Lonesome Jim The Deep

We can't fly through this! We're going to have to land, Dad!

Have you seen the sea? We can't land.

Look, Jess, I've got this. Just secure the pod!

SHE GASPS

We probably needed that engine, right?

SIREN BLARES

Come back and buckle up. Mayday, Mayday...

My family are explorers.

We have been for generations.

While others look up to the stars,

we know there are an infinite number of things that

shine in the darkness below.

There are things lurking in the seas

that long ago vanished into myth.

My family are explorers.

And we explore...

the deep!

Ant has a problem with green.

No way!

Green is my third favourite colour, but slime on the other hand...

Come on, Ant. Try it.

This kelp has iodine,

calcium and the potential to feed millions of people cheaply.

Hmm.

Eww!

Only if those millions of people don't have taste buds!

-Eugh!

-Oh, it's not that bad.

Will? We're receiving a Mayday call.

Bleugh!

Quick, Jess. It's going down!

So, we swim for it?

-BOTH:

-Whoa!

HE GRUNTS

What?

Whoa.

The Nektons sure know how to make an entrance.

Bob Gorman! It's been too long.

How's business?

Still saving the world one habitat at a time.

You're lucky we were nearby.

Luck had nothing to do with it.

We were coming to see you.

Will, we found a female Floreana Island tortoise!

Impossible!

There's only one Floreana Island tortoise left in the world.

So we thought too, Ant.

But this one was in a zoo in Ghana, wrongly labelled for 15 years.

Dad! Lonesome Jim will have a friend!

Check her out. We've named her Eve.

Jess built this pod to transport her safely.

You need a tissue for that drooling problem, Ant?

Fontaine!

Jess, you look great!

Meet the amazing Eve.

Here, let me help you with that.

Ant, it really doesn't need...

HE GRUNTS

Aah!

Ha, thanks. I'm usually very agile.

Like a cat.

Cats land on their feet.

Um...

I've got nothing.

SHE CHIRPS

Wow, look at her. She's beautiful.

And I have reports from three different vets here, Will.

Eve's healthy.

Wow, you really built this pod?

It's amazing.

Whoa!

Oh, that's Jeffrey. He didn't mean it.

Really?

Jeffrey, Jess Gorman is our guest.

Now say hi properly.

He takes time to warm to strangers.

Maybe if he sees us close together for prolonged periods...

Forget it, Ant. We have loads of stuff to catch up on.

But I was going to show Jess the laboratory.

I'll let her down gently.

Uh, we were talking about... stuff!

You have Jeffrey for that.

THEY GIGGLE

We should get Eve and Lonesome Jim together.

We can be in the Galapagos Islands before sunset.

You sure you're OK with us seeing Jim's secret location?

I think his secret is safe with you.

After all, you may have just saved his entire species.

Jim's nearby.

You think Jim will be happy?

-I'm not sure.

-You think he'll like Eve?

-Really not sure.

-You think she's cute? I think she's cute.

But what makes one tortoise cute to another tortoise?

I'll assume you're not sure.

Good assumption. Sh, look!

There's Jim!

Maybe we should give them some time to get to know each other...

alone.

What? Oh, Jim and uh...

Right.

So, I replaced the voltage regulator and fixed the cracked float.

I also got rid of that annoying squeak in the pilot's seat.

Appreciate that, Kaiko.

All right, hold still. Don't move...

Are you sure you can't stay for dinner?

I mean...we have kelp.

-I love kelp!

-Yeah, me too. I'm all about the kelp.

Can't get enough of it.

Unfortunately we have...

We have an appointment to keep.

Jess! Best keep moving.

-See you, Fon.

-Bye, Jess.

I can e-mail you, right?

Any time, Ant.

We'll keep you updated.

Maybe years from now, we'll look back and say,

"Today's the day we managed to save the Floreana Island tortoise."

Say goodbye to Jeffrey for me!

VROOM!

Bye, Jess.

Jim? Jim? Where are you?

HE SIGHS

-No signal? Strange.

-Over here!

Two sets of tortoise tracks heading out towards the open sea.

But Jim wouldn't go swimming. He's fundamentally lazy.

Come on!

Picking up a faint trace signal, but it's weak.

Accessing satellite relays.

I don't know how, but the signal is 850km away.

There's no way could Jim move that fast, not by himself.

Someone's taken him.

Chart a course for that signal.

Let's go find Jim!

WHIRRING

A much stronger signal now, coming from a depth of 70 meters.

-SHE GASPS

-What's that?

Maybe...

a school of bioluminescent fish...?

Think bigger.

A really big school?

HE GASPS

Greetings, My name is Sebastian Conger.

Thank you for visiting my humble abode.

I don't get many visitors.

Mr Conger, we're looking for two Floreana tortoises. Do you know...?

Please, allow me to invite the entire Nekton family to dinner.

The entrance is directly ahead.

-That was strange.

-I'll say.

-Jim is in there, right?

-It looks like it.

Only one way to find out for sure.

We're accepting Mr Conger's dinner invitation,

but you two stay here.

What? Why? I want to find Jim!

We need you to stay and see what you can learn about our host.

You'll know what's going on the whole time.

They're trying to protect us.

Only required if that Conger guy is serving kelp.

Funny, the last thing I expected was that we'd be eating out tonight.

Yeah, me too.

-Whoa. Hi-tech creepy.

-Yeah, no kidding.

Welcome. Will there only be the two of you joining us?

The children send their apologies, Mr Conger.

They have research projects to attend to.

Yes, of course.

As cover stories go, that's about a four-out-of-ten.

Follow me, please.

So, Mr Conger is a very wealthy businessman...

makes donations to several zoos.

A conservationist maybe?

Look, there's Jim!

Why have you taken him?

Observe, he's getting the best attention money can buy.

Not what I asked!

Galapagos Island tortoises are protected.

By taking these animals, however you did it,

you're in breach of international Law.

We're outside any territorial waters.

The law doesn't apply here.

This guy's slimier than Dad's kelp!

Hmm, Jim looks OK, but there's no way he's going to survive

outside his normal habitat for long.

You steal two tortoises, that's theft, pure and simple.

Only one tortoise. The other...

Well...

THEY GASP

Eve is animatronic. Those vet reports were fakes.

I don't think there's a future in this relationship, do you?

A simple homing device.

Eve followed this and Jim followed her synthesised pheromones. Easy.

I... He... That's....

Well said.

Were Bob and Jess Gorman in on this?

There's no way!

I'm impressed by Jim's perfectly formed carapace.

The skin is unmarked, pristine.

Kaiko, it's time to go.

No. You won't be leaving quite yet.

Whoa!

Did he just do the trap door thing?! Nobody does that in real life!

-Nobody in their right mind.

-You OK?

I will be when I get my hands on him.

Two Nektons. Perfect condition.

Why is poaching rare animals so complicated? Bring me the kids.

Incoming.

We need tactics or a plan, preferably both.

Hmm. Conger said we were outside International Law.

That means rules against hitching rides don't apply.

Hah! Ugh!

Toughened glass. Probably bulletproof.

I'm almost sure kicking isn't going to get us out of here.

I know, but it feels good.

We searched the entire vessel. It's deserted.

It took you this long to tell me that?!

-You want us to search it again?

-No. Get back here now.

We did find this.

Fools! I'm only interested in rare species. Get rid of it!

Good job infiltrating the base, Jeffrey.

But you need to go home now.

Or don't. But we have stuff to do.

Ugh. The crawling through the air conditioning duct

-is a very over-rated tactic.

-It works for me.

I'm just saying we should've considered me a bit more.

Maybe the sewage system?

-There are corridors, Ant. Where normal people walk!

-Sshhhh!

-We did what you asked.

-It's Jess!

-Shhh!

-We brought you Lonesome Jim.

The agreement was you'd take care of him.

Our business is concluded.

She... They both...?

Our business is finished when I say it's finished.

The Nektons traced you back here.

Now I have to make sure they don't alert the authorities.

I may need further assistance from you yet.

Are you insane? Kidnapping a tortoise is one thing,

but if you think you can kidnap our friends, then you are seriously...

Both: Whoa!

Really? The trap door thing? Nobody does that in real life.

We need to get out of here, now. You break Jim out.

And you go help mum and dad.

Can you believe Bob and Jess Gorman were in on this?

I... We owe you both an apology.

At the very least.

Dad didn't have a choice.

Six years ago, I engaged in some petty sabotage of bulldozers.

-Conger found out?

-Yes. Blackmailed me.

If he went public, everything I've worked for would be over.

You could have told us.

I was bugged. Conger would have known.

Ah!

Jim. We're getting out of here.

And you, don't you look at me like that.

You're not even real.

Ah!

Not that one.

Yes! Now, all we need is ninja-like stealth and speed.

The coast is clear. Run, Jim!

Er, right, you can't. You're a tortoise.

Ugh! Ugh!!

Right. Pass me your comm link.

There's no signal in here, Kaiko.

I know, but I have an idea that's better than foot pain.

-Nice work, Kaiko.

-Thanks.

There are escape pods through there.

I'm not going anywhere. Not till we've fixed this mess.

Fontaine, what are you doing here?

Er... well, rescuing you guys? Ant is freeing Jim.

Will, whatever you need, we're here.

We need to get back to the Aronnax and call in backup.

Fontaine, come with me, we'll take the Rover.

You two come with me. We'll find Ant and Lonesome Jim.

Ugh. Ugh! We're talking time critical situation here, Jim.

Ugh! Moving into a jog.

Argggh! So wishing I had a plan B right about now.

Oh! Mum, don't trust them! They lied to us.

-It's OK, Ant. We know.

-We want to help.

Help? Really? You think we can all carry Jim? Very unlikely.

Push Jim like a giant hockey puck? Hugely unlikely.

So, just assuming we did trust you, Jess,

ginormously unlikely by the way, how can you possibly help?

With this.

OK, that might work.

Aronnax requiring immediate backup. Aronnax requiring immediate backup!

Go ahead, Aronnax. World Ocean Authority ready to assist.

What are your coordinates?

Get to the moonpool!

Oh, no! They're onto us!

C'mon, Jim! Follow Eve inside!

The next animal we rescue from the clutches of evil

needs to be lighter.

I got this.

Jess!

You fools.

Must I do everything?

Restrain them!

No! You think you can escape?

-Jess! Move

-it!

I'll get you!

Argh!

Proximity alert. World Ocean Authority vessels approaching.

No! Stop them!

Come on, let's go!

Come on, Ant!

Initiate escape protocol! And get me down from here!

They're getting away! Shut the moonpool! We'll take them with us.

We're not going to make it.

Come on. Faster. Hold on tight!

-Brace yourselves.

-ALL:

-Whoa!

-Hi! Need a little help?

-Yes!

-Yes!

Blast! Get us out of here!

-Everyone OK?

-Oh, we're good, we're good.

World Ocean Authority, I'm afraid they escaped.

No, we're maintaining a signal.

We're familiar with the subject and his illegal activities.

We'll continue and apprehend. Thanks for your assistance.

Ant. We'll be going soon and I... We...

Look, I know sorry doesn't begin to make up for anything.

No, but it's a start.

Oh!

I'll miss you too, Jeffrey.

-Home sweet home, Jim.

-And this time, you won't be alone.

I adapted Eve to solar power. Her shell is photosensitive now.

She'll run forever. And you have a good time with your new friend.

Here, one last present. It's kelp. Dad's been growing it.

-High in iodine and calcium.

-SQUEALS

Oh, it's not that bad.

In fact, he's happy to demonstrate how super tasty it is, right Dad?

Sure. Happy to.

Bleurgh!

LAUGHTER