Welcome to Halifax,
Last stop on the Underground Railroad,
Everybody step off with they own story,
And, boy, do I got one for you,
It's about family lost and family found,
A story about a young man and the boy he used to be,
The story of a boy brave enough to change the world,
unless it eat him up like it tries to do all of us,
kill our hopes and spirits, everything we got,
But if he can beat it, maybe we can too,
That's why this just ain't his story, it's our story,
Alright,
Hey, Jack,
Damn, man, You got another thing
you trying to kill me with so you ain't gotta pay rent?
Come on, we late,
- I'm so sorry, Medwin, - It ain't nothin',
You're not like some of the others under this roof,
think the boarding house pay for itself,
So, what's it this time?
It's a machine I want to build,
I need to vary the weight and test the ballast
so I can get a sense of how it affects the flight characteristics,
- Okay, - Then, I'll calculate the variables,,,
Ah, ah, ah, ah, English,
I'm going to fly,,,
change the way people travel the world,
Then that's what you gon' do,
Hm,
So, uh, about the,,, rent,
- Mm, - I-- I might be late, too,
What you do with all that coin you made down at the docks last week?
Inventions don't pay for themselves, so,,,
Is that so? Thank you,
Ferry coming in,
- Okay, - Come on, island boy,
- Get outta here, - Alright,
Get outta here!
Drink after work? It's on me,
This is beautiful, Father,
Well, it's certainly different,
More importantly, it's not London,
You have our arrangements in hand?
Upon arrival, transport will take us to the lodgings
your benefactor has provided,
He's quite the admirer of your work,
He's a true friend of the sciences,
It'll all be different here,
Halifax, next, All ashore for Halifax,
I'll see to our luggage,
Tell me what's yours,
I'll make sure I tend to it first,
That kind of favoritism might make it hard to keep your job,
But it will help you in yours,
And your employers would be grateful,
My employers?
I'm not a servant,
I meant no offense,
Tanna,
Coming, Father,
The adventure that awaits us here,
Do you we'll find a specimen of the mustela macrodon for the new book?
Even the RSL doesn't have one in their collection,
Could put you back in their good graces, Father,
That or-- or winning the gold,
- The World Science Expo?
Ah, it's wishful thinking,
It's a remarkable place, Nova Scotia,
Did you know escaped slaves from the former colonies make their way here?
One might call it a-- a beacon of freedom,
I have read that,
I dare say, some of those fellows
from the luggage area in the ferry could tell firsthand,
Father,
Waves begin small, Tanna, a-- a breath of wind,
But those same waves can grow large enough to drown us both,
And there goes our fresh start,
What would you have me do?
You cannot keep denying the other half of who I am,
You look so much like your mother in this light,
But you're not her, my dear, you are a child of England,
a child of empire,
And that is the skin that you must inhabit for both of us,
Why can't I be more?
Well, tomorrow, we'll finally meet Mr, McGee,
Hup, Easy, boy,
-
The devil,
- Hey, Jack, Hello, Miss Angie,
Lucy, bring Jack the regular, please,
Alright now,
Did my application come yet, Miss Angie?
What the people name again?
- Royal Science League, Royal Science League,
Let me see,,, hmm,
Nope, Nothing from them,
- What this one for? I'm going to fly it
over and across the ocean to London,
and win the RSL's World Expo,
With the wings God never give you?
It's not about God, Miss Angie,
It's about science,
Observe, record, and engineer,
You and your fancy ideas,
You try with that,
- Swordfish and bacon, - Thank you,
I have faith in you,
I'll go tell you when the application from the people come,
Ah,
- G,M, Goff, - How do you do?
I'm Mr,-- Mr, Goff, from earlier, From London,
Pleasure to meet you, sir,
What do you think?
Well, even in their contrasts, they speak with one voice,
An artist wrestling with change, perhaps,
Nobody's ever noticed that before,
- You're familiar with the artwork? - Well, I should be,
After all, I did buy them,
M,,,
Mr, William McGee, I presume,
- I fear I've been rude, - Not in the least,
My mother always said I had a horrible taste in art,
But God bless her soul, I miss her,
Based on the words and the calligraphy in your correspondence,
I expected a businessman of my father's age, perhaps beyond,
Well, I'm afraid us colonials
are not nearly as modern as our London counterparts,
- I've overstepped again, - On the contrary,
I thoroughly enjoy your willingness to share your unabashed opinions,
I wonder if you had any expectations of me,
Father, may I introduce Mr, William McGee,
Mr, McGee, What a pleasure,
Our accommodations and journey, both superb, thanks to you,
Mr, Goff, she is even more enchanting than you promised,
Apparently, the-- the feeling is mutual,
I'm so glad he's to your liking, my dear,
We've decided that you shall marry,
Tanna! Come back inside at once,
Why didn't you tell me?
We crossed the Atlantic Ocean together, and-- and you knew the entire time,
Th-This is my obligation, Tanna, as a father,
Mr, McGee is a fine suitor,
Handsome, wealthy,
And he has the resources to keep you safe,
It was not easy finding a match outside of London
after you told the world who you really are,
- But I did, - I thought we were here
for a fresh start, to work together on the book,
- like you and-- - Your mother was the one
who wanted you away from the Solomon Islands,
That was her dying wish, for you to have the-- the kind of life
that I could provide for you in London,
In fact, this marriage is exactly what she would've wanted for you,
You would use the ghost of my mother to strong-arm me into marriage,
Yet when I want to see an image of her,
or hear stories, or play the piano,
or go to the Solomon Islands to see my family, that's off limits,
You erased every bit of her
from our lives,
You might as well have killed her all over again,
- You're going too far, young lady, - Did you even love her?
No good comes from love,
Like me?
You say you love me, Father, Then love all of me,
Let me be what I want,
Let me be with whom I want,
Ahh, Tanna--
Tanna!
Ahh,
Angie, Should've told me you were comin' tonight,
You didn't have to leave your girlfriend on account of me, ya know,
Ah, that nothin' serious, Just some fun,
You ever goin' to get serious?
Not easy finding someone who can keep up with me,
Maybe they're already far ahead of you,
Hey!
Why you stuck in this chair?
Just,,, just thinking,
Thinkin', huh?
More like lost in one of them dreams again,
Hey, we dreamin' or we drinkin'? Come on,
Ah,
Oh, the white folks don't kill you, this'll definitely do the job,
Oh, hey, John,
Hey, Jack, can you please buy me a little bit of rum,
put a little fire up in my belly?
- I'm sorry, I-- - You stay away from him,
- Medwin, - Get the hell outta here, right now,
- Don't have to be so hard on John, - Um,,,
I heard somethin' earlier today,
Big fella come in on the ferry lookin' for a Black man
named George Washington Black,
Wash, keep working,
He's coming, Master Wilde is coming,
There, there,
Mm,
Yes, it's Joseph,
Jumped from the cliffs,
And he is but the latest to commit this crime,
So, tell me, why have you been killing yourselves?
Killing yourself is a crime against me,
as surely as though you steal my horse and slit his throat,
He is mine, you are mine, through life and death,
I am your master,
Do you understand?
Yes, Master,
Good,
If any here transgress this command,
I will peel the skin from those kinfolk you leave behind,
mother, child, whomever,
And they will not die quickly, if ever,
Of this, I assure you,
Hup,
Jack,
Jack! Pull yourself together,
Hey!
To the Lost,
And curse the white bastards that took 'em,
May they right hand shrivel and their peckers fall off,
- To the Lost, - To the Lost!
To the Lost,
Kit, I do not want to die,
Death can't frighten us,
Joseph chose his death so he can be free,
We close our eyes here and they open again
back home in Dahomey,
Free,
Reborn,
Imagine this, boy,,,
to run and jump in the green,
Say the words, For him that go ahead of us,
Ogun, Yemoja,
Carry him to peaceful grass and cool water,
Carry him home,
Ogun,,,
Yemoja,,,
- What is that sound? - It's Master Titch,
Come on,
Come on!
Now, you betray me,
Most days, she's rather more cooperative,
Ow,
- Do you mind fetching me some water? - Yes, sir,
Get water,
- The steam turns the wheels, - Shh,
What did you say?
You're a godsend, my good fellow, thank you,
Alright, stand back, everyone!
In the event she's truly vexed with me and explodes,
It's only happened once before,
Aha!
Capital!
Alright, uh, you, you,
you, you, and you, follow me,
Hey, no, no, no, no, no, Not here,
That machinery will go in my quarters,
You,
Come here,
Well, don't be shy,
Tell me your name,
George Washington Black, sir,
George Washington Black,
Is that so?
A peculiar sense of humor, my old uncle possessed,
Quite the etymological weight he placed on your head, no?
Very well, George Washington Black, how much do you weigh?
Sir?
Oh, right, of course,
Stand still,
Mm,
About six stone, That'll do,
- Master Wilde! - Gaius,
Welcome back to the island, sir,
Your brother requests your presence forthwith,
Yes, right, of course,
Wouldn't want to keep the old boy waiting, would we?
Well met, George Washington Black,
May you one day cross your own Delaware with dignity and aplomb,
I hope the boy was not a bother, sir,
He's a clever one, isn't he?
Can see it in the eyes, Bit of a dreamer, is he?
Well, I keep the boy well grounded, sir,
Well, there's no harm in dreaming,
Here boy, you, yeah,
Could you bring him by for lunch?
Christopher Wilde on these Barbados shores,
I cannot wait to hear the real reason that you're here,
Can't a man simply miss his dear brother?
Well, that's no crime,
Unless, of course,,,
that man were also rushing to leave London
before the constabulary requested a word on behalf of certain irate parties,
looking to recover misbegotten investments
made in the name of science,
There was no swindling, I simply asked that they invest in my--
Your latest unreliable gadgetry?
Mm,
And now, you run to me,
I need shelter, a place to work,
and some small degree of capital
to realize my new undertaking,
Yes, I saw them haul that monstrosity into your quarters,
That is no monstrosity, Erasmus,
That is how I will fly,
And the materials are of considerable weight,
so I will also require a certain,,,
um, physical element only you can provide,
You mean slaves?
The abolitionist requires a slave,
Oh, the hypocrisy washes down well with the wine,
- Erasmus, please, - Christopher, enough,
You are my brother, I will help you,
This one that you had me summon, he seems rather ill-suited
for materials of considerable weight,
Well, I have other tasks for young George Washington Black,
Ohh!
For God's sake!
God,
Ugh!
No, leave her be, Leave her be,
Here,
It's fine, Please,
Please,
Do you think this display of charity, this performance of care
offsets your hypocrisy?
Your guilt, hm?
Christopher,
What is more important?
Hm? Your charity towards them and your idealist pride?
Or the help that you seek from me, hm?
Come on,
I'll give you the little one's leash,
but you can't ever turn your back on them,
They're not to be trusted,
Don't worry your head on me,
You Big Kit, Iron,
Cannot break,
I break like anything else do, boy,
Why they want him?
Best regard this as an opportunity, Katherine,
Now, Washington has a chance for safe harbor,
He will not survive in these fields, not much longer,
But this way, perhaps, there's a chance he may live,
Master brother want you,
It's a bit of a mouthful, your name,
What do they normally call you?
Wash, sir,
Ah, then Wash it is,
Are you afraid, Wash?
No, No, sir,
I assure you that the abhorrent conduct you witnessed at supper
is not part of my own make-up,
I hold different beliefs,
I'm a scientist, you see? With the Royal Science League,
Well, my father is the true accredited,
Actually, come with me,
Now, look in there,
And that, young Wash, is the real magic,
The moon, seen with the true eye of science
and not the limited vision of man,
It's alright to smile,
Capital,
And, uh, please, call me Titch,
My father's name is "sir,"
It's a bit too far, is it? Well, in time,
Do you have parents, Wash?
No, only Kit, One of our elders,
She watched me,,, in the fields,
Well, I suppose I shall be doing that going forward,
You're going to be working with me from here on out,
No more cane fields?
No, Wash, Not for you,
Shall I tell you what's in there?
Magic,
- Magic? - Well, not really,
It's, uh, science and engineering
and a bit of pain and dreams, heartbreak and hosannas,
It is power enough to change lives,
On second thought, I think we can call it magic,
Come on, Wash!
All aboard the iron horse,
Huh? Hold on tight,
You'll, uh, have to make certain markings as part of our work,
I'll show you the sort of markings I'll need,
Before we engineer our work, we must record our observations,
Wash, this is all sanctioned,
You're protected,
Capital,
You wish to try your hand at that?
Use this to rest on, Here,
Well, this is extraordinary,
Observe, record, engineer,
I was never much good at the middle part,
Not like this,
You and I will travel far, George Washington Black,
Brother, what a surprise,
The sentiment is shared, I wasn't expecting to see you,
- Journey was mild, I trust? - Journey was famishing,
Between the godforsaken Maroons terrorizing Jamaica
and the pirates along the way here,
I haven't sat for a decent meal in weeks,
Quite the adventurer, aren't you?
Yes, Father would be proud,
And what is this shadow you've acquired?
I'll tip the driver,
No doubt you've been your usual generous self,
And what might you be, shadow?
A toy for him?
A scientific curiosity?
- George Washington-- - I did not tell you to address me,
Thank you,
Thank you, sir,
Wonderful fellow, our Titch,
Loves his little toys until he breaks them,
- Come, let's get you settled, - Indeed,
Hup, hup,
Oh, careful, brother,
You stare at him long enough, you may turn into him,
Our father, a lion in his youth,
Erasmus inherited all the cruelty, none of the science aptitude,
You've got a poor man's version of that aptitude,
Some measure of selfishness,
And I,,, I have neither,
Thus father's disinterest,
This is your melancholia speaking, brother,
I do think the island air will serve you better,
I suppose,
It's too damnably hot,
But a sight better than being locked up in a London asylum,
Father only had the best of intentions for you,
You were silent when I needed my brother,
What have you got there?
Do you recall Father's Cloud Cutter?
It was his idea for a flying machine, wasn't it?
The very one,
Well, I have figured out a way how to improve upon the thing
and actually build it, hm?
Make a bit of history,
Are you chasing Father's approval alone?
I may have found a good young assistant here, as it goes,
- Not the slave boy, - Indeed,
We've only just met, but, uh, there's a light in his eyes,
an interest in the world,
I don't recall ever being invited to participate
in one of your experiments, even as children,
- Then you misremember, Philip, surely, - No, no,
My memory is perfectly intact,
Such a joy to have you here, Philip,
What are you doing here?
I live here,
What are you doing here?
Well, I, uh,,,
Oh, my packages, wonderful,
Arrived at the dock this morning from London,
The Royal Science League, sir,
You are familiar with the RSL?
He works on the docks, Father, I'm sure many packages--
Well, a friend was a member,
Ah,
Well, his,,, his father was the true accredited,
Well, uh, well bring 'em around to my study,
It's just around the corner,
Fancy seeing you again,
Hello, lady of the house who is clearly not a servant,
Tanna, send the boy around,
Looks like you'll have to charm me some other time,
Do come in,
- Put it there, - Okay,
Oh,
A lionfish,
Yes, Pterois volitans,
Caught on behalf of the RSL?
In fact, yes,
Have you seen one before?
Not in the flesh, so to speak,
It's so pale,
Well, you should have seen it before I plucked it out of the Solomon Sea,
The-- the Titians and coppers,
the tangerines and the burgundies,
I tried with-- with watercolors and oils to capture her,
But,,,
How do you convey the beauty of what I saw in that moment before death?
It's just gone, like-- like trying to hold onto air,
Perhaps, sir, you shouldn't kill it,
Well, you have to keep it alive to see the truth of it,
This is perfect,
Now, try these,
Here,
You see the city better, yes?
You see the ships in the port? Laden with sugar,
The ill-gotten the fruit of your labor, the engine of it all,
Look out at the world, George Washington Black,
Does the world look back, Titch?
You know, every time I dare believe I have you pegged,,,
We shall launch to the heavens from here, Wash,
Titch not like the rest,
He's exactly like the rest,
See, Kit? I take your face with me,
even when I'm with him,
Wash, if the chance comes for you to leave this place, go,
Not without you,
Yes, yes, yes,
We're nearly there, Wash, We are nearly there,
Yes, Titch,
Ah, you see, Philip?
The great venture awaits,
Blasted fool venture,
Well, no one forced you to come,
So, this is the new toy,
- Will it break? - Oh, no, thief of joy,
You shall not ply your wicked arts today,
Pay attention,
Perhaps we will expand your gloomy horizons,
Thank you,
This is the frame from which the canvas will drape over,
It's magnificent, isn't it?
Like the skeleton of some ancient flying beast,
Fascinating,
These ladies are putting the final touches on our gondola,
Thank you,
And the pièce de résistance,
the machine that will fire us afloat,
My electrolyser,
Pay attention, Wash, You're going to need to know this,
Enjoy the sight of science in progress, brother,
Well, aren't you important?
Do not under any circumstances cross this blast area,
as I must test-fire the hydrogen emitters,
Observe the impeccable design, brother,
It is mine, not Father's,
"But what is designed without function," I hear you ask,
Note-- thank you-- the introduction
of one natural element,,,
water, will soon result in the manufacturer of another,
Behold,,,
Fire,
Capital,
I'm hungry, boy,
Is there food?
Yes, Mr, Philip,
Then what are you waiting for?
That blasted thing will never work, boy,
Go fetch me my food!
Wash!
What the hell were you thinking?
You've scarred the boy for life, You could have killed him,
I did no such thing,
I think there is little you wouldn't do to douse this darkness inside of you,
And if maiming someone I cared about sufficed, then so be it,
All these years, Titch, I've tried,
But it's always been just you and Erasmus,
I am nothing but an insect as far as this family's concerned,
Sent away, an unhinged disgrace to the Wilde name,
Perhaps Father wasn't so mistaken having you locked up,
At least it kept others from harm's way,
It says, "Get well
so we can fly, Titch,"
What's this word?
Fly,
Come on,
Why can't I get you to work, you blasted thing,
Nothing,
Can I try?
Please, be my guest,
I see a piece out of place,
How did you do that?
- I saw it in my head, - Incredible,
How is it possible when you've never seen anything
like this machine before?
Come here, let me look at you,
Your burn, does it pain you as much?
Well, I too was, um, was hurt as a child,
Not much older than you are,
And there were no parents around either,
Certainly not my father,
Though I suppose that's not a proper thing for a British man to dwell on, is it?
Sentiment and all that,
The Cloud Cutter fly high enough,,,
he see you,
Maybe you see him,
Why me, Titch?
Well, I mean, uh, you're still the right weight
to be my ballast, George Washington Black,
You'll help balance the balloon,
Come on, we'll be late for supper,
Oh, and by the way, you just fixed my battery,
Now, we're ready to fly,
You are a child of England, a child of empire,
That is the skin that you must inhabit,
No matter where you journey, my child,
find the ocean, and you'll be home,
The day will come when others will push and pull at you, Tanna,
Hold true to yourself,
Why do I have to leave? I want to stay here,
It's what your mother wanted,
But why?
He'll be here soon,
Oh, my sweet Tanna,
Hello again,
It's you,
- Hello, - Hi,
I suppose it's time for a proper introduction,
- I'm Tanna, - Ah, sorry,
Jack,
Jack Crawford,
Um,,,
Uh,,,
Swimming here is-- it's rather brave,
The currents can get tricky,
Oh, I was a fish in another life,
Comes from being an islander, I suppose,
- What island? - Solomon Islands,
I grew up there with my mother,
The water takes me back, Back home,
- Um,,, - So, what are you doing here?
Uh, it's a bit of a science experiment,
I'll show you,
Uh,,,
- Did you build this? - Yes, I did,
If you'd just hold on to this,
- by the edges, - Yes,
Just,,, Uh, okay,
- You ready? - Yes,
Oh, gosh,
That's brilliant,
This is part of a flying machine,
It is a matter of convection where the,,,
Sorry, you,,, you probably don't want to hear this, I,,,
- Why do you think that? - A friend of mine, he--
he says I stopped speaking English, and it's boring,
Not at all, I'd love to hear,
Alright,
Alright, so it's a matter of convection,
- Yes, - Where the warm parts, they rise, and--
The cold parts sink,
Exactly,
Uh,,,
Dear me, the day's getting on, isn't it?
I should probably make my way back home,
Uh, yes, Yeah, yeah, no, likewise,
Likewise for me, Um,,,
Well, goodbye for now,,,
,,,Jack Crawford,
Bye for now, my lady of the house,
who is clearly not a servant,
Oh, you're not going to let me forget that one, are you?
Well, only if you promise to see me again,
Oh, was I-- was I too forward?
I-I'm so sorry, I-I didn't mean to,
Um,,,
Show me another time,
Bye,
- Hey, Mary, - Oh, well how are you?
Mornin',
I met this girl,
Uh-huh,
But she's too,,,
Hey, the next word out your mouth best not be "good,"
She's too fancy for me,
Fancy,
What do girls even like, Miss Angie?
Girls like different things,
Some like money, some want a good kiss,
Most just want to see your heart,
Hmm,
Can I help you?
I'm looking for someone,
Calls himself George Washington Black,
Hang it up,
Good money for information,
You won't find troubled types in Halifax,
Maybe up north,
You,
How old?
Don't quite reckon I know,
- What do you go by, boy? - Jack,
Jack Crawford, sir,
I don't know nothin' about no trouble,
Fifty dollars, you say?
Maybe you're right,
I'll just hang it up,
Let us take a little walk,
George Washington Black,
Erasmus spoke of a belief you lot possess,