Balto: The alien Adaptation.
By Aurawolf14 and Sweet Fur Amy.

FADE IN

SOMETIME IN THE FUTURE:

INT. ENGINE ROOM
Empty, cavernous.

INT. ENGINE CUBICLE
Circular, jammed with instruments.
All of them idle.
Console chairs for two.
Empty.

INT. OILY CORRIDOR - "C" LEVEL
Long, dark.
Empty.
Turbo throbbing.
No other movement.

INT. CORRIDOR - "A" LEVEL
Long, empty.

INT. INFIRMARY - "A" LEVEL
Distressed ivory walls.
All instrumentation at rest.

INT. CORRIDOR TO BRIDGE - "A" LEVEL
Black, empty.

INT. BRIDGE
Vacant.
Two space helmets resting on chairs.
Electrical hum.
Lights on the helmets begin to signal one another.
Moments of silence.
A yellow light goes on.
Data mind bank in big.
Electronic hum.
A green light goes on in front of one helmet.
Electronic pulsing sounds.
A red light goes on in front of other helmet.
An electronic conversation ensues.
Reaches a crescendo.
Then silence.
The lights go off, save the yellow.

INT. CORRIDOR TO HYPERSLEEP VAULT
Lights come on.
Seven gowns hang from the curved wall.
Vault door opens.

INT. HYPERSLEEP VAULT
Explosion of escaping gas.
The lid on a freezer pops open.
Slowly, groggily, Granite sits up.
Pale.
Granite rubs the sleep from his eyes.
Stands.
Looks around.
Stretches.
Looks at the other freezer compartments.
Scratches.
Moves off.

INT. GALLEY
Granite plugs in a Salix.
Lights a cigarette.
Coughs.
Grinds some coffee beans.
Runs some water through.

Granite: Rise and shine, Aaka.

INT. HYPERSLEEP VAULT
Another lid pops open.
A young Female K 9 sits up.

Aaka: What time is it?
Granite: (Voice over) What do you care?

INT. GALLEY
Pot now half-full.
Granite watches it drip.
Inhales the fragrance.

Granite: Now Autumn and Amaroq. (Calls out) Good morning Captain.
Autumn: (Voice over) Where's the coffee?
Granite: Brewing.

Aaka walks into the kitchen.
Pours herself a cup.

INT. HYPERSLEEP VAULT
Two more lids pop open.
A pair of K 9 sits up.
Look at each other.

INT. GALLEY
Granite enjoys a freshly brewed cup.

Granite: Jenna...

Another moment.
And then the sound of another lid opening.

Granite: And if we have much, can Ebony be far behind.

Lid opening sound.

Granite: Right.

INT. HYPERSLEEP VAULT

Autumn looks at his groggy circus.

Autumn: One of you jokers get the cat.

Jenna picks up a limp cat out of one of the compartments.

INT. MESS

The crew of the United States commercial starship Nostromo
Seated around a table.

Autumn.........Captain
Granite...........Executive Officer
Jenna.........Warrant Officer
Amaroq............Science Officer
Aaka........ Navigator
Much.........Engineer
Ebony..........Engineering Technician
Jones..........Cat

Five Male K 9 and two Female K 9: Aaka and Jenna.

Aaka: Jesus am I cold.
Much: Still with us, Ebony.
Ebony: You.
Jenna: Lucky us.

They yawn, stretch, shiver.
Autumn looks over at a flaming yellow light.

Granite: I feel dead.

Granite is not yet fully awake.
Yawns.

Much: You look dead.
Amaroq: Nice to be back.
Much: Before we dock maybe we'd better go over the bonus Situation.
Ebony: Yeah.
Much: Ebony and I think we deserve a full share.
Autumn: You two will get what you Contracted for. Just like everybody else.
Ebony: Everybody else gets more than us.
Autumn: Everybody else deserves more than you two.
Amaroq: Mother wants to talk to you.
Autumn: I saw it. Yellow light for my eyes only...Now, everybody hit their stations.

INT. COMPUTER ROOM ANNEX
Floor to ceiling data banks.
Another flaming yellow light.
A legend underneath.
COMMAND PRIORITY ACCESS ONLY.
Autumn enters.
Sits at his console.
Removes insignia master computer key attached to his shirt.
Plug it into the board under the light.
All banks burst into life.
Autumn punches up a computer code on the keyboard.
Legend on the screen...
What's my God damn key?
Printout from computer answers...
01335 on the binary side.

Autumn: Thank you Mother.

Autumn punches up the combination on the keyboard.
Immediately start getting a readout.

CUT TO:
INT. BRIDGE
Above eye level the room is ringed by view screens.
All of them blank.
Granite, Jenna, and Aaka enter.
Autumn' seat remains empty.
All of them now dressed; they find their way to individual Consoles.
Jenna puts down the cat, straps herself into the high-backed chair.

Granite: Plug us in.

All three crewmembers begin throwing switches.
The control room starts to come to life.
Colored lights flicker.
Chase each other across glowing screens.

Granite: Give us something to look at.

Aaka presses a bank of switches.
View screens glimmer into life.

Aaka: Take a look at this.

On each screen, blackness speckled with stars.

Aaka: Where's Earth.
Granite: You're the navigator.
Jenna: That's not our system.
Granite: Scan.

Aaka hits several toggles.
On the screens the images begin to drift.

ONE OF THE SCREENS
A moving image of a star field.

EXT. NOSTROMO
The Factory Starship lumbering with the depths of inter-stellar space.

Function: Petroleum tanker and Refinery.
Capacity: 2000,000,000 tons.
Length: One and one half kilometers.

Battered exterior encrusted with dark sludge.

INT. BRIDGE

Aaka pores over charts.
Consults her console.
Puzzled.

Granite: Contact traffic control.

Jenna switches on her transmission unit.

Jenna: This is commercial vessel Nostromo. Registration number 180246. Doyou read me. Over.

Nothing but the hiss of static.

Jenna: Nothing.
Granite: Keep trying.

Turns to Aaka.
Jenna attempting transmission in big.

Granite: You got a reading yet.
Aaka: We're way out in the boondocks here...
Granite: Keep trying...
Aaka: Working on it.

Eureka.

Aaka: Found it.
Granite: Hard to believe.
Aaka: What the hell are we doing out here.
Granite: What are you talking about.
Jenna: It's not our system.

INT. ENGINE ROOM
Giant reactor system purring smoothly.

INT. ENGINE ROOM

Much and Ebony in a glass cubicle. Each having a beer.
Huge power plant stretching before them.
All units on automatic hyper-drive.
Much hits a switch above his desk. A green light goes on.

Much: How's your light?
Ebony: Green.
Much: Mine too.

They both take a swig.
Suddenly a beeper signal begins.

Much: Christ. What is it now?
Ebony: Right.
Jenna: (Voice over) Report to the mess.

INT. OILY CORRIDOR - "C" LEVEL
Much: I want to know why they never come down here. This is where the work is.
Ebony: Same reason we have half a share to their one, our time is their time, that's the way they see it.
Much: Well, I'll tell you something... it stinks.

They move towards the companionway.

INT. MESS
Entire crew present.

Autumn: Some of you may have figured out that we're not home.
Ebony: What the hell.
Autumn: Mother's interrupted the course of the voyage.  Mother is programmed to interrupt the course of out voyage if certain conditions arise. They have...(pause) We've received intermittent transmission from quadrant points QBR 157, 052.  Somebody's gone down.
Ebony: So what.
Granite: We're obligated under Section B2...
Much: Christ. We're a commercial ship not some rescue team. This kind of duty's not in our contract.
Amaroq: You better read your contract.  Transmissions received in non-commercial lanes...

Autumn gives Much and Ebony a look.

Autumn: We're going in, that's it.

Ebony knows when to ease up.

Ebony: Right, we're going in. (smiles) Sir.

Autumn turns to Amaroq.

Autumn: Can we land on it?

He takes a print-out from Mother out of his paw.

Amaroq: The other ship did.
Autumn: That's what I mean.

Studies the print-out.

Amaroq: It's big enough. Can't see any reason why not.

CUT TO:
EXT. NOSTROMO AND REFINERY APPROACHING THE STAR/PLANET SYSTEM

INT. BRIDGE
Autumn at his console speaking to Amaroq.

Autumn: We're coming into range of the planet. What kind of orbit do you plan for the cargo.
Amaroq: Z local vertical mode.
Autumn: You figure it will hold that.
Amaroq: You worried about redundancy management disabling CMGS control.
Autumn: Yeah.
Amaroq: CMG control is inhibited via DAS/DCS. We'll augment with TACS and monitor through ATMDC and computer interface. (pause) Feel better?
Autumn: A lot.

EXT. NOSTROMO
Moving within range of the planet.

INT. BRIDGE
The crew strap themselves to their seats.

Autumn: Prepare for separation and orbital insertion of the cargo.

Much preparation for separation, etc.

Autumn: Give me an EC Pressure reading.
Amaroq: 3.45 n/c m^2 squared (5 Pisa)
Autumn: Shout if it changes. Deactivate probe retract system.
Granite: What about the pressure seal.

Autumn hits appropriate switches.

Autumn: Now the probe retract system.

Granite hits other equally appropriate switches.

Granite: Okay.
Autumn: Release captive hatches and disengage probe.

Granite working switches and buttons.

Granite: Disengaged.

Autumn punches buttons of his own.

EXT. NOSTROMO
The Refinery separates from Nostromo.

INT. BRIDGE
Autumn watches the refinery moving away on a view screen.

Granite: All free and clear.
Autumn: Amaroq.
Amaroq: Orbital insertion complete.
Autumn: Okay. The money's safe. Let's take it down.

EXT. NOSTROMO
Engines coughing to life.
Nostromo begins its descent.
Below night's tide rolls across the planet's surface.

INT. BRIDGE
The view screen shimmers.

Jenna: Turbulence.

EXT. NOSTROMO
Tug-module hydroplaning downward.
A set of brilliant lights switch on.
Cut through the thick atmosphere.

INT. ENGINE ROOM - CUBICLE
Much and Ebony strapped in their seats.
Begin rocking from the sudden, extreme turbulence.

Much: Christ. Overloading. What the hell are we going through.
Ebony: Dust frizzing the compressor.
Much: There goes the conversion stabilizer.
Ebony: I don't know if the digital solenoid...
Much: Forget it. If we don't Amaroq, dollars to your aunt's cherry we get an electrical fire...

INT. BRIDGE
The turbulence continues unabated.
Aaka's eyes follow cross-plot gauges.
Aaka: Drop begins...now. Fifteen Kilometers and descending...Twelve...ten...eight andSlowing. Five. Three. Two.  One kilometer and slowing.
Autumn: Lock tractor breams.

A loud electrical hum.

Granite: Locked.
Autumn: Kill drive engines.

The engines fall silent.

Aaka : Nine hundred meters and dropping. Eight hundred. Seven hundred.

EXT. PLANET - NIGHT
Storm blowing across the night-shrouded surface.
The Nostromo hovers on glowing beams of light.
Landing struts unfold like insect legs.
The ship slams down.
Rocks heavily on massive shock absorbers.

INT. BRIDGE - NIGHT
Jenna: We're down.

An enormous vibration.
The panels in the room Amaroq simultaneously.
Light goes out.

Granite: Lost it. Lost it.

INT. ENGINE ROOM
Another huge vibration.
An electrical fire breaks out along three control panels.

INT. OILY CORRIDOR

Huge Amaroq fire whips along corridor.

INT. ENGINE ROOM - CUBICLE

Much and Ebony see the pandemonium below.
Ebony hits the secondary generator switch.
A pressure valve blows.
Another conduit breaks loose.
All lights go out.
They grab paw lights from wall.

INT. BRIDGE
Still in darkness.

Aaka: Secondary generator should kick over.
Granite: Where is it?

Moments. Nothing. Granite grabs emergency headlamp from facial.
Followed by Autumn and Aaka.

Autumn: What happened?

Jenna hits the voice-amp.

Jenna: Engine room, what happened?
Much: (Voice over) God damn electrical fire, that's What happened?
Ebony: (Voice over) It's big.

INT. ENGINE ROOM
Much fighting an electrical fire on one of his panels.
Ebony shouting into his voice-amp.

Ebony: The intakes are clogged. We overheated and burned out a whole cell...Christ, it's really breaking loose down here...

INT. BRIDGE
Autumn: Somebody give me a simple answer, Has the hull been breached?

Jenna scans her gauges.

Jenna: I don't see anything. We've still got pressure.

A beep from the communicator.

Autumn: Hit the screen.

Granite snaps three toggles.
The screens flicker, but remain black.

Granite: Nothing.

EXT. SHIP - NIGHT
The wind sounds.
Storm continues to blow around the craft.
A few glittering lights distinguish the Nostromo from
absolute darkness.

INT. ENGINE ROOM CUBICLE
Much on the communicator to the bridge.

Much: 4 panel is totally shot, the secondary load sharing unit is out, at least three cells on 12 modules are gone.

INT. BRIDGE
Jenna listening too much.
Autumn standing over her.
No images on any screens.

Jenna: Is that it?
Much: (Voice over) Couldn't fix it out here anyway.  And we need to reroute a couple of these ducts. Can't really fix them without a whole dry-dock...
Autumn: What else.
Much: (Voice over) We lost a cell. Some fragments caked up and blew the whole system. We've got to clean it all out and depressurize.
Ebony: (Voice over) Right.
Jenna: Get started on 4 panel. I'll be down in five minutes.

She shuts off her voice communicator.

Autumn: How long before we're functional.
Jenna: Fifteen to twenty hours...
Autumn: Stay on it. What about the auxiliaries.
Jenna: Working on it.

EXT. SHIP - NIGHT
Bridge lights come to life.
Illuminate nothing but a patch of featureless ground.
The wind and storm now at a higher pitch.

INT. BRIDGE
Autumn, Granite, Aaka, and Amaroq.
Slouched around the bridge.
Drinking coffee.
Occasionally staring at the opaque screens.

Autumn: Any response yet?
Amaroq: Nothing but the same transmission every thirty-two seconds. All the other channels are dead.

Pause.

Autumn: Kick on the floods.

CUT TO:
EXT. SHIP
A ring of floodlights comes to life.
Dimly illuminating the rocky landscape.
The wind and dust now at a higher pitch.

CUT TO:
INT. BRIDGE - NIGHT
Autumn stares at the dark screens.

Granite: We can't go anywhere in this.
Amaroq: Mother says the sun's coming up in about twenty minutes.
Autumn: How far from the source of the transmission.
Amaroq: Northeast... about 3000 meters.
Granite: Close enough to walk.
Autumn: Let's run an atmospheric.

Amaroq punches buttons, starts to consult his panel.

Amaroq: 10 percent argon, 85 percent nitrogen, 5 percent neon...I'm working on the trace elements.
Autumn: Pressure.
Amaroq: Ten to the fourth dynes per square centimeter.
Granite: Moisture content.
Amaroq: None. Zero.
Autumn: Anything else.
Amaroq: Rock, lava base. And cold...well below the centigrade line.
Granite: I volunteer for the first group going out.
Autumn: I hear you. Aaka. You too.

Pause.

Aaka: Swell.
Autumn: One more thing. Let's get out some weapons.

EXT. SHIP - DAWN
Sunrise.
The atmosphere begins to lighten.
Silhouette of the Nostromo becoming dimly visible.
Starship perched on barren rock.
More rolling clouds of dust.
The floodlights automatically shut off.

INT. ENGINE ROOM CUBICLE
Much and Ebony laser welding one of the ducts.
Shirts off.
Sweat steaming.
Jenna rewiring one of the panels.
Much shuts down the laser, inspects the fusion.

Much: Hey, Jenna, I got a question.
Jenna: Yeah.
Much: Do we get to go out on the expedition or are we stuck here until everything's fixed.
Jenna: You know the answer to that.
Ebony: What about the shares in case they find anything.
Jenna: Don't worry, you'll both get What's coming to you?
Ebony: I'm not doing any more work unless we get full shares.
Jenna: You're guaranteed by law that You'll get a share... Now both of you knock it off and get back to work.

Much looks at her.
Snaps on the laser weld.
Starts to join another section of the duct.

Ebony: Right.

INT. MAIN AIR LOCK - DAWN
Autumn, Granite and Aaka enter the lock.
All wear gloves, boots, jackets.
Carry laser pistols.
Granite touches a button.
Servo whine.
Then the inner door slides quietly shut.
The trio pull on their helmets.

AUTUMN: I'm sending. Do you hear me?
GRANITE: Receiving.
AAKA: Receiving.
AUTUMN: All right. Keep away from the weapons unless I say otherwise.

INT. AMAROQ'S BLISTER - DAWN
Amaroq descends companionway to blister.
Punches up screens and instrumentation.

INT. MAIN AIR LOCK - DAWN
AUTUMN: Open the hatch.

Another servo whine.
Ponderously, the outer lock hatch slides open.
Clouds of dust and steam swirl before the three crewmembers.
A mobile gangway slides out the open hatch.
Burnt orange sunlight beyond.

EXT. PLANET - DAWN
The trio walk down the gangplank.
Arrive at surface level.
Their feet striking onto a thick layer of lava rock.
The wind at gale force.

AUTUMN: Which way.
AAKA: Over here.
AUTUMN: You lead.

Aaka walks into the storm.
Followed closely by the others.

AAKA: Now I can't see a Goddamn thing.
AMAROQ: (Voice over) Turn on the finder.
AUTUMN: It's on...Amaroq are you receiving.

INT. AMAROQ'S BLISTER - DAWN
Amaroq leaning over his console.
Watches them beneath him.
Corresponding images on the screen in front of him.

AMAROQ: See you. Read you. Good contact on my board.
AUTUMN: (Voice over) Getting you clear and free. Let's keep the line open.

EXT. PLANET - DAWN
The three crewmembers push their way along.
Like divers at the bottom of a dark sea.
The wind and dust continues driving down in dark sheets.
Aaka repeats.

AAKA: Can't see more than three meters in any direction.
GRANITE: Quit griping.
AAKA: I like griping.
AUTUMN: Come on.

They wade on, following Aaka.
She halts abruptly.
Confused.

INT. BLISTER - DAWN
Amaroq watches intently.
Images on each screen of the trio.

AAKA: (Voice over) I've got it again.
AMAROQ: Any problems.
AUTUMN: (Voice over) Yeah. A lot of dust and wind.  Starting to get some fade on the beam.

EXT. PLANET - DAWN
The trio moves through a dark limbo.

AAKA: This way.

Aaka indicates left.
Moves in that direction.
The others follow.
The storm growing.

GRANITE: It's close.

They approach a towering rock formation.
The transmission stops.

AAKA: It's gone again.
GRANITE: Did we pass it?
AUTUMN: Not unless it's underground.  Let's take a break.

They shelter with the rock formation.
Storm howls round them.
Autumn adjusts headset.
The signal starts.

AUTUMN: I've got it again. Let's go.
AAKA: How about our break.
AUTUMN: No. Let's move on while we've got the signal, again.

Autumn gets up.
They stand for a moment...
Then move away from the rock formation.
Fossilized into the other side of the rock is a shape.
Fifteen feet tall.
Unseen by the members of the party.

INT. BLISTER - DAWN
Amaroq receiving the video transmission.
Notices something within the formation.
Freezes the image.
Enlarges it.
Enlarges again.

EXT. THE NOSTROMO - SUNRISE
Atmosphere turning the color of blood.
Then the sun is up.

EXT. THE NOSTROMO - SUNRISE
Ebony and Much still at work.
Jenna moves away from her panel in triumph...

JENNA: You ought to be able to handle the rest.
MUCH: Don't worry.
JENNA: If you run into trouble, I'll be on the bridge.
EBONY: Right.

She leaves.

MUCH: Bitch.

INT. BLISTER - DAY
Amaroq still working on the video image.
Enhances the enlargement.
Transfers the image to cathode ray.
The image reveals itself to be a giant form. Indistinct.
Jenna's voice comes over.

JENNA: (Voice over) How's it going?

Amaroq quickly shuts off the video image.
Hits the intercom.

INT. BRIDGE
Jenna at her console.
Looking at Amaroq on her screen.
Amaroq's video image not visible to Jenna.

AMAROQ: (Voice over) All right.
JENNA: Have you tried putting the transmission through ECIU.
AMAROQ: (Voice over) Mother hasn't identified it as yet. It's not a language.
JENNA: I'll give it a shot.
AMAROQ: (Voice over) Be my guest.

She pushes some button.
The noise is now heard on her speaker.

EXT. PLANET - DAY
Dust clearing.
Three tiny figures against the landscape.

EXT. PLANET - DAY
Empty landscape.
Then Granite comes up over a rise startled by what he sees.
Suddenly the transmission is deafening.

GRANITE: Jesus Christ.

Autumn and Aaka join him equally startled.

THEIR P.O.V. - DAY
A gargantuan construction rising from the rock.
Clearly of nonhuman manufacture.

EXT. PLANET - DAY
Noise still at shrill pitch.
All members of the party shouting into their voice-amps.

GRANITE: Some kind of spaceship.
AAKA: Are you sure? It's weird...
AUTUMN: Amaroq, can you see this.

INT. AMAROQ'S BLISTER - DAY
Amaroq looking at the craft on a screen.

AMAROQ: Yeah. Never seen one like it.  Neither has Mother.
AUTUMN: (Voice over) Keep checking for enhancement.
AMAROQ: Whatever the transmission is, it's inside that.
GRANITE: (Voice over) I'll go in and have a look.
AUTUMN: (Voice over) Hold on. Amaroq, I don't see any lights or movements. Do you.
AMAROQ: I can't get any reading.

EXT. PLANET - DAY
AMAROQ: (Voice over) It's putting out so much power I just can't get any reading.

Autumn shuts off his receiver.
Sudden quiet.
A long moment.

AUTUMN: It looks pretty dead from here. We'll approach the base.

They move toward the ship.

INT. BLISTER - DAY
Amaroq still adjusting image of form in rock.
It suddenly resolves.
A skeleton. Fifteen feet long.
He enlarges the image.

AUTUMN: (Voice over) There's only one thing I can...

Autumn' voice fades in and out.
As do their images on the screen.

AMAROQ: Autumn...(Frantically punches buttons on console) Autumn...Do you read me.

No reply.

INT. BRIDGE - DAY
Jenna is running the transmission through ECIU.
Over the speakers Autumn' voice fades in.

AUTUMN: (Voice over) No sign of life. No lights...No movement...

She studies a long series of binary programs...

AUTUMN: (Voice over) We're beneath the base.

His voice fades into static.
Disappears.

CUT TO:

EXT. STRUCTURE - DAY
The lower part of the entrance filled with dust and pumice.

GRANITE: Looks like an entrance.
AUTUMN: Yeah... Let's move inside...

They climb up to one of the apertures and enter.

INT. CHAMBER - DAY
They move into a high-ceilinged chamber.
Walls covered with shadowy lattices.
Ghostly light filters dust-filled air.
A few meters in an opening appears.
Autumn leans over and looks into the hole.
Only blackness.
He unclips the light from his belt.
Shines it down into the hole.

AUTUMN: It just goes down... smooth walls. I can't see the bottom, light Won’t reach.

Granite and Aaka come over.
Autumn begins unclipping gear from his belt.

AUTUMN: Let's take a look around here first.

Granite and Aaka exchange a glance.
Autumn shines his light about, sees...
A large, glossy urn, tan coloration.
Round opening at the rop, empty within.
Then Autumn shines his light on nearby lattice...
Moves closer.

AUTUMN: Over here.

They approach.
Train their lights along the floor.
A machine.
On the mechanism, a small bar moves steadily back and forth.
Sliding noiselessly in the grooves.

GRANITE: Still functioning.

Aaka looks down at her direction finder.

AAKA: Automatic recording.

Autumn snaps it off.

AUTUMN: Now for a look down below. (Looks at Granite) This is your big chance.
GRANITE: Okay.
AUTUMN: Don't unhook yourself from the Cable. Be out in less than ten minutes. Read me.
GRANITE: Aye aye.

Autumn rigs a tripod over the opening in the floor.
Uncoils a couple of feet of wire.
Granite attaches the end of it to his chest unit.
Climbs over the lip and drops it into the hole.
Now hanging by the wire...
Head and shoulders out of the opening.
Granite activates the climbing unit.
Lowers himself into the fissure.

INT. STRUCTURE OPENING
Granite braces his feet against the wall of the vertical shaft.
Switches on his light, points it into the depths.
The beam penetrates only thirty feet or so, then is lost in darkness.

GRANITE: Hotter in here. Warm air rising from below.

He starts down, playing out the line.
Descending in short leaps.
Stops to catch his breath.
Breathing rasping loudly in his helmet.
A little sunlight filters from above.
Looking up, Granite can see the mouth of the hole...
A glowing spot of light.

AUTUMN: (Voice over) You okay in there.
GRANITE: Haven't hit bottom yet. This is work. Can't talk now.

He kicks off and continues down.
Taking longer and longer hops as he gains confidence.
Pausing for a moment to regain his breath, he shines the light on his instruments.

GRANITE: I'm below ground level.

INT. BRIDGE
Jenna at her console, still working on transmission.
Gets a readout.
Looks worried.
Speaks into communicator.

JENNA: Amaroq, tell Autumn Mother speculates that the noise is some kind of warning.
AMAROQ: (Voice over) I can't tell him anything. I've lost contact. The transmission around the ship is killing all communications.

Pause.

JENNA: I'm going out after them.
AMAROQ: (Voice over) I don't think so. We can't spare the personnel. We've got minimum takeoff capability right now. That's why Autumn left us on board.
JENNA: I still think we should go after them.
AMAROQ: (Voice over) What's the point? In the time it take to get there. They'll know if it's a warning.

Jenna looks steadily at Amaroq on her monitor.
His screen, not visible to her, shows blowup of helmeted, skeletal head. Not human.

INT. STRUCTURE
Granite resumes his downward climb.
Suddenly, his feet lose their purchase as the walls of the
shaft disappears.
The tunnel has reached its end.
Below him is a dark, cavernous space.
Deep breaths due to his violent exertion.

AUTUMN: (Voice over) See anything?
GRANITE: No...Tunnel's gone. Cave or something below me. Feels like the goddamn tropics in here...

He consults his instruments.
Helmet instrumentation strobing softly in the darkness.

GRANITE: ...High nitrogen content, no Oxygen...

Still puffing, he releases his purchase on the stonewalls.
Begins to lower himself on power.
Now Granite is dangling free in darkness.
Spinning slowly on the wire as the chest unit unwinds.
Then his feet hit bottom.
Granite grunts in surprise, almost loses his balance.
He flips his suit lights.
The beams reveal that he is in a large hold.
Row after row of extrusions stretch from floor to ceiling.

GRANITE: This is weird.
AUTUMN: (Voice over) What do you mean?
GRANITE: There's something all over the walls.

Granite walks across the chamber.
Examines the organic protrusions.

INT. CHAMBER ABOVE
Autumn and Aaka.

AUTUMN: How long till sunset.
AAKA: Twenty minutes.

A look from Aaka.

INT. HOLD
Granite approaches the center of the room.
On the floor are rows of leathery ovoid shapes.
He walks around them.
Shines his light on one.

GRANITE: It's like some kind of storage area. Is anybody there? Do you read me.
AUTUMN: (Voice over) Loud and clear.
GRANITE: The place is full of leathery things sealed...soft to the touch.
AUTUMN: (Voice over) Can you see what's in them?
GRANITE: I'll give it a look.

He tries to open one of them.
It won't open.

GRANITE: Strange feeling to it.
AUTUMN: (Voice over) Don't open it. You don't know what's in it?

Granite peers closely at the leathery ovoid.
Turns away.
Raised areas begin to appear where he touched it.
He moves his light along the rows.
Turns back to the one he was examining.
Something has changed.
The opaque surface begins to clear.
Object becoming visible within.
Granite shines his light on the floor at the base of it.
He studies it.

GRANITE: Jesus...
AUTUMN: (Voice over) What.

Viscera and mandible now visible.
The interior surface spongy and irregular.
Granite shines the light inside.
With shocking violence, a small creature slams Granite outward.
Fixes itself to his mask.
Sizzling sound.
The creature melts through the mask.
Attaches itself to Granite's face.
Granite tears at the thing with his hands.
His mouth forced open.
He falls backward.

INT. CHAMBER ABOVE
AUTUMN: Granite...Granite can you hear me.
AAKA: What's the matter?
AUTUMN: We better haul him out.
AAKA: It'll yank him right off his feet if he's not expecting it.
AUTUMN: Try him again.
AAKA: Granite...Granite...Goddamn it. Answer me.

Autumn begins to fiddle with the wench mechanism.

AUTUMN: The line's slack.

Pause.

AAKA: He doesn't answer. (Pause) Do you think he could have unhooked himself.

Autumn switches on the winch motor.
With a whine, it begins to reel the line in.
After a moment the line tightens with a jerk.
The motor slows, laboring under added weight.

AUTUMN: It caught.
AAKA: Is it hooked on something?
AUTUMN: No, it's coming.
AAKA: I can't see anything.

Autumn shines his light down into the hole.
Shakes his head.

AUTUMN: Lines still moving.

A long moment.
Autumn shines his light again.

AUTUMN: Here he comes.

The winch labors heavily.

AUTUMN: Get ready to grab him.

Granite appears at the top of the opening.
Dangles limply from the wire.
Autumn reaches for him, then recoils.

AUTUMN: Look out. There's something on his face.

Aaka attempts to help.

AAKA: What is it?

Granite appears to be completely unconscious.
The life form is still wrapped motionless around his face.

AAKA: Oh Jesus.
AUTUMN: Don't touch it.

They grapple with Granite's limp body.
Lift him from the hole.

INT. ENTRANCE TO DERELICT - SUNSET
Granite is now pinioned between Autumn and Aaka.
The storm raging through and beyond the entrance...
Autumn begins to assemble travois.

EXT. THE NOSTROMO - SUNSET
Atmosphere turning the color of blood.
And the sun is down.
The ring of floodlights on the ship comes to life.
Feebly combating the darkness and continuing storm.

INT. BRIDGE
Jones the cat staring through a port opening at the storm.
Jenna waiting on the bridge.
Amaroq stares at his inactive monitors.
Suddenly:

AMAROQ: We've got them. They're back on the screens.
JENNA: How many.
AMAROQ: Three blips. They're coming this way.

Jenna presses transmitter.

JENNA: Autumn, Aaka. Can you read me?
AUTUMN: (Voice over) We hear you. We're coming back...Granite's injured... We'll need some help getting him in.

Jenna stares at the screen.

AMAROQ: I'll go.

Amaroq moves from the room.
Jenna remains seated at her console.

EXT. LANDING LEG - NIGHT
Autumn and Aaka dragging Granite on a travois towards landing leg.

INT. PASSAGEWAY NEAR AIR LOCK
Amaroq comes down the steps.
Hurries to the inner door lock.
Presses the wall voice-amp.

AMAROQ: Jenna, I'm by the inner lock hatch.
JENNA: (Voice over) Okay.

EXT. LANDING LEG - NIGHT
Autumn and Aaka drag Granite onto lift platform.

INT. PASSAGEWAY NEAR AIR LOCK
Much comes running up.

MUCH: What's going on?
AMAROQ: Granite got hurt somehow.
MUCH: How bad.

Amaroq shrugs.
Ebony appears at the top of the companionway.
Puzzled look on his face.

INT. BRIDGE
Jenna seated alone in the room.
Autumn appears as a huge image on all screens.
Aaka behind him.
Granite pinioned to Autumn.

AUTUMN: (Voice over) Jenna, are you there.
JENNA: Right here.
AUTUMN: (Voice over) We're coming up. Open the lock.
JENNA: What happened to Granite? I need a clear definition.
AUTUMN: (Voice over) Some kind of organism. It's attached itself to him. Let us in. (Long moment) You hear me. Open the lock.
JENNA: If we let it in, the ship could be infected.
AUTUMN: (Voice over) Goddamn it. Open the hatch.
JENNA: We've already broken every rule or quarantine. If we bring an organism on board, we won't have a single layer of defense left.
AAKA: (Voice over) Open the Goddamn hatch. We have to get him inside.
JENNA: I can't. If you were in my position you'd do the same.

INT. PASSAGEWAY NEAR AIR LOCK
AUTUMN: (Voice over) Jenna, do you hear me.
JENNA: (Voice over) I read you. The answer is negative.

Amaroq hits the emergency switch.
A red light goes on.
Servo whine.
Followed by a solid metallic chunk.

AMAROQ: Inner hatch open.

INT. BRIDGE - NIGHT
Jenna staring at the console.
She can't believe what she sees.
Turns to the view screens.
Watches Autumn, Granite and Aaka enter.

INT. PASSAGEWAY NEAR AIR LOCK
The servo again turns over.
Another clunk.
The outer door has closed.
Red light off.
The inner door slides open.
Autumn and Aaka stagger into passageway.
Carry Granite's body between them.
Autumn pulls off his helmet.

AUTUMN: Stay clear.

Amaroq and Much move back.

AMAROQ: God.
MUCH: Is it alive?
AAKA: I don't know, but don't touch it.
AUTUMN: Take him to the infirmary.
EBONY: Right.

Amaroq and Ebony move in carefully to help with the limp burden.

INT. INFIRMARY
Granite's helmet.
Hands begin to open it with a laser cutter.
The helmet separates easily.
The two halves part...
...The life form slowly pulsing on Granite's face.
Autumn hesitates, then puts his hand on the small Creature.
Tries to pull it free.
Unsuccessful.
The Alien remains anchored to Granite's tissue.

AMAROQ: Let me try.

Amaroq takes a pair of pliers from a rack.
Carefully grasps the tip of the Creature.
Squeezes tightly.
Leans back.

AUTUMN: You're tearing his face.

A trickle of blood appears on Granite's cheek.

EBONY: It's not going to come off without pulling his whole face off at the same time.
AUTUMN: Let the machine work on him.

The Amaroq presses a switch.
The machine lights up.
Granite is sucked into a slot on the wall.
Visible inside through the glass layer.
A blinding colored light performs antisepsis.
Two video monitors pop on.

ANGLE ON THE DOORWAY
Jenna appears.
Autumn turns and looks at her.
A long moment.

AUTUMN: When I give an order, I expect it to be obeyed.
JENNA: Even if it's against the law.
AUTUMN: That's right.

Aaka steps forward and slaps Jenna across the face.
Jenna slowly puts her hand to her cheek.

AAKA: You were going to leave us out there.
MUCH: Maybe she should have. Who the hell knows what that is.
EBONY: Right.

Jenna looks at Aaka.
A moment.

JENNA: Let's call it settled.

Aaka gives her a curt nod.
Amaroq turns attention to the instrumentation.

JENNA: Somebody fill me in.
AUTUMN: He went into the structure alone, we lost radio contact. When we pulled him out, it was on his face...
AMAROQ: Where did it come from..?
AUTUMN: Somewhere inside that ship.
MUCH: How the hell is he breathing?

They study the monitors.

AMAROQ: Blood's thoroughly oxygenated.
AUTUMN: How. His nose and mouth seem to be blocked.
AMAROQ: We better look inside his head.

Amaroq punches three buttons.
An X-ray image appears.
A color depiction of Granite's head and upper torso.
The Alien is clearly visible.
A maze of complicated biology.
Granite's jaws are forced open.
The creature has extruded a long tube down his mouth and throat.
The appendage ending at the base of the esophagus.

EBONY: It's got something down his goddamn throat.
AMAROQ: That must be how it's getting oxygen to him.
JENNA: It doesn't make sense. It paralyzes him, puts him into a coma, then keeps him alive.
MUCH: Let's kill it. We can't leave the damn thing on him.
AMAROQ: I don't know. At the moment the Creature is keeping him alive. If we remove it we might terminate Granite...
AUTUMN: I don't think so. Let's take the chance and cut it off him.
AMAROQ: You'll take the responsibility.
AUTUMN: That's right.

Slips into surgical gloves.
Presses a switch, Granite slides back out of the booth.

AUTUMN: Give me the knife.

Jenna takes a surgical laser blade from the case.
Carefully passes it to Autumn.
He manipulates the knife until he has a comfortable grip.
Flicks a small button with his thumb.
The blade begins to hum.
Autumn advances on Granite's prostrate form.
Touches the scalpel to the Creature.
The electronic blade slices effortlessly downward.
Suddenly a urine-like fluid begins to drip from the wound.

AUTUMN: Starting to bleed.

The liquid flows onto the bedding next to Granite's head.
Starts to hiss.
Smoke curls up from the stain.
Next the yellow fluid eats a hole through the bunk bed.
Then drips onto the deck below.
Metal bubbling and sizzling.
More smoke rising, sending the crew into a coughing jag.
The crew jostle their way out of the cabin.
Huddle in the passageway outside, still coughing.
Autumn frantically applies pressure to the wound.
In the process, smoke of the fluid gets on Autumn's gloves.
They begin to smoke.
Autumn leaps back, pulls them off.
Then runs out into the corridor.

INT. PASSAGEWAY OUTSIDE INFIRMARY
EBONY: Shit. It's going to eat through the decks and go out the hull...

He starts to run for the companionway.

INT. PASSAGEWAY - "B" DECK
Autumn wrenches an emergency lamp from a socket.
Hurls himself down a companionway.
The others follow.

AUTUMN: There.

A droplet of fluid is sizzling on the ceiling bulkhead.
It oozes down.
Drips to the deck.
Continues to bubble.
Then goes through the bulkhead.

AMAROQ: What can we put under it.

Jenna and Much charge down the companionway below.

INT. SECOND LEVEL - "C" DECK
Jenna and Much move cautiously down the passageway.
Look up to the ceiling bulkhead.

MUCH: Don't get under it.

INT. PASSAGEWAY - "B" DECK
Autumn, Ebony and Amaroq crouch by the spot where the acid sizzles.
Amaroq fishes a pen out of his pocket.
Probes the hole in the deck.

AMAROQ: It's stopped penetrating.

Jenna comes charging back up.

JENNA: What's happening?
AMAROQ: I think it's lost steam. No longer active.
Jenna checks the opening.
Amaroq straightens up.
Starts to put the pen back in his pocket.
Changes his mind and stands holding it by the end.

AMAROQ: I've never seen anything like that, except molecular acid...
EBONY: This thing uses it for blood.
AMAROQ: It's the asbestos that stopped it, otherwise it would have gone straight through.
AUTUMN: Wonderful defense mechanism. You don't dare kill it.

Much comes up the companionway.

MUCH: It's stopped bleeding.
AUTUMN: Yeah. After it penetrated two levels.
JENNA: What about Granite?

Starts up companionway.

INT. INFIRMARY

They return.
Granite still motionless on the bunk.
The Alien remains secured to his face.
Wound completely healed over.

MUCH: Any of the acid gets on him.

Autumn approaches, peers at Granite's head.

AUTUMN: Doesn't look like it.
EBONY: Is it still dripping that crap?
AMAROQ: Healed over.
AAKA: There must be some way we can get it off.

And look at Autumn.

AMAROQ: I don't think you ought to try again. It didn't work out too well last time.

Autumn gives him a look in return.
Jenna presses a button.
Granite slides back into the diagnostic coffin.
More buttons pressed.
Display lights up again, showing the different parts of Granite's body.

AMAROQ: I better get some intravenous feeding started. So far I can't tell what the Alien has absorbed from his system.

The machine begins to process Granite's body.

JENNA: What's the stain on his lungs?

The X-ray reveals a spreading dark blot in the chest cavity.
At the center, the stain is completely opaque.

AMAROQ: Whatever it is, it's blocking the X-ray.

A long moment.
The stain spreads.

EBONY: What happens now?

Amaroq sets aside his partially melted pen.
Looks at Autumn.

AUTUMN: You go back to work.

INT. ENGINE ROOM CUBICLE
Ebony at work in the cubicle.
Much supervising him.

EBONY: I think I've got it. Give it a try.

Much pushes a button.
Negative reaction on his monitor.

MUCH: Nothing.
EBONY: Damn. I was sure that was it.
MUCH: Well, it wasn't. Try the next one.
EBONY: Right.

Adjusts several toggles.

JENNA: (Voice over) What's happening?
MUCH: This goddamn woman. I'll tell her what's happening. My Johnson is happening. (Punches the communicator) A lot of hard work. Real work.

INT. BRIDGE - NIGHT
MUCH: (Voice over) You ought to try it sometime.
JENNA: I've got the toughest job on this ship...

Derisive laugh from Much through the speaker.

JENNA: I have to listen to your bullshit.

INT. ENGINE ROOM CUBICLE
MUCH: Get off my back.
JENNA: (Voice over) I'll get off your back when 12 module is fixed.

She clicks off.
Much turns away.

MUCH: Smart mouth broad.

INT. INFIRMARY
Amaroq running test on the equipment.
Granite respiration on the view screens above.
Still deep within a coma.
All instruments recording his life processes.
The Alien's position unchanged.
Jenna approaches.
Sits near Amaroq.

JENNA: Anything new.
AMAROQ: He's holding, no changes.
JENNA: What about the Creature.
AMAROQ: It's got an outer layer of protein Polysaccharides. A lot of Amino Acids for prolonged resistance to adverse environmental conditions...That enough for you.
JENNA: Plenty. What's it mean.
AMAROQ: Interesting combination of elements making it one tough little son-of-a-bitch...
JENNA: Is that why you let it in?
AMAROQ: I was following a direct order.  Remember.
JENNA: While Autumn and Granite are off the ship, I'm Senior Officer.
AMAROQ: Yes, of course -- I forgot.
JENNA: You also forgot the science division's basic quarantine law.
AMAROQ: No. That I didn't forget.
JENNA: You just broke it.
AMAROQ: What would you have done with Granite..?  His only chance at staying alive was to get into the infirmary.
JENNA: By breaking quarantine procedure you risk everybody's life.
AMAROQ: Maybe I should have let him die out there. Maybe I have jeopardized the rest of us...It's a risk I'm willing to take.
JENNA: This is your official position as a science officer. Not exactly out of the manual.
AMAROQ: The first position of science is the protection and betterment of human life. I take my responsibility as seriously as you do... you do your job and I'll do mine.

Jenna stands...looks at Amaroq.
Walks out.

INT. MESS
Aaka playing with some string, amusing Jones.
Cat's Cradle.
Both looking bored.

INT. ENGINE ROOM CUBICLE
Much and Ebony at work on the final intake screen.

INT. NARCISSUS
Autumn listening to a primitive tape.
His foot tapping with the rhythm.
Beep.
An interruption on the communicator.

AUTUMN: Autumn.
AMAROQ: (Voice over) I think you should have a look at Granite. Something's happened.
AUTUMN: Serious.
AMAROQ: (Voice over) Interesting.

Autumn exits.

INT. CORRIDOR OUTSIDE IMFIRMARY WINDOW
Amaroq stares through window.
Autumn joins him.
Jenna appears behind.
A long pause.

AUTUMN: It's gone.
Granite's prone form.
The Alien is no longer on his face.
Granite still unconscious, but continues to breathe.
Face covered with sucker marks.

JENNA: The door is closed. It must still be in there.
AMAROQ: We can't open the door. We don't want to let it out.
JENNA: Yeah, I remember. We can't grab it. We can't kill it...
AUTUMN: Maybe we can catch it.
AMAROQ: As long as we're careful not to damage it.

INT. INFIRMARY
They enter cautiously.
Autumn begins moving slowly around the room.
Picking up a stainless steel tray.
Looking.
Amaroq and Jenna do the same.
Jenna bends down and peers under the bunk.
Nothing.
Accidentally kicks over a tray.
She stands.
Doesn't see the Alien on a ledge above her.
Her shoulder brushes against the Creature.
It drops on her.
She screams. Twists.
The Alien drops to the floor.
Then lies motionless.
Its skin faded to a dead-looking gray.
Jenna doesn't raise her eyes from the Creature.
Prods the Alien.
No response.

AMAROQ: I think it's dead. (Looks to Jenna) You okay.
JENNA: Yeah.

She carefully touches the Creature with a metal probe.
Fishes the motionless life form into the tray.
Quickly closes the lid.
Lifts it onto a stainless steel table.
Bright light trained on the Alien.
The Creature in a supine position.
Amaroq touches at the Alien with a surgical instrument.

AMAROQ: Look at those suckers. No wonder we couldn't get it off him.
JENNA: Where's its mouth.
AMAROQ: It's this tube-thing, up in here. (Carefully extracts the end of the organ) It's hardening. (Slips the Creature under a fluoroscope) It's dead. No life sign whatever.
JENNA: Let's get rid of it.
AMAROQ: This has to go back. This is our first contact with a Specimen like this. All kinds of tests need to be run.
JENNA: That thing bled acid. God knows what it'll do when it's dead.
AMAROQ: I think it's safe to assume it's not a zombie... Autumn, we have to keep this specimen.

Pause.

AUTUMN: You're the science officer. It's your decision.
AMAROQ: Then it's made... I'll seal it in a stasis tube.

Pause.

JENNA: What about Granite.

Amaroq turns back to the bunk.
Studies the life support gauges.
Granite continues to breathe steadily.

ROOM CUBICLE
Ebony waves his arms in exultation.

EBONY: We did it
MUCH: Walk in the park. When we fix something it stays fixed.

Big smiles.

INT. BRIDGE
The Nostromo now safely beyond gravity.

AUTUMN: Set our course and get us up to light plus four.

Aaka begins punching buttons.

AAKA: Feets get me out of here.

EXT. OUTER SPACE
The Nostromo now at light speed.
Perceptible movement in the surrounding universe.
A corona effect emerges.
Stars approaching the Nostromo appear blue.
Receding stars going to amber.
Red shift, made visible because of the craft's velocity.

INT. MESS
Much, Ebony, Autumn and Jenna around the table.
Drinking coffee.

MUCH: The best thing to do is just to freeze him. Stop the god dam disease. He can get a doctor to look at him when we get back home.
EBONY: Right.
JENNA: Whenever he says anything you say 'right'. You know that, Ebony.
EBONY: Right.
JENNA: What do you think, Much? Your staff just follows you around and says 'right'. Like a regular parrot.

Much turns to Ebony.

MUCH: Yeah. Shape up. What are you, some kind of parrot.
EBONY: Right.
AUTUMN: Knock it off... Granite will have to go into quarantine.
JENNA: Yeah. And so will we.

Aaka enters.

AAKA: How about a little something to lower your spirits.
AUTUMN: Thrill me.
AAKA: According to my calculations...based on the time spent getting to and from the planet and the speed at which it's moving away from the other...
AUTUMN: Give me the short version...
AAKA: It'll take us six weeks to get back on course.
AUTUMN: How far to Earth?
AAKA: Ten months.
JENNA: Christ.

Beep.

AUTUMN: Autumn.
AMAROQ: (Voice over) Come and see Granite right away...
AUTUMN: Any change in his condition.
AMAROQ: (Voice over) It's simpler if you just come see him.

INT. CORRIDOR OUTSIDE INFIRMARY WINDOW
What they see is...Not what they expect.
Granite is sitting up in bed...wide-awake.
They enter...

AAKA: Granite...Are you all right.
GRANITE: Mouth's dry...can I have some water.

Instantly, Amaroq brings him a plastic cup and water.
Granite gulps it down in a swallow.

GRANITE: More.

Jenna quickly fills a much bigger container.
Hands it to Granite.
He greedily consumes the entire contents.
Then sags back, panting, on the bunk.

AUTUMN: How do you feel?
GRANITE: Terrible. What happened to me?
AMAROQ: You don't remember.
GRANITE: Don't remember anything. I can barely remember my name.
MUCH: Do you hurt?
GRANITE: All over. Feel like somebody's been beating me with a stick for about six years. (Smiles) God, I'm hungry.
JENNA: What's the last thing you can remember.
GRANITE: I don't know.
AUTUMN: Do you remember what happened? on the planet.
GRANITE: Just some horrible dream  about smothering. Where are we.
JENNA: We're on our way home.
EBONY: Getting ready to go back into the freezers.
GRANITE: I'm starving. I want some food first.
MUCH: I'm pretty hungry myself.
AUTUMN: One meal before bed.

INT. MESS
The entire crew is seated.
Hungrily swallowing huge portions of artificial food.
The cat eats from a dish on the table.

GRANITE: First thing I'm going to do when we get back is eat some decent food.
MUCH: I've had worse than this, but I've had better too, if you know what I mean.
AAKA: Christ, you're pounding down this stuff like there's no tomorrow.

Pause.

MUCH: I mean I like it.
GRANITE: No kidding.
MUCH: Yeah. It grows on you.
GRANITE: It should. You know what they make this stuff out of...
MUCH: I know what they make it out of.  So what. It's food now. You're eating it.

Suddenly Granite grimaces.

JENNA: What's wrong?

Granite's voice strains.

AAKA: What's the matter?
GRANITE: I don't know... I'm getting cramps.

The others stare at him in alarm.
Suddenly he makes a loud groaning noise.
Clutches the edge of the table with his hands.
Knuckles whitening.

AMAROQ: Breathe deeply.

Granite screams.

GRANITE: Oh God, it hurts so badly.  It hurts. It hurts. (Stands up) Ooooooh.
EBONY: What is it? What hurts?

Granite's face screws into a mask of agony.
He falls back into his chair.

GRANITE: Ohmygooaaaahh.

A red stain.
Then a smear of blood blossoms on his chest.
The fabric of his shirt is ripped apart.
A small head the size of a man's fist pushes out.
The crew shouts in panic.
Leap back from the table.
The cat spits, bolts away.
The tiny head lunges forward.
Comes spurting out of Granite's chest trailing a thick body.
Splatters fluids and blood in its wake.
Lands in the middle of the dishes and food.
Wriggles away while the crew scatters.
Then the Alien being disappears from sight.
Granite lies slumped in his chair.
Very dead.
A huge hole in his chest.
The dishes are scattered.
Food covered with blood.

AAKA: No, no, no, no, no.
EBONY: What was that? What the Christ was that?
MUCH: It was growing in him the whole time and he didn't even know it.
AMAROQ: It used him for an incubator.
JENNA: That means we've got another one.
AUTUMN: Yeah. And it's loose on the ship.

Slowly they gather around Granite's gutted corpse.
Then they all look at one another.
Then at Granite.
Dead on the table.

INT. CORRIDOR - "A" DECK
Empty.
Much and Ebony descend companionway.
They join Amaroq, Aaka, Jenna and Autumn.

AUTUMN: Any signs.
AAKA: Nothing.
AMAROQ: Nothing.
MUCH: Didn't see a goddamn thing.
EBONY: Didn't see anything.
JENNA: We can't go into hyper sleep with that thing running loose. We'd be sitting ducks in the freezers. We have to kill it first.
AAKA: We can't kill it. If we do, it will spill its body acids right through the hull...
EBONY: Son-of-a-bitch.
JENNA: We have to catch it and eject it from the ship.
AMAROQ: Our supplies are based on us spending a limited amount of time out of suspended animation.  Strictly limited.
JENNA: First we have to find it.
AUTUMN: No. First we've got something else to do.

He looks at Granite's body through mess doorway.

INT. AIR LOCK
Granite's body wrapped in a makeshift shroud.

INT. BRIDGE
The crew looking at Granite's body on view screens.
Silent.
Depressed.

AUTUMN: Inner hatch sealed.

Jenna nods.

AUTUMN: Anybody wants to say anything.

Nothing to say.
He nods to Jenna.
She presses a button.

INT. AIR LOCK
The outer hatch opens.
Yawning space outside.
Granite's body shoots out into eternity.
The hatch closes.

INT. MESS
The crew is assembled.

JENNA : I've checked on the supplies.  For about a week we can stay out of hyper sleep.
EBONY: Then what.
AAKA: We run out of food and oxygen.
AUTUMN: All right, that's what we've got.  A week. It's plenty of time.
MUCH: I say we put on our pressure suits and blow all the air out of the ship. That might kill it.
AAKA: What a swell idea.
MUCH: What's wrong with it?
AMAROQ: We've got forty-eight hours of air in our pressure suits and it takes six months to get home.
AAKA: Other than that...A swell idea.

Much won't give up on this idea.

MUCH: Maybe we could cut some kind of special lines to the tanks. Ebony and I are pretty good practical engineers...We got us back up you know.
JENNA: All by yourselves.
AMAROQ: I hate to point this out but it might be better off without oxygen. It lived that way long enough.
JENNAL There's another problem. How do we find it? There's no Visual communication on B and C decks. All the screens are Out.
AUTUMN: We're going to have to flush it Out.
AMAROQ: Sounds great...but how.
AUTUMN: Room by room, corridor by corridor.

One of those suggestions that nobody likes.

AAKA: And what do we do when we find it.
JENNA: Trap it somehow.
EBONY: If we had a really strong piece of net, we could bag it... I could put something together. A long metal rod with a battery in it.  Only take a few hours.
AAKA: Why do we listen to this meathead?

Autumn turns it over.

AUTUMN: He might be right...

EXT. OUTER SPACE
The Nostromo continues through the vortex.

INT. INFIRMARY
Autumn enters.
Amaroq working at a read-out section.

AUTUMN: I want to talk.
AMAROQ: I'm a little busy at the moment.

Pause.

AUTUMN: I don't care.

Pause.

AMAROQ: All right, go ahead.
AUTUMN: Why did you let the Alien survive?  inside Granite.
AMAROQ: I'm not sure you're getting through to me.
AUTUMN: Mother was monitoring his body. You were monitoring Mother. You must have had some idea of what was going on.
AMAROQ: What are you trying to say?

A long moment.

AUTUMN: You want the Alien to stay alive...I figure you have a reason.
AMAROQ: Name one.
AUTUMN: Look, we both work for the same company. I just want to know what's going on?
AMAROQ: I don't know what the hell you're talking about. And I don't like any of the insinuations. The Alien is a dangerous form of life...I don't want it to stay alive any more than you do.
AUTUMN: You're sure.
AMAROQ: Yeah, I'm sure. You should be too.

Autumn walks out.
Amaroq watches him go.
Stares in his direction a long while...

INT. NARCISSUS
Autumn seated in the shuttlecraft.
Staring at the myriad lights of outer space.
Jenna climbs beside him.

JENNA: I thought I'd find you here.

Autumn continues to stare.

AUTUMN: Are the nets finished?

Pause.

JENNA: We've got an hour...Look I need some relief.
AUTUMN: Why did you wait until now?

Jenna leans forward.

JENNA: Let me tell you something. You keep staring out there long enough, they'll be peeling you off the wall.

Jenna begins taking off her boots.

AUTUMN: We're the new pioneers, Jenna. We even get to have our own special disease.
JENNA: I'm tired of talking.

She rises and removes her upper garments.

AUTUMN: You waited too long.
JENNA: Give it a try anyway.

Clothing removed.
His arms move around her.

INT. BRIDGE
The crew has assembled.
Ebony unfolds several yards of asbestos netting.
Hands out five thin rods.
Each of them like metal broom handles.

EBONY: I put portable generators in each of these. They're insulated down here. Just be goddamn careful not to get your hand on the end.

He touches the tip to a metal object.
A blue spark leaps.

EBONY: It won't damage the little bastard unless its skin is a lot thinner than ours...It'll just give it a little incentive.
AAKA: Now if we could only find it.

Amaroq picks up a portable unit.

AMAROQ: I've taken care of that...tracking device. You set it to search for a moving object...It hasn't much range but when you get within a certain distance it starts beeping.

Jenna takes the tracker from Amaroq's hand.

JENNA: What's it key on.
AMAROQ: Micro changes in air density. Keep it pointed ahead of you.
AUTUMN : We'll break into two teams. Whoever finds it first catches it in the net and ejects it from the nearest air lock. (Pause) For starters, let's make sure the bridge is safe.

Much turns on his unit.
Scans it around the room.

AAKA: We seem to be okay...If this damn thing works.
AUTUMN: Amaroq and myself will go with Aaka. Ebony and Much will make up the second team. Jenna, you command it.

They start doling out the equipment.

AUTUMN: Channels are open on all decks.  We'll be in constant touch.

INT. PASSAGEWAY - "A" LEVEL
Aaka and Autumn carry the net.
Amaroq walks directly behind, carrying the tracking device.
He continually scans from side to side.
Aaka stops by a stairwell.

AAKA: Anything down there.

INT. ANOTHER PASSAGEWAY - "B" LEVEL
Much and Jenna move silently along.
Jenna ahead of them with the tracker by the stairwell.

JENNA: Nothing.

The move on.
A small light fl Amaroq.

JENNA: Hold it. I've got something.

Much and Ebony grow tense.
Start looking around.

EBONY: Where's it coming from.

Jenna peers closely at the tracker.

JENNA: Machine's screwed up. I can't tell. Needle's spinning all over the dial.
EBONY: Goddamn, malfunction.

Jenna turns the tracker on its side.
The needles stabilize.

JENNA: No, just confused. It's coming from below us.

They all look down at their feet.

INT. MAINTENANCE - "C" LEVEL
Jenna, Much and Ebony come down ladder onto an endless oily corridor.
They stop at the foot of the companionway...
They move down corridor into darkness.

JENNA: Okay.

Looks at the tracker.
Nods down the passageway. Stops.

JENNA: Back this way.

They begin to walk in that direction.
Entering drab section of the ship.
Surrounded by deep shadows.
Footsteps clanging on the metal deck.

JENNA: I thought you fixed 12 modules.
EBONY: We did.
MUCH: Circuits must have burned out.

They switch on lights.
Move around two turns.

JENNA: Wait.

They stop quickly, almost stumbling.

JENNA: It's within five meters.

Much and Ebony heft the net.
Jenna has the prod in one hand, tracker in the other.
Moves with great care.
Almost in a half-crouch, ready to leap back.
Prod extended, Jenna constantly glances at her tracker.
The device leads her up to a small hatch in the bulkhead.
Perspiration rivers down her face.
She sets aside the tracker.
Raises the prod, grasps the hatch handle.
Yanks it open.
Jams the electric prod inside.
A nerve-shattering squall.
Then a small creature comes flying out of the locker.
Eyes glaring, claws slashing.
Instinctively, they throw the net over it.
Very annoyed.
They open the net and release the captive.
Which happens to be the cat.
Hissing and spitting...as it scampers away.

JENNA: God damn it...hold it.
MUCH: We should have killed it...Now we might pick it up on the tracker again.
JENNA: Go get it. We'll go on.
EBONY: Right.

Jenna and Much move down the passageway.
Ebony follows the direction taken by the cat.
Moves across passageway into equipment maintenance area.

INT. EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE AREA - "C" LEVEL
Ebony walking between rows of shadowed equipment.
Looking for the cat.
Nervous.

EBONY: Jones...Here kitty...Jones...Goddamn it Jones.

Scratching noises.
A reassuring cat yowl.
Ebony moves on.

INT. PASSAGEWAY - "C" LEVEL
Jenna and Much walk along.
Tracker signal weakens.
Finally stops.

JENNA: Nothing here.
MUCH: Let's go back.

INT. UNDERCARRIAGE ROOM - "C" LEVEL
Ebony enters.
Still looking for Jones.
Another yowl followed by a hiss.
Two eyes shining in the dark.
Jones.
Relieved, Ebony moves toward the cat.

EBONY: Here kitty...Come on Jones.

Ebony reaches for Jones.
Jones hisses.
An arm reaches for Ebony.
The Alien.
Now seven feet tall.
Hanging from the undercarriage strut in reverse position.
Grabs Ebony and swings up into darkness.
Ebony screams.
To no avail...
In the doorway Jenna and Much.
They witness the horror.

INT. MESS
The remaining crew assemble.
Long faces.

AAKA: Now what.
MUCH: Blast the rotten bastard with a laser and take our chances.
JENNA: No. At its present size it's  holding enough acid to tear a hole in this ship as big as this room.
AMAROQ: It wouldn't do any good. It's self-regenerating. You saw that when we operated on it.
JENNA: The only plan that's going to work is the same one we had before. Drive it into an air lock and blow it out into space.
MUCH: Drive it...The son-of-a-bitch is huge.
AAKA: For once he has a point. How do we drive it.
JENNA: The science department should be able to help...
AMAROQ: According to Mother, he's a primitive form of encephalon...
AAKA: How come it's a he.
AMAROQ: Just a phrase. As a matter of fact he's both, bisexual or hermaphrodite to be precise.
AUTUMN: Skip its sex life. How do we kill it.
AMAROQ: It seems to have adapted to an oxygen-rich atmosphere and it's certainly adapted well for its nutritional requirements. The only thing we don't know about is temperature.
JENNA: Curious isn't it...That the Alien is an encephalon...
AMAROQ: What's so curious about that.
JENNA: It's curious because lower species can't adapt as quickly as higher ones. And this one's doing very well. A real survivor. Might even have as good a chance as we do.
AMAROQ: You're getting paranoid again.
JENNA: All right. What about the temperature. What happens if we change it.
AMAROQ: Let's give it a try. Most animals retreat from fire.

Pause.

MUCH: I can hook up a couple of incinerating units in about fifteen minutes.

Pause.

AUTUMN: Anybody got any better ideas.

Nobody does.

AUTUMN: Okay. When Much's ready, we'll work our way back down to 'C' deck.

EXT. OUTER SPACE
Nostromo at light plus four.

INT. PASSAGEWAY - "B" LEVEL
Much and Autumn lead.
Armed with flamethrowers.
They descend from companionway.
Suddenly both tracking devices beep frantically.
Sound of rending metal up ahead.
The move forward cautiously.

AUTUMN: It's in that food locker.

EXT. FOOD LOCKER NUMBER 12
More rending noises.

AAKA: Jesus. It must be huge.
MUCH: It's got to be using the airshafts to move around...

Autumn raises flamethrower.

AUTUMN: Do these things really work.
MUCH: I made them didn't I.
JENNA: That's what worries me.

Autumn indicates door handle.
Much reluctantly takes it.

AUTUMN: Now.

Much wrenches open door.
Autumn fires a long blast. Another.
Another and another...Silence.
They move inside...

INT. FOOD STORAGE LOCKER NUMBER 12 - "B" LEVEL
Charred wreckage.
Packages have been ripped to shreds.
Foodstuffs scattered over the floor.
Carefully, they poke through the smoldering garbage.

JENNA: We didn't get him.
AUTUMN: This is where he went.

On the wall, a ventilator grill has been ripped open.
They move to the shredded ventilator.
Shine their lights inside the shaft.

AUTUMN: This could work for us. The duct comes out at the starboard air lock. There's an exit on the way. But we can close that off. Then we drive it into the air lock and blast it into space.

AAKA: Yeah. All you have to do is crawl in the vent with it, find your way through the maze and hope it's afraid of fire.
AUTUMN: Well Much, you wanted an equal share...
MUCH: Yeah.
AUTUMN: Get in the pipe.
MUCH: Why me.
AUTUMN: I just wanted to see you get your full share.
MUCH: No way.
JENNA: I'll go.
AUTUMN: Forget it. You take the air lock. Much and Aaka cover the exit.

No doubt as to who's going inside the vent.

INT. STARBOARD AIR LOCK - VESTIBULE
Jenna stands in vestibule.
Looks through the Bulkhead door to air lock.
She throws a switch.
Watches airshaft entrance into air lock open.
The trap is ready.

INT. MAINTENANCE LEVEL
Much and Aaka get set.

INT. FOOD STORAGE LOCKER NUMBER 12 - "B" LEVEL
Amaroq hands Autumn the makeshift flamethrower.
He fires a couple of short bursts.

AUTUMN: It's still working.
AMAROQ: Why do you have to go. Why didn't you sent Jenna.
AUTUMN: It's my responsibility. I let Granite go into the craft. Now it's my turn.
AMAROQ: You're the captain. It'll be harder on the rest of us, if we lose you.
AUTUMN: Nothing I do that Jenna can't.
AMAROQ: I don't agree.
AUTUMN: The decision is final.

He removes the master computer key.
Hands it to Amaroq.

AUTUMN: If I don't take it back, Jenna will need this.

Amaroq nods.
Autumn turns and climbs into the ventilator opening.
Just large enough to crawl through.

INT. AIR SHAFT
Completely dark.
Autumn turns on his helmet light.
Flips switch on throat mike.

AUTUMN: Do you receive me. Jenna. Much. Aaka.

INT. EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE AREA
The hum of vast cooling plants.
Large air shafts run off in different directions.
Much and Aaka stand ready by a duct.
Aaka hits the wall amp button.

AAKA: We're in position. I'll try and pick you up on the tracker.

Much hefts his flamethrower.

AUTUMN: (voice over) Much, if it tries to come out by you, make sure you drive it back in. I'll push it forward.
MUCH: Right.

INT. AIR LOCK VESTIBULE
Near the starboard air lock.
Jenna pops open the hatch.
The air lock now open and ready.
She moves to the air duct opening.

JENNA: Air lock open.
AUTUMN: (voice over) Ready.
JENNA: Ready.

INT. AIR SHAFT
Autumn begins to crawl forward.
The tunnel is narrow...
Only a foot or two wider than his shoulders.

AUTUMN: I'm under way.

Turns a corner.
Several more tight turns.
Instinctively Autumn pulls back.
Raises the flamethrower.
Fires a blast around the corner into the darkness.
It roars loudly in the confined tube.
Smoke drifts back into his face.

INT. MAINTENANCE LEVEL
A large rectangular duct in one wall.

MUCH: That's where it's got to come out, if it leaves the main shaft.

He throws a switch.
A metal pane rises and seals off the opening.

AAKA: Let's keep it open. I'd like to know if anything's coming.

Reluctantly, Much again throws the switch and raises the metal pane.

INT. AIR LOCK VESTIBULE
Jenna waiting.

INT. AIR SHAFT
Autumn still crawling on hands and knees.
Ahead the shaft takes an abrupt downward turn.
He moves toward the corner.
Fires another blast from the flamethrower.
Then starts crawling down, head first.

INT. EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE AREA
Aaka sees something on the tracker.

AAKA: Beginning to get a reading on you.

INT. AIR SHAFT
The shaft makes yet another turn.
Puts Autumn into an almost immobilized position.

INT. FOOD STORAGE LOCKER NUMBER 12
Amaroq staring at the ventilator opening.

INT. AIR SHAFT
Autumn against a wall of the shaft.
Clutching his flamethrower.
Whispers into his throat mike.

AUTUMN: Jenna.

INT. AIR LOCK VESTIBULE
JENNA: Read you clear.

INT. AIR SHAFT
AUTUMN: I don't think this shaft goes much farther... It's getting hot in here.

He readies the flamethrower.

INT. EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE AREA
Much readies his weapon.

INT. AIR SHAFT - DOUBLE-TIERED PASSAGEWAY
The air shaft tributary opens into a larger two-tier air tunnel.
Autumn crawls out and stands.
Moves to a catwalk floor. Looks about.
Moves forward. Reaches a repair junction.
Sits.
His feet dangle beneath the catwalk floor to the next level.

AUTUMN: Aaka, what kind of reading are you getting.

INT. MAINTENANCE LEVEL
Aaka huddled over her tracker.
Puzzled.

AAKA: I'm not sure. There seems to be some kind of double image.

INT. AIR SHAFT DOUBLE-TIERED PASSAGEWAY
Autumn sitting.
His feet still dangling in the dark beneath the catwalk.

AUTUMN: It may be interference. I'll push on ahead.

Autumn begins to rise.
From below, a gentle movement toward the hanging feet.
A hand reaches up.
Misses his leg as Autumn moves ahead.
Further on.

AUTUMN: Aaka, am I coming in any clearer.
AAKA: (voice over) It's clear all right, but I'm still getting two blips. (pause) I'm not sure which one is which.

Autumn stops.
Turns around.
Looks back down through the catwalk.
Lowers the nose of the flamethrower, his finger on the trigger.
From behind him, the hand reaches up.
The Alien is the front signal.

INT. AIR LOCK VESTIBULE
Jenna bends forward.
Hears the sounds of the struggle...
And Autumn' screams.
She cries out.

JENNA: Autumn...Autumn...

INT. EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE AREA
Aaka and Much.
Hearing it all.

JENNA: (voice over) Oh my God.

Then silence.

INT. MESS
Autumn' flamethrower on the table surface.

MUCH: (voice over) We just found it laying there. No sign of him. Only a hole torn through to the central cooling complex.

The remaining crew standing at the table.

JENNA: This puts me in command.
MUCH: Okay.

For the first time he's dropped his bullshit.

JENNA: Unless someone's got a better idea about dealing with the Alien, we'll continue with the last plan.

Silence.

JENNA: How are our weapons.
MUCH: They're working fine...We could use more fuel for that one.

Indicating Autumn' flamethrower.

JENNA: Get it.
MUCH: Right.

He leaves.
Jenna turns to Amaroq.

JENNA: Any ideas. From you or Mother.
AMAROQ: Nothing new. Just the one you're operating under.
JENNA: You mean to tell me with everything we've got, we're still powerless against the Beast.
AMAROQ: That's the way it looks.
JENNA: I can't believe that.
AMAROQ: I'm sorry captain. what would you like me to do.
JENNA: Go back to Mother and keep asking questions until you get some better answers.
AMAROQ: All right...I'll try.

He starts to go.

JENNA: Autumn didn't leave the master computer key with you.
AMAROQ: You didn't get it.
JENNA: No.
AMAROQ: Well, we probably won't need it anyway.

He leaves.

JENNA: I know Amaroq has got the key.
AAKA: Why should he lie.
JENNA: He knows I want to check up on him...Without that key we've got no access to command priority information.
AAKA: Swell.

Aaka shrugs.
They start to leave.

INT. MAINTENANCE AREA - "C" DECK
Much selects two full methane cylinders.
He tests them.
Moves out.

INT. CORRIDOR TO BRIDGE
JENNA: Did you ever sleep with Amaroq?
AAKA: No. What about you.
JENNA: No.
AAKA: I never got the impression he was particularly interested...

INT. PASSAGEWAY - "B" LEVEL
Much returning with methane cylinder.
Turns a corner.
Comes to an abrupt halt.
A movement in front of him beyond the air lock.
He hesitates.
Then another shadowy movement...

INT. BRIDGE
Jenna and Aaka.
Much's voice on voice-amp.
Muffled.
Jenna hits a toggle.

JENNA: Jenna.

INT. PASSAGEWAY - "B" LEVEL
Much covers the wall communication with his hand.
MUCH: Keep it down...

Up the corridor, the movement stops.

INT. BRIDGE
JENNA: Can't hear you...Repeat...

INT. PASSAGEWAY - "B" LEVEL
Much whispering.

MUCH: The Alien...It's outside the main air lock door. Open the door slowly...When I shout... close it fast.

INT. BLISTER
Amaroq listens.

INT. PASSAGEWAY - "B" LEVEL
Much still whispering.

MUCH: Open it...slowly.

INT. BRIDGE
Jenna hesitates.
Starts to reply.
Throws switch.

INT. AIR LOCK - "B" DECK
Low servo whine.
Door opens.
Slowly.
Green light throbbing inside air lock.
Creature looks curiously at it.
Moves onto the threshold.

INT. PASSAGEWAY - "B" LEVEL
Much watches...

INT. AIR LOCK
Creature move further into air lock.
Fascinated by green light.

INT. PASSAGEWAY - "B" LEVEL
Urgent whisper into voice-amp.

MUCH: Now...Now...

INT. BRIDGE
As Jenna moves to throw switch...

INT. AIR LOCK
Suddenly, from out of nowhere a klaxon wails.
The Creature leaps back across the threshold of the air lock.
Bewildered.
Screams as the inner hatch closes on an appendage.
Acid boiling out.
The appendage crushed.
The acid bubbles.
Metal boils in door.

INT. PASSAGEWAY - "B" LEVEL
Much watches.
Frozen.
The Alien wrenches itself free.
Comes flying outward.
Slam Amaroq and Much down.
Flees.
On the wall a green light goes on.

"Inner Hatch Closed"

INT. AIR LOCK
Metal still boiling.
The outer hatch begins to open.

INT. BRIDGE
JENNA: Much...

Pushes a switch.
Pushes it again.

AAKA: What's happening, Much.

In front of her a green light blinks.
"Inner Hatch Closed."

JENNA: Inner hatch sealed. The outer hatch is open.
AAKA: What about Much.
JENNA: I don't know. Take over.

Jenna bolts out of the bridge.

EXT. NOSTROMO
Air lock open.

INT. PASSAGE NEAR AIR LOCK - "B" LEVEL
Much unconscious.

INT. AIR LOCK
The inner hatch still closed.
Metal boils.
The hole growing deeper.

INT. PASSAGEWAY - "A" LEVEL
Jenna runs toward the air lock corridor.

INT. AIR LOCK
Metal boiling in door.

INT. PASSAGEWAYS - "B" DECK
Jenna slams to a momentary halt against a bulkhead.
Regains her balance.
Starts running.

INT. PASSAGE NEAR AIR LOCK - "B" LEVEL
Much now half conscious.
Jenna arrives as the hole in door blows open.
Escaping air shrieks.
FlAmaroqing sign comes on.
Critical depressurization.
Emergency klaxon.
Simultaneously vestibule doors close either end.
Sealing in Jenna and Much.
Door nearest to Much half-closed on one of the methane cylinders.
Leaving large gap.
Windstorm begins as hole in air lock grows.
Jenna reaches for other cylinder.
Begins slamming the jammed cylinder out of door.
Blood froths at their noses and ears.
Cylinder finally is driven out.
The door slams closed.

INT. BRIDGE
Aaka watches.
Emergency light readings.
"Hull Breached"
"Emergency Bulkheads Closed"

AAKA: Amaroq, get the oxygen. Meet me at the air lock.

Rushes out.
Down corridor.

INT. PASSAGEWAY NEAR AIR LOCK - "B" LEVEL
Jenna staggers toward an emergency panel.
At far end of corridor.
Pinging sound.
Misty atmosphere.
Tries to activate the door.
Cannot.
Aaka appears other side of bulkhead.
Activates door from outside.
Rush of oxygen.

EXT. NOSTROMO
Plume of vapor freezes in the vacuum.

INT. PASSAGE NEAR AIR LOCK - "B" LEVEL
Depressurization sounds.
Much regains consciousness.
Struggles to breathe.
Jenna unable to move.
Breath coming in shallow pants.
Aaka with an oxygen tank.
Amaroq follows.
Oxygen administered to Jenna and Much.
Finally.

AMAROQ: You all right.
MUCH: We didn't get it. The warning went off and it jumped back in the ship.
AMAROQ: Who hit the warning.
JENNA: You tell me.
AMAROQ: What does that mean.
JENNA: I guess the alarm went off by itself.
AMAROQ: If you've got something to say say it. I'm sick of these coy accusations.
JENNA: Nobody's accusing you.
AMAROQ: The hell you're not.

Sullen silence.

JENNA: Go patch him up.

Amaroq and Much leave.
Jenna turns to Aaka.

JENNA: How much oxygen have we lost.  I want an exact reading.
AAKA: You were accusing him.
JENNA: If I could find the command computer key, I could prove it.
AAKA: You're still accusing him of stealing the key.
JENNA: You think I'm wrong.
AAKA: I don't know. Wrong or crazy.
JENNA: Thanks.

INT. BLISTER STAIRCASE
Jenna cautiously descends the stairs to the blister.
Carrying a flamethrower.

INT. AMAROQ'S BLISTER
Looks around the blister.
Satisfied it's deserted.
She puts down the flamethrower.
Methodically begins to search for the key.
Faint tapping sound.
Then stops.
She looks around.
Sees nothing.
Resumes searching near blister window...
Jenna finds key...
Tapping sound.
She whips around to see:
Granite's disfigured face slapping against the plexiglass.
She stifles a scream.
Drops the key onto the curved surface of the blister.
Fishes for it...
Granite's bloated face swings in...
Beneath her.
She grabs the key and bolts up companionway.

INT. COMPUTER ANNEX
Jenna plugs the key into the board.
Data banks come to life.
She sits at a console.
Thinks for a moment.
Then punches up a code.
Nothing happens.
Punches another combination.
Nothing happens.
Frustration.
Another combination.
One screen comes to life.
Another combination.
She moves to the second keyboard.
Screen One spells out the question:

Question: WHO TURNED ON AIR LOCK 2 WARNING SYSTEM.
Response: AMAROQ

Another code.

Question: IS AMAROQ PROTECTING THE ALIEN.
Response: YES

New code.

Question: WHY
Response: SPECIAL ORDER 937 SCIENCE EYE'S ONLY

She starts a new code.

A hand slams down next to Jenna's arm.
It sinks elbow deep into the computer.
She whips around in her chair.
Faces Amaroq.
Jenna pushes Amaroq out with her foot.
Kicks him in the middle.
No effect.
Jenna twists away.
Amaroq throws a punch at her.
Misses.
She pushes a chair at him.
Overturns the desk...
And runs through bridge into mess.
He moves after her.
Gets her.
Much and Aaka burst into the Mess.
Aaka falls on Amaroq's back.
Amaroq turns to Aaka.
Tosses her across the room.
Returns to Jenna.
Again choking her.
Much lifts the tracker.
Steps behind Amaroq.
Swings the tracker...Wallop.
Tears his head off...
Wires ascending from Amaroq's trunk.
Where his head used to be.
Amaroq's hands release Jenna.
Search above his neck for his missing head.
He walks backward.
All eyes on Amaroq's headless body.
He walks the room.
Still feeling for his missing head.

MUCH: A robot, a God damn android.

Amaroq turns on him.
Starts to advance.
Much hits him again with the tracker...
Again.
Again.
No avail.
Amaroq begins choking Much.
Jenna picks up one of the prod sticks.
Closes on Amaroq's back.
Tears away the fabric.
Aaka pulls at Amaroq's legs.
Jenna tears at the controls buried in the cavity once covered by his head.
Much's eyes bulge in pain.
Amaroq, headless, choking, choking, choking...
Jenna finds the wires, stabs the prod home...
Amaroq's grip lessens.
Another stab...electrical flAmaroq...
The grip lessens...
Another stab...flAmaroq of circuits.
The headless body collapses.
Much trying to regain his breath.

MUCH: Damn you.

Kicks the headless body.
Aaka looks at Jenna.

AAKA: Tell me...What the hell's going on.

Pause.

JENNA: Let's find out. Wire him back up.
MUCH: What kind of crap is that.
JENNA: Do it.

They set to work.
Begin to reassemble the wiring in Amaroq's head.

JENNA: Amaroq let it on board. Amaroq let it grow inside Granite. Amaroq blew the warning signal.
AAKA: Why.
JENNA: Special Order 937.
MUCH: What's that.
JENNA: That's what I want to know.

Amaroq's head is placed on the table.
His eyes flicker into consciousness.

JENNA: What is Special Order 937.
AMAROQ: You know I can't tell you that.
JENNA: Then there's not point in talking to you. Pull the plug.
AMAROQ: Special Order 937 in essence asked me to direct the ship to the planet, investigate a life form, possibly hostile and bring it back for observation. With discretion, of course.
JENNA: Why. Why not tell us.
AMAROQ: Would you have gone.
MUCH: It wasn't in the contract.
AMAROQ: My very point.
JENNA: They wanted to investigate the Alien. No matter what happened to us.
AMAROQ: That's unfair. Actually, you weren't mentioned in the order.
AAKA: Those bastards.
AMAROQ: See it from their point of view.  They didn't know what the Alien is.
JENNA: How do we kill it.
AMAROQ: I don't think you can. Not in this ship, given its life support systems. But I might be able to.
JENNA: How.
AMAROQ: I don't know quite yet. I'm not exactly at my best at the moment. If you would reconnect...
JENNA: No way.
AMAROQ: Don't be so hasty. You'll never kill it without my help.
JENNA: We've had enough of your help.
AMAROQ: You've barely got any oxygen left. If you don't go into hyper sleep, you'll die with or without the Alien.
JENNA: Nice try, Amaroq.
AMAROQ: I will do whatever I can to help you. I swear it.
MUCH: Pull the plug.
AAKA: I agree.
AMAROQ: You idiots. You still don't realize what you're dealing with. The Alien is a perfect organism. Superbly structured, cunning, quintessentially violent. With your limited capabilities you have no chance against it.
AAKA: You admire it.
AMAROQ: How can one not admire perfection.  I will kill it because I am programmed to protect human life as you know.
JENNA: Even if you have contempt for it.
AMAROQ: Even then.

Bitter and angry.

JENNA: Sorry Amaroq. I don't buy it.
AMAROQ: You egocentric morons. You'll be ripped to shreds, destroyed and...

Jenna make a movement.
Amaroq softens...

AMAROQ: I can only wish you well...

Jenna pulls the plug.

MUCH: He was probably right. We do need him.
JENNA: He was conning us.
AAKA: He was programmed to protect human life.
JENNA: He wasn't protecting our human lives and that's all I care about.  Anyway it's done.

Jenna exits to the bridge.

INT. BRIDGE
Jenna in the Computer Annex.
Aaka and Much enter.

JENNA: He's right about one thing.  We've got less than twelve hours oxygen left.
MUCH: It's all over.

Gloom.

AAKA: I don't know about the rest of you, but I think I prefer a painless peaceful death to any of the alternatives on offer.
JENNA: We're not there yet.

Aaka holds up a small card of pills.
Suicide pills.

AAKA: We're not. Huh.
JENNA: I think we should blow up the ship.
AAKA: I'll stick with chemicals if you don't mind.
JENNA: We leave in the shuttle and then blow up the ship.

INT. AIR LOCK - NARCISSUS
Jenna, Aaka and Much loading oxygen tanks onto the Narcissus.

JENNA: That's all the oxygen.
MUCH: That's it.
JENNA: Now. Let's get the food, shut off the engines and get out...Jones. Where's Jones.
MUCH: Who knows.
AAKA: Last I saw him was in the mess.
JENNA: Go look. We don't want to leave him.
AAKA: I don't want to go by myself.
MUCH: Always hated that damn cat.
JENNA: I'll go. You load up the food.

They move out.

INT. BRIDGE
Jones lying on Autumn' console.
Jenna comes in.
Smiles.

JENNA: Jones. You're in luck.

As she reaches for him, Jones jumps off the console.
Moves away.

JENNA: Come on, Jones.

She moves after the cat.
We hear Much and Aaka over the communicator from the coolant locker.

AAKA: (voice over) How much do you think we'll need.

Jenna still in pursuit of the cat.

CUT TO:
INT. FOOD LOCKER NUMBER 6 - "B" LEVEL
Much and Aaka loading food.

MUCH: All you can carry.

Jenna's voice over communicator from bridge.

JENNA: (voice over) God damn it, Jones. Come here.

INT. BRIDGE
Jenna furious but still speaking gently.

JENNA: Here kitty...come here kitty...

Jones moves away.

INT. FOOD LOCKER NUMBER 6 - "B" DECK
Arms full, Much moves out of the locker.
Aaka is still making her selection.
A faint light on the tracker.
Unnoticed.

INT. BRIDGE
Jenna finally corners Jones.
Finds his box.
Tries to put him in it.
Jones resists.
Ultimately futile.

INT. FOOD LOCKER CORRIDOR - OUTSIDE
Much attempts to pick up the flamethrower.
Can't manage it and the food.
Drops some of the packages.

MUCH: Goddamn.

In the locker Aaka gathers food.

AAKA: What's the matter.
MUCH: Nothing. just hurry up.

The tracker flAmaroqes faster.
Now it's noticed.
Much picks up the flamethrower.

MUCH: Let's get out of here.
AAKA: Right now.

The Alien appears out of the air shaft ventilator.
Aaka turns.
Screams.
Unfolding, the Alien grabs for her.

INT. BRIDGE
Jenna freezes as she hears Aaka's screams.

INT. CORRIDOR - OUTSIDE
Much looks back into the locker.
Unable to use the flamethrower without hitting Aaka.
He hesitates for a moment, then strides into the locker.
Wielding the flamethrower like a club.

MUCH: Goddamn you.

INT. FOOR LOCKER NUMBER 6
The Alien drops Aaka.
Much lands a blow with the flamethrower.
No effect.
The Alien strikes him once.
Killing him instantly.
He now moves to Aaka.

INT. BRIDGE
Jenna listening on the communicator.
Aaka's dying shrieks.
Then the voice-amp goes dead.
Silence.

JENNA: Much. Aaka.

She waits for a response.
But her _expression shows that she expects none.
A long moment.
Expectation fulfilled.
Nightmare without end.

INT. "B" LEVEL - COMPANIONWAY
Jenna descends, cautiously, holding flamethrower.
Jones left above, squalling.

INT. CORRIDOR - "B" DECK
Jenna moving warily, carrying flamethrower.
Nears entrance to food locker, looks in.
Sees carnage.

INT. OILY CORRIDOR - "C" DECK
Jenna running toward engine room.
Out of breath.
Exhausted she stops, gulps for air.
Suddenly, ahead of her, the sound of human weeping.
She moves quietly ahead until the source of the sound is directly under her feet.
She is standing on a round metal plate.
Jenna starts to remove the disc.

INT. UNDERCARRIAGE MAINTENANCE ROOM NUMBER 4
The round opening illuminates a dark ladder way.
Still carrying flamethrower, Jenna starts downwards.
Pitch black.
Jenna arrives at deck level.
Shines her light.
Its arc reveals the Alien's layer.
Bones, shreds of flesh.
Pieces of clothing, shoes.
Bizarre extrusions on the wall.
Something moves in the darkness.
Jenna spins, turns her light toward the movement.
Hanging from the ceiling is a huge cocoon.
Woven from fine, white, silk-like material.
Flamethrower ready, Jenna approaches.
Sees that the cocoon is semi-transparent.
The body of Autumn inside.
Unexpectedly, his eyes open.
FOCUS ON Jenna.
His voice is a whisper.

AUTUMN: Kill me.
JENNA: What did it do.

Autumn moves his head slightly.
Jenna turns her light.
Another cocoon dangles from the ceiling.
But of a different texture.
Smaller and darker, with a harder shell.
Almost exactly like the ovoids in the derelict ship.

AUTUMN: That was Ebony...
JENNA: I'll get you out of there...We'll get up the autodoc.

A long moment.
It's hopeless.

JENNA: What can I do.
AUTUMN: Kill me.

Jenna stares at him.
Raises the flamethrower.
Sprays a molten blast.
Another blast.
The entire compartment bursts into flames.
Jenna turns and scrambles back up the ladder way.

INT. OILY CORRIDOR - "C" LEVEL
Jenna emerges from below.
Gasps for breath.
Regains control of herself.

EXT. OUTER SPACE
At light speed.
The Nostromo and refinery appear to hang motionless.
Star clusters rolling past in the infinite distance.

INT. ENGINE ROOM - CUBICLE
Jenna enters the power center.
Stares at the massive light-plus engines.
Approaches the main control board.
Begins closing the switches, one by one.
A long moment.
Sirens begin to honk.
Mother speaks.

MOTHER'S VOICE: (v.s.) Attention. The cooling units for the light-plus engines are not functioning. Engines will over-load in four minutes, fifty seconds...

INT. OILY CORRIDOR - "C" LEVEL
Jenna running toward the "B" deck companionway.

INT. "B" LEVEL - CORRIDOR
Jenna starts toward Narcissus.
Remembers Jones.

INT. "A" TO "B" LEVELS - COMPANIONWAY
Jones howling.
In his box.
Jenna reaches up and grabs him.

INT. "B" LEVEL - CORRIDOR LEADING TO AIR LOCK
Jenna carrying Jones, holding flamethrower.
Jones hisses.
Fur rises.
Jenna stops, and stares down corridor toward Narcissus.
The Alien can be heard running about the shuttle craft.
Jenna turns and bolts toward the engine room, leaving
Jones on "B" level companionway.

INT. COMPANIONWAY TO OILY CORRIDOR - "E" LEVEL
Jenna bounds down the companionway.
Her footsteps clanging metallically throughout the ship.
A final sprint towards the engine room.

MOTHER'S VOICE: (v.s.) Attention. Engines will overload in three minutes, twenty seconds.

INT. ENGINE ROOM - CUBICLE
The door opens, Jenna comes pounding in.
The chamber filled with smoke.
Engines whining dangerously.
Jenna breaks out in perspiration from the intense heat.
She runs to the controls.
Begins throwing the cooling unit switches back into place.
The sirens continue sounding.

MOTHER'S VOICE: (v.s.) Attention. Engines will overload in three minutes.

Jenna pushes a button and speaks into it.

JENNA: Mother, I've turned all the cooling units back on.
MOTHER'S VOICEL (v.s.) Too late for remedial action. The core has begun to melt.  Engines will overload in two minutes, thirty-five seconds.

A moment.
The Jenna turns and runs from the engine room.

INT. OILY CORRIDOR - COMPANIONWAY
Jenna runs back down the corridor.
Up the companionway, exhausted, stumbling...

MOTHER'S VOICE: (v.s.) Attention. Engines will overload in two minutes.

INT. "B" LEVEL - COMPANIONWAY
She reaches companionway.
Picks up Jones.

INT. "B" LEVEL - CORRIDOR LEADING TO NARCISSUS
Jenna staggers towards the air lock.
The Narcissus berthed beyond.
She drags Jones and raises the flamethrower.
Turns to see if the Creature is behind her.
Then advances down the passageway.
Goaded on by the computer.

MOTHER'S VOICE: (v.s.) Attention. Engines will explode in ninety seconds.

She makes it to the vestibule.
Looks into the shuttle.

INT. NARCISSUS
Jenna scans the narrow deck...empty.

INT. VESTIBULE
She turns and ran back.
Grabs the cat box.
Runs back toward the shuttle.

MOTHER'S VOICE: (v.s.) Attention. The engines will explode in sixty seconds.

INT. NARCISSUS
Jenna enters on the run.
Hurls the cat box toward the front.
She dives into the control chair.
Hits the "launch" button.

EXT. NOSTROMO - OUTER SPACE
The retainer clips drop away.
A blast of ram jets.
The shuttle is launched from the mother ship.

INT. NARCISSUS
Jenna frantically straps herself in.
G-forces from the shuttles acceleration pulling against her.

EXT. SPACE
The Narcissus continues to power away from the mother ship.
The larger bulk of the Nostromo quietly receding.
All is strangely serene.

INT. NARCISSUS
Jenna finishes strapping herself in.
Reaches and grabs the cat box.
The cat yowling within.
Jenna hugs the box to her chest.
Hunches her head down over the container.

EXT. SPACE
The Nostromo drifts farther away from the shuttle-craft.
Finally becomes a small point of light.
Then it blows up.
Transforms into expanding orange fireball.
Pieces of metal flying in all directions.
And then the refinery explodes.
200,000,000 tons of fuel blasting silently into the cosmos.

INT. NARCISSUS
The shockwave hits the shuttle craft.
Jolting and rattling everything within.
Then all is quiet.
Jenna unhooks herself from her straps.
Rises, and goes to the back of the escape craft.
Stares out through the porthole.
Face bathed in orange light.

EXT. SPACE
Piece of debris float past.
The boiling fireball fades into nothingness.
The Nostromo has ceased to exist.

INT. NARCISSUS
Jenna watching the final destiny of her ship and crew mates.
A very long moment.
Then, behind her, the lethal hand emerges from deep shadow.
The Alien has been in the shuttle-craft all along.
The cat yowls.
Jenna whirls.
Finding herself facing the Creature.
Jenna's first thought is for the flamethrower.
It lies on the deck next to the Alien.
Next she glances around for a place to hide.
Her eye falls on a small locker containing a pressure suit.
The door standing open.
She begins to edge toward the compartment.
The Creature stands.
Comes for her.
Jenna dives for the open door.
Hurls herself inside.
Slams it shut.

INT. LOCKER
A clear glass panel in the door.
The Alien puts its head up to the window.
Peers in at Jenna.
Their faces only two inches apart.
The Alien looking at Jenna almost in curiosity.
The moaning of the cat distracts it.

INT. NARCISSUS
The Alien moves to the pressurized cat box.
Bends down and peers inside.
The cat yowls louder as his container is lifted.

INT. LOCKER
Jenna knocks on the glass.
Trying to distract the Creature from the cat.
The Alien's face is instantly back at the window.
Getting no more interference from her, the Creature returns to the cat box.
Jenna looks around.
Sees the pressure suit.
Quickly begins to pull it on.

INT. NARCISSUS:
The Alien picks up the cat box.
Shakes it.
The cat moans.

INT. LOCKER:
Jenna is halfway into a pressure suit.

INT. NARCISSUS:
The Creature throws the cat box down.
Very hard.
Picks it up again.
Hammers it against the wall.
Then jams it into a crevice.
Begins to pound the container into the opening.
The cat now beyond all hysteria.

INT. LOCKER :
Jenna pulls on the helmet, latches it into place.
Turns the oxygen valve.
With a hiss, the suit fills itself.
A rack on the wall contains a long metal rod.
Jenna peels off the rubber tip.
Revealing a sharp metal point.

INT. SPACE SUIT LOCKER:
Jenna inhales.
Kicks the door open.

INT. NARCISSUS
The Creature rises.
Faces the locker.
Catches the steel shaft through its midriff.
The Alien clutches at the spear.
Yellow acid begins to flow from the wound.
Before the fluid can touch the floor...
Jenna reaches back and pulls the switch.
Blows the rear hatch.
The atmosphere in the shuttle immediately sucked into space.
The bleeding creature along with it.
Jenna grabs a strut to keep from being pulled out.
The Alien shoots past her.
Grab's Jenna's ankle with an appendage.

EXT. NARCISSUS
Jenna now hanging halfway out of the shuttle-craft.
The Alien clinging to her leg.
She kicks at it with her free foot.
The Creature holds fast.

INT. NARCISSUS
Jenna looks for any salvation.
Grabs the hatch level.
Yanks it.
The hatch slams shut, closing Jenna safely inside.

EXT. NARCISSUS
The Alien still outside the shuttle-craft.
Within the vacuum of space.
The top of its appendage into the closed hatch.

INT. NARCISSUS
Acid starts to foam along the base of the hatch.
Eats away at the metal.
Jenna stumbles forward to the controls.
Pushes the ram jet lever.

EXT. NARCISSUS - OUTER SPACE
The Creature struggling.
Jet exhaust located at the rear of the craft.
The engines belch flame for a few seconds.
Then shut off.
Incinerating, the Alien tumbles slowly away into space.

INT. NARCISSUS
Jenna hurries to the rear hatch.
Peers through the glass.

EXT. OUTER SPACE
The burned mass of the Alien drifts slowly away.
Writhing, smoking.
Tumbling into the distance.
Pieces dropping off.
The shape bloats, then bursts.
Spray of particles in all directions.
Then smoldering fragments dwindle into infinity.

INT. NARCISSUS - LATER
Now repressurized.
Jenna is seated in the control chair.
Calm and composed, almost cheerful.
Cat purring in her lap.
She dictates into a recorder.

JENNA: I should reach the frontier in another five weeks. With a little luck the network will pick me up...This is Jenna, W564502460H, executive officer, last survivor of the commercial starship Nostromo signing off. (pause) Come on cat.

She switches off the recorder.
Stares into space.

EXT. OUTER SPACE
The shuttle-craft Narcissus sails into the distance.

FADE OUT

THE END