This document is part of the Ocean Girl Archive — Last update: 2011-10-23 — source — meta
(music)
| Brett: | Everything all right? |
|---|---|
| Neri: | Safe. |
| Brett: | I told you it was okay. How could Malakat and Shersheba know where we hid it? |
| Neri: | Last night, I dreamed the ankh in Shersheba’s hand. |
| Brett: | That wasn’t a dream. That was a nightmare. |
| Neri: | Dreams are important, Brett. Sometimes they are a warning. |
| Brett: | Hey, how about some positive vibes here? Better. |
| Shelby: | Satisfied, commander? |
|---|---|
| Dianne: | I don’t sign out a $1 million piece of equipment to anyone, agent Shelby, without written authorization. If this artifact is really there– |
| Shelby: | We know the pyramid’s down there, commander. I’m sure you’re just as surprised as the rest of us. |
| Dianne: | I presume you’ve piloted a minifin before? |
| Shelby: | I can handle anything you can put in the water. |
| Hauser: | Ahem. |
| Shelby: | However, I don’t want any distractions on this surveillance mission. I’ll need a pilot. |
| Dianne: | Dave, who’s rostered on the minifin today? |
| Dave: | Jason, commander. |
| Jason: | Great. |
| Shelby: | Is this some kind of a joke? I’m not going down there with a kid pressing the buttons. |
| Dianne: | Jason is an ORCA officer and a fully-qualified minifin pilot. I can’t spare anyone else. That’s why we have rosters. |
| Jason: | Permission to speak, commander. |
| Dianne: | Permission denied. You’ll pilot the minifin. That’s an order. |
(music)
| Neri: | Come. |
|---|---|
| Mera: | Must I? I can’t get used to the clean, clear sunlight. No red virus and no death in the oceans. |
| Neri: | But here is not safe. |
| Mera: | I thought you said the whole island was safe. |
| Neri: | Jason says we must be careful now, stay where it is hard to find. |
| Mera: | Well, if Jason says so, it must be right, hmmm? |
| Neri: | Jason cares for us. |
| Mera: | Almost as much as you care for him. |
| Neri: | You make big talk about nothing. |
| Mera: | Okay, okay. |
| Shelby: | Let’s get one thing straight, kid. |
|---|---|
| Jason: | Jason. |
| Shelby: | Just don’t forget who’s running this mission. Let’s do it. |
| Jason: | You’ll be aft in the navigating position, Mr. Shelby. Getting into a minifin can be a little tricky if you haven’t done– |
| Shelby: | Spare me the written instructions and the patronizing, huh? |
| Dave: | Good luck, skipper. |
| Jason: | Try not to move about. The minifin can be hard to steer. |
| Shelby: | State-of-the-art. |
| Jason: | Yeah, that’s exactly what it is. Designed to survive at different levels and to resist pressure that would otherwise crush us like bugs. |
| Shelby: | Yeah, okay, kid. When I want information, I’ll ask for it. Let’s just move it. |
| Jason: | Agent Shelby, there’s only one skipper on any boat. On the minifin, that’s me. So once we’re out there, I give the orders and you do as you’re told. |
| Shelby: | Pardon me? |
| Jason: | Any other pilot would tell you the same, but if you don’t like it, we can call this off right now. |
| Shelby: | Okay, kid. We’ll do it your way. Just do it. |
| Jason: | Don’t touch anything. Buckle up. |
| Shelby: | Okay, set a course for the pyramid on the following co-ordinates. |
| Jason: | They’re already locked in. |
| Shelby: | Or maybe you just know them off by heart? |
| Shersheba: | The younger Bates boy was seen heading for this island in a boat. There is a strong chance we will find the traitors there. |
|---|---|
| Malakat: | Set weapons for stun. Neri and her sister must be taken alive. |
| Shelby: | What are you trying to [?]? |
|---|---|
| Jason: | What is your problem? |
| Shelby: | Your problem is that I brought my own [?] with me. And it tells me that you’ve altered the course. Why? |
| Jason: | I adjusted our course to come in from the far end of the abyss. There’s some large rocks there, gives us a better cover. |
| Shelby: | Cover from what? What do you expect to see down there? Aliens? Because if there [?] swim like fish and get around in funny dresses. They don’t frighten me. And I can tell you from past experience they don’t last long either. |
| Jason: | I’m under orders, not to take any risks with your safety, agent Shelby. |
| Shelby: | And I could have you charged for sabotizing a PRAXIS operation. So lets get this tin can back on course, captain. |
| Jason: | We’re on the edge of the mako abyss. I advise caution. |
|---|---|
| Shelby: | I’m not in the mood for your advice. Take me straight in and straight down. |
| Jason: | Trim to dive. |
| Shelby: | All right. Will you take a look at that. Closer, closer. What is that? |
| Jason: | They’re not sharks. We gotta get out of here. |
| Shelby: | You touch that helm, buddy, and you will be charged. Now, you take me in closer. I want to take a look. Will you look at that. A whole bunch of ’em. No suits, no tanks. Just like that girl. Aliens. |
| Jason: | Yeah, well, maybe you’ve noticed they’ve got weapons on their arms. Let’s get out of here. |
| Shelby: | No way they can outrun this baby. You take me in closer. What’s going on? |
| Jason: | Let’s take a wild guess. Maybe they’re attacking us. |
| Shelby: | Well, fire back! |
| Jason: | The minifin doesn’t carry weapons, Mr. Shelby. |
| Shelby: | What? Okay, okay. Look, just get us out of here. |
| Jason: | It’s too late. Our main propulsion drive’s just died. |
| Shelby: | We’re going down? Can’t you do something about it? |
| Jason: | Trying to pull us out of this dive – flatten our descent. |
| Shelby: | Come on, do something. Pull us up. |
| Jason: | Our only chance is the auxiliary power unit. That’s the only thing that hasn’t been hit I think. |
| Shelby: | You think? Just crank it up. |
| Jason: | It’ll be like trying to start a car with a flat battery. There’s enough juice for two, maybe three tries. If that doesn’t work… |
| Shelby: | Okay, maybe we should wait. Okay, just do it. |
| Jason: | Okay. |
| Shelby: | Try again. |
| Jason: | It’s no good. |
| Shelby: | I said try again! That is an order! |
| Jason: | Shut up and let me think. |
| Shelby: | There’s no time to think! |
| Jason: | There’s no power in the start sequence electronics. |
| Shelby: | Oh, no. |
| Jason: | We need to boot it. That gps monitor you brought with you. Battery operated, right? |
| Shelby: | Yeah. |
| Jason: | Well, give it to me! |
(music)
| Jason: | I’ve jumped it off the battery. We have auxiliary power. |
|---|---|
| Shelby: | Yes. |
| Jason: | Steady as she goes. If nothing else goes wrong, we should be able to make it. Sorry if things got a bit scary back there, agent Shelby. |
(music)
| Neri: | It is good. We are safe here for the moment. |
|---|---|
| Mera: | How is it safe? |
| Neri: | Enemies can only come one way. |
(Beeping) (music) (whale sounds)
| Neri: | Someone is here. |
|---|
| Shersheba: | Check weapons. Yes. We’ll climb to the top. It’s a child’s plaything. |
|---|
(Electronic beeping)
| Shersheba: | Something. Spread out. |
|---|
| Mera: | Neri |
|---|---|
| Neri: | Shhh. |
| Mera: | Whoever they are, we’re going back towards them. |
| Neri: | Yes, we must know. |
| Guy: | Highness. I saw something. |
|---|---|
| Shersheba: | Close in. Go. |
(music)
| Mera: | There’s no way out. |
|---|---|
| Neri: | Be brave. |
(music)
| Shersheba: | Yes. Nowhere left to run. (Screaming) You fools! There’s no one there! |
|---|---|
| Neri: | Now, we climb. |
| Richter: | You are certain these were aliens? |
|---|---|
| Shelby: | No breathing apparatus, sir. Inhuman speed and maneuverability through the water. Just like the girl. |
| Richter: | It’s beginning to sound like she was some kind of advance scout. |
| Shelby: | They’re using that pyramid as a base. Who knows what else they got down there. |
| Hauser: | Sir, while I can’t confirm agent Shelby’s report, I believe it. Decisions have to be made and delay could be fatal. |
| Richter: | Recommendations. |
| Shelby: | We go to red alert, sir. We can’t afford not to. |
| Richter: | A complete mobilization could not be kept secret and PRAXIS could not afford the worldwide panic if news of this leaked out. |
| Shelby: | Containment, sir. The ORCA must be handed over to PRAXIS immediately. That way, if extermination is required, we got a fire base to operate from. |
| Richter: | This may be a compromise we can work with. You will have your orders within two hours. |
| Malakat: | So, you are convinced the girls are not on that island? |
|---|---|
| Shersheba: | The ORCA children go there to play with their simple technology, that’s all. I saw a primitive tracking device. Neri and Mera are not there or I would have found them. |
| Malakat: | All right. One island eliminated from our search. ORCA. |
| Ilona: | Your highness. |
| Shersheba: | Report. |
| Ilona: | The minifin you fired on survived. There was a PRAXIS agent on board. Now PRAXIS have proof we exist. I must warn you. They are speaking of extermination. |
| Malakat: | Keep close surveillance. Inform me immediately of any developments. Is that understood? |
| Ilona: | I have heard, Malakat. Hi, miss Hauser. Are you working for ORCA now? |
| Hauser: | No. But when my duties take me somewhere, I like to know that place back to front. |
| Ilona: | Well, this is one of the storerooms. |
| Hauser: | And it has a sign outside. Authorized personnel only. So what are you doing in here? |
| Ilona: | I’m on maintenance duty. The supervisor gave me a card in case I needed more polish. And I did. |
| Hauser: | Well, don’t let me keep you from your work, Ilona. |
| Ilona: | No, miss Hauser. Nice to see you. |
| Neri: | Here, eat. |
|---|---|
| Mera: | I nearly got us caught. |
| Neri: | They are gone. It is all that matters. |
| Mera: | But will they be back? |
| Neri: | I don’t know. We are safe a little longer. |
| Mera: | And what about Jason’s plan, Neri? To lure the rebels away from the pyramid. Can it still work? |
| Neri: | No. PRAXIS knows of the pyramid now. |
| Mera: | But war between PRAXIS and the rebels could be good for us, couldn’t it? Maybe there’ll be a chance to get inside the pyramid and use the golden ankh. |
| Neri: | Mera, war will destroy. No some but all. |
(music)
(Phone ringing)
| Shelby: | Hauser, where are you? |
|---|---|
| Hauser: | Dive pool. |
| Shelby: | Well, get back to the cabin. We’re wanted on-line. |
| Hauser: | On my way. |
| Dianne: | We’ve got a crisis on our hands. PRAXIS are preparing to take control of ORCA. |
|---|---|
| Jason: | I don’t believe it. |
| Dianne: | No one asked my agreement or my opinion. This came directly from the office of the president of the global union. |
| Brett: | What about dad? |
| Dianne: | If he could have done anything he would have. |
| Brett: | We’re toast. |
| Jason: | Don’t say that. |
| Brett: | This is out of our league now. We can’t fight this. |
| Dianne: | Well, it’s not definite. They’ve just told me to prepare, that’s all. |
| Jason: | Agent Shelby saw Shersheba and her commandos. PRAXIS is going to turn this base into a battle station. |
| Dianne: | We’d be reduced to spectators while they start some kind of holocaust. |
| Jason: | That hasn’t happened yet. |
| Dianne: | Where are you going? |
| Jason: | To stop it. |
| Jason: | Hey, I need to talk to you. |
|---|---|
| Hauser: | I’m rather busy at the moment. |
| Jason: | Not too busy to turn this base into the start of world war three. |
| Hauser: | If you think I’m going to discuss– |
| Jason: | Top secret material? It’s gone past that, hasn’t it. No one’s got time to play those stupid games any more. |
| Hauser: | You may not like us and you may not like the way we operate but there are aliens down there and they are hostile. Or can you guarantee that they’re not. Come on, tell me. What are we supposed to do? Ignore them? Declare it an intergalactic marine park? |
| Jason: | Hold your fire. That’s all I’m saying. |
| Hauser: | And it gives them time to organize? |
| Jason: | Time might give us a peaceful answer to this mess. |
| Hauser: | How? |
| Jason: | I can’t tell you. You just have to trust me. |
| President: | Director Richter has briefed me concerning the details of this situation. Now, I would like your input. |
|---|---|
| Shelby: | Yes, madame president. |
| President: | Describe what you saw, agent Shelby. |
| Shelby: | Amphibious aliens armed with superior weaponry. Their base resembles an underwater pyramid. |
| Richter: | This is the base we know of. There may be others. |
| President: | Do we have an estimate of their numbers? |
| Richter: | They attacked a minifin without warning. Our first concern is capability, not numbers. |
| Shelby: | If they are a small force, even better. If we move fast, we can eliminate them. |
| Hauser: | Madam president. Agent Hauser. The aliens haven’t commenced hostilities. They defended territory outside their base, that’s all. I think we should hold fire until we know more. |
| President: | I see. |
| Hauser: | We could win a war and still be the losers. History will take a long, hard look at who pulled the trigger first. |
| President: | Director Richter, you will prepare for a military assault on the alien base. ORCA will serve as a fire base and general headquarters. But you do not have the go sign. That will be my decision and my decision alone. |
| Neri: | The global union will attack Malakat and Shersheba? |
|---|---|
| Jason: | Using PRAXIS and ORCA. |
| Neri: | Jason, we must stop it. |
| Jason: | I don’t know if anyone can. Helping you and hiding you, that’s one thing. But they know Shersheba’s tried to attack us. |
| Neri: | How will your people fight? |
| Jason: | I don’t know but if they have to, they’ll use powerful weapons against the pyramid. |
| Neri: | In the ocean? |
| Jason: | Yes. |
| Neri: | Jason, we must stop them. |
| Jason: | I told you I– |
| Neri: | But Shersheba and Malakat also have weapons from the ocean planet. Great power. They will fight back. |
| Jason: | It’s a nightmare. |
| Neri: | Malakat and Shersheba will win. |
| Jason: | The president is playing right into their hands. |
| Neri: | And all this will be lost forever. |
(Whale sounds)