titan by david polk

8/14/2019 TITAN by David Polk

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FADE IN:

SATURN - VARIOUS SHOTS

The ringed planet. One of the most magnificent sights inthe Solar System.

TITAN - FROM SPACE

The large, orange-hued ice moon in orbit around Saturn. AFLASH in the moons dense atmosphere as a SPACECRAFT shootsupward and into the far reaches of space...

EARTH - FROM SPACE

The familiar blue marble. The spacecraft from Titan floatsinto frame, headed toward Earth.

SUPERIMPOSE: 10,000 years ago

The spacecraft rockets into Earths atmosphere.

FADE OUT.

FADE UP:

EXT. WOODS - DAY

SUPERIMPOSE: Norfolk, Virginia. Today.

Four BOYS move stealthily through thick brush. Each of themsports a toy submachine gun, a special ops radio headset andcamouflage face paint. The leader, MATT RAMSAY (11),directs the boys with crisp hand signals. Hes deadlyserious.

The youngest "soldier" is Matts adorable little brother,ZACH (6). Hes bringing up the rear. Suddenly he freezes,frightened by what he sees on the ground. A GARTER SNAKE.

ZACH

Ahhh!Zachs yelp crackles in the headsets of the other boys andthey react. Matt turns his head, irritated.

MATT(sharply)

What is it now?!

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: (2) 2.

ZACH(loudly)

Snake!

MATTShit! Is that all? Team, back to

radio sil --

RAT-TAT-TAT. An enemy force of four OTHER BOYS swoop in onMatts team, shouting war cries and blasting away with toyguns. The battle quickly goes hand-to-hand as the boyswrestle and kick and karate chop away.

EXT. CLEARING - LATER

Matt and his team, dirty and beaten, emerge from thewoods. He reams out his little brother as they go.

MATTStealth means quiet, Zach! Wereall dead now because of you! Andthe worst thing is, thanks to youwe failed in the mission!

ZACH(near tears)

Sorry, Matt. But it was a bigsnake.

STEVIEI told you we shouldnt havebrought him, Matt. Hes just a bigbaby. A little "Mamas Boy!"

ZACH(defiant)

Am not!

MATTShut it, Stevie!

Stevie does as hes told. But he flicks his finger in theback of Zachs head. The little guy reacts, "Ow!"

EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD - SUNSET

Modest, well-kept cookie cutter homes line a quietstreet. The boys break up to go their separate ways. Zachlooks up the block, frowns at what he sees. Matts faceclouds too, but he quickly covers his emotion.


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3.

EXT. RAMSAY HOME - SUNSET

A taxi waits out front. MATTHEW RAMSAY (35), in the crispkhakis of a Navy officer, walks toward the car toting atravel bag. He sees Matt and Zach running towardhim. Smiles.

MATTHEWBoys!

MATT/ZACHDad!

Matthew tousles Matts hair, looks down with pride atZach. Its now we see that he wears the SILVER OAK LEAF ofa full commander and the DOLPHIN INSIGNIA of a submariner.

MATTHEWGlad you boys made it back before Iship out.

MATTBut you werent due to ship out foranother two weeks.

A stern look from the commander stifles the boysprotest. Officers dont gripe.

ZACHDad, you said wed go fishing.

Matthew kneels, holds Zachs shoulders, looks in his eyes.

MATTHEWWell go the first day I get back,Skipper, promise... Look, you boysknow the drill. While Im away,snap to when your mom gives anorder. And no back talk. Shesgot enough to deal with without youtwo monkeys giving her lip.

Matthew glances at the boys mother, SANDY (33), in thedoorway watching the goodbye scene. Shes blond, blue-eyed,lovely - the very essence of a dutiful Navy wife.

MATT/ZACHOkay, Dad. Sure.

MATTHEWAnd remember: mission, men,self. Always in that order.

(CONTINUED)


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5.

Four objects hit the water too. The SEALs swim towardthem. These are low-profile, high-speed water skiffs. TheSEALs climb on, one drives, another on his back.

EXT. OIL RIG - AERIAL VIEW - NIGHT

A massive, multideck structure rising 60 meters above theoceans surface. Rig workers go about their business in thedefeaning roar of diesel generators and the constantpounding of metal-on-metal.

Men with assault rifles seem out of place patrolling decks.

INT. CONTROL ROOM - NIGHT

A high-tech room crammed with consoles and monitors. Largeobservation windows look out onto the black sea and sky. Noland for 150 miles.

Three TERRORISTS oversee six nervous OPERATORS. Though ofdifferent races, the terrorists speak Arabic to each other,English to their captives. TERRORIST 1 spots something on aradar screen.

TERRORIST 1Commander, here! Look at this!

The TERRORIST LEADER, a powerful, menacing black man, turnsfrom the window and goes to stand with TERRORIST 1 behind aRADAR OPERATOR.

TERRORIST LEADER(snarls)

What is it?

TERRORIST 1(points)

There, an aircraft of some kind.

TERRORIST LEADER(to radar operator)

Why didnt you alert us to this?!

RADAR OPERATOR(sweating bullets)

It wasnt there a second ago, Iswear... Its eighty kilometersout. Going away from ourlocation. A commercial flight, Imsure.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: (2) 6.

TERRORIST LEADERLying dog!

Before the radar operator can protest, the terrorist leaderproduces a knife and slits his throat. He falls out of hischair, blood quickly flowing around him on the floor.

The terrorist leader wipes his knife clean on the dyingmans shirt. Glowers at another OPERATOR.

TERRORIST LEADERYou. Take his place.

The operator leaves his station, sits in the radaroperators chair, tries to avoid looking down at hismurdered coworker.

TERRORIST LEADER(to operators)

Let this be a lesson. You haveonly one hope of survival: submitand obey without hesitation.

(to Terrorist 2)Alert Vahid to take off and searchfor submarines.

TERRORIST 2 begins speaking into a hand-held radio.

EXT. OIL RIG - BASE - NIGHT

Six SEALs emerge from the waves and secure themselves to thebase of the rig. They strip off their high-altitudejumpsuits, revealing formed-fitted battle suits.

EXT. OIL RIG - UPPER DECKS - NIGHT

QUICK CUTS of searchlights crisscrossing the sky and sea;terrorists mobilizing - herding rig workers into holdingareas and taking positions with shoulder-held antiaircraftmissiles; a Seahawk subhunter takes off from the helo pad.


The terrorist leader barks into a hand-held radio:

TERRORIST LEADERWe have radar contact. Nothing onsonar yet but be prepared.


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INT. LIVING QUARTERS - NIGHT

TERRORIST 3 speaks into his radio.

TERRORIST 3We are prepared. You dont believe

the British would be foolish enoughto attempt another rescue, do you?

TERRORIST LEADER (V.O.)I do. The Americans and Britishhave stealth aircraft and could beon us any minute.

TERRORIST 3But that would be madness. Theywould not dare sacrifice --

TERRORIST LEADER (V.O.)(interrupts)

Are you prepared to act withouthesitation?!

TERRORIST 3Yes, of course! We will do as wehave sworn to do!

He clicks off the radio, looks at another terrorist and nodswith conviction. Then he turns to face 50 CAPTIVES, membersof the rig crew. Theyre all bound together.

EXT. OIL RIG - VARIOUS DECKS - NIGHT

QUICK CUTS of the six SEALs as they flit through shadowslike ghosts. They know every inch of the rig and where togo to avoid detection. As they move they attach magnetizedBLACK BOXES to the structure and flick a switch, turning ona red light. They take hidden positions on the rig andwait.

EXT. SUPPORT VESSEL #1 - NIGHT

A seventh SEAL climbs up the side of the tender, which ismoored to the rig.


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8.


The eighth SEAL climbs up and slips over the side onto thedeck, finds cover behind a launch.


The terrorist leader talks into a satellite phone.

TERRORIST LEADERNo! I warn you, if you havefoolishly ignored our demands youwill feel our wrath! The blood ofthese soulless dogs will be on yourhands.

INT. SITUATION ROOM

The British DEFENSE MINISTER is leaning over a speakerphoneat a huge conference table.

DEFENSE MINISTERI say again, there have been no, Irepeat, no Coalition flights overyour position.

INTERCUT: CONTROL ROOM/SITUATION ROOM

TERRORIST LEADERYou think were fools?! Listen tome clearly, Defense Minister: fivehave died, all will follow at thefirst sight of any of your forces.

DEFENSE MINISTERWhat will that prove? That you canmurder innocent, unarmed men andwomen? If you truly wish to berecognized by governments --

Click. The Defense Minister looks around the table at thegrim FACES of military officers and aides.

The terrorist leader slams the phone down. He pulls aCONTROL PAD out from under his jacket. He glares at theother terrorists in the room. They take position, ready toexecute the operators when ordered. The operators shitbricks.


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9.

EXT. OIL RIG - DECKS/SUPPORT VESSELS - NIGHT

The SEAL leader hides in the shadows of a deck and looks athis watch. In his hand is a PDA-like device. He presses abutton...

ON A BULKHEAD

The red light on a magnetized black box TURNS GREEN.

RETURN TO SCENE

Suddenly, the giant rig and its two support vessels arebathed in an eerie green glow. The SEAL leader taps abutton on his tunic, steps into the light and he...vanishes. All we see are the fire bursts from hissubmachine gun as he opens up.

SEALs on the rig and support vessels strike at the sametime, disappearing in the green fog and mowing down confusedterrorists, who fire on each other in the chaos.

INT. SEAHAWK - IN FLIGHT - NIGHT

The TERRORIST PILOT and crew are confounded by what they seebelow. Firefights have broken out all over the rig butthere is no sign of the enemy.

TERRORIST PILOT(into headset)

What is going on?! Were killingeach other!


The terrorist leader moves from window to window, lookingfor signs of the enemy. He shouts into his hand-held radio.

TERRORIST LEADERReport! Report! Where arethey?! Confirm contact! Report!


The pilot and co-pilot scan instruments, the sky and thesea.

TERRORIST PILOTNothing! We see nothing!


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10.


The terrorist leader grabs the control panel and angrilypunches buttons. Nothing happens. Furious, he unholstershis .45 automatic and shoots an operator, killing himinstantly. Terrorists 1 and 2 are about to open fire on the

other four operators when one of them lunges at theterrorist leader.

The operators know its now or never: they rush theterrorists and fight for their lives. Bullets ricochetthrough the control room.

INT. CREW QUARTERS - NIGHT

Terrorist 3 and two others are about to massacre thepanicked crew members when the windows blow out and hatchesblow off hinges. Two uncloaked SEALs rush in, guns blazing.

EXT. OIL RIG - AERIAL VIEW - NIGHT

As the Seahawk circles, the green haze that covered the rigfades. The SEALs are now visible.


A terrorist spots an uncloaked SEAL near the bridge andopens fire. The diminutive, nimble SEAL ducks behind abulkhead, barely misses being hit. Another terrorist joinsin the shooting from the opposite side and they riddle thearea with bullets. When the SEAL doesnt return fire, theystop shooting, signal each other to close in.

ANGLE ON the terrorists boots as they slowly make their wayforward. We hear a WHISK-WHISK, then a pair of boots stopin their tracks. MOVE UP the body of the first terrorist toreveal a Ninja SHURIKEN (throwing star) impaled in hischest. He falls dead to the deck at the same time as thesecond terrorist, who has taken a shuriken between the eyes.

The dimunutive SEAL comes out of hiding and goes belowdecks.

INT. SUPPORT VESSEL #1, BELOW DECKS - NIGHT

The petite SEAL opens a hatch and enters a cabin where adozen frightened RIG WORKERS are bound together.


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11.


Two more operators lay dead in puddles of blood. Theterrorists are about to execute the remaining two when thewindows and hatch implode from the force of a concussiongrenade.

SEALs cut down two terrorists with machine gun fire, but theterrorist leader escapes out the window. He falls to thedeck hard, but scrambles to his feet...

EXT. TOPSIDE DECK - NIGHT

We TRACK with the terrorist leader through the chaos offirefights that are still raging. It becomes clear that heis looking to manually detonate bombs that he was unable toexplode with his control panel.


The pilot spots his leader and realizes what hes trying todo. He brings the gunship around to destroy the rig.

EXT./INT. C-130 - IN FLIGHT - NIGHT

The aircraft descends from the night sky and levels off. Onthe flight deck, the crew prepares for action.

AMERICAN PILOT(into headset)

Starfire, this is Rambo One, twentymiles out, ten minutes fromextract.

STARFIRE (V.O.)Roger that, Rambo One. Wecopy. Hope theyre good to go.


A SEAL shoots the last terrorist on board with a handgunthen takes a shoulder-held antiaircraft rocket from anotherdead terrorist. The SEAL takes aim at the Seahawk. Wenotice hes chewing gum.


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12.


The terrorist pilots finger is poised above the trigger tofire his missiles. The co-pilot sees the flash from supportvessel #2, he points and shouts --


WHAT THE GUM CHEWING SEAL SEES. The antiaircraft missileflies straight into the open side door of the Seahawk. Thehelicopter bursts into a huge fireball.

EXT. MID-DECK - NIGHT

A SEAL kicks ass in hand-to-hand combat, landing a flyingroundhouse kick to the head of a terrorist before flippinghim over the side of the rig.

The SEAL pauses to watch the splash then turns, too late, tosee the terrorist leader. He shoots the SEAL in the thighwith his .45 and keeps running.


The SEAL leader fires a flare gun skyward.

INT. C-130 - IN FLIGHT - NIGHT

The pilot and co-pilot see the red flare streakingahead. The co-pilot flips switches on his console.

EXT. C-130 - IN FLIGHT - NIGHT

CLOSE ON a metal "V"-shaped grapple that lowers from thenose of the aircraft and locks into position.


Rig workers emerge from below deck. They watch as thesmallish SEAL walks to the stern. A terrorist who wasplaying dead gets to his knees just as the SEAL passeshim. Before a rig worker can shout a warning, the SEAL -without breaking stride - turns, shoots the terrorist deadwith a single shot and keeps moving. The rig workers areduly impressed.


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13.

At the back of the ship, the SEAL whips out a flat piece ofrubber, pulls a ripcord and the rubber instantly inflatesinto a LARGE BALLOON that quickly rises into the sky.Attached to the balloon is a CABLE. The SEAL hooks it to achest harness.


With no sign of living terrorists, the SEALs prepare forextraction. Four of them take position at the extractionspot, MK59 submachine guns ready. The SEAL leader stridesacross the deck toward them. A chiseled, black, BALD SEALpoints and shouts.

BALD SEALSkipper! The Chief!

The SEAL leader looks to his right, sees the the CHIEF - theass-kicking SEAL who was shot in the thigh - struggling up aladder from a lower deck.


Through cockpit windows we see the oil rig in the distance.


The SEAL leader races across the deck to the Chief. When hegets there, the Chief looks up and we realize shes a woman.

CHIEFI can make it! I dont need help!

SEAL LEADERAnd Im Mahatma Ghandi.

He pulls her up from the ladder. The four SEALs at theextraction point release their balloons.

ANOTHER SEAL(shouts)

Skipper! Trains-a-comin!

The SEAL leader hoists the Chief onto his shoulderfirefighter style, pulls the rip cord on his balloon andsends it aloft. He holds the Chiefs thighs tightly. Shecurses in pain, looks up, sees the terrorist leader on theladder taking aim at them with his .45 --

We hear the ROAR of approaching aircraft engines overhead --

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: (2) 14.

In one swift motion, the Chief grabs the SEAL leaders SIG9mm and shoots the terrorist between the eyes --

At that exact moment the SEALs at the extraction spot arewhisked off the deck, their balloon cables snagged by theC-130s "V"-grapple. An instant later the SEAL leader and

the Chief are swept away with them.

Rescued rig workers watch in astonishment as all eight NavySEALs fly off into the night sky, dangling behind the C-130.


An AIRMAN slams the side door, shutting out the violentwind. The SEALs sit on benches, unfastening gear anddropping it on the floor of the plane. A MEDIC tends to theChief, who is grimacing in pain on a cot.

MEDICYoure a lucky duck,Chief. Another inch to the leftand it wouldve hit the artery.

SEAL LEADERMaybe you should start running atab, huh, Chief?

The Chief smirks. The other SEALs chuckle. The SEAL leaderflashes a devilishly charming smile and we realize that heis ZACH RAMSAY (30).

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. OAHU, VARIOUS SHOTS - DAY

Establishing the Hawaiian island, over which we hearchildren playing.

EXT. RAMSAY HOME, BACKYARD - DAY

A childs birthday party is in full swing. Eight-year-oldswatch excitedly as a clown fashions balloon animals.

INT. RAMSAY HOME, FAMILY ROOM - DAY

ON TV a BBC REPORTER talks gravely at the CAMERA:

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: (2) 15.

BBC REPORTER (V.O.)Survivors of the four-day ordealsay the assault on the oil rig- some two hundred miles off thecoast of Oman - was swift andbrutal, ending less than twenty

minutes after it began. And whenit was over, all twenty-five RedSiege terrorists were dead. Nineoil rig crew died, five of them atthe hands of terrorists in the daysbefore the rescue assault began...

VIDEO FOOTAGE of the survivors being evacuated and the oilrig in the aftermath of the assault.

BBC REPORTER (V.O.)The remaining one hundred twentycrew members were safelyevacuated. Miraculously, the rigwas undamaged in the assault. Afar different result from a monthago, when a rescue attempt on anoil rig by Russian commandos endedin tragedy. In that failedattempt, one hundred twenty rigworkers and twenty commandos died,the rig completely destroyed inhorrific explosions. So farRussia, Britain and the U.S. haveremained mum as to who is behindthis successful rescue for fear ofworsening already tense Middle Eastrelations. Reporting from theArabian Sea, this is WilhelminaScott-Davies.

MAN 1 (O.S.)My God. Two rigs in two months.

A group of MEN and WOMEN (late 20s, early 30s) sit aroundthe room watching television. These are parents of thechildren attending the party outside.

MAN 2At least this one didnt blow upwith everybody on board.

WOMANStill, its horrible. Nineinnocent people killed. And forwhat?

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: (3) 16.

MAN 3Ill tell you for what. Asia andWestern Europe are starving foroil. If we dont stop theterrorists over there, well bestaging rescues in the Gulf of

Mexico.

WOMAN 2Ive heard that in some citiespeople wait in gas lines for hours.

MAN 1They say thats what it was likeway back in the nineteen seventies.

SANDY (O.S.)Alright, enough of this!

The young parents turn to face SANDY RAMSAY (57). Still aslovely as when we first saw her in the doorway of her home,but very annoyed at the moment.

SANDYThis is my granddaughters birthdayparty, not a press conference. Itstime for cake and candles.

WOMAN 2Sorry, Mrs. Ramsay.

Sandy turns off the television with the remote control. Theyoung parents file past her and out the sliding glass doorto the backyard.

Before Sandy follows, she pauses to look at a curio cabinetfull of FAMILY PHOTOS, including: a handsome young Navalofficer being fed wedding cake by a beautiful brunette; thesame man and woman with an adorable little girl; the mansmiling with an Annapolis cadet whos flashing a devilishgrin...

HOLD on a portrait of the young Ramsay family as we rememberthem in our opening scenes: Matthew in uniform, Sandy,11-year-old Matt and 6-year-old Zach.

EXT. RAMSAY HOME, BACKYARD - DAY

CLOSE ON - BIRTHDAY CAKE

"Happy Birthday Maggie" is surrounded by 8 candles.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: (2) 18.

MAGGIEOh I love it, Uncle Zach! How didyou know its just what I wanted?

SANDY(humored skepticism)

Yes, Zach, just how did you know?

ZACHOh, I dont know, Mom, I guess Imjust a modern, sensitive guy whoknows what women really want.

Maddy and Sandy rolls their eyes. They know the dashingNavy SEAL is a ladies man.

MADDYMaggie, honey, its getting closeto your bedtime. Better go up andbrush your teeth.

MAGGIEAw, Mom! I hardly got a chance totalk to Uncle Zach.

MADDYGo ahead, honey. Besides, itsgetting pretty deep in here and Iwouldnt want you to drown.

MAGGIEHuh?

ZACHGo on and brush those pearlywhites, Magpie. Ill be up laterto say goodnight.

MAGGIEOkay. Goodnight, Grandma.

She goes to Sandy and kisses her.

SANDYGoodnight, dear.

After the child exits, Sandy and Maddy fall into what hasobviously become a routine.

MADDYYou know, Zach, for a guy who"knows what women really want,"its taking you an awfully long

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: (3) 19.

MADDY (CONTD.)time to settle down with one ofthem.

SANDYBoth your father and brother were

married with a family by the timethey were your age.

ZACHThats because Dad and Matt got thetwo best girls in the world, sotheres no one left for me. Trustme, I know.

MADDYYou ought to, youve sampledenough.

ZACH(grins)

Now, Maddy, dont hate.

Maddy shakes her head disapprovingly but even she cant helpbut love her sexy-adorable bother-in-law.

SANDYYou dont have to look very far tofind the perfect girl, Zach.

ZACH(reacts)

Mom, not that again. I thought weput a fork in this one already.

SANDYTess adores you, and sheunderstands you better thananyone. You said so yourself.

MADDYMore importantly, she has enoughdirt on you to keep you fromprowling around at night.

ZACHYeah, thats just what I want, theold ball and chain that can land mein Fort Leavenworth with one phonecall... Anyway, you both know theNavy forbids relationships betweenofficers and sailors.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: (4) 20.

SANDYI also know Tess would resign fromthe Navy the second she thought youwere serious about giving you andher a chance.

ZACHThats where youre wrong, Mom. Iknow her a lot better than you do,and Contessa Cortez is a lifer.

Before Sandy can disagree, shes seized by a strangefeeling. Zach and Sandy both clock this and react,concerned.

ZACHMom?

MADDYMom, are you alright?

Sandy looks at Zach and Maddy then shifts her focus to thefamily photos in the curio cabinet. She stares at one ofher with her husband Matthew. Then her eyes drift to thePHOTO next to it - a Navy portrait of her son, Matt.

SANDY(prescient)

Oh... My...

EXT. OCEAN/UNDERWATER

The sleek black hull of a Seawolf-class nuclear attacksubmarine materializes from the cobalt twilight, glides pastus 900 feet below the oceans surface.

INT. USS JIMMY CARTER, CAPTAINS QUARTERS

CLOSE ON a framed DIGITAL PHOTO of Maddy and Maggie, smilingprettily. The photo morphs to just Maddy, lovely as ever.

ANOTHER ANGLE and we see Commander MATT RAMSAY (35),handsome as his younger brother but more serious, sitting athis desk typing on a small laptop computer. He glances atthe image of his wife and smiles to himself. He continuestyping an e-mail that we somehow know is for her.

Pinned to the wall above the desk is a SNAPSHOT of Matt andZach taken about five years earlier. Theyre on a deep seafishing boat, showing off a swordfish caught by one of them.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: (2) 21.

X.O.S VOICE (V.O.)Captain, unidentified sonarcontact. Its unusual, sir.

MATT(presses intercom button)

On my way.

Hes about to close the laptop but stops, considers.Beat. He hits the "send" button then closes the computer.

INT. USS JIMMY CARTER, PASSAGEWAYS

Matt moves casually but with purpose through his sub,returning the crisp salutes of crew members with easy onesof his own.

INT. USS JIMMY CARTER, CONTROL CENTER

The control and attack center is bathed in a warm redlight. The COMMAND CREW focuses intently on their work.

CREWMAN (O.S.)Captain on deck!

Matt appears and the men are briefly at attention before --

MATTAs you were. Sit rep.

X.O.Sir, unidentified vessel, bearingtwo-one-four, one thousand feet.

MATTRussian?

SONARMANNegative, sir. And not Chinese.

MATTPropulsion?

X.O.(nods)

No screws, sir.

MATT(intrigued)

Speed?

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: (2) 22.

SONARMANThirty-five knots, sir.

Matt and his X.O. (Executive Officer) exchange a look. Fromthis point on, we see that Matt is a masterful skipper -calm, confident and supremely capable in command.

MATTRaise the ESM. Have the ROV go tostand by.

X.O.Aye, sir.

He repeats the orders into a handset. As he does --

MATTHelm, put me on her tailpipe.

HELMSMANAye-aye, Captain. Coming around totwo-one-four.

MATTCommunications, signal our positionto CINCPAC. Let them know wevegot something unusual on the grid.

COMMUNICATIONS OFFICERYes, sir.

He repeats the command to a SEAMAN sitting at a workstation.

INT. USS JIMMY CARTER, CREW QUARTERS

A glimpse of life for Jimmy Carters off dutycrew. Shooting the shit, listening to music, writingletters and e-mails home, playing cards, video games, etc.


We are looking at Matt through a large glass chart - theElectronic Position Board - which depicts a graphicrepresentation of the underwater world. The NAVIGATOR isbeside him, gesturing to the chart.

NAVIGATORShes headed for the MarianasTrench, sir.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: (2) 23.

MATTETA?

NAVIGATORTwenty-five minutes at theirpresent course and speed.

MATT(to X.O.)

Action stations.

X.O.Aye, sir.

(lifts microphone)All hands, this is the X.O. Actionstations. Action stations.

INT. USS JIMMY CARTER, VARIOUS SHOTS

All through the ship the crew hurries to action stations.


An enormous, translucent ALIEN VESSEL slices past us.


Matt and his X.O. are directly behind the SONARMANnow. Seeing what he sees.

SONARMANIve never seen anything like this,sir. Its got a unique signature -no reactor noise at all and notrace of cavitation. But itsthere.

MATTI know. I see i t.

SONARMAN(suddenly)

Whoa! Shes diving, sir!


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24.


The alien vessel turns over and noses downward withremarkable agility, like a dolphin at play.


Matt, the sonarman and the X.O. watch the sonar, astonished.

X.O.Sixty knots?! Thats notpossible. Is it?!

SONARMANAye, sir. And shes changedheading to two-one-niner. Divingthirty degrees to two thousandfeet!

X.O.Shes going for cover in theTrench.

MATTHelm, stay with her.

HELMSMANAye-aye, Captain. Right on her.

Tension in the control center builds as the sub surges inpursuit of the unknown foe.

SAME SCENE - LATER

The command crew are sweating, fixed to their workstations.

SONARMANContact now bearing two-six-oh.Shes coming about, sir.

(looks at Matt)Shes circling back toward us, sir.

MATTOpen outer doors. Point-to-point

firing procedures.X.O.

Aye, sir.(to crewman)

Open outer doors. Firing packageBravo six-six-zero-niner.

Lots of back-and-forth between crew carrying out orders.


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25.

EXT. ALIEN VESSEL

A brilliant flash of light is emitted from the front of theship, sending reverberations through the depths.


An ALARM blares.

SONARMANTheyve fired at us, sir!

MATTOpen tubes four and six!

X.O.Tubes four and six open!

SONARMANSingle bogey, bearing two-zero-two,twelve hundred yards and closingfast... nine hundred yards, sevenhundred yards...

A beat as Matt waits for it.

MATTFire four and six!

The FIRE CONTROL OFFICER punches buttons...

EXT. USS JIMMY CARTER

Two torpedoes shoot from the nose of the sub.


The sonarman and the X.O. watch the sonar. Another ALARM.

X.O.Collision warning! Hold on, thiscould get rough!

MATTHard left rudder! Up five degrees!

HELMSMANAnswering left rudder, up fivedegrees!

The crew sways as the sub makes the sharp maneuver.


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26.


The powerful light source from the alien ship and thetorpedoes from the Jimmy Carter collide and explode in anincredible fireball, setting off massive shock waves.


Throughout the sub lights go dim, men and supplies aretossed about; small amounts of seawater bursts through pipesand electrical systems pop and fizzle.


Warning SIRENS blare. Matt and the command crew struggle tostay on their feet as the sub is buffeted violently.

MATTDamage control, report!

Lots of people talk at once into microphones and to eachother. The X.O. takes it in then turns to Matt.

X.O.Flooding in the port torpedo room.Switching to auxiliary power ondecks two and three. Life supportnormal. Hydraulics normal. Reactornormal.

MATT(to sonarman)

Get me a bearing on that son of abitch.

The sonarman works his magic, furiously typing and turningknobs on his workstation.

MATT(to X.O.)

Spin up ten and twelve with Deltas.

The X.O.s look tells us that Deltas are nuclear torpedoes.

X.O.Yes, sir! Load tubes ten andtwelve with Deltas.

(CONTINUED)


28/110


29/110


30/110

CONTINUED: (2) 29.

Matt struggles to his feet, helped by the navigator. TheX.O. is out cold on the floor. A seaman kneeling next tohim looks up at Matt and gravely nods his head.

MATTHelm, all stop!

NAVIGATORSir, weve lost all hydraulics. Themaneuvering room is taking waterfast... Rear tanks ruptured...

HELMSMANPassing twenty-five hundredfeet. We cant hold her, sir.


The Delta torpedoes pursue their target. The alien subturns nimbly and evades one of them. But the second Deltahas locked on and chases the alien relentlessly into themurky depths. We lose sight of both in the blackness,then... KA-BOOM! A nuclear explosion as the Delta catchesits prey.


The sonarman is staring at his screen, muttering to himselfsomething that sounds like "come on." Then his eyes widen.

SONARMANBULLS-EYE! We got him! We got --

The aftershock of the nuclear blast violently rocks thecommand crew. Matt gets to his feet and gets hisbearings. Blood streams from his forehead.

MATTAll back! Full reverse!

HELMSMANAnswering full reverse!

MATTBlow main tanks! BLOW EVERYTHING!

NAVIGATORBlowing all tanks, sir!

(CONTINUED)


31/110

CONTINUED: (2) 30.

HELMSMANTwenty-six-hundred feet!

NAVIGATORFires amidships and aft, heavyflooding on all decks!


The crew fights in vain against seawater and fires.


Matt glances around, knows his ship is dead and his men withher. We read his resignation but also his pride in hiscrew, who continue to do their jobs valiantly. Matt findsthe CHIEF OF THE BOAT (40s), a squat, rock solid black man.

MATTChief of the boat!

CHIEF OF THE BOATAye, Captain!

MATT(beat)

Launch the buoy!

The Chief of the boat and Matt look at each other. We sensethat there is great respect, even affection, between them.

CHIEF OF THE BOATAye-aye, sir!

The chief lifts a small glass door on a console and punchesa button. A bright red light comes on.

EXT. USS JIMMY CARTER, THE SAIL

The buoy, a small transmitter, is ejected from the top ofthe sub. From a POV above we watch as the buoy speedsupward and, in the b.g., the Jimmy Carter continues itsdescent toward the ocean floor. On the side of the sail wecan make out the hull classification symbol, "SSN-23".


32/110

31.


Seawater explodes throughout the sub. Men die horribly.

INT. USS JIMMY CARTER, CAPTAINS QUARTERS

Water floods in. We HOLD on the snapshot of Matt and Zachwith the swordfish until there is nothing left to see.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY - DAY

A military funeral service attended by dozens of mourners,military and civilian.

CLOSE ON Maggie, trying to be brave. WIDEN and we see shessitting between Maddy and Sandy, who look on enduringly asan HONOR GUARD removes the flag from Matts coffin and foldsit ceremonially.

A NAVY OFFICER presents the flag to Maddy.

NAVY OFFICERAs a representative of the UnitedStates Navy, it is my highprivilege to present you thisflag. Let it be a symbol of thegrateful appreciation this nationfeels for the distinguished servicerendered to our country by yourloved one.

Maddy accepts the flag. A RIFLE PARTY fires a three-volleysalute. Maddy flinches and Zach puts his arm around hershoulder to steady her.

EXT. CEMETERY WALKWAY - LATER

Maddy, Maggie, Sandy and Zach are walking toward a line ofwaiting sedans. With them is ADMIRAL KELLY (58), black,imposing, distinguished. As they approach, a vaguelyfamiliar woman in the uniform of a Chief Warrant Officercomes forward: this is Tess Cortez (26), Cuban-American,beautiful, if a bit tough-looking in a military way. Werecognize her as the Chief from the oil rig rescue.

The Ramsays stop. After saluting the Admiral, the Chiefreaches out to Maddy. They hold hands.

(CONTINUED)


33/110


34/110

33.

EXT. THE WHITE HOUSE - DAY

Establishing, over which we hear voices in heated debate...

INT. THE WHITE HOUSE, BRIEFING ROOM - DAY

We join a tense meeting that includes the heads of theC.I.A., N.S.A., F.B.I., N.A.S.A., etc., and the JOINT CHIEFSOF STAFF, including Admiral Kelly. PRESIDENT RENEE PHELPS(50), self-assured and attractive, listens stoically as herNational Security Adviser CECIL BAKER gets to the heart ofthe matter.

BAKERWhat Im saying is that the JimmyCarter was attacked by an alienspacecraft.

ADMIRAL KELLY(testily)

One that youve known about fordecades! The same one that sankthe Dallas almost twenty-five yearsago!

BAKERYes, Admiral. We believe so.

GENERAL BROWNINGJUDAS F. PRIEST! And nobody in theadministration thought to sharethis tidbit of information with themilitary?!

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General OWEN BROWNING (53), apit bull of a man, slams his fist onto the table.

BAKERGeneral, I appreciate yourdisappointment in not being kept inthe loop, but --

GENERAL BROWNING(fuming)

I seriously doubt youre anywhereclose to appreciating mydisappointment, Mr. Baker!

BAKERBe that as it may, General,occasionally there is informationdeemed so sensitive that even the

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: (2) 34.

BAKER (CONTD.)military isnt briefed untilabsolutely necessary.

GENERAL BROWNINGAbsolutely necessary being after

two $4 billion nuclear subs and 260men end up on the bottom of theocean?!

PRESIDENT PHELPSGentlemen, please.

Browning and Baker remember where they are and calm down.

PRESIDENT PHELPSAs tragic as the losses of theDallas and the Carter were, thoseof us who have served know theprice for defending our nationalinterests can be high. Exorbitant.However, the issue we face today ismore daunting than the loss ofnuclear submarines and their crews,or even the news that we are notalone in the universe. The issuewe face today is how to ensure thesurvival of a species - our own. Ithink its time we turned ourenergy to that... Dr. Pettigrew,if you please.

VANESSA PETTIGREW (35) stands and walks to the front of theroom. Shes British, black and stunningly beautiful. Oncewe get past her looks, the quality that strikes us most isher innate brilliance.

VANESSAThank you, Madame President.

She nods to an assistant in the back of room. Lights dim.

VANESSAMy name is Dr. Vanessa Pettigrew,

special assistant to the PrimeMinister on Science, Technology andSpace Exploration. What youreabout to hear and see will seemfantastical, but I assure you,ladies and gentlemen, its alltrue.

A slide presentation begins on a WALL SCREEN behind her.

(CONTINUED)


36/110

CONTINUED: (3) 35.

VANESSA (O.S.)In 1955, two years before theSoviets launched Sputnik One, aRussian trawler made a startlingcatch in the frozen waters of theBarents Sea.

ON THE SCREEN: a grainy black and white PHOTO of aspace-suited reptilian humanoid sprawled on the deck of atrawler. Two Russian fishermen kneeling next to the deadalien make it clear the creature is easily eight feet tall.

Whispers circle the room like wildfire.

VANESSA (O.S.)Needless to say, the Space Racetook on an even greater sense ofurgency.

F.B.I. DIRECTORForgive me, Doctor, but I find ithard to believe such a discovery,if authentic, could be kept quietfor long, even in the supersecretive Soviet Union of thefifties.

VANESSADirector Bixby, the trawler thatmade this "catch" was "lost at sea"the next day with all hands. Andof course the sinking of the Dallasand the Carter were not the resultof "training accidents." TheRussians arent the only ones whowill go to extremes to keepsecrets.

(she pauses for effect)Your government learned of thealiens when C.I.A. operatives cameacross these photos whilstgathering information on the Sovietspace program. Our government wasinformed several years later whenMI-6 intercepted your communiques.

Autopsy photos of the dead alien appear on screen. Then atransition to images of the U.S. and Soviet space programs.

VANESSA (O.S.)As the U.S. and Soviets sent morehardware into orbit, there wassporadic contact with the aliens -

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)


37/110

CONTINUED: (4) 36.

VANESSA (O.S.) (CONTD.)celestial aberrations, confirmedUFO sightings, things of thatnature... But in 1960 there wasdirect communication with them.

VIDEO FOOTAGE of government suits trying to decipher strangeGUTTURAL SOUNDS from outer space.

C.I.A. DIRECTORYou mean they actually spoke tous?

VANESSAYes, they did. It was then thatthe U.S. looked to my governmentfor assistance. Our advances incode-breaking and linguisticsrecognition combined with your

space technology sped our progressin decoding the alien languageexponentially. It took nearly tenyears but we eventually determinedthat our visitors are from Titan.

N.A.S.A. DIRECTORThe Saturn moon?

VANESSAYes, Director Dennison. Titanians.

Vanessa motions and the presentation transitions to variousimages of Saturn and Titan, the orange-tinted moon.

VANESSA (O.S.)Titan is the largest of Saturnsmoons - bigger than Mercury - theonly moon in the Solar System withan atmosphere and the only placeother than Earth with stable bodiesof surface liquids.

N.A.S.A. DIRECTOR (O.S.)But Titans a frozen wasteland.Surface temperatures are twohundred ninety degrees below zero.

BAKER (O.S.)Which explains why the aliens havebeen so busy working to kick startanother Ice Age here on Earth.

(CONTINUED)


38/110

CONTINUED: (5) 37.

N.S.A. DIRECTOR(incredulous)

Say what?!

PRESIDENT PHELPSLadies and gentlemen, we haveincontrovertible evidence that the

Titanians are well along in a planto cause the next Ice Age on Earth,wiping out the human race so thatthey can colonize the planet.

There is an audible hush in the already subdued room.

ADMIRAL KELLYForgive me, Madame President, butafter learning that not one, butthree governments have kept theexistence of an intelligent alienspecies a secret for the pasteighty years, Im afraid Ill haveto ask what, exactly, constitutes"incontrovertible evidence?"

President Phelps looks to Vanessa.

VANESSAWhile Director Dennisonsassessment of the climate on Titanis correct based on theCassini-Huygens mission to Titanthirty years ago, in the last tenyears weve interceptedcommunications by Titanianexplorers in which they speak ofrapidly deteriorating conditions ontheir world. Titan is warming upfast and the Titanians need a newhome. Theyve chosen Earth.

They all look at one another as Vanessas words sink.

BAKERTitanians have entrenchedthemselves deep in our oceans,where theyve used advancedtechnology to speed global warmingover the past forty years. As youknow, global warming could causecatastrophic climate change,leading to another Ice Age. Theyreon track to cause such a phenomenonwithin a hundred years.

(CONTINUED)


39/110

CONTINUED: (6) 38.

GENERAL BROWNINGWait a minute. If these"Titanians" are smart enough totravel to Earth and have thetechnology to spur drastic climatechange, why not just invade and

wipe us out?

BAKEREarths too warm for them,General. Theyd melt in ouratmosphere.

VANESSA"Melt" may be a bit of anexaggeration. But essentially, Mr.Baker is correct. Outside of thePoles and the extreme depths of ouroceans, the Titanians couldnttolerate Earths temperateclimates. Their plan is to freezeus out before they come.

F.B.I. DIRECTORThe Jimmy Carter nuked one of theirships in the Pacific. Why notfocus all of our fleets on huntingdown the rest and taking them out?

ADMIRAL KELLYWe know more about whats in deepspace than we do about whats inour deepest oceans. Even with ourtechnology it could take decades tofind them down there.

C.I.A. DIRECTORAnd even if we could find them,wed be doing their work for themif we nuked the seas.

President Phelps, Baker and Vanessa all exchange a look.

PRESIDENT PHELPSLadies and gentlemen, I havecarefully considered whats atstake here - the very survival ofthe human race. Its clear to methat we have only one choice: wemust launch a preemptive strike onTitan and destroy their home worldbefore they can bring about thedestruction of our own.


40/110

39.

EXT. MOSCOW - DAY

Establishing, over which we hear a a reporters voice.

CNN ANNOUNCER (V.O.)President Phelps and Russian Prime

Minister Vladmir Perminov met todayto discuss the growing globalenergy crisis...

NEWS FOOTAGE of President Phelps and the Russian leadershaking hands and posing for pictures at the Kremlin...

INT. KREMLIN - DAY

VLADMIR PERMINOV (55), dour and taciturn, answers areporters question in heavily accented English.

PERMINOVOur resolve against terrorists isunshaken. And our determination toprotect the worlds energyresources knows no limits.

REPORTER (O.S.)Greenpeace just published a reportclaiming the worlds oil reservesare at their lowest point in eightyyears. As two of the worldslargest energy users, along withChina, have you considered strongerconservation measures?

PRESIDENT PHELPSI can assure you that the worldsoil reserves are more thansufficient. Unfortunately, ourfriends at Greenpeace have fallenprey to the propaganda ofterrorists who would usemisinformation and murder to forcetheir agenda onto the world stage.

INT. PRIME MINISTERS OFFICE - SUNSET

Prime Minister Perminov and President Phelps sit across fromeach other on sofas. An aide pours each of them an aperitifthen exits. President Phelps takes a sip and reacts.

(CONTINUED)


41/110

CONTINUED: (2) 40.

PRESIDENT PHELPSVery good, Vladmir. Strong, butvery good.

PERMINOVIt is as it must be, Renee. As wemust be. Yes?

PRESIDENT PHELPSDa.

EXT. RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY - DAY

To establish.

INT. RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY, BRIEFING ROOM - DAY

Colonel ALEXI SILAYEV (35), Spetsnaz GRU (Russian SpecialForces), piercing blue eyes, scar on his left cheek, standsat the front of a darkened room. A large lighted map ofTitans surface is behind him. His English is perfect, withonly the slightest hint of an accent.

SILAYEVAfter weve secured base positions,two strike teams will launch twoU.S. Peacekeeper MIRVs - ormultiple independently targetablereentry vehicles. Each Peacekeepercarries ten, three hundred kilotonnuclear warheads - twenty times thepower of the bomb dropped onHiroshima. At only forty percentthe size of Earth, Titan will beuninhabitable within days ofdetonation. Our delivery spacecraftwill orbit Titan for two days todestroy any Titanian shipsattempting escape from the surface.

MANS VOICE (O.S.)Why do you have to land? Why notsimply drop the nukes from orbit?

ED VILLAGRA (30), Whiz Kid American astrophysicist, answers.

VILLAGRATitans atmosphere is so thick thatmost meteors burn up before theyhit the surface. The only way tobe sure our nukes do the job is tolaunch them from the ground.

(CONTINUED)


42/110

CONTINUED: (2) 41.

BRIGADIER COLLEEN SMYTHE (45), a Brit, flips through herbriefing book. Shes puzzled.

BRIGADIER SMYTHEColonel, I dont see a plan forextraction of your ground force.

SILAYEVExtraction will not be possible,Brigadier.

GENERAL CHEN(accented English)

Colonel, are we to understand thatyou propose sending our most elitetroops on a suicide mission?

Silayev locks eyes with the Chinese general.

SILAYEVI propose "leading" them on thatmission, General.

The lights come up and we see there are a DOZEN PEOPLE ofdifferent nationalities in the room, civilian andmilitary. Cecil Baker is among them.

BAKERWere all professionals here,accustomed to making life and deathdecisions. The hard fact is, fiftysouls is a pittance to pay toensure the survival of the humanrace.

The people in the room exchange looks; they know Baker isright. The RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTER speaks up.

RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTERYouve identified "volunteers" fromthe Coalitions Special Forcesunits for this mission, Colonel?

SILAYEVYes, I have.

INT. SHOOTERS BAR - NIGHT

A raucous place where off duty military men and women go toblow off steam and hook up with the locals.

(CONTINUED)


43/110

CONTINUED: (2) 42.

CARLY (25), a cool, sexy redhead, crosses the crowded barcarrying pitchers of beer and a bottle of Tequila on atray. She comes to a table where Zach and six rowdymilitary types are already tossing back cold ones and havinga great time. These are members of the SEAL TEAM whorescued the oil rig workers: gum-chewing FRANK BOGGS (22);

petite KEIKO MATSUI (25); bald, muscular KAREEM HONEYCUTT(27); BRANDON SORKIN (24), PHIL BLISS (25) and CURT LOUDEN(23).

Carly puts the tray on the table.

CARLYYou guys arent wasting any timetonight are you?

ZACHDo we ever?

Zach and Carly exchange smiles; theyre digging each other.

CARLYSo whos birthday is it?

BOGGS(chewing gum)

The Skipper got his gold oak leafs.

CARLYCongrats, Lieutenant Commander!

Zach lifts his shot glass, gestures around the table.

ZACHI owe it all to the little peoplebeneath me!

The SEALs react, giving their leader shit.

HONEYCUTTNow that youre moving up in theworld - and getting old - its justa matter of time before they giveyou a desk and cram a keyboard upyour ass... Sir.

ZACHWhat the hell are you talkingabout, "old"? Youre about thesame age as me, Honeycutt.

(CONTINUED)


44/110

CONTINUED: (3) 43.

HONEYCUTT"About" aint the same thing asbeing, sir.

CARLYSay, wheres the Chief? Shouldnt

she be celebrating with you?

EXT. SHELL STATION - NIGHT

The Chief is gassing up her classic INDIAN MOTORCYCLE,looking pretty hot in low riders and a short leatherjacket. A GUY gassing up a sports car at the next pumpchecks her and the bike out. Mostly her.

GUYSweet chassis.

The Chief nods a cool "Thanks", pulls the pump out of thegas tank and replaces it.

GUYHows the ride?

She climbs on and fires up the throaty engine, looks at him,knows its not the bike hes asking about.

CHIEFBetter than you could ever imagine.

GUY(smiles)

Thats a lot of power between yourlegs. Sure you can handle it?

CHIEF(coquettish smile)

What do you think?

She REVS it for show and pulls off. The guy bites his lipas he watches her go. Behind him, a long line of cars waitsto come into the gas station.

INT. SHOOTERS BAR - NIGHT

Zach runs into Carly on his way out of the Mens room.

CARLYAny plans for celebrating tonightbesides getting wasted?

(CONTINUED)


45/110

CONTINUED: (2) 44.

ZACHI try not to think too farahead. But Im open tosuggestions.

He flashes the smile. She gives him a scolding look.

CARLYYou never called, Sailor! Justblew out of my bed like a bat outof hell! And now youre looking atme with those eyes and that smile.

ZACHSorry, Carly, but you know how itis. When duty calls...

CARLYYeah, "Duty." Is that the name ofthe blond I saw you with two weekslater?

He pulls her to him. She pouts prettily.

ZACHWhat can I do to make it up toyou? Just name it.

Shes played angry long enough.

CARLYMake me breakfast tomorrow.

ZACH(smiles)

How do you like your eggs?

The Chief enters the bar and makes her way through thecrowd. Zach sees her as hes parting with Carly.

ZACH(calling out)

Chief! Hey, Chief!

CHIEFSkipper. Sorry Im late.

ZACHWere over here.

They go to the table together.

(CONTINUED)


46/110

CONTINUED: (3) 45.

KEIKOWhat happened, Chief? Hook up witha clinger? I swear, theresnothing worse than a guy who wonttake a hint and go home after hesshot his last round.

CHIEFTell me about it. But this time itwas gas lines.

LOUDENYou wouldnt have that problem ifyou went electric, Chief.

CHIEFIve got better uses for mybatteries, Louden.

Keiko and the Chief exchange a look. Just then, Zachcatches sight of Carly near the exit, smiling at him.

ZACHWell, Id love to stick around anddrink all night - especially sinceyou mooks are buying - but Ive gotplaces to go and things to do.

SORKINDont you mean redheads to do,Skip?

The Chief catches a glimpse of Carly smiling at Zach.

CHIEFIts not like you to hit the sametarget twice, Skipper.

ZACHWhatever it takes to achievemission success, Chief. Later...

Zach heads off through the crowd. Honeycutt pours the Chiefa beer and drops a shot glass of Tequila into it.

HONEYCUTTHere ya go, Chief. Lots of catchingup to do.

The Chief downs her boilermaker.


47/110

46.

INT. ZACHS APARTMENT - LATER

Zach and Carly burst into the apartment, going at it hot andheavy, tearing their own and each others clothes off;

INTERCUT: SHOOTERS BAR/ZACHS APARTMENT

The Tequila boilermakers continue to flow as the SEALs keepthe party going without the guest of honor. A HUNK checksthe Chief out and she eye fucks him from across the crowdedbar.

Zach and Carly have hot sex all over his apartment;

Boggs, Sorkin and Louden hit the dance floor with sexy localgirls;

Honeycutt and Keiko slip out of the bar, holding hands;

The Chief and the hunk find a spot to get amorous;

Zach and Carly collapse on the bed, absolutely spent.

INT. ZACHS APARTMENT - DAY

A loud BANGING on the door. Zach, seriously hung over,crosses the apartment in his boxer shorts.

ZACHHold on! Jesus!

He flings the door open. The Chief is there in khakiuniform.

CHIEFMorning, sir.

ZACHHey, Chief. Wheres the fire?

CHIEFWeve been called in.

ZACHWhat?! Nobody called me!

The Chief steps inside.

CHIEFAbout that. Captains been tryingto reach you for an hour. Ifigured I better come over and get

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)


48/110

CONTINUED: (2) 47.

CHIEF (CONTD.)you myself before he sent out theShore Patrol.

Zach goes to the coffee table, picks up his cellphone. Powers off. Carly comes out of the bedroom in

Zachs shirt.CARLY

(smiles)Hi, Chief.

CHIEFCarly.

As Carly crosses to Zach, she and the Chief exchange alook. Feminine instinct tells them theyre rivals.

CARLY

(kisses Zach)Morning, Tiger.

ZACHDid you turn off my phone?

CARLY(innocent)

I dont know. Maybe?

ZACHCarly, you never, ever turn off myphone!

CARLYSorry...

Zach makes a bee line to the bathroom.

ZACHReady in five, Chief!

CHIEFAye-aye, Skipper.

The bathroom door slams. Beat. The Chief and Carly look ateach other.

CARLYDuty?

CHIEF(nods "Yes")

Ill just wait outside.


49/110

48.

INT. MUSTANG COBRA - MOVING - DAY

Zach weaves through traffic like a NASCAR driver. The Chiefis unfazed by the near accidents.

ZACH

I know its South America thistime. Damn! Whys it always gotto be a place thats crawling withsnakes?! I hate snakes!

The Chiefs expression says, "Big baby."

CHIEFA bill says its the Middle East.

ZACHYou know me, Chief. I only bet onsure things.

CHIEFLike redheads with big tits andtiny I.Q.s?

He turns to her and grins.

ZACHExactly.

INT. CAPTAIN ORTONS OFFICE - DAY

CAPTAIN ORTON (40), hard, lean, a Navy SEAL most of hiscareer, sits reading a file. A KNOCK on the door.

CAPTAIN ORTONEnter.

Zach comes in, stands at attention and salutes. Family andNaval Academy training have taught him there is no excusefor being late and that "sorry" doesnt cut it.

ZACHCaptain.

CAPTAIN ORTON(returns salute)

Glad you could make it, Commander.

Captain Orton closes the file and looks gravely atZach. WIDEN ANGLE and we see Silayev standing off to theside.

(CONTINUED)


50/110

CONTINUED: (2) 49.

CAPTAIN ORTONZach, this is Colonel AlexiSilayev, Russian Army SpecialForces, Spetsnaz GRU.

ZACHColonel.

COLONEL SILAYEVCommander Ramsay.

Zach and Silayev shake hands.

CAPTAIN ORTONZach, Colonel Silayev has aproposal for you and your team.

EXT. PENTAGON - DAY

Establishing, over which we hear a file SLAP onto a desk.

INT. ADMIRAL KELLYS OFFICE - DAY

Admiral Kelly is irate. COMMANDER CAINE takes his ire.

COMMANDER CAINEBut, Admiral, I dont understand.

Admiral Kelly picks the file up from his desk, shoves it atCaine.

ADMIRAL KELLYDid you really expect me toauthorize this?!

(off Caines puzzlement)Well, look at it, Commander!

Caine opens the file. Reads it. Again.

INSERT - FILE

"LCDR - 0-4 - Zachary T. Ramsay" is at the top of the list,followed immediately by other members of his SEAL team.

RETURN TO SCENE

COMMANDER CAINESir, your orders were to provide alist of our best special ops unitsto Colonel Silayev. We followedthose orders to the letter,Admiral.

(CONTINUED)


51/110

CONTINUED: (2) 50.

ADMIRAL KELLY(regains composure)

Zach Ramsays brother, Matt, wasthe skipper of the Jimmy Carter.

COMMANDER CAINEYes, sir. I know, sir.

ADMIRAL KELLYTheir father, Matt senior, was theskipper of the Dallas, sunk in theBarents Sea twenty five yearsago. We were roommates at theAcademy... Matt juniors first tourat sea was under my command...Sandy Ramsay was with my Elizabethwhen she died of breast cancer. Iwas on patrol in the Atlantic andcouldnt get home in time to bewith her.

COMMANDER CAINEIm sorry, Admiral, I didnt know.

ADMIRAL KELLYI wont be responsible for takingthe last Ramsay man from thatfamily. Scratch Zach Ramsay fromthe mission.

COMMANDER CAINE(beat)

Admiral, its a volunteermission. Commander Ramsay hasalready volunteered, sir.

OFF Admiral Kelly...

EXT. ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY - DAY

ANGLE ON Zachs face, staring down at the gravestone of hisfather, communing with the spirit of a man he barely knew.

INT. DOCTORS OFFICE - DAYVanessa sits across a desk from a female DOCTOR (30s) whosexpression is sympathetic.

DOCTOR(English accent)

There are new experimentaltherapies that are in human

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)


52/110

CONTINUED: (2) 51.

DOCTOR (CONTD.)clinical trials. Theyre fairlyaggressive, but I recommend weconsider them.

Vanessa stares at her with a poised, neutral expression.

INT. HOSPITAL CORRIDOR - DAY

Vanessa walks down the corridor, making her way forward bywill alone. She stops at an elevator, presses the buttonand waits. When the doors open, she steps inside.

INT. ELEVATOR

Two NURSES talk casually behind Vanessa. The elevator stopsand they get off, leaving her alone. The doors close,

Vanessa leans against the elevator wall and breaks down intears.

EXT. LONDON, VARIOUS SHOTS - DAY

To establish.

EXT./INT. 10 DOWNING STREET - DAY

Vanessa approaches the familiar door of 10 Downing Street.Shes dressed in a smart, sexy business suit. A uniformedPOLICE OFFICER nods a welcome. Vanessa smiles "Hello." Thedoor opens.

Inside, Vanessa is greeted with familiarity by an AIDE whoushers her in to see PRIME MINISTER HUTCHINS (53), brightand charismatic.

PRIME MINISTER HUTCHINSNessa, how pleasant to see you!

They embrace.

VANESSAPrime Minister. Thank you formaking time for me on such shortnotice.

PRIME MINISTER HUTCHINSWhat sensible man would turn downan audience with a beautiful woman?

(CONTINUED)


53/110


54/110

CONTINUED: (2) 53.

PILOTRagnar Base this is Hawkeye, onfinal approach for landing.

RAGNAR BASE (V.O.)Hawkeye, Ragnar Base. Take Angels

right, two-three-zero. Your vectortwo-two-four, clear for landing.

PILOTRoger, Ragnar Base. Flaps.

CO-PILOT(lowers flaps)

Flaps.

Strapped in his seat below the flight deck, Ed Villagra, theAmerican astrophysicist, feels the plane dip, looks out awindow and frowns.

VILLAGRA(apprehensive)

Were landing?

ZHANG (O.S.)It would appear so.

Villagra looks at the attractive Chinese woman strapped innext to him. She is DR. ZHANG CHEUNG (30).

VILLAGRABut where? I dont see thefield. I dont see anything.

ZHANGWe have long suspected theAmericans had a secret, undergroundbase on Antarctica. Now it seemswe know for sure.

He follows her eyes to CHINESE SOLDIERS peering out windows.

On the flight deck, the pilot and co-pilot view the worldbelow through heads up displays (HUD) in their helmets.

WHAT THEY SEE: A military airfield clearly visible in NightVision green.


55/110


56/110

CONTINUED: (2) 55.

SOLDIERS VOICE (O.S.)Atten-HUT!

The troops rise as one when Silayev walks in. Zach comes intoo, stands next to him at the front of the room.

SILAYEVWelcome to Ragnar. I hope you allslept well last night. There wontbe anymore time for rest now thatweve arrived. Over the next monthwe will train in Antarticasharshest conditions, and in thesimulated conditions of Titan, toacclimate ourselves foraccomplishing our mission on theice moon. We will also becomeexperts in the most advancedwarfighting technology evercreated... Lieutenant CommanderRamsay of the U.S. Navy SEALs willserve as second in command.

(Zach nods)Each of you is a valiant warriorwho has dedicated your life toprotecting your country. Now youhave committed to making theultimate sacrifice to save ourworld. I salute you for acceptingthis mission... Commander Ramsay.

ZACH(stepping forward)

Starting this morning, well trainas we will deploy on Titan, in twoteams - Alpha and Omega. ColonelSilayev will lead Alpha, I willlead Omega...

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. PACK ICE - TWILIGHT

Icy wasteland. Winds HOWL, snow SWIRLS. No sign of life.

ZACH (V.O.)Chief, Romanov, report.

The Chief is crouched behind a snow drift. She peers overat an abandoned whaling station - ancient buildings frozenby decades of ice and snow.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: (2) 56.

CHIEFClear on the left, Skipper.

ANTON ROMANOV (26) is on his stomach, surrounded by flat,rugged terrain. Hes looking at the whaling station fromthe right side.

ROMANOV(thick Russian accent)

Clear on right, Commander. Readyto move in on your command.

ZACH (V.O.)Red and Blue squads, move to betaposition on my mark... Mark.

VIEW THROUGH HIGH-TECH BINOCULARS

Its twilight but the binoculars make it midday. Eightcamouflaged soldiers run toward the whaling station fromfront and rear. They stop and take cover by lying flat.

SOLDIER 1 (V.O.)Strike One in position.

SOLDIER 2 (V.O.)Strike Two in position.

RETURN TO SCENE

Zach is flat on the ground looking through thebinoculars. A handful of soldiers lay hidden near him, gunsready. All are equipped with special ops com-links.

ZACHI dont like it. Its too easy.Chief, you sure nothings there?

CHIEF (V.O.)Sure enough, Skipper. No onesbeen in that place since God was aboy.

ZACHRomanov, what about your side? Isit clear to move?

ROMANOV (V.O.)(thick Russian accent)

Roger, Omega leader. Moving in.

Romanov gets up and begins moving in on the whalingstation.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: (3) 57.

ZACH

looks through his binoculars. He reacts, pissed off.

ZACHNo! Ramonov, get back in position!

Too late. "Enemy" soldiers hidden under the snow all aroundRomanovs position pop up and "fire" on the Strike squads,"killing" them, and Romanov, with harmless blue lightbeams. At the same time, enemy soldiers attack Zachsposition from behind, wiping out Omega. Only the Chiefsurvives on the left flank.

After the shooting stops, a figure walks up to Zach, wholooks up at his vanquisher. Silayev pushes his hood back,lifts his snow goggles. We see those piercing blue eyes.

SILAYEVIt will be difficult to accomplishour mission with only half ourforce, Commander.

EXT. WHALING STATION - LATER

Zach and his troops are regrouping after the disasterousambush. He approaches Romanov and grabs him by the parka.

ZACH(furious)

You stupid, deaf son of a bitch!You just got half our force wipedout! All dead because of you!


Im sorry, Commander --

ZACH(furious)

Sorry! Sorry wont cut it up therewith those slimy bastards! You getyour head out of your ass andsnapped on on straight, trooper,cause if you screw up on thismission I swear to God Ill end youmyself! Do you read me?!


Loud and clear, sir!

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: (2) 58.

The Chief, Honeycutt and Sorkin look on, taken aback byZachs reaming out of the Russian.

ZACHChief! Move em out!

CHIEFAye-aye, Skipper.(to troops)

Alright, ladies. Lets move.

INT. RAGNAR BASE, CORRIDOR

Silayev and Zach, in cool winter camouflage uniforms, walkdown the corridor. Zach still fumes from the Romanov snafu.

SILAYEVForget about the ambush. Weve madegood progress. The simulator willbe the real test of our readiness.

ZACHReady or not, were going up.

SILAYEVYes, we are... Im impressed withyour handling of Omega, Commander.Not many Americans could win therespect of Russian and Chinesespecial forces so quickly.

ZACHThanks, Colonel. Youve done wellwith the Brits, and our GreenBerets are tough hombres too.

SILAYEVTough is what we need, Commander.Funny how when the world is reallyat stake we bury old differences.

ZACH(thoughful)

We all have our motivations,Colonel.

They stop. Silayev looks at Zach, knows he volunteered fora suicide mission for very personal reasons.

SILAYEVGood night, Commander.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: (2) 59.

ZACHColonel.

Silayev turns and goes into his room. Zach continues downthe corridor. He rounds the corner, comes face to face withVanessa.

VANESSACommander. Good evening.

ZACHMiss Pettigrew.

VANESSADoctor. Its Doctor Pettigrew.

ZACHSorry, Doctor.

VANESSAYour training is going well?

ZACHAs well as can be expected, Ithink. And what about you?

VANESSAMe?

ZACHYes, you. Your training goingwell?

VANESSAYes... As well as can be expected.

ZACHAnd what, exactly, is it youretraining for, if you dont mind myasking, Doctor Pettigrew?

VANESSA(disarming smile)

What is it you special ops typessay, Commander: "I could tell youbut then Id have to kill you?"

Hes surprised - and impressed - by her humor. They share alook that makes them both wonder, "Is there a connectionhere?"

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: (3) 60.

ZACH(smiles)

Well, thatd suck.

VANESSARight. Well then, goodnight,

Commander Ramsay.

ZACHDoctor Pettigrew.

Beat. Then an awkward moment as they bump when they try topass one another. They part. ON THEIR FACES as they walkaway from each other: a bit of curiosity.

INT. ZACHS ROOM

Zach is sitting up in his bunk, reading a palm-sizedCOMPUTER. On it we see RENDERINGS of Titaniananatomy. Hes studying the enemy.

A KNOCK on the door.

ZACHEnter.

The Chief comes in.

CHIEFSkipper, got a minute?

ZACHSure. Come in. Grab a seat.

CHIEFThanks, but this shouldnt takelong.

ZACH(senses somethings wrong)

What is it?

CHIEFSkipper, what happened out therewith Romanov, that couldvehappened to any of us. It hashappened in drills back home.

ZACHYou think I was too hard on him, isthat it?

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: (2) 61.

CHIEFI do. Romanov bought a one-wayticket just like the rest ofus. He doesnt deserved to bespoken to like that. This isntboot camp and hes a seasoned

operator.

Zach gets off the bunk. Stands face to face with her.

ZACH(vitriol rising)

Tess... those slimy, ice-chewinglizards killed my father and mybrother. Ive got one thing left todo in this life, thats to sendthem and their whole goddamn worldto hell. I wont let foul ups likeRomanov or anyone else stop me fromcompleting that mission. You readme?!

Beat.

CHIEFI thought our mission was to tryand save the world, Zach. Thatswhy Im here. Im pretty surethats the only reason Keiko andthe boys signed up too. That andknowing you would be right there infront of us.

A long look between them. Theres so much they havent saidover the years, so much they cant say now. She turns andleaves the room. He just stares at the door.

INT. SILAYEVS ROOM

Silayev sits at a small desk. He stares at a SNAPSHOT ofhis WIFE and DAUGHTER, both of them smiling, pretty. Heputs the photo away and turns out the desk lamp. The roomgoes black.

INT. MESS HALL

Zach is having breakfast with Lieutenant LIN SHIHONG (29),intelligent, good-looking and Omega teams second incommand, and Flight Lieutenant TONY FITZHUME (27), ahandsome, aristocratic Brit.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: (2) 62.

LINColonel Silayev is correct, ofcourse. The simulator will be ourtrue test. We all have trained inharsh environments, but theyvebeen of this world.

Zach is only half-listening. Hes more interested inVanessa, who is having breakfast with Villagra and Zhang.

ZACHWhat do you know about Dr.Pettigrew?

LIN(looks over at her, serious)

Besides that shes here to spy forthe British and Americans?

FITZHUMEActually, old chap, I have it ongood authority that shes alinguist. Speaks the alienlanguage. Educated at Oxford,Cambridge, MIT. A Rhodes Scholar.

LINYou know her personally?

FITZHUMEWe rubbed elbows at a few functionsyears ago. I hardly think sheremembers me. She was dating mycousin at the time.

(off their reaction, "Who?")The Prince of Wales.

Beat.

ZACH(thinking)

Why the hell do we need to talkwith them? Were just going tonuke the filthy snakes to KingdomCome.

FITZHUME(shrugs)

Beats the bloody hell out of me.


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63.

INT. BARRACKS

Keiko is on her cot, sharpening her shruiken stars. ShesHUMMING a tune, though we can barely hear because its solow. Honeycutt comes in and sits on a cot across from her.

HONEYCUTTDoubt youll have much use forthose on Titan.

KEIKOI just feel better having them.

Beat. He watches her as she carefully, almost lovingly,wipes the deadly blades with a cloth. He glances around;for the moment theyre alone in the barracks.

HONEYCUTTListen, Keiko... I know this isprobably not a good time. I mean,you know, with what were doing.

(she looks at him)But I didnt want to wait tillwere deployed. I didnt want youto think I was being over-dramaticbecause of the situation... Keiko,I --

KEIKO(interrupts)

I know, Kareem... So do I.

They share a small, knowing, loving smile. Other troopscome in and Keiko goes back to polishing the killing star.

INT. WEAPONS ROOM

The troops look on as a Russian ARMS EXPERT demonstrates afuturistic ASSAULT RIFLE.

ARMS EXPERTLadies and gentlemen, the X-AK-57Photon Combat rifle. Gas-operated,magazine-fed, direct impingementgas actuation. Fires a thousandhigh intensity pulse photon roundsa minute, with "smart-round"tracking available by pushing abutton. "X" means experimental.Only one hundred of these beautiesexist on the planet.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: (2) 64.

MICKY YARDLEY (26) and GEOFF ROWE (25), British SAS,exercise every soldiers right to bitch.

YARDLEY(sotto)

Just what we need, another Russianengineering marvel.

ROWE(sotto)

Just pray the American nukes work.

When the expert cocks the rifle it powers up with acool-sounding surge. He aims at a target thirty yards away.

ARMS EXPERTThis baby will drop a chargingelephant cold at a hundred yards.

The photon round BURSTS out of the muzzle. An instant laterall thats left of the target and the wall behind it is asmoking crater.

Yardley and Rowe exchange a look. Theyre impressed.

INT. OUTFITTING ROOM

Boggs, Bliss and Louden, in front row seats, marvel at theChief. Shes modeling a sleek SPACESUIT. A BritishTECHNICIAN describes the suits many features.

TECHNICIANThe Extraterrestial Battle Suit, orEBS, is the worlds most advanced,self contained warrior suit. Eachsuit has been customized to meetyour unique biological needs. Itcontinuously monitors your vitalsigns and auto-adjusts for optimumsurvivability... For example, ifyou have a heart attack, itll giveyou CPR or a shot of adrenaline,whatevers needed. The EBSprovides an assortment of personal

weaponory to complement your AK-57,including wrist-mounted miniguns, apop up, shoulder-mounted mini-RPG,grappling gear, and my personalfavorite: twin bayonets forclose-in combat.

The Chief turns away, looks over her shoulder like a runwaymodel and smiles.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: (2) 65.

CHIEF(to Boggs, Bliss and Louden)

Well guys, what do you think: doesmy ass look big in this?

Before anyone can answer, she clenches her fists and

three-foot-long, razor-sharp bayonets slide out of eachsleeve. Boggs, Louden and Sorkin react. "Gulp."

LOUDEN(covers his balls)

No way, Chief... You look great.

TECHNICIANAll systems of the EBS are voiceactivated. You tell it what to doand it does it. Chief, put this on.

He hands the Chief a HELMET and she slides it on with aCLICK. A holographic HUD pops up inside her visor and wesee the room from the Chiefs POV.

TECHNICIANChief, please say "Minigun ready."

CHIEFMinigun ready!

A gun barrel opens on her right wrist. She aims at Boggsand the HUD "locks" onto him. He starts to sweat. TheChief smiles mischieviously. "This is awesome?"

TECHNICIANA radar-aided, multi-targeting firecontrol system integrates with yourAK-57 and virtually guarantees abulls-eye on every shot.Identification Friend-or-Foeprevents friendly fire casualties.

The Chief frowns. Boggs exhales, relieved.

BRITISH SOLDIERSounds like a blooming wondersuit. Tell me, if I catch a roundto the chest will it evac me thebloody hell outta there?

The troops laugh at the Brits gallows humor.

TECHNICIANIm glad you asked that, soldier.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: (3) 66.

The technician casually walks away and picks up an M-16 froma rifle stand. BAM!-BAM!-BAM! He opens up on the Chief,firing four rounds in her torso and face. Bullets bounceoff the EBS, knocking the Chief off her feet. Soldiers hitthe deck. When they look up, the technician is standing overthe Chief. She looks up at him; sees the HUD scrolling

information on her condition, weapons status, etc.

CHIEF(to herself)

Awesome.

TECHNICIANThis space suit will keep you livelong enough to save the human race.

INT. SIMULATOR

A vast, post-apocalyptic landscape that looks as much likethe surface of Titan as can be imagined by those whovenever been there. Wind HOWLS. A blinding strike ofLIGHTENING and we glimpse Zach, the Chief, Honeycutt and aChinese soldier crouching in EBSs, AK-57s at the ready.

Suddenly, Silayev and other troops glide down from a dune,firing their AK-57s. A pitched, mock battle ensues.

Time passes and other troops play war games in the brutalconditions of the Titan simulator. Over this --

VILLAGRA (V.O.)Titans atmosphere is ninety-eightpercent nitrogen, compared to theeighty-twenty nitrogen-oxygenmixture on Earth. The atmosphereis so thick and the gravity so lowthat humans could fly shortdistances by flapping their arms...The surface is smooth but there aremountains and ice volcanoes. Radarimages show that Titan has vasthydrocarbon lakes, filled withmethane. The icy moon has seasonalweather patterns, including windand methane rain, that have createddunes and shorelines like those onEarth. In fact, except for itsextremely low temperatures, Titanis very much like an early Earth...

DISSOLVE TO:


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67.

EXT. BAIKONUR COSMODROME, KAZAKHSTAN - SUNSET

The worlds largest manned space launch facility. Two giantSOYUZ ROCKETS wait on sister launch pads. Attached to themare American space shuttles - ALPHA and OMEGA. Thespacecraft are silhouetted before a spectacular setting sun.

MISSION CONTROL (V.O.)(in Russian)Commencing final pre-launch systemscheck.

Exhaust seeps out of the rockets. We hear the VOICES offlight techs who run checks of thousands of systems.

INT. KREMLIN, PRIME MINISTERS OFFICE - SUNSET

Prime Minister Perminov sits, lost in thought.

MISSION CONTROL (V.O.)(in Russian)

Alpha flight; Omega flight. Youare clear for lift off. T-minustwenty seconds. Nineteen,eighteen, seventeen...


A rolling RUMBLE shakes the ground.

INT. THE WHITE HOUSE, OVAL OFFICE - NIGHT

President Phelps stands at the window, staring out at theRose Garden.


...ten, nine, eight...


A RUMBLING like a serious EARTHQUAKE. Exhaust BILLOWS fromthe Soyus boosters.


...five -- fire primary ignition --

The boosters IGNITE thunderously.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: (2) 68.


...four, three, two, one. Liftoff.

Alpha and Omega BLAST OFF.

EXT. UPPER ATMOSPHERE

The shuttles storm past us on their way to...

EXT. VIKING 1

A massive spacecraft, the main hull of which is an ellipticcylinder with three large rotating windmill-like arms,floating high above Earth.

SUPERIMPOSE: Viking 1 Deep Space Explorer

Shuttles Alpha and Omega approach Viking 1 and dock onopposite sides of the spacecraft. Time passes and theshuttles disengage. Viking 1 fires its thrusters and beginsthe journey into deep space. Over this --

ZHANG (V.O.)Traveling at 36 kilometers persecond, our journey to Titan willtake one year, ten months andfourteen days...

INT. VIKING 1, CRYO ROOM

A long room bathed in warm red light like a submarine.Lining the walls, cryogenic chambers. Inside each clearcase is a naked special ops soldier in frozen sleep.

ZHANG (V.O.)For eighteen months of our journey,the assault team will remain incryogenic sleep. Their vitals willbe maintained and nutrientsadministered by the ships surgeon.

A hatch slides open and Zhang enters the room, dressed inmilitary shorts and a t-shirt. She sits at a workstationand begins typing. A monitor displays holographic images ofeach soldier and their vital signs.


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71/110

CONTINUED: (2) 70.

ANGLE ON Zach"s face as his chamber opens. Zhang gives hima shot and his eyes flutter open. He steps out, dazed. Helooks at Zhang then at the injection gun. He reacts.

ZHANGAdrenalin, Commander.

She smiles to help him understand. He does.

ZACH(garbled, groggy)

Wha r wa --

ZHANGIt will take several minutes foryou to orient yourself, Commander.For now, please take this and sit.

She hands him a hospital smock, helps him into a fold downseat in his cryo chamber and walks across the room. Zachnotices other soldiers - Sorkin, Boggs, Keiko, Honeycutt,Lin, Silayev, the Chief - waking from their deep freeze.

Then he sees Vanessas chamber slide open. Zhang gives her ashot and she wakes. As Zhang speaks to her, Vanessaa eyesmeet Zachs. He offers a comforting smile. She stares.

INT. VIKING 1, GYM

Ten soldiers work out. The Chief and Louden have worked upa sweat on treadmills.

LOUDENI dont know how they do it, Chief.

CHIEFHow who does what?

LOUDENThe guys on submarines. They gosix months cooped up in thosefloating sardine cans. Whats itbeen for us up here, four monthssince cryo? Jesus, I cant wait toget off this crate.

The Chief looks at him, considers what it really means "toget off this crate."


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71.

INT. VIKING 1, PASSAGEWAY

ANGLE ON a spectacular STARFIELD in the vast reaches ofspace. Then we notice Vanessas reflection. Shes staringpensively at the starfield through a portal. She doesntnotice Zach coming down the passageway toward her.

ZACHDr. Pettigrew. Hello.

VANESSAOh, hello, Commander Ramsay.

He looks out the portal. Beat.

ZACHI never dreamt of becoming anastronaut, but here I am with afront row seat to the stars...Magnificent, isnt it?

VANESSAYes, it is.

ZACH(looks at her)

Im not what youd call a religiousman - not by a long shot. Butevery time I look out there I canthelp thinking were that muchcloser to God.

Beat.

VANESSAYoure a very brave man,Commander. All of you are...Incredibly brave.

ZACHIn special ops you know every jobcould be a one-way ticket. Thistime we know it is. But none of usis here just because were brave orbecause we want to be heroes. Werehere because we know whats atstake, and theres nobody on Earthbetter prepared to get the jobdone.

A long beat.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: (2) 72.

VANESSAThank you, Commander.

ZACHTell me something, Doctor. Why arehere?

VANESSAI did dream of being an astronaut,Commander. But we Brits neverfancied having a space program. Theclosest I could get was becomingthe PMs advisor for spaceexploration.

ZACHThat explains why you flew abillion miles across thegalaxy. But it doesnt explain whya linguist with enough degrees tostuff a rhino is on a militarymission. Or why you went into cryo.

They look at each other for a long beat and he realizes thatthere is much more to her than meets the eye.

VANESSALike you, Commander, I have a jobto do, and there is nobody on Earthbetter prepared to do it than me.

INT. VIKING 1, CARGO BAY

The largest part of the ship, the cargo bay is the size of asmall aircraft hangar. In it are two sleek landing ships -ALPHA OSPREY and OMEGA OSPREY - and field weaponry for theassault - HUMVEES, SCOUT BIKES, two MIRV MISSILES, etc.

Lin Shihong and his Alpha team counterpart, Green BeretLieutenant BEV SHARPTON (26), black, sharp-edged andgung-ho, supervise four Viking CREW MEMBERS who are loadingthe landing craft.

SHARPTON

Hey, you! Look smart when youresecuring the thermonuclearwarheads!

SERGEANT(defending the crew)

I think weve got it under control,Lieutenant.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: (2) 73.

SHARPTONI dont want to "think" its undercontrol, Sargeant, I want toknow! You read me?!

SERGEANTYes, Maam! Loud and clear, Maam!

The SERGEANT turns to her subordinates and stresses thatthey be extra diligent.

LINLieutenant, it does appear thateverything is in order here. Thenukes are harmless until theyreelectronically armed.

SHARPTONWe drop in five days. We stilldont know what, if any, resistancewere going to face. What we doknow is we have one shot to saveour world. If we fail, it wont bebecause somebody forgot to tightena bolt in the cargo bay.

INT. VIKING 1, COMMON AREA

Soldiers relax. Some play cards, others listen to music intheir headphones or talk quietly. The mood is sober. Theseare people counting the hours left in their lives.

INT. VIKING 1, COMMUNICATION STATION

Directly below the flight deck. Silayev, Zach, Lin,Sharpton, Stovall and Vanessa have a tense conversation.

SILAYEVThese signals youve received --

STOVALLI wouldnt call them signals,exactly. More like static or noise.

SILAYEVVery well, "noise." How certainare you that its not from Titan?

STOVALLOne hundred percent. We did a fullrefractive scan and came up emptyfrom nine million kilometers out.

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: (2) 74.

Silayev looks at Vanessa. She refers to an oscillating,three-dimensional IMAGE on a monitor that graphs the"noise."

VANESSAEverything we know about Titanian

communication patterns suggeststhat this is far too primative forthem. If it were a form ofcommunication it would be analogousto an Earth caveman grunting.

SHARPTONThat grunting eventually becamethousands of human languages, Dr.Pettigrew.

VANESSASix thousand, nine hundred andthirty-five languages at lastcount, Lieutenant. Your point?

ZACHI believe the Lieutenants point isthat even if it is primitive, itcould still be a form ofcommunication. And if so, it couldmean theyre monitoring us.

Zach and Vanessa exchange a look. She doesnt appreciatehis attempt at "diplomacy."

LINWith the message from thePresidents and the Prime Ministersalready enroute to us, theirtransmission would certainly beintercepted.

VANESSANone of them would say anything tojeopardize the mission.

SHARPTON(cynical)

Said the Prime Ministers advisor.

Vanessa cuts her a look.

ZACHLook, were way past the point ofno return here. Were goingthrough with the insertion whether

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)


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CONTINUED: (3) 75.

ZACH (CONTD.)they know were coming or not,right, Colonel?

SILAYEVCorrect, Commander. But we need to

take every precaution so thatColonel Stovall and his crew canreturn to Earth safely with DoctorsPettigrew, Cheung and Villagra.

Vanessa reacts. Now is the time to show herhand. Partially.

VANESSAColonel, Im not returning with theViking. Im going to the surfacewith the assault team.

All but Stovall look at her like shes crazy.

SILAYEVDoctor, thats simply notpossible. You of all people knowwe have no room for error on thismission. And no hope of returnonce we leave this ship.

VANESSAColonel Stovall.

Colonel Silayev and Zach look to the flight commander.

STOVALLIts true. I have direct ordersfrom the Presidents of the UnitedStates and China and the PrimeMinisters of Russia and GreatBritain authorizing Dr. Pettigrewto land on Titan with you, Colonel.

SILAYEVBut why?

VANESSAIm sorry, but I can only tell youthat once were on the surface ofthe moon, Colonel.

OFF plenty of confused faces...


77/110

76.

INT. VIKING 1, PASSAGEWAY

titan by david polk

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