Starman Page #4

Shermin's unmarked S65 settles on the clearing. The nose

door is open and Shermin, carrying the hood of his

contamination suit, comes down the ladder. A tall homespun

man, also in a hoodless contamination suit, steps forward to

greet him.

MAN:

(around a cigarette)

Major Aaron Bell...

SHERMIN:

Marc Shermin, National Security

Agency.

Shermin takes a moment to look over at the tent, the green

hillside and the forest beyond. It is pastoral in the soft

light of dawn.

SHERMIN:

This has always been my favorite

time of day.

MAJOR BELL (MAN)

Very beautiful country up here...

SHERMIN:

Any signs of biological contamination,

excessive radiation, anything like

that?

MAJOR BELL:

Not on the landscape. We're trying

to get a tube under the faceplate

for a reading on possible deadly

lifeforms but it's hard going.

SHERMIN:

Can you see under the faceplate?

MAJOR BELL:

No.

Bell's hands shake as he lights a new cigarette off the one

in his mouth.

SHERMIN:

There's a good chance you could be

wrong about this thing then...

MAJOR BELL:

Wait'll you see it.

He throws away the cigarette and begins to put on his

contamination hood. Shermin follows as they start for the

tent.

MAJOR BELL:

We had a flight of F16's play tag

with the spaceship over Michigan for

an hour. Then it shot straight up

and disappeared.

SHERMIN:

Was there visual contact?

MAJOR BELL:

No, sir. Radar.

SHERMIN:

It could have been anything.

EXT. BLACKENED LANDING SITE - DAWNBREAK

Hooded, Bell and Shermin make their way past three suited

scientists examining the landscape with geiger counters and

other sensing instruments. With the coming of dawn and Bell's

handlight we can clearly see the pod indentations and the

huge black glass cup of earth that was fused by the energy

blasting out of the spaceship's power plant.

MAJOR BELL:

After I called in, I had a chance to

sit down with the three locals. They

swear there's another one that didn't

make the ship... It might be alive.

SHERMIN:

People have made mistakes in these

situations before.

MAJOR BELL:

I've been investigating sightings

for seventeen years, Mr. Shermin.

This one's real. We have a dead extra-

terrestrial in that tent and another

one in the area that might be alive.

We've been visited. It's finally

happened and the sooner Washington

accepts that and starts figuring out

how we're going to deal with these

beings, the better off we're going

to be.

EXT. FOOT OF EMBANKMENT - DAWNBREAK

It is still raining.

The STAR MAN stirs and awakens with a start. He parts the

tear in his suit and looks at his lung through his translucent

body. It has changed in color from brown to a rich yellow

ocher. He takes several deep breaths of our atmosphere and

his lung expands and contracts easily. He conducts a quick

inventory of his damaged spacesuit, then struggles to his

knees and stands up.

INT. BIOQUARANTINE TENT (HOUSING TRACT) - DAWNBREAK

The sound of a powerful slow-speed drill greets Bell and

Shermin as they enter. The extraterrestrial is still on its

back with its helmet lights shining straight up. A hose that

extends from a portable gas chromatograph has been suction-

sealed to a corner of the faceplate. A SCIENTIST is making

adjustments at the chromatograph while his COMPANION is

monitoring the progress of the drill into the faceplate.

Both are wearing contamination suits.

A foam-lined coffin-shaped metal box is on the ground next

to one of the walls. Bell and Shermin approach the body.

Shermin's first look is at the faceplate, but all he can see

is his own reflection. His eyes travel down the body.

MAJOR BELL:

Look at the hands.

The gloved hands of the figure have only three fingers and a

thumb.

Shermin takes Bell's flashlight. He angles it at the

faceplate. As he leans in to follow the beam, the pitch of

the drill rises. He shifts the light. The drill breaks through

and the faceplate explodes out of the helmet. The men throw

themselves back in panic. When they turn back to look,

distorted impressions of the face inside the helmet reflect

on the glass of their contamination hoods. (Pause)

SHERMIN:

Oh, Jesus.

MAJOR BELL:

(moving toward the

body)

We better get it into the box. Come

on...

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