PROLOGUE.
INT. CON - AMALGAMATED MINING STATION 87 - TAU CETI II SYSTEM.
A busy control room, control consoles and banks of machinery, linked by bundles of cables and conduits. A steady hum of chattering machinery, human voices and radio transmissions fill the control centre. Technicians scurry back and forth bearing seismic scans, progress reports and loading schedules, whilst Comm. Techs relay updates to the docked cargo ship USCSS Armstrong, which is loading ore and unloading station supplies. A technician calls over to Chief Mining Engineer Connelly, who is overseeing the loading schedule.
TECHNICIAN.
Hey chief Henryk's on the horn, he's had to shut down the excavator on level thirteen. Seismic scans have detected a large cavern.
CONNELLY. (Sighs in exasperation).
Great. We're behind schedule on the loading and Captain Garrovick is on my case, if they miss their launch window we're gonna have some mighty pissed off spacers to deal with. Tell Henryk I'll be down ASAP to check it out.
CUT TO:
INT. CON - AM 87 - LOADING DOCKS.
An industrial loading dock. Caterpillar Powerloaders are unloading freight containers onto electric freight haulers for transport to the station's Supply Storage Level. Automated ore loaders are loading the Armstrong's cargo holds. Director of Mining Operations Kruger is liasing with the Armstrong's cargo chief, he consults the IPad Infinity he is holding.
KRUGER.
That's the last of our supplies unloaded. They've fixed the gravity feed on Loader One, ore loading will be completed in two hours.
CARGO CHIEF GRADY.
OK I'll inform Captain Garrovick, we'll make our launch window no problem.
CONNELLY. V.O.
Connelly to Kruger, we've got a problem on level thirteen boss. Scans have detected a large cavern, Henryk's shut down the excavator. I'm gonna go take a look.
KRUGER.
Christ what next? We can't afford any more delays, the company's profit margin on this operation is negligible. They stripped the costing to the bone to outbid Weyland-Yutani on the ICC contract award and if we get too far behind schedule we can all kiss our bonuses goodbye, keep me posted.
CONNELLY. V.O.
Will do boss.
Kruger goes over to a tech operating a powerloader. The powerloader deposits the freight container onto a cargo transport, which drives off into the station. Kruger converses with the operator.
CUT TO:
INT. CON - AM. 87 - GALLERY - LEVEL THIRTEEN.
Miners Henryk, Villegas, Matusak and Stuckey are clustered around the shut down excavator. Connelly exits the lift.
CONNELLY.
What have we got here Henryk? We need to get this excavator back online ASAP.
HENRYK.
Scans have detected a large sealed chamber, 100 cubic metres in volume.
Henryk hands Connelly his IPad Infinity. Connelly checks the scan data.
CONNELLY.
There's an atmosphere in there, Oxygen/Nitrogen. OK there's two metres of rock to get through, Villegas, Matusak you're up, let's see what's inside.
The two miners manhandle a portable excavator drill into the shaft and begin to bore through into the large chamber.
CLOSE UP ON:
The excavator breaks through. The two miners remove the drill and as they do a gust of stale air wafts out of the cavern.
MATUSAK.
Fuck me, that's rank.
Stuckey is dry retching overcome by the foetid air released from the chamber.
VILLEGAS. (Laughing).
You can talk. You make some pretty rank smells yourself when you have beans for breakfast.
Connelly goes over to an equipment locker and takes out four heavy duty torches and hands them out to the miners, he takes one for himself and closes the locker.
CONNELLY.
Connelly to control, we're proceeding into the chamber.
TECHNICIAN. V.O.
Copy that.
CUT TO:
INT. CON - AM. 87 - LEVEL THIRTEEN - CAVERN.
The cavern is obviously an artificial construction: The chamber walls have a skeletal appearance, ribbed tubes dividing the skeletal walls into sections. Rounded, bulging outgrowths top each section, a large opening in the outgrowths feed into organic pipes which all converge in a central point, a raised area in front of what appears to be an altar. Murals depicting alien rituals involving biomech, vaguely humanoid creatures and bizzare mechorganic machinery cover the altar. The raised dais contains a number of sealed leathery urns about a metre high.
The five miners are awed at what they have discovered. They explore the chamber and inspect the alien murals.
CONNELLY.
Connelly to control, the chamber is artificial it's not a cavern, Kruger needs to see this.
TECHNICIAN. V.O.
Kruger's with Captain Garrovick, the Armstrong is prepping for launch. I'll send him down soon as he comes in.
HENRYK.
Jesus look at this shit will ya? Very fucking weird, what do you think this place is?
CONNELLY.
Looks like some sort of temple. Goddamn it, ICC are gonna shut us down and bring in the first contact teams, Kruger's gonna be pissed.
HENRYK.
There goes everybody's bonuses. We're lucky we found this thing, at least we got guaranteed shares in anything they find in here.
STUCKEY.
Hey chief somethings happening.
CLOSE UP ON:
The leathery green "Urns", with a wet sound four flaps open on one of the urns, One by one four more urns open.
MATUSAK.
Hey chief I think there's something alive in these things.
The men approach the urns and look inside.
CUT TO:
INT. CON - AM. 87 - CONTROL ROOM.
The USCSS Armstrong has finally departed. Kruger enters the control room, he addresses a Comm. Tech.
KRUGER.
What's the status on this chamber on thirteen, how long til we can get the excavator running again?
COMM. TECH.
Chief Connelly reported in to say they were about to enter the chamber. He checked in 15 minutes later, the chamber appears to be an artificial construct. No updates for the last hour.
KRUGER.
Kruger to Connelly what's the Sitrep on thirteen?...Kruger to Connelly, respond please...This is Kruger is anyone on level thirteen reading me?...
CUT TO:
INT. CON - AM. 87 - LEVEL THIRTEEN - ALIEN TEMPLE.
The five miners are lying unconscious around the dais.
KRUGER. V.O.
Kruger to Connelly respond...Damn it, Henryk, Villegas is anyone reading me? I'm on my way down.
CLOSE UP ON:
Connelly, the mining chief has a Facehugger attached to his face, it undulates in time with his breathing. The camera pulls in for an extreme closeup on the alien parasite.
FADE OUT.