Sea Patrol (2007) s05e08 Episode Script

Lifeline

Thank you.
Thank you so much for answering our mayday.
You reported multiple electrical failures on board.
Is the vessel seaworthy? Um, I have no idea.
Do you wish to evacuate? Yeah.
Yeah, I do.
I'm not sure about him, though.
Hi.
Jack Henty.
Thanks for your assistance, Mike.
The world can be a Ionely place when you're in a submarine.
You managed to surface, I see.
Yeah, Jack was amazing.
I didn't think we were going to make it, actually.
I'm Tracey McQueen, by the way.
And 'Njord' is a research sub? Yes, a two-man Mark-4.
Might not be new, but it's got a very good safety record.
I'm sure whatever's wrong is fixable.
Jack, we could have died.
Come on, Trace.
It was just an electrical short.
You You don't have a sparky on board, do you? (SCOFFS) No, you're not going to get me in that thing.
Wow.
Two people can actually survive in this thing, eh? Five days at a time.
Marine scientists are a strange breed.
I think the problem's in here.
OK, let's take a look.
(CREAKING) What's going on? (BEEPING) What was that? Oh, get back.
Move back.
Whoa.
Whoa.
No, no, no.
Don't give me that look.
You're supposed to be the expert.
Hold on.
What? Hold on! We're going down.
(BREATHES HEAVILY) Oh.
God.
'Hammersley' to 'Njord'.
Are you receiving, 'Njord'? Over.
(STATIC OVER HANDSET) I've tried VHF, UHF I've had no response.
Was the radio buoy deployed when it sank? Tracey said it was deployed during the first emergency, but no-one recalls seeing it on the surface when we got here.
So we don't even know if they can hear us? If they're alive, if they managed to deploy the radio buoy, it might be too deep to receive.
All I know is I'm getting nothing now.
Well, they could still be alive if the ship's still intact.
Jack gave us the strong impression the vessel was sound.
Yeah, I know.
I know.
It's just Look, Jack's just really keen for us to finish our job.
I mean, we're both scientists, but he's the 'glass half full' type.
And what type of person are you? Well, I'm the pragmatic one.
You wouldn't get me down there without a team of experts giving it the OK.
What was the purpose of your dive? It's a government-sponsored dive, collecting samples.
Look, I'd like to use your radio to inform my mother ship.
That won't be possible.
We're in a naval emergency situation.
I've initiated a communications lockdown.
There's no traffic outside our procedural essentials.
Sorry.
(MAN OVER RADIO) If you need any assistance, we're here.
(XO OVER RADIO) Your assistance won't be required.
But we appreciate the offer.
Over.
What have we got? Vessel arrived about three minutes ago in response to the original mayday.
'Tangaroa III' out of Townsville.
(MAN OVER RADIO) You sure? Yes, very sure.
We need to keep this area clear for arriving rescue vessels, so we would appreciate you moving on.
Over.
MAN: Roger that.
Out.
Sorry.
Is it possible I could get a lift on that boat? Well, I've got to communicate with the outside world somehow.
I mean, Jack has relatives.
They'll be concerned.
Once again, I apologise.
You'll be required to stay and make a formal statement.
RO: Sir, we need to check the echo sounder and locate the exact position of that sub.
Good idea.
X, have we marked the last surface coordinates of the sub? Yes, sir, we have.
Let's make a slow sweep over that position.
Steer 2-7-0.
Steer 2-7-0.
Tell us when, X.
Course 2-7-0.
Slow to 500.
There we go.
CHARGE: Right on the money.
It's sitting on the bottom at about 70 metres, way too deep to dive.
What is that? CHARGE: I've never seen that before.
Seismic activity? RO: It looks like something coming to the surface.
DUTCHY: There he is.
Man in the water.
Man in the water.
Man in the water.
Green 4-5.
Yeah, keep it coming.
Easy.
Alright, let's get him in.
(GRUNTS) I need some help.
One, two, three.
(GRUNTING) Let's get this off him quick.
He won't have much air.
So where's 2Dads? It was mayhem down there.
I barely got out myself.
I realise you've been through a traumatic time, but the safety of my crew member is paramount to me.
He's dead.
We were accessing the escape suits.
I was in the escape hatch when there was an explosion.
We were both thrown around.
I could see through the port.
He was unconscious and bleeding.
I couldn't get back in, so I surfaced.
He was in a bad way.
He wasn't going to make it.
What? So you just left him? Well, I was in the escape hatch already.
I I couldn't get back in.
Was the sub taking water? No, but I think the ballast tanks had vented because of an electrical fault.
You've placed my crew member in a life-threatening situation here, Mr Henty.
Had I realised that No-one could have known.
I'm sorry.
Well, 2Dads might still be alive and, unlike you, I'm not just going to leave him.
Sir, I think we should shut down the engines, turn off anything electrical, anything that makes any noise.
I want to head down to the hull and take a listen.
You think we might hear something from the submarine? Sound travels for miles through water.
It's worth a shot.
Closing down port engine.
Bilge pumps off too.
Deactivating bilge pumps now, sir.
Any washing machines or dryers on need to be shut down.
Alright.
Exhaust fans in the galley, Charge? I'll close them down from here.
XO: Very good.
RO: Shut down.
(SHIP POWERS DOWN) (SILENCE) (FLICKS SWITCH) (COUGHS, EXHALES) (FOOTSTEPS) Shh! (WHISPERS) Sorry.
I just I mean, if you're right, I just wanted to be Yeah, I know.
I understand.
I just need you to be quiet.
Yep.
This isn't working.
Shh.
(RHYTHMIC BANGING) What was that? Is that (BANGING) He's alive.
(BOTH LAUGH) (LOUD BANGING) (BANGS THREE TIMES SLOWLY) (BANGS THREE TIMES QUICKLY) (BANG!) (RHYTHMIC BANGING) What does that mean? His Morse code's terrible.
I don't understand what he's trying to say.
I'll tell the CO.
(RAPS THREE TIMES) (RHYTHMIC BANGING CONTINUES) Maxine, I hope you've got some good news about that rescue submersible.
(MAXINE OVER PHONE) It's en route, but it's at least four hours away.
Well, that's a long time for 2Dads.
That's the time it's gonna take.
I'll keep you updated.
Understood.
Thanks.
So this rescue submersible It is capable of docking with this type of sub? CHARGE: Yeah.
According to the schematics, that shouldn't be a problem.
NAVCOM contacted the manufacturer, who sent these through.
You won't believe this.
CHARGE: Look at that.
MIKE: What? The radio buoy cable.
The specs say it's 50 metres long.
It's a pity it's not 'cause the sub's sitting at the bottom of the ocean.
And 2Dads is 70 metres down.
Where's Jack? He's in the wardroom.
You told me my crewman was dead.
Obviously, I was wrong.
I'm not getting the full story here, am I? What the hell went on down there? Sir I think that we should charge him.
Section 14? XO: Yeah.
We've got enough evidence already.
You You can't do that.
Oh, yes, we can.
Section 14 gives us wide-ranging powers at sea.
You want to test it? (SIGHS HEAVILY) Alright.
We were getting ready to evacuate the sub.
One of the escape suits was ripped.
I don't know how.
Maybe in the initial emergency.
We fought over the good suit.
I hit him.
He fell backwards, hit his head.
So he was unconscious.
And you just left him.
Well, it's easy to judge me from here.
He would have done the same thing.
There was a way out for only one of us.
You think I like myself for this? You'll be confined to Austere for the duration of this voyage.
Now, I need to know, was the radio buoy deployed? Yes.
Your sparky and I tried the radio repeatedly.
Obviously we were too deep.
But the radio - is it still activated? Yes, most of the systems are still functioning.
Thanks for playing along with Section 14.
Well, it sounded good, whatever it means.
If anything happens to 2Dads, I promise you that man is history.
(TAPS RAPIDLY) (MEAS URED BANGING) Oh, come on, RO.
We can bang all day.
Ballast pump.
We used to pump our ballast so it must go up.
(SIGHS) Or not.
(RAPS THREE TIMES) (RHYTHMIC BANGING) (FOOTSTEPS) (RHYTHMIC BANGING) How's he going? Well, I tap (RHYTHMIC BANGING) and 2Dads taps.
At least he knows we're here.
(ENGINE WHIRRS) What's that noise? Oh, that's why I came down.
We have to start the engines.
Sorry, Robert.
The current's been pushing us too far away from the target.
Be good if I could explain that to 2Dads.
We need to be at the right coordinates to facilitate this rescue.
Sir, RO is right.
He has no idea what is going on.
I understand, but there's no way we can meaningfully communicate with him.
His radio buoy is 20 metres too deep to receive a signal.
It's only 20 metres down? So a diver could get to it.
We could get a diver to attach a coaxial cable to the radio buoy.
We could build an antenna and float it on the surface directly above him.
Is that doable? Yeah.
Yeah.
The antenna's easy enough.
RO: It's just a circle of coax cable.
Held by floats.
Get started.
OK, now, we probably will have to purloin some coax cable from non-essential radio systems.
When you say 'purloin' Steal.
Borrow.
Borrow.
To be replaced afterwards.
RO: No damage.
Fine.
Do it.
Mids.
Hey, that looks good.
Yeah, I hope so.
So these go around the perimeter? Yeah.
Yeah, they're meant to be evenly spaced around the thing.
Um, the boss wants to know how long.
Just tell him that's a very good question.
You asked to see me, Mr Henty? Yes.
Look, I keep thinking about your man down there.
So do I.
Well, I feel bad about how things turned out.
He is going to be rescued, right? Is there a point to this? I want you to know exactly what's at stake here, why I was so why I wanted to keep the sub working.
Our whole enterprise has been somewhat secret for a reason.
This is it.
What am I looking at? It's a form of Anthozoa, a subspecies of coral.
It's so rare we haven't even got a name for it yet.
TRACE Y: Hey, I heard you released Jack Did you save the specimen? Just.
Oh, thank God.
I'm sorry.
What's so special about this? Um, its medical properties.
Initial trials have proved that it dissolves arterial plaque.
It could help end heart disease.
SWAIN: If that works, that would make this one of the most valuable naturally occurring medicines in the world.
That's right.
MIKE: I appreciate your honesty, but this isn't worth the life of my crewman.
(BREATHES RAGGEDLY) Oh, no.
(HOLDS BREATH) (EXHALES) (HOLDS BREATH) (PANTS) Focus.
Looks good, RO.
Real good.
Thank you.
OK, cable.
Can you pass me the ring? OK, drop it in.
RO: You right? CHARGE: Yeah.
You know whatever happens, we're doing what we can, right? This will work, Charge.
Yep, it's done.
So, moment of truth? HMAS 'Hammersley' to submersible 'Njord'.
Do you receive me? Over.
(LOUD STATIC) HMAS 'Hammersley' to submersible 'Njord'.
(LOUDER) Are you receiving? Over.
(STATIC) You know, he might Doesn't matter.
What? Well, at that depth, he may have decided that the radio was useless and turned it off to save power maybe.
HMAS 'Hammersley' to submersible (2DADS OVER RADIO) 'Njord' calling 'Hammersley'.
Can you hear me? We can hear you, 2Dads.
(LAUGHS WITH RELIEF) Thank God for that.
Had us a bit worried there.
Listen, RO, I was hit We're aware of that, 2Dads.
(GASPS) I'm running low on oxygen, RO.
Breathing is getting hard.
getting me out of here, RO? RO: We have a rescue submersible en route.
(RO OVER RADIO) ETA three hours.
Er, sir? These schematics, they have the air purification system, and here's the entire electrics.
So if air quality is an electrical issue, we might be able to work it out from here.
Quick as you can.
MIKE: RO? RO: Yep.
Sir? We have the sub specs here.
We're going to try and locate the oxygen problem for you.
Over.
(2DADS OVER RADIO) OK.
I'd prefer to get out, though, sir.
That's clearly not possible at the moment, is it, 2Dads? So just wait for the chief engineer's report, OK? Yeah, look, I'm gonna have to go somewhere where I can concentrate.
Yeah.
(CLEARS THROAT) RO, can you try and be a little more sensitive when you're talking to 2Dads? Because he's at the bottom of the ocean on his own.
You know, he needs Well, he needs a friend and And you've done a great job.
So you take a break.
Yep.
Swain? SWAIN: Yes, ma'am.
Take a break.
Go.
(2DADS OVER RADIO) RO? (DOOR OPENS) Hey, want a coffee, RO? It's fresh.
Er, no.
No, I'll get my own later.
You don't like my coffee? Um, there's something that you do to it.
I'm not sure what it is, but it just makes it taste tinny.
Fine.
Remind me not to offer you Bird, would you say that I'm a sensitive person? I don't think you often put yourself in other people's shoes, no.
Why would I want to do that? Sometimes if you think about what another person is going through, you realise you've experienced similar emotions yourself.
So? So it helps you to understand how they might be feeling, helps you to be sensitive to their needs at that time.
And you don't think that I'm good at that? Sometimes I think you're so truthful it hurts.
But I think there's a lot you don't share too.
So if you want to be more sensitive you may have to look at changing that.
(S UBMERSIBLE CREAKS) Oh, sir.
I've just got an update from NAVCOM.
The rescue submersible's still two hours away.
That's too late to help 2Dads if his air runs out.
Yes, it is.
Someone should teach Bird how to make a real cup of coffee.
What's the verdict, Charge? Oh, I think the problem's with the sub's CO2 scrubbers.
Just give me another five minutes.
Just get it right.
Can't afford not to.
(SIGHS) OK.
Oh! What is What is this? No.
Come on.
Come on.
Don't do this.
Oh! MIKE: What's happening, Charge? I have no idea.
One minute it was there and now it's gone.
Did it crash? I think it's worse than that.
We can't get it back.
(RO TYPES) OK.
OK.
It's gone.
Um, I just have to download the specs again from NAVCOM.
We can't.
Sorry? Er, we don't have any internet.
Are you sure? Yeah.
We used the coax cable to build the floating antenna.
It was the most expendable.
Without that information, we can't save 2Dads.
MIKE: You've got to think of something.
HMAS 'Hammersley' to submergible 'Njord'.
(RO OVER RADIO) Um, I've got good news and bad news.
Jeez, just good news, Robert.
Come on.
Er, we We can't help you just yet, 2Dads.
There's technical issues.
(RO OVER RADIO) Not going anywhere, am I, Robert? I understand how you must feel.
(ANGRILY) With respect, Robert, no-one could possibly understand how I feel.
Robert? Yeah, I'm here.
(2DADS OVER RADIO) What if I opened up the hatch? I'm going to die anyway.
Might as well make a swim for it.
There's no There's no way.
You'll die.
You know, we get what we deserve, Robert.
Huh? (RO OVER RADIO) What's that supposed to mean? It doesn't matter.
Lack of oxygen talking.
(EXHALES WEAKLY) Captive audience, RO.
When I was six years old and I was living with my father, who was an alcoholic That's supposed to make me feel better? (CHUCKLES) I'd talked back to him or I'd I'd complained or I can't even remember, but he locked me in a wardrobe.
(RO OVER RADIO) It was cold and dark and for a six-year-old, it was it was horrible.
Um, what are you doing? I'm pretty good with PCs.
I thought I'd take a look.
Right, 'cause you're young and you're the expert.
No.
Well, is it working? Well, your basic operating system's working.
All your files have been corrupted, though.
A virus, maybe.
CHARGE: No.
It's got state-of-the-art antivirus protection on it.
RYAN: I'm just telling you what it looks like.
Wait a minute.
Maybe I can do it with these.
Maybe I can talk 2Dads through it based on these notes.
Have you got enough there? Yeah, there and up here.
You, out there.
I need to concentrate.
OK.
(RO OVER RADIO) I was bashing my knee against the wardrobe door so much that the skin came off.
(2DADS OVER RADIO) He didn't come for you, huh? No.
At about Oh, God, I was in there for hours.
About 3am, I managed to get the wardrobe door open, and when I came out he was asleep.
I picked up the bottle that he'd been drinking out of and I smashed him over the head with it.
(RO OVER RADIO) In the morning, he didn't remember anything.
He thought he'd fallen over.
My knee got infected.
I've still got a scar.
I still hate the dark.
(INHALES RAGGEDLY) Robert? Yeah, I'm here.
I panicked.
Jack and I, we fought over those damn escape suits like kids.
I lost it.
I understand, 2Dads.
It's OK.
(RO OVER RADIO) 2Dads? Yeah, RO.
Thanks.
(INHALES DEEPLY) OK.
Guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be.
(BREATHES RAGGEDLY) RO: 2Dads, we're ready to fix the CO2 scrubbers.
I'll patch you through to Charge.
(CHARGE OVER RADIO) You there, 2Dads? Hey, big buddy.
You're going to tell me how to rewire stuff, huh? Hey, I'm the man with the specs.
Yes, you are.
OK, we know that you've got power to your radio, so that's where we'll start.
(PANTS) Understood.
There's a junction box under the radio desk.
Oh, yeah.
Got it.
You need to open that box.
Can you see three lights in there? Yep, I'm seeing them.
What colour are they? All green.
(SIGHS) Good.
OK.
Um, go to the other side of the room.
(CHARGE OVER RADIO) Halfway up the wall there's another box.
CHARGE: Open it.
Inside, there's a series of wires attached to terminals.
(GASPS) Disconnect the green one.
I got it.
OK, the wire that you've disconnected, the other end of that is under a panel to the left.
Sorry.
Wait.
CHARGE: It's It's to the right of you.
It's labelled 'electrical access'.
(MUTTERS) To the left.
To the (2DADS PANTS OVER RADIO) I see it, Charge.
You need to open it.
(CHARGE OVER RADIO) It's the third green wire from the top.
Grab it and pull it through the conduit, about four metres of it.
They've all been cut.
Say again? All the wires are all cut, and I'm woozy.
in there.
Cut wires that close to each other? That would have caused shorts through the whole electrics.
is where the problem started.
These wires have been cut deliberately.
Somebody sabotaged this ship, Charge.
had definitely been cut.
And that did not happen by itself.
Why would either of us put our lives in jeopardy? But your lives aren't in jeopardy, are they? It's only 2Dads's life at stake here.
I did not engineer this.
What would I gain? The most expensive natural medicine in the world.
Tracey.
Tracey? She did it to damage the sub, to bring us to the surface.
Maybe.
We'll get her side of the story too.
But under the circumstances, I want that vial in the ship's safe.
It's in my cabin.
After you.
It's not here.
Are you sure you left it Yes! I put it here.
You were with me.
So was Tracey.
SWAIN: Ma'am? XO: Yeah? Rubberneckers at a road accident.
MIKE: Just wait here, thanks, Jack.
'Tangaroa III', this is Australian warship 'Hammersley'.
Are you receiving? Over.
(MAN OVER RADIO) We're receiving.
Over.
Why are you entering a restricted zone when you were ordered to stay clear? Over.
(MAN OVER RADIO) We're returning from our fishing trip.
Thought you might need our help.
Over.
You are hereby ordered to steer clear of this area.
Otherwise you'll be escorted away.
Over.
(MAN OVER RADIO) OK, keep your shirt on.
We're going.
I searched the entire ship.
I can't find her anywhere.
Sir, there's a wetsuit and scuba gear missing from the lockers.
CHARGE: She could've had access to my computer when I left it in the ship's office.
Sir, we're tracking with 'Tangaroa III'.
I think you should see this.
Jack.
Take a look.
That boat didn't just turn up out of nowhere in response to the original mayday.
Tracey planned all this.
She was going to use it to get away with the sample.
Yes.
It was so simple.
She knew I'd never leave the sub.
All that went wrong for Tracey was that we turned up first.
Alright.
Let's get a RHIB in the water.
Aren't they too far away? Just watch us.
Does 'manual ballast vent adjust' mean what I think it means? Yes.
It's worth a try.
Yes, it does, 2Dads.
It manually opens and closes the ballast tank air vents, but the pressure could make it impossible to move.
Is that you, Jack? Yes.
Remind me to punch you.
I look forward to it.
Look, you can't get the sub to surface if those vents won't close.
Try closing them manually.
With the wheel thingy? (J ACK OVER RADIO) Right.
That should close the vents.
Then try the pump again.
With the vents closed, the sub should rise.
(PANTS) (WHEEL SQUEAKS) (2DADS PANTS OVER RADIO) (GROANS) (BREATHES RAPIDLY) (WHEEL SQUEAKS) Come on.
(WHIMPERS) You there, 2Dads? (BREATHLESSLY) I can't.
I can't.
I can't.
I can't.
XO: Stand behind port bow.
You are ordered to heave to.
Right.
Take us in.
Let's go.
Just watch the deck.
Ma'am, move away.
Move away.
SWAIN: Come down.
OK, cut the engines.
TRACE Y: Get your hands off me.
Ma'am, stop resisting.
Get down.
Mind your head.
Ma'am, you're being charged with the theft of the coral.
Sit down.
And the theft of Royal Australian Navy equipment.
I worked just as hard for that sample as Jack did.
(MAN GRUNTS) You shut up.
Don't say anything.
Where is the sample, ma'am? I don't know.
Right.
We're gonna have to search the boat till we find it.
Bird, flybridge.
XO: Do you work for this drug company, sir? You don't want to talk about it? DUTCHY: Start with this compartment here.
Keep searching till we've got Who said you could come up here? Sit down.
Wait.
Wait.
Wait.
Wait.
Give me that.
No.
Don't drop it.
Sit down.
Next time you stand up I'm gonna put cuffs on you.
Is this the drug company who's been paying you to betray your partner? Well, it doesn't really matter, does it? It's over now.
Yeah, well, for you maybe.
We've still got a man down there.
(GASPS) (BREATHES RAGGEDLY) (WHEEL SQUEAKS) (PANTS) (GASPS BREATHLESSLY) (LOUD WHIRRING) The steaming party will escort them back to shore, sir.
Over.
(MIKE OVER RADIO) Very good, X.
The police will be there to greet them.
See the rest of you back here soon.
Yep! Over there.
Over there.
OK, take us in.
Look out.
(DUTCHY GROANS) Oh, come on, you stupid (GRUNTS) Son of a XO: OK.
Anyone ever tell you you've got a beautiful voice, Dutchy? Yeah! Come here, buddy.
DUTCHY: You got him? Well done, buddy.
Good to see you in one piece, 2Dads.
Just wanted to say I couldn't have done it without you guys.
It was pretty bad there for a little while, sir.
Where's Robert? Oh, jeez, RO, you're not going to start streaking to celebrate my homecoming, are you? No, I haven't had a shower in 48 hours.
(SNIFFS) You've got very effective deodorant, RO.
I tend not to exude odour.
RO thank you for Look, I need to apologise.
Apology? No way.
Mate Yeah.
I told you a lie.
I made up that story, alright? I thought that you needed to hear something that would make you think that I could relate.
I'm sorry.
Oh, well.
No, that's That's fine.
The thing is I didn't panic either.
I don't know why I said that.
So Swain's waiting to patch me up and the boss is gonna crack open an alcohol ration.
Do you want to join us? Yeah.
I'll just have a shower first.

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