INDEPENDENCE DAY

Dean Devlin & Roland Emmerich

AN AMERICAN FLAG

Oddlystill,postedingraydustysand.

WIDEN TO REVEAL:

EXT. LUNAR SURFACE - THE MOON

Onesmallstepforman,onelargepileofgarbage
formoon
kind.Untouchedforyears,theflagstandsnextto
the
castoffremainsoftheApollomission.Slowlythe
discarded
equipmentbeginstoRATTLEandSHAKE.

ANENORMOUSSHADOWcreepstowardsusblottingout
thehorizon,
aloudRUMBLEisheard.

SuddenlywearecoveredinDARKNESSastheSHADOW
engulfsus.
OnlythelonelyimageofourEARTHhangsinthe
air,untila
hugesilhouettedOBJECTsuddenlyblocksourview.

CUT TO:

EXT. NEW MEXICO - RADIO TELESCOPE VALLEY - NIGHT

Afieldoflargesatellitedishesscantheskies.

Superup:S.E.T.I.INSTITUTE,NEWMEXICO
 INT. INSTITUTE - MONITORING CONTROL CENTER -
SAME

AloneTECHNICIANworksonhisputtingskills.
Behindhim,
walltowalltechnicalequipmentquietlysifts
throughdata.
AREDLIGHTbeginstoflash.

TheTechnicianturnsandslowlywalkstowardsthe
source.One
byoneaseriesofLIGHTSturnon.TheTechnician
(TECHONE)
grabsapairofheadphones.Hiseyeswiden.

INT. SLEEPING QUARTERS - SAME

SleepilyaSUPERVISORpicksupthephone.

SUPERVISOR
Ifthisisn'taninsanely
beautifulwoman,I'mhangingup.

INT. CONTROL CENTER - SAME

TECH ONE
Shutupandlisten.

Heholdsthephoneuptoaspeaker,increasesthe
volume.A
strangeFLUCTUATINGTONEplaysoutinsequential
patterns.

INT. SLEEPING QUARTERS - SAME

HEARINGit,theSupervisorBOLTSUP,banginghis
headonthe
 bunkabovehim.

INT. CONTROL CENTER - MOMENTS LATER

Apajamapartyonacid.Fiveothertechnicians,in
various
statesofundress,hoveranxiouslyaroundthemain
console.
TheSupervisorenters,tyinghisrobe.

SUPERVISOR
God,Ihopeit'snotjustanother
damnedRussianspyjob.

TECH THREE
(overlapping)
Negative.Computeraffirmsthe
signalisunidentified.

TECH TWO
(hangingupthephone)
TheboyfromAirResTrafficsaythe
skiesareclear.Noterrestrial
launches.

TECH ONE
It'stherealthing.Aradio
signalfromanotherworld.

Theroombecomesquietastheyrealizethatafter
yearsof
searchingtheheavens,theymighthavefinally
found
something.

SUPERVISOR
Let'snotjumpthegun.Runa
trajectorysourcecomputation.
 TechThreeslidesovertoanothercomputer.

SUPERVISOR(cont'd)
Iwanttoknowexactlywhereit's
comingfrom.

TECH THREE
Thiscan'tberight.

TechThreejuststaresathisscreenindisbelief.

SUPERVISOR
What'swrong?

TECH THREE
Calculateddistancefromsourceis
atthreehundredandeightfive
thousandkilometers.
(turningtoSupervisor)
It'scomingfromthemoon.

TheSupervisorreachesoverandturnsupthevolume
onthe
speaker.AstheylistentothestrangeTONESwe...

CUT TO:

INT. HALLWAY - PENTAGON - SAME

ElevatordoorsOPENSrevealingfourstarGENERAL
GREY,
CommanderinChiefU.S.SpaceCommand.
Understandably
nervous,theCOMMANDINGOFFICERescortshimdown
thehall.

GENERAL GREY
 Whoelseknowsaboutthis?

COMMANDING OFFICER
S.E.T.I.inNewMexicoidentifieda
signalbutthey'reevenmore
confusedthanweare.

TheGeneralshootshimadisapprovingglance.

COMMANDING OFFICER
Excuseme,Sir.

Heslideshissecuritycardthroughthelockand
thedoorsfly
open.

INT. SPACE COMMAND - THE PENTAGON - CONTINUOUS

Banksofcomputers,Techniciansandassistants
working
feverishlythroughthenight.TheOfficerscross
theroom.

Super:SPACECOMMANDTHEPENTAGON

COMMANDING OFFICER
Satellitereceptionhasbeen
impairedbutwewereabletoget
these.

Theyarriveataglasstable.Thesurrounding
officerssnap
toattentionasaSECONDOFFICERquicklybrings
overalarge
transparency.WeSEEagrainyimageofalarge
vagueOBJECT.

GENERAL GREY
 Lookslikeabigturd.

ThetwoOfficersexchangeaglance.

COMMANDING OFFICER
Weestimateithasadiameterof
overfivehundredandfifty
kilometersandamassroughlyone
fourththesizeofourmoon.

TheGeneralturnstotheSecondOfficer,concerned.

GENERAL GREY
Ameteor?

SECOND OFFICER
NoSir.Definitelynot.

GENERAL GREY
Howdoyouknow?

SECOND OFFICER
Well,er...it'sslowingdown.

GENERAL GREY
It'sdoingwhat?

SECOND OFFICER
It's...slowingdown,Sir.

TheGeneralwalksovertoaphone,picksitup.

GENERAL GREY
GetmetheSecretaryofDefense.
(pause)
Thenwakehimup.

CUT TO:
 INT. WHITMORE'S BEDROOM - FRE-DAWN

LayinginbedTHOMASJ.WHITMOREreadsastackof
papers.The
phoneRINGS.

WOMAN'S VOICE
(filteringthroughphone)
Hi.It'sme.

ThewarmlookonWhitmore'sfacetellsus
everythingabouthow
hefeelsaboutthewomanontheotherend.

WHITMORE
Hihoney.Whattimeisitthere?

INT. HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT

Dressedinanightgown,MRS.MARGARETWHITMORE
unpacksher
briefingpaperslaysthemoutonasmalldeskas
shetalks.
ThroughthewindowweSEELosAngelesatnight.

MARGARET
Twointhemorning.IknowI
didn'twakeyou?

WHITMORE
(filtered)
Asamatteroffactyoudid.

MARGARET
(smiles)
Liar.
 INT. WHITMORE BEDROOM - SAME

Whitmoresitsup.

WHITMORE
Ihaveaconfessiontomake.
There'sabeautifulyoungblonde
sleepingnexttome.

Sleepingnexttohim,hissixyearolddaughter,
PATRICIA.

MARGARET
(filtered)
Youdidn'tletherstayup
watchingT.V.allnight?

WHITMORE
Ofcoursenot.

Thelittlegirlstirsawake,looksup.

PATRICIA
Mommy?

WHITMORE
You'reflyingbackrightafterthe
luncheon?Okay,heresheis.

Whitmorehandsherthephoneandgetsoutofbed.
Habitably
heturnsonthetelevision.

T.V. - NEWS PROGRAM

Several"Pundits"sitaroundaMaLaughlintypenews
discussion
program.Thepicturequalityissnowy,static
ridden.

PUNDIT #1
...theinexperienceinpublic
officewasinevitablygoingto
catchupwithhim.He's
scarifiedhisidealsfor
"politicsasusual."

Whitmoretiesonhisrobeasheadjuststhepicture
quality.

PUNDIT #2
...Isaidthisduringthe
campaign.Leadershipasapilot
intheGulfWarhasno
relationshiptopolitical
leadership.It'sadifferent
animal...

Suddenlythechannelchanges.Acartooncomeson.
Whitmore
turnstohisdaughterwhoholdsheremote.

PATRICIA
(intophone)
DaddyletmewatchLetterman.

WHITMORE
Traitor.

Whitmoreexitstheroom.

INT. HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS

AsWhitmorestepsoutofhisbedroom,aSecurity
guardsnaps
toattention.Someonehiddenbehindanewspaper,
sitsona
bench.

SECURITY GUARD
Goodmorning,Mr.President.

WHITMORE
Goodmorning,George.

ThepaperisdroppedrevealingCONSTANCEHALBROOK,
mid
thirties,aggressive,sharp,thePresident's
communications
director.Quicklyshegathersherthingsand
follows
Whitmore.

INT. BREAKFAST TABLE - CONTINUOUS

TwoservantsarepreparingbreakfastasWhitmore
andConstance
enter.Whitmoresitsdown,grabsacoffee.

WHITMORE
You'reupearlythismorning,
Connie.

Shetosseshimoneofthemanynewspapersinher
hands.

CONSTANCE
They'renotattackingyour
policies,they'reattackingyour
age.
(anotherpaper;reading)
"...addressingCongress,Whitmore
seemslesslikethePresidentand
moreliketheorphanchildOliver
 asking,'pleasesir,I'dlikesome
more.'"

WHITMORE
Clever.

CONSTANCE
Agewasneveranissuewhenyou
stucktoyourgun.Youwere
thoughtofasyoungand
idealistic.Butthemessagehas
gottenlost.There'stoomuch
compromise,toomuchpolitics.

WHITMORE
(pointedly)
Isn'titamazinghowfasteveryone
canturnagainstyou.

Realizingshemaybepushinghimtoofar,shehands
him
anotherpaper.

CONSTANCE
Well,theOrangeCountyRegister
hasnamedyouoneoftheten
sexiestmenoftheyear.

WHITMORE
Yousee,substanceatlast.

AnAIDEappearsatthedoorway.

CONSTANCE
Excuseme,Mr.President.It's
theSecretaryofDefense.

Whitmoregoestothephone,picksitup.
 WHITMORE
Yes?Saythatagain?

CUT TO:

AN OLD RUSSIAN SATELLITE

DriftingawayfromustheoldRussiansatellite
becomes
smallerandsmaller.WePANwithitasweSEEit's
ona
collisioncoursewithsomethinghuge.

SuddenlythesatelliteEXPLODESonIMPACTwiththe
muchlarger
objectthatdwarfsthepunypieceofhardware.As
hugeasit
is,wegetthefeelingwe'veonlyseenaportionof
thetotal.

NEW YORK SKYLINE - EARLY MORNING

AslowcranedownfromtheManhattanskyline,
revealing...

EXT. CLIFFSIDE PARK - NEW JERSEY - MORNING

WiththeNewYorkskylineacrosstheHudsonbehind
them,old
mensitinthissmallparkplayingchess.Unlike
theothers,
DAVIDMARTINisinhisearlythirties,sixties
hippiemeets
ninetiesyuppienerd.

Heconcentratesintenselyonhisnextmove.
MOISHE.sixties.
 smokesacigarimpatiently.

MOISHE
Whatareyouwaiting?Mysocial
securitywillexpire,you'llstill
besittingthere.

DAVID
I'mthinking.

MOISHE
Sothinkalready.

Davidmakesamove.InstantlyMoishecountershis
move.
Davidfurlshisbrowinthought.

MOISHE
Againhe'sthinking.

Moishereachesintoapaperbagandretrievesa
coffeeina
Styrofoamcup.

DAVID
Youhaveanyideahowlongit
takesforthosethingsto
decompose?

MOISHE
Youdon'tmovesoon.I'llbeginto
decompose.

JustasDavidfinallymakeshismove,Moishe
countersagain.
Davidshootshimalookandstaresbackdowntothe
board.
 MOISHE(cont'd)
David,I'vebeenmeaningtotalk
withyou.It'sniceyou'vebeen
spendingsomuchtimewithme,
but...

DAVID
Dad,don'tstart.

MOISHE
I'monlysaying,it'sbeenwhat?
Fouryears,youstillhaven't
signedyourdivorcepapers.

DAVID
Threeyears.

MOISHE
Three,four.Moveon.It'snot
healthy.

Moishetakesabigpuffonthecigarandcoughs.

DAVID
Lookwho'stalkinghealthy.

SuddenlyDavid'sbeepergoesoff.

MOISHE
Howmanytimesisthatnow?You
tryingtogetfired?

Davidmoveshisqueen.

DAVID
Checkmate.Seeyoutomorrow,Dad.

Hegiveshisfatheraquickkissandhurriesaway.
 MOISHE
That'snotcheckmateIcan
still...Oh.
(yellingafterhim)
Youcouldletanoldmanwinonce
inawhile,itwouldn'tkillyou.

CUT TO:

EXT. NEW YORK CITY STREETS - MINUTES LATER

DavidpedalshisbikethroughmidtownManhattan.
Hearrives
atCOMPACTCABLESYSTEMS.

INT. COMPACT CABLE OFFICES - LATER

Hisbikehoistedonhisshoulder,Davidsqueezes
throughthe
revolvingdoors.MARTYGILBERT,short,nervousand
harried,
comesrushingover.

MARTY
Whatthehellisthepointof
havingabeeperifyoudon'tturn
iton?

DAVID
Itwasturnedon.Iwasignoring
you.What'sthebigemergency?

MARTY
Startedthismorning.Every
channelismakinglikeit's
nineteenfifty.Snow,static,all
kindsofdistortions.Noone
 knowswhatthehellisgoingon.

DaviddepositshisbikeinthekitchenetteasMarty
tosseshis
cokebottleinthetrash.Davidretrievesit.

DAVID
Damnit,Marty.There'sareason
wehavebinslabeled"recycle."

Findingmorebottlesinthetrash,Davidturnsto
Marty
accusingly.

DAVID
Whatthehellisthis?

MARTY
Sosueme.

BeforeDavidcansayanything,Martyushershimout
ofthe
room.

INT. TRANSMISSION FEED - CONTINUOUS

Techniciansareworkingfeverishly.Clearlyevery
monitoris
experiencingvaryingdegreesofsignaldisruption.
David
movesovertothemainconsole.

DAVID
Didyoutrytoswitchto
transponderchannels?

MARTY
Please,wouldIbethispanicked
 ifitwasthatsimple?

Davidexaminesthereadouts,puzzled.

DAVID
Let'sretrofitthedishtoanother
satellite.

MARTY
We'vetried.It'snotworking.
It'salmostasthoughthey
weren'teventhere.

Davidlooksup,puzzled.

DAVID
That'simpossible.

CUT TO:

A TELEVISION SET

Badreception.AhandSMOCKSthesideofit.No
use.

WIDEN TO REVEAL:

INT. MOBILE HOME - DAY

ElevenyearoldTROYBRENNONtriestofixthe
television.
HisolderbrotherMIGUEL,seventeen,cooks
breakfast.

MIGUEL
Stopit.

TROY
 It'sallfuzzy.

MIGUEL
You'regonnabreakit.Justleave
italone.Here,takeyour
medicine.

Miguelsitsasmallbottleofmedicineandaspoon
downin
frontofTroy.Troypushesthebottleaway.

TROY
Idon'tneedit.

MIGUEL
(pushingitback)
Justtakeit,dickhead.
(turningtohissister)
Alicia!Makesurehetakeshis
medicine.

Hissister,ALICIA,fourteen,hormoneskickingin,
testing
boundaries,listenstoherwalkmanwhileputtingon
toomuch
makeup.Miguelthrowsadishtoweltogetheras
Troyhits
thetelevisionagain.

EXT. TRAILER PARK - SAME - MORNING

Abeatuppickuptruckcomesdownadirtroadand
skidstoa
haltonthegravelnexttotheBrennonMobileHome
atthis
smallshabbycountrysidetrailerpark.Anangry
FARMERjumps
out,slamminghisdoor.
 INT. BRENNON MOBILE HOME - SAME

Aliciaopensthefrontdoorandsmiles
flirtatiouslyatthe
angryfarmers,LUCAS,whomarchesover.Miguel
edgesherout
ofthedoorway,wantingtohandlethishimself.

MIGUEL
Morning,Lucas.

Lucasholdsabowlfullofrottedvegetables.

LUCAS
Youlikethese!I'vegotawhole
goddamnedcropfull!

Unceremoniously,hedumpsthematMiguel'sfeet.

LUCAS(cont'd)
Wherethehellisyourfather?
Youknowwhattimeitis?

MIGUEL
Hehadtorefuel.Theremusta
beenaproblem.

LUCAS
Webothknowwhattheproblemis.
He'sadamnednutcase,iswhathe
is.Imustabeenoutofmymind.

TroySMACKSthetelevisionagain.

MIGUEL
Troy,stopit!IsweartoGod!
 LUCAS
Miguel,ifhe'snotintheairin
twentyminutes,that'sit.I'm
gettingsomeoneelse.

Lucasstormsaway.Again,Troywhacksatthe
television.

MIGUEL
Stopit,Troy!IsweartoGod!

Determined,TroyHITSthetelevisionagain.This
timethe
picturegoesoutcompletely.

CUT TO:

EXT. SPACE - THE ORBIT - SAME

Rollingoverus,theimmenseunderbellyofthis
enormous
craftobliteratesourview.AloudSCREECH.
Suddenlythe
bottombeginstoSEGMENT.

DozensoflargesectionsbeginstoDISENGAGE,
extracting
themselves,twistingawayfromthelargerbilge.

TheseparatedSEGMENTSthemselvesareenormous.
Slowlythey
twistdownwardsonacollisioncoursetotheblue
planet
below...Earth.

CUT TO:

INT. WHITE HOUSE - BASEMENT CORRIDORS - DAY

 Underabarrageofquestionsfromherownstaff,
Constance
hurriesdownthecorridor.

AIDE #1
CNNisrunningastorythatwe're
coveringupsomekindofnuclear
testingexperiments...

CONSTANCE
Tellthemtorunwithitifthey
wanttoembarrassthemselves.

AIDE #2
NASAhasbeenupmybuttall
morning.Theywanttoknowour
position.

CONSTANCE
Ourofficialpositioniswedon't
haveanofficialposition.

AIDE #3
Connie,whatthehellisgoingon?

Constanceescapesintotheelevator,turnsaround.

CONSTANCE
(smilesconfidently)
Comeon,people.WouldIkeepyou
guysoutoftheloop?

AIDE #1
Inasecond!

AIDE #2
Absolutely.
 Beforeshecanretort,theelevatordoorsclose.

INT. OVAL OFFICE - WIDE SHOT - SAME

ThePresident,GeneralGrey,theSECRETARYOF
DEFENSEand
WhiteHouseChiefofStaffALBERTNIMZIKIare
gatheredaround
thecouch.

SEC. OF DEFENSE
Atthemoment,oursatellitesare
somewhatunreliable.Isn'tit
possiblethatthingmayjustpass
usby?

NIMZIKI
Whatifitdoesn't"passusby?"
Let'sretargetsomeICBMstoblow
itoutofthesky...

GENERAL GREY
Forgiveme,butwiththelittle
informationwedohave,theonly
thingthatwouldaccomplishis
turnonedangerousfallingobject
intomany.

JustthenthedooropensandConstanceenters.

PRESIDENT WHITMORE
What'sthedamage?

CONSTANCE
Thepressismakinguptheirown
storiesatthispoint.
 NIMZIKI
(toGeneralGrey)
GetonthehornwithAtlantic
Command.Let'supgradethe
situationtoDEFCON3.

GENERAL GREY
That'snotyourcalltomake,Mr.
Nimziki.

CONSTANCE
Isn'tthatalittlepremature?

NIMZIKI
Idon'tthinkso.

SEC OF DEFENSE
We'retwodaysawayfromthefourth
ofJuly.Wehaveoverfiftypercent
ofourarmedforcesonweekendleave,
nottomentionthetroopsand
commanderswe haveintownforthe
FourthofJuly parade.Wecallthem
backnow,we'resendingupamajorred
flag.

TheygoquietasCommandingOfficerfromSpace
Commanddashes
intotheroom.

COMMANDING OFFICER
Ourintelligencetellsusthe
objecthassettledintoa
stationaryorbit.

NIMZIKI
Wellthat'sgoodnews.
 COMMANDING OFFICER
Notreally.

Helaysoutthediagramsandphotosonthetable.
Everyone
gathersaround.

COMMANDING OFFICER
Partofithasbrokenoffinto
nearlythreedozenotherpieces.

PRESIDENT WHITMORE
Pieces?

COMMANDING OFFICER
Smallerthanthewhole,yetover
fifteenmilesinwidththemselves.

NIMZIKI
Wherearetheyheading?

COMMANDING OFFICER
Theyshouldbeenteringour
atmospherewithinthenexttwenty
fiveminutes.

Theroomissilenced.Alleyesturntothe
Presidentwhosays
nothing.Nimzikileansinclosetohim.

NIMZIKI
Likeitornot,we'reatDEFCON3.
Recallthetroopsandputthemon
yellowalert.

CUT TO:

YELLOW LIGHTS FLASHING ON

 asanALARMquicklyBUZZES.Davidleansintoframe
andopens
thedoortothemicrowave.WeWIDENtoreveal...

INT. DAVID'S CUBICLE - COMPACT CABLE - DAY

Davidretrieveshishomemakecupasoup.WeSEE
thiscubicle
clearlyhastheDavidtouch;ecologyposters,
plants,tonsof
computersandelectronicgizmos.

MARTY
Please,tellmeyou'regetting
something.

Martyenters,lookingoverDavid'sshoulderashe
eats.

DAVID
There'sgoodnewsandbadnews.

MARTY
What'sthebadnews?

DAVID
You'reinmealpenaltyfor
disturbingmylunch.

MARTY
Andthegoodnewsisyouwon't
chargeme.

DAVID
No.ThegoodnewsisIfoundthe
problemandit'snotour
equipment.There'ssomeweird
 signalembeddedwithinthe
satellitefeed.

MARTY
That'sthegoodnews?

Davidslidesovertoanothercomputerandturnson
an
intricatecomputationprogram.

DAVID
Yes,becausetheanalogsignalhas
adefinitesequentialdigital
patternsembeddedwithinit.When
Ifindtheexactbinarysequence
andIapplyaphasereversed
signaltothatcalculatedspectra
analyzerIbuiltyoulast
Christmas,weshouldbeableto
blockouttheoverlaycompletely...

MARTY
...andwe'llbetheonlyguysin
townwithaclearpicture?That's
myman.

CUT TO:

EXT. CALIFORNIA FARMLANDS, IMPERIAL VALLEY - DAY

Racingoverbackroadsbehindalongopenfield,
Miguelrides
hisbeatupmotorbike,searching.Lookinguphe
SEES
somethingintheair.

MIGUEL'SPOVANOLDBIWINGAIRPLANE
 convertedintoacropduster,BUZZESoverhead.
Spraying
insecticidewildly,theplanezigzagsoverthe
field.

MIGUEL
(yelling)
Russell!Goddamnit,Russell!

Lookingdownfromthecockpit,RUSSELLBRENNON
wavesstupidly.
Shaggyblondehairandtwodays'growth,Russellis
theimage
ofafiftyoneyearoldlittleboy.

Miguelfollowshimbelow,screamingathim.
Russell,flying
recklessly,looksdownatMiguelnotunderstanding.
Bythe
timehelooksbackheSEES...

A LINE OF TREES

attheedgeofthefield,nearlyontopofhim.In
atrick
move,RussellturnstheplaneonITSSIDE,and
SLICESthrough
thenarrowgapbetweenthetrees.

Miguelscreamswithdelightathisprowess.Miguel
looks
pissed.

ANGLE - OTHER SIDE OF TREES - MOMENTS LATER

Miguelracesover,skiddingtoahaltnexttothe
landedBi
withplane.
 MIGUEL
Justwhatthehelldoyouthink
you'redoing?

RUSSELL
(climbingdown)
I'mbringinghomethebacon.
Earningmykeep.Anddoingafine
jobifIdosaysomyself.

MIGUEL
It'sthewrongfield,youidiot!
Lucas'farmisontheotherside
oftown.

RUSSELL
Yousure?

MIGUEL
Damnit,hewasdoingyouafavor.
Youknowhowharditistofind
someonewhodoesn'tthinkyou're
completelycrazy?
(MORE)
Whatarewesupposedtodonow?
Huh?Wherearewesupposedtogo
now?

Pissed,Miguelpeelsaway,kickinggravelbackat
Russell.
Pathetically,hereachesintohisjacketandpulls
outa
bottleofJackDaniels.Hetakesahealthyswig.

CUT TO:

EXT. IRAQI DESERT - REFUGEE CAMP - NIGHT

 Atentcity.Ubiquitousovercrowdingandpoverty.
Several
hundredrefugeessettledownforthenight.

Super:NorthernDesert,Iraq

ABEDOUINstokesasmallfirebesideshisfamily's
tent.
SuddenlyagroupofshoutingSCREAMINGTRIBES
PEOPLEcome
rushingpasthim.

TheBedouinwatchesthemwithconfusion.Overcome
with
curiosityhegoesagainstthetideofpeople,up
thehillside.

AstheBedouinreachesthetopofthehillside,his
mouth
fallsopen,aghastasheSEES...

THESKIESTHEPHENOMENON

Creepingfromacrossthehorizonabovetherocky
mountain
terrain,awideFIREBALLhighinthesky,flaring
and
exploding.Aterrifyingsight.

CUT TO:

EXT. USS EISENHOWER - AIR CARRIER - ESTABLISHING

- DAWN

Super:BattleCarrier,USSEisenhowerPersian
Gulf
 INT. USS EISENHOWER - RADAR ROOM - DAY

AloudKLAXONALARMisringingout.TheFIRST
LIEUTENANT
comesrushingin.

LIEUTENANT
Ensign,status?

SAILOR #1
Wehaveatotalradarblackout
overathirteenkilometerarea.

TheLieutenantmovesovertothemainradarscreen.
The
entireupperportionofthescreenisBLANK.And
theblank
areaisMOVING.

LIEUTENANT
Haveacompletediagnosticrun...

SAILOR #1
Excusemesir,radarmaybe
malfunctioningbutinfraredisoff
themap!

HedivertstheLieutenant'sattentiontoanother
screen;A
BRIGHTSEAOFREDlightbleedsoffthemap.

LIEUTENANT
GettheCINCAtlanticCommandon
theline.

CUT TO:

INT. PENTAGON - COMMANDING CENTER - DAY

 AtechnicalOFFICERripsoffadatasheetasit
shootsoutof
theprinterandrushesovertotheCommanding
Officer.

OFFICER
Sir,wenowhavevisualrangewith
incomingoverIraqiairspace.

COMMANDING OFFICER
Asecondsighting?

OFFICER
YesSir,thisjustcameinfrom
theEisenhower.

TheCommandingOfficergrabsaphonelayingoffthe
hook.

COMMANDING OFFICER
Correction,wehavetwoconfirmed
visualcontacts.OneoverIraq,
oneoverthePacific.

INT. OVAL OFFICE - DAY

Theroomispacked.ThePresidentandhischief
advisorsare
therealongwiththeJointChiefofStaff.
Representatives
fromtheAtlanticCommandandU.S.SpaceCommand
haveformed
smallclustersaroundtelephones.

GENERAL GREY
WhereinthePacific?
(turningtothePresident)
 They'vespottedoneoffthe
Californiacoastline.

SurroundedbytheSecretService,thePresidentis
speechless.
ConstanceHalbrookcomesrushingintotheroomand
whispersto
thePresident.

PRESIDENT
Putiton.

Constancemovesovertoacabinetandturnsonthe
T.V.(the
receptionisstillfuzzy,picture"rolling").The
CNNNews
broadcastshowsthephenomenonoverNovosibirsk,
Russia.
Thereismasshysteriabehindthereporter.

NEWSCASTER
(filtered)
...sightingsofthisatmospheric
phenomenonhavebeenreportedhere
inNovosibirsk,Russiaandother
partsofSiberia.Movingtoo
slowlytobeacometormeteor,
astronomersarebaffledastoits
origin...

Everyoneislockedontothetelevision,mesmerized.

NEWSCASTERS(cont'd)
(filtered)
...Widespreadpanichasgripped
thecountrysideasthousandshave
takentothestreetsandclogged
thehighways.Hundredshavebeen
 injured...

GeneralGreyconferswiththeAtlanticcommand
CINC.Henods,
turnstothePresidentandwhispers.

GENERAL GREY
Mr.President,wehaveanAWACon
thewestcoast.E.T.A.with
contactpoint,threeminutes.

INT. AWAC AIRPLANE - DAY

Walltowallcomputer,radarandintelligence
gathering
equipment.Techniciansfranticallytrytoadjust
asthe
systemgoeshaywire.

RADAR TECH #1
(reportingintoradio)
It'snouse.Sideradardoesn't
seeathing!

RADAR TECH #2
(reporting)
That'scorrect.We'reIMCblind,
sir.

WeTRACKacrossthemovertothepilotsandinto
thecockpit.
Cloudyskies.ThePILOTsquintsoutthewindowas
hespeaks.

PILOT
Negative.Westillhavezero
visibility.
 EXT. AWAC AIRPLANE - CLOUDY SKIES - DAY

ZOOMINGoverheadasweSEEtheAWACsailingthrough
athick
cloudysky.

Super:PacificCoastline,California

TheAWACdisappearsfromviewintotheclouds.

INT. OVAL OFFICE - SAME

ThePresidentandhistopadvisorsaregathered
arounda
speakerphonelisteningtothepilotoftheAWAC.

PILOT
(filtered)
Instrumentationismalfunctioning.
Wecan'tgetanykindofreading
onwhat'sinfrontofus.

INT. AWAC - SAME

ThePilotsquintsashetriestoseethroughthe
clouds.

PILOT
Waitaminute,itmaybeclearing.

Suddenlythecloudspartbeforeusandwe'reface
tofacewith
aWALLOFFLAMES.

INT. AWAC - SAME

Thespeakerphonecracksanddistorts.
 PILOT
(filtered)
JesusGod!Thesky'sonfire!

EXT. AWAC AND PHENOMENON - SAME

TheAWACattemptstoclimbsharplyaswegetour
firstreal
lookattheatmosphericphenomenon.Majesticand
monstrous.
TheAWACisnotgoingtobeabletomakeit.

QuicklyitisENGULFEDintheflames.

INT. OVAL OFFICE - SAME

Thephonelinegoesdead.GeneralGreyspinstoan
AIDE.

GENERAL GREY
Getthembackonline.

AIDE #1
(onotherphone)
Line'sgone,sir.

TheATLANTICCOMMANDCINC,turnsfromadifferent
phone.

AAC CINC
Twomorehavebeenspottedover
theAtlantic.Oneismoving
towardNewYork,theotheris
headedthisdirection.

CHIEF OF STAFF
Howmuchtimedowehave?
 AAC CINC
Lessthantenminutes.

NIMZIKI
(turningtoaid)
Organizeamilitaryescortto
CrystalMountain.

GENERAL GREY
(toPresident)
Sir,Istronglyrecommendwe
moveyoutoasecuredlocation
immediately.

...ThePresidenthesitates,heturnstoConstance.

PRESIDENT
Canweexpectthesamekidof
panichereasinRussia?

CONSTANCE
Morethanlikely.

NIMZIKI
Mr.President,youcandiscuss
thisontheway.

Torn,thePresidentgrappleswithadecision.
Finally...

PRESIDENT
I'mnotleaving.

NIMZIKI
Wemustmaintainaworking
governmentinatimeofcrisis...

PRESIDENT
 IwanttheVicePresident,
SecretaryofDefense,thewhole
CabinetandtheJointChiefstaken
toasecuredlocation.
I'mstayinghere.Iamnotgoing
toaddtoapublichysteriathat
couldcostlives.

NIMZIKI
But,Mr.President...

PRESIDENT
Sofarthesethingshavenot
becomehostile.Forthemoment
let'sassumetheywon't.
(toConstance)
Connie,let'sissuestatements
advisingpeoplenottopanic,to
stayhomeandtakecover.

Constanceissuescommandstoherstaffasthey
quickly
exitalongwithmostpeopleintheroom.General
Greygoes
overtothePresident.

GENERAL GREY
Withyourpermission,Mr.
President,I'dliketoremainmy
yourside.

PRESIDENT
Ihadafeelingyouwould.

GENERAL GREY
Sir,whathappensiftheydo
becomehostile?
 PRESIDENT
ThenGodhelpus.

CUT TO:

INT. DAVID'S CUBICLE - DAY

OntheT.V.behindDavid,newsfootageofthe
phenomenonin
Russiaplayssilently.Oblivious,Davidworkshis
computers.

FEMALE CO-WORKER
(stoppingindoorway)
David,areyouwatchingthis?

Davidwavesheraway,deepinconcentration.
Suddenlya
computerBEEPS.ExcitedlyDavidprintsouthis
finding.He
grabsitandexits.

INT. COMPACT CABLE OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

Engrossedinhisprintout,Davidwalkspasthisco
workerswho
aregluedtothedistortedpictureonthe
television,watching
thephenomenon.

INT. MARTY'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

MartystaresathistelevisionwatchingGeneral
Grey
addressingthepress.Davidenters,staringathis
reading.

DAVID
 I'vegotalockonthesignal
pattern.Wecanfilteritout.

MARTY
(distracted)
Huh?Oh,good,hood.

DAVID
Strangethingis,ifmy
calculationsarerightit'llbe
goneinapproximatelysevenhours
anyway.Thesignalreducesitself
everytimeitrecycles.
Eventuallyitwilldisappear.Are
youlistening?

MARTY
(stillgluedtoT.V.)
Canyoubelievethis?

DAVID
Whatreyoutalkingabout?

MARTY
Haven'tyoubeenwatching?

Davidturnsforthefirsttimetothetelevision
andseesthe
phenomenon.Constancecomesonaddressingthe
press.

CONSTANCE
(filtered)
...sofarthephenomenonhasnot
causedanydamage.Inall
likelihooditwon't...

INT. WHITE HOUSE PRESS ROOM - SAME

 Morereportersrushinfromthebackquickly
settingupas
thishastilycalledpressconferencecontinues.

CONSTANCE
...everyoneshouldremaincalm.
Takecoverwhereyoucanbutthe
importantthingisnottopanic.

INT. BRENNON MOBILE HOME - SAME

Miguel,AliciaandTroywatchthestaticriddled
T.V.

CONSTANCE
(filtered)
...wehaveafixonthree
differentoccurrencesaboutto
appearoverAmericancities.One
isheadedtowardLosAngeles...

INT. MARTY'S OFFICE - SAME

CONSTANCE
(filtered)
...theothertwoareonour
Easternseaboardheadedtowards
NewYorkandWashington,D.C...

SuddenlyhecticCOWORKER#2appearatthedoor.

CO-WORKER #2
Jamiesaysthisbuildinghasan
oldbombshelter.We'reheading
downtherenow.

MARTY
 (dry;toDavid)
Feelnoshameinhiding.

INT. HALLWAY -- CONTINUOUS

Acrowdofpeopleheaddownthehallforthe
shelterwhile
othersstaygluedtotheset.Thereisamixof
fascination
andpanic.Davidwatchesthecommotion,dumb
struck.

MARTY
Ohshit,Ibettercallmywife.

INT. AIRPORT DINER - LATE MORNING

DepressedRussellnursesabeeratthecounter.
ThreeFLIGHT
MECHANICSwalkin,havingagoodlaugh.Oneof
themspots
Russellandmovesovertohim.

MECHANIC #1
Hey,Russ,heardyouhadalittle
troublethismorning.Dustedthe
wrongfield?

TheMechanicslaugh.Russelltriestoignorethem.

MECHANIC #2
Iknow,you'reprobablystilla
littleconfusedfromyourhostage
experience.

MECHANIC #2
Hostageexperience?Something
happentoyou,Russ?
 MECHANIC #1
Heain'tnevertoldyou!?Seems
yearsbackourboyherehadbeen
kidnappedbyaliens.Didall
kindsofexperimentsonhimand
such.Tellhim,Russ.

RUSSELL
Nottoday,guys.Okay.

Russellgetsupandheadsforthedoor.

MECHANIC #1
Youjustgottagetacouplemore
beersinhim,he'lltellyouall
aboutit.Crazystuff.Won't
you,Russ?

EXT. SMALL AIRPORT - CONTINUOUS

TheMechanicfollowsRusselloutside,hisbuddies
intow.

MECHANIC #1
Hey,Russ,whentheytookyouup
intheirspaceship,theydoany
sexualthingstoyou?

Themechanicscrackuplaughing.Suddenlythe
thingsaround
thembegintoRUMBLE.TheSHADOWengulfsthem,
silencingthe
Mechanics.

PanickedtheyturnandRUNAWAY.Russelljust
looksupatthe
sky,grabshisJackDanielsandtakesanotherswig.
 EXT. TRAILER PARK - SAME

Dogsbarkandpeoplestumbleoutoftheirtrailers
asan
enormousSHADOWcreepsoverthem.

INT. BRENNON MOBILE HOME - CONTINUOUS

ThewindowsgrowDARKandtheroombeginsto
RUMBLE.Miguel
rushestothedoor,usheringhissiblingsout.

EXT. TRAILER PARK - CONTINUOUS

AliciaandTroystepoutthedoor,stoppingdeadin
their
tracks.Miguelfollowsthemonlytolookupand
SEE...

THEPHENOMENONDARKCLOUDS

Theflamesareburningout,replacedbyhugeplumes
ofdark
smokebillowingaroundtheedgesofthephenomena.
Onlysmall
tracesofextinguishingflamesilluminateit.

INT. COMPACT CABLE - STAIRWELL - SAME

Davidpushespastthepeoplemakingtheirwaydown,
fighting
againstthetide.AnotherCOWORKER(#3)stops
halfway.

CO-WORKER #3
Aren'tyoucoming,David?
 DAVID
Noway,I'vegottoseethis.

EXT. WASHINGTON MONUMENT - SAME

Frightenedtouristsrunforcoverasthecolossal
SHADOW
approaches.ReflectedinthewaterbelowweSEE
thefiery
apparitiontransfigureintothedarkforeboding
clouds.

THE LINCOLN MEMORIAL - WASHINGTON, D.C. - SAME

TheSHADOWwrithesupthedetailedstatueof
Lincoln,
devouringhimcompletelyuntilweareleftintotal
darkness.

INT. WHITE HOUSE - HALLWAYS - SAME

Peoplearebeingevacuatedfromtheiroffices.
Patricia,the
President'sdaughter,breaksawayfromhernanny.

INT. WHITE HOUSE - OVAL OFFICE - SAME

ThePresidenttalksonthephone.Constancewaits
nearby.

PRESIDENT WHITMORE
(intophone)
Ofcourse,RussiaandtheUnited
Statesareinthistogether.Yes,
Mr.President,youhavemyword.
Yes,DasVedanya.

ThePresidenthangsup.
 CONSTANCE
Whatistheirposition?

PRESIDENT WHITMORE
Ithinkhewasdrunk.

Patriciaburststhroughthedoorandrunsintoher
father's
arms,terrified.ASECRETSERVICEmanappears.

SECRET SERVICE GUY

Mr.President,wehavetogo.

Abruptly,theroomDARKENSasitbeginstoRUMBLE.

EXT. WHITE HOUSE - SAME

Thelong,darkSHADOWmovesacrosstheentireWhite
House,
engulfingitindarkness.

EXT. HUDSON RIVER, NEW YORK - STATUE OF LIBERTY

- SAME

InthedistanceweSEEthemutatedphenomenon's
darkgray
cloudsnearingMiss.Liberty.Asitapproacheswe
SEEtheNew
Yorkskylinebegintodarken.

EXT. BLACK TOP BASKET BALL COURT, NEW YORK -

SAME

Kidsplayingbasketball.AyoungBOYstops
playing,staring
skyward.Onebyone,theyalllookupwards,
stunnedasalong
 darkSHADOWcreepsoverthem.

WithaloudCRASH,severalNewYorkCabsSLAMinto
oneanother
inthestreet.Twomorecarscrashintothem.A
pileup
ensues.

EXT. WALL STREET - SECOND LATER

FoottrafficstopsasthelongSHADOWcrawlsover
theentire
area.

EXT. ROOFTOP - COMPACT CABLE - SAME

Largesatellitedishesbesetadoorwaytotheroof
whichflies
open.Davidstepsoutjustasalong,darkSHADOW
coversover
him,sendingthecityintodarkness.Davidlooks
uptoSEE...

SKYLINE AND ALIEN CRAFT

Protrudingthroughthedarkcloudswegetaglimpse
ofthe
underbellyofacolossalALIENCRAFT,itsouter
veneerof
smokeandcloudsbeginningtofadeaway.

BelowweseePANIC,cabsSLAMMINGintooneanother,
people
staring,peoplescreaming.Nooneknowshowto
react.

Davidrunstotheothersideoftherooftop,
overlooking
 CentralPark,togetabetterlook.

DAVID'S POV - CENTRAL PARK - SAME

Theentireparkisplungedintodarknessasthe
craftabove
blotsoutofthesun.Amazingasitmayseem,the
hoveringcraft
BLANKETSTHEENTIREPARKandBEYOND.Westillhave
NOTseen
anentirecraft.

DAVID
(realizing)
MyGod.Thesignal.

EXT. LOS ANGELES BASIN - WIDE ANGLE - LATER

MORNING

ApanoramicviewoftheLosAngelesbasin.Slowly
fillingthe
screen,weSEEaportionoftheenormousspace
craftasit
creepstowardsthecity,obliteratingourview.

EXT. HILLSIDE RESIDENTIAL AREA - SAME

Astationwagon,filledwithkidsandaharried
HOUSEWIFE,
comestoastop.Thepassengerdooropensanda
youngsix
yearoldboy,DYLANstepsout.

HOUSEWIFE
Dylan,tellyourmomyoucanstay
overnightagainThursday.

SuddenlyacarSAILSoveranearbyhillinfrontof
them,
hittingthegroundwithaBANG.Twomorecars
follows,air
bound.AstheHousewifeturnssheSEES...

SPACE SHIP - SAME

RisingoverthemountainweSEEtheSpaceShipas
itnearsthe
city,blockingoutthesunshine.

Panicked,theHousewifehitsthegasandpeelsout,
leavinga
confusedDylanstaringskyward.

INT. BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS

TwopeoplesleepasDylanrunsintotheroom.

DYLAN
Mommy,lookat!

Herushesaway.TheSHADOWmovespastthewindow,
darkening
theroom.Hismother,JASMINEDUBROW,stirs.

JASMINE
(re:darkness)
It'stooearly,baby.

Sheturnsbackover.Suddenlytheroombriefly
RUMBLES.

MAN
Earthquake?

JASMINE
Notevenafourpointer.Goback
 tosleep.

Shrugging,themandoes.

HOLLYWOOD SIGN (FORMERLY SC. 72) - SAME

InLosAngeles.TheSHADOWslowlycoversthesign.

EXT. WHITE HOUSE - WINDOW - SAME

ThePresidentandhisdaughtercautiouslyapproach
thewindow
staringinaweattheamazingsightabovethem.
Several
othersapproachfrombehind.

Cautiouslysomepeoplebegintowalkoutside,
staringupat
theleviathan,mouthsagape.

INT. OVAL OFFICE - SAME

Slowlystaffmembersapproach,gazingoutthe
window.
ConstancestepsupbehindthePresident.

CONSTANCE
Whatdowedonow?

PRESIDENT WHITMORE
Addressthenation.Therearea
lotofveryfrightenedpeopleout
thererightnow.

CONSTANCE
Yeah.I'moneofthem.

EXT. WASHINGTON D.C. - ALIEN CRAFT - SAME

 AllofWashingtonisundertheshadowofthis
gargantuanalien
craft.Astunningtableau.

CUT TO:

INT. JASMINE'S DEBROW'S BEDROOM - SAME

ThemansleepingnexttoJasmine'sbeagleBOOMER
drops
Steven'stennisshoesontopofhim,wakinghim.

JASMINE
He'stryingtoimpressyou.

STEVE
He'sdoingagoodjob.

Hepatsthedogontheheadandtakestheshoes.
Stevengets
upandmakeshiswaytothebathroom.

INT. BATHROOM - CONTINUOUS

AsStevetakesapee,heSEESoutthewindowa
familypacking
uptheircar,othersstandingaroundstaringat
somethingin
thedistance.AHELICOPTERfliesoverhead.

STEVE
Neighborsaremoving.Ithink
they'retiredofearthquakes.

Hefinishedandflushes.

INT. LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS

 Steveentersthelivingroom.Thetelevisionis
playinga
newsbroadcast.

NEWSCASTER
...withlittledamagereportedto
thesouthlandarea.Peopleare
advisednottopanic...

STEVE
Hon,something'sonthetable'bout
thequake.

Jasminesitsupinbed,yellingouttoSteve.

JASMINE
Dylanoutthere?

Steveturns,lookingforDylanwhenthedoggiedoor
popsopen
andDylancrawlsthrough.

STEVE
Whathaveyoubeenupto,Sport?

DYLAN
(holdinghisgun)
Shootingaliens.

Stevemussesuptheboy'shair,smiling.

JASMINE
(entering)
Coffee?

Stevemumblesanaffirmativeasheexits.
 EXT. JASMINE'S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS

Stevepicksupthemorningpaperandopensit.He
doesn't
noticetheDOZENSofneighborsquicklypackingup
andrushing
togetawayashereadsthepaperoblivious.

JASMINE (O.S.)
Youwantmilkwithyourcoffee?

Jasmineappearsbehindhim,herview,too,obscured
bythe
opennewspaper.SuddenlyanotherHELICOPTERroom
overhead.
Annoyed,Stevelowershispaper.

STEVE AND JASMINE'S POV

AsthepaperisloweredweSEEthehelicopterSWOOP
down.As
itfliesawayweSEE...

THEALIENCRAFT

CoveringallofLosAngeles.Thisisthefirst
timewesee
theentirecraft.Itisstupendous.Steve'sjaw
hitsthe
floor.ThemilkgoesCRASHINGasJasmineSCREAMS.

CUT TO:

INT. STAIRWELL - DAY

Runningforallhe'sworth,Davidsprintsdownthe
stairs.
 INT. COMPACT CABLE OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

Dashingoffthestairs,Davidstopsseeingthatthe
roomis
nowcompletelyempty.Thewallofmonitorsplay
fornoone.
Davidwalksuptoone,adjustingthevolume.

T.V. - CNN BROADCAST - (DISTORTED BROADCAST

SIGNAL)

AspaceshiplogospinsnexttothewordsVISITORS:
CONTACTOR
CRISIS.WolfBlitzercomesonscreenlivefromthe
Pentagon.

WOLF BLITZER
Pentagonofficialsarereporting
moreshipshavejustarrivedover
thecapitalsofIndia,Englandand
Germany.

Ashespeakswegetquickglimpsesoftheother
ships.

MARTY (O.S.)
Iknow,babycakes.Calmdown.

Davidspinsaroundatthesoundofthevoicebut
theroomis
stillempty.Davidleansdownandlooksundera
deskwherehe
findsMartystillonthephonewithhiswife.

DAVID
Tellhertogetthekidsandleave
town.
 MARTY
Whathappened?

DAVID
(yells)
Justdoit!

MartyrealizesDavidisdeadserious.

MARTY
Babycakes,packthekidsupand
takethemtoyourmother's.Don't
ask.Go.

Maryhangsup,crawlsoutfromunderthetable.

MARTY(cont'd)
Okay,whydidIjustsendmy
familytoAtlanta?

DAVID
RememberItoldyouthatthe
signalhiddenwithinoursatellite
signalisslowlyrecyclingdownto
extinction.

MARTY
Notreally...

DAVID
Thatsignal.It'sacountdown.

MARTY
(confused)
Acountdowntowhat?

DAVID
Think.It'slikeinchess.First
 youstrategicallypositionyour
pieces.Then,whenthetiming's
right.Youstrike.

Davidmotionstothetelevision.

BLITZER
...thereareadditional
unconfirmedsightingsoverJapan,
theMediterranean,andChina...

DAVID
Theyarepositioningthemselves
allovertheworldandusingthis
onesignaltosynchronizetheir
efforts.Inapproximatelysix
hoursthesignalwilldisappear
andthecountdownwillbeover.

MARTY
Thenwhat?

DAVID
Checkmate.

Martytakesabeattodigest.Then,grabbingthe
phone....

MARTY
Igottacallmybrother,my
bookie,mylawyer...fuckmy
lawyer...

Davidalsograbsaphone.Suddenlythebankof
monitors
synchronizeintooneenormousimageacrossthe
entirevideo
wall;thePresidentaddressingthenation.
 INT. PRESS ROOM, WHITE HOUSE - SAME

ThePresidentstandsatthepodiumgivinghis
address.

PRESIDENT WHITMORE
MyfellowAmericans,ahistoric
andunprecedentedeventhastaken
place.Thequestionastowhether
ornotwearealoneinthe
universehasbeenanswered...

ANGLE - SIDE ENTRANCE TO PRESS ROOM

AsConstancewatchesthePresident,she
unconsciouslymouths
thewordsofhisspeech,afterall,shedidwrite
them.A
PRESSAIDEtugsonhersleeve.Shetriestowave
heroff.

PRESS AIDE
Hesayshe'syourhusband.

Herexpressiondrops.Shetakesthephonefrom
her.

CONSTANCE
Whatdoyouwant?

DAVID
(filtered)
YouhavetoleavetheWhiteHouse.

CONSTANCE
Thisisnotthetimeortheplace
tohavethissameolddiscussion.
 INT. COMPACT CABLE OFFICES - SAME

DAVID
Youdon'tunderstand.Youhaveto
leaveWashington.

INT. SIDE OFFICE, WHITE HOUSE - DAY

Impatient,Constancetriestogetoffthephone.

CONSTANCE
Incaseyouhaven'tnoticed,we're
inalittlebitofacrisishere.

DAVID
(filtered)
I'veworkedwithembeddedloading.
They'recommunicatingwitha
hiddensignal.They'regoingto
attack...

CONSTANCE
You'rebeingparanoid.

DAVID
(filtered)
It'snotparanoia.Theembedding
isverysubtle.It'sprobably
beenoverlooked...

Constancehangsup.Herfacebetraysmixed
emotions.

INT. COMPACT CABLE OFFICES - SAME

Davidstaresatthephone,pissed.Somethingon
T.V.
 catcheshisattention.Throughthesnowyimagehe
SEES...

PRESIDENT WHITMORE
(filtered)
...MystaffandIareremaining
hereattheWhiteHousewhilewe
attempttoestablish
communication...

Hangingupthephone,Davidsprintsfortheexit.

PRESIDENTWHITMORE(cont'd)
...soremaincalm.Ifyouare
compelledtoleavethesecities,
pleasedosoinasafeandorderly
fashion.

SMASH CUT TO:

CABS SLAMMING TOGETHER - NEW YORK CITY

STREETS

Therushtogetawaycreepsslowlyascarsjamthe
streetsin
totalgridlock.Davidpedalshisbikefuriously
through
traffic.

EXT. GEORGE WASHINGTON BRIDGE - NEW YORK - DAY

Themassexodushasreachedthebridge.Total
congestion.
Davidfightshiswaythrough.

EXT. CLIFFSIDE, NEW JERSEY - LATER

TheNewYorkskylinebehindhimacrosstheHudson,
Davidjumps
offhisbike,andracestowardsarowoftract
houses.

EXT. MOISHE'S TRACT HOUSE - SECONDS LATER

DavidBANGSonthedoor.Itfliesopen.Moisheis
holdinga
huntingrifle,pointingitatDavid.

DAVID
Pops!

MOISHE
Thetelevisionsaidthey've
startedwiththelootingalready
Vultures.

DAVID
YoustillgottheOlds?

MOISHE
Youwanttoborrowthecar?You
don'thavealicense.

DAVID
That'sokay.You'redriving.

CUT TO:

INT. JASMINE'S HOUSE - DAY

Steve,wearinghisMarineflightofficeruniform,
shovesthe
lastofhisthingsintohisduffelbag.Wenotice
thereare
smallfigurinesofdolphinseverywhere.Jasmine
hovers
 nervouslybehindhim.

JASMINE
Youcan'tgo.Callthemback.

STEVE
Baby,youknowhowitis.Ihave
toreporttoElTororightaway.

JASMINE
Yousaidyouwereonleaveforthe
Fourth.

STEVE
Theycancelledit.Whyareyou
actinglikethis?

Jasminegrabstheblindsandyanksthemaway.We
SEEthe
aliencraftthroughthewindow.

JASMINE
Why?That'swhy.Thatthing
scaresthepissoutofme.

EXT. DEBROW HOUSE - CONTINUOUS

Dylansitsbehindthewheelpretendingtodrive.
Stevegrabs
him,pullinghimout.Hereachesintohisduffel,
grabsasmall
brownpaperbag.

STEVE
Here.Igottheseforyou.Be
carefulwiththem.

Dylanopensthebag;fireworks.Jasminewalks
over.

DYLAN
Cool.

Stevetosseshisgearintotheback,openshis
door.

JASMINE
Wait.Ihavetotellyou
something.

STEVE
What?

JASMINE
(loseshernerve)
Becareful.

STEVE
Look,afteryourshifttonight,
whydon'tyougrabDylanandcome
staywithmeonbase.

JASMINE
Really?Youdon'tmind?

STEVE
(smiling)
Naw.I'lljusttellmyother
girlfriendstheycan'tcomeover
tonight.

Pissed,shehitshim.Helovesit.

JASMINE
Youknow,you'renotascharming
asyouthinkyouare.
 STEVE
Yes,Iam.

JASMINE
Dickweed!

STEVE
Buttmunch.

Theykiss.Stevehopsintohiscarandpeelsout.
Jasmine
takesthebagfromDylan.

JASMINE
I'lltakethese.

DYLAN
Mommmmmm...

CUT TO:

EXT. JERSEY - HIGHWAY - LATER THAT DAY

Aperfectlypreserved'68Oldsdrivescautiously
downthe
highway.Aroundhimweseeothercarspackedto
thegillsas
theymaketheirescapefromNewYork.

INT. OLDS - SAME

Notthemostconfidentdriver,Moisheholdsthe
steeringwheel
closetohischest.

MOISHE
It'stheWhiteHouse,forcrying
 outloud.Youcan'tjustdriveup
andringthebell.

DAVID
Can'tthisthinggoanyfaster?

MOISHE
Youthinktheydon'tknowwhatyou
know?Believeme,theyknow.She
worksforthePresident.They
knoweverything.

DAVID
Theydon'tknowthis.

MOISHE
Andyou'regoingtoeducatethem?
Tellmesomething,you'resosmart
howcomeyouspenteightyearsat
M.I.T.tobecomeacable
repairman?

DAVID
Dad...

MOISHE
AllI'msayingisthey'vegot
peoplewhohandlethesethings,
David.TheywantHBO,they'll
callyou.

CUT TO:

INT. HOTEL LOUNGE, LOS ANGELES - LATE AFTERNOON

Mrs.Whitmoreisatahousephone.Behindherwe
seeseveral
newscrewswaitingforinterviews.
 PRESIDENT WHITMORE
(filteredthroughphone)
Iwantyououtofthere.

MARGARET
You'restayingtheretokeep
peoplecalm.It'stherightthing
todo.I'mnotgoingtoletthem
criticizeyouforit.

INT. WHITMORE BEDROOM - WHITE HOUSE - SAME

ThePresidentsitsonhisbed,hisdaughterlays
nexttohim,
watchingT.V.Thesignaldistortionisgetting
worse.

PRESIDENT WHITMORE
Okay,finebutthesecondyour
interviewsaredone,Ihavea
helicopterreadytotakeyouto
NellisAirForce...

MARGARET
(filtered)
How'sthemunchkin?

PRESIDENT WHITMORE
She'sgluedtotheT.V.,justlike
therestoftheworld.Iloveyou
too.Heresheis...

HehandsPattythephoneasGeneralGreyand
Nimzikiappearin
thedoorway.ThePresidentwalksovertothem.

GENERAL GREY
 Moreshipskeeparriving,fifteen
intotalsofar.

NIMZIKI
Thisiscrazy.We'reloosingour
firststrikecapabilities!

GENERAL GREY
We'retryingtocommunicatewith
themonallfrequenciesbutwe're
gettingnowhere.AtlanticCommand
isworkingonatypeofvisual
communication.

PRESIDENT WHITMORE
Whatthehellaretheyupto?

CUT TO:

EXT. TRAILER PARK - NIGHT

Alongcrowdedhighwayofpeopletryingtoescape
fromLos
Angelescanbeseeninthedistance.Thehuge
spacecraft
hoveringbehindthem.

Miguelisontheroofofthetrailer,adjustingthe
T.V.
antennatryingtogetapicture.Suddenlythe
imageclears
andweSEEagroupofpeopleinacrowdedhallway.

REPORTER
(filtered)
...alocalcropdusterwas
arrestedtodayattemptingtoland
atEdwardsAirForceBase...
 OntheT.V.weSEERussellbeingescortedtoa
policecar.
Mortified,Miguelcan'tbelievewhathe'sseeing.

RUSSELL
They'vegottodosomething.
Iwasabductedbyspacealiensten
yearsago.Theydidallkindsof
experimentsonme.They'vebeen
studyingusforyears,learning
ourweakness.We'vegotodo
somethingbeforetheykillusall!

TROY (O.S.)

JustasTroystartstoclimbup,Miguelchangesthe
channelto
Mrs.Whitmore.TroysitsdownnexttoMiguel.

MRS. WHITMORE
(filtered)
...weneedtoremaincalm.As
morepeopledecidetoleavethe
cities,safetyiskey...

MIGUEL
Troy,yourememberUncleHector,
fromTucson?

TROY
He'sgotthatSEGASaturnCD,64
bit,right?

MIGUEL
Yeah.Whatwouldyouthinkifwe
wenttheretoliveforawhile?
 TROY
That'dbecool!

Miguelthinksforasecond,makesadecision.

MIGUEL
Packup,we'regoing.

Migueljumpsdownfromtheroof.Troyclimbsdown
theladder.

TROY
(yellingafterhim)
WhataboutDad?

ALICIA AND OLDER BOY

Kissing.It'sgettinghot.Alicialaughs,pushes
himaway.

OLDER BOY
Thiscouldbeourlastnighton
Earth.Youdon'twanttodiea
virgin,doyou?

ALICIA
WhatmakesyouthinkI'mavirgin?

TheOlderBoyistakenoffguard.Beforehecan
answerthe
tarptheywerehidingunderisrippedaway.Miguel
stands
there.

MIGUEL
Comeon,we'regoing.

ALICIA
 I'mnotgoinganywhere...

Miguelgrabsherbythewristandpullsheraway.

EXT. FREEWAY - OUTSIDE WASHINGTON - NIGHT

WeseethelonghighwayleadingtoWashington,the
spaceship
hoveringaboveit.Onesideofthefreewayis
packedsolid,
theothercompletelyempty,saveforonecar...

INT. MOISHE'S OLDS - NIGHT

Moishelookstotheothersideofthefreeway,jam
packed.On
hisside,theyaretheonlycarformiles.

MOISHE
Thewholeworldistryingtoget
outofWashingtonandwe'rethe
onlyschmuckstryingtogetin.

AsMoishedrives,Daviddistractshimasheunpacks
his
backpackunloadinghislaptop.HegrabsaCD.

MOISHE(cont'd)
Whatthehellisthat?

DAVID
This,pops,iseveryphonebookin
America.

MOISHE
Youthinkanimportantpersonlike
Constanceisgoingtobelisted?
 DAVID
Shealwayskeepsherportable
phonelisted,foremergencies.
Sometimesit'sjustherfirst
initial,sometimehernickname...

Davidstartstolookitup.Suddenly...

DOZENS OF CARS HEADING STRAIGHT FOR THEM

Intheattempttogetout,hundredsofcarshave
beenre
directedbythemilitarytousetheoppositeside
ofthe
highway.

MOISHE
OhmyGod!

MoisheSWERVESviolentlytoavoidcollision,barely
missing
theoncomingtraffic.Dodgingrighttoleft,
Moishehangson
fordearlife.

AMilitaryOffice,assistingindivertingthecars
turnsjust
intimetoseetheOldswhizby.

DavidandMoisheareboundedaroundtheinsideof
thecaras
Moishetriestoveerthroughtraffic.

SuddenlyATRUCKblocksofftheironlyescape
route.

MoisheturnsHARDanddrivesupontotheright
shoulder.
 OVERHEAD ANGLE - OLDS AND TRAFFIC

TheOldsistheonlycarinheadedthatdirection.
Usingthe
shoulder,swervingtomissbarricades,theydrives
offanexit
ramp.

DAVID
Nicedriving,pops!

Dangerouslyclosetoaheartattack,Moisheis,for
once,ata
lossforwords.Overtheiradrenalinepumped
faces...

MALE VOICE (V.O.)

...putyourhandstogetherfor
Sabrina!

CUT TO:

INT. STRIP CLUB - LOS ANGELES - NIGHT

AbikinicladSabrinatwirlsgracefullyonthe
stage.Asshe
comestoastopwerevealSabrinaisactually
Jasmine.She
looksoutintotheaudienceandherexpression
DROPS.

REVERSE ANGLE - JASMINE'S POV - EMPTY CLUB

Fivestrippersandeightcustomers.Allcrowded
nearthe
televisionwatchingthenews.
 ANGLE T.V. - ROOFTOP - LOS ANGELES

Helicopterfootageofpeoplegatheredonthe
rooftopsof
downtownLosAngelesholdingupdrawingsofspace
aliens.

NEWSCASTERS
(filtered)
...fromthe"itcouldonlyhappen
inCalifornia"file,hundredsof
UFOfanaticshavegatheredonthe
rooftopsofdowntownLosAngeles,
welcomingthenewarrivals...

INT. DRESSING ROOM - CONTINUOUS

Jasminestormsintothedressingroom.Wipingoff
hermakeup,
shesitsdownnexttoTIFFANYwhowatchesthesame
reportona
smallb&w.

JASMINE
Ican'tbelieveIevencamein
tonight.WhatwasIthinking?

TIFFANY
(re:T.V.)
Isn'tthiscool?Andyouthought
Iwasnuts.Oh,look,Ibrought
minewithme.

Tiffanyholdsupadrawingofaspacealien.

JASMINE
You'renotthinkingofjoining
thoseidiots?
 TIFFANY
I'mgoingovertheresoonasI'm
off.Wannacome?

JasmineturnstoTiffany,deadserious.

JASMINE
Tiffany,Idon'twantyoutogoup
there.Promisemeyouwon't.
(Tiffanypouts)
Promise!

TIFFANY
Ipromise.

JASMINE
Okay.I'mgone.I'mouttatown
forawhile.

HerbossMARIOentersandwalksovertohisprivate
officein
back.HeopensthedoorandfindsDylanplaying
withhisdog,
Boomer.

MARIO
Whatthehell'syourkiddoing
here?

JasminerushespastpickingupDylanandcarrying
himawayas
sheheadsfortheexit.Boomerfollows.

JASMINE
Youtrytofindasittertoday.

MARIO
 Wheredoyouthinkyou'regoing?
Youleave,you'refired.

JASMINE
(outthedoor)
Niceworkingwithyou,Mario.

CUT TO:

EXT. WASHINGTON D.C. - NIGHT

Thestreetsarenearlydeserted.Millionsofsmall
lightson
theunderbellyofthecraftcaststrange
reflectionsonthe
streetsbelow.TheOldsdrivesonitswaytowards
theCapitol
building.

INT. OLDS - CONTINUOUS

Davidtypesfrustratedlyonhislaptop.

MOISHE
Notlisted,huh?

DAVID
Ijusthaven'tfoundityet.I
triedC.Halbrook,Connie
Halbrook,SpunkyHalbrook...

MOISHE
Spunky?

DAVID
Collegenickname.

MOISHE
 YoutryMartin?

DAVID
Shedidn'ttakemynamewhenwe
weremarried.

Moisheshrugs.Davidgivesitashot.Findsit.
Themachine
BEEPS.

MOISHE
(sarcastic)
SowhatdoIknow?

CUT TO:

INT. LOCKER ROOM - EL TORO MARINE CORPS STATION

- NIGHT

Acrowdedlockerroom.Steveenters.

MALE VOICE (O.S.)

Wherethehell'veyoubeen?

STEVE
Ah,wereyouguyswaitingforme?

SeveralMarinesthrowstowelsatSteveashemakes
hiswayto
hislocker.Hisbestfriend,JIMMY,sitsnextto
him.

JIMMY
Canyoubelieveit?Thisis
seriousshit,Stevie.They've
recalledeveryone!

AsStevesitsheSEESsomeenvelopsstuckintothe
sideofhis
locker.

STEVE
Well,themail'sstillworking.

HeflipsthroughtheenvelopsandFREEZESwhenhe
seesone
withtheNASAinsigniaonit.Jimmysnatchesit
awayfrom
him.

JIMMY
Junkmail.Youdon'twantthis.

Stevequicklysnatchesitback,rightitopenand
reads.From
thedisappointmentonhisfacewecantellit'sbad
news.
Realizing,JimmyputsahandonSteve'sshoulder.

JIMMY
Idon'tbelieveit.Theymakeyou
learnhowtoflyeverythingfrom
anApachetoaHarrierandstill
theyturnyoudown?Whatelsedo
theywantyoutolearn?

STEVE
Howtokissass.

Stevecrumplesattheletterandtossesit.
Angrilyheopenshis
locker.Pastedonthelockerdoorweseephotosof
Jasmine
nexttothephotosofthespaceshuttle,Apollo
Missions,anda
NASAinsigniabumpersticker.
 AsStevestuffshisjacketintothelocker,
somethingfalls
out.BeforeStevecangrabit,Jimmysnatchesit
upfirst.

JIMMY
(embarrassed)
Jasminehasthisthingfor
dolphins.Ihadthemmakeit...

STEVE
Ithoughtyousaidyouweredoing
tobreakitoff.

Stevesnatchesitback,embarrassed.

JIMMY(cont'd)
Steve,listentome,you'renever
gonnagettoflythespaceshuttle
ifyoumarryastripper.

Steveknowshe'sright.He'storn.

CUT TO:

EXT. WHITE HOUSE - MOMENTS LATER - NIGHT

TheOldsstopsneartheWhiteHouse.Fromherewe
canSEE
tanksandarmedpatrols.Asmallgroupof
protestershave
gathered,upsetaboutthemilitaryhardware.
Signs:"Don't
provoke""ViolencebegetsViolence."

INT. ODS - CONTINUOUS

 Davidadjustsasmallportablesatellite,
connectingittohis
phonandlaptopcomputer.

MOISHE
So,youwanttoringthebellor
shouldI?

Davidflipsopenthephone,dialsthenumberonthe
screen.

DAVID
Perfect,she'susingit.

MOISHE
It'sperfectthelineisbusy?

DAVID
Yes.Icanusehesignalto
triangulateherexactpositionin
theWhiteHouse.

MOISHE
Youcandothat?

Shootinghisfatheralook.

DAVID
(sarcastic)
Allcablerepairmencan.

INT. WHITE HOUSE - HALLWAY - MOMENTS LATER

Constanceisjustfinishingacallonhercellular
phone.

CONSTANCE
...Sally,takemycatwithwhen
 youleave.NoI'mstayinghereat
theWhiteHouse.Takecare.

Themomentshehangsup,itRINGS.Surprised,she
answers.

CONSTANCE
What?

DAVID
(filtered)
Connie,don'thangup.

CONSTANCE
David?How'dyougetthisnumber?

DAVID
Walktothewindow.Rightin
frontofyou.

Constancelooksuptothelargeglasswindows.She
walksover
toit,lookingout.

CONSTANCE
WhatamIlookingfor?

CONSTANCE'S POV - STREET - OLDS - DAVID

Betweentwoofthetanksoutside,ConstancecanSEE
David
standingontopoftheOldsacrossthestreet.
Moishesteps
out,waves.Constanceisstunned.

CONSTANCE
(toherself)
Howdoeshedothat?
 CUT TO:

INT. BRENNON TRAILER - NIGHT

Sulking,Aliciasitsinbackwithhewalkmanon.
Troysleeps
whileMigueldrives.SuddenlyMiguelhisthe
brakes,as
somethingcomesSAILINGDOWNFROMTHESKY.

Werealizeit'stheBWINGPLANElandingonthe
stretchof
roadwaydirectlyinfrontofthem.

EXT. ROADWAY - CONTINUOUS

Theplanelands,skidsintoaturn.Russelljumps
out,walks
overtothetrailer.Wecantellhe'sdrunkagain.

MIGUEL
Theyletyouout?

RUSSELL
Justwhatthehelldoyouthink
you'redoing?

MiguelmovestomeetRussellawayfromthetrailer,
not
wantingtheotherstohear.

MIGUEL
We'releaving,don'ttryandstop
us.

RUSSELL
You'renotgoinganywhere.You
 hearme?I'mstillyourfather.

Miguelexplodes,thishasbeenbuildingupforsome
time.

MIGUEL
No,you'renot!You'rejusttheman
whomarriedmymother.You're
nothingtome!

Russellismomentarilysilent,stunned.
Recovering...

RUSSELL
Troy'sstillmysonnomatterhow
youfeelaboutme.

MIGUEL
Foronceinyourlifethinkabout
what'sbestforTroy.Whohasto
begformoneytobuyhimmedicine
whenyouscrewup?Who?

SuddenlywehearglassCRASHING.Bothmenspinto
findTroy
standingbehindthem.

TROY
Stopit!I'mnotababy!Idon't
needyourstupidmedicine.I
don'tneedanyonetotakecareof
me!

MiguelleansdowntoseethebrokenMEDICINEBOTTLE
onthe
floor.Miguelrushesovertohim,furious.

MIGUEL
 Youknowwhatthisstuffcosts?
Doyouwanttogetsickagain!?
Doyou!?

Frustrated,MiguelshovesTroyasideandheadsback
intothe
trailer.Wobblyfromthedrinking,Russellstands
there
pathetically,watching.

EXT. ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE - NIGHT

AlargegroupofpressrushovertowardFOURAPACHE
HELICOPTERS,eachrefittedwithalargeLIGHT
BOARDS,asthey
slowlyliftofftheground.Camerasflash,
reportersyell
questionstotheOfficersassignedtokeepthemat
bay.

Severalnewsorganizationsdostandupremotes.We
TRACKpast
themtotheCNNcrew.

CNN REPORTER
Whatyouseebehindmearefour
Apachehelicopters...

INT. BRIEFING ROOM - WHITE HOUSE - SAME

OnthetelevisionplaystheCNNbroadcast.The
receptionis
intermittentlydisrupted.

CNN REPORTER
(filteredthroughT.V.)
...eachhasbeenrefittedwith
whatPentagonofficiallyhopewill
 beourfirststepincommunicating
withthealiencraft...

WeWIDENtorevealalargecontingentofmilitary
personnel
alongwiththePresident'schiefadvisorsgathered
around
severalmonitors,(thecentermonitorsare
momentarilyblank).

Suddenlyeveryonesnapstoattentionasthe
Presidententers.

PRESIDENT
Wherearewe?

GENERAL GRAY
They'reintheair.

CUT TO:

INT. OFFICE OF THE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR -

SAME

MoisheinspectsaphotoofConstancewiththe
President,
impressedhenodswithapproval.

MOISHE
(tohimself)
Verynice.

ConstanceislookingatDavid'slaptopdisplaying
the
breakdownofthealiensignal.

CONSTANCE
Andwhenisthecountdownsupposed
 toexpire?

DAVID
(checking)
Fiftysixminutes,fortyfive
seconds.

Constancerunsherfingersthroughherhair,
exasperated.
Moisheturns,listens.

CONSTANCE
Whatdoyouwantmetodo?

DAVID
Iwantyoutoleavewithus.
Rightnow.

CONSTANCE
Ican'tleave.Wehavetotell
thistothePresident.

DAVID
He'snotgoingtolistentome.

Surprisedathisson,Moishestepsforward.

MOISHE
Surehe'lllisten.Whywouldn't
he?

DAVID
BecauselasttimeIsawhimI
punchedhimintheface.

MOISHE
YoupunchedthePresidentinthe
face?
 DAVID
Hewasn'tthePresidentthen.

CONSTANCE
DavidthoughtIwashavingan
affair,whichIwasn't.

MOISHE
PunchedthePresident?Ohmygod.

APACHE HELICOPTERS

ZOOMbyoverhead.Inthedistanceweseetheyare
headedfor
theenormousaliencraft.

INT. HELICOPTER - PILOT - CONTINUOUS

ThePILOTadjustshisradio.

PILOT
Echoone,weareclosingin.

EXT. SKIES - CONTINUOUS

Thechoppersaltertheirformation,aligning
themselves
alongsideoneanother.Asthehelicoptersnearthe
craft,we
seehowtinytheyappearagainstthegargantuan
spaceship.

INT. HALLWAY - ELEVATORS - WHITE HOUSE - MINUTES

LATER

TheelevatordoorsopenandMoishestepsout,
overwhelmedand
 impressed.Constanceleadsthemdownthehall.
Moisheturns
toDavid,whispers.

MOISHE
IfIhadknownIwasgoingtomeet
thePresident,I'dawornatie.
Lookatme,Ilooklikea
schlemiel.

INT. OVAL OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

TheOfficeisemptyasthetriowalksin.Moishe
can't
believehe'sinthere.Hestraightenshimselfup,
combshis
hair.

CONSTANCE
Waithere.I'llberightback.

Davidsetsuphislaptop.

MOISHE
Notonhisdesk.

INT. BRIEFING ROOM - NIGHT

Themiddlemonitorsarenowon.Theyshowthe
nightvision
P.O.V.ofthehelicoptersastheyapproach.Onthe
side
monitorsweSEEthevariousnewsbroadcastofthis
event.

NEWSCASTER
(filtered)
...thehelicoptersaremaking
 theirfinalapproach...

Onthemiddlemonitor,throughthenightvision
cameraonthe
leadhelicopterweSEEthesideofthecraftasthe
helicoptersnear.Everyoneintheroomwatches,
tense.

Constanceentersandkneelsdownnexttothe
President,
whisperinginhisear.ThePresidentgetsupand
follows
Constance.ChiefofStaffNimzikiobjects.

NIMZIKI
You'releavingnow?

ThePresidentsilenceshimwithalook.Asthey
exit.

CONSTANCE
Idon'tknowhowyouputupwith
him.

PRESIDENT
HeusedtoruntheNASA.Heknows
whereallthebonesareburied.
Comesinhandy.

CONSTANCE
I'llbet.

INT. OVAL OFFICE - SAME

ThedoorfliesopenandConstanceandthePresident
enter.
ThemomentPresidentWhitmoreseesDavid,he
freezes.
 PRESIDENT
Whatthehell'shedoinghere?

Moishe,bursting,stepsforward.

MOISHE
MoisheMartinsburg,Mr.President.

CONSTANCE
Myexhusbandworksinsatellite
communications.

PRESIDENT
Idon'thavetimeforthis...

WithaBANG,DavidsuddenlyKNOCKSeverythingoff
the
President'sdeskandstartstodrawontheink
blotter.

DAVID
It'sabout"Lineosight,"Mr.
President...

DaviddrawsacirclerepresentingEarthanda
smallercircle
justawayfromit.ThePresidentreluctantly
nears.

DAVID
...Ifyouwantedtcoordinate
withshipsallovertheworld,you
couldn'tsendonesignaltoevery
placeatthesametime.That's
calledlineofsight...

Drawingalinefromtheshipofeithersideofthe
Earth,we
SEEthatyoucouldnotsendasignaltotheother
side.

DAVID(cont'd)
...you'dneedtorelayyoursignal
usingsatellites...

DaviddrawssmallsatellitessurroundingEarth.

DAVID(cont'd)
...toreacheachship.Ihave
foundasignalhiddeninsideour
ownsatellitenetwork.

Suddenlyanaide,ALEX,appearsinthedoorway.

ALEX
Excuseme,Mr.President.They're
starting.

ThePresidentturnstothemonitorinhisoffice.
WeSEEthe
helicoptersturningonthelightboardsaffixedto
thefront
oftheircockpits.HeturnsbacktoDavid.

DAVID
Mr.President,theyareusingour
ownsatellitesagainstusandthe
clockisticking.

EXT. HELICOPTERS - SAME - NIGHT

ThelargelightpanelsTURNON,multicolored
lightsslowly
beginstoflashinarepeatingsequentialpatterns.
 REVERE ANGLE - HELICOPTERS AND SPACE CRAFT

Thehelicoptersarepunylittlespecsnexttothis
Goliath.
ThelightboardscontinuestoFLASHbutthereisno
reaction
fromtheship.

INT. BRIEFING ROOM - SECONDS LATER

EveryoneisgluedtothemonitorsasthePresident
stormsin.

PRESIDENT
GeneralGrey,coordinatewith
AtlanticCommand.Tellthemthey
havetwentyfiveminutestogetas
manypeopleoutofthecitiesas
theycan.

GENERAL GREY
ButMr.President...

PRESIDENT
Andgetthosehelicoptersaway
fromtheship.Callthemback
immediately.

GeneralGreyobeys,turningtoanassistantwho
quicklygrabs
aphone.NimzikistepsuptothePresident.

NIMZIKI
Whatthehell'sgoingon?

PRESIDENT
We'releaving.
 AnAIDEmotionstothemonitors.

AIDE
They'reresponding.

Theroomgoessilent,everyoneturnstothe
monitors.

MONITORNEWSPROGRAM&NIGHTVISIONVIDEO

OnallscreensweSEEthespaceshipasalongthin
lineof
WHITELIGHTsuddenlyemitsfromthesideofthe
craft,
illuminatingthefourApacheHelicopters.

EXT. APACHE HELICOPTERS - SAME

Thelightboardsareoverpoweredbythebright
lightcoming
fromthespacecraft.Suddenlywithaloud
SCREECHINGNOISE,
thewhitelightspillsoutasthehugeOPENING
unfoldsatthe
sideofthecraft.

Thefourhelicoptershavetoflighttoholdtheir
positions,as
somethingpowerfulemitsfromtheschisminthe
ship.

Thenlikeagiganticbugzapper,thefourpesky
littleApache
HelicoptersareBLOWNOUTOFTHESKY,onebyone.
Theyleave
notimetoretreat.

INT. HOTEL SUITE - NIGHT

 Mrs.Whitmorepacksherbag,asthehorrifying
imageofthe
destructionofthehelicopterreplaysontheT.V.

SECRET SERVICEMAN
Mrs.Whitmore?ThePresidenthas
orderedtheevacuation.Wehave
toleave,now.

SheslamshervaliseSHUTandquicklyexits.

POLICE HELICOPTER

SOARSoverus,headeddirectlyfordowntownLos
Angeles.

EXT. ROOFTOP - SAME

TheUFOtruebelieversarestillthere,holdingup
their
signs.Makingherwaythroughseveralofthemwe
seeTiffany.
Shelooksuptothespacecraftabove.

TIFFANY
(awed)
It'sbeautiful.

Shedigsherdrawingofanalienoutofherpurse
asshe
excitedlyrushesuptotheothers.Sheholdsitup
tothe
sky,proudly.

POLICE HELICOPTER

FromoutofnowherethehelicopterLIFTSupover
thesideof
thebuilding,shiningitsspotlightdownthe
believers
below.

POLICE (P.A.)
...weareevacuatingthecity.
Pleaseleavethebuildingatonce.

Thesignholdersbeginto"boo"thepolice,
ignoringthem.

EXT. CITY STREET - PASADENA THROUGHWAY - SAME

Thefreewayispackedonbothsides,everycar
headedoutof
town.Thereisnoopposingtraffic.

INT. JASMINE'S CAR - SAME

DylanholdsBoomersasJasminedrives.Thenews
playsoverher
carradio.

RADIO VOICE
...authoritieshavecalledfora
completeevacuationofLosAngeles
County.Peopleareadvisedto
avoidthehighwayswhenever
possible.

JASMINE
Nowhetellsme.

EXT. WHITE HOUSE - SAME

ThePresidentstopsonhiswaytothePresidential
helicopter
 asanaidebringshisdaughteroutside.The
Presidentushers
herintothehelicopter.Heturnsbackandseea
military
guardholdingbackMoisheandDavid.

PRESIDENT
They'reokay.Letthemon!

INT. HELICOPTER - CONTINUOUS

ThePresidentstepsinside,turnstoGeneralGrey.

PRESIDENT
Ismywifeintheair?

GENERAL GREY
Sheshouldbeshortly.

Davidflipsopenhislaptopwhichreads:09:07.
09:96...

EXT. WHITE HOUSE LAWN - HELICOPTER -

CONTINUOUS

ThePresidentialhelicopterliftsoffasseveral
other
helicopterswaitbehind,peoplefilingintothem.

EXT. ROOFTOPS - LOS ANGELES - SAME

ThePolicehelicopterisstillflashingtheir
lightsatthe
UFObelieverswhorefusetobudge.Suddenlythe
entire
rooftopisBATHEDINWHITELIGHT.Theyallgrow
silent
staringupatthecraft.
 AbovethemanotherSCHISMhasopenedatthebottom
ofthe
craft,thewhitelightspillingout.

Asthoughtheheavenshadopened,theUFObelievers
lifttheir
arms,waitingtobetaken.

BELIEVERS
Takeme!No,takeme!Takeme!

Slowly,thisbeamoflightfromthebaseofthe
ship
INTENSIFIESdirectlyonthetopofthisbuilding.

EXT. HELIPORT - SAME

Standingonthisrooftopheliportdirectlyacross
fromtheUFO
believers,theFirstLadywatchesthem,concerned.

SECRET SERVICEMAN
(yellingoverhelicopter)
Mrs.Whitmore!

Reluctantly,theFirstLadyturnsandrunsforthe
helicopter.
Thedoorisshutandthehelicoptertakesoff.

EXT. THE CAPITOL BUILDING - SAME

WithaROAR,thePresidentialhelicopterZOOMS
past,behindit
weseeanenormousSCHISMopeningbeneaththespace
craft.

EXT. WHITE HOUSE - SAME

 Alexishelpingpeoplegetontotheremaining
helicopters.
SuddenlyheisbathedinWHITELIGHT.Helooksup
andsees
theSCHISM,itsWHITEBEAMcomingdirectlydown
upontheWhite
House.

EXT. EMPIRE STATE BUILDING - SAME

Thepinnacleofthislandmarkisabruptly
illuminatedinWHITE
LIGHT.WePANUPtothespacecraftabove,the
beam
intensifyingfromtheSCHISMbelowtheship.

EXT. ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE - SAME

ThePresidentialhelicopterlands.ThePresident
andhis
groupareusheredovertoAIRFORCEONEwhich
standsonly
hundredyardaway.

INT. AIR FORCE ONE - SAME

ThedoorOPENSandthePresidentandhisadvisors
rushin.
Davidflopsdownintoaseat,quicklyflipsopen
hislaptop
whichreads:00:05,00:04...

EXT. ROOFTOP - LOS ANGELES - SAME

Asthelightamplifies,thebelieverschant,louder
and
louder.SuddenlythewhitelightDISAPPEARS.The
believers
arestunned.Inabriefmomentitisreplacedwith
aBLAST.

ADESTRUCTIONBEAMBLASTSdownontotherooftop,
splintering
everythingthere,Policehelicopterincluded,into
abillion
tinyparticles.

Tiffanyisheepicenter,fromheretheWALLOF
DESTRUCTIONGROWS
outwardly,destroyingeverythinginitspath.

EXT. EMPIRE STATE BUILDING - SAME

JustastheBLASTHITS,thehistoricbuildingis
DECIMATED.

EXT. WHITE HOUSE LAWN - SAME

Alexshutsthedooronahelicopter.Ashesteps
backthe
whitelightVANISHES.HelooksupastheBLAST
replacesthe
beam.

ANGLE - WHITE HOUSE

Justasoneofthehelicopterspassus,theWhite
House
SPLINTERS BEFORE OUR EYES.

EXT. ANDREWS - RUNWAY - AIR FORCE ONE - SAME

AirForceOnequicklytaxisdowntherunwaytoward
us.
BehindtheminthedistancewecanSEEthe
DESTRUCTIVEbeam
GROWINGOUTWARDLYfromtheepicenter.

THE CAPITOL BUILDING

TheWALLOFDESTRUCTIONreachestheCapitol
Building,
fragmentingintoatrillionparticles.

THE PENTAGON

WashedundertheWALLOFDESTRUCTION,thePentagon,
too,is
blowntosmithereens.

INT. AIR FORCE ONE - SAME

Thickwithtension.Everyoneiswhiteknuckled,
anxiousfor
takeoffastheytaxiquickydowntherunway.

EXT. ANDREWS - RUNWAY - AIR FORCE ONE

AirForceone,fullthrottle.ItLIFTSOFFjustin
timeto
misstheWALLOFDESTRUCTIONasitripsapartthe
airport
behindthem,dangerouslyclose.

WIDE ANGLES - WASHINGTON, D.C.

WeSEEtheWAVEOFDESTRUCTIONgrowingoutwardly
fromthe
epicenter,ENGULFINGALLOFWASHINGTON.

AirForceOneisjustbarelymakingitoutintime.

EXT. PASADENA FREEWAY - SAME

 Jasmine'scariscaughtintrafficjustoutsidethe
tunneled
underpassattheGriffithParkMountains.

RADIO NEWSMAN
(filtered)
...MyGod.It'sdestroying
everythinginitspath.
Widening...

SuddenlytheradioCUTSOUT.Jasmineturnsaround
andSEES...

JASMINE'SPOVFREEWAY&DOWNTOWN

Faroffthedevastationofdowntowncanbeseen.
TheWALLOF
DESTRUCTIONgrowingtowardsus.

Reacting,JasminegrabsDylananddashesoutofthe
car.
Boomerfollows.Everydriverswhocan,jumpsout
oftheir
cars,runninginalldirections.

Jasmineheadsforthetunnel.

ANGLE - FREEWAY

Thegridlockedcarshavenowheretorunasthe
WALLOF
DESTRUCTIONgrowsoutfromdowntown.Allthecars
areWIPED
OUTinarow,sittingducks.

ANGLE - OVERPASS - BRIDGES

 Packedwithcars.They'requicklydemolishedas
theWALLOF
DESTRUCTIONblastsby.

INT. TUNNEL - SAME

Jasmineturnsbackfromthetunnelentrance.

JASMINE'S POV - WALL OF DESTRUCTION

Evernearing,onlymomentsaway.

JasminespotsanopenMAINTENANCEALCOVEdeep
withinthe
tunnel.Sherunstoit,putsDylaninsideand
climbsinafter
him.

Leaningbackout,JasminelooksforBoomerwho
staresather,
wagginghistail.

JASMINE
Boomer,come.Comeboy!

BoomerLEAPSinsideandJasmineduckstotheside
oftheWALL
OFDESTRUCTIONhitsthetunnelentrance,carsare
JAMMED
TOGETHER,SMASHINGintooneanother.

SuddenlythecarAREBLOWNCLEARTHROUGHTHETUNNEL
likeso
manytoyHotWheelcars.

InsidetheMaintenancealcove,Jasmineshields
Dylanand
Boomerwithherbody.
 EXT. MANHATTAN - WIDE ANGLE - SAME

FromadistanceweWATCHasallofManhattanis
consumedfrom
itscenteroutwardlybythegrowingWALLOF
DESTRUCTION.
WithinsecondsallofManhattanisgone.

TheWALLOFDESTRUCTIONreachesitsoutermost
edgesandfades
away.

TheSCHISMunderthecraftslowlyCLOSES.Theship
nowhovers
overacompletelywipedoutManhattan.

SLOW DISSOLVE:

INT. BRENNON TRAILER - PRE-DAWN

Ahandadjuststhetrailerradio.

RADIO
(filtered)
...reportsareunclearastothe
extentofthedevastation,but
fromallaccounts,LosAngeles,
WashingtonandNewYorkhavebeen
leftinruins...

RussellshootsaworriedlookovertoMiguel.
SuddenlyTroy
movesuptothefrontonwobblylegs.

TROY
Guys,Idon'tfeelsogood.
 RUSSELL
Whenwasthelasttimeyouhad
yourmedicine?

TROY
Fourdays...five?

Troylooksreallysick.Miguelisshocked.

MIGUEL
ButIgaveyousomethismorning.

TROY
Ididn'ttakeit.IthoughtI
didn'tneeditanymore.

EXT. DESERT HIGHWAY - SAME

Thetrailer,withRussell'sBiwingintow,pulls
over.Troy
rushesout,vomitingonthesideoftheroad.
Miguelcomesto
hisaide.Russellstepsoutandwalkstothecurve
inthe
highway.

RUSSELL
Miguel?Cometakealookatthis.

ReluctantlyMiguelleaveshisbrother'sside.

POV - RUSSELL AND MIGUEL

Belowanentirevalleyfilledwithcampers,
trailersand
busses.Aninstantrefugeecity,ifyouwill,for
asfaras
theeyecansee.Spectacular.
 CUT TO:

INT. EL TORO - BRIEFING ROOM - MORNING

Thirtyfivepilotsarebeingbriefedbytheir
Commanding
Office,CAPTAINWATSONwhopointstoafuzzy
photographof
thecraftoverLosAngeles.

WATSON
Youwillbethefirstwaveinour
counterattack.Though
surveillancesatellite
reconnaissancehasbeenimpaired,
wehaveafixonourprimary
target.

SteveandJimmysitnexttoeachothernearthe
backofthe
room

STEVE
(whispered)
Youwon'texactlyneedradarto
findit.

Jimmychuckles.Watsonisannoyed.

WATSON
Youwanttoaddsomethingtothis
briefing,Lt.Hill?

Stevesmilesconfidently.

STEVE
Sorry,Sir.Justrealanxiousto
 kicksomealienass.

Everyonechuckles,includingCaptainWatson.

EXT. EL TORO MARINE CORPS AIR STATION - MOMENTS

LATER

HugehangardoorsopenrevealinganF/A18HORNET,
oneofthe
U.S.A.F.'selite.

TARMAC - OVERHEAD SHOT

ThirtyF/A18sawaittakeoffonthetarmacas
Techniciansand
FlightCrewsraceforposition.

ENGINE BLAST

Theheatwavesmomentarilyobscureourviewasthe
F/A18s
taketotheair.

INT. AIR FORCE ONE - SAME

ThePresidentisdeeplycontemplative.Constance
sitsdown
nexttohim.Sheknowswhathe'sthinking.

CONSTANCE
Yousavedalotoflives.

PRESIDENT
Icouldhaveevacuatedthecities
hoursago.
(beat)
Youknow,whenIflewintheGulf
Wareverythingissimple.We
 knewwhatwehadtodo.It'snot
simpleanymore,Connie.Alotof
peoplediedtoday.Howmany
didn'thaveto?

Constancerealizesthere'snocomfortinghim.She
supports
himsilentlybybeingthere.GeneralGreycomes
over.

PRESIDENT
Anynewsonmywife?

GENERAL GREY
Thehelicopterneverarrivedat
Nellisandthere'sbeennoradio
contact.

ThenewsrocksthePresident.Theybothknowwhat
thatmeans.

GENERALGREY(cont'd)
Thefightersareintheair.

WhitmorenodsandfollowstheGeneraltotheback
ofthe
plane.

COMMAND CENTER - AIR FORCE ONE

MilitaryCommandhasbeensetuponAirForceOne,
akindof
flyingNORAD.Militaryandtechnicalcreware
seatedatthe
controls.Nimzikiisalreadythere.

GENERAL GREY
Allsatellites,microwaveand
 groundcommunicationswiththe
citiesaregone.Webelievewe're
lookingatatotalloss.

Maintaininghiscomposure,thePresidentlooksup
atthemany
trackingscreens.

PRESIDENT
Wherearethey?

GENERAL GREY
(pointing)
ETAwithtarget;fourminutes.

EXT. BLUE SKIES - TACTICAL FIGHTERS - SAME

FiveF/A18fightersmoveintoframe.AsweWIDEN
weREVEALa
totalof30F/A18sinattackformation,
destinationLos
Angeles.

INT. STEVE'S FIGHTER - SAME

Stevepullsalongcigaroutofhisbreastpocket.

STEVE
(intoradio)
Jimmycrackcorn,doyouhave
victorydance?

INT. JIMMY'S FIGHTER - SAME

Jimmypullshiscigarout.Examinesit.

JIMMY
(intoradio)
 Thatisanaffirmative.Ihave
victorydance.Mmmmmmm.

STEVE
(filtered)
Don'tgetprematureonme,Jimmy.
Wedon'tlightup'tiltheFat
Ladysings.

JIMMY
Ihearyou.

INT. AIR FORCE ONE - PASSENGER SECTION - SAME

Airsick,Davidholdsa"barfbag"asMoishetalks.

MOISHE
It'sAirForceOneforcryingout
loud.Stillhegetssick?

DAVID
Moishe,please,don'ttalk.

Moishepatshisbelly.

MOISHE
Lookatme,likearock.Good
weather,bad,doesn'tmatter.
(motionswithhishands)
Wecangoupanddown,backand
forth,sidetoside...

Davidcan'ttakeanymoreofthisstoryandtakes
offrunning
forthebathroom.

MOISHE
WhatIsay?
 Constancecomesover,sitsnexttoMoishe.

CONSTANCE
Hestillgetsairsick,huh?In
allofthisIdidn'tgetthe
chancetothankyoutwo.

MOISHE
Thinknothingofit,Spanky.

Constancesmiles,correctshim.

CONSTANCE
Spunky.Hetoldyouaboutthat?

MOISHE
(nods)
Allhecouldthinkaboutwas
gettingtoyou.There'sstill
lovethereIthink.

CONSTANCE
(sadly)
Lovewasneverourproblem.

MOISHE
Allyouneedislove.John
Lennon.Smartman.Shotinthe
back,verysad.

EXT. SKIES - SAME

InthedistancewecanseethedevastatedLos
Angeles,the
spacecraftstillhoveringaboveit.TheFighters
zoominto
frame.
 INT. STEVE'S FIGHTER - SAME

Stevelooksdown,becomesworried.

STEVE
Ishouldn'thavelefther.

JIMMY
(filtered)
Don'tworry,bigguy.I'msure
shegotoutofherebeforeit
happened.

Stevenodsabsently.

STEVE
Let'slockandload.

INT. AIR FORCE ONE - SAME

ThecenterF/A18ontheradarmapbeginstoFLASH
yellow,
justunderitsimage.WeSEEavideodisplayof
itsFLIR
(forwardlookinginfrared)targetingsystem,locked
on.

TECHNICIAN
LosAngelesattacksquadronhas
AMRAAMmissileslockedontarget.

TECHNICIAN #2
WashingtonandNewYorksquadrons,
reportinglockon.

GENERAL GREY
Fireatwill.
 EXT. STEVE'S FIGHTER - SAME

AnAdvancedMediumRangeAirtoAirMissile
(AMRAAM)DROPS
downfromtheunderbellyofthefighter,DARTING
OFF.

Radartargeted,themissileBANKShard,adjusting.
WeSEEit
isjoinedbyFOURTEENothermissiles,allrocketing
towards
theirtarget.

EXT. ALIEN SHIP - SECONDS LATER

Themissilesareheadedstraightforthealien
ship.
Suddenlyaboutaquartermilebeforetheyreachit,
they
EXPLODE,asthoughblownoutofthesky.

Whenthesmokeclearsweseetherehasbeenzero
damage.

INT. STEVE'S FIGHTER - SAME

STEVE
Damnit!

JIMMY
(filtered)
Ididn'tevenseethemfire!

STEVE
Command,EagleOne.Switchingto
"sidewinders."We'removingin.
 EXT. SKIES - SAME

InunisontheseamazingbirdsDIVEtogether,
realigning
themselvesintosixgroupsoffive,spreadingout
toattack
differentareasoftheship.

STEVE'S GROUP

Thefirstattackgroup,Steve's,arethefirstto
nearthe
colossalaliencraft.Simultaneouslytheydrop
theirAIM9
sidewindermissiles.

PACK OF AIM-9 SIDEWINDER MISSILES

Theyreachthesamequartermileproximityand
EXPLODE.

INT. STEVE'S FIGHTER - SAME

STEVE
Theymusthavesomekindof
protectiveshieldsurrounding
theirhull.Pullup.

Mostofthefightersdo,butoneistoolateand
SMASHESinto
theship'sprotectiveshield.

EXT. SKIES - SAME

Steve'ssquadronBANKShard,skirtingtheedgeof
theship's
protectiveshield.
 Asthefightersapproach,thealienship'senormous
ATTACKBAY
doorsOPEN.SuddenlyDOZENSOFALIENATTACKERS
dartout
towardsourfighters.

STEVE
(filtered)
Evasivemaneuvers!CheckSix!

Justmovingawayintime,ourFightersbarelydodge
the
oncomingenemyAttackersastheyFIREaHAILSTORM
ofFIREPOWER
(trackerbulletlikelasers)showeringthesky.

AsSteve'splaneDIVES,anAttackerfollows.
Jimmy'splane
pullsupbehindtheattacker.

HEADS UP DISPLAY - HUD

Jimmy'sHUDhasthealienattackerinhissights.

JIMMY
(filtered)
Gotyoucovered,Stevie.

JimmyFIRES,anotherAIM9SidewinderTAKESOFF.

ALIEN ATTACKER

TheSidewinderovertakestheattackerasSteve
ROLLSAWAYout
ofposition.Fiveyardsbeforethesidewindercan
gettothe
Attacker,itEXPLODES.
 JIMMY
Shit!They'vegotshieldtoo.

STEVE'S FIGHTER

Banksbackaroundtogetashot.Justasheturns,
three
AmericanFightersareBLOWNTORIBBONSfrom
Attackertracer
fire.

TheAttackersareinhotpursuitofJimmy's
fighter.The
FighterflyingnexttoJimmyisDEMOLISHED.

STEVE
Jimmy,rollright.I'llcover.

Jimmy'sfighternarrowlyrollsawayfromthetracer
fireas
StevefiresanotherSidewinder,momentarily
distractingthe
Attacker.

JimmyfallsinlinewithSteveastheattackers
turnonthem.
Bothfightersjerkdownwardsataninetydegree
angleatMACH
ONE.Narrowlymissingtheground,theybankaway.
The
Attackerscan'tfollow.

INT. AIR FORCE ONE - SAME

Fighterafterfighterbegintodisappearfromthe
display
screens.
 CONSTANCE
We'relosingthem.

PRESIDENT
Thengetthemoutofthere.

Suddenlyoneofthelargeradardisplaymaps
FIZZLESOUT.

TECHNICIAN
We'velostthesatellite.

Beforehecanadjust,anothermonitorFIZZLESAWAY.

EXT. LOS ANGELES - SAME

OnebyoneweSEEthefightersgettingTAKENOUT.
Fireballs
litterthelasertracerfirecoveredskies.

STEVE
Maybewecanoutrunthem.Follow
mylead.

JimmyandStevebankawayfromthecraft,hitthe
supercruise,
BOLTINGAWAYatMach2.

BothJimmyandSteveareheldtightagainsttheir
seats,
strainingagainsttheGForce.

TwoAttackersspotthemandfollowinhotpursuit.

SteveandJimmyareflyingatbreakneckspeeds,the
attackers
slowlygainingonthem.
 STEVE
Jimmy,kickit!They'regaining.

JIMMY
We'realreadyoverMach2!

STEVE
Sopushit!

Readoutsshowtheplanesflyingbeyond
measurement.

INT. JIMMY'S FIGHTER - SAME

Astheplanesaccelerate,Jimmyfightstoremain
conscious.

JIMMY
Stevie...Ican't...

STEVE
Jimmy,staywithme.

Jimmyslowlylosesconsciousness.Hisfighter
slows,drifting
offtotheright.

STEVE
JIMMY!

ALIEN ATTACKERS

gainonthem.OnecatchesupwithJimmy'sfighter
andFIRES.

JIMMY'S FIGHTER

LasertracersSHOWERtheFighter.ItEXPLODES.
Jobdone,his
Attackerbanksaway,returningtoLosAngeles.

STEVE
No!!!!

Steve'sAttackerstaysrightwithhim,slowly
gaining.Steve
kickshisharder,keepingthedistance.

CUT TO:

INT. EL TORO - AIR TOWER - SAME

AradarOPERATORspotssomethingonhisscreens.
Heturnsto
CaptainWatson.

OPERATOR
Wehaveincoming.

WATSON
Friendly?

OPERATOR
Idon'tthinkso.

WatsonhitsanalarmwhichROARS.

EXT. EL TORO - TARMAC - SECOND LATER

AdozenPILOTSraceoutontothefield,runningfor
their
planes.Beforeanyonecanreachthem,thesky
darkenswith
ALIENATTACKERSwhoSTRAFEtherunway.

INT. TOWER - SAME

 ThroughthefrontglassofthetowerweSEEthe
Attackers
firing.Onefiresdirectlyatthetower.Watson
DIVESfor
coveraseverythingaroundhimeruptsintoa
gigantic
FIREBALL.

WIDE ANGLE - EL TORO

Theentirebasegoesupinflames.

CUT TO:

EXT.SKIESFIGHTER&ATTACKERSAME

Stevelooksdownoverthesideofhisfighter.

STEVE'S POV - THE GRAND CANYON - SAME

SteveHITSTHEBRAKES.Surprised,theAttacker
SAILSPAST.

Takingthemoment,SteveDIVESdownINTOTHEGRAND
CANYON.

STEVE
(tohimself)
Okay,jerkoff.Let'shavesome
fun.

TheAttackerrecovers,divesafterStevewhoflies
dangerously
closetothecanyonwalls.TheAttackerhas
troublekeeping
upwithhimbutdoes.
 Steveputsonaclinicinadvancedaerobatics,
banking,
diving,swerving.

TheAttackerseemstobeimproving,following
closerand
closer.

Steveducksintosmallercanyons,twisting
sideways.Still
theAttackerfollowsclose.

FUEL GAUGE - RUNNING LOW

Nearempty.Frustrated,Stevegetspissed.

STEVE
Damnit!

Steveturnsdownadeadandsidecanyon.The
Attackeris
rightonhistail.

STEVE
Let'sseeifyou'refully
equipped.

TheFighterisonacollisioncoursewiththeend
ofthe
canyonwall.SuddenlySteveyankshisACESII
EJECTION
SEAT.

StaveSAILSUPWARDSintotheair.

TheFighterCRASHESintothecanyonwall.

TheAttackercan'tturnintime.Hetriestopull
up,over
it,justmissesthetopofthecanyonwall.

AsthenoseoftheAttackerhitsthetipofthe
canyonwall
theAttackerisFLIPPEDOVER,ROLLINGENDOVEREND
overthe
topofthecanyon.

TheparachuteonSteve'sejectionseatpopsOPEN.

EXT. TOP OF CANYON - CONTINUOUS

Rollingendoverend,theAttackerisbangedup
BADLYasit
finallycomestoastop.

Notfaraway,Stevehasaquick,hard,landing.
Rollingover,
Stevequicklypopsthebucklesonthechuteand
freeshimself.

Hestandsandlooksaround.Spottingthebeatup
and
incapacitatedalienAttacker,Stevegetsanangry
resolved
look.Hemarchesovertothefallenalien
Attacker.Hescans
itquickly,spotsatypeofdoorthathasbeen
knockedajar.

Withallhismight,SteveYANKSthedoorOPEN.

AN ALIEN

Forthefirsttimewegetaquickglanceatthese
aliens,an
oddhybridcreaturewithfluctuatingskeletal
structure.

Thereasonweonlygetaquickglanceisbecause
themomentit
turnswoozilytowardsus,Steverearsbackand
SLUGSHIMIN
THEFACE,knockingthealientotallyunconscious.

Hisangerfinallysubsiding,exhaustiontaking
over,Steve
standsoverthecraft,slowlywithdrawingthe
prizedVictory
Dancecigar.Helightsitandtakesalongangry
puff.

STEVE
Nowthat'sacloseencounter.

CUT TO:

INT. TUNNEL - PASADENA FREEWAY - ALCOVE - SAME

It'sdark.TheholeJasminehadenteredisnow
blocked.She
pushesbutitwon'tbudge.Exhausted,sheignites
herlighter
togetabetterlookaround.

AsitlightsweSEEthatweareinsidea
maintenancegarage.
Jasminerushesovertoaphonebutthelineis
dead.Taking
Dylanbythehandshemovestothelargegarage
doorsbutshe
can'topenthem.

Sheturnsaroundandseealargemaintenancetruck,
ahuge
 landmovershovelattachedtothefront.She
smiles.

EXT. GARAGE DOORS - SECONDS LATER

WithaROARthelargedoorBLASTAPARTasthe
maintenance
truckSMASHESthrough.Onceout,Jasminehitsthe
brakes.

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

Totaldevastation.Remnantsofcarsandbuildings
smoldering.
Threescatteredsurvivorscrawlfromthewreckage.
A
nightmareofdestruction.Thespacecraftabove,
slowly
leaving.

DYLAN
Mommy,whathappened?

JASMINE
(astonished)
Idon'tknow,badly.

CUT TO:

EXT. DESERT - REFUGEE TRAILER CAMP - DAY

Weseedozensoftrailerspackinguptheirgear,
somealready
ontheroad.Migueltalkswithoneofthedrivers,
then
hurriesaway,running.

INT. BRENNON TRAILER - SAME

 RussellwipesdownTroy'sforehead,he'sburning
up.Alicia
bringsoveracoldcompress.

RUSSELL
Youknow,you'rejustlikeyour
mother.Shewasstubborntoo.I
hadtotwistherarmtogetherto
takehermedicine.

TROY
I'msorry,Dad.
(beat;scared)
I'mnotgointodielikemom,am
I?

ALICIA
You'regoingtobefine.

Miguelcomesrushingin,pullsRussellaside.

MIGUEL
Icouldn'tfindanything.
Everyoneispackingup,they're
leaving.Wordisaspaceshipis
headingthisway.

RUSSELL
Weshouldleavetoo.

MIGUEL
There'sagroupheadingsouth,
theysaidthere'sahospitaljust
acouplehoursaway.Ithinkwe
shouldfollowthem.

Russellnodsinagreement.Aknockonthedoor.
Aliciaturns
tofindahandsomeyoungboy,PHILIPinthedoorway
holdinga
bottleofpills.

PHILIP
Penicillin.Atleastitwillhelp
keephisfeverdown.

ALICIA
It'sreallyniceofyoutohelp
us.

PHILIP
IwishIcoulddomorebutwe're
movingout.

ALICIA
(tooeager)
We'regoingwithyou.Imean,
we'regoingtoo.

PHILIP
Cool.

Alicianods,smitten.Philipsmilescharminglyand
leaves.

CUT TO:

INT. AIR FORCE ONE - SAME

Backinthepassengersection,thePresidentsits
withGeneral
GreyandChiefofStaffNimziki.TheTechnician
fromthe
commandmoduleisbriefingthem.
 TECHNICIAN
Theymustbetargetingour
satellites.We'velostall
satellitecommunication,tracking
andmapping.

GENERAL GREY
HaveNORADrelayintelligenceto
ouronboardcomputers?

TheTechniciannodsandexits.Defeated,the
Presidentslumps
sullenly.

GENERAL GREY
We'vemovedasmanyofourforces
awayfromthebasesaspossible
butwe'vealreadysustainedheavy
losses.

ThePresidentnodshisapprovalabsently.Coming
outofthe
bathroom,Davidoverhears.

NIMZIKI
IspokewiththeJointChiefwhen
theyarrivedatNORAD.They
agree,wemustlaunchacounter
offensivewithafullnuclear
strike.Hit'emwitheverything
we'vegot.

PRESIDENT
AboveAmericansoil?

NIMZIKI
Ifwedon'tstrikesoon,theremay
notbemuchofanAmericaleftto
 defend.

TheTechnicianreturns,hisfaceiswhitewith
fear.

GENERAL GREY
What'sthelatestfromNORAD?

OFFICER
It'sgone,sir.They'vetakenout
NORAD.

NIMZIKI
That'simpossible...

GENERAL GREY
MyGod,theVicePresidentandthe
JointChiefs...

NIMZIKI
Mr.President,wemustlaunch.A
delaynowwouldbemorecostly
thanwhenyouwaitedtoevacuate
thecities!

ThatstingsthePresident.Heconsidersthe
option.Davidis
shocked.

DAVID
Youcan'tbeseriouslyconsidering
firingnuclearweapons?

CONSTANCE
David,don't...

Davidpushespasther.
 DAVID
Ifyoufirenukes,sowillthe
restoftheworld.Doyouknow
whatthatkindoffalloutwill
do?Howmanyinnocentpeople...

TheGeneralgetsuprunninginterference.
Constancetriesto
pullDavidback.

GENERAL GREY
(stern)
Sir,iremindyouthatyouare
justaguesthere...

CONSTANCE
(overlapping)
David,please...

DAVID
Thisisinsanity!You'llkillus
andthematthesametime.
There'llbenothingleft!

NIMZIKI
(interrupting)
Sitdownandshutup!

SuddenlyMoisheisonhisfeet,interrupting.

MOISHE
Don'ttellhimtoshutup!You'd
allbedead,wereitnotformy
David.Youdidn'tdoanythingto
preventthis!

AseveryoneisabouttobesiegeMoishe,the
Presidenttriesto
 calmhimdown.

PRESIDENT
Sir,therewasn'tmuchmorewe
couldhavedone.Weweretotally
unpreparedforthis.

MOISHE
Don'tgivemeunprepared!Since
nineteenfiftywhateveryouguys
havehadthatspaceship,the
thingyoufoundinNewMexico.

DAVID
(embarrassed)
Dad,please...

MOISHE
Whatwasit,Roswell?Youhadthe
spaceship,thebodies,everything
lockedupinabunker,thewhatis
it,Areafiftyone.That'sit!
Areafiftyone.Youknewandyou
didn'tdonothing!

Forthefirsttimeinalongtime,President
Whitmoresmiles.

PRESIDENT
Regardlessofwhatthetabloids
havesaid,therewereneverany
spacecraftsrecoveredbythe
government.Takemywordforit,
thereisnoArea51andno
recoveredspaceship.

ChiefofStaffNimzikisuddenlyclearshisthroat.
 NIMZIKI
Uh,excuseme,Mr.President,but
that'snotentirelyaccurate.

ThePresidentandGeneralGreyturntoNimziki,
shocked.

SMASHED AND BURNED OUT CARS

layingacrosstheroadway.SuddenlySMASH,
Jasmine's
maintenancetruckBLASTSthrough.

EXT. HIGHWAY - CITY LIMITS - SAME

Withthemassivedevastationintheb.g.,Jasmine
drivesthe
maintenancetruckdownthehighway.Intheback,
thefew
survivorsshe'sfound.

Intheback,fourINJUREDPASSENGERSlayacrossthe
flatbedas
athin,olderman,TEDDYtendstothem.

INT. MAINTENANCE TRUCK - SAME

JasminespotsaTALLMAN,hisclosesintatters
RUNNINGdown
thehighway,hisarmsintheair.

TALL MAN
Theendhascome!Hespeaketh
hiswordandtheendhastcome!

Jasminepullsupalongsidehim.

JASMINE
 Hopon.We'reheadingouttoEl
Toro.

TALL MAN
Youcannotdefywhathascome,it
istheend!

Thetallmanmovesoff,screamingtotheheavens.
AsJasmine
watcheshimdriftawaysheSEES...

OVERTURNED MILITARY HELICOPTER

Stillsmolderingfromthecrash.Awomancanbe
seeninside,
stillalive.Jasminejumpsout.

JASMINE
Givemeahand.

TeddyjoinsJasmineastheypryopenthedoor.
Inside,the
pilotshavebeenkilled,butMrs.Whitmore,THE
FIRSTLADY,
laysthereingreatpain,bloodacrossherblouse.

JASMINE
Let'sgetheroutofhere.

Theyeraseherfromthewreckage,layingheronthe
ground.Dylancomesover,standingnexttohis
mother.

TEDDY
She'sbleedingprettybad.

SuddenlyweHEARtheCLICKINGofarifleCOCKING.
 MALE VOICE (O.S.)
Who'sgotthekey?

JasmineturnsandseeaREDNECKlevelinghisrifle
ather.
Behindhimasmalldamagedsportscarpullsup,
packedtothe
gillswithstolen,lootedappliances.

REDNECK
(yellingtopals)
LookslikeI'vesolvedour
transportationproblem.

JASMINE
Hey,you'rewelcometocomewith
us.We'releavinghereanyway...

REDNECK
We'renot.Givemethekey.
(yellingback)
Get'emoff.

TwoGUYSrushfromtheirvehicleovertothe
maintenance
truck,pullingtheinjuredoffthetailback.

TALL MAN (O.S.)

Repent!Sinners!Repent!The
endhastcome!

Runningupfrombehind,theTallMancomesover
screaming.
TheRedneckturnshisgunonhim.

REDNECK
Backoff.Thisain'tyour
business.
 AstheRedneckisdistracted,Jasminespotsthebag
of
fireworksprotrudingoutofDylan'sbackpocket.

TALL MAN
Youcannotgoagainsttheword,
brother.

REDNECK
SureIcan.

TheRedneckSHOOTStheTallMan.Hisbuddies
laugh.

REDNECK(cont'd)
Nowgivemethatkey,bitch.

AsheturnsbacktoJasmine,BoomerstartsBARKING
wildly.
Justasheturnstoshootthedog,Jasminelightsa
keyROCKET
fromthefireworksbag.TherocketBLASTSintothe
Redneck,
hisshirtIGNITINGONFIRE.

TheRedneckdropstherifle,attemptingtoputout
theflames,
hiscroniesrushtohisaid.Jasminepicksupthe
gun,moves
inonthem.

JASMINE
This"bitch"wasborninAlabama
withaDaddywholovedtohunt.
(cockingtheweapon)
Sodon'tthinkforonesecondthat
Idon'tknowhowtousethis.
 SheFIREStherifle.Quicklytherednecksscamper
away.

CUT TO:

EXT. DRY LAKE - DESERT - LATER

Draggingaheavybundlewrappedinhisparachute,
Steve
marchesacrossthedesertfloor.Thealien
ARM/TENTACLE
danglesoutoftheparachute.

Exhausted,Stevestopstowipehisbrow.Hehears
something,
turnsaround.

STEVE'S POV - THE TRAILER ARMADA

Severalhundredofthetrailersfromtherefugee
campare
headedenmasstowardshim.Smiling,Stevesignals
them.

Thetrailerspulluponeitherside,surrounding
him.Miguel
leansoutofhistrailer.

MIGUEL
(sarcastic)
Needalift?

STEVE
WhenIflewoverhead,Isawsome
kindofbase,notfar.

Confused,Miguelcheckshismap.
 MIGUEL
It'snotonthemap.

STEVE
Trustme,it'sthere.

EXT. AIR FORCE ONE - LATER

Flyingoverthedesert,AirForceOnesailsoveran
immense
valley,Area51belowhangars,afewbuildings,a
smallair
strip,notmuch.

Super:N.I.A.Base"Area51",Nevada

EXT. RUNWAY - LATER

AirForceOnelands.Wheelstouchdown,skid.

INT. HANGAR - LATER

ThelargehangardoorsopenandAirForceOneis
rolled
inside.ThePresidentandhisentouragearemetby
a
contingentofbasepersonnelledbyfield
operative,LT.
MITCHELL.Heescortsthemtoasidehallway.

INT. HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS

Lt.Mitchellwalksovertoanoddwallswitchas
thePresident
andhisentouragewaitinthecenterofthehall.
Withaloud
hydraulicHUM,theentirehallwaybeginstoSINK
DOWN,an
enormousELEVATOR.

PRESIDENT
Whythehellwasn'tItoldabout
thisplace?

NIMZIKI
Twowords,Mr.President.
Plausibledeniability.

GeneralGreyshootsNimzikiapissedofflook.
Whenthe
elevatorstops,adoorSLIDESopen.

INT. RESEARCH FACILITIES - CONTINUOUS

Steppingoutoftheelevator,theywalkintoa
largestateof
theart,sterilecleanresearchfacility.Itis
amazingly
wellstaffedandorganized.

PRESIDENT
Idon'tunderstand.Wheredidall
thiscomefrom?Howdidthisget
funded?

MOISHE
Youdidn'tthinktheyactually
spenttenthousanddollarsfora
hammerandthirtythousandfora
toiletseat,didyou?

ThePresidentshootshimalook.Theyaregreeted
byagroup
ofSCIENTISTSinwhitcoatsledby,DR.OKUN.
 MITCHELL
Mr.President,I'dliketo
introduceyoutoDr.Okun.He's
beenheadingupourresearchhere
forthelastfifteenyears.

Dr.Okunisanodd,hyperenergeticmanwho'sspent
toomuch
timeinisolation.

OKUN
Mr.President,arealpleasure.
Theydon'tletusoutmuch,you
you.

PRESIDENT
(uncomfortable)
Yes.

OKUN
Well,Iguessyou'dliketosee
thebigtamale?Followme.

Theywalkuparampattheendoftheroom.Large
heavily
enforceddoorsSLIDEopen.

INT. STORAGE LAB - CONTINUOUS

Thegroupstepsinsideandnearlygaspsat...

THE ALIEN ATTACKER

JustliketheonethatchasedSteve.Theentourage
staresin
horrorandwonder.WecanSEEthepatchwork
repairsthey've
madeontheshipovertheyears.
 OKUN
She'sabeaut,ain'tshe?

MoisheleansclosetoDavidandConstance.

MOISHE
(smug)
Neveranyspaceshipsrecoveredby
thegovernment,huh?

PRESIDENT
We'vehadthisforfortyyearsand
youdon'tknowanythingabout
them?

OKUN
Hellno,weknowtonsaboutthem.
Theneareststuffhasonly
happenedinthelastfewdays.

ThePresidentslowlywalksaroundtheshipasOkun
talks.
David,mouthagape,juststaresatit.

OKUN(cont'd)
See,wecan'tduplicatetheirtype
ofpowersowe'veneverbeenable
toexperiment.Butsincethese
guysstartedshowingup,allthe
gizmosinsideturnedon.Thelast
twentyfourhourshavebeenreally
exciting!

PRESIDENT
(exploding)
Peoplearedyingoutthere.I
don'tthink"exciting"istheword
 I'dchoosetodescribeit!

Theroomgoessilent,lettingthePresidentblow
offsteam.

PRESIDENT
(calming)
Whatcanyoutellusaboutthe
enemywe'refacing?

OKUN
Notalltoodissimilartous.
Breathesoxygen,comparable
tolerancestoheat,
cold...probablywhythey're
interestedinourplanet.
(suddenlyexcited)
Hey,youwannaseethem?

INT. MEDICAL RESEARCH VAULT - MOMENTS LATER

ThelightsslowlyTURNON,illuminatedthevault.
Okunleads
thegrouptoasealedpartition.

OKUN
Thisisvault,orassomeofus
havecometocallit,the"freak
show."

Okunhitsaswitchandthesealedpartitionlifts
revealing...

FORMALDEHYDE TANKS - ALIENS

Threedeadaliensfloatinthemilkyformaldehyde
tanks.The
murkyfluidandcondensationobstructsourview.
Whatwedo
seeisnotpretty.

OKUN
Whenwefoundthemtheywere
wearingbiomechanicalsuits.
Oncewegotthemoff,wewereable
tolearnagreatdealabouttheir
anatomy;eyes,ears,bipolar
digestivesystem...novocalcords
though.We'reassumingthey
communicatewitheachother
throughothermeans.

Davidcannotcontainhisfascination.Hesteps
forward.

DAVID
Whatkindofothermeans?Hand
signals,bodylanguage?

OKUN
Somekindofextrasensory
perception.Telepathy.

PRESIDENT
Cantheybekilled?

OKUN
Thesethreediedinthecrash.
Theirbodiesareasfrailasour
own.Youjusthavetogetpast
theirtechnology,whichis,I'm
sorrytosay,farmoreadvanced.

ThePresidentturnstoDavid.

PRESIDENT
 Youunlockedapartofthat
technology.Youcrackedtheir
code.

DAVID
AllIdidwasstumbleontotheir
signal.Idon'tknowhowhelpful
Icanbe...

PRESIDENT
Showthemwhatyou'vediscovered.
Worktogether.We'vegottofind
awaytobeatthem.

EXT. SECURITY GATE - SAME

FourarmedGUARDSwatchthegate.Anarmadaof
trucksand
trailersheadsrightforthem.Theymoveinto
positionto
blocktheirentranceasabluepickupskidstoa
haltbefore
them.Stevestandsupfromthebackofthepick
up.

GUARD
Sorry,Lt.Colonel,Ican'topen
thegateswithoutclearance.

STEVE
Youwanttoseemyclearance?

ImpatientlyStevegrabstheGuardbythecollar,
pullinghim
overthesideofthetruckputtinghimfacetoface
withthe
bundledparachuteintheflatbed.Steveripsthe
fabricaside
 revealing...

THE ALIEN CREATURE

Stillunconscious,thealienstirs.TheGuard
JUMPSBACK,
shittinginhispants.Quicklyhesignalsforthe
otherto
openthegate.

Thearmadaquicklydrivespast.

BLACKNESS

Totaldarkness.Suddenlylightpoursinasadoor
isopen.
WeseethefacesofOkun,Davidandthree
techniciansall
peeringatuswithinquisitiveexpressions.

OKUN
Seethegizmosflashing?

REVERSE - INSIDE ALIEN CRAFT

Sureenough,tonsofgizmoswithlightsflashing.
Hightech
meetsorganicorganisms.Thisalienshiplooks
familiarto
ourowntechnologyandcompletelydifferentatthe
sametime.

OKUN(cont'd)
We'vebeenworkingaroundthe
clocktryingtogetafixonall
thiscrap.Somestuffwefigured
outrightaway.
 Davidclimbsin,fascinated.Hetouches
everything.Okun
pointstoeverythingashedescribesit.

OKUN(cont'd)
Thisthingwe'reprettysureis
thelifesupportforthecabin,
thisdohickeyoverhereis
connectedwiththeengines,this
crap...wehavenoideawhatthat
stuffisfor.

Davidistransfixedbyit.Hestaresatthesmall
screens
withflashinglightpatternsonthem.

OKUN(cont'd)
Butthisoverhereisclearlywhat
theyusetonavigateandguidethe
craft.

ButDavidstillstaresatthesmallscreens.

DAVID
Someonegrabmylaptopforme?

OneofthetechniciansrushesoffasOkunleans
close.

OKUN
Findsomethinginteresting?

DAVID
Maybe.

ThetechnicianhandsDavidhisretrievedlaptop
whichhe
quicklyflipsopenandturnson.
 DAVID
Thesepatternshere,they're
repeatingsequentially,just
like...

DavidturnshislaptoparoundforOkuntosee.The
patternon
David'slaptopflashesidenticallyasthealien
screen.

DAVID(cont'd)
...theircountdownsignal.Their
usingthisfrequencyforcomputer
communications.It'showtheyco
ordinatetheirships.

OKUN
Youknow,you'rereallystarting
tomakeuslookbad.

Thetwomenexchangeasmile.AnotherTECHYpops
hishead
inside.

TECHY
(outofbreath)
Theygotone!Theygotone,
alive!

INT. HALLWAY OFF MAIN HANGAR - AREA 51 - SAME

Thebundledalienlaysonastretcherthat's
wheeledquickly
intothehall.Okunandhisstaffsurroundit.
Trailing
behindthemisSteve,RussellandMiguel.
 OKUN
Howlonghasitbeenunconscious?

RUSSELL
ExcusemeDoctor...

STEVE
Threehours.

OKUN
Gethimintocontainment,stat.

RUSSELL
Myboyisverysick,heneeds
immediateattention.

OkunignoresRussell,hittingtheelevatorswitch
onthewall,
theroombeginsitshydraulicHUM.

OKUN
He'sdyingout.Iwanthim
sprayeddownwithsaline.

RussellSLAMShisfistagainsttheswitch,theroom
stops.He
GRABSadoctornearby,getsinhisface.

RUSSELL
Myboysisslippingintoadiabetic
coma.Ifyoudon'tdosomething
aboutitrightnowhewilldie.

MiguelissurprisedandproudofRussellashe
holdsDOCTOR
ISAACS,meaningbusiness.

DR. ISAACS
 O'Haver,Miller,comewithme.
(toRussell)
Takeustohim.

CUT TO:

EXT. ROAD - MAINTENANCE TRUCK - NIGHT

Headlightspiercethedarknessasthemaintenance
truckrolls
toastop.Jasmineclimbsdownoutofthetruck,
herface
ashen.

Shewalkspastasignreading:ElToroMarineCorps
Air
Station.Tearsbegintorollfromhereyes.We
followher
gazetosee...

EXT. EL TORO MARINE CORPS AIR STATION -

CONTINUOUS

Theentirefacilityissmoldering,thelast
remnantsofthe
fireburningitselftoextinction.Jasmineis
devastated.

CUT TO:

INT. AREA 51 COMMAND CENTER - NIGHT

GeneralGreyandNimzikiareinaheatedargument.

GENERAL GREY
YouweretheheadoftheNational
IntelligenceAgency!Youknewall
aboutthis.Whenwereyou
 planningoninformingtherestof
us!?

NIMZIKI
Ithadbeendeemedclassified.

GENERAL GREY
Christ,whydidn'tyousay
anythingaboutthiswhenthey
firstarrived?Youcouldhave
warnedusbeforewelauncheda
counterattackthatcostus
hundredsofAmericanpilots!

JustthenthePresidententersalongwithConstance
andsome
otherADVISORS.Heexaminesapapermapofthe
UnitedStates,
tackedtothewall,eachmajorcitycircledin
black.

PRESIDENT
Atlanta,ChicagoandPhiladelphia,
destroyed?

GENERAL GREY
(composinghimself)
Andtherearescatteredreportsof
sightingsoverMiami,Ft.Worth,
AndMemphis.

ThePresidentandhisteamtakeseatsatthelarge
conference
table.

GENERALGREY(cont'd)
We'velearnedthatNATOand
westernalliedinstallationswere
 thefirstobetakenout.We
werenext.Theyknewexactlywhere
andhowtohitus.

GreysneaksanaccusatoryglareatNimziki.

PRESIDENT
Andourforces?

GENERAL GREY
We'redowntoapproximately
fifteenpercent,Sir.
(beat)
Ifyoucalculatethetimeittakes
themtodestroyacityandmove
on,we'relookingatworldwide
destructionofeverymajorcity
withinthenextthirtysixhours.

PRESIDENT
We'rebeingexterminated.

Theroomisquiet.Constancerunsherfingers
throughher
hair.ThedoortotheroomopensandLt.Mitchell
enterswith
Steve.

MITCHELL
Mr.President,thisisLt.
ColonelStevenHill.

ThePresidentquicklygetstohisfeet,anxiously
shaking
Steve'shand.

PRESIDENT
Lieutenant,congratulations.
 STEVE
Thankyou,sir.

PRESIDENT
Whereistheprisonernow?

MITCHELL
Wehavehiminisolation.The
doctorsareveryhopefulhewill
survive.

PRESIDENT
I'dliketoseehim.

MITCHELL
Yes,sir.

TheGeneralisconcernedbutthePresidentis
determined.
Theyheadforthedoor.

STEVE
(toGeneralGrey)
General,I'manxioustogetback
toElToro.

GENERAL GREY
Didn'tanyonetellyou?I'm
sorry.ElTorowasdestroyedin
theattack.

Steveisshattered,hehadnoidea.

CUT TO:

EXT. EL TORO BASE - NIGHT

 Theinjuredaregatheredaroundasmallcampfire.
Jasmine
walksup,dumpingaboxfullofcharredcangoods.

JASMINE
Theseshouldlastusawhile.

AsMargarettriestomove,shewincesinpain.
Jasminerushes
toheraid.Thecolorfromherfacedrained,
Margaretlooks
likeshe'stakingaturnfortheworse.

JASMINE
Don'tmove.Staystill.

JasmineadjuststhebandagesasMargaretturnsand
seeDylan
curledupnexttoBoomer,tooadorable.Slowlyhe
startsto
wakeup.

MARGARET
Yourson.

JASMINE
He'smyangel.

MARGARET
Washisfatherstationedhere?

JASMINE
Hewasn'thisfather.Iwaskinda
hopinghe'dwantthejob,though.

Jasminebecomessad,remembering.Margaretchanges
the
subject.
 MARGARET
So,whatdoyodoforaliving?

JASMINE
I'madancer.

MARGARET
Really?Ballet?

JASMINE
(laughs)
No.Exotic.

MARGARET
Oh.Sorry.

JASMINE
Don'tbe.I'mnot.It'sgood
money.
(re:Dylan)
'Side,he'sworthit.

Thebandageschanged,Jasminesitsdownnextto
Margaret.

MARGARET
Andwhenthedancing'sover?What
aboutyourfuture?

JASMINE
Funny,itusedtoscaremewhenI
thoughtaboutthefuture.
(lookingaround)
Guessitdoesn'treallymatter
anymore.

Dylancomeswalkingover.
 JASMINE
Dylan,comehere.Iwantyouto
meettheFirstLady.

MARGARET
(surprised)
Ithoughtyoudidn'trecognizeme.

JASMINE
Didn'twanttosayanything.I
votedfortheotherguy.

CUT TO:

INT. CONTAINMENT LAB - NIGHT

OkunandtwoMedicalassistantsexaminethealien
creature.
Hisarmsandchesthavebeenstrappeddowntothe
examining
table.

Forthefirsttimewegetagoodlookatthehead
ofthis
creature,longtentacledtypecordsinterlocked,
coveringthe
face.Thedoctorsattachclampstoeachofthe
cords.

OKUN
Everyoneready?

Thedoctorsexchangenervousglances,nodtoeach
other.At
thesamemomentalltheypullontheclamps,
unravelingthe
interlockedcords.Asthecordsunravel,weSEE
thatthisis
infactabiomechanicalSUITasweREVEAL...

THE ALIEN

Beneaththecordslaytheunconsciousfaceofthe
alien,his
skintranslucent,hisbodyfluids,capillaries,
muscletissue,
alien'sskin.

OKUN
Dowehavelifesupportmonitors
recording?

MED ASSIST #2
Yes.Ifwefuckupit'llallbe
ontape.

OKUN
Canwegetsomeventilationin
here?Ican'ttakethissmell.

MED ASSIST #2
They'veconqueredspacetravelbut
notb.o.

AsOkunbeginstoputonapairofsurgicalgloves
hesuddenly
grabshisforehead.

MED ASSIST #1
Youallright?

OKUN
Yeah.It'sjustthatstinkgives
meaheadache.
 MED ASSIST #2
He'smoving!

Instantlyeveryone'sattentionisrivetedtothe
armofthe
alienasitmovesbeneaththesheet.Unseenbythe
othersthe
aliencreature'sEYESOPEN.

AnotherSHARPPAINhitsOkunwhoSCREAMS,stumbling
backwards
grabbinghishead.Theothersturninsurprise.

THE ALIEN

SuddenlySPRINGSup,therestrainingstraps
SNAPPING.Before
Med#2canreact,oneofthealien'stentacles
SMASHESher
acrosstheface.Sheissentsprawlingbackwards.

LOW ANGLE - THE ALIEN

Standingbeforeher.Inawinkofaneye,he
ATTACKS,leaping
onher.

TogethertheyTUMBLEbackintoaformaldehydetank.
Hoses
arerippedfromtheirsidesandSTEAMpoursout.
Wegetquick
glimpseoftheirstruggleasthesteamengulfs
them.

INT. HALLWAY - SAME

MitchellleadsthePresidentialpartydownthe
hall.They
 turnandentertheMedicallab.

INT. CONTAINMENT LAB - CONTINUOUS

Thegroupslowsastheyentertheroom.Theysee
the
containmentroomthroughtheglassiscoveredwith
white
steam.Nothingcanbeseen.It'seerilyquiet.

Cautiouslytheyapproach.SuddenlyOkunisSLAMMED
AGAINST
theglasspartition,thecreature'stentacles
wrappedaround
him.Pressedfirmlytotheglass,hiseyesare
shut,his
expressionpained,butwhenhespeaksthevoiceis
angry.

OKUN/ALIEN
Release...me.

MITCHELL
Openthedoor.Gethimoutof
there.

Suspicious,GeneralGreystopshim.

GENERAL GREY
Wait.
(toOkun)
Canyouhearme?

OKUN/ALIEN
Willkill...releaseme.Now!

Theyfollowthetentacleswiththeireyes,upto
theceiling
 ofthecontainmenttank.SuddenlythealienLEAPS
DOWN,
startlingthem,landingbeforethembehindthe
glass.

Weseehe'sholdingOkunagainsttheglass,
speakingTHROUGH
HIM.Thisisthefirstrealgoodlookwegetat
thethisbizarre
creature.Everyoneintheroomisrepulsedand
compelledby
itatthesametime.

EXT. AREA 51 - NIGHT

Throughthehundredsofcampersandtrailersparked
outside,
Steverunspastuntilhereachestheopentarmac.

Atransporthelicoptersitsontheedgeofthe
landingarea.
Steverunsuptoitandclimbsinside.

INT. TRANSPORT HELICOPTER - CONTINUOUS

Stevequicklystartsitengines,preparingtotake
off.A
SOLDIERrushesovertothecockpit.

SOLIDER
(yelling)
Whatthehellareyoudoing?Get
outofthere!

STEVE
I'mjustgoingtoborrowit.

TheSoldierpullsouthispistol,takingaim.
 SOLIDER
Noyou'renot,sir.

STEVE
Youreallywanttoshootme?

StevestarestheSoldierdown.Reluctantlyhe
lowershisgun.

SOLDIER
Shit.I'mgonnacatchthehellfor
this.

Stevesmilesandgiveshimaquicksalutethen
TAKESOFF.
QuicklythebirdRISESUPanddartsoffintothe
night.

INT. MEDICAL LAB - SAME

ThePresidenthasmovedclosertotheglassandis
talking
withthealien.ThealienusesOkunlikea
ventriloquist's
dummy.

PRESIDENT
Whydidyoupeoplecomehere?

OKUN/ALIEN
Air...water...your"sun."

PRESIDENT
Wheredoyourpeoplecomefrom?
(noanswer)
Whereisyourhome?
 OKUN/ALIEN
Here...now.

PRESIDENT
Andbeforehere?

OKUN/ALIEN
Manyworlds...

PRESIDENT
Canwenegotiateatruce?is
thereroomforcoexistance?
(noanswer)
Cantherebepeacebetweenus?

OKUN/ALIEN
Peace?Nopeace.

PRESIDENT
Whatdoyouwantustodo?

OKUN/ALIEN
Die.

TheAlienmovesclosertotheglassstaringatthe
President.
SuddenlythePresidentclutcheshisheadinpain.

NIMZIKI
Mr.President?

OKUN/ALIEN
Wekillyou...all.

ThepainbecomesmoresevereandthePresident
SCREAMOUT.
Thereisgeneralpanicaspeoplerushtothe
President'sside.
 GENERAL GREY
(toMitchell)
Isthatglassbulletproof?

MITCHELL
Nosir.

TheGeneraldrawshispistol.Mitchellandthe
othermilitary
officersfollowhislead.Simultaneouslytheyall
beginto
FIRE!

TheglassSHATTERSintoabillionpieces.The
Alieniscutto
ribbons,fallingbackwards.

ThePresidentcollapses.SodoesOkun.ASTAFFER
rushesover
toOkun,checkshispulse.

STAFFER
He'sdead.

GeneralGreymovestothePresidentwhoslowly
recovers.

GENERAL GREY
Mr.President,areyouokay?

WoozilythePresidentsitsup,astrangelookin
hiseye.

PRESIDENT
Hewantedmetounderstand.He
communicatedwithme.
(turningtoGrey)
 They'relikelocusts.Theytravel
fromplanettoplanet,theirwhole
civilization.Afterthey've
consumedeverynaturalresource
theymoveon.Andwe'renext.

ThePresidentstandswithanewresolve.Hestares
atthe
deadalienonthefloor.

PRESIDENT
(cold)
Prepareanuclearstrike.

INT. STORAGE LAB - MINUTES LATER

Theresearchstaffareworkingneartherecovered
alien
attacker.Constancecomesrushingin.Shelooks
aroundfor
David.Throughtheglassofoneoftheofficesshe
seeshim.

INT. OFFICES - CONTINUOUS

HoldingabottleofJackDaniels,Davidfishes
throughasmall
refrigeratorasConstanceenters.

DAVID
Justmyluck,noice.

CONSTANCE
Itakeityou'veheard.

DAVID
Atoasttotheendoftheworld.
 Davidtoastsherwiththebottle,takesaswig.

CONSTANCE
Hedidn'tcometothisdecision
lightly.

Davidnods,hedoesn'twanttoargue.Hesmiles
cynically.

DAVID
Youstillbelieveinhim.

CONSTANCE
He'sagoodman.

DAVID
Betterbe.Youleftmeforhim.

CONSTANCE
Iwantedacareer.Didn'tyou
everwanttobepartofsomething
special?

Davidstaresdaggersather.

DAVID
Iwaspartofsomethingspecial.

Constancerealizeshemeanstheirmarriage.She's
hurthim
andcanseeit.Sheturnsandleaves.

CUT TO:

EXT. DARK SKIES - NIGHT

Ablackshadowisvaguelyseeninthedarknight.
Aswepass
 somemoonlitcloudswerecognizetheshadowis,in
fact,aB2
STEALTH BOMBER.

AsweWIDEN,weseethatthebomberispartofa
squadronof
eight.Thesemightywingedgiantsflytogetherin
attack
formation.

INT. COMMAND CENTER - ARE 51 - SAME

Atrackingscreencomestolife,eightblips
flashing.

TECHNICIAN #1
We'vegottheAWAConline.
Signalscominginlow.

ThePresident'sgrouptakestheirpositionbehind
the
technicians.

EXT. BLACK SKIES - NIGHT

TheeightB2StealthBombersbreakformation,each
heading
offtotheirdifferenttargetdestinations.

INT. COMMAND CENTER - SAME

Onalargemap,weseetheeighttarget
destinationsandthe
planesheadingforthem.

PRESIDENT
Whowillwereachfirst?
 COMMANDER
Houston,Texas.InterceptETA,
sixminutesandcountingdown.

PRESIDENT
OhmyGod,Houston.

GENERAL GREY
Themajorcitieshavebeen
deserted.Civiliancasualties
shouldbeataminimum,sir.

Onemapscreen,ENLARGES,trackingthebomberon
routeto
Houston.

EXT. LIQUOR STORE - OUTSIDE HOUSTON - NIGHT

Looterstakealltheycancarrythroughthebroken
glassstore
front.AlargeheavilyarmoredTANKrollsup
front.

INT. ARMORED TANK - SAME

Nervousmilitarytechniciansworkequipmentas
theirTANK
COMMANDERpullsdownaperiscope.

TANK COMMANDER POV - SPACE SHIP OVER HOUSTON

ThroughtheperiscopescrosshairsweSEEdowntown
Houston,
theCityDestroyerspaceshipssettlinginabove
it.

EXT. B-2 STEALTH BOMBER - SAME

 Silhouettedagainsttheshimmeringwatersonthe
bay,they
StealthBombercanbeseenasitapproaches
Houston.

INT. B-2 STEALTH BOMBER - COCKPIT - SAME

Theflightcrewworkstheircomputers(similar
readoutsare
seenatcommandcenter).TheMultiFunction
Display(MFD)
flashingbeforeeachcrewmember.

PILOT
Wehavelasertargetinglocked.

INT. COMMAND CENTER - SAME

TECHNICIAN #1
Targetislocked,sir.Doyou
wishtodeploy?

EveryoneturnstothePresidentwhodoesnot
answer.

GENERAL GREY
Mr.President,doyouwishto
deploy.

Stillthereisnoanswer.
NIMZIKI
Mr.President?

PRESIDENT
(softly)
Deploy.
 EXT. B-2 STEALTH BOMBER - WEAPONS BAY - SAME

ThebaydoorsopenandalargeTacticalNuclear
CruiseMissile
dropsdown,fliesparallelwiththebomberasit
adjustsits
radarandlasertracking.SuddenlyitSHOOTSOFF.

ThebomberBANKSAWAY.

INT. B-2 STEALTH BOMBER - SAME

Weseethehorizontwistingawayaswebankoff
fromtarget.

PILOT
She'saway.

INT. COMMAND CENTER - SAME

OnthebigmapweseeoneFLASHINGtargetline
trackingthe
missileasitapproachesHouston.

PRESIDENT
(tohimself)
Mayourchildrenforgiveus.

INT. ARMORED TANK - OUTSIDE HOUSTON - NIGHT

TheTankCommanderreadjuststheperiscope.

TANKCOMMANDERPOVSPACESHIP&B2STEALTH
BOMBER

WefollowtheCruiseMissileasitguidesitselfon
adirect
collisioncoursewiththespacecraft.
 INT. COMMAND CENTER - SAME

Thetargetingmapshowshowclosethemissileis,
nearlyon
topofthetarget.Everyoneintheroomholds
theirbreath.

EXT. SPACE CRAFT - SAME

Thenukespeedscloser.ItHITStheprotective
shieldand
DETONATES. A FLASH OF LIGHT.

WIDE ANGLE - HOUSTON

WiththeB2StealthBomberintheforeground,the
citybehind
itvanishesinaFLASHOFLIGHT,blindingus.

INT. COMMAND CENTER - SAME

Wecanseetheextentoftheexplosiononthe
targetingmap,
trackingitanexpandingringaroundHouston.

NIMZIKI
(excited)
It'sahit!

Theothersarestillwaiting.Themonitorshows
thenight
visionpictureofthegrowingMUSHROOMCLOUDrising
abovethe
city.

EXT. HOUSTON - WIDE - SAME

 TheMUSHROOMCLOUDengulfsthehorizon.

EXT. ARMORED TANK - SAME

Rockedbythemassiveexplosion,theshockwave
ROCKSthe
armoredtankbutdoesn'tdestroyit.

INT. ARMORED TANK - SAME

ThemeninsideareKNOCKEDaround,hardfromthe
explosion.

INT. COMMAND CENTER - SAME

NIMZIKI
Wegotthebastards!

GeneralGreyshootsNimzikialook.ThePresident
holdsupa
hand,silencingtheroom.

PRESIDENT
Cantheyseeit?Diditdestroy
thetarget?

TANK COMMANDER'S POV THROUGH PERISCOPE -

SAME

AsthecloudbeginstodissipateweseeTHESPACE
CRAFTIS
STILLTHERE,completelyunharmed.

INT. ARMORED TANK - SAME

TANK COMMANDER
Negative.Targetremains.
 INT. COMMAND CENTER - SAME

Onthemonitorsaswell,wecanseethetarget
remain.The
airisletoutoftheroom,everyonedeflated.

PRESIDENT
Callthemback.

NIMZIKI
Theotherbombersmighthavemore
luck.Weshouldn'tjustgive
up...

PRESIDENT
Isaidcallthemback.

Asthetechnicianscallthebombersaway,the
Presidentsinks
intoadepression.Hislasthopeofsurvivalgone.

CUT TO:

EXT. EL TORO MARINE CORPS AIR STATION - NIGHT

JasminekeepsMargaretcompanyastherestsleep
aroundthe
lastflamesoftheircampfire.Fromtheworried
expressionon
Jasmine'sfacewecantellthatMargarethasgotten
worse,her
woundsbleedingbadly.

AWINDkicksup,thesoundofanENGINE
approaching.Jasmine
squintshereyeslookingupintothewindwhena
BRIGHTLIGHT
engulfsher.
 JASMINE'S POV - LIGHTS - NIGHT

Brightlightsintheskygrowingnearer.Slowly
theothers
begintowakeup,frightenedasthelights
INTENSIFY.

TheothersslowlybegintoretreatbutJasmine
stands,staring
defiantly.Asmilecreepsacrossherfaceasshe
seesthat
thelightsbelongto...

TRANSPORT HELICOPTER

TheTransportHelicoptertouchesdownandSteve
leapsout,
racingtowardsJasmine.Overwhelmed,Jasminejumps
intohis
arms.

JASMINE
You'relate.

STEVE
YouknowhowIliketomakeabig
entrance.

Theykiss.

CUT TO:

INT. HALLWAY - NIGHT

ThedoubledoorsburstopenasthePresident
carryinghis
youngdaughtermarchesthrough.DoctorISAACS
comesoverto
them.

PRESIDENT
Howisshe?

ISAACS
I'msorry,Mr.President.Ifonly
wecouldhavegottentoher
sooner.

ThePresidentputshisdaughterdownashesees...

PRESIDENT'S POV - MARGARET

Margaretlaysinbed,doctorsandnurses
surroundingher.
Patriciarushesover.

ISAACS
She'sbleedinginternally.
There'snothingelsewecando.

Stunned,thePresidentwatchesasPatriciahugsher
mother.

MARGARET
HiyaMunchkin.

PATRICIA
Mommy,wewereworried.Wedidn't
knowwhereyouwere.

MARGARET
I'mrighthere,baby.

Recovering,thePresidentnodsforthedoctorsto
leavethe
 room.Astheybegintomarchout,hemakeshisway
overto
hiswifeanddaughter.

PRESIDENT
Honey,whydon'tyouwaitoutside
soMommycangetsomerest.

Patriciakisseshermother,saysgoodbyeand
leaves.Outof
sight,Margaretwinces,fadingaway.ThePresident
grabsher
handforsupport.Shesqueezestightly.

MARGARET
(throughtears)
I'mscared,Tom.

PRESIDENT
It'sokay.Thedoctorssaid
you'regoingtobejustfine.

Margaretsmilesatthemansheknowsalltoowell.

MARGARET
Liar.

Thelookbetweenthemsaysmorethananywords.

INT. HALLWAY - OUTSIDE MARGARET'S ROOM - LATER

ThePresidentexitstheroom,overcomewith
emotion.
Constance,thedoctorsandsomemedicalcrewmove
tocomfort
him.Heholdsthemoffwithagesture.

HelooksupandseesJasmine,SteveandDylandown
thehall.
Hepushesthroughthecrowdandmakeshiswayover
tothem.

JASMINE
I'msosorry.

PRESIDENT
Ijustwantedtothankyou.
You'reaverybravewoman.

Acrossthehall,Patriciasitsinachair,waiting.
Whitmore
walksovertoherandkneelsdownnexttohissmall
child.

PATRICIA
IsMommysleepingnow?

PRESIDENT
Yes,baby.Mommy'ssleeping.

FADE OUT:

A GARBAGE CAN

TopplesoverwithaBANG!Afootstepsinand
startskicking
trashallover.

EXT. AREA 51 - NIGHT

Davidisdrunkenlyknockingeverythingover,making
agigantic
mess.Moishecomesupbehind,restraininghim.

MOISHE
David,David!Whatthehellare
 youdoing!?

DAVID
I'mmakingamess.

MOISHE
ThisIcansee.

DAVID
We'vegottaburntherainforest,
Pops.Dumptoxicwaste,pollute
theair,ripuptheozone.Maybe
ifwescrewthisplanetupenough
theywon'twantitanymore.

MOISHE
David,you'redrunk.

Davidslips,fallsonhisass,hard.Moishehelps
himbackup
onhisfeet.

MOISHE
Ithinkyoubettersleepthisoff.
Gobackinsidebeforeyoucatcha
cold.

SlowlyDavidlooksuptowardsMoishe,anidea.

DAVID
Pops,you'reagenius!

MOISHE
What'dIsay?

DAVID
Acold?Ofcourse.
 Sobered,Davidjumpskisseshisfatherandbolts
inside.

CUT TO:

INT. STORAGE LAB - DAY

Alargecrowdhasbeengatheredhereatthelab.
GeneralGrey
andNimzikiwalkuptoConstance.

NIMZIKI
Allright,Connie,we'rehere.
What'sthisallabout?

CONSTANCE
Ireallyhavenoidea.Hejust
saidtobringeveryonedownhere.

SteveshowsDylanthealienspacecraft.

DYLAN
Doesthatthingflyinouter
space?

Steveloosupatthecraftadmiringly.

STEVE
Itcertainlydoes.

WhenthePresidententersatechnicianrushesover
andknocks
onthehatchdooronthealienattacker.Thedoor
swingsopen
andDavidclimbsdown.

Grabbingacokecanfromthe"recycle"trashbin,
Davidplaces
 theemptycanontopofthealienattacker.David
turnsand
facesthegathering.

DAVID
Couldanyonepleasestepback
awayfromthecraft?

TheydoandDavidnodstoaTechnicianinsidethe
craft.The
Techniciandisappearsinside,closingthedoor
behindhim.A
loudHUMemitsfromthecraft.Davidhastoyell
overit.

DAVID
Lt.Mitchell,wouldyoumind
drawingyourpistol?

MITCHELL
What?

DAVID
Fromwhereyou'restanding,doyou
thinkyoucouldshootthatcanoff
thealiencraft?

Mitchellshrugsaffirmatively.Davidgesturesfor
himtotry.
Takingaim,MitchellSHOOTS.

ThebulletRICOCHETSofftheattacker'sprotective
shield.
Severalpeopleinthecrowddock,afraidofbeing
hitbythe
errantbullet.

DAVID
 Sorry'boutthat.Yousee,it's
protectedbythecraft'sshields.
Wecan'tpenetratetheirdefenses.

NIMZIKI
Weknowthatalready.What'syour
point?

Davidwalksovertohislaptop,nowconnected
directlytothe
craftbycablesandstartstypingfuriously.

DAVID
Mypointisifwecan'tbeattheir
defenses,thenwemustgetaround
them.

Davidstopstypingandstaresathiswristwatch,
silently
countingdown.

DAVID
Lt.Mitchell,wouldyoupleasetry
toshootitagain?

ReluctantlyMitchellobliges.Thistimethecanis
BLOWNOFF
THECRAFT.Everyoneintheroomisshocked.The
Technician
reopensthecraft'sdoorandtheloudHUM
disappears.

GENERAL GREY
Howdidyoudothat?

DAVID
Igaveitacold.
 ThePresidentisfascinated,hestepscloser.
Moishebeams
proudlyathissmartson.Constanceisamazed.

DAVID(cont'd)
Moreaccurately,Igaveita
virus.Acomputervirus.

DavidturnshislaptoparoundforthePresidentto
see.

GENERAL GREY
Areyoutellingusyoucansend
outasignalthatwilldisableall
theirshields?

DAVID
Justastheyusedoursatellites
againstus,wecanusetheirown
signalagainstthem.

Davidwalksovertoadiagramhe'smadeshowingthe
relationshipbetweentheMotherShip,theSpace
Craftsandthe
smalleralienattackers.

DAVID(cont'd)
Ifweplantthevirusdirectly
intothemothership,itwould
thenfilterdownintoallthe
correspondingshipsbelow.

NIMZIKI
Andjusthowdoweinfectthe
"MotherShip"withavirus?

Davidgesturestothealienattackerbehindhim.
 DAVID
We'llhavetoflytheircraftout
ofouratmosphereanddockwith
themothership.

IntriguedSteveturnsandlooksbackatthealien
attacker,
sizingitup.Davidpointstoasatellitephotoof
the
underbellyoftheMotherShip.

DAVID(cont'd)
Wecanenterhere,uploadthe
virusandsetoffanexplosion
thatcoulddisableit.Thiswould
disorientthesmallershipbelow
andbuyyousometimetotakethem
out.

Constancereacts,realizingDavid'sparticipation
intheplan.

NIMZIKI
Thisisridiculous.

GENERAL GREY
Howlongwouldtheirshieldsbe
down?

DAVID
Oncetheydiscoverthevirusit
couldbeamatterofminutes.

NIMZIKI
Youwantustocoordinatea
massiveworldwidecounterstrike
withawindowofonlyafew
minutes?
 GENERAL GREY
Withtheirshieldsdownitmight
bepossible.

NIMZIKI
Please,you'renotbuyingintoany
ofthisnonsense,areyou?We
don'thavethemanpowerorthe
resourcestolaunchthatkindofa
campaign.
(gesturingtothealien
ship)
Nottomentionthatthiswhole
cockamamieplanisdependentona
machinethatnooneintheworld
isqualifiedtooperate.

STEVE (O.S.)
Iwouldn'tsaythat,sir.

EveryoneturnstoStevewhostepsthroughthe
crowd.

STEVE
I'veseentheminaction.I've
watchedtheirmaneuvers.With
yourpermission,sir,I'dlikethe
opportunitytotry.

NIMZIKI
Thatthing'sawreck.Itcrash
landedbackinthefifties!We
don'tevenknowifit'scapableof
flying.

DavidturnstotheTechnicians.
 DAVID
Removetheclamps!

Techniciansmovetothelargeholdingclampson
eithersideof
thecraft.WithaloudCLANK,theclampsare
pulledaway.

ForamomentthehulkingcraftTEETERSunevenly,
butquickly
stabilizes,FLOATINGABOVETHEM.

DAVID
Anyotherquestions?

Everyonestaresatthefloatingshipwithwonder.

PRESIDENT
Let'sdoit.

INT. HALLWAY - MOMENTS LATER

Constance,GeneralGreyandthePresidentare
walkingdownthe
hall.Nimzikirushestocatchup.

NIMZIKI
Iunderstandthatyou'reupset
overthedeathofyourwifebut
that'snoexcuseformaking
anotherfatalmistake...

ThePresidentwhirls,grabsNimzikiandSLAMShim
againstthe
wall.Holdinghimtight,thePresidentgetsinhis
face.

PRESIDENT
 TheonlymistakeImadewas
appointingasnivelinglittle
weasellikeyouChiefofStaff.

ConstanceisabouttointervenewhenGeneralGrey
stopsher.

PRESIDENT(cont'd)
Butthisisamistake,Iam
thankfultosay,Idonothaveto
livewith.Mr.Nimziki,you're
fired.

ThePresidentreleaseshimandturnstoGeneral
Grey.

PRESIDENT(cont'd)
Organizeeveryplaneyoucanfind
andgetsomeGoddamnedpilots
toflythem.

GENERAL GREY
Yes,Sir.

Hestormsoffleavingeveryonestunned.

NIMZIKI
Hecan'tdothat.

CONSTANCE
(amazed)
Hejustdid.

CUT TO:

INT. MILITARY TENT - CONTINUOUS

FourBRITISHAIRPILOTSaregatheredaroundatable
goingover
amap.Onepilot,REGINALD,isincharge.

REGINALD
...we'vebeentoldthattheremay
beadditionalreenforcementin
hidingneartheGolanStraights...

Suddenlytheflaptothetentopens.Allthe
pilotsdraw
theirpistolsfrighteningtheARABPILOTwhostands
inthe
doorway.TheArabPilotspeaksquicklyinArabic.

REGINALD
Whatthehell'shesaying?

THOMSON
(explaining)
Seemsthey'regettingasignal.
OneMorsecode.

EXT. DRY LAKE - SECONDS LATER

AstheystepoutofthetentweSEEmorethana
HUNDRED
FIGHTERSPLANESfromdifferentnationsparked
aroundthem.
They'veallgoneintohidingouthereinthe
desert,divided
intomanysmallercamps.

ReginaldandThomsonfollowtheirArabcohort,
walkingthrough
themanyothercampsites.Thomsongetssomestares
fromthe
IRAQI PILOTS.
 REGINALD
Istillgetbelievethis.

THOMSON
TheIraqisdon'tappearaltogether
toopleasedwiththisarrangement.

REGINALD
HowdoyouthinktheIsraelis
feel?

SureenoughacampsiteofISRAELIPILOTSsitsvery
nearby.

ANGLE - ARABIAN AIR FORCE CAMP

DozensofArabpilotsaregatheredaroundalarge
radioasthe
Morsecodecomesthrough.Thomsonquicklykneels
down,taking
notes.

THOMSON
It'sfromtheAmericans.They
wanttoorganizeacounter
offensive.

REGINALD
It'saboutbloodytime.Whatdo
theyplantodo?

EXT. ICE PLATEAU - SIBERIA - DAY

SeveralRussianPilotsaregatheredaroundaradio,
their
dozenMIGFIGHTERSstandingbehindthem.

RUSSIAN #1
 (subtitled)
Theyclaimstobeabletobring
downtheirshields.

RUSSIAN #2
Whendotheywanttoattack?

EXT. VOLCANO BASE - FUJI - DAY

AtthebaseofalargeVolcanoinFuji,several
Japanese
attackhelicoptersstandneartheirpilots,
gatheredarounda
radio.

JAPANESE PILOT
(subtitled)
Theattackbeginsinthirteen
hours.

CUT TO:

INT. AREA 51 - WAR ROOM - DAY

Alargeworldmaphasbeenconstructed.Several
sitesare
markedwithstickersreading:COMBATREADY.
Anothersticker
isputontoMr.Fuji.

Stridingin,thePresidentsurveysthewarroom.
GeneralGrey
rushesovertomeethim.

PRESIDENT
How'rewedoing?

GENERAL GREY
 Betterthanwethought.

GeneralGreyleadsthePresidentovertothewall
map.

GENERAL GREY
Wehaveconfirmeddivisionsof
troopsfromdifferentarmiesall
aroundtheworld.MostofEurope,
theMiddleEastandAsiaare
battleready.

PRESIDENT
Andourtroopshere?

GENERALE GREY
We'vebeencollectingplanesfrom
alloverbut...

PRESIDENT
Butwhat,General?

GENERAL GREY
Pilots,sir.Wedon'thaveenough
peopletogetthemintheair.

PRESIDENT
Thenfindthem.

CUT TO:

INT. BRENNON TRAILER - NIGHT

Troyissleepingpeacefullyinhisbed.Russell
sitsatthe
kitchentableasMiguelenters.

MIGUEL
 How'hedoing?

RUSSELL
Justfellasleep.He'sgonnabe
justfine.Joinmeinalittle
celebration?

RussellholdsuphisbottleofJackDaniels.
Clearlyhe's
beendrinkingagain.Migueliscrestfallen.
Pissedheturns
andstormsout.

RUSSELL
Miguel.Don'tbemad.Miguel!

Drunkenly,Russellchasesafterhim.

INT. AREA 51 - REFUGEE CAMP - CONTINUOUS

Makinghiswaythroughthecampers,RussellSEESa
groupof
refugeesaroundsomeMILITARYOFFICERSwho
addressesthem.

OFFICER
(throughmegaphone)
...We'replanningtolauncha
counteroffensive...

Russellwandersovertowardsthem.

OFFICER(cont'd)
...withourdepletedmanpowerwe
mustaskthatanyonewithany
flightexperiencecomeforward.
Militarytrainingispreferable
butanyonewhocanflyaplane
 couldbeuseful...

Russellpusheshiswaythroughthecrowd.

RUSSELL
(slurred)
Icanfly,Imean,I'mapilot.

TheofficerjuststaresatthebottleofJack
Danielsstillin
hishand.

OFFICER
Sorry,sir.

Russellgetsintohisface,desperate.

RUSSELL
Youdon'tunderstand.I'vegotta
bepartofthis.Thisis
importanttome.Theyruinedmy
life.

OFFICER
Whydon'tyougosomewhereand
sleepitoff.

TheOfficersmoveon,takingafewvolunteerswith
them.
Russellwatchesthemgo,dejected.Angrily,he
throwsthe
bottleofJack,SMASHINGit.

INT. STORAGE LAB - NIGHT

AlargeMISSILEslidesbackintoaLAUNCHERthat
hasbeen
attachedtothetopofthealienattacker.Some
workersPAINT
overthepatchworkrepairs.Below,Mitchell
briefsSteveand
David.

MITCHELL
We'vehidthelauncherinthe
ship'smanifold.

Mitchelltakesasmallblackboxfromatablenear
by.

MITCHELL(cont'd)
Thiswillbeattachedtotheships
mainconsole.

STEVE
It'sjustlikeanAMRAAMlaunch
padonthestealths.

MITCHELL
Exactly.Useitthesameway.
Onlythenukewon'tdetonateon
impact.You'llhaveanother
thirtysecondstogetasfaraway
asyoucan.

DAVID
I'llseehowthey'redoingwith
theradiotransmitter.

STEVE
(checkinghiswatch)
Ohshit,we'relate.

DAVID
We'llmeetyouthere.
 StevedashesoffasDavidmovestowardthe
attacker.
Constancehasbeeneavesdropping.Shewalksto
David.

CONSTANCE
Thirtyseconds?Isn'tthat
cuttingitalittletooclose?

DAVID
We'llbewellonourwayoutof
therebeforeweshootthatthing
off.

DavidleansundertheattackerwhereaTECHNICIAN
isattaching
anotherdevice.

TECHNICIAN
It'sthestrongestSHFtransmitter
wecouldget.It'lltelluswhen
you'veuploadedthevirus.

DAVID
Thencrossyourfingersthe
shieldsgodown.

Davidturnsandwalksaway,Constancefollowing.

CONSTANCE
Withyou?Idon'tunderstandwhy
youcan'tjustshowsomeonehowto
plantthevirus,somebodytrained
forthiskindofmission?

DAVID
IfanythinggoeswrongI'llhave
tothinkquickly,adjustthe
 signal,whoknows?

Davidstops,pickingupasmalltrashcanlabelled
"recycle."

DAVID
(smiling)
YouknowhowI'malwaystryingto
savetheplanet.Thisismy
chance.

Davidrushesoff.Constancewatcheshimleave.

CONSTANCE
(toherself)
Nowhegetsambitious.

INT. SMALL GATHERING HALL - SAME

JasmineiskneelingasDylantriestozipupthe
backofher
dress.

DYLAN
It'stootight.

JASMINE
Ihadtoborrowit.Iguess
that'sgoodenough.

Jasminestands,turnstoDylan.

JASMINE
HowdoIlook?

Shelooksgreat.ButDylanonlygivesherthe"so
so"hand
gesture.
 JASMINE
You'realotofhelp.

ThedoorbehindherfliesopenandStevemarches
in.

JASMINE
You'relate.

STEVE
Youknowme...

JASMINE
Iknow,youliketomakeabig
entrance.

StevemovesnexttoJasmine,takesherhand.

STEVE
Beforewedothis,Iwantyouto
knowI'msorry.

JASMINE
Sorryforwhat?

STEVE
(serious)
Ishouldhavedonethisalong
longtimeago.

MALE VOICE (O.S.)

Doyouhavethering?

AsweREVERSEANGLEweseethatweareina
militaryCHAPEL,a
largecrucifixonthewall.ACHAPLAINstandsby
thealtar.
 STEVE
Youbet.

Stevepullsoutthefamous"dolphin"ring.

CHAPLAIN
Witnesses?

JustthenthedoorsopenandDavidandConstance
entertaking
seatsonopposingsidesoftheaisle.

CHAPLAIN
Thenlet'sgetthisshowonthe
road.

SteveandJasminetaketheirplacesatthealtar.
Jasmineis
radiant.Dylanrushesupandjoinsthem.

Astheceremonybegins,DavidandConstancesharea
pregnant
glance.Slowlytheyreachacrosstheaisleand
holdhandsas
SteveandJasmineexchangetheirvows.

CUT TO:

HANGAR DOORS - PRE-DAWN

Slowlyspreadapartrevealingthemyriadof
differentplanes
thathavebeengathered.Pilots,flightscrewsand
refugees
prepareforthebattle.

EXT. AREA 51 - TARMAC - PRE-DAWN

 WalkingoutthePresidentscansthemotley
collectionof
planes;old,new,hightech,lowtech.

GENERAL GREY
Beggarscan'tbechoosers,sir.

Noddinginagreement,thePresidentwalksamongthe
rankand
file.Slowlytheyturntheirattentiontothe
President.

PRESIDENT
Goodmorning.Inlessthanone
hourplanesfromhereandall
aroundtheworldwilllaunchthe
largestaerialbattleinthe
historyofmankind...
(beat)
Mankind.Thewordhasnewmeaning
forallofusnow.Weare
remindednotofourpetty
differencesbutofourcommon
interests.

Constance,DavidandMoishejointhegroup,
listening.Even
Davidismoved.

PRESIDENT(cont'd)
Perhapsit'sfatethattoday,July
theFourth,wewillonceagain
fightforourfreedom.Notfrom
tyranny,persecutionor
oppression.Butfrom
annihilation.We'refightingfor
ourrighttolive,toexit.From
 thisdayon,thefourthdayof
Julywillnolongerberemembered
asanAmericanholidaybutasthe
daythatallofmankinddeclared
wewillnotgoquietlyintothe
night.Wewillnotvanishwithout
afight.Wewillliveon.We
willsurvive.

Thecrowderuptsintoapplauseandcheers.The
President
turnsandwalksovertoanOfficerholdingabundle
of
clothes.GeneralGreyconfrontsthePresidentas
hebeginsto
disrobe.

GENERAL GREY
Mr.President,justwhatdoyou
thinkyou'redoing?

PRESIDENT
I'mapilot,Will.Thisiswhere
Ibelong.

GeneralGreywantstoarguebutcan't.

INT. STORAGE LAB - SAME

ConstanceandDavidembraceasSteveturnsto
Dylan.

STEVE
WhenI'mbackwe'lllightthose
fireworks.

JasminehugsthembothasMoishewalksoverto
David.
 MOISHE
David,takethese.

Davidlooksdownatthe"barfbags"inMoishe's
hand.

DAVID
Thanks,Pops.

MOISHE
Iwantyoushouldknow,I'mvery
proudofyou,son.

ThatmeansmoretoDavidthanMoishecouldhave
known.

CONSTANCE
Becareful.

ConstancehugsDavidasStevesuddenlyfreaksout.

STEVE
Damnit.Wecan'tgoyet.I
gottafindsomecigars.

SteveisabouttoboltwhenMoishegrabshim,
retrievingtwo
cigarsfromhiscoatpocket.

MOISHE
Mylasttwo.Withmyblessings.

STEVE
You'realifesaver.

Stevegrabsthemandclimbsinside.Davidsmiles
awkwardly,
 thenfollowsSteve.

INT. ALIEN ATTACKER - CONTINUOUS

ThehatchshutsandDavidtakesaseatnextto
Stevewhohands
himoneofthecigars.

STEVE
Hangontothis.Forourvictory
dance.Butnot'tilwehearthe
fatladysing.

ReluctantlyDavidtakesit.AshedoesSteve
noticesthe
"barfbag"onDavid'slap.OffSteve'slook...

DAVID
Ihaveaconfessiontomake.I'm
notrealbigonflying.

STEVE
Great.

INT. STORAGE LAB - SAME

ConstanceandJasminejointheothersbehindthe
observation
glassoutsidetheroomastheAttackerpreparesfor
liftoff.

PartoftheceilingsuddenlyPEELSAWAY,revealing
anenormous
SHAFTleadingtopside.

INT. STEVE AND DAVID'S ALIEN ATTACKER - SAME

Strappinginandsecuringtheirequipment,Steve
grabsholdof
thethrottle.

STEVE
Youready?Let'rockandroll.

Stevepullsbackonthethrottlebuttheattacker
swings
BACKWARDS.

INT. STORAGE LAB - SAME

TheAlienAttackerSMASHESBACKWARDintotherear
ofthelab.
Moishewincesastheothersreactfearfully.

INT. STEVE AND DAVID'S ALIEN ATTACKER - SAME

Embarrassed,Steveadjuststhethrottle.

STEVE
Oops.

Likeastickshiftdiagramofacar,asmallhand
written
"postit"cardispastedontothedash.Steve
reachesover
andturnsitupsidedown,rightingtheproblem.

STEVE
Let'strythatagain.

Thistimehepushesthethrottleforwardandthe
Attacker
JERKSahead.

INT. STORAGE LAB - CONTINUOUS

 Shootingupintotheceilingshaftabove,the
AttackerZOOMS
outoftheundergroundlaboratory.

EXT. AREA 51 - SHAFT - SAME

WithaWHOOSHtheAlienAttackerZOOMSoutofthe
underground
shaftandSOARSintothesky.Oncehighenoughit
goesintoa
wildbarrelroll.

INT. STEVE AND DAVID'S ALIEN ATTACKER - SAME

Justasitcomesoutoftheroll.

DAVID
Whatthehellareyoudoing?

STEVE
Justgettingafeelforher.

EXT. MORNING SKIES - CLOUD BANK - SAME

TheAttackerarcsupwardanddisappearsintothe
clouds.

EXT. AREA 51 - THE PRESIDENT'S PLANE - SAME

ThePresidentwatchestheAttackerflyingaway.
Hiscanopy
locksdownasheadjustshishelmet.

PRESIDENT
Grey,youreadme?

GENERAL GREY
(filtered)
 Roger,EagleOne,ourprimary
targethasshiftedcourse.

INT. WAR ROOM - SAME

GeneralGreyisstandingbythelargemaptracking
thealien
shipsovertheUnitedStates.

PRESIDENT
(filtered)
Where'sitheaded?

GENERAL GREY
Ithinkoursecretisout.
They'reheadedrightforus.

INT. PRESIDENT'S PLANE - SAME

GENERAL GREY
(filtered)
ETAthirtysixminutes.

ThePresidentgetsadeterminedlookinhiseye.
HeFIRESUP
hisengine.Followinghislead,enginesignite,
canopieslock
downandplanestaxitoposition.

EXT. UPPER ATMOSPHERE - ALIEN ATTACKER - SAME

Thecapturedalienattackersoarshigherand
higher.

INT. STEVE AND DAVID'S ATTACKER - SAME

Slowlygettingsick,Davidholdsontohis"barf
bag."
 STEVE
Youstillwithme?

Davidnodssheepishly.Steve'seyesgowidewith
wonderas
theshipclimbstotheedgeofouratmosphere.

STEVE
(tohimself)
I'vewaitedalongtimeforthis.

TheshipbeginstoSHAKE,rattlingharshlyasit
climbs.
ThroughthewindowweSEEtheblueskyEVAPORATE.
Slowlya
fieldofSTARStakeitsplace.

ThisisthemomentStevehadwishedforallhis
life.He's
notdisappointed.David,however,isnotso
thrilled.

EXT. SPACE - STEVE AND DAVID'S ATTACKER - SAME

Headingfurtherintospace,ZOOMINGoverhead.

INT. STEVE AND DAVID'S ATTACKER - SAME

ThroughthewindshieldweseeahugeOBJECT
floatingin
thedistance,themoonbehindit.

DAVID
That'sit.Headstraightforit.

ButStevegetsdistracted,somethingwrongwiththe
controls.
 STEVE
Something'shappening.It'snot
responding.

Davidlooksoverathislaptop,connectedtothe
ship'son
boardcomputers.ThsignalisADJUSTING.

DAVID
(thrilled)
Iwascountingonthat.They're
bringingusin.

EXT. BLUE SKIES - MORNING

ThePresident'splaneleadsthirtyfightersin
attack
formation.

PRESIDENT
Wehavevisual.

RESERVE ANGLE - ALIEN SPACE CRAFT

Thefifteenmilewidespacecraftpeeksovera
mountainrange
headedstraightforus.

GENERAL GREY
(filtered)
Donotengageuntilwe've
confirmedthepackagehasbeen
delivered.

PRESIDENT
Roger.
 INT. WAR ROOM - SAME

ConstanceisstandingbyLt.Mitchellbehindthe
Military
cadrecoordinatingthebattle.

CONSTANCE
Whatifthatthinggetshere
beforewecanplantthevirus?

MITCHELL
Theentirecompoundisburieddeep
withinthemountain.Itshould
giveussomeprotection.

CONSTANCE
Butwhataboutallthepeople
outside?

Mitchellshootsheraworriedlook.Quicklythey
bothdash
outside.

EXT. MOTHER SHIP - SAME

SteveandDavid'sattackerfliestowardsthe
giganticMother
Ship.Hundredsofotherattackersflowinandout
ofthe
MotherShipthroughthemanytriangularportals.
Steveand
David'sattacker'sdrawnintooneofthem.

INT. PORTAL SHAFT - MOTHER SHIP - SAME

Caughtinastreamofattackers,theyflowthrough
theportal
shaftleadingintothisplanetsizedspacecraft.
Theypass
byenormouswindowsrevealingtheHUNDREDSOF
ALIENSworking
withintheMotherShip.

Wespilloutoftheshaftandintoagigantic
cavity
stretchingoutbeyondvisibility.EnormousTOWERS
are
scatteredthroughout.

INT. STEVE AND DAVID'S ATTACKER - CONTINUOUS

Neithercanbelievetheireyes.Staringoutthe
frontwindow
theySEES...

STEVEANDDAVID'SPOVALIENTROOPPARADEGROUND

BelowthemTHOUSANDSOFALIENScanbeseenasthey
aremarched
intodozensofenormousTROOPCONTAINERSdockedat
theedges
oftheparadegrounds.

DAVID
Mustbethousandsofthem.What
aretheydoing?

STEVE
Lookslikethey'repreparingthe
invasion.

INT. DOCKING STATIONS - MOTHER SHIP -

CONTINUOUS

Theypasstheparadegroundandheadintothe
middleofthis
 hugecavernoussphere,closinginonthemany
LANDINGS.
Hundredsofattackersaredockedateachone.

InthecenteroftheLandingarelargeBAYWINDOWS,
insideis
akindofcontroltower.WecanSEEseveralALIEN
WORKERS
throughtheglass.SteveandDavid'sattackeris
heading
straighttowardsthem.

STEVE
Thiswon'twork.They'llsee
beforewecandoanything.

Liftingupanotherhandwrittencardlabeled
"window,"David
pushesthebuttonunderneath.

DAVID
Thesethingsarefullyequipped.
Recliningbucketseats,power
windows...

ABLASTSHIELDlowerscoveringthewindow.

SlowlySteveandDavid'sattackerlowersontolarge
docking
CLAMPSwhichLOCKON,holdingitinplace.

DAVID
We'rein!

Davidstartstypingfrantically.

INT. WAR ROOM - SAME

 MitchellturnsfromoneoftheconsolestoGeneral
Grey.

MITCHELL
He'suploadingthevirus.

GENERAL GREY
(intomic)
EagleOne...

EXT. BLUE SKIES - SAME

ThePresidentialattacksquadronzeroinginon
target.

GENERAL GREY
(filtered)
...thepackageisbeingdelivered.
Standbytoengage.

PRESIDENT
Roger.

EXT. AREA 51 - BRENNON TRAILER - SAME

Aliciastrugglestodragoutalargedufflebag.
Philip(the
boywhobroughtthepenicillinearlier)rushes
over.

PHILIP
Letmegetthat.

Hegrabsthebagforher.Aliciasmiles.Miguel
helpsTroy
downfromthetrailer.Astheyrushaway,Miguel
turnsto
Philip.
 MIGUEL
Where'sRussell?

ANGLE - HANGAR - ENTRANCE TO COMPOUND

Constance,JasmineandMitchellarehelpingto
usherthe
refugeesintothecompound.

CONSTANCE
Hurry,we'vegottogeteveryone
inside.

ConstancelooksupandSEESoffinthedistance...

THE ALIEN SPACE CRAFT

Piercingthehorizon,comingoverthetopofa
distant
mountain.Headedthisway.

INT. STEVE AND DAVID'S ATTACKER - SAME

Davidfinishestyping.Thescreenonhislaptop
flashes:
UPLOAD COMPLETE.

DAVID
Thevirusisin.Allwecando
nowispray.

EXT. BLUE SKIES - AMERICAN FIGHTERS - SAME

GENERAL GREY
(filtered)
Deliverycomplete.Engage.
 PRESIDENT
Roger.

ThefighterjetsGUNITandovertakethesmaller
planesin
frontofthem.

BelowthePresident'splanetheweaponsbaydoor
opensanda
longrangeAMRAAMMissileDROPSDOWN,computesits
targetand
DARTS OFF.

INT. WAR ROOM - SAME

MitchellandGeneralGreymoveovertoamonitor
showing
visualfromthePresent'sPlane.TheySEEthe
missile
movingtowardstarget.

GENERAL GREY
Keepyourfingerscrossed.

EXT. AMERICAN FIGHTERS - SAME

Thepilotswatchnervouslyasthemissilenearsits
target.

PRESIDENT
Comeon,baby.

ANGLE - AMRAAM MISSILE

Justasitgetstotheshieldperimeter,the
missileEXPLODES.
Theshieldsarestillup.
 INT. WAR ROOM - SAME

Theywatchthemissileblowupharmlessly.
Deflated,General
Greygrabshismic.

GENERAL GREY
Itdidn'twork.Disengage.Sir,
getyourpeopleoutofthere.

EXT. PRESIDENT'S PLANE - SAME

ThePresidentisnotreadytogiveup.

PRESIDENT
Notyet!

BelowhisplaneanotherMISSILEdropsdown,and
DARTSOFF.

ANGLE - MISSILE

Thisonegoespastthepointoftheprevious
explosion.It
movesincloserandcloser.SuddenlyitHITSTHE
SIDEOFTHE
SHIP.AHUGEEXPLOSION,ripsoffapartofthe
sideofthis
immenseship.

INT. WAR ROOM - SAME

WeSEEtheexplosiononthemonitor.Everyonein
theroom
CHEERS.

GENERAL GREY
Youdidit!Adirecthit!
 EXT. BLUE SKIES - AMERICAN FIGHTERS - SAME

Thepilotsarethrilled.

PRESIDENT
We'regoingin!Squadronleaders,
takepoint.

Thefightersbreakoffintosixgroupoffive.One
byone,
eachfighterDROPSAMISSILE.WefollowDOZENSOF
MISSILESon
theirwaytothespacecraft.

ANGLE - SPACE CRAFT

TheAttackerBaydoorsopenandDOZENSOFALIEN
ATTACKERS
shootout.Spreadingwide.

GuidedmissilesEXPLODESastheyhittheCity
Destroyer,
damagingtheouterhull.TheAttackersgoafter
theAmerican
fighters.Thesixgroupssplitwide.Anaerial
dogfight
ensues.

EXT. AREA 51 - REFUGEE CAMP - SAME

MiguelsearchesforRussellastherefugeesrunfor
the
hangar.

MIGUEL
Russell!
 Miguelgetssweptupinthetide.Asthelastof
thementer
thehangar,TWOALIENATTACKERSarrivebehindthem,
STRAFING
theground.TherowsoftrailershomesEXPLODEone
after
another.

ANGLE - ELEVATOR HALLWAY - BACK OF HANGAR

Constanceushersthecrowdintotheelevator
hallway.Packed
intothehallwaytogether,theyarepanickedatthe
soundof
thenearbyexplosions.Asthelastoneissafely
inside,
ConstanceturnsbackandSEES...

CONSTANCE'S POV - HANGAR AND ATTACKERS

TheattackersFIREandthefronthalfofthehangar
EXPLODES.
ConstanceisKNOCKEDbackagainstthewall.She
activatesthe
elevatorandtheroombeginstoSINK.

Asthehallwaysubmerges,theentirehangarcomes
CRASHING
DOWNbehindthem.

INT. WAR ROOM - SAME

OvermonitorstheGeneralobservestheaerial
battle.This
room,too,ROCKSfromtheexplosions.Themonitors
FLICKER.

INT. STEVE AND DAVID'S ATTACKER - SAME

 Stevestruggleswiththecontrolsbutisgettingno
where.

DAVID
Getusoutofhere!

STEVE
Ican'tshakeherfree.

EXT. STEVE AND DAVID'S ATTACKER - SAME

Thoughtheattackergunsitsengine,theCLAMPS
belowHOLD
TIGHT.

INT. STEVE AND DAVID'S ATTACKER - SAME

Davidmovesovertothecomputertoseeifhecan
help.
SuddenlythelargewindowslowlybeginstoDROP
DOWN.

STEVE
What'reyoudoing?

DAVID
It'snotme.They'reoverriding
thesystem.

Theblastshieldcontinuestopeelaway.Davidand
Stevedrop
downbelowthedash,hidingfromview.Astheview
becomes
unobstructedweSEE...

POV - THROUGH WINDOW - THE LANDING

 SeveralAlien'slookingacrossatusfromthelarge
bay
windowoftheLanding'scontroltower.

STEVE
Damn!

DavidleansfromhishidingpositionandSEES
severalother
alienattackersaremovinginonthem.Theyare
surrounded.

DAVID
Checkandmate.

INT. AREA 51 - RESEARCH FACILITY - SAME

LikeimagesfromEnglandduringtheblitzkrieg,the
refugees
arehuddledonthefloor,thelightsFLICKERINGand
themuted
soundsofdistantEXPLOSIONS.Miguelmovesthrough
the
refugees,searchingforRussell.

AYarmulkeisunfolded.Asitisliftedwerealize
Moisheis
puttingiton.Heholdsthehandswiththepeople
aroundhim
andbeginstopray.NimzikimovesnexttoMoishe.
Moishe
takeshishand.

NIMZIKI
I'mnotJewish.

MOISHE
It'sokay.
 ANGLE - PHILIP AND ALICIA

Asanotherbombrockstheroom,Aliciamovescloser
toPhilip.

ALICIA
Thiscouldbeourlastnighton
Earth.Idon'twanttodiea
virgin.

PHILIP
Ifwedo,we'llbothdievirgins.
Butatlastwe'llbetogether.

Aliciasmiles,aniceguyatlast.

EXT. AREA 51 - SPACE SHIP - SAME

TheCityDestroyerspaceshipissettlingjust
abovethe
compoundastheAmericanfighterscircleit,chased
bythe
attackers.BelowtheSCHISMbeginstoopen!

INT. WAR ROOM - SAME

Inallthecommotion,noonenoticesasMiguel
sneaksinside.

OFFICER
We'rerunningoutofmissiles,
Sir.We'rejustnotcausing
enoughdamage.

EXT. PRESIDENT'S PLANE - SAME

GENERAL GREY
 (filtered)
They'regettingreadytofirethe
biggun.You'regoingtohaveto
findavulnerablespot,fast.

PRESIDENT
I'vegotanidea.Keep'emoffmy
tail.

Takingtheadvice,thePresidentDIVES.He'smet
bytwo
flankingFighters(EAGLES9&2)astheycruisethe
underbelly
oftheCityDestroyer.Sureenough,theSCHISMis
opening,
preparingtofiretheWALLOFDESTRUCTION.

PRESIDENT
Let'stake'emoutbeforethey
takeusout.

ThePresidentlockstheSCHISMhatchwayintothe
centerofhis
HUD(headsupdisplay).JustasheFIRES,Eagle9
isBLOWN
OUTOFTHESKY.ItrocksthePresident,sending
hismissile
offtarget.

Offbalance,themissilehitsjustwideofthe
hatchwayand
EXPLODES,rockingtheentireship.

PRESIDENT
I'moutofmissiles!Eagle2?

EAGLE #2 PILOT
I'monit.
 Butbeforehecantarget,hisfighterEXPLODES.

INT. HALLWAY - SAME

Thelightscontinuetoflicker.Jasminegrabsonto
Dylanand
Patricia,holdingthemtight.

INT. WAR ROOM - CONTINUOUS

OnthemonitorweSEEtheSCHISM,andBRIGHTLIGHTS
asseveral
fightersflypast.

GENERAL GREY
We'reoutoftime.Getoutof
there!Getasfarawayasyou
can.

EXT. PRESIDENT'S FIGHTER - SAME

Pissed,thePresidentrefusestogiveup.

PRESIDENT
Doesn'tanyonehaveanydamned
missilesleft?!

RUSSELL (O.S.)
SorryI'mlate,Mr.President.

ThePresidentspinsandSEESdartingoutofthe
clouds...

RUSSELL'S OLD BI-PLANE

RussellZOOMSpastthePresidentandalien
attackers,barely
 missingtheirFIRE.

PRESIDENT
(filtered)
Whoisthat?Whatareyoudoing?

RUSSELL
(intomic)
It'sokay,Sir.I'mpackin'.

WeSEEhehasalargeMISSILESproppedupinthe
seatbehind
him.AlightonitflashesARMED.

INT. WAR ROOM - SAME

RUSSELL
(filtered)
Justkeepthoseguysoffmefora
fewmoreseconds.

Hearinghisvoice,Miguelisshocked.Hemoves
closertowards
themonitors.

EXT. CITY DESTROYER - SAME

TheremainingfighterslaydownCOVERFIREfor
Russell'sold
biwing.RussellheadsdirectlyTOWARDSTHE
SCHISM.

INT. WAR ROOM - SAME

Everyoneisgrippedtothescreenasweseeitget
closerand
closertotheclosingbaydoors.Miguelisaghast.
 RUSSELL
(filtered)
Domeonefavor...

OFFICER
Whoisthatguy?

MIGUEL
Russell!

Miguelracesovertothemicrophone,attemptsto
grabit.

RUSSELL
(filtered)
...tellmychildrenIlovethem
verymuch.

EXT. CITY DESTROYER - SCHISM - SAME

RussellnearstheSCHISM,ahailofalienfirepower
erupting
aroundhim.

MIGUEL
(filtered)
Dad!No!

Russellsmilesatbbeingcalled"Dad."

RUSSELL
I'vegotto,kid.Youwerealways
betterattakingcareofthemthan
Iwasanyways.

RussellturnsoffhisradioashebanksUPWARD
towardsthe
openSCHISM.Theclimbissteep,andthebiwing
nearly
stallsout.

SuddenlythebrightlightsVANISHandthebeam
beginstoform.

Russell'sbiwingjustmakesitINSIDETHEOPEN
SCHISMand
disappearsfromview.

ThePresidentandremainingfightersBANKAWAY,
clearing.

Suddenly,AGIGANTICEXPLOSION,RIPSTHROUGHTHE
CENTEROFTHE
SPACECRAFT.It'scausingaCHAINREACTIONof
explosion.

Teetering,theentirespaceship,turnsawayoutof
control.

INT. WAR ROOM - SAME

TheroomeruptsinCHEERS.Everyone,thatis,
exceptMiguel.

EXT. MOUNTAIN RANGE - SAME

NotfarawayfromArea51,theenormouscraftis
burningfrom
thecenteroutwards.SuddenlyitDROPSand
COLLIDESwiththe
mountainrange,EXPLODINGONIMPACT.

INT. WAR ROOM - SAME

Interceptingthecelebration,GeneralGreymoves
overtoa
 radiotechnician.

GENERAL GREY
Let'sgetonthewire.Tellevery
squadronaroundtheworldhowto
shootthosefuckersdown.

INT. STEVE AND DAVID'S ALIEN ATTACKER - SAME

Sittingbelowthedash,Stevetakesoutthecigars,
handsone
toDavid.

STEVE
Iguessthere'snothingleftto
do.Let'snuke'em.

Davidrealizesthey'rebothabouttodie.He
staresatthe
cigar.

DAVID
(re:cigar)
Funny,Ialwaysthoughtthings
likethesewouldkillme.

Theyshareaquicksoberlaugh.

STEVE
Nicemeetingyou.

DAVID
Youaswell.

Stevelightshiscigar,thenlightsDavid's.

STEVE
Ready?
 EXT. STEVE AND DAVID'S ALIEN ATTACKER - SAME

Poppingupfrombehindthedash,cigarsintheir
mouths,Steve
andDavidstartwaving"goodbye"likeidiots.

TheAliensinthetowerdon'tknowhowtoreact.
The
attackersmoveinforthekill.

INT. STEVE AND DAVID'S ATTACKER - SAME

STEVE
Thinktheyknowwhat'scoming?

Hereachesdowntotheblackboxwesawbeforeand
entersthe
launchcode.

DAVID
(stillwaving)
Notachanceinhell.

EXT. STEVE AND DAVID'S ATTACKER - SAME

SuddenlythemissileERUPTSfrombehindthe
manifoldand
BLASTSintothecontroltower,SHATTERINGTHEGLASS
WINDOW.

INT. CONTROL ROOM - CONTINUOUS

ThemissileSMASHESthroughtheglass.The
atmosphere
impeached,thealiensquicklysuccumbtothe
elements,chocking
anddying.
 ThemissileBLASTSbyWRECKINGequipmentuntilit
LODGESinto
thebackwalloftheLandingtower.

Asmallcounteronthemissilebeginstocountdown
30:00,
29:00, 28:00...

EXT. DOCKING CLAMPS - SAME

Rockedfromtheexplosions,thedockingclamps
RELEASESandthe
shipsjostlesfree.

INT. STEVE AND DAVID'S ATTACKER - SAME

Stevegrabsthecontrols.

STEVE
We'reloose!

DAVID
Doesn'tmatter.Game'sover.

STEVE
Idon'thearnofatlady.

SteveTHROTTLESIT.ThecraftJOLTSAWAY.

EXT. DOCKING STATION - SAME

SteveandDavid'sattackerBLASTaway,theother
alien
attackersfollowinhotpursuit.

TheattackersFIRE.SteveSWERVESavoidingthe
blastsasthey
 racefortheexit.

INT. LANDING - CONTROL TOWER - SAME

Graspingforbreath,adyingAlienlooksupatthe
wedgedin
nuclearmissile.Thecounterreads:00:04,00:03,
00:02.

WegetthefeelingtheAlienknowswhat'scoming.

INT. DOCKING BAY - SAME

SteveandDavid'sattackerjustreachesthedoorway
asthe
centerofthelandingEXPLODESbehindthem.

Theenormousimpact,rockssomeofthelagging
attackersoff
track.

EXT. MOTHER SHIP - SAME

SteveDARTShisattackeroutfromunderneaththe
MotherShip's
belly.AgroupofattackersFOLLOW.

Justasthelastofthemexitthedockingbay,a
HUGEFIREBALL
eruptsbehindthemrippingthroughtheMotherShip.

ANGLE - FARTHER AWAY

ZOOMINGtowardsus,Steveguideshisshipaway.
TheAlien
attackersinhotpursuit.BehindthemweSEEthe
ENTIRE
MOTHER SHIP EXPLODE.
 TheimmenseEXPLOSIONGROWSOUTWARDScomingright
atus.The
ATTACKERSareGOBBLEDUPastheEXPLOSIONWIDENS.
Quicklythe
explosiongainsgroundonSteveandDavid.

ANGLE - STEVE AND DAVID'S SHIP

Likealooseboardcaughtinthesurf,Steveand
David'sship
ridestheedgeoftheexplosion,gettingknocked
ENDOVEREND.

INT. STEVE AND DAVID'S ATTACKER

Tumblingassoverteakettle,DavidandSteveare
ROCKEDin
theirseats.Stevebattlestoregaincontrolof
theship.

EXT. STEVE AND DAVID'S SHIP

Themammothfireballreachestheouteredgeofits
zenith.
SteveandDavid'sshipisSPITOUT,tumblingdown
towards
EARTH.

EXT. AREA 51 - TARMAC - SAME

Thefightersarereturninghome.CrowdRACEoutof
theruins
ofthesmolderingcompoundtogreetthem,cheering
their
arrival.

THE PRESIDENT'S PLANE

 ThePresidentisclimbingoutasGeneralGrey
rushestohis
aid.Behindhim,JasmineleadsDylanandPatricia,
whobreaks
freeandRUSHEStoherfather.ThePresident
sweepsherupin
hisarmsasJasmineapproaches.

JASMINE
(toGeneralGrey)
AnywordfromSteve?

Behindher,Constancerushesover,thesamething
onhermind.
BeforehecananswertheyHEARaROARabove.They
allbecome
silentastheyturnandlooktotheskies.

ANGLE - BLUE SKIES - FIREBALL

TheFIREBALLCOMETisrapidlyshootingdowntowards
us.
SuddenlyBURSTINGOUTOFTHEFLAMES,Steveand
David'sship
DARTS DOWN.

Justovertheheadsofthecheeringcrowds,Steve
andDavid's
shipZOOMSoverhead,disappearingoutofsight.

EXT. DRY LAKE - DESERT - MINUTES LATER

SeveralarmyJEEPSraceacrosstheariddesert
floor.Asthey
WHIPpastweseetheyareheadedtowardsagigantic
BLACK
PLUMEOFSMOKEinthedistance.
 ANGLE PLUME OF SMOKE

TheJeepsSKIDtoahalt.JasmineandConstance
arethefirst
toleapofftheJeeps.

SteveandDavidwalktowardsus,cigarsintheir
mouths.
Jasmineracesovertohim.

JASMINE
Youscaredthehelloutofme.

STEVE
Yeah,butwhatanentrance!

JASMINE
Dickweed.

STEVE
Buttmunch.

ConstancecomesrunninguptoDavid,hugshim
tightly.

CONSTANCE
Areyouallright?

DAVID
Diditwork?

CONSTANCE
Youbetitdid.

Shehugshim.Theykiss.

ANGLE - STEVE AND JASMINE

 BehindthemDylan,Patricia,thePresidentand
GeneralGrey
comewalkingover.ThePresidentandGeneralGrey
approach.

PRESIDENT
We'regettingreportsfromall
over.Theirshipsaregoingdown!

Astheybegintocelebrate,theylookuptothe
sky.

GROUP POV - BRILLIANT LIGHTS IN THE SKIES

ThedebrisfromtheMotherShipexplosionenters
the
atmospherelikethousandsofSHOOTINGSTARS.It's
an
incrediblesight.

Thegroupstareshappilyattheshowinthesky.
Stevetakes
Dylanbythehand.

STEVE
Didn'tIpromiseyoufireworks?

Everyonestaresinwonderatthebeautifullights.

THE END