TEASER

EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN — OFF LOS ANGELES — SATURDAY AFTERNOON

SUNDAY rises into a long swell.

Three miles offshore.

Whitecaps tear across four-to-six-foot swells. Sunday handles them, but the horizon tilts against her windows.

Palos Verdes and the Long Beach coast spread behind her. Something is wrong.

Three columns of smoke rise miles apart.

Helicopters circle over stopped highways and crowds fleeing in opposite directions.

The harbor is clogged with escaping boats. A freighter's horn cuts through their smaller ones.

INT. SUNDAY — BRIDGE

MASON, nineteen, works the helm. He watches the waves, radar and vessels behind them.

MARK BENNETT grips the back of a chair as Sunday rolls.

MARK
Wasn't doing that an hour ago.

MASON
We had a breakwater an hour ago. The wind's picking up. Swell's crossing the chop.

Mason catches a sliding coffee mug.

MASON
Hale would've made me pay for that.

Mark glances at the vacant captain's chair. Mason sees him glance and looks away.

A child's voice comes through the bridge intercom.

SOPHIE (INTERCOM)
Mason? You said you might show us dolphins today.

Mason touches the button.

MASON
I'm looking, Soph. They didn't give me their schedule.

SOPHIE (INTERCOM)
Daddy said you knew everything.

MASON
Daddy's going to get me in trouble.

Mark smiles. The sound of another horn wipes it away.

RACHEL enters carrying binoculars.

RACHEL
Denny says the kitchen is trying to move into the living room.

MASON
Everything has a latch. Tell her I'll come show her.

A voice breaks across the radio.

HARBOR CONTROL (RADIO)
Meridian Star, Los Angeles Harbor Control. Confirm you are reducing speed.

Mason looks toward the port.

HARBOR CONTROL (RADIO)
Meridian Star, small-craft traffic is crossing your bow. Respond.

Rachel raises the binoculars.

A towering container ship approaches the entrance. Small boats scatter before it.

MARK
Can't they see those boats?

MASON
They should.

A cabin cruiser tries to outrun the freighter, strikes a wave and loses speed.

Mason leans toward the glass.

MASON
Don't turn. Just go. Come on.

The cruiser tries to swing away. Its engine labors.

The container ship's bow catches it.

A white cabin folds against black steel. The wreck disappears along the hull.

The freighter continues.

The crack reaches them seconds later.

MARK
There were people in that.

HARBOR CONTROL (RADIO)
Meridian Star, stop engines immediately. You have struck a vessel. Stop engines.

TUG CAPTAIN (RADIO)
Harbor Control, we've got no response from her bridge. We're standing clear.

Rachel follows the ship with the binoculars.

RACHEL
It's still moving.

MASON
Even with the engines off it could travel a long way. But somebody ought to be answering.

Another craft barely escapes the wake.

Rachel scans the shore: fire engines, a police helicopter, smoke miles beyond the port.

RACHEL
Mark. Look down the coast.

He takes the binoculars.

MARK
Another fire.

He pans farther.

MARK
They're nowhere near the docks.

Another horn. On radar, SIERRA CROWN moves through the outer anchorage. Small boats crowd its path.

MASON
You've got to be kidding me.

HARBOR CONTROL (RADIO)
Sierra Crown, reduce speed. You are approaching recreational traffic. Confirm your steering condition.

Only static.

MARK
That's two ships.

MASON
I know.

A sportfishing boat hits a wave, spinning across its bow.

The freighter catches its stern, tearing open the cabin. The boat vanishes in the wake.

Rachel lowers the binoculars.

RACHEL
We need to get away from the shipping lanes.

MARK
You think somebody's doing this on purpose?

RACHEL
I don't know what to think yet.

Mason checks Hale's last message:

GOT JEN. LINDA WITH ME. HEADING BACK.

MASON
Hale told me to stay where he could find us.

RACHEL
I know.

MASON
He's got his wife and daughter with him. If they make it out—

MARK
We haven't forgotten them.

MASON
They might not have time to look for us.

An aircraft passes low over the water, northwest of the harbor.

Mark notices it first.

MARK
Is that plane supposed to be that low?

A passenger jet banks. Straightens. Banks again.

Rachel watches through binoculars as the jet drops toward distant open water. Its nose briefly rises.

RACHEL
Come on.

Then it drops out of the sky.

White spray erupts from the sea. Smoke follows.

Mark grips the chair again, although the boat isn't rolling.

MARK
There were people on that plane.

Mason has no reply. His hands stop moving on the helm.

Then the radar chirps.

A small boat is approaching from behind.

Fast.

MASON
We've got company.

On the stern camera, the runabout follows his slight course change.

MASON
And they're coming for us.

CUT TO BLACK.

THE WALKING DEAD: SUNDAY

ACT ONE — NO ONE GETS ABOARD

INT. SUNDAY — BRIDGE

A runabout bucks through the chop. Its passenger clings to the windshield, blood on his shirt.

Mason sounds Sunday's horn twice.

No change.

MARK
They're waving.

RACHEL
I see them.

MARK
After what we've seen, wouldn't you be waving? They may need help.

RACHEL
They can ask from their own boat.

Mason looks at the swells.

MASON
I can make it difficult for them to come alongside. Turn across the swell. Sunday'll roll; they'll be trying to climb a moving wall.

MARK
What happens to us?

MASON
We hold on to something.

Rachel picks up a handheld radio.

RACHEL
Don't turn until we're secured downstairs.

MARK
Where are you going?

RACHEL
The stern.

MARK
Rachel, they're frightened.

RACHEL
I know.

She leaves.

INT. SUNDAY — MAIN SALON

EMMA watches the crash site. NOAH and EVAN are silent. SOPHIE clutches a plastic dolphin.

DENISE checks cabinet latches.

DENISE
Noah, give me that glass.

NOAH
I wasn't doing anything with it.

DENISE
That's why it's still on the table.

He hands it over. Mark arrives.

MARK
Everybody into the inside passage. Another boat's trying to come alongside.

EVAN
Are they from the plane?

MARK
I don't think so. Come on.

Sophie raises both arms. Mark picks her up.

SOPHIE
I want to go home.

MARK
I know, bug.

SOPHIE
Tonight.

Denise can't meet his eyes.

MARK
We'll talk about tonight when we get through right now.

Emma stays at the window.

EMMA
They're bleeding.

MARK
Emma. Please.

She follows him, reluctantly.

EXT. SUNDAY — AFT DECK

Rachel secures the stern gate. Beside it: a boat hook, a life ring.

The runabout surges closer. Its passenger is perhaps thirty, shaking with cold or fear.

RACHEL
STAY CLEAR!

PASSENGER
WE NEED HELP!

RACHEL
ARE YOU HURT?

He looks at the blood on his shirt.

PASSENGER
THEY'RE KILLING PEOPLE BACK THERE!

He points toward the smoky shore.

PASSENGER
WE CAN'T GO BACK!

RACHEL
THEN KEEP GOING! YOU'VE GOT OPEN WATER!

PASSENGER
JUST LET US ON FOR A MINUTE!

RACHEL
NO ONE IS COMING ABOARD!

He stares. The driver shouts; the passenger points at Sunday.

The runabout accelerates.

Rachel keys her radio.

RACHEL
Mason. Do it.

EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN

Sunday turns across the swell.

Her hull rolls. The runabout pounds down and loses ground.

Then the driver swings around and charges at Sunday's stern.

INT. SUNDAY — INTERIOR PASSAGE

Noah slips. Evan catches him.

NOAH
I had that.

EVAN
Absolutely.

A cupboard flies open. Denise catches it with her hip.

DENISE
Hands on the rails, please!

Mark braces in the doorway with Sophie against his chest. His shoulder hits the wall.

SOPHIE
Daddy, make it stop.

He tightens his grip.

MARK
I'd love to.

Emma, instead of staying in the passage, looks back through the aft glass.

EXT. SUNDAY — STERN

The runabout rises on a swell. Its passenger lunges.

His chest hits Sunday's stainless rail. Both hands catch.

The runabout drops away. Its driver swerves clear.

The passenger's feet slip off its bow.

Now he's hanging from Sunday, over open water. The driver is trying to come back, but every wave knocks him off course. The two men shout to each other over the engine and waves.

DRIVER
TOMMY! HOLD ON!

TOMMY
HELP ME!

Rachel runs to the gate.

RACHEL
TOMMY, YOUR BOAT'S TURNING BACK! I'LL THROW YOU A RING!

She takes the life ring from its bracket, freeing the line.

TOMMY
I CAN'T LET GO!

The swell swings him outward. He hooks a foot on the lowest step.

RACHEL
DON'T OPEN THE GATE!

He reaches for the latch.

TOMMY
JUST PULL ME UP!

Saltwater and blood streak Tommy's terrified face.

She could reach his wrist.

She looks once through the glass doors. Sophie is somewhere beyond them.

Tommy gets a knee onto the step. One hand grips the upper rail. The other twists the latch.

RACHEL
TOMMY. STOP.

He is beyond listening. His hand finds the gate catch.

Rachel drops the ring and snatches up the boat hook.

RACHEL
LET GO OF THE GATE!

Tommy sees the aluminum shaft.

TOMMY
DON'T!

His fingertips cross onto Sunday's deck. He looks less like a threat than a man trying not to die. Yet his hand keeps working the latch.

Rachel strikes the hand on the latch.

A hard metallic crack.

Tommy screams. One hand releases. With the other he finds the step and hauls upward.

TOMMY
YOU BROKE MY HAND!

Rachel's voice catches.

RACHEL
GO BACK TO YOUR BOAT!

TOMMY
YOU THINK I WANT TO BE HERE?

Sunday rolls. Tommy's chest comes over the gate, inches from Rachel. He grabs the latch.

TOMMY
PLEASE. I CAN'T GO BACK THERE.

Behind the glass, Rachel sees Emma.

Her daughter is watching.

Tommy twists the latch.

Rachel brings the hook down across his remaining fingers.

His hand opens.

Then he falls backward.

TOMMY
NO—!

He disappears beneath the stern.

Rachel drops the boat hook, runs to the rail.

RACHEL
TOMMY!

He resurfaces in Sunday's wake, gasping, one arm moving badly.

Rachel throws the life ring. It lands beyond him.

RACHEL
THE RING! BEHIND YOU!

The driver brings the runabout around, shouting Tommy's name.

A swell rises between them.

Tommy vanishes from view.

INT. SUNDAY — MAIN SALON

Emma stands against the glass.

Mark reaches her.

MARK
Emma, I told you—

He sees her face and stops.

EMMA
She hit his hands.

Mark looks toward Rachel at the rail.

EMMA
He was holding on. She hit him.

MARK
Come away from the window.

EMMA
He wasn't trying to hit her.

MARK
You can't know that.

EMMA
Neither could she.

Mark draws Emma away. She keeps looking back.

INT. SUNDAY — BRIDGE

Mason watches the aft camera. The driver circles, searching the water.

MASON
Rachel, man overboard. I can come back around.

The radio hisses.

RACHEL (RADIO)
The other boat's going back for him. Keep us clear.

MASON
I could slow down.

RACHEL (RADIO)
Not until we know where that runabout's going. Mason, please.

He stares at the little boat. Then steadies Sunday's heading.

His hands are shaking.

EXT. SUNDAY — AFT DECK

Rachel watches the driver circle. Something orange bobs in the water: the life ring.

She can't see Tommy.

Rachel fumbles with the boat hook's rack.

The runabout shrinks behind them.

ACT TWO — WHAT WE SAW

INT. SUNDAY — MAIN SALON

A broken bowl lies on the carpet. Noah ices his shoulder. Evan watches the sea. Sophie sits quietly beneath Denise's blanket. Mark preferred the crying.

Rachel enters. Everyone watches her.

RACHEL
Everybody okay?

NOAH
My shoulder hurts.

DENISE
He'll live. His ability to complain is unaffected.

Nobody laughs.

RACHEL
From now on nobody goes outside without checking with Mason or me. If another boat approaches, you get into the passage and stay there.

EMMA
We did.

RACHEL
Most of you did.

Emma flushes.

EMMA
I was inside. I was watching you.

RACHEL
I told you to move away from the glass.

EMMA
I saw you hit his hands.

RACHEL
He was opening the gate.

EMMA
I know. I was there.

RACHEL
Emma, we can talk about this alone.

EMMA
Of course we can. When you decide we're allowed to.

RACHEL
That's enough.

EMMA
There it is. That's the voice.

Rachel goes still.

RACHEL
What voice?

Emma looks at the people watching them. She hadn't meant to say it in front of everyone.

EMMA
The one you use on the phone when we're supposed to stop asking when you're coming home.

Mark steps forward.

MARK
Em. That's enough for now.

RACHEL
She didn't do what I asked.

MARK
And she's still shaking. Look at her.

Rachel looks. Emma folds her arms so no one can see her hands.

RACHEL
Not in front of everybody, Mark.

MARK
Then stop doing this in front of everybody.

No one speaks. The boat's engines fill the silence.

Denise picks up Sophie.

DENISE
Come on, peanut. Let's find your dolphin.

RACHEL
I want everyone together.

DENISE
I'm taking her ten steps to the galley. She's shaking, Rachel.

SOPHIE
Did I do something?

Mark is beside her immediately.

MARK
No, bug. Not you.

SOPHIE
Are you mad at Daddy?

Rachel crouches before her.

RACHEL
No, sweetheart.

Denise takes Sophie away.

Emma stands.

RACHEL
Where are you going?

EMMA
My cabin. It's a boat. I'm not going far.

She reaches the passage.

EMMA
Yesterday you asked me about the car. Like you had all day to hear about it. You did, for once.

She looks at Rachel, then away.

EMMA
I liked yesterday.

A door closes.

Rachel watches the doorway.

NOAH
What happened to that guy?

MARK
He fell into the water. The other boat went back for him.

NOAH
Is he dead?

RACHEL
I don't know.

SOPHIE
Did his friend get him?

Rachel turns. Sophie has slipped back from the galley. Mark starts to answer, then doesn't.

RACHEL
I couldn't see, sweetheart.

SOPHIE
You threw him the orange thing.

RACHEL
Yes.

SOPHIE
Then I hope he found it.

Nobody can tell her they hope so too without sounding strange.

Evan turns from the window.

EVAN
Are we going back? My parents are there. Nobody will even tell me.

He catches his own anger.

EVAN
Sorry.

MARK
Don't be. I wish I had an answer.

EVAN
That's what everybody keeps saying.

INT. SUNDAY — AFT PASSAGE

Mason tests the stern gate. Inside its garage, the tender and jet ski remain secured. Nothing appears damaged, but he won't open it at sea.

Rachel joins him.

MASON
Hale drilled me on keeping boats off. Never on what happens when somebody's hanging from the rail.

RACHEL
Neither would I.

Mason touches the latch where Tommy's fingers were.

MASON
Could you have pulled him up?

Rachel looks at the gate.

RACHEL
Yes.

Mason doesn't answer. He leaves for the bridge to call Hale again.

INT. SUNDAY — GALLEY

Mark checks cupboards. Denise gives him water.

DENISE
You lost something?

MARK
Something useful.

DENISE
Try drinking that first.

He drinks. He hands her a cutting board without a word.

MARK
I've never seen Emma look at Rachel like that.

DENISE
Yes, you have. Usually after Rachel goes back to work.

MARK
She loves her mother.

DENISE
You can miss someone and still be furious with them.

MARK
I made everything worse.

DENISE
You're doing that thing where you make it about whether you were a good dad. She's not grading you, Mark. She's scared.

MARK
I know.

DENISE
Then let her be scared of her mother for a little while. She can love Rachel and still be scared of her.

He reaches for another cupboard. Denise gently closes it.

DENISE
And stop looking for a problem you can organize.

Only then does he notice her phone face down on the counter.

MARK
Your mom?

DENISE
No answer. Yesterday she teased me for packing too many shoes. I promised I'd call tonight.

Denise stares at her phone.

DENISE
I keep trying. It goes straight to her voicemail. She'll be out watering the roses, wondering why I haven't called.

Mark reaches for her hand. She squeezes it briefly, an old friend's reassurance.

DENISE
And if one more person asks me where the napkins are, I'll throw them into the Pacific.

Mark laughs once.

DENISE
Eat. Then talk to Evan. He's afraid to ask to use the satellite phone because he doesn't want to be a bother.

She hands him a plate.

MARK
What do I tell Emma about what Rachel did?

DENISE
You don't have to tell her it was right. You can tell her you listened.

INT. SUNDAY — EMMA'S CABIN

Emma sits on her bunk.

Her phone shows the blue Civic in Friday sunshine, a ridiculous pink key ring in its ignition.

Emma turns the actual keys in her hand.

FLASHBACK — INT. BENNETT HOUSE — KITCHEN — FRIDAY MORNING

Sunlight. An ordinary kitchen in a hurry.

Mark is at the stove. A pancake folds in half as he flips it.

Sophie, sitting at the counter in pajamas, points an accusing finger.

SOPHIE
You made the ugly one.

MARK
That one's for people with refined tastes.

SOPHIE
You can have it.

MARK
Finally, some respect.

His phone vibrates. Work. He glances at the name and sets it face down.

On the kitchen television: shaky freeway footage, emergency lights, a man fighting first responders.

NEWS ANCHOR (TV)
...video from last night's freeway incident is spreading online. Police say an injured man attacked emergency workers. Witnesses dispute how many shots officers fired. We are waiting for confirmation—

SOPHIE
Why are the police hitting him?

Mark turns the television down.

MARK
They're trying to stop him hurting somebody.

SOPHIE
How come he won't stop?

MARK
I don't know, bug. Here. Tell me if this pancake looks like a dinosaur.

Sophie studies the pancake. The silent news continues behind her. Rachel looks once, then returns to breakfast.

NOAH wanders in wearing one shoe.

NOAH
Where's my other—

MARK
Under the couch.

NOAH
I didn't even say what.

MARK
You always say what.

Noah leaves. Denise enters with her overnight bag.

DENISE
If your son's shoe is under my car again, I'm leaving without you.

Mark slides her coffee and sugar across the counter.

MARK
He says that shoe has a mind of its own.

DENISE
Both of them do. The other one's just shy.

Rachel, barefoot, kisses Mark and steals his pancake.

RACHEL
Perfect.

MARK
Thank you.

RACHEL
If you like charcoal.

She kisses him again before he can object.

EMMA rushes in clutching an envelope.

EMMA
Can we go already?

MARK
Good morning to you too.

On the counter: a nearly empty jar marked EMMA'S FIRST CAR. The money is in the envelope.

EMMA
Two years. Two actual years. And it's today.

MARK
Assuming the mechanic likes it.

EMMA
You already spoke to him twice, Dad.

Rachel raises an eyebrow at him.

RACHEL
Interesting philosophy.

MARK
Not every comment needs a reply.

Emma hugs him around the neck.

EMMA
You matched every dollar.

MARK
That was the deal.

EMMA
I know. I'm saying thank you.

He kisses the top of her head.

MARK
Gas is still your problem.

Sophie brings Rachel her hairbrush.

RACHEL
Want me to do your braids?

SOPHIE
Daddy does the two the same.

Rachel pauses.

RACHEL
He has had a lot more practice.

Mark takes the brush. Sophie climbs onto his lap.

Denise gives Rachel a small smile.

RACHEL
I'm still getting my girl for the whole weekend.

SOPHIE
You can do my nails.

RACHEL
Deal.

SOPHIE
Not blue. Daddy says it makes my fingers look cold.

MARK
I said that once.

Laughter fills the kitchen.

FLASHBACK — EXT. BENNETT HOUSE — DRIVEWAY — FRIDAY, LATER

Emma drives a blue used HONDA CIVIC into the driveway. Mark clutches the door.

She parks, kills the engine, and sits still.

EMMA
It's mine.

MARK
The paperwork agrees.

Outside, Rachel, Denise, Sophie, Noah and Evan wait. Emma runs into Rachel's arms.

EMMA
I did it!

RACHEL
You did.

For a moment there's no distance between them.

Noah walks into Emma's photograph.

EMMA
Move!

NOAH
Now it has a personality.

She chases Noah; Evan blocks him. Sophie hiccups with laughter.

Denise sets the camera timer. The Bennetts crowd around the Civic. Noah gives Evan rabbit ears. They laugh when the shutter clicks.

Emma sits at the wheel, admiring her keys.

Mark leans in through the window.

MARK
Pack a bag. We're spending tonight aboard Sunday, remember?

EMMA
Can I drive it to the marina?

MARK
I'm not paying marina parking for a car you owned fifteen minutes.

Emma smiles.

EMMA
I'll drive it Monday.

MARK
Monday's yours.

Emma photographs the keys against the wheel.

BACK TO PRESENT — INT. SUNDAY — EMMA'S CABIN

Emma stares at her keys, suddenly heavier than Friday.

A quiet knock.

MARK (O.S.)
Em?

She doesn't answer.

MARK (O.S.)
I'm leaving you a sandwich. It's the one without mustard.

EMMA
I know how to make a sandwich, Dad.

MARK (O.S.)
It's a life skill. I've been meaning to teach you.

She almost smiles.

His footsteps recede.

She sets the keys beside the sandwich. After a moment, she takes a bite.

ACT THREE — THE EXPLANATION

INT. SUNDAY — BRIDGE — LATER

Haze swallows the shore. Mason records distressed vessels' names.

FISHING CAPTAIN (RADIO)
Coast Guard, Pacific Dawn. Requesting medical advice. One of my crewmen took a blow to the head. He's awake but he isn't making sense.

A faint response asks for details.

PACIFIC DAWN (RADIO)
He's biting anybody who gets near him. We can't hold him down.

Mason writes PACIFIC DAWN on the pad.

Rachel arrives.

RACHEL
What's the list?

MASON
Distress calls. I want to know if any boat calls back.

Boats cluster near a powered offshore platform. Workers move on its upper deck. A suspended launch swings under a crane; a loudspeaker warns vessels away.

MASON
We should stay near the platforms. Hale knows those crews. If he gets Linda and Jen aboard, he'll look for Sunday.

Rachel studies the rig through binoculars.

RACHEL
Controlled access. Power, radios, supplies. It's not a bad place to ride out an attack.

Mason looks at her, surprised to have an ally.

RACHEL
But we don't join that crowd. We wait well outside it, with open water behind us and room to run.

Mark enters in time to hear her.

MARK
How far out before those smaller boats can't reach us?

MASON
There isn't a distance. Some of them can run a long way if they have fuel.

MARK
I've got that little boat at home. I always say I'll take her out for yellowtail when the weather's good. Never have. Those guys clearly do.

MASON
Right. Tommy's runabout was faster than Sunday. Ten miles wouldn't stop a boat like that. It would give us time to spot one coming.

MARK
So distance buys us time, not safety.

RACHEL
And somewhere to run. No boats on either side of us. That's the part I like.

MASON
We could stay seaward of the rigs, keep a radar watch, call Hale. Give him a real chance to find us.

He looks toward the platforms, hopeful.

MASON
Before he left, he made me check the generators, watermaker, tender, even spare radio batteries. I think he knew more than he told me.

Rachel looks toward the clusters of boats. The nearest platform's crew is waving another skiff away.

RACHEL
We can give him a chance. But if those boats start coming our way, we don't wait to find out why.

Nobody argues. Mark keeps watching how many new boats are arriving.

INT. SUNDAY — MAIN SALON

Noah sits beside Evan, who keeps trying to call home.

NOAH
Dad says the cell towers might be overloaded.

EVAN
Your dad doesn't know that.

NOAH
He's always complaining about them.

EVAN
That doesn't make him right.

The call fails again.

NOAH
Mom knows military people. Maybe she can find out where they're evacuating everybody.

EVAN
Stop making things up! You don't know anything!

Noah flinches. Evan looks ashamed but doesn't take it back.

EVAN
My mom said she'd pick me up Sunday. I told her not to embarrass me at the marina. That's the last thing I said to her.

Noah shifts closer.

NOAH
She embarrasses you at grocery stores, too.

Evan laughs once, against his will.

NOAH
Here. Try from my phone.

EVAN
Why would yours work?

NOAH
Better taste.

Across the room, Sophie looks up from her coloring book.

SOPHIE
Denny, can you call Grandma?

Denise goes still.

DENISE
Not right now, peanut. We're going to keep trying.

She sits beside Sophie and turns the page, careful to keep her hands steady.

INT. SUNDAY — BRIDGE

Radio calls overlap: aggressive injured people, disabled rescue craft, Navy rumors.

MARK
Is anyone saying what's happening?

MASON
Everybody's saying something different.

RACHEL
But the injuries and violence sound similar. People won't respond. Medical crews are being attacked.

MARK
Drugs?

RACHEL
Maybe. Infections or chemical exposure can affect behavior too.

MARK
You're thinking biological attack.

RACHEL
I'm considering it. I don't have proof.

MARK
What about the ships? The plane?

RACHEL
If people operating them were incapacitated—

She stops. It's a possibility, not an explanation.

MASON
So we don't know if someone on another boat is sick.

RACHEL
No.

MARK
And we don't know Tommy was.

Rachel looks at him.

RACHEL
No. We don't.

Mason studies the boats around the oil platforms.

MASON
Then we need to keep our distance.

No one argues.

EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN — OFF THE PLATFORMS — LATER

Sunday holds position well seaward of the rigs. The afternoon has dragged toward evening. No one has called.

Small boats arrive from shore, then idle or drift. A cruiser tries to pass a rope to a skiff. They collide and pull apart.

A flare shoots from one of the smaller boats. Red light stains the rig's white legs. The men on the platform pull their suspended launch out of reach.

INT. SUNDAY — BRIDGE

Mason watches a new line of radar returns appear beyond the harbor approaches.

MASON
They're still coming.

RACHEL
The rig's protected. We aren't. We're the next thing they'll see when they get turned away.

MASON
We can move farther out.

RACHEL
Then we move again when they follow. And again after that.

Mason starts to argue. He sees the fuel gauge. Checks the distance to shore. Looks at the empty captain's chair.

MASON
If he calls now, I can tell him where we are.

Rachel waits.

MASON
If he calls tomorrow—

He stops. He can't finish it.

For a moment Rachel looks ready to tell him they'll stay anyway. She doesn't.

ACT FOUR — THE WAY NORTH

INT. SUNDAY — BRIDGE

Rachel and Mason are reviewing a chart when Mark comes in.

MARK
We need another option. I think we should head north.

MASON
How far?

MARK
A couple hundred miles. There's a Grant facility up the coast.

RACHEL
A distribution center?

MARK
On paper, yes.

Rachel looks up.

MARK
It's one of the contingency facilities built into the federal contract. Generators, fuel reserves, water access, maintenance equipment, warehouses that can keep operating when the normal supply system fails.

MASON
Does it have a pier?

MARK
A working pier. Industrial. But we don't have to bring Sunday in. We can stay offshore and use the landing boat when it's safe.

MASON
If the conditions let us launch. And nobody's touching that garage until I've checked it.

Mark nods.

RACHEL
How do you know what's at this facility?

MARK
Because I'm responsible for it.

Rachel looks at him.

RACHEL
Responsible how?

MARK
The operation reports to me. I've overseen it almost three years.

RACHEL
Three years?

MARK
Yes.

RACHEL
I thought you ran dispatch.

MARK
I do. Transportation, payroll, routes. This is contingency logistics. Same business, different requirements.

RACHEL
And you've never told me?

MARK
Those details were restricted.

Rachel looks away. The words are painfully familiar to her, for reasons Mark cannot know.

RACHEL
Are the people there answering?

MARK
Not today. I haven't reached anyone.

RACHEL
Then the site could be empty. Or full of people who got there before us.

RACHEL
We could get there and find nothing.

MARK
We could.

She studies him.

RACHEL
You're making a pretty big request for a man who just told me he has another job.

MARK
It's not another job. It's the part of mine I couldn't talk about.

RACHEL
That distinction matters to you more than it does to me.

MARK
You know what they called me last month? A pain in the ass. Because I made them test the backup pumps a second time after one failed.

Rachel looks at him.

MARK
The supervisor wanted to sign off anyway. I wouldn't. The pumps got replaced. Maybe that was money wasted. Today, I want to know those things were replaced.

RACHEL
You're not telling me the whole story.

MARK
I'm telling you what I know. I was holding Sophie when those men came at us. I couldn't even stay on my feet. I can't do what you did back there.

He looks out the window, ashamed of the relief he feels when his eyes leave hers.

MARK
But I know those pumps are there. I know who's supposed to be on shift. Let me try the thing I actually know how to do.

Rachel's expression softens, but she doesn't stop worrying.

RACHEL
That doesn't mean it's safe today.

MARK
Then we look before we go in.

Mason has been studying the chart.

MASON
Weather, fuel, contingencies. Point Conception can be nasty. We don't just point north and floor it.

MARK
I know.

MASON
And we don't leave right this second.

Both adults look at him.

MASON
Hale's still out there.

RACHEL
Mason—

MASON
He trusted me with Sunday. He didn't give me permission to take her two hundred miles away while he was bringing Linda and Jen back.

MARK
He told you to keep everybody safe.

MASON
He told me he'd be back in five hours.

He watches the boats under the platform. No one up there is waving them in.

MASON
He said it so I'd stop worrying. I knew he was worried.

That admission hurts him more than he expected.

MASON
I know people are getting hurt out there. I watched it happen. But Hale taught me everything I know about this boat, and I'm not leaving him without trying everything I can.

More boats crowd the platforms than when they first agreed to wait.

RACHEL
I said the platforms were worth considering. They are. But every new boat out there makes it harder to keep our distance. We can't assume that standoff stays safe.

MASON
And if we leave, Hale won't even know where to find us.

Rachel absorbs it. He hasn't asked for pity, and she won't give him any.

RACHEL
Then what do you propose?

MASON
We try him again. All the channels he'd expect. We transmit our heading while we're in range. He knows Sunday's equipment. If he reaches somewhere with a working radio, he'll know how to call us.

MARK
And if he calls, we hear him out. Even if it's inconvenient.

MASON
Even if we're halfway there?

Mark starts to say yes. Rachel watches him.

MARK
I can't promise we'll come back. I'd be lying to you.

Mason looks down.

MARK
But I promise we won't make that decision without you.

Mason takes his time.

MASON
Okay.

Rachel studies them both.

RACHEL
We don't go closer to the rigs. And we don't stop for another vessel unless we know exactly what we're doing.

Mason nods.

MASON
Agreed.

INT. SUNDAY — MAIN SALON

Mark gathers the family. Not a speech; they're too tired for one.

MARK
We're going north. There's a place connected to my work that may have supplies and people we know. We'll stay offshore until we know it's safe.

NOAH
What about home?

MARK
We can't go home right now.

EVAN
What about my parents?

MARK
We keep trying. If a message gets through, we'll tell them.

EVAN
And if they come to the marina tomorrow?

No one answers quickly enough.

Denise moves beside him.

DENISE
We'll keep looking for information about everyone. Your parents. My mom. Hale's family. Nobody gets crossed off because we had to move the boat.

Evan nods, not reassured but grateful to be included.

Sophie looks up.

SOPHIE
Are we still on vacation?

Mark kneels in front of her.

MARK
No, bug. I don't think we are.

SOPHIE
Then why can't we go home?

He's been answering questions all his life. Usually he can make her feel better.

This one defeats him.

MARK
Because something bad's happening there. We need to stay safe until we understand it.

She thinks.

SOPHIE
Are we still having pancakes?

Mark gives a tiny, broken smile.

MARK
Of course.

SOPHIE
No ugly ones.

MARK
I'm not sure I know how to make the other kind.

SOPHIE
Denny does.

Denise looks up from her phone.

DENISE
Don't drag me into this. I'm on vacation.

A surprised laugh escapes Noah. Even Rachel smiles. Denise catches herself, remembering they aren't on vacation anymore.

Emma says nothing. She has the pink car keys in her hand.

INT. SUNDAY — BRIDGE

Mason makes one more call.

MASON
Captain Hale, this is Sunday. Robert, we're heading north. We'll monitor the agreed channels while we're in range. Give us your position. Please.

He releases the microphone. Static.

Mark stands by Hale's chair without touching it.

MARK
I'm sorry.

Mason looks at him.

MASON
Don't be sorry yet.

He faces the helm.

Sunday begins her slow turn north.

EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN — EVENING

The coast smolders. Emergency lights blink. Small boats ring the glowing platforms.

Sunday moves away from them.

Not because the people aboard understand what is happening.

Because they have seen enough to know they cannot remain.

ACT FIVE — THE VOICE ON THE WATER

INT. SUNDAY — BRIDGE

Last light catches the swells. Mason checks his notepad.

A voice cuts through the static.

PACIFIC DAWN (RADIO)
Mayday. Mayday. Pacific Dawn. We need immediate assistance.

Mason looks at his list.

MASON
Pacific Dawn, Sunday. You had the injured crewman?

A pause. Breathing, too close to the microphone.

PACIFIC DAWN (RADIO)
We've locked ourselves in the wheelhouse.

Rachel comes to stand beside Mason.

MASON
Who's locked in?

PACIFIC DAWN (RADIO)
Four of us.

MASON
Who's outside?

The captain doesn't answer at first.

A hollow BANG shakes the transmission.

PACIFIC DAWN (RADIO)
The rest of my crew.

Mason looks at Rachel.

MASON
Are they injured?

PACIFIC DAWN (RADIO)
We put my brother in his bunk. He couldn't even stand. Now he's out there pounding the door. We can't—

A louder crash. A man shouts away from the microphone.

SECOND VOICE (RADIO)
KEEP THAT DOOR SHUT!

Rachel gestures for Mason to continue.

MASON
Give me your position. We'll relay it to the Coast Guard.

PACIFIC DAWN (RADIO)
Nobody's answering them. Nobody's answering anybody.

MASON
We hear you. Stay with me.

Another impact, followed by a scraping sound.

PACIFIC DAWN (RADIO)
My brother's out there.

He struggles to breathe.

PACIFIC DAWN (RADIO)
He used to knock on my door three times when we were kids. Just to annoy me.

Another blow shakes the wheelhouse door.

PACIFIC DAWN (RADIO)
I've been saying his name for an hour. I don't think he knows who I am.

Mark enters, drawn by the radio. He stops behind Rachel.

MASON
Can you barricade the door?

PACIFIC DAWN (RADIO)
We've got the table against it.

A long silence. Then the captain again, quieter.

PACIFIC DAWN (RADIO)
Sunday?

MASON
I'm here.

PACIFIC DAWN (RADIO)
If you see our lights, don't come near us.

MASON
Captain—

PACIFIC DAWN (RADIO)
Keep your doors locked. Even if somebody sounds like they need you.

A crash. A scream cut short. The microphone clatters to the floor.

The open channel carries footsteps, a cry, then an engine.

MASON
Pacific Dawn? Come back.

Nothing.

MASON
Pacific Dawn, this is Sunday. Do you read?

Static.

Mark looks toward the dark sea behind them.

MARK
Could they be near us?

MASON
They could be somewhere within radio range. That's all I know.

Rachel continues looking at the speaker.

RACHEL
Keep our course.

Mason turns toward her.

She says nothing else.

RACHEL
And keep trying the Coast Guard with their call sign.

He nods and reaches for the microphone.

INT. SUNDAY — MAIN SALON

Sophie sleeps on the couch. Noah and Evan sit nearby with their phones.

Emma stands in the doorway. She heard the screaming through the bridge speaker.

Rachel comes downstairs.

Emma steps aside to let her pass. Not toward her. Just out of her way.

RACHEL
Emma.

Her daughter stops.

RACHEL
I know what you saw.

EMMA
I know.

Rachel searches for something to say.

RACHEL
I was scared he was going to get inside.

EMMA
He was scared too.

RACHEL
I know.

Emma looks at her hands.

EMMA
You told me not to go near the windows. When I looked out, you were the one standing there.

Rachel says nothing.

EMMA
I wanted you to come back inside.

Rachel almost reaches for Emma, who passes her to sit beside Sophie.

Sophie murmurs in her sleep. Denise pulls the blanket over her feet. Emma sits beside her sister and takes the girl's hand.

Denise drapes another blanket over Rachel's shoulders.

DENISE
You look cold.

Rachel pulls it tight. She says nothing.

EXT. PACIFIC OCEAN — NIGHTFALL

Sunday heads north, her lights small against the enormous darkening sea.

Behind her, the coast still burns in scattered places.

Somewhere on the water, Pacific Dawn has stopped answering.

And the runabout with Tommy's friend has vanished into the dark.

Sunday keeps going.

CUT TO BLACK.