Original subtitles

I used to think this was the beginning of your story.

Memory is a strange thing.

It doesn't work like I thought it did.

We are so bound by time,

by its order.

Okay.

Okay, come back to me.

Come back to me.

Come back to me.

Stick 'em up!

Are you the sheriff in this here town?

These are my tickle guns, and I'm gonna get ya.

No.

You want me to chase you? You better run.

I remember moments in the middle.

I love you.

I hate you!

And this was the end.

Come back to me.

Come back to me.

But now I'm not so sure I believe in beginnings and endings.

There are days that define your story beyond your life.

Like the day they arrived.

Good morning.

- Morning. - Morning.

Where is everyone?

Okay. Well, let's get started.

Today, we are talking about Portuguese

and why it sounds so different from the other Romance languages.

The story of Portuguese begins in the kingdom of Galicia...

- Sorry. - ...in the Middle Ages,

where language was seen as an expression of art.

Any news you wanna share?

Dr. Banks, can you turn the TV to a news channel?

...arrived here on scene,

but police have already set up a blockade here around the area.

As you can see, we've gotten just about as close as we can,

but unfortunately, Montana, right now, is on complete lockdown.

The object apparently touched down 40 minutes ago just north of I-94.

We're waiting to hear if this is perhaps an experimental vessel or...

Hold on.

I'm learning that more objects like this have landed

at as many as eight other locations around the world.

Yes. Can we?

This is from a site in Hokkaido.

This is worldwide. It is happening right now.

Okay.

That's... Class is dismissed.

For now, we're simply asking for cooperation

while authorities assess the object.

So, you're saying it's not ours?

Do you even know if it's from Earth?

We're still collecting information. We're coordinating with other countries.

We are not the only ones to have one of these in our backyard.

If this is some sort of peaceful first contact,

why send 12?

Why not just one?

Yeah, I know. I saw that, too.

I don't know, Mom. I'm watching the same news coverage you are.

Well, Mom, please don't bother with that channel.

How many times do I have to tell you those people are idiots?

Yeah, well, do I sound nervous?

Okay, exactly. So...

Me? Yeah. You know me, I'm about the same.

Mom, I'm fine.

Okay, I'll call you later. Bye.

And at around eight hours after landing,

there are still no signs of what might be called "first contact."

Now, the objects measure at least 1, 500 feet tall.

Two are reported to have penetrated Russian airspace,

one in Siberia and the other off the coast of the Black...

...suspended above the ocean.

So far, there are 12 unidentified objects spread across the globe.

There is no obvious logic to their locations

and no evidence that the ships are even...

...who entertain the idea that if it is a kind of vessel,

it may be unmanned.

Regardless, we have a protocol for scenarios like this, but...

After Tuesday's extraordinary events,

the President, this morning, has declared a state of emergency,

with as many as 5, 000 National Guard being deployed

to the state of Montana alone.

Borders are closed and flights have been grounded,

stranding millions of travelers.

Panic buying of gas, water, and food continues to escalate

and federal authorities have temporarily lifted all caps

on overtime for law enforcement.

The ATF has put a temporary ban on new gun licenses,

forcing many independent suppliers of hunting equipment and firearms

to close their doors to the public.

Forty-eight hours later and no further development...

Two days.

...from the sight of the 12 UFO...

And already the public expects us to know the answers.

I'm Colonel G.T. Weber.

We never formally met,

but two years ago, you did some Farsi translations for Army intelligence.

You made quick work of those insurgent videos.

You made quick work of those insurgents.

You are on the top of everyone's list when it comes to translations.

And you have another two years in the SSBI.

So, you still have top-secret clearance.

That's why I'm in your office and not at Berkeley.

Okay.

I have something I need you to translate for me.

Why are you here?

Can you... Can you understand us?

Where did you come from?

Now you heard it.

What do you make of it?

Is that...

Yes.

How many?

How many what?

How many speaking?

Two.

Assume they were not speaking at the same time.

Are you sure? Did they have mouths...

How would you approach translating this?

Do you hear any words?

Phrases?

I don't... I don't know.

So, what can you tell me?

I can tell you that it's impossible to translate from an audio file.

I would need to be there to interact with them.

You didn't need that with the Farsi translations.

I didn't need it because I already knew the language.

But this, this is...

I know what you're doing.

- Tell me what I'm doing. - I'm not taking you to Montana.

It's all I can do to keep it from turning into a tourist site

for everybody who has a TS clearance.

I'm just telling you what it would take to do this job.

This is not a negotiation.

If I leave here, your chance is gone.

Good day.

Colonel?

You mentioned Berkeley, are you going to ask Danvers next?

Maybe.

Before you commit to him,

ask him the Sanskrit word for "war" and its translation.

An agreement on sharing scientific discoveries looks closer tonight,

as Russia and China join talks at the United Nations.

Meanwhile, financial markets across the world are in crisis

as the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell over 2,000 points

in its worst weekly decline in history.

Mornin'.

Colonel.

Gavisti. He says it means "an argument."

What do you say it means?

"A desire for more cows."

Pack your bags.

All right, give me 20 minutes?

We take off in 10.

Dr. Banks. Right this way, please.

Contact and ready to approach...

Excuse me, Dr. Banks, let me make sure you're properly secured.

You okay?

Thanks.

Sorry, I couldn't hear what you were saying.

"Language is the foundation of civilization.

"It is the glue that holds a people together.

"It is the first weapon drawn in a conflict."

Louise, this is Ian Donnelly.

Louise Banks, Ian Donnelly.

It's quite a greeting.

Yeah. Well, you wrote it.

Yeah, but...

It's the kind of thing you write as a preface,

dazzle them with the basics.

Yeah. It's great.

Even if it's wrong.

It's wrong?

Well, the cornerstone of civilization isn't language, it's science.

Ian is a theoretical physicist from Los Alamos.

You'll be reporting to me, but you'll be working with him when you're in the shell.

That's what they're calling the UFO.

Priority one. What do they want, where are they from.

And beyond that, how did they get here?

Are they capable of faster-than-light travel?

Are they...

I have a list of questions that, you know, we can go over.

Starting with a series of just a "handshake" of binary sequences...

How about we just talk to them

before we start throwing math problems at them?

This is why you're both here.

I'll bring the coffee.

Coffee with some aliens.

All right. I want you to take these two to Dr. Kettler.

Yes, sir.

Follow the captain to Medical.

The procedure should take just a few minutes, and then, we'll get started.

These men are gonna take care of your bags.

I'll take your cell phones.

Cell phones.

Follow me.

Put these on. You're gonna wear them at all times.

- Not until they're here. - Great.

Sir, they're here.

Louise Banks? Ian Donnelly?

When was the last time either of you have eaten?

- Last night. - Same.

When's the last time you did something stressful?

Does now count?

Just saying.

Who was being carted off in the medevac?

Not everyone is able to process experiences like this.

I'm gonna get some blood from you

and give you an immunization dose that covers a battery of bacterial threats.

Would you sign these, please?

And roll up your sleeves.

Either of you claustrophobic?

- Nope. - No.

Currently taking any medications? Allergies? Pregnant?

No.

The booster is a kick to your system,

so you may experience some side-effects,

nausea, dizziness, headaches,

a ringing in your ears like you have tinnitus.

You see what's happening to him?

How does this even work?

The readings do not change, but...

I don't know. It's like we're insects on a piece of paper

and they're easing us out of the house.

At exactly 112 minutes and 19 seconds,

the gravity starts to shift and slides us out of the room.

Have you found a scientific explanation for it?

Like, is it for them?

No, we think it's for us.

The air doesn't seem to circulate inside the chamber,

so after about two hours, you run out of oxygen.

It doesn't take 18 hours to pump fresh air into a room.

Atmosphere.

Excuse me?

If their atmosphere is different from Earth,

it would certainly take hours

to rebalance the O2 content and pressure for us every time they open their door.

So, you're saying they could suffocate us if they wanted?

This is Agent David Halpern with the CIA.

Let me get you two to your stations.

Yes, sir.

Remember, we need answers as soon as possible.

What do they want, where are they from, why they're here.

- This is the priority. - Yeah.

Everyone, this is Dr. Ian Donnelly. He'll be running this team here.

Yeah, have they responded to anything?

Shapes, patterns, numbers, Fibonacci?

We can't tell what they are saying when they respond to "hello,"

so don't get ahead of yourself.

What have you figured out?

We're just getting started.

- Good morning. - Good morning.

This is Dr. Louise Banks.

She'll be heading your team.

- Dr. Banks. It's a pleasure meeting you. - Hi.

Dr. Banks is taking over the mission from Dr. Walker.

- Nice to see you. - Dr. Banks, glad to see you.

That's your 15-minute warning.

You scuba-dive before?

What kind of radiation exposure are we walking into?

Nominal, these are just for safety.

So, is there any physical contact with the...

Am I the only one having trouble saying "aliens"?

There's a wall, like a glass wall. You can't get to them.

So, what do they look like?

You'll see soon enough. Hurry up.

Thank you. Turn this way, please.

All units, stand by. Over.

The suits are clumsy at first, but you get used to them.

Load up in the second vehicle.

Hurry up, hurry up. Bring it over here.

We're clear over here, sir.

All set, sir. This is the last box for this truck. This truck's clear.

Let's go!

We'll be there in a few minutes.

Make sure you hold on to something.

We are now inside the demilitarized zone.

- Raise 1.2 klicks. Over. - Copy, Alpha.

We'll continue to monitor vitals and signal clarity from operations.

Airpicket's in position and fully operational.

Countermeasures in place and ready for deployment. Over.

Copy, Condor. We will observe, but not initiate. Over.

Watch your step.

We'll keep Alpha channel open. Over.

Alpha, be advised. Humidity increased since yesterday.

Every 18 hours,

the door opens up at the bottom.

That's where we go in.

Red team on standby.

Zero movement. Alpha detail, clear to proceed. Over.

Copy, Condor. Beginning our ascent now Over.

Ten feet.

Five feet.

Two. One.

Alpha, clear to enter antechamber. Over.

Copy, Condor. Moving into position. Over.

Thirty feet from target.

Suit telemetry now full strength, despite unknown interference. Over.

Five feet. Two, one.

Oxygen level, 20.3%. No known contaminates. Over.

Vitals normal.

Gravity at 0. 97.

Radio signal strength decreasing.

90%. 85%. Fluctuating...

Yeah, that just happened.

All right, let's move. Time is wasting.

You ready?

Let's do it.

Condor, I'm proceeding first with Captain Marks. Over.

Radio signal strength 75%. Over.

Landed. Gravity nominal in the antechamber. Over.

It's all good, sir.

- You can proceed. - Stand by.

Okay, bring it up.

Vitals in line.

Radio signal strength stable at 75%. Over.

You okay?

Yeah.

Dr. Banks.

You can do this.

Come on.

I don't know, I... I think...

Grab her.

Dr. Donnelly, are you all right?

Dr. Donnelly. You good?

Dr. Donnelly, are you all right? Please respond. Over.

Yeah.

Holy fuck.

We're gonna go down there,

and you're gonna start your job.

Okay.

- Okay? Everybody, move out. - Okay.

Alpha detail is in position.

Team is in position.

We're on the move.

Condor, Alpha's now in the nave.

Setting up equipment and telemetry. Over.

Oxygen level, 21.3%. Over.

So, what happens now?

They arrive.

Dr. Banks.

Dr. Banks.

You can start.

Alpha detail, proceed directly through the decontamination...

...to the inner airlock.

Do not stop until you have passed through the airlock doors.

Do not attempt to remove the hazmat suit

without proper assistance of authorized personnel.

Repeat. Hazmat suits without assistance of authorized personnel.

- Wait, just a minute. A minute. - All right.

Keep your head low.

Clear.

- All right. - Step on out, please.

Now hold that.

Am I fired?

You did better than the last guy.

That doesn't make me feel any better.

You both have till 0200 hours to figure something out.

Okay, what happens then?

You go back in.

Violence continues to spread across the US today

in the wake of the 12 landings.

The President has declared a mandatory dusk-to-dawn curfew

after the crackdown by the National Guard

failed to prevent a third night of looting across the country.

In North Dakota, 144 members of the St. Lawrence Pentecostal Cult

are feared dead after they set their compound ablaze.

Their website claims the arrival of the aliens

set in motion a prophecy that 12 sets of 12 should "follow the lamb."

And this is Seven-November. Roger, stand by...

Got that request...

We're up in 15. You got any new intel?

Yeah, we've been playing back some of their sounds.

Where does that get you?

Well, they play audio back at us from an unseen source.

Audio of what?

It's bits of conversation from the room, random clips of dialogue.

Really, we... We have nothing.

T-minus 14 minutes to shell access.

Are you receiving my signal?

Yes. It's sending.

- Okay, thanks. - Okay. Good hunting.

Heading out.

Checking in for radio. Are you receiving me?

You're coming in loud and clear.

Good luck, Doctor.

T-minus nine minutes to shell access.

What's that for?

A visual aid.

Look, I'm never going to be able to speak their words if they are talking.

But they might have some sort of written language or basis for visual communication.

Okay. Let's get started.

Human.

"Human."

I'm human.

What are you?

Human.

Affirmative, Alpha...

Oh, my God.

Are you getting this?

Yes, sir. It's uploading back to base camp.

Louise.

That's incredible.

Human.

Human.

Human.

Okay.

Okay, slow down, fellas.

Slow down.

I don't wanna take away from your success in there,

but, Dr. Banks, is this really the right approach?

Trying to teach 'em how to speak and read?

That's gotta take longer.

You're wrong. It's faster.

Everything you do in there I have to explain to a room full of men

whose first and last question is, "How can this be used against us?"

So, you're gonna have to give me more than that.

Kangaroo.

What is that?

In 1770,

Captain James Cook's ship ran aground off the coast of Australia,

and he led a party into the country and they met the Aboriginal people.

One of the sailors pointed at the animals that hop around

and put their babies in their pouch,

and he asked what they were, and the Aborigines said, "Kanguru."

And the point is?

It wasn't until later that they learned that "kanguru" means "I don't understand."

So, I need this so that we don't misinterpret things in there,

otherwise this is gonna take 10 times as long.

I could sell that for now.

But I need you to submit your vocabulary words

before the next session.

Fair.

And remember what happened to the Aborigines.

A more advanced race nearly wiped 'em out.

It's a good story.

Thanks.

It's not true.

But it proves my point.

We think we were able to reproduce

some prime number sequences back at them.

So, that's something.

Well, congratulations. You're a parrot.

Well, it's a lot more than that, you cheeky bastard.

Don't you see? They can't seem to follow our algebra.

But complex behaviors? That clicks.

Well, that doesn't make any sense at all, does it?

The problem is, not everyone shares our policy of being open with the aliens.

Have you met General Shang?

Call sign for him is "Big Domino."

Whatever Shang does, at least four other nations will follow.

- Louise, you have to gain ground today. - Okay.

- You have a vocabulary list for me? - I do.

You're gonna teach them your name and Ian's?

Yes, so that we can learn their names, if they have names,

and then introduce pronouns later.

These are all grade-school words.

"Eat." "Walk."

Help me understand.

Okay.

No, no, no, not the top!

Okay, this is where you wanna get to, right?

- That is the question. - Okay.

So, first we need to make sure that they understand what a question is.

Okay? The nature of a request for information

along with a response.

Then, we need to clarify

the difference between a specific "you" and a collective "you,"

because we don't want to know why Joe Alien is here.

We want to know why they all landed.

And "purpose" requires an understanding of intent.

We need to find out, do they make conscious choices

or is their motivation so instinctive

that they don't understand a "why" question at all.

And... And biggest of all, we need to have enough vocabulary with them

that we understand their answer.

I get it.

Stick to your list.

Just don't add anything to it.

Gravity, 0.97. Oxygen level, 21.4%. Over.

Condor, Alpha's now in the main.

Setting up equipment and telemetry. Over.

Let's get started.

"Louise."

Louise. I am Louise.

What is that?

Is that a new symbol? I can't tell.

I don't know I think it's the symbol for "human" again.

It just has a little curl on the end, maybe to indicate a question.

I don't know.

I don't know, Louise.

I think they're getting confused.

Dr. Banks, perhaps we should move on to the next word.

Dr. Banks?

- It's okay, Nate. - What's going on?

Hey, hey, hey. What are you doing?

- Yeah, I'm fine. - Are you insane?

They need to see me.

She's taking off her hazmat suit. Dr. Banks!

Is it okay?

You're risking contamination.

They need to see me.

Dr. Banks.

Dr. Banks.

She's walking towards the screen.

Should we abort?

Request noted. Stand by for frag order.

Go back to your stations.

Now that's a proper introduction.

Okay.

"Louise."

I am Louise.

Ian, you want to introduce yourself?

Yeah.

Louise.

Screw it.

Everybody dies, right?

Sir, Donnelly is taking off his hazmat suit.

Permission to abort?

Continue the session.

Ian.

Louise.

You.

Who are you?

I think those are their names.

They have names.

So, what are we gonna call them?

I don't know.

I was thinking Abbott and Costello.

Yeah.

- Yeah? - Yeah, I like it.

I like it.

Team 1, exit your vehicle

and proceed directly ahead to the decontamination tent.

Leave your respirator on until you reach the equipment room.

I know.

Team 2, exit your vehicles and continue to the decontamination tent.

Leave your respirators on

and do not hesitate until you reach the equipment room.

How do you feel?

Overworked.

Well, I guess I don't need to tell you, you're putting yourself at risk.

There are no signs of radiation poisoning yet.

We'll see how your blood tests look.

For now, I'm gonna give you another boost.

Okay.

No radiation.

Nothing else we can detect either,

but I'd give 'em a strong cocktail regardless.

It's the first time we've made significant progress.

All right.

We'll take the risk.

- Okay, honey... - What is going on there?

- Honey. - Is there anything you can tell me?

No... You don't need to worry, okay?

- How can I not worry? - Just calm down.

Just calm down.

Becky asked me if the monsters are going to kill Daddy,

Honey, it's not gonna happen.

Just stay safe.

You don't need to worry.

Please, I'm so scared.

All junior xenolinguistics and science personnel must observe

general curfew unless expressly authorized

for extended work hours by unit COs.

Curfew in effect as of 2200 hours.

Notice to all late workers, fire watchers and night staff.

Effective immediately, midnight rations will be served all night.

Here are some of the many things we don't know about heptapods.

Greek. Hepta, "Seven. " Pod, "Foot."

"Seven feet." Heptapod.

Who are they?

Trying to answer this in any meaningful way

is hampered by the fact that,

outside being able to see them and hear them,

the heptapods leave absolutely no footprint.

The chemical composition of their spaceship is unknown.

The shell emits no waste, no gas, no radiation.

Assuming that the shells communicate with each other,

they do so without detection.

The air between the shells is untroubled by sonic emission or light wave.

Are they scientists or tourists?

If they're scientists, they don't seem to ask a lot of questions.

Why did they park where they did?

The world's most decorated experts can't crack that one.

The most plausible theory is that they chose places on Earth

with the lowest incidence of lightning strikes.

But there are exceptions.

The next most plausible theory is that Sheena Easton had a hit song

at each of these sites in 1980. So, we just don't know.

How do they communicate?

Here, Louise is putting us all to shame.

The first breakthrough was to discover that there's no correlation

between what a heptapod says and what a heptapod writes.

Unlike all written human languages, their writing is semasiographic.

It conveys meaning. It doesn't represent sound.

Perhaps they view our form of writing as a wasted opportunity,

passing up a second communications channel.

We have our friends in Pakistan

to thank for their study of how heptapods write.

Because, unlike speech, a logogram is free of time.

Like their ship or their bodies,

their written language has no forward or backward direction.

Linguists call this "nonlinear orthography,"

which raises the question, "Is this how they think?"

Imagine you wanted to write a sentence using two hands,

starting from either side.

You would have to know each word you wanted to use

as well as how much space that it would occupy.

A heptapod can write a complex sentence

in two seconds, effortlessly.

It's taken us a month to make the simplest reply.

Next, expanding vocabulary.

Louise thinks it could easily take another month to be ready for that.

Hey.

Hey.

Weber's looking for you.

Yeah, well, why do you think I'm hiding out here?

Come on up.

Come on.

Thanks.

Nice out here, huh?

Yeah, it's a nice view.

Away from the noise.

You know, I was just thinking about you.

You approach language like a mathematician.

You know that, right?

I will take that as a compliment.

Yeah, well, it is.

It's...

I watch you steer us around these communication traps

that I didn't even know existed.

Say what?

I guess that's why I'm single.

Trust me, you can understand communication

and still end up single.

I feel like everything that happens in there

comes down to the two of us.

Yeah, it's a good thing though, right? You and I?

Have you seen the jokers that we're working with?

I'm glad I got you.

Tonight, the first photograph of the aliens goes viral.

Biological contamination is a major risk factor at the Montana site,

so say environmental pressure groups.

Eight-hundred thousand march on Washington

to protest the government's handling of the crisis.

All this, and more special coverage.

First contact with whoever it is that is inside that thing,

and who do we have running the show? The government.

That's right, folks. The same government

who ruined our healthcare and bankrupted our military.

Look at these people.

Most of them don't even have guns.

We could be facing a full-scale invasion,

and our president is just willing to sit back

and let them waltz in and take our country.

We are falling asleep at the wheel, people.

You know what I'm talking about. I know you do.

What if the smartest thing we could do right now

would be to give them a show of force?

I'm talking about a shot across the bow

I wanna hear what you think.

Caller number one, you're on the air. What do you think about all this?

What's this word?

"Planet."

No, no.

That's, like... The Earth is a planet.

Want to see my project from Miss Garriott's class?

Yeah, little nose.

We had to make up our own TV show.

If we had one.

- And who are those two people? - That's you and Dad.

The show is called Mommy and Daddy Talk to Animals.

Well, it's lovely.

Okay.

You know it's okay to be sad that your dad and I...

I know. I'm not.

'Cause we both love you very much.

I know. It's just a cartoon. Not real.

Louise?

You all right?

Yeah.

Yeah, I'm fine.

I'm not sure it's something I can explain.

When was your last checkup with Dr. Kettler?

I'm okay.

I'm gonna get some air.

I'm okay.

- All right. - I'm fine. Yeah.

How you feeling?

I need some sleep, but I'm fine.

Yeah.

You know, I was doing some reading about this idea that

if you immerse yourself into a foreign language,

that you can actually rewire your brain.

Yeah, the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis.

The theory that...

It's the theory that

the language you speak determines how you think and...

Yeah. It affects how you see everything. It was...

I'm curious,

are you dreaming in their language?

I may have had a few dreams, but I don't...

I don't think that that makes me unfit to do this job.

Did you sleep?

A little.

Do you know Mandarin?

It is shifting.

The voice you're about to hear belongs to China's military chief,

General Shang.

Pull it up.

We got a satellite feed here of who he's talking to,

if you want to look.

Wait, go back.

Stop.

He's saying that each of the 12 is offering advanced technology.

And back again. And play.

"Our science team is attempting to decode the sets."

"Sets." I don't know what that means.

Something about advantage.

"Suits, honor, and flowers."

I don't...

I don't know, that's all.

I don't know what it means either.

An hour ago, China mobilized forces.

And now, Russia is following suit.

Shang's about to start something.

Following suit, "suits".

Suits. Honor. Flowers.

Colonel, those are all tile sets in mahjong.

God, are they...

Are they using a game to converse with their heptapods?

Maybe. Why?

Well, let's say that I taught them chess instead of English.

Every conversation would be a game,

every idea expressed through opposition, victory, defeat.

You see the problem?

If all I ever gave you was a hammer...

Everything's a nail.

We need to ask the big question.

Ready or not.

Right, so...

Okay, let me know what temperature you use, okay?

No, this is the same as before.

- See. - I...

Yeah, no, but between three and four.

- All right, time to go. - Okay.

Ninety-six minutes remaining in the session. Over.

Okay.

Heptapod's purpose.

Heptapod purpose. Earth. What is your purpose?

Do we only have Costello?

Okay. There you are.

What does it say?

"Offer weapon."

But you saw what they wrote.

Using a word they don't fully understand.

- It could be just a request. - Or a warning.

Enough!

Louise?

We don't know if they understand

the difference between a weapon and a tool.

Our language, like our culture, is messy,

and sometimes one can be both.

I think it's quite possible that they're asking us to offer them something,

not the other way around, like the first part of a trade.

So, how do we clarify their intentions beyond those two words?

Well, I go back in.

Right away, we go back in and we clear this up.

It's more complicated than that.

How is it more complicated than that?

Colonel, the Secretary of Defense is on the line for you.

We need to sit on this information till we know what it means.

So, we aren't sharing it with our enemies.

We have to consider the idea

that our visitors are prodding us to fight among ourselves

until only one faction prevails.

There's no evidence of that.

Sure there is.

Just grab a history book.

The British with India, the Germans with Rwanda.

They even got a name for it in Hungary.

Yeah.

We're a world with no single leader.

It's impossible to deal with just one of us.

And with the word "weapon" now...

Halpern.

Yes, sir.

Copy that. Waiting for instructions.

No confirmation yet.

Standing by.

Anything?

What did they say?

China and Russia are off the grid. They aren't speaking to anyone.

Whatever they learned in their last session has them spooked.

Yes, sir.

We have orders to do the same.

Wait, these are our allies.

Colonel, you can't shut us down.

- Put us on radio silence. - Do it.

We received a message from the...

Damn it!

We need to be talking to each other.

You wanna talk to them? Find out what this means.

Base-camp talk is now offline.

- All interpreters... - No confirmation. They're offline.

...stand down and report to unit coordinators.

We've never re-entered a session before.

Look, Louise, trust me, okay? We've got time.

We've just gotta step on it, all right?

"Use weapon."

This is the alien message

said to have provoked the Chinese government

to withdraw their scientists from the international mission today.

In a statement, General Shang said,

"China no longer trusts the aliens who want to divide us.

"Humanity must be protected."

China has asked for immediate talks at the UN.

Alpha one-niner, this is Condor. Over.

Alpha one-niner, this is Condor.

Come in. Over.

Captain Marks, Condor.

Not receiving transmission. Squelch twice if you hear mine.

Captain Marks, all escort groups are ordered to cease all activity.

No, no, no. Dr. Banks, you can't go in there.

We just need to ask one question.

Dr. Banks, the session is finished. You can't...

You can't go back in. It's dangerous.

Look, we just need five minutes. Don't sweat it.

Marks, let them go.

Hey, Abbott.

So, what are we calling this, session 37?

No, 36, part two.

Okay.

Yeah.

Why they on their own?

We've been attempting to hail Captain Marks.

The escort units are not responding, sir.

Why not?

Send security.

"Offer weapon. Question mark."

Are you offering us something?

"Technology. Apparatus. Method"?

Yeah, see, this is a different word.

This segment, it's a lot busier.

"Give.

"Technology.

"Now."

What's he doing?

Captain, on your 10.

Mutineers are to be apprehended without engaging.

We don't want to risk antagonizing our visitors. Over.

Security detail inbound, sir. T-minus four minutes remaining.

We need to see this through.

Okay, this is it. Lock and load.

We just need to hold them off until it's done.

Copy that. Warning shots and suppressive fire only.

Load up and get to cover.

Stay fresh and we can avoid casualties.

Abbott wants me to write on the barrier.

Can you even do that?

I don't know.

I can't do it with both hands.

Louise.

What is that?

- Free fire! - Over there! I'm hit! I'm hit!

Hey, hey, hey. Take it easy.

You suffered a concussion.

Just lay back.

How are you feeling?

How is Ian?

Same as you. He's okay.

Who...

Who did this?

Some soldiers. Been watching too much TV.

What is that?

Now, take it easy. Take it easy.

The site's no longer secure.

We're standing by to evacuate.

Where's Ian?

Weber came and got him maybe 10 minutes ago.

But he wouldn't leave until he knew you were okay.

The whole tent is on the clock

to figure out whatever it is you were given up there.

This is all of it.

The feed wasn't interrupted by the explosion?

Not as far as we can see.

You see something?

I don't know yet.

I'm gonna need my team to get together with Louise's team.

I need everybody working on this.

We cannot leave.

Glad to see you're awake.

We need to go back in and we need to explain to them this wasn't our fault.

- We can't go back inside. - We have to tell them... We have to.

What happened in there was an attack.

We can hope for the best, but I have orders to prepare for retaliation.

We may have to evacuate.

No, that's the wrong move. As long as they stay, we have to stay.

Well, they're not leaving.

Why does this feel worse?

China is on the offensive.

They're positioning their military to blow the alien vessel right out of the sky.

And if this happens,

we can't sit around waiting for retaliation, so get prepared.

The Air Force and infantry are standing by.

Yes, sir.

Tonight, China becomes the first world power

to declare war against the aliens.

Following the failure of diplomatic efforts at the United Nations,

China has confirmed that its language experts have, tonight,

delivered an ultimatum at the Shanghai site.

In a televised statement, General Shang,

Chairman of the People's Liberation Army,

said the aliens have 24 hours to leave Chinese territory

or face destruction.

And he urged all other world leaders to unite with China

and take a similar stance.

With a huge buildup of forces at their landing sites,

Pakistan, Russia, and Sudan are thought to be following China's lead.

It can't be random.

It's going to take us years.

What's this term here?

Mom.

Mom.

Sweetie?

What's this term for that thing like a...

Like a technical term?

Where we make a deal and we both get something out of it?

"Compromise."

No.

Like, it's a competition, but both sides end up happy.

Like a win-win.

More science-y than that.

If you want science, call your father.

Thank you.

Sorry.

It's okay. I'm up.

What time is it?

It's time you open that bottle you've been hiding.

You cracked something, didn't you?

Yeah, come here.

Take a look at this section.

It seems to be talking about time.

Their symbol for "time" is everywhere.

So, what is this?

A formula for faster-than-light travel?

Who can tell?

There are too many gaps.

Nothing's complete.

Then it dawned on me.

Come here.

Right here.

Stop focusing on the ones, look at the zeroes.

How much of this is data? How much of it is negative space?

So, I measured it.

0.0833 recurring.

Perhaps you'd like that as a fraction.

One of 12.

What they're saying right here is that this is one of 12.

We are part of a larger whole.

Or we're one of 12 contestants for the prize.

Why do I have to talk to him?

We're all working together here.

We need to talk to the other sites.

We need to help them with what they've gotten from the other heptapods.

In case you don't remember, we're blacked out.

China just threatened to destroy their shell. We're on our own.

Yeah, but this says that all of the pieces fit together.

And I'm telling you that no one else cares.

Two hours ago, we pulled this audio off a secure channel in Russia.

Someone on the science team there was broadcasting wide.

In their final session, the alien said, "There is no time.

"Many become one."

I feel we have all been given weapons.

If anyone is receiving this, please...

Well, I mean,

there are a lot of ways you can interpret what he's saying.

I don't need an interpreter to know what this means.

Russia just executed one of their own experts

to keep their secrets.

"Many become one" could just be their way of saying,

"Some assembly required."

Why hand it out to us in pieces?

Why not just give it all over?

Well, what better way to force us to work together for once?

Even if I did believe you,

how in the world you gonna get anybody else to play along

or give up their data?

We offer ours in return.

Yeah?

What, trade?

It's a non-zero sum game.

"Non-zero sum game."

That's it.

Yeah, thanks.

Nine of the landing sites have gone total comms blackout.

Only way to reach them is to physically drive there and yell

at the border guards, which we're doing, but it won't be fast enough.

There's got to be a way to... To get the message to them.

To our allies maybe, but at this stage, it's too little too late.

What we need is to get all the other nations online

before one starts global war,

and there's no way for us to reach them.

Wait. Hold on a second.

There is.

It's right above us.

That's problematic for us right now.

The Pentagon's convinced our shell will retaliate.

My guess is they'll order us to evacuate within the hour.

Look, they're not our enemy.

They've made no act of aggression towards us.

Maybe this is their way of being aggressive.

That's not the question.

Well, what is the question?

How do we get you back in that room when it's half a mile straight up?

I think our work here is done.

It's in the hands of our superiors now.

What the hell is she doing?

No. God. Oh, God. No.

Costello?

Where's Abbott?

I'm sorry.

We're sorry.

I need you to...

I need you to send a message to the other sites.

I don't...

I don't understand.

What is your purpose here?

How can you know the future?

I don't...

I don't understand.

Who is this child?

The show is called Mommy and Daddy Talk to Animals.

Wait.

No... Wait!

- Dr. Banks! - Louise!

Are you all right?

- Hey. You all right? - Yeah.

- Here, come on. What happened? - I'm fine.

Tried to figure it out. This is too big.

Doesn't matter now. We have orders to evacuate.

- Why? - Russia and Sudan are following China.

Ian. I don't understand why the...

Help me, Mama.

Louise?

Oh, my God.

Mom.

Mama!

Sorry, honey.

What day is it? Do you know, baby?

Sunday.

Are you gonna leave me like Daddy did?

Hannah, honey, your daddy didn't leave you.

You're gonna see him this weekend.

He doesn't look at me the same way anymore.

That's my fault.

I told him something that he wasn't ready to hear.

What?

Well, believe it or not,

I know something that's going to happen.

I can't explain how I know. I just do.

And when I told your daddy, he got really mad.

And he said I made the wrong choice.

What? What's going to happen?

It has to do with a really rare disease.

And it's unstoppable.

Kind of like you are.

Your swimming, and your poetry,

and all the other amazing things that you share with the world.

I am unstoppable?

Yeah.

I got you.

Louise?

Louise.

I just realized why my husband left me.

My husband left me.

You were married?

Come on. Let's get out of here.

Mama?

Yeah?

Why is my name Hannah?

Yeah, got it right here.

Get those people back, please.

Well, your name is very special because it is a palindrome.

It reads the same forward and backward.

- All right, guys, give me a hand here. - Yes, sir.

That goes in the back.

Civilian contractors must have their authorization badges

and passkeys when checking...

Evacuation underway...

Hey.

Look, we're done here.

We're taking this with us.

I can read it.

- I know what it is. - What?

It's not a weapon, it's a gift.

The weapon is their language.

They gave it all to us. Do you understand what that means?

So we can learn Heptapod, if we survive.

If you learn it, when you really learn it,

you begin to perceive time the way that they do.

So you can see what's to come.

But time, it isn't the same for them.

- It's non-linear. - Look.

We did our best, but it wasn't enough.

The captain will load you up.

You're lifting off in five minutes.

Ian, Louise, it was an honor to work with ya.

Good luck.

Hey, Colonel!

I'm gonna find out where we're going.

Wake up, Mommy.

Dr. Banks.

A pleasure.

General Shang.

The pleasure is mine, really.

Your President said

he was honored to host me at the celebration...

- Yes. - ...but I confess,

the only reason why I'm here is to

meet you in person.

Me? Well, I'm flattered. Thank you.

Now, 18 months ago,

you did something remarkable.

Something not even my superior has done.

And what's that?

You changed my mind.

You're the reason for this unification.

All because you reached out to me on my private number.

Your private number.

General, I don't know your private number.

Now you know.

I do not claim to know how your mind works,

but I believe it was important for you to see that.

I called you, didn't I?

Yes, you did.

Louise.

- All right, let's shut down the system. - Sir.

There's a sat-line here dialing China.

Here? What do you mean "here"?

Come on, come on.

Whose phone is it?

It's your phone, sir.

Search base camp now.

Find out who's using that phone.

- Hold on to those coordinates. - Yes, sir.

Come on. What'd I say?

What'd I say? Come on.

Come on.

I will never forget what you said.

You told me my wife's dying words.

Found the source of the phone call.

It's in the clean room. Waiting for instructions.

What are you doing?

- What are you doing? - Changing someone's mind.

- Can you buy me 20 seconds? - We don't have time for this right now.

No, trust me, buy me 20 seconds. Do you trust me?

- Okay! Yeah. - You trust me?

Dr. Banks!

Drop the phone now or we shoot!

- Drop it! - Yeah. I'm sorry!

You're committing an act of treason!

- Yes. - Drop it!

It's done. I'm done.

Communications blackout from all 12 landing sites continues this evening.

Hold on, we are just hearing...

And I'm being told

we're going to cut this report to tell you breaking news.

Breaking now, China has called an emergency press conference.

General Shang, Commander-in-chief of the People's Liberation Army,

has announced in an emergency press conference

that China is standing down.

China is stating that all intelligence they have received

will be shared immediately with all the other landing sites.

Scientists from around the world are sifting through information received

- from the UK, Japan... - Breaking news,

the Russian armed forces are now revealing the information

they've acquired from both of their landing sites

and have declared the Black Sea a demilitarized zone.

...one of the 12 pieces of this puzzle that's being slowly put together.

So, Hannah.

This is where your story begins.

The day they departed.

You all right?

Despite knowing the journey and where it leads,

I embrace it,

and I welcome every moment of it.

- H-A-N-N-A-H. - H-A-N-N-A-H.

- Now backward. H-A-N-N-A-H. - A-N-N-A-H.

Hannah.

You ready, baby?

Okay.

Hi.

- You good? - All right. See ya.

Daddy!

You okay?

Daddy's gonna roll over you.

All right, you ready?

Guess what? Star stuff.

- Yeah. - Yeah.

If you could see your whole life from the start to finish,

would you change things?

Maybe I'd say what I feel more often.

I... I don't know.

You know, I've had my head tilted up to the stars for as long as I can remember.

You know what surprised me the most?

It wasn't meeting them.

It was meeting you.

I forgot how good it felt to be held by you.

You wanna make a baby?

Yes.

Yeah.