Gravity Page #7

She looks away, toward Earth. It looks small. Remote.

RYAN (CONT’D)

When I received the call I was driving

and ever since that’s what I do. I

wake up, I go to work and then I just

drive.

Matt finally averts his eyes. He rolls his wrist over, consults

the timer, watching the numbers slowly count down.

RYAN (CONT’D)

02 down to one percent.

MATT:

Well, well, what d’you know. I have

good news and bad news.

RYAN:

Uhuh?

MATT:

The good news is we're five minutes

from the ISS and I know where

the Russians stash their vodka… and

that's a good thing cus I'm running

out of fumes. Bad news is I'm gonna be

ten minutes short of……breaking

Anatoly's record.

SUDDENLY, COMING FROM INSIDE RYAN’S HELMET-

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

RYAN:

Mmm...Mmmm.

MATT:

What?

RYAN:

I’m red lining... My O2 tank pressure

is low...

MATT:

The tank may be empty but there’s

still oxygen in your suit, so sip,

Ryan. Don’t gulp. It’s wine, not beer.

Sip. We’ll get you there.

She nods.

MATT (CONT’D)

Let’s go.

Matt gives Ryan a gentle push, waiting until the tether goes

taut, and-

He gives a SMALL THRUST to position himself in the right

direction.

He holds this SINGLE THRUST for longer than all of the previous

ones, immediately gaining speed, descending towards-

THE SPACE STATION

Which is half a mile away, and now all of its modules are

clearly visible. It also becomes clear that-

IT WAS HIT BY THE DEBRIS.

MATT (CONT’D)

Houston in the blind we have visual of

the ISS. Station must have been

evacuated because first Soyuz is

missing. Second Soyuz exhibits surface

damage and chute has deployed. It's

use as escape pod for re-entry to

Earth is impossible.

The surface of a module is badly scratched and some solar panels

have been ripped.

THE SECOND SOYUZ becomes visible, attached to the Station’s

Docking Module. A piece of red and white fabric floats around

the spherical capsule.

Ryan’s losing her breath.

RYAN:

Shouldn’t we be turning? We’re

drifting again-

MATT:

Sip, Ryan. Sip. Drifting is good. We

want to drift. I wasn’t kidding about

those fumes. This can has one or two

good thrusts left. If we’re lucky....

They approach the Space Station, which is just ahead of them and

a hundred meters below.

She’s sweating and starts to hyperventilate.

MATT (CONT’D)

Steady...

She looks down, eyes the Station passing beneath them.

MATT (CONT’D)

Ready... aim...

It looks as though the Station is going to slip away altogether.

MATT (CONT’D)

...fire.

Matt triggers his THRUSTER, turning sharply. Ryan’s trajectory

carries her in a straight line, until the tether tenses,

breaking Matt’s direction.

He fires again to counter her momentum.

A VERY LONG THRUST sends both of them in the right direction,

straight down toward the Station, but at great speed.

The Station is getting very close, and they’re going very fast.

Matt ignites the FRONTAL THRUSTER, which begins to slow him

down, but the thrust stops.

Ryan, following her own momentum, begins to pass Matt.

RYAN:

Break... You have to break.

MATT:

I can’t. Can’s empty. We’re coming in

fast and we’re going to hit hard. Grab

onto anything you can and hold tight!

Just then Ryan CRASHES against the SOLAR PANEL, but is unable to

grab hold. As she tumbles past, the body of the Station looms.

Matt misses the solar panels, and COLLIDES against the Station.

As he begins to drift past, he reaches out and snares a railing.

Ryan passes flying above him. The tether tenses, pulling Matt.

The momentum is to great and he LETS GO of the railing.

Ryan floats over the roof of the Space Station, trying to grab

hold of the handles and rods that stick out of the modules, but

she’s floating too high.

She’s quickly reaching the end of the Station, there is only one

handle left ahead, her last chance before floating away into the

black void.

She extends her arm and GRABS the handle tightly for dear life

and-

SHE STOPS.

She’s holding onto the handle.

RYAN:

I got it. I got it.

INSIDE THE HELMET-

She looks up and sees-

Matt is floating straight toward her and

He COLLIDES against her. For a moment they are face to face,

only the glass of their headgear separates their faces.

But she loses her grip on the handle and the impact projects her

into the emptiness.

Her drifting is intercepted by a Solar Panel. She crashes

against it, shattering it, as Matt rolls above it.

Ryan bounces down towards the Earth, tensing the tether, pulling

Matt, making him descend over the other side of the panel.

The sharp edges of the broken panels cut the tether in two.

RYAN (CONT’D)

The tether broke. I'm detached. I'm

I'm detached.

MATT:

Grab a hold. Grab anything.

Ryan is drifting away from the Station. She sees the infinite

black void ahead of her and-

HER FOOT GETS STUCK IN THE PARACHUTE.

It becomes tangled in the strings and fabric, slowing her down.

Ryan is panting, her face covered in sweat. She turns back and

sees-

Matt rolling, drifting in her direction.

She stretches out her arm.

Matt’s arm is also outstretched.

MATT (CONT’D)

(An edge)

Give me... give me five here, Ryan.

He’s trying to make light of it, but he’s really struggling to

reach her.

Ryan stretches farther.

Matt’s hand comes closer to hers.

The tips of their fingers are almost touching.

RYAN:

I’ve got you. I’ve got you-The

very tips of their fingers touch --

BUT THEY MISS.

As Matt drifts past.

MATT:

Sh*t... sh*t...

RYAN:

No. No. No. Don’t you. No. Don’t you.

Don’t. Don’t. NO

As the parachute tenses, she STOPS.

The tether attached to Matt’s suit passes two feet away from her

and-

Ryan grabs the tether. It slides through her closed fist, until-

Her grip tightens and the tether STOPS.

RYAN (CONT’D)

Gotcha!

Matt’s momentum is now pulling Ryan, dragging her loose from the

parachute.

MATT:

You have to let me go.

RYAN:

What? No-

MATT:

You have to.

RYAN:

No!

MATT:

Those ropes are too loose,

I’m pulling you with me. You have to

let me go or we both die-

RYAN:

I’m not letting you go! We’re fine.

Her leg slides through the loose rope and she floats further

out, being snagged at the last minute by a tether around her

foot. (We move from high-angle to low angle two shot). As this

happens:

MATT:

Ryan!

RYAN:

You’re not going anywhere, you’re not

going anywhere-

MATT:

It’s not up to you.

Matt begins to unharness the tether.

RYAN:

Please don’t do this.

Matt has unhooked the tether and is holding it in his hand.

RYAN (CONT’D)

Please don’t do this. Please don’t do

this.

MATT:

You’re going to make it Ryan.

RYAN (O.S.)

No!

He opens his hand, letting go of the tether, and BEGINS TO FLOAT

AWAY.

Relieved of Matt’s pull, the parachute begins to retrieve,

pulling Ryan closer to the Station.

RYAN (CONT’D)

I had you! I had you.

Matt drifts away from the Station into the empty space.

Ryan bumps against the station, pulled by the parachute, and she

twists and turns before finally grabbing hold of a rail.

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