ALIENS Vs.PREDATOR

HIROKO's guns the bike away, speeding along the platform. The fire over by

the auto-shop rages out of control, a column of black-and-orange smoke rising

into the air.

A DARK FORM hurls itself at her from an overhead cable-support. Yet another

ALIEN. It lands awkwardly on the protruding front cowl of the hoverbike,

gaining balance in an instant.

HIROKO twists on her controls, trying to dislodge the creature by see-sawing

the bike side-to-side. The ALIEN's got a firm hold though, crawling hand-

over-hand towards her. HIROKO releases her grip on both throttles

simultaneously. Air-brakes cut in, and the bike SLAMS to a halt. The breath

WHOOSHES out of HIROKO as her chest impacts with the surrounding roll-bar.

The ALIEN is even less fortunate; momentum hurls it back onto the concrete.

HIROKO guns the engine again, and the leading-edge of the manta-shaped

machine's aerofoil catches the rising creature, neatly decapitating it.

EXT. RYUSHI STATION - CRANE BASE - NIGHT

The hoverbike GROWLS to a halt by the base of the crane. HIROKO dismounts

and draws her pistol. Takes in the sheer height of the ladder she's going to

have to scale. Thumbs her headset.

HIROKO

Okay, I make it to the crane. You...

INT. RYUSHI STATION - COMMAND CENTER

Everybody in admin registers astonishment as her voice comes over the

speakers.

HIROKO (CONT'D)

(O.S., on speakers)

...Can all uncross your fingers.

A WHOOP goes up. Various hands are SLAPPED.

PARSONS

We copy, boss. Nice going.

EXT. RYUSHI STATION - CRANE LADDER - NIGHT

HIROKO's climbing the ladder. She stops to catch her breath.

HIROKO

Yeah, well don't get too carried away;

we're only halfway home. Talk...

INT. RYUSHI STATION - COMMAND CENTER

HIROKO (CONT'D)

(O.S., on speakers)

...To you shortly. Noguchi out.

PARSONS clicks his fingers to DRISCOLL.

PARSONS

Driscoll; you're up.

DRISCOLL's moving even as PARSONS speaks.

DRISCOLL

I hear you...

EXT. RHUSHI STATION - CRANE CATWALK - NIGHT

HIROKO reaches the top and sprints along the catwalk towards the Control Cab.

She narrowly misses something metallic near the base of the handrail. If

she'd taken the time to stop and look, she would have seen BROKEN TUSK's

ruined wrist computer.

INT. RYUSHI STATION - COMMAND CENTER - LADDER WELL

DRISCOLL flips open an access flap on one wall of the ladder-well. Printed

on the inside is a set of instructions, with the following printed boldly in

red;

CAUTION! EXPLOSIVE BOLTS - READ

CAREFULLY!

He traces his finger along a line of text.

INT. RYUSHI STATION - CRANE CAB - NIGHT

HIROKO enters the cab at a run. She flips a row of switches, and the control

board comes to life.

HIROKO

Access panel...access panel...

She finds it. Gets her fingers in the groove and slides it out. Beneath is

a mini-disk drive with two buttons.

HIROKO (CONT'D)

Bingo.

She pulls the vinyl-wrapped packet from her catsuit pocket. Carefully

withdraws the disk and slides it home. Thumbs the first button, which glows

an emerald green.

The board's flatscreen monitor lights up immediately. HIROKO studies it for

a moment, then presses her headset link.

HIROKO (CONT'D)

Okay, we're in business.

INT. RYUSHI STATION - COMMAND CENTER

PARSONS

Right. Auto-shop, you all set?

INT. RYUSHI STATION - AUTO-SHOP - CRAWLER CAB

Everybody from Auto-shop is crammed into the two articulated vehicles.

GUTTIEREZ sits in the driver's seat of the first crawler. He glances out of

the side window. MATT gives him a 'thumbs-up' from the cab of the second

crawler.

GUTTIEREZ

(into headset)

Say the word, and you won't see out asses

for dust.

INT. RYUSHI STATION - CRANE CAB - NIGHT

HIROKO wipes a trickle of sweat from her forehead. She poises her finger

over the second drive-button.

HIROKO

Alright. Here we go...

INT. RYUSHI STATION - COMMAND CENTER

Everybody in admin looks tense.

HIROKO (CONT'D)

(O.S., on speakers)

Three...

INT. RYUSHI STATION - AUTO-SHOP - CRAWLER CAB

GUTTIEREZ leans forward.

HIROKO (CONT'D)

(O.S., on headset)

Two...

INT. RYUSHI STATION - CRANE CAB - NIGHT

HIROKO blinks as the sweat drains into her eyes.

HIROKO (CONT'D)

One...mark!

She stabs the drive switch.

EXT. RYUSHI STATION - CRANE - NIGHT

Smoothly maintained engineering comes to life. The enormous yellow crane

starts to move on it's track-rails.

INT. RYUSHI STATION - CRANE CAB - NIGHT

The control board monitor is suddenly awash with information and

schematics...

HIROKO

Okay, I'm out of here!

INT. RYUSHI STATION - COMMAND CENTER

PARSONS

Blow those suckers, Driscoll!

INT. RYUSHI STATION - COMMAND CENTER - LADDER WELL

DRISCOLL raises a black device shaped like a cylinder with a handgrip on the

end. Slots it into the mechanism beneath the flap and carefully turns it. A

tiny red LED comes on.

EXT. RYUSHI STATION - COMMAND CENTER MODULE

Complex mechanical assemblies attach the module to it's supporting pier-

platforms. There are a number of LOUD BANGS, similar to car engines

misfiring. Explosive bolts release the tethers.

INT. RYUSHI STATION - COMMAND CENTER - LADDER WELL

DRISCOLL reports into his headset.

DRISCOLL

Bolts blown!

EXT. RYUSHI STATION - CRANE CATWALK - NIGHT

HIROKO runs back across the catwalk. She might have missed the PREDATOR's

damaged computer before, but she doesn't this time. Her foot comes down on

it and she slips. The gun goes flying from her hand. HIROKO watches in

horror as it teeters on the catwalk's edge for a moment...

HIROKO

No!

...Then goes over. She drops to all fours and peers over the side. Luckily

it's only fallen about four feet onto a dirty ledge. She reaches out for

it...

INT. FIRST CRAWLER CAB

GUTTIEREZ pushes forward on the crawler's controls. The head-up display

projected on the cab windscreen changes from 'NEUTRAL' to 'DRIVE'.

EXT. RYUSHI STATION - PLATFORM FAR SIDE - NIGHT

The two crawlers TEAR OUT of the auto-shop's opening doors, headlights

blazing.

INT. FIRST CRAWLER CAB - NIGHT

GUTTIEREZ braces himself as they speed on a collision course towards the

ditched crawler they left outside auto-shop earlier.

GUTTIEREZ

Shit!

EXT. RYUSHI STATION - PLATFORM FAR SIDE - NIGHT

KER-SMASM! GUTTIEREZ' crawler rams the other vehicle off the roadway and

through the platform safety barrier. It balances precariously for a second,

until finally it's weight sends it plunging into the swamp in a CACOPHONY of

STRESSED METAL and CRUMBLING CONCRETE.

INT. SECOND CRAWLER CAB - NIGHT

MATT

Yee-haa! Demolition derby, baby!

EXT. RYUSHI STATION - ROOFTOP LEVEL - NIGHT

Holding the cracked mask to his face, BROKEN TUSK looks up at the gigantic

crane moving against the night sky.

PREDATOR VISION. Although the helmet's nightsight is malfunctioning, it's

still good enough to register the 'hot' infra-red shape of HIROKO on the

catwalk.

The sound of the two crawlers hurtling across the platform gets BROKEN TUSK's

attention.

EXT. RYUSHI STATION - CRANE CATWALK - NIGHT

HIROKO gets a firm grasp on one of the railing rungs, anchoring herself.

Stretches for the pistol with renewed determination. She brushes the barrel.

Not good enough. Tries again. Success! Her fingers curl around the weapon,

and she tugs it upwards.

EXT. RYUSHI STATION - PLATFORM - NIGHT

The two crawlers plunge into the curtain of flames spreading across the

platform.

INT. FIRST CRAWLER CAB - NIGHT

DE VRIES YELLS at GUTTIEREZ over the ROAR of the flames.

DE VRIES

Hotter 'n hell out there!

EXT. RYUSHI STATION - CRANE BASE - NIGHT

HIROKO leaps the last few rungs from the moving crane onto the platform. She

dashes towards the hoverbike, some thirty feet away. With no time to loose,

she slides her boots into the foot-supports, which automatically WHIRR

closed. Gropes for the ignition key...

Before she's even located it, the hoverbike moves. SCRAPING across the

concrete. ALIEN claws appear around the edge of one of the bike's manta

wings. She's parked the bike over a drainage exit!

HIROKO SPINS the key and guns the engine. The white-hot downblast from the

turbine exhaust SPLASHES across the SCREECHING ALIENS. The vehicle tilts and

KICKS forward.

EXT. RYUSHI STATION - PLATFORM - NIGHT

The two crawlers emerge from the conflagration, scorched and trailing fire.

In the BACKGROUND, the crane-hoist centers over the admin module.

CATWALK P.O.V., looking straight down. Four lasers scan quickly around the

module's edges.

INT. RYUSHI STATION - CRANE CAB - NIGHT

A blinking message on the crane's monitor screen:

POSITIVE MATCH. COMMENCE LIFTING

OPERATION.

EXT. RYUSHI STATION - PLATFORM FAR SIDE - NIGHT

The sound of SHREDDING METAL makes HIROKO look down. An ALIEN is hanging on

the underside of the bike! She twists the throttle, reducing acceleration

and causing the vehicle to drop several inches. Sparks shower the ground

from where the creature makes contact with the roadway. The ALIEN's

determination is astounding. It's tail SLAMS up through the alloy 'wing',

anchoring it.

The biomechanoid starts to pulls itself up, shifting the bike's center of

gravity. She fights the controls, but finds herself swerving. One-handed,

she takes aim. BLAM! BLAM! She misses the ALIEN, rupturing a fuel pipe

instead.

EXT. RYUSHI STATION - PLATFORM - NIGHT

The crane's clamping mechanism closes around the admin module, locking into

place.

INT. RYUSHI STATION - COMMAND CENTER

CLANG! Everybody reacts as the SOUND penetrates through the walls and ECHOES

around admin.

PARSONS

Okay, people. Hold on tight...

EXT. RYUSHI STATION - PLATFORM - NIGHT