03x04 - Devil May Care

Episode transcripts for the TV show "The Last Ship". Aired: June 2014 to November 2018.*
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As a deadly virus rages through the world's population, the crew of a lone unaffected naval vessel tries to save humanity from total extinction. "The Last Ship" is based on the novel of the same name by William Brinkley.
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03x04 - Devil May Care

Post by bunniefuu »

I and five members of my crew are prisoners of w*r.

Russell Jeter.

You got it?

Yes, ma'am.

Master Chief, United States Navy. Serial number 153511508.

Rivera: We can't video conference with the ship.

Pirates are broadcasting at Hi-Def.

Can we trace the broadcast back to its source?

Unlikely, sir.

They probably sent it out as a sky wave.

It works like a HAM radio signal.

She's right.

Anyone with rabbit ears could be picking up the signal.

So we'll put out a statement before the other stations start rebroadcasting it.

You can get out in front of this.

Woman: 22...

Wait, there's someone missing.

Who?

Mason.

Alisha: Maybe he got out somehow.

Negative. Green and my brother swept the club before they escaped.

The pirates definitely took him.

My God.

America, I want you to see this.

Takehaya.

You have inhabited our lands and our seas for far too long.

The plague has k*lled, but you're k*lling more.

We want you out.

So, Jeffrey Michener, you will hear my demands.

There are two U.S. Navy destroyers at the port in Okinawa.

You will order them to turn around and move out of Asian waters.

I have already ex*cuted one of your sailors.

Do not test me.

If you do not comply within 36 hours, the executions will continue.


[Sighs]

Based on the time since the att*ck in Vietnam, and assuming they were transported by one of the three boats we were tracking, this is our search area.

It's also possible the hostages were taken back to mainland China.

Without any clue to narrow down the search, we're looking at an area of 15° latitude by 20° longitude.

That's over a million square miles, sir.

Hold on.

Grab me the ship's manifest.

Michael Slattery, Captain, United States Navy.

Serial number 171811120.


11120.

I and five members of my crew...

Doesn't match. ...are prisoners of w*r.

Not his ID number.

Russell Jeter.

Master Chief, United States Navy.

Serial number 153511508.

I am a prisoner of w*r.


Those aren't serial numbers.

They're geographic coordinates.

They must've navigated by the stars.

Mike, you clever son of a bitch.

[Blows landing]

Now this one. Again.

[Grunting]

I had a dog once.

Always running away.

I teach him to stay.

Just like I teach you to stay.

Really going to enjoy when I'm the one holding the stick.

[Breathing heavily]

[Speaks Japanese]

[Bone cracks]

[Screams]

Michener: Unfortunately, I cannot comment on that at this time.

What I can say is we're doing everything that we can to rescue those hostages.

Rivera: Jesus.

Every two-bit station in this country is re-airing that footage with an infrastructure that we provided them.

...these images replaying across the world, several questions remain.

How long has the President known about the kidnapping?

What has he told the families of the hostages, and will he give in to the t*rrorists' demands?


When did this become a referendum on the President's honesty?

There's nothing more he can say without compromising the mission.

At this rate, how long would it take for our two destroyers to reach the Nathan James?

15 to 18 hours, sir.

Well, that gives 'em plenty of time to join in on the hunt for the hostages.

And not enough time to turn back in case they don't find the hostages before the pirates' deadline.

You'd counsel the President to give in, to turn these ships away from the fight?

If it bought Chandler more time, yes.

Miss Shaw.

As your m*llitary advisor has said, without these ships, you have no one to investigate the possibility of a second outbreak in Japan, no one to take on the pirates or Peng when he rears his ugly head.

No one.

Gator: Based on Captain Slattery's coded messages, the hostages are approximately here.

[Indistinct radio chatter]

The Paracel Islands, sir.

Can't be more than a couple dozen big enough for a band of pirates to hide out, but that's still a lot.

And there are hundreds of miles between each one.

If we make for it at full power, we'll hit the first island in less than eight hours, sir.

Alisha: We'll need to refuel first, otherwise we won't have enough to search an area that size.

Pho Kong Island depot?

Yes, sir.

We refueled there on our way in, and it's not too far out of our way.

Set a course.

Aye, sir.

[Grunting]

Easy. It's okay. It's okay.

We got to give the James a smaller target.

Even if our trick with the coordinates worked, it's too much ocean to cover.

Diaz.

How tall was that radio tower you saw?

100 feet, maybe.

Garnett: You thinking about hacking in?

Aye, ma'am.

Even if I can create some static, the noise should give the James a bearing.

If they're in range of the broadcast, they can beeline right for us.

[Groaning]

What do you need to make the noise? Some kind of shunt?

Any kind of metal to conduct the signal, a...

[Door opens]

To be continued.

Toshiro: You, O-negative. On your feet.

[Spits]

Miller: Ah, come on.

The maid doesn't come till tomorrow.

You are a funny boy. Huh?

Very... funny.

[Screaming]

Oh, God.

[Lock clicks]

Check the bounce off the seafloor, and let me know if you hear any engine noise that's not our own.

Yes, sir.

LNO, reporting for duty.

Where's your crutch?

Oh, I'm good. I'm all right.

So where do you want me?

You can run the land team from there, right next to the T.A.O.

Roger that.

Fueling station's just over the horizon.

I want the UAV ready for a fly-over.

Roger that.

I'll ready the landing party.

Sir. UAV approaching Pho Kong station.

Very well.

[Indistinct radio chatter]

Is that what I think it is?

Destroyers. Definitely not ours.

Chandler: Chinese.

[Receiver clacks]

CIC, Bridge, break off, break off.

Get that UAV out of there.

Increase speed. Get 10,000 feet and break off 90°.

[Receiver clacks]

That's what's left of their South Sea fleet.

Four ships against one.

Those are tough odds, even for you.

We never broadcast our position.

How did they know we were coming?

Chandler: It was the smart play.

This is the only refueling port within 1,000 miles.

Damn it.

Fuel's at 21%.

Not enough to get us back to Okinawa.

Well, even if we got to Japan, we'd have no backup, and Peng is getting exactly what he wants.

All of our ships are out of the region.

I'm not so sure that Peng's behind the kidnapping.

Danny: He's got four warships that are blocking our only hopes of finding them.

Oh, I'm not saying that he doesn't want us dead, but Peng and the pirates make strange bedfellows.

Maybe they have different agendas.

Didn't Peng call the President to pledge his full support in rescuing our crew?

Why don't we ask POTUS to demand he clear the blockage?

Force his hand and then see where he stands.

And then Peng says yes and then during the refueling, the James accidentally goes up in flames and he pins it on the pirates again.

Agreed.

The President shouldn't ask Peng for the fuel.

We should.

We call him ourselves?

No, that'll just give his warships our location.

Jesse'll fly us into Hong Kong.

We can be inside his mansion in just under two hours.

Well, we will certainly have a lot to discuss.

Sorry, sir. Are we talking about what we're talking about?

We're gonna break into the headquarters of the Chinese President.

What are we looking at in terms of security?

Uh [Sighs] dozens of armed guards posted inside and out.

Each room and hallway requires key card access, also CCTV security.

Val hacked into Peng's security system when we were at the mansion.

We can own the cameras and doors.

That'll get us inside.

CIC can keep eyes on you from the sky.

That still leaves the guards.

Not sure how many we can drop before alerting the rest of 'em.

We do this right, nobody gets k*lled.

I'm not giving Peng an excuse to start an all-out w*r.

Prep the helo.

[Door opens]

It's one thing to go hunting for pirates, but pulling Peng out of his bed in the middle of the night...

How are you going to get the President to sign off on this?

A rogue Navy captain with a hero complex driven mad by the loss of his shipmates takes matters into his own hands.

That's the story you'll have to tell if this operation does not go as I've planned.

You can't be serious.

I wanted to tell you personally and privately, sir, so I can prepare you for the worst.

The worst being we lose the hostages and start a w*r with China?

It's important you maintain deniability.

I'm willing to take the heat, sir.

Jesus, Tom.

There are no other options, sir, not if we want to rescue the hostages by Takehaya's deadline.

This way, we get the fuel we need and we get answers from Peng about what's going on.

I need to hear from you before the 36-hour deadline, either way.

You will, sir. Thank you, sir.

The President's a good man, and he knows how important it is to keep the people informed.

The first thing he did before we even landed in St. Louis was start broadcasting to the American people.

I heard the broadcasts from Jackson, and I know the legend.

It's not a legend. It's the truth.

I appreciate that.

Then why do you go after him like he's some sort of criminal while my friends are being held c*ptive 10,000 miles away?

I get that you're enamored with the guy, but you've been in your own little bubble with him for awhile now.

Out here in post-plague America, there are real concerns about the new President.

And I'm not just talking about this hostage situation.

Well, then, people have a pretty short memory.

They remember the fall of the last government and how it felt to be abandoned.

Let's face it.

It is one thing to come home with a cure.

It's another to rebuild a country and take on the rest of the world.

Moses delivered his people from sl*very and brought back the word of God from the mountaintop, and even he wasn't allowed into the promised land.

You know, you're smart.

And you keep everybody on their toes, and that's a good thing.

But you're also glib and a bit too in love with your role in all of this.

There's no Watergate.

You're not Woodward and Bernstein.

The President has a carefully thought-out idea about how to repair this country.

The last thing anyone needs is you trying to tear him and this government down.

Unless you want to go back to the way things were before the James came up the Mississippi.

[Indistinct chatter]

See something interesting, Captain?

Looks like your boys scored some good loot.

Slattery: What's with all the blood, anyway?

Cure not good enough for you?

The American cure is no cure.

We were wiped out.

Then you didn't have the real cure.

My dose. Made in USA.

Doesn't make any sense.

The virus would've k*lled me.

But I got lucky.

I got sh*t.

A transfusion from a cured person.

The next morning, the symptoms were gone.

But... it didn't last.

That's why you started hunting fresh blood.

Our blood.

You went to a lot of trouble to get me and my people.

Why us?

You needed to pay for what you did to my country.

Look.

We had... we had reports of possible mutation.

What if those reports are right?

What you're doing is making things worse.

You can't send the ships back to America, you got to send them into Japan.

Let them investigate. Our doctors will help.

They'll help.

I give you my word.

[Sighs]

Your word means nothing.
[Door opens]

[Breathing heavily]

Cobra team, Nathan James, radar contact.

3 minutes to first drop-off point.

[Helicopter blades whirring]

Woman: Nomad copies all.

We have eyes on the target, over.

Man: Dive team is set.

Stand by!

Go!

[Indistinct chatter]

Captain, watch your asses out there.

Noted.

First sign of trouble, meet us at Raleigh Bravo.

Aye, sir.

Burk: Sasha's Intel is confirmed. Two-man guard patrols.

Pair on the roof, another in the back, and two pairs in front.

Eyes on you, Vulture, you're clear.

Roger that. We're on the move.

[Door opens]

[Indistinct chatter]

[Tablet beeping]

We're in.

Chandler: And there he is.

Force majeure set.

[Indistinct chatter]

Looks like they're taking the bait.

Time for some technical difficulties.

[Computers click, whir]

[Bowl thuds]

[Door closes] _

[Keyboard clacking]

They've rebooted the system.

All right, here we go.

[Computers whirring]

[Door opens, closes]

[Indistinct chatter]

Relax. He can't see us.

♪♪

[Water dripping]

[Breathes deeply]

Move in. Move.

[Tablet beeping]

[Lock beeps]

[Door closes] Clear.

[Man speaking indistinctly in foreign language]

[Lock beeps]

[Whispers indistinctly]

Bravo Team, Bravo Team, Alpha will have eyes on the prize in less than 1 minute.

You ready to catch any scooters?

That's an affirmative.

♪♪

Chandler: Get dressed.

We have some business to discuss.

I am beginning to understand the roots of your success.

You just refuse to die.

Dying's never been a part of my operational plan.

I must've misplaced my key.

[Radio clicks]

Door.

[Lock beeps]

Hello, Mr. President.

[Speaking Mandarin]

After all I've done for you, granting you access to my home, my resources, my protection.

I even looked the other way while you helped rogue pilots steal my cure.

I could've k*lled you like I did your friend.

And this is the gratitude I receive?

[Air hissing]

[Door closes]

Wolf coming in.

[Tablet beeps]

[Lock beeps]

All good. No one knows we're here.

Just in time.

Systems back on... now.

Let us skip the formalities, shall we?

I need fuel for my ship.

Pho Kong harbor is blockaded by a fleet of your destroyers.

You will remove them and allow me to refuel.

Is this a joke?

You come into my home, hold me at gunpoint to ask for ship fuel?

That's right.

And if I say no?

Then you k*ll me?

This will surely start a w*r.

Is your country ready for that?

You're not that great a swimmer.

You don't get me what I came for, your men will find you floating face-down in your pool.

And we will slip away just as silently as we arrived.

No w*r.

No, Captain Chandler.

You won't.

You are too noble.

You're right. I won't.

I will.

No one ever accused me of being noble.

This one is out for blood.

Let's just say it's personal.

Ah. Your girlfriend?

I take it she was on the plane?

As far as the rest of the world knows, you had nothing to do with the att*ck in Vietnam or the destruction of my plane.

Your hands are clean and can stay that way provided you answer my questions and give my ship the fuel it needs to find our people.

If not...

President Peng, as your advisor on Sino-American affairs, I'd say this is the best deal you're gonna get.

Chandler: November Juliet, this is Vulture Team leader, we are in business.

[Speaking Mandarin]

I want your ships well over the horizon.

My people see anything they don't like, I don't care if it's a seagull too fat to fly...

You don't need to thr*aten me anymore, Captain.

I know how this is done.

[Speaking Mandarin]

[Radar beeping]

Chinese ships are on the move.

I'm tracking them on sonar, too.

Very well.

Bridge, CIC, take us in.

Once we're docked, I want land team supervising the hook-up.

Aye, ma'am.

I also suggest we check the fuel, make sure they don't pump us full of nitromethane.

Good idea.

[Indistinct radio chatter]

Get in.

[Door closes]

[Groans]

Master Chief.

You okay, sir?

[Exhales sharply]

Will this work?

[ Grunting ]

[ Blows landing ]

Just gets better and better.

What can they possibly hope to accomplish airing this footage, other than cause outrage?

Man: This is an AMT special report.

Mrs. Miller?

Leave me alone.

Mrs. Miller, Jacob Barnes, AMT News.

Have you seen the gruesome video?

Just leave me alone.

Were you aware that your son was among the captives before that footage came out?

Please, I don't want to talk about this now.

The President said that he tried to reach out to all of the families.

How long did it take before the administration found you?

I only found out this morning.

Eric was one of the original
crew members on Nathan James.

Do you feel that the President is doing enough to save him?

I don't know what he's doing.

My son, he fought to bring home the cure.

He helped save millions of lives.

He even saved the President's life.

Shame on you, Jeffrey Michener.

Shame on you if you don't bring my boy home.

A heartsick mother and a bitter indictment of this administration.

And with no end in sight to this hostage crisis, one question remains... what is the President's next move?

Jacob Barnes, AMT News, St. Louis.


Damn it, Jacob.

Man: Shore up position for the hose off deck.

Fuel's clean, sir.

Begin refueling.

Find anything?

Nothing that connects him to Takehaya.

Takehaya?

You think I am working with him?

Not much of a stretch.

My plane goes down same time my friends are kidnapped thousands of miles away.

There's coincidence, and there's conspiracy.

You want us to stop rummaging through your things, maybe it's time for some answers.

Wolf: Sasha.

What do you make of this?

Map of the Paracels.

All these islands checked off like you were searching for something.

As I have told you, Captain, before you came to China, the pirates were my biggest problem, threatening my ships, taking what did not belong to them.

Takehaya is the worst of the worst.

So you're hunting him.

And you don't know where he is.

If I did, I would've already k*ll him myself.

Maybe.

But there's still the small matter... [Camera shutter clicks] ...of a very big coincidence.

[Radio clicks]

Danny: Bogey approaching.

[Clears throat]

[Speaking Mandarin]

[Knock on door]

[Lock beeps]

I suggest we wrap things up. He will be back.

Michener: Gentlemen, Mrs. Price.

We were all seated around the table here just 4 1/2 months ago forming a new national government.

Representing your regions, you helped bring people together, one nation under God.

I'm calling you now to ask for that support again.

Sir, I don't know how they're reacting to this hostage situation in St. Louis, but I can tell you it's not playing well here in the Southwest.

People are outraged.

I understand, and I'm acting as swiftly and as smartly as possible.

This situation is fluid, to say the least.

But we're hoping that Captain Chandler can give us some answers before the deadline.

What I really need from everyone right now is time... time to assess the dynamic situation across the world, time for Captain Chandler to do what he does.

He got us this far. We owe him that much.

Mr. President, the next few hours will determine the future, for better or worse.

But you have my support.

Croft: Mine, too, Mr. President.

Jeffrey, you know I don't agree with your recent policy moves, the rations, the property laws and such, and I can safely say that the good survivors of TexArkana will not abide a strong, central government coming out of Missouri if they don't have confidence in a non-elected President.

But on this, we are united.

I will do my best to keep the pitchforks at bay.

Bring home our people.

Thank you. All of you.

[Chickens clucking]

[Indistinct chatter]

Incoming.

[Door opens]

Rise and shine.

[Men shouting in foreign language]

[Grunts]

CCF, what's your fuel level?

Woman: 85%, ma'am.

[Birds chirping]

Peng: The clock is ticking.

You have only eight hours before Takehaya's deadline.

And he will certainly keep his word and start executing hostages.

We'll leave, but not until I get the truth about why you tried to k*ll me.

You came to my home, then you insult me, accuse me of atrocities in front of all the other delegates.

No.

That's not it.

Maybe I needed your help to fight the pirates.

Your country would never send support.

I could force their hand by framing Takehaya for your deaths.

Or maybe I wanted to draw your country into a w*r, take out its best leader.

Or maybe it was personal.

You want the truth?

The truth is... I wanted you dead.

At this point in our world history, isn't that reason enough?

The most important is that we now have a common enemy in Takehaya, and you are running out of time.

Burk: Refuel complete, sir.

Roger that. We're on our way home.

Alpha, you got six tangos coming your way from the north end.

Green?

Danny: Hall is clear.

They got our north exfil covered.

We'll take the south side.

k*ll the cameras.

[Computers power down]

Thanks for the hospitality.

I'm taking this.

With my complements.

South.

[Men shouting in Mandarin]

Drop it! Drop it!

[Indistinct shouting]

[Speaking in Mandarin]

You next.

Go. k*ll Takehaya.

I'll see you again.

I look forward to it.

Fuel's at full capacity, sir.

We even found a warehouse filled with canned goods, sodas, snacks, kind of like a regular gas station.

Hope you picked up some lottery tickets.

Could be our lucky day.

Sasha: Here's our original search area.

Lieutenant Burke, can we overlay Peng's map with our own?

Suddenly our search area just got a hell of a lot smaller.

We can rule out all these islands.

Chandler: Leaving just those five to search.

Outstanding.

Sir, I recommend we search east to west.

That'll put the morning sun behind us.

Very well. Set a course, all ahead, full.

Aye, sir.

Six hours to the deadline.

Let's make 'em count.

Michael Slattery, Captain, United States Navy.

Serial number 17181120.

I rewatched the video.

Very clever.

And very stupid.

You have led your friends to their deaths.

[Computers beeping]

Approaching the first island now, sir.

CIC, Bridge. I want full power, sonar.

Peng's subs could be lurking.

[Sonar pinging]

Sensor mine! Sensor mine!

[Alarm blaring]

Pull engines back, full!
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