The Terminator Script - Dialogue Transcript

The Terminator Script

LOS ANGELES 2029 A.D. 

THE MACHINES ROSE FROM THE ASHES OF THE NUCLEAR FIRE. 

THEIR WAR TO EXTERMINATE MANKIND HAS RAGED FOR DECADES, 

BUT THE FINAL BATTLE WOULD NOT BE FOUGHT IN THE FUTURE. 

IT WOULD BE FOUGHT HERE, IN OUR PRESENT. 

TONIGHT... 

LOS ANGELES 1984 1 :52a.m. 

What the hell...? Goddamn son-of-a-bitch... 

What the hell...? 

Hey, my turn. 

Hey, what's wrong with this picture? 

Nice night for a walk? 

Nice night for a walk. 

Wash day tomorrow. Nothing clean, right? 

Nothing clean. Right. 

I think this guy's a couple of cans short of a six-pack. 

your clothes, give them to me. 

- Now. - Fuck you, asshole. 

Hey, buddy, did you just see a real bright light? 

- See that guy? - Hold it right there. 

- He's rabbiting. - Hey! I said hold it! Go. 

That son-of-a-bitch took my pants. 

- What day is it? The date. - 1 2th May. 

- Thursday. - What year? 

He's got my gun. Let's go. 

Guard it for me, Big Buns. 

Hi. I'm late. 

So am l. 

- I'm in it. - So am l. 

- Honey, can I have that coffee now? - yes, sir. 

- OK. Who gets the burly-beef? - I ordered barbecued. 

That's mine, but I didn't order fries. 

- Mine's the chilli beef deluxe. - Who gets the burly-beef? 

- We're ready to order now. - yes, ma'am. 

I'm so sorry. 

This isn't real leather, is it? 

Nice going, kid. I ought to give you the tip. 

Look at it this way. In 100 years, who's gonna care? 

The 1 2-gauge auto-loader. 

That's ltalian. you can go pump or auto. 

The 45 long slide with laser sighting. 

These are new. We just got them in. That's a good gun. 

The beam comes on - you put the red dot where you want the bullet to go. 

you can't miss. 

- Anything else? - Plasma rifle in the 40-watt range. 

Hey, just what you see, pal. 

The Uzi nine millimetre. 

you know your weapons, buddy. 

Any one of these is ideal for home defence. 

So which will it be? 

- All. - I may close early today. 

It's a 1 5-day wait on the handguns, but the rifles you can take now. 

- you can't do that. - Wrong. 

Hi, baby. yeah, yeah, it's me. 

Listen, I need you to come pick me up. My bike just broke down. 

I don't care what you're doing. Come and get me. What the...? 

Hey, man, you got a serious attitude problem. 

- Sarah Connor? - yes? 

I'm on my break, Chuck. Carla's got my station. 

Sarah, come here. It's about you. I mean, sort of. 

Incredible. you're not gonna believe this. you're going to love this. 

- What? - ..compiled from several witnesses. 

Once again, Sarah Connor, 35, mother oftwo, 

brutally shot to death this afternoon. 

you're dead, honey. 

..if you're into sound, 

for the greatest sound around, come to Bob's Stereo at 2500 Sepulveda. 

We've got woofers, tweeters, the newest in audio and compact discs. 

We've got graphic equalisers and sound balancers that... 

Sorry. 

Hello? 

First I'm gonna rip the buttons off your blouse one by one, 

then run my tongue down your neck to your bare, gleaming breasts. 

And then slowly... slowly pull yourjeans offinch by inch. 

Ginger, it's Matt. 

And lick your belly in circles further and further down, 

and then pull your panties off with my teeth. 

Who is this? 

God. Sarah? 

Jesus. I'm sorry. 

I thought you were... Can I talk to Ginger? 

Sure. 

It's the creep. 

Hello? 

First I'll rip the buttons off your blouse one by one... 

you fucking pigs. Wait till I get my hands on you. Get off me. 

Ed. 

- What have you got? - Dead girl. 

- I can see that. - Sarah Ann Connor, secretary, 35. 

Shot six times at less than 10 feet. Large calibre weapon. 

you know, these work. 

- What's this? - Dead girl two. 

Sent over from the Valley division this afternoon. 

Are you sure there's a point to all of this? 

Look at the name, Ed. 

Sarah Louise Connor. Is this right? 

you're kidding. 

The press is gonna be short-stroking it. 

- A one-day pattern killer. - I hate the weird ones. 

So... 

Better than mortal man deserves. 

- Ginger, have you seen Pugsley? - Not lately. Did you check messages? 

I thought you did. 

- Hi, Sarah, this is your mom... - There you are, young man. 

you mind your mother. 

Hi, Sarah. Stan Morsky. Something's come up. 

Looks like I won't be able to make it tonight. Just can't get out ofit. 

I'm really sorry. I'll make it up to you. Call you in a day or so. Bye. 

That bum. So what if he has a Porsche? 

He can't treat you like this. It's Friday night, for Christ's sake. 

I'll live. 

I'll break his kneecaps. 

Well, Pugsley still loves me. Don't you, baby? 

God. It's disgusting. 

I'm gonna go to a movie, kiddo. Have a good time. 

- We will. you, too. - OK. 

Damn it, Matt. 

Shit. 

These killings occurred in the order of their listings in the phone book. 

- What can I tell you? No comment. - But, Lieutenant... 

That coffee's two hours cold. 

I put a cigarette out in it. 

- Did you reach the next girl yet? - No. I got her answering machine. 

- Send a unit. - I sent a unit. There's no answer. 

- The apartment manager's not in. - Call her. 

- I just called her. - Call her again. 

Give me a cigarette. 

Hi, there. Fooled you. You're talking to a machine. 

But don't be shy. It's OK. Machines need love, too, so talk to it... 

Same shit. 

I can hear it now. He's gonna be called the goddamn Phone Book Killer. 

I hate these press cases. Especially the weird press cases. 

- Where are you going? - To make a statement. 

Maybe make these jackals work for us. 

If I can get on the tube by eleven o'clock, maybe she'll call us. 

Well, how do I look? 

- Like shit, boss. - your mama. 

This just in. Police have announced the name ofthe victim 

in the second oftwo murders which took place today. 

Incredibly, the names ofthe two victims are virtually identical. 

Two hours ago, 35-year-old Sarah Ann Connor was pronounced dead... 

- Can we change this? - Sarah Louise... 

Don't touch it. 

Police are refusing to speculate on the similarity between the shooting deaths 

and no other connection between the two victims has been established yet. 

We'll have more on this late-breaking story as it comes in. 

- Hey, you got a phone? - It's in the back. 

Hey. Four-fifty. 

You have reached the Los Angeles Police emergency number. 

All lines are busy. Ifyou need a police car sent out to you, stay on the line. 

Go on. I'm gonna make a belt out of you. 

Don't make me bust you up, man. 

Hi, there. Fooled you. You're talking to a machine. 

But don't be shy. It's OK. Machines need love, too. 

So talk to it and Ginger, that's me, or Sarah will get back to you. 

Wait for the beep. 

This is Sarah. Pick up ifyou're there. 

I'm at this place on Pico Boulevard called Tech Noir. I'm really scared. 

I think that there's somebody after me. I hope that you play this back soon. 

I need you and Matt to come and pick me up as soon as possible. 

The police keep transferring me. I'm gonna give 'em another try. 

The number here is 555 9175. Call me, kiddo. I need your help. 

It's her. 

Sarah Connor? It's Lieutenant Traxler. 

Don't put me on hold. Don't transfer me to another department. 

I won't. Can you tell me where you are? 

- I'm in this bar called Tech Noir. - I know it. It's on Pico. 

- Are you all right? - yeah, but I don't wanna leave. 

- I think there's a guy following me. - Now, listen carefully. 

you're in a public place so you'll be safe. Stay visible. Don't go outside. 

- I'll have a car there in a minute. - OK. 

Hey, that guy didn't pay. 

Come with me if you wanna live. 

Come on! 

This is one-L-19. I got a hit-and-run felony. 

Suspect vehicle - Iate model grey Ford headed westbound on Seven. 

He's really moving - punching lights. 

I'm gonna need an ambulance at Seventh and Broadway right now. 

Hold it. 

Hold on. 

Are you injured? Are you shot? 

Do exactly what I say. Exactly. 

Don't move unless I say. Don't make a sound unless I say. 

Do you understand? 

- Do you understand? - yes. Please don't hurt me. 

I'm here to help you. 

I'm Reese. Sergeant Tech-Com. DN38416. Assigned to protect you. 

you've been targeted for termination. 

This is one-L-19. Westbound on Olympic. Approaching Overland. 

This is a mistake. I didn't do anything. 

No, but you will. It's very important that you live. 

This isn't true. How could that man just get up after you... 

It's not a man. A machine. 

A Terminator. Cyberdyne Systems model 101 . 

A machine? Like a robot? 

Not a robot. A cyborg - cybernetic organism. 

- No. He was bleeding. - Just a second. 

Get your head down. 

Listen. The Terminator's an infiltration unit. Part man, part machine. 

Underneath it's a hyper-alloy combat chassis. Microprocessor controlled. 

Fully armoured, very tough. Outside it's living human tissue. 

Flesh, skin, hair, blood - grown for the cyborgs. 

- Look, Reese, I don't know... - Pay attention. 

I gotta ditch this car. 

The 600-Series had rubber skin. We spotted them easy. 

But these are new. They look human. 

Sweat, bad breath, everything. Very hard to spot. 

I had to wait till he moved on you before I could zero him. 

Look, I am not stupid. They cannot make things like that yet. 

Not yet. Not for about forty years. 

Are you saying it's from the future? 

One possible future... from your point of view. 

I don't know tech stuff. 

Then you're from the future, too. Is that right? 

- Right. - Right. 

Cyborgs don't feel pain. I do. Don't do that again. 

- Just let me go. - Listen and understand. 

That Terminator is out there. 

It can't be bargained with, it can't be reasoned with. 

It doesn't feel pity or remorse or fear 

and it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead. 

Can you stop it? 

I don't know. 

With these weapons, I don't know. 

All units. Ford suspect vehicle has been found in a parking structure... 

Reese, why me? 

Why does it want me? 

There was a nuclear war. 

A few years from now, 

all this, this whole place, everything, 

it's gone, just gone. 

There were survivors. 

Here, there. 

Nobody even knew who started it. 

- It was the machines, Sarah. - I don't understand. 

Defence network computers. 

New, powerful, 

hooked into everything, trusted to run it all. 

They say it got smart - a new order of intelligence. 

Then it saw all people as a threat. Not just the ones on the other side. 

It decided our fate in a microsecond. 

Extermination. 

Did you see this war? 

No. I grew up after. In the ruins. 

Starving. Hiding from the H-Ks. 

- H-Ks? - Hunter-killers. 

Patrol machines built in automated factories. 

Most of us were rounded up. Put in camps for orderly disposal. 

This was burned in by laser scanner. 

Some of us were kept alive. To work. 

Loading bodies. 

The disposal units ran night and day. 

We were that close to going out for ever. 

But there was one man who taught us to fight. 

To storm the wire of the camps. 

To smash those metal motherfuckers into junk. 

He turned it around. He brought us back from the brink. 

His name was Connor. John Connor. 

your son, Sarah. your unborn son. 

Drive. 

Reese! 

No, Reese. No, no, no. They'll kill you. 

you in the Cadillac, let me see your hands now. 

Get out of the car. 

Drop to your knees. 

- Out of the car. - Drop to the ground. 

Sarah. Sarah, try to drink some of this. 

Listen, are you sure it's them? 

I mean, maybe I should look at the bodies. 

No. They've been identified and there's no doubt. 

Ginger. Kiddo. 

- Sarah, this is Dr Silberman. - Hi, Sarah. 

Tell him everything Reese told you, Sarah. Do you feel up to that? 

yeah, I guess so. 

- you're a doctor? - Criminal psychologist. 

- Is Reese crazy? - That's what we're gonna find out. 

So you're a soldier. Fighting for whom? 

With the 1 32nd under Perry. From '21 to '27. 

That's the year 2027? 

That's right. Then I was assigned... 

- This is fucking great. - ..under John Connor. 

- Who was the enemy? - A computer defence system... 

Goddamn! Sorry. 

..built for SAC-NORAD by Cyberdyne Systems. 

I see. 

And this computer thinks it can win by killing the mother of its enemy. 

Killing him, in effect, before he's even conceived. 

A sort of retroactive abortion? 

Silberman cracks me up. Last week, a guy burned his Afghan. 

- He screwed it first... - Ed, shut up. 

Why didn't the computer just kill Connor then? 

Why this elaborate scheme with the Terminator? 

It had no choice. Their defence grid was smashed. 

We'd won. Taking out Connor then would make no difference. 

Skynet had to wipe out his entire existence. 

Is that when you captured the lab complex and found... What is it called? 

The time displacement equipment? 

That's right. The Terminator had already gone through. 

Connor sent me to intercept and they blew the whole place. 

Well, how are you supposed to get back? 

I can't. 

Nobody goes home. Nobody else comes through. 

It's just him and me. 

It's just him and me. 

Why didn't you bring any weapons? Something more advanced. 

Don't you have ray guns? 

- Ray guns. - Show me a piece of future technology. 

You go naked. Something about the field generated by a living organism. 

Nothing dead will go. I didn't build the fucking thing. 

OK, OK. But this cyborg, ifit's metal... ? 

- Surrounded by living tissue. - Oh, right. 

Great stuff. I could make a career out of this guy. 

See how clever it is? It doesn't require a shred of proof. 

Most paranoid delusions are intricate, but this is brilliant. 

- Why were the other women killed? - Records were lost in the war. 

Skynet knew almost nothing about Connor's mother. 

Her full name, where she lived. Theyjust knew the city. 

The Terminator was just being systematic. 

- Let's go back... - Look, you have heard enough. 

I have answered your questions. I have to see Sarah Connor. 

- I'm afraid that's not up to me. - Then why am I talking to you? 

- Who is in authority here? - Please... 

Shut up! 

You still don't get it, do you? 

He'll find her. That's what he does. That's all he does. 

You can't stop him. He'll reach down her throat and pull her fucking heart out! 

- Doc. - Let go ofme! 

Sorry. 

He's crazy? 

In technical terminology, he's a loon. 

Sarah, this is what they call body armour. Our TAC guys wear these. 

It'll stop a 1 2-gauge round. 

This other man must've been wearing one under his coat. Feel that. 

- He punched through the windshield. - He was probably on PCP. 

Broke every bone in his hand. He wouldn't feel it. 

There was this guy once... you see this scar? 

Thank you. 

There's a couch in this other room. Stretch out and get some sleep. 

Be at least an hour before your mother gets here. 

- I can't sleep. - Try. 

It may not look it, but that couch is very comfortable. 

you'll be perfectly safe. We got 30 cops in this building. 

Thank you. 

- Good night. - Good night. 

I'm a friend of Sarah Connor. I was told she's here. Could I see her? 

No. Can't see her. She's making a statement. 

Where is she? 

It make take a while. If you wanna wait, there's a bench over there. 

I'll be back. 

Stay here. 

Watch him. 

Ed... 

Sarah! 

Reese. 

This way. 

KFLB news time. 4.36. 

Top story - the largest single law enforcement mobilisation 

in California history is currently underway. 

Police in five counties are engaged in a massive manhunt for... 

Take this. 

All right. Let's get this off the road. 

- you cold? - Freezing. 

Reese? 

- you got a first name? - Kyle. 

Kyle, what's it like when you go through time? 

White light. 

Pain. 

- It's like being born maybe. - My God. 

I caught one back there. 

- you mean you got shot? - It's not bad. 

- We gotta get you to a doctor. - It's OK. Forget it. 

What do you mean, forget it? Are you crazy? Take this off. 

Jesus. 

See? It passed right through the meat. 

This is gonna make me puke. 

- Would you just talk about something? - What? 

I don't know. Anything. Just talk. Tell me about my son. 

He's about my height. 

He has your eyes. 

What's he like? 

you trust him. He's got a strength. 

I'd die for John Connor. 

Well, at least now I know what to name him. 

Don't suppose you know who the father is so I won't tell him to get lost? 

John never said much about him. 

- I know he dies before the war... - Wait. 

I don't wanna know. 

So was it John that sent you here? 

I volunteered. 

- Why? - It was a chance to meet the legend. 

Sarah Connor, who taught her son to fight, organise, 

prepare from when he was a kid. 

When you were in hiding before the war. 

you're talking about things I haven't done yet in the past tense. 

It's driving me crazy. 

Are you sure you have the right person? 

I'm sure. 

Come on! Do I look like the mother of the future? 

I mean, am I tough? Organised? I can't even balance my chequebook. 

Look, Reese, I didn't ask for this honour and I don't want it. 

Any of it. 

your son gave me a message to give to you. Made me memorise it. 

Thank you, Sarah, for your courage through the dark years. 

I can't help you with what you must soon face. The future is not set. 

you must be stronger than you imagine you can be. 

you must survive or I will never exist. 

That's all. 

It's a good field dressing. 

you like it? 

It's my first. 

Get some sleep. It'll be light soon. 

OK. 

Talk to me some more. 

About what? 

Tell me about where you're from. 

All right. 

you stay down by day, but at night you can move around. 

you still have to be careful because the H-Ks use infrared. 

But they're not too bright. John taught us ways to dust them. 

That's when the infiltrators started to appear. 

The Terminators were the newest. The worst. 

Traversing your sector in search mode. 750 metres north ofyour position. 

Let's go. 

- Reese. DN384... - Right. Let him in. 

Terminator! 

I was dreaming about dogs. 

We use 'em to spot Terminators. 

your world is pretty terrifying. 

Hey, buddy, you got a dead cat in there or what? 

Fuck you, asshole. 

God damn. 

Thank you. 

Is this enough? 

yeah, it's enough. I don't wanna ask where you got it. 

- I'm coming. - We need a room. 

- With a kitchen. - Do you have one with a kitchen? 

I am dying for a shower. 

We should check your bandage, too. 

Later. I'm going out for supplies. 

Keep this. 

No, I can't tell you where I am, Mom. I was told not to say. 

I need to know where to reach you. 

You tell me to hide out at the cabin and you won't tell me what's going on? 

I am worried sick here. 

OK. OK, here's the number. 

- You ready? - yes. Go ahead. 

It's 408 555 1439. Room nine. 

- Got it? - I've got it. 

I gotta go. I'm sorry I can't tell you more right now. 

I love you, Mom. 

I love you, too, sweetheart. 

- Tiki Motel. - Give me your address there. 

What have we got? 

Mothballs... corn syrup... ammonia. 

What's for dinner? 

- Plastique. - That sounds good. 

What is it? 

It's a nitroglycerin base. It's a bit more stable. 

I learned to make it when I was a kid. 

Make sure there's none on the threads. 

Like this. 

Screw the end cap on. 

Very gently. 

you must've had a fun childhood. 

That's good. 

All right. Six more like that and I'll get started on the fuses. 

He'll find us, won't he? 

Probably. 

It'll never be over, will it? 

Look at me. I'm shaking. 

Some legend. you must be pretty disappointed. 

No, I'm not. 

Kyle, the women in your time, 

what are they like? 

Good fighters. 

That's not what I meant. 

Was there someone special? 

Someone...? 

A girl, you know. 

No. 

Never. 

Never? 

I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. 

So much pain. 

Pain can be controlled. you just disconnect it. 

So you feel nothing? 

John Connor gave me a picture of you once. 

I didn't know why at the time. 

It was very old, torn, faded. 

you were young like you are now. you seemed just a little sad. 

I used to always wonder what you were thinking at that moment. 

I memorised every line, 

every curve. 

I came across time for you, Sarah. 

I love you. I always have. 

I shouldn't have said that. 

Think fast. 

Trade places. 

Faster. Drive faster. 

Kyle. Oh, my God. 

you stay here. 

Let's get outta here. 

Get out. 

Kyle. Come on. Get up. 

Come on. 

Help me. Get out. Get out. 

Don't stop. Run. 

Sarah. 

Kyle. 

We did it, Kyle. We got him. 

No. 

Wait. 

What are you doing? 

Cover, so he can't track us. 

Come on. 

No. Kyle. Come on. 

- Come on. - Leave me here. 

Move it, Reese. On your feet, soldier. 

On your feet. Move it. 

Get back. Go back. 

- Run, Sarah. - No. 

Run. 

Run. 

Come on, motherfucker. 

No. 

you're terminated, fucker. 

Kyle. 

Seven. November 10. Where was l? 

What's difficult is trying to decide what to tell you and what not to. 

But I guess I have a while before you're old enough to understand these tapes. 

They're more for me at this point just so that I can get it straight. 

Fill her up. 

Should I tell you about your father? 

Boy, that's a tough one. 

Will it effect your decision to send him here, knowing that he is your father? 

If you don't send Kyle, you can never be. 

God, a person could go crazy thinking about this. 

I suppose I will tell you. 

I owe him that. 

Maybe it'll help if... 

you know that in the few hours that we had together, 

we loved a lifetime's worth. 

- What did he just say? - He says you're very beautiful. 

He is ashamed to ask you for five dollars for this picture. 

But if he doesn't, his father will beat him. 

Pretty good hustle, kid. 

What did he just say? 

He said there's a storm coming in. 

I know.