and the Betty SHOOTS DOWN out of the airlock -- Ripley and the newborn just barely hold on,
Ripley's body thrown straight up as she grips the hatch door for dear life.
The newborn has a better grip -- it has more things to grip with but it too struggles
with the sudden drop.
ANGLE: THE ATJRIGA
Speeding toward the earth. The Betty SHOOTS out the airlock and nearly smashes into
the bottom of the ship as it passes, like trash thrown out of a speeding car.
INT. BETTY
The Akiriga passes, huge above them
VRIESS
Look out!
CALL
I am!
EXT. THE BETTY
The ship swerves as Call expertly avoids the Auriga -- and see Ripley and the newborn
on top, still fighting for purchase
The Betty gets clear, leveling out --
The Auriga still heads straight for earth, as the terrain below becomes clear -
- deserted, snow covered mountains
ANGLE: RIPLEY
Hanging on
ANGLE: CALL
Fighting to control the Betty
ANGLE: INSIDE THE AURIGA
Deserted halls, passageways bodies, and,aliens milling here and there
CALLSHIP
Collision in six seconds ... five... four...
(softly)
Here we go...
ANGLE: THE ATJRIGA
SMASHES INTO THE GROUND, a deafening exposion eating the massive ship in seconds,
utter cacophony.
ANGLE: THE BETTY
Flying away, the thundering firestorm behind it.
ANGLE: CALL
An instrument panel suddenly SPARKS beside her warning lights flash, the ship shaking
as if under massive turbulence
CALL
Johner! Fire!
VRIESS
Vector control's fucked! we gotta put down!
CALL
Find me a path!
Johner sprays foam on the fire. There is a loud BANGING heard far overhead.
What the fuck is that?
ANGLE: RIPLEY
is slamming her fist on the hatch doors, hanging on with her other arm.
The ship continues to tremble and buck -- she's nearly thrown off.
RIPLEY
Godamnit!
She looks around at the alien. It's almost on her.
Working its way painfully toward her, gripping with its legs and tendrils. Hissing.
It slams a tentacle down at Ripley, but she rolls, just holding on
ANGLE: JOHNER
Above the cockpit, looking at a fuzzy external monitor.
JOHNER
It's Ripley! Ripley's on the fucking hatch!
In the cockpit, Call nearly goes white.
CALL
Let her in!
JOHNER
Fuck no! There's something else out there with her!
VRIESS
One of them.
Johner looks at the image,. realizes how masive the newborn is .
Awed fear creeps into his voice:
JOHNER
No. it's something else.
Frustrated, Call jumps out of her seat.. Vriess fights to control the ship as she
climbs up toward the hatch.
VRIESS
Goddamnit, Call!
Johner grabs her, practically throws her at the monitor.
JOHNER
Look at that fucking thing! We can't open up!
They both tumble as the ship jerks
ANGLE: RIPLEY
Is bucked OFF THE SHIP
before she grabs the newborn's tentacle, holds on to it --
The newborn SMASHES it against he ship, trying to shake her again -
- she grabs an external grate and starts climbing painfully away.
ANGLE: CALL
Pushes Johner aside as she makes for the hatch release sequence.
ANGLE: VRIESS.
Desperately pulling up as wooded, snowy mountains zoom dangerously close below.
ANGLE: THE ALIEN
Turns as the HATCH OPENS nearby, the door sliding slowly beast is torn between Ripley
and this new distraction --
Ripley sees it too, starts climbing for it frantically, one on the newborn.
The beast makes for the doorway -- and CALL POPS HALFWAY OUT pointing a GRENADE LAUNCHER
at the thing.. She BLASTS it once , the beast roaring and starting back, hurt but not
nearly enough. Call fires again but the ships rocking sends the shot wild.
she flies back for all of a second
The beast rears to attack but Ripley is at the hatch -- Call drags her in and closes
the hatch, the beast just SLAMMING in it as it closes.
INT. THE BETTY
Ripley is hanging on Call, exhausted.
Another BANG on the hatch, and they can see the door starting to give.
VRIESS
Call! NOW!
Call and Ripley head into the cockpit.Johner continues looking at the vidscreen at the beast.
VRIESS
We can't to do a vertical setdown! Braking systems are shot!
CALL
Find me a patch of land! I'll put her down.
Call jumps back into the pilot's seat by Vriess. He pulls up hard on the wheel, but
the ship is still dangerously close to the ground.
JOHNER
That thing isn't going anywhere!
VRIESS
Johner, strap in! We're coming down hard!
ANGLE: -BETTY
Approaches the rough, wooded terrain, just above the trees. Hits a relatively
clear patch, touches down -- bounces back up and then down again
ANGLE: CALL
Fighting the wheel -- she can't pull it up hard enough.
ANGLE: THE BETTY
The ship blasts through trees. The newborn moves to the back of the ship to avoid debris.
JOHNER
That things gone back behind the thrusters!
Call and Ripley look at each other.
RIPLEY
Hit it.
Call throws on the thrusters, the ship ROCKETS forward
ANGLE: THE NEWBOM
Engulfed in flame, losing its grip --
THE BETTY
Going too fast -- Call can't control it
VRIESS
Kill thrust! Now!
Call does.
ANGLE: THE BETTY
Skids, skids, throwing up enormous debris. It hits another wooded area
RIPLEY
is thrown bodily into the windshield --
THE BETTY
mows down a half acre of trees before fi nally grinding to a halt.
As soon as they've recovered, Call throws off her seatbelt.
CALL Is everbody all right-?
JOHNER
Where're you going?
Call opens the hatch.
CALL
To make sure that thing is really dead
Its giant face LUNGES down at her, piston tongue shooting out .
It has charred black skin -- in some places that skin has fallen off and wet pink flesh
shows through.
Call drops to the floor, the tongue just missing her. Johner scrambles for his gun as
Ripley drags her out of the way.
AS quickly as it came, the head lurches back out.
JOHNER
I think it's gone!
VRIESS
No, it's waiting for us to come out!
Can we fly?
VRIESS
We can't fucking crawl!
RIPLEY
It's gone.
Call looks at her.
CALL
Are you sure?
JOHNER
Good! Great!
CALL
No...
Call grabs a grenade launcher.
C
ALL
I've got to stop it.
VRIESS
Call
CALL
That thing is thirty minutes old! In a few hours it'll grow up. If it reaches a place
with people...
She heads for the door but Ripley is on her way. They exchange a look.
RIPLEY
You'll never catch it.
Call tosses her the grenade launcher.
CUT TO: EXT. BETTY - MOMENTS LATER
The ship sits silent in the woods, the trees around heavy with snow.
Ripley comes out the top. She looks around her, sees the tracks in the snow.
Huge, loping. She jumps.down off the ship.
And runs.
Through the blur of trees, she moves with the grace and speed of an animal,
leaping from boulders, racing through the powdered brush this is Ripley at peak speed,
and it is something to see.
She starts going up, the way getting steeper and rockier, til she reaches a cliff face,
and looks out on:
A CITY.
Sprawling, huge, a million tiny lights cutting through the darknes it's just before the horizon.
The newborn RISES in front of Ripley, STRIKES her before she has a chance to aim her weapon.
Its tentacle cuts deeply into her, sends her flying.
The beast is on her in a second, its enormous jaws missing her head by an inch as she rolls,
grabs the grenade launcher, FIRE
The beast is thrown, but just grazed, back on her as she tries to get off another shot,
it SLAMS a foot down RIGHT ON HER she SCREAMS, the launcher rolls free, the beast coming
in for the kill
and over the ridge FLIES THE HARVESTER, Call at the controls. aiming right for the newborn.
It rears up to see it just as the girl RAMS it into the creatures head, it knocks it
on its ass, the harvester shaking but not quite spinning out, as Call comes around for
another shot.
Ripley scrambles to safety as the Newborn prepares for the oncoming harvester, it whips
its tentacles at it but Call swerves at the last second -- The monster spins with it,
screaming, sees Ripley and slashes at her. KNOCKS HER OFF THE CLIFF --
She falls, grabs brush it snaps -- she starts slinding down rockface and she takes
her hand, SLAMS her fingers into the smooth rock face like a pick axe -- it rips her
nails bloody but she digs out purchase.
ANGLE: CALL
SLAMS into the newborn from behind, the girl nearly thrown out of the harvester,
the newborn spins and grabs it, Call throws it into reverse but the newborn is too strong,
holds on, bringing its head up to face Call herself.
ANGLE: RIPLEY'S
Bloody and torn, it SMASHES into the rockface, as she climbs back to the top
ANGLE: THE NEWBORN
SWINGS the harvester into a tree, Call nearly knocked loose again. The monster is
jolted as well, lets go, Call pilots the machine back through the trees,
the alien watching it, growling --
Call flies deftly through the trees, away, away, then spins out, heads back for the beast
at TOP SPEED, the wind roars as she closes
The newborn spins and she SLAMS into it, it goes flying, screaming in pain,
the harvester bouncing off it, flipping over, CRASHING against the trees and landing
tilted upside down, Call unconscious between it and the ground.
The newborn shudders, rises, makes for the harvester -- it clearly pissed.
Ripley pulls herself over the ridge, sees the situation, rushes toward them.
Call awakens to see the monster approaching the machine. Terrified, but determined,
she reaches for a lever
RIPLEY
No! Over here!
Calling out to distract it, she runs, waving her arms.
CALL
Ripley! Let it come! Let it come!
Tears run through her voice as she strains for the lever.The beast is torn, and for a
moment doesn't move.
Ripley looks over to where Call is, and understanding blooms on her face.
She looks around and spots:
ANGLE: THE GRENADE LAUNCHER
Halfway between her and the newborn.
For a moment neither of them moves. Then Ripley RUNS, the newborn comes at her with
equal speed, like they're playing chicken, Ripley DIVES at the ground, rolls,
comes up holdin the grenade launcher, and she FIPES!
The newborn is hit up close and dead center this time, and it rears back, screaming -
- Ripley FIRES and FIRES, driving it back toward the upended harvester.
The alien rears up to its full height, and Ripley pulls.the trigger. There is a hollow click.
Furious, Ripley stares a moment at the beast. A SSCREAM wells up in her throat and she
THROWS herself at it, leaping impossibly high, smashing into it and sending both
of them tumbling onto the Harvester.
Call pulls the lever.
In an instant the machine roars to life, a thousand blades grinding to top speed,
pulverizing the beast, consuming it, sucking it down as layer upon layer of alien flesh
is chopped into messes.
And it SHRIEKS, a noise unheard before, as it thrashes frantically.
Ripley tries to pull herself off it before the blades get too close -- but the beast grabs
her, holds her. The blades ever closer as she struggles with it.
ANGLE: CALL
Still trapped below, she sees the aliens blood seeping through the machine all around her!
She squirms, trying to get away, but she's stuck. A stream of blood lands on her shoulder,
eating it away. Another on her leg, and panic blooms, bright in her.
CALL
RIPLEY!
Galvanized by the cry, Ripley TEARS herself out of the beast's dying grasp,
flips backwards off the Harvester as it begins to smoke and spark, blood eating through
the controls.
Call writhes, blood everywhere now. She is lost in primal terror.
Ripley wriggles her way under, and, regardless of the streams of blood splattering her,
wrenchs Call free. She drags her' out.
A section of the harvester explodes, raining fire and debris or the dying alien.
Call lies on the ground, Ripley behind her, arms wrapped tight around her.
Covered in blood and grime, the two watch the alien go up in flames, breathing hard, holding each other as if their lives depended on it still.
DISSOLVE TO.- ANGLE: THE NEWBORN'S SKULL
Burning, hollowed out by the licks of flame that caress it. Collapsing gently on itself.
WIDE ANGLE:
EXT. SAME - LATER
The four of them sit by the huge camp-fire, watching the flames.
Vriess tosses 'Christie a bottle of whiskey.
JOHNER
The bitch takes her time in burning.
VRIESS
Well, it looks like she's finally giving it up.
JOHNER
Troopers should be finding our ship any time now. 1 don't much love the idea of being
around when they do.
Ripley gets up, looks out over the cliffs edge at the lights the city.
Christie offers the bottle to Call. She takes it and drinks.
VRIESS (to Call)
I guess you won't want to be answering any official Questions either.
CALL
I guess not.
She is grateful for the suggestion that they are in it together.
VRIESS
Well, we're on Earth, for Chrissake. Plenty of places to get lost here.
CALL
So I've heard.
After a moment, she g
ets up as well, goes over to Ripley. She hands her the bottle.
Ripley looks at it.
CALL
It's a drink. You drink it.
RIPLEY (smiling) I remember. She drinks.
CALL
So, what do you think?
RIPLEY
Think?
CALL
What should we do now?
RIPLEY
I don't know.
She looks out in the distance...
RIPLEY I'm a stranger here myself
The two of them stand side by side staring out at the unfamiliar horizon,
as the newborn dwindles in the dancing flame.
THE END
Terry Bisson Page 9