Now, the beta synchrotron...
sends the electrons through this magnet...
which bends the force of them down to the reaction vessel.
Stay away from that elbow joint.
All right. Bran, you want to get that?
Now, this is a tunable excimer laser.
It's tuned to the exact resonance...
of the plutonium-239...
that's in the reaction vessel down at that end.
Now I think we're all set. Hit it.
Now, watch your eyes. Roper!
This is where the electrons bombard the stuff...
lasers ionize it, and send it off to the condenser.
Now it's a conductive element.
Down to the condenser.
This is where it gets converted into its liquid metallic state.
Would you repeat that, please?
This is where it's converted...
into its liquid metallic state!
This all happened about fifty seconds ago.
It's the purest plutonium in the universe.
Pretty, isn't it?
- Ninety-nine percent? - No.
Have some of that French bubbly.
All right! You popped it.
Here we go.
Bob, what do you think?
A weapon this big...
with twenty times the punch of anything anybody's got?
- Is he kidding? - No. He did it, all right.
It's a brilliant achievement.
He'd get the Nobel if he could publish.
- Publish? - I said 'If. "'
All right, I want a prototype facility...
fully operational before Geneva, if possible.
Everything goes through Energy in Washington.
Need to know, S.C.I. clearance.
Set him up, whatever he needs...
someplace quiet, away from prying eyes...
and keep an eye on him.
Let's see about a Swiss bank to put all this money in.
There we go.
Hi, mom.
Paul, it's 4:30 in the morning.
What's the book?
I don't know-some cheap novel.
come on. I'll buy you a drink.
Be careful. It's hot.
What? What's the matter?
You're growing so fast.
Yeah, but that's no reason to have a nervous breakdown.
come here.
We gotta get you a valium or some heroin or something.
Hurry up. He's coming.
- Hey, what is that? - Nitrogen triiodide.
What's it do?
Unstable with respect to shock.
- What's that mean? - Once it dries...
if you touch it, it explodes.
Paul, you're crazy.
You say that like it's a bad thing.
- Whose drawer? - Roland's.
Poor Roland.
Eh, he'll love it. Builds character.
He's coming.
Hi ya, Roland. Listen, could I borrow your English notes?
You've got to be kidding.
But I lent you my math homework at least ten times.
Sorry, Stephens. It's a dog-eat-dog world out there.
I gotta look out for number one.
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.
Last time, we learned that plutonium is perfectly suited...
for the release of enormous amounts of energy...
due to its ability to fission...
under the action of slow neutrons.
Now here we have the isotope...
plutonium-239...
and here we have two very interesting inventions...
based on this.
Now, can anyone tell us the principle...
behind the implosion device?
Paul, could you enlighten us?
Yes. Your implosion design simply uses...
a chemical high-explosive to squeeze a subcritical piece...
of weapons-grade plutonium-239 until it's supercritical...
thereby producing an atomic explosion.
- Thank you, Roland. - Thank you, Mr. Wilkie.
He did it! Him! Paul Stephens! He's sick!
- Hiya, Jen. - Hi, Paul.
- Did you lose something? - It's so dumb!
I locked my car keys in the glove compartment...
because I always lose them.
So now I've lost the keys to the glove compartment.
Dumb, right?
Have you got a nail file in there?
- Yeah, why? - Let me see it.
- What are you gonna do? - Don't worry about it.
- It's a new car. - Trust me.
That was terrible, you know.
- What? - Roland.
Terrible? I thought it was very effective.
Not bad. Thanks. Where did you learn that?
clA, child recruitment program.
Listen, what are you doing Sunday night?
- Nothing. Why? - You want to study?
- You mean together? - Uh-huh.
- What about Mr. Perfect? - Who? Eric?
Don't worry about Eric. He's just pretty.
- So what do you say? - Sure.
My house, OK? 115 North Highland near Thurston.
You gonna write it down?
8:00, all right? I have to baby-sit my little brother.
Ah, baby-sitting. Does he bite?
No. I'm the one that bites.
Stephens, how about it?
- Excuse me, doctor? - Yeah.
Hi. I'm Elizabeth Stephens.
- Please have a seat. - Thanks.
could you spell this for me, doctor?
I can't seem to read your writing.
M- a-t-h-e-w-s-o-n. John Mathewson.
And you're interested in a one bedroom sublet, furnished?
Any special requirements?
It should be quiet and in an english-speaking country.
I thinkwe can handle that.
- Children? - No. No children.
Pets?
No pets, no children, no flamenco dancing.
- So it's just you and... - Just me and my books.
And my memories, of course.
We have a very nice garden condominium on sublet.
New building, good neighborhood...
500 a month including utilities.
- The particulars are inside. - No, no, that's OK.
- You don't like it? - I love it. I'll take it.
- You'll take it? - Yeah.
- Just like that? - Uh-huh.
Without looking at it?
Well, you said it was nice, didn't you?
Well... OK.
That was easy.
I'm very easy.
Well, I guess that's that.
And if there's anything else I can do...
Well, as a matter of fact, there is one thing.
can I ask you a question?
The thing is, I've been here for six weeks...
down at the Carriage House Motel...
and I don't know a soul in town...
and you've been so nice...
I thought...
perhaps some night you'd let me buy you dinner.
Is that crazy?
- I can't, no. - No? Really?
It's sweet of you, but it's quite impossible.
No, hey. I understand. You have something.
Well, if you'll excuse me...
I'll go back to my room and watch them rewrap the soap.
- It's not that bad, is it? - It's not wonderful.
Paul, come say hi.
Dr. Mathewson, this is my son Paul.
Your son? Oh, I-I didn't realize you...
Look, this is terrible. I feel like a perfect ass.
Nobody's perfect.
I'm sorry. That was not called for.
As a matter of fact, my husband and I are separated.
Oh. I mean...
Hi, Paul. I'm John.
You a science buff?
Lasers. Fantastic thing, these lasers.
You ever seen one in the flesh?
- Would you like to? - Sure.
Well, the funny coincidence is...
I just happen to have access to one of the sexiest lasers...
in the entire free world.
And if your mom says it's OK, you come on down to the lab...
and I will give you the grand tour, laser heaven.
In return, I get to take you and your mom to dinner Sunday.
Deal?
State your name and business.
Hi. My name is Paul Stephens...
and I'm here to see Dr. Mathewson.
Come through the gate and up to the main building.
Would you put these on...
and see that gentleman over there, please?
Thank you.
The laser will fire in twelve minutes.
Please clear the access areas.
- Hey, what are those things? - Motion detectors.
Really? What do they do?
Anything that moves, they detect it.
Three yellow suits to the loading dock, please.
Jack, pick up on five.
Harry, seven-two, seven-two.
Dr. Mathewson!
So, what do you think?
- Not bad. - Not bad?
I just cut through a steel plate with a beam of light.
He says it's not bad.
The copper-vapor laser...
is the most powerful one I've ever worked with.
Down here's the main reaction chamber-
reaction column, the vacuum assembly-
and everything back there in the cage, that's the assay area.
Everything's run by the robot.
So, what did your old man do for a living?
Taught architecture at Cornell.
- What's that? - What?
That stuff.
Oh, that's lubricating oil for the robot.
No, that green stuff in those bottles.
Oh, that. That's americium-241.
It's one of the things we make here.
Come on. I'll show you the grounds down by the lakes.
It's beautiful down there.
So where is he now, your father?
- Saudi Arabia. - Really? What happened?
I guess he didn't like being married anymore.
Some guys don't know when they're well off.
Actually, he's a brilliant architect.
He's just kind of a shit in his personal life, that's all.
So, uh, you gonna go out with Elizabeth?
- Elizabeth? - My mother.
Oh, right, Elizabeth.
I don't know. That's pretty much up to her, I guess.
She's quite an unusual woman, your mother. Don't you think?
Excuse me?
Your mother?
Yeah, right-very unusual.
Everything OK?
No more for me. My head is spinning.
No, it's good for the head to spin. It keeps it stable.
Paul, you haven't even touched yours.
Oh, no, thank you. I don't drink wine.
- Oh, why is that? - It impairs my judgment.
- What's the matter? - Air conditioning.
- Here, take- - Here, take-
I left my sweater in Dr. Mathewson's car.
Would you be a sweetheart?
So when he was six years old...
he started getting up at 2:00 every morning...
and staying up, you know, till-
Here you go, mom.
- Ah. Is that better? - Yes. Thanks, sweetheart.
Thank you very much for dinner. It was very stimulating.
- Are you leaving? No dessert? - Sorry, I have a date.
Wait, wait. I didn't give you your present.
- Present? - It's a brain teaser.
You have to get each of the four balls in the corners.
A colleague of mine from M.I.T. invented it.
He's a games theorist, wants to market it.
He says anyone who can do it inside of two minutes-
I guess I'm gonna have to come up with something harder.
Plus which...
there are only two uses in the world for plutonium-
in weapons and in reactors, right?
So if they're making reactors...
why would they say it's medical?
And if it is medical...
why are they fooling around with plutonium?
It doesn't make any sense.
How do you know it's plutonium? Maybe it's something else.
It's not. It's little flakes of plutonium in a green gel.
It's called a scintillant.
Why would he just invite you inside? It's crazy.
So, he's crazy. Look what he does for a living.
He's hot for my mother. He figures I'm a dumb kid.
He's hot for your mother? Really?
You got a knife or a screwdriver or something?
That's the drawer.
Plus which, he's got all these security clearances.
I don't know what they are.
Los Alamos, Livermore Labs, Oak Ridge.
Do you know what they make at Oak Ridge?
What?
Nuclear warheads.
- So, what are you saying? - I'm saying he lied, OK
At the very least. He invites me out there...
and then he lies, like I'm some kind of a wimp.
I think you're overreacting.
- To what? - I don't know.
Oedipal jealousy, maybe.
Oedipal jealousy? What's that? Psychology class?
Does this look like Oedipal jealousy?
- What is that? - What does it look like?
A five-leaf clover. Where did you find it?
Growing outside that lab.
You know the odds on that kind of mutation...
happening naturally, without chemicals...
or radiation or something?
- What? - There are none.
I looked it up. It's like a billion to one.
- It never happens. - Maybe you're just very lucky.
Oh, my God. Who knows about this?
Just us.
- We should do something. - What?
I don't know. Tell somebody- a newspaper, my father.
I mean, you can't just waltz into town...
and set up a bomb factory next to people's houses.
It's not a factory. It's more like a laboratory.
What's the difference? It's nuclear, right?
You have to have hearings.
You have to let the community know about it.
- There are laws. - It's a government lab.
They're not gonna let anybody in there to look around.
They let you in.
A fluke. The guy was horny, so he took a chance.
So we do nothing? Is that it?
What do you suggest we do? March on Washington?
My parents happen to have met at a march on Washington.
Really? Very sixties. Were you born at a Stones concert?
This isn't funny. Do you knowwhat this is like?
It's like when you read about, I don't know...
Anne Frank or something, and you say to yourself...
"'Jesus, why didn't they do something?"'
The whole world was collapsing.
They just sat around, life as usual...
"Maybe it will go away. "'
But it never goes away. It only gets worse.
Nobody thinks about the future. What's the matter?
Who's Anne Frank?
A girl in my English class. What are you looking at?
The storm- there's a storm coming.
So?
The lab. They've got a security system there-
TV cameras, motion detectors, all kinds of stuff-
only the thing is, it's all electric.
So?
Lightning. Lightning. Don't you get it?
- No. - We can get in there.
Gort? But he's a robot. Without you, what could he do?
There's no limit to what he could do.
He could destroy the earth.
If anything should happen to me, you must go to Gort.
You must say these words-
"Klaatu barada nikto. "'
Please repeat that.
Klaatu...
barada nikto.
That's very bad for you.
Lots of stuff is bad for you.
could you come here for a minute?
- Hello. We're home. - Jen?
Hi, mom. Hi, dad.
It's gonna come down. Hello, sweetheart.
This is Paul Stephens from my science class.
Very pleased to meet you both.
- Barnaby asleep? - Uh-huh.
Hey, Chocolate chocolate chip. What do you say?
I was just gonna drive Paul home, actually.
- OK. OK. Raincheck, then. - Sorry.
Drive carefully. They're predicting some flooding.
There it is. German car, right? Figures.
- Incredible. - What?
Dr. Strangelove is in there...
hitting on my mother and watching my tapes.
- Paul. - What?
What if there's more than one guard?
No. The whole place is set up...
so it can be watched by one person.
Look, trust me. It's brilliant.
Besides, what can they do to us anyway?
We're kids. It's a prank, right?
Hello? Anybody home?
State your name and business, please.
Where are you?
You're on a remote intercom, ma'am.
What seems to be the problem?
This isn't Baker North, is it?
No. This is Medatomics Company.
Where's Baker North? I've been driving around for an hour.
The campus is on the other side of town, ma'am.
What's wrong?
I don't know. I'm supposed to meet my sister...
and I think there's something wrong with the car...
and I'm a little scared.
OK. Come on through.
Tell me when.
OK, get ready.
Now.
Thank you so much.
Your left front tire's flatter than a pancake.
- Oh, no. Really? - Take it easy.
We'll get you fixed up.
Some night, huh? You got a spare?
A spare what?
A spare tire.
Yes. Information...
you got a phone number for emergency road service?
Yeah, I'll hold.
Excuse me. Call you back.
central office?
Charlie? Ben Bozeman over at Medatomics.
Is it raining down there? Well, it is here.
Electric storm. It's fritzing up the whole system.
What? No.
Radiation checkpoints are OK.
What can I tell you? There's thunder and lightning.
I keep getting these brownouts.
What?
Of course I did. They're just flipping over.
You knowthese damn things.
Every time you get a power surge, they go crazy.
What?
A and B corridor just both went at once...
if you can believe that.
Tell you what, I'm gonna do an on-site check...
and wait till the storm passes to reset. OK
I hate to go in there, Charlie.
They got stuff in there that zaps your gonads right out.
What seems to be the trouble?
You know something? This jack isn't going to work.
This jack is Mickey Mouse.
- Hey, Ben. - Hey, Terry.
Looks like rain. What do you think?
What's the matter?
Damn storm fritzed up the whole system.
- Did you call it in? - Did I call it in?
To tell you the truth...
I'd rather have one good dog than all that fancy equipment.
Why don't you give me a hand?
- Where's the lug nuts? - The what?
The things that hold the wheel on.
Um, what do they look like?
Well? Oh, my God.
You were brilliant. All that crying with the guard.
Thanks. Can we get out of here now?
Genius.
That's some sweetie, huh?
Come on, now, you're a married man.
A man can still have a little snack between meals, can't he?
Good-bye, sweetheart.
All right. First thing tomorrow we take it to Dr. Nicci.
- Who? - Bob Nicci.
A friend of my father's in the chemistry department.
- He'll verify what it is. - I told you what it is.
Yeah, but I need a second source for my article...
like Woodward and Bernstein.
Who's that?
- Article, huh? - Yeah. Why?
I have another thought.
Paul, that's very sick.
I thought you wanted proof. That's proof.
But we have the stuff. Isn't that enough?
- Enough for what? - An article. An expos�.
In, like, Rolling Stone. I bet they'd publish it.
Rolling Stone? Come on.
Who's gonna care about a couple of kids...
who stole some stuff from a lab somewhere?
You want a story?
Write one about a kid who builds an atomic bomb.
Do you realize what you're saying?
- Yes! - You are weird.
I'm weird? I didn't make that stuff.
No. It's too dangerous, isn't it?
It's just a piece of equipment like a toaster or a clock.
A bunch of parts that have to be put together...
so you just never put them together.
Look, people used to be afraid of cars...
because they didn't understand them.
cars don't kill people.
cars have killed more people...
than all the atomic bombs that were ever made.
That's not a logical argument.
I'm not talking about logic.
I'm talking about the first privately built...
nuclear device in the history of the world.
Well, thankyou for a very interesting evening.
- Science fair. Really? -45th annual science something.
You get to go to New York.
Oh, that's the same one that Roland's entering, huh?
"'Retinal deprivation and auditory enhancement...
in the common cricetus. "' Zoology?
Uh-huh. I'm gonna raise a generation of hamsters...
in the dark and see if it improves their hearing.
Oh. That's kind of a weird experiment.
The field's wide open. I think I've got a chance to win.
Well, then, go for it.
It's great to see someone turn over a new leaf.
c4, high explosive.
It's very stable. It's fantastic stuff.
Just don't be around when it goes off, OK
Say, Paulie, what are you going to do with this stuff?
No. Don't tell me. Make it sixty.
So, you been down to the garage much?
A little. How's the army?
Eh, it's a living, right? Take care, genius.
Don't blow yourself up.
Dr. Wilson, got a minute?
This is lot thirteen.
It's completely flat.
- Did you recheck it? - Yeah. Three times.
Run a full spec analysis, and keep this between us, OK
Sure. Yeah.
Water, citric acid, sodium laureth sulfate...
- What the hell is it? - It's shampoo.
Shampoo?
We think either one of the generic local brands...
or maybe something called Alberto's VO5, plus glitter.
Glitter?
Shredded aluminum foil like they use on a greeting card.
Thankyou, Howard.
Somebody has a pretty weird sense of humor.
John, the timekey record has you in the building...
four weeks ago Sunday night, 11:08 PM., out at 11:49.
- This is a mistake. - You weren't here?
- Somebody was, with your card. - That's impossible.
Look, Miles, it's a computer. They're not infallible.
Wait a minute.
Wasn't that the night of that big electrical storm?
I don't know. So what?
- Oh, my God! - What?
Well, there's your answer. There was a power dropout...
and you had some garbage in the system.
It says right here, "Mathewson, 11:08 PM."'
I know, but do me a favor. Just check it out, will you?
I mean, you know these guys. It's like cabin fever.
It happens all the time. I'm sure it'll turn up again.
cabin fever?
When I was at Livermore, there were two guys with mice-
It's a significant amount. I have to report it.
Oh, come on. They'll be all over us!
Look, I'm on a crash program here.
You want to bring everything to a dead stop...
just because you've got a little glitch?
I'm sorry, John. I don't make the rules.
Listen, can I talk to Paul?
Paul's away till tomorrow night.
Oh? Where?
New York. He has a project in a science fair.
He didn't tell you?
No. What kind of project?
Something at school, guinea pigs-no, hamsters.
Why, what's up?
Oh, it's nothing.
I just had some tickets to the ball game.
- Oh, gosh. - What?
They need me on the floor.
Listen, what hotel is he at?
The New York Penta.
OK, great. Maybe I'll give him a ring, OK
Great. Well, listen, I better go. Bye-bye.
You're saying you never actually went inside...
and saw what he was doing?
- No. - Why not?
He never asked me. What's the problem?
Was he sexually abusing the hamsters or something?
You're in section ninety-six. That's in the balcony.
The judges are circulating now...
and final eliminations start at 3:00.
- Do you have accommodations? - I'm a guest of the hotel.
- What is that? - The key to the room.
Ah, very scientific.
Hey, Roland, what do you say?
Keep away. Just keep away from me.
- Good luck, Roland. - Yeah, sure.
Keep in touch.
My project has to do with tracking Halley's comet...
for the duration that it will be here.
Halley's comet will be most visible...
What are you doing after the fair?
- Tonight? - Yeah, tonight.
Electrodes discharge...
which makes an impact with the atom...
- What number are we? - Ninety-six.
There we are.
Wow, look at her.
OK. So we set it up...
and right before the elimination...
We go downstairs to the car. We bring it up here.
We unveil it. We win first prize.
We get to go on television.
Am I leaving anything out?
Just the part where we get shot for treason.
- That's great. - Maybe we can go tonight.
OK. Sure.
It's downtown.
Where's your badge? You got to have a badge.
- Jenny. - Gelser.
- Dwayne. - Joe.
- Jeffrey. - What is that?
Nothing special. Just some microwaves.
I invented a way of using insects...
as a dietary supplement for humans.
Beetles, ants, mosquitoes.
You grind them up- low cholesterol.
Shut up, Eccles. That's disgusting.
My project is quite fascinating.
I took six common toads...
and froze them in liquid nitrogen for six months.
- Why? - Wouldn't you like to know?
My project is a study of social behavior in elevators...
how people react under pressure.
Her eyes moved away.
Don't you like me? She doesn't like me.
You'll have to excuse him. He's got a hormone imbalance.
What's your project?
Oh, nothing. Just some hamsters.
He's lying. He blinked.
They're all afraid of the competition.
What's the difference. It's not if you win...
it's how you play the game, right?
No, it's if you win.
Dr. Mathewson, Lieutenant Colonel Conroy.
Defense nuclear agency.
- Hi. How are you? - I've been better.
So, somebody took your magic beans...
and built himself a firecracker, is that it?
That's it.
How big a bang are we talking about?
Fifty kilotons, give or take.
Doctor, unless I'm mistaken...
fifty kilotons could just about evaporate a small city.
That's right.
Good Christ! And a kid put this thing together?
Yeah. Kinda makes you think, doesn't it?
Any idea who he's working with?
I don't think he's working with anybody.
I think he did it by himself.
- What for? - I don't know.
Maybe to see if he could do it.
- That's crazy! - It's a crazy world.
OK, how's this?
"'Paul Stephens, a high-school student from Ithaca, New York...
"'unveiled a homemade atomic bomb...
"'at the 45th annual science fair today...
"'thereby becoming the first private citizen...
"to join the nuclear club...
"'an exclusive group whose other members include...
"the United States, the Soviet Union...
Great Britain, France, and China. "'
If I'm in the nuclear club, do I get a jacket?
You get anything you want.
- Jenny. - What?
I never thought I'd say this to anybody, but...
I got to go get the atomic bomb out of the car.
Oh, yeah?
- Hi, Dr. Mathewson. - Is this him?
Paul, what the hell do you think you're doing?
Well, I thought we might start with some kissing...
and then move into the fancy stuff.
cute, real cute.
Normal background radiation. I don't think it's here.
- Wow. What is that? - Neutron detector.
- Really? Who makes those? - Don't try my patience, boy.
come on, Paul.
Get that stuff near the typewriter.
What's that over there?
Excuse me, this is a private room.
Who are you?
My name is Jennifer Anderman. My father's a lawyer.
Good. You're gonna need him.
You know you can't come in here without a warrant.
- It's unconstitutional. - Yeah, what is this, Russia?
You have exactly 10 seconds to come up with that damn thing.
I demand to make a phone call. They can't do this, Paul.
It's illegal search and seizure.
Would you please escort this young lady outside?
Don't you touch me! I want to know the charges!
- Yeah. - The charges? OK.
How about theft of government property...
transportation of stolen goods, reckless endangerment...
violation of the nuclear regulatory act...
and conspiracy to commit espionage.
Is that good enough for starters?
You're in a peck of trouble, son.
You're not as smart as you think.
Colonel, we're not going to accomplish anything like this.
When I want your expert advice, doctor, I'll ask for it.
- We demand to see a lawyer. - When I say so.
Listen, I gave you an order. This isn't a goddamn debate.
- If you would just- - Get your hands off me!
I am making a phone call. Don't you touch me!
Everybody, quiet!
Let's all just get a little grip.
Now, we did kind of burst in here.
Look, colonel, what do you say...
me and Paul, we take a little walk, just the two of us?
I'm sure we can work this whole thing out.
What do you say, Paul?
colonel?
You have five minutes.
Thanks.
- Kind of upset in there, huh? - I don't know why.
It's just some lubricating oil for the robot.
Oh, what did you want us to do?
Put up a neon sign saying "secret weapons laboratory"'?
I wish the world were a simpler place, Paul, but it's not.
Well, don't worry about it. They can't do anything to me.
- Why not? - I'm underage.
Oh, that's really brilliant.
What do you think this is, the school play?
They don't care how old you are or how cute.
They're gorillas. They can hurt you. Don't you get it?
You try to tough it out with them...
they'll lock you in a room somewhere...
and throw away the room.
It's really that important to you, huh?
It's not just to me, Paul. To everybody.
Now, what do you say?
That's better. Where is it?
Oh, no, no. Not now.
What do you mean not now? When?
- After the fair. - Oh, come on, Paul.
But it's got to be judged. I'm going to win first prize.
You're joking.
No. Did you see the junk they got down there?
Paul, forget the science fair.
It's over. No more science fair.
Look, this is top-secret stuff.
Nobody sees this, not ever.
You could start a war, for Christ's sake.
Now stop screwing around before it's too late.
Paul, for God's sake.
It was here, I swear! Jenny must have taken it.
The girl hasn't been out of our sight.
Then somebody must have stolen it.
- Oh, Jesus. - Come with us now, please.
- Now, just a minute. - We'll take it from here.
Yeah, but he's telling the truth!
Fine! Then he has nothing to worry about.
It was in a box! A toolbox!
My dad, he gave it to me right before he left.
We really have to know where it is, Paul.
I already told you, I don't know.
Look, guys, I got to go-
come on, guys. There's... What is that?
Just to relax you, to help you remember.
But I already told you, I put it in the trunk. I swear.
But it wasn't in the trunk, was it?
Just relax.
- You want the truth? - That would be nice.
The truth is you guys are a bunch of assholes...
and when I get out-
Very hostile, Paul.
Just hold him. I can do it through the shirt.
Oh, what the hell?
Hey, you!
Is that thing really a nuclear device?
- Uh-huh. - Far out!
Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention?
Your attention please, ladies and gentlemen.
It gives me great pleasure on behalf of the judges...
- Night vision. Army surplus. - The lights are on.
You took it. How?
Simple. Hotel computer...
got your girlfriend's name- Jenny Anderman-
accessed the department of motor vehicles...
for the make and license on the car.
- What's wrong? - They gave him an injection.
Probably sodium amytal.
Do you have a bitter taste in your mouth?
Just keep him moving. He'll be OK.
- Have you got enough money? - What for?
To get away. This place is crawling with feds!
I have a credit card.
No, cash. Come on. Money, money!
- You owe me eighty dollars. - What's wrong?
You guys are beautiful guys, you know?
- OK, OK. Send me a letter. - Why are you doing this?
Because life, my dear, is more than just freezing toads.
I got a taxi. The coast is clear. Come on.
All right, folks. Where to today?
- Ithaca. - Funny kid.
- Ithaca? - Shh. Plan.
Hey, mister, I bet you can't guess what I got in this box.
- A human head? - Wrong. An atomic bomb.
- Hey, you want to see? - Not really.
Driver, if you only had $87, and you had to get to Ithaca...
what would you do?
come on.
Safe.
You sav-ed us.
Great.
Jenny. I love you, Jenny.
I want to be your wife.
Excuse me, can I help you?
Mrs. Elizabeth Stephens?
Lieutenant Colonel Conroy, U.S. Army Delta Force.
These men are with the nuclear emergency search team...
a duly authorized government agency.
I'm empowered to take over these premises...
as a temporary crisis center.
Nuclear emergency what? What's happening?
It's Paul. Something happened.
He's all right. At least, I think he is.
"'Paul Jacob Stephens, born Ithaca, New York...
"February 14, 1970.
"'Mother, Elizabeth Adams Stephens...
"admitted maternity ward 6:20 PM...
given twenty-five milligrams demerol. "'
Good work. That's gonna be real useful.
We have a recent photograph of your family.
You and your husband were separated...
six months ago, is that it?
Yes. Would you mind not bending that picture?
Since then, has your son had any nightmares...
anxiety, or spells of depression?
You mean, is he normal?
Does he eat an excessive amount of sweets?
What?
He got 7 new cavities during this past school year...
and only one the prior year.
Hypoglycemic mood swings. Attendant paranoia.
Does he feel that people don't like him?
That he's special or different?
Is he unhappy with the present political system?
Seven cavities? Are you sure?
Both state and federal authorities...
are looking for him and a female companion...
in connection with what appears to be...
a nuclear burglary case.
Official sources say...
that what seemed to be an innocent prank...
may turn out to compromise the American defense posture...
with overtones of espionage and international terrorism.
Barbara Collins has more in New York.
Stephens? A very disturbed person.
Definitely the criminal type.
- Paul. - What?
- Let's just give it back. - Not yet. Tomorrow.
- What are you going to do? - Get you your article.
I don't know. It's getting pretty weird.
Don't give up now. Not when we got 'em.
- We've got them? - Sure.
Come on. If it was easy, it'd be easy.
What about nobody doing anything? Remember?
What about the future? What about all that?
If we get killed, we won't have any future.
Of course we will. You always have a future.
Apple?
Come on. Let's get some sleep.
All I'm saying is, it would be easier if you accepted...
that he wasn't an innocent victim in all this.
Yes, I know. He's the criminal. That makes it all so simple.
He did do some things that are against the law.
Maybe there's a higher law.
- A what? - A higher law.
What are you saying? He did it for ethics?
For reasons of conscience?
Who do you think he is, Galileo? He's a kid.
Kids don't have reasons. They just do things.
What do you know about children?
I used to be one.
- You don't know him. - Oh, but I do.
He's got a gift, and he wants to use it, that's all.
It's as natural as breathing.
Don't make him into some kind of an activist.
What?
Who are these people? They're in my house.
What gives them the right?
They know about everything. They know about his teeth.
Look, it's almost 6:00 in the morning. You're exhausted.
Why don't you do something, for God's sake?
What do you suggest?
I don't know. Blow them up. That's your field, isn't it?
Look, he's a very resourceful kid.
He's gonna be OK.
I hope so, because if anything happens to him-anything...
if one hair on his head is harmed-
I promise you, I'm going to find all of you people...
and I'm going to make your lives absolutely miserable.
Who? Yes, I'll accept. Hello, Paul?
Hi, mom. Don't get crazy.
Paul, what's going on? They're saying all kinds of things.
Paul, did you build an atomic bomb?
- Only a little one. - Oh, my God!
Look, I'm OK. I don't have much time.
I need to get a message to John.
- I'm here, Paul. - What?
It's me, Paul. It's John.
You're there in the house?
- They're all here, Paul. - Who all?
Lots of government men. The army. It's like an invasion.
- Jesus, are you OK? - Yes.
Are you gonna give them what they want?
Yes, but I want something in return.
- What? - A statement.
What kind of statement?
From you, signed by you, about the lab-
what it is, where it is, what happens inside, everything.
- What for? - I just want it.
I can't do that. I've signed a security clearance.
I'll go to jail. You'll go to jail.
Look, that's the deal. The gadget for the statement.
Now, come on. I don't have much time.
OK. What do I do, type something up?
- That'll do for starters. - Starters?
Just meet me at the lab in one hour. Main gate.
Why the lab?
Because that's what I want.
And make sure that we can get inside.
I want photographs, too.
- Photographs? Come on, Paul. - Yeah, lots of photographs.
And tell your pals no funny stuff.
I'm very tense, and there's no telling what I might do.
- Take it easy. You're fine. - No, I'm a terrorist.
Haven't you been watching television?
Paul, what are you talking about?
Look, he trusts me. Let me do it.
I'll get it back. That's what we want, isn't it?
How do we know this thing won't be armed?
- Armed? - That's right.
He used the phrase, "'I'm a terrorist. "'
Here.
"No, I'm a terrorist.
Haven't you been watching television?"'
You people really live in your own world, don't you?
Well, we don't have the luxury of living in yours.
Are you sure you want to do this?
Look, it'll take me about five minutes...
to make it to the main gate. You know what to do?
Drive to the bait shop and make the call.
- You got change? - Yeah.
I'll do it. Don't worry.
- What else? - Don't forget to focus.
Piece of cake.
This is unit one. The package has arrived, and it's hot.
Is that it?
What is that, a cat box?
You got the statement?
Could you open it and hand it to me, please?
What's D.O.E.?
Department of Energy.
- They're the guys who- - Yeah.
Let's go.
You don't want to really go inside the building?
Paul, it's dangerous.
That's what makes it so exciting.
Of course.
So, Paul, why the big push for publicity?
Well, I was thinking, this is such a neat place...
people ought to know about it.
No, really.
They got lots of cool equipment, robots, plutonium.
Why keep it a secret?
They should have tours, like Disneyland.
Paul, you may be having some fun right now, but-
I'm not having any fun.
I'm scared out of my mind, but I don't have any choice.
Of course you do. Just give me the box.
- Oh, yeah, great. - Why not?
Are you kidding? Do you think they're gonna let me go home...
knowing what I know about this place?
Jesus, you're more naive than I thought.
So what do you think they're gonna do?
I think they're gonna try and kill me.
Oh. Why?
That's what I would do if I was them.
- That's purely hypothetical. - No, it's perfectly logical.
I'm the leak, so plug the leak.
What are you gonna do?
Don't worry. I'm working on it.
Max. Thank God.
Jenny? Jesus, what's going on? You guys have been on the news.
Someone said there was a helicopter at Paul's house.
Listen, Max, you got to do two things for us, OK
It's a matter of life and death.
- Yeah, sure. Whose? - Everybody's.
First, call my parents...
and then call two people. I don't care who.
And have them call two people.
And call the newspaper and the TV station.
- Are you listening? - Yeah! Go ahead.
OK, there's a place called Medatomics Company on Route 81.
This is position two.
They're coming through, approaching the detector.
OK, position two, we copy.
He's got it, all right.
There's the core, explosive package...
electronics, tamper, batteries.
- Nice design, actually. - Is it armed?
- Nope. - You certain?
Mm-hmm. It's all in sections.
We know it's not armed, Paul...
so I want you to just put it down and walk away.
- Walk away? - That's right.
I'm gonna count to three.
- Hey, let me talk to him. - Doctor, stay out of this.
Let me talk to Conroy on that thing.
- One, two... - This wasn't part of the deal.
- Don't hit the box. - Jesus.
- He's got plutonium in that! - Oh, shit!
Keep your hands on the wall, doctor.
Breath funny, and I'll blow yourfucking brains out, OK
- Jesus. - What?
Now he's really putting it together.
Get me a status report.
Two, three, and four, what have you got?
There's no way I can get him...
without hitting that green stuff...
or going through the plexi.
- Me, neither. - Same here.
Oh, boy.
OK, here's the deal.
We have an irrational child down there with an armed device.
He seems to trust you, so you get down there.
- And do what? - Disarm him.
- Get him to take it apart. - And if he won't?
Then just separate him from it, and we'll do the rest.
- What? I can't do that. - And why not?
Because I'm not a-
What? Killer? Is that the word you're groping for, doctor?
And just what the bloody hell do you think...
you've been working on all these years?
What do you think all this is for?
Your own personal amusement?
To stimulate you intellectually?
You are what you are, doctor-
a son of a bitch like the rest of us.
Now for God's sake, take some responsibility...
and do what has to be done.
Hello again.
Mind if I sit down?
Two minutes. That's cutting it kind of close, isn't it?
And what is that? A car key?
And the reflector?
Salad bowls.
Why not?
What did you use for the firing circuits?
Photo strobes.
Well, that's...
that's very pretty.
Thanks.
Now what do you say we take it all apart...
before everybody goes crazy?
No, I'm sorry. I can't do that right now.
This isn't accomplishing anything.
- Sure, it is. - What?
- Deterrence. - Deterrence?
Yeah, you know. Like when each side thinks...
that the other guy is going to blow everybody up.
It's called mutually assured destruction.
Yeah, I know what it's called.
- Well, it's working, isn't it? - How do you mean?
I'm still alive, aren't I?
Don't talk like that.
The thing is, I've been thinking about it...
and I'm not sure that I'm crazy enough...
to actually turn the key.
That is the problem with deterrence, isn't it?
So, I guess... I blew it.
What do you mean?
I'm not getting out of here.
Let me see this thing.
Paul, give it to me.
come on.
Give it to me.
Hold it, gentlemen.
Fellow sons of bitches.
We're all what we are, right?
So here's my responsible act.
I'm taking him out of here.
And since you all like scenarios so much...
I've got one for you.
It's called a little game of chance.
I'll bet you that I can turn this key...
and blow us all to hell...
even after you shoot me.
And you're gonna have to shoot me, OK
Everybody's problems all solved...
in one millionth of a second.
Now...
who wants to play?
Red team, I do not want them off the premises...
with that gadget, do you copy?
Please, not in the building.
One stray bullet, and we've got a containment breach-
All right!
All right, listen.
Yeah, copy, command. No problem.
Give me a clear shot behind the ear...
and I'll turn him off like a switch.
Well, at least now I can publish.
What do you mean?
I mean I think I just blew my security clearance.
- I'm sorry. - It's no problem.
Time for a change of vocations, anyway.
There must be a place in the private sector...
for an unemployed nuclear weapons designer...
don't you think?
What? What?
You turned it?
No, no, it happened by itself, spontaneously.
Jesus.
Damn thing's counting down. It's gonna blow.
Probably neutron flux. Radiation from the core...
can screw up this kind of solid-state timing circuit.
I never heard of that.
Yeah, well, live and learn.
Gentlemen...
we got a little...
wrinkle here.
Listen carefully...
and do exactly as I say.
come on, Terry, move it!
- Move it! - Go!
Go for it!
Well, at least we have 999 hours to dismantle it.
I don't think so.
Time-based circuits tend to deteriorate exponentially...
faster and faster. You see?
Jesus. Why'd we bring it back here, then?
Why not? Where do you want to take it?
How about Truman Quarry?
- What? - Sure.
It's a couple of square miles, at least.
No one around. It's perfect.
"A couple of square miles. "'
Paul, if this thing goes...
you're gonna get a really good view...
of a fifty to seventy kiloton explosion.
What?
You don't know what you took, Paul.
This is special stuff. It's very nasty.
It's so hot we don't even know how to test it.
It's a miracle you didn't kill yourself...
just carrying it home.
So, uh...
if I unscrew this, I can get the core out, right?
OK, you got a screwdriver?
No, no, a bigger one.
What?
It's jammed.
Let me try.
It's funny, the same thing happened...
at the trinity test forty years ago.
Oh, really?
The core got stuck halfway in...
while they were trying to insert it.
I wouldn't bump it around like that if I were you.
It might decide to fire just for spite.
So what do we do?
- We could drill it. - No, no.
We might get a static charge.
- Disconnect the batteries. - What if we get sparks?
cut the main lead.
Yeah. Yeah, that's worth a try.
I'll need to remove the middle plate.
Well, do it, do it.
Anybody have a phillips-head screwdriver?
How much time do we have?
I don't know. It's in exponential decay.
Can't you just answer the goddamned question?
I never was any good at math. All right...
as Y approaches infinity, T=1+1/N to the...
to the Nth.
Right. You're a bright kid.
You ought to do something with it.
I make it just about...
three minutes to zero.
Oh, boy.
Excuse me, sir. What about evacuation?
- Evacuation of who? - The people.
Oh, you mean New York, Pennsylvania...
Vermont, Canada? Those people?
- OK. I'm at the main connector. - OK. Go ahead.
- Wire clippers. - Yeah. Right here.
- What the hell's that? - Firing circuit.
I programmed the photo strobes to charge automatically...
ninety seconds from detonation.
The timer must be all messed up.
Maybe I should have made it ten seconds.
Anyhow, look, it doesn't matter.
All I have to do is cut the power.
It's this wire right over here.
All right, here I go. Ready? One, two-
No, no, no! Don't cut it! Don't do anything!
Don't do anything? What are you, nuts?
Regular photographic strobe units? That's what you used?
- Exactly. - All right, here's the problem.
Once those things are charged...
even if you turn them off they can discharge...
while you're unplugging it. This thing could detonate...
just from our trying to disconnect it.
- Just wait. - I'll wait. It won't wait.
OK, either that thing is gonna work, or it's not.
If it's not gonna work...
we can all just stand here until it reaches zero...
at which point nothing will happen.
However, I think it's gonna work...
which means we have to disarm it.
- How? - Cut the leads...
between the photo strobes and the high explosives.
- How many leads are there? - Six, along this strip here.
All right, six leads, six wires.
Now the trick is...
we have to cut them at exactly the same time.
- And I mean exactly. - Or what?
- Oh, shit. Really? - Come on. Let's just do it.
colonel, you'll count for us. Give him the cutters.
You're number one, two, three, four, five...
You, over here.
This one's yours. Right there.
Sorry about before, kid. Just doing the job. Nothing personal.
Three hundred.
- OK, everybody ready? - Wait. I don't have a cutter.
Get us another cutter. Over there.
come on, come on, come on.
I don't believe this. Are you telling me I'm going to die...
'cause some asshole didn't bring a pair of pliers?
- I got it. I got it. - Is that going to work?
- I hope so. - Two ten.
OK, I'm going to count backward from five.
- Everybody ready? - Wait, wait.
- Do we cut on one or on zero? - One eighty.
On zero, like this- three, two...
This is just a rehearsal. Nobody do anything.
Three, two, one, cut. Everybody understand?
- One ten. - OK.
Anybody want to make a bet?
No? OK. Here we go. For real this time.
Five, four, three, two, one.
That was interesting.
What do you think you're doing?
Letting a little fresh air in.
Get away from that door!
Give it up, colonel.
We blew it.
What are you going to do? Make us all disappear?
Me... and him?
And all of them?
Too many secrets.
Dr. Mathewson, remember Jenny?
Good to see you.
- Paul. - Mom.
It's OK.
I did something.
What happened?
Everything.
Tell you about it later. Let's get out of here.
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