Alien

A long moment.

It's hopeless.

RIPLEY

What can I do?

DALLAS

Kill me.

Ripley stares at him. Raises the flamethrower. Sprays a molten blast. Another blast.

The entire compartment bursts into flames.

Ripley turns and scrambles back up the ladderway.

INT. OILY CORRIDOR – "C" LEVEL

Ripley emerges from below. Grasps for breath. Regains control of herself.

EXT. OUTER SPACE

At light speed.

The Nostromo and refinery appear to hang motionless.

Star clusters rolling past in the infinite distance.

INT. ENGINE ROOM – CUBICLE

Ripley enters the power center. Stares at the massive light-plus engines. Approaches the main control board. Begins closing the switches, one by one.

A long moment.

Sirens begin to honk.

Mother speaks.

MOTHER'S VOICE (O.S.)

Attention. The cooling units for the light-plus engines are not functioning. Engines will over-load in four minutes, fifty seconds...

INT. OILY CORRIDOR – "C" LEVEL

Ripley running toward the "B" deck companionway.

INT. "B" LEVEL – CORRIDOR

Ripley starts toward Narcissus. Remembers Jones.

INT. "A" TO "B" LEVELS – COMPANIONWAY

Jones howling in his box.

Ripley reaches up and grabs him.

INT. "B" LEVEL – CORRIDOR LEADING TO AIR LOCK

Ripley carrying Jones, holding flamethrower.

Jones hisses. Fur rises.

Ripley stops, and stares down corridor toward Narcissus.

The Alien can be heard thrashing about the shuttle craft.

Ripley turns and bolts toward the engine room, leaving Jones on "B" level companionway.

INT. COMPANIONWAY TO OILY CORRIDOR – "E" LEVEL

Ripley bounds down the companionway. Her footsteps clanging metallically throughout the ship.

A final sprint towards the engine room.

MOTHER'S VOICE (O.S.)

Attention. Engines will overload in three minutes, twenty seconds.

INT. ENGINE ROOM – CUBICLE

The door crashes open, Ripley comes pounding in.

The chamber filled with smoke.

Engines whining dangerously.

Ripley breaks out in perspiration from the intense heat. She runs to the controls. Begins throwing the cooling unit switches back into place.

The sirens continue sounding.

MOTHER'S VOICE (O.S.)

Attention. Engines will overload in three minutes.

Ripley pushes a button and speaks into it.

RIPLEY

Mother, I've turned all the cooling units back on.

MOTHER'S VOICE (O.S.)

Too late for remedial action. The core has begun to melt. Engines will overload in two minutes, thirty-five seconds.

A moment.

Ripley turns and runs from the engine room.

INT. OILY CORRIDOR – COMPANIONWAY

Ripley runs back down the corridor. Up the companionway, exhausted, stumbling...

MOTHER'S VOICE (O.S.)

Attention. Engines will overload in two minutes.

INT. "B" LEVEL – COMPANIONWAY

She reaches companionway. Picks up Jones.

INT. "B" LEVEL – CORRIDOR LEADING TO NARCISSUS

Ripley staggers towards the air lock.

The Narcissus berthed beyond.

She drags Jones and raises the flamethrower. Turns to see if the Creature is behind her. Then advances down the passageway. Goaded on by the computer.

MOTHER'S VOICE (O.S.)

Attention. Engines will explode in ninety seconds.

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

INT. NARCISSUS

Ripley scans the narrow deck... empty.

INT. VESTIBULE

She turns and dashes back. Grabs the cat box. Runs back toward the shuttle.

MOTHER'S VOICE (O.S.)

Attention. The engines will explode in sixty seconds.

INT. NARCISSUS

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

EXT. NOSTROMO – OUTER SPACE

The retainer clips drop away.

A blast of ram jets.

The shuttle is launched from the mother ship.

INT. NARCISSUS

Ripley frantically straps herself in.

G-forces from the shuttles acceleration pulling against her.

EXT. SPACE

The Narcissus continues to power away from the mother ship.

The larger bulk of the Nostromo quietly receding.

All is strangely serene.

INT. NARCISSUS

Ripley finishes strapping herself in. Reaches and grabs the cat box, the cat yowling within. Ripley hugs the box to her chest. Hunches her head down over the container.

EXT. SPACE

The Nostromo drifts farther away from the shuttle-craft. Finally becomes a small point of light. Then it blows up. Transforms into expanding orange fireball.

Pieces of metal flying in all directions.

And then the refinery explodes.

200,000,000 tons of fuel blasting silently into the cosmos.

INT. NARCISSUS

The shockwave hits the shuttle craft. Jolting and rattling everything within.

Then all is quiet.

Ripley unhooks herself from her straps. Rises, and goes to the back of the escape craft. Stares out through the porthole. Face bathed in orange light.

EXT. SPACE

Piece of debris float past.

The boiling fireball fades into nothingness.

The Nostromo has ceased to exist.

INT. NARCISSUS

Ripley watching the final destiny of her ship and crew mates.