Flash Gordon Page #15

Season #8

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The HIGH PRIEST bends to MING.

HIGH PRIEST:

Your majesty! We must appease Tao.

MING:

Silence!

MING grabs the HIGH PRIEST by the face and shoves him away. The HIGH PRIEST tumbles head over heels down the steps leading to the throne.

INT. CATACOMBS – SIDE HALL – MINGO CITY

Down a dark and wet hall, FLASH carries DALE until he comes to a thick, vault-like door. On the grilled floor, next to the door, is a concrete bench. FLASH lays DALE onto the bench.

FLASH:

Easy, Dale, we’ll get out of this. Somehow.

FLASH checks the door. It won’t budge. He scans around for a lever or switch to activate it. Nothing.

DALE sits up as if snapping out of sleep.

DALE:

Fla-Flash?

FLASH:

Dale! You’re all right!

He grabs her tenderly by the shoulders. She looks up at his face. There is a definite attraction there.

DALE:

You...you came back for me?

FLASH:

I couldn’t leave you with those madmen.

She glances confusedly around.

DALE:

Where are we?

FLASH:

Somewhere beneath Mingo City.

FLASH looks her over. Elated admiration on his face.

DALE:

(noticing his attention. Smiles)

What?

FLASH:

All things considered that gown looks good on you.

DALE:

Oh, this? Apparently I was on the roster to be tonight’s entertainment.

There is a pause as they stare lovingly into each other’s eyes.

DALE:

When I woke up, I thought all this was a bad dream. Do you think we’ll ever see home, again?

FLASH:

I’ll get us safely back to earth, Dale, I promise...you have that story to write, remember?

Their faces inch closer, falling into a kiss. After a beat, the image of the two dissolves into the lines of a television broadcast.

C.U.:
MING is watching the two interact on the monitor by his throne. He scowls and throws a switch.

The grated floor on which FLASH and DALE were standing drops open. DALE screams as she and FLASH fall through.

INT. CISTERN – MINGO CITY

EXTREME LONG SHOT of FLASH and DALE as they fall VERY far down into an enormous, dark space. At first glance, it is so large, we see nothing but darkness. The two tiny bodies of FLASH and DALE drop down along the dim light shaft from the trap door above into what seems like a vast sea of dark water.

ANGLE:
FLASH and DALE drop into the water.

Underwater, we follow FLASH as he swims to DALE and, grabbing her hand, guides her back to the surface.

They break the surface, gasping for air. Treading water, FLASH holds DALE. DALE looks off into the GLOOM. Several SOMETHINGS are rapidly swimming below the surface straight towards them!

DALE:

What are they?

FLASH:

Easy, Dale.

In the murk, the figures SLITHER just under the water’s surface like fish. We can see the GLISTENING GREY-SILVER of skin.

FLASH, with his arm around DALE, attempts to swim in the opposite direction. Like the hand of THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON, a grey, webbed HAND grabs DALE by the ankle and YANKS her from FLASH’S grip. She is quickly dragged UNDERWATER.

FLASH:

Dale!

We cannot clearly see the aggressors in the dark, but FOUR men rapidly swim up to FLASH and surround him on all sides. FLASH punches and kicks at them to NO AVAIL. Two SHARKMEN grab FLASH by the legs and PULL him UNDER.

INT. CATACOMBS – MINGO CITY

The PRINCESS AURA runs down the long flight of curved steps previously tracked by our heroes. She sees several bodies of ARMORED MEN scattered around the floor at the base of the staircase. They have literally been torn to pieces. ENTRAILS and GORE lay thrown about. She STOPS at the base of the stairs observing the carnage.

THUN:

(offscreen)

Slumming it, princess?

AURA sees THUN sitting with his back against the wall. He is holding his wounded side.

AURA:

What has happened to the earth people, lionman?

THUN:

(snarls)

Why do you wish to know, she-b*tch?

AURA:

Because I can save Flash Gordon!

THUN:

Just him?

AURA:

Yes! And, why not? He is the only one who interests me!

THUN:

(mockingly laughs)

By the Great God Tao! Any prince of Mongo would give their soul to hear the she-b*tch Princess Aura say she cared for them!

AURA:

Silence, lionman! Or I will have my father’s armies gut every child in your kingdom as retribution!

THUN:

Now speaks the Princess Aura I know and despise.

AURA:

I will not be mocked, Thun! It is my whim to save the earthman!

THUN:

(laughs)

By the emperor’s beard! The she-b*tch actually loves him!

AURA:

We have no time for this childish banter, lionman!

THUN:

Very well, princess. I will set aside my desire to kill you for the moment. If you lead me to the way out of these hellish catacombs, I will point you in the direction of your precious Flash Gordon.

AURA:

Which way, Thun?!

THUN glances to the doorway FLASH and DALE fled down.

AURA:

That passage will take them to the city cistern guarded by King Kala’s Sharkmen! Without our help, they will certainly die! Help me find Flash and I will lead you all to safety.

THUN:

(rises to his feet, grabs a sword)

Very well. No tricks, your highness, or I will take great joy in decapitating your beautiful head from your body.

INT. CISTERN – WATER – MINGO CITY

DALE is dragged, coughing and gasping for air, up onto a concrete pier.

We see the SHARKMEN. Dressed in rudimentary chrome chainmail, their scaly, grey-skinned bodies resemble the GILLMAN from THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON but their heads are somewhat shark-like. Their huge mouths are filled with jagged teeth.

Soaked, DALE looks up at her terrifying captors and screams.

One of the SHARKMEN throws a lever on the wall and a hatch slides open.

FLASH is then tossed up onto the pier. Coughing and gasping for air, he sees DALE and then the group of six SHARKMEN. He jumps to his feet, standing at ready between the SHARKMEN and DALE.

The SHARKMEN point chrome tridents at FLASH. Their leader, BALUSK, raises a hand.

BALUSK:

Halt! You are our captives! No harm shall befall you if you comply! You are to be taken to the undersea palace of King Kala!

FLASH:

How? We can’t breathe underwater.

During this, the SHARKMAN who opened the hatch, exits with two transparent diving helmets. The helmets are glass bubbles attached to a small air tank.

BALUSK:

These breather helmets will sustain you during our journey to Coralia.

He hands FLASH and DALE the diving helmets. They put them over their heads. A SHARKMAN adjusts and activates the helmets. BALUSK points to a row of concrete steps leading into the water.

BALUSK:

That way.

The SHARKMEN herd our heroes down the steps pointing their long, chrome tridents at them.

INT. WATER – CISTERN – MINGO CITY

The group walks down the steps underwater to an awaiting set of five UMILONG. They resemble a cross between sea horses and lizards.

DALE reacts to the strange animals.

DALE:

Flash!

FLASH comforts her as the SHARKMEN mount the UMILONG, one per.

BALUSK:

We will ride these umilong across the Sea of Zodan to the palace.

TWO SHARKMEN assist the earth people onto the backs of their mounts. As soon as the amazed DALE and FLASH are secured, the troupe of SHARKMEN race off across the murk of the cistern.

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