INDEPENDENCE DAY

The parachute on Steve's ejection seat pops OPEN.

EXT. TOP OF CANYON - CONTINUOUS

Rolling end over end, the Attacker is banged up BADLY as it
finally comes to a stop.

Not far away, Steve has a quick, hard, landing.  Rolling over,
Steve quickly pops the buckles on the chute and frees himself.

He stands and looks around.  Spotting the beat up and
incapacitated alien Attacker, Steve gets an angry resolved
look.  He marches over to the fallen alien Attacker.  He scans
it quickly, spots a type of door that has been knocked ajar.

With all his might, Steve YANKS the door OPEN.

AN ALIEN

For the first time we get a quick glance at these aliens, an
odd hybrid creature with fluctuating skeletal structure.

The reason we only get a quick glance is because the moment it
turns woozily towards us, Steve rears back and SLUGS HIM IN
THE FACE, knocking the alien totally unconscious.

His anger finally subsiding, exhaustion taking over, Steve
stands over the craft, slowly withdrawing the prized Victory
Dance cigar.  He lights it and takes a long angry puff.

STEVE
Now that's a close encounter.

CUT TO:

INT. TUNNEL - PASADENA FREEWAY - ALCOVE - SAME

It's dark.  The hole Jasmine had entered is now blocked.  She
pushes but it won't budge.  Exhausted, she ignites her lighter
to get a better look around.

As it lights we SEE that we are inside a maintenance garage.
Jasmine rushes over to a phone but the line is dead.  Taking
Dylan by the hand she moves to the large garage doors but she
can't open them.

She turns around and see a large maintenance truck, a huge
land-mover shovel attached to the front.  She smiles.

EXT. GARAGE DOORS - SECONDS LATER

With a ROAR the large door BLAST APART as the maintenance
truck SMASHES through.  Once out, Jasmine hits the brakes.

REVERSE ANGLE - JASMINE'S POV - DEVASTATED L.A.

Total devastation.  Remnants of cars and buildings smoldering.
Three scattered survivors crawl from the wreckage.  A
nightmare of destruction.  The space craft above, slowly
leaving.

DYLAN
Mommy, what happened?

JASMINE
(astonished)
I don't know, badly.

CUT TO:

EXT. DESERT - REFUGEE TRAILER CAMP - DAY

We see dozens of trailers packing up their gear, some already
on the road.  Miguel talks with one of the drivers, then
hurries away, running.

INT. BRENNON TRAILER - SAME

Russell wipes down Troy's forehead, he's burning up.  Alicia
brings over a cold compress.

RUSSELL
You know, you're just like your
mother.  She was stubborn too.  I
had to twist her arm to get her to
take her medicine.

TROY
I'm sorry, Dad.
(beat; scared)
I'm not goin to die like mom, am
I?

ALICIA
You're going to be fine.

Miguel comes rushing in, pulls Russell aside.

MIGUEL
I couldn't find anything.
Everyone is packing up, they're
leaving.  Word is a space ship is
heading this way.

RUSSELL
We should leave too.

MIGUEL
There's a group heading south,
they said there's a hospital just
a couple hours away.  I think we
should follow them.

Russell nods in agreement.  A knock on the door.  Alicia turns
to find a handsome young boy, PHILIP in the doorway holding a
bottle of pills.

PHILIP
Penicillin.  At least it will help
keep his fever down.

ALICIA
It's really nice of you to help
us.

PHILIP
I wish I could do more but we're
moving out.

ALICIA
(too eager)
We're going with you.  I mean,
we're going too.

PHILIP
Cool.

Alicia nods, smitten.  Philip smiles charmingly and leaves.

CUT TO:

INT. AIR FORCE ONE - SAME

Back in the passenger section, the President sits with General
Grey and Chief of Staff Nimziki.  The Technician from the
command module is briefing them.

TECHNICIAN
They must be targeting our
satellites.  We've lost all
satellite communication, tracking
and mapping.

GENERAL GREY
Have NORAD relay intelligence to
our on board computers?

The Technician nods and exits.  Defeated, the President slumps
sullenly.

GENERAL GREY
We've moved as many of our forces
away from the bases as possible
but we've already sustained heavy
losses.

The President nods his approval absently.  Coming out of the
bathroom, David overhears.

NIMZIKI
I spoke with the Joint Chief when
they arrived at NORAD.  They
agree, we must launch a counter
offensive with a full nuclear
strike.  Hit 'em with everything
we've got.

PRESIDENT
Above American soil?

NIMZIKI
If we don't strike soon, there may
not be much of an America left to
defend.

The Technician returns, his face is white with fear.

GENERAL GREY
What's the latest from NORAD?

OFFICER
It's gone, sir.  They've taken out
NORAD.

NIMZIKI
That's impossible...

GENERAL GREY
My God, the Vice President and the
Joint Chiefs...

NIMZIKI
Mr. President, we must launch.  A
delay now would be more costly
than when you waited to evacuate
the cities!

That stings the President.  He considers the option.  David is
shocked.

DAVID
You can't be seriously considering
firing nuclear weapons?

CONSTANCE
David, don't...

David pushes past her.

DAVID
If you fire nukes, so will the
rest of the world.  Do you know
what that kind of fall out will
do?  How many innocent people...

The General gets up running interference.  Constance tries to
pull David back.

GENERAL GREY
(stern)
Sir, i remind you that you are
just a guest here...

CONSTANCE
(overlapping)
David, please...

DAVID
This is insanity!  You'll kill us
and them at the same time.
There'll be nothing left!

NIMZIKI
(interrupting)
Sit down and shut up!

Suddenly Moishe is on his feet, interrupting.

MOISHE
Don't tell him to shut up!  You'd
all be dead, were it not for my
David.  You didn't do anything to
prevent this!

As everyone is about to besiege Moishe, the President tries to
calm him down.

PRESIDENT
Sir, there wasn't much more we
could have done.  We were totally
unprepared for this.

MOISHE
Don't give me unprepared!  Since
nineteen fifty whatever you guys
have had that space ship, the
thing you found in New Mexico.

DAVID
(embarrassed)
Dad, please...

MOISHE
What was it, Roswell?  You had the
space ship, the bodies, everything
locked up in a bunker, the what is
it, Area fifty one.  That's it!
Area fifty one.  You knew and you
didn't do nothing!

For the first time in along time, President Whitmore smiles.

PRESIDENT
Regardless of what the tabloids
have said, there were never any
space crafts recovered by the
government.  Take my word for it,
there is no Area 51 and no
recovered space ship.

Chief of Staff Nimziki suddenly clears his throat.

NIMZIKI
Uh, excuse me, Mr. President, but
that's not entirely accurate.

The President and General Grey turn to Nimziki, shocked.

SMASHED AND BURNED OUT CARS

laying across the roadway.  Suddenly SMASH, Jasmine's
maintenance truck BLASTS through.

EXT. HIGHWAY - CITY LIMITS - SAME

With the massive devastation in the b.g., Jasmine drives the
maintenance truck down the highway.  In the back, the few
survivors she's found.

In the back, four INJURED PASSENGERS lay across the flatbed as
a thin, older man, TEDDY tends to them.

INT. MAINTENANCE TRUCK - SAME

Jasmine spots a TALL MAN, his closes in tatters RUNNING down
the highway, his arms in the air.

TALL MAN
The end has come!  He speaketh
his word and the end hast come!

Jasmine pulls up along side him.

JASMINE
Hop on.  We're heading out to El
Toro.

TALL MAN
You cannot defy what has come, it
is the end!

The tall man moves off, screaming to the heavens.  As Jasmine
watches him drift away she SEES...

OVERTURNED MILITARY HELICOPTER

Still smoldering from the crash.  A woman can be seen inside,
still alive.  Jasmine jumps out.

JASMINE
Give me a hand.

Teddy joins Jasmine as they pry open the door.  Inside, the
pilots have been killed, but Mrs. Whitmore, THE FIRST LADY,
lays there in great pain, blood across her blouse.

JASMINE
Let's get her out of here.

They erase her from the wreckage, laying her on the
ground.  Dylan comes over, standing next to his mother.

TEDDY
She's bleeding pretty bad.

Suddenly we HEAR the CLICKING of a rifle COCKING.

MALE VOICE (O.S.)
Who's got the key?

Jasmine turns and see a REDNECK leveling his rifle at her.
Behind him a small damaged sports car pulls up, packed to the
gills with stolen, looted appliances.

REDNECK
(yelling to pals)
Looks like I've solved our
transportation problem.

JASMINE
Hey, you're welcome to come with
us.  We're leaving here anyway...

REDNECK
We're not.  Give me the key.
(yelling back)
Get 'em off.

Two GUYS rush from their vehicle over to the maintenance
truck, pulling the injured off the tailback.

TALL MAN (O.S.)
Repent!  Sinners!  Repent!  The
end hast come!

Running up from behind, the Tall Man comes over screaming.
The Redneck turns his gun on him.

REDNECK
Back off.  This ain't your
business.

As the Redneck is distracted, Jasmine spots the bag of
fireworks protruding out of Dylan's back pocket.

TALL MAN
You cannot go against the word,
brother.

REDNECK
Sure I can.

The Redneck SHOOTS the Tall Man.  His buddies laugh.

REDNECK (cont'd)
Now give me that key, bitch.

As he turns back to Jasmine, Boomer starts BARKING wildly.
Just as he turns to shoot the dog, Jasmine lights a key ROCKET
from the fireworks bag.  The rocket BLASTS into the Redneck,
his shirt IGNITING ON FIRE.

The Redneck drops the rifle, attempting to put out the flames,
his cronies rush to his aid.  Jasmine picks up the gun, moves
in on them.

JASMINE
This "bitch" was born in  Alabama
with a Daddy who loved to hunt.
(cocking the weapon)
So don't think for one second that
I don't know how to use this.

She FIRES the rifle.  Quickly the rednecks scamper away.

CUT TO:

EXT. DRY LAKE - DESERT - LATER

Dragging a heavy bundle wrapped in his parachute, Steve
marches across the desert floor.  The alien ARM/TENTACLE
dangles out of the parachute.

Exhausted, Steve stops to wipe his brow.  He hears something,
turns around.

STEVE'S POV - THE TRAILER ARMADA

Several hundred of the trailers from the refugee camp are
headed en mass towards him.  Smiling, Steve signals them.

The trailers pull up on either side, surrounding him.  Miguel
leans out of his trailer.

MIGUEL
(sarcastic)
Need a lift?

STEVE
When I flew overhead, I saw some
kind of base, not far.

Confused, Miguel checks his map.

MIGUEL
It's not on the map.

STEVE
Trust me, it's there.

EXT. AIR FORCE ONE - LATER

Flying over the desert, Air Force One sails over an immense
valley, Area 51 below - hangars, a few buildings, a small air
strip, not much.

Super: N.I.A. Base - "Area 51", Nevada

EXT. RUNWAY - LATER

Air Force One lands.  Wheels touch down, skid.

INT. HANGAR - LATER

The large hangar doors open and Air Force One is rolled
inside.  The President and his entourage are met by a
contingent of base personnel led by field operative, LT.
MITCHELL.  He escorts them to a side hallway.

INT. HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS

Lt. Mitchell walks over to an odd wall switch as the President
and his entourage wait in the center of the hall.  With a loud
hydraulic HUM, the entire hallway begins to SINK DOWN, an
enormous ELEVATOR.