UNESCO & THE BLUE SHIELD - T-ISLAND SCREENPLAY

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UNESCO and Blue Shield work together to protect heritage sites from looters, under the tenets of the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in Armed Conflict 1954.

<<< SCENE 2

INT. BLUE SHIELD HEAD OFFICE - VIDEO CONFERENCE - DAY

The sleek, modern office of BLUE SHIELD at Newcastle University. DR. ROBERTA TREADSTONE, mid-40s, sharp and intelligent, sits before a large monitor displaying the face of PROFESSOR JACQUES PIERRE DACCORD, 60s, with a distinguished air and a hint of Gallic charm, in his equally modern UNESCO office in Paris.

ROBERTA
(Leaning forward slightly)
So, Jacques, the big question: can we persuade John Storm to help us out again?

JACQUES (on screen)
(Sighs, running a hand through his thinning hair)
Pas facile, Roberta. Not easy. He’s just had a rather… turbulent experience, courtesy of your American friends, the CIA. Jack Mason, wasn't it? With that whole Cleopatra business. What exactly did happen there?

ROBERTA
(A slight frown)
Not entirely clear. I heard whispers of some kind of… Mexican standoff. But we desperately need his ship for this. His familiarity with the Caribbean, Jamaica, specifically… and with the current military tensions between Brazil and Cuba… frankly, who else possesses the necessary expertise and equipment?

JACQUES (on screen)
(Raises an eyebrow, a playful glint in his eye)
Sacre bleu, what is so magnifique about this ship of his again? The Elizabeth Swann, was it? You know I know, chérie, I simply enjoy watching you become… envious.

Roberta rolls her eyes good-naturedly.

ROBERTA
Oh, Professor, it's hydrogen-powered. Can you even imagine the environmental implications? Oh, and solar, of course. And then there's the most advanced underwater array of instruments you could possibly dream of. Makes our current tech look like something from the Stone Age. And then… then there’s Hal, the onboard AI. And then…

JACQUES (on screen)
(Chuckles)
D’accord, d’accord. Sold.

ROBERTA
No, Jacques, don’t forget the Swann can become… virtually invisible to radar.

JACQUES (on screen)
(Feigning disbelief)
Pour sûr que c'est duPipeau, mademoiselle! That is absolute nonsense! Challenging the professor!

ROBERTA
(Deadpan)
Stat.

JACQUES (on screen)
Absolument? Absolutely?

ROBERTA
(With an exaggerated French accent)
Oui. Absolutely.

JACQUES (on screen)
(Smiling)
Très bien. Can you… perhaps… lean on him via his friend Charley?

ROBERTA
(Sighs again)
No other way I can see it. He’s a complete sucker for Charley. But actually… she just needs to appeal to his love of archaeology. That’s his real weakness.

JACQUES (on screen)
Ah, yes. We are particularly keen to secure the Palisadoes Cemetery. And Governor Morgan’s internment site, if possible.

ROBERTA
(Surprised)
Really? I’d have thought that wouldn’t be such a high priority.

JACQUES (on screen)
(His expression becomes slightly more serious)
It’s… Interpol again. They’ve expressed a… keen interest. But they’re not being particularly forthcoming about the specifics.

Roberta nods slowly, a hint of unease in her eyes.

ROBERTA
Right. Well, I’ll get in touch with Charley. Hopefully, between her and the allure of a lost underwater city, we can persuade him. We really need the Swann's capabilities down there before another seismic event wipes everything out. Turning Port Royal into a UNESCO World Heritage Site is paramount.

JACQUES (on screen)
Indeed. His diving expertise and archaeological knowledge are… invaluable. Though, I must confess, like you, I often wonder how he emerges from some of his… adventures unscathed. It’s rather… uncanny. Precisely why Blue Shield calls upon him from time to time, I presume?

Roberta manages a small smile.

ROBERTA
You’ve got it, Professor. Uncanny indeed. I’ll be in touch once I’ve spoken with John.

JACQUES (on screen)
Merci beaucoup, Roberta. I await your news with anticipation. This Port Royal project… it is of vital importance. Au revoir.

ROBERTA
Goodbye, Jacques.

Roberta terminates the video link, a thoughtful expression on her face. She picks up her phone, her fingers hovering over a contact named "Charley Temple."

ROBERTA
(To herself)
Let's see if Charley can work her magic again.

FADE OUT
     

>>> SCENE 3.1

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 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.

  BLUE SHIELD AND UNESCO ASK JOHN STORM TO CONDUCT AN URGENT SURVEY OF PORT ROYAL, USING THE ELIZABETH SWANN - TREASURE ISLAND - BLACKBEARD'S CURSE & PIRATES GOLD

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