The Thing Two copyright 1997 By G.A. Piazza EXT. ESTABLISHING SHOT - ANTARCTIC LANDSCAPE - DAY SUPER "SPRING 1982" The weather is calm, quiet, serene. The skies are clear and blue. Suddenly... A SCREAMING jet, F14, ROARS over the snow-packed landscape at low level. A powdery rooster-tail billows from behind. The jet slips through gorges and valley's, sweeping over massive snow drifts--creating its own avalanches off the sides of mountains. EXT. COMPOUND OF U.S. OUTPOST #31 - DAY The compound is mere ashes. Debris and snow-covered hardware is scattered about. There is no sign of life. The jet approaches, wings swept back--rooster tail in- tow. INT. COCKPIT - F14 THE PILOT, a Navy commander, SEEKER stenciled across his helmet, peers over the windscreen. His RIO, a lieutenant, call-sign DRANO, steals a glance below. SEEKER Not much left, is there? DRANO No sir. Must have been one hell of a fire. SEEKER We'll make one more pass then head back. EXT. AERIAL - COMPOUND The jet sweeps around--returns over the opposite side of the compound. INT. COCKPIT SEEKER Affirmative, McMurdo...outpost thirty one is toast. MCMURDO DISPATCH(V.O.) Roger, Seeker. Check on our Norwegian friends and return to base. SEEKER Roger that. Seeker changes course with one smack of the stick and powers up. DRANO Stinkin' Swedes. SEEKER They're Norwegian, kid. EXT. F14 The jet blasts over the landscape. EXT. AERIAL - NORWEGIAN OUTPOST The jet flies over the destroyed compound. Only one structure stands. Debris is scattered about. INT. COCKPIT SEEKER McMurdo, this place is toast as well. What the hell happened last winter? MCMURDO(V.O) Good question. We'll launch a rescue team, stat. Return to base. SEEKER Seeker out. Seeker grins, ear to ear. SEEKER Hey, Drano. We got time to kill. DRANO Sir? SEEKER It's time to slip the surly bonds. DRANO Slip the wha..? Seeker yanks back on the stick and powers up. Drano's eyes bulge out. The G's steal his breath. EXT. F14 The plane goes vertical, afterburner's kick in. EXT. ANTARCTIC LANDSCAPE Seeker takes Drano for a little ride. The plane zips over the landscape at near mach. Seeker flies dangerously close to hillsides and valley's. INT. COCKPIT Drano's hands clutch the seat handle tightly. His knuckles are white, his eyes bulged. EXT. ANTARCTIC LANDSCAPE The plane levels out. They cruise. INT. COCKPIT Seeker laughs. SEEKER I think we've slipped enough. Recovering drunkenly, Drano peers down at his radar. A pipper flashes. DRANO Sir, I'm picking up a large metallic object due east. SEEKER Can you make it out? DRANO Negative, sir. But it is static. SEEKER Let's check it out. Drano, still shaken, pulls down his mask--wipes his face with a kerchief. DRANO Oh God. I should have skipped breakfast? Seeker pulls his face mask down--grins, cocky. SEEKER No barfing in my jet! Are we clear, sailor? EXT. UFO SIGHT The F14 nears the sight. The jet powers down. INT. COCKPIT Seeker sees the ship in the ice. He is expressionless at first. Drano is somewhat frightened and very surprised. SEEKER Holy shit, look at that thing! DRANO Great mother of mercy! SEEKER McMurdo! Come in McMurdo! MCMURDO(V.O.) Go ahead, Seeker. SEEKER Do you guys believe in fiction? MCMURDO(V.O.) Say again, Seeker? SEEKER We've got visitors. INT. MCMURDO - ROSS ISLAND - DAY KERNS, the dispatcher, curly-haired and lean, sits at his communications terminal, his mouth agape. He pulls the headset off--throws it down. McMurdo head honcho, BRUNER, stands just over his shoulder. BRUNER Send Seeker back to his ship--cancel the rescue effort. KERNS Are you crazy? This is the find of the century! BRUNER DO IT! I'll call the authorities--this is beyond our responsibility. EXT. COMPOUND OF U.S. OUTPOST #31 - DAY CIA AGENTS scour the area. They search every inch of the compound. Two CH 46 helos sit idle. Head CIA agent, ROMAN DORN, a real asshole and ugly as sin, watches over the effort. He lowers his parka hood, pulls a snuff can out of his jacket pocket. He taps it a few times and stuffs a wad into his cheek. His slightly inept sidekick and cohort, AGENT REGINALD CHASE walks up to him from the compound. He brushes off a chill. DORN Looks like whatever it was in that ship got ahold of these compounds and let loose. CHASE I'll say. We haven't found much yet. Just a bunch of debris. DORN Spread the men out over the entire complex. CHASE Yes, sir. POV - FROZEN BODY - COMPOUND PERIMETER A frozen hand, clutching a bottle of J&B, protrudes out of the snow. TWO AGENTS approach the hand. AGENT ONE Better get Dorn. Agent two leaves the scene. Agent one begins digging through the snow. Agent two returns with Dorn and Chase. The frozen, stiff body of R.J. MACREADY is peeled from the ice pack. The bottle remains fixed to his hand. His frozen face is stone solid in half-smile form. CHASE When I go, I wanna go just like that. AT HELO SIGHT The two agents load Mac's body onto the helo. Dorn stands by. DORN Take him to the Cryogenics lab at McMurdo. A team is standing by. INSIDE THE COMPOUND PERIMETER A third agent, DARREL stenciled on his breast, walks around the rubble to an uninspected area. He stops in his tracks. He looks down--terror fills his eyes. AT HELO SIGHT A FOURTH AGENT runs up to Dorn with a garment in his hands. He holds the stencil out for Dorn to read. FOURTH AGENT This is the only garment we found, sir. It says Childs. DORN I know what it says, moron! Is that it? A fucking shirt? Dorn snatches the shirt from the agent then tosses it to the ground. DORN I want more than socks and underwear! Keep looking. The agent returns to the search. Agent Chase looks around the compound. He runs into agent Darrel. Darrel looks a little suspicious. CHASE Find anything? DARREL Huh? Uh, negative, sir. CHASE Dorn's going to call it off soon. Not much we can do until the dozers get here. Chase walks away. Darrel looks down at his hands. He squeezes them tightly, squinting. AT HELO SIGHT - SUNDOWN The two helos fly away from the compound. A light breeze blows in over the golden glow of the grounds. Childs' shirt flutters in the breeze, stencil side up. INT. MCMURDO - CRYOGENICS LAB - EVENING Inside the lab, agent Dorn stands at the rear while two cryogenics technicians, DR. FORSYTHE and DR. JOHNS prepare Mac's thawing. Dr. Forsythe, the young head technician, pulls out a thawing tub and fills it with cold water. Dr. Johns, an apprentice technician, prepares Mac's body for revival. He wraps the body in a thermal sock from head to toe. Forsythe prepares a small table with the necessary drugs and potions. Dorn watches on. They lift Mac's body into the tub and turn toward Dorn. FORSYTHE It'll be several hours. You do realize that he may never be revived. DORN Do what you can. INT. HALLWAY OUTSIDE CRYOGENICS LAB Chase briefs Dorn on events at the UFO sight. CHASE Everything is go. The craft has been sealed off from all sides. DORN Good. I don't want word of this getting off the continent. CHASE I'm afraid it already has. DORN If you're referring to our Navy crew in the F14...well, let's just say they're taking swimming lessons. They grin deviously at each other. EXT. ROSS SEA - F14 - NIGHT The F14 flies out over the Ross shelf. Seeker kicks in the afterburners and pulls back on the stick. The plane goes vertical. Suddenly, the left engine flames out. INTERCUT - PLANE CRASH INT. F14 Seeker cycles the throttle quadrant back and forth frantically. He tries to light the engine. SEEKER I'm losin' her! Can't crossbleed! DRANO Try to hold it! EXT. F14 The second engine flames out. SEEKER(V.O.) Eject, eject, ej... The F14 EXPLODES in a ball of fire over the Ross Ice Shelf. INT. MCMURDO - MED-LAB Mac's comatose body lies in a recovery bed. He's wired for sound. EKG, brain monitor and oxygen saturation equipment keep tabs on his stats. Dorn and Chase stand over him. The two doctors monitor the equipment. FORSYTHE At least he's alive. No telling if and when he may come out of it. DORN What can you do to accelerate his recovery? JOHNS We don't play God here. Dorn, aggravated, pounds a finger into Johns' chest. DORN I'm...not...asking...you...t o play God! I'm telling you to keep him alive! If he dies...you die. Got it? Johns, frightened, swallows hard--nods yes. FORSYTHE We'll keep you informed of his progress, agent Dorn. Dorn pats the young doctor on the face and heads for the door. DORN Action...not words, doctor. INT. MAC'S NIGHTMARE Mac sees Childs running across the snowy landscape. Childs turns toward him. His face is caught between mutation cycles. Mac looks Down at his hands. They, too, are in the process of mutating. They transform into a pair of claws. Mac looks up. The barrel of a shotgun is pointed at his head. The gun BLASTS. Mac awakens. INT. MED-LAB - DAY SUPER "SIX MONTHS LATER" Mac jerks violently. The monitoring equipment goes crazy. His eyes open. Sweat pours off his face. The two doctors rush into the room and try to hold Mac's body down. FORSYTHE Sedate him! Now! Johns grabs a hypo and plugs Mac in the arm. His body begins to relax. Forsythe's face is flush with disappointment. FORSYTHE You know what this means? JOHNS Oh no you don't. I'm not callin' him. You call him! EXT. ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH FACILITY - UFO SIGHT - DAY A giant dome, as white as the snow, covers the UFO. Outside the facility is a sign that reads, "UNITED STATES ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH FACILITY". INT. ARF DOME - DORN'S OFFICE Dorn's office is spacious. He is surrounded by a circular oak desk with one window behind him overlooking the UFO. Two phones are countersunk into the desk top next to a twenty-inch computer monitor. Dorn stands behind his desk, arms crossed, with a spit can in one hand. He looks out over the UFO. One of his phones RINGS. Dorn sits in his leather executive chair and picks up. DORN Dorn here. Chase ENTERS the office. DORN I'll be right over. Dorn hangs up. He smiles, an eager grin, exposing his yellowing teeth. CHASE MacReady? DORN Sleeping beauty is finally awake. Dorn picks up the other phone--presses a button. DORN Prepare my helo. He hangs up--looks at Chase, brow raised in question. CHASE The shoring operation is going as planned. We should have the craft completely elevated in no time. DORN Your success scares me--but that will be fine. CHASE How long do you think we can go undetected. Dorns cheek is bulged. He hocks a big spit ball into the spit can. Smiles confidently. DORN As long as it takes, my friend. INT. DOME - AROUND UFO Various WORKERS, wearing blue overalls, ARF stenciled on the back, scrape the ice from under the UFO. They use special air-powered ice cutters to break the ice. The excess ice is picked up by other workers who then cart it out on specially built motorized barrows. There is no conversation. A THIRD TEAM of workers shore up the craft with steel beams. They are about halfway through with the excavation. IN A REMOTE AREA UNDER THE SHIP Agent Darrel eyes the area suspiciously. He walks around the perimeter of the ship. He comes up on another WORKER. He grabs the unsuspecting victim by the shoulder, spinning him around. He places his mouth over his victim, like a kiss, and begins fusing with the victim. There is little resistance. INT. MCMURDO - MED-LAB - EVENING Mac, groggy but coherent, argues with the two doctors as Dorn and Chase ENTER the room. MAC You have to let me go! He's out there! DORN Who's out there, Mr. MacReady? MAC Who the hell are you? CHASE Friends. Dorn and Chase stand at bedside. MAC My friends are dead. DORN I'm sorry to hear that. I'm agent Dorn, this is agent Chase. MAC Agents? CIA, great. DORN Please, go on...WHO was out there? MAC Childs. Did you find him? He was with me after the building blew. DORN No, but we did find some of his clothes. Mac becomes more agitated. He is weak but tries to get out of his bed. MAC We gotta find him. The two doctors ease him back. FORSYTHE I think he needs to recover alone. MAC I'm fine. Just get me a bottle. CHASE Was this Childs a friend? MAC We weren't exactly tossing each other's salads! (beat) We were stationed at the outpost together. We were the only survivors. Do you guys even know what happened out there? Do you have any idea what we went through! DORN Don't tell me. Your pet alien got loose? MAC What was your first clue? Dorn pulls a cassette tape out of his jacket pocket and tosses it at Mac. He catches it. CHASE You left this tape in your quarters, remember? MAC Then you know everything. Dorn, morose, nods yes. DORN We found some of the mutated bodies around the complex as well... MAC Burn'em! They're not dead. Dorn pulls his snuff can out and pops a wad into his mouth. DORN Mr. MacReady, we are here to offer you a chance to be part of the biggest discovery ever encountered by man. CHASE We believe your knowledge could help us understand what we're dealing with. Mac becomes hysterical. MAC You want my advice? Blow this chunk of ice off the face of the planet. You don't wanna understand, believe me! DORN That's it? Just blow it up. MAC You're already out of options. You WILL die, all of you. Now that Childs is loose, anyone is fair game. DORN Okay, Mr. MacReady. Aside from that, what would you like? Mac pauses, reclining back into a more comfortable position. MAC I'm really no help to you. Send me back to the States...let me get back to my chartering business. DORN Very well. You'll be on a helo as soon as you've fully recovered. You will be transferred to the USS Independence. From there you will be flown by COD to the States. Everyone looks rather surprised. DORN Have a pleasant recovery Mr. MacReady. If you change your mind, you can contact the good doctor. He knows how to contact me. EXT. HALLWAY Whispering so as to not be heard. DORN Splash MacReady. Perhaps he needs a swimming lesson, too. CHASE My pleasure. EXT. STRATOSPHERE - OVERLOOKING EARTH An alien ship, the size of a baseball infield, shaped like an arrowhead, hovers above earth. INT. BRIDGE - ALIEN CRAFT The semi-spacious bridge is drowned in a light-red glow. Five monitors face the command helm. Each monitor displays different information. The first displays planet type; the second displays ship status; the third displays life support; the fourth displays weapons systems stats; and the fifth display is turned off. A hand, humanoid in appearance, fitted with a hi-tech glove reaches out to the command console. It pushes a series of buttons. The fifth monitor comes on. A picture of earth appears. Under the globe is a funny language, unrecognizable. A series of different VOICES emit from the console. They, too, are unrecognizable. The monitor cycles through various dialects until it stops on English. All VOICES change to the English dialect as well as all equipment functions. COMPUTER VOICE(V.O.) Linguistic module engaged. Translation que active. Main console enabled. The hand reaches out once a again and punches a single button. The globe on the monitor turns with each hit. The hand pushes another button to stop the globe. The globe then tilts on its axis to expose the Antarctic region. The region glows as a whole. The hand reaches over to a second console and punches in three coordinates. No response. The hand forms into a fist and slams into the console. COMPUTER VOICE(V.O.) Coordinates confirmed. EXT. STRATOSPHERE The alien ship rotates, noseward to earth. Engines engage, the ship punches through the atmosphere. EXT. ROSS ICE SHELF - NIGHT The alien craft hovers above the water before plunging into the ocean. INT. ROSS SEA The craft, bright location lights pointing downward, sprouts legs and floats to the bottom of the sea floor. Chunks of anchor ice break free from the sea floor. EXT. MCMURDO - HELO PAD - MORNING Mac, wearing a float coat, flight suit and carrying a gym bag, walks out to the helo as it turns up. The doctors follow close behind. Dorn and Chase wait near the helo door. DORN Are you sure you won't reconsider, MacReady? Mac throws his bag to one of the air crew. Long pause. MAC Guys like you DO need help. Too bad I'm not a shrink--I could make a fortune off you two. Getting one more dig in. Chase persists. CHASE You'll be missing out on the most important find ever. MAC I was already a part of that find. Good day gentlemen; and good luck--you're gonna need it. He climbs aboard the helo. EXT. HELO - ROSS SEA - DAY The helo flies out over the Ross shelf. INT. HELO Mac sits alone in the back of the helo. He ponders over his situation. MAC This ain't right. I'm the ONLY witness alive. Mac walks up to the front of the helo. INT. ALIEN SHIP - ROSS SEA A hand reaches out to a console and flips a switch. One of the scopes displays radar information. The radar locks on the helo above the surface of the water. The hand scans the console and slides a lever away from its stop. A tractor beam appears on the screen, locking on the helo. INT. HELO MAC What were your orders? PILOT We're to bingo with the USS Kitty Hawk. Mac is not surprised, but angry. MAC Turn around, NOW! PILOT I have my orders. Mac knocks the pilot out with one quick punch. The NAVIGATOR puts up a good fight but loses to one of Mac's elbow smashes. Mac pulls the pilot out of his seat and takes command. At the same time, the helo begins to stall. Mac fights the controls but loses altitude fast. He shakes the cyclic controls frantically but to no avail. The helo sinks to the sea. Mac walks to the rear doors of the helo. EXT. HELO He jumps out a few moments before the helo hits the water. EXT. ROSS SEA Mac pulls the cord on his float coat to activate the CO2. The helo plunges into the water and EXPLODES. Mac swims over to one of the bodies near the wreckage. He turns the pilot over on his back and administers rescue breathing. The pilot coughs and gags. A stream of water GURGLES out of his mouth. The pilot comes to. MAC Put your hands under your armpits. The pilot is barely coherent. A bloody GURGLE coughs up. PILOT C-c-c-can't...move. Back is broken. MAC We've got to stay warm. The pilot slowly loses consciousness as he SPEAKS his last words. He grips Mac's arm tightly, struggling, hanging on. PILOT D-Dorn. Kill y-y-you... MAC I know--I know. The pilot passes out. Mac grabs the body and hugs it close to his to keep warm. INT. ARF DOME - UFO - DAY Dorn walks up to a gang plank leading into the ship. He has one of his men, agent USTE, update him on the progress. USTE We haven't penetrated the seal yet, sir. DORN Let's have a looksee-- nothing's inpenetrable. INT. UFO - CORRIDORS The corridors of the ship are lit with halogen lights. The passageways are narrow and confined. Dorn, Chase and Uste walk down a metallic passageway to a junction. They continue on to a large vestibule and stop near a massive double doorway. TWO WORKERS, armed with cutting equipment, try to burn and cut their way through the impossible door. USTE We've tried lasers, abrasive water jet, and torches-- nothing will penetrate this metal. CHASE What do you suppose is in there? USTE Based on our current location and the physical characteristics of the ship, I would say it probably is the command center...or bridge. Dorn stuffs another wad of chew into his mouth. DORN There must be a mechanical control. Search the entire area. It's bound to be here. USTE Yes, sir. Dorn moves his face next to Uste. The smell of the snuff makes him withdraw, repulsed. DORN I want in here, Mr. Uste. You will let me know first thing. Uste swallows. He nods repeatedly. USTE Sir. INT. ARF DOME - UFO PERIMETER Darrel, suspiciously calm and silent, finds another worker, CRAIG, surveying his new location. The area is remote and free from others. Darrel startles his victim. Craig turns around. CRAIG Darrel, you look like shit, man. Darrel plunges two of his fingers into the victim's eyes. He looks around then crams two fingers from his other hand down the victim's throat. The body writhes for a moment and then falls dead. He grabs the victim by the neck, dragging it deep into the shoring beam structure under the UFO. EXT. ROSS SEA - DAY Under the sea, a bright yellow light surrounds Mac. Mac swims around frantically, confused, and frightened. MAC You've got to be fucking kidding! A strong force pulls at his body. His head falls below the surface several times. He fights it, chokes, coughs. MAC Wha'...the hell...is this! Suddenly, a bright purple beam splits through the water's depths and pulls Mac under at high velocity. INT. ALIEN SHIP - COMMAND CONSOLE The gloved hand reaches across the console and pulls a bright, silver handle. EXT. ALIEN SHIP - ROSS SEA A jelly-like membrane on the exterior of the ship opens and sucks Mac's body in. INT. ALIEN SHIP - COMMAND CONSOLE The alien's hand pushes the lever back and strikes two switches. Nothing happens. He smacks the console once, two green lights illuminate. The alien swivels his command chair around and plants his massive feet to the floor. His boots are beat-up half-fabric, half-metal units with steel straps around the ankles. He STOMPS his way across the room to the door. INT. HOLDING DOCK Mac, semiconscious, lies in a pool of evacuating sea water. The water scavenges around him. He COUGHS. At the opposite end of the holding dock, a hatch begins to open. Two steel plates separate in the middle followed by two outer plates. The hatch opens with a deep, echoing THUD. Startled, Mac lifts his head and looks in the direction of the hatch. In the entrance stands the alien pilot. The humanoid- looking creature, his name GOTHA, wears a suit comprised of fifty percent metal armor and fifty percent fleshy material. On his hands and feet are protective gloves and boots. He wears a belt with various symbolic figures stenciled around it. On his left thigh is a tubular weapon with barrels pointing in all directions. It has three finger holes in the center. A tattered and scuffed cranial device sits on top of Gotha's head. A dark, glass crown hangs down in front of his left eye. The other eye is dark red. The fleshy portion of his face is covered with patchy areas of various flesh tones, like a bad repair job. A small, symbolic medallion hangs around his neck. Mac is stunned. He shakes his head and rubs his eyes to see. Gotha steps through the hatch. The steel-bottomed boots fill the room with a deep ECHO. MAC Satan, right? INT. ARF DOME - CONCRETE TUNNEL Dorn and Chase ride an electric Cushman to the end of a long concrete tunnel. They walk up to two massive vault doors. Dorn punches in an access code on the key pad. The door mechanism rotates and unlocks. The massive door swings open. INT. ARF LABORATORY - CLEAN ROOM Dorn and Chase put on white sterile garments and gloves. INT. ARF LABORATORY The lab is encased in three, thick steel plates. A fourth wall, separating yet a smaller room, is comprised of extra-thick Lexan sheeting Two robotic arm controls protrude from the Lexan Sheeting. Two lab technicians, RYAN and BOGLE, observe an experiment through the Lexan wall. Ryan, the head technician, cycles the robotic controls as Dorn and Chase ENTER. Ryan drops the Robotic arms. DORN Well, gentlemen. Do we have answers? RYAN The results are still negative, sir. BOGLE By all means a forced mutation should have occurred in the third trimester following the implant. RYAN Everything is the same...DNA codes, atomic reaction at the molecular level... Dorn waives a hand in the air. DORN Guys, guys, don't confuse me with all of that biological bullshit. I rely on visual stimuli, gentlemen? The four men walk to the Lexan wall. Chase wrinkles his nose and turns his head away. In the room are five lab tables. Four of the five tables have half-mutated and burnt remains from the compound fires. On the fifth table lies one rabbit. The robotic arms hang out over the bodies. In one claw is a vial, the other claw holds a syringe. Cords and lines connected to each of the bodies hang over the edge of the tables and lead out of the room. The rabbit is unconscious but breathing. RYAN We update the rabbit's vitals every second on the equipment in the lab. That information will help us to determine the right dosage. CHASE Dosage? BOGLE We inject the rabbit with active cells taken from the cadavers. RYAN We know mutation begins at the cellular level--we just haven't seen it yet. Dorn nods his head and turns to look at the monitoring equipment in the lab. He then gazes over to the burnt bodies. DORN Maybe your rabbit friend isn't good enough. RYAN What do you mean? DORN Maybe the alien cell only replicates other living organisms close to its own...how would you say-- molecular weight? Ryan and Bogle look at each other surprised. DORN Like I said, maybe your rabbit friend isn't good enough. RYAN The only subjects we have are rabbits and...humans..but that would be... In his smile, Dorn exposes greed and malevolence. DORN You scared me there for a minute, Mr. Ryan. I thought I was going to take your job away. Ryan looks nervous. RYAN I...don't...have a subject, sir. DORN We will find you a subject. For now I want you two clowns to work on Bugs Bunny over there. I want a successful mutation. Dorn and Chase walk to the door. Dorn punches in his code. DORN Oh, and Mr. Ryan--don't fail me. I hear your friend Bogle there is bucking for a promotion. Ryan nods slowly, blank-faced. Bogle turns away. INT. ARF DOME - UFO PERIMETER Darrel digs through the ice. His ice breaker stops on a protruding metal object on the bottom of the craft. He chips away the ice with a hand pick and exposes a knurled knob. In the center of the knob is four buttons. Darrel looks around and pushes the buttons in sequence left to right. The knob turns one rotation and stops. He grips it and turns it back one turn. The knob sinks into the UFO skin and slides vertical exposing a panel. There is a hand-form molded into the compartment. Darrel looks around one more time and places his hand over the mold. The compartment lights up, a panel slides open exposing a larger compartment. Darrel pokes his head inside. INT. POD COMPARTMENT A command chair sits in the center of the compartment. A console wraps around the chair in front, a bank of screens hangs above to the rear. BACK TO SCENE Darrel closes the hatch, leaving no trace and continues carving away at the ice. INT. GOTHA'S SHIP - INTERROGATION CHAMBER Mac wakes up. He is strapped to a vertical table. A green laser-scan slides over his naked body from head to toe. A red beam follows behind. The beam presses on Mac's skin. He MOANS. Across the room, Gotha stands at a console monitoring Mac's scan. Mac checks out his condition, looks at his bound hands and feet. His naked body shivers. MAC Hey! Hey! Do you know what a thermostat is? Gotha turns around to face Mac. MAC Hey, you got a problem? Behind Gotha, a monitor emits a TONE. Mac looks up to the monitor hanging across the room. The text is in English. Mac notices. MAC I can read your monitors, I know you understand what I'm saying. SILENCE. MAC Goddammit, let me out of here! Gotha takes the weapon off his thigh and rushes Mac. He presses the weapon against Mac's nose. Mac, repulsed by his bad breath, turns his head. Gotha grabs Mac by the chin and pulls his head back. In a deep, gravel-like VOICE, Gotha spits a reply. GOTHA Shut up. Gotha reaches around to the side of the table, eyes still fixed to Mac's, and presses a release lever. Mac falls to the floor. He tries to cover up his nakedness. Gotha turns back to the monitor and reads the information. ON THE SCREEN "INADEQUATE LIFEFORM - PROCESS AS FOODSTUFFS" SCROLLS ACROSS. Mac swaps stares back and forth between the monitor and Gotha. MAC Ah, now wait just a minute! I'm not gonna be ANYONE'S meal ticket! Gotha approaches Mac, silent. Mac looks around for something to grasp, a weapon. He skootches across the floor and latches onto a steel floor grate. He rips the grate off the floor. Mac shakes his head and charges Gotha. Gotha stiffens up, his body encases itself in a series of armor plates. The plates shoot up the Alien's body as quick as a bullet. Mac slams the grate into Gotha's chest. Mac is thrown backward. He falls to the ground, holding his head. Gotha reverts back to his unarmored condition. GOTHA You are no match. MAC Kill me! Go ahead, Mr. King shit! Go ahead, come on! Gotha returns to the console. GOTHA I'll kill you later. MAC Well, in that case, would you have a pair of jeans I can borrow? I'm freezing! Gotha walks over to a cabinet and pulls out Mac's clothes. He tosses them to him. Mac dresses and watches Gotha very carefully. He sees a radar scope scanning the upper surface. MAC A rescue team will be out here any minute. GOTHA We are cloaked. Mac slowly creeps to one of the hatches. He keeps a watchful eye on Gotha. Mac steels the chance and smacks the hatch release bar. The door opens, Mac runs through, Gotha turns around, Mac is gone. Gotha switches on the ships passageway cameras. He sees Mac running down a short corridor to another room. INT. CORRIDOR - NEAR TROPHY ROOM Mac presses the release bar and enters the room. He walks in, the door slams behind him and latches. INT. TROPHY ROOM Mac tries to beat his way back out of the door but can't. In the trophy room is the shucked and skinned skulls of prior kills. Each one is encased in glass and sits on its own pedestal in various points of the room. Mac, mystified, paces the room, staring at each skull. Among some of the various relics is a Predator skull, an Alien skull, a shiny Terminator skull and an ET skull. Mac taps on the glass of the Predator skull. The inside glows blue, the head rotates slowly. He taps it again, the unit stops. He glances across the room and sees a fist and spear coat of arms on the upper bulkhead. INT. HOLDING DOCK Gotha leaves the console after scanning the surface above. He glances at the monitor and sees Mac in the trophy room searching for an exit. Gotha EXITS the bay. INT. TROPHY ROOM The hatch OPENS. Gotha rushes in and makes tracks toward Mac. Mac stares at the approaching beast. He puts his fists up and rolls his eyes. Gotha grabs Mac by the forearms and tosses him into a wall ten feet behind. Mac hits the wall with a THUD and slides to the floor. Gotha approaches once more. MAC That all you got you pussy? GOTHA You are a weak species. MAC Yeah, but we got big dicks. Gotha picks Mac up by the neck and tosses him into the middle of the room. Mac slides a few feet and slams into a trophy pedestal. He lies on the metallic floor, face pressed firm against the steel-like grating. One of the cases smashes open. An unidentifiable skull rolls to a stop directly in front of Mac's face. He freaks--sitting up quickly while coughing up a wad of blood. He wipes his mouth. MAC What an ass! Gotha approaches then stops. He is confused. GOTHA Ass? Mac drops his head and gives a GASPING laugh. Gotha looks at him, still confused. MAC You are behaving like an ass! You know...eoorrr, eoorr! Gotha stomps over to one of the terminals. He punches in ASS on the key pad. A 3-D rendered image of a jack ass appears on the screen, rotating. COMPUTER(V.O.) A hoofed animal of the Genus Equus, resembling and closely... MAC You're half right... Gotha hits a key. COMPUTER(V.O) A stupid, silly, vain or otherwise self-important... MAC That's the one. Hit it right on the button, pal. Gotha hits a key to terminate the computer VOICE. Gotha turns toward Mac and belches out a huge LAUGH. Mac stares at him--can't believe his eyes. Gotha grabs his mid section. His BELLOW echos throughout the ship. Gotha walks to the EXIT, leaving Mac behind. He walks out, still laughing. The hatch seals up behind him. INT. ARF DOME - UFO - DAY Dorn and Chase walk the perimeter, checking the progress of the excavation. Workers continue cutting ice and shoring up the craft. CHASE What will happen once the ship is elevated, sir? DORN Happen? CHASE Yes, sir. What next? Do we tell the world? The president doesn't even know at this point. DORN Who says anyone needs to know but us. CHASE But you can't possibly... Dorn turns, grabs Chase by the neck. Chase fights for air. A small stream of slimy spittle runs out of his mouth. DORN Just because you're closest to me doesn't mean you can tell me what I can or CAN'T do, Mr. Chase! Chase's face turns purple, veins pop out of his forehead. Dorn squeezes harder. DORN Your just as expendable as anyone else here--are we understanding each other? Chase struggles a nod. A worker, SMITTY, runs up to Dorn and Chase. Dorn releases the hold. Chase falls to the floor, gasping for air, holding his throat. SMITTY Sir, the seal has been opened. DORN So, Mr. Uste came through... SMITTY No, sir. It was Agent Darrel, sir. Uste was on break. DORN Is he part of the internal team? SMITTY No, sir. He's an ice- breaker. DORN Mr. Chase, once you've recovered, bring Uste to me. I wish to speak with him...maybe congratulate him on his new assignment. Chase continues rubbing his throat. CHASE Sir. INT. ARF DOME - UFO - BRIDGE The bridge is two acres large. It seems to go on forever. In the center of the bridge is a single chair mounted high on a pedestal. Wrapped around the chair is a single flowing console. The bridge is damaged, wires hang down, equipment is broken and charred. The overhead structure is partially caved-in with pipes and lines protruding through tile panels. A series of chairs lines the outer perimeter of the bridge. At each station is a console with no buttons. Instead, a single hand mold imprint is visible. Directly in front of the command chair is a plate covered window, it stretches hundreds of feet across. Dorn, Chase, Uste and Darrel stand among the debris. DORN Why were you in this area when your job was outside? DARREL I figured my technical background could be of some help. DORN Mr. Uste. How was the door opened? USTE It appears Darrel found a repair panel in the overhead. Inside was an override lever. DORN Funny. I thought I mentioned that. Perhaps we should give you more breaks. Uste looks at each man. He's frightened. He panics. USTE Hey, now wait a minute... DORN Chase, take our friend to the lab. We have a position open there. Chase pauses momentarily. He escorts Mr. Uste out of the bridge. DORN Well, Darrel. Looks like you just anchored yourself a promotion. DARREL Thank you, sir. I guess some guys just don't have what it takes. Darrel looks around. Pulls out a smoke, lights it. DARREL I say fuck'em! Dorn wraps an arm around Darrel and escorts him across the bridge. DORN You've got my attitude--I appreciate that. And just between you and me? Darrel nods while eyeing his surroundings. DORN ...I think Uste was a wimp. They stop. Dorn looks around the entire area, admiring it, swimming in it, soaking it up. DORN What can you do with this, Darrel? Whatever you need, I'll get. DARREL More guys--that's all. Just leave it to me. DORN Of course, I doubt if this thing can ever return to operation. We have no idea how they even built it... DARREL Give me a little time and I'll figure out what makes it tick. Dorn climbs up to the command chair. The chair is massive, it dwarfs him. He fantasizes. DORN Boy, what it must have been like to command a ship like this...I could only imagine. DARREL One mustn't limit one's self to his own imagination. Dorn climbs down. He walks up to Darrel. DORN What do you know that I don't? DARREL Give me twenty men and find out. Darrel, cocky, grins. He is calm and cool, a man in control. Dorn, silent, scratches his chin and pulls out his snuff can. He plows a wad into his mouth. He pats Darrel on the shoulder. DORN Alright, twenty men, sure. INT. GOTHA'S SHIP - BRIDGE Gotha looks over topographical maps of the Antarctic. He scans through different regions. He stops on a natural structure, a volcano. He keys in some figures. THE MONITOR DISPLAYS "MT. EREBUS, ACTIVE, GASEOUS EMISSION CONTENT....CHLORINE AND FLUORINE COMPOUNDS... He scans over other areas. Through the ice layer, over the land mass sections not covered by ice, mountain regions, etc.. Gotha, frustrated, looks up at Mac on the monitor. INT. MCMURDO - RADAR ROOM - EARLY EVENING Kerns, the communications dispatcher, studies his radar scope. A green pipper appears and disappears repeatedly. Bruner stands behind, refereeing. BRUNER Looks like someone's checking us out as well. KERNS Yeah, but the radar isn't conventional. BRUNER Send out a helo to check the area. Kerns picks up his base microphone. KERNS Alright, guys. We need you to check out unidentified craft at the edge of the shelf. INT. GOTHA'S SHIP - BRIDGE Gotha gets a red radar warning light. He changes frequencies then walks back to his command chair. INT. RADAR ROOM - MCMURDO KERNS Now it's gone. BRUNER Keep your eyes on that scope. EXT. HELO - ROSS SEA - SUNSET The search helo flies out over the Ross Shelf. It flies at low altitude. INT. HELO THE PILOT, FONDA, and his NAVIGATOR, RENO, peer out over the water. They see nothing. FONDA Should be somewhere in this area. RENO What ever it was, it's gone now. INT. GOTHA'S SHIP Gotha moves the ship below the Ross ice shelf. He watches the ice pass by on the viewing screen. He threads the ship between a narrow section and descends. ON HIS MONITOR the depth is displayed. Three thousand, Four thousand on through seven thousand feet. EXT. GOTHA'S SHIP - UNDER ROSS ICE SHELF The ship maneuvers under the shelf and finds a solid location. It's legs fold out and sink into the murky ocean floor. INT. HELO - ROSS SEA The air crew decide to call off the search. RENO There's nothing here! Let's head back. FONDA McMurdo. Fonda here. MCMURDO(V.O.) Go ahead, Fonda. FONDA Nothing out here, guys. We're returning to base. MCMURDO(V.O) Roger that. INT. ARF DOME - LAB - EVENING Ryan and Bogle observe the body of Uste as it lies unconscious on the table. Ryan, the robotic arms in his control, lowers a syringe to Uste's arm. The syringe pierces the skin, the contents empty into his veins. Ryan withdraws the robotic arm and turns to the monitors in the lab. Bogle observes and writes their findings on a clipboard. The two technicians watch the body for a moment, nothing happens. They become discouraged. RYAN Dammit! This must work! The data says it's supposed to work! Bogle refers to the cadavers with a pen. BOGLE I'm sure they knew the answer...before the pain hit. Ryan paces. RYAN Well we can't question them now can we. BOGLE Maybe they're hibernating. RYAN I know you're smarter than that. BOGLE Sorry. RYAN Don't worry about it. Keep thinking... Ryan pauses--he taps his pen in his palm. RYAN Wait! Pain! You did it, Bogle! Bogle looks surprised. BOGLE I did? Ryan pulls Bogle by the collar and forces him to look through the Lexan wall. BOGLE Alright, don't get excited. Let go. RYAN Look at those faces! He points to their twisted, contorted faces. BOGLE They don't look good. RYAN No shit! They look like they were exposed to the most intensive pain possible. Bogle doesn't get it. He scratches his head. RYAN Pain, Pain, Pain! Think, Bogle! BOGLE You think it's pain-induced? Ryan smacks him on shoulder, he smiles. RYAN You're fucking brilliant! Now go get that tank over there and grab a cutting tip. BOGLE Roger that. Bogle, wearing protective clothing and a sterile mask, pulls an acetylene tank near the entrance. Ryan deactivates the door seal to the chamber. Bogle wheels the tank into the center of the room and turns it toward the robotic arms. Bogle returns to the lab. RYAN We don't know what these things do once they mutate. If it gets out of control, hit that CO2 flooding switch over there. BOGLE Roger that. Bogle moves near the switch in the back of the room. Ryan dons the robotic arms. He positions the arms over the tank and grabs the line. He takes the striker and lights the tip. A blue flame soon appears. The robotic arm is stretched across the room near the body of Uste. The flame touches Uste's right leg. Uste's body explodes into the mutation cycle. A head forms from the chest area. The arms wrap around the body and squeeze tightly. Uste's body sprouts legs, like a spider, which fold inward. Ryan's mouth drops. He is caught in silent awe. Bogle, confused, waits for the signal. The body of Uste fights for a way out of the sealed room. Although strong, the beast is unable to smash through the steel or Lexan walls. The body slams from side to side, bashing each wall. RYAN Flood it, now! The room is flooded with CO2. The beast slows down. The mutated body loses strength and falls to the floor. RYAN Okay, that's enough! Stop! Bogle releases the switch. BOGLE Sorry, I got carried away. Ryan pushes a switch on the wall, a fan evacuates the CO2. The unconscious, mutated body of Uste lies on the floor. Both men look on in silence. Ryan walks over to the phone on the desk and presses four keys. RYAN Mr. Dorn, we've got answers. INT. DORN'S OFFICE - ARF DOME Dorn stands behind his desk, looking down at the ship. He SPEAKS through the intercom on his desk phone. DORN Good, Mr. Ryan. Prepare a demonstration for me. RYAN(V.O.) Yes, sir. Dorn hangs up. Dorn turns around to face Chase. He spits a wad into his spit can. DORN So far everything has gone as planned. CHASE I still think this project will be hard to hide from the rest of the world. DORN You're such an optimist. CHASE Sir, the authorities think we're checking the ozone out here. What if we're audited? Dorn sits in his chair behind the desk. Chase remains standing in front. Dorn's hysterical laugh ECHOS. DORN Audited. That's a good one. As long as our science team keeps feeding reports to Washington, we won't be audited. Besides, the reports ARE authentic. CHASE What's our basis for authentication? DORN When I started this project, I nabbed the best atmosphere scientists in the business. They were on their way to disproving current beliefs about ozone depletion. CHASE Which was... DORN The fact that ozone depletion is not due to man's negligence so much as it is mother nature herself...the volcanoes for instance. Dorn walks over to a map on the wall of the Antarctic region. He points to several locations. DORN These are all the active volcanoes on this continent. About eighty percent of the chemicals attributed to the ozone's demise come from these mountains and others like them. CHASE I bet western industry will be glad to here that. DORN They will never know the truth. ARF was created to keep the lobbyists on the back of business. CHASE So as long as they think ozone depletion is due to man, constant refinements will have to be made. DORN As long as the chemical companies get kickbacks from the government, they will be more than happy to create new alternatives. Dorn stands. He looks at his watch. CHASE We already have the hard data? DORN Years worth of reports waiting to be mailed. So, you see, no audit will ever take place in my dome. CHASE We better get to the lab. Dorn pulls a pistol out of his desk drawer. He loads a clip and places the gun in his beltline. DORN Better to be safe than sorry. They EXIT Dorn's office. INT. GOTHA'S SHIP - TROPHY ROOM Gotha ENTERS the trophy room. Mac is leery, he keeps his distance. Gotha throws a towel to Mac. He catches it and cleans the blood off his face. GOTHA Follow me. Gotha EXITS, Mac follows. INT. BRIDGE Gotha ENTERS the bridge with Mac in tow. Mac tosses the towel into Gotha's command chair. MAC Alright, what the hell is going on? Who are you and why haven't you killed me? Gotha stands near the command console and looks at the monitors. His back is to Mac. GOTHA MacReady. MAC How did you know my name? GOTHA Your clothes. They are marked. Mac rolls his shirt up and sees his name stenciled on the inside. GOTHA You will help me with my search. That is why I let you live. You will be eaten later, when we've finished. Mac laughs and shakes his head. MAC And you expect me to just give in. GOTHA Yes. MAC Well...I don't think so. Gotha turns and grabs Mac by the neck. He squeezes. Mac chokes. GOTHA You have no choice, funny guy. Mac SQUEAKS a reply through the hold. MAC Just...call...me Mac. GOTHA You will help me. Gotha releases Mac. Mac fights the pain in his throat by rubbing it. MAC What is it your searching for? No, let me guess...some of your mutating relatives crashed on the planet and your here to find them. Gotha perks up, surprised and impressed. GOTHA A prisoner. It must return with me. MAC You're a bounty hunter. Gotha tilts his head like a confused dog. MAC You know, a person who captures fugitives and returns them to the authorities for a reward. GOTHA Yes. MAC Great, a ruthless, self- centered alien hot shoe...that's all this planet needs. GOTHA My objective is simple. Anyone gets in my way...they become my next meal. Mac paces the bridge, scrutinizing each corner and each display. He stops and looks at Gotha. MAC If I help you, will you free me? Mac walks up to Gotha. He SPEAKS softly into his ear. MAC I'll let you in on a little secret. Mac looks around, like a spy in hiding. MAC I know where your catch is. Gotha stops tinkering with the console. He turns to Mac. GOTHA Catch? MAC You know, for a strong son- of-a-bitch, you sure are stupid. Your prisoner, the one you're looking for on those damn scopes! GOTHA You will help me, or die. You have no choice. MAC I help you and you let me go. Gotha returns to the console. GOTHA I will think about it. Mac becomes frustrated, he grabs Gotha by the shoulder and spins him around. Gotha pushes him away. Mac is pissed. MAC Alright, look! I don't know what kind of trip you're on, but we don't eat each other around here! I told you I would help you but all you seem to think about is your stomach! I know you're having trouble finding what you're looking for! I've been watching...you're not even close, pal! Mac pauses. Gotha stands silent. Mac, surprised, continues. He shakes from nervousness. MAC And you're ugly! And you don't smell too good, either! So if you're gonna kill me--do it now! Come on! I'm tired of the bullshit! GOTHA You are right. I've been acting inappropriately. Mac looks confident, strutting, a major victory. GOTHA I'm hungry and I've missed a meal. Now is the time. Mac, brows up, takes a sudden step back. Gotha moves on him. Gotha grabs him by the head and holds firmly. He lifts Mac up and tosses him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Gotha opens the hatch leading out. As they walk through Mac BLASTS out one last time. MAC There! On your monitor! It's right there! Gotha stops and turns toward the console. Mac, dangling from Gotha's shoulders, faces the opposite direction. GOTHA What is it? MAC Spin me around, ass-wipe! I can't see! Gotha turns, he smacks Mac's head against the ship's bulkhead. MAC Hey, watchit! Take me to the console now! Before it disappears! Gotha, caught in the rush, drops Mac on the deck. Mac runs up to the console. The monitor above scans a familiar area. It moves, cycling automatically. MAC How do you make it stop! Gotha punches a button on the console. Nothing happens. He smacks the console with his hand. The cyclic tracker stops. GOTHA What is it? MAC Right here. There's your catch. I've been there. You get in there and you've got him. GOTHA I must lock in the coordinates... MAC No! You could never make it in there--too securely guarded. Besides, even if you did, you'd eventually be seen by others. GOTHA So. MAC So, the authorities would make it even harder for you to make it out in one piece. GOTHA What do you suggest? MAC Send me in. I can do it. I already kicked its ass once. Gotha ponders. He stares at the monitor for a moment. Mac, sweat rolling down his face, rolls his eyes. MAC You really have no choice. GOTHA All I need is one piece of tissue. MAC That shouldn't be too difficult, those things are all over the place by now. GOTHA I can isolate any branch of it with a single cell. Once I've paralyzed its communication string, the replicated beings will die. MAC Are you saying you can kill off a whole generation of them with one of its own cells? Gotha turns toward Mac. He grins conceitedly. GOTHA And you question my intelligence? MAC Yeah, well, once you try one of our McDonalds, you won't eat people anymore. INT. ARF DOME - UFO - BRIDGE The bridge is dimly lit. Only a handful of lights provide the dull illumination. Darrel oversees the reclamation on the bridge. Twenty workers work diligently to clean up and repair what items they can. Near the command chair, two WORKERS splice together wires and cables. Near the front console, two more WORKERS repair bent and broken panels. A team of three WORKERS shore up the sagging overhead. All of the members work in total SILENCE. No communication takes place between the workers--they know what they are doing and look very suspicious doing it. EXT. UFO All of the ice-breakers and shoring personnel work more laboriously on the excavation. Teams of WORKERS now make repairs to the outside of the ship. A few WORKERS walk the roof of the craft, inspecting various panels. The ship appears to be changing, it looks cleaner and somewhat in-tact. The charred stains have disappeared, straight panels replace the bent ones. INT. ARF DOME - LAB Dorn and Chase watch as Ryan lights the torch with the robotic arm. RYAN At first, we thought the subject had to be a fresh kill--that's not so. Any one of the cadavers will react to the flame. Ryan lowers the torch to one of the cadavers. RYAN And the molecular weight of the organism has no bearing on the mutation cycle. The cadaver explodes into another mutation cycle. It twists, writhes and contorts into surrealistic shapes. Two massive arms protrude from the back of the body and try to punch through the reinforced ceiling. The ceiling holds, the arms withdraw. The body continues to mutate while Dorn and Chase stare in amazement. The body flails from wall to wall, trying to escape the attention and bright lights. Dorn waves, as if he's had enough. Ryan signals Bogle to flood the chamber. The gas penetrates, the body loses its fight and falls to the floor. They all stare at the remains. RYAN Pain, Mr. Dorn. DORN Hmm. Interesting. RYAN But that's not all. We found that cell activity increased when the lights were out and the room was empty. DORN It's insecure, Mr. Ryan? RYAN Perhaps. Each cell seems to be its own little organism. It feels pain; it reacts to light; it feels uncomfortable when others are present. Yet it has some attachment to the other cells. Kind of like twin siblings. CHASE Good God. So this thing could branch off and infect as many people as it wanted? BOGLE Ooooh, scary shit, man. RYAN Without a doubt. It has already at those research compounds. BOGLE We have it contained though. RYAN It must never leave this Continent. Dorn paces. He crams a wad of snuff into his cheek. He packs it tight and crams another wad. The others cringe. DORN Can it be controlled? RYAN I'm not sure I follow sir. DORN What happens when this cell fully mutates? RYAN It eventually replicates the host...perfectly. DORN Can we inject this cell into a normal human, trigger replication and still have host brain activity? RYAN We haven't gone that far into the research. I suppose anything is possible at this point. Dorn spits. A large wad of spit impacts the floor. It splashes up onto Ryan's foot. DORN Keep plugging away, Mr. Ryan. I want more answers. Dorn and Chase EXIT the lab. Ryan and Bogle stare at each other then to the remains in the adjacent room. INT. GOTHA'S SHIP - HOLDING DOCK Mac, wearing a special high-tech, wet suit watches as Gotha prepares various components. The suit covers his entire body except for a small portion of his face. A razor thin visor hangs folded behind his head. GOTHA I have already launched a water craft for you. When you reach the surface, mount the craft and hold on. MAC It's too cold out there. And what about the depth? Gotha attaches an electronic beacon to the back side of the suit. He locks it in by smacking it. GOTHA The suit will keep you warm. It has a built-in decompression function that equalizes the pressure in your body to that of the ocean depths. MAC When I reach McMurdo, I'll signal you on the radar. Two hits means I made it. Gotha pulls the visor down over Mac's face. MAC What's this? Mac looks through the tight-fitting visor. He holds his hands out in front of him. POV - MAC'S HANDS Mac sees the room in a green hue. His hands glow bright green. GOTHA It will help you identify replicated beings. Their bodies emit certain ultraviolet signals within the color spectrum. Pull it down over your face when your ready to use it. It's also an adequate night- vision instrument. Gotha pulls it back over Mac's head. GOTHA Once you've reached the surface you can press this button... He points to a collar device next to Mac's neck. GOTHA ...it activates a purge valve to release any dead weight. Gotha walks to the console. He presses a series of buttons. Near the console's edge, a small compartment opens. A weapon, stubby but very much like a gun, slides out. Gotha cycles the chamber. He points it to Mac and pulls the trigger. A bolt of energy BLASTS Mac in the forehead. He falls back against the wall. Mac rubs his head. MAC Jesus Christ! Are you crazy! GOTHA That is a light stun. I've set it to heavy stun. Gotha plays with the chamber mechanism. GOTHA This is kill. You shouldn't need that setting, but if you do just slide this back. Point and shoot. It will hit anything within a ten meter radius. He attaches the gun to a special open holster under Mac's right arm. MAC All I have to do is get a tissue sample, right? Then I'm outta there? GOTHA Return the sample to me and I have my...catch, as you so call it. Gotha attaches the neck seam and pushes a switch near the front. The thermal suit, from head to toe, sucks tightly against Mac's body. Mac's face turns red, the blood rushes through his veins. GOTHA Bear with it. The pressure will stabilize in a moment. It will help you acclimate once exposed to the elements. The suit begins to release some of the pressure. Mac's face returns to color. MAC I think I just shit your wetsuit, man. Gotha looks at Mac confused. MAC Never mind. So, what happens when you get this tissue sample. GOTHA You will have to return here quickly. They possess very sophisticated communication abilities. Each cell has a way of telling the others. MAC Yeah, I know. GOTHA Once I've isolated the cell I can then terminate the remaining organisms. Mac does a few stretches and hops around to get used to the suit's feel. Gotha places a small, square device into a concealed breast pocket. GOTHA This is a cloaking device. Use this on the craft that takes you to the ship sight. Attach it anywhere and press the switch. MAC Aren't you forgetting something? GOTHA No, that is all. It will go as planned. MAC What happens to me? GOTHA I told you, I'm going to kill you and eat you. Gotha smiles. He does one last check to the suit from head to toe. MAC You son of a bitch. My humor is rubbing off on you, isn't it. GOTHA I have attached a beacon. I will track you here. MAC This is state of the art shit, right? Gotha does his confused dog head-tilt. MAC The best equipment you have? GOTHA It is the best. You have twenty-four of your earth hours. MAC Then what. GOTHA Then I take over...at all costs. MAC You just sit back and play with your video games. I'll eat your twenty-four hours for lunch. Gotha opens the evacuation hatch leading outside. A wall of water hangs in the air. Mac, fascinated, puts his hand through the membrane. MAC Only one problem...how do I breath water? Gotha opens another hatch near the console and pulls out a canister. He walks over to Mac. GOTHA Are you ready? MAC Yeah. GOTHA Open your mouth. MAC What's that? GOTHA Open. He sprays the contents of the canister into Mac's mouth. Mac tries to jerk away. Gotha holds his head tightly. MAC Christ! What the hell... GOTHA You may hold your breath for thirty minutes. The vapor will provide your body with the necessary chemicals. You will have the urge to breath...don't. Mac observes the aqueous membrane. MAC This is the way out? GOTHA Once you step through, ascend to the surface. The suit will provide some buoyancy. Mac takes a couple of deep breaths. GOTHA That isn't necessary. Just hold your breath. You had better hurry. You're wasting resources. Stay next to the ice shelf on your way up. Mac pulls the visor over his face. MAC Right. Well, here goes. He stalls. MAC I'll just jump right in. Yep... Gotha shoves him through the membrane. INT. ROSS SEA - NIGHT Mac looks up. He has his cheeks puffed out like a balloon. He begins to kick. He touches the ice shelf and ascends to the top. INT. ARF DOME - UFO BRIDGE - NIGHT The workers each sit at a seat near the console. Darrel stands before them. He nods. Each worker places a hand over a mold. The screen above the console glows red. The command chair lights up like a Christmas tree. A light HUM emanates from within the bridge. INT. UFO BRIDGE ENTRANCE A WORKER, curious, peers into the bridge. He stares in amazement. He sees the entranced workers at each console. He turns and walks down the passageway twenty feet. He stops. He pulls out a walkie-talkie. WORKER Agent Chase. CHASE (V.O.FITERED) Go ahead. A hand reaches around the worker and swipes the walkie- talkie. The worker turns quickly. Darrel stands before him. The worker freezes. INT. CONCRETE TUNNEL Chase motors down the tunnel in an electric cart with the walkie-talkie against his head. Ahead of him, the UFO can be seen. CHASE Alright, who's fucking around out there? Let's maintain radio silence unless its an emergency. EXT. ROSS SEA - NIGHT Mac breaks through the surface. He steals a gulp of fresh air. He spins around in the water, looking in all directions. He pulls the visor back. In the near distance he can see the water craft. He swims toward it. He approaches the jet ski-like craft and climbs aboard. The craft has a single seat and a rotating hand hold. On the floor is a foot pedal. Two bow-runners protrude from underneath. He sits in the seat and holds onto the controls. He presses down on the pedal, the craft skates forward silently. He coasts to a stop and pushes the button on his suit. The suit HISSES then spits two streams of water out of the back of each thigh. In the near distance he can see lights. He sits once again and points the craft toward McMurdo. EXT. SHORESIDE - MCMURDO - NIGHT Mac parks the craft on the icy shoreline. He scopes out the area and checks his watch. INSERT - MAC'S WATCH Twenty-three hours, forty-five minutes remain. EXT. MCMURDO - NIGHT Mac snatches the weapon from under his arm and approaches the complex. The snow is soft, he sinks a few feet with each step. He is careful to maintain his silence. He sneaks across the compound to the helo pad. Once there, he inspects the helo sight. He looks inside the cockpit, unlatches tie-down chains and takes the rotor covers off. He runs to the compounds electrical generator shack. INT. GENERATOR ROOM He disables the generator with one BLAST of the weapon. EXT. MCMURDO - OPERATIONS BUILDING He scurries over to one side of the compound and stops near a window. He peers inside. Four technicians scurry around inside for flashlights. Mac runs around to the entrance of the compound and stands fast. One of the technicians, Kerns, bolts out of the door with a flashlight in his clutches. Mac walks up behind him and puts him in a sleeper hold. Kerns falls to the ground. He pulls Kerns' body to the complex entrance. INT. MCMURDO - OPERATIONS He pulls the body around the corner and dumps it on the floor. The other members, Bruner, Forsythe and Johns remain inside. They can be HEARD stumbling around in the dark, searching, smacking their heads, "watch out", etc... Mac puts the visor on and walks into the control room. POV - MAC'S VISOR The control room is empty. He walks back out toward the SOUNDS of the other members. He passes through a small corridor and stops. In an adjacent room, he sees the three men looking around clumsily, like the three stooges. BRUNER ...get out of my way. FORSYTHE Where's Kerns, dammit! JOHNS The flashlight was here a minute ago. Mac moves in on them silently. He points the weapon into the middle of the room and fires. A bolt of Green light BLASTS out of the end of the weapon and spreads over all of them. They fall to the ground. MAC Four down, two to go. Mac EXITS the operations building. EXT. COMPOUND Mac walks toward the pilot's shack. He spots the two aircrewman near the generator shack. Mac runs to the side of the shack and waits for the aircrew to EXIT. Reno and Fonda walk out of the shack. RENO Check around the compound for intruders. FONDA Right. Mac lets them walk to a safe distance. He points the weapon and fires. Nothing happens. The weapon CLICKS but doesn't fire. Reno and Fonda turn, Mac toys with the weapon. MAC Ah shit! FONDA Grab him! They rush Mac. He places the weapon back into its holder. He manages to kick Fonda in the stomach. Reno punches, squaring him in the jaw. Mac manages to get enough punches in on Reno to knock him out. Fonda retaliates. They struggle for a moment before Mac is victorious. He pulls the two bodies into the shack with Kerns' body. He grabs the flashlight and points it at the generator. He pulls two burnt wires out and splices them together. The generator kicks on, the compound lights up. INT. MCMURDO - CONTROL ROOM Mac activates the signaling beacon on one of the scopes. A bright pipper flashes twice on the screen. MAC I hope you got that. As he EXITS, he sees a bottle of Jack Daniels sitting on the counter. He looks at it--pauses. Takes a swig. MAC Fuckin' nasty habit. EXT. HELO PAD - MCMURDO Mac places the cloaking device on the undercarriage of the helo. He activates the switch. He boards the helo. INT. HELO He looks at the controls. He cracks his knuckles and begins the launch procedure. MAC Be good to me baby--it usually takes a bottle to get me off the ground. He starts the engines, engages the rotors and lifts the helo off the pad. EXT. HELO - ANTARCTIC LANDSCAPE The helo flies over the moonlit snow-scape. All lights on the helo are off. Mac keeps the helo at low altitude, speed high. INT. HELO Mac checks out the instruments as he moves the cyclic control to the left, putting the helo on course. MAC Let's see--thirty degrees north bearing... Mac keeps only those instruments needed for flight lit. All others, and the radar, are off. INT. GOTHA'S SHIP - NIGHT Gotha monitors the beacon on his equipment. A small pipper skates across the rendered landscape. He glances at his console. He punches a series of buttons. "MODULE EMBEDDED, TRACKING LINKED OBJECT" Appears on the screen. A cursor, shaped as a box, surrounds the pipper. Gotha punches one more button. "AUTO MODE ACTIVATED" Appears on the screen. The box remains attached to the pipper, following it across the screen. Gotha, satisfied, returns to his command chair. He sits in the hard, fibrous seat and leans back. GOTHA Easy catch. He begins to doze off. EXT. ANTARCTIC LANDSCAPE - NEAR ARF DOME - NIGHT Mac lowers the helo into a small ravine. The helo slips into a small crevasse and begins sinking. INT. HELO Mac tries desperately to unlatch his seat harness. The latch is stuck. MAC Come on! Come on! His hands work frantically on the stubborn latch. The helo slips several times. Snow SMASHES through the windscreen and onto Mac's lap. He unlatches the belt and runs to the rear of the helo. He slides the door open and jumps onto a small ledge. EXT. LEDGE Mac hangs from the ledge. The helo sinks below him, slowly wedging between the icy walls. He pulls himself up to the top and catches his breath. He looks down into the crevasse. Snow piles up around the helo. MAC That's just great! He stands there for a moment to gather his thoughts. He trades glances from the helo to the snowy surroundings. Mac walks out of the ravine and into the open. He sees the lights of the ARF dome in the near distance. He paces on. EXT. ARF DOME - PERIMETER - NIGHT Mac hides behind a snow bank. He pulls the visor down over his eyes. MAC'S POV - ARF DOME An armed GUARD, carrying an automatic weapon, watches the main entrance. His body appears to be normal. A cyclone fence surrounds the dome with razor wire strung along the top. Mac sees the sign near the entrance. BACK TO SCENE Mac pulls the weapon out and looks at the chamber mechanism. He cycles it back and forth until it locks into heavy stun. He sneaks up to the edge of the fenceline and throws a snow ball in the opposite direction. The guard walks into the direction. Mac sneaks up next to the guard post and hides behind it, using it as a shield. The guard returns to the post. Mac grabs him by the neck and slams his head into a wooden post. The post cracks. The guard falls to the ground. MAC Not what its cracked up to be, huh? Mac pulls the body into the guard house. He pulls the uniform off of the guard and puts it on over the suit. He reaches over to the entrance release button and disengages it. The door unlocks. Mac moves near the entrance and pokes a quick look into the dome. MAC'S POV - ARF DOME He sees many workers moving about near the bottom of the ship. Their bodies appear to be glowing. He pulls the visor off quickly. MAC Holy shit. Their fixing it? Mac cycles the chamber mechanism to kill mode. He pulls the visor back down. The visor malfunctions, it flickers on and off, light to dark until it finally fails entirely. MAC State-of-the-art...right! He rips the visor and hood back over his head and tucks it into the uniform. He takes a deep breath and proceeds into the dome. INT. ARF DOME - MEZZANINE The dome is dimly lit. Mac scales the mezzanine surrounding the perimeter of the dome. He hides behind nooks and crannies and tries to get a visual of his surroundings. He looks across the dome and sees Dorn's office overlooking the ship. Mac squats down low on the structure and skootches to the edge. He looks down on the ship, his mouth drops. MAC'S POV - UFO He witnesses the busy operation below. The SOUND of the noisy ice-breakers fills the dome. Ice carts carry out tons of ice at a time. MAC Christ. Mac looks in both directions and proceeds around the perimeter. He reaches a ladder well leading below. He looks around cautiously and proceeds below. INT. ARF DOME - GROUND LEVEL Mac hides behind one of the dome's structural pillars. TWO WORKERS walk by at very close range. He freezes. They pass without incident. Sweat rolls down his face. MAC This is nuts. He places the weapon into one of the uniform pockets and walks out into the aisle way. He walks around the ship perimeter, blending in as best he can. Ice carts wheel by him. He glances under the ship and notices the shoring beams holding the immense ship above the icy surface. A WORKER walks toward him. The worker looks at him suspiciously, Mac tilts his head down and moves on. The worker continues to stare as he passes. Mac picks up the pace until he gets to the entrance to the concrete tunnel. INT. UFO - BRIDGE Darrel speaks with the worker who glanced at Mac. Darrel shakes his head and EXITS. INT. UFO ENTRANCE Darrel stands at the ship's entrance and stares at Mac. INT. CONCRETE TUNNEL Mac looks around then proceeds down the tunnel. He stops at the end of the tunnel near the lab entrance. He rubs his hand over the immense door. He looks over at the keypad on the wall, then back down the tunnel. Suddenly, the double doors begin to open. Mac hides behind them. He can HEAR two people conversing. RYAN(O.S.) I'll get more sedatives. You go get another bottle of gas. BOGLE(O.S.) Roger that. They walk through, the doors begin to close. Mac waits for the men to clear then rushes in as the doors seal up. INT. LAB Mac walks around the lab. He looks over the monitors and console. He walks over to the Lexan wall and looks through. He stands there, staring at the remains lying on the table. He shakes his head. MAC These guys have no idea. He looks behind himself. On a tray table is a scalpel and a few syringes. He walks over and grabs the scalpel. On the wall to his right is a shelf with empty shell vials. He grabs one of the shell vials and pops the top. He walks over to the entrance of the room--puts his hand on the latch and withdraws. He pulls the weapon out and checks the chamber. He takes a deep breath and walks in. INT. LAB - TEST CHAMBER He looks at the twisted remains, nose wrinkled, keeping his distance. They are covered in slime and blood. One of the cadavers, the mutated rabbit, stares directly at him. He looks at the scalpel, approaches the rabbit mutation and slowly reaches for one of the distorted limbs. He lowers the scalpel, suddenly... The vaulted door SQUEAKS, the metallic SOUND of metal on metal fills the chamber. Mac looks up, he panics, jumps behind one of the tables and hides. Bogle walks in with the acetylene tank. He wheels it around next to the chamber entrance. He opens the chamber and walks inside. Bogle stops, he senses something--someone. Mac leaps up and pulls him down to the floor, smothering his mouth with one hand while pressing the scalpel against his neck. MAC Make a sound and I start carving. Bogle shakes his head frantically--yes. MAC Where's your buddy? He releases his hand from Bogle's mouth. BOGLE He'll be back any minute. MAC Get up. Come on! He pulls Bogle up to his feet, the knife still at his throat. MAC We're gonna play doctor. You ever play doctor, Mr....uh... BOGLE Bogle. MAC Okay, Mr. Bogle, I want you to place a tissue sample into this vial. Mac removes the weapon from its holder and points it at his head. He hands Bogle the scalpel and steps back. MAC Cut me a piece off the rabbit. Bogle stares at the scalpel. MAC Come on! Come on! Bogle, shaking, slices a piece off the rabbit limb and places it into the shell vial. MAC Set it on the floor...Now! Bogle drops the vial, it breaks open. Mac rolls his eyes. BOGLE Oh shit...sorry. Bogle bends over to pick it up as Ryan ENTERS the lab. Mac sees him and bolts out of the chamber. INT. LAB Mac pushes over carts and tables to get out. Ryan, near the console, hits an emergency switch. Mac pushes Ryan out of the way, he falls to the floor. Mac looks at the console. A red light flashes. MAC Shit! Mac runs out of the lab. INT. CONCRETE TUNNEL Mac hightails it down the long passageway. He keeps the weapon held tight in his grasp. He nears the end of the tunnel when, from his immediate right, two workers jump him. They fall to the deck. Mac stands and points the weapon at his attackers. The weapon fires, a bolt of energy smothers the attackers. At the same time, four others jump him, bringing him to the ground. They pound on him a few times to knock him out. One of the attackers inadvertently destroys the homing beacon on Mac's neck. INT. GOTHA'S SHIP - NIGHT Gotha, in a deep sleep, sits in the command chair with his hands behind his head. On the monitor above the console, the beacon disappears. Gotha continues to sleep. INT. DORN'S OFFICE Mac, tied to a chair in front of Dorn's desk, stares at Dorn. Dorn stands behind his desk, back toward Mac, looking out at the progress below him. Chase stands next to Dorn's entrance, silent but attentive. DORN So, Mr. Macready, you've returned to help us. MAC Fuck you, Dorn. You wanted me dead. DORN Such an important find, wouldn't you say? Mac bows his head, shakes it, and sighs. MAC It was only a matter of time. DORN Time? MAC That ship. That thing! It waited a hundred-thousand years--it would have waited a hundred-thousand more. DORN Where did you ever come up with that figure, Mr. MacReady? Dorn turns to Mac. He smiles. MAC One of our guys, Norris, he calculated the patterns in the ice. DORN He was wrong. Dorn walks around to the backside of MacReady. DORN That ship crashed only twelve years ago. Mac winces. DORN The ship crashed. The heat from its skin created a lake--a huge lake. MAC Is this your best guess? Dorn, lowers, gets in Mac's face. DORN A boiling lake. Dorn stands, packs a wad into his cheek and continues. DORN The alien occupant tried to escape--he ended up boiling himself to near death before the water froze around its body. Mac ponders. He doesn't look at all surprised. He MUMBLES to himself and almost gives away Gotha. MAC That would explain... DORN That would explain what? MAC Uh, the reason it was found so close to the ship. Dorn nods, walks over to the desk, picks up Mac's high- tech weapon and looks at it. DORN What do you make of this Mr. Chase? CHASE Looks like a pretty impressive weapon. DORN I can't remember ever seeing one like this--and I belong to the CI fucking-A! MAC We found this stuff in the alien ship right after we uncovered it. Dorn places the weapon back on the desk. He paces the room. He is silent. Mac keeps his head forward and follows with his eyes. DORN I think it's time to give our friend a tour, Mr. Chase. MAC Been there, seen that. DORN I can appreciate a good sense of humor. I hope you can, too. Dorn gestures to Chase to help Mac up. Chase runs over and unties him. He grabs Mac by the elbow and lifts. CHASE Tie his hands? Dorn shakes his head. DORN Where will he go? Mac tries to warn Dorn and Chase one last time, he resists Chase's hold. MAC You're making a big mistake! DORN Don't fight me. You can't possibly win. MAC Those things are taking over--I saw it in their eyes! Your agent force is not what it seems. Chase pushes him forward toward the door. DORN Please, come. I have so much to show you. INT. UFO - BRIDGE ENTRANCE Dorn stops. Chase grabs Mac by the arm and stops him as well. Mac pulls his arm away. DORN This is the command center...the brains and biceps of this magnificent ship. Mac stares blankly. Dorn invites Mac in with a wave of his hand. Mac walks through, eyeing Dorn until well inside. INT. UFO - BRIDGE Mac can't believe his eyes. The sheer sizes of the bridge takes his breath. He turns a full circle, slowly, gathering the mass in one sweep. The consoles in front of the command chair have agents in each seat. The front screens and command chair are lit up like Christmas trees. Agent Darrel walks up to the three men. DARREL Sir. DORN Agent Darrel, this is R.J. MacReady. One of this ship's founders...so to speak. Mac stares into Darrel's eyes. There is a familiarity, Mac steps away slowly. Darrel stares him down. DARREL The bridge is coming together fine, Mr. Dorn. I'll update you on our progress at another time. DORN Good work, Darrel. MacReady? Mac is still in awe. Dorn's voice breaks him of his trance. MAC Huh? DORN I have more to show you. INT. RESEARCH CENTER The research center is a laboratory-looking room filled with gas chromatograph and spectrometer equipment. AGENT THRESH sits behind a microscope and looks at a specimen. DORN Thresh is the best atmospheric scientist in the world. MAC You're CIA and you have to cover up like this? DORN We're a silent operation. We prefer to keep it that way. Mac looks at the various paperwork on the counter. He picks up one of the documents and reads it. MAC ARF research development update? These look pre- printed. DORN Very good. Chase and Dorn look at each other, they smirk. CHASE Want me to tell him? Agent Thresh turns in his stool and faces the group. DORN Fooled you, huh MacReady? I mean, did he look authentic? Mac looks confused. MAC I don't... DORN Oh he's a real scientist alright. But his real task here is to be...well, a mail man. He packs envelopes! Mac holds up a handful of documents. He looks at Thresh. MAC Your research, but not from here. Thresh nods. DORN That's our justification. And they ARE impressed with the data. MAC What data, Dorn? Don't you think it will be as obvious to the government as it was me? DORN We tell them what they want to hear. Only the data IS accurate. Dorn looks up to the ceiling. They all follow. DORN That layer up there they call the ozone--it doesn't suffer because of man. So many false stories...passed on by the media, extremists and the such. MAC It all ties to money, Dorn. DORN That's right! That is why the public must never know the truth. MAC You fuckers make me sick. Dorn, silent, walks to the EXIT. He turns around. DORN We have one more stop. Let's move. INT. UFO PERIMETER Dorn, Chase and Mac ride the Cushman around the perimeter of the ship. Dorn gives Mac a guided tour of the understructure as they pass by. DORN The shoring beams will keep the ship off the ice so repairs can be made. MAC You think you're just going to get on and fly this thing off the continent? Dorn smiles. DORN Hope to, yes. Mac can only manage a crooked sneer. INT. CONCRETE TUNNEL They motor down the tunnel, Mac eyes his surroundings. They all sit silently, the Cushman HUMS its electrical note. LAB ENTRANCE Dorn stops the Cushman, Mac remains calm. Dorn gets out of the Cushman and punches his code into the keypad. Chase pulls Mac out of the Cushman by his arm. Mac resists. MAC Don't fucking touch me. DORN Now, now, MacReady, no need to be hostile. MAC Tell your butt buddy to keep his hands off me. Dorn nods to Chase. Chase withdraws. Dorn punches the last number into the keypad. The massive door swings outward. DORN Step inside, Mr. MacReady. I think you know your way around this place. Mac walks in between Dorn and Chase. The lab is clean. All of the tray tables are in order. Mac stops near the console. Dorn continues forward near the Lexan sheeting, he turns. Ryan and Bogle prepare cadavers inside the Lexan room-- hooking up monitoring equipment, preparing the robotic arms. DORN This, of course, is my favorite department--the lab. MAC I'm sure. Dorn admires the entire room. DORN This is where all of the answers come from--right Mr. Ryan? Ryan waves. DORN Although we know many things about the research performed in this lab, we still have many unanswered questions. Mac, silent, observes. DORN You say in your tapes that this thing--as you so called it--replicated its host perfectly. We have yet to see a full mutation. MAC Bullshit! Look around you! Your so-called agent force is one big mutation. Dorn shakes his head. DORN Why you continue to attack the integrity of my operation escapes me. Dorn walks over to Mac. He grabs Mac's crotch and squeezes. Chase grabs Mac, preventing him from moving. DORN But one thing I do know is pain, Mr. MacReady. Pain is the trigger. Triggers you, don't it. Pisses you off pretty good, huh. Makes you want to jump out of your skin...doesn't it. Mac curls his upper lip, taking the pain, resisting a violent outburst. Ryan and Bogle stop their work and watch the action in the other room. Dorn releases the crotch clutch, Mac falls back, biting his lip, holding his groin. DORN Now that you've returned to help me, I do believe we have an opening in this department. MAC You sick son-of-a-bitch. Dorn snaps his fingers and waives Ryan and Bogle into the room. They grab an empty gurney table and wheel it into the lab. DORN I need more answers, MacReady. I need to know what happens to the host once it's taken over. MAC Why don't you ask Chase-- he's probably one of 'em. Dorn takes his chew can and opens the top. He takes the last little bit of snuff out of the can and stuffs it into his cheek. DORN Chase may be dumb as a bar of soap, but he is human. Dorn reaches down onto the console and punches a button. Two agents walk in with weapons. Mac makes an assessment of his situation, glancing around in all directions. Dorn nods, Chase and the two agents pick Mac up and place him on the gurney. Ryan and Bogle tie Mac's arms to the gurney with leather straps. Mac resists, kicking and fighting frantically. MAC Dorn! It won't work! It takes over the host completely! Dorn smiles. DORN I guess I'll be a firsthand witness then. Mac lies on the table, tied by his arms, wrists, legs and ankles. The three men back off. DORN Put him in the chamber. Bogle pauses. DORN Put him in the Chamber, moron! Mr. Ryan stay with me. Mac fights his restraints. Bogle grabs the gurney and pushes it to the chamber entrance. He turns and gives a pale glance back at Ryan. Bogle unlatches the door lock and pushes Mac inside. He wheels him to the opposite end of the room. The chamber door SLAMS behind him. He turns. Dorn stands at the door, smiling. BOGLE No! No! Let me out! DORN I need answers, Mr. Bogle. Consider this a promotion. Bogle runs over to the door and slams his fists against it. MAC Bogle, untie me. DORN Untie him and be a part of the lead taste test team. Bogle stops pounding. He sinks to the floor. MAC You are truly a madman, Dorn. DORN Not mad--DETERMINED! Dorn spits on the floor and snaps his fingers at Ryan. DORN Don your robot, Mr. Ryan! Ryan, reluctance painted on his face, moves slowly across the room and sits behind the robotic arms. One of the robotic hands holds a syringe. It is filled to the top with liquid. The other hand is empty. Ryan cycles one of the arms around the room. He stops the arm just above Mac's torso. He pauses there for a moment. MAC Don't do it Dorn! You're a dead man! Do you hear me! A dead man! DORN Proceed, Mr. Ryan. Ryan nods and slowly lowers the syringe down onto Mac's right arm. DORN I'm so pleased you decided to help, R.J. MacReady. Mac fights his restraint. Wiggling enough to make a tough target. RYAN He's moving too much! I'll break the needle off! DORN Then break them! MAC Yeah, break that fucker and see what happens! Ryan brings the needle down again. The tip touches Mac's skin. Suddenly, a heavy RUMBLE shakes the room. Everyone looks around, confused. The roof in the center of the lab implodes in one, big BLAST. The robotic arm recoils. Everyone ducks for cover. The two agents with the guns are crushed under the heavy concrete rubble. Dorn and chase escape the explosion and run back into the concrete tunnel away from the lab. Ryan manages to hide behind one of the shelves next to the wall. Bogle covers his head, Mac watches amazed. Gotha jumps through the hole in the ceiling, pouncing into a squat on the hard concrete floor. He stands tall. The snow dust and debris clear away from his body. Mac, recognizing him, calls out. MAC Well it's about fucking time! Bogle stands and backs up into the wall behind him, hugging it with fear. MAC Hey, kid. Untie me. BOGLE Huh? MAC Hurry up! Bogle quickly unstraps Mac from the gurney. Gotha walks over to the lab entrance and looks out into the tunnel. GOTHA'S POV - CONCRETE TUNNEL A swarm of agents rush to the lab. BACK TO SCENE Gotha runs into the lab and unlatches the chamber door. GOTHA They're coming. Mac turns to Bogle. MAC Thanks, kid. Bogle stays in the chamber as Gotha and Mac run into the lab. Gotha boosts Mac through the hole in the ceiling. Gotha follows. The agents rush into the room and find it destroyed. INT. ANTARCTIC SUB-TERRAIN Mac sees a small craft sitting in a cavity in the ice. GOTHA Run to the ship! Mac jumps inside the small two-man craft. Gotha takes a look behind and joins Mac in the other seat. He closes the gull wing door and launches the craft out of the icy burrow. Agents topside stand in front of the craft as it zooms out of the hole. One of the agents smashes against the windscreen. Agents begin pouring into the burrow from the hole in the lab. They are covered by a sheet of white ice spray. EXT. ARF PERIMETER - NIGHT Gotha's craft blasts out of the ice and hovers a few feet off the terrain. INT. GOTHA'S CRAFT Mac holds on to the front console with both hands. His face is fixed forward, his head slammed back from the g-forces. MAC Why didn't you tell me you had this? GOTHA You didn't ask. MAC I turned an outpost upside down to get a helo and you had this the whole time. GOTHA You couldn't fly this. Mac frowns. At the same time, a stream of bullets strafe by the side windscreen. Mac covers his head. GOTHA They won't penetrate. MAC I took your word about the suit, too. Gotha looks over his shoulder and turns the craft around. EXT. GOTHA'S CRAFT A helo approaches head on. Gotha moves the craft forward directly into its path. INT. CRAFT Mac looks at Gotha as if he's gone wacko. MAC What are you doing? GOTHA Kicking jackass. MAC Ass! It's kicking ASS! Mac covers his head again. EXT. CRAFT Gotha slams into the helo. It explodes violently, scattering pieces and parts all over the icy terrain. Gotha's ship is virtually unscathed. INT. CRAFT Mac slowly peers his head up from out of his arms and looks around the craft. MAC Are you on dope? Gotha turns the craft around and throttles up. INT. DORN'S OFFICE - NIGHT Dorn's office is packed with agents. Among them are Ryan, Bogle, Darrel, Chase and a few stragglers. He paces through the crowd, staring all of them down. He spits a wad of chew in his can and turns to the group. DORN Speak up--anyone! Mr. Ryan? RYAN I can't explain it either, sir. DORN Chase? Chase stands quiet. DORN Alright. Bogle, Ryan, get back to the lab and clean up what you can. Darrel resume your work inside the ship. The rest of you get back to work. The agents EXIT, silent and orderly. Dorn empties the stale snuff from his cheek into the empty canister. He packs another in return. He looks at Chase. DORN It was definitely alien. And MacReady is friends with it! CHASE Do you suppose it owns this ship below us? DORN Could be. One thing's for certain--we now know where MacReady got all that fancy hardware. Dorn turns and looks out over the UFO progress. DORN We've got to move. They'll be back. You can bet on that. CHASE What can we do? They know about us--the ship. DORN We place more agents around the dome for reinforcement. Then we help Ryan with his research. I still want controlled mutation. CHASE You want to fly her, don't you sir. DORN Want? Yes. And I will. Right up R.J. MacReady's ass. INT. ARF DOME - UFO PERIMETER Darrel, a suspicious look on his face, walks around the ship, disregarding coworkers. He walks swiftly, pushing people out of his way. He reaches the far end of the ship. He stands in front of the escape pod mechanism. He activates the interlock and opens up the hatch leading inside. INT. ESCAPE POD He sits in the chair, looking over all of the instruments. He plays with some of the switches and nothing happens. He hits his fists against the walls. EXT. UFO PERIMETER Darrel closes the hatch and walks around to the other side of the pod. He opens a small compartment and pulls out a repair kit. He removes a long, rod-like device and places it into a socket in the side of the pod. The device lights up. Darrel smiles. INT. HOLDING DOCK - GOTHA'S SHIP Mac pulls the tight suit off his body and throws it to the floor. He puts his clothing back on. MAC I was pissed before--now I'm REALLY pissed. GOTHA You were close to the sample. And you forgot it. MAC Yeah, well I would have remembered it but your timing sucked. Gotha grabs Mac by the armpits and holds him off the ground. GOTHA Your mission is over. Now I must start with your mistakes. MAC It was your equipment that fucked up! GOTHA Your kind is so hopeless. Gotha drops Mac to the floor. Mac rubs his arms. Gotha walks toward the EXIT hatch. INT. BRIDGE Gotha and Mac ENTER. Gotha punches a few buttons, busily, on his console and looks at the monitors. GOTHA Tell me what you saw. MAC The ship is being repaired. Most of Dorn's agents have been replicated. I don't know how far they are exactly. DORN They are far--I assure you. They will work even faster now. MAC Dorn was trying to inject me with the cells from one of the mutated cadavers. He thought he could control the mutation. GOTHA He thought wrong. Mac watches Gotha as they speak. He tries to make sense of Gotha's actions. MAC We both know that...hey, what are you doing? GOTHA Now it's my turn. Mac sees a locating pipper flash across the screen and lock near the dome's coordinates. Gotha takes a confident glance at Mac and then smacks a flashing button on his console. MAC You're gonna waste it. A countdown number appears in the corner of the screen. It starts at twenty and TICKS down. On the left part of the screen a pencil-shaped object flashes red. MAC What is that, some sort of rocket or something? The clock TICKS down. Seventeen, sixteen... GOTHA One hundred kiloton thermal projectile. Mac's eyes widen. He thinks for a moment. Twelve...eleven.... MAC Thermal? GOTHA Once the ice has melted, I can retrieve my prisoner. Seven...six... MAC No! Wait! Mac pushes Gotha out of the way and smacks the flashing light on the console. The clock on the monitor stops at two seconds. MAC You can't just melt a continent. GOTHA Yes, I can. The prisoner can't swim. MAC You can't melt the ice-- people will die! GOTHA So what. I am losing patience with you. Mac combs his hair over his head and turns to the command chair. He sits down in it. MAC Okay, look. There has got to be a way. We just have to think this out. Mac looks around the ship. Gotha watches, confused. GOTHA What is it? Mac stands. He approaches Gotha, staring him in the eyes. Looking very suspicious. MAC Got any liquor on board? EXT. ANTARCTIC LANDSCAPE - NEAR ARF DOME - EARLY MORNING It's overcast, a light snowy breeze kicks up. Two sets of footprints, one very large, the other normal in size, stagger and twist toward the ARF dome. ON THE TRAIL - Mac and Gotha, arms around one another, a bottle in each's hand, sloshed, lumber drunkenly toward the dome. Mac sings while Gotha bobs his head up and down. MAC ...ninety-nine bottles... TWO GUARDS, their sights locked on Mac and Gotha, stand ready at the dome's entrance. The guards get a good glimpse at Gotha's appearance and look over their sights, astonished. One of the guards pulls a walkie-talkie. GUARD ONE Their approaching...but... DORN(V.O) But what? GUARD ONE They look...well...drunk, sir. And they're singing. One of them doesn't look very human. DORN(V.O.) Any weapons? GUARD No, sir. They sure are blitzed though. DORN Don't let them out of your sights. I want them alive. The guard places the walkie-talkie in its holder and resumes his position. Mac and Gotha stagger up to the guard house. Mac acts blatantly obnoxious. GUARD ONE Freeze! They stop. They stare at the guard, then each other. Mac smiles ear to ear. The guards look a little frightened. MAC Freeze? Oh man, I've been through that before! Mac nudges Gotha, he laughs. MAC Where's your lousy boss? GUARD He's on his way. Make any sudden moves and I have orders to kill. MAC That's the problem with you people! Mac walks closer to the guard, as if to tell him a secret. The guard gestures with his gun. Mac stops. Mac whispers, a little drunken SLUR added in. MAC Let me tell you something about orders. There are two kinds of people, those who do the work and those who take the credit. Try to be in the first group once in a while, pal. GUARD Why's that? MAC There's less competition there! GUARD Back! The guard pushes Mac back with the nose of the rifle. Mac staggers back into Gotha's arms. AT THE DOME ENTRANCE The door opens, Dorn walks through with Chase and an entourage of armed men. ON MAC Mac signals Gotha to take action. MAC Now! Mac breaks his bottle over the guard's head. He pulls the rifle from his grasp. At the same time, Gotha throws his bottle at the other guard. The guard falls to the ice. They pull their weapons from their belts and start blasting at Dorn and his men. They pick off more than half instantly. Dorn withdraws, pulling his remaining men back inside the dome. GOTHA Plant the concussion charges around the perimeter! Mac pulls a string of pager-sized cartridges from his pocket. They are attached like a bandoleer. He breaks one off the end. MAC Push this button and toss it, right? GOTHA Set the timer on random. And keep one for emergencies. MAC Right. See ya' on the other side. Gotha nods and takes off around the perimeter. Mac runs the opposite way. INTERCUT - MAC AND GOTHA PLANTING CHARGES Mac tosses a charge at the base of the dome. It sinks into the snow. He tosses another about one-hundred feet from the last. Gotha tosses his in the same manner. The charge sinks into the snow. INSERT - CHARGE On the faceplate, the clock counts down. Fifteen minutes, fifty-nine seconds...eight...seven... BACK TO SCENE Mac and Gotha near the end of their runs. EXT. ARF DOME Mac finishes first. Gotha joins him a few moments later. MAC Got 'em? Gotha nods. GOTHA Now we head back and wait. They turn, as if to run, and are halted in their tracks. Dorn stands before a small army of men. They have weapons cocked and pointed straight at their heads. DORN If you gentlemen are looking for a way in, you'll have to follow us. Gotha tries to activate his armor. The mechanism fails. Only two plates on his ankles appear then disappear. A FIZZLE emanates from within his garb. Mac looks at him pointedly. MAC Well? Gotha shrugs his shoulders. MAC Fucking great! Doesn't anything you own work anymore! DORN Don't make this difficult by resisting. INT. ARF DOME Dorn escorts them through the dome, rifle barrels in their backs. The ship looks repaired and virtually spotless. No workers are present on or around the ship. DORN So, you just can't get enough of me, huh MacReady? Mac is silent. DORN And who is your friend? He doesn't look like he's from these parts. Gotha and Mac look at each other--morose. INT. LAB - ARF DOME Dorn, Chase and Darrel stand over Mac and Gotha. They are pinned to specimen tables with steel shackles. Two armed guards stand to the back of the room. Ryan prepares a solution in a hypo tube. He approaches the tables. MAC So this is your idea of an experiment, Dorn? DORN The experimenting is over. Ryan, leery, looks at dorn. Dorn nods his head. Mac and Gotha fight their restraints. Ryan tries to hold Mac's gyrating arm. RYAN Bogle, help me. Bogle pins Mac's arm to the table. Mac bites his lip, kicking. Gotha wiggles and squirms. Ryan punctures the skin, the needle sinks. Ryan empties the contents into Mac's veins. Mac MOANS. Dorn looks at Chase and smiles. DORN Very good, Mr. Ryan. Darrel begins convulsing. He staggers backward, knocking over tables and vials. He slams against the wall. His body begins mutating, shedding its native skin. It twists and contorts and changes into surreal shapes and protrusions. Two bodies begin to form from one. The others look on, amazed. The other being's skin begins to change colors, pigmentation. The face begins to show definition of another person's features. Mac's eyes widen. MAC I knew it. The mutation slows. Darrel's body, split in to two different bodies, lies limp on the floor. MAC Childs. Childs stands, smoke emanating from many points, and approaches the others, staggering. They withdraw slightly. Childs puts a hand up, as if to calm. DORN Your friend, I presume, Mr. MacReady? MAC I don't know. DORN Kill it. Childs continues to approach, looking Mac straight in the eyes, shaking his head no. MAC No! It IS Childs. Childs, barely able to catch his strength, falls to his knees, groping at Mac's table. The two guards, react, arming their rifles. Childs pulls himself up to the table. Mac, somewhat repulsed, waits for the next move. CHILDS ...Mac...Mac...it can be... MAC Can be what, Childs? Childs struggles, his breathing labored, his face sweaty. CHILDS ...can be...reversed. In the corner, Darrel's remains come to life. The body explodes into a fit of rage. At the same time, the charges begin to detonate. The dome shakes violently from the first explosion. Some debris falls from the ceiling. DORN Shoot it! Shoot it! The guards struggle with their weapons. Darrel's mutated body grabs Dorn by the head and wields him around the room. Childs works on Mac's hand restraints in his last few breaths. CHILDS You have to...stop it, Mac. Darrel tosses Dorn into the guards, knocking them down. Ryan Chase and Bogle run for their lives. Darrel disappears into the confusion and destruction. CHILDS There is...an escape...pod. Mac takes a free hand and quickly removes his feet restraints. He breaks free and works on Gotha's restraints. GOTHA Go ahead, I'll get a tissue sample and meet you outside. MAC If I'm not there in fifteen minutes, blow this fucking place. Childs falls to the floor. Mac picks him up and tries to speak to him. MAC Hey old buddy. Childs is barely coherent. He COUGHS and SPUTTERS. CHILDS Fight it...inside, Mac. Childs pats Mac on the chest. CHILDS Fight it...like...I...di... Childs falls limp. Mac sets him down onto the floor. Another detonation shakes the dome. MAC I'm out'ta here! Mac grabs one of the Guard's weapons and EXITS the lab. INT. CONCRETE TUNNEL Mac sprints down the long corridor toward the ship. FIVE AGENTS approach at full speed. Mac cycles the chamber and sprays a curtain of bullets at the agents. They fall to the deck. He continues, psyched. Mac stops at the pile of bodies. He pulls two clips from their weapons. Mac looks around cautiously. A bullet pierces his left hand, blood sprays. He scurries to the edge of the tunnel. Another bullet ricochets past his head. He sees a head pop out from the corner at the end of the tunnel. Mac sprays a burst at the agent. The agent falls. Blood pours from his hand. He rips some cloth from one of the agent's clothes. He wraps the cloth carefully around his hand, bearing the searing pain. INT. BRIDGE UFO Darrel sits in the command chair facing the main screen. Four agents sit at their consoles with their palms on the molded hand impressions. A series of mathematical figures appear on the screen. The agents turn to Darrel and wait. Darrel places his hand over a mold in the chair and nods. The whole bridge lights up like a Christmas tree. The bridge begins to HUM. EXT. UFO Steam vents activate. Billows of white exit various points of the ship. Another charge detonates, sending debris onto the top of the ship. INT. TUNNEL Mac makes it to his feet and walks toward the now active ship. He sees the steam and can hear the droning HUM of the ship. MAC Oh, no way. Mac picks up the pace, running as fast as he can toward the ship. He covers his head, debris falls around him. EXT. UFO Mac stops near the entrance to the UFO. An AGENT from the catwalk above takes a pot shot at him, just missing his feet. Mac dives under the gangplank leading into the ship and returns fire. The agent plunges to the deck below. Mac pulls the clip out of the gun. Only a few rounds remain. MAC Great. The HUM becomes more pronounced, more steam escapes from vents. Mac walks up the gangplank leading into the ship. He has a deathgrip on the stock of the gun. INT. UFO He moves cautiously through the metallic passageway, peering into every nook and cranny. Around him, dark blue lights fade in and out while lights at his feet glow red. Behind him, a LOUD metallic THUD indicates the sealing of the hatch. He jumps, turning as fast as he can. He runs back to the hatch and tries to pry it open with his hands. The hatch is sealed tight. He gives up. MAC Ah fuck it! He slings the gun back into his grasp and charges down the passageway. He stops near the entrance to the bridge. The passageway is now a large vestibule with smooth walls and the same glowing and fading lights. He scrutinizes the large doors and searches for a switch. The doors open behind him, he turns. An AGENT, on his way out, notices Mac. He lifts the gun, pointing it at Mac. Mac turns and fires the gun. The impact pushes the agent back into the bridge. The doors begin to close. Mac leaps between them before they seal tight. INT. BRIDGE The agents at the console stare at Mac as he pulls himself up from the floor. Darrel's regal posture at the command chair indicates no concern. Mac picks up the gun. MAC Show me your real face you motherfucker. Darrel nods his head downward. His body morphs into a ghastly creature. With a humanoid stance, it displays all of its internal parts on the outside visible through a transparent membrane. Darrel gives the signal to move. All of the agents get up from their chairs and move on Mac. Mac fires the gun, taking out three of them before it runs out of ammo. He picks up the dead agent's gun and fires it at the remaining agents. Darrel activates a series of switches on the console. His chair begins a slow ascent into the floor. Mac continues plugging agents full of lead. The last little bit of Darrel's chair passes through the floor. An iris hatch closes above it. Mac watches as the chair disappears. He becomes enraged, killing the last agent and emptying the gun into the giant screen above his head. The screen explodes inward, sending shards of glass and composites all over the bridge. Mac covers his head from the fiery shower of fragments. An AGENT grabs him from behind, like a bear hug. Mac bashes the agent in the face with his head. The agent falls back, Mac turns and smacks the agent in the face with the butt of the gun. The agent falls dead. Mac looks around at the carnage and destruction. He walks over to the floor where the console once existed. He taps on the iris hatch and receives a deep and solid NOTE. MAC Alright you bastard, how do I get you open. Mac looks back at the hole of where the screen once was. He runs over to the console just below the screen and peers up. He climbs up onto the console, pulling his weight with his one good hand. He manages a hold on the edge of the screen frame and struggles with the weight of his body. INT. PASSAGEWAY - BEHIND SCREEN VOID He pulls himself into the void, cutting his hand and forearm on remaining chunks of glass. He GASPS from the pain. A passageway leads left and right of the screen void. An EXPLOSION rocks the ship. The SOUND of debris pummeling the UFO ECHOS throughout the passageways. MAC Which way! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! He dashes off down the right passageway. A right hand corner reveals a ladder going up. At the top is a hatch. Mac climbs up the ladder and undogs the hatch leading outside. EXT. UFO - ROOF Debris from the dome smashes down on top of the UFO. Mac climbs through the hatch and staggers around the roof. EXT. UFO - ESCAPE POD Darrel cycles the hatch mechanism. The airlock releases. Darrel climbs inside the pod. Another charge goes off. This time a hole the size of a large house is blown out of the dome. Large chunks of dome debris fall around the ship. INSIDE THE POD Darrel pushes a series of buttons on the console. The console lights up. A light HUM begins to emanate from within the pod. The pod disconnects with the ship. Darrel lowers the pod. OUTSIDE THE POD The pod hovers to an open area and begins to ascend. INSIDE THE POD Darrel pushes a button and looks at the hatch. Nothing happens. He presses it again. Still nothing. He tries it a third time. EXT. UFO - ROOF Mac sees the top of the escape pod as it rises out from below the UFO. MAC Oh no you don't. Excited, he runs toward the edge of the ship at top speed. The pod reaches the edge of the UFO. The hatch remains stuck open. Mac uses all of his remaining strength to jump out at the pod at the same moment. He latches on to the hatch edge with both hands, barely hanging on. He withdraws his injured hand, SCREAMING from the pain. His good hand is barely able to hold his weight--it slips slowly. INTERCUT - DARREL AND MAC ON DARREL Darrel continues to play with the hatch switch. He sees Mac's hand hanging onto the edge of the pod. ON MAC Mac manages to pull himself just inside the pod. He glances at Darrel. They lock stares for a moment. EXT. POD - ARF DOME The pod slams into the top of the UFO. Snow begins to whirlwind through the hole in the dome. The blizzardy weather outside the dome migrates inside the broken dome. Mac's feet dangle from the hatch of the pod. The pod continues to ascend. Mac slips back a little. His situation looks hopeless. He reaches for his belt-line and pulls a last charge from his waist. He uses his thumb to set the charge. He sets it to five seconds. EXT. POD The pod is almost through the hole in the top of the dome. Mac's feet continue to dangle. ON MAC Mac steals a glance below. He waits for the pod to clear the roof of the dome. He pushes the arm button on the charge and tosses it into the pod. MAC Smoking or non-smoking! ON DARREL Darrel gets up from the console and tries to get to the charge. The pod tilts, throwing him off balance. EXT. POD - ARF DOME - BLIZZARD - DAY Mac lets go of the pod and falls to the roof edge of the dome. He slides down the snowy dome radius and catches a single steel cable before falling off. The pod flies away from the dome. Mac watches. The pod EXPLODES over the compound. Mac begins to slip. His hands are freezing. The cable is cutting into his skin--blood begins to pour. The snow whirls around him. Mac grips tighter, slips further. Charges continue to detonate around the dome. One of the BLASTS shakes Mac loose of his hold. He begins to slide down the side of the dome. He slides ten feet before his leg snags another cable. He hangs upside down, weak and cold. The cable loosens. He begins to freeze. His teeth chatter, he rubs his arms together. At the same time, a cable ladder falls next to his side. He looks up and sees a helo hovering above. Mac smiles. MAC Son of a bitch! He grabs the ladder. It tears away from his grasp. The storm whips the helo back and forth. Still the cable loosens. He tries a second time. He wraps his arm around one of the rungs and holds on for his life. The releases its grip. The ladder begins to ascend into the helo. At the edge of the helo is Gotha. He looks down at Mac while pulling the ladder up. The helo begins to move away from the dome. Mac hangs in mid air, Gotha reels him in. INT. HELO Gotha grabs Mac by the nape and pulls him aboard. MAC Let's get out of here! He leaves Mac on the floor of the helo and runs up to the cockpit to recover the helo. Mac tries to stand. He grabs a wool blanket from the medical supply shelf and walks up to the cockpit. He shivers, holding his bloody hand to his chest. GOTHA Can you fly this? MAC Shit, I was born with one of these strapped to my ass. Gotha gets up. Mac sits in his place. GOTHA Try to maintain stability. MAC Where are you going? GOTHA To clean my catch. Gotha walks to the rear of the helo. He pulls a tarpaulin off of a crate. He breaks the top open on the crate. Inside, twenty four bottles of nitro packed in straw. He pulls a second crate out followed by a third. He takes a charge from his belt and sets the timer. He stuffs the charge into the crate and shoves the whole stack out of the door of the helo. The crates fall into the dome. Gotha runs up to the cockpit. GOTHA Alright, put the pedal down. MAC Huh? GOTHA Go! Mac cycles the pitch control with his injured hand. He gnashes his teeth together. EXT. HELO The helo tilts, accelerating away from the dome. The dome explodes violently in a series of huge fireballs. The remaining walls shatter, collapsing inward. INT. HELO They clear the explosion. Mac eases back the throttle. He puts the helo in auto and gets up out of his seat. MAC Get this thing out of me right now! I know you know how. GOTHA I can't here. We have to return to the ship. MAC I don't think I'll make it. GOTHA Your friend was right. You must fight it inside. Mac sits back down in his seat, depressed. MAC Did you get the tissue sample? Gotha pulls a small vial out of his belt and holds it up. GOTHA Once we make it back, I can neutralize the organism. Mac ponders. He rises from his seat. MAC Kill me. Gotha looks at him, confused. MAC Go on! Kill me, goddammit! Mac becomes angry. GOTHA Relax. You have time. MAC Kill me now! I'm dead meat and you know it! Gotha forces him back down into his seat and straps him in. GOTHA I know how to... Mac tries to fight it. MAC You know jack! Don't bullshit me! GOTHA You're beginning to anger me. MAC Good! Maybe you'll kill m... Mac's chest heaves upward. A limb protrudes from his chest. Blood splatter sprays onto the helo windscreen. Mac SCREAMS... EXT. COMPOUND OF U.S. OUTPOST #31 - WINTER 1982 - NIGHT Mac jerks his head up from the nightmare. Around him, the storm has intensified. Only a small, smoldering fire remains of the compound. His face is covered with frost, his beard as hard as a rock. His breath is short and quick. He glances over at Childs. Childs is curled up, his knees to his chest, head down. Childs' parka is covered with a thin layer of frosty snow. Childs remains motionless. Mac slides a frost-bitten hand into his parka and pulls out a revolver. Shaking, he is barely able to hold the gun. Mac stares at the frozen barrel. He pulls the hammer back. Mac takes a deep breath. He exhales a stream of steamy breath. MAC We're not leaving here...alive. FADE OUT: The gun FIRES twice. THE END 105