Mass panic
continues worldwide

in the wake
of the so-called "Eye in the Sky Event."

Millions have taken
to the streets

after the revelation that an alien race

known as the San-Ti
are headed towards Earth.

Many nations
have deployed their militaries

in an attempt to quell the unrest.

Despite assurances that it will take
the aliens 400 years to reach Earth--

And Secretary-General Joseph
has also said that the session...

Humanity will survive this present crisis,

as we have survived all the crises before.

The Home Office
has neither confirmed nor denied

the formation of a multinational agency
dedicated to global defense.

We're not bugs!

The death toll
has been steadily rising...

The prime minister
is urging people to be calm but vigilant.

London
is burning again tonight

as riots continue after the announcement
that an alien race called the San-Ti...

The prime minister
is urging people to be calm but vigilant.

In his widely televised speech today,

he reiterated that the San-Ti
will not be here for 400 years.

Mandatory curfews
are in place

in major urban areas across the US.

We must begin preparations
for future generations today.

We started
The Stars Our Destination

to raise funds for a planetary defense.

Nothing gets done without money.

We are doing everything
in our power to protect this planet.

The Stars Our Destination.

The Stars Our Destination...

Not everyone seems
to fear the arrival of the San-Ti.

Some are welcoming...

Religious sects have emerged
devoted to the worship of the San-Ti.

To them, the aliens are saviors,
not aggressors.

Law enforcement have not determined
whether these groups are dangerous.

They are monitoring...

The revelation
has been met with despair by many.

The NHS has declared
a mental health emergency.

And with 400 years looming
until the San-Ti arrival,

the crisis appears far from over.

Thought an old friend might cheer you up.

She hasn't said a word
since her Lord told us we're all bugs.

Right. Well, I'll leave you to it.

Give us a shout if you need anything.

You're lucky.

No windows, no screens.

What do you think it's like out there?

Everyone's terrified.

People are killing themselves.

A lot of your followers.

You led them straight to hell.

Why did Vera have to die?

She taught me
how to think like a scientist.

She gave me a purpose.

Your daughter, why did she have to die?

Did you order Jack's murder?

He was smart and loyal and funny,
and you had him slaughtered.

For what?

Don't just sit there, staring at me.
Tell me why!

On the stage where my father was killed,
there was a poster.

I saw it all over Beijing that year.

A man with a hammer
smashing the Buddha, Jesus,

and a rock and roll record.

The slogan said, "Destroy the old world."

"Forge the new world."

It's the only thing
I ever agreed with the Red Guards about.

"Forge a new world."

Is that what you think you're doing?

You betrayed everyone alive,

everyone who's going to be born, for what?

So that aliens who think we're bugs
can come here and kill us all?

So that they could save us.

Didn't you see the Eye in the Sky?

Do you really think
they're still trying to save us?

No.

They learned the truth about us.

We lie. We deceive.

There's a darkness in us
that they cannot understand.

We're too dangerous to coexist with.

And it never occurred to you
that you were risking everything,

inviting a more advanced species
to conquer our world?

I was willing to risk everything.

I saw the path we were on.

- I saw where it led--
-"I," "I," I," "I."

Who gave you the right
to decide for all of us?

You know, Vera always said
you were a great physicist,

but that's not how you'll be remembered.

You're a traitor.

How will you be remembered, Jin Cheng?

As someone who fought back.

From now on, the real work
of defending humanity will happen here,

far from urban rioting,
alien worshippers, and suicide cults,

where we can plan
the defeat of the San-Ti in peace.

So, make yourselves comfortable,

Nobel laureates and jealous fucks
who think they should be.

You're gonna be here for a while.

Despite what a depressingly large number
of Neanderthals seem to believe,

the San-Ti are real.

And they have declared war on us.

I plan on fighting back.

If their Sophons can see and hear
everything, won't they know our plans?

Let them listen.

- Mr. Wade, the things they can do--
- There are things they can't do.

They can't lie.
We know that from the Evans transcripts.

And they've only got two Sophons.
They told us so themselves.

"Only"?

Only two omniscient supercomputers,
the size of protons?

That took them
millions of years to build.

Their technology moves slow.
Ours moves fast.

That's why they're
going after our research.

Fine. Let them do their worst.

But our advanced research
has been sabotaged.

How do we catch up?

We keep developing the technology
we have, and in the meantime,

we need to learn more
about the way they do things.

Let's learn from the source.

So you want to spy on them?

- You want to build a telescope.
- NASA can play with telescopes.

We're gonna launch a probe
to intercept the enemy fleet.

They sent Sophons to Earth
to learn about us.

We need to do the same to them.

Are their ships
the size of cities or thimbles?

What are their weaknesses?

We need to know the enemy
to fight the enemy.

Sir, even if
we launched a probe tomorrow--

We would meet them in about...

398 years.

They're travelling at 1% light speed.
That should be our goal as well.

Perhaps in 100 years,
1% light speed might be achievable.

But if you want to launch
a reconnaissance probe immediately,

it's simply impossible.

It's not impossible.
They did it. Why can't we?

We are not them.

No, you're not.

I hear you plan on fighting back.
So do I.

Now, there's only two Sophons.
They can be anywhere but not everywhere.

I've ordered every particle accelerator
on the planet to start up again, 24-7.

Now, how busy do you reckon
that'll keep Ma and Pa Sophon?

Not very.

One Sophon can circumnavigate
the planet in an eighth of a second.

There's 2,000 accelerators.

All right. Say you align the schedules
and have experiments

on opposite sides of the globe
happen at regular intervals.

That might keep
one Sophon going indefinitely.

Better yet, build one on the moon.

The moon?

Why not?
That's three seconds there and back.

That still leaves the other one
to paint countdowns

on people's eyes and drive them mad.

Focusing on a single target would keep
the other Sophon going constantly.

That's a huge cost for the San-Ti.

There you go.
You're working for me already.

I'm launching a reconnaissance probe
to intercept the San-Ti.

The engineers I have
are the most accomplished in the world,

but they're all fixated on feasibility.

"Everything is limited.
Nothing is possible."

Here's my challenge to you.

Find me a way to get a probe
to 1% light speed or faster,

utilizing existing technology.

If you can dream up a solution,
I want you to come to Wychwood Manor

and present your proposal.

- Want some?
- No, I'm good.

You sure? It'll help with the pain.

It's not so bad right now.

You don't have to do
the stiff-upper-lip thing, English.

I'm telling you,

when it's my turn on the rack,
I'm gonna be cryin' like a baby.

You know what? Every now and then,
my body actually feels pretty good.

Then I can just concentrate
on the sheer fucking terror of it all.

Not that I've started
believing in God, exactly, but

I've sort of taken to picturing myself
up there when it's all over.

Fuck it.
Here's what I need you to do, all right?

After I'm gone,
buy yourself a wood chipper.

- Uh-huh.
- Pop me in.

Turn me into a fine mist,
rising into the ozone.

I don't think a chipper
would aerosolize your body.

Don't be a smart-ass. All right?

This is my last will and testament.
Have some goddamn respect.

- So it shall be.

Hey, guys.

Hey.

Hi.

Are you okay?

Yeah.

The English really suck at beaches.

During the Ming Dynasty,
the Chinese Navy built a gunpowder rocket

with smaller missiles stored inside.

The result was a medieval weapon
that caused 20th-century damage.

So there is already a precedent
for achieving advanced results

using current materials.

Now, the energy required to propel
a probe of even a few kilograms

to 1% light speed is massive.

However, we do have
a source of that energy.

I mean to use our nuclear weapons.

A spaceship
filled with atomic bombs?

Perhaps you've been watching
too many Vin Diesel films.

The mass of a ship like that would make
it almost impossible to launch, anyway.

That's very true.

But as you can see on page five,
the bombs won't be on the probe.

The probe itself
would have very little mass,

making it far easier to accelerate.

And how exactly is it going to work?

That's on page 12.

I'm borrowing an old idea
from Stanislav Ullam in the 1940s,

called "Nuclear Pulse Propulsion."

Imagine a series of 1,000 nuclear devices
evenly spaced in distance,

stretching from Earth
toward the San-Ti fleet.

Now, these bombs could be
put in place using existing spacecraft.

The probe would have
a mass of under 1,000 kilograms

and be propelled by a radiation sail.

As the probe passes the first bomb,
it detonates,

accelerating it towards the second,

which detonates, accelerating it
again and again and again.

If we can precisely time the detonations
as the probe passes,

and impart 30 kilonewtons
of force on the probe per explosion,

the compounding rate of acceleration
will mean we can reach

1.12% light speed after 1,000 explosions.

Like steps on a staircase, each bomb
brings us closer to our destination.

It's a very creative notion,
but it's totally untested,

with zero margin for error--

And it would surely violate
more than a few nuclear treaties--

Not to mention the cost. Trillions?

Valid points. Dr. Cheng?

Treaties can be amended.

Our job is to come up with
a solution to a scientific problem.

It's someone else's job
to come up with the money,

and there's no version of this
that doesn't require a lot of money.

I agree, the margin for error is small.

But it's not impossible.

I compliment you, Dr. Cheng,
for this entertaining proposal.

But the only way
to truly achieve 1% light speed

is with decades of research,

not pyrotechnic stunts.

We've got 400 years, Mr. Wade.

What's a few decades?

I think it's worth pursuing.

The closer we get to them,
the more we'll know about them.

It's the first proposal I've heard
to get us to 1% in our lifetimes,

and I have no intention of dying with
my agency having accomplished fuck all.

Let's find you an office.

Scientists...

Aliens won't be here for 400 years.

It's a long time
to hoard digestive biscuits.

We've lost the plot.

Meanwhile,
an ambitious, new initiative,

"The Stars Our Destination,"

is attracting the attention
of the world's wealthiest individuals.

For donations in the reported
eight- to nine-figure range,

the richest men and women
have acquired ownership rights

over stars in the Milky Way galaxy.

- Rights which most...
- I don't get it.

It's a fundraiser for the war effort.

Bake sale for billionaires.

People make donations,
and we're gonna catch up

to the little green men
who put a giant Eye in the Sky?

At least they're doing something.

Some people are worshipping the aliens.
That's something.

We should use that money
to help people now.

Not fund a war
that's not gonna happen till 2400.

It's a good story,
though, isn't it?

It's much more exciting
to imagine a future War of the Worlds

than it is to muck around
with our current problems.

I just want a beer. Any beer.

The pub might get some in tonight,
if you're willing to fight the crowd.

Is there any chance I could preorder

five bottles of your next shipment
of really good whiskey?

What'd you have in mind?

Um... Macallan 30?

Pricey stuff.

- I've come into a bit of money.

...to join
the Strategic Intelligence Agency.

That's unavailable till the new year.
Can you wait?

I will be unavailable then, as well.

Come in.

You wanted to speak to me?

You have three minutes.

Yes, sir.

Thank you for seeing me.

- I thought--
- Open the window, would you?

It's stuffy in here.

I have to say, sir, I know this one.

The window. It's sealed shut,

and you asked me to open it to see
how I respond to an impossible task.

Do I give up? Do I use some kind of tool?

Do I break the window?

Two minutes.

Yes, sir.

I thought I comported myself well
in Panama.

Oh. You're looking for commendations?

Maybe you should go back to the Navy.

Sail around in circles
wearing a funny hat.

I don't want to go back to the Navy.
I want to work for you.

I want you to realize someone
with a background in nuclear engineering

and naval strategy
should be on your space fleet team,

and not doing office admin
or trying to open your goddamn windows.

What space fleet team?

The one designing our first ships.
You've had it going for a month.

- You don't have clearance to know that.
- I know.

- How long have you known about it?
- Two weeks.

Then you're two weeks late coming to me.

I didn't want to overstep.

If you're afraid of overstepping,
you shouldn't be here.

Put me on the space fleet team.

Done.

Thank you.

Sir.

You'll love it on Mare Imbrium.

Mare Imbrium?

On the moon?

We're building a base there.

That's where we're going to assemble
the ships. Lower gravity, larger ships.

Dangerous work,
but it'll get you your commendations,

if you survive.

Close the window on your way out.

Hi.

Oh, thank God.

How is he?

I'm glad you're done ghosting me.

Still haven't said where you were.

Raj didn't tell you?

Raj?

- You were with him?
- Oi. You made it.

Hey.

Hey, and you brought your own food.

It's for you. Little housewarming for
when you're too lazy to look at the ocean.

I love the little fella already.

Who was it that wrote the, um, uh...
The Fisherman and the Golden Fish?

It was Pushkin, I think.

Pushkin, that's it.

That's what I'll name you.

Pushkin.

That suits you.

Thanks for dinner, guys.

Uh-huh.

Hey, slow down.

I can't believe you're working
for that fascist fuck again.

I know how he comes across.

But he's a fighter,
and after everything I've been through,

everything we've been through,
how can I not help fight this?

You sound like you admire him.

I think he's trying,
which is more than most people can say.

He's a murderer.

The San-Ti declared war on us.

- That's what the Eye in the Sky was!

Has Raj told you anything about Panama?

Jesus Christ,
do you know your boyfriend at all?

- Okay, you're scaring me.
- You should ask him.

Let's see if he tells you the truth.

I will, but the San-Ti are real,
and I have to do something--

They're 400 years away.

Everyone you know and love
will be dead before they even get here.

And their kids, their grandkids, and--

- You're gonna pretend nothing's happening?
- I'm not pretending anything.

What are you even working on
for that piece of shit?

I need a radiation sail,

about five square kilometers in area,
but with a mass of less than 50 kilograms.

No.

Everything depends on this nanosail,

and there's no one
who can design it besides you.

I said no.

We've got some of the best physicists
working on this.

The resources are insane!

The last time we gave the best physicists
in the world insane resources,

they gave us Hiroshima.

No, I'm not designing a weapon.

Not yet.

Hey.

You're up early.

Oh, I'm always here at sunrise.

You know, you could have told me.

I didn't wanna worry you.

What could you have done?

I'd have been fucking furious
if you'd just... If you...

If you'd gone and just...

...not told me.

Hey.

You want me to stay a few more days?

No, I won't stand for it.

You go and save the world,
and I will be just fine right here.

Imagine this one's you, and this one's me.

'Sup, bro?

What's up?

Jin still here?

No, she left about 20 minutes ago.

How'd you leave things?

Same as always.

"Nice to see you. See you soon."

"Thanks for coming. Come back anytime."

Nothing else?

Like what?

Christ almighty, man!

You'd think that dying of all things
would make you open up for a change.

It was a nice, no-drama goodbye.

Why ruin it?

I've never seen anyone
love someone like you love her,

and you're just gonna
take that to the grave?

Wood chipper, don't forget.

If I was in your shoes,
I'd let the whole universe know.

Do you know how many times
I've played this out in my mind?

Millions.

And every time, it ends up
awkward and unfair to Jin.

Because she obviously
doesn't feel the same way.

- Maybe she does. How do you know?
- All right. Fine.

Let's say I did it, all right?

I go there, I get down on my knees,
and I compose her a fucking sonnet.

Then what? What's she gonna do?
She gonna leave her boyfriend?

Fuck him!

No, I'm... I have half a mind
to put you on a train to London

so you can say your piece...
and get it off your chest.

What is Will gonna do?

Will is not doing anything.

He is the one who wants
to send a dying man to London

to pour his heart out to a girl and ruin
their perfectly lovely friendship.

Yes. You should absolutely do that.

She has a boyfriend!

Fuck him.

It was a classified operation.

There's rules I have to follow.

I've had the same clearance
as you for a week now.

Yeah, we've barely seen one another.

When do you suppose I should've
sat you down to tell you everything?

The night you got back from Panama,

you said it was
an ordinary training exercise.

I had to.

How could you not be bothered
when 1,000 people were killed?

The people on that ship
murdered scientists.

They crippled our research so the San-Ti
can murder the rest of us more easily.

These are the people who murdered Jack.

If you had the chance,
what would you have done?

What bothers me is that you seem
so comfortable with the result.

You do realize that the work you're doing
for Wade is in preparation for war.

If you're not comfortable
being part of a war,

it doesn't make sense for you
to lead a reconnaissance mission.

Don't drag me into the mud.

What I'm doing
and what you did don't even compare.

Some of us have to do the ugly stuff
so you can keep your hands clean.

Ugh.

You think Auggie's innocent?

Her nanofibers did all the cutting.

And she's fucking gutted about it.

She's been drinking herself to sleep
every night.

You spend all your time
in a lab or behind a computer.

You think you're above it all.

But we're fighting the same war.

- All right. All right. All right.

Come on.

Okay, come on. Get up. Get up.

Come on.

- I got you. Watch your step.

I got you. Come on.

Oh shit. All right. All right.

All right. All right.
Come on. We're almost there.

You're almost there.
Here we go. Here we go.

Here we go.

♪ Somebody holds the key ♪

♪ Well, I'm near the end... ♪
- Breathe. Breathe.

It's okay.

It's okay.

It's okay.

- Shh.

♪ Can't find my way home ♪

Look, I'm sorry.

I could have said something sooner.

- Yeah.
- I should have.

Fuck, maybe you're right.
Maybe I shouldn't be working for Wade.

Well, hey. It's... it's your work.

It's the one thing you can't give up on.

Mm. Yeah.

It'll be okay.

♪ You are the reason
I've been waiting all these years ♪

♪ Somebody holds the key ♪

♪ Well, I'm near the end ♪

♪ And I just ain't got the time ♪

♪ Oh, and I'm wasted ♪

♪ And I can't find my way home ♪

Any good?

You should try it.

Reading, I mean.

Oh, I read loads.

All I've done
for the last few weeks is read

and reread the transcripts
between Evans and your Lord.

All those pages,
all those hours talking to the San-Ti,

he didn't even mention Vera,

his own child, not even once.

You said yourself,
you don't matter, I don't matter.

We're just a couple of meaningless bugs.

So why not tell us the truth?

Why did she jump?

I got careless in my messages to Evans.

Vera was always very good with computers.

She read everything.

What did she say to you?

Nothing.

Not a word.

She didn't even leave a note.

I still haven't been charged
with any crime.

No more visits. No more questions.

I'm done.

Right. We're clear
to release the prisoner at 1200 hours.

She's free to go wherever she likes,

but I want a full report of her movements
every four hours. Understood?

- Ouch.
- What?

- That's low.
- It's a compliment.

- Uh-huh.
- It is.

- Oh yeah.
- I'm just saying.

- You're just saying. That's cool.
- I'm saying I like it.

- I like you with more meat on your bones.
- Okay.

You look a little professorial,
and... and it's...

- Are you hearing this, Will?
- I am.

- Hmm.
- I'm saying he looks good.

- Oh my God. Okay, well, sorry.
- It's okay. It's cool.

You can say something mean about me.

- Just one? Just one thing?
- Just one, and we're even.

You're beautiful.

- In a boring way.

Oh wow.

Okay, I'll take it. I like it boring.

You're like a movie star,
but from really bad movies.

Like, you'd be the bad girl
in 'Speed Three'.

- 'Speed Three', really?
- Yeah, I think so.

Fuck you.

That's mean.

And that was three mean things?

Well, it's... you know...

- It's all together, though.
- Right.

- Sorry. You're right, excessive.
- It's...

You know, that mortifying trek to London
wasn't a total waste.

I realized something.

Wrong person went to go and see Jin.

She doesn't need me to go
and spill my guts to her. She's got a man.

Will, you're twice the man that he is.
I don't care what you say.

What she needs

and what she came
all the way down here for... is you.

If I had your knowledge
or an ounce of your talent,

I would give it to her on the spot.

But I don't,

so I can't.

You don't know the man she's working for.

He's a monster.

I know that she wouldn't do anything
if it wasn't right.

It's for the greater good, isn't it?

And your particular genius
would help her get there.

Auggie,

she wouldn't have come all the way
down here if she didn't need you.

No.

I'd rather stay with you.

And even you.

I think the holiday's almost over.

Which one is that?

Beta blocker.

Probably better
to tell him now than later.

- He won't like this.
- Should we go in there with you?

He'll like that even less.

Yeah?

There's a problem.

More than one.

- With Staircase.
- Mm-hmm.

All the propulsion
is coming from the bombs.

The probe doesn't have
any way to decelerate.

Yeah?

So, with the probe going
1% light speed one way,

and the enemy going
1% light speed the other way,

we'd have a few nanoseconds
to gather information on the fleet.

That won't be a problem.

And we have to assume
that they know the spy probe is coming

because of the Sophons.

They'll destroy it.

- That won't be a problem either.
- Why won't it be a problem?

They won't destroy the probe.

So, they're just gonna let it
sail through the fleet and take pictures?

They'll pick it up.

Pick it up?

We're not sending a camera.

We're sending a human being.

Hello, madam.

Spare a pound or two for humanity?

Oh, uh...

Sorry.

Oh, it's fine.

Maybe next time.

It's all right. Thank you.

Tell Wade Augustina Salazar is here.

There's a Ms. Salazar
for Mr. Wade.

Yeah. Send her through.

Dr. Cheng gave you her location.

That's a breach of security.

So fire us both.

I know
you can hear me if you want to.

You have learned that we are liars.

You no longer trust us,
so now you are coming to stamp us out.

All because of me, the first liar you met.

I'm an old woman whose old beliefs
have led us down this terrible path.

But I still have
an idea or two left in me.

And centuries from now,
there may well be a fair fight.

Or no fight at all.

Ah.

Thank you so much.

♪ Swinging in the backyard ♪

♪ Pull up in your fast car ♪

♪ Whistlin' my name ♪

♪ Open up a beer ♪

♪ And you say, "Get over here" ♪

♪ "And play a video game" ♪

♪ I'm in his favorite sundress ♪

♪ Watchin' me get undressed ♪

♪ Take that body downtown ♪

♪ I say, "You the bestest" ♪

♪ Lean in for a big kiss ♪

♪ Put his favorite perfume on ♪

♪ Go play your video game ♪

♪ It's you, it's you, it's all for you ♪

♪ Everything I do ♪

♪ I tell you all the time ♪

♪ Heaven is a place on earth with you ♪

♪ Tell me all the things you wanna do... ♪

I, um...

I, uh... I have an appointment
for William Downing.

Ah, yes, Mr. Downing.

Do you know much about
The Stars Our Destination?

We could begin
with the interactive presentation.

No, that won't be necessary.
I've already made up my mind.

I'm here to buy a star.

♪ It's you, it's you, it's all for you ♪

♪ Everything I do ♪

♪ I tell you all the time ♪

♪ Heaven is a place on earth with you ♪

♪ Tell me all the things you wanna do ♪

♪ I heard that you like the bad girls ♪

♪ Honey, is that true? ♪

♪ It's better than I ever even knew ♪

♪ They say that the world
Was built for two ♪

♪ Only worth living ♪

♪ If somebody is loving you ♪

♪ And, baby, now you do ♪

♪ Now, now you do ♪

♪ Now you do ♪

♪ Now, now you do ♪

♪ Now you do ♪

♪ Now, now you do ♪

♪ Now you do ♪

♪ Now you do ♪

♪ Now, now you do ♪

♪ Now you do ♪

♪ Now you do ♪

♪ It's you, it's you, it's all for you ♪

♪ Everything I do ♪

♪ I tell you all the time ♪

♪ Heaven is a place on earth with you ♪

♪ Tell me all the things you wanna do ♪

♪ I heard that you like the bad girls ♪

♪ Honey, is that true? ♪

♪ It's better than I ever even knew ♪

♪ They say that the world
Was built for two ♪

♪ Only worth living ♪

♪ If somebody is loving you ♪

♪ And, baby, now you do ♪

♪ Now, now you do ♪

♪ Now you do ♪

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