Original subtitles

My name is Thomas Vail, or at least it was. I'm a photographer.

I had it all. A wife, Allison.

Friends, a career. And in one moment, it was all taken away.

All because of a single photograph.

I have it.

They want it.

And they will do anything to get the negatives.

I'm keeping this diary as proof that these events are real.

I know they are.

They have to be.

I'm not always sure of the information that I receive.

I've been given single names, street names, addresses,

places of business, the names of towns.

But this time, I've been given more than usual. A name and an address.

The man's name is John Meyerson.

He lives in Rockwater, a small town in Colorado.

And that's what brought me out here.

The hope that maybe, just maybe, if I could find John Meyerson,

I might come one step closer to the truth.

Man, I should have stuck my thumb out before it got dark. Frozen. Thanks a lot.

Not a problem.

Hank Bower's the name.

Tom Vale.

Nice to meet you, Tom. Likewise, man.

Thanks. Got any interest in scrap?

No, not that I know of.

Well, don't knock it till you've tried it.

There's about 200 bucks worth back there. Oh, yeah?

That took only three days to scratch up.

Some weeks are better than others, though.

Yeah, I know the feels.

So you make a living off that stuff? Oh, no, I got a repair shop back in town.

Fixing cars is my meat and potatoes.

Scraps is sort of a... a passion thing.

So you live in Rockwater?

All my life.

Probably been some.

You know a man named Meyerson?

What's your business with John Meyerson?

Uh, just, uh, it was personal.

I'm afraid you're out of luck.

Oh, yeah? Why's that?

I guess you don't know much about what's been

going on around here the last couple of years.

What is all this?

Folks come for the sightings.

Well, call them what you like.

Close encounters, UFOs, whatever name you got for them.

When it happens, it's a hell of a show.

You're welcome to stick around if you want.

Rockwater's about 10 miles down the road. Don't turn right, don't turn left,

you'll find it. Listen, Hank,

what did you mean when you said I was out of

luck if I was looking for John Meyerson?

John Meyerson disappeared 16 months ago.

Went out one night for a walking.

No one's never seen or heard from the man again.

Of course, that's not the first or last time

something like that's happened around here.

What are you saying? He just disappeared?

Just like he was erased or something.

Nobody knows what happened to him? Oh, I didn't say that.

The night John Myerson disappeared was the night we had our second sighting.

Wait a second. What are you telling me?

You think John Meyerson was abducted by aliens?

It's not what I think, Tom. It's what everyone thinks.

Hey, you hang around here long enough, you'll think so, too. Just listen, Hank.

Do you think there's any chance at all maybe one of these

people will give me a lift the rest of the way into town?

Oh, yeah. Good. Great.

Of course, you're gonna have to stick around for

a few hours because we're hoping to see a show.

Could happen. Right, folks? Could happen.

Is the human ego so big, so big, so enormous that

we can't accept other life forms? Well, we did it.

We've had three abductions, multiple sightings. The evidence is there.

The evidence more than supports the theory.

The problem is we're talking about an event that radically

alters the parodies You have to choose yourself.

And frankly, that scares the hell out of people.

Oh boy, oh boy! Hey, hey, here it comes!

That's great. Thanks a lot.

You're welcome.

I appreciate that. Thanks.

What's up, bud?

Willie Wilkes.

What do we got? We missed a great show last night, Will.

Damn ship came right over our heads and whoosh,

went out over that hill and over these flats.

First light, me and a bunch of the guys, we came over in this direction.

How'd you make out in town last night?

Usual, lots of power hits, few outages.

One of the farms over in Somerville, they reported a few dead cattle.

You can't tell me you're still skeptical, Will.

I'm not skeptical about what I can see, bud. Burnt circles in the ground,

dead cattle, and power outages. It's just what causes them I'm not so sure about.

Well, you got a better explanation?

Nope.

Just because I can't explain something doesn't mean that

the answer's got to come from somewhere out there.

We had a whole 30 good people here who saw it happen.

You got a good 30 people here who saw a bunch of lights

in the sky and want to believe they know what happened.

So you're not going to do anything about this?

I'm going to do what I always do.

I'm going to make a report on what happened to That's

it? You do what you do, bud. I'll do what I do.

Catch you around the campfire.

Frustrated.

How you doing?

My name's Tom Vale.

Bud Atkins.

Yeah, so I heard. I gather you're the resident expert around here.

Inasmuch as there can be an expert in that sort of thing.

You're not from around here.

No, no.

I'm here, actually, because I'm looking for a man named John Myerson.

No, Hank gave me the details. He...

Told me Myerson disappeared, what, about 18 months ago?

That's about right.

Do you know if there's any kind of investigation?

Oh, I'm sure there was a pretty thorough investigation,

but for the details you have to ask, well, that's Sheriff Wilkes.

But I can tell you this much.

They never found anything.

His daughter said that he went out about midnight

one night to take a walk under the stars.

Turned out there was more in the sky that night than just stars.

So he has a daughter?

Yeah.

Helen.

Shook her up pretty bad. I'm not sure she'll ever be the same again.

She's young, pretty.

It was bad all around.

So, what's your business with Meyerson?

Oh, it's personal.

So, you know where I can find Helen Meyerson? She still lives in the house.

I'm headed back into town. You need a lift?

Yeah, I've been stuck out here all night. That'd be great. Thanks.

I'm just right over here.

Oh, thanks for the ride.

Hello?

What are you doing here?

I wanted to talk to Helen.

You a friend?

I knew her father.

She's in the kitchen.

I'm going out to do the shopping.

Wipe your feet. I just mopped the floor.

Yes, but of course.

And ready to do my bidding when I see you.

But can I see you?

Step forward. Does it have a mind of its own?

Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

God, do you think I could make a cup of tea

without destroying the house in the process?

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you like that.

Your housekeeper told me you were back here, and I, uh... Hi.

I'm Tom Vale.

Uh...

And what are you doing in my kitchen, Tom Bale? Are you selling something?

No, no.

I, um... I wanted to talk to you about, uh... your father.

My father's not here.

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to... It's okay,

I just don't like to talk about it very much.

Is that your father?

I'll tell him you came by.

Hey, Hank, what's up?

Heard you went out to see Helen Meyerson.

Yeah, that's right. I know, I was just out there.

She's a piece of work, huh?

I guess considering the way her father treated her,

it's amazing she's even half normal.

What do you mean?

The guy was a complete workaholic.

Never had two words to say to anybody around here,

and I don't think he said more than that to his own daughter.

The housekeeper's the one who raised her.

It would have been better if he'd disappeared a long time ago.

Being around but not really being there, that's the worst thing for a child.

Was that what you wanted to talk to me about?

Partly.

I think I found something this morning, Tom.

Something that might interest you.

Oh, yeah? Why?

Because you're looking for John Meyerson.

What I found just might have something to do with what happened to him.

Yeah, but I thought everybody knew what happened to Meyerson.

Yeah.

Well, there's a chance maybe everyone's wrong.

What'd you find?

I'd be better if I showed you. I've got to run this scrap over to Morley right now.

I'll tell you what. There's a road out there by the burnt circle we found.

Meet me out there at 9 and you can see for yourself

or tell me what you think. I've got to find a car.

Is there a place I can rent one around here? Yeah, go on down to my shop.

My cousin George will rent you a car for $10.

Tell him I sent you.

Okay. Thanks a lot. All right, see you at 9.

9 o'clock it is.

I know what I told you. All he said was he thought he'd found something

that might be connected to John Meyerson's disappearance.

And he asked you to meet him.

Here?

Yeah, that's right.

What's your business with Meyerson?

That's personal. Well, a man's disappeared.

In my book, that's kind of personal, too.

How'd you get tied up with Hank?

I met him the night before last, during one of the sightings.

Are you a buff?

A buff?

A UFO freak, whatever.

You here for the show?

No, I came out here looking for John Meyerson. I just ran into the show.

Tell me about it. I didn't give you any specifics

on what it was he might have found.

No, he just said he thought it'd be better if he showed me.

Guess he was wrong about that.

You staying in town?

Yeah, I got a room at the Rockwater.

Good. You hang around for a while. Maybe I'll think of a few more questions to ask.

Hey, bud.

Find anything?

They're getting closer.

Who's that?

Them.

I wouldn't be surprised if they're not planning

to make some sort of contact with us.

Multiple sightings, four abductions in the last two years.

They're planning something. I don't know what it is,

but I sure as hell hope I'm here when it happens.

From where I can see you, you're probably right at the head of the line.

Well, that's fine with me.

I need my doctor on this. My high blood pressure's fine.

Hi.

You're beautiful.

Thank you.

I'm sorry to bother you again, but, uh... Look, I told you,

if it's about my father, I really don't want to talk about it anymore.

No, it's about Hank Bauer.

Uh, he told me he came by to see you yesterday.

That's right, so did you.

What does it matter?

He disappeared last night.

I don't know anything about it.

Listen, Helen, he asked me to go and meet him out by the sightings.

And he said he might know something about what happened to your father.

I don't know what you're talking about. I know what happened to my father.

Alan, did Hank, did he tell you anything when he came to see you yesterday?

Does this mean anything to you?

Look, why are you here? You know, I don't even know who you are,

and you come in here and you start asking all these questions.

What's in all this for you?

Well, maybe getting my life back.

Listen, I know how painful this is for you.

I know what it feels like to lose somebody that's important to you.

Ellen, have you ever considered that what happened to your father

might not have had anything to do with UFOs or sightings?

No.

Why should I?

Because it might have had something to do with human beings, with people.

People who are trying to hurt him.

Why would anyone want to hurt him?

I really need to get these bulbs.

It's planted before the weather changes. Feels like the rain's coming.

You have to plant them eight inches deep.

Six is too shallow, and...

The first rain will wash away the soil and kill any more than eight.

And the soil's too packed, and the roots won't take.

Don't take it away from her.

What's that what she needs to believe?

Do you believe that Dr. Meyerson was abducted by aliens?

It's not important what I believe.

The girl's not had the easiest life.

Over the last year, she finally seems to be coming to terms with things.

Do you really want to take that away from her?

Well, you figured right.

Why can't you just let things be?

Because things aren't right.

All these lights in the sky, Hank's disappearance.

I just don't think you can explain that away with people from another planet.

You're one of those people who can't believe in something

unless it's staring you right in the face.

What are you afraid of finding out?

I'm not afraid.

Then help me. That medallion that you found?

I know where it's from.

Well, are you sure this is the place?

Yeah, I'm sure this is the place that he had marked on the map.

These people that you said might be trying to hurt my father, what'd they do to you?

It's so hard to explain. They took my life.

Everything that meant anything to me.

I think they may have done the same thing to your father.

Is there a Helen out there somewhere looking for you?

I'd like to think so.

My wife, Allison. But I can't even be sure of that anymore.

But why?

Why would somebody do that?

Well, that's what I'm trying to find out.

There's something here.

There's something buried here.

It was them, Tom.

Did you see it?

It was them.

My father's a physicist. He spent most of his time at a place called

the Weaver Institute, but he had a workshop back here in the garage.

The lights never worked in here. Here.

Thanks. I thought you said your father came in here to work.

What are we supposed to be looking for?

I don't know. They came after me for a photograph.

I just thought your father's work might have had

something to do with what happened to Ann.

I didn't even know that still worked.

Well, the question is how.

It's not plugged in.

What is it?

I don't know. I mean, somehow it's generating

some kind of current to run the trains,

but I've never seen anything like it.

Tom, come out here.

What is it?

Just come out here for a minute.

Whatever that is, look what it did to the lights.

It's like it's drawing current from the house, but it doesn't make any sense.

It's not using house current. It's not even plugged in.

It's like the sightings.

What?

Every time there's been a sighting, most of Rockwater has power surges.

I've seen it from the rise. It's the same thing.

Alan, where's the Weaver Institute?

Good morning, Weaver Institute. Please hold.

Weaver Institute. Yes, I'll put you through.

Good morning, Weaver Institute.

I'm not sure I understand your questions, Helen.

Why have you taken such a sudden interest in your father's work?

Because I...

I think it might have had something to do with what happened to him.

Why do you think that?

I don't know. I'm not sure.

But last night, I was in his workshop,

and I saw this experiment he had set up with a train set.

A train?

I'll have to put you on hold. Oh, one moment, Mr. Cranmer.

Let me see if I can help you.

Okay, it's right here.

Yeah, looks like next Tuesday at 3 o'clock.

Sure, no problem.

Thank you.

Sit here looking very complacent.

I said the stabilization would have to be done immediately, not last week.

What are you smiling about?

I should have had your butt out of here long ago.

Are you going to be able to do what I've asked you to do? You keep saying, yes,

yes, yes. But do you do it? I don't see it.

Excuses, y'all. Give me nothing but excuses. And I'll

have no more of it. You understand that?

How much do you know about Bud Atkins?

Bud Atkins, the author?

What's his connection to Weaver?

What makes you think there's a connection?

Well, when you were in there with Weaver,

I was poking my nose into some kind of board meeting,

and I couldn't make out what they were saying,

but there was no doubt about the fact that Bud was clearly running the show.

How much did you get from Weaver?

Not much.

He just kept reassuring me and telling me that everything would be okay.

Didn't say anything about the type of work your father was doing? No.

All he said was that all the work we do at the Institute is classified.

By who, the government?

I don't know.

Is there another way back into town for the Institute?

No, this isn't the only road in or out. Why?

Well, if we're gonna get any answers,

we're just gonna have to stay put and wait to follow the answer.

That's BuzzFan. Let's go.

Where does this road lead?

Out toward the flats.

Oh, that's where we were last night.

Is there anything else out there?

Not really. There was a farm over there, but it's been closed up for years.

Well, maybe somebody opened it up again.

Was that the farm?

What's left of it.

What is he doing? What's happening?

I don't know. I won't think about the slightest idea.

Do you see anything?

Oh, there's nothing. Just Bud's van.

They couldn't have just disappeared.

What the hell was that?

Look at that.

Well, you've come this far, Helen.

I suppose you'll be wanting to see your father.

Rather impressive, don't you think?

Electromagnetics.

Years beyond that. Balanced magnetic field conduction.

These coils transmit electrical power. No need for wires, outlets, cables.

Receiving electricity is as easy as placing a television antenna on your roof.

It is not stable yet. You're still testing.

We're getting closer.

Well, except for the fact that right now it

draws almost as much power as it transmits.

Not to mention the heat problem.

Tom, how do you know all this?

Remember those power surges when we were at your

house the other night in your father's workshop?

When I was running the trains? That coil was drawing power from the main house.

What's happening here is they're using the sightings as a cover.

What are you saying?

Every time they fire up a test down here, it creates havoc on the surface.

So between the power surges and the burns on the ground,

they had to cook up a way to cover up what they were doing.

You're a really smart fella, aren't you?

That's why they had to get rid of Hank. He must have discovered what was going on.

He killed him, didn't he?

Pull over here!

Professor! Dad?

Are you all right? Yeah, I'm fine.

I can't believe I'm really seeing you.

You didn't have to bring her here.

I didn't?

He did.

He followed me from the Institute.

She didn't need to get involved in this.

Dad, what's going on here?

Get her out of here.

It's going to be okay, Ellen. I'll explain everything to you.

Just move along, move along.

Go on, that's right.

Be helpful.

Nobody did this to you, did they? This is your project.

She's your daughter. Why?

She doesn't know anything about any of this.

As far as she's concerned, she's been taken on board an alien spaceship,

and her father's being held hostage against his will.

You know, using your UFO phenomena to cover up the testing

is more effective than you might have imagined.

That's exactly what they planned.

Being able to spread paranoia and generally disrupt

the populace is a very useful tool to have.

When people don't understand something, when they're confused or frightened,

they tend to grasp for answers.

They're usually quite willing to accept the first explanation offered to them,

no matter how implausible it might seem.

When my work is finished, they will dominate. You see, unlike fossil fuels,

the Earth's sources of magnetism will never be depleted.

Whoever controls that power...

The people you're working for are trying to dominate every aspect of our lives.

Why not just give them what they want?

They're offering you a chance most men never get.

And what's that?

A happy life.

In exchange for a meaningless photograph. Get him out of here.

My father.

Your father can make it out, Ellen.

He'll be back. He'll be back when they're through with it.

Over there, do you see it?

Oh, it's beautiful.

It's so beautiful. Do you see it?

I wonder where they're taking him.