> FADE IN:

EXT. FERRY ON WATER — MORNING 

The fog TWISTS over the water, a thick and almost impenetrable CURTAIN — that suddenly PARTS, to reveal: 

A FERRY

older, banged-up and square-edged, plowing through the water of the Outer Harbor, headed towards the islands.

**SUPERIMPOSE: SEPTERMBER 31, 1954**

SFX PRELAP the sound of a MAN RETCHING, loud and miserable

A MAN, late 30’s, is bent over the toilet, PUKING his guts out. He raises his head, LOOKS at himself in the mirror —

Meet TEDDY DANIELS.

Square-jawed, strong build, a born fighter with something WARY around his eyes. He wears a clean cut SUIT , but there’s a sense of DANGER to him, he’s SCARRED, on the inside.

He SPLASHES WATER on his face, his coat falling OPEN as he leans forward — first we see his HIDEOUS FLORAL TIE –

— and then we glimpse the GUN holstered at his waist, and the BADGE at his belt — U.S. MARSHALL.

TEDDY
Get it together, Teddy. It’s just water. 

He turns his head, looks out the PORTHOLE at the ENDLESS OCEAN outside the boat —

TEDDY (CONT’D)
A lot of water.

He RINSES his face in the sink, mops his forehead.

TEDDY (CONT’D)
(repeating)
Get it together.

INT. FERRY CARGO HOLD — DAY

TEDDY comes out of the head into the converted CARGO HOLD that forms the belly of the ship. 

the hold has been STRIPPED of everything but SHEET METAL that covers the floors, the room is resoundingly EMPTY.

STEEL BENCHES run under the barred windows, bolted to the floor with THICK BLACK POSTS at both ends –

MANACLES AND CHAINS

hang in piles from the posts, empty and cold, ominous as sleeping snakes.

TEDDY picks up his OVERCOAT from where it lays slung over one of the benches, his footsteps ECHOING as he goes up.