Starman Page #5

The other men approach the body but before they can bend to

it a burst of percussive language, followed by a low buzz,

comes from inside the extraterrestrial's helmet. The men

freeze. There is another burst of percussive language and a

projection beam shoots out of the helmet throwing the image

of the escaped STAR MAN onto one of the scientists. He jumps

aside and the beam falls out of focus and indistinct on the

tent wall behind him.

SUBTITLE:

Mapmaker Wind. Do you hear me?

SHERMIN:

(incredulous)

The other one is alive!

EXT. FOOT OF EMBANKMENT - DAWNBREAK

The STAR MAN is standing. We hear the sounds of his percussive

language coming from behind his mirrored faceplate.

STAR MAN:

(subtitle)

Mapmaker Wind. Do you hear me?

His answer is nothing but the low buzz. He taps a series of

buttons on his chest panel and speaks again.

STAR MAN:

Mapmaker Wind. Do you hear me?

Again the buzz.

STAR MAN:

Mapmaker Wind. Do you hear me?

The buzz continues. He is very still for a moment. Then he

presses the palms of his hands together, prayer fashion, and

concentrates. When he pulls them apart, a blue force field

pulses between them. He stops at shoulder width. A solarized

aerial view of the United States forms on the force field. A

green dot appears in the area of western Wisconsin, a red

dot in the area of Death Valley, California. He drops his

hands to his lap and sits very still. The solarized compass

remains floating in the air in front of him. After a long

moment he reaches up and squeezes it into a ball that

disappears when his palms come together.

INT. HELICOPTER - DAWNBREAK

Shermin steps through the open bay door into a communications

room. The radar and radio consoles each have a TECHNICIAN. A

third technician, LYMAN, sits in front of a square of six

medium-sized television screens.

LYMAN:

Is it for real?

SHERMIN:

Get Fox.

Lyman taps a code into the computer keyboard. There's a shower

of static on one of the TV screens. When it clears up GEORGE

FOX, mid-forties, hair slicked straight back, round wire-

rimmed glasses, is peering intently into the camera.

SHERMIN:

(before Fox can speak)

It's real, George.

FOX:

There's no mistake? You're absolutely

sure?

SHERMIN:

I saw it with my own eyes. We've

killed an extraterrestrial and...

FOX:

Is there any possibility that it's a

hoax? Could you be mistaken?

SHERMIN:

None. And there's another one in the

area that's alive. I don't know if

it's the only one. I don't know if

it was left here by accident or it's

part of an inva...

FOX:

Get the body out of there. Load it

on the Air Force chopper and get it

to Wright Patterson. They'll take it

from there... We didn't expect this,

Shermin.

SHERMIN:

(answering the

accusation)

Neither did I.

Major Bell enters the helicopter.

FOX:

We're going... Damn!

(he shakes his head

in disbelief)

We'll tell the press that there was

an accident. Chemical warfare spill.

That cover cannot be violated in any

way. Understand me, Shermin?

MAJOR BELL:

Major Bell here, sir. We have to

tell these people that we're friendly.

That this whole thing was a mistake.

Is anyone trying to contact the ship?

FOX:

(ignores this)

Shermin, I want you and Bell to start

looking for the one on the ground.

SHERMIN:

We'll need a lot of help, George.

You could hide an army up here.

FOX:

I'm going to the White House right

now. I'll try and get you everything

you need.

SHERMIN:

Wait, wait... What are my orders if

we find this thing?

Fox sits silently for a second.

FOX:

Contain it and get back to me.

SHERMIN:

What do you mean by 'contain?'

Fox knows Shermin is looking for a definite order.

FOX:

Just what I said.

The television screen is reduced to static. Shermin stares

at it blankly then Lyman turns it off.

EXT. HOUSING TRACT - MORNING

The lift off of Shermin's helicopter reveals contamination --

suited scientists slipping the dead extraterrestrial's coffin

into the Air Force helicopter.

EXT. WOODS - DAY

The STAR MAN, still in his life-support suit, looks surreal

in the twilight world under the canopy of firs. The morning

rain has gone. A hum of traffic pulls him across the hill to

a stand of alders that border the forest. Through the leaves

he can see a highway entering the sprawl of Eau Claire,

Wisconsin. The cars and trucks zipping along the asphalt are

of particular interest to him.

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