_ACT ONE_ FADE IN EXTERIOR OPEN SEA - NIGHT - UP ANGLE TO SHIP - STOCK At first we see only diffused and haloed ship lighting floating behind a curtain of fog. Then, a ship's bow knifes out of the muck and cuts toward us down a long swell. This is the Shima Maru, a double-decker ferry making for Boragora on its weekly circuit through the Marivellas. EXTERIOR UPPER DECK - NIGHT - MOVING PAST Wisps of fog catch in yellow lights between cabin doors. The ship's foghorn booms, surprisingly loud. Then, the usual pattern of sounds return: the bass thud of steam pistons, the disembodied talk of a few passengers, and the muted broadcast on someone's radio of "Cherokee." ON CAPTAIN ITO - FOLLOWING As he strolls the deck, pausing, peering into the weather. A distant noise breaks the pattern: a muffled, explosive burst of water and air somewhere out in the fog. Captain Ito's poise from a lifetime at sea is ruffled by puzzled concern. ANGLE TO SALON DOOR Colleen Shaughnessy steps out of the bright salon behind Captain Ito into the relative coolness of the deck. She fans herself with one hand, carrying a cup of coffee on a saucer in the other. Her upturned nose, freckles and flaming red hair, worn long against the fashion, peg Colleen as an Irish country lass. But, she has a polish or worldly sophistication which ever her simple dress and polite reticence cannot conceal. Captain Ito smiles formally and bows. COLLEEN Evening to you, Captain. It would appear we've brought a bit of Irish mist to spoil your paradise. CAPTAIN ITO When you leave us...that will spoil paradise. Another bow and Captain Ito continues his walk away from Colleen. His smile is replaced by a renewed frown of worry which contrasts with Colleen's delighted laugh. COLLEEN Shameless, Captain...but thank you. Michael Collingswood and Patrick Shaughnessy pile out of the salon, obviously enjoying the benefits of the nearly empty bottle of brandy in Shaughnessy's hand. He is a ruddy, rugged Irishman of middle age who dominates the younger Collingswood, a callow, eager American. SHAUGHNESSY Don't be thinkin' I didn't hear you, now. Is our good Captain making unseemly advances? Colleen adopts a coy expression, not afraid to hold out her coffee cup for a last drop of brandy as Shaughnessy tips the bottle into his and Collingswood's snifters. COLLEEN We were talking about the weather. SHAUGHNESSY (downing his brandy) Aye...tropical heat. They say it fires the blood. Shaughnessy looks pointedly at Collingswood, who drops his eyes from Colleen. She links her arm in his. COLLEEN Pay him no mind, Mr. Collingswood. He's a terrible old lecher. Shaughnessy postures, blustering, but with good humor. SHAUGHNESSY Don't be so vicious with you poor father who's only looking out for you. COLLEEN (wink to Collingswood) If only he'd look the other way. (to Shaughnessy) Now, we'll be in Boragora by dawn...and on board the Clipper headin' home in time for breakfast. Until then, Mr. Collingswood and I would like a little time for.... COLLINGSWOOD (finishing) Conversation. Colleen smiles to herself, and squeezes Collingswood's arm. COLLEEN Some of that, too. Good night, father, dear. With this, Colleen steers Collingswood away from Shaughnessy. Not too many steps along the deck and they begin fading into the fog. Collingswood's arm drops around Colleen's waist. ON SHAUGHNESSY - FOLLOWING He chuckles again, and turns to walk the opposite direction from the couple, passing Captain Ito standing at the door of the wheelhouse. Shaughnessy hurls the empty brandy bottle over the rail before he drops out of the picture down stairs to the lower deck. Captain Ito continues his worried gaze. Something in the fog is slapping through the water. He gestures behind him, but the Helmsman does not respond. HELMSMAN (hypnotic) Katarangura.... CAPTAIN ITO (angry; in Japanese) Baka! There is no Katarangura. Captain Ito yanks a lanyard for a long blast on the foghorn. INTERIOR SHIP'S COMPANIONWAY - NIGHT Collingswood whispers in Colleen's ear as they approach, everything cozy and promising between them. She giggles. COLLINGSWOOD Shh...there's your father's cabin. Collingswood points to a door. Colleen stops beside another door, and puts her hand on the knob. COLLEEN (meaningfully) But this one is mine. A beat of shared understanding, then Colleen opens the door. Instead of following her inside, Collingswood pulls away, noticing something across the hall. COLLINGSWOOD (concerned) Just a second. He hurries to a cabin on the other side of the companionway. The light is on inside, and the door stands slightly ajar. After a beat of hesitation, Colleen rushes after him. COLLEEN'S POINT OF VIEW - COLLINGSWOOD He turns, a small, blue steel automatic pistol already in his hand and pointed at Colleen. All traces of his inebriation have disappeared. COLLINGSWOOD (quietly) Stay back. Frightened, indecisive...her cry to Collingswood is loud enough to also be warning before he can kick in the door. COLLEEN Please, Michael...don't.... At that moment, a hammering roar grows from nothing to an overpowering sound in just seconds. It distracts Collingswood as he kicks. The hammer sound is replaced by an even more terrible smashing and rending of metal and wood. INTERIOR CABIN - NIGHT - ON COLLINGSWOOD The deck heaves, sending Collingswood reeling into the cabin...then, absolute darkness as the lights go out. Colleen screams, men grunt and thrash until the final punctuation of a gun shot. EXTERIOR DECK - NIGHT Panic and chaos, terrified passengers and crew dash out of the fog, strapping on life vests, carrying children. A babble of fear and confusion in a dozen tongues. The deck is listing, metal and wood groaning and cracking under the strain of its destruction. Captain Ito makes a vain effort to restore calm. CAPTAIN ITO (in Japanese) Be calm. Get in the lifeboats. HELMSMAN No! Katarangura! CAPTAIN ITO (in English) Into the lifeboats. We're sinking. Something dark and menacing looms beyond the curtain of fog. There is another explosive blast of water and air. The Helmsman charges the camera until his face fills the frame. His wail is as if from one looking into the face of doom. HELMSMAN Katarangura...! CUT TO EXTERIOR - SKY - NIGHT - LOW ANGLE - STOCK The Goose flies above us, its engines droning in a slow, harmonious beat, a tropical moon hanging like a globe above its wing. The same, static-filled radio broadcast of "Cherokee" we heard on the Shima Maru competes with the engines. JAKE'S VOICE (humming along) Some things are just so amazing you wonder if you'll ever think of anything as good...like flying...like flying at night under a full moon. INTERIOR THE GOOSE'S COCKPIT - NIGHT - PROCESS darkened except for the green tinge of the instrument lights and the cherry glow from the coal on Jake's cigar. Corky is lost in the music, sort of dancing in his seat. "Cherokee" comes to a big finish, followed by applause. CORKY (with conviction) Now that's hep. Jake stretches, tired but relaxed. JAKE Hep's the word. CLOSE ON JACK He looks up from his spot between the two seats and barks twice in agreement. BACK ON JAKE AND CORKY as Jake smiles at Jack. CORKY Boy, do I miss those bands...those great big bands. I could jitterbug my brains out right now. JAKE You do and it'll throw off my trim. CORKY You know what I mean...it's all goin' on back there, and we're.... JAKE (sighs) Here.... Under this, the Radio Announcer has been saying: RADIO ANNOUNCER VOICE KGMB, Honolulu...and 'Hawaii Calling,' with more live dance music from the Monarch Room of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel.... The band swings into a romantic version of "I Can't Get Started With You." ON JAKE - PROCESS as he listens closely to the music. We move in on his eyes. CORKY'S VOICE Yeah...we're here. CUT TO EXTERIOR - SKY - NIGHT - THE MOON as if outside the plane, but we tilt down to discover couples in gowns and white tie slowly turning to the music which becomes real. A garden dance. Jake steps into view, wearing an Army Air Corps Lieutenant's uniform, alone, looking across the floor for someone. He spots who he's looking for and flashes a dazzling smile, holding out his hand. A girl comes toward him. She's a beauty, and obviously loves Jake. Long tresses of red hair fall across her bare shoulders. Jake is about to take her in his arms when a haze of red going to black smears over our vision. CORKY'S VOICE Hey, Jake! See that? Jake? DISSOLVE TO EXTERIOR - SKY - NIGHT - JAKE'S POINT OF VIEW as a red emergency flare arcs across the sky past the moon. JAKE'S VOICE (calm) I saw it, Corky. INTERIOR COCKPIT - NIGHT - JAKE AND CORKY - BLACK The red light from the flare bathes their faces. Jake snaps out of his reverie and slaps his hand to the throttles, sending the Goose into a bank toward the source of the flare. INTERCUT - EXTERIOR - SKY - NIGHT - THE GOOSE - STOCK/PROCESS as Jake drops it from the clear, moonlit skies into an unbroken layer of cloud, the fog we saw before. CORKY (edgy) This soup is awful thick. JAKE We'll give it a couple of passes. THEIR POINT OF VIEW THROUGH THE COCKPIT WINDOWS - BLACK Blank, then Jake hits the landing lights and suddenly we see the swirling fog hurtling at us. Another red flare shoots past. Jake corrects his course for it. CORKY I can't see who's shootin' those flares, Jake. JAKE Not from up here! He hauls back on the yoke for a steep turn. CORKY (really aghast) Jake! You ain't gonna set down in this stuff. Jack barks twice for "yes" and heads for his spot in the rear. JAKE Well, maybe somebody doesn't want to be swimming all night. CORKY Me. JAKE Just go aft and drop out a line of flares. Corky unbuckles and heads for the back, opening an emergency locker and taking out a handful of flares. EXTERIOR GOOSE CABIN - NIGHT - CARGO HATCH - BLACK Corky leans into the slip stream, fighting the blast of wind and fog that hit him, pulling the igniter strings and dropping a series of flares in quick succession. They fly backward, snatched out of his hand by the wind. EXTERIOR SEA - NIGHT - STOCK Another turn and Jake levels the Goose for a landing. INTERIOR GOOSE - NIGHT - BEHIND JAKE AND CORKY TO WINDOW - BLACK Jake trims the plane for landing, easing back the throttles, a line of flares stretching away ahead and below them. Corky is buckling back into his seat. CORKY We don't even know what kind of sea is running, Jake. JAKE Long and smooth... (beat) Or, maybe some chop...Or.... CORKY Jake, if you don't know...kinda pretend you do...like always. INTERCUT - EXTERIOR SEA - NIGHT - STOCK/PROCESS The Goose lets down toward the floating flares, rocking and roller-coasting as Jake get a fix on the surface, then dropping into the water trailing long rooster tails. JAKE You see...light as a feather. CORKY Light as a lead feather...dropped out of a tree. JAKE We're down in one piece, aren't we? Jack barks once for "no." ANGLE TO JACK He's just getting up from a sprawled position on top of some cargo. He gives Jake a baleful, one-eyed glare. JAKE (continuing) We've gotta get you some kind of seat belt. EXTERIOR GOOSE - NIGHT - CARGO HATCH Jake and Corky lean out, listening, red in the light from the flares. The engines idle fitfully above. The same explosive blast of water and air that disturbed Captain Ito sounds again out of the fog. CORKY Wish I could see somethin'. JAKE (calling) Hello! We now hear the muffled clink of oarlocks. VOICES Over here! Koko! Tout droit! Corky spots something in the fog. He strains to see. CORKY'S POINT OF VIEW - THE FOG A huge shadow stirs in the water just beyond the line of flares. CORKY'S VOICE (pointing) Over there, Jake. I see 'em. ANGLE PAST CORKY TO WATER A lifeboat looms out of the fog from another spot than the shadow. This confuses Corky, but he throws them a line, and pulls the boat in while keeping a eye on the other spot. The faces of the survivors are drawn and shaken. Some are soaked. Some smeared with oil. Corky keeps a wary eye on the spot where he thought he saw something. ON CAPTAIN ITO standing to hold the boat to the Goose's pontoon. CAPTAIN ITO You have been most daring to land under these conditions. The Helmsman suddenly rears out of the boat, climbing past Captain Ito and trying to scramble into the Goose. HELMSMAN (in Japanese) It was Katarangura! Go quickly. Take me with you. Several of the other crew members in the boat take up the cry of "Katarangura." Captain Ito roughly hauls the man back into the boat, shoving him into his seat. CAPTAIN ITO Apologies for my unworthy sailors. They will be disciplined for their hysteria. CORKY Katarangura? The giant octopus? JAKE Corky! INTERCUT - CORKY'S POINT OF VIEW - THE WATER Again, the huge shadow, maybe something, maybe nothing, stirs in the water just beyond the glow of a flare. CORKY There! I thought I saw it before! It must've sunk their ship. JAKE This is no time to start imagining sea monsters. Forget Katarangura, okay? Corky is beginning to tremble, staring down at the water. CORKY (getting weird) Sure, Jake. But, we're right over the Peleau Trench. It lives down there. Jake ignores him. JAKE (to Captain Ito) We can only take five or six of you aboard. CAPTAIN ITO We are in no danger. Our SOS was answered by the Koji Maru. She should be here shortly. (beat) There is one man who was wounded. If you would take him. He needs medical attention. ANGLE - WIDE TO SHAUGHNESSY He is lifted, moaning and delirious out of the boat, and many hands help him into the Goose. His right leg is bloody. JAKE We'll have you in Boragora in twenty minutes. You can get treatment there. (beat; to Captain Ito) Is he the only one? CAPTAIN ITO The only one with injuries. But, one passenger unfortunately went down with my ship. ANGLE PAST JAKE TO COLLEEN She is rising from the boat to stand on the pontoon...a disheveled, frightened woman, but still a beauty. Jake reacts with astonishment when he sees Colleen. She looks just like the girl in the flashback. He freezes and she is uncertain if she is welcome aboard. COLLEEN The injured man is my father. May I come with him? Jake is captivated by the sight of Colleen. She is very aware of his curious reaction and bold stare. He finally nods and she steps past him into the Goose. JAKE (to Captain) We can take a few more. CAPTAIN ITO (shakes his head) This Koji Maru should be here shortly. I want to keep my crew together. (salutes) Thank you, Captain. Jake salutes back and closes the hatch. As the Goose taxis away, Captain Ito nods to one of the crew and they fire another flare. ON THE FLARE as it arcs up through the fog and we: DISSOLVE TO INTERIOR PRINCESS KOJI'S ESTATE - DAY - CLOSE - AQUARIUM - BLUE SCREEN The still surface of an enormous aquarium is dotted with blooming lilies, a peaceful perfection. Then, a minute splash disturbs the tranquility and in an instant, the surface is boiling with ravening piranha. ON PRINCESS KOJI standing beside the ornate aquarium, a slow smile of tranquil satisfaction smoothing her features. She dangles another wiggling minnow over the pond when a sound disturbs her reverie. Anger flashes in her eyes. ANGLE ACROSS PRINCESS KOJI TO APPROACHING GROUP as a shoji screen opens. Several kimono wearing retainers contemplate their soft sandaled feet as they shuffle backwards leaving Todo and Captain Ito alone. One glance from Princess Koji and Captain Ito drops to his knees, frozen in a low bow. Todo rests his hand on the hilt of his sword. Princess Koji lets them wait as she resumes her feeding of the piranha. PRINCESS KOJI You see how they know I have more food for them. But, they know me, they know the time...they know. It is all they have to worry about in life, so it is not surprising. Princess Koji drops the minnow and turns. As she approaches, Captain Ito cringes. PRINCESS KOJI (continuing) Relax, Captain Ito. Stand. If I held you responsible in the least, you would be bowing to your ancestors by now. Captain Ito breathes a sigh of relief, touching his forehead to the ground at her feet, then standing. Todo frowns. TODO Permit me, but I think it would be better.... PRINCESS KOJI You always think it would be better. That's why I like you, Todo. He beams. PRINCESS KOJI I may indulge myself in a few moments of softness because I know you keep a proper edge on your katana. Todo grins, then pantomimes several vicious swipes with an invisible sword. PRINCESS KOJI Now, Captain. Tell me how my ship could sink in open water. CAPTAIN ITO There were no other ships, there were no reefs.... PRINCESS KOJI Katarangura? CAPTAIN ITO (treading carefully) In all deference, my mistress, I might expect my humble crew to believe in such a myth, but.... PRINCESS KOJI (laughing) I do not deal in myths, Captain. Something sunk my ship. Something very real. But, I'm not at all mystified, because, like the fish, I know that if I am fed, one day I must expect to be eaten. She gestures at Todo who grins expectantly, draws his sword and artfully jabs into the aquarium. He comes up with a piranha flopping on the point and flips it to another part of the room we have not yet seen. ANGLE - TO CAT A lithe jungle beast, pampered, curled atop some pillows. The cat pounces on the fish and begins to eat. We hear Princess Koji's delighted laugh. CUT TO EXTERIOR BORAGORA - DAY - ESTABLISHING It's morning. We hear the Clipper's big engines crank up. INTERIOR JAKE'S ROOM - DAY The room is dark except for slats of light coming through the shutters. Jake is sprawled across the bed, still dressed, tangled in his mosquito netting. Spread on the bed around him are a few letters, pictures and small souvenirs like a swizzle stick, etc. The sudden roar of the Clipper's engines as they catch and run up to max rpms jerks Jake awake. It is obvious his sleep has been troubled, and his dreams are confused with reality for a few long moments. He stands, a bit shaky, and immediately stumbles into Jack who is lying by the door. JAKE Sorry...guess I'm a little rocky. Jack barks twice. Jack rolls over, disgusted with Jake. JAKE (continuing) What do you know about it. You slept all night. Jake steps over Jack and peers out his window. JAKE'S POINT OF VIEW - THE CLIPPER - STOCK It lifts off the water. The engine sound dies away, leaving Jake in silence. BACK ON JAKE He fingers his wrinkled shirt and reacts to the used feeling of his clothes. He unbuttons his shirt and takes a long moment at the sink to splash water on his face. Toweling off, Jake turns and see the pictures, clippings, etc., spread across the bed. CLOSER - ON THE BED Jake sits and picks up one of the pictures. Creased, stained, the picture has obviously been around the world a few times. INSERT - THE PICTURE A drugstore snapshot in black and white with old-fashioned deckled edges showing a young couple on the beach in bathing suits circa 1930...Jake and the girl from the flashback. Jake's hands hold a yellowed newspaper clipping over the photo. It's an engagement notice headed "Davis-Cutter." Camera pushes in to the girl's face. MATCH CUT TO INTERIOR MONKEY BAR - DAY - COLLEEN'S FACE She's eating breakfast alone at a table. Again, the resemblance is striking between Colleen and the girl Jake has been thinking of. It's early, only a few patrons at the bar, and a few more eating breakfast, including Louie and Sarah at a table. ANGLE TO INCLUDE JAKE He is standing near the bar ad libbing "good morning's," but his eyes don't leave Colleen. Jack waits, as Jake pours himself a cup of coffee from the setup of expresso pot and demitasse cups on the bar. He pours more coffee into a saucer. JAKE (to Colleen) Too bad you missed the Clipper. (eyes it) Dress looks nice. Colleen smiles at this and indicates Sarah with a look. Obviously she and Sarah have gotten to know each other already. COLLEEN Thank you, Mr. Cutter. Sarah's been kind enough to give me free rein of her wardrobe, or I'd be hiding in my room for two weeks til the next flight out. Still, that's little enough to ask for bein' alive. ON JAKE Jake has been blowing on the saucer of coffee, and now moves to set it on the floor. Jack barks once for "no." JAKE Cafe au lait? Jack barks twice for "yes." Jake pours some steamed milk out of a pitcher into the saucer and sets it on the floor for Jack, who begins to lick it up. ANGLE TO TABLE Jake brings his cup of coffee over and sits with Colleen. He is unable to take his eyes off her, staring at her over his coffee cup. His direct gaze unnerves her. JAKE How is your father? COLLEEN He won't lose his leg, thanks to you, but he's so very weak...I'm worried. Jake considers this while he fishes a cigar out of his pocket, eyes still on Colleen. He strikes a match on the table and takes a big, smoky drag off his cigar. COLLEEN How can you smoke a cigar before breakfast? As if bitten, Jake whips the cigar out of his mouth and stubs it in an ashtray. JAKE Sorry...I forgot you didn't.... COLLEEN (puzzled) Forgot I didn't what? Jake pauses, a surprised and mystified smile playing on his face. Whatever it is, it makes him laugh at himself and shake his head. JAKE Nothing. There is a sudden babble of voices outside the bar. ANGLE TO DOOR Corky bursts in ahead of as party of locals, including Willie, dressed as Reverend Tenboom, all gathered around a local youth in a loincloth. Everyone is bubbling with excitement. Corky spots Jake and hurries to him. CORKY (breathless) You won't believe it, Jake. The Shima Maru didn't sink. Katarangura let it go. It's grounded on a reef near Peleau, right next to the trench. JAKE Corky, if it is on the reef, it doesn't have anything to do with a giant octopus. COLLEEN (shocked) Whatever the reason. Heaven be praised! WILLIE I agree. It is verwonderlijk. Gooden morgen, Jake. (to Colleen) Juffrouw. ON COLLEEN Locals buzz around the native in the background. Colleen returns Willie's greeting with a nod, a newly determined and confident look on her face. She tugs Jake's sleeve and when he turns, for the first time, meets his eyes. COLLEEN Mr. Cutter... Do you think...is it possible something might be salvaged from that ship? JAKE The odds aren't very good she'll stay on a reef for long. It'd have to be something worth salvaging. COLLEEN It is...A box, a waterproof box with keepsakes of my poor dear mother. Her wedding band and pictures and such. They mean the world to my father. Can you understand? JAKE (beat; the irony) Yes, but you can't just --- COLLEEN There's also his medicine...for his heart! JAKE (swayed, but) Louie's practically got a pharmacy in his office. COLLEEN This medication is quite special. That's why we brought a box of it with us from Ireland. She reels him in with her eyes, and it's obvious Colleen exerts a special influence over Jake. COLLEEN (continuing) Could you get it for him...for me? JAKE Well...ah...I guess I could give it a shot. Depends on how deep she lies on the reef...I probably could dive to your cabin. Warming to the idea, and to the joy it brings to Colleen's face, Jake is smiling confidently. ON CORKY He's been listening and sees the spell descending over Jake. CORKY Don't forget, Jake, we've got to fly into Lebec's plantation today with his supplies. JAKE (disappointed) Sometimes your memory's amazing, Corky. (to Colleen) I've got a contract to fly. I can try tomorrow morning. Colleen leans over and kisses Jake on the cheek. He eats it up. ANGLE TO SARAH She's not liking this a bit, and trades "Isn't that cute," looks with Jack. Colleen stands and gets Willie's attention. COLLEEN Reverend...? WILLIE (tips hat) Tenboom is my name. COLLEEN My father and I were in last night's shipwreck. He's suffering mightily. And, as he always has taken great comfort from the church, perhaps a few words from you.... WILLIE Say no more. I will gladly attend him. Willie and Colleen head for the stairs. ON JAKE AND CORKY Sarah has joined them as the buzz from the locals gets louder. Corky is agitated. CORKY Why'd you tell her you'd dive, Jake? You're forgettin' all about Katarangura. JAKE Don't start that again. There is no Katarangura. The native who brought the news hears this last remark. ON THE NATIVE NATIVE Oh, yes! Him big fella puss puss b'long same Peleau. Boat fella stay on this fella's back all same. ON THE TABLE SARAH What's all this about...Katu.... CORKY Katarangura. He's an octopus with arms fifty feet long and as thick as a tree. The natives say that every now and then it eats a ship. SARAH And you believe them? CORKY I guess they oughta know. They live on the water. JAKE Corky, there are plenty of real hazards in the world to sink ships. You don't need to invent a monster to do it. ANGLE TO PARROT above them on its perch. PARROT Don't be so sure...Don't be so sure.... HIGH ANGLE - ABOVE BALCONY TO BAR Colleen leads Willie along the balcony to a room. They enter. INTERIOR SHAUGHNESSY'S ROOM - DAY The room is dim, mosquito netting shrouding a still form on the bed. Colleen and Willie enter, stepping quietly and somberly as if approaching a death bed. Willie makes a clerical gesture to an older Polynesian woman sitting beside the bed acting as a nurse. The woman nods understandingly and leaves the room. When she shuts the door behind her screening out the bar noise, the room is hushed. Colleen leans into the netting. COLLEEN I've brought a man of the cloth to see you. Would you take a wee moment to pray with him? ON THE NETTING OVER THE BED Colleen draws the netting back revealing Shaughnessy's inert form, bathed in sweat, in grave condition. With eyes still tightly closed, an impish smile spreads over Shaughnessy's lips. Then he cocks one eye open, and winks. SHAUGHNESSY Top o' the mornin' to you, Father. I don't suppose you have a drop of whiskey on you, now, do you? Anythin'd do, but Irish'd be best for the throat, you know. We do have a bit o' talkin' to do, after all. (beat) Don't we...Kapitan? CLOSE ON WILLIE as his pious look changes to a smile. WILLIE Jah. FADE OUT _END OF ACT ONE_ _ACT TWO_ FADE IN INTERIOR LOUIE'S OFFICE - DAY Jake and Louie are pouring over a nautical chart of the Marivellas spread across Louie's ornate desk. Jack is asleep across one corner of the map, holding it down. JAKE'S VOICE OVER How come there's always a spider in the garden, a worm in the apple, and a snake in the grass? I had helped a beautiful girl out of a scrape, she was grateful, everything was perfect, so I should have known it meant trouble.... Louie is in the middle of an explanation. LOUIE ...of course, this is nothing to compare with the great Maginot line...which, I myself helped to build...but it will be something...perhaps enough to keep the French Marivellas out of the hands of the Axis powers and their co-prosperity sphere. Jake dots his finger from island to island on the chart. JAKE Pretty crafty, Louie. And how many of these atolls have you stashed stuff on? LOUIE (showing) Three so far...a month's worth of food and ammunition and mortar rounds for a company of men on each. Eight more to go. JAKE Why the big secret? The French can do whatever they want in their half of the Marivellas. LOUIE Vrai. But, it would be a good excuse for the Japanese to claim we are the saber rattlers. Discretion is best. JAKE And, you're actually using Princess Koji's ships. Amazing. LOUIE The franc is as green as the yen or the mark...or the dollar. JAKE You mean she's color blind. LOUIE Ah, oui...The supplies in the hold of the Shima Maru were to be cached...here, on Petite Plage. Pardon, Jacque. But, something or someone had other ideas. Louie has to move Jack to show Jake the island. Jack immediately lies down on the other side of the map. JAKE I take it you don't side with Corky on the giant octopus theory. Louie laughs, settling in his chair. LOUIE I wish I could...then I would not have to ask a dear friend of mine to perhaps risk his life for my country. But, seeing as you already plan to dive.... JAKE You need to know if the Axis is wise to your little Maginot. LOUIE Exactamente...And, fortunately, while the Shima Maru is hanging on that reef, we have a chance at finding out. JAKE You mean I have a chance. Louie nods. JAKE Don't you have any other good friends on this island? Jack barks once for "no." Off Louie's look to Jack.... CUT TO INTERIOR WILLIE'S HOUSE - DAY Willie is patiently reading a heavy tome. Camera adjusts to discover he is actually sleeping behind it, glasses hanging crookedly off his nose. ANOTHER ANGLE A lovely island girl, Nollie, is reading her own, simpler book at Willie's feet. She reaches up and taps the back of Willie's book. No answer. She taps harder and causes the precariously balanced book to topple. Willie just catches it from falling. He adjusts his glasses. NOLLIE Time for blessing. WILLIE (yawning) My, my, my, Nollie. You're being awful holy today. NOLLIE (proudly) I am the holiest of your converts. Many times you have told me this. WILLIE I know, but it is possible to be over blessed. NOLLIE (hurt) How, when blessing is a virtue. WILLIE You should not attempt to argue theology with me. Patience is also a virtue. Now, ponder that while I take a walk to...meditate. Willie stands, yawns again, and heads for the door. EXTERIOR WILLIE'S HOUSE - DAY - CLOSE - WILLIE He steps outside in mid-yawn and is lifted off the ground by two of Todo's soldiers. He dances, his feet just off the ground, as they carry him around to the side of the house. ANGLE - IN SHADOWS Protected from other eyes, Willie is powerless to resist. Princess Koji steps out of the shadows, a benign smile on her face. Reaching up as if to brush Willie's cheek, she instead places a sinewy jungle snake around his neck. The snake is five feet long and a dusky brown with darker cross banding. It begins to coil around and around Willie's neck as Princess Koji speaks softly, almost hissing her words. PRINCESS KOJI For some reason you Germans have made the hilarious assumption you're the...master race. What unspeakable vanity when compared to this plain brown, timid tiger snake. It certainly isn't the most beautiful...or largest, or strongest. It must crawl everywhere it goes. It doesn't strut like you do, and yet it truly is master of its race...the most poisonous thing on the face of the Earth! Todo begins to giggle. Willie's facial muscles twitch in something resembling a smile. WILLIE (wheezing) Astounding.... PRINCESS KOJI (anger showing) You know what I'm talking about. The Shima Maru. My ship. Four thousand tons displacement. But I have a feeling, call it a conviction, that my ship was sunk by you. WILLIE Me?..How could I sink your ship? PRINCESS KOJI By being German...what is done by your countrymen is also done by you, Willie. Willie sputters, unable to fully respond, the snake tightening its coils. WILLIE This is...is...very...difficult. PRINCESS KOJI No, this is easy. You never want me to get difficult. (sighs) Remove the tiger so he can breathe, Todo. TODO He was breathing. Todo reluctantly takes the snake partially off Willie's neck. Willie's color begins to return to normal, but he can't take his eyes off the snake's head and flicking tongue which Todo holds close to Willie's face. WILLIE The natives are claiming some kind of mammoth octopus or squid- like creature sunk your ship. PRINCESS KOJI Katarangura? WILLIE You've heard of it? PRINCESS KOJI Hearing is one thing, believing another. Now, Willie...I don't know if you or your countrymen are involved in the sinking of the Shima, but if you are, you can tell your pint-size paperhanger in Berlin my bill is ten million Reich marks. WILLIE Why would we want to sink one of your ships? Koji gestures and Todo brings the snake closer. WILLIE (eyes widen) Hypothetically, if we did, I can't believe...Berlin would pay that much. PRINCESS KOJI Then we'll have to have another, more convincing demonstration of who is master of whom. CUT TO EXTERIOR MONKEY BAR - NIGHT - ESTABLISHING Sweltering...suggestive glimpses of Boragoran night life in shadows pooling outside the smoky glow from the bar. Here, excited betting in an exotic tongue and the silhouettes of men throwing fighting cocks into a circle formed by their own bodies; there, an exotic giggle and a sailor leading a native girl up the stairs. From within, a low babble of voices and Sarah midway through "My Funny Valentine." INTERIOR MONKEY BAR - NIGHT - JACK taking it all in...a scurvy and mysterious crowd overhung by a low cloud of smoke. Jack is sitting next to Corky on the piano bench as he plays for Sarah. No one is listening to her very closely, including Corky, who is more interested in his conversation with a huge Samoan. CORKY ...Around here we call it Katarangura. I saw it last night. Arms a hundred feet long and thick as a house...Took the Shima Maru, lifted it into the air...shook it around.... Jack has had enough of this. He jumps off the bench and we follow him through a tangle of legs and into a chair between Jake and Colleen seated along at a table. JAKE'S VOICE OVER All the way to Lebec's plantation and back, I couldn't get Colleen out of my mind...She was like a memory that came to life in front of my eyes. When something like that happens you tend to do almost anything to keep it alive...even when you know better. ANGLE TO JAKE AND COLLEEN eyes locked over a slope-shouldered bottle of Louie's best white. The raucous goings-on in the background do not exist for the couple, nor does Jack get a greeting from them. JAKE (sighs) Dance? COLLEEN The whole night if you like. (beat) Can I trust you not to step on my toes? Jack barks once for "no." Jake ignores him. Jack jumps back down and we follow him through the feet to the piano bench. He jumps on it, getting Sarah's attention. ON SARAH Sarah looks down and sees Jack motioning with his head. SARAH'S POINT OF VIEW - JAKE AND COLLEEN hand in hand, threading their way toward the piano. Sarah stops singing in mid-verse. No one seems to notice, and Corky keeps on playing. SARAH Are they going to dance? Jack barks twice for "yes." ON SARAH She looks hurt and ganged up on and uses anger to cover. SARAH Sorry, it's not in my contract. She turns and takes a few steps toward the door, then gives a last look back at Jake and Colleen. SARAH (continuing) She's wearing my dress, and now she's going to dance with...I'm taking a break! Sarah bites off the rest of her thought and heads for the door. WIDE - PAST JAKE AND COLLEEN TO SARAH as she stomps out the bat-wings into the night. Corky shrugs. Louie passes by with a new bottle of wine for a table. Jake grabs him. JAKE How about a request, my friend.... Louie is taken momentarily aback, but obviously very flattered by Jake's asking. LOUIE You are too kind, Jake. No one here wants me to play. JAKE We do. It would mean a lot...Please. The soul of Gallic immodesty, Louie shrugs, "You won't have to twist my arm," and signals to Gushie. LOUIE La clarinette, mon ami. Gushie rolls over to Louie with a small, black case. As Louie puts together the clarinet, he asks: LOUIE (continuing) Any one song in particular? JAKE You know...Corky. Corky plays a flowery introduction to "I Can't Get Started with You," during which Jake offers Colleen his arms. It is a recreation of the earlier flashback, except the society dance is now in a South Seas' bar, and the society crowd has become the dregs of a hundred back waters. But, the girl is the same, right down to her red hair. ON JAKE AND COLLEEN They begin to dance, and Louie takes up the tune on his clarinet. Not a tune so much as a succession of squeaks and wrong notes. Nevertheless, he barrels on with conviction. Colleen can barely suppress her laugh. COLLEEN (whispering) He's terrible. JAKE Always has been. But, it's not the music that counts, it's the motion. She smiles and nestles her head on his shoulder. EXTERIOR COLONNADE - NIGHT - SARAH - FOLLOWING The music rises gently from below as Sarah moodily saunters toward her room, mostly lost in thought, paying little attention to her surroundings. She rounds the corner and is alerted by a suggestion of motion ahead, but no one's there. Sniffing, Sarah detects fresh cigarette smoke, and bends to discover a freshly stepped on butt. It is directly in front of Shaughnessy's room, and the door is slightly ajar. INTERIOR SHAUGHNESSY'S ROOM - NIGHT Sarah leans in through the open door. The room is dark save for a simple lamp. Behind the mosquito netting she can make out the silhouette of Shaughnessy's sleeping form. Sarah quietly closes the door. INTERIOR SARAH'S ROOM - NIGHT She enters, flipping on the light, and throwing herself onto the bed, bored and disgusted. Several beats, then she sighs and comes back to reality. She lifts her suitcase radio out of the closet and opens it on the bed, stringing the coiled copper wire across the room. EXTERIOR SEA - NIGHT - U.S. HANCOCK - STOCK under steam. We hear the dots and dashes of Sarah's code. INTERIOR HANCOCK RADIO ROOM - NIGHT A complex of wheels and gears with a typewriter-like keyboard. On the face of the machine is a garbled message. Sparks, the radioman, turns to an Intelligence Officer. SPARKS I don't get it, sir. She's using the old code. She hasn't changed over. OFFICER ...Could mean, she's warning us...Or something else. Send her another query...new code only. INTERIOR SARAH'S ROOM - NIGHT She is throwing down her pencil in frustration. SARAH Well, that doesn't make any sense! Now I can't even work the code book. Great spy I am... (the real truth) That's _my_ dress! CUT TO EXTERIOR OCEAN - DAY - PROCESS Open and empty. We hear the splashing of paddles and a war canoe drifts into the picture, being paddled by five lovely native girls, including Nollie. Willie sits in the bow, mopping his forehead, a bit impatient with the paddlers who are scanning the waves with big eyes and trading apprehensive looks. They aren't paddling with much enthusiasm, talking among themselves. We hear the word "Katarangura" pronounced in fear. WILLIE You need not be afraid, my children. Remember what happened to Jonah. NOLLIE He got swallowed.... WILLIE Well, yes, at first...But, then, the Lord protected...Perhaps that is not the best lesson. Why don't we sing a hymn. That would be good. (singing lustily) 'Onward Christian Soldiers....' A muffled, explosive roar of air and water begins to swell in volume nearby. The girls raise their paddles out of the water, staring hypnotically at the water. Willie stops singing, getting no response from the girls. WILLIE (continuing) We sing for the glory of God, now. Let me hear.... Suddenly, Nollie stands, pointing over Willie's shoulder. The other girls scream, panicking. NOLLIE Katarangura! It's him! THEIR POINT OF VIEW - THE WATER - PROCESS It is beginning to boil, great volumes of air frothing a large section of the surface. The roar becomes deafening. All the girls begin to cry "Katarangura." BACK ON CANOE - PROCESS Willie sees the churning water, but is not terribly concerned. The girls however are in a state of hysteria, others standing with Nollie, rocking the canoe dangerously. Willie holds on for dear life, afraid of being dumped into the water. WILLIE Girls!..Control yourselves. There is nothing to fear. Believe me. No use. Nollie and the others furiously begin to back paddle. Willie barely is able to keep the canoe from overturning. WILLIE'S POINT OF VIEW - THE WATER - PROCESS A U-boat is surfacing, source of the disruption in the water. WILLIE (continuing; to himself) There is no such thing as Katarangura. FADE OUT _END OF ACT TWO_ _ACT THREE_ FADE IN EXTERIOR OCEAN - U-BOAT - DAY - PROCESS It is riding the gentle swell. A German sailor mans a 105mm deck gun for possible intruders. Willie has climbed aboard to join Commander Staeffel on the conning tower. Lookouts are above. ON WILLIE AND STAEFFEL - PROCESS Staeffel gives Willie a stiff-armed salute. STAEFFEL Welcome...'Reverend.' Heil Hitler. Willie pointedly returns a Wehrmacht salute. STAEFFEL You came all the way from Boragora in that? Willie looks down at the canoe. Nollie and the other girls have calmed down, looking sullen but delightful in their sarongs. WILLIE It may be primitive, but it has a certain charm. STAEFFEL Aren't you compromising yourself by coming here with these natives? WILLIE I told them this is God's work...I tell them quite a few things are God's work. But, I did not make the trip to discuss my techniques, Commander Staeffel. By sinking the Shima Maru you have also sunk a vital mission of mine. Why? STAEFFEL Orders...I am to prevent the French from garrisoning the Marivellas without being discovered. No more...no less. WILLIE And you didn't even think to consult me? STAEFFEL Would it have mattered? The Shima Maru was loaded with French supplies and ammunition. She had to go down. WILLIE But, she didn't. The ship is grounded on a reef for all the world to see. STAEFFEL Temporarily. Is that all you wanted to tell me? WILLIE (conspiratorially) The natives are attributing the sinking to a legendary sea monster. We might avoid blame for this if we could do something to enhance this impression. STAEFFEL (mocking laugh) I will not waste my time with such nonsense. Willie stiffens at Staeffel's superiority. WILLIE Then, Commander Staeffel, may I speak frankly? Staeffel shrugs. WILLIE Keep this pig boat away from the Shima Maru until I've completed my mission. STAEFFEL (unruffled) Kapitan. The Shima must come off that reef and sink. I didn't risk ramming her just to be discovered because of some fluke. WILLIE But all I need is one day. Surely you can wait one day before you tow it off the reef. STAEFFEL Towing won't work. We tried that last night. WILLIE Thank God you were not discovered. Princess Koji, who owns that scow, has threatened to take my life in most horrible ways if she gets any evidence at all that we...you are to blame. Just stay away. STAEFFEL I am not in the habit of leaving a job unfinished. The wreck will be...removed. WILLIE (huffing) Then I must request to use your radio for an appeal to a higher authority. STAEFFEL (smiles) I must disappoint you. My orders are to maintain radio silence. Willie skewers Staeffel with a look of utter loathing, then clambers back down to stand in the prow of the canoe. He gazes back up at Staeffel, erect and defiant. WILLIE Berlin shall hear about this! Paddle, girls! Back to Boragora! The girls dig in their paddles and the canoe shoots away from the U-boat. CUT TO EXTERIOR PACIFIC SKY - DAY - THE GOOSE - STOCK Sliding toward us as Jake comes in lower over the water. CORKY'S VOICE Jake...there! What's that black thing under the water? INTERIOR COCKPIT - DAY - ACROSS CORKY TO JAKE - PROCESS Colleen is standing between them. JAKE Probably the shadow of a cloud. CORKY You sure? JAKE Course I'm sure. COLLEEN (pointing) There she is! CORKY Boy, she's just hangin' by a hair. INTERCUT - EXTERIOR REEF - DAY - MATTE AND BLUE SCREEN - PROCESS The Goose buzzes the wreck of the Shima Maru grounded on the reef, most of the hull disappearing into the water. CORKY (continuing) And that's the Peleau Trench under us. It goes down forever. And... (hushed) ...he's probably waiting. COLLEEN Who's waiting? CORKY You know. K-A-T-A-N.... From between the seats, Jack barks once for "no." CORKY (continuing) Ah, yeah...K-A-T-A-R.... ON JAKE JAKE (fed up) Stop it! Why are you spelling the name of an imaginary octopus? Corky makes silencing gestures, his agitation increasing. CORKY Don't...be so loud. He'll hear you. He's got arms a mile long Jake...longer. He doesn't have to be very close to...you know. JAKE (taking the easy way) I'll be quiet, Corky. And, real careful. He won't...you know...anybody today. Colleen laughs and Corky looks worried. ON THE GOOSE As she gently lands on the water, we.... DISSOLVE TO EXTERIOR REEF - DAY Jake, Colleen, and Jack are approaching the wreck in an inflatable rubber raft which Corky is rowing. The Goose is moored to a small atoll in the background. A stiff wind pressing a storm has come up. Colleen gives Jake a big hug. Clearly, their relationship has been moving right along. Corky ships the oars, the rubber boat right next to the reef and the side of the wreck. COLLEEN Remember your promise. JAKE One dive to see if there's a safe way inside. No risks, promise. COLLEEN Third cabin.... JAKE On the left. Green metal box. Jake takes off his shirt, put a pair of bamboo goggles his forehead with a rubber strap, picks up a short hand spear and a battery torch. A clap of distant thunder sounds across the water. Jake ducks under some gear. ON JAKE He climbs up the tilted side of the wreck, slipping over the rail with a last look back. Corky gives him a thumbs up. INTERIOR WRECK - DAY Dry, but distorted by its angle and general destruction. Jake works his way down some stairs until he reaches the water level. It's a black, forbidding border between this world and another. Jake puts his goggles in place, deep breathes, and steps into the water. EXTERIOR UNDERWATER - SHIMA MARU WRECK - DAY We follow Jake as he free dives along the sloping companionway of the submerged wreck. A great section of the hull is stove inward, jagged plates and protruding framework making a ragged maw. Jake pokes his spear into the hole softly backlit with daylight, then continues. INTERCUT - EXTERIOR REEF - DAY - CORKY AND COLLEEN waiting, checking watches. The wind is really whipping and the thunder booms, closer than before. INTERIOR UNDERWATER - INSIDE WRECK - DAY - JAKE shines his way with a battery torch, looking for hazards as he seeks the cabin he wants. The destruction has warped walls and caved in bulkheads. The cabin door is hanging from one hinge. Jake swings the beam of the torch inside. The beam finds, loses, then holds on the body of Collingswood, the rictus of death frozen on his face. As Jake watches, perhaps due to the currents stirred up by Jake's swimming, the body turns slowly over to reveal the shaft of a knife sticking out of its back. Jake gulps with surprise, about out of air and now fighting it. He bumps against a bulkhead and drops the torch. Darkness! A terrible pause, then the torch flares to life in Jake's hand. Disorientated, Jake is frantic to find his way out. He claws his way back along the companionway and wriggles through the jagged hole in the hull to freedom. EXTERIOR REEF - DINGHY - DAY Corky and Colleen study the water. Now, the storm is nearly on them. COLLEEN It's been too long. CORKY Don't worry about Jake. He's a good... (pointing) Hold it! I see him. ANGLE TO WATER Jake pops out of the water like a breaching whale, gulping air, then dropping back under. Without thinking, Corky dives in and immediately begins to thrash. Jake reappears under his own steam to discover Corky in trouble. He puts Corky in a life-saving carry and hauls him to the side of the dinghy. Colleen helps pull them both into the dinghy, visibly relieved. Jack is the only one taking it all calmly, in fact, a bit disapprovingly. IN THE DINGHY Jake and Corky are gasping for air. The rain hits. COLLEEN Thank God. You were down so long. JAKE You think it was long up here... (remembering) Corky! You don't swim. CORKY ...I forgot. Jake shakes him lovingly, understanding the panic and concern that sent Corky into the water. ANGLE - PAST JAKE TO SKY A sizzling bolt of lightning spits out of the black clouds nearly into their legs with a deafening report. Rain pelts them, wind filling Colleen's hair before it plasters to her head. She looks wild and beautiful. Another lightning strike, even closer, and Colleen recoils from it, falling into Jake's arms for protection as Corky rows back to shore. CUT TO EXTERIOR GARDEN - DAY - CLOSE JAKE AND GIRL - FLASHBACK It could be Colleen throwing herself into Jake's arms as the rain and lightning of a summer storm lashes them. But, as camera widens we realize we are in a garden (the same one as the dance scene earlier) and it is not Colleen seeking the shelter of Jake's arms, but the same girl he was dancing with. Laughing, enjoying the excitement of the electric storm, Jake and the girl hurry under a gazebo, dripping, shivering, then spontaneously clutching each other in a long kiss. Camera racks focus to the rain streaming off the roof of the gazebo. MATCH CUT TO EXTERIOR REEF - CAMP - DAY - RAIN A canvas shelter has been rigged between some palm trees on the atoll, high enough to stand under. A lantern provides enough light to brighten the gloom cast by the passing storm. Constant rain pours off the canvas matching the rain off the gazebo. Thunder rolls in the distance. Camera pulls back to include Jake leaning against a tree, looking out into the rain. Corky is stirring dinner in a pot over a small fire of coconut husks. JAKE'S VOICE OVER Ever try to stop thinking about something...or someone? It's like trying to stop gambling by going to the race track. Good luck. Which is exactly what I needed right now. For some reason a dead man was floating around Colleen's cabin with a knife in his back the size of a propeller blade. I should've have been reporting it to Louie. Instead, I was worried that Colleen might be involved. Corky tastes his cooking and nods approval. CORKY That oughta do her...How about a little dinner, Jack? Corky has spooned some onto a plate and offers it to Jack who barks once for "no" and retires to a pile of gear. CORKY (continuing) Hey, Jake...here's yours. Shaken out of his reverie, Jake studies the offered plate, then forces a smile. JAKE Looks great. (beat) I think it's your best. (beat) But, right now, I'm.... CORKY I know, not hungry. That's all right. Corky takes the single plate of food to a seat on the gear next to Jack. But, even Corky has no appetite. CORKY I wish you'd tell me what happened down there. JAKE I did. I went down, I looked around, I came up. CORKY I heard that part. What you didn't tell me is what you saw that got you so spooked. The last time I saw you pop out of the water that fast was when you were drunk that time and Louie dared you to dive off the end of the Boragora dock with that old brass helmet of his. You damn near drowned. JAKE (chuckles) How come, when you so easily forget the day of the week and the name of the president...you can remember stuff like that? CORKY Because, when you do stupid things I...I just remember, that's all. There's a beat of shared concern, then Jake looks out at the rain. JAKE I'll see if Colleen's hungry. A note in Jake's voice tips Corky as to how distraught his friend is over Colleen. CORKY Hey, Jake...You've kinda flipped for her, haven't you? JAKE (defensive) No. CORKY She looks like that girl of yours, doesn't she?..The one whose picture you carry around in that oilskin pouch? Jake stares at Corky a beat, then, hunching into his jacket, ducks out into the rain. We hold on Corky. CORKY (to himself) Yep...she does. INTERIOR COLLEEN'S TENT - DAY The rain hammers on the canvas which has been folded over a center pole and staked to the ground as a tent for her. Colleen is resting on a makeshift bed. Jake enters in a rush, shaking off the rain. Colleen sits bolt upright. COLLEEN What is it? Jake has a hard time with this conversation. We can see his reaction to Colleen is now ambivalent, troublesome. JAKE Ah...there's something I need to ask you. COLLEEN (the coquette) If you have to ask first, it's not what I thought. JAKE (passing it) About Collingswood...wasn't that his name? COLLEEN The man who drowned? What about him? JAKE (looking closely) Did he drown? COLLEEN (no trouble) I assume so. He missed the lifeboats and we never found him. Why? JAKE I'm gonna call Boragora and tell them we're staying overnight...and also tell them about Collingswood. Colleen is puzzled, but not alarmed by Jake's line of thought. COLLEEN Tell them what? Jake starts to back out of the tent. JAKE Nothin'. Don't worry about it. Colleen reaches out a hand to Jake's shoulder. COLLEEN Did I tell you how grateful I am that you're going to try for father's box again? JAKE Dad's got to have his medicine. COLLEEN Aye...that he does... (beat) But, you make it sound like such an easy thing. I think it's much more dangerous that you're letting on...isn't it? JAKE I'd like to think not. With this, Jake backs out into the rain leaving Colleen to her thoughts. EXTERIOR GOOSE - NIGHT Jake eases into the pilot's chair and flips a few switches. Lights glow softly as the radio tubes warm; Jake is surprised to hear Sarah's voice already calling him, although the electrical storm fills the transmission with static and break up, which continues throughout. SARAH'S VOICE (from radio) ...Cutter's Goose. Boragora calling Cutter's Goose. Come in, Jake. Jake hurriedly slips on his earphones and grabs the mike. JAKE (into mike) o ahead, Sarah. I'm reading you, but there's a lot of interference. INTERCUT - BORAGORA DOCK - NIGHT Sarah is at the crank radio in Corky's shed speaking quietly into the mike. SARAH Thank goodness, I've been calling you for nearly an hour. You've got to come home. You're in danger. (beat) Did you get that? JAKE Danger? What about danger? SARAH Well I can't tell you over the air. Just get back here. JAKE I'm not gonna do that. I have to dive on the Shima Maru tomorrow. Now, chances are one in fifty billion that anybody who can speak English is listening to this frequency right now or can even receive it in this junk. If there's something I need to know, let's hear it. SARAH It's about the kind of special book I use, you know, the magic book that turns one word into another. JAKE (gritting his teeth) Yeah, I think I follow. SARAH Collingswood was bringing me a new one, but I didn't know that. My sailor friend got worried when he realized I still had the old book and he started checking. JAKE (now listening hard) And.... SARAH Shaughnessy was sent to get it from Collingswood for his friend, Uncle Adolf. We think they're IRA agents. JAKE Irish Republican Army? How do they figure in? SARAH The IRA would like nothing better that for Uncle Adolf to get his way with England. They think Adolf will free Northern Ireland. They'd like to give him my book.... A burst of static cuts their reception completely. JAKE Sarah...I've got to tell you something...Come in...Sarah.... Sarah suddenly hears footfalls behind her. SARAH'S POINT OF VIEW - TOWARD HOTEL Louie is ten paces away walking toward her. She puts down the mike and flips all the buttons off. LOUIE You've been out here a long time, ma cherie. SARAH I just don't understand how you can work one of these things...all those watts and volts and things.... This speech has carried her past Louie and back down the dock. Louie crosses to the radio and feels the top of its chassis, instantly burning his hand. He knits his brow, looking at Sarah's retreating form. CUT TO EXTERIOR HOTEL COLONNADE - NIGHT Sarah is strolling along, seemingly innocent. She pauses at Shaughnessy's door and knocks lightly. SARAH Oh, Mr. Shaughnessy. It's Sarah. I just thought I'd check and see...Mr. Shaughnessy? INTERIOR SHAUGHNESSY'S ROOM - NIGHT Sarah pokes her head inside and freezes because Shaughnessy's bed is stripped of sheets, which are heaped on the bed. She leans in...then takes a few steps into the room. REVERSE ANGLE Shaughnessy steps from behind the door and simultaneously kicks it closed while dropping a pillowcase over Sarah's head. He catches the border of the pillowcase opening across her mouth and yanks it tight, flicking an overhand knot in the ends behind her head. In one move he has blinded and gagged Sarah. She squirms, reaching around for a way to loosen the pillowcase. Shaughnessy now snatches her arms behind her and pulls her toward the bed. SHAUGHNESSY Well now, lassie, I hope you don't make a habit of lettin' yourself into strange men's rooms uninvited...Not all of them appreciate it. Easily securing her arms together with one of his meaty hands, Shaughnessy grabs a sheet off the bed with his free hand and twists it in the air until it is a loose rope which he drops around Sarah and yanks tight. We get the idea that when he's done with tying her up, Sarah will be a long time working herself free. Although Sarah squirms and protests, she can only manage a furious squeal around the pillowcase. He begins hauling her toward the closet. SHAUGHNESSY (continuing) Seems me leg has undergone a miraculous healin'. But, it wouldn't do for the news to get out before I've taken a little...walk. So, I'll ask you to keep it to yourself. Shaughnessy forces Sarah to sit in the closet, and drags another sheet off the bed which he begins to knot around her legs. She struggles as the camera goes in on her. EXTERIOR REEF - THE WRECK - DAY There's still a slight drizzle and a general misty condition surrounding the reef. Jake, Corky, Colleen and Jack are preparing for Jake's dive, Jake hyperventilating in preparation. ON JAKE He adjusts his goggles. Close behind him the Shima Maru is groaning and creaking as it shifts and grinds on the reef. COLLEEN She's makin' a terrible racket this mornin', Jake. Are you sure she's safe? JAKE After that pounding last night, she's probably got a better seat than ever. Corky has been studying the water past the wreck. CORKY See over there...kind of a black shadow...Do you see it? JAKE Don't start up with Katarangura, okay...It's just another cloud, right, Jack? Jack barks once, Corky and Jake both stare at him. Finally, Jake takes his spear and his battery torch and climbs onto the wreck. INTERIOR WRECK - DAY - JAKE as he works down the ladder toward the water. EXTERIOR REEF - DAY - ACROSS CORKY TO WATER He's still studying the water, squinting, trying to see. CORKY (to Jack) I don't think that's a shadow either. It's really big, too. COLLEEN Maybe it's part of the reef. CORKY Reefs don't move. ON THE WATER - PERISCOPE - DAY - STOCK slipping along through the waves. INSERT - PERISCOPE MATTE The wreck is centered in the cross hairs. INTERIOR SUBMARINE CONNING TOWER - DAY Lit dimly by the suffuse red glow of running lights. Commander Staeffel is in the foreground at the periscope, lining up a shot. Behind him are dials and gauges and other submariners. Staeffel slaps the handles up and barks his order. STAEFFEL Los! A hand yanks the mechanism to fire a torpedo. EXTERIOR SUBMERGED U-BOAT - DAY - STOCK A torpedo bursts from the bow tube trailing bubbles and emitting a high electric whine. EXTERIOR REEF - DAY - CORKY CORKY (terrified) There it is! Katarangura! INTERIOR WRECK - DAY In the stairwell, Jake hears the high-pitched whir of the torpedo growing louder. Realizing what it is, in horror he turns to climb out when: ON THE TORPEDO It explodes in a huge ball of bubbles and light, a thunderous detonation. ON JAKE The concussion sends him tumbling down the stairs, bouncing off the treacherous, jagged wreckage. The walls tilt around him, moving, and a steady sound of the Shima sliding off the reef replaces the boom of the torpedo. EXTERIOR REEF - DAY - CORKY AND COLLEEN A huge sheet of spray falls across the dinghy. They try to steady it while grabbing the oars and backing away from the destruction. CORKY/COLLEEN Jake! Come up, Jake! But, no sign of Jake while Corky and Colleen watch, horrified, as the Shima Maru slides off the reef and under the waves. FADE OUT _END OF ACT THREE_ _ACT FOUR_ FADE IN EXTERIOR UNDERWATER - DAY - THE WRECK - LONG From above we see that the Shima Maru has come to rest crookedly about sixty feet below the surface in a cloud of silt. Here the water is azure, light filled. But, about a third of the ship protrudes over a sheer drop as black as a bottomless lake in hell. INTERIOR WRECK - DAY - AIR POCKET A sliver of air caught inside a stateroom, lit dimly by a single porthole positioned above. Jake bursts into the air pocket, gulping lungfuls. He has managed to hold onto his torch. Something bumps against him and he backs away in horror as Collingswood's corpse floats up. CLOSE ON JAKE The rapid pressurization as the wreck slid off the reef has given Jake a nosebleed. He wipes his face, then puts the goggles up on his forehead. The pressure has forced them around his eyes, making deep red rings, and has turned his eyes crimson. He shuts them to think. JAKE'S VOICE OVER There were a couple of people sitting on the surface right now who were aching to tell me, 'I told you so.' Nobody wanted to hear it more than me. Even if it wasn't a legendary octopus, I was still who knows how deep with a dead man for company. Lucky thing, too, because this trap only came with air for one. A low, throbbing hum has been growing into the same hammering sound we heard just before the ship was rammed. Jake presses his face to the porthole above. INTERCUT - JAKE'S POINT OF VIEW - THE DEEP through the porthole. A gigantic, murky shadow looms out of the distance. EXTREME CLOSEUP ON JAKE'S FACE through the porthole. His eyes widen under a brow covered with perspiration when he realizes the nature of the approaching "monster." It's shadow falls on him. THE WRECK - WIDE The dark mass resolves into a submerged U-boat passing within feet of the wreck. It's sides are streaked with rust and it's bottom is matted with barnacles and seaweed. JAKE'S POINT OF VIEW - THE SUB dominating the scene as it passes by, close enough to count the rivets. We hear the banging rattle of its screws cutting the water. As quickly as it came, the U-boat retreats into the haze until it disappears. ON JAKE Threat gone, Jake turns his attention to escape. Jake takes a coiled line from a belt he's wearing around his waist (knife, pry bar, etc.). He ties one end to Collingswood's hand. Then, after a few breaths, he points the torch down into the water and dives. INTERIOR UNDERWATER - STATEROOM - DAY - JAKE noses down into the flooded stateroom, bed, chairs, dresser, all heaped on the bottom. He pokes with the beam of his torch until it falls on a small, green metal box with a wire handle. Jake snatches the box and pops back into the air pocket. EXTERIOR REEF - DAY - THE BOAT Corky is rowing over the area where the Shima had been resting. Colleen is weeping openly. COLLEEN He's gone! Oh, sweet Mary! CORKY Don't talk like that. It's Jake down there. He'll find a way up. Jack barks twice for "yes." INTERIOR STATEROOM - DAY - JAKE is filling his lungs, gasping for air. Goggles in place, he pushes off the side of the cabin and dives. INTERIOR UNDERWATER COMPANIONWAY - DAY Trailing the line behind him, Jake shoots along the flooded companionway. INTERIOR UNDERWATER WRECK - JAKE wriggles out of the hole in the hull, pulling the line with him, and darts for the surface. Camera follows his ascent as he trails bubbles, fighting to make the surface on the one breath. EXTERIOR REEF - DAY as he bursts out of the water, nearly unconscious, Corky and Colleen are too distant to reach him. Corky doesn't hesitate. He flops right in the water and splashes his way to Jake, swallowing half the Pacific, but this time he has thought far enough ahead to have put on a life jacket. He grabs Jake around the waist and they struggle toward the atoll--nearer than the dinghy. Corky hauls Jake onto the beach and they both collapse. Colleen jumps out of the boat, which she has rowed to shore, and wipes some of the blood from Jake's face. Jack is about to follow her out of the boat, but he is distracted by something in the palms. COLLEEN Sweet mother.... CORKY And your eyes, Jake. They're real red. SHAUGHNESSY'S VOICE That's what happens when you're in too much of a hurry to get to the top. They react to the voice. Jack ducks out of sight in the boat. THEIR POINT OF VIEW - SHAUGHNESSY He has emerged from cover and is holding a revolver on them. His leg is stiff and it obviously gives him pain. COLLEEN How'd you get here? SHAUGHNESSY Plenty of native transportation for hire. A bit slower than your friend's seaplane, but steady. JAKE (to Colleen) Aren't you glad to see dear old dad back on his feet again? COLLEEN He's not my father. CORKY I don't get it, Jake. JAKE They're agents...Irish Republican Army. Seems like everybody's in some army or another these days. SHAUGHNESSY Stop the palaverin'. You were supposed to bring a little souvenir back from Davy Jones. JAKE (standing) Sorry...no souvenirs. SHAUGHNESSY I wonder what you caught on that line. It trails away from Jake into the water. Shaughnessy gestures with the gun so Jake begins to haul the line in until the green box lifts out of the water, tied to the middle of the line. More line runs down into the water. Jake gives the box to Shaughnessy who hands the gun to Colleen. SHAUGHNESSY Give your tired old father a hand keepin' law and order here. Jake continues hauling in line while Shaughnessy lets Colleen cover the others; busy as he pries the lid off the box only to find it empty. Jake is still pulling in line. Shaughnessy throws the box down and a cruel purposefulness replaces the customary jolly set of his features. Wordlessly, he takes the gun back from Colleen and points it at Jake. SHAUGHNESSY (cocks gun) I'm only going to ask this once. Where's the bloody code? ANGLE TO WATER Collingswood's body floats to the surface with a soft "bloop," face down; the knife in his back is easy to see. Colleen screams when she sees it. Shaughnessy is distracted by her long enough for Jack to charge from his hiding place in the boat. He snaps and hangs onto Shaughnessy's leg while Colleen pounds on Shaughnessy, oblivious to the gun. COLLEEN (furious) You said he drowned! Shaughnessy attempts to evade Colleen, but she's all over him. The gun is waving dangerously. Jake tries to take advantage of the situation, but the gun is too much a threat. Shaughnessy backhands Colleen, sending her sprawling. Jack hangs on. JAKE Stand back, Colleen. But she won't heed the warning. Shaughnessy has again swung the gun on Jake and is an instant away from pulling the trigger when Colleen grabs it. The gun fires, and Colleen is hit point blank in the chest; she spins and flies backward from the impact of the heavy caliber bullet. But, she has the gun in her hand. Shaughnessy and Jake dive for the gun simultaneously. Shaughnessy reaches it first, but Jake takes him down with a flying tackle. Jack stays with Colleen while Jake and Shaughnessy tumble in a vicious life and death battle. Corky can't help because the action is so rapid. They stumble into the water and the gun flies out of Shaughnessy's hand. Jake dives. UNDERWATER - DAY - JAKE He kicks and strokes down after the falling gun, retrieving it out of the sand and shoots up. Shaughnessy meets him a few feet below the surface and grabs for the gun. They wrestle, Shaughnessy having more wind than Jake, who is now fighting for a breath. Shaughnessy keeps Jake below the surface for an agonizing time. Finally, Jake manages to swing the gun on Shaughnessy and fires. There is a burst of bubbles as a bullet streaks toward and mortally wounds Shaughnessy. With a frozen expression of surprise on his face, Shaughnessy sinks toward the depths. EXTERIOR SURFACE - DAY - JAKE rockets out of the water, gasping for air. He grabs the line attached to Collingswood's body and hauls it toward the beach. Staggering onto the sand, Jake takes a small book out of Collingswood's coat pocket. It is wrapped in oil cloth to protect it. ON CORKY kneeling beside Colleen. Jake staggers toward him, eyes on Colleen's inert body, looking stricken. Corky speaks quietly, stunned by the quick events and the sudden silence. CORKY You okay, Jake? Jake nods and kneels, turning Colleen's face toward him. CORKY (continuing) Did you kill him? Jake nods again, smoothing Colleen's hair. Tears are welling up in his bloodshot eyes, emotion twisting the muscles in his face. Jack puts his head on Jake's knee, sharing his grief. CORKY (continuing) I'm real sorry, Jake. Camera pulls back leaving Jake, Corky and Jack to mourn Colleen in private on the lonely beach. DISSOLVE TO EXTERIOR BORAGORA DOCK - DAY - ESTABLISHING The Goose is at the dock and the waterfront is quiet in the heat of the day. Willie and the girls in the war canoe are paddling toward the foot of the dock. The girls are so tired they can hardly lift their paddles. Willie steps stiffly onto the dock, showing signs of the long, wet trip. WILLIE Bless you, my children.... The tiger snake drops down in front of Willie. TODO'S VOICE Do you have a moment? ANGLE TO INCLUDE TODO AND PRINCESS KOJI They are waiting behind the cargo. Todo has a bamboo cane with a hooked end he uses to dangle the snake and urge Willie toward them, out of sight of the girls. WILLIE Yah. PRINCESS KOJI Well, Willie...You will be saddened to know my lovely Shima Maru has slipped beneath the waves. WILLIE So soon...That is bad news. Might I ask how did it happen? I suppose last night's storm.... PRINCESS KOJI No...not the storm. An explosion. One of your German torpedoes, perhaps. WILLIE Or...the munitions you were carrying aboard her for the French? (beat) Should that fact become known by the Japanese, they might take their business elsewhere. That could cost you far more than ten million. PRINCESS KOJI It might at that...Perhaps I will write this loss off to experience. But...not another one, Willie. Just remember, should your German pals have ideas in that direction...you are not master of all you survey. Todo and Princess Koji enjoy a good laugh as Willie winces at the thought; the tiger snake coiling in front of his eyes. CUT TO EXTERIOR THE MONKEY BAR - DAY Jake, Sarah, Corky and Jack are seated in the shade of the porch, lost in their thoughts, drinking beer. Jake is humming "I Can't Get Started With You." Sarah smiles and puts a comforting hand on his arm. SARAH Would you like me to add that one to my repertoire? JAKE I'd rather not hear it for a while, Sarah. Louie rounds the corner in time to hear this. LOUIE You'll be lucky to hear anything from this one...singing, that is. (to Sarah) Where have you been since last night? SARAH I was kind of tied up. Louie snorts and continues past them. SARAH (continuing; to Jake) Could you have been serious about Colleen if she...I mean...Sorry...Skip it. JAKE That's all right. It's an easy answer. She was using me...I was using her. SARAH Are you sure that's all? Jack barks once for "no." Jake glares at him. JAKE Yes, I'm sure. I want to be sure. Okay? SARAH (understanding) Okay. CORKY Hey, Jake...I just got an idea. JAKE Yeah? CORKY Maybe Katarangura was watching us all the time, waiting until we went away before he ate the Shima. JAKE Are you gonna start that again? It's bunk, Corky, it's hokum. Why would you think that some kind of giant thing was watching us, waiting until we went away? CUT TO UNDERWATER - DAY - THE WRECK It is slipping slowly, slowly over the edge into the chasm. Something moves in the inky blackness below. Then, a massive tentacle, mottled grey and black, snakes up and around the bow, urging the ship to move faster. The wreck comes free and falls over the edge. CORKY'S VOICE Well, maybe because he likes his privacy...Could be. ANOTHER ANGLE We can now see Katarangura waiting patiently on a ledge dwarfing the ship which has fallen in front of the monster. It is as big or bigger than any of Corky's exaggerations. FREEZE FRAME FADE OUT _THE END_
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