"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." "Comforting, isn't it, the sight of another condominium going up?" "It induces that warm, fuzzy feeling that all is right with the world." "What would you do without the concept of sarcasm?" "Fall back on bitter gloom." "I think Neil was wrong about that thing, Chandra's Sentient-scanner." "This place does not look like a hotbed of Synthetic activity." "Well, I have to concur." "What say we give this little stakeout another five minutes... and retire to this lovely French bistro that has this wonderful mousse de canard." " I'm going straight to bed." " All right." "If you insist." " Drop it, Kurt." " Wait, wait." "Yeah." "Green is suddenly back in fashion." "Shit." "They have a human being." "Wait, wait, wait." "What the hell are you planning?" "What makes you think I have a plan?" "Wait, wait." "What am I supposed to do with this?" "Shoot." "But no one said anything about mounting a rescue." "Yeah, well, no one said anything about the world blowing up either." "We'll get on top of them." "We'll take them out." "Take them out?" "For what, a drink?" "Wait, wait, wait." "We're not just gonna open fire, are we?" "We didn't come up here to start a conversation." "Go on." "Angela!" "Angela." "Angela!" "Angela!" "Good evening." "We're looking for Dr Kurt Mendel." "Yeah, he's in Room 114 upstairs." "But you can't go up there." "He's talking to the police." "The carjackers forced you out of the car and into the construction site at gunpoint." " Yeah." " All three of them were armed?" "I guess they were, yeah." "And when you and Miss Perry tried to flee, that's when the shooting started." "That's right." " You didn't get a good look at any of them?" " No." "It was too dark." "That construction site has a pretty powerful hazard flood." "Detective, when the barrel of a gun is pointed at your face... it tends to monopolise your focus." "I hear you." "On TV cop shows, witnesses always have detailed descriptions... of the suspects and the truth is, after a traumatic event like this..." " a lot of people don't remember shit." " Interesting." "Doctor, can I ask you to describe your relationship with Miss Perry?" "Yes." "We're good friends." "So, you weren't seeing each other romantically?" "Well, we used to go out, but that was five years ago." "Five years ago." "I'm confused." "When we spoke earlier you said that you first met Miss Perry... on your recent book tour." "Oh, yes." "That's right." "I'm sorry." "It's just..." "What I meant is... it seemed that we were apart for five years." " Sorry." "It's the medication." " Well..." "I think that's good for now, Doctor." "Thank you." "Thank you." "I can tell you, we've had a string of carjackings in the vicinity... and the MO fits, so already we're a few steps ahead." "Good." " You rest up." " Thanks." "Nothing on the make of the car, at least that's what my police sources tell me." "What about the construction site?" "As far as I've been able to find out, it's totally legit." "Legit, legit." "Every goddamn thing these freaks are gonna do... is gonna look legit till the goddamn world blows to shit." "Any chatter on Chandra's scanner?" "No, if the Sentients have her, they're not talking about it." "What do you mean "if," "if" the Sentients have her?" "I mean "if."" "The fucking Sentients have Angela." "I was there." "I was shot in the fucking leg." "Where the hell does "if" come into the picture all of a sudden?" "It comes into the picture when there's no mention of it on the scanner, Kurt." "You're right." "I'm sorry." "I'm sorry." "I'm sorry." "I'm just talking to the FBI and these cops, the reporters calling me..." "I'm just very sensitive about any hint of doubt about what took place, that's all." "Yeah, I know." "Look, look, we stick a cop into this, it's gonna get worse." "It already is worse, God damn it." "I only wish I was still up at Lake Dallas bass fishing." "Yeah." "Well, we ain't fishing anymore, boys." "How are we going to find Angela?" "Goddamn freaks could've taken her to the moon, for all we know." "All right, Kurt, was there anything that the Synths said..." " No, no, no." "...that may have tipped you off?" " They were speaking Synth gibberish." " Motherfuckers suffocated my wife... tried to steal my goddamn mind, hook you on drugs..." " Almost made me believe in God." " And now they've sunk... to kidnapping and handguns." "They're fucking thugs, is what they are." "What about Angela's father?" "That son of a bitch is up to his ass in alligators." "That's a closed door." "Two assassination attempts." "You're better off trying to steal the crown jewels." "I'll tell you what I'm gonna do." "I'm gonna talk to Leyton Scott." "Leyton Scott?" "You mean the man who told you about the Cadre?" "You said he was still in the hospital." "Well, he's out of the hospital, and he called me." "Yeah, well, Dad, what about his mind?" "He has ALS." "ALS doesn't affect the mind, in spite of what his damn daughter said to me." "Okay." "Well, what about his daughter?" "She doesn't want you anywhere near him." "Well, we're gonna have to get her out of the house." "And what is Leyton Scott gonna tell you, Chuck?" "Fuck if I know." "Maybe bullshit, maybe everything." "But I'll tell you this, Kurt." "This is all wired in together." "Angela's disappearance, the Cadre, Bright Sky, these freaks." "It's all one." "Okay." "So we've got five minutes for her to get to the post office... five minutes for her to figure out there's no package... five minutes for her to get back." "Fifteen minutes in all." "Call me on the cell phone if she comes back early." "All right." "Still teaching The Bard, young man?" "Lear." "It's a kid from the neighbourhood." "He comes over here, I read him Shakespeare... and he pretends to listen." "I think he just wants to be around somebody who's walked on the moon." "I know the feeling, Leyton." "I heard about Paige, Chuck." "I'm sorry." "Yeah, well, thanks, Leyton." "But I didn't come here to talk about Paige." " Angela Perry." " Yeah." "Well, that was no goddamn carjacking." "We both know that." "Well, what do we know, Leyton?" "That if you find the people who took her, if you open that door..." "Cadre's gonna be standing right there looking right back at you." "You know her father, Senator Perry?" "A fucking crawfish." "I half believe he sanctioned her abduction." "Hell, he might've even ordered it." "Oh, hell, I've been stirring up more shit than she has, why wouldn't they take me?" "Well, you might be next." "You really think that Senator Perry is part of the Cadre, Leyton?" "Well, look." "If you really wanna replace human beings in space with machines... a little political clout wouldn't hurt." "What the hell's at the end of this, Leyton?" "Is it just Bright Sky?" "I got no clue." "But I do know that Bright Sky is a pet project of the Cadre... and they will kill over it." "They may have already, Leyton." "Ed Scrivens was murdered... and Angela Perry may have been also." "I never believed Ed's death was an accident." "There are no such things as accidents in this world." "Look, Leyton." "I came by some info recently." "I can't tell you how I came by it, but I can tell you what real quick... in spite of the fact that you'll probably think I'm certifiable." "Oh, God." "Leyton, I happen to know that the entirety of planet Earth as we know it... may very well be blown to dust... in the next couple of years... and it ain't gonna be an act of God, brother." "Now, I got to get to the core of this Cadre thing... and I got to get there now, Leyton." "And if you know anything at all that you can help me with... now's the time, Leyton." "Chuck, you're asking for the moon." "Not surprisingly, Perry's abduction is quickly taking on national prominence." "A visibly shaken Senator Perry interrupted a campaign stop... to speak with reporters." "I am in constant communication with the police... and I know that they're doing everything to locate my daughter." "I have faith that she will be found alive and well." "Is it true that you received a call from the President?" "Yes." "The President and First Lady did call, and they offered me... their support and some kind words." "I just know that they're gonna find her, and they're gonna find her okay." "Thank you very much." " Sarah!" " Troy, I'm late for that meeting." " Yeah." "I know." "It's cool." " Listen, listen." " I'm really sorry about last night." " Yeah, I understand." " I'm sorry about dinner." " You know, I'll just have to ask you here." "What?" "Ask me what?" "Well, what I wanted to say last night at dinner." "What are you talking about?" "I've never believed in the concept of a soul mate." "The term always struck me as something that high-school kids say to each other." "But since I met you, man, I feel like a high-school kid." " What are you talking about?" " Well, look, I'm not one to leap in, but..." " I know." " That's just the thing." " I met you three months ago..." " Yeah." "...and it's like you've known me for years." "I can't say that I know you as well as you seem to know me." "I do know that I wanna spend the rest of my life trying to catch up." "You don't have to answer me now." "Just listen to the question." "Sarah, will you marry me?" " A moon rock?" " Its designation is ALH-3B." "It was harvested off the surface of the moon during the very last Apollo mission." " I got this footage off the net." " What's the connection?" "Well, the connection is, according to Leyton Scott, that this here rock..." " gave birth to the Cadre." " Gave birth?" "Exactly right." "Not long after the rock came back to Earth, the Cadre was formed." "Now, something about this rock, according to Leyton Scott... some essence, some property, some secret scared the shit out of the Cadre... scared them enough to want them to ban the whole damn manned space mission." " Shut it down." " Oh, come on." "Listen to me." "Leyton says that we bust open the secret to this rock... we bust open the Cadre." "We bust the Cadre, we break Bright Sky." "We break Bright Sky..." "Then we know what Leviathan means, and we save the whole wide world." "Exactly right." "Well, I'm sorry to break it to you, Chuck, but I don't give a royal shit... about saving the whole wide world." "Instead of discussing lunar geology and fucking moon rocks... we should be focused on the immediate objective... which, last time I checked, was to get Angela back." "He's right, Chuck." "I mean, fuck security." "I say we barge in there, and we talk to Perry." " She's his daughter, for Christ's sake." " Yeah, Dad, I agree." "This rock can wait." "Jesus, people, will you connect the dots here?" "Perry is the Cadre." "Perry is not part of the goddamn solution." "Perry is the problem." "Now, listen to me, I'm gonna go kill a few ghosts, I'm gonna talk to some folks." "What are we supposed to do, twiddle our thumbs while you're gone?" "No." "We scour the neighbourhood where she was taken... and we see if we can find something, anything." "Right." "You do what you want, we're gonna find Angela." " Come on." " Great." "You do what the hell you want, I'm gonna go look at a rock." " And how the hell are you gonna do that?" " I'm gonna steal the fucker." " Ethan Slattery." " Oh, Commander Taggart." "You could take somebody's head off with that thing." "Yeah." "I almost lost my own many a time." "An honour to see you again, Commander." " Oh, shit-can that Commander stuff." " That's what my dad used to call you." "You're looking more and more like your dad every time I see you." " What's it been, three years?" " Yeah." "Since the funeral." "Well, your dad was a good man." "He was a great friend to me." " You saved his life once, no?" " Bullshit." "I just pulled him out of a compressor stall." "He could've handled it himself." " God knows he pulled me out of 100 jams." " So what brings you out here today?" "Well, other than to observe this beautiful chopper you're building..." "I wanna ask you a question." "You used to work at the Lunar Sample Receiving Facility, didn't you?" "That's right." "I worked there for a couple of years." "Well, there happens to be a lunar sample I'd like to receive." " Don't you wanna use green?" " This isn't a green alien." " This is a blue alien." " A blue alien?" " Yep." " Oh, okay." "Hey, listen, pumpkin." "I'm gonna go talk to your daddy real quick, okay?" "Okay." "But I want you to finish the spaceship." "Okay." "When I get back." "You little alien." " You've got another 20 minutes." " Doesn't he seem kind of tired to you?" "Well, there's something going around the school." "It may be a cold or something." "His nose isn't running, and he's not coughing, sneezing." "Maybe he is just tired." "I mean, he has been under a lot of stress lately, Sarah." " No thanks to you." " Let's not do this." "Paul, when is the last time you took Corey to the doctor?" " Sarah." " No." "Just listen to me." " No." " Paul, this is not me being crazy, okay?" "Then what is it then?" "The medicine that I was giving Corey, I know it was wrong for me to give it to him." "I know it was wrong." "I'm just worried." "I'm worried that it might've caused some kind of side effect." "All right." "I haven't been in the place in over three years... but if that's the current floor plan, then I guess it hasn't changed." "Yeah, it's current." "I hacked it off the company that designed it." "I don't know." "Jeez." " Ethan, you're having a problem with this?" " Yeah." "That's one way to put it." "Look, what I told you was the truth, and I swear on my father's grave and yours." "Yeah." "There's a group inside the agency that's trying to kill a manned space flight." "That's exactly right, and they'll do anything they want to get what they want." "I'm having a whole lot of trouble believing that somebody's been killed over this." "Ethan, Ed Scrivens was my friend." "Your father was my friend." "I wouldn't invoke their names just to swindle your support here." "This is a matter of great fucking importance, and it just doesn't have to do... with the future of manned space flights at NASA." "This has to do with the future of your world." "My world?" "That's right." "Listen to yourself." "You sound like some doomsday, Grim Reaper freak..." " from the street or something." " I'm a pilot." "Ethan, your father was a pilot." " I'm not a freak." " Sorry." "Look, you make the call." "You wanna walk out of here, that's fine." "I can't tell you anything more." "You do what you think is right." "Okay." "Okay." "Fine." "All right." "If the rock's still there, it should be in Containment Unit 7." "That's in Sector 4 of the facility." "Now, the whole sector has just been completely overhauled." " It's fitted with mobots." " Mobots?" "Yeah." "Short for mobile robots." "They monitor the atmosphere... they carry materials from lab to lab and basically they have free access... throughout the facility." "Anyway, you have upper-level clearance, right?" "So ironically you can actually get closer to the rock than even the people in the lab... so it's gonna be sitting in this depressurised chamber, which is locked." " But I can give you the access code..." " How?" "How?" "You haven't worked there in three years." "They have to have changed the code by now." "Well, yeah, they change it every week, but there's this certain lab tech... she's one of those absent-minded, scientist-in-training types... and she types the code, stupidly, into her computer every night." "I see." "But getting back to the rocks, they're actually tagged... with these radioactive markers that will set off these sensors mounted in the doorway... and it's the only doorway into the lab, so I think getting the rock out of the lab... is gonna be next to impossible." "Yeah, I see people from construction site... workers come here, go." "Some come here, buy food, buy beer." " Did any of them speak or behave strangely?" " Strangely?" "How?" "In a manner that might suggest they're not human beings... but organisms artificially constructed in a vat, that's how." "Excuse me." "I need to go stock." " That was subtle." " I'm gonna go check the construction site." "Hey, Kurt." "Troy asked me to marry him." "There's a development." "I don't see a ring on your finger..." " so I assume the answer was negative." " I don't even know why I'm hesitating." "I mean, three months ago, five years into the future, I was living with this guy." "Yeah, but three months ago, five years into the future, you didn't have Corey." " No." " How was your marriage to Troy?" " Was it a happy one?" " Yeah, it was." "It's gonna happen eventually between you and Troy." "Why not pilfer a little happiness for yourself ahead of schedule?" "I'll tell you exactly why." "Because I don't feel like bringing anybody else into this fucking nightmare." "Think she's alive, Kurt?" "What I think won't change a fucking thing." "What?" "That grey box." "That's a time-lapse camera." "Yeah." "It has a nice bird's-eye view of the scene of our crime." "That it does." "Right now there are at least three separate investigations... conducted by various government agencies." "Angela Perry was not just another missing person, as I'm sure you're aware." "You'd like some coffee?" "The seeming randomness of the crime makes it a tough case to solve." "It comes down to witnesses, of which there's just one." " Like some coffee?" " Yes." "Thank you." "How well did you know Dr Kurt Mendel?" "Well, I didn't know him well at all." "I met him through Angela Perry." " They went out once, as I understand it." " You two weren't close, then?" " You and the doctor?" " Hell, no." "I don't even like the guy." "Well, the reason I ask that is because you were seen frequently at a diner... called The Canary, and you went to visit him in the hospital." "I go to The Canary because Angela Perry..." "You want some milk?" "No, thank you." "I go to The Canary to hang out with Angela Perry 'cause she's a pilot..." "I'm a pilot, we talk shop." "Mendel was with her a couple of times." "I went to the hospital to see Angela Perry 'cause I was told... she was in an accident." "Dr Mendel's cell phone records indicate that right after the incident... the first phone call he placed was to you." "That was weird, you know?" "He gave me a ring, and I couldn't really make it out." "He said something about carjacking, and then I lost the signal." "Yeah, but..." "Thank you." "Why would he..." "Why would he not call 911 or the police?" " Like, why you?" " Well, hell if I know." "I mean, he lost some blood." "Hell, I've been in space long enough to see some people... do some really dingy things under stress." "Well, I wouldn't know." "I haven't been in space." "Well, I hope you get the opportunity some time." "Fat chance." "I think I'm gonna stick to hot air balloons." "Hot air balloons." "Really?" " I've never been up in one." "What's it like?" " Fantastic." "The silence is intense and... you know, because you're riding the wind, if you light a match... the flame stays completely vertical." "Where are we going with this, Detective?" "I'm sorry about your wife." "Thank you." "You know, the obvious connection between your wife's death..." " and Angela Perry's disappearance..." " Obvious connection?" "Senator Perry." "Detective, I told the FBI already what my wife did, what she was gonna do... what she tried to do, and that is that." "Witnesses have said that on the night your wife tried to kill Senator Perry..." "Kurt Mendel was in the hall." "Did you see Dr Mendel there that night?" "The only thing I saw was my wife in my arms... dying." "I'm just checking the wind, Commander." "Well, it ain't blowing in my direction, Detective." "You think that detective thinks Kurt had anything to do..." " with Angela's disappearance?" " She's a dumb-ass if she doesn't." " Well, this keeps getting worse." " Damn right it does." "Commander Taggart, I'm Marie Chessler." "Nice to meet you." " How do you do, Miss Chessler?" " And you must be Neil." "Yeah." "Hi." "Thank you so much for taking the time." "My pleasure." "If you gentlemen would follow me." "So you're interested in lunar rocks." "Is this for a high-school project?" "Yeah." "Show-and-tell." "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Commander Taggart." "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Miss Chessler." "Now this is the main facility where the bulk of the experimental work takes place." "I work in Emission Spectroscopy, that's the utilisation..." "Utilisation of spectra to determine the chemical composition..." " of specific substances." " Very good." "I'm impressed." "I'm so glad." " What?" " Don't be so smart." "I'm sure you're anxious to see some of the samples." "Yeah." "These are pristine samples brought back from Apollo 14." "Miss Chessler, would you, by chance, have a pristine men's room that I might use?" " Yes." "In the back corner of the lab." " Okay." " Go, continue, and I'll catch up to you." " Thanks." "Why are the tanks filled with nitrogen?" "Because nitrogen doesn't react to the samples." "That's right." "Very good." "As I was saying, these are pristine samples brought from the Apollo 14." " Here's an interesting one." " That's a big one." " Apollo 16, right?" " That's right." "The samples are pristine because they haven't been out of the laboratory... since their return from the moon." "Great." "So, why are these rocks kept in here specifically?" "Well, if the samples were exposed to the Earth's humid atmosphere..." " they'd react with it." " Right." "Grains of iron in the samples would combine with oxygen to form..." "What does this do over here?" "Oh, this machine, it's fabulous." "It helps us..." "I'll be with you in a minute." "How long before they figure out one of their rocks is from..." " the Taggart backyard?" " Maybe soon, maybe never." "Hang out here." "Be the good eye." "Two seconds." " It wouldn't be a tour without a souvenir." " Well done." "We came all the way out here to see who?" "Somebody who can be of a lot of service to us... if we remain diplomatic." "Diplomatic." "What a dump." "Hey, hey, hey, hey." "Yeah?" " Dr Ellie Woodruff, it's Chuck Taggart." " So?" " So I wanna talk to you." " So talk." "Well, I'd like to talk to you face to face, if you don't mind." " Anyone with you?" " Yeah, my son's with me." " Is that him?" " That's him." "Ellie, it's kind of urgent." "Are we gonna talk?" "You open up the damn door, or what are you gonna do, send us away, what?" "Sorry about that." "The people who read my work often fall into the category of wackos." "They show up at my door sometimes." "They scare the hell out of me." "This is my son, Neil Taggart, Ellie." "Oh, yeah, we met at a NASA function at your house." "I remember seeing you and wishing I was 30 years younger." " You work at NASA?" " Used to." "Was ridden out on a rail." "So you don't talk to NASA anymore?" "You cut off all the ties with the agency?" "You got it." "Fuck them." " In that case, I got something to show you." " What?" "Neil." " ALH-3B." " Yeah." "How'd you get this?" "I can't tell you how." "Shit." "Dr Woodruff was the world's leading authority on lunar geology, Neil." "Still am, though some people don't like what I come up with." "Which is what?" "She came up with a theory that the moon is hollow." "Really?" "Oh, I know that look." "I've gotten it a million times." "But you explain why early lunar probes crashed or missed the moon entirely... due to miscalculations in the lunar gravitational gradation." "Here, hold this." "Or why, on November 20th, 1969... when the Apollo 12 crew jettisoned their lunar module ascent stage... the module's impact on the lunar surface initiated a seismic event... wherein the moon reverberated like a bell for more than an hour." "You're saying the moon is artificial?" "Well, we may never know, given that everyone at NASA has decided that I'm nuts." "Well, we don't think you're nuts, necessarily." " We don't?" " Well, that's sweet of you, Chuck." "But you don't need to humour me." "Have you ever known me to humour anybody?" " So why the change of heart?" " Well, Ellie, let's just say that... we've found some things that would make your theories look like Geology 101." "No cigars in the lab." "Two, three, four." "Oh!" "Come on, get it, come and get it, come and get it." "Come and get it." "You got it." "Hello?" "Hello, Dr Kayne." "Was there no side effects?" "Good." "What do you mean?" "What did you find?" "Today?" "Well, today, I can't make it today." "Can you just tell me on the phone?" " Well, you want the bad news first?" " Shoot." "Well, it is ALH-3B, but it's not a moon rock." " What the hell is it?" " Well, it was taken off the moon... but it's not from the moon." " Okay, well, where is it from, Kansas?" " No, it's not from Kansas, Toto." " It's from Mars." " Mars." "Here, come on." "Help me with this thing." "Hold this open for me." "Come on, all right." "Ellie, come on, now we haven't taken any rocks off of Mars yet." "No, but some of them have come to us." "Oh, like the Martian meteorites we found at Antarctica?" "Yeah, same deal." "Only this one didn't land in Antarctica." "It landed on the moon... and one of our boys just scooped it up and brought it home." "So, are you going to tell me how the hell you managed... to get your hands on this thing?" "I mean, the last time I checked... the agency wasn't in the habit of loaning out moon rocks." " No." "We borrowed it." " Borrowed it?" " Yeah." " Okay." "Ellie, you ever heard of a group inside of NASA called the Cadre?" "Can't say I have." "Who are they?" "Well, suffice it to say that they're the bad guys, so to speak... and they have a vested interest in this here rock." "Well, that might have something to do with the fact that your rock..." " is singing." " Singing?" " Yeah." "It's giving off a sub-audible pitch." " How do you know?" "My watch stopped, and if I'm not mistaken, yours have, too." " You're right." "I'll be a son of a bitch." " Yep." "The vibrations are strong enough to disrupt the quartz crystals... in all of our watches." "I checked it with my oscilloscope, see?" ""Disrupt the quartz crystal," Ellie, speak English to me here, will you?" "Chuck, a consistent pattern vibration like that isn't found naturally." " That rock's an artificial construct." " Artificial?" "Yeah, it had to be designed by some sort of intelligence." "I gotta see this." "All right." "Does this vibration mean something?" "This looks like Morse code." " Maybe binary." " Binary." "Bingo." " Computer code." " Exactly." "Fuck me." "It's Mars, Neil." "This whole thing happened on Mars even before it happened on Earth." "It's Mars, Neil." "It's Mars." " What the hell you talking about?" " Never mind, what are you doing now?" "Plugging the scope into the computer." "You gonna run a pattern analysis?" " You, my boy, are an exception to the rule." " And what rule is that?" "The one that said, "God either gives us looks or brains."" "Ellie, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you're pitching my son." "Hell, yeah." "Given that I no longer have a NASA supercomputer at my service... this is going to take a while." "We wait." "Well, that was a waste of $200." "This guy probably would've taken a lot less money..." " to turn this stuff over, you know." " Didn't have time to haggle." "How often do you think the camera snapped a shot?" "Well, based on the fact that this guy walks in on the edge of this shot... walks out on the other edge of the next shot... photographed at 30 seconds apart, give or take." " It doesn't matter." " Why?" "Because Angela was taken at night, and this camera only records... during the fucking day." "Damn her." "Damn her, damn it." "Damn her!" "Fuck!" "Fucking damn!" "Her and her goddamn fucking Air Force bravado!" "What is it with women, with women and their impulse... to put me through fucking hell?" "Times like this I wish I weren't a goddamn atheist." " I know." " Yeah." "I'd have somebody else to blame instead of myself." "Baby." " I got a niece about your age." " Yeah?" "Yeah, my brother's always complaining about the loser boys that take her out." "She's smart as a whip, funny." "You wanna see a picture?" "You know, I've just actually kind of sworn off girls lately..." " 'cause I had a nasty break-up." " She's got nice tits." "Okay, it's got a hit." " It's a number, 95243." " Okay, now we're getting someplace." "Actually, my young hunk, it's two numbers." "There's a gap between the five and the two." "So it's 95 and 243." " Coordinates?" " No." "I hope not." "There'd be no common point of reference for coordinates to do us any good." "Well, is there something that could have different points of reference... but the numbers would still mean the same thing?" "Well, the basic elements of all things are atomic elements." "Number of protons and atomic weight, right?" " You know such things, flyboy." " Imagine that." "Yeah." "Atomic number 95 and mass 243." " Americium." " What is americium?" " It's made out of americium?" " Nope." "Is it possible that it is asking for americium?" "Maybe." "Well, you got any americium around here anywhere?" "Yeah, well, as a matter of fact they use it in smoke detectors." "I got one in every room." "Well, are you guys gonna come and help me pull them down, or what?" "Let's go, go." "All right, just..." "Shit." "You like machines?" "Yeah, I like them more than most people." "That's very open-minded of you." "Unfortunately, not all machines feel the same way about you." " Excuse me?" " The rock." "Rock?" "Where is it?" "I told you, I'm in a hurry." "So what can I tell you that I haven't already said?" "I want you to tell me what really happened the night Angela Perry was abducted." "I've already told you what really happened, twice." "You were carjacked by individuals you did not see... individuals who managed to steal nothing valuable from your person... but who abducted the woman you were with, a woman you claim... is your friend, but who you were parked alone with at 9:30 on a Friday night." "Why do I get the feeling that I should have an attorney right here?" " Any reason you need your attorney?" " None that I can think of." "Here's something for you to think about." "Can I ask you why, after being carjacked... the friend you were with, abducted... you would, as your first act, choose not to call 911 or the police... but a NASA astronaut?" "Chuck Taggart is a very close friend of mine and of Angela's." "Maybe I thought his influence would help get the wheels greased by the authorities." " Wheels greased to keep you out of trouble?" " No." "Maybe to get you people to move faster." "Maybe to get the best people on the case." "But I can see that he wasn't able to." "You recently leased a warehouse facility down by the Houston docks." "Yes." "I rented it for storage." "Were you aware a pair of murders took place just outside..." " that warehouse facility a few weeks ago?" " Yes." "And, actually, it was one murder." "The second individual is in a coma." " You're aware of the incidents, then." " Yes." "What does that have to do with Angela Perry?" "Were you also aware Miss Perry was seeing Enrique Pena?" " Yes." "I was aware of that." " How'd you feel about that relationship?" "I just wanted her to be happy." "Is that why you often called her late at night?" "To make sure she was happy?" "Like I said, we're very close friends." "Did you ever happen to call when she and Pena were fucking?" " Detective?" "Am I under arrest?" " Not yet." "Then fuck you." "This the way out?" "Taggart." "Hey, Chuck, it's me." "Listen, this story just came in." "I think you should know." "Your friend, Slattery?" " Yeah, what about him?" " They found him dead an hour ago." "They said it was an aortic aneurysm." "Oh, my God, my God." "Shit." " Well, you watch your ass, Sarah." " I will, bye." " Oh, shit." " How long you gonna keep me waiting?" "Troy, listen." "My life is so complicated right now..." " Hey, I want to be part of that complication." " No, no." "I love you, Sarah." "I love you." "Oh, shit." " Hey, folks are watching." " Screw them." "I'm going to be your wife." " Yes?" " Yeah." "I love you." "Just thought I could use a little bit of happiness, you know?" "Just a little bit?" "Okay, a lot." "Troy, wait a minute!" "My hair!" "Here goes nothing." "Now, we're looking for any reaction here." "I'd call that a reaction." "Crystalline, orthorhombic stalk... three axes, topped with four axes of symmetry, hexagonal." " It's incredible." " Well, what's incredible about it?" "I mean, besides the obvious?" "Well, you got two different configurations... forming from one base substance." "It's a definite indication of intelligent design." " I thought we'd already established that." " That clinches it." "Artificial life." "That depends on your point of view." "To us, you are the artificial ones." "We've come for the rock." " Who the hell are you people?" " They're not people, Ellie." "Well, I don't care what they are, get the hell out of my house!" "Your lives, such as they are, have come to an end." "Jesus." "English." "This is the language in which you speak." "Yeah, so what the fuck else is new?" "I am able to communicate in all 35 languages stored in the system." "Two of you are classified as enemies to the system." " Why?" " Maybe because we are." " Hey, who the hell are you?" " We are not of this place." "Is your memory bank, your RAM, whatever the fuck you call it..." "You still got that inside that body?" "I do." "Then you can tell me where the hell Angela Perry is." "The answer to your question is not in the system." "Wait a minute, God damn it." "Wait a minute." "It is in you, it is in your system." "Now, answer my goddamn..." "So you just let him go?" "What do you want?" "You were out cold..." "Ellie's scared shitless, takes off in her muscle car... and I'm left standing there with God knows how many Synths." "What did you want me to do, declare war?" "It sounds like you did the right thing, honey." "Thank you." "So we're to believe these creatures are fossilised Martian Synthetics... just waiting for us to bring them back to life?" "I don't know what we're supposed to believe, Kurt." "We're no closer to finding Angela, that's for sure." "You guys didn't find anything while we were gone?" "Just this." "What's this?" "Those are photographs taken from a time-lapse camera... taken from across the street from where Angela was abducted." "We've gone over them and over them." "There's nothing there." "Nothing." "The hell there isn't." "Can you blow that up?" " The eagle's approaching." " Permission granted." "Like you said, Leyton, there are no accidents." "That there's your little Shakespeare student... who was here the other day, and that picture was taken... from the same construction site where those freaks took Angela." "Where is she, Leyton?" "Where is she, Leyton?" "I don't know." "Chuck, I swear to God, I do not know." "You tipped me off to that rock 'cause you knew the freaks wanted it... and you knew I would find a way to get it." "Now, how long you've been working with them?" " Long enough." " Why?" "I'll show you why." "This is why." "Oh, man." "Have you got..." "You do not know what in God's name you're into." "You do not know what in the fuck you are into." "I know that my lungs will no longer be paralysed." "I know that I won't have to have a hole in the base of my neck... with a machine pumping air into it." "I know that I won't have to have a tube inserted into my stomach... in order to be fully fed." "I know I won't be a vegetable wishing for death." "You have no right to judge me, Chuck." "Leyton, it ain't me that's gonna do the judging." "Commander!" "Commander!" "Who do you think you are?" "What the..." "It's done now for you, lady." "I'll be out of here now." "That's not what I asked." "I didn't ask whether our best people are looking for her." "I asked if we had all our fucking people looking for her." "We're doing everything we can to find your daughter." " Then why haven't you found her?" " Senator, we are currently monitoring... eight Synth clusters in the Houston metro area alone." "There's still the question of whether your daughter's abduction..." " is the result of ahuman activity." " Who else would've taken her?" "There's only one plausible reason for abducting your daughter:" "Blackmail." " But you've received no demands." " No." "There's also the possibility that Angela's involvement... with Chuck Taggart may have precipitated this action." "How?" "Maybe Taggart has recruited her to their side." " And the kidnapping is a sham." " That's bullshit." "Taggart saved her life twice." "I mean, she looks up to him like he's another father." "That's exactly my point, Senator." "Her friendship with Kurt Mendel, not to mention Sarah Forbes..." " and Taggart's son." " My daughter would never work for them." "And I refuse to believe that Taggart would work for them either." "Taggart was solely responsible for the failure of Bright Sky 1." "He single-handedly sabotaged that mission." "We have clear evidence of that fact." "Without Bright Sky, any hope of eradicating the ahuman presence... on Earth is impossible, Taggart knew that." "And all five were also in contact with Kurt Mendel's known associate..." " Naran Chandra." " Chandra is the link, Senator." "Chandra was in direct collaboration with the ahuman presence." "It's right there in front of us, Senator." "Naran Chandra and the Sentients, Kurt Mendel and your daughter..." "Taggart and the others." " The links are clear." " Lf we only open our eyes." "All right, all right." " I just want my daughter back." " Taggart is the key." "It may be time we do some abducting of our own, Senator." "Above all else, we must proceed with caution." " No shit." " We must be patient." " No shit!" " Senator, if it takes us 10 years... to wipe out the Sentients rather than five, so be it." "We must never forget our single objective... to preserve the supremacy of organic life on this Earth." "And there is no dilemma in this world that supersedes it... including the fate of your daughter, Senator." "The eradication of the Sentients is our only purpose... the only reason the Cadre exists." " Who is it?" " It's me, Paul." " What do you want?" " Sarah, open up the door." "Jesus Christ." "Why didn't you answer your cell phone?" "I've been calling you all day." "I don't particularly want to talk to you right now, Paul." "Why?" "Sarah, Sarah, you were right all along." "I don't know how, but I don't know anything right now..." " What are you talking about?" " You were right." "God help us, Sarah." " You saw it coming." "You saw it coming." " Just stop it." "What?" "What are you talking about?" "Come on in." "What are you talking about?" "Corey?" "Oh, God!" "It's called a gastrointestinal stromal tumour." "It's all right." "It's all right." "Sarah, Sarah, Sarah." "You got to come back home, baby." "Corey and I need you full time." "I can't do this without you." "Come in." "Oh, the lovely lady." "Come in." "Come in." " Whiskey?" " No, thanks." "Oh, that's a mistake." "It's single malt." "It's good stuff, very good stuff." "Very..." "A little light reading for you." " You gave me enough to convince the judge." " What?" " It's an arrest warrant." " I beg your pardon?" "You're under arrest for the murder of Angela Perry." "This is ridiculous." "No." ""You have the right to remain silent." "Anything you say can and will be..." ""used against you in a court of law." ""You have the right to speak to an attorney and have an attorney present..." " "during any questioning."" " It's not possible." "It's..." ""If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be provided for you at government expense."" "Let's get him out of here."