The Fifth Element

CAPTAIN

We're losing control! We have to land fast!

The huge ship veers oft course and heads for a small red planet, taking hit after hit.

CAPTAIN

Send out a distress signal!!! Activate the emergency landing procedure!

The huge ship approaches the planet at blinding speed.

FIRST OFFICER

Impact in less than ten seconds!

The red planet looms ever closer.

CAPTAIN

Time is of no importance...

The ship crashes in a gigantic explosion.

INT. KORBEN'S APARTMENT – DAY

A thermo nuclear explosion fills a T.V. screen... Which Korben's cat watches with interest.

Korben is about to exit the apartment.

KORBEN

Don't watch it all day, it'll rot your mind. Bye sweetie...

In response, the cat meows. Korben opens the door to... A huge gun, brandished by a nervous MUGGER, pointing right in his face.

MUGGER

The cash man!

KORBEN

Been here long?

MUGGER

Don't fuck with me man or I'll blow you into tomorrow!

Unperterbed, Korben looks at the mugger's fearsome weapon.

KORBEN

Isn't that a Z140? Alleviated titanium. Neuro charged assault model?

MUGGER

(off balance)

Uh...

KORBEN

You know you could hurt someone with this puppy... good thing it's not loaded...

The mugger is lost. He looks at his weapon.

MUGGER

It's not?

KORBEN

You gotta push the little yellow button...

Korben points to the button on the side of the gun. The mugger takes his advice.

MUGGER

Thanks...

KORBEN

You're welcome...

And with lightning speed, Korben blasts the mugger with a straight right hand, sending him down for the count. Korben retrieves the gun.

KORBEN

... you know these things are VERY illegal... you could get in a shit load of trouble... I better hang onto it for you...

As the mugger clears his head, Korben opens a drawer next to him which is full of similar guns! The mugger's eyes pop out of his head. He scampers to his feet and runs off.

Korben shrugs, exits his apartment, and closes the door. The cat watches a nuclear holocaust on TV, uninterrupted.

INT. KORBEN'S GARAGE – DAY

Korben enters his taxi. A robotic voice greets him.

VOICE

Please enter your license...

Korben complies, and starts to push a series of buttons on the dash.

VOICE

Welcome on board Mr. Dallas...

KORBEN

How you doing this morning? Sleep OK? I didn't.

Korben hits a button. The garage door starts to open.

VOICE

Fuel level 6.03... Propulsion 2x4...

KORBEN

I had the worst goddamn nightmare.

VOICE

You have nine points left on your license...

KORBEN

Thanks for reminding me...

As the garage door lifts, the Megalopolis that is New York City in the 23rd century comes into view. Startling in it's height, and breath.

VOICE

Have a nice day...

Korben lets the propulsion build.

KORBEN

Right...

He lets the gear slip. The taxi rockets off into the City.

INT. PRESIDENT'S OFFICE

Cornelius collapses in a chair.

CORNELIUS

We are lost!

GENERAL MUNRO

Mr. President, the attack was launched by two unregistered warships.

PRESIDENT

Close all borders and declare a state of general alert.

GENERAL MUNRO

Yes, sir.

PRESIDENT

(to another Officer)

Try to contact these Mondoshawans. We owe them an explanation.

CORNELIUS

(lost, to himself)

What are we going to do?

PRESIDENT

This is government business now. You ought to go home and get some rest, Father.

The President motions to his guards to come and get Cornelius.

PRESIDENT

I promise to keep you informed.

A weary Cornelius leaves the room with David's help.

PRESIDENT

(to the Captain)

... Has the rescue team found any survivors?

INT. LABORATORY 1ST DISTRICT MANHATTAN – DAWN

An arm, on a surgical cart, moves down the hall of the Nucleological Center, the most sterile of environments.

PROFESSOR MACTILBURGH, age 60, hurries alongside GENERAL MUNRO.

MUNRO

This is all that survived?

MACTILBURGH

Actually only one cell survived...

MUNRO

Have you identified it?

MACTILBURGH

It's not that easy... we've never encountered anything like it before... you see normal human beings have 40 DNA memo groums... which is more than enough for any species to perpetuate itself... This one has 200,000.

MUNRO

Talk English Doc.

MACTILBURGH

This cell is like a huge library. It has infinite genetic knowledge stored inside. Almost like it was... engineered.

MUNRO

Sounds like a freak of nature to me.

MACTILBURGH

Yes... I can't wait to meet him.

They pass into the lab.

INT. LABORATORY

The two enter a cylindrical laboratory. There is a huge glass turbine in the middle with the metal glove inside. A DNA chain scrolls on the computer screen.

MACTILBURGH

(rather fascinated)

The compositional elements of his DNA chain are the same as ours, there are simply more of them tightly packed. His knowledge is probably limitless...

MUNRO

(worried)

Is there any danger? Some kind of virus?

MACTILBURGH

We put it through the cellular hygiene detector. The cell is for lack of a better word... perfect.

Munro hesitates a moment. Then he sighs and uses his personal key to open the self-destruct box.

MUNRO

OK, go ahead! But Mr. Perfect better be polite... otherwise I turn him into cat food.

Mactilburgh starts the operation rolling as Munro puts his hand on the sell-destruct button, ready to use it. Thousands of cells form in the heart of the generator, an assemblage of DNA elements. Then the cells move down a tube, like a fluid, and gather in an imprint of a HUMAN body. Step by step bones are reconstructed, then the nervous and muscular systems. Whole veins wrap around the muscles. An entire body is reconstructing before our very eyes.

DOCTOR

Three seconds to ultra-violet protection.

A shield comes over the reconstructing body and makes it invisible.

MACTILBURGH

(to Munro)

... This is the crucial phase, The reconstruction of pigment. Cells are bombarded with slightly greasy solar atoms which forces the body cells to react, to protect themselves. That means growing skin. Clever, eh?

MUNRO

(disgusted)

Wonderful!

The meter slows, drops to zero.

ASSISTANT

... End of reconstruction, beginning of reanimation .

A whoosh of air in the glass chamber. Captain Munro has his hand on the self-destruct button, ready to destroy the being that has barely been reborn.

MACTILBURGH

(pushing a button)

Activate life support system.

An electrical discharge fills the glass chamber causing the body inside to jerk.

After a few moments of silence, the SOUND of a heartbeat fills the room over the loudspeaker.

ASSISTANT

Life support system activated.

The Supreme Being is alive once again.

MACTILBURGH

Remove the shield.

The ASSISTANT automatically removes the ultra-violet shield which slowly reveals... a WOMAN... nude... young... and very beautiful. Munro stands there gaping. Not quite his vision of the Supreme Being. Mactilburgh glances at Munro and gently pushes his hand away from the self-destruct button.

MACTILBURGH

(with a smile)

I told you... perfect!

Munro is hypnotized by the Girl's beauty.

MUNRO

... I'd, uh , like to get a few pictures for the archives before she wakes up.

Mactilburgh looks at him with a grin. A remote-control camera approaches the girl's face, a flash goes off. Blinded by the flash, the girl jumps and screams. She cowers in a corner, shaking from the cold, darting eyes everywhere looking for the case she was holding.

GIRL

(very angry)

Ouacra cocha o dayodomo binay ouacra mo cocha ferji akba ligounai makta keratapla. Tokemata tokemata! Seno santonoi-aypa! Minoi ay Cheba! Givomana seno!

MUNRO

(worried)

What's she saying?

MACTILBURGH

(to his Assistant)

Activate the phonic detector.

The girl kicks the window repeatedly.

MACTILBURGH

And give her a light sedative... and something to wear!

The Assistant hits a button. A pile of clothes drops out of a trapdoor in the ceiling. She snatches up the clothes angrily and dresses quickly. Munro draws closer to the glass window. He watches her dress with undisguised pleasure.

MUNRO

(to Mactilburgh)

This thing solid?

MACTILBURGH

(smiling)

An elephant couldn't crack it.

The Girl finishes dressing.

GIRL

(angrily)

Teno akta chataman assin-omekta!

Munro smiles safely behind his plate glass window.

MUNRO

(with a smile)

You're gonna have to learn to communicate better than that angel if you want out.

Munro dangles the key on a chain that will let her out. The girl rams her fist right through the window. She grabs the key and yanks it. The chain snaps tight and Munro slams into the window knocking himself out. The girl puts her hand through the window again, unlocks the chamber and steps out. She is still bit wobbly on her legs. Two GUARDS try to grab her. She sends them flying across the room. Mactilburgh is most impressed. He sets off a general alarm.

INT. CORRIDOR LABORATORY
 

The girl runs through a maze of corridors looking for a way out. A squad of SECURITY GUARDS appear in front of her and open fire without warning. The girl takes a leap, grabs an air vent, kicks it out and dives into the air shaft. The COPS try and jump up to the vent, but none can reach it.

CHIEF

Get me a chair or a stepladder The rest of you go through the main ventilation!

INT. VENTILATION DUCT LABORATORY

The girl moves along unable to see what's ahead of her. She comes to a dead-end, a grill that leads outside. She pushes it out and exits onto the ledge.

EXT. LEDGE LABORATORY – DAWN

She has exited to a ledge on the 450th floor of a building, right in the middle of Manhattan, which we discover for the first time. The city has become monstrous. Buildings rise 600 stories. Cars fly. Subways run vertically... The girl edges along the narrow ledge, unfazed by the height. The CHIEF leans out the vent, looking out into the void.

CHIEF

(to his men)

Go on follow her!

The COPS stare into the gaping void.

COP

... No way.

The Chief angrily pulls out his gun and shoots at the girl who ducks around the corner of the building. Unfortunately the other side in full of cops as well. A flying police car zooms up in front of her, sirens blaring.

VOICE (O.S.)

This in the police. Your status is illegal. Please put up your hands and follow our instructions!

The girl feels trapped. She looks down into the endless 450 below and all the cars flying underneath her. Then she raises her arms... and dives off.

INT. POLICE CAR – NIGHT

COP

(in the car)

Christ! She dove off!

In a panic, the Cop makes a wrong turn. The girl falls for several seconds. She lands on the roof of a flying cab.

INT. CAB – NIGHT

Korben tries to control his car, reeling from the impact.

VOICE (O.S.)

You have just had an accident. Seven points have been temporarily removed...

Korben manages to stop his cab, pulls over to the side.

VOICE / KORBEN

You have one point left on your license. Have a good day.

Korben sighs and looks in the back seat to see what the damages are. The girl, a bit dazed (who wouldn't be), emerges from the debris and sits up. There's some blood on her face. Korben is stunned. The girl's still alive and... so beautiful. His heart heads for a meltdown.

GIRL

Akina delutan, nou-shan.

KORBEN

(lost)

... 'Scuse me?

A police car with wailing sirens halts in front of Korben.