Blue teamstay with the ground units.
Red teamwith me. We’re punching for
the main target.
Quaritch glances up to see --
A squadron of WINGED SHAPESdiving out of the morning glare
like birds of prey.
CLOSE ON JAKErushing straight downSCREAMING a war cry as
he leads the charge and --
SCORES OF BANSHEES SLAM into the gunships and Samsons like
falcons hitting fat turkeys. The air battle is joined.
132.
JAKE’S GREAT LEONOPTERYX flairs into its signature crimson X
shape just before --
K-WHAM!! -- it knocks a Scorpion tumbling. It coils around
the gunshipslashing furiously as they spin together. JAKE
can barely hang onto the gyrating creature.
The pilot of the Scorpion sees nothing but jaws slamming into
his canopy. Jake releases the gunship and it careens into a
CLIFFtearing off one rotor -- then plummets into the trees.
There is a satisfying FIREBALL.
SCORPIONS fall out of formation to pursue individual banshee
ridersFIRING cannons and rockets.
JAKE BANKS as the cliff face next to him explodes with
cannon rounds. SCREAMING down on him is another Scorpion.
JAKE tucks and dives along the clifffeeling the rounds
splitting the air around him and --
The Scorpions bank after the furiously jinking banshees as
they head for cover among the floating mountainsor dive
down into the trees.
DOOR GUNNERS in a SAMSON are shooting down banshees like
Messerschmidts from a B-17 as --
WE FOLLOW TSU’TEY’S BANSHEE in a full delta dive. He swoops
in from its blind spot and --
THE GUNNERS SWIVEL too late as Tsu’tey flashes past them
SHOOTING ARROWS with deadly accuracy.
A SCORPION gunship dives after a banshee. It fires an air-to-
air missile and the banshee vanishes in an EXPLOSION.
WIDE SHOT as thirty ships and hundreds of banshees wheel and
divelike the Battle of Britain. Banshees are hit by guns
and missilesfalling out of the sky. The occasional trail of
smoke and fire marks the demise of a tilt-rotor.
IN THE CENTER the Dragon is pouring out hellacious fire --
tracer rounds from multiple turrets and missiles from the
stub-wing pods.
NEYTIRI BANKS hard as TRACERS flash past her. A Scorpion is
right on her ass as --
SHE ROLLS inverted and dives under the edge of Mons
Veritatisthen rolls outzig-zagging through the dangling
vines but --
133.
THE GUNSHIP stays on her. It rips through the vinesand
tracers FLASH toward us as --
SHE JINKS the banshee around a thundering waterfall but --
HER PURSUER explodes right through the curtain of water. It
launches an air-to-air missile. NEYTIRI jinks harddiving.
The missile hits a rock outcroppingpummeling her with the
shock wave.
THE GUNSHIP follows her through a narrow slit between Mons
Veritatis and a smaller floating island. They run this slot
rolled up on their sides and --
THE SCORPION GUNNER locks up Neytiri for a missile shot but --
A SHADOW crosses his canopy. Out of the sun comes a crimson
demonshrieking over the roar of the turbinesand --
K-WHAMMM!! The leonopteryx SLAMS the gunshipdriving it
downward in a dive. The leonopteryx lashes at it with claws
and teeth as they fall together out of control.
Jake kicks the gunship loose and it falls like a brick
breaking its back on a rocky promontory and EXPLODING.
FLYING WITH A SAMSON as a SECOND SAMSON falls in beside it.
This one has its pilot door offand the PILOT is wearing a
breathing mask. The door gunners wave at --
TRUDYher expression grim behind her mask. She holds the
cyclic stick between her knees while she RAKES the other ship
with BURSTS from an AR in her lap.
The pilot slumps over and the craft tumbles out of control.
TRUDY
You’re not the only ones with gunsyou
pricks.
NEYTIRI JINKS her banshee hardan enemy Samson right behind
her. The pilot is a hotdogfollowing her down into the
treesunder the canopy.
They slalom among the trunks at high speed. The gunners hang
half out the doorsfiring. Bark and leaves explode around
Neytiri as she zig-zags through the jungle.
THE BANSHEE dives under a huge tree limband the pilot
follows. He looks up at the last secondcatching a glimpse
of blue-skinned figures.
THE HUNTERS drop a net of woven vines behind Neytiri and --
134.
The SAMSON hits it hard. The net fouls the shipFLIPPING IT
backwards. It crashes upside down to the forest floor.
KABOOM!!
NEYTIRI’S BANSHEE is hit by GROUND-FIRE. It folds up like a
broken kitecrashing down through branches and --
SHE SLAMS into the groundstunned.
IN THE DRAGON Quaritch looks aheadseeing the WELL OF SOULS.
He taps the pilot and points --
QUARITCH
There it is.
(into his headset)
Valkyrie Onethis is Dragon. Target is
in sight.
IN THE CARGO BAY of Valkyrie Onethe troopers ready their
deadly loads.
TROOPER
Target in sight.
CIRCLING ABOVETsu’tey falls in beside Jakewho talks to
him by AIRCOM HEADSET.
JAKE
We have to stop the shuttlesno matter
what it takes.
TSU’TEY nods. He signalsgathering other hunterswho fall
in with him as he dives. Jake rolls in after them but --
A GUNSHIP drops in behind him and he is forced to evade as --
TSU’TEY LEADS the attack on the first shuttle. Hunters jink
and weave through WITHERING FIRE from the escort ships.
GUNNERS with jerry-rigged gun mounts ride the broad backs of
the shuttlespicking off banshees who get past the escort.
TSU’TEY is RAKED by a burst from the dorsal gunners. His
mount crumplesplummeting with a dying scream and --
WE SPIRAL DOWN with himthe forest rushing up and --
A BLINDING BLIZZARD of green as he tears downwardcatching
at leaves and vines. He SLAMS to the groundbadly injured.
NEARBYampsuits and troopers advance across the forest
floorfiring their cannons and flamethrowers. The GAU-90s
rip the forest to shreds.
135.
Normfiring as he retreatsis HIT. He collapseshis avatar
body mortally wounded as --
HYDRAULIC FEET approachpassing the bodies of direhorses and
Na'vi hunters. Norm painfully tries to load another
magazinepanting in fear and pain as --
AN AMPSUIT stomps up. Aims its cannon point blank. B-BLAM!
INT. SHACK
The top of Norm’s LINK bangs open. He reels outcollapsing
onto the floorclutching himself as if he can still feel the
pain of death.
He sitshuddledshivering -- crazed.
EXT. RAINFOREST
TSU’TEY lies gaspingmortally injured. He looks up
grimacingas an ampsuit looms over him.
LYLE WAINFLEET reaches down and grabs Tsu’tey by his queue
lifting him painfully.
WAINFLEET
I hear this is worse than death for you
chief.
WAINFLEET cuts Tsu’tey's queue off near the base. TSU’TEY
SCREAMS in agonyhis nervous system exploding on overload.
GrinningLyle holds up the queue -- Tsu’tey's only
connection to the world-consciousness which is his life.
NEYTIRI -- bleedingbruised -- staggers amid burning
wreckage. AMPSUIT footsteps approach and she crouches behind
a tree. Troopers are seconds from seeing her as --
NEYTIRI knocks an arrow to HER FATHER’S BOWand readies
herself for a last kamikaze shot when --
THE TROOPER on the far right of the firing line sees
something on his screens.
TROOPER
Right flank -- something’s coming! It’s
all lit up out there.
The troopers become aware of the GROUND SHAKING. A slow
building thunderous ROAR and --
AN AMPSUIT comes FLYING out of the treescartwheeling past
themand the SHAKING BUILDS --
136.
EXT. WELL OF SOULS
Mo'at opens her eyes in sudden realization as --
EXT. FOREST
The troopers pivot to face --
A WALL OF CHARGING HAMMERHEADS CRASHING out of the foliage in
a shower of broken branches as --
THE TROOPERS open fire but -- the stampede drives over them
like a wave. Tree-trunk feet shatter the ampsuit cockpits.
Troopers are crushed or asphyxiated.
NEARBY the foot-soldiers see LIVING SHADOWS flow out of the
gloom as --
VIPERWOLVES race among them with flashing jaws. The troopers
FIRE wildly as they go downhitting each other as much as
their attackers.
The survivors break and run as more viperwolves bound out of
the shadows.
JAKE BANKSwatching as HUNDREDS of rider-less
WILD BANSHEES
converge on Quaritch’s ships. They literally darken the sky.
JAKE
What the hell -- ?
The wild banshees wheel among the shipsripping into them.
ON JAKE -- slowly getting it. EYWA is in the fight.
JAKE
WHOO-HOOOO!
A GUNNER fires from the door of a Samson. There is a CRASH
and the head of a BANSHEE lunges in the open doorjerking
him out. Other banshees tear at the pilot’s windshield.
NEYTIRI watches in awe as the ground troops scatter in
disarray. The viperwolves flash past herignoring her.
She senses something and turns slowly to see --
A THANATOR emerging from the smoke behind her. A glistening
black demon. She stands paralyzed before its stygian gaze--
-- and the thanator lowers itselfuntil its head is just
above the ground. It holds that position -- waiting.
137.
Tremblingshe approaches the waiting demon.
EXT. FOREST
A smoky hell. Fires burn all around. The troopers are
disorganizedfalling back. Shooting at shadows. Panicked
yelling fills the comm freq.
WAINFLEET and another AMPSUIT are charging together through
the smoky gloom.
WAINFLEET
A and C squads -- rally at my pos. I
want --
(screaming on the comm)
Who’s screaming God damn it?!
TROOPER (ON RADIO)
We gotta get outta here! Whoever’s in
chargecall for extraction!
WAINFLEET
Shutup you crybabies!
SOMETHING slams into the other ‘suittackling it OUT OF
FRAME. Wainfleet whirls to see his squad-mate missing. He
moves through a screen of foliage to reveal --
The AMPSUIT -- ripped open. Driver gone. Blood inside the
cockpit. He WHIRLS at a sound in time to see --
A THANATOR LEAPING straight at him -- WAINFLEET raises his
cannon but--
WHAM!! It’s on himslamming him to the ground. The cannon
goes flying. He’s face to face with its nightmare jaws
right outside his canopy--
On its back is NEYTIRIand it’s a toss up which one looks
more pissed off. The thanator rears backmuscles rippling
as it poises to strike and --
K-KRAAACKK! Slams its teeth right through his canopy.
Wainfleet’s SCREAM is brief.
Neytiri’s demon mount rears up and its triumphant ROAR echoes
through the forest.
INT. CORRIDOR
Max runs down the hallleading the other scientists. He’s
yelling into an AIRCOM HANDSET --
138.
MAX
Rogue OneRogue Onethis is Max. Tell
Jake we are in motion.
(to the scientists)
Get in there. Barricade the door!
INT. LINK ROOM
The door is hurled open and the SCIENTISTS charge in.
Science geeks barricade the door as AVATAR-DRIVERS scramble
into their link unitspulling the clamshells down.
INT. CORRIDOR
Max checks the door is secure from his side then runs down a
connecting corridor.
CUT TO:
EXT. SHACK
HUMAN NORM emerges from the airlockwearing breathing gear
and carrying an AR. He stumblesdazedtoward the battle.
EXT. MOUNTAINS/ AERIAL
JAKE SIGNALS and a formation of hunters rolls indiving at
the lead shuttlewhich is already besieged by winged
creatures.
THE CARGO RAMP is the scene of a pitched battle. Na’vi
hunters hurl themselves off their mounts in waves
overwhelming the troopers.
HUNTERS are shotfalling out of the shipas others fly in.
They shoot arrows and spears from the end of the rampand
troopers fall back deeper into the fuselage.
The panicked CREW CHIEF slams a switch and the ramp begins to
closea second before he is cut down by a spear.
JAKE’S LEONOPTERYX plummets at the shuttle from behind. He
swoops downflairs to reduce speedrolls off his mount and
landstumbling on the shuttle’s broad back as --
GUNNERS try to swing their guns toward him but he RAKES them
with his ARstill running forward and --
JAKE PULLS two grenades from his battle harnessyanking the
pins out with his teeth. He hurls them down the intakes of
the VTOL turbofans as --
HIS LEONOPTERYX BANKS in a tight arc back toward him and --
139.
HE SPRINTS ON as the grenades EXPLODEshattering the
turbineswhich riddle the fuselage with shrapnel and --
JAKE LEAPS INTO SPACElanding on the back of his mount and
reconnecting. They flap awaygaining altitude as fire
BLASTS out of the bottom of the shuttle.
ON THE FLIGHT DECKthe pilot feels the ship dropping.
PILOT
Mains to a hundred percent! Get me
airspeed!
The pilot and copilot slam the throttle levers forward and --
The FUSION ENGINES BLAZEthrusting the shuttle forward. It
still fallsits remaining lift fans screaminguntil --
IT’S CLIPPING the tree tops when it gets enough translational
lift to fly and --
THE PILOT PULLS back on the sticklifting the nose.
PILOT
We’re good!
BEHIND HIMa surviving Na’vi hunter runs forward and --
THOONK! ARROWHEADS sprout from the pilots’ necks and chests.
THE SHUTTLE CLIMBS out of controlat full acceleration. It
SLAMS into the underside of MONS Veritatis. It EXPLODESand
hundreds of tons of flaming debris drop back into the forest.
ON THE FLIGHT DECK of the other SHUTTLEthe pilots watch the
wreckage falling.
PILOT
Valkyrie Two is breaking off. And if any
of ya’ll want to get off this piece of
shit planetyou better cover our ass
‘cause we’re the only way back to orbit.
GUNSHIP PILOT
Roger that.
FROM THE DRAGON COCKPIT Quaritch watches the shuttle bank
awaywith most of the remaining gunships following.
QUARITCH
Get back here you worthless pukes!
140.
PILOT
Are we breaking off?
Quaritch draws his pistol.
QUARITCH
What do you think?
He is over the edge-- no logic in his brain now. Only death.
INT. OPS CENTER/CORRIDOR
Techs and troopers crowd around consoleslistening to all
the yelling and confusion as they try to plot the
disintegrating battle.
SELFRIDGE
(in growing alarm)
What the hell is going on out there?
