The HELICOPTER circles.
Holly leads them in.
She gestures vaguely.
HOLLY
Somewhere there.
Rahman’s geologists begin examining the ground.
Rahman smiles.
RAHMAN
We will wait for confirmation.
Rahman, Banda, and Holly return to town.
Holly remains under guard.
Alex awakens.
Stronger.
He touches the hardened black paste.
ALEX
What the hell is this stuff?
Phineous shrugs.
Alex listens.
A faint, haunting MUSIC drifts on the air.
Alex, Phineous, and Lena approach cautiously.
The SMALL PEOPLE emerge.
SHWANA steps forward.
Alex removes his shirt, reveals the healing wound.
Nambala nods proudly.
Alex presents a PATCHWORK QUILT.
The tribe murmurs, delighted.
Phineous translates.
Alex gestures to the black paste.
Questions.
The cured GIRL sits nearby—healthy.
Alex stares, awed.
He wraps some of the paste in leaves.
Alex bows slightly.
They depart.
Alex looks back at the valley.
ALEX (V.O.)
If the world finds this place…
it’s finished.
NT. ASKARI POINT – DEEP BELOW – UNKNOWN TIME
Darkness.
MOLTEN LAVA churns and roils far beneath the earth’s crust.
A microscopic FAULT LINE opens.
Pressure builds.
Above—
Water seeps downward.
A single drop strikes molten rock.
HISS.
Steam erupts.
The pressure grows.
Unstoppable.
SHAWN BEDLOW sits hunched over a newspaper.
His pipe is clenched between his teeth—unlit.
A headline catches his eye.
SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL EXECUTED
His eyes narrow.
He reads.
Alex Harding.
Executed.
Bedlow tears out the article.
Something doesn’t sit right.
Files everywhere now.
Bedlow dials an old contact.
BEDLOW
Frikkie De Klerk.
Ring any bells?
He listens.
Writes furiously.
Hangs up.
Another call comes in.
BEDLOW
Waterkloof?
I’m on my way.
Bedlow grips the cyclone fence, peering through.
A HERCULES TRANSPORT is being loaded.
A CAMOUFLAGED MOG VEHICLE waits nearby.
Bedlow scribbles notes.
Then—
A RED PORSCHE.
MANFRED DEXTER steps into frame.
Bedlow watches as Manfred boards the Hercules.
The ramp closes.
Engines roar.
The aircraft lifts—north-west.
Bedlow exhales.
BEDLOW
Bloody hell.
The once-pristine volcanic peak is now an INDUSTRIAL SITE.
COMPRESSORS hammer.
DRILLS scream.
Dust clouds billow.
Men sweat.
A command—
The drilling stops.
Explosives are packed into boreholes.
Fuses are spliced.
Ignited.
BOOM.
The mountain SHUDDERS.
A BOBCAT loader moves in, tearing rock free.
Askari is being violated.
HOLLY sits alone, hugging her knees.
She watches the desecration.
Explosions echo.
Thirty… forty…
She flinches at each one.
Nearby: RAHMAN’S WHITE TENT, glowing warmly.
A decadent oasis amid destruction.
Holly looks small.
Vulnerable.
A SERVANT appears silently, holding a velvet cushion.
On it—a handwritten invitation.
Holly reads it.
Dinner.
With Rahman.
She hesitates—
Then nods.
Holly slips into the warm water.
The familiar sanctuary feels… wrong.
She swims.
Stops.
BUBBLES rise from the rock.
A LOW RUMBLE beneath the surface.
The water level is lower.
She stares.
Uneasy.
She climbs out.
Dresses.
Leaves.
Luxurious.
Rugs. Cushions. Candles.
RAHMAN lounges like a king.
A dagger gleams in his hand—then is slowly sheathed.
Holly enters.
Rahman rises.
His gaze lingers.
RAHMAN
This is… a pleasure.
He pours champagne.
They toast.
Holly sips.
Unaware—crystals dissolve unseen.
Dinner progresses.
Rahman leans closer.
RAHMAN
Our geologists are confident.
Tomorrow we will know everything.
Holly’s eyes glaze slightly.
She shifts in her seat.
HOLLY
What will you do… if you find it?
Rahman smiles.
Measured.
RAHMAN
Balance the world.
He leans in.
RAHMAN (CONT’D)
But tonight—
let us enjoy company.
Holly turns away.
Her breath quickens.
Something is wrong.
She grips the table edge.
The drug takes hold.
Holly struggles to remain composed.
Rahman stands.
Offers his hand.
She rises—unsteady.
He draws her closer.
The bed looms behind them.
The danger is unmistakable.
Deep below—
Steam erupts violently.
The mountain GROANS.
A low seismic tremor ripples outward.
Unnoticed.
Unheeded.
A peaceful clearing.
PHINEOUS methodically restores the camp, erasing all trace of
their presence.
LENA barks instructions.
PHINEOUS obeys instantly—trips over himself to please her.
ALEX watches, amused.
ALEX
(smiling)
You see this, Ngoti?
Fearsome warrior.
Reduced to a trained dog.
Phineous pauses—then realises the joke.
He explodes with laughter.
Alex joins in.
Their laughter echoes through the valley.
Lena reappears, hands on hips.
Confused.
Then smiles despite herself.
The LAND ROVER is ready.
Fuel sloshes low.
Supplies hidden.
Alex turns serious.
He grips Lena’s shoulders gently.
ALEX
You stay here.
We’ll come back. I promise.
She nods. She understands more than she should.
Alex climbs in.
The engine turns.
The Land Rover drives toward ASKARI POINT.
Lena watches until it vanishes.
Lena sits alone in the shade.
A tremor runs through her.
She shivers.
Fever flushes her face.
She lies down.
The valley remains quiet.
The engines ROAR.
MANFRED DEXTER grips his seat, pale and sweating.
Turbulence hits.
He bolts for the lavatory—
Too late.
The CREW exchange bored glances.
In the cargo bay—
JAMES STEELE briefs SAS TROOPERS.
Weapons checked.
Parachutes clipped.
A MOG ASSAULT VEHICLE sits ready.
STEELE
We’re ghosts.
In and out.
He checks his watch.
Two hours.
ASKARI has been transformed into an industrial wound.
DRILLS scream.
COMPRESSORS roar.
Explosives detonate.
RAHMAN stands at the pit’s edge—commanding, furious.
Two GEOLOGISTS stand before him.
Terrified.
GEOLOGIST
There’s no viable deposit.
It’s alluvial. Scattered.
There’s nothing here.
Rahman’s cane WHIPS—
CRACK!
The geologist falls.
RAHMAN turns to BANDA.
RAHMAN
Bring the woman.
HOLLY wakes.
Head pounding.
Memory floods back.
Drugged.
Used.
Discarded.
Her jaw tightens.
She dresses quickly.
Spots the GOLDEN DAGGER.
She takes it.
Holly enters—
Freezes.
The pool is gone.
Drained.
Steam rises from far below.
Sulphur burns her lungs.
The mountain is failing.
Holly spots Rahman with Banda.
She moves fast.
Pulls the dagger—
LUNGES.
The blade slices Rahman’s arm.
Blood blooms.
He reacts instantly.
Disarms her.
Locks the blade at her throat.
RAHMAN
You lied to me.
The ground SHUDDERS.
A deep, unnatural rumble.
Holly slips free.
Runs.
The sky darkens.
A HERCULES roars overhead—LOW.
PARATROOPERS DROP.
The MOG descends.
Then—
A WALL OF FIRE erupts.
The Hercules flies straight into it.
ENGULFED.
Silence.
The mountain breaks.
FISSURES tear open.
MEN scream as the ground swallows them.
COMPRESSORS vanish.
BANDA runs—
Too slow.
A DRILL STEEL is launched like a spear.
It pins him to the rock.
Crucified.
RAHMAN scrambles—panicked.
Cowers.
The volcano ERUPTS.
A tower of ash and fire ROARS skyward.
Alex slams the Land Rover into gear.
The shockwave hits.
He looks through binoculars—
Sees the eruption.
ALEX
Oh Christ…
They race forward.
The mountain consumes itself.
Fire.
Ash.
Thunder.
The land reclaims the crime.
The LAND ROVER skids sideways and stops.
ALEX stands on the passenger seat, binoculars glued to his
eyes.
The ground SHUDDERS.
ASKARI POINT ERUPTS again — smaller now, but furious.
A HERCULES TRANSPORT barrels toward the firestorm.
Alex watches in horror as—
— A VEHICLE is spat from the rear
— PARATROOPERS scatter like paper in the sky
— The aircraft vanishes behind flame
Then—
It reappears.
Out of control.
The wings TEAR FREE.
The fuselage cartwheels, exploding across the desert.
Alex lowers the binoculars slowly.
ALEX
My God…
He floors it.
The Land Rover brakes hard near the burning wreckage.
Heat BLASTS outward.
Alex shields his face.
No survivors visible.
He turns away — eyes drawn back toward ASKARI.
The volcano is gutted.
Collapsed.
Smoking like a rotten tooth.
Silence returns — broken only by distant SHOUTS.
Alex spots MOVEMENT.
Figures scrambling.
A CHASE.
Then—
ZOLA emerges, pursuing a SLENDER FIGURE in jeans and khaki.
HOLLY.
Alex’s breath catches.
Zola leaps into a MILITARY JEEP.
A REAR-MOUNTED CANNON swivels.
Alex guns the Land Rover, staying parallel.
He glances at PHINEOUS.
ALEX
(mouthing)
Stay down.
Phineous grins.
Reaches into a box.
Holds up the LAST STICK OF DYNAMITE.
Alex panics.
ALEX
No—! Put it away!
Too late.
The fuse HISSES.
Alex swerves closer.
Phineous throws.
The stick bounces beneath the Jeep—
BOOM.
The explosion rocks it.
Zola’s face flashes with comic disbelief.
The cannon SWINGS.
TRACER FIRE tears forward—
Alex dives.
The Land Rover is HIT—
A MASSIVE EXPLOSION.
Metal folds.
The vehicle splits.
Alex tumbles.
Phineous sails through the air—
CRASHES—
Alive.
Zola’s Jeep surges onward.
Holly still running.
Alex gets to his feet and RUNS.
MANFRED DEXTER wakes.
Pinned.
Crushed.
The PILOT’S CORPSE slumps beside him — burned, eyeless.
Manfred sobs.
Footsteps.
VOICES.
Through a gap, he sees COLONEL STEELE.
STEELE (O.S.)
No one survives that.
Manfred croaks.
A sound.
Steele freezes.
Peers in.
STEELE
Jesus… get him out.
Hands tear metal away.
Manfred is dragged free.
Alive.
Holly stops running.
Turns.
The JEEP SCREECHES to a halt.
Zola smiles.
The cannon aims.
Holly’s eyes flick—
She SEES ALEX behind them.
She hides her relief.
HOLLY
You have me.
She raises her arms.
She’s shoved into the Jeep.
It speeds off.
Alex SPRINTS.
Jumps.
Grabs the rear rail.
He tackles the GUNNER — throws him clear.
Alex lunges for Zola—
Zola’s strength is brutal.
Alex is dragged across the windshield.
HOLLY kicks Zola savagely.
The steering wheel jerks.
The Jeep SLAMS to a stop.
Steam erupts.
Alex falls hard.
Holly yanks him up.
HOLLY
This way!
They run.
A BELL JETRANGER.
Undamaged.
Holly sprints for it.
Alex follows.
ALEX
You’re insane!
HOLLY
Trust me!
Gunfire.
Men closing.
She climbs in.
Starts flipping switches.
The engine WHINES.
A BULLET cracks the canopy.
HOLLY
Come on…!
Alex turns—
PHINEOUS is running.
Zola breaks from the group to intercept.
ALEX
Ngoti! Run!
Phineous pushes harder.
Almost there—
The rotors spin.
The Football Team closes.
Holly makes the call.
She lifts.
The helicopter rises.
Alex leans out—
Phineous GRABS the skid.
They lock eyes.
The grip slips.
Phineous FALLS.
The Football Team swarm him.
Alex SCREAMS—
The helicopter banks away.
Manfred sits beside Steele in a camouflaged MOG.
They watch the helicopter vanish.
STEELE
Who was that?
MANFRED
Alex Harding.
Steele nods, impressed.
STEELE
Plans have changed.
Night recon only.
They move off.
RAHMAN emerges from the rubble.
Alive.
He finds BANDA pinned to the rock.
Dead.
He absorbs it.
Then turns.
ZOLA approaches.
PHINEOUS sits bound nearby.
RAHMAN
Where is my helicopter?
Zola points north.
ZOLA
Stolen.
Rahman exhales slowly.
RAHMAN
Tomorrow, Serowe.
We decide what remains.
He walks away.
Phineous stares into nothing.
PHINEOUS lies curled in the dust.
Wrists and ankles RAW — nylon rope biting deep.
His eyes stare into darkness.
Low VOICES behind him — ZOLA, RAHMAN’S MEN.
Movement.
At first — animals?
No.
SHADOWS.
Low. Silent. Intent.
They move closer.
Phineous presses flat to the ground.
The shadows resolve into SAS SOLDIERS.
They freeze when they see him.
One soldier raises a finger to his lips.
Silence.
They melt past him.
Wait.
Listen.
After long minutes, they return.
A knife flashes.
The ropes fall away.
Phineous GASPS as blood returns.
A hand gestures:
FOLLOW.
MANFRED watches the SAS patrol vanish into darkness.
His eyes flick toward ASKARI.
Then — the tents.
An idea ignites.
He grabs a TORCH from the MOG.
Moves downhill.
Careful.
Avoiding the firelight.
Manfred slips inside.
Flicks the torch.
A RUCKSACK.
He spills it.
Clothes.
Nothing.
Frustration —
Then he sees a folded NOTE.
He reads.
A slow smile spreads.
MANFRED
(whisper)
Brilliant.
He folds it.
Tears it neatly in half.
One piece into his pocket.
The other — hidden.
He exits.
Later —
He sits by the fire.
Thinking.
Scheming.
Sleep takes him.
STEEL shakes Manfred awake.
MANFRED
Anything?
Steele ignores him.
Orders ripple.
Men bed down.
Cold rations.
Steele gestures Manfred to the MOG.
Steele speaks low.
STEELE
No zittrium. Or not enough.
They’re leaving tomorrow.
So are we.
Manfred hesitates.
Then pushes.
MANFRED
We could still find the helicopter.
That man you rescued — Phineous.
He knows the area.
Steele turns sharply.
STEELE
You’re hiding something, Dexter.
Manfred swallows.
Chooses his lie carefully.
He hands over HALF THE NOTE.
MANFRED
I found this in the woman’s gear.
Steele reads.
His face hardens.
STEELE
Jesus…
Manfred presses.
MANFRED
That black man — Phineous —
He knows where the real deposit is.
Steele exhales.
Calculating.
The JETRANGER ROARS overhead.
The SMALL PEOPLE scatter like ants.
SHWANA and NAMBALA sit together.
Listening.
The earth HUMS beneath them.
SHWANA
Is our god angry?
Nambala lets soil run through his fingers.
NAMBALA
He is wounded.
Shwana’s face hardens.
SHWANA
Then we must do what we have never
done.
CUT TO:
Men preparing SPEARS.
Women and children moving toward CAVES.
The JETRANGER bucks.
HOLLY fights the controls.
Too fast.
Too sensitive.
The cliffs rush beneath them.
A VILLAGE flashes past.
People scatter.
HOLLY
(shouting)
Can you see the camp?
Alex spots the river.
Points.
She follows.
They circle.
Hover.
LAND HARD.
They LAUGH — relief and disbelief colliding.
Then Alex sees —
LENA.
Curled.
Burning with fever.
Holly kneels.
Touches her forehead.
Grim.
HOLLY
Alex…
Alex builds a fire.
Urgent.
HOLLY (CONT’D)
She’s sick.
Very sick.
Alex listens.
His face drains.
HOLLY (CONT’D)
AIDS-X.
It fits.
Alex turns away.
Quiet.
ALEX
Phineous…
Alex returns with lamps, blankets, food.
They eat in silence.
CHANTING rises.
Urgent.
Frenzied.
Then stops.
HOLLY
That sound…
ALEX
They’re afraid.
He looks at the stars.
ALEX (CONT’D)
We move at first light.
Holly studies the black paste.
HOLLY
This could change everything.
Alex exposes his healed wound.
She touches it.
A moment.
PHINEOUS stands before STEELE and MANFRED.
Steele speaks ZULU.
Measured.
Honest.
Phineous listens.
Then looks at Manfred.
Cold.
PHINEOUS
That man is poison.
He points.
PHINEOUS (CONT’D)
I will help you —
but not with him.
Steele considers.
Then nods.
WARRIORS spread in a crescent.
Painted.
Silent.
Shwana raises his spear over LENA.
His hand trembles.
He sees his daughter in her face.
He cannot do it.
He signals.
Weapons lower.
Relief ripples.
Then—
LENA SCREAMS.
Alex leaps up.
Faces Shwana.
No weapons.
Just an open hand.
Shwana retreats.
Commands given.
Lena is lifted.
Carried away.
Alex watches — helpless but hopeful.
Shwana and Alex face each other.
Alex draws ASKARI in the dirt.
Explosions.
Capture.
Phineous.
Shwana listens.
Then shakes his head at the dirt.
Does not understand — or does not accept.
HOLLY emerges.
Sees Lena gone.
Alex explains.
Then—
A VEHICLE ENGINE echoes.
Close.
Alex and Holly grab Shwana.
Run.
They bundle Shwana into the JETRANGER.
Strap him in.
Lift off.
Below —
A CAMOUFLAGED VEHICLE appears.
Holly banks hard.
Alex points.
The hunt resumes.
A KNOCK.
OLIVER opens the door.
Thin. Beautiful. Exhausted.
BEDLOW stands calmly.
Pipe clenched in his teeth.
BEDLOW
I want to talk about Manfred
Dexter.
Oliver’s face collapses.
OLIVER
What’s happened to him?
He SWAYS.
Then COLLAPSES.
Bedlow drags Oliver inside.
Closes the door.
The house is a wreck.
INCENSE burns.
NEW-AGE MUSIC pulses softly.
A COMPUTER hums — lines of CODE frozen onscreen.
Bedlow waits.
Oliver SNORES.
Bedlow splashes water on his face.
Oliver jolts awake.
Staggers to the fridge.
Swallows PILLS.
Sits.
Bedlow slides a PAPER across the table.
BANK DEPOSITS.
Oliver’s eyes widen.
BEDLOW
That money came from Dexter.
Silence.
OLIVER
I wrote a program.
Bedlow leans in.
BEDLOW
What did it do?
Oliver looks away.
OLIVER
It committed suicide.
A beat.
BEDLOW
You still have a backup.
Oliver exhales.
Defeated.
OLIVER
Possibly.
A long pause.
OLIVER (CONT’D)
I want immunity.
BEDLOW
If Adrian agrees.
They lock eyes.
Deal struck.
As Bedlow leaves —
He clicks OFF a TAPE RECORDER.
A sealed room.
PAPERS spread across a long table.
FRANCIS BEB sits at the head.
ZOLA beside him.
RAHMAN opposite.
BEB
Askari isn’t viable.
Rahman smiles thinly.
RAHMAN
Then the mineral is elsewhere.
Beb studies him.
BEB
And South Africa?
Rahman rises.
Paces.
Predatory.
RAHMAN
I am owed eight figures.
He stops.
Leans forward.
RAHMAN (CONT’D)
Give me one week.
Beb considers.
Then nods.
BEB
One week.
Rahman smiles.
ALARM pulses.
STEEL is instantly awake.
Men move silently.
The MOG is prepped.
MANFRED sleeps.
STEEL wakes him.
Phineous is gone—
Then appears from beneath the truck.
Relief.
They move.
Low speed.
Phineous guides with hand signals.
Dawn creeps in.
They crest the ridge.
CHINAGA VALLEY below.
STEEL raises binoculars.
Then—
A HELICOPTER rises.
JETRANGER.
Fast.
Low.
STEEL
Take cover!
SAS melt into bush.
The Jetranger circles.
Phineous leaps onto the bonnet.
WAVES.
Shouts.
Then RUNS.
Manfred grabs a RIFLE.
STEEL turns—
Too late.
Manfred FIRES.
Rounds streak upward.
STEEL tackles him.
STEEL
You lunatic! It’s unarmed!
A RUPTURED FUEL TANK sprays mist.
Bullets strike—
The mist IGNITES.
A WALL OF FIRE.
The SAS are engulfed.
Men SCREAM.
Human TORCHES.
STEEL, trapped, slams the windscreen.
Burning.
Screaming.
Then still.
Manfred RUNS THROUGH FIRE.
Flames consume his clothes.
Hair WHOOSHES.
He rolls.
Smothering fire.
He looks back.
The MOG is an inferno.
STEEL’s charred body slumped inside.
Manfred VOMITS.
Runs.
Holly feels the change.
Fuel gauge DROPS.
Alex looks back.
Sees the FIRESTORM.
The death.
Phineous escaping.
Holly banks hard.
Accelerates.
The Jetranger descends.
Villagers stare.
Fuel reads ZERO.
They LAND hard.
Holly jumps out.
Looks back.
A BLACK PLUME of smoke coils into the sky.
A signal.
A warning.
She exhales.
They are exposed.
GENERAL SAMPIE COETZE reads a classified message.
His face hardens.
He reads it again.
ON SCREEN – DOCUMENT
TOP SECRET – NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION
Mission BRAVADO failed to return.
All hands presumed lost.
A KNOCK.
A SERGEANT enters.
SERGEANT
Sir. A Mister Bedlow. He insists
it’s urgent.
Coetze exhales.
COETZE
Send him in.
BEDLOW enters.
Pipe in hand.
Casual confidence.
BEDLOW
Morning, Sam.
Coetze doesn’t look up.
COETZE
What do you want, Shawn?
Bedlow places a BUSINESS CARD on the desk.
Coetze tosses it into a drawer.
BEDLOW
Information. And possibly…
leverage.
Bedlow flips open his notebook.
BEDLOW (CONT’D)
Manfred Dexter.
That name lands.
COETZE
I have no obligation—
BEDLOW
—You sent a Hercules to Botswana
with him on board.
Silence.
Bedlow slides across TWO ITEMS:
A NEWSPAPER CLIPPING — Alex Harding executed.
A PHOTO — Abdul Rahman.
BEDLOW (CONT’D)
Harding was Dexter’s partner.
Rahman is in Botswana.
President Banda is dead.
Coetze finally looks up.
Ice-cold.
He slides the CLASSIFIED FILE toward Bedlow.
Then lifts the phone.
COETZE
Put me through to the President.
Bedlow smiles.
NAMBALA pricks LENA’S arm.
Blood wells.
He presses the BLACK PASTE into the wound.
Silence.
Time passes.
Lena’s breathing steadies.
Her fever breaks.
She OPENS HER EYES.
Nambala smiles.
Smoke coils on the horizon.
Children climb over the grounded JETRANGER.
Alex stares at the plume.
Holly watches him.
ALEX
I saw Manfred.
He fired on us.
Holly stiffens.
HOLLY
Rahman won’t stop.
That smoke is a beacon.
Shwana approaches.
Gestures them inside the hut.
Lena sits up.
Alert.
Alive.
Holly presses a hand to her forehead.
Looks at Alex.
Shakes her head.
In disbelief.
Holly climbs into the cockpit.
Alex beside her.
The RADIO clicks on.
Lights glow.
HOLLY
Alex… she’s cured.
Alex frowns.
ALEX
The infection cleared—
HOLLY
No.
That wasn’t malaria.
She stares at him.
HOLLY (CONT’D)
That paste destroys HIV.
Alex absorbs it.
The implication is terrifying.
ALEX
If this gets out… Chinaga is
finished.
A beat.
ALEX (CONT’D)
We wait for Phineous.
VOICES.
PHINEOUS appears.
Alex runs to him.
They embrace.
PHINEOUS
You cannot rid yourself of me,
Chaya.
They laugh.
But urgency returns.
Alex kneels with SHWANA.
Phineous translates.
Alex gestures to the soil.
The sky.
Explosions.
Death.
Shwana listens.
Slowly nods.
PHINEOUS
He says he has a forest of men.
ALEX
How many?
PHINEOUS
Two hundred.
Alex exhales.
ALEX
Tell him to prepare them.
Then—
ALEX (CONT’D)
Ngoti… the package.
Phineous nods.
PHINEOUS
I will return.
He runs.
Alex watches him disappear.
MANFRED jogs.
Bleeding.
Smiling.
He spots movement.
PHINEOUS tracking.
Manfred drops into the grass.
Watches.
Sees Phineous climb a tree.
Retrieve a PACKAGE.
Manfred’s smile widens.
He grips a heavy STICK.
Moves ahead.
Sets an ambush.
Sweat pours down his face.
A BEDFORD TRUCK rumbles forward.
Loaded with SUPPLIES.
RAHMAN sits rigid.
ZOLA beside him.
A SHOUT from the back.
They stop.
Ahead —
BLACK SMOKE.
They dismount.
Find the burned-out MOG.
Charred bodies.
Zola grimaces.
ZOLA
We must leave.
Rahman points toward a distant river.
RAHMAN
We search there.
His eyes burn.
ADRIAN GOULDING opens his door.
BEDLOW enters.
They shake hands.
Bedlow removes a ZIP CASE, lays a thick REPORT on the desk.
ADRIAN
I’ll read it later.
Give me the short version.
Bedlow sits, removes his PIPE, taps it absently.
BEDLOW
Dexter ran a scam out of Botswana.
Diamonds. Gold. Falsified assays.
No proof left.
A beat.
BEDLOW (CONT’D)
Dexter and De Klerk are dead.
Adrian reacts.
ADRIAN
The computer fraud?
BEDLOW
Engineered by Dexter and Oliver
Beb.
Adrian looks up.
ADRIAN
Beb?
BEDLOW
Francis Beb’s son.
President of Botswana.
Silence.
ADRIAN
And Alex?
BEDLOW
Page seven.
Adrian scans the NEWSPAPER CLIPPING.
ADRIAN
Executed.
BEDLOW
A put-up job.
Adrian exhales, guilt visible.
ADRIAN
How do we proceed?
Bedlow stands, walks to the window.
BEDLOW
There’s more.
Not in the report.
Adrian turns.
BEDLOW (CONT’D)
A woman.
Holly Gardner.
Adrian stiffens.
BEDLOW (CONT’D)
Military intercepted a
transmission.
Alex. Rahman.
A cure for AIDS-X.
Adrian laughs once. Nervous.
ADRIAN
That’s impossible.
BEDLOW
Usually I’d agree.
A beat.
BEDLOW (CONT’D)
Satellite picked up Rahman’s
helicopter at Chinaga.
Adrian pales.
ADRIAN
Can we extract Alex?
BEDLOW
No.
Coetze has control.
With Beb’s blessing.
Adrian slumps.
ADRIAN
And Holly?
Bedlow flips pages.
BEDLOW
Wanted in Australia.
Accessory to murder.
She crosses a border—she’s
arrested.
Silence.
ADRIAN
So we wait.
BEDLOW
And pray.
FRANCIS BEB stares out over manicured gardens.
A SPRINKLER arcs water.
A RAINBOW forms.
His PHONE rests on the desk.
Echoes of the SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT’S voice:
Stand by. We will deal with Rahman.
Beb closes his eyes.
Guilt settles.
PHINEOUS trots happily.
The PACKAGE strapped to his arm.
Sacred beads around his neck.
He hums.
PHINEOUS
(to himself)
Thunder is coming.
He smiles.
Then—
A WOODEN CLUB slams into his face.
CRACK.
He drops.
Blood spreads beneath him.
Through fading vision, MANFRED’S burned face looms.
Grinning.
Phineous reaches weakly.
His final thought—
Alex.
MANFRED rips the PACKAGE free.
Opens it.
THE TAPE.
Triumph.
A sudden DUST DEVIL whips the torn wrappings into the air.
They settle—
in blood.
The BEADS scatter.
The village has transformed.
WARRIORS stand in formation.
Silent.
Menacing.
Alex scans the bush.
ALEX
Phineous…
Holly approaches.
HOLLY
Fuel?
Alex nods.
They inspect the JETRANGER.
HOLLY
Main tank’s gone.
But the AUX is full.
She flips a switch.
Gauge rises.
HOLLY (CONT’D)
Four hours. Maybe more.
Alex looks toward distant SMOKE.
ALEX
He’s in trouble.
Alex turns to SHWANA.
Points.
One sharp command.
The warriors MOVE.
RAHMAN’S CAMP.
GEOLOGIST works frantically.
Confused.
Instruments don’t agree.
He freezes.
Realisation hits.
Something is WRONG with the element.
He steps toward Rahman—
Then—
Silence.
Birds gone.
Air still.
Rahman steps from the hammock.
The WARRIORS materialise.
A perfect circle.
Alex and Holly enter the centre.
ALEX
Abdul Rahman.
Briefly.
Rahman’s men raise rifles.
Useless.
The geologist steps forward.
GEOLOGIST
The mineral is useless.
Rahman explodes.
RAHMAN
I can see it!
GEOLOGIST
You see an imitation.
Rahman turns to Holly.
Smiles.
RAHMAN
Our encounter… memorable.
Holly steps forward.
HOLLY
Fuck you.
Alex checks his watch.
ALEX
Three minutes.
Rahman orders retreat.
Alex blocks.
ALEX (CONT’D)
You leave with nothing.
Rahman hesitates.
Then retreats.
Truck engines fade.
Alex doesn’t look at Holly.
ALEX (QUIETLY)
I love you.
A beat.
ALEX (CONT’D)
Where did Phineous hide the tape?
Holly points.
HOLLY
Baobab. Across the river.
The TRACKS.
Fresh.
Shwana halts.
Ahead—
PHINEOUS.
Alive.
Broken.
Scratching the dirt.
Alex pushes through.
Phineous collapses.
PHINEOUS
I failed you.
Alex grips his shoulders.
Says nothing.
Hatred ignites.
MANFRED runs.
Confused.
He turns—
The WARRIORS close in.
Alex steps forward.
Bare-chested.
Silent.
Manfred drops to his knees.
Alex lifts the TAPE.
Slaps Manfred’s face with it.
ALEX
All for this?
Alex pins him.
SPEAR to belly.
Blood.
SPEAR to throat.
Manfred chokes.
Holly runs—
Phineous stops her.
Alex roars.
A guttural, primal scream.
At the last second—
Alex DIVERTS.
The spear snaps in the dirt.
Alex turns away.
Pulls Holly with him.
The warriors chant.
They lift Manfred.
Carry him away.
The JETRANGER bakes in the sun.
Its rotors sway lazily.
The rear door swings open.
ALEX jumps out.
MANFRED is dragged forward by two WARRIORS, wrists bound.
He glares at Alex.
Alex ignores him.
A sharp nod toward the helicopter.
Manfred climbs in, slumps across the seat.
Alex confers briefly with PHINEOUS, who translates to SHWANA.
PHINEOUS
(quiet, firm)
Watch him.
Alex will return.
Alex turns—
HOLLY stands with NAMBALA and LENA outside the medicine hut.
Animated. Hopeful.
Alex smiles faintly.
Then—
PHINEOUS grips Alex’s arm.
Hard.
Alex blinks.
Something MOVES at the tree line.
A BEDFORD TRUCK explodes from camouflage.
SCREECHES to a halt.
THE FOOTBALL TEAM leaps out, weapons raised.
They aim straight at SHWANA.
SHWANA doesn’t move.
ZOLA steps out, rifle snapping up.
ZOLA
Another step and he dies!
Alex freezes.
RAHMAN appears behind the truck.
Smiling.
He strides for the JETRANGER.
Alex runs.
Too late.
Rahman climbs onto the skid, yanks the door open.
Alex cups his hands, screams—
ALEX
Dexter’s in the back!
Stop!
Dust erupts.
The Jetranger lifts.
Rahman slams the door.
The helicopter banks low over Alex’s head.
Thirty feet.
Alex sees it—
MANFRED’S GRIN.
Then it rockets away.
The Bedford vanishes just as fast.
Silence.
HOLLY steps beside Alex.
Takes his hand.
Alex presses his chest.
Feels the TAPE.
A distant calm.
Then—
A SONIC BOOM.
Everyone collapses.
A MIRAGE FIGHTER SCREAMS overhead.
Trees shudder.
Egrets explode into the sky.
The Mirage arcs behind the Jetranger.
Alex stares upward.
The MIRAGE flies low.
SQUADRON LEADER BENJIE UYS grips the controls.
Professional. Calm.
UYS
(into headset)
Waterkloof Control.
Green Leader. Jetranger in sight.
COETZE (V.O.)
Switch target to frequency seven-
six-nine.
Apply standard warning.
Uys glances at the SIDEWINDERS.
Flicks a switch.
MANFRED shifts painfully.
Grins.
Then—
A FLASH outside.
A JET.
His smile fades.
SPEAKERS crackle.
UYS (V.O.)
Jetranger. Switch to frequency
seven-six-nine.
Rahman stiffens.
Another command.
Urgent.
Rahman turns—
Sees Manfred wedged behind the seat.
Shock.
The helicopter dips wildly.
Corrects.
MANFRED
Answer him!
RAHMAN
Who are you?!
MANFRED
Later!
Just answer!
Rahman switches channels.
RAHMAN
Switching now.
Another voice—cold.
UYS (V.O.)
Change bearing to two-one-zero
southeast.
Thirty seconds.
RAHMAN
Insufficient fuel.
UYS (V.O.)
Comply or be fired upon.
The Mirage ROARS past the cockpit.
Rocks the Jetranger.
Manfred grips the seat.
MANFRED
Do it!
Rahman hesitates.
Then turns.
The Jetranger crosses the BORDER.
UYS
Target compliant.
COETZE (V.O.)
Advise when at reference point.
Moments later—
UYS
Reference reached.
A pause.
Then—
COETZE (V.O.)
New instructions forthcoming.
Uys listens.
His jaw tightens.
COETZE (V.O.)
Are your instructions clear?
UYS
Clear, sir.
COETZE (V.O.)
Return target to universal
frequency.
Uys frowns.
UYS
Jetranger, switch back to universal
frequency.
He turns away.
The Mirage accelerates south.
Gone.
Rahman watches the Mirage vanish.
Sweat beads.
He keeps low.
Suspicious.
Then—
He realizes.
South African airspace.
A trap.
He jerks the controls.
Full power.
Back toward Botswana.
Trees rush below.
Rahman’s breathing becomes frantic.
RAHMAN
(praying)
Allah… Allah…
He imagines missiles.
Death.
He braces—
The border looms.
The Jetranger races toward the treeline.
Alive.
For now.
End of Chapter Seven
EXT. ASKARI POINT – DAY
The HELICOPTER circles.
Holly leads them in.
She gestures vaguely.
HOLLY
Somewhere there.
Rahman’s geologists begin examining the ground.
Rahman smiles.
RAHMAN
We will wait for confirmation.
EXT. SEROWE – DAY
Rahman, Banda, and Holly return to town.
Holly remains under guard.
EXT. CHINAGA – DAWN
Alex awakens.
Stronger.
He touches the hardened black paste.
ALEX
What the hell is this stuff?
Phineous shrugs.
Alex listens.
A faint, haunting MUSIC drifts on the air.
EXT. CHINAGA – TRIBAL VILLAGE – DAY
Alex, Phineous, and Lena approach cautiously.
The SMALL PEOPLE emerge.
SHWANA steps forward.
Alex removes his shirt, reveals the healing wound.
Nambala nods proudly.
Alex presents a PATCHWORK QUILT.
The tribe murmurs, delighted.
INT. HUT – DAY
Phineous translates.
Alex gestures to the black paste.
Questions.
The cured GIRL sits nearby—healthy.
Alex stares, awed.
He wraps some of the paste in leaves.
EXT. VILLAGE – DAY
Alex bows slightly.
They depart.
Alex looks back at the valley.
ALEX (V.O.)
If the world finds this place…
it’s finished.
NT. ASKARI POINT – DEEP BELOW – UNKNOWN TIME
Darkness.
MOLTEN LAVA churns and roils far beneath the earth’s crust.
A microscopic FAULT LINE opens.
Pressure builds.
Above—
Water seeps downward.
A single drop strikes molten rock.
HISS.
Steam erupts.
The pressure grows.
Unstoppable.
INT. NATIONAL LIBRARY – DAY
SHAWN BEDLOW sits hunched over a newspaper.
His pipe is clenched between his teeth—unlit.
A headline catches his eye.
SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL EXECUTED
His eyes narrow.
He reads.
Alex Harding.
Executed.
Bedlow tears out the article.
Something doesn’t sit right.
INT. BEDLOW’S OFFICE – DAY
Files everywhere now.
Bedlow dials an old contact.
BEDLOW
Frikkie De Klerk.
Ring any bells?
He listens.
Writes furiously.
Hangs up.
Another call comes in.
BEDLOW
Waterkloof?
I’m on my way.
EXT. WATERKLOOF MILITARY AIRPORT – DAY
Bedlow grips the cyclone fence, peering through.
A HERCULES TRANSPORT is being loaded.
A CAMOUFLAGED MOG VEHICLE waits nearby.
Bedlow scribbles notes.
Then—
A RED PORSCHE.
MANFRED DEXTER steps into frame.
Bedlow watches as Manfred boards the Hercules.
The ramp closes.
Engines roar.
The aircraft lifts—north-west.
Bedlow exhales.
BEDLOW
Bloody hell.
EXT. ASKARI POINT – DAY
The once-pristine volcanic peak is now an INDUSTRIAL SITE.
COMPRESSORS hammer.
DRILLS scream.
Dust clouds billow.
Men sweat.
A command—
The drilling stops.
Explosives are packed into boreholes.
Fuses are spliced.
Ignited.
BOOM.
The mountain SHUDDERS.
A BOBCAT loader moves in, tearing rock free.
Askari is being violated.
EXT. HOLLY’S ENCAMPMENT – DUSK
HOLLY sits alone, hugging her knees.
She watches the desecration.
Explosions echo.
Thirty… forty…
She flinches at each one.
Nearby: RAHMAN’S WHITE TENT, glowing warmly.
A decadent oasis amid destruction.
Holly looks small.
Vulnerable.
A SERVANT appears silently, holding a velvet cushion.
On it—a handwritten invitation.
Holly reads it.
Dinner.
With Rahman.
She hesitates—
Then nods.
INT. ASKARI GROTTO – NIGHT
Holly slips into the warm water.
The familiar sanctuary feels… wrong.
She swims.
Stops.
BUBBLES rise from the rock.
A LOW RUMBLE beneath the surface.
The water level is lower.
She stares.
Uneasy.
She climbs out.
Dresses.
Leaves.
INT. RAHMAN’S TENT – NIGHT
Luxurious.
Rugs. Cushions. Candles.
RAHMAN lounges like a king.
A dagger gleams in his hand—then is slowly sheathed.
Holly enters.
Rahman rises.
His gaze lingers.
RAHMAN
This is… a pleasure.
He pours champagne.
They toast.
Holly sips.
Unaware—crystals dissolve unseen.
INT. RAHMAN’S TENT – LATER
Dinner progresses.
Rahman leans closer.
RAHMAN
Our geologists are confident.
Tomorrow we will know everything.
Holly’s eyes glaze slightly.
She shifts in her seat.
HOLLY
What will you do… if you find it?
Rahman smiles.
Measured.
RAHMAN
Balance the world.
He leans in.
RAHMAN (CONT’D)
But tonight—
let us enjoy company.
Holly turns away.
Her breath quickens.
Something is wrong.
She grips the table edge.
INT. RAHMAN’S TENT – CONTINUOUS
The drug takes hold.
Holly struggles to remain composed.
Rahman stands.
Offers his hand.
She rises—unsteady.
He draws her closer.
The bed looms behind them.
The danger is unmistakable.
EXT. ASKARI POINT – NIGHT
Deep below—
Steam erupts violently.
The mountain GROANS.
A low seismic tremor ripples outward.
Unnoticed.
Unheeded.
EXT. CHINAGA – DAWN
A peaceful clearing.
PHINEOUS methodically restores the camp, erasing all trace of
their presence.
LENA barks instructions.
PHINEOUS obeys instantly—trips over himself to please her.
ALEX watches, amused.
ALEX
(smiling)
You see this, Ngoti?
Fearsome warrior.
Reduced to a trained dog.
Phineous pauses—then realises the joke.
He explodes with laughter.
Alex joins in.
Their laughter echoes through the valley.
Lena reappears, hands on hips.
Confused.
Then smiles despite herself.
EXT. CHINAGA – CONTINUOUS
The LAND ROVER is ready.
Fuel sloshes low.
Supplies hidden.
Alex turns serious.
He grips Lena’s shoulders gently.
ALEX
You stay here.
We’ll come back. I promise.
She nods. She understands more than she should.
Alex climbs in.
The engine turns.
The Land Rover drives toward ASKARI POINT.
Lena watches until it vanishes.
EXT. CHINAGA – LATER
Lena sits alone in the shade.
A tremor runs through her.
She shivers.
Fever flushes her face.
She lies down.
The valley remains quiet.
INT. HERCULES TRANSPORT – DAY
The engines ROAR.
MANFRED DEXTER grips his seat, pale and sweating.
Turbulence hits.
He bolts for the lavatory—
Too late.
The CREW exchange bored glances.
In the cargo bay—
JAMES STEELE briefs SAS TROOPERS.
Weapons checked.
Parachutes clipped.
A MOG ASSAULT VEHICLE sits ready.
STEELE
We’re ghosts.
In and out.
He checks his watch.
Two hours.
EXT. ASKARI POINT – DAY
ASKARI has been transformed into an industrial wound.
DRILLS scream.
COMPRESSORS roar.
Explosives detonate.
RAHMAN stands at the pit’s edge—commanding, furious.
Two GEOLOGISTS stand before him.
Terrified.
GEOLOGIST
There’s no viable deposit.
It’s alluvial. Scattered.
There’s nothing here.
Rahman’s cane WHIPS—
CRACK!
The geologist falls.
RAHMAN turns to BANDA.
RAHMAN
Bring the woman.
INT. RAHMAN’S TENT – DAY
HOLLY wakes.
Head pounding.
Memory floods back.
Drugged.
Used.
Discarded.
Her jaw tightens.
She dresses quickly.
Spots the GOLDEN DAGGER.
She takes it.
INT. ASKARI GROTTO – CONTINUOUS
Holly enters—
Freezes.
The pool is gone.
Drained.
Steam rises from far below.
Sulphur burns her lungs.
The mountain is failing.
EXT. ASKARI PIT – CONTINUOUS
Holly spots Rahman with Banda.
She moves fast.
Pulls the dagger—
LUNGES.
The blade slices Rahman’s arm.
Blood blooms.
He reacts instantly.
Disarms her.
Locks the blade at her throat.
RAHMAN
You lied to me.
The ground SHUDDERS.
A deep, unnatural rumble.
Holly slips free.
Runs.
EXT. ASKARI SLOPES – CONTINUOUS
The sky darkens.
A HERCULES roars overhead—LOW.
PARATROOPERS DROP.
The MOG descends.
Then—
A WALL OF FIRE erupts.
The Hercules flies straight into it.
ENGULFED.
Silence.
EXT. ASKARI POINT – CONTINUOUS
The mountain breaks.
FISSURES tear open.
MEN scream as the ground swallows them.
COMPRESSORS vanish.
BANDA runs—
Too slow.
A DRILL STEEL is launched like a spear.
It pins him to the rock.
Crucified.
RAHMAN scrambles—panicked.
Cowers.
The volcano ERUPTS.
A tower of ash and fire ROARS skyward.
EXT. DESERT ROAD – SAME
Alex slams the Land Rover into gear.
The shockwave hits.
He looks through binoculars—
Sees the eruption.
ALEX
Oh Christ…
They race forward.
EXT. ASKARI – WIDE
The mountain consumes itself.
Fire.
Ash.
Thunder.
The land reclaims the crime.
EXT. DESERT RIDGE – DAY
The LAND ROVER skids sideways and stops.
ALEX stands on the passenger seat, binoculars glued to his
eyes.
The ground SHUDDERS.
ASKARI POINT ERUPTS again — smaller now, but furious.
A HERCULES TRANSPORT barrels toward the firestorm.
Alex watches in horror as—
— A VEHICLE is spat from the rear
— PARATROOPERS scatter like paper in the sky
— The aircraft vanishes behind flame
Then—
It reappears.
Out of control.
The wings TEAR FREE.
The fuselage cartwheels, exploding across the desert.
Alex lowers the binoculars slowly.
ALEX
My God…
He floors it.
EXT. CRASH SITE – CONTINUOUS
The Land Rover brakes hard near the burning wreckage.
Heat BLASTS outward.
Alex shields his face.
No survivors visible.
He turns away — eyes drawn back toward ASKARI.
EXT. ASKARI RUINS – DAY
The volcano is gutted.
Collapsed.
Smoking like a rotten tooth.
Silence returns — broken only by distant SHOUTS.
Alex spots MOVEMENT.
Figures scrambling.
A CHASE.
Then—
ZOLA emerges, pursuing a SLENDER FIGURE in jeans and khaki.
HOLLY.
Alex’s breath catches.
EXT. DESERT TRACK – CONTINUOUS
Zola leaps into a MILITARY JEEP.
A REAR-MOUNTED CANNON swivels.
Alex guns the Land Rover, staying parallel.
He glances at PHINEOUS.
ALEX
(mouthing)
Stay down.
Phineous grins.
Reaches into a box.
Holds up the LAST STICK OF DYNAMITE.
Alex panics.
ALEX
No—! Put it away!
Too late.
The fuse HISSES.
Alex swerves closer.
Phineous throws.
The stick bounces beneath the Jeep—
BOOM.
The explosion rocks it.
Zola’s face flashes with comic disbelief.
The cannon SWINGS.
TRACER FIRE tears forward—
Alex dives.
The Land Rover is HIT—
A MASSIVE EXPLOSION.
Metal folds.
The vehicle splits.
Alex tumbles.
Phineous sails through the air—
CRASHES—
Alive.
Zola’s Jeep surges onward.
Holly still running.
Alex gets to his feet and RUNS.
INT. HERCULES WRECKAGE – DAY
MANFRED DEXTER wakes.
Pinned.
Crushed.
The PILOT’S CORPSE slumps beside him — burned, eyeless.
Manfred sobs.
Footsteps.
VOICES.
Through a gap, he sees COLONEL STEELE.
STEELE (O.S.)
No one survives that.
Manfred croaks.
A sound.
Steele freezes.
Peers in.
STEELE
Jesus… get him out.
Hands tear metal away.
Manfred is dragged free.
Alive.
EXT. OPEN GROUND – DAY
Holly stops running.
Turns.
The JEEP SCREECHES to a halt.
Zola smiles.
The cannon aims.
Holly’s eyes flick—
She SEES ALEX behind them.
She hides her relief.
HOLLY
You have me.
She raises her arms.
She’s shoved into the Jeep.
It speeds off.
Alex SPRINTS.
Jumps.
Grabs the rear rail.
He tackles the GUNNER — throws him clear.
Alex lunges for Zola—
Zola’s strength is brutal.
Alex is dragged across the windshield.
HOLLY kicks Zola savagely.
The steering wheel jerks.
The Jeep SLAMS to a stop.
Steam erupts.
Alex falls hard.
Holly yanks him up.
HOLLY
This way!
They run.
EXT. HELICOPTER CLEARING – CONTINUOUS
A BELL JETRANGER.
Undamaged.
Holly sprints for it.
Alex follows.
ALEX
You’re insane!
HOLLY
Trust me!
Gunfire.
Men closing.
She climbs in.
Starts flipping switches.
The engine WHINES.
A BULLET cracks the canopy.
HOLLY
Come on…!
Alex turns—
PHINEOUS is running.
Zola breaks from the group to intercept.
ALEX
Ngoti! Run!
Phineous pushes harder.
Almost there—
The rotors spin.
The Football Team closes.
Holly makes the call.
She lifts.
The helicopter rises.
Alex leans out—
Phineous GRABS the skid.
They lock eyes.
The grip slips.
Phineous FALLS.
The Football Team swarm him.
Alex SCREAMS—
The helicopter banks away.
EXT. RIDGE – DAY
Manfred sits beside Steele in a camouflaged MOG.
They watch the helicopter vanish.
STEELE
Who was that?
MANFRED
Alex Harding.
Steele nods, impressed.
STEELE
Plans have changed.
Night recon only.
They move off.
EXT. ASKARI – LATE DAY
RAHMAN emerges from the rubble.
Alive.
He finds BANDA pinned to the rock.
Dead.
He absorbs it.
Then turns.
ZOLA approaches.
PHINEOUS sits bound nearby.
RAHMAN
Where is my helicopter?
Zola points north.
ZOLA
Stolen.
Rahman exhales slowly.
RAHMAN
Tomorrow, Serowe.
We decide what remains.
He walks away.
Phineous stares into nothing.
EXT. ASKARI PERIMETER – NIGHT
PHINEOUS lies curled in the dust.
Wrists and ankles RAW — nylon rope biting deep.
His eyes stare into darkness.
Low VOICES behind him — ZOLA, RAHMAN’S MEN.
Movement.
At first — animals?
No.
SHADOWS.
Low. Silent. Intent.
They move closer.
Phineous presses flat to the ground.
The shadows resolve into SAS SOLDIERS.
They freeze when they see him.
One soldier raises a finger to his lips.
Silence.
They melt past him.
Wait.
Listen.
After long minutes, they return.
A knife flashes.
The ropes fall away.
Phineous GASPS as blood returns.
A hand gestures:
FOLLOW.
EXT. SAS OBSERVATION POINT – NIGHT
MANFRED watches the SAS patrol vanish into darkness.
His eyes flick toward ASKARI.
Then — the tents.
An idea ignites.
He grabs a TORCH from the MOG.
Moves downhill.
Careful.
Avoiding the firelight.
EXT. RAHMAN’S TENT – NIGHT
Manfred slips inside.
Flicks the torch.
A RUCKSACK.
He spills it.
Clothes.
Nothing.
Frustration —
Then he sees a folded NOTE.
He reads.
A slow smile spreads.
MANFRED
(whisper)
Brilliant.
He folds it.
Tears it neatly in half.
One piece into his pocket.
The other — hidden.
He exits.
Later —
He sits by the fire.
Thinking.
Scheming.
Sleep takes him.
EXT. SAS CAMP – LATER
STEEL shakes Manfred awake.
MANFRED
Anything?
Steele ignores him.
Orders ripple.
Men bed down.
Cold rations.
Steele gestures Manfred to the MOG.
INT. MOG – NIGHT
Steele speaks low.
STEELE
No zittrium. Or not enough.
They’re leaving tomorrow.
So are we.
Manfred hesitates.
Then pushes.
MANFRED
We could still find the helicopter.
That man you rescued — Phineous.
He knows the area.
Steele turns sharply.
STEELE
You’re hiding something, Dexter.
Manfred swallows.
Chooses his lie carefully.
He hands over HALF THE NOTE.
MANFRED
I found this in the woman’s gear.
Steele reads.
His face hardens.
STEELE
Jesus…
Manfred presses.
MANFRED
That black man — Phineous —
He knows where the real deposit is.
Steele exhales.
Calculating.
EXT. CHINAGA VILLAGE – NIGHT
The JETRANGER ROARS overhead.
The SMALL PEOPLE scatter like ants.
SHWANA and NAMBALA sit together.
Listening.
The earth HUMS beneath them.
SHWANA
Is our god angry?
Nambala lets soil run through his fingers.
NAMBALA
He is wounded.
Shwana’s face hardens.
SHWANA
Then we must do what we have never
done.
CUT TO:
Men preparing SPEARS.
Women and children moving toward CAVES.
EXT. CHINAGA CAMPSITE – DUSK
The JETRANGER bucks.
HOLLY fights the controls.
Too fast.
Too sensitive.
The cliffs rush beneath them.
A VILLAGE flashes past.
People scatter.
HOLLY
(shouting)
Can you see the camp?
Alex spots the river.
Points.
She follows.
They circle.
Hover.
LAND HARD.
They LAUGH — relief and disbelief colliding.
Then Alex sees —
LENA.
Curled.
Burning with fever.
Holly kneels.
Touches her forehead.
Grim.
HOLLY
Alex…
Alex builds a fire.
Urgent.
HOLLY (CONT’D)
She’s sick.
Very sick.
Alex listens.
His face drains.
HOLLY (CONT’D)
AIDS-X.
It fits.
Alex turns away.
Quiet.
ALEX
Phineous…
EXT. CAMPSITE – NIGHT
Alex returns with lamps, blankets, food.
They eat in silence.
CHANTING rises.
Urgent.
Frenzied.
Then stops.
HOLLY
That sound…
ALEX
They’re afraid.
He looks at the stars.
ALEX (CONT’D)
We move at first light.
Holly studies the black paste.
HOLLY
This could change everything.
Alex exposes his healed wound.
She touches it.
A moment.
EXT. SAS CAMP – NIGHT
PHINEOUS stands before STEELE and MANFRED.
Steele speaks ZULU.
Measured.
Honest.
Phineous listens.
Then looks at Manfred.
Cold.
PHINEOUS
That man is poison.
He points.
PHINEOUS (CONT’D)
I will help you —
but not with him.
Steele considers.
Then nods.
EXT. CHINAGA CAMPSITE – PRE-DAWN
WARRIORS spread in a crescent.
Painted.
Silent.
Shwana raises his spear over LENA.
His hand trembles.
He sees his daughter in her face.
He cannot do it.
He signals.
Weapons lower.
Relief ripples.
Then—
LENA SCREAMS.
Alex leaps up.
Faces Shwana.
No weapons.
Just an open hand.
Shwana retreats.
Commands given.
Lena is lifted.
Carried away.
Alex watches — helpless but hopeful.
EXT. CAMPSITE – DAWN
Shwana and Alex face each other.
Alex draws ASKARI in the dirt.
Explosions.
Capture.
Phineous.
Shwana listens.
Then shakes his head at the dirt.
Does not understand — or does not accept.
HOLLY emerges.
Sees Lena gone.
Alex explains.
Then—
A VEHICLE ENGINE echoes.
Close.
Alex and Holly grab Shwana.
Run.
EXT. HELICOPTER CLEARING – CONTINUOUS
They bundle Shwana into the JETRANGER.
Strap him in.
Lift off.
Below —
A CAMOUFLAGED VEHICLE appears.
Holly banks hard.
Alex points.
The hunt resumes.
INT. OLIVER’S HOUSE – DAY
A KNOCK.
OLIVER opens the door.
Thin. Beautiful. Exhausted.
BEDLOW stands calmly.
Pipe clenched in his teeth.
BEDLOW
I want to talk about Manfred
Dexter.
Oliver’s face collapses.
OLIVER
What’s happened to him?
He SWAYS.
Then COLLAPSES.
INT. OLIVER’S HOUSE – MOMENTS LATER
Bedlow drags Oliver inside.
Closes the door.
The house is a wreck.
INCENSE burns.
NEW-AGE MUSIC pulses softly.
A COMPUTER hums — lines of CODE frozen onscreen.
Bedlow waits.
Oliver SNORES.
Bedlow splashes water on his face.
Oliver jolts awake.
Staggers to the fridge.
Swallows PILLS.
Sits.
Bedlow slides a PAPER across the table.
BANK DEPOSITS.
Oliver’s eyes widen.
BEDLOW
That money came from Dexter.
Silence.
OLIVER
I wrote a program.
Bedlow leans in.
BEDLOW
What did it do?
Oliver looks away.
OLIVER
It committed suicide.
A beat.
BEDLOW
You still have a backup.
Oliver exhales.
Defeated.
OLIVER
Possibly.
A long pause.
OLIVER (CONT’D)
I want immunity.
BEDLOW
If Adrian agrees.
They lock eyes.
Deal struck.
As Bedlow leaves —
He clicks OFF a TAPE RECORDER.
INT. SEROWE TOWN HALL – DAY
A sealed room.
PAPERS spread across a long table.
FRANCIS BEB sits at the head.
ZOLA beside him.
RAHMAN opposite.
BEB
Askari isn’t viable.
Rahman smiles thinly.
RAHMAN
Then the mineral is elsewhere.
Beb studies him.
BEB
And South Africa?
Rahman rises.
Paces.
Predatory.
RAHMAN
I am owed eight figures.
He stops.
Leans forward.
RAHMAN (CONT’D)
Give me one week.
Beb considers.
Then nods.
BEB
One week.
Rahman smiles.
EXT. SAS CAMP – PRE-DAWN
ALARM pulses.
STEEL is instantly awake.
Men move silently.
The MOG is prepped.
MANFRED sleeps.
STEEL wakes him.
Phineous is gone—
Then appears from beneath the truck.
Relief.
They move.
Low speed.
Phineous guides with hand signals.
Dawn creeps in.
They crest the ridge.
CHINAGA VALLEY below.
STEEL raises binoculars.
Then—
A HELICOPTER rises.
JETRANGER.
Fast.
Low.
EXT. CHINAGA VALLEY – CONTINUOUS
STEEL
Take cover!
SAS melt into bush.
The Jetranger circles.
Phineous leaps onto the bonnet.
WAVES.
Shouts.
Then RUNS.
Manfred grabs a RIFLE.
STEEL turns—
Too late.
Manfred FIRES.
Rounds streak upward.
STEEL tackles him.
STEEL
You lunatic! It’s unarmed!
A RUPTURED FUEL TANK sprays mist.
Bullets strike—
The mist IGNITES.
A WALL OF FIRE.
The SAS are engulfed.
Men SCREAM.
Human TORCHES.
STEEL, trapped, slams the windscreen.
Burning.
Screaming.
Then still.
EXT. VALLEY FLOOR – CONTINUOUS
Manfred RUNS THROUGH FIRE.
Flames consume his clothes.
Hair WHOOSHES.
He rolls.
Smothering fire.
He looks back.
The MOG is an inferno.
STEEL’s charred body slumped inside.
Manfred VOMITS.
Runs.
INT. JETRANGER – CONTINUOUS
Holly feels the change.
Fuel gauge DROPS.
Alex looks back.
Sees the FIRESTORM.
The death.
Phineous escaping.
Holly banks hard.
Accelerates.
EXT. CHINAGA VILLAGE – MOMENTS LATER
The Jetranger descends.
Villagers stare.
Fuel reads ZERO.
They LAND hard.
Holly jumps out.
Looks back.
A BLACK PLUME of smoke coils into the sky.
A signal.
A warning.
She exhales.
They are exposed.
INT. SOUTH AFRICAN DEFENCE HQ – GENERAL COETZE’S OFFICE – DAY
GENERAL SAMPIE COETZE reads a classified message.
His face hardens.
He reads it again.
ON SCREEN – DOCUMENT
TOP SECRET – NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION
Mission BRAVADO failed to return.
All hands presumed lost.
A KNOCK.
A SERGEANT enters.
SERGEANT
Sir. A Mister Bedlow. He insists
it’s urgent.
Coetze exhales.
COETZE
Send him in.
BEDLOW enters.
Pipe in hand.
Casual confidence.
BEDLOW
Morning, Sam.
Coetze doesn’t look up.
COETZE
What do you want, Shawn?
Bedlow places a BUSINESS CARD on the desk.
Coetze tosses it into a drawer.
BEDLOW
Information. And possibly…
leverage.
Bedlow flips open his notebook.
BEDLOW (CONT’D)
Manfred Dexter.
That name lands.
COETZE
I have no obligation—
BEDLOW
—You sent a Hercules to Botswana
with him on board.
Silence.
Bedlow slides across TWO ITEMS:
A NEWSPAPER CLIPPING — Alex Harding executed.
A PHOTO — Abdul Rahman.
BEDLOW (CONT’D)
Harding was Dexter’s partner.
Rahman is in Botswana.
President Banda is dead.
Coetze finally looks up.
Ice-cold.
He slides the CLASSIFIED FILE toward Bedlow.
Then lifts the phone.
COETZE
Put me through to the President.
Bedlow smiles.
INT. TRIBAL MEDICINE HUT – DAY
NAMBALA pricks LENA’S arm.
Blood wells.
He presses the BLACK PASTE into the wound.
Silence.
Time passes.
Lena’s breathing steadies.
Her fever breaks.
She OPENS HER EYES.
Nambala smiles.
EXT. CHINAGA VILLAGE – DAY
Smoke coils on the horizon.
Children climb over the grounded JETRANGER.
Alex stares at the plume.
Holly watches him.
ALEX
I saw Manfred.
He fired on us.
Holly stiffens.
HOLLY
Rahman won’t stop.
That smoke is a beacon.
Shwana approaches.
Gestures them inside the hut.
INT. MEDICINE HUT – CONTINUOUS
Lena sits up.
Alert.
Alive.
Holly presses a hand to her forehead.
Looks at Alex.
Shakes her head.
In disbelief.
INT. JETRANGER – MOMENTS LATER
Holly climbs into the cockpit.
Alex beside her.
The RADIO clicks on.
Lights glow.
HOLLY
Alex… she’s cured.
Alex frowns.
ALEX
The infection cleared—
HOLLY
No.
That wasn’t malaria.
She stares at him.
HOLLY (CONT’D)
That paste destroys HIV.
Alex absorbs it.
The implication is terrifying.
ALEX
If this gets out… Chinaga is
finished.
A beat.
ALEX (CONT’D)
We wait for Phineous.
EXT. VILLAGE CLEARING – MOMENTS LATER
VOICES.
PHINEOUS appears.
Alex runs to him.
They embrace.
PHINEOUS
You cannot rid yourself of me,
Chaya.
They laugh.
But urgency returns.
Alex kneels with SHWANA.
Phineous translates.
Alex gestures to the soil.
The sky.
Explosions.
Death.
Shwana listens.
Slowly nods.
PHINEOUS
He says he has a forest of men.
ALEX
How many?
PHINEOUS
Two hundred.
Alex exhales.
ALEX
Tell him to prepare them.
Then—
ALEX (CONT’D)
Ngoti… the package.
Phineous nods.
PHINEOUS
I will return.
He runs.
Alex watches him disappear.
EXT. SCRUBLAND – DAY
MANFRED jogs.
Bleeding.
Smiling.
He spots movement.
PHINEOUS tracking.
Manfred drops into the grass.
Watches.
Sees Phineous climb a tree.
Retrieve a PACKAGE.
Manfred’s smile widens.
He grips a heavy STICK.
Moves ahead.
Sets an ambush.
Sweat pours down his face.
EXT. DIRT ROAD – DAY
A BEDFORD TRUCK rumbles forward.
Loaded with SUPPLIES.
RAHMAN sits rigid.
ZOLA beside him.
A SHOUT from the back.
They stop.
Ahead —
BLACK SMOKE.
They dismount.
Find the burned-out MOG.
Charred bodies.
Zola grimaces.
ZOLA
We must leave.
Rahman points toward a distant river.
RAHMAN
We search there.
His eyes burn.
INT. ADRIAN GOULDING’S OFFICE – DAY
ADRIAN GOULDING opens his door.
BEDLOW enters.
They shake hands.
Bedlow removes a ZIP CASE, lays a thick REPORT on the desk.
ADRIAN
I’ll read it later.
Give me the short version.
Bedlow sits, removes his PIPE, taps it absently.
BEDLOW
Dexter ran a scam out of Botswana.
Diamonds. Gold. Falsified assays.
No proof left.
A beat.
BEDLOW (CONT’D)
Dexter and De Klerk are dead.
Adrian reacts.
ADRIAN
The computer fraud?
BEDLOW
Engineered by Dexter and Oliver
Beb.
Adrian looks up.
ADRIAN
Beb?
BEDLOW
Francis Beb’s son.
President of Botswana.
Silence.
ADRIAN
And Alex?
BEDLOW
Page seven.
Adrian scans the NEWSPAPER CLIPPING.
ADRIAN
Executed.
BEDLOW
A put-up job.
Adrian exhales, guilt visible.
ADRIAN
How do we proceed?
Bedlow stands, walks to the window.
BEDLOW
There’s more.
Not in the report.
Adrian turns.
BEDLOW (CONT’D)
A woman.
Holly Gardner.
Adrian stiffens.
BEDLOW (CONT’D)
Military intercepted a
transmission.
Alex. Rahman.
A cure for AIDS-X.
Adrian laughs once. Nervous.
ADRIAN
That’s impossible.
BEDLOW
Usually I’d agree.
A beat.
BEDLOW (CONT’D)
Satellite picked up Rahman’s
helicopter at Chinaga.
Adrian pales.
ADRIAN
Can we extract Alex?
BEDLOW
No.
Coetze has control.
With Beb’s blessing.
Adrian slumps.
ADRIAN
And Holly?
Bedlow flips pages.
BEDLOW
Wanted in Australia.
Accessory to murder.
She crosses a border—she’s
arrested.
Silence.
ADRIAN
So we wait.
BEDLOW
And pray.
INT. FRANCIS BEB’S OFFICE – DAY
FRANCIS BEB stares out over manicured gardens.
A SPRINKLER arcs water.
A RAINBOW forms.
His PHONE rests on the desk.
Echoes of the SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT’S voice:
Stand by. We will deal with Rahman.
Beb closes his eyes.
Guilt settles.
EXT. CLEARING – DAY
PHINEOUS trots happily.
The PACKAGE strapped to his arm.
Sacred beads around his neck.
He hums.
PHINEOUS
(to himself)
Thunder is coming.
He smiles.
Then—
A WOODEN CLUB slams into his face.
CRACK.
He drops.
Blood spreads beneath him.
Through fading vision, MANFRED’S burned face looms.
Grinning.
Phineous reaches weakly.
His final thought—
Alex.
EXT. SCRUBLAND – MOMENTS LATER
MANFRED rips the PACKAGE free.
Opens it.
THE TAPE.
Triumph.
A sudden DUST DEVIL whips the torn wrappings into the air.
They settle—
in blood.
The BEADS scatter.
EXT. CHINAGA VILLAGE – DAY
The village has transformed.
WARRIORS stand in formation.
Silent.
Menacing.
Alex scans the bush.
ALEX
Phineous…
Holly approaches.
HOLLY
Fuel?
Alex nods.
They inspect the JETRANGER.
HOLLY
Main tank’s gone.
But the AUX is full.
She flips a switch.
Gauge rises.
HOLLY (CONT’D)
Four hours. Maybe more.
Alex looks toward distant SMOKE.
ALEX
He’s in trouble.
Alex turns to SHWANA.
Points.
One sharp command.
The warriors MOVE.
EXT. RIVER VALLEY – DAY
RAHMAN’S CAMP.
GEOLOGIST works frantically.
Confused.
Instruments don’t agree.
He freezes.
Realisation hits.
Something is WRONG with the element.
He steps toward Rahman—
Then—
Silence.
Birds gone.
Air still.
Rahman steps from the hammock.
The WARRIORS materialise.
A perfect circle.
Alex and Holly enter the centre.
ALEX
Abdul Rahman.
Briefly.
Rahman’s men raise rifles.
Useless.
The geologist steps forward.
GEOLOGIST
The mineral is useless.
Rahman explodes.
RAHMAN
I can see it!
GEOLOGIST
You see an imitation.
Rahman turns to Holly.
Smiles.
RAHMAN
Our encounter… memorable.
Holly steps forward.
HOLLY
Fuck you.
Alex checks his watch.
ALEX
Three minutes.
Rahman orders retreat.
Alex blocks.
ALEX (CONT’D)
You leave with nothing.
Rahman hesitates.
Then retreats.
Truck engines fade.
Alex doesn’t look at Holly.
ALEX (QUIETLY)
I love you.
A beat.
ALEX (CONT’D)
Where did Phineous hide the tape?
Holly points.
HOLLY
Baobab. Across the river.
EXT. SCRUBLAND – LATER
The TRACKS.
Fresh.
Shwana halts.
Ahead—
PHINEOUS.
Alive.
Broken.
Scratching the dirt.
Alex pushes through.
Phineous collapses.
PHINEOUS
I failed you.
Alex grips his shoulders.
Says nothing.
Hatred ignites.
EXT. BUSH CLEARING – MOMENTS LATER
MANFRED runs.
Confused.
He turns—
The WARRIORS close in.
Alex steps forward.
Bare-chested.
Silent.
Manfred drops to his knees.
Alex lifts the TAPE.
Slaps Manfred’s face with it.
ALEX
All for this?
Alex pins him.
SPEAR to belly.
Blood.
SPEAR to throat.
Manfred chokes.
Holly runs—
Phineous stops her.
Alex roars.
A guttural, primal scream.
At the last second—
Alex DIVERTS.
The spear snaps in the dirt.
Alex turns away.
Pulls Holly with him.
The warriors chant.
They lift Manfred.
Carry him away.
EXT. CHINAGA CLEARING – DAY
The JETRANGER bakes in the sun.
Its rotors sway lazily.
The rear door swings open.
ALEX jumps out.
MANFRED is dragged forward by two WARRIORS, wrists bound.
He glares at Alex.
Alex ignores him.
A sharp nod toward the helicopter.
Manfred climbs in, slumps across the seat.
Alex confers briefly with PHINEOUS, who translates to SHWANA.
PHINEOUS
(quiet, firm)
Watch him.
Alex will return.
Alex turns—
HOLLY stands with NAMBALA and LENA outside the medicine hut.
Animated. Hopeful.
Alex smiles faintly.
Then—
PHINEOUS grips Alex’s arm.
Hard.
Alex blinks.
Something MOVES at the tree line.
A BEDFORD TRUCK explodes from camouflage.
SCREECHES to a halt.
THE FOOTBALL TEAM leaps out, weapons raised.
They aim straight at SHWANA.
SHWANA doesn’t move.
ZOLA steps out, rifle snapping up.
ZOLA
Another step and he dies!
Alex freezes.
RAHMAN appears behind the truck.
Smiling.
He strides for the JETRANGER.
Alex runs.
Too late.
Rahman climbs onto the skid, yanks the door open.
Alex cups his hands, screams—
ALEX
Dexter’s in the back!
Stop!
Dust erupts.
The Jetranger lifts.
Rahman slams the door.
The helicopter banks low over Alex’s head.
Thirty feet.
Alex sees it—
MANFRED’S GRIN.
Then it rockets away.
The Bedford vanishes just as fast.
Silence.
HOLLY steps beside Alex.
Takes his hand.
Alex presses his chest.
Feels the TAPE.
A distant calm.
Then—
A SONIC BOOM.
Everyone collapses.
A MIRAGE FIGHTER SCREAMS overhead.
Trees shudder.
Egrets explode into the sky.
The Mirage arcs behind the Jetranger.
Alex stares upward.
EXT. SKY – CONTINUOUS
The MIRAGE flies low.
SQUADRON LEADER BENJIE UYS grips the controls.
Professional. Calm.
UYS
(into headset)
Waterkloof Control.
Green Leader. Jetranger in sight.
COETZE (V.O.)
Switch target to frequency seven-
six-nine.
Apply standard warning.
Uys glances at the SIDEWINDERS.
Flicks a switch.
INT. JETRANGER – CONTINUOUS
MANFRED shifts painfully.
Grins.
Then—
A FLASH outside.
A JET.
His smile fades.
SPEAKERS crackle.
UYS (V.O.)
Jetranger. Switch to frequency
seven-six-nine.
Rahman stiffens.
Another command.
Urgent.
Rahman turns—
Sees Manfred wedged behind the seat.
Shock.
The helicopter dips wildly.
Corrects.
MANFRED
Answer him!
RAHMAN
Who are you?!
MANFRED
Later!
Just answer!
Rahman switches channels.
RAHMAN
Switching now.
Another voice—cold.
UYS (V.O.)
Change bearing to two-one-zero
southeast.
Thirty seconds.
RAHMAN
Insufficient fuel.
UYS (V.O.)
Comply or be fired upon.
The Mirage ROARS past the cockpit.
Rocks the Jetranger.
Manfred grips the seat.
MANFRED
Do it!
Rahman hesitates.
Then turns.
EXT. SKY – LATER
The Jetranger crosses the BORDER.
UYS
Target compliant.
COETZE (V.O.)
Advise when at reference point.
Moments later—
UYS
Reference reached.
A pause.
Then—
COETZE (V.O.)
New instructions forthcoming.
Uys listens.
His jaw tightens.
COETZE (V.O.)
Are your instructions clear?
UYS
Clear, sir.
COETZE (V.O.)
Return target to universal
frequency.
Uys frowns.
UYS
Jetranger, switch back to universal
frequency.
He turns away.
The Mirage accelerates south.
Gone.
INT. JETRANGER – CONTINUOUS
Rahman watches the Mirage vanish.
Sweat beads.
He keeps low.
Suspicious.
Then—
He realizes.
South African airspace.
A trap.
He jerks the controls.
Full power.
Back toward Botswana.
Trees rush below.
Rahman’s breathing becomes frantic.
RAHMAN
(praying)
Allah… Allah…
He imagines missiles.
Death.
He braces—
The border looms.
EXT. SKY – CONTINUOUS
The Jetranger races toward the treeline.
Alive.
For now.