"I'm sorry, Tom." "I didn't know how else to explain it." "The Skitters were harnessed, too." "I don't know why, but I just assumed that Ben would be okay when we got him back." "Well, Tom, he is healthy, and he seems to be adjusting emotionally." "Those needles in his back aren't going away, though, like with the other kids." "Well, Ben and Rick were taken months before the others." "Might just take their body longer to shake off the effects." "That doesn't explain that patch of skin that you found on his back that was rough like this." "It is similar." "It wasn't enough that they take him away from me once." "They're still trying." "Who turned out the lights?" "I can't see a thing!" "Weaver wants you in the C. P." "All right, I'll be right there." "We don't want anybody caught up in here." "This is a hot spot right here." "I'm very clear about this being the one way..." "Captain." "Sounds like Scott's throwing one hell of a party." "Well, we've been working them pretty hard." "I think they were ready to blow off a little steam." "Don't let it go on too long." "I want these people sharp as razors by tomorrow." "They'll be ready." "No word yet from Dai." "He should be back from Porter's headquarters anytime." "Any last-minute changes, I'd like to run them past the squad leaders tonight." "Lieutenant Danner's already on it." "I told them to expect adjustments." "Whatever the word, we'll be good to go." "Get the duty rosters." "I want to go over the field assignments one more time." "We don't hear from Porter, we have a problem." "How you holding up?" "I'm fine." "After what happened in Allston, you know why I'm asking." "And I just told you..." "let it go." "There's a problem right here." "Well, you see, I'm not sure about these guys here." "Heads up, guys!" "Go, go, go!" "It's Dai!" "He's been hit!" "Stay here!" "Captain, Dai's back, sir!" "He's wounded really bad!" "Please come!" "Tom, get Anne!" "Tell her to meet us at the clinic." " Lieutenant Danner, with me!" " On it." "He has a deep abdominal laceration but no internal damage." "Is he gonna make it?" "Well, he's unconscious, and he's lost a lot of blood." "I'll have a better idea by morning." "Did he give you his report?" "Just take care of him." "Five minutes, C. P." "Lieutenant Danner's moving up the food chain." "I hear he's career military." "Yeah." "He was one of the lucky ones." "He was on leave at Fort Drum when it got hit." "I guess Weaver wanted somebody with hard combat experience to help him with the planning." "What's going on between you and Weaver?" "It's complicated." "I can handle complicated." "There was a little incident on our last scout." "I wouldn't call it a nervous breakdown..." "More like a guy being pushed too close to the edge... but Weaver almost didn't make it back." " Oh." "That serious?" " Yeah." "Does anybody else know?" "No." "Only Hal." "Once we got back, he kind of seemed to snap out of it, so, for the sake of morale, we decided to keep what happened between us." "And now?" "I'm not so sure that was the right decision." " Tom, this attack's in two days." " I know." "And the last thing people need is me raising doubts." "What are you gonna do?" "I wish I knew." "Let's be clear." "Nothing has changed." "We'll be following Porter's original plan." "4th and 5th will bring explosives from here, here, and here." "2nd Mass will come from the West." "So we got confirmation from Porter, then..." "The 4th and 5th are still active." "The man just said the mission is a go." "Not what I asked." "This isn't some classroom QA, Mason." "That's enough, Danner." "Give us the room." "Is this your idea of leadership..." "Second-guessing me in front of my fighters?" "I'm just asking questions that should have easy answers." "Last I heard, we'd lost contact with the 4th and 5th, and since I wasn't there for Dai's report..." "That's right." "You weren't." "I'm satisfied that this mission can be completed, and a combat briefing isn't a Debate Club." "When Porter made me second-in-command," "I expected to be kept in the loop." "Or what..." "you're gonna run your mouth about what happened on that Scout?" "No." "But maybe we should talk about that." "A few hours ago, you were swigging whiskey and talking like a borderline suicide." " I told you what that was about." " And I accepted it." "But there's no room for error on this mission." "And the only way it can be successful is if the fighters have absolute confidence in their commanding officer." "If you want to be in the loop," "I need to know you got my back." "All right." "Good." "Danner, get in here!" "I want you to start allocating Pope's Mech ammunition to the fighters." "And I want you and Hal to set up an observation post five miles out on Highway 4." "You're putting me on Sentry duty." "I need eyeballs out there in case the Skitters decide to make a move, and all my other fighters are assigned to upgrading weapons and vehicles." "But if it's a problem, I can relieve you, and Danner can pick up the slack." "Your choice." "First light." "Dismissed." "Tom." "Kicked his blankets off." "He's been doing that since he was a little kid." "I need to talk to you." "Lourdes, tell Tom what you told me." "Uh, it's Captain Weaver." "I heard what you were saying about him earlier, and... he came to me a couple weeks ago and asked me to help him with some medications." "Prescribed by your old friend Dr. Harris." "Yeah, he said he came to me because he didn't want to bother Dr. Glass." "And because he knew I'd ask questions." "Okay." "What kind of medications?" "Phenobarbital to sleep and amphetamines to wake up." "It's a classic addictive cycle." "And once you start, it's hard to stop." "What would that..." "What would that do to him?" "Depends how many he's taking..." "One or two a day, probably nothing." "And more?" "The symptoms could be extreme..." "Paranoia, mood swings, even hallucinations." "Tom, if Weaver's abusing these drugs, there's a good chance that what you saw in Boston... that could happen again." "Can't believe this." "For all we know, he could have been dosing himself for weeks." "That was before." "Now we need to focus on today." "So, what are we gonna do?" "First, you're gonna follow orders." "And go on that Sentry mission?" "Mm-hmm." "There's no way I'm gonna leave you here to deal with Weaver by yourself." "This isn't just about him." "Dad, he's setting us up for the mother of all battles." "If he's not 100%, he's gonna get us all killed." "And if I accuse him... of being unfit for duty without all the facts, it's gonna tear the 2nd Mass apart." " What more do you need to know?" " More." "Do you remember what it was like before Porter brought us together?" "Everybody on their own, scrounging for food and water." "Forget about fighting back." "It was all we could do to survive." "Soldiers like Weaver are a big part of what got us this far." "You're defending him." "No, I'm just saying that, unless we stick together and fight the aliens as a group..." "We're as good as dead." "And until I talk to him, we're gonna proceed as if this mission is still a go." "All right, fine." "You stay here." "I'll go on the mission." "But I need another rider." "You have anybody in mind?" "Yeah." "He asked." "I volunteered." "The no-questions-asked part intrigued me." "And you're sure about this?" "I don't see any other way." "Be careful." "That's it!" "Keep moving." "Imagine those Mechs roaring in on you!" "How much fun you're gonna have shooting them with their own toys." "What?" "Two arms, two legs, no brains." "Welcome to the 2nd Massachusetts." "You want to try that again, convict?" "You didn't crimp it." "Gravity." "Newton." "Apple tree." "Do it again." "No, no, no, kid, look, you don't need to polish it to a shine like that." "When it comes to Mech ammo, it's quantity, not quality." "Sure your old man was talking about me?" "He said, "Stay away from Pope." Great." "So suddenly I'm the beneficiary of some preadolescent rebellious streak." "He keeps treating me like this little kid, like I can't do anything." "But I want to help, too." "Besides, I am staying away from you, just not that far." "Sound like one of my attorneys." "Ah." "I guess..." "What's the big deal?" "I mean... it's not like your pops is gonna do anything to the little Prince of the 2nd Mass." " I'm not a Prince!" "You're not the only one." "There's two other little Princelets." "But you're the youngest." "That makes you special." "So, what's it like, huh, walking around with that sweet Mason brand?" "What's it like having hair like a girl?" "We're gonna have to work on your insults, kid." "Come on." "Ándale!" "Ándale!" "12 hours..." "Just half a day!" "I need 16 soldiers advancing towards the south while we rendezvous at the Alpha point here." "Now, if there's no contact from the 3rd and 4th, fall back to Plan "b."" " Meet in the Southwest..." " Captain." "I'd like a word in private." "I told you to set up an O. P. At the five-mile line." "What are you doing here?" "I sent Hal and Margaret." "They can get it done." "That's not your call." "I give you an order, I expect it to be followed out." "Captain, I'd like a word in private." "I know about the pills." "I'd like to know how many of those you're taking." "We don't have time for this." "We are one day away from kicking these aliens in their teeth." "And you're shutting me out, sending me off on a Sentry-post duty." "Now, if you're holding something back..." "What are you gonna do?" "You gonna relieve me of my command?" "I'd hope you'd do the right thing for the 2nd Mass before it came to that." "You've been wanting to take over this outfit ever since Porter first gave you a commission." "That's not true." "You're questioning my strategy..." "Ignoring a direct order." "That is rank insubordination." "Danner and Jimmy!" "I'm asking you... consider the lives of your fighters." "That's all I am considering." "Jimmy, get the door." "Lieutenant Danner, secure Tom's weapons." " Don't do it." " Captain." " Lieutenant Danner." " Don't do it." " Put them on the deck, please." " Don't do this." "Hold him in the boiler room till I tell you otherwise." "Yes, Sir." "It's a mistake." "The only mistake I can see is not removing you from duty sooner." "You're making a mistake." "These people are depending on you." "Captain." "I don't like it, Jimmy." "But we can't let Mason poison the ranks, not when we're hours away from a major offensive." "I hope I can count on you, Jimmy." "Ben, did your father send you over to give me a hand?" "Actually, they moved some of the library books in here." "Ah." "Right." "Sorry." "I thought Matt was helping you." "Oh, it seems I'm missing my young assistant to the dubious charms of Mr. Pope." "Then maybe I can do something." "The way everyone's gearing up, feels like I should help." "That's the best offer I've had today." "Why don't you grab this box and follow me over to the desk, huh?" "What are these?" "Huh?" "Oh, they're, uh..." "they're vacuum tubes." "You know, if transistors were the Ferraris of the electronic age, this is the model T." "Hmm." "What's a model T?" "Well, a-all you really need to know is that this transmitter here needs them in order to operate, and I'm looking for a very specific one." "Once you get it working, are you gonna try and contact other people?" "Well, that was one idea." "What if the Skitters hear you?" "Won't they be able to find us?" "Aha!" "Found it." "I've got this idea about the Skitters." "We know that they communicate with each other using radio frequencies." "Find the right frequency, and we can jam up their communications." "Certainly throw a wrench into their plans, huh?" "Okay, here we go." "There." "Good." "Okay, now let's see if we can get this thing to send out a signal." "Can you just crank the handle on that radio?" " Yeah, okay." " Yeah, right there." "And I will roll through the frequencies." "Okay." "How's..." "How's that?" "Anything yet?" "Oh." "W- what happened?" "Is everything all right?" "Yeah." "It's all right." "It's all right." "I'm fine." "Well, that's more than I can say for this bucket of bolts." "So you're sure the radio didn't make a squeak, huh?" "No." "No." "Nothing on the radio." "Might as well give it a rest, Professor." "You're not going anywhere." "Captain Weaver's completely lost it." "He's become a threat to the entire 2nd Mass." "That doesn't scare you?" "Commanding Officer gives you an order, you obey." "10th Mountain Division?" "Did you see any combat?" "Iraq, Afghanistan..." "damn straight." "Okay, so have I." "So has every other person in this regiment, both fighters and civilians." "I had you pegged the first time I saw you." "Big thinker, always knows best." "See, we had a Lieutenant like you in our outfit." "He got four of our boys killed while he was just weighing his options." "You honestly believe that he's fit to lead this mission?" "!" "Even at half-mast, I trust the Captain a hell of a lot more than I trust you." "Pope, front and center." "So, what is it?" ""Sir, yes, Sir"?" ""Aye, aye, Skipper"?" "Cut the crap." "Where do we stand with the I. E. D.?" "I'll have you all wired up by manana." "Don't fret it." "There's been a change of plan." "I need four bombs." "Can you do that?" "I got the ingredients and enough barrels, but you split that blasting fuse four ways, and you're gonna have what you call a very short interval between lighting it and, uh... boom." "But, yeah." "I thought we were just taking out one leg of that thing." "If you want to get along with me, Pope, don't think." "Just do what I tell you." "All right." "What did he want?" "Weaver?" "A little of this, a little of that." "RICK:" "I thought it was them at first." "You heard it, too?" "I'm glad it wasn't the Skitters." "So are you, right?" "What are they trying to do with this?" "Scott thinks he might be able to use it to contact resistance groups, maybe jam the signals between Skitters." "But if he does that, they might not find us." "Is this, like, your new thing..." "creeping me out?" "Why haven't you told the other humans about me?" "Because I keep hoping you'll stop talking like that, realize that everything the Skitters did to us was wrong." "You're human, too." "I don't want to be." "You're not telling them 'cause you're scared, 'cause you can feel the change coming." "Is that why I can hear the radio?" "What's happening to us, Rick?" "I hope they come soon." "Hey, Maggie!" "How was the prom?" "!" "Bad news for us." "But it ought to make a Skitter-killing degenerate like you happy." "Captain." "What are you doing back so soon?" "Saw fresh signs of Skitters and Mechs all down 119 and Route 2." "They redeployed." "In that case, we'll just have to punch through." "Convoy's a tempting target, especially on the open road." "Then we'll take back roads and we'll crawl through the brush." "You're dismissed." "This just keeps getting better and better." "I'm gonna find my Dad." "Hal." "Wait up." "I don't believe this." "Weaver's holding Tom in custody?" "Danner's watching him in the boiler room." "Tom was asking about the drugs he was taking, and he lost it." "I'm not surprised." "I don't think Weaver wants to hurt your Dad." "I don't know why he's doing this, but he's a good man." "Good man or not, he's endangering everyone here." "We got to get my dad out." "Maybe I could help." "Dr. Glass?" "Okay." "Hal, when you get Tom, you bring him here." "Weaver ordered me to bring down some chow." "Everybody's got to eat, huh?" "Watch him." "Ugh!" "Aah!" "Aah!" "Dad!" "Give me something to tie him up!" "What are you doing here?" "Well, we tried to make it to the five-mile mark, and we couldn't." "We saw fresh signs of Skitters and Mechs." "You tell that to Weaver?" "First thing." " What about the attack?" " He didn't care." "We are "Punching through."" "Dai's coming around." " Dad, what are we gonna do with him?" " Leave him." "Oh." "You son of a bitch." "We got to find a way to stop Weaver." "He's weak, but he'll pull through." "I know you're hurting, Dai, but this is important." "I need to know about Porter." "An hour after I reached Porter's post, the Skitters and Mechs hit." "Porter was pinned down  Probably dead by now." "Dead?" "His team laid down cover fire for me." "I got hit when a Mech blew up." "Dai, this is important." "What were Porter's orders?" "The other regiments..." "they never reported in." "Runners went out, never came back." "And Porter said that without confirmation the 4th and 5th were alive, the attack should be aborted." "You told that to Captain Weaver?" "All of it." "This mission..." "Is no good." "So, we're in this alone?" "Weaver sure doesn't have a problem with tall odds." "It's not like him to disobey an order from Porter." "What is he thinking?" "He's thinking he's gonna go ahead with the mission, facts on the ground be damned." "So, how do we stop him?" "He's got all the fighters and all the weapons." "Most of them." "Not all." "What the hell?" "What happened?" "It was Mason and the kid..." "Jimmy." "Jimmy?" "Try to keep this from the civilians." "We don't want a panic." "Grab four men we can trust and find Mason." "Somebody's got their panties in a twist." "Ben." "Been here long?" "Little while." "I..." "I've been waiting for you." "Well, I'm glad for the company." "Scott, we're kind of like friends, right?" "Oh, I think it's more than just "kind of."" "Mm." "You'd keep a secret if I asked you, wouldn't you?" "Ben, what's the matter?" "Actually, I'm not sure." "Can you turn it on?" "The transmitter?" " Yeah." " Why?" "Please?" "All right." "Okay, now, um..." "Just, um, go through the frequencies like you did before." "Ugh!" "Ben!" "Keep going." "Keep going." "Ugh!" "Ben!" "Hey!" "Are you all right?" "What's happened?" "I don't know what I am." " Maybe." "Worth a shot." " Yeah." "Dad!" "Matt, what are you doing in here?" " I told him it wasn't a good idea." " I'm not talking to you." "Come on, go back to the quarters right now." " I-I was only trying to..." " I don't want to hear it." "Go, right now!" " Ah." " Go!" "Everything okay, Professor?" "Be a lot better if you'd stay the hell away from my kids." "Well, I'm assuming because of the gun there and that look on your face, this is something a little bit more than a domestic issue." "Porter's dead, the other regiments are probably gone, and Weaver still plans to make the attack on the structure." "That explains why El Capitán asked me to split the bomb up into four separate charges." "What do you want with me?" "You put them together." "You can take them apart." "Why the hell would I do that?" "I'd say for the sake of the 2nd Mass." "But I doubt that would mean anything to you." "Sounds like a plan." "All you got to do now is survive long enough to convince those yahoos out there that you're right." "No." "All I got to do is convince Weaver." "Captain Weaver." "Dr. Glass, I hear that Tom has been to see you." "I need to know where he is." "He told me what you've been going through, Captain." "I'd feel a lot more comfortable if you put that gun down." "Don't." "What are you gonna do?" "You gonna shoot me?" "I'm the optimist, remember?" "I'm still hoping that you're gonna listen to reason." "Now, what's the operational plan... the real one?" "Rendezvous with the 4th and 5th and launch a coordinated attack!" "I talked to Dai!" "Your orders were to stand down!" "That's not the way I heard it." "The mission's still a go unless the 4th and 5th are confirmed killed." " Porter's last orders were to wait for that confirmation." " Damn it!" "The aliens have to know we're not gonna lie down!" "You think I don't want to fight them?" "!" "Move." "This has to be done the right way." "That means all cards on the table with a commanding officer whose judgment hasn't been compromised." "How far you gonna go with this?" "Pretty far." "I had Pope defuse the bombs." "And if you don't back off, I'm gonna be forced to relieve you of your command." "Ah, ah!" "You're fast, Maggie, but not that fast." "Sorry..." "But you may want to reconsider that, Professor." "Dad, what's he doing?" "I thought you talked to him." "I did." "My apologies, Cambridge, but, uh..." "I just couldn't bring myself to defuse those charges." "I figured I had a choice of either sitting around or...killing cooties, and, uh..." "Cooties win every time." "But you'll be happy to know that those bombs are beauts." "They're gonna cause a lot of damage." "No, they won't... because when Pope came to warn you," "I took the blasting fuses." "Bombs are out of commission." "Where are they?" "The aliens can't kill us fast enough?" "We have to do it for them?" "Where are the damn fuses?" "All right, you said that the only way this is gonna work is if people have faith in their commanding officer." "That goes both ways." "You have to have faith in them." "I'm doing this for them, for all of us." "All right, then tell them the truth." " Tell them Porter's gone..." " Dad, whoa." "...and that this attack, whether we live or die, isn't gonna be just a command decision." "We don't have enough people left for a suicide mission." "Go ahead and do it." "Go ahead." "If shooting me keeps the 2nd Mass together, go ahead and do it." "I'm not gonna be the one that pulls it apart." "There's another way." "What?" "You can trust our people the way they trust you." "C- captain." "Jimmy?" "We want to follow you..." "All of us." "You just have to let us." "Put down your weapon." "What the hell are you doing?" "Lower your weapon." "I'm not saying you're right." "But they deserve to know the facts of the mission." "Call for volunteers." "But they got to hear both sides." "And they will... 'cause you'll be right there beside me." "Jimmy, gather everyone in the gym." "10 minutes." "Y- yes, Sir." "You sure you're ready for this?" "Yeah." "By the way, I quit taking those pills since we got back." "I don't need to tell you people what's at stake." "We all been living on the edge since these alien things came." "Tomorrow's assault on the structure in Boston was meant to be a first strike... a coordinated attack with the support of two other Massachusetts regiments." "However..." "Colonel Porter lost contact with these regiments several days ago." "And now it looks as if the colonel himself might have been lost." "Dai brought back the Colonel's last order... abort the mission unless we can confirm the existence of these other units." "We still don't know if these other units exist... or if they intend to carry out the attack as planned." "But I know... that if there's a breath left... in any of those men, they will do their damnedest to carry out this attack." "And if that happens, despite Porter's order... the 2nd Mass has to be there to back them up." "But this attack, as critical as it is, cannot be our only objective." "We have a responsibility... an obligation... to..." "protect our civilians." "And sometimes, in our desire to strike back, we forget... that they represent our future." "So I'm asking for volunteers." "I need 50 fighters for this mission." "If you're with me, meet me in front." "I'm in." "Go to the front." " Let's do this." " Let's get this job done, man." "It's time for some payback." "Let's go, guys." "Aw, hell." "It's true." "The fighters can't do this unless they know their people are in good hands." "It's gonna sound strange, but I wish I was going with you." "Porter knew what he was doing when he made you my second-in-command." "Keep these people safe." "Okay everybody, let's get our gear together." "We want to be able to move out as soon as our strike team comes home." "What's with the stink eye, kid?" "I know what you did to my dad." "Is that right?" "He thought he could trust you." "But he couldn't." "Nobody can." "Trust..." "Is an overrated commodity." "The truth is, you little punk, you're the kind of a kid who should listen to his old man." "That way, there's no chance of ending up like me." "I'll never be like you." "That's pretty sweet, you getting put in your place by an 8-year-old." "So, first you're with Tom, then you're with Weaver." "What?" "So you're talking to me now?" "Just this once." "What the hell is your plan, Pope?" "My plan, little Miss Midwife with the heart of gold?" "You know me, Margaret." "What you see is what you get." "I'm just another upstanding member of the grand and glorious 2nd Massachusetts." "So you're going through with this attack." "It's my duty to both God and country." "You know, I didn't see you volunteering for the Captain's Blitzkrieg here." "Yeah, I don't ride with sociopaths." "You should remember that, if it wasn't for me, you'd just be another little Mech speck on a wall." "I don't forget anything you did, not a second of it." "And I know exactly what you'll do to these people if you get the chance." "These people?" "Damn it, Maggie." "You drank the Kool-Aid." "Do you actually think for a second that humankind has even a hope in hell in this war to end all wars?" "Let's just say I'm along for the ride, and if I find you crossing them," "I'm gonna show you exactly what you left behind." "And I don't think you're gonna like it." "Sure be something to see, though!" "Hal!" "You're right about Weaver, but... when you get down to it, well, he's right, too." "They got enough fighters." "You don't have to do this." "Yes, I do." "I actually do." "You got to stay here, and you got to take care of the civilians, just like you've been taking care of me, Matt, and Ben this whole time." "And I got to do this..." "For mom... and Ben, and for Karen." "There'll be other battles." "Not if we don't show them we're not backing down." "We got to hit them with everything we got." "We got to make them rethink this war." "Weaver can get us to Boston." "And once we get there, we're gonna blow that structure straight to hell." "Nothing I can say to you, huh?" "You could wish me luck." "Good luck." "All right, good luck." "Tom." "Mech bullets." "Thought you might need them." "Good hunting." "Dad!" "Dad, I have to talk to you." "Scott was running these tests with the transmitter, um..." "Yeah." "...trying to see if he could block the signals between the Skitters and the Mechs." "Yeah, j..." "like a, you know, a jamming signal." "Yeah." "How would... how would you even know if that worked?" "We wouldn't, but... we were running some tests, going through the frequencies." "And what?" "I could hear it." "Move out!"