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    Terry Bisson

    Page 9
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      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

     

     

     



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