Hicks climbs onto a file cabinet and raises a panel of the acoustic drop-ceiling. He pans his his light inside.

CEILING - HICKS P.O.V.: A soul-wrenching nightmare image. Moving in the beam of his light are alien warriors. They are crawling like bats, upside-down, clinging to the pipes and beams of the structural ceiling. The inner sanctum is utterly violated.

INT. OPERATIONS: Hicks yells and falls back into the room, firing, just as the creatures detach en-masse from the handholds. The ceiling explodes, raining debris. Nightmare shapes drop into the room.

HUDSON: They're they go over there! Get 'em!

Vasquez and Hudson open fire. Hicks gets up and let's it fly next to Vasquez.

One by one, the creatures are mowed down in the spray of pulse-fire.

HUDSON: Come on! Come on!

HICKS: Get 'em!

BURKE: Do something, Gorman!

Gorman turns to fire and Burke bolts for the only remaining exit, the corridor connecting to the Med-Lab. In the strobe-like glare of the pulse-rifles, we see flashes of aliens, moving forward in the smoke of the fires that have started.

HUDSON: Look out! Look out! Look out! There’s more of them!

RIPLEY: Medical! Get to Medical! Do it! Go!

Ripley grabs Newt and dashes for the corridor to the Meb-Lab.

HICKS: Hudson! Look out!

Right as Ripley enters the corridor to the Med-Lab, a warrior comes around a corner a few feet away from her and Newt. It moves like a locomotive. Shaking, Ripley raises her rifle. She squeezes the trigger. Nothing happens. Ripley checks the safety. The safety is off. The digital counter. The magazine is full. Newt begins to wail. The thing is almost on Ripley, beginning to tower over her.

She then remembers, she snaps the bolt back, chambering a round. Whipping the stock to her shoulder, she fires. FLASH-CRACK! A flashbulb glimpse of shrieking jaws as the silhouette is hurled back, screeching insanely.

RIPLEY (to Newt): NOW!

She turns, grabbing Newt, and sprints down the corridor. She sees Burke clear the door to the Med-Lab Annex. He slides it closed. Ripley slams into the door. Hears it lock from the far side.

RIPLEY: Burke! Open this door! Burke! Open it!

INT. MED-LAB ANNEX: Burke slowly backs away from the door. The sounds of the battle still penetrate through it. Terror shows in every part of his body.

INT. OPERATIONS: Hicks is opening up on every dark shape that moves. They seem to be everywhere.

HICKS: Ahhh! Come on! Let’s go! Fall back!

Hicks runs and jumps over a barricade, landing behind Vasquez. Hudson, close-by, opens fire on a group of three aliens that have dropped through the ceiling.

HUDSON: Die, mother-fucker!

INT. CORRIDOR: Ripley and Gorman are desperately trying to get the door open.

RIPLEY: Burke!

INT. OPERATIONS

HICKS: Hudson! Hudson!

HUDSON: Mother fucker! Come on! Come and get it, baby! I don’t got all day! Come on! Come on, you bastard! Come on, you too! Oh, you want some of this! Fuck you!

Hudson is so busy yelling and shooting at the approaching creatures that he doesn't notice the floor panels smash under him and clawed arms seize him with lightning speed, dragging him down into the floor. He yells and fires into the floor as he is pulled down.

HUDSON: Aaarghhh! Fuck you! Hicks! Hicks!

HICKS: Hudson!

Hicks tries to help him by pulling him out, but the creatures are to strong. Hudson quickly disappears into the hole yelling.

HICKS: Hudson!