英语剧本《世界末日》

FADE IN :

Blackness. Then a hint of green becomes EARTH. It lies

across an expanse of space. Richly colored. Fertile.



A GIGANTIC ASTEROID cuts into frame, Burning into EARTH'S

ATMOSPHERE and striking down in the currant area of Guzumel,

Mexico.



Voice : An impact equivalent to ten thousand nuclear weapons

detonating simultaneously.



A HUGE DINOSAUR FOOT steps down hard and is VAPORIZED with a

deafening ROAR.



Voice : One hundred trillion tons of dirt and rock hurled

into the atmosphere.



EARTH, seen from space, is rocked with an IMMENSE SHOCKWAVE.

A SHEET OF DEBRIS washes across the North and South

Hemispheres.



Voice : A blanket of dust the sun is powerless to penetrate.

For five thousand years our world is robbed of light as a

nuclear winter falls. In that darkness, a civilisation

is         &nbs

p; removed from existence.



EARTH is now completely entombed in a dark, cold hell.

Letters push towards us--

"A R M A G E D D O N"



65 MILLION YEARS LATER



EARTH, reflected off the face of ASTRONAUT PETE SHELBY'S

HELMET. It appears close enough to touch. Shelby, attached

to SHUTTLE ATLANTIS BY LIFELINE, struggles to replace a

piece of the shuttle's operational arm.



Shelby : (with radio squawking) Houston, I can't get this

thing to work...



EXT. N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL - DAY



In a hub of computers and tracking equipment, we find DAN

GOLDEN, former Astronaut from Apollo 8 (first crew to orbit

the Moon) and now N.A.S.A's second-in-command. Golden is

watching Shelby on a SERIES OF VIDEO SCREENS. FLIGHT

DIRECTOR WALTER CLARK sits with rows of N.A.S.A Techs.

Golden stands over him, arms on the back o his chair.



Clark : Atlantis, what's the problem?

Shelby : (V.0) It just isn't working. Any suggestions?

Clarke : Hang on Pete. We'll figure something out for you.



Golden taps Clark and sits down.



Golden : (to Shelby) We got the top scientific minds in the

world working on this. (a slight smile) Try "whacking" the

thing.

Shelby : Okay, Houston, commence whacking.



Selby begins Whacking the satellite with his glove. The

SATELLITE comes n-line, lights up like a Christmas tree.



A HORRIFYING RUMBLING SOUND. SHOTGUN LIKE PELLETS assault

the satellite. SHRAPNEL rips into it's delicate gold skin.

The satellite EXPLODES. Shelby's lifeline breaks; he spins

off, suit leaking from twenty punctures.



INT. SHUTTLE ATLANTIS



COMMANDER JAMES TURNER turns to his left



General : "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?"



EXT. SHUTTLE ATLANTIS



STOTGUN LIKE PELLETS shred through Atlantis' N.A.S.A. logo,

peeling the shuttle down to her ribs. FIERY EXPLOSION.



EXT. SPACE



CLOSE ON SHELBY as he twirls away from Atlantis. His helmet

is fogging. He gasps for air, wretching, his eyelids leaking

blood. He tries to form words:



Shelby : Ple...he...me....



Shelby's SHOULDER-CAM angle spins end-over-end....



INT. N.A.S.A - MISSION CONTROL

MONITORS go dead.



N.A.S.A. Technician #1 : All systems crashing!

N.A.S.A. Technician #2 : Massive failure. We lost them.



Utter silence. Utter desolation. DOLLY IN ON GOLDEN'S FACE.

Utter disbelief.



INT. WKU MOUNTIAN OBSERVATORY - NIGHT



THEO and PEARL (at telescope), and JIMBO (at the console),

20's, are star-gazing. Astronomy books, Starbucks cups,

etc.,spread all over. Nine Inch Nails plays on the radio.

These three could land a date if only they would lose the

road flares (plaid shirts, glasses) that signal the painful

fact that they are die-hard science nerds THEO'S POV -

THROUGH WKU TELESCOPE - Far off in space is a dusty, murky

swarm of matter - something resembling a FLOATING EXPLOSION.



Jimbo : When are we going to let N.A.S.A in on what we've

found?

Theo : We don't even know what we have yet. Comet, asteroid

- it could be anything up there. And don't be so eager to

red flag N.A.S.A. They don't call us when they discover

anything.

Jimbo : Yeah, but this is their sandbox were playing in.

Theo : This is our discovery. We're going to hold a press

conference. We're going to be famous. SPACEWATCH'll name

this thing after us. Job offers are going to fly in from all

the big companies. J.P.L., that think tank up at M.I.T.,

hell even N.A.S.A. 'll be chasing us.

Pearl : I'm going on Oprah, Larry King, Letterman...

Jimbo : Hell with them, I'm going on Howard Stern....

Pearl : (concentrating) This things really acting up

tonight. We should find out if anyone else knows about this.

Theo : How?

Jimbo : (master of factly) Call N.A.S.A

Theo : And say what? "Hi, we're a couple astronomer geeks

who found something really bitchin; floatin' in space." You

can't just call N.A.S.A. It's like calling the White House.

Besides, you'll never get the number.

Jimbo : I have the number. I got it from "Mega monster."

Pearl : Who?

Jimbo : He's some super-hacker, I went to high school with.

Guy's totally wired into every encrypted government

installation.

Theo : He's also an ex-con.

Jimbo : They never proved he shut down the power in those

seven states.



Theo grabs the phone.



INT. HOUSTON TEXAS - JOHNSON SPACE CENTER - NIGHT



Golden and his crew, devastated and exhausted, search for

answers. We cut around the room.



Clark : What the hell was that?

Technician 1 : Space junk?

Technician 2 : Too big, too much. It took out the whole

shuttle.

Clark : The press is going to want answers. What are we

going to say?

Golden : Nothing. Not until we know what happened.



INTERCUT - N.A.S.A. MISSION CONTROL/WKU OBSERVATORY



INT. N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL



Two N.A.S.A. techs, FLIP and SKIP, looking very haggard,

furiously typing numbers into the circulator. The phone

RINGS, Flip answers.



Jimbo : (whispers to Pearl & Theo) I got mission

control....!

Flip : Yeah, Mission Control.

Jimbo : (into phone) Uhh hi, I'm an astronomer in Kentucky,

and I was wondering if you guys had seen some strange

activity in the southern middle quadrant of the

asteroid        &nbs

p;   belt between Antares Major and Epsilom

Scorpio....

Flip : Who is this?

Jimbo : My name? Uhh....Louis Lipshitz...

Flip : This is a restricted line. How did you get it? Where

are you?

Jimbo : Lexington... Massachusetts.

Flip : Can you tell me the exact co-ordinates..?

Theo : Hang up! Hang up now!



Jimbo hangs up the phone.



Theo : Lexington.. uhh...Massachusettes. Idiot. I told you

not to call them.



EXT. MANHATTAN ISLAND - SUNRISE



Establishing. The sun rises over the Brooklyn Bridge.



EXT. MANHATTEN - MADISON AVENUE - EARLY MORNING



LITTLE GUY, still yawning, exits an apartment with a Jack

Russell terrier on a long RETRACTABLE LEASH. TERRIER'S POV

as the little dog attacks the city, looking for a place to

relieve himself. The Man stops in front of a "Crazy Eddie's"

T.V. store. Floor-to-ceiling T.V.'s in the window

broadcasting E.S.P.N.'s "Morning Exercise Show" with hot

women SWEATING.



The Jack Russell strains on the leash to a FIRE HYDRANT. A

SHOE is next to the hydrant, connected to a HUGE SAMOAN GUY

watching the pelvic thrusting on T.V. The dog lifts his leg

and pees, hitting both hydrant and shoe. The huge Samoan guy

kicks the dog. The dog YELPS.



Little Guy : You kick my dog again and I'll go nuclear on

you.



The T.V. images BLINK and STATIC. A massive SONIC BOOM

emanates directly above. The huge Samoan guy looks up as---



A ROCK, the size of a basketball, strikes him and EXPLODES

into the pavement, spewing sparks and concrete, throwing

PEDESTRIANS to the sidewalk.



INT. "CRAZY EDDIE'S" T.V. STORE



FIFTY T.V.s are BLOWN across the showroom floor. SALESMEN

and CUSTOMERS dive to the floor, SCREAMING.



EXT. MANHATTEN - "CRAZY EDDIES"



Little guy, lying on the sidewalk, recovers. His DOG LEASH

runs from the leash grip into a 10 FOOT CRATER in the

sidewalk. The huge Samoan guy's LEGS protrude.



Little Guy : Samson?

Pedestrian : Somebody call 9-1-1!



INSIDE THE CRATER - THE JACK RUSSELL dangles by the leash.

Embedded in the hole 30 feet below is A SMOKING, RED HOT

OBJECT.



INT - N.O.R.A.D. - CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN



The U.S.'s Early Warning Air Defence. Two U.S.A.F RADAR

TECHNICIANS are hunched over radar screens.



Radar Tech 1 : I got one, two, three boggies...the whole

board's lighting up!



The RADAR TECH 2 hits a KLAXON, stabs phone line buttons.



EXT. MANHATTEN - MORNING



Traffic is ground to a halt. CAMERA MOVES into a cab. STU,

the Cabbie, with an ASIAN TOURIST, who's craning his neck

out the window.



Asian Tourist : What's the problem? Stu : Could be a couple

of things: shootin', stabbin', dead guy (shrugs) Well, it's

Friday, payday. Could be a jumper.



A projectile the size of a dump truck SCREAMS through the

sky and blasts through three huge buildings.



More projectiles explode in the intersection. Cars get

thrown everywhere. Stu's cab slams upside down into JOHNNY'S

BAR.



ONE BLOCK DOWN. THE ENTIRE TOP FIVE STORIES -- A sheared

section topples and hits the street below. Bricks, mortar

and gargoyles everywhere.



EXT. WASHINGTON D.C. - PENTAGON - DAY



Establishing, over which we hear RINGING PHONES.



EXT. PENTAGON - GENERAL TEMPLE'S OFFICE - DAY



Chaos in the corridors. GENERAL TEMPLE, Chairman of the

Joint Chiefs of Staff, a man of stature, bursts out of his

office, met by his SECRETARY.



Secretary : We're getting reports as far away as Greenland

and parts of Mexico!

Temple : Get me Dan Goldman on the secure phone.



Temple enters his office and picks up a secure phone.



INT. MISSION CONTROL - INSIDE THE GLASS-ENCASED ROOM



Golden enters the room and sits down. Technician Flip hands

him a secure phone. Golden sinks into his chair. In the

b.g., VIDEO MONITORS show twenty live feeds from T.V.

stations across the country.



Temple : (V.O.) Can you go secure?

Golden : (presses a button on the phone) I am secure. Go

ahead, General.



He listens...WE HEAR the distinct gargled voice of a secure

line.



Golden : When?

Temple : (V.O.) Twelve minutes ago. Now you know what

happened to your shuttle.



INTERCUT - GOLDEN / TEMPLE



INT. PENTAGON - GENERAL TEMPLE'S OFFICE - DAY



Temple paces in his office.



Temple : I'm going to brief the President. What's going on

here, Dan? Why didn't we have warning?

Golden : Tell the president it's called "budget cuts." We

don't have enough telescopes to track the skies.

Temple : Is it over?

Golden : I don't know. We'll figure it out. (hangs up)



INT. MISSION CONTROL - INSIDE THE GLASS-ENCASED ROOM



Flip enters the room. Skip writes notes....



Golden : (to Skip and Flip) Fly a team up to New York.

Contact every Space Watch facility in the world. We gotta

find what part of the sky this is coming from.

Skip : I'll call J.P.L. and get the Hubble telescope on it.

Golden : Did we find who made the phone call last night?

Flip : The F.B.I.'s on it.



INT. KENTUCKY - DORMITORY ROOM



Theo is sleeping. The door is RAMMED in. Two F.B.I. AGENTS

ROAR into the room, overwhelming him.



EXT. KENTUCKY - COLLEGE CAMPUS



Pearl and Jimbo are walking across campus. TWO BLACK SEDANS

pull up. The kids increase their pace.The sedans SKID to a

stop. F.B.I. AGENTS spring from the cars, cuff them and CUT

TO :



MANHATTEN - JOHNNY'S - DAY



Stu's upside down cab, in front of Johnny's. A tow truck

removes dented cars from the trashed intersection. Career

drunks, FRANK, FRED and WILLIE, stand in the threshold

looking out at the devastated intersection. Stu sits on top

of his cab, Listening to the guys:



Frank : This city sucks...

Fred : What the hell was it?

Willie : They're sayin' it's space rocks.

Stu : Rocks from space, my ass. That, my friends, was the

work of the big Saddam. That was big-ass Iraqi missiles



INT. MANHATTAN - SUBWAY - DAY



F.B.I. AGENTS and N.A.S.A. SCIENTISTS examine a CHUNK OF

ASTEROID, still smouldering, which has ripped through the

roof and floor of a subway car. The plastic seats and

aluminium panelling of the car has melted.



EXT. KENTUCKY - INTERROGATION ROOM - AFTERNOON



Jimbo, Theo and Pearl sit in front of three F.B.I. AGENTS.

Two N.A.S.A. ASTRONOMERS look over the kids' TELESCOPE

PHOTOS with concern.



Jimbo : So, that N.A.S.A. guy wasn't kiddin; about bein'

arrested and....

Federal Agent : Please shut up.

Jimbo : Yes, absolutely, yes sir.

N.A.S.A. Astronomer : I'm a N.A.S.A. astronomer. When were

these photos taken?

Federal Agent : And which of you called N.A.S.A. Mission

Control last night?

Jimbo : (points at Theo) Him.

Theo : (points at Jimbo) Him.

Jimbo : I was calling the Houston area code, which is 713. I

was calling 712, which is outside Spokane, Washington, where

my Aunt Zelda....

N.A.S.A. Astronomer : Tell us the exact ascension angle of

your telescope when this was taken.

Theo : It's our discovery. No way.

N.A.S.A. Astronomer : Your "discovery" killed close to 100

people in New York alone - people who could've used a

warning.



Jimbo, Theo and Pearl lower their eyes.



Jimbo : Our math must've been off! we thought it was gonna

pass the Earth!

Pearl : Ascension 712, retention 345.

F.B.I. Agent 2 : And you've told no one about this- not your

teachers, not your friends?

N.A.S.A. Astronomer : (into cellular phone) J.P.L., please.

Search co-ordinates...



INT. PASADENA CALIFORNIA - J.P.L. - NIGHT



N.A.S.A.'s Jet Propulsion Laboratory: home of the HUBBLE

SPACE TELESCOPE. Two J.P.L. TECHNICIANS man the Hubble's

control console.



J.P.L. Technician 1 : New info! Plot co-ordinates 712 by

345. Let's move on high-resolution imaging.

J.P.L. TECHNICIAN 2 punches the co-ordinates into a control

console.



EXT. OUTER SPACE - CONTINUOUS (DAY)



The HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE floats by in geosynchronous

orbit. The telescope tilts, repositioning in view.



INT. PASADENA CALIFORNIA - J.P.L. - NIGHT



Images from the Hubble arrive on a high resolution printer.

J.P.L. Technician 1 grabs four PHOTOS from the printer.

Technician 2 swipes stuff off the console, making room.

Together they arrange the four photos. They star silently at

the awesome COMPOSITE PHOTO.



J.P.L. Technician 1 : Motherfu......



INT. N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL - ENCLOSED ROOM - NIGHT



Golden and all his TECHNICIANS crowd around a console,

staring at a smaller version of the COMPOSITE PHOTO.



Golden : Copies to the Pentagon, Colorado Space Command, and

the Washington office. We gotta compute size, composition,

speed, impact point



WE SEE the photo -- A HUGE ASTEROID



EXT. OUTER SPACE - CONTINUOUS - DAY



CAMERA PUSHES THROUGH A CLOUD OF ROCKY, ICY DEBEIS,

penetrating the cloud until the HUGE ASTEROID CORE comes

into clear view -- a mass of dirt and ice -- rough, craggy,

menacing. INT. N.A.S.A. - BRIEFING ROOM - NIGHT



Golden and Clark enter. A group of ten N.A.S.A. SENIOR

TECHNICIANS are all talking at once.



Golden : Okay guys, one of the worst days in N.A..S.A

history just got worse. Ten million to one. A rogue comet

came from deep space and collided with an asteroid.

Some         &n

bsp;   kids actually got a picture of the

collision event and told no one. The stuff that hit this

morning was the collision's forward-thrown matter, mere

pebbles from

what's         

    about to come. Walter?

Clark : A big asteroid. E.T.A., eighteen days. A lot bigger

than the five mile one that obliterated the dinosaurs.

Golden : The size of Texas.



Silence. Everybody stares at each other.



The phone CHIRPS.



Golden's Secretary : Director, the Pentagon.



Golden hits a button.



A LARGE T.V. SCREEN establishes AUDIO/VISUAL link.



INTERCUT; PENTAGON - SITUATION ROOM/ N.A.S.A. - BRIEFING

ROOM



INT. PENTAGON - SITUATION ROOM - NIGHT



Temple sits with the Joint Chiefs, White House Chief of

Staff, the Directors of the N.A.S.A., C.I.A., etc.



Temple : Dan, we're all here. Tell us what we're up against.

Golden : (V.O.) In it's simplest terms? The end of Mankind.

One asteroid, one mile wide or bigger, impacts the Earth

with the equivalent force of all the nuclear weapons in

the         &nb

sp;   world, times a thousand. Half our

population will die within 24 hours from tidal waves and

heat pulses. The other half won't be so lucky. In the end,

it will be

men         &nb

sp;   eating the flesh of other men. (beat)

It's not the end of the world, General, the world - Earth -

will still be here. But there will be no life - maybe

cockroaches

and         &nb

sp;   some resilient strands of bacteria.

Temple : Well, that's really positive, Dan. The President

just got off the phone with the Russians. They're just about

to launch a new Mars Probe on the biggest rocket in

the         &nb

sp;    world.



Golden and the N.A.S.A. BRASS exchange sceptical looks.



Golden : (V.O) With the worst guidance system in the world.

Their Mars Probe in '96 was found by a pygmy tribe in

Africa.

Temple : They're going to pull off the probe and replace it

with four Atlas Class IV nuclear warheads. Enough punch in

their opinion - not to break it up - but to slow it

down         &n

bsp;   enough to miss Earth's orbit. Golden :

(V.O) Their launch date is set for next month.

Temple : They're going to move it up.

Golden : (V.O) To when?



Temple : Sixteen hours from now.



All the N.A.S.A. Technicians CLAMOR at once.



Golden : (V.O) What are they gonna do, glue, spit, and

scotch tape it together? Even if they get a nuke out to the

asteroid, a surface nuclear detonation is not going to

work.         &

nbsp;   The only way is to split the thing in

half and hope the two pieces slide past us.

Temple : Thank you for bringing up the impossible, Dan.

Colinswood : People, the President's joining us, Mr.

President?

President : (V.O) Well, this has been a tough day. The

media's all over this. They're going to get nothing. Telling

the public we might all be dead in eighteen days

achieves        &nbs

p;       nothing but

panic.

Golden : (V.O) Mr President, finding this speck in the sky

is a very hard thing to do unless you have the exact

co-ordinates. There are only twelve telescopes powerful

enough         

    to see it right now. You've got a

full moon goin' for four days - makes it all but impossible

to see.. Once these things draw closer to Earth, you'll

never keep a lid

on         &nbs

p;   this. No way.



INT. N.A.S.A. BRIEFING ROOM - NIGHT



The video screen blinks off. Golden looks at his Techs.



Golden : How many of you are as scared as I am?



Golden raises his hand. All the other N.A.S.A. Techs, one by

one, raise their hands.



Golden : One giant leap for Mankind. Everyone remember that?

This is what we are going to do. We're going to fly to that

asteroid with a nuclear device, implant it and get

off         &nb

sp;   before it blows. Quincy?



All eyes turn to N.A.S.A. Chief of R&D, RONALD QUINCY.

Quincy has coke bottle glasses and a 198 I.Q.



Quincy : Look: set a fire cracker off in your open palm, you

get a third degree burn. Close your fist, It'll do some

serious damage. If we can get a nuke deep in one of

the         &nb

sp;  asteroid's fault lines, she'll split in two,

like a diamond.

Golden : You're all looking art us like we're crazy. We're

not.

Skip : Dan, our currant shuttle fleet is too old and too

slow.

Golden : What I'm going to tell you is a breach of national

security and could land me in jail, but in eighteen days

there arnt' gonna be any jails, so....We're not gonna use

a          

;   current shuttle. Gentlemen, I'm talking

about the X-71.

Skip : It's done?

Quincy : Has been for three months.



EXT. ARIZONA DESERT - FLIGHT TESTING FACILITY - DAY



N.A.S.A.'s flight testing facility. A flat, hard, dry area

dominated by an ENORMOUS HANGER. The HANGER DOOR is open;

breeze blows back a BLACK SILK TARPAULIN, revealing the

X-71's NOSE. Technicians come and go.



INT. N.A.S.A - BRIEFING ROOM - DAY



Golden : Time is our enemy. This is like the race to the

Moon, guys - what this Agency was founded on.

Skip : Boss, we're good at space travel, but you're talkin'

about drilling a hole.

Golden : Quincy's been working on excavating the ice from

the Moon - he's gonna reorient his thinking. Right, Quince?

Quincy : Right. And the first thing I'm gonna do is talk to

the guy I ripped off. His name is Harry S. Stamper. He's the

best oil driller in the world.

Golden : I don't care who he is, what he's doing.



EXT. NORWAY COAST - NORTH SEA - "TROLL" OIL RIG - DAY



SUPER : DAY TWO



Close on a GOLF BALL. THWACK! The golf ball EXPLODES off the

tee from an oil rig. The "TROLL" is the largest man-made

structure in the world - 12 aircraft carriers big and 1200

feet tall. A self-contained city.



HARRY STAMPER, world's foremost expert on offshore deep

drilling, immaculately attired in golf attire and spikes,

stands on a patch of Astroturf with a five iron in his hand.

Piped-in MOZART drown out the rig noise.



EXT. "TROLL" - DRILLING PLATFORM - "A" DERRICK - DAY



The main drilling platform. On "A" derrick, Chief Driller,

A.J. FROST, 30, handsome, is at the controls. Roughnecks

"JUMBO" CARTWRIGHT, "BEAR" BROWN, "CHICK" CHAPPLE, TITO

GUEVARA, and MAX LOGAN, handle 20 foot sections of PIPE

DRILLING SRTRING with a HYDRAULIC TONG AND CLAMP.



Roughneck BENNIE MORGAN, late 20's an ox of a man, comes

across the platform, pulling an oily green coveralls and

donning his hard-hat. Bennie examines the rig's DOWNHOLE

PRESSURE GAUGE.



Bennie : Chick! take a look at this!

Chick : Pressure's been up all morning. She kicked twice on

me.



A.J.'s eyes move to a TALL BLOND MAN on his lunch break

across the rig.



A.J. : What did our always-at-lunch-Swedish geologist say?

Bennie : Jah, jah, jah. No bleeper. Too much pressure.

Chick : You askin' the old man?



A.J. nods and walks off.



EXT. "TROLL" RIG - TOP TIER



Harry HITS another ball. WE REVEAL his target, a GREENPEACE

BOAT anchored off the rig. The BALL strikes the side of the

boat, just missing the head of ONE of the PROTESTERS.



Harry : Almost caught that little bastard.



He admires his shot as his daughter, GRACE, walks up. Grace

is late 20's, business dress, Harvard Law.



Grace : Having fun?



Harry HITS another ball. It misses the boat, skips across

the water.



Grace : Sure sliced the shit outta that one. (frowns)

Harry : Watch your language, Gracie.

Grace : Seagulls swallow those and they die.

Harry : Stupid birds.



Harry's EYES move to a GROUP OF GREENPEACE PROTESTERS across

the rig, being held back by Stamper Oil SECURITY GUARDS.



Grace : I just talked with A.J.

Harry : Talking to him quite a bit these days....

Grace : (awkward pause) "A" rig's acting up. The drill

string kicked twice this morning, gave Chick a nasty bruise

in the head.

Harry : Good. He's not vulnerable there.

Grace : Chase Manhatten okayed the bridge financing for the

Micronesia Project, but at 21 percent interest. And Lloyd's

of London refuses to underwrite the

Venezuela>        &n

bsp;  Project.... Harry : Thieves and cowards, all

of 'em. Twist their arms.

Grace : I am.

Harry : Keep twisting. Like a pit bull.

Grace : Oh, and that magazine article - they want some human

interest stuff - likes and dislikes. "Likes" I said Golf,

Fly Fishing, Single Malt Scotch, Old Movies. What

about         &

nbsp; "Dislikes?"

Harry : Any kind of flying and oil company executives. Go

deal with 'em. I always look better when you're doing the

talking.



Harry HITS another ball. CLANG.



Grace : You know you donate 300 grand a year to Greenpeace.



Harry smiles at the contradiction.



Harry : What'd your mother call me?

Grace : Complicated.

Harry : Yeah well....I'm complicated.



Grace walks off, passing A.J., winking at him. A.J. winks

back.



A.J. : What's his mood?

Grace : Complicated.



A.J. walks up to Harry.



Harry : I understand we're having problems with "A" rig.

A.J. : I'm on top of it (Harry picks up his bag) Harry, you

have a second?

Harry : Yeah. One.

A.J. : I'll hurry. I've worked for you for a long time.

Harry : Twelve years.

A.J. : And you've been real good to me....

Harry : Another company make you an offer, kid?

A.J. : No. The reason I am here, today, standing here,

talking to you. I'm obviously talking to you...but it's, you

know, not, uhh...it's not an oil-related matter exactly....

Harry : You're sweating, A.J.

A.J. : You know there comes a time in a man's life

when...(to himself) No, that's a cliché...(to Harry)

Can I start again? I, uhh, fell...I've fallen...

Harry : You hurt yourself?

A.J. : In love, I mean. Fallen in love. It's the damnedest

thing, but this person you...know...really well.



ACROSS THE PLATFORM - Grace escorts five angry OIL INDUSTRY

EXECUTIVES over to Harry. A KLAXON SOUNDS. Harry, alarmed,

rushes right past them, toward the "A" Derrick. They follow,

snapping at his heels:



Oil Executive 1 : You explicitly promised results at 25

thousand feet.

Harry : We have results.

Oil Executive 2 : But we don't have oil. We've given you

everything you've asked....

Harry : Horseshit. What the...? Chick! Bennie! Somebody

better tell me why the hell "A" derrick is not turning!



Chick hurries up to Harry.



Chick : The uhh....the Greenpeace guys.



Harry approaches "A" Derrick. Five MEMBERS of Greenpeace

have handcuffed themselves in a circle around the drilling

pipe.



Harry : Hey there, what can I do for you?

Greenpeace Leader : This is an official protest.

Harry : 'Course it is. I love you guys. You like dolphins

and whales, I like 'em too. Hey, I know you. You too. Didn't

you have shorter hair?

Greenpeace Leader : Stamper, do you know what this thing

does to the eco-system?

Harry : How'd you get out here? Canoe? Rowboat? Oh, that

boat down there with a thousand horsepower diesel!

Greenpeace Leader : How can you wake up every day and look

at yourself in the mirror?

Harry : The same way you did when you blow-dried your hair

this morning. And you used a curling iron, I betcha. Did you

know most electricity's from burning oil? I''

stop         &n

bsp;drillin' when the world - stops usin' it. Bennie, start

'er up!

Greenpeace Leader : Wait........

Harry : Can't wait! I'm a businessman! Those goons over

there gave me 57 mil. to find oil and they ain't leavin'

till I do! 'cause they have no lives!



The drill string begins to turn in the hole.



Greenpeace Leader : We....we threw away the key.

Harry : Sorry. Time is money. BENNIE!



The MASSIVE HYDRAULIC KELLY begins to descend on the

Greenpeace Activists' heads.



Greenpeace Leader : STOP!!!!

Harry : Bennie! Third gear!



The Greenpeace Leader miraculously produces a key and

frantically begins unlocking the handcuffs.



Grace turns to the oil executives.



Grace : He's good at public relations.



A.J. approaches Grace; they watch Harry.



Grace : So? (A.J. stares at her) What? (no response) What?

(no response) A.J.?



Suddenly, across "A" Derrick, a KLAXON SOUNDS.



Chick : She's kickin'!



The civilians get the hell away.



Harry and A.J. run toward the rig.



Chick : Pressure's north of seven thousand!

A.J. : We gotta clear the Derrick!

Harry : (looks at wellhead) Chick, rig up another pipe.

(Chick and Bennie look at Harry with uncertainty) NOW, NOT

TOMORROW.



CHick and Bennie begin clamping, and tong a PIPE STRAND onto

the DRILL STRING like an INDY PIT STOP CREW.



A.J. : Harry, we've hit pressure. We gotta bleed it off. e

go any deeper, we'll blow the rig.

Harry : Thanks for that opinion. Chick, full speed!

A.J. : The bit's five thousand feet down! Full speed'll rip

the pipe apart!

Harry : You learn all this in college? I been doing this

thirty years, kid. Get on the controls.



A.J. moves reluctantly to the DRILLING CONTROLS. Chick nods

to A.J., who engages the gears. The PIPE STRING turns at

FULL SPEED. The new drill pipe descends ten feet into the

hole, then....



The torque rips the NEWLY ATTACHED PIPE from the drilling

string. The drill spins freely.



A.J. hits the "stop! lever and stares at Harry.



The roughnecks converge around the wellhead.



A.J. : I'm goin' down. Reattach it. Gimme a wrench and a

band coupling.



Chick hand the items to A.J.



A.J. descends into the drilling hole.



INT. DOWN THE DRILLING HOLE - DAY



A.J., holding his breath under water, shimmies down the

drilling pipe feet-first, inside the water-filled concrete

tube running from the rig to the ocean floor.



A.J. begins wrestling the disconnected sections together.

EXT. RIG - "A" DERRICK



The wellhead KICKS. The rig platform shakes and shudders.

SEAWATER erupts from the wellhead.



Chick : The drill hole's flooding!

Grace : A.J.!!



Harry strips off his jacket and climbs into the wellhead. He

takes a huge breath and disappears into the brine-filled

drilling hole.



INT. DRILLING HOLE



A.J. is pinned against the hole wall by one of the

disconnected pipes. Harry comes down the hole. He plants his

back against the hole wall and kicks the pipe, freeing A.J.

A slow, deep, RUMBLE emanates from below. The Briny water

inside the hole suddenly turns BLACK and VISCOUS.



A.J. and Harry exchange an alarmed look. Harry, then A.J.,

pull for the surface, up the drilling hole as --



EXT. DRILLING PLATFORM - "A" DERRICK - DAY



-- the wellhead KICKS again. The rig platform SHUDDERS

violently. The derrick sways. SEAWATER SPEWS up from the

wellhead.



Chick : Get back, she's gonna blow!



Grace, Chick, Bennie and the other Roughnecks huddle around

the flooded drilling hole, waiting. Tense, agonising seconds

pass.



Harry scrambles out, covered in....CRUDE OIL.



He grabs Grace and pulls her away.



Grace : Where's A.J.!!!?

Harry : RIGHT BEHIND ME! RUN!



The platform SHAKES. Harry, Grace, and the others sprint

away as --



A GEYSER OF CRUDE OIL erupts from the drilling hole, blowing

A.J. out of the hole fifteen feet above the wellhead. A.J.

crashes to the platform floor.



CRUDE OIL rains down on Grace and the Roughnecks...they run

to A.J.



Grace : Never do that again!



CLOSE ON A.J. - he's looking back at the DRILL HOLE,

panting, traumatised, greasy oil raining on his head.



A.J. : You know how I told you there were two obstacles? I

didn't do the first,'cause he's tough...but I did the

second...! (pulls out case; opens it) I got it at

uhm..Tiffany's.

I        can't give

it to you until I talk to him, but try it on.



She reaches for the ring. It slips from A.J.'s hand and

falls through the grated floor, pinging off the rig's steel

pylons, 100 feet into the sea below.



Grace : Don't worry! Tiffany's insures up to a week from

purchase!



A.J. stares despondently over the railing.



Harry, black with crude oil, staggers past A.J.



A.J. : (pointedly) Good plan, Harry.

Harry : (walks over to Oil Execs) There's your oil,

gentlemen. Now get the hell off my rig.



INT. N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL - DAY



Golden, Clark, Skip, Flip and the rest of the Mission

Control Technicians watch a live feed from Russia. A RUSSIAN

ENERGIA SUPER BOOSTER ROCKET sits on its launch platform.



Flip : Look it that sucker. They got a nuke up there in

sixteen hours?

Skip : It'll never fly. Never.

Clark : Three things the Russians make well, guys - vodka,

gymnasts and rockets. Don't count 'em out.

Golden : It's the late 20th century, I run the U.S. Space

Program, and I'm praying to God the Russians are better at

this than we are....



EXT. RUSSIA SPACE CENTER - SMOLINSKAYA A.F. BASE - DAY



The ground begins to SHAKE uncontrollably. EXHAUST billows

out from the Rocket's BOOSTERS. The Russian rocket blasts

off and lifts into....



Something's wrong. The Rocket stops accelerating and stands

still for a moment. It falls to Earth; BLOWING UP in a

thunderous inferno.



INT. N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL - DAY



Golden, Clark, and all the N.A.S.A. Techs stare at the

burning rocket.



Golden : So, where's our oil driller?



EXT. RIG - "A" DERRICK



A champagne cork POPS and WIDEN TO Harry, Grace, A.J., and

all fifty Roughnecks. The wellhead's been capped; pumping

2500 gallons per minute.



Harry : To Hole Number Seventy-Six!

Roughnecks : (UNISON) Hole Number Seventy-Six!



The Oil Executives stand off, watching.



Oil Executive 1 : Seventy-Six?

Oil Executive 2 : This is Harry's Seventy-Sixth straight

hit.

Oil Executive 1 : The man's a legend.



We hear the WHOP, WHOP, WHOP of HELICOPTER BLADES. Harry,

Grace and A.J. turn toward the noise.



TWO U.S. ARMY BLACKHAWK HELICOPTERS whirr across the choppy

ocean.



EXT. OIL RIG - TOP TIER HELI-PAD - MINUTES LATER



The helicopters land on the heli-pad on the oil rig's top

tier, MAJOR STINSON, 50's, wearing formal dress and

sunglasses along with two strapping ADJUTANTS stride across

the rig.



Major Stinson : Harry Stamper? I'm Major William Stinson,

United States Army. I need a few words with you. In private.

Harry : Say it now, say it quick, or get off my rig, Major.

I've got a business to run here.

Major Stinson : You've been summoned back to the States.

Harry : Who's doin' the summoning?

Major Stinson : Your Government, Mr Stamper.



INT. SOMEPLACE IN KENTUCKY - HOLDING CELL - NIGHT



Jimbo, Theo and Pearl sit in a holding cell some place.

Jimbo's banging on the door.

Jimbo : Hey, zipperheads! Ever watch "L.A. Law?" Right to

remain silent, right to an attorney? My brother's a bad-ass

lawyer - he's gonna sue your asses to Mars. I was in

pre-         &n

bsp; law for a month - you can't put somebody in jail

for makin' a phone call!!!

Pearl : It isn't about that, Jimbo. We saw something we

weren't supposed to.

Theo : Something they're not telling the public.

Jimbo : Yeah, that's why they were so hot for the

co-ordinates. Do you think it's an asteroid? Or comet?

Theo : I dunno - but I bet it's a whopper.



INT. N.A.S.A. FLIGHT MISSION ROOM - DAY



Harry, AJ. and Grace are led into the room by Stinson.

Quincy's eyes move to Harry --



Quincy : He's here.



Quincy, Clark and Golden stand, approach --



Quicy : (cont'd) Dan Golden, meet Mister Harry Stamper, the

finest oil driller in the world.

Golden : Mister Stamper..(shaking hands) Dan Golden, I'm

Director of --

Harry : I know who you are. I watched T.V. once. Apollo 8,

right? First manned lunar orbit.

Golden : That was a long time ago. I run this place now. And

we've got a serious problem on our hands that Quincy here

thinks you might be able to help us out with --



Quincy eagerly outstretches his hand. They shake. Quincy

doesn't let go.



Quincy : I'm a big fan, Mr. Stamper.

Harry : I kinda caught that. (to Golden) What's the problem,

gentlemen?

Golden : I wonder if we might speak alone?

Harry : These two are my right and left arms. Grace Stamper

and Albert Jack Frost. Stupid name, so we call him A.J..

(handshakes) They run my company. You talk to me,

you         &nb

sp; talk to them.

Golden : Okay.



Golden direct everyone into --



INT. N.A.S.A. - BRIEFING ROOM - DAY



Golden, Temple, Clark, Harry, Grace, and A.J. sit in a dark

room viewing a VIDEOTAPE. Quincy stands beside the

projector, supplying narration. On the tape we see Harry on

a rig platform shaking hands with an ARAB BUSINESSMAN --



Harry : Great, home movies.



Grace and A.J. smile.



Quincy : Nineteen eighty five. The first well drilled over

50 thousand feet. They said it couldn't be done. You did it.

Incredible.



ON THE SCREEN - Harry's on another rig, shaking hands with

an INDONESIAN BUSINESSMAN. Harry leans over and kisses the

bit. The Businessmen shake their heads, awed.



Quincy : (cont'd) Nineteen Ninety-One. Directional drilling

through two miles of anthracite. They also said that

couldn't be done. You did it. Incredible.



Harry looks at Quincy strangely; this sure is a bizarre form

of celebrity.



Quicy : (cont'd) Ninteen Ninety-Three. The first hole over

seventy thousand. Once again they said --

Golden : Move it along, Quincy.

Quincy : Right, sorry. Mister Stamper, you're the world's

foremost expert in deep drilling. You hold specialized

patents in high speed bits, drilling fluids, downhole

motors         

   Can I call you Harry?

Harry : Stick with Stamper.

Golden : Well, Mister Stamper, we need you to drill a hole.

It's in a difficult place.

Harry : I've drilled in them all.

Golden : Not...this place. This is really out there. (beat)

Space, Mister Stamper.

Harry : As in...outer?



SATELLITE PHOTOS OF THE ASTEROID come up on the screen --



Temple : You've watched the news the last 24 hours? You

heard about the meteor shower? (Harry nods) What you don't

know is that an asteroid is on a collision course

with         &n

bsp;   Earth. If it hits us, Earth as we know

it will be over.

Golden : We're manning a mission to that asteroid to plant a

nuclear device in it's core. To do that we need to drill an

eight hundred foot hole.



Harry looks at A.J. and Grace.



Harry : A.J., is this guy shitting me?

A.J. : I don't think they shit people at N.A.S.A., Harry --

Harry : An eight hundred foot hole. On a moving asteroid. In

space.

Golden : All we want is your advice in perfecting our

drilling arm, any help you can provide. We'll pay your usual

consultancy, of course. Harry : Show me your rig.



INT. N.A.S.A. - RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT - DAY



Quincy leads Golden, Harry, A.J., Grace, and Clark through

N.A.S.A.'s Research and Development area. This place looks

like "Q's" weapons shop from the James Bond movies as funded

by every company on the fortune 500 --



Huge, clinically clean, dominated by MASSIVE ROCKET ENGINES.

TECHNICIANS in white coats and hairnets work on a variety of

equipment.



TECHNICIANS hunch over a ROVER VEHICE, not the golf cart

used on the moon. This is low, squat, sturdy, with an

enclosed airlocked passenger compartment.



Quincy : The "Armadillo" - our fourth generation rover. It

carries a six-cell solar engine with 824 horses. This was a

joint venture with the Germans. (winks) It's designed

by         &nbs

p;  Porsche.



Quincy motions to TWO TECHNICIANS. They roll over a ROBOTIC

ARM on a gurney, powered by an ELECTRIC MOTOR. The robotic

arm is connected to an OIL DRILLING BIT.



Harry : Where's the Kelly?

Quincy : This baby works without one.

Harry : How does it work?



Harry starts to inspect the bit.



Quincy : It works through a series of complexly designed

differential gears.



Harry's face tightens, as he studies the bit further --



Harry : This is my Patent.

Quincy : "Drilling Power Transfer Without Conventional

Hydraulics," by Harry S. Stamper. You registered it with the

U.S. Patent Office last year. Harry : You stole it.

Quincy : We just borrowed it, Mister Stamper.



Quincy unpockets a remote control panel and presses a

button. The drill bit presses down into a block of concrete

and begins to rapidly CHEW through it, as Harry marvels at

the realisation of his design.



Quincy : (cont'd) We built this arm to mine ice from the

moon -- greatest discovery in space in thirty years.

Harry : What'd this cost?

Golden : Ten million.

Quincy : Twenty-our million.

Harry : Boy, I'm in the wrong line of work. So, that's where

my taxes go. For thievin' incompetent, government employed

rip-off artists?

A.J. : No torque adjustment, no pressure release valve....a

big hunk of junk.

Quincy : We're working on that.

Harry : What happens if you hit gas? You have three seconds.

Drill faster, run like hell, or pray. (beat) Time's up.

You're dead., The rig just blew.

Golden : Gentlemen, gentlemen, wait a second. The crux of

the matter....

Harry : Hang on. I betcha everyone in this room has a PH.D.

Golden : Or three....

Harry : I left school after tenth grade. I earned my PH.D

every day offshore drilling holes. You can't get it in a

book. Drilling holes is about instinct - about smellin' it.

Drillin'        &nbs

p; holes is an art. You want the crux of the

matter?(beat) You stole my patent, and you don't have a

goddamn idea how to use it. As for this piece o' crap, don't

insult

me.         &nb

sp;(walks around the rig) I'll rebuild it - the right way -

and drill the hole for you.

Grace : Uhm, pop, could we discuss this...?

Harry : Just give me a space suit.

Golden : You won't need one. You're not going up.

Harry : You don't have a choice. I think all you PH.D's know

that.



Harry walks off. Grace and A.J. follow.



Golden : (calling after Harry) Harry. Let's figure this out.



INT. N.A.S.A. - CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY



Harry sits opposite Golden and Temple. Grace and A.J. stand

behind him.



Harry : First of all, you're going to buy my patent.

Temple : Of course, completely in order. What is the price?

Harry : Fifty million dollars.



Uncomfortable pause. Temple clears his throat.



Temple : Mr. Stamper, this mission is to preserve the future

of....

Harry : You're right, too low. I'm still pissed. Seventy

million.

Temple : Done.



Harry looks to Grace.



Harry : Give that money to my Greenpeace buddies. (smile)

Told you...complicated.



Harry goes to shake, pulls back --



Harry : (cont'd) And I never want to pay taxes again.

Temple : I'll call the I.R.S., try to uhm, explain the

situation.



They begin to shake. Harry withdraws his hand.



Harry : I have this great log cabin in Montana. It's kind of

a nature...getaway...thing.

Temple : You want us to buy that, too?

Harry : No. I fly fish there. But the fly fishin's sucked

ever since they put in that goddamn hydro-electric dam. I

want it gone by the time I get back.



Temple reluctantly nods. They stand to shake, Harry pulls

away again.



Harry : (cont'd) Now about my crew.

Golden : The deal was for you, not others.

Harry : I'm only as good as the men I work with. The ones in

those home movies of yours.

Golden : It's out of the question.



Harry half-smiles to Grace.



Golden : (cont'd) Okay, who?

Harry :My chief tool pusher. You game A.J.? A.J. : Wouldn't

miss it, Harry.

Harry : And my roughnecks, Roustabouts, and Rockhound?

Temple : Rock what? Is that a dog?

Harry : No. Just a meek, geek geophysicist.

Golden : What kind of men are these?



INT. SUPERSTRETCH LIMOUSINE - DAY



Bennie, Chick (30's, a street philosopher), Max (35, hulky),

TITO, and ROCKHOUND (small, wiry) are riding in high style.

Chick is hanging out of the sun roof with his shirt off.

Radio's on full blast. Rockhound's pouring whiskey from the

fancy decanters.



Chick : We're living LARGE!

Bennie : (talking on a cellular phone) Give me nickels on

Miami, Washington, San Diego, and Green Bay. (listens) Quit

whining. Last thing I need is to be friends with my bookie.

(listens, then angry) (MORE)

Bennie : (cont'd) Look, when the entire Mexican Army had

Butch and the Sundance Kid trapped in that Hacienda, did

they wait to die? Hell no. They went out guns blazing. I

live

          

   by the code of that movie, man.



Bennie hangs up the phone, he looks across from him at --

Tito Guevara, late 30's, stocky, tattooed, Latino, (reformed

118th Street L.A. o.g. gangbanger who was rescued from the

streets ten years back and put to work on a rig by Harry) is

reading a book: "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus."



Chick drops down into his seat, continues his heated

discussion with Max.



Chick : Charlie Bronson could kick Steve McQueen's ass and

have enough left over to duke it out with Burt Reynolds in

his "Smokey and the Bandit" period.

Max : I'm glad you qualified that shit 'cause you know the

Burt Reynolds of "Deliverence" would have kicked Charlie's

ass. Chick : Burt was trouble in that flick.

Max : What would you say the all-time, slam-bam,

take-no-prisoners, kick-ass Charlie Bronson movie is?

Chick : All time? Well, let me think. "Dirty Dozen," the

first "Death Wish." No, no! That movie where he hunted the

buffalo. I don't remember the name but he hunted a buffalo

          and he said like three

words during the whole picture. That's my selection.

Max : Fine. The buffalo movie. That's your pick. You relly

think that buffalo Charlie could have thrown-down with the

Steve McQueen form "Bullitt?"

Chick : He'da whooped his ass and then his father's. We'll

settle this right now. Rockhound? You heard the debate.

You're the Supreme Court. What's the final verdict?

Rockhound : Tough call. But for me though, one name --

Poncherello. Eric Estrada. You know, "Chips."



Chick and Max just look at him. A beat. Then --



Max : What did you ask him for? Guy makes his living looking

at rocks.



The limo pulls over and stops. The DRIVER gets out and walks

to the rear door. Opens it.



EXT. N.A.S.A. - FRONT OF FACILITY - DAY



The Roughnecks get out in front of the JOHNSON SPACE CENTER.

They stare up at the familiar N.A.S.A. LOGO imprinted on the

building. Chick and Bennie exchange looks --



BEHIND THEM :



A battered Ford pick-up pulls up, driven by 71 year-old

"MAMA" MABEL BROWN. Mabel's six foot-five, 375 pound son,

BEAR, gets out of the car.



Bear : 'Bye, Mama.

Mabel : Reginald, get over here and kiss your Mama goodbye.

Bear : In front of the guys?

Mabel : Never too old to kiss your Mama.



JUMBO, six-foot five, 375 pounds, bald, pulls up on a HARLEY

DAVIDSON motorcycle. He climbs off the bike.



Chick : There ain't no oil in this place. What the hell are

we doing here?



INT. JOHNSON SPACE CENTER - MEDICAL WING - DAY



Harry has just briefed his crew on the mission.



Bear : ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?

Chick : Harry, this is some "Star Wars" shit. This ain't for

us.

Harry : It's a job, like any other. Just a different

location.

Max : We work rigs. We understand rigs. We don't know dick

about being astronauts.

Rockhound : (pointing) I might add that to get us up there

they're going to have to strap our asses on one of those

rockets. That means fire, involuntary shit release, and a

          

        slew of other

stuff I can't hang with.

Jumbo : We don't have "The Right Stuff," know what I'm

saying? (looking around) We're Roughnecks. Harry : I'd

rather die up there fighting this thing than sit here

waiting for

            it.



Harry's line hangs in the air. Everyone exchanges looks.



Bear : I don't like the idea of waiting around to croak.

It's wimpy.

Chick : If Harry-the-iron-ass is going, I'm going with him.

Bear : Hell, I'm going just so I can say I went. (shrugs)

Once we get up there, it's making hole.

Tito : I'm in.



INT. JOHNSON SPACE CENTER - EXAMINATION ROOM - DAY



Max, Chick, and Tito sit in HOSPITAL SMOCKS on two

examination tables. They have tattoos, long hair. A

cigarette dangles from Tito's lips. AIR FORCE NURSES are

everywhere. A NURSE clips a SWATCH OF HAIR from each of the

men. She comes to Tito. He grabs her arm. Takes the scissors

from her.



Tito : Nobody touches my hair but me.



He cuts a SWATCH of hair, gives it to her. A SECOND NURSE is

in front of Max and Tito.



Max : You're not taking any more blood. You vampires already

have enough to feed your coven for a year.

Nurse : (nasally-voiced) We need to know what substances

you've recently ingested.

Tito : What, uhh, "substances" you talkin' about?

Nurse : (matter of fact) Drugs.



Ma and Tito eye each other nervously. Head Nurse, HELGA,

stands before Chick with an ENAMA PROBE and a JAR OF

VASELINE.



Chick : An Ena-WHAT?

Helga : Enema.

Chick : And you want to stick it where?



Helga sticks the ENEMA PROBE in a jar of VASELINE.



Chick : (cont'd) No way, lady. I came here to drill.

Helga : So did I.



INT. JOHNSON SPACE CENTER - PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING CENTER -

DAY



Chick sits before a hugely endowed but square female

N.A.S.A. CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST.



Psychologist : Say the first two words that come to mind,

beginning with each letter.

Chick : Bodacious and....Bountiful. (she holds up "S")

Succulent and Sinful.



She holds up the letter "F" and HOLD ON CHICK'S REACTION.



INT. JOHNSON SPACE CENTER - EXAMINATION ROOM - DAY



Harry sits before the Chief Physician, DR. BANKS. Golden

looks out the window. Dr. Banks, dead-serious, flips through

the medical and psychiatric test scores.



Dr Banks : Mr. Stamper, your men...are...take Mr. Chappel. I

believe they call him Chic.

Harry : Charles, but if you call him that, he'll kill you.

Dr Banks : (nervous laugh) I assume you're joking. (no

response) Your men show aggression, extreme maladjustment to

their surroundings, anti-social behaviour --

Harry : With all due respect, Doctor, I don't know too army

guys who are social when someone is trying to jam a tube up

their butt.

Dr Banks : Does your company have a drug testing program?

These toxicology reports are a throwback to the sixties. All

show huge levels of nicotine and alcohol. Three of the,

                four

show illegal drugs. A couple I had to look up. One of them

had "Kematine" -- a very potent sedative.

Harry : A lot of people take sedatives.

Dr Banks : This one is used on horses.

Harry : I don't tell my men how to live their lives. They're

with me to do a job and they do it well.

Golden : This is getting us nowhere. Can they fly, or not?

Dr Banks : (flipping through physical records) Failed.

Failed. Really failed. Under the circumstances...(locks eyes

with Golden) They're the finest physical specimens I've ever

               

seen.



INT. N.A.S.A. - LONGSHOT



Harry's crew walk together in newly issued N.A.S.A.

jumpsuits. Bear and Jumbo have ripped the sleeves and

collars off their X-Large suits.



They walk past two N.A.S.A. mathematicians.



Mathematician 1 : (to mathematician 2) We're screwd.



PULL BACK TO REVEAL:



Temple and Golden standing there with their arms crossed,

watching the motley crew of Roughnecks. They're joined by

U.S.A.F. test pilots COLONEL SHARP, a young Chuck Yeager

type, and LT. COLONEL LUCAS TRUMAN, 30's, rigid and

muscular.



Sharp : I mean, they kind of look like Armstarong, Lovell,

and Glenn. (turns, soberly to Golden) So, my wife and little

girls' lives are in their hands, sir?

Golden : We need to drill. Do you know how to drill,

colonel? (beat) Neither do I. They're going up.

Temple : (pointing to his lapel) With my stars came the

power to be blunt. These drillers are not trained for this,

Dan.



Truman shakes his head. Sharp eyes Golden, waiting for a

response.



Golden : General, it's our job to get them ready to go into

space. They're there to do the drilling. (beat, then) And

Colonel Sharp, we all have families.



A hard look from Sharp to Temple, as Golden walks away.



Temple : (to Golden) If they can't drill this hole, my men

are going to take over.



INT. N.A.S.A. - RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT DAY



Quincy is face-to-face with Golden. TECHS work on the

drilling arm in the b.g. Harry and the Roughtnecks are

across the room.



Harry : That Armadillo car. Get it in here.



In rolls the Armadillo, two TECHNICIANS pushing it. Harry

and the guys look at it. Quincy shows it off.



Quincy : Pressurised titanium alloy cab. Airlocked life

support. The chassis's by General Motors. Heavy duty

suspension and six wheel drive.

Harry : How were you going to power your drill arm?

Quincy : Turbo-jet engine fuelled by Kerosene and liquid

oxygen.

Harry : I need to be able to start and stop. I need

different speeds, and I need reverse.

Quincy : A jet engine can't do that.

Harry : It can if it's hooked up to a clutch. A.J., get me a

Mack truck transmission.

Quincy : That's so simple it's brilliant.

Harry : I'm a simple man. But don't underestimate me.

A.J. : Chick, Max! Mack truck tranny!



Chick and Max hurry off. A.J. smiles at Harry.



INT. JOHNSON CTR - ASTRONAUT TRAINING - WORKROOM - DAY



Harry, A.J., Bennie, Chick, Max, and Tito sit before Quincy,

who demonstrates a series of components on the N.A.S.A.

SPACE SUIT.



Quincy : The new generation EMU - Extravehicular Mobility

Unit - provides oxygen for seven hours, a pressurised

enclosure, and temperate control. The gloves and helmet

slide

          

   on and lock with a twist, like this. The

cap is worn underneath. It contains a mike and headphones

for two-way communication. We'll be able to see you from a

small

             video cam

mounted inside the helmet. The Undergarment has 300 feet of

plastic tubing circulating cooling water. Owen...



OWEN THE TAILOR, five foot nothing & bald, stands in

front of the men.



Owen : These are made for men 5'8" to 6'2", between 140 and

200 pounds. All of you fit within those parameters - thank

God we won't have to do any re-tailoring....



Owen stops because --



Bear and Jumbo stand in the doorway --



Jumbo : Yo. This where we get our suits?

Bear : Sorry, we're late. Doc said we had... What do we got?

Jumbo : Cholesterol difficulties. Said we gotta enter "The

Zone."

Bear : Shit, the only zone I know is the one around my

mama's grill.

Jumbo : (holding up form) But we're approved.



Owen looks at the human mountains standing before hi, and

then at the tiny EMU suit. Alterations will be necessary.



INT. JOHNSON CENTER - ASTRONAUT TRAINING - MORNING



Clark briefs Harry and the mildly attentive Roughnecks.

Sharp, Truman, CO-PILOTS MEGAN WATTS (30's, tough as nails)

and STAN WESTON stand in the back along with N.A.S.A.

Engineers JACK CROSS and RAYMOND SEARS.



Clark : United States astronauts train for eighteen months.

You have nine days. Officers Sharp, Truman, Watts and Weston

are your military instructors and the only pilots

to         &nbs

p;have flown the spacecraft. (beat) Each is a combat

decorated officer and among the finest men and women we have

in the service. Pay attention to them.



Sharp : We spend six months on emergency training - we're

throwing that out. If we fail, everyone dies. Game over.

That's a heavy load but it's ours to carry. The purpose

of         &nbs

p; this is to train you in the physical and mental

rigors of working in a weightless enviroment so that you

will not panic. So you can do your jobs. (beat) You will

vomit.         

  Your eyes will be sucked into the back of your

heads. You'll be so tired you can't eat but that won't

matter 'cause you'll be so sore you can't take a dump. By

the         &nb

sp; way...good morning.



INT. NEUTRAL BUOYANCY TANK - DAY



Splash, Splash. Harry and the Roughnecks descend underwater.

They look like Michelin Men in their thick space suits. Navy

divers are around them as they are lined up.



Through the underwater speaker, WE HEAR a trainer giving

them instructions for their weightless aerobic training. WE

HEAR a loud, embarrassing gastric sound from Bear's suit.



Bear : Houton, we have a problem. That is some vicious

methane.



Harry gives a "shut the fuck up" look. Time passes as the

guys are dying, HUFFING and PUFFING. One by one, they reach

exhaustion. A cabled harness hoists each out.



INT. JOHNSON CENTER - CARDIO LAB - DAY



Harry and his team, in T-shirts and running shorts, jog on a

series of threadmills, wired to EKG machines, nostrils taped

shut, breathing tubes locked in their mouths. EXT. N.A.S.A.

T-38 JET HANGER - DAY



A gleaming spit-shine hanger full of fifteen N.A.S.A. T-38

fighter jets. Our drill team walks up looking worn out. They

are met at the open hanger door by pilots CHUCK JR., Vietnam

vet, leatherneck-take-no-pussy-bullshit-type-of-guy and

HAMMER.



Chuck Jr. : On this mission, they tell me you will

experience the worst G-Forces in the history of flight. It's

like an elephant sitting on your chest. So, I intend to flip

you,

spin         &n

bsp;      you, splat your

bodies till your bones hurt. Now load up and enjoy the

flight.



The Roughnecks, wearing flight suits and helmets, board the

planes. Harry does not like the look of these things. Bear

is trying to figure out how to fit inside.



Bear : Thing's made for a child - like my kid's car seat.



Chuck Jr. and Hammer walk up to a nervous Harry.



Chuck Jr. : What's the problem, Texas tough guy?

Harry : I've got a thing about flying.

Chuck Jr. : Not good for an astronaut. (looks to Hammer)

Hammer, go easy, don't rip his guts out.

Hammer : Sure thing, Chuck.



INT. JET FIGHTER.



Harry plastered to the seat, MOANING so scared he can't

puke. The plane barrel-rolls and dives straight to the

ground. Harry is GRUNTING and sweating trying to stay

conscious.



EXT. N.A.S.A. T-38 JET HANGER - DAY



The T-38's are pulling up and letting the drill crew out.

They walk back with white sweat, soaked faces and wobbly

legs. Harry exits the plane.



Harry : I hate to fly. I hate to fly. I hate it so much.



Harry leans over to puke.



INT. N.A.S.A. T-38 JET HANGER - DAY



The Roughnecks walking to the T-38 Hanger. Sharp stands on

the stairway to the 707 and calls everyone to attention.



Sharp : Trainees, AT EASE (in command) We are not done here.

We're taking you for a little ride. This bird will climb to

40 thousand feet and drop to 10 thousand feet to

give         &n

bsp; you the feeling of weightlessness for 30 seconds.

Welcome to N.A.S.A.'s Vomit Comet.


 INT. VOMIT COMET



The plane drops. The Roughnecks lift off inside. Everyone's

flying around the cabin. It's a disaster. Guys bump heads.

Bear floats like a beached whale. Jumbo rams the roof. Hary

hold a barf bag as he floats. An alarm SOUNDS, then the

plane levels off, the guys go slamming into the floor.



INT. JOHNSON SPACE CENTER BATHROOM



Tracking past a row of stalls, WE SEE the soles of a pair of

shoes peeking out. Then another pair, another, and another

over the multiple sounds of guts being tossed into the

toilet.



Golden, Clark, and Sharp stand outside the stalls.



Golden : This is like putting the Hell's Angels in space.



INT. N.A.S.A. RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT



Harry and the Roughnecks are welding the Armadillo, working

tough and hard.



INT. N.A.S.A. LOCKER ROOM - NIGHT



The Roughnecks are getting dressed.



Max : (to Chick) We're going to go pound some brews where

they have a lot of sweaty, naked women. You in?

Chick : (shakes head) No. I got to take care of something.



The Roughnecks walk out, leaving Chick behind.



INT N.A.S.A. CAR - NIGHT



Driven by a uniformed N.A.S.A. TECH, Chick pulls up to a

house in a residential neighbourhood. He sits there with a

beat, unsure of what to do.



EXT. HOUSE - NIGHT



Chick walks up to the house, KNOCKS. DENISE WILLIAMS answers

the door.



Chick : Hey, Denise.

Denise : What do you want, Chick?



A big six-year old boy, TOMMY, runs up behind his mom.



Tommy : Who is it, Mommy?



Chick looks at Tommy, smiles.



Denise : It's um...just a salesman, honey.

Chick : Hi.

Tommy : (looking straight up) You look like big foot.



Chick kneels, extends his hand. Tommy smiles and shakes it.

Chick doesn't want to let go.



Chick : I got a feeling you're going to be pretty big

yourself. Denise : Go inside and play, Tommy.

Tommy : Okay, mommy. 'Bye, Big Foot.

Chick : 'Bye, Tommy.



Chick watches Tommy run off. He looks to Denise.



Denise : What was I supposed to tell him? We've got a life

here now, Chick, with someone we can depend on.

Chick : What I did before was wrong. Every day of my life I

regret it. I can see you've got a good thing going, Denise,

I'm not trying to mess that up. But this thing's come

my         &nbs

p; way and I got the chance to do something really

right.

Denise : This another one of your scams, Chick?

Chick : It's no scam. You might just be proud of me.



Denise opens the door a little wider, SHE SEES the car in

the driveway. The N.A.S.A. logo stencilled on the door. The

N.A.S.A. Tech waiting.



Denise : What's going on, Chick?

Chick : I can't tell you now. But if it comes out good, I'll

be back. (beat) Then maybe you'd consider telling Tommy I'm

not a...salesman. It's good to see you. You look

really         

  beautiful.



Chick turns and walks away.



Denise : Hey, Chick. (Chick turns) You be careful.



INT. LUCKY LAURIE'S - NIGHT



A seedy Houston drinking hole. All the Roughnecks sit at the

bar. The bar is littered with EMPTY MUGS AND SHOTGLASSES. A

WOMAN looks at Bennie.



Woman : What are you boys doin' down here in good 'ol

Houston?

Bennie : (burps) We're in astronaut training.



This gets the reaction you'd expect.



INT. JOHNSON CENTER - RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT - LATE NIGHT



Harry and Quincy go over a list of stuff to order and

logistical problems. N.A.S.A. Tech rushes into the room.



N.A.S.A. Tech : Space Command spotted more incoming.



Quincy : (springing up) Where' it headed? How big?

N.A.S.A. Tech : Don't know.



They start to run out of the room. Harry follows.



INT. ROCKET ENGINE DEVELOPMENT ROOM



The camera follows up a long ladder to a huge rocket bell

housing where A.J. and Grace are kissing passionately. They

notice Harry and Quincy, and the other Techs heading for

Mission Control. Harry locks eyes with A.J. He doesn't like

it. A.J. and Grace know something is up. They follow Harry

and the others into Mission Control.



INT. MISSION CONTROL - LATE NIGHT



The room is lit up. Men are scrambling. Phones and satellite

charts pop up. Tracking devices PING. Golden on top of the

chaos. A TRACKING TECH plots on a map. Clark stands over a

N.A.S.A. TECH reading a computer screen.



Golden : Projected impact tracking. I need stats!

Tracking Tech : Eastern Asian Hemisphere... someplace...ETA

17 minutes.

N.A.S.A. Tech : We have confirmation. The incoming is about

the size of the Astrodome.

Clark : We've got to warn.

Golden : Warn who? The whole South Pacific?



Golden, with lack of sleep and stress, falls back into a

chair. He closes his eyes, opens them -- finding Harry in

the upper Mission Control Deck. They lock eyes for a long

moment.



INT. SHANGHAI - ESTABLISHING - NIGHT



The city ablaze in neon. The harbour, floating junksmanned

by Chinese merchants. A loud sonic boom CRACKS in the sky.

There's a BRIGHT FLASH in the sky. Night becomes day for two

seconds.



The world slows down, motion creeps. The bright FLASH

catches the face of a little BOY reaching out for his

father's hand. The asteroid SHRIEKS down, hitting the

harbour's surface in a red hot FLASH-BOILED at 100 thousand

degrees.



INT. MISSION CONTROL - NIGHT



The room is silent. Reports are starting to come in about

the devastation. Golden walks up to Harry who is standing

with Grace and A.J. He pulls Harry aside.



Golden : Stamper, answer me one question - have you ever let

anyone down?



We go close on Harry's face. Searing flashbulbs popping,

WIDEN TO:



INT. WHITE HOUSE PRESS ROO - NIGHT



WE SEE him from behind as he addresses the massive crowd.

The U.S. PRESIDENT stands before a throng of reporters.



PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS



Papers headlines, CNN reporters flash on screens. Images of

people watching the news in bars, at home. A NEW YORK POST

slams down on the pavement, the headline: SHANGHAI DISASTER,

MASSIVE DEATH TOLL RISING.



INT. SOMEPLACE IN KENTUCKY - HOLDING CELL - DAWN



Jimbo is talking to an F.B.I. AGENT who is on the other side

of the bars holding a newspaper.



Jimbo : If it's over then why aren't you lettin' us out of

this goddamn cell?

F.B.I. Agent : Be real soon, son.



The agent flips the newspaper into the holding cell and

walks away.



Jimbo : Don't walk away, I want to talk to my lawyer. You

hear me?

Peral : (refering to the newspaper) This says that the

asteroid came from the Southern Hemisphere.

Theo : Southern Hemisphere?

Pearl : No kidding. It's a big sky - they want people to

look the other way.



INT. MANHATTEN - TAXI CAB



Stu the cabbie is riding with a WALL STREET GUY.



Stu : Kennedy lied about the Bay of Pigs, Nixon...Watergate,

say no more. Clinton. One word. 'Women.' If I know one

thing; ALL PRESIDENTS LIE.



INT. N.A.S.A. - TRAINING ROOM - MORNING



Morning after the devastating disaster in Shanghai. Harry

walks into the quiet room. Harry's all business.



Harry : Forty thousand people died last night. But I guess

that didn't concern any of you. I hope you all had a good

time last night.



The Roughnecks look around. They know there were wrong.



Chick : I gotta tell you...I'm scared.

Harry : Well, you should be scared. We all should be. 'Cause

if we fail, they say the Earth will die.



Harry sits down, looks out the window at N.A.S.A. Techs

working in the room down below.



Harry : You think these N.A.S.A. guys are a bunch of

clean-cut pussies, that's it. They can out think you, they

can outrun you. This job, gentlemen, is as real as it gets.

I

need         &n

bsp;every one of you. (he looks them in the eye) If you're

not up to it, then walkout of that door.



Finally. Theo and Pearl, frustrated, go to the TWO-WAY

MIRROR, blocking Jimbo from view.



Theo : I'm hungry! When're we gonna eat?

Pearl : I have p.m.s.!! I need some ibuprofen!



Jimbo grabs Randy's legal pad and writes:



HELP!! BIG ASTEROID GOING TO HIT EARTH. COORDINATES 712 BY

345.



Randy stares at the message.



Randy : Okay, I'm done here!



The door opens. Two F.B.I. AGENTS lead Randy out. Jimbo

looks at Theo and Pearl.



Jimbo : He flunked the bar three times.



INT. N.A.S.A. - RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT



-- Harry shows Quincy his DRAWINGS of the DRILLING ARM - the

way Harry wants it.



-- Harry, A.J. and Quincy work with the TURBO PROP ENGINE,

transforming it into a JET FUEL GENERATOR.



Quincy : We'll run your liquid oxygen from the shuttle

through a tube into the intake manifold. No problem.

A.J. : I figured out how to bring up the slag. Direct the

jet turbine's exhaust down the drill pipe. It'll blow the

stuff right up the hole.

Harry : Good, A.J. Good.



-- Chick, Bennie, Bear, Jumbo welding new pieces of the

DRILLING ARM together. The Roughnecks have changed. Chick

and Bennie now have crew-cuts.



-- A.J., Harry, Max and Tito build the drilling arm.



EXT. ARIZONA - SHUTTLE TAKE OFF AREA



TWO X-71 SHUTTLES in the hanger. TECHNICIANS scramble

around, preparing the shuttles for the mission.



Harry : (points) From all of your intel, the deepest fault

line is here. This is my sweet spot. If I can get a clean

hole in there, She'll blow in half....

Golden : ....and the two pieces will slide right past us.

You cannot shatter it. Getting hit with 20 smaller asteroids

is as bad as one big one. You have to drill, plant the

nuke,         &

nbsp; lift off, and detonate -- all before the asteroid

reaches this position. (demonstrates position) You have

eight hours. Remember it. You must detonate by this point

or,         &nb

sp; the two halves will hit us.



Harry nods and walks off.



Sharp : Drill an eight-hundred foot hole in eight hours? Is

that possible?



Harry doesn't like to be questioned --



Harry : You just worry about getting me on that rock,

Colonel. Let me worry about the drilling.



A moment of conflict between them.



EXT. JOHNSON CENTE - ASTRONAUT TRAINING - DAY



ONE OF THE ARMADILLOS, complete with drilling arm, sits at

the bottom of the tank. Harry and six Roughnecks are already

at the bottom, in pressure suits and helmets.



Golden, Quincy, Clark, Sharp, Truman, and all of the

N.A.S.A. BRASS, observe.



A.J. is the last to enter the tank.



INT. N.A.S.A. NEUTRAL BUOYANCY TANK - UNDERWATER



A.J. descend to the tank's bottom. Harry, Chick, Bennie, Max

and Tito are in bulky white pressure suits. Jimbo and Bear

wear the largest pressure suits ever made. They talk through

their helmet radio links.



One drilling arm starts turning. The Roughnecks turn toward

a STACK OF 20 FOOT LONG STAINLESS STEEL DRILLING PIPES on

the tank's bottom. ABOVE WATER - SIDE OF TRAINING TANK



Golden hits a stopwatch.



Golden : (into intercom) Go.



INT. N.A.S.A. NEUTRAL BUOYANCY TANK - UNDERWATER



Bear and Jimbo grab a pipe string and handle onto the

mock-up drill arm. They clamp it on. Bennie and Chick screw

a drill bit onto the pipe string. They are good, very good.

The work with the manic intensity of a pit crew at Indy.



Harry : Done!



ABOVE WATER - SIDE OF TANK



Golden hits his stopwatch. Smiles. The N.A.S.A. Brass is

impressed.



Golden : These guys are fast. Harry, interior gauge check.



INT. N.A.S.A. NEUTRAL BUOYANCY TANK - UNDERWATER



Harry : We're on A.J.

A.J. : Let's see what this baby can do.



Harry and A.J. move the Armadillo's AIRLOCK DOOR. It has an

exterior open/close button. Harry punches it. The side door

opens. Harry enters, then A.J.



INT. ARMADILLO - UNDERWATER



Harry and A.J., still underwater, climb inside. Harry

presses the PRESSURIZATION button. Simulating pressurisation

in space, the water in the cab is blown out, and air

WHOOSHES IN.



Harry and A.J. sit dripping in the watertight cab. Through

the front window WE SEE the other Roughnecks in the tank.

Harry unlocks his neck seals. Pulls off his helmet.



Harry : Lose the helmet, A.J.



A.J. snaps out of it. His hands go instinctively to the

helmet and in one motion...CLICK. It's off.



Harry : (clicks radio) We're in. Run the simulation.



The interior PRESSURE GUGE NEEDLES and MONITORS (engine

torque, drill direction, etc.) start bobbing. The drill

starts to cut into a BLOCK OF CONCRETE.



Golden : (V.O) How's she look?

Harry : Torque adjuster's good. Fuel level good. A.J.,

downhole pressure?

A.J. : We can do better. I'm increasing the RPM's to seven

thousand. We can get more torque.

Golden : (V.O) Negative, A.J. Don't exceed ix thousand. Not

on this run.

A.J. : Relax. I built this thing. She's got more in her.

Increasing the RPM's.

Golden : (V.O) Negative, A.J.

A.J. increases the RPM's. The gauge starts to rise. The

N.A.S.A. Brass shifts uneasily in their seats. They're not

accoutomed to seeing their astronauts disobey orders. Golden

: (V.0) (cont'd) A.J., shut the Armadillo down now.

A.J. : We can push it, further. Let's see what she can do.



Suddenly, the RPM''s shoot into the red. A red siren spins

in the control room. The Armadillo SHAKES violently. The

DRILLING BIT grinds to nothing. The Armadillo BLOWS a

tranny.



Harry's eyes close. He's pissed.



IN THE CONTROL ROOM



The N.A.S.A. Brass looks to Golden. One of them shakes their

head. Sharp and Golden exchange a look. Sharp shakes his

head. INSIDE THE TANK



A.J. presses a button and the cabin, simulating

"depressurisation" in space, begins to fill with water.



INT. NEUTRL BUOYANCY TANK - SIDE OF TANK - DAY



Everyone around him just watches, as A.J. climbs out of the

tank. After a minute, A.J. looks up, sees all the eyes in

the room on him.



EXT. CREW QUARTERS - NIGHT



Harry is outside, smoking a Coheba. Harry runs his hand over

a SMALL METAL MEDAL that hangs from his neck. Golden

approaches.



Golden : A.J.'s off the team. We need a list of names from

you to fill the slot.

Harry : A.J. would be the first name on my list.

Golden : We don't want independent thinkers. And we don't

need heroes. We need a team.

Harry : You have to have confidence in the men you send up.

I understand that. But I'm the one that has to land on that

rock. Not you. (firm) I pick my own team.

Golden : One shot. Pull him in line or send him home.



INT . HUB OF ROCKET SIMULATOR - NIGHT



A.J. and Grace are there talking. Grace is on A.J.'s lap.



A.J. : I pushed it, I screwed up.

Grace : These astronauts train for years for what you're

training for in a few days.

A.J. : I don't know why I didn't just listen to them.

Grace : So, tomorrow you listen.



A.J. and Grace share a look.



A.J. : I love you, Grace.



A N.A.S.A. Tech approaches.



N.A.S.A. Technician : Harry wants to see you.



INT. DESIGN AND PROTOTYPE ROOM - NIGHT



Harry and A.J. stand in the centre of a high-tech supply

room. SPARE PARTS from shuttles, PROTOTYPES and WORK TOOLS

are everywhere.



Harry : You tell me what the hell you think you're doing?

A.J. : I'm trying to work with the team.

Harry. : Bullshit. You're trying to lead this team. You're

trying to be me. You're not me.

A.J. : What do you want? You want me to quit?

Harry : If you can't bury this cowboy shit, yeah, I want you

to quit.

A.J. : I don't have to prove anything to anybody, Harry.

Harry : I listen to N.A.S.A., you listen to me. That's the

chain. Either you follow it, or you're done.

A.J. : I'll follow it.

Harry : I stood up for you, because I've made a life of

proving people wrong.



Harry's hand slides down to the medal hanging from his neck.



Harry : (cont'd) When I was about your age, I was in

Galveston, Texas. I scraped together some money, bought some

old equipment, a little land. I set up a rig and drilled

my         &nbs

p;first hole. Then I sat there and watched her soak up the

sun for six months - waiting for this baby to pop. Everybody

told me to quit. I wouldn't listen. My wife ran

off         &nb

sp;with a drill-rigger, left me with Grace. Everybody in

town thought I was a fool. But I stayed with it. And in the

last hour of the last day, she popped. She spit out

that         &n

bsp;black gold and I danced in it like a wild Indian.

(reflective ) I captured the magic (holding medal) This is

the last piece of pipe that struck gold that day.



Harry takes off the medal. Sets it on the table. He grabs a

cutting vice and cuts the medal in two perfect halves. He

hands one half to A.J.



Harry : (cont'd) Here, take it up there.



QUICK MONTAGE



Inside the neutral buoyancy tank -- Harry's crew goes

through all DRILLS one final time (final mission checks) in

quick succession. Everything runs perfectly. The Armadillo

is rebuilt and shown functioning without error. A.J. works

as part of the team.



INT. JOHNSON SPACE CENTER - DAY



The hour of the mission. The two teams sit in the orange

N.A.S.A. flight pressure suits. Golden enters and stands

before the room.



Golden : In the book of Revalations, the Bible speaks of a

final day on Earth, when all mankind shall perish, shall

cease to exist. This day is known as Armageddon. (firm)

Right         &

nbsp;   now, that day conflicts with six

billion schedules. (beat) For the first time in the history

of this planet, s species possesses the technology to

prevent it's

own         &nb

sp;   extinction. (beat) I've been with

N.A.S.A. my entire adult life. Eleven years as an astronaut,

another fifteen on the ground at Mission Control. Twenty-six

years I've

had         &nb

sp;   to answer one question -- why? Why more

money? Why the race for space? Why do we need to know what

is up there? (beat) When we come through this, I'll

take         &n

bsp;   comfort in the fact that I won't ever

have to answer those questions again. You are our warriors

up there. You are our last hope. God be with you.



The crew stands......



EXT. JOHNSON SPACE CENTER - RUNWAY - DAY



Two sleek BLACK LEAR JETS are parked on the runway. Harry

studies them. Grace approaches.



Harry : You know I was thinking, Gracie. Over the years, I

should have patted you on the back more....

Grace : Dad, you don't need --

Harry : No father has ever been prouder of his child,

Gracie. I want you to know that.



Grace's reaction makes it clear that Harry has never said

anything like this before.



Grace : I love you, Dad.

Harry : I love you too, Gracie.

Grace : (as they hug) Keep an eye on A.J. for me.



Harry climbs up the metal stairs --



A.J. and the rest of Harry's crew comes out of the building.

A.J. moves to Grace as she watches her father disappear into

the jet.



A.J. : Excuse me. (Grace turns) You're really insanely

gorgeous and I was jost sort of wondering if you --

Grace : I'm engaged. But my father hasn't given him his

blessing so you might still have a chance. (smiles, then

serious) Promise me you won't do anything stupid up there.



A.J. nods. They kiss passionately. Harry's crew sees this

and applauds. Grace blushes, embarrassed.



A.J. : I love you, Grace.

Grace : I love you. Come back, Okay?



Harry's crew boards LEAR JET 2. A.J. starts toward LEAR JET

1. Grace watches him walk away, eyeing his suit.



Grace : A.J.--

A.J. : (turning) Yeah?

Grace : When you get back, ask them if you can kep the suit

(winks) It's kind of sexy.



EXT. ARIZONA DESERT - BY SHUTTLE FREEDOM



The cone-shaped noses of the two X-71's are towering

silhouettes against the sun. Massive CRAWLERS move the

shuttles to the launch tower.



EXT. SHUTTLES FREEDOM & INDEPENDENCE LAUNCH - DAY



Seen from a distance as silhouettes behind a sun-soaked sky,

sixteen figures walk toward us. As they grow closer, WE SEE

the intense game faces of Harry, A.J., Bennie, Chick, Jumbo,

Tito, Rockhound, Max and others approaching the launch site.

They look like N.A.S.A.'s version of the "Dirty Dozen."



Harry carries a LARGE MYSTERIOUS METAL CASE, that we've not

seen before now.



INT. LAUNCH TOWER ELEVATOR - LATER



Harry exits the elevator and start to walk to the CATWAL to

the Freedom shuttle. Harry carries his suitcase.



N.A.S.A. Tech 1 : Sir, was that case authorised for

transport?

N.A.S.A. Tech 2 : Our weight to fuel ratio's calibrated to

the kilogram, sir. How much does that weigh?

Harry : Sixty pounds.

N.A.S.A. Tech 1 : That can't go up with you, sir.

Harry : Wait here.



INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM - AFTERNOON



Harry enters the cabin. N.A.S.A.'s crack seven-member

"Strap-in-Team" goes to work. Harry's crew are outfitted

with their HELMETS and CHUTE PACKS. Each step is methodical,

each piece of equipment is checked and rechecked.



Harry : Hey you. Yeah you. Come here.



A YOUNG N.A.S.A. TECH approaches. Harry gestures at a row of

METAL COMPONENTS housed in the wall.



Harry : What's all this crap?

N.A.S.A. Technician : (pointing to various) Multi-track C.D.

player. Anti-gravity hand washer, utensil washer, and

micro-wave oven. (proud) We worked hard to make the X-71

feel         &n

bsp;   more like home.



Harry just looks at the kid.



EXT. ARIZONA DESERT - BY SHUTTLE FREEDOM - DAY



Metal components one after the other come out of the shuttle

hatchway and SLAM into a heap on the lake bed. Harry then

appears in the hatchway.



Harry : We don't need music and we don't mind dirty

utensils.



Harry picks up his LARGE METAL CASE and ducks back inside

the Freedom. The N.A.S.A Techs stare at the ruined

components at their feet.



INT. MISSION CONTROL - DUSK



Golden and Clark prepare for the launch.



N.A.S.A. Tech : (into intercom) T-minus six minutes and

counting.



INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM - COCKPIT - DUSK



Sharp and Watts settle in. MAJORS PITTS and FISK, two stern

Army demolition experts, finish tying down their equipment.



Mission Control : (V.O) Roger, Independence and Freedom,

auto ground launch sequencer commencing.



Sharp looks at Pitts and Fisk



Sharp : You two ready?

Pitts : (enthusiastically) AIRBORNE!



INT. N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL - DUSK



Golden, Clark and the N.A.S.A. Techs study the CENTRAL BOARD

as final preparations for take-off commence.



Technician : Shuttles Freedom and Independence you are

cleared for lift off.



EXT. ARIZONA DESERT - SHUTTLE TAKE OFF ZONE - DUSK



The ground TREMBLES like an earthquake. EXHAUST BILLOWS out

of the ROCKET BOOSTERS, filling frame.

Shuttles Freedom and Independence ROCKET OFF from dual

launch pads, STREAKING BETWEEN CAMERA, climbing to the

heavens.



INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM - COCKPIT - DUSK



Sharp and Watts flip switches, check gauges.



Sharp : Instituting roll manoeuvre. We have S.R.B. Sep,

over.



INT N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL - DUSK



Technician : You are a 'go' for ET separation.



EXT. UPPER ATMOSPHERE - DUSK



Freedom and Independence scream away from Earth, dropping

their booster canisters.



EXT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM - DUSK



Harry, Chick and the others experience their first G-Forces.



INT. N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL - DUSK



Clark : Lookin' real good, Freedom.

Golden : When you meet the Russian, you might want to go

easy on the guy. He just broke the record for the longest

solo - thirteen months, seven days.



INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM



Chick : (to Harry) Thirteen months, seven days. (beat) What

the hell has he been doing all by himself?



INT. RUSSIAN MIR STATION



Life inside, like the cluttered glove-box of an old car.

George Michael's "Freedom" plays on a piped-in sound system.

COSMONAUT LEV ANDROPOV dances and sings.



Lev : FREEDOM! FREEDOM! GOT TO GIVE WHAT IT TAKES....Hello

Yankees! I love you America. (reading from English book)

Would you prefer an appetiser or aperitif?



EXT. RUSSIAN MIR SPACE STATION



PULL OUT of the MIR's window to see Lev dancing with joy.

He's celebrating the forthcoming arrival.



PULL FURTHER BACK to catch a wider view of the Russian

multi-module Space Station -- a white winged steel seagull.



INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM



Through the cockpit window, the BLUENESS of Earth's

atmosphere becomes the BLACKNESS of space.



INT. MISSION CONTROL



Clark : Freedom, Independence. You're looking good. Prepare

to start docking procedures at the MIR.



INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM



Sharp addresses the crews of both shuttles over the radio --



Sharp : Listen up -- the MIR will be spinning to give us

gravity so we can work faster. You might feel queasy or

dizzy. We'll dock, transfer the fuel, then detach from the

MIR.         &n

bsp; Fast and safe. This stuff is very volatile.



INT. RUSSIAN MIR SPACE STATION - DOCKING PORT



Lev is working feverishly, running highly insulated liquid

oxygen and hydrogen PROPELLANT TRANSFER HOSES from the MIR's

several LABORATORY and LIVING MODULES to the MIR's twin

docking ports.



A BLUE INDICATOR LIGHT FLASHES. Lev looks out of the MIR's

portside window. His eyes light up. He smiles.



EXT. SPACE - LOW EARTH ORBIT - MIR DOCKING PORTS



Freedom and Independence approach the MIR station. The MIR

is T-shaped, with TWIN DOCKING PORTS at each end of the T's

crossbar. Freedom begins docking at one end., Independence

at the other.



INT. SHUTTLES FREEDOM/INDEPENDENCE - AIRLOCK PORT TO MIR



Truman : Fuel teams prepare to unload.



A RED LIGHT (unsafe) turns GREEN (safe). The docking port's

HATCHWHEEL spins, and the door slides open. Harry, Sharp,

Watts, Chick, A.J., Bennie, and Truman enter the MIR.



INT. MIR SPACE STATION - DOCKING MODULE



The TEAM comes through the docking module and out pops Lev,

hanging upside down in frame.



Lev : HELLO YANKEES! Welcome to the home of me, Cosmonaut

Lev Andropov. (MORE)



On a wall, A COMPUTER BOARD that monitors the fuel transfer

is filled with GREEN LIGHTS.



INT. CENTRAL ROOM - CENTER HUB OF MIR



Harry, Bennie, and Lev are talking in the combination

kitchen/ rec room of the MIR -- a little bigger than a

walk-in closet. Lev grabs a VIDEO CAMERA and starts

video-taping Harry and Bennie.



Lev : I hear rumour on radio. My country broke. No steaks in

freezer. They plan to sell me and the MIR (moving in closer,

conspiratorial) Can you confirm this? 

Bennie : We wouldn't know. What's the camera?

Lev : Oh, I also di-rec-tor. Russian cinema. MIR movies.

Each has title.



Lev grabs remote control. On a large TELEVISION screen

VARIOUS IMAGES OF LEV appear.



Lev : "Lev loves cargo." "Lev sleeps." "Lev prepares for

Americans." "Lev gets bored so he gets drunk." Funny

but...too long.

Bennie : Looks like you have a lot of free time on your

hands.

Lev : Yeah. I alone by myself.



Watts comes into the room. The first woman Lev has seen in a

very, very long time. Lev moves the camera all over her.



Lev : Hello, fellow space colleague.



Watts nods.



Watts : I'll be in the docking port.

Lev : Please allow me to escort you. (as they walk out) You

California girl?



INT. MIR SPACE STATION - REAR MODULES



Harry and Bennie enter the MIR's rearmost module. Two

propellant hoses run into TWIN PROPELLANT OUTPUT VALVES on a

rear panel. Bennie's eyes move to a LAUNDRY LINE. BOXERS

hang from the line.



Bennie : This Lev guy is a little off.



On the computer board, a small RED LIGHT replaces the GREEN

LIGHT. Then another. No one notices.



INT. MIR STATION - DOCKING PORTS



CAMERA FOLLOWS MICROSCOPIC AEROSOL BUBBLES OF LIQUID OXYGEN

(MACRO SHOT) DRIPPING from a valve onto a COMPUTER CIRCUIT

BOARD.



INT. MIR - FUEL STORAGE



THE GAUGE STARTS TO rise. A.J. WATCHES. One hundred

eighty-five...190...195...



A.J. : (into intercom) Lev, the pressure's climbing.



INT. MIR CORRIDOR



(EXTREME MACRO) The Liquid Oxygen oozes into the circuit

board. Surgeon-like microscopic camera tracks it under the

keys, reaching a COMPUTER SWITCH. It SPARKS.



INT. DOCKING PORT



Lev, Sharp, and Chick are walking toward the shuttles. The

ELECTRICITY in the MIR FLUTTERS. Lev stops. Sharp stops. Lev

looks over his shoulder toward the central hub. A chill runs

down his spine. DOLLY INTO LEV'S EYES -



Lev : (whispering) Leak. Run.



Lev and Sharp run toward the central hub. Lev punches a

KLAXON.



Lev : (cont'd) LEAK! RUN!



Chick takes off running past Lev and Sharp.



Sharp : (to Chick) E-vac. E-vac. Unhook the shuttles. Move!



INT. MIR - FUEL STORAGE



A.J. reacts to the KLAXON, starts to climb up the shaft

ladder. A.J. struggles under the heavy weight of his cold

suit, finally reaching ---



INT MIR - CORRIDOR ABOVE FUEL STORAGE



Circuits pop VIOLENTLY all around A.J., as the mixture of

chemical in the air starts to CHEW the MIR's walls.



INT. MIR - CENTRAL HUB



Lev, Sharp, and Chick RUN into the hub as the leak

continues, growing rapidly worse, EATING the walls. Sharp

sees the LEAK. Runs back toward the docking port.



Lev : (to Sharp) Seal door.



As Sharp SEALS the hatch, Lev returns to look for A.J.



INT. MIR STATION - REAR MODULE



Harry and Chick react to the KLAXOX BLARES.



Harry : Unhook the shuttles.



Harry and Chick RUN out of the rear module and race through

the maze of twisting corridors.



INT. MIR CORRIDOR



A.J. runs through another corridor, heading for the docking

port as the walls around him POP! Lev files around the

corner almost smashing into A.J.



INT. MIR STATION - REAR MODULE



The smoking circuitry SPARKS, and the REAR MODULE explodes

in a VIOLENT CONCUSSION, LAUNCHING A LONG TONGUE OF FLAME

into -- INT. MIR STATION - UPPER MODULES



Harry and Chick race for the DOCKING MODULE as -- BEHIND

THEM, A SECOND MODULE fills with FIRE and EXPLODES, rocking

the MIR. Then a third. Fire starts to RIP THROUGH corridors

in the MIR.



EXT. MIR STATION - SPACE



The MIR shudders and begins to TILT TO ONE SIDE.



INT. MIR STATION - UPPER MODULES



Everything is SIDEWAYS. Lev is KNOCKED to the ground. A

HEAVY COMPUTER BOARD falls, separating A.J. and Lev.



Attempting to reach A.J., Lev turns back and runs from where

he just came.



INT. MIR STATION - UPPER MODULES - SEALED CORRIDOR



A.J. looks left, then right. He doesn't know how to get to

the docking port. He starts running.



INT. MIR STATION - DOCKING PORTS



Sharp re-joins Bennie and Truman. They unhook the FUEL LINES

to the shuttles. Sharp and Chick run aboard Shuttle Freedom.

Truman boards Independence.



INT. MIR CORRIDOR



A.J. is at the corridor fork. Right or left? The Russian

writing above both paths doesn't help. Just as he's about to

go left -- Lev suddenly appears, grabs A.J., and PUSHES HIM

into the RIGHT CORRIDOR.



Lev : Run Yankee!



INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM



Sharp : (to Watts as he sits and buckles up) Shut the doors

and fire her up!

Watts : We still have people out there.

Sharp : It's them or ALL OF US. CLOSE THE DOORS NOW!



As the doors are closing, Harry and Chick rush into Shuttle

Freedom. Harry's fingers grab the doors just in time. The

doors retract back.



Harry : Did A.J. make it?

Chick : I didn't see him.



INT. SHUTTLE INDEPENDENCE



Truman buckles himself in, fires up the Independence.



INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM



Freedom is fired up. The MIR shudders again. TILTS further.



Sharp : We have to GO!



INT. MIR CORRIDOR



A.J. and Lev are running hard as DEBRIS falls behind them

and the walls start to TEAR APART. They turn a corner,

headed toward the docking port --



INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM



Harry is at the door, eyes frantically searching for A.J. --



Sharp : WE GO NOW!



Sharp stabs a button on his pilot console. The AUTOMATED

DOORS BEGIN to slide shut.



INT. SHUTTLE INDEPENDENCE



Truman stabs a button on his pilot console. The AUTOMATED

DOORS BEGIN to slide shut.



INT. MIR DOCKING PORT



A.J. and Lev race into the docking port from a rear

corridor. Harry sees them. Lev dives into Independence just

as the doors close. A.J. dives head-long through the

shutting Independence doors.



INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM

Sharp : (to Watts) Full thrusters!



EXT. MIR STATION - SHUTTLES FREEDOM AND INDEPENDENCE



The two shuttles RELEASE AWAY from the MIR Station on FULL

THRUSTER POWER, just escaping as --



THE MIR STATION EXPLODES in an eternal flash fire, blowing

out sections of wall panels and sending a SOLAR PANEL

shooting toward Freedom that just misses her! The collapsed

MIR STATION drifts off into the oblivion of space.



INT. SHUTTLE INDEPENDENCE



A.J. sits panting on the floor of the shuttle next to the

docking port door. Lev stares down at him.



Lev : I am Cosmonaut Lev Andropov, what your name?

A.J. : My name is A.J.

Lev : You just blew up my home.



SUPER : TWENTY THREE HOURS TO THE MOON



Golden and Sharp sitting around going over data. New images

of the closer, meaner asteroid approaching.



INT. FREEDOM



Interior small sleeping area. Max hanging upside-down in

zero gravity. Wakes up yawning. He looks to Bear.



Max : Oh, man, did I have a dream.

Bear : So did Martin Luthor King.

Max : No, this was a bad dream. We were drilling and the

ground ate the bit. Then it ate the pipe, then the derrick.

Then it ate us.

Bear : That's a dumb-ass dream.

Max : I'm not coming home.



They look at each other.



INT. FREEDOM COCKPIT



Harry, Bear, Chick, and Sharp stand looking out the cockpit

rear window toward the brilliant blue Earth.



Bear : What are you thinking about, Chick?

Chick : My kid. You.

Bear : My Mom, she'd be proud to see me as an astronaut.

Chick : Harry, what are you thinking?

Harry : (looking at Earth) How beautiful it is. Thinkin'

about all that oil I sucked out and spit into the air.Funny

how a man can live 46 years and realize he ain't been doing

the         &nb

sp;right thing.



INT. N.A.S.A. - PRESS CONFERENCE ROOM



BEHIND A CURTAIN - Golden confers with Collinswood.



Collinswood : The President is counting on you to put out

the fire, Dan. Say whatever you have to. Just do it.



Golden walks from behind the curtain. Walks up to the

podium, ten VIDEO CAMERAS swivel into position.



For a long moment Golden just stands there, saying nothing.



Golden : I work for the President of the United States.

(long pause; looks over at Collinswood) But I think it's my

duty as a scientist to tell the world what is happening.

Three,         

    days ago a manned space mission was

sent to intercept an asteroid which has entered the Earth's

orbit. (REPORTERS all chatter) This is a difficult mission.

In

all         &nb

sp;   frankness, it is the most difficult

mission anyone has ever flown. (beat) A little over fifty

years ago we sent our Armed Forces half-way around the world

to save

the         &nb

sp;   world from an evil empire that

threatened mass extinction. The men and women of this nation

united, answered the calland preserved our freedom. (beat)

Once

again         &

nbsp;   we face a threat to our way of life.

And once again we look to our military to preserve our

future. The men and women selected to lead this mission are

America's        &nb

sp;    finest and most decorated career

officers in the military. Our hopes and prayers are with

them. Thank you.



Golden walks off. The REPORTERS CLAMOR:



Reporters : (UNISON) Director Golden! DIRECTOR GOLDEN!



BACKSTAGE - Golden approaches Collinswood.



Collinswood : Golden, your drillers better not let us down.

Golden : We'll do your best.



EXT. SPACE - APPROACHING THE MOON



The two Shuttles approach THE MOON, Freedom in the lead,

Independence following.



Beyond the Moon, too distant to see clearly, THE ASTEROID is

on its trajectory toward Earth. It is a HUGE, GRAGGY MASS

surrounded on all sides by a DEBRIS CLUSTER of rock and ice,

the ice glinting on and off in reflected sunlight, like

millions of fireflies.



INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM - COCKPIT



Watts : (unbelieving) My goodness, look at that thing....

Sharp : We have visual of target, Houston. Velocity

thirty-three hundred miles an hour.



INT. HOUSTON - MISSION CONTROL



Clark sits with Techs Flip and Skip. Golden and Temple pace

behind the console.



INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM - REAR CABIN



Harry, Chick, Bear, and Max finish buckling into their seat

restraints and harnesses.



INT. SHUTTLE INDEPENDENCE - REAR CABIN



A.J., Lev, Bennie, Jimbo and Tito buckle on harnesses.

Bennie looks at A.J. nervously.



EXT. SPACE - APPROACHING THE MOON



The Shuttles rapidly close on the moon. The dead, luminous

sphere looms larger in frame.



INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM - COCKPIT



THE LUNAR SURFACE completely fills the cockpit windshield.

We've lost sight of the oncoming asteroid.



Sharp : Visual contact with target lost, Houston.



IN THE REAR CABIN - Harry, Chick, Bear, and Max stare in awe

at the ever-approaching Moon.



EXT. SPACE - APPRAOCHING THE MOON



Shuttles Freedom and Independence shoot toward the Moon,

pulled by the lunar gravitational field.



INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM - COCKPIT



THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD - THE LUNAR SURFACE is only 150 miles

down, looking close enough to reach down and touch.



EXT. SPACE - APPROACHING THE MOON



The two Shuttles whip into lunar orbit, moving around the

Moon, continuing to accelerate, nearing its Dark side.



INT. N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL



Clark : (into headset) How we doin', Freedom, over?



INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM - COCKPIT



Watts : Nearing the Dark Side, Houston, a minute thirty and

counting.



EXT. SPACE - THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MOON



On the Moon's opposite side, THE ASTEROID roars into frame,

its trailing fragments motionless in relation to each other,

travelling as a swarm, a cluster of debris. As it nears the

Moon's gravitational field --



TRAILING FRAGMENTS peel away, drawn into the Moon by its

lunar gravity. A relatively DEBRIS-LESS CORRIDOR begins to

form on one side of the asteroid.



INT. N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL



Skip : Twenty seconds till we lose radio contact, Director.

Clark : You're on your own, Willie. You've got to raise your

velocity 17 thousand miles an hour or you won't catch the

target, over.



INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM - COCKPIT



Sharp : See you on the other side, Houston.

Skip : (V.O) Entering Dark Side, Freedom, and counting: ten,

nine, eight, seven...



INT. N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL



Skip : Radio contact terminated.



The radio crackles with STATIC. ON THE TECHNICIAN'S

CONSOLES, all of Freedom's and Independence's COMPUTERIZED

SYSTEM MONITORS (pressurization, oxygen, electrical power,

fuel capacity, etc.) GO DEAD.



Golden : They'll be pullin' nine and half G's for eleven

minutes, General.

Temple : Anyone done that before?

Flip : Yeah. That Russian monkey in 1957.

Clark : We'll pick 'em up again in sixteen minutes, Danny.

Golden : If they're still alive.



INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM - AROUND DARK SIDE OF MOON



The radio is STATIC.



Watts : Rockets ready for burn, Willie.

Sharp : (over shoulder to Harry and others) Time to suck it

up, people. Just pretend you're on the big roller coaster at

Disneyland...(mumbles under breath) ...times

a          

; hundred....



Sharp reaches for the BOOSTER ROCKET SWITCH. He gives Watts

one last look, then throws the switch.



EXT. DARK SIDE OF THE MOON - FREEDOM AND INDEPENDENCE



Freedom and Independence fire their BOOSTERS. The two

SHUTTLES explode forward, hurtling around the Moon's DARK

SIDE with a degree of increasing velocity never before

experienced by man.



INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM - REAR CABIN



Harry, Chick, Bear, and Max get hit with the first G-Forces.

Their torsos press back against their seats. They flex their

arms, breathing deeply, expanding their chest cavities as

they were taught in training.



Harry : I hate to fly, I hate to fly, I hate to fly....



INT. SHUTTLE INDEPENDENCE - REAR CABIN



A.J., Lev, Bennie, Jumbo, and Tito get slammed back by the

first wave of G-Forces.



INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM - COCKPIT



Watts reads her VELOCITY INDICATOR under G-Forces so bad she

speaks through clenched teeth:



Watts : Fourteen thousand....sixteen thousand...twenty

thousand miles an hour, Willie...!



INT. N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL



Silence. Tension. Technicians stare at their consoles.



Clark : They're hittin' the big G's right about...now.

Golden : Come on, Willie, you can do this....



INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM - REAR CABIN



Excruciating, gut-wrenching, turn-your-intestines-inside-out

G-Forces. HARRY and CHICK'S FACIAL MUSCLES distort

hideously; their rubbery cheeks and lips flatten out. They

continue anti-G exercises, tensing every muscle, trying to

keep blood flow evenly distributed.



INT. SHUTTLE INDEPENDENCE



A.J. and Bennie's distorted faces, likewise, go through the

anti G-Force exercises, tensing every muscle.



EXT. LUNAR ORBIT - MASTER SHOT



IN ONE AWE-INSPIRING SHOT, we see --



Shuttles Freedom and Independence rocketing around the Moon

in darkness, further and further, until finally WE SEE,

increasingly, a staggering, mind blowing visual --



THE ASTEROID'S TRAILING DEBRIS appears, a HUGE CLOUD of tiny

ICE CHUNKS AND PEBBLES, and much larger BOULDERS, and

ICEBERGS the size of houses, the ice glinting with reflected

sunlight, throwing off a dazzling SPECTRAL SHOWER OF LIGHT

in all directions, and finally --



THE ASTEROID'S HUGE CORE - it has just cleared the Moon and

now flies straight for it's destination - the cool, blue

PLANET EARTH dead ahead across an expanse of space.



Shuttles Freedom and Independence slingshot out of the Lunar

orbit and fall in behind the asteroid, settling into the

DEBRIS-LESS CORRIDOR.



INT. N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL



Continued STATIC on the radio. Everyone sits nervously

waiting. Suddenly the shuttles' computerised SYSTEM MONITORS

begin to click back on.



Clark : Freedom, come in, over. Independence, come in, over.



Nothing. Golden grabs the mike.



Golden : Willie? Come in, over. Willie, can you hear me...?



Total silence. A pin could drop. The N.A.S.A. Technicians

stare nervously at the Central Board.



Then, suddenly through static:



Sharp : (V.0) Houston, you gotta see this to believe it....



Elation. Held breaths are exhaled. Golden and N.A.S.A.

TECHNICIANS smile. No one is more relieved than Grace.



INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM - COCKPIT



Sharp and Watts stare through the windshield at --



THE ASTEROID, below them and dead ahead. We get our first

(and only temporary) clear glimpse of the designated landing

field, a relatively smooth, unobstructed plane on the

asteroid's surface.



Harry is green, looks like he's gonna blow chunks.



Sharp : We're awake, we're not pukin'....(looks over

shoulder at Harry) ....well, Harry is. And we got a clear

path to the target. Houston, over.



INT. SHUTTLE INDEPENDENCE



Truman smiles.



Truman : Copy that, Freedom.



INT. N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL



Clark gives Golden a thumbs up.



Clark : We'll take you in, guys.



EXT. SHUTTLES FREEDOM AND INDEPENDENCE



Freedom, in the lead, and Independence, following to the

rear and side, descend through the debris-less corridor to

the waiting asteroid.



Suddenly a CLOUD OF ICE AND PEBBLES wafts in front of the

Shuttles.



INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM COCKPIT



In one terrifying second, visibility is cut to twenty feet.

Then BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!



PEBBLES and SMALL ICE CHUNKS strike the windshield, chipping

and denting it. The impacts are violent; the interior is

buffeted around. It's the space equivalent of bad hailstorm.



Sharp : Damn it....!

Clark : (V.O) What is it, Willie?

Sharp : Problem, Houston. We've got debris all over us!



REAR OF COCKPIT - Harry and the others, alarmed, are

buffeted around violently.



INT. SHUTTLE INDEPENDENCE - COCKPIT



No visibility here either. Ice chunks and pebbles BANG

against the windshield.



Truman : I've got no visibility. I've lost orientation to

the target!



Suddenly, as sudden as it came, the debris clears.



But a HUGE ICE BOULDER the size of a three-story building

twirls into Independence's path. It hits a BOULDER which

collides with another.



Truman : Big guy! Dead ahead!



Truman stabs his directional thruster button. Shuttle

Independence veers to the right....



INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM



Sharp hits his directional thruster, and Freedom veers to

the left....



EXT. THROUGH THE ASTEROID'S TAIL



Freedom goes left, Independence right, splitting the ice

boulder.



Freedom clears the ice boulder by a foot. Independence, not

so lucky, clips the ice boulder, ripping her left thruster

clean off. With one thruster, Independence careens out of

control, twirling and spinning.



INT. SHUTTLE INDEPENDENCE



Truman : (panicked) I lost left thruster! No control! I have

no control!



In the Independence's cargo bay, one of the Armadillos RIPS

free from its moorings and plunges through the CARGO BAY

DOORS.



INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM



Sharp steers Freedom past the ice boulder.



Watts : Where's the other ship....?!



Suddenly the Independence, with a RIPPED OPEN CARGO BAY

DOOR, careens directly across Freedom's path, filling

Freedom's cockpit window, nearly colliding with her.



Sharp hits his thrusters, veering away from the damaged

Independence.



Sharp and Watts watch Independence twirling toward the

asteroid. Suddenly BANG!!!



The INDEPENDENCE'S ERRANT ARMADILLO strikes the Freedom's

nose, spider-webbing the WINDSHIELD. Sharp and Watts recoil

in terror. Watts SCREAMS.



INT. SHUTTLE INDEPENDENCE



The fuselage is spinning. A.J., Bennie and the others are in

terror. In the cockpit, Truman SCREAMS over the radio:



Truman : Houston, MAYDAY, MAYDAY, we're going down!



The Shuttle's roof collides with a rock. We hear SCRAPING

METAL. The CEILING dents in, dislodging INTERIOR CEILING

PANELS filled with wires and electrical components; they

rain down on A.J. and the others.



Choas. The SPARKING CABIN fills with smoke.



Truman : Crew, go to life support!



Everyone grabs for their HELMET, frantically trying to get

them on. A.J. gets his on, but he can't lock his neck seal.

He fidgets with the little SEAKL LOCKS.



A.J. rips off the helmet. It slips from his fingers and

floats off through the zero-g cabin!



A.J. : Goddamn it!



A.J. throws off his seat harnesses and goes after his

helmet. In zero-gravity, the sides of the twirling cockpit

revolve around A.J. as he moves.



INT. N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL



We hear a CACOPHONY OF VOICES and BANGING ROCKS against

Independence's fuselage.



Truman : MAYDAY, HOUSTON, MAYDAY....!!



Golden and the N.A.S.A. personnel can only sit and listen,

horrified, impotent to do anything.....



INT. SHUTTLE INDEPENDENCE - REAR CABIN



AT THE BACK OF THE CABIN - A.J. reaches his helmet and

frantically gets it back on. The fuselage is still twirling

around him.



Bennie, strapped in and freaking out, throws off his seat

harness and bolts for the SAFETY EMERGENCY HATCH equipped

with EXPLOSIVE RELEASE CHARGES.



Truman sees Bennie at the Emergency Hatch. BIG ROCKS smash

off the windshield in front of Truman; the windshield's

safety glass is weakened, splintered, to the point of

bursting.



Truman : Get away from that door!!!!



Bennie is wild-eyed, crazed.



Bennie : Go to hell, man, I ain't dyin' on this thing!!!!



A SERIES OF QUICK CUTS:



A ROCK SMASHES through the windshield, gouging into Truman.

Depressurisation. Truman and Co-pilot Weston are sucked out

through the windshield.



Bennie BLOWS the Emergency Hatch's explosive charges. The

hatch door pulls Bennie out into space...to his death.



INT. N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL



FLASH CUTS: Independence's System Monitors flash off:

PRESSURIZATION goes to zero; CABIN OXYGEN goes to zero;

INDIVIDUAL LIFE SUPPORT MONITORS go to zero.



Independence's radio transmissions are STATIC and PANICKED

VOICES. Golden runs down the aisle to Independence's

monitors.



Skip : No cabin pressure! Systems-wide failure!



INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM - REAR CABIN



Harry and the Roughnecks are SMASHED around in their seats.



IN THE COCKPIT - THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD



A BOULDER the size of a house looms downslope. Shuttle

Freedom is skidding straight for it.



Sharp and Watts watch helplessly as the Shuttle skids toward

the boulder.



EXT. ASTEROID SURFACE



Freedom hits a SMALLER ROCK, which changes its skid angle.

It clears the boulder by a foot and skids to a stop at the

base of the slope.



INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM - REAR CABIN



Harry and the others JOLT to a stop. No one moves. No one

breathes. It's scary as hell.



INT. N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL Golden and the other

Technicians wait breathlessly for some response. Golden

GRABS the mike.



Golden : Freedom. come in. (no response) Independence, come

in . no response) Come in, Freedom.



Nothing. Skip buries his face in his hands. Flip chews his

pencil. Golden, having lost one crew already, twists his

wedding ring.



Sharp : (V.O) Houston, it's Freedom. We just landed on this

son-of-a-bitch, over.



Golden and the Technicians breath a sigh of relief.



Watts : (V.O) What's the status of Independence?



INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM - REAR CABIN



CAMERA PUSHES IN ON HARRY, as he waits for Houston's

response to this last question.



Sharp : (V.O) We lost her.



CAMERA TIGHT ON HARRY. He's lost men before, many men on oil

rigs. But not A.J.....



Chick : (O.S.) Harry, Harry, Jesus Christ, this can't

happen....



Harry snaps out of it, turns to Chick.



Harry : It did happen. They're gone. Deal with it. We got a

lot of work to do.



Harry unharnesses himself and rises.



INT. N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL



Golden looks at Grace. She looks back. A tear slides off her

cheek to the console. Harry's daughter doesn't say a word,

or break down. She just quietly rises and walks to the back

of the room. Grace rubs her bare ring finger. A BEAT.



CAMERA SPIES the ZERO BARRIER CLOCK. Seven hours, 52

minutes, 000 feet drilled.



INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM



Chick, Bear, and Max prepare to disembark, donning helmet

and glove assemblies, clicking neck and wrist seals into

locking position.



Harry comes into the cockpit. Watts is flipping switches and

reading gauges. Sharp's on the radio. A haze fills the

cockpit.



Watts : Engine ignition system isn't responding.



INT. N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL



INTERCUT - FREEDOM/ MISSION CONTROL



Golden : What's the problem?

Flip : Engine ignition. Starting diagnostics.

Sharp : Houston, I don't know where we are. Tell me how far

we overshot Harry's sweep spot. Advise on currant location,

over.



Skip motions to Golden and Clark. They hurry over to his

console. On Skip's computer screen is a MAP OF THE ASTEROID

containing its geological fault lines.



Skip : They overshot their landing 26 miles. There's a

different fault line, but it's deeper.

Golden : How much deeper?

Skip : Two hundred feet.



Golden exchanges a look with Temple.



Golden : Harry, your fault line's fifty yards off the

starboard side.



INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM



Harry stalks to the rear.



Harry : Rockhound.

Rockhound : Yes, sir.

Harry : I'm gonna get you some surface samples and you're

gonna tell me what I'm up against.

Rockhound : Rocks are my life.

Watts : Willie, we might be stuck.



Sharp exchanges grim looks with Pitts and Fisk over this bad

information.



Harry : The good news just keeps comin'. Load up, guys.



Sharp watches Harry and the guys exit to the rear.



EXT. ASTEROID SURFACE - SHUTTLE FREEDOM



Freedom's cargo door opens; its RAMP unfolds to the

asteroid's surface. HARRY looks out.



Freedom is in a small, cold, dark valley. The asteroid's

face is tilted away from the Earth and Sun. THE MOON is huge

on our rear horizon. The place is eerily calm and tranquil.

Harry walks down the ramp onto the asteroid surface.



INT. FREEDOM CARGO BAY - INSIDE ARMADILLO



Chick, at the Armadillo's controls, engages gears.



EXT. ASTEROID SURFACE - DRILLING SITE



The Armadillo rumbles out of the cargo bay, carrying Bear,

Max, Rockhound and Pitts over the wheel wells.



The Armadillo drives 50 yards from Freedom and parks. The

guys hop down, turning on their PRO-GRAVITY THRUSTERS. Bear

begins off-loading 20-foot long DRILLING PIPES.



Harry takes readings from a SEISMIC INSTRUMENT. Pulls out a

SOIL SAMPLER, a small shovel on a telescoping shaft. He digs

it in with his boot. Clang. It doesn't dig in at all. He

walks around, stabbing it into the ground. CLANG. CLANG.



Chick exchanges nervous looks with Bear and Max.



Harry : Bedrock. Whole goddamn place is Bedrock.



Harry examines the ground. Not satisfied. He finds a spot he

likes; digs an "X" in the soil with his boot.



Harry : (cont'd) Here. Fire up the Bad Boy bit.



Chick, Max and Bear go into action. Max screws the Bad Boy

bit onto the first drilling pipe. Bear hoists the pipe up to

the DRILLING MECHANISM, muscles it onto the DRILL DRIVE,

then clamps it on.



Harry plugs a TEE and GOLF BALL into the craggy surface. He

waggles his club, a 5-IRON HEAD, screwed onto the soil

sampler's shaft.



Pitts : What's he doing?

Chick : Wildcatters are superstitious, Colonel. Harry does

this every time we break ground.



He swings....WHACK! The ball rockets off the tee and keeps

going...and going...



Harry : HOLE NUMBER 77. Let 'er rip!



Chick throws a lever, lowering the BAD BOY BIT into the

rocky, icy surface. Down the drill pipe goes, unimpeded, 10

feet just like that. It suddenly stops. It's turning, but

not drilling. Bear and Max approach the drill hole.



Bear : What in hell's down there?

Harry : Chick, bring 'er up!



Chick throws it in reverse. The DRILLING ARM reverses out of

the hole. The Bad Boy bot comes up CHEWED TO SHREDS. Harry

and the guys examine the drill bit. Everyone exchanges a

worried look.



Max : The dream. It's my dream.

Harry : Shut up, Max. (looks at Bear) What's with the look?

Get that off your face. You've seen bits get eaten before.

Bear : Not after ten feet.

Chick : The first ten better be the worst ten.

Harry : Go to the Terminator.



Chick grabs Harry's mysterious METAL CASE. Harry pops open

the metal case, revealing THE TERMINATOR, a super high-tech

bit.



Harry : I designed you. I built you. You are the enemy of

all subterranean shit. You are the king. It's showtime.



Harry passes it to Bear, who screws it onto the drilling

pipe, Rockhound scoops up a COLLECTION OF DOWNHOLE ROCK

CHIPS.



Harry : (cont'd) Hit it, Chick.



The DRILL PIPE turns. Sediment comes WHOOSHING out of the

hole and -- THE DRILL PIPE descends like a bitch.



INT. FREEDOM



Sharp, Watts, Pitts and Fisk have a PANEL removed, exposing

the guts of Freedom's wiring and components. Watts and Sharp

are inside the panel, scrunched against the fuselage wall,

unbolting a large COMPONENT. Watts hands Pitts and Fisk a

SMALLER COMPONENT.



Watts : Unbolt the housing. There and there.



INT. ARMADILLO



The rock CHIPS spew into the COLLECTOR in front of

ROCKHOUND. Harry looks on.



Harry : What do you make of that?



Rockhound picks up several chips. Draws them close to his

eyes.



Rockhound : Oh my. Oh my, my, my. This isn't rock. It's uhh,

it's uhh, it's......iron.

Harry : Iron deposit?

Rockhound : (shakes head) No. It's been melted. Forged

rather. I've only seen this once - at a volcano in Hawaii.

(looks up at Harry) You're drilling into a big slab of

cast-iron,        &n

bsp;         &n

bsp;Mr. Stamper.



INT. FREEDOM



Harry picks up the radio.



Harry : Give me Dan Golden.



INTERCUT - MISSION CONTROL / FREEDOM



Golden's handed the phone.



Golden : Yeah, Harry. What's your situation?



INTERCUT - GOLDEN AND TEMPLE IN MISSION CONTROL / HARRY ON

FREEDOM



Harry : Situation? You put me down on the worst possible

place on this asteroid. I'm drillin' into something I

shouldn't. The hole just ate one of my diamond-tipped bits

in         &nbs

p;thirty minutes. That has never happened to me in twenty

years.

Golden : You're forty minutes in. You should be down 150

feet. How far are you?

Harry : Not far. (beat) Twenty-three feet.



CLOSE ON Golden as he looks at Temple.



Temple : This is an exercise in futility.

Golden : (to Harry) "Don't tell me what you can't do, tell

me what you can." Remember that, Stamper? Go faster.

Harry : We will.

Golden : How?



INT. FREEDOM CARGO BAY



Sharp and Pitts enter. Fisk hands Sharp the phone.



Sharp : Sharp, over.



PUSH IN on Sharp in EXTREME CLOSE-UP. His jaw tightens. His

eyes dart.



Sharp : (cont'd) Sir, the bird can't fly.

Temple : (V.O.) Well, you need to get it fixed unless you

want to die along with that asteroid.



A LONG PAUSE, as Sharp listens.



Sharp :(cont'd) Yes, sir.

Temple : (V.O.) And, I don't want those drillers knowing

about this. They have  enough to worry about just drilling

the damn ole.

Collinswood : (V.O.) Colonel Sharp, this is Chief of Staff

Collinswood. Have Pitts and Fisk prepare to detonate that

nuke on the surface. Too many lives are at stake here.

Have         &n

bsp;         th

em standing by.

Sharp : On your order sir.



EXT. ASTEROID SURFACE - A TINY VALLEY - ESTABLISHING



The gnarled WRECK OF SHUTTLE INDEPENDENCE lies below.

Twisted metal and cabin materials strewn everywhere.



INT. INDEPENDENCE CRASH SITE



CAMERA moves through the wreckage of Independence.

Nightmarish. EMERGENCY LIGHTS still on battery flicker. The

shattered windshield; the blown emergency hatch; A CORPSE

lies face down, helmet half on, half off; Independence's

huge tubular NUCLEAR DEVICE.



Something moves on the ceiling. REVEAL A.J. hanging upside

down, caught in the twisted fuselage skin. A.J. cuts himself

down. He twirls to the ground. Sees LEGS MOVING UNDER

RUBBLE.



A.J. throws off the rubble, revealing Lev, dazed but alive.

A.J. helps him to his feet.



Lev : What happened to the others....



A.J. and Lev move toward the cockpit.



A.J. : (grabs the radio) Freedom, come in, over. Freedom,

come in, over.... Freedom...? (shaking head) It's you and

me.



A.J. smashes the radio in frustration.



EXT. FREEDOM - DRILLING SITE



Chick and Bear screw on a new length of drill pipe. Chick

engages the gears. The drill pipe descends. THE TERMINATOR

is working. Harry approaches from the shuttle.



Harry : How far?

Chick : Almost 60 feet and startin' to kick ass!



Suddenly GRRRR. CLANG. BANG. The drill pipe stops. Harry

walks over to the hole.



Chick : (cont'd) That did not sound good.

Harry : Increase r.p.m.



Chick throws the lever. The drill pipe turns faster, but

still doesn,t descend. Harry and the guys crowd around the

drilling hole.



Max : Freaky, man.

Bear : I got one of those big-time crappy feelings about

this.

Harry : We gotta get more power down to this bit. (thinks;

looks up at Chick) Full throttle.

Chick : You sure?

Harry : Yeah, I'm sure.

Chick : I don't think she can take it.

Harry : She's gonna have to.

Chick : The last time we ran her at full throttle we ripped

her up!

Harry : I don't have time to argue, Chick, now goddamn it,

throttle up, or I'll come up there and do it for you.



Chick reluctantly throws the lever to FULL THROTTLE. The

TURBINE ENGINE ROARS. The DRILL PIPE turns faster in the

hole. The TURBINE ENGINE is shaking the Armadillo. The drill

pipe is descending again. Suddenly BANG!! The CLUTCH

rupture, spewing the CLUTCH PLATES and GEARS into space.



Harry : Stop!



Chick throws it into reverse. Up comes THE TERMINATOR,

CHEWED TO SHREDS. Bear and Max look at it, then each other.

Very worried now.



Bear : The Terminator's terminated.

Chick : The clutch is dead.

Harry : We're goin' to the second rig.



Harry stalks off toward the Shuttle.



Harry : (cont'd) We need the second Armadillo.

Sharp : We'll bring it out to you.



Harry moves to get his pipe tongs. Fisk and Pitts are next

to the uncovered nuclear bomb. Harry looks at the bomb.



EXT. FREEDOM - DRILL SITE



Chick, Bear and Max listen to Harry over the inter-crew

link.



INTERCUT WITH ABOVE.



INT. FREEDOM



Harry : Why don't we cut to the chase, fellahs? What the

fuck is going on with that other nuke?



Harry stares at the nuclear weapon.



Sharp : Stamper, if you can't drill the hole, we're

detonating this thing on the surface....



Chick and the guys eye each other. Harry walks off, pissed

off....



INT. MISSION CONTROL



Golden and Clark are hunched over monitors. Two MILITARY

AIDES carrying a NUCLEAR COMMAND LINK (FOOTBALL) SUITCASE.



Golden, alarmed, tries to figure out what they h