Alien

Scratching noises.

A reassuring cat yowl.

Brett moves on.

INT. PASSAGEWAY – "C" LEVEL

Ripley and Parker walk along.

Tracker signal weakens. Finally stops.

RIPLEY

Nothing here.

PARKER

Let's go back.

INT. UNDERCARRIAGE ROOM – "C" LEVEL

Brett enters. Still looking for Jones.

Another yowl followed by a hiss.

Two eyes shining in the dark.

Jones.

Relieved, Brett moves toward the cat.

BRETT

Here kitty... Come on Jones.

Brett reaches for Jones.

Jones hisses.

An arm reaches for Brett.

The Alien.

Now seven feet tall. Hanging from the undercarriage strut in reverse position. Grabs Brett and swings up into darkness.

Brett screams. To no avail...

In the doorway Ripley and Parker. They witness the horror.

INT. MESS

The remaining crew assemble.

Long faces.

LAMBERT 

Now what.

PARKER

Blast the rotten bastard with a laser and take our chances.

RIPLEY

No. At its present size it's holding enough acid to tear a hole in this ship as big as this room.

ASH

It wouldn't do any good. It's self-regenerating. You saw that when we operated on it.

RIPLEY 

The only plan that's going to work is the same one we had before. Drive it into an air lock and blow it out into space.

PARKER

Drive it... The son-of-a-bitch is huge.

LAMBERT

For once he has a point. How do we drive it.

RIPLEY

The science department should be able to help...

ASH

According to Mother, he's a primitive form of encephlepod...

LAMBERT

How come it's a he.

ASH

Just a phrase. As a matter of fact he's both, bisexual or hermaphrodite to be precise.

DALLAS

Skip its sex life. How do we kill it.

ASH

It seems to have adapted to an oxygen-rich atmosphere and it's certainly adapted well for its nutritional requirements. The only thing we don't know about is temperature.

RIPLEY

Curious isn't it... That the Alien is an encephlepod...

ASH

What's so curious about that.

RIPLEY

It's curious because lower species can't adapt as quickly as higher ones. And this one's doing very well. A real survivor. Might even have as good a chance as we do.

ASH

You're getting paranoid again.

RIPLEY

All right. What about the temperature. What happens if we change it.

ASH

Let's give it a try. Most animals retreat from fire.

Pause.

PARKER

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

Pause.

DALLAS

Anybody got any better ideas.

Nobody does.

DALLAS

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

EXT. OUTER SPACE

Nostromo at light plus four.

INT. PASSAGEWAY – "B" LEVEL

Parker and Dallas lead. Armed with flamethrowers. They descend from companionway.

Suddenly both tracking devices beep frantically.

Sound of rending metal up ahead.

The move forward cautiously.

DALLAS

It's in that food locker.

EXT. FOOD LOCKER NUMBER 12

More rending noises.

LAMBERT

Jesus. It must be huge.

PARKER

It's got to be using the airshafts to move around...

Dallas raises flamethrower.

DALLAS

Do these things really work.

PARKER

I made them didn't I.

RIPLEY

That's what worries me.

Dallas indicates door handle.

Parker reluctantly takes it.

DALLAS

Now.

Parker wrenches open door.

Dallas fires a long blast. Another. Another and another... Silence.

They move inside...

INT. FOOD STORAGE LOCKER NUMBER 12 – "B" LEVEL

Charred wreckage.

Packages have been ripped to shreds.

Foodstuffs scattered over the floor.

Carefully, they poke through the smoldering garbage.

RIPLEY

We didn't get him.

DALLAS

This is where he went.

On the wall, a ventilator grill has been ripped open.

They move to the shredded ventilator. Shine their lights inside the shaft.

DALLAS

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

LAMBERT

Yeah. All you have to do is crawl in the vent with it, find your way through the maze and hope it's afraid of fire.

DALLAS

Well Parker, you wanted an equal share...

PARKER

Yeah.

DALLAS

Get in the pipe.

PARKER

Why me.

DALLAS

I just wanted to see you get your full share.

PARKER

No way.

RIPLEY

I'll go.

DALLAS

Forget it. You take the air lock. Parker and Lambert cover the exit.

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

INT. STARBOARD AIR LOCK – VESTIBULE

Ripley stands in vestibule. Looks through the Bulkhead door to air lock. She throws a switch. Watches airshaft entrance into air lock open.

The trap is ready.

INT. MAINTENANCE LEVEL

Parker and Lambert get set.

INT. FOOD STORAGE LOCKER NUMBER 12 – "B" LEVEL

Ash hands Dallas the makeshift flamethrower. He fires a couple of short bursts.

DALLAS

It's still working.

ASH

Why do you have to go. Why didn't you sent Ripley.

DALLAS

It's my responsibility. I let Kane go into the craft. Now it's my turn.

ASH

You're the captain. It'll be harder on the rest of us, if we lose you.

DALLAS

Nothing I do that Ripley can't.

ASH

I don't agree.

DALLAS

The decision is final.

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

DALLAS

If I don't take it back, Ripley will need this.

Ash nods.

Dallas turns and climbs into the ventilator opening.

Just large enough to crawl through.

INT. AIR SHAFT

Completely dark.