EARTHQUAKE PORT ROYAL - T-ISLAND SCREENPLAY

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Captain Sir Henry Morgan was a pirate, and privateer, ending up as the Governor of Jamaica. He was buried at Palisadoes Cemetery, then Port Royal was washed into the Caribbean Sea, the result of an earthquake and tsunami. Not to be seen again for 300 years.

<<< CHAPTER 1

PRESENT DAY

Dark clouds gathered ominously, as a warning perhaps that a great disturbance was about to hit the Caribbean with immense force. Deep under the ocean, pressure had been building since the last significant movement of the Caribbean plate in June 1692, where Port Royal was literally subsumed, and swallowed up, almost whole. 

The earth does not have a stiff mantle, or lithosphere, but is rather a giant puzzle of constantly shifting plates. These tectonic plates move very gradually, typically a few centimeters per year, causing a huge amount of deformation at the plate boundaries, and pressure build up, which stresses lead to cracks called faults. A earthquake is the sudden movement of the earth's crust at a fault line.

The cause of the earthquake and tsunami that engulfed Port Royal in 1692 was the movement of the Gonâve Microplate along a strike-slip fault that forms the boundary between the Caribbean Plate and the North American Plate. The earthquake triggered a landslide that caused a section of the harbour to collapse into deeper water, generating a tsunami that destroyed most of the town. Another possible cause of the tsunami was a separate submarine landslide that occurred elsewhere along the coast. The earthquake also caused the soil to liquefy, making the buildings sink into the ground.

Port Royal never recovered from the disaster of 1692. After the earthquake, most of the survivors fled to the mainland, and the colonial government was relocated to Spanish Town. Port Royal was further devastated by a fire in 1703 and a hurricane in 1722. Most of the sea trade moved to Kingston, and by the late 18th century, Port Royal was largely abandoned. Today, Port Royal is a small fishing village and a historical site, with some of the sunken buildings still preserved underwater.

Caribbean governments were so busy dealing with climate events, and the sargassum plagues emanating wherefrom, that they gave little credence to claims from scientists, as to renewed seismic activity that may strike at any time.

Blue Shield was not so cavalier. It had taken years to get the submerged remains of the former pirate haven, onto a World Heritage Site, by way of a tentative listing. Who would be bold enough to survey the sunken city, amidst the frequent tremors.

The fear was that the buildings surveyed would be lost again, this time forever. Then it happened, another tremor.

The vibrant pulse of modern Port Royal, a kaleidoscope of sun-drenched hues and the lively chatter of commerce, masked a deeper unease. Martha, her hands calloused from years of selling the ocean’s bounty, watched the tourists with a practiced eye, their carefree laughter a stark contrast to the ancient secrets slumbering beneath the turquoise surface. “And you see that old stone wall over yonder?” she’d gestured, the familiar landmark a silent sentinel of a vanished era. “That’s all that’s left of the old fort. This whole place, you know, it used to be the richest, wickedest city in the world. Pirates and gold everywhere!” The tales, spun countless times, still held a certain magic, a salty tang of adventure and ruin.

A low rumble, initially mistaken for a distant engine, began to vibrate through the sun-baked earth. It grew with unsettling speed, a deep growl that resonated in the bones. Glasses on the counter of a nearby bar chimed a nervous melody. “Uh oh,” Martha murmured, her smile fading. “That’s… that’s a little more than usual.” The ground began to roll, a slow, sickening sway that sent palm trees into a frantic dance. Tourists clutched at each other, their initial amusement dissolving into palpable fear. Out on the water, a young fisherman’s shout sliced through the rising tremor. “Hey! What’s goin’ on?!”

The shaking intensified, a raw, guttural sound emanating from the very core of the island. For a handful of terrifying seconds, the world seemed to hold its breath, caught in the earth’s violent embrace. Then, as abruptly as it had begun, the tremor eased, the deep growl receding into a lingering vibration. Nervous chatter rippled through the stunned crowd. “Seems so, Mikey,” Martha called back, her voice still tight. “Just a little jolt. Nasty one, though.”

An old man, Isaiah, his face etched with the wisdom of decades spent by the sea, shuffled towards them, leaning heavily on his cane. “Felt that one good. Stirrin’ things up down below, I reckon.” Martha’s gaze drifted towards the seemingly placid harbor. “That’s what I’m worried about, Mr. Isaiah. Stirrin’ things up. All those old buildings down there… the cemetery…” Her voice trailed off, the image of the submerged city a constant presence in the collective memory of Port Royal. “They say some of it’s been rising a bit lately. Since that last little shake a few weeks back. The scientists were talkin’ about it. But the government… they got other things on their minds. Sargassum, the heat… never listen to the scientists about the rumblin’ under the waves.” Isaiah’s eyes, clouded with age, held a knowing glint. “The sea remembers too, Martha. Just like the land. And it don’t forget.”

The buzz of a small news drone overhead momentarily broke the tension, its mechanical whine a stark contrast to the earth’s primal groan. A tinny voice, distorted by the drone’s rotors, offered reassurances of minimal damage. Martha watched it disappear, a knot of worry tightening in her chest. “Calm, they say. Easy for them to say. They ain’t got their history sleepin’ right under their feet.” The tranquil surface of the harbor belied the secrets held captive in its depths.

Beneath that deceptive calm, in a realm of filtered sunlight and hushed silence, the tremor had indeed stirred the long-forgotten remnants of the past. An octopus, a silent navigator of this submerged world, drifted over a large, ornate stone structure, its tentacles exploring the encrusted surface. For over four centuries, the Mausoleum of Henry Morgan had rested in its watery grave, hidden beneath layers of silt and marine growth. Now, the recent upheaval had shifted the seabed, revealing a portion of its carved facade to the dim light. Intricate details, the ghostly outlines of cherubs and perhaps a heraldic shield, emerged from the obscuring mud.

A reef shark, sleek and curious, circled the ancient tomb, its dark eyes taking in the newly exposed stone. It was an alien presence in this human relic, a creature of the reef investigating an anomaly in its familiar landscape. Other marine life, vibrant flashes of color in the gloom, swam past, their existence interwoven with the ruins of a city they could never comprehend.

A faint, deep rumble, the echo of the earth’s recent spasm, resonated through the water. The octopus paused on the mausoleum’s crest, its soft body seeming to register the subtle shift in its surroundings. The shark continued its patrol, its shadow gliding over a weathered skull, half-buried in the sand nearby, a silent testament to the swift and brutal end of Port Royal’s golden age. The submerged city, disturbed from its long slumber, offered a fleeting glimpse into its watery tomb, a haunting beauty tinged with the weight of history.

CHAPTER 3 >>>

Damn you for Villains, who are you? And, from whence came you? The Lieutenant made him Answer, You may see by our Colours we are no Pyrates. Black-beard bid him send his Boat on Board, that he might see who he was; but Mr. Maynard reply'd thus; I cannot spare my Boat, but I will come aboard of you as soon as I can, with my Sloop. Upon this, Black-beard took a Glass of Liquor and drank to him with these Words: Damnation seize my Soul if I give you Quarters, or take any from you. In Answer to which, Mr. Maynard told him, that he expected no Quarters from him, nor should he give him any.

PROLOGUE: ROYAL AFRICAN COMPANY - King Charles II, Royal Charter James Stuart II, transport goods from Africa: Bloody Triangle.

SCENE 1. THE BATTLE OF OCRACOKE - Lt Robert Maynard, Blackbeard's curse, beheading & torturous interrogation on the Adventure 

SCENE 2. EARTHQUAKE JAMAICA - Present Day - An earthquake hits Port Royal, disturbing the sunken city & Palisadoes cemetery.

SCENE 3. BLUE SHIELD ENGLAND - Blue Shield, Newcastle UK, UNESCO requests Storm catalogue underwater city UNEP World Heritage Site.

SCENE 3.1. SWASHBUCKLING - John tries out Dan's VR sword fencing program, then duel with real pirate cutlasses, Hal keeping score.

SCENE 4. HENRY MORGAN'S DEATH - Henry Morgan has a heart attack; funeral ceremony at Palisadoes cemetery, old Port Royal.

SCENE 5. SUNKEN CITY SURVEY - Present Day, Swann's sensors scan the ocean bed, revealing mausoleum former Governor of Jamaica.

SCENE 6. JUNE 1692 TSUNAMI - Jamaica, June 7th, an earthquake hits Port Royal, then a tsunami washes the pirate haven under the sea.

SCENE 6.1. GHOSTS BLACKBEARD & MORGAN  - Spectral figures cheer on John Storm as he searches Henry's Palisadoes crypt for clues.

SCENE 7. HENRY MORGAN'S COFFIN - John Storm & ROV, comes face to face with Henry's skeletal remains. Finds interesting wooden engraving.

SCENE 8. BBC JILL BIRD - London. John Storm's finds lost Henry Morgan's pirate remains. "And for those of you wondering, there was no treasure."
SCENE 9. OPERATION HISPANIOLA - British Geographical Society, & Royal Navy fund Lord Huntington's expedition to recover relics in the Caribbean.

SCENE 10. SHIP'S COOK - William Gray helps John Long's cut-throats to crew for Huntington's Hispaniola, Long a dab hand on the galley.

SCENE 11. ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOS - Huntington (BGS bigwig) asks John Storm for help with shipwreck survey - meet in the Caribbean, Haiti.

SCENE 12. SKELETON ISLAND - Intrigued by map proffered by Lord Huntington, John agrees to switch attention to location, to coast of Panama. .

SCENE 13. SANTA CATALINA - Colombian, Mexican, Panamanian, Nicaraguan patrols re: 'Satisfaction' & hunt for Aztec gold, Spanish Conquistadors.

SCENE 14. TREASURE ISLAND - Hurricane Iota erased map clues, Isla Providencia. Longstride believes location of Blackbeard's/Morgan's treasure.

SCENE 15. KIDNAP - Black Jack & Billy Bones kidnap Dan, Cleopatra - lock in Hispaniola with Tremaine. Hal alerts John to events via BioCore.

SCENE 15.1. THE GAUNTLET - With Dan and Cleopatra hostage, John challenges Black Jack to a duel, which Billy Bones ends with a pistol shot.

SCENE 15.2. MAROONED - Left of the dockside, John is forced to play along with Longstride, to give Hal time to recover situation safely.

SCENE 16. DOUBLE CROSS - Maynard pact with Spanish Navy to blockade Caribbean to capture John & Swann. Longstride deal Aztec Golden Skull.

SCENE 17. BLACKBEARD'S CURSE - John retakes Swann, Hal immobilizes Black Jack and Billy Bones and rescues prisoners on Hispaniola.

SCENE 18. MORGAN'S TREASURE SHIP - John deciphers carving code helped Dan and Cybercore Genetica. Dives to find privateer's shipwreck.

SCENE 19. BILLION DOLLAR DEAL - John negotiates with Panama, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador & Blue Shield for % salvage based on wreck video.

SCENE 20. BLOCKADE RUNNER - Swann navigates through Spanish Armada & Royal Navy blockade in stealth mode, invisible to radar.

SCENE 21. BERMUDA TRIANGLE - Pirates head into Bermuda Triangle, Colombian Navy in pursuit: BBC Sky News. Never to be seen again.

  EARTHQUAKE AT PORT ROYAL, JAMAICAN UNDERWATER LOST CITY, UNCOVERS HENRY MORGAN'S MAUSOLEUM - TREASURE ISLAND - BLACKBEARD'S CURSE & PIRATES GOLD

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