The Abyss Page #19

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BUD:

Get the rest of my gear. Grab that hat there...

let's go guys! Come on, come on!

Catfish slams a backpack onto Bud's shoulders, grappling with the straps and

hose connections. Hippy and Sonny (with one hand) are clipping, zipping and

buckling all over him. This is a world-record suit-up time. Bud pulls the

rubber neck-dam of the helmet's lower ring down over his face.

BUD:

Helmet... helmet! Work fast.

EXT. DEEPCORE UNDERSTRUCTURE 175

Beneath the habitat, Coffey is maneuvering Flatbed through the twisted pipe

and debris left by Deepcore's slide to the edge. Bloodied, his fatigues

ripped half-off, he looks like a feral animal. His eyes burn with the

determination of his mission.

INT. SUB BAY176

Jammer expertly works the crane controls, moving Cab One out over the

moonpool from its drydock cradle. Lindsey and One Night are scrambling like

monkeys over the port side crash bars of the swinging sub, clambering up to

the hatch tower.

ONE NIGHT:

I'll unhook.

(Lindsey hesitates)

GO! You're better in these than I am.

Lindsey recognizes this for what it is... a sign of respect, a

reconciliation. She nods and drops through the hatch.

EXT. DEEPCORE 177

Coffey passes under the twisted wreckage of the big automated derrick and makes

a tight turn beneath the drill-floor module. Flatbed scrapes through between

twisted conduit, metal screeching on metal.

INT. SUB BAY178

Bud has his 'hat' locked down and his air cut on. He take two quick strides

to the edge of the pool and just drops in.

EXT. DEEPCORE 179

Bud rockets DOWN INTO FRAME in a column of bubbles. He looks around. Through

the lattice of conduit under the rig he can see Flatbed moving forward from

its exit point under the stern. Bud see a shortcut under the platform.

He kicks along a lattice a pipes, heaving himself along in frantic hand-over-

hand stokes. He reaches for Flatbed's stern as it passes.

Misses the last hand-hold... but just manages to seize a tie-down trailing

behind it. He is jerked along behind the sub.

Bud holds on with both hands as he is buffeted in the wake of the powerful

thrusters. Flatbed gathers speed, moving out toward the edge of the abyssal

wall. The current slams him, spinning him like a fishing lure. He pulls

himself forward slowly until he can grip the stern rail of Flatbed's platform.

LOW ANGLE, look up the wall. Flatbed appears over the edge and stops.

Hovering.

ON THE BACK OF FLATBED. Bud has the break he needs. He scrambles up onto the

deck and opens and equipment locker. Nothing in it but one of the yellow

nylon safety lines. The big arm begins to unfold, lifting Geek/ROV.

INT./EXT. FLATBED180

Coffey works intently. His eyes are the cool ice of lethal madness in a

face streaked with blood. He brings the ROV into view with the boom arm.

GEEK/ROV had a passenger. Brigman. The diver is holding Geek's skid with

one hand, doing something with the other. He turns to look at Coffey.

EXT. FLATBED/DEEPCORE 181

Coffey releases the ROV with the gripper and makes a grab at Bud with the

steel claw. Bud dives. The gripper hits his helmet a glancing blow. Bud

kicks away rapidly, letting nylon rope pay out. We see he has managed to tie

one end to Geek's skids. Coffey hits the button to activate the ROV, sending

an acoustic pulse to Geek's transponder. The little robot, pregnant with its

load of death, turns nimbly around and dives out and down toward the void.

Coffey pivots his bid machine toward Bud. Bud strokes rapidly to a large

jumble of wreckage. He loops the rope around a twisted pipe. Big Geek is

hauling ass away from him. The line snap taut an instant later. The ROV

strains, like a Rottweiler on a leash... trying to go. The rope is slipping

as Bud fights to make a knot.

Flatbed slews around, thrusters whining. As it banks, it hurls up clouds of

sediment from the escarpment face.

Through the front panel we see Coffey jerking on the controls.

The big arm extends menacingly. The smaller from manipulators open. An

enormous predatory instinct, its lights blaring.

The big machine roars forward. Straight at Bud.

Bud gets his knot partly done. See Flatbed looming.

Glare-lit in its lights, Bud grabs a handlehold and pulls himself downward as

Coffey closes the last few feet.

One manipulator slams into his backpack, tumbling him, and the sub's underside

rakes across his legs as it passes over. Flatbed crushes into the tangle of

pipework. K-CRUUUNCH!!

INT. FLATBED182

Coffey is slammed hard over the controls, up into the front dome port. He

gets back in the seat. Strains to free his machine.

EXT. DEEPCORE/BIG GEEK/FLATBED 183

Bud swims clear, diving down at an angle along the wall, hoping to stay in

Coffey's blind area. Flatbed backs out of the wreckage in a cloud of debris.

It pivots toward Bud. Moves after him.

Nearby, the ROV is whining mindlessly, trying to please. Trying to GO.

DETAIL OF ROPE attached to wreckage, as Bud's knot begins to slip. The nylon

line starts to play through the knot slowly.

BUD has gotten himself into a bad position. Along the bare rock face of the

cliff wall he is naked, nailed in the spotlights like a rabbit in front of a

truck. Coffey puts the hammer down, thrust levers all the way forward.

Flatbed surges forward, multi-limbed and demonic. There's no cover, side to

side, up or down.

Coffey has him head in his lights. Suddenly a bright glare blasts in,

blinding Coffey. He looks up to see Cab One rushing down upon him, full

throttle.

At the last moment LIndsey slams the thrusters full-lock and the submersible

slews sideways, slamming its heavy skidplate into Flatbed's cab. Coffey is

smashed sideways by the shock. He fights to control his vehicle. Lindsey

looks up to see Coffey's sub gun it up over the wall, out of sight. She

cruises up over Bud.

LINDSEY (V.O.)

Get in!

Bud gets the lockout hatch open and clambers up into Cab One's belly.

INT./EXT. CAB ONE184

Bud flops over the lip of the hatch and slams it shut. He ditches his helmet.

Lindsey raises her vehicle warily above the wall. Through the front port

there is not sign of Coffey.

LINDSEY:

You owe me one, Virgil.

BUD:

Can we negotiate later? There's Big Geek.

He points. Through the front port, they can see the ROV still straining at

its leash. Lindsey dives toward it, simultaneously working the controls to

open her own small manipulator claws.

EXT. DEEPCORE/WALL, ETC. 185

The last few feet of the rope slip through the knot.

Big Geek happily surges forward. It dives gracefully down into the void,

trailing the yellow rope like a kite tail.

ONE CAB ONE, Bud and Lindsey through the front port.

BUD:

Go after it! We gotta catch it!

FLATBED DROPS INTO FRAME BEHIND THEM, dwarfing little Cab One. They are

slammed viciously as Coffey's submersible hammers into them. She hits full

throttle. Coffey floors it after Lindsey, ramming her from behind with his

more powerful vehicle. With difficulty Lindsey maintains trim.

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