Alien³

He holds the red knapsack as she slips into the straps.

NEWT

Hicks...

HICKS

Yeah?

She look at him: ghost of a grin. She gives him the thumbs-up sign.

NEWT

Affirmative.

He returns the sign
 

HICKS

Affirmative.

She turns and makes her way up the narrow boarding corridor. It's long, tapers to nothing. Tiny figure, receding, bright dot of the knapsack. She turns, waves. He waves back. She's gone.

EXT. ANCHORPOINT

Sulaco pulls away, begins to accelerate, dwindles against the stars.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. RODINA – CONFERENCE CHAMBER

Cigarette-smoke drifts above a long narrow table in a narrow space. A half-dozen ranking TECHNOCRATS are jammed along wither side in folding chairs, with Colonel-Doctor Suslov at the head.

BRAUN

(Rodina's chief of R&D)

Obviously, Colonel Doctor, the purpose of their mission was to obtain specimens of this lifeform. The android dissected a single specimen. One of the pre-larval forms – like the thing that killed Lenko.

AN OFFICER

And you believe that these creature are of potential military importance?

BRAUN

Yes, provided it's possible to clone the alien spores recovered from the android's skin and clothing...

SUSLOV

With the goal of programming these "machines" for use as weapons?

BRAUN

The adult form, Colonel-Doctor, is evidently a killing-machine of great strength, extraordinary sophistication. No evidence of intelligence. Purely instinctual.

INTELLIGENCE OFFICER

Our sources in the corporationist infrastructure are aware of the existence of a special project with Weyland-Yutani's Weapons Division. We have been unable to penetrate their security...

SUSLOV

The Intelligence Officer suggests that this special project concerns the alien?

DIPLOMATIC OFFICER

I remind you, Colonel-Doctor, that we experiment with the alien genetic material only if we are prepared to violate primary biological warfare limitations in the Strategic Arms Reduction treaty...

BRAUN

An I reminds the Diplomatic Officer that the Weyland Yutani corporation is obviously prepared to do so – that they may already be doing so... As ever, our level of technology lags slightly behind that of the capitalist cartels... But now, by chance –

MILITARY OFFICER

By chance? You refer to the proven bravery and constant initiative of our People's Commando Division –

BRAUN

(smoothly, a seasoned political infighter covering his bases)

Not at all, Major. Their courage is unquestioned. Nonetheless, consider: we are in possession of a potential weapon – a whole new technology, if you will – which Weyland Yutani clearly intends to develop. We are in, as they might put it, on the ground floor. But only if we choose to be, if we choose to hold our advantage.

SUSLOV

I agree. We have no choice but to proceed.

DIPLOMATIC OFFICER

Then I go on record as strongly advising that the android be returned to Anchorpoint. Are our technicians capable of repairing the thing?

BRAUN

Repairing it? Why?

DIPLOMATIC OFFICER

You lack a sense of the importance of gesture, Braun. Let us avoid their customary accusations of barbarism... And buy ourselves time...

SUSLOV

Our technicians will repair the thing. Return it to them... And we will proceed. We will clone the alien...

INT. ANCHORPOINT – TISSUE CULTURE LAB

TRENT, head of BioLab, Rosetti, and Fox wait, seated, as Tully wheels a Holographic Display Module into position. The lights dim. A faint, ghostly cube shimmers in front of the three men.

TRENT

Initially this was merely routine, you understand. We attempted to determine its compatibility with terrestrial DNA.

FOX

What kind of DNA exactly, Doctor?

TRENT

Human, of course.

Something shivers and shakes and takes form in the cube of light: a double helix threaded with green and red beads of light.

TRENT

(continuing)

Watch closely, please.

The alien genetic material looks like a cubist's vision of an art deco staircase, its asymmetrical segments glowing Day-glo green and purple.

ROSETTI

That's a biological structure? More like part of a machine...

The alien form makes contact with the human DNA. The transformation is shockingly swift, but its stages can still be followed: the thing seems to pull itself into and through the coils, and for an instant the two are meshed, locked, and then the final stage. A new shape glows, a hybrid; the green and red beads have been altered beyond recognition.

FOX

Like a high-speed viral takeover...! What's the real-time duration on this, Trent?

TULLY

(from the shadows beyond the glowing cube)

That was it. What you see is what you get. That's how fast it is...

INT. ANCHORPOINT – MACHINE SHOP

Hicks enters the cavernous shop, dodging out of the way of an emerging power-loader. The place is an oily forest of steel; machines of various kinds await repair. WALKER is at a workbench, a big man in a grease-stained vest.

HICKS

Hicks. Temporary duty assignment.

Walker works the joystick on a handheld remote control unit. An unmanned power-loader comes to life and lumbers toward the bench. He brings it to a halt expertly, exactly where he wants it, with few casual twiddles of the stick.

WALKER

Walker. Know how to blow out the hydraulic lines on a force-feedback system?

HICKS

No.

WALKER

Never too late to learn.

He offers Hicks a cigarette, lights it for him with a micro-torch from the bench.

WALKER

(continuing)

You off the mystery ship, Hicks?

HICKS

Sulaco? What's the mystery?

WALKER

(lighting his own cigarette)

Popular question. Whole thing's triple-classified now and word's getting around that two of the deck party never came back.

HICKS

(shrugs)

I was iced.

WALKER

Sure...

HICKS

You ready to show me his feedback system?

WALKER

(eyes Hicks narrowly)

Anytime.

INT. OPS ROOM

PAN along Jackson's multi-screen array in Operations, video images of various Anchorpoint locales: space-suited figure and robot welders making routine hull repairs.

HIGH ANGLE – THE MALL

A buzzer SOUNDS. Screen directly in front of Jackson displays:

"INCOMING TRANSMISSION

SOURCE: U.P.P. RODINA

DIPLOMATIC INCRYPT>>>

>>>DIPL CORPS SHUMAN"

Jackson bobs her head, moving the cursor-cap to various "windows" on the screen.

JACKSON

(speaking into headset mike)

Somebody find me Shuman – tell his we got incoming Rodina coded standard diplomatic. His opposite number must've decided it's time for the weekly bullshit session...

INT. ANTI-BUGGING BUBBLE

Shuman is seated alone at the round table. A miniature video camera is set up on the table. Opposite him is a large wall screen displaying an image of the U.P.P. Diplomatic Officer, also alone, seated at the far end of the narrow table in the Rodina conference room.

SHUMAN

Androids, by law, are afforded the status of persons. Citizens.

DIPLOMATIC OFFICER

Under your system, yes. We prefer to afford them the status of machines.

SHUMAN

You're holding one of our citizens captive.

DIPLOMATIC OFFICER

The "citizen" in question, the synthetic, Bishop, has been held in regard to a treaty violation involving an armed vessel.

SHUMAN

Sulaco was homing on Anchorpoint. The so-called violation was the result of a malfunction.

DIPLOMATIC OFFICER

The matter is under investigation.

SHUMAN

I repeat: you are holding one of our citizens.

DIPLOMATIC OFFICER

The incident is also being investigated with regards to an apparent violations of the Strategic Arms Reductions treaty.

SHUMAN

Sulaco's weapons-systems fall entirely within the prescribed –

DIPLOMATIC OFFICER

I refer to those sections of the treaty concerned with biological warfare.

Beat. The U.P.P. Diplomat has just scored, but Shuman maintains his poise.

SHUMAN

The allegation is false.

DIPLOMATIC OFFICER

We make no official allegations at this time. The matter remains under investigation. Bishop, however, is of no further use in the inquiry.

We are returning him to you.

EXT. ANCHORPOINT – SHUTTLE BAY – A U.P.P. SHUTTLE

Docking. They bay closes behind it. (V.O.: STATIC, VOICES of Anchorpoint docking crew.)

INT. SHUTTLE BAY

Shuman and two Marines enter the bay. They wear biohazard envelopes, masks. The shuttle's hatch opens and the Vietnamese Commando steps out. Bishop emerges. He looks at the Commando, then at Shuman and the Marines waiting at the bottom of the gangway. The Commando gestures: go.

SHUMAN

You're under quarantine orders, Bishop.

(to the Marines)

Escort him to MedLab.

INT. THE MALL

Hicks has just come off shift; the Mall's bar catches his eye. The facade says it all: ye olde pre-packaged genuine simulated wood-grain generic tavern and the only joint in town.

One wall is a screen showing a stale rerun of a Brazilian soccer match. Some of the customers play hologram game-consoles. Tully is seated at the bar. Hicks takes a stool beside him.

HICKS

Beer.

He fishes his dog tags out and detaches one, passes it to the bartender; the bartender inserts it in a terminal, rings up the beer, hands it back.

TULLY

You're Hicks. Sulaco...

Tully, in his trademark jacket, is obviously drunk.

HICKS

Who're you?

TULLY

Tully. Tech Five. Tissue lab. D-fucking-NA. Jesus... Sulaco... Lucky.

HICKS

Lucky? Who? You lucky, man?

TULLY

You. You're one lucky sonofabitch, Hicks.

Knocks back his drink.

HICKS

How's that?

TULLY

All that way. All the way back here with those... Those fucking things, man...

Tully has just gotten his sudden, undivided attention.

HICKS

Things? What things?

TULLY

Shit... We had to sign. All of us. Lose our fucking shares we tell anybody, right?

HICKS

(his whole body tense)

They were on the ship...

TULLY

Yeah. Jesus. I saw 'em...

Reaches for his glass, but it's empty.

HICKS

Where? How many? When?

TULLY

(suddenly remembering his shares)

Look, I...

(cuts a glance around the bar)

Bad place to talk... I gotta go now, leave...

HICKS

(grabbing Tully before he can slide off the stool)

You aren't going anywhere, buddy.

Tully, sudden energy, not so much at Hicks as at his whole situation:

TULLY

I didn't come out here to work on shit like that. Came out here to help design ecosystems, not build designer for the next year... You want an earful? You got it. Shift after next, place called DP-54, Level 7 map. Can't talk here...

He twists out of Hick's grip and into the crowd.

Hicks sits at the bar, staring at his untouched beer.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. THE BUBBLE

Rosetti, Trent, Fox, and Welles.

WELLES

And Bishop has agreed to undergo complete physical and chemical analysis?

ROSETTI

He requested it himself.

FOX

Results?

TRENT

No irregularities so far. No trace of the alien cellular material...

WELLES

Tampering, then? Reprogramming? Any new circuits in our Mr. Bishop? Any little surprises courtesy of the U.P.P.?

TRENT

No. Nothing.

FOX

And his data on the Aliens? All there? Intact?

TRENT

Yes, it seems to be. But if his memory's been tampered with, we'd have no way of knowing. Neither would he...

WELLES

In any case, we have to assume that the U.P.P. accessed Bishop's memory. That they have the data. They may also have specimens of the alien genetic material...

ROSETTI

In other words, you want to get on with your brief, don't you? You want Trent to clone the cultures. And you didn't want Shuman at this meeting.

FOX

This isn't a question of diplomacy, Colonel Rosetti.

ROSETTI

Isn't it? A violation of the S.A.R. treaty?

FOX

Has anyone mentioned military applications, Colonel? Trent?

TRENT

(smiles)

No. I think a very nice case can be made for applied exobiology. We do have a standing order to study alien life-forms when we encounter them. Preliminary analysis of the material from Sulaco reveals a remarkable adaptive capacity. The potential for cancer research alone...

WELLES

Imagine, Colonel: if it can be programmed to only kill cancer cells...

ROSETTI

And what exactly is it you propose to do, Trent?

FOX

(before Trent can answer)

We'll nourish the cells is stasis tubes, under constant observation. We'll terminate them before they become embryos...

ROSETTI

I see. Cancer research. And our motives are exclusively humanitarian. Is that it?

WELLES

Colonel, when Shuman gets his reply from Earth, priority will go to military development of the Alien. We know that because we know where our orders came from. The decision has already been made.

FOX

And potential U.P.P. research in the same direction only adds to the urgency, Colonel.

ROSETTI

The decision rests with me.

WELLES

Perhaps you misunderstood, Rosetti. The decision has been made.

FOX

They won't just break you, Colonel, they'll see to it that it's as though your career never happened. They're top people. That can do that. And you know it.

Rosetti, with a long, cold look for both of them; he got the message:

ROSETTI

Shuman, of course, will have to be informed.