The Abyss Page #18

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Bud clasps him on the shoulder and starts hyperventilating. He drops into

the water.

EXT. DEEPCORE/TRIMODULE C 162

Bed shoots down through the hatch. The cold hits him list a fist, becoming

instantly paralyzing. He starts kicking in powerful strokes through the dark

water, maneuvering around tangles of umbilical cable twisted tubular steel.

Catfish is behind him, swimming like hell. They reach hatch six. Together

they spin the wheel and heave upward, opening it.

INT. TRIMODULE D/LEVEL ONE163

Bud surges up into the lock. Catfish jams into the tiny airspace with him.

They try the upper hatch. Jammed. They're both panting with the exertion

and intense cold.

BUD:

Hafta... go on to... the moonpool. Only way.

CATFISH:

I can't... make it... podner.

Bud looks at Catfish, shivering and heaving, wide-eyed.

BUD:

Okay, Cat. You head back.

Bud hyperventilates rapidly and pikes over diving back out through the hatch.

EXT. DEEPCORE 164

Bud is stroking rapidly through the tangle of pipes and conduit. He sees the

lit rectangle of the moonpool far ahead.

INT. SUB BAY165

In the moonpool, Bud surface with an explosive gasp beside the full of

Flatbed. His wracked breathing is masked by the WHINE of HYDRAULICS as Coffey

uses the external controls to extend Flatbed's big hydraulic arm, locking

the Geek/MIRV in its gripper.

Bud strokes to a point where Coffey can't see him and heaves up out of the

water onto the deck of the pool. He lies gasping behind Cab One's cradle.

His limbs are wooden and unresponsive from the cold. His fingers are

completely numb. He hugs himself, putting his hands under his armpits.

Scans the situation. He can't get to the door, which is across the room,

without Coffey seeing him.

INT. CONTROL MODULE 166

Lindsey watching the whole thing going down, ON THE SCREEN, a high angle of

the sub bay... Bud moving up on Coffey.

HIPPY:

He can't get to the door... I think he's going

to try and take him himself.

LINDSEY:

He couldn't be that dumb. The guy's a trained

killer. Bud's idea of a fight is arm-wrestling

One Night over laundry duty.

ON THE SCREEN, Bud picks up a piece of pipe. Hefts it. Moves forward,

crouched... stalking. Lindsey yells at the screen in frustration.

LINDSEY:

BUUUUUD!!

INT. SUB BAY167

Bud chucks a tool across the chamber, creating a clattering distraction, then

wades in with the pipe in a vicious swing to the back of Coffey's knees,

taking him down. Coffey spins even as he falls, catching Bud in a scissor

kick that topples him.

Grappling, they fall together into the freezing water.

Coffey is momentarily stunned by the cold, giving Bud time to haul himself

out, hoping to make it to the door.

Coffey launches from the water and grabs him legs.

He pulls himself up as Bud kick out. Claws his way viciously over Bud's

body until he has him pinned to the deck. Then he pulls out the .45.

Put it unceremoniously to Bud's forehead.

INT. CONTROL MODULE 168

LINDSEY:

NOOO!!

INT. SUB BAY169

Coffey pulls the trigger... CLICK. Bud flinches, then opens his eyes,

staring cross-eyed at the muzzle of the .45. Coffey c*cks it and tries

again. CLICK. Nothing. Really pissed off beyond description, Bud hurls

the commando off him with a powerful heave, sending him clattering against

a rack of equipment. They face off, panting.

INT. CONTROL MODULE 170

The rig crew turns from the screen at the sound of Monk's voice.

MONK:

I tool the liberty of removing this before I

gave it back to him.

Monk pulls his hand out from under his blanket and holds up the magazine from

the .45.

INT. SUB WAY171

Even so Bud is getting his ass kicked. Coffey's really trying to put him out

of business. It's mostly duck and dodges on Bud's part. Throw a few things.

When Coffey connects, Bud goes down hard. Give him credit, though. He

manages to scramble back up.

The fight wrecks the room, scattering tools and gear.

Compressed air cylinders roll dangerously around the floor.

Coffey slips on one and Buds get in a couple of good licks.

Slams the SEAL's head in an equipment locker door.

But the Navy man is just too massive. Bud is hammered back into a wall.

Coffey has his fist cocked back for the coup de grace. Spins around at the

sound of a VOICE.

CATFISH:

Hey!

Catfish is right behind him. Dripping wet. A trail of water goes back to

the moonpool a few feet away.

CRACK! Catfish's 'Hammer' punch comes in so hard and so fast, Coffey is

knocked right on his ass. He doesn't get up. Just sort of flops around.

Catfish helps Bud to his feet. They advance on Coffey, who crab-scuttles

sideways, his eyes rabid.

He picks up a helium tank and hurls it at them. As they duck he sprints to

Flatbed and drops through the hatch and slams it down.

BUD:

(to Catfish)

Get the door!

Bud leaps across the water to land on Flatbed. The hatch is already sealed.

He grapples with Geek/MIRV, trying to free it from the steel claw.

INT. FLATBED172

Coffey crawls along the access tunnel to the pilot's compartment. He claws

his way into the control seat and starts rapidly flipping switches.

INT. CORRIDOR 173

Catfish pounds down the corridor like he's never run before, his beer gut

doing a rumba. He reaches the door, tears out the piece of pipe and spins

the wheel. Hippy pushes it open so fast it hits Catfish in the stomach.

Hippy tears past him, running with the assault rifle. John Wayne.

INT. SUB-BAY174

Flatbed is submerging, with only the hatch tower still above the water. Bud

is being dragged down, still trying to free the ROV. He gives up when he

sees Hippy run in, waving the assault rifle around like a 130-pound Rambo.

Bud climbs the hatch tower and leaps to the deck of the moonpool.

Hippy clumsily raises the unfamiliar rifle at Coffey, visible inside his

viewing bubble beneath the swirling water. Coffey looks up, stares at the

gun... doesn't seem to care.

CATFISH:

SHOOT!

Hippy's squeezing the trigger and nothing's happening. Flatbed's hatch tower

goes under.

CATFISH:

Safety's on! On the side... the lever! Up,

push it up!

Hippy fumble with the selective-fire lever, BLAM-BLAM-BLAM! He put three

quick rounds into the ceiling.

HIPPY:

SH*T!

CATFISH:

Give me that!!

He grabs it out of Hippy's hands and aims it at the sub. He racks the water

with a long burst. BENEATH THE SURFACE, the rounds nip nasty contrails

through the water. They barely scar the front port.

LINDSEY:

Forget that... go for Big Geek!

Catfish rakes the descending sub with more bursts, trying to hit the

shimmering shape of the ROV on its back. UNDERWATER we see the rounds

arcing wild, a few hitting the ROV but causing little damage.

Coffey complete his descent to just above the seafloor. ABOVE, Catfish

empties the weapon.

BUD:

Gimme a hand!

They all turn. Bud is fumbling into his wetsuit like a madman. The others

rush over to help him.

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