...then duck back inside, slamming their doors closed.
ON THE TOWN
Several huge explosions erupt simultaneously, blasting high into the night sky. The Predators are engulfed and consumed as the ground beneath them ruptures and collapses from the underground detonations. Their ship, visible now, crashes back to earth and adds its own explosions to the conflagration.
WIDER ANGLE
The blast waves roll into the nearest transports – Ranier’s, Howie’s, a couple of others – pushing them across the sand, leaving them leaning against each other.
IN RANIER’S TRANSPORT
Everyone picks themselves up.
RIPLEY
Well that was a surprise.
JOHNER
Not that we’re complaining.
RANIER
Glad you approve.
(to the others)
Everyone OK?
Ripley’s eyes dart back through the transport. She sees the Warrior’s container has broken its bonds and has fallen forward. She pushes past the gunners, tries to right it.
RIPLEY
Give me a hand with this.
JOHNER
Why not let sleepin’ freakazoids lie?
Gives me the creeps just looking’ at it.
A GUNNER
I’m with him.
Pg. 61
We HEAR dull thuds and movement from outside the rear doors. The two gunners swing their weapons towards them. The doors crack open then swing wide. A female Marine jumps down to the ground, and joins her three mates. Four big smart guns stare up straight into the gunners’ two cannon-like weapons.
Ranier rushes back and jumps in between.
RANIER
(to all)
Take it easy, Gentlemen.
(notices female)
And Ladies...lady...whatever.
Colonel Laurens steps into view from the side. As he does so, we SEE the surviving FALCON float into view and hover a distance behind him. Laurens looks up, sees Ripley and Ranier. He jerks a thumb back at the destroyed town.
LAURENS
(to Ranier)
Quite the trick. No doubt planned, but
probably not for our uninvited guests.
RANIER
Into every life a little luck must fall.
LAURENS
Words to live by, indeed.
He eyes Ripley.
LAURENS
Ellen Ripley.
(notices the Warrior)
And one nicely packaged associate. And
I was led to believe this might be a
difficult operation.
No one responds to him.
LAURENS
Perhaps you’d rather I referred to you as
Number 8?
Pg. 62
ON RIPLEY
Something like shock/fear/anger rushes over her face.
RESUME SCENE
Johner brings himself up beside Ranier.
JOHNER
If you want me to rip your fuckin’ tongue
out of your throat you can.
LAURENS
Ah, the pirate. So you’re the one who
survived. John R. Berlin. I find your
Auriga amnesty hard to swallow.
RIPLEY
Laurens.
Laurens returns his attention to Ripley.
LAURENS
Ms. Ripley.
RIPLEY
What do you want?
Laurens is all business again.
LAURENS
I have orders to place under my
protection either yourself or one of
the Auriga organisms - preferably both
- and return you safely to a location
that need not be revealed here.
Once again he is treated to no reaction.
LAURENS
(shows a little agitation)
Ripley, the time to go is now. I still
outgun the remnants of this rabble by a considerable margin. And we may have
more visitors. It’s black and white: come peacefully and your friends go free.
Pg. 63
RANIER
(to Ripley)
Like I said, your call.
(to Laurens)
Rabble?
RIPLEY
OK. We go.
JOHNER
What?
LAURENS
Ah, yes. Mr. Berlin
consideration all together. In my book
piracy is still a capital offence.
RIPLEY
Oh, no. He goes free, too, or it’s
no deal.
LAURENS
The man is a hardened criminal with a
record...
With Alien speed, Ripley rips one of the cannons from a gunner. Laurens is in her sights. The Marines target her.
RIPLEY
Now it’s your call, Colonel.
A BEAT. Laurens indicates the caged Warrior.
LAURENS
(to his Marines)
Ready the organism for the Falcon.
(to Ripley)
Come with me. But you bring the
smuggler, too. I will honour his
amnesty.
He turns, presenting his back to Ripley’s weapon, and strides away.
LAURENS (cont’d)
That’s the deal.
Pg. 64
Ripley lowers the gun. Two of the Marines hop up into the transport.
RIPLEY
(to Johner)
Well, Mr. Berlin
thank me or what?
JOHNER
Hey, I was comin’ with you anyway, no
matter what. The guys around here don’t
get my jokes.
Before Ripley can react Ranier takes her arm and turns her away from the occupied Marines. He squeezes something into her hand.
RANIER
Something to remember me by.
Ripley looks down.
DETAIL HER PALM
We SEE Call’s Tracker.
RESUME SCENE
RANIER
It’s possible I’ll be seeing you soon.
If I do, I’ll say “Hi”.
RIPLEY
That sounds simple enough. Why do I get
the feeling it’s not?
Ranier just smiles.
LAURENS
(O.S. calling)
Ripley!
ON THE MARINES
who are sliding the Warrior’s casket down to their comrades.
Pg. 65
DETAIL ON THE CASKET
We SEE a hairline crack. The casket bumps. The crack lengthens.
INT. THE FALCON – MOMENTS LATER
Laurens stands aside as Ripley and Johner enter cautiously. The four Marines with the Warrior follow behind them. They lay the casket down centrally on the floor.
We SEE one pilot and four additional gunners at their posts. All eye their new passengers with the utmost apprehension.
LAURENS
(to the female Marine)
CPL. FLEMING. Secure our guests aft.
Fleming takes Ripley and Johner to the rear, seats them in individual cubicles, one on either side of the Falcon. She straps them into elaborate safety harnesses.
JOHNER
Oh, you can pull that as hard as you
want, Baby. I like it tight.
Fleming hesitates, glances across at Ripley who just shakes her head.
WIDER ANGLE
We HEAR the Falcon’s engines WHINE. Vibrating and shaking indicate liftoff.
ON RIPLEY AND JOHNER
We HEAR snap-snap. Their harnesses lock. They both pull in vain.
JOHNER
What the fuck...?
Horizontal bands of plexi-steel shoot out around each cubicle to form cages.
Pg. 66
RIPLEY
(shouting)
Laurens. What the hell are you doing?
WIDER ANGLE
LAURENS
My job.
(to the gunners)
Acquire your targets.
The gunners prep their turrets, refer to tiny scanning readouts on their targeting consoles.
We HEAR the engine whine rise. ANGLE shows the Falcon banking hard.
LAURENS
(to the gunners)
At your discretion, Gentlemen.
ON RIPLEY
RIPLEY
NO!
We HEAR the big guns begin to fire.
EXT. ON THE GROUND - CONTINUOUS
We SEE the convoy vehicles begin to explode
IN HOWIE’S TRANSPORT
A nearby explosion rocks the rig.
PIPER
Shit in me billabong!
He glances in a wing mirror.
HIS POV
of Ranier’s rig, already aflame.
Pg. 67
ON RANIER’S RIG
It is hit again and disintegrates.
IN HOWIE’S TRANSPORT
Throwing a laptop-sized strapped bag about his neck, Piper lunges over and grabs the wheel.
PIPER
Floor it, Howie. I’ll steer.
EXT. WIDE ANGLE
The transport kicks dust and rolls over the broken desert.
A shell just misses. From the distance we SEE the Falcon skimming closer.
IN THE TRANSPORT
PIPER
Stop!
Howie brakes hard.
Piper grabs him and flings them both out of the passenger side.
ON THE TRANSPORT
It explodes. The Falcon screams overhead.
IN THE FALCON – CONTINUOUS
The firing continues.
ON RIPLEY
Ripley bites into her lower lip, letting blood drip onto her harness’s central buckle. We SEE the metal bubble.
ON JOHNER
whose eyes open wide.
Pg. 68
WIDER ANGLE
Ripley surges against her bonds. They tear apart. She grabs one band of her prison and begins to rip downwards.
A Marine notices.
MARINE
Colonel!
The Marine draws his sidearm...
LAURENS
No! Stunners only.
But the Marine fires. The bullet ricochets off one of the bands and grazes Ripley’s temple. She recoils. Blood flows.
She recovers, SCREAMS, and continues to tear at the bands that cut into her hands. More blood. She is almost free.
There is panic and disarray amongst the Marines. Fumbling for their stun weapons. Backing away from Ripley.
CONTINUE
Ripley rips free. Blood spatters everywhere, HISSING and bubbling wherever it lands. She leaps through the air.
Marines fire. A couple of stun darts hit her.
She lands on top of the Warrior’s casket, bringing both fists smashing down. The casket implodes.
Everyone is firing. Ripley is hit repeatedly. She turns on Laurens, swiping through his feeble punches, and drives her Alien-nail-tipped fingers through his eyes and deep into his brain. The blood on her hands eats into his face.
Two Marines tackle her. Another hits her hard with the butt of his rifle to the back of her head. Under the assault Ripley goes down, letting Laurens’ body fall. The Marines swarm her.
A new SCREAM makes them stop their attack and turn. Before they can move the Warrior is amongst them. His tail whips and slices; his hands crush; his tongue punches.
Pg. 69
A body collides with the pilot. The Falcon pitches sickeningly.
Frantic, the pilot shoves the body off, then launches an emergency procedure. We SEE him hit buttons. We HEAR (computer voice) Homing Sequence Initiated. We SEE panels clang closed around him, isolating the cockpit.
The Warrior flings the last bloodied body off Ripley. He grips her head and pulls it towards him.
Viciously, she knocks his claws away and throws herself backwards to sink against the bulkhead. The Warrior recoils then hisses menacingly, bringing his huge head back to crowd Ripley’s face.
Ripley bares her own teeth and hisses back.
The Warrior cocks his head slowly...then backs off. He curls into a fetal posture on the opposite bulkhead.
IN THE FALCON – LATER
Ripley gains control over her breathing. Eyes still closed she runs her fingers through her hair, and draws her hands slowly down over her face. She frowns, looks at her hands.
ON HER HANDS
We SEE red scars – nothing more – slowly fading.
RESUME SCENE
She rests her arms on her raised knees, blows hard, gazes across at the slumbering Warrior. She surveys the bloody carnage, then looks back to the rear of the craft.
RIPLEY
You’re quiet.
JOHNER
No shit! I’ve seen some in my day, but nothin’
like that.
Ripley nods slowly.
Pg. 70
JOHNER (cont’d)
So what now?
RIPLEY
(shrugs weakly)
If there’s a God, I doubt if even he
knows. Everything’s gone to shit in this
little adventure. I can’t see how anyone
can be in control of it any more.
JOHNER
The pilot’s still in there. Maybe we should
bust those panels down. Take the ship.
RIPLEY
(shakes her head)
Probably booby-trapped. And we’re on auto.
Without Laurens the kid probably doesn’t
even know where we’re going. Don’t worry about him. He’ll stay put.
(a beat, another)
I’m tired, Johner.
JOHNER
Well, yeah. You just kicked some serious ass.
RIPLEY
No. Tired of it all.
(nods at the Warrior)
Tired of him, tired of you, tired of a
person called Ripley, tired of whatever I
am. It has to end.
Her voice trails off. Her head flops forward.
JOHNER
Ripley. Hey, Ripley. What do we do now?
Ripley!
RIPLEY
(mumbles)
Land somewhere...
JOHNER
Ripley. RIPLEY!
The Warrior lifts his head and hisses back towards Johner.
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