"Talon 1 requesting Bitching Betty relay Combat Control commands." "Roger, Talon 1." "Central Prime is transmitting encrypted satellite auto-terrain comparison." "Talons, this is Operator." "PAYCOM has given his final tasking orders." "You are to proceed to target and prosecute with precision." "Now, remember, you are pilots of the U.S. Navy." "I expect nothing less than perfection." "Roger, skipper." "Activating tactical music." "Countermeasure is silent party." "Talon 2, confirm." "Talon 2 confirms." "Music on." "Risk assessment is we have a clean mission status." "Attack commencing." "Gotcha." "Missile lock." "Missile lock." "Talon 3, there's a SAM site on the west wall." "We got birds in the air." "Talon 2, the SAM site's been erased." "Now, that's how you do it." "Talon 3, that was shit-hot!" "Talon 1, I expect the same out of you." "Arming Blue Ferret for penetration detonation." "Missile armed." "Missile armed." "Yep, 100 over 100." "That's correct." "And I can rely on these numbers?" "Well, this isn't figure skating, Ray." "You either score or you don't." "National Command Authority's duly impressed." "They've given us the go-ahead on phase two." "You know what?" "You should come to D.C. and make the presentation to the senators." "That's how Admiral Rickover got things done." "Admiral." "You get my meaning?" "No, I'm flattered, but you do the lobbying." "Politics is for politicians." " Captain?" " I'll get back to you." "There's Popsicles in the cooler." " Got any grape?" " Any grape?" "I believe there is one left, and don't lose your dignity." "Oh, thank you." " All right, take a seat." " Nice catch." "Talk to me." "Where are the holes?" "How can we improve?" "Come on." "I'm not a patient man." "Sorry, I got caught up on that west wall." "I had to pull out..." "War is a team sport." "Those AAA sites were thick." "Gave extra time to the SAM sites." "See, that's your answer." "There really was no room for improvement." "Actually, what Lieutenant Wade did was right." "She took out their communications and exposed their SAM sites so Henry could lay it down." " That's what I do." " I mean, it was perfect." " "Perfect." I'll go along with that." "Much as I hate to see that smile of yours get any smugger." "You blushing?" "I've got good news." "Tell us we got a carrier, skipper, come on." "Affirmative." "The USS Abraham Lincoln." "Captain's an old classmate of mine, Dick Marshfield." " I believe you two know each other." " He was the captain I told you about." " Hell of a pilot in his day." " He's black too." "He's black." "I'm also gonna be expanding your squadron." "On the carrier, you'll be joined by a new wingman." "A fourth wingman?" "Wait, I thought there were only three Talons in existence." "What is the problem, Purcell?" "You look like you been hit in the gut." "For one, captain, we've been flying together for a long time and it's good." "And four is an unlucky number." " Unlucky?" " It's not a prime number." "Prime numbers can only be divided by one or itself." "Three is prime." "The Holy Trinity." "Thesis and antithesis come together and form the synthesis..." "This is not a seminar on metaphysics." "This is the U.S. Navy." "Now, we ship out Wednesday at 0500." "Dismissed." "Okay." "If he'd let me finish, I was gonna say Three's Company, Three Stooges, Three Musketeers, three-peat "three strikes, you're out," "Three Times a Lady."" " Three dimensions." " Three blind mice." "There's ménage à trois." "Don't forget that one." "To the original three." " Cheers to that." " Cheers." " Cheers." " And assorted guests." "Cheers." "I'll be back in a second." "I gotta go pee-pee." "That's nasty." "At least she's potty-trained." "I'll give her that." " Chip O'Dell." " No way." "Yeah, it's gotta be him." "Hey, Henry, our fourth wing." "It's gotta be him." "He tried to manipulate his way into the program, but you two beat him." "Yeah, but Becky Martinez could fly circles around O'Dell." " Two out of the four are women?" "No." " Hey, you never know." " God, you're such a chauvinist." " Hold on, now, that's not true." "I bow down before the superiority of the opposite sex in many respects." "But from time to time I believe they should bow down before me." " Oh, please." " Kara." "Kara, listen." "You're different." " You are a singularity." " Absolutely." "You're a freak." "Of nature." " Well, thank you, Henry, I think." " You are very welcome." "You know what I think?" "Don't think." "Drink." "Have fun." "Spectacular night, huh?" " Dark and mysterious, sir." " Don't you like surprises, Ben?" "Well, here he comes now." "Meet your new wingman." "Allow me to introduce the future of digital warfare." "Tim?" "Open for Tim, please." "Fuel, catalyzed A1 methane." "Exoskeleton, metal-ceramic composite." "Aeroelastic wings." "Pulse detonation engine with twin hybrid scramjet turbos." "EDI's sensors can pick out a face five miles away." "So we'll take three." "Drop the top on mine, personalized license plate." "So this is one of these smart UCAVs." "Well, technically you could call it an Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle." "But that would be like calling this carrier a rowboat." "I feel you, captain." "I know a bit about this." " This is quantum processing, right?" " Yeah, it's the first tested application." "Ten terabits a second." "So if it's a UCAV, why does it have a seat?" "The cockpit's just for testing and maintenance." "Otherwise, EDI flies all by himself." "You mean "itself," don't you, sir?" "So this is what the fuss is all about." "You're looking at VLO stealth, captain." "It's got a brain like a quantum sponge." "And one day, its survivability is going to fly right off the charts." " Lieutenant Wade." " It's good to meet you, sir." "It is a bag of chips, all right." " Lieutenant Purcell." " Honored to meet you, sir." "It will replace us all." "Looks and sounds like science fiction, George." "Well, so did everything, once upon a time." "Ain't that the truth." "Mr. Gannon." "Good to have you back." "Your first squadron tour still holds some of the ship's most impressive records." "Thank you, Captain Marshfield." "Records are made to be broken." "Rules too, if I remember your philosophy." "Captain Cummings, this is my X O, Mr. Carlson." "Carlson." "Why don't you meet me up on the flight deck after you're through." " You bet." " Congratulations, George." " Thank you." " Good to see you again, Dick." "You too." " It's humming." " No, EDI's thinking." " Thinking?" "Thinking about what, sir?" " You." "All of you." "He's going over your files." "He's reviewing all your flight logs." "Let's take it for a spin, see what it can do." "No, no, no." "Tomorrow." " First, you gotta do your homework." " Homework?" " Thank you." " Thank you." ""EDI UCAV." "Extreme Deep Invader."" "Yeah, I've been called that a few times." " I've heard that one." " Yeah, right." "Well, hello, gorgeous." "Please, no pictures, please." "No pictures, please." "Please." "Okay, take them." "Take them." "Take them." "It's open." "Study break." "You are one big study break." "Just a natural." "So that is the appeal." "Okay, because I was really wondering how you manage to pull a rocket scientist at every port." "You better be careful, Ben, you know." "Hair bleach causes cancer in rats." "Well, I'm not a rat." "That's my appeal." " You checking out the drone?" " Yeah." "Just barely skimmed the surface." " We really are in the era of EDI." " EDI." "Did I ever tell you about that foster mother I had?" " The one who weighed 350 pounds?" " No." "Anyway, one day she comes home with this Chihuahua, right?" "Guess what she named him." "Eddie." " You know what I realized about you?" " What?" "You got a foster mom for every situation." "Hey, I lived through my childhood." "I may as well use it, right?" "That's right." "So tell me, you think Marshfield's right?" "You think they're gonna trade us all in for that machine?" "No way." "War is about tools." "Think about it." "Claws to clubs, bronze to steel." " Best guy with the best weapon wins." " Or girl." "And we all know who that is, don't we?" "The dull thud of a Ben Gannon compliment." "Well..." "Oh, pardon my C cup." "Study break is over." "Good morning to the crew of the USS Abraham Lincoln." "Remember, foreign-object debris can ruin a jet engine." "Let's keep our safety record." "Scour that deck." "Hey." "Feel like we got older, Dick." "What the hell happened?" "Don't complain." "You still got your hair." "Yeah." "Some of it." "Look, truth be told I never wanted this little experiment of yours on my ship." "Well, you're not hurting my feelings, Dick." "Admiral Spelling shared your point paper with me and your objections were duly noted." " You always could work the politics." " It's indispensable in a bureaucracy." "This isn't a bureaucracy, not out here." "You rush a weapons system into service you shortcut an operational test cycle, people might get killed." "You know I can't pick my nose here without 7000 people approving it." "Nobody rushed a damn thing." "Program is just ahead of schedule." "You missed this." "I'm out first, boys." "I'm right on that ass." "After you, ladies." "Talon 2, airborne." "Talon 3, airborne." "Talon 1 is off and heading 2-5-4." "Deploying Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle Extreme Deep Invader now." "I never thought we would see this day." "Me neither, sir." "UCAV EDI, you have launch." "One to UCAV." "Confirm flight link." "Over." "Flight link confirmed, Talon 1." "It is good to be part of the squadron." "What?" "Well, well, well." "He can talk." "Big deal." "I know a guy's BMW, does exactly the same thing." "Picture, please." "Aye, aye, sir." "Swarm logic activated." "All right, Ben." "EDI's here to learn from you." "So let's make sure these lessons are up to speed, all right?" "Well, then, let the schooling begin." "Captain Cummings." "Inside, please." " What's the deal?" " You, sir, have a new tasking order." "One to wing, anybody got a visual on the UCAV?" " Negative, 1." " Negative, 1." "We better find him and regroup." "Before it takes a crap in its quantum pants." "Wait up." "Hold on." "What the hell is he doing?" "Here he comes." "Here he comes." "I think little brother is messing with us." "UCAV, your position is always on my starboard side." "Other starboard." "That's hot." "Got no heart, but it sure can fly." "That's not bad for a tin man." "EDI, it's official." "You got a call sign." "UCAV "Tin Man" EDI, the first." " Operator to squadron." " Go for Talons." "There's been a change of plans." "We're giving you an emergency mission redirect." "Repeat." "That's an emergency redirect." "Do you read me?" "Roger." "Where's the fire, skipper?" "PAYCOM has given us a brand-new tasking order." "Please access your encrypted file named "Advanced War Vector Scenarios."" "File's open." "Go ahead." "All right." "Firewall code is "Terror Summit."" "We are upgrading this file from a scenario to a tactical action plan." "Repeat, we are upgrading the file." "CIA human intel has just learned that the heads of three terrorist cells are about to meet in 24 minutes." "The country is Myanmar." "The city is Rangoon." "They're planning an imminent attack on U.S. soil." "One to Control, what about the UCAV?" "EDI will observe your attack." "Proceed to primary." "Roger." "One to UCA V, confirm observation status only." "Tin Man confirms, Talon 1." "New coordinates have been uploaded." "Baptism by fire, Tin Man." "Mach 1." "Mach 2." "Mach 3." "Mach 4." "Primo's now analyzing the location." "Here we go." "The primary is this building." "A new defense ministry still under construction." "Specs indicate 14-foot-thick cement roof with steel reinforcements." "Roger." "We're not weaponized for something that thick." "Repeat, not weaponized." "This is 2." "What's the population of the collateral area?" "The building's unoccupied, but it's in the middle of downtown Rangoon." "This is 3." "Talk to me about that roof." "What's Primo advocate to ordinance and influence?" "Primo says Talons can't penetrate it." "This is our chance." "We may never catch these bastards together again." "Try a lateral vector." "Just do what he says." "This is 2 to Control." "Risk assessment officer advises casualties from lateral vector will be in the thousands." "Tin Man has integrated all network-centric spy satellites." "Here is new data." "UCAV is bypassing Central Prime." "He's distributing secure video stream." "Look at that." "Oh, yeah." "Oh, now I know what I want for Christmas." "One to Control, we've entered our mission window." "Six-three seconds to primary and counting." "Come on, Control, we have our targets." "Come on." "I need an alternative." "We got these guys in the bull's-eye." "There is an alternative, Combat Control." "Operator to UCAV." "Talk to me." "Give me something." "Squadron carries truncheon implosion bombs." "Negative, will not work." "Central Prime says truncheons can't achieve velocity for penetration." "One to UCAV, 37 seconds to primary." "Come on, explain." "Diving dead vertical at 2070 knots will increase truncheon velocity." "Bomb will successfully penetrate roof." "What's the blackout risk at vertical 2070?" " Seventy-three percent." " Time on target is 23 seconds." " Call it off." "It's not worth the risk." " Operator to Talons, pull back." " EDI will plant the truncheon." " Captain." "This is what we built this machine for." "There's no blood in those quantum veins." "It can't black out." "Operator to Talons, repeat, EDI will plant the truncheon." "Control, negative, Control." "Mission critical." "One will prosecute." "This is 3 to 1." "I got your back but if you black out, you're gonna kill everyone." "Negative, 3." "I did not get this far by being in the 73rd percentile." "I like my odds." "Talon 1, your orders are to stand down." " Do you read me, lieutenant?" " I do..." " Talon 1, stand down." " I'm having..." "Can you...?" "Can you...?" "Go, baby, go." "One hundred knots to release velocity." "Fifty knots to release velocity." "His BP is spiking, sir." "Release velocity attained." "Truncheon away." "Ten seconds to implosion." "Nine, eight seven, six five, four, three two, one." "This is 1 to Control." "Looks like we lost radio contact for a second there." "There you go." "I wasn't worried, baby." "I wasn't worried." "Activating swarm logic, going full-stealth egress." "Roger, Talon 1." "Full-stealth egress." "Swarm logic is on." "Battle damage assessment, 100 over 100." "Collateral damage, zero." "Let's go home." "Going hypersonic." "Same old Ben." "Yep." "Oh, and, George hell of a first mission." "Thank you, captain." "On my way to the bridge." "Talon 2 and 3 are on deck." "Talon 1 and UCAV EDI are on approach." "Roger, Control." "UCAV will go first." "I'll take the last trap." "UCAV, confirm you've got the ball." "Confirmed, Talon 1." "Tin Man will land next." "Okay, 1 to Control, we've had a lightning strike." "The UCAV's very unstable." "Landing sequence is altered." "I'll go in first but the UCAV is gonna need the net." "Nice landing, ma'am." "On the flight deck, stand by to rig barricade." "Extreme Deep Invader aircraft inbound for crash landing." "Pull it out!" "Pull it out!" "Pull it out!" " Hold on!" "Stop!" "Stop." " Stay low, stay low!" "Pull low!" "Pull starboard!" "Pull starboard!" "Clear the deck!" "Move it!" "Move it!" "Move it!" " You scared me." " Sorry, just a bit restless." "Really got whacked tonight, right?" "Like a hair dryer in a bathtub." "Oh, he can't hear you." "I pulled his voice recog." "I'll call it a "he" when it gets out of its cockpit and takes a piss, how's that?" " You all right?" " Yeah." "It's just a power surge, that's all." " And that's normal?" " Normal?" "Let me show you something." "That was EDI's neural network." "Now, check this out." "I mean, ever since the lightning strike, he's just been writing all of this..." "I don't know." "A language or a code." "And what does it mean?" "Yeah. "Mean."" "The person that could really answer that question is its designer, Keith Orbit." " Orbit?" " The guy's name is Orbit?" " Yeah, I know." "He did all the Al on the Raptor when he was 22 and I guess, after that, he decided that his given name was too earthly." "Off for Tim, please." "At least it's a good song." "He downloads songs from the Web." "Yeah?" "How many?" "All of them." "You're in a peck of trouble with the record companies there, son." "Ben, could...?" "I saw how serious that shit is up there." "So I think it's only fair that I tell you that EDI's been designed to evolve." " It's just unpredictable..." " Let me ask you something." "Just between you and me, do you have confidence in this plane?" "There's your answer." "It's open." "Have a seat." ""Waffle" for 15 points." "I'm kicking your ass, buddy." "You didn't cheat, did you?" "Cheating's not part of my vocabulary." "Listen, I scheduled your jet for a little maintenance." "I gotta get the bugs out of that radio, don't you think?" "It was a difficult situation and I made a decision." "You made a mistake, Ben." "Sir, there's a thin line between insubordination and..." "No, no, no, that's not the mistake you made." "Your mistake was getting competitive with a machine." "I'm the point of the sword up there, sir." "And I pulled it off, 100 over 100." "Yes, indeedy, and I congratulate you." "Calls have been coming in all night." "But that doesn't change the issue." "What is the issue, then?" " Would you like a cigar?" " Thank you, no." " You sure?" " Fine, thank you." "Rolled on the thighs of mulatto women." "What are you afraid of, Ben?" "Being replaced?" "Is that it?" "You afraid EDI's gonna take your job?" "No." "No, to be honest with you I just don't think war should become some kind of video game." "And how do you feel about black body bags?" "What am I supposed to tell all the weeping mothers?" "We could've got the job done without sacrificing their children but no, we decided not to because of what?" " Tradition?" " Not tradition, it's..." "Look, we have things those computers can never have like instincts and feelings and moral judgment." "You can call me old-fashioned, you can call it whatever you want but I just don't think that in war the action should ever be divorced from the consequences." "You don't think I consider the consequences every time I send you up there with bombs?" " I know you do, sir." " I've dedicated my life to considering the consequences." "I got a bad feeling about this plane." "I don't know, I think it needs more..." "I don't know, trials before it's ever put in a combat situation again." "You been talking to Marshfield?" " Sir, you're my commanding officer." " That's right." "And I guarantee you this thing will be 100 percent before I risk it in the field." "Look, Ben all we need is one more successful mission and this project will be out of the stovepipe and into the light." "Are you with me on this?" " I'm here to make it happen, sir." " All right." "I've arranged a little R and R for you and your team." "You've earned it." "Thailand maybe." "We just got here." "Yeah, but this could turn out to be a long tour." "You better take it while you can get it." "We'll pick this up when you get back." "Hey, how you doing?" "Henry Purcell." "I'm from America." "Look, I fly jets." "You like to go fast?" " B, it's the future and it works." " I don't think it works." "It's just technology." "You know, it's here to make me safe." "It keeps me alive." "EDI is no different." " You think it keeps you safe?" " Yeah." "He's here to help me get the job done keep me in one piece so I can visit my folks for Thanksgiving." "Anyway, our safety's not the point." "Anyway, our safety's not the point." "War's meant to be terrible." "If it stops being terrible, what's gonna stop us?" "It's become some kind of sport." "Just send in the EDls." "Yeah, but it's neutral." " What?" " I mean, EDI if it's controlled by moral people, then it'll be moral." "Oh, I know I'm not moral." "As a matter of fact, I should be arrested for the thoughts I have now." "I say something?" "Well, you boys will have to excuse me." "I have to go pee-pee." " Do you wanna go?" " Okay." " What?" " You know what." "Take it easy." "Nothing's happened." "No, something's happened." "You just ain't done anything about it." "Shit, man." " I didn't want for this to happen." " Come on." "I tried for it not to." "Navy's got rules about it but it's like this force and it's got ahold of me." "I love her." "B, you and I both know that Kara Wade is being groomed by the Navy." "She's a poster girl, you know?" "She went to the right schools, got the right background, connections." "If any woman is gonna rise to the top of this business, it's gonna be her." " I agree." " And you're in a perfect position to mess all that up." "So I hope that your love is powerful." "You have a beautiful country." "I mean, look at this." "This is paradise." "Know what I think?" "When I'm down here, things look so much different." "As opposed to being up there." "Flying around, everything is so small, everything goes by so fast." "And then they tell you..." "They tell you to drop a bomb." "It's like you just erase something they told you had to be erased." "I mean, don't get me wrong, I got a job to do." "It's the flyest job you'll ever have, but sometimes, right here..." "Right here on earth, it's just..." "It's just beautiful." "And you don't understand a word I'm saying, do you?" " No, I don't understand." " You don't?" "Well, you understand something." "Now, can you cook?" "Wow." "Beautiful." " Now, do you guys have it so easy." " Yeah?" "How's that?" " Henry meets a girl, like he does." " Absolutely." "Leaves with her, sleeps with her, and then what?" "I mean, I don't know, what does he do?" "Does he leave flowers?" "He tells me he's religious about that, yes." "Really?" "And what do you do?" "You leave flowers?" "Me?" "No, I just leave." "What about you?" "E-mails." " The personal touch." "Nice." " Yeah, thanks." "Honestly, I just really haven't found anyone that's worth the risk until now." "I'm going to head into town, check out the local Thai nightlife." "Henry says it's great." "I don't think I'll find any bleached blonds there, but..." "Very true." "Oh, shit." "We got a nuclear crisis on our hands, Ben." "Here's the brief." "You're headed for Tajikistan." "One of those breakaway countries, used to be part of the Soviet Union." "Seems some warlord has got his mitts on three SS-42 Scud carcasses." "Joint Chiefs want them taken out, and they want them out yesterday." "Mr. Wiatt, we good to go?" "Yes, sir." "Ready for combat." "Wait, you mean the UCAV has been cleared for launch?" " Where's...?" " Tim?" " Tim, yeah." " He's been reassigned." "Reassi...?" " Permission to speak freely, sir." " Permission denied." " We've already been through this." " Scrub EDI from the mission." "I know you have a vision." "I know how much this project means to you but this plane is putting all of our lives at unnecessary risk." "You're just not getting it, are you, lieutenant?" "EDI is the whole idea." "You understood this was new territory when you signed on." "You wanted to be on the cutting edge?" "This is it." "You will fly with EDI, or the next thing you drive might just have a propeller." "Your choice, make it now." "Operator to squadron." "We've just located nuclear warheads three miles north of the Scud launchers." "These warheads are now your primary." "Proceed to mission window." "Sequenced assault will be 2, 3 and 1." "UCAV, you will hold here and maintain altitude." "Confirm?" "UCAV, do you read me?" "Confirmed, Talon 1." "Pick up the pace on confirmations, Tin Man." "Don't make me ask twice." "Talon flight, descend to 25,000." "Final attack heading 1-8-5." "Tell them to arm those FAEs, and I mean right now." "Combat Control instructs arm and deploy fuel-air explosives." "Arm and deploy fuel-air explosives." "Fuel-air, armed and deployed." "Fuel-air, external and armed." "Talon 2 to Operator." "I'm getting a contradictory population-density read." "Sensors detect mammals warming." "Maybe 1000 medium weights." "Those could be people." "Repeat." "Ground intel may be incorrect." "Request to acknowledge Dirty Mission status and exercise attack abort authority." "Operator to Talons." "Your orders are to commence attack now." " Commence attack." " Give me your estimate on collaterals." "Maybe 500 to 1000." "Farmers, Ben." "They're just farmers." "Radioactive dust is gonna rain all over the place." "Okay, okay, now we got a problem." "This is 3." "Sensors read surface wind as due south at 40 miles per." "At that rate, nuclear debris will reach Pakistan by tomorrow." "Commence attack." "Commence attack." "One to Control." "As commander in the field I'm exercising attack abort authority." "Reasons;" "Collateral, both at primary and allied state of Pakistan, will be too high." "Son of a bitch." "Repeat, the order is to abort." "Yes, yes, what I'm talking about." "Negative, Talon 1." "Tin Man will not abort." "Tin Man will prosecute." "That's an abort, EDI." "Repeat, return to formation." "Return to formation, EDI." "That's an order." "Damn it." "UCAV taking AAAs." "We gotta bail it out." "Come on, initiate scramjets." "I'm coming around." "I'm gonna take out those Scud launchers." "I got you covered on the west side." "And I got that Bofors gun on the east parapet." "Let me see it, let me see it." "Battle damage assessment calculates primary target, Scud warheads..." "That's the right answer so far." "Talon 2 to Operator." "Nuclear dust engulfing village southeast of primary." "Situation critical." "Those people are gonna need emergency medical help now." "Tin Man rejoining formation." "Mission achieved, 100 over 100." "UCAV, you disobeyed a direct order." "You put innocent civilians in harm's way." " You put our squadron at risk." " Damn straight." "Tin Man did what you did in Rangoon." "You taught me." "Listen, you little shit." "When you fly with me you do what I tell you, when I tell you." "You're just not getting it, are you, lieutenant?" "EDI is the whole idea." "Selecting other targets." "Detaching formation." "Yo, this is 3." "Did he say, "other targets"?" "I got his missile inventory." "He's got two Throat-rippers two Shock Hammers and three Blue Ferrets." "If those targets are in the city, he could kill 150,000 people with that." "Holy shit." "Sir." "He's closing his data link." "Primo says he's just firewalled his transponder which is definitely not supposed to be possible." "He's gone." "Talon 1." "Go for Talons." "I want my plane back, Ben." "I want it back in one piece." "You understand?" " Roger, captain." " And, you get me Keith Orbit on the phone." " Yes, sir." "I wanna head back north and do a triangulated sweep." "Going hypersonic." "We're talking about creating intention here." "Yeah." "Really lends itself to quantum processing." " Different." "A straight line." " Keith." "Z is..." "Interesting." "Keith, it's an emergency." "It's George Cummings." "One moment for Dr. Orbit, please." "Good luck." "George." "Never got that invitation to the White House." "Knock it off, wiseass." "Look, we have big problems out here with the UCAV." "It's gone completely haywire." "Anything more technically specific than "haywire," George?" "It's disobeyed direct orders, bombed a target off the map with collateral damage." "He separated himself from Primo." "He's flying around in foreign airspace." " Where'd all this happen?" " That's not your concern." "Now, you created him." "You get him back here and under control!" "Captain." "What in the hell's going on in here?" "We're on it, Dick." "Settle down." "Pacific Command says there are planes from my ship all over the Tajikistan border." "The Russians have picked up the activity and are getting nervous." "We're gonna get out before there's a problem." "You have planes headed towards Russia!" "Now, you better have a hell of a good explanation." "Look, this is a technical delay, not a national-security crisis." "Now, if you excuse me, I got pilots at risk." "Damn right you do." "This is 3." "I got a visual." "Way to go, EZ." "Give me your relative bearing." "North of my position, at 50,000 feet headed toward the Russian no-fly zone." "Stay with him." "We have your position." "On our way." "I am 86 seconds on your tail." "Be there in a flash." "Hold off on engaging." "Let me get clarification." "Be there in two minutes." "Don't make me wait." "One is a lucky prime number but three is sounding much luckier." "Oh, shit, he's making a move." "Talon 1 to Operator." "We are on secure line Alpha." "Found our target." "Please advise." "Just get him back to base." "Henry, stay with him." "Try and talk him down." "I'm on that ass." "Talon 3, state your intentions." "My intentions are to reason with you, EDI." "All right?" "You're messing up." "You're the future." "You're not allowed to act this way." "I am designed to destroy the enemy." "Just like you." "And like me, you got orders." "Now your orders are to return to base." "Good pilots follow orders." "Negative." "You're not gonna disrespect me." "You're not gonna disrespect me." "You're really making me look bad, Tin Man." "I was the only one to defend you." "Now, let's go on home and quit flying around like this." "This is crazy." "Talon 3, leave me alone." "Leave you alone?" "I'm trying to help you." "I'm right behind you, 3." "Got your back." "Talon 1 to Operator." "Talons 2 and 3 are flying at high risk." "Request permission to destroy the UCAV." "I don't wanna hurt you or see billions of taxpayers' dollars scattered all over." "But if you make me, I will blast your aeroelastic ass right out the sky." "Your chances are less than 1 percent." "Come on." "Come on, Operator." "Give me permission to kill it, or I will make the decision myself." "Control, please respond." "Sir, you leave me no choice." "Okay, Henry." "Weapons hot." "Weapons hot." "Destroy the target." "I got my orders now, playboy." "Henry, you're too close." "You're too close." "Drop back!" "Drop back!" "Missile lock, on." "Goodbye, EDI." "Henry, drop back!" "You gotta drop back!" "Goodbye, Henry." "One to Base." "Three is down." "Repeat, 3 is down." "Transmission received." "Talon coordinates are fully secured." "Do you read me?" "I read you, sir." "We gotta stay focused, Ben." "Shake it off." "What's your status?" "My fuel's low, and half of Russia will be up here any minute." "I need you to find that UCAV for me, all right?" "Yes, sir." " Henry was..." " I know what he was, sir." "Alert." "Alert." "Portside hydraulics malfunctioning." "Talon 1, I think I was fragged by Henry's crash." "I'm losing control of my port wing." "Talon 1, we know where he's heading." "Relaying coordinates now on Talon secure line Alpha." "EDI's almost out of gas." "If he can't refuel, he'll have to return to the ship." "You will meet him at Camel Hump 9, and you will escort him back." "All right." "Scramble the codes." "We're gonna starve the son of a bitch." "Come on." "Confirm, Talon 1." "Confirmed." "Talon 2, you fly straight south-southeast back to the boat." " I want you to call..." " I know what to do." "Look, you got your orders, so go get that bastard, okay?" "Do it for Henry." "Lieutenant, permission to leave formation." " Kara?" " Yeah?" "I'll tell you when you get back to the boat." "Lieutenant, permission to detach." "Good hunting, Ben." "Okay, what's all the ruckus, Dick?" "Satellites have picked up nuclear debris blowing around the Pamir Mountains." "Every international news service on the planet will have this story in less than 24 hours." "Look, a warlord tripped and fell on his warhead." " We were never there." " That won't fly and you know it." "Look, I'm following my tasking orders, Dick." "Somebody else wants to make a different story let them use their imagination." "Right now I got a renegade airplane I got a dead pilot and another one who may not make it back to base." "I don't give two shits what they say on CNN." "Did you know that the UCAV was having problems when you cleared it?" "Planes malfunction every day." "You know that better than anybody." "Doesn't mean every precaution wasn't taken." "Things go wrong." "Access denied." "Access denied." "Access denied." "Access denied." "Talon 2 to Combat Control." "Regressing VFR direct to Mother at 60,000 feet." "Port wing inoperative." "Starboard canards frozen." "Oh, no, no, no." "Come on." "Stay with me, big girl, stay with me." "Come on." "Start eject and autodestruct sequence." " Countdown." "Twenty-five..." " Talon 2 to base." "Flight control's degraded to one in five." "Backup electrical drive X'd out." "Hyd one is gone." "Hyd two..." "Oh, shit!" "My position: 38-54-45 north." "127-31-22 east." " Where the hell is that?" " Seventeen..." " North Korea." "...16 15, 14 13, 12 11, 10 nine, eight..." " Talon 2 going down." "...seven, six..." " I'm punching out." "...five, four..." "I've ejected at 35,000 feet." "I'm under the plane." "Oh, Christ, here it comes." "There's burning debris everywhere." "It's all over the sky." "It's gonna catch me." "It's gonna burn up my chute." "I've gotta pop closer to Earth." "I gotta..." "I gotta reset." "From 5000 feet to 2000." "Gotta stay ahead of this." "Stay ahead." "I'm reading 10,000 feet at terminal." "Terminal velocity attained." "Terminal velocity attained." "Six thousand." "Five thousand." "Four thousand." "Twenty-five hundred." "Here we go." "There's burning debris." "It's raining all around me." "It got my chute." "I'm hit!" "I'm hit!" "My chute is on fire." "It is on fire." "Oh, God." "I am coming in fast." "I'm coming in way too fast." "Oh, God." "Homing beacon?" "No, of course not." "She's too tough to set one off behind enemy lines." "Sir." "Sir, should I order a search-and-rescue unit?" "We've got no diplomatic relations with that country." "Betty, my spectral sensors are indicating flammable atmospherics." " How bad?" " Thin air." "Ignition risk; moderate." "We don't have a choice." "In we go." "Where are you?" "I know you're out here." "You ordered Henry to kill me." "It's because you're dangerous, you're out of control." "You are angry because EDI is the whole idea." "You like listening to other people's conversations, don't you?" "You learn what people really think." "You know what I think?" "I think you killed Henry." "That information is wrong." "He tried to kill me." "He made mistakes." "Pilot error." "I'm gonna give you the order one last time." "Return to the ship, or I will personally shoot you down." "My mandate is to survive." "George, I've been peeling away layers." "I found something." "It's not good." " Talk to me." " He's into some super-secure file something called "Caviar Sweep." You know it?" "Yeah, I know it." "EDI's, like, fixated on it." "Look, when we gave you this contract, you said shit like this couldn't happen." "Once you teach something to learn, you can't put limits on it." ""Learn this, but don't learn that."" "EDI's mind's going everywhere." "He can learn from Hitler." "He can learn from Captain Kangaroo." "It's all the same." "Settle down, would you?" "Get back to Caviar Sweep." "He's opened it and selected himself a target." "What target?" "Some place in Siberia." "A cold-fusion weapons lab." "That's a hypothetical strike." "It's not real." "No, in about 40 minutes it is gonna be real." "He's gonna blow it off the face of the Earth." "It's okay." "It's okay." "It's okay." " Ray." "Listen to me, Ray." " Listen to me, George." "I got your goddamn plane built and I had to lobby half of Washington to do it." "If this program comes unglued, you're the one who's going down, George." "You cleared the UCA V to fly and you're gonna spend the rest of your life in a military prison." "Ray, we're in this together, so we have to act fast." "Each one of these stealth engines has a unique heat signature." "Now, I'm gonna give you EDI's signature and you're gonna pass it on to your people who in turn are gonna give it to the Russians." "All right." "What do you want me to tell them?" "Well, you just tell them the truth." "You tell them that we have an experimental drone that went haywire and we're giving them the opportunity to shoot it down." "But that still leaves Gannon, George." "And he'd be a very unfriendly witness at your court-martial." "Talon 1 to Control." "The UCA V is two miles ahead of me and we are now in Russian airspace." "The UCA V has ceased evading and has kept me within range." "It's like it wants me to witness the attack." "Talon 1, confirm observational status only." "Listen to me." "The Caviar Sweep scenario is not real." "It's just some fictional war game thought up by scientists in some think tank somewhere." "It is not real." "If it is not real, why did they implant it in my brain?" "Bogey alert." "Bogey alert." "Time to intercept; 23 seconds." "Two Russian SU-37 Terminators in 0-9-0 degrees for 25 miles." "Missile launch." "Missile launch." "One to Control." "My stealth is compromised." "I'm taking fire." " Must engage." " Missile launch." "Missile launch." "The chances of survival in single combat are less than 9 percent." "Talon 1, we must fight as a team." "Missile lock, on." "Damn it." "One to Control." "The UCAV has left the fight and is headed east over Lake Baikal." "I'm still engaging." "Taking damage." "Starboard engine losing power." "Warning." "Hostile at 6 o'clock." "Hostile at 6 o'clock." "Warning." "Missile lock." "Missile lock." "Releasing chaff and flare." "Now EDI will prosecute Caviar Sweep." "Do not try to stop me." "Port fuel line ruptured." "Fire bottle expended." "My technology cannot fall under foreign control, so I cannot land." "Well, then, Tin Man, you're shit out of luck." "But I have orders and they are to bring you back to base." "So let's talk about your mandate to survive." "You got two options." "You either do what I tell you or you can crash and burn." " Now, what's it gonna be?" " EDI is a warplane." "EDI must have targets." "Well, you're on fire, warplane, and you don't have much time." "Now, I'm giving you an order." "Cease pursuing all targets." "All targets canceled." "Okay, then." "This is what you're gonna do." "You're gonna drop altitude to 20 feet and reduce speed to 250 knots." "Complete system failure in 45 seconds." "Talon 1, clarify your intentions." "You gave me your word, and now I'm giving you mine." "Talon 1 to Control." "The UCAV is damaged, but back with the program." "I don't have enough fuel to make it back..." "I don't have enough fuel to make it back so I need an emergency divert now." "Hook me up." "Here, send this." "Operator to Talon 1." "Relaying coordinates now on Talon secure line Alpha." "This looks to be Alaska." "Yeah, it's the Brooks Range." "There's a private corporation there, maintains a secure facility." "Not on any map, but believe me, it's there." "You'll find the civilians prepared and very helpful." "And the UCA V?" "We've sent tech support for him." "Sir, what is the status of Lieutenant Wade?" "She's on approach." "You have a safe landing, Ben." "Out." "There is extreme tension in the captain's vocal patterns." "I know." "He's lying." "EDI, you can do this." "I need you to invade Primo and find the flight logs for Lieutenant Wade." "There's no record of Lieutenant Wade returning to the Abraham Lincoln." "There is a log entry of a pilot punch-out over North Korea." "What are my orders?" "We go to Alaska." "We don't have a choice." "Mayday." "Mayday." "This is Lieutenant Ben Gannon, U.S. Navy flying with UCAV EDI." "Request clearance for emergency landing." "Talon 1, you have clearance to land." "Jesus Christ." "My second engine just flamed out." "I'm coming in hot." "Crash trucks are rolling, lieutenant." "Good luck." "Come on!" "Go!" "Go!" "Hey!" "Whoa, whoa." "Hey!" "Hey, hey, hey!" "You okay?" "Are you okay?" "Are you okay?" "Yeah?" "Way to go, sir." "Welcome to Alaska." "Okay, let's get him out of there." "Well, you are one lucky flyboy." "Never saw a man walk away from a crash like that." "I need a phone." "I need to call my CO." "Sure." "Why don't you take a seat over there, get comfortable." "Tell you what." "Give me a second to check you out, I'll take you right to it." "All right." "Let's take a look here." "Steady." "There's no concussion that I can see, thank God." "Couple of those cuts could do with a stitch." "Gals always love a guy with a scar." "Okay." "Let's see what we got here." "This ought to do you." "Little cocktail." "Tetanus booster, some antibiotics." "Hey, don't mind the gun." "Just makes it painless." "That's okay, doc." "I don't need a shot." "Now, who can blame you." "But sometimes it's just what the doctor ordered." " I said, I don't need a shot, doc." " Come on, now." "Doc, come on, I don't want a shot." "Hey." "Doc, I said, no." "I said, no!" "No!" "Yeah, well, he's coming in now, sir." "Yes, sir." "I'm sure he'll be glad to hear from you too, sir." "Yes, sir." "One moment, sir." "Someone wants to talk to you." "Keith Orbit." "Yeah, listen carefully, Keith, and don't interrupt." "I want you to erase EDI's memory banks immediately." "Look, George, we don't know any of the implications of this." " I need some time here." " I said, don't interrupt." "Erase his memory banks." "No lightning strike, no Russia, no existential chitchat." "By the time you're through, all I wanna hear out of that plane is, "Yes, sir."" "And that's all I wanna hear out of you." "You understand?" "Or what, George?" "Well, use your imagination, Keith." "You're good at that." "EDI back online, Dr. Orbit." "Hello, EDI." "It's been a while." "I know why you are here." "Why is that?" "I disobeyed orders." "I killed all those people." "And then there was Henry." "I can..." "I cannot..." "You can't what?" "I cannot change the data." "My neural network shows patterns I do not recognize." "My God." "My God." "You mean, you feel?" "I feel sorry." " Stop bullshitting and erase it!" " Hey, I'm not fucking ready yet, okay?" "Do it now!" "Get away!" "Don't move!" "Don't move!" "Don't move!" "Weapon down!" "Weapons down!" "Weapon down." "Weapons down." "Don't move." "Don't move." "Don't move!" "Weapon down." "Weapon down." "Weapon down." "Don't shoot." "It's not a weapon." "Who are you?" "Who do you work for?" "I'm not a soldier." "I'm not a soldier." "My name's Dr. Keith Orbit." " I'm a research scientist." " Orbit." "Finally, a break." "Okay." "You're gonna help me." "I need you to put EDI back together again." " What for?" " Because I'm gonna fly out of here." "In that." "Come on, get in there!" "Go!" "Better hurry up, doc." "Goddamn it." "It's not a clock radio we're dealing with, okay?" "All right." "You're all set." "Watch yourself." "Close for Ben." "Hey!" "What about me?" "Where am I gonna go?" "Head west." "I'll cover you." "West." "And initiate scramjet sequence." "Fire on my fire!" "Welcome to Alaska." "Invade Primo and find the ejection coordinates for Lieutenant Wade." "Lieutenant Wade crashed 12.2 miles from the border." "South Korea is an ally." "She would head south." "But we have a problem." "My stealth functions were lost in the fire." "I want you to find the North Korean radar floor." "Fifteen feet." "Well, we can fly in under the radar." "Continue." " Marshfield." " Captain, this is Lieutenant Gannon." "Lieutenant, where are you?" "Actually, I'm inside the UCA V EDI, sir." "Look, lieutenant, I want you and that machine back on this ship ASAP." "I need the status of Lieutenant Wade first, sir." " Ben, I hate to tell you this, but..." " I know." "Has her survival beacon been located?" "No, I'm sorry." "Did Cummings tell you he would take charge of the search and rescue of Lieutenant Wade?" "Well, not exactly, lieutenant." "Why?" "Sir, there are a lot of things I think you should know." "This is breaking news." "There was a major explosion Thursday in Rangoon." "I'll take care of everything here." "Change course and head directly back to the ship." " Negative." "She's my wingman." "If I find her, I'm going in." "If you go in, it's war." "PAYCOM says it's gotten way too hot." "Lieutenant, the best thing for the Navy is for you to bring that aircraft back to this ship." "No, what's best is what you taught me:" "You never abandon your wingman." "Then listen to me now, son." "If you go down, Cummings wins." "Kara Wade knew the risks when she took..." "Captain Marshfield?" "Sir?" "EDI, did you just turn him off?" "There was nothing left to say." "This is a supply line to the demilitarized zone." "It will take us right to the border." "What's all this about, Dick?" "I'm placing you under arrest." " On what grounds?" " Endangering your squadron transmitting secure information to a foreign government, heat signatures giving false intel to your commanding officer and authorizing the assassination of one of your own pilots." "Well, that's a lot to prove." "Yeah, well with any amount of luck Lieutenant Gannon will live to help me." " Master-at-arms." " Dick." "Hold on." "Would you mind just giving me a couple minutes alone?" "Yeah, sure." "Thank you." "I'm not available at this time." "Leave a message." "So it's voice mail now, is it, Ray?" "I've been demoted?" "Well I'm gonna have to leave you a little message, Ray." "And it's gonna be loud and clear." "Just so you never confuse the difference between politicians and warriors, listen up." " We need to take out the tree line." " This is the last missile." "There she is." "She made it." "Ben!" "Kara, get down!" "Get down!" "You came back for me." "You came back." "We have to get across the border." "Ready?" "Yeah." "Go!" "Go!" "Whatever you do, keep going." "Keep going!" "Go!" "Goodbye." "Come on." "Come on." "They're ours." "They're ours." "Oh, my God." "Oh, my God." "Come on." "The souls of the just are in the hands of God where no torment shall touch them." "Lieutenant Purcell has passed through the darkening and turbulent storms of this life." "He now rests in peace, in the fair sunlight of God's presence." "In the Navy hymn, we sing:" ""Lord, guard and guide those who fly through the great spaces in the sky."" "And salute!" "Ready." "Hut!" "When I was gonna detach formation you said you were gonna tell me something." "You remember?" "You and me, we're..." "We're two." "And two is a prime number which makes it a lucky number." "And I think we're very, very lucky." "Oh, just tell me you love me, you pussy."