Avatar Page #26

THE PALLET falls into the jungle below and --

BA-WHOOOOOM! -- an enormous high-explosive blast rips a huge

hole in the forest. A white concussion wave flashes out

across the ground for hundreds of meters in all directions.

AT GROUND LEVEL it is an apocalypse. Running Na'vi are

blasted out of existence by fire and shock waves.

IN THE CARGO BAY the troopers WHOOP and high-five.

TROOPERS:

Yeah baby! Get some!

GROUND TROOPS ADVANCE, firing flamethrowers, AR's and GAU-

90's.

EXT. FLOATING MOUNTAINS - AERIAL

Quaritch's fleet flies into the shadow of the Mountain of

Truth.

QUARITCH:

Blue team, stay with the ground units.

Red team, with me. We're punching for

the main target.

Quaritch glances up to see --

A squadron of WINGED SHAPES, diving out of the morning glare

like birds of prey.

CLOSE ON JAKE, rushing straight down, SCREAMING a war cry as

he leads the charge and --

SCORES OF BANSHEES SLAM into the gunships and Samsons like

falcons hitting fat turkeys. The air battle is joined.

133.

JAKE'S GREAT LEONOPTERYX flairs into its signature crimson X

shape just before --

K-WHAM!! -- it knocks a Scorpion tumbling. It coils around

the gunship, slashing furiously as they spin together. JAKE

can barely hang onto the gyrating creature.

The pilot of the Scorpion sees nothing but jaws slamming into

his canopy. Jake releases the gunship and it careens into a

CLIFF, tearing off one rotor -- then plummets into the trees.

There is a satisfying FIREBALL.

SCORPIONS fall out of formation to pursue individual banshee

riders, FIRING cannons and rockets.

JAKE BANKS as the cliff face next to him explodes with

cannon rounds. SCREAMING down on him is another Scorpion.

JAKE tucks and dives along the cliff, feeling the rounds

splitting the air around him and --

The Scorpions bank after the furiously jinking banshees as

they head for cover among the floating mountains, or dive

down into the trees.

DOOR GUNNERS in a SAMSON are shooting down banshees like

Messerschmidts from a B-17 as --

WE FOLLOW TSU'TEY'S BANSHEE in a full delta dive. He swoops

in from its blind spot and --

THE GUNNERS SWIVEL too late as Tsu'tey flashes past them,

SHOOTING ARROWS with deadly accuracy.

A SCORPION gunship dives after a banshee. It fires an air-to-

air missile and the banshee vanishes in an EXPLOSION.

WIDE SHOT as thirty ships and hundreds of banshees wheel and

dive, like the Battle of Britain. Banshees are hit by guns

and missiles, falling out of the sky. The occasional trail of

smoke and fire marks the demise of a tilt-rotor.

IN THE CENTER the Dragon is pouring out hellacious fire --

tracer rounds from multiple turrets and missiles from the

stub-wing pods.

NEYTIRI BANKS hard as TRACERS flash past her. A Scorpion is

right on her ass as --

SHE ROLLS inverted and dives under the edge of Mons

Veritatis, then rolls out, zig-zagging through the dangling

vines but --

134.

THE GUNSHIP stays on her. It rips through the vines, and

tracers FLASH toward us as --

SHE JINKS the banshee around a thundering waterfall but --

HER PURSUER explodes right through the curtain of water. It

launches an air-to-air missile. NEYTIRI jinks hard, diving.

The missile hits a rock outcropping, pummeling her with the

shock wave.

THE GUNSHIP follows her through a narrow slit between Mons

Veritatis and a smaller floating island. They run this slot

rolled up on their sides and --

THE SCORPION GUNNER locks up Neytiri for a missile shot but --

A SHADOW crosses his canopy. Out of the sun comes a crimson

demon, shrieking over the roar of the turbines, and --

K-WHAMMM!! The leonopteryx SLAMS the gunship, driving it

downward in a dive. The leonopteryx lashes at it with claws

and teeth as they fall together out of control.

Jake kicks the gunship loose and it falls like a brick,

breaking its back on a rocky promontory and EXPLODING.

FLYING WITH A SAMSON as a SECOND SAMSON falls in beside it.

This one has its pilot door off, and the PILOT is wearing a

breathing mask. The door gunners wave at --

TRUDY, her expression grim behind her mask. She holds the

cyclic stick between her knees while she RAKES the other ship

with BURSTS from an AR in her lap.

The pilot slumps over and the craft tumbles out of control.

TRUDY:

You're not the only ones with guns, you

pricks.

NEYTIRI JINKS her banshee hard, an enemy Samson right behind

her. The pilot is a hotdog, following her down into the

trees, under the canopy.

They slalom among the trunks at high speed. The gunners hang

half out the doors, firing. Bark and leaves explode around

Neytiri as she zig-zags through the jungle.

THE BANSHEE dives under a huge tree limb, and the pilot

follows. He looks up at the last second, catching a glimpse

of blue-skinned figures.

THE HUNTERS drop a net of woven vines behind Neytiri and --

135.

The SAMSON hits it hard. The net fouls the ship, FLIPPING IT

backwards. It crashes upside down to the forest floor.

KABOOM!!

NEYTIRI'S BANSHEE is hit by GROUND-FIRE. It folds up like a

broken kite, crashing down through branches and --

SHE SLAMS into the ground, stunned.

IN THE DRAGON Quaritch looks ahead, seeing the WELL OF SOULS.

He taps the pilot and points --

QUARITCH:

There it is.

(into his headset)

Valkyrie One, this is Dragon. Target is

in sight.

IN THE CARGO BAY of Valkyrie One, the troopers ready their

deadly loads.

TROOPER:

Target in sight.

CIRCLING ABOVE, Tsu'tey falls in beside Jake, who talks to

him by AIRCOM HEADSET.

JAKE:

We have to stop the shuttles, no matter

what it takes.

TSU'TEY nods. He signals, gathering other hunters, who fall

in with him as he dives. Jake rolls in after them but --

A GUNSHIP drops in behind him and he is forced to evade as --

TSU'TEY LEADS the attack on the first shuttle. Hunters jink

and weave through WITHERING FIRE from the escort ships.

GUNNERS with jerry-rigged gun mounts ride the broad backs of

the shuttles, picking off banshees who get past the escort.

TSU'TEY is RAKED by a burst from the dorsal gunners. His

mount crumples, plummeting with a dying scream and --

WE SPIRAL DOWN with him, the forest rushing up and --

A BLINDING BLIZZARD of green as he tears downward, catching

at leaves and vines. He SLAMS to the ground, badly injured.

NEARBY, ampsuits and troopers advance across the forest

floor, firing their cannons and flamethrowers. The GAU-90s

rip the forest to shreds.

136.

Norm, firing as he retreats, is HIT. He collapses, his avatar

body mortally wounded as --

HYDRAULIC FEET approach, passing the bodies of direhorses and

Na'vi hunters. Norm painfully tries to load another

magazine, panting in fear and pain as --

AN AMPSUIT stomps up. Aims its cannon point blank. B-BLAM!

INT. SHACK

The top of Norm's LINK bangs open. He reels out, collapsing

onto the floor, clutching himself as if he can still feel the

pain of death.

He sits, huddled, shivering -- crazed.

EXT. RAINFOREST

TSU'TEY lies gasping, mortally injured. He looks up,

grimacing, as an ampsuit looms over him.

Rate this script:4.2 / 7 votes