Siren 1x01 - Pilot

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THE DEEP

"Pilot"

Written by

Eric Wald

Story by

Eric Wald & Dean White

03.02.2016
TEASER

1 EXT. OCEAN - NIGHT 1

A brutal storm. It’s hard to tell day from night.

TITLE OVER: “THE BERING SEA”

In the midst of the angry ocean, a FISHING VESSEL is battered


by thirty-foot waves.

2 EXT. FISHING TRAWLER (”THE NORTH STAR”) - SAME 2

The MEN onboard, all in survival suits, work undaunted by the


treacherous conditions. A crane arm BREAKS like a twig in the
gale force winds, exploding halogen lights on board.

ON THE BRIDGE

CAPTAIN SEAN McCLURE, 50s, everything you’d expect an Alaskan


fisherman to be and more, is at the helm. He’s got one eye on
the weather radar, one eye on the deck.

CAPT. SEAN
Crank the nets! Everything up.

ON THE DECK

The men continue to labor in half darkness. They can barely


stand as the trawler pitches to and fro.

The winches drag in the trawl net. The men pull a massive
haul of FISH. They’re led by first mate XANDER McCLURE, 24,
bearded, son of the Captain. If he wasn’t working his dad’s
fishing boat, he might make a pretty good offensive lineman
for the Huskies. Tons of cod spill onto the hold.

They fight to open the nets in the howling wind. We glimpse


SOMETHING BIG in amongst the roiling fish. A shark?

Xander plunges the catch into the hold, when suddenly,


through the silvery flesh, something lunges at him, HISSING,
with razor-sharp teeth. Xander falls backward to avoid its
strike. The other men take note.

It’s hard to make out in the harsh conditions. But this is


some sort of predator. And it’s in attack mode. A violent
WHIP of a sharp tail sends two men crashing across the deck.

In a darkened corner, the creature lunges for another crew


member, its teeth RIPPING through his midsection. The guy
screams in agony.
2.

ON THE BRIDGE

Sean wrestles with the wheel. Through the wipers, he can see
a commotion on the deck. Xander lumbers in, pushes back his
hood. He shouts.

XANDER
Dad! There’s something we caught, I
don’t know what it is. It got
Chris, he’s messed up bad.

CAPT. SEAN
Shark?

XANDER
That thing’s no shark.

ON THE DECK

The monster slithers behind some crates, barely visible. It


thrashes against the hull, attacking anything in sight.

Two crew members grab long GAFFING HOOKS. They snare it up


against the bulwark and force it into the hold with the other
fish. They slam the latch. The two men exchange a glance.

CREWMAN
What the hell--?

They’re interrupted by a WHEEZING sound. It’s CHRIS, 25, the


injured crew member. His mates stagger through the howling
wind toward him.

IN THE GALLEY

The men carry Chris inside. They clear space and lay him
down. Open up his survival suit. A nasty gash, soaked with
blood. The boat creaks and moans as it pushes through the
violent sea.

Captain Sean appears, looks over his man.

CREW MEMBER #1
He’s lost a lot of blood.

CAPT. SEAN
Tamp it down. Get your fingers in
there good and tight.

The Captain looks at Chris’ young face. His eyes loll and
close, passing out from the pain and blood loss.
3.

CAPT. SEAN
Hang in there, son, think of your
family, gonna call in evac. We’re
gonna get you out of here.

Sean pushes out of the galley. A crew member, CALVIN (Asian


American, 25), is by the door, a haunted look on his face.

CALVIN
What is that thing, Cap?

Sean shakes his head and ducks out through the door.

ON THE BRIDGE

Sean gets on his radio. The wipers sweep back and forth.
There are snapshots of Sean’s family taped to the window.

CAPT. SEAN
(into radio)
This is Captain Sean McClure of The
North Star, vessel #534221.
Position 57 25 North, 176 33 West,
with a bearing of 228 degrees. We
have a crew member in need of
immediate medical evacuation. Over.

EMERGENCY DISPATCHER (V.O.)


Nature of injury? Over.

CAPT. SEAN
(into radio)
A bite to the abdomen. Severe blood
loss. Over.

EMERGENCY DISPATCHER (V.O.)


Cause of injury? Over.

CAPT. SEAN
(beat, into radio)
Something I’ve never seen before.

He cuts the wheel hard.

CAPT. SEAN
(into radio)
Altering course to 126 degrees, 12
knots. Confirm rendez-vous. Over.

3 EXT. OCEAN - NIGHT 3

The North Star pitches down a deep trough as it swings about,


setting a new course.
4.

4 EXT. OCEAN - LATER 4

At the edge of the storm, calmer seas, but still in the midst
of an inky dark ocean. The fishing trawler powers through the
night. An eery banging inside the hull.

5 INT. THE NORTH STAR - GALLEY - SAME 5

The men huddle around a table. They’re all spooked to hell,


listening to the banging, like it’s been going on for hours.

And then, suddenly, it stops. All is quiet but for the sound
of Chris wheezing in his bunk.

After a moment, an ethereal SINGING filters in, just sounds


really, but lilting and beautiful.

CALVIN
What is that?

6 EXT. THE NORTH STAR - SAME 6

The men walk onto the deck, drawn by the enchanting sounds.
Captain Sean joins them. They head to the fish hold, standing
over it, mesmerized. Xander reaches down toward the lock.

CAPT. SEAN
Xander, no.

Before Xander can open it, a BLINDING LIGHT cuts down from
above, a building ROAR of turbine engines. The men look up.

A massive Naval Sikorsky Super Stallion, the largest and


heaviest helicopter in the U.S. military, hovers over the
trawler. The rotor wash blasts water everywhere.

NAVY SEALS drop like spiders onto the deck. At least half a
dozen of them. They’re armed.

The fisherman stand opposite. An African-American Man, 50,


glasses, steps through two of the Seals. This is government
agent ALDON DECKER. He has an almost professorial demeanor.

DECKER
Let’s see what you caught tonight,
Captain.

CAPT. SEAN
What I caught is none of your
business. You came for my injured
crewman.
5.

DECKER
Of course, where are my manners?
We’ll be needing him as well.

One of the Crewmen has carried Chris onto the deck. Decker
nods to two NAVY SEALS who quickly attend to him. They put an
oxygen mask over his mouth.

A basket lowers from the helicopter. They strap him inside


and lift him to the helicopter. Decker faces Sean.

DECKER
Now then, Captain.

CAPT. SEAN
I’m entitled to my catch. That’s
the law.

DECKER
I’m sorry, Captain, but at this
moment, I am the law.

The Seals pry open the latch on the fish hold.

CAPT. SEAN
Hey!

Two Seals train their weapons on him. Decker peers into the
hold. What he sees has a great impact on him. Decker signals
a Navy Seal, who loads a TRANQUILIZER cartridge into a rifle.
He takes aim. POP!

A pod-like tank drops from the helicopter. The Seals guide it


into the fish hold. Sean is going ballistic.

CAPT. SEAN
That’s my goddamn catch! That
belongs to me!

His son Xander restrains him. They finish loading the


creature into the tank, then hoist it out of the hold and
into the chopper above. Throughout the process, the creature
itself remains hidden. Decker nods respectfully to Sean.

DECKER
You’ve done a fine job, Captain.
We’ll take it from here.

He clips onto a winch cable and is lifted into the Super


Stallion along with the other Navy Seals. The engines ROAR on
the huge chopper.

It rises, banks hard, and powers away into the night.


6.

The fishermen stand on the deck, staring in shock at the


helicopter as it disappears. And they don’t notice a hundred
yards behind their stern, in the water--

An iridescent TAIL FLUKE, cutting across the surface. It


swiftly slips beneath the water, back to the murky depths.

END OF TEASER
7.

ACT ONE

7 EXT. TOWN - DAY 7

A rainy fishing village along the Olympic Peninsula. A few


neglected trawlers clank in the marina. The remnants of a
once-thriving canning industry lie decrepit along the wharf.

TITLE OVER: BRISTOL COVE, WA

The local high school MARCHING BAND plays down main street.
It’s a parade. But not just any parade.

They march under a banner that announces the annual end of


summer “MERMAID DAYS FESTIVAL.” Bristol Cove is the
unofficial Mermaid Capital of the World.

- There are DOGS DRESSED LIKE MERMAIDS.

- Kids lick MERMAID POPSICLES.

- Tourists wear MERMAID HATS and MERMAID JEWELRY.

- There are MERMAIDS riding in the back of convertibles.

It’s a perverse slice of Americana, more David Lynch than


Norman Rockwell.

The parade passes an old CURIO SHOP filled with skulls,


mermaid diagrams, vintage maps, carved shells. On the window
is lettered “Helen’s Antiquities.”

The old shop lady, HELEN HUBBELL, stands in the doorway,


regarding the parade with a certain disdain. Two tipsy
COLLEGE GIRLS, dressed in mermaid gear, are staring at the
oddities in the window.

COLLEGE GIRL
What is all this stuff?

Helen looks down at them with her dark green eyes.

HELEN
Real artifacts. Not the nonsense in
that ridiculous parade. You could
spend a little money, if you like.

The Girls don’t know what to make of it. Their FRIENDS, also
dressed in silly mermaid gear, stumble up with drinks.

FRIEND
Hey, y’all, look what we found--
Mergaritas! Woo-hoo!
8.

The Girls take their drinks and head off. Helen can only roll
her eyes as she watches them leave.

8 EXT. WATERFRONT PARK - DAY 8

The culmination of the parade route. A large FISH PROCESSING


PLANT looms nearby with a prominent sign, “Pownall Seafood.
Wholesale - Processing.”

A crowd of tourists has gathered in the park to watch SCHOOL


CHILDREN perform a play about the “history” of their town.
The young NARRATOR shouts to be heard.

NARRATOR
It was more than a hundred and
fifty years ago, that local fishing
captain, Charles H. Pownall fell in
love with a mermaid in these very
waters, enchanted by her beautiful
siren song.

A YOUNG BOY is dressed like an old time fisherman, he’s even


got a pipe. He rows a boat through cardboard waves. A young
MERMAID emerges from the waves, singing a dainty song. They
hug. Other Mermaids dance around them.

NARRATOR
They spent every day together.

YOUNG MERMAID
I love you, fisherman.

YOUNG CHARLES
I love you, mermaid.

NARRATOR
But one day, he went out in the
bay, and his mermaid was gone. He
pined for his lost siren, going to
the same rock overlooking the
water, hoping to see her again. But
she was gone, back to her home in
the sea, never to return.

As Young Charles sits on the cardboard rock, a CHORUS of kids


dressed like lobsters, crabs, squid, and fish moves onto the
stage and sings “Fathoms Below” from the Little Mermaid.

NARRATOR
And that is how, thanks to Charles
H. Pownall, Bristol Cove became the
Mermaid Capital of the World.
9.

A few small fireworks go off. The crowd cheers. TEACHERS help


the kids move the sets off the stage.

TED POWNALL, 50s, dressed casually, but still exuding wealth


and power, sweeps onto the stage with a big smile.

TED
Thank you, and thank you to the
fifth graders in Ms. Salazar’s
class at Seaview Elementary for
that charming performance. That’s
my great-great-great grandfather
depicted up there, so as you can
see, our family goes back a long
ways in Bristol Cove. And that is
why, in the shadow of the cannery
built by my father, it is my honor
that I present to you the latest
Pownall family venture.

A large OBJECT is covered in a shroud.

TED
This has been a passion project for
our entire family, so please allow
me to introduce my beautiful wife
Elaine, and our two wonderful sons,
Doug and Ben.

ELAINE, late 40s, beautiful, wheelchair bound, is pushed onto


the stage by their son DOUG, 27, a clone of his father.
Elaine is extremely well put together, with frosted blonde
hair and a designer suit.

Their youngest son, Ben, is nowhere to be seen. Elaine


whispers in Ted’s ear.

TED
It seems, uh, Ben got caught in the
parade traffic, but I assure you,
he is here in spirit.

He is clearly furious, but presses on.

TED
To all the good people of Bristol
Cove, and the thousands who visit
us each year, it’s our great
pleasure to welcome you to the
brand new, Charles H. Pownall Park!

They dramatically sweep the cover off to reveal a STATUE of


Charles Pownall and the Mermaid. The crowd claps. Music
plays. Balloons are released.
10.

PHOTOGRAPHER
Ted, can we get a shot of you and
your family?

Ted gathers with Elaine and Doug. He grits his teeth.

TED
Where the hell is Ben?

9 EXT. OCEAN - DAY 9

A small vessel bobs in the water. On its hull, in faded


letters, is written, “MARINE RESEARCH FOUNDATION.” Reggae
music plays. A stoner assistant, JERRY, 28, smokes a joint.
He tosses it away, clears the air when he sees bubbles and a
DIVER emerge from the kelpy water.

Jerry helps the diver on board. He takes off his tanks and
mask, and we get our first glimpse at marine biologist BEN
POWNALL, 25, as he peels off his wetsuit. He’s handsome even
with saltwater dripping all over him.

JERRY
How’s the crabbin’, boss?

BEN
Perfect day for it.

Jerry helps him take off his air tanks.

JERRY
Yeah, not sure your dad’s gonna
agree with that, yo.

BEN
Add it to the list of things we
don’t agree on.

Ben carries the specimen bags to the water tanks. He places


small European Green CRABS into the tanks.

BEN
I had to come out today, we’re so
close to finishing this grid.

JERRY
Yeah, totally. I hear that. Grid’s
gotta be finished. Crabs gotta be
counted, or whatever, right?

Ben picks up one of the little crabs from the tank.


11.

BEN
Dude, these guys right here,
they’re ground zero, the
scavengers, once they go, and
according to our research their
numbers are dwindling, the whole
food chain implodes. We’re already
seeing entire populations of top
level predators migrating to new
hunting grounds.

Jerry’s eyes suddenly light up. His mind is blown.

JERRY
Whoa. Crabbageddon.

BEN
Full on.

They exchange a fist bump. Ben picks up his iPad, starts


filling in graphs. He notices the time.

BEN
Maddie didn’t come up yet?

JERRY
Not yet. Is that bad?

Ben scrambles to the other side of the boat, wrestles his


dive gear back on. He straps on his tank and mask.

JERRY
Uh, I don’t think there’s enough
air in there for you, man--

Too late, Ben plunges back into the water and begins a
frenzied descent.

10 EXT. UNDERWATER - SAME 10

Ben dives to the bottom, guided by a torch light. He finds a


DIVER stuck, a leg tangled in the rocks of the sea floor.

Ben frantically attempts to free the leg. But there’s a


problem. His tank is empty. He rips out his regulator.

Using a dive KNIFE, he cuts the fin off, freeing it from the
rocks, then puts an arm around the Diver and makes the
arduous swim upward.

11 EXT. RESEARCH BOAT - SAME 11

Jerry paces nervously on the deck. He sees them break through


the surface. Ben gasps for breath. Jerry’s impressed.
12.

JERRY
You got a crazy set of lungs, bro.

Jerry helps them onboard. They rip off the diver’s mask to
reveal a young woman, research assistant MADDIE BISHOP (24).
She’s breathing and alive.

As her wetsuit comes off, we see Maddie is of Native American


heritage, with Haida tribal tattoos, short cropped pink hair,
black nail polish, a rocker chick vibe.

BEN
You okay?

Maddie rips off the cut scuba fin and throws it down.

MADDIE
No, I’m not okay. Total stupid
rookie mistake.

Ben puts a comforting hand on her shoulder.

BEN
We made it, you’re all right,
that’s all that matters.

MADDIE
(angry)
I should have known better than to
traverse that rock fall down there.

BEN
Hey, Maddie, we’re good.

He gently strokes the back of her neck. They sit there, face
to face, adrenaline pumping, saltwater dripping. Maddie leans
in and kisses him. It’s passionate, deep, sexy.

MADDIE
You realize you’re never gonna be
able to top that?

BEN
What do you mean?

MADDIE
You did a crash dive through a kelp
forest, slashed my fin, performed a
controlled rescue ascent with no
air, and somehow didn’t go hypoxic.

BEN
Jump in there with some sharks next
time and I’ll see what I can do.
13.

Jerry gives a stoner chuckle from across the boat.

JERRY
Sharks. Awesome.

12 EXT. BRISTOL COVE MARINA - DAY 12

The research boat powers back to the marina. Jerry ties it up


and starts unloading gear.

Ben and Maddie carry the crab tanks up the dock. They load
them into a pickup truck.

BEN
I’ll take these back to the lab.

MADDIE
Twelve degrees celsius.

BEN
Straight seawater on mild
filtration.

MADDIE
I love it when you talk salination
levels.

She gives him a sexy kiss, grabs his ass. Ben grins.

BEN
You wanna come over later? I could
show you my tide log.

MADDIE
I can’t. I told my dad I’d make him
dinner.

BEN
Maddie, you can’t always--

MADDIE
The man can’t cook ramen. I’m
serious. It’s disturbing.

Maddie smiles awkwardly. Ben regards her. He loves her too


much to press the issue.

13 INT. MADDIE’S HOME - EVENING 13

Maddie prepares dinner, boiling a shellfish stew. Through the


window, a SHERIFF’S CAR pulls onto the driveway. Sheriff WILL
BISHOP, 52, Maddie’s father, gets out.
14.

The kitchen door opens, and Will enters. He’s a proud Haida
man who walks like he carries a weight on his shoulders.

MADDIE
Hey, Dad, good day at the office?

Will takes off his gun belt. He washes his hands.

WILL
Oh, let’s see, some tourists had
their car broken into, stole two
mermaid sculptures outta the trunk.
And the bench outside Melanie’s
shop got tagged with graffiti.

MADDIE
Sounds like another busy day of
crime in Bristol Cove.

She brings the stew to the table and serves it in bowls. They
both sit down and join hands.

WILL
Creator, for the food, and for You,
we thank you.

Will grips his napkin tightly in his other hand.

WILL
And for Susan, may she find peace
on her journey and within herself
and find her way back home.

They start to eat the stew.

MADDIE
It’s been eight months since we’ve
heard from her, might be time to
start dropping her from the
blessings.

WILL
I believe your mother is being
guided.

MADDIE
She’s gone, Dad. And no Haida
spirit voodoo is gonna bring her
back. It’s okay. We’re better off
without her. You’re forgetting what
it was like when she was here.

Will eats a clam from the stew. Maddie regards him, upset.
15.

14 EXT. DOCK - NIGHT 14

A fleet of fishing boats creak on their moorings. Amongst


them is THE NORTH STAR, worse for wear from her harrowing
night at sea.

On one of the boats, a DOG sits up, ears suddenly alert. It


starts BARKING loudly at something unseen in the water. The
dog’s OWNER calls from the cabin.

OWNER
Bear, knock it off!

The dog won’t stop. It senses something out there in the dark
and quiet water. And perhaps we glimpse a shape slither
across the surface at the far end of the harbor.

INT. THE GALLEY BAR - SAME

A tough dockside bar decorated with a nautical theme. It’s


populated by FISHERMEN. Lots of empty bottles on the bar.

Ben enters, takes a place at the end of the bar.

BEN
Hey, Valerie, a Widmer when you get
the chance.

BARMAID
You got it, honey.

She plonks a bottle down in front of him. The large figure of


Xander steps up next to him. He seems edgy and nervous.

XANDER
Hey, man, I’ve been looking for
you.

BEN
I thought you guys were going out
past Bowers Ridge? You’re back
early.

XANDER
Yeah, I, uh, need to talk to you
about something. Come here.

Xander leads Ben to a table in the corner where Sean sits


with the other North Star crewmen. Ben takes a seat. He
notices Sean wringing his hands. Calvin speaks up, tensely.

CALVIN
We said we keep this between us,
don’t tell anybody.
16.

Xander exchanges a look with his crew. They seem skittish.

XANDER
Ben knows about this stuff, he can
help us. He’s one of us.

ANOTHER CREWMAN
He wasn’t on the boat. He doesn’t
fish with us no more.

They all look to Sean, who nods, giving approval. Xander


turns to Ben.

XANDER
We caught something out there,
something we’ve never seen before.
It attacked Chris, he was airlifted
out. Big ass military commando
helicopter.

OTHER CREWMAN
Navy Seals, the whole deal.

CALVIN
The CG says they have no record of
the evac. Like it never happened.

XANDER
Chris is just gone.

Ben listens, not sure what to make of this.

BEN
And you don’t know what attacked
him?

The men look at each other. Xander takes a deep breath. He


nods hesitantly to a carved WOODEN MERMAID statue on the
wall. Ben smirks, assuming they’re pulling his leg.

BEN
A mermaid?

OTHER CREWMAN
Only it didn’t look like that, it
was a predator.

CAPT. SEAN
It’s worth a fortune. It’s the holy
grail. And it belongs to me.

Ben looks at them for a moment, then he cracks up.


17.

BEN
Okay, this was a good one. Very
well done. Maybe they’ll let you in
the parade next year.

CALVIN
I told you.

Xander grabs Ben by the wrist, leans toward him.

XANDER
Dude, this is real. Why else would
they take it away from us? Look--

He takes his phone out. It shows grainy video footage of the


creature in the hold. It’s very dark and hard to make out,
but it’s enough to make Ben question for a moment. He quickly
dismisses it.

BEN
Xander, man, seriously, this could
be anything.

He glances at the grainy frozen image on the phone.

BEN
I don’t know what you caught, but
trust me, it’s not what you think
it is.

16 EXT. MILITARY BASE - DAY 16

A sprawling military complex for U.S. Army and Air Force


operations. Barracks line a parade grounds where TROOPS are
in basic training. Humvees and Trucks power about.

TITLE OVER: “Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Tacoma, WA.”

A late model SEDAN drives through the base. It pulls up to a


plain, one-story building. Two men get out. One of them is
Aldon Decker, the man from the opening scene. The other is a
high-ranking MILITARY OFFICER. They head into the building.

17 INT. BUILDING - SAME 17

It’s actually a modern, high-tech bunker inside. They pass


through several security levels, descending deeper below.

In a darkened hall, lined with aquariums, we glimpse bizarre,


deep sea species. They might as well be from outer space. The
last tank has a scary ray-like specimen that flashes past
before disappearing in its tank.
18.

Decker and the General pass through a final security level


and into a RESEARCH LAB. There’s a tall octagonal tank in the
center of the room.

As they sweep around, we get our first clear, full view of


what’s inside--

And holy fucking shit.

The captured MERMAID. She’s floating motionless, as if in


hibernation. Her coppery red hair fans out across the surface
of the water like seaweed. She has jagged teeth, opalescent
skin that blends into a powerful fluke-like tail.

She’s scary and captivating all at once.

SCIENTISTS work at computers. Decker and the Army General


stand before the tank.

ARMY GENERAL
Son of a gun. All these years,
Agent Decker, chasing after every
nut job who ever dropped a line in
the water, claiming they pulled up
some alien sea monster from down
below.

DECKER
We followed the signs. First those
Japanese fishermen reported seeing a
strange sea creature off the Kuril
Islands, then those dolphin carcasses
with the odd bite marks that washed
ashore in Alaska, and finally the
NOAA research vessel that picked up
strange frequencies coming from
points in the Bering Strait. We knew
something was out there.

ARMY GENERAL
Why now?

DECKER
Your guess is as good as mine.
Something’s forced them closer to
the surface, we don’t know what it
is.

The General leans closer to the glass.

ARMY GENERAL
Is it sleeping?
19.

DECKER
She’s been in a dormant state since
the tranquilizers wore off.

ARMY GENERAL
It attacked one of the fishermen
who caught it?

DECKER
He’s still in critical condition,
we have him confined, she did quite
a lot of damage.

ARMY GENERAL
Not exactly The Little Mermaid, is
it?

The General stares at the creepy face of the mermaid, when


suddenly it BOLTS TO LIFE, sending out an ear-splitting
SHRIEK that shakes the tank, nearly knocks him off his feet.

And just as abruptly, the mermaid goes back to her dormant


state. The General gathers himself.

ARMY GENERAL
What the hell was that?

DECKER
Sonar.

The creature floats eerily in the tank.

DECKER
We think it might be some sort of
distress call.

ARMY GENERAL
We’re buried a hundred feet in the
ground, in a bunker with five foot
thick concrete walls, it ain’t
gonna do a whole lot of good.

DECKER
You’re missing the point, General.
She’s trying to signal others of
her kind.
(faces General, giddy)
If there’s one, there’s more.

END OF ACT ONE


20.

ACT TWO

18 EXT. COVE - NIGHT 18

Something is lurking out in the cove. From its water level


POV, we see a distant bonfire raging on a beach. We hear the
sound of voices, music filtering out across the water--

ON THE BEACH, a group of TWENTY-SOMETHINGS is partying,


drinking. Ben and Maddie walk along the sand.

MADDIE
I feel like we’re being watched.

They walk past a cluster of YOUNG LOCALS, holding red party


cups, stealing glances at them, and no doubt gossiping.

BEN
Are you having a flashback to high
school?

MADDIE
Yeah, like how much it sucked being
the weird punk rock Haida girl.

BEN
I wouldn’t know, since I was pretty
much Mr. Golden Boy.

MADDIE
We never would have dated back
then.

BEN
No. I wasn’t nearly evolved enough.

Maddie smiles, they walk a bit further.

BEN
You know what I’d do most days
after school? I’d come here and
free dive out past the break. I’d
close my eyes, and just let the
water surround me.

MADDIE
Sounds delightful.

BEN
It was the one place I couldn’t
hear my parents fighting. My own
private world. It was perfect.
21.

MADDIE
Until Pownall Seafood buys up every
last fish left in the ocean.

Ben nods, taking in the irony of it all.

BEN
Yeah. But hey, he built a new park
for the town, so who cares what he
does to the ocean?

MADDIE
Well, I think it’s awesome you’re
standing up to him.

She throws her arms around him.

MADDIE
Someone’s gotta stick up for the
fishies.

Ben puffs out his cheeks, makes a funny fish face. Maddie
cracks up. They kiss like young lovers.

Maddie notices Xander sitting off by himself, staring blankly


into the bonfire.

MADDIE
What’s up with Xander?

BEN
I better go talk to him.

Ben steps over and joins Xander by the fire.

BEN
Hey, how’s it going?

Xander doesn’t respond.

BEN
Come on, you’re not really pissed
at me, are you?

XANDER
I shouldn’t have told you. I
shoulda known better.

Ben is getting annoyed now.

BEN
Think about what you’re asking me
to believe.
22.

XANDER
I get it, you weren’t there. You
don’t come out on the boat with us
anymore.

BEN
What you’re talking about... it’s
mythology.

Xander runs a hand through his beard.

XANDER
So you’re saying you know
everything there is to know?

BEN
No, of course not.

XANDER
Then look me in the eyes and tell
me it’s possible.

BEN
Xander--

XANDER
Just do it.

Ben regards his friend sympathetically.

BEN
Okay, sure, ninety-five percent of
the oceans remain unexplored.

Xander’s eyes look a bit crazed in the fire light.

XANDER
So it could happen.

BEN
Xander, man, I love you, you know
that. And as your friend, I’m
tellin’ you, you gotta stop talking
like this.

XANDER
What’s it gonna take, huh, for you
to believe me?

Ben thinks about this for a while.

BEN
I’d need to see one.
23.

Xander’s face suddenly lights up with a wild grin.

XANDER
Yeah, that’s it, that’s exactly
right. We gotta catch another one.

He crushes his beer can, stumbles away, on a mission. Ben


shakes his head. He stares across the beach.

Some kids have grabbed pieces of driftwood and lit them on


fire. They burn lavender and blue from the salt in the wood.

Ben looks at Maddie, laughing with a group of people at the


water’s edge.

Things are starting to get crazier. Music is turned louder.


Other people strip off their clothes and dive into the water.

20 EXT. COVE - NIGHT 20

A THIRTEEN YEAR-OLD KID, someone’s younger brother, swims out


in the dark cove. He’s out further than he should be. A
concerned SISTER calls to him.

SISTER
Lucas, get back here! It’s not safe
out there.

The boy ignores her, keeps swimming. He stops to rest,


treading water. His teeth chatter from the frigid water.
There’s an ominous sense he’s not alone.

A shadow passes behind him. He turns. Nothing. The boy is


getting tired. He can hear his sister calling from the shore.

He dips under the surface, and through the murky water, a


shape, getting bigger, coming towards him. The kid watches.

And then, once it’s nearly upon him, we see the open jaws of
a MAKO SHARK.

The kid pops back up, SCREAMING like hell.

KID
Shark! Shark!

Others swim over to help. They pull him to the shore. The boy
is panicked. A crowd gathers at the water’s edge.

GUY #1
Look.

The “shark” is actually the SEVERED HEAD of a Mako, bobbing


in the water. Some boys swim out and drag it to the beach.
24.

GIRL #1
That’s like the most disgusting
thing ever.

GIRL #2
It’s so freaky.

GUY #1
What did it?

GUY #2
Probably a killer whale, they hunt
sharks.

Ben kneels down beside the shark head. Maddie is next to him.

BEN
You up for a late night autopsy?

MADDIE
Thought you’d never ask.

21 INT. MARINE MAMMAL CENTER - EXAMINATION ROOM - NIGHT 21

The decapitated SHARK HEAD rests on a metal table, bathed in


a pool of light. Ben, wearing magnifying glasses, probes
around the head. Maddie leans in close, engrossed.

BEN
This damage was not inflicted by an
orca. The bite radius is too small.

MADDIE
So what then?

Ben is looking deep inside the head.

BEN
Well, it’s not another shark.

MADDIE
Maybe some fishermen caught it,
their dogs got to it?

None of these theories adds up and Ben knows it. He lifts his
glasses and stares at the severed head, his mind racing. The
events of the past day and his friend Xander’s story weighing
on him.

MADDIE
What are you thinking?
25.

His eyes fall to some NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS tacked to the wall


with headlines like, “Brazilian Boy Catches Rare Dinosaur
Fish.”

BEN
What if there’s a new predator out
there, one we haven’t seen before?

MADDIE
And it can rip the head clean off a
mako shark? Then I might have to
cancel my scuba trip next weekend.

23 OMITTED 23

24 EXT. ROAD - NIGHT 24

Ben’s truck drives down the desolate road. On one side is the
rocky beach, on the other side is forest.

25 INT. BEN’S TRUCK (MOVING) - SAME 25

Ben turns on the radio, searches for a station. He looks up


and, out of nowhere, a NAKED GIRL dashes in front of his
headlights. Ben swerves hard and skids into a ditch.

He gets out, sees the girl running away into the forest.

26 EXT. FOREST - NIGHT 26

The girl runs through the darkened forest on WOBBLY LEGS,


like a drunk. Ben chases after her. She falls down, gets up,
keeps going.

BEN
Hey, wait!

The girl weaves haphazardly through the forest. She trips


over a fallen tree, lands in some pine needles.

Ben catches up. At last, a closer look. She curls up on the


ground, shivering. Her whitish blonde hair tumbles in wild
locks down her backside; her eyes a PIERCING GREEN. Let’s
call her Po.

BEN
Are you okay?

Po is terrified, like a trapped animal. Her eyes dart about.


She’s having trouble breathing. She must be on drugs.

BEN
Were you at the party? Where are
you from?
26.

She doesn’t speak. She’s probably just a visitor in town for


the festival.

BEN
Here, take my jacket.

He steps closer. Po bolts, knocking him down with surprising


strength as she pushes past.

But her legs can’t carry her far. She tumbles into a small
ravine, passed out. Ben climbs down to get her.

27 EXT. ROAD - NIGHT 27

Ben carries the naked girl, wrapped in his coat, to his


truck. He places her in the front seat. First the shark head,
now this. It’s one of those nights.

28 INT. TRUCK (MOVING) - LATER 28

Po is asleep in the passenger seat. Her breathing is WHEEZY


and HEAVY. Her lungs sound wet. Ben is on his cell phone with
the town doctor.

BEN (INTO PHONE)


No, she’s breathing fine, a little
heavy. Someone probably gave her
something at the party. I could
take her down to the hospital in
Olympia.

DR. ABBOTT (V.O.)


It’s a two hour drive and then
you’ll spend the next five hours
waiting in the ER. Why don’t you
take her to your place, put her on
the couch, I’ll be right over to
have a look.

BEN (INTO PHONE)


Okay, Dr. Abbott, thank you.

29 INT. BEN’S HOME - NIGHT 29

Ben puts a log in the fire. Po lies on the sofa. She’s


dressed in one of his Marine Mammal Center t-shirts and a
pair of oversized sweatpants. She stirs, opens her eyes.

She looks around nervously. She notices her ill-fitting


clothes. Ben turns from the fireplace.

BEN
Sorry, it’s all I had.
27.

She still has yet to speak. Almost as if she’s traumatized.


The girl is enchanting and exotic. Feral. Other-worldly.
There’s something in her manner that Ben connects to.

Her eyes dart about the room. She picks up a SHELL on the
side table, sniffs it.

BEN
Littleneck clam. From Malakh Bay.

Po doesn’t respond, just stares at the shell.

BEN
You gonna say something?

He kneels down in front of her. He speaks gently.

BEN
I can help you. If you need to get
back somewhere.

Po looks deep into Ben’s eyes, sizing him up. She begins to
sing a SONG, the same ethereal melody we heard from the
mermaid in the opening scene on The North Star.

Ben is mesmerized. Her song continues. It affects him. Like


he’s under her spell. This is no ordinary young woman.

Unnerved by it, he breaks off his stare. A pair of headlights


sweep through the windows, the sound of tires on gravel.

BEN
That, uh, must be the doctor, I
better go check.

He gets up and heads outside.

30 EXT. BEN’S HOME - NIGHT 30

Ben walks out as DR. WINSTON ABBOTT, a rotund, good-natured


man in his sixties, emerges from his car.

DR. ABBOTT
Good evening, Benjamin. So how is
the naked overdosed damsel?

BEN
She’s inside. And kind of weird.

31 INT. BEN’S HOME - SAME 31

They enter. The fire is going. But Po is gone. Ben looks


around, he opens the kitchen door. No sign of her.
28.

BEN
I don’t know where she went.

The Doctor gives him a dubious look.

DR. ABBOTT
A slippery one, huh?

Off Ben, as he stares longingly outside, his mind racing--

END OF ACT TWO


29.

ACT THREE

32 INT. BEDROOM - MORNING 32

Morning light filters in. Ben is asleep in his bed. We PUSH


IN slowly on his face. Po’s SIREN SONG echoes softly in his
dreams. It seems to be having an erotic effect on him.

There’s a tapping at the window. Ben cocks an eye open and


sees his mother Elaine and her AIDE outside.

There’s a loud BANGING as the Aide guides her wheelchair into


the room. Elaine, as always, is impeccably dressed. Ben
gathers himself.

BEN
Mom? What are you doing here? What
time is it?

ELAINE
Good morning, dear. Your father is
terribly angry with you.

BEN
Good morning to you, too.

Elaine looks up at her Aide.

ELAINE
You can step outside, Anthony.

The Aide exits. She waits until he’s gone. Then faces Ben.

ELAINE
I don’t give a rat’s ass that he’s
angry. A lot of things make him
angry. The fact that a woman who
can’t walk insists on buying six
hundred dollar shoes.

Ben sits up, rubbing his sleep encrusted eyes.

ELAINE
You know what he called me the
other day? Bitch on wheels.

BEN
That’s actually pretty funny.

ELAINE
I thought so, too. And you know why
it was okay? Because it was behind
closed doors.
30.

Elaine wheels a bit closer to the edge of Ben’s bed.

ELAINE
Family rule. Say whatever the hell
awful thing you want in private,
but in public--

She puts on a smiling face that looks like Miss America.

ELAINE
This is the face that keeps mommy
in her nice shoes.

BEN
I get it.

The smile drops from Elaine’s face.

ELAINE
No, I don’t think you do. Because
if you did, you’d show up, you’d
flash that famous Pownall charm,
you wouldn’t leave your father up
on stage with his dick in his hand.

BEN
I’ll tell him I’m sorry.

ELAINE
A little late for that. I need this
family to keep working. I’m not
willing to suffer for nothing.

BEN
Okay.

Ben pulls a shirt over his head. His mother isn’t finished
just yet.

ELAINE
Doug tells me you’ve been hot and
heavy with Maddie Bishop.

BEN
Yeah, Mom. We’re dating. Remember?

Elaine rolls her wheelchair back. She regards her son.

ELAINE
You’ve always had a thing for the
wild girls.
31.

33 EXT. FIELD - MORNING 33

An abandoned BOAT lies tilted on its side amidst the weeds.


There’s a big gash in its hull, it’s been a while since this
vessel has seen ocean.

34 INT. ABANDONED BOAT - SAME 34

Po wakes up inside the mildewy and trash-strewn boat. She


stretches her legs, touches them. She wiggles and spreads her
toes, regarding them with fascination.

A rodent scurries along the floorboards. Po snares it with


animal-like reflexes. She holds the RAT in her fist, studies
it, then raises it to her mouth to take a bite. Off the sound
of CRUNCHING bones--

35 EXT. FIELD - SAME 35

The dead rat is flung from the boat. Po emerges, wiping her
mouth clean. She shivers in the chill morning air. Over the
fence, she sees some clothes hanging on a line.

36 EXT. ROAD - SAME 36

Bristol Cove, with its harbor and fishing boats, is in the


distance. Po, now wearing a University of Washington hoodie
from the line, heads down the road, past a TIRE SHOP and a
few CHEAP MOTELS on the outskirts of town.

37 EXT. BRISTOL COVE - DAY 37

Po enters the town. She looks like a barefoot hippie college


chick. Except her eyes are keen and focused. More like the
Terminator.

She looks around at the sights with a mix of caution and


intrigue:

- A KID on a skateboard whooshes past.

- A GUY is talking into a strange device, commonly known as


an iPhone.

CELL PHONE GUY


Hello? Hello? I’m losing you.

- She passes a nail salon where women are getting manicures.


Po looks at her own thick fingernails crusted in algae.

She notices a MERMAID MURAL on main street. A tourist family


walks past with matching MERMAID HATS. She seems puzzled by
all the mermaid-themed merchandise.
32.

Po passes a storefront. It’s the old curio shop. Po regards


the antiquities in the window with interest. Helen is out
sweeping the stoop, mumbling to herself.

HELEN
Come inside, have a look. The only
real artifacts in town. Maybe buy
something while you’re--

Po’s presence gives Helen pause. The two women stare at each
other. Po cocks her head, sensing something.

After a moment, Po makes a series of staccato SCREECHES


combined with low guttural SOUNDS. It’s a primitive form of
language. Helen is taken aback.

A loud group of TOURISTS, bedecked in mermaid memorabilia,


comes down the sidewalk. Po gets spooked by the crowd and
quickly moves away from Helen. A pickup TRUCK passes by in
the street behind her.

38 INT. TRUCK - SAME 38

Ben drives. Out of the corner of his eye, he spots Po. He


hits his brakes, makes an abrupt u-turn.

39 EXT. STREET - SAME 39

A BLARE OF HORNS as the pickup cuts off another car. Ben hops
out of his truck. The other DRIVER curses at him.

DRIVER
Watch where you’re going!

BEN
Sorry!

He distractedly runs across the street, looking in all


directions for Po. But she’s gone. He turns to Helen.

BEN
Ms. Hubbell, there was a girl just
here.

Helen looks like she’s seen a ghost.

HELEN
You saw her?

BEN
Yes, it looked like you were
talking to her.

Helen abruptly turns back to her shop.


33.

HELEN
I didn’t see anyone.

She shuts the door, leaving Ben befuddled on the sidewalk.

40 EXT. TOWN - LATER 40

Ben moves swiftly down the street, pushing past people as he


looks for Po. She’s nowhere to be found.

41 EXT. DOCKS - THE NORTH STAR - SAME 41

Po climbs on board the empty vessel. She looks around. She


sniffs the trawl nets, like an animal tracking a scent. We
PUSH IN on her face, as we--

FLASHBACK TO: Underwater. The faint shapes of MERMAIDS in the


half-lit water. A FISHING NET suddenly rips one of them away.
She has distinctive coppery red hair.

The others instantly disperse, darting off in all directions,


back to the safety of the hadal depths.

Except for ONE MERMAID, with white-blonde hair, who swims


alongside, trying to help the red-haired one caught inside. A
look of fear on both their faces. They reach out and touch
hands, but it’s too late, the net is lifted up out of the
water and they’re ripped apart.

The blonde mermaid left behind can only watch in horror. And
from her face--

BACK TO SCENE. It’s Po’s face. Yes, she’s beautiful in human


form, but it’s clear that was her under the water.

Po runs the fishing net through her fingers, whimpering. She


steps into the bridge, notices the snapshots of Sean, Xander,
and their family taped to the window.

42 INT. EMERGENCY ROOM - DAY 42

Xander and Calvin are with an overworked ER NURSE. They’re


showing her a picture of Chris, the injured crewman.

NURSE
We have nobody by that name in our
system.

XANDER
And you’re sure you haven’t seen
him?

She glances at the picture again and shakes her head.


34.

NURSE
No, sorry.

CALVIN
We’ve called every hospital in the
area, nobody knows where he is.

The Nurse shrugs. The Guys, dejected, start to head out. The
Nurse regards them, sympathetically.

NURSE
Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll find
him, he’s gotta be somewhere.

43 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY 43

A stark white room. It’s antiseptic and lonely. Chris lies in


a bed. He slowly awakens and moves his lips.

CHRIS
Water... Water.

A NURSE, dressed in a traditional white uniform, steps into


the frame. She calmly takes a syringe from a tray and plunges
it into Chris’ arm. His eyes widen, then drift shut.

The Nurse exits the room. She walks down a TOMB-LIKE CONCRETE
CORRIDOR, through a security level. Clearly this is no
ordinary hospital. She passes the now familiar research lab
that houses the mermaid. It’s all part of the same complex.

44 INT. MILITARY BUNKER - DAY 44

The captured mermaid floats in her tank. Her skin looks


pallid. Her powerful tail hangs limply. Aldon Decker stares
at her through the glass.

Then, the creature slowly OPENS HER EYES and looks straight
at him. It’s an oddly intimate moment between them.

Her lips begin moving, and ever so faintly, she emits the
ETHEREAL SIREN SONG. Their eyes are locked together as Decker
touches his fingers to the tank, entranced by her.

The creature quickly returns to hibernation when a SCIENTIST


approaches the tank. He addresses Decker, unaware of what
just transpired.

SCIENTIST
Heart rate and respiration have
been steadily decreasing over the
past eight hours. Core temperature
has gone down as well.
35.

Decker whispers to the mermaid.

DECKER
Are you not well? Are you sick?
Tell me what it is you need.

He seems to be growing infatuated with the creature. The


Scientist regards this uneasily. He clears his throat.

SCIENTIST
We ran some DNA analysis.

He offers Decker a printed report. Decker ignores it. He just


keeps staring at the tank. The Scientist presses on.

SCIENTIST
It’s very early stage, but there’s
some interesting data presented, an
abundance of glial cells in the
cerebral cortex--

DECKER
You’re the one in the white coat,
Doctor, not me.

SCIENTIST
Well, it would suggest a highly
advanced and adaptive mind, an
extraordinary ability to process
information and to learn quickly.

DECKER
(to mermaid, a crooked
smile)
I wouldn’t have expected anything
less of you.

SCIENTIST
Not only that, these glia also
contain a clustering of pattern
formation genes, neoblasts. We’ve
seen it in species that have the
ability to regenerate limbs, newts,
salamanders, though never in a
higher level vertebrate like this.
Not in this density.

DECKER
You’re saying she could grow new
tissue?

SCIENTIST
Yes, potentially.
36.

Decker gazes at the creature floating in the tank, his eyes


alight with fascination and possibility.

DECKER
The medical implications... her
DNA... helping the crippled walk
again... amputees growing new
limbs... giving sight to the blind.
(touches the tank)
You’re more special than we ever
imagined, aren’t you?

The creature floats there in its watery cocoon, unmoving,


eternal, full of promise.

END OF ACT THREE


37.

ACT FOUR

45 INT. BEN’S HOME - BEDROOM - NIGHT 45

A couple is in the throes of passion. Forceful, loud, and


aggressive.

Ben pins Maddie to the bed. He increases his pace further, we


PUSH IN on his face, nearly reaching the point of ecstasy.

They both climax loudly. Ben rolls off her and collapses onto
the pillow. They’re breathing hard. Maddie looks over.

MADDIE
What got into you, tiger?

46 EXT. TRAILER PARK - OUTSKIRTS OF TOWN - MORNING 46

Po walks along a fence, past the rear of the run-down trailer


park. She pauses, pulls up the leg of her pants and scratches
her calf, and we notice--

HER ENTIRE LEG is covered in a plaque-like crust--the skin is


blistered and raw, DRYING OUT in the most gruesome way.

She continues onward. One of the yards is scattered with


children’s toys. Something catches her eye--

Po deftly hops the fence and picks up a small TOY HELICOPTER.


She studies it with great excitement and interest.

A QUICK FLASHBACK TO: The opening scene, played now from a


WATER-LEVEL POV, as the giant Sikorsky lifts the mermaid tank
off the deck of the fishing boat. Rotor wash everywhere.

BACK TO SCENE. Po holds the toy helicopter. There’s a strange


NOISE coming from the home. Po steps up to the open window. A
TV is playing the TELETUBBIES. A little TODDLER is holding a
sippy cup, watching.

Po peers through the window at the bizarre program. The


Teletubbies speak in quasi-English. Basic words like “hello.”

The red Teletubby says its name. “I am Po.” Po mouths the


words. And we learn the origin of her name.

PO
I. Am. Po.

The toddler turns to see Po at the window. He giggles at her.

TODDLER
Hello, Po.
38.

MOTHER (O.S.)
Tyler?

We can hear his mother coming from the other room. Po swiftly
ducks out of the way.

MOTHER
Were you talking to someone?

TODDLER
I talk to Po.

FURTHER ALONG in the trailer park, a redneck GUY, 35, is


working on his old Impala. He’s got a Navy hat on.

The Guy lowers the hood of his car and notices Po standing
across from him. He wipes his greasy hands with a rag.

GUY
Hey, little miss, didn’t see you
there.

She’s staring at his hat. The Navy insignia. The same symbol
on the helicopter that took her sister away.

PO
I. Am. Po.

GUY
Not from around here, are you?

He steps closer to her.

GUY
What’re you, like Russian or
something?

Her eyes remain fixed on the Navy hat. She points at it.

GUY
My hat?

The Guy takes it off and shows it to her.

GUY
Did a coupla tours. Can’t say we
liked the Russians much, but shit,
that ain’t your fault. If they all
looked pretty like you, mighta
liked ‘em better.

Po surprises him by suddenly getting in his car. The Guy


smiles and decides to go for it.
39.

GUY
So you need a ride, huh?
(beat)
Okay. I’m headed down to Aberdeen.
How ‘bout you, little lady?

47 INT. IMPALA (MOVING) - DAY 47

The Guy grips the wheel. Po is in the passenger seat. He


looks over at her.

GUY
Not much of a talker, huh?

He can’t keep his eyes off her.

GUY
That’s okay. It’s still nice to
have company. Sometimes I’ll pick
up a hitcher, but it’s mostly
dudes, not a pretty thing like you.

Po holds the TOY HELICOPTER. She shows it to him.

GUY
Brought your toys with ya, eh?

48 EXT. ROAD - DAY 48

The Impala pulls off the main road, onto a secluded dirt road
surrounded by forest. It rolls to a stop. The Guy gets out
and urinates in the bushes.

49 INT. IMPALA - SAME 49

He returns to the driver’s seat. The Guy sits there a moment,


then reaches across Po, into the glovebox. He takes out a
whiskey flask and has a sip. He stares at her.

GUY
You’re like a little girl. A pretty
little girl who doesn’t know how to
talk.

He takes another sip.

GUY
Now I bet your momma told you not
to get in cars with strangers. But
you didn’t listen to her. A little
rebel, huh?

He reaches out and touches Po’s neck.


40.

GUY
Your skin is dry, you oughta put
some cream on that, make it nice
and soft.

Po tries to push on the door, but doesn’t know how to get it


open.

GUY
You don’t need to get out.

He takes her hand and puts it between his legs.

GUY
Isn’t that what you’re lookin’ for?
Adventure. Little girl running away
from home. Gettin’ in a big man’s
car.

He moves her hand back and forth. The Guy moans.

GUY
Go on, yeah, see how it feels.

He moves on top of her, groping with his hands, pulling her


pants down, fumbling for his belt. Po is terrified as the guy
forces himself upon her.

50 EXT. DIRT ROAD - SAME 50

The Impala rocks back and forth on its springs. The windows
are fogging up. Then there’s a sudden HISS. The car jolts.
Bodies thrash inside. BLOOD splatters across the windows.

Smash! The Guy’s head is thrust through the windshield. He’s


lodged there up to his shoulders. His neck is broken.

The door opens and Po climbs out. She surveys the damage.
She’s breathing heavily. She runs away down the dirt road,
ducks into the forest, and disappears.

51 EXT. FOREST - LATER 51

Po runs. At last she slows down. She notices blood on her


sweatshirt. She takes it off. She’s now just in Ben’s t-shirt
again. It reveals the skin on the inside of her arms has the
same dry, blistered, crusty lesions as her legs.

52 EXT. ROAD - DAY 52

Po moves along the road by the beach. She stares down at the
rocky coastline and the ocean beyond.
41.

She comes upon a SIGN at the roadside. It’s for the Marine
Mammal Center. Po looks at the t-shirt she’s wearing. The
symbol matches. Po stares at the sign, thinking.

53 EXT. MARINE MAMMAL CENTER - LATER 53

Po enters the parking lot. She’s immediately swept up by a


large group of SCHOOLCHILDREN being corralled into the
facility.

TEACHER
Stay with your partners. Quiet,
please.

Po attempts to move aside, but a VOLUNTEER steps in front of


her.

VOLUNTEER
Sorry, Miss, all visitors this way.

54 INT. MARINE MAMMAL CENTER - SAME 54

It’s clear the dedication and passion of its employees and


volunteers, not big funding, is what keeps this place going.

Po looks around curiously. The walls are filled with PICTURES


of rescued marine animals. Maddie leads the kids through.

MADDIE
This is not a zoo. This is a
working hospital and research
center for the many species of
marine mammals that inhabit our
region. Our patients include seals,
otters, sea lions, and we have
tanks for the short-term
rehabilitation of small whales and
dolphins.

She leads them toward a glass-fronted room that looks like a


doctor’s examination room. Po regards the facility with
fascination. It has a calming influence on her.

MADDIE
When an injured animal is brought
to the center, this is where it
goes first. We’re able to offer
veterinary care, perform surgical
procedures, and administer
medication.

A GIRL, 8, in the front of the group, raises her hand. She’s


got horses on her sweatshirt. Maddie calls on her.
42.

GIRL
When you were a kid did you know
you wanted to work here?

MADDIE
Actually, it was when I was a
teenager and saw a video about a
baby dolphin that had washed
ashore. Instead of helping it, the
people on the beach passed it
around taking their picture with
it. Even after it died, they kept
taking selfies. That video made me
sad and I wanted to do something.
So I came here to volunteer. Now
it’s become my job. I do everything
from assisting marine biologists
with their research projects and
doing animal rescues to handling
paperwork to feeding the animals
and cleaning out their cages.

Maddie leads them into a room with industrial metal tables.

MADDIE
Speaking of which, you might be
wondering what our animals like to
eat. This is our kitchen where we
prepare one of their favorite
treats.

She holds up a large blender filled with fish.

MADDIE
Our fish shake. Today it’s a
delicious blend of herring and cod,
with various nutrients mixed in as
well.

She blends it. The children squirm at the concoction.

MADDIE
Would anyone like a taste?

Everyone shakes their head “no” with grossed out looks.

TEACHER
Come, children, this way.

They file out. Po lingers as the group heads out. When


nobody’s looking, she takes the fish shake and hungrily
drinks it down.
43.

55 EXT. MARINE MAMMAL CENTER - SAME 55

In various pens and tanks are elephant seals, harbor seals,


otters, sea lions.

MADDIE
Once our animals have received the
medical care they need, they come
out here to recover and prepare for
their journey back to the wild.

As soon as Po steps outside, the animals start panicking in


their cages, BARKING, SQUEALING, trying to escape. They sense
a predator in their midst.

TEACHER
What’s going on?

MADDIE
I’m not sure.

It’s scary as a giant elephant seal rears up against its cage.

TEACHER
Okay, everyone back inside. Now.

One of the KIDS notices a seal cowering away from Po. Ben and
the other researchers rush into the area to check on the
commotion. Barking. Squealing. Thrashing.

Ben is surprised to see Po amongst the group. The Kid at the


back points to her as he’s led inside.

KID
It was her, she did it.

BEN
(to Po)
Come with me.

She thinks for a moment, then follows him through the tunnel
of noise. As soon as she’s gone, things settle down.

Maddie and the other researchers look around at the animals,


unaware Po had anything to do with it.

MADDIE
That was weird.

56 INT. MARINE MAMMAL CENTER - OFFICE - SAME 56

Ben leads Po inside. She regards him, hesitantly. Ben smiles.


44.

BEN
We meet again. You gonna tell me
who you are this time?

She backs away from him.

BEN
It’s okay, I’m not going to hurt
you.

Po seems cautious, nervous. Her eyes dart about. Ben slowly


steps toward her.

BEN
I can help you. My name is Ben.
(points to his chest)
Friend.

Her eyes look wan and sickly, the corners of her mouth are
chapped and dry. She stares at him, trust slowly building.

PO
I am Po.

BEN
Po. Okay. Nice to meet you. Where
are you from?

She starts COUGHING. Her lungs sound dry and wheezy. Ben
notices the fissures all along the inside of her arm.

BEN
Are you sick?

He reaches out and takes her arm. He gently touches her


plaque-encrusted skin. Po lets him.

BEN
We have medication here. We can
help you.

It’s an oddly intimate moment. Ben lingers. This girl has a


strange effect on him. He stares into her eyes.

BEN
The night we met, you sang a song.
I can’t get it out of my head.
Everywhere I go, I hear it.

The moment is broken when Maddie enters the room. She’s


surprised to see Ben has a visitor.
45.

MADDIE
Oh, hey. Um, everything’s back to
normal out there, not sure what
that was all about--

Ben lets go of Po’s arm.

BEN
This is Po. She’s a visitor here.
She doesn’t really speak English.

Maddie notices her condition.

MADDIE
Is she okay?

BEN
I’m not sure.

MADDIE
I think we need to call a doctor.

BEN
I’ll do it. I’ll take care of her.
Why don’t you finish closing things
up out there and head home.

Maddie senses something is amiss with Ben. She regards the


sickly, exotic girl in the corner, not sure what to make of
it. Maddie steps closer to Ben.

MADDIE
(gently)
Dude, are you okay?

BEN
Yeah, I’m good.

Maddie looks to Po. Then she gives Ben a deep, sexy kiss,
like a she-wolf marking her territory.

MADDIE
I want you to come over, my dad’s
got night shift, so I’ll be alone.

BEN
Okay, sounds good.

Maddie gives Po a final glance, then turns and exits. Once


she’s gone, Ben faces Po.

BEN
I’m gonna call the doctor for you.
46.

57 EXT. MARINE MAMMAL CENTER - EVENING 57

Maddie shuts off some lights, locks a door. The facility is


empty now. She heads through a gate, into the parking lot,
toward her old VW Bug.

As she opens the car door, Maddie pauses, looks back at the
building. She’s considering going back in there. But she
doesn’t want to be THAT girlfriend. She gets in the car.

58 INT. MARINE MAMMAL CENTER - OFFICE - SAME 58

Po is slumped in the corner. Ben kneels in front of her.

BEN
The doctor will be here soon. I’ll
get some clobetasol, it’s an
ointment, we use it on our animals,
it will help your skin, too. Just
wait here, I’ll be right back.
Stay.

He exits. Po lies against the wall. She’s getting worse. Her


skin is drying out all over her body and face. She tries to
get to her feet, but collapses. She WHEEZES, like her lungs
aren’t working anymore.

59 EXT. MARINE MAMMAL CENTER - SAME 59

Po drags herself across the concrete floor, struggling to


breathe. She makes it to the big saltwater tank, reaches a
hand onto the edge. With all her strength, she hoists herself
up.

Po rolls into the water with a splash. She floats there,


bathed in the moonlight. And then, it begins--

We hear the slow, agonizing CRACK of bones. She SCREAMS in


pain.

60 INT. MARINE MAMMAL CENTER - EXAMINATION ROOM - SAME 60

Ben rifles through a metal cabinet filled with first aid


equipment when he hears the SCREAMING. He races through a
doorway to the outdoor area, past cages of animals.

At last, he reaches the tank and comes to an abrupt halt. He


witnesses something no human has ever seen before--

THE TRANSFORMATION OF A MERMAID.

It’s slow, painful, and grotesque. We’re reminded of “An


American Werewolf in London.”
47.

- Her legs FUSE together with the sound of cracking bones and
melding flesh.

- Po winces in agony. Gill SLITS open behind her ears.

- Ben watches slack-jawed.

- Po’s toes BREAK APART, fanning out as the powerful tail


forms.

- Chunks of MOLTING FLESH fall away. Scales push through the


skin with a sickening crunch.

- WEBBING fills in between fingers. She wails as her facial


structure alters, teeth sharpen.

- The massive tail unfurls.

And then, just like that, it’s over. And all is calm. The
mermaid submerges peacefully in the tank.

Ben stands there, astonished. He steps to the edge of the


tank, watches the creature swimming gracefully along the
bottom.

He leans over to get a better look. The mermaid swims toward


him, breaks the surface with a terrifying flash of teeth.

The monster grabs him and pulls him into the water. In full
predator mode. Aggressive. Wild. Transformed.

She drags him to the bottom of the tank, drowning him. The
seals and sea lions in other pens bark wildly.

Ben manages to kick free. He gulps air before he’s tugged


under again. Blood fills the water.

Ben grabs a cleaning net from the edge of the tank and
hopelessly attempts to fend her off.

She comes at him with open jaws. At the last second, he holds
up the net, which she bites in half. It gives him just enough
time to make a final, desperate lunge for safety.

He tugs himself out of the tank, rolling down the concrete


steps, before crashing onto the floor, crumpled, bloody, and
unconscious. The creature angrily hisses at him.

END OF ACT FOUR


48.

ACT FIVE

61 INT. MARINE MAMMAL CENTER - TREATMENT ROOM - NIGHT 61

A LIGHT SHINES in our eyes. It’s Dr. Abbott, checking Ben’s


pupils. Ben sits on the metal exam table usually reserved for
marine animals. His face is gashed and bloody.

BEN
What happened?

DR. ABBOTT
Apparently one of the sea lions
didn’t like the herring you served
him for dinner and decided to
attack.

Ben is just now coming to his senses.

BEN
No, it wasn’t a sea lion.

DR. ABBOTT
Seal, sea lion, I can never tell
the difference.

BEN
Where is she? Po. The girl.

DR. ABBOTT
Ah yes, your mystery date. First
she appears naked out of the ether.
Then you call me a few days later
saying she’s in dire need of
medical attention.

Dr. Abbott puts his light away, gets serious.

DR. ABBOTT
Ben, I’ve known you and your family
for a long time. There have been
challenges. You and your father
have not always seen eye to eye. I
guess that’s to be expected. I’ve
always found you to be a focused,
passionate young man.

Ben is growing impatient, half-listening.


49.

DR. ABBOTT
But if you’re having visions,
thoughts, flights of fancy,
whatever this is, there are
professionals you can talk to, who
can help you. And if you’re not,
well, then I suggest you stop
playing these kinds of games.

Ben gets up from the exam table.

BEN
I have to find her.

Dr. Abbott shakes his head as Ben pushes past.

62 EXT. MARINE MAMMAL CENTER - NIGHT 62

It has begun to rain. Ben glances in the salt water tank,


which is now empty.

He rushes out, toward a side gate of the facility. The lock


has been SMASHED open. The bars are BENT.

Ben hurries out into the parking lot. The rain sprinkles
down. He looks around in all directions. There’s no sign of
her anywhere.

Ben rushes to his truck. He drives away.

63 INT. BEN’S TRUCK (MOVING) - NIGHT 63

Ben drives along the beach road. He stops and gets out. The
cold, infinite ocean stretches out before him. Ben hurls a
rock into the water, screaming into the night--

BEN
Where did you go?!

64 INT. BEN’S TRUCK (MOVING) - LATER 64

Ben drives through town, gripping the wheel, a possessed look


in his eyes. Rain pelts down. The wipers click.

There’s a BUZZING sound. A series of texts from Maddie appear


on his phone. Where r u? Waiting for u. And then a SEXY
PICTURE of her in a t-shirt and panties. Ben, single-minded,
puts it aside.

He rolls past various shops, then suddenly SLAMS on his


brakes. He backs up and looks at one of the storefronts--

HELEN’S ANTIQUITIES.
50.

65 EXT. HELEN’S ANTIQUITIES SHOP - NIGHT 65

Ben dashes from his truck in the pummeling rain. He KNOCKS on


the shop door.

BEN
Hello? Ms. Hubbell? Hello?!

He peers in close to the window, and suddenly, there’s a FACE


staring out at him. It’s Helen with her shocking white hair.

Ben startles back. He shouts to her through the rain.

BEN
That girl yesterday. I know you saw
her. You said you didn’t, but you
did. You knew something about her.

Helen’s face disappears from the window. Ben is crestfallen.


Then the shop door creaks open. A bony finger beckons him.

HELEN
Come in out of the rain.

66 INT. HELEN’S ANTIQUITIES - NIGHT 66

Helen leads Ben inside. The collection of skulls and mermaid


oddities are especially creepy at this time of night. Helen
faces him in the half-lit shop. Her emerald eyes glaring.

HELEN
What is it you think I know?

Ben takes a breath.

BEN
That she’s one of them. I saw it
tonight.

The rain is coming down harder now, lashing the windows.

HELEN
What exactly did you see?

BEN
Lower half, cetacean, powerfully
built, triangulated teeth. A top
level predator.

He picks up a dusty old tome entitled THE HISTORY OF


MERMAIDS. The illustration of a mermaid on the cover bears a
striking resemblance to the real thing.
51.

BEN
Just like this.

Ben steps closer to Helen.

BEN
When I was a kid, we’d come in here
and you’d tell us stories about the
mermaids. We were always told they
were just tall tales. Not to
believe you. But they weren’t made
up, were they? They were true.

Helen regards him, intensely.

HELEN
So all these years you laughed at
me, and ridiculed me--and now you
come here seeking answers?

She stands amidst the artifacts, a dark look in her eyes.

HELEN
No. I owe you nothing.

BEN
I don’t get it. You want people to
know the truth. It’s here. What are
you afraid of all of a sudden?

HELEN
(pained)
Why don’t you ask your wonderful
family that question?

67 EXT. WATERFRONT PARK - NIGHT 67

Pownall Seafood looms in the distance. The newly unveiled


statue of Charles Pownall and the Mermaid is lashed by the
rain.

68 INT. BEN’S TRUCK (PARKED) - NIGHT 68

Ben, soaking wet, takes something out from under his jacket.
It’s the tome--THE HISTORY OF MERMAIDS.

In the dim light, he flips through pages. In it are gory


ILLUSTRATIONS of death and murder:

- Mermaids and mermen being savagely HUNTED by fishermen in


whaling boats.

- Mermaids attacking sailors, TEARING them to shreds.


52.

- Men HACKING the heads off mermaids on a beach.

It suggests a much darker history than we ever imagined. Ben


reads with both fascination and horror etched on his face.

69 EXT. FOREST - NIGHT 69

A few DEER nibble leaves at the edge of the forest. The


Marine Mammal Center is visible through the branches in the
distance.

As the deer move quietly through the wet forest, they pass
what appears to be chunks of MOLTED FLESH. Further along,
half-buried in the mud, lies the mermaid’s disembodied TAIL.

And there is Po, back in human form, curled naked amongst the
mossy roots of a tree. Her skin is rosy and luminous, coated
in an amniotic sheen. She’s gorgeous, radiant, re-born.

The SIREN SONG emanates gently from her lips. It fills the
verdant forest like a birdsong.

70 INT. BEN’S HOME - NIGHT 70

Ben lies asleep in his bed, the leather-bound book open on


his chest, his face encrusted in dried blood. Po’s SIREN SONG
plays over, once again echoing in his dreams.

71 INT. MADDIE’S HOME - MORNING 71

Eggs cook in a skillet. Maddie slides them onto a plate in


front of her father. She’s got a phone in the crook of her
neck while she does this. Maddie hangs up.

WILL
What’s wrong, Mads?

MADDIE
Nothing. I’ve just been trying to
get a hold of Ben. I don’t know why
he’s not calling me back.

WILL
Don’t you worry. I’m sure he’s just
busy with stuff.

The house phone RINGS. Maddie bounds up to get it.

WILL
See, there you go.

MADDIE
(into phone)
Hello?... Yeah. He’s here, hang on.
53.

She holds the phone out to her dad.

MADDIE
For you. It’s Clarence.

Her father regards her sympathetically as he takes the phone.

WILL
(into phone)
Hey, Clarence, what’s up?...
Okay... Where at?... All right,
I’ll be there.

He hangs up. Will seems taken aback by what he’s heard. He


grabs his jacket and hat from the wall.

MADDIE
What’s going on?

WILL
They found a body, some guy
attacked in his car. Out by Stinson
Lane. I gotta run.

He kisses Maddie on the head and exits without finishing his


breakfast.

72 EXT. THE NORTH STAR - MORNING 72

Xander and Sean are working aboard their ship, shoring up


lines, locking down winches. Sean secures a 12-gauge SHOTGUN
onto a rack in the bridge. Xander enters.

XANDER
Dad, you don’t have to go out with
me. This could get ugly, you know.

CAPT. SEAN
You kidding? I’m not going out with
you. You’re going out with me.

Xander grins. Sean cranks up the old diesel.

CAPT. SEAN
Anchors aweigh, ya little pisser.
Got us a fish to catch.

73 EXT. BRISTOL COVE - MARINA - SAME 73

Xander releases the lines holding the boat. The North Star
chugs out of the marina, rears up, and powers out toward the
open ocean.
54.

74 INT. MILITARY BUNKER - NIGHT 74

The water in the tank has grown cloudy. The creature is not
moving. Machines BEEP and CHIRP, monitoring her condition.

On one of the many security monitors we glimpse footage of


Chris locked in his private hospital room.

Decker is alone in here, standing beside the tank, regarding


his prize with deep concern. He mutters to her.

DECKER
Please, please, my dear. Be strong.

Decker’s eyes are haunted and hollow.

DECKER
I’m going to take good care of you.
I won’t let anyone hurt you.

75 EXT. OCEAN - NIGHT 75

The North Star plows across the moonlit ocean.

76 INT. FISHING TRAWLER - SAME 76

Sean pilots his boat. His fish finder sonar starts beeping.
He looks at the colorful monitor alight with curved lines
indicating fish. Sean pushes his hat back as he regards it.

CAPT. SEAN
Xander! Get in here!

Xander enters the bridge.

CAPT. SEAN
It’s big. And there’s a lot of
them.

XANDER
They’re moving fast.

Sean heads outside, to the bow of the ship. Xander is behind


him. They both stare out at the still ocean. Sean grunts.

CAPT. SEAN
Show yourselves, you lousy
bastards! You cowards! I know
you’re out there!

Nothing. Then suddenly, breaking the surface a hundred meters


off the bow, a fast-moving body. More follow.
55.

They’re DOLPHINS. A large pod of them. Sean curses to


himself, breathing hard, the image of a man desperate and
consumed. Xander puts a hand on his Dad’s shoulder.

As Father and Son stand on the prow, we move around to the


back of the boat. The fishing trawler rises and falls on the
ocean swells, it almost seems peaceful, until, from out of
the dark water--

A DOZEN MERMAIDS rise from the surface, bobbing like seals.


They stare placidly at the trawler. It gives us just a moment
to breathe, when suddenly, right in front of us--

AN ARM grabs onto the gunwale of the boat. A MERMAN, bigger,


scarier, more powerfully built than the others, lifts itself
up out of the water. It looks like a primordial warrior on
the hunt with a whale bone SPEAR in hand.

END OF PILOT

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