X-Men

       The DOG TAG as it is elevated into the machine.

                           JEAN (V.O.)

                 In every organism on Earth there exits

                 a mutator gene -- The X-factor.  The

                 beginnings of another stage of

                 evolution.

       SLOWLY BUILDING LIGHT, growing brighter and brighter.

                           MAGNETO (V.O.)

                 God works too slowly.

       Pull back as if the camera is pulling back through his

       eye, into his head -- A MICROSCOPEíS VIEW OF HIS CELLS,

       suddenly and violently disturbed.

                           KELLY (V.O.)

                 What have you bastards done to me?

                           CHILDíS VOICE (V.O.)

                 Mom, is that a mutant?

       Kellyís reflection in the metal of the sink in his

       prison.

                           MAGNETO (V.O.)

                 Youíre a leader Senator Kelly, you set

                 an example...

       Blobís face, burned by Kellyís hands.

       Over the cliff.

                           GUYRICH (V.O.)

                 ... A Demonstration of some kind?

       The venomous spike emerging from Kellyís hands.

                           MAGNETO (V.O.)

                 Because if more of you... were like

                 more of us... like more of us...

                           GUYRICH (V.O.)

                 ... the UN summit... the whole world

                 will be watching.

                           KELLY (V.O.)

                 What is it you intend to do to me?

       The woman staring up at him on the beach.

                           KELLY (V.O.)

                 Oh...  Oh God... what have you done to

                 me?

       The boy on the beach.

       JARRING FLASH

                           KELLY (V.O.)

                 Dear God.... dear... God.

                           NEWSCASTER (V.O.)

                 ... the largest single summit in the

                 history of the planet.

                           JEAN (V.O.)

                 ... the mutator gene will activate.

                           MAGNETO (V.O.)

                 Welcome to the future... brother...

                 The brotherhood of mutants.

       A VIOLENT COLLISION OF NOISE, IMAGE AND LIGHT AND THEN:

       Xavierís eyes burst open.

       INT. LABORATORY - NIGHT

       Rogue leads Storm, Jean, Beast and Cyclops quickly into

       the lab.

       Xavier is lying in his bed.  Jean looks up at the screen

       above him and sees Xavierís brain waves have dropped

       severely.

       Kelly lies unconscious in his bed, his heart monitor

       weakening.

       Beast limps over to Xavier.  Xavier struggles to speak.

       Beast bends down so that Xavier can whisper into his ear.

       E.C.U. Xavierís lips move as he tells Beast what he

       knows.

       INT. LAB - LATER - NIGHT

       Jean, Storm, Beast and Cyclops talk while the news plays

       silently on the TV in the background.

                           BEAST

                 It appears as though Magneto has built

                 a machine which somehow triggers the

                 mutator gene in normal human beings.

                 And he is using Adamantium as its

                 core.

                           CYCLOPS

                 Its core?

       Beast grabs a wax pen and draws a lightbulb on a glass

       drawing board.

                           BEAST

                 Thomas Edison knew how to make the

                 light bulb.  He had the energy source.

                 He had the vacuum.  But he didnít have

                 the filament.  He tried metal after

                 metal but nothing would hold to power.

                           STORM

                     (nods -- now understanding)

                 ... until he found tungsten.

       Beast finishes his lightbulb by drawing the filament.

                           BEAST

                 Correct...  Apparently, Adamantium is

                 the only metal strong enough to hold

                 the energy this machine produces.  He

                 used the Adamantium in Loganís dog tag

                 to test it on the Senator.  And I

                 assume now he plans to use the rest of

                 Loganís skeleton for a larger

                 demonstration.

                           CYCLOPS

                 For what purpose?

                           BEAST

                 Yes -- Only thereís a problem.  The

                 mutator gene is not responding to the

                 radiation the way it would in mother

                 nature.  Itís forcing the bodyís cells

                 to replicate thousands of times faster

                 than theyíre accustomed to.  The

                 Senatorís body is literally burning

                 itself out.  Scott -- this machine

                 kills people and I donít think Magneto

                 realizes it.

                           CYCLOPS

                 So where do you think heís planning

                 this larger demonstration?

       Jean looks down and sees Xavier pointing with a trembling

       hand, trying to speak.

       Xavier is pointing to the television.

                           XAVIER

                 There...

       He is looking at yet another report on Ellis Island.

       Cyclops and Jean walk over.  All they see on the TV is an

       aerial shot of Manhattan, slowly coming around toward the

       harbor.

       The television image is from the P.O.V. of a helicopter

       circling Ellis Island, taking in all the security and

       construction.  The grand main hall to Ellis Island and

       finally, what the helicopter sees as it comes around for

       one more pass.

       SUDDENLY - The sound of Kellyís heart monitor begins to

       PICK UP SPEED.  Jean rushes to Kelly and touches his pale

       neck.  She draws her hand back quickly as if burned.  The

       heart monitor keeps speeding up until it is racing faster

       than a human heart could possibly produce.

       Jean backs away helplessly.

       The sheet that covers Kellyís body begins to flatten out.

       The sweat covering the hapless Senatorís body thickens

       into a viscous, clear liquid and begins to run off the

       table.  Kelly is literally melting away.  Cyclops holds

       Jean as she turns away.

       ANGLE ON: THE TV -- the gathering leaders of the world,

       the water clogged with boats, and the thousands of

       onlookers on Manhattan Island.  All well within range.

       INT. READY ROOM - NIGHT

       Storm finishes preparing to leave in another section of

       the ready room.  Beast stands by on his Beast-size

       crutches feeling useless.

                           BEAST

                 I wish I could go.

                           STORM

                 We all do.

                           BEAST

                 Storm.  Try to look for the highest

                 vantage point.

                 From what I can figure, heíll need to

                 gain as much altitude as possible to

                 blanket the island.  It is my feeling

                 that Magneto has to--

                           STORM

                 Beast.

       Beast looks at her.

                           STORM (contíd)

                 Weíll be fine.

       INT. LAB - NIGHT

       Cyclops stands looking down at Professor Xavier.  He

       starts to walk away but he is stopped.  He looks down and

       sees that the Professor has weakly grabbed his sleeve.

       Cyclops looks at Xavier but he is still unconscious.  His

       hand falls back to the bed.

                           CYCLOPS

                 You can still hear me... canít you.

       Xavier lies still.

                           CYCLOPS (contíd)

                 I want to thank you for taking me in.

                 Taking us in...  You have taught me

                 everything in my life that is worth

                 knowing.

       Cyclops grimly regards Xavier.

                           CYCLOPS (contíd)

                 And I want you to know that Iíll take

                 care of them.

       INT. READY ROOM - NIGHT

       Cyclops and Jean get into their uniforms.

       Jean is about to go to the hanger when Cyclops stops her.

                           CYCLOPS

                 Hey.  Iím sorry.  About Logan.  I was

                 jealous.

                           JEAN

                     (putting her arms around him)

                 Well, I think thatís perfectly

                 understandable.

                           CYCLOPS

                 Iíll tell you one thing though.

                           JEAN

                 Whatís that?

                           CYCLOPS

                 He calls me sport one more time, and

                 Iíll blow a watermelon-sized hole

                 through him.

       She smiles and kisses him.

                           CYCLOPS (contíd)

                 Now letís go get him.

       INT. X-JET - NIGHT

       Cyclops, Storm, and Jean board the X-Jet.  They find --

       ROGUE, strapped into a seat, ready to go.

       INT. HANGER - NIGHT

       ROGUE stands outside the jet, obviously having been

       kicked off.

       INT. X-JET - NIGHT

       Jean reaches out a hand.  Cyclops takes it.  They squeeze

       tight.  The X-Jetís engines begin to fire up.

       INT. HANGER - NIGHT

       The hatch slowly starts to swing closed.  From where she

       stands Rogue debates, and then runs, dashing inside as

       the hatch to the X-Jet closes behind her.

       EXT. BASKETBALL COURT - NIGHT

       A basketball sits on the ground near the middle of the

       court.

       Suddenly the asphalt starts to vibrate and the basketball

       rolls a few inches.

       THEN:  There is a grinding noise and the surface begins

       to separate at the half court line.  The basketball falls

       through the widening hole and bounces off the wing of the

       rising X-Jet.

       LIFT-OFF.  The jet turns and clears the hanger before

       blasting off into the night sky.

       EXT. ELLIS ISLAND - NIGHT

       An aerial shot showing us the whole of the event.

       Security of every kind covers every inch of the island.

       Helicopters are coming in at the rate of about one every

       minute to deliver dignitaries and their families from all

       over the globe.

       EXT. ELLIS ISLAND - BRIDGE TO NEW JERSEY - NIGHT

       A steady flow of limos pour onto the island over a simple

       two-lane bridge from New Jersey.

       A NEWSCASTER IN THE FOREGROUND.

                           NEWSCASTER

                 With the ceremonies beginning shortly,

                 it looks as though the last of the

                 dignitaries have landed at Newark and

                 Teterboro airports and will be

                 arriving momentarily.  It would seem

                 the United Nations has had their wish

                 tonight.  There doesnít seem to be an

                 empty seat in the house.

       EXT. BATTERY PARK - NIGHT

       The pier of the Ferry to Liberty Island.

       A great many families have come to watch curiously the

       going on.

       EXT. MANHATTAN HARBOR - NIGHT

       The harbor is filled with police and Coast Guard vessels

       watching the water closely.

       INT. NEW YORK CITY APARTMENTS/VARIOUS - NIGHT

       A series of shots showing the many folks gathering to

       watch the historic event on television.

       In some of these apartments, Ellis and Liberty islands

       can be seen from their windows in the distance.

       INT. SECURITY CONTROL CENTER - NIGHT

       The OPERATING COMMANDER monitors the countless video

       screens that display nearly every crevice of Ellis Island

       as well as other parts of New York Harbor as well as the

       network news feeds of the event...

       EXT. ELLIS ISLAND - MAIN ENTRANCE - NIGHT

       The front of the Great Hall of Ellis Island, where once

       immigrants poured into the new world by the millions.

       A huge military band off to one side plays music from the

       different countries to help with the milling about and

       shaking of hands.

       The PRESIDENT himself is in the crowd, meeting and

       greeting, a mob of Secret Service always right there.

       Follow him into:

       INT. ELLIS ISLAND - MAIN HALL

       A YASSAR ARAFAT TYPE, who we will call Yassir Arafat,

       comes up to the President and smiles.

       The President introduces his WIFE AND CHILD as more

       delegates approach.

       The two men LAUGH and then HUG to the flashing of a

       million bulbs.

       Smattering of ass-kissy applause.  Arafat and the

       President wave to press and the like.