THE OLD BIRD'S SECRET

[SCENE — MARINA HANGAR] [sound design: ocean wind, rain on metal roof, old aircraft cooling, footsteps across concrete] [DUCATI - MALE, STEADY, CONFIDENT] So this is it. The plane that gets us back in the air. [WRENCH - MALE, GRIZZLED MARINA MECHANIC] Don't judge a machine by its paint. [ROWDY - MALE, RELAXED SURFER] I mean... It looks like it delivers boxes. [WRENCH - MALE, GRIZZLED MARINA MECHANIC] That's because that's what everyone thinks. [VERSE 1] [CLAUDIA - FEMALE, OBSERVANT, THOUGHTFUL] Old cargo markings Weathered steel A thousand little scratches From a thousand places it has been [BIANCA - FEMALE, RAPID, HIGH-ENERGY] Nothing flashy Nothing new Just another island aircraft Flying another route [DUCATI - MALE, STEADY, CONFIDENT] Supply runs. Cargo flights. Nothing unusual. [CLAUDIA - FEMALE, OBSERVANT, THOUGHTFUL] Until you look closer. [sound cue: cargo door release] [VERSE 2] [sound design: heavy cargo door opens] [ROWDY - MALE, RELAXED SURFER] Okay... I was expecting crates. [pause] [ROWDY] Maybe some old equipment. [sound cue: interior lights activate] [BIANCA - FEMALE, RAPID, HIGH-ENERGY] That is not a cargo hold. [CLAUDIA - FEMALE, OBSERVANT, THOUGHTFUL] Command stations. [DUCATI - MALE, STEADY, CONFIDENT] Inside the cargo bay? [BIANCA - FEMALE, RAPID, HIGH-ENERGY] Radar scopes. Data systems. Signal processors. [sound cue: monitors power on] [BIANCA] This entire section is a mobile control room. [CHORUS: ALL] The old bird had a secret Hidden under rust and paint A simple little cargo plane That carried something strange Above the clouds Below the waves Across the open sea The old bird wasn't carrying cargo It was carrying eyes to see [sound cue: systems activating] [VERSE 3] [BIANCA - FEMALE, RAPID, HIGH-ENERGY] Weather radar online. [beep] [BIANCA] Surface tracking online. [beep] [BIANCA] Sonar mapping online. [beep] [BIANCA] Seabed imaging online. [CLAUDIA - FEMALE, OBSERVANT, THOUGHTFUL] This could locate anything. [DUCATI - MALE, STEADY, CONFIDENT] Ships. Aircraft. Recovery targets. [BIANCA] Anything hidden beneath the ocean. [sound cue: another system activates] [BIANCA] Wait. [beat] [BIANCA] There's another radar. [DUCATI] Another weather system? [BIANCA] No. [pause] [BIANCA] It's pointed up. [silence] [CLAUDIA] Toward the sky. [DUCATI] Why? [CLAUDIA] Because Lyra-9 isn't only happening below the clouds. [PRE-CHORUS] [ROWDY - MALE, RELAXED SURFER] So let me get this straight. The ugly cargo plane... [pause] [ROWDY] ...is actually a flying detective? [BIANCA - FEMALE, RAPID, HIGH-ENERGY] A flying detective with radar, sonar, and a sensor suite. [DUCATI] I hate that this makes sense. [CHORUS: ALL] The old bird had a secret The answers were inside A weathered shell of metal With a whole world it could find The storm can hide the signals The ocean hides the scars But this old bird keeps searching From the sea floor to the stars [BRIDGE] [sound design: all systems synchronized, low electronic hum] [COMPUTER - FEMALE, DIGITAL] LAIZER-AIR SYSTEMS ONLINE. [COMPUTER] Stored operator message detected. [DUCATI - MALE, STEADY, CONFIDENT] Play message. [sound cue: recording begins] [LAIZER BEAM - FEMALE, RECORDED MESSAGE] "So you were brave enough to board this old bird." [static crackle] "Don't adjust the systems." [pause] "Everything is already calibrated." [pause] "I'll be back for her after this weather event." [recording ends] [silence] [CLAUDIA - FEMALE, OBSERVANT, THOUGHTFUL] She knew someone would find this. [DUCATI] Or she knew someone would need it. [FINAL CHORUS: ALL] The old bird had a secret Now the engines start to turn A forgotten island aircraft With a mission left to learn The storm keeps moving forward The answers stay unknown But the old bird is watching From a world of its own [OUTRO] [sound design: Laizer-Air engines start, radar sweep, ocean below] [BIANCA - FEMALE, RAPID, HIGH-ENERGY] All systems reading normal. [CLAUDIA] That's impossible. [DUCATI] Why? [CLAUDIA] Because nothing about this plane is normal. [sound cue: radar pulse]