Original subtitles

That's Orion right there.

And Drago.

And that is Cassiopeia.

Cassiopeia? Yeah.

Who was she?

No idea.

That's the Big Dipper.

And here we have another celestial body.

What do you think you're doing?

I'm about to go.

I know, man.

Let's go.

I don't like it.

It's so sick. Look at that thing.

I don't know, Jeff. Maybe we should leave it alone. It could be radioactive

stuff.

Shouldn't we tell Marty?

Are you kidding me? No.

That old fart will just grab it and take all the glory.

It's gone.

Great. Now Jake's gonna shoot a brick.

Bright lights, big city.

Excitement. Piedmont, Utah.

The armpit of nowhere.

It's awful quiet down there.

What are those?

What?

Mother, this is Caper One.

My big scoop appears to have been moved.

Following the signal. Roger that, Cameron.

No signs yet of any life.

Jokers, Aaron Addison's pickup.

Around in the corner.

This town is full of body.

What is this again?

Piedmont, Utah.

Old mining town.

There's a state park nearby.

It's remote, very isolated.

We seem to have caught a break there.

You'll forgive me if I don't show you a sense of gratitude.

Was it the Koreans?

I think that's unlikely.

Well, who then?

We don't know.

We're quarantining in the area.

Road is closed, ma 'am. We need to detour back around using State Road 46.

I'll also have a predator on an overflight in the next couple of hours.

know more then.

I'll notify the Department of Homeland Security.

Let me handle that.

And the White House.

Chuck.

I'll take care of both.

I'm also required to initiate the wildfire protocol.

Does Dr. Stone still have pain?

Until they pry his cold, dead fingers out the door.

I don't suppose there's any way around him.

I can't watch him 24 hours a day.

Do you even know where Lance is?

Are you questioning my parenting?

How long have you been off your meds? Oh, the great Dr. Stone lays down the

Nations tremble and Nuba graduate students spread their legs. Look, you're

safe. Right, you're not safe to yourself or to our son.

Are you threatening me?

Don't you try to bully me or I will drag you back into court.

Yes? Dr. Jeremy Stone.

I'm Dr. Stone.

It's been a wildfire alert. My orders are to gather you and the rest of your

team right away.

Lisa, please get yourself checked in.

Late night?

Mom's house. Mom's rules.

Not anymore.

Look, I came by to tell you that I made arrangements. You're going to spend the

rest of the month in L .A. with my sister.

She's going to look after you. I can look after myself.

Oh, clearly.

Look, that's when I'm going to argue about this.

All right, it's a done deal. You should go pack.

Mom's the one who needs help.

Your mother has all the help she needs if she'll just take it.

Yeah, that just lets you off the hook, doesn't it? Sir.

Can't wait to get out of here.

I have to leave.

I'm sure you have to go wherever it is you're going.

For anything else you know. Yeah, I know. It's work.

It's important.

NASA had a satellite fail last night over the Utah desert.

And the Army sent in a retrieval team. I just wanted to give you a heads up

before all the phone calls start about the...

Black helicopters and little green men.

Why is the Army cooking up for NASA?

I'm told one of the instruments aboard contained radioactive material. They're

just playing it safe, Ed.

All right.

Approaching Piedmont.

Preparing to make my initial surveillance pass.

I'm moving to Northcom.

Confine everyone to base and lock it down.

I want you to stay here in D .C. in case Dieter needs managing.

Yes, General.

How's the campaign going?

Fundraising has slowed, and we're down 15 in the polls as of last night.

We expect to get hammered on the new Middle East proposal, but now this vent

mining project suddenly has all our so -called allies in an uproar.

Looking for the piece of the action, you mean.

Exactly. And, of course, the environmentalists are howling, and the

scoring points.

Ready?

Chuck, never seen you up this early before.

Few of us have your energy, Mr. President.

Flattery will get you everywhere, won't it?

Thank you, Pat.

Mr. President, we have a situation, I'm afraid.

An infectious disease outbreak of unknown origin in southern Utah.

How serious?

Well, the area is remote and we think we have it under control.

But I thought you might like to know about it right away.

I want to be there.

Respectfully, sir. I think it would be better if you stayed here in Washington.

Daddy! Oh, hello.

What are you doing here?

What are you doing here? Did you escape?

Hello. Hello, Chuck.

Joanne. I'm sorry to interrupt, honey. I was packing and a little monster got

away from me. You got away from your mama? Campaign tour?

Apparently the American people would rather see my wife than myself.

Although I can't say as I blame them too much. And as for you, young lady,

you've got to go back where you came from. Daddy's working right now.

Okay?

Bye -bye. Bye, Daddy. Bye.

Bye.

So this infection is of unknown origin, you say?

We're still gathering all the facts, sir.

This isn't going to be another Houston, is it?

I think it's very unlikely.

What do you need, Chuck? Let me know.

Yes? Doctor, is that you?

There's been a wildfire alert.

You okay, sir?

Yeah. Light activity.

Migrate.

Adrian has a dentist appointment on Monday. Don't let him tell you he's too

to go.

How long do you think?

distance between you and the continental United States as you can.

I love you.

I love you too.

Sir, Peter has informed Homeland Security and the President the wildfire

should be assembled at Peterson Air Force Base shortly after your arrival.

the designated odd man in the wildfire team?

Army Major William Keene.

Ah, the hero.

You said that. Excellent researcher and a fine officer. He had a big dust -up

with Stone last year over who first isolated the CD1 virus.

And they made up?

They agreed to a share credit, but there's no love lost between them.

Maybe that's something we can build on.

Victor Keene?

Come on.

Please make yourself comfortable, Doctor.

I'll be taking off shortly.

Hello, Angela.

Jeremy. I asked for something bigger, but this was the best they could do on

such short notice.

I was in surgery.

If it wasn't important, we wouldn't have come crawling.

How bad is it?

Preliminary reports suggest a fatality rate of nearly 100%. You always bring me

such good tidings.

Please take your seats and fasten your seatbelts.

Flight attendants, please cross -check the doors.

I heard about you and Lisa.

How's Lance feeling?

He's a teenager, so it's always hard to tell.

Beneath the raging hormones, I'd have to say he's pretty angry.

He's tolerating the separation.

He's going to stay with my sister in Los Angeles for the rest of his life.

I almost called you when I heard, but I figured that your life was probably

complicated enough.

Yeah. Yes.

Mr. Nash, you have a phone call.

I guess I'm going to take that, then.

Jack's rehab nightmare.

I'm on to something.

Weezer? No names.

God, you're paranoid.

Like the NSA isn't really tracing all our calls.

Weezer, knock off the double espressos and go back to bed.

At the King. One hour.

Yeah, may have a little trouble with that.

Man check.

Man check?

Mr. Nash?

Mr. Nash, I think this is a terrible mistake.

I'll check in again when I'm done.

It doesn't work like that. What doesn't? My addiction or my insurance?

Well, both, really.

Simply put, these thermal vents on the ocean floor precipitate a fortune in

almost pure mineral deposits, such as manganese, critical in the production of

steel, and gold in higher concentrations than a most... We do this on...

You mind?

Come on, don't be a tease.

What's up?

Not up.

Down. Project Scoop. It's that Baskin -Robbins special?

Funny.

Check this out.

Early this morning, there was an exchange between NASA and the Pentagon

satellite code named Project Scoop that crashed in southern Utah.

About an hour later, I picked that up.

The last transmission of a retrieval team that went into a nearby town,

Piedmont, after the satellite.

An army retrieval team.

Hacking the feds is a felony, Razor. Homeland security will be all over your

ass. My bike needs new tires.

Man check.

Give me a check now.

Jack Nash, my favorite muckraker.

Whose career are you ruining today?

Well, you know me. My hit list of the venal and the morally corrupt just keeps

on growing. I can't keep pace.

Hey, is Jeremy there?

Well, for such a superb investigative journalist, you were sadly ignorant.

The good doctor and I split.

He has a love miss somewhere, probably on campus, close to the sororities he

prefers.

I'm sorry to hear that, Lisa, truly, but...

Give a number for him. This is very important.

Wouldn't do you any good.

St. Jeremy's off on assignment for the Army.

Very hush -hush.

I picked him up early this morning.

Was this in regards to a project scoop?

Don't know.

Don't care.

Good afternoon, everyone. I'm General George Manchek, head of the U .S. Army

Biodefense Department.

You're now being distributed e -papers. They contain continuously updated

information about wildfire and what we currently know about the event, which is

very little.

Since the failed biological attack in Houston last year, in which Major Keene

here played an important part, our vulnerability to terrorist action,

bioterrorism, has been a subject of intense discussion.

You, the wildfire response team and laboratory, are the result of that

discussion. You volunteered in a spirit of patriotism for an assignment that was

vague at the time.

Undoubtedly, you're wondering what the hell you've gotten yourselves into.

Dr. Stump.

Right. Well, obviously some of you have worked together. Certainly everyone here

has read each other's work, at least heard of one.

I'm Dr. Jeremy Stone, head of the Bloomberg facility at Johns Hopkins and

chief consultant for and designer of the Wildfire Lab and Project.

Where is the laboratory?

For security reasons, we cannot disclose its location.

We're not allowed to know where we'll be working?

No, but I can assure you that we'll be in full and constant contact with the

outside. Dr.

Nance. Dr.

Angela Noy, surgeon, ex -biologist, and I specialize in tropical and exotic

diseases. Dr. Charlene Barton, pathologist, formerly with the CDC, now

San Francisco Health Department.

Major Bill Keene, M .D., virologist from the Army Medical Research Institute of

Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland.

Dr. Sai Chu, microbiologist.

So modest.

Ten years ago, Dr. Chu was one of the premier designers of biological weapons

for the Chinese government.

But then I saw the light of Jesus, and now I serve as a consultant on

bioterrorism for a wide range of U .S. corporations.

Out of the ashes, into the fire.

Last night, please.

Last night, a NASA satellite lost orbit and came down in a remote part of

southern Utah.

When a retrieval team arrived the satellite had been moved, we believe by

civilians, into the nearby town of Piedmont.

The team's chemical sensors detected nothing unusual.

So we suspect a biological agent now codenamed Andromeda. Whatever Andromeda

it killed those two soldiers so quickly they didn't even have time to jump out

of their Humvee.

Two hours later, this infrared recording was made by a pilotless drone flying

east to west at an altitude of 500 feet.

The bright spots indicating thermal activity at forces.

And this is another path.

Immediately afterwards, same parameters.

What brought that satellite out of orbit in the first place?

Possibly contact with a meteor or unknown space debris.

There was also one or two new North Korean satellites in the area. What they

were doing there, of course, we have no idea.

Being sinister and inscrutable, no doubt.

If their purpose is benign, why keep it a secret?

One could say the same thing about this operation, General.

What exactly was NASA doing with that satellite?

And why was an Army retrieval vehicle sent in after it had failed?

NASA doesn't have a pot to pit them these days.

All flights are multipurpose.

We're going to need to trust each other, Doctor. As long as we all act in good

faith, I don't have a problem there.

General, can we play both recordings simultaneously?

That body by the recovery vehicle has moved between paths.

Again, overlay.

Yes, sir.

Raise it.

Overlay.

Switch back.

Son of a bitch.

Someone's alive down there.

Listen, Bill.

Whatever differences we've had in the past, I hope we can put them aside for

duration. I wouldn't miss this for the world, Jeremy.

Somebody has to keep an eye on you.

What's up with you and Manchek?

Manchek?

Well, during Operation Desert Storm, I wanted to examine certain Iraqi

bunkers for possible biological agents, but he blew them up first.

Why the big hurry?

Maybe there was something he didn't want me to find.

Oh, yeah, like the Loch Ness Monster.

Or maybe there was Prif of Bigfoot. Look, a lot of people wonder how Saddam

acquired his bioweapons capability in the first place.

Now, some people have suggested that certain governments who were friendly at

the time and eager for data on the battle for the use of weaponized

agents might have sold Saddam what he wanted when he was fighting Iran.

That's just a bunch of paranoid left -wing BS.

It was never proven, Jeremy.

Just because you're paranoid, Bill, doesn't mean they ain't out to get you.

A heads up from our friend at the NSA who's been running security checks on

wildfire team. An hour ago, they picked up a conversation between Lisa Stone and

Jack Nash.

How the hell did Jack Nash stumble on this? He asked about Project Scoop.

Jeez.

Who's his source?

We're working on it.

Nash and Stone were an unbelievable pain in the ass. How much does he know about

Project Scoop?

As far as we can tell, nothing yet.

do anything about Nash right now except monitor him closely and identify his

source.

What's the escort for?

Apparazzi?

Failsafe plan to prevent a break in quarantine.

The chopper will drop us off and hover at 500 feet until we recall it. We will

not land unless they get our signal. If we don't come back...

They're going to immediately report back to base for decontamination.

And if the pilot fails to respond?

Well, there is a failsafe for the failsafe.

It's not too late to reconsider.

This is just starting to get good.

killed the birds.

They could be potential vectors as in SARS or West Nile virus.

That's not to take any chances.

Captain, drop the chloroform.

The Audubon Society is not going to like that.

Lieutenant, when ready, lower the team into the center of town and take up your

pre -assigned position.

Roger that.

What are the ultimate environmental consequences of mining these deep -sea

thermal vents? We don't know.

But one thing we know for sure is that Envertel, one of President Scott's

largest corporate campaign contributors, will make a fortune from it.

Hey, gorgeous.

Charlie H.

Long time no see. Sorry, Charlie. He just barged in. That's all right. Just

security. Well, Charles, I'm not feeling the love here.

You're in rehab.

That was our deal.

30 days, and you might get your job back. I'm clean. I'm sober.

Look at me. I'm even tan.

And I'm going to leave on Sunday. 30 days, rehab.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Come on, Charlie. You're too good a producer to let your

personal feelings get in the way of a great story.

How great?

Last night, NASA satellite crashes in southern Utah.

This is news.

We call that gravity. NASA claims it was a weather satellite. I know that's a

lie. And why was an Army retrieval team sent to pick up, said NASA Bird? And why

was that team from the Department of Biodefense?

If this is another one of your paranoid... The whole unit died.

Horribly.

Wait a minute. Wait, wait.

You know this for a fact?

Saw the visuals myself.

You got tape? I can get tape.

Right. Meanwhile, a couple of hours later, one of our leading

picked up by the army and whisked away.

And? And the army general in charge is Manchek.

Manchek. I knew it.

You just won't let that go, will you? I mean, you're like frickin' Ahab and the

white... Oh, for the God, this just fell in my lap. All I need is a week to run

this down. And a crew. A week and a crew, that's all I'm asking for.

Three days.

Then get your ass back in Betty Ford or wherever you were.

This man loves me. Don't kid yourself.

Loves me!

and capillaries.

John dislikes yellowing his eyes.

A few of them are clutching their chest.

This could be coronary.

Not coronary. Look at his face.

Asphyxiation, maybe.

No. If a person can't breathe, they try to loosen the clothing around their neck

and chest.

Look at that guy over there. He has his shirt buttoned all the way to the top.

This isn't asphyxiation or heart attack.

Well, the survivor we saw was over near the retrieval vehicle.

There's no blood. A wound like that should bleed profusely.

Not one of the corpses we've seen, including the bird food back there, were

bleeders.

What is it?

I thought I heard something.

Don't get sketchy on us, Doc.

We have a survivor on tape, remember?

Major, there's the GPS tracking device in the shotgun seat. It should still be

locked in on the satellite.

Sorry, buddy. You gotta get in there.

Bill, have a little respect.

How about we do our job and get out of here?

Yeah, it's working.

Can you check his lividity?

Okay.

Give me a hand, Bill.

One, two, three.

Easy, easy.

Dead for hours.

Distended arteries.

No bruising.

Look at an artery. Would you check its radial?

Thought it solid.

What does that?

Is there

a

problem, officer?

License and registration, please.

Nice bike.

It's a 1951 FL Panhead. I did the restoration myself.

Beautiful.

Tank shift, foot clutch, you don't see those anymore.

You are Jonathan Scott?

Yes, sir. I just gave it new tires.

I agree with Bill. Ditto, why mess around?

Because it's premature until we know what we're dealing with.

You're all forgetting that we have a survivor on tape.

Yeah, nine hours ago. Maybe they're dead now, having drowned themselves or

burned themselves or cut their own freaking heads off.

She must be hungry.

There's some baby formula here. No, no, don't feed her. Don't do anything until

we get her out of here.

Maybe feeding's part of the disease process or there was something

her diet.

We can't take the chance. We have to get her into a lab right away.

It's too bad she can't tell us what happened.

Maybe she can.

We've got time.

at the lab with two survivors, an adult male and an infant female.

I would recommend to the president that he order a limited nuclear strike.

Negative. We need to figure out what the hell we're dealing with first.

I disagree.

What we're dealing with induces death, suicide or homicidal behavior within

minutes. You have as much time as the president gives you and that's it.

You and Dr. Barton will be waiting for us.

We have no choice now, Chuck. This thing is scary. Our safest option is to nuke

the site and only the president can authorize a nuclear.

You promised us there would be no problems with Project Scoop. You know as

as I do there are no guarantees on something like this. So calm down and

help.

Pretty impressive security measures here.

Better than they look.

Killer pine trees?

We've been under continuous observation by satellite and ground sensors since

the moment the helicopter dropped us off.

There's at least one armed predator overhead at all times.

If we were a menace, we'd be dead by now.

Dr. Stone, long time no see.

Same here, George. How's your daughter?

13, going on 35.

Hello, Dr. Stone.

Access approved.

Stand by.

Let's see.

Wildfire lab has five levels.

All underground, grouped around the central utility core, at the bottom of

is our power source.

A small water -cooled nuclear reactor. And the pool hours are... Hey, at 5 ,000

to 8 ,000 rem, even a small explosion would result in disorientation or coma

within minutes, but hey, knock yourself out.

Now, the top two levels are for service and maintenance crew. They live on -site

in three -month rotational cycles under the highest levels of security

clearance. The bottom three levels...

are the actual heart of the facility, the laboratory itself, and culture

equipment.

Decontamination and containment are second to none.

It's safe to remove your helmets.

to kill off any flora that we might be carrying internally.

Now, decontaminating the body externally is a bit more dramatic.

You're going to have to follow directions closely. Taking a shortcut

to be fatal.

Once you're ready, establish your identity using a retinal scan.

Remove your weapon.

That was some spa.

We do have our amenities.

Now, we each have our own private sleeping quarters, though we might not

much of them.

Dining area and gymnasium, which never close.

Now, the badges you're wearing provide voice control access to the computer

system and the lab equipment.

They also monitor any radiation or possible contamination you might face

provide interlab communication and recording.

You need to wear them at all times.

As painstaking as the entrance is, I promise you, it's much harder to get

Each level is self -sealing, and egress is only through authorization from the

level above.

Communication with the outside is via secure fiber -optic phone lines and high

-speed LAN.

We can contact our family?

Yes, but communication is only one way. Any personal urgent calls coming into

the facility are rerouted directly through the comm center.

Of course, your privacy will be respected, but the priority here must

security. There should be no discussion whatsoever about what we're working on.

What happens in the event of an accidental contamination?

Hatches seal like a submarine.

In the event of an overwhelming breach, the lab is built atop a nuclear device.

I've just armed that system.

Once it's activated, there's a 15 -minute countdown to detonation.

You've got to be shitting me. I'm sure the chances of an accident in such a

beautifully designed facility are too small to be significant.

But if there should be a mistake... There is a fail -safe plan.

Dr. Keene is our odd man.

Please insert your card.

Odd man?

Place your thumb upon the panel.

Welcome, Dr. Keene. To abort the self -destruct sequence, Bill IDs himself via

thumbprint and discard.

It's a panel like this on every level.

Why Bill?

The Army ran an extensive battery of tests and determined that unmarried

were more likely to make the right choice during a crisis.

In our particular case, the right decision is to not prematurely abort the

-destruction sequence.

So you were looking for the man most likely to kill himself.

And, uh... I

feel so reassured.

Gentlemen.

Chuck, why wasn't I told about Project Scoop?

The omission was not deliberate, sir.

This is one of those programs that was initiated years ago by a previous

administration. It's just one of a number of platforms we have exploring

singularity. Oh, and now, as a consequence, you want me to drop a

on Utah.

That would be General Manchek's recommendation, sir.

It's a limited, low -yield tactical device, Mr. President.

Less than a kiloton.

Oh, is that all?

We have ongoing test ban treaty negotiations with the Russians and the

We're still trying to get North Korea and Iran to abort their nuclear

How am I going to explain this to them?

Additionally, Mr. President, not to be crass. That's your job, Pat. Weigh right

in.

Nuke Utah for whatever reason, and you can kiss your re -election goodbye.

What does Dr. Stone recommend?

The wildfire team is divided over the issue.

That wasn't my question.

Dr. Stone would prefer more time to examine Andromeda. I should add, Mr.

President, that while no one is sure of the origin of this infection, we do know

that a North Korean satellite was in the area just prior to our bird going down.

What, you're saying this was an aggression, Chuck?

Why would the Koreans do that?

The Pyongyang regime has always been a loose cannon, sir.

I'm not prepared to go to war on a hunch and some half -baked intelligence.

If I authorize it, how quickly can you call that strike on Piedmont, General?

Within 15 minutes, Mr. President.

Let's give Dr. Stone some time to do his work.

You lied to me about that satellite.

Need to know, Ed. You lied to me again, Chuck.

And Homeland Security might just stumble over one of your little off -the -book

ops.

Why did you push the Korean scenario?

You said yourself it was a possibility.

But unlikely.

You know something I don't, Chuck?

Just do your job, General.

Let me do mine.

Charlie, Nash here. Got a tip from my Army source.

Unit of the Salt Lake City National Guard are suddenly being deployed for a,

quote, training exercise related to immigration and border security,

Odd thing is, according to my source, the order originated directly from the

office of Chuck Beder. The director of the NSA doesn't have the authority to

call out the National Guard.

Fancy that.

Oh, also something's happened to my original source on Scoop.

There left me some weird message that cut out abruptly. If I text you his

particulars, can you pull the phone records, tell me where the call came

Sure, I'll see what I can do. And you check in with me regular, Nash.

And watch yourself.

We're obviously dealing with some kind of infectious agent, whether it's viral,

fungal, bacteriological, parasitic, or prion, we just don't know.

To complicate things, the latest weather report indicates a possible Santa Ana

weather condition developing within the next 48 hours.

Those winds could conceivably sweep the contagion towards Southern California.

Charlie Henderson from NNT called about the Utah Guard rollout and the rumors

that it originated out of Beater's office.

Unbelievable. This place looks like a sieve.

It's sooner than we might like, but not entirely unexpected.

In any case, I think we can stall Henderson.

Maybe this would be a good opportunity to offer NNT an exclusive about your re

-election campaign.

Kill two birds with one stone.

Henderson is not the real problem. He can be leveraged.

But Nash, Nash is different.

Nash is a bulldog.

Have you located his sources yet?

He's gone to ground, but we're closing in.

The problem is, if Nash gets in contact with Stone, there's going to be no way

to keep Project Scoop out of the press.

Can't we just impose a gag order on the Wildfire team?

That ain't going to be pretty.

Of course, sometimes these communication systems suffer from mechanical failure.

I say we go nuclear and sterilize the whole area. Fortunately, you're not in

charge. The final call, please correct me if I'm wrong, is the president.

The satellite is now available in lab one.

Dr. Stone, please contact the communications officer.

Dr. Noyce is right.

Our job is to employ the best science we can so the president has the

information he needs to make a decision.

Why don't you all get started on the satellite?

I'll be in in a minute.

Go for Dr. Stone.

We're having a problem with the communication system.

Now, we're okay within the lab, but I can't raise the outside at all.

Okay.

So we'll be entering the capsule through the compartment door, which was

originally removed by Piedmont's late fire chief.

I think it's safe to conclude that Andromeda was originally inside the

Otherwise, the citizens who recovered it would never have made it back to town

alive. What did Manchek say the satellite was doing?

He didn't say.

Apparently, we're experiencing some kind of technical glitch within our

communication system. Glitch? I don't like glitch.

All external computer and communication lines are down.

But I've been assured that they're going to have them up and running as soon as

possible. Please, Dr. Chu, continue.

Well, this is not a new satellite.

I would say it's at least two to three generations old.

And from what I can tell from the exterior, it wasn't designed for

communications, navigations, or surveillance.

In fact, what it appears to be is a... A biocontainment vessel.

It's all a bitch.

I gather this is bad?

Well, it's very damn odd. It means that it was designed to capture and retain

biological material.

Which means two things. That this satellite was not accidentally

And the second thing?

Man, Jake is lying.

So it was what?

Randomly collecting bio -samples in space?

What are the chances of that?

Let's leave it on.

Let's pop it open.

Wait. Go back.

Stop it.

Zoom in.

Could that material be Andromeda?

Still to be determined.

If that's what knocked the satellite down, it must have been moving at a

tremendous rate of speed or being incredibly heavy.

How could that be? It didn't do that much damage to the satellite.

Maybe it has elastic qualities we don't know about.

For now, let's assume this is Andromeda.

Bill and Charlene, you check the pathology of this thing. See if you can

out how it kills.

Dr. Noyce, you examine our survivors.

Find out what kept them alive. Dr. Chu, you and I will test the black substance

and andromeda for what conditions each likes and dislikes.

See if we can't ID their nature and their structure.

Sergeant George, you and the man at Bravo Company have no idea, then, what

sudden call -up is about.

No, sir. They pretty much tell us to show up, and we find out what the deal

when we get there.

Meanwhile, depending on his death, this sudden alert of the Utah National Guard

is nothing more than a routine training exercise.

No further details are forthcoming, including when this deployment will be

When have we heard that before?

Number one, according to documents found on him, is Kyle Tobler, male, six years

old, undernourished, possibly anemic.

Computer, has he responded since arrival?

At 0408 hours, the subject became raffled with the dominant.

He was given one milligram of Ativan IV.

Bacillus test results?

Positive. Kyle Tobler is a GI bleeder.

I want two units of whole blood plus plasma and vitamin K for him and a

blood workup on both patients.

Confirm. Two units of whole blood plus plasma and vitamin K for patient Tobler

and complete blood workup for both patients. You're going to be okay,

I promise.

Hey,

Charlie, what's up? I've got some bad news about your friend.

He's dead.

I'll text you the details in a moment.

Time, 10 seconds.

Damn, that thing is lethal.

And airborne if there was any doubt.

Let's check it.

Those John Does we got don't drive a Harley Panhead.

Lucky for him you remember that.

Yeah.

Lucky for him.

This your friend?

I don't know if you know anybody in the family or anything, but...

This bikes available now, you know, I'd love to buy it

No

harm in asking right moving contaminated air

Dead animals are not infectious.

That's an extremely unusual adaptation, if that's what that is.

Well, we know Andromeda coagulates the blood, but how does it enter the body?

Through the lungs or skin?

We can radioactively tag some blood proteins and skin the animals on their

initial exposures.

Let's start with the recess.

So you think Manchek deliberately isolated us?

Let's just say I wouldn't put it past him.

Have you told the others?

I don't want them distracted. There's so little time as it is.

Why tell me?

I guess because I needed somebody to talk to.

Somebody I trust.

Are you making any progress?

Yes, the infant's blood work is normal and Tobler's anemic and his pH is very

acidic. I don't know why.

Why don't you go ask him?

George, it's Dr. Stone.

Yes, sir. What can I do for you?

We're having some kind of communications problem down here, and I need your

help. You got a cell phone that works?

Yeah, I don't know. My wife got me this new BlackBerry.

Who the hell are you?

Where am I?

I'm Dr. Noyce.

You were bleeding very badly internally, and we had to give you a transfusion.

What happened in Piedmont?

There was an outbreak of disease. That's why we brought you here.

Am I contagious?

We don't think so, but we don't want to take any chances.

Initiating the scintillometer and exposing the subject.

Definitely inspired by the lungs.

Andromeda then crosses into the bloodstream and begins coagulation.

But is that how it actually kills?

Could it be a single cerebral clot?

Maybe an anticoagulant could stop this thing.

Let's repeat with something like heparin.

Okay, I want to get these tissue samples out to the lab first.

Computer, sample and stain with H &E and PAS.

I also would like sections of the nerve tissue stained with both Nacelle and

Cajal gold preparations.

The black material is artificial.

What do you mean?

The construct?

Yeah. At first it appears to have a complex lattice -like microstructure of

carbon fibers. Further analysis reveals a structure of buckyballs.

Well, that would explain how the contact drove the satellite out of orbit

without damaging it.

But isn't this kind of application still theoretical?

Yeah. This is nanotechnology light years ahead of anything anyone is doing right

now. What about the other material?

Did you see that?

That must be our infectious agent.

Computer, replay.

That's Andromeda.

else make it?

Just you and the baby.

That's Sylvie.

It's the litter kid.

I'm not used to her being so quiet.

She's one little yeller.

Cries to beat the band.

This place is giving me the creeps. I want to get out of here.

You're not well enough to go anywhere.

I know my rights.

I'm no damn terrorist. You're in quarantine.

Oh.

Now give me a cigarette.

Sorry, no smoking.

Oh, yeah.

I've heard that bullshit before.

No smoking, no drinking, no Mexican food. What's the point of living like

It's damn boring. You've been hospitalized before for the bleeding?

Spitting up blood like old faithful.

Tell me you got an ulcer the size of a grapefruit.

Did they give you any medication, Kyle?

They did.

But I didn't much like the taste of it.

So you went untreated.

What about the pain?

Aspirin works just fine on a bottle a day towards the end there.

Plus a little squeeze.

Squeeze?

A pink lady.

Red eye.

You know, sterno.

Sterno? That's got methanol in it. Is that bad?

It can blind you or kill you.

Well, it didn't kill me.

They all died.

Kyle.

Kyle, what happened in Piedmont? What happened to you and the others that

I don't want to talk about it.

It's very important.

Lots of lives depend on what you might know.

Look, I don't know. I don't want to talk about it.

Kyle, what did you see that night?

It

was

just Megan and Susie Travers.

They found the damn thing.

I just can't. Kids, really.

They brought it to the fire station, to the chief, Hank Benedict, because he's

an engineer and knows lots of stuff.

The only reason I know is because I was playing poker at the fire station. Me,

Hank, Al Riddell runs the gas station.

Herbie Block and Arnie Dillon.

You think it's from outer space?

It fell from the sky, Annie.

You know what I mean. It's an alien.

Yeah, that's why it says USA on the sign.

Do you think aliens can't spell?

Probably just a weather satellite.

Yeah, that's what they want you to think.

Have you ever heard of Area 51?

You don't think that there aren't all these secret government things that goes

on that none of us know about?

What do you think, Hank?

It's a satellite.

Weather or communications or something.

I'll make a few calls and let you know what I find out.

About a half hour later...

I'm getting a soda from Al's gas station because the squeeze makes you kind of

thirsty. Have you been drinking that day?

How did you feel?

A little dizzy.

My breath was kind of short on me.

What's wrong with his people?

Gotta burn him out, don't you see?

Like the whole world is dead.

And that's when I saw the general.

Scott Argo.

A vet.

Steady as a rock.

You know what's happening, Kyle.

They've gotten under the wire. They're inside the compound.

I don't think that's it, Dad. You've got to chase back, soldier.

You tell them back home I did my best.

Okay?

I thought I'd gone crazy.

Hallucinating. So much pink lady, maybe.

Tobler was acidotic because of the methanol he was drinking. It breaks down

becomes formaldehyde and formic acid.

Plus, he was taking a bottle of aspirin a day. That affected his breathing? He

had to breathe rapidly to blow off the carbon dioxide and decrease the carbonic

acid in his body.

Well, maybe there's a way to attack Andromeda in there.

No, the baby's pH is normal. There's nothing unusual about her except her

Charlie? Here's what we know so far.

Andromeda is approximately one micron, the size of a single cell.

transmitted by air.

Dead organisms are not infectious.

Andromeda is inspired by its victim. It crosses into the bloodstream where it

initiates coagulation.

Death occurs within seconds.

Now, we tested anticoagulants, but they don't affect its process.

So it cannot transmit from a corpse?

Yes, strange, isn't it?

Andromeda kills men, kills all mammals as far as we know, and then dies within

the organism. It shows no signs of having adapted to mankind.

You know, maybe this is just what it seems, an alien life form the first

has ever encountered.

So, it's not cuddly like E .T., but there it is. Deal with it. Who says it's

natural? It could be engineered.

Especially given what Cy discovered when he was looking at the black material

alongside Andromeda. Yeah, it's an extremely advanced form of

called Buckyball, named after the inventor Buckminster Fuller.

The molecule is a form of carbon -60, octahedral in shape, with 60 atoms

the shape of a ball.

So, if this black material was the manufactured shell containing Andromeda,

what you're describing is some kind of a biological bomb.

Whoa! Why not? It would be arrogant to think that human beings are the only

creatures sophisticated enough to use bacterial warfare. Why would you assume

alien origin at all? Manchuk said there was a North Korean satellite in the

area.

If anyone was going to attack the United States, why go through all the trouble

of sending a contagion into space and hoping that NASA will pick it up? Why

simply bring it in on a shipping container like one of the thousands that

in every day, uninspected, because Homeland Security just doesn't have

resources to do the job?

For that matter.

Why use such an exotic bug when plague, typhus, or smallpox will be just fine?

Well, you'd be the expert on that. Whoa!

Manchuk is a liar, and you are a racist fool.

Yeah? How many died in that outbreak in Shanghai?

That's enough. Both of you.

It's growing?

That's right.

The first time it displayed that behavior, it was unprovoked.

So is what we just saw some kind of nonspecific growth response or a

reaction to injury?

Maybe it just doesn't like being poked.

I think we need to focus more on structure. What is Andromeda made of?

Bill, you and Charlene do an amino acid workup, while Cy does a spectral

analysis.

I'd like to continue my exploration of the black material.

That is, unless you think I'm a security risk, Bill.

I trust you, Cy. Why wouldn't I?

I know there's a link between Kyle Tobler and Sylvie Ritter. I want to

to pursue that.

Let's get started.

Appreciate the list, man. Card is up and died, I'll be.

No problem, man.

What's your family when they ship out?

Never know.

What do I mean?

What happened in Shanghai?

It was a different time back then.

The international treaties on biowarfare were toothless, and every country,

including yours, was experimenting.

We were field testing a weaponized version of hemorrhagic smallpox at an

laboratory.

It proved much hardier than we expected.

A young girl in a fishing boat, nine miles offshore, caught the disease,

it back to the city.

About 107 people.

30 has been children before we've been dead.

There were people in both our governments who were prepared to unleash

unimaginable horrors.

I'd like to think that in the end, reason prevailed.

And maybe we were just very, very lucky.

Jeremy!

Jeremy!

You're not going to believe this.

Andromeda doesn't have DNA.

What is it, some kind of prior? No proteins, not even any amino acids.

Charlene was right.

There has never been anything like Andromeda anywhere on the Earth.

This is Terra Incognita.

This is alien.

Appreciate the food, Mr. Ness. My pleasure, Sergeant.

Didn't know they were embedding journalists on this operation.

My standard operating procedure these days is bringing the war on Terra home.

Nash. Jeremy Stone.

Steve Stone, I've been trying to reach you, man.

Where the hell are you? You sound like you're at the bottom of a well.

You can say that.

Listen, why is the guard deploying in southern Utah?

They're calling it an exercise, but the orders originated with the NSA.

Possibly because some kind of secret satellite codenamed Project Scoop came

in the desert. What is Project Scoop?

When that sucker came down, it killed a lot of people. I mean, no one's saying

infectious outbreak, but... And how do you know that?

I can't give details, but it cost my source his life.

And it wasn't any virus killed him either, unless microbes routinely pack

slugs.

These guys are not messing around, Jeremy. Now I'm being followed.

At least I wasn't. Are those guard units carrying any biohazard here with them?

I don't know, but I can check.

All right, well, pay close attention to their equipment.

I gotta go, Jack.

Wait, wait, wait. I showed you mine. You showed me yours.

It's a biological infection called Andromeda.

That's all I can say for now. When I know more, I'll call you first. I

Look, in the meantime, see what else you can find out about Project Scoop, and

I'll call you back in three hours.

Listen, Jack, be careful.

I'm not just talking about the Army and whoever else is following you.

Andromeda. It's lethal.

Beyond comprehension.

Hey, Marty.

Potware.

Just a coffee, sadly.

You all right, Marty? You look kind of green around the gill.

Blue or something. My head's killing me.

You have any aspirin? Yeah, sure.

They're all up to get me.

Marty, you're hurting me.

General, there has been an incident 40 miles south of Piedmont. A Utah sheriff

named Willis has shot three people and killed himself.

Here's the raw network feed.

And here's the security camera.

It is.

I don't know how Willis escaped quarantine.

Willis got a path to Piedmont the night of the infection before the quarantine

went up.

Have you isolated his bodies in a Weber -Worth crime scene? Already done, sir.

And Jack?

I have a message from Dr. Stone regarding Project Street.

Unless communication is restored fully to the lab, Jack Nash will go public

all the details.

Live on NNT.

You have ten minutes to comply.

What happened?

Stone knows about Project Scoop.

Put Wildfire back online.

And you lied about the purpose of the satellite, General.

We had a technical problem, and the problem got solved.

Now, we want the full facts on Project Scoop and everything associated with it.

I swear to God, every press agency from the New York Times to some podunk

podcaster in Nebraska will get this story.

NASA astronomers discovered a singularity in our solar system. A

theoretical distortion in the space -time continuum.

the inexplicable appearance of a tiny source emitting extremely powerful

of light and energy. In short, a wormhole.

Now, we're still in the process of analyzing that data, but physicists have

theorized since 1935 that traversable wormholes could function as portals

between distant parts of the galaxy.

Project Skool was one of several attempts to explore this phenomenon, and

this case, to collect samples of living organisms.

Now, we're not sure exactly what happened, but on approach, the satellite

erratic and came down.

Shortly thereafter, the wormhole, or whatever the hell it was, closed.

Why in God's name did you withhold this? We've wasted valuable time, time we

don't have flailing about in the dark. Can you imagine the panic news of an

event like this would have caused?

It was strictly need to know.

Need to cover your ass.

Now, why would Army biodefense be covertly collecting samples?

Maybe shopping for lethal material that wouldn't be covered by any existing or

future biowarfare agreements? What we did, whatever you think of our motives,

the problem facing us right now is Andromeda, and it's getting worse by the

minute. What do you mean?

Well, the president, largely on your recommendation, opted for quarantining

area instead of calling it a limited nuclear strike. And now we've already

breach. I just got word of an event outside the quarantine zone that sounds

Andromeda. Now, I've got that area locked up tight, but I need to know,

have you got to fight this?

Nothing. At this point, not a single thing.

Andromeda is completely unlike anything we have ever seen. It would appear to be

alien in its source, except for the fact... Except for the material found

with it, which we think might be a casing or a delivery system.

It's built from materials common to Earth, but utilizes a nanotechnology

so far, is only theoretical.

So what are you saying, then?

Is Andromeda of this world, or is it alien?

We can't say either way.

But it's extremely unlikely that Andromeda is the creation of any kind of

terrestrial power.

Whatever the source, General, we need to nuke Piedmont right now. I have to say

I agree with Bill. I think it's still too risky.

Well, what the hell?

Are we under attack or not?

Absolutely.

But from whom or what?

We can't say with certainty.

What, you're saying this is an alien attack, Chuck?

Yes, sir.

Wherever Andromeda comes from, it dies in feedback, understand?

We're ready when you are, Mr. President.

Are the guardsmen on the ground going to be safe?

The action will be very limited.

We'll pull back all forward. Observation post five miles. None of our men will

be...

Very well.

Do it.

Five miles from the target, I want you to let loose and climb like hell.

Theoretically, you should be able to avoid the aftershock when no one's

dropped one of these things in a night of sack.

Claire.

You may authorize a launch when ready.

Yes, sir.

Sir.

What exactly are we looking for?

Crespassers. Little green men.

No.

Tear it down, fellas.

They're pulling us back.

You gotta be kidding me.

You heard me. Let's go.

What is that?

Some kind of eagle, sir.

It's got something in its claws.

What is that thing?

Whoa, you can't shoot an eagle, Sergeant.

It's a rat.

Who's bombing us with a rat?

No way.

My head!

You alright?

What's up, man?

He's dead.

This isn't happening.

Oh, man, this isn't happening.

It's the end of days.

The mark of the beast.

Cut that out right now.

The seals are broken!

Hell in a...

If Manchuk hadn't kept us in the dark, we'd just run out of time.

There are just some things that don't add up.

She was casing theory. It doesn't feel right.

Something's missing, but I just can't put my finger on it.

Dr. Stone, the culturing data you requested has been acquired.

Afternoon, Private Carson.

Jack Nash, NNT.

Great job you fellows are doing. Can I help you?

Those striker carrier spears are really something.

Are those chemical biological units?

Yes, sir. Pretty much top of the line.

And what's a biotrace M3 sampler?

It's used to collect biological samples.

We don't normally travel with this kind of equipment.

I suppose they need something like that for.

Why are you...

I'm at Desert HQ for the Guard. Some kind of suicide bomber just attacked.

I just sent photos. Also, I just found... General Michael said you... You

heard of... Take Mr.

Nash to the stockade. I'm a civilian, General. Was illegally on my base, which

has just come under terrorist attack.

Care to go on record about that, General?

No comments about the one. I will enter the release zone in 30 seconds.

Roger that. One.

Arms.

Roger that.

Arming missile.

Missile is armed. and ready to go.

These are the results of our growth matrix program on Andromeda.

The particular growth medium doesn't seem to be a factor. But atmosphere and

light are crucial.

Darkness and infrared inhibit growth. Likewise for oxygen. Nitrogen is a wash.

Ultraviolet light stimulates. So does carbon dioxide.

So Andromeda thrives best in an atmosphere of 100 % carbon dioxide lit

ultraviolet light.

Looks to me almost like a pure conversion system.

Computer, post all results for all closed growth systems.

You're right.

No excretions, no waste, amazing.

What effect does radiation have?

Computer, check all irradiated samples.

My God, it eats it up.

Nuking Andromeda is not going to kill it.

It'll make it grow exponentially.

Give me General Mack.

This is a code red emergency.

Entering relief zone.

Do it.

Urgent message from Stone. Get the President to shut down that launch.

Mr. President, message from Wildfire. We have to abort.

Wildfire? 30 seconds to target.

Dr. Stone, what do you mean, abort?

Andromeda eats radiation. If you nuke it, you won't kill it. You will grow it.

Northcom.

General Blair, this is President Scott, and I am ordering you to abort the

mission immediately.

Stand down, Alpha 1. Do not launch. I say again, cancel sequence and return to

base. Roger that, Northcom.

This is Alpha 1. I am shutting down the launch sequence.

is disarmed.

Thank God.

Well, that was close.

Northcom, I'm having some kind of mechanical problem here.

Move on, please come in. I cannot control this.

Oh, my visor.

Notice how my visor is disintegrating.