X-Men

       EXT. OBSERVATION DECK - ELSEWHERE - NIGHT

       We are looking down on what APPEARS TO BE a deserted part

       of the island.  Away from the action.

       PAN ACROSS THE EDGE OF THE ISLAND

       Every fifty feet or so, uniformed Secret Service agents

       keep tight watch on the island.

       ANGLE ON:

       One Secret Service guy in particular.

       PUSH IN FROM ABOVE - We realize we are pushing in

       unusually fast, as though we are falling.

       WHAM.  A sickening crunch.

       Toad lands on top of the Secret Service guy.  We have

       been watching from his P.O.V.  The Secret Service man is

       tumbled into a heap.  A real frog rabbits O.S.

       Toad looks around quietly, listens...  THEN LEAPS out of

       frame.  Hold on the body of the Secret Service guy.

       LONG PAUSE.

       ANOTHER SICKENING CRUNCH OFF SCREEN.

       EXT. LIBERTY ISLAND - NIGHT

       Two Secret Service guys approach one another.  One is

       holding a smoke, the other is producing a lighter.  Just

       as his smoke is about to hit the flame, the flame dodges

       to one side.  He moves the smoke to follow it, and the

       flame dodges the other way.

       The guy with the smoke looks at the guy with the lighter

       as if to say ìknock it off.î  The guy with the lighter

       shrugs as:

       THE FLAME INSTANTLY GROWS TO A RAGING INTENSITY,

       ENGULFING THEM.

       As they are incinerated and their ashes fall to the

       ground, Pyro climbs into view from the seawall below,

       dripping wet.

       He has come dressed to make trouble tonight.  Strapped to

       his back is an impressive looking flame thrower.  A three

       tanker.

       EXT. SEAWALL - NIGHT

       A Coast Guard boat crawls into view just off shore.  A

       Secret Service man in the foreground waves to the boat as

       it passes by.

       EXT. COAST GUARD BOAT DECK - NIGHT

       A thirty footer.  Fast and sturdy.

       The PILOT OF THE BOAT, a man in his late forties, waves

       back.

       EXT. SEAWALL - NIGHT

       As the Secret Service guy waves, he jolts upright, his

       face contorting in impossible pain.  Slowly, he is lifted

       off the ground.

       EXT. COAST GUARD BOAT DECK - NIGHT

       PILOTíS P.O.V.

       Sabretooth holds the last Secret Service man aloft,

       impaled on his claws.  He waves now, the body swaying

       this way and that before he casually throws it to the

       ground.

       The Pilot turns to the wheel of the boat as he MORPHS

       INTO MYSTIQUE and turns the boat toward the island.

       EXT. BOTTOM OF THE SEAWALL - BOAT - NIGHT

       Man-made rocky shore.  The boat bumps and grinds on the

       rock.  Sabretooth jumps down to the deck and meets

       Magneto coming up from below.  They nod to one another

       and walk toward the front of the boat.  On the deck is

       something covered with a tarp.  Sabretooth pulls back the

       tarp to reveal Logan, still unconscious from the drug.

       ANOTHER, MUCH LARGER OBJECT is on the back of the boat

       under another tarp, but we cannot see what it is.

       Magneto steps off the boat and looks up -- up at

       someplace we cannot yet see.

       EXT. ELLIS ISLAND - GREAT HALL - NIGHT

       The dignitaries take their seats as the ceremony

       commences.

       INT. X-JET - NIGHT

       Cyclops pilots the plane as Manhattan comes into view.

       They bank to the south.  Cyclops checks his monitors.

                           CYCLOPS

                 Radar Stealth Mode checks out.  All

                 right, thereíll be less security north

                 of the George Washington Bridge.  Iím

                 taking her down.

                           JEAN

                 Into the Hudson?

                           CYCLOPS

                     (smiles)

                 Uh-huh.

       EXT. HUDSON RIVER - NIGHT

       The X-Jet slows to a hover.  Itís Harrier Jet engines

       tilt back until they are vertical to the water.  The

       engines cycle down and the plane lowers until it is

       hovering a few feet off the surface.

       INT. X-JET - NIGHT

                           CYCLOPS

                 V.T.O.L. off.

       EXT. HUDSON RIVER - NIGHT

       The Jetís engines cut and the plane splashes down into

       the water.  It floats there for a moment and then sinks

       below the surface.

       EXT. BELOW RIVER SURFACE - NIGHT

       As the X-Jet sinks, the hatches close off and the wings

       retract to transform the plane into a submarine.  The

       engines pull tight to the body of the craft and begin to

       propel it forward.

       EXT. HUDSON RIVER - NIGHT

       AERIAL VIEW: The water ripples as the submersed aircraft

       passes under the bridge and into the harbor.

       INT. SMALL ROOM - NIGHT

       C.U. on Logan.  He wakes.  His arms are cuffed behind his

       back.  He is delirious and weakened from the drug.

       He looks around and sees that he is in an oddly shaped

       room with barely enough space for him and Magneto, who

       smiles at him in the half darkness.

                           LOGAN

                     (very weak)

                 Where am I?

                           MAGNETO

                 Youíre backstage at the encore of

                 creation.

       He looks at his watch.

                           MAGNETO (contíd)

                 Three minutes to curtain.

                           LOGAN

                 What are you going to do?

                           MAGNETO

                 In the road to survival, there is

                 always sacrifice Logan.  We are the

                 future... not them.  We must protect

                 ourselves.  After tonight, when the

                 leaders of the world return home --

                 They will return as brothers, as

                 mutants... and our cause will be

                 theirs.  This is survival, I know you

                 understand that, Logan... or is it

                 Wolverine?

       He steps out of the hatch and closes it.

       EXT. LIBERTY ISLAND - NIGHT

       Magneto who looks down.  From atop what, we cannot tell.

       Magneto comes to stand on a railing outside from his high

       perch, overlooking the island.  From here we pull out to

       reveal at last where he is.

       HE IS NOT ON ELLIS ISLAND AT ALL

       Instead, he stands on the catwalk around the torch of the

       Statue of Liberty, about a mile away.

       He has his back to itís gold translucent flame, looking

       over at the activity on Ellis Island, hearing the band

       and inhaling the cool evening breeze.

                           MAGNETO

                 Give me your tired, your poor...

       And he turns to the bright lights of Manhattan and itís

       millions of inhabitants.

                           MAGNETO (contíd)

                 ... Your huddled masses.

       He brings a radio to his lips.

                           MAGNETO (contíd)

                 Lights.

       EXT. POWER STATION - NIGHT

       Sabretooth is tearing the padlocks off of the generator

       shed that powers the island.

       INT. POWER STATION - NIGHT

       Sabretooth grabs a hold of a fuse lever marked ìLiberty

       Display Lightsî and pulls it down.  Turning it off.

       INT. TORCH - NIGHT

       Logan is now in darkness.  He frantically pulls on his

       binds.  No use.

       INT. X-JET - NIGHT

       Cyclops is monitoring the area above-water on a video

       screen.

                           JEAN

                     (points to the monitor)

                 The lights on the Statue of Liberty

                 are off.

                           STORM

                 Beast said that he would have to take

                 a high vantage point.

       Cyclops, motioning to an open area of water next to

       Liberty Island.

                           CYCLOPS

                 Letís dock over there.

       Cyclops pulls a lever.  The X-Jet begins to surface.

                           CYCLOPS (contíd)

                 Storm, give us some cover.

       INT. APARTMENTS/VARIOUS - NIGHT

       Televisions all over the city show the Statue sitting

       dark to countless curious viewers.

       INT. X-JET - NIGHT

       The water level outside the X-Jet lowers as the plane

       surfaces.

       EXT. X-JET - NIGHT

       The plane rises until it is nearly flush with the surface

       of the water -- Not a hundred yards from an obvious Coast

       Guard cutter.  Out the jetís window, the Statue rises

       away into the fog that is now rolling in over the Harbor.

       INT. SECURITY CONTROL CENTER - NIGHT

       ANGLE ON:

       The OPERATIONS COMMANDER raises a radio to his mouth.

                           OPERATION COMMANDER

                 Liberty One, Liberty One, this is

                 Horizon, do you copy.

       AN AGENTíS VOICE RESPONDS.

                           AGENTíS VOICE

                 Go, Horizon.

                           OPERATION COMMANDER

                     (on radio)

                 Liberty, whatís the situation with the

                 lights, over?

       EXT. LIBERTY ISLAND - NIGHT

       IT IS MYSTIQUE.  The lower part of her face and the whole

       her neck are that of a stocky man.

                           MYSTIQUE/AGENTíS VOICE

                 Uhhh, Horizon, weíve seem to have had

                 a shutdown at the generator, weíre

                 five by five.  There now, checking it

                 out.  Everything is fine other-wise.

                           OPERATION COMMANDER

                     (on radio)

                 Roger Liberty one.  Horizon out.

       She MORPHS back into her full self and smiles.

                           MYSTIQUE

                 Darling...  Weíre clear.

       EXT. SEAWALL - NIGHT

       Jean, Cyclops, Storm and Rogue step off the wing tip of

       the X-Jet onto the island.  They climb over the fog

       encased seawall and stand staring up at the Statue and

       the desolate island.

       EXT. TORCH - NIGHT

       Magneto takes this moment in the darkness to point his

       hands and all of his concentration on the bottom of the

       torch.

       The air RIPPLES with magnetic energy as -- the cap-like

       end piece of the torch begins to vibrate, metal groans,

       twists...

       WITH A CRACK OF METAL, it comes free, dropping to the

       ground.

       INT. TORCH - NIGHT

       Logan stares down through the hollow torch as the cap

       falls away into the fog.

       EXT. STATUE - BOTTOM - NIGHT

       The foursome are deciding how to proceed.

                           CYCLOPS

                 We should check out operations, see if

                 the Secret Service is still around.

       Storm is surveying the layout of the island.  She looks

       up at the Statue.

                           STORM

                 LOOK OUT.

       They all look up.  The cap of the torch is SCREAMING DOWN

       towards them out of the sky.  It crashes down as they

       leap out of the way.

                           CYCLOPS

                 Iím going to assume that means that

                 the Secret Service is out of

                 commission.  Jean, can you raise me up

                 there?

                           JEAN

                 Itís too far.

                           CYCLOPS

                     (assessing the situation)

                 Storm, Rogue, -- you take the south

                 entrance.

                     (pointing to the main

                      entrance)

                 Jean and I will go in here.

       Storm and Rogue start for the south entrance.

                           CYCLOPS (contíd)

                     (to Storm and Rogue)

                 Iíll see you both soon.

       EXT. TORCH - NIGHT

       Magneto prepares to execute the next stage of his plan

       when he looks out over the island.  A DENSE FOG has

       rolled in, obscuring his view of the bottom half of the

       Statue.  He looks out towards Ellis Island and sees that

       the fog is localized over Liberty Island.

                           MAGNETO

                     (into radio)

                 Be careful everyone...  I think we may

                 have company.

       EXT. SEAWALL - NIGHT

       The Coast Guard boat Magneto came in on.  The giant tarp

       on the boat and what is under it.

       IT RISES IN THE AIR, standing upright.  The tarp slides

       to the deck to reveal:

       THE MACHINE.  The one Kelly and Xavier saw.  The air

       ripples as it rises higher in the air.

       INT. MUSEUM - NIGHT

       Storm and Rogue quietly enter the Statueís museum.  It is

       filled with scale models and full size displays

       documenting the history of Lady Liberty.  One display

       showcasing the METAL STRIPS which line the Statue for

       support.  They quickly head for an exit on the far side

       of the room.

       SUDDENLY:

       The lights go out.  Darkness.

       A low guttural CROAK echoes in the void.

                           STORM

                     (whispering)

                 Rogue... run.

       Rogue runs into the darkness, heading for the exit.  She

       dashes past a six foot copper replica of the Statue and

       out the door.

       As soon as Rogue is past, the Statueís HEAD TURNS and

       watches her go.  The replica blinks and the eyes turn

       Mystique yellow.

       INT. TORCH - NIGHT

       The machine is rising.  Logan yanks at the manacles in an

       attempt to pull his hands free.

       INT. OLD TORCH ROOM - NIGHT

       A giant room that welcomes the many visitors to the

       Statue.  In the center is the old torch, placed there

       after the Statueís 1986 restoration.  The only light in

       the room is a soft red glow that emanates from the old

       torch.

       Cyclops notices a map of the Statue on a pedestal.

                           CYCLOPS

                 Over there.

       Cyclops and Jean study the map, looking for the way to

       the torch.  In front of them is the old torch.  Itís

       eerie red glow is growing brighter.

       EXT. STATUE - TORCH - NIGHT

       THE MACHINE rises up and into the bottom of the torch

       itself.

       INT. TORCH - NIGHT

       The machine is now almost on him.  Loganís struggles

       turns to rage.  SHOOK -- He pops his claws and

       frantically cuts at the wall behind him, as the machine

       draws closer.

       INT. MUSEUM - NIGHT

       We hear an ominous LOW RUMBLE, as you hear on an overcast

       day just before a thunderstorm.  SHEETS OF HEAT LIGHTNING

       begin to roll across the ceiling, lighting the room in

       sporadic bursts.