IndependenceDay,独立日

dean devlin & roland emmerich

an american flag

oddly still, posted in gray dusty sand.

widen to reveal:

ext. lunar surface - the moon

one small step for man, one large pile of garbage for moon-

kind. untouched for years, the flag stands next to the

castoff remains of the apollo mission. slowly the discarded

equipment begins to rattle and shake.

an enormous shadow creeps towards us blotting out the horizon,

a loud rumble is heard.

suddenly we are covered in darkness as the shadow engulfs us.

only the lonely image of our earth hangs in the air, until a

huge silhouetted object suddenly blocks our view.

cut to:

ext. new mexico - radio telescope valley - night

a field of large satellite dishes scan the skies.

super up: s.e.t.i. institute, new mexico

int. institute - monitoring control center - same

a lone technician works on his putting skills. behind him,

wall to wall technical equipment quietly sifts through data.

a red light begins to flash.

the technician turns and slowly walks towards the source. one

by one a series of lights turn on. the technician (tech one)

grabs a pair of headphones. his eyes widen.

int. sleeping quarters - same

sleepily a supervisor picks up the phone.

supervisor

if this isn't an insanely

beautiful woman, i'm hanging up.

int. control center - same

tech one

shut up and listen.

he holds the phone up to a speaker, increases the volume. a

strange fluctuating tone plays out in sequential patterns.

int. sleeping quarters - same

hearing it, the supervisor bolts up, banging his head on the

bunk above him.

int. control center - moments later

a pajama party on acid. five other technicians, in various

states of undress, hover anxiously around the main console.

the supervisor enters, tying his robe.

supervisor

god, i hope it's not just another

damned russian spy job.

tech three

(overlapping)

negative. computer affirms the

signal is unidentified.

tech two

(hanging up the phone)

the boy from air res traffic say the

skies are clear. no terrestrial

launches.

tech one

it's the real thing. a radio

signal from another world.

the room becomes quiet as they realize that after years of

searching the heavens, they might have finally found

something.

supervisor

let's not jump the gun. run a

trajectory source computation.

tech three slides over to another computer.

supervisor (cont'd)

i want to know exactly where it's

coming from.

tech three

this can't be right.

tech three just stares at his screen in disbelief.

supervisor

what's wrong?

tech three

calculated distance from source is

at three hundred and eight five

thousand kilometers.

(turning to supervisor)

it's coming from the moon.

the supervisor reaches over and turns up the volume on the

speaker. as they listen to the strange tones we...

cut to:

int. hallway - pentagon - same

elevator doors opens revealing four star general grey,

commander in chief u.s. space command. understandably

nervous, the commanding officer escorts him down the hall.

general grey

who else knows about this?

commanding officer

s.e.t.i. in new mexico identified a

signal but they're even more

confused than we are.

the general shoots him a disapproving glance.

commanding officer

excuse me, sir.

he slides his security card through the lock and the doors fly

open.

int. space command - the pentagon - continuous

banks of computers, technicians and assistants working

feverishly through the night. the officers cross the room.

super: space command - the pentagon

commanding officer

satellite reception has been

impaired but we were able to get

these.

they arrive at a glass table. the surrounding officers snap

to attention as a second officer quickly brings over a large

transparency. we see a grainy image of a large vague object.

general grey

looks like a big turd.

the two officers exchange a glance.

commanding officer

we estimate it has a diameter of

over five hundred and fifty

kilometers and a mass roughly one

fourth the size of our moon.

the general turns to the second officer, concerned.

general grey

a meteor?

second officer

no sir. definitely not.

general grey

how do you know?

second officer

well, er... it's slowing down.

general grey

it's doing what?

second officer

it's... slowing down, sir.

the general walks over to a phone, picks it up.

general grey

get me the secretary of defense.

(pause)

then wake him up.

cut to:

int. whitmore's bedroom - fre-dawn

laying in bed thomas j. whitmore reads a stack of papers. the

phone rings.

woman's voice

(filtering through phone)

hi. it's me.

the warm look on whitmore's face tells us everything about how

he feels about the woman on the other end.

whitmore

hi honey. what time is it there?

int. hotel room - night

dressed in a night gown, mrs. margaret whitmore unpacks her

briefing papers lays them out on a small desk as she talks.

through the window we see los angeles at night.

margaret

two in the morning. i know i

didn't wake you?

whitmore

(filtered)

as a matter of fact you did.

margaret

(smiles)

liar.

int. whitmore bedroom - same

whitmore sits up.

whitmore

i have a confession to make.

there's a beautiful young blonde

sleeping next to me.

sleeping next to him, his six-year-old daughter, patricia.

margaret

(filtered)

you didn't let her stay up

watching t.v. all night?

whitmore

of course not.

the little girl stirs awake, looks up.

patricia

mommy?

whitmore

you're flying back right after the

luncheon? okay, here she is.

whitmore hands her the phone and gets out of bed. habitably

he turns on the television.

t.v. - news program

several 'pundits' sit around a malaughlin-type news discussion

program. the picture quality is snowy, static ridden.

pundit #1

... the inexperience in public

office was inevitably going to

catch up with him. he's

scarified his ideals for

'politics as usual.'

whitmore ties on his robe as he adjusts the picture quality.

pundit #2

...i said this during the

campaign. leadership as a pilot

in the gulf war has no

relationship to political

leadership. it's a different

animal...

suddenly the channel changes. a cartoon comes on. whitmore

turns to his daughter who holds he remote.

patricia

(into phone)

daddy let me watch letterman.

whitmore

traitor.

whitmore exits the room.

int. hallway - continuous

as whitmore steps out of his bedroom, a security guard snaps

to attention. someone hidden behind a newspaper, sits on a

bench.

security guard

good morning, mr. president.

whitmore

good morning, george.

the paper is dropped revealing constance halbrook, mid-

thirties, aggressive, sharp, the president's communications

director. quickly she gathers her things and follows

whitmore.

int. breakfast table - continuous

two servants are preparing breakfast as whitmore and constance

enter. whitmore sits down, grabs a coffee.

whitmore

you're up early this morning,

connie.

she tosses him one of the many newspapers in her hands.

constance

they're not attacking your

policies, they're attacking your

age.

(another paper; reading)

'...addressing congress, whitmore

seems less like the president and

more like the orphan child oliver

asking, 'please sir, i'd like some

more.''

whitmore

clever.

constance

age was never an issue when you

stuck to your gun. you were

thought of as young and

idealistic. but the message has

gotten lost. there's too much

compromise, too much politics.

whitmore

(pointedly)

isn't it amazing how fast everyone

can turn against you.

realizing she may be pushing him too far, she hands him

another paper.

constance

well, the orange county register

has named you one of the ten

sexiest men of the year.

whitmore

you see, substance at last.

an aide appears at the doorway.

constance

excuse me, mr. president. it's

the secretary of defense.

whitmore goes to the phone, picks it up.

whitmore

yes? say that again?

cut to:

an old russian satellite

drifting away from us the old russian satellite becomes

smaller and smaller. we pan with it as we see it's on a

collision course with something huge.

suddenly the satellite explodes on impact with the much larger

object that dwarfs the puny piece of hardware. as huge as it

is, we get the feeling we've only seen a portion of the total.

new york skyline - early morning

a slow crane down from the manhattan skyline, revealing...

ext. cliffside park - new jersey - morning

with the new york skyline across the hudson behind them, old

men sit in this small park playing chess. unlike the others,

david martin is in his early thirties, sixties hippie meets

nineties yuppie nerd.

he concentrates intensely on his next move. moishe. sixties.

smokes a cigar impatiently.

moishe

what are you waiting? my social

security will expire, you'll still

be sitting there.

david

i'm thinking.

moishe

so think already.

david makes a move. instantly moishe counters his move.

david furls his brow in thought.

moishe

again he's thinking.

moishe reaches into a paper bag and retrieves a coffee in a

styrofoam cup.

david

you have any idea how long it

takes for those things to

decompose?

moishe

you don't move soon. i'll begin to

decompose.

just as david finally makes his move, moishe counters again.

david shoots him a look and stares back down to the board.

moishe (cont'd)

david, i've been meaning to talk

with you. it's nice you've been

spending so much time with me,

but...

david

dad, don't start.

moishe

i'm only saying, it's been what?

four years, you still haven't

signed your divorce papers.

david

three years.

moishe

three, four. move on. it's not

healthy.

moishe takes a big puff on the cigar and coughs.

david

look who's talking healthy.

suddenly david's beeper goes off.

moishe

how many times is that now? you

trying to get fired?

david moves his queen.

david

checkmate. see you tomorrow, dad.

he gives his father a quick kiss and hurries away.

moishe

that's not checkmate i can

still... oh.

(yelling after him)

you could let an old man win once

in a while, it wouldn't kill you.

cut to:

ext. new york city streets - minutes later

david pedals his bike through mid-town manhattan. he arrives

at compact cable systems.

int. compact cable offices - later

his bike hoisted on his shoulder, david squeezes through the

revolving doors. marty gilbert, short, nervous and harried,

comes rushing over.

marty

what the hell is the point of

having a beeper if you don't turn

it on?

david

it was turned on. i was ignoring

you. what's the big emergency?

marty

started this morning. every

channel is making like it's

nineteen fifty. snow, static, all

kinds of distortions. no one

knows what the hell is going on.

david deposits his bike in the kitchenette as marty tosses his

coke bottle in the trash. david retrieves it.

david

damn it, marty. there's a reason

we have bins labeled 'recycle.'

finding more bottles in the trash, david turns to marty

accusingly.

david

what the hell is this?

marty

so sue me.

before david can say anything, marty ushers him out of the

room.

int. transmission feed - continuous

technicians are working feverishly. clearly every monitor is

experiencing varying degrees of signal disruption. david

moves over to the main console.

david

did you try to switch to

transponder channels?

marty

please, would i be this panicked

if it was that simple?

david examines the readouts, puzzled.

david

let's retrofit the dish to another

satellite.

marty

we've tried. it's not working.

it's almost as though they

weren't even there.

david looks up, puzzled.

david

that's impossible.

cut to:

a television set

bad reception. a hand smocks the side of it. no use.

widen to reveal:

int. mobile home - day

eleven-year-old troy brennon tries to fix the television.

his older brother miguel, seventeen, cooks breakfast.

miguel

stop it.

troy

it's all fuzzy.

miguel

you're gonna break it. just leave

it alone. here, take your

medicine.

miguel sits a small bottle of medicine and a spoon down in

front of troy. troy pushes the bottle away.

troy

i don't need it.

miguel

(pushing it back)

just take it, dick head.

(turning to his sister)

alicia! make sure he takes his

medicine.

his sister, alicia, fourteen, hormones kicking in, testing

boundaries, listens to her walkman while putting on too much

makeup. miguel throws a dish towel to get her as troy hits

the television again.

ext. trailer park - same - morning

a beat up pick-up truck comes down a dirt road and skids to a

halt on the gravel next to the brennon mobile home at this

small shabby countryside trailer park. an angry farmer jumps

out, slamming his door.

int. brennon mobile home - same

alicia opens the front door and smiles flirtatiously at the

angry farmers, lucas, who marches over. miguel edges her out

of the doorway, wanting to handle this himself.

miguel

morning, lucas.

lucas holds a bowl full of rotted vegetables.

lucas

you like these! i've got a whole

goddamned crop full!

unceremoniously, he dumps them at miguel's feet.

lucas (cont'd)

where the hell is your father?

you know what time it is?

miguel

he had to re-fuel. there musta

been a problem.

lucas

we both know what the problem is.

he's a damned nut case, is what he

is. i musta been out of my mind.

troy smacks the television again.

miguel

troy, stop it! i swear to god!

lucas

miguel, if he's not in the air in

twenty minutes, that's it. i'm

getting someone else.

lucas storms away. again, troy whacks at the television.

miguel

stop it, troy! i swear to god!

determined, troy hits the television again. this time the

picture goes out completely.

cut to:

ext. space - the orbit - same

rolling over us, the immense under-belly of this enormous

craft obliterates our view. a loud screech. suddenly the

bottom begins to segment.

dozens of large sections begins to disengage, extracting

themselves, twisting away from the larger bilge.

the separated segments themselves are enormous. slowly they

twist downwards on a collision course to the blue planet

below... earth.

cut to:

int. white house - basement corridors - day

under a barrage of questions from her own staff, constance

hurries down the corridor.

aide #1

cnn is running a story that we're

covering up some kind of nuclear

testing experiments...

constance

tell them to run with it if they

want to embarrass themselves.

aide #2

nasa has been up my butt all

morning. they want to know our

position.

constance

our official position is we don't

have an official position.

aide #3

connie, what the hell is going on?

constance escapes into the elevator, turns around.

constance

(smiles confidently)

come on, people. would i keep you

guys out of the loop?

aide #1

in a second!

aide #2

absolutely.

before she can retort, the elevator doors close.

int. oval office - wide shot - same

the president, general grey, the secretary of defense and

white house chief of staff albert nimziki are gathered around

the couch.

sec. of defense

at the moment, our satellites are

somewhat unreliable. isn't it

possible that thing may just pass

us by?

nimziki

what if it doesn't 'pass us by?'

let's retarget some icbms to blow

it out of the sky...

general grey

forgive me, but with the little

information we do have, the only

thing that would accomplish is

turn one dangerous falling object

into many.

just then the door opens and constance enters.

president whitmore

what's the damage?

constance

the press is making up their own

stories at this point.

nimziki

(to general grey)

get on the horn with atlantic

command. let's upgrade the

situation to defcon 3.

general grey

that's not your call to make, mr.

nimziki.

constance

isn't that a little premature?

nimziki

i don't think so.

sec of defense

we're two days away from the fourth

of july. we have over fifty percent

of our armed forces on weekend leave,

not to mention the troops and

commanders wehave in town for the

fourth of julyparade. we call them

back now, we're sending up a major red

flag.

they go quiet as commanding officer from space command dashes

into the room.

commanding officer

our intelligence tells us the

object has settled into a

stationary orbit.

nimziki

well that's good news.

commanding officer

not really.

he lays out the diagrams and photos on the table. everyone

gathers around.

commanding officer

part of it has broken off into

nearly three dozen other pieces.

president whitmore

pieces?

commanding officer

smaller than the whole, yet over

fifteen miles in width themselves.

nimziki

where are they heading?

commanding officer

they should be entering our

atmosphere within the next twenty-

five minutes.

the room is silenced. all eyes turn to the president who says

nothing. nimziki leans in close to him.

nimziki

like it or not, we're at defcon 3.

recall the troops and put them on

yellow alert.

cut to:

yellow lights flashing on

as an alarm quickly buzzes. david leans into frame and opens

the door to the microwave. we widen to reveal...

int. david's cubicle - compact cable - day

david retrieves his home-make cup-a-soup. we see this cubicle

clearly has the david touch; ecology posters, plants, tons of

computers and electronic gizmos.

marty

please, tell me you're getting

something.

marty enters, looking over david's shoulder as he eats.

david

there's good news and bad news.

marty

what's the bad news?

david

you're in meal penalty for

disturbing my lunch.

marty

and the good news is you won't

charge me.

david

no. the good news is i found the

problem and it's not our

equipment. there's some weird

signal embedded within the

satellite feed.

marty

that's the good news?

david slides over to another computer and turns on an

intricate computation program.

david

yes, because the analog signal has

a definite sequential digital

patterns embedded within it. when

i find the exact binary sequence

and i apply a phase reversed

signal to that calculated spectra

analyzer i built you last

christmas, we should be able to

block out the overlay completely...

marty

...and we'll be the only guys in

town with a clear picture? that's

my man.

cut to:

ext. california farmlands, imperial valley - day

racing over back roads behind a long open field, miguel rides

his beat-up motor bike, searching. looking up he sees

something in the air.

miguel's pov - an old bi-wing airplane

converted into a crop-duster, buzzes overhead. spraying

insecticide wildly, the plane zigzags over the field.

miguel

(yelling)

russell! god damn it, russell!

looking down from the cockpit, russell brennon waves stupidly.

shaggy blonde hair and two days' growth, russell is the image

of a fifty-one-year-old little boy.

miguel follows him below, screaming at him. russell, flying

recklessly, looks down at miguel not understanding. by the

time he looks back he sees...

a line of trees

at the edge of the field, nearly on top of him. in a trick

move, russell turns the plane on its side, and slices through

the narrow gap between the trees.

miguel screams with delight at his prowess. miguel looks

pissed.

angle - other side of trees - moments later

miguel races over, skidding to a halt next to the landed bi-

with plane.

miguel

just what the hell do you think

you're doing?

russell

(climbing down)

i'm bringing home the bacon.

earning my keep. and doing a fine

job if i do say so myself.

miguel

it's the wrong field, you idiot!

lucas' farm is on the other side

of town.

russell

you sure?

miguel

damn it, he was doing you a favor.

you know how hard it is to find

someone who doesn't think you're

completely crazy?

(more)

what are we supposed to do now?

huh? where are we supposed to go

now?

pissed, miguel peels away, kicking gravel back at russell.

pathetically, he reaches into his jacket and pulls out a

bottle of jack daniels. he takes a healthy swig.

cut to:

ext. iraqi desert - refugee camp - night

a tent city. ubiquitous overcrowding and poverty. several

hundred refugees settle down for the night.

super: northern desert, iraq

a bedouin stokes a small fire besides his family's tent.

suddenly a group of shouting screaming tribes people come

rushing past him.

the bedouin watches them with confusion. overcome with

curiosity he goes against the tide of people, up the hillside.

as the bedouin reaches the top of the hillside, his mouth

falls open, aghast as he sees...

the skies - the phenomenon

creeping from across the horizon above the rocky mountain

terrain, a wide fireball high in the sky, flaring and

exploding. a terrifying sight.

cut to:

ext. uss eisenhower - air carrier - establishing - dawn

super: battle carrier, uss eisenhower - persian gulf

int. uss eisenhower - radar room - day

a loud klaxon alarm is ringing out. the first lieutenant

comes rushing in.

lieutenant

ensign, status?

sailor #1

we have a total radar black out

over a thirteen kilometer area.

the lieutenant moves over to the main radar screen. the

entire upper portion of the screen is blank. and the blank

area is moving.

lieutenant

have a complete diagnostic run...

sailor #1

excuse me sir, radar may be

malfunctioning but infrared is off

the map!

he diverts the lieutenant's attention to another screen; a

bright sea of red light bleeds off the map.

lieutenant

get the cinc atlantic command on

the line.

cut to:

int. pentagon - commanding center - day

a technical officer rips off a data sheet as it shoots out of

the printer and rushes over to the commanding officer.

officer

sir, we now have visual range with

incoming over iraqi airspace.

commanding officer

a second sighting?

officer

yes sir, this just came in from

the eisenhower.

the commanding officer grabs a phone laying off the hook.

commanding officer

correction, we have two confirmed

visual contacts. one over iraq,

one over the pacific.

int. oval office - day

the room is packed. the president and his chief advisors are

there along with the joint chief of staff. representatives

from the atlantic command and u.s. space command have formed

small clusters around telephones.

general grey

where in the pacific?

(turning to the president)

they've spotted one off the

california coast line.

surrounded by the secret service, the president is speechless.

constance halbrook comes rushing into the room and whispers to

the president.

president

put it on.

constance moves over to a cabinet and turns on the t.v. (the

reception is still fuzzy, picture 'rolling'). the cnn news

broadcast shows the phenomenon over novosibirsk, russia.

there is mass hysteria behind the reporter.

newscaster

(filtered)

...sightings of this atmospheric

phenomenon have been reported here

in novosibirsk, russia and other

parts of siberia. moving too

slowly to be a comet or meteor,

astronomers are baffled as to its

origin...

everyone is locked onto the television, mesmerized.

newscasters (cont'd)

(filtered)

...widespread panic has gripped

the countryside as thousands have

taken to the streets and clogged

the highways. hundreds have been

injured...

general grey confers with the atlantic command cinc. he nods,

turns to the president and whispers.

general grey

mr. president, we have an awac on

the west coast. e.t.a. with

contact point, three minutes.

int. awac airplane - day

wall to wall computer, radar and intelligence gathering

equipment. technicians frantically try to adjust as the

system goes hay wire.

radar tech #1

(reporting into radio)

it's no use. side radar doesn't

see a thing!

radar tech #2

(reporting)

that's correct. we're imc blind,

sir.

we track across them over to the pilots and into the cockpit.

cloudy skies. the pilot squints out the window as he speaks.

pilot

negative. we still have zero

visibility.

ext. awac airplane - cloudy skies - day

zooming overhead as we see the awac sailing through a thick

cloudy sky.

super: pacific coastline, california

the awac disappears from view into the clouds.

int. oval office - same

the president and his top advisors are gathered around a

speaker phone listening to the pilot of the awac.

pilot

(filtered)

instrumentation is malfunctioning.

we can't get any kind of reading

on what's in front of us.

int. awac - same

the pilot squints as he tries to see through the clouds.

pilot

wait a minute, it may be clearing.

suddenly the clouds part before us and we're face to face with

a wall of flames.

int. awac - same

the speaker phone cracks and distorts.

pilot

(filtered)

jesus god! the sky's on fire!

ext. awac and phenomenon - same

the awac attempts to climb sharply as we get our first real

look at the atmospheric phenomenon. majestic and monstrous.

the awac is not going to be able to make it.

quickly it is engulfed in the flames.

int. oval office - same

the phone line goes dead. general grey spins to an aide.

general grey

get them back on line.

aide #1

(on other phone)

line's gone, sir.

the atlantic command cinc, turns from a different phone.

aac cinc

two more have been spotted over

the atlantic. one is moving

toward new york, the other is

headed this direction.

chief of staff

how much time do we have?

aac cinc

less than ten minutes.

nimziki

(turning to aid)

organize a military escort to

crystal mountain.

general grey

(to president)

sir, i strongly recommend we

move you to a secured location

immediately.

... the president hesitates, he turns to constance.

president

can we expect the same kid of

panic here as in russia?

constance

more than likely.

nimziki

mr. president, you can discuss

this on the way.

torn, the president grapples with a decision. finally...

president

i'm not leaving.

nimziki

we must maintain a working

government in a time of crisis...

president

i want the vice president,

secretary of defense, the whole

cabinet and the joint chiefs taken

to a secured location.

i'm staying here. i am not going

to add to a public hysteria that

could cost lives.

nimziki

but, mr. president...

president

so far these things have not

become hostile. for the moment

let's assume they won't.

(to constance)

connie, let's issue statements

advising people not to panic, to

stay home and take cover.

constance issues commands to her staff as they quickly

exit along with most people in the room. general grey goes

over to the president.

general grey

with your permission, mr.

president, i'd like to remain my

your side.

president

i had a feeling you would.

general grey

sir, what happens if they do

become hostile?

president

then god help us.

cut to:

int. david's cubicle - day

on the t.v. behind david, news footage of the phenomenon in

russia plays silently. oblivious, david works his computers.

female co-worker

(stopping in doorway)

david, are you watching this?

david waves her away, deep in concentration. suddenly a

computer beeps. excitedly david prints out his finding. he

grabs it and exits.

int. compact cable office - continuous

engrossed in his printout, david walks past his co-workers who

are glued to the distorted picture on the television, watching

the phenomenon.

int. marty's office - continuous

marty stares at his television watching general grey

addressing the press. david enters, staring at his reading.

david

i've got a lock on the signal

pattern. we can filter it out.

marty

(distracted)

huh? oh, good, hood.

david

strange thing is, if my

calculations are right it'll be

gone in approximately seven hours

anyway. the signal reduces itself

every time it recycles.

eventually it will disappear. are

you listening?

marty

(still glued to t.v.)

can you believe this?

david

what re you talking about?

marty

haven't you been watching?

david turns for the first time to the television and sees the

phenomenon. constance comes on addressing the press.

constance

(filtered)

...so far the phenomenon has not

caused any damage. in all

likelihood it won't...

int. white house press room - same

more reporters rush in from the back quickly setting up as

this hastily called press conference continues.

constance

...everyone should remain calm.

take cover where you can but the

important thing is not to panic.

int. brennon mobile home - same

miguel, alicia and troy watch the static riddled t.v.

constance

(filtered)

...we have a fix on three

different occurrences about to

appear over american cities. one

is headed toward los angeles...

int. marty's office - same

constance

(filtered)

...the other two are on our

eastern seaboard headed towards

new york and washington, d.c...

suddenly hectic co-worker #2 appear at the door.

co-worker #2

jamie says this building has an

old bomb shelter. we're heading

down there now.

marty

(dry; to david)

feel no shame in hiding.

int. hallway -- continuous

a crowd of people head down the hall for the shelter while

others stay glued to the set. there is a mix of fascination

and panic. david watches the commotion, dumb struck.

marty

oh shit, i better call my wife.

int. airport diner - late morning

depressed russell nurses a beer at the counter. three flight

mechanics walk in, having a good laugh. one of them spots

russell and moves over to him.

mechanic #1

hey, russ, heard you had a little

trouble this morning. dusted the

wrong field?

the mechanics laugh. russell tries to ignore them.

mechanic #2

i know, you're probably still a

little confused from your hostage

experience.

mechanic #2

hostage experience? something

happen to you, russ?

mechanic #1

he ain't never told you!? seems

years back our boy here had been

kidnapped by aliens. did all

kinds of experiments on him and

such. tell him, russ.

russell

not today, guys. okay.

russell gets up and heads for the door.

mechanic #1

you just gotta get a couple more

beers in him, he'll tell you all

about it. crazy stuff. won't

you, russ?

ext. small airport - continuous

the mechanic follows russell outside, his buddies in tow.

mechanic #1

hey, russ, when they took you up

in their space ship, they do any

sexual things to you?

the mechanics crack up laughing. suddenly the things around

them begin to rumble. the shadow engulfs them, silencing the

mechanics.

panicked they turn and run away. russell just looks up at the

sky, grabs his jack daniels and takes another swig.

ext. trailer park - same

dogs bark and people stumble out of their trailers as an

enormous shadow creeps over them.

int. brennon mobile home - continuous

the windows grow dark and the room begins to rumble. miguel

rushes to the door, ushering his siblings out.

ext. trailer park - continuous

alicia and troy step out the door, stopping dead in their

tracks. miguel follows them only to look up and see...

the phenomenon - dark clouds

the flames are burning out, replaced by huge plumes of dark

smoke billowing around the edges of the phenomena. only small

traces of extinguishing flames illuminate it.

int. compact cable - stairwell - same

david pushes past the people making their way down, fighting

against the tide. another co-worker (#

3) stops halfway.

co-worker #3

aren't you coming, david?

david

no way, i've got to see this.

ext. washington monument - same

frightened tourists run for cover as the colossal shadow

approaches. reflected in the water below we see the fiery

apparition transfigure into the dark foreboding clouds.

the lincoln memorial - washington, d.c. - same

the shadow writhes up the detailed statue of lincoln,

devouring him completely until we are left in total darkness.

int. white house - hallways - same

people are being evacuated from their offices. patricia, the

president's daughter, breaks away from her nanny.

int. white house - oval office - same

the president talks on the phone. constance waits nearby.

president whitmore

(into phone)

of course, russia and the united

states are in this together. yes,

mr. president, you have my word.

yes, das vedanya.

the president hangs up.

constance

what is their position?

president whitmore

i think he was drunk.

patricia bursts through the door and runs into her father's

arms, terrified. a secret service man appears.

secret service guy

mr. president, we have to go.

abruptly, the room darkens as it begins to rumble.

ext. white house - same

the long, dark shadow moves across the entire white house,

engulfing it in darkness.

ext. hudson river, new york - statue of liberty - same

in the distance we see the mutated phenomenon's dark gray

clouds nearing miss. liberty. as it approaches we see the new

york skyline begin to darken.

ext. black top basket ball court, new york - same

kids playing basket ball. a young boy stops playing, staring

skyward. one by one, they all look upwards, stunned as a long

dark shadow creeps over them.

with a loud crash, several new york cabs slam into one another

in the street. two more cars crash into them. a pile up

ensues.

ext. wall street - second later

foot traffic stops as the long shadow crawls over the entire

area.

ext. rooftop - compact cable - same

large satellite dishes beset a doorway to the roof which flies

open. david steps out just as a long, dark shadow covers over

him, sending the city into darkness. david looks up to see...

skyline and alien craft

protruding through the dark clouds we get a glimpse of the

underbelly of a colossal alien craft, its outer veneer of

smoke and clouds beginning to fade away.

below we see panic, cabs slamming into one another, people

staring, people screaming. no one knows how to react.

david runs to the other side of the rooftop, overlooking

central park, to get a better look.

david's pov - central park - same

the entire park is plunged into darkness as the craft above

blots out of the sun. amazing as it may seem, the hovering craft

blankets the entire park and beyond. we still have not seen

an entire craft.

david

(realizing)

my god. the signal.

ext. los angeles basin - wide angle - later morning

a panoramic view of the los angeles basin. slowly filling the

screen, we see a portion of the enormous space craft as it

creeps towards the city, obliterating our view.

ext. hillside residential area - same

a station wagon, filled with kids and a harried housewife,

comes to a stop. the passenger door opens and a young six-

year-old boy, dylan steps out.

housewife

dylan, tell your mom you can stay

overnight again thursday.

suddenly a car sails over a nearby hill in front of them,

hitting the ground with a bang. two more cars follows, air

bound. as the housewife turns she sees...

space ship - same

rising over the mountain we see the space ship as it nears the

city, blocking out the sunshine.

panicked, the housewife hits the gas and peels out, leaving a

confused dylan staring skyward.

int. bedroom - continuous

two people sleep as dylan runs into the room.

dylan

mommy, look at!

he rushes away. the shadow moves past the window, darkening

the room. his mother, jasmine dubrow, stirs.

jasmine

(re: darkness)

it's too early, baby.

she turns back over. suddenly the room briefly rumbles.

man

earthquake?

jasmine

not even a four pointer. go back

to sleep.

shrugging, the man does.

hollywood sign (formerly sc.

7

2) - same

in los angeles. the shadow slowly covers the sign.

ext. white house - window - same

the president and his daughter cautiously approach the window

staring in awe at the amazing sight above them. several

others approach from behind.

cautiously some people begin to walk outside, staring up at

the leviathan, mouths agape.

int. oval office - same

slowly staff members approach, gazing out the window.

constance steps up behind the president.

constance

what do we do now?

president whitmore

address the nation. there are a

lot of very frightened people out

there right now.

constance

yeah. i'm one of them.

ext. washington d.c. - alien craft - same

all of washington is under the shadow of this gargantuan alien

craft. a stunning tableau.

cut to:

int. jasmine's debrow's bedroom - same

the man sleeping next to jasmine's beagle boomer drops

steven's tennis shoes on top of him, waking him.

jasmine

he's trying to impress you.

steve

he's doing a good job.

he pats the dog on the head and takes the shoes. steven gets

up and makes his way to the bathroom.

int. bathroom - continuous

as steve takes a pee, he sees out the window a family packing

up their car, others standing around staring at something in

the distance. a helicopter flies overhead.

steve

neighbors are moving. i think

they're tired of earthquakes.

he finished and flushes.

int. living room - continuous

steve enters the living room. the television is playing a

news broadcast.

newscaster

...with little damage reported to

the southland area. people are

advised not to panic...

steve

hon, something's on the table 'bout

the quake.

jasmine sits up in bed, yelling out to steve.

jasmine

dylan out there?

steve turns, looking for dylan when the doggie door pops open

and dylan crawls through.

steve

what have you been up to, sport?

dylan

(holding his gun)

shooting aliens.

steve musses up the boy's hair, smiling.

jasmine

(entering)

coffee?

steve mumbles an affirmative as he exits.

ext. jasmine's house - continuous

steve picks up the morning paper and opens it. he doesn't

notice the dozens of neighbors quickly packing up and rushing

to get away as he reads the paper oblivious.

jasmine (o.s.)

you want milk with your coffee?

jasmine appears behind him, her view, too, obscured by the

open newspaper. suddenly another helicopter room overhead.

annoyed, steve lowers his paper.

steve and jasmine's pov

as the paper is lowered we see the helicopter swoop down. as

it flies away we see...

the alien craft

covering all of los angeles. this is the first time we see

the entire craft. it is stupendous. steve's jaw hits the

floor. the milk goes crashing as jasmine screams.

cut to:

int. stairwell - day

running for all he's worth, david sprints down the stairs.

int. compact cable office - continuous

dashing off the stairs, david stops seeing that the room is

now completely empty. the wall of monitors play for no one.

david walks up to one, adjusting the volume.

t.v. - cnn broadcast - (distorted broadcast signal)

a space ship logo spins next to the words visitors: contact or

crisis. wolf blitzer comes on screen live from the pentagon.

wolf blitzer

pentagon officials are reporting

more ships have just arrived over

the capitals of india, england and

germany.

as he speaks we get quick glimpses of the other ships.

marty (o.s.)

i know, babycakes. calm down.

david spins around at the sound of the voice but the room is

still empty. david leans down and looks under a desk where he

finds marty still on the phone with his wife.

david

tell her to get the kids and leave

town.

marty

what happened?

david

(yells)

just do it!

marty realizes david is dead serious.

marty

babycakes, pack the kids up and

take them to your mother's. don't

ask. go.

mary hangs up, crawls out from under the table.

marty (cont'd)

okay, why did i just send my

family to atlanta?

david

remember i told you that the

signal hidden within our satellite

signal is slowly recycling down to

extinction.

marty

not really...

david

that signal. it's a countdown.

marty

(confused)

a countdown to what?

david

think. it's like in chess. first

you strategically position your

pieces. then, when the timing's

right. you strike.

david motions to the television.

blitzer

...there are additional

unconfirmed sightings over japan,

the mediterranean, and china...

david

they are positioning themselves

all over the world and using this

one signal to synchronize their

efforts. in approximately six

hours the signal will disappear

and the countdown will be over.

marty

then what?

david

checkmate.

marty takes a beat to digest. then, grabbing the phone....

marty

i gotta call my brother, my

bookie, my lawyer... fuck my

lawyer...

david also grabs a phone. suddenly the bank of monitors

synchronize into one enormous image across the entire video

wall; the president addressing the nation.

int. press room, white house - same

the president stands at the podium giving his address.

president whitmore

my fellow americans, a historic

and unprecedented event has taken

place. the question as to whether

or not we are alone in the

universe has been answered...

angle - side entrance to press room

as constance watches the president, she unconsciously mouths

the words of his speech, after all, she did write them. a

press aide tugs on her sleeve. she tries to wave her off.

press aide

he says he's your husband.

her expression drops. she takes the phone from her.

constance

what do you want?

david

(filtered)

you have to leave the white house.

constance

this is not the time or the place

to have this same old discussion.

int. compact cable offices - same

david

you don't understand. you have to

leave washington.

int. side office, white house - day

impatient, constance tries to get off the phone.

constance

in case you haven't noticed, we're

in a little bit of a crisis here.

david

(filtered)

i've worked with embedded loading.

they're communicating with a

hidden signal. they're going to

attack...

constance

you're being paranoid.

david

(filtered)

it's not paranoia. the embedding

is very subtle. it's probably

been overlooked...

constance hangs up. her face betrays mixed emotions.

int. compact cable offices - same

david stares at the phone, pissed. something on t.v.

catches his attention. through the snowy image he sees...

president whitmore

(filtered)

...my staff and i are remaining

here at the white house while we

attempt to establish

communication...

hanging up the phone, david sprints for the exit.

president whitmore (cont'd)

...so remain calm. if you are

compelled to leave these cities,

please do so in a safe and orderly

fashion.

smash cut to:

cabs slamming together - new york city streets

the rush to get away creeps slowly as cars jam the streets in

total grid-lock. david pedals his bike furiously through

traffic.

ext. george washington bridge - new york - day

the mass exodus has reached the bridge. total congestion.

david fights his way through.

ext. cliffside, new jersey - later

the new york skyline behind him across the hudson, david jumps

off his bike, and races towards a row of tract houses.

ext. moishe's tract house - seconds later

david bangs on the door. it flies open. moishe is holding a

hunting rifle, pointing it at david.

david

pops!

moishe

the television said they've

started with the looting already

vultures.

david

you still got the olds?

moishe

you want to borrow the car? you

don't have a license.

david

that's okay. you're driving.

cut to:

int. jasmine's house - day

steve, wearing his marine flight officer uniform, shoves the

last of his things into his duffel bag. we notice there are

small figurines of dolphins everywhere. jasmine hovers

nervously behind him.

jasmine

you can't go. call them back.

steve

baby, you know how it is. i have

to report to el toro right away.

jasmine

you said you were on leave for the

fourth.

steve

they cancelled it. why are you

acting like this?

jasmine grabs the blinds and yanks them away. we see the

alien craft through the window.

jasmine

why? that's why. that thing

scares the piss out of me.

ext. debrow house - continuous

dylan sits behind the wheel pretending to drive. steve grabs

him, pulling him out. he reaches into his duffel, grabs a small

brown paper bag.

steve

here. i got these for you. be

careful with them.

dylan opens the bag; fireworks. jasmine walks over.

dylan

cool.

steve tosses his gear into the back, opens his door.

jasmine

wait. i have to tell you

something.

steve

what?

jasmine

(loses her nerve)

be careful.

steve

look, after your shift tonight,

why don't you grab dylan and come

stay with me on base.

jasmine

really? you don't mind?

steve

(smiling)

naw. i'll just tell my other

girlfriends they can't come over

tonight.

pissed, she hits him. he loves it.

jasmine

you know, you're not as charming

as you think you are.

steve

yes, i am.

jasmine

dick-weed!

steve

butt-munch.

they kiss. steve hops into his car and peels out. jasmine

takes the bag from dylan.

jasmine

i'll take these.

dylan

mommmmmm...

cut to:

ext. jersey - highway - later that day

a perfectly preserved '68 olds drives cautiously down the

highway. around him we see other cars packed to the gills as

they make their escape from new york.

int. olds - same

not the most confident driver, moishe holds the steering wheel

close to his chest.

moishe

it's the white house, for crying

out loud. you can't just drive up

and ring the bell.

david

can't this thing go any faster?

moishe

you think they don't know what you

know? believe me, they know. she

works for the president. they

know everything.

david

they don't know this.

moishe

and you're going to educate them?

tell me something, you're so smart

how come you spent eight years at

m.i.t. to become a cable

repairman?

david

dad...

moishe

all i'm saying is they've got

people who handle these things,

david. they want hbo, they'll

call you.

cut to:

int. hotel lounge, los angeles - late afternoon

mrs. whitmore is at a house phone. behind her we see several

news crews waiting for interviews.

president whitmore

(filtered through phone)

i want you out of there.

margaret

you're staying there to keep

people calm. it's the right thing

to do. i'm not going to let them

criticize you for it.

int. whitmore bedroom - white house - same

the president sits on his bed, his daughter lays next to him,

watching t.v. the signal distortion is getting worse.

president whitmore

okay, fine but the second your

interviews are done, i have a

helicopter ready to take you to

nellis air force...

margaret

(filtered)

how's the munchkin?

president whitmore

she's glued to the t.v., just like

the rest of the world. i love you

too. here she is...

he hands patty the phone as general grey and nimziki appear in

the doorway. the president walks over to them.

general grey

more ships keep arriving, fifteen

in total so far.

nimziki

this is crazy. we're loosing our

first strike capabilities!

general grey

we're trying to communicate with

them on all frequencies but we're

getting nowhere. atlantic command

is working on a type of visual

communication.

president whitmore

what the hell are they up to?

cut to:

ext. trailer park - night

a long crowded highway of people trying to escape from los

angeles can be seen in the distance. the huge space craft

hovering behind them.

miguel is on the roof of the trailer, adjusting the t.v.

antenna trying to get a picture. suddenly the image clears

and we see a group of people in a crowded hallway.

reporter

(filtered)

...a local crop duster was

arrested today attempting to land

at edwards air force base...

on the t.v. we see russell being escorted to a police car.

mortified, miguel can't believe what he's seeing.

russell

they've got to do something.

i was abducted by space aliens ten

years ago. they did all kinds of

experiments on me. they've been

studying us for years, learning

our weakness. we've go to do

something before they kill us all!

troy (o.s.)

just as troy starts to climb up, miguel changes the channel to

mrs. whitmore. troy sits down next to miguel.

mrs. whitmore

(filtered)

...we need to remain calm. as

more people decide to leave the

cities, safety is key...

miguel

troy, you remember uncle hector,

from tucson?

troy

he's got that sega saturn cd, 64

bit, right?

miguel

yeah. what would you think if we

went there to live for a while?

troy

that'd be cool!

miguel thinks for a second, makes a decision.

miguel

pack up, we're going.

miguel jumps down from the roof. troy climbs down the ladder.

troy

(yelling after him)

what about dad?

alicia and older boy

kissing. it's getting hot. alicia laughs, pushes him away.

older boy

this could be our last night on

earth. you don't want to die a

virgin, do you?

alicia

what makes you think i'm a virgin?

the older boy is taken off guard. before he can answer the

tarp they were hiding under is ripped away. miguel stands

there.

miguel

come on, we're going.

alicia

i'm not going anywhere...

miguel grabs her by the wrist and pulls her away.

ext. freeway - outside washington - night

we see the long highway leading to washington, the space ship

hovering above it. one side of the freeway is packed solid,

the other completely empty, save for one car...

int. moishe's olds - night

moishe looks to the other side of the freeway, jam packed. on

his side, they are the only car for miles.

moishe

the whole world is trying to get

out of washington and we're the

only schmucks trying to get in.

as moishe drives, david distracts him as he unpacks his

backpack unloading his laptop. he grabs a cd.

moishe (cont'd)

what the hell is that?

david

this, pops, is every phone book in

america.

moishe

you think an important person like

constance is going to be listed?

david

she always keeps her portable

phone listed, for emergencies.

sometimes it's just her first

initial, sometime her nickname...

david starts to look it up. suddenly...

dozens of cars heading straight for them

in the attempt to get out, hundreds of cars have been re-

directed by the military to use the opposite side of the

highway.

moishe

oh my god!

moishe swerves violently to avoid collision, barely missing

the oncoming traffic. dodging right to left, moishe hangs on

for dear life.

a military office, assisting in diverting the cars turns just

in time to see the olds whiz by.

david and moishe are bounded around the inside of the car as

moishe tries to veer through traffic.

suddenly a truck blocks off their only escape route.

moishe turns hard and drives up onto the right shoulder.

overhead angle - olds and traffic

the olds is the only car in headed that direction. using the

shoulder, swerving to miss barricades, they drives off an exit

ramp.

david

nice driving, pops!

dangerously close to a heart attack, moishe is, for once, at a

loss for words. over their adrenaline pumped faces...

male voice (v.o.)

...put your hands together for

sabrina!

cut to:

int. strip club - los angeles - night

a bikini-clad sabrina twirls gracefully on the stage. as she

comes to a stop we reveal sabrina is actually jasmine. she

looks out into the audience and her expression drops.

reverse angle - jasmine's pov - empty club

five strippers and eight customers. all crowded near the

television watching the news.

angle t.v. - rooftop - los angeles

helicopter footage of people gathered on the rooftops of

downtown los angeles holding up drawings of space aliens.

newscasters

(filtered)

...from the 'it could only happen

in california' file, hundreds of

ufo fanatics have gathered on the

rooftops of downtown los angeles,

welcoming the new arrivals...

int. dressing room - continuous

jasmine storms into the dressing room. wiping off her makeup,

she sits down next to tiffany who watches the same report on a

small b&w.

jasmine

i can't believe i even came in

tonight. what was i thinking?

tiffany

(re: t.v.)

isn't this cool? and you thought

i was nuts. oh, look, i brought

mine with me.

tiffany holds up a drawing of a space alien.

jasmine

you're not thinking of joining

those idiots?

tiffany

i'm going over there soon as i'm

off. wanna come?

jasmine turns to tiffany, dead serious.

jasmine

tiffany, i don't want you to go up

there. promise me you won't.

(tiffany pouts)

promise!

tiffany

i promise.

jasmine

okay. i'm gone. i'm outta town

for a while.

her boss mario enters and walks over to his private office in

back. he opens the door and finds dylan playing with his dog,

boomer.

mario

what the hell's your kid doing

here?

jasmine rushes past picking up dylan and carrying him away as

she heads for the exit. boomer follows.

jasmine

you try to find a sitter today.

mario

where do you think you're going?

you leave, you're fired.

jasmine

(out the door)

nice working with you, mario.

cut to:

ext. washington d.c. - night

the streets are nearly deserted. millions of small lights on

the underbelly of the craft cast strange reflections on the

streets below. the olds drives on its way towards the capitol

building.

int. olds - continuous

david types frustratedly on his laptop.

moishe

not listed, huh?

david

i just haven't found it yet. i

tried c. halbrook, connie

halbrook, spunky halbrook...

moishe

spunky?

david

college nickname.

moishe

you try martin?

david

she didn't take my name when we

were married.

moishe shrugs. david gives it a shot. finds it. the machine

beeps.

moishe

(sarcastic)

so what do i know?

cut to:

int. locker room - el toro marine corps station - night

a crowded locker room. steve enters.

male voice (o.s.)

where the hell've you been?

steve

ah, were you guys waiting for me?

several marines throws towels at steve as he makes his way to

his locker. his best friend, jimmy, sits next to him.

jimmy

can you believe it? this is

serious shit, stevie. they've

recalled everyone!

as steve sits he sees some envelops stuck into the side of his

locker.

steve

well, the mail's still working.

he flips through the envelops and freezes when he sees one

with the nasa insignia on it. jimmy snatches it away from

him.

jimmy

junk mail. you don't want this.

steve quickly snatches it back, right it open and reads. from

the disappointment on his face we can tell it's bad news.

realizing, jimmy puts a hand on steve's shoulder.

jimmy

i don't believe it. they make you

learn how to fly everything from

an apache to a harrier and still

they turn you down? what else do

they want you to learn?

steve

how to kiss ass.

steve crumples at the letter and tosses it. angrily he opens his

locker. pasted on the locker door we see photos of jasmine

next to the photos of the space shuttle, apollo missions, and a

nasa insignia bumper sticker.

as steve stuffs his jacket into the locker, something falls

out. before steve can grab it, jimmy snatches it up first.

jimmy

(embarrassed)

jasmine has this thing for

dolphins. i had them make it...

steve

i thought you said you were doing

to break it off.

steve snatches it back, embarrassed.

jimmy (cont'd)

steve, listen to me, you're never

gonna get to fly the space shuttle

if you marry a stripper.

steve knows he's right. he's torn.

cut to:

ext. white house - moments later - night

the olds stops near the white house. from here we can see

tanks and armed patrols. a small group of protesters have

gathered, upset about the military hardware. signs: 'don't

provoke' 'violence begets violence.'

int. ods - continuous

david adjusts a small portable satellite, connecting it to his

phon and laptop computer.

moishe

so, you want to ring the bell or

should i?

david flips open the phone, dials the number on the screen.

david

perfect, she's using it.

moishe

it's perfect the line is busy?

david

yes. i can use he signal to

triangulate her exact position in

the white house.

moishe

you can do that?

shooting his father a look.

david

(sarcastic)

all cable repairmen can.

int. white house - hallway - moments later

constance is just finishing a call on her cellular phone.

constance

...sally, take my cat with when

you leave. no i'm staying here at

the white house. take care.

the moment she hangs up, it rings. surprised, she answers.

constance

what?

david

(filtered)

connie, don't hang up.

constance

david? how'd you get this number?

david

walk to the window. right in

front of you.

constance looks up to the large glass windows. she walks over

to it, looking out.

constance

what am i looking for?

constance's pov - street - olds - david

between two of the tanks outside, constance can see david

standing on top of the olds across the street. moishe steps

out, waves. constance is stunned.

constance

(to herself)

how does he do that?

cut to:

int. brennon trailer - night

sulking, alicia sits in back with he walkman on. troy sleeps

while miguel drives. suddenly miguel his the brakes, as

something comes sailing down from the sky.

we realize it's the b-wing plane landing on the stretch of

roadway directly in front of them.

ext. roadway - continuous

the plane lands, skids into a turn. russell jumps out, walks

over to the trailer. we can tell he's drunk again.

miguel

they let you out?

russell

just what the hell do you think

you're doing?

miguel moves to meet russell away from the trailer, not

wanting the others to hear.

miguel

we're leaving, don't try and stop

us.

russell

you're not going anywhere. you

hear me? i'm still your father.

miguel explodes, this has been building up for some time.

miguel

no, you're not! you're just the man

who married my mother. you're

nothing to me!

russell is momentarily silent, stunned. recovering...

russell

troy's still my son no matter how

you feel about me.

miguel

for once in your life think about

what's best for troy. who has to

beg for money to buy him medicine

when you screw up? who?

suddenly we hear glass crashing. both men spin to find troy

standing behind them.

troy

stop it! i'm not a baby! i don't

need your stupi