"Are they on?" "Yep." "So, introduce yourself." "Okay." "Hey, I'm Frank." "How you doing?" "Don't answer that." "That's rhetorical." "Okay." "Let's get you up to speed." "This is a story about the future." "And the future can be scary." "What?" "Are you sure you wanna go with "scary"?" "Yes, I wanna go with scary." " Okay." " Okay." "The future can be scary." "Unstable governments, overpopulation, wars on every continent, famine, water shortages, environmental collapse..." "And scientific breakthroughs, wonder and beauty..." "Could you please just stop interrupting?" "I will." "Just try to be a little more upbeat." " "Upbeat"?" " Yeah, tell them what you like..." "I can't tell them anything if you keep interrupting me." "You're right." "Sorry." "As I was saying..." "With every second that ticks by, we get closer and closer..." "I know." "Tell them about when..." "I can't tell them anything until I tell them about this." "Then, can we please just start somewhere else?" "Fine." "Where would you like me to start?" "Well, you keep saying the future wasn't always this way, right?" "It wasn't." "When I was a kid, the future was..." " Different, right?" " Yeah." "Okay, cool." "Then, start there." "All right." "Well, when I was a kid, the future was different." "Flushing Meadows Corona Park, World's Fair." "Don't forget your valuables and enjoy the future." "Watch your step, kiddo." " Hello, sir." " May I help you?" "My name is John Francis Walker." "I'm here to win the $50." "Is that so?" "I took it apart because of the nitrogen compartment." "Seeing as how the bus ride was kind of bumpy and you know nitro." "I could've used a hydrogen peroxide-powered engine." "Bell Labs tested that with their Rocket Belt and I guess there were some issues with maneuverability, flight duration, and stuff." "It's a jet pack." "Obviously." "You made this yourself?" "Athena, what are you doing here?" "Did you or didn't you?" " What?" " Did you make this yourself?" "Yeah." "Why?" "I guess I got tired of waiting around for someone else to do it for me." "Does it work?" "Sure." "Yeah." "Mostly." "Just doesn't really, you know, technically... fly." "But if it did, "You know," ""technically fly," what would its purpose be?" "How would your jet pack make the world a better place?" "Can't it just be fun?" "Mr. Walker, please tell me you can do better than "fun."" "Anything's possible." "I don't know what that means." "If I was walking down the street, and I saw some kid with a jet pack fly over me," "I'd believe anything's possible." "I'd be inspired." "Doesn't that make the world a better place?" "Well, I suppose it would." "If it worked." "Unfortunately, it does not." "And if it doesn't work, it has no purpose at all." " Thank you for your time, Mr. Walker." " But I can make it work!" "That's the spirit." "Until then, young man, have fun." "Absolutely not." " I like him." " Athena, no." "What makes you think you're gonna make this thing fly?" "I'm optimistic." " You're wasting your time." " I'm not!" " Damn contraption." " It's not a contraption!" " It doesn't work." " I can make it work." "No, you can't!" "I'm not giving up." "Don't turn around." "Be cool." "What did I just tell you?" " Sorry." " Stop talking." "Look over there." "Five o'clock." "You know, on a clock?" "Where the five is." "That way." "I'm going with them." "You count to 20, then follow us." "Don't get spotted." "Who are you?" "I'm the future, Frank Walker." "Nice." "Do you like it?" "Travel the globe in Walt Disney's "it's a small world. "" "A salute to UNICEF and children everywhere." "Excuse me." "It's the happiest cruise ever to set sail." "Sorry." "Excuse me." "Sorry, folks, you're gonna have to wait for the next boat." "There'll be another boat in just a minute." "Hello?" "Hello?" "Hello?" "Good afternoon." "Please step aboard the transport." "The site is active." "Please put on your head protection in order to prevent significant injury." ""Injury"?" "Transport will commence in 10 seconds." "Wait!" "Wait!" " Five..." " Wait!" " Four..." " No!" "Three..." "Two..." "One..." "No, phases one and two took a..." "Hey!" "That's mine!" "Did you just fix it?" "Hey!" "Hey!" "There he is." "Hey!" "Hey!" "It works now." "So, what is this place?" "And then everything went to hell." " Oh, boy." " Well, it did." "So you gave them, like, one second of blue skies and jet packs and hope..." "It's important." "They need to know the stakes." "I think they can figure out clocks counting down are bad." " Do you wanna tell the story?" " No, you're doing fine." "Because if you think you can tell the story better," "I would absolutely love to hear you try." " Really?" " Really." "I guess, technically, I am more qualified." "Are you?" "How so?" "Because, unlike you, I'm an optimist." " Babe, you filming?" " It's video." " I knew it!" " Are you videoing?" "Okay." "Go ahead, sweetie." "Do your thing, Casey." "That's Sirius." "That's Canopus." "That's Arcturus." "Rigil Kentaurus." "Vega, Procyon, Capella, Betelgeuse." "And why do you love the stars so much, Casey?" "Because I wanna go there." "But it's so far away." "It'll take a long time." "A real long time." "What if you get all the way up there, and there's nothing?" "What if there's everything?" " Oh, boy." " What?" "Are you gonna go through your entire childhood?" "You started when you were a kid." "I'm just giving them context." "Just move it along." "Okay?" "They don't have all day." "Cool." "You got it." "Identify yourself!" "Nate!" "If you wake up Dad, I will crush you." "You shouldn't sneak out." "Well, you shouldn't still need a wubby." "Dad says it's okay to sleep with." "That's because he doesn't want you to grow up." "Were you at the platform again?" "What do you do out there?" "Are you trying to stop them from taking it down?" "That would make me a criminal." "And a pretty terrible role model to impressionable youth such as yourself." "But if someone else did it," "I'd have to assume they believed even the teeniest of actions could change the future." "How can you be sure?" "Because I know how things work." "Why are they taking the platform down?" "Because it's hard to have ideas and easy to give up." "But you won't." "Right?" "Never." "Hey, Dad." "Heading to school." " I made you lunch." " Hey!" "Wrap it up." " How did you do..." " You would have gotten it." "Yeah, Eddie Newton." "What?" "All three cranes?" "All right, Douglas." "Thanks for the call." "Bye." "Everything okay?" "Yeah, the equipment over at Canaveral is down again." " Weird." " Really weird." "Well, at least you get the day off." "Actually, they're bringing in replacement cranes from Orlando, so I will be back to work by noon." "That's fantastic." " Case." " Yeah?" "Nothing's gonna stop them from taking down that platform." "Nothing." "And when we're done, I'm out of a job." "There's nothing anyone can do about it." "It's inevitable." "Well, then you'll find something else." "You're a NASA engineer." "With nothing to launch." " There are two wolves." " Case." "You told me this story my entire life, and now I'm telling you." "There are two wolves, and they're always fighting." "One is darkness and despair." "The other is light and hope." "Which wolf wins?" "Come on, Case." "Okay." "Fine, don't answer." "Whichever one you feed." "Good." "Eat." "Come on." "Mutually assured destruction." "Today, any nuclear country or terrorist is capable of inflicting damage on a massive scale with weapons of..." "Environmental entropy." "The polar ice caps aren't waiting for us to decide if climate change is real." "Rising coastal waters, intensifying weather patterns." "They're all punching our one-way ticket to..." "Dystopia." "By definition, "not perfect."" "Huxley's Brave New World, Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451," "Orwell's 1984." "Once considered fiction, these futuristic novels are actually happening right now and they seem to be getting worse." "Yes, Miss Newton?" "Can we fix it?" "Sorry?" "I get things are bad." "But what are we doing to fix it?" "Have a good weekend, everybody." " Newton?" " Yeah." "You made bail." "Motorcycle is in impound." "You can pick up your personal effects over there." " Newton?" " Yeah." "All right." "All right." "Okay, one money clip, $47.32, one Florida state driver's license, one baseball cap." "You got one pin, one pack of Beemans gum, and I don't know what this is." "Sign here." " That's not mine." " What's not yours?" "The pin." "I've never..." "No way." "Have I been here the whole time?" "I know." "No!" "I got it." "You have no idea of the strings I had to pull to keep Homeland Security from pressing charges, Casey." "This is not just vandalism." "All right?" " It's NASA." "It's government property." " Have you ever seen this before?" "You're not getting it, are you?" "I am very upset with you!" "I get it, you're angry." "I understand." "But I just need you to look at it." "Does it look weird?" " Don't touch it!" " Why are you yelling at me?" "Not while you're driving, Dad." "It's dangerous." "Just pull over." "Pull over." "I swear to God, Case, if you're on drugs..." "I'm not on drugs." "Just look." "I need you to be NASA Dad now." "New Frontier Dad." "Okay?" "All will be explained as soon as you touch this pin." "What is..." "It's not working?" "You're not seeing this?" "Stop it." "Honestly, Casey, I don't know what's gotten into you." "Middle of the night..." " A little help, guys?" " Zen move, Dexter." "Totally swift." "Come on, idiots." "We're gonna be late for R and D." "The HoverRail will be arriving in one minute." " Are you coming?" " You can see me?" "We don't have all day." "Wait for us!" "Northbound line now departing." "Next stop, Spaceport." "Wow!" "Look at the rings!" "Wow!" "Cool!" "Be sure to follow the procedures strictly." "You know how you need your sleep." "Dad, you're embarrassing me." " Do you promise to transmit every day?" " Even when you're out of range." "Come on, what's the big deal?" "We're only going 20 light-years out." "Now arriving, Spaceport." "Come on, please." "I'll be okay." "Hey, guys." "Over here." " Hey!" " Hey!" "Come on, please!" "I love you guys." "You're going to make me cry in front of my friends, okay?" "Bye!" "Bye!" "Come on." "We saved a seat just for you." "Now you run out of power?" " Nate, wake up!" " I didn't do it!" "Dad changed the password to his computer." "Do you know it?" "You smell like swamp." "Tell me the password and you can go back to sleep." "Your phone has Internet." " My phone got soaked in a lagoon." " Fine." "What are we looking for?" "Here we go." "Stop!" "That's it." ""Extremely rare collectible pin" ""commemorating the 1964 World's Fair."" ""Experts and purveyors of the most extensive selection of space-age" ""collectibles in the world."" "This site is like, ancient." "Okay." "Give me their number." " They don't have a number." " They don't have a number?" "They have an address." "Okay, look." "You are gonna tell Dad you woke up, saw me leaving." "I told you I was going camping with friends, and I will call tomorrow." " Can you do that for me?" " Only if you tell me what's going on." "I think that I saw..." "That I went to the future." "Can I come, too?" "Not yet." "Hello!" "Is Casey Newton home?" "No." "She ordered some cookies and I'm delivering them." " You're a Girl Scout?" " Of course I am." " Why aren't you wearing a uniform?" " It's at the cleaners." "Those are Oreos." "Could you please tell me when Casey will be back?" "She went camping with some friends." "She's gonna be gone for a couple of days." "Is that what you've told your parents?" " Yeah." " But it's not true." " Yeah, it is." " No, Nathan." "It's not." "Don't ask me how I know your name." "I know it the same way I know that you are lying to me." "Are you from the future?" "You clearly understand." "So why aren't you telling me what I need to know?" "That pin thing, it stopped working." "She went to find another one." "Nathan, where is she looking?" "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." "Hello?" "Sale this week." "Front three shelves. 70% off." "No, thanks." "I'm not here to buy anything." "I was hoping that you could tell me about this." "Hugo!" "Hugo!" "One second." "Welcome to Blast From The..." "Thank you for the help, dear." "Well, if you just kept it open, you wouldn't need my help." "If I kept it open, it would ruin the effect, which is everything." "Pardon my wife." "She has no respect for showmanship." " Hugo Gernsback." "How may I help you?" " She has a pin." "She has a pin." "I saw that you were looking for one online..." " Where did you get it?" " What can you tell me about it?" "I can't tell you anything about it unless you tell me who gave it to you." "I'm not going first." "Well, it seems our business here is done." "It seems it is." "Saw something, didn't you?" "When you touched it." "Something incredible." " It's real?" " Of course it is." "Don't ask me how." "These people have developed technologies we haven't even dreamed of yet." "Wait." "What people?" "Have you ever wondered what would happen if all the geniuses, the artists, the scientists, the smartest, most creative people in the world, decided to actually change it?" "But where?" "Where could they even do such a thing?" "They'd need a place free from politics and bureaucracy, distractions, greed." "A secret place where they could build whatever they were crazy enough to imagine." ""Plus Ultra" they call themselves." "The only way to see it, however, is through contact with one of these." "Why did they make them?" "What are they for?" "Rumor has it" " they were about to go public." " Yeah." "Share what they had built with the whole world." "Unfortunately, that never happened." "Why not?" "I think we've shared enough, young lady." "So, as we've decided to trust you, please trust us and tell me where'd you get it?" "I don't know." "What do you mean, honey?" "I kind of got arrested and it was in with my stuff." " In with your stuff?" " Yeah, I don't know how it got there." "What was that?" " Tell us who gave it to you." "Please." " No one gave it to me!" "That's very unlikely, sweetheart." "You know what?" "I think I'm gonna go now." "Thanks for your help." "$1,000 if you tell me where you acquired the pin." "I don't know!" " $10,000." " Was it a girl?" "A little girl?" "I don't know what you guys are talking about." "Have a nice day." "Enjoy your freak out." "Tell us where she is and you will be spared." "This is a joke, right?" "Where's the girl?" "I don't..." "I don't know about..." "You will tell us about the girl." "I don't know any girl." "I told you..." " Where is the girl?" " I don't know any girl!" "We have to go!" "Come on." "Now!" "This is a time bomb." "It stops time, but not for long!" " What?" " Listen to me." "The sphere is collapsing and you're in the line of fire." "We need to go or you will die." "I'm stuck!" " I'm stuck!" " But only temporarily." "Take my hand." "The moment you're free, I'll pull you clear." "Then stay behind me." "Ready?" "The girl." "Look out!" "We have to go." "They're about to self-destruct." "We have to go now!" "Crazy enough to imagine." "Crazy enough to imagine." "Casey, get up." "They'll be coming." "What?" "Who?" " I don't know what..." "I can't get into..." " I know, I know." "Get in the car, Casey!" "How do you know my name?" "Just get in the car." "What just happened?" "Two AA units targeted you for extermination." "I saved your life." "They self-destructed." "Wait. "AAs"?" "Audio-Animatronics." " They were robots?" " No." "Advanced anthropomo..." "Sure." "Okay." "Robots." "Wait, wait." "Who are you?" "My name is Athena." "I'm the one who gave you the pin." "The pin?" "The pin!" "Yes." "And I do wish you hadn't run off before I had a chance to give you some rather necessary context." "Context?" "What are you even talking about?" "How are you driving a car?" "Who are you?" "I'm a cruder." "Re..." "I'm a recruton." "60 seconds to self-destruct." "So sorry about that." " You're one of them?" " Obviously." "Where are you going?" "Stop!" "I'm trying to help you!" "Oh, my God." "Oh, my God!" "Hey!" "Hey!" "This isn't happening." "This isn't happening." "No way!" " Let me out of this car!" " Stop yelling!" " Let me out now!" " No!" "I will not!" "I gave you my very last pin, young lady, and I am not about to let it go to waste." "What do you mean your last pin?" "Wait, that place I saw..." " It exists?" " Of course it does." "But if you don't come with me, it won't for much longer." "Why not?" "Because they built something they shouldn't have." "Built what?" "Do you want to keep asking me questions" " until someone arrives to murder us?" " No." "Then which way do you want to go?" "Backwards or forwards?" " And you can take me there?" " I can." "I'm driving." "Okie-dokie." "You fellas are released." "Thanks." "Alrighty, boys." "Fire chief says we're clear to go in and poke around." "Hopefully, they were out for lunch and nobody was in there when she went boom." "Captain." "Afternoon, sir." "Dave Clark, Secret Service." "Looks like you got yourself a doozy here." "Secret Service?" "Hey, where are they going?" "They're securing the premises." "Thanks so much for your help, but we're going to take it from here." "Hey, Dale." "I found this just outside the window." "You ever seen anything like it?" "What the hell?" "God almighty!" "Sale." "This week. 70 perce..." "Was it a girl?" "A little girl?" "Was it a girl?" "A little girl?" "You wanna tell me what's going on here, son?" "No, sir." "I do not." "Was it a girl?" "A little girl?" "Contact Governor Nix." "Tell him we found the girl." "Veer left!" "Little more of a heads up next time." "Hey, here's an idea." "Why don't you just tell me where we're going?" " Pittsfield, New York." " What's in Pittsfield, New York?" "Someone who can get us back in." "Hold on." "You said that you gave me your last pin." "How many other people did you give them to?" "Not important." "I'm not even your first choice." "I only found you a month ago when you started wantonly destroying government property." "Which happens to go on my search parameters for recruitment." "Not to mention you scored a 73 on the Feynman/Drummelberg scale." "73?" "Is that good?" "Wait." "Hold on." "Recruitment for what?" "I'm not allowed to answer that." "Who's not allowing you?" "I'm not allowed to answer that." "And I should warn you, you keep asking me questions, and my Countermeasure Protocol will initiate." " Okay." "And what does that mean?" " I will shut down." " You will not." " Try me." "You said that they built something they shouldn't have." "Did something happen over there?" "Something bad?" "Son of a..." "Please don't answer." "Please don't answer." "Hey, you've reached Eddie Newton's cell phone." "Leave me a message and I will call you back." "Hey, Dad." "It's Casey." "I told Nate to tell you that I was camping, but I'm not camping." "And I just don't like lying to you." "But I didn't know how to tell you the truth because..." "Something highly unusual is happening, and..." "Okay." "My point is..." "I'm fine." "I will continue to be fine." "I'm not on drugs." "I haven't joined a cult." "I won't be gone long." "And I will call again soon." "I love you, Dad." "Oh, my God!" "Are you okay?" "Yes." "Fine, thank you." "I thought I broke you or something." "I should drive." "Casey, I know you have no reason to trust me." "But I've been looking for someone like you for a very long time." "Now, please, pull over." "Of all the people you could give one of those pins to, why me?" "Because you're special." " Yeah." "I'm special." " You are." "So, this guy we're gonna go see, what's his name?" "His name is Frank." "Frank Walker." "He's special, too." "Frank Walker." "Hey!" "Wait, what are you doing?" "Just great." "Where are your paw prints?" "That is cool." "I can hear you, you know." "Go away." "Didn't you see the dog?" "Yeah." "It's a hologram." "How did you do that in daylight?" " It's pretty impressive." " Who are you?" "What do you want?" "You're Frank Walker, right?" "My name's Casey, and I want you to take me there." "Take you where?" "To the place I saw when I touched this." "Where'd you get this?" "A little girl." "Athena." "Where is she?" "She ditched me here." "Of course she did." "Look, wherever you came from, kid, go back." "No, I want you to take me there." "What I saw..." "What you saw is gone." "This, what you're looking for, it doesn't exist anymore." "No." "I feel like I have to go." "Like I'm supposed to go." "Why?" "Because they're saving a seat on the rocket ship just for you?" "What you saw was a commercial that was recorded decades ago." "It was an invitation that never went out because the damn party got canceled." "You are not supposed to do anything." "You've been manipulated to feel like you're part of something incredible." "Like you were special." "But you weren't." "You're not." "So that's a no?" "Son of a..." "You little..." "You know, I can call the cops anytime." "Anytime!" "You have..." "I'm giving you five seconds..." "I am not leaving!" "Either tell me how to get there or kill me!" "If you touch anything in there, that's exactly what I'll do!" "What are you doing?" "I'm touching things!" "Open this door now!" "I mean it." "I'll knock you out." "Hey, what's this doohickey with the trombone slidey thing?" "Leave that alone." "I'm serious!" " Will you take me there?" " No!" "Then you're not serious!" "Come on." "You didn't think that was funny?" "You're recording this?" "If I get you to laugh, I wanna, you know, have it for posterity." "I laughed." "You smiled." "A smile's not a laugh." "Everyone laughs." "It's a biological need." "Actually, it isn't." "Sleep is a biological need." "I've never seen you sleep, either." "Well, sooner or later, I'm gonna make you laugh." "Until you do, I'm not gonna stop trying." "Maybe you should." "What?" "Stop trying." "Why?" "Must we record this?" " Get out!" " Wait a second." "What is that?" "Is that a countdown?" "I am not leaving." "I deserve to know what's going on around here." " You deserve..." " Yeah, I deserve some answers." " Answers to what?" " I know that you were there." "You don't know anything." "How do you ever leave a place like that?" "Because they threw me out!" "They threw me out and they locked every door back in." "Was it because you built that something that you shouldn't have?" "Who told you that?" "And is that it?" "The "something"?" "If I could tell you the date, the exact date that you're gonna die, would you wanna know?" " How would you know?" " Let's just say I did." " What are you, a psychic?" " No, that's not the point." "Then what is your basis for knowing?" " It's a hypothetical." " It's a stupid hypothetical." "Just use your imagination." "All right?" " All right." " Okay." "Let's accept that there is a world where I know, with absolute certainty, the exact time of your death." "Now, you want me to tell you or not?" "Yeah, of course I would." "Who wouldn't?" "But what if accepting my death is what causes it?" "So the answer is yes." "I would want you to tell me." " But I wouldn't believe you." " You have to believe me." "Why?" "Don't we, like, make our own destiny and stuff?" "What?" "Who are you, kid?" "Is that bad?" "Hell." "Hell!" " They followed you here?" " What?" "Who?" "Robots." "I've never seen them before." "John Francis Walker." "You have been permitted to live based upon your agreed non-intervention." "You are now harboring a fugitive element." "Release her to our custody or be extinguished." "You have one minute to comply." " Thanks." " Don't thank me yet." "Wait." "Come on!" "Let's go!" "John Francis Walker, by authority of Governor Nix, this unit has been authorized to extinguish your life." "Okay." "Okay." "All right, that's enough." "That's enough!" "Come on." "Close the door." "Who the hell is Governor Nix?" "Let's go." "Come on." "Get in." "How is this a good idea?" "Move or sink, kid." "You were actually prepared for that?" " My hat." " Leave it." "No, no, no." "I can't go without it." "It's my dad's." "Now I get it." "Too smart for your own good." "Father never understood you, never supported you." "And now you wear his hat as a badge of rebellion, right?" "No." "My dad is amazing." "Wait a second." "We're not talking about me, are we?" "Why don't we just get you to your amazing dad and pretend this never happened?" "Hop on." " The battery's dead." " No, it's not." " Then maybe it's the points." " No, it's not." " When's the last time you checked..." " You know, you're not helping." "You..." "Get down." "Now." "Wait." "Hello, Frank." "Are you going to shoot me?" " I'm deciding." " Could you decide in the truck?" "Because we really should get going." " Wait." " Why?" "So more robots can show up?" "She's one of them." "Yeah, I know." "Are you coming or not?" "Move over." " Frank..." " Not yet." "What are you thinking?" "Why would you drag her into this?" "I didn't drag her into anything." "I gave her a pin." "She did the rest." "Just like you." "Don't even." "Where did you even find the pin?" "I was there." "They destroyed 'em." "Not all of them." "I made it out with nearly a dozen." "So you give one to a teenager." "Hey, I got a 73 on the Feinberg/Dusseldorf scale or whatever." "You got a 73?" "That's not possible." "He's jealous because he scored a 41." "You know what?" "I was 11." "I was 11!" "Hey, don't touch that!" "This is a one-kiloton detonation." "It is not a toy." "Do not mess with my stuff." " You got it?" " Sorry!" "I didn't begin with her, you know." "I wasted years on other potential candidates." "Potential candidates?" "For what?" "That's beautiful." "You still think you're recruiting, don't you?" "Do not ask her any more questions." "She's gonna do her countermeasure shutdown thing." "What countermeasure shutdown thing?" "Did you tell her you had a countermeasure shutdown thing?" " She was annoying me." " You lied?" "Get used to that, kid." "One minute, she's promising you a beautiful future, the next thing you know, she's leading it to your house to kill you." "I'm sorry, but time is running out and you needed motivation." "Motivation for what?" " We need to go back over, Frank." " Back over there?" "Yes, yes, Frank, we need to go back over." "Good." "Great." "That's just great." "You know, hey, I got stung by a bee." "Let's jump on the hive." "That's a terrible analogy." "That's a fantastic analogy." "What do you know about analogies?" "You know, you're impossible to talk to when you're like this." "I am like this because you derailed my life." "Again." "Frank, it's not personal." "It's just programming." "We're here!" "Where are you going?" "This is where your wire station's located, isn't it?" "We need to get to The Spectacle." " Spectacle?" " Hey." "Are you insane?" "They know that you sent her to me." "They're gonna be waiting for us." "Fine." "Give me the Edison tube and we'll go without you." " I don't have the Edison tube." " It's in your bag." "I have x-ray vision." " When did you get x-ray vision?" " She's full of surprises." "I know all about her surprises." "Chief among them is this." "She doesn't care about you." "All that charm and the sense of purpose, and the cute little smile, it's all just software." "It's ones and zeroes." "That's it." "Trust me, when you get there, you're on your own." " What happened to you two?" " He thinks I hurt him." "No, you hurt a dumb kid that was stupid enough to fall..." "You were many things, Frank Walker." "But you were never dumb." "Why don't you just give me the Edison tube, and..." "I'm not giving you anything." "I'm..." "All right." "You want in?" "I'll bring you in." "Why not?" "It's better than waiting around here and getting hunted and killed, etcetera, etcetera." " That's the spirit." " "Etcetera"?" "What's the "etcetera"?" " What kind of cables are these?" " The kind that transmit people." "People?" "Like us?" " What, like a miniature teleport..." " Do I have to explain everything?" "Can't you just be amazed and move on?" "This is all wired to the dish up there." "Are you..." "Are you using satellite?" "I know how things work." "Well, zippity-doo for you." " Wrap this around your eyes, tight." " Why?" "Because justice is blind." "Just do it, kid." "You want me to put this over my head?" "If this takes off my eyebrows..." "Shut up, open your mouth, tilt your head back." "What is that?" "It's powder." "Are we at van 't Hoff?" "Good to go!" "Good." "You set it for the Tower?" "There is still a receiver there?" " Last I checked." " How long ago was that?" "25 years ago." "Roughly." "They threw you out, too?" "Okay, guys." "Killer robots." "All right." "It's gonna be bright, cold, and really loud." "You're gonna lose 90% of your blood sugar in 1/100th of a second and you're gonna wish you were dead." "But then it'll be over." "Don't pee on us." "This sounds spectacular." "Why now?" "Why her?" "Because she hasn't given up." "You think she can fix it." "What makes you say that?" "Can she, Athena?" "I have no idea." "Let's go find out." "Is it..." "Is this normal?" "Thirsty." "Dying." "I think I'm dying." " You're not dying!" " I'm dying." "There's Coke in the fridge." "Help yourself." "We have no idea how many are here but we're damn sure they know we're coming." "So, we move quickly." "You follow me." "No questions." "Got it?" "Got it." "Excuse me." " We're in Paris?" " Would you stop being so amazed?" " I thought you wanted me to be amazed." " I want you to stop yammer..." " Tower's closing." " Hell." "Come on." "Now, you and I are gonna be on a watch list, but they may not have your facial recognition profile uploaded yet." " "May not"?" " May not." "So, you walk over there, you take this, you tap him on the neck." " If he's human, it knocks him right out." " And if it's a robot?" " Hey!" " You'll just piss it off." "Fantastic." "She's got guts." "You gotta give her that." "Yes, but I was just, you know..." "Human!" "The French hated this thing when Eiffel first unveiled it at the Paris World's Fair." "They thought it was an eyesore." "Eiffel didn't care, though." "It wasn't meant to be a monument." "It was meant to find another world." "Les Quatre Premiers." "Plus Ultra's First Four." "They were a part of all this?" "Eiffel, Jules Verne, Tesla, and Mr. Edison." "They designed this antenna that we're inside." "Wait, what?" "The Eiffel Tower is an antenna?" "Now I finally answer your question, you're gonna interrupt me?" "Yes." "Tesla designed the antenna to observe every kind of frequency out there." "Subspace, trans-dimensional, you name it." "And they found exactly what they were looking for." "And then Edison tried to take credit for it, because these two hate each other." " Frank..." " Because of alternating..." "Stay on topic." "Yeah." "All right, well..." "There were always rumors of a secret entrance the Four kept just for themselves." "A one-way ticket in case of emergencies." "The Spectacle." "You ain't seen nothing yet, kid." "It's a rocket." "They're coming." "All right." "Buckle up!" " What'd he say?" " Pretty much what you'd expect." "Tell him to hang on." "Why are we going back?" "We're not." "We're going through to another dimension." "So we blasted into outer space just to get a running start?" "This part may get a little weird." "Casey." "Wake up." "Casey." " Casey." "Wake up." " We're here." "Now what?" "You tell me." " I tell you?" "This was your idea." " I don't have ideas." "I just find the people who do." " So there's no plan?" " There's a plan." "You just haven't come up with it yet." "But you should do that soon." "That's just terrific." "Here, hide this." "Absolutely." "Wait." "Is that the one-kiloton detonation thingy you told me not to play with?" "Right now, it's our insurance policy." "There's a good chance they're gonna try to kill us right out of the gate." "So we're just gonna stand here?" "Well, you wanted to see Tomorrowland." "Here it comes." "Take the bag." " Frank." " David." "You look well." "Age becomes you." "Thanks." "You should try it." "I don't know." "I think I'll just keep drinking my shake every morning." " Comes in chocolate now." " Yum." "Hello, Athena." "I started to think you were never coming home." "Where, oh, where have you been?" " Doing my job." " Your job?" "I'm sorry." "Were we not clear when we suspended your recruitment protocols?" "I got that sense when you called me "bloody obsolete"" "and tried to disassemble me." "Well, you've certainly caused quite a commotion by launching an antique rocket ship out of the Eiffel Tower." "Under normal circumstances, we'd be working overtime to convince everyone it was just an elaborate hoax." "Fortunately, for all of us, doesn't really matter now, does it?" "Why doesn't it matter?" "And who might you be?" "I'm Casey." "Newton." "And who might you be?" "David Nix." "Pleasure." "Well, Frank, it's been wonderful catching up, but as we were fairly clear about the terms of your exile and the consequences of violating it," "I have to ask what the hell are you doing here?" "I think she can fix it." " I'm sorry." " Her." " I think she can fix it, David." " Wait." "What?" "I've been pirating your signal." "Every time you turn it on here, I can see it there." "And it flickered." "The percentage dropped, David." "Impossible." "You don't believe me?" "Let's go find out right now." " I'm sorry, what can I fix?" " The world, Miss Newton." "He thinks you can fix the world." "Is that like a portal to Earth?" "No." "It is a bridgeway to Earth." "Welcome back to The Monitor, Frank." "It's something, isn't it?" "Yeah, it's something." "Don't worry about the light show." "It's perfectly safe." "Am I supposed to do something?" "Okay, could you be a bit more specific?" "Because fixing the world sounds a little..." "Just be yourself." "Gotcha." "Flashes of the future." " What are those?" " Flashes of future." "This is us a few seconds from now." "This whole tower funnels energy via tachyon, a particle that moves significantly faster than light." "We discovered them almost 40 years ago." "Your physicists are still arguing over whether they exist." "Oh, dear." "Too late." "Oh, dear." "Too late." "So, on with the show." "We've enhanced the interface significantly but it still functions on your original algorithm." "You have something to show me, Frank?" "Show me." "Pick a place." " What?" " A location anywhere in the world." "Pick one." "Canaveral." "Cape Canaveral." "Easy, easy." "The interface is oriented from your hands to the center of the Earth." "Yeah, yeah, yeah." "I got it." "You trained her obviously." "I just met her yesterday." "She knows how things work." "You told me this story my entire life, and now I'm telling you." "How is this possible?" "We are millions of exponential deviances away from the dimension you call home." "Frank had the novel idea of building this machine so that we could keep in touch." "This is three days ago." "Relatively." "That's space/time humor." "Because tachyons travel faster than light, once we harness them..." "You can see backwards in time." "Not just backwards." "You're kidding." "No." "What happened?" "Keep going." "Just a little further." "That's enough." "That's enough, kid." "That's my house." "It would have been nice if Frank had prepared you for this, but I'm afraid the world is ending." "It is certain, it is unavoidable, and it is coming." "When?" "This is 58 days from now." "58 days?" "But whatever caused this could happen any time after the static starts." "It could be a month." "It could be sooner." "Still looking for your flicker, Frank?" "I know what I saw." "So why aren't you telling anyone?" "The whole planet is gonna die and you're just sitting here?" "We're not gonna die." "This is your world, not ours." "We'll be perfectly fine here." "Then why don't you let people in?" " Tell her, David." " Frank." "All those years in exile, and you still don't understand." "These people are driven by savagery." "If we told them about this place, then that would happen here to us." "Then nothing would survive." "But it hasn't happened yet!" "Actually, it has happened." "You just haven't accepted it." "Well, I don't accept it!" "Did you see that?" "Did you see that?" "David, I know that you saw that." "That means that there is a chance." "There's at least a chance..." "That went quite well, don't you think?" " What happened?" " You're being deported." "Again." "Well, that's Nix for you." "No new ideas." "Apparently, your 1/10,000 variable in the Inevitability wasn't convincing enough to change his mind." "Be gentle." "You okay?" "You know, you'd think somewhere in the zillions of questions that I was asking you, you could have said," ""Casey, that stuff's not really the issue" ""because our future-predicting machine says we're all gonna die."" "We did sort of hint at it." "This place has nothing to do with hope." "It's the opposite of hope." " Come on." "Don't say that." " Why not?" "You said it." "No wonder you gave up." "That's before I knew about you." "I mean, you really..." "You really are special." "Why do you people keep saying that to me?" "I'm not!" "Why'd you even give me this?" "You showed me a place that was amazing and incredible and it was a lie." "If you're gonna zap an idea into people's heads, you should really make sure that it's the truth." "Because you can't do that." "You can't just zap..." "What?" "Zap an idea into people's heads." "You were pirating the signal." " How?" " What?" "At your house." "All your TVs, your doomsday room." "You were boosting the feed from that Monitor thing." " How did you do that?" " No big deal." "They're running so much power through it now, a ham radio could pick it up." "It's just a matter of finding the right frequency..." "You grabbed a signal from another dimension." "From a machine here." "That means it's transmitting there." "What if it's not just predicting the future?" "It's broadcasting it." "When I touched this thing for a few minutes, it felt like anything was possible." "So then why can't the opposite happen?" "What if The Monitor is just a giant pin?" "But instead of making you think positive, it makes you think negative and it..." "And it's convincing the whole world to feed the wrong wolf." "We need to turn that thing off." "It's time to go home." "David." "David." " It's uninhabited and uncharted." " Listen to me." "But it looks like a lovely place to spend your last days." "David..." "The Monitor is acting as an antenna." "It isn't just receiving tachyons." "It is taking a possible future and..." "And amplifying it, transmitting it, like a feedback loop." "It's a self-fulfilling prophecy that's coming from right there." "But it's not just showing people the end of the world, it's giving them the idea over and over again until they just accept it!" "It's a ticking time bomb, and we're the ones that lit the fuse." "We still have 58 days to try and change things." "But nothing will work as long as that thing is still on." "Young lady, I'm gonna assume that your knowledge of tachyonic fusion is a little sketchy." "Shutting it down is impossible." "There is no off." "I'm telling you what it's doing." "Why don't you care?" "Because he's the one that's doing it." "Right?" "Let's imagine." "If you glimpsed the future and were frightened by what you saw, what would you do with that information?" "You would go to..." "Who?" "Politicians?" "Captains of industry?" "And how would you convince them?" "With data?" "Facts?" "Good luck." "The only facts they won't challenge are the ones that keep the wheels greased and the dollars rolling in." "But what if..." "What if there was a way of skipping the middleman and putting the critical news directly into everyone's head?" "The probability of widespread annihilation kept going up." "The only way to stop it was to show it." "To scare people straight." "Because what reasonable human being wouldn't be galvanized by the potential destruction of everything they have ever known or loved?" "To save civilization, I would show its collapse." "But how do you think this vision was received?" "How do you think people responded to the prospect of imminent doom?" "They gobbled it up, like a chocolate éclair." "They didn't fear their demise, they repackaged it." "It can be enjoyed as video games, as TV shows, books, movies." "The entire world wholeheartedly embraced the apocalypse and sprinted towards it with gleeful abandon." "Meanwhile, your Earth was crumbling all around you." "You've got simultaneous epidemics of obesity and starvation." "Explain that one." "Bees and butterflies start to disappear." "The glaciers melt." "Algae blooms all around you." "The coal mine canaries are dropping dead, and you won't take the hint!" "In every moment, there is the possibility of a better future." "But you people won't believe it." "And because you won't believe it, you won't do what is necessary to make it a reality." "So you dwell on this terrible future, and you resign yourselves to it." "For one reason, because that future doesn't ask anything of you today." "So, yes, we saw the iceberg, we warned the Titanic." "But you all just steered for it anyway, full steam ahead." "Why?" "Because you want to sink." "You gave up." "That's not The Monitor's fault." "That's yours." "Put them through." "Thanks for visiting, Frank." "It was genuinely nice to see you again." " What are you doing?" " Not giving up." "Look out!" " Get the thing!" " What thing?" "The thing I gave you when we first got here!" "Arm it!" "Get on the platform!" "Casey!" "The bomb!" "Get on the platform!" " Now what?" " Arm it!" "How?" "Casey!" "The bomb!" "Where is the bomb?" "One minute to detonation." "45 seconds." "Athena!" "The bomb." "What do I do?" "How do I turn it off?" "30 seconds." "You can't." "This is not funny!" "Frank, get out of there!" "It's gonna blow!" "Frank, get out!" "Get out of there!" " Four." "Three." " Close the portal!" " Two." "One." " Close the portal!" " Are you all right?" " The bomb's gone." " Can you stand?" " Yeah." "Frank!" "No." "The bomb's gone." " Can you stand?" " Yeah." "Frank!" " What happened?" "Is she okay?" " I need to get her to a repair module." "Frank!" "No one's going to repair me." "Not in time." "I need to tell you something now." "Darn." "I'm shutting down." "I'm shutting down." "I'm going to lose sync." "Don't look at me like that." " If I lose sync, it's not failure." " I know." "There are things I need to tell you before the final..." "Before the automated program kicks in." "I'm a machine." "I never thought that was bad until I saw your face when you found out I was." "I always knew." "No, you didn't." "Systems failing." "Activating last thoughts saved for Frank Walker." "Log 15:" "September 1965." "Frank Walkeris looking at me in a manner that is difficult to recognize." "It seems imperative to explain to him that I am an Audio-Animatronic..." "Athena..." "But I am concerned that he may be adversely affected when he finds out that I am not human." "He has potential." "I don't want to damage it." "He needs someone to believe in him." "And I am fulfilling that need." "He is my top recruit." "Log 24, October 1965." "I'm having unusual thoughts towards Frank Walker." "I suspect a flaw in my empathy interface." "I am thinking I should report it." "But I haven't." "I cannot explain why." "Log 78, April 1984." "Frank Walker has been banished by Governor Nix." "He says he has lost hope and he holds me responsible for having given it to him in the first place." "I do not understand this." "He says I never will because I do not feel anger or disappointment." "Or love." "End recording." "I was designed to find dreamers." "I found you." "And lost you." "Till I found her." "Casey." "Dreamers need to stick together." "It's not programming." "It's personal." "The Monitor." "The bomb is gone." "But I'm not, yet." "There isn't much time." "My self-destruct, use it." "You know what to do, Frank." "Help get it right this time." "I thought you can't have ideas." "Well, what do you know?" "What do you know?" "Systems failing." " Frank?" " Yeah?" "Do you want to know why you could never make me laugh?" "Why?" "Because you're not funny." "You can let me go now." "Goodbye, Frank." "Goodbye, Athena." "Bollocks." "Now what?" "You're asking me?" "This was your idea, kid." "Yeah." "You think it will work?" "I guess we have to make it work." "So, we're making it work." "First order of business, get the door back open." "Couldn't hurt to get a few experienced engineers over here." "Next..." "Put the party back on." "And print out some new invitations." "Which brings us to why we're here today." "A year ago, it was all supposed to be over." "We shouldn't even be here." "But we are." "It isn't hard to knock down a big, evil building that's telling everybody that the world's gonna end." "What is hard is figuring out what to build in its place." "And if we're gonna do that, we can't do it alone." "We're gonna need all of you." " Frank Walker, may I ask a question?" " Sure." "The search parameters you've given us, while mathematically sound, are a bit undefined." "Could you be more specific, please?" "Well, Miss Newton, you wanna tell our new recruiters what they're looking for?" "Dreamers." "We are looking for dreamers." "Anyone who will feed the right wolf." "So, I once told your predecessor that she was nothing but a combination of ones and zeroes." "I was wrong." "She was much more than that." "You are much more than that, too." "So, go out there and do what she would have done." "Find the ones who haven't given up." "They're the future."