"! Mermaid !" The sounds of panic and repetition as Eleanore exits her cabin carrying Virginia.
Eleanore - "What ?!"
The crew points at Miranda standing on the fore deck, her satchel hanging from her waist on the deck, wincing her eyes at the pointing and shouting, muttering about mermaid horrors.
Eleanore walks up examining Miranda, as does Virginia, "... Really ?"
Crewman - In stupid wonderment, "She had a tail and ..."
Eleanore - Slapping him hard, "I was asking her." Looking back at Miranda kindly, "Are you ... a mermaid ?"
Miranda - Looking around uncomfortably, "Yes ... and I've never been out this far and I usually sleep in the water but if I do then you'll be gone and I'll have nothing to follow anymore and I'll get lost so I'm really tired now and also I can't read my book when I swim."
They all stare.
Eleanore shoves Virginia at Miranda who holds her out away from her in a wide eyed panic. Eleanore turns and pulls out her back guns, pointing across the crew.
Eleanore - "Anyone touches the mermaid, I'll kill you twice. Once in the balls and once in the face. Do You Get Me ?"
A general agreement.
Virginia - Smiles at a horrified Miranda, pointing "Fish."
She turns back to Miranda, still in terror at Virginia, holding her away as she takes her back.
Eleanore - To Miranda still staring at Virginia wide eyed, "This is Virginia, I'm Captain, these are idiots, and you can sleep where you want ... except my cabin. That's fun time."
________________
The ships at sea ~
('Sing a Simple Song' by Chuck D and the Family Stone)
The witness sits chained in the hold of the British supply ship under pointed muskets.
~ At the palace a celebration honoring Raleigh commences, the dancers twirling, quartet on the side watching while they play.
Lilith's
barge, 'The Arena', follows Eleanore's ship. The broad deck doors are opened to the
sun, crew move in the arena, light training. An approaching a storm is
noted from deck.
____
Eleanore scopes the storm, holding it
with one hand with Virginia always in the other. She slams the scope
closed on the rail and looks at Virginia, who then points forward into
it.
____
Lilith's ship lowers the sail into deck and closing, going to oar.
____
The British captain eyes the storm as the ship moves to veer around it.
____
Lilith's
crew drops broad plate oars, as others lower deep rudders from the fore
and aft. Inside the oars have perpendicular handles with a worker
adjusting the oar's plane, with two more pulling the weight.
~ Watching the dancers, Raleigh amuses the queen as they laugh.
Eleanore gives order to crew as the waves rise beneath them forcing them forward to the clouds crackling with storm.
Miranda
sits in the cabin's corner staring in terror at Virginia, who's playing
with the balls as they roll across the floor from the ships increasing
turbulence.
____
Lilith's ship side skims a wave into a curving arc over the Dare, riding high to the cheers of crew.
____
A
British crewman scopes back at the storm catching a view of Lilith's
barge riding a wave behind the Dare into the darkness of the storm. Just
past an island is sighted and he calls for captain.
The captain
scopes the island and ships approaching it and shakes his head, waving
arm forth to continue on.
____
Lilith - Inside the hold to the piloting crew, "Hold This Wave !" A broad front port shows their view as the wave fades.
____
Eleanore - As her ship fast approaches the reef sideways, tipping, "! Brace !"
Inside the cabin, Miranda holds Virginia tight, still terrified as they tumble.
Eleanore - Seeing Lilith's ship flung overhead into the trees, "That's the second time ..."
The ship hits the reef.
____
The witness is led down the asylum corridor.
~ Noblemen conspiring at the buffet.
After being stricken by a guard, the witness bites his throat to screams.
~ Musicians playing ...
A security officer from the asylum reports to the palace guard.
~ Dancers twirling ...
The guard reports to an attendant.
~ Guests laughing ...
The attendant whispers to the queen.
Elizabeth - Her eyes grow wide, "! Everyone out ! This party's over." (end of the song, the harsh cut there is as I found it (i wouldn't do that).
Elizabeth - Sharply to Raleigh as he rises to leave, "But not you."
____
Germain slaps the witness in the asylum.
Naamah's ship sets sail as he walks away down the dock in thunder and
lightning. Aboard in the mid-decks is a map room, a table around a
globe. With the sounds of the British attachment being shot and thrown
over, she
enters.
________
____
The globe is clear with suspended constellations within,
tracking toward a central point. The table is carved maps for
comparison to it.
The notion is mapping infinite space by inverting it
to a globe according to empirical star data, the reference points being
outside.
Like if one were to map the stars on the inside of
globe, then turn it inside out. Expansion becomes contraction, the
unknown distance dense with data. Infinity becomes the densest point in
the center and more easily calculated to.
____
________
One - Looking over the maps and
astronomical globe through his jeweler's glass mounted to frame, "You
won't like it." Without looking up he slides a tied leather folder across to
her, turning the globe, comparing the surrounding table map.
Naamah - "Lilith."
One - Turning the globe and rotating the table bringing the papers back to him, "You know ?"
Naamah
- "The witness was a naval commander, fort stuck but learned. Somehow
Germain got him to plot the ship's course as it was tossed. Arc and
everything. The bastard. But it flew for the island and the angel is
real. That means Eve. That means Lilith, and apparently a mermaid
which can summon an angel from a book !" A laugh, "The new 'keeper'."
One - "And Morgan ?"
Naamah - "Lilith runs her own, and I don't know about this mermaid keeper, but it intrigues me. She may be a fiction."
One clears his throat and rotates the table, folder back to Naamah.
Naamah - "You can just tell me what it says you know."
One - Still focused on the globe positioning, "Didn't read it."
Naamah - Furrowed brow, "Guns up ?"
One - Smiling, still focused, "Guns are ready sir, mid-hull sound, and the crew very bored. But they should sight the investigative detachment before the feast. Then thirty-three to north."
He turns his chair and throws off his glasses.
One
- "That'll get your damned island. In the middle of storm. Always.
Hard sail. People avoid it for reasons, Captain. Have avoided America ... for reasons. For a very long time."
Naamah
- Sitting at another chair near, she sets down a bottle and reads from
the folder. Without looking up and paging through, "So why is that
then, One ?"
One - Annoyed, turning the table for the bottle, then adjusting it back. "There is no island."
Naamah - "There is."
One - "No. There is not."
Naamah - "Yes. There is. Bottle."
One
- Sliding the bottle, "These currents swirl there because it's the
heart of the sea. All currents birth and flail from there. All things
do. So yes. There is an island there. But no, Captain, there is not."
She drinks and sets the bottle down, staring at him coldly. He
shakes his head a bit and turns the table, she picks it up and puts it
back down when he stops, trying to keep a straight face.
Naamah - "That made no sense at all. You know that. Course plotted ?"
One - Smiles, putting back on the glasses, "Oh ... yes ... I've got your course. Right through the storm and into the myth. Atlantis ... Utopia ... and you said your sister
had it bad."
He looks and she's no longer there but the bottle, he
turns the table bringing it to. "She can't say ..." drinking, "... I didn't warn her."
The
deck sounds with calls of the expeditions sighting and Naamah's call to
arms. He drinks again and returns to plotting on the globe.
________________
On
the island a path has been cleared to the beach from Lilith's boat
being prepared. A temporary settlement was constructed from Eleanore's
wrecked ship, saps are boiled to prepare for hull treatment.
Eleanore and Virginia stare annoyed at the gutted wreck, Lilith walking up.
Lilith
- "Captain Dare", smiling as she circles, "And Virginia. Hi !" My
scouts returned from the crater mount. It's not volcanic after all, and
I really have no reason to be here."
Eleanore - "So you want to strand us here for weight while you chase that ship."
Lilith - Stares at her ... "You ... come from a cruel people. No. But that would be wise." Laughing, "Except the sealant for the hull won't be ready for at least another two weeks."
Eleanore - "How long will it hold salt ?"
Lilith
- "Mambathu believes the recipe will hold up to six months, Miranda
helped with her book ... but I meant I don't need to sleep on the beach
all day while my crew gets weak. I'm curious to explore."
She turns to the crater mount, staring along the ridge.
Lilith - "This place ... it doesn't look like it should. We have time
until my sister arrives anyway with what I'm sure is a massive vessel of some kind ... arrogant bitch ... "
Eleanore - "And the nice sounding lady won't just strand us here either."
They stare a moment.
Lilith - "No. She'd kill you all. Like ... people I mean. If I wasn't here to make her feel bad about it that is. She hates that."
They stare.
Eleanore - "Why are we waiting for her ... ?"
Lilith - "Because she probably does have that absurdly massive vessel, laden with guns and candy, and we have the book."
Eleanore - "Miranda has the book. And it's hers."
Lilith - "Naamah doesn't want to own it ... she says (mocking) 'it's like a flower I just cannot
bear to pluck from the earth ...' She likes to watch. My God I just
want to shoot her sometimes. It's actually kind of perverse the way she
stalks it ..."
Eleanore - "So why don't you ? Shoot her ?"
Lilith - Annoyed, "She'd win. I hate her."
Eleanore
- "Yeah ... my people sure are crazy ... so what about Eve. And just
so you know, I always though you called yourself Lilith to sound like a
scary pirate. By the way."
Lilith - "But I am a scary
pirate !" She exchanges 'grrs' with Virginia. "But Eve ... is not. I
think she's probably just drifting somewhere, hasn't gone far."
____
Eve lies on the deck looking at the sky doing exactly that.
Two
unmarked ships flank her drifting boat to investigate, the crews lining
for invasion, looking over the empty deck. The captain of one calls "Hey ! any aboard ?!"
The woman walks out of the cabin to the rail, looking at the caller.
Captain - Surprised a moment, then a laugh, "We're takin' ya."
The woman cocks her head to the side, a bit confused, "Leviathan."
The
sea beast crashes through the hull of one from underneath flying over
her as she waves "Hi !", roaring as it shatters the other.
She watches a
moment as an apple drops from the mast to her hand, while Leviathan
devours the screaming survivors, before returning to her cabin taking a
bite.
____
Eleanore and Lilith head with a team
toward the crater mount, while the rest of the crew constructs a ramp to
pull Lilith's ship to water.
Another
team continues preparations of the finishes and sail repair, while the
last of the wood is salvaged from Dare's wreckage.
Miranda stares
at Virginia, both sitting on a beach. Virginia stares back with her
arms trying to be crossed. She bats a ball with her hand, still
staring, while Miranda hugs her book terrified.
Virginia points at the book.
Miranda
- Eyes to the side, then back, "I guess we might go to London
eventually." Eyes to the other side ... "Or maybe not I don't know."
Virginia stares angrily.
Miranda - Terrified, to herself, "... baby ..."
Virginia starts crawling toward her with a look.
Miranda - "No ! Umm ... do you want to see what London's like ? Right now ?"
Virginia sits, trying again to cross her arms while Miranda quickly opens the book in her path.
Water fills the pages to flood into a puddle in rainy London.
____
A foot kicks Goremouse to the alley wall from the restaurant with a squeak before she flops to her head next a wide eyed rat.
The rat looks at her, "Guess what ?"
Goremouse - Still upside down, "What ?"
Plaguerat
- "I found a new plague in the asylum pits. It mostly only effects
people ..." He twitches as his eyes glaze over red a moment, "Mostly."
Goremouse - Sticks out her arm, "Gimme."
A hard bite and a dirty look back.
Goremouse - Standing upright and red eyed, "Now let's burn this
motherfucker down." Twitch. Curious rats and mice peep their red eyes
from the trash all around.
('Kerosene' by Big Black)
~ The Very Little Spoken of Plague of 1592 ~
Rodents file from the alleys, sneaking into houses, biting each other, biting sleepers. Rows lined up punching palms and nodding their red eyes in the dark.
One by screams and candles lit as they file from houses and taverns in greater and greater number, chased by the bitten stumbling with torches.
The sun rockets across the sky.
Plague victims shake in their beds into the next morning.
Doors are hammered and planked shut, white 'X's are painted over them in slashes, the sun rocketing.
Then into the night the rodents march again.
Morning, more 'X's and nailed shut doors, night more bitten, the rocketing sun. And then on the forth night the victims rise. They break down their nailed doors shrieking and tear into the street, attacking the shooting guards and fleeing Londoners.
Through the next day the people pound boards indoors to hide in their houses. more pounding, more swiping 'X's, the sun.
The night comes and all torn down, the inhabitants ravaged.
...
In the following dusk muskets load and soldiers line before the palace. Nervous soldiers join the rows, commanders nodding their bravery and checking their lines and weapon keep.
They balance their guns forward.
Plague ridden and waves of rodents charge forth, they fire desperately. In the distance the town throws cocktails into mayhem and screams. The line charges un-slowed as they meet the soldier line.
The view sweeps out to burning and looting London, smoke and fog with the face of Goremouse laughing, then out to ocean waves and into the book as Miranda slams it closed with a short scream.
(end of song)
Virginia and Miranda stare in horror ...
