TAZ
(to the gunners)
Give me ten minutes, boys. If the Alien
even twitches…
He looks after the retreating Ranier, then makes a slow slicing motion over his own throat. He leaves at a run.
Piper tries to lift the Predator’s shoulders. They hardly leave the floor.
HOWIE
Shit! How we going to lift this thing?
In the corner Johner groans and props himself up.
PIPER
(to Johner)
Hey, big guy. You up for some heavy
lifting?
Johner frowns and takes stock of those around him. He sees the still Warrior.
JOHNER
(weary resignation)
Aww, crap!
EXT. THE REBEL CAMP – NIGHT
VARIOUS ANGLES:
Doors roll up in several buildings. Assorted vehicles emerge: small buggies to huge transports. Mostly old, beaten up. Converge, convoy-style in main street. Begin to move out. We SEE Ranier standing beside a parked transport. He acknowledges each vehicle as it passes. Last comes a big rig driven by Howie. Ranier clambers up into the passenger’s side of his own rig, and follows on at the end.
EXT. OUTSKIRTS OF THE CAMP - CONTINUOUS
We SEE the convoy begin to arrange itself into three groups.
INT. RANIER’S TRANSPORT – CONTINUOUS
Pg. 53
Warrior secured in an upright casket of some translucent material. Straps to the wall stabilize it.
The Warrior is awake. His tongue strikes out repeatedly, but can’t reach the barrier. His screams are muted.
Ripley’s crossed arms hug her shoulders. She is rocking back and forth slightly, chancing quick glances at the Warrior. She seems still groggy.
Taz and the gunners split nervous glances between her and the Warrior.
Beside her, Johner reaches up to touch her shoulder.
JOHNER
Hey. Hey, you OK?
Ripley jumps aside.
RIPLEY
(growls)
Don’t touch me.
(to Ranier)
Hey, Ranier. What’s your game? Why’d
you tranque me?
RANIER
It was a volatile moment. I had to cap
it quickly. If I hadn’t knocked your
ET friend down, someone else would have
put him down for good. There were lots
of itchy trigger fingers in that room.
And I didn’t have the luxury of asking
you, politely, to step aside.
RIPLEY
But you sent Call to stop it all. Why
not let one of those trigger fingers
finish it?
RANIER
Call was sent to stop the breeding
program. Events took care of that. And
I don’t believe your friend is about
to start laying eggs.
Pg. 54
RANIER (cont’d)
Besides, we are anti-Company. If they
want you, I’m not about to let them
have you. And we’re not murderers.
He stares hard at Ripley. Ripley just looks at him.
DRIVER
Ranier.
(points to dashboard)
Trouble.
DETAIL – SCREEN ON DASHBOARD
Half a dozen blips blink across a red screen.
RANIER
(O.S.)
Damn!
EXT. THE DESERT, SLOW PAN – CONTINUOUS
We SEE a wide spread of distant headlights approaching.
INT. RANIER’S TRANSPORT - CONTINUOUS
RANIER
(to himself)
Too slow. We were too slow.
Suddenly a blinding glare fills the cab.
EXT. THE DESERT – CONTINUOUS
Lights blazing, four Winnebago-sized United Systems Military VTOL craft – FALCONS - descend rapidly from the sky. Guns bristling, they hover above the ground, halting the convoy.
On the other flank four WarHorses and two Cheetahs park themselves twenty yards away. Marines pile out.
One of the Falcons settles to the ground halfway along the convoy’s length.
Colonel Laurens walks out slowly, hands up. His sidearm holster is obviously empty. But behind him, rifles at ease, come four marines to flank him two-a-side.
Pg. 55
Voice raised, he tries to address the entire convoy.
LAURENS
I’ll make this short. I am Colonel
Winston Laurens, United Systems Military.
I am authorized to extend USM protection
to one Ellen Ripley and at least one of her... associates. If the leadership of this
group can hear me, I suggest we do this
quickly. Another party is interested. We
understand you have already met one of
their representatives.
INT. RANIER’S TRANSPORT – CONTINUOUS
RANIER
Protection? I don’t get it. We found their
Tracker. They had to have sent that...
whatever it was.
Ripley moves up to the cab, to Ranier’s shoulder.
RIPLEY
But it was coming for me. It was sent for
me. My associate, as this guy puts it,
shows up and somebody’s plan goes to hell.
JOHNER
Like don’t shoot the messenger. Except we
did, and now the messenger company’s
pissed. If it was me, I’d send more
messengers.
TAZ
What?
RIPLEY
No, he’s right. That’s the other party
this guy Laurens is talking about. A nice
little business arrangement has gone sour,
and now both sides want the goods.
Pg. 56
EXT. ON LAURENS
LAURENS
(voice raised)
Ladies and Gentlemen. I cannot stress too
strenuously the need for haste. If
necessary, I will attempt to acquire my
packages by force. Plainly I have the
means to do so. Comply peacefully, and
everyone else will leave here unharmed.
INT. RANIER’S TRANSPORT.
RANIER
A sweet deal, indeed. Though one I find
hard to believe. I can take a few bullets,
but most of my friends cannot.
(to Ripley)
It’s your call.
Ripley hesitates. She turns to gaze at the bound Warrior.
HER POV
The Warrior continues to scream, struggle, trying to reach the wall of his prison.
ON RIPLEY
Suddenly her face fills with pain. Tears well in her eyes.
RIPLEY
But he’s not a Queen. I don’t understand.
What good can...?
WIDER ANGLE
A nearby EXPLOSION rocks the transport, jolting those inside.
OUTSIDE: DYNAMIC SHOTS AS NECESSARY
The flaming debris of a destroyed Falcon rain down. Laurens and the four Marines duck for cover.
Pg. 57
A second Falcon explodes. The remaining airborne Falcon shoots straight up. We SEE it fire into the darkness, but then it, too, disintegrates.
From the ground forces the searchlights and gun turrets of the WarHorses sweep the night sky and the surrounding desert. The cannons begin firing, seemingly
indiscriminately. The smaller guns of the Cheetahs join in, as do the individual Marines. But they hit nothing.
A WarHorse explodes. Then a Cheetah. Another WarHorse. The Marines panic and scatter.
From the convoy, people flee their vehicles and make a run for it, some, with automatic weapons, firing blindly up into the air. New CRACKLING sounds fill the night and we SEE the armed humans fall, one by one. The others keep running.
IN RANIER’S TRANSPORT
RIPLEY
Jesus Christ, Ranier, get us out of here.
She shakes the driver’s shoulders.
RIPLEY (cont’d)
Gun it, for God’s sake.
RANIER
(to the driver)
You heard the lady.
EXT. THE DESERT
We SEE the transport lurch into motion, but immediately a barrage of large caliber projectiles stitches erupting fountains of sand around it. The rig halts.
The remaining USM ground vehicles explode. The Marines are going down.
We SEE Ranier’s rig move again, but the same incentive halts it a second time.
Pg. 58
IN RANIER’S TRANSPORT
TAZ
Wow! Lucky again.
JOHNER
No way. That’s just good shootin’. They
know their ‘packages’ are here.
In the cab the radio cracks to life.
HOWIE
(O.S.)
Ranier. RANIER!
Ranier leans in, flicks a switch.
RANIER
Howie.
IN HOWIE’S CAB
Howie sits alongside Piper.
HOWIE
Boss. This is not good. We’re not
moving, but I strongly suggest we do.
PIPER
Bossman. We’re too close to the camp.
IN RANIER’S CAB
RANIER
(grim)
Rock and a hard place, Boys. Know any
good prayers?
RIPLEY
What are they talking about?
At the back of the transport one of the gunners points out of the rear window.
GUNNER
Hey. Look. What’s that?
Pg. 59
EXT. THE TOWN – WIDE ANGLE
We SEE a shimmering ripple descend to hover above the main street. It is just wide enough to stretch over the buildings on either side. Two lights appear from its belly.
DYNAMIC SHOTS AND ANGLES
Predators begin to drop, unaided, to the ground – a good twenty feet. They thump onto the sand with ease, and begin to form ranks.
They are followed by half-a-dozen Predators who glide out mounted on floating disks, semi-girdled with supportive handrails. They flank their ground forces, and the unit begins to advance.
HOWIE’S CAB
From either side, each hanging onto an opened door, Howie and Piper, eyes wide, are gazing back past Ranier’s transport towards the town.
From inside we HEAR
RANIER
(O.S., the radio)
Howie.
HOWIE
Yes, Boss?
RANIER
(O.S.)
Remind me to get that prayer from you
sometime.
HOWIE
No problem-o, Boss.
He and Piper look towards each other...
HOWIE and PIPER
(in unison)
Three. Two. One...
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