"(man) What an honour to be before you." "A Nobel prize." "You must know I didn't do it alone, although research is a lonely business." "But I must share this with my family, my wonderful family." "My wife, my son." "Would you please stand?" "To be honoured in your presence is a very humbling experience." "To be in the presence of those scientific ghosts from the past..." "Darwin, Einstein." "Oh I heard how all the lights Went down in Memphis" "On the death-night annniversary Of the King" "The pretender's Talking dirty in the palace" "But it doesn't have that old familiar ring" "And I see there's been Some changes in the valley" "All the renegades Have finally settled down" "And now they worship in the temple" "(bleeping)" "Can't you hear All those sweet voices singing?" "Taking care of the chosen ones" "This way!" " Simon Kress." " Good morning, Dr Kress." "Morning, Terese." "Morning, Terese." "(ping)" " Anything new for me?" " 6T7 new eggs in a 12-hour frame." " Is that right?" " We'll have a new generation by 23.00." "Little suckers." "All right." "Up and at 'em." "It might be midnight on Mars, but it's sure as hell morning here." "Maintain steady lightning intervals." "OK." "Let's see what we got." "Nothing new in 5 1 ." "Let's go next door." "26-W is the same." "No population increase here." "Oh, yeah." "That's very nice." "There." "Wait." "Wait." "Bring up the terrain GIFs from last night's sweep." "I want a full comparison." "(P A) All security personnel, organism detected level 3." "Decontam sector 4..." " Level 3?" " That's almost surface." "(P A) Intercept and neutralise." "Repeat." "Intercept and neutralise." "Neutralise?" "I've gotta get into the ventilation system." "It's a closed system." "That's impossible." "They can't annihilate them." "I've spent five years with these bugs." "(alarm blares)" " Dr Kress." " I can retrieve him." "This is a quarantine event." "You're in violation of procedure." "Dr Kress!" " There he is!" " Got him!" "Stop now!" "Dr Kress!" "Dr Kress!" "The east wing." "Let's go!" "OK." "Where are you?" "Huh?" "I know you're in here." "Where are you?" " There you are!" " We're in!" " Almost got it." " Wait!" "Get away from him." "He's mine." " Fire!" " No!" "You have no right to do this!" "No!" " No!" "(narrator) There is nothing wrong with your television." "Do not attempt to adjust the picture." "We are now controlling the transmission." "We control the horizontal and the vertical." "We can deluge you with a thousand channels or expand one single image to crystal clarity... ..and beyond." "We can shape your vision to anything our imagination can conceive." "We will control all that you see and hear." "You are about to experience the awe and mystery which reaches from the deepest inner mind to the outer limits." "(narrator) Some of man's greatest achievements have been motivated by a driving need for love and acceptance." "What happens when that need for recognition becomes a desire to be revered and then worshipped like a god?" "Dave, what the hell was I supposed to do?" " The damn thing was practically topside." " He got to level 3..." "That is close enough." "I suppose the government wants a new decom routine." "No one talked about that." "A procedural review?" "You know what that would do to the timetable." "They're shuting us down." "They want the remaining life forms cryoed and transfered to Nevada and all research consolidated and classified as Priority One." " They can't." " It's over." "They can't do this." "I created them." "They're mine." " We all acknowledge your contribution." " Contributions?" "I created life!" "If it weren't for me, you'd still be sitting on eggs as dead as all the Martian soil that came back." " I'm filing a report." " There's no one to file to, Simon." " This comes from the President." " Then I'll go to the public!" "Don't talk like that." "Don't even joke about it." "An alien organism came within 20 feet of contaminating the Earth's biosphere." " The M1T7 biotics are not just organisms." " It caused a huge shit-scare in Washington." "They're intelligent beings." "That's just conjecture." "You know that." "The organism those idiots incinerated was the latest generation." "He evaded security." "You know what that means?" "Yes." "That they're very unsafe." "Unfortunately the committee feels the same about you." "You're not being reassigned." "So..." " After nine years you're gonna fire me?" " Look, I'm sorry." "Maybe in a couple of years you'll resurrect the project with you in charge?" "I'm not gonna reward that with a response, Simon." "Except to say that any, any, breach of security will mark you as a high risk." " What's that supposed to mean?" " Don't find out." " Oh!" "Simon, you scared me to death." "You're home early." "We're holding on some tests." " I don't like you to look before it's done." " Didn't see a thing." "So those are the new windows for the court house, huh?" "They will be if the city council approves my design." "They'll be lucky to get you." "Thank you." " Did you see Josh?" " No." " Well, I'm worried about him." " Why?" "'Cause he spends too much time alone in the dark." " So do I." " But he's ten." "It's not normal." "Cheers." "Who's normal?" " You OK?" " Yeah." "'Cause you seem kind of out of it." "More than unusual." "I'm just a little burnt out, that's all." "Your dad's coming for dinner tonight." " Wonderful..." " He wants to see Josh." "He's lonely." "Yeah, because no one can stand to be around him." "The deadly reign of Arachnothoid has begun!" "Dad, Mom!" "This stuff looks awesome!" " Great!" " When can we see it?" "Not till I add the music and sound effects." "There's the problem." "Three perfectionists in one household." " (doorbell)" " Make that four." " Hi, Grandpa!" " Hi, champ." " I got a surprise for you." " Don't know if I'm ready for this." "Look what Grandpa got me!" "Oh, come on." "I know you didn't want one, but the little guy kept eyeing me from the store window." "I couldn't resist." " We gotta talk about this." " Tell me that isn't a real dog." " You'll learn to love him." " This is a bad idea." "No, it isn't." "Every boy should have a dog." "Cathy works." "I work." "Who's gonna take care of him?" "You can't count on Josh..." "He'll be great for Josh." "Make him more sociable." " I love him, Grandpa!" "What's his name?" " You'll have to give him one." "Huh?" "You were saying?" "So are you still working on that..." "What do you call it?" "That moon-rock thing." "Not moon rocks." "Martian soil samples." " Brought back by the Marslander." " And you're doing research on them?" "We're studying how Earth life interacts with Martian terrain." "It's amazing how the government spends our money these days." "There's never a good war around when you need one, huh, Colonel?" "Too bad we're not invading someone." "It'd be a shot in the arm for the economy." " Josh, you're not feeding that dog?" " But he's real hungry, Mom." "I know, but your grandpa brought you a bag of dog food." "Go and get that." " Come on." " So, looks like your present is a big hit." "Oh, well." "Kids and dogs." "They were made for each other." "What was the name of that dog you had as a kid?" "Cowboy." "He wasn't mine, he was David's." " He was?" " Yeah, he was." "Yeah, that'sright." "You didn't care much for pets, did you?" "No." "But David sure did." "Yeah." "I remember now." "He really suffered when Cowboy died." "How did Cowboy die?" "He dug a hole under the fence, got into some traffic." "I hope we're not setting Josh up for a trauma like that." "Trauma is a part of life." "The sooner a boy's introduced to it, the sooner he'll be able to deal with it." "When David finally came out of his room, a small part of him had become a man." "Josh may be lucky, his dog may get hit by a car." "Simon!" " I'll see you later, champ." " Bye, Grandpa." " How about this for a name?" "Cowboy." " Cowboy?" "Cool." "Cowboy!" " Thanks for dinner, Cathy." " My pleasure." "You better take some time off work." "You seem a little stressed." "Maybe I will." "Get rid of that damn ponytail." "Well, he's a grown man, for God's sake." "What a guy." "I think you could have handled it better." "I've been handling it all my life." "It never changes." "I know." "But he's your father and he's old." "He's only old when it comes to me." "He knew whose dog it was." "Think he can't remember where I work?" "He loves to piss on what I do." "I'm not David." "I didn't make the All-Star team in Little League." "I didn't win any trophies for swimming and football, didn't become an F-4 pilot." "Didn't die for my country." "Just read my books, kept to myself." "A big disappointment to him." "I don't think you are a disappointment." "I think he's proud of you." "I just..." "Men like him don't know how to express themselves." " I don't need his approval." " He's waiting for your Nobel prize." "Yeah." "Yeah..." "Simon says, "Give me a kiss."" "Hey.... take your clothes off." "Ah." "I didn't say "Simon says"!" "Let there be light." "And there was." "(guard) Dr Kress is coming through." "Affirmative." " (commputer) I'm sorry." "We can't do that." " Clear it with Stockley." " Why are you here?" " To supervise the cryo-storage." "That's not necessary." "They've got capable personnel." "I'm sure, but if something goes wrong, they're gonna point the finger at me." "Nothing's gonna go wrong, Simon." "If they're gonna close the book on my life, let me make sure it's done right." "Listen." "Last night I said some things I didn't mean..." " Forget it." " Just let me do this." " Tomorrow I'll be history." " OK." "All right." "But you're to supervise only." "Simon, this could mean my ass." "Supervise only." " Ready?" " Yeah." "(P A) Let's clear the mobiles." "Prepare for transport." "Team two, the soil is ready for perching." "(computer) Dr Kress, please return to Security." " Yeah?" " The lunch box, please." "The Thermos too." "No problem." " Thank you." " Waste of good coffee." "Simon?" "I believe you have something that belongs to us." "Your ID tag." "They said you forgot to turn it in." "Yeah." "Thanks." "If there's anything you need, Simon, don't hesitate to call." " You'll be the first." " OK." "Welcome home." "Entry Number One." "Have established visual confirmation of the presence of eggs within the soil." "The next stage will be to introduce the embryos into a controlled environment." "My ability, of course depends on... (vehicle approaches)" " Other than that, school was OK?" " Yeah." "Why don't you take Cowboy out back?" "Let him run around." " I bet he could use it after the vet." " OK." " Simon?" " Come on, Cowboy." " Simon!" " Hi, honey!" "(Josh) Come on, Cowboy." "You're home early." "What happened?" " Nothing happened." "Why?" " Something happened, didn't it?" "Just down time with the equipment." "I'm doing some research at home." " Where?" "In the barn?" " Yeah." " You're joking?" " No." "It's not a bad place to work." " You're not doing anything dangerous?" " What?" "How did the presentation go?" " It's on Thursday." "Today is..." " Monday." " Is that my stained glass?" " Yeah." "I used some to patch the broken windows." "Looks good, huh?" " Yes, but this is really not what..." " Don't worry." "Relax." "I won't give up my day job." "The reign of Arachnothoid has ended!" "Long live the Canine-osaunr!" "Cowboy, your career is over." "Cowboy!" "Cowboy!" "Cowboy!" "Cowboy!" "Dad!" "Dad!" "Dad!" "(Cowboy grows)" "Josh!" "What are you doing in here?" " I was looking for you." " Come on." " I don't want you going in there." " Why?" "I'm doing important work." "I don't want you in the barn." " Why can't I help...?" " Because you can't." "I don't want you telling your mom what you saw." "OK?" " You hear me?" " Yeah." "It's a..." " It's a surprise." " Surprise?" " Yeah." " Sure." "Go on." "Make your movie." "Cowboy, come." "You're still my best buddy." "You know that, don't you?" " Afternoon, Simon." " Dave." " Miss me already, huh?" " You could say that." "How's it going?" "Keeping busy?" "Taking some time off." "Doing a little soul searching." "Good." "You knnow, I'm doing a little searching myself." "What for?" "A new job?" "No." "265 grams of Martian soil." "Dave, I hate to break it to you but you're on the wrong planet." "265 grams." "That was the discrepancy that the masscomparison analysis found when the habitat went to storage." "Maybe one of the technicians made off with a sounvenir." "The agency put it down to computation error, but they were in a rush to wrap it up quickly." "Youn know me and my figures." "If they don't match up, it gets me wondering." "Guess there's a part of scientist in me." "I've always said that, Dave." "A very small part." "Did you steal that soil?" " Why would I?" " There were eggs." " I get eggs from the supermarket." " Give me a straight answer." "All right." "Your head is up your ass!" "My interest in the project ended when I drove off the compound." "You're nothing but a shitty memory to me, Dave." "That straight enough?" "Yeah." "I'm still truly sorry for what happened to you, but you're making it tough to stay on the same team." "See you, Simon." "Log entry nunmber seven." "I estimate a total of ten hatchings." "I anticipate 30 more in the next ten hours." "The..." "The activity within the environment continues to intensify." "I'm ready to commence regular feeding." "I expect the first mobile will break the surface in a week." "I believe that the Sandkings can attain intelligence." "I define this by the ability to reason." "I can prove this." "(knocking)" " Son, I told you this is off limits." " I know, but we gotta talk." "Give me a few minutes." "How can we be best buddies if we never hang out?" " Just let me finish my work." " You always say that." "It never happens." "Buddy..." "Hey, buddy." "Don't walk away, man." " Forget that buddy stuff." " Josh, don't walk away when I'm talking." " What do you want?" " I want to spend time with you." "I just..." " Don't worry about it." " Son..." " Can you keep a secret?" " Yeah." "Why?" "I need you to help me with something, but you're gonna have to do exactly as you're told." "Serious business." "What are you talking about?" "Would you like to help me in the barn?" "Yes!" "The date I've always been working with is Thursday." "I..." "Well... nobody ever told me anything except Thursday." "I guess it doesn't matter much if you need something today." "No." "No..." "It's not a problem because my husband's here and he can watch my son." "It won't be a full rendering that I'll be showing you..." "Right." "OK." "So I'll be there in an hour and a half." "Great." "Bye." "Trace him over there." "That's right." "Got a good shot there?" " Yeah." "Recording." " Sure it's in focus?" "Dad, please!" "I'm not a tourist." " It's important that it's recorded clearly." " I'll handle the photography." " Move the camera up to me." " Why?" "Will you get me in the close-up here?" "OK." "The organisms will now be given one cube of synthesised protein." "They don't seem too interested." "What else do they eat?" " Practically anything." " How about Mrs Thompson's cat?" "I don't think so." "Now proceeding to the live subject." "There you are." "You sure you wanna watch this?" "Man your camera." "All right." "Bombs away." "Bombs away." "Whoa!" "What are they?" "They're very special." "I call them Sandkings." "They're... they're from very far away." " I think they share a hive mind." " What's that?" "It means they kinda work together, but they're controlled by one individual, the queen." " Like bees and ants?" " No, no, not Sandkings." "Sandkings are much more than bees and ants." "They're..." "I think they're smart, like people." " (beeping)" " I've been testing them." "Mom's gonna be home any minute and I haven't started dinner." "Mom's not gonna be too thrilled with this." " I'll worry about that." "In the meantime..." " I know." " What?" " It's a secret." "Good boy." "So the city council tentatively approved my design for the windows." "Hey." "But they want to see a rendering by Friday." " Great, honey." " Congratulations, Mom." "Thank you." "It means I'm gonna be really, really busy." "No problem." "I've got things under control here." " What did you do in school today?" " Nothing." "That sounds educational." "How about you?" "How's it going?" "Mm." "I got a lot done." "I'm keeping a handle on the work." "I should be up to speed when the lab's up and runing again." "Lucky how it all worked out." "You'll be around to keep an eye on Josh." "Yeah." "It's weird how things happen sometimes." "Weird." "Real weird." "Really, really... weird." "Weird." "I'll be damned." "Entry number 1T7." "The Sandkings have displayed..." "They've displayed the ability to mimic terrestrial formations." "While this could indicate intellect, it does not necessarily demonstrate the ability to reason, so I've decided on a change." " Mr Kress?" "Sign here please." " All the pieces have been pre-cut, right?" "All you gotta do is slap 'em together." "It'll be some fish tank." "I like my seafood fresh." "For what you're paying, I hope you're raising caviar." "All right, boys and girls." "Welcome to the Promised Land." "Yeah." "They're both great, but this amber's perfect." "Will you order me some?" "Sure." "Must be nice having Simon home." " Yeah." " You don't seem too happy about it." "Whether he's at home or at work these days, he's in another world." " That's weird." " What?" " The computer won't accept your card." " Why?" " It says it's over the limit." " No way." "I ran it through twice." "I'm supposed to cut it up." "Do you wanna call the company?" "Yeah, I do." "Get out of my way." "What the hell's going on?" " Let me explain." " Yeah." "Explain, Simon!" "Explain why there are $25,000 of purchases on our credit card!" "Purchases l knew nothing about!" "How are you gonna pay for them when we can barely pay for our house?" "I wouldn't have done it without a reason." " No!" " Cath!" "Listen to me." "Cathy." "Cath!" "Give me your hand." "Now!" "Give me your hand!" "Cathy!" "Get out of there." "Take my hand." "Come on." "Give me your hand." "You're all right." "Oh, God!" " We found them in the sand from Mars." " Found what?" "Eggs." "No bigger than a pin head." "They'd been dormant for millions of years until I initiated gestation." "You've been lying to me?" "That's what you've been doing up at Mount Parnell?" "It was a classified project, Cath." "We couldn't talk to anyone about it." " So what are they doing in my barn?" " They killed the project, Cath." "They killed the project?" "Why?" "I wasn't given a reason." "I was just told to shut down." "Maybe they thought the public would never be ready." "But on the day I was to leave, I took a sample of the soil." " Oh, Simon." " They're not gonna take them away." " They're dangerous." " They're not." "If the Sandkings keep evolving, there's no limit to what we can learn." " Josh has been..." " Josh?" " Josh is in on this?" " It's perfectly safe." "How?" "The government wants to destroy them." " They don't understand..." " Neither do I!" "No!" "It's a chance to make my mark, Cath." " To announce extra-terrestrial life." " Then announce it now." "No." "First I'm taking them to the point of true, measured intelligence." "Have faith in me, Cath." "I want you there with me." " Josh?" " Time for bed." " Just a few more seconds, Mom." "Not tonight, bud." "Here we go." "Give him some room." "Why are you mad at Dad?" " Why do you say that?" " I heard rumours." "Well... everything's OK, I promise." " But those sand things worry me." " Sandkings, Mom." "Excuse me." "You know how afraid I am of bugs." "Remember that time we were driving with a huge spider on the dashboard?" " It was a daddy longlegs." " It nearly made me drive off the road." "I like helping Dad." "We might win the Noble prize." "Nobel." "I bet you do." " Promise to be careful?" " OK. 'Night, Mom." "'Night, baby." "Oh, what a mess." "This is entry 24." "This is entry 24." "This is entry 24, the eighth day." "This is entry 24, the eighth day of the project, the ninth..." "The Sandkings have divisioned..." "This is entry 24 on the eighth day of the project." "The 19th generation Sandkings have differentiated into two distinct species, one red in colouration, the other white." "Also I have begun to distinguish certain individuals among the two species." "They seem to have taken to their new habitat nicely." "It's my hope that the increase in size of the habitat will stimulate egg production by the queens." "I can verify that theory by the following data." "Just give me a moment." "I'll be right with you." "The..." "Charlton Heston, eat your heart out." "Cath?" "Cathy?" "Listen." "Cath, I've done it." " Cath..." " No." "I've done it."