"ARMAGEDDON" (1998)

Current Revisions by

VOICE Sixty-five million yearsago, dinosaurs walked the face of a lush and fertile planet ...

2 A GIGANTIC ASTEROID streaks pastcamera, burning into the atmosphere. 2

VOICE (cont'd) ... acomplex, highly-evolved ecosystem thrived.... A piece of rock,only six miles wide, hurtling through space,altered the course of natural history forever ...

4 EARTH, seen from space, rockedby an IMMENSE SHOC1'WAVE.-:-:-and now-the4 blue is slowly lathered in this awful blackdeath):cloud·.:,oMITTED(3)

;"?t VOICE (cont'd) .....··•·.... Impact equal to ten thousandnuclea.:tf'····... weapons detonating simultaneously.-;r,Ao· trillion tons of dirt and rockhurled,<ihto the atmosphere. A blanket of dust th~..,sun was powerless to penetrate fora thotfs'ima·'>:. years. It happened before. It wilU.happen' again. It's just a question ...of-wh,~n:Y ·,,;·;·.:,':·'·

6 And OVER this we hear: A BLUROF STATIC AND SQUAWKING RADIO 6 CHATTER -- EARTH, reflected off the face ofASTRONAUT PETE SHELBY'S helmet. He is spacewalking;tethered to SHUTTLE ATLANTIS. He is trying, without success,to repair a satellite.

Equipment. Busy. Crowded. Tense. DAN TRUMAN is the boss here. NASA's second-in-command -- he would've been an astronaut himself,but his LEG BRACE speaks of a disappointment he'shad to accept long ago. He's standing over the shoulders ofFLIGHT DIRECTOR CLARK. Watching the console. And the video.

Truman taps Clark. Clark moves to another seatas.Truman sits down .

.._,,.. TRUMAN \t:,,. Pete, this is Truman -- we've gotan>;.:~yeon your meds here -- let's try and relaxa,,. little -- we've got plenty of time):ruddy<:', ,••:,...

SHELBY still struggling with delicate instruments. TRUMAN TENSE.

The instrument· ever soSLOWLY movesinto_position~:··.·

-- I'm looking good here --it's go.;;.'.,;,•

SHELBY'S HELMETGETS ROCKED -- the glass spiderwebs -- EARTH'S REFLECTION shatters -- blood boiling -- Shelby'sSHOULDER CAM spins.

rnaster(OB/14/97) 2.

THE SPACE SHUTTLE suddenly shredded by thousands of tiny,speeding, 9-11 meteoric pebbles -- SHRAPNEL tearing~hrough everything -- NASA logo is ·destroyed-- THE SHUTTLE'S SKIN peeling down to the ribs --KANTWELL COCKPIT FILLS WITH A FIREBALL. Finally,there's a HUGE INTERNAL SHUTTLE EXPLOSION.

MONITORS go dead. A horrible moment of silence ...

NASA TECH#1 We're down.

NASATECH #2 Massive failure. We lost ....

And then -- action -- controlled panic. Hands flying over keyboards. CAMERA CLOSES ON~- Truman standing there,stunned. Utter disbelief.

A dark room filled with equipment ... fullBATTLESTAFF run to their consoles. Tiny yellow BLIPS appear on largeTV Screens.

OPERATOR #1 (following yellow BLIPS) <i Sector five-niner is reportingthree,----11-ow five -- eight -- I repeat eight unidentified tracks --

OPERATOR #2 Watchdog, I have four,now nine eleven unknown tracks --

From above, a haggard lookingSECTOR _DIRECTORyelJt':'clci~':\t

<\c ,';}< SECTOR DIRECTOR '-{i\~tt,f:,,j,:;·: Scralllblethe Eagles ....

Two dozen PILOTS and CREW from the 102nd FighterInterceptor Wing scramble onto the dark, frozen tarmac to theirwait,;i.,rJ.gF;,_15EAGLE' s

\?f))'~fJ-::··.;·\.·-::-:/~(-·~-2

SEVERAL AIDES rush around theroom. Mega-high tech..,~qμ::Lpmentcomes alive. A young AIDE holding three phones,is tal~,ing·ori':\asecure line:

/!'❖ ,,'',h

AIDE #1 -~::x {rushing in) Sir, I have some Generalfrom the Russian Air Defense Forceson the phone. He wants to know what we're doing ....

:naster (08/14/97) 3.

The room is packed. Truman pacing through,rushing out assignments.

DOTTIE is in her eighties. She's wearing anightgown and slippers. She's got a flashlight and she's walking with asmuch angry determination as her little body can muster. She walks out of her trailer towards a huge 1920's OBSERVATORY.She starts yellin'--

DOTTIE * Goddamn it, Karl, this time I'm not * kidding! *

A HUGE TELESCOPE. KARL, 80, a cranky, scrawnybaCkyard astronomer with his eye to the sky. She throws open the door and --

DOTTIE .·.... * If you don't start spending a litt~fa;-,less..-. * time in here and a little moretime""inthe * trailer with me, I want a divorce. *

KARL * I thought we already were divorced. *

DOTTIE c,,,,,y,:.:·-:,/.X.;a:.,<•"••<* I am .ili.k of you taking me forgrant¢d''ahd'.i·- *

KARL * Will you shut-up?! This is thebig:•or,ier··•>::,;> * I'm in the books with this !Go get my · +,, * phonebook I gotta call thatguy·/f+,om_ * NASA! ,:-;: *

DOTTIE :, * Friggin' books ...you should be calling a * lawyer is who you should becalling·~··•.·.·•,. *

FOUR CARS -- military motorcade -- racing around a corner

master(OS/14/97) 4.

U.S.A.F. LT. GENERAL KIMSEY. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. His deputy, GENERAL BOFFER, beside him in the back seat.

Establishing. The sun rises over the Brooklyn Bridge.

A small MESSENGER cruising on his bike singing like a rock star.In the front basket is his FRENCH BULLDOG lovin' life. N'.~~York city pumps.

The MESSENGER now walking his Bulldog pulling att4~:<•l,'4I1t;i.tsof his retractable leash. Bulldog's POV as the dogatta,¢ks·1:ner:bigcity. PEOPLE reading the tabloids. SHUTTLE MISSING! ~ISASTER'.:INORBIT!

"X/(~:-s::-;:0;.-\/.,.)~;;•·.

25 A BIG ELECTRONICS STORE just up ahead.PASSERSBY's b.ay:~stopped to 25 stare through the window, where DOZENS ofTELEVIS:£00S't.:.a:re.Playing an ABC NEWS SPECIAL REPORT on the missing Shuttletand,.._"\\

LITTLE GUY What's up? ....

Little Guy jerks the Bulldog... the Bulldog canwaitriblotiger. He lifts his leg against A VERY LARGE BOOT attachedtP<•·ac:+AvfroGESAMOAN GUY. He feels something and looks down. The Samoan 'Guy''"kicksthe dog, and it starts growling. J,C:>:"\~/\:>

--~=' LITTLEGUY *~t ,,._._,·:<L· ;,.;,AI7:~'..('='<:I~ _Hey! Hey man, you kicked my dog!

master(OS/14/97) 5.

Suddenly, the T.V. SCREENS START FRITZING OUT a huge SONIC BOOM C ROARS OVERHEAD -- The huge Samoan looks up, as --A ROCK, the size of a basketball, WIPES HIM OFF THE SCREEN

-- EXPLODING into the pavement -- CONCRETE andSPARKS and GLASS FROM THE WINDOW. The TELEVISIONS ARE BLOWN IN THE AIR -- all of it -- SHATTERING AT ONCE and PEOPLE SCREAMING andHORNS HONKING and then --

It's over. The hissing of steam. Little Guy inside the store. In his hand, the leash -- the other end disappearing down into --

Ten-feet wide. Forty-feet deep. Way down there,embedded in the substreet infrastructure, A SIZZLING, STILL-SMOKING,RED-HOT METEORITE. And hanging there, suspended by the leash,the Bulldog.

Traffic is ground to a halt. CAMERAMOVES into a cab. STU, the Cabbie, with an ASIAN TOURIST, cranes hisneck out the window.

C STU THE CABBIE

Could be a couple of things :Shootir;i.•',c , stabbin' ,dead guy. It's Friday,payday most probably a jumper . tilj\{/':•·•,.

28 Suddenly -- a projectile the size of a dump truckSC~S through 28 the sky and blasts through THREE HUGE BUILDINGS.•)-More"•p:i;ojectiles explode in the intersection. Cars get thrownev~;cywhere:;:

'iftt~\--{·:;:-_·::::-Ji'

29 Five cars lifted from the explosion scream downthef·streetflying 29 inches over the head of the Little guy and his dog.

30 THE ENTIRE TOP FIVE STORIES OF A BUILDING toppleand hit the street 30 below. Bricks, mortar and gargoyles everywhere. .::•,

-~·•,: .. ·.,• .

Grief and frenzied activity. Dozens of peopleruful;ing<,riumbers.Truman is at the center -- being handed documents,shown rnqilitors--

NASA TECH #1 Space Command's screens are clear. *

NASA TECH #2 Right here. They're clearing too.

-------- - --------------------··---·

master(OS/14/97) 6.

NASA TECH #2 That could take overa week to--

NASA TECH #2 General Kimsey on line four.

32A-BINT. NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCILROOM/INTERCUT WITijDAN TRUMAN 32A-B

Crowded now. Joint Chiefs. Cabinet officer. Empty chair for the President. NETWORK NEWS on TVs.GENERAL KIMSEY on the phone, frantic:

TRUMAN * It's a meteor shower in thenorthern,c:'::~<-'<'."". * hemisphere. That's what took outthe * shuttle. "" * ·\(. -~~\./~:..._:--: KIMSEY * I've got the President on Air Force..:OnJ":; * demanding answers -- is it over? -> * ~V/.):wt>.J TRUMAN * The sooner I get off the phone the sooner * I '.11know,we' 11 call you back-.- *

Truman hangs up the phone -- back to the insanity

til;_ ·.:\

Hallways alive with action. We're following one ri~rdy,.guynamed DR. RONALD QUINCY, carrying stacks of paper andhustli~~-a~ong when

-=<t~i:. NASA TECH #l .-?1· {from adoorway) "i'if>>--

this old guy on the phone herefrom Sedo'na. Says he met you atsome comet seminar?

BANKS OF COMPUTERS andCOMMUNICATION GEAR. NASA PEOPLE manning battle stations. Tense, anticipatory silence. Nobody moving or talking.

rnast:er(OS/14/97) 7.

NASA TECH #1 (second phone) The FBI locked his location.

Truman passing off the numbersand THE ROOM EXPLODES with quiet frenzy -- NUMBERS are frantically plugged into the computer..

TheRULERS move to the MAPS of the asteroid belt/ lines aredra'Wil.

Loads of NAVAL MEMORABILIA. Dottie stands there:~J'.tthifigi:.

Karl hangs up and flashes her this very smug smile/?·She;·sburning.

PHONE HANGS UP. Computers PRINT. OUT,PHONE LINK t'bcaa$.}!'.JI. - -

Home of the HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE. Two S.T.I. TECHNICIANS man the * Hubble's control console. *

master(OB/14/97) 8.

The HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE screams by camera orbiting the earth. The Telescope tilts, repositioning its view. Lights flash.

IMAGES from the Hubble arriveon a high-resolution printer. S.T.I. Technician 1 grabs four PHOTOSfrom the printer. Technician swipes stuff off the console,making room. Together they arrange the four photos. They· stare silently at theawesomeCOMPOSITE PHOTO.

40-41EXT. OUTER SPACE -CONTINUOUS 40-41

CAMERA PUSHES THROUGH A CLOUDOF ROCKY, ICY DEBRIS, penetrating the cloud until theHUGE ASTEROID CORE comes into clear view -- amass .:Jf dirt and ice -- rough,craggy, menacing. A PROJECTION SCREEN -FULL FRAME. And there's thatjagge~, fuzzy, ugly THINGOagain. And we hear:

NASA VOICE ,, This is the anomaly atsixteen-forty-- three ...

KA-CHUNK -- slide changes-- the THING gets bigg4· --.•...•.

~"ft:::-:!~<>-:+~·: NASA VOICE (cont'd) ...··""· Here is theanomaly at sixteen-fift;y;,,,/:;·;> ·-,.1'. eight ... ,;;_;_

PULL BACK TOREVEAL -- FIFTY PEOPLE AT LEAST. Cr~ed ib'.Hand- lettered signs, hastily written -- propped up around this long table: ENGINEERING -- PROPULSION --COMMUNICATIONS -- PUBLIC:,,AEFAIRS--DATA RETRIEVAL --Open phone lines to N. S. C. --The C~Jti,~·£·~·'"thefeeling that everybody who is in onthis is on the line right now.

Andhere is t~!S!n~~~l~ at sevente~h··u hundred. . . ';;;,".?<

KA-CHUNK -- theTHING gets bigger.

GeneralKimsey watching THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE as we hearTHE PRESIDENT in theBG transmitted from Air Force One --

master(OS/14/97) 9.

43A-BINT. MISSION CONTROL - CONFERENCE ROOM -- SAME TIME 43A-B

PRESIDENT {V.0. ) I'm staring ata laptop -- how big are we talking about?

Truman looksdown the table. THREE PEOPLE sitting behind one of those signs that reads: PROPORTIONAL ANALYSIS.

Truman waving his. hands to make it simple.

TRUMAN· I'm sure you' re aware,Sir,after .. congressional budget cuts,that $700,00n only lets us track3 percent of the'sky--

TRUMAN ········· Total. Sir. This is what we call aJ3lobal Killer. The end of mankind. Doesn't matter where it hits, nothing would:: survive,not even bacteria.

----·--------·----

:naster(OS/14/97) 10.

Suddenly the door ope~s across theroom a MATH GUY stands there, holding a printout. One look and youknow it's bad. A sudden, total, awful silence.

A GOLF BALL and TEE pushed into GRASS --HARRY S. STAMPER, CLUB in * hand, lines up the shot -- eyes on the ball,then on his target, * squinting, concentrating -- intense. He swings -- THWACK! Smiles. *

46A-BWe FOLLOW THE BALL, which sails through the air -- and just aswe 46A-B expect it to hit grass, it hits aGREENPEACE BOAT~- just missing * one of the half dozen PROTESTERS on the deck,just waking up. * They start YELLING at Harry,who waves back at them: *

HARRY * RISE AND SHINE! *

The Protesters keep yelling as Harry sets up another ball. Behind him,* CHARLES "CHICK" CHAPPLE arrives,holding a clipboard. 40's, rugged --* been through the worst with Harry,but he's standing here. That says * it all. *

·CHICK < ·..·· ....· * That boat's a hundred yards tooclose. * I'll call my friendat the Singapore Navy. * This bastard's so mean his mother hates * him. * ;\r.

Harry swings WHACK! The ball hits theGreenpe;aqeJiu.11.·The * Protesters yell more. Harry yells back: *

HARRY {cont Id) 1? . * YOU GUYS ARE RIGHT! DRILLING IS BAD! -~-•·· * MODEL SOLAR-POWEREDBOAT IS THAT?! .;_"" *

CHICK * (hands him clipboard) 'tr,)~Jt'i'}\:'· * Seriously, Harry, lemme callmy friend. At * the very least it'll be entertaining. * ,_:ft\~::-:,::. HARRY ;f: *

Nah, Gre~~;!~~~gli:~~r;lales,I lik~:,:' * whales. I just don't like when theypark * on my driving range--why was there;}:'··· * drilling on 'Iwo? ·t/-, *

CHICK * Yeah, I thought you might find that * fascinating. Chewed 180 feet last night. *

HARRY * I shut it down. Who the hell ordered 'Iwo * to drill?! *

master(OS/14/97) 11.

Harry's face goes flush jaw clenched --he grabs the golf club. SWINGS -- The Golf Club as it's hurled into the sea--

Harry tearing through the rig. Way pissed off. HARRY'S GOLF SHOES CLATTERING and --

A COUPLE ROUGHNECKS cut pipe -- looking up, smili.ng

ROUGHNECK #1 What'd he do this time, Har?

Funky and cramped. Samples all over. ROCKHOUNDiis wearing boxers, sneakers, and a miner's helmet. He's holdinga big.f:i,91:lin his gloved hand. Harry comes rushing through-- / ·<·:;

¼:,'.=

Hey, Har! Ch:~~~~~ out,man! Fciftjr:,. three pounds of lean, mean, aquatic# . machine! Life in the Goddamn food'1ol;la;in!

Truman studies the Math Guy's report. All eyes i{.1./.theL,roomonhim. The grim reality is setting in ...he looksaroun9'the room.

....;l= TRUMAN ·All right, this is what we're going to do I want every strategy we got for Near * Object Collision -- every strategy,every idea, every program, every sketch on every napkin and pizza box -- whatever we got for Near Object Collision Contingency. For 30 years they've questioned the need forNASA. Today we give them the answer. Let's go.

rnaster(OB/14/97) 12.

And the room erupts in activity --

·INT. OIL RIG - CRANE CROW'S NEST MOMENTSLATER 53

THE DOOR bursts open. Dust falls. Harry fills the frame. A small, dark'" room. A bed in the darkest corner Harry kicks it.

A.J.'s up in bed looking, damn "hand in the cookie jar" nervous. He's physically awkward here -- as if moving at all might break something ... or revealsomething ...

C

ass in the fire, if you don't hitat.1.9,,0.00 feet, do whatever the hell youplea~e>' You don't fillfil:.:disobey my orders!· *

I-won't, you~~~ I won't. Who sc:r~wedup? Me. I blew it. I. suck.Damnit Harry~>:.'·-· everything you're thinking,you're right. I'm sorry. I'll meet you atops in five minutes. 'Kay?

Harry looks at A.J. squarely. A.J. gets it. Harry turns to leave. *

master(OS/14/97) 13.

And then he HEARS a FEMALE SNEEZE. Harry stops. A.J. winces. Harry turns around, under the bed sheet -- lying there,in her slinky pajamas, is GRACE -- precious,beautiful and 23.

We're TIGHT ON Harry's face -- wracked with rage;_~·red,insane -- he * moves for A.J·.who BOLTSOUTTA THE ROOM through the other door --we * CUT TO A.J. sliding downa 70-foot cable -- *

Harry RIPS a SHOTGUN from its mount. SHELLS fall everywhere

A.J., in his boxers, sprintsfrom Harry, who wields the shotgun *

A.J. , > '.. HARRY! HARRY?! Under the circumstances being irrational is totallyunderstanda--

BOOM!!! Harry FIRES into the sky -- Christ it's~buD>'::".:.:.·11.J.JUMPS, picking up speed, terrified

HARRY 'i!~,,.,,p;\,..""';::'/' You're still thesame dumb-ass punk, Just" * twice as old!

As A.J. scrambles up theDERRICK

Harry turns Grace runsup behind them, a sheet wrapped around her.

rnaster{OS/14/97) 14.

Harry's going after A.J. again -- A.J.'s climbing hard -- glancing back at his pursuer --

BOOM! Harry cocks and aims -- but is blocked by JAYOTIS"BEAR" KURLEENBEAR, huge, one of Harry's veterans,des~erate for a shower and shave.

Harry pushes past Bear continues after A. J.climbiI1g<:fOJ;<hislife.

HARRY ,.,/ You think I raised her-- sent hertP ·college?! You think Itook care o:EJ:e:h~r>all these years so she could end upwitfr<,Vi-:·' someone like Y..§.?A guylike~?!

Harry FIRES again -- hits thePUMP JACKS - Harry continues until Chick interceptshim

Harry now pushes past Chick --going after A.J. with all he's got --

master(OS/14/97) 15.

BOOM\ -- A.J. climbing too fast -- loses his footing -- slipping falling -- grabs for THE CABLE -- just snagging it and --

A.J. on the cable, pulling himself to safety.Harry aiming at him. He knows he won't really shoot the kid ... or does he?AN AIRHORN BLASTS--

56 A HUGE LUXURY YACHT on the horizon. 56

CAMERA MOVES along a PRESENTATION TABLE drawings, books, reports, sketches, scale models,-- over a DOZENNASA TECHS~- and here's Truman, addressing his troops:

NASA PLANNER#1 (really nervous) Uh, we, uh-- back in 1974, the idea,, the. possibility that an asteroid--you,:\(:Oufd''·. say, meteor, though technically ar#,eteoJ::is· just a - - "-1'ht1;s';t,:>,... .. :::;!,:::·-...,. TRUMAN ,J'/,a:+;'°,<f,... I need someone who's had less caffJi~e'fhf~{ morning. Grunberg, translate. it___,.,;;e ·•y;-;:;_0;.'?:.':.-·:, NASA PLANNER#2 Our first feasibility plan was to'l;f~.i..~,;:--~"··:;;k,.>;• spread-focus laser generator toheatithe ... object to the point of fracture-- ;/

TRUMAN ,:;,};,,.,.,,,> That's shooting a BB gun ata freight? ,;, train. Alexander whatcha got? 'Cf~""""';;::,..,,__:'

NASA PLANNER#3 , What about ElectrostaticRepulsion?;:;: \}\:· TRUMAN' ·<<'/:.·.. What about it? We've got two and a half * weeks. we can't bank on E.R.in this scenario. Waisler. Go.

master(OS/14/97) 16.

NASA PLANNER #4 (showsdrawing) We've got the design for sending a craft to * the object and hoisting solar sails to gently re-direct its trajectory.

NASA PLANNER #4 (feeling it) You don't like this idea. *

And we PUSH IN on the nearby official NASA stopwatch --DIGITAL NUMBERS to the thousandth of a second -- blurring past-.,-,counting down TIMETO GLOBAL IMPACT 18 DAYS - 431:15:18:014 .

THE YACHT has landed. ·The clients, THREEHONG KONG TITANS, prepare to come up the gangway. Harry and Grace (nowdress~q) stand together -- A.J., and Bear off to the side.

:·<:- GRACE '1< (tries to hide her rage) ..•.···.. I understand that you' re handicappedby·a:,-,, natural immaturity, Harry-- .,.. '\:/,;: HARRY Dad. Call me Da--

GRACE i;\s. But that shotgun thing was off-the.::Hha:Fts•.,. unacceptable.

.. GRACE 1tiV>..· We are friends. Friends whosleepW •· together. Look, you' re reallygood,,~t' these things, let me ask you this ..\>·

master(OS/14/97) 17.

Grace steps forward to greet THE HONG KONG CLIENTS,charming them instantly with her perfect Cantonese. She continues talking to the Clients, while Harry greets them -- but they both)continue their ,---......,argument: j

Harry goes pale --

1%Siltt:•,\

THE HONG KONG CLIENTS getting the grand tour. Grabe leads the way, but the clients are oblivious to their fight:

master(OS/14/97) 18.

61-62Grace turns to listen to one of the Clients as Harry suddenly 61-6"2 seems distracted by aTHUMP-THUMP NOISE -- pipes VIBRATE -- Harry * looks over ata PRESSURE GAUGE -- which is peaking -- theNEEDLE * DROPS SUDDENLY --then JUMPS -- ONCE -- TWICE -- Harry's eyesgo * wide --he sprints away -- Grace confused -- A.J. joins Harry with * a triumphant £mile -- *

63 KA-WHOOSH! OIL -- PIPE MUD -- all of it ROCKETS into the sky. 63

.. HARRY (cont'd) ··.·..· Chick! Turn the table out -- move!'.!Bear>,~:. --Max swing those back-flanges/in -- Go! Go! ~! ~,1.&.·~:.··:·_,'·?::

64-66A.J. -- like a flash --charges after Harry. GrJbe pil;ll.~:pgthe 64-66 Clients into hiding and -- Oil begins to spurt f:t-Q:{n.,c,-t;he,;,:valves .Chick and hisTEAM pull CABLE and EQUIPMENT as fast as theycan. Harry right

in the center of it and-- A.J. right behind. ,t(:,:'.'.i}tci·t:+;;:.

~~. ~.::,

Another meeting. KIMSEY is here, with an exhaustedTRUMAN.and crew:

TRUMAN t~,'.~i?'t;'.)\;,(i~1i Because of the proximity of the astetoid * without any prep time -- none of * primary plans are going to work. *

KIMSEY * So what are you telling me? *

TRUMAN * That our best shot -- what I'm abo-titto * suggest we do -- is a back-up plan''that:· * sounds like a joke. *

KIMSEY * Why can't we can't just send up 50 ICBMs * and blow that rock apart? *

master(OB/14/97) 19.

QUINCY * Simple physics. Did you ever take Physics? * I don't mean that as an insult ... *

KIMSEY * Yeah, I took Physics ...who is this? *

TRUMAN * Dr. Ronald Quincy from Research. Pretty * much the smartest man on the planet, listen * to him. *

QUINCY * It's actually very simple: you seta * firecracker off in your open palm and you * burn yourself. Right? But close your fist * and light that fuse ...and... well, your * wife's gonna be opening the ketchup bottle * the rest of your life. *

KIMSEY * You're saying we nuke the thing ...from * inside? *

QUINCY * That's exactly what I'm saying. *

KIMSEY * How? *

TRUMAN t<'\<-.·.· * We drill. We need to bring in the\world's * best deep core driller. Vt"... *

A68 EX~. OIL RIG -- DAY A68

IT'S SO LOUD YOU CAN'T BELIEVE IT --PIPES keep f:~llingaridCRASHING * AND ROLLING· and the OILIS STILL SHOOTINGAND SPEWING AND RAINING DOWN and -- Harry PULLS men out of the way -- races to get to aGIANT VALVE* WHEEL -- he's struggling to move the thing butit;/.E1...n91::.working and he's being blinded by the oil and --NOW FLAMES B~ST OUT--

,·.

Through a fountain of oil and mess,A.J. appears_.;..he pushes hisway in beside Harry -- muscles straining andTHE ROAR.INGSOUND OF OIL and THE RATTLE and SHAKE -- Fire hoses shootingwatE;!~--:,'It''Sterrifying* and dangerous as metal pipes fallsaround them --;{,.butthey're doing it- - the WHEEL TURNS -- the GUSHER is slowlyCONTAINED'':....;..;,,,

Until finally the insanity's ov1;r-- Harry andA..J.."''coli'apsetothe floor, exhausted, covered in black. Harry looks at A.J.,>whose smile is the only bright white thing here. •... ·, ·

Harry gets up -- slips a little in the oil --and heads off. A.J.'s smile is gone now.

rnaster(OS/14/97) 20.

Grace with the Hong Kong trio -- all covered in oil -- suits ruined, the yacht trashed -- but the Clients are all smiles. Harry appears.

Harry forces a thumbs up, turning to Chick,who's high on the bridge:

Now A.J.'s..behind Harry slaps his back

Harry pivots -- SLAMS A.J. in the face -- A.J.goes down. Grace gasps, starts across the platform toward the men. Harry,looms large over A.J .

You're off. You're fired.

A.J. gets to his feet -- stands up to Harry --Grae;:~ge~pto A.J. --

--..>~t~-t-->:=·~ A.J. Well look around, man!

69 Suddenly they all look up -- the Clients,everyone -- to the WHOK - 69 WHOK - WHOK - WHOK of an approaching SEAHAWKNAVY HELICOPTER

The SEAHAWK sets down -- the doors fly open and SIXARMED MARINES deploy. ADMIRAL KELSO is right behind them.

rnaster{OS/14/97) 21.

Harry steps with Kelso to the ROAROF THE ROTOR-WASH --

(,,:_:. KELSO

... I'm afraid I don'tknow "Crazy Willy." Sir, I'm dead serious about this..JY';;/

Everyone's staring -- and just as Harryrealizes\i;this;:if:lj/real, Rockbound approaches, intense and burdened. '":¼<!'•

ROCKHOUND J··

her age, so I assumed she was atle;as;t.,;;.::..

Harry looks over at Grace and A.J. This might he gives it a try:

HARRY ;:::/<···.. (only Kelso can hear this)t I'11 go with you. On one condition\i'/•.~,

Grace and A.J. are in the midst of their own drama,unaware of the four MARINES heading from the chopper toward them. A.J. 's furious.

master(OS/14/97) 22.

The Marines arrive

Grace looks to A.J. -- sharing the confusion --s.uddenly two of the MARINES holdA.J. from either side --one under each arm -- Grace yells out but the other two have her -- they're being pulled apart --and

Harry watches from the chopper,smiling as Grace -- confused and angry -- is "escorted" into the helicopter --REVVING SO LOUD she can't hear.

TODAY! MR. FONG, YOU LOOK GREAT IN, -"BLACK! *

The Clients wave at Harry as theCHOPPER takes of~. OMITTED (72 ) 71A

t?.:

THE CLOCK: DIGITALNUMBERS -- TIME TO GLOBAL IMPACT -~--17DAYS - 73 4 07 : 14 : 2 6 : 021 .,f\1"'.,,;-.·>;..

Establishing shots ... the scope of this place isawesome;_:iq...

Harry and Grace coming through. Clean clothes, they've showered -- still, they're tense,tired, and confused.

'!'.RUMAN Mr. Stamper. Ms. Stamper. I'm the Executive Director of everyone,please accept

Silence. Two men eye-to-eye. Truman almost smiles.

"

:naster(08/14/97i 23.

A large room. Harry and Grace sit in the middle ofa PRESENTATION We go TIGHT ON Harry and Grace. Cut in the middle of Truman's story.

Dead, grim silence. The lightscome up. They're numb.

TRUMAN , Mr. Stamper, this is as real as itigets. ·t'··-

Truman nods to TECHS FLIP and SKIP,who open big ~tir.tiinsrevealing WINDOWS THAT LOOK DOWNON A~ HECTIC MISSION r~;L-

It's coming. Right now. At 22,000 Jni-l~s.. an hour, right for us. And none of:-<us...··.-. anyone, anywhere. . .can hidefromiit. J.

%t~~f}:j\/:{;. HARRY I take it ... you're not alerting like this.

rnaster(OS/14/97) 24.

Harry and Grace -- both in shock-- walk downstairs behind Truman, Quincy and A SMALL MILITARYESCORT.

QUINCY * The drilling unit is part ofa lunar project we've been working on ·for the past three years. The recent discovery:ofwater on the moon wa-- ·

A DOOR. TWO ARMED GUARDS open up and step aside

TECHN'ICIANSstanding besidea huge· gurney. Stret¢hed,:g.Cross,A LARGE ROBOTIC DRILLING ARM -- complex machinery andgears ana·X.~floncables. ~ Harry's jaw tightening as he circles the thing. ·Harryis in shock -- . ~..._.,,'

master(08/14/97i 25.

HARRY .:..· If you're gonna steala blue-printf:at least read the materials list --ho~-40.'you short-hitch ceramics?

Truman beckons across theroom and EIGHT NASA MISSION SPECIALISTS start walking toward us. The geek patrol. Nerdnauts.

i HARRY (CONTI D) \

What's this?

master(OB/14/97) 26.

Silence. Everyone has stopped working.

HARRY ...,.,..... Look, I'm a third-generationdrille+'\~'/::0-:;t<<.. drew my first paycheck whenI was e-welve: C', years old.. It took me32 years, eve,;y~dayt' every frigging minute,to learn whati'f·:-•" know. And I'm still learning. Some,>~gμy;•; with one hand in a bar told youabo;μta·•···· piece of equipment you gottawatch&out for that kinda thing.Might not look it\~$?'1,le' drillin' holes is an art. Like a dirty, dangerous ballet: if you don't know your crew as well as you know yourself,;ryo1:f?1¥:e01,>:'1::i screwed. · Maybe dead.You think I'IriJfrthe best? You're right,because I work with the best. In 17 days,I couldn't teac}:l::,,.. these Trekkies any more aboutdrillfrtg\d:ha:n\ you could teach me to fly adamn s],1ace/}:-:'.!• ship. 'ilt;;;}1t<:\>>JU,/

Their eyes lock -- Truman's mind races -- Harry'~+:t6h'_,::.::\

(knows what'scoming) Harry, wait a second --

mast:er(OS/14/97) 27.

Does anyone m1~c~f I throw in onel\':raticina.1

c:_/ thought here? ;,

..·<-t/.·,\\/:(/C:_(.,·. GRACE In case one doesn't make it. SowB~t are . the odds here? Has anyone calculatedthat? "'-~_:.rt);~..i<.-:.-'.' QUINCY (indicates busy Techs) That's what they're doing.

HARRY ,.·,:\: (to Grace) ;_{~f_.::.<=-\.,y I need you to go to the office,ge~ the personnel files. ··tiff'\.'·'.·

master(OB/14/97) 28.

·A lonely ribbon of American road. A Harley detailed with leather and horns. And there's BEAR in the saddle. Charley Pride meets Shaft.

Bear glances at his rearview mirror. Shit, there's a COP CAR behind And then, ANOTHER.

Bear tears off at a 100 m.p.h.

Harry and Grace flip through STAMPER OILPERSONNEL FILES. A team of FBI PERSONNEL listening to every word.

HARRY :/>.,. I need more muscle. The besttwo fitters we got ... between Monaco and Max. . .~-''"·

MAX LENNERT. A big man. Plenty ofroom for all'0thoseitattoos. Could be an Allman Brothers roadie. Reading the Wall St:n·eetJ8urnalsitting in a chair having a tattoo engraved on his massivea,.:r;m.,,MOMMA walks in. She weighs 350lbs and is carrying a box ofqqugh~~J1t::~,~Shelooksat Max's new tattoo. It says: "LOVIN'MOMMA." Mo~ smJ;).est·

tB,.l'lt<tf'if MAX Like it, Ma? Did you get me one of those yellow-jelly bear claws?

~OMMA Maxie . . .Ithink :)u're in * law again...

FBI AGENTS walk in the door.

--i~'.-

Rockhound is drunk. So's THEBIMBO beside him. :~;,j.,q½:iI?.g.:'tHe's got out his loupe, while holding her·handexamining her··:aiamondring.

master(08/14i97\ 29.

_,,r'""-'~..._ I '. ROCKHOUND I Hey, don't rush me, we got plenty of time

for that later. Just kidding. So what'd he tell you he spent on this, anyway?

Rock.hound notices theTWO FBI AGENTS who stand over him.

Are these your friends?

AGENTS ,.,., Sir, we have a national security~ttei<· T-:

Second Geolog~~Y 6~~~),s the man,tf·>f·

OSCAR CHOI, 32, goatee, galloping full tilt ona ,\gr~y,!>sT/μJLION.

-·i\'"..,_."\i GRACE (V .0.) 'f!b,,1;;,}J<r·,rr5'· Yeah, if they can find him...

There ' stwoHELICOPTERS skimming the groundbehi~~ji~~-~'.ff\;~:n

Chick at a craps table. Losing.

HARRY {V.O.) Chick obviously.

Snake eyes. TWO G-MEN watch Chick pull in a big pileof chips. *

master(OB/H/97) 30.

FREDDY NOONAN, an Aussie, CHOKINGsome guy against the wall.

Noonan stops. GUY GASPS. TWOHUGE FEDERAL AGENTS'.sta:ndthere.

Noonan reels around COLDCOCKING the weasel, who •tops·:flat.

·=\·?\·;~:.._·.-F:):+:i.

NOW TEN SQUAD CARS ... lights burning ... SIRENSWHI~NG·.,,,,_-.A'JROADBLOCK. Three foot gap between cars ... lOOmph ... Bear blows·-tihroughon his bike.

f/fJt':,<;-~·:·~~=

Harry and Grace as they were -- finally gettingbe the inevitable.

~~~~4:-!t({J\,\\.-'.;/\{-/~~. GRACE ...... You'11 still need another toolpush~;i:::r;:,.·" Everett's probably in Houston right.fnow... how about Fredo? He' sgood. i'ii/%<<i:i:?:.

Harry looks away. Is he going to say it first or willshe?

master(OB/14/97) 31.

Grace struggles to come up with an argument ... but can't.

A.J. fixes his old 60's muscle car.·A big wise-assgrin< Loving this.

A.J. ,··.·. So what you're basically sayingher'e,;..,;.. lemme just get this straight -- is that there's a job Mr. Stud Harry Stamper can't handle by himself.

Harry stands there, letting A.J. love this ...but hating it himself.

Harry looks into A.J.'s eyes -- he could could embrace him -- he chooses to do neither:

Harry -- ther!·~~e five words I wa~{>§~1i? Right now. "A.J., I need you. Man';'::--no, no: "A.J., you're the best ...ever.'.'.How..., about four words: "A.J.? I love you"·.'/".':

A.J. 'squiete~... intrigued... and because hecay{~\~etfs:-e::it...afraid.

i \ EXT. MISSION CONTROL BU~LDING -- DAY 91

The DRILLERS walk in with military ESCORTS laughing and joking with no idea what's up. They greet Harry and Truman.

rnaster(OS/14/97) 32.

The guys LAUGH -- except Harry ...

FACES in the dark: stunned, blank,incredulous, fascinated, terrified faces. MAX, "OSCAR,NOONAN, CHICK,ROCKHOUND, BEAR, and A.J. sitting there; the lights come up. Dead silence.

Truman ushering NASA PEOPLE out the door.The guy~ alone,now. SHOCKED. OSCAR starts to smile. >"'·

NOONAN -{;.::. Surprise, right? This isa joke, someone's birthday. Please,was jt~~e", here born today?! ,:?/if;':·. HARRY ,/: ;: Yeah, this is the craziest shitI at~:,/C' heard of too. And if we choose nott:b'" go ...we're just sitting around waiting for some goddamn roe~ to killeverythi~~{;'}'J'~!;0:\;:\A:K' know. So I'm going. But not one o~you need to prove how tough they are. r"ve · seen you do stuff that would make Neil ,. Armstrong piss his spacesuit. So i;pf:qqμ'Y•!>_;: don't think you can make it allthe'way,',IJ, need to know who's in. Who's out,;;~iglit..,.), now?

Silence. And then, breaking the ice:

Harry smiles at this.

.....----c.···.~=--·..------------------··----------------...

master{OB/14/97) 33.

Truman,Kimsey and a GROUP OF NASA FOLKS stand around waiting. Staring at the door.

~~!~ _s~~~et~e~oi~.orT~~t~oo~n~~:~~le~arry out f\Jst.?:\'n,~!Guys ,behind

HARRY f~~~}f:Y'~f.~~{{\t~?; They'll do it. But they've got a few"i' requests.

Harry has a list. Unfolding it. And unfolding i~.·,Kimseyis enraged - - about to berate them, but Truman silencesKimseff''with·a.look.

*~:*>r__,_\_--_:.;=dif HARRY ·"•··•v· There's a lot here ...they mostly involve things like, uh... (reading the list) Oscar here's got some outstanding parking tickets . Wants 'em wiped off his record.

rnaster(OB/14/97) 34.

Harry handsTruman the long list ...Truman reads it, a little taken aback,but in no position to argue.

We see Rockhound's mind racing. He CLEARS HIS THROAT gets Harry's attention. Harry moves to the guys. They huddle~.Harry then walks back to Truman.

Off Truman and Kimsey' s reaction --Kimsey turns:a,t:id walks off.

·.,·,.

EIGHT NASA GEO TECHS working around the clock toIllgp.,.andmonitor the asteroid. M<;>nitorswith3-D ma:i;;>ping.Chemicalsl\t)~c•t:-~oscppy.Truman is here --like a General prepping for battle. ,j, ,> ::.:

· >10:i:~?%Sf$f~'.$gt/f" TRUMAN Tell me everything you know about q,~1'.Uii(fi'tu,. enemy. ;\~±,:/

A ROW OF CUBICLES. Nurses everywhere. The guys1~~l:l<:at:Ja,~rtattoos don ' tlook1 ikeNASA fit specimens . BEAR, they're:fdrawingblood. NOONAN, mouth open. OSCAR,.·they're testing his ref·lexes.Rockbound, Chick, Harry, A.J. - all running on treadmills attc1che.ct.toEKG's ... dripping sweat.. Rockbound sits down half dead. ,+t!:'>/(.;ZJ:>>:,}y;,

95A Chick and Oscar, naked beneath their NASA smocks,waiting. The door 95A opens and Noonan comes hobbling out, his posterior is killing him.

master(OS/14/971 35.

r•,, Head Nurse HELGA stands before Chick withRUBBER GLOVES, an ENEMA ,,.__,.,PROBE,and a jar of Vaseline.

96A Harry and A.J. sit facing each other,shirtless, on exam tables. 96A Each has a HYPER-NERDLING NASA DOCTOR attaching the cuff.ofthe sphygmomanometer to gauge their blood-pressure. Both men.watch these LOUD-BREATHING GEEKS with discomfort. .

A.J. nods, mock-seriously. Harry just stares at:fiim.Hating him. *

~0A-llNT. PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING ROOM l00A-D \'•..,.-✓' OUR TEAM is interviewed by a SHRINK in an allwhite-;·sma:Uroom.

CHICK t:,,.·~,'\;;' I get off the job. Find a hotel. ~s·h~>fny,:otf check. Gamble till it hurts. Then ):J.~q~-:e.,to work. Some people might thinkthat;{/§'c;s~cfi'z, But I say... yeah, I guess it llsa,'cl...?· \~ir:~'/;fj$' NOONAN I don't~ to get into fights,fights come te>me; I'm like flypaper,but for ~%9'.~~'f;\H;; I'm fightpaper. Does that make any-~nse?

MAX. ·H~;,,,,-_a.;~~ -- my favorite dish ishaggis. It '~"''"a'l'tl..''\: the parts of the sheep you'dnormatdy ~pro~! ~way -- heart, lungs, live;-,youslfq~~-;::i-t;rtf51" into the sheep's stomachwith oats and ··~-•

~~!~~' T~~:~c~~ut~~~;sighe~!~g~e :,9,1::t)';?;;,'!t,;,

HARRY ·,';'f;?:{?'i•w· My first sexual memory? ...what kind of mission is this?

ROCKBOUND

i What? You want to compare brain pans? \....

(blinding speed) I won the Westinghouse prize whenI was twelve. Big deal. Published at nineteen. (MORE)

~====·--·-·· -·-··

master(OS/14/971 36.

Big, late-night meeting. Truman, Kimsey,Quincy, Harry, some NASA STAFFERS and all the NASA DOCTORS.

DR. ·BANKS . ·.

one toxicology analysis revealedKetarnine. That's a~ powerful sedative.

""'i--~--~-t--7=~--e...a_l_p...l_.h_~-:-i""'~--:-~-~--Y-t-~....u=~----~"""w_.;..___t...h....e...._.._t...r=:}-~?-L~>l:h[;>',<::..,.

DR.BANKS !~~~l?,:\f;_'fat'.i; Personally, I don't know how theysurvived the tests. 1~~;;lX\if?rd?.tS~½ff-?

Dr. Banks stamps a BIG RED "APPROVED" sticker ont'~eguys' files -- over a small black "FAILED" stamp ...

OUR GUYS -- the whole motley crew -- headsdown atri~·atit.\i's'epticNASA corridor in SLOW-MOTION. At the other end, COLONEL...,S~P-- a hardened military and aeronautic veteran -- standswit1'.T:r;timan'an.c:iClark, staring at the rag-tag team,deadpan. :;{ · ,;,

s:~bf+<'.<::-:ic}·+ SHARP Sir, you're telling memy wife and little girl's lives are in their hands?

rnaster(OB/14/97) 37.

A table piled high with BOOKS and FILES. OUR GUYS standing watching as SHARP walks forward slinging some books off the desk.

BEAR ,.., * Yeah, wow do you take adump in spq¢e? *

Chick raises his hand. *

BEAR * I'm serious. *

Al03 EXT.INT. NASA V.A.B. BUILDING --DAY OMITTED (103) AlO~

The giant hangar doors open as the guys along ~W)tli"i"Jfiffilhan, Sharp and Grace -- our guys' faces dropping whentli'eysee the truly awesome sight -- THE X-71SPACE SHUTTLE. Impossibly huge, impossibly adv~ced. Dozens ofWORKERS up on sca.~J~P,-t_¢iin9.;1ladders and platforms. J;,r,14 '? *

TRUMAN \~t;;:l(--";

You"re the first civilians to * Top secret joint-venture with theA:ifr•· * Force ... she and her sister ship at¼f .. * Vandenberg will leavetomorrow for 'launch,.,,::,· * prep in Florida ...butIthought you sn6ti1a. * have a look. *

Dumbstruck expressions as they followTRUMAN. Kimsey standing here with a GROUP OF UNIFORMED spit-polish,TEST PILOTS.

rnaster(08/14/97i 38.

The pilots give a wave dovm from on high.

Harry, Grace and the Guys watch a HUGE PLASTIC SHEET being raised. TWO ARMADILLOS. This is not the old lunar golf-cartfrom Apollo days. Larger. Lower. Much, much cooler. THE DRILL~-- has been mounted.

TRUMAN . _ Fourth generation surface rover. Joint venture with BMW. Pressurized titanium alloy airlocked cab. Able to -climb an80 degree incline. Six-cell solar engine. It'll turn 800 turbo horses in near-zero gravity.

105 TIME CUT: METAL PIECES COME CLANKING to Quincy' s{feet._Thrown 105 from the airlock. OUR GUYS vs. THE ARMADILLO. qn.dert::c\Qver. Inside and out. / ·

Grace with a clipboard, scribbling away, and --

A.J. ! I want~Y t~V;~~~k into so~~g)£ffigh:0/ load, wastegate diaphragms and a couple nine-tooth, TS drive gears.

METAL STILL FLYING.

Eight ai!!!f~~t~~o;~i~~ ~~~~f ~'i'2'.} (more chatter from below--) Two rolls of Kevlar header wrap. Box of nine-inch graphite U-joints.· (and again) Eight buckets of fried chicken.

Quincy is dying here his men standing around getting pale ....

master(OS/14/97) 39.

111 SMASH CUT: HORRIFYING IMAGESof flight -- A T-38 SCREAMING SKYWARD --111 Bear in the back -- crammed in there.ROCKHOUND eyes bugging. Harry about to blow. WE HEAR the voice ofCHUCK JR., a tough Vietnam Vet.

A. J.holds on for dear lifeand there's OSCAR -- :excepthe.' sloving it.

Harry wobbles out of theplane and kisses the gro¥_rid,~..•

\.::.2BINT. NEUTRAL BUOYANCYTANK -- DAY OMITTED ~lllA,1~·2,112A) 112B

Harry and Roughnecks underwater lined up. They l.~6JtfiJke·.Michelin Men. in weightless aerobic training. THEN WE HEAR a Lpud F~TO:!fromBear.

\?~,it{t~{ti:;,.··:'[~>} BEAR (unembarrassed) Yo, I gota wicked-ass methane

The Roughnecks laugh -- theNASA guys don't.

}~wftt);/•!.:,Jqj}?:::

There's Earth beautiful, blue earth. Then a rodk passes over the camera toward our home. Then another, ·then aCLUSTER, ..,t;.,hatform the pathetic entourage for. . . THEREAL ASTEROID.Thi~.i"huge•,,.b'$-cragg-ed, black, grey,white, horrific thing comes rumbling}iove:i:-th~_-camera.It keeps coming over the camera,doesn't end because·.JtS,.J:itJ{]E.

r··· ·::'.',

Truman, Rockhound,Oscar and Grace study printout~--ofthejfasteroid surface. '<:':,Zf;_;,;>•<5 •

Clark moves toTruman, speaks to him quietly:

master(OS/14/97) 40.

The guys are all over attacking and welding the metal beast. Mack trucks are lined up, trannies being dropped. The Armadillo is looking meaner and tougher as it's retrofitted for this special mission.

Sharp standing on the stairway ofa NASA BOEING 707~ As our guys board" the plane -- for the first time we notice theCOLOR CODING that will * continue throughout: on their outfits,the players have RED or BLUE * markings, breaking them into two teams. Blue: Harry, Rockhound, Chick* and Max. Red: A. J. ,Bear,Oscar and Noonan. *

SHARP •·.•···.·. Hope you Mission Specialists had aJiice relaxing lunch. Welcome to theVomi.t Comet. Eight days from today you'1μ; feel it for real. .. so today we're gonnaf;Lyt~ts bird to 40 thousand feetand drop t;p:,J:0\\ thousand in 3 Oseconds forweightle.ss •· training. \i\r;y,>)>

The plane drops. The Roughnecks lift off:Zero gk!?-vity.,,;,/Harryand our guys FLOATING AROUND. Then -- theBUZZER goes off-'l;iandtheguyssplat to the ground.

;i>'

All the guys are in stalls, throwing up. Harry and Roq)dloundare at the sinks Harry getting sick in one --Rockhound',:,..a~guywith a troubling secret, gagging but not vomiting,stand§ beside·•~him.

ROCKBOUND ··~li;tt'J'.i'.\:\~tt,)' I was talking to this hotty in the ...,::-.< metabolic secretions department? r:fn("'·• wo1;'."king!;er:all right?Sodon't:r±1~peat..... this, this is a secret. ''•t;.':':-,1.~,,</;.• (gags a little) ~..···· Basically, the closer this rock gets the more they're learning and the less they're liking -- I'm talking about gas volcanos and ice storms and clouds off.Qgand

\ seismic crap and rock slides and shitI

can't even bring myselfto~-- (hears others throwingup) (MORE)

mast:er(08/14/97i 41.

·ROCKHOUND (cont'd) You got more reason to blow·yesterday's

I~ \ lunch than you think.

(back to Harry,gags again) Not only are we landing on a psycho bitch of an asteroid -- that's not the secret. The secret is those shuttles that they've never flown. They've done 400 flight simulations, right? Take a freakin'guess how many of those sim-launches worked?

The Armadillo sits on a dry lake bed outside ofHoustorf;",.Inside, HARR.Y'sat the wheel, A.J. rides shotgun. MUCHOTENSION between them. QUINCY is their INSTRUCTOR.

Harry hits the five switches .to activate theBRAKE"LOCK.

·;:<\:::-. QUINCY (CONT'D) Good. Now I'll ask you to reverse thrusters -- safety's on... lfB;U;\/:',

A. J.begins the thrust procedure . As he doesthI~;1:;rtt:}:;' *

Harry yanks the throttle

Suddenly the Armadillo RUMBLES -- GIANTGROUNDING PINCERS swing wide and SLAM into the concrete floor! Harryand A.J. are thrown hard against the cockpit wall! QUINCY hits his head hard \

master(OB/14/97) 42.

1~17C INT. NASA'S OLD MISSION CONTROL -- NIGHT 117C \' ,,/ ·oscarsits at the out-of-service control console. Wears an ancient headset. Speaks quietly, dramatically ...

Harry enters the room, watches Oscar play for amoment. Then:

Oscar jumps, startled really embarrassed

But Harry's gone before he can finish -- Oscarwinces,;;; *

'.-,1ff$;.y;f_:.~{~/::

CLOSE ON A.J. and Grace kissing. We PULL BACK they're in a GINlT ROCKET ENGINE. Suddenly a VOICE:

Startled, the couple looks down on Harry, who stands there,Chick behind him. Harry is calm, assured. ·-r"-····_;:;,:t"t::c

;~if't',..;',:,=?'.•:.-:i.·;-:~,

You do whatev~;u (~~~~'~tght now~i:r:;BRt;;?:iJ" two weeks? When we get back? I'rrigo:t1I.1,a: deal with this. My way. You two a,r.e•,:<i:·· through. ,,t

:;\:,:.,':_/.'.!.'·:L;<~-":·· GRACE· Harry, grow up. *

HARRY * (to A.J.) * And you? We're through. *

mascer(OB/14/97) 43.

Harry walks off, Chick follows. Grace and A.J.watch him go.

Harry walks under the belly of an old Space Shuttle,heading back to * the barracks, Chick trying to keep up. *

HARRY * I know who and what my daughter is -- I'm * not as dumb as I look. You should...know * that about me. *

,',_:;: CHICK ft * We all helped raise her, Harry. Y$ah, ~ * biggest contribution was teachingh_E;;t;·•di,:irty * jokes ...but she's old enough tovc:ftet'ri6w.·. * And drink and get married and getdivorped * and you know. . .whenever,whatever7.s;t,:ie;f:· * wants. . . if she wants. ",,, * ir::±t)f\..\}"r>>;);. HARRY . Look at your life. Really thinkab'_outJit.,;# Think about Bear. Oscar... Noonan.·~i1·ine..v/ What do we do? We're scavengers. Live in shacks floating in the middle of.t~i1f?..~~l~ never on land for more than an eignfil!week:··· stretch, covered in filth for mosto~ it.;. it's dangerous, it's lonely...

~~::;e~~:(~:ihs~~~~ got. She'sb(:;(,)

CHICK ..,::.-.-,::~}~.>:I::>,- In six days we' re going intospace~:}!'This•·F: isn't another job in the SouthChiriaSea. .M Now Rockhound' s right. We've gotabq.μJ;.:r;"'":: zero odds of surviving this. You know· that. So here's a piece of un-asked-for advice: figure it all out with your "little girl". You know? Just in case.

master(OB/14/97) 44.

(~':8 INT. JOHNSON VACUUM CHAMBER - MORNING 118

OUR EIGHT GUYS IN STATE OF THE ART SPACESUITS. Tough-ass NASA PILOT * JENNIFER WATTS stands up front giving a lesson. But Bear, Oscar and * Noonan are talking, clearly something about Watts. *

Rockhound raises his hand. Watts callson him.

Watts hits a button -- the massive 40-ton doorbegins _:_(;::Losing.

':,·.

WATTS

st ~~g~~';1~~~;~!t~e ~{ick~ga~~~~~lt~~~,t;'~iihl~i> in 18 seconds. Just like inspace.f~S:iffffiit';fr~-

They fumble for their helmets as the door slamsshut.,,,,;-~"'.'.'.BLACKNESS.

Out of blackness, the asteroid -- mankind'shorrifying enemy ROARS toward us ...many "satellite" rocks surround it --

The TECHS doing their thing -- Truman close, GEO TECH #1.

GEO TECH #1 ";,;;t<'.'t·:?''::¼'h;ifi. She's starting to show herpersona~Jty. The atmosphere's brutal -- severewmnd ..

GEO TECH #1 My son's three today.

master(OB/14/97) 45.

SIX STORIES OF THE MOST ENORMOUS WIND TUNNELFANS IN THE WORLD at one end. EIGHT DWARFED FIGURES -- our guys -- in SPACESUITS at the other.

The BLADES turn -- in SECONDS the guys areBLOWN QUT OF FRAME.

122C WE PUSH IN ON THE CLOCK: TIME TO GLOBAL IMPACT _.;;:6DAYS<... 122C 174:12:18:028

The Armadillo is hanging from a huge crane,Harry .watchesbeside A.J.

Harry's face registers concern -- Gruber and *

Truman-stands before the entire group,ROUGHNECKs?:5°irid..>NASA,givingan overview. Truman is using crude models hangingfrom ~tri;ngs.

:ztn,:,,~r:l>,;:::i'. TRUMAN Our only launch window for us tomee~ up with the asteroid is Tuesday. Youi1.;~~~2f":t launch into orbit and dock at the Russian Space Station for refueling. From there,a two and a half-day trip to the

Truman walks amongst the spheres.

master(OS/14/97) 46.

Truman moves to a monitor, hits hisremote computer control -- the CG images display what he's describing. *

The display shows two giant asteroid halves justfissi~;--:fheearth. *

·They all watch in dread as the monitor displaystq~Jro~fub.>p.ischarging* l2a.§..t. Zero Barrier -- and thetwo pieces bothhitt:iihgtb.eearth. *

HARRY if~i$".~~t1tf''?P:/f

We'll only have eight hoursonce we land. * Th.at' s45minutes to set up,6 _and~~{*",.?'"' * hours drill time -- we' re gonnanee~~11ho1.'e'': * 800 feet deep, that's12.5feet an hour. * Then 45 minutes to drop the nukeand take * off. * (eyes on Truman) * We'll report our progress aswe go *

TIMETO *

~:~~ B~~~:t~~e a0~~~~t~~r~!~hD~;~H~ARGRAPHS ~iE:.<:~~~;;d *

;ft