Uncle Doug - I miss him. FRANKS They're saying it was an accident, of course, but... STORM You don't believe that. FRANKS I believe what he was working on was a threat to the wrong people. A look of understanding between them ... then Franks dips a hand in his pocket and pulls out a vellum envelope with a red wax seal. Hands it to Storm. FRANKS He wanted you to have this. Intrigued, Storm breaks the seal and slices the envelope open with the butter knife. He pulls out its contents - a letter with an address and a six-digit combination. It reads -- MY DEAR JOHN, A CHALLENGE AWAITS. FIND YOUR WAY TO ME AND I WILL EXPLAIN. YOU WILL FIND ME HERE: HANGAR 1 - NELSON'S COVE - NSW 2315. YOUR KEY TO THE DOOR: 962841 UNCLE DOUGLAS. STORM He always did speak in riddles. He studies the address: HANGAR 1 - NELSON'S COVE - NSW 2315 STORM Looks like an Australian address. FRANKS New South Wales - a place called Nelson's Cove. You did say you were heading to Australia soon? STORM Yes. I have several speaking and media engagements there. I'll be there for a few weeks. FRANKS Perfect. Franks turns to the waiter -- FRANKS Simon. Could you fetch us some more coffee please? Thank you. Franks waits for Simon to leave the room. Then -- FRANKS A word of caution, John. I don't know exactly what your uncle has in mind for you. But whatever it is, there are those who won't want it to happen, you can be sure of that. SCENES: THREE (A bar in Nagasaki, Japan) INT. NAGASAKI BAR - NIGHT A rowdy scene in a downtown bar. Two men arm wrestle across a table. A group of boisterous men cheer them on. One of the arm wrestlers is 45-year-old STANG LEE, a stockily built man with leathered skin and hard eyes. His huge neck argues with the collar of his shirt. He is muscle on muscle. Those muscles strain now as he starts to get the better of his opponent, his face relaxed, smiling, as if this is the easiest task in the world. Finally Stang's opponent surrenders, the back of his hand slamming down on the table, defeated. The men all cheer and raise glasses in a toast to the victor. AT THE BAR -- 50-year-old SHUI RAZOR observes the celebrations. Shui is half-European, half-Japanese. He is fit for his age - slim, athletic, quietly commanding. He wears a goatee beard and a Samurai headband. He looks over at Stang and raises his glass in salute. Amid the celebrations one of the men steps forward -- MAN IN NAGASAKI BAR Now it's your turn, eh Shui? You versus Stang - two prize-fighting champions across the table. Winner takes all! The men all cheer in anticipation. Stang fixes Shui. STANG Old times' sake? The look between them simmers for a long beat, then -- SHUI My wrestling days are done, Stang. I beat you once and once is enough. We should be going. He throws back his sake in one hit and slams his glass down on the bar. Stang watches as Shui heads for the exit - a hard festering look. Then he gets up and follows Shui out. SCENES: FOUR () INT. STEVE'S OFFICE - DAY Steve and Charley work at their respective desks. Steve's phone disturbs him. STEVE Tom, how's it going? INT. TOM HUDSON'S OFFICE - DAY Office looks out through glass walls onto the BUSY NEWSROOM FLOOR - journos at their desks, between desks, on the phone, gesticulating, papers in hand -- -- 40-year-old TOM HUDSON paces his office, phone to his ear. TOM Oh, quiet as usual, Steve. I was wondering if you have the dates for the solar boat race. WITH STEVE -- Checks his calendar... STEVE Start date, next month - twenty- fifth. Six weeks today. Charley's doing the artwork as we speak. He glances over at her - she nods: 'I'm on it' STEVE I'll have her send it over as soon as it's done. WITH TOM -- Refers to a front page newspaper story on his computer screen - a photo of Storm waving into camera from the top of the Shard. Caption reads - STORY: STEVE GREEN - PHOTO: CHARLEY TEMPLE. TOM The Shard images of John Storm were fantastic by the way. More of the same please. John Storm is the face of climate change right now. SCENES: FIVE () EXT. UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND - DAY Establishing shot: Sign in the campus grounds reads: 'UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND - ST LUCIA CAMPUS'. Students chat to one another as they amble through the grounds. They carry books, folders, rucksacks. INT. UNIVERSITY LECTURE THEATRE - DAY Storm stands at the front and speaks to a packed auditorium. He looks every inch the university lecturer in jeans, T-shirt and Kalvin Klein glasses. Behind him a giant screen displays a DIAGRAM OF HISTORICAL HUMPBACK WHALE POPULATION DECLINE -- STORM As you can see from the diagram, humpback whale populations have decreased by something in the order of ninety-five percent compared to historical levels. Faces in the audience are enthralled -- -- CLOSE ON: THE FACE OF 30-YEAR-OLD MARINE BIOLOGIST AND UNIVERSITY LECTURER SUKI HALL - striking Oriental features, long dark hair tied in a bun, professor glasses. Suki sits at the front and takes notes. STORM There are many reasons for the decline, not least the lifting of the whaling ban. But there are other factors. LED screen shows images to emphasize Storm's words -- LED SCREEN IMAGES: A HUMPBACK COLLIDES WITH THE BOW OF A SHIP -- A POD OF BEACHED HUMPBACKS -- A HUMPBACK SWIMS IN MELTING ARCTIC ICE -- A HUMPBACK TRAPPED IN GHOST NETS STORM Vessel strikes. Underwater noise pollution. Climate change. Ghost nets made of plastic compounds... LED SCREEN IMAGE: A HUMPBACK HARPOONED AND HAULED ABOARD AN INDUSTRIAL WHALING VESSEL STORM ...And then of course there's pirate whaling - long haul sorties run on dirty diesel. This is not only a threat to the whale populations - it also pollutes the oceans, causing biodiversity and habitat loss, depleted fish stocks, and ultimately food shortages in regions that can least afford them. Suki removes her glasses. Listens intently. STORM The fact is we have to act now. No whales - no oceans. No oceans - no planet. Thanks for listening. Auditorium erupts. A standing ovation. At the front Suki stands and applauds enthusiastically. INT. UNIVERSITY LOBBY - LATER Storm is surrounded by a large group of students demanding his autograph. STUDENT#1 thrusts a CLEANER OCEANS BROCHURE into Storm's hand. STUDENT#1 Could you sign it to Chloe? My girlfriend. We subscribe to your YouTube channel. We watched you climb the Shard in London on the live stream. STUDENT#2 pushes to the front and hands Storm a notebook and pen. She's a little start-struck. Storm signs the notebook. STUDENT#2 I watched you too. Awesome. Thanks. Other students clamour for Storm's signature but Suki steps to the front and rescues him. SUKI Okay that's all for tonight everyone. I'll put a copy of my notes up on myUQ. A few groans and slightly disappointed faces as the students start to disperse. Suki turns to Storm and offers her hand. SUKI I hope you don't mind. You looked a little overwhelmed. Professor Suki Hall. I'm senior lecturer in marine biology here. I enjoyed your talk. STORM Thank you. Suki Hall? The Suki Hall, STP? SUKI Satellite Tracking Program, yes. Our main office is based here on campus. We're monitoring the Pacific humpback migrations - cetacean management strategies. STORM Fascinating. A slightly awkward moment, their hands still clasped. A clear attraction between them. Finally -- STORM Well, I ah ... I'd better be going. A long drive ahead. SUKI Of course. STORM Nice to meet you. SUKI You too. Storm backs away, reluctantly, then turns and heads for the exit. Suki's admiring eyes follow him all the way. SCENES: SIX () EXT. PACIFIC HIGHWAY - NIGHT A custom 4x4 hybrid Jeep speeds along the highway. In the driving seat, John Storm. INT. JOHN'S CAR - CONTINUOUS Storm's elbow on the armrest. Low-volume music on the radio. George Franks on the in-car satphone screen. STORM George. I'm on my way. FRANKS Where are you? Storm's headlights pick out the road sign: 'COFFS HARBOUR'. STORM Just passing Coffs Harbour. FRANKS That means you still have four- hundred kilometers to go. It's the middle of the night where you are. Couldn't you have waited till the morning? STORM Less traffic at night George. FRANKS Yes, well call me when you get there. And do me a favour please John - drive safely. STORM As mother used to say. Storm hits END CALL. George Franks blinks out. EXT. PACIFIC HIGHWAY - CONTINUOUS Storm's Jeep roars off into the distance at speed. SCENES: SEVEN () INT. STEVE'S OFFICE - DAY TV IMAGE: A rugged, windswept coastline where snow-capped mountains fall to a sea of melting ice. THE TAIL FLUKE OF A HUMPBACK WHALE SLAPS THE SURFACE then disappears beneath the waves. Voice of news anchor JILL BIRD narrates -- JILL BIRD (V.O.) Each year thousands of humpback whales leave their summer feeding grounds here in the Aleutian Islands and head for warmer climes. Some of the whales have been implanted with satellite tags, which means we can track their progress in real time. A GIANT HUMPBACK WHALE SNORTS FROM ITS BLOWHOLE... JILL BIRD (V.O.) One of those whales has been named Kulo. Steve stands beside his desk, rummaging through papers. He is part-distracted by a news item on the TV. Charley enters with two coffees and gives one to Steve. STEVE Thanks Charley. I owe you one. CHARLEY You owe me several. Can I borrow your eyes? STEVE Sure. She ushers him across to her desk. On her computer screen a poster: 'THE ZERO CARBON CHALLENGE ROUND THE WORLD BOAT RACE' CHARLEY I've finished the artwork for the solar boat race. What do you think? STEVE Looks great. CHARLEY Not too...? STEVE No, no really. It's fine. CHARLEY Just that I need to get it over to Tom. STEVE It's great, really. CHARLEY Cool. She gulps a mouthful of her coffee, picks up her camera bag and heads for the door. STEVE Where you going? CHARLEY Earn a living. STEVE You haven't finished your coffee. Too late. She's gone. Steve gives his eye back to the TV. TV IMAGE: Jill Bird wears a hooded oilskin and raises her voice against the buffeting wind. Behind her the sea growls at the surrounding snow-capped peaks. JILL BIRD As the migration gets underway, the question is - will Kulo make it to her winter breeding grounds? Or will she fall victim to one of the many obstacles she will face along the way - plastic waste, ghost fishing nets, pirate whalers. Time will tell. GIANT HUMPBACK WHALE BREACHES -- MATCH CUT TO: SCENES: SEVEN () EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN - DAY -- A GIANT HUMPBACK WHALE BREACHES in the sun-spooled ocean, a much smaller whale glued to her side. They are like mother and calf. They are Kulo and Kana. SCENES: EIGHT () EXT. NAGASAKI HARBOUR - NIGHT A three-quarters full moon sits on distant hills. A cruise ship glows obtrusively. Container ships, dockside cranes and industrial wharfs occupy the shadows. And into those shadows drives a beaten up pickup truck. It belongs to Shui Razor. It pulls into the dimly lit harbour parking area and Shui and Stang climb out. They make their way over into the darkest shadows of all, to where two whaling vessels - the SUZY WONG and the JONAH - are being made ready to put to sea, their industrial silhouettes sharp and ugly against this ominously moonlit night. Here crewmen load last minute supplies and weaponry as Shui and Stang prepare to board their respective vessels. STANG The moon is a good omen. We will come home fat with whale meat. SHUI You are fat enough, my friend. Shui laughs as he turns and boards the Suzy Wong. INT. SUZY WONG BRIDGE - LATER Shui barks orders from the bridge. SHUI Cast off forward and aft! Slow ahead! Mooring lines are released. Engines throw up thick clouds of oily smoke. Diesel-polluted water churns beneath the stern as the Suzy Wong pulls away. Shui shouts back to Stang above the cacophony of engine roar and water wash -- SHUI Hey, Stang! Watch my wake and weep! The two men laugh. But Stang's laugh is a mask. His eyes harden as he watches Shui negotiate a path out to sea. SCENES: NINE () EXT. NELSON'S COVE - MORNING The all terrain wheels of John Storm's custom 4x4 Jeep splash through a shallow creek... INT. JOHN'S CAR - CONTINUOUS ...Storm pulls into an enclosed area -- SATNAV VOICE You have reached your destination. STORM This place? Are you sure? He peers out the front windscreen. Swirls of early morning mist obscure his view. It is still quite dark. His headlights pick out a JCB, a pile of wooden pallets, a canoe with a hole in its hull and years on its clock. The tail of a silver-grey cat as it disappears into the mist - a ghost. He climbs out. EXT. NELSON'S COVE - CONTINUOUS Too dark and misty to see clearly. He takes out a pen torch and follows its beam - the pallets, the JCB, the canoe. And a 3-metre high steel fence enclosing a compound. He goes to it. Thinks about climbing it. But then he sees -- -- INSULATORS fixed to a fence post. The fence is electrified. Being sure to hold only its resin top he touches the torch's steel barrel to the fence post. SPARKS IGNITE. He recoils. He must find another way in. MOMENTS LATER -- He comes to a security gate. A padlock. A COMBINATION LOCK. Could it be? He takes out his phone and checks the combination his uncle gave him. STORM Here goes... He types in the numbers - 965851. CLICK! The padlock comes away. He enters the compound -- EXT. NELSON'S COVE COMPOUND - CONTINUOUS -- It's still dark. Still misty. Difficult to see. He scans as he walks, treads carefully, following the beam of his pen torch. Is that a building ahead? FLASH! Suddenly he is drenched in blinding light. He has triggered a security light. Instinctively he freezes. Throws up a hand to shield his eyes. Has he been discovered? As his eyes accustom themselves to the bright light he sees the building now facing him - a wall with a steel security door. He goes to it. Runs his hand across the door's smooth surface. No handles -- -- But a flap, there! On the wall. He lifts it. An EYE stares back at him. Then a FACE - HIS OWN REFLECTION. He realises he is staring into a facial recognition system. Beat ... then the security door CLICKS open -- INT. NELSON'S COVE HANGAR - CONTINUOUS -- Cautiously he pushes the door wide and steps inside. It closes automatically behind him. Suddenly he is in darkness. Pitch darkness. Until -- -- Pop-pop-pop-pop-pop-pop-pop-pop - strategically arranged floor-to-ceiling spotlights pop on, one and then the next. What they reveal stops his heart. He is instantly transfixed. Staring and staring at the marvel gleaming back at him now, he dips a hand in his pocket and retrieves his phone. STORM George. You're not going to believe this. SCENES: TEN () INT. UNIVERSITY STP OFFICE - DAY Establishing shot: Sign on door reads 'SATELLITE TRACKING PROGRAM - OPERATIONS ROOM - UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND' Spacious modern office - tables, chairs, computers, wall- mounted GPS maps and marine traffic charts... Suki Hall sits at her desk and studies the latest GPS positioning on her computer screen. COMPUTER SCREEN IMAGE: A map of the Western Pacific shows the path of the humpback migration. Around two dozen whales have been tagged, each showing on screen with their unique name label. KULO is among them -- -- The map also displays other marine traffic - cruise ships, cargo vessels, fishing boats etc. The map resembles an ocean- wide web of multicoloured lines and dots. Suki is concerned with what she sees. She zooms in on TWO BLOOD-RED DOTS. Whaling vessels? They are sailing close to the migration. She hits a number on her phone. SUKI Oh, hi. This is Professor Suki Hall, STP. Can you please tell me why I'm seeing whaling vessels a thousand miles southeast of Japan? SCENES: ELEVEN () EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN - DAY An ugly industrial vessel ploughs through the ocean. It is the Suzy Wong. INT. SUZY WONG BRIDGE - DAY The pulsed BEEP of the fish-finder sonar keeps time as Shui scans the ocean. Ship's radio crackles into life. STANG (RADIO VOICE) Jonah to Suzy Wong. Come in Suzy Wong. You there Shui? Shui lowers his binoculars. Lifts the handset. SHUI I'm here Stang. STANG (RADIO VOICE) Anything? SHUI Negative. INT. JONAH BRIDGE - DAY Stang holds the handset to his mouth. He is agitated. Frustrated. They have not yet found their quarry. STANG Four days at sea and nothing. The whales must have taken a different course this year ... or are you holding out on me, my old friend? SHUI (RADIO VOICE) You know me better, Stang. As soon as we make eyes you'll be the first to know. Stang GRUNTS... WITH SHUI -- SHUI They'll show up soon enough. STANG (RADIO VOICE) Well let's hope so. If we go back empty-handed Zheng Ling will feast on our blubber. WITH STANG -- STANG I don't want to be the one to have tell him ... you still there Shui? WITH SHUI -- Shui has already replaced the handset. SHUI (to himself) Like I said, they'll show up soon enough. SCENES: TWELVE () EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN - DAY A pod of humpbacks swim majestically. Tailing the pod a GIANT HUMPBACK SWIMS WITH HER SMALLER COMPANION - Kulo recognisable for her immense size, Kana for her playful nature -- -- Kulo and Kana are happy. SCENES: THIRTEEN () INT. NELSON'S COVE HANGAR - MORNING THE MOST EYE-BLISTERING SIGHT CONFRONTS US NOW... Gleaming in the blaze thrown upon her by the floor-to-ceiling spotlighting sits the ELIZABETH SWANN - a futuristic trimaran with solar-panelled decking and sleek, space-age design. She sits proudly - magnificently - up on blocks. Storm is all at once awestruck as he moves towards her, explores her, lays his hand on the smooth contours of her body. Makes his way round to her stern and climbs up on the diving platform. All the while studying her, drinking in her wonder as though exploring a new lover. INT. ELIZABETH SWANN - CONTINUOUS FORWARD HELM -- Storm enters the forward helm and is greeted by a technological playground -- gadgetry, buttons, keypads, organic LED screens, a control console. A CENTRAL COMPUTER. Storm stands in awe of the slick, supertech design ... then the computer suddenly 'beeps' into life, all by itself. CENTRAL COMPUTER SCREEN IMAGE: 'ENTER PASSWORD' For a long beat Storm stares at the computer, the challenge it poses. Password? He thinks on his feet -- STORM Password ... password ... ahh ... birthday, my birthday. Uncle Doug knew my birthday... He types in his birth date. CENTRAL COMPUTER SCREEN IMAGE: 'INCORRECT PASSWORD - TWO ATTEMPTS REMAINING' His mind races. An idea flashes across his mind. He checks his phone again for the combination lock code -- STORM The code. The combination code. He types it in. CENTRAL COMPUTER SCREEN IMAGE: 'INCORRECT PASSWORD - ONE ATTEMPT REMAINING' STORM Damn! Okay. Come on Storm, think... Another idea occurs to him. He looks at his phone. Hits a number. Puts the phone to his ear... SCENES: FOURTEEN () INT. HAWK'S APARTMENT - EVENING ...A trendy loft conversion with exposed brick walls, vaulted ceiling, undressed light bulbs and lots of technology. Hawk lounges in a 1960s vintage chrome and leather aviator armchair. He plays a 'SHOOT 'EM UP COMPUTER GAME' on a vast wall-mounted LED screen. His phone flashes. His attention remains with the computer game as he answers -- HAWK Skip? INTERCUT BETWEEN STORM ON THE BOAT AND HAWK IN HIS APARTMENT WITH STORM -- Storm becomes increasingly anxious as he stares at the computer screen and the CURSOR FLASHING IN THE EMPTY PASSWORD BOX - 'ONE ATTEMPT REMAINING'. STORM Hawk. Listen. I need your help. I need to crack a password. HAWK (TELEPHONE VOICE) Who set it? Storm is taken aback by Hawk's question. STORM Who set it? My Uncle Douglas, why? HAWK (TELEPHONE VOICE) Professor Storm. WITH HAWK -- Hawk's fingers play tunes on his gaming console. HAWK He was my remote mentor at Oxford. STORM (TELEPHONE VOICE) I'm aware of that Hawk. HAWK He helped me write a potential master machine-learning algorithm to simulate human imagination in computers. STORM (TELEPHONE VOICE) Fascinating. HAWK We just didn't have a system advanced enough to run it. WITH STORM -- Marvelling at the technology surrounding him. STORM Well I may just have discovered one. WITH HAWK -- Hawk takes down four secret agents with one blast of his automatic hand cannon. HAWK You have? Crash and die, sucker! WITH STORM -- Storm removes the phone from his ear and studies it for a second. Did Hawk just say that? STORM Hawk, are you playing computer games again? HAWK (TELEPHONE VOICE) I'm strategizing a plan to save the world and killing anyone who stands in my way. STORM Of course you are. Listen. Please try and concentrate. I need to get into this system and you're the only person I know with the technological knowhow to... HAWK (TELEPHONE VOICE) Your mother's maiden name. STORM What...? WITH HAWK -- For a brief moment Hawk takes his eye off the game and gives it to Storm. HAWK It will be your mother's maiden name. The first letter will be upper case. WITH STORM -- Storm is not convinced. STORM Are you sure...? Storm's itchy fingers hover over the keypad -- STORM My mother's maiden name ... first letter upper case. HAWK (TELEPHONE VOICE) Correct. He types in his mother's maiden name. CENTRAL COMPUTER SCREEN IMAGE: 'WELCOME TO THE ELIZABETH SWANN' accompanied by a SMILEY FACE. STORM Ha! Yes! Hawk, you're a genius! HAWK (TELEPHONE VOICE) I have tried to tell you. WITH HAWK -- Hawk's fingers continue to play tunes on his gaming console. The sound of automatic gunfire. HAWK Agent down! I'm inside the command centre. So are you now, Skip. Good luck with whatever it is you're doing. Die sucker! WITH STORM -- Storm has already ended the call. He stares at the computer screen. CENTRAL COMPUTER SCREEN IMAGE: 'HELLO JOHN, YOU HAVE ONE MESSAGE'. SCENES: FIFTEEN () EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN - DAY The Suzy Wong spews out black toxic fumes as she churns through an otherwise pristine blue ocean. INT. SUZY WONG - SHUI'S CABIN - DAY A SAMURAI SWORD GLINTS IN THE BEAM OF SUNLIGHT SPOOLING IN THROUGH THE CABIN PORTHOLE... The sword hangs on the wall behind Shui as he eats lunch - rice, fish, wakame salad. A half-full bottle of sake and a glass sit on the table. He fills the glass, drinks, and continues eating. A knock at the door disturbs him. SHUI Hai? Door opens. CREWMAN#1 enters with urgent news. CREWMAN#1 A sighting, Captain! We've found them! Shui downs cutlery, jumps up, throws back the dregs of his sake and shrugs on his jacket. SHUI Radio the Jonah. Give Captain Stang our position. And tell him it was he who took the wrong course. Not the whales. Ha! He heads for the door. SCENES: SIXTEEN () INT. ELIZABETH SWANN - DAY FORWARD HELM -- CENTRAL COMPUTER SCREEN IMAGE: 'HELLO JOHN, YOU HAVE ONE MESSAGE'. Storm stares at the message on the screen. The FLASHING ENVELOPE ICON accompanying that message. Gingerly he reaches forward and touches it. Then jolts back in amazement as -- CENTRAL COMPUTER SCREEN IMAGE: THE ANIMATED 3D HOLOGRAPHIC AVATAR OF PROFESSOR STORM APPEARS -- PROFESSOR STORM John my boy! Good to see you! Storm is stunned to silence. For a beat. Then -- STORM Uncle Doug. PROFESSOR STORM In the flesh - although not quite, of course. These days I'm little more than a holographic avatar, but no less indomitable for that. Storm reaches out and touches the professor's face. PROFESSOR STORM So what do you think of her? Impressive isn't she. STORM The boat? She's stunning. PROFESSOR STORM She's run purely on green hydrogen and driven by an autonomous control system - Captain Nemo. Computer BEEPS. Then introduces itself -- NEMO Nemo for short. At your service, Captain Storm. PROFESSOR STORM AI, my boy - artificial intelligence. She has a brain as intuitive and empathic as the best any human can boast... NEMO And some. PROFESSOR STORM ...Well, almost. She can certainly navigate herself from A to B quite adequately but she does require the human touch from time to time. And that, my boy, is where you come in. STORM It is...? PROFESSOR STORM The Zero Carbon Challenge round-the- world boat race. I've entered her. I'd like you to skipper her. STORM Me? But... PROFESSOR STORM You have all the necessary credentials and it would go down a storm on that YouTube channel of yours - pun intended. You could take that young Hawk with you as your first mate. He's a remarkable young man. He can manage the AI systems blindfold and when there's nothing else to do he could... NEMO Make the tea. PROFESSOR STORM ...Precisely. What do you say? The professor pulls on his most serious face now -- PROFESSOR STORM I need you to do this for me, John. I need you to trial her - something I was unable to do before my ... well let's just call it my mishap. George will fill you in on all the details. He's expecting your call. Storm is speechless as he watches his uncle start slowly to fade out... PROFESSOR STORM Take care my boy. Take care... ...And the professor is gone. For a long moment Storm doesn't move, just stares at the black screen that just swallowed his uncle. Then at the dazzling array of lights representing Nemo's neural network. At length he looks down at his phone. Picks it up. Puts it down again. Engages Nemo instead. STORM Nemo. Get me George Franks. NEMO Please. Storm is thrown by Nemo's impudent reply. A beat, then -- STORM Nemo. Get me George Franks - please. NEMO Yes of course, Captain Storm. No problem at all. SCENES: SEVENTEEN () INT. UNIVERSITY CORRIDOR - DAY Suki strides along with some urgency. She passes students and other university staff. Her phone is tight to her ear. SUKI If anything happens to any of the tagged whales we'll know about it. We'll also know who is responsible. She ends the call. SUKI (to herself) As if I don't know already. EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN - NIGHT FULL MOON CLIMBS OMINOUSLY ABOVE THE SUZY WONG... EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN/UNDERWATER - NIGHT Two humpback whales hang like vertical pillars in the moon- spangled water - one a gentle giant, the other her smaller companion. It is Kulo and Kana, sleeping. The SOUND OF A SONAR PING disturbs them. KULO OPENS HER EYE. SOUND MATCH TO: INT. SUZY WONG BRIDGE - NIGHT PULSED SONAR PING of the ship's fish-finder beats time as Shui Razor scans the ocean through night-vision binoculars. SONAR OPERATOR studies his screen -- SONAR OPERATOR One-thousand metres and closing Captain. South-south-east. Shui barks an order at the helmsman standing beside him -- SHUI You heard him! South-south-east - full ahead! HELMSMAN Full ahead, Captain! Engines roar as Shui puts the tannoy handset to his mouth. SHUI All hands! Stations! Now! EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN/UNDERWATER - NIGHT Sonar ping sounds against the rumble of distant engines. Kulo senses danger. She nudges Kana awake. The two whales start to swim, Kana clinging to Kulo's side like a calf to her mother. INT. SUZY WONG - NIGHT The ship comes alive now... -- BELOW DECK men gulp down their drinks and leap to action as they abandon the backgammon table and race for the door... -- IN THE GALLEY chef hurriedly bolts the lid on the soup pan and turns off the heat... -- IN THE CABIN legs are thrown over the sides of bunks, bootlaces tied, oilskins thrown on... -- IN THE HEAD the sound of the toilet being flushed, the door unbolted, feet scudding away along the passageway... INT. SUZY WONG BRIDGE - NIGHT Shui observes from the bridge as men scuttle about on deck. Take up their stations. Sonar Operator studies his screen - blip divides into two blips, one larger than the other. SONAR OPERATOR Two whales off the port bow, Captain. Eight-hundred metres. Looks like mother and calf - a very large mother. SHUI Hard to port! Urgency now as Shui spins and observes the screen for himself. His eyes widen at the sheer size of the larger blip. SHUI (into the tannoy) Rig for a giant! Grappling hooks ready! Load the harpoons! EXT. SUZY WONG BOW - NIGHT A HARPOON IS LOADED -- HARPOON CANNON SWIVELS SLOWLY ROUND... EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN/UNDERWATER - NIGHT THE GROWL OF ANGRY ENGINES FILLS THE OCEAN -- Suzy Wong closes on Kulo and Kana -- the whales are confused -- rumble of engines grows louder -- Kana panics and swims off, first one way, then the other -- Kulo stops and calls to Kana but the engine noise drowns her call... ...KANA IS SEPARATED FROM KULO. SHE IS ISOLATED. INT. SUZY WONG BRIDGE - NIGHT Shui sweeps the moonlit ocean with night-vision binoculars, slowly to starboard, then to port. Then -- -- THERE! Kana breaks surface less than 200 metres off the port bow. Shui bellows into the tannoy handset. SHUI Whale off the port bow! Harpoons ready! (to the helmsman) Steady as she goes. We'll take the smaller one first. Then the big one will come to us. EXT. SUZY WONG BOW - NIGHT The harpoon cannon trains on Kana. A beat, then -- -- BOOM! Harpoon explodes from the cannon and fizzes through the night -- strikes Kana -- a deathly cry as blood pools around her -- she struggles -- convulses -- lets out a low mournful moan -- then lies still... EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN/UNDERWATER - NIGHT ...Kulo slows to a halt. Something is wrong. SCENES: () INT. SUKI'S STUDY - NIGHT Suki sits in the half light of her study, warm drink in hand, eyes glued to the computer screen. The same GPS tracking map we saw earlier now shows one of the whaling vessels much closer to the migration - -- Suki sips her drink. Concern. Her eyes do not leave the screen - as if she's watching Kulo and Kana for real. SCENES: () EXT. SUZY WONG DECK - NIGHT The men drive hooks and ropes into Kana's flesh and grapple to haul her aboard. The scene is carnage - horrifying. EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN - NIGHT From a small distance Kulo observes Kana being butchered and hauled aboard the Suzy Wong. Is that a tear escaping her eye? She gives a low rumbling growl and moves off... INT. SUZY WONG BRIDGE - NIGHT Shui watches over his crew as they haul Kana aboard. Suddenly a shaft of light glints on the ocean's surface. He raises his binoculars to his eyes... BINOCULARS POV: Moonlight ricochets off Kulo's dorsal fin as she swims back towards the Suzy Wong. SHUI The mother is coming back, exactly as planned. (through the tannoy) Harpoons ready! We have company. INT/EXT. SUZY WONG DECK/BOW/BRIDGE - NIGHT AT THE BOW -- the harpooner swings the cannon portside and searches the moonlit waters for his target. He waits ... and waits ... where is the whale? Then suddenly -- -- HARPOONER RECOILS IN TERROR AS KULO BREACHES BARELY INCHES FROM HIS FACE ... THEN CRASHES DOWN BESIDE THE SUZY WONG WITH A THUNDEROUS REPORT. A 20-metre-high wall of ocean swallows the Suzy Wong, swelling up and crashing down on the deck like a monsoon cloudburst. Crew are sluiced in all directions -- ON THE BRIDGE -- a panicked Shui grabs the tannoy. SHUI Stand fast! Maintain stations! AT THE BOW -- the harpooner drags himself slowly to his feet. Vengeful eyes search the night. He takes hold of the cannon -- EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN - NIGHT -- Meanwhile Kulo frantically tries to free Kana, calling to her, nudging her, ramming her, diving beneath her and lifting her head ... but no response from Kana. When Kulo finally looks up she sees -- -- The harpoon cannon trained directly on her. Inwardly she recoils. By instinct she tries to dive, but -- EXT. SUZY WONG BOW - NIGHT -- Too late! HARPOONER'S POV: Harpoon cannon releases its load... INT. SUKI'S STUDY - NIGHT Suki continues to study the map on her computer screen. Suddenly she jerks, as if a needle has pricked her - as if telepathically she knows Kulo has been hit... EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN - NIGHT ...Kulo lets out a terrifying cry and dives as the harpoon strikes her back. A cheer goes up from the Suzy Wong. INT/EXT. SUZY WONG BRIDGE/DECK - NIGHT Shui looks on triumphantly as the crew all cheer on the deck below him. But the cheers are short-lived, slowly subsiding to a nervous silence as the crew realise to a man that the whale can no longer be seen. Where is she? Is she dead? DEATHLY SILENCE NOW AS SHUI AND THE CREW FREEZE... SHUI WAITS NERVOUSLY -- HEMLSMAN AND SONAR OPERATOR HOLD THEIR BREATH -- THE CREW START TO RETREAT ON DECK. EYES SEARCH THE NIGHT. Then -- -- KULO SUDDENLY BREAKS THE SURFACE LIKE A SEA-TO-AIR MISSILE, MONSTER-SIZED. SHE HANGS IN THE AIR ABOVE THE SUZY WONG FOR WHAT SEEMS A DEATHLY ETERNITY... ON THE DECK -- THE TERRIFIED FACES OF THE CREW LOOK UP TO SEE THE MONSTER ABOUT TO CRASH DOWN UPON THEM... ON THE BRIDGE -- SHUI WATCHES IN HORROR AS THE GIANT WHALE HANGS IN THE AIR ABOVE HIS MEN... A BEAT ... TWO ... THEN -- -- KULO CRASHES DOWN ON CREW AND DECK WITH THE FORCE OF A FALLING ASTEROID, MIDSHIPS, SPLITTING THE VESSEL IN TWO. INT. SUKI'S STUDY - NIGHT Suki shows sudden concern as one of the dots inexplicably blinks out. KULO'S NAME LABEL DISAPPEARS FROM THE SCREEN -- SUKI Kulo...? Suki's fingers dance urgently across the keyboard but to no avail. Kulo's tag has stopped transmitting. INT/EXT. SUZY WONG BRIDGE/DECK - NIGHT Men run in all directions now terrified. The ship is breaking up. Bow separating from stern. Both halves going down. ON THE BRIDGE -- a horrified Shui grabs the ship's radio. SHUI Stang! Stang are you there? Suzy Wong to Jonah! Come in Stang! INT. JONAH BRIDGE - NIGHT Stang munches a mouthful of wagyu katsu sando. He is in no hurry to answer the call. SHUI (RADIO VOICE) Stang! Where are you? Finally -- STANG Problem Shui? SHUI (RADIO VOICE) We've been hit - by a whale! STANG A whale? SHUI (RADIO VOICE) A very big whale! We're going down! STANG Then put in a mayday call. He laughs... SUZY WONG BRIDGE -- SHUI Stang, don't be crazy. We're in international waters. We're not supposed to be here. (then into the tannoy) Launch the lifeboats! Abandon ship! I repeat - abandon ship! ON DECK -- men scream and shout and run for the lifeboats as the ship breaks up beneath their feet. Some leap overboard... JONAH BRIDGE -- Stang stuffs the last of his sandwich in his mouth, shakes his head and sighs. STANG Give me your position, Shui. EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN/UNDERWATER - NIGHT Kulo observes the sinking ship from a small distance - bow and stern going down separately. She gives a mournful growl, then turns and swims away, blood weeping from her wound, the full moon turning shades of blood-orange at her back. SCENES: () INT. AIRCRAFT - DAY STEVE GREEN'S SEATBELT CLICKS SHUT. Out the window he sees -- AERIAL SHOT: SAND ISLAND, ALOHA TOWER AND PIER 2 CRUISE TERMINAL draw nearer as the aircraft descends. AIRCRAFT CAPTAIN (V.O.) All passengers fasten your seatbelts. It's a glorious day on the ground, twenty-eight degrees with a light breeze... EXT. HONOLULU AIRPORT - DAY SUPER - 'HONOLULU INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT' Aircraft touches down -- AIRCRAFT CAPTAIN (V.O.) ...Enjoy your stay on the island. EXT. TERMINAL 2 EXIT - DAY Steve and Charley exit the airport, throw their luggage in the boot of a cab and climb in. Cab pulls away, just as -- -- 30-something KAI SATO exits the airport. Oriental descent. Dark suit. Attache case. Kai watches Steve and Charley's cab until it disappears from view, then hails a cab of his own. He wears a SILVER ID BRACELET. INT. CAB - HONOLULU STREET - DAY Steve sits in the back with Charley, mobile phone to his ear. STEVE John, it's Steve. We've just arrived. INT. HOTEL ROOM - DAY Storm wears swimming shorts and beach shoes. He grabs a towel form the bathroom, rolls it and packs it in his man bag. His phone is on the side, on speaker mode. STEVE (TELEPHONE VOICE) Was hoping to catch up later this evening, get a few words for the channel. I know Charley would like some photos as well. STORM I'll bring Hawk along. STEVE (TELEPHONE VOICE) Perfect. EXT. HOTEL - DAY Cab pulls up outside the entrance. Steve checks his watch as he and Charley climb out. STEVE It's five-thirty now. Shall we say seven? HOTEL ROOM -- Storm throws on a shirt, leaves it unbuttoned. STEVE (TELEPHONE VOICE) It'll give us time to unpack and clean up. STORM Let's say seven-thirty. It'll give me time for a swim. STEVE (TELEPHONE VOICE) See you then. Storm grabs his phone and man bag and leaves the room. INT. HOTEL FOYER - DAY Kai Sato approaches the desk. He is detached, humourless. HOTEL RECEPTIONIST offers a smile. KAI SATO Kai Sato. Receptionist checks the name on the computer and hands over the room key. Kai's silver ID bracelet visible here. HOTEL RECEPTIONIST Room six-two-five, Mr Sato. Have a great day. KAI SATO Thank you. Kai turns and heads for the elevator. Doors slide open and Storm steps out in swimming shorts and open shirt, carrying a man bag. Kai watches Storm disappear out the door. SCENES: () EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN - DAY Shui dozes in a lifeboat crammed with a dozen other men. He clutches his Samurai sword. A second life boat carries the rest of the crew nearby. Suddenly a shout from the lookout -- LIFEBOAT LOOKOUT Captain! Captain wake up! Shui stirs. Lookout points at a ship in the distance. INT. JONAH BRIDGE - DAY BINOCULARS POV: A blurred image of Shui's lifeboat slowly sharpens... Stang adjusts his binoculars and the Suzy Wong's lifeboats come sharply into view. EXT. JONAH/PACIFIC OCEAN - DAY The Jonah is alongside the lifeboats. The men are lowering ropes. Shui and his crew are exhausted. JONAH DECK -- Stang leans over the side, shouts down to Shui. STANG The great Shui Razor. You bring shame on your sword, my friend. A Samurai sunk by a whale. Ha! A fisherman's tale if ever I heard one. Shui says nothing. Sonar Operator at Shui's side explains. SONAR OPERATOR It's true, Captain Lee. It was huge. We had already caught the smaller one and... STANG Smaller one? There were two whales? So you were holding out on me Shui. I should leave you to the sharks. He turns and walks away. Across his shoulder, he shouts -- STANG Haul them aboard! SCENES: () EXT. HOTEL RESTAURANT - NIGHT A crowded beachfront restaurant. Steve and Charley are seated at a table, chatting as Storm and Hawk arrive - Storm in open- neck shirt and trousers, Hawk in black T-shirt with 'I'M ARTIFICIALLY INTELLIGENT' blazoned on its chest -- -- As they make their way to the table Storm bumps into an old flame. SARAH-LOUISE JONES is about 35 with blonde shoulder-length hair and striking ocean-blue eyes. She is attractive without the need of makeup. STORM Sarah! While Storm and Sarah chat, Hawk hangs awkwardly. Their conversation is friendly but competitive - and flirty. STORM Long time. How are you keeping? I heard you were competing. SARAH I seem to remember I was always competing with you, John. STORM Always? SARAH When it mattered. STORM When it mattered I thought we cooperated pretty well. Hawk rolls his eyes and looks suitably uncomfortable. STORM Oh sorry - this is Hawk. My first mate. HAWK Chief engineer. Anyway, I can see you two have a lot to fight about so I'll ahh ... I'll leave you to it. Nice meeting you. Hawk trundles off and joins Steve and Charley. Storm smiles. SARAH A little young for a first mate, isn't he? STORM Yes, well, what he lacks in years he makes up for in brain cells. Our boat, the Elizabeth Swann, she's very ... technological. SARAH Really. Well she'll need to be fast, too. I'm not here to make up the numbers, John. I intend to win. STORM Me too. A look between them -- -- A FEW MOMENTS LATER Storm arrives at the table. STORM Sorry about that. An old friend from my university days. HAWK She's still in love with you. STORM She's in love with her own ambition. CHARLEY That's a bit harsh, John. A girl's allowed her aspirations. Charley glances over to where Sarah is seated, several tables away. She clocks Sarah throwing discreet eyes at Storm. CHARLEY Besides, I think Hawk could be right. Just then the waiter arrives at the table. WAITER Are you ready to order? Storm suddenly checks his pockets - empty! STORM Damn! I left my phone in my room. STEVE Do you need it? STORM I'm afraid I do. George Franks is calling me this evening. I'll only be five minutes. Excuse me. He gets up and leaves. SCENES: () INT. HOTEL CORRIDOR - NIGHT Storm approaches the door to his room. Is about to put the key card in the lock when he hears a noise from inside. Cautiously he inserts the card ... a beat, two, then -- -- He SLAMS THE DOOR WIDE, bursts into the room and hits the light switch -- INT. HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT -- Storm hits the light switch and sees Kai Sato rifling through his suitcase. STORM Who are you? What do you think you're doing? Kai offers no words. His reply is instead a lightning fast move that catches Storm off guard -- THWACK! Storm is flat on his back against the wall. He shakes his head. Looks up just in time to see Kai disappearing out the door. INT. HOTEL CORRIDOR - NIGHT Storm emerges from his hotel room. Sees Kai reach the end of the corridor and disappear off to the right -- Storm runs -- end of corridor -- turns right -- another corridor -- Kai 20 metres ahead of him -- Storm runs -- Kai dives into the elevator -- elevator doors slide shut in Storm's face. Beat ... Storm thinks on his feet -- -- Sees the FIRE EXIT... EXT. HOTEL FIRE ESCAPE - NIGHT -- Storm exits onto the fire escape. He is high up. 25th FLOOR. He starts to descend the metal staircase - 24th floor, 23rd floor, 22nd floor ... On each floor we see the ELEVATOR DESCENDING through the hotel window - 23, 22, 21, 20 -- Storm's feet descend the steps ... they run ... and run ... Storm on the 14th floor now. Breathless. He peers in through the window just in time to see -- -- ELEVATOR DOORS OPEN. A man, a woman and a child exit. No Kai. Storm thumps the rail with the heel of his hand. INT. HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT Storm throws ice in a glass and adds a large measure of rum. He speaks to George Franks on the phone. STORM I haven't told anyone. It's the start of the race in the morning. I didn't want them worrying. INT. GEORGE FRANKS OFFICE - DAY A spacious modern office with stylish chrome-and-leather furniture, modern art pieces and floor-to-ceiling windows that look out on Canary Wharf. An impressive glass-topped desk commands. Franks paces at the window -- FRANKS And there's nothing missing? Passport, wallet, anything else of value? WITH STORM -- STORM Nothing. He didn't even take my phone. I left it in my bag after my swim today. It was still there. He throws back the rum. Starts to pour another... FRANKS (TELEPHONE VOICE) Then he must have been looking for something specific. WITH FRANKS -- Peers out the window at nothing in particular. FRANKS I didn't tell you this, John - I didn't want to worry you. But it's possible your intruder was looking for the formula. WITH STORM -- Goes to take a drink, but stops abruptly. STORM The formula? FRANKS (TELEPHONE VOICE) For the Elizabeth Swann's propulsion system. WITH FRANKS -- FRANKS Whoever he's working for must have thought perhaps the professor left it to you in his will, along with the boat. WITH STORM -- STORM But he didn't ... did he? FRANKS (TELEPHONE VOICE) Listen John, I need to make a call. I'll get back to you. SCENES: () SIX PACK - SANDY ISLAND MARINA, HONOLULU HABOUR EXT. HONOLULU HARBOUR - DAY Sunshine. Music. Celebration. Dancers in grass skirts. Suited and uniformed officials presiding from a raised platform. Overhead a light aircraft circles, trailing a banner: 'WORLD ZERO CARBON CHALLENGE'. ON THE PIER -- Crowds. Flags. Happy faces. Steve and Charley at the head of a jostling media scrum - camera crews, news anchors. Steve puts a hand to his ear. Charley films him. STEVE (into Charley's camera) You there, Hawk? INT. ELIZABETH SWANN - DAY FORWARD HELM -- Hawk brings up Storm's YouTube channel on the LED screen. He hits LIVE STREAM. HAWK Good to go, Steve. We're live streaming to the world! BACK WITH STEVE AND CHARLEY -- Charley filming Steve -- STEVE (into Charley's camera) So, here we are in Honolulu, another Storm live stream underway. WITH HAWK -- Steve reports indistinctly on the LED screen as Hawk runs a systems check with an uncooperative Nemo -- HAWK Systems check, Nemo. NEMO Is that really necessary? HAWK Just do it, please. Turbine. NEMO Check. HAWK Hydrogen banks. NEMO Check. HAWK Fuel cells. NEMO Reserve capacity ... Look, this can get rather tiresome after a while, Chief Engineer Hawk. Everything is in order, okay? Ready to go. Storm enters -- STORM Everything ship-shape Hawk? Do we have wind and current forecasts? NEMO Oh my days... EXT. HONOLULU HARBOUR - DAY RAISED PLATFORM -- MC stands proudly at the mic dressed in gleaming white full-dress naval uniform. MC And now, your royal highnesses, honoured dignitaries, ladies and gentlemen - let the race commence! Band strikes up. Crowds cheer. Fireworks explode. Then -- -- THE DEAFENING SOUND OF THE START HORN! STEVE (into Charley's camera) And there off! VIEW FROM THE PIER -- The boats head out into the channel at a steady pace. An armada of media boats surround them -- STEVE (V.O.) Storm and the Elizabeth Swann taking an early lead. AERIAL SHOT -- the Elizabeth Swann pulling away -- Starlight a clear second -- the remaining four jostling for position and surrounded by the media boats. EXT. ELIZABRTH SWANN - DAY ON DECK -- Storm waves at an unsmiling Sarah 100 metres behind him. He enjoys the moment. She doesn't -- -- The Elizabeth Swann powers across the ocean's surface at speed -- SCENES: () EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN/UNDERWATER - DAY -- Somewhere beneath that surface Kulo emerges from the depths and swims towards us, her motion laboured. She is exhausted. A stream of blood trails her. Up ahead -- -- GHOST NETS. 50 metres high. A kilometer in length. They hang silently. Sway menacingly with the ocean's movement - a deadly, ghostly dance. Kulo struggles on, so slowly, unaware the nets await her. INT. JONAH - STANG'S CABIN - DAY Shui tucks hungrily into a hot meal. Stang lounges opposite, feet up on the table. STANG You are hungry, eh my friend? You are lucky I came for you. SHUI We should head back to port. STANG What? SHUI The quarters are cramped. There are too many men. STANG But we are five days from Nagasaki. And we would go back with nothing. It's a crazy idea. He throws back a measure of sake. SHUI I am pulling rank, Stang. I am the senior man. STANG Come on, Shui. We are old friends. SHUI Captain. STANG Huh? SHUI There can only be one captain on a ship, and while we are both on this ship, I am the captain. You will call me Captain, not Shui. Stang is not happy. A beat to process Shui's words. Then -- STANG Perhaps I should ask Zheng Ling if he is happy for us to return empty- handed - Captain. The look between them simmers... INT. ZHENG LING'S OFFICE - DAY Zheng Ling stands at the window and looks out on the Nagasaki skyline as he questions Kai Sato, who has just been ushered into the room by Ling's BODYGUARD. Kai is nervous. Panicky. ZHENG LING Tell me you have good news, Kai. KAI SATO I'm sorry Mr Ling. We've searched everywhere. Computer files. London address. Honolulu. ZHENG LING And? KAI SATO Nothing. Zheng Ling turns, menacing. Kai sweating now -- ZHENG LING Honolulu. Tell me what happened in Honolulu? KAI SATO Storm came back ... to the hotel room ... unexpectedly. ZHENG LING You allowed yourself to be caught. KAI SATO No... ZHENG LING He saw you. That's a fail, Kai. That's a fail. Zheng Ling turns back and faces out the window. To his bodyguard, Ling says -- ZHENG LING Lose him. KAI But Mr Ling, I ... no, please... Bodyguard scruffs Kai from the room. EXT. REAR OF ZHENG LING'S OFFICE BLOCK - LATER Industrial parking area/backyard - a few parked vehicles, several rubbish bins, a skip... Zheng Ling's bodyguard exits the building pushing a wheelie bin. An arm dangles from the top of the bin. The arm wears a silver ID bracelet. Garbage truck pulls into the yard, picks up the bin and empties it into the back of the truck. Truck drives off. Bodyguard wheels the bin back inside the building. INT. ZHENG LING'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS Zheng Ling stands at the window, hands in pockets, looking out on the Nagasaki skyline as the garbage truck passes by on the street below. THE FACE OF ZHENG LING REFLECTED IN THE OFFICE WINDOW -- MATCH CUT TO: SCENES: () INT. GEORGE FRANKS OFFICE - NIGHT -- THE FACE OF ZHENG LING ON THE COMPUTER SCREEN. George Franks sits at his desk, types in a command and brings up a profile of Zheng Ling on his computer: NAME: ZHENG LING -- AGE: 57 -- CITIZEN: JAPAN -- STATUS: SINGLE -- LANGUAGES: JAPANESE, ENGLISH -- DESCRIPTION: HAIR BLACK; EYES BLACK; BODY ROTUND -- BUSINESS: MARITIME. TV News plays in the background -- NEWSNIGHT PRESENTER As the Zero Carbon Challenge round- the-world boat race enters its second week we are joined live via satellite link by race leader John Storm... Franks flicks a glance up at the TV... NEWSNIGHT PRESENTER ...John, a commanding lead, all done on clean sustainable energy. Storm puts a hand to his earpiece, is about to reply, when Franks mutes the sound and hits the intercom. FRANKS Get me Steve Green. EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN - DAY Kulo toils through the calm blue waters. Blood trails her. Ghost nets entangle her. 3 great whites tail her -- -- Danger is her companion now. EXT. ELIZABETH SWANN - DAY ON DECK -- Storm relaxes with a cold drink. Hawk joins him, swigs from his reusable water bottle and marvels at the sun- spangled vista. HAWK You know what, Skip, things could not be better. Nemo is pushing us along at almost twenty knots. Ten days out from Honolulu and we're already more than a day ahead of your former significant other. STORM Not significant, Hawk. Just good friends. HAWK Wrong answer. STORM Anyway it was a long time ago. Storm's phone interrupts them -- STORM Steve. EXT. STREET - DAY Steve and Charley weave in and out of traffic as they cross the busy street. An urgency about them. STEVE John. I just got word from George Franks. He's being pretty coy about where he got the information but it would seem we have a massive story unfolding. INT. ELIZABETH SWANN - DAY FORWARD HELM -- Storm and Hawk watch Jill Bird reporting from dockside, Nagasaki Harbour... JILL BIRD A giant humpback whale has attacked and sunk a pirate whaling vessel a thousand miles southeast of Japan. According to reports, the incident occurred over a week ago but has only just come to light. LATER -- Storm on alert. Franks on the satphone screen -- FRANKS The vessel was part of a fleet owned by a man called Zheng Ling. Among other things he runs an international whaling cartel. INT. GEORGE FRANKS OFFICE - NIGHT Franks on two-way visual communications with Storm. On his desktop computer screen a newspaper headline: 'ZHENG LING UPS STAKE IN LUXURY CRUISE LINE' -- FRANKS He also owns a substantial investment in other areas of the maritime industry - cruise ships mainly. We believe the man who broke into your hotel room was working for him. STORM (on satphone screen) We...? INT. RESTAURANT - DAY Eating lunch -- Steve is excitedly explaining to Charley... STEVE The Consortium. CHARLEY What consortium? STEVE George said it was set up to counter the threat from big business climate change denial. Funded by an anonymous billionaire. BACK WITH STORM IN THE FORWARD HELM -- Storm takes it on, but with some reluctance. STORM And Uncle Doug worked for this ... Consortium? FRANKS (on screen) Let's say he was affiliated. As am I. We knew Zheng Ling had somehow got wind of what he was working on. On top of everything else Ling owns a majority shareholding in JOPCO -- STORM -- Japan Oil and Petroleum Corporation. WITH FRANKS -- Random images/profiles on Franks' computer screen now - Shui Razor, Stang Lee, Kai Sato -- FRANKS Correct. We believe Ling and his industrial mafia were out to stop Professor Storm developing the on- board storage formula that makes the Elizabeth Swann's fuel-cell system commercially viable. WITH STORM -- His mind whirs. Then -- STORM So you're saying they murdered him. Before he could patent the formula. WITH FRANKS -- FRANKS John, you asked if your uncle left the formula to you in his will. The answer is yes, but with a caveat. WITH STORM -- FRANKS (on satphone screen) The formula belongs to you now. You're the only one who can patent it. But first you must complete the trial. Finish the race. It was your uncle's express wish. Storm chews on this for moment, then the hard realisation -- STORM Which means I've just replaced Uncle Doug at the top of Zheng Ling's hit list. FRANKS (on satphone screen) That would appear to be the case. EXT. ELIZABETH SWANN - NIGHT ON DECK -- A calm, balmy night. Waning moon. The Milky Way... Storm sits alone, deep in thought. These latest revelations weigh heavily. INT. SUKI'S APARTMENT - NIGHT Open plan kitchen/diner. TV News plays as Suki boils a kettle and makes tea -- ABC NEWS PRESENTER Another twist in the sinking of the whaling vessel... -- Suki instantly stops what she is doing and gives her attention to the TV. ABC NEWS PRESENTER ...An anonymous Japanese businessman is offering a million dollars - that's right, one million dollars - to anyone who can find and kill the whale responsible. INT. JONAH - STANG'S CABIN - NIGHT Stang is on a furtive video call. Laptop open on the table. Zheng Ling's face filling the laptop screen. ZHENG LING A million dollars. INT. ZHENG LING'S OFFICE - NIGHT Zheng Ling rolls a cigar between finger and thumb as he speaks to Stang's face on his computer screen. ZHENG LING Seeing as you are the only whaling vessel within five-hundred miles I would say you and Shui are about to become very rich. WITH STANG -- ZHENG LING (on Stang's laptop screen) Half a million each - assuming you find the whale. The door to Stang's cabin is slightly ajar. Shui secretly listens in on the call. ZHENG LING (on Stang's laptop screen) But you, Stang, you can become even richer. Bring me John Storm, and you'll receive a further one million dollars - all to yourself. The news registers in Stang's eyes, then he hears a noise behind him. He spins. The door to Stang's cabin is still ajar. But Shui has gone. SCENES: () RASH MOVE INT. STEVE'S OFFICE - DAY Charley scrolls through the latest headlines on the whaling story on her computer. Steve's here too, at his desk. STEVE A million? CHARLEY It's all over social media. All the outlets are carrying the story. CHARLEY'S COMPUTER SCREEN IMAGE: Google listings: 'MILLION DOLLAR MOBY' and 'MYSTERY BUSINESSMAN OFFERS MILLION DOLLAR REWARD FOR MISSING WHALE' etc. CHARLEY Coverage of the race has suddenly taken a back seat. Steve has an idea -- STEVE I wonder. CHARLEY What? Steve types SATELLITE TRACKING PROGRAM into the Google search engine and clicks on the top result. A page with an image of Suki comes up with details of the program and a telephone number (we do not see all of the number). COMPUTER SCREEN IMAGE: SATELLITE TRACKING PROGRAM (STP) -- UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND -- ST LUCIA CAMPUS -- EMAIL: profsukihall@stluciacampus.au -- TEL: +61 7 3365 **** Steve picks up his phone and dials the number. STEVE Ahh, Professor Suki Hall, please. This is Steve Green calling from the UK. I'm John Storm's press officer. Thank you... While the call's being put through to Suki -- STEVE Charley, get hold of Tom Marcus. See how much he's willing to pay for exclusive shots of the missing whale. Suki comes on the line -- STEVE Professor Hall? Steve Green. I wonder if I could talk to you about the missing whale...? EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN/UNDERWATER - DAY Kulo is in a bad way now. Strangled by ghost nets and plastic ropes. Bleeding heavily. Chaperoned by four great whites -- -- Kulo struggles on. INT. ELIZABETH SWANN - DAY FORWARD HELM -- Hawk mans the helm as Storm takes a call from Steve Green on the satphone screen. STEVE (on satphone screen) We think she's close by. STORM She? INT. STEVE'S OFFICE - DAY Steve talks to Storm via video link. On his computer screen an image of a breaching humpback - caption: 'KULO LUNA'. STEVE I spoke to a Professor Hall at the STP. STORM (SATPHONE VOICE) Suki Hall? STEVE You know her? WITH STORM -- STORM We've met. STEVE (on satphone screen) Okay well Professor Hall is pretty sure it's the giant humpback known as Kulo. Her GPS tag gave her position away. She was exactly where the whaling vessel was when it was sunk. Professor hall says the signal failed after that. She thinks her tag was probably damaged in the attack. STORM Kulo. STEVE (on satphone screen) Right. Apparently there was a supermoon the night she sank the ship. The media have dubbed her Kulo Luna. HAWK And you want us to do what, exactly, Steve? Abandon the race and go looking for a missing whale? STEVE A hunted whale, Hawk. There's a price on her head. HAWK A million dollars. Yes, we know. Storm rakes his fingers back through his hair. What Steve is asking is a lot, but Storm's conscience is punching him. STORM Well it's important we don't stray too far off course, Steve. I still have a race to win. STEVE (on satphone screen) Of course. Absolutely. Oh and, ah ... on the off chance, if you see anything ... maybe you could get a few shots? EXT. ELIZABETH SWANN - DAY VARIOUS SHOTS OF -- Storm up on deck, high-powered binoculars hard to his eyes, scanning the ocean... INT. ELIZABETH SWANN - DAY FORWARD HELM -- Sonar scans the depths, finds nothing. Hawk heads for the exit. HAWK I'm going up on deck, Nemo. Let me know if the sonar finds anything. NEMO Please. Hawk turns back, gives Nemo a look -- HAWK Okay ... please. NEMO Yes of course, Chief Engineer Hawk. No problem at all. SCENES: () INT. JONAH BRIDGE - DAY Sonar Operator greets Shui as he enters. Stang stands beside the helmsman, looking through his binoculars. SONAR OPERATOR Captain. Shui nods. Then, to Stang -- SHUI Stang. You should get some sleep. I'll take over here. Stang lowers his binoculars. He is reluctant to leave. STANG Ah. Well in case you have any ideas while I sleep, remember Zheng Ling wants us to return once we've caught the whale. Not before. SHUI Of course. A million dollars is a million dollars. An icy stare between them and Stang leaves the bridge. SCENES: () SHARK ATTACK EXT. ELIZABETH SWANN - DAY ON DECK -- Hawk arrives to find Storm's binoculars still glued to his eyes. HAWK They're becoming a permanent fixture if you don't mind me saying, Skip. He lowers the binoculars -- STORM She has to be out there somewhere. HAWK We're way off course. By my calculations Starlight is now in the lead. A thoughtful pause, then -- STORM You know what, Hawk? I've been thinking. I do all these crazy stunts like climbing the Shard and racing solar boats around the world because I believe in what we're doing. I believe the crazy stunts might just help achieve something - like clean up a patch of ocean or save an endangered species. Well right now there's an endangered whale out there who needs our help. (beat) And you know the craziest thing? I think the old man knew. Uncle Doug. Somehow he knew - Kulo Luna, Zheng Ling. Kismet. Am I losing the plot? HAWK If you mean are you suffering from a false belief based on incorrect inference about firmly sustained external reality despite the median consensus, I would say yes. STORM What if that's not what I mean? HAWK Then I'd say you have to follow your instinct, Skip. EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN - LATE AFTERNOON The sun's reddening disc hovers above the far horizon in a blaze of blood orange - EPIC. From somewhere beneath the ocean's surface the CRY OF A DISTRESSED WHALE escapes and permeates the air, reverberating all around, haunting. EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN/UNDERWATER - LATE AFTERNOON A GIANT EYE -- It belongs to Kulo. She hangs a few metres below the surface, keeping watch on her tormentors - four great whites who circle her. Suddenly one of the sharks moves in close. Kulo roars, then manoeuvres round with surprising speed and swats the shark with a flick of her giant flipper. The shark is tossed high in the air, breaking surface like a rag doll and crashing back down with a thunderous splash. Kulo groans. The wearied look in her eye tells us she cannot keep the sharks at bay for much longer. INT. ELIZABETH SWANN - LATE AFTERNOON Hawk mans the helm. Sports news plays on the LED screen. Storm enters, binoculars slung around his neck, just as SPORTS NEWS PRESENTER announces -- SPORTS NEWS PRESENTER New race leader, Starlight, is now some distance ahead of the field. Hawk notices Storm tighten at the news. He mutes the TV. STORM Nemo, get me Starlight. A beep from Nemo and Sarah Jones appears on screen. Hair back in a pony tail. Sunglasses back on her head. SARAH John. Where the hell have you been? I've been trying to reach you for the past two days. STORM Thought I'd do a spot of fishing. Give you a chance to catch up. You said you wanted to win. SARAH Not like this. STORM You always were difficult to please. They both smile awkwardly. A small silence, then -- STORM Sarah listen, I ahh ... I don't suppose you've seen anything? SARAH If you mean have I seen an errant whale then no, sorry, I haven't. (beat) John, are you sure you know what you're doing? EXT. ELIZABETH SWANN - LATER The sun is dipping low on the horizon... ON DECK -- Storm sweeps the darkening ocean with his binoculars. Then again. Nothing. He lowers his binoculars, just as his phone PINGS. He checks it. SMART PHONE SCREEN IMAGE: A SONAR BLIP indicates an object 2kms southwest of the Elizabeth Swann. Storm swings round and searches urgently in the direction of the sonar reading, straining to see in the dusky light. He sweeps the small patch of ocean, then again, then -- -- THERE! Finally Storm spots a DARK MASS on the surface. The image is a little blurred. He adjusts the binoculars, brings the mass into sharp focus. He shouts down to Hawk. STORM Hawk! Port fifteen, full power! IN THE FORWARD HELM -- HAWK Got it, Skip! I've got multiple blips on the sonar! ON DECK -- STORM Multiple...? Storm looks again. BINOCULARS POV: SHARK FINS CIRCLING A HUMPBACK WHALE. And there is blood. The whale is spilling blood. STORM (to himself) Oh my God... He swings down off the solar decking onto the aft deck. STORM We've found our girl, Hawk. Come aft - now! We need to move fast. We're losing light. EXT. ELIZABETH SWANN - CONTINUOUS AFT DECK/COCKPIT -- Hawk arrives to find Storm pulling on his wet suit and snapping his dive compass watch on his wrist. STORM Power on the lights and pull alongside, Hawk. Hawk's fingers dance across the touchscreen. Motors whine. Elizabeth Swann reverses alongside Kulo. HAWK Searchlights, Nemo! NEMO Searchlights on. Searchlights pick out the METRE-LONG WOUND on Kulo's back and the BLOOD SLICK seeping from it. They also reveal the SHARKS. HAWK Great whites. STORM Four of them. HAWK So tell me you're not going in. STORM We have no choice. She's clearly fatigued and she's bleeding badly. We'll need to fix her wound. Can you come up with something? HAWK Can I...? I can try, but... STORM And maybe some Orca sounds. HAWK Orca sounds... STORM Even great whites have predators. Hopefully the sounds will distract the sharks long enough for me to take a look at the whale. HAWK Nemo? Nemo gives off several electronic beeps and ambient music fused with whale song starts to play. HAWK I'll feed it through the sub- surface speakers once you're in the water. Storm is now fully kitted out in wet suit. Full face mask with built-in comms system. Air cylinder. Flippers. He holds a speargun in his hand. HAWK Be careful, Skip. Those sharks look hungry. Storm disappears through the deck hatch -- HAWK Now, Nemo. An electronic beep and 'SUBSURFACE SPEAKERS' is highlighted on Nemo's screen -- EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN/UNDERWATER - CONTINUOUS -- ORCA SOUNDS PLAY UNDERWATER... Storm moves warily through the water towards the giant whale, 20 metres ahead. Above him the killer sharks circle. INTERCUT BETWEEN STORM UNDERWATER AND HAWK ON THE BOAT WITH HAWK AT THE AFT HELM -- A live feed of Storm's progress is fed to the console screen by the underwater cams. Hawk's eyes are glued to that screen. HAWK Can we live stream this, Nemo? NEMO Consider it done. LED SCREEN IMAGE: Storm's YouTube channel -- a LIVE STREAM opens just as -- CONSOLE SCREEN IMAGE: -- A great white suddenly turns and heads for Storm at terrifying speed. HAWK Skip! Bad boy at three o'clock! WITH STORM -- Storm spins and sees the shark heading straight for him. Mouth wide. Head back. Rows of serrated teeth bared and less than five metres from his face -- -- Storm swings the speargun up. Aims and fires. But the shark swerves. Spear misses. Shark's fin brushes Storm as it careers past him, knocking the speargun from his hand. He looks down in horror as the speargun sinks to the seabed. WITH HAWK -- Adrenaline drives Hawk now as he watches the underwater action on the screen. CONSOLE SCREEN IMAGE: Shark circles round. Prepares for a second strike -- HAWK Coming in again, Skip - eight o'clock! (to Nemo) Music on max, Nemo! WITH STORM -- Orca-sound music blares as again Storm spins and sees the great white speeding towards him. He realises the music is having no deterrent effect. STORM (sarcasm) Great. I happen to run into the only deaf shark in the ocean! Storm is a sitting target. He grapples to release his dive knife but the shark is on him, it's razor-like teeth about to tear his flesh -- WITH HAWK -- Hawk watches in horror as the great white bears down on Storm. An erratic BEEP BEEP on the sonar diverts his eyes to the sonar imaging screen and he sees MULTIPLE BLIPS, this time more than he can easily count. He looks concerned and confused, both at once. HAWK (to himself) Dolphins...? WITH STORM -- Shark bears down on Storm at a ferocious pace. HEAD BACK. MOUTH WIDE -- Storm struggles and struggles to free his knife from its sheath -- Too late! The shark is on him. But then -- -- WHOOSH! A bottlenose dolphin - DOLPHIN#1 - suddenly appears from the depths and slams into the shark's belly at lightning speed - like a torpedo. Shark tumbles and sinks rapidly into the ocean's depths. WHOOSH! DOLPHIN#2 slams into a second shark, and it too is sent spiralling down into the deep dark blue... WITH HAWK -- Eyes wide, Hawk watches the action on the console screen. He fights to keep his excitement in check. HAWK (to himself) You know, I've always held dolphins in the highest regard. NEMO The very highest. HAWK & NEMO (excitedly together) YES! WITH STORM -- Orca-sound music plays softly now as Dolphin#1 nuzzles up to Storm, as though checking him over -- Storm reaches out and lays his hand gently on the dolphin's face. With his other hand he makes a circle of his forefinger and thumb, a sign that says 'I'm okay. Thank you. I'm okay'. The dolphin seems to nod its understanding, then swims off towards the surface... Storm looks up - a POD OF 30 DOLPHINS circles the whale, a ring of protection. WITH HAWK -- From his position on the boat Hawk can see the pod of dolphins circling the whale. HAWK I don't know if the dolphins are here to protect you or the whale, Skip. But I doubt the sharks will bother you again. STORM (COMMS VOICE) Roger that, Hawk. WITH STORM -- Kulo floats motionless several metres below the surface as Storm swims above her and checks her wound. STORM My God. One giant dressing and a small miracle required. We're both relying on you, Hawk. HAWK (COMMS VOICE) Leave it to me, Skip. Out. WITH HAWK IN THE CABIN -- Hawk frantically rummages through every locker and cupboard. Pulls out several reels of reinforced general purpose tape. A roll of greaseproof paper. A tub of heavy duty elastic bands -- -- Opens the medical kit, takes out lint and tubes of antiseptic cream. Grabs a bedsheet and a length of rope. WITH STORM -- He is level with KULO'S EYE. He slides his dive knife from its sheath and shows it to her. STORM It's okay, girl. You have to trust me. Trust me. Okay? Okay? Kulo gives a gentle sound. STORM Good girl. WITH HAWK ON DECK -- Urgently he tears off several strips of tape -- Unfurls two rolls of lint -- Opens the tubes of antiseptic cream and squeezes their contents onto the lint -- Folds up the bedsheet... WITH STORM -- Working as fast as he can, cutting away the nets and ropes with his knife, one and then the next. As each section of netting falls away Kulo sighs appreciatively. WITH HAWK -- He stuffs the sheet, the rope and the makeshift dressing into a dry bag. WITH STORM -- He cuts away another net, and then another... Finally he cuts away the last remaining net and Kulo lets out a booming whoooaaahhhhh that rumbles through the ocean like a peal of thunder... WITH HAWK ON THE DIVING PLATFORM -- Hawk waits anxiously. Storm emerges from the water onto the diving platform. Hawk hands Storm the dry bag. HAWK One antiseptic dressing, whale- size. A sheet and two lengths of rope to fix it. Best I could do. Was it as bad as it looked? STORM Another few hours and she would have drowned. No wonder the sharks were hanging around. HAWK Well done, Skip. Storm dips back into the water. As he swims off a dolphin surfaces and seems to catch Hawk's eye. HAWK Yes, well done to you, too. WITH STORM -- Kulo floats on the ocean's surface. Storm clambers up onto her flipper, then onto her back and opens the dry bag. STORM Hang in there, girl. He takes the dressing out of the bag and applies it to one side of the wound. Kulo lets out a cry and thrashes her tail and flippers, almost catapulting Storm back into the sea. He clings on for all he's worth. STORM Woah! Steady girl ... steady. Finally Kulo relaxes. Storm applies the rest of the dressing. Pulls the sheet and rope from the bag. Throws the sheet over the dressing and lets the two ends of rope fall into the water either side of Kulo's neck. Then dives in after them. UNDERWATER -- Beneath Kulo's hulking mass Storm grabs first one end of rope, then swims across under the whale's throat and grabs the other end. Ties the two ends together. STORM Perfect. Good job, Hawk. WITH HAWK AT THE AFT HELM -- Hawk sees the whale with its new dressing. He looks pleased with himself. HAWK Perfect, yes, agreed. WITH STORM -- Storm is again at Kulo's eye... Magic now as deep inside that eye Storm sees AN IMAGE OF THE GREAT PACIFIC GARBAGE PATCH - a spiralling mass of floating plastic and other human detritus coating the ocean's surface. Kulo is trying to tell him something ... but what? WITH HAWK AT AFT THE HELM -- LED SCREEN IMAGE: KULO'S EYE LOOKS BACK AT US... Hawk watches as the image of Kulo's eye blinks out. NEMO Live stream terminated. HAWK Thank you, Nemo. Oh and ... well done. Good job. NEMO Oh! No problem at all, Chief Engineer Hawk. No problem at all! SCENES: () INT. STEVE'S OFFICE - DAY Steve sits at his desk, munching a sandwich, scrolling through the latest on Kulo. STEVE My God! CHARLEY What's up? STEVE They're offering odds on the whalers catching Kulo. CHARLEY Who? STEVE Everyone. Ladbets. WagerHub. Stake100. Global Bookie. CHARLEY You're kidding. Charley joins Steve at his desk. Leans over his shoulder and checks the screen. CHARLEY Ten-to-one against them killing her? That's obscene. STEVE Five-hundred-to-one on Kulo sinking the second ship. CHARLEY And look here. The total value of bets worldwide has already reached three-hundred-million-dollars... STEVE Three-hundred ... no way. CHARLEY ...Could make it to a billion by this time tomorrow. They're calling her the billion-dollar whale. STEVE Insanity. Steve's phone rings. He snatches it up -- STEVE Tom. INT. TOM HUDSON'S OFFICE - DAY Tom's prowling his office. TOM Have you seen the latest? WITH STEVE AND CHARLEY -- STEVE Looking at it now. A billion dollars... WITH TOM -- TOM Steve. Those exclusives you mentioned, of the whale. STEVE (TELEPHONE VOICE) Storm's on it. He's located the whale. He's sending the photos over later today. TOM That's great, Steve. But listen, this changes things. How are you and Charley fixed for a trip to Oz? INT. JONAH BRIDGE - DAY RADAR SCREEN: Several sweeps - nothing. Stang narrows his eyes and scans the ocean. Storm must surely be close by. He raises his binoculars. EXT. ELIZABETH SWANN - DAY DIVING PLATFORM -- Storm's pulling on his wet suit. He's going in again. Hawk thinks it's a bad idea. Kulo swims alongside, slightly astern -- STORM A billion. HAWK An estimate of how many sharks currently populate the ocean. STORM An estimate of how many dollars currently weigh on Kulo. We have to try and help her. Storm grabs his flippers and face mask. HAWK I wasn't exaggerating when I said a billion... STORM Only a few thousand of which are great whites and tigers. HAWK It only takes one. STORM She's not well, Hawk. I think I know what's wrong with her. She was trying to tell me. HAWK What do you mean she was trying to tell you? Tell you what - exactly? STORM I'm afraid that's confidential. A look ... and Storm disappears into the water. Hawk lets go a heavy breath, exasperated. He turns to Nemo. HAWK Nemo. Orca sounds - please. Nemo beeps -- NEMO No problem at all. EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN/UNDERWATER - CONTINUOUS -- Orca sounds play as Storm swims up to Kulo's eye... STORM It's okay girl. I don't know how to say this in whale speak, but I need you to open your mouth. Kulo lets out a gentle murmur, then slowly opens her mouth, but only slightly -- STORM Good girl, Kulo. Wider if you can. That's it. Good girl. Good girl. Kulo opens her mouth wide. Storm peers inside. He is disturbed to see so many PLASTIC BAGS IN HER BALEEN PLATES. INT. ELIZABETH SWANN - DAY FORWARD HELM -- Steve Green's face on the satphone screen. STEVE Plastic bags. STORM Caught up in her baleen plates. She needs medical assistance - fast. STEVE I think I might have the perfect solution. EXT. BRISBANE HELIPAD - DAY Suki carries a chunky bag as she ducks beneath the spinning helicopter blades and climbs aboard. Helicopter lifts off. INT. JONAH BRIDGE - NIGHT Stang mans the bridge. Shui enters just as -- -- RADAR SCREEN IMAGE: AN ECHO. RADAR OPERATOR We have a signal, Captain. Forty- two kilometers. Bearing south-south- west. It's a fairly weak signal. Likely a small vessel. STANG A trimaran? RADAR OPERATOR Could be, Captain. STANG (to Helmsman) Bring her round. Shui interrupts -- SHUI Maintain course! We are searching for a whale, not a yacht. STANG (to Helmsman) I said bring her round. Helmsman's nervous - who should he obey? SHUI Are you disobeying an order, Stang? Stang in Shui's face now. STANG Take it up with Zheng Ling. Stang exits the bridge. INT. SUKI'S HELICOPTER - DAY AERIAL SHOT: Suki glances out the window at the expanse of pristine blue ocean below. A FEW MOMENTS LATER -- Out the front windscreen the Elizabeth Swann comes into view. EXT. ELIZABETH SWANN - DAY ON DECK -- Storm and Hawk watching Suki's helicopter approaching -- then the ROAR OF THE HELICOPTER BLADES OVERHEAD as Suki is lowered from the helicopter -- SUKI'S POV: Storm and Hawk craning their necks, watching her descent -- the Elizabeth Swann's solar-panelled deck drawing closer, then -- Touchdown! -- Storm unclips Suki's harness -- gives the thumbs up to the pilot -- helicopter roars away -- -- Storm and Suki stand face to face for the length of a skipped heartbeat as both are reminded of their attraction to one another ... Then -- STORM Thanks for coming. We'd better get started. MOMENTS LATER AT THE AFT HELM -- Suki straps on her 'tool belt'. It has various compartments housing the gadgets she needs to examine Kulo. She unclips one of the compartments and takes out a pill camera and a hand-held image recorder. SUKI A capsule endoscopy camera - otherwise known as a pill camera. We need to get Kulo to swallow it. She looks to Storm -- STORM I can try. -- Then she shows him the image recorder. SUKI This little gizmo will capture the images so we can see what's in her stomach. I'll also take samples and re-tag her while I'm with her. STORM Let's do it. DIVING PLATFORM -- Storm and Suki slide into the water. Hawk turns to Nemo, but before he can speak -- NEMO Orca sounds coming up! EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN/UNDERWATER - DAY Orca sounds play as Storm and Suki swim up close to Kulo. STORM It's okay Kulo. This is Suki. She's here to help you. Kulo gives a gentle rumble as Storm shows her the pill camera. He opens his mouth and mimes the action of swallowing it. She understands. She opens her mouth and Storm places the pill on her tongue as far back in her mouth as he dare. She lifts her head and swallows -- STORM Good girl, Kulo. Good girl. Suki gives the thumbs up. Storm remains with Kulo, calming her as Suki swims off and carries out her examinations. She listens to Kulo's heartbeat with her stethoscope -- Captures the endoscopy images with the recorder -- Takes blood and tissue samples -- Re-tags Kulo with the tag-gun... ...Finally Suki gives the thumbs up - 'All done' EXT. ELIZABETH SWANN - DAY AFT HELM/COCKPIT AREA -- Storm and Hawk stand by as Suki runs the tests through the computer. COMPUTER SCREEN IMAGE: A series of images, one after the other, showing Kulo's bloated stomach stuffed with a huge ball of knotted plastic. SUKI I've seen this all too often before. It's a knotted mass of plastic bags. Could weigh anything up to forty or fifty kilos. We have to get it out or she'll die. She holds up a vial of blood -- SUKI And so will her unborn calf. STORM She's pregnant? SUKI Heavily. LATER ON THE DIVING PLATFORM -- Storm pulls on his diving gear and Suki works on her laptop as Hawk appears holding a length of rubber hose with a camera at one end and an impeller pump at the other. HAWK One gastric lavage appliance. SUKI Perfect. STORM Let's hope the hose is long enough. HAWK Yes. Let's hope the weather holds, too. Nemo just checked. It looks like we're on a collision course with a category four cyclone. ANGRY CLOUDS BUBBLE UP ON THE HORIZON as Storm slides into the water. EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN/UNDERWATER - DAY Storm swims towards Kulo... INTERCUT BETWEEN STORM IN THE WATER AND SUKI AND HAWK ON THE DIVING PLATFORM DIVING PLATFORM -- Suki watches the images of Storm on her laptop as he swims up to Kulo and shows her the hose. Mimes the action of swallowing it. Kulo opens her mouth. SUKI You certainly have a way with her. UNDERWATER -- STORM All done by instinct. Storm inserts the hose, twisting and pushing it to the back of Kulo's throat -- DIVING PLATFORM -- Suki studies the images on her laptop... UNDERWATER -- Storm stroking Kulo with one hand, gently twisting the hose down into her esophagus with the other -- DIVING PLATFORM -- LAPTOP SCREEN IMAGE: The inner walls of Kulo's esophagus contract and expand as the camera descends ... down ... down ... until -- -- We are in Kulo's stomach looking at the LARGE BALL OF COMPRESSED PLASTIC. Suki nods at Hawk -- HAWK Activate the pump, Nemo. NEMO Please. HAWK This is not the time! NEMO (suitably chastised) No. Sorry. Pump activated. Pump starts to whir -- LAPTOP SCREEN IMAGE: Water sluices around in Kulo's stomach. SUKI Hold it there ... hold it ... reverse the flow now, Nemo. NEMO Flow reversed. LAPTOP SCREEN IMAGE: Suction -- water flow -- plastic ball starting to disintegrate -- UNDERWATER -- Storm continues to comfort Kulo... DIVING PLATFORM -- Hawk checks the sieve. It contains disgorged plastic bags. HAWK We have plastic! SUKI Great. It's working. Same again, Nemo! Pump whirs -- LAPTOP SCREEN IMAGE: Last of the plastic is sucked out. SUKI Mission accomplished, John. UNDERWATER -- Storm strokes and fusses Kulo -- STORM Well done, Kulo. Well done girl. Kulo offers a gentle sigh. EXT. ELIZABETH SWANN - NIGHT Hawk lays out on deck, on his back, counting stars. HAWK Three-hundred-and-twenty-four, three-hundred-and-twenty-five, three-hundred-and... Suddenly -- WHOOSH! A SHOOTING STAR fizzes across the sky. HAWK ...Ah! There goes Perseus. Amazing. A disarticulated fragment of space rock hurtling into the earth's mesosphere at around two-hundred- and-fifty-thousand kilometers per hour and heating the air in its path to more than a thousand degrees Celcius. Pure romance. INT. ELIZABETH SWANN - NIGHT CABIN -- Soft light -- intimate -- sexy... Storm moves his knight. He and Suki sit opposite, across a table, playing chess. Their conversation is warm, seductive. STORM Thank you for today, Suki. I was really quite worried about her. SUKI Oh, you did all the work. I just had the pleasure of watching you. STORM Teamwork. Suki moves a bishop -- STORM So who is Suki? How did she come to be a marine biologist? SUKI It's what her father always wanted. I guess she just fell in line. STORM Well I'm very glad she did. Storm moves a pawn -- SUKI He worked in conservation. It was his passion - marine ecosystems specifically, protecting marine wildlife. Later in life he became a prominent activist, not unlike the famous John Storm. Spent a lot of his time away. Then one day he just never came home. She moves a pawn. He moves a bishop -- STORM What happened? SUKI He dared to tread on the Tail of the Dragon. STORM The Tail of the Dragon? SUKI An underground crime syndicate. They own a fleet of pirate whaling ships in Nagasaki. The syndicate's run by a man called -- STORM -- Zheng Ling. SUKI (surprise) Yes. How do you know? STORM Let's just say you and I have a lot in common. SUKI Life's a one way street. Queen takes bishop -- SUKI Check. Knight takes queen -- STORM Mate. EXT. SYDNEY AIRPORT - DAY SUPER: 'SYDNEY AIRPORT' Airbus comes in to land... INT. BAGGAGE RECLAIM AREA - DAY Steve and Charley jostle for position. Steve's phone sounds. STEVE Tom. We've just arrived. Don't tell me there's another change of plan? INT. TOM HUDSON'S OFFICE - EVENING Tom paces, concerned -- TOM Call me when you get to your hotel, Steve. We have a situation. EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN - DAY GATHERING CLOUDS -- FRESHENING WINDS -- CHOPPY WATERS... The Elizabeth Swann hits the outer bands of the cyclone. INT. ELIZABETH SWANN - DAY FORWARD HELM -- The face of George Franks on the satphone screen. Storm, Suki and Hawk are all here -- FRANKS They have you in their sights. STORM Who? FRANKS Zheng Ling's men. Our satellite reports show they're close by. HAWK Nemo? Several beeps from Nemo, then -- NEMO Harpoon vessel. Jonah. Port of registry Nagasaki, Japan. Twelve kilometers and closing. HAWK What? Why didn't you tell us sooner? NEMO Sorry, Chief Engineer Hawk. I was kind of caught up in the whole Kulo thing. It was all rather exciting. HAWK For God's sake. STORM (to Nemo) Twelve kilometers. NEMO And closing. STORM Well we can outrun them, can't we? SUKI Not with an injured whale in tow. Out the window Kulo swims alongside... SUKI A heavily pregnant whale at that. HAWK And a cyclone about to hit. Storm lets out a heavy sigh. Then -- STORM Well whatever happens we must do everything we can to protect Kulo. These people are being offered a million dollars to kill her. That's a big incentive. FRANKS There's one other thing to consider, John. STORM What's that? FRANKS I'm afraid there's a million dollars on your head, too. INT. JONAH - STANG'S CABIN - NIGHT Stang sits back with his feet up on the table. Shui gazes out the window with his back to Stang. STANG Half a million each for the whale. Half a million each for Storm. A retirement package to die for. SHUI The reward for killing Storm was offered to you, Stang. Not me. I want no part of it. STANG Come on, Shui. I can't do it without you. I don't know what Zheng Ling was even thinking leaving you out of the deal. SHUI He was thinking what a mug you are. STANG Mug? We're talking a million dollars - each! Shui swings round and fixes Stang -- SHUI We're talking piracy and murder! Boarding Storm's vessel without his express permission is a violation of international maritime law. STANG Maritime law? SHUI Piracy. STANG Says Nagasaki's most notorious pirate whaler. Ha! SHUI And killing him into the bargain is murder. STANG Yes. And from where I'm sitting a million dollars for murder doesn't seem such a bad deal. (beat) Well? Does it? Shui stares long and hard at Stang - did he just say that? SHUI Our business is to kill whales for food, Stang, not people for profit. And for as long as I'm captain of this ship that's the way it will stay. Another long hard glare from Shui ... then he storms out and SLAMS THE DOOR. In Stang's eyes, treachery. SCENES: () A BABY IS BORN EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN/UNDERWATER - DAY Storm and Suki swim with Kulo. Suki inspects her wound while Storm swims up to Kulo's eye to comfort her. She blinks, as if to acknowledge his presence -- -- All the while Kulo makes strange 'calling' sounds. EXT. ELIZABETH SWANN - DAY DIVING PLATFORM -- Storm and Suki towel themselves down. STORM What were those strange sounds Kulo was making? SUKI As a marine biologist I'd have to say I don't know. As a woman I'd say she's going into labour. I'd say she's calling in her midwives. INT. ELIZABETH SWANN - DAY FORWARD HELM -- Hawk studying the combined sonar/radar screen. Storm and Suki watching Kulo on the rear cam screen. Suddenly two BEEPS alert Hawk. SONAR/RADAR SCREEN IMAGE -- BEEP ONE: Multiple sonar blips 800 metres to starboard. BEEP TWO: radar image 3 kms to port. HAWK Multiple blips eight-hundred metres off the starboard bow, Skip. Studies the image closely now -- HAWK A small pod of whales if I'm not mistaken. SUKI Looks like the midwives have answered Kulo's call. REAR CAM SCREEN IMAGE: Kulo peers up into camera, as if to communicate something. Then she dives and disappears. INT. ELIZABETH SWANN - CONTINUOUS FORWARD HELM -- SONAR/RADAR SCREEN IMAGE: Sonar blip moves away from the Swann towards the approaching multiple blips. Radar blip draws closer... HAWK Kulo's swimming towards the pod. SUKI Good girl, Kulo. STORM What about the radar image? HAWK It's a single vessel, Skip. Three kilometers that way. Hawk indicates out the window towards the northern horizon. Storm raises his binoculars. BINOCULARS POV: The Jonah makes full steam towards them. HAWK Should we make a run for it? STORM And leave Kulo exposed? No. We'll stand our ground. At least then Kulo can find a safe place to have her calf. EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN/UNDERWATER - DAY Kulo swims through the sun-spooled water. As our camera pulls back we see that she is not alone. Half a dozen other whales swim with her - KULO'S MIDWIVES. EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN - DAY SUN DISAPPEARS BEHIND GATHERING STORM CLOUDS... INT. JONAH BRIDGE - DAY Stang views the Elizabeth Swann through his binoculars. Radar Operator monitors the approaching cyclone on his screen. RADAR OPERATOR The cyclone will be directly overhead by nightfall, Captain. Stang lowers his binoculars. Sees Shui watching him from the doorway. He holds Shui's eyes when he says -- STANG Then what are we waiting for. Full steam ahead, Helmsman. Shui turns and leaves. EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN - EVENING The enormous black hull of the Jonah dwarfs the Elizabeth Swann as it pulls alongside... INT. ELIZABETH SWANN - EVENING FORWARD HELM -- The light outside is dusky now, the wind picking up. Storm, Suki and Hawk observe the Jonah pulling alongside and half a dozen mean-looking crewmen armed with whaling knives leaping aboard the Elizabeth Swann -- -- Ship's satphone sounds. Stang's face on the LED screen. STANG Captain Storm. The boarding party will offer you and Professor Hall safe passage aboard the Jonah. Do not resist, or they will kill you. STORM Why Professor Hall? Why not just me? STANG You have five minutes. Stang's face blinks out. EXT. AIRPORT CONTROL TOWER - NIGHT FIERCE WIND NOW -- DRIVING RAIN... Airport security vehicle pulls up. Steve and Charley jump out and run inside the building. INT. AIRPORT CONTROL TOWER - NIGHT Steve and Charley enter the control room. Banks of technology -- computer screens, radar screens, navigation consoles. A dozen people work in here... Air Traffic Controller KASHAN sits at his desk and studies the computer screen. It displays the cyclone's progress. Steve and Charley make their way over to Kashan. He gets up to greet them and they shake hands. STEVE Kashan? Steve Green. CHARLEY Charley Temple. STEVE I believe George Franks called to say we were coming? KASHAN He did indeed. Nice to meet you guys. You must be on some pretty important work. CHARLEY We just need to know when we can fly. KASHAN Right. Of course. Kashan sits himself back down at the desk -- WEATHER COMPUTER SCREEN IMAGE: The swirling storm heads northwest across the Coral Sea towards Papua New Guinea... KASHAN Well as you can see the cyclone's moving pretty fast, about fifty kilometers an hour. You should be right to go in the morning. Steve indicates a position on the map. STEVE So the Elizabeth Swann is here right now? KASHAN Yep. Right in the middle of it. CHARLEY My god. They must be taking a battering. STEVE And some. Let's hope they're still there in the morning. EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN - NIGHT The Elizabeth Swann plunges through the furious storm, tossed about like flotsam by high winds and mountainous waves... INT. JONAH - BELOW DECK - NIGHT The boat rocks and creaks with the motion of the cyclone as Storm and Suki are led along a passageway, hands tied behind their backs. At the end of the passageway they are led into -- INT. JONAH HOLD - NIGHT -- A vast damp industrial space with a TAIL OF THE DRAGON design in bas relief decorating one of the walls and CCTV cameras lurking high up in the corners. Two chairs sit side by side in the centre of the hold. Beside the chairs, Stang. STANG Sit. INT. ELIZABETH SWANN - NIGHT FORWARD HELM -- BAM! Hawk is hurled across the cockpit by the force of a huge wave that has just hit broadside. We hear the SOUND OF METAL TWISTING AND GRATING ON METAL AS LIGHTS FLASH AND ALARMS SOUND... Urgency now as Hawk picks himself up. Shakes himself down. Fingers the console touchscreen -- HAWK Turn the alarms off, Nemo. And run a systems check. NEMO Really? Is it not obvious... HAWK Now! Nemo beeps. Lights out. Alarms off. Hawk struggles into his storm-proof oilskin. NEMO Systems check ... Solar panel array, port wing forward, disabled. Turbine generator supports damaged. Control rod malfunction. Extent of damage unknown. HAWK (heading for the exit) That's what we need to find out. Maintain course. Keep her steady. Hawk slams the door behind him. NEMO (to himself) Keep her steady, he says. Hurricane- force winds, twenty-metre-high seas and he wants me to keep her steady. Suddenly another wave crashes into the boat, SETTING OFF THE ALARMS AGAIN. Hawk pokes his head back through the door. HAWK And turn those damned alarms off! NEMO Of course, Chief Engineer Hawk. No problem at all. INT. JONAH HOLD - NIGHT Storm and Suki sit facing the back wall, hands tied behind their backs. Shui and Stang are here with six crewmen. Shui nods and one of the men throws a switch that turns out the lights and casts the hold into total darkness -- -- Beat ... then a large wall-mounted LED screen comes to life with THE TUMEFIED FACE OF ZHENG LING. The screen is backlit with a phosphorous glow, throwing the industrial space into stark neon contrast -- Faces of Storm and Suki in Chiaroscuro light now... ZHENG LING The famous John Storm. Professor Suki Hall. Welcome aboard what is now the Dragon Fleet's flagship - given that my senior captain ran aground on a whale. (to Shui) We will have words on your return, Captain Razor. Stang sniggers. Shui is not amused. Storm register's Shui's reaction. Zheng Ling continues his address to the prisoners -- ZHENG LING So, to business. I'm a fair man, Mr Storm, but I do not suffer fools. And by fools I mean anyone who threatens my interests. SUKI Is that why you murdered my father? ZHENG LING Your father should have considered the consequences of sabotaging my operations. Shui is surprised at this news. He flicks a glance at Suki, then at Zheng Ling on the LED screen. Who else has his boss murdered? STORM My uncle didn't sabotage your operations. ZHENG LING Ah, your uncle. Professor Douglas Storm. No, you're right. He didn't. But he was a dangerous man. His formula, had he been permitted to trial and patent it, would have enabled the fuel-cell economy to run riot. The fossil fuel industry would have collapsed and my Dragon Fleet would have sunk in its wake. STORM So you tried to steal the formula from him. ZHENG LING Steal? No. I simply offered him a deal, one he was foolish to refuse. If he had signed the formula over to me he would not only have walked away with his life. He would have been a very rich man. But it would seem your uncle had scruples. He had to be stopped. STORM You killed him. ZHENG LING He had an unfortunate accident - at the hands of my new senior captain. A mean grin plays on Stang's lips. He looks across at Storm through the room's low-key lighting - smug, unforgiving. The look says 'I killed your uncle and you will be next'. Shui is looking increasingly uncomfortable... ZHENG LING All of which bears little relevance now. The point is, on your uncle's death you became the lawful owner of the formula. You are now the one who must accept my offer - if you want your lady friend to live. Zheng's threat stings Storm. SUKI Don't listen to him, John. ZHENG LING Shui? At first Shui doesn't respond. He fires a warning shot at Stang: 'This isn't over, not yet'. ZHENG LING Captain Razor, the contract. Finally Shui nods to Crewman#1, who steps forward carrying a document rolled up in the form of a scroll. He unfurls it and holds it up to Storm's face -- -- It is headed: 'ASSIGNMENT OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS' ZHENG LING An agreement between us, Mr Storm. By signing the deed you will be assigning ownership of the formula to me. You have until sunup. STORM I don't need until sunup. You can have the formula... SUKI John, no! STORM ...On one condition. ZHENG LING I'm listening. STORM You let Professor Hall go. Zheng Ling leaves a contemptuous pause for effect ... then dismisses Storm's appeal out of hand. ZHENG LING Like I said, Mr Storm. You have until sunup. SCENES: () EXT. ELIZABETH SWANN - NIGHT CYCLONE AT ITS HEIGHT NOW -- TURBOCHARGED WINDS -- MONSTROUS WAVES -- SEAWASH AND STINGING RAIN... WALKWAY -- Hawk clambers across the walkway between the pods, following the beam from his hand-held searchlight. Danger partners him. It is lethal out here. Suddenly -- BOOM! The Swann is hit by a mountainous wall of water that thunders down on Hawk like a tsunami from the angry sky. Hawk is swallowed completely -- -- When we see him again he has lost his footing -- he is clinging on by his fingertips, feet scrabbling for purchase -- no way he will make it -- -- But somehow he does. He hauls himself up. A deep breath. Then he scans the underside of the solar panel array with his searchlight. No damage. He pushes on -- ON DECK -- Hawk's searchlight beam settles on the port wing forward -- SEVERAL CRACKED AND BENT PANELS -- he reaches out and tugs at one of them and it snaps off -- AT THE AFT HELM -- Searchlight glides across the stern, left then right. Hawk still searching, still desperately clinging to his life... WIND AND RAIN LASHING HIM -- OCEAN SPRAY LIKE WATER CANNON FURIOUS IN HIS FACE -- WAVE ON WAVE TOSSING THE SWANN AROUND LIKE FLOTSAM... Finally -- There! Searchlight reveals the damage: TURBINE GENERATOR SUPPORT BUCKLED -- CONTROL ROD TWISTED AND SNAPPED. WHAM! Another volume of ocean smacks Hawk full in the face and sends him crashing backwards -- just manages to grab hold of the handrail, then picks himself up and battles his way back inside... INT. ELIZABETH SWANN - CONTINUOUS FORWARD HELM -- DOOR SLAMS SHUT BEHIND HAWK... He has just entered. He is exhausted, drenched. Gasping for breath. He cannot speak. But Nemo can -- NEMO Solar panel array? Hawk still can't talk. He nods affirmative -- NEMO Turbine generator support? Control rod? Again he nods affirmative -- NEMO I did tell you. Could have saved yourself the bother. INT. STEVE'S HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT Steve loosens his tie and pours himself a drink. Peers out the hotel room window at the wild night. His reflection peers back in at him -- -- TOM HUDSON is the name on Steve's mobile. It lies on the bedside table on speakerphone. TOM (TELEPHONE VOICE) How's the weather? STEVE We're clear to go in the morning... Checks his watch -- STEVE ...About four hours from now. Charley's getting her head down. TOM (TELEPHONE VOICE) You know the betting has exceeded a billion dollars. This could be the biggest media coup in history. STEVE Assuming everything goes according to plan. TOM (TELEPHONE VOICE) That's where we're relying on you, Steve. You and Charley. The world will be watching - literally. Good luck. Call ends. Steve knocks back his drink. STEVE Thanks Tom. No pressure. INT. JONAH - SHUI'S CABIN - NIGHT Shui sits at the table, playing back a recording of Zheng Ling's satphone call on his laptop -- ZHENG LING ...It would seem your uncle had scruples. He had to be stopped ... An unfortunate accident - at the hands of my new senior captain ... My new senior captain. A knock at the door. Shui knows who it is. He pauses the recording, gets up and opens the door. Crewman#1 hands him a flash drive. They speak in whispered tones. SHUI Are the men prepared? CREWMAN#1 Yes captain. SHUI Tell them to wait for the signal. Best get some sleep now. We have an early start. Shui closes the door, sits back down and slots the flash drive in the laptop. INT. ELIZABETH SWANN - NIGHT FORWARD HELM -- STEVE GREEN ON THE SATPHONE SCREEN... STEVE I need you to be ready to go the minute I call. Hawk is still nursing his bruised ego as he takes the call. HAWK (sarcasm) Oh, I think I can manage that, Steve. There's an off-the-scale cyclone blowing. I have a damaged vessel. My captain's gone AWOL and I have an opinionated robot prone to stagy histrionics as a workmate. Other than that I'm good to go. On the satphone screen Steve forces a tired smile. STEVE Good man, Hawk. I'll be in touch. Steve blinks out. Hawk sighs. Nemo beeps -- NEMO Oh well. Clement weather forecast for the morning, Chief Engineer Hawk. Sun, sun and sun. (beat) Opinionated robot indeed. SCENES: () WALKING THE PLANK INT. JONAH BELOW DECK - DAY DOOR OPENS OUT ONTO A BLAZE OF EARLY MORNING SUNSHINE... Storm squints against the bright sunlight as he steps through the door and out onto the main deck. His hands are still tied behind his back. Suki, her hands also tied, steps through with him. They are chaperoned by half a dozen crew -- EXT. JONAH DECK - CONTINUOUS -- The rest of the crew form a large semicircle around Shui, who stands centre-deck dressed all in black with Samurai headband and sword. Beside Shui, a table and a chair... Stang is here too, over by the starboard hand rail throwing scraps of diced whale blubber over the side, piece by piece. A length of wood has been rigged up here, overhanging the gunwale. Someone will 'walk the plank' today. Directly below the plank a SHIVER OF TIGER SHARKS has gathered, feeding on the scraps thrown by Stang. Storm and Suki stand before Shui. SHUI It would be best if you sign without a fuss. Shui motions for Storm to sit at the table as one of the crew unfurls the contract and lays it flat. A pen awaits but Storm remains where he is. STORM You know, as I see it, gentlemen, you have a problem. If you kill Professor Hall, I will refuse to sign. If you kill me, I will be unable to sign. Either way the formula will be patented by my people and you will have to answer to Zheng Ling. Stang is unimpressed. He nods to two of his men. They step forward and blindfold Suki. Two other men restrain Storm. Shui conceals his displeasure. STANG We'll see if you are prepared to stand by and watch your lady friend die, my friend. (to the two crewmen) Bring them over. Suki is manhandled over and up onto the plank. At the same time Storm is muscled over to the hand rail, close to Stang. Shui follows. Storm is shown what lies over the side. He peers down and sees -- -- A FEEDING FRENZY -- the sharks gorging insanely, like giant piranhas, as Stang empties a bucket of diced whale blubber over the side. Storm stiffens. Shui's eyes harden. STANG (to Storm) Time to sign. Storm looks up at Suki balanced precariously on the plank. Then at Shui. Then back at Stang. Panic is in him now. But then -- -- A speck, in the sky, in the distance, flying low over the water towards the ship. A helicopter...? EXT. ABOVE PACIFIC OCEAN - DAY EcoBird helicopter flies low, stealth-like, virtually silent over the ocean surface -- INT. ECOBIRD HELICOPTER - CONTINUOUS -- Steve pilots and speaks into his face mic. Charley is seated at the open door. Out the front windscreen the Jonah is visible three kilometers ahead. STEVE Stand by, Hawk. INT. ELIZABETH SWANN - DAY FORWARD HELM - Hawk with Steve's face on the LED screen -- HAWK Standing by, Steve. NEMO Standing by, Steve. Hawk give Nemo a LOOK. INT. ECOBIRD HELICOPTER - DAY Jonah firmly in Steve's sights now -- STEVE All set, Charley? Charley gives a thumbs up. CHARLEY Lets do it. EXT. ABOVE PACIFIC OCEAN - CONTINUOUS Helicopter banks and swoops low over the ocean surface. EXT. JONAH DECK - DAY Stang in Storm's face now -- STANG Sign. STORM Not until you let Professor Hall go. A hard look from Stang -- STANG You will sign, my friend. Sooner or later. Storm bites his teeth -- Shui's hand hovers over his sheathed sword -- The helicopter draws closer... ...Finally Stang turns to the two men who manhandled Suki onto the plank. He is about to give the order, when -- STORM Stop! For God's sake, stop! Storm desperately tries to free his hands from their tether and launch himself at Stang but the two crewmen guarding him restrain him -- -- Shui's hand grips the hilt of his sword. STANG You are ready to sign? Over Stang's shoulder Storm sees the helicopter drawing ever closer... STORM How do I know you'll let them go if I do sign? STANG You don't trust me? Stang shakes his head in mock disappointment, playing with Storm now -- STANG The contract. Storm doesn't move. STANG Then you condemn your friend to death. Again Stang turns to the two plank men. At which point Shui unsheaths his sword. SHUI Enough Stang! There is no honour in this manner of death. A warrior lives and dies by the sword. STANG Then you have just chosen your manner of death, my friend. Stang unsheaths his whaling knife. It is every inch as long and sharp and lethal as Shui's sword. For a brief moment the two whaling captains face off, then Stang is in Storm's face. STANG Last chance, Storm. Sign, or I feed her to the sharks. Strangely, Storm appears unnaturally calm. He gives Stang cold nonchalant eyes ... then he says, simply -- STORM Duck. It takes Stang a moment for Storm's command to register, but when it does panic grabs him and he spins round on his heel. He is just in time to see -- -- An EcoBird helicopter coming straight at him, flying so low it almost scalps him, an intrepid camerawoman hanging from its open door, her camera trained on the scene barely two metres below her. It's Charley of course -- INT. ECOBIRD HELICOPTER - DAY -- Charley hangs out the open door, camera in hand. Steve talks into his face mic -- STEVE Charley's rolling! INT. ELIZABETH SWANN - DAY FORWARD HELM -- Hawk excitedly types into the touchscreen -- LED SCREEN IMAGE: Storm's YouTube channel -- a LIVE STREAM in progress -- Stang's shocked face looking up into camera as he is knocked off his feet and sent sprawling by a combination of shock and helicopter downwash -- HAWK I have the feed, Steve. We are streaming live to the world! EXT. JONAH DECK - DAY Stang on his back now, shocked, groggy, disoriented... Suddenly SHUI'S SWORD LASHES THE AIR LIKE A WHIP, Zorro- style, and slices the rope binding Storm's hands -- -- Storm's two guards step back in shock. They think about grabbing Storm but Shui's presence is enough to deter them. He motions for one of them to give Storm his whaling knife. The man tosses it so that it falls at Storm's feet. Storm picks it up, just as -- -- Shui spins and faces the crewmen. They include Crewman#1, who raises his clenched fist aloft as Shui sounds the Samurai battle cry and the crew respond as one -- SHUI Ei! Ei! SUZY WONG CREW (AS ONE) Ou! Still on his back, Stang watches in disbelief as the EcoBird helicopter circles overhead, Charley hanging dangerously out the open door, filming... Meanwhile ... Storm is up and onto Suki's plank, cutting her tether, removing her blindfold, helping her back to safety -- -- Below, the sharks still froth and churn over the chunks of diced blubber. BACK ON DECK ... Shui turns and eyeballs Stang, who is climbing to his feet now, whaling knife in hand -- STANG I am taking back command of this ship, Shui. SHUI Never so long as I live. Stang turns to the crew -- STANG What are you waiting for? Arrest Captain Razor! But the crew hold their ground, to a man disobeying Stang's order and remaining rooted where they stand. STANG This is mutiny! SHUI No, Stang. This is honour. With that, Stang lunges at Shui with a cross slash of his whaling knife but Shui blocks -- THE FIGHT BEGINS -- STANG VERSUS SHUI -- THE CREW ROOTED TO THE SPOT, MESMERISED, LIVING EVERY BLOW... STEEL CLASHES ON STEEL NOW AS THE TWO OLD ENEMIES TRADE SWORD STRIKES AND HURTFUL BLOWS, ONE FOR ONE, AT FIRST, BUT THEN -- -- Shui's superior warrior skills start to gain the edge -- Shui blocking Stang's downward katana strike and crunching Stang's chin with the hilt of his sword -- grabbing Stang's wrist and snapping so that Stang's knife is knocked from his hand -- Stang coming back with a mistimed rugby tackle that sends him tumbling across the deck... ...At which point Shui sheaths his sword. Stang hauls himself up, then -- -- BAM! BAM! BAM! Shui's lightning fast fists... -- BAM! BAM! BAM! Shui's boot, fist, elbow striking Stang so fast the blows are a blur... Finally Stang staggers and collapses back against the bulkhead, slides down onto his back, Shui standing over him, sword again unsheathed, its sharp end hard against Stang's throat. SHUI Like I said, Stang, Never so long as I live. Beat. Then Shui again sheaths his sword, turns and walks away, over to where Storm is comforting Suki. SHUI John Storm! Storm sees Shui approaching. He is holding something in his outstretched hand. It's a flash drive. SHUI Your uncle's murder. All the evidence you need. Take it. Storm is taken aback. Is this a trick? But before he can make up his mind Shui is clubbed from behind by Stang's meaty fist and knocked cold. Stang snatches the flash drive from Shui's hand as he falls. STANG I'll take this. Taunting, Stang holds the flash drive up in Storm's face and grins smugly. But -- STORM I think you'll find that belongs to me. Beat. And Storm is on Stang like a wild cat, launching himself through the air and taking him down -- the two men instantly grappling -- Storm on top -- Stang fighting him off, gaining the advantage -- then Storm muscling Stang off and sending a crunching elbow blow to Stang's nose -- -- Stang crashes back hard against the hull, DROPS THE FLASH DRIVE and it SKIDS ACROSS THE DECK. Suki tries to pick it up, several times, but each time either Storm or Stang get in her way, inadvertently, as their fight continues... INT. ECOBIRD HELICOPTER - DAY Steve holds the helicopter steady... CHARLEY'S CAMERA POV: STORM AND STANG TRADE HURTFUL BLOWS... MATCH CUT TO: EXT. JONAH DECK - DAY STORM AND STANG TRADE HURTFUL BLOWS... Stang sends Storm backwards with a powerful blow to the body then grabs him by the throat and bends him backwards over the gunwale -- Storm craning his neck, looking down to see the sharks still circling below him -- Will Stang force Storm over the side...? NO! Storm's forearm smashes hard into Stang's face -- Stang staggers back -- Storm on him again -- fist, elbow, fist -- Again Stang staggers backwards -- but remains on his feet -- he is a tank, and he is steamrollering back towards Storm -- BAM! Storm is unsure quite what hit him but he's on his back now, head propped against the hull, Stang towering over him like a mountain gorilla, Suki unsure quite what to do... INT. ECOBIRD HELICOPTER - DAY Charley still filming out the open door -- CHARLEY'S CAMERA POV: Storm laying back against the hull, Stang towering over him, unforgiving... INT. ELIZABETH SWANN - DAY FORWARD HELM -- LED SCREEN IMAGE: Storm's YouTube channel -- LIVE STREAM in progress -- Stang towering over Storm... Hawk comically shadow fights to demonstrate his words -- HAWK Come on, Skip! The Shaolin Death Touch. A classic kip-up followed through with a dim-mak blow to the stomach-nine point. Boom! He'll be finished. NEMO That's easy for you to say. EXT. JONAH DECK - DAY BAM! Storm on his feet again, coming at Stang, this time a THUDDING RIGHT CROSS TO THE JAW that sends Stang crashing back against the hull -- he lands on his back -- looks down at his side, sees -- -- A GRAPPLING HOOK. Stang takes up the grappling hook and comes back at Storm -- swinging wildly now -- Storm backing off to avoid the blows -- -- WHOOSH! -- WHOOSH! -- WHOOSH! Then -- THUD! The grappling hook misses Storm by the width of a skin-layer and embeds itself in the deck -- -- BAM! By reflex Storm's boot comes up and smashes into Stang's chest. Stang reels backwards, but comes back at Storm with his own front thrust kick that all but crushes Storm's rib cage. Storm crashes back against the hull, so winded he almost vomits -- -- On the deck by his side: THE FLASH DRIVE. On his back now, clutching his aching ribs, Storm sees Stang moving towards him wielding his whaling knife. He manages to reach over and snatch up the flash drive, just as -- -- A LIGHTNING FAST DOUBLE FIST-PUMP FOLLOWED BY A FRONT THRUST KICK TO THE JAW drops Stang to the deck. He collapses like a felled tree. Then attempts to get up, but falls back down again, moaning and rubbing his aching jaw. Suki stands over him, having delivered the knockout blows. Disbelief on the faces of the spectating crew turns to a SPONTANEOUS ROUND OF APPLAUSE AND CHEERS in appreciation of Suki's intervention. Meanwhile Shui starts to come round, then hauls himself to his feet as Suki kneels down by Storm's side -- SUKI Are you okay? STORM I'll survive. Where did you learn to do that? SUKI Let's just say I'm better at fighting than I am at chess. Just then a shadow falls across Storm. Cheers and applause from the crew subsides to a nervous silence as Storm looks up to see -- -- Shui standing over him. A momentary threat lingers in Shui's eyes ... but then he offers Storm his outstretched hand and hauls him to his feet. A long look of mutual respect between them... ...And then Storm sees her. Across Shui's shoulder, breaking through the waves at Olympian speed, 200 metres and closing, a humpback whale heading straight for them. The bandage on her back tells Storm exactly who that whale is -- STORM Kulo! SUKI Kulo? Suki turns. Shui turns. They both follow Storm's line of sight. Kulo at 40 knots, less than 100 metres from them now. SUKI Oh my God. SHUI That is Kulo? Kulo Luna? The whale that sunk my ship? (genuine admiration) She is magnificent. STORM She is. But she has a temper. And my guess is she doesn't much like this ship. Shui gets the message -- SHUI This way. In a heartbeat Shui is over by the inflatable liferaft pods, followed by Storm and Suki. He releases a pod and it crashes down into the ocean, inflating on impact -- -- Shui gives one final admiring look at Kulo, crashing magnificently through the waves, barely 50 metres away now and heading straight for the Jonah. STORM Time to go. Come on! Storm grabs hold of Suki's hand and they leap together into the water. Shui is about to jump when -- STANG Shui! Shui turns. Stang is struggling to his feet -- STANG What do you think you are doing? SHUI I'm giving you back your ship, Stang. That is what you wanted, right? Shui laughs, then turns and jumps, just as -- -- WHOOSH! KULO BREACHES, PIERCING THE SURFACE AND SPIRALLING UP INTO THE SKY LIKE A SEA-TO-AIR BEHEMOTH -- Up and up Kulo climbs -- higher -- still higher -- until she is hanging up there, directly over Stang, as though suspended on invisible wires -- -- Stang's terrified face peers up at the monster overhead... INT. ECOBIRD HELICOPTER - DAY Steve barely believes what he is witnessing -- STEVE Tom is going to love these shots! Charley at the open door filming everything -- CHARLEY'S CAMERA POV: Storm and Suki in the lifeboat, Shui clambering aboard, Kulo hanging like a death threat above Stang and the Jonah -- INT. ELIZABETH SWANN - DAY FORWARD HELM -- Hawk watching the live stream, enthralled... LED SCREEN IMAGE: Storm's YouTube channel -- LIVE STREAM -- Shui joins Storm and Suki in the lifeboat, Kulo still hanging in the air, defying gravity, then -- -- Kulo begins her descent... INT./EXT. JONAH DECK/BELOW DECK - DAY ON DECK-- Kulo begins her descent -- men running, screaming, praying, leaping overboard... -- Stang's wide eyes gaping up at Kulo as she plummets ... down ... down ... until her shadow engulfs Stang completely (Will Kulo crush him...? Will Stang survive...? Stang's fate remains a mystery)... ...BUT THE FATE OF THE JONAH IS WRITTEN, BECAUSE NEXT -- -- BOOM! Bridge and superstructure explode as Kulo's bulk crashes down upon the whaling vessel, midships -- debris spitting in every direction -- deck crane crashing down into the wreckage -- hull plates coming undone like a tin can -- BELOW DECK -- Ocean gushing in through the opened up hull plates, flooding cabins, passageways, bridge... -- Men panicking down here as they struggle against the torrents, escaping up ladders and out through hatches... ON DECK -- Ocean swamping the Jonah now as she starts to break up and bubble under -- EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN - DAY -- Men leaping off the Jonah and swimming for lifeboats -- Kulo circling the stricken vessel like a predator, the Jonah disappearing beneath the waves, then -- -- KULO DIVES. EXT. JONAH LIFEBOAT - DAY From a small distance Storm, Suki and Shui watch Kulo disappear beneath the waves as the Jonah is finally swallowed by the ocean, prow first, the ship's name visible on her stern as she slides down to her fate -- -- CLOSE ON: THE NAME PLATE ON THE SHIP'S STERN AS SHE DISAPPEARS BENEATH THE WAVES: 'JONAH' FADE OUT. FADE IN: SCENES: () EXT. FEDERAL POLICE HEADQUARTERS - SYDNEY - DAY Establishing shot: Sign above the entrance reads 'AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE' INT. FEDERAL POLICE HEADQUARTERS - CONTINUOUS LED SCREEN IMAGE: Split screen -- One half shows Zheng Ling on his satphone call. The other half shows CCTV footage from the Jonah's hold, Storm and Suki tethered to their chairs. ZHENG LING It would seem your uncle had scruples. He had to be stopped. STORM You killed him. ZHENG LING He had an unfortunate accident - at the hands of my new senior captain. A hand removes a flash drive. The hand belongs to SUPERINTENDENT MCAULEY. Storm and Suki are in the room with him. A SERGEANT and a SENIOR LEADING CONSTABLE are also here. They have just finished playing back Zheng's 'confession'. SUPERINTENDENT MCAULEY We'll take it from here. DISSOLVE TO: INT. ZHENG LING'S OFFICE - DAY Zheng Ling is handcuffed and led from his office by a team of four police officers. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. ELIZABETH SWANN - MARINA - DAY IN THE FOREGROUND -- The Elizabeth Swann is anchored alongside Starlight and the other race competitors... FRANKS (TELEPHONE VOICE) Well done, John. The Dragon has been well and truly slain. One less fossil in the mix, so to speak... INT. ELIZABETH SWANN - CONTINUOUS FORWARD HELM -- GEORGE FRANKS ON THE SATPHONE SCREEN... Storm, Suki and Hawk debrief with George Franks. FRANKS ...And you still managed to complete the first leg of the race barely half a day behind Starlight. STORM A fact Sarah will delight in pointing out. FRANKS (chuckles) Let her have her moment. Yours will come. There's a long way to go yet. Cape Town next, I believe? STORM Yes. The Tasman Straights. The Roaring Forties. Need to repair the storm damage before we attempt that though. No small miracle we made it to Sandy Straits. All down to Hawk. HAWK And Nemo. Teamwork. Nemo emits a red glow as he blushes -- NEMO Means a lot. SCENES: () KUNA CAUGHT IN NETTING EXT. MARINA RESTAURANT - EARLY EVENING A crowded waterfront restaurant. Steve and Charley are seated at a table, chatting. Sarah is here too, chatting with a few people by the bar. Storm and Suki arrive, arm-in-arm - Storm in open-neck shirt and shorts, Suki in fabulous figure-hugging evening dress. As they make their way to the table, George's phone call to Storm concludes -- FRANKS (V.O.) Anyway, John, enjoy your few nights off. I'll catch up with you soon. Call ends. Then Sarah spots Storm entering the restaurant. She looks pretty pleased with herself as she waves and makes her way over to him. She makes a point of eyeing Suki. SARAH John! STORM Sarah. This is Suki - Suki, Sarah. Sarah squeezes a smile -- SARAH Well, well ... an improvement on your last first mate. HAWK Chief engineer. They all turn to see Hawk standing there with 20-year-old JESSICA who sports long blue hair, nose ring, funky black glasses and a black 'I UNLOCKED HIS LEVEL' T-shirt. Hawk's T- shirt is also black. It says 'BOY GAMER'. HAWK Jessica and I won't be staying for dinner. We're off to the casino. STORM Casino? JESSICA It's a gaming casino. Online. STORM Of course it is. Well enjoy. HAWK You too. They turn and exit - like two teenagers bunking lessons. SARAH So ... I hear you took on some damage in the storm. STORM Nothing we can't fix. SARAH Glad to hear it. I wouldn't want to miss the sight of you trailing me into Cape Town. She glances over at the bar -- SARAH Anyway, I'd better get back. Old friends. Mustn't keep them waiting. Ciao for now. One last eye-frisk aimed at Suki then Sarah returns to her party. A FEW MOMENTS LATER -- Storm and Suki are about to take their seats at the table with Steve and Charley, when -- -- A GIANT HUMPBACK BREACHES IN THE MARINA. STORM Kulo! Gasps of awe and oohs and aahs ripple around the restaurant ... but the mood quickly changes as the whale starts to slap her tail flukes violently. She is clearly distressed -- -- And then Storm sees it: GHOST NETTING ON THE WATER'S SURFACE -- A SMALL WHALE CAUGHT UP IN THE NETS, STRUGGLING TO FREE ITSELF... SUKI It's a calf. It must be Kulo's baby! (realisation) Oh my God she's caught in nets! EXT. MARINA/UNDERWATER - EARLY EVENING UNDERWATER -- The calf is entangled in ghost nets, struggling to free herself. Frightened. Becoming more and more frantic -- -- Kulo swims beneath the calf, nudging her to the surface -- SURFACE -- But the calf struggles to stay afloat, snorting from her blowhole, gasping for air, panicking, struggling to breathe... EXT. MARINA RESTAURANT/JETTY - EARLY EVENING Suki is beside herself -- SUKI John, we have to do something! Just then a man wearing a Samurai headband appears on the edge of the jetty. It is Shui. He peers over at Storm ... a look ... then rips off his headband, unsheaths his sword and dives headlong into the water. The crowd gasps... STORM Shui. CHARLEY Isn't he one of the whalers? STEVE Looks like his instincts have kicked in. Looks like he intends to kill the calf. Storm is ripping off his shirt. STORM Not if I have anything to do with it. SUKI John! EXT. MARINA/UNDERWATER - EARLY EVENING SURFACE -- But Storm is already head-first into the water, swimming with some intent after Shui, who is heading for Kulo and her stricken calf. Shui swimming, sword in his teeth ... Storm swimming, gaining on Shui -- -- Kulo nudging Kuna up to the surface, preventing her from drowning -- -- Shui swimming, Storm chasing him -- -- Finally Storm catches Shui and grabs hold of his ankle, pulls him back, drags him under... UNDERWATER -- Shui struggles to fight Storm off and the two men tumble around in the water as though a deadly fight has broken out between them, but Shui finally breaks free and the two men come up gasping for air. SURFACE -- Storm and Shui splutter around in the water. SHUI What do you think you're doing? STORM Stopping you from killing Kulo's baby! SHUI There is no honour in killing a baby with a Samurai sword. STORM Then what are you doing? SHUI I'm trying to get away from you so I can cut her free. STORM You are? Well, why didn't you say? Shui makes a face, then produces a diving knife and throws it to Storm. SHUI Shall we? The two men dive... EXT. MARINA RESTAURANT - EARLY EVENING Meanwhile back at the restaurant the mood is tense. A hushed silence. Faces in the crowd look on anxiously - Suki, Steve and Charley among them. A voice behind Suki -- HAWK What's happening? An excited, wide-eyed Hawk and Jessica are suddenly there with the others. SUKI I thought you two were gaming. HAWK We heard the commotion. JESSICA It triggered a chain-reaction of amygdala and dopamine responses we were unable to ignore. HAWK The neurobiology of fear. And excitement. It's irresistible. SUKI Right. Suki looks a little gone out. EXT. MARINA - EARLY EVENING UNDERWATER -- Kulo hangs alongside as Storm swims up to Kuna's eye, shows her the knife ... then Storm and Shui start to cut away the nets, Shui on one side of Kuna, Storm on the other, both cutting and tugging urgently, then -- -- Shui motions to Storm 'I need air' and the two surface. SURFACE -- Storm and Shui break surface, gasping for air ... a DEEP BREATH, a 'thumbs up' ... and again they dive... EXT. MARINA RESTAURANT - EARLY EVENING Suki and Hawk are glued to the action. Hawk is speedy with nervous energy -- HAWK You know according to the odds ratio quantifying the strength of association between two seemingly random events, the probability of the calf becoming entangled in ghost nets in precisely the same manner as its mother are... SUKI Button it, Hawk. Please. HAWK Yes. Sorry. Nerves. EXT. MARINA - EARLY EVENING UNDERWATER -- Shui cuts the last of the nets on one side, Storm makes a final cut on the other side and finally all the nets are off -- -- Kuna shakes herself down then swims up close to Kulo and rubs herself against her mother -- Kulo responds by nudging her calf and cuddling her with her pectoral fin -- Kulo then swims up to Shui and Storm and nudges both men gently with her nose, first Shui, then Storm -- then the two whales swim away, out to sea, Kuna hugging Kulo's side all the way -- -- Storm and Shui share a look: 'job well done, brother' and then they swim for the surface... SURFACE -- A SAMURAI SWORD AND A DIVING KNIFE BREAK SURFACE, like King Arthur rising from the lake, followed by Shui's and Storm's smiling faces... SCENES: () CONGRATULATIONS EXT. MARINA RESTAURANT/JETTY - EARLY EVENING On seeing Storm and Shui's victory the crowd erupts - applause, cheers, smiles, tears -- -- Suki, Steve, Charley, Hawk and Jessica are among the many smiling, cheering faces... A FEW MOMENTS LATER -- Storm and Shui emerge from the water to thunderous cheers and applause. Slightly embarrassed by all the attention, Storm slips his shirt back on and he and Shui join the others -- STORM You risked your life out there. SHUI (shrugs) For Kulo? I owed her one. STORM But she sunk your ship. SHUI Ah. But she also made me a rich man. Everyone looks a little puzzled as a mischievous looking Shui pulls a waterproof wallet from his back pocket and produces a slip of paper. SHUI Zheng Ling might have offered a million dollars to kill Kulo. But the bookie's odds to keep her alive were just as good. Now the others start to anticipate what Shui is about to say. STORM No way, you didn't... SUKI Oh my God! HAWK A reverse-probability wager. Genius! Shui beaming, ear to ear -- SHUI Two thousand dollars at five- hundred-to-one that Kulo would sink the Jonah. Dinner's on me! STORM Son of a gun! Laughter and the chinking of glasses all round -- -- And as if to join in the celebrations, a small distance out to sea KULO AND KUNA SUDDENLY BREACH SPECTACULARLY -- THEN AGAIN -- AND AGAIN -- whoops and hollers and smiles and tears accompany a standing ovation in the restaurant -- -- Storm, Shui, Suki, Hawk, Steve, Charley and Jessica CHINK CHAMPAGNE GLASSES... SHUI To Kulo Luna! STORM The billion-dollar whale! THE END NOT QUITE
Please contact the Cleaner Ocean Foundation for options, or: jameson@jules-verne.org
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This screenplay is Copyright © 26th November 2021 Cleaner Ocean Foundation. Protected by the Berne Convention. This web page is copyright October 2023. All rights reserved.
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