Original subtitles

[suspenseful music playing]

[thunder rumbles]

[thunder rumbles]

[siren blaring]

Dr. Evans, please listen to me. Topeka is in trouble.

James, I know you think your tornado indicator

numerical algorithm is going to revolutionize science,

but 30 years of experience tells me to trust my readings.

And I'm not seeing anything to suggest a tornado.

As you can see, temp is nominal,

pressure is stable, and winds are negligible.

There's no rear flake, downdraft, nothing.

That's because our current tech only has a total detection rate

of 60% on average and a 70% false alarm rate.

TINA's pot is 96% with 5% FAR

and is currently predicting an F2 tornado

within the next 7 minutes centered in Topeka, Kansas,

with a 98.3% accuracy.

Dr. Evans, I've put countless hours of research into this.

I've used research you yourself did with Professor Bennett.

You know TINA is the future. You must issue a warning.

AI may be the future, but it is not the present,

and I'm not issuing any warnings based on some untested software.

Well, I have to at least warn the people I care about.

[birds cawing]

[grunts]

- [phone rings] - [sighs]

Hey, James, I really can't talk right now,

but I will call you back in a few.

I know. TINA's online today.

Exactly. Professor Bennett,

you need to seek shelter immediately.

TINA's predicted an F2 tornado about to hit Topeka.

Wait. What?

James, I don't see any inflow bands

or feel a change in the barometric pressure.

- Are you sure? - Yes.

You need to get inside as soon as possible.

Okay.

Okay, I'm heading to the shelter now.

Better safe than sorry, right?

I'll call you from inside.

Dr. Evans, even Professor Bennett

is taking this seriously.

And I'm taking facts seriously, not some untested software.

Well, as head programmer here, I...

As your boss here, I'm telling you

that issuing a false warning can be very dangerous.

TINA is way too cutting-edge to be useful right now.

Once you work the kinks out...

That's what they said about using microwaves

to beam solar energy from space, and that...

Took years to be operational, so be patient.

- [beeping] - [man] Hey, you guys see this?

- Drop in pressure. - Something strange is going on.

Strong winds with moisture buildup at latitude 39.050980.

Longitude minus 95.670433.

Topeka?

I need more data from you before I can proceed.

We need to get this information exactly right

before we can alert the authorities.

TINA confirms the mesocyclone is underway,

causing temperature differential at the edge of the downdraft.

An F2 tornado will be destructive and build very fast.

We have less than five minutes.

Have the Topeka office issue an imminent tornado warning.

- [dial tone] - Hello. Rosemary speaking.

Alert the National Guard to start evacuations.

Yes, ma'am.

[suspenseful music playing]

[thunder rumbles]

[wind blowing]

- [wind blowing] - Oh, my God.

Oh, no! [grunts]

Oh! Ah! [screams]

[sirens blaring]

The rapid gathering of low-level air moisture,

creating the inflow bands and spiraling formation

is astonishing.

The dew point usually says it's around 3.2.

This is showing a dew point of negative 8.3.

- It's happening too fast. - Oh, we've got a tornado

that's about to happen in Pleasant Hill.

- Well, we better tell it... - Another in Warrensburg.

That can't be correct.

The rate of atmospheric disruption can't be accurate.

According to TINA, dozens of cyclone storm clusters

are forming across the entire Midwest over the next 12 hours.

What in God's name is going on?

The damage to rural and city areas has been catastrophic.

Rescue crews are hard at work,

but preliminary reports from Topeka paint a grim picture.

What's the status? I need info now.

The tornado caught everyone off guard.

Over 60 dead and counting.

Property damage in the millions.

I'm sorry.

I just got off the phone with the National Guard

who are already putting shelter in place and EVACs.

Good.

I also double-checked TINA's findings.

Because you're right.

The amount of cyclonic regeneration

needed to cover the entire Midwest is impossible.

But?

I had TINA run thousands of mathematical models.

Arctic sea ice is rapidly melting,

causing the jet stream to be pulled further north.

That should reduce the amount of tornadoes.

Correct, but the ENSO is also

an atmospheric variable to consider.

Why?

The El Niño Southern Oscillation is in the Pacific Ocean.

While it manifests in the Pacific,

it's a chain-reaction process that shuffles

global weather patterns, pushing warm moist air north.

Colliding with the cold Arctic air mass generating a low SIE.

Creating a once-in-a-generation event

of massive instability

across the entire Midwest for the next 12 hours.

We're talking massive tornadoes

lasting for hours on one end of the scale

and smaller tornadoes popping up without warning

at the other end.

What data set are you using?

I thought TINA only predicted

the appearance and size of a tornado.

It did, but now TINA uses data

from another sensor weather network

currently being rolled out.

Your sister's next-gen network.

Yes.

Her network has sensors positioned

all throughout the Midwest, and they're all bi-directional.

And TINA has access to this full, complete network?

The network is incomplete.

There are still sensors that need to be upgraded

to bi-directional variants.

Once that happens, TINA will be able

to predict tornadoes from the Gulf of Mexico

all the way to the Canadian border with 100% accuracy.

Then that's the plan.

You need to get ahold of Erica

and get this system up and running as soon as possible.

We use to work together.

Her hardware, my software.

Since the incident we haven't spoken.

Then how are you using her hardware?

She hasn't changed her credentials.

So if she finds out, she can kick you off,

and TINA will be useless.

Not useless, just not as useful.

Look, I understand what you two went through

was very devastating,

but she has the hardware and you have the software.

You need to call your sister

and work out your dysfunctional relationship.

This is bigger than the two of you.

There's millions of lives at stake.

Understood.

Hey, you've reached Erica.

Just leave me a message at the tone.

- [tone sounds] - Erica, it's James again.

Call me. It's an emergency.

Text Erica.

Erica, call me ASAP. It's an emergency.

[phone ringing]

James here.

I see your location on SR 350,

20.2 miles west of Lone Jack.

TINA shows an F1 has developed in your location.

I have the same reading.

Do you have a visual?

Negative.

Wait. I have a visual.

It just popped up out of nowhere like the one in Topeka.

- What's that? - Debris is falling from the sky.

Are you okay? James.

[sighs]

James, respond. Are you okay?

I'm fine.

The funnel's gone. I have clear skies.

This climate instability is stranger than predicted.

Can you continue?

Yeah.

After seeing the tornado pop up out of nowhere,

we've got to get this network up so we know exact locations.

What's your ETA to Lone Jack?

- [beeping] - 20 minutes.

Okay. Let me know when you've reached Erica.

After the devastating news coming out of Topeka today,

I'm here with Dr. Erica Garland of NOAA

to tell us what is being done to prevent

such a loss of life and property in the future.

Doctor?

Excuse me. I'm sorry.

Just some odd readings.

But yes, what happened in Topeka today is heartbreaking.

Any loss of life is unacceptable.

The key is warning times so people can get to shelter.

And that's why I have been finishing up

the installation of a network of next-generation sensors

to help predict severe weather events much faster,

especially tornadoes.

And, Doctor, how exactly does your network of sensors

help us to predict such extreme weather events?

Well, this sensor network is a bi-directional network,

far more accurate than any current technology,

allowing for better prediction

and more relevant real-time data collection

such as informing if you're dealing with an F1 or an F5.

Of course, Midwesterners, we know that F1 and F5

are at opposite ends of the Fujita scale.

Yes, that's correct.

The Fujita scale assigns the tornado strength

a number starting from F0,

meaning that your winds, they can start

at 85 miles per hour, causing light damage,

all the way to an F5

with winds starting at 200 miles per hour,

destroying everything in its path.

So, Doctor, what was the rating of the tornado

that hit Topeka today?

That was an F2.

Unfortunately, that tornado developed so fast

that people were unable to get to safety.

My hope is that we can use this network to alert authorities

and power an app on people's phones,

giving them at least a 40-minute head start

instead of the current 13 minutes.

That information, it's life or death.

And if available, an app like that,

it may have saved countless lives in Topeka.

Thank you, Dr. Garland.

I'm Claudia Santiago with TABN Kansas City News.

Back to you in the studio.

[man] And we're out.

Thank you so much for your time.

Thank you.

- So? - It was pretty good.

Erica.

[Claudia] I just feel like we need to be doing more.

What do you want, James?

Your sensors and my AI are predicting

an unprecedented set of storm cells

developing in the next 12 hours.

I've tried to call you and text you, but I've got no response.

Yeah, well that's because I blocked you, James.

Why hasn't NOAA sent out a shelter-in-place order?

We have. The amount of area needed to prepare is vast.

It takes time to align the agencies and get them active.

So why are you here?

What do you mean, your AI and my sensors?

I used TINA with your sensors.

- You did what? - I know. I'm sorry.

But it was the only way I could get a full accurate prediction.

Plus we can determine the length of the storm as well.

- James! - Look, I know you're upset

with me and you're furious and you can yell at me later.

But Dr. Evans sent me here

to help you finish installing your sensors

as soon as possible

and get TINA's AI downloaded to the network

so we can predict these tornadoes with full accuracy

and help the emergency services teams

and anyone else who can't get out.

Look, I know that my sensors are real and accurate,

but your artificial intelligence

and all those large number sets, it's BS.

That's where science turns to probability.

I fixed the error in the code.

TINA is an exponential leap in the algorithm.

Your mistake cost us the lives of six people

and you destroyed my life.

Erica.

I'm sorry.

And maybe someday you'll realize that and believe me,

but today...

Today we have to work together,

otherwise millions of people are going to die.

Excuse me. You're saying you knew about today's tornado?

It's a little more complicated than a sound bite.

How do you know this isn't just a lucky guess?

Check the data.

It also predicted another tornado before it happened,

before I could see it.

Is that right, Dr. Garland?

Can you please just give us a little space?

What's happening?

The SIE is pulling the ENSO warm air mass up north

from the Gulf of Mexico.

And it's causing massive instability across the Midwest.

No, that's not correct.

The sensor IDs are referenced. Check it against your own data.

Okay, yeah, no, the data is lining up,

but this is predicting something that has never happened before.

Because it's a combination of two massive weather anomalies

creating a once-in-a-generation occurrence.

Please, what exactly are you saying?

Look, it's not conclusive, okay?

It's... It's... There is preliminary evidence

that's showing a massive series of storm cells

just all up and down Tornado Alley.

Yes, but isn't that normal for this time of year?

Yes. Tornadoes are normal.

But what's not normal is the potential

of dozens of F5 tornadoes with wind speeds

of over 400 miles per hour.

Look, if you are correct about this, without this network,

we won't be able to alert the military,

emergency services, or citizens.

I'm not wrong about this.

Fine.

But this is about protecting lives,

not repairing our relationship.

Fair enough.

Okay.

All right.

So we have updated sensors here and here.

We need to upgrade here and here.

[wind blowing]

[beeping]

TINA is predicting an F3 tornado in our location.

- When? - Now.

Look, I know that my sensors are accurate.

Are you sure that you actually programmed it correctly?

Yes, Erica. TINA is a predictive AI program

using your sensors.

But nothing is happening here, James.

Barometric pressure is nominal.

No inflow bands are indicating any air-moisture movement.

Check again. What does your sensor say?

[beeping]

Air pressure is changing now.

Barometric pressure, it's dropping like a stone.

I hate to say it, James, but I think that your software,

it might be right.

[thunder strikes]

It's happening again.

I know. I know. But we need to get into that farmhouse.

- Let's go. - But...

No, no, just go. We are right behind you.

- No, I gotta film this. - No, no. You don't. Okay?

We need to get everything secure and we've got to get inside.

Come on.

Go. Get inside. Let's go.

Go! Go! Hurry! Come on! Move!

[suspenseful music playing]

Come on.

Get in! Move! Go! Get in there!

[coughing]

Everybody, grab on to something!

James, find something to hunker everybody down with!

- James! - He's still upstairs!

- No! - Oh, my God.

[coughing]

[grunts]

Snap out of it, James! Come on!

Go! Go! Run! Go!

Hold on! This is just the beginning!

- What now? - Relax, relax.

How am I supposed to relax?

He's just out here from California.

Okay, okay, listen to me. That is an F3 up there.

We need to hunker down until it passes.

Stay in the middle of the room and away from the walls.

This is just like an earthquake, okay?

How is this like an earthquake?

Steve, Steve, relax! Hold on!

Earthquakes are over in a matter of seconds.

We're all gonna die!

- Shut up! - Listen to me!

We are going to make it if we stay calm and don't panic.

Do you understand?

Listen to me, buddy. You got this, buddy.

- Hang on. Hold on. - Stop pacing! Sit down.

Hold on.

Hold on! Everybody, hold tight!

- Steve! - I can't hold on!

Help!

- I'm coming! - Help!

- Steve! - I can't hold on!

- Hold on! Stay calm! - Steve! Steve!

I can't hold on!

Grab a rope! Get a rope!

Here! Grab this!

- Got it! - Grab this!

I don't think I can do this!

Just stay calm, please!

I don't think I can do this!

You got this, man! Tie it!

- Strap in, Steve! - I can't do it!

Steve, come on, man! Do it!

Steve!

Help me!

Steve! Hang on!

- Watch out! - Steve!

Steve! Steve, watch out!

[screaming]

[screaming]

No!

I can't believe we're never going to see Steve again.

[Doug] He was a good kid.

[Claudia] The best.

[James] I can't keep doing this, Erica. We lost another one.

[Erica] I know. I know, but we have to keep going.

Otherwise, we're going to lose a lot more if we don't.

Yeah.

[phone rings]

Dr. Evans, are you seeing this?

Yes. TINA's predicting four massive F5s that will converge

into the largest tornado event ever recorded.

It looks like they're all joining together near Wichita.

That's where the last sensor is.

Well, you need to get there as fast as you can

and get your sensor up and running.

We need a way to stop these tornadoes from converging.

The sensors are meant for detection, not prevention.

We need options.

These tornadoes will be as destructive

as six Hiroshima nuclear explosions,

sending over 100 terajoules of energy across the Midwest.

Even with evacuations in place,

the loss of life would be massive.

You need to get those sensors up and running

and give me options, and think outside of the box.

- Understand? - Understood.

Well, give me updates.

I'm off to make sure that the military

has evacuations and its own game plan.

How are we supposed to stop a tornado, James?

- She's asking the impossible. - Nothing is impossible.

We just haven't figured it out yet.

Let's get that sensor upgraded

and then we can worry about the impossible.

We just need a ride.

You can, um... You can use the news van.

It's built for severe weather,

and I don't want anybody else getting hurt, so...

Thank you.

One condition. We're going with you.

[Erica] Deal.

Okay. Um, the bad news is, Steve had the keys.

You don't have an extra set?

No. Have an extra set back in KC,

but it does us no good, so, um...

Do you think that you could hotwire it?

No. This is a digital ignition.

So I would need either a code or a clone of the key, so no.

If it's digital, I can hack it with my tablet

via the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi system.

It's going to take some time.

What other choice do we have? Let's do it.

Okay.

[beeping]

All right. I'm going to run an algorithm.

- I'll check in a minute. - All right.

While we have the time,

we may as well get back to the impossible.

Okay.

Let's get back to the basic principles.

What causes a tornado?

Temperature differences around a mesocyclone.

So if we wanted to stop a tornado,

we would need to normalize the temperature differential.

Yeah.

Okay, but maybe by adding additional amounts

of energy to change

the thermodynamic gradients within the vortex.

Exactly. Blow up the Clausius-Clapeyron equation,

like blowing up a burrito in the microwave.

Anything?

[engine whines]

No. Dead stick.

I'll try another algorithm.

We don't blow up tornadoes because it's too destructive.

As destructive as four F5 tornadoes?

Good point.

Okay, so assuming we move forward with this,

how do we target the tornadoes?

We can use my sensors.

Okay, we can adjust the telemetry data

and change it from a sensor network

into a targeting network.

So now we would have a targeting system

to another algorithm, just like you're doing now.

Perfect.

- Try it. - [engine whines]

Still nothing.

Here comes another algorithm.

So we target the source with your sensor network.

Now we just need an energy source to target the cyclone.

Too bad we can't put it into a giant microwave.

It's your example.

Wait, I was just talking to Dr. Evans about solar satellites

that beam energy waves down to Earth as microwaves.

So we use TINA to identify the tornadoes.

And have your sensor network target them.

Theoretically, we could use those satellites

to blast those tornadoes with microwave beams.

We would need military and government approval, of course.

Science is solid, if a little unorthodox.

Okay, so we've got a plan. I'll let Dr. Evans know

and she can get military approval for the satellite use.

Try it again.

[engine starts]

- That's it. - We got it.

All right, let's get in the van.

Let's get to Wichita and upgrade that next sensor.

We've only got 10 hours and 37 minutes

to calibrate all the sensors.

[Evans] Wait, you're changing the purpose of the sensors?

Yes, we'd be using the sensors as a targeting system

to pinpoint the tornado's location.

Then use the satellites to overload the tornadoes

with microwaves, thus ending the formations.

Well, I asked you for choices and you gave me one.

That's definitely thinking outside of the box.

I'm going to have to contact the joint chiefs

and see what's possible.

Maybe get a military liaison here to help coordinate.

I'll let you know if we can do this.

[dial tone]

- Encouraging? - We'll find out.

Hey, James. You're a veteran storm chaser.

So what happened back at the farm?

You froze for a moment and then seemed to get back into it.

You don't have to answer that, James.

It's okay.

PTSD.

But then I knew I had to do what I could to help.

Sorry I couldn't help Steven in time.

It's not your fault. It's not anybody's fault.

No, it was my fault this time.

Like it was last time.

We need to stay focused, James.

No need to explain.

Thanks.

But it helps me to talk about it.

What if I don't want to talk about it?

It was the worst day of my life, James.

Mine, too.

We both lost a lot that day.

Okay, then tell her.

Erica and I were on a team

chasing storms all over Tornado Alley.

Retrieving the most accurate information we could gather.

My best friend, Dan, was on that team.

On one particular chase...

we were tracking an F4.

All the data we were getting was amazing.

But...

Erica felt it was too dangerous

and too unpredictable to follow the tornado anymore.

Dan and I felt the information we were gathering

was worth the risk.

I did everything I could to talk Dan out of continuing.

He believed in the cause.

And he went.

Our team, minus Erica,

took off in two trucks after the tornado.

Dan took one truck, and I was in the other.

We were getting fantastic data.

Until out of nowhere the tornado turned into an F5.

It was a monster.

Wait, you're talking about the El Reno tornado, aren't you?

We were on our planned escape route

when the tornado turned,

and Dan and I decided it was statistically safer to split up.

Dan took the team in one truck.

I was by myself in the other.

That way the data would survive

if something happened to one of the trucks.

That's when we were driving our separate ways.

And I watched the tornado turn...

and devour Dan's truck, killing everybody inside.

Oh, my God.

And just when I thought it couldn't get any worse...

the tornado changed course.

It blew my truck off the road and flipped it into a ditch.

Jesus.

I broke 18 bones in my body.

But I was the lucky one.

I survived.

That's horrible.

I'm so, so sorry, Erica.

I told you.

You wouldn't listen.

We lost our team and I lost everything.

I know.

But that is why I've improved the algorithm.

Why your sensors are so important.

I took the data from that tornado and used it for good...

so that nobody ever has to go through that again.

Just tell yourself what you want, James.

But you buried yourself inside, refusing to deal,

hoping to hide from the pain of life

while I was outside,

facing my pain.

We're almost there.

Let's get ready.

[wind blowing]

Let's focus on balancing out the gyros on the sensor,

and then you can download your software, okay?

Once it's calibrated,

it should be able to communicate with the network,

and then we can head to the last sensor in Independence.

It should only take about 30 minutes at most

to get the sensor upgraded.

We'll see. The internals are the same,

but some of the enclosures are different.

Either way, we're gonna need to move quickly.

We've got a two-hour drive to Independence.

Because we can't use air transpo with these unpredictable storms.

I know. Can you hand me the wrench?

Good news. Dr. Evans says the joint chiefs

approved use of the microwave satellites.

All set. Your turn.

This should take only a couple of minutes to download.

Hey.

I get that you're upset.

I'm upset, too.

But we can't let that affect

how we're working together right now.

I need all of you, Erica, if we're going to fix this,

not just the part of you that's upset with me.

I'll pack up and we can get to the next sensor.

You know, this might actually work.

About earlier...

Hey, no.

Let's just move forward.

[thunder cracking]

James, we have to hurry.

That wall cloud is building quickly.

Look, I don't know how long this van is gonna hold up.

We need to move. Let's go.

- James! - I know!

- I'm going as fast as I can. - Well, go faster!

The whole state is on the line, the whole Midwest!

I'm aware!

Done.

It's upgraded, calibrated, and live on the network.

All right, let's get in the van!

- Erica! - [grunts]

- Erica, are you okay? - No! No!

Without this dish,

we won't be able to upload the local data to the satellites.

We won't have a complete network.

You said there was redundancy on the network.

There is, but this sensor station is a nexus node,

and it is primary for the network to work.

If that sensor fails, there is no network.

You two okay?

Look, we need to leave.

No! We can't until we fix this dish.

- No, no, you said that... - I know what I said.

But if we don't fix this,

then everything we've done won't matter.

Take my tablet. Help me get this in the van,

see if we can get it fixed.

- Come on! - It's on. Let's go!

Damn it. It's worse than I thought.

The transducer's been shattered.

How badly does that affect us?

A lot. Transducers change one form of energy

into another form of energy.

It's the way we send information from the sensors back to NOAA.

And without it,

the sensors, they won't be able to communicate

with the satellite and the network.

Well, here.

I got some backup transducers for our satellite dish.

- Will that work? - No.

No, unfortunately, your hardware,

it's not compatible with ours.

The dynamic range is different.

Can I help with software?

No. It's a hardware issue.

All the way down the signal path.

Nothing is compatible.

I mean, the only way that it would work

is if we used the news van's satellite relay

and all of their electronics.

We would have to cannibalize

their entire satellite rig down to the interface.

Do it.

We are stopping those tornadoes from converging.

Do whatever you need to do to get the sensor to work.

Really?

Yeah. Claudia's right.

Anything we can do to help, just let us know.

We would have to use your satellite dish

and most of your electronics.

Yeah. That's fine.

- Just... Yeah. Let's go. - Okay, then.

- Mm-hmm. - Okay. Let's do it.

I'm gonna download the software, and then you can finish.

Okay.

We need to get it up on the pole

so we can get a better signal.

I got some ratchet straps in there.

You think that'll work?

Yeah, that's great.

Here you go.

- I'm done. You're up. - Okay.

Put it up on the pole.

- Take it up. - Lift it up.

- [wind blowing] - [beeping]

TINA's predicting a flash tornado

at our location in the next 45 seconds!

How is this an early warning system?

These aren't regular storms or circumstances!

We gotta focus!

Almost there.

Tornado!

Go! I've got this! Get to the van!

No! No, I am not leaving you!

- It came loose. - Come on! We gotta hurry!

That's as tight as it's gonna get!

- We gotta go! Let's go! - Come on!

[tires squeal]

- [beeping] - The sensor held!

[Claudia] It's getting closer!

Go. Go. Go!

The tornado's gaining! Move it or we're dead!

Hang on!

We need to find shelter ASAP!

Can't we just go in a different direction

away from the tornado?

We have to keep the same heading!

Otherwise, every turn that we take

is another mile away from the next sensor.

Look! Look!

There's a parking garage up ahead.

- No! Not a parking garage! - Why not?

Because we could get stuck if the entrance gets blocked.

Maybe, but we are absolutely

going to be wiped off the face of this earth

if we don't find cover now!

- It's a bad idea. - Make a decision.

Just look around. We don't have any other options, James.

- Fine. - Go!

[tires squeal]

Everyone okay?

- Yeah. - Yeah.

Does anyone else have signal

to call for help or Dr. Evans,

let her know we won't be able to reach the signal now?

No.

Then we're on our own.

We'll have to wait until the tornado subsides

before we look for a way out.

Dr. Evans.

Thank you very much.

General Murphy, thank you for coming to NOAA,

and thank you for the approval

to use the satellite constellation

to try to stop these tornados.

More importantly, my presence here

is to liaise directly with the military,

streamline your command structure.

What are your thoughts on the plan?

I think it's an unorthodox solution,

but the science is strong.

Well, I'm all behind solutions, Doctor.

And if I get to shoot at a problem and solve it,

all the better.

I got your status report about losing contact

with your scientists on the ground.

Any updates?

No, sir. Nothing. No responses.

If they're dead and we can't get these sensors up and running

to target this tornado, what's our backup?

I've reviewed all of our options.

Our best plan B is to seed the storm with silver iodide.

I've already been on the phone with the proper authorities

to put that in place.

Silver iodide. Isn't that what they use to make it rain?

Why would we want that?

It impregnates the storm clouds with ice nuclei,

cooling the warm moisture,

stopping the formation of mesocyclones

and, thus, tornado funnels.

Seems pretty straightforward.

Why hasn't it been done yet?

Logistics. Due to the size of the storm fronts,

we've had to locate all the silver iodide

from across the country,

have it delivered to the closest Air Force Base

to be loaded onto aircraft to disperse it.

How many planes do you need?

It should take 30 aircraft

to seed the 500 square miles of storms

with the amount of silver iodide

we've delivered to the Air Force.

Why wasn't this done in the first place?

This amount of silver iodide has never been seeded before.

It could cause an ecological disaster

if these storms change direction

and the silver iodide misses the storms.

If this lands on the ground, sir...

Well, I'll call the Air Force

and make sure those planes are loaded and in the air ASAP.

I think anything we can do to weaken the storm

is only gonna help us.

Agreed.

If we don't hear from the scientists

by the T minus 2-hour mark,

we're gonna have to go ahead and seed the storms.

We're just gonna have to take the risk.

We're stuck down here like rats.

I told you not to go underground.

Let's just focus on how we're going to get out.

Exactly how are we gonna get out?

The tornado has parked itself directly above us, James.

We haven't had a chance to check out the blockage yet.

Exactly. That tornado is sitting right on top of us.

We could have easily outrun it if Doug had just driven faster.

Excuse me?

Don't blame Doug.

We wouldn't be in this mess

if you'd just listened to me in the first place.

The last time I listened to you, my fiancé died.

[thunderclap]

Got it. Thank you.

The planes are approved.

Where are we on the silver iodide?

We've got eight hours before the tornados converge

and another 30 minutes

before the last of the silver iodide arrives.

Cutting it close.

They still have to load the planes.

[beeping]

- What it is? - According to TINA,

the four tornados that are headed for convergence

are moving faster than before.

They will combine in less than five hours.

Damn it. That cuts our time by a third.

We can't wait for the last of the silver iodide.

We have to launch that seeding squadron now.

I'll inform the airfields.

This is General Murphy. Launch 'em now.

- [Erica] What's this? - I scouted for supplies,

but only came across these bags of fertilizer.

[clattering]

James, you're right.

We have to go.

We have to get out of here.

This place is settling.

I don't know how long we have until it collapses.

We have no communication with Dr. Evans either.

Those F5 tornadoes are coming in the next few hours,

and we have to stop them.

I know, but we can't rely on our tech.

But we have no other option.

Back to the basics.

What would Professor Bennett do?

[chuckles]

He always used to say KISS:

Keep It Simple, Stupid.

[both laugh]

I know. It's funny, right?

We had these farmer boys

that were also coders in the class,

and they always laughed and replied,

"Or you could just blow it up."

[both laugh]

What does that coding term mean?

It's not a coding term.

They literally meant blow it up.

They would get fertilizer from the AG school

and they would grab something from the junkyard,

take it into an empty field and... [imitates explosion]

Every time they were upset.

I forgot that you went to a school

in the middle of nowhere.

Well, you were lucky.

You went to the big fancy school

to study the latest scientific stuff like the Tesla coil.

Oh, hey, hey.

That's the largest Tesla coil in America.

It's still standing.

While you were over there just playing with cow poop.

It was fertilizer, not manure.

You'd be surprised

the amount of explosive you can make with that stuff.

[both chuckle]

Oh.

That's it.

What?

We'll blow our way out of here.

With what?

Fertilizer.

Okay, but won't that just make the debris move even more?

Not if we place it strategically.

Okay.

We don't have time to waste. We're gonna need Doug.

Let's get him.

Thanks for sticking up for me back there,

but you know I can take care of myself, right?

Of course. You stuck by me for all of this.

It's the least I can do.

You kidding me? Wouldn't miss this for anything.

[clattering]

There's more? We're never gonna get out of here!

Claudia?

- [screams] - No!

Claudia!

- Doug! No! - Oh, my God.

[crying] I gotta...

- No, no, no, no. Hey, hey. - I gotta help her.

No. She's gone. There's nothing you can do.

Get him back to the van.

[James] Doug, I've figured a way out of here,

but I'm gonna need your help.

- How many more we need? - All of 'em.

You sure this is gonna work?

It's the only option we've got.

That's the last of 'em.

Doug, I'm sorry about Claudia.

You don't know how to siphon gas, do you?

Of course I do.

I need a fuel source to ignite this.

No need. I got a gas can in the truck.

Never know when you'll need extra fuel.

- Go grab it. - Got it.

Hey. Can I help with anything?

Can you find me a lighter?

Okay.

Here you go. It's about three quarters full.

Perfect.

All right, I got the lighter.

Here you go.

Perfect.

All right.

You guys should get behind the van.

Cover your ears tight.

There's gonna be a lot of air compression and heat.

Is the van gonna be okay?

Should be.

Wait a minute. Should be?

Well, I've strategically placed the fertilizer on this side

so the explosion goes away from the van.

So in theory, it should be.

Like a Claymore?

Yes.

- Let's go. - All right.

All right.

Come on.

[suspenseful music playing]

- You good? - Yeah.

James, come on!

♪♪♪

Come on.

Everyone okay?

- Yeah. - Yeah.

Let's get to that last sensor.

Be careful driving through that rubble.

Copy that.

Where is everyone?

Looks like the evacuations worked.

You checked to see if we have any signal?

I am reconfirming the exact GPS coordinates

for the next sensor, but...

- Head for Independence, Doug. - [line ringing]

Dr. Evans?

Dr. Garland. We thought we lost you.

I've been trying to contact you for over an hour.

We had to find shelter and got trapped,

but we're back on the road.

TINA's confirmed the tornados have sped up.

You only have four hours to get to that last sensor.

What?

I've sent a squadron of aircraft

to stop them before they combine

or at least slow them down.

The aircraft have been rigged

to seed the tornados with silver iodide.

That's great.

How far away are you from the next sensor?

[Erica] 200 miles.

James, that doesn't give you much time

to get to that last sensor. You have to hurry.

Go as fast as possible.

Copy that.

- You heard her. Let's move. - I'm on it.

Copy that.

Our seeding squadron has arrived.

Now we can act.

They're headed for the first tornado right now.

Captain Morales, give me a sit rep?

13 klicks from the drop zone, General.

Extreme winds are creating non-optimal flying conditions.

Pinpoint accuracy may suffer.

General Murphy, I'm not sure we're fully prepared for this.

Captain Morales, your target zone is flexible

within two to five klicks for payload dispersal.

We have to get rid of these tornadoes

before they emerge into an F6.

Copy that, sir. We'll get to the target.

Copy that, Captain. Proceed with caution.

Will do.

Bravo, Charlie,

tighten formation on approach of drop zone.

Copy that, Captain. Roger.

We've arrived at the drop zone, General.

Execute.

Copy that.

Bravo, Charlie,

drop payload on my mark

in three,

two,

one, mark.

Payload successfully launched. I repeat, payload...

I'm hit!

Aah! I've lost control of the plane!

I'm going down!

What's happened?

We've lost them.

All of them.

Then our only hope to stop these tornados

is with the targeting sensors and microwave bombardment.

We have 33 minutes before these four tornados

converge into a super tornado.

- Be ready to get moving. - Copy that.

It looks like they just left everything as is

as soon as the evacuations

and shelter-in-place order went out.

Let's get this sensor up and running.

- Where is it? - It should over be here.

No! No, no, no!

God, no! The sensor station, it's destroyed.

No, we should be good.

We can just swap out the sensor core with a new one.

No, just look at it.

It was struck by lightning, so all the electronics

that were supporting the sensor core, they're fried.

We're not gonna be able to stop the tornadoes now!

Hey, hey, hey, listen to me!

We're gonna be fine. We just need to get out of the rain,

get the circuit board back to the van,

and see what we can do.

Go!

Come on.

You guys okay?

What do we have available to us?

We have your computer and we have my last sensor,

but we need a power supply, logic board,

a hard drive, receivers, transmitters,

and on top of all that, a dish.

We're screwed.

No, no, no. We've got all that right here in the van.

Are you suggesting that we build a whole new sensor station?

Yes.

Okay, so we can use your computer

with TINA already installed as the brain,

and we use the truck as is for all the electronics.

I mean, it's already designed to send and receive signals.

But we still need a dish, a parabolic-shaped dish

to gather and send signals to and from the receiver.

Those discs on the Ferris wheel passenger pods

are the same shape as a dish.

You're a genius.

[wind blowing]

They must have left here in a hurry. They left this.

Still has a round in the chamber.

Ruger American Black Bolt.

It's a nice weapon. Good balance.

Long-range capability.

What about the keys?

Left those, too.

[thunder rumbles]

Flip all the signal switches to the null setting.

- All of them? - Yes.

It'll help clear the pathway to the processor.

- [switches clicking] - Done.

We're in.

Make sure the circuits are dead as we're patching.

We can't afford to lose any of these logic boards.

- Understood, Doc. - Okay.

[thunder rumbles]

[grunts]

It's a little too easy.

Never going on a Ferris wheel again.

Well, welcome to the club.

Hold this.

Let's get this.

- Go. - Get it into place.

We only have 18 minutes until the tornadoes converge.

We have to activate that sensor

so we can get the satellites in place.

[sighs] And if this doesn't work...

You need to leave now.

Wait, what?

No. I'm not leaving.

Let me help you guys, please.

James is right.

You parked the van in a protected spot.

We'll be safe in it long enough to get the sensor up.

Yeah? And then what, hmm?

Look, I can't lose anyone else.

Please, just take the tanker truck

and head west as fast as you can.

You'll be safer that way.

[sighs]

Fine. Fine.

Since you're so stubborn about it.

[sighs]

Glad Pop taught me how to drive big rigs.

You guys be safe, all right? See you on the other side...

hopefully.

Let's get these final connections made!

Let me see.

This one goes to...

- [beeping] - Okay! We're ready for power!

Here we go.

- Moment of truth! - Do it.

- [beeps] - Yes!

Check the readings!

We're up and running! Let's move!

[laughs]

No!

We don't have time!

No, we have to fix it!

Otherwise, the satellites won't work,

the tornadoes will converge,

and we won't be able to stop them!

- All right. - Get this.

Okay.

We gotta make sure it stands up.

- Sensor. - Sensor.

Let's get this in there.

Plug it in.

- Get the wires reattached. - I got it. I got it.

That's good. Hook it here.

Okay. All right, we got it.

- Let's go. - Go! Go!

Look for cover.

There!

That?

What other options do we have, James?

There's nothing!

- Watch your head! - Watch your head!

Get in! Get in! Get in!

Hold on!

Hold on!

[both screaming]

Hang on, you guys. I'm coming.

[groaning]

[groaning continues]

Erica, you okay?

[winces]

[grunts]

Erica.

Oh, God.

Erica. Hey!

Oh, God.

Erica, come on. Come on. I can't lose you, too. Come on.

Come on. [panting]

I got you.

[grunting]

Come on.

Come on. Stay with me. Stay with me.

[panting] Hey. Hey, hey. Hey, Erica. Hey.

Oh... Oh, my God.

Oh, God.

- [Erica gasping] - Are you okay?

[gasping]

- I don't know. - Easy, easy.

I think I hurt my wrist. [gasping]

Can you stand?

I think so. I think so.

Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on.

Come on. I got you.

[winces]

Come on. We gotta get to shelter.

Those tornadoes are gonna converge any minute.

Hey. You guys okay?

You're not supposed to be here.

I think I am.

That's fair enough.

Look, um, I think that I may have sprained my wrist,

but otherwise, I think we're okay.

All right, let's go that way. I'll wrap it up.

Okay.

I'm okay.

- Grab a seat over here. - Okay.

Let's see.

You guys took a hell of a ride, huh?

All right.

[winces]

I can't get through to Dr. Evans.

We need to fire those satellites now!

No, J-James, I don't think any of us have signal.

It is no use.

[gentle music playing]

We're out of time.

The tornadoes are converging into one super tornado.

[winds blowing]

[tone chirps]

I've got a signal.

[beeping]

Dr. Evans, the sensor network is online.

Understood.

Dr. Evans, listen to me. We lost our local control.

We need you to initiate the targeting

- and satellites right now. - Roger that.

Initiate microwave satellite bombardment.

Target signal has been acquired by the full network.

The microwave constellation is locked and loaded.

Fire.

Is it working?

It's hard to tell.

It'll take some time for the microwaves

to heat up the air sufficiently.

Come on.

I see some movement.

- Where? - Three o'clock.

Some degradation is happening.

It's working!

The tornadoes are dissipating!

It worked!

- [laughter] - We did it.

Good job, guys.

- [beep] - Well done, you two.

Thank you, Doctor.

We'll be sending out an EMS team to your location ASAP.

We'll get inside and send our GPS coordinates.

Make sure to preserve all local data

so we can codify and expand this network

when you guys get back.

Understood.

I'm classifying this "process in action of fact."

Until we have thoroughly examined this new system,

no one is to speak about or report about it.

You got that, Doug Cameron?

Um, yes, sir.

I'm currently a cameraman without a camera,

- so no problem. - [laughs]

Good. Although I have to tell you,

it's a hell of a system.

- Thank you, sir. - Thank you, sir.

Uh...

maybe I was too fast to misjudge your AI.

I'll forgive you this time.

It's always a learning curve with new... new AI.

I just... I want to say that...

James.

Look.

[wind blowing]

James, TINA's readings show

that while the microwave bombardment worked,

the additional heat created a vacuum,

sucking in massive amounts of warm air,

creating more tornadoes. Over.

How many more storms is TINA predicting?

- Forty. - [gasps]

Wait, did I hear that correctly?

Yes, 40 F5 tornadoes, 30 miles wide.

A 1,200-mile-long wall of destruction.

300-400 mile-an-hour winds.

The eastern half of the country will be destroyed.

That's not a wall.

That's a 1,600-mile-long tombstone.

Dr. Evans, we have to get to safety.

We're back in the truck.

I've patched my phone through the CB radio.

Can you hear us? Over.

Yes, we can hear you.

EVAC warnings have been given for the East Coast

and shelter-in-place warnings for the rest of the Midwest.

Over.

The microwave satellite constellation

is charging for another attempt. Over.

No, we just did that. It only made things worse.

We have to make a change in the variable

or the microwave bombardment

will just continue to make more tornadoes.

How long 'til you can hit the tornadoes

with more microwaves?

Thirty seconds. Over.

Spread the field of microwave saturation by 20%.

Set vectors at plus-2.0 off center.

Full power with max diffusion. Over.

Roger that. New vectors are set and calculated.

Satellites are primed,

locked, loaded, and ready to fire.

Fire!

The ionic bonds are too strong.

Dr. Evans, the tornadoes are too large.

The ionic bonds are too strong to dissipate them.

We... We need to disrupt the energy cycle.

What does that mean, exactly?

I need to know how we're gonna fix this.

The electrochemical bonds that are holding

the tornadoes together need to be broken apart.

Dr. Garland, what's your suggestion? Over.

Come on, James. Think. Keep it simple.

Or you could just blow it up.

That's it.

We need to blow them up.

Drop a large conventional bomb

in the middle of all these tornadoes.

A MOAB, several of them.

It's the only thing that will have enough energy to do that.

Wait, wait. You want to drop the Mother of All Bombs

into that thing, hmm?

The largest non-nuclear ordnance the U.S. military has.

Really?

Yes.

No, a MOAB's too strong, let alone multiples of them.

We can't do that. It's too many civilian casualties.

All the areas are under evacuation

or "shelter in place" underground.

These are non-nuclear weapons, and they're being fired

from several thousand feet in the air.

Everyone on the ground will be safe.

Still, I don't know if I can make that call. Over.

The massive tornado is causing enough destruction on its own.

Any damage done by the bombs

would be insignificant by comparison.

I'll get the go-ahead from above

and scramble the bombers to be ready.

I'll make sure the bombers

fly high above the storm this time.

Over and out.

Ah.

What else can we do

to weaken these ionic bonds for these tornadoes,

help the MOAB as much as possible?

The idea you had of blowing the tornado up

reminds me of a quick and dirty way

we used to put out oil well fires.

My pop used to talk about that all the time.

You mean blow them up using TNT?

Yeah.

It would extinguish the combustion.

What if we reversed that?

Are there any gas lines in the path of the tornado

that we could ignite?

The science is there, but... it's not practical.

I'm not sure if a gas line

would hold up against the tornadoes' front.

Besides, it's like summoning lightning

to do the work for us.

- That's it. - What?

Lightning.

Where are we?

We're about there.

Go here.

We don't have time for a detour.

No, we are just a few miles away from my old college,

where they have exactly what we need

to weaken the ionic bonds of those tornadoes.

The Midwest's largest...

Largest Tesla coil.

Yes.

Dr. Evans, we've just arrived

at the University of Kansas' Tesla coil.

Erica thinks that augmenting the energy

with the tornadoes while we drop the bombs

will break up the ionic bonds,

but the timing has to be precise.

General Murphy has scrambled the bombers, and they're close.

Call me when you're set and ready. Over and out.

- [turns engine off] - Let's go.

I'll get the power up and running

while you guys prep the coil.

I'll tell you what to do.

All right.

All right, come here, Doug.

All right, you're gonna make sure

that all of the switches in each bank are active.

You're gonna flip up each switch to turn it on.

- Okay? - All right.

[switches clicking]

All right. All banks are active.

Waiting to turn on the Tesla coil

at Dr. Evans' command.

James, are you ready?

The tornado wall is closing fast.

You've got 15 minutes before it gets closer.

We're ready.

Activate the Tesla coil.

Light it up.

[electricity crackling]

Tesla coil is fully active at two gigajoules.

Tesla coil activated.

On my mark.

Three, two,

one,

mark.

Execute bombing.

Ascending now to deliver the payload.

It's working.

Almost there.

Come on!

The front changed course.

The Tesla coil, it's drawing it towards us.

I'm shutting it down!

I don't understand. This should have worked.

They shut down the Tesla coil!

What do they think they're doing?

Get them back on the phone.

[wind whooshing]

What are we missing?

We don't have enough explosives.

What if it's not about how many...

but the placement?

Maybe the bombs were too high in the funnel's structure.

And, like Doug said with the oil wells,

- we need a ground explosive. - Yeah.

But, James, there are way too many tornadoes.

We can't hit them all.

What if we don't have to hit them all?

What are you talking about?

What if there's an internal structure

that is holding all of the tornadoes together

and feeding them

and it's just one tornado that's leading them all?

So, we find the prime tornado

that's holding all of these storms together...

We can stop them all.

Okay, but...

No, how do we know which tornado is

the prime tornado?

The Tesla coil is pulling the storm cell

closer to us. The tornado in the front

has to be the prime tornado.

We separate that from the rest of the tornadoes,

they'll all follow, and we can attack them separately.

That sounds great, but what are we gonna use for explosives?

We don't have time to make another fertilizer bomb.

The tanker truck.

I can rig it to explode at the base of the tornado.

Okay, how exactly is blowing up that tanker

gonna stop that giant wall of tornadoes, huh?

All those bombs we threw at it didn't do squat.

First of all, we're attacking the prime tornado

holding all of the other tornadoes together.

Second, it's the placement.

The tanker truck is lower to the ground,

where the tornado is most vulnerable,

and third, the tanker truck is just one part

of a three-pronged attack.

It's just, we have to time it precisely

for everything to work.

All right.

So, how are we gonna blow up the tanker?

I'm sure I can find something in here to make a small IED.

We just need a way to remote-detonate it.

The rifle I found.

I can set off the IED, but that just leaves,

how are we gonna get the tanker to the tornado?

- I'll drive it. - What?

No-no-no-no, look, I'm the only one that knows

how to drive that truck.

[sighs] Let me do it.

No, I am not risking anybody else's life.

Besides, you're the only person that can take that shot.

And you have to stay here and run the Tesla coil.

It makes sense. It's logical. I have to do this.

I can't lose you, James.

You won't.

Okay.

Let's rock.

[thrilling music playing]

All he's gotta do is just point this at the tornado.

We got one round left.

- Then we'd better make it count. - I will.

You're gonna have to hit it here.

It'll cause a chain reaction, blowing up

the compressed gas in the tanks.

- I got this. - Ready?

Tornadoes are just four miles away.

We got less than three minutes to pull this off.

Dr. Evans, General, be ready to fire on my mark.

Understood.

Two gigajoules.

♪♪♪

Three gigajoules, almost there.

Ten gigajoules, power's maxed, hit it!

[electricity crackling]

Where's James?

Still driving. He's getting closer.

Just a little closer.

Come on. Come on. Come on.

[beeping]

Almost there.

[electricity crackling]

The power's about to fry the circuits!

We have to discharge the coil now!

- Doug! - He's still driving!

Come on.

I can't lose you, James.

I trust you.

This is for Professor Bennett.

And Claudia.

And Steve.

And Dan.

All right, I saw the driver's door open!

It's hard to tell if he made it out though.

- Shoot! - [gunshot]

Prime tornado's down! Fire now!

Fire!

♪♪♪

[laughing] We did it!

James.

- [sighs] - Congratulations, Doctor.

Congratulations, General.

[Erica] James!

James! James, wake up! You gotta wake up!

James, wake up! Wake up!

[sobbing] Please.

Wake up, oh... Oh, my God.

Are you okay?

[groaning]

- Did it work? - [chuckling] Oh, God.

Yeah. Yeah.

All 40 of the tornadoes are completely destroyed.

[chuckling]

- Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa. - Whoa.

- Let me give you a hand. - I got it.

No, you don't.

[grunts]

You don't always have to do everything yourself, you know?

Thank you.

[sighs]

I thought we lost you.

[chuckles] I'm not that easy to get rid of.

TINA was a huge success.

Thanks to your sensors and his marksmanship.

Thank you. Claudia would've been proud.

All she ever wanted to do was help people.

We've all just lost so much.

I'm glad we can be a part of something that help save lives.

And now we have a tool to help predict tornadoes.

Thanks to my sister.

Couldn't've said it better myself, bro.

[laughing]

Get in here.

- Oh! - [laughing]

♪♪♪