Original subtitles

Four hundred for the charter of a boat. That's what we agreed.

That was before the change in the weather.

Winter tides have set in.

Since yesterday?

Can't predict nature.

I like to think you can.

Very well, we shall call it six hundred

and be done with it.

And the rest on arrival.

For such a price, I will expect a premium carriage service,

thank you.

Well, I have much to prepare. I assume we sail at dawn.

I'll need quiet.

I have a paper to deliver on my research.

All the peace that the ocean allows.

Oh, are there any restrictions on luggage?

If it's not bigger than the ship, it comes aboard.

Any bigger, it better float.

It doesn't.

Something laid this

and it'll be coming back for it.

You know the law on eggs.

You cannot move the species.

Yeah, we'll have to find Taayah Island first.

Taayah Island? Never heard of such a place.

It's uninhabited.

Lies to the east of the Aboreal Islands.

- SINBAD: T! Whoa. - I have done this before, you know.

It's a simple shipment job. Can we all just relax?

Whoa.

RINA: Just so you know, no one pays a fortune for a simple shipment.

But you are a great bounty hunter.

I thought I made it clear my cargo was to be stored in the hold.

I'm sorry. Have you seen the size of our hold hatch?

Most gently! I told you before! Minimum movement.

If I'm sleeping next to that I need to know it's not going to hatch.

So simplistic. The shape of an egg, so you assume it's an egg.

I'm old-fashioned that way.

What is it, then?

Private cargo. Where are my quarters?

Anwar, will you show the professor to her cabin?

I'm not sharing with a stranger.

I couldn't agree more.

That's why you're gonna be out here with us.

Okay?

- What about all my books? - Don't be rude.

Ahem!

Through here.

COOK: This'll be the best food you'll ever eat.

Ah.

Uh, I think you're on the wrong chart. We're heading here.

I think, with the wind, it'll be about two days and then...

And then I go north to the Tibor Plains.

Oh.

I thought you might stay and help me.

You must've heard stories of the Land of the Dead.

You think too much.

Have you ever lost someone you loved?

Nope.

Oh, lucky you.

I have. My brother. And I want to find him.

I never had anyone to lose.

I was raised by tigers.

You only had to say no.

Father wanted a son.

He left me out on a rock to die.

The tigers got there before death did.

Sorry, could you possibly... Thank you. I'm gonna need some more space.

Can you move that? Space. Thank you.

You prefer doodling to science, I see.

No, no. I have great admiration for the self-taught.

It shows real spirit.

I believe my spirit was one of the qualities Dr Masood

most admired at Basra Imperial College.

And you're on the Providence, presumably, to further your research?

I have my ideas, yes.

And are those ideas bold? Are they going to change the world?

I know that the shell of your cargo isn't fibrous.

Nor is it entirely calcified.

It's not embryonic membrane.

It's not an egg at all.

It's a vessel.

But for what?

Huh. Wow.

It's paradise.

And it's inside that shell.

That vessel, my life's work.

Diseases, eradicated. Mutations, gone.

You built life?

Our essence captured in countless spores stored inside that shell.

That's not possible.

- Think bigger. - No.

Then see for yourself.

By the time we reach Taayah Island, the release will be optimised.

A barren island transformed,

fertilised and filled with the flora and fauna of Earth.

A new Eden.

If you were an assassin, that would be the last sound you'd hear.

That's what I love about you, your cool temperament.

Do you want some wine? Or some milk?

Very few men I've known have got past the tiger thing.

I like your den.

Did you come here to make big cat jokes or was there something you wanted?

I just need to know, is it because you can't help me

or because you won't help me search for my brother?

Sinbad...

Even if I knew how to get there...

There are things the living shouldn't do.

- But this is... - Places they can't go.

And the Land of the Dead is one of them.

Anwar? What are you doing down here?

She took my room.

And she wants a gourd of water all to herself!

Can you believe it? I've never met anyone with so many demands.

Even the Queen of Persia would expect less.

The real issue is she's asked you to do it.

Oh, yeah? And you've met someone smarter than you and now your head hurts.

Welcome to my world.

- She's a genius. - You think?

Then how come she doesn't know Taayah Island's inhabited?

What?

Professor?

This island we're sailing to...

There's been a mistake.

Sorry, what?

Taayah Island isn't right for your experiment.

There are people, people on Taayah.

- No. - Yeah.

No, no, no. No!

The egg is overheating!

It's in direct sunlight. It needs to be in the hold away from the light!

It will be dark in a few hours. The night will cool it.

It needs to be cool now unless you want to find yourself in breach of contract!

Why don't you try putting it next to your heart.

That should do it.

Every two hours you will wash the egg with cold water.

Every two hours, day and night.

I am paying you for a premium service on all levels.

No problem.

We'll draw up a rota.

Now, please eat.

I've done autopsies on more appetising specimens.

I make something out of nothing

and every day, you... You savour every mouthful.

Today she gets fresh dugong and she calls it an autopsy.

This is hard for an artist to hear.

It's probably too subtle for her palette.

You need to be more careful when choosing your clients.

A ship is not a good place for tension.

Let's just remember how much money we're gonna make on this job.

A rota between six of us, it's not that bad.

Five. I don't do rotas.

COOK: I will show her.

These delicacies will whet the appetite of even the stoniest heart.

Probably best if I take that through.

Just, gently please.

- Don't worry. I have very light fingers. - Hmm.

Some light refreshment?

Better. In my cabin.

Who else knows about Taayah?

Uh, only Rina. She... There's a penitentiary there.

It's quite well known apparently among certain circles.

Sometimes I wonder if there's anywhere left that's out of reach.

Rina is correct. But the Taayans are a private people,

it's a society almost completely untouched by the modern world.

It's perfect for my experiment. Please, sit.

Now, my agreement with them is confidential

and I would like to keep it that way.

But, depending on how the voyage goes,

well...

I would be honoured if you would bear witness to my work.

- Witness the egg? - Mmm.

But I must be assured of your absolute discretion, Anwar.

As one scientist to another.

Your watch.

Good night, Anwar.

Don't forget to water your egg.

SINBAD: Perhaps it was always empty.

No, okay.

- All we have to do is... - Try and find whatever was inside.

A perfect world wrapped inside a protective shell.

And I've destroyed it.

I fell asleep when I should've watched the egg.

Spores. Countless spores. All containing the essence of life.

Anwar, are you quite finished? We've got to find these spores and...

I don't know what a spore sounds like, but it doesn't sound friendly.

Rina, Tiger, go up and keep the ship on course.

And before the professor wakes up, you two, we're going down in the hold.

Fussy eaters should not come to sea.

I realised the egg wasn't entirely calcified, Sinbad.

She explained to me...

- Oh, no. - What?

It's eaten everything.

Look at this.

Doesn't make sense.

Gunnar, look.

Some kind of skin.

Give me the net.

Oh!

I hate it down here.

Gunnar!

Run! Go, go, go!

Get back!

You fools! You wretched fools!

It was you that brought that thing onboard.

And now you're gonna tell us what it is and how to get it off!

Pop the lid back on the box? Un-break the egg?

You told me it was spores.

I gave you gold for passage, for delivery!

For research and papers! Not that!

We can still deliver.

In what? In a barrel? You have no idea.

Because you will not let us know what it is we are dealing with.

Professor, that thing is a demon!

Were his eyes fully formed?

We really didn't get that intimate being so busy running for our lives.

It's of vital importance! The skin, what colour?

Pale. What does it matter?

Second stage incisors.

Already fully formed.

The growth will be quick.

What have you done?

I think it's nocturnal. Pale skin, those eyes.

Then it's a creature of the dark.

Good. Then we have till sunset to kill it.

I mean we use the light against it.

We need pans. Shinier the better.

Gunnar?

I just need to get some air.

COOK: Sinbad.

Anwar, would you be so kind?

We need to work together to protect the experiment.

You mean the monster? I want nothing to do with this.

Taayah Island is overrun with plague-infected rats.

More stories.

I created the serpent to destroy the plague.

That is its purpose.

And what about the people of Taayah?

Look what it did to Gunnar.

It's not harmful to humans. Not normally.

It sleeps by day. It hunts only at night.

Now it's unbalanced because it hatched prematurely and that is your oversight.

Now it's dangerous because its blood is overly concentrated.

Now if we thin the blood, we can calm it down,

but I cannot do it without you.

Can you live with yourself if you don't help me?

I can still swing a sword with either hand.

It should have exhausted itself.

We'll be quite safe. Come on.

Okay, you take the prow, I'll take the stern.

Once you're in position, you open the phial, release the vapour.

Light can rouse its fury. We must move swiftly.

Go, go, go.

Professor?

Professor, please help!

Sinbad! Someone help!

Help me, someone!

Anwar? Anwar?

Oh, no.

Sinbad! Quickly! In the hatch!

Someone help!

Anwar! Anwar!

Shut the...

- Are you okay? - Where is she?

Who?

Anwar, wait. I can explain.

- Hey! Hey! What's going on? - Everybody get back!

- Professor! - I mean it!

Back off, Sinbad! Move it!

Gunnar!

You, fatso, open the hatch! Do it!

Professor, calm down!

Sorry, Anwar.

It needs to feed.

Help me!

Pull!

Should've let it eat her.

Tempting.

But she's the only one who knows what this creature is, so

if we're gonna stand any chance against it,

we're gonna need her help.

With this fever, she won't be helping anyone.

Anwar.

My God!

What?

She's working with Caius Eponicus.

He was a professor of the Creed, a radical.

He believed that humanity was fundamentally flawed

because of its compassion.

He subscribed to a dark belief that

a serpent would return and consume the weak of every species.

But the Imperial College expelled him, forbade him to teach again.

This is only the beginning. It's going to keep growing.

It's going to destroy the ship.

Then we need to get off it.

Come on, we have to leave.

I can't leave.

This isn't up for discussion.

As old as time.

No end, no beginning.

Born of dust and fire.

Cook, we don't have time for this.

You need to pull your head out of your musings

and wake up to the fact that, if you stay,

you're going to drown with the ship.

Then it is as it was written.

You long to go to the Land of the Dead, Sinbad...

We all have our destinies.

- You cannot change them. - No.

No. This isn't destiny.

This is a crazy scientist with a giant snake.

I'm not gonna leave you here.

I can't.

This isn't how you're meant to go.

Now is not your time to die.

Cook's refusing to abandon ship and I can't leave him behind.

Then I'm not leaving either.

GUNNAR: Then we must stay.

If we are staying, then does anyone actually have a plan?

SINBAD: Gunnar?

Try and survive till sunrise

and then we get down.

We have secured the hold. Now let's batten down the main hatch.

Hammer them in place.

Anwar, guide her in.

Got her.

Sounds like it's breaking through the hold.

It's a night feeder. It's hunting.

One more set of hatches. Then we are the next course.

How about we give it a feast to remember?

Us.

Human bait.

We could use the cage.

Yes, then it goes for the bait, we hoist it up.

Then we take its head off.

Wait, we should do this at dawn. It hates the light.

- There won't be anything left by dawn. - Okay.

Professor?

Professor, don't!

COOK: Her work consumed her.

Maybe she found a conscience after all.

She wasn't the conscience type.

It's eaten. Should buy some time.

No, we have less time.

The more it eats, the more dangerous it becomes.

We need to do this now.

Once more,

when I'm clear, open up the hatch as quickly as you can,

lower me down slowly, then close it back up, okay?

- All right. - We only get one chance.

Okay.

- What are you doing? - The plan.

Out. I go inside.

That thing could tear this cage clean off the rope.

And if it doesn't, you're gonna need someone who's good with animals.

I think I have that covered.

Pull it!

Okay, fine.

GUNNAR: Now, bring it around. SINBAD: Move that plank.

Whatever you do, don't get out of the cage.

Board her up, quick.

As soon as the serpent grabs the cage, we hoist it up.

Keep listening.

Up!

Bring her up!

Tiger!

Bring her down. Quick, quick.

I swear I saw it. She's inside the creature.

Tiger, it's very dark down there. Maybe you...

I know what I saw.

Dear God.

This was her breakthrough.

She wasn't just creating life.

She was merging it with herself.

So, what?

Before it had strength. And now it has strength and intelligence?

Yes.

Her intelligence.

Oh, well.

The Professor is in the serpent.

The serpent is in her.

Shared life force.

Shared intelligence.

Perhaps, if the spirits are willing, shared weakness.

What, no sense of humour?

She's trying to sink us.

She didn't like my nuts.

Anything with almonds, pistachios, walnuts, she did not touch.

I once saw a man die from eating nuts.

His throat swelled up and he choked on his own tongue.

You're planning to kill a serpent by nuts?

Yeah.

Someone needs to make a decision.

If it keeps on smashing a hole in the hull like that,

we'll be up to our necks in water.

The lower deck's beginning to flood.

If we just hang on until dawn.

Nuts, really?

At least then we'll have the sun on our side.

Whatever we decide, we need to do it quickly.

Fine.

Then we're going to need fire. Every living thing is afeared of fire.

Afraid.

That's what I said. Afeared.

More nuts!

Gunnar, try and hold on.

My dying breath will be to curse that creature, as it dies.

Only three arrows?

Sinbad!

- Cook, arrow. - Here.

Get out!

- Where did it go? - Hold still!

I can't see it.

- Anwar! - Anwar!

- Anwar! - Anwar!

Anwar!

Stay back, Anwar.

Ah! There!

Last arrow.

No pressure then.

Drive it up and out of the water!

At last.

Quick, Cook, the pans!

Yah!

Really, Cook? Eggs?

It was the only thing it didn't eat. Drew the line at cannibalism.

TIGER: Remind me to teach you how to use a crossbow.

You could just say it.

That you want me to stay.

I know a place.

A monastery on the island of Malta.

It houses an ancient collection of maps, strange, fantastical maps.

They say they chart the Island of the Sirens,

Land of the Rocs.

Nonsense, of course.

I wouldn't be so sure.

If I was looking for a map to the Land of the Dead,

that's where I'd look.

If?