Alien: Resurrection

RIPLEY

Yes.

JOHNER

So what did you do ?

RIPLEY

I died.

He lags behind a bit, thrown.

JOHNER

That wasn't really what I wanted to hear...

DiStephano points to a door.

DISTEPFANO

This way.

And Ripley leads them in.

CUT TO:

INT. LAB – CONTINUOUS

As Ripley enters, we can see that this lab has been trashed. Ripley surveys the wreckage calmly, keeps moving. As the others file in, their horrified expressions lend contrast to her lack of one.

Among the debris are three bodies, chests exploded outward.

JOHNER

Fuck me...

CHRISTIE

Let's keep moving.

The door to the next chamber is ajar. Christie and Vriess in, then St Just, then Ripley.

INT. NEXT CHAMBER

Something LEAPS at Ripley from out of the shadows – a metal bar SLAMS into her side, throwing her off balance.

St Just and Christie spin, weapons up, and almost shoot the figure cowering in the corner.

Everyone else rushes in as he swings the bar before him, eyes wild with terror.

PURVIS

Get away from me!

CHRISTIE

Drop the rod, man. Do it!

PURVIS.

Get away...

But the energy is out of him. The rod falls with a hollow clatter. He looks weakly from face to face.

PURVIS

What's going on?

St Just looks at his name, stitched in his coveralls.

ST JUST

Purvis. What's going on is that we're getting the fuck off this ghost ship.

PURVIS

What ship? Where am I? I was in cryo on the way to Xarem, work crew for the nickel refinery...

I wake up, I don't understand... I saw something... horrible...

CALL

Look, you come with us. It's dangerous here.

Ripley SNIFFS. Cocks her head.

RIPLEY

Leave him.

CALL

Fuck you. We're not leaving anyone on this boat.

RIPLEY

He's carrying...

JOHNER

He's what?

RIPLEY

He's got one... Inside him. I can smell it.

PURVIS

Inside me? What?

JOHNER

Shit, I don't want one of those things birthing anywhere near my ass.

VRIESS

It's a bad risk.

CALL

We can't just leave him.

VRIESS

I thought you came here to stop them from spreading.

CALL

(to Wren, torn)

Isn't there a process, can't you stop it?

ST JUST

We've got no time for that.

WREN

I couldn't do it here. The lab's torn apart.

ST JUST

(quietly)

I could do him. Painless, back of the head. Might be the best way.

CALL

There's gotta be another way. If we freeze him –

PURVIS

WHAT'S IN-FUCKING-SIDE ME?!?!?

They all look at him, a bit sheepishly.

WREN

A parasite. A foreign element that....

Ripley steps in front of the doctor.

RIPLEY

There's a monster in your stomach. They...

(indicating the smugglers)

... hijacked your cryotube and sold you to him...

(indicating Wren)

... and he put an alien in you. In a few hours it will punch its way through your chest and you'll die. Any questions?

Purvis is wide-eyed, stunned. After a moment he stammers

PURVIS

Who are you?

RIPLEY

I'm the monster's mother.

She starts heading out of the chamber. Call turns to the others.

CALL

He comes with us. We can freeze him on the Betty and get the doctor to remove it later.

WREN

All right.

JOHNER

Since when are you in fucking charge?

CALL

Since you were born without balls.

VRIESS

Ease off, people.

CHRISTIE

(to Purvis, herding him along)

Come with us. You might even live. Get twitchy on me and you will be shot.

They move out.

CUT TO:

INT. HALL – LATER

Still in the same general area, still looking around every corner. It's been too quiet too long, and the group senses that.

They move into...

INT. OBSERVATION ROOM TWO – CO NTINUOUS

It's in bad shape, so we might not recognize it as the chamber the queen was in.

WREN

She's gone.

ST JUST

Who?

WREN

The Queen.

JOHNER

Good.

He is looking into the room, the queen was kept in. A residue of slime is all that's left here.

Beyond the queen's chamber is another observation room. Wren indicates that they have to go through.

Suddenly a burner blast FIRES at them, just missing them as they duck.

They hear more blasts, not aimed at them, and screams.

SOLDIER (O.S.)

Pull back!  Pull back!

OTHER SOLDIER (O.S.)

It's on me!

Ripley looks up and can just see two aliens making short work of a group of soldiers.

Call instantly moves to attack, and Ripley grabs her, holds tight.

CALL

We've got to help them!

RIPLEY

Can't.

CALL

You bitch, let go of me!

She does, and Call rises.

The noise is gone. What she can see of the soldiers is parts.

She is shaking at the vision when an alien RISES in front on the soldiers. Call ducks back down, terrified.

Christie hisses at her.

CHRISTIE

You want to get yourself killed, then you run solo.

ST JUST

How many?

RIPLEY

At least two.

ST JUST

Think they heard us?

RIPLEY

Yep.

HILLARD

Fine by me...

JOHNER

Yeah, let em come.

CHRISTIE

Wren. Any other way around?

Wren shakes his head.

CHRISTIE

We can't just walk in there.

WREN

(thinking)

No. No, but they can.

CHRISTIE

Say again?

WREN

The cages all have failsafes. Liquid nitrogen. Get 'em to come to us and I can freeze em.

CHRISTIE

Excellent. Get ready.

Wren goes over to the failsafe button. The others look out at the aliens.

CHRISTIE

Okay...

(calls out)

Hey!

VRIESS

Hey, guys!

JOHNER

Here, kitty...

The aliens react, start for the cage. Four 'of them. They reach the edge of it and stop.

Look around, at each other...

But go nowhere.

DISTEPHMO

They're not coming.

JOHNER

Hey! Fresh meat here!

RIPLEY.

They know it's a trap.

RANE

Oh, bullshit!

CHRISTIE

What do we do?

JOHNER

Shoot the fucking things!

VRIESS

There's too many, and we don't have the angle.

RIPLEY

Bait.

CALL

What?

RIPLEY

Give em a reason to go in there. Throw somebody in.

HILLARD

Fuck you!

RIPLEY

DO we want to live? Give em her.

She indicates Call, who looks around, nervous at the lack of protest about this idea.

Ripley points at Rane.

RIPLEY

Or the skinny one, it doesn't matter. We can't resist the smell of meat.

CALL

We?

JOHNER

Fuck, I'm with her! Give 'em Annalee!

CHRISTIE

Now hold on.

DISTEPHMO

You people are insane.

JOHNER

Now you're not exactly in the club either, soldier.

People start pointing guns at each other.

RANE

Fuck you all, I'm not dying for you.

CALL

Stop this.

Ripley grabs her. Looks at the others.

RIPLEY

Come on! Do you want to live or not?

(to Call)

It won't hurt long.

CALL

(terrified)

Noo...

RIPLEY

(to Wren)

NOW!

Wren hits the button just as three aliens are bounding across the cage – they're almost to the posse, people screaming, scrambling, when the freezing gas hits, turning the beasts to statues.

The forth one sees this and flees, but St Just stands and put four bullets in it from forty yards. It slumps over.

Everyone is silent, stunned. Breathing hard.

VRIESS

(realizes)

Fear.

Ripley nods.

VRIESS

That's how they knew it was a trap. They couldn't smell the fear.

RIPLEY

(looking at Call)

So I gave them some.

JOHNER

(gleefully)

Son of a bitch!

He pops up and FIRES at the frozen aliens – they EXPLODE into fragments.

CUT TO:

EXT. AURIGA

Gliding through space, passing Jupiter's moons with dazzling speed.

CUT TO:

INT. HALL – LATER

Ripley and Call are on point. Ripley looks down the hall. Call is staring at her, and Ripley can feel the girls eyes on her back.

RIPLEY

(without looking around)

Did you think I was going to... feed you to them?

CALL

I think you still might.

Ripley smiles. She may be right.

RIPLEY

I want to live.

CALL

And you don't care about anything else.