ZOMBIE CRUIZE
by
A K A SMITH
Oct 19th 2017 US copyright case # 1-5922866181
andykasmith58@gmail.com
INT. SWIMMING POOL – DAWN
Dark underwater. Rippled glimpses of a naked man sitting on a smooth blue floor. Pan around to his face, eyes open, he grimaces open mouthed, no bubbles.
MACAVOY
(o.s.)
How long has he been down there?
SATOSHI
(o.s.)
Since yesterday Doctor Mac.
MACAVOY
(o.s.)
Why hasn’t the poor bugger drowned?
SATOSHI
(o.s.)
He already dead.
Track up and out of water. A tall slim white woman (REBECCA DRAKE) walks in through double doors, flicks the underwater light switch. The water surface remains black as ink and moonlight-rippled, the only sounds being the gently purring filter, and her breathing.
SATOSHI
(o.s.)
Yes I took the fuse out.
MACAVOY
(o.s.)
Satoshi you’re a genius.
SATOSHI
(o.s.)
Yes I know that.
The woman sighs, shrugs, disrobes to white bikini bottoms, slinks slowly to the edge of the deep end, dives in with almost no splash and swims an elegant front crawl towards the shallow end.
MACAVOY
(o.s.)
Ah goodbye my dear Mrs Drake, so sorry you couldn’t approve of our project. But, a hundred million dollars says, we can’t have you blowing the whistle now.
EXT. VERANDAH – DAWN
Macavoy (50-ish Scotsman, white-stubbled leathery-skin face and lizard-eyed) and Satoshi (age-less porcelein-skinned face and bizarrely-sculpted black hair) are sitting on a wide verandah and watching a Macbook screen. Behind them is the silhouette of a minaret and, behind the screen, a desert sunrise.
On the screen Rebecca swims to the shallow end, turns and starts the length to the deep end again.
MACAVOY
You know what, I’m almost too squeamish to watch this. You’ll get some brave grunts to drain and clean the pool afterwards will you?
SATOSHI
Of course Doctor Mac
MACAVOY
And Satoshi?
SATOSHI
Yes Doctor?
MACAVOY
Don’t make any more of those…things.
SATOSHI
Things?
MACAVOY
Those mistakes, creatures, whatever you call them.
SATOSHI
Ah, sarcos. Acronym. Synthetically reanimated corpse. Sarco.
On the screen Rebecca has reached the shallow end again.
MACAVOY
(o.s.)
She smashed the two hundred freestyle world record last week. What a waste.
INT. SWIMMING POOL – DAWN
The sarco’s POV looking up at Rebecca swimming.
SATOSHI
(o.s.)
I make you many more record breakers Doctor Mac.
MACAVOY
(o.s)
I know you will.
SATOSHI
(o.s.)
All record breaker, whole team, so you do great deal with Gagarin and then we very very rich. Yes?
Tracking close up of water line, Rebecca swimming, after ten strokes she turns her head, she’s not wearing goggles and keeps her eyes closed as she draws a small breath.
MACAVOY
(o.s.)
She was so beautiful too, I’ll bloody miss her.
From the water line Rebecca’s stroke is elegant, effortless, and very fast. She turns her head to breath only every ten strokes.
Underwater, the sarco jumps upwards towards the female silhouette on the surface above.
Tracking close to Rebecca swimming, after ten strokes she turns her head again and gasps in shock.
Under reddening water the sarco’s left hand grasps Rebecca’s calf while its other hand swipes her thigh, opening a long cut that ejects a cloud of blood. The sarco’s arms flail, his jagged nails lacerating his own grey upturned face, his mouth full of long jagged teeth.
EXT. VERANDAH – DAWN
Macavoy and Satoshi lurch back suddenly from the screen at the same time as the call to prayer starts from the minaret in the background.
INT. SWIMMING POOL – DAWN
Rebecca disappears beneath the churning surface.
MACAVOY
(o.s.)
Ohhh, oh, too much just before breakfast.
Despite putting up a struggle Rebecca is overwhelmed by the savage attack, suffering a series of gashes and bites that turn all the water around red. Her head breaks surface.
REBECCA
(screaming)
Fuck you Mac…
Underwater, the sarco claws a deep gash in Rebecca’s belly.
Rebecca’s head disappears beneath the surface drowning out her words in a gurgle.
Underwater. Entrails obscure the sarco’s face.
EXT. VERANDAH – DAWN
Macavoy slams the Macbook screen shut; Satoshi stands up, turns stiffly and walks away, his hands straight down at his sides, Macavoy takes a cigar out of his top pocket with one hand while tapping on “Gagarin” on his smartphone. He turns to look at the minaret, frowning as the call to prayer sounds again.
INT. SWIMMING POOL – DAWN
The pool has turned into a dark red stew.
MACAVOY
(o.s)
Mr Gagarin!…Oh aye. Problem solved, all’s good. We’ll be shipping by Spring.
FADE TO:
INT. HUGE WALK-THROUGH CLOSET – DAY
Vid of ROZO (22) internet celeb vlogger on karma, clothes, clubbing.
ROZO
Ok so like wow, I so excited right now you guys, I wish I could take all my followers with me. Sunshine, starry skies and sex on the beach, for three weeks, look!
(MORE)
ROZO (CONT’D)
So remember yesterday we were taking about my bad news, my diagnosis and I was really like so cut up about that, and I said I was going to you know, practice what we preach here, try and just step aside and smile at it? Some people say it’s crazy, and I suppose it is but that’s why when you actually do it you make yourself laugh, and also you’re actually sending positive energies from your face to your brain, and it’s true you’re like asking the universe to take you into a more positive dimension, we talked about that, and actually last night I did that, and so here’s the thing…
She shows two tickets to the camera.
ROZO
Insane! Thank you SO MUCH Royal Caribbean, all I gotta do is have a great time for all my fans to see! Insane or what? I mean I’m still…you know…
Her smile vanishes, she sighs, a slight frown passes across her face, and she shrugs.
ROZO
…the diagnosis is still bad, but we don’t have to let it take away being alive, enjoying life, and spreading, you know, joy, positive energy…anyway! Thing is, like, look behind me, now you gotta help me choose what to take…
FADE TO:
INT. BOWLING ALLEYS – DAY
A bowling ball rolls down the gutter.
KERRY-JO
(screaming)
He-e-e-ll yeah, I mean hell fucking yeah!
Kerry-Jo (late 20s, blonde) waddles, obviously very pregnant, over to her husband LUTHER (mid-30s, fat biker Lemmy lookalike) who is waving a lottery ticket over his head and grinning, mouth open wide, hot-dog sauce on chin.
LUTHER
Come here Fun-bags, your man Luther has just made the Hershit family multi-fuckin-millionaires!
RUBEN (11)
(his hands on his head in despair)
Mom! Pa! Like, tell the whole world!?
HOLLY (9)
Can I have a Harley Davison!
RUBEN
What? What’s a bimbo like you gonna do with that, Holly?
LUTHER
Ain’t n’more night shifts for me, Kerry-Jo, no ma’am.
KERRY-JO
Oh Hot dog you can do night shifts with me from now on!
HOLLY
I wanna get a Harley Mom!
LUTHER
An’ I ain’t gonna fix that roof neither.
RUBEN
Guys, everyone is looking at us.
KERRY-JO
Ruben who cares? All our problems are over!
RUBEN
What problems?
HOLLY
Give me a Harley!
KERRY-JO
Pretty lil eight year old girls don’t have motorbikes honey.
LUTHER
We are gettin’ a beach house babe, a real beach house, Malibu, and a Mercedes Benz drop-top, and throw parties, get stars over, we are gonna start living the American dream.
HOLLY
I’m nine Mom!
RUBEN
My life is actually over now.
KERRY-JO
Can we book that big-ass vacation of life-time? Like Vegas?
HOLLY
(screaming)
I. Want. A. Harley. Davison!
Five bowlers each side are silently facing the Hershit family. Luther makes as if to slap Holly’s face, then looks around, shrugs and laughs.
FADE TO:
INT. – QADIRA’S APARTMENT – DAY
Looking up at the oval face of a 40-ish woman through the hole in a massage bed.
QADIRA
(groaning)
Ah yes, that’s it…but harder. Please.
A cellphone rings, she props herself up on one arm and the masseur hands her the phone, which she places in front of her.
QADIRA (to herself)
Mo Drake? what’s he bothering me for?
She taps the green button.
QADIRA
What now Mo?
DRAKE
(o.s.)
Qadira. You sitting down?
QADIRA
Not exactly, no.
EXT. IOC HQ – DAY
DRAKE (Steve Carell lookalike) with bluetooth in his ear is running up broad stone steps to a set of glass doors, over which is “INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE”.
DRAKE
We’ve got him, it’s Macavoy like I told you, he’s making a pickup in two weeks, I’ve got a location. Kind of.
Drake breathlessly barges past a security officer, flashing his “IOC Investigation” badge.
DRAKE
And as I said, it’s a nano-tech drug, it’s for a swimming team, we’re just not sure who yet…HELLO?
QADIRA
(o.s.)
Where are you?
INT. QADIRA’S APARTMENT – DAY
INT. – DAY – QADIRA’S APARTMENT
DRAKE
(o.s)
On my way up.
QADIRA
I’m…
The masseur runs his hands up the sides of her ribcage.
QADIRA
oh…in a meeting.
DRAKE
(o.s.)
You can tell whoever he is to get dressed and go, this is the moment. You got to see the file and then book me on a cruise.
INT. GLASS-WALLED ELEVATOR – DAY
Drake continues to brief his boss Qadira.
DRAKE
That geeky lab techie in Cambridge the cops shot dead last month who killed his landlady?
INT – GLOOMY BEDSIT – NIGHT
As a swat team bursts in a bloody face turns up into the flashlight beam, flesh dangling from his teeth, and growls. As tazers slam into him he bends back down to his meal, a featureless face of meat.
DRAKE
(o.s)
Made the Incredible Hulk look chilled? Seems he worked for that uber-genius Satoshi. FBI thought it he’d taken bath salts. Yeah right. Same as the Boston Beast, who ran amok through the local mall, well guess who he wrote love letters to.
INT. SHOPPING MALL – DAY
A mouth-frothing black-clad priest rips his clothing off as he runs, then grabs a shopper’s arm in both hands and twists it out of its shoulder socket.
INT. GLASS-WALLED ELEVATOR – DAY
DRAKE
Yeah, Satoshi. Right, who knows what happens in the confession booth. Satoshi who suddenly left Google’s blue-sky elite and vanished – seems Macavoy head-hunted him him. And now they’ve designed themselves a high-tech drug that’s gonna make even hungry sharks seem like dopey snails.
FADE TO:
INT. QADIRA’S APARTMENT – DAY
Qadira is now sitting with her feet on the masseur’s lap, leafing through Drake’s file. Drake is out on the balcony drawing deeply on a rollup.
QADIRA
(whispering)
This is damn good.
Drake drops the butt and stands on it, then steps slowly into the room. The masseur looks up and then leaves the room.
DRAKE
So, the Eden of the Seas sets off in one week. X number of days out they’re going to, like, rescue, Gagarin’s yacht. That’s gotta be the pickup. Rebecca’s 110% convinced.
QADIRA
What? You’ve spoken to Rebecca?
DRAKE
Of course not, I’m not an idiot. She sneaked an encrypted USB onto Shafik’s camel train. That was three weeks ago. We don’t have much time left to stop this. And Qadira, we do have to stop it.
QADIRA
(smiling wryly)
So then you can get your wife back.
Drake sighs and looks away, nods.
DRAKE
Ex-wife, but…yeah. Rebecca and I…
QADIRA
Nothing to do with me Drake. We need to see who the buyer is. I’ll get the port gang ready, you get yourself packed, the Eden is getting three extra passengers.
DRAKE
Three?
QADIRA
Osbourne and Kahn will be backing you up.
DRAKE
(pause)
Oh, great.
QADIRA
They’re the best.
DRAKE
So they tell me.
‘FADE TO:
INT. A CORPORATE LOUNGE – DAY
Fake palms and water features all around, the Hershit family and a sharp-suited couple reclining in sofas. A sharp-suited fake-tanned SALESMAN beams at each of the Hershits.
LUTHER
I think you’re not understanding me boy, I mean one luxury suite, each?
KERRY-JO
(breastfeeding baby Ibson)
And we want the ship with the space capsule thing.
SALESMAN
The Albatross?
He points to the 3D image on the huge screen. From just behind the ship’s bridge, a 150 ft long, jointed tubular steel arm, bright white against the rich blue sky, rises to a small glass pod containing six euphoric looking tourists. It moves slowly high above the top deck and then out over the 15-storey side of the ship – a sun-soaked white cliff-face of balconies.
RUBEN
That’s sick, man!
SALESMAN
Both ships have it Mrs Hershit.
LUTHER
Well which one will be cheaper?
SALESMAN
(pointing at the large flat-screen)
This one.
KERRY-JO
(without looking at it)
We’ll have the other one then.
The salesman taps the screen a couple of times, and The Eden of the Seas appears as a photo-realistic CGI fly-through. Holly’s eyes widen as the POV begins to soar around the gigantic 13-storey craft, at least as long as the Empire State building is high.
HOLLY
Mega-normous!
RUBEN
You talkin’ ’bout your butt again?
HOLLY
Talkin’ about your turds…
LUTHER
Holly, cut it out sugar.
FADE TO:
INT. THE EDEN’S ENGINE-ROOM – DAY
AMMY, 6’6, glistening shaved head and scarred chin, slips his uniform jacket off as he strides along. His vest is already sweaty, a huge ornate letter R on one bicep and B on the other. He rips the radio from his belt.
AMMY
Hey Popeye didn’t I tell you get the air down to 75 in here?
He shoves his jacket into the arms of a passing pretty ponytailed female technician, uniformed with her name WOOLASON on her top pocket.
AMMY
Take that to my bunk will you.
WOOLASON
Sir!
Ammy’s cellphone is ringing (“What shall we do with the drunken sailor”) so he pulls it from his pocket, at the same time looking back at Woolason walking away.
AMMY
(walking backwards)
Yeah, and Woolason…
WOOLASON
(spinning round and half smiling)
Sir?
Ammy glances at the caller’s name (ROZO) and stops still.
AMMY
Never mind.
WOOLASON
Sir.
EXT. BACK SEAT OF OPEN-TOP JAG – DAY
Smartphone video looking down on ROZO (22), pouting in the back of a drop-top on a freeway. She adjusts her tight top down, grins and pouts. Suddenly Ammy’s face appears on the corner of her screen.
ROZO
Oh, hey you! You better have your boat ready Mr Chief Engineer Ammundson, we are ten minutes from port and closing fast!
She squeals as the car zips around a bend.
AMMY
(o.s.)
Yeah very nice Rozo, but I’ve told you before, I don’t need to see all that, come on!
ROZO
(involuntarily caressing herself)
You gay?
INT. SHIP’S CORRIDOR – DAY
Ammy spins a door wheel with one hand, eyes wide in alarm.
AMMY
(angrily)
What the..? No I’m not gay, I’m your Dad, remember?
He opens the door and steps through, a grunt salutes him.
EXT. BACK SEAT OF OPEN-TOP JAG – DAY
ROZO
Soz Ammy…Dad.
AMMY
(o.s.)
Get back to the real world girl. Have you got Bud with you, how is my little man?
ROZO
(after pouting mock-glumly)
He’s here, say hiya Buddy!
BUDDY (12) sitting next to her waves at the phone, says nothing.
ROZO
Oh, well, it’s been a long time.
AMMY
(o.s.)
I know, I know. Too long. If it was up to me…
ROZO
Dad, it’s OK.
AMMY
(o.s.)
No, it’s not. Anyhow, I can’t wait to see you guys.
ROZO
And the Double Zee?
She points her phone at the driver, diamond studded sunglasses and short dreadlocks, caresses the skull-tattoo on his neck.
INT. SHIP’S CORRIDOR – DAY
Ammy approaches a door marked with the nuclear hazard symbol on it.
AMMY
Yeah, even that charming thug.
DUBLZ
(o.s. faintly)
Hey did that muv-fukka just…?
EXT. BACK SEAT OF OPEN-TOP JAG – DAY
ROZO
I’ll call you when we get aboard OK? And Ammy?
She turns away from Bud.
ROZO
I mean Dad, you sure it’s like, safe, it’s been all on the news, being nucular and shit.
INT. NUCLEAR LOBBY – DAY
Ammy is stepping into a nuclear hazmat suit, and pauses
AMMY
You’re talking about the nuclear power-plant? Get a grip Rozo, it’s not a bomb. Nothing bad can happen.
ROZO
(o.s.)
Nothing?
Ammy looks through a screen across an array of eight humvee-size grey boxes humming gently.
AMMY
(smirking slightly)
Nothing much – as long as the actual diesel engines don’t blow of course.
EXT. BACK SEAT OF OPEN-TOP JAG – DAY
Rozo falls to the left as the car takes a bend.
ROZO
Oh my God can can that happen?
AMMY
(o.s.)
yeah from time to time, sure, and then we’ll all be barbecued.
DUBLZ
He’s fucking with you baby…hey Ammy muv-fukka…
INT. SHIP’S NUCLEAR BAY LOBBY – DAY
Ammy has slipped both arms into the suit and grabs the head-gear
AMMY
Later, kids.
He flings the cellphone into a locker, slams it shut and saunters through the door into the nuclear bay itself.
INT. GAGARIN’S YACHT HELIPAD – DAY
A draft blows the immaculate MARELIA’S sarong off and away into the sea, she hugs herself, watches a chopper descend. When the side door opens the word “GAGARIN” becomes “GAGA”. A hefty bald man in black suit and white open-neck high-collared shirt steps out and puts colourful sunglasses on. He stands open-armed and grins broadly at the woman, starts to swagger over to her.
MARELIA
(to herself)
OK Marelia, time to earn that inheritance.
Three armed men pull a metal trunk out of the chopper and carry it into the yacht’s hold while Gagarin and Marelia kiss deeply and then walk to the rail to look out to sea arm in arm.
FADE TO:
EXT. EDEN, MACAVOY’S STATEROOM – DAY
Macavoy puts on a wide-brimmed hat and steps out onto his balcony, takes in the whole blue/green panorama, speaks into his satellite phone.
MACAVOY
OK we’re all set Mr Gagarin, everyone’s in place, the captain has been…acquired, the customer is aboard and they’ve already issued me with death-threats, so I’m really hoping you…
GAGARIN
(o.s.)
Do not worry, everything is good here, just you make sure your boys come to my rescue yes?
MACAVOY
No worries, but listen, you must keep those cases refrigerated, monitored 24/7 – there’s absolutely no margin for error, cos…
A faint clickety noise makes Macavoy suddenly turn around, and there in the deep shadow at the end of his stateroom is the indistinct crouching figure of a MAMBO, a female voodoo priest.
GAGARIN
(o.s.)
Relax! As brutal murderer you are very nervous, Mr Macavoy, next week you and Mr Satoshi will be millionaires for sure…
The strangely dressed mambo slowly raises her head.
MACAVOY
(staring intently)
…cos if for any reason the display turns red for even a second the product is not just useless, it’s fuckin’ lethal.
GAGARIN
(o.s.)
Who cares, we will be rich…
The priest begins to smile broadly and rise to her feet. Sweating, Macavoy tries to blink the vision away,
MACAVOY
(breathlessly)
No I mean totally lethal, as in, everyone will die. Not just them. Us…fuckin’ everyone.
EXT. ON BOARD GAGARIN’S YACHT – DAY
Gagarin is being straddled by a bikini-clad albino girl, while Marelia leans over him from behind and massages his temples.
GAGARIN
You are having panic attack again Mr Macavoy, and disturbing my state of transcendent bliss, just do your job and everything will be fine.
MACAVOY
(o.s.)
Go away! Please, leave me alone!
GAGARIN
(frowning)
OK OK, I go! Hehe, see you later Mr Macavoy!
Gagarin drops his phone and growls with pleasure.
EXT. MACAVOY’S STATEROOM – DAY
Close up of Macavoy’s face his eyes tight shut.
MACAVOY
(whispering)
Your curses mean nothing, I paid you, I paid you, go and bother Satoshi, leave…me…alone.
He opens his eyes…sees the dark shadow is empty…turns around and the mambo is right close in front of him on the balcony, grinning wide-eyed and hissing. Macavoy stumbles back into the room and falls over. He gets up, leaves his stateroom and hurries along the corridor towards the exit to the sun deck, the movement of the ship and his own panic making him swerve from side to side. Other passenger watch him with concern, but completely oblivious to the screeching mambo dancing after him.
FADE TO:
INT/EXT. THE ALBATROSS CAPSULE – DAY
The Hershit family are in the Albatross glass pod a hundred feet above the ship, along with seven other passengers. Ruben with his baseball cap reversed and Holly with her hair in pink-bowed pigtails.
RUBEN
I’m gonna puke.
HOLLY
You little wiener, I’m not scared.
Ruben gives his sister a shove and pretends to puke over her.
LUTHER
Cut it out you two, check out that surfing down there, we gotta give that a go!
Kerry-Jo is sitting with baby Ibson at her breast. Th Albatross gently descends into the 10-storey canyon between the aft staterooms, which opens out onto the spectacular water-world leisure and entertainment deck.
KERRY-JO
You ain’t no surfer, honey, you’ll be flip-floppping on yer butt like an ostrich on ice.
LUTHER
Yeah well you don’t go sliding down those flumes funbags, you’ll get stuck and block ’em like one of your turds in a U-bend.
KERRY-JO
I’ve no intention, I’m headed for the casinos and cabarets, dining and wining, gonna have myself such a good time cos like, I deserve it looking after you rednecks all these years.
The Albatross slowly extends it’s articulated arm beyond the edge of the ship, so they can see it cutting through the swells and waves and see other passengers waving at them.
RUBEN
Look we’re super-stars.
He retches. The pod swoops down nearer the water, and they watch shark-cages being lowered, the sides of the ship looming above them. Noisy flocks of gulls look for fish churned up in the wake and one poops on the glass roof with a loud splat.
RUBEN
Ah, shit.
As the pod begins a rapid rise back up high Ruben is overcome with motion sickness and vomits onto the floor and Holly’s crazily coloured trainers.
EXT. UPPER DECK – DAY
Drake is watching the Albatross rising over the ship and descending the other side, when he catches sight of Macavoy stumbling towards the bar terrace.
DRAKE
(to himself)
If I’m gonna feel drunk I might as well get drunk.
He follows Macavoy but almost straight away gets a text from Qadira: Pls call me when ur sitting dn
DRAKE
(to himself)
What the fuck? Ice-queen never says please.
Drake goes to the bar, stands next to Macavoy, quickly looks him up and down.
DRAKE
(to bartender)
Big cold mai tai, sweetheart.
The girl frowns. Drake watches Macavoy being served his Scotch and watches him take it outside to sit under a shade. While waiting, Drake listens to a couple (Rozo and DublZ, with Bud) arguing at a table behind him.
DUBLZ
…Yeah yeah, just part of your body so you say, I get that, but it was my baby too y’know…and now see what you done.
ROZO
(voice cracking)
You got no right saying that to me! You think I don’t have feelings? What do I have to look forward to?
DUBLZ
And we seriously can’t be dragging Bud around with us…
Drake takes his drink and sits outside a few tables away from Macavoy. A disco version of 16 tons sounds from his jacket pocket. He takes out a smartphone and holds it to his ear.
DRAKE
(quietly)
Yep?
Out of sight a child screams, a constant part of the background noise, along with subsequent hysterical laughter. Drake’s expression hardens suddenly.
DRAKE
Explain.
INT. BOARDROOM – DAY
A conference call speaker sits on the middle of the mahogany table, which is surrounded by six suited men and women, including Qadira.
QADIRA
Look I’m sorry about this Mo, I really am, but it’s not just my decision.
DRAKE
(hoarsely on the speaker)
So why? It’s all good! I’m literally a few yards away from the target.
QADIRA
I’ll tell you why, Mo. It’s because of some bad news I have to tell you now, and then it’s going to get way too emotional for you, and seriously, we can’t afford to cock this up. We want these people locked up not beaten up.
DRAKE
(o.s.)
Cut the machiavellian shit, what the hell are you talking about?
QADIRA
Mo, I’m so sorry. It’s Rebecca. She’s…disappeared. I’m sorry Mo.
DRAKE
(o.s after two seconds)
Of course she’s disappeared…she’s in deep cover.
QADIRA
No, I mean she’s been disappeared. I have to take you off the case. We’re going to search for her, of course. Try to relax and we’ll keep you informed.
Qadira looks around at the others and grimaces.
QADIRA
Oz and Khan can handle it, from here-on in…Mo?
DRAKE
(o.s)
No way, don’t let those glory boys at it, this is mine!
QADIRA
I gotta take it off you, Mo, you know I do, just step aside, then I won’t need to…you know.
DRAKE
(o.s.)
Fuck that. You fucking find my wife, Macavoy and Gagarin are going to hell and I’m taking them there personally if I have to.
EXT. EDEN BAR TERRACE – DAY
A pair of kids chasing each other crash into Drakes chair and run away.
DRAKE
Hey you damn little shits why can’t your parents put you on a leash?
QADIRA
(o.s.)
Mo? Mo, you need to back right off.
DRAKE
Whatever! Just find her! Find her!
Drake flings his glass into the sea, gets up and walks along the deck towards the elevators. On the way he has to push past several dithering slightly tottery passengers.
DRAKE
(muttering)
Fucking zombies.
INT. BOARDROOM – DAY
Pull back to see the whole board, all looking down at the table.
CHAIRMAN
(sounding sarcastic)
So it’s all under control Qadira? What’s he going to do?
QADIRA
Hard to say. Kill them all I expect.
FADE TO:
EXT. DRAKE’S STATEROOM – DAY
Drake sits by a table looking out to sea at a thin bank of storm clouds on the horizon, and watches the sea swell and fall. His glass slowly slides across the table.
DRAKE
(o.s.)
Yeah OZ it’s me – you know they got Becca – I’ll be shadowing you two boys and if you compromise that consignment – no you fucking listen – there’ll 5000 dead and dying on this tub and I’ll make sure it’s you two who pay.
His glass slides back.
FADE TO:
INT. EDEN MEDICAL CENTRE – DAY
Lycra-clad 40-yr-old DONNA’S right foot is being manipulated by Dr. HAYLEY JONES (35, blonde woman, white-coated )
DONNA
(screaming in delight)
No! Wow! So where’s the rock?
HAYLEY
We can’t wear jewellery at work. I’ll try and get backstage later. That doesn’t hurt?
DONNA
Not even a bit, it’s amazing. I can’t wait to get back up there on the wire.
HAYLEY
Seems you’ve healed really well, but I’m not sure you should risk it yet, walk on it a bit more, the show will go on…
DONNA
No I’ll be fine. I’ve got time to rehearse. Hey why don’t y’all join our first night piss-up after, you and Ammy, your new step-kids and my boy? Yeah?
HAYLEY
Your boy? The great DublZ won’t like you calling him that!
DONNA
He’s not as great as he thinks! But I am so excited to see him again.
HAYLEY
Ammy says his daughter worships him.
DONNA
Not as much as she worships herself.
HAYLEY
(laughing)
Careful, I’ve got to make that girl like me, or she’ll be dissing me all over her Youtube channel.
DONNA
Sorry. And don’t worry you’ll make a great stepmum!
HAYLEY
(squeezing the foot affectionately)
Am I wicked enough?
Donna smiles at Hayley and leans forward.
DONNA
Relax Hayley, she’s going to love you.
HAYLEY
(leaning forward)
Fact is Donna, it’s Ammy who really needs to sorta woo her, and him and DublZ sparring isn’t going to help.
DONNA
Glad you said that, you and me got to stay solid, right?
HAYLEY
(glancing around)
Always Donna, always.
They kiss on the lips and laugh.
HAYLEY
You forget about all that, get out on those high wires and knock’em dead, we’ll all get together after the show and have a laugh. Bud too, ten not too young to drink is it?
DONNA
Never was when I was kid!
HAYLEY
(pulling her phone out of her jacket pocket)
Never know, might knock him out of his shell, poor kid.
INT. ENGINE-ROOM CORRIDOR – DAY
Ammy marching along the corridor, in full officer uniform, speaking into his radio. His phone is playing Drunken Sailor again.
AMMY
Just keep it all ticking over will you, I got a family to greet aboard. And don’t bother the BMOS ok? My guess is it’s just a software error, anyway, I gotta take another call.
He checks his smartphone screen and puts it to his ear.
AMMY
Hey sugar, you still in sick bay?
HAYLEY
(o.s.)
For another hour or so yeah, I got Dub’s Mom here, and we were thinking…
AMMY
How is our daredevil acrobat?
HAYLEY
(o.s.)
Yeah I’m checking her out before she’s let loose in the circus.
AMMY
Well going by my daughter’s boyfriend, her kind of reckless runs in the family.
Ammy enters the lift lobby.
HAYLEY
(o.s.)
Sure, why else would he hook up with daughter of yours?
AMMY
Roger that, wish me well I’m on my way to see them now, they’ve boarded.
INT. MEDICAL CENTRE – DAY
HAYLEY
I’m looking forward to meeting them too, so, Donna’s invited us all to the after show party.
AMMY
(o.s.)
Yeah you know how I love a party.
HAYLEY
Aw it’ll be cool…
AMMY
(o.s)
How about I just hang out with Bud, I can’t drink and neither can he, he’s only ten.
HAYLEY
He’s eleven Ammy, even I know that.
AMMY
(o.s.)
Nine, ten, eleven, who cares, I haven’t seen my boy in years, I’m not gonna waste the time getting drunk with him.
HAYLEY
Let him come, he’ll have a blast meeting the performers.
INT. PIRATE BAR – DAY
AMMY
Sugar I’ll think about it, right now I’m just trying to deal with keeping the world’s biggest ship working and facing down Donna’s gangsta fuck-buddy.
Ammy has to push past a woman (Kerry-Jo) berating her husband (LUTHER)
LUTHER
Hell woman, I can’t help being friendly! It’s just natural.
KERRY-JO
Don’t you bullshit me, you were flirtin…
…then enters a bar area and looks around. The crowd is milling and aimless.
INT. PIRATE BAR – DAY
On an ipad screen an advancing horde of zombies is being mown down by an absurdly large gun firing pulses of light that turn the zombies into fountains of gore.
ROZO
(o.s)
Shit, I see Ammy.
BUD
(looking up from his ipad game)
Dad?
ROZO
Yeah, that’s the one.
PA SYSTEM
(in background)
…but in the incredibly unlikely event of any kind of emergency situation…
DUBLZ
Here comes Scotty, beam me up motherfucker.
Rozo punches him playfully, Bud rolls his eyes. Ammy picks his way through the throng of disorientated passengers, avoiding making eye contact. Bud keeps track of him as he gets nearer, his mouth trying not to smile.
DUBLZ
Let’s be in an’ out with this family reunion gig, let your Pa get back to fixing the hyperspace drive, I need to book a romp with m’Rozo before the floating Vegas opens, yeah?
DublZ takes a swig of beer, Rozo puts her black Russian down and waves at Ammy.
INT. PIRATE BAR ENTRANCE – DAY
Ammy stands in the lobby and looks around searching for his family. He catches sight of them and grins widely.
AMMY
Rosanna Zoe!
He walks up to her with arms open wide.
ROZO
Theo Amundsen!
They hug for two seconds. Then Ammy turns to DublZ and offers a high hand. DublZ ignores it.
DUBLZ
Some awesome ship you got here bro, for sure.
AMMY
(smiling broadly)
Welcome aboard…does this say B R O?
Ammy points to his leather wristband, with the letters CHENG
DUBLZ
Nope, says S F I L …scary father in law.
AMMY
(laughs)
Says chief engineer, but you can call me Ammy.
Ammy crouches down to be face-level with Bud, grabs his shoulders.
AMMY
Son you’re looking almost as handsome as your pa, dammit. You’ll have your pick of all the dolls.
Bud almsot smiles.
AMMY
Hey I’m gonna show you some bits of awesomeness on my ship that nobody else will ever clap eyes on.
BUD
Can we see the power plant?
AMMY
Only me and a few other nuckle-draggers allowed in there, but I’ll see if I can swing it for you.
Bud is wide-eyed and tongue-tied. It’s DublZ’s turn to roll his eyes. Bud suddenly hugs Ammy. Ammy looks up at the other two.
ROZO
It’s great to see you Dad.
AMMY
Guys how about we all hit the Mermaid’s Diner later and grab some awesome chow, on me. Glass floor, nothing else like it.
DUBLZ
You’re jerking my chain again Ammy.
AMMY
Solid glass floor, if we’re lucky we’ll see some curious fish.
BUD
Sharks?
INT. MERMAID’S DINER – NIGHT
Bud, his Dad Ammy, his future step-mum Hayley, his sister Rozo, her bf DublZ and his ma Donna are sitting in Mermaid’s Diner, looking down through the glass floor at fishes swimming amongst the top of a seaweed forest.
DUBLZ
Is that the sea, no, ain’t yet seen no mermaid, the DublZ been looking out for fishes that look like girls, that’s what my wish is, without no doubt, if she ain’t too vicious, oh no, better be delicious, like my Rozo, ho ho, with her GoPro, so show below this floor, before we go home, just one pretty mermaid oh, like we paid for, don’t be afraid, of the sea bed, yeah that’s what I said, with my main man Ammy here and my mammy’s here and my true blood Bud, we all good, huh?
FADE TO:
INT. LARGE ORANGERY – NIGHT
Armed security guards standing between large potted ferns. Close in on Satoshi’s face, eyes down. His nose is bandaged, his right eye bruised.
QADIRA
(o.s.)
Come on Satoshi. What have you got to lose?
Satoshi looks up.
SATOSHI
To lose? Me nothing now, you caught me. You? Everything.
Qadira sits down on the chair facing Satoshi
QADIRA
So download.
SATOSHI
(Sighs)
I told you. Transferring it should be tomorrow, oh four hundred, local time. Green-grey medic bag. You will not get there in time.
QADIRA
I mean, what exactly is it?
Satoshi’s face transforms to a hysterical grimace.
SATOSHI
Zee three zero X is alive! But you have no idea, no idea! I work for five year, I am a genius, so, what can I tell you? You need to know what it does!
QADIRA
Enlighten me please. What does it do?
SATOSHI
Programmed cells…self-reproducing, synthetic nano-machines, they take over all organic function, including brain function. Basically, a kind of possession, but techno.
(MORE)
SATOSHI (CONT’D)
Mr Macavoy, he lost his faith in me, superstitious man fly to Haiti for voodoo help, but so what, he can do what he likes, I have the science, the real magic.
INT. SWIMMING POOL – DAY
Looking up at a fast male swimmer being overtaken at impossible speed by another, female, smaller swimmer.
SATOSHI
(o.s.)
Eventually, with constant refinement and trial and error, my hard work and genius – happy results: Heightened senses, mood improvement, like the best meds the you can find. Heart rate 50 percent. Radically reduced oxygen demand. Super-fuelled. Accelerated healing and recovery.
Satoshi frowns and sighs.
INT. DRAINED POOL FLOOR – DAY
A deformed naked man is on his back twitching and kicking his arms and legs in the air like a beetle, gore around his mouth, unable to even to get to his knees. .
SATOSHI
(o.s.)
OK the first human trials were not successful. Even the slightest dosage or mixture error naturally produced…catastrophic consequences.
QADIRA
(o.s.)
Details…
SATOSHI
(o.s)
Typically two stages:
Stage 1: Hyper-active, paranoid, cannibalistic. Inevitably burnout, gross disfigurement, death. Quite disgusting. That only first stage.
QADIRA
(o.s.)
And stage two?
Pan up to hazmat-suited techie pointing a gun down toward the man. He watches the gauge for the gun to charge, a digital bar running across to “focussed E.M.P.”.
SATOSHI
(o.s.)
Stage two is post mortem…that means after death…synthetically re-animated corpse. S,R,Co, sarco. Like the name? From Greek, means flesh. That why sarcasm mean gnash the teeth, tear the flesh, or speak bitterly.
QADIRA
(o.s.)
How very apt.
SATOSHI
(o.s.)
Thank you. Sarco is almost completely immobile, except in water. In water, a different animal. Like manic-depressive bull-seal, with Tourettes. Very dangerous.
Pull back to see entire pool floor including Rebecca’s remains. The techie fires the gun at the sarco, which morphs, disintegrates and begins to seep down the pool’s floor-drain as another techie hoses it down.
INT. LARGE ORANGERY – DAY
SATOSHI
So of course, all those subjects had to be destroyed. But forget them, I perfected the drug, I did it! Triple muscle power, indefatigable swimming ability. Think human tiger-shark. Think lots of gold medals and I retire to Florida with millions of dollars, consumed by false guilt and shame!
QADIRA
Sorry to change your plans. OK, so it’s a performance-enhancing drug, so what? It will be detected in tests.
SATOSHI
Haha, no no, that’s the best thing, that’s also my genius, it’s disguised. I designed it, crafted it, to mimic regular cells perfectly. There’s only one way you might be able to to tell.
QADIRA
How’s that?
SATOSHI
If it mutates. Unlikely of course, but if it did, then you would certainly know it, and run away fast.
EXT. ON BOARD GAGARIN’S YACHT – DAY
Gagarin lounges on the upper pool deck surrounded by semi-naked females, one or two men, with guns tucked into their shorts waistbands, and one small west-highland terrier barking at the sky. A white-uniformed crew approaches.
CREW
Sir, apologies, I need to advise you of a…small problem which we are dealing with, but just so you know…
GAGARIN
What? It’s not time yet is it?
CREW
No, I’m sorry Mr Gagarin, it’s not that. This problem is…real.
Gagarin replaces his sunglasses and sees beyond the crew man a thickening cloud of smoke rising across the afternoon sun billowing from somewhere to the rear of the yacht.
CREW
We’ve relocated the Z3-OX, mostly, dealing with the fire now, but…
A siren sounds, the women get up from the deck, and Gagarin darts a glance at his helicopter.
CREW
Oh crap.
GAGARIN
Where’s that bitch Marelia?
FADE TO:
EXT. EDEN POOLSIDE – DAY
A girl screams piercingly as she shoots out the end of the flume and splash-lands in the pool, Rozo sits up suddenly into frame, the whole scene reflected in her sunglasses. Families playing in the pool, couples sunbath around it, some stagger tipsily past clutching various exotic drinks, a row of surfers show off till the ship lists slightly and they fall. A young boy running stumbles over Rozo’s lounger, apologises, gets off, turns and looks at her…
BOY
Hey, you’re…
DUBLZ
Get lost boy…
BOY
(shouting to his friend)
It’s that Rozo!
(to Rozo)
You Rozo?
(shouting to his friend)
Rozo with the boobs!
DUBLZ
Let’s split babe.
ROZO
(pointing at the zip-wire)
Flying fox?
DUBLZ
Nah, don’t give a flying fox for that. It’s about time for my shark hunt.
They kiss and grope and go in opposite directions.
ROZO
Hey where’s Bud?
DUBLZ
Give you one guess.
INT. AMUSEMENTS ARCADE – DAY
Two long banks of flashing arcade computer game pods and a barrage of violent sound effects. Track to the far end to a round arena where a girl with a VR headset is waving her arms around as if fighting off attackers.
POV being attacked by grossly mutated humanoids spitting bile. The background is the actual gaming hall itself, with Augmented Reality characters, and augmented features like guns on the walls, red flashing lights, gore on the floor. And malicious zombies.
Bud is waiting in line, he’s next, and fidgeting nervously.
EXT. ON BOARD THE EDEN – DAY
The Hershit family emerge into the leafy Central Park, surrounded by seven storeys on three sides, signposts to bowling alley, circus, undersea adventure, casino, XBox Arcade, etc. A broad slot of blue sky above and at the open end three huge coloured flumes snake down from the roof towards the palm-fringed main pool at the back of the ship. The PA is talking about taking care walking on the decks considering the unusually big swell, but not to worry because of the ship’s powerful 360 degrees computer-controlled azipods.
KERRY-JO
He’s right Hol, go take lil Ibby with you to the Rumpus Ranch, they got a real baby Nursery there.
HOLLY
But you said I could do that roulette, I wanna spin that wheel!
KERRY-JO
I never promised that cutie, you get along and give Pa and me some space or you can forget the circus.
LUTHER
Ruby, son this ain’t for kids, gambling’s a grownup game, why don’t you check out the Arcades huh?
RUBEN
Pa you’re gonna lose my fortune ain’t ya, don’t go lose my fortune Pa!
FADE TO:
EXT. OPEN AIR RUNNING TRACK – DAY
Close up of a blonde woman’s tanned and sweaty face grimacing; pull back to see she is running on a track. She passes Drake, then Oz and Khan and out of shot.
Drake catches up with Oz and Khan and they jog as a group, taking turns to lead. As we circle them we see and hear all the sights and sounds of the pleasure-ship.
KHAN
No offence Drake, but you know none of this concerns you now.
DRAKE
The fuck it doesn’t, how d’you think we even got here?
OZ
Look man, we’re sorry about Becca and that, truly, but it’s time for you to take a back seat.
KHAN
And we don’t like back-seat drivers.
DRAKE
I just don’t want to see you comedians miss out on the prize. And you will.
OZ
How you figure that?
DRAKE
One, you’re missing some intel. Two, you’re amateurs.
Rozo flies past on the zip-wire, a set of two Go-Pros on her head – one facing forward and one towards her face and down past her cleavage.
EXT. ZIP-WIRE – DAY
View down onto the deck flying over sunbathers, crazy-golf, a pool, etc.
EXT. ZIP-WIRE – DAY
Close on Rozo’s exhilarated face.
ROZO
(o.s)
So, check it out I’m like, actual flying! I’m a free bird, OMG, you have to try this! Look at this…hey, you guys!
EXT. ZIP-WIRE – DAY
Oz and Khan look up as Rozo flies over, Khan grins and waves.
EXT. RUNNING TRACK – DAY –
KHAN
We know he’s bought the Captain. And the product will be in a relatively small container…
OZ
Probably large briefcase size.
KHAN
Containing digitally calibrated syringes. Likely a couple of hundred of them.
DRAKE
Well done guys you read my report…Becca’s intel. So you don’t know exactly when, or where, or how.
OZ
And you do? You better fess up pal.
Drake accelerates to a few yards ahead as a young couple runs past them in the opposite direction.
FADE TO:
INT. CASINO – DAY
Blackjack table, surrounded by lost-looking passengers trudging happily around.
LUTHER
(Flushed and grinning)
Hit me gorgeous, hit me…
He looks at the card and his face falls.
LUTHER
…shoot.
Roulette wheel spinning, ball bouncing around, Kerry-Jo watching wide-eyed.
FADE TO:
INT./EXT. SHARK BAY – DAY
DublZ standing in a wetsuit listening to the instructor
INSTRUCTOR
(New Zealand accent accent)
OK so two things to remember about these wetsuits – one, they’re state of the art shark-proof reinforced ply and there’s no shark that can bite through it. Two, if you put your arm outside the cage a shark can rip it from your shoulder, wet suit and all, if it gets the notion, and it might. These beautiful beasts are top of the food chain and they are as good at killing and consuming under sea-level as humans are above it…
DUBLZ
Bring it on, bring it bro.
INSTRUCTOR
Don’t be complacent, they have the advantage over us out here. We can’t breathe, see or hear under water and they can, plus they have radar. This shark-prod, delivers just enough voltage to scare Mr shark back to Mummy shark…is our only offensive weapon…
DUBLZ
Mrs Shark gonna be shit scared of my offensive weapon believe it.
INSTRUCTOR
…and we do have these very smart-looking aspirators which you bite on. Get used to how it feels in your mouth and breathe like normal. It’s got twenty minutes of O2 and you’re only gonna be underwater for ten so relax.
EXT. CAGE – DAY
As DublZ climbs in the cage the ship drops and the sea rises and floods the cage.
INSTRUCTOR
(in earpiece in suit’s hood)
OK so, I know there’s a bit of a swell and it seems the azipods are a wee bit out of step today but there’s no problem, just hold on to the bar and wait for your vicious visitors to come to dinner.
Chunks of bloody meat fall into the sea all around.
INSTRUCTOR
And remember the suit is shark-proof not eejit-proof, get those arms in DublZ mate.
FADE TO:
EXT. THE EDEN OPEN AIR RUNNING TRACK – DAY
Oz and Khan stand gasping with hands on knees, Drake leaning on the outer balustrade.
DRAKE
Night-time, after four, so fewest witnesses possible. Gagarin’s super-yacht feigning distress, food poisoning most likely, rescue party boards it…
OZ
Her. Boats are female. Apparently.
DRAKE
Whatever. So you jokers are in this big boarding party, includes a couple of Macca’s boys, They bring back some supposedly sick lackeys and their stuff, you follow them, and a few of their on-board heavies duff you over…you need back-up.
INT. VIRTUAL-AUGMENTED REALITY ARENA – DAY
Two boys stand in the centre of a dimly-lit circular floor surrounded by a thin crowd of onlookers and a queue of fidgeting future game players, and beyond that darkness.
RUBEN
What’s yer name buddy?
BUD
That’s right.
Bud puts on his headset and an assistant secures it.
RUBEN
You fucking with me?
BUD
My name is Buddy.
RUBEN
Well OK then Buddy…
Ruben has his headset put on and adjusted.
RUBEN
…don’t be nervous just follow my lead and cover me when I say, we’ll get through this.
Bud cocks his head a little with a slightly smug smirk.
BUD
Yeah, we will.
CGI of Ruben from Bud’s POV, panning around the Augmented suite interior. Background zombie moaning sounds.
EXT. THE EDEN OPEN AIR RUNNING TRACK – DAY
Drake, Oz and Khan resume a half-jog.
KHAN
And you know this how?
DRAKE
As soon as the stuff’s on board you’ve got stars and birdies over your heads and Macavoy gets it transferred to a stateroom unknown and you’ll never ID the buyer. You need me.
OZ
Yeah, we need you…to butt out.
KHAN
Look Mo, putting myself in your shoes, I’d kill the bastard too, I would, but we need him alive. I’m sorry about your ex, but we can’t risk you getting the red mist again at a critical point.
They run past the zip-wire again, another flypast by a screaming passenger.
OZ
Leave it to us, don’t make us put you down!
They reach the aft bank of elevators and Drake stops, the other two carry on. Another exhausted jogger reaches the elevators lurching from side to side.
KHAN
(calling back)
Don’t call us…
FADE TO:
INT. VIRTUAL-AUGMENTED REALITY ARENA – DAY
10 seconds of fairly sick mayhem: Bud stands with his back to a dark doorway. A naked zombie emerges, flesh melting off him, and is about to grab Bud when Ruben throws a mallet and knocks the zombie’s head clean off. “97 KILLS” appears in the air above his head. The noise attracts a gang of reptilian zombies from another doorway in front of Bud and ninja-like he decapitates one after another with his light-sword, while Ruben turns around to face a pair of eight-legged monsters and shoots them in the head. Behind them a group of five-legged abominations rush him all at once and he throws an electrified net over them. However one of them has zapped him so none of his weapons work and he’s a sitting duck. An impossibly voluptuous devil woman with neon nipples appears and offers to restore his weapons if he sacrifices Bud. Ruben points his voodoo tractor beam at Bud.
INT. EDEN NURSERY – DAY
HOLLY
Nunnite precious Ibson, Ma n Pa gonna come and get you soon as they lose all our money, I got to go again and face-time my frenemies.
A nursery worker gives Holly a patronising smile.
NURSE
I could call them now, you know?
HOLLY
No, give them more time to lose a fortune, it don’t matter…
Holly walks away and sees a young mother collecting her infant. Holly sighs with a grumpy pout on her face.
HOLLY
(whispering)
…they weren’t never gonna give me no Harley anyway.
INT. EDEN VIRTUAL-AUGMENTED REALITY SUITE – EVENING
Just as the zombie queen is about to wrap Bud in a cocoon of gunk he produces a black banana-granade and throws it up at her crotch. His aim is good. The resultant explosion destroys the queen and the entire built environment, leaving a bizarrely attractive field of grass and pizzas.
RUBEN
You played this before, Bud?
EXT. EDEN – NIGHT
A starry sky.
Rozo and DublZ cuddle against the rails near the prow of the ship. They pull apart.
ROZO
Babe I’m sorry. Can we like work it out between us? We could adopt, be like, you know, Hoda Kotb, Madonna, Katie Heigl, Charlize Theron, Kristin Davis, Cate Blanchett, Tom Cruise…
DUBLZ
Seems like you’ve really researched this…
Rozo kisses him, and they make out for a few seconds
DUBLZ
…but you know, I don’t know I can give up on it…
ROZO
On what?
DUBLZ
You know, having my own son and heir. Biological progeny. Know what I mean?
ROZO
You’re joking right?
He tips her face to his and they kiss increasingly passionately till she pulls away.
DUBLZ
Let’s go inside babe.
ROZO
Yeah…in a minute.
She turns to gaze across the glistening sea.
INT. STATEROOM – NIGHT
Ammy and Hayley are in his bed in his cramped quarters.
HAYLEY
I’m sorry Ammy, I’m so tired, and..
AMMY
I know, and you’re on early shift tomorrow.
HAYLEY
Yeah, and…and late too, but, then! Then I get three days off with you, we can…
AMMY
Its OK, look, I’ve got my hands full too – I.T. have fubarred the azipod software; Captain Pugwash keeps pushing us to top speed, and I’m at least five bilge rats short – let’s just look forward to a break after tomorrow.
He takes her hand and touches her engagement ring.
AMMY
We got our whole lives ahead right? Right?
INT./EXT. DRAKES’S BALCONY – NIGHT
Looking towards the horizon, Drake is fondling an almost empty whisky glass with one hand and holding a photo of Rebecca in the other. A strangely quiet Mogwai-like track is playing in the background. His laptop pings and he sees he has a face-time call from TINA. He hesitates, puts the glass down and accepts.
DRAKE
I have no idea why I’m accepting this call.
TINA
You’ll be glad you did, I think.
DRAKE
Says the woman who tried to dismantle my marriage. I hope you’re not…
TINA
No I’m not. Q told me about Becca, and Satoshi’s spilling the beans.
DRAKE
They’ve got Satoshi?
Drake straightens up, carefully replace the photo into his wallet.
TINA
Mo I’m really sorry, about Becca, and, you know, about everything.
DRAKE
Not as much as I am, but you haven’t called just to make me even more depressed have you.
Drake sloshes another finger of Scotch into his glass.
INT. EDEN BRIDGE – NIGHT
OFFICER A
(low voice)
No radio contact from The Achlys since the mayaday, sir, and we’ve got satellite visual now. She looks DIW.
CAPTAIN
(low voice)
OK let’s divert.
OFFICER A
Or, we could leave it to USS Homer, they’re almost as close. And faster.
CAPTAIN
They’re…speeding in the other direction. No, we can take this.
OFFICER A
We’ll suffer on time and cost.
CAPTAIN
We’ll make it up. And we have a hospital on board, which is what they need. Divert.
OFFICER A
(after a second’s pause)
Roger that.
INT. DRAKE’S BALCONY – NIGHT
TINA
You better save that glass for later Mo.
DRAKE
You care now?
TINA
No it’s just that…well you don’t know but suppose it’s tonight?
DRAKE
What?
TINA
What you’re there for. I mean, just imagine if the Eden gets a mayday tonight, a yacht with say food poisoning, tonight at…balls o’clock…medics bring back patients and bags, via the main boarding deck, maybe, who knows, I’m just imagining…you’d want to be awake perhaps, just in case?
DRAKE
You know I would.
EXT. THE ACHLYS (GAGRIN’S YACHT) – NIGHT
Circling drone’s eye view, very few lights, dense smoke swirling and writhing around all decks, and pouring in and out of openings.
TINA
(o.s.)
And suppose they bring, say, four items on board, two of them decoys. Suppose Oz and Khan or whoever Q sent, can’t handle it…well I imagine they might want to call you, I don’t know, probably not.
DRAKE
(o.s)
You have a good imagination Tina, you always were… imaginative… what do you imagine these items might look like?
No signs of life on the Achlys. A blue/green electrical discharge zaps about the cloud like crazy lightning.
TINA
(o.s.)
Well if I were writing this as a story, I reckon the decoys would be slim black suitcases, and the drugs or whatever in two big dirty green and grey para-medic bags. Inside each bag would be four cooled, black steel vacuum cases, combination lock 26109.
INT. DRAKE’S STATEROOM – NIGHT
DRAKE
How many fake casualties?
TINA
Two would kinda work. But if they look… damaged, you have to get the fuck out.
DRAKE
I know.
TINA
I mean find a way to get off the ship. Forget Macavoy.
DRAKE
What else has Satoshi said?
INT./EXT. DOCKING BAY, LEDGE EXTENDED OUT – NIGHT
A throng of about twenty medics and stewards are looking out towards the smouldering yacht about twenty feet away. Khan and Oz are wearing stewards uniforms.
FIRST OFFICER BUCHANNON
Search and rescue ready?
WOOLASON
Armed and ready sir, with four medics.
ENGINEER
Fuck me, look it’s a ghost ship.
FIRST OFFICER BUCHANNON
Where’s Amundson?
WOOLASON
Ammy’s got the night off sir.
FIRST OFFICER BUCHANNON
(under his breath)
With some honey-ko.
KHAN
(whispering)
You always look cute as a medic. Where’s our Macca?
OZ
(whispering)
Thanks. He’s one of these.
INT./EXT. ON BOARD THE ACHLYS – NIGHT
Buchannon, OZ, KHAN, Macavoy, three medics and thirteen stewards search the vast yacht slowly, up and down the decks, flashlights zipping from place to place.
TINA
(o.s.)
How would I know? How would I know if he said it was contagious? I can’t read the records, I just store them. He might have said it was worse than Ebola, worse than SARS, worse than every plague put together…perhaps he was shaking hysterically and begging to be allowed to kill himself. There’s no way I would know.
DRAKE
(o.s.)
Fuck, Tina, why this charade?
TINA
(o.s.)
That’s what I do, Mo. I pretend. I pretend to be just your colleague, just someone at your party watching you and Becca without jealousy, making friends with her just to see you more often, and you loved it.
DRAKE
(o.s.)
It was a bad habit, you know. Anyway…when’s balls o’clock?
TINA
(o.s.)
Right now.
The yacht’s decks and rooms are cloaked with an acrid mist, and corpses are lying everywhere – all with disfigured faces and contorted limbs, as if they had died trying to fight off some indescribable attacker.
OZ
(in Kahn’s ear)
We got to abort, this is deeply bad shit.
As we follow medics and officers, we see the entire deck is littered with the carcasses of its crew and guests, their faces bursting with agony, eyes gaped wide, hands pointing towards an invisible assailant. They find the Captain’s corpse on the bridge, another in the chart room and the wheelhouse. More bodies are found in the boiler room and scantily dressed females lie dead on the lounge deck. There are no signs of physical injury, cuts or bruises, or any sign of violence in the ship itself.
OZ
Khan I’m outta here.
KHAN
No. We have to see Macavoy take those cases and then follow him off this hell to…wherever.
One of the corpses twitches, and the one next to it jerks up to a sitting position.
INT. EDEN BOARDING BAY – NIGHT
Drake’s face is behind a small door window, watching Woolason, who is alone.
WOOLASON
(into her radio)
How many casualties? Over.
No answer.
WOOLASON
Somebody talk to me. How many casualaties. Over!
RADIO VOICE
(o.s., panicky)
All of them, Woolly, all of them. Wait! …Fuck!
Drake watches from behind the door as the rescue party begins to stagger back, coughing and retching. Two medics struggle to carry in a stretcher followed by the unrecognised Macavoy dragging his bag, and a third medic with a dirty green and grey bag. Two other stewards hurry carrying suitcases, but barely able to walk. Five more return, stumbling and speechless, neither Khan nor Oz among them.
WOOLASON
Where’s Buchannon? Where’s Buchannon? Where are the others?
As Macavoy approaches Drake’s door alone Drake hides in a dark recess.
WOOLASON
What the hell’s happened? Somebody talk to me!
INT. MACAVOY’S LUXURY SUITE – NIGHT
A very burly man (LUGANOV) in shorts and vest hurries in from the balcony. Two men in Bermuda shorts and polo shirts are sitting on the sofa smoking.
LUGANOV
Everything bad. Very wrong.
He strides across the floor and picks up a radio.
LUGANOV
(into radio)
Mister Macavoy talk to me now!
The two other men jump up and go to the balcony, look down to try and see what’s happening.
INT. BOARDING DECK – NIGHT
A steward runs onto the Eden.
STEWARD
Cast off for god’s sake!
He’s followed quickly by a stumbling grey-skinned sick-looking young woman in a bikini (Marelia), Woolason steps towards her to stop her falling, but the Marelia grasps her and gnaws on her neck. They both fall to the floor.
INT. MACAVOY’S STATEROOM – NIGHT
As Luganov reaches the door a medic (JOHNSON) pushes the door open, drops his bag and falls inside. Luganov steps over him and drags the bag in, slams the door shut. He pulls Johnson to his feet but he struggles to stand, let alone walk, and is ranting incoherently. His legs and arms are uncoordinated and he falls to the floor in a strange seizure.
Luganov kneels over him. The other two men get up and approach.
LUGANOV
Johnson! Johnson! Where Macavoy? Where Dmitry? What has happen?
JOHNSON
(grabbing Luganov’s head)
He escaped! I took it, hide it, it’s coming! Get me water I’m burning! I…
One of the men gets a glass of water, the other tries to call Macavoy, but Johnson is now motionless, his arms at tortuous angles, his face snarling.
Looking down past Johnson’s curled fingers onto his rigid face, eyes extremely wide open, skin blotchy black, red and green-grey, the colours shifting and pulsing. His fingernails have pushed out to jagged points.
LUGANOV
(o.s.)
Johnson! Johnson. I have water, you drink. Johnson.
Macavoy barges the entrance door open and limps into the room.
MACAVOY
What are you doing? Get away from him!
Luganov bends down to check Johnson’s breathing, also checking for his pulse.
Johnson swipes Luganov’s neck spraying blood over himself and the floor. He grabs Luganov’s head and bites into his neck, tearing a piece off with his teeth. The other two men rush forward to try and help Luganov. They pull him away and restrain Johnson.
Macavoy rushes to the bag and goes to leave the room.
MACAVOY
This is crazy. Kill that maniac, I’m taking this to…I’m taking this…
Drake appears at the door. Macavoy stops.
MACAVOY
Who the fuck are you?
DRAKE
(holding up his ID)
I.O.C. special agent Drake. That name mean anything to you at all?
Macavoy hesitates, shocked, moves to shove him out of the way.
Drake pulls out a gun, points it at Macavoy
MACAVOY
You’re going to arrest me?
DRAKE
No. I’m going to kill you.
But he’s distracted by Luganov struggling to his feet and spurting blood. Luganov lurches towards Drake, who panics and shoots him once. Luganov stumbles back, but doesn’t fall. Macavoy knocks the gun aside and barges past into the corridor. Luganov comes at Drake again, who panics and flees without closing the door to the suite.
EXT. THE OCEAN – NIGHT
Gagarin’s smouldering yacht drifting a hundred yards behind and to the side of the light-spangled Eden.
FADE TO:
INT. STATEROOM – NIGHT
Ammy snoring wakes Hayley. She wraps the pillow over her ears but immediately her pager beeps. She looks at it, grabs her phone. Ammy
HAYLEY
(quietly into the phone)
What’s up?
She sighs wearily. The voice on the phone sounds very stressed. Hayley looks confused, then anxious. She glances at Ammy, who continues snoring.
HAYLEY
OK, I have no idea what you’re talking about…look, I’ll be there in twenty – try not to panic.
FADE TO:
EXT. THE RUNNING TRACK – DAY
Early morning joggers include Ammy, who stops when he sees one staggering towards him looking exhausted, running erratically across both lanes of the track. As he approaches Ammy he holds out his arms as if to lean on Ammy for support, his face flushed and sweating, his eyes bulging.
Ammy tries to hold him up but the man sinks to his knees and then sits leaning up against the glass screen, checks his watch.
AMMY
You gonna be OK fella?
The man nods and waves Ammy away with half-smile. Both men look up as the Albatross swings over ten feet above them. Ammy recognises his daughter and DublZ inside and salutes them, Rozo waves back, DublZ frowns.
INT./EXT. INSIDE THE ALBATROSS – DAY
DublZ is pointing a GoPro at Rozo.
ROZO
So, hallo again guys! Lovely sunny day! And look, this time I’m actually over the sea? This is so weird, we’re on the boat but we’re not on the boat?
DUBLZ
Its a ship babe, not a boat.
ROZO
What?
DUBLZ
The Eden of the Seas is a ship…a boat is something you like go fishin in.
ROZO
Chief Engineer calls it a boat, I’m gonna call it a boat!
DUBLZ
Fuck your Dad, we gonna call it a ship.
As the Albatross glass pod flies slowly above the Eden, Rozo slowly turns around so in the background we see the whole ship. Passengers look like little colourful bugs milling aimlessly, sometimes looking up and waving. We see the surfers, sunbathers, joggers, people standing on their balconies staring out to sea. A pod of dolphins or pilot whales are keeping pace with the ship as it cuts through the water
ROZO
Okees, but just look, at this ship – boat, ship whatever, it’s basically like just an amazingly big massive holiday camp on the sea, but better? And there, see those yellow boats on the side, so there’s what, 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8, and they told us that each one of those can hold a hundred and ninety people, and the same on the other side, so if something like the Titanic happens, that’s a hundred an’ ninety times…what, eight on this side, and so double that, oh, whatever it’s a lot of people can get away, maybe everyone I dunno.
A gull collides with the Albatross, leaving a red cacky smudge on the glass. Rozo shrieks, DublZ’s camera follows it as it falls into the sea.
ROZO
Yuk – we’re not keeping that in, Dub. I didn’t think seagulls were that clumsy. Carry on.
A second bird hits the glass.
EXT. EDEN ALFRESCO CAFE/BAR – DAY
Kerry-Jo is waving at the Albatross as it swoops by. Two gulls hit the ship’s funnel.
RUBEN
You see that?
A splodge of bird-cack lands in Luther’s plate.
LUTHER
Okey dokey that’s a sign from the gods, it’s time to get back to those tables and win back some moolah!
HOLLY
Ruben lets go kill ugly enemies.
KERRY-JO
Hey hold yer horses Hol, let me dose up lil Ibby here first.
Five strangers on the next table watch as Kerry-Jo shoves her boob in Ibson’s face.
LUTHER
Guys you can look but starin’s creepy.
INT./EXT. THE ALBATROSS – DAY
Rozo’s pouting face switches between disgust and suprise as she reacts to the gull’s death, against the spectacular backdrop of the ship and ocean seen from a hundred feet above the decks.
ROZO
Sorry guys, Here I am trying to show you all this amazing ship from up here in the sky and two seagulls have like kamikazied us or something.
DublZ turns the camera on the Eden to catch scores of gulls fly clumsily into the side of the ship, balcony passengers ducking for cover.
ROZO
Those are some kerazy birds, guys!
DUBLZ
Think, don’t drink and fly, people.
Rozo pulls her ringing phone from her shorts.
ROZO
Ammy! I mean Daddy!
AMMY
(o.s.)
Rozo honey where are you and why don’t you wear your locator?
ROZO
It’s the wrong colour, duh, hey guys this is the totally Boss Engineer of the whole ship calling me, cos he’s my dad, my actual real dad?
INT. ENGINE ROOM CORRIDOR – DAY
In the background a lot of shouting and swearing and alarms sounding.
AMMY
Who are you talking to?
He walks through a doorway and closes it firmly behind him.
ROZO
(o.s.)
My lovely subscribers of course, say hi!
AMMY
You need to get rid of your friends and meet me in medical. Now.
ROZO
(o.s.)
Chill, Ammy, what’s up?
AMMY
Bud with you?
ROZO
(o.s.)
Course not.
AMMY
Find him.
INT. EDEN VIRTUAL-AUGMENTED REALITY SUITE – DAY
Bud and Ruben stand facing each other each wearing VR headsets.
RUBEN
Ready to kick mutant ass?
BUD
(shrugs)
Sure.
They turn to stand back to back, each holding up a stick-like device in each hand.
A large bald-headed man with Luther’s face stumbles in to the room, his white coat blood-stained and torn. He walks right past one of the many spectators waiting for their turn. He is foaming at the mouth and when he notices Ruben he staggers towards him waving his arms like an idiot.
RUBEN
Way too fuckin’ easy.
Ruben kicks the man’s head, which flies off with a spray of blood. The two boys turn in sync aiming their guns at each entrance in turn or in the direction of any noise of groaning or shuffling feet. Attackers emerge with increasing frequency – some with passengers’ faces digitally patched on.
RUBEN
Whoa, eat this, waitress bitch!
Bud, too, shoots a facsimile of a random passenger he doesn’t recognise, (it’s Drake), who disintegrates in an explosion of gore and lightning.
BUD
There’s too many.
Bud notices Rozo approaching him and instinctively shoots her but this time there’s no reaction.
INT. EDEN VIRTUAL-AUGMENTED REALITY SUITE – DAY
DublZ appears behind her, and Bud takes his headset off.
RUBEN
Hey dude don’t leave me!
Ruben is waving his stick and kicking madly as if under attack, which virtually he is.
BUD
What you doing here?
ROZO
Dad’s summoned us to sick bay lil bro.
FADE TO:
INT. EDEN MEDICAL CENTRE – DAY
Sick bay is noisily busy, nurses scurrying in all directions, patients shouting for attention, a cubicles is closed off with an “exclusion” notice being pasted on the doors. Hayley pulls Ammy into a corner.
AMMY
Slow down a bit babe.
HAYLEY
This just isn’t right! Do you know what’s going on?
AMMY
Only that I’ve had to send three of my crew up here and the others are squabbling like trailer trash on a TV show.
Rozo, DublZ and Bud wander in.
AMMY
Kids are you all OK? Looks like we have a TARFU.
They look from one to the other flummoxed. A patient down the corridor cries out in pain.
HAYLEY
It’s like an epidemic, maybe the water supply.
AMMY
Bottled water only now. OK? Copy that? No tapwater.
ROZO
Er…as if! And alcohol right?
AMMY
You’re not giving Bud alcohol.
Bud holds up his plastic bottle of Evian.
AMMY
And keep your phones on the whole time, sorry, I want to know you’re OK.
DUBLZ
Fuck dat we’re not your children.
ROZO
W T actual F Dub, you know I really am?
DUBLZ
Well I ain’t, and we’re seeing my Ma do her trapeze act in a couple hours, we’re not leaving phones on for that!
AMMY
Dublin look at me.
DUBLZ
You don’t get to call me Dublin…
An apparently unconscious woman is carried in on on a stretcher.
AMMY
I just need to know…where you guys are, and that you’re OK. This is not a normal situation. Till we know what’s up, eat nothing, drink nothing but bottled, and alcohol, I’m serious. DublZ, man, you just look after my kids will you?
HAYLEY
I got to go, Ammy.
AMMY
Me too babe, I’ll come and get you later, OK, stay cool, don’t panic right?
Drake bursts in holding a white rag to his bloodied arm, his face pale.
DRAKE
Can’t stop the bleeding. Fucker bottled me, the ship’s filling up with maniacs.
FADE TO:
INT. EDEN CIRCUS – DAY
Donna is high up in the darkness, she smiles brightly and a spotlight illuminates her face. Then she dives off her platform. The trapeze swing rises up to meet her hands, and she flips into a back somersault, till her partner’s hands grab hers and they both swing back up to his platform. She is calm, he is trembling and sweating. Her smile wavers.
DONNA
(whispering)
You OK Val?
VAL
Is no problem, I’m good, go!
INT. EDEN CIRCUS – DAY
Rozo’s mouth is open, DublZ is filming with his smartphone. The crowd is gasping and applauding.
DUBLZ
I could absolutely do what he’s doing.
INT. EDEN CIRCUS – DAY
Some in the line of people along from Rozo are fidgeting and grimacing, others are occasionally delightedly gasping and applauding at the performance.
INT. SHIP’S NUCLEAR BAY – DAY
Ammy, wearing a hazmat suit, kneeling at a control panel, looks up, a crazy-faced boiler-suited man rushing at him reflected in his visor.
Ammy floors him with some martial arts trickery, but the attacker won’t stay down, and it takes an elbow chop to the head to knock him out. Bewildered, Ammy half-runs along the gangway to the exit door, hits the alarm button.
INT. EDEN CIRCUS – DAY
Donna, up on her platform, spots her son in the crowd and waves at him. He gives her a fist salute and almost smiles. She looks straight ahead, takes a deep breath.
Donna somersaults past her acrobat partner to catch his feet. But she misses and plummets to the floor and there’s no safety net. Rozo screams, as do most of the crowd. At the last moment she swoops forward and up, held by three invisible wires, and flies around above the heads of the cheering crowd. Meanwhile Val has caught Donna’s swing with just one hand, and barely manages to scramble up onto the platform.
Close up on his pale glistening face and large pupils.
INT. ENGINE ROOM – DAY
Ammy is caught up in a series of brawls that have broken out all over the engine room, a siren is sounding. He grabs a monkey wrench and beats the crap out of two more assailants and gets close to the exit. An obese engineer holding a piece of railing charges toward him from behind.
INT. EDEN CIRCUS FLOOR – DAY
Val is agitated, spasming and grunting, tearing at his costume. The crowd begins to notice. He hurls himself off the platform onto the low metal wall surrounding the circus floor, and dies in a broken bloody heap.
A brief silence is followed by uproar and crying. The body is laid out and surrounded by distraught staff, one tries to give CPR, a clown radios for medics, some of the audience make their way out, shielding their kids’ eyes.
RINGMASTER
Where are the medics?
PA SYSTEM
Ladies and gentlemen, please stay in your seats the situation is under control.
CLOWN
They say they can’t spare anyone
RINGMASTER
Bullshit
CLOWN
Said they’re close to meltdown there.
Then the voices around the body quieten and the shouting stops.
INT. EDEN CIRCUS AUDIENCE – DAY
Rozo and DublZ are still in their seats, though some around are getting up, some to see better others to leave.
DUBLZ
Holy sheeit, that’s well fucked up.
ROZO
(sobbing)
Oh my God.
Val awkwardly gets to his knees, the people around him recoil.
INT. EDEN CIRCUS FLOOR – DAY
Val’s right arm is snapped, several ribs protruding and his skull caved in, blood still oozing from his eye sockets, mouth, nose and chest. The crowd goes silent, stumble and edge away.
Val gets to his feet, despite one facing the wrong way. He takes one step and stumbles, sits groggily against the low wall, moaning and gnashing his teeth.
INT. EDEN ENGINE ROOM CORRIDOR – DAY
Ammy knocks a crazed engineer away with a piece of railing, jumps through the main door and closes it, punches the keypad to seal it, takes out his radio.
AMMY
(panting)
Captain, sir, we have a seriously out of control situation in hell…I need a lock down.
The sounds of destruction and yelling can still be heard form inside.
INT. EDEN CIRCUS – DAY
Panicked crowd trying to get out of the circus, a child falls and is trampled, DublZ picks him up and carries him out, Rozo following in the throng.
DUBLZ
Did you see that poor muvvucker!
Rozo gets a text notification.
ROZO
It’s Ammy. OMG. Dubby we have to get Bud!
DUBLZ
What? Not again!
ROZO
Now!
DublZ gives the child to its traumatised mother.
INT. EDEN ENGINE ROOM LEVEL – DAY
Hatches around engine rooms closing one by one on all three levels, one of them crushing one of the crazed engineers, allowing a few others to push through until it decapitates him.
INT. EDEN VIRTUAL-AUGMENTED REALITY SUITE – NIGHT
A middle-aged woman (CAROL, according to her badge) has wandered into the amusements hall and is now trudging a chaotic route towards the VR/AR arena, looking lost.
Nobody pays her any attention till she obliviously wanders into it, dribbling and yapping like a dog. Two kids are inside waving their arms around fighting their unseen foes. Still nobody can be bothered to stop her, but RUBEN mutters
RUBEN
Hey lady…
BUD
What the…
INT. EDEN VIRTUAL-AUGMENTED REALITY SUITE – NIGHT
POV AR version of Carol amongst aggressive CGI zombies, the zombies are getting slain but Carol keeps coming, unaffected by virtual weapons; until she gets within arm’s length of another kid, and then his fist physically connects with her face. He yelps, in pain and shock, she falls over, he rips off his headset.
A supervisor eventually appears and ushers everyone out of the arena, though Bud and Ruben hide.
RUBEN
Hang back Bud, we’ll have the place to ourselves.
The woman sits up looking vacant. She waves bloodied hands around and grunts, while two security men arrive and pick her up.
SUPERVISOR
Help nose-bleed lady to medical to dry out will you? And stay there – they’re short-staffed.
INT. EDEN MEDICAL CENTRE – NIGHT
Hayley’s office is now a make-shift ward. She is finishing dressing Drake’s wounds, while Ammy tries to reassure her.
AMMY
Baby, look I’m going to come back for you, I promise, but I want to find Bud first.
DRAKE
We need to find Macavoy, he knows more what this is, might know how to stop it.
HAYLEY
Who’s Macavoy?
DRAKE
He’s the piece of garbage who brought this plague on board.
AMMY
Mr Drake, you and me better go have a word with the Captain.
DRAKE
You bet we do – seems that bastard was in on it.
Drake stands.
DRAKE
Thanks Doc…
HAYLEY
Ammy, wait!
AMMY
I’ll get back, I’ve promised!
As the two men hurry away a grey-faced blank-eyed man is trudging towards Hayley from behind her.
INT. EDEN SHOPPING MALL – NIGHT
The people milling in the mall between the sick bay and the elevators get in Drake and Ammy’s way. Some are just lazily browsing shop and cafe windows, others are lurching this way and that, unsteady and disorientated, and need to be lightly barged aside.
AMMY
Damned passengers, what’s the matter with them?
INT. SHIP’S BRIDGE – NIGHT
Very hi-tech, spacious, cool lighting and flat-screens. Captain and three officers turn suddenly to face us, sound of entrance door flying open.
CAPTAIN
Sturridge where the hell have you been…
OFFICER B
Good God, man!
STURRIDGE
Help!…
He collapses on the floor, leaking pints of blood from his stomach, and his hair is also streaked with blood.
STURRIDGE
…Lock the door, lock the door!
The Captain marches to a locker, yanks out a 1st aid kit and finds a bandage roll.
INT. MALL ELEVATOR LOBBY – NIGHT
As the elevator doors open two frightened looking passengers hurry out. Behind them in the corner is an agitated woman tearing at her clothes and hair. Ammy throws her out and Drake pushes the bridge level button. Nothing happens. A shirtless man covered in tattoos is running towards them cursing loudly. Ammy pushes the button, gives a thumbs up.
AMMY
Thumb-print control.
The aggressive man gets an arm inside the lift doors, Ammy kicks it hard but only succeeds in snapping it. The doors open automatically, the man tries to enter again and another kick from Ammy sends him sprawling, the doors close and the lift ascends.
AMMY
He’ll just have to get the next one.
INT. EDEN VIRTUAL-AUGMENTED REALITY SUITE – NIGHT
The entire computer games suite has been abandoned, locked up and deserted except for two children in the VR/AR pod. As we approach we see it’s Bud and Ruben. They’re fighting seemingly invisible foes, kicking, shooting, punching, cursing and laughing.
INT. EDEN BRIDGE – NIGHT
The Captain and Sturridge are wrestling on the floor, Sturridge frantically trying to bite the Captain’s face. The others are trying to pull him off but despite his injuries he seems to have incredible strength and aggression. He ignores kicks to the head, pushes them aside easily. He bites part of the captain’s nose off and spits it out. One of the officers breaks open the guns store.
INT. PASSAGEWAY TO BRIDGE – NIGHT
Ammy and Drake are chased to the bridge by a rabid officer. When they reach the door Drake turns and chops the guy’s neck to stop him in his tracks, then wraps his arms around his head and twists it till the neck snaps.
AMMY
You’ve killed him.
MACAVOY
I think he’ll get over it.
Ammy presses his thumb on the door panel.
INT. EDEN EATERIE CONCOURSE – NIGHT
DUBLZ
Put that camera away Rozo, and find us a way outta here!
Rozo fits the GoPro helmet onto her head.
ROZO
Elevators, there!
The concourse is crowded with confused passengers. A slow swirling stampede starts, and we hear human growling and shouting from all directions.
Rozo’s POV behind DublZ dodging and pushing against the swirling crowd towards the elevators.
INT. EATERIE CONCOURSE – NIGHT
When Rozo gets knocked over DublZ grabs the culprit and hurls him to the floor, picks Rozo up. After fighting their way through the randomly fleeing and confused passengers they reach the elevators and push the call button. A woman astride a man on the floor growls wildly at them, flesh hanging off her teeth, starts to get up and crawl towards them.
DUBLZ
Ah that’s just too much, man!
DublZ kicks her head and pushes Rozo into the lift car as the doors open.
INT. EDEN BRIDGE – NIGHT
An officer is pointing his gun at Ammy and Drake in turn. Sturridge is on the floor with a huge exit wound in the back of his head. The Captain is in a corner shaking, flailing and ranting, sweat pouring off him.
DRAKE
He’s gonna be rabid in a few seconds. And where’s everyone else, are you the only one left up here?
OFFICER
Never mind him. What the hell are you doing here?
AMMY
This is Drake, IOC, he knows what all this is about.
OFFICER
Why aren’t you in the engine room Amundsen, everything’s broke-dick! No power control, no steering, she’s lurching around like fucking lunatic.
AMMY
Tell me about it, the whole engine room is carnage, I was lucky to get out alive. The engines are going to blow, and we need to abandon ship.
OFFICER (almost hysterically)
Bullshit! Get down there and sort it out!
He clicks on the PA, and his voice drops to a slightly shaky calm.
OFFICER
This is the…acting Captain speaking, please pay attention…
Ammy and Drake approach Sturridge and notice at the far end two more dead officers on the floor.
OFFICER
…There is no cause for panic but please everybody go to your staterooms immediately, and…stay there until you get further instruction. I repeat…
EXT. OVERHEAD VIEW OF EDEN – NIGHT
The Eden is turning on a sixpence this way and that, its six azipod engines churning the water and the ship rolling around like an enormous drunkard.
INT. EDEN BRIDGE – NIGHT
OFFICER
All right Drake, what are we dealing with?
DRAKE
(pointing at Sturridge)
What happened to him?
OFFICER
He attacked us. I shot him. He’s dead.
DRAKE
Not for long. And you better get ready to shoot the Captain too.
OFFICER
I’m not shooting the Captain, are you mad?
DRAKE
It’s a plague. It can’t be stopped, it’s too late…you have to order abandon ship.
OFFICER
No. It would spread needless panic. I’m going to I’m going to send a send a mayday.
As they argue the Captain is getting to his feet.
AMMY
If you won’t then I will!
OFFICER
Stand down Amundsen!
The Captain attacks them wildly, howling and gibbering. Drake shoots him to little effect. Ammy and Drake get clear, but fail to save the officer, who is overpowered by the Captain.
AMMY
Leave them to sort out their differences.
The captain pulls a piece of neck away with his teeth. Ammy and Drake quickly exit the bridge.
AMMY
Time to round up my family and find a lifeboat.
DRAKE
Time to find a bar and drink it
dry.
AMMY
Sure. Or you could get your shit together help me try and save a few people.
INT. CASINO – NIGHT
Luther and Kerry-Jo are on the slots, bleary-eyed and looking resigned to keep losing money.
KERRY-JO
One more, Luther, one more, then we’re done.
The wheels spin and lights flash. The PA is almost inuadible: “…staterooms and stay there until further…”
LUTHER
Hey fun-bags, you hear that?
Nobody else is moving, but croupiers are beginning to get the message. The message repeats “…no cause for panic…”
The stewards and security staff start ushering the numbed gamblers from the casino. At the same time there is a commotion at the entrance lobby as two maniacal passengers overcome the doormen.
Security people shepherd the passengers out through the emergency exits, but too slowly and some stragglers are assaulted. Mr and Mrs Hershit try in vain to pull a maniac off another man, give up when he scratches them, and narrowly manage to exit without being set upon themselves.
INT. EDEN AMUSEMENTS HALL – NIGHT
Dublz rams an aluminium strut through the door handles just as a group of apparently rabid men, women and kids reach the outside. Through the glass doors they watch them slobber and howl and then turn on each other. Rozo and DublZ back away stunned, DublZ watching with an expression of disgusted fascination.
ROZO
This is worse than one of those Derren Brown apocalypse tricks.
INT. EDEN VIRTUAL-AUGMENTED REALITY SUITE – NIGHT
Ruben’s AR POV: Amongst the attacking zombies are Rozo and DublZ’s. He shoots them but they don’t react. Both boys take off their headsets and look bemused.
BUD
You again?
DUBLZ
What are you kids even doing here? You deaf? There’s hell kicking off out there!
There’s the distant sound of hammering on the glass doors, shouting.
DUBLZ
Look we need to find another exit.
RUBEN
Why? You work here or what?
BUD
He’s my sister’s fuckbuddy, man.
DUBLZ
Fuck you too.
BUD
And that’s my sister.
RUBEN
Oh, cool!
DUBLZ
Rozo babe, help me find us another way outta here.
DublZ and Rozo disappear amongst the arcade pods towards an illuminated green emergency exit sign at the darkened far end.
INT. AMSUSEMENTS ARCADE ENTRANCE – NIGHT
Drake and Ammy are hammering on the braced glass doors. In the corridor behind them are several dead and mutilated bodies. Only emergency exit lights are on, but slowly advancing figures can be seen in silhouette, walking unsteadily as the ship is rocking unpredictably.
AMMY
Things are just too far off normal now.
They can see about a hundred feet away the two boys again fighting with their VR headsets on, waving their arms much like some of the more demented passengers.
INT. AMUSEMENTS HALL APPROACH – NIGHT
Follow behind the sarcos, staggering and stumbling inexorably towards the light of the glass doors. The sarcos have long thick pointed fingernails and are drooling, weeping and occasionally gnashing their teeth in deformed gums.
DRAKE
(looking towards the sarcos)
That’s enough, we need to run.
AMMY
(continuing to hit the doors and call the boys’ names)
No problem. Those things can barely stand up!
DRAKE
(grabbing Ammy’s shoulder)
They’re not the problem.
INT. AMUSEMENTS HALL APPROACH – NIGHT
An obese man in shredded clothes whirling his fists around bundles the sarcos to the floor and begins frantically punching and biting one of them while the others just sprawl on the floor like upturned beetles. When the obese man notices Ammy and Drake he howls at them.
DRAKE
That’s a phase one homicidal maniac. Very hard to stop.
The maniac rushes at them, Drake shoots twice, destroying his head. He falls at their feet like an exhausted sea cow. Behind him the silhouette of a woman at the end of the corridor, running towards them. Drake takes aim, but Ammy knocks his arm down.
AMMY
It’s Donna!
INT. EDEN AMUSEMENTS HALL – NIGHT
Donna is chased by two blood-soaked maniacs. Just as she reaches Ammy and Drake, Ruben yanks the strut out and opens the door, all three dash inside and close and brace the door again as the maniacs thump against it.
RUBEN
This is now officially insane!
BUD
Dad?
They all move deeper into the games suite, meet DublZ and Rozo returning from the emergency exit.
CUT TO:
INT. AMUSEMENTS HALL – NIGHT
Donna is holding a sword.
DUBLZ
That way’s blocked…hey Ma? You OK? And how did you get that?
She hugs him.
DONNA
I joined the circus remember?
DUBLZ
Pretend sword aint gonna cut it Ma!
She gently drags it’s edge over his arm, drawing blood. He screams.
DUBLZ
This is de-fuckin-mented. Anybody wanna tell the DublZ why this ship’s turned into Bedlam at sea?
FADE TO:
INT. AMUSEMENTS HALL BREAK AREA – NIGHT
Pan around banks of video games screens and consoles, mainly shoot-em-ups. Drake, Ammy, DublZ, Ruben, Bud, Donna and Rozo sit around on arcade pod seats. Distant sounds of crying, bangs and crashes, and a recorded announcement asking people to stay calm and remain in their staterooms.
DONNA
Val…died. And then he…got up.
AMMY
Which is impossible.
DUBLZ
I saw it man. Dead as roadkill, but he got to his feet, smashed up an’ everything.
DRAKE
Second stage sarco.
DUBLZ
Second stage what you say?
DRAKE
First stage is from injection or infection, insanely increased physical performance, ten percent oxygen need or less. Wrong dose and it’s like really bad spice, turns them into mindless monsters, then dead monsters.
DUBLZ
And second stage is zombie?
DRAKE
Pretty much. Sarco. Synthetically re-animated corpse. Thats not Val walking around somewhere out there, it’s just his cadaver.
DONNA
And how come you know so much Mr Drake?
DRAKE
I married a brave woman.
ROZO
(voice quivering)
I may be a village idiot, I’m not getting this, why is this happening here? We under attack?
DRAKE
There’s someone on board, I’ve been hunting down, who’s taken delivery of this drug, to sell on, but there was an accident. A fire on board the yacht they took it off. At first spread in the fumes and smoke and air but now it’s spreading, through basically…drool and snot, blood and cannibalism.
ROZO
Oh my days, mega gross.
AMMY
God knows if Hayley’s coping. I have to get her out of medical.
BUD
Dad?
DRAKE
How? The whole ship is crawling with sarcos and as you can see…
Drake points to the doors where the man Drake shot in the head is loitering. Ruben is standing in the corner looking petrified.
DRAKE
…you can’t kill them.
BUD
Dad? Ruben’s family is out there somewhere. He wants to find them.
Ruben is shaking and sobbing. The adults look one to another doubtfully. Donna goes over and puts an arm around him. She looks around at the others.
ROZO
We like trapped here yeah? Is it safe, we got water and stuff? We’re gonna be rescued, right Dad? Mr Drake?
Drake looks away.
INT. SHIP’S CORRIDOR – NIGHT
Luther and Kerry-Jo waddle-running with Ibson in her arms.
LUTHER
I told you we didn’t oughta be hiding so goddam long!
KERRY-JO
What’s the big to-do, these poor things are as harmless as drunks, see!
She bundles one of the tottering sarcos to the floor, where it lies groaning and farting.
HOLLY
Hell Ma I wish getting through the mall was this easy.
Panting heavily, they reach their stateroom, tumble in and lock the door.
INT. HERSHITS STATEROOM – NIGHT
Kerry-Jo and Luther lean back against the door.
KERRY-JO
Hell’s bells there’s two on our balcony Luther! Here Hol take Ibby will ya? How’d they get there? Shit they’re fugly!
Luther creeps up on the sliding glass doors, then pulls one open fast. The sarcos barely react, but cough and splutter, and are too unsteady on their feet to stop Mr and Mrs H from shoving them over the balcony railings.
LUTHER
And they stink like a pissed racoons butt.
One flops with a snap or two of bone onto the balcony of stateroom below, the other bounces off the railings and into the sea.
KERRY-JO
Oh my dear God Luther, look.
They look across at seven levels of balconies on the opposite side of the aqua-theatre which their stateroom overlooks. It’s full of sarcos like a cliff of sea-birds, variously sitting, shuffling, moaning and grunting.
Luther and Kerry-Jo watch with open mouths and shaking heads.
VOICE FROM BELOW
Hey you fucktards up there!
Luther and Kerry Jo look down and see their neighbour below shouting up at them. The sarco has somehow got to his feet.
NEIGHBOUR
I already threw two of these into the sea!
The sarco staggers towards the man, who has no trouble pushing it over his railing into the sea.
Luther looks up at the balcony above them.
LUTHER
I guess that’s how we got ours.
KERRY-JO
Darn sorry neighbour! Hey, can you believe this is happening, like not even just on TV? What are we gonna do?
NEIGHBOUR
Get back inside, lock up, hunker down, hope to God the cavalry saves us!
They go back into their stateroom, lock the sliding doors. Holly is standing holding Ibson, tears welling up in her eyes. Luther brushes the light-switch wall-pad and the outside turns dusky, except for the neon lights of the twisting flumes. Muffled groans and crashes from the corridors and decks.
KERRY-JO
Can’t stand that awful noise. Can’t stand it.
Kerry-Jo switches on the massive curved screen OLED screen, showing a celeb reality show, two over-tanned under-dressed people trying to communicate with each other.
FADE TO:
INT. AMUSEMENTS HALL BREAK AREA – NIGHT
Bud and Ruben are sitting either side of Ammy; Rozo and Donna either side of DublZ, on a long bench that runs down the aisle between arcade pods. The lighting flickers and buzzes.
AMMY
That agreed then?
ROZO
What, go out there with those monsters? Why can’t you get that Hayley of yours to come down here?
AMMY
Two reasons, Rozo honey. The comms is down. Two she’s got to get to the life-craft if she hasn’t already, and so do we. And even if those sarcos can hardly walk, she won’t want to risk it on her own.
DUBLZ
That’s three reasons. But yeah.
AMMY
And there’s something else – even if you lot stay, there’s the nuclear protocol – I got to get back to that engine room and disengage the power plant. Bud you have to go with Rozo, I’ll find you. And Mo…
DRAKE
I’ll come with you.
AMMY
No – look after the others, but when you find Macavoy – if he’s not dead already, kill him slowly.
DRAKE
My pleasure.
AMMY
DublZ – take care of my girl will you, I’m gonna need your Mom. Donna? Sorry, but it’s gonna take two of us.
Donna glances at her son then nods.
DUBLZ
Sounds like a plan. What’s the worst that can…
He’s cut short by the sound and feel of an earthquake, shock waves rippling through the structure, knocking Drake off the seat. Before they can react there’s another, Rozo screams. Bud grabs his Dad’s arm and Ruben runs to hide under a digital soccer table. Drinks cans and paper cups begin rolling across the floor.
DUBLZ
…please tell me that wasn’t the nuclear power plant.
AMMY
Not a chance. Power plants can’t explode. That was the diesel engines. Or the tanks. Or both. Whichever, it’e worst.
INT. ENGINE ROOM – NIGHT
Water pouring into the engine room, another explosion fills the space with fire, pieces of machinery hurled through the air, bodies incinerated.
INT. AMUSEMENTS HALL – NIGHT
Another explosion thunders through, air-con ducts fall, one glancing Drake’s head and knocking him to the floor. The drinks bottles begin to roll back the other way, and faster. This time the listing doesn’t stop.
DUBLZ
(shouting)
How many diesel tanks are there?
AMMY
Three along each side.
Rozo goes to Drake, tears off some of her T shirt and ties it around Drakes’ bloody head.
BUD
Dad they can’t all go!
AMMY
I know. I’m guessing the risk assessments didn’t foresee a zombie plague.
DONNA
Ammy we’re not righting, we should be levelling shouldn’t we?
AMMY
We go now. Go! Bud, stick with Rozo, stay together, get up one level and follow the yellow signs, just grab the first life-craft, I’ll find you!
As they run to the glass doors along the sloping floor they see the sarcos tumble away. At 4O degrees a row of arcade games pods cascade down across the foyer of the gaming suite, dragging Rozo, DublZ, Drake and Ruben with them. As they pile up with the debris at the edge of the room Ammy, Bud and Donna roll on top. The lights go out for a second, then flicker on again.
INT. EDEN AERIAL VIEW – NIGHT
Circling high above the ship floating on her side with her port side hull rising out of the water, the sea around it erupting as air escapes, debris floating and bobbing to the surface, bodies in the water.
FADE TO:
INT. VR/AR ROOM – NIGHT
DRAKE
My leg’s … ah, shit, I hope that looks worse than it is.
DUBLZ
(shouting)
Rozo baby, baby you OK?
ROZO
Where’s Ruben? Ruben!
RUBEN
I’m kind of OK, I think. Can’t move.
The ship continues to roll, furniture, debris and people sliding and shifting around. The lights go out again and this time darkness smothers everything except screams and the noise.
At 90 degrees there’a pause, then the ship rolls even further, so that the everything begins to slide up walls to the ceiling, a tangle of bodies and debris. Screams.
FADE TO:
EXT. CAFE OVERLOOKING SAN FRANCISCO BAY – DAY
Qadira is reclining in a chair with a broad-brimmed hat shadowing her eyes. Opposite her sits a sharp-suited woman (DURAND) with short hair and narrow yellow sunglasses. Birds are chirruping and distant traffic is purring and a siren fading away.
DURAND
I promise you I don’t feel any better about it than you. But I think you do understand it’s necessary.
QADIRA
Yes, so you said. A choice between five thousand and seven billion.
So, when?
DURAND
As soon as the President can get his big head around it. Our closest aircraft carrier is an hour flight time away from the Eden.
QADIRA
I see. I suppose I should thank you for telling me.
DURAND
Fuck, Qadira, I never told you anything.
QADIRA
Of course. I never even saw you.
DURAND
One silver lining is they’ll use it for anti terror propaganda. A 9/11 for the millenials.
Shocked, Qadira looks away across the water at the sailing boats.
FADE TO:
INT. AMUSEMENTS HALL – NIGHT
Almost total darkness. Bud open his eyes, blinking, a thin green shard of light on his face. The sound of water sloshing, electrical cables sparking, Rozo groaning in pain.
DUBLZ
Anyone?
ROZO
Dub? Dub my head hurts, I think it’s broken. It’s wet. And I feel cold.
Rising water reaches Drake’s face and he wakes up, looks around.
AMMY
That’s because we’re in the sea.
DRAKE
Don’t want to be in the sea! How long was I out?
DUBLZ
So long I’ve grown a beard. A grey one.
DublZ’s head is poking out from under a piece of junk.
ROZO
Ruben? Donna?
AMMY
Bud, you OK?
Silence for a second or two.
BUD
I’m here.
RUBEN
Dude get this C3PO off me will you.
INT. EDEN AERIAL VIEW – NIGHT
Ship now 140 degrees from upright, ie 40 degrees from completely upside down. Four passenger decks visible on the port side. The long articulated arm has flipped open so the glass pod is floating on the sea.
INT. HERSHITS STATEROOM – NIGHT
On the sloping ceiling, Luther is scratching and rubbing his head very vigorously, while Kerry Jo is pouring a bottle of champagne down her throat. Holly is watching from the mezzanine underside, clutching baby Ibson who is crying.
KERRY-JO
Luther, honey, I’m burning up, I don’t know what to do!
LUTHER
What you need to do is keep away from me Kerry-Jo, I’m gettin’ crazy. Gimme that bottle! Gimme!
He lunges at her to take the bottle, she pulls back, and he grabs her by the throat.
Holly retreats with Ibson into the upside down bathroom, locks the door.
INT. HERSHIT EN-SUITE BATHROOM – NIGHT
Holly listens to them fight, with terror on her face, cuddling and rocking Ibson. Noises of tearing, growling, roaring, smashing furniture, and, more distant explosions. As the ship lists more, Holly catches a falling bottle of Calpol, dips her finger in it puts her finger in Ibson’s mouth.
INT. AMUSEMENTS HALL – NIGHT
With ship at about 140 degrees and the water level rising, Ammy and DublZ struggle to remove the strut to open the jammed glass doors.
DUBLZ
I don’t see no sarcos out there…
AMMY
Drowned I guess…
DRAKE
They’re under water, but they’re not drowned. Just waiting..
RUBEN
Their room is level 7 at the back, by the aqua theatre. They might still…
AMMY
Port or starboard?
RUBEN
Um…seven one four?
DRAKE
Somebody get something to lever these doors!
AMMY
(muttering)
seven fourteen…chance they’re still above water then…we need to get across up to the engine decks… find Hayley on the way…
DUBLZ
Let’s see if this works. Get clear.
DublZ hurls a metal chair at the glass doors. The door collapses in glass shards, Mo and Ammy fall back. He lifts Drake to his feet.
DUBLZ
Yep that works. Come on Ruben, let’s go find your folks before they…Can you walk OK, Mo?
AMMY
Donna, Rozo, with me OK?
But Rozo clambers over to DublZ.
ROZO
Ammy, sorry, I…
DUBLZ
Mom, you with me too?
DONNA
Ammy’s gonna need my help. Get Ruben’s family and get back up to us in the engine room – stay safe sweetheart.
Bud leaves Rozo and joins Ammy and Donna.
INT. EDEN CONCOURSE – NIGHT
Ammy’s legs in two feet of water, he’s armed with a metal table leg, and edges along the wall at the ceiling junction. Bud is behind, Donna at the back looking back – she’s holding a coil of acrobat’s wire. Lights flicker and buzz, a green EXIT light up ahead.
AMMY
Stay focussed guys, stair core twenty yards ahead, quiet and steady.
BUD
Dad!
AMMY
Shh.
BUD
Dad?
DONNA
We’re OK back here.
BUD
No, look.
A human head is bobbing in the water ahead just beyond the door. It’s blinking and gurning.
AMMY
Oh OK, fine, I’m gonna guess he’s pretty harmless without his body. Come on – careful.
INT. STAIRWELL – NIGHT
Drake, Ruben, Rozo and DublZ step unsteadily along the underside of the staircase, Drake limping. They reach the half-landing of the dog-leg and one by one lower themselves over the side. Come Drake’s turn he looks back.
DRAKE
Guys we’re being followed.
Two flights up, a tattered red and brown-stained figure is crawling towards them groaning and gnashing jagged red teeth.
DUBLZ
Well drop then!
DRAKE
Somebody catch me, my knee won’t hold up.
Rozo helps him down.
Next drop is flooded, cutting off the door to level 7. They wade to the drop and try to see through the dirty bloody water to the door. Suddenly a sarco breaches like a dolphin, swiping at them with claw-like hands, falling back under the water with a splash.
In a panic they stumble back to the previous drop.
DRAKE
Has to be another route.
DUBLZ
Maybe we can try level 6 and drop down via the balconies.
He hauls himself back up and grabs Rozo’s hand, pulls her up.
ROZO
Then what?
DublZ reaches down for Drake.
DUBLZ
Then we climb back up from balcony to balcony till we reach the boarding level, go and sit on the ship’s ass till rescue turns up.
At that moment the ship starts to roll again, further towards upside down. The water level rises more and more rapidly, bringing swimming sarcos with it.
DUBLZ
Quick man, gimme your hand. Jump! Aright hop then! But hop high!
INT. THE ACHLYS HELICOPTER – NIGHT
The helicopter is still sitting on the helipad, a large figure in the pilot’s seat.
GAGARIN
(in Russian)
Shit, the bitch is going under!
Against a dusky sky the distant silhouette of the Eden rolling anticlockwise, foamy water bubbling up around it.
GAGARIN
(in Russian)
and my fucking Z3 with it.
INT. STAIRWELL – NIGHT
Underwater sarco POV, distorted images of Drake and Ruben on the ledge. Agitated sarcos, swimming around like grotesque hungry sharks. Lithe but manic, occasionally trying to get onto the steel ledge of the inclined and unstable staircase, but a bit too clumsy out of water to make it.
INT. STAIRWELL – NIGHT
DublZ, Rozo and Drake back away, screaming and shouting, clamber up onto the next half landing just eluding the wild grasps of dead hands. Drake’s boot is clawed off into the water, a sarco tries to eat it.
ROZO
We can’t go on like this we have to get out of this stairwell!
DublZ pulls the door marked level 5 but the latch is jammed. A sarco flops up onto the landing like a seal, tries to get to his feet while lunging at them. Drake shoots it in the head but it makes no difference.
DUBLZ
Oh man why waste your rounds, shoot this fucking door lock!
He does, and another strenuous pull opens it against the weight of water. They squeeze through and it closes behind them.
DUBLZ
If we don’t see Ruben’s clan in there we’re not searching for them, no time for that shit. Soz Ruben.
Half a dozen sarcos lie on the sloping corridor ceiling, one is sat slumped upright against the wall, another is unsteadily on her feet looking around. When she notices the living she begins to stumble towards them.
DUBLZ
I ain’t never hit a woman before…not on a first night anyway.
DRAKE
Listen jokerman, she so much as touches you, you’ll end up like her.
RUBEN
Is that her…silicon things falling out?
ROZO
I can’t look at that.
DRAKE
We better be quick, this corridor’s gonna be filling with human sharks.
They edge past the sarcos on the floor, evading the groping arms, DublZ booting the woman over, and they scurry on, and into stateroom 514. It looks empty.
DRAKE
OK so we’re directly two above the Hershits’ suite, you three monkeys clamber down there and I’ll keep watch here.
INT. NARROW CORRIDOR – NIGHT
Ammy Bud and Donna run along the ceiling. It tilts and throws them off balance as behind them the water level chases them. Bud slips, his head goes under, Ammy sees a sarco swimming towards them like a tail-less croc, stops to pulls Bud up into his arms. The sarco growls at them unintelligibly, and Ammy boots the sarco’s face so hard his gory jaw flies off.
AMMY
Don’t talk back to a senior officer. Donna, it’s the door at the end, turn the wheel three quarters and heave.
As she does so another sarco lumbers into the corridor between them, chases after Donna and, after Donna goes through and closes the door, notices Ammy and Bud, and growls.
BUD
Can you kill it?
AMMY
Too late for that, we’re gonna have to try a different way.
Ammy puts Bud down and they run through the branch corridor the sarco had come from. It starts to shuffle after them, growling and dribbling.
EXT. BALCONY – NIGHT
Sitting on the balcony ceiling Drake hears his phone has a signal. A text notification. Sent half an hour ago.
If ur still on board u have 1 hr to get clear. So sorry Mo. Q
DRAKE
(muttering)
Thanks for the death-sentence.
(shouting)
What’s going on down there? Hey talk to me!
INT. HERSHIT’S PARTLY FLOODED STATEROOM – NIGHT
Rozo vomits. DublZ takes her arm and starts to edge backwards with her. The sounds of biting and chewing can be heard.
DUBLZ
(whispering in her ear)
OK so there’s nothing we can do here.
Four yards in front of them, semi-naked Mr and Mrs Hershit are engaged in a kind of 69, but actually eating each other’s flesh and gnawing on exposed bone, their movements clumsy and spasmodic, unnatural, mechanical. They hear the whispering and look up suddenly, blood-filled eyes straining to see.
DUBLZ
(whispering)
Sorry to intrude, we’ll see ourselves out.
ROZO
(squealing)
Holly and the baby!
DUBLZ
(whispering more hoarsely)
Not our scene baby!
RUBEN
I can’t leave them!
DUBLZ
Well I’m outta here and I ain’t leaving you.
Ruben steps forward and slides further down the ceiling into the room. Grabbing the baby monitor on the way, DublZ and Rozo clamber back up to the balcony. The Herhits turn to see Ruben and stagger toward him. Rozo and DublZ climb back up to Drake.
INT/EXT. LEVEL 5 BALCONY – NIGHT
Drake is sitting on the edge of the balcony underside
DRAKE
We need to get onto the hull now.
They look up, and above the next balcony there’s nothing to hold on to, no way to climb up.
DUBLZ
That ain’t gonna work bro.
He turns and points out to sea.
DUBLZ
But that might.
A hundred feet away is a glass pod bobbing up and down, the Albatross, its articulated tubular arm disappearing from view under the dark water. The water surface is broken by dozens of sarcos swimming around just beneath the surface, breaching occasionally for air, attacking each other.
DRAKE
It’s still connected to the ship.
ROZO
You crazy? We can’t swim there through that!
DUBLZ
Maybe we can. Wait here.
DRAKE
Hey we don’t have time!
DublZ jumps up to the level 4 balcony and vanishes into the stateroom.
INT. LEVEL 4 – NIGHT
DublZ gets in to the stateroom through open balcony doors, runs though to the corridor, and along to the shark cage bay – on the way respectively jumping, kicking and walking over three shit-stained, piss-sodden, blood soaked, half-naked sarcos.
INT. SHARK BAY – NIGHT
He goes straight to the cupboard door and is almost buried by a whole rack of wetsuits of various sizes, and a bag full of charged respirators.
DUBLZ
Shit how am I gonna get all this back?
He looks around.
DUBLZ
Holy baloney, what do we have here?
An electric shark prod is lying on the ceiling.
DUBLZ
Hello my old friend! Time for humans to see what it feels like!
INT. FLOODED CORRIDOR – NIGHT
Ammy and Bud are wading through three feet of water, with floating debris and indistinct body parts, the only light coming from green Exit lights.
AMMY
Just round this corner, there’s the maintenance passage.
The water depth reduces as they wade uphill along the sloping passage.
As they turn the corner the ceiling they’re walking on is above water level, but they find the end is blocked. The whole wall is buckled in.
BUD
How do we get through?
The ship is still moving, the water approaches them like an incoming tide. Ammy explores the end of the passage trying to find a way through, Bud tries to squeeze through the narrow gap, but fails.
AMMY
We have to go back. We’ll have to swim. You’ve swum underwater before?
BUD
No! I can’t go back through the water. I’ll drown!
AMMY
Just keep ahold of me.
BUD
Forget it! Let’s find a way through!
Bud pushes at the steel panel, and tries again to squirm through the narrow gap. The water level approaches them and rises
AMMY
There is no way son.
BUD
You haven’t tried.
AMMY
We got to go right now.
BUD
I’m not going back through there! There’s those things in there!
AMMY
Well we can’t stay here!
BUD
Don’t go!
AMMY
You don’t want to stay trapped here do you?
Bud climbs up to a different gap by the floor, Ammy helps him up, but it’s not large enough. The water level climbs.
AMMY
That’s it, good try but come down.
BUD
I’m not swimming underwater.
AMMY
Just open your eyes and hold your breath, and follow me.
BUD
Dad don’t go!
AMMY
Come on, take some deep breaths…
BUD
Dad I can’t.
AMMY
It’s now or never. Look we’re running out of space. And air.
BUD
No Dad, don’t leave me!
Ammy punches the wall in frustration.
AMMY
Aargh! Pity’s sake Bud! We’ll both die here!
BUD
You can’t leave me!
Ammy runs into the water. He turns to face his son.
AMMY
I’m coming back.
He dives under the surface. Bud’s eyes are wide with shock, he shakes his head and begins to tremble, backing up against the impassible end.
INT/EXT. LEVEL 5 BALCONY ROOF – NIGHT
The balcony roof Rozo and Drake are sitting on is dropping below the water level. The moon is beginning to peek through scudding black clouds.
DRAKE
So this is how I finish.
ROZO
Finish what?
DRAKE
My life.
ROZO
No, soon as Dub’s back, we’re getting to that bubble thing over there.
DRAKE
I doubt that. But it doesn’t matter. We’ve got about ten minutes left.
ROZO
Well I won’t give in. I want to see Dub again, and I want to see my Dad again. He’ll come through, I know it.
DRAKE
(laughing sarcastically)
It makes no difference Rozo, whether we get to the fucking Albatross or not. No difference. There’s bombers on their way. They’re going to nuke the whole place. I’m sorry.
DublZ, clad all in black now, appears at the railings above them, throws a pile of wetsuits beside them, and swings down.
DUBLZ
These things are tough enough to send sharks for dental treatment. Put them on.
Rozo gets up and hugs him and he kisses her.
DUBLZ
Time to kick sarco ass and get the fuck off this nightmare tub.
DRAKE
What for?
DUBLZ
What for? Look it’s only a couple of hundred feet or so, we can make it with this gear, I know it, and beside, what fucking choice is there man?
ROZO
He’s given up.
Clouds momentarily reveal the full moon, briefly illuminating the ship, the sea and the Albatross.
DUBLZ
Hey look there’s some dude already in there!
Mo and Rozo look, Drake recognises him, it’s Macavoy, and laughs. The moon hides again. Rozo selects one of the wetsuits and takes her GoPro off her head.
DRAKE
Know what? I’ve changed my mind.
INT. EDEN ENGINE ROOM – NIGHT
Donna is wandering through the upside down engine room, illuminated by small fires and emergency lights. She sees a corpse under a chunk of metal. She backs away, and it moves. Amongst the shadows and various levels there is more movement glimpsed, and, faint at first, moaning semi-human voices.
They stumble and crawl slowly, in all directions in the maze of gaps between machinery, below her and above, in front and behind. Yellow flashes of flame-light reveal agonisingly deformed faces, melted and grilled, Claw-like hands grab hold of railings, arms stripped to the bone clang against instrument panels. Boots crunch over glass, small debris and body parts.
Donna grimly winds the ends of acrobat wire around each hand to make lethal loop.
INT. SHARK CAGES BAY – NIGHT
Ammy is standing very still, holding a bag of respirators and looking around and about the large space. He is surrounded by dribbling sarcos, some walking, some crawling. Ammy notices of them had been Hayley and closes his eyes despairingly. Her white coat is shredded, skin grey, blood streaks from her mouth and across her torso. There’s no sign she recognises him.
They close in on Ammy chaotically.
AMMY
(his voice cracking)
Forgive me babe. I didn’t make it. Forgive me.
He looks around for something to use as a weapon.
INT. FLOODED CORRIDOR – NIGHT
Wedged up in the top corner of the flooded passage Bud is red-eyed and shaking violently with the cold, water up to his neck. He hugs himself, blinks rapidly, takes a last look around in the darkness, then closes his eyes. There are disturbances in the water, faint gurgling and splashes in the dark.
CUT TO:
INT./EXT. ALBATROSS – NIGHT
Macavoy is sitting at one end, at the other end is the mambo in ceremonial dress, grinning broadly and chanting incomprehensibly. Macavoy cuddles a black case with a digital readout on it. Suddenly the mambo shouts and throws a sprinkling of blood at Macavoy, who flinches and grits his teeth.
MACAVOY
You…are not…here!
The mambo giggles.
INT. FLOODED CORRIDOR – NIGHT
A few yards from Bud’s closed eyes the water surface ripples with a wake. Then it erupts as Ammy breaks surface wearing an aspirator.
Bud opens his eyes in terror, and his jaw drops.
Ammy holds up another aspirator complete with fixed flashlight.
AMMY
(panting)
Now, Bud old son of mine, you’re coming with me to hell. That’s what we call the engine room.
INT. ENGINE ROOM – NIGHT
An episode of choreographed fight with Donna kick-boxing, she decapitates one sarco with her wire, another with the circus sword.
DONNA
Hard to swallow huh?
The headless bodies and body-less heads remain animated by the Z3-OX, disgusting but little threat. Surrounded by four sarcos Donna jumps up onto a turbine unit and somersaults down the other side, where she loops her wire over a head super-fast and pulls. The extremely low blood pressure of the reanimated corpse means there is no blood fountain, just a thick custardy red ooze.
INT. CORRIDOR TO ENGINE ROOM LEVEL 3 – NIGHT
Ammy and Bud swim underwater, a sarco chasing like a demented shark – its swimming ability is awesome but its vision and wit is poor and it constantly bashes into obstructions, knocking loose or decaying bits off itself. They evade its ganshing teeth and razor finger-mails but just before they reach a mezzanine level to get up on to, the sarco manages to grasp Ammy’s foot. Ammy kicks it in the face but it doesn’t let go, sinks its teeth into the boot. Another kick to the head releases Ammy’s foot. They both get to the engine room door where they hear a commotion gradually subside.
Opening the door they look down on Donna standing panting heavily in the middle of a scene of butchery.
INT. ENGINE ROOM – NIGHT
Donna and Ammy look through a tangle of steel lattice beams and fallen gangways, towards a digital console with bright red numbers flashing and a keypad, upside down above a flooded floor.
AMMY
OK we’ve repeated the sequence enough times now, can you get to it?
DONNA
Only one way to find out.
INT. ENGINE ROOM – NIGHT
Donna wriggles through the tangle to the other side, close past the remains of an engineer which has turned sarco but is trapped and mangled. As she passes it opens its eyes and tries to dislodge itself but succeeds only in ripping its own head off.
Donna wades warily through the water to the panel, completes the sequence and is on her return when the pile of debris dislodges and collapses with her, pinning her underwater, just her hand above the surface.
Ammy’s radio comes to life.
DRAKE
Anyone?
Bud wriggles through and manages to get his respirator to her, and eventually Ammy lifts enough of the pieces of metal junk off her for her to get out.
AMMY
Drake!
DRAKE
(o.s.)
We’re gonna swim out to the Albatross, it’s floating out on the port side, over.
AMMY
Copy. We’ll try and join you. If I can grab some cordless tools from here I’ll free the arm so we don’t go down with the ship. Over.
DRAKE
(o.s.)
And Ammy listen, turns out Macavoy got there before us – be quick or you’ll miss an intersting conversation.
AMMY
Roger and out pal. OK you two let’s get outta here.
DONNA
Same way we came in?
AMMY
It’s the only way.
INT. ENGINE ROOM – NIGHT
Ammy, Bud and Donna are all pushing hard against the exit door.
AMMY
Must be that last roll. Something’s fallen on it.
DONNA
Or lots of somethings.
AMMY
A whole pile of somethings that won’t fuckin’ die is my guess.
They give up, exhausted.
AMMY
OK listen…just like Rozo’s gang, we’re on the port side, air pocket keeping this side a bit higher, right? But it’s leaking fast, you can see the water rising. The only way out for us now…is swim down through the starboard side and out through the blast holes in the hull. Bud?
Bud holds up his aspirator.
CUT TO:
INT. ENGINE RM STARBOARD – NIGHT
They clamber across the 30 degree lobby ceiling to the starboard section door. Ammy and Bud between them haul the door open and they step inside.
AMMY
Whoa.
They stare shocked at a lake of oily water churning with agitated sarcos, thrashing and writhing all over each other. Some of the sarcos try slithering up the metal slope like amphibious demons.
AMMY
Shoulda guessed this might be a popular pool.
As Donna follows them through, she knocks Bud’s hand off the door jamb, he slips and tumbles down the slope. Inches from the closest sarco he heel stops on a ceiling hatch handle.
AMMY
Donna grab my ankles!
Despite her acrobatic strengths she struggles to hold on, while Bud struggles to crawl up the west oily slope, and more sarcos join the chaotic scramble upwards. To help him reach his son’s hand Ammy takes off his vest and hangs it down to Bud, who grabs hold and clambers up.
Bud, Donna and Ammy crawl back through the door. Ammy throws pieces of sarco far into the sarco-lake to draw them away but they ignore it.
AMMY
Not fresh enough for ya.
DONNA
Let’s not go this way huh?
BUD
Dad is it game over now?
Ammy closes the door, bolts it, closes his eyes and shakes his head. He lifts the exhausted Donna off the floor and looks Bud in the eye.
AMMY
Not if we don’t know it is.
INT/EXT. LEVEL 5 BALCONY ROOF – NIGHT
Rozo gets her arms into the reinforced wetsuit and zips up the front with care.
DRAKE
Hey I wasn’t watching.
Rozo smiles, pulls the hood on and straps her GoPro onto her head.
ROZO
Everybody’s watching, Mo. Everybody.
DUBLZ
Do or die folks, use these sticks all the time, just not on each
other OK?
They each fit their aspirators and grab a shark-prod.
INT. ENGINE ROOM – NIGHT
Ammy, Bud and Donna are stepping over and sometimes on unrecognisable body parts.
AMMY
This is the secure utility duct linking hell to heaven. My guess is it’s free of bad guys.
Ammy throws a bag of tools onto the floor, picks out a wrench and begins taking out the nuts holding an access panel on to a large duct.
DONNA
And if not?
AMMY
There is no if not.
BUD
But why are we going down to the bridge instead of up towards hull ?
AMMY
Because right behind the bridge is the hollow arm of the Albatross.
The panel falls.
INT. LIFT SHAFT – NIGHT
They crawl steadily down the dark duct, which with various pipes and cables is only shoulders width.
AMMY
We’re approaching the water level. Aspirators on and try not to think about anything except following me.
INT. BRIDGE – NIGHT
The submerged upside down bridge is dark save for LED screens, but looks deserted. A corpse is floating face-down up near the floor. Looks like the Captain.
Suddenly a wall panel crashes into the water and Ammy emerges. While the other two swim out Ammy forces open the rear escape hatch of the bridge. The corpse opens its eyes.
Ammy prises the hatch open, turns to beckon the others and sees the sarco molesting Donna. Ammy stabs at the sarco’s head with the crowbar till it lets go of her. The three of them swim out through the hatch but fail to completely close it.
EXT. THE SEA BETWEEN THE EDEN AND THE ALBATROSS – NIGHT
Underwater, DublZ prods a sarco, it convulses madly, and floats down into the darkness. Drake swims past, followed by Rozo. More sarcos swim towards them, circling, in and out of visibility.
One lunges toward Rozo and bites her leg, but to no effect and she kicks it away. Sarcos surround them but they swim on, getting closer to the Albatross. The sarcos swim like crazed seals, very agile, very quick, but in a disorganised random way. When they bump into Drake they try to claw and bite but can’t get through the wetsuit. Rozo has more success twisting and turning to avoid contact but soon she is engulfed in a group of five of them, including a couple of young children. She hesitates to fight them just long enough for them to drag her downwards. DublZ sees and swims down to help, zapping four of them with the prod. They spasm insanely and let go involuntarily, and he pulls Rozo away.
The final ten yards are frantic, with more sarcos converging on them.
EXT. OUTSIDE THE ALBATROSS – NIGHT
As they try to pull themselves up onto the footplate around the Albatross itself, several sarcos are clinging to them. From the water they gesture frantically to the man inside.
ROZO
(screaming)
Let us in! What is your problem? Let us in!
DRAKE
That’s the last thing he wants to do.
DublZ manages to kick free and hauls himself up, then zaps a couple of the sarcos so Rozo can get up. The two of them bang on the door.
DUBLZ
The guy’s catatonic!
Drake continues to bash and push at the sarcos, whose attempts to bite and scratch and grasp fail to puncture the anti-shark wetsuit but keep him from climbing up. Rozo zaps them and pulls him up. All three carry on kicking the sarcos in the head as they swarm around.
DRAKE
He’s locked us out.
DUBLZ
Why the fuck would he do that?
DRAKE
Because he knows who I am.
INT./EXT. INSIDE THE ALBATROSS – NIGHT
Macavoy watches the mambo hallucination rise slowly to her feet, laughing devilishly.
MACAVOY
(o.s.)
What are you doing?
She opens the door and motions for Drake et al to come in.
MAMBO
Welcome, welcome, welcome!
MACAVOY
(o.s.)
Why would you do that?
She closes the door, turns back to Macavoy and opens her arms wide. Rozo and DublZ fall to the floor exhausted.
DRAKE
Thank you Macavoy, seems I misjudged you.
Macavoy is standing looking bewilderedly around the capsule, and the mambo is now nowhere to be seen.
DUBLZ
Wait. You guys know each other?
In the ensuing silence the albatross wobbles.
ROZO
Feel that?
DUBLZ
Sarcos banging into us.
DRAKE
No, it’s like it’s coming from inside.
He looks down into the sea at the arm disappearing into the darkness.
DRAKE
There’s something in the arm. Those things have got inside the arm.
They look at the floor hatch.
DUBLZ
We all gonna sit on that lid.
EXT. EDEN TOP DECK UPSIDE DOWN – NIGHT
Exiting the bridge at the rear, Ammy, Donna and Bud find the base of the Albatross articulated arm, a two foot wide tube, wrapped in steel tendons and electric cables. Ammy prises the end access panel off, there are rungs inside. He motions to the others to follow him, sees the sarco approaching Donna and points frantically.
Donna turns and decapitates it with her sword but others are approaching.
INT. ALBATROSS ARM – NIGHT
As the water rushes into the tube, Ammy, Bud and Donna enter in turn and half crawl half swim with the current along through the first tube. Another sarco squirms in right behind Donna, but there is no space for it to get past her. It claws at her feet as she tries to crawl along. She tries to kick it but the tube is too tight to bend her leg. So she reverses back into it, pushing it down until it has to double up, breaking its spine at the neck. Donna then catches up with Bud.
INT./EXT. ALBATROSS CAPSULE – NIGHT
The capsule is bobbing gently on the sea surface, the occasional wave breaking against the glass.
Macavoy backs away and sits at one end clutching the black case, looks up at Drake and smirks.
DRAKE
Yeah you could say we know each other. He’s my wife’s murderer.
MACAVOY
Ex-wife, you loser, ex. Oh man, was she over you.
Drake limps over, Macavoy stands up leaving the case on the floor and prepares to defend himself. Drake launches himself at Macavoy knocking him off his feet and begins punching his face. Macavoy pulls a knife from his belt and stabs Drake’s good leg, pushes him away and punches his face hard enough to send Drake reeling against the curved glass walls, Drake’s gun spinning across the floor to the other end. Drake goes for him again but this time Rozo and DublZ rush forward and pull him away.
DUBLZ
Hey you’re in no fit state man!
Macavoy then grabs Rozo, pulls her to him and holds his knife against her throat.
MACAVOY
He’s right of course, now I’m a mass murderer in fact, so, try not to make me cross.
ROZO
Keep away Dub!
They circle each other tensely, Macavoy nicks Rozo’s cheek. DublZ watches the blood dribble down, pretends to back off then suddenly rushes at Macavoy, grabs his knife wrist. They struggle and wrestle, Rozo gets free, but Mac takes the knife with his other hand and and plunges it into DublZ’s chest. DublZ falls heavily to the floor.
With Rozo hysterical Macavoy stabs Dublz several more times.
The floor hatch flies open and Ammy emerges, pulls Bud up. Rozo starts to run to him but Macavoy catches her and puts the knife to her throat again.
MACAVOY
My dear we should stop meeting like this.
EXT. UNDERWATER – NIGHT
The ship rolling deeper, dragging the Albatross arm lower, beginning to straighten it, surrounded by sarcos swimming and drifting aimlessly like goldfish in a tank.
INT./EXT. ALBATROSS CAPSULE – NIGHT
Ammy stands grimly facing Macavoy and Rozo. Bud is kneeling at the floor-hatch. Drake is sitting trying to stem the blood flow from his leg.
MACAVOY
Back away nicely now. Both of you
Ammy takes two steps sideways, still fixing his gaze unblinking on Macavoy.
Bud reaches down into the tube.
BUD
Donna? Take my hand! Donna!
Drake ties his shirt around his bleeding leg. Ammy turns his attention back to the tube, and points to DublZ.
AMMY
(points to DublZ)
Drake, see to him.
INT. TUBE – NIGHT
Donna looks up, sobbing.
DONNA
What’s happening up there?
Ammy’s face appears in the circle above
AMMY
(after a one second pause)
It’s all good Donna, come on! I need to uncouple the capsule or we’ll go down with the ship!
DONNA
Is Dublin there?
AMMY
He, he’s here Donna. You OK?
Donna looks downwards, tears fall from her cheeks.
Looking down on her we see Donna climbing away down the tube.
BUD
What are you doing? Donna!
DONNA
Where’s Dub?
AMMY
He’s here Donna, but you see he’s hurt, he’s sorta, out cold – he slipped and fell, but he’ll be OK. He’s really OK.
DONNA
You know, I have to go. I can feel it already, it’s too late for me. Tell him I always loved him, even when…just tell him…
Donna smiles, almost laughs.
Close up Donna’s face. It begins to spasm and shake, the colour starts to change. Suddenly her face falls out of view down into the dark tube.
INT. ALBATROSS – NIGHT
Rozo petrified with a knife to her throat. Macavoy looking almost as scared.
AMMY
(composing himself)
Okay Mr Macavoy, I think you’d agree, this can go just one of two ways. One. I come and take that knife off you and you go sit back down peacefully without your knife and we all wait for rescue. Two. I come to take the knife and you cut that woman’s throat and I skin you alive and shove your scrawny bollocks down your neck. Then I kill you.
Nobody notices Bud quietly taking the black case.
AMMY
So let’s see which of those you choose, Mr Macavoy.
Macavoy’s face falls from determined to despairing.
INT./EXT. ALBATROSS – DAWN
Drake is slumped against the glass, Macavoy at the other end is sitting staring at Bud. Halfway between them, with the black case, Ammy and Rozo are staring out at the slightly brightening horizon. Ammy turns to Macavoy.
AMMY
Good choice by the way.
Macavoy opens his mouth to reply, but the roar of a jet builds rapidly and it screams overhead and away.
ROZO
Rescue.
DRAKE
Sorry my friends but no, that’s just the first pass. You’ll hear just one more.
Drake pulls out a photo of Rebecca from his trouser pocket. It’s crumpled and sodden but he smiles at it.
They all hear a noise bizarrely coming from DublZ’s body. A child’s cry.
Rozo jumps up, and fishes from his pocket the baby monitor they took from the Hershit’s stateroom.
ROZO
Oh my God? Must have switched on when he…fell. Must be those Hershit kids, but…
DRAKE
Well pray for their souls, we all got no more than ten minutes.
Drake’s face is white, his shirt now completely red.
FADE TO:
INT. ALBATROSS – DAWN
Ammy is squatting down facing his son and grasping his shoulders firmly.
BUD
No, not again!
Rozo gets to her feet.
AMMY
I did come back, before, didn’t I? I will this time too. We just don’t have time to talk this through. If you were those poor kids down there you’d want someone to come rescue you wouldn’t you?
BUD
Dad, your head’s still bleeding…you got to stay. You wont make it.
ROZO
(o.s.)
Fucksake Ammy stay with him for once, probably your last few minutes. You’d never make it down there and back anyway.
Ammy looks up to see that Rozo has started getting back into her wetsuit. The black case is open and she’s sticking a needle in her bare arm.
EXT. ALBATROSS – DAWN
The albatross side door slides open and Rozo dives out and into the inky waves with hardly a splash.
MACAVOY
That’s the last we’ll see of that bitch.
EXT. UNDERWATER – DAWN
Raggedy sarcos emerge from the darkness around her as Rozo starts to swim down towards the moonlight-sketched outline of the rear end of the ship. With every stroke she swims more powerfully. She’s wearing one respirator and holding in her right hand Macavoy’s knife and in her left the other respirator, her GoPro strapped on her head.
EXT. UNDERWATER – DAWN
GoPro POV of Rozo slicing and stabbing at sarcos and evading their clutches. After a loud slicing sound a detached head tumbles across view and away. The swimming sarcos are now quick as blood-crazed sharks, and as unpredictable underwater as they are above it. With their eyesight wrecked they collide into each other, but they can smell Rozo, lunge and grasp at her.
EXT. UNDERWATER – DAWN
Z3-enhanced Rozo swims with superhuman agility through a cloud of sarcos and fish, acrobatically slicing through a gnashing sarco’s neck that got too close. In seconds she has reached the Hershit’s balcony and swims into the totally submerged upside down stateroom. Still underwater she takes off her own respirator and looks around. Fishes nibble at a few small body parts.
INT. BEDROOM CORNER AIR POCKET – DAWN
The air pocket is now very small, Holly’s eyes are closing, but Ibson is wide awake. In the quiet we hear the sound of water slooshing getting louder, and objects colliding in the water. Ibson screws up his eyes and cries, Holly perks up. Their faces are pressed up against the floor/wall junction, but there is light in the water below them.
INT. HERSHITS STATEROOM – DAWN
Rozo twirls around when she hears Ibson’s cry, and darts up to the corner of the room. She looks behind a bed at a small pair of legs standing on the underside of a bookshelf and smiles.
INT. ALBATROSS – DAWN
Amid the noise of chopper rotors a rescue ladder bangs against the glass just by the bloody gull-cack smears.
DRAKE
I can’t be climbing that.
Looking up from Albatross they see it leads to a small sea-copter with the letters GAGA on the side, a man looking down from the open side door.
INT./EXT. HELICOPTER – DAWN
Ammy appears way below in the spotlight on the edge of the Albatross footledge, looking up at us .
GAGARIN
(yelling)
I want that case! And you’re running out of time!
INT. ALBATROSS – DAWN
Macavoy approaches Bud and takes hold of the black case, Ammy comes back in, spins him round and knocks him out with a right hook, drags him over to where Drake is still sitting, losing blood. Ammy takes out five little syringes and gives them to Drake.
AMMY
Give him an overdose of his own medicine will you.
EXT. UNDERWATER – DAWN
Looking up, through a swarm of sarcos, at the outline of the Albatross in the dancing light from the chopper, and the patterns on the water surface. The sarcos swim slowly until a fish is within reach, then snaffle it with inhuman quickness. As it’s not human flesh they then eject it, but they never learn, clawing and scrapping with each other.
EXT. HELICOPTER – DAWN
Ammy holds up the black case and shouts
AMMY
Is this yours?
GAGARIN
(also shouting)
Where is Macavoy?
AMMY
He’s in a bad way right now.
GAGARIN
Hurry up the ladder!
AMMY
Not till my daughter gets back!
Gagarin sputters with laughter.
GAGARIN
That lady by now either dead or sarco! Let’s go!
EXT. UNDERWATER – DAWN
Looking up through the sarcos, as they circle each other and scrap over fish, their serrated elongated nails tearing at the remnants of trousers and dresses, jaws mutating to accommodate ever larger teeth. Suddenly Rozo appears amongst them, swimming up incredibly fast holding a back pack under one arm and a bigger one on her back. The sarcos try reach and claw and bite her, those that she fails to evade break their teeth or claws on the wetsuit. She reaches the surface.
INT. ALBATROSS – DAWN
As Ammy is staring into the depths Rozo breaks surface and with one arm hauls herself onto the ledge of the Albatross. Drake chuckles in delighted amazement.
DRAKE
(chuckling in delighted amazement)
Hey Macavoy, seem like your spooky drug really works!
Rozo empties the bags’ contents onto the floor – baby Ibson sucking on an aspirator. Holly removes hers and hurls it away.
Ibson starts yelling.
HOLLY
(gasping, hardly able to move)
He’s hungry. I’m hungry. And I need a drink of water!
EXT. HELICOPTER – DAWN
Looking down, Bud, followed by Holly, then Rozo holding Ibson, then Ammy, climbing up into the chopper. Suddenly the chopper tilts.
GAGARIN
(to himself)
Steady Pilot Gagarin, steady!
EXT. LADDER – DAWN
Ammy looks down and sees that two sarcos have grabbed hold of the bottom rung and are trying unsuccessfully to climb up.
AMMY
Go! Get a move on!
But two more climb up over them, using their claw-like hands. Bud climbs further up more quickly, but Holly is struggling. Bud gets into the chopper and reaches down towards Holly.
EXT. UNDERWATER – DAWN
There are now dozens of sarcos congregating beneath the bottom of the ladder, fighting to get past each other to the four sarcos who are clinging on. Once one succeeds others crawl up over and onto the ladder, and up to Ammy. He passes the case to Rozo.
EXT. LADDER – DAWN
The chopper is unstable and can’t lift due to the mass of sarcos. Ammy reaches down to try and cut the rope ladder with Macavoy’s knife, but sarcos stretch up and swipe at his forearm. He tears his arm away but they then grab his legs and climb up higher.
AMMY
Go, Go!
Ammy starts cutting at the rope by his head, cuts through one rope, begins on the other one.
ROZO
What are you doing?
AMMY
Just go! Rozo give this to Bud!
Looping one arm over a rung he takes his CHENG armband off and throws it to Rozo who catches it in her teeth.
BUD
DAD NO! DON’T DO IT!
Rozo tearfully climbs down and reaches for Ammy, but he’s cutting through.
EXT. HELICOPTER – DAWN
Bud almost falls out, Holly pulls him back
BUD
Dad! No!
EXT. LADDER – DAWN
Ammy stops cutting, shouts up to Rozo.
AMMY
Rozo you did good, but they got me. Tell Bud he’s…he’s the Cheng now.
Ammy cuts through the ropes and falls with the mountain of sarcos into the sea.
INT. ALBATROSS – DAWN
The pale and groggy Drake injects a syringe-full into Macavoy’s neck, throws it down with another four used ones.
DRAKE
This should be interesting. I wish you had a bigger audience, but at least I’m here to laugh at you..
Drake takes out the photo of Rebecca.
DRAKE
Well honey, he’s killed thousands but we got him. You know, I’m really glad you and I had some time together, it was good, and I know you forgave me.
Drake looks up at Rozo climbing into the sea-copter and the ladder being pulled in.
The chopper wheels away and flies out of view.
INT. ALBATROSS – DAWN
Macavoy begins to spasm, wakes up with cloudy eyes, tries to get to his feet but has no control over his limbs or anything else.
DRAKE
Good luck to them eh Mac, I’d rather be here with you, bleeding to death.
Drake shuffles to the other end of the capsule, and watches Macavoy thrashing and gurgling. He begins to suffer like a spectacularly bad Spice trip. The excessive Z3 nano-drug in his system is competing with itself, building grotesque adaptations, his spine elongating, his hands and feet becoming webbed and spidery, his muscles stretching translucent skin, his head shaking rapidly.
MACAVOY
Help me Drake, help me! I did nothing, it was Satoshi!
DRAKE
Don’t fret Macavoy, you can argue about that with him in hell, apparently he’s hanged himself.
Drake smiles at the damaged photo of smiling Rebecca posing in bikini and sarong on a wide sunny beach.
DRAKE
(o.s)
Be with you real soon Becca.
INT. ABATROSS – DAWN
Macavoy grows more deformed, tearing his clothes and lacerating himself. He tries to cry out but now merely gurgles and coughs, black gunk spewing from his widening mouth. His skin ripples, pulses and rips. Macavoy has become a throbbing wriggling mess of deformed limbs and lumpy flesh, blood oozing thickly from his eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and from splits in his skin. As he judders he tries to speak, tries to blink but it’s impossible.
DRAKE
Here it comes.
INT. EDEN TOP DECK – DAWN
Overview from the Eden hull underside as a military jet approaches from distance, roars overhead then banks left and flies away into the distance. A few seconds later a missile heads straight towards the ship.
INT. ALBATROSS – DAWN
Macavoy’s head shakes so vigorously his neck snaps but his body continues to convulse, and he still tries to speak. Then it stops.
EXT. EDEN – DAWN
Overview of ship as the missile impacts and everything erupts with fire.
INT. ALBATROSS – DAWN
Viewed from inside the Albatross the Eden is destroyed in a screen-filling explosion that engulfs the Albatross in a split second. The amorphous mass that had been Macavoy vanishes along with Drake.
INT. HELICOPTER COCKPIT – DAWN
All lights go out, the instrument panel flashes and goes dark. The explosion is reflected in the windscreen and a second later they’re jolted out of their seats as the shockwave hits. The sound of the explosion follows and the copter starts to bank and swerve.
INT. BACK OF HELICOPTER – DAWN
Rozo almost drops Ibson as she’s thrown around, Holly and Bud tumble. Rozo is still wearing her GoPro. Rozo cries out in panic.
GAGARIN
Do not worry. Everything is under control! Your pilot knows what to do.
The copter spins faster.
GAGARIN
Mayday, mayday…
EXT. UNDERWATER – DAWN
Limp sarcos sink in the boiling sea water, twitching. Follow one down as its skin and muscles disintegrate.
Pulling back, we see hundreds of sarcos sinking, becoming less recognisable as human forms.
Pulling back further, a cloud of vaguely humanoid shapes sinking, soon all motionless.
EXT. THE SEA – DAY
Against a colourful sunrise the sea-copter spins down towards the sea. It hits the water with a big splash, flips to the side, its rotors hit the water and spin the copter round, it flips the other way and miraculously settles on its floats.
EXT. SEA BED – DAY
With remnants of the Eden falling through the water, a shark approaches head on and opens its mouth, swerves and takes a bite out of a sarco falling to the sea-bed. That shark is joined by others, as the sarco-meat rains down.
FADE TO:
INT. BACK OF HELICOPTER – DAY
Holly is cradling Ibson, Rozo is unconscious on the floor, GoPro knocked off beside her. Gagarin slowly gets out of his seat. He carefully manoeuvres himself into the cramped back of the copter. Ibson starts crying hard.
INT. BACK OF HELICOPTER – DAY
Bud is cradling the black Z3-OX case.
GAGARIN
That was good landing. We are all OK, you are OK? I am OK. Woman she is breathing, that is good. Even crying baby is good, crying is what baby do. You boy give me case please thank you.
Bud makes no move, just looks away.
GAGARIN
Hello boy, that is my case, hand it over, please thank you.
Bud looks him in the eye, then he looks out of the open side of the chopper.
GAGARIN
Ah, no, do not get bad idea. Thanks you for keeping it safe, I will give you big reward if you hand it to me now without me need to kill you. I am billionaire.
He bends down to take the case from Bud.
HOLLY
Sir, you ain’t no billionaire!
GAGARIN
(straightening up to his full height)
Not billionaire? Ha! What do you know, pretty little bitch?
Holly pulls Drake’s gun from under the baby and points it at Gagarin’s chest.
HOLLY
I know you’re a cunt.
She smiles coyly and squeezes the trigger, Gagarin’s face explodes and blood splashes the chopper’s windscreen. Holly slams back against the metal wall, her face a picture of shock. Gagarin falls back in a heap. Rozo jolts awake.
HOLLY
What?…I, I aimed at his chest!
FADE TO:
EXT. HELICOPTER – DAY
Rozo, and Bud wearing Ammy’s CHENG armband, roll Gagarin’s body to the sill.
BUD
Let’s deep six this bag of cack.
They push it into the water.
INT. HELICOPTER – DAY
Through the open sides of the helicopter we see the bright horizon, while, inside the copter, Rozo, cradling Ibson, is sobbing. Bud’s arms are wrapped around Holly.
The sound of water lapping against the chopper is gradually added to, by another splashing sound.
After a while Rozo notices someone swimming towards them. She nudges Bud, he looks out.
BUD
FADE TO:
EXT. UNDERWATER – DAY
Track down through the waves and under the surface – the water becomes darker and darker as the credits roll but, before it gets too dark to see, we follow Gagarin’s body finally reaching the sea floor, where a basking shark is at the centre of a violent sarco feeding frenzy.
END
aka smith 