Alien

The Nostromo now at light speed. Perceptible movement in the surrounding universe.

A corona effect emerges.

Stars approaching the Nostromo appear blue. Receding stars going to amber.

Redshift, made visible because of the craft's velocity.

INT. MESS

Parker, Brett, Dallas and Ripley around the table. Drinking coffee.

PARKER

The best thing to do is just to freeze him. Stop the goddam disease. He can get a doctor to look at him when we get back home.

BRETT

Right.

RIPLEY

Whenever he says anything you say 'right'. You know that, Brett.

BRETT

Right.

RIPLEY

What do you think, Parker. Your staff just follows you around and says 'right'. Like a regular parrot.

Parker turns to Brett.

PARKER

Yeah. Shape up. What are you, some kind of parrot.

BRETT

Right.

DALLAS

Knock it off... Kane will have to go into quarantine.

RIPLEY

Yeah. And so will we.

Lambert enters.

LAMBERT

How about a little something to lower your spirits.

DALLAS

Thrill me.

LAMBERT

According to my calculations... based on the time spent getting to and from the planet and the speed at which it's moving away from the other...

DALLAS

Give me the short version...

LAMBERT

It'll take us six weeks to get back on course.

DALLAS

How far to Earth.

LAMBERT

Ten months.

RIPLEY

Christ.

Beep.

DALLAS

Dallas.

ASH (V.O.)

Come and see Kane right away...

DALLAS

Any change in his condition.

ASH (V.O.)

It's simpler if you just come see him.

INT. CORRIDOR OUTSIDE INFIRMARY WINDOW

What they see is... Not what they expect.

Kane is sitting up in bed... wide awake.

They enter...

LAMBERT

Kane... Are you all right.

KANE

Mouth's dry... can I have some water.

Instantly, Ash brings him a plastic cup and water.

Kane gulps it down in a swallow.

KANE

More.

Ripley quickly fills a much bigger container. Hands it to Kane.

He greedily consumes the entire contents. Then sags back, panting, on the bunk.

DALLAS

How do you feel.

KANE

Terrible. What happened to me.

ASH

You don't remember.

KANE

Don't remember anything. I can barely remember my name.

PARKER

Do you hurt?

KANE

All over. Feel like somebody's been beating me with a stick for about six years.

(smiles)

God, I'm hungry.

RIPLEY

What's the last thing you can remember.

KANE

I don't know.

DALLAS

Do you remember what happened on the planet.

KANE

Just some horrible dream about smothering. Where are we?

RIPLEY

We're on our way home.

BRETT

Getting ready to go back into the freezers.

KANE

I'm starving. I want some food first.

PARKER

I'm pretty hungry myself.

DALLAS

One meal before bed.

INT. MESS

The entire crew is seated.

Hungrily swallowing huge portions of artificial food.

The cat eats from a dish on the table.

KANE

First thing I'm going to do when we get back is eat some decent food.

PARKER

I've had worse than this, but I've had better too, if you know what I mean.

LAMBERT

Christ, you're pounding down this stuff like there's no tomorrow.

Pause.

PARKER

I mean I like it.

KANE

No kidding.

PARKER

Yeah. It grows on you.

KANE

It should. You know what they make this stuff out of...

PARKER

I know what they make it out of. So what? It's food now. You're eating it.

Suddenly Kane grimaces.

RIPLEY

What's wrong.

Kane's voice strains.

LAMBERT

What's the matter.

KANE

I don't know... I'm getting cramps.

The others stare at him in alarm.

Suddenly he makes a loud groaning noise. Clutches the edge of the table with his hands. Knuckles whitening.

ASH

Breathe deeply.

Kane screams.

KANE

Oh God, it hurts so bad. It hurts. It hurts.

(stands up)

Ooooooh.

BRETT

What is it. What hurts.

Kane's face screws into a mask of agony. He falls back into his chair.

KANE

Ohmygooaaaahh.

A red stain.

Then a smear of blood blossoms on his chest.

The fabric of his shirt is ripped apart.

A small head the size of a man's fist pushes out.

The crew shouts in panic. Leap back from the table.

The cat spits, bolts away.

The tiny head lunges forward. Comes spurting out of Kane's chest trailing a thick body.

Splatters fluids and blood in its wake. Lands in the middle of the dishes and food. Wriggles away while the crew scatters. Then the Alien being disappears from sight.

Kane lies slumped in his chair. Very dead. A huge hole in his chest.

The dishes are scattered.

Food covered with blood.

LAMBERT

No, no, no, no, no.

BRETT

What was that. What the Christ was that.

PARKER

It was growing in him the whole time and he didn't even know it.

ASH

It used him for an incubator.

RIPLEY

That means we've got another one.

DALLAS

Yeah. And it's loose on the ship.

Slowly they gather around Kane's gutted corpse. Then they all look at one another. Then at Kane. Dead on the table.

INT. CORRIDOR – "A" DECK

Empty.

Parker and Brett descend companionway. They join Ash, Lambert, Ripley and Dallas.

DALLAS

Any signs.

LAMBERT

Nothing.

ASH

Nothing.

PARKER

Didn't see a goddamn thing.

BRETT

Didn't see anything.

RIPLEY

We can't go into hypersleep with that thing running loose. We'd be sitting ducks in the freezers. We have to kill it first.

LAMBERT

We can't kill it. If we do, it will spill its body acids right through the hull...

BRETT

Son-of-a-bitch.

RIPLEY

We have to catch it and eject it from the ship.

ASH

Our supplies are based on us spending a limited amount of time out of suspended animation. Strictly limited.

RIPLEY

First we have to find it.

DALLAS

No. First we've got something else to do.

He looks at Kane's body through mess doorway.

INT. AIR LOCK

Kane's body wrapped in a makeshift shroud.

INT. BRIDGE

The crew looking at Kane's body on view screens. Silent. Depressed.

DALLAS

Inner hatch sealed.

Ripley nods.

DALLAS

Anybody want to say anything.

Nothing to say.

He nods to Ripley. She presses a button.

INT. AIR LOCK

The outer hatch opens.

Yawning space outside.

Kane's body shoots out into eternity.

The hatch closes.

INT. MESS

The crew is assembled.

RIPLEY 

I've checked on the supplies. For about a week we can stay out of hypersleep.

BRETT

Then what.