Armageddon
FADE IN
Blackness. Then a hint of green becomes EARTH. It lies across an
expanse of space. Richly colored. Fertile.
A GIGANTIC ASTEROID cuts into frame, Burning into EARTH'S
ATMOSPHERE and striking down in the currant area of Guzumel,
Mexico.
Voice An impact equivalent to ten thousand nuclear weapons
detonating simultaneously.
A HUGE DINOSAUR FOOT steps down hard and is VAPORIZED with a
deafening ROAR.
Voice One hundred trillion tons of dirt and rock hurled into the
atmosphere.
EARTH, seen from space, is rocked with an IMMENSE SHOCKWAVE. A
SHEET OF DEBRIS washes across the North and South Hemispheres.
Voice A blanket of dust the sun is powerless to penetrate. For
five thousand years our world is robbed of light as a nuclear
winter falls. In that darkness, a civilisation is removed from
existence.
EARTH is now completely entombed in a dark, cold hell. Letters
push towards us--
"A R M A G E D D O N"
65 MILLION YEARS LATER
EARTH, reflected off the face of ASTRONAUT PETE SHELBY'S HELMET.
It appears close enough to touch. Shelby, attached to SHUTTLE
ATLANTIS BY LIFELINE, struggles to replace a piece of the
shuttle's operational arm.
Shelby
(with radio squawking)
Houston, I can't get this thing to work...
EXT. N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL - DAY
Golden The size of Texas. In a hub of computers and tracking
equipment, we find DAN GOLDEN, former Astronaut from Apollo 8
(first crew to orbit the Moon)
and now N.A.S.A's second-in-command. Golden is watching Shelby
on a SERIES OF VIDEO SCREENS. FLIGHT DIRECTOR WALTER CLARK sits
with rows of N.A.S.A Techs. Golden stands over him, arms on the
back o his chair.
Clark Atlantis, what's the problem?
Shelby
(V.0)
It just isn't working. Any suggestions?
Clarke Hang on Pete. We'll figure something out for you.
Golden taps Clark and sits down.
Golden
(to Shelby)
We got the top scientific minds in the world working on this.
(a slight smile)
Try "whacking" the thing.
Shelby Okay, Houston, commence whacking.
Selby begins Whacking the satellite with his glove. The SATELLITE
comes n-line, lights up like a Christmas tree.
A HORRIFYING RUMBLING SOUND. SHOTGUN LIKE PELLETS assault the
satellite. SHRAPNEL rips into it's delicate gold skin. The
satellite EXPLODES. Shelby's lifeline breaks; he spins off, suit
leaking from twenty punctures.
INT. SHUTTLE ATLANTIS
COMMANDER JAMES TURNER turns to his left
General "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?"
EXT. SHUTTLE ATLANTIS
STOTGUN LIKE PELLETS shred through Atlantis' N.A.S.A. logo,
peeling the shuttle down to her ribs. FIERY EXPLOSION.
EXT. SPACE
CLOSE ON SHELBY as he twirls away from Atlantis. His helmet is
fogging. He gasps for air, wretching, his eyelids leaking blood.
He tries to form words
Shelby Ple...he...me....
Shelby's SHOULDER-CAM angle spins end-over-end....
INT. N.A.S.A - MISSION CONTROL MONITORS go dead.
N.A.S.A. Technician #1 All systems crashing!
N.A.S.A. Technician #2 Massive failure. We lost them.
Utter silence. Utter desolation. DOLLY IN ON GOLDEN'S FACE. Utter
disbelief.
INT. WKU MOUNTIAN OBSERVATORY - NIGHT
THEO and PEARL
(at telescope)
, and JIMBO
(at the console)
, 20's, are star-gazing. Astronomy books, Starbucks cups, etc.,
spread all over. Nine Inch Nails plays on the radio. These three
could land a date if only they would lose the road flares
(plaid shirts, glasses)
that signal the painful fact that they are die-hard science
nerds THEO'S POV - THROUGH WKU TELESCOPE - Far off in space is a
dusty, murky swarm of matter - something resembling a FLOATING
EXPLOSION.
Jimbo When are we going to let N.A.S.A in on what we've found?
Theo We don't even know what we have yet. Comet, asteroid - it
could be anything up there. And don't be so eager to red flag
N.A.S.A. They don't call us when they discover anything.
Jimbo Yeah, but this is their sandbox were playing in.
Theo This is our discovery. We're going to hold a press
conference. We're going to be famous. SPACEWATCH'll name this
thing after us. Job offers are going to fly in from all the big
companies. J.P.L., that think tank up at M.I.T., hell even
N.A.S.A. 'll be chasing us.
Pearl I'm going on Oprah, Larry King, Letterman...
Jimbo Hell with them, I'm going on Howard Stern....
Pearl
(concentrating)
This things really acting up tonight. We should find out if
anyone else knows about this.
Theo How?
Jimbo
(master of factly)
Call N.A.S.A
Theo And say what? "Hi, we're a couple astronomer geeks who found
something really bitchin; floatin' in space." You can't just
call N.A.S.A. It's like calling the White House. Besides, you'll
never get the number.
Jimbo I have the number. I got it from "Mega monster."
Pearl Who?
Jimbo He's some super-hacker, I went to high school with. Guy's
totally wired into every encrypted government installation.
Theo He's also an ex-con.
Jimbo They never proved he shut down the power in those seven
states.
Theo grabs the phone.
INT. HOUSTON TEXAS - JOHNSON SPACE CENTER - NIGHT
Golden and his crew, devastated and exhausted, search for
answers. We cut around the room.
Clark What the hell was that?
Technician 1 Space junk?
Technician 2 Too big, too much. It took out the whole shuttle.
Clark The press is going to want answers. What are we going to
say?
Golden Nothing. Not until we know what happened.
INTERCUT - N.A.S.A. MISSION CONTROL/WKU OBSERVATORY
INT. N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL
Two N.A.S.A. techs, FLIP and SKIP, looking very haggard,
furiously typing numbers into the circulator. The phone RINGS,
Flip answers.
Jimbo
(whispers to Pearl & Theo)
I got mission control....!
Flip Yeah, Mission Control.
Jimbo
(into phone)
Uhh hi, I'm an astronomer in Kentucky, and I was wondering if
you guys had seen some strange activity in the southern middle
quadrant of the asteroid belt between Antares Major and Epsilom
Scorpio....
Flip Who is this?
Jimbo My name? Uhh....Louis Lipshitz...
Flip This is a restricted line. How did you get it? Where are
you?
Jimbo Lexington... Massachusetts.
Flip Can you tell me the exact co-ordinates..?
Theo Hang up! Hang up now!
Jimbo hangs up the phone.
Theo Lexington.. uhh...Massachusettes. Idiot. I told you not to
call them.
EXT. MANHATTAN ISLAND - SUNRISE
Establishing. The sun rises over the Brooklyn Bridge.
EXT. MANHATTEN - MADISON AVENUE - EARLY MORNING
LITTLE GUY, still yawning, exits an apartment with a Jack Russell
terrier on a long RETRACTABLE LEASH. TERRIER'S POV as the little
dog attacks the city, looking for a place to relieve himself.
The Man stops in front of a "Crazy Eddie's" T.V. store. Floor-
to-ceiling T.V.'s in the window broadcasting E.S.P.N.'s "Morning
Exercise Show" with hot women SWEATING.
The Jack Russell strains on the leash to a FIRE HYDRANT. A SHOE
is next to the hydrant, connected to a HUGE SAMOAN GUY watching
the pelvic thrusting on T.V. The dog lifts his leg and pees,
hitting both hydrant and shoe. The huge Samoan guy kicks the
dog. The dog YELPS.
Little Guy You kick my dog again and I'll go nuclear on you.
The T.V. images BLINK and STATIC. A massive SONIC BOOM emanates
directly above. The huge Samoan guy looks up as---
A ROCK, the size of a basketball, strikes him and EXPLODES into
the pavement, spewing sparks and concrete, throwing PEDESTRIANS
to the sidewalk.
INT. "CRAZY EDDIE'S" T.V. STORE
FIFTY T.V.s are BLOWN across the showroom floor. SALESMEN and
CUSTOMERS dive to the floor, SCREAMING.
EXT. MANHATTEN - "CRAZY EDDIES"
Little guy, lying on the sidewalk, recovers. His DOG LEASH runs
from the leash grip into a 10 FOOT CRATER in the sidewalk. The
huge Samoan guy's LEGS protrude.
Little Guy Samson?
Pedestrian Somebody call 9-1-1!
INSIDE THE CRATER - THE JACK RUSSELL dangles by the leash.
Embedded in the hole 30 feet below is A SMOKING, RED HOT OBJECT.
INT - N.O.R.A.D. - CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN
The U.S.'s Early Warning Air Defence. Two U.S.A.F RADAR
TECHNICIANS are hunched over radar screens.
Radar Tech 1 I got one, two, three boggies...the whole board's
lighting up!
The RADAR TECH 2 hits a KLAXON, stabs phone line buttons.
EXT. MANHATTEN - MORNING
Traffic is ground to a halt. CAMERA MOVES into a cab. STU, the
Cabbie, with an ASIAN TOURIST, who's craning his neck out the
window.
Asian Tourist What's the problem? Stu Could be a couple of
things: shootin', stabbin', dead guy
(shrugs)
Well, it's Friday, payday. Could be a jumper.
A projectile the size of a dump truck SCREAMS through the sky and
blasts through three huge buildings.
More projectiles explode in the intersection. Cars get thrown
everywhere. Stu's cab slams upside down into JOHNNY'S BAR.
ONE BLOCK DOWN. THE ENTIRE TOP FIVE STORIES -- A sheared section
topples and hits the street below. Bricks, mortar and gargoyles
everywhere.
EXT. WASHINGTON D.C. - PENTAGON - DAY
Establishing, over which we hear RINGING PHONES.
EXT. PENTAGON - GENERAL TEMPLE'S OFFICE - DAY
Chaos in the corridors. GENERAL TEMPLE, Chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff, a man of stature, bursts out of his office, met
by his SECRETARY.
Secretary We're getting reports as far away as Greenland and
parts of Mexico!
Temple Get me Dan Goldman on the secure phone.
Temple enters his office and picks up a secure phone.
INT. MISSION CONTROL - INSIDE THE GLASS-ENCASED ROOM
Golden enters the room and sits down. Technician Flip hands him a
secure phone. Golden sinks into his chair. In the b.g., VIDEO
MONITORS show twenty live feeds from T.V. stations across the
country.
Temple
(V.O.)
Can you go secure?
Golden
(presses a button on the phone)
I am secure. Go ahead, General.
He listens...WE HEAR the distinct gargled voice of a secure line.
Golden When?
Temple
(V.O.)
Twelve minutes ago. Now you know what happened to your shuttle.
INTERCUT - GOLDEN / TEMPLE
INT. PENTAGON - GENERAL TEMPLE'S OFFICE - DAY
Temple paces in his office.
Temple I'm going to brief the President. What's going on here,
Dan? Why didn't we have warning?
Golden Tell the president it's called "budget cuts." We don't
have enough telescopes to track the skies.
Temple Is it over?
Golden I don't know. We'll figure it out.
(hangs up)
INT. MISSION CONTROL - INSIDE THE GLASS-ENCASED ROOM
Flip enters the room. Skip writes notes....
Golden
(to Skip and Flip)
Fly a team up to New York. Contact every Space Watch facility
in the world. We gotta find what part of the sky this is coming
from.
Skip I'll call J.P.L. and get the Hubble telescope on it.
Golden Did we find who made the phone call last night?
Flip The F.B.I.'s on it.
INT. KENTUCKY - DORMITORY ROOM
Theo is sleeping. The door is RAMMED in. Two F.B.I. AGENTS ROAR
into the room, overwhelming him.
EXT. KENTUCKY - COLLEGE CAMPUS
Pearl and Jimbo are walking across campus. TWO BLACK SEDANS pull
up. The kids increase their pace.The sedans SKID to a stop.
F.B.I. AGENTS spring from the cars, cuff them and CUT TO
MANHATTEN - JOHNNY'S - DAY
Stu's upside down cab, in front of Johnny's. A tow truck removes
dented cars from the trashed intersection. Career drunks, FRANK,
FRED and WILLIE, stand in the threshold looking out at the
devastated intersection. Stu sits on top of his cab, Listening
to the guys
Frank This city sucks...
Fred What the hell was it?
Willie They're sayin' it's space rocks.
Stu Rocks from space, my ass. That, my friends, was the work of
the big Saddam. That was big-ass Iraqi missiles
INT. MANHATTAN - SUBWAY - DAY
F.B.I. AGENTS and N.A.S.A. SCIENTISTS examine a CHUNK OF
ASTEROID, still smouldering, which has ripped through the roof
and floor of a subway car. The plastic seats and aluminium
panelling of the car has melted.
EXT. KENTUCKY - INTERROGATION ROOM - AFTERNOON
Jimbo, Theo and Pearl sit in front of three F.B.I. AGENTS. Two
N.A.S.A. ASTRONOMERS look over the kids' TELESCOPE PHOTOS with
concern.
Jimbo So, that N.A.S.A. guy wasn't kiddin; about bein' arrested
and....
Federal Agent Please shut up.
Jimbo Yes, absolutely, yes sir.
N.A.S.A. Astronomer I'm a N.A.S.A. astronomer. When were these
photos taken?
Federal Agent And which of you called N.A.S.A. Mission Control
last night?
Jimbo
(points at Theo)
Him.
Theo
(points at Jimbo)
Him.
Jimbo I was calling the Houston area code, which is 713. I was
calling 712, which is outside Spokane, Washington, where my Aunt
Zelda....
N.A.S.A. Astronomer Tell us the exact ascension angle of your
telescope when this was taken.
Theo It's our discovery. No way.
N.A.S.A. Astronomer Your "discovery" killed close to 100 people
in New York alone - people who could've used a warning.
Jimbo, Theo and Pearl lower their eyes.
Jimbo Our math must've been off! we thought it was gonna pass the
Earth!
Pearl Ascension 712, retention 345.
F.B.I. Agent 2 And you've told no one about this- not your
teachers, not your friends?
N.A.S.A. Astronomer
(into cellular phone)
J.P.L., please. Search co-ordinates...
INT. PASADENA CALIFORNIA - J.P.L. - NIGHT
N.A.S.A.'s Jet Propulsion Laboratory home of the HUBBLE SPACE
TELESCOPE. Two J.P.L. TECHNICIANS man the Hubble's control
console.
J.P.L. Technician 1 New info! Plot co-ordinates 712 by 345. Let's
move on high-resolution imaging. J.P.L. TECHNICIAN 2 punches the
co-ordinates into a control console.
EXT. OUTER SPACE - CONTINUOUS
(DAY)
The HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE floats by in geosynchronous orbit. The
telescope tilts, repositioning in view.
INT. PASADENA CALIFORNIA - J.P.L. - NIGHT
Images from the Hubble arrive on a high resolution printer.
J.P.L. Technician 1 grabs four PHOTOS from the printer.
Technician 2 swipes stuff off the console, making room. Together
they arrange the four photos. They star silently at the awesome
COMPOSITE PHOTO.
J.P.L. Technician 1 Motherfu......
INT. N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL - ENCLOSED ROOM - NIGHT
Golden and all his TECHNICIANS crowd around a console, staring at
a smaller version of the COMPOSITE PHOTO.
Golden Copies to the Pentagon, Colorado Space Command, and the
Washington office. We gotta compute size, composition, speed,
impact point
WE SEE the photo -- A HUGE ASTEROID
EXT. OUTER SPACE - CONTINUOUS - DAY
CAMERA PUSHES THROUGH A CLOUD OF ROCKY, ICY DEBEIS, penetrating
the cloud until the HUGE ASTEROID CORE comes into clear view --
a mass of dirt and ice -- rough, craggy, menacing. INT. N.A.S.A.
- BRIEFING ROOM - NIGHT
Golden and Clark enter. A group of ten N.A.S.A. SENIOR
TECHNICIANS are all talking at once.
Golden Okay guys, one of the worst days in N.A..S.A history just
got worse. Ten million to one. A rogue comet came from deep
space and collided with an asteroid. Some kids actually got a
picture of the collision event and told no one. The stuff that
hit this morning was the collision's forward-thrown matter, mere
pebbles from what's about to come. Walter?
Clark A big asteroid. E.T.A., eighteen days. A lot bigger than
the five mile one that obliterated the dinosaurs.
Silence. Everybody stares at each other.
The phone CHIRPS.
Golden's Secretary Director, the Pentagon.
Golden hits a button.
A LARGE T.V. SCREEN establishes AUDIO/VISUAL link.
INTERCUT; PENTAGON - SITUATION ROOM/ N.A.S.A. - BRIEFING ROOM
INT. PENTAGON - SITUATION ROOM - NIGHT
Temple sits with the Joint Chiefs, White House Chief of Staff,
the Directors of the N.A.S.A., C.I.A., etc.
Temple Dan, we're all here. Tell us what we're up against.
Golden
(V.O.)
In it's simplest terms? The end of Mankind. One asteroid, one
mile wide or bigger, impacts the Earth with the equivalent force
of all the nuclear weapons in the world, times a thousand. Half
our population will die within 24 hours from tidal waves and
heat pulses. The other half won't be so lucky. In the end, it
will be men eating the flesh of other men.
(beat)
It's not the end of the world, General, the world - Earth -
will still be here. But there will be no life - maybe
cockroaches and some resilient strands of bacteria.
Temple Well, that's really positive, Dan. The President just got
off the phone with the Russians. They're just about to launch a
new Mars Probe on the biggest rocket in the world. Golden and
the N.A.S.A. BRASS exchange sceptical looks.
Golden
(V.O)
With the worst guidance system in the world. Their Mars Probe in
'96 was found by a pygmy tribe in Africa.
Temple They're going to pull off the probe and replace it with
four Atlas Class IV nuclear warheads. Enough punch in their
opinion - not to break it up - but to slow it down enough to
miss Earth's orbit.
Golden
(V.O)
Their launch date is set for next month.
Temple They're going to move it up.
Golden
(V.O)
To when?
Temple Sixteen hours from now.
All the N.A.S.A. Technicians CLAMOR at once.
Golden
(V.O)
What are they gonna do, glue, spit, and scotch tape it together?
Even if they get a nuke out to the asteroid, a surface nuclear
detonation is not going to work. The only way is to split the
thing in half and hope the two pieces slide past us.
Temple Thank you for bringing up the impossible, Dan.
Colinswood People, the President's joining us, Mr. President?
President
(V.O)
Well, this has been a tough day. The media's all over this.
They're going to get nothing. Telling the public we might all be
dead in eighteen days achieves nothing but panic.
Golden
(V.O)
Mr President, finding this speck in the sky is a very hard thing
to do unless you have the exact co-ordinates. There are only
twelve telescopes powerful enough to see it right now. You've
got a full moon goin' for four days - makes it all but
impossible to see.. Once these things draw closer to Earth,
you'll never keep a lid on this. No way.
INT. N.A.S.A. BRIEFING ROOM - NIGHT
The video screen blinks off. Golden looks at his Techs.
Golden How many of you are as scared as I am?
Golden raises his hand. All the other N.A.S.A. Techs, one by one,
raise their hands.
Golden One giant leap for Mankind. Everyone remember that? This
is what we are going to do. We're going to fly to that asteroid
with a nuclear device, implant it and get off before it blows.
Quincy?
All eyes turn to N.A.S.A. Chief of R&D, RONALD QUINCY. Quincy has
coke bottle glasses and a 198 I.Q.
Quincy Look: set a fire cracker off in your open palm, you get a
third degree burn. Close your fist, It'll do some serious
damage. If we can get a nuke deep in one of the asteroid's fault
lines, she'll split in two, like a diamond.
Golden You're all looking art us like we're crazy. We're not.
Skip Dan, our currant shuttle fleet is too old and too slow.
Golden What I'm going to tell you is a breach of national
security and could land me in jail, but in eighteen days there
arnt' gonna be any jails, so....We're not gonna use a current
shuttle. Gentlemen, I'm talking about the X-71.
Skip It's done?
Quincy Has been for three months.
EXT. ARIZONA DESERT - FLIGHT TESTING FACILITY - DAY
N.A.S.A.'s flight testing facility. A flat, hard, dry area
dominated by an ENORMOUS HANGER. The HANGER DOOR is open; breeze
blows back a BLACK SILK TARPAULIN, revealing the X-71's NOSE.
Technicians come and go.
INT. N.A.S.A - BRIEFING ROOM - DAY
Golden Time is our enemy. This is like the race to the Moon, guys
- what this Agency was founded on.
Skip Boss, we're good at space travel, but you're talkin' about
drilling a hole.
Golden Quincy's been working on excavating the ice from the Moon
- he's gonna reorient his thinking. Right, Quince?
Quincy Right. And the first thing I'm gonna do is talk to the guy
I ripped off. His name is Harry S. Stamper. He's the best oil
driller in the world.
Golden I don't care who he is, what he's doing.
EXT. NORWAY COAST - NORTH SEA - "TROLL" OIL RIG - DAY
SUPER - DAY TWO
Close on a GOLF BALL. THWACK! The golf ball EXPLODES off the tee
from an oil rig. The "TROLL" is the largest man-made structure
in the world - 12 aircraft carriers big and 1200 feet tall. A
self-contained city.
HARRY STAMPER, world's foremost expert on offshore deep drilling,
immaculately attired in golf attire and spikes, stands on a
patch of Astroturf with a five iron in his hand. Piped-in MOZART
drown out the rig noise.
EXT. "TROLL" - DRILLING PLATFORM - "A" DERRICK - DAY
The main drilling platform. On "A" derrick, Chief Driller, A.J.
FROST, 30, handsome, is at the controls. Roughnecks "JIMBO"
CARTWRIGHT, "BEAR" BROWN, "CHICK" CHAPPLE, TITO GUEVARA, and MAX
LOGAN, handle 20 foot sections of PIPE DRILLING SRTRING with a
HYDRAULIC TONG AND CLAMP.
Roughneck BENNIE MORGAN, late 20's an ox of a man, comes across
the platform, pulling an oily green coveralls and donning his
hard-hat. Bennie examines the rig's DOWNHOLE PRESSURE GAUGE.
Bennie Chick! take a look at this!
Chick Pressure's been up all morning. She kicked twice on me.
A.J.'s eyes move to a TALL BLOND MAN on his lunch break across
the rig.
A.J. What did our always-at-lunch-Swedish geologist say?
Bennie Jah, jah, jah. No bleeper. Too much pressure.
Chick You askin' the old man?
A.J. nods and walks off.
EXT. "TROLL" RIG - TOP TIER
Harry HITS another ball. WE REVEAL his target, a GREENPEACE BOAT
anchored off the rig. The BALL strikes the side of the boat,
just missing the head of ONE of the PROTESTERS.
Harry Almost caught that little bastard.
He admires his shot as his daughter, GRACE, walks up. Grace is
late 20's, business dress, Harvard Law.
Grace Having fun?
Harry HITS another ball. It misses the boat, skips across the
water.
Grace Sure sliced the shit outta that one.
(frowns)
Harry Watch your language, Gracie.
Grace Seagulls swallow those and they die.
Harry Stupid birds.
Harry's EYES move to a GROUP OF GREENPEACE PROTESTERS across the
rig, being held back by Stamper Oil SECURITY GUARDS.
Grace I just talked with A.J.
Harry Talking to him quite a bit these days....
Grace
(awkward pause)
"A" rig's acting up. The drill string kicked twice this
morning, gave Chick a nasty bruise in the head.
Harry Good. He's not vulnerable there.
Grace Chase Manhatten okayed the bridge financing for the
Micronesia Project, but at 21 percent interest. And Lloyd's of
London refuses to underwrite the Venezuela> Project....
Harry Thieves and cowards, all of 'em. Twist their arms.
Grace I am.
Harry Keep twisting. Like a pit bull.
Grace Oh, and that magazine article - they want some human
interest stuff - likes and dislikes. "Likes" I said Golf, Fly
Fishing, Single Malt Scotch, Old Movies. What about "Dislikes?"
Harry Any kind of flying and oil company executives. Go deal with
'em. I always look better when you're doing the talking.
Harry HITS another ball. CLANG.
Grace You know you donate 300 grand a year to Greenpeace.
Harry smiles at the contradiction.
Harry What'd your mother call me?
Grace Complicated.
Harry Yeah well....I'm complicated.
Grace walks off, passing A.J., winking at him. A.J. winks back.
A.J. What's his mood?
Grace Complicated.
A.J. walks up to Harry.
Harry I understand we're having problems with "A" rig.
A.J. I'm on top of it
(Harry picks up his bag)
Harry, you have a second?
Harry Yeah. One.
A.J. I'll hurry. I've worked for you for a long time.
Harry Twelve years.
A.J. And you've been real good to me....
Harry Another company make you an offer, kid?
A.J. No. The reason I am here, today, standing here, talking to
you. I'm obviously talking to you...but it's, you know, not,
uhh...it's not an oil-related matter exactly....
Harry You're sweating, A.J.
A.J. You know there comes a time in a man's life when...
(to himself)
No, that's a cliché...
(to Harry)
Can I start again? I, uhh, fell...I've fallen...
Harry You hurt yourself?
A.J. In love, I mean. Fallen in love. It's the damnedest thing,
but this person you...know...really well.
ACROSS THE PLATFORM - Grace escorts five angry OIL INDUSTRY
EXECUTIVES over to Harry. A KLAXON SOUNDS. Harry, alarmed,
rushes right past them, toward the "A" Derrick. They follow,
snapping at his heels
Oil Executive 1 You explicitly promised results at 25 thousand
feet.
Harry We have results.
Oil Executive 2 But we don't have oil. We've given you everything
you've asked....
Harry Horseshit. What the...? Chick! Bennie! Somebody better tell
me why the hell "A" derrick is not turning!
Chick hurries up to Harry.
Chick The uhh....the Greenpeace guys.
Harry approaches "A" Derrick. Five MEMBERS of Greenpeace have
handcuffed themselves in a circle around the drilling pipe.
Harry Hey there, what can I do for you?
Greenpeace Leader This is an official protest.
Harry 'Course it is. I love you guys. You like dolphins and
whales, I like 'em too. Hey, I know you. You too. Didn't you
have shorter hair?
Greenpeace Leader Stamper, do you know what this thing does to
the eco-system?
Harry How'd you get out here? Canoe? Rowboat? Oh, that boat down
there with a thousand horsepower diesel!
Greenpeace Leader How can you wake up every day and look at
yourself in the mirror?
Harry The same way you did when you blow-dried your hair this
morning. And you used a curling iron, I betcha. Did you know
most electricity's from burning oil? I'' stop drillin' when the
world - stops usin' it. Bennie, start 'er up!
Greenpeace Leader Wait........
Harry Can't wait! I'm a businessman! Those goons over there gave
me 57 mil. to find oil and they ain't leavin' till I do! 'cause
they have no lives!
The drill string begins to turn in the hole.
Greenpeace Leader We....we threw away the key.
Harry Sorry. Time is money. BENNIE!
The MASSIVE HYDRAULIC KELLY begins to descend on the Greenpeace
Activists' heads.
Greenpeace Leader STOP!!!!
Harry Bennie! Third gear!
The Greenpeace Leader miraculously produces a key and frantically
begins unlocking the handcuffs.
Grace turns to the oil executives.
Grace He's good at public relations.
A.J. approaches Grace; they watch Harry.
Grace So?
(A.J. stares at her)
What?
(no response)
What?
(no response)
A.J.?
Suddenly, across "A" Derrick, a KLAXON SOUNDS.
Chick She's kickin'!
The civilians get the hell away.
Harry and A.J. run toward the rig.
Chick Pressure's north of seven thousand!
A.J. We gotta clear the Derrick!
Harry
(looks at wellhead)
Chick, rig up another pipe.
(Chick and Bennie look at Harry with uncertainty)
NOW, NOT TOMORROW.
CHick and Bennie begin clamping, and tong a PIPE STRAND onto the
DRILL STRING like an INDY PIT STOP CREW.
A.J. Harry, we've hit pressure. We gotta bleed it off. e go any
deeper, we'll blow the rig.
Harry Thanks for that opinion. Chick, full speed!
A.J. The bit's five thousand feet down! Full speed'll rip the
pipe apart!
Harry You learn all this in college? I been doing this thirty
years, kid. Get on the controls.
A.J. moves reluctantly to the DRILLING CONTROLS. Chick nods to
A.J., who engages the gears. The PIPE STRING turns at FULL
SPEED. The new drill pipe descends ten feet into the hole,
then....
The torque rips the NEWLY ATTACHED PIPE from the drilling string.
The drill spins freely.
A.J. hits the "stop! lever and stares at Harry.
The roughnecks converge around the wellhead.
A.J. I'm goin' down. Reattach it. Gimme a wrench and a band
coupling.
Chick hand the items to A.J.
A.J. descends into the drilling hole.
INT. DOWN THE DRILLING HOLE - DAY
A.J., holding his breath under water, shimmies down the drilling
pipe feet-first, inside the water-filled concrete tube running
from the rig to the ocean floor.
A.J. begins wrestling the disconnected sections together. EXT.
RIG - "A" DERRICK
The wellhead KICKS. The rig platform shakes and shudders.
SEAWATER erupts from the wellhead.
Chick The drill hole's flooding!
Grace A.J.!!
Harry strips off his jacket and climbs into the wellhead. He
takes a huge breath and disappears into the brine-filled
drilling hole.
INT. DRILLING HOLE
A.J. is pinned against the hole wall by one of the disconnected
pipes. Harry comes down the hole. He plants his back against the
hole wall and kicks the pipe, freeing A.J. A slow, deep, RUMBLE
emanates from below. The Briny water inside the hole suddenly
turns BLACK and VISCOUS.
A.J. and Harry exchange an alarmed look. Harry, then A.J., pull
for the surface, up the drilling hole as --
EXT. DRILLING PLATFORM - "A" DERRICK - DAY
-- the wellhead KICKS again. The rig platform SHUDDERS violently.
The derrick sways. SEAWATER SPEWS up from the wellhead.
Chick Get back, she's gonna blow!
Grace, Chick, Bennie and the other Roughnecks huddle around the
flooded drilling hole, waiting. Tense, agonising seconds pass.
Harry scrambles out, covered in....CRUDE OIL.
He grabs Grace and pulls her away.
Grace Where's A.J.!!!?
Harry RIGHT BEHIND ME! RUN!
The platform SHAKES. Harry, Grace, and the others sprint away as
--
A GEYSER OF CRUDE OIL erupts from the drilling hole, blowing A.J.
out of the hole fifteen feet above the wellhead. A.J. crashes to
the platform floor.
CRUDE OIL rains down on Grace and the Roughnecks...they run to
A.J.
Grace Never do that again!
CLOSE ON A.J. - he's looking back at the DRILL HOLE, panting,
traumatised, greasy oil raining on his head.
A.J. You know how I told you there were two obstacles? I didn't
do the first,'cause he's tough...but I did the second...!
(pulls out case; opens it)
I got it at uhm..Tiffany's. I can't give it to you until I talk
to him, but try it on.
She reaches for the ring. It slips from A.J.'s hand and falls
through the grated floor, pinging off the rig's steel pylons,
100 feet into the sea below.
Grace Don't worry! Tiffany's insures up to a week from purchase!
A.J. stares despondently over the railing.
Harry, black with crude oil, staggers past A.J.
A.J.
(pointedly)
Good plan, Harry.
Harry
(walks over to Oil Execs)
There's your oil, gentlemen. Now get the hell off my rig.
INT. N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL - DAY
Golden, Clark, Skip, Flip and the rest of the Mission Control
Technicians watch a live feed from Russia. A RUSSIAN ENERGIA
SUPER BOOSTER ROCKET sits on its launch platform.
Flip Look it that sucker. They got a nuke up there in sixteen
hours?
Skip It'll never fly. Never.
Clark Three things the Russians make well, guys - vodka, gymnasts
and rockets. Don't count 'em out.
Golden It's the late 20th century, I run the U.S. Space Program,
and I'm praying to God the Russians are better at this than we
are....
EXT. RUSSIA SPACE CENTER - SMOLINSKAYA A.F. BASE - DAY
The ground begins to SHAKE uncontrollably. EXHAUST billows out
from the Rocket's BOOSTERS. The Russian rocket blasts off and
lifts into....
Something's wrong. The Rocket stops accelerating and stands still
for a moment. It falls to Earth; BLOWING UP in a thunderous
inferno.
INT. N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL - DAY
Golden, Clark, and all the N.A.S.A. Techs stare at the burning
rocket.
Golden So, where's our oil driller?
EXT. RIG - "A" DERRICK
A champagne cork POPS and WIDEN TO Harry, Grace, A.J., and all
fifty Roughnecks. The wellhead's been capped; pumping 2500
gallons per minute.
Harry To Hole Number Seventy-Six!
Roughnecks
(UNISON)
Hole Number Seventy-Six!
The Oil Executives stand off, watching.
Oil Executive 1 Seventy-Six?
Oil Executive 2 This is Harry's Seventy-Sixth straight hit.
Oil Executive 1 The man's a legend.
We hear the WHOP, WHOP, WHOP of HELICOPTER BLADES. Harry, Grace
and A.J. turn toward the noise.
TWO U.S. ARMY BLACKHAWK HELICOPTERS whirr across the choppy
ocean.
EXT. OIL RIG - TOP TIER HELI-PAD - MINUTES LATER
The helicopters land on the heli-pad on the oil rig's top tier,
MAJOR STINSON, 50's, wearing formal dress and sunglasses along
with two strapping ADJUTANTS stride across the rig.
Major Stinson Harry Stamper? I'm Major William Stinson, United
States Army. I need a few words with you. In private.
Harry Say it now, say it quick, or get off my rig, Major. I've
got a business to run here.
Major Stinson You've been summoned back to the States.
Harry Who's doin' the summoning?
Major Stinson Your Government, Mr Stamper.
INT. SOMEPLACE IN KENTUCKY - HOLDING CELL - NIGHT
Jimbo, Theo and Pearl sit in a holding cell some place. Jimbo's
banging on the door.
Jimbo Hey, zipperheads! Ever watch "L.A. Law?" Right to remain
silent, right to an attorney? My brother's a bad-ass lawyer -
he's gonna sue your asses to Mars. I was in pre- law for a
month - you can't put somebody in jail for makin' a phone
call!!!
Pearl It isn't about that, Jimbo. We saw something we weren't
supposed to.
Theo Something they're not telling the public.
Jimbo Yeah, that's why they were so hot for the co-ordinates. Do
you think it's an asteroid? Or comet?
Theo I dunno - but I bet it's a whopper.
INT. N.A.S.A. FLIGHT MISSION ROOM - DAY
Harry, AJ. and Grace are led into the room by Stinson. Quincy's
eyes move to Harry --
Quincy He's here.
Quincy, Clark and Golden stand, approach --
Quincy
(cont'd)
Dan Golden, meet Mister Harry Stamper, the finest oil driller
in the world.
Golden Mister Stamper..
(shaking hands)
Dan Golden, I'm Director of --
Harry I know who you are. I watched T.V. once. Apollo 8, right?
First manned lunar orbit.
Golden That was a long time ago. I run this place now. And we've
got a serious problem on our hands that Quincy here thinks you
might be able to help us out with --
Quincy eagerly outstretches his hand. They shake. Quincy doesn't
let go.
Quincy I'm a big fan, Mr. Stamper.
Harry I kinda caught that.
(to Golden)
What's the problem, gentlemen?
Golden I wonder if we might speak alone?
Harry These two are my right and left arms. Grace Stamper and
Albert Jack Frost. Stupid name, so we call him A.J..
(handshakes)
They run my company. You talk to me, you talk to them.
Golden Okay.
Golden direct everyone into --
INT. N.A.S.A. - BRIEFING ROOM - DAY
Golden, Temple, Clark, Harry, Grace, and A.J. sit in a dark room
viewing a VIDEOTAPE. Quincy stands beside the projector,
supplying narration. On the tape we see Harry on a rig platform
shaking hands with an ARAB BUSINESSMAN --
Harry Great, home movies.
Grace and A.J. smile.
Quincy Nineteen eighty five. The first well drilled over 50
thousand feet. They said it couldn't be done. You did it.
Incredible.
ON THE SCREEN - Harry's on another rig, shaking hands with an
INDONESIAN BUSINESSMAN. Harry leans over and kisses the bit. The
Businessmen shake their heads, awed.
Quincy
(cont'd)
Nineteen Ninety-One. Directional drilling through two miles of
anthracite. They also said that couldn't be done. You did it.
Incredible.
Harry looks at Quincy strangely; this sure is a bizarre form of
celebrity.
Quincy
(cont'd)
Ninteen Ninety-Three. The first hole over seventy thousand.
Once again they said --
Golden Move it along, Quincy.
Quincy Right, sorry. Mister Stamper, you're the world's foremost
expert in deep drilling. You hold specialized patents in high
speed bits, drilling fluids, downhole motors Can I call you
Harry?
Harry Stick with Stamper.
Golden Well, Mister Stamper, we need you to drill a hole. It's in
a difficult place.
Harry I've drilled in them all.
Golden Not...this place. This is really out there.
(beat)
Space, Mister Stamper.
Harry As in...outer?
SATELLITE PHOTOS OF THE ASTEROID come up on the screen --
Temple You've watched the news the last 24 hours? You heard about
the meteor shower?
(Harry nods)
What you don't know is that an asteroid is on a collision
course with Earth. If it hits us, Earth as we know it will be
over.
Golden We're manning a mission to that asteroid to plant a
nuclear device in it's core. To do that we need to drill an
eight hundred foot hole.
Harry looks at A.J. and Grace.
Harry A.J., is this guy shitting me?
A.J. I don't think they shit people at N.A.S.A., Harry --
Harry An eight hundred foot hole. On a moving asteroid. In space.
Golden All we want is your advice in perfecting our drilling arm,
any help you can provide. We'll pay your usual consultancy, of
course.
Harry Show me your rig.
INT. N.A.S.A. - RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT - DAY
Quincy leads Golden, Harry, A.J., Grace, and Clark through
N.A.S.A.'s Research and Development area. This place looks like
"Q's" weapons shop from the James Bond movies as funded by every
company on the fortune 500 --
Huge, clinically clean, dominated by MASSIVE ROCKET ENGINES.
TECHNICIANS in white coats and hairnets work on a variety of
equipment.
TECHNICIANS hunch over a ROVER VEHICE, not the golf cart used on
the moon. This is low, squat, sturdy, with an enclosed airlocked
passenger compartment.
Quincy The "Armadillo" - our fourth generation rover. It carries
a six-cell solar engine with 824 horses. This was a joint
venture with the Germans.
(winks)
It's designed by Porsche.
Quincy motions to TWO TECHNICIANS. They roll over a ROBOTIC ARM
on a gurney, powered by an ELECTRIC MOTOR. The robotic arm is
connected to an OIL DRILLING BIT.
Harry Where's the Kelly?
Quincy This baby works without one.
Harry How does it work?
Harry starts to inspect the bit.
Quincy It works through a series of complexly designed
differential gears.
Harry's face tightens, as he studies the bit further --
Harry This is my Patent.
Quincy "Drilling Power Transfer Without Conventional Hydraulics,"
by Harry S. Stamper. You registered it with the U.S. Patent
Office last year.
Harry You stole it.
Quincy We just borrowed it, Mister Stamper.
Quincy unpockets a remote control panel and presses a button. The
drill bit presses down into a block of concrete and begins to
rapidly CHEW through it, as Harry marvels at the realisation of
his design.
Quincy
(cont'd)
We built this arm to mine ice from the moon -- greatest
discovery in space in thirty years.
Harry What'd this cost?
Golden Ten million.
Quincy Twenty-our million.
Harry Boy, I'm in the wrong line of work. So, that's where my
taxes go. For thievin' incompetent, government employed rip-off
artists?
A.J. No torque adjustment, no pressure release valve....a big
hunk of junk.
Quincy We're working on that.
Harry What happens if you hit gas? You have three seconds. Drill
faster, run like hell, or pray.
(beat)
Time's up. You're dead., The rig just blew.
Golden Gentlemen, gentlemen, wait a second. The crux of the
matter....
Harry Hang on. I betcha everyone in this room has a PH.D.
Golden Or three....
Harry I left school after tenth grade. I earned my PH.D every day
offshore drilling holes. You can't get it in a book. Drilling
holes is about instinct - about smellin' it. Drillin' holes is
an art. You want the crux of the matter?
(beat)
You stole my patent, and you don't have a goddamn idea how to
use it. As for this piece o' crap, don't insult me.
(walks around the rig)
I'll rebuild it - the right way - and drill the hole for you.
Grace Uhm, pop, could we discuss this...?
Harry Just give me a space suit.
Golden You won't need one. You're not going up.
Harry You don't have a choice. I think all you PH.D's know that.
Harry walks off. Grace and A.J. follow.
Golden
(calling after Harry)
Harry. Let's figure this out.
INT. N.A.S.A. - CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY
Harry sits opposite Golden and Temple. Grace and A.J. stand
behind him.
Harry First of all, you're going to buy my patent.
Temple Of course, completely in order. What is the price?
Harry Fifty million dollars.
Uncomfortable pause. Temple clears his throat.
Temple Mr. Stamper, this mission is to preserve the future of....
Harry You're right, too low. I'm still pissed. Seventy million.
Temple Done.
Harry looks to Grace.
Harry Give that money to my Greenpeace buddies.
(smile)
Told you...complicated.
Harry goes to shake, pulls back --
Harry
(cont'd)
And I never want to pay taxes again.
Temple I'll call the I.R.S., try to uhm, explain the situation.
They begin to shake. Harry withdraws his hand.
Harry I have this great log cabin in Montana. It's kind of a
nature...getaway...thing.
Temple You want us to buy that, too?
Harry No. I fly fish there. But the fly fishin's sucked ever
since they put in that goddamn hydro-electric dam. I want it
gone by the time I get back.
Temple reluctantly nods. They stand to shake, Harry pulls away
again.
Harry
(cont'd)
Now about my crew.
Golden The deal was for you, not others.
Harry I'm only as good as the men I work with. The ones in those
home movies of yours.
Golden It's out of the question.
Harry half-smiles to Grace.
Golden
(cont'd)
Okay, who?
Harry :My chief tool pusher. You game A.J.? A.J. Wouldn't miss
it, Harry.
Harry And my roughnecks, Roustabouts, and Rockhound?
Temple Rock what? Is that a dog?
Harry No. Just a meek, geek geophysicist.
Golden What kind of men are these?
INT. SUPERSTRETCH LIMOUSINE - DAY
Bennie, Chick
(30's, a street philosopher)
, Max
(35, hulky)
, TITO, and ROCKHOUND
(small, wiry)
are riding in high style. Chick is hanging out of the sun roof
with his shirt off. Radio's on full blast. Rockhound's pouring
whiskey from the fancy decanters.
Chick We're living LARGE!
Bennie
(talking on a cellular phone)
Give me nickels on Miami, Washington, San Diego, and Green Bay.
(listens)
Quit whining. Last thing I need is to be friends with my
bookie.
(listens, then angry)
(MORE)
Bennie
(cont'd)
Look, when the entire Mexican Army had Butch and the Sundance
Kid trapped in that Hacienda, did they wait to die? Hell no. They
went out guns blazing. I live by the code of that movie, man.
Bennie hangs up the phone, he looks across from him at -- Tito
Guevara, late 30's, stocky, tattooed, Latino,
(reformed 118th Street L.A. o.g. gangbanger who was rescued from
the streets ten years back and put to work on a rig by Harry)
is reading a book "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus."
Chick drops down into his seat, continues his heated discussion
with Max.
Chick Charlie Bronson could kick Steve McQueen's ass and have
enough left over to duke it out with Burt Reynolds in his
"Smokey and the Bandit" period.
Max I'm glad you qualified that shit 'cause you know the Burt
Reynolds of "Deliverence" would have kicked Charlie's ass.
Chick Burt was trouble in that flick.
Max What would you say the all-time, slam-bam, take-no-prisoners,
kick-ass Charlie Bronson movie is?
Chick All time? Well, let me think. "Dirty Dozen," the first
"Death Wish." No, no! That movie where he hunted the buffalo. I
don't remember the name but he hunted a buffalo and he said like
three words during the whole picture. That's my selection.
Max Fine. The buffalo movie. That's your pick. You relly think
that buffalo Charlie could have thrown-down with the Steve
McQueen form "Bullitt?"
Chick He'da whooped his ass and then his father's. We'll settle
this right now. Rockhound? You heard the debate. You're the
Supreme Court. What's the final verdict?
Rockhound Tough call. But for me though, one name -- Poncherello.
Eric Estrada. You know, "Chips."
Chick and Max just look at him. A beat. Then --
Max What did you ask him for? Guy makes his living looking at
rocks.
The limo pulls over and stops. The DRIVER gets out and walks to
the rear door. Opens it.
EXT. N.A.S.A. - FRONT OF FACILITY - DAY
The Roughnecks get out in front of the JOHNSON SPACE CENTER. They
stare up at the familiar N.A.S.A. LOGO imprinted on the
building. Chick and Bennie exchange looks --
BEHIND THEM
A battered Ford pick-up pulls up, driven by 71 year-old "MAMA"
MABEL BROWN. Mabel's six foot-five, 375 pound son, BEAR, gets
out of the car.
Bear 'Bye, Mama.
Mabel Reginald, get over here and kiss your Mama goodbye.
Bear In front of the guys?
Mabel Never too old to kiss your Mama.
JIMBO, six-foot five, 375 pounds, bald, pulls up on a HARLEY
DAVIDSON motorcycle. He climbs off the bike.
Chick There ain't no oil in this place. What the hell are we
doing here?
INT. JOHNSON SPACE CENTER - MEDICAL WING - DAY
Harry has just briefed his crew on the mission.
Bear ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?
Chick Harry, this is some "Star Wars" shit. This ain't for us.
Harry It's a job, like any other. Just a different location.
Max We work rigs. We understand rigs. We don't know dick about
being astronauts.
Rockhound
(pointing)
I might add that to get us up there they're going to have to
strap our asses on one of those rockets. That means fire,
involuntary shit release, and a slew of other stuff I can't hang
with.
JIMBO We don't have "The Right Stuff," know what I'm saying?
(looking around)
We're Roughnecks.
Harry I'd rather die up there fighting this thing than sit here
waiting for it.
Harry's line hangs in the air. Everyone exchanges looks.
Bear I don't like the idea of waiting around to croak. It's
wimpy.
Chick If Harry-the-iron-ass is going, I'm going with him.
Bear Hell, I'm going just so I can say I went.
(shrugs)
Once we get up there, it's making hole.
Tito I'm in.
INT. JOHNSON SPACE CENTER - EXAMINATION ROOM - DAY
Max, Chick, and Tito sit in HOSPITAL SMOCKS on two examination
tables. They have tattoos, long hair. A cigarette dangles from
Tito's lips. AIR FORCE NURSES are everywhere. A NURSE clips a
SWATCH OF HAIR from each of the men. She comes to Tito. He grabs
her arm. Takes the scissors from her.
Tito Nobody touches my hair but me.
He cuts a SWATCH of hair, gives it to her. A SECOND NURSE is in
front of Max and Tito.
Max You're not taking any more blood. You vampires already have
enough to feed your coven for a year.
Nurse
(nasally-voiced)
We need to know what substances you've recently ingested.
Tito What, uhh, "substances" you talkin' about?
Nurse
(matter of fact)
Drugs.
Ma and Tito eye each other nervously. Head Nurse, HELGA, stands
before Chick with an ENAMA PROBE and a JAR OF VASELINE.
Chick An Ena-WHAT?
Helga Enema.
Chick And you want to stick it where?
Helga sticks the ENEMA PROBE in a jar of VASELINE.
Chick
(cont'd)
No way, lady. I came here to drill.
Helga So did I.
INT. JOHNSON SPACE CENTER - PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING CENTER - DAY
Chick sits before a hugely endowed but square female N.A.S.A.
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST.
Psychologist Say the first two words that come to mind, beginning
with each letter.
Chick Bodacious and....Bountiful.
(she holds up "S")
Succulent and Sinful.
She holds up the letter "F" and HOLD ON CHICK'S REACTION.
INT. JOHNSON SPACE CENTER - EXAMINATION ROOM - DAY
Harry sits before the Chief Physician, DR. BANKS. Golden looks
out the window. Dr. Banks, dead-serious, flips through the
medical and psychiatric test scores.
Dr Banks Mr. Stamper, your men...are...take Mr. Chappel. I
believe they call him Chic.
Harry Charles, but if you call him that, he'll kill you.
Dr Banks
(nervous laugh)
I assume you're joking.
(no response)
Your men show aggression, extreme maladjustment to their
surroundings, anti-social behaviour --
Harry With all due respect, Doctor, I don't know too army guys
who are social when someone is trying to jam a tube up their
butt.
Dr Banks Does your company have a drug testing program? These
toxicology reports are a throwback to the sixties. All show huge
levels of nicotine and alcohol. Three of the, four show illegal
drugs. A couple I had to look up. One of them had "Kematine" --
a very potent sedative.
Harry A lot of people take sedatives.
Dr Banks This one is used on horses.
Harry I don't tell my men how to live their lives. They're with
me to do a job and they do it well.
Golden This is getting us nowhere. Can they fly, or not?
Dr Banks
(flipping through physical records)
Failed. Failed. Really failed. Under the circumstances...
(locks eyes with Golden)
They're the finest physical specimens I've ever seen.
INT. N.A.S.A. - LONGSHOT
Harry's crew walk together in newly issued N.A.S.A. jumpsuits.
Bear and JIMBO have ripped the sleeves and collars off their X-
Large suits.
They walk past two N.A.S.A. mathematicians.
Mathematician 1
(to mathematician 2)
We're screwd.
PULL BACK TO REVEAL
Temple and Golden standing there with their arms crossed,
watching the motley crew of Roughnecks. They're joined by
U.S.A.F. test pilots COLONEL SHARP, a young Chuck Yeager type,
and LT. COLONEL LUCAS TRUMAN, 30's, rigid and muscular.
Sharp I mean, they kind of look like Armstarong, Lovell, and
Glenn.
(turns, soberly to Golden)
So, my wife and little girls' lives are in their hands, sir?
Golden We need to drill. Do you know how to drill, colonel?
(beat)
Neither do I. They're going up.
Temple
(pointing to his lapel)
With my stars came the power to be blunt. These drillers are
not trained for this, Dan.
Truman shakes his head. Sharp eyes Golden, waiting for a
response.
Golden General, it's our job to get them ready to go into space.
They're there to do the drilling.
(beat, then)
And Colonel Sharp, we all have families.
A hard look from Sharp to Temple, as Golden walks away.
Temple
(to Golden)
If they can't drill this hole, my men are going to take over.
INT. N.A.S.A. - RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT DAY
Quincy is face-to-face with Golden. TECHS work on the drilling
arm in the b.g. Harry and the Roughtnecks are across the room.
Harry That Armadillo car. Get it in here.
In rolls the Armadillo, two TECHNICIANS pushing it. Harry and the
guys look at it. Quincy shows it off.
Quincy Pressurised titanium alloy cab. Airlocked life support.
The chassis's by General Motors. Heavy duty suspension and six
wheel drive.
Harry How were you going to power your drill arm?
Quincy Turbo-jet engine fuelled by Kerosene and liquid oxygen.
Harry I need to be able to start and stop. I need different
speeds, and I need reverse.
Quincy A jet engine can't do that.
Harry It can if it's hooked up to a clutch. A.J., get me a Mack
truck transmission.
Quincy That's so simple it's brilliant.
Harry I'm a simple man. But don't underestimate me.
A.J. Chick, Max! Mack truck tranny!
Chick and Max hurry off. A.J. smiles at Harry.
INT. JOHNSON CTR - ASTRONAUT TRAINING - WORKROOM - DAY
Harry, A.J., Bennie, Chick, Max, and Tito sit before Quincy, who
demonstrates a series of components on the N.A.S.A. SPACE SUIT.
Quincy The new generation EMU - Extravehicular Mobility Unit -
provides oxygen for seven hours, a pressurised enclosure, and
temperate control. The gloves and helmet slide on and lock with
a twist, like this. The cap is worn underneath. It contains a
mike and headphones for two-way communication. We'll be able to
see you from a small video cam mounted inside the helmet. The
Undergarment has 300 feet of plastic tubing circulating cooling
water. Owen...
OWEN THE TAILOR, five foot nothing & bald, stands in front of the
men.
Owen These are made for men 5'8" to 6'2", between 140 and 200
pounds. All of you fit within those parameters - thank God we
won't have to do any re-tailoring....
Owen stops because --
Bear and Jimbo stand in the doorway --
JIMBO Yo. This where we get our suits?
Bear Sorry, we're late. Doc said we had... What do we got?
JIMBO Cholesterol difficulties. Said we gotta enter "The Zone."
Bear Shit, the only zone I know is the one around my mama's
grill.
JIMBO
(holding up form)
But we're approved.
Owen looks at the human mountains standing before hi, and then at
the tiny EMU suit. Alterations will be necessary.
INT. JOHNSON CENTER - ASTRONAUT TRAINING - MORNING
Clark briefs Harry and the mildly attentive Roughnecks. Sharp,
Truman, CO-PILOTS MEGAN WATTS
(30's, tough as nails)
and STAN WESTON stand in the back along with N.A.S.A. Engineers
JACK CROSS and RAYMOND SEARS.
Clark United States astronauts train for eighteen months. You
have nine days. Officers Sharp, Truman, Watts and Weston are
your military instructors and the only pilots to have flown the
spacecraft.
(beat)
Each is a combat decorated officer and among the finest men and
women we have in the service. Pay attention to them.
Sharp We spend six months on emergency training - we're throwing
that out. If we fail, everyone dies. Game over. That's a heavy
load but it's ours to carry. The purpose of this is to train you
in the physical and mental rigors of working in a weightless
enviroment so that you will not panic. So you can do your jobs.
(beat)
You will vomit. Your eyes will be sucked into the back of your
heads. You'll be so tired you can't eat but that won't matter
'cause you'll be so sore you can't take a dump. By the
way...good morning.
INT. NEUTRAL BUOYANCY TANK - DAY
Splash, Splash. Harry and the Roughnecks descend underwater. They
look like Michelin Men in their thick space suits. Navy divers
are around them as they are lined up.
Through the underwater speaker, WE HEAR a trainer giving them
instructions for their weightless aerobic training. WE HEAR a
loud, embarrassing gastric sound from Bear's suit.
Bear Houton, we have a problem. That is some vicious methane.
Harry gives a "shut the fuck up" look. Time passes as the guys
are dying, HUFFING and PUFFING. One by one, they reach
exhaustion. A cabled harness hoists each out.
INT. JOHNSON CENTER - CARDIO LAB - DAY
Harry and his team, in T-shirts and running shorts, jog on a
series of threadmills, wired to EKG machines, nostrils taped
shut, breathing tubes locked in their mouths. EXT. N.A.S.A. T-38
JET HANGER - DAY
A gleaming spit-shine hanger full of fifteen N.A.S.A. T-38
fighter jets. Our drill team walks up looking worn out. They are
met at the open hanger door by pilots CHUCK JR., Vietnam vet,
leatherneck-take-no-pussy-bullshit-type-of-guy and HAMMER.
Chuck Jr. On this mission, they tell me you will experience the
worst G-Forces in the history of flight. It's like an elephant
sitting on your chest. So, I intend to flip you, spin you, splat
your bodies till your bones hurt. Now load up and enjoy the
flight.
The Roughnecks, wearing flight suits and helmets, board the
planes. Harry does not like the look of these things. Bear is
trying to figure out how to fit inside.
Bear Thing's made for a child - like my kid's car seat.
Chuck Jr. and Hammer walk up to a nervous Harry.
Chuck Jr. What's the problem, Texas tough guy?
Harry I've got a thing about flying.
Chuck Jr. Not good for an astronaut.
(looks to Hammer)
Hammer, go easy, don't rip his guts out.
Hammer Sure thing, Chuck.
INT. JET FIGHTER.
Harry plastered to the seat, MOANING so scared he can't puke. The
plane barrel-rolls and dives straight to the ground. Harry is
GRUNTING and sweating trying to stay conscious.
EXT. N.A.S.A. T-38 JET HANGER - DAY
The T-38's are pulling up and letting the drill crew out. They
walk back with white sweat, soaked faces and wobbly legs. Harry
exits the plane.
Harry I hate to fly. I hate to fly. I hate it so much.
Harry leans over to puke.
INT. N.A.S.A. T-38 JET HANGER - DAY
The Roughnecks walking to the T-38 Hanger. Sharp stands on the
stairway to the 707 and calls everyone to attention.
Sharp Trainees, AT EASE
(in command)
We are not done here. We're taking you for a little ride. This
bird will climb to 40 thousand feet and drop to 10 thousand feet
to give you the feeling of weightlessness for 30 seconds.
Welcome to N.A.S.A.'s Vomit Comet. INT. VOMIT COMET
The plane drops. The Roughnecks lift off inside. Everyone's
flying around the cabin. It's a disaster. Guys bump heads. Bear
floats like a beached whale. Jimbo rams the roof. Hary hold a
barf bag as he floats. An alarm SOUNDS, then the plane levels
off, the guys go slamming into the floor.
INT. JOHNSON SPACE CENTER BATHROOM
Tracking past a row of stalls, WE SEE the soles of a pair of
shoes peeking out. Then another pair, another, and another over
the multiple sounds of guts being tossed into the toilet.
Golden, Clark, and Sharp stand outside the stalls.
Golden This is like putting the Hell's Angels in space.
INT. N.A.S.A. RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
Harry and the Roughnecks are welding the Armadillo, working tough
and hard.
INT. N.A.S.A. LOCKER ROOM - NIGHT
The Roughnecks are getting dressed.
Max
(to Chick)
We're going to go pound some brews where they have a lot of
sweaty, naked women. You in?
Chick
(shakes head)
No. I got to take care of something.
The Roughnecks walk out, leaving Chick behind.
INT N.A.S.A. CAR - NIGHT
Driven by a uniformed N.A.S.A. TECH, Chick pulls up to a house in
a residential neighbourhood. He sits there with a beat, unsure
of what to do.
EXT. HOUSE - NIGHT
Chick walks up to the house, KNOCKS. DENISE WILLIAMS answers the
door.
Chick Hey, Denise.
Denise What do you want, Chick?
A big six-year old boy, TOMMY, runs up behind his mom.
Tommy Who is it, Mommy?
Chick looks at Tommy, smiles.
Denise It's um...just a salesman, honey.
Chick Hi.
Tommy
(looking straight up)
You look like big foot.
Chick kneels, extends his hand. Tommy smiles and shakes it. Chick
doesn't want to let go.
Chick I got a feeling you're going to be pretty big yourself.
Denise Go inside and play, Tommy.
Tommy Okay, mommy. 'Bye, Big Foot.
Chick 'Bye, Tommy.
Chick watches Tommy run off. He looks to Denise.
Denise What was I supposed to tell him? We've got a life here
now, Chick, with someone we can depend on.
Chick What I did before was wrong. Every day of my life I regret
it. I can see you've got a good thing going, Denise, I'm not
trying to mess that up. But this thing's come my way and I got
the chance to do something really right.
Denise This another one of your scams, Chick?
Chick It's no scam. You might just be proud of me.
Denise opens the door a little wider, SHE SEES the car in the
driveway. The N.A.S.A. logo stencilled on the door. The N.A.S.A.
Tech waiting.
Denise What's going on, Chick?
Chick I can't tell you now. But if it comes out good, I'll be
back.
(beat)
Then maybe you'd consider telling Tommy I'm not a...salesman.
It's good to see you. You look really beautiful.
Chick turns and walks away.
Denise Hey, Chick.
(Chick turns)
You be careful.
INT. LUCKY LAURIE'S - NIGHT
A seedy Houston drinking hole. All the Roughnecks sit at the bar.
The bar is littered with EMPTY MUGS AND SHOTGLASSES. A WOMAN
looks at Bennie.
Woman What are you boys doin' down here in good 'ol Houston?
Bennie
(burps)
We're in astronaut training.
This gets the reaction you'd expect.
INT. JOHNSON CENTER - RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT - LATE NIGHT
Harry and Quincy go over a list of stuff to order and logistical
problems. N.A.S.A. Tech rushes into the room.
N.A.S.A. Tech Space Command spotted more incoming.
Quincy
(springing up)
Where' it headed? How big?
N.A.S.A. Tech Don't know.
They start to run out of the room. Harry follows.
INT. ROCKET ENGINE DEVELOPMENT ROOM
The camera follows up a long ladder to a huge rocket bell housing
where A.J. and Grace are kissing passionately. They notice Harry
and Quincy, and the other Techs heading for Mission Control.
Harry locks eyes with A.J. He doesn't like it. A.J. and Grace
know something is up. They follow Harry and the others into
Mission Control.
INT. MISSION CONTROL - LATE NIGHT
The room is lit up. Men are scrambling. Phones and satellite
charts pop up. Tracking devices PING. Golden on top of the
chaos. A TRACKING TECH plots on a map. Clark stands over a
N.A.S.A. TECH reading a computer screen.
Golden Projected impact tracking. I need stats!
Tracking Tech Eastern Asian Hemisphere... someplace...ETA 17
minutes.
N.A.S.A. Tech We have confirmation. The incoming is about the
size of the Astrodome.
Clark We've got to warn.
Golden Warn who? The whole South Pacific?
Golden, with lack of sleep and stress, falls back into a chair.
He closes his eyes, opens them -- finding Harry in the upper
Mission Control Deck. They lock eyes for a long moment.
INT. SHANGHAI - ESTABLISHING - NIGHT
The city ablaze in neon. The harbour, floating junksmanned by
Chinese merchants. A loud sonic boom CRACKS in the sky. There's
a BRIGHT FLASH in the sky. Night becomes day for two seconds.
The world slows down, motion creeps. The bright FLASH catches the
face of a little BOY reaching out for his father's hand. The
asteroid SHRIEKS down, hitting the harbour's surface in a red
hot FLASH-BOILED at 100 thousand degrees.
INT. MISSION CONTROL - NIGHT
The room is silent. Reports are starting to come in about the
devastation. Golden walks up to Harry who is standing with Grace
and A.J. He pulls Harry aside.
Golden Stamper, answer me one question - have you ever let anyone
down?
We go close on Harry's face. Searing flashbulbs popping, WIDEN TO
INT. WHITE HOUSE PRESS ROO - NIGHT
WE SEE him from behind as he addresses the massive crowd. The
U.S. PRESIDENT stands before a throng of reporters.
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS
Papers headlines, CNN reporters flash on screens. Images of
people watching the news in bars, at home. A NEW YORK POST slams
down on the pavement, the headline - SHANGHAI DISASTER, MASSIVE
DEATH TOLL RISING.
INT. SOMEPLACE IN KENTUCKY - HOLDING CELL - DAWN
Jimbo is talking to an F.B.I. AGENT who is on the other side of
the bars holding a newspaper.
Jimbo If it's over then why aren't you lettin' us out of this
goddamn cell?
F.B.I. Agent Be real soon, son.
The agent flips the newspaper into the holding cell and walks
away.
Jimbo Don't walk away, I want to talk to my lawyer. You hear me?
Pearl
(refering to the newspaper)
This says that the asteroid came from the Southern Hemisphere.
Theo Southern Hemisphere?
Pearl No kidding. It's a big sky - they want people to look the
other way.
INT. MANHATTEN - TAXI CAB
Stu the cabbie is riding with a WALL STREET GUY.
Stu Kennedy lied about the Bay of Pigs, Nixon...Watergate, say no
more. Clinton. One word. 'Women.' If I know one thing; ALL
PRESIDENTS LIE.
INT. N.A.S.A. - TRAINING ROOM - MORNING
Morning after the devastating disaster in Shanghai. Harry walks
into the quiet room. Harry's all business.
Harry Forty thousand people died last night. But I guess that
didn't concern any of you. I hope you all had a good time last
night.
The Roughnecks look around. They know there were wrong.
Chick I gotta tell you...I'm scared.
Harry Well, you should be scared. We all should be. 'Cause if we
fail, they say the Earth will die.
Harry sits down, looks out the window at N.A.S.A. Techs working
in the room down below.
Harry You think these N.A.S.A. guys are a bunch of clean-cut
pussies, that's it. They can out think you, they can outrun you.
This job, gentlemen, is as real as it gets. I need every one of
you.
(he looks them in the eye)
If you're not up to it, then walkout of that door.
Finally. Theo and Pearl, frustrated, go to the TWO-WAY MIRROR,
blocking Jimbo from view.
Theo I'm hungry! When're we gonna eat?
Pearl I have p.m.s.!! I need some ibuprofen!
Jimbo grabs Randy's legal pad and writes:
HELP!! BIG ASTEROID GOING TO HIT EARTH. COORDINATES 712 BY 345.
Randy stares at the message.
Randy Okay, I'm done here!
The door opens. Two F.B.I. AGENTS lead Randy out. Jimbo looks at
Theo and Pearl.
Jimbo He flunked the bar three times.
INT. N.A.S.A. - RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
-- Harry shows Quincy his DRAWINGS of the DRILLING ARM - the way
Harry wants it.
-- Harry, A.J. and Quincy work with the TURBO PROP ENGINE,
transforming it into a JET FUEL GENERATOR.
Quincy We'll run your liquid oxygen from the shuttle through a
tube into the intake manifold. No problem.
A.J. I figured out how to bring up the slag. Direct the jet
turbine's exhaust down the drill pipe. It'll blow the stuff
right up the hole.
Harry Good, A.J. Good.
-- Chick, Bennie, Bear, Jumbo welding new pieces of the DRILLING
ARM together. The Roughnecks have changed. Chick and Bennie now
have crew-cuts.
-- A.J., Harry, Max and Tito build the drilling arm.
EXT. ARIZONA - SHUTTLE TAKE OFF AREA
TWO X-71 SHUTTLES in the hanger. TECHNICIANS scramble around,
preparing the shuttles for the mission.
Harry
(points)
From all of your intel, the deepest fault line is here. This is
my sweet spot. If I can get a clean hole in there, She'll blow in
half....
Golden ....and the two pieces will slide right past us. You
cannot shatter it. Getting hit with 20 smaller asteroids is as
bad as one big one. You have to drill, plant the nuke, lift
off, and detonate -- all before the asteroid reaches this
position.
(demonstrates position)
You have eight hours. Remember it. You must detonate by this
point or, the two halves will hit us.
Harry nods and walks off.
Sharp Drill an eight-hundred foot hole in eight hours? Is that
possible?
Harry doesn't like to be questioned --
Harry You just worry about getting me on that rock, Colonel. Let
me worry about the drilling.
A moment of conflict between them.
EXT. JOHNSON CENTE - ASTRONAUT TRAINING - DAY
ONE OF THE ARMADILLOS, complete with drilling arm, sits at the
bottom of the tank. Harry and six Roughnecks are already at the
bottom, in pressure suits and helmets.
Golden, Quincy, Clark, Sharp, Truman, and all of the N.A.S.A.
BRASS, observe.
A.J. is the last to enter the tank.
INT. N.A.S.A. NEUTRAL BUOYANCY TANK - UNDERWATER
A.J. descend to the tank's bottom. Harry, Chick, Bennie, Max and
Tito are in bulky white pressure suits. Jimbo and Bear wear the
largest pressure suits ever made. They talk through their helmet
radio links.
One drilling arm starts turning. The Roughnecks turn toward a
STACK OF 20 FOOT LONG STAINLESS STEEL DRILLING PIPES on the
tank's bottom. ABOVE WATER - SIDE OF TRAINING TANK
Golden hits a stopwatch.
Golden
(into intercom)
Go.
INT. N.A.S.A. NEUTRAL BUOYANCY TANK - UNDERWATER
Bear and Jimbo grab a pipe string and handle onto the mock-up
drill arm. They clamp it on. Bennie and Chick screw a drill bit
onto the pipe string. They are good, very good. The work with
the manic intensity of a pit crew at Indy.
Harry Done!
ABOVE WATER - SIDE OF TANK
Golden hits his stopwatch. Smiles. The N.A.S.A. Brass is
impressed.
Golden These guys are fast. Harry, interior gauge check.
INT. N.A.S.A. NEUTRAL BUOYANCY TANK - UNDERWATER
Harry We're on A.J.
A.J. Let's see what this baby can do.
Harry and A.J. move the Armadillo's AIRLOCK DOOR. It has an
exterior open/close button. Harry punches it. The side door
opens. Harry enters, then A.J.
INT. ARMADILLO - UNDERWATER
Harry and A.J., still underwater, climb inside. Harry presses the
PRESSURIZATION button. Simulating pressurisation in space, the
water in the cab is blown out, and air WHOOSHES IN.
Harry and A.J. sit dripping in the watertight cab. Through the
front window WE SEE the other Roughnecks in the tank. Harry
unlocks his neck seals. Pulls off his helmet.
Harry Lose the helmet, A.J.
A.J. snaps out of it. His hands go instinctively to the helmet
and in one motion...CLICK. It's off.
Harry
(clicks radio)
We're in. Run the simulation.
The interior PRESSURE GUGE NEEDLES and MONITORS
(engine torque, drill direction, etc.)
start bobbing. The drill starts to cut into a BLOCK OF CONCRETE.
Golden
(V.O)
How's she look?
Harry Torque adjuster's good. Fuel level good. A.J., downhole
pressure?
A.J. We can do better. I'm increasing the RPM's to seven
thousand. We can get more torque.
Golden
(V.O)
Negative, A.J. Don't exceed ix thousand. Not on this run.
A.J. Relax. I built this thing. She's got more in her. Increasing
the RPM's.
Golden
(V.O)
Negative, A.J. A.J. increases the RPM's. The gauge starts to
rise. The N.A.S.A. Brass shifts uneasily in their seats. They're
not accoutomed to seeing their astronauts disobey orders.
Golden
(V.0)
(cont'd)
A.J., shut the Armadillo down now
A.J. We can push it, further. Let's see what she can do.
Suddenly, the RPM''s shoot into the red. A red siren spins in the
control room. The Armadillo SHAKES violently. The DRILLING BIT
grinds to nothing. The Armadillo BLOWS a tranny.
Harry's eyes close. He's pissed.
IN THE CONTROL ROOM
The N.A.S.A. Brass looks to Golden. One of them shakes their
head. Sharp and Golden exchange a look. Sharp shakes his head.
INSIDE THE TANK
A.J. presses a button and the cabin, simulating
"depressurisation" in space, begins to fill with water.
INT. NEUTRL BUOYANCY TANK - SIDE OF TANK - DAY
Everyone around him just watches, as A.J. climbs out of the tank.
After a minute, A.J. looks up, sees all the eyes in the room on
him.
EXT. CREW QUARTERS - NIGHT
Harry is outside, smoking a Coheba. Harry runs his hand over a
SMALL METAL MEDAL that hangs from his neck. Golden approaches.
Golden A.J.'s off the team. We need a list of names from you to
fill the slot.
Harry A.J. would be the first name on my list.
Golden We don't want independent thinkers. And we don't need
heroes. We need a team.
Harry You have to have confidence in the men you send up. I
understand that. But I'm the one that has to land on that rock.
Not you.
(firm)
I pick my own team.
Golden One shot. Pull him in line or send him home.
INT . HUB OF ROCKET SIMULATOR - NIGHT
A.J. and Grace are there talking. Grace is on A.J.'s lap.
A.J. I pushed it, I screwed up.
Grace These astronauts train for years for what you're training
for in a few days.
A.J. I don't know why I didn't just listen to them.
Grace So, tomorrow you listen.
A.J. and Grace share a look.
A.J. I love you, Grace.
A N.A.S.A. Tech approaches.
N.A.S.A. Technician Harry wants to see you.
INT. DESIGN AND PROTOTYPE ROOM - NIGHT
Harry and A.J. stand in the centre of a high-tech supply room.
SPARE PARTS from shuttles, PROTOTYPES and WORK TOOLS are
everywhere.
Harry You tell me what the hell you think you're doing?
A.J. I'm trying to work with the team.
Harry Bullshit. You're trying to lead this team. You're trying to
be me. You're not me.
A.J. What do you want? You want me to quit?
Harry If you can't bury this cowboy shit, yeah, I want you to
quit.
A.J. I don't have to prove anything to anybody, Harry.
Harry I listen to N.A.S.A., you listen to me. That's the chain.
Either you follow it, or you're done.
A.J. I'll follow it.
Harry I stood up for you, because I've made a life of proving
people wrong.
Harry's hand slides down to the medal hanging from his neck.
Harry
(cont'd)
When I was about your age, I was in Galveston, Texas. I scraped
together some money, bought some old equipment, a little land. I
set up a rig and drilled my first hole. Then I sat there and
watched her soak up the sun for six months - waiting for this
baby to pop. Everybody told me to quit. I wouldn't listen. My
wife ran off with a drill-rigger, left me with Grace. Everybody
in town thought I was a fool. But I stayed with it. And in the
last hour of the last day, she popped. She spit out that black
gold and I danced in it like a wild Indian.
(reflective )
I captured the magic
(holding medal)
This is the last piece of pipe that struck gold that day.
Harry takes off the medal. Sets it on the table. He grabs a
cutting vice and cuts the medal in two perfect halves. He hands
one half to A.J.
Harry
(cont'd)
Here, take it up there.
QUICK MONTAGE
Inside the neutral buoyancy tank -- Harry's crew goes through all
DRILLS one final time
(final mission checks)
in quick succession. Everything runs perfectly. The Armadillo
is rebuilt and shown functioning without error. A.J. works as
part of the team.
INT. JOHNSON SPACE CENTER - DAY
The hour of the mission. The two teams sit in the orange N.A.S.A.
flight pressure suits. Golden enters and stands before the room.
Golden In the book of Revalations, the Bible speaks of a final
day on Earth, when all mankind shall perish, shall cease to
exist. This day is known as Armageddon.
(firm)
Right now, that day conflicts with six billion schedules.
(beat)
For the first time in the history of this planet, s species
possesses the technology to prevent it's own extinction.
(beat)
I've been with N.A.S.A. my entire adult life. Eleven years as
an astronaut, another fifteen on the ground at Mission Control.
Twenty-six years I've had to answer one question -- why? Why
more money? Why the race for space? Why do we need to know what
is up there?
(beat)
When we come through this, I'll take comfort in the fact that
I won't ever have to answer those questions again. You are our
warriors up there. You are our last hope. God be with you.
The crew stands......
EXT. JOHNSON SPACE CENTER - RUNWAY - DAY
Two sleek BLACK LEAR JETS are parked on the runway. Harry studies
them. Grace approaches.
Harry You know I was thinking, Gracie. Over the years, I should
have patted you on the back more....
Grace Dad, you don't need --
Harry No father has ever been prouder of his child, Gracie. I
want you to know that.
Grace's reaction makes it clear that Harry has never said
anything like this before.
Grace I love you, Dad.
Harry I love you too, Gracie.
Grace
(as they hug)
Keep an eye on A.J. for me.
Harry climbs up the metal stairs --
A.J. and the rest of Harry's crew comes out of the building. A.J.
moves to Grace as she watches her father disappear into the jet.
A.J. Excuse me.
(Grace turns)
You're really insanely gorgeous and I was jost sort of
wondering if you --
Grace I'm engaged. But my father hasn't given him his blessing so
you might still have a chance.
(smiles, then serious)
Promise me you won't do anything stupid up there.
A.J. nods. They kiss passionately. Harry's crew sees this and
applauds. Grace blushes, embarrassed.
A.J. I love you, Grace.
Grace I love you. Come back, Okay?
Harry's crew boards LEAR JET 2. A.J. starts toward LEAR JET 1.
Grace watches him walk away, eyeing his suit.
Grace A.J.--
A.J.
(turning)
Yeah?
Grace When you get back, ask them if you can kep the suit
(winks)
It's kind of sexy.
EXT. ARIZONA DESERT - BY SHUTTLE FREEDOM
The cone-shaped noses of the two X-71's are towering silhouettes
against the sun. Massive CRAWLERS move the shuttles to the
launch tower.
EXT. SHUTTLES FREEDOM & INDEPENDENCE LAUNCH - DAY
Seen from a distance as silhouettes behind a sun-soaked sky,
sixteen figures walk toward us. As they grow closer, WE SEE the
intense game faces of Harry, A.J., Bennie, Chick, Jumbo, Tito,
Rockhound, Max and others approaching the launch site. They look
like N.A.S.A.'s version of the "Dirty Dozen."
Harry carries a LARGE MYSTERIOUS METAL CASE, that we've not seen
before now.
INT. LAUNCH TOWER ELEVATOR - LATER
Harry exits the elevator and start to walk to the CATWAL to the
Freedom shuttle. Harry carries his suitcase.
N.A.S.A. Tech 1 Sir, was that case authorised for transport?
N.A.S.A. Tech 2 Our weight to fuel ratio's calibrated to the
kilogram, sir. How much does that weigh?
Harry Sixty pounds.
N.A.S.A. Tech 1 That can't go up with you, sir.
Harry Wait here.
INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM - AFTERNOON
Harry enters the cabin. N.A.S.A.'s crack seven-member "Strap-in-
Team" goes to work. Harry's crew are outfitted with their
HELMETS and CHUTE PACKS. Each step is methodical, each piece of
equipment is checked and rechecked.
Harry Hey you. Yeah you. Come here.
A YOUNG N.A.S.A. TECH approaches. Harry gestures at a row of
METAL COMPONENTS housed in the wall.
Harry What's all this crap?
N.A.S.A. Technician
(pointing to various)
Multi-track C.D. player. Anti-gravity hand washer, utensil
washer, and micro-wave oven.
(proud)
We worked hard to make the X-71 feel more like home.
Harry just looks at the kid.
EXT. ARIZONA DESERT - BY SHUTTLE FREEDOM - DAY
Metal components one after the other come out of the shuttle
hatchway and SLAM into a heap on the lake bed. Harry then
appears in the hatchway.
Harry We don't need music and we don't mind dirty utensils.
Harry picks up his LARGE METAL CASE and ducks back inside the
Freedom. The N.A.S.A Techs stare at the ruined components at
their feet.
INT. MISSION CONTROL - DUSK
Golden and Clark prepare for the launch.
N.A.S.A. Tech
(into intercom)
T-minus six minutes and counting.
INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM - COCKPIT - DUSK
Sharp and Watts settle in. MAJORS PITTS and FISK, two stern Army
demolition experts, finish tying down their equipment.
Mission Control
(V.O)
Roger, Independence and Freedom, auto ground launch sequencer
commencing.
Sharp looks at Pitts and Fisk
Sharp You two ready?
Pitts
(enthusiastically)
AIRBORNE!
INT. N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL - DUSK
Golden, Clark and the N.A.S.A. Techs study the CENTRAL BOARD as
final preparations for take-off commence.
Technician Shuttles Freedom and Independence you are cleared for
lift off.
EXT. ARIZONA DESERT - SHUTTLE TAKE OFF ZONE - DUSK
The ground TREMBLES like an earthquake. EXHAUST BILLOWS out of
the ROCKET BOOSTERS, filling frame. Shuttles Freedom and
Independence ROCKET OFF from dual launch pads, STREAKING BETWEEN
CAMERA, climbing to the heavens.
INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM - COCKPIT - DUSK
Sharp and Watts flip switches, check gauges.
Sharp Instituting roll manoeuvre. We have S.R.B. Sep, over.
INT N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL - DUSK
Technician You are a 'go' for ET separation.
EXT. UPPER ATMOSPHERE - DUSK
Freedom and Independence scream away from Earth, dropping their
booster canisters.
EXT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM - DUSK
Harry, Chick and the others experience their first G-Forces.
INT. N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL - DUSK
Clark Lookin' real good, Freedom.
Golden When you meet the Russian, you might want to go easy on
the guy. He just broke the record for the longest solo -
thirteen months, seven days.
INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM
Chick
(to Harry)
Thirteen months, seven days.
(beat)
What the hell has he been doing all by himself?
INT. RUSSIAN MIR STATION
Life inside, like the cluttered glove-box of an old car. George
Michael's "Freedom" plays on a piped-in sound system. COSMONAUT
LEV ANDROPOV dances and sings.
Lev FREEDOM! FREEDOM! GOT TO GIVE WHAT IT TAKES....Hello Yankees!
I love you America.
(reading from English book)
Would you prefer an appetiser or aperitif?
EXT. RUSSIAN MIR SPACE STATION
PULL OUT of the MIR's window to see Lev dancing with joy. He's
celebrating the forthcoming arrival.
PULL FURTHER BACK to catch a wider view of the Russian multi-
module Space Station -- a white winged steel seagull.
INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM
Through the cockpit window, the BLUENESS of Earth's atmosphere
becomes the BLACKNESS of space.
INT. MISSION CONTROL
Clark Freedom, Independence. You're looking good. Prepare to
start docking procedures at the MIR.
INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM
Sharp addresses the crews of both shuttles over the radio --
Sharp Listen up -- the MIR will be spinning to give us gravity so
we can work faster. You might feel queasy or dizzy. We'll dock,
transfer the fuel, then detach from the MIR. Fast and safe.
This stuff is very volatile.
INT. RUSSIAN MIR SPACE STATION - DOCKING PORT
Lev is working feverishly, running highly insulated liquid oxygen
and hydrogen PROPELLANT TRANSFER HOSES from the MIR's several
LABORATORY and LIVING MODULES to the MIR's twin docking ports.
A BLUE INDICATOR LIGHT FLASHES. Lev looks out of the MIR's
portside window. His eyes light up. He smiles.
EXT. SPACE - LOW EARTH ORBIT - MIR DOCKING PORTS
Freedom and Independence approach the MIR station. The MIR is T-
shaped, with TWIN DOCKING PORTS at each end of the T's crossbar.
Freedom begins docking at one end., Independence at the other.
INT. SHUTTLES FREEDOM/INDEPENDENCE - AIRLOCK PORT TO MIR
Truman Fuel teams prepare to unload.
A RED LIGHT
(unsafe)
turns GREEN
(safe)
. The docking port's HATCHWHEEL spins, and the door slides open.
Harry, Sharp, Watts, Chick, A.J., Bennie, and Truman enter the
MIR.
INT. MIR SPACE STATION - DOCKING MODULE
The TEAM comes through the docking module and out pops Lev,
hanging upside down in frame.
Lev HELLO YANKEES! Welcome to the home of me, Cosmonaut Lev
Andropov.
(MORE)
On a wall, A COMPUTER BOARD that monitors the fuel transfer is
filled with GREEN LIGHTS.
INT. CENTRAL ROOM - CENTER HUB OF MIR
Harry, Bennie, and Lev are talking in the combination kitchen/
rec room of the MIR -- a little bigger than a walk-in closet.
Lev grabs a VIDEO CAMERA and starts video-taping Harry and
Bennie.
Lev I hear rumour on radio. My country broke. No steaks in
freezer. They plan to sell me and the MIR
(moving in closer, conspiratorial)
Can you confirm this?
Bennie We wouldn't know. What's the camera?
Lev Oh, I also di-rec-tor. Russian cinema. MIR movies. Each has
title.
Lev grabs remote control. On a large TELEVISION screen VARIOUS
IMAGES OF LEV appear.
Lev "Lev loves cargo." "Lev sleeps." "Lev prepares for
Americans." "Lev gets bored so he gets drunk." Funny but...too
long.
Bennie Looks like you have a lot of free time on your hands.
Lev Yeah. I alone by myself.
Watts comes into the room. The first woman Lev has seen in a
very, very long time. Lev moves the camera all over her.
Lev Hello, fellow space colleague.
Watts nods.
Watts I'll be in the docking port.
Lev Please allow me to escort you.
(as they walk out)
You California girl?
INT. MIR SPACE STATION - REAR MODULES
Harry and Bennie enter the MIR's rearmost module. Two propellant
hoses run into TWIN PROPELLANT OUTPUT VALVES on a rear panel.
Bennie's eyes move to a LAUNDRY LINE. BOXERS hang from the line.
Bennie This Lev guy is a little off.
On the computer board, a small RED LIGHT replaces the GREEN
LIGHT. Then another. No one notices.
INT. MIR STATION - DOCKING PORTS
CAMERA FOLLOWS MICROSCOPIC AEROSOL BUBBLES OF LIQUID OXYGEN
(MACRO SHOT)
DRIPPING from a valve onto a COMPUTER CIRCUIT BOARD.
INT. MIR - FUEL STORAGE
THE GAUGE STARTS TO rise. A.J. WATCHES. One hundred eighty-
five...190...195...
A.J.
(into intercom)
Lev, the pressure's climbing.
INT. MIR CORRIDOR
(EXTREME MACRO)
The Liquid Oxygen oozes into the circuit board. Surgeon-like
microscopic camera tracks it under the keys, reaching a COMPUTER
SWITCH. It SPARKS.
INT. DOCKING PORT
Lev, Sharp, and Chick are walking toward the shuttles. The
ELECTRICITY in the MIR FLUTTERS. Lev stops. Sharp stops. Lev
looks over his shoulder toward the central hub. A chill runs
down his spine. DOLLY INTO LEV'S EYES -
Lev
(whispering)
Leak. Run.
Lev and Sharp run toward the central hub. Lev punches a KLAXON.
Lev
(cont'd)
LEAK! RUN!
Chick takes off running past Lev and Sharp.
Sharp
(to Chick)
E-vac. E-vac. Unhook the shuttles. Move!
INT. MIR - FUEL STORAGE
A.J. reacts to the KLAXON, starts to climb up the shaft ladder.
A.J. struggles under the heavy weight of his cold suit, finally
reaching ---
INT MIR - CORRIDOR ABOVE FUEL STORAGE
Circuits pop VIOLENTLY all around A.J., as the mixture of
chemical in the air starts to CHEW the MIR's walls.
INT. MIR - CENTRAL HUB
Lev, Sharp, and Chick RUN into the hub as the leak continues,
growing rapidly worse, EATING the walls. Sharp sees the LEAK.
Runs back toward the docking port.
Lev
(to Sharp)
Seal door.
As Sharp SEALS the hatch, Lev returns to look for A.J.
INT. MIR STATION - REAR MODULE
Harry and Chick react to the KLAXOX BLARES.
Harry Unhook the shuttles.
Harry and Chick RUN out of the rear module and race through the
maze of twisting corridors.
INT. MIR CORRIDOR
A.J. runs through another corridor, heading for the docking port
as the walls around him POP! Lev files around the corner almost
smashing into A.J.
INT. MIR STATION - REAR MODULE
The smoking circuitry SPARKS, and the REAR MODULE explodes in a
VIOLENT CONCUSSION, LAUNCHING A LONG TONGUE OF FLAME into --
INT. MIR STATION - UPPER MODULES
Harry and Chick race for the DOCKING MODULE as -- BEHIND THEM, A
SECOND MODULE fills with FIRE and EXPLODES, rocking the MIR.
Then a third. Fire starts to RIP THROUGH corridors in the MIR.
EXT. MIR STATION - SPACE
The MIR shudders and begins to TILT TO ONE SIDE.
INT. MIR STATION - UPPER MODULES
Everything is SIDEWAYS. Lev is KNOCKED to the ground. A HEAVY
COMPUTER BOARD falls, separating A.J. and Lev.
Attempting to reach A.J., Lev turns back and runs from where he
just came.
INT. MIR STATION - UPPER MODULES - SEALED CORRIDOR
A.J. looks left, then right. He doesn't know how to get to the
docking port. He starts running.
INT. MIR STATION - DOCKING PORTS
Sharp re-joins Bennie and Truman. They unhook the FUEL LINES to
the shuttles. Sharp and Chick run aboard Shuttle Freedom. Truman
boards Independence.
INT. MIR CORRIDOR
A.J. is at the corridor fork. Right or left? The Russian writing
above both paths doesn't help. Just as he's about to go left --
Lev suddenly appears, grabs A.J., and PUSHES HIM into the RIGHT
CORRIDOR.
Lev Run Yankee!
INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM
Sharp
(to Watts as he sits and buckles up)
Shut the doors and fire her up!
Watts We still have people out there.
Sharp It's them or ALL OF US. CLOSE THE DOORS NOW!
As the doors are closing, Harry and Chick rush into Shuttle
Freedom. Harry's fingers grab the doors just in time. The doors
retract back.
Harry Did A.J. make it?
Chick I didn't see him.
INT. SHUTTLE INDEPENDENCE
Truman buckles himself in, fires up the Independence.
INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM
Freedom is fired up. The MIR shudders again. TILTS further.
Sharp We have to GO!
INT. MIR CORRIDOR
A.J. and Lev are running hard as DEBRIS falls behind them and the
walls start to TEAR APART. They turn a corner, headed toward the
docking port --
INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM
Harry is at the door, eyes frantically searching for A.J. --
Sharp WE GO NOW!
Sharp stabs a button on his pilot console. The AUTOMATED DOORS
BEGIN to slide shut.
INT. SHUTTLE INDEPENDENCE
Truman stabs a button on his pilot console. The AUTOMATED DOORS
BEGIN to slide shut.
INT. MIR DOCKING PORT
A.J. and Lev race into the docking port from a rear corridor.
Harry sees them. Lev dives into Independence just as the doors
close. A.J. dives head-long through the shutting Independence
doors.
INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM
Sharp
(to Watts)
Full thrusters!
EXT. MIR STATION - SHUTTLES FREEDOM AND INDEPENDENCE
The two shuttles RELEASE AWAY from the MIR Station on FULL
THRUSTER POWER, just escaping as --
THE MIR STATION EXPLODES in an eternal flash fire, blowing out
sections of wall panels and sending a SOLAR PANEL shooting
toward Freedom that just misses her! The collapsed MIR STATION
drifts off into the oblivion of space.
INT. SHUTTLE INDEPENDENCE
A.J. sits panting on the floor of the shuttle next to the docking
port door. Lev stares down at him.
Lev I am Cosmonaut Lev Andropov, what your name?
A.J. My name is A.J.
Lev You just blew up my home.
SUPER - TWENTY THREE HOURS TO THE MOON
Golden and Sharp sitting around going over data. New images of
the closer, meaner asteroid approaching.
INT. FREEDOM
Interior small sleeping area. Max hanging upside-down in zero
gravity. Wakes up yawning. He looks to Bear.
Max Oh, man, did I have a dream.
Bear So did Martin Luthor King.
Max No, this was a bad dream. We were drilling and the ground ate
the bit. Then it ate the pipe, then the derrick. Then it ate us.
Bear That's a dumb-ass dream.
Max I'm not coming home.
They look at each other.
INT. FREEDOM COCKPIT
Harry, Bear, Chick, and Sharp stand looking out the cockpit rear
window toward the brilliant blue Earth.
Bear What are you thinking about, Chick?
Chick My kid. You.
Bear My Mom, she'd be proud to see me as an astronaut.
Chick Harry, what are you thinking?
Harry
(looking at Earth)
How beautiful it is. Thinkin' about all that oil I sucked out
and spit into the air.Funny how a man can live 46 years and
realize he ain't been doing the right thing.
INT. N.A.S.A. - PRESS CONFERENCE ROOM
BEHIND A CURTAIN - Golden confers with Collinswood.
Collinswood The President is counting on you to put out the fire,
Dan. Say whatever you have to. Just do it.
Golden walks from behind the curtain. Walks up to the podium, ten
VIDEO CAMERAS swivel into position.
For a long moment Golden just stands there, saying nothing.
Golden I work for the President of the United States.
(long pause; looks over at Collinswood)
But I think it's my duty as a scientist to tell the world what
is happening. Three, days ago a manned space mission was sent to
intercept an asteroid which has entered the Earth's orbit.
(REPORTERS all chatter)
This is a difficult mission. In all frankness, it is the most
difficult mission anyone has ever flown.
(beat)
A little over fifty years ago we sent our Armed Forces half-way
around the world to save the world from an evil empire that
threatened mass extinction. The men and women of this nation
united, answered the calland preserved our freedom.
(beat)
Once again we face a threat to our way of life. And once again
we look to our military to preserve our future. The men and
women selected to lead this mission are America's finest and
most decorated career officers in the military. Our hopes and
prayers are with them. Thank you.
Golden walks off. The REPORTERS CLAMOR
Reporters
(UNISON)
Director Golden! DIRECTOR GOLDEN!
BACKSTAGE - Golden approaches Collinswood.
Collinswood Golden, your drillers better not let us down.
Golden We'll do your best.
EXT. SPACE - APPROACHING THE MOON
The two Shuttles approach THE MOON, Freedom in the lead,
Independence following.
Beyond the Moon, too distant to see clearly, THE ASTEROID is on
its trajectory toward Earth. It is a HUGE, GRAGGY MASS
surrounded on all sides by a DEBRIS CLUSTER of rock and ice, the
ice glinting on and off in reflected sunlight, like millions of
fireflies.
INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM - COCKPIT
Watts
(unbelieving)
My goodness, look at that thing....
Sharp We have visual of target, Houston. Velocity thirty-three
hundred miles an hour.
INT. HOUSTON - MISSION CONTROL
Clark sits with Techs Flip and Skip. Golden and Temple pace
behind the console.
INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM - REAR CABIN
Harry, Chick, Bear, and Max finish buckling into their seat
restraints and harnesses.
INT. SHUTTLE INDEPENDENCE - REAR CABIN
A.J., Lev, Bennie, Jimbo and Tito buckle on harnesses. Bennie
looks at A.J. nervously.
EXT. SPACE - APPROACHING THE MOON
The Shuttles rapidly close on the moon. The dead, luminous sphere
looms larger in frame.
INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM - COCKPIT
THE LUNAR SURFACE completely fills the cockpit windshield. We've
lost sight of the oncoming asteroid.
Sharp Visual contact with target lost, Houston.
IN THE REAR CABIN - Harry, Chick, Bear, and Max stare in awe at
the ever-approaching Moon.
EXT. SPACE - APPRAOCHING THE MOON
Shuttles Freedom and Independence shoot toward the Moon, pulled
by the lunar gravitational field.
INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM - COCKPIT
THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD - THE LUNAR SURFACE is only 150 miles
down, looking close enough to reach down and touch.
EXT. SPACE - APPROACHING THE MOON
The two Shuttles whip into lunar orbit, moving around the Moon,
continuing to accelerate, nearing its Dark side.
INT. N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL
Clark
(into headset)
How we doin', Freedom, over?
INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM - COCKPIT
Watts Nearing the Dark Side, Houston, a minute thirty and
counting.
EXT. SPACE - THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MOON
On the Moon's opposite side, THE ASTEROID roars into frame, its
trailing fragments motionless in relation to each other,
travelling as a swarm, a cluster of debris. As it nears the
Moon's gravitational field --
TRAILING FRAGMENTS peel away, drawn into the Moon by its lunar
gravity. A relatively DEBRIS-LESS CORRIDOR begins to form on one
side of the asteroid.
INT. N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL
Skip Twenty seconds till we lose radio contact, Director.
Clark You're on your own, Willie. You've got to raise your
velocity 17 thousand miles an hour or you won't catch the
target, over.
INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM - COCKPIT
Sharp See you on the other side, Houston.
Skip
(V.O)
Entering Dark Side, Freedom, and counting: ten, nine, eight,
seven...
INT. N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL
Skip Radio contact terminated.
The radio crackles with STATIC. ON THE TECHNICIAN'S CONSOLES, all
of Freedom's and Independence's COMPUTERIZED SYSTEM MONITORS
(pressurization, oxygen, electrical power, fuel capacity, etc.)
GO DEAD.
Golden They'll be pullin' nine and half G's for eleven minutes,
General.
Temple Anyone done that before?
Flip Yeah. That Russian monkey in 1957.
Clark We'll pick 'em up again in sixteen minutes, Danny.
Golden If they're still alive.
INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM - AROUND DARK SIDE OF MOON
The radio is STATIC.
Watts Rockets ready for burn, Willie.
Sharp
(over shoulder to Harry and others)
Time to suck it up, people. Just pretend you're on the big
roller coaster at Disneyland...
(mumbles under breath)
...times a hundred....
Sharp reaches for the BOOSTER ROCKET SWITCH. He gives Watts one
last look, then throws the switch.
EXT. DARK SIDE OF THE MOON - FREEDOM AND INDEPENDENCE
Freedom and Independence fire their BOOSTERS. The two SHUTTLES
explode forward, hurtling around the Moon's DARK SIDE with a
degree of increasing velocity never before experienced by man.
INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM - REAR CABIN
Harry, Chick, Bear, and Max get hit with the first G-Forces.
Their torsos press back against their seats. They flex their
arms, breathing deeply, expanding their chest cavities as they
were taught in training.
Harry I hate to fly, I hate to fly, I hate to fly....
INT. SHUTTLE INDEPENDENCE - REAR CABIN
A.J., Lev, Bennie, Jimbo, and Tito get slammed back by the first
wave of G-Forces.
INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM - COCKPIT
Watts reads her VELOCITY INDICATOR under G-Forces so bad she
speaks through clenched teeth
Watts Fourteen thousand....sixteen thousand...twenty thousand
miles an hour, Willie...!
INT. N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL
Silence. Tension. Technicians stare at their consoles.
Clark They're hittin' the big G's right about...now.
Golden Come on, Willie, you can do this....
INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM - REAR CABIN
Excruciating, gut-wrenching, turn-your-intestines-inside-out G-
Forces. HARRY and CHICK'S FACIAL MUSCLES distort hideously;
their rubbery cheeks and lips flatten out. They continue anti-G
exercises, tensing every muscle, trying to keep blood flow
evenly distributed.
INT. SHUTTLE INDEPENDENCE
A.J. and Bennie's distorted faces, likewise, go through the anti
G-Force exercises, tensing every muscle.
EXT. LUNAR ORBIT - MASTER SHOT
IN ONE AWE-INSPIRING SHOT, we see --
Shuttles Freedom and Independence rocketing around the Moon in
darkness, further and further, until finally WE SEE,
increasingly, a staggering, mind blowing visual --
THE ASTEROID'S TRAILING DEBRIS appears, a HUGE CLOUD of tiny ICE
CHUNKS AND PEBBLES, and much larger BOULDERS, and ICEBERGS the
size of houses, the ice glinting with reflected sunlight,
throwing off a dazzling SPECTRAL SHOWER OF LIGHT in all
directions, and finally --
THE ASTEROID'S HUGE CORE - it has just cleared the Moon and now
flies straight for it's destination - the cool, blue PLANET
EARTH dead ahead across an expanse of space.
Shuttles Freedom and Independence slingshot out of the Lunar
orbit and fall in behind the asteroid, settling into the DEBRIS-
LESS CORRIDOR.
INT. N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL
Continued STATIC on the radio. Everyone sits nervously waiting.
Suddenly the shuttles' computerised SYSTEM MONITORS begin to
click back on.
Clark Freedom, come in, over. Independence, come in, over.
Nothing. Golden grabs the mike.
Golden Willie? Come in, over. Willie, can you hear me...?
Total silence. A pin could drop. The N.A.S.A. Technicians stare
nervously at the Central Board.
Then, suddenly through static
Sharp
(V.0)
Houston, you gotta see this to believe it....
Elation. Held breaths are exhaled. Golden and N.A.S.A.
TECHNICIANS smile. No one is more relieved than Grace.
INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM - COCKPIT
Sharp and Watts stare through the windshield at --
THE ASTEROID, below them and dead ahead. We get our first
(and only temporary)
clear glimpse of the designated landing field, a relatively
smooth, unobstructed plane on the asteroid's surface.
Harry is green, looks like he's gonna blow chunks.
Sharp We're awake, we're not pukin'....
(looks over shoulder at Harry)
....well, Harry is. And we got a clear path to the target.
Houston, over.
INT. SHUTTLE INDEPENDENCE
Truman smiles.
Truman Copy that, Freedom.
INT. N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL
Clark gives Golden a thumbs up.
Clark We'll take you in, guys.
EXT. SHUTTLES FREEDOM AND INDEPENDENCE
Freedom, in the lead, and Independence, following to the rear and
side, descend through the debris-less corridor to the waiting
asteroid.
Suddenly a CLOUD OF ICE AND PEBBLES wafts in front of the
Shuttles.
INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM COCKPIT
In one terrifying second, visibility is cut to twenty feet. Then
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
PEBBLES and SMALL ICE CHUNKS strike the windshield, chipping and
denting it. The impacts are violent; the interior is buffeted
around. It's the space equivalent of bad hailstorm.
Sharp Damn it....!
Clark
(V.O)
What is it, Willie?
Sharp Problem, Houston. We've got debris all over us!
REAR OF COCKPIT - Harry and the others, alarmed, are buffeted
around violently.
INT. SHUTTLE INDEPENDENCE - COCKPIT
No visibility here either. Ice chunks and pebbles BANG against
the windshield.
Truman I've got no visibility. I've lost orientation to the
target!
Suddenly, as sudden as it came, the debris clears.
But a HUGE ICE BOULDER the size of a three-story building twirls
into Independence's path. It hits a BOULDER which collides with
another.
Truman Big guy! Dead ahead!
Truman stabs his directional thruster button. Shuttle
Independence veers to the right....
INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM
Sharp hits his directional thruster, and Freedom veers to the
left....
EXT. THROUGH THE ASTEROID'S TAIL
Freedom goes left, Independence right, splitting the ice boulder.
Freedom clears the ice boulder by a foot. Independence, not so
lucky, clips the ice boulder, ripping her left thruster clean
off. With one thruster, Independence careens out of control,
twirling and spinning.
INT. SHUTTLE INDEPENDENCE
Truman
(panicked)
I lost left thruster! No control! I have no control!
In the Independence's cargo bay, one of the Armadillos RIPS free
from its moorings and plunges through the CARGO BAY DOORS.
INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM
Sharp steers Freedom past the ice boulder.
Watts Where's the other ship....?!
Suddenly the Independence, with a RIPPED OPEN CARGO BAY DOOR,
careens directly across Freedom's path, filling Freedom's
cockpit window, nearly colliding with her.
Sharp hits his thrusters, veering away from the damaged
Independence.
Sharp and Watts watch Independence twirling toward the asteroid.
Suddenly BANG!!!
The INDEPENDENCE'S ERRANT ARMADILLO strikes the Freedom's nose,
spider-webbing the WINDSHIELD. Sharp and Watts recoil in terror.
Watts SCREAMS.
INT. SHUTTLE INDEPENDENCE
The fuselage is spinning. A.J., Bennie and the others are in
terror. In the cockpit, Truman SCREAMS over the radio
Truman Houston, MAYDAY, MAYDAY, we're going down!
The Shuttle's roof collides with a rock. We hear SCRAPING METAL.
The CEILING dents in, dislodging INTERIOR CEILING PANELS filled
with wires and electrical components; they rain down on A.J. and
the others.
Choas. The SPARKING CABIN fills with smoke.
Truman Crew, go to life support!
Everyone grabs for their HELMET, frantically trying to get them
on. A.J. gets his on, but he can't lock his neck seal. He
fidgets with the little SEAKL LOCKS.
A.J. rips off the helmet. It slips from his fingers and floats
off through the zero-g cabin!
A.J. Goddamn it!
A.J. throws off his seat harnesses and goes after his helmet. In
zero-gravity, the sides of the twirling cockpit revolve around
A.J. as he moves.
INT. N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL
We hear a CACOPHONY OF VOICES and BANGING ROCKS against
Independence's fuselage.
Truman MAYDAY, HOUSTON, MAYDAY....!!
Golden and the N.A.S.A. personnel can only sit and listen,
horrified, impotent to do anything.....
INT. SHUTTLE INDEPENDENCE - REAR CABIN
AT THE BACK OF THE CABIN - A.J. reaches his helmet and
frantically gets it back on. The fuselage is still twirling
around him.
Bennie, strapped in and freaking out, throws off his seat harness
and bolts for the SAFETY EMERGENCY HATCH equipped with EXPLOSIVE
RELEASE CHARGES.
Truman sees Bennie at the Emergency Hatch. BIG ROCKS smash off
the windshield in front of Truman; the windshield's safety glass
is weakened, splintered, to the point of bursting.
Truman Get away from that door!!!!
Bennie is wild-eyed, crazed.
Bennie Go to hell, man, I ain't dyin' on this thing!!!!
A SERIES OF QUICK CUTS
A ROCK SMASHES through the windshield, gouging into Truman.
Depressurisation. Truman and Co-pilot Weston are sucked out
through the windshield.
Bennie BLOWS the Emergency Hatch's explosive charges. The hatch
door pulls Bennie out into space...to his death.
INT. N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL
FLASH CUTS Independence's System Monitors flash off
PRESSURIZATION goes to zero; CABIN OXYGEN goes to zero;
INDIVIDUAL LIFE SUPPORT MONITORS go to zero.
Independence's radio transmissions are STATIC and PANICKED
VOICES. Golden runs down the aisle to Independence's monitors.
Skip No cabin pressure! Systems-wide failure!
INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM - REAR CABIN
Harry and the Roughnecks are SMASHED around in their seats.
IN THE COCKPIT - THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD
A BOULDER the size of a house looms downslope. Shuttle Freedom is
skidding straight for it.
Sharp and Watts watch helplessly as the Shuttle skids toward the
boulder.
EXT. ASTEROID SURFACE
Freedom hits a SMALLER ROCK, which changes its skid angle. It
clears the boulder by a foot and skids to a stop at the base of
the slope.
INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM - REAR CABIN
Harry and the others JOLT to a stop. No one moves. No one
breathes. It's scary as hell.
INT. N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL Golden and the other Technicians
wait breathlessly for some response. Golden GRABS the mike.
Golden Freedom. come in.
(no response)
Independence, come in . no response)
Come in, Freedom.
Nothing. Skip buries his face in his hands. Flip chews his
pencil. Golden, having lost one crew already, twists his wedding
ring.
Sharp
(V.O)
Houston, it's Freedom. We just landed on this son-of-a-bitch,
over.
Golden and the Technicians breath a sigh of relief.
Watts
(V.O)
What's the status of Independence?
INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM - REAR CABIN
CAMERA PUSHES IN ON HARRY, as he waits for Houston's response to
this last question.
Sharp
(V.O)
We lost her.
CAMERA TIGHT ON HARRY. He's lost men before, many men on oil
rigs. But not A.J.....
Chick
(O.S.)
Harry, Harry, Jesus Christ, this can't happen....
Harry snaps out of it, turns to Chick.
Harry It did happen. They're gone. Deal with it. We got a lot of
work to do.
Harry unharnesses himself and rises.
INT. N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL
Golden looks at Grace. She looks back. A tear slides off her
cheek to the console. Harry's daughter doesn't say a word, or
break down. She just quietly rises and walks to the back of the
room. Grace rubs her bare ring finger. A BEAT.
CAMERA SPIES the ZERO BARRIER CLOCK. Seven hours, 52 minutes, 000
feet drilled.
INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM
Chick, Bear, and Max prepare to disembark, donning helmet and
glove assemblies, clicking neck and wrist seals into locking
position.
Harry comes into the cockpit. Watts is flipping switches and
reading gauges. Sharp's on the radio. A haze fills the cockpit.
Watts Engine ignition system isn't responding.
INT. N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL
INTERCUT - FREEDOM/ MISSION CONTROL
Golden What's the problem?
Flip Engine ignition. Starting diagnostics.
Sharp Houston, I don't know where we are. Tell me how far we
overshot Harry's sweep spot. Advise on currant location, over.
Skip motions to Golden and Clark. They hurry over to his console.
On Skip's computer screen is a MAP OF THE ASTEROID containing
its geological fault lines.
Skip They overshot their landing 26 miles. There's a different
fault line, but it's deeper.
Golden How much deeper?
Skip Two hundred feet.
Golden exchanges a look with Temple.
Golden Harry, your fault line's fifty yards off the starboard
side.
INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM
Harry stalks to the rear.
Harry Rockhound.
Rockhound Yes, sir.
Harry I'm gonna get you some surface samples and you're gonna
tell me what I'm up against.
Rockhound Rocks are my life.
Watts Willie, we might be stuck.
Sharp exchanges grim looks with Pitts and Fisk over this bad
information.
Harry The good news just keeps comin'. Load up, guys.
Sharp watches Harry and the guys exit to the rear.
EXT. ASTEROID SURFACE - SHUTTLE FREEDOM
Freedom's cargo door opens; its RAMP unfolds to the asteroid's
surface. HARRY looks out.
Freedom is in a small, cold, dark valley. The asteroid's face is
tilted away from the Earth and Sun. THE MOON is huge on our rear
horizon. The place is eerily calm and tranquil. Harry walks down
the ramp onto the asteroid surface.
INT. FREEDOM CARGO BAY - INSIDE ARMADILLO
Chick, at the Armadillo's controls, engages gears.
EXT. ASTEROID SURFACE - DRILLING SITE
The Armadillo rumbles out of the cargo bay, carrying Bear, Max,
Rockhound and Pitts over the wheel wells.
The Armadillo drives 50 yards from Freedom and parks. The guys
hop down, turning on their PRO-GRAVITY THRUSTERS. Bear begins
off-loading 20-foot long DRILLING PIPES.
Harry takes readings from a SEISMIC INSTRUMENT. Pulls out a SOIL
SAMPLER, a small shovel on a telescoping shaft. He digs it in
with his boot. Clang. It doesn't dig in at all. He walks around,
stabbing it into the ground. CLANG. CLANG.
Chick exchanges nervous looks with Bear and Max.
Harry Bedrock. Whole goddamn place is Bedrock.
Harry examines the ground. Not satisfied. He finds a spot he
likes; digs an "X" in the soil with his boot.
Harry
(cont'd)
Here. Fire up the Bad Boy bit.
Chick, Max and Bear go into action. Max screws the Bad Boy bit
onto the first drilling pipe. Bear hoists the pipe up to the
DRILLING MECHANISM, muscles it onto the DRILL DRIVE, then clamps
it on.
Harry plugs a TEE and GOLF BALL into the craggy surface. He
waggles his club, a 5-IRON HEAD, screwed onto the soil sampler's
shaft.
Pitts What's he doing?
Chick Wildcatters are superstitious, Colonel. Harry does this
every time we break ground.
He swings....WHACK! The ball rockets off the tee and keeps
going...and going...
Harry HOLE NUMBER 77. Let 'er rip!
Chick throws a lever, lowering the BAD BOY BIT into the rocky,
icy surface. Down the drill pipe goes, unimpeded, 10 feet just
like that. It suddenly stops. It's turning, but not drilling.
Bear and Max approach the drill hole.
Bear What in hell's down there?
Harry Chick, bring 'er up!
Chick throws it in reverse. The DRILLING ARM reverses out of the
hole. The Bad Boy bot comes up CHEWED TO SHREDS. Harry and the
guys examine the drill bit. Everyone exchanges a worried look.
Max The dream. It's my dream.
Harry Shut up, Max.
(looks at Bear)
What's with the look? Get that off your face. You've seen bits
get eaten before.
Bear Not after ten feet.
Chick The first ten better be the worst ten.
Harry Go to the Terminator.
Chick grabs Harry's mysterious METAL CASE. Harry pops open the
metal case, revealing THE TERMINATOR, a super high-tech bit.
Harry I designed you. I built you. You are the enemy of all
subterranean shit. You are the king. It's showtime.
Harry passes it to Bear, who screws it onto the drilling pipe,
Rockhound scoops up a COLLECTION OF DOWNHOLE ROCK CHIPS.
Harry
(cont'd)
Hit it, Chick.
The DRILL PIPE turns. Sediment comes WHOOSHING out of the hole
and -- THE DRILL PIPE descends like a bitch.
INT. FREEDOM
Sharp, Watts, Pitts and Fisk have a PANEL removed, exposing the
guts of Freedom's wiring and components. Watts and Sharp are
inside the panel, scrunched against the fuselage wall, unbolting
a large COMPONENT. Watts hands Pitts and Fisk a SMALLER
COMPONENT.
Watts Unbolt the housing. There and there.
INT. ARMADILLO
The rock CHIPS spew into the COLLECTOR in front of ROCKHOUND.
Harry looks on.
Harry What do you make of that?
Rockhound picks up several chips. Draws them close to his eyes.
Rockhound Oh my. Oh my, my, my. This isn't rock. It's uhh, it's
uhh, it's......iron.
Harry Iron deposit?
Rockhound
(shakes head)
No. It's been melted. Forged rather. I've only seen this once -
at a volcano in Hawaii.
(looks up at Harry)
You're drilling into a big slab of cast-iron, Mr. Stamper.
INT. FREEDOM
Harry picks up the radio.
Harry Give me Dan Golden.
INTERCUT - MISSION CONTROL / FREEDOM
Golden's handed the phone.
Golden Yeah, Harry. What's your situation?
INTERCUT - GOLDEN AND TEMPLE IN MISSION CONTROL / HARRY ON
FREEDOM
Harry Situation? You put me down on the worst possible place on
this asteroid. I'm drillin' into something I shouldn't. The hole
just ate one of my diamond-tipped bits in thirty minutes. That
has never happened to me in twenty years.
Golden You're forty minutes in. You should be down 150 feet. How
far are you?
Harry Not far.
(beat)
Twenty-three feet.
CLOSE ON Golden as he looks at Temple.
Temple This is an exercise in futility.
Golden
(to Harry)
"Don't tell me what you can't do, tell me what you can."
Remember that, Stamper? Go faster.
Harry We will.
Golden How?
INT. FREEDOM CARGO BAY
Sharp and Pitts enter. Fisk hands Sharp the phone.
Sharp Sharp, over.
PUSH IN on Sharp in EXTREME CLOSE-UP. His jaw tightens. His eyes
dart.
Sharp
(cont'd)
Sir, the bird can't fly.
Temple
(V.O.)
Well, you need to get it fixed unless you want to die along with
that asteroid.
A LONG PAUSE, as Sharp listens.
Sharp :
(cont'd)
Yes, sir.
Temple
(V.O.)
And, I don't want those drillers knowing about this. They have
enough to worry about just drilling the damn ole.
Collinswood
(V.O.)
Colonel Sharp, this is Chief of Staff Collinswood. Have Pitts
and Fisk prepare to detonate that nuke on the surface. Too many
lives are at stake here. Have them standing by.
Sharp On your order sir.
EXT. ASTEROID SURFACE - A TINY VALLEY - ESTABLISHING
The gnarled WRECK OF SHUTTLE INDEPENDENCE lies below. Twisted
metal and cabin materials strewn everywhere.
INT. INDEPENDENCE CRASH SITE
CAMERA moves through the wreckage of Independence. Nightmarish.
EMERGENCY LIGHTS still on battery flicker. The shattered
windshield; the blown emergency hatch; A CORPSE lies face down,
helmet half on, half off; Independence's huge tubular NUCLEAR
DEVICE.
Something moves on the ceiling. REVEAL A.J. hanging upside down,
caught in the twisted fuselage skin. A.J. cuts himself down. He
twirls to the ground. Sees LEGS MOVING UNDER RUBBLE.
A.J. throws off the rubble, revealing Lev, dazed but alive. A.J.
helps him to his feet.
Lev What happened to the others....
A.J. and Lev move toward the cockpit.
A.J.
(grabs the radio)
Freedom, come in, over. Freedom, come in, over.... Freedom...?
(shaking head)
It's you and me.
A.J. smashes the radio in frustration.
EXT. FREEDOM - DRILLING SITE
Chick and Bear screw on a new length of drill pipe. Chick engages
the gears. The drill pipe descends. THE TERMINATOR is working.
Harry approaches from the shuttle.
Harry How far?
Chick Almost 60 feet and startin' to kick ass!
Suddenly GRRRR. CLANG. BANG. The drill pipe stops. Harry walks
over to the hole.
Chick
(cont'd)
That did not sound good.
Harry Increase r.p.m.
Chick throws the lever. The drill pipe turns faster, but still
doesn,t descend. Harry and the guys crowd around the drilling
hole.
Max Freaky, man.
Bear I got one of those big-time crappy feelings about this.
Harry We gotta get more power down to this bit.
(thinks; looks up at Chick)
Full throttle.
Chick You sure?
Harry Yeah, I'm sure.
Chick I don't think she can take it.
Harry She's gonna have to.
Chick The last time we ran her at full throttle we ripped her up!
Harry I don't have time to argue, Chick, now goddamn it, throttle
up, or I'll come up there and do it for you.
Chick reluctantly throws the lever to FULL THROTTLE. The TURBINE
ENGINE ROARS. The DRILL PIPE turns faster in the hole. The
TURBINE ENGINE is shaking the Armadillo. The drill pipe is
descending again. Suddenly BANG!! The CLUTCH rupture, spewing
the CLUTCH PLATES and GEARS into space.
Harry Stop!
Chick throws it into reverse. Up comes THE TERMINATOR, CHEWED TO
SHREDS. Bear and Max look at it, then each other. Very worried
now.
Bear The Terminator's terminated.
Chick The clutch is dead.
Harry We're goin' to the second rig.
Harry stalks off toward the Shuttle.
Harry
(cont'd)
We need the second Armadillo.
Sharp We'll bring it out to you.
Harry moves to get his pipe tongs. Fisk and Pitts are next to the
uncovered nuclear bomb. Harry looks at the bomb.
EXT. FREEDOM - DRILL SITE
Chick, Bear and Max listen to Harry over the inter-crew link.
INTERCUT WITH ABOVE.
INT. FREEDOM
Harry Why don't we cut to the chase, fellahs? What the fuck is
going on with that other nuke?
Harry stares at the nuclear weapon.
Sharp Stamper, if you can't drill the hole, we're detonating this
thing on the surface....
Chick and the guys eye each other. Harry walks off, pissed
off....
INT. MISSION CONTROL
Golden and Clark are hunched over monitors. Two MILITARY AIDES
carrying a NUCLEAR COMMAND LINK
(FOOTBALL)
SUITCASE.
Golden, alarmed, tries to figure out what they have.
INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM
Chick, Bear and Max enter through the airlock. Everyone turns and
stares at Sharp.
Sharp There's no way in hell you're gonna get that hole dug, and
you know it.
Harry Well, it wasn't my scientists that told me about the
fucking fire cracker inside the hand story. Are we detonating on
the surface or are we gonna drill?
Bear I didn't come up here to die.
Chick I say we drill. They say we have until Zero Barrier.
Sharp
(freaked out)
That hole better be dug in two hours, or we're detonating.
Whether you're on this godforsaken rock or not!
Harry We're drilling.
Harry and his crew file out.
INT. MISSION CONTROL - NIGHT
Golden
(to Temple)
What is going on up there?
Temple Your drillers aren't doing the job, Dan.
Golden After 15 minutes? What do you expect?
Temple Golden, we are preparing for surface detonation.
Golden A surface detonation isn't going to do it, General. My
scientists have already told you that. It must be detonated
inside the asteroid. The alternative is that the Earth will be
bombarded by smaller matter which will be just as catastrophic.
Temple stares off pensively into the sky.
Temple We have a lot better chance of surviving the "smaller
matter." The drillers have two hours
(to the Aides)
I want you ready on my command.
The Adjutants prepare the nuclear command link.
Military Adjutant Sir, we have interface with the weapon. Remote
detonator standing by.
INT. INDEPENDENCE - CRASH SITE
Lev is sitting on the ground, head in his hands, completely
demoralised.
Lev I feel like Skywalker Luke when he learn Darth Vader his
father. What I should do?
A.J. Get up, we got work to do.
Lev A.J., let me cash in my chips.
A.J. Lev, we're getting off this rock, if I have to drag your ass
the whole way.
(off Lev's look)
Now get up!
A.J. walks into the Independence cargo bay, detached from the
nose section. Then climbs into Independence's Armadillo.
A.J. C'MON LEV, PUT YOUR WEIGHT INTO IT!
EXT. INDEPENDENCE - WRECKAGE OF CARGO BAY
Lev is prying open the cargo bay ramp door
(the hydraulics are shot)
.
LEV YOU COME PUSH, YANKEE....
INT. - MISSION CONTROL
Golden turns to Temple.
Golden The asteroid's surface is heating up.
Temple What does that mean?
Golden It means they may not be able to work on the surface for
much longer. The temperatures will be unbearable.
EXT. INDEPENDENCE - WRECKAGE OF CARGO BAY
The Armadillo, engine rumbling, is poised to roll Independence's
long tubular NUCLEAR WEAPON which has been ejected with other
debris from the broken fuselage.
Lev Wait A.J.! We drive over nuclear weapon and we finished
before we started.
A.J. So move it.
Lev jams a pipe between the ARMING DEVIC and the nuke. As he
rolls the nuke over, the arming device detaches, rips off, and
clatters to the ground.
INT. MISSION CONTROL
Temple Golden, tell your drillers the clock is ticking. I have 6
billion people down here relying on them!
In the b.d. hangs a crayon drawing of sunny day by Temple's
daughter.
Temple
(cont'd)
A lot of people are die....
INT. INDEPENDENCE - CRASH SITE
The ARMADILLO blasts through the cargo bay door. A.J. and Lev
roll off away from the Independence.
A.J. cranes his neck looking out through the Armadillo. A RIDGE
with THRE TALL SPIRES is in the distance, ringed with LIGHT from
Freedom's FLOOD LIGHTS.
A half-smile from A.J hope.
INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM
Sharp comes back from the cockpit, carrying the detonator.
Harry's on the phone to Golden.
Harry ...You told me that the only way to deal with this hunk 'o
crud is to get a nuke 1000 feet down. You sticking with that?
Golden
(V.O.)
Firmly.
Harry Great. Glad we have that understanding.
Golden
(V.O.)
IF you're gonna pull this off, we have to have a little talk
about time...and temperature. Zero Barrier's in two hours.
Harry Wait...wait..what about temperature? When did temperatures
come into the picture?
Golden
(V.O.)
Harry, your suits are good upto 150 degrees Celsius....
Harry And...? How hot is it going to get?
Golden
(V.O.)
We didn't anticipate you being on the asteroid so long. The
clock is ticking...
Harry How hot is it going to get?!
Golden
(V.O.)
Three hundred and fifty degrees.
Harry's face drops.
Harry Thanks for telling us now, Golden....I don't think my bits
can handle those kind of temperatures....
INT. FREEDOM - CARGO BAY
Harry clicks off the radio.
Watts We've still gotta fix this shuttle, Stamper.
Harry Give me some more good news. You've got two new assistants
who can fix your shuttle. Bear, Max, hop to it. There's not a
machine they can't fix. We can handle the hole from here.
EXT. SHUTTLE FRREDOM
The airlock opens. Sharp and Pitts are led out by Harry.
Harry Colonel Sharp, if we're going to blow this hole, you gotta
help ME. I need some more manpower....
EXT. FREEDOM DRILL SITE - MINUTES LATER
The SECOND ARMADILLO rumbles out of Freedom's cargo bay. Chick
and the Roughnecks work like a NASCAR pit crew. Sharp and Pitts
lay on their backs holding down a 1000 pound axle, fighting
zero-g.
Suddenly, the ground begins to tremble.
EXT. ASTEROID SURFACE - FRONT OF "THREE SPIRES RIDGE"
A.J.'s ARMADILLO rumbles over a little hill revealing the RIDGE
WTH THREE SPIRES directly in front of them. THE SUN is moving
over the asteroid's FAR HORIZON, causing a "sunrise." It is
breathtaking, spiritual...and frighteningly bright.
INT. A.J.'S ARMADILLO
A.J. Over the hill.
Suddenly, the ground under the vehicle shakes sharply. A.J. stops
the Armadillo.
The ground around the vehicle heaves up and down. The GROUND
SPLITS. One TECTONIC PLATE rises 15 feet in the air. The ground
breaks like a wave, up and down.
INT. ASTEROID SURFACE - DRILLING SITE
Here, too, the ground shakes. Bear, terrified, drops a DRILL
PIPE. Max is shaken to the ground.
Chick is nearly thrown off the Armadillo.
Chick Clear the rig!!!
Chick jumps down, bouncing. Everybody gets the hell away from the
drilling hole.
INT. A.J.'S ARMADILLO
The asteroid shakes violently, throwing A.J. and Lev around the
cab. ROCKS BANK down on the Armadillo's top and hood. The
ASTEROID SURFACE continues splitting apart across the slope's
fall line.
A.J. EARTHQUAKE!
The asteroid RUMBLES a few more seconds, then the quake slowly
stops. All is stll.
A.J.
(cont'd)
Let's take a look.
EXT. ASTEROID SURFACE
Lev gets out; he nervously paces back and forth across the lip of
the fissure.
Lev This bad.
(repeating, mantra)
Darth Vader. Darth Vader.
A.J. Listen, Mr. Negative. Everyone thinks we're dead. We're not.
So, suck it up. Because if we don't drill that hole, six billion
people are going to die. And I'm not lettin' Harry Stamper get
all the freaking credit for saving the world.
(firm)
We're gona do this, then we're going home.
Lev I l-o-v-e this American confidence! Like John Wayne.
(sotto)
This why I suspect you won Cold War.
A.J. Hep me get these rocks over there.
A.J. and Lev start dragging rocks to use as a "kicker ramp" for
the jump. Lev is oblivious. They pull embedded rock out,
revealing DIAMONDS. A.J. holds up a large chunk.
A.J.
(cont'd)
This outta cut into a sweet wedding ring.
Lev
(holding chunk)
With this I can rebuild my MIR.
EXT. ASTEROID SURFACE - DRILLING SITE
Chick, Bear, and Max cautiously approach the drill hole.
Everything seems okay. Chick climbs back up to the drill-drive
platform.
Chick Back to work!
Bear grabs the drill pipe and hoists it... back to work.
EXT. ASTEROID SURFACE - "THREE SPIRES RIDGE"
A.J. is walking along the GAPING, JAGGED FISSURE, 50 feet wide,
50 feet deep, stretching across the entire slope.
Lev This bad, this very bad, very, very bad...
A.J. Stick a cork in it, Lev. I'm tryin' to think.
A.J. stares at the fissure, his eyes roaming from the
fissure...to the Armadillo...back to the fissure.
A.J.
(cont'd)
Hop on the back. Get our weight distributed better.
Lev
(uncertain)
And why to do this?
A.J. Because I'm askin'. And turn your suit's thrusters off.
Trust me, okay?
A.J. gets in the Armadillo. Lev goes around back, climbs on the
REAR BUMPER. He clicks off his pressure suit's pro-gravity
thrusters.
Lev Okey-doke.
The Armadillo begins backing down the slope.
INT. A.J.'S ARMADILLO
A.J. throws it in neutral. The Armadillo stops.
A.J. Hey, Lev, we're gonna see what this Porche engine can do....
He throws it in drive. The Armadillo lurches ahead.
EXT. A.J..'S ARMADILLO - BACK BUMPER
The Armadillo's REAR TIRES CHURN FORWARD, slinging rocks and
gravel which, in zero-g, shoot off in a stream into space, never
falling. Lev holds on for dear life.
A.J.'S Armadillo churns up the slope like a Bronco 4X4, slinging
gravel, heading for THE JAGGED FISSURE. It FLIES over the
fissure's edge as --
INT. A.J.'S ARMADILLO
-- A.J. punches the Armadillo's PRO-GRAVITY THRUSTER "OFF"
SWITCH.
EXT. A.J.'S ARMADILLO - ROOF
-- the Armadillo's roof-mounted PRO-GRAVITY THRUSTERS shut down.
EXT. ASTEROID - "THREE SPIRES RIDGE" - JAGGED FISSURE
The Armadillo, no longer thrusting downwardly, flies across the
jagged fissure in zero-g. The heavy steel vehicle doesn't fall.
It ascends, and amazingly, shoots across the entire 50 foot
expanse of jagged fissure.
EXT. A.J.'S ARMADILLO - BACK BUMPER
Lev looks down. The FISSURE passes beneath him, then SOLID GROUND
again. They've cleared the fissure....but they're not coming
down.
Lev A.J., up is bad! Down!
INT. A.J.'S ARMADILLO
A.J. punches the PRO-GRAVITY THRUSTER "START" SWITCH. Nothing....
EXT. A.J.'S ARMADILLO - BACK BUMPER
The thruster nozzles SPUTTER, but no thrust. The Armadillo is 50
feet off the ground and still ascending...into outer space. Lev,
his next stop being Planet Mars, panics. He climbs the roof and
peers inside the front windshield, POUNDING ON THE WINDSHIELD.
Lev Down! Not up! Up is bad! Down!
INT. A.J.'S ARMADILLO
The Armadillo continues lifting into space, from which there is
no return. A.J. toggles the "start" switch. The swtich's
INDICATOR LIGHT FLICKERS.
A.J. HOLD ON, LEV, I GOT HER WORKIN'!!
EXT. A.J.'S ARMADILLO
Not quite. Only the right-front and right-rear THRUSTER NOZZLES
fire, pushing the right side downward, rolling the Armadillo
over on its side. Lev, on the bumper, clings to the rear-mounted
TOW WINCH AND CABLE ASSEMBLY.
Suspended in zero-g, on its side and in mid-air, the Armadillo is
pushed by thrusters, tires-first, against the SHEER, 90 DEGREE
CLIFF FACE next to the slope. All four Armadillo tires slam
against the cliff. The Armadillo bounces off.
Lev, grabbing the Armadillo's TOWING CABLE, flies off the rear.
The cable spools out and LEV, hanging on for all he's worth,
SLAMS against the cliff face and descends....
INT. A.J.'S ARMADILLO
A.J., lying sideways, keeps toggling the thruster START SWITCH.
The indicator light finally FLASHES "IN" and A.J. rams it into
drive --
EXT. ASTEROID SURFACE - CLIFF FACE / ARMADILLO
-- the Armadillo, all four thrusters now working, drives sideways
across the cliff face dragging Lev, who bounces against the
cliff face and gradually falls, until he's bouncing on the
asteroid surface.
The Armadillo finally falls down the cliff face and skids to a
stop.
INT. A.J.'S ARMADILLO
A.J., shaken, takes a deep breath and gets out.
EXT. A.J.'S ARMADILLO - REAR
A.J. walks to the rear. Lev splayed out 50 feet from the back of
the Armadillo, covered in asteroid surface dirt and grime, looks
up at him.
Lev Very bad idea, A.J.
EXT. FREEDOM - DRILLING SITE
Harry orders his crew to start the drill up. The men drill a
shitload of feet in record time. They finally burst through the
rock and hit easy sediment.
The asteroid is spinning toward sunlight. Here, too, there is a
sunrise. Bear's face sweats inside the helmet. Chick's vision
begins to blur. Tito takes a seat on a nearby rock, exhausted.
Chick Mutha...it's getting warm.
Bear
(worried)
We got that sunrise, Harry. These bits are gonna fry up......
Suddenly the TRANSMISSION LINKAGE in the Armadillo BLOWS.
Harry Goddamn it!
(thinks)
We'' take the tranny from the other rig! And if you wanna
complain about the heat, go to some other fucking
asteroid....Toughen up.
Sharp
(to Roughnecks)
Let's move it.....let's go, guys.
EXT. ASTEROID SURFACE - DRILLING SITE
Chick and Bear yank the detached good TRANSMISSION HOUSING from
inside Armadillo 2 and carry it across to Armadillo 1.
INT. ARMADILLO 1 - CABIN
Max finishes unbolting the BROKEN TRANSMISSION HOUSING. He passes
it to Chick who dumps it on the surface. Sharp and Truman work
with Bear and Chick who feed in the good transmission housing.
Max presses the airlock. The doors close and the cabin
pressurises. Max clicks off his helmet. He begins installing the
transmission housing and the linkage.
EXT. ARMADILLO 1
Chick and Bear, atop the drilling platform, begin installing the
clutch plates and transmission linkage.
Harry Move guys, move it.....
Bolting, bolting, bolting, connecting, connecting.....
INT. N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL - DAY
Skip is analysing the asteroid's THERMAL READINGS. A MULTI-
COLORED THERMAL IMAGE MAP shows most of the asteroid is GREEN
(no heat)
, but around the chosen landing site are numerous RED SPOTS
(heat)
.
Skip Look at these thermals. This is BEFORE sunlight hits the
drill site. She's really heating up....
INT. ARMADILLO
Max is bolting. The DOWNHOLE PRESSURE GAUGE NEEDLE jolts. Max
doesn't see it. He keeps working.
EXT. DRILLING SITE
Harry's watching the work. Out of the corner of his eye... THE
DRILLING ARM KICKS. Harry turns to it. Nothing happens. His eyes
move back to Chick and Bear, then back to the drilling arm. It
kicks up again. Just a few inches.
Harry Chick. Unbolt the tranny.
Chick We just put it in.
Harry Do it. NOW.
Chick, confused, starts unbolting the tranny. Suddenly the well
kicks hard, one foot high. Chick's jostled. BANG!! The RIG KICKS
HARD, THREE FEET, bucking Chick off.
Chick scrambles back up to the drill platform.
The ground shakes. a terrific TREMBLER rumbles through the
valley. Harry, Max and Bear cling to the side of the Armadillo.
Chick's nearly thrown off.
Harry
(cont'd)
GET THE TRANNY OUTTA THERE! WE LOSE THE TRANNY, WE'RE DEAD
MEN!!
Harry climbs up to the DRILL PLATFORM. The GROUND SHAKES
violently, throwing harry and Chick around the top of the drill
platform.
Harry Max, you gotta get those bolts undone!
INT. ARMADILLO - REAR COMPARTMENT
Max is furiously unbolting the TRANNY HOUSING. There are two
bolts to go. He ratches one off....
Max I'm doin' it, I'm doin' it.
Max gets to the last bolt....
Harry
(V.O.)
Go Max, go Max, get the last bolt....!
Max gets the last bolt undone.
Max DONE!!
EXT. ARMADILLO - DRILL PLATFORM
Chick and Harry pull the unfastened TRANNY HOUSING out of the
Armadillo as --
INT. ARMADILLO - REAR COMPARTMENT
Max stares at the DOWNHOLE PRESSURE GAUGES, groping through the
compartment for his helmet.
Max Pressure's through the roof! Shit, where's my helmet....!?
EXT. ASTEROID SURFACE - DRILLING SITE
Suddenly the DRILLING ARM jolts upward, lifting the ARMADILLO SIX
FEET off the ground.
Chick She's gonna blow!
Harry MAX, GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE!!!
INT. ARMADILLO - REAR COMPARTMENT
Max is thrown against a wall of the rear compartment.
EXT. ASTEROID SURFACE - DRILLING SITE
The DRILLING ARM KICKS again, six feet this time, tossing the
Armadillo over on two wheels.
INT. ARMADILLO - REAR COMPARTMENT
Max is SLAMMED against the wall again. Terrified, he grabs for
his helmet and locks the NECK SEALS.
EXT. ASTEROID SURFACE - DRILLING SITE
A DEEP RUMBLING emanates from the drilling hole, coming seemingly
from the ASTEROID'S CORE. Harry gets to his feet and SLAMS HIS
FIST against the Armadillo's SIDE.
Harry CLEAR THE RIG!
Everyone scatters....
INT. ARMADILLO - REAR COMPARTMENT
Max, helmet on, is frantically scrambling to the airlock, but
there's no time...
Max I CAN'T DEPRESSURIZE!!
EXT. ASTEROID SURFACE - DRILLING SITE
WIth an awesome force, the DRILLING HOLE BLOWS. The DRILLING PIPE
EXPLODES upward, lifting the DRILLING ARM and the ENTIRE
ARMADILLO VEHICLE with it. THE ENTIRE RIG blows upward into
space.
INT. ARMADILLO - REAR COMPARTMENT
Max punches the DOOR LOCK without depressurising the cabin and is
sucked violently out of the rear compartment into open space.
EXT. SPACE OVER ASTEROID SURFACE
FIFTY FEET OF DRILL PIPE, THE DRILLING ARM, and the entire
ARMADILLO RIG with MAX trailing, BLOWS into space. MAX'S FACE is
a screaming mask of terror and confusion, reaching out, but
there's no one to catch him....Harry and the guys watch in
helpless silence as the drill rig and Max ascend into space.
Chick Max.....No. No. No.
INT. N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL - DAY
Skip motions to Golden. He comes over.
Skip They just lost the rig. The hole blew out.
Golden takes the news stoically. He thinks, looking across the
room at Temple. He looks at the clock. ONE HOUR AND FORTY
MINUTES TO GO.
Golden Say nothing.
EXT. FREEDOM - DRILLING SITE
Silence. A stark tableau. Harry and the men standing there, just
watching. Devastated, confused, in shock. This is a total
catastrophe. The mission is over.
Sharp nods to Pitts. Pitts picks up the REMOTE NUCLEAR DETONATOR.
Sharp Stamper, you ready to blow this? Let's get outta here...!
Harry ignores him. He won't accept defeat.
Harry Chick, get your butt over here.
Chick drags his ass over to Harry.
Chick Yeah.
Harry We're gonna fix this - make it work. If we weld those two
together and go in one speed....
Chick Harry....
Harry Get your ass up here!
Chick doesn't move. The two men stare at each other.
Chick I've been with you fourteen years. I've never said this to
you, never thought I would. It's over.
Chick walks off toward the shuttle. Bear joins him.
Harry, atop of the Armadillo, looks around. His head drops...he's
burning up. His fist clenches the HALF MEDALLION in his hand
(where is it - clipped to suit - in pouch of suit?)
His eyes shut tightly. He is going to will victory from defeat.
He will not give up.
CAMERA'S at low angle, giving Harry a larger-than-life look.
Harry hears something. A LOW RUMBLE. It is confusing. It sounds
like......an ARMADILLO ENGINE.
Harry opens his eyes. He slowly turns and looks --
ACROSS THE VALLEY - ON THE DISTANT RIDGE - The front bumper of
A.J.'s Armadillo inches over the ridge crest.
HARRY, for the first time on the asteroid, smiles. Miracles do
happen.
HARRY CHICK...BEAR!!!
Chick and Bear about ready to enter the Freedom's airlock, stop
and turn. They see A.J.'S ARMADILLO ROARING down the hillside
onto the drilling site.
EXT. FREEDOM - DRILLING SITE
A.J. and Lev roar up to the drilling site in the Independence's
Armadillo. They come down a hill spectacularly without brakes
and it piles into shit, knocking things down.
Lev and A.J. bounce up to Chick and Bear.....hugs and high-fives
go around.
Bear A.J. Frost. Back from the dead.
Chick Now you can die with us.
Harry All the bits are gone, A.J. I've been inventing drill bits
for twenty-five years and I don't know what to use.
A.J. You wouldn't happen to need a diamond tipper, would you?
A.J. pulls out the POUCH OF DIAMONDS, found on the ridge.
Harry Boys, we're back in business!
INT. N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL - DAY
Golden stares at the wall. Grace is curled up on a chair in the
corner.
Harry
(V.O.)
We have good news folks. A.J. and the Russian just showed up. No
other survivors.
Grace shuts her eyes, smiling. Sobbing.
EXT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM - AFTERNOON
Chick shuts off an ARC WELDER and moves aside, letting Harry view
a DRILL BIT with A.J.'S DIAMONDS mounted on the top like
diamonds in a ring setting. Harry and the guys smile.
EXT. ASTEROID SURFACE - DRILLING SITE
The NEWLY CREATED DRILL BIT lowers into the drilling hole and
begins turning. It CHEWS into the shit down below, WHIRRING and
RIPPING and......descends quickly.
Chick It worked! She's goin' through her like a hot knife through
butter!
BEGIN MONTAGE
The men drill a shitload of feet in very little time. It is a
feverish pace, their teamwork perfectly timed, as if
choreographed.
QUICK CUTS
--A.J. working the levers on the drill platform.
--Hydraulic tongs clamping, unclamping on pipe.
--Bear hoisting pipe.
--Chick and Bear waiting with connecting pipe.
--The drilling arm going up and down.
--Newly connected drill pipes descending into the hole.
--Harry watching, shouting orders.
--There are serious wind storms, giving Harry, A.J., and the
other guys problems. So severe they knock guys across the
asteroid.
END MONTAGE
INT. MISSION CONTROL
Skip looks at thermal readings with alarm.
Skip Dan, the surface is heating up!
EXT. ASTEROID SURFACE - DRILLING SITE
Harry Time, A.J.
A.J. One hour.
Harry Distance, Chick.
Chick Eight hundred and twenty feet, Harry.
Harry We gotta do 180 in thirty minutes.
Chick Downhole pressure's goin' through the roof!
Harry Stop! Shut down.
Chick throws the lever. The drill pipe stops turning.
A.J. Harry, we can't stop.
Harry Got to, kid. No choice.
A.J. Drill right through the pressure to pay dirt.
Harry That's crazy.
A.J. Sometimes crazy works.
Harry and A.J. stare at each other.
Harry Chick, A.J.'s callin' this one.
A.J. Full throttle!
Chick throws the lever. The DRILL PIPE descends on full throttle.
INT. N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL - DAY
All the TECHNICIANS stand, staring at the CENTRAL BOARD, where a
graph shows the drilling progress.
Flip Nine hundred and eighty...Nine ninety...they're into the
fault, they're doing it.
Golden looks at the CLOCK. THIRTY-ONE MINUTES TO GO. He twists
his wedding ring.
Golden Now just get the thing in the hole.
All the TECHNICIANS stare at their monitors. The atmosphere is
thick with tension. Clark chews his nails.
EXT. ASTEROID SURFACE - DRILLING SITE
The HOLE'S finished, the drill pipe's been pulled; A.J. drives
the ARMADILLO safely away from the site.
Watts and Sharp roll a GURNEY containing the NUCLEAR DEVICE
(a massive stainless steel tube)
down Freedom's cargo bay RAMP toward the hole. Harry and all the
Roughnecks stand by the HOLE.
Harry One thousand feet.
Chick
(smiles)
Thousand and three, Harry. With a half hour to spare.
Sharp and Watts roll the NUCLEAR DEVICE GURNEY past the
Roughnecks up to the drilling hole.
Harry Get the pipe and bit outta there.
Chick gets inside the Armadillo. Grabs the stick-shift.
Compresses the clutch and throws it in reverse.
THE DRILL PIPE begins to reverse out of the hole.
INT. N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL
Skip She's gettin' hotter! Gotta mean gas - methane, helium,
probably water vapor.
EXT. ASTEROID SURFACE - DRILLING SITE
The DRILL PIPE turns sloely, retracting from the hole. Bear, atop
the drilling platform, is working on something with a wrench.
Bear accidently drops his wrench. It falls on the turbine's
RIPPED MESH PROTECTIVE SCREEN and hangs there. Bear looks at it
nervously and reaches...THE WRENCH falls into the turbine
spinning at six-thousand r.p.m. With a GRINDING SQUEAL, the
wrench shrapnel blows out of the turbine and --
THE DRILLING ARM reverses speeds and VIOLENTLY THRUSTS THE PIPE
FORWARD, buckling it. A piece of the drill string is BLOWN OUT,
smashing into Sharp's helmet, spider-webbing his faceshield.
He's out cold.
Harry and the guys dive away from the hole. Chick, confused,
works the clutch furiously to no avail. THE DRILLING ARM RAMS
THE PIPE back down the hole, where it BUCKLES, BENDS AND BREAKS
IN HALF.
Tito tends to Sharp..his face has lost all color. Harry
approaches the hole. Looks down. FIFTY FEET DOWN IS A MESS OF
MANGLED PIPE, blocking the hole.
INT. N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL - DAY
Golden continues looking at the THERMAL IMAGING.
Golden Harry, c'mon, we got thirty minutes.
EXT. ASTEROID SURFACE - DRILLING SITE
Harry Well, Dan, you're just going to have to goddamn wait 'CAUSE
WE GOTTA BIG PROBLEM UP HERE IN HELL.
(turns to guys)
Somebody's gotta go down there.
Chick Don't look at me.
Bear I can't even get my foot in there.
Harry turns and eyes A.J. A.J. stares down the hole.
Harry Do or die, kid.
CLOSE ON A.J. as he peers into the hole.
A.J. Something I've been meaning to talk to you about. When this
is all over and we're back home, I'd like to marry your
daughter....
Harry stares at A.J., the look priceless.
A.J.
(cont'd)
Maybe I'll ask her again later....
Harry turns around..looking up at the star-filled sky. A.J. walks
over to Sharp...who's coming to now.
Harry
(to Golden)
Oh yeah, Golden?
Golden
(V.O.)
Go ahead, Harry.
Harry Your shuttle pilot just took a nasty shot from a drill
string....
Golden Is he alright?
Harry I hope so, he's gotta get us off this shithole.
INT. DRILLING HOLE
A.J, tied to a SAFETY TETHER, comes down the hole with a HAND-
HELD CUTTER and a LENGTH OF ROPE. He reaches the obstruction.
The DRILL PIPE has been mashed, bent, buckled. Severed ends stab
into the sides of the hole. A.J. starts cutting with the hand-
held cutter.
EXT. DRILLING HOLE
The guys stand there, watching. Nothing happens. Agonising
seconds pass. Suddenly the ground rumbles. Another EARTHQUAKE.
It slowly starts to subside.
INT. DRILLING HOLE
The hole shakes. A.J. freezes, sweating.
Harry
(V.O.)
A.J., we need you. I need everything you got.
A.J. wrestles with the severed pipes, untangling them, tying the
ROPE to them. He gives the rope a tug. Chick and Bear, above,
pull up the broken pipes.
EXT. DRILLING HOLE
Sharp Enter interface with the weapon.
Pitts clicks a six digit code into a DIGITAL PAD on the DEVICE'S
REMOTE DETONATOR.
Pitts Device armed.
The NUCLEAR DEVICE has a small SLED with RATCHET WHEELS to let it
slide down the hole slowly. Sharp and Watts lift one end of the
gurney. THE NUCLEAR DEVICE slides off the gurney toward the
MOUTH OF THE DRILLING HOLE.
NT. N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL - DAY
The thermal and seismic sensors BEING TRANSMITTED FROM FREEDOM
START GOING CRAZY
Skip It's a mess up there...!
EXT. ASTEROID SURFACE - DRILLING SITE
ANOTHER TEMBLOR hits, the worst yet, 9.7 on Earth. Watts falls,
losing her grip on the gurney; her end collapses. THE NUCLEAR
DEVICE lurches sideways off the gurney and rolls away from the
drilling hole......
The NUCLEAR DEVICE slides off the gurney....
INT. DRILLING HOLE
A.J. experiences the DEEPEST, MOST SINISTER RUMBLE YET, emanating
form the asteroid's core, something from hell. There's a
horrendous WHOOSHING SOUND.
A WINDSTORM OF PEBBLE, like a blowing tornado, whooshes up from
the hole, smashing into A.J.'S FACESHIELD.
EXT. ASTEROID SURFACE - DRILLING SITE
Everyone whirls around in the sound's direction as --
ACROSS THE VALLEY FLOOR - A 100 FOOT METHANE GEYSER erupts,
spewing a PLUME OF HIDEOUS GREENISH GAS into space. Then another
200 FEET HIGH! Another 500 FEET HIGH! The ASTEROID has become
alive. The geyser's eruptions loosen the asteroid's surface
material and --
INT. DRILLING HOLE
A.J. THIS SUCKS....
A.J. is whooshed violently out of the hole.
EXT. ASTEROID SURFACE - DRILLING SITE
PEBBLES AND HOT STEAM BLASTS from the drilling hole. Everyone
recoils....
Harry Get back!!
A.J. shoots out of the pipe, tethering the SAFETY LINE behind
him, blowing into space. The safety tether snaps and RIPS off.
A.J. is 70 feet off the surface. Harry dives for his ripped
tether. Catching it, inches before A.J.'s thrown into space.
Harry and Bear grab A.J.'s safety tether and begin to pull him
down. Chick stares at something O.S., his jaw drops.
Chick This thing definitely doesn't like us.
CHUNKS OF THE ASTEROID, some as big as trucks, others as big as
houses, dislodge from the ASTEROID SURFACE and, slowly at first,
but with terrifyingly increasing speed and momentum.....
.... they start rolling.
HARRY AND THE GUYS just stand there, disbelieving what they're
seeing.
On come the ROCKS and ICE CHUNKS, rolling. As they hit smaller
surface rocks, they take little hops, and bigger hops, until
they are BOUNDING across the surface. Harry lashes A.J.'s tether
to the Armadillo.
Harry and the guys run for their lives.
In the midst of this --
-- A 500 FOOT HIGH GEYSER erupts next to the drilling hole. Pitts
gets blasted by the geyser, which blows him across the asteroid
floor, SLAMMING him into the parked Armadillo. A BOULDER rolls
at Pitts and squashes him against the ARMADILLO , killing him.
A 20 FOOT ICE BOULDER rolls toward A.J.'s SAFETY TETHER.
A.J., suspended 70 feet off the asteroid surface, looks down at
the ONCOMING ICE BOULDER. A.J., terrified, tries to unbuckle the
tether, but he can't in time.
The boulder hits A.J.'s tether, rolling over it, flattening it to
the asteroid surface, which causes --
--A.J., with a JOLT, to be yanked toward the surface. A.J.
scrambles with his safety harness.
Chick, next to the Armadillo, sees A.J.'s plight. He dives
inside, engages the gears. The Armadillo ROARS toward the
oncoming ICE BOULDER.
A.J., terrified, continues to descend as --
Chick, driving the Armadillo, rams the ICE BOULDER just as it's
about to roll over A.J. The boulder hops up, SMASHES down on the
Armadillo's hood, CRUSHING the steel compartment around Chick,
and gently rolls over onto --
A.J., who log-rolls under the Armadillo, as the ice boulder
WHOMPS down and keeps rolling.
THE NUCLEAR DEVICE is rolling across the asteroid's surface.
Pebbles and debris CLANGING off the device's REMOTE
DETONATOR.....
Harry bounds toward the Armadillo. THE LARGEST, JAGGED ROCK rolls
at the vehicle. Harry's caught. There's no place to turn. The
rocks rolls straight at him. Twenty feet....10 feet....Harry
FALLS heavily to the ground.
Harry gets up and dives down inside a fox-hoe-sized INDENTATION
in the asteroid surface....
The BOULDER rolls right over him.
Finally the quake stops. The situation stabilises. Everyone gets
to their feet. Harry and A.J. get up. They look off at --
The MASSIVE BOULDERS rolling away in the distance, smashing into
other rock formations.
Harry picks up a DIAMOND. It SPARKLES in the light. Chick grabs
one. Holds it up, marvelling at it. The MASSIVE BOULDERS rolling
away in the distance, smashing into other rock formations.
Harry picks up a DIAMOND. It SPARKLES in the light. Chick grabs
one. Holds it up, marvelling at it.
Sharp, with bruises on his face, looks through his cracked
faceshield down at Pitt's corpse.
Sharp He's dead.
Harry Put it down, Chick.
Chick tosses down the diamond and follows Harry. Everyone checks
themselves. Looks at others. There's no talk, no time to lose.
They reconvene, by the NUCLEAR DEVICE. It's dented. The
alumniium gurney is smashed, mangled.
Sharp Three on that side, the rest over here.
They hoist the nuclear device and carry it to the drilling hole.
They plug one end of the nuke in the drilling hole and lift the
other. The NUKE begins to insert down the hole. Suddenly Sharp
tries to grab a TUBULAR PIECE OF ALUMINIUM from the broken
gurney.
Sharp
(cont'd)
Stop...!
-- rams it into the wheels of the NUKE'S RATCHET-WHEEL DELIVERY
SLED. The nuke stops inserting into the hole. Sharp inspects the
REMOTE DETONATOR.
Sharp
(cont'd)
The remote's shot.
(looks up)
It'll have to be manually detonated.
Chick What's that mean?
Pause.
Harry Means one of us ain't leaving.
INT. N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL
Golden addresses the room.
Golden The situation: the hole is drilled but the remote
detonator is not functional. One of the crew is going to stay
behind and....
(deep breath)
...manually detonate the device.
Golden looks over at Grace. She is stunned. The news is just
sinking in.
Golden Don't stay for this.
Grace I'm not leaving.
Temple In 18 minutes we will be at Zero Barrier.
(to Grace)
Your father better be a man of his word.
INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM - CABIN
PAN FROM HARRY...to A.J. to...to Chick....to Lev...to Bear.
Everyone is huddled inside the cabin.
The SMASHED REMOTE DETONATOR, a 2000-foot spool-drum of
ELECTRICAL WIRE and a KNIFE sit on the table.
Sharp
(stoically)
I'd trade places with any one of you. But we need two people to
fly this mother back. So, we either all stay or you guys draw.
Sharp raises a BUNDLE OF ELECTRICAL WIRES in his hand. The crew's
going to draw straws. The highest tension yet. No one breathes,
no one moves.
Sharp Who's first?
(no response)
Clockwise then.
Sharp holds the WIRE STRAND BUNDLE in front of Lev.
Lev stares at it. He smiles nervously and reaches...and draws.
The strand is LONG. Lev exhales. Next...
Chick, Chick stares at the bundle, sweating. He grabs a strand.
Pulls slowly. LONG. He exhales. Next...
Bear. He stares at the bundle, thinking, choosing. He grabs and
pulls quickly, decisively. LONG. Two strands remain, and two
men, Harry and A.J. It's A.J.'s turn....
A.J. stares at the wire strands - not a bundle now. A.J. shifts
in his chair. The matter will be decided on this last pull. A.J.
looks at Harry. They lock eyes.
Harry Your turn.
A.J. I ain't gonna draw against you Harry.
Chick
(starts to get up)
I can't watch this.
Harry
(stern, hard)
Sit down, Chick.
Chick sits down. Harry looks at A.J.
Harry Draw.
A.J. stares at the two strands. Gets used to the idea. He reaches
and begins to pull. Stops. Chooses the other strand. And pulls.
It is SHORT. A.J. stares at the SHORT STRAND OF WIRE in his
hand. We see a fear on his face that gets covered by a small
smile.
A.J. Well, I guess I won. Now I'm the guy who gets to save the
Earth.
A.J. takes off the half medallion. Harry takes off his half
medallion.
A.J. We said we'd join these after we drilled the hole. It just
ain't gonna be on Earth.
They slide the two halves together to make a whole. Harry and
A.J. exchange a long look.
INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM - COCKPIT
Watts flips switches. Suddenly the jets ignite!
Watts Ignition! She's started!
INT. N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL
Skip turns to Golden excitedly.
Skip They got Freedom goin'!
INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM - CARGO BAY
A.J. and Harry stand in the airlock, helmets on. Harry carries
the two thousand foot spool-drum of wire. The airlock opens.
Harry and A.J. descend onto the asteroid.
INT. N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL
Golden looks at the CLOCK running down - ten thirty-three... Ten
thirty-two... Ten thirty-one...
EXT. ASTEROID SURFACE - DRILLING SITE
Harry and A.J. approach the NUCLEAR DEVICE. It's half in, half
out of the drilling hole, as they left it. Harry and A.J.
alligator-clamp the end of the wire spool-drum onto the nuke's
DETONATION DEVICE.
A.J You never answered my question.
They finish attaching the wire.
A.J. pulls the piece of TUBULAR ALUMINIUM out of the nuke's
ratchet wheel delivery sled. The NUKE descends downhole, slowly
spooling out wire from the SPOOL DRUM.
A.J. About Grace, Harry.
(laughs nervously)
I know it ain't gonna happen now, but....if things were
different...What would you say...?
Harry walks back toward Freedom. A.J. follows.
Harry I always wanted a son. And if I had....I'd want him to be
like you.
Harry hands him the pipe section.
Harry
(cont'd)
You're going to need some magic in the world. You can marry
her, A.J.
A.J. laughs, being told at this dire time in his life. He looks
at Harry with a hint of bittersweet smile.
A.J. Mean "could have...?"
Harry No. Go home, A.J. Marry Grace.
A.J. I'm not going home Harry.
With one hand, Harry stabs the airlock door, and then with a
small pipe clamp, rips A.J.'s air tubes off.
Harry It's my hole, I drilled it, and I'm staying with it till
the end.
Harry grabs him, throws his kicking, screaming body into the
airlock. A.J. is choking.
Harry
(cont'd)
She's always going to be my little girl.
The door shuts automatically. Harry is now alone.
INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM - AIRLOCK
A.J. explodes from the airlock into the cabin.
A.J. Goddamn it, HARRY....!
A.J. lunges for the airlock.
Sharp grabs A.J. with his good arm, helped by Bear..holding him
back.
A.J. LET ME GO....LET ME GO....!!
SHARP YOU HAVE NO OXYGEN...YOUR TUBES ARE RIPPED...LET IT
GO....!!
A.J., sobbing, furious, POUNDS on the AIRLOCK WINDOW, staring at
Harry outside.
A.J.
(pounding on the door)
HARRY!!
Harry turns and walks back to the drilling hole. Sharp looks at
him.
Sharp This guy really is a hero....
INT. N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL REAR ROOM
Skip Director? It's Mr. Stamper. He wants to talk to his
daughter.
Golden looks over at Grace. Their eyes meet....
A N.A.S.A. Tech hands Grace a mike and exits. She stares at the
static on the monitor. Harry's face fades in and out. Grace
knows something is very wrong from her father's strained, tired
face. She forces a smile. INTERCUT with Harry inside the
Armadillo
Grace Daddy.
Harry
(V.O.)
Grace. I...
(sighs)
This is so hard for me. I don't have....
Tears start to well up in her eyes.
Harry
(V.O.)
(cont'd)
...I just....want you to know how much I love you.
Grace I'm so proud of you, Daddy.
Grace wipes a tear from her face.
Harry
(V.O.)
(looking at Earth)
It's so beautiful up here. So pure.
(swallows hard)
I remember something I read once..."The world is a fine
place...and worth fighting for." looks at Earth, smiles)
Gracie, I'm just an iron-ass-warrior doin' what's best.
(pause)
Take care of A.J. I'll look in on you from time to time....
Harry pulls off the video link. Grace's monitors go black. Grace
touches the monitor, as Harry's face fades away.
Her knees buckle. She sinks to the floor.
EXT. ASTEROID SURFACE - DRILLING SITE
Harry looks at the detonator in hand.
Harry You have three minutes and I'm not waiting.
INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM - COCKPIT
Watts and Sharp settle into the cockpit and begin flipping
switches.
EXT. ASTEROID SURFACE - DRILLING SITE
Harry, all business now, situates himself next to the nuke. The
manual detonator in his hand.
Harry Let's go, Sharp. Get the hell off this rock. I WILL push
this button.
INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM - COCKPIT
Sharp hits the THRUSTER SWITCH.
EXT. FREEDOM
The booster rockets SPUTTER and die.
INT. FREEDOM - COCKPIT
Nothing happens. He HITS it again. Again.
Watts unbuckles and goes to the ENGINE IGNITION SYSTEM.
The timer continues counting down to one thirty-four... One
thirty-three... One thirty-two...
INT. N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL
Skip The thrusters are down! 32 seconds.
EXT. ASRTEROID SURFACE - DRILLING SITE
Harry looks irritably at the SHUTTLE'S SPUTTERING THRUSTER.
Harry Sharp, you better get those engines goin'.
INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM - SERVICE HATCH
The timer counts 23...22...21.
Watts is frantically adjusting the FUEL MODULATOR'S VALVES...
Sharp Watts, we gotta get that thing going!
Watts THE INTERIORR VALVE'S STUCK!
Lev crowds in next to her.
Watts
(cont'd)
(to Lev)
BACK OFF!! YOU DON'T KNOW THIS COMPONENT!!
Lev backs off. Keeps looking at the modulator, curiously.
IN THE COCKPIT - the Timer reads 10...9...9...SHARP keeps hitting
the THRUSTER SWITCH.
INT. N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL
Golden paces. Technicians stare pessimistically at consoles.
Golden Stamper, you gave me your word. You have five seconds.
PRESS THE BUTTON!
INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM - COCKPIT
Temple
(V.O.)
Sharp, I NEED A SOLUTION!
BACK TO LEV , Watts and Sharp.
Sharp Sir with all due respect, if I knew the PROBLEM, I'd give a
SOLUTION, SIR..!
Temple Well, find a solution!!
EXT. ASTEROID SURFACE - DRILLING SITE
Harry is looking at the shuttle. Close-Up on finger ready to pull
the trigger.
Harry SHARP, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? GET THE HELL OUT OF
HERE!
Harry's eyes close as the clock counts -10...-11...-12.
Temple STAMPER DETONATE!
INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM - SERVICE HATCH
Lev
(to Watts)
WE HAVE JUST THE SAME SHIT PART IN RUSSIA!! SOMETIMES IT NOT
WORK SO WE HIT!! YOU GOTTA GIVE IT WHACK!! WHACK!! HIT!!
Watts WHAT!!?
Lev GIVE IT WHACK!!
Lev grab a wrench and goes ballistic. SMASHES it down on the
component, AGAIN and AGAIN and AGAIN. We hear JET FUEL COURSE
through the component and --
-- SHARP hits the IGNITION SWITCH and the THRUSTERS FIRE.
EXT. ASTEROID SURFACE - SHUTTLE FREEDOM
Shuttle Freedom lifts off the asteroid on full REVERSE THRUSTER
POWER, like a Harrier jet. It ascends backwards, falling away
from the asteroid, away from Earth, toward the Moon.
Harry is a solitary figure, left behind.
INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM - COCKPIT
Sharp, Watts, A.J., Lev and Bear watch Harry becoming smaller and
smaller on the asteroid.
EXT. ASTEROID SURFACE - DRILLING SITE
Harry takes his final breaths. Looks around.
Harry All right, son-of-a-bitch, it's just you and me....
Harry's FINGER compresses on the detonator button....
A GEYSER OF STEAM next to the drilling hole BLAT up to five feet
away. A SECOND GEYSER, directly underneath Harry, BLOWS. The
MANUAL DETONATOR flies from Harry's hand as he's knocked
backward --
-- into the drilling hole!
INT. DRILLING HOLE
Harry falls ass-first down the hole, his PRO-GRAVITY THRUSTERS
pushing him further and further down. Harry's FINGERS GOUGE into
the walls of the hole. He scissors his legs. HIS BOOTS scrape
the sides. He begins climbing up out of the hole....We see that
his air has been punctured. He's losing pressure. He starts to
choke.
INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM
They've ascended to a safe distance.
Sharp Something's wrong.
A.J. Don't worry. He'll come through.
Sharp We should have detonation by now.
A.J. Harry doesn't fail.
Sharp We're going back.
A.J. What?
Sharp Every life, that you know, will die....unless that nuke is
detonated.
EXT. ASTEROID SURFACE - DRILLING SITE
HARRY'S GLOVED HANDS grip the sides of the hole. Then his helmet
appears. He looks across the asteroid surface to the MANUAL
DETONATOR, lying in the dirt.
The nuke has now descended several hundred feet into the hole.
INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM
WE MOVE DOWN the faces of the terrified men, looking down on the
craggy asteroid....
Chick
(unsure)
That means we might die too....
Sharp Watts, prepare for re-landing. NOW!!
Watts, frozen with fear, begins hitting switches.
EXT. ASTEROID SURFACE - DRILLING SITE
Harry crawls out of the hole.
The nuke is at the bottom of the hole. Harry runs, gasping for
air, bounding across the asteroid surface, dodging geysers and
rolling debris. He dives for the detonator. He stares long and
hard. A TEAR wells in his eye. His finger presses on the
detonator...sweat pours over his face....
Harry I beat you.
SLOW-MOTION CLOSE-UP on Harry's finger as it presses the
detonator.
EXT. SPACE
The nuclear device DETONATES. A spectacular concussion. The
ASTEROID SPLITS in two halves, as planned, like a split diamond.
The TWO BLOWN PIECES wing off into space, on new vector angles
which might miss the Earth....
INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM - COCKPIT
The detonation ROCKS the cabin. Everyone's violently buffeted
around.
Watts Houston, we have detonation!
Watts fumbles for the reverse switches as the flames from the
explosion grow CLOSER....She hits the directional THRUSTERS,
jamming it as hard as it will go...the flames bite up at them.
The shuttle veers off toward Earth.
A.J. Harry....
A.J. and the others stare out the cockpit window as the NUCLEAR
FISSION EXPLOSION FLAMES OUT, the halves of the asteroid wing
off.
EXT. AROUND THE WORLD - MONTAGE OF IMAGES
IN EXTREME SLOW MO, we see images around the world. WALL STREET
deserted....a crowded BAR with people huddled around a
T.V....Extremely tight on a TEAR falling form a woman's
face....ENGLISH FARMERS in a corn field.....a FATHER holding his
SON as they watch the brilliant flaming sky....Golden closes his
eyes and falls to his seat....Arms raise in unison....PEOPLE
embrace....AT THE PYRAMIDS, dappled in firelight, hundreds
praying....
INT. N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL
Grace is quietly weeping.
THE ASTEROID'S DETONATION is computer-imaged on the Central
Board. WE SEE the ASTEROID'S TWO HALVES, moving in new
directions. The Technicians stare in wonderment.
Golden Where are they, Flip? Give me some angles, give me some
directions, give me speeds...
Flip
(analysing new data)
The new courses are....they're gonna miss us!
The Technicians CHEER. Grace looks up. Wipes her tears. Golden
approaches her.
Golden I just want to tell you I'm proud to know the daughter of
the man who just saved the world.
EXT. ARIZONA - SHUTTLE LANDING AREA
Shuttle Freedom touches down. N.A.S.A. QUARANTINE VEHICLES race
out to meet it.
INT. N.A.S.A. - MISSION CONTROL
N.A.S.A.TEHNICIANS sit at consoles, exhausted. There are Coke
cans, coffee mugs, cigarettes overflowing ashtrays. Jimbo, Theo
and Pearl, wearing V.I.P. VISITORS BUTTONS, stand at the back.
Jimbo This definitely doesn't look like a glamorous job.
INT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM
A.J., Chick and Bear unbuckle, begin to rise from seats.
Chick I'm dyin' for a Budweiser.
Sharp Stay seated. Let the medical quarantine trucks set up.
Bear I ain't gettin' another enema from Nurse Ratchet.
A.J., Chick and Bear look at each other.
A.J. What would Harry do?
Bear I think he'd go get a beer.
EXT. SHUTTLE FREEDOM
The EMERGENCY HATCH DOOR BLOWS in front of surprised N.A.S.A.
QUARANTINE TECHNICIANS.
EXT. ARIZONA - SHUTTLE LANDING AREA
A.J., Chick and Bear walk away from the shuttle. All he N.A.S.A.
QUARANTINE MEDICS are looking for them.
Chick What are you lookin' at?
Bear Yeah, okay, you're right, we're the studs who just blew up
the Death Star.
A wave of fans are held back by MILITARY POLICE.
Sharp, holding his shoulder in pain, is helped across the tarmac
by Watts. A VET BYSTANDER comes up to Sharp and drapes an
American flag over his shoulders.
Temple, with a huge grin, approaches Sharp. Temple salutes Sharp.
Among the masses, Chick catches sight of Denise. Tommy stands
next to her, waving a small flag, proud as can be.
Grace runs toward A.J.; he sees her and runs to her.
They fall into each others arms. Grace is crying. A.J. is crying.
They kiss. A.J. looks up at the sky.
A.J. He's up there, Grace. And he'll never die. Will you marry
me? I gotcha a new rock....
A.J. pulls out one of the DIAMONDS from the asteroid surface, as
big as a doorknob, about two thousand karats. It glitters in the
sunlight. Grace stares at it, agog.
As we PULL BACK and CAMERA TILTS TO THE SKIES ABOVE.
Where Harry Stamper's soul remains.....
THE END
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