"And in a heartbeat, everything and everyone we knew... was gone." "There were five of us." "The crew of the space shuttle Odyssey." "And we were the only survivors." "A mysterious being who called himself The Seeker... rescued us and sent us back in time." "And now we have five years to live over." "Five years to discover who or what destroyed the Earth." "Five years to stop it from happening again." "A reporter once asked me what I dream about at night." "I think she figured that astronauts must dream about different things... than regular folks, like walking on the moon." "I think she was a little disappointed." "Nothing to think about, but catching the ball and tossing it back." "Even more to the point... it's who I am tossing it with." "I still have that dream, have it more than I ever did... only now it doesn't end the same way." "Chuck?" "They're getting worse, aren't they?" "We need to do something about these nightmares." "Yeah." "Yeah." "At least three people are dead." "One person critically injured as a result of the shooting... which has shattered this once-peaceful residential community." "And that's all for this edition of the KNBS News." "Join us at 11:00 for the Action News with Kevin Walker." " Your energy level is in the pits." " So a lunatic with an automatic... shoots three people in the head and you want energy?" "Well, you know, just enough to keep our few remaining viewers awake." "We are down two ratings points in the last three weeks." "Picked a hell of a time to take a leave of absence." "Don't worry about it, Chad." "In about five days... you're gonna get those two points back with interest." " What do you know that I don't?" " The future." "Really?" "Then how's my date gonna go on Friday?" "You're gonna blow it." "But I don't need to know the future to tell you that." "The IP went from 205.3 to 196." "You gotta look at brands that support natural statistics." "All right, all right." "I'm telling you, if you wanna know the maximum impact... a single game can have on a pitcher's value..." " it's the best model out there." " Will you two stop talking baseball?" "We got a satellite to repair." "Oh, that's what this big expensive thing is." "This is the third damn time this wrench has broken on me." "If it snaps underwater, it'll snap in space." "They just can't make that shit astronaut-proof." "Well, hell, they shouldn't have to... if the astronaut knows what the heck he's doing." "Well, well, well, if it ain't the backup crew." "You know, just because you ride in our wake... doesn't mean you can't show up on time." "First damn mission as Commander... and already your head's too big for the airlock." "I think I'll tell Flight Design to goose the hatch diametres." " Good idea." " What do you think?" "15% should do?" "Sounds like 40 to me." "Change in the schedule, boys." "Brains wanna see everyone upstairs." "All right." "Very funny, guys." "Very funny." "Boys, we're making an adjustment to the flight programme." " Adjustment?" " Yeah." "One word you don't ever wanna hear from management." "You were scheduled to launch a NORAD Sparrow 1 satellite at 0600 MET." "Instead, you'll be hanging up a bird for our boys in DOD." " Changing the payload?" " No, don't worry." "We wouldn't be signing off on this if we didn't think it was doable." "Payload's comparable in size and configuration to the Sparrow." "It'll require minimal change in procedure." " So, what is it?" " It's classified." "Black folder." "All they want from us is to hang it up and go away." "Now from this point on... the mission will be referred to by its designated code name:" "Bright Sky." "Bright Sky?" "Where do they think of these code names?" "Does Defence have a Department of Euphemisms or something?" "So this is the satellite that we deployed right before the world blew up." "It can't be." "We've still got almost five years to go." "This satellite is a first-stage prototype." "I'm gonna let you in on a little secret." "They sent up three Bright Sky tests before the one we launched." " What?" " That's right." "Except the first one's not scheduled for another three years... which means something has accelerated the schedule." " Yeah." "Something we did." " Scrivens' death, of course." "Scrivens' death, Hodges' appointment, Age of Aquarius, us having coffee." "Who the fuck knows?" "One thing we've figured out, history turns on a damn dime." "Well, at least we know when it's going up." "Well, yeah, we know when it's going up, but we have no idea what it is." "Well, my guess is NASA is saying the usual nothing bullshit." "Department of Defence orbital physics experiment, right, Chuckie?" "Yeah, except this time they're not even telling us that nothing bullshit." "They're just saying it's classified." "We are not to talk about it with anyone, including anyone within the agency." " Well, if Bright Sky really was responsible..." " Then we are that much closer to the end... of the world as we know it." "Which means this, ladies and gents:" "Yours truly is gonna be on that shuttle... and that satellite ain't gonna see the light of day." "How's that, Dad?" "You're on the backup crew." "Hide and watch." " Hello, Sarah." " Hello, darling." "You just missed the fun." "We just shaved three years off the destruction of the world." " Hey, have a seat." " Yeah." "Molly, bring up..." "I'm actually not gonna stay." "I gotta go out of town for a few days." "There's something I gotta take care of." " What, does it concern your family?" " No, no." "It's work." " Anything we can do?" " No." "But I'll call you when I get back, okay?" "Okay." "I left a note on the fridge... and you have to remember to take that muscle relaxant every three hours." "Every three hours." "I got it." " How come you're going?" " 'Cause I have to go to work, honey." " I promise I'll be back in a few days, okay?" " Okay." " A news report on what again?" " On small-town Texas." "They're running it as a series." "You always said that you'd drop dead before you did pillow news." "You know, the kind that helps people sleep at night." "Maybe I was wrong." "Maybe it's a good thing to sleep now and then." "Well, it sure doesn't sound like you, hon." " I'm gonna call you every day, okay?" " Okay." "And I wouldn't be going if it wasn't very, very, very important." " You believe me, don't you?" " Yep." "Can I have a little kiss, please?" "Thank you." "No, it's okay." "Thanks." "Hey, where's Neil Taggart, and what did you do with his body?" " You..." " Stepping out of the box for tonight, guys." "Trying a little sobriety." " Hey, you know, I hear that can be addictive." " Yeah." "Oh, yeah." " Hey." " Yes, yes, yes." " Where are you?" " What do you mean?" "Well, you're obviously not here with me." "Sorry." "I don't know." "I was just thinking... do we have to do this every Saturday night?" "I mean, it's fun and everything..." "I don't know, I just think maybe we can try something else." "Example?" "There's an exhibit on the Mercury space programme... over at the Science Centre." "You wanna take me to a museum?" " Forget it." " No." "Look, you wanna go look at old space capsules, I'm there." "Just not on my birthday, okay?" "My birthday..." "Saturday, Green Bile concert?" " Remember?" " Yes." "Yes." "Yes, of course, I remember." "Who do you think you're talking to, huh?" " I don't know." " Yeah." "What are you doing?" "Is that sushi?" "More like sashimi, but I wouldn't recommend it, darling." "I told you to wait for me in the shower." " I took a shower 10 minutes ago." " I know." " But I'm feeling dirty again." " Yeah?" "Get in there and clean up your room." "It's a fucking mess." "What the..." "I'm guessing you're not here to buy a summer home." " What are you doing here?" " Watching your ass." "Oh, what?" "Now you're following me, Angela?" "Gravel Point, Texas?" "This is where the little Lyndon girl was kidnapped by her parents, isn't it?" "Oh, yeah, I remember." "Big news story." "Nothing else on television for at least a week." " Only thing is, hasn't happened yet." " Don't try and stop me." " I am here to stop you." " No, you are not." "We can't possibly stop every bad thing that happens." "Angela, I'm a news reporter, okay?" "I have information about this case that no one else has." "You're saying I should just forget what I know?" " I'm not saying that." " Yes, you are." "You're saying we should just turn around... and let these two fuckers kidnap their own daughter." "If we start this, where does it end, Sarah?" "They're gonna take that little girl into the woods and shoot her in the head." "I know that and you know that." "We're supposed to just turn our backs and walk away?" "Tell me." "Tell me." "Shit." "That was easy." "Just sent off my own version of the NASA e-mail." "They sent the record right over." "These small-town medical clinics... don't know much about Internet security yet." "Shit." " I guess there's no other way, is there?" " I don't see it." "You know, back in the old days, I'd just go to Ed Scrivens and I'd say..." ""Ed, I want that mission," and he'd just hand it to me." "But, Hodge, she got a bug up her ass about me." " Like Mom." " No, not like Mom." "Mom's a totally different kind of bug." "You know, you grew up in the age of information... and MTV and this computer claptrap." "Well, Son, I grew up in the age of women's lib." " Now I got one as a wife and one as a boss." " And you go to work." "Back in the original timeline, whenever in the hell that was... you know what Jim said to me when this came out?" "He said, "Well, at least I have three years of commanding my own missions..." ""and no one can take that away."" "Well... he didn't count on me." "Well, it looks like muscle tissue." "You can see a pattern of myofibrils... only it's a synthesis of branched and cross-linked polymers..." "I've never seen before." "It's almost like someone put this thing together atom by atom." "What characteristics would I expect to find... in an organism composed of this material... say, an organism roughly the size of a person..." " hypothetically, of course?" " One tough cookie." "High resistance to the elements, extreme molecular stability." "It's almost self-fuelling, negating the need to produce heat." " Therefore, cold-blooded." " There's no need for it to be anything else." "Right." "How'd you think of it?" " It was Paul's fender-bender." " Fender-bender?" "Before the kidnapping, I mean, back..." " Original..." "You know what I mean." " Yeah." "Paul had gotten into this car accident a couple of days before... this story broke." "And anyway, two days ago Paul had that very same accident... and it hit me... that Ashley was gonna be kidnapped tonight." "Why'd they do it, the parents?" "I don't know." "I mean, there's a lot of speculation as to why exactly... but one of the stories was that the mother... became so obsessed with this new boyfriend... that she just believed that Ashley had become a burden... and..." "Have you given any thought to what we're gonna do once they take Ashley?" "Follow them to wherever they're gonna take her for those three days... and we catch them, and then... the Lyndons are gonna go to jail and Ashley gets a new family." "And a new life." "Get up." "Look there." " You sure you have the right date?" " Positive." "Well, then why is she..." "Why didn't they take her?" "Oh, my God, Sarah." "Police cars." "What's going on?" "What time was it?" "Right." "Excuse me." "Can you tell us what happened here?" "Someone took Janine Kealey." "Can you believe it?" "Six years old." "Christ almighty." "What the hell happened?" "Information has come to light regarding Jim Colson." " Concerns a medical condition." " How serious?" "It's an inner-ear imbalance... and it can trigger disorientation, even blackouts." "It can flash at a moment's notice." "So you guys are not on deck." " You're up." " Hell, Jim's got 50, 60 hours in space." "We can't take that chance." "The seriousness of the condition is only one part of the issue." "It's also the fact that he falsified medical records to keep it hidden." "And what I need to know from you... is are you comfortable making the launch window?" "You bet." "I was right." "This is fucked." "The Lyndons claimed all along somebody else kidnapped their daughter." "Obviously, they were telling the truth." "I think the killer must've seen us parked out front." "Yeah, he did see us... and he went to someone else's house and kidnapped someone else's little girl." "God." " Did the Lyndons ever see this guy?" " Yeah." "They gave a detailed description to the police." " Do you remember it?" " He was tall." "He was very big." "He had long hair." "It was in a ponytail." "And they said his right eye was very pale." "Almost as if the pupil were missing." "We have to take this to the police." "I wanna go home." "Wanna go home." "Well, we were headed through town." "Dallas." "A weekend away from the grind." "I wasn't paying any attention and I got really low on gas." "The car just died on us." "We pulled off the freeway to try and find a gas station." "And you stopped at the Kealey's house." "Right across the street." "We saw this car come up." "You know, I didn't get a good look at it." "It was an old car, maybe a Buick, maybe blue." "It stopped a few blocks down." "A man got out and we were gonna ask him for help... but he was looking around... acting suspicious, very nervous." "There was something about his right eye." "It was pale, almost white." "Like his pupil was missing." "How'd you manage to get such a good look at him?" "Well, he walked right by the car." "I saw him through the window." " The passenger side window?" " Yeah." " The driver's side window." " And then what?" "We watched him walk over to the Kealey house... and then he disappeared around the back." " What'd you do after this?" " After this?" "Yeah, there's a gas station on the corner." " Did you walk over there to get gas?" " Oh, yeah." "The nearest gas station is about 7 miles away." " Did you call a tow truck?" " Yeah." "Okay, let's cut the bullshit." "Well, that couldn't have gone any worse." "Look, you better be grateful that we're not in custody right now, Angela." "Yeah, thank God we don't fit the kidnapper profile." "Look, I know what you're thinking." "We shouldn't have got involved, okay?" "But we did." "We can't leave." "Who said anything about leaving?" "We're up to our asses in this... and we're running out of fucking time, Sarah." "No." "That's where you're wrong, okay?" "The kidnapper kept Ashley alive for three days, Angela." "Three days." "Maybe he's gonna do the same thing for Janine." "Ladies and gentlemen, Bright Sky 1." "Standard service-module power generation, orbit controls, S-band telemetry..." " tele-command communication." " What's it run on?" "The latest ion propulsion design." "Cuts days off your orbital transfer." "This baby hauls ass." "Hey." "This version of Bright Sky is using a Cassandra-class payload module... the standard NASA workhorse till next year." " That's good." "Can we disable it?" " That's the thing, I'm not sure." "You're not sure?" "What do you mean, you're not sure?" "Dad, I didn't design the thing." "It's before my time." "Son, if you are not sure, we are fucked." "Well, Dad, I'm your only option... so do you wanna listen to what I have to say or not?" " Shoot." " All right." "Now, the satellite's processor stores its programming in a regular magnetic disc." "If you can get close enough to the instrument suite... which I'm pretty sure is here... you might be able to scramble the propulsion drive's processor chip." "How?" "You demagnetise it." "It's like you're erasing a videotape." "If it works, it should go haywire when Mission Control tries to activate it." "If it works?" "You don't sound too optimistic about this, do you?" "Yeah, well, there ain't a whole hell of a lot to be optimistic about." "Now the propulsion drive should activate... a few seconds after the payload clears the bay." "If it doesn't malfunction in, say, 10 seconds... it might not." "Well, I'll tell you what." "If it don't malfunction within 10 seconds..." "I'm gonna execute an OMS burn and blow that fucker right out of orbit." " Along with your career." " Maybe." "Six billion people, your career, I guess there's not much of a choice, huh?" "I have to tell you something, Neil." "I didn't come back here to save six billion people." "I told that skinny little fucker, "Do it"... because there was a co-pilot dying at my feet and that is it." " Shit." " What?" " Dad, what time is it?" " 11:30." "Why?" " Fuck." " What?" "I missed the concert." "I'm missing the concert." " I gotta call Holly." " Concert?" "Holly?" "You know, speaking of which, I just..." "I always wanted to ask you." "You got the mind of a 21-year-old and the body of a 17-year-old." "I mean, how do you reconcile, and are you still a..." "What?" "What are you talking about?" "Forget it." "Hey, this is Holly." "I'm not here right now, so leave your pertinent stuff and I'll return." "Holly, it's Neil." "Pick up." "Oh, come on, Holly." "Are you there?" "Holly, are you there?" "Holly, pick up." "Come on..." "Holy fucking hell." " His hair is long and straight..." " Right, right." "...with a touch of grey at the temples." " Okay." "And he has a goatee." "His eyebrows are a bit bushier than that." "That's it." "All right, all right." "Just give me a few minutes..." " Let me talk to her." "...to touch it up and I'll e-mail it right over." "Sarah, this is Chad." "Do I hear this right?" "Are you already in Gravel Point?" "Yeah." "Well, I don't know how you got there so fast..." " but listen, I got a remote crew on the way." " No, no." " Chad, don't send the remote crew." " What?" " I'm not here reporting on this." " What are you there for?" "This has potential." "This is becoming a major story." "Look, I can't explain this to you now." "Just..." "Just send somebody else to cover the story." "I gotta go." "I talked to the Lyndons." "They haven't seen anyone matching his description." "Neither have the neighbours." "You should see the way they look at me when I mention the white eye." "Well, from now on, we'll be able to do a lot more than just mention it." "You might have to operate it on manual for a while." "Do you mean, Gordo, that we'll just have to fly... the bastard ourselves?" "Oh, it just hurts." "Well, if you're having some problems maintaining the proper torque..." "I understand." "Look, I gotta see a man about a horse." "Hang on to this." "Continue without me." "I shall return." "Professor Patel to the wind tunnel." "Professor Patel to the wind tunnel." "This ain't no fucking pipe bomb." "This here's uncut ADX jacked with C-7 at the middle." "Do you know what that is, boy?" "Lt'll blow your entire fucking complex into fucking orbit." "That's right." "You and your corporate lackey agency, you're going to pay today, boy." "All personnel, please exit the building." "All personnel, please exit the building." "Hold it." "What the hell are you doing?" "Well, I'm just doing my job, son." " Dr Taggart." " Yeah." "I'm sorry." "The area's being evacuated." "There's been a bomb threat." "Well, always happens at the damnedest time here, doesn't it?" " Lf you'll just follow me out, sir." " Right." "Roger that." "It has now been more than 24 hours... since 6-year-old Janine Kealey was abducted." "And, while police are remaining tight-lipped, there's a growing concern... among the residents of this little town of Gravel Point, Texas." "TV 7 spoke with Patricia Lyndon... one of the Kealey neighbours, about the kidnapping." "Janine's the sweetest little thing." "She and my daughter play together all the time." "Can't imagine what the Kealeys are going through." "Police are asking search volunteers to report to the First Baptist Church... on Hollis Avenue." "Got you breakfast." "You know, I got a daughter." "This is her room." "She has a birthday coming up." "Where is she?" "You'll meet her." " Not bad for a blonde." " So can you tell me what all that is now?" "It's a thermographic imaging system, darling." "A what?" "Well, it's a machine that produces video images... based on minute variances in temperature." "Hospitals use them to search for tumours, and foreign objects, and tissues... that sort of thing." "See, the warmer the object... the redder the image." "You see, I programmed it 98 degrees... which is the temperature of the human body... to read as red." "Anything below that reads as green." "You understand?" "Why don't we try it on you?" "Lt'd be fun." "All right." "Keep it still." " Well?" " Red is definitely your colour, darling." "So if I was, say, green... what would that mean?" "That you were dead or not human." "I much prefer human." "Thirty years of doing this, think I'd remember my own socks." " Just bring them back in good shape, okay?" " Will do." "Do we have time for this?" "Get your young ass up on this bed." "Am I interrupting something here?" " Well, what's it look like?" " Right, right." "Well, there's someone downstairs to see you." "Fine." "Get your clothes off." "I'll be right back." "Jim." "I just came to say..." "I just came to say I'm sorry." " I let you down." " No, you didn't let me down, Jim." "You could never let me down." "I was your sponsor." "You're a brilliant pilot, and a hell of a good commander." " I guess we'll never know now, will we?" " I know." "One fucking little ear problem and it's over." "Six years of training." "A lifetime of dreaming." "I understand that someone sent my medical records to Hodge." "That means someone's out to get me." "Hell, no, I wouldn't go buying into that kind of paranoia." "You know, my old man wanted to be an astronaut back in the days of Apollo... and he washed out 'cause they found out he'd gone colour blind." "They still let him fly jets." "I guess it doesn't really matter now, anyway, how it got out." " It's over." " No, it ain't." "It ain't over." "You're a gifted man." "There's 101 things you can do." "Probably make more money, too." " You have a good mission, Chuck." " Well, I'll give it a whirl." "Don't crash and burn." " A blue Buick, late '70s." " It has now been more than..." " 24 hours..." " Yeah." "...since six-year-old..." " Have you seen one lately?" " When are you coming home?" " Soon, baby." "Soon." " How'd your swimming lesson go?" " Didn't swallow any water." "That's my little man." "I miss you so much." "...include this special message..." " Can you put Daddy on the phone?" "...that TV 7 recorded outside the family home." "Please." "Please, don't hurt our little girl." "She's only six years old." "Janine, we..." "We love you very much and we'll see you soon." " Hey, Sarah." " What?" "I mean, I'm sorry, Paul." "How's your neck?" " Oh, it hurts like a bear." " Pain'll be gone by Saturday." "How do you know that?" "Hello?" "Yeah." "Hi." "Yeah." "Great, thanks." "A friend of someone who we gave the flier to... says somebody who looks like our guy tried to pick her up in a bar." "They don't have a name, but I have an address." "Angela, I'm really glad you're here." "Hello." "Hello." " Oh, God, Sarah." " What?" "What?" "Oh, my God." "Get down!" "Waiting for animal control to come get him." "I ain't in no shape to go digging graves." "You ladies sure are lucky I'm one lousy-ass shot." "We're sorry, sir." "We just thought this place belonged to somebody else." "Well, it used to." "I only been here a couple of weeks." " Do you know who lived here before you?" " Crazy son of a bitch." " Never gave me his name." " By any chance, was this him?" "That's him, all right." "That fucked-up eye." " It's really important that we find him." " Well, he didn't say much." "Certainly didn't say exactly where he was moving to... though I got the impression... he's on the east side of town, out by the tracks." "Is there anything else?" "Anything at all that you can tell us about him?" " Well, he's in the Navy." " How do you know that?" "Tattoo on his arm." "The USS Idaho." "Discovery, you are 319 kilometres orbital insertion altitude." "Roger, Houston." "On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd say that takeoff was an 11." "Come back, Ed." "Discovery, prepare for a systems check." "Primary payload deployment will commence at 0600." "Roger that, Houston." "Sorry about that, Miss Hodge." "Happy birthday." ""USS Idaho ordinance package explodes on deck..." ""killing one crewman and injuring another."" ""Mathew Pollard, 22, was hospitalised for second-degree burns..." ""to his face and arms."" " It's the right age." "That's gotta be him." " Yeah." "Where are you going?" "Well, the guy with the dead dog thought that Pollard moved to the east end of town." "I checked the map earlier." "It's not that big an area." "I'll go door to door." " I have to go live right now." " What do you got?" "No, listen, there is no time to explain this to you." "Please, just trust me on this." "Well, before you said you didn't wanna cover the case." "Now you tell me you gotta go live?" "Chad, where is the goddamn remote crew?" "Hi, Houston, this is Discovery." "We are ready to commence the payload deployment." "Roger, Discovery." " Initiate countdown." " Roger, Houston." "Initiating countdown." "60 seconds on my mark." "Mark." "Late breaking news." "We now take you live to Gravel Point, Texas, for a special report from Sarah Forbes." "We repeat, police have released the name of the prime suspect... in the Janine Kealey kidnapping." "His name is Mathew Pollard." "He is approximately 35 years of age with dark hair." "His right eye is extremely light in colouring... the result of an accident sustained while serving in the Navy." "Police have also learnt that Pollard's daughter, Denise Pollard... died in an automobile accident at the age of eight." "Pollard has undergone extensive psychiatric counselling..." "No!" "...emotionally distraught from the death of his daughter." "Shut up!" "Shut up!" "Hi, Houston, this is Discovery." "We have a clean deployment." "We're ready to activate payload propulsion system." "Roger, Discovery." "Go on propulsion system start." "Propulsion system start." "Payload manoeuvring on station at 39 degrees." "Propulsion system's working like a charm." " You sure?" " Nope, nothing." "Never seen him." "Okay." "Thanks a lot." "Payload on track for geosynchronous orbit." "Propulsion system burn." "Fifteen seconds." "We have a good track, steady flight." "Propulsion system burn at three... two, one." "Payload's off axis." "What's happened?" "Propulsion system misfire." "Drift rate increasing." "Payload approaching 31 degrees." "28 degrees." "We're losing it." " We're losing it." " I hear you." "State police apprehended Mathew Pollard 10 miles north of Gravel Point." "He has been charged with one count each of kidnapping... and child endangerment... and is scheduled to be arraigned today, pending a full psychiatric review." "What a hug." " Give me a smoke." " Hey, guys." "Give me a smoke." "Holly, can we talk?" "Please." "I'm sorry." "I forgot your birthday... and we missed the concert and I'm really, really sorry." "It's just I've got a lot of..." "It's complicated." "You wanna know what's fucking complicated?" "Trying to figure out what's going on with your boyfriend." "Why he's all of a sudden acting like a totally different person." "I mean, you forgot my birthday." "Forgot about the concert." "You've got this new haircut and you don't smoke pot anymore." "Jesus, do you even remember my phone number?" "Do you?" "555-2635." "Holly, listen..." "I really wish I could explain what's going on with me right now." "I really do." "I can tell you one thing." "I think I'm falling for you all over again... and I really don't wanna mess this up." "A reporter once asked me what I dream about at night." "I think she figured that astronauts must dream about different things... than regular folks, like walking on the moon." "I think she was a little disappointed." "Nothing to think about, but catching the ball and tossing it back." "My own dad was a pilot... but he was never one for profound words." "Although, he did give me two solid bits of advice." "He said, "Don't crash and burn."" "And he also said, "When you find a moment that gives you peace..." ""take it."" "Even if it only comes in a dream."