Total Recall Page #14

MELINA (ditto) Purpose? What purpose?

Bennie starts the engine.

QUAIL Come on, Bennie, move it. (then, to Melina) Have you heard the

word, "terriform"?

Melina shakes her head. The vehicle moves off.

115A EXT. AIR LOCK - MORNING

GUARDS are carefully checking every vehicle leaving the city, though

this has to be done fairly rapidly because of the inhabitants leaving

for the Space Ports.

The vehicle with Bennie, Quail and Melina arrives.

115B INT. VEHICLE - AIR LOCK - MORNING

Bennie is nervous. Melina and Quail are in the back, but cannot be

seen. Guards are checking all vehicles exiting, looking for Quail and

Melina.

BENNIE (calling to Guards) Just deliverin' some old junk to the mine

out at Apidalia Planitia. Got them people you're lookin' for in the

back as well.

The Guards laugh and signal him on.

Once through the second door of the air lock (i.e. to the area outside

the city), Quail and Melina emerge and sit up on the rear seats.

QUAIL The machine in the Sphinx is tapped straight down to the molten

core of this planet. There are tunnels and ducts everywhere, all

powered by fusion generators...

BENNIE You sure the little man didn't fry your brain, Quail?

MELINA (overlapping) For what? To do what?

QUAIL To combine elements in the Martian core and release them as

oxygen,

hydrogen and nitrogen.

BENNIE That's air!

116B EXT. DESERT - MORNING

In a wide shot, the vehicle is traversing the desert. The domed city is

some distance in the background. Voices are heard in false perspective.

Emphasis is on the dry and hostile natural landscape of Mars.

QUAIL That's right. Air and water. Terriforming will create a permanent

livable environment for Mars. No more pressurized cities, no more

containers in the desert. There'll be rivers, vegetation - life - the

same as Earth.

MELINA (baffled) So why is Cohaagen shipping everyone out?

QUAIL Don't you see?! From being a pile of red dirt with minerals, Mars

is going to change into a chunk of priceless real estate.

MELINA And Cohaagen's going to own it all!

QUAIL Right! He can start selling it off to well-heeled investors from

Earth. Beach condos, ski resorts, you name it.

MELINA No wonder he wanted you to... penetrate... out group.

QUAIL (nods) Once word of this gets out, the whole planet will support

you.

117EXT. DESERT - DAY

The vehicle is now approaching the Sphinx. Both it and the pyramids can

be seen some distance away.

Voice are heard in CU perspective.

MELINA So what can we do?

QUAIL Ruin his little scheme by terriforming ahead of schedule - while

the inhabitants are still here.

Melina is amazed.

MELINA But who'll work the machine? Do you know how?

QUAIL I'm the only one who does. Why do you think Cohaagen's left me

alone all this time?

118EXT. DESERT - DAY

The vehicle is even closer to the Sphinx.

QUAIL I was the first one inside when they cracked the riddle of the

Sphinx. It must've been programmed. Some kind of...force...shot into

me.

MELINA But Cohaagen wiped your memory!!!

QUAIL (smoothly) Just a way of putting me on ice. He'd of reversed it

once the planet was evacuated.

BENNIE Man! This is real complicated. Go over it again, real slow.

119INT. VEHICLE - DAY

QUAIL (ignoring Bennie's aside) What he hadn't counted on was your

effect on me.

MELINA (smiling) And all without the marvels of modern science!

Quail looks out the back window, his attention attracted by two patrol

vehicles. They are some distance away, but approaching steadily.

119A EXT. DESERT - DAY

A wide shot shows a total of four patrol vehicles approach- ing the

vehicle with Quail, Melina and Bennie. Suddenly, it stops moving.

120INT. VEHICLE - DAY

The vehicle had just stopped.

QUAIL Bennie, don't stop now, take it...

He turns to see Bennie is covering him and Melina with a pistol.

MELINA You bastard.

BENNIE Like I said. It's a tough planet. I'm a baddie, not a goodie.

QUAIL I should have known, you were just too helpful.

BENNIE EIO Rule One, man. Trust Nobody. Now you can do your

terriforming stuff right when those space shuttles are gone.

MELINA But what about the Martian people? Out cause? I thought you

believed in it.

BENNIE Your cause? That bunch of dead beat radicals! When I hand in

this little number... (flicks his gun in Quail's face) ...I'll get

real estate rights on the whole of Chryse Planitia...

At that instant, Melina lunges, PUNCHES A RED EMERGENCY BUTTON. The

VENT beside Bennie's hand BLOWS OPEN, [causing] a powerful suction

caused by Mars's vacuum atmosphere. Bennie's gun hand is PLANTED

AGAINST THE VENT [OPENING.]

Simultaneously, the air in the vehicle starts rushing out! All three

parties begin choking. As Bennie's mechanical hand claws for the lever

that seals the vent, Quail has a moment to jump him. He pounds

Bennie's gun hand, the PISTOL IS SUCKED, CLATTERING, OUT THE VENT!

Quail delivers a roundhouse punch to Bennie, knocking him clear across

the bus.

Melina seals the vent, REPRESSURIZES THE CABIN.

Bennie gets up off the floor, shaking off Quail's punch--

121EXT. DESERT - DAY

The E.I.O. vehicle are a half mile off -- and closing in.

122INT. SAND MOLE - DAY

Quail glances at the vehicles, turns to Bennie -- ready to jump him.

But stops short at what he sees Bennie doing.

Bennie is clipping on his MECHANICAL ARM. It sprouts several rows of

vicious-looking STEEL BLADES --

BENNIE This makes Bennie a cut above anyone else.

Bennie presses another button and the BLADES START SPINNING. Bennie's

mechanical arm is in effect now a BUZZ SAW!

The fight begins. Bennie attacks Quail with his buzz-saw arm; Quail

dodges. Bennie's arm shreds various articles in the cabin -- and keeps

Melina at bay with well-timed swipes. Finally Bennie gets in a

roundhouse punch to Quail's jaw with his real hand. Quail sprawls,

dazed.

Now Bennie goes for the kill. But Melina leaps onto him. Bennie grabs

her by the hair and moves his SPINNING HAND in for the quick kill.

Melina clutches the terrifying appendage with both hands, desperately

keeping it at bay. But her strength is no match for Bennie; the

whirring blades are just about to bite into Melina's neck when --

Quail comes back, lands a ferocious rabbit punch to Bennie's spine.

Quail lunges at him, grabs the blade weapon; he and Bennie crash into

the cabin wall and --

The BLADE RIPS CLEAR THROUGH THE MOLE'S WALL! Alarms sound as a GAPING

HOLE IS BLOWN IN THE SIDE OF THE CABIN! ALL THE AIR IS SUCKED OUT BY

MARS'S EXTERNAL VACUUM!

Now no one can breathe. They all claw for their masks, [still] in

place. Bennie is first; he recovers, lunges with his SPINNING ARM for

Quail. Quail barely dodges, grabs the arm, muscles it back toward

Bennie --

The SPINNING BLADES SEVER BENNIE'S OWN OXYGEN LINE! Gasp- ing, he

falters. Quail aims a titanic blow, PUNCHES BENNIE out through the hole

in the mole's wall!

Quail and Melina, masks on, stare out as Bennie claws desperately at

his severed air line. The Martian vacuum pulls the oxygen from

Bennie's lungs, he chokes, staggers --

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