The Fantastic Four Page #7

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INT. SPACE STATION - CORRIDOR - SAME TIME

Sue races down the hall. Not panicked. With determination.

EXT. SPACE STATION AIR LOCK - DAY

The exterior air lock door slides open. In agonizing,

weightless slow motion Ben reaches to haul himself inside.

The leading edge of the cloud hits: Ben is pelted by a

hissing mass of space dust, splattering his suit with orange

stains. Larger particles, small pellets, pepper him. Ben

hauls himself in the last few feet by pulling on his tether.

INT. SPACE STATION AIR LOCK/COMMAND CENTER - DAY

AUTOMATED VOICE:

Event threshold in ten seconds.

TEN...

Johnny punches controls to close the exterior airlock door...

Reed opens a first aid kit, grabs a thermo-elastic blanket...

INT. SPACE STATION - COMMAND CENTER/OBSERVATION DECK - SAME

Clutching the diamond ring, Victor stands defiantly. Showing

absolutely no concern for the others. Interested only in the

event itself. Lights and equipment FALL, CRASHING around

him.

A control panel EXPLODES in Victor's face. He jumps back,

and into the falling equipment. Collapses under the weight.

INT. SPACE STATION - AIR LOCK - SAME TIME

Sue rounds a corner, sees Reed and Johnny.

SUE:

Johnny! Reed!

AUTOMATED VOICE:

FIVE...FOOOOUUUR...

SLOW MOTION:
Everyone frozen in position as:

-- JOHNNY is hit with sparks of flame from a control panel.

-- REED REACHES out for Ben and the airlock door.

-- VAPOR STREAM pours down on Sue from a blown gasket.

-- THE SPACE DUST burns into Ben's skin.

SLOW MOTION:
Just BEFORE the exterior air-lock door closes, a

SINGLE PARTICLE zips through the narrowing gap and hits Ben

in the back, ripping through his suit. The exterior door

shuts and seals. The station loses all power. DARKNESS.

EXT. SPACE STATION - DAY

As quickly as it came, the cloud passes on and whirls away,

leaving the space station intact. Power quietly flickers on.

Silence. Time resumes. All four pick up exactly where they

left off, unaware of anything that just happened to them.

INT. SPACE STATION COMMAND CENTER - DAY

Victor emerges from the rubble. He stands, checks his body.

A few scrapes, nothing serious. A thin, throbbing CUT on his

head. He touches the wound, but it is not bleeding.

INT. SPACE STATION AIR LOCK - DAY

Reed and Johnny scramble to open the interior air lock door.

Sue joins them, as they pull Ben in. They try to remove his

helmet. We don't see his face, but he's clearly unconscious.

REED:

He's not responsive --

JOHNNY:

Ben! Ben!

INT. VON DOOM COMPOUND HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY

A BLACK SCREEN:

JOHNNY'S VOICE

Ben, wake up! Wake up!

SUBJECTIVE CAMERA, BEN'S POV: The blurry image of Johnny

comes slowly into focus, standing beside a hospital bed.

BEN (O.S.)

Where...where am I?

JOHNNY:

Back on Earth. Victor's medical

facility... We're in quarantine.

BEN (O.S.)

Reed? ... Sue?

JOHNNY:

They're fine. Everybody else...is

fine.

Johnny looks away, as if he can't bear to lay eyes on him.

BEN (O.S.)

What's wrong with me?

JOHNNY:

I swear to you they've done everything

humanly possible. The best plastic

surgeons in the world, Ben. You had

the best --

BEN (O.S.)

Give me a mirror...

Johnny picks up a hand mirror on the bed table before Ben can

reach it, reluctant to give it to him.

JOHNNY:

They said that's not such a good idea,

the shock alone could --

BEN (O.S.)

Give me the god damn mirror!

Ben grabs it from him. Then slowly raises it to look and see

that...except for some serious stubble, Ben's totally normal.

JOHNNY:

Unfortunately, the doctors just

couldn't do anything to fix your face!

He cackles as he heads for the door. Ben heaves the mirror

at him, breaking it into hundreds of pieces. He turns to the

side-table, and grabs that picture of DEBBIE. It calms him.

EXT. VON DOOM COMPOUND - ESTABLISHING - DAY

A modern facility of glass and stone, nestled in the forest.

In stark contrast to the lush greenery surrounding it.

INT. VON DOOM COMPOUND HOSPITAL CORRIDOR/SUE'S ROOM - DAY

Reed walks down the hall. His hair is GRAYING at the

temples. He passes Johnny, who is smiling, still enjoying

his joke on Ben. Johnny slows, looking at Reed's hair.

JOHNNY:

Nice 'do. Going for the "grandpa"

look?

Reed passes a mirror, slowing, seeing his gray hairs. He

keeps going. He passes a partially open door. He stops when

he catches a glimpse of Sue asleep in bed. He sees a vase of

flowers. He grabs a couple lilies, and enters.

But Reed sees...the room is already FILLED with expensive

flowers. All from VICTOR. Reed is trumped once again.

A DOCTOR writes on Sue's chart. A wall TV plays a press

conference with Victor, outside the FACILITY. He looks worse

for wear. A few hairs out of place, and a small BANDAGE on

his face. We PUSH INTO the press conference --

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