" THE REPUBLIC OF FIJI " " PAGO-PAGO ISLAND " "[Sunday, February 9.]" "[I played with Blue and White Chip in the morning.]" "[My father went to see Chief Tonbeler to convince him...] [...to allow the dolphins to be our pets.]" "[The chief is also the president of this island.]" "[He is 66 years old, but he wouldn't dare defy his 99-year old mother.]" "Okay, Tetsuro." "We'll quickly perform the Kaba ritual." "[Negotiations always end with the Kaba ritual.]" "[The only thing they do...] [...is pass around a very strong alcoholic drink called "Kaba".]" "[Since my father is not used to drinking alcohol...] [...he gets so drunk that he couldn't get up for a few days...] [...everytime he negotiates with the chief.]" "#A storm is coming from the sea... #" "You better head home, Tetsuro." "There's a storm coming." "A storm?" "But it's a beautiful day." "Besides, the weather forecast says..." "My mother's song is more accurate than the weather forecast." "Okay, Mr. President." "Thanks!" "#It will swallow this small island... # #...and it'll get bigger... # #...and bigger and bigger!" "#" "#Then a life will form in a place... # #...no one knows!" "#" "#The storm will make big waves... # #...and will wash up a big creature. #" "#A small life shall come... # #...from the big creature. #" "Mom!" "MOM!" "Oh, it was just a dream." "I'm already 12 years old and I still get dreams like that!" "Good morning, Dad!" "Is the marine biologist still alive?" "He's dead..." "He's 37 years old and he's so helpless!" "Oh well, that's okay." "Aahh!" "You ate White Chip's share!" "Hey!" "Blue!" "It's a very quiet day." "I knew the old woman's song wouldn't be right." "So you didn't notice the big hurricane last night?" "But I came home by myself and went to bed." "How about that?" "I'm pretty good!" "I can't believe it!" "You came home in a chauffered private car." "Well, thank you very very much!" "By the way, what are you doing?" "Don't you have school today?" "It takes 3 hours to get there, you know." "Yeah." "I have an English class at 10." "Oh my!" "You won't make it to the ferry boat from Mara Island!" "Wrong!" "Tony called me last night." "He said that he'll take me to the main island after the morning tour." "I can't believe that he flies that Cessna everyday." "One of these days, it's going to crash." "That's Tony!" "Okay, here a pop quiz." "That's Pago-Pago Island." "What does "Pago-Pago" mean?" "First hint: food." "Oh, I see my friends now." "That's Blue the dolphin." "Her partner, White Chip, didn't come home last night and didn't tell her." "Well, that's a familiar household story!" "And that's Yosuke and his dog, Cousteau." "Speaking of a familiar story Yosuke's dad is still asleep because of a hangover." " What do you say if we wake him up right now?" " Yeah!" " Okay, here's the second hint: fruit." " Papaya!" " That's right!" "I'm off to school, Mom." "Bye, Dad!" "I'll be back, Cousteau." "Take care of Dad." "Hey, White Chip!" "What's going on?" "!" "I'm going to be late for school!" "Tony's waiting for me!" "What's this?" "Hmm?" "Did he forget something?" "Dad, look!" "What?" "Oh, you brought back a pup." " A pup?" " It's a newborn seal." "I don't think so." "Is there a seal with a long neck?" "If it's not a seal, what do you think it is?" "I may not look much, but I'm a marine biologist." "You know, with a PhD." "A doctor vs an elementary school student." "I don't think you can win this one." "So, you're absolutely sure that it's a seal?" " Quit putting up a fight with me." "Just go to school!" " I won't!" "Dad, take a closer look." "Does a seal have a fin like this?" "And look!" "Does a seal tail look like this?" "Maybe it's a mutant." "This is why I've been saying all along not to pour detergent into the sea!" "Well, seal pup or not, it's going to die if we don't pour water on it." " Hey!" "This doesn't have any body hair." " I know that." "I've never seen a hairless seal before." "Like what I've been telling you, it doesn't have body hair nor whiskers." "It has four flippers and its tail is long and unsplit." "So it's not a seal!" "Hey!" "It's not a seal!" "That's what I've been telling you, Dad." "I'm going to the lab and make room for it in the fish tank." "So put it in a bucket and bring it over!" "Be careful with it!" "You don't think it's a turtle, do you?" " Is there such a thing as a turtle with no shell, doctor?" " Whatever!" "I can't believe it!" "Can you?" "You know, he may be smart." "So, what is it?" "As far as I can tell, it's a..." "STOP!" "Say no more." "I know what you're thinking." "I know which book of yours is the most worn-out." " But it's obvious..." " Don't jump into any conclusions!" " Look!" "It pooped!" " Okay..." "Did you see that?" "It already knows how big the tank is!" "I told you it's smart." "Maybe, it hasn't been 24 hours since its birth." "Dad, we can keep him, can't we?" "Well, since it's a newborn we should take care of it until it can feed itself." "So we can keep him, right?" "But it's going to be difficult because we don't know what it eats." "I'll try everything." "Besides, no matter how biologically important it is..." "I know." "I have to release it back to the sea when it's old enough." "I promise." "I just want you to keep in mind that the time will come someday." "Well then, we have to give it a name." "Hey!" "It said "Coo"!" "So Coo had his eyes closed and just opened them for the first time when you found him." " That's right!" "He then just stared at me." " Congratulations!" "Coo just chose you to become his mom." "What do you mean?" " It's called imprinting." " Imprin..." "You know, when ducks or geese are hatched from the eggs they think that the first moving thing that they see is their mother." "I'm a mother?" "What am I suppose to do?" "I don't know." "At any rate, Coo already thinks that you're his mom." " Well, I say it was a good thing that you cut school." " The school?" "!" "Oh my!" "I have to apologize to Tony!" " MAIN ISLAND:" "CITY OF NANDY " "I know, my friend." "My good ole' buddy got knocked out by the Kaba drink." "Then, while trying to get up he got knocked down again by my low-altitude flight." "Is that right?" "So you need my help, right?" "Tell me if there's anything that I can do." "Maybe a medicine for hangovers?" "Well, we have medicine, but I have to feed him." "Oh yeah, Tony." "Can you bring some milk and liver oil?" "Jersey milk with no cream and cod or shark liver oil would be better." "Hey, Yosuke!" "Have you been reading medical books or something?" "Yeah!" "They say they're the best things for a hangover." " Is that all?" " That's all." "Oh, wait!" "One more thing." "Can you get me a baby bottle?" "A baby bottle?" "!" "Is Tetsuro's hangover that bad?" "!" "Okay, okay." "I'll bring them after the afternoon flight." " Hi, Tony!" " Can I call you Tony?" " Sure thing!" "The morning flight was incredible, especially the changing color of the sea." "It was so beautiful that it made me want to go back again." "I've gathered enough passengers already." " How's Coo?" " Look, Coo!" "Your mom is back." "This is ground sardine paste." " See, he doesn't want to eat it." " But do you really think that he's carnivorous?" "Yeah, no doubt about it." "It's clear from fossilized remains that Coo's ancestors were carnivores." " Dad!" "You told me not to jump to conclusions but it sounds like you've already decided what Coo's species is!" " That's right." " Why don't we compare answers?" " Okay!" " Ready?" "One... two..." "PLESIOSAURUS!" "That's right!" "We are about to raise a baby plesiosaur whose species has survived 65 million years." " The question now is what Coo eats." " Yeah." "The next week is going to be critical to his survival." "But he doesn't even want to look at sardines." "Okay, Mommy will try and feed him." " What's that?" " Margarine." "Here, Coo!" "Is it working?" "Where did you get the idea of feeding him margarine?" "I remembered when you said that Coo must be a seal pup." "Lockley wrote in his book that baby seals love margarine." "So I thought that maybe he would eat it, too." "[February 10, Monday.]" "[Total length: 50 cm." "He ate 50 grams of margarine.]" "There he is!" "Thanks, Tony!" "Hey!" "Watch where you're dropping it!" "Cousteau, jump!" "Alright!" "Good boy, Cousteau!" "I'm really glad that I decided to come back here again, Tony!" "The sea was a beautiful emerald green this morning, but look at it now!" "It's more colorful now and even more beautiful." "I'm glad you like it!" "By the way, Mr. Papaya..." "Who are those people at the back?" "They look more like they're looking for something instead of sight-seeing." "Well, they told me that they're with a conservation group." "They were following a whale that was attacked by sharks but lost track of it because of last night's storm." " Have you seen anything that looks like one?" " Nope, I haven't." "[The baby bottle that Tony sent me didn't work.]" "[However, the method mentioned in Lockley's book worked as expected.]" "[First, spread the margarine on the rubber tube and insert it into its gullet.]" "[Then, gradually pour the milk with liver oil and margarine.]" "[Coo was afraid of it at first, but got used to it later.]" "[We decided to feed him four times a day in this manner.]" "Mr. Papaya, that's the edge of the Fiji Islands." "Okay." "Thanks!" "[February 11, Tuesday.]" "[Two days after I became Coo's mother...] [...something happened.]" "DAD!" "Something's wrong with Coo!" "What's wrong, Coo?" "!" "What's wrong, Yosuke?" "After feeding him and putting him back in the tank, he began throwing up." " What's wrong with him?" " Calm down." "His temperature appears normal." "I wonder..." " I guess he just swallowed too much air." " How did you figure it out?" " It's no big deal." " You just have to make him burp." " Burp?" "Yeah." "All babies burp." "But Coo is not a mammal so he may not be good at it." "So what can we do?" "That's easy." "I think it's around here." " Pat him right here." " Like this...?" " That stinks!" " Good boy!" "How did you know what to do?" "When you were Coo's age, your mom and I took turns in doing the same thing to you." "Is that right?" "Not now, Coo." "Your mom is studying right now." "He's still in grade school." "[A week later, Coo has grown to 66 cm.]" "[He can swim from one side of the tank to the other with one stroke.]" " NEW CALEDONIA:" "MARE ISLAND " "Could it be a whale?" "No, it couldn't be." "I've never seen such a creature before." " CITY OF NANDY " "In New Caledonia?" "It must have drifted near the Royal Islands." "Assuming that it died." "I see..." "Hey, you're looking good today!" "At this rate, you can still go out to the sea." "I'd rather die than not being able to do just that." " Here you go, nice and cold." " I've been looking forward to this!" "You always bring me beer whenever you visit me." "What is that stench?" "Smells like something is rotting." "I don't know what it is." "You have to see for yourself." "Way to go!" "Hey Dad!" "I don't think the tank is big enough for him anymore." "I'll go look for a bigger tank." "Or, maybe we can put up fences and make a pool." "I think we need both." "If we keep him in the pool all day something could happen to him." "He's completely exposed to the sun so we need an indoor tank to shelter him whenever necessary." "I guess so..." " Dad, I have one more suggestion." " What is it?" "I think you should tell Chief Tonbeler about Coo" "Tell the Chief?" "!" " Hey, Cousteau!" " Not the Kaba ritual again!" "I've never seen a turtle without a shell." "But no matter." "A turtle is a turtle." "No problem, Yosuke." "Thank you, Chief!" "Alright, Coo!" "Very well then, it's time for the Kaba ritual!" "But we don't have any Kaba." " Don't you have that Japanese drink called sho?" " Shochu?" "That's the one, Shochu!" "It's a great Kaba!" "The Chief is in a very good mood." "Yeah, he said that he's going to get me some bamboo for the pool." "Then the next thing we're getting is a bigger tank." "We're going to get a tank so big that the Chief can swim in it." "Hey, Chief!" "Why don't you sleep over?" "No thanks." "If I do that, Mother is going to be mad at me." "Then why don't you have dinner with us?" "I always have dinner with Mother." "Then I'll walk you home." "No need to." "I'm not drunk at all." " But that was one great Kaba!" " Thank you, Chief!" "Say hi to that shell-less turtle of yours for me." "A policeman on Mare Island in New Caledonia took these pictures." "These are the pictures that came from our main office in Paris." " I see." "This is great." "Finally, we can go back to Paris." "Not for a while." "The main office told us to stay a little longer." "Wait a minute." "I've seen something like this somewhere before." "Oh yeah, that's it." "I should have known the Japanese would it." "They threw a similar carcass back to the sea before conducting any research on it." "May I help you?" "I'd like to order a fish tank." "Are you the one who found it?" "Aside from the policeman, have you mentioned this to anyone else?" "I'd like to talk to you inside the house." "I wish to thank you for finding it." "And how big is the fish tank?" "4x2, 5x2 meters." "But it has to be made of plastic so that it's not going to be too heavy." "I don't think we can carry it with this plane." "We should use an air van." "Looks like there are cobwebs all over the propeller." "I used it to catch butterflies and sell them to tourists." "But I haven't flown that thing in over six months." "The tank will arrive from Paris in two weeks." "So please have it tuned up." "Okay." "By the way what are you going to put in such a big tank?" " Don't tell me it's a mermaid." " Actually Tony, it is." "I think she's your type." "She looks great!" "But, this is just between you and me." "See 'ya!" "Damn you!" "I wish that your boat tips over and you get eaten by sharks!" "[My dad and I started building the pool.]" "[We worked six hours a day everyday.]" "[Coo became able to play...] [...on dry land for 5-6 hours.]" "[Also, his teeth began to come out...] [...so he can now eat ground sardine paste.]" "[The pool was completed after six days.]" "How is it, Yosuke?" "Dad, where you think Coo came from?" "Well, I can only tell that he came from beyond the seas." "We don't even know where his mother is." "Hey old man!" "It's beer day!" "Maybe he's taking a nap." " NOUMEA, NEW CALEDONIA " "So you're saying that it's not from the area where we thought it would be but from somewhere else?" " Yes, sir." "According to Dr. Duvall, it's only been dead for two weeks." "So taking into account the ocean currents, where do you think it came from?" " It came from Fiji." " Fiji?" "It's in a completely different direction from our initial assumption." "I don't know, but somehow..." "Thank you." "I'm grateful to the section of New Caledonia for collaboration." "You're welcome." "We also received another report from Dr. Duvall a short time ago." "Email:" "Gave birth to an infant." "What does it mean?" "Wait a minute..." "It could have left the pod to give birth." "(Questions for Dr. Duvall:)" "(1." "If a young is born...) (...what are its chances of survival?" ")" "(2." "Can the young live on its own?" ")" "(3." "If the young survives, what will be its size after four weeks?" ")" "(Periodic report:)" "(Fiji branch shipment record.)" " NANDY AIRPORT " "Hey, Sam!" "Is there a package for Tetsuro Obata?" "Over there." "She's the mermaid that he's talking about?" "!" "90-60-90, She looks great, doesn't she?" "[Coo has grown to over a meter in length.]" "[In the morning, we took him to the best...] [...diving point in the lagoon to celebrate.]" "Are you going to tell Tony about Coo?" "Yeah." "I don't want to lie to him anymore." "Me neither." "I'm so glad." "So we can let Coo play in the pool, right?" "Ah, here he comes!" "That plane looks like a sunfish." "Well, it looks more like Tony to me." "Hey, Tony!" "It's good to see you!" " Thank you, Tony." "I enjoyed your stories." " You're welcome." "You must be Yosuke." "Who is that woman?" "Who?" "Isn't she the mermaid that you're talking about?" "I don't know her!" "But Sam pointed at her." "I think it's because I asked for your address right before." " Who are you?" " Oh, I'm sorry." "Here's my business card." "International Diving Press Catherine Mariko Ono" "Please call me Cathy." "Then Cathy..." "I want you to stop taking our picture." "I understand." "Also, I want you to leave this island as soon as possible." "Why is that?" "This is not your island." "It belongs to the Fijian government." "I'm sorry, but that's not entirely true." "It may be government property, but it also belongs to the Chief." "We have the Chief's permission to live here." "That means you're tresspassing on private property." "I see..." "If you're heading back, it's going to cost you another $100." "No, I'm not leaving Pago-Pago Island." "I won't allow that!" "It's not for you to decide!" "It's Chief Tonbeler's!" "I'm good at the Kaba ritual." "I don't get drunk before the islanders do." " You told her, didn't you, Tony?" "Oh, that you're not good with the Kaba ritual?" " Dad, is that woman Japanese?" " I think she's a third-generation Japanese-American." "She's famous for those humpback whale pictures she took in Hawaii." " So she's a celebrity." " Never mind her." "Let's carry the tank inside before she comes back." "By the way, what is that thing swimming in the pool?" "From above, it looks like a monitor lizard." "You saw it?" "Of course I did!" "That woman took a lot of pictures of it." "She already took pictures?" "!" "Hey, don't let go of it!" "I'm gonna get crushed!" "What are you guys trying to do?" "!" "Are you two trying to get me killed?" "!" "Listen, Tony..." "Four weeks ago, we found what appears be a descendant of ancient marine reptiles." "We've been raising it since then." "Oh, the kind that breathes fire out of its mouth?" "What are you going to do with it?" "Sell it to Hollywood?" "Tony, I'm serious!" "I'm serious, too!" "I've got to get back as soon as possible." "There are lots of American tourists waiting for me with $100-bills." "Tony, I think you need to look at it to believe it." "So what's so special about it?" "That's just Cousteau." "Or are you telling me that he actually descended from an ancient dog monster?" "Did you see it, Tony?" "His name is Coo." " Do you have some whiskey?" " How about some beer?" " Are you okay?" " I'm fine." "In my native Australia there are lots of fossilized remains of those creatures." "We learn a lot about them from books." "So I'm okay." "To tell you the truth I've been a fan of those creatures." "I used to imagine one of them going after the fish in the ocean." "But now look...!" "There's one right in front of me, swimming and frolicking." "It's so beautiful!" "So cute!" "Isn't this great?" "I didn't think Tony would like Coo that much." "I think that's Cathy." "I'll go and check." "Dad!" "Come here, quick!" "What is it?" "What's going on?" "She's had too much Kaba." "She's drunk like a skunk." " She's just like you, Dad!" " Am I this bad?" "Are you kidding?" "No, I'm not." "What are we going to do?" "In any case, let's bring her into the house and see what happens." "If this worsens, we'll have to pump her stomach." "I wonder what she did with her stuff..." "She doesn't even have a camera with her." "Yosuke, why don't you go to the Chief's house?" " She might have left it there." " Okay!" "Don't worry, you're going to be okay." "I'll take you home soon." "I think these are all her stuff." " Good job!" " How's Cathy?" "She's very stubborn, but a very strong woman, too." "Listen..." " What should we do with these?" " Why don't you put them outside the room?" "What about this?" " That one, too." "If I keep on seeing it, I might take the film out." " Yeah, me too." "Besides, with that snoring, I can't tell if she's an enemy or not." "Just look at him." " Good morning, Yosuke." " Good morning." "How are you feeling?" "I feel okay, thanks to you." "If you have an upset stomach, there's Alkaseltzer on that shelf." "I'm fine." "I drank last night and the water here is very tasty." " Which water did you drink?" " From that one." "Huh?" "!" "That's rainwater!" "Weren't there any mosquito larvae in it?" "Where's that Alkaseltzer?" "Fresh water springs out on this island." "The other island, Nairai, has no fresh water so it's uninhabited." "An uninhabited island?" "That's the reason we decided to live here." " So you're going to live here for good?" " Yeah." " Don't you get lonely?" " Not at all." "I have friends in school." "There's also Cousteau Blue and White Chip the dolphins." "And also..." " And...?" " Well..." "I'm going to take a shower!" "A shower?" "Oh that's right." "What is it, Cousteau?" "I'm still dreaming." "Did I wake you up with this noise?" "No, it's the smell." "It's been three years since I smelled freshly-ground coffee beans." "Thank you for everything last night." "You even let an unwelcome guest use the bed." "So what conditions did the Chief give you?" "To get along with you without causing problems." "I see..." "So that explains the coffee." " This is good." " That's good to hear." "But I don't see how we can get along without any problems." "That's because there already is a problem." "Then what can I do?" "Give me conditions." " Give me the film in your camera." " You can't be serious!" "Also, call Tony and tell him to pick you up tomorrow morning." " WHAT?" "!" "That's more like an order than a condition." "No, it's more than that." "It's a threat." "If that's my intention, I would have taken film already." "I guess you're right." "I'm sorry for raising my voice." "I know you had plenty of time to take the film." "But why do you insist on taking the film?" "There's something that I have to protect." "Is it what I think it is?" "Dad!" "Something is wrong!" "I saw a rubber boat." "Maybe it's here for diving." "I don't tink so." "It's after the rain." "The water would be too murky for diving." "I guess you're right." "Besides, they're Zodiacs." " Zodiac?" " What is it?" " It's a landing raft." " How many people are on board?" " I don't know." "It's too far to tell." "Do you have binoculars?" "Yeah, it's somewhere on the shelf..." " ...in the bedroom." " I'm going to borrow them." "And you guys are easy to spot from the sea." "Hide inside the house?" "What is it?" "You're acting as if a war has started..." "It has already started!" "Don't just stand there!" "Hurry!" "What's going on?" "I don't know..." " ...but Coo's acting strange, too." " What?" "!" "How strange?" "He seems to be afraid of something." "Cathy might be right." "They might be the enemies." "But we don't know if Cathy is not the enemy either." " Is there something over there?" " Only underwater electric wires." "The wires go through there to Naviti Island." " The line is dead." " Tell me why they would do such a thing?" "They want to isolate us." "They are going to attack us." "Do you know them?" "Yes." "They must be the IFL commandos." " Cathy, why are they after you?" " They are after YOU!" "There's no reason for them to come after us." "That's what you think, but they..." "Look!" "The diver is back." "They're going back." "See, I told you." "They realized that we're harmless." "There should be more than three of them." " Where are they headed?" " I think they're headed to Nairai Island." " Just as I thought." "It's an uninhabited island." "But I saw moving lights there last night." "I can see another Zodiac on the shore." "They came on a bigger boat." "The island is a staging point." "You sound like a soldier." "Yeah." "I worked for the Canadian Coast Guard for two years." "That's one of the reasons I came here." "You mean some organization sent you here?" "Which one?" "This is not the time to discuss it." "Right now, we have to think of a way to put up a fair fight against those professionals." "As you wish, Chief of Staff..." "But I don't know karate or judo and we don't have a shotgun nor a rifle." "What about a harpoon?" "No." "I'm not interested in hunting fish." "Now we're in real trouble." " I don't know how to go up against those pros with SMG's." " SMG?" "What is that?" "Submachine gun." "So, the only weapon we have is this." "Here." "What's this?" "It's a stungun." "It's like an electroshock gun." "It has a 9-volt battery but it can generate 50.000 volts of electricity instantly." " Will it kill a person?" " No." "He will only be stunned for a while." "Let me see it." "How do you use it?" "You just press it against the person's exposed skin." "But I don't think we can use it against those guys." "That's not necessarily true." "Cathy, what do they want?" "Is it our lives?" "Or is it something else?" "Tell me." "Okay..." "What they want is the baby of the unknown aquatic reptile that you have." "I see..." "As I suspected, you and those guys know about Coo." " Coo?" "Is that its name?" " That's right!" "He makes the "coo" sound when he cries." "Look, people are going fishing on their canoes." " When do those canoes usually come back?" " About shortly after noon." "I think those guys will come around that time." "One boat will arrive in front and two people from the other will approach from behind." "Cathy, assuming that they're after Coo what are they going to do first?" "They'll check the pool first." " It's obvious that the pool was made for Coo." " That's it!" " Yosuke, where's the toolbox?" " It's in the lab." " What are you going to do?" " We're going to set up a trap in the pool." "I think we can handle the guys approaching from the front." "Cathy, take care of the rest of them." "Hey Yosuke!" "I'm hungry!" "Can you fix me something to eat?" "Can you believe that?" "!" "Do you think we get out of this?" "We have to, right?" "But what about weapons?" "We don't have any, you know." "Actually, we do." "At least, two to start with." "First, we're familiar with this island's geography." "Second, they don't know that I'm here." " I'll start the field work." " Field work?" "Yeah." "I'm going set up traps on the field." "You can start cooking." " I can do that later!" " When you're done cooking, keep some utensils in your pocket as weapons." "The canoes are back!" "1:45." "I think they'll come around 2 o'clock." "I'm getting nervous." "I think that if you can eat that much, you'll be okay." "They started the two Zodiacs." "Well..." "Be careful." "I'm off." "See you later." "Cathy what are you doing?" "Have you ever heard of this?" "A flamethrower." "Hi, how are you doing?" "Nice day, huh?" " Yeah." "Nice day for a day-off." " Is there a problem?" "We came from Naviti and we're not sure if we have enough gas." " Will four liters be enough for you?" " Yeah, that's enough." "Do you live here alone?" "No, I have a son." "He's studying right now." "Do you have any fish here?" " Yeah." " Isn't this wide for regular fish?" "I think it's for something bigger." "Perhaps something very unusual." "Isn't that right, Mr. Obata?" "Have we met before?" "What are you doing?" "Who are you people?" " It's in there, right?" " What is?" "I'm talking about the baby plesiosaur!" "You can't fool us!" "We'll find out soon enough." "Here, hold this." "Don't be thinking of any crazy ideas or your son won't be able to study anymore." " I found the entrance!" " Don't lose it!" " Leave it to me." "Don't shoot or your friend will die!" " What did you do?" "!" " It's high-voltage electricity." "I just sent 50.000 volts of electricity to the fish hooks stuck to his body." "I didn't know it has that much effect." "Throw your rifle into the sea!" "Okay." "I'll do what you say so take your finger off the button" "The rifle first!" "Throw it as far as possible!" "No, not into the sea!" "We won't be able to use it right away!" "The one in your pocket, too." "Take off your jacket and throw it to me." "Hey, if you don't hurry, he's going to drown." "Push the button now!" "You can get both of them!" " You better take the hooks off him first." " Thank you for the advice." "I hope he knows about the safety lock." "Cathy..." "How is he?" "Is he okay?" "His heart is still beating." "But how could you have set up such a nasty trap?" "Couldn't help it." "You threatened me with guns." " Here they come." " They're professionals after all." "They didn't fall for the traps." "Where are the other two?" "What are you talking about?" "!" "You only saw the two of us come ashore." "Yeah, only two of you came ashore." "But we saw two boats leave Nairai Island." " Run toward the field through the front door!" " What about you?" " Go!" "Don't you know that guns have safety locks, Mr. Obata?" "Mr. Obata, we're ordered not to kill anyone so if you give us the creature, we'll leave quietly." " No way!" "Cousteau!" "I see." "So this is the safety lock." "Don't!" "An amateur shouldn't handle a gun so carelessly." "Here's one person who's not an amateur." "Lie down on your stomach and put your hands behind your head." "What's wrong, honey?" "You've been trying to call over and over since this morning." "I can reach Naviti by phone, but not Pago-Pago." "What's going on?" "Mr. Obata, do you really want to let them go?" "Yeah." "Some of them are hurt." "They need medical assistance." "Do you understand that letting them go puts our lives in danger?" "I know." "But for now please do what I tell you." "When you get back tell your boss not to attack us anymore." "Also, if you want the creature maybe there's a way for us to negotiate." "I will." "I won't forget you for the rest of my life." "I think your kindness will betray you later." "I know that, too." " Really?" "!" "You're a member of Green Earth?" " Who did you think I am?" "A secret agent from some country." "Isn't Green Earth that's advocating the protection of dolphins and whales?" "That's right." "We're also against nuclear testing in the South Pacific." "So what's Coo got to do with Green Earth?" "We learned about Coo..." "I mean his species from the French government computers." " Computers?" " We're using a hacker to steal information." "A Japanese fishing boat recovered a dinosaur-like remains near New Zealand." "Do you remember it?" "And they found out that it came from somewhere near the Gambier Islands." "I see..." "Since Coo is here I guess the information that you got is correct." "But what does it have to do with your organization?" "Several countries with nuclear capability decided to resume their nuclear tests." "What?" "!" "When and where?" "Next month, two weeks from now." "Around Gambier Islands." "I'm not going to allow such a thing!" "I agree." "But the existence of Coo's species has become troublesome for those countries." "That's why those IFL people came here to destroy the evidence." "Exactly." "Eye for an eye..." "I support the spirit of your efforts and of Green Earth." "But I don't quite agree with your method of "fighting fire with fire"." "So you're saying that you won't swat a mosquito even if it bites you?" "If it's in self-defense, then I don't have any problems with it." "Actually, I almost killed a man today." "See?" "Then what about environmental destruction due to nuclear testing?" "Isn't fighting it considered self-defense?" "I don't approve of environmental destruction." "But I want to believe that human beings can handle issues more intelligently." "You're such an idealist." "Do you really think that there are creatures that live without conflict here on earth?" "What about the whales that you guys are trying to save?" "Whales within a pod never fight one another." "It's possible that they left their aggressive nature on land when their ancestors headed for the sea." "I think that's the same with Coo, also." "I don't know many are there but I don't think they would have survived 65 million years if it were not the case." "I think you're right." "On the other hand, human beings have always been fighting each other even though we've only been here a few million years." "Say, Cathy..." "Do you want to see Coo?" " Are you sure?" " Of course!" "You fought to save Coo today." " A while back, Dad was talking about self-..." " Self-defense." " Is this Coo?" " Yup." "That's Coo." "I was expecting something that looks like an iguana or a Komodo Dragon." "I didn't think that he would be this adorable." " How can I describe it?" "I think it's great!" " It's even better if you dive with him." "It's time to feed him." "Would you like to try?" "Me?" "Could you show me how?" " Hold its tail and wiggle it so that it looks like it's swimming." " Okay." "He licked my finger!" "It's kind of strange." "Even when he's asleep he floats up to the surface." "Just like a seal." "When the air in its lungs runs low a valve in its body closes and the body floats automatically." "Why don't you stroke his nose up and down?" "He'll smile." "See." " He must be dreaming." " I think so, too." "Please don't think badly of my father." "About what he said." "It's okay." "But why?" "I think my father is struggling with his feelings because of mom." "Can I ask you about your mom?" "If you don't want to talk about it..." "I don't remember much about her because she died in a car accident when I was four." "The only ones I remember are her voice and the time she bought me a tricycle." "I heard that she got run over by a drunken college student." "But since he's the son of a Diet member the trial dragged out." "It ended when I was in third grade." "In the end, the driver didn't get a jail term so my dad punched him outside the courthouse." "I heard that he hit the guy so hard that he ended up in the hospital." "That's why he quit his college teaching job and came to this island." "But my dad still regrets hitting the guy." "He still get nightmares about it sometimes." "I think the reason he confronted you is his guilty conscience." "Yosuke!" "But regardless of what he said I'll fight them if they return to this island again." "For Coo and his kind." "Me, too because they're such wonderful creatures." "Cathy!" "Here!" "I assembled it." "I think I did it right." "You did?" "I saw you disassemble it so simply that I did it in reverse." "It's perfect!" "Alright!" "So you finally decided to use it?" "No." "I don't want to use it." "Besides, I might shoot my own foot." "That's why I want you to learn how to use it." "If I don't use it, I'll never shoot my foot." "Will you knock it off already?" "Do you realize that they'll be sending in real professionals next time?" "Cathy, I'll use it." "Can you teach me how?" "I don't think you can use it." "Here, use this one instead." "It still has six rounds." "How are the traps beyond the field at the back?" "There are six traps on the road from the north." "I placed three clapper alarms in the forest on the west." "For the enemies coming from the sea, Cousteau can be our eyes." "He'll bark as soon as a boat approaches." "I've also arranged the lights so that they're facing the beach." "Cathy, see if you have a clear shot from here." "Okay, that's bright enough." "Yosuke, give the gun back to Cathy!" "Wait a minute!" "I think Yosuke should make his own decision." "He's already twelve and also Coo's mother." "What are you going to do, Yosuke?" "I'll keep it." "I want to protect Coo." "Okay." "We'll take turns every three hours and keep watch." "After three hours, I'll wake you up." "I'm sorry for raising my voice again." " Who are you trying to call so many times?" " I'm calling Coo." " Coo?" "Is that your girlfriend?" " It's a boyfriend." " Where are they?" " I don't know." " I didn't hear the gun." " Quiet!" "I heard it before the light went out." " Are they using silencers?" " No." "It's an air gun." "What?" "!" "That's just a toy." "A person who can use a toy in this kind of situation is a real pro." "They're shooting from the sea." "There are probably two scouts." " Ah!" "That's Cousteau!" " Wait!" "It's dangerous out there!" "Duck!" "Stay low in the back!" "Hurry!" " How is he?" " He's shot in the leg." "But I don't think it's bad since he managed to run back to the house." "Okay." "I'll get the first-aid kit." "Don't stand up!" "They can see us!" "But they're in the dark and it's dark here, too." "They got starlight scopes." "They're goggles used for night assaults." " Starlight?" " Yes." "They magnify light from one star 50.000 times and it becomes as bright as daylight." "Ultraviolet rays..." "Using image intensifiers they take ultraviolet rays and..." "The landing party is here." "I can hear three Zodiacs." "It magnifies light 50.000 times..." "It probably has a built-in high-speed condencer." "Then a strong light source will fry it." "Maybe we can do something about them." "Did you come up with something, Dad?" "I think so." "Cathy, your camera equipment is going to be useful." "Good morning, soldiers!" "That stupid!" "I don't want to have to stay the same thing twice in 24 hours." "Got it?" "Obata family and Miss Catherine Ono..." "Put down your weapons and come out of the house now!" "I didn't anticipate them using a helicopter!" "I guess that's it." "This helicopter is equipped with missiles and 20-mm machine gun." "If you don't come out in 30 seconds, this will happen to you." "Thank you." "Stay where you are." "You guys are really something." "You took out five of my eight men in only eight minutes." "Make that six." "So, Cathy..." "Our biggest mistake is that we didn't notice that you're here." "Everybody makes mistakes, Colonel Nolver." "How did you know my name?" "You're quite celebrity among us." " Now that you're aware that we know who you are, why don't you..." " We'll leave as soon as we get what we came here for." "Coo!" " Coo!" " Yosuke!" " Coo!" "Don't you dare raise your hand to a kid!" "I don't want to, either." "But if you interfere with us again, I won't hesitate." "Come here, Yosuke." "Colonel, what's Dr. Duvall going to do with Coo?" "I don't know." "Maybe he's going publish a theory on this aquatic Mesozoic-era creature and become a leading authority in the field." "I can't believe that Dr. Duvall would do such a thing." "Well, not too many scientists has had the chance to dissect a live plesiosaur." "Coo!" "Coo!" "Coo!" "Why don't we have a talk inside the house for a while?" "There's a gun in the fridge." "Hurry!" " What's that?" " It's a civilian airplane." " Abort the mission!" "Hurry!" " Yes, sir!" "Take cover!" "Whoa!" "A war!" "No, it can't be." "We don't have oil deposits." "Damn it!" "What did you do to my friends?" "!" " Where are you, Yosuke?" " Yosuke!" "Yosuke!" "Let's go get them!" "We have to cover the Zodiac." "Turn around!" "I'm not going to let you do that!" "I used to be a fighter pilot!" "Fire!" " Colonel, what should we do?" " Shoot him!" " What?" "!" " Shoot him now!" "Blue!" " TAHITI ISLAND, FRENCH POLYNESIA " "Dad, why are we doing this?" "I bet the Colonel put our names on APB." " How long are we going to be here?" " Five more minutes." "Every Thursday, a group of Japanese tourists arrive here on the next flight." " Is that Cathy's plan, too?" " Yeah." "Cathy's plan worked!" "Yeah, it did." "No one's following us, either." " PAPEETE, THE CAPITAL CITY " "Cathy!" "Cathy!" "Did it work?" "Yeah, it did!" "We only stayed in the restroom for 30 minutes or so." "I was kind of worried." "Because of yesterday's newspaper article on the Gambier Islands nuclear testing they increased the airport security." "When is the test going to be?" "A week from now." "It's all so sudden." "I want you to meet my fellow member." "His name is Jean-Claude Chiba." " Did you make sure no one followed?" " Of course." "Everything's fine." "No, there's an old gray car." "Oops!" "I thought I did pretty good!" "You may call me Jean." "So Jean, where is Coo?" "Do you know if the ship that took Coo is here or not?" " The ship's name is Triton." " Triton?" "Does it belong to the Colonel?" "No." "It's a French government research ship where Dr. Duvall is in." "But it docked at this base four days ago and left without us noticing it." "Gone?" "Where did it go?" "Jean's friend who works at the base is looking into it." "Then it's possible that it was carried out of the base by air." "I don't believe it!" "Coo could still be somewhere in Tahiti." " I want to believe that too, but Yosuke..." " No!" "I can feel it!" "I've been having this feeling ever since I came to Papeete." " Coo is calling for my help." " What do you mean?" " I think it's telepathy." " Telepathy?" "Yosuke has always believed that animals can communicate with each other via telepathy." "He thinks that Coo and Blue, who is now gone..." "If so, it's possible that Coo's trying hard to tell him something." "Coo is in dark narrow waters and very upset." "It's swaying and I can hear a very loud noise." "It's swaying?" "I think he's inside a ship." "The loud noise is that of an engine." "Coo is on a ship." "Jean, I thought you'd be the last person to believe in telepathy." "Why is that?" "Telepathy among animals is common knowledge in Melanesia." "Humans are also animals, but we have better means of communication like..." "Yosuke, anything else?" "Any directions or location?" "I don't know." "I can vaguely sense the direction." "It's not close." "Yosuke, your telepathy is very accurate." "My friend at the base checked Triton's record." "There's no mistaking." " Where is he?" " Inside the Tahitian territorial waters." " Where is it heading?" " Mangareva Island in the Gambier Islands." "Mangareva?" "Green Earth's Orion is also headed that way." "It's already there since yesterday." "I see..." "Why didn't I think of this earlier?" "It's obvious!" "What's obvious?" "Duvall is a marine biologist, right?" "It's only natural that he investigates Coo's habitat before the nuclear tests destroy it." "Then let's go." " Where?" " Mangareva Island." "Where's my Coo?" "!" "Coo?" "Oh, that turtle with no shell?" "Yosuke's looking for him." "Right, Cousteau?" " GAMBIER ISLANDS:" "MANGAREVA ISLAND " "Look, that's the Triton!" "See, two helicopters are on board." "They're the ones that killed Blue and shot down Tony's Cessna." "Our objective is to prevent the nuclear tests." "Captain, I think the best way to prevent the tests is to announce to the world that plesiosaurs exist at the test site." "I see." "If we make that announcement, organizations worldwide will rally to us." "Yes." "But it's not necessarily the best for the creature." " Yeah..." "But if we don't do something, they'll become extinct." "Exactly." "For that matter, I'd like you to listen to my son's opinion." "Yosuke!" "Yosuke!" "He was here a minute ago." "Oh no!" "He wouldn't..." " So, did you write a letter?" " Yeah, but..." "Oh, it's you." "What a pleasant surprise." "I heard a rumor that some Asian people arrived at the Tahiti Airport but I didn't think it was you." "Go, Coo!" "Coo, go to the harbor!" "Wait!" "We shouldn't proceed as planned until we know for sure what happened." "It's Coo!" "How did he get away?" "Where's Yosuke?" " Could it be...?" " Coo, where is he?" "I'm the ship's captain, Rooselan of the Navy." "Who are you?" " Yosuke Obata." "I'm Japanese." " I see..." "Then Yosuke, is it true that you tresspassed on the Triton assaulted Dr. Duvall and stole his research subject?" "No." "Coo, I mean the subject was stolen by your people from our island." "Coo is a member of our family." "How could you regard bringing him back as theft?" "I see..." "Your story differs from that of Colonel Nolver." "Captain..." "Yosuke, you just said "your people", but I'd like to clear up some misunderstanding." "We, the French Navy did go to Fiji upon the request of the IFL." "We also allowed them to use helicopters, but that's all." " That's not the point!" " The boy..." "I just want you as captain of this ship to take him into custody." "Colonel Nolver, let's get something straight." "By tomorrow, this ship will be under the control of the French Navy." "That is, in about an hour and 45 minutes you'll just be a passenger without any authority." "What are you talking about?" "!" "Triton agreed to give the IFL full cooperation." "As the ship's captain, I will obey a direct order from the Department of the Navy." "That's all." "What are you going to do with the kid?" "For now, one of your men will give up his room to him and put the boy under guard." "Your man will stay in the crew quarters and hammock is as comfortable as a bed." "Damn it!" " What are we going to do?" " I'll go in!" " I'll go in and find Yosuke." " It's too dangerous." "If the IFL has total control of the ship they'll shoot you for sure." " Then what can we do?" "Why don't we wait until morning and talk to them on board the Orion?" "There are lots of civilian ships around so they can't anything excessive." "I agree." "If we get too close to the ship now, there's a chance that Coo might get shot." "I understand." "Coo, come!" "Really?" "!" "We also have some bad news." "A frigate and three escort ships just left the Papeete harbor." "That's not possible!" "There are three more days before the test." "I think it's a move to avoid the protests." "Then the Triton will leave soon." "If Dr. Duvall knows that the ship with the nuclear weapon has already left he would want to get to the test site as soon as possible." "Yeah, I think so too." "Okay, let's do this:" "First, I'll have one of crew watch the Triton from the harbor." "Then we move near the baby entrance and wait there." "That way, if they decide to move out at night we'll be able to block their only passageway." "If not, we can still talk to them about Yosuke." "How does it sound?" " Thank you, Captain." " Just what I expected from you, skipper!" "And thanks to you, I just remembered that I have an important plan which I almost forgot" "Isn't that the film with Coo's pictures in it?" " I also kept Yosuke's diary." " When?" "It doesn't matter." "Jean, could you develop this?" "How are you going to use it?" "We'll put a message in the diary and fax it all over the world." " You've been here all night?" " Yeah." "How's the Triton?" "The crew at the harbor said that there's no sign that ship is leaving anytime soon." "I wonder what they're going to do?" "Maybe, they're waiting for us to make a move." "They got the advantage." "They got Yosuke, you know." "What are you going to do after all of this is over?" "We'll go back to Pago-Pago Island." "And I'm thinking of returning Coo to where he came from." "I want to go back to the way life was before all of this happened." "So we've got to stop the test." "Then here's a toast to our success in stopping it." " What about you?" "What are you going to do?" " Let's see..." "I'd like to go back to Pago-Pago Island with you guys." "I think Yosuke will need somebody since he already lost Blue and about to lose Coo, too." "That is, of course, if you let me." "Okay." "I'll let you stay on the island." "Thank you." "Then as a token of my appreciation..." "The Triton has cast its anchor." "We'll block Triton's path." "Start the engine!" "All ahead full!" "OK, let's put ourselves across its path and advance slowly." "Now back up slowly!" "Captain, there's a message from the Triton." "What does it say?" "It says "This is the French Navy ship Triton."" ""Move out of the way immediately!"" "Let them know who we are." "Also, let them know that we won't let them leave until they agree to negotiate with us." "It's getting interesting in the harbor, too." "The fishermen want to know what's going on." "Let them know!" "I'm sure no one wants to have the nuclear test here." "Back up slowly." "The Triton has changed its frequency." "I guess they don't want the fishermen to eavesdrop them." "Here you go, Captain." "They want to talk to you Mr. Arthur McDonald." "I came to an agreement with him captain, Rooselan." "What did he say?" "He said that he'll release your son if we go pick him up." "In return, we'll let Triton through." "This could be a trap." "I think it's a fair deal." "The captain sounded sincere." "Okay, I'll trust him." " I'll go pick up my son." " I'll go with you." " I'm sorry, Dad." " Don't worry." " Cathy!" "That's okay." "I understand why you did it." "So where's Coo?" "Coo!" "Coo!" "Where are you, Coo?" "Coo!" "Coo!" "Where do you think the destroyer is?" "My guess is that it's about halfway from here." "So, right around here." "Do you think we can catch up with the Triton?" "It's close, but I don't think we'll make it." "The one we should really try to catch up is the destroyer anyway." "We should get to the test site ahead of the other ships." "Good news, everyone." "People from Mangareva and the surrounding islands have begun their protests against the test." ""Dear Mr. President of the United States..."" ""Please don't kill innocent creatures like Coo."" "Do you sense anything from Coo?" "No." "Sometimes he's saying something but I'm not sure if it's for me." " OTEPIPI ATOLL " " So this is it." " That's right." "It's the Triton!" "Green Orion..." "The waters within the 150-km radius of Otepipi Atoll is a restricted area." "Leave this area at once." "This is a New Zealand ocean research vessel." "We're investigating the possible existnce of a previously unknown animal species in the area." "We're not leaving until we finish our investigation." "Again..." "This is a warning from the French Navy:" "If you disobey our order, we have no choice, but to use force." "So you're willing to use your missiles against our small ship?" "That's not such a bad idea." "We'll give you five minutes to think it over." "What gives you the right to be on the bridge?" "We don't want to have anything to do with the IFL." "I just came here to use that phone over there." "I need to report in to Paris." "I'm afraid you can't do that without my permission." "Not really." "And I don't think you have any say on this matter." "What?" "!" "The IFL is entitled to use the armed forces communication channels at all times." "Advance slowly!" "If we get hit by one of those even once we'll be smashed to little pieces." "Do you want to send an SOS?" "Captain McDonald..." "We do not wish to use force." "However, if you do not leave in one minute, we have no choice, but to attack your ship." "We respect your courage, but it's too late." "Look to the west." "Captain Rooselan..." "The Defense Secretary wants to talk to you." "Captain!" "We just received an emergency message." "What did it say?" "It says that there are lots of submarines..." " ...between us and the atoll." " That's impossible!" "There can't be any submarines here this time of the year." "Captain, look at this!" " I don't believe this." " They're Coo's family!" "They're trying to stop those ships!" "Plesiosaurs do exist!" "Over there, too!" "Look, they're also around our ship!" "Yes." "Oh no..." "I didn't think that the UN would get that information." "No, it's not a rumor." "They're here right now." "Yes, Sergeant Major, the baby creature in the diary is still alive." "Coo!" "Colonel Nolver, care to talk to somebody?" "Of course!" "I'm always willing to talk to anybody." "That's good." "There's someone here who wants to talk to you." "I understand, Mr. President." "Goodbye, Coo." "Coo!"