This document is part of the Ocean Girl Archive — Last update: 2011-10-23 — source — meta
| Caryle: | Well, that’s the validation. You can now handle any vessel up to laser cat… Congratulations to you all. |
|---|---|
| Jason: | Are you sure the test was hard enough? |
| Caryle: | Some of the jobs are good. Some are dead boring. |
| Jason: | What jobs? |
| Caryle: | You get a boat licence, Jason, you get responsibilities with it. Now, let’s check the file. There we are. There’s one scheduled for this afternoon. Drift net. About 10 kilometres north. It’ll have to be marked so it can be sunk later. |
| Jason: | What’s the big deal? |
| Caryle: | Well, they’re illegal for a start. Should be a visual reference here somewhere. There you go. Snags anything bigger than your hand. The harder they try to get out, the more they get stuck, everything drowns. So – you volunteering? |
| Commander: | Now, I’m not sure about letting juniors handle this one, Carlyle. Surely it’s a senior crew job? |
| Jason: | Doesn’t seem so difficult. I’ll do it. |
| Dianne: | I don’t get this, Jason. When we first got here, you did nothing but complain about how much you hated the place, how bored you were. Now, all of the sudden, you’re taking diving lessons, driving boats – |
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| Jason: | So I’m looking for things to keep myself occupied on this dump. That’s what you wanted, isn’t it? What? |
| Dianne: | All right. You be careful. |
| Jason: | Hey! I know what I’m doing. See ya. |
| Dianne: | Bye-bye. (Whale sounds) |
| Dianne: | Now, what on earth is he doing? |
| Winston: | No idea. (Whale sounds) |
| HELEN: | That product is temporarily unavailable. |
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| Froggy: | Never was available. The dietician’s put a ban on all chocolate until further notice. |
| Zoe: | The dietician’s put a ban on everything worth eating. |
| Froggy: | Wait a minute. There may be a way we can override – |
| Zoe: | That computer knows you and it doesn’t like you one little bit. |
| Froggy: | I’ve got the message. I’ve got another idea. |
| Jason: | Come on, Brett. |
| Brett: | Hey, we’re doing something here. |
| Jason: | Excuse me. He’s busy. |
| Froggy: | Looks like you and me will have to tackle this one by ourselves. Come on. |
| Brett: | Why me? |
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| Jason: | I need someone to pass me the marker buoys. Besides, it gives us a chance to get away from everybody and talk privately. |
| Brett: | About what? |
| Jason: | About her, dummy. (whale sounds) |
| Brett: | Couldn’t we just tell one person? Like Froggy or Zoe or someone? |
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| Jason: | Get real. Even if they did believe you, do you think they’d be able to keep their mouths shut? |
| Brett: | No, I guess it’d be over ORCA in a day. |
| Jason: | Yeah, you can bet on it. And every kid on board would be out searching for her. Probably scare her right off forever. So just keep your mouth shut. |
| Brett: | But we’re still going to look for her. |
| Jason: | Why do you think I got the licence, thick head? I figure this way we can quietly snoop around the place without anybody looking. Maybe you can remember the island if you saw it again. |
| Brett: | Gee, I don’t know. |
| Jason: | Well, not today anyway. We got that stinking net. So, let’s get it over with. |
| Jason: | One more to do for this section. |
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| Brett: | Look. |
| Jason: | Bubbles. Probably just an air pocket or something. |
| Brett: | What if something’s stuck down there? |
| Jason: | Like what? |
| Brett: | I dunno. You could go and take a look. |
| Jason: | I don’t want to be here all day. |
| Brett: | What if it drowns down there? |
| Jason: | All right. But if I bring it up, you’re the one who’s going to play nursemaid to some sharks. |
| Jason: | I saw her! She was down there! She saw the knife and freaked out! |
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| Brett: | Look. |
| Jason: | Are you okay? She does know how to speak english, doesn’t she? We want to be your friends. |
| Neri: | My friends. You hurt. |
| Jason: | It’s not our net. We’re trying to get rid of it. Cut it up. Wait! Putting it down, see? |
| Neri: | You hurt with – thing. |
| Jason: | I think she means the whale tag. No. We wouldn’t do that. We wouldn’t harm him. |
| Neri: | Brett? |
| Jason: | She remembers you! |
| Brett: | He’s telling the truth. No bull. |
| Jason: | So, Neri – I hear you live on an island. How about showing us? I saved your life and this is the thanks I get? |
| Brett: | We’d just look. We wouldn’t hurt anything, Neri. |
| Neri: | I ask Charley. I come back when sun is overhead. |
| Jason: | Tomorrow? |
| Neri: | Here. |
| Zoe: | Shut it! Quick! |
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| Froggy: | Oops! |
| Zoe: | You got it. A saucepan? |
| Froggy: | Food supply section. A tick is go. Triangles can be ordered with commander’s code. Items coded with a cross can’t be ordered at all. |
| Zoe: | Try it. |
| Froggy: | Easy to change the orders. Activate the item – set the quantity required – and designate a time for delivery. |
| Zoe: | You can’t send them to the galley! This thing’ll pick them up the minute they come over the counter. |
| Froggy: | Good point. We’ll send them to one of those storerooms on level kilo. No one will ever check there. |
| Zoe: | Better make it a couple each. Well, we are trying to prove a point, aren’t we? |
| Froggy: | Oh, yeah. |
| Zoe: | Froggy, you’re a genius. I’ve got to go. |
| Jason: | I bet you she’s not going to turn up. |
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| Brett: | Sounded like she was going to to me. Soon as she’s talked it over with Charley. |
| Jason: | Who is this Charley anyway? Her boyfriend or what? |
| Dianne: | Oh, probably a what. Plenty of what’s around these days. I mean, whatever happened to all the how, what, when and whys? I don’t think I’ve met this Charley. Presumably he’s the competition? Mmm. No comment. And the young woman in question? Who’s this? A friend you’ve made? A passing acquaintance? (Gasping) We’re not talking marriage here?! |
| Brett: | Puh-lease! |
| Jason: | Oh, get a grip, mum. |
| Dianne: | Ah, they speak! I hear you both did quite a job on the nets today. So, what’s on the agenda for tomorrow? |
| Brett, Jason: | Nothing. |
| Dianne: | Well, should be quite a day. |
| Brett: | Oh, yuck. |
| Dianne: | ’Night. |
| Brett: | Now what? |
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| Jason: | We wait. |
| Zoe: | Fake card? |
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| Froggy: | A work of art. Watch. |
| Zoe: | Exactly how many did you order? |
| Froggy: | Just six bars. |
| Zoe: | Six bars. You ordered six boxes, dummy. |
| Froggy: | It was an experiment. What are we going to do with them all? |
| Zoe: | We could own up and get in trouble. |
| Froggy: | You’re mad. We’ll hide them. |
| Zoe: | How do you hide anything on ORCA? |
| Vanessa: | Well, well, well. So this is what you’re up to. |
| Froggy: | Get back! |
| Vanessa: | It’s not going to do you any good. You’re not going anywhere. I can stay out here all day if I have to. Or perhaps commander Lucas would be interested in what you’re doing. |
| Froggy: | She wouldn’t. |
| Zoe, Froggy: | She would. |
| Zoe: | There’s only one way to dispose of the evidence. |
| Froggy: | Scientific progress was never meant to be easy. |
| Jason: | I told you she wouldn’t turn up. |
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| Neri: | Charley says yes. Come to island. You follow. |
| Brett: | This is where she looked after me. She sleeps up there in that nest thing. |
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| Jason: | So, there’s you and this Charley. Anybody else? I mean what about your family? |
| Neri: | No talk. Swim now. |
| Jason: | Aaah! (Laughing) (laughing) (still laughing) (frog croaking) (both laughing) |
| Brett: | Jason! Jason! |
| Jason: | How do you do that? You hold your breath forever. What is it? |
| Neri: | Brett. |
| Jason: | He was over there. |
| Neri: | Badlands. |
| Brett: | Help! Help! Jason! Can’t move. |
| Neri: | Hold foot. More! Now! |
| Jason: | What was that all about? |
| Brett: | I was chasing a tree frog. And then I saw that thing. |
| Jason: | What is it? |
| Neri: | Bad. |
| Jason: | You don’t remember anything? A storm or a reef. You got wrecked. Anything? |
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| Neri: | Father leave. |
| Jason: | He left? What, without you? Where did he go? |
| Neri: | Ocean. No breath. |
| Brett: | Oh, you mean like drowned, dead? |
| Jason: | You’ve been by yourself ever since? |
| Neri: | Charley. |
| Jason: | Yeah, well to be honest, I’ve heard a lot about this Charley but he doesn’t seem to be around a lot. |
| Neri: | Charley. Charley friend. |
| Jason: | Sure. |
| Brett: | Does – ah – Charley sleep up there too? |
| Neri: | (Laughing) Charley sleep in tree!? |
| Neri: | Charley… |
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| Jason: | Your best friend is a humpback whale. And he gave you the okay to come here. |
| Brett: | I’ve heard they’re smart. |
| Jason: | Yeah, smart’s one thing but calling up your own whale is something else. Neri, you’ve been alone for a long time now. But you don’t have to be any more. |
| Brett: | No, we can save you. |
| Neri: | Save? |
| Jason: | Take you back to ORCA. Meet our friends. |
| Neri: | More people? |
| Brett: | Hundreds. And there’s all kinds of stuff. There’s movies and videos. |
| Neri: | No. |
| Jason: | No? What do you mean? |
| Neri: | No more. No people. Just Brett and Jason. If you tell, never see Neri again. Promise. |
| Jason: | Okay. |
| Brett: | We promise. |
| Neri: | Say. |
| Jason: | We promise not to tell anyone about you. |
| Brett: | Or about your island. |
| Neri: | No bull? |
| Jason: | She’s picking up the language fast. No bull. (Whale sounds) |
| Zoe: | Until the day I die I swear I’ll never eat another chocolate whoopie bar again. |
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| Commander: | Well, what have we got here then? Unauthorized entry. Possession of a prohibited substance. Computer fraud. And that’s just for starters. You were right in bringing this to my attention, young lady. It’s a pity there’s not more young people like you on board. |
| Froggy: | Sir, I feel sick. |
| Commander: | Never mind. There’s nothing quite like physical exercise to make one feel better, I always say. Follow me. |
| Zoe: | You rat. |
| Vanessa: | I owed you one and I always pay back. So get the message. No one keeps a secret from me for long. |
| Vanessa: | Catch anything? |
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| Jason: | ORCA business. We were marking a drift net out on turtle reef. |
| Vanessa: | That was yesterday. |
| Jason: | So, it was a big job – nosy. (Frog croaking) |
| Vanessa: | Yeah? Well, whereabouts on the reef would you get that? |
| Jason: | Well, you’re so smart, figure it out for yourself. Come on, Brett. |
| Vanessa: | Don’t you worry. I will. |
| Jason: | We’re going to have to watch our step. She’s getting suspicious. |
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| Brett: | Does this mean we can’t even tell mum? |
| Jason: | Especially not mum! If she knew about the girl and the whale – well, you know how she is about her job. And in no time flat, everyone in ORCA would know. Besides – I don’t want to share her. So, as long as we keep Neri our little secret, little bro, we’ve got some great times ahead. (Frog croaking) |