ANGLE: THE COOLING TANKS
We see the round underbelly of two huge tanks. There are gaping, twisted holes in them.
JOHNER
The nasties couldn't have done it, could they?
HILLARD
What for...?
WREN
Down here. He is at the front with Ripley and-Call, where the water is waste deep.
He looks down at a stairwell, just the top of the railing visible above the murky water.
RIPLEY
There's no other way?
WREN
We're at the bottom of the ship. Some of the worst damage is down here.
Most of the sections are sealed off.
RIPLEY
You're sure?
WREN
There's the noncom's entrance back there, but it's flooded too, and it's a longer run.
CALL
He's right. We're gonna have to do it this way.
WREN
It's just through the kitchen, then up, maybe seventy feet.
RIPLEY
I don't like it.
ST JUST
What's to like?
CHRISTIE (to vriess)
You ready to get wet, partner?
VRIESS
Oh yeah.
HILLARD
You sure about the distance?
WREN
Yes.
CALL
No locked doors?
WREN
It's an open hall. Just keep left when you hit the bottom of the staircase.
JOHNER
This sucks.
ANGLE: DI STEPHANO
He flips caps over the barrel of the gun, slides a panel over the digital readout.
The burner is ready to go, watertight.
DISTEPHMO (to St Just)
You should secure'your weapons.
St Just holds up his two guns.
ST JUST
These are disposables. They can take it.
DISTEPHANO
Disposables. I heard about those. How many rounds?
ST JUST
Twenty. Split points, give you a good hole even at the smaller caliber.
DISTEPHANO
Cool.
ST JUST
They're big with hitters. 'Cause you throw em away after the job. Nobody likes throwing
away a weapon they're attached to. You know?
He smiles at Di Stephano, who looks a little uneasy about the turn the conversation has taken.
He joins the others who are getting ready to dive..
CALL
Do I have to tell everyone to take a deep breath?
A couple of the guys smile.
VRIESS
Christie, do me a favor. When we hit the surface on the other side... no backstroke. Okay?
CHRISTIE (laughing)
You'll be forever blowing bubbles. On three...
He counts down, the two suck in enormous breaths -- and dive right behind Call and Ripley.
One by one the entire crew slips down into the black water.
CUT TO: INT. STAIRWELLKITCHEN - CONTINUOUS
It's all underwater. Visiblity is poor. The crew move swiftly and gracefully down the stairs
and into the kit chen.
In here it's a tad labyrinthian, and the size of the room it darker. Wren heads straight for
the other end.
They swim. Safety is a good fifty feet away.
They are tense, concentrated. Swimming past dark spaces. Anything could be hiding here.
Johner looks about him, very nervous. Dark spaces. He looks behind .
Three aliens are right behind him.
Panic blows half the air out of his mouth as he swings around and FIRES at them, tags one
as the other two swim off into shadows with horrible ease.
Ripley, all the way to the stairs, sees. She hurries the others past her.
They swim frantically for safety, Hillard Wren, Christie and Vriess.
Rane is coming along and alien hands grab at him from the darkness, pull him into it.
Hillard FIRES in that direction, Johner bringing up the rear still firing at the third one,
wounding it but not scoring killshot.
Call is swimming up ther staircase, the growing light above indicating the surface.
She is almost to it when she is IN THE WEB.
A net of translucent alien goo, it is spread just six inche below the surface.
Call struggles the goo sticking to her she's running out of air -- as Wren and Christie
enconter the same thing -- they all try to tear through it, but they are getting weaker.
Ripley looks back as the last of the crew is passing her, aliens close behind.
She looks up to see the situation ab and quickly makes for the surface -- but an
alien GRABS her foot, holding her down. Now SHE is running out of air KICKS at it, it
lets go.
The others are fighting, Call pops her stilletto and cuts through, but it's tough, she
still can't get her head up --
--Di Stephano, off to the side, is drowning. Takes in a huge mouthful of water and begins
thrashing.
Ripley swims past everyone and grabs the hole Call cut, pulls it apart with a mighty heave,
she glides up through --
CLOSE UP: RIPLEY'S FACE
Just BREAKS the surface, she takes in a huge GASP of air, FACEHUGGER CLAMPS DOWN ON HER.
Ripley goes back under, pulling at the thing as others break the surface.
Wren comes up and a hugger LEAPS right at him ,but Call nails it in four shots.
Christie and Vriess break surface and both begin FIRING, back to back, in a circular sweep.
They decimate a number of eggs
ANGLE: UNDERWATER
Ripley pulls the face hugger with all her might -- it comes off, its fingers singeing
the sides of her face, leaving marks like warpaint. Worse, its probing fleshy member
pulls last of her throat, thrashing horribly.
In utmost disgust, Ripley PULLS it APART. and the three aliens are COMING RIGHT AT HER.
ABOVE - THE SURFACE
Most of the crew has gotten up out of the water. Christie holding a facehugger inches
from his face, others screaming, taking a bead on it.
CHRISTIE
Get it! Kill it!
CALL
The blood'll burn you! Throw it!
He does, and Johner nails it in midflight.
Hillard and Johner pull Di Stephano out of the water, but he is not breathing.
ANGLE: UNDER THE SURFACE
Ripley is grabbed by an alien -- and St Just comes up behind her and shoots it.
They swim up and away from the spreading, lethal bloodpool.
ANGLE: ABOVE THE SURFACE
They come up out of the water, and an alien rises right behind them. Everyone who can,
shoots it. It falls back into the water.
CHRISTIE
A trap! They set a goddamn ambush!
JOHNER
Give me that!
He pulls the burner off Di Stephano's body, even as Call is giving him mouth to mouth .
Johner flips the gun open and FIRES at the water, the whole thing SMOKING and sizzling
with the electrical charge. we hear an alien wail bubble from below the surface.
JOHNER (grinning feverishly)
Okay! Everybody out of the pool!
VRIESS
Let's get the fuck!
Di Stephano sputters back to life. Ripley picks him up with one hand,
HILLARD (to Wren)
Which way?
WREN
Up here.
He takes off, the others following.
WREN
Up through the lift shaft!
He stops at a pair of sliding doors, starts working the panel. Ripley come up to the
doors and pulls them apart with a grunt
.
ST JUST
Company!
He's refering to the noise and shadow of approaching aliens.
She herds them into the shaft.
CUT TO: INT. LIFTSHAFT - CONTINUOUS
It goes down about four stories, and up seemingly forever.. Enough room for or three
elevators, one of which is two stories below.
WREN
UP!
He starts climbing. It's not that hard -- there are ladders in each shaft section.
Call comes up behind him. Ripley and others pair off on other ladders.
They climb fast, they're three stories up before the aliens begin POUNDING on the metal
door, it buckles under their might.
JOHNER
Move!
WREN
Not far!
Still POUNDING -- one alien gets its head in, looks up, hisses, pulls it out.
ANGLE: LIFT
Wren comes to a cralwspace ledge. He climbs on. Set back a few feet from the shaft is
a small maintenance access door. works the keypad beside it as Call climbs up behind him.
The aliens SMASH through the door, one of them SAILING across the shaft to grab a pipe
on the other side. Instantly four of them are swarming up the walls, moving much faster
on pipes and ridges than the humans on ladders.
On one of the aliens a facehugger crawls, constantly moving about on the adult
alien's head like a frightened spider.
CALL
Hurry!
WREN
It's jammed! Shit! Gun!
She hands him her gun and without hesitation he SHOOTS HER THROUGH THE CHEST.
She flies back and DOWN THE SHAFT, lands HARD on an elevator six stories below .
Eyes wide and empty.
VRIESS
NOO!
He fires up at Wren, but Wren has punched in the code and slipped through the opening door..
Ripley LEAPS through the air and grabs the ledge, hauling herself up just in time to see
the door shut. The lock lights turn red.
She SLAMS against the door, but to no avail.
The aliens are getting closer. St Just, the closest to the bottom, suddenly lets go of
the ladder. His knees hooked over a rung, he drops, hangs up side down, his guns
filling his hands.
He blows several holes in the nearest alien.
Ripley is furious, maybe surprised just how so. Suddenly an alien RISES OVER THE LEDGE,
it's not three feet away from her and she SCREAMS, HURLS herself at it and they both go
FLYING OFF into-space, they hit the wall on the other side, they fall.
RIPLEY GRABS a pole, it practically tears her arm out of her socket but she holds on,
the alien isn't so lucky, it plummets unable to find puchase.
we see it fall past the unmoving body of Call.
ANGTE: CALLS FACE
As the facehugger CLAMPS onto it. Pauses. Pushes off a bit,
two digits probing Call's nostrils. Sensing no breath, the thing scurries away to find
a better host.
Another alien is fast approching Christie and Vriess. Vriess frantically tries to reload.
VRIESS
It's on us!
Christie turns, aims -- Vriess grabs the ladder as Christie FIRES, but the alien is too
close, it grabs Christie, spurting blood all over him. He SCREAMS, lets go of the ladder
Vriess takes the weight of both as Christie fires again, the alien flying off
and down the shaft.
HILLARD
We gotta go!
The last alien suddenly starts scurrying back down after his brothers.
RIPLEY
We're locked in.
JOHNER
Fuck!
PURVIS
How far to the next door?
DISTEPHANO
All the way.
RIPLEY
Then we climb.
They start, moving as fast as they can.
VRIESSS (to Christie)
You just hang on, man. I'll get us there.
He starts climbing up, impressively fast considering the burden hanging from his back.
JOHNER (to Ripley)
Are they going for reinforcements?
RIPLEY
Fucked if I know.
They climb.
And climb, the minutes stretching out, still no door. Ripley easily ahead of the rest.
Finally:
RIPLEY
I think I see the door.
PURVIS (exhausted)
Great.
Vriess is having increasing trouble. Hillard notices him lagging behind, and why.
HILLARD
Vriess! Jesus!
Vriess is moving very quickly, considering. But the effort is becoming too much.
VRIESS
We're coming...
Johner scrambles down next to Vriess.
he checks the pulse in Christie's neck.
Vriess, man... he's dead.
Refusing to hear it, Vriess struggles to climb further.
VRIESS
We'll get him to medlab... just a little while ...
Johner looks over at Hillard. Without saying a word, she pull out a good-sized hunting
knife, flicks it open.
She slices through the cord holding them together, and Christie's body falls free.
Vriess shuts his eyes, feeling it.
ANGLE: DOWN THE SHAFT
There is silence as Christie's body drops down the black abyss
Until, from up the shaft next to where he fell, we see two ALIENS COMING UP.
PURVIS
Fuck! Company!
Hillard looks up the shaft.
HILLARD
How much further?,
JOHNER
Too fucking far. Let's G0 !
They start to climb, but the aliens are making much better time.
A loud CLACKING sounds from the bottom of the shaft. A few of them look down.
ANGLE: DOWN THE SHAFT
The aliens are still coming, but suddenly the lift passes them heading up at high speed.
JOHNER
They can work the elevators? Is there anything fucking else we should know about them?!
He's addressing this at Ripley, but she's as puzzled as the rest of them.
The lift comes up to them, stops suddenly as emergency brake is flipped.
They wait, guns ready. Out of the hatch pops Call, not especially dead.
CALL
Get on!
A moment of stunned silence, then they all jump on top of the lift.
Call drops back down inside.
An alien comes up level with the lift, prepares to jump. St Just shoots the shit out of it.
HILLARD
Where are the others?
CUT TO: INT. LIFT - CONTINUOUS
Call flips the brake off, and the lift shoots up. She is h olding her jacket closed around
her chest wound, but it doesn't seem to bother her particularly much.
ANGLE: ON TOP
Everybody holds on as the lift flies up the shaft.
ANGLE: INSIDE
Call waits for the signal to stop and an alien PUNCHES THROUGH the bottom of the lift.
Call yells as it gets its head and an arm through, clawing for her.
ANGLE: ON THE BOTTOM
We see the other half of the alien clinging to the lift.
ANGLE: ON TOP
Ripley sees the door approaching
RIPLEY
stop!
ANGLE: INSIDE
Call hits the emergency button and the lift stops halfway in front of the door -
- giving both Ripley and Call access. Bu the alien is still grabbing for her --
Ripley pries open the doors again, the crew pouring out into the hall. Ripley follows,
jumps down and opens the lift doo
rs
The alien hisses at Ripley as she pulls Call out -- the -alien grabs Call's ankle, but
Ripley wrenches her free.
They roll out but the alien is still fighting, Pulling itself inside the lift.
Ripley grabs Hillardl's shotgun. Levels it at the cables holding the lift. FIRES.
The lift PLUMMIETS, the alien still halfway in.
It shoots down the shaft -- picking up the second alien on its way down, neither beast able
to get its bearing and get out of the way as--
The lift SMASHES into the bottom of the shaft, crushing both the Aliens to jelly.
ANGLE: UPPER DOOR
Johner triumphantly sticks his head in the shaft.
JOHNER
Eat that, fuckneck!!
They all breathe hard, exhausted, before they can muster for the next stretch.
Call stands with her back to them.
VRIESS
Baby, am I glad to see you. I thought dickbag took you out for sure. Are you, hurt?
CALL
I'm fine.
DISTEPHANO
You got body armour on?
CALL
Yeah. Come on.
Ripley isn't buying.
RIPLEY
You were Gunshot. I saw.
CALL
I'm fine!
Ripley spins her around. Call stares at Ripley, sullenly a small trickle of milky white
fluid comes from her.nostril Ripley looks down.
ANGLE: CALL'S CHEST
Wren has indeed made a messy hole here, but where blood and bone should be there
is a tangle of synthorganic wiring. To state the obvious:
A robot.
JOHNER
Call's a goddam sythetic!
HILLARD
Son of a bitch. Little Annalee's just full of surprises.
RIPLEY (quietly)
I should have known.
ST JUST
Couldn't smell this one out?
RIPLEY
No, I mean... all that crap about being human - there's no one so zealous as a Born Again.
VRIESS (to Call)
You're an LM7, aren't you? Is that it?
CALL
Leave me alone.
Her voice shocks her more than anyone her vocal track slip affected by the wounds.
The voice is a shade slow, and echoes strangely.
VRIESS
Call ....
CALL (bitterly)
Yes.
ST JUST
LM7? Shit. That explains a lot.
YRIESS (to Ripley)
The latest and best. They were supposed to revitalize the synthetic industy.
Instead they buried it.
Ripley looks at the girl.
RIPLEY
They were-too good.
VRIESS
Oh yeah. Overrode their own behavioral inhibitors. Didn't feel like being told what to do.
The government ordered a recall. Fucking massacre.
HILLARD
Terry Bisson Page 6