JOHNER
Fuck Vriess!
CUT TO INT. FALL - CONTINUOUS
Vries enters, looking around. He is getting seriously wigged.
The lights on the floor still pulse. urging him forward. He obeys.
Something stirs in the rafters. Coiled about the pipes.
Vriess stops, still a good thirty feet from the beast. Strains to see.
It starts MOVING, climbing at him upside down on the pipes. FAST.
Vriess starts wheeling himself back away but SLOWLY, agonizingly slowly compared to the beast.
He turns the corner, spins around.
The hall is fifty feet long. At the far end a few soldiers running through.
SERGEANT
Seal off that sector!
A soldier runs to obey, working the door controls.
VRIESS
No!
The soldier sees him, but the fear on the boy's face telegraphs his-decision.
Vreiess starts pumping toward the door. He's strong, picking up speed,but
The alien rounds the corner and bolts after him.
Vriess can't even look back as the thing gains on him. The door begins to come down,
the soldier finishing the sequence and running off.
Vriess rolls, face set -- the alien a few feet behind, reaching for him
An EXPLOSION far away ROCKS THE SHIP -- the hall tilted momentarily, Vriess gets a
boost as he rockets downhill, the beast still on him, the door closing, too low for him
to clear. He gets there and SLAMS a lever, his chair FLATTENS out to a dolly
position, his head just CLEARS the closing door as the alien SLAMS into it, Vriess spinning
out and flying off the chair it tilts, landing in a heap next to him.
Lying still on the ground, He listens as the beast slams against the door a few more times,
then fades off.
VRIESS
Fuck everything....
He reaches up for the chair and from the back of it he pulls out a shotgun.
CUT TO: INT. LIFEBOAT BAY 5 - CONTINUOUS
Perez is trying to maintain order. He is failing. Grabs a corporal.
PEPEZ
Muster a squad to search for survivors!
CORPORAL
Fuck no! Fuck no! Fuck you!
Perez slams him to the ground with his fist.
An ALIEN LEAPS OUT at him from the ceiling. The soldiers scatter, Perez just leaping
out of the way --
PEREZ
Shoot it! Fry it!
A couple of men fire their burners, to little effect.
One soldier runs up to the action. His head is bloodied, his expression vengefully grim.
The soldier whips out a pistol, private.issue, he takes a bead on the thing --
PEREZ
NO!
And the soldier FIRES -- pumps three bullets into the beast sends it flying back
toward the window.
Perez is riveted by the sight of: ANGLE: DROPS OF BLOOD
big ones, hitting the window. Everything seems to move slowly now - the alien,
struggling as the soldier pumps two more bullets into it, the other soldiers,
Perez -- the monster falls
and the BLOOD EATS THROUGH THE WINDOW..
PEREZ
Get out! Everyone! Now!
Soldiers are beginning to get it. . The window CRACKS, begins to SHAKE as the blood is almost
through it.
Even the soldier who shot the alien has stoppe d, his face frozen in horror at what
he's about to accomplish.
Perez shoves him, herds the rest out, looking back --
PEREZ
Clear the sector!.
at the window, the blood is almost through --
Men are pouring out of the hall -- some move down a side hall and SLAM the door shut
behind them, but most are making for the main exit anyway.
FATHER
Warning. Potential hullbreach. Clear sector.
The blood eats a hole in the window -- the nearest soldier is sucked back against the
window -- he SCREAMS as he is sucked through a hole no bigger than his fist.
Still men are falling over each other, Perez herding them out.
A huge CRACKING sound, and Perez shuts his eyes.
The window explodes outward, the air blowing everything int space. Debris, vehicles,
men, all tangled and dead as they blown out into the black.
ANGLE: THE SECTOR DOORS
SLAM shut instantly one cutting right through a soldier halfway out.
ANGLE: AIR VENTS
Gates slam down here as well.
ANGLE: ELECTRICAL DUCTS
Foam SHOOTS into them, hardening instantly, sealing the breached sector.
FATHER
Breach contained. Sector five nonfunctional.
CUT TO: INT. HALL - CONTINUOUS
As the crew moves quickly through. They come to a shut door, red lights along it
indicating it's locked.
ELGYN (to DiStephano)
Open it.
DISTEPHMO
I can't.
Johner puts his gun to the soldier's head.
WREN
He can't! The sector's closed. The hull's been breached!
ELGYN
Okay, which way?
WREN
We'll have to go through the holding cells. Here.
ELGYN
All right.
They turn left, entering
INT. CHAMBER - CONTINUOUS
that leads to the holding cells. The room is big, a railing at one end looking over
another chamber two flights down.
A shut door separates the chamber from the cells.
ELGYN
Can you get that one open?
It comes from the rafters, dropping down on Elgyn in a heartbeat. He barely has time to
scream before it shoots its tongue through the back of his skull.
Hillard has time. She SCREAMS as her lover's brains come out his mouth.
The beast leaps at the group, scattering them like bowling pins as it claws into one
of the guards. Everybody else is scrambling for cover.
St Just tries to escape by running past the beast --its tail lashes out, tangling his feet
and tripping him up, his head smashing against a pipe.
Another guard hits it with the burner -- it shrieks and lands on him. Johner shoots at it
but is far too panicked to hit it.
Call has backed to the far wall -- she desperately works the controls to open the door.
It starts to rise.
CALL
Christie! Hillard! Come on!
The door rises fully. Ripley stands behind it.
Call starts back, not sure what the woman will do.
Ripley surveys the scene.
The Alien, burrowing its head into the belly of the guard, stops. Looks up.
Everyone watches as the two creatures sense each other. Th alien hisses. rears back.
Ripley looks away, contemplative We see a gamut of emotions cross her face, but her posture
passive, sacrificial. She does not move.
Everyone watches, too afraid to breathe.
The alien LUNGES at her, leaping across the room in two bounds. It's on her -- and she
SPINS, GPABBING IT, and HURLS IT AWAY.
It lands in a tangle but is up again in a microsecond, jumps at her, knocks her back into
the room, on her, its claws digging into her skin, piston tongue at her face, inches away.
She locks an arm around its slick, long head and pulls back we hear its tendons strain, snap.
CALL (to a guard)
Shoot it! Shoot them both!
She grabs his gun and BURNS them both. Two less-than-human SCREAMS fill the room as they
briefly disentangle, thrown apart.
; The beast recovers first, dodging the next blast and going for Ripley again.
Ripley, on her back, reaches behind her, grabs a table leg and with inhuman strength
brings the table down on the monster's head.
She dives at it as it comes out from under....
Call shoots as Ripley hits the alien, they're both fried as Ripley's momentum sends them
over a railing and they FALL TWENTY FEET -- the Alien lands with a spine snapping crunch,
Ripley only slightly better.
A few crew members rush to look over the railing. Christie starts down the spiral staircase
to that level.
JOHNER
Where are you going?
The creature rolls back onto Ripley, grabbing her with its dying strength. Her face is
rigid with pain and anger as she holds it off...
its jaws open, dripping shaking...
The tongue SHOOTS OUT and Ripley GRABS IT. HOLDS IT.
A scream wells up in her throat. A totally animal killshriek that she SCREAMS, victorious,
as she RIPS THE ALIEN'S TONGUE OUT OF ITS FACE.
She stands, bellows another warrior cry. The crew has gathered near. They watch her, awed,
wary. Ripley walks slowly up to them -- up to Call. Ripley looks a tad pissed.
Call tenses, maybe wishing she hadn't shot Ripley as well.
Ripley takes Call's hand, puts the tongue in it. walks on.
Call looks at the dripping souvenier. The pincers at the end still twitching.
CHRISTIE
What the FUCK is going on here?
RANE
What was that thing? Are there more of that thing?
JOHNER (to Call)
Make a hell of a necklace...
ANGLE: HILLARD
on the upper level, kneeling by Elgyn's body. No tears, but terribly quiet.
What do we do?
CHRISTIE
Same thing we were doing. We get the fuck.
RANE
What if there's more? Let's stay here and let the army guys deal. Someone will come... I mean, where are the fucking army guys?
St Just is very calmly looking up at the rafters, guns drawn
CHRISTIE
Doctor. You know what that thing is?
WREN
I do.
CHRISTIE
And there's others. How many?
The doctor looks around, almost guiltily.
WREN
Thirty.
JOHNER
Thirty! We are fucked in our pink bottoms if there's thirty of those things.
RIPLEY
There'll be more.
Everyone looks around at her. She is squatting in the corner facing away from them.
RIPLEY
They'll breed. In a few hours there'll be twice that number.
(she stands, approaches them)
So who do I have to fuck to get off this boat?
CHRISTIE
You bought your ticket when you killed that thing. welcome aboard.
CALL.
Are you fucking crazy? She doesn't care if we....
CHRISTIE (fiercely)
You got no authority here, Call!- Now secure it!
It's the first time Christie has raised his voice, and it has the desired effect.
After a silent moment, Call starts again softly.
CALL
Christie, she's not human. Wren cloned her because she was carrying an alien in her.
She could turn --
JOHNER
Nobody cares about your opinion, you bitch, you fucking mole --
CALL
She'll turn on us! Just like that!
CHRISTIE I don't give a syphallitic fuck whether you people can get along or not. If we've got
a wish to live then we work together, and that includes bug-lady.
CALL
You can't trust her.
CHRISTIE
I don't trust anyone.
CUT TO: INT. CHAMBER/CELLBLOCK - A BIT LATER
The group is still in the adjoining chamber, but looking here into the cellblock where
Ripley had been. DiStephano and St Just come first, guns ready, looking about them.
They are followed by Christie and Wren.
WREN
There's a console in the guards, station. We can punch up a diagnostic of the ship and
plan a route. To your ship.
CHRISTIE
That likes me fine.
He signals for the others to follow, everyone moving cautiously.
ANGLE: HILLARD
Gently lays her coat over Elgyn's face. Johner looks down a moment.
JOHNER
Via con Dios, man.
Hillard stands. Call puts ahand on her shoulder but Hillard moves away, a distrustful
look on her face.
Ripley, bringing up the rear, watches the whole group with a sort of fascinated detatchment.
Call looks back at her. Ripley smiles, coldly.
ANGLE: IN THE CELLBLOCK
The group makes their way slowly, quietly. They approach a bank of elevators, but Wren
points down an adjoining doorway. They are about to go there when the elevator door
lights up, indicating arrival.
The group backs up, spreads out. Those who can find cover take it. guns drawn.
The elevator doors open. It is too dark inside to see:
Suddenly sparks fly from the broken overhead in the elevator and a figure appears in the light.
Everyone jolts, about to fire. before they realize it is
VRIESS
Who sits in his chair, a shotgun in each hand, eyes wide. twitchier than they.
JOHNER
Oh, fuck...
CALL
vriess!
VRIESS (mock casual)
Hey, whatchyou guys doing? Hey, Annalee.
CHRISTIE
Thought you were toast for certain.
VRIESS
You've seen that fucking thing?
WREN (suspiciously)
Where were you?
VRIESS
I was down by -- what do you mean? I was in maintenance, checking out your oxidation systems.
JOHNER
Doc's got a bug up his ass 'cause Call's a mole and he thinks we're a conspiracy.
VRIESS (looking at Call)
She's a what?
JOHNER
A mole. A fucking spy.
Vriess looks hit harder by that information than anyone.
CHRISTIE
We got'a mission here, people. Let's keep moving.
They do.
CUT TO: INT. GUARDS, STATION - MOMENTS LATER
ANGLE: THE CONSOLE
A hologram of the ship appears above the screen. It looks a solid as the ship itself,
except that parts of it occasional break themselves down to show interiors.
The group looks it over. Parts of the ship are simply not there, the sections around
those holes red. Wren points them out.
WREN
We've had hull breach by the lifeboats, here on level five, and down -- Jesus, right
by the engine room. We're very lucky.
ST JUST (sarcastically)
Lucky we.
CHRISTIE
What about the Betty? Our ship.
WREN
The dock seems to be intact.
CHRISTIE
Then we head for it.
JOHNER
Can we track tho se fucking things?
WREN
No.
JOHNER
We could get to the Betty and they could be all over it!
RANE
Are you toting a better fucking idea?
WREN
All of the activity seems'to have been in the aft-sector, by the barracks.
There's no reason to suppose they'd move
RIPLEY
They won't.
Everybody looks at her.
RIPLEY
They're breeding. They've got new bodies to work on. They'll stay close. If they send
anybody out, it'll be here. Where the... meat is.
CALL
'The meat' . Jesus.
ST JUST
They're breeding. How long does that take?
RIPLEY
Hours.
WREN
Or less. The process has accelerated, something to do with the cloned cells.
CHRISTIE
Faster we get from here to there, the better.
ST JUST
With all the devils of hell in between.
JOHNER
Well, if we want to make decent time I say we ditch the cripple.
(to Vriess)
No offense.
VRIESS (giving him the finger)
None taken.
HILLARD
Nobody's left behind, Johner. Not even you.
Her voice is quiet, mourning still thick in it. Nobody backtalks her.
CHRISTIE
So what's our route?
WREN
I'm trying to figure it. we can cut through the labs, but we're blocked on both sides here,
I'm not sure
DISTEPHMO
Sir? There is the lift.
WREN
Show me.
DiStephano works the console and the hologram splits, the route he's indicating revealed.
DISTEPHMO
The lifts. They run straight from the top of the ship down to engineering. No stops, but
if we can get in the shaft, there's a maintenece access tunnel here
(points to the center of the shaft)
that runs above level one deck. Take us right to the dock.
CHRISTIE
Sounds reasonable.
DISTEPHANO
I don't have the code for the access tunnel door.
WREN
I can override.
DISTEPHMO
(indicating the route)
Then we head through the labs, then down to the kitchen. To the bottom of the shaft.
Up, through the tunnel, and onto the ship. Home free.
ANGLE: VRIESS
Is unloading additional ammo from inside his chair. He toss one of his shotguns to Hillard.
VRIESS
They never check the chair...
He pulls out a grenade launcher. It's so compact it's almost cute, cradled one handed like
an uzi.
VRIESS
Call.
She looks around and he tosses it to her. The gesture is not acconmpanied by
any show of warmth.
VRIESS
Try not to shoot your foot off.
WREN
You people should know --
ST JUST
We.won't shoot at the windows, Doc.
WREN
No. The aliens, they bleed molecular acid.
CHRISTIE
That's right, I saw that.
VRIESS
So did I.
Terry Bisson Page 4