INDEPENDENCE DAY

EXT. SKIES - CONTINUOUS

The choppers alter their formation, aligning themselves
alongside one another.  As the helicopters near the craft, we
see how tiny they appear against the gargantuan space ship.

INT. HALLWAY - ELEVATORS - WHITE HOUSE - MINUTES LATER

The elevator doors open and Moishe steps out, overwhelmed and
impressed.  Constance leads them down the hall.  Moishe turns
to David, whispers.

MOISHE
If I had known I was going to meet
the President, I'd a worn a tie.
Look at me, I look like a
schlemiel.

INT. OVAL OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

The Office is empty as the trio walks in.  Moishe can't
believe he's in there.  He straightens himself up, combs his
hair.

CONSTANCE
Wait here.  I'll be right back.

David sets up his laptop.

MOISHE
Not on his desk.

INT. BRIEFING ROOM - NIGHT

The middle monitors are now on.  They show the night vision
P.O.V. of the helicopters as they approach.  On the side
monitors we SEE the various news broadcast of this event.

NEWSCASTER
(filtered)
...the helicopters are making
their final approach...

On the middle monitor, through the night vision camera on the
lead helicopter we SEE the side of the craft as the
helicopters near. Everyone in the room watches, tense.

Constance enters and kneels down next to the President,
whispering in his ear.  The President gets up and follows
Constance.  Chief of Staff Nimziki objects.

NIMZIKI
You're leaving now?

The President silences him with a look.  As they exit.

CONSTANCE
I don't know how you put up with
him.

PRESIDENT
He used to run the NASA.  He knows
where all the bones are buried.
Comes in handy.

CONSTANCE
I'll bet.

INT. OVAL OFFICE - SAME

The door flies open and Constance and the President enter.
The moment President Whitmore sees David, he freezes.

PRESIDENT
What the hell's he doing here?

Moishe, bursting, steps forward.

MOISHE
Moishe Martinsburg, Mr. President.

CONSTANCE
My ex-husband works in satellite
communications.

PRESIDENT
I don't have time for this...

With a BANG, David suddenly KNOCKS everything off the
President's desk and starts to draw on the ink blotter.

DAVID
It's about "Line o sight," Mr.
President...

David draws a circle representing Earth and a smaller circle
just away from it.  The President reluctantly nears.

DAVID
...If you wanted t coordinate
with ships all over the world, you
couldn't send one signal to every
place at the same time.  That's
called line of sight...

Drawing a line from the ship of either side of the Earth, we
SEE that you could not send a signal to the other side.

DAVID (cont'd)
...you'd need to relay your signal
using satellites...

David draws small satellites surrounding Earth.

DAVID (cont'd)
...to reach each ship.  I have
found a signal hidden inside our
own satellite network.

Suddenly an aide, ALEX, appears in the doorway.

ALEX
Excuse me, Mr. President.  They're
starting.

The President turns to the monitor in his office.  We SEE the
helicopters turning on the light boards affixed to the front
of their cockpits.  He turns back to David.

DAVID
Mr. President, they are using our
own satellites against us and the
clock is ticking.

EXT. HELICOPTERS - SAME - NIGHT

The large light panels TURN ON, multi-colored lights slowly
begins to flash in a repeating sequential patterns.

REVERE ANGLE - HELICOPTERS AND SPACE CRAFT

The helicopters are puny little specs next to this Goliath.
The light boards continues to FLASH but there is no reaction
from the ship.

INT. BRIEFING ROOM - SECONDS LATER

Everyone is glued to the monitors as the President storms in.

PRESIDENT
General Grey, co-ordinate with
Atlantic Command.  Tell them they
have twenty five minutes to get as
many people out of the cities as
they can.

GENERAL GREY
But Mr. President...

PRESIDENT
And get those helicopters away
from the ship.  Call them back
immediately.

General Grey obeys, turning to an assistant who quickly grabs
a phone.  Nimziki steps up to the President.

NIMZIKI
What the hell's going on?

PRESIDENT
We're leaving.

An AIDE motions to the monitors.

AIDE
They're responding.

The room goes silent, everyone turns to the monitors.

MONITOR - NEWS PROGRAM & NIGHT VISION VIDEO

On all screens we SEE the space ship as a long thin line of
WHITE LIGHT suddenly emits from the side of the craft,
illuminating the four Apache Helicopters.

EXT. APACHE HELICOPTERS - SAME

The light boards are overpowered by the bright light coming
from the space craft.  Suddenly with a loud SCREECHING NOISE,
the white light spills out as the huge OPENING unfolds at the
side of the craft.

The four helicopters have to flight to hold their positions, as
something powerful emits from the schism in the ship.

Then like a gigantic bug-zapper, the four pesky little Apache
Helicopters are BLOWN OUT OF THE SKY, one by one.  They leave
no time to retreat.

INT. HOTEL SUITE - NIGHT

Mrs. Whitmore packs her bag, as the horrifying image of the
destruction of the helicopter replays on the T.V.

SECRET SERVICEMAN
Mrs. Whitmore?  The President has
ordered the evacuation.  We have
to leave, now.

She slams her valise SHUT and quickly exits.

POLICE HELICOPTER

SOARS over us, headed directly for downtown Los Angeles.

EXT. ROOFTOP - SAME

The UFO true believers are still there, holding up their
signs.  Making her way through several of them we see Tiffany.
She looks up to the spacecraft above.

TIFFANY
(awed)
It's beautiful.

She digs her drawing of an alien out of her purse as she
excitedly rushes up to the others.  She holds it up to the
sky, proudly.

POLICE HELICOPTER

From out of nowhere the helicopter LIFTS up over the side of
the building, shining its spotlight down the believers
below.

POLICE (P.A.)
...we are evacuating the city.
Please leave the building at once.

The sign holders begin to "boo" the police, ignoring them.

EXT. CITY STREET - PASADENA THROUGHWAY - SAME

The freeway is packed on both sides, every car headed out of
town.  There is no opposing traffic.

INT. JASMINE'S CAR - SAME

Dylan holds Boomers as Jasmine drives.  The news plays over her
car radio.

RADIO VOICE
...authorities have called for a
complete evacuation of Los Angeles
County.  People are advised to
avoid the highways whenever
possible.

JASMINE
Now he tells me.

EXT. WHITE HOUSE - SAME

The President stops on his way to the Presidential helicopter
as an aide brings his daughter outside.  The President ushers
her into the helicopter.  He turns back and see a military
guard holding back Moishe and David.

PRESIDENT
They're okay.  Let them on!

INT. HELICOPTER - CONTINUOUS

The President steps inside, turns to General Grey.

PRESIDENT
Is my wife in the air?

GENERAL GREY
She should be shortly.

David flips open his laptop which reads: 09:07. 09:96...

EXT. WHITE HOUSE LAWN - HELICOPTER - CONTINUOUS

The Presidential helicopter lifts off as several other
helicopters wait behind, people filing into them.

EXT. ROOFTOPS - LOS ANGELES - SAME

The Police helicopter is still flashing their lights at the
UFO believers who refuse to budge.  Suddenly the entire
rooftop is BATHED IN WHITE LIGHT.  They all grow silent
staring up at the craft.

Above them another SCHISM has opened at the bottom of the
craft, the white light spilling out.

As though the heavens had opened, the UFO believers lift their
arms, waiting to be taken.

BELIEVERS
Take me!  No, take me!  Take me!

Slowly, this beam of light from the base of the ship
INTENSIFIES directly on the top of this building.

EXT. HELIPORT - SAME

Standing on this rooftop heliport directly across from the UFO
believers, the First Lady watches them, concerned.

SECRET SERVICEMAN
(yelling over helicopter)
Mrs. Whitmore!

Reluctantly, the First Lady turns and runs for the helicopter.
The door is shut and the helicopter takes off.

EXT. THE CAPITOL BUILDING - SAME

With a ROAR, the Presidential helicopter ZOOMS past, behind it
we see an enormous SCHISM opening beneath the space craft.

EXT. WHITE HOUSE - SAME

Alex is helping people get onto the remaining helicopters.
Suddenly he is bathed in WHITE LIGHT.  He looks up and sees
the SCHISM, its WHITE BEAM coming directly down upon the White
House.

EXT. EMPIRE STATE BUILDING - SAME

The pinnacle of this landmark is abruptly illuminated in WHITE
LIGHT.  We PAN UP to the space craft above, the beam
intensifying from the SCHISM below the ship.

EXT. ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE - SAME

The Presidential helicopter lands.  The President and his
group are ushered over to AIR FORCE ONE which stands only
hundred yard away.

INT. AIR FORCE ONE - SAME

The door OPENS and the President and his advisors rush in.
David flops down into a seat, quickly flips open his laptop
which reads: 00:05, 00:04...

EXT. ROOFTOP - LOS ANGELES - SAME

As the light amplifies, the believers chant, louder and
louder.  Suddenly the white light DISAPPEARS.  The believers
are stunned.  In a brief moment it is replaced with a BLAST.

A DESTRUCTION BEAM BLASTS down onto the rooftop, splintering
everything there, Police helicopter included, into a billion
tiny particles.

Tiffany is he epicenter, from here the WALL OF DESTRUCTION GROWS
outwardly, destroying everything in its path.

EXT. EMPIRE STATE BUILDING -  SAME

Just as the BLAST HITS, the historic building is DECIMATED.

EXT. WHITE HOUSE LAWN -  SAME

Alex shuts the door on a helicopter.  As he steps back the
white light VANISHES.  He looks up as the BLAST replaces the
beam.

ANGLE - WHITE HOUSE

Just as one of the helicopters pass us, the White House
SPLINTERS BEFORE OUR EYES.

EXT. ANDREWS - RUNWAY - AIR FORCE ONE - SAME

Air Force One quickly taxis down the runway toward us.
Behind them in the distance we can SEE the DESTRUCTIVE beam
GROWING OUTWARDLY from the epicenter.

THE CAPITOL BUILDING

The WALL OF DESTRUCTION reaches the Capitol Building,
fragmenting into a trillion particles.

THE PENTAGON

Washed under the WALL OF DESTRUCTION, the Pentagon, too, is
blown to smithereens.

INT. AIR FORCE ONE - SAME

Thick with tension.  Everyone is white-knuckled, anxious for
take off as they taxi quicky down the runway.

EXT. ANDREWS - RUNWAY - AIR FORCE ONE

Air Force one, full throttle.  It LIFTS OFF just in time to
miss the WALL OF DESTRUCTION as it rips apart the airport
behind them, dangerously close.

WIDE ANGLES - WASHINGTON, D.C.

We SEE the WAVE OF DESTRUCTION growing outwardly from the
epicenter, ENGULFING ALL OF WASHINGTON.

Air Force One is just barely making it out in time.

EXT. PASADENA FREEWAY - SAME

Jasmine's car is caught in traffic just outside the tunneled
underpass at the Griffith Park Mountains.

RADIO NEWSMAN
(filtered)
...My God.  It's destroying
everything in its path.
Widening...

Suddenly the radio CUTS OUT.  Jasmine turns around and SEES...

JASMINE'S POV - FREEWAY & DOWNTOWN

Far off the devastation of downtown can be seen.  The WALL OF
DESTRUCTION growing towards us.

Reacting, Jasmine grabs Dylan and dashes out of the car.
Boomer follows.  Every drivers who can, jumps out of their
cars, running in all directions.

Jasmine heads for the tunnel.

ANGLE - FREEWAY

The grid-locked cars have nowhere to run as the WALL OF
DESTRUCTION grows out from downtown.  All the cars are WIPED
OUT in a row, sitting ducks.

ANGLE - OVERPASS - BRIDGES

Packed with cars.  They're quickly demolished as the WALL OF
DESTRUCTION blasts by.

INT. TUNNEL - SAME

Jasmine turns back from the tunnel entrance.

JASMINE'S POV - WALL OF DESTRUCTION

Ever nearing, only moments away.

Jasmine spots an open MAINTENANCE ALCOVE deep within the
tunnel.  She runs to it, puts Dylan inside and climbs in after
him.

Leaning back out, Jasmine looks for Boomer who stares at her,
wagging his tail.

JASMINE
Boomer, come.  Come boy!

Boomer LEAPS inside and Jasmine ducks to the side of the WALL
OF DESTRUCTION hits the tunnel entrance, cars are JAMMED
TOGETHER, SMASHING into one another.

Suddenly the car ARE BLOWN CLEAR THROUGH THE TUNNEL like so
many toy Hot Wheel cars.

Inside the Maintenance alcove, Jasmine shields Dylan and
Boomer with her body.

EXT. MANHATTAN - WIDE ANGLE - SAME

From a distance we WATCH as all of Manhattan is consumed from
its center outwardly by the growing WALL OF DESTRUCTION.
Within seconds all of Manhattan is gone.

The WALL OF DESTRUCTION reaches its outer most edges and fades
away.

The SCHISM under the craft slowly CLOSES.  The ship now hovers
over a completely wiped out Manhattan.

SLOW DISSOLVE:

INT. BRENNON TRAILER - PRE-DAWN

A hand adjusts the trailer radio.

RADIO
(filtered)
...reports are unclear as to the
extent of the devastation, but
from all accounts, Los Angeles,
Washington and New York have been
left in ruins...

Russell shoots a worried look over to Miguel.  Suddenly Troy
moves up to the front on wobbly legs.

TROY
Guys, I don't feel so good.

RUSSELL