Original subtitles

[V.6.]

- How's it going?

- We've compiled the latest telemetry

which shows us to be at about 96 percent of optimum.

- It's well done.

Patel, I understand that you finished recalibrating

the sensors. - Yes, I have.

- Show me the last transmission.

- We're getting first-rate data now.

[ Bzz ]

[ Beeping ]

We lost the signal from the probe.

Let me replay the data from the auxiliary sensors

to see where the problem lies.

A CME.

We may have lost the probe for good.

- What the hell?

But we've had no advanced warnings of CME activity.

- This morning Dr Lucas Foster, the billionaire entrepreneur

is spending nearly $100 million of his own money

to launch the Galileo,

a manned scientific exploration vehicle

also known as a MAV

which he hopes will help mankind survive

what he calls an uncertain future,

but which his critics are calling Lucas' folly.

Stay tuned for a press conference followed by

the space launch here at Foster Aeronautics.

- I don't care what you do up there Joe,

just make sure you bring back some hard...

- Bring back some hard data we can use

to convince these geniuses.

Better get up there.

- Have yourself a hell of a ride.

- I will.

- Hey Jim, check the Q7 readout, it looks a little high to me.

- Yeah, she's been in flux all morning.

Don't worry though, she's still well within operating parameter.

So you gonna talk to the vultures out there?

- Vulture is such a dirty bird, Jim.

Say it with me.

The media is our friend.

- Ha! Ha!

You really want me to say it with you?

- Yes.

- The media is our friend. - I was kidding, Jim.

You need to relax.

- Yeah. Yeah relax.

Nothing really happening here today, right?

- Not at all.

Good morning everyone.

I'm afraid my remarks are going to be abbreviated

because launching a vehicle into orbit is a complex job,

especially when I have to make every penny count

unlike my former employers in the public sector.

[ Softly laughing ] But the question which is really

on your minds is why would anyone be damn fool enough

to waste 100 million to send a vehicle

into low earth orbit to study

greenhouse gases?

We all know how manmade pollutants are wreaking havoc

in our atmosphere,

and how these deadly emissions are increasing exponentially

the more fossil fuels we burn.

What you don't know is that last year alone

methane concentrations inside our atmosphere tripled

with potentially disastrous consequences

for the environment.

We need to do something.

The problem is we don't know what.

My pilot Joe Johnson has taken the Galileo up

to collect so that we may find that answer.

Any questions?

- Yes, your old boss

Bradley Stamp categorized

this launch as sheer lunacy.

Is he right?

- It isn't the first time he's called one of my ideas crazy.

I think Brad is still a little upset

I didn't let him invest in my company before I went public.

- Hilarious. - Would you explain why

you're using a Russian built craft today

instead of an American one. - It was cheaper.

But the MAV Joe will be piloting doesn't skimp on quality or safety.

Russian built products are as good as anything we can make in the west.

I'm sorry I had to cut this short,

but time is money and I've got to go burn both.

Thank you. - Thank you.

- The man's a magician.

Lucas is making $98 million go up in smoke.

[ Softly laughing ]

- [Joe]: Control, this is carrier one,

we're on the taxiway waiting for takeoff, we need clearance.

- Galileo, how's the startup coming?

- So far so good

- How's it compared to the simulator.

- I remember having a bit more legroom on the test launch.

Lucas, next time the Russians offer you a deal

make sure it's one designed for humans, not chimpanzees.

- In your case there might be some confusion.

- Hmmph.

- Where is this in from?

- Brunei Island's radio spectrometer.

- This is huge.

- Yes. Too huge.

It must be an error.

- Brunei's not known for their errors.

- You think the probe was in direct line

of this CME?

- Patel, a normal CME is

an ejection of supercharged particles

from the sun's surface.

If this is correct then that is not

just a coronal mass ejection,

that's a solar explosion on a scale we've never seen before.

Check the databases.

In your 12 years here have you ever seen a CME this big?

- No, let's not jump to conclusions.

- I'm not jumping to conclusions, yet.

The NSO in Japan has offered to send a status,

so has Anchorage, so has Chile so...

- So the probe was taken out 46 hours ago,

and this just showed up from Brunei.

If this is accurate...

- Then it looks like this thing is heading right for us.

I'm not gonna sit on my hands and wait for this thing to hit.

We need to talk to Europeans again

and call the NSO

and find out where the data is that they promised me hours ago.

- [Joe]: Gentlemen, this bird is in flight.

- [Newscaster]: At 10:15 Eastern Standard Time we have the launch

of Lucas Foster's manned aerospace vehicle.

As we can see in this replay

the MAV is being carried piggyback by a converted 727,

which will climb to an altitude of 38,000 feet

where the Galileo will separate from the carrier plane.

It will then fire its own rockets

and ascend into the higher reaches of the upper atmosphere

to fulfill-- - Good for you Lucas.

- [Newscaster]: According to Dr Foster

the focus of this mission will be to measure

methane levels in the thermosphere.

The Galileo will be visiting areas Dr Foster's team believes

to have high concentrations

of these deadly gases

in order to prove once and for all...

- That he is a self-absorbed lunatic.

[ Softly laughing ]

- [Joe]: Carrier One has reached launch altitude.

- MAV I have you at 38,000 feet

and I'm initiating the drop countdown

in T-minus 10,

9,

8, 7,

6, 5,

4, 3,

2, 1.

- [Airplane pilot]: Carrier One beginning rollout.

The sky is yours Galileo.

- Roger that.

[ Beeps ]

The separation's successful, firing booster rockets.

- And we have MAV ignition.

- That a boy, Joe.

- All on-board systems are well within the operating parameters.

Damn, this is one hell of a ride Lucas.

- This is where he always screwed up in the flight simulator.

- Oh man, what's that red light?

It's in the rearview, coming up fast behind me.

It's a cop, I must have broke the speed limit.

- Galileo is out of visual range,

switching to tracking display. [ Beeps ]

Tracking telemetry operational.

- Climbing to 80 miles altitude.

- Hey, he's very close to the first methane checkpoint,

he should be reaching it in...

- 6.3 seconds. - Exactly.

- Joe, how you doin' there?

- Just fine, I'm about to switch all the sensors

and monitoring equipment. [ Beeping ]

- Uh, Larry, we have an alarm in sector three, maybe a malfunction.

Give me a reset and a full diagnostic.

- Joe, do you read me?

We're showing an alarm in sector three.

Give me your status. [ Beeping ]

- We've lost telemetry. - Try rerouting to sector 4.

- Joe?

Joe? Where'd he go.

- I don't know.

- Get him back Jim.

- This is Galileo, come in ground control.

- A power outage?

How the hell could that be possible?

- It's got to be an instrument malfunction.

- On every instrument? No way.

Get me radio communications now.

- This is Galileo,

come in ground control. [ Beeping ]

- Telemetry's back up, we're getting a signal.

- Joe, can you hear me?

Come in Galileo.

- What the hell happened Lucas? I had a full system shutdown.

- We lost you here.

You just vanished from the tracking screens.

What's going on? - I don't know,

everything just shut down;

all the instrumentation,

life support, booster rockets, everything.

- It's not possible.

- What was it Lucas?

Tell me you got this under control.

- We're working on it Joe, as soon as I...

[ Alarm beeping ]

Joe?

Joe?

Joe!

- Galileo to base.

Galileo to base, do you copy?

[ Sustained beep ]

Aaah!

[ Boom ]

[ Beeping ]

- Joe!

- We have full signal loss, no telemetry.

Larry, check the emergency transponder frequency.

- No go.

- Satellite tracking indicates

multiple targets on Galileo flight path.

- [Newscaster]: We have confirmation

that Lucas Foster's space launch has turned tragic.

Half an hour after launch

these images were filmed over California,

detailing the doomed mission. Foster Aeronautics won't comment

on the status of pilot Joe Johnson

and whether he was able to safely jettison...

- Oh my God, what happened?

- Lucas launched the MAV, Joanna, an explosion.

- What about Joe?

- We don't know.

There's no sign of an ejection pod.

- [Reporter]: Here he comes, here he comes. Mr. Foster.

[ All questioning at once ]

- No comment.

I don't have any comments. - Mr. Foster, please.

[ Cell phone ringing ]

- Lucas? - Hello, Joanna.

- Lucas, I just heard. I am so sorry.

Did Joe get out? Is there any way he could have ejected?

- It doesn't appear so, we're assuming the worst.

- If there's anything that I can do.

- Thanks, but for now...

there isn't.

- Lucas, I'm just trying to help you out here, please.

- What do you need?

- Access to all the data that you have,

tracking, flights logs, SIMS.

- All right,

just before the explosion

there was a brief power loss.

- A power loss?

- I have no idea what caused it or if it's related.

They just cut out for a second.

Joanna. - Yeah.

- This isn't a Brad thing is it?

It's you that's asking.

- Yeah Lucas, it's me

and I am so sorry.

- Thanks.

- This is a hell of a time for something like this.

A Russian built vehicle as well,

it's gonna do wonders for the President's stress level.

- Excuse me Admiral,

but I fail to see the relationship.

- The Russian submarine fleet is running maneuvers off the Greenland Coast.

Colonel Alby, they got 12 submarines

in the water.

- It's a security council approved exercise, Admiral.

- Exercise, sure.

You see the thing is

we don't them backsliding into communism.

So we say sure, go ahead, have fun?

- I still don't see what that has to do with MAV explosion.

- If they so much as float a boat

even an inch over approved lines,

I want to know about it. - All right.

- You all hear me? - [Workers]: Yes, sir.

- I want to know because

the President expects me to know.

Now these exercises aren't hostile,

but we have good reason to suspect

that three of their subs are carrying nuclear missiles.

Now if a Russian built

space vehicle blows up in midair,

Colonel, are you going to be the one

to trust Russian subs

with onboard nukes?

- I see what you mean about stress levels, Admiral.

- Lucas, I've been looking all over for you.

You need to see this.

- What is it?

- I just started getting the feeds from the MAV.

It picked up a methane spark, it's off the charts.

- Sensors must have failed in the explosion, this can't be.

- Yeah, but look at all the other data, it's right on.

- This is crazy. This can't be right.

[ Explosions ]

- Joanna, this transmission just came in from Japan.

This is their very latest data

and this is from the Southern Observatory in Chile,

and this is Anchorage.

The photo you are looking at is the CME

that we believe took out the solar probe.

According to calculations the mass

from this emission would have hit the earth's atmosphere...

- Right about the time that Lucas lost his MAV.

- Yes.

- These new views show the sun emitting multiple CMEs

in a short time span.

The sun has never done anything like this before.

- Well, not in recorded history anyway.

- How long has this activity been going on?

- Seventy-two hours.

If these motion calculations are accurate,

then the CME cluster is on the ecliptic,

heading towards sector 12.

- Which brings earth directly into its line of fire.

- Yes.

- Joanna.

You know I've been looking all over for you.

- Brad, we have a big problem.

- How big?

- Where'd you get this? Why didn't we have this?

- A friend of mine at the Southern Observatory heard

about the MAV and he felt that we might be intrigued,

is what he said.

- These are huge. It's like...

- The sun is shedding its skin.

- Yeah, but why hasn't Joanna...?

She would have known about this.

Are you sure this is right?

- Well it's accurate. - Let's run it again

[ Whoosh ]

[ Electronic noise ]

- Lucas. What are you doing here?

You scare the hell out of me.

- Well don't worry, I'm about to scare the hell right back into you.

Why didn't you tell me about the CMEs?

- When? Every news reporter in town has turned your building

into an impenetrable fortress,

you're no longer answering your cell phone,

and your secretary, oh excuse me, secretaries,

all four of them, happen to think

that you're out of the country even though

you're doing a press conference in the same building.

- Did you know?

Tell me you didn't know.

- I just found out about it an hour ago.

Look Lucas, the power failure

in the MAV had to have been caused by this.

The CME was hitting the same area, it's the only explanation.

- The CME didn't just cause the electrical fail,

the CME obliterated the MAV.

- That's impossible.

These solar events do not just randomly blow things up.

- The CME didn't blow it up.

It ignited methane in the upper atmosphere

and that blew up the MAV.

- Oh no, no, you did not come down here

just to start in on this again, did you Lucas?

- Joanna, before the MAV blew

it took a methane reading that was off the charts.

There's been a shift going on in the atmosphere,

the likes of which we've never seen.

You mix that in with this solar event,

and you have a recipe for-- - For destruction,

yes I know, Lucas.

I lived with your theories for six years.

- Joanna if my theory is right

this event is no recipe for destruction,

this is a recipe for extinction.

- Lucas what happened yesterday was a tragedy,

it was a horrible freak accident

but the MAV was outside of the D7 belts.

It was above the ozone, it was vulnerable.

We are not.

- The CMEs that I saw are like nothing we've ever encountered before.

Not only will they take out anything in the outer atmosphere,

they're packing enough power to break through the ozone,

especially with those cute little holes we keep punching into it.

- I am done listening to this.

This is unsubstantiated conjecture.

- Of course it's unsubstantiated.

The MAV was destroyed before I could collect the evidence to prove it.

Joanna if we don't act now

we won't be here long enough to say I told you so.

- Lucas, I have always been intrigued by your theories,

but we deal with hard facts and reality here, that is our business.

- You've been working here too long, Joanna.

You sound just like Stamp.

Well, I gotta run. A bit of a media nightmare

on my hands today as you are well aware of.

Oh, and about me being tough to reach these days,

when you called my cell yesterday right

after the MAV was destroyed

and I was in total crisis mode,

I answered on the first ring.

[ Whoosh ]

- Hi there.

- Hi, can I have hotdog all dressed?

- Okay.

- Lots of onions.

[ Static ]

[ Screaming ]

- [Man]: Somebody help this guy!

- [Woman]: Please! Please help me!

- [Man]: Are you okay?

- Lucas!

It happened again. - What?

You quoting policy like Stamp?

- Look, an old weather satellite just crashed

in the middle of downtown Detroit.

Its orbit took it directly into the path of a CME.

They're already reporting 8 known casualties,

17 wounded and more missing.

I'm taking your theory to Stamp.

I thought that you should be there.

- Okay.

We're gonna need to go over everything you've got on the CME cluster,

the updated telemetry and tracking from the network.

- These CMEs are being tracked

by the European solar imaging probe.

Could you show us the closest one, Patel? Please.

- Look at the size of that thing.

- Yeah, it is by far the biggest CME

that we've ever recorded.

Could you highlight the incoming trajectory?

- What's that in its path?

- A satellite, a Russian satellite.

- Not just a satellite Joanna,

that is the primary

Russian Comsat.

All their military

communications go through it.

- How many more CMEs are you picking up now?

- Dozens.

More than we've ever recorded, but the real problem is

that the earth's orbit is bringing us directly

into their path.

We're going to be hit repeatedly over the next 48 hours.

- What could possibly be causing this?

- We don't know.

No one does.

- My, my, my.

To what do we owe the gift

of your presence, Dr Foster?

- This isn't ex-employee appreciation day?

- Uh no. I think it's security remove someone

who has no clearance to be here today.

- Not bad, that was pretty funny coming from you Stamp.

- Look Lucas, I...

I know you've been through a lot in the last few days

so I'm willing to take that into account,

but please, you're gonna have to excuse us.

- Actually I asked him to be here. [ Phone ringing ]

I believe he has a theory that we need to explore.

- You have no authorization to do that.

- I hate to interrupt

this fascinating scientific discussion but

the President of the United States is on video conference.

Shall I patch him through?

- Uh no, keep him on hold for a few minutes,

he gets such a kick out of that. - Lucas.

- Hang on.

- Brad,

I allocate billions of dollars to the agency.

I would hope at least that it would buy me some advance notice

when satellites come raining from the sky.

- Mr. President, I promise you we are onto this.

You have the full breadth and scope of our resources.

- Great.

Now let's start with the simple explanation.

There might be some people around here

that don't know the difference between a CME and a BLT.

- BLT sir?

- It's a sandwich, Stamp!

- Right.

Well, coronal mass ejections,

or CMEs are solar explosions. During these explosions

highly charged solar particles are hurled into space

at colossal speed, sir.

- And I take it these explosions are quite powerful?

- They can pack up to 100 megatons of TNT,

maybe more. - How many of them are there?

- Well we are tracking several, sir,

but we have everything under control.

There's really nothing to worry about.

- Ahem. Mr. President, if you'll excuse me,

Dr Parks, one of these CMEs is currently headed

for the primary Russian Comsat,

and there are many more of these phenomena,

all bigger than we have ever seen.

Our updated calculations

show that some of them are going to hit the earth.

- But doesn't the ozone layer protect us from stuff like that?

- Well it's hard to say.

Theoretically yes,

but the problem is that all of our satellites operate

well beyond the ozone barrier.

- What's the potential damage assessment?

- Sir, the potential energy of one of these CMEs could cripple every satellite in its path.

We could be looking at major communication disruptions,

entire hemispheres could go dark.

- Please forgive this.

My associate is blowing this out of proportion.

We may lose some satellite communication sir,

and there may be some more crackle in your radio

but we're gonna be okay. The ozone will hold.

- Excuse me. - Lucas?

- Mr. President.

- What are you doing there?

- I'm trying to avoid more casualties, sir.

Mr. President, what you haven't been told is that this is

a disaster scenario.

Sir, as we all know

manmade chemicals like

chlorofluorocarbons have infiltrated

the upper atmosphere and weakened the ozone,

put holes into it.

The energy that this bombardment of CMEs is carrying can

and will penetrate the ozone at these weak points.

That is just the beginning.

Our atmosphere has always been a mix of nitrogen,

oxygen and 2% other gases.

That 2% has gone to 5% in the last ten years

and most of that is methane;

highly volatile, highly flammable methane.

So when those CMEs break through the ozone

they will ignite pockets of methane

and literally

set the sky on fire.

That fire will consume the world's oxygen supply

within a few hours.

All living things

will literally suffocate to death.

- Ha! Mr. President with all due respect,

Dr Foster's elaborate claims are

entirely based on speculation.

- Well,

we all agree that these things are coming our way, right?

- Yes, we do.

- What's the time frame?

- Well the first CMEs have already begun to hit

and it will get increasingly worse over the next 48 hours.

- I will take all this under consideration.

You'll let me know immediately if you have any further information.

- Yes, sir. - Thank you for your time. - Sir.

How dare you use this agency

and its good name for your Armageddon propaganda.

- Bradley, his theory is valid.

- I want you out of this building.

Thank you Dr Foster.

- This is gonna be bad.

- What do you mean, Admiral?

- Never seen Simon this scared before.

You know, if this is going to continue for the next two days,

then Detroit could not have been an isolated incident.

- I couldn't agree with you more, sir.

If a single CME brought down that satellite,

imagine what a storm of them can do.

- Exactly.

Let's scramble the F15s, give us some sky cover.

- Where are you going, sir?

- I'm going to see what those Russian subs are up to.

If we're losing our satellites,

I want to be able to track 'em the old fashioned way.

- Captain, this just came in.

- Lieutenant Troiska.

- Yes, sir.

- Set new coordinates;

10 degrees south, 5 degrees west,

increase speed five knots

and take us to 300 meters.

- Captain, it's going to take up closer to the international boundaries.

- That is correct Lieutenant.

- Aye, sir.

Ten degrees south, 5 degrees west,

increase speed 5 knots, take us to 300 meters.

Captain, what is going on?

- Officially nothing.

- Unofficially?

- We're going to show the world

that Russia will not be intimidated.

- Anyone believe you?

- I don't know.

At least the President isn't just getting Stamp's version.

- Oh yeah, where'd you lose him?

- Right around the part where the sky catches fire.

- That's a tough part all right. So what we do now?

- I'm the big money loud mouth guy that gets us into trouble, Jim.

I pay you to come up with the answers

to get us out of trouble.

- Then we're in a lot of trouble.

- We can do this Jim,

come on.

- Yuri, our experts tell us that a huge solar flare's headed direct towards

your main communication's satellite.

Now when they collide it's going to knock

your satellite right out of the sky.

- Our scientists have not been able

to verify these claims.

- Well you got all the data we have, Yuri. What more do you want?

Our satellites could also be knocked out,

you know what'll happen then? We will all be in the dark.

Now do I have to tell you what will happen when

our two fleets are operating in close proximity

with one another without the ability

to get direct commands from us?

- I agree.

Call back your fleet

and we will do the same.

- On the contrary Yuri,

you're the one who's operating with armed submarines near

the international border. It is you who must pull back first.

- I have full permission from the other members

of the security council for these exercises

if and when we are convinced of the authenticity of this threat.

We will join you in taking the appropriate measures.

- Authenticity?

Yuri, 4 hours ago a satellite dropped in downtown Detroit.

If you want to know about causalities, it's on every major network.

- I'm deeply sorry for the tragedy in Detroit,

but my first responsibility is to my country.

- Yuri there's an old saying;

after pride comes the fall.

Now why don't we both put our pride aside

and work together to prevent further casualties, how about that?

- Okay, Ryan.

I will order my subs to pull back.

I trust you will do the same with your fleet.

- You have my word Yuri,

it will be done.

Thank you Yuri.

Colonel is there any way

to prevent the satellite from coming down?

- No sir.

It's orbit is directly in the path of the CME.

- Ah. Admiral Lawrence, what's your take?

- If we position ourselves

in a perimeter in the North Atlantic,

our subs can monitor any breach of international waters by their subs

during the communication blackout.

- Then do it,

but alert our commanders that we may also lose communication

and that they should keep their cool.

- Yes, sir.

- I don't want any trigger happy idiots out there.

- No one is going to believe us.

Not a word.

- Yup.

- No one will ever give me as much as a dime

for future projects.

- Yup.

- You're going to be working fast food

for the rest of your life. - Yup.

- You think there could possibly be another way?

- No. No. Once the CMEs clear the ozone

methane will ignite.

There won't be a lot of time to put it out.

- I agree.

Maybe 24 hour before total flashover.

- Yeah.

- Well, we better get going. - Where?

- Back to the space agency.

We need to put this matrix through some real simulations.

We don't have the processing power here.

- Lucas, they just kicked you out of there.

- Jim, it's a space agency,

it ain't the Kremlin. Come on.

[ Beeping and static ]

- Joanna, we're a team here,

all of us.

We're part of one big team.

If a member of that team starts screaming

like Chicken Little

that the sky is falling, then the whole team stands to lose

and that can mean millions of dollars in funding.

- I can't believe that you're talking about funding

at a time like this. Have you seen the data? We have an obligation--

- First and foremost to your job,

to your co-workers, to the people that pay your salary,

not to some crazed radical who thinks he's important

just because he has some money. Not to some pseudo scientist,

and not to an ex-husband

do you may or may not still have feelings for.

- How dare you say that I would let my relationship with Lucas

sway my opinions or my actions.

You know what, Brad? - What.

- You are being blinded by jealously.

The only one whose judgment is being compromised here is you.

- Dr Parks you are way-- - Excuse me,

the next of the CMEs has started to hit.

I think the Russian primary Comsat is about to be annihilated.

Come on.

Hold on.

It is not going to stay up there.

It's too much.

- We're gonna have to get NORAD

on the phone, the satellite's coming down.

- NORAD confirms the probably point of impact

of the satellite just east of Lake Eerie.

- Copy that, we have two F15s on intercept.

- This is Delta patrol, we've got cloud cover

but I have the object on my radar.

- If you see it, can you intercept?

- I think so sir.

- If you can't, we're going to lose a section

of downtown Buffalo. - Let's do it Delta-2.

- Copy that.

- Bogey ten miles from Buffalo inbound.

- Presently at 18,000 feet and climbing.

- Satellite at 40,000 feet.

Satellite at 33,000 feet.

- Roger that. We're at 27,000 feet.

- Satellite's coming in hot at 29,000 feet, take a shot.

- I've got visual.

Arming.

Missile away.

It's not a clean kill, we've got debris.

- There's still debris? Get it Delta-2.

- I'm on it.

It's into the clouds

but I've got a signal.

- Roger that Delta-2, satellite at 25,300.

- Tracking target. [ Beeping ]

Missile away.

I don't have impact.

Repeat, I do not have impact.

- Come on gentlemen, you can do it.

- You've only got one shot to do this.

The satellite at 7,400.

[ Beeping ]

- I've got visual.

Missile launched.

Yeah! - He got it.

[ Applause ] - Yes!

- This is the second satellite that's been destroyed

by a CME, Brad.

- Damn it.

- And there is no way to know how many others will be affected

as the rest of the CMEs hit.

- We need to get better informed.

I want a direct feed from every observatory that you can get a hold of

and I want them patched in here as soon as possible.

- Anchorage, Norikura, Las Companas.

- I don't care if it's my nephew who's back there

with a pair of binoculars. I want them all online.

I want to know if so much as a bottle rocket goes off.

- All right.

- Anchorage.

- They'll never let us in.

- I have an update from Anchorage.

They're on line three.

- Let's get them on speakerphone.

- [Anchorage man]: You guys are missing one hell of a light show over here.

- So I heard, how soon can you get us visuals gentlemen?

- We're still working on it.

We've been trying to patch them through

but our satellite connection's down. [ Static ]

Oh my God. - Anchorage?

- Can you hear me?

The sky is glowing!

- Anchorage. Anchorage.

[ Telephone disconnect ] - What's this I hear about a glowing sky?

- Hello Lucas.

- Sorry sir, I couldn't stop him.

- You should have shot him. Get me confirmation on Anchorage.

I need to know what happened there ASAP.

- Brad, I don't have to tell you this is bad

and I think you know now it's going to get worse.

The ozone will not hold and we have to prepare for that.

- All right.

- Thank you. Now where are we?

- We just lost Anchorage.

- The observatory or the whole city?

- We don't know yet.

- Show me that.

- Admiral, what is it?

- The Russians promised they were going to downgrade

the combat status of their subs.

- And they didn't?

- Not quite.

Their Comsat went down before they could contact the final sub.

- So this sub has zero contact with their commander.

- It gets worse.

The order to recall our subs to safe water was in transit,

now our Coms are down

and not all of them received instructions.

- Not all of them? How many? - Two.

The Okala was

just north of the Azures Islands.

The U.S.S. Lansing is off the coast of Greenland monitoring

the Russian fleet maneuvers.

- So two of our subs are out there somewhere,

just waiting for a Russian sub to cross

the safe water boundary.

- I just pray to God those men,

theirs and ours

show a little judgment.

- Anything?

- No, sir. We're not picking up a thing.

- It's not an equipment malfunction?

- No sir, everything seems to be functioning perfectly.

- Everything but our satellite.

- We have no outside communications,

only what we can pick up on short waves.

What about sonar and radar?

- Operational but there is a great deal of interference.

- Makes it very difficult to say the least.

- [Newscaster]: Scientists say this massive display

of northern lights is a visible indication

of the bombardments of supercharged solar particles.

These particles are shorting out satellite circuitry

and causing energy surges in electrical transmission lines.

Due to mounting satellite losses,

global government agencies have taken the unprecedented

step of commandeering the use of deep sea communication cables

that are shielded from interference

to allow communication to continue

as this worldwide crisis deepens.

- Sir. - Yeah.

- Mainland China just went dark.

- How?

- We're not a hundred percent,

it could have been an accident

or it could have been as Lucas predicted.

We're trying to get some hard data,

but with our satellites down right now

we're running deaf, dumb and blind.

- The power of these images

is clear in this recent footage from Eastern Europe.

- Mr. President.

- Yeah? - You should see this.

- [Newscaster]: Throughout the night the spectral glow

of supercharged northern lights shone on scenes

of increasing unrest.

In Berlin government buildings were set alight

by protestors demanding action.

Mass demonstrations of public unease

over the solar crisis also drew police

or military responses in Poland, Romania...

- Captain, there is still no response.

I cannot reach anyone.

- There must be equipment malfunction.

- I have run full diagnostics twice.

There is nothing wrong with our system.

- There must be. Run them again.

- Yes sir.

All stations to full alert.

- I do not wish to be caught by surprise.

Lieutenant Troiska.

- Yes sir.

- Take us to 100 meters.

- But these are not our orders, sir.

- I know this, but perhaps

our communications will clear up at the shallow depth.

- Or maybe we'll be a sitting duck, captain.

- 100 m, Lieutenant.

- Yes sir.

100 m.

- [Lucas]: Mr. President, these CMEs that have overloaded

power grids and knocked out our communication satellites

are nothing compared to the last few

that are going to hit our northern

and southern hemispheres.

I'm certain these CMEs will breach our ozone.

- And the after effects, now disastrous?

- Far worse than disastrous, sir.

The burning methane fires in the stratosphere will increase

in intensity and magnitude

until they reach a point of flashover.

We'll have complete and total oxygen depletion.

As we scientists call it sir,

an ELE.

- An extinction level event.

- That's the bad news, sir.

The good news is we believe there's a way out.

Jim.

- Well sir, Mr. President,

if we're facing the world's biggest fire than

what we need is the world's largest fire extinguisher.

Uh, the most probably point

of penetration is wherever the ozone is the weakest,

and that would be over the poles.

Now this is a good thing.

We've calculated that a 20 megaton nuclear device

detonated closest to the entry point of the CME

will bring enough water vapour

into the atmosphere to extinguish the flame.

- Wait a minute, are you serious?

You want... you're asking me to nuke the North Pole?

Are you out of your mind.

- It's the only scenario which will work, sir.

- Dr. Parks,

what do you think of this theory?

- Sir, if the ozone layer doesn't hold

the solution proposed is a viable one.

- Stamp?

- Sir, this is neither my scenario nor my solution,

but I feel in light of what we're dealing with

you should hear it all, sir.

- Okay.

Okay, so let's say I approve this order,

then I authorize an ICBM strike on the polar ice cap.

- Uh no, sir.

Because our outer atmosphere is so unstable

and ICBM won't work, it has to fly too high.

We should launch from a submarine at close distance.

- The only subs we have close to the North Pole

don't have that payload.

- But we know of a Russian sub in that general area.

The Vaznesensk and it's loaded.

- The Vaznesensk.

We can make this work sir, we need to get that sub.

- Even if we were to act on this elaborate fantasy,

we can't contact our own subs,

let alone the Russian subs.

- [President]: As Admiral Lawrence points out,

there are difficulties with your proposal Lucas.

Okay, look. I'm gonna have to take all of this

into consideration and get back to you.

- Mr. President, time is one thing we don't have.

We need to get this plan into action now.

If we wait it will be too late, sir.

- Lucas, what you propose is very risky.

I want to weight all these options

and I will get back to you.

- He's not gonna do it.

- Do you blame him?

- I will when we all die.

- You made your pitch.

The President has all the information.

- He doesn't realize we're out of time.

Excuse me.

- Lucas, where are you going?

- The Vaznesensk. - The what?

- Look, I know that Russian sub commander Joanna.

Before the MAV was airborne it was tested for splashdown

in the North Atlantic.

The man in charge of the test was a Russian sub captain

named Gregoravich.

After the final test

he was assigned to he Vaznesensk to do routine

patrols in the Arctic.

If that's him there's a chance, however slight,

that I will be able to board that sub.

- Look I know you have a relationship there,

but they're on high alert.

There's no Russian submarine commander

is going to let an American on board his sub.

- That's the best shot we've got.

Look, we don't have much time before largest

of the CMEs hits.

The real job is yours. We can't figure out

the coordinates to launch the ordinance until we know

exactly where that CME has penetrated,

it's speed and trajectory.

Jim you need to run the calcs with Joanna,

pinpoint me a location.

We'll only have one chance at this.

- You really think they're gonna let you on a Russian sub?

- I'm gonna give it a shot.

Get their last known coordinates,

take my jet to Iceland

and charter a helicopter from there.

All right.

[ Boom ]

- I see.

No, thank you sir.

I just got a fragmentary communication, not quite sure...

- Brad, what is it?

- I think New Zealand was just obliterated in a firestorm.

- [Newscaster]: There are unconfirmed reports from Sydney,

Australia today that the sky to the southeast

in the direction of New Zealand

was seen to erupt in flames.

Communications from New Zealand including deep-sea cable

have stopped and scientists are suggesting

a CME may have breached the ozone

causing unforeseeable damage.

- My God. This is really happening.

- [Newcaster]: What is certain is that until now

the human component of this solar storm

has been the most unpredictable.

Complete civil unrest has broken out in several countries

leading to the imposition of martial law,

but as events in the Republic of Georgia

and South Africa show,

even military curfews have been ineffective

against the near hysterical spread of panic and violence,

as people fear the end of the world has arrived.

- Mr. President.

- Yeah.

- We have absolute confirmation

that New Zealand's been destroyed.

- Oh. - Foster was right.

The ozone has been breached.

- You know, Frank, I've known Lucas Foster

for more than 20 years and he's been right

more times than I can remember.

- Sir.

- Hmm.

- Lucas Foster has gone off the reservation.

- What are you talking about?

- I've received word that he is trying to link up

with a Russian sub.

- You don't mean that Russian sub

that's off the coast of Greenland.

- Yes, sir.

I've also received confirmation

that this Russian sub is armed with nukes.

- Where is he now?

- Captain, you need to take a look at this.

We've got massive interference on the sonar.

- What the hell?

- We're losing power, sir.

- How is that possible?

Get me a read on that sonar.

Get our damned radio to work.

- Yes, sir.

- Get me the engine room.

I need to know what's going on with the power.

- Calling Russian Navy submarine the Vaznesensk.

This is Lucas Foster.

I'm in a civilian helicopter, do you read me?

Calling the Vaznesensk, this is Lucas Foster, do you read me?

Calling Russian Navy submarine the Vaznesensk,

this is Lucas Foster.

I'm in a civilian helicopter. Do you read me?

- Captain, we have an incoming craft.

I believe it is a helicopter, sir.

- Helicopter, all the way out here?

Are you sure?

- Yes, I can hear it, a helicopter.

- Lieutenant Troiska.

- Yes, sir. - Take us to periscope depth immediately.

We need visual confirmation.

- Calling the Vaznesensk, this is Lucas Foster,

do you read me Vaznesensk?

- [Speaker]: Captain, this is the radio room.

We have an incoming transmission.

- Patch this through speakers.

- It's coming in over the short wave, sir.

[ Static ]

- Captain, we've reached the periscope depth.

- Lieutenant Troiska,

you must see this.

What's happening up there?

- Calling Russian Navy submarine the Vaznesensk.

[ Static ]

- Sir, it must be a trap.

The Americans have disabled our communications

and this is just a ploy to get us to the surface.

- [Lucas]: Calling Russian Navy submarine the Vaznesensk.

- It is civilian helicopter.

- [Lucas]: This is Lucas Foster,

Misha, if you can hear me

I've got your favourite Cuban, hand-rolled by Castro himself.

- Take her up.

- Captain, please reconsider.

This is against military protocol.

- [Lucas]: If you can read me Vaznesensk.

- You are correct, Lieutenant.

Surface now.

I will not repeat the order again.

- Aye, sir.

- [Lucas]: Is anyone out there? - Surfacing.

- [Lucas]: If you can hear me Vaznesensk.

- [Misha]: Lucas, my friend,

we are receiving you

and I have given the order to surface.

- Yes.

Misha, you are a lovely sight.

Let's take it down. - Yup.

- Admiral, intel has been picking up

chatter around the globe.

Several regions in the northern hemisphere

are reporting fires in the sky;

clouds spontaneously combusting.

- Do they know if Foster boarded the Russian sub yet?

- No.

- Well...

I guess we'd better get ready for hell on earth.

- Captain. - Lucas.

I hope you understand I'm in violation

of strict orders having you aboard this vessel.

- I assure you captain, it's for a good reason.

Besides, you're not able to communicate with your

command operations, are you?

- How do you know this?

- Because your main Comsat dropped out of the sky.

- What is going on up there?

The communications, the sky.

- We're being assaulted by a massive solar storm.

I don't have time to give you a detailed explanation

but it's bad, it's real bad

and I'm gonna need your help

and your trust if we're gonna stop it.

[ Phone ringing ]

- Joanna Parks.

- The clock is ticking, have you heard from Lucas?

- Not yet. Don't worry, he'll call.

- I hope so.

I just got the final trajectory.

I'll have the launch coordinates soon.

Hang in there. - Okay.

- Target the polar ice shelf with our nuclear missiles?

- Captain the sky that you saw

was only a glimpse of the worldwide destruction

that's been going on.

- Why not American sub?

- Yours was the closest armed sub to the target.

- You cannot launch from United States?

- No.

An ICBM launch from the states would have to leave

our atmosphere and once it did its guidance system

would be knocked out by those solar storms.

It must be launched at low altitudes at close range.

That's where you come in, sir.

Captain, this is the only chance we have.

This disaster, it's accelerating,

moving toward flashpoint.

If we don't stop it now, sir,

it can't be stopped.

- I could not possibly authorize such an act.

Not without approval of my commander.

- Captain, how about if you talk

to President Alyushin directly?

Would that work?

- How?

- Captain,

we are approximately here.

If we can get to here,

the Trans Atlantic cables,

we can tap in and call the Kremlin.

- I've compiled the data sent by the observatories

before they went offline

into a simulation of the methane ignition pattern.

- Put it on the screen.

- The cable is somewhere around 800 m deep.

- Approximately 2,500 feet.

- That is very deep for a sub of our class.

- Captain, that's the closest and shallowest

point to the cable.

- Captain, if we go below 700 m,

there's a really good chance that the ship's hull

will crumble from the pressure.

- When the fires in the sky intensify,

they will deplete our oxygen?

- All life on this planet will suffocate

in a manner of a few hours.

We have to act now.

- Lieutenant, set course for these coordinates,

initiate deep-dive precautionary measures.

Now Lieutenant.

- Yes, sir.

Initiate deep-dive precautions.

- Sir, I'm picking up another sub. It's American.

- Captain, if we make contact

there'll be no time for explanations.

- Brake for silent running.

- Yes, sir. Brake for silent running.

- Oh my God.

- It's heading for us!

[ Screaming ]

[ Whoosh ]

[ Boom ] - Oh!

- 450 m.

- Captain, the American sub is getting closer.

Eight degrees south, three degrees west of our position.

Captain, do we keep with this dive?

- What depth are they at?

- 275 m.

- Close enough to shout,

but they have not heard us, have they?

- They're not behaving as if they have.

- Stay in the dive.

Keep it smooth and very quiet.

- Aye, sir.

Stay in the dive.

[ Alarm bells ]

[ Approaching fire sirens ]

- Let's move it, move it, tight move, come on.

Okay guys, come on, let's go.

- Seven-hundred meters.

[ Sub structure's creaking ]

Captain, I don't think she can take too much more pressure.

- She will have to.

[ Beeping ]

And so she will.

- Captain, we have a leak at level three;

torpedo bay four is flooded.

- Seal it off.

- Aye, sir. Seal it off.

- 800 m.

[ Creaking intensifies ]

Mark reached.

- Full stop.

[ Alarms and sirens ]

- [Softly]: Oh no.

Oh no, no, no.

Please work, please work.

[ Dialtone ] Oh, thank God.

- What the hell just happened up there?

- We got hit. The program, is it still running?

- Yeah, yeah, it's still running

just under 11 minutes.

- Thank God. I'm on my way.

[ Someone speaking Russian ]

- President Alyushin, this is Lucas Foster,

I need your help, sir.

- Mr. Foster, I believe I know why you are calling.

I've spoken with President Gordon.

We will approve your plan.

My submarine is at your disposal.

- That's very good news, Mr. President.

May I put you all with Captain Gregorovich,

commander of the Vaznesensk? - Please.

- Thank you, sir. Captain.

- Whoa, whoa, Dr. Park, you can't go down there.

- Ned-- - It's not safe. The walls are collapsing.

- That's a chance I'm gonna have to take.

- Dr. Parks!

[ Alarm ] [ Coughing ]

- It's Lucas, he's on the sub.

- Thank God.

Lucas?

- Joanna, it's good to hear your voice.

- And yours.

- You got those launch coordinates?

- Yeah. Here we go.

Latitude 86 degrees,

43 minutes, 17 seconds North.

Longitude, 41 degrees,

19 minutes, 4 seconds West.

- Joanna, good work.

- I've never seen anything like it.

[ Thunder ]

- This wasn't supposed to happen.

- There's still time to stop it.

I got the coordinates to Lucas on the sub.

- Lieutenant, what's the status on our com?

- The radio's still down sir, no satellite guidance to speak of.

- I know we're still down Lieutenant.

I want an ETA on when they'll be restored.

- I wish I could give you that sir

but every indication leads us to believe

that this is an external problem.

- External? - Sir, I mean the problem

is not with our com equipment,

the problem is with the source.

- Are you telling me the world's biggest superpower

has just lost its Satcom?

- Maybe it was a test.

- I have advanced notification of all maritime scheduled tests.

- Either way we would have had communication

which means the only reason we haven't heard

from headquarters is that they went dark themselves.

- Are you insinuating we may have been attacked.

- Sir, we did experience a power surge

and interference consistent with nuclear EMP.

- Captain, we may be picking up another sub.

- May be picking up another sub?

I want a confirmation on that

and I want it now.

- Yes, sir.

- 100 m from missile launch depth, sir.

- Input target coordinates, Lieutenant.

[ Speaking russian]

- Da.

[ Speaking russian]

[ Speaking russian]

Launch coordinates are set captain.

- How soon until we reach launch position?

- In 15 seconds, sir.

- Unlock missile launch codes.

- Sir, sonar's picking up a Russian sub.

- Are you sure?

- I'm positive, sir.

- What's their position?

- Sir, they're over the safe-water boundary

inside Icelandic territorial waters.

- On my mark.

3, 2, 1, mark.

Input launch code.

- Now missiles are armed, sir.

- Prepare to fire.

- Captain, the Americans they have located us.

Sir, we have an incoming message

from the Americans on the shortwave.

They say we have drifted off course,

that we are in violation of Icelandic territorial waters

and are ordered to surface immediately.

- Tell the Americans we are acting under direct

orders of both President Alyushin and President Gordon.

- Sir, they say they're acting under the direct orders

of both President Alyushin

and President Gordon,

and that they're running a Code Black scenario.

- What kind of game are they playing?

- They are at missile launch depth, sir.

- Tell them we have no way to verify their claims,

they need to surface immediately,

any failure to comply will be deemed an act of aggression.

- Yes sir.

- They are giving us one minute

to service and prove the authentication of our orders.

- If we surface now sir, it'll be too late.

The window of opportunity has almost closed.

We must do this now sir.

- Send another message.

Tell the Americans we are on a time-critical mission

and that we pose no threat. Send this.

- Yes, sir.

American submarine, we are on a time-critical

mission and our operation poses no danger to your vessel.

- Let him know we mean business.

- Yes sir.

[ Whoosh ]

- On my mark.

- Captain they're opening their torpedo bay doors.

- Lieutenant Troiska.

- I will not fire missiles, sir.

- Give me your key.

- We cannot do that.

This is suicide.

- Lieutenant.

Don't.

- Lock Lieutenant Troiska in his quarters.

- Yes sir.

- Lock him up.

- Now Captain.

- Firing missiles 1 through 5.

- Sir, the Russian just launched five missiles

- What in God's name... ?

[ Whoosh ]

- They're awaiting your orders, Sir.

- Prepare to fire.

We're taking them out.

- Sir, yes, Sir. Prepare to fire.

- Send another message.

Tell them we are surfacing.

- Fire when ready.

- Fire when ready.

[ Whoosh ]

- It's too late. Torpedoes in the water.

- Prepare countermeasures.

Full ahead.

Down right angle 45 degrees.

[ Whoosh ]

Fire countermeasures.

- Fire countermeasures!

- Sir, the Russians have launched countermeasures

and are moving away at full screws.

- Prepare to fire again.

- Sir, yes, Sir. Prepare to fire.

[ Explosions ]

- Countermeasures successful.

- Fire when ready!

- Fire when ready.

[ Whoosh ]

- Captain, the Americans have fired two more torpedoes.

- All hands to damage control stations.

[ Whoosh ]

- Fire countermeasures on my mark,

and then hard turn

90 degrees starboard.

- 800 m.

700 m.

- Not yet.

- 600 m.

500 m.

- Fire countermeasures.

Initiate turn!

[ Hull creaking ]

Harder

A little more.

There.

God help us.

- Arrgh!

- Sir, the torpedoes have missed their target.

There is no return fire.

- Load torpedoes.

Prepare to fire again.

[ Electronics beeping ]

- Damage report.

- Sub-level 1 has minor

hull beaches in the pump room, Sir.

- Plug them and evacuate.

- Yes, Sir. - Get me the short wave radio.

[ Whoosh ]

- American sub commander. This is Lucas Foster.

I'm onboard the Russian submarine Vaznesensk.

Hold your fire.

- Sir, you'd better hear this.

- [Foster]: Hold your fire.

This is Lucas Foster.

- It didn't succeed.

- We don't know that yet.

- Ah, face it, Joanna.

The calculations must have been off.

Or maybe it was human error.

Maybe they didn't get the missiles off.

- He did.

I know he did.

- [American Captain]: Mr. Foster, your presence

does merit the cessation of hostilities.

However, you must warn the Russian captain

to maintain a neutral posture,

to surface immediately and to surrender.

- They're demanding your immediate surrender.

- Never.

- Captain, it's just a formality.

- Send a message back.

Tell them we will comply.

- But Sir...

- Someone has to take Mr. Foster home.

[ Laughing ]

[ Crowd laughing and cheering ]

- He did it.

- Yeah!

- He really did it!

Yes!

- Mr. President.

It worked. Lucas has done it.

- Ah, yes!

- Captain, I owe you one.

If there's anything I can ever do for you...

- Do not be such a stranger, Lucas Foster.

The next time

you are in the neighbourhood, drop by.

- Oh, I believe this is yours.

- Ah...

spasibo.

- Pozhaluista.

- Sector two, all clear.

- Lucas! Hey!

Come on!

[ Laughing ]

I'm so glad you're back.

- Thank you. Good job.

- Thank you.

- Hey, hey!

Welcome back.

- Thank you.

So, where is the rest of the welcoming committee?

- We have a lunch with the president, Lucas,

what more do you want?

- I don't know. A marching band would have been nice.

[ Laughing ]

- Yeah. Let's get out of here. [V.6.]