backup.
The radio is silent, the control panel stationary.
SCOTTY (CONT’D)
Diver One do you copy?
Again Scotty changes radio channels.
SCOTTY (CONT’D)
You got gas, Barney?
EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN OSAM DRAGONS DECK - CONTINUOUS
Barney follows the same ritual as Richard had done earlier.
BARNEY
Roger, got gas!
Barney secures the band mask for imminent departure.
INT. DIVE STATION OSAM DRAGON - CONTINUOUS
The gauges move recording Barney’s breathing.
Scotty flicks channels again.
SCOTTY
Diver One, do you copy?
On board, the dive team is in a flurry of activity.
SCOTTY (CONT’D)
(yelling)
Jump the Standby!
INT. OSAM DRAGON’S DECK - CONTINUOUS
Barney hits the water.
BARNEY
Diver in the water, Diver left the surface.
One hand one the downline, Barney kicks strongly, leaving the surface quickly behind him.
The tender cannot keep pace paying out Barney’s umbilical.
EXT. BENEATH THE OCEANS SURFACE - CONTINUOUS
BARNEY
(frustrated)
Slack the Diver.
Beat
BARNEY (CONT’D)
(angrily)
If they can’t keep up tell 'em to throw it in the water.
Barney powers deeper.
INT. YAMASHIRO BRIDGE - CONTINUOUS
Richard turns a valve on the side of his helmet, a rush of air fills the hat.
The sound of breathing resumes.
Richard urgently picks up his hose, pulls it tight.
RICHARD
Topside. Pick up diver slack.
No response.
Richard follows his hose back to the door, he has to put his shoulder into it to open the door.
Air spews out of the severed hose end, it shoots off, dancing just over the railing, out of reach.
Richard mesmerised by the bubbles, watches the life-sustaining gas escape to the surface.
The Admirals crew are closing in, Richard is unaware, a sailor slashes down with a knife.
The knife dissipates to silt, as it comes in contact with Richards equipment.
Richard turns, but visibility is poor, due to the silt he’s disturbing, his emergency supply and main hoses are slashed from his helmet, as he squeezes back through the narrow jaggered gap.
From over Richards' shoulder a trail of bubbles leads skyward, the hull of the boat teases him, backlit by the sunlight.
Yamashiro’s Sailors stand at the bridge door, forming and dissipating, unable to follow, cursing.
EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN OSAM DRAGONS DECK - CONTINUOUS
Richard’s umbilical suddenly goes slack.
The tender tentatively gathers a small amount in.
TENDER 1
Hose is free! His hose is free.
EXT. BENEATH THE OCEANS SURFACE - CONTINUOUS
Richard leaving the flybridge chases the dancing umbilical, as he’s about to grab it.
EXT. OSAM DRAGON’S DECK - CONTINUOUS
Richard’s tender reels Richard's hose in hand over hand, effortlessly.
EXT. BENEATH THE OCEANS SURFACE - CONTINUOUS
The hose races towards the surface.
EXT. OSAM DRAGON’S DECK - CONTINUOUS
Scott looks out the dive shacks door, concern all over his face.
Turning back to the radio.
SCOTT
Diver one, do you copy...
Switches channels.
SCOTT (CONT'D)
Barney, can you see him?
EXT. BENEATH THE OCEANS SURFACE - CONTINUOUS
BARNEY (ON RADIO)
Negative! All I've got is a load of bubbles.
EXT. SURIGAO STRAIT - CONTINUOUS
The once tranquil surface of the ocean is now a boil with air bubbles.
EXT. BENEATH THE OCEANS SURFACE - CONTINUOUS
Richard, clinging to the swords, kicks furiously skyward, whilst he exhales; slowly, gently, continuously, through pursed lips, he omits a hum, for pacing.
Richard’s dancing hose, expelling bubbles, races topside past Barney.
BARNEY (ON RADIO)
All stop Diver 1! All Stop!
The severed umbilical stops it’s ascent and starts back up its teasing dance.
With renewed urgency, Barney races deeper.
Barney can now see the yellow helmet barreling up to meet him.
The pair collide. Barney embraces the exhausted Richard.
Richard is groping Barney, looking for the Kluge hose.
BARNEY (CONT’D)
Kluge! Kluge me Topside!
INT. DIVE STATION OSAM DRAGON - CONTINUOUS
Scott pushes his headset to his ears for a better seal and to block out the deck crew’s noise.
BARNEY (O.S. ON RADIO)
Kluge me topside!.
Scott rips open the valve and the gauge leaps to the end of its travel.
EXT. BENEATH THE OCEANS SURFACE - CONTINUOUS
Richard has Barney’s Kluge hose in hand and as soon as air starts flowing he thrusts it up under his helmet.
He gasps the precious gas in.
The exhaust ports on his hat constantly blow bubbles.
BARNEY (ON RADIO)
You OK?
Richard smiling and nodding his head.
BARNEY (ON RADIO) (CONT’D)
Diver Two has Diver One and the Clown’s OK.
INT. DIVE STATION OSAM DRAGON - CONTINUOUS
SCOTTY
Roger that.
He leans back in his chair, obviously relieved, gives a thumbs up to the crew on deck.
They celebrate with high fives.
EXT. BENEATH THE OCEANS SURFACE - CONTINUOUS
The relieved divers start to fin towards the surface
BARNEY (ON RADIO)
That was bloody close.
Holding up the swords in one hand and smiling.
RICHARD
Still didn't drop the booty.
Barney just shakes his head.
INT. FLYBRIDGE YAMASHIRO - MOMENTS LATER
ADMIRAL SHOJI NISHIMURA
(in Japanese)
Make speed for battle!
A flurry of activity breaks out on the bridge as sailors ready the ship.
Sailors take up their positions, from 70 years ago, the sailor now at the helm looks to the admiral.
ADMIRAL SHOJI NISHIMURA (CONT’D)
15 knots, 10 degrees starboard.
SAILOR
Aye Sir 15 knots, 10 degrees starboard.
The sailor leans forward and lifts the cover on the communication pipe and repeats the order.
EXT. BENEATH THE OCEANS SURFACE - CONTINUOUS
The Yamashiro starts to shake and shudder, displacing the silt and sand, that has built up over the years.
Richard still in Barney’s embrace, finning towards the surface, looks down to see the Yamashiro sheds its rusting hulk and a ghost; of translucent bubbles, rising out of the silt cloud, gracefully heading topside.
EXT. OSAM DRAGON’S DECK - LATER
The Osam Dragon is getting underway and Richard, in just his underwear, exits the DDC (Deck Decompression Chamber) handing the empty cup to the DDC operator and taking a fresh towel.
Richard dries himself as the sky plays at the dark end of the color spectrum.
EXT. OCEANS SURFACE - CONTINUOUS
The Oceans surface starts to boil under an oppressive red sunset. The harder and faster it boils the sky darkens to purple.
Suddenly the Yamashiro breaches the surface, like a submarine on emergency ascent, and the sky releases all of its pent energy.
A localized thunderstorm has developed and the rain marches across the surface towards the Osam Dragon.
A crack of lightning, so close t
hat sound and light are one, has Richard ducking for cover.
Richard sees, just, the towering superstructure of the Yamashiro, much like a City Skyscraper out of place out here.
Richard, disbelieving, takes a second glance, it’s gone, retreated back into the darkness.
The Osam Dragon steams away from the storm to port.
INT. COMMERCIAL AEROPLANE CABIN - THE NEXT DAY
Richard sits in a window seat his hands gripping the armrests firmly glancing out the window at the monsoon deluge inundating the airport.
The plane engines roar, Richard’s knuckles turn whiter, as the plane launches down the runway.
Richard relaxes, just, a little as the nose lifts, they’re finally airborne.
INT. COMMERCIAL AEROPLANE CABIN - LATER
The black of the storm suddenly breaks into the blue hidden above it.
CAPTAIN (ON RADIO)
Sorry folks, it took a little longer than expected to climb above that storm, it’s as though it was following us (chuckles). The cabin crew will now be serving lunch, so sit back and enjoy and you can look forward to arriving at Auckland International Airport to a balmy 24 degrees Celsius and that should last through, at least, to Christmas Day. Thank you for flying with us and a Merry Christmas.
EXT. MATAI BAY SUMMER DAY - DAY
The Dennison family are at play at the beach. Camped at Matai Bay; JACK, 39, MARIE, 37 and their children; SAMANTHA, 13, BRYCE, 11 and Richard, Jack's younger brother.
The Sun radiates heat from on high over the crystal blue waters of the Bay. The summer laughter and frolicking is torn up as a twenty-eight-foot fast boat motors at high speed around the headland. It stops just offshore and Richard surreptitiously nudges Bryce, who takes the catch, a large Tuna, and rolls over the side, into the water.
Samantha lays tanning herself on the beach, feigning disinterest in the family's antics, watching some boys further on, rolls onto her stomach and starts snap chatting photos of the boys down the beach.
Marie stops a top of the grassy knoll and surveys the scene, her families OK.
Closer into shore a fin appears in the water, its unnatural in its movement, or lack of.
SMALL BOY
Shark! Look a Shark.
Samantha
Swords of Nishimura Page 2