This document is part of the Ocean Girl Archive — Last update: 2011-10-23 — source — meta
| Hellegren: | Try another tape. Beam it towards the islands in the east. The animal we're looking for might be lying low there. |
|---|---|
| Hellegren: | The net is strun across the cove from here to here. We lure the whale into the cove, raise the net and turn the power on. Once he's in, he'll never get out. |
| Neri: | Charley! I have to go to him. |
| Jason: | Neri, wait! |
| Neri: | Charley! Charley! |
| Jason: | Can’t we try a bit more power? I mean, Charley could be 100 ks away. |
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| Winston: | This equipment’s too delicate. It’s not constructed for that sort of range. I don’t think it can take too much more. |
| Dianne: | And Neri can’t hear Charley at all? |
| Jason: | No, not since last night. She thinks that being trapped has weakened him. |
| Dianne: | Take it up, Winston. Push it to the limit. |
(Electronic hum)
| Dianne: | Somebody must have used those stolen whale recordings as a lure. And the problem is, they’ve also attracted Lucasʼ interest. He knows all about Neri. |
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(Whale sounds)
| Winston: | Listen. |
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(Whale sounds)
| Dianne: | That’s him! Boost it up, Winston. Maybe we can get a fix on him. |
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| Winston: | That’s blown it. |
| Dianne: | Doesn’t matter. At least we’ll have a general reading. Yep, he’s about 80 kilometres from here. South west. |
| Jason: | Keep going in this direction. You understand? Do you understand? At least it might take you close enough to start picking him up again. Are you sure you don’t want us to come with you? |
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| Neri: | Faster alone. |
| Jason: | Okay, we’ll wait for you here. |
| Brett: | Good luck, Neri! |
(music) (Whale sounds)
| Commander: | Doctor Bates, I have been doing a good deal of thinking about this girl and I have no choice but to report in full to my superiors. |
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| Dianne: | The minute you do, Neri becomes public property. The whole scientific world will be trying to get their hands on her. |
| Commander: | I can’t help that. It’s my duty. |
| Dianne: | Look, just give us a little more time – please. |
| Commander: | Twenty-four hours, Doctor Bates, and then I file my report. |
| Neri: | Here Charley can swim, but here it burns. |
|---|---|
| Jason: | Must be an electric net. This is the building here? I’ll have to think about it. We’ll meet at first light tomorrow. |
| Neri: | Free Charley now! |
| Jason: | I wish we could but we wouldn’t stand a chance with just the three of us. Don’t worry. We’ll think of a plan. One way or another, we’ll get him out of there. |
| Brett: | Maybe we should just go to mum. |
| Jason: | No way. She’s in enough trouble with Lucas as it is. Be better if she knew nothing about this. Besides, she’s only one person. To get Charley past that net is going to take a whole gang. |
| Brett: | We don’t have a gang. |
| Jason: | We get one! |
| Brett: | Yeah! |
| Jason: | With us and Neri, that makes – seven. Anybody else? What do you reckon? |
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| Brett: | Jase, she’s a pea brain. |
| Jason: | We could still do with the extra pair of hands. Come on. Hey, Jodie! |
| Jason: | Well, some of you already know that we brought you here because of Neri. She needs our help. But first, I’m going to tell you a little bit about her. Starting from how we really met. I warn you, you’re going to find this a bit unbelievable, but we swear every word of this is true. |
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| Winston: | There is an old saying. Even a mongoose stops to consider when caught between two tigers. |
|---|---|
| Dianne: | What’s that supposed to mean? |
| Winston: | It means he faces a difficult choice – whichever way he goes. And so, I feel, do you. On one hand, Neri is a scientist’s dream come true. To unravel her secrets would be a professional triumph. On the other hand, she is a simple girl who looks to you as a mother. Now, she can no longer remain both. |
| Jason: | Okay, someone’s got Charley trapped here. Now, we need everybody. One lot to get into the main building to turn the power off – the others standing by here and here to cut the net. If we don’t help Neri free Charley, he’s going to die. |
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| Lee: | So, she really can – talk to this whale? |
| Vanessa: | I knew it! |
| Brett: | Oh, what? |
| Vanessa: | I said that girl was weird the moment she came on board. |
| Jodie: | She said she just wanted to know what was happening. She didn’t say she was going to – spy. |
| Vanessa: | Well, I wouldn’t have to if you guys ever included me in anything. But no, I’ve always been the outsider, haven’t I? |
| Brett: | That’s because you’re such a creep. |
| Lee: | Brett. Maybe you do have a point, Vanessa. But if you really want to change things – here’s your chance. If you rat on us, I swear, no one’s ever going to speak to you again. |
| Jason: | Just keep your mouth shut ’til we clear ORCA. Promise to at least give us a head start. |
| Vanessa: | I don’t have to promise anything. Come on, Jodie. We’re out of here. |
| Jodie: | No. I’m staying. |
| Vanessa: | What? |
| Jodie: | I’ve got friends here. Real friends. And you can call me dumb, but I’m going to help them and Neri. From now on, Vanessa, you’re completely on your own. |
| Zoe: | She’ll go straight away and rat, I’ll bet you. |
| Jason: | Come on, we gotta keep on planning. So, is everybody in? Good. All meet at reception at 0430. But remember – if we get spotted, then we’re finished. And so is Charley. |
| Jason: | Bad news. We’ve struck a hitch. I went to get the starter code for the boat and somebody’s got in ahead of us. |
|---|---|
| Lee: | At this time of the morning? Who? |
| Jason: | I’ll give you one guess. |
| Vanessa: | I’m coming with you. |
| Brett: | No way! |
| Vanessa: | You said you wanted help, didn’t you? Besides, I’ve got the code. So either I go or nobody does. What’s it gonna be? |
| Neri: | Friends? |
|---|---|
| Jason: | Yes, Neri. All friends. You lead, we follow. |
| Damien: | I see it – but I’m still not sure I believe it. |
| Winston: | You’ve brought up the Neri files. |
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| Dianne: | Yep. One push of the delete button and all our research is gone. No matter what Lucas says, to all scientific purposes, Neri never existed. Winston? |
| Winston: | I think you’ve made your decision. Delete. |
(music)
| Brett: | Electrical cable running right to the net. This is it. |
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| Vanessa: | Einstein. |
| Jodie: | Yuck! My hair! |
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| Damien: | Oh, don’t worry about it. We’re through the worst of it now. Aaah! Well, through most of the worst of it anyway. |
(music)
| Jason: | We’re going in. |
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| Brett: | Roger. |
| Vanessa?: | Good luck. |
| Froggy: | Lift it up, Jase. |
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| Hellegren: | We can’t afford to let him get any weaker. It’s time for the brain probe. |
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| UBRI: | Scramble. Operation Jonah to commence in exactly – eight minutes. |
| UBRI: | Yes sir. |
| Zoe: | Hello! |
| Hellegren: | Grab her. Billy, you wait here. Start the operation now. Get the whale. |
(music)
| Zoe: | Gotcha! |
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| Froggy: | We’re here to set the whale loose. If you try to stop us, I’ll have to spread you all over the wall. |
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| Zoe: | Froggy! |
| Billy: | I never meant to harm him. But once the helicopters come in, he’s dead meat. So make it fast. |
| Froggy: | Which one controls the power to the net? |
| Billy: | That one. |
| Damien: | You know, you look kind good like that. |
|---|---|
| Jodie: | So do you. In a Daggy kind of way. |
| Jason: | Now! Cut the cable now! |
(music)
| Neri: | Charley! This way! Dive! Dive deep! (music) |
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| UBRI: | The net’s gone! We’ll never get him back now. |
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(Cheering)
| Commander: | This is the sort of thing I might accept from those Bates boys, not my own daughter. Do you realize what you’ve done? |
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| Lee: | Yes, dad. And I’d do it again if I had to. I’m sorry. I know what duty means to you. But sometimes there are more important things. Like Neri. This is her territory. She belongs here and so does Charley. No one’s got the right to take either of them away and put them in a cage. They have to be set free. Don’t you see that? They’re part of the ocean. And dad, isn’t protecting the ocean why ORCA’s here in the first place? |
| Dianne: | What you both did was stupid and dangerous. But I’m proud of you. Come on. Let’s get out to that island and find her. |
|---|---|
| Winston: | Before we go, I wasn’t going to show you this until certain matters were settled. It’s from the pathologist on the mainland. He’s tested Neri’s blood. It isn’t human. In fact, it contains certain DNA structures never before seen on this planet. |
| Dianne: | Then where does she come from? |
| Winston: | I don’t know. And neither, it seems, does she. |
| Jason: | What difference does it make? She’s still Neri, isn’t she? |
| Dianne: | Jason’s right. So, let’s go bring her home. |
(music)
| Commander: | Doctor Bates. I think I should let you know that I’ve decided against filing the report. So, if anyone asks, I haven’t seen any of your research. Is that understood? |
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| Dianne: | Perfectly, commander. And, Jack – thank you. |
| Dianne: | We don’t care who or what you are, Neri. We just want you back as part of the family forever. |
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| Jason: | Hey, living with us isn’t always easy. |
| Brett: | But you get used to it. |
| Neri: | There are many good things in your world. And I love my family. But I must go. |
| Winston: | Go? Go where? With Charley? |
| Dianne: | On migration? Neri, you can’t! |
| Neri: | I must. That is the way of my world. Good friend, watch for me in the sea. Farewell – mother. |
| Dianne: | I won’t let you go. No way. |
| Winston: | Dianne – let her go. |
(Whale sounds)
| Neri: | He tells me to come. Brett! |
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| Brett: | Hey, Neri. This is the only time I’ve ever seen you cry. |
(music)
| Brett: | She will come back, won’t she, mum? |
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| Dianne: | Yep. I think the clues to what she really is lie somewhere here, Brett, and when she wants to find out the truth, she’ll come back. |
| Neri: | Watch for me! |
(music) (Whale sounds) (music)