Terror Ship

By H. Copella
FADE IN: EXT. CRUISE SHIP -- NIGHT We see the elegant cruise ship with all of its lights on while sailing on the dark ocean. Fire tears through the stern of the ship. EXT. DECK -- NIGHT We see male and female passengers running frantically along the ship's deck in a panicked state. We hear frightened screams. We see a young woman, Harley Newcastle, appear on deck. She appears frightened and watches the mass panic. The fire rages. For an instant, all sounds stop and we only hear Harley's breathing and her heart beating. The sound returns loud and clear to the fir and the screams. The boat tilts sharply and Harley is tossed over the railing. EXT. OCEAN -- NIGHT We see Harley plummet into the dark waters below. She frantically thrashes to reach the surface while attempting to scream. INT. HARLEY'S BEDROOM -- NIGHT Harley suddenly flies up in her bed with a sharp scream. She gasps then looks around her bedroom with some disorientation. She shuts her eyes, groans softly, and collapses onto the bed. EXT. PORT -- MORNING We see the cruise ship docked at the port. The massive, elegant cruise ship sits impressively in the water next to the dock. Passengers board the ship through special covered walkways. We see Harley approach the ship with her briefcase and carry-on bag. She's dressed professionally in a smart business suit. Another woman, Carla, walks alongside Harley and admires the impressive vessel. CARLA Ms. Merryweather will be along any minute, I assure you. There were some traffic issues, but she wanted you to get settled in and work on your proposal for Mr. Underwood. Harley looks at the ship, appears momentarily distracted, and suddenly stops. Carla appears to realize Harley is no longer beside her and looks back.

CARLA The gangplank is this way. Harley stares at the ship a moment longer with a look of dread. HARLEY I just had a terrible flashback from my dream. CARLA It was just a dream, Harley. You and Ms. Merryweather have a once in a lifetime opportunity to bring Mr. Underwood onboard with the company. This is the chance you've been looking for. Harley looks to Carla and smiles. HARLEY I'll stay focused. I intend to prove myself. CARLA Good. Now let's get you onboard, so I can breath a sigh of relief. Seeing you onboard is my only responsibility, and I can't afford to screw up again. I'll tell you, I've quit better jobs than this. INT. SHIP'S LOBBY Harley enters the ship's massive, multilevel lobby and stops to look around. We see glass elevators, chandeliers, detailed woodwork, and expensive artwork. Harley appears impressed. She turns and runs into a fairly handsome man in his early forties, Ford Runnald. Both appear embarrassed. HARLEY I'm so sorry. I should have been watching where I was going. FORD And I'm mildly lost. It's a pleasure to meet you. (extends hand) I'm Ford Runnald. HARLEY Harley Newcastle. They politely shake hands.

FORD Perhaps between the two of us, we can find our way out of this lobby. Harley smiles and points toward the elegant staircase. HARLEY I'm supposed to go that way to B-deck. My firm's very reliable secretary told me so. FORD B-deck? That's where I'm heading. Mind if I follow you? HARLEY You can if you'd like. But I won't promise we won't still get lost. EXT. CRUISE SHIP -- MORNING We see passengers waving and throwing streamers as the ship pulls away from the dock. The ship's horn sounds and promotes excitement and anticipation. INT. HARLEY'S CABIN We see Harley's cozy yet somewhat elegant cabin complete with bed and mini-bar. Harley paces the small cabin while reading over some notes. Her cabin phone rings. Harley hurries to the phone and answers it. HARLEY Hello? MARGO Harley, listen, this is extremely important. HARLEY Margo, thank God. I was beginning to worry. MARGO I was delayed. I'm not on the ship. Harley's expression drops. HARLEY What? MARGO I'm making arrangements to meet the boat at the next port, but that's not until

tomorrow. I need you to meet with Mr. Underwood, explain what happened, and keep our dinner meeting with him tonight. HARLEY By myself? MARGO You can do it, Harley. I'm sending my notes to the ship as we speak. If we miss this opportunity, we probably won't get another one. HARLEY I'll take care of everything, but make sure you make the next port. MARGO You'll be fine. I'll see you tomorrow. Harley hangs up the phone and appears concerned. HARLEY No pressure, Margo. If I screw this up, I may as well jump overboard. INT. CASINO We see the well-appointed ship's casino complete with table games, bar, and rows and rows of slot machines. Harley looks around the casino then approaches a high limit blackjack table. We see a wealthy looking man at the table. He's also the only man playing. The man in his late forties is Taylor Underwood. Another man stands near the table and watches the hundred dollar hands being played. The other man, Damon, is a sturdy built, ruggedly handsome man in his mid-thirties. Harley pauses near Taylor and presents her most professional smile. HARLEY Mr. Underwood-Taylor doesn't even look at her. TAYOR I'll have another scotch on the rocks, dear. HARLEY Mr. Underwood, I'm Harley Newcastle with Rollin and Sheraton Enterprises. Taylor looks to Harley, gives her a quick once over, and then smiles and

extends his hand. TAYOR Miss Newcastle, it's a pleasure. Harley appears relieved and shakes his hand. He then looks around. TAYOR Where's Ms. Merryweather? HARLEY She was unexpectedly delayed, but she will be joining us at the next port. Taylor appears displeased and turns toward her in his chair. TAYOR What about our dinner meeting tonight? I'm on a tight schedule. HARLEY Yes, Sir. I'm in possession of her notes and the proposal. She asked that we proceed with the meeting as planned. Taylor studies Harley a long moment in silence. He plays with his chips with almost certain annoyance. He finally smiles. TAYOR Okay. I'll give you the opportunity to submit her proposal. Understand, I'm not always this accommodating. HARLEY I appreciate your understanding, Sir. TAYOR Do you have a copy of Ms. Merryweather's proposal? HARLEY Uh, yes. It's back in my cabin. Taylor turns back toward the table and places a two hundred dollar bet. TAYOR My assistant, Damon, will escort you to your cabin. You can give the copy to him. Harley glances at Damon, who eyes her with a serious, emotionless expression. He's stern and creepy.

HARLEY Yes, of course. Taylor waves them off. Harley uncertainly leaves the table with Damon following. INT. CORRIDOR Harley walks along the corridor and glances to Damon, who walks near her. He maintains his emotionless expression. Harley attempts a smile. HARLEY Did you just start as Mr. Underwood's assistant? What happened to Jean? Damon glances briefly at Harley and appears unaffected. DAMON Jean doesn't get on well with ships. HARLEY Understandable. This is my first ocean venture. Have you traveled with Mr. Underwood before? DAMON Yes, extensively. I'm his personal guard. Harley glances at Damon with a somewhat surprised look. She manages a polite smile and nods. INT. HARLEY'S CABIN Harley sorts through a stack of papers in her briefcase while Damon casually looks over her cabin. She glances back at him and his compulsion to pry. She appears extremely tense by his presence in her cabin and his interest in her scattered items. She attempts to search through her papers more quickly. Damon casually picks up a bottle of perfume and smells it. He raises a brow and eyes the bottle. Harley locates the papers and turns toward him with a forced smile. HARLEY Here are the papers. She extends them to him. He eyes the papers, casually replaces the perfume in no particular hurry, and then takes the papers from her. He casually turns and leaves her cabin without a word. Harley stares after him and rubs her hands along her arms. HARLEY Okay, he scares me.

EXT. DECK -- AFTERNOON Harley approaches the railing, leans on it, and stares into the ocean. She shuts her eyes, groans softly, and runs her fingers through her hair. FORD You don't have the required enthusiastic look of most people onboard. Harley looks behind her. Ford smiles and joins her by the railing. FORD Not enjoying your trip? HARLEY I'm not required to. I'm here on business--extremely stressful business. FORD Pretty sad. You're mean to enjoy yourself on these things. HARLEY I'll enjoy the cruise once tonight is out of the way. FORD Business meeting tonight? HARLEY Yes, over dinner. My boss was delayed, so I'm on my own. FORD I'm sure you'll be ready for a few drinks after that. Maybe I'll run into you later-in the lounge. Harley studies him a moment then smiles. HARLEY That sounds wonderful. INT. DINING ROOM -- EVENING We see the elegant dining room filled with well-dressed men and women. A live band plays and some dance to the music. Harley enters the dining room in her black evening dress. She looks absolutely stunning--and tense. She puts on a smile and approaches Taylor's table. Taylor and Damon are seated at a table near the back. She pauses before the table and

attempts a look of confidence. HARLEY Good evening, Mr. Underwood. Both men look to her. Taylor smiles, politely stands, and indicates the vacant seat beside him. Damon stands as well and casually pulls out the chair for her. She eyes Damon with some surprise. He doesn't make eye contact with her. TAYOR Be sure to notify me as soon as you get a response. DAMON Yes, Sir. Damon's eyes stray past Harley before he leaves the dining room. Taylor offers a humored smile. TAYOR I find meetings go more smoothly without Damon. He can be quite intimidating. Harley smiles pleasantly but doesn't comment. HARLEY Have you had a chance to review the proposal? Taylor smiles, sips his wine, and casually leans back in his chair. TAYOR Yes, I have. I very much like what I see. We just need to iron out a few of the minor details, and see where it gets us. HARLEY Very good. Where would you like to start? Taylor smiles and leans forward on the table. TAYOR Your boss was very clever to send you. I'd like to continue this meeting back in my suite over champagne. If you accept my terms, we can close the deal and you'll be very popular with your company.

Harley's expression suddenly drops. She immediately becomes uncomfortable then offended. HARLEY I don't conduct business that way. TAYOR Then you won't get very far. I suggest you consider my proposal very carefully. There's a very good reason why your boss sent you here. If you're going to succeed, you'd better learn to play all your cards. Harley stares at him a moment in silence. He smiles smugly and leans back in his chair. Harley casually stands and glares at him. HARLEY I think this meeting is over. Good night, Mr. Underwood. Harley casually turns and leaves the dining room. EXT. DECK -- EVENING Harley walks along the deck, pauses near the railing, and leans on it while holding her head in trembling hands. She sniffs softly. LONI You too, huh? Harley looks several feet down the deck. We see a woman close to Harley's age wearing a stunning red gown. She's Loni Dancheck. She smiles and approaches Harley. HARLEY Excuse me? LONI I know the anguish of an encounter with an insensitive man. Harley laughs softly and appears to relax considerably. HARLEY Not so much insensitive as indecent. LONI It's all the same in the end. Anger, rage, hostility-(pause) Mine broke up with me two days before

the cruise. Apparently his girlfriend on the side had more to offer. (pause) Thankfully the tickets were booked under my name. So I'm planning a drunken gambling spree. HARLEY I'll join you on the first part. LONI I think I have a healthy head start over you. You'll need to do a couple of shots to catch up with me. INT. DINING ROOM We see Ford sitting at the Captain's table with Captain Reeves and the ship's doctor, Dr. Jenkins. FORD It must be a real honor to be at the helm of such a fine ship. REEVES It was always a passion of mine. I suppose that's why I never had time to take a wife. The sea is my one true love. Carlton, another passenger, chuckles softly. CARLTON More opportunities for romance on the high seas. I'm sure a man in your position has plenty of fine women hanging about. REEVES Considering my position, I'm required to respond respectfully toward that question. CARLTON I'll take that as a confession, Captain. There's a round of laughter. A lanky waiter, Benson, approaches their table and refills their water glasses. Ford casually leans toward Benson and slips him a napkin and a twenty dollar bill. FORD Would you see that the young lady at

that table gets this? Benson remains close to Ford while pouring his water. BENSON (soft) There was a minor altercation. She stormed out on their dinner about twenty minutes ago. I tried to get over here to tell you. Ford looks at Benson, appears curious, and smiles. FORD I actually like the sound of that. Ford slips Benson the twenty then slides his chair back and smiles to the other men. FORD Gentlemen, I'll have to excuse myself. Forgive me, but something extremely important has come up. Enjoy your dinner. Ford stands and leave the dining room. Carlton chuckles. CARLA Sounds like someone has a hot date. Moments later. Everyone appears to be having a good time. We see a woman get up from her table, clutch her stomach, and collapse to her knees. Her husband runs to her side. Dr. Jenkins hurries across the dance floor. We hear a shrill scream. A woman leaps up from her table as he husband falls to the floor. Before Dr. Jenkins even reaches the first woman, we see three more passengers collapse. Capt. Reeves jumps up from his table and looks around. We se men and women collapsing throughout the dining room. Men and women being to panic at the fallen passengers. Dr. Jenkins tends to the first person he reaches. Capt. Reeves hurries to him as he examines the woman. REEVES What's happening? Is it food poisoning? Jenkins looks from the dead woman to the captain with concern. JENKINS It's more serious than that. Reeves appears stunned. Both look around the dining room. We see passengers tending to others. Many more begin to collapse.

JENKINS Radio for emergency assistance. Reeves hurries for the nearest phone and contacts the bridge. Jenkins stands and suddenly clutches his stomach. EXT. DECK -- EVENING Harley and Loni laugh like old friends. Loni remains in a drunken state of giddy. LONI Let's get something to eat and have a couple of drinks. Then we're going to hit the nightclub and flirt with everything male. HARLEY You can have my half of the male population. I'll come along for the drinks. Both laugh and leave the deck. INT. DINING ROOM Harley and Loni enter the dining room and immediately stop. Both stare with stunned looks. Everyone within the dining room is lying dead on the floor or across the tables. LONI Harley-Harley slowly and uncertainly approaches a dead crew member lying face down. She gently turns him over. We see Capt. Reeves with a gunshot to his head and a pool of blood beneath him. Harley gasps and falls onto her backside. Loni helps pull Harley to her feet as she scrambles frantically with a look of horror in her eyes. Both look around the dining room. There are over one hundred dead men and woman. HARLEY My God--it's a massacre. We need to get to the bridge. They'll know what to do. Loni remains stunned as she appears to quickly sober. Harley pulls her from the dining room. INT. BRIDGE Harley slowly enter the bridge with Loni just behind her. Both stop and look

around with shattered expressions. We see ten crew members lying dead on the floor. Blood soaks through their white uniforms and surrounds them in a pool. LONI (whisper) Is everyone onboard dead? Harley approaches the smashed console and frowns. HARLEY We're not calling for help from here. We need to find another way to call out. LONI My cell phone is back in my room. HARLEY We're too far out. I lost my signal hours ago. (pause) Everyone can't be dead. If we're alive, there has to be others. Harley slowly looks around the bridge. We see empty bullet shells scattered along the floor and many holes in the walls along with blood spatters. HARLEY The people who did this have automatic weapons. We need to warn the others who may still be alive. LONI The fire alarm. That'll alert everyone. HARLEY No, that'll just lure the survivors onto the deck. They'll be easily gunned down. Harley looks over the smashed console and points to the intercom. HARLEY The intercom-The fire alarm suddenly wails. Harley and Loni exchange looks and appear alarmed. LONI Was that them?

HARLEY I don't know, but we have to do something. Harley turns on the intercom. EXT. DECK -- EVENING We see passengers hustling their way to the deck while exchanging their concerns. HARLEY Attention, all passengers. Terrorists have taken control of the ship. Avoid the decks. It's a trap. Run! Hide! Now! The passengers stop and look around with bewilderment. Men dressed in crew uniforms appear in the doorway. CREWMEN Everyone to their lifeboat stations. The passengers appear reluctant. The Crewmen raise their automatic guns and fire at them. The passengers scatter. The sounds of gunfire alert approaching passengers. INT. BRIDGE Harley hurries toward Loni and rushes her to the nearby door. HARLEY We need to vacate--immediately. Loni looks out the doorway. Her expression drops. LONI Oh, shit. We have company! (to Harley) Plan B? Harley grabs Loni's arm and pulls her to the opposite doorway. They hurry through it. EXT. DECK -- EVENING Harley and Loni run down the steps in their bare feet. A man in a white uniform appears and fires at them. THEy bolt into a nearby doorway. INT. CLUB Harley and Loni run across the dimly lit club. Both glance at the dead men and women on the floor. Most have been poisoned, since there is limited

blood. The club music still blares a lively tune. They run past the bodies and avoid stepping on them in their bare feet. They approach a back, service door. Harley stops Loni and peers through it. Harley motions for her to follow. INT. SERVICE CORRIDOR -- DECK C Harley steps into the corridor. We see a man appear at the junction. He sees her and raises his gun. Harley pushes Loni back into the club, since he hasn't seen Loni. Harley runs along the corridor and darts into an adjoining hallway. The man fires at her. INT. CLUB Loni back away from the door and appears horrified. The door on the opposite end opens. Loni gasps and looks around. She suddenly dives to the floor next to a dead man near the wall and lie motionless while face down. Two gunmen enter the club and look around. They walk across the rom and scan the dead bodies. Both men leave through the opposite door. Loni opens her eyes for a look but remains on the floor. She groans a soft sigh then moves to her knees. She looks at the dead man, who stares at her. Loni clutches her head and sobs softly. INT. CASINO Harley enters the casino and darts past more dead bodies. Men and women are slumped over card tables and slot machines. Banks of slot machines provide a wall between her and anyone entering. Harley hurries down an aisle of slot machines, pauses, and peers toward the entrance. We see the gunman enter and look around. He walks through the casino with his automatic weapon leveled for action. We hear another door open above the sounds of the slot machines. Harley crouches down and peers back to the door. The two other men enter as well. The first motions for them to go opposite directions. Harley keeps low and moves toward the end of the aisle. She's nearly to her knees now and peers around the corner with her back to the machines. She stares at the barrel of an automatic rifle aimed at her face. She looks to the gunman at the trigger above her. GUNMAN Get up. Harley slowly straightens while staring at him. GUNMAN Got her! (to Harley) Come along peacefully and you won't be harmed. Harley holds her hands up, eyes the dead people around her, and then looks back at him and snorts a laugh.

HARLEY You're funny-The man motions her along the walkway past more machines. Harley slowly turns and walks toward the next aisle. She cringes and appears to be waiting for the sound of gunfire from behind her. She looks to a dead man slumped over a slot machine on the end. She recognizes the watch on his wrist. The gunman forces her along. The dead man suddenly comes to life and grabs the barrel of the gun. The gunman is momentarily surprised. Damon springs to his feet and kicks the man under his arm while holding the rifle at a safe angle. He pulls the rifle from the man, hits him in the abdomen with the grip, then strikes him harshly in the face with it. Harley stares at Damon with a stunned look. Another man appears at the opposite end of their aisle. Damon pushes Harley to the opposite side and fires at the man with a short burst of gunfire. The man jerks and jolts without getting off a single shot and falls to the floor. Damon looks to Harley, points to her, then points to the floor. She immediately lowers herself to the floor and watches him. Damon hurries down the aisle toward the dead man. The third man appears and sees Damon at the last second. Damon attempts to fire at him, but the man blocks the barrel and raises his own rifle. Damon kicks the barrel of the rifle. It strikes at nearby machine. He then spins into a high, roundhouse kick and hits the man in the face with his foot. Th mean appears to be dead before he hits the floor. Damon stares at the fallen man a moment and slowly straightens. He hesitates only a moment then removes both automatic weapons, slinging one over his shoulder. Damon moves over the dead man and searches his body. Harley slowly straightens and watches from across the aisle. HARLEY What are you doing? Damon removes extra clips and shoves them into his pockets. DAMON Going out with a fight-Harley looks to the dead man near her. She quickly moves to his side and searches him as well. Damon hurries back down the aisle. Harley removes a semi-automatic from the dead man and places it on the floor near her. Damon thrusts an automatic rifle into her hands and lowers himself to the dead man. He swiftly and callously tosses the dead man over to remove his jacket and then the shoulder holster. He places the gun in the holster and aggressively helps her slip into it. He removes more clips and another shoulder holster from the last man. He slips into that one himself. He places extra clips into the discarded jacket pocket and hands it to Harley. DAMON Put this on. You're in charge of ammo. Harley cringes then slips into the dead man's jacket. Both stand. Damon

checks the clip in his rifle. HARLEY At least half of the people onboard are dead. DAMON You may be low on your assessment. Damon eyes her while reloading his clip. DAMON Were you broadcasting from the bridge? What's the situation there? HARLEY Dead there too. (pause) What's going on? DAMON I'm not sure. If they wanted to make a point, they would have blown the ship. They must be after something more. HARLEY Everyone was dead so quickly. DAMON They must have put a fast acting poison in the food or drinks. They just needed to pick off the stragglers. (looks around) Either they want the ship itself or something onboard. HARLEY We need to call for help. DAMON The moment they lost contact with the ship, the mainland began tracking us. It may take some time, but they'll get here. We just need to stay alive long enough for that to happen. (pause) If they intend to steal something from the ship's haul, they'll undoubtedly have another ship arriving shortly. If that's the case, they'll blow this ship once they're off.

HARLEY So we may escape being shot, but we'll probably sink to the bottom of the ocean. Damon casually eyes her. DAMON It's not an exact science. (pause) What happened to Underwood? HARLEY I don't know. He was in the dining room the last time I saw him. Damon eyes her a moment then appears puzzled. DAMON You weren't with him when all hell broke loose? HARLEY No, I left before dinner--probably only a few minutes after you'd left. Damon considers and looks around. He looks back to Harley. DAMON They're going to patrol the common area for stragglers. We'll stick to the servant's corridors. I'm not familiar with the layout of the ship, but I think I'll be able to find you a good hiding place. HARLEY What are you going to do? Damon casually cocks his rifle. DAMON See what sort of trouble I can get myself into. HARLEY I sort of guessed that , but what are you going to do? DAMON I'll improvise. We need to keep moving. Harley follows Damon across the casino and toward a "crew only" door.

He cautiously checks it out then motions her to follow. INT. KITCHEN Damon and Harley cautiously walk along the kitchen. We see dozens of dead kitchen staff lying on the floor. Most have been shot. Damon surveys the area then looks back to Harley. DAMON They have no reason to come back here. The pantry would be my first recommendation of places to hold up. There's only one entrance. Shoot anyone who enters. Damon opens the pantry door. A cloud of white flies into his face. Damon cries out and clutches his eyes. We see Benson drop his bag of salt and swing at Damon with a mop. Damon blocks the mop and prepares to strike. Harley leaps for them. HARLEY No-Damon hesitates and looks to Benson's terrified expression. Damon relaxes. Benson clutches his chest and sinks against the doorframe. BENSON Damn, you scared me. Damon gently rubs his eyes and glares at Benson. DAMON Like wise. BENSON Sorry about the salt. I'm having a bad day. HARLEY Yeah, I know the feeling. BENSON Is it safe? Are they gone? DAMON No and no. Benson groans and shuts his eyes. He finally looks at them. BENSON The other passengers?

DAMON Most are dead. Benson frowns then looks at the dead kitchen personnel. BENSON I still can't believe it--I can't believe all of my co-workers are dead. (pause) I can't believe I'm still alive. DAMON It's not over yet. Damon hands Benson the third automatic rifle. DAMON Know your target before you fire. There may still be innocent people alive. Benson appears uncomfortable and slowly nods. DAMON The two of you will be relatively safe here. (pause) What's the quickest and less traveled route to the cargo area? BENSON (surprise) There's a service corridor across the kitchen. It leads to Broadway, but that's highly traveled. It runs the entire ship. (pause) There's a little known corridor that will get you there. It's kind of dart. I'd have to show you. DAMON (considers/nods) Okay, let's go. (pause) Harley, you wait here. HARLEY The hell I will. I'm staying with you guys. DAMON It's too dangerous. HARLEY

(points around) And this is safe? Damon glances across the masses of dead bodies then meets her gaze. DAMON Maybe you should come along. INT. SERVICE CORRIDOR Benson and Harley follow Damon along the dimly lit corridor. All three carry their automatic rifles. Damon remains cautious as he approaches each junction along the corridor. BENSON (soft) So what happened? I don't understand any of this. Damon pauses before the next junction and listens while pressed against the wall. BENSON When I heard the gunshots, I crawled into one of the bottom cabinets. (pause) How did you guys make it out in one piece? A gunman leaps into the corridor with his weapon aimed. Damon kicks the weapon upward and strikes him with the butt of his rifle. Bullets strike the wall just near Damon. Harley and Benson dive to the floor and keep their weapons leveled. Damon rolls across the floor as another terrorist comes into view. Damon fires at him from his position on the floor then springs to his feet. He approaches Harley and Benson. Benson stares at the two dead terrorists on the floor then looks to Damon. BENSON Never mind. It was a stupid question. DAMON We're going to need another route. If others heard those shots, they'll swarm all over us. BENSON There's a service stairs a few feet down the corridor and to the left. DAMON Stay close--and keep quiet.

Benson nods. Damon cautiously rounds the corner with his weapon leveled. He motions for them to follow. Both stare at the dead men while stepping around them. INT. CARGO Damon, Benson, and Harley slink along the floor while hidden behind several crates in the cargo hold. We hear voices from a nearby area. All three remain still and silent. We see several terrorists dressed as crew members near several open crates. We see Colten examining what appears to be a gold bar. He smiles deviously. COLTEN Pay day, boys. Colten places the gold bar back into the crate and looks to the twenty or more men. COLTEN What's the passenger status? PARSON Fifty percent dead. We estimate about fifteen percent have themselves barricaded in their cabins. Another ten percent are locked in the engine area, and about twenty percent have been captured and locked in the ballast tank. COLTEN That still leaves five percent. PARSON There are some stragglers roaming about the ship, but you don't have to worry about them. The others are sweeping the decks and disposing of them. COLTEN I am worried. We don't need complications as a result of your incompetence. PARSON I assure you, everything is under control. My men systematically eliminated five hundred passengers and crew in less than two hours. COLTEN

A very quick and clean poisoning, I'll admit, but that still leave five hundred left alive. Five hundred against thirty aren't great odds. PARSON They're locked up. Even the ones who aren't under our lock and key would be foolish to attempt anything. COLTEN The ship will be here in less than two hours. I want these crates moved onto the loading dock. (pause) When will you set the bomb timers? PARSON They're already counting down. In three hours, this vessel will be at the bottom of the ocean. Colten suddenly grabs Parson by the collar. COLTEN Are you crazy? I told you not the se the timers until the ship arrived. Several terrorists aim their weapons at Colten. He eyes the men and slowly releases Parson. PARSON Careful, Colten. My men are more dedicated to my cause then yours are to you. (pause) There's nothing to worry about. I can disarm them with a remote, if necessary. Parson removes a small device that appears to be a cell phone. PARSON I just need to dial the bombs number from anywhere on the ship and press a button to disarm. (pause) I can also press a button to set it off at my command. (pause) So don't piss me off.

Parson returns the remote to his pocket and smiles deviously. PARSON You worry about the gold. Let me worry about death and destruction. Damon nudges Benson and nods back the way they had come. All three quietly slip along the wall behind the crates. INT. CLUB Damon, Benson, and Harley hurry through the club with its massive body count on the floor. Harley lags behind and nervously looks around. Damon look back, notices her expression, and approaches her. He pauses before her and places his hands on her shoulder. She looks at him with a blank expression. DAMON I know this isn't easy, Harley, but you need to put it out of your mind for now. You can break down later. Harley looks back to the room strewn with bodies. HARLEY I know. It's just--I don't know what happened to Loni. I left her alone in here while I drew their fire. I can't help feeling as if I'd left her to the wolves. DAMON Worrying about her isn't going to help our situation. Just hope she found a good hiding spot. (pause) Our situation isn't good, so I need you to stay focused. Harley meets his gaze, stares into his eyes, and slowly nods. HARLEY I can do that. Damon offers a tiny smile then leads her toward the back of the club. They enter the ladies' room. INT. RESTROOM Damon, Benson, and Harley enter the elegant sitting area of the rest rooms. Damon locks the door behind them, hesitates, and then looks around at the mirrors and elegant furniture. He eyes Benson.

DAMON Is it my imagination or do guys get the short end in the facilities department? BENSON Definitely. Damon heads for the second doorway that leads into the stall area. Benson helps himself to some mints on the dressing table. We hear a clunk from the stall area. Damon hesitates and looks to Harley and Benson. Both raise their weapons and approach the second doorway. Damon throws open the door. We hear a female scream. Damon reaches into the stall area and pulls Loni into the dressing area. She holds her shoulder and appears frightened. The two women stare at one another. Loni gasps, runs for Harley, and hugs her. LONI Oh, I was so worried you were killed. Harley returns the hug and pulls back with a relieved smile. HARLEY I'd hoped you'd gotten away. LONI This seemed like as good a place as any to hide. (pause) That and I had to go-Loni looks to Damon and Benson. LONI Picking up strays? HARLEY You could say that. Later. Benson, Harley, and Loni sit in the dressing area on the plush furnishings. There's a soft tap on the door. All three jump and look to the main entrance. Benson springs to his feet and approaches the door. He listens a moment. DAMON It's me. Benson unbolts and opens the door to reveal Damon. He quickly enters and hands out bags of pretzels. LONI Thank God, I'm starved.

Loni accepts the bag of pretzels and tears into it. Damon bolts the door and collapses onto a nearby sofa. DAMON We have easy access to the loading area from here. I saw one of the crates on deck. The ship will be docking just to our starboard side. LONI Which is starboard? BENSON The set of doors closest to the bar. LONI So what's the plan? You're going to steal their boat? DAMON No, I'm going to sink it. Benson, Loni, and Harley suddenly tense and look at Damon with surprise. HARLEY Sink it? I thought that was our only escape from this floating nightmare? DAMON Yes, for us. But what about the five hundred other passengers? If they have a way to transport their gold, they're going to blow this ship. If they can't leave, they'll have little choice but to disarm the bomb or die themselves. BENSON What about the coast guard? They would have been alerted the moment the shooting started. Could they get here in time? DAMON In time for us to take them down with us. (pause) We have to stop them from setting off that bomb or everyone dies. Unless someone has a better idea, we need to sink that ship. LONI How do you intend to sink their ship? A

couple of guns aren't going to do any damage to their haul. Benson considers then looks to Damon with a sly grin. BENSON Ram it. Damon eyes Benson with some surprise. DAMON With the ship? Benson continues to grin and nods. BENSON I can do it. I had a friend on the bridge who used to let me take the helm during his overnight shift. Damon smiles slyly. DAMON I like the way you think, Benson. They'll need to stop the ship, so someone should already be on the bridge. We'll have to plan a little mutiny party. HARLEY What do you want Loni and I to do? Damon eyes Harley then looks around the dressing room. DAMON I think you'll be safe here. Once the ship comes into sight, they'll have more important worries. HARLEY My ass is on the line here too. If the two of you muck it up, we're all dead. Can you drop the chauvinism? This is a survival situation, you know. Damon stares at Harley a moment in silence. DAMON You'll need to lose the dress. HARLEY My cabin is up one level--not far from here.

Damon considers then nods. He looks to Benson and Loni. DAMON You two wait here and keep the door locked. We'll be back in less than half an hour. That should give us at least an hour before the ship arrives. (pause) While we're gone, I want you to plan the safest and quickest route to the holding areas of the majority of passengers. We may be able to evacuate some of them while activity is located on starboard. Damon leads Harley toward the main restroom door. Loni gently rubs her bare arms and watches them. LONI Harley-Harley looks back to Loni. Loni smiles timidly. LONI Bring me back a change of clothing. I'd like to help out too. Harley smiles and nods. INT. HARLEY'S CABIN Harley and Damon hurry into the cabin. Damon quietly shuts and bolts the door. Harley hurries across her cabin and slings the automatic weapon onto the bed. She removes her jacket and shoulder holster while crossing the room to the closet. Damon waits by the door. DAMON Make it quick. Harley struggles with the zipper on the back of her dress and immediately appears frustrated. HARLEY Damn it--help me with this. Damon eyes her with some surprise. Harley glares at him. HARLEY Sometime today-Damon quickly approaches her, hesitates, then unzips the dress. He steps

away from her. Harley carelessly removes her dress and tosses it to the floor. Damon eyes her with some surprise and takes another step back. He appears uncomfortable and removes her shoulder holster from the bed. He nervously fiddles with the straps to adjust the fit for her. Harley slips into a shirt and a pair of pants. She grabs a pair of sneakers and quickly slips into them. She glances at Damon while she ties her shoelaces. He continues to fiddle with the shoulder holster and avoids looking at her. His discomfort is obvious. Harley snorts a soft laugh. HARLEY So you're a ruthless henchman and a gentleman. Quite a contradiction. Damon casts a glance at her then returns his attention to the shoulder holster straps. DAMON I never said I was a henchman. HARLEY Well, you're certainly not an everyday bodyguard. DAMON I retired from a lengthy career with the Marines last year and didn't know what to do with myself. I thought being a bodyguard might be something I'd enjoy. (pause) But baby sitting disrespectful rich men using their power and influence to seduce innocent women isn't really my idea of entertainment. Harley studies him a moment then manages a tiny smile. HARLEY You've certainly described your current boss to the letter. Damon snorts a soft laugh. DAMON Yeah, he's a real winner all right. (tiny smile) For the record, I knew he didn't have a chance in hell with you. HARLEY (humored) What brought you to that conclusion?

Harley removes the shoulder holster from him and slips into it. DAMON You had the wrong attitude for his games. HARLEY Ironic, isn't it? What I had considered to be the most important moment in entire career suddenly means absolutely nothing to me. DAMON Yes, life is full of bittersweet irony. (pause) We'd better go. Harley grabs her jacket and slips into it. Damon retrieves her rifle. Harley studies him a moment and smiles. HARLEY Damon-Damon glances at her with a curious look. Harley moves closer to him and appears timid. HARLEY I never had a chance to thank you for saving me back there. Damon snorts a soft laugh. DAMON Save my life and we'll call it even. Harley takes a step closer to him and stares into his eyes. HARLEY No, I want to thank you. Harley places her hands on his shoulders and kisses him warmly on the lips. She pulls back and meets his gaze. HARLEY Thank you. Damon stares at her a moment in silence. He suddenly pulls her into his arms and kisses her passionately. He breaks off the kiss just as quickly, meets her gaze, and smiles. DAMON

You're welcome. Harley hides her smile. Damon hands her the automatic rifle and attempts to hide his smile as well. DAMON Stay close and keep your head down. HARLEY I'll be so close, you'll think we're attached. INT. CLUB Damon leads Harley along the nightclub floor and toward the restroom area. Ford appears from behind the bar. All three jump when they see one another. Damon raises his rifle. Harley gasps and stops Damon. Ford raises his hands in the air and drops his bag of pretzels. HARLEY Don't shoot. It's Ford. I know him. Damon slowly lowers the rifle. Ford appears to relax and lowers his hands. He hurries to Harley and pulls her into his arms. FORD Thank God you're okay. HARLEY Weren't you at the captain's table tonight? How did you get out of there alive? FORD Fate was on my side. DAMON There's plenty of time for small talk in the ladies' room. Damon indicates the restroom not far from the bar. Ford grabs his discarded bag of pretzels and joins them. INT. RESTROOM Harley and Ford enter the restroom. Benson and Loni back away from the door and stare at Ford with shared looks of surprise. Damon enters behind them and locks the door. BENSON Mr. Runnald--it really is a small world, isn't it?

FORD Good to see you, Benson. BENSON This is ironic. FORD What's that? BENSON You left the dining room this evening to find Harley just before all hell broke loose--and now you've found Harley. Harley eyes both men and appears surprised. Ford appears slightly embarrassed. Damon casts himself onto the dressing table and rolls his eyes. DAMON We don't have time for romance here. (to Benson) Do you have our route mapped out? Benson removes a map of the ship's layout and smiles proudly. BENSON I did you one better. I took this off of the wall in the hallway. Benson indicates a route in blue ink. BENSON This is the nightclub here. Down four levels and halfway across Broadway leads to the ballast haul. DAMON Quite a healthy little hike. Where's the nearest lifeboat station from there? Benson indicates the route on the map. BENSON Up two levels--right near the exit. Ford appears surprised. FORD You guys are actually planning on going back out there?

HARLEY They have a good number of passengers locked in that haul. They also have crew members locked in the engine room. If we can get to them, we may be able to load them onto lifeboats and save a few lives. FORD They'll be sitting ducks in those life rafts. Don't you think you should wait for the coast guard? Damon swiftly stands. DAMON We don't have a couple of hours to spare. There's a bomb in the cargo area. It's set to detonate in less than two hours. (pause) By the time the coast guard gets here, we'll all be on the bottom of the ocean-along with this ship. Ford appears stunned. FORD A bomb? How do you know there's a bomb? Did you actually see it? DAMON No, but we overheard their plans. FORD If it was the terrorists intention to blow up the ship, why hadn't they done it already? DAMON They're not terrorists. They're just a bunch of thieves. They have another ship in route to make their escape with a ton of gold. They'll destroy all of the evidence and some terrorist group will take credit for the bombing. They'll get away free and clear. FORD They're pretty organized for common thieves. (pause)

What's the plan? DAMON I never said they were common thieves. (pause) They'll be busy with the gold and the arriving ship, so they won't be monitoring our movements that closely. (pause) We'll head for the haul and release the captive passengers and attempt to load them onto the lifeboats. FORD Okay--I'm with you. What do you want me to do? DAMON You can ride shotgun with Harley and Loni to the haul for the rescue. FORD What about the two of you? DAMON We have our own mission. You just worry about your assignment. We don't have much time. INT. CONTROL ROOM We see two gunmen dressed as waiters standing before the ship's controls. One holds his automatic weapon. Both stare to the ocean before them. The first one points. FIRST GUNMAN There she is. Slow her down. The gunman at the controls slows the ship. There's a tap on the glass door to the control room. Both men look. We see the turned back of a man in uniform wearing a crewman's hat and holding an assault rifle. FIRST GUNMAN Must be Roger. Work on stopping this crate. The first gunman with the rifle approaches the door with the crewman before it. His back is still turned toward the glass. The gunman unbolts the door. The crewman on the other side steps away as the gunman opens the door. Damon appears in the doorway with a semi-automatic pistol in his hand and shoots the gunman in the head without even blinking. The man at the controls spins with alarm and reaches for his gun. Damon

shoots him in the arm. The second gunman clutches his arm. Damon glares at the man while casually approaching. He removes the pistol from the console and glares at the wounded man. DAMON I'll bet this has a familiar feel to it, huh? Damon effortlessly kicks the man in the head and drops him to the floor. Benson hurries to the controls while tossing his hat aside. Damon moves to the open door and removes his automatic rifle. He stands guard by the door. DAMON Think you can drive this thing? Benson looks over the controls then reaches for the throttle while glancing out the window. BENSON Hell, there's no skill involved in running into things. It's avoiding them that's tricky. The cruise ship picks up speed. BENSON Gentlemen, say your prayers--it's lights out for you. EXT. OCEAN -- NIGHT We see the smaller vessel approaching the cruise ship in the dark night. The gunmen by the railing point and chuckle cheerfully to the approaching ship. Their looks suddenly appear bewildered as the cruise ship appears to be approaching much faster now. They motion frantically to the captain of the vessel. The horn on the cruise ship wails a chilling sound. The massive ship suddenly towers over the dwarfed vessel as it closes in. Armed men scatter from the deck as the cruise ship plows into them. INT. CONTROL ROOM -- NIGHT Damon keeps watch outside of the control room door then glances at Benson, who chuckles evilly while blowing the horn. DAMON What happened? Did they veer off? BENSON We crushed them like a tin can. DAMON

(surprise) Never even felt a bump. BENSON Yeah, that's what's nice about these luxury liners. Excellent stabilizers in ramming mode. DAMON Better slow her down--give the passengers a chance to get into the lifeboats. Benson looks back at Damon with concern. BENSON If we slow her down, that'll also give the bad guys a chance to disembark as well. Once they're off the ship, they'll have no reason not to blow it. (pause) At this speed, we could reach port in thirty minutes. DAMON The bomb goes off in one hour. You'll take out the entire port. And they could still blow it manually with that remote before then, if they wanted too. BENSON As long as they're stuck with us, they're less likely to detonate the bomb. DAMON And more likely to shoot us. (pause) We need that remote. (pause) Set a course for the nearest port. BENSON Aye, Aye, Captain. Benson plays with the controls. DAMON We'll need to arm as many of the passengers as possible. There can't be anymore than twenty gunmen left alive. We'll have to retrieve the rifles from the ladies' room in the club and meet

Harley in the haul. BENSON Just give me one more minute to put her in cruise control--and lock her out, so no one overrides my course. Benson fiddles with several controls then grabs his rifle and the one from the dead man. He indicates the unconscious man. BENSON What about that one? DAMON He'll be lucky if he remembers his name when he wakes. We'd better go. Company should be arriving any minute, since they know we're here-and they'll be pissed. INT. HAUL CORRIDOR Harley, Loni, and Ford approach a watertight door. Loni lowers her paper and indicates the door. LONI According to Benson's map, that's the ballast tank. Harley strikes the butt of her rifle several times to the steel door. Silence. We hear repetitive clangs from the other end. HARLEY Sounds like they're in there. Harley slings the rifle over her shoulder and reaches for the water tight lever. We hear the cocking of a gun. Loni and Harley slowly look behind them. Ford aims a semiautomatic at them. FORD I can't let you open that. Both women stare at him and appear surprised. HARLEY You're one of them? FORD Sorry, Harley--I'm actually in charge of this entire blundered mission. Loni uncertainly clings to Harley's arm with a terrified look.

FORD Now, very slowly--toss the rifles down. I have no reservations about killing either of you, although I'd rather not. Both women slowly remove the rifles from their shoulders and toss them to the floor. FORD Very good. Now to lock you someplace nice and secure, so we can continue with our rendezvous without further interruptions. Harley slowly lowers her hands, folds her arms over her chest, and offers a sympathetic look. HARLEY Yeah, about that-(pause) I'm afraid your escape boat may have met with an unforeseen accident. Ford stares at her and appears bewildered. He suddenly smirks. FORD Don't mess with me, Harley. I may change my mind about shooting you. Loni attempts a nervous smile while staring at Ford and mutters to Harley. LONI What are you doing, Harley? Let's not upset the nice man with the gun pointed at us. HARLEY It's called plea bargaining, Loni. If we stay on this ship, we're dead. On only way off is to leave with Ford and his men. Loni appears stunned and takes a step away from Harley. Harley stares at Ford with little emotion. HARLEY I'll tell you about Damon's ambush plans, if you'll agree to take us with you before you blow the ship. Ford studies her with a skeptical look. His eyes sweep over her a moment

and a tiny smile crosses his face. FORD You want to come with me? HARLEY We sure as hell don't want to die. Do we have a deal? Ford eyes her lustfully then smiles and chuckles. FORD Yeah, we have a deal. Ford motions them onward with his rifle. Loni eyes Harley with concern as they walk along the corridor. Ford follows behind them. LONI (soft) You know, Harley, I'm starting to think you're a little nutty. HARLEY (soft) You want to get out of here alive, don't you? LONI (whispers) Of course-Ford follows them with his gun casually aimed and listens to their soft conversation. Harley places her hands on her hips and casually pulls back her jacket to reveal the gun in the shoulder holster to Loni. Loni's eyes sweep past the gun in the shoulder holster then meets Harley's tiny smile. HARLEY Then you'll just have to trust me and do what I tell you to do. LONI All right, Harley, but I hope you know what you're getting us into. Harley offers a pleasant smiles and places her arm around Loni's shoulder. HARLEY I'm a business woman, remember? Harley reaches under her jacket for the gun while smiling at Loni being held against her side as they walk.

HARLEY And I've learned something very valuable on this cruise. Loni attempts to appear calm and nervously smiles. LONI Never go on another one? Harley removes the gun from the shoulder holster and holds it firmly in her hand and against her side. HARLEY I've learned that a woman has to use her assets if she wants to achieve her goals. It's all too true. So if that means you and I have to share a bed with Ford to survive, then that's what we do. Harley keeps watch on Ford behind them out of the corner of her eye while looking at Loni. LONI (fidgets) I'm not above a threesome if it keeps me alive. But do you think he'll go for it? HARLEY We'll just have to hope-Ford now pays close attention to their soft conversation. We see the gun lower slightly along with his defenses. Harley presses the gun between them and aims it behind them while they walk closely. HARLEY --that his lust is his downfall. Harley looks back to Ford and smiles sweetly. Ford smiles lustfully with less concentration on his gun aimed at them. Harley winds at him and pulls the trigger on the gun hidden between her and Loni. The gun fires and hits Ford in the midsection. He suddenly gasps with surprise and clutches his bleeding abdomen. Loni dives to the wall and shields herself as Harley spins with her gun aimed. Ford raises his gun, but Harley fires again. The second bullet hits Ford in the chest, and he falls to the floor. Loni slowly straightens and stares at the dead man on the floor. Harley's stare hardens. HARLEY Prick-Loni eyes Harley with some surprise.

LONI I'd say you're one hell of a businesswoman, Harley. Harley looks to Loni with less harshness. HARLEY Let's release those people back there. (pause) Then I'm going to cry. Moments later. We see the crowd of nearly one hundred passengers and some crew in the corridor outside of the ballast tank. HARLEY There are many others locked in the engine room. We're going to evacuate in the lifeboats on the port side of the ship. The bad guys are mostly on the starboard side with their gold. Harley and Loni hand out their spare weapons to one of the crew and a dependable looking passenger. Loni gives away her rifle and keeps Ford's semiautomatic. HARLEY Considering our situation, those of you in uniform should lose the jackets. You may accidentally be mistaken for the bad guys. The few crewmen quickly remove their jackets and toss them aside. CREWMAN We know our way to the engine room. We'll free the others and meet the rest of you port side by the lifeboats. The crew will start evacuating them. HARLEY Are you sure you want to do that? The crewman holds up the rifle. CREWMAN Oh, yeah. We're up for a little payback. Four crewmen and one eager passenger with an ax hurry down the corridor in the direction of the engine room. A young officer motions to the group. OFFICER

This way. Move quickly and quietly. The group of mostly passengers follows the young man with the gun. Harley and Loni wait for the large group of passengers to pass. We see Damon and Benson up ahead in the corridor. Both hand out spare weapons to capable passengers. Harley and Loni push past the crowd toward Damon and Benson. The crowd continues on their journey. Harley throws her arms around Damon's neck and hugs him. Damon clings to her and appears relieved. HARLEY Am I happy to see you-DAMON Are you okay? We found Ford-Harley pulls back just enough to meet his stare with a serious look. HARLEY He was one of them, Damon. He said he was their leader. DAMON Their leader? Damon looks down the hall as the group of passengers disappear into the stairwell. Harley remains clinging to him. HARLEY Damon, what is it? Damon looks back at Harley. DAMON That man with the remote device to the bomb said there was a code to disarm it. (pause) If Ford was their leader, he would have access to that sort of information. I have to search his body. (pause) You and Loni go with Benson to the lifeboats. I have to try and disarm that bomb. HARLEY What do you know about bombs? DAMON I know we're all dead if it detonates. What more do I need to know? If Ford

has the disarming code on him, I can disarm it manually. HARLEY I'm going with you. Damon eyes Harley and appears surprised. His look turns stern. DAMON The hell you are. You're going with Benson. BENSON And I'm going with you, Damon. Damon looks to Benson and appears stunned. DAMON What's with you people? LONI I think we should all stick together. All three stare at Damon. He rolls his eyes and groans lowly. DAMON Stick close and keep your heads down. Damon releases Harley and hurries toward Ford's body. He searches Ford's pockets and casts several objects aside. Damon finally sits back on his feet and frowns. DAMON It was worth a shot. Plan B. Get the remote away from that man, so he can't manually detonate it. Then we'll be able to evacuate the ship. Harley stares at Ford's body a moment then kneels alongside it. She points to his digital watch. HARLEY It's the bomb countdown on his watch. All three stare at the digital watch Ford wears. Harley quickly removes it from his wrist and turns it over. She suddenly smiles and exposes the inside. HARLEY With the disarming codes engraved underneath it. Damon smiles, takes the watch from her, and quickly stands.

DAMON We've got a date with a bomb. BENSON I'll bet you any amount of money that bomb is set in the engine room. DAMON I don't have time to second guess you, so we'll just have to hope you're right. INT. ENGINE ROOM Harley, Loni, Benson, and Damon push their way past the three hundred passengers now freed from the engine room. The crew from the ballast tank hurry toward them with pleased smiles. CREWMAN That's everyone from the engine room. We'd better get them to the lifeboats. One of the mechanics said he saw a bomb and it's counting down fast. DAMON Where? Moments later. We see the four staring at the small and unimpressive looking bomb against one of the engines. Loni appears surprised. LONI That's it? It's so small. Damon lowers himself to the bomb and studies the numbered pad. DAMON Trust me, this is one of those rare cases where size doesn't matter. Damon reaches for the number pad, hesitates, then glances at the others. DAMON If anyone knows any good prayers, now would be the time. Benson folds his hands in prayer and looks up. BENSON God--please don't let Damon blow us up. Amen. Damon eyes Benson with annoyance.

DAMON If I don't kill us all, I most certainly intend to knock you on your ass. Damon looks back to the number panel and pushes the series of numbers from the back of the watch. He hesitates then presses enter while holding his breath. The others hold their breath as well. We hear a loud beep. The display shuts off along with all of the lights on the device. Damon groans, lowers his head, and falls onto his back. Loni and Benson hug one another with relief. Harley hurries to Damon's side as he sits up and kisses him quickly on the lips. He pulls her against him and holds her with a sigh of relief. Damon releases Harley and quickly moves to his feet. DAMON Guys, it's time to mutiny. HARLEY How will we find them? Damon chuckles lowly and places his arm around Harley's shoulder. DAMON You want to find the bad guys--just look for the gold. EXT. STARBOARD DECK -- NIGHT We see the crates of gold piled on the deck with nearly ten heavily armed men close by. They appear anxious and look at their watches. Parson hurries toward them. Colten cuts off his path and appears hostile. COLTEN Where the hell is the boat? Why are we still at full speed? PARSON One of the men was shot in the control room and the other has a severe concussion. The controls have been locked out. We must have overshot the transport vessel. The men are attempting to override the system. COLTEN You idiot! What about the bomb? PARSON It's not responding to my disarm command. COLTEN

So it's going to blow in twenty minutes-and we're still onboard. PARSON I've sent a few of my best men down there to disarm it manually. If you'll just stay calm-COLTEN How can you expect me to stay calm? We have millions of gold at our feet, a bomb ready to explode, and no way off of this ship. Not to mention the coast guard can't be far off. If they find us, we're dead. PARSON (frowns) That's the first decent idea you've had. Parson raises his gun and shoots Colten in the chest. Colten falls to the deck. The other men jump and aim their weapons. Parson casually replaces his gun and looks at them. PARSON Load the gold onto the lifeboats and abandon this ship before the bomb takes it down. Anyone who wants to live to collect their share of the gold had better do as I say. One deck up. We see Damon lying on the deck while peering below. He slides away from the railing, stands, and joins Benson, Harley, and Loni. DAMON Ten men below. They're going to have their arms full of gold, so it's now or never. Damon looks down the deck and lights a lighter. We see movement further away near a set of stairs. Damon motions them to the other set of stairs. INT. CONTROL ROOM We see two gunmen attempting to override Benson's command. Both appear frustrated. Someone can be heard clearing his throat. Both men spin. The young officer and two passenger have automatic weapons aimed at them. OFFICER You've been officially relieved of duty.

Both men drop their weapons and raise their hands. INT. ENGINE ROOM We see three gunmen standing over the bomb and appear bewildered. GUNMAN It's already been disarmed. That idiot Parson. His remote must have worked. Radio him, will you? The second man lifts his two-way radio. We see shadows move just by the door. The second man raises his rifle and turns toward the door. We see two mechanics slam the door and lock it. SECOND GUNMAN Shit! EXT. STARBOARD DECK -- NIGHT We see five gunmen loading gold onto a lifeboat while Parson and the five other stand guard. Shadows can be seen on the steps on either side of them. Loni appears on the deck above them. She holds a flare gun in the air and fires it. The flare rockets into the sky and lights up red. All of the men look to the flare with surprise. Gunshots fire from both sets of stairs. Five gunmen are immediately struck down. Shots are briefly exchanged. Parson leaps into the lifeboat with one crate of gold and releases the ropes. The boat drops into the water below with a splash. The other remaining gunmen quickly surrender after several are wounded. The few crewmen and passengers collect their surrendered weapons. Damon runs to the railing and looks over. A shot is fired back at him. Damon frowns and pulls back. Harley hurries toward him. DAMON Our bomb boy is attempting to make his grand exit. HARLEY At the speed we're traveling, he'll be out of sight fast. Damon snatches a bottle of booze left on deck and hurries toward the stern. Harley hurries after him. Damon saturates a cloth in the booze and lease it hang from the opening. Damon stops by the stern railing and lights the cloth. The lifeboat with Parson can now be seen below. Parson fires at them. Damon casts the bottle into the boat below as it passes. The bottle shatters within the lifeboat. Parson and the lifeboat erupt into flames. Parson screams and attempts to bat the flames that engulf him. He's about to jump into the water. Damon aims his semiautomatic, takes aim, and shoots Parson directly in the head as the ship pulls away. Parson falls into the burning lifeboat. Damon casually replaces his gun and looks to

the stunned look on Harley's face. He flashes a sly smile. DAMON Pretty good shot, huh? HARLEY I'm glad you're on our side. EXT. PORT -- EARLY MORNING We see the battle torn San Andrea docked at the port. Police cars, ambulances, and the swat team swarm the dock and the ship. Crowds of spectators and reporters are kept away from the ship. Further from the San Andrea, we see a smaller cruise ship arriving at port. It appears to go unnoticed along with many other ships docked. EXT. ST. MARIA -- EARLY MORNING We see weary crew and passengers from the San Andrea standing by the railing on the St. Maria. They watch the commotion surrounding their former ship. Loni and Benson lean on the railing along with several other exhausted men and woman. BENSON I'll hand it to the local authorities, they did a nice job at slipping us in through the back door. LONI I'm just glad to be off that floating morgue. I think it's finally sinking in. BENSON I know what you mean. Almost everyone I'd worked with were killed last night. Benson straightens, attempts a smile, and looks to Loni. BENSON It'll be awhile before the authorities get to us for our statements. How about a couple more drinks to take the edge off? Loni smiles and links onto his arm. LONI I'm all for that. Benson guides the already tipsy Loni along the deck. The weary crowd slowly disburses along with them.

EXT. DOCK -- AFTERNOON We see the quiet St. Maria still docked not far from the San Andrea. Police and media continue to swarm the once impressive ship. The St. Maria still remains virtually unnoticed with minimal activity on deck. INT. HARLEY'S CABIN We hear knocking on the cabin door. Harley emerges from the bedroom in her fancy St. Maria bathrobe. She towel dries her hair and approaches the door. She unlocks the door and opens it to reveal her boss, Margo Merryweather. Harley stares at Margo and appears almost stunned. Margo smiles with delight and enters the suite. MARGO Oh, Harley, darling. I'm so happy to see you. I was so worried. Margo looks around the suite then turns to Harley with a broad smile. MARGO I see they're treating you well after your ordeal. HARLEY Yes, the cruise line put us up on their finest ship. MARGO I'm so glad to hear that. HARLEY I'm surprised they let you onboard. The authorities were keeping the ship locked down pretty tight. They're still not convinced it wasn't some terrorist group, despite our stories. MARGO Well, I told them I was your aunt, so they let me onboard. And what luck, I caught up with Taylor Underwood. I can't tell you how thrilled I was that he wasn't among the fifty percent dead. HARLEY Forty-three percent. MARGO (waves her off) Close enough. It doesn't matter.

HARLEY (low) It does to the other eight percent. Margo doesn't appear to hear the comment and flops down on the sofa. MARGO You'll be happy to know that Taylor Underwood agreed to have dinner with us tomorrow night to discuss the proposal. Isn't that fantastic? Harley folds her arms across her chest and glares at Margo. HARLEY Four hundred and twenty people were murdered last night. How can you be thinking about that proposal? MARGO (groans) Harley, this is business. Taylor Underwood has no reservations about conducting business after what he's been through. You can take off until tomorrow evening. That should give you time to rest. You look exhausted. Harley's arms drop to her side as she stares at Margo with shock and loath. HARLEY You heartless bitch-Margo looks to Harley with surprise and slowly stands. MARGO Excuse me? HARLEY No, there is no excuse for you. (pause) I went through six hours of complete hell last night. I stood in rooms filled with dead men and woman. I was shot at, guns aimed at my head, and stood a foot from a bomb only twenty minutes short of killing us all. (low) I shot a man dead just six inches from me. (pause)

My friends risked their lives to save the lives of over five hundred men and women they didn't even know when they just as easily could have hid. Margo stares at Harley with astonishment. HARLEY They you come along with your petty business deals--as if it holds the same priority. (pause) Well, let me tell you, it doesn't compare. It holds no importance whatsoever. And I'm insulted and offended that you can wave off the lives of four hundred and twenty people. (pause) As far as I'm concerned, you can take that pervert Taylor Underwood, your proposal, and my job and shove them! Margo attempts to compose herself and heads for the door. She pauses near the door and turns to face Harley. MARGO I know you've suffered a trauma, Harley, but I have no choice but to let you go. HARLEY (snorts a laugh) Do you really think I care? MARGO In a couple of days-Damon appears from the bedroom only in his boxer shorts and casually leans in the doorframe while glaring at Margo. Margo looks to Damon, appears surprised, then looks back to Harley. MARGO Not so traumatized to carry on an affair, I see. DAMON You must be the two-faced, back stabbing Margo Merryweather I've heard so much about. MARGO My, you two must have had plenty of time to gossip during your ordeal.

DAMON Actually, Harley never mentioned you. That comment came straight from my employer, Taylor Underwood. Margo's smug smile suddenly fades. She appears tense. MARGO You work for Taylor Underwood? DAMON Presently, but not for much longer. His company is on the verge of bankruptcy, and his checks have been rejected all over the city. (pause) Even if he had intended to invest with you, he wouldn't be able to pay. He's been riding his reputation for months to gain upscale comforts from businesses such as yours. Corporate dinner parties, business dinners, free drinks--and late night dates with ambitious business women. MARGO (stunned) That's not true. It can't be-DAMON Why? Because he used you the way he intended to use Harley--the way you used Harley? Trust me, it's true. (pause) But at least some good came out of this. It showed Harley your true colors-and she's better off without you. (pause) But don't worry yourself about Harley's future. With the media attention from this ordeal and her new hero status-along with mine, she'll have no trouble securing her dream job. Margo stares at Damon with shock and alarm. She appears to realize it's the truth. She looks back to Harley and attempts a sweet smile. MARGO Perhaps I'd overreacted. Would you reconsider returning to work for me? You can have as much time off as you

need. HARLEY No, thank you. I think I'll let you explain to the board why I no longer work for the company. Damon smiles, approaches the door, and opens it for Margo. DAMON Now, if you'll excuse us, we're expecting room service before continuing our next eight hour long nap until dinner time. Margo is about to protest, reconsiders, frowns, and leaves. Damon shuts the door behind her, locks it, then turns to Harley with a humored smile. DAMON I loved the way you handled her. So-dominating. Harley smiles and chuckles softly. HARLEY Don't start that again. Harley turns away from him and recovers her towel. Damon approaches her from behind. DAMON You're right. It's my turn to dominate. Damon sweeps Harley off of her feet and into his arms. She cries out with surprise then playfully laughs as he carries her to the bedroom and kicks shut the door. FADE OUT July 22, 2007