Alien

INT. PASSAGEWAYS – "B" DECK

Ripley slams to a momentary halt against a bulkhead. Regains her balance. Starts running.

INT. PASSAGE NEAR AIR LOCK – "B" LEVEL

Parker now half conscious.

Ripley arrives as the hole in door blows open.

Escaping air shrieks.

Flashing sign comes on.

Critical depressurization.

Emergency klaxon.

Simultaneously vestibule doors close either end.

Sealing in Ripley and Parker.

Door nearest to Parker half-closed on one of the methane cylinders. Leaving large gap.

Windstorm begins as hole in air lock grows.

Ripley reaches for other cylinder. Begins smashing the jammed cylinder out of door.

Blood froths at their noses and ears.

Cylinder finally is driven out.

The door slams closed.

INT. BRIDGE

Lambert watches.

Emergency light readings.

"Hull Breached"

"Emergency Bulkheads Closed"

LAMBERT
Ash, get the oxygen. Meet me at the air lock.

Rushes out. Down corridor.

INT. PASSAGEWAY NEAR AIR LOCK – "B" LEVEL

Ripley staggers toward an emergency panel. At far end of corridor.

Pinging sound.

Misty atmosphere.

Tries to activate the door. Cannot.

Lambert appears other side of bulkhead. Activates door from outside.

Rush of oxygen.

EXT. NOSTROMO

Plume of vapor freezes in the vacuum.

INT. PASSAGE NEAR AIR LOCK – "B" LEVEL

Repressurization sounds.

Parker regains consciousness. Struggles to breathe.

Ripley unable to move. Breath coming in shallow pants.

Lambert with an oxygen tank.

Ash follows.

Oxygen administered to Ripley and Parker. Finally.

ASH

You all right?

PARKER

We didn't get it. The warning went off and it jumped back in the ship.

ASH

Who hit the warning?

RIPLEY

You tell me.

ASH

What does that mean.

RIPLEY

I guess the alarm went off by itself.

ASH

If you've got something to say it. I'm sick of these coy accusations.

RIPLEY

Nobody's accusing you.

ASH

The hell you're not.

Sullen silence.

RIPLEY

Go patch him up.

Ash and Parker leave.

Ripley turns to Lambert.

RIPLEY

How much oxygen have we lost. I want an exact reading.

LAMBERT

You were accusing him.

RIPLEY

If I could find the command computer key, I could prove it.

LAMBERT

You're still accusing him of stealing the key.

RIPLEY

You think I'm wrong.

LAMBERT

I don't know. Wrong or crazy.

RIPLEY

Thanks.

INT. BLISTER STAIRCASE

Ripley cautiously descends the stairs to the blister. Carrying a flamethrower.

INT. ASH'S BLISTER

Looks around the blister. Satisfies it's deserted. She puts down the flamethrower. Methodically begins to search for the key.

Faint tapping sound.

Then stops. She looks around. Sees nothing. Resumes searching near blister window... Ripley finds key...

Tapping sound.

She whips around to see: Kane's disfigured face slapping against the plexiglass. She stifles a scream. Drops the key onto the curved surface of the blister. Fishes for it...

Kane's bloated face swings in... beneath her.

She grabs the key and bolts up companionway.

INT. COMPUTER ANNEX

Ripley plugs the key into the board.

Data banks come to life.

She sits at a console. Thinks for a moment. Then punches up a code.

Nothing happens.

Punches another combination.

Nothing happens.

Frustration. Another combination.

One screen comes to life.

Another combination.

She moves to the second keyboard.

Screen One spells out the question:

Question: "WHO TURNED ON AIR LOCK 2 WARNING SYSTEM"
 

Response: "ASH"
 

Another code.

Question: "IS ASH PROTECTING THE ALIEN"
 

Response: "YES"
 

New code.

Question: "WHY"
 

Response: "SPECIAL ORDER 937 SCIENCE EYE'S ONLY"
 

She starts a new code.

A hand slmas down next to Ripley's arm. It sinks elbow deep into the computer.

She whips around in her chair. Faces Ash. Ripley lashes out with her foot. Kicks him in the middle. No effect. Ripley twists away.

Ash throws a punch at her. Misses.

She pushes a chair at him. Overturns the desk... and runs through bridge into mess.

He moves after her. Gets her.

Parker and Lambert burst into the Mess.

Lambert falls on Ash's back.

Ash turns to Lambert. Tosses her across the room.

Returns to Ripley. Again choking her.

Parker lifts the tracker. Steps behind Ash. Swings the tracker... Wallop. Tears his head off...

Wires ascending from Ash's trunk, where his head used to be.

Ash's hands release Ripley. Search above his neck for his missing head. He walks backward.

All eyes on Ash's headless body. He walks the room. Still feeling for his missing head.

PARKER

A robot, a God damn Droid.

Ash turns on him. Starts to advance.

Parker hits him again with the tracker... Again. Again. No avail.

Ash begins choking Parker.

Ripley picks up one of the prod sticks. Closes on Ash's back. Tears away the fabric.

Lambert pulls at Ash's legs.

Ripley tears at the controls buried in the cavity once covered by his head.

Parker's eyes bulge in pain.

Ash, headless, choking, choking, choking...

Ripley finds the wires, stabs the prod home...

Ash's grip lessens.

Another stab... electrical flash...

The grip lessens...

Another stab... flash of circuits.

The headless body collapses.

Parker trying to regain his breath.

PARKER

Damn you.

Kicks the headless body.

Lambert looks at Ripley.

LAMBERT

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

Pause.

RIPLEY

Let's find out. Wire him back up.

PARKER

What kind of crap is that.

RIPLEY

Do it.

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

RIPLEY

Ash let it on board. Ash let it grow inside Kane. Ash blew the warning signal.

LAMBERT

Why.

RIPLEY

Special Order 937.

PARKER

What's that?

RIPLEY

That's what I want to know.

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

RIPLEY

What is Special Order 937.

ASH

You know I can't tell you that.

RIPLEY

Then there's not point in talking to you. Pull the plug.

ASH

Special Order 937 in essence asked me to direct the ship to the planet, investigate a life form, possibly hostile and bring it back for observation. With discretion, of course.

RIPLEY

Why. Why not tell us.

ASH

Would you have gone?

PARKER

It wasn't in the contract.

ASH

My very point.

RIPLEY

They wanted to investigate the Alien. No matter what happened to us.