Original subtitles

Shouldn't be here.

[sighs]

Moving on to...

[typing]

[beeping]

Wolf 336, F Class star,

at right ascension 7.36.7.

5.21 declination.

I thought that was the last one.

Why did you think that?

Because you said that it would be.

No, I distinctly remember forgetting that.

I don't know why I put up with this.

Oh. Yes, I do.

Because I let you drive. I'm rideshare hostage.

F Class star. Recent variability.

14.6 light years away.

This is just nuts anyway, the whole approach.

SETI's tough enough on microwave band.

Now you want to search FM?

With all that noise?

Might as well look for a needle in a haystack...

of needles.

[typing]

[phone ringing]

Station 5.

[Woman] familiar to you, Zane?ly

Honey, I'm trying to get out of here,

but, as usual, Calvin is holding me up again.

Should be home by 1:00, 1:30.

1:30, Tuesday, Wednesday, a.m., p.m.?

What can I say? I'm a rideshare hostage.

I'm going to go...

Look, I will try--

[man laughing]

Where are you?

Oh, I'm having a drink with Becky.

You're in some bar while I'm here working?

Mmm. Oh, there's a cute hockey player here, too,

but he's only in town for one night.

All right, I give up. What do you want?

I want your ass in bed, Zane.

Okay. I'll leave now if you leave now.

But do not talk to any strangers

on the way out.

I'll see you at my place in 83 minutes, okay?

You swear you'll be there, Zane?

I really don't want a repeat of last week.

Look, if I say I'm going to be there,

I will be there, end of story.

There is nothing more important to me right now than--

[loud rumble]

[high-pitch frequencies]

[rumbling, frequencies continue]

Good solid spike.

Nice symmetry to the modulation.

Detection protocol, now.

Zane. Zane?

Confirmation Phase 1.

Swing dish 5 degrees off axis.

[typing]

And signal fades. Looking good.

Now swing dish back on target.

And signal returns. Defiantly sky-based.

Wolf 336, you are howling.

[howls]

[howling]

Phase 2.

Initiating software check.

Jumping ahead to Phase 3-- second source verification.

Who's still online?

Green Bank, Ohio State, Moffett Field.

Checking, here. Still checking.

Be there. Just be there.

We got to get another ear on this thing.

Software self-checks. Phase 2 complete.

I'm just waiting--

Oh, come on, Moffett. You're killing me.

I'm dying here.

Pick up the phone so we can confirm this...thing.

[sounds fading]

Nothing.

[tires screeching]

Zaminsky!

Zaminsky, this is not valet parking!

Stalled out on me.

Stalled on me, this piece of...

Sorry, uh, sir.

Sorry.

[alien sounds]

That's it?

42 seconds.

We listened all night.

All night, all morning, and the sound never repeated.

It's 42 seconds of non-random,

non-Earth-based signal.

This could be it, Gordy.

Sounds compressed like a military burst communication.

No way. No way. Not at 107 megahertz.

107?

What the hell are you doing so far below the microwave?

Good question.

So this is a variable star? This, uh, Wolf 336?

14.6 light years away.

All right.

Okay. So if it is a variable,

it expands and contracts dramatically.

So, gentlemen, maybe you can explain to me

how intelligent life can actually develop

in such a volatile environment.

Well, it's only been unstable for the last--

[both] 50 years or so.

which means it's possible some life can still exist there.

Exactly.

Maybe this is distress call.

An SOS.

Maybe they're sending out their Encyclopedia Galactica,

jettisoning all their knowledge

before it goes down with the ship.

Maybe-- Zane. Zane!

It lasted 42 seconds,

and it never repeated.

[sighs]

That's why we have to stay on this one, Gordy,

in case it does.

Look, I'll pull double shifts.

I'll pull triple shifts if I have to.

But I want priority status and I want dish time.

I want serious dish time.

During normal business hours, preferably.

Calvin, why don't you, uh--

Why don't you go home and get some sleep, okay?

Go ahead.

Zane.

[squeaking]

It's a mandatory 20% cutback.

Tracking station has a fixed operating cost.

I can't touch that.

I've got to look at personnel.

Are you even shitting me?

Look, I can-- I can swing a month's pay,

you know, instead of two weeks.

Maybe extend the health benefits

two weeks beyond that, but...

Let me see if I got this straight.

I come to you-- [squeaking]

I come to you with what may be

the preeminent discovery of the 20th century--

the possibility of extrasolar life,

and I get shit-canned for it?

Zane...

I know how important this is.

But searching for E.T.s in this political environment

is a tough sell on Capitol Hill.

We don't start spending money on harder science,

we're going to lose it.

Well, let's forget about me for a second.

What about the signal?

I'm skeptical,

but it is interesting.

I'll pass it along to decoding.

See if there's a pattern recognition there, but, uh...

Look, I don't have to tell you. You know the rule.

If you can't confirm it--

Then it doesn't exist.

What asshole made up that rule?

Can we fire him instead?

It doesn't please me

to be losing the brightest and the best.

I wish there was another way.

I honestly do.

[sighs]

[Man over radio] Well, it is finally cooling off in the Southland

after a day of near-record temperatures,

but hot again tomorrow

and hot again on Thursday with no let up--

[turns off]

Hey, how are you doing for money?

You know, if you need me to, I could maybe--

No, no. There's a study program up north.

The guy who runs it, Bill Wyatt,

was begging me to come up there.

I might give him a call.

Zane, you're not really thinking about

going back to it, are you?

Oh, God, we had a bell-ringer this morning.

Really good signal. I just--

I just couldn't confirm it in time.

You had something really good last year, too.

Turned out to be what?

A broken microwave oven.

What's your point?

There's always something to give me false hope?

That I'm wasting my life?

I didn't say that.

But, you know, it's interesting that you did.

Oh.

Come on. Someone is watching.

What?

How in the hell did I wind up

with someone like you?

I get tired of rich guys with good futures.

No, really. What is it you see in me?

What made you call me the first time?

Boy, when their self-worth goes...

Mmm.

Okay, I see a man of great intelligence,

dedication,

cute little kind of insecurity,

a little paranoia.

This went to shit fast.

Well, Zane, why do we always have to analyze everything?

Can't you just trust that I love you?

Algorithms, I trust. Boolean logic, I trust.

Beautiful women, they just mystify me.

Two years and we're still talking about trust?

It's amazing.

I should shut the hell up, huh?

Look, it's your career, Zane,

and I will support any decision that you make.

But if we are going to make it,

we've got to take care of our problems here on planet Earth,

and that is just a little hard

when you're always off looking at the stars.

Listening.

Listening.

Are we falling apart here?

Is that it, Char?

I don't know, Zane.

Are we?

How'd you do on the test? Pretty good.

Yeah. Yeah.

No, I'm saying it's incomplete.

There's no chemical breakdown.

There's no broadband chart analysis.

Do you want me to go on?

[Man] I'm sorry that information

isn't available at this time.

Well, look, this information

was promised to me two months ago.

Now, come on. These are not national secrets.

This is a routine analysis of the atmosphere.

So why should I have--

There's a problem with that satellite.

It's blind to certain trace gases.

Really? As of when?

I believe it lost a solar panel.

Some functions were shut down to save energy.

Well, look. Here's my problem.

I've devoted my sabbatical to greenhouse trace gases.

So if I don't get this data,

I might as well be counting cow farts in Montana.

Sorry, but you'll have to wait

until the new satellite is in place.

Okay. When's the launch date?

NASA doesn't have that information.

[chuckles]

Round and round we go.

Thanks for naught.

[phone ringing]

[Man] Moffett Field.

Yo, Wyatt.

Zane Zaminsky. How are you, man?

Oh, yeah, Zane. Hi.

Look, I know you said you'd get back to me,

but I felt obligated to give you a call,

let you know about a job offer that came up.

Telecommunications.

Looks pretty sweet, too.

I mean, the health plan alone, you know?

Well, good.

You should take it, Zane,

because I don't think things are going to work out here.

Uh, but I-- I--

I thought you were looking for--

for radio astronomers, Bill.

I-- I-- Some good creative thinkers.

Isn't that what you said?

I remember you saying that.

Creative is one thing.

Too creative is another.

I'm not-- I'm not tracking.

I'm not sure I should be saying this,

but I talked to Phil Gordian at JPL,

and while he wouldn't quite--

Well, the indication was-- Just say it.

He said you were faking signals

in order to keep your job.

[tires screech]

I do believe this permit's expired, Zaminsky.

Why haven't you?

Zaminsky!

Zaminsky!

[Man] To raise the temperature of the planet tenfold.

To change the atmosphere into one suitable to colonization.

To construct farms, cities,

and build an infrastructure capable of supporting

thousands of colonists.

Make no mistake about it.

Never before have we undertaken a task--

...have we undertaken a task of this size.

The terraforming of Mars.

Do you know where Phil Gordian is?

No. Sorry.

Excuse me, is Phil Gordian here?

No, uh-uh.

Excuse me, have you seen Phil Gordian?

No.

Well, somebody's seen him.

Damn it.

Excuse me,

but perhaps you'd care to use the microphone.

Yes. Yes, I would.

Thanks.

Phil Gordian-- has anybody seen him?

I'm looking for Phil Gordian.

Anybody seen Phil Gordian?

[Phil] The man was in the middle of a seminar, Zane.

Why don't we step outside and let him finish.

Did you even give it to decoding?

Did you even see what was there?

Zane, why don't we take this outside.

If you're not going to analyze it,

I want my tape back. I want it back.

I'm sorry, I just--

I don't know what you're referring to.

[door opens]

Okay, we don't you show me how smart you are

by leaving right now.

What's going on, huh? What are you doing this for?

Back it up. Back it up. Let's go.

Why are you telling them lies about me?

I said now. Let's go. Huh?

Why? Let's go. Come on.

Let's go. Why?

I'm sorry. He's a troubled young man.

A very troubled young man.

My apologies.

Please continue.

[people murmuring]

So where was I? Polar ice.

Yes, after the polar ice has been melted,

the atmosphere begins to grow thicker.

Finally, a kind of critical mass is reached.

And at this point,

the atmosphere begins to work for us.

[phone rings]

Station 5.

[Zane] Tell me I'm not losing my mind.

Just tell me.

[Calvin] Zane, uh, where are you?

They're acting like it never happened.

I just saw Gordy.

It's like we never gave him any tape.

Uh, listen, Zane--

And then I remembered,

it should still be on the backup DAT system.

We should have a copy of the signal, right?

Well, uh, yes and no.

Um, there are some DOD guys here, Zane,

going through our stuff as we speak.

Apparently, it was a burst from a spy satellite.

What?

Yeah, Zane.

It's a defense thing, you know?

Which is probably why Gordian couldn't tell us about it.

You know, we weren't cleared for this spy shit.

Cal, Cal, listen to me very carefully.

Satellites do not move like stars move.

Now, we track this thing in sidereal time.

In star time, okay?

Now, I don't know who these guys are,

but I do know that they're lying to you.

Is this everything?

Cal, if you haven't

told them about the backup system, don't.

We have it all?

Don't you tell them, Cal. Don't you dare!

Um, there, uh--

There's a backup system.

Hey.

Uh, so if this was a spy bird,

we was it moving like a star?

We're not really sure.

We'll have to get back to you on that.

It's a very aggressive company.

And with the federal mandate for airbags,

they are perfectly positioned

to dominate the market for years.

Blade Co. Technologies.

All right. I'll send you a prospectus.

Are you at the same address?

Uh, okay.

Doug, can I call you back in, say, 10 minutes?

So I get this signal. How about 5:00?

A signal from an F Class star. 5:15.

Just like our sun, but a little hotter.

First, they act like it's nothing. Great. Thanks.

But now-- now they're going to unimaginable pains

to make it disappear.

Zane, I thought you had a new job.

Something's going on here, Char.

I mean, why the hell would they do that?

What is it that they're trying to hide?

Maybe we could talk about this later.

I need to talk about this now.

I called last night, twice.

I got the messages.

I thought the problem was I wasn't around enough.

Now that I am, you're not.

What is this, Tales From the Dark Side?

I guess I have been avoiding this, yes.

Okay. Define "this."

Zane, the brokerage is strongly suggesting

that I head up the office in San Diego soon.

It'd mean moving there.

Okay. Can you tell them no?

Oh, thank you, Zane.

I tell you I'll support any career decision that you make,

but when it comes to me and my work--

You're actually considering this?

Char, it's Mr. Morgan on line 5.

And?

I got to take this.

By any chance is he going to San Diego also?

Zane, why don't you stick your paranoia

back in your pants and get out of here?

I will call you. Okay, fine.

No problem. When?

Whenever I get to it.

Tuesday, Wednesday, a.m., p.m.?

Go!

Right now.

They could be talking to us right now.

[crying]

[laughing hysterically]

Hoo hoo!

[sighing]

An array.

Phased array.

Good morning, Mr. Carbiener.

I'm Horace with your local satellite company.

Good morning.

[speaking Spanish]

Can I see your dish?

What a glorious morning. Hot enough for you?

For a limited time, we're offering a free upgrade

on a totally automated fiber-optic control system.

All this at no extra cost to you.

No extra cost. No extra cost to you.

One of the many ways which are improving

the quality of service to our valued customers.

Can I see your dish?

[bubbling]

[machines whirring]

[typing]

[wood creaking]

[crack]

[computer beeps]

Aah! Jesus.

[crash]

Ow.

What are you doing here?

And how soon can you leave?

What are you doing here?

I live here. Do you mind?

I mind you grabbing on me. Let go.

I'm trying to help you down.

I can do it myself.

Aah, my foot is stuck.

You live next door.

Mrs. Roosevelt, is that it?

I live in L.A.

Just kicking it here a minute.

I don't want anybody nosing around here.

Hey, if I were going to steal your stuff,

it would be over and done, okay?

Just what do you know about my stuff?

And what are you doing climbing roofs at 1:00 in the morning?

Shouldn't you be out tagging freeway signs or something?

I don't got to tell you shit.

Fine, hang there all night.

Hey!

Hey, where you going?

Get me down out of here.

What are you doing?

I told you to wait downstairs.

What's this thing here?

A cooling jacket for a low noise amp.

Don't touch it.

What's that blinky shit over there?

Would you just sit down?

Put this on your ankle.

I don't want that thing. It's cold.

Just keep your butt down,

your foot up,

and your mouth shut.

You can watch, but don't touch anything.

[typing]

[Boy] So, what are all them dots?

They're satellite dishes.

Each one.

You string enough of them together,

it makes one big radio antenna, basically.

But what's it do?

It lets you get close to the stars.

[static]

See if you get 92.9 KBUMP.

[frequency]

[high-pitched pinging]

Greetings from beyond the solar system.

That, my friend, is Voyager 2.

What's that?

Voyager is a planetary probe launched in the mid '70s.

They don't teach science in school anymore?

Too busy patting us down, seeing if we strapped.

I assume you mean guns.

They find one on you?

Not me, just everyone else.

That's how come the folks want me out of L.A.

Crazy stuff going on.

Can I come in now?

So this is the star, Wolf 336.

We'll check the spectra at different magnifications,

looking for anything unusual.

[sighs]

But unfortunately, all we find is the typical radio noise

of an F Class star.

But you talked to him before, huh?

The aliens. This channel.

This star. This frequency.

But we can't really talk.

You see, it takes years for a radio wave to get here.

So all we can really do is just listen.

But what'd they say, before?

Maybe how to live forever.

Maybe how to make nuclear power safe.

I don't know. Maybe they were just ordering out for a pizza.

You see, we won't really know what they're saying.

Not at first, but that doesn't make it any less important.

If I can confirm this signal,

if we can find it again,

then we will finally, finally know

that we're not alone.

I wonder what they're going to look like.

[lasers shooting]

[Robotic voice] Warning.

Your sleep period is over.

Get out of bed.

Warning. Your sleep period is over.

Get out of bed.

Warning. Your sleep period is over.

[alarm stops]

Jesus.

Going to try again? Tonight?

If you are, I could wait up

and sort of, you know, help some this time.

You didn't tell anybody about our little club house, did you?

What am I, new?

What about your grandma?

She doesn't care if you stay up late at night?

Not after 10:00.

What happens at 10:00?

She passes out on cough syrup.

Tell you what.

Whenever I'm up there, you can come over.

But only-- only if you got the proper ID.

So where I get that at?

[blows breath]

[growls]

What about me, huh?

When can I do something?

Okay. Hit that key.

What one? That one.

This one here? Yes.

Are you sure it's okay?

I'm sure it's okay.

This one right under my finger?

Give me your badge. You're fired.

I'll do it. I'll do it.

So, what's the signal going to look like?

Just a spike.

A big one?

Or a little one?

Because I got a big one.

[high-pitched frequency, pulsing]

[alien sounds]

[typing]

That's it.

That's exactly what Calvin and I saw.

♪♪ [Spanish pop]

[man speaking Spanish]

No, no, no.

No, come back.

[dogs howling]

[audio rewinding]

And I didn't touch nothing, okay?

[audio rewinding]

[high-pitched frequency, pulsing]

It's the same thing.

Same signature, sameperiodicity--

♪♪ [Spanish pop] What the hell is this?

What is that lambada shit?

It's got to be a bounce.

Radio wave that kicks off the inversion layer

and then bleeds back in through this system.

It's coming from Earth?

[man speaking Spanish]

Some Mexican radio station on the same frequency

tells us where the bounce came from,

but it doesn't...

But it's whack.

All of it?

[sighs]

Wait a sec.

The first signal was defiantly sky-based.

We verified it.

But this one is Earth-based.

Two identical signals.

One comes from space, the other from Earth.

I'm all screwed up here.

It doesn't make any sense.

Unless they're talking.

Hey, but last night, you were telling me how we couldn't talk

because it would take years.

Cal. I got to talk to Cal.

[chatter]

[Woman] Somebody said something about a faulty heater.

[Man] Carbon monoxide poisoning.

[Man #2] Really?

[police radio chatter]

[Man] You taking him down to County?

Yeah, sure. This guys DOA.

[respirator hissing] [sirens blaring]

[Woman] Okay, what have we got here?

Huge concentrations of trace gas

here in Central Mexico, Ecuador, Brazil.

Look, you can see for yourself.

700% increase over the last 5 years?

How can that be? My very question.

Just how accurate is this data you sent us, Ilana?

Well, it's hard to say.

I mean, we cobbled it together from ground stations,

weather balloons, Uncle Earl's aching corns.

Some of your own numbers are in there.

No satellite data?

NASA's bird has a bum wing.

Well, you've obviously got some ratty data.

We checked this as best we could.

George, run me a future cast, will ya?

Say, ten years, assuming the same increase.

Of course.

Well, it had be wrong, because according to this,

we're looking at an increase of 12 degrees Centigrade

over the next decade.

And that's just-- Catastrophic.

Well, I was going to say impossible,

but, yep, that, too.

Central Mexico.

[crowd chatter]

[speaking Spanish]

Uh, excuse me.

You come to see the ruins, my friend?

I take you to some much very good places.

[sighs]

No, let's just head for town.

When does it start to cool off down here?

In San Marsol? Hah.

This is cooler.

♪♪ [Spanish]

[static]

This dial right?

Right, left, both ways.

This radio station,

you know where this is?

Oh, very far. Not close to town.

Let's go there.

How about the ruins?

You want to see the ruins, my friend?

The radio station. I need to go there.

I'm going to talk to the people.

[chatter]

Accidente, esse.

But no persons was here--

gracias a Dios-- when the fire come last night.

Too late.

¿Como?

One day too late.

Posada San Marsol.

One of our much very best hotels.

Uh-huh.

Señora, you see those things?

¿Como?

These TV dishes,

allí y allí.

You know of any big ones?

Big? Yeah, big.

Not small like these, but-- but big.

50, 60 feet wide.

Big. Grande. Oh, no.

Nada big in San Marsol.

Nada.

♪♪ [Spanish ballad]

[static]

[pipes flushing]

[rhythmic thudding]

[water running]

[metal squeaking]

One of our very much best hotels.

[beep]

This is Peter Dowling from Sierra Satellite.

Just wondering if you were sick or dead or something.

Because if you're not, you're fired.

Sorry, pal. [hangs up]

[dial tone] [beep]

Yes, Zane. Uh, this is Doug.

I heard about you and Char.

I heard it was skidsville, and I'm sorry to hear that.

I know what it feels like.

If you want to get together anytime,

you know, let's do it.

We'll talk it through.

I'm there for you man, okay?

Oh, and, uh, would you mind if I got her number?

You know, I-- I just want to talk to her

about some investment possibilities.

All right? Thanks. [hangs up]

[dial tone] [beep]

[Char] I called this morning.

Just didn't leave a message. Are you there now?

Well, I guess I didn't get back to you that night

because I was mad, Zane.

I get so tired of being questioned

about even the basic things,

and maybe I was feeling some guilt, too,

for steering you away from what you should be doing,

from what you love the most.

But you were such an ass the last time we talked, I--

Damn, I can't remember if this machine lets you ramble,

so I'd better just admit this quick.

I miss your weird and paranoid brain.

[laughs]

Call when you can.

Where are you, Zane?

[hangs up] [dial tone]

[beep]

[floorboard groaning]

[cracking]

[screaming]

[screaming louder]

[gasps]

Move!

[panting]

Just who the hell are you, huh?

Because I saw you in town.

I saw you at the airport.

You were waiting for me.

You knew, didn't you?

[men speaking Spanish]

[bones crunch]

How the...

[beeping]

Where do you hide a 20-meter dish?

[static]

[Ilana speaking Spanish]

[clattering]

[both speaking Spanish]

Sir. No, no.

[speaking Spanish]

[Officer speaking Spanish] [Ilana] No. No.

[both speaking Spanish]

Jesus!

Hey!

Excuse me.

Excuse me. What's going on here?

I don't know. These guys are stealing my stuff.

They're taking my equipment. I was trying to work here.

Señor, excuse me.

Hey, hey! What?

[speaking Spanish]

[speaking Spanish] Hey, take it easy.

Will you guys take it easy?

Whoa! Hey!

What? Oh!

No, no.

[all speaking Spanish]

[starts engine]

Well, I know I should say thanks,

but that was a pretty dicey stunt you pulled back there.

You could have got us both shot.

You're welcome, and you're right.

Saw you in town last night, didn't I?

Zane Zaminsky. Am I still bleeding?

Yeah, a little. Ilana Green.

Damn, it's hot in here.

You'd think they'd have air-conditioning in this place.

I don't like blood.

So why were they rousting you, anyways?

Something about my gear they don't like.

What is all that stuff?

It's technical.

Because it looks like some kind of radiosonde

for atmospheric sampling.

That's right.

That's absolutely right.

Just who are you?

Can I ask what I've done wrong?

I wish to apologize to you both.

We have overreacted in this matter.

As for the equipment,

it seems to be ruined.

If you give me a local number-- Wait a second.

Why was I detained?

Why did these men take my gear in the first place?

You were on private land.

But isn't this a public facility?

Please try to understand this is a new type of power station.

And with new technology

come those who would like to steal it.

You're staying at San Marsol, yes?

[Ilana] What do you mean "new type"?

You still burn fossil fuels, right?

[Woman] With great efficiency.

Very few emissions.

[Ilana] What kind of emissions?

I'm not an expert in this matter like yourself.

Perhaps if you were to leave me a local number--

Yeah, perhaps if you give me--

No, no, no. Call it a push.

Come on.

[Ilana] They say there's a twin for everyone in the world.

[Zane] No, that's not it.

Look, you roll the genetic dice often enough,

they're going to land on top of each other.

Trust me, Ilana. That is not it.

Nice of them to bring our cars here.

Follow me back to town,

and don't make any stops, all right?

[beeps]

I understand you do residential work.

I've got a little weeding problem

I'm hoping you can help me with.

It's really a very small job.

There's the address.

[motor buzzing]

[robotic sounds]

[Ilana] We saw Gulf hurricanes in March.

Right now there's a drought in the Sudan killing thousands.

So we're talking global warming, right?

Yes and no.

Yes in that we're showing an increase

in global temperature over the last decade.

It's not much, but if you factor out

the cooling effects of volcanic activity--

It's happening.

Our factories can't pump out

7 billion tons of CO2 a year and not do damage.

This is the Arctic? Yeah.

90 miles from the pole.

Well, what's it doing there?

Taken by itself, it's just another anomaly.

But as a whole, we see the Arctic

is incredibly sensitive to environmental change.

That's why we go there,

because things happen first in the Arctic.

It's like a window on the future.

So you're talking about

something a lot bigger than global warming.

I see some major climatic ordeal happing.

[chuckles] Oh, God.

I get so damned apocalyptic when I drink.

But you have to remember

every major turning point on this planet,

including the demise of the dinosaur,

began in a shift in climate.

Even a 10-degree increase

will melt 70% of the polar ice cap.

Wipe out all agriculture. Raise the temperature of the planet

to change its atmosphere

into one suitable to colonization.

Terraforming.

What is that?

This guy at JPL,

he's been giving talks about Mars

and how its whole environment could be changed

and how we could terraform it and then live there.

It'll never happen, of course. Cost hundreds of billions.

But he did say something about--

After the polar ice has been melted,

the atmosphere again grows thicker.

Finally, a kind of critical mass is reached.

What?

I don't know.

We might give a call if it's not not too--

Jesus, I did the time warp dance here.

Well, before I go around saying

the sky is falling or even warming,

I've got to get new gear from NCAR.

When do you leave?

First thing in the morning.

You?

I don't know, yet.

Still haven't seen everything I need to see.

Maybe a couple of days.

You know, I must say, Zane,

I really enjoyed our talk tonight.

It's uncommon for me to find someone

who can actually grasp the things

that I'm passionate about.

Yeah, I hear ya.

So, where are you staying?

Well, I was in room 302 at the big pink place

until merged with room 402.

What?

Some kind of an accident?

Everything is lately.

How is this dump?

Well, it's not bad with the lights off.

Maybe I'll get a room.

Well, look, I'm gone first thing in the morning.

Why don't you just stay here now

and keep the room tomorrow?

You mean, share it?

Well, there is a couch.

We could at least keep the appearance of respectability.

Uh, yeah, I suppose we could.

And not that I don't find

the proposition intriguing or anything.

And not that you just propositioned me.

Did you?

Boy, Zane, that's a lot of guilt

for somebody who hasn't done anything, yet.

I take it there's a warm body in bed at home?

Not in my bed, still in my head.

I don't know.

I guess there's still something to be said for abstinence.

You think?

In moderation.

Terraforming.

If you find anything, get it to me, care of UCLA.

I will.

Oh, Ilana.

What? Yes.

Just-- Just be careful.

Change for the phone.

Cambio.

[groans]

[turns on faucet]

Man, it was good to hear your voice.

[Char] Zane.

Look, I'm really sorry about before,

but, like, I tried to--

No, no, no. No. You're right.

I was a complete asshole.

And we will get back to that,

but you still get downloads at home, right?

Stock stuff?

Yeah, but--

Planecorp Industries.

Check it out for me, will ya?

Slow modem, still waiting.

So when are you coming home, Zane?

I'm not exactly s--

Who said I was gone?

I stopped by yesterday and the papers

were stacking up, so I put them inside.

Okay, here we go.

Ticker PLC, Planecorp Industries,

a leader in clean air technology.

Blah, blah, blah.

Looks just like they buy up old power utilities,

overhaul, and put them back online.

Ecuador, Peru, three faculties in Mexico.

Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Back up.

There's more than one plant?

Mm-mm. As of January 1st,

they have 8 facilities online and 12 more planned,

all in Third World countries.

20 plants?

Where's all the money coming from?

American investors. Your mutual funds at work.

Wow.

Well, thanks-- thanks for the help, Char.

Wha-- What? That's it?

After four weeks,

you call me up for a stock report?

I-- I don't know what else to say.

How about "I miss you"?

[sighs]

I shouldn't have to say it.

[gasps]

If that's it...

How big does that make the--

[ground rumbling]

[poles rattling]

My God.

[alien sounds]

Aah!

[vehicle approaching]

[speaking Spanish]

Go.

[speaking Spanish]

[speaking Spanish]

[elevator activating]

[droning]

[bones crack]

[bones cracking]

Aah!

Aah! Uh!

[groans]

[rumbling]

[gears clanking]

[sirens blaring]

[alarms blaring]

[speaking alien language]

[speaking alien language]

[speaks alien language]

[churning]

[speaking alien language]

No.

[bubbling]

[speaking alien language]

Do you want to see the ruins, my friend?

[screams]

[panting]

[speaking Spanish]

[screaming]

[speaking Spanish]

[branches rustle]

[screams]

[groaning] [hissing]

[Man] Mr. Zaminsky,

we got you speeding on the wrong side of the road.

Then you said you were in the cantina last night

with, uh, Señorita What's-Her-Name.

Green, Ilana Green. Green. Right.

I suppose you were drinking.

Oh, we had a couple of beers, big deal.

That has nothing to do with--

This week is El Día de los Muertos--

the Day of the Dead. Yeah? So what?

As an American, you're not too familiar with all these costumes,

with all these things we see all around.

Uh-uh. Wrong.

What I saw was no costume, was no papier-mâché skeleton.

It was nothing like that--

[speaks Spanish]

The captain of security for the power station

has called to report an accident.

That a man, intoxicated,

had killed someone with this car last night.

An American man.

No. That-- That-- That is not what happened.

That is to say you were involved.

They are lying!

It's up to me to decide who's lying.

That's why I make the questions

and that's why you give me answers.

Now, again.

Were you involved in this?

I hit something with the car.

Now, who it was or what it was,

I'm not sure.

But if they're saying that I killed someone,

I want to see it.

Bring the body here. I demand to see it!

There's no need to demand that, Mr. Zaminsky.

That's just exactly what they're doing.

Don't go anywhere.

[men speaking Spanish]

[speaking Spanish]

No, no.

Our word for an "attorney" is "abogado."

I suggest you--

[panting]

[people speaking Spanish]

[Newscaster] Mercury peaks at around 99 degrees today.

And, yes, that will be a record for this day in October.

But nowhere is it hotter right now

than in the hallways of NASA,

where officials are still trying to explain

what happened yesterday to that atmospheric satellite

that blew up just 32 seconds after launch.

Press conference now under way at JPL in Pasadena.

[Zane] Anybody going to lose

their job over this, Mr. Gordian?

Sorry, I'm really not the right--

Zane?

You don't look too good.

Actually, I look like a can of smashed assholes.

Here's a tip.

If you ever get the chance to travel with a Mexican rodeo,

pass.

Look, Zane, about before, I'm, uh-- I'm sorry.

DOD was putting a lot pressure on me to keep a lid on things.

Then you started asking questions

in front of all those people.

No, no, no, no.

Forget it. No hard feelings.

I just wanted to drop by and pay you a visit.

Check up on my old buddy Gordy.

Maybe see what's really what,

who's really who.

I tell you, Zane, you're really not making very much sense.

Maybe we should walk over to the infirmary.

It didn't make a lot of sense to me, either,

the first time I saw your face on another guy.

Genetic dice?

Uh, no, no. I don't think so.

I think somebody just screwed up.

As good as you are, you do make mistakes,

don't you?

You should have broke the mold, Gordy.

What do you want, Zane?

What do I want?

I want to blow a hole

in your head and donate your organs to science.

But there are a few things I need to know first.

[sighs]

Fucking NRA.

It's just so easy to get one.

Let's have a chat.

Yeah, okay.

Media center.

Looks like somebody stole some camera gear.

You want it?

A real crime.

Okay, somebody's on the way.

So who was targeted?

Anyone in SETI?

Well, not anyone.

Who then?

Look in the mirror.

Prime intellect. Non-conformist reasoning.

Capacity for lateral thinking. Isn't that what you see?

And then what? A control is assigned?

Somebody like you?

Could I, uh, actually see this gun of yours, Zane?

Oh, sure.

But if I pull it out, Gordy,

it'll be the last thing you ever see.

Well, I, uh--

I think it's possible to say

that you've been watched for quite a while now.

So which programs besides SETI?

NASA?

Ask yourself why an antenna won't deploy

on a deep-space probe.

Or ask how they could launch a $6 billion telescope

without testing its mirror.

So what you're actually saying-- I'm saying nothing.

I'm just listening to you ask questions.

Then I'll ask about Planecorp.

Planecorp?

Sorry, I don't know what that is.

You know, it's that factory down in Mexico.

It's outside my knowledge.

1 of 20 being built in Third-World countries.

Outside-- Where there's no laws to protect the air.

Outside my knowledge. You build where it's hot.

Because you like it hot, Gordy, don't you?

Zane, if you force me to answer you,

what you will be hearing is your own death sentence.

Because right now, as much as you think you know,

you don't know the half of it.

Right now, you're just one little guy

with a big conspiracy theory and no proof,

and the world is full of them.

So Zane, you take great care

in what else you choose to learn.

They're terraform factories, aren't they?

Yes.

You're pumping out greenhouse gas.

And now you're dead.

Your changing the air, the temperature,

the whole ecosystem.

We're just finishing what you started.

What would have taken you 100 years, we'll do in 10.

Just speeding along your own demise.

Like you sped Calvin along. And Ilana Green, right?

If you can't tend to your own planet,

none of you deserve to live here.

Bang.

You're dead.

Don't tell me that's who I think it is.

Do we have a problem here?

No. No. No problem.

[sighs]

I'm going to handle this myself.

Jeez!

Zane? What are you doing out here like this--

Who's been here? Anyone?

Anybody watching my house?

Uh-uh. Nobody I've seen.

I can't believe they wouldn't be.

Kiki, I'm going to say something

that's going to sound completely insane.

But I'm telling you

because I think you might actually believe me.

I'm also telling you

because I can't be the only one who knows, in case they...

find me before I finish this.

Well, tell me.

You know how I followed the signal down to Mexico

because we thought somebody was--

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[sighs]

They weren't us, Kiki.

Well, so what was they?

So do they got these little flashlight fingers that, uh--

So maybe they got these big metal teeth

that come out and sort of--

Well, what does they look like then?

Like you. Like me. Like anyone.

Then what they doing here?

I'll show you.

I'll show everyone.

Soon as I fire up the array.

Shit. You been evicted.

I got to get out to Oro Valley.

Out to the big dish. Hold this.

Don't drop it.

What game does it play?

Man, where's the start button?

[car approaches]

[car door closes]

Char.

Zane.

You going to let me in?

Who's Char?

I can't stay.

If they're not here now, they will be soon.

Who, Zane? The police?

What about the police?

Well, they came to my work, Zane.

Some detective.

He said something about manslaughter charges in Mexico.

You're a fugitive? Ooh, that's fat.

The whole thing was fabricated.

They set me up.

I-I don't understand, Zane.

Why would the police want to--

Not the police. It was them.

Them. Who's them?

Forget it.

Probably the aliens.

Who is this child?

And does he mean illegal aliens, Zane?

I hope.

I'll take you car. Give me that.

No, no. No, you won't.

Not until I know what is going on here.

Look.

It sounds nuts, but I know what I saw.

I know why they're here.

I know about the poppy field in the Arctic.

Their whole master plan about the air and the--

Give me the keys.

I can't let you go, Zane.

Not alone, not like this.

You don't have to come.

I wouldn't believe me, either, unless I'd seen for myself.

But, Char, I must leave now.

You think I'm letting you out of my sight?

Yeah, you are nuts.

Can I come? Can I come?

[Zane] Get off me! This isn't a field trip.

I left my grandma a note.

I want to come. I want to help.

[Zane] Drive!

Pull over at the onramp.

I'll drive.

I got shotgun.

Zane, I think that you've got to deal with this.

You know, somehow.

If it means both of us going to the police

and just explaining--

I can't get stuck in some jail.

Not now.

Please, pull over.

All right, we're here.

Now what do you hope to accomplish?

Keys.

Keys. Keys.

Where's Char?

What are you doing?

Getting my stuff out of the car.

Is that all right?

I just-- The strangest thoughts.

Kiki, if it says "power," you push it.

These monitors. This stuff here.

Light it up, everything.

Find Omni Star 5.

I'll need two sets of coordinates--

right ascension and declination.

Zane, I don't see how listening to some star is--

It's not a star.

And this time, we're talking, not listening.

[sighs]

[engine roars]

So, this is some kind of satellite in orbit?

It's a co-op weather satellite. [typing]

One that about 50 TV stations pull a continuous feed off of.

100,000 watts ought to get their attention.

And they'll understand what all this means?

We're gonna find out, right now.

[beeping]

[electrical crackle]

[clacking]

Shit.

What is it? What's happening?

[clacking]

What's wrong with this thing?

[scoffs] Gardening.

I didn't see any gardens around here, Zane.

What are they doing here, Char?

Like I should know.

You made a call.

From the car.

Zane, when you start talking about aliens and master plans,

and then this woman being killed in Mexico--

Did I mention that it was a woman?

The pol-- The police told me, okay?

Ah! And that's who you called, right, Char?

You called the police.

Yes, it is.

You were scaring me with your talk.

You're scaring me now, the way you're--

As soon as I left SETI, you left.

As soon as I got back from Mexico,

there you were, waiting for me.

Because I thought you might need me, Zane.

Like I needed all that career advice?

The gentle persuasion?

The little nudges about how I was wasting my life?

I-- [footsteps approach]

Aah!

[grunting]

[screaming]

[screeching]

Cold.

Too cold.

[vans approaching]

I'm sorry.

I am just so sorry.

I didn't believe about--

You've got to trust me

when I say that I only called the police,

and only because I wanted--

Then what are they doing here, Char?

Who told them to find me here?

I don't know.

I honestly do not know.

Kiki.

Watch this screen.

When you see my face,

I want you to hit the red key right there.

The one right next to you. The transmit key.

Heh-hey, you ain't leaving me here, are you?

Don't worry. They'll be chasing us.

We're gonna give this one more shot.

Go.

No, no, no. It's this way. Go.

[speaking indistinctly]

[car engine starts]

[keys jingling]

Give it. Give me the chain.

You can move the dish from here, right?

So go. I can do this.

Zane, for once in your paranoid life,

would you please just trust me?

[glass breaking]

Now, Kiki.

Now, Kiki! Hit it now!

Kiki, the red transmit key. Hit it now.

Kiki, for shit's sake, hit it now!

Now! Now!

Hit it now!

Like I said, Zane...

you didn't know the half of it.

Zane, what happened?

Why did they leave?

They didn't.

How do you know?

Because we aren't dead yet.

Help me. [grunts]

Move!

[screeching]

[clanging]

[hisses] [gasps]

Zane, c-can we get out of here now?

Not that way.

I'll be right behind you.

[mechanical droning]

[gasps]

Not...so...fast.

[grunts]

Zane!

Aah!

Aah!

[metal groaning]

[gasping]

[screaming]

[panting]

[thumping]

Oh, please.

Oh, please. Please.

[thumping continues]

[grunting]

Why did it have to be like this?

Why couldn't you just come and ask for our help?

Then you tell them.

You go back and tell them that I know.

That she knows.

That others will know.

It's not gonna be easy.

Not anymore.

[bones cracking]

Summer is just refusing to go away.

Record highs again in the Big Apple,

while New England states are reporting a delay

of the fall foliage season.

In fact, it's been warmer than normal

up and down the entire Eastern seaboard.

They're terraform factories, aren't they?

Yes.

You're pumping out greenhouse gas.

Now you're dead.

You're changing the air, the temperature,

the whole ecosystem.

We're just finishing what you started.

What would've taken you 100 years, we'll do in 10.

Just speeding along your own demise.

Like you sped Calvin along. And Ilana Green, right?

If you can't tend to your own planet,

none of you deserve to live here.

Closed-Captioned By Burbank, CAServices, Inc.