switch.

INT. AIR LOCK - "B" DECK
Low servo whine.
Door opens.
Slowly.
Green light throbbing inside air lock.
Creature looks curiously at it.
Moves onto the threshold.

INT. PASSAGEWAY - "B" LEVEL
Much watches...

INT. AIR LOCK
Creature move further into air lock.
Fascinated by green light.

INT. PASSAGEWAY - "B" LEVEL
Urgent whisper into voice-amp.

MUCH: Now...Now...

INT. BRIDGE
As Jenna moves to throw switch...

INT. AIR LOCK
Suddenly, from out of nowhere a klaxon wails.
The Creature leaps back across the threshold of the air lock.
Bewildered.
Screams as the inner hatch closes on an appendage.
Acid boiling out.
The appendage crushed.
The acid bubbles.
Metal boils in door.

INT. PASSAGEWAY - "B" LEVEL
Much watches.
Frozen.
The Alien wrenches itself free.
Comes flying outward.
Slam Amaroq and Much down.
Flees.
On the wall a green light goes on.

"Inner Hatch Closed"

INT. AIR LOCK
Metal still boiling.
The outer hatch begins to open.

INT. BRIDGE
JENNA: Much...

Pushes a switch.
Pushes it again.

AAKA: What's happening, Much.

In front of her a green light blinks.
"Inner Hatch Closed."

JENNA: Inner hatch sealed. The outer hatch is open.
AAKA: What about Much.
JENNA: I don't know. Take over.

Jenna bolts out of the bridge.

EXT. NOSTROMO
Air lock open.

INT. PASSAGE NEAR AIR LOCK - "B" LEVEL
Much unconscious.

INT. AIR LOCK
The inner hatch still closed.
Metal boils.
The hole growing deeper.

INT. PASSAGEWAY - "A" LEVEL
Jenna runs toward the air lock corridor.

INT. AIR LOCK
Metal boiling in door.

INT. PASSAGEWAYS - "B" DECK
Jenna slams to a momentary halt against a bulkhead.
Regains her balance.
Starts running.

INT. PASSAGE NEAR AIR LOCK - "B" LEVEL
Much now half conscious.
Jenna arrives as the hole in door blows open.
Escaping air shrieks.
FlAmaroqing sign comes on.
Critical depressurization.
Emergency klaxon.
Simultaneously vestibule doors close either end.
Sealing in Jenna and Much.
Door nearest to Much half-closed on one of the methane cylinders.
Leaving large gap.
Windstorm begins as hole in air lock grows.
Jenna reaches for other cylinder.
Begins slamming the jammed cylinder out of door.
Blood froths at their noses and ears.
Cylinder finally is driven out.
The door slams closed.

INT. BRIDGE
Aaka watches.
Emergency light readings.
"Hull Breached"
"Emergency Bulkheads Closed"

AAKA: Amaroq, get the oxygen. Meet me at the air lock.

Rushes out.
Down corridor.

INT. PASSAGEWAY NEAR AIR LOCK - "B" LEVEL
Jenna staggers toward an emergency panel.
At far end of corridor.
Pinging sound.
Misty atmosphere.
Tries to activate the door.
Cannot.
Aaka appears other side of bulkhead.
Activates door from outside.
Rush of oxygen.

EXT. NOSTROMO
Plume of vapor freezes in the vacuum.

INT. PASSAGE NEAR AIR LOCK - "B" LEVEL
Depressurization sounds.
Much regains consciousness.
Struggles to breathe.
Jenna unable to move.
Breath coming in shallow pants.
Aaka with an oxygen tank.
Amaroq follows.
Oxygen administered to Jenna and Much.
Finally.

AMAROQ: You all right.
MUCH: We didn't get it. The warning went off and it jumped back in the ship.
AMAROQ: Who hit the warning.
JENNA: You tell me.
AMAROQ: What does that mean.
JENNA: I guess the alarm went off by itself.
AMAROQ: If you've got something to say say it. I'm sick of these coy accusations.
JENNA: Nobody's accusing you.
AMAROQ: The hell you're not.

Sullen silence.

JENNA: Go patch him up.

Amaroq and Much leave.
Jenna turns to Aaka.

JENNA: How much oxygen have we lost.  I want an exact reading.
AAKA: You were accusing him.
JENNA: If I could find the command computer key, I could prove it.
AAKA: You're still accusing him of stealing the key.
JENNA: You think I'm wrong.
AAKA: I don't know. Wrong or crazy.
JENNA: Thanks.

INT. BLISTER STAIRCASE
Jenna cautiously descends the stairs to the blister.
Carrying a flamethrower.

INT. AMAROQ'S BLISTER
Looks around the blister.
Satisfied it's deserted.
She puts down the flamethrower.
Methodically begins to search for the key.
Faint tapping sound.
Then stops.
She looks around.
Sees nothing.
Resumes searching near blister window...
Jenna finds key...
Tapping sound.
She whips around to see:
Granite's disfigured face slapping against the plexiglass.
She stifles a scream.
Drops the key onto the curved surface of the blister.
Fishes for it...
Granite's bloated face swings in...
Beneath her.
She grabs the key and bolts up companionway.

INT. COMPUTER ANNEX
Jenna plugs the key into the board.
Data banks come to life.
She sits at a console.
Thinks for a moment.
Then punches up a code.
Nothing happens.
Punches another combination.
Nothing happens.
Frustration.
Another combination.
One screen comes to life.
Another combination.
She moves to the second keyboard.
Screen One spells out the question:

Question: WHO TURNED ON AIR LOCK 2 WARNING SYSTEM.
Response: AMAROQ

Another code.

Question: IS AMAROQ PROTECTING THE ALIEN.
Response: YES

New code.

Question: WHY
Response: SPECIAL ORDER 937 SCIENCE EYE'S ONLY

She starts a new code.

A hand slams down next to Jenna's arm.
It sinks elbow deep into the computer.
She whips around in her chair.
Faces Amaroq.
Jenna pushes Amaroq out with her foot.
Kicks him in the middle.
No effect.
Jenna twists away.
Amaroq throws a punch at her.
Misses.
She pushes a chair at him.
Overturns the desk...
And runs through bridge into mess.
He moves after her.
Gets her.
Much and Aaka burst into the Mess.
Aaka falls on Amaroq's back.
Amaroq turns to Aaka.
Tosses her across the room.
Returns to Jenna.
Again choking her.
Much lifts the tracker.
Steps behind Amaroq.
Swings the tracker...Wallop.
Tears his head off...
Wires ascending from Amaroq's trunk.
Where his head used to be.
Amaroq's hands release Jenna.
Search above his neck for his missing head.
He walks backward.
All eyes on Amaroq's headless body.
He walks the room.
Still feeling for his missing head.

MUCH: A robot, a God damn android.

Amaroq turns on him.
Starts to advance.
Much hits him again with the tracker...
Again.
Again.
No avail.
Amaroq begins choking Much.
Jenna picks up one of the prod sticks.
Closes on Amaroq's back.
Tears away the fabric.
Aaka pulls at Amaroq's legs.
Jenna tears at the controls buried in the cavity once covered by his head.
Much's eyes bulge in pain.
Amaroq, headless, choking, choking, choking...
Jenna finds the wires, stabs the prod home...
Amaroq's grip lessens.
Another stab...electrical flAmaroq...
The grip lessens...
Another stab...flAmaroq of circuits.
The headless body collapses.
Much trying to regain his breath.

MUCH: Damn you.

Kicks the headless body.
Aaka looks at Jenna.

AAKA: Tell me...What the hell's going on.

Pause.

JENNA: Let's find out. Wire him back up.
MUCH: What kind of crap is that.
JENNA: Do it.

They set to work.
Begin to reassemble the wiring in Amaroq's head.

JENNA: Amaroq let it on board. Amaroq let it grow inside Granite. Amaroq blew the warning signal.
AAKA: Why.
JENNA: Special Order 937.
MUCH: What's that.
JENNA: That's what I want to know.

Amaroq's head is placed on the table.
His eyes flicker into consciousness.

JENNA: What is Special Order 937.
AMAROQ: You know I can't tell you that.
JENNA: Then there's not point in talking to you. Pull the plug.
AMAROQ: Special Order 937 in essence asked me to direct the ship to the planet, investigate a life form, possibly hostile and bring it back for observation. With discretion, of course.
JENNA: Why. Why not tell us.
AMAROQ: Would you have gone.
MUCH: It wasn't in the contract.
AMAROQ: My very point.
JENNA: They wanted to investigate the Alien. No matter what happened to us.
AMAROQ: That's unfair. Actually, you weren't mentioned in the order.
AAKA: Those bastards.
AMAROQ: See it from their point of view.  They didn't know what the Alien is.
JENNA: How do we kill it.
AMAROQ: I don't think you can. Not in this ship, given its life support systems. But I might be able to.
JENNA: How.
AMAROQ: I don't know quite yet. I'm not exactly at my best at the moment. If you would reconnect...
JENNA: No way.
AMAROQ: Don't be so hasty. You'll never kill it without my help.
JENNA: We've had enough of your help.
AMAROQ: You've barely got any oxygen left. If you don't go into hyper sleep, you'll die with or without the Alien.
JENNA: Nice try, Amaroq.
AMAROQ: I will do whatever I can to help you. I swear it.
MUCH: Pull the plug.
AAKA: I agree.
AMAROQ: You idiots. You still don't realize what you're dealing with. The Alien is a perfect organism. Superbly structured, cunning, quintessentially violent. With your limited capabilities you have no chance against it.
AAKA: You admire it.
AMAROQ: How can one not admire perfection.  I will kill it because I am programmed to protect human life as you know.
JENNA: Even if you have contempt for it.
AMAROQ: Even then.

Bitter and angry.

JENNA: Sorry Amaroq. I don't buy it.
AMAROQ: You egocentric morons. You'll be ripped to shreds, destroyed and...

Jenna make a movement.
Amaroq softens...

AMAROQ: I can only wish you well...

Jenna pulls the plug.

MUCH: He was probably right. We do need him.
JENNA: He was conning us.
AAKA: He was programmed to protect human life.
JENNA: He wasn't protecting our human lives and that's all I care about.  Anyway it's done.

Jenna exits to the bridge.

INT. BRIDGE
Jenna in the Computer Annex.
Aaka and Much enter.

JENNA: He's right about one thing.  We've got less than twelve hours oxygen left.
MUCH: It's all over.

Gloom.

AAKA: I don't know about the rest of you, but I think I prefer a painless peaceful death to any of the alternatives on