Alien

RIPLEY

I can't. If you were in my position you'd do the same.

INT. PASSAGEWAY NEAR AIR LOCK

DALLAS (V.O.)

Ripley, do you hear me.

RIPLEY (V.O.)

I read you. The answer is negative.

Ash hits the emergency switch.

A red light goes on.

Servo whine. Followed by a solid metallic chunk.

ASH

Inner hatch open.

INT. BRIDGE – NIGHT

Ripley staring at the console. She can't believe what she sees. Turns to the viewscreens. Watches Dallas, Kane and Lambert enter.

INT. PASSAGEWAY NEAR AIR LOCK

The servo again turns over.

Another clunk.

The outer door has closed.

Red light off.

The inner door slides open.

Dallas and Lambert stagger into passageway. Carry Kane's body between them. Dallas pulls off his helmet.

DALLAS

Stay clear.

Ash and Parker move back.

ASH

God.

PARKER

Is it alive.

LAMBERT

I don't know, but don't touch it.

DALLAS

Take him to the infirmary.

BRETT

Right.

Ash and Brett move in carefully to help with the limp burden.

INT. INFIRMARY

Kane's helmet.

Hands begin to open it with a laser cutter. The helmet separates easily.

The two halves part...

... the life form slowly pulsing on Kane's face.

Dallas hesitates, then puts his hand on the small Creature. Tries to pull it free. Unsuccessful.

The Alien remains anchored to Kane's tissue.

ASH

Let me try.

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

DALLAS

You're tearing his face.

A trickle of blood appears on Kane's cheek.

BRETT

It's not going to come off without pulling his whole faceoff at the same time.

DALLAS

Let the machine work on him.

Ash presses a switch.

The machine lights up.

Kane is sucked into a slot on the wall.

Visible inside through the glass layer.

A blinding colored light performs antisepsis.

Two video monitors pop on.

ANGLE ON THE DOORWAY

Ripley appears.

Dallas turns and looks at her.

A long moment.

DALLAS

When I give an order, I expect it to be obeyed.

RIPLEY

Even if it's against the law.

DALLAS

That's right.

Lambert steps forward and slaps Ripley across the face.

Ripley slowly puts her hand to her cheek.

LAMBERT

You were going to leave us out there.

PARKER

Maybe she should have. Who the hell knows what that is.

BRETT

Right.

Ripley looks at Lambert.

A moment.

RIPLEY

Let's call it settled.

Lambert gives her a curt nod.

Ash turns attention to the instrumentation.

RIPLEY

Somebody fill me in.

DALLAS

He went into the structure alone, we lost radio contact. When we pulled him out, it was on his face...

ASH

Where did it come from...

DALLAS

Somewhere inside that ship.

PARKER

How the hell is he breathing.

They study the monitors.

ASH

Blood's throughly oxygenated.

DALLAS

How. His nose and mouth seem to be blocked.

ASH

We better look inside his head.

Ash punches three buttons.

An X-ray image appears.

A color depiction of Kane's head and upper torso.

The Alien is clearly visible.

A maze of complicated biology.

Kane's jaws are forced open.

The creature has extruded a long tube down his mouth and throat.

The appendage ending at the base of the esophagus.

BRETT 

It's got something down his goddamn throat.

ASH

That must be how it's getting oxygen to him.

RIPLEY

It doesn't make sense. It paralyzes him, puts him into a coma, then keeps him alive.

PARKER

Let's kill it. We can't leave the damn thing on him.

ASH

I don't know. At the moment the Creature is keeping him alive. If we remove it we might terminate Kane...

DALLAS

I don't think so. Let's take the chance and cut it off him.

ASH

You'll take the responsibility.

DALLAS

That's right.

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

DALLAS

Give me the knife.

Ripley takes a surgical laser blade from the case. Carefully passes it to Dallas. He manipulates the knife until he has a comfortable grip. Flicks a small button with his thumb.

The blade begins to hum.

Dallas advances on Kane's prostrate form. Touches the scalpel to the Creature.

The electronic blade slices effortlessly downward.

Suddenly a urine-like fluid begins to drip from the wound.

DALLAS

Starting to bleed.

The liquid flows onto the bedding next to Kane's head. Starts to hiss.

Smoke curls up from the stain.

Next the yellow fluid eats a hole through the bunk bed. Then drips onto the deck below.

Metal bubbling and sizzling.

More smoke rising, sending the crew into a coughing jag.

The crew jostle their way out of the cabin. Huddle in the passageway outside, still coughing.

Dallas frantically applies pressure to the wound. In the process, smoke of the fluid gets on Dallas's gloves.

They begin to smoke.

Dallas leaps back, pulls them off. Then runs out into the corridor.

INT. PASSAGEWAY OUTSIDE INFIRMARY

BRETT

Shit. It's going to eat through the decks and go out the hull...

He starts to run for the companionway.

INT. PASSAGEWAY – "B" DECK

Dallas wrenches an emergency lamp from a socket. Hurls himself down a companionway.

The others follow.

DALLAS

There.