The Fifth Element

The Priest nods and lowers his eyes.

ANGLE ON

Billy staggering forward, raising his pistol, blinking his eyes to focus...

A MONDOSHAWAN puts the fourth element in the case The Kommander shuts the case and looks at the Priest.

KOMMANDER
When EVIL returns so shall we.

PRIEST

(head lowered)

We will be ready, Lord.

Billy suddenly staggers into the room, brandishing his gun.

BILLY

Stop.

Billy trips, the gun goes off. He empties the clip. The Mondoshawan carrying the case crumples to the ground. The wall immediately begins to close. Billy fires wildly, unable to control the powerful kicking gun.

PRIEST

No!!! Don't!!!

The Priest rushes Billy. The weapon has such a kick to it that Billy starts shooting into the air, backs up, then stumbles and knocks himself out. The Priest is on the ground, seriously wounded. So is the Kommander. The WARRIORS are in a panic.

CLERK

Hurry, Kommander! The wall's closing!!!

The wall continues to close. Sand pours in from everywhere. The vast room fills up like an hourglass.

KOMMANDER

A mission is a mission, Savoia. You'll learn that.

The Kommander picks up the case and reaches the wall but can't get through it. His

armor is too bulky, the opening too small. He manages to get his arm and the case through.

KOMMANDER
My apologies to General Kroi – and my wife...

The wall closes, crushing his arm. The CLERK scoops up the case and runs through the huge piles of sand.

EXT. COLONNADE – DAY

The CLERK boards the ship carrying the case. Omar hides in a corner, frightened to death, hugging Billy's bag of drawings.

INT. TEMPLE ROOM – DAY
 

The room fills with sand. The Priest's body is soon buried.

EXT. DESERT – DAY

The huge ship's main hatch closes.

EXT. TEMPLE – DAY

The ship lifts off and speeds away. Omar emerges from the temple gaping at the ship as it vanishes in the sky.

EXT. PYRAMIDS

A gigantic shooting star flashes above the pyramids.

EXT. EARTH ORBIT

The ship passes in front of us and heads for the stars disappearing at unbelievable speed. The background is a star-spattered cosmos.

WRITTEN: "500 YEARS LATER"

Another, more modern, spaceship, fills the screen. A warship belonging to the Federal Army.

INT. SPACESHIP CONTROL ROOM

CLOSEUP of a digital control screen. Three planets projecting three straight lines that crisscross at one point. Identical to the one observed by the professor on the temple wall. GENERAL STAEDERT looks out through the ship's window at one of the three huge planets in eclipse.

STAEDERT

Don't you have anything? Not even a temperature?

CAPTAIN

The thermo-analyzers have jammed. One of them reads over a million degrees, the other's at minus 5000... Never seen anything like it.

TECHNICIAN

It's taking shape.

EXT. SPACE

In the middle of the shadows, a door to the nightmare has just opened. Evil is back. A round, moving mass, continually changing color.

CAPTAIN

(in awe)

What the hell can it be?

TECHNICIAN

Hook-up with the president in one minute, General.

General Staedert remains calm.

STAEDERT

... Send out a probe.

INT. PRESIDENT'S OFFICE MANHATTAN

LINDBERG, 50, the president of the United Federations, his features lined and worn by various delegations, mainly military, enters his office. There's a crisis in the air. The President's AIDE leans down to his ear.

AIDE

On air in 30 seconds.

In the middle of the group is a Priest whose appearance reminds us of Egypt. A younger man DAVID, 18, shy, a priest-in-training attends the old man.

INT. CONTROL ROOM / PRESIDENT'S OFFICE

CAPTAIN

President on line sir...

General Staedert leans over his screen and seems surprised to see the room but not the president.

PRESIDENT (O.S.)

Staedert, do you read me?

STAEDERT

I can hear you, Mr. President, but I can't see you .

The President grabs the mini-camera on his desk and yanks it around to face him. His face fills the screen.

PRESIDENT

(exasperated)

Is that better?

STAEDERT

Perfect, Mr. President.

PRESIDENT

I have to address the Supreme Council in 10 minutes. Just the facts, General.

STAEDERT

There are no results from the chemical and molecular analysis as of yet, all the calibers are overshot... we're hoping a thermo nucleatic imaging...

PRESIDENT

(exasperated)

What you are saying is you don't know what this... thing... is.

Consternation reigns in the President's office.

STAEDERT

Not yet Sir... The only thing we know is it just keeps getting bigger!

PRESIDENT

Options.

STAEDERT

Wait or act.

PRESIDENT

Recommendations.

STAEDERT

My philosophy Mr. President is shoot first ask questions later. I don't like uninvited guests.

PRESIDENT

Gentlemen?

HEAD CHEMISTS

I think it would be foolish to shoot at an organism that seems alive, without first taking the time to study it more! Besides, it has shown no signs of hostility.

PRESIDENT

(worried)

No... it's just getting bigger.

HEAD CHEMISTS

So do people, but that's no reason to shoot them.

PRESIDENT

(exasperated)

The security of the Federated Territories is and remains number one priority.

(to the military)

I suppose General Staedert's "philosophy" is acceptable to you?

All the Generals nod "yes"

PRESIDENT

All right, then! Staedert?

PRIEST (O.S.)

Mr. President?

The President scans the room. Staedert remote controls the camera toward the room.

PRESIDENT

... Yes?

The camera moves up the Priest and we finally discover his face. He is in his sixties, a shrewd look in his eyes.

Around his neck hangs the Kommander's finger, the key to the temple.

PRIEST

Cornelius, Vito Cornelius. 50th level parish. I have a different theory to offer you, Mr. President.

PRESIDENT

I'm listening.

CORNELIUS

Imagine for a moment that this. thing is not anything that can be identified because it prefers not to be, because it is the antithesis of all we are. Because it is evil... TOTAL EVIL.

PRESIDENT

(a little sarcastically)

One more reason to shoot first eh?

All the Generals nod in agreement.

CORNELIUS

Evil begets evil, Mr. President. Shooting would only make it stronger.

INT. SPACESHIP

TECHNICIAN

The probe will attain its objective in five seconds.

Staedert moves closer to the ship's window.

EXT. SPACE

Evil swallows the probe and immediately bubbles over with activity like a furious volcano.

INT. PRESIDENT'S OFFICE

STAEDERT

Mr. President, we're at crisis point.

The President looks puzzled.