Gravity Page #17

UNDERWATER:

The metallic capsule, which weighs almost three tons, sinks

quickly into the lake. As the ropes of the parachute tense, the

long fabric follows the cabin down.

SHENZHOU ESCAPE POD.

Air trapped inside Ryan’s suit leaks out through the collar and

small bubbles float up.

Ryan fights her way to the hatch, and pulling with her good arm,

she swims out.

UNDERWATER.

She pushes herself away from the cabin, swimming away from the

pod as-

THE SHENZHOU HITS THE LAKE BOTTOM.

A dark cloud of mud swells up around it.

Ryan struggles to SWIM UP to the surface, but she can only use

one arm and the wet suit is DRAGGING HER DOWN.

She strokes rapidly, but she isn’t moving up. InsteadSHE’S

GOING DOWN, and

HER FEET SINK INTO THE LAKE BED.

She looks up and sees-

The rays of sunlight breaking through the lake’s surface are

eclipsed by the parachute, which floats down toward her like a

huge jellyfish about to engulf its pray.

THE FROG crosses in front of her, effortlessly swimming on its

way to the surface.

Small bubbles of air come out of Ryan’s nose as she struggles to

open her suit.

She takes off the BOTTOM PART of the suit.

Above her-

THE PARACHUTE IS GETTING CLOSER, a net about to trap her.

She struggles out of the TOP PART of her suit. And squirming out

from under it-

She frees herself from the heavy garments and SWIMS UP as-

THE SINKING PARACHUTE traps her foot and begins dragging her

down. But with a kick-

SHE SETS HERSELF FREE, and-

SHE SWIMS UP, stroking with her good arm. She is completely out

of breath, only the tiniest bubbles rise from her nose.

She is about to lose consciousness, when she sees-

THE FROG swimming ahead of her, sliding smoothly through the

water toward the rays of sunlight diffracted by the surface.

Ryan’s eyes are closed as she floats up, her body limp. The

surface is coming closer and closer.

She reaches the thin boundary between water and air and she come

out to the

SURFACE.

And she takes an enormous breath.

RYAN:

AAAHHHHHH!

Almost primal, like the first breath of a newborn child, it

burns her lungs but reclaims life.

She only has enough strength to keep her face above water. She

FLOATS, catching her breath and taking long gulps of air.

She looks up at-

THE SKY-

Where the clouds move, caressed by air and light. And beyond

them-

OUTER SPACE, butSHE’S

BACK ON EARTH.

She turns around, and-

TAKING A DEEP BREATH-

She SWIMS, breaking through the water and harnessing every last

bit of energy in her.

And soon she arrives to the-

SHALLOW EDGE OF THE LAKE

She drags herself from the water, like the first amphibious life

form crawling out of the primordial soup onto land.

COLLAPSES ON THE SHORE.

The water laps gently over her, washing in and out around her

legs.

SHE LIES with her face against the muddy shore and her eyes

closed, recovering her strength.

AND SHE BREATHES.

SHE BREATHES AIR.

And as her breath steadies-

SHE SMILES.

She pushes her face against the ground, enjoying the sense of

weight, and-

SHE OPENS HER EYES.

Then she looks at her surroundings, taking in the almost

unbearable beauty of the planet Earth.

She’s breathing deeply and begins to cough.

It’s not a cough, it’s a chuckle.

RYAN IS CRACKING UP.

Ecstasy overcomes Ryan and-

Joyful laughter fills her body.

SHE IS ALIVE.

RYAN:

Thank you.

She PLANTS HER PALMS against the ground and-

With an effort, she pushes herself up.

SHE FEELS HER WEIGHT, and manages to rise to her hands and knees

like a four-legged mammal.

And she STANDS UP.

ONE FOOT FALLS heavily on the ground. It sinks into the mud and

then-

ANOTHER FOOT.

Ryan’s FEET are solidly planted on the mud.

RYAN (CONT’D)

Ahhhhh!!!

One foot moves forward and lands on more solid ground, unstable,

coping with the weight. And then-

The other foot follows as-

SHE BEGINS TO WALK ON PLANET EARTH, laughing.

SHE IS PUNCH DRUNK.

SHE IS FREE.

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