JASON ELEMENTAL PROLOGUE: EXT. EMERALD LAKE - NIGHT SUPERIMPOSE CAPTION: "THE YEAR 2455" The lake is a picturesque scene, a mirror image of Earth Prime's Crystal Lake. But this is Earth 2, and sure enough, a glowing mass arcs down through the cloudless sky and towards the glassy surface… JASON VOORHEES Endowed with Uber-armor culled from the debris of the spaceship Grendel, superheated to the point where his exposed meat is flaking away in black chunks, and the armor grows white-hot - Jason plunges toward the lake and WIDE: He cuts through the water like a hot knife through butter. There's a small splash, a sizzle, then a myriad of bubbles. Jason is gone. Two CAMPERS, a boy and girl, are kissing on the crest of a tree-lined hill when they turn toward the faint sound of the impact. GIRL I think it landed in the lake! BOY Let's check it out. They make their way down the hill. CUT TO: EXT. LAKE - MOMENTS LATER The boy and girl wade a bit into the water, just up to the hems of their shorts. GIRL I don't see anything. BOY That's because it's in the water. She slaps his arm and heads out further. BOY Ow! I have a sunburn, remember? GIRL Yes. She peels her top off and starts swimming out. Her boyfriend is at a loss for words. He starts tugging at his belt. BOY Hold on a second! She laughs and kicks out to the middle of the lake. The starscape is reflected in the water all around her. She looks in awe across the surface. BOY Sonofa… He finally tears his belt free and moves deeper into the water while pulling off his shorts. GIRL Just what do you think you're doing? BOY I made a wish on that shooting star. (arching an eyebrow) It's about to come true. She laughs at his corny ass and splashes him. Lunging out, he wraps his arms around her. GIRL Don't! I'll go under! BOY That's what I expect. GIRL Oh, you. Her playful splashes turn into kisses. They tread water in the middle of the lake. GIRL Looks like tonight's your lucky night, camper. BOY On a Friday the 13th? Imagine that. JASON bobs up beside them, issuing steam and oily blood! The girl shrieks at the charred monstrosity, his armor all but gone, his sunken, skeletal face burnt beyond recognition. Jason comes to rest on his back and floats. Dead. Slag. BOY Holy shit. GIRL Get it away from me! She starts swimming back to shore. Rather than lament over the aborted tryst, the boy stares in fascination at Jason. GIRL (O.C.) Get away from him Paul!! BOY It's a guy! GIRL (O.C.) GET AWAY FROM HIM!! He shrugs and turns to follow after her. XCU: One bloodshot eye opens in the meaty mass. Jason's hand seizes the boy's shoulder. He screams and struggles to escape. BOY MARY!! GET HELP!! HELP!!! The hand relinquishes its vise-like grip. The boy slowly turns to see Jason sinking. Voorhees is staring right at him with one eye. Staring with hatred, rage - the only things Jason has left - until the eye disappears into the depths. The boy makes for shore like an Olympic swimmer. CUT TO: EXT. EMERALD LAKE - DAY The couple is being treated on the shore by a military paramedic. A few other armed grunts are walking the perimeter. MEDIC Can either of you describe the object? BOY It was…it was… GIRL He was alive. MEDIC "He"? GIRL He must have gotten out of the water…he might be headed for the camp! One of the grunts kneels beside her and shakes his head. GRUNT We haven't detected any life forms besides you and your kids within a ten-mile radius. GIRL Then…he's still out there… ZOOM IN on the gorgeous lake surface. NARRATOR (V.O.) They say that a star fell to Earth in 2455. It brought with it a curse from the old planet - a death curse. Maybe it's the plague that made Earth Prime uninhabitable. (beat) Or maybe…it's something worse. CUT TO: EXT. EMERALD SWAMP - NIGHT SUPERIMPOSE CAPTION: "45 YEARS LATER" The lake and surrounding forest have fallen into mossy decay. It's almost as if the water has turned to sludge, thick brown sludge with gnarled trees rising from it. Fungi, overgrown vines and fallen branches crisscross the area. A dense fog, one foot deep, cradles the ominous swamp. CRANE OVER the swamp, as a roar builds in the distance, and spotlights fall on the ground below…then a large craft, not quite a spaceship but certainly unlike anything seen in our time, hovers into view. This is the terran cruiser Homunculus. Through one of the portholes stares a girl, 18 years old, with beautiful dark hair and a face that hasn't seen enough of the outside. CUT TO: INT. CRUISER - SCIENCE POD 1 The girl, ALIA ROBERTS, is standing in a well-maintained little lab. A silver-haired man who bears more than a passing resemblance to her enters the pod. DR. ROBERTS Alia? She turns glumly from the porthole. ALIA Yeah Dad? DR. ROBERTS Is everything ready to go here? ALIA Yes, I'm prepared to analyze any organic samples that you bring back. 'Til then… She slumps down in a seat. DR. ROBERTS Welllll…I was thinking that maybe you need some experience in the field. ALIA Are you serious? DR. ROBERTS You won't make much of a biochemist if I keep you cooped up in here all day, will you? She laughs elatedly and rises to throw her arms around him. ALIA Thank you so much. This means a lot to me. DR. ROBERTS I know it does. ALIA What made you change your mind? I've heard the swamp is pretty hostile. DR. ROBERTS I just got to thinking last night. (beat) I think your mom would've wanted it this way. She nods. DR. ROBERTS And of course, you'll be traveling with a full contingent of E-X grunts, so that helped. ALIA Why did they put so many grunts on board, anyway? DR. ROBERTS This is the Coalition's show. I'm not about to argue with anyone who funds my research for the next decade. STAR (O.C.) You're not nervous, are ya? A leather-clad female teen is standing behind the Robertses, stroking the leaves of an exotic plant. STAR (CONT'D) I mean, that there are so many Marines on board. Personally I'm a little excited. Alia bites her lip as her father frowns. DR. ROBERTS Star, I'm going to need you to stay in here and monitor the growth rates on those cultures. STAR They haven't changed in two weeks, Doc. DR. ROBERTS I know. But I have a feeling that this environment may have some sort of…effect on our plant life. STAR On my babies? She stands protectively around the plant cultures. Roberts shrugs. DR. ROBERTS Thanks for your help. He exits. Alia gives Star a smirk. ALIA Do you really have to get horny in front of my dad? STAR I can't help it. Have you seen some of those guys? Makes my mouth water just thinking about it. ALIA I thought you didn't eat meat. STAR Mother Earth put those hunks on this ship for a reason, dear. I've been a good girl, I think I've earned 'em. CUT TO: INT. READY ROOM Eighteen E-X grunts are pulling on body armor and assembling their weaponry. Their commanding officer, CAPTAIN JETH, raps his knuckles on his locker. JETH Listen up Marines! We're only sending half of you on this first run. CRATER So what do the rest of us do? JETH You sit on your ass until the next run, Crater! CRATER Waste of friggin' time. This is worse than a peacekeeping mission. JETH If you'd like, I can ship you back to Fort Green on latrine duty. CRATER I'm fully prepared to sit on my ass. Sir. JETH I'm going to read off the names of the first team to go out. I said listen up! As he rattles off nine names from a list, navigator MATTHEWS heads for the exit. TRACK him down a narrow corridor, and up a ladder to the COCKPIT Where he seats himself and checks the display. MATTHEWS Come in Doctor Roberts. DR. ROBERTS (COMM) Yes, Matthews? MATTHEWS I'm bringing her down at the west end of the swamp. Looks like there's a solid patch of land there. DR. ROBERTS Very good. An enormous man, wearing armor which almost seems bonded to his flesh, slumps down beside Matthews. MATTHEWS Glass, you'd better get back down there. I think Jeth's sending you out. GLASS No he's not. My circuits can't handle this humid shit. I won't make it two steps before I go numb. MATTHEWS I guess he can put the synthetic out there. GLASS Speaking of which, have you tried talking to him? I can't get a straight answer from that softbody, let alone a "good morning". MATTHEWS Well, he is a rebuild. GLASS You think they programmed him to- - They're interrupted by another grunt, NOMAD. NOMAD ETA to touchdown? MATTHEWS Two minutes. NOMAD All right, we'll be ready to deploy. MATTHEWS I'll spring the hatch for ya. CUT TO: EXT. EMERALD SWAMP - NIGHT The Homunculus settles on a somewhat-solid parcel of muddy land. The encroaching fog quickly swirls around the cruiser. CUT TO: INT. CRUISER - EXIT HATCH Nomad and eight other grunts are waiting to get out. They're joined by Dr. Roberts, Alia, and the doctor's other assistant, a young man nicknamed FROG. DR. ROBERTS I'd advise you to place your oxygen filters on the max setting. The Marines give him a wry look. He shrinks back, and they each pull a filtration helmet over their head. The scientists do the same. The hatch makes a CLUNK! sound, and Nomad pushes it open. EXT. CRUISER - CONTINUOUS The crew of 12 ventures out into the fringes of the swamp. Powerful flashlights immediately snap on, cutting through the fog. Radio voices speak over the hum of swamp life. NOMAD I guess this is the beach. EPSTEIN Remind me to rent a cottage here when I'm on leave. DR. ROBERTS Actually, this used to be the site of a campground for children. It was after a recorded starfall in 2455 that the region grew uninhabitable. A few of the grunts exchange knowing glances. Nomad waves them into the dense trees. EXT. SWAMP - CONTINUOUS A machete hacks through a thick cluster of vines. It's in the hands of a Marine. Roberts marvels through his visor at the biology around him. DR. ROBERTS Amazing that a surge of organic growth could actually strangle the life from this place. Frog, get some scrapings from these trees. ALIA What about me Dad? DR. ROBERTS Just a minute. He kneels beside a mossy log. Alia scowls and walks off. FROG Doctor, this moss… He's using a scalpel to try and pry a segment of moss free from the tree bark. It's holding strong - and as he finally begins to get under it, gooey tendrils beneath seem to be clinging as hard as possible. DR. ROBERTS It's bound to be a little stubborn, Frog. This place has gone undisturbed for nearly half a century. Just then, there's a crash from deeper in the swamp. The grunts train their rifles in its direction. PENN You were saying? Alia emerges. She throws her hands up in shock. NOMAD Jesus. DR. ROBERTS Alia, what were you doing?? ALIA I just went to collect some water samples. DR. ROBERTS Did I tell you to? ALIA Sorry Doctor, I thought I was supposed to serve some sort of purpose out here. She stalks past him. Embarrassed, Roberts shrugs at the others and continues on. DR. ROBERTS Frog, just get whatever you can and let's keep moving. CUT TO: EXT. SWAMP - LATER …And deeper. The fog has risen to the waists of the team. The grunts point their lights in every direction. They seem to be increasingly uncomfortable. DR. ROBERTS Look at this! He points to a leafy fallen tree. NOMAD So? Alia kneels at the exposed stump and prods it with a scanning device. ALIA This tree went down at least twenty years ago. DR. ROBERTS It looks to be in the prime of its life. This should be a fungi-eaten log. Extraordinary. NOMAD Doctor, we have three days. Perhaps we should head back with the samples you've got. DR. ROBERTS We've barely penetrated the swamp, Lieutenant! The fog suddenly swells to eye level. Alia screams and drops out of sight. DR. ROBERTS Alia! The grunts try to illuminate the spot where she fell. HACKENMEYER Can't see a damn thing! OMIR This fog's clouding my visor! Frog grimaces and pulls off his helmet. NOMAD Holy shit, son! DR. ROBERTS Frog, replace your helmet immediately! FROG You know I don't need it. He heads into the fog. Nomad prods Roberts with his rifle. NOMAD Something you want to tell us? Frog ducks through the fog and spies a mud-filled hole. Without hesitation, he jumps in - and vanishes completely. INT. WATER - CONTINUOUS Frog is barely visible in the transformed lake as he pans his light from side to side. Suddenly, he sees Alia a few feet down. Water is flooding into her helmet. Frog scoops her up with ease and rises. EXT. SWAMP - CONTINUOUS Alia gasps as they break the surface. Following the sound of the commotion, the grunts help her out. ALIA The ground just gave out from under me. DR. ROBERTS Are you all right? Are you hurt? Let me see. ALIA I'm fine, Dad! NOMAD (to Frog) What's with you, kid? How can you breathe without your filter? FROG Um… DR. ROBERTS He has gills, Lieutenant. NOMAD I like to know these sort of things beforehand, Doctor. DR. ROBERTS Why, does it make some sort of difference? He gets an arm under Alia and helps her walk. FADE TO: INT. CRUISER - CANTEEN Nomad is stretching his muscles in the midst of a dozen other Marines. Glass walks in and sits across from him at the table. Glass's chair groans. NOMAD Take it easy, platehead. GLASS Do any of you women know how to make a pot of coffee? YOUNG There's some engine oil for ya down below, Glass. GLASS Fuck off. Everyone has a laugh. GLASS Seriously, I'm starving. NOMAD I'll tell you who might could help. He points across the room, which suddenly quiets down. A handsome officer with a spit-polished, artificial appearance sits alone in the corner. He looks up inquisitively. NOMAD Tak, do you have any culinary programming? TAK Yes Lieutenant. NOMAD Would you mind throwing together a little something for Glass here? TAK Certainly. He rises and walks over to the kitchenette. TAK Any preference? GLASS Uh, just coffee. Real coffee. Black. TAK You bet. Glass leans over to Nomad. GLASS That's the most he's said since they plugged him in. NOMAD He's programmed to respond directly to a ranking officer. GLASS Softbodies creep me out, man. Medical officer OMIR sits down with them. OMIR Last time I checked, pal, you're fifty percent nuts and bolts. GLASS Yeah, but I'm still a human being. I'm not going to break. OMIR Human beings "break" all the time, Glass. That's why I have a job. GLASS Sorry, forget it. There's nothing to worry about. Just a waterlogged old synth walking free, armed to the teeth and making my coffee. Seems perfectly normal to me. CUT TO: INT. ALIA'S QUARTERS Alia is in a shitty mood. She slumps down on her bed, pounding her head with her fists. A knock startles her. ALIA Come on in. Frog enters hesitantly. FROG Hey. ALIA Hey. FROG Look…I didn't mean to make you look bad out there. ALIA You didn't. You saved my life. Frog blushes. ALIA It's Dad. Now he's never going to let me out again. FROG It wasn't your fault at all. Like you said, the earth just gave way. I mean, there's still a lake beneath that swamp. ALIA Dad will never listen. FROG What if I talk to him? She rolls her eyes. FROG C'mon, I've known him ever since I went to University. He trusts me. ALIA He trusts you more than his own daughter. Maybe if I was his son, things would be different. FROG Well, I'm glad you're not. With that, he makes an abrupt exit. Alia smiles a little. CUT TO: INT. SCIENCE POD 1 Alia walks in to find her father and Star viewing a moss sample together. The moss has grown over the side of a Petri dish. DR. ROBERTS Extraordinary. Mmm. Good morning Alia. ALIA Hey. She sits down at another workstation, sullen. Star goes to her. STAR Heard you took a little dip last night. ALIA I'm sure everybody has. STAR Hey, it's not so bad if you're stuck in here with me, is it? I'll bet we can get a couple of privates to keep us company. ALIA I want to work. Besides… She shakes her head and turns on the computer in front of her. STAR Besides, what? ALIA Well, I don't want to hook up with any of the grunts. STAR How about two grunts? Alia smiles and goes on working. STAR Oh no, this isn't about Gill Man again, is it? ALIA He's just like you and me. STAR Except he doesn't need a pole to go fishing. Alia, you can't be serious. ALIA I'm a biochemistry student, he's a biochemist. He's smart, he's cute, he doesn't take crap from Dad - and he's always been there when I needed someone without ever asking anything in return. STAR So you really want to have his tadpoles, huh Alia? ALIA No more frog jokes. STAR Okeee. Sorry. CUT TO: INT. COCKPIT Matthews is frowning at the readings on his console. Capt. Jeth ascends into the room. JETH What did you need, Matthews? MATTHEWS The area's becoming unstable. I advise we move away from the swamp perimeter. JETH When? MATTHEWS Now, sir. JETH All right. He grabs a radio unit from the console. JETH Attention crew, a slight change of location has become necessary. Prepare for liftoff in ten minutes. (to Matthews) Start prelaunch. Matthews nods and taps the console. He calls to Jeth as the captain is heading back down. MATTHEWS Captain? JETH Yes? MATTHEWS We can't take off yet. JETH Why? CUT TO: EXT. CRUISER - DAY A gray haze hangs over the swamp. The rear hatch opens to admit Matthews, Jeth and Dr. Roberts. As they come around the side of the ship, we see that mossy vines have begun crawling up onto the Homunculus - entangling themselves in the landing gear. JETH This looks bad. Can we burn it off? MATTHEWS Thrusters won't reach this mess. DR. ROBERTS Remarkable. JETH Well, I'm glad you're impressed, Doctor. DR. ROBERTS It's only been fourteen hours! Look at this! The fog rolls in from the swamp. JETH We need to deal with this right now. He kneels and grabs a vine. It won't budge an inch. JETH Get Glass. MATTHEWS He can't come out into this fog. JETH Dammit. (beat) Get the synthetic, then. CUT TO: EXT. CRUISER - MOMENTS LATER Tak steps down the hatch sans armor and helmet. Jeth directs him to the side of the ship. JETH What can we do? TAK I can clear out the growth jamming the landing gear, if you'd like. JETH That would be splendid. Tak nods and whips out two fat, whirring pistols. He begins firing spurts of powerful slugs beneath the ship, trimming the vines away with exceptional precision. JETH (to Matthews) I think we ought to keep him. Finished, Tak holsters the pistols and turns with a hint of satisfaction in his voice. TAK Twin Gyros. These babies will punch through three inches of fused titanium. JETH Very impressive. Well, that's that. Matthews, start prelaunch. They head back into the Homunculus. CUT TO: INT. COCKPIT Matthews readies the ship for takeoff. It begins to tremble as the thrusters kick in. CUT TO: EXT. CRUISER - DAY The earth in front of the cruiser suddenly caves, causing it to sag. INT. COCKPIT - CONTINUOUS MATTHEWS Shit! CUT TO: INT. CANTEEN The room lurches to the side, spilling food and drink onto the floor. VENGER What's going on?? NOMAD Liftoff, son. OMIR I don't think so. A skull-rattling impact causes everyone to fall out of their seats. FADE TO: EXT. CRUISER - DAY The Homunculus is half-buried in the mud. CUT TO: INT. READY ROOM The 18 Marines and their guests are seated together. Jeth stands up with Dr. Roberts. CRATER So how long are we stuck here? JETH Matthews tells me that he's radioed for a salvage cruiser to help us out. There hasn't been a response yet. WOCZYNSKI No response? MATTHEWS We're in a tricky area. I'm having a lot of trouble transmitting. CRATER Want me to get out and push? Jeth lets the wisecrack slide, since it gets a few laughs out of the downtrodden platoon. JETH Just sit tight. If we can, we'll send some of you out on another run with Doctor Roberts. In the meantime, Matthews and I will address this. The grunts file out. Roberts motions to Alia. ALIA Yeah? DR. ROBERTS I'd like you to help Star in the lab today. We've got a dozen cultures yet to be tested. ALIA Fine. She stomps off. DR. ROBERTS Alia! ALIA What? Do you want to walk me down there? DR. ROBERTS I talked to Frog this afternoon. ALIA And…? DR. ROBERTS And I'd appreciate it if you'd keep our personal and work relationships separate. Your selfishness is not going to help this expedition. Incredulous, Alia shakes her head and leaves before she can break down in front of him. CUT TO: EXT. SWAMP - EVENING Dr. Roberts is crouched before a tree with Frog. Grunts stand watch in the B.G. as they look at a mass of fronds. DR. ROBERTS This is much more than regeneration…new life. FROG It's like a cancer. Nothing here stops growing. DR. ROBERTS Have you heard anything on the water samples? Frog touches a communicator in his helmet. FROG Science One, this is Drop Team. CUT TO: INT. SCIENCE POD 1 Alia refuses to answer the radio. Star sighs and grabs it. STAR This is Science One, go ahead. FROG (RADIO) What's the verdict on the water tests? STAR I'm surprised you made it out of that soup alive. It's filled with all sorts of toxins. We haven't identified half of them yet…but the ones we have should've been enough to kill all the plant life out there. FROG (RADIO) Copy that. STAR So you won't even talk to Frog now? ALIA Not when he's with Dad. CUT TO: EXT. SWAMP - EVENING Dr. Roberts grabs onto a thick, gnarled root and tugs at it. It's planted firmly in the ground. DR. ROBERTS Frog? Laser. The assistant points a laser scalpel at the exposed base of the root and saws into it. As the laser moves across the root…the root HEALS in its wake. DR. ROBERTS Frog. Increase the spread of the beam. (over his shoulder) Marine, could we get some help? The grunt sighs and trudges forward. BASIL What is it? DR. ROBERTS Grab a hold of this root. Just pull on it. (to Frog) Go ahead. The grunt grabs onto the thick length with both hands. BASIL Go for it. The earth suddenly turns to mush under their feet. Roberts and Frog fall in to their waists. Basil goes under. DR. ROBERTS Private! The other two Marines in the area rush over and find themselves slogging through mud. DR. ROBERTS Be careful, there's a drop-off here! CRATER Basil! Basil, come in! Frog pulls off his helmet. FROG Here we go again. DR. ROBERTS No…get us out of here! Crater grabs each of them with one arm and hauls them from the sludge. VENGER Basil, talk to me! CRATER Crater to Nomad! We've lost Private Basil! VENGER No we haven't! He moves toward the place where Basil went under. CRATER Stay back from there, soldier! Venger relents (with a bit of relief in his step). More grunts are rushing through the trees. Roberts and Frog fall back as the Marines plow through the mud. VENGER Basil!! Crater turns to retreat - but finds roots wrapped around his legs from his knees to his ankles. CRATER What the fuck? As one, the other Marines grab onto him and wrench him free of the roots, causing more of them to surface as he kicks his legs. By the time he's pulled free, it's apparent that the roots all originate from one entangled, mud-clotted mass, which is now bobbing in the sludge. Nomad runs into the clearing. NOMAD What's going on?! CRATER Basil drowned. He's been under there too damn long, man. NOMAD All right then, back the fuck off! We'll get the Xu unit. CUT TO: INT. COCKPIT Jeth, Roberts and Nomad stand behind Matthews. From over his shoulder we can see that he is manipulating a camera somewhere in the swamp. CUT TO: EXT. SWAMP - NIGHT A massive, bulky bipedal robot painted in camouflage - the Xu probe - stomps toward the point where the twisted mass of roots lies in the mud. Its comical head swivels on a narrow neck to survey the scene. Two pincers reach down to seize the roots. INT. COCKPIT - CONTINUOUS JETH All right, haul it out. INT. SWAMP - CONTINUOUS Xu backs away, straining to bring more of the mass to the surface. The enormous mud clot slowly rises. Basil's head comes into view. His visor is shattered. The dead grunt has roots threaded across his entire body- - INT. COCKPIT JETH Oh my God. INT. SWAMP - -And a broken machete sticking from his chest. INT. COCKPIT DR. ROBERTS What in Heaven's name…? JETH I want everyone fully-armed and in the ready room in twenty. NOMAD You got it. He drops down the ladder. Roberts turns to Jeth. DR. ROBERTS What's going on here? JETH Just wait. I need to address my men. DR. ROBERTS I'd like some answers here! JETH Just wait until I know everything is secure, Doctor! CUT TO: INT. CARGO HOLD Alia and Frog are walking among huge cases and crates of military and science equipment. ALIA Frog, what the hell happened out there today? FROG I couldn't even begin to tell you. ALIA Do you think you and Dad will stay on the ship for a while? FROG Of course not. He'll have me back out there first thing in the morning. Someone steps into their path, scaring the hell out of them both. TAK I apologize. I was completing an inventory of our weaponry. ALIA Why? TAK Captain's orders, miss. FROG This doesn't look good. (beat) I thought we were on the verge of a scientific breakthrough. I thought we were going to end hunger, repair DNA, maybe save this planet before our human plague squeezed all the life from it…I guess I was wrong. ALIA This is the age of nanotech. Botany is at the bottom of science's list. (to Tak) Why is the Coalition funding this expedition, anyway? TAK I'm not privy to that information. (smiles) Just following orders. JETH (O.C.) Ahem. He parts Frog and Alia, walking over to Tak. JETH Everything is in order? TAK Yes Captain. JETH Very good. You're dismissed. He turns back to Frog and Alia with a withering stare. JETH This has become a hostile situation. Return to your quarters and let us handle things. The expedition's over. He leaves them to exchange worried glances. CUT TO: INT. SCIENCE POD 1 Star backs away from the doorway as several Marines bring the entire dripping, clotted mass of roots inside. Basil's corpse is still woven into it. SAMMAEL Clear a table for us. STAR Ooh, yes sir. Grabbing her precious plants in each arm, she lets them set the mass on her table. Basil's dead eyes stare at her. STAR Yuck. INT. CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS Dr. Roberts is in the middle of a heated argument with Captain Jeth. DR. ROBERTS Clearly this was more than an accident, and clearly you know something about it! Now look, this is my expedition! JETH Not anymore, Doctor! I can't make it any clearer than I already have. One of my boys is in that room with his lungs full of water and a blade through his heart! DR. ROBERTS And you know where it came from, don't you? Jeth contemplates his next move. DR. ROBERTS Considering the circumstances- - JETH All right, all right. CUT TO: INT. JETH'S QUARTERS Roberts follows Jeth in. The door slides shut behind him. The Captain pulls up a file, displaying it on a large wall monitor. The display shows a scrolling report accompanied by footage of the exploding Grendel. JETH In the 21st century, a mass murderer named Jason Voorhees was apprehended on Earth Prime by the government of the United States. He was cryogenically frozen, and, through some sort of undocumented mishap, left that way until 2455. When an archaeological class located him and removed him from cryostasis. DR. ROBERTS Wait - is this the class whose ship destroyed Solaris? Killed over a thousand people? JETH One and the same. The reason the ship lost control was that Jason Voorhees had revived. He took out a squad of E-X grunts before the Grendel was completely destabilized. Then Grendel's explosion sent Voorhees plummeting through our atmosphere. (beat) Into Emerald Lake. Dr. Roberts is beginning to understand… JETH (CONT'D) Rather than risk transporting his body across open country, a research facility was established beneath the lake. Top secret. I didn't even know about it until one week ago. DR. ROBERTS And then…? JETH Something went wrong in 2460. He broke free inside the lab. Killed another contingent of Marines and all but one doctor, poor girl. She left him sealed in the flooded facility, and that's where he's been for forty years. DR. ROBERTS So that's why I got a Coalition grant and an E-X escort. JETH Doctor, Voorhees has unprecedented regenerative properties. DR. ROBERTS Wait. What are you getting at? JETH I'm saying that when you published your report speculating on the organic oddities in this swamp, I was called at three in the morning to a top-level briefing on Jason Voorhees! DR. ROBERTS You…think he has something to do with what's happening in the swamp? JETH After tonight, I know he does. CUT TO: INT. SCIENCE POD 1 Omir pulls the broken machete free from the opposite side of the mass. JETH (V.O.) The weapon that killed Private Basil belongs to Jason fucking Voorhees. CUT TO: EXT. CRUISER - DAY Matthews and Tak stand atop the Homunculus, looking at the creeping vines and moss which have nearly reached the roof. MATTHEWS Think you can do that shooting trick again? TAK I'm afraid it would compromise the hull at this point. MATTHEWS I was kidding. TAK Sorry. MATTHEWS So you're a rebuild, right? TAK Yes. My memory cell was placed in a new housing, er, body. MATTHEWS What happened to the old one? TAK I don't recall. Such memories are often purged to avoid any sort of relapse. MATTHEWS Well, you and me have to figure out how to get this eighty-ton monster out of the mud, so I hope you're all intact upstairs. TAK Naturally. CUT TO: INT. DR. ROBERTS'S QUARTERS Roberts is staring at a green porthole. It's coated with algae. DR. ROBERTS There's no other way to explain it. PULL BACK to reveal Frog, Alia and Star seated around the room. ALIA You're serious about this Voorhees thing? DR. ROBERTS It's worth looking into. He's not a ghost story, Alia, he's fact. STAR You know Doc, this isn't a far cry from some of the stuff I've been writing about back home for The Goddess. DR. ROBERTS Star, with all due respect, Jason Voorhees can be explained through science. We don't need to introduce paganism into the mix. STAR Look out that window again! The ship's practically covered in mold. You were disturbing the plant life when Alia went under, and when the Marine went under. DR. ROBERTS The swamp didn't kill Basil. Voorhees didn't kill Basil. That's a separate issue. But it is possible that… His voice trails off. He's deep in thought. After a moment of reflection by the porthole, he sits at his desk with an electronic stylus and begins writing. DR. ROBERTS I'll speak with you later. ALIA I guess we're dismissed. A ship-wide alarm shrieks overhead. CUT TO: INT. READY ROOM The soldiers are piling in, grabbing their rifles from their lockers. Jeth sweeps between them. JETH Check your rifles in, soldiers! Report to the cargo hold for heavy weaponry! A few whoops are heard, and the men file out as quickly as they arrived. CUT TO: INT. CARGO HOLD Alia, Frog and Star rush in as Tak distributes fully-loaded hand cannons to each grunt. ALIA What's happening? JETH Get them out of here! Glass takes the trio aside with his enormous hands. GLASS Kids, something's been spotted outside by the Xu unit. STAR Is it Jason Voorhees? FROG Star… GLASS We don't know yet. Of course, I ain't goin'. He sits down beside them in the entryway. Nomad leads the others toward the cargo hatch. CUT TO: EXT. CRUISER - DAY The towering Xu swivels its head around the clearing in front of the Homunculus. The ominous fog rolls in, and the automaton makes a quizzical sound. The hatch quietly opens, enabling the soldiers to climb stealthily out of the sunken ship. QUINN Lieutenant, does that old hunk of junk have firepower? NOMAD A couple of cap guns. But we'll let him draw the target out. The Xu retracts its pincers into its wrists, producing small gun turrets in their place. It focuses on one spot in the trees, crouching and pointing like a bloodhound. Absolute silence. Then it opens fire, blistering the swamp with slugs, sending fragments of fronds and bits of bark spraying into the air. QUINN Cap guns? The Xu pulverizes the section on which it had focused. A few trees sink out of sight. Finally, its smoking turrets are empty, and the robot eyes carefully the smoky ruin. CUT TO: INT. COCKPIT Matthews and Jeth observe the Xu's POV on the navigational console. EXT. CRUISER - CONTINUOUS The Xu takes one cautious step forward, then another. The sound of the crumbling trees settling. The fog swirling around its legs. Nomad creeps away from the cruiser, to the cover of an enormous leaning tree. He's trying to get a better view of the Xu's path. Something moves behind him. Nomad turns and JASON IS RIGHT THERE, hockey mask and all, and he knocks the lieutenant on his ass with a palm to the chest. Nomad lands hard. He gasps. Ribs bruised. Lifts his gun but Jason kicks it aside. He pulls a wicked butterfly knife from a sheath on his thigh and hurls it. WHAP! Jason catches the knife in his hand. He whips it back. Nomad settles with the blade buried in his forehead. War cries from offscreen draw Jason's attention. Seventeen Marines, weighed down with the latest in tank killing firepower, unleash their vengeance in an apocalyptic bloom of flame. Jason careens back into the leafy trees. The grunts charge after him. INT. COCKPIT A cacophony of radio traffic fills the room. VARIOUS MARINES (RADIO) Nomad's down! He's dead! It's fucking Voorhees! JETH What's happening, Matthews? I can't make out what any of them are saying! MATTHEWS Hold on sir! I'll switch Xu to manual. EXT. SWAMP Venger looks frantically around. THERE HE IS. Jason stands in front of a tree. Venger launches a grenade round. It splinters the tree, just before the fog rolls in to obscure the Marines' view. Jason's on Venger like a hurricane. He slams a jagged length of wood across Venger's visor. The private screams as blood fills his eyes. Jason drives the crude stake deep into his gut and hurls him aside. Quinn takes his place, returning the favor with a point-blank bellyful of lead. Voorhees is swallowed by the mists. QUINN Can't see a fucking thing!! LASSITER passes Quinn, drawing his machete. QUINN You've got a gun, Marine. LASSITER I know. But I'll enjoy this. He parts the fog with the blade - Jason's hand grabs it. They're face to face. Lassiter tugs frantically on the machete. Blood streams from Jason's fingers. But no dice. It's his now. He wrenches the machete from the grunt, takes the handle in his hand and heaves back for the death stroke. QUINN Told you- -! He riddles Jason with gunfire again. Voorhees stares straight at him. Lassiter is bringing up his gun. The machete slashes from his ear down into his ribcage. Quinn screams. Jason is still staring at him, and Quinn's clip has run dry, and the soldier can only continue screaming as Jason turns and walks away. Elsewhere in the chaos, Young and another private, ZURBURAN, crouch behind an outcropping of mossy earth. ZURBURAN There he is! He points to the right - Jason is indeed standing a dozen yards off. Young hefts his cannon. The tip of Lassiter's machete emerges cleanly from his sternum. IT'S JASON. Right behind him. Zurburan turns and recoils in horror. ZURBURAN How… Jason jerks Young off of his feet, still on the blade. YOUNG Jesus. ZURBURAN SEMPER FI MOTHERFUCKER!!! He launches a grenade round into Voorhees. It punches into Jason's thick torso and stays there. He cocks his head at the quaking Marine. KA-BLAM. Body parts spray the trembling trees. They're not all Jason's. Crater leaps over the outcropping and observes the bloody mess. CRATER Marines!! Fall back and regroup! EXT. CRUISER Several grunts use the lumbering Xu as cover while they retreat, firing into the trees. Crater collapses against the hull. OMIR (RADIO) Any injured? CRATER We got a few fucking dead! But Voorhees is toast - I saw it! Quinn breaks through the trees, dodging friendly fire. QUINN Wait! Hold your fire!! PENN Quinn! The machete whistles through the air and lodges itself in his spine. Quinn is kicked into the air, limbs limp, crashing headfirst in the mud and lying still. The Xu unit turns toward the swamp. Gaping solders crouch behind its tree-trunk legs. The fog rolls in… It swirls around the Xu, and even the robot looks around in confusion. INT. COCKPIT JETH Get me a visual! MATTHEWS I'm working on it… Matthews and Jeth stare into the eyes of Jason Voorhees. EXT. CRUISER The Xu swings downward with its one-ton arm - Jason seems to melt into the dense mist, easily dodging the strike. The blade pulls out of Quinn's spine with a SKLURRRRCHH. Penn sees him. He ducks behind the Xu's leg. Sparks fly off the machete as Jason misses his target. PENN Over here!! HACKENMEYER (RADIO) I can't see! Jason steps back from another Xu swing with an air of bemusement about him. He pivots to find Tak waiting, Gyro pistols in hand. TAK You're under arrest. Voorhees grabs Tak's head cruelly, sinking a thumb into his eye socket, and twists it at an unnatural angle. Tak twists it back and frowns. The Gyro fire sends Jason cartwheeling into the air, over the fog, Tak expertly working the weapons in order to keep Voorhees airborne, spinning and spraying blood before he finally crashes down on the other side of the clearing. TAK I hope that helped. The humans emerge from the fog and advance on Jason, who is getting back to his feet. That is, until his back is ripped open by gunfire. He falls flat on his face. Omir is jogging toward the body when Woczynski staggers into him. WOCZYNSKI My fucking arm…he wrapped me around a tree back there. OMIR All right, sit down here son. He glances nervously at the Voorhees corpse. CRATER I saw him explode back there in the woods, man. This is some bullshit. EPSTEIN You didn't see shit, Crater. He's right here. Jason sinks completely into the mud. The Marines fall silent and gawk at the spot. CRATER It's this fucking swamp. It's haunted. PENN Shut the fuck up Crater! CRATER He's some sort of flesh-and-blood ghost, don't you get it?! Seeing wisps of fog curling around his ankles, Crater runs for the Homunculus. The others alternate between aiming their guns at the ground and the trees. SAMMAEL He's just…gone. INT. COCKPIT Captain Jeth's face is stricken white with grief. JETH Get them all inside, now…what's left of them. FADE TO: INT. READY ROOM The gung-ho grunts are all reticent, preferring to stare downward and tug at their boot laces rather than address current events. Finally, Matthews enters, sitting with them. He speaks. MATTHEWS Went through six of us like we were nothing. SAMMAEL Where the hell were you? MATTHEWS The Xu provided cover, Sammael... SAMMAEL Cover?! You could have broken that motherfucker in half and you provided cover! PENN Marines! Woczynski enters, flexing his newly-healed arm. WOCZYNSKI Where's Crater? PENN Don't ask. CUT TO: INT. CARGO HOLD Crater is pacing agitated among the sealed containers. He suddenly runs at the door, hammering it with his fists. CRATER LEMME OUUUUUUT!!! INT. CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS Glass listens sadly to the screams of his comrade. Jeth pats his shoulder. JETH Talk to him if you want. If you hear anything unusual- - GLASS I'll let you know. Jeth nods, hating this as much as Glass does, and walks off. CRATER (O.S.) I'm not safe in here, man! CUT TO: INT. SCIENCE POD 1 Dr. Roberts is moving haphazardly from one end of the lab to the other, grabbing at notes and equipment. ARIA Dad, what are you doing? DR. ROBERTS We have to get this ship out of the mud as soon as possible. I don't want you leaving this pod. ARIA Dad- - DR. ROBERTS I MEAN it! FROG Steve, we all need to put our heads together here. DR. ROBERTS What I don't need is to be worrying about my daughter's life while I'm trying to uproot the cruiser! He storms out, shouting "keep an eye on her!" over his shoulder. STAR So that's it, huh? FROG Star, what were you saying earlier about your religion? STAR You mean my heathen tree worship? FROG Yeah, that. STAR It just seems like nature is rebelling against this ship. Now I know that there's some guy out there, but some of this other shit just doesn't add up. FROG Maybe it does. He rolls across the room on a desk chair, stopping in front of a computer. FROG (CONT'D) I managed to call up some information on Jason Voorhees. (reading) He reportedly drowned in one Crystal Lake in 1957. The body was never recovered. Over the next half century, more than 200 people in the area were murdered until his capture. STAR Anything about the lake itself? FROG Let's see. It was near a summer camp…just like Emerald. The camp was shut down for decades after the drowning. Attempts to re-open were halted by "bad water". STAR His spirit was in that water, just like it is now. Poisoning it. FROG There are lots of files here. Most of them were sealed by Earth Prime's US government before the plague struck. (reading) I've got hits on this guy all across the North American continent. New York, Ohio, Los Angeles. Jesus…some of this stuff is off the wall. They refer to him as "undead". Regenerative bone & organ tissue, cellular takeover of a host organism... (beat) Teleportation? ALIA If he's supposed to be sealed in some lab beneath the lake, how did he get out and kill those Marines? STAR Well, how did he get out of Crystal Lake? He's a ghost, Al. Somehow he can manifest himself to us, whether it's in a human body or as this swamp. ALIA Star, I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt more than my dad will, but is there any real way to explain how Jason does it? STAR He's a water-elemental, as far as I can tell. Frog rolls his eyes. STAR You're not too far off yourself, Kermit. Frog mouths "Kermit?" in confusion. He obviously isn't a retro kind of guy. STAR (CONT'D) Water is Jason's element. He died in water and his spirit never left it. He's used that to generate the growth in this swamp, to make the earth soft, to trap our ship. He tried to drown you, Alia. FROG How does a "water-elemental" control plant life, exactly? STAR Not sure yet. But the rest fits. She goes over to her plant table, reaching around the root mass that contained Basil's corpse and retrieving a book. STAR Give me some time, okay? FROG Take aaalll the time you need. Star flips him off and peruses the book. CUT TO: INT. COCKPIT Matthews is puzzling over the console when the entire ship begins shaking. MATTHEWS Oh shit. JETH (COMM) What's going on Matthews? MATTHEWS We're sinking again sir! EXT. CRUISER - CONTINUOUS The Homunculus is literally being swallowed by the churning earth around it. The patch of land has turned into a quicksand. Mist drifts over the ship as if to push it down. INT. CANTEEN Woczynski looks out a green-stained porthole. Through the algae he sees the mud rising. WOCZYNSKI Guys? The porthole explodes, spewing noxious fluid into the room and throwing Woczynski into the kitchen counter. Omir and Epstein rush to his aid. Woczynski's throat is skewered by a shard of glass. EPSTEIN I can't breathe- -! OMIR Get out of here! (into wall intercom) Hull breach! Seal canteen two! He follows Epstein out the door just before it closes. CUT TO: INT. COCKPIT Jeth has climbed up to assist Matthews. MATTHEWS The hull's being compromised. There shouldn't be this much pressure on us. The view through the windshield is a murky darkness. Unrecognizable objects occasionally bump against the glass. A crack appears. MATTHEWS Go sir! They both scramble to the exit hatch and down the ladder. It closes behind Matthews. A half-second later - the cockpit is compacted in a muffled implosion. CUT TO: INT. ENGINEERING ROOM Sammael and Hackenmeyer are tossed about the room as the ship goes under. SAMMAEL We need to seal off all of the outer pods! HACKENMEYER There might be someone in there! He stumbles to an intercom. HACKENMEYER Attention! We need to evacuate the outer pods! INT. SCIENCE POD 1 - CONTINUOUS Alia, Frog and Star look up. That means them. INT. ENGINEERING ROOM Brown water sprays from between several control panels. SAMMAEL What the fuck! Hackenmeyer turns to see a panel blow off the wall and shear Sammael in two. HACKENMEYER HELP!! He slips and slides across the floor. One or two of those falls save his life as titanium panels are sent whirling across the room. He's ankle-deep in water already. Hackenmeyer shakes filth from his eyes and tries to regain his footing. Two thick legs swathed in tattered slacks and boots stand before him. Hackenmeyer falls to his knees in silent, pleading horror. The ENTIRE WALL behind Jason is blown to smithereens. The masked murderer turns to face THE XU as it plows into him with its barrel arms. Hackenmeyer rolls out of the path of the fray and makes a hasty exit. Emergency doors protract over the area destroyed by the Xu. Jason is thrown into a flaming electrical panel. The Xu pins him there, clamping a pincer over his eyes. The hockey mask cracks loudly. The robot whirs despairingly as the water rises to its knees. Xu doesn't like water. It lurches forward, pushing Jason under. Xu jerks its pincer back out - empty. It spins in the flooding room. Where is he?? SLOW MOTION: Jason bursts from the water behind the Xu, rising over it and slinging a chain around its neck! The Xu whirls around, taking Jason for a ride but unable to shake him off. It tries to blast Voorhees. The angle is too steep and the Xu just ends up peppering the wall behind it. Jason pulls the chain tight, planting his knees and toes on the steel-plated back of the behemoth and wrenching at its tiny head. The Xu swivels madly, sending waves crashing against the walls. More panels explode. Flaming electrical cables drop. Sparks dance between the robot and the struggling undead. CUT TO: INT. EMERALD LAKE The dark, brackish sludge is cut through by the powerful searchlights of the sinking Homunculus. Air is escaping from the ship at multiple damage points. Tiny explosions from within rock the craft slightly during its silent descent. CUT TO: INT. ANTERIOR READY ROOM This is a forward pod that serves as a backup cockpit. Matthews's fingers dance frantically across the control panel. JETH Are we stabilized? MATTHEWS As much as we ever will be. JETH Can you get us up? Will the thrusters work? MATTHEWS It's too risky to try the thrusters at this point, sir. They may be compromised. It would take out the entire ship. JETH I'm ordering you to do it. Matthews turns defiantly. MATTHEWS With all due respect, sir, I can't. JETH You WILL, Marine. The ship shudders. They look around as if to ascertain what's happening on the outside. INT. EMERALD LAKE - CONTINUOUS Roots from the lakebed are curling around the ship, anchoring it in place. INT. ENGINEERING ROOM The water level is nearing the ceiling. The Xu jumps up, slamming Jason against it. Voorhees holds fast to the chain. They drop together into the water… UNDERWATER The Xu wrestles in slow-motion to hurl Jason from its back. As its neck begins to fracture, sizzling circuits are exposed, sending bubbles into Jason's face. The robot is dying as its innards are flooded. It weakly presses a gun turret to the chain around its neck, and fires, freeing itself of Voorhees. The Xu settles quietly on the floor. Jason floats back, watching the strange thing as the artificial life ebbs from it. Then he kicks upward. CUT TO: INT. ANTERIOR READY ROOM Dr. Roberts, Alia, Star and Frog enter the room. JETH Get to your quarters! DR. ROBERTS How far down are we? MATTHEWS All the way down. JETH Navigator, watch the console! (to Roberts) For the last time- - CRATER (COMM) Is there anyone out there?? MATTHEWS I hear ya Crater. CRATER (COMM) Cargo's flooding! You need to let me the fuck out of here! MATTHEWS Where's Glass? CUT TO: INT. CORRIDOR Outside the cargo hold, Glass has dug his thick fingers into the door and is prying as hard as he can. He breaks to speak into his comm.. GLASS The door's fried! I'm trying to pull it open! INT. ANTERIOR READY ROOM MATTHEWS I'll locate the Xu unit. He consults the console. MATTHEWS Xu's down in Engineering. JETH So call it up. MATTHEWS No, I mean it's DOWN. Dead. JETH Fuck me. ALIA There's no other way to get the door open? MATTHEWS It's reinforced with adamantium for transport of heavy explosives. Let me pull up the schematics. A 3-dimensional blueprint of the ship appears on the console. MATTHEWS (CONT'D) Sub-level B has access to the disposal chute. That would take you to Cargo. JETH Good. MATTHEWS Sub-level B is Engineering. It's a wash. STAR So that guy's just gonna drown? FROG Not necessarily. ALIA Frog, no. JETH That's right, you can get to him! MATTHEWS I'll give you a rebreather for Crater. ALIA (to Frog) Please don't. It's too great a risk. FROG I did it for you. Matthews pulls a breathing unit from a cabinet and tosses it to Frog. MATTHEWS You don't have much time. With a reluctant glance toward Alia, Frog rushes out. CUT TO: INT. ENGINEERING ROOM With a harsh grinding sound, the doors sealing the room retract, and Frog swims in. Floating panels and wires abound. He pushes a panel aside and comes face-to-face with the severed torso of Sammael. Frog screams in a torrent of bubbles. Gingerly pushing Sammael aside, he swims over the Xu and to a circular hatch in the wall. INT. DISPOSAL CHUTE - CONTINUOUS Frog enters a narrow waste tube. It branches off, going straight forward in one direction and straight up in the other. Frog twists and heads up. INT. CARGO HOLD Crater throws himself at the door, his shoulders already mottled with bruises. He falls back to his waist in sludge and wades around the room, screaming. CRATER LEMME OUUUUUUUT!!! INT. ANTERIOR READY ROOM ALIA Where is he? MATTHEWS I don't know. He should have reached Cargo by now. Star puts an arm around Alia. INT. DISPOSAL CHUTE Frog reaches the hatch that will take him to Cargo. As he grabs it, he's suddenly tugged downward! He kicks free and stares into the darkness. A root is floating below him, moving back and forth in the current like a tendril. He returns his attention to the hatch. INT. CARGO HOLD Crater shrieks in horror as Frog emerges from the water. CRATER Holy Jesus jumping Christmas shit! FROG Here. (tosses rebreather to Crater) Ready to go? CRATER Am I! Jason flies out of the toxic lakewater, raising his machete over Frog. Frog leaps aside, plunging into the water. The blade finds no purchase. Crater turns to run before Jason can spot him. UNDERWATER Frog slowly circles around Jason's legs, searching for a way out of this. Up above, Voorhees has turned to the sound of Crater's sloshing and screaming. He lifts the machete again… And Crater is jerked out of sight! Jason takes pause. UNDERWATER Frog pulls the rebreather over Crater's face and leads him toward the hatch. It's right by Jason. Crater edges back as Frog opens the hatch. He motions for the grunt to go first. INT. DISPOSAL CHUTE Crater complies. Frog quickly heads down after him. Then Jason's hand closes around the scientist's ankle. Crater doesn't look back. INT. CARGO HOLD Jason lifts Frog out of the water by his leg. He wastes no time in shoving the machete through his heart. Blood streams from the corpse's gills into the churning flood. CUT TO: INT. CORRIDOR Alia, Dr. Roberts and Omir are waiting by the access shaft to sub-level B. Crater climbs out with a ragged gasp. OMIR Are you hurt? CRATER Just my pride. He looks back. They all look back. And wait. ALIA Oh no… Dr. Roberts puts his arm around her. She pulls away and races down the hall. CRATER He was right behind me. Omir slams the hatch shut. OMIR I suggest we get moving. The ship trembles violently again. The sound of tearing metal is heard. CRATER What's happening?! CUT TO: INT. ANTERIOR READY ROOM Matthews is stunned by the readings. MATTHEWS We're being pulled into the lakebed. JETH By WHAT?? STAR Jason. CUT TO: INT. EMERALD LAKE The ship is indeed descending into the earth, ensnarled by countless roots. INT. ANTERIOR READY ROOM - CONTINUOUS The lights flicker as the others return. STAR Where's… Alia's grieved pallor answers her question. JETH Get Glass out of there. CUT TO: INT. CORRIDOR Glass is still tugging on the door. Suddenly, there's a pounding noise from the other side. GLASS It's no use, Crater! The door begins to slide back. Glass staggers away. MATTHEWS (COMM) Glass, it's Jason! GLASS Oh, feck. His hand drops to his thigh, and he pulls out a segment of it - an enormous revolver-styled plasma cannon. GLASS I think I'll stick around for a minute. He touches two fingers to his temple. Armor plates emerge at various points of his torso to bulk him up. MATTHEWS (COMM) He's killing everyone, Glass! You don't stand a chance! Gla- - He smacks his ear and the commlink cuts out. Private Glass aims at the slow-moving door. GLASS Make me proud, Betsy. The door stops entirely. Water enters the corridor and swirls around Glass's feet. The grunt approaches the half-open door. Keeping the cannon at arm's length, he angles himself to get a peek inside. GLASS'S POV: The hold almost seems peaceful. The only sound is that of trickling water. BAM! Jason fills the doorway and grabs Glass's throat. Glass discharges the cannon in a greenish-white blast that sends Voorhees rocketing across the cargo hold, his heels skimming the water before he bounces off the rear hatch and splashes down. GLASS YEAH! He crams his girth through the doorway and enters the hold. INT. CARGO HOLD - CONTINUOUS The waters fall still again as Glass waits for Round Two. He's careful not to venture too far out, for the sake of his cybernetic legs. CU on a hand taking hold of a long bar ending in a tapered point. Glass scans the water. He sees ripples originating from behind a crate. Jason's movement. GLASS C'mon out, tough guy. A clamor from above. Glass looks up too late as JASON DROPS DOWN And skewers him to the floor on the spike! Glass fires spasmodically into the water. His other hand swipes at Jason - the hockey mask flies away. ANGLE BEHIND JASON: Glass gapes at the killer's horrid visage. GLASS You are one ugly- - Jason grabs the bar and twists it inside Glass's guts. The soldier screams and falls limp. CUT TO: INT. CORRIDOR Epstein and Penn are charging down the hall when Hackenmeyer pops out in front of him. They both nearly fire upon him. PENN What the fuck's happening? HACKENMEYER He's on the ship! PENN All right then, let's find the bastard! CUT TO: INT. ANTERIOR READY ROOM STAR So what do we do? Jeth doesn't seem to be a guy who operates well under pressure. He shrugs and drops into a bucket seat. DR. ROBERTS If we're really being pulled into the lakebed…we must be nearing the research facility. JETH Yes, where Jason is SUPPOSED to be. STAR He's bringing us down to him. DR. ROBERTS What are you talking about? STAR These…astral projections we've been seeing, they're not the real thing. Jason IS still under the lake. DR. ROBERTS Preposterous! CRATER He's a ghost. JETH Not one more word out of you, Private! Another shudder as the Homunculus is pulled further down. JETH Omir, get the synthetic. CUT TO: INT. ANTERIOR READY ROOM - LATER Tak is seated as Omir opens the back of his head. DR. ROBERTS What are you doing? JETH Restoring his memory cell to full capacity. MATTHEWS You mean his memories weren't purged? JETH Just suppressed. Alia steps forward, looking into Tak's glazed eyes. ALIA What is it that he'll remember, exactly? JETH Well… (to Roberts) When I said that only one survivor escaped the facility after Jason's escape, I wasn't entirely truthful. DR. ROBERTS Why am I not surprised? JETH They recovered some of Tak's remains from the lake. It's not clear what happened to him, but we thought his memories might come in handy when we returned. ALIA You mean he might be able to help us stop Jason…and you're just now turning him on? After people have DIED? After Frog was… She runs at Jeth. Her father grabs her about the waist, holding her back as she kicks and spits at the captain. ALIA You son of a bitch! I HATE YOU!! Sobbing, she sags against Dr. Roberts and Star. JETH There was a risk of…instability…I… (to Omir) Ready? OMIR Here goes nothing. He closes up Tak's head. Tak whips out the Gyros, pointing them straight ahead. Matthews, sitting in Tak's path, flinches. TAK I apologize. He holsters the pistols and looks around the room. TAK I believe I've had a memory upload? JETH Yes Tak, you were stationed at the Emerald Lake Research Facility in 2460. TAK That's correct. JETH Tak, what can you tell us about Jason Voorhees? TAK He was comatose when the military nabbed him. After he woke up and slaughtered a medical crew, my unit was deployed to ELRF to guard him. Voorhees was immersed in mercury in order to paralyze his nervous system and slow regeneration. (beat) If he were to escape the immersion tank, there would be very little that could be done after that. I don't…I don't remember… JETH He must've taken you out early. Well, what do you know about stopping him? TAK Hmm. Let me look through my files. His eyes dart from side to side as if rapidly reading through some unseen text. TAK (CONT'D) Nada. JETH Jesus H. Christ. STAR Seeing as he's a water-elemental, I think- - Everyone gives her a "get real" stare. STAR Fine, your funeral. TAK Give me some time to run a few scenarios. JETH How much time? TAK Why, are you going somewhere? JETH Did you restore his personality matrix, Omir? OMIR Sorry, he was boring. JETH Just get to work, Tak. MATTHEWS I'm detecting an enormous mass right below us. It must be the facility. More metallic groaning. The Homunculus rattles. MATTHEWS Entering the facility, Captain. And…holy shit. JETH What? MATTHEWS It's dry. The lower levels are bone dry. Everyone looks at Star again. This time, they're ready to listen. STAR Welcome home. CUT TO: INT. CARGO HOLD Penn, Epstein and Hackenmeyer enter in a tight formation, covering all the bases. The only thing that they don't expect is exactly what happens - the opening of the rear hatch. Revealing the dark, dry corridor beyond. They watch in silence as the hold drains into the research facility. PENN Anybody care to comment? HACKENMEYER I'm not going in there. PENN Yeah, you are. They continue forward, past a long spike stuck in the floor. INT. ELRF - CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS The trio exits the hatch beneath the thrusters and switches on their flashlights, noting the faded Coalition insignia on the wall. They step over the roots that had opened the hatch for them. HACKENMEYER Shouldn't we wait for backup? EPSTEIN I don't think there's any backup to wait for, Hack. PENN Shhh. All they hear is dripping water echoing throughout the labyrinthine halls. A mud-smeared door retracts on their right. HACKENMEYER Okay. I'm definitely not going in there. CUT TO: INT. CRUISER - ANTERIOR READY ROOM Star sits down beside Tak while the others fuss about. TAK Help you, miss? STAR It's said that one who merges with the elements claims godhood as his birthright. TAK I'm afraid I don't follow. STAR You've got Jason's life story in that cute little head of yours. He's evolving. He's gone from a retarded kid to a shambling zombie to a supernatural force to a force of fucking nature. He's on the cusp of becoming a demigod. TAK I take it you're a practitioner of Universal Neo-Paganism. Star smiles. STAR Order of Demeter since I was fourteen. TAK And you have some suggestions. STAR Just one. Fire. TAK Because he's a water-elemental. STAR You got it. TAK Our inventory doesn't include incendiary weapons. I'll keep that in mind, though. STAR Promise? TAK Promise. STAR Thanks buddy. CUT TO: INT. ELRF - ANOTHER CORRIDOR The three grunts are in a much smaller passage now. The walls are covered in moss and vines. EPSTEIN It's getting hot as hell down here. He turns to look at the others. They're gone. Jason's arm flies around his neck, the machete emerging from points all over his torso as he's stabbed and stabbed again. EPSTEIN AAAAGGHHH!!! Jason hurls him facefirst into the wall with bone-shattering force. Epstein's light goes out. BLACK. FADE IN: INT. CRUISER - CORRIDOR Tak, Omir and Crater are walking single-file toward the cargo hold. Alia and Star catch up to them. ALIA We want to go. OMIR Out of the question. CRATER Hell, I'll trade one of ya. DR. ROBERTS (O.C.) Alia! Panting, he grabs her wrist and tugs her away. The others continue on. DR. ROBERTS The Marines will handle this! ALIA Are you ever going to let me take care of myself? DR. ROBERTS Oh, don't even try that. We're talking about a mass murderer here! ALIA Daddy… It looks as if she might relent. He opens his arms to comfort her. ALIA …I'm GOING!! She shoves him off and runs as fast as she can, tears streaming down her face. Reaching an elbow in the corridor, Alia slaps a button that shuts the door behind her. Her father crashes into it and pounds on the porthole. DR. ROBERTS ALIA!!! CUT TO: INT. CARGO HOLD Omir shakes his head as the girls stand defiantly before him. OMIR I'll sedate you both if I have to. TAK Statistically speaking, having the females accompany us will give us better odds against Voorhees. OMIR Are you kidding? TAK No I'm not. He stares blankly at Omir for several seconds. The medic sighs and opens a container. OMIR Do either of you know how to use a pulse rifle? Alia and Star both raise their hands. Tak winks at the girls and draws his Gyros. TAK Let's not keep Mister Voorhees waiting. GLASS (O.C.) Got room for one more? Appearing from the darkest corner of the hold, Glass clutches the gaping wound in his abdomen. OMIR Need me to look at that? GLASS Nah, he missed my vitals. I patched it up as best I could. So, where's the party? Omir motions toward the open hatch. CUT TO: INT. ANTERIOR READY ROOM Roberts plows into the pod and shakes Matthews. DR. ROBERTS Get my daughter on the comm and tell her to get back here now! MATTHEWS They've left the cruiser, Doctor. DR. ROBERTS I don't care! JETH Radio silence, Roberts. I don't want anything tipping Voorhees off. DR. ROBERTS Don't you have any children? JETH Two sons. Killed in combat on Antilles. Honorable way to die. CUT TO: INT. ELRF - CORRIDOR The ragtag group of six moves into the research facility. Glass falls into step with Tak. GLASS How ya doin'. TAK Ask me again in an hour. The same door that opened for the previous victims opens for them. OMIR Tak, read any lifeforms? TAK There's a pretty good spread of plant life. STAR Be careful. They go in. CUT TO: INT. STAIRWELL - LATER The stairs are draped in moss, and water streams down the shaft like rain. At the bottom of the stairs, a hallway leads to a solitary door. Crater wipes the algae from the door's label. CRATER VR chamber. OMIR All right men…and girls. Be prepared for anything. Glass, you and Tak take point. Girls, stay in back and don't fire until I give my word. Glass gets an elbow into the door and forces it open. They all recoil at the damp, fermented odor issuing from the room. INT. VR CHAMBER - CONTINUOUS Glass steps in. His feet squish in something. Tak pans his light down to view a floor covered in algae. Omir and Crater follow, sweeping their lights around the enormous chamber. Gnarled roots cover the walls. It's everywhere. STAR Not a good sign. OMIR Quiet! Tak looks up, and his jaw drops in an expression not unlike awe. ZOOM IN on the enormous tangle of roots and vines plastered to the ceiling, tendrils running from it and up through cracks in the ceiling, the entire thing pulsating like a great, black, bloody heart. Below it lies the rusted-out shell of a decapitated cyborg. OMIR What is it? TAK Wait. He steps forward, barely able to reach the underbelly of the mass. He tugs a few stringy bits of moss away and taps the bottom of a boot. STAR It's him. This is how he controlled the swamp. He's the heart of it... The mass lurches, threatening to drop onto Tak. He rolls aside and comes up on one knee, Gyros at the ready. OMIR Kill it! ALIA Wait - look! The boot is lowering from the mass…revealing a leg…two legs, legs like stumps…the exposed flesh is wrinkled and swollen, covered in roots that seem fused to the skin, like varicose veins. The leafy, pulsating body finishes its descent from its cocoon. STAR Jason. But barely the Jason we know…he has become a hulking, Swamp Thing-like creature, covered in tatters and vines. Somewhere near the top of his body, the head peels away from the chest and glares at them. There's not much to see in his face. It's dark, green, sunken. OMIR My God. CRATER Kill it now? OMIR Yes. They all open fire. A green blur streaks into the darkness. Jason has vanished. CRATER AGGGHKKK…!! He rises off the floor with Jason's fist tearing from his ribs! Omir staggers back and riddles Jason with bullets. Voorhees merely plants his other fist in Crater's back. Then he TEARS CRATER IN HALF. CHOOM! CHOOM! Glass delivers two powerful plasma bursts to Jason. They don't do a damn thing. Star looks desperately to Tak. TAK Grenades! He brings two into his hand and snatches the pins from both with his teeth. Tak lobs the grenades at Jason as the others scatter. They both hit right on target. Spewing green flame, Jason sails into the chamber's entryway. OMIR Got 'im! STAR It's not working! Jason gets back to his feet. Water begins spraying from the ceiling. Cracks are spreading all across it, webbing out from the pulsating heart. ALIA We've gotta get out of here! Jason fills the doorway with his behemoth frame. GLASS I got this. He starts toward Jason, thundering across the floor. Glass picks up steam and begins charging like a rhino at the murderer. GLASS ROUND TWO, ASSHOLE!! He leaps and throws his arms around Voorhees in a flying tackle that's the small-scale equivalent of a meteor impact. He and Jason tumble into the hall. OMIR Go, go! INT. HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS Jason lifts Glass in one hand. The private slams his steely fists into Jason's sunken face. Omir flattens himself against the wall and fires into Jason's back. He barks at the others. OMIR Go NOW! Alia, Star and Tak edge along the wall opposite Omir, past Glass and Jason. Tak speaks to them over the din of combat. TAK I need you ladies to wait for us at the top of the stairs. Without another word, he takes a stance on his side of the duel, and hammers Jason with the Gyros. STAR C'mon Al! ALIA No! We have to kill him! STAR They're doing their best, honey! ALIA You know it won't work! Star drags her friend down the hall. ALIA We need fire to weaken him! STAR We don't have enough! Alia's eyes brighten. ALIA Yes we do. Now it's her turn to pull her friend toward the stairs. Jason digs his fingers under Glass's armor and into his organic body. Glass screams in agony. OMIR DIE!! DIE!! DIE!! Jason is barely responding to the gunfire coming from both sides. He slams Glass against the ceiling, the wall, over and over again. Blood spatters the floor. Omir throws an arm around Jason's shoulders and presses the rifle to his head. OMIR Ignore this! Jason backhands him into the wall with enough force to pancake his skull and send brain matter slushing in all directions. Glass puts his fists together and brutally beats Jason about the head. But his blows grow weaker and weaker; he's dying. GLASS Tak!... The synthetic's pistols whir to a dead stop. He's out of ammo. Jason turns to Tak, depositing the still-dying Glass on the floor. The green blur blindsides Tak, knocking him head over heels against the wall and into the floor. Jason teleports again, behind Tak now, grabbing either side of his head and SQUEEZING. Tak fumbles for a fresh clip. He gets it between his fingers and inches toward one of his guns. One of his eyes pops out AT THE CAMERA. Tak's arms fall limp. Groaning, he redoubles his efforts and inches the clip toward the pistol again. TAK Not…ready…to die…yet! A plasma round explodes against Voorhees's head in a green flash. It loosens his grip on Tak just enough to let him slam the clip into the pistol. Glass drops his gun and dies. Tak peels out of Jason's grasp and shoves the Gyro into his face. TAK Tell me how this tastes. This time, the gunfire sends Jason reeling, his neck snapping back, greenish-black fluid spurting from his mouth. Algae and blood splatter all over the walls. Jason lands hard on his back. CUT TO: INT. UPPER CORRIDOR Alia and Star run for the Homunculus. Dr. Roberts is waiting. DR. ROBERTS Thank God you're all right! ALIA It's not done yet. DR. ROBERTS Matthews thinks he can remotely access the facility's communications beacon and get help! STAR Not until Jason's dead. His influence is scrambling the reception in this area. DR. ROBERTS What are you talking about?! ALIA Dad, the others are dead. Listen to her! STAR We need fire, and lots of it. They all look upward. CUT TO: INT. LOWER HALLWAY Tak sinks to his knees, but crawls toward Voorhees to finish the job. He reaches Jason's face. It's been exposed by the gunfire. He's still meat inside: rotted, blackened meat with narrowed red eyes and bits & pieces of hockey mask stuck to his flesh. TAK Now…goodbye… He slumps down beside Jason, slipping into gibberish as his artificial brain gives in to its injuries. TAK Never felt better. Something inside him, whatever he is, dies, and the synthetic body stops moving. Jason begins struggling to his feet again. CUT TO: INT. CRUISER - ANTERIOR READY ROOM MATTHEWS Are you sure? ALIA Yes. It'll work. MATTHEWS All right. Better buckle in. (beat) I can't seal the rear hatch. ALIA So? MATTHEWS We need to seal the rear hatch before we do this. JETH Manually. You have to do it manually. He looks around, then, with a deep sigh, stands up. JETH I'll radio you when it's done. DR. ROBERTS I'll go with you. ALIA Dad? DR. ROBERTS You come too. He offers his hand to her. CUT TO: INT. CARGO HOLD The Robertses and Captain Jeth approach the rear hatch, all three armed. JETH Just play lookout while I override the controls. He opens a panel near the hatch and starts fiddling around. DR. ROBERTS Alia…I just want to say that I'm sorry. ALIA Don't say it yet. We'll get out of here. She gives his arm a little squeeze. Jason gives her a helluva squeeze, jerking her out into the hallway. DR. ROBERTS NO- -! Throwing her to the floor, Jason grabs a nearby pipe. He's gonna do this old-school. JETH Hold him off!! Dr. Roberts unloads into Jason's back. Voorhees ignore him. Raises the pipe. DR. ROBERTS Son of a bitch! He runs down the ramp. Jason bats him aside with the pipe, knocking him unconscious. ALIA Daddy! She sprays Jason up and down with bullets. He swats at her with the pipe; she scoots out of the way and backs down the hall, away from the Homunculus. JETH I've almost got it! Alia gets to her feet and keeps backing up, leading Jason after her, intermittently shooting him in the chest. ALIA Keep coming, bastard!...Come and get it! DR. ROBERTS Alia! He sits up. She screams hoarsely. ALIA Get in the ship Daddy! DR. ROBERTS No! ALIA It's the only way to keep him out here! DR. ROBERTS NO!! She's distracted. Jason tags her across the forehead with the pipe. Alia goes down, bleeding from a deep gash. ALIA Keep coming… Dr. Roberts leaps over Jason and grabs the pipe. They wrestle for it, Jason shaking Roberts in mid-air, but to no avail. The doctor grabs Jason's wrist. He isn't going anywhere. DR. ROBERTS Alia! She gets to her feet and hobbles past them. Her eyes stay locked on her father. DR. ROBERTS Run!! JETH (O.C.) C'mon, I've got it! She begins to jog weakly, still looking at him, he looking at her, Jason wrenching at his wrist. There's a snap of bone. Roberts grimaces, but doesn't break eyes with his daughter. DR. ROBERTS (softly, too soft for her to hear) Run! She turns away. Jeth leans out and takes her hand, scooping her into the craft. The hatch closes. Roberts stops struggling and falls at Jason's feet. Voorhees lifts the pipe once again. A high-pitching whining and the sudden intake of air cause him to turn toward the Homunculus. The thrusters are kicking in. Jason lowers the pipe and stares them down with his red eyes. An instantaneous wave of fire, a cataclysmic inferno, tears down the corridor and immolates him. FADE TO: INT. CRUISER - ANTERIOR READY ROOM Jeth, Matthews, Star and Alia sit quietly as the ship rumbles. MATTHEWS How long? ALIA Until the fuel's gone. He nods and turns to the console. JETH Try sending a distress signal. Matthews does. MATTHEWS It's going through, sir. (beat) I've got EC Command responding. What should I tell them? ALIA Tell them that Jason's dead. FADE TO: EXT. EMERALD SWAMP - DAY A wide view of the overgrown wasteland. It slowly DISSOLVES TO: EMERALD LAKE - DAY Returning to its pristine condition, the shoreline populated with young boys & girls running back and forth. SUPERIMPOSE CAPTION: "30 YEARS LATER" The year is 2530. A young boy grabs a rock and attempts skipping it across the water. A middle-aged female counselor kneels beside him with a smile, taking another rock. COUNSELOR It's all in the wrist. She lobs hers out, getting a good six or seven skips from the throw. BOY Can we go swimming in the lake today, Alia? ALIA Hell no. The boy shrugs and walks away in search of more skipping stones. Alia scrutinizes the water, then heads off to join the kids. THE END