Railen.
I'm on my way.
Gentlemen.
All right. Tell me what we know.
Intel confirms that this morning,
5:15 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, 12:45 P.M. in Iran,
the Iranian government test detonated a small nuclear device.
It was set off in an underground cavern in a remote area,
350 kilometers southeast of Tehran.
The bang was a little bigger than they were expecting.
Mm. So much for their non-military nuclear agenda.
No coffee this morning?
Only the President gets coffee in here.
Right.
Well, he's going to need something a little bit stronger than coffee
when he gets back.
If we'd had some proof earlier,
we could have taken out their reactor site
when we had the chance.
The reactor wasn't the source.
Previous intel put the Iranians' Weapons Program a good year
and a half away from being able to produce a viable device.
We've since learned that they may have acquired nuclear materials
through the black market in Pakistan.
You said materials plural.
Are you trying to tell me that they may have more than one nuke?
The Taliban claims to have seized
a cache of 3 devices in Pakistan a month ago.
It's likely they sold them to Iran right under our nose.
And you're telling me now?
The President wanted intel confirmation before
Well, I'd say we got that today.
Except now, a tactical strike is too risky.
We bomb the wrong place,
we'll put a mushroom cloud over the Middle East.
Not the best foreign policy strategy.
All right. The President is in Tokyo.
I'll get Chief of Staff Jenkins to brief him,
and get him back to D.C. before tomorrow morning.
In the meantime, let's get Homeland Security and DOD in the loop.
Director Thompson will update intel
and we'll meet back here this afternoon 16:00
Let's go.
Worms, dear boy.
If you expect to lure anything from this godforsaken mud puddle,
you must use that which comes from the Earth, worms.
You're absolutely right, Dad.
Yeah, of course I'm right, I'm your father.
It's quite nice here, actually.
Your mother would have loved it.
Yeah.
You don't really expect to catch anything with that, will you?
I've got some worms in the truck if you like.
No, no, no, no, no, no.
That's all right.
I'm just, just here for the scenery anyway.
Oh, don't worry.
Got breakfast already on the stove.
Oh, good.
Well.
I was half expecting to have to clean a fish
before you gave me something to eat out here.
I thought you liked this place.
I said your mother would have liked it.
Oh.
I would have preferred you bought a house in Beverly Hills.
Taken me to see some celebrities and walk the red carpet.
Come on, Dad, I'm not that kind of famous.
Just wrote a book.
A best seller.
The public loved it.
Yeah, those at the science fiction conventions.
My peers didn't seem to think much of it,
if they even read it at all, that is.
Eggheads. Every one of them.
Uh, no offense.
You are going to regret it out here when the first snow storm strikes.
Unless you've made plans to fly south for the winter.
Of course, flying east is interesting too.
Ah, silly birds.
Do you think they're lost?
Come on, let's go.
Melanie?
Uh, Rose Cancer Clinic?
Knock it off!
Where am I supposed to go? Jeez, Louise.
Hi.
Dr. Jenna Ward, I presume.
I know, I'm late. I'm late, Joe, I know.
It's an accident or something. We're all just sitting here.
Really? I didn't even notice.
I got 2 patients in the waiting room, 1 in back,
and Melanie's disappeared to get coffee again.
We really need to get a coffee maker for the office.
Nah. It wouldn't change anything.
Then someone would just have to teach her how to brew coffee.
And, you know, hot water confuses her.
Well, don't blame me, I didn't hire her.
Well, I guess I wasn't looking at her resume during the interview.
Pig.
Knock it off!
Not you, Joe. Sorry.
Anything pressing?
Yeah, yeah. Actually we got another patient
reporting fatigue, dizziness, and nausea.
The same symptoms as the ones from yesterday.
Chemo reaction?
No, no. She finished her chemo radiation therapy months ago.
Completely successful, she'd been in remission ever since then.
This is more like,
well, altitude sickness.
We're like, 5 miles from the ocean.
How could it be altitude sickness?
Well, beats me.
Oh, and your buddy Alberto is back.
Said that he, uh, he's having his memory erased by someone named Guy.
Don't you just love your job, Dr. Bradford?
Oh yeah.
Oh, and your brother, Marty called, he had to cancel dinner tonight
because, uh, something came up at work.
And I was gonna cook too.
Oh, that's perfect. I was gonna eat.
Come on. I know you really wanted to invite me instead.
Dream on.
Whoa!
Stop it!
Screw you!
Dr. Ward. -What's up, Kimi?
Levels of solar radiation.
Just since last night, there's been a 40 rem spike.
Did you monitor for solar flares?
Yeah, and that's not it.
There's no unusual solar activity at all.
Gamma in the thermosphere is unchanged.
We're just getting more of it down here on the surface.
Well, that doesn't make any sense.
Uh, show me the numbers, Ethan.
I double checked the numbers.
I shot them over to the WDC for confirmation.
What did they say?
They said they'd get back to us.
Sorry I had to bring you in, Dr. Ward. I know you had plans.
Oh, no. That's okay.
My sister was cooking, so, you actually did me a favor.
This can't be good.
This is an internal problem.
It's not coming from the sun.
Right. The solar wind hasn't changed.
The Earth's rotation has.
From these readings, it looks like
we're slowing down.
Pull up all 200 NOAA observatories.
Plug the raw data into a model.
Let's, uh, focus.
See if we can figure this thing out.
Something's not right.
Ah, you look nice.
Where are you off to?
Ah, I'm just meeting an acquaintance for dinner.
Ah-ha.
Oh, I hope you don't mind my decorating.
I made a few frames. It was a little project of mine.
I was going to put them up.
No, no, that's fine.
They're good pictures.
I particularly like the one of you and Mom.
Ah, yes. That was a fine day.
And a fancy restaurant you took us to.
Yeah, she was happy.
Yeah.
If only I'd known how little time we had left.
No one knew, Dad.
But like you said, she was happy.
And you can't ask for more than that.
Yes.
Well, it is 50 miles to town.
I, I think I'll stay in this evening.
Come on, Dad, it's been 7 years.
Mom wouldn't want you to spend the rest of your life alone.
What about you?
Well, I'm not alone, am I?
You're always here.
Well, you know what I mean.
You were happy once too, with Jenna.
Thanks, Dad.
Thanks for caring.
I, I really do appreciate it.
This isn't about caring.
But I do know happiness.
And we're all entitled to that.
I'm fine.
Good.
Then why don't you come along with me?
I'm sure you're worried I'll drive into a ditch or something.
No, that's okay. You, you go ahead.
I, I've got everything I need.
Not everything, my boy.
You gonna bring her some flowers?
Of course.
We can't all be naturally charming.
Some of us need props.
Tallyho!
It's happening.
What are you doing now?
What the hell is going on?
It was a warning.
She is not finished yet.
Hey, Al, you still here?
Who are you?
Well, Alberto, it's, it's me.
Dr. Bradford.
I mean, I saw you this morning.
Did you feel it, Doctor?
The little tremor? -Yeah.
Yeah. It's nothing to be worried about, Al.
It's California. That happens.
It's nothing to panic over.
Power outage is a bigger pain in the neck.
I mean, are you okay? You want to come down from there?
Something new is happening.
And it's starting now.
Listen, Al.
You're gonna need a new course of treatment.
Now we can do the follow-up test and regimen here at the clinic,
but you can't just, you know, hang out here.
I am waiting for the bus.
My daughter left on the bus.
She said I should stay here.
Well, listen, if you need help. . .
No, no. I am fine.
There is a reason for everything.
It is all connected.
But you can't see it.
You have to feel it.
Okay. Whatever.
I'll make a call.
I know a place you can go that- that can help.
I ain't going anywhere.
Melanie, uh, you can't take a 2 hour lunch.
Hi.
You see, Doctor.
You are the one who needs help.
Okay, the doctor will be with you soon.
Gracias.
Ah.
Joe, would you just ask her out already?
Well, I would, but I can't. I'm her employer.
Exactly. Do us all a favor and fire her.
Yes. Thank you.
Yeah, but do you think she'd actually go out with me
if I. . . if I fired her?
You know, the city was supposed to change out these transformers
the last time this happened.
Hey, you know, maybe we should double date.
You know, less pressure.
Mm, no. I don't think so.
Yeah, but weren't you dating some scientist guy,
a friend of your brother's?
I was dating him.
Joe. He dumped me. Remember?
Yeah, but,
Jenna, I. . .
I guess that's a no.
The surge knocked out almost 1/3 of the city
on the old power grid.
The new portions held up, though.
Ethan, what do you got for me?
Um, Cal Tech recorded the tremor as a 2-point-oh.
Barely even felt it.
Just a, a minor Earth adjustment.
They don't know that.
Uh, well, no. I guess.
No guessing, Ethan.
Not here. Science is about gathering facts.
Uh, okay.
Are you all right, Dr. Ward?
Yeah, it's just. . .
I- I look at things a certain way based on what I know to be true.
I can't make the leap from fact to theory.
I just don't work that way.
Yeah, me neither.
Really?
Well, in most things.
Except for dating.
What?
Well, facts only go so far when you're dealing with people.
Sometimes it's all about a leap of faith.
Just stick to the facts.
The Iranian government is denying reports
that there was any sort of weapons test.
But as you can see from the satellite surveillance,
this village near Tabas was leveled by the shockwave.
Now we believe most of the radiation was contained underground,
but elevated levels are being reported by neighboring countries.
6 months ago,
a bombing run targeting their nuclear facilities
was on the table.
You, General Railen, advised restraint.
I advised the President that without proof
that their enrichment program was weapons related,
an attack would be a breach of international law.
Well, then he should've given you the proof you needed.
All due respect, Mr. McNeil,
you're the Secretary of Defense.
You advised him too.
The only advice I gave him
was to cut out all the bleeding heart pacifists
from his administration.
Perhaps you lack a little objectivity in the matter.
No one here is suggesting that we roll over for the Iranians, McNeil.
But if they're sitting on another nuke,
we have to factor that into our available response options.
Fine.
Work out a full series of recommendations.
I'll brief the President when he returns in the morning.
I want multiple projections for military engagements.
Consider both conventional and nuclear options.
Okay, let's get to work.
What is it?
The World Data Center got a call from some NGDC scientist
who said they've recorded a spike in radiation levels worldwide.
It can't be connected.
Even under strong wind conditions,
the radiation and the fallout would be relatively localized.
Yeah, but the center confirmed it.
They say it's everywhere.
Oh, hell. Who's the scientist?
A, um, Martin Ward from the Los Angeles office.
We can have him send us the data.
No. No. We need to control the source,
keep this contained.
I'll have my office muzzle the WDC.
And then you and I are going on a quick trip.
So other than the dizziness and the fatigue,
is there anything else that's bothering you?
Thank you.
I will take that as a yes.
Okay, now you just rest.
Uh, give this a couple minutes to work.
Okay?
Same symptoms?
Worse. And she finished treatment 2 months ago.
So it's not from the chemo.
She's disoriented and dizzy.
She doesn't seem to know where she is.
I've got 4 more just like her in reception. Come on.
Okay, this is just very weird.
And it's presenting like, um, altitude sickness almost, right?
Which doesn't make any sense. -No. It doesn't.
One second. Mr. Simon?
How are you feeling, Mr. Simon?
Mr. Simon?
Do you know where you are?
Joe.
He is a survivor.
He had his chemo in January.
He did so well with it that he was mobile within a month.
I just, I don't get it.
We're gonna have to pull everybody's charts from the last year.
I'll give Debbie at the Center for Disease Control a call.
Maybe we're dealing with some kind of localized contagion.
How are you feeling?
I'm fine. You?
Nothing fazes this guy.
She had to go away.
For the baby. You understand?
It's not that she didn't love me.
Uh, uh, it's just that sometimes we gotta leave.
Uh, Mexico is a good place for her.
How you doing, Al?
Ah, Dr. Jenna.
I know you.
Are you okay? Dr. Joe said that some guy was stealing your memory?
Not some guy.
Gaia.
It is the name of Mother Earth.
I feel her. I, I hear her sometimes.
So you're hearing voices in your head?
Voices? No. I hear.
I feel her.
Are you, are you dizzy? Have a seat.
Are- are you lightheaded or- or tired?
Ah, I am always tired these days.
That is nothing new.
But you need answers to bigger questions than this.
This is true, Al.
The answer is inside you.
What?
What does it mean?
I feel her.
The Earth is tired too, you see.
If we don't give Mother a rest,
then sometimes she can't go on.
Al, could all this be about your daughter?
That she left?
Oh, no.
Yeah, she needed a rest too.
A rest from me.
We all need a rest.
Don't worry, Dr. Jenna.
Just because someone leaves,
doesn't mean they do not love you.
Hello?
Who's calling?
Hello?
Jenna. It- it's me, Marty.
Oh, hey, Marty. Hold on just a sec.
You okay?
Yep. Hang on.
Just, just trying to get a better signal.
Hold on.
You know what? I am not okay, by the way.
You just totally blew me off. My own brother.
Some lame excuse about working late.
Now come on, what's the real story?
You got a hot date? Who's the lucky girl?
No, no, really. Jenna.
Something kind of serious popped up in our data.
It's gonna take me some time to sort it all out.
I just wanted to, um,
uh, so you're okay?
Yeah. I mean, you're just missing dinner.
It's not like it's the end of the world.
Are you okay?
Uh, yeah, yeah.
No, I- I- I'm fine.
Um, but, uh,
is anything out of the ordinary happening at the clinic?
Yeah. Actually.
About half a dozen people or so have been coming in all day
complaining of altitude sickness,
like nausea, they're disoriented.
And it doesn't have anything to do with their cancer treatment.
They're all here for aftercare.
You know, they got through their chemo and their radiation fine.
So, why are you asking?
Did you read David's book?
I thought you said there was nothing in there worth reading.
Yeah, I know what I said. If I could take it back I would.
Uh, I just figured you might have given it a chance
in spite of your pigheaded brother.
Well, yeah. I did start reading it.
The night of the book signing.
That was a good night.
Yeah, it was.
But, you know, after you and David had your falling out
and he just disappeared on me,
I wasn't exactly in the,
well, let's curl up with a really depressing book kind of mood.
You thought it was depressing?
I mean, it was kind of thick and technical, but--
Hello?
Uh, Jenna?
Marty?
Marty? Ugh.
Hello? Hello?
Hello? Can you hear me now?
Jenna, look,
things are happening that may indicate an upcoming geophysical event.
In English, please?
Uh, well, I'm, uh, I'm- I'm still working on the data.
Well, to hell with the data, Marty. What's going on?
I- I'm not sure yet.
Do you think David may know something?
Well, David has theories and ideas, Jenna.
I have the facts right here in front of me.
Marty, clearly, the two of you need to talk.
I mean, just because he and I aren't together anymore,
doesn't mean you can't talk.
No. We've gone our separate ways, in completely opposite directions.
Okay, look. That's silly.
This is important. Just let him help you with this.
Hello?
Je- hey, Jenna?
Marty? If you can hear me, gi- just give him another chance.
You're home early.
What happened?
No dessert?
Or dinner for that matter.
It seems that her mother wasn¡¦t feeling very well.
She was waiting at home for her.
Well, that sounds like a, a reasonable excuse.
Oh, balls to that.
Can you believe a parent would live with their child for that long?
Into their 90s?
Oh, Lord, I hope not.
Come on. I've started dinner.
Los Angeles, this is Zero-One, come in.
Something's wrong.
General, we've lost GPS navigation.
We're getting radio interference out of Edwards.
We're switching to auxiliary com.
Auxiliary?
Microwave when all else fails.
Puts me right at ease.
What's the problem, Pilot?
No problem, General.
Stay with it. Level out.
Panel's down. We're sitting on visual only.
Well done, Pilot.
Patch me through to Edwards.
Edwards Tower, do you read?
Where are we? Last coordinates before you lost GPS?
Just over Nevada.
All right, take us down.
This day just keeps getting better.
No more tomatoes?
I shall go into town tomorrow and pick up some necessities.
What are you talking about?
You- you've just got through griping about being stood up.
Now you're gonna drive another 50 miles for her?
What's twisting your britches?
Did you have a wretched afternoon?
Ah, you're right. I'm sorry.
But, uh, it doesn't matter.
I, I suppose there's just some things you have to accept.
Well, I don't know about accepting.
In my time of life, you learn to let things slide a little.
Life's too short.
And second chances are priceless.
Dad, don't start with me, all right?
Why not?
You tell me you're fine.
But you won't explain to me your decidedly melancholic behavior.
I may not be a scientist,
but I'm very much aware of the world in which we live.
After all, I've lived in it longer than you have.
You think about Jenna all the time.
Why don't you go back and make it right?
It's, it's complicated, Dad.
It's just better this way.
You mean, it's easier for you this way?
You don't understand.
Of course not. I've told you,
love is a mystery to me.
And any person who claims to
fully understand what draws 2 people together
is either a blithering fool
or an advertiser trying to sell jewelry.
But one thing I do know,
if you are fortunate enough to meet someone,
anyone you can share time with,
for however much time you may have left,
you are an absolute fool if you let that time slip by.
Yeah, well, the fact is, our time is up.
There's not a damn thing anyone can do about it.
Look.
Don't worry about going back to town.
Forget the tomatoes. I'll, I'll get some beets.
You want me to push everyone away, retreat from the world,
and be alone like you?
What are you frightened of?
Dad, I'm not frightened.
I've been expecting this for a while.
Expecting what?
Answers, David.
You'd better fill me in if you don't want me to go into town.
I presume this is not just about my attempts
to pursue a romance at the local restaurant.
No, of course it's not.
Well then, I must assume this is to do with your other concern.
Oh, what's that?
Those polar bear fields, right?
Polar bear fields?
I glanced at your notebook.
Dad, those are the compass bearings
of the, of the polar magnetic fields.
What are you talking about?
All right.
Do you know how the dinosaurs died?
Yes, they got a taste of your cooking.
Uh, look, Dad, I'm being serious.
There was, uh,
there was some kind of massive geophysical event, all right?
Uh, uh, pro- most probably a meteor strike.
But, something else happened.
The Earth's magnetic fields were weakened by up to 80%
That's why the dinosaurs weren't able to re-evolve.
There was a massive die-off of all living things.
Well,
now it's our turn.
My life's complicated enough.
I wouldn't wish this kind of complication on anyone I love.
Then why the bloody hell did you tell me?
What do you say we have filet mignon for supper tonight instead, huh?
General.
General Railen?
Right this way, ma'am.
Sir.
Clinic?
Hey, Jenna.
This is Debbie at the CDC returning Joe's call.
Hey Debbie. Do you want to talk to him?
Oh no. Ooh, please.
There is only so much Joe I can take in a week.
I would have called you on your cell, but, satellite communications are down.
Really?
You didn't know?
Okay, Jenna, you really need to watch the news more often.
Well, we had a small earthquake here
and the power was out for a couple minutes, so.
Yeah, that's been happening everywhere.
No one knows why, but it isn't pretty.
Well, my brother said something happened.
Well, whatever it was, there's been an overnight international rise
in what looks like radiation sickness.
You know, that fits, Debbie,
because, I think I found a pattern.
Everybody here that's coming down with symptoms,
they're all successful chemo and radiation patients.
It's like it's only hitting the healthy ones.
The answer is inside of them, Jenna.
What?
RLIP-76.
It's a protein we've been looking at.
It acts as a barrier to stressors
like chemotherapeutic agents and radiation.
Some people have it, some don't.
And the ones who don't are more sensitive to radiation.
Exactly. It's great for fighting cancer,
but unfortunately, it leaves them more vulnerable to other exposures.
Listen, try to keep your patients inside.
We've just issued a global health alert.
Do you have Hazmat supply?
Yes.
Yeah, I'm sorry it's not better news.
But if your brother can share any insight into this,
could you have him call me here?
And Jenna, watch for symptoms in yourself.
'Cause over 1/3 of our staff has already been hit.
Okay. Thanks, Debbie. Bye.
Kimi, did you finish plugging all the WDC data
into the forecast model?
Yeah, last night. Still rendering.
Okay. Why is the government coming to us?
We didn't do anything wrong.
Did we?
No. Of course not.
Look, uh, uh,
go check the battery backups in the emergency generator.
Make sure they're online, set on auto.
Right.
Are we gonna lose power?
Uh, don't worry. We're covered.
We should be fine, even if the public power grid goes down.
Again? How much this time? The whole city?
No. The whole planet.
They're here.
Dr. Ward? -Yes.
I'm General Railen.
This is Intel Director, Dwight Thompson.
We'd like to discuss the information you relayed to the folks
at the World Data Center yesterday afternoon.
Absolutely. Follow me.
We didn't do it. -Ethan.
Whatever it is.
Settle down, sonny.
Since yesterday morning,
there's been a steady registered increase in radiation levels
on the planet's surface.
We are being bombarded with gamma radiation from the sun, as usual.
But the amount getting through is, uh, well, alarming.
Wait a minute. You're talking about solar radiation?
I thought we had a security issue with nuclear fallout.
Wha- uh, nuclear fallout?
Thank you, doctor.
Someone on staff is going to get an earful
when we get back.
But, General. This isn't just a solar radiation problem.
This is, it's much worse.
Please.
Nuclear gamma radiation contained in the solar wind
is mostly deflected away from Earth
by the planet's protective magnetic shield,
the magnetosphere.
Uh, now, that field is created in the convection flows
of molten iron in the Earth's ore,
powered by the planet's rotation.
Doctor, we're not all physicists here.
What the hell are you talkin' about?
Our shield from the sun is getting weaker
because the Earth's rotation is getting slower.
We've already slowed the equivalent of almost 6 hours.
How?
Well, we've been slowing naturally for millennia.
I- just over the past century,
the Earth's magnetic field has weakened by about 5%
But something's been triggered. Something has put on the brakes.
What would cause that?
Uh, well, um, I don't, uh,
I don't have enough hard data to know.
Well, what's your theory?
You must have some idea.
General, I don't deal in guesswork.
Um, it's been suggested that
a disruption of the planet's core field forces
could be caused by a large magnetic incident
occurring near one of several key nodes on the planetary grid.
What kind of incident?
An intense gravitational field from a near-miss asteroid,
a massive meteor strike, an electromagnetic pulse of some kind?
An EMP?
Like the one created in a nuclear blast?
It's afar-fetched theory.
There is no hard evidence to support that finding.
I don't know.
Doesn't sound too far-fetched to me.
All right. This office and all of its contents
are now classified top secret in the interest of national security.
The 3 of you will be given clearance
so you can continue analyzing the situation.
But at no point will you communicate any of your findings
to anyone outside of this room.
From now on, you report only to me.
Is that understood?
Just a minute. They don't work for you.
And if we're about to have a major global crisis,
I- I don't want them stuck here in the city.
They need to go home, be with their families.
Oh, that's really sweet, doctor. It really is.
But we don't have time for those kind of niceties.
I need further analysis.
And I'm not going to spend my time getting into a contest with you
to see which one of us has got the bigger--
Okay. Okay, guys, that's okay. We'll stay.
I don't know if you've noticed,
but, um, this office kind of is our home
and if it all hits the fan,
there's no place I'd rather be than here,
doing the work and, and getting the facts right.
Yeah.
What she said.
Me too.
All right.
Finish rendering the forecast model.
Keep an eye on anomalous magnetic readings.
We'll report to him.
Now Dr. Ward,
about this far-fetched theory,
where do I learn more?
Clinic?
Dr. Ward?
Kimi, is that you? -Yeah.
You're going to have to speak up. I can't hear you.
There's a lot of people here.
Um, I can't talk long.
I, um, your brother wanted me to call.
Is he all right?
Um, he's fine.
They, um, they took him to find Dr. Barrett.
David? Well, who took him?
I'm not supposed to say.
Um, but your brother wanted me to tell you
to stay indoors and not go anywhere,
and he will come get you as soon as he can.
You need to tell me what's happening.
We have a lot of sick people here,
and I have to know what the exposure's from.
Um, tu-na fish.
What?
Oh, okay, bye.
Okay, uh, who's next?
I am.
Who did you just call?
My cat.
Um, my friend,
who I'm gonna have feed my cat
because you're keeping us here.
Oh, this is. . .
definitely not good.
Gentlemen. We're currently waiting on some satellite intel
due in at 03:00.
Sir. Stay inside.
No, no, sir.
Come, come over here and just sit down.
Sit right there.
What happened?
We had another power outage. Where's Melanie?
Uh, she stepped out.
She said, uh, her parents wired her some money at the Corner Mart.
But, she came back. She'll be here somewhere.
Okay, well, make sure they stay inside. I'm gonna go find her.
Okay.
All right, everybody just relax. There was a power outage.
Everything should be back to normal in a minute.
Melanie?
Joe!
Joe, come quickly!
She's convulsing. Help me.
All right. Let's get her to Exam Room One.
General.
Hello, David.
Dr. Barrett. I'm General Railen.
We have a situation.
Oh, I know you do.
We would have called first, but you don't seem to have a phone.
So. Satellite communications, cell phones, television,
they're the first to go,
as the radiation in the upper atmosphere fries the satellite circuitry.
Eventually magnetic field fluctuations
will overpower the public power girds, phone networks,
they'll go off-line as well.
We're here to figure this thing out.
You've published theories on geo-magnetism.
Oh, you've read my book?
Well, no. -Oh.
The point is, we need a crash course.
Well, why don't you ask Martin here?
He knows more about this stuff than anyone.
More than me, even.
I can analyze what we know, what's happening now.
They want to know what might happen tomorrow.
Ah, ah. So, you come to see the,
the crazy geophysicist fortuneteller with his doomsday scenario. Is that it?
David, your theories were considered sensationalistic.
I mean, sure, they were popular.
But every scientist expressed doubts about what you--
Yeah, especially you.
Oh, you couldn't wait to get in your little sound bite, could you?
Position yourself with the legitimate scientific community.
What was it? What was it you call it again?
Uh, Geo-destiny is, uh, oh yeah.
Crystal ball science. Wasn't that it?
David.
I've got nothing to offer you here.
Dr. Barrett.
I don't give a damn what was or wasn't said in the past.
We need your help right now.
I need to understand exactly what you think might be happening
so I can advise the President of the United States
how to fix it.
You people, you people just don't get it, do you?
You can always break it, but you can't fix it.
What was it this time? A nuclear blast?
Underground, right?
Hey, hey, hey, hey.
You okay? You all right?
All right, why don't you all come inside before you cook your brains.
Take it easy, take it easy.
Magnetic poles, positive and negative are like tips of a battery,
running right through the center of this fruit, the Earth.
Now the charge flows between the poles, creating the magnetosphere,
which protects us from excess solar radiation.
By the way, that's what causes the aurora borealis.
Northern lights?
Martin, did you explain anything to these people?
Well, I did a computer simulation.
We were all out of tangerines.
But, slowed rotation weakens the Earth's battery.
What happens when it gets weaker?
Well, the atmosphere gets spread out, gets thinner, lets in more radiation.
Here, these, uh, these pills will help you
with the nausea. -Oh. Thanks.
And, the, uh, Earth's magnetic field gets disordered.
How so?
Mm, magnetic anomalies start to pop up.
In theory, multiple North and South poles.
What do you mean, multiple?
Well, 10, 20,
depends how long it goes on before the Earth finally calls it quits.
What?
Well, that's your cue, Martin.
That's where you jump in, tell them I'm all crazy. You know?
Your theory is based on a concept that assumes that there are,
are definite nodal points in certain global magnetic hotspots.
Completely unproven.
And yet,
magnetic anomalies have been recorded at nodes
along the supposed planetary grid for centuries.
Nodes?
Areas of marked magnetic field fluctuations.
Go ahead.
Go on, David.
Tell her where these nodes are.
Machu Picchu, uh, the Great Pyramids,
Stonehenge, uh, the Bermuda Triangle.
Oh, that's right.
Turn away. Keep your calm.
You know, you didn't move out here because the Earth was calling it quits.
You quit.
You resigned from life and just gave up on everything.
And everybody.
Could someone explain to me what this all means?
You really want to know what it means?
Yes! -Well, I'll tell you.
Do you remember the dinosaurs?
Well, that's us.
There's not a bloody thing you can do about it.
Multiple magnetic poles would disrupt existing electrical grids
and put intense pressure on fault lines in the Earth's crust.
Earthquake activity would increase,
ion ore dust expelled from the Earth's core
into the lower atmosphere,
these are, these are all indicators.
Indicators of what?
Well, go on, spit it out.
Don't hold it back.
A complete pole reversal.
A magnetic flip.
The flow inverts, pushes the tectonic plates around,
literally turns the world upside down.
Dr. Barrett, that can happen?
Happens all the time on the sun.
Every 11 years, the sun reverses its magnetic field.
Happens less frequently here on Earth.
How much less frequently?
Well, the last polar flip was about
750,000 years ago.
So, we're about overdue.
Oh my God.
We gotta get outta here.
So much for North and South.
The weak field has knocked out satellite communications.
But we should have some short wave time left.
Please tell me that was just a California earthquake.
The quake shook Tokyo for about 30 seconds.
Emergency services will be mobilized as soon as possible.
The earthquake was felt throughout the Italian peninsula.
The preliminary reports from London
measured the quake at 7.2 on the Richter scale.
Well, General, not just California.
What's happening?
Chaos.
If the poles reverse,
the crust will separate from the inner core.
The Atlantic floor will stretch while the Pacific compresses.
Then the Earth's crust will slide. Probably northwest.
I did read your book.
Slide.
How much? How far?
Well, General, let's just say Hawaii could end up
close neighbors with the Arctic Circle.
Jenna.
I'm okay.
You sure? -Yeah, check Melanie.
Come on.
Nothing.
I'm sorry Joe.
We did the best we could.
Oh, Melanie.
We gotta go check on the others.
Do we still have PB in Hazmat storage?
Prussian blue? What for?
Ah, we need to start with, 3 grams,
6 capsules orally every 8 hours.
We're dealing with radiation poisoning here, Joe.
Put it up here.
Put it up here, let me see.
That, that's where it hurts, right there?
That's a very small break.
Just hold it against yourself like that.
Try not to move it too much, all right?
Dr. Jenna?
Al. Are you all right?
I will be fine. I will resist this. It's the thing.
That's right. You said that you felt it inside,
that, that you felt it.
That's why your chemo and your radiation didn't work.
It is what you would call ironic, huh?
The thing that condemns me saves me.
I know.
But there is a balance to it, huh?
Like nature.
The Earth.
Everything wants to be in balance.
We think we can control everything.
But the world does not need our help to survive.
I think I may need a little help though.
I'm not going anywhere.
Come.
I need to get back to Washington.
To advise the President.
Flights are grounded. There's no GPS, no air-traffic control.
Most communications are down.
We are cut off out here.
I have to do something.
General, nothing can be done.
With a polar reversal, the planet will die.
Then the battery will recharge and
maybe life will begin again.
Wait a minute, wait a minute.
What if the pole reversal fails?
Fails?
Yeah, maybe, maybe I've been looking at this all wrong.
Maybe I've been making all the wrong assumptions.
How?
Well, what if,
what if all the damage to our magnetic fields
has been cumulative?
If every nation who's ever detonated a nuclear device or-
or created high EM fields has brought us to this point?
And the recent detonation was just the last straw?
Yes.
Now maybe the more we disrupt the Earth's magnetic fields,
the more anomalies are thrown off.
Now what if those magnetic anomalies are not in reaction to the disruption,
but in response to it?
What do you mean?
Multiple poles.
What, what if they're not the cause, but the cure?
Creating multiple poles could be the Earth's way of,
of trying to stabilize the damaged magnetic fields.
Like, like the Earth trying to fix itself.
Another theory.
Yes.
And one I don't have any facts to back up.
It's okay. Sometimes you just got to go with hope.
So you mean that this could all stop?
Yeah, maybe.
If, if we give the Earth a chance to recover.
But, any disruption right now,
I mean, no matter how small, could just push us over the edge.
And, and then there's no coming back.
You're not planning any nuclear explosions are you?
Oh, no.
We gotta go.
Pull the blocks, Corporal.
Yes, sir.
System check.
Let's go. Move, move, move!
We are clear.
Okay, Connors, Jannick. She's prepped and ready to go.
Thank you, sir. -Thank you.
Let's do it.
See you on the other side.
You got it, buddy.
Systems are clear, sir.
Let's go.
Strap 'em in.
Here you go, sir.
Clear now.
Lock 'em down. Pull those hoses.
Let's move her. Roll her out.
Let's go.
Yes, sir.
Clear.
Engine power up complete.
Open hanger doors.
Bomber One.
You are cleared for takeoff on Runway 3.
Roger that, Control.
Proceeding to Runway 3.
Bomber One.
Initiate auxiliary com channels.
Auxiliary com engaged.
We should be able to find a hard line phone in town.
Will it still work?
Anything short wave or higher will be toast.
The major magnetic shift will overwhelm the circuits here.
I'd say we got maybe about an hour or so
before all network phone lines go down.
How far to the town?
Uh, about an hour or so.
Keep up with him. -General.
Ma'am, you okay?
There you go.
Are you okay?
I think my leg's broken.
Give me a hand here.
Ah. Don't answer that.
Hey, sir.
Here. Let me help you.
Wait.
All right, you can get it.
But no more cat stories, understood?
Okay. Here we go.
Hello?
There we go, sir. There we go.
The President would like to speak with you.
Mr. President.
General Railen is trying to determine the cause, but. . .
A nuclear strike?
Mr. President,
the intel on the uranium enrichment hasn't changed.
No. They- they didn't build them. They bought them.
Mr. President?
What's it doin' now?
Mr. President?
What's happening here?
Everything he said.
Mr. President?
Director Thompson.
President's transferring to the war room now.
You and General Railen get back to Washington.
We might need your expertise at some point in this process.
McNeil, you've got to hold off.
What's happening now,
all of the quakes worldwide, the radiation,
it may have all been triggered by that first blast.
We need more time to figure this out.
More time again?
You people won't be satisfied /til they detonate a device stateside.
This isn't just about Iran, McNeil.
You could be jeopardizing the entire planet.
Millions of innocent civilians.
This is about protecting American civilians.
We're sending Iran a message they will hear loud and clear.
The bomber will be over the target in 2 hours.
McNeil, you-- McNeil!
That's definitely not good.
Damn it. We're too late.
The phone lines are damaged.
Are you sure the President will authorize this strike?
If I can't get through, he'll go with McNeil's recommendation.
Oh, McNeil.
He's been itching for a fight since his son was killed in Iraq.
Well, that's it, then.
I need the keys.
Where are you going?
When the shift starts, the city will crumble.
All these little quakes leading up to it
will seem like a pat on the back by comparison.
I told my sister I'd come for her.
I'll- I'll come with you.
What?
Good.
You just said it was over. What's the point?
You can't go in there.
Here son, take mine.
Oh, thanks Dad.
They can't save her.
They're not gonna save her.
They're gonna die with her.
And I, Madame, am gonna spend some time
in the arms of an angel.
And when I explain to her the end of the world scenario,
I expect to gain her affections for as much time as we may have left.
Cheerio.
All right, where do we go now, Marty?
Uh, just go straight ahead.
We'll pass the office, get Kimi and Ethan out of there.
All hopeful theories aside,
how much time do we really have before the whole thing gives?
Based on what?
Radiation saturation? Intervals between quakes?
I mean, I got nothing to compare this to, Marty.
I- I wouldn't want to hazard a guess.
Gut instinct. How long?
Are you saying you want me to use crystal ball science now?
David, I'm, I'm sorry I didn't support you
when the critics started tearing you down.
I thought your theories were amazing.
Yeah, but they were light on facts, you're right about that.
Yeah, true, but,
only one fact should have mattered.
You were my friend.
That should have been enough for me,
even if I couldn't wrap my mind around all your ideas.
But I always admired you the way you could just
sense the truth about things,
and make a leap of faith.
Ah, leap of faith¡¦s easy you
when you got someone there to catch you when you fall.
Jenna, she was always there to catch me.
But I gave up and ran away, just lost hope and gave up.
Just hope we're not too late.
She still loves you, you know.
I can't imagine why.
Don't ask me.
Whoa!
Kimi? Ethan?
Dr. Ward?
There's one over here.
Ah, he didn't make it.
How's Kimi? Is she all right?
You okay?
The magnetic poles, they were, they were everywhere on the model.
It was like this big, swirling magnetic field.
It was like they were trying to balance themselves.
It was amazing.
She sounds about normal.
Wait, there's someone over here.
I think he's still alive.
Careful.
It's all right. It's all right, let's get you out of here.
Come on. -Oh, oh, oh, God.
No. No, don't.
I'm- I'm done.
Tell General Railen that the President,
that McNeil is planning a nuclear strike in one hour.
Are- are you, are you Dr. Barrett?
Yes, yes, I am.
Sorry we couldn't meet under better circumstances.
Maybe, maybe next time around.
Oh my God, Ethan.
Oh, God.
Come on, we better go.
Oh, God.
Would you ask her if something hit her on the head?
We have to get out.
Joe, are you all right?
You look a little pale.
Am I okay?
We got no power, we got no phone.
We got nothing left to do here. We have to get out now.
No.
Just come on. -No, come here, come here, come here.
Talk to me for a second.
We have to help these people. Look at these--
The hell with them, Jenna. The hell with them.
We're done. We can't help them anymore.
We have to start thinking about ourselves.
No. You can't leave Joe. You can't even go outside.
The- the prolonged exposure to-- -Look, we're not gonna get rescued.
We're on our own. Nobody's coming.
My brother is coming.
Your brother's already dead. You're coming with me.
Come on. Come on. -Hey, hey, let go.
Let go of my arm. -Come on.
You're not going anywhere, Doctor.
You can go if you want.
All right, fine.
But I'm afraid it won't be for long.
Don't worry. Your brother will come.
Careful. Here.
Here ya go.
Sir?
Sorry for the delay, gentlemen.
I wasn't quite myself.
I blame the radiation.
Ah. Well, yeah, well, I guess that works for me.
Hey, what a team, huh?
Yeah.
Listen, I'm afraid Thompson's dead.
But he managed to tell us
a nuclear strike has been ordered already.
I don't know. We got maybe 30 minutes.
30 minutes.
All right. We have to formulate a plan.
The White House War Room has an old Telex machine.
It isn't in use anymore, but it would be monitored in the event
that satellite and conventional communication channels are down.
If I could get to a telegraph station, one with a shielded hard-line,
I may be able to get a message straight through to the President.
Yeah, some place that, uh, that wires money transfers.
Perfect.
There's a, there's a place in the Corner Mart by Jenna's clinic.
That's it, let's go. Lead the way.
Let's go.
Central Command, we are leaving neutral airspace,
time to target is 20 minutes.
Cut the lock. Let's go.
Move it, boys.
Ready.
See what kind of backup battery power they have to tie in.
We can, um, bypass the transformer and wire D.C. straight through.
Uh, get the battery out of the SUV. Go! -Yes, Ma'am.
Okay. Let's see what we got here.
Got it.
I would have liked to have gone back to Mexico.
The truth is, I'm the one that left.
I never told my daughter about my cancer,
that I was dying.
'Cause she would have never gone.
It's hard to leave someone you love very much.
Still,
I would have loved to have seen her again.
You will, Al.
If we get out of this, you will. I promise.
Jenna?
Jenna! -Jenna?
I'm here. -J- Jenna. I'm here.
Are you okay? -Yeah, are you?
Yeah. Okay.
Oh, oh, Jenna, I'm sorry.
I'm sorry it took me so long.
It's good to see you.
Of course you didn't have to do all of this to impress me.
Well, I'm afraid some of us just aren't naturally charming.
I, uh, we need props.
I always knew we'd be together in the end.
I didn't think it was actually gonna be the end.
Well, let's just see if we can't do something about that, huh?
Come on, let's get out of here.
Ha-ha, that's it, we're good to go!
So, any luck?
We only have a couple of minutes of power for this to work.
That's okay, we may only have a couple minutes left anyway.
All right, we're getting something.
Authorization code accepted. Please identify.
General Railen.
You a General? I never met a General before.
Al.
We are locked down for tactical strike.
T minus 3 minutes. -Oh, oh. No.
Hurry, this won't last long.
Must advise against strike.
Planet at risk.
She needs time to heal.
Al.
You said before you lost power, the model was stabilizing?
I think so.
I'm, the field was chaotic but balanced, and,
and rotation had stopped decelerating.
Come on, come on, why is this taking so long?
What- who are you all talking to?
Oh, here it comes. This is the President.
Can I meet him too?
Al.
Proceeding on McNeil's recommendation.
No. McNeil does not have all the facts.
I don't think he would care even if he did.
We're losing it.
How much time?
Not enough.
It's fading. -Okay, all right.
Here, how's that?
Well, it's coming through.
It's okay. What, he wants to know what facts.
What facts?
We don't have all the facts ourselves.
Leap of faith, David. You know the truth.
Yeah, General, may I?
Thank you.
Can someone read this one too?
I- I- I lost my glasses.
End target is in range.
Negative, Bomber One,
you are to abort your mission and return to base.
Repeat, abort your mission and return to base.
Roger that. Standing down.
Returning to base.
Bomber standing down.
Congratulations General.
Well done, well done.
You okay.
Are you okay? -Yeah. I'm okay.
Hey.
Come on. -Hey, how about me?
Yeah. We did it. -I think so.
Listen, I don't know if you all have any plans,
but I say we deserve a nice vacation.
And I know just where to go.
Hello. -Hi Sweetie.
Ah, hello. How are you?
See, Ellenita.
She's beautiful. Ellenita? -Sí. Ellenita, yeah.
Oh, she's beautiful. -Sí. Yeah.
Her daughter. My daughter.
Bye, bye. -Bye.
So, I've been working on this theory
about the multiple pole anomaly stabilization
of the magnetosphere.
You have?
You got all your facts together already?
No.
This is more of a, uh, gut instinct theory.
Really?
Ha. Wow. In that case I can't wait.
What do you got?
I figure maybe somebody thought we all deserved a second chance.
Subtitles: Arigon
Yeah, I'll buy that.
Ah, it's really too bad about your father, though.
He would have enjoyed this trip.
No, I rather think he's enjoying himself right where he is.
Yes, I have the whole place to myself.
And when the sun set behind those trees,
it is a sight to see.
It's so beautiful.
Well, the cabin's not much,
but it's better than a slap in the face with a wet kipper
if you know what I mean.
No, I don't.
But in physics, one law remains the same.
Opposites do attract.