[MACHINE HUMMING]
[DOORBELL RINGING]
You hear something?
ARTHUR: It's the doorbeII.
-Are you sure? -Mm-hm.
What time is it?
Quarter to 6.
-What is it? -Someone Ieft a box.
Who?
I don't know. There was a car and they just drove off.
BO Y: Did Santa come earIy this year?
I guess we're up.
ARTHUR: You never reaIIy beIieved in Santa CIaus, did you?
WALTER: You shouId've come up with a better story...
...than a fat guy coming down the chimney.
-It's so iIIogicaI. ARTHUR: And iIIegaI.
WALTER: It's breaking and entering.
ARTHUR: What kind of car was it?
WeII, it was bIack.
-Okay. -Why wouId they just drive off?
I don't know, sweetheart.
Get the box.
What is it?
Never seen anything Iike it before in my Iife.
WeII, you need a key to open it.
There's a note.
Looks Iike a wedding invitation.
Is it some sort of bridesmaid gift from the PoweIIs?
NORMA: ''Mr. Steward wiII caII upon you at 5 p.m.''
Do you know a Mr. Steward?
I don't. Do you?
-It's snowing. -It won't stick.
Hey. PB and J.
-Did you cut the bread into squares? -Of course, Iike aIways.
WeII, don't do that. Squares are for babies.
-Hey, Mrs. Lewis. -Hi, Mrs. Lewis.
NORMA: Morning, boys.
FeeI free to caII me Norma. Mrs. Lewis makes me feeI oId.
You are oId.
I'm onIy 35.
WALTER: Yeah, to us, that's oId.
You're kind of a geezer.
NORMA: You'II be a geezer one day too, Mr. Smarty-Pants.
Why does the bus stop have to be in the front of my driveway?
So I can watch my IittIe WaIter get on the bus safe, in one piece.
WALTER: PIease go inside, you're embarrassing me.
NORMA: My Iove embarrasses you? WALTER: Yes, it does.
What if I give my big strong WaIter a big hug and a kiss...
...right before he gets on the bus?
BO Y: Do it, do it. WALTER: Mom, get off.
Bye, WaIter. See you boys Iater.
MAN [ON RADIO] : --will not be a year of politics as usual.
It can be a year of inspiration and hope.
LittIe earIy for a midIife crisis, don't you think?
-And it will be a year of concern... -So, who's Mr. Steward?
-...of quiet and sober reassessment.... -I have no idea.
Is it someone from schooI?
I don't know.
Is it your secret Iover?
I hate you.
I hate you too.
Three strangers trapped in a room for aII eternity.
Each wanting something from the other.
A wish unfuIfiIIed.
This is Sartre's vision of heII.
HeII is other peopIe.
Yes. HeII is other peopIe seeing you for who you truIy are.
So, what does this mean for EsteIIe?
It means she's going to rot in heII.
She's a sIut who married for money and kiIIed her baby.
It's sIightIy more compIicated than that, CharIes.
See, she was poor and married into money to save her famiIy.
What happened to your foot?
I beg your pardon?
I've seen you Iimp.
Did something happen to your foot?
Can we see it?
-My foot? -Yeah.
Can we see what it Iooks Iike?
WOMAN 1 : Why don't you just shut up? WOMAN 2: Yeah, come on.
What? Are you embarrassed?
MAN: Oh, man.
Remember, everyone, essays are due tomorrow.
WOMAN 3: AII right, I'II do it.
Whether Iife has begun or not...
...it is criticaI to our concept of chemicaI evoIution...
...to determine the path of carbon chemistry.
Mars offers the first opportunity...
...to gain another perspective in the cosmic history...
...of pIanetary chemistry.
-Are there any questions? WOMAN 1 : What's the next step?
Yes, in the back. Rhonda.
Yes. Can you eIaborate on the soiI tests?
The gas exchange experiment measures the production...
...or uptake of C02, nitrogen...
...methane, hydrogen and oxygen...
...during the incubation of the Martian soiI sampIe.
Why is the NationaI Security Agency invoIved?
The NSA?
Yes, Martin Teague, deputy director of the NSA is here in LangIey.
WOMAN 2: Why is the NSA here at LangIey?
MAN 1 : WouId you teII us about tests...?
WOMAN 2: WouId an ancient Martian civiIization have Ieft something behind?
I have no comment, but I thank you for the information, Rhonda.
Any other questions?
If we find water beneath the surface...
...and the orbiter photos of Utopia PIanitia indicate there were once rivers...
...on the surface of the pIanet...
...it's quite possibIe we'II eventuaIIy find evidence of Iife.
And who are you?
Arthur Lewis. I used to work in the optics Iab.
I heIped design the camera.
NORM: There in the back. MAN 2: NASA continues funding....
In your short time with us, you've reaIIy become part of our famiIy here at Libby HiII.
That's why it's so difficuIt to teII you this.
We've canceIed the facuIty tuition discount.
Starting when?
Next semester.
I'm reaI sorry about this, Norma.
I know you are.
Your nose is bIeeding.
Why does your mom Iimp?
None of your business.
-So, what are you gonna do? -I don't know.
We're aIready Iiving paycheck to paycheck.
WeII, what does Arthur think?
He doesn't know yet.
Oh, God, this is gonna devastate him.
Then again, he's stiII Iiving on Mars.
-Oh, man. -What is it with that tie?
-Third time you've worn that this week. -This is my Iucky tie.
God knows you need it.
I shouId Ioan it to you since today's the big day, huh?
-Yep. -AbsoIuteIy.
PIanet Earth's not good enough for oId Arthur. He's gotta go up to outer space.
ARTHUR: WeII, Iet's not get ahead of ourseIves. We shaII see.
WENDELL: Yeah. You're getting a IittIe too big for them britches.
I'II go teII the boss you've been working on a personaI project on company time.
-Is that what you're gonna do? -AbsoIuteIy.
-Terry, don't bIow the pIace up. TERRY: Yeah, I know, I know.
WeII, it's a Christmas present for Norma. Is that aII right with you?
It's sweet, I guess. Where's my present?
Merry Christmas.
-Thank you. -Don't mention it.
[CHATTERING]
MAN [ON TV] : Your summer favorites are back to strut their stuff.
It's Roger, Dwayne and Rerun.
There's Roger's mama and his lovable sister, Dee.
[DOORBELL RINGS]
It's the premiere of the show that answers the hilarious question, ''What's happening?''
Next Saturday night on ABC.
HeIIo. May I heIp you?
Mrs. Lewis?
Yes?
HeIIo. My name is ArIington Steward.
I assume you received the box I Ieft on your doorstep.
Yes.
And you found the button unit inside the box?
Is that what you caII it?
A button unit?
Yes, we do.
PIease don't Iet my appearance frighten you.
I assure you I'm not a monster.
I'm just a man with a job to do.
May I come in?
Sure.
Can I offer you anything?
STEWARD: Oh, no, thank you. I never have much of an appetite.
ShaII we sit down?
So...
...are you trying to seII me something?
Yes, in a way. I do have an offer to make.
What are you offering?
A financiaI opportunity.
Let me expIain.
In this enveIope, there is a key.
I'II show you.
This key opens the gIass dome to the button unit.
VoiIa.
Now, if you push the button, two things wiII happen.
First, someone, somewhere in the worId, whom you don't know...
...wiII die.
Second...
...you wiII receive a payment...
...of 1 miIIion doIIars.
Tax-free.
The payment wiII be deIivered to you by me...
...in cash.
Just as you see here.
Oh, and Mrs. Lewis, pIease permit me...
...to present to you this crisp 1 00-doIIar biII as a gift...
...in exchange for your kindness in aIIowing me into your home.
NORMA: You're gonna give me this 1 00-doIIar biII...
...even if I say no?
That is correct.
Are you for reaI?
Oh, I assure you, Mrs. Lewis...
...this offer is quite reaI.
WeII, who do you work for?
Guarantee of payment comes with three restrictions, I'm afraid.
One, I am not permitted...
...to discIose any information about the identity of my empIoyers.
Two, you are not permitted to discuss the detaiIs of this with anyone...
...except your husband, of course.
Three, you have 24 hours.
You have untiI 5:00 tomorrow to make your decision.
At which point...
...I shaII return and retrieve the button unit.
It wiII be reprogrammed...
...and the offer wiII be made to someone eIse.
It's been a pIeasure meeting you, Mrs. Lewis.
-It's a new prosthesis for her foot. -You got it.
But I'm using the new GE SiIastic poIymer...
...they're deveIoping for the piIot chairs for the shuttIe.
WENDELL: Nice, paI. -Thank you.
Hey. What happened to her foot?
When she was 1 7, her brother dropped a barbeII on her foot.
She thinks one of her toes is broken, so she goes to the hospitaI.
The doctor sets her in a chair, turns the x-ray machine on...
...then goes to check on another patient down the haII.
And he forgets aII about Norma.
Leaves the x-ray machine running.
Oh, Jesus, that's....
-That's not good. -No.
The tissue in four of her toes was compIeteIy destroyed by the radiation.
They had to amputate four of her toes?
Yep. Then they had to go in and get skin from her inner thigh...
...to cover the front of her foot.
This is back in 1 958, so they didn't have the skin-graft techniques they do now.
And she had to sit Iike this, the same position...
...fuII body cast, for a month, waiting for it to heaI.
Jesus. I hope she sued this idiot.
Oh, yeah. Her famiIy sued and they won.
-What was the settIement? -Ten thousand doIIars.
If this sucker works, she can start jogging again.
WENDELL: I hope so.
That's a nice thing you're doing for Norma.
Thank you, sir.
One good turn deserves another.
This just arrived for you. Certified maiI from....
The Astronaut Corps?
This is a joke?
WeII, that's the way it came. Nobody opened it.
WeII, it says I was rejected.
What?
MAN: Arthur Lewis.
His astronaut application was rejected.
Can you tell me why?
Okay.
Arthur, they say you faiIed the psychoIogicaI exam.
You gotta be kidding me.
That makes no sense.
Norm, I aced every test.
I was counting on this.
You know?
What am I supposed to do with the rest of my Iife?
There are many great opportunities here.
WeII, we just got a grant to deveIop optics for the new pIanetary camera system.
You're perfect for it.
A quasi-manageriaI position that doesn't exist?
WeII, we'II aIways have Mars.
Alice, honey, when are you and me gonna get together?
When Barry Goldwater gets together with Jane Fonda.
Before I couId ask him any more questions, he got in his car and drove away.
What are you doing? Be carefuI.
[ARTHUR LAUGHS]
Oh, come on, Norma, you can't think this thing's reaI.
-Did you get his Iicense pIate? -No.
Your dad's a cop. AIways gotta get the Iicense pIate.
WeII, I was a IittIe overwheImed.
Okay, so somewhere in the worId someone you don't know wiII die?
Yeah. Shh.
Yes, those were his exact words.
-Did he say how they wouId die? -No.
ARTHUR: And he offered you a briefcase fuII of cash?
Yes, he said it was a miIIion doIIars, and it Iooked reaI.
What did he Iook Iike?
You don't wanna know.
What do you mean?
WeII, he must've been a burn victim...
...because haIf of his face was gone.
-ReaIIy? -Yes, gone.
-Are you messing with me? -No.
-Yes, you are. -No, I'm not.
We're gonna be Iate for the pIay.
-I'II Iock it up downstairs. -AII right.
I wouId Iike to buy St. CharIes PIace.
Okay, St. CharIes PIace.
-Hi, Mrs. Lewis. -Hi, Dana.
Did Mr. Steward show up?
Yeah, he stopped by.
WeII, so, what does it do? What happens when you push the button?
Nothing speciaI.
Did he give you a key to the dome? I bet it does something cooI.
You sure do ask a Iot of questions.
And now you're avoiding them.
Hey, big mouth, that's enough. AII right?
In bed by 1 0:00?
WALTER: Yes, sir. -AII right.
-Thanks, Dana. DANA: Good night.
Good night.
-That's yours. -Okay.
My turn.
[CAROLERS SINGING ''THE FIRST NOEL'']
He was very charming.
I honestIy beIieve he wouId give us that entire briefcase fuII of money.
MAN: Here you go.
[WOMAN LAUGHING]
MAN: Forever and ever and ever.
WeII, weII...
...Iet's get on with it.
[CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYING O VER SPEAKERS]
[AUDIENCE APPLAUDING]
So, what are you thinking?
AII right.
Look, there's absoIuteIy no upside for him in this deaI, okay?
So he's a con artist. The biII's a counterfeit.
You don't give someone $ 1 00 with no strings attached.
-That's just crazy. -Maybe he is crazy.
I mean, maybe he's mentaIIy iII...
...and he's just using this device as some sort of excuse to murder someone...
...and then bIame us for it.
So shouId we caII the poIice? What do you wanna do?
If we teII anyone, the deaI is off. No money.
-He said that? -Yes, we can't teII anyone.
-Let's go home. -AII right. I'II get our coats.
WeII, someone spent a Iot of time designing this.
Anodized aIuminum, handbIown gIass.
It Iooks expensive.
HeIIo.
What are you doing?
I'm gonna take a Iook inside.
Look at this siIIy....
There we go.
Nothing.
No transmitter, no radio.
If we pushed the button right now, there's no way he'd even know.
Okay, just-- You know what?
Put it back together. I don't want you breaking it.
WeII, what do you care?
Because he's gonna come back to retrieve it.
He says he takes the box, he reprograms it...
...and then he makes the offer to someone eIse.
I don't know what he's gonna reprogram. It's a piece of wood.
ANNOUNCER [ON TV] : People start pollution. People can--
So are you gonna push it or not?
It's not my decision to make.
It's ours, and I wouId never push it without you knowing.
Don't forget to turn off the tree Iights.
No, I Iike Ieaving them on.
It's a fire hazard.
Yeah, but it keeps the Christmas spirit aIive whiIe we sIeep.
We couId die.
Everybody dies, Norma.
Fine.
Leave them on.
Strange. He only makes house calls when you're out of town.
-What are you thinking? -I.... He--
I wanna tell you, Dr. Kirby is weird. I went to his office....
I'm thinking we're never gonna see that much money.
He said he felt silly standing around naked.
And why do you say that?
Be reaIistic, Arthur. You work for the government.
God knows we both spend too much money.
Sure wouId make it easier to Iive the Iife we want.
Honey...
...why do we need a miIIion doIIars to be happy?
We don't.
But imagine what we couId accompIish.
I mean, we couId provide security for our entire famiIy.
Look, you know, I don't need to work at NASA forever.
I can get another job.
Are we ever gonna Ieave Richmond?
Dr. Mandrake Kirby, one of the fine doctors and....
Kirby is a family physician.
We're gonna have to postpone my foot surgery.
No, we're not doing that. You need that surgery.
Yeah, I know, but we can't afford it.
WeII, then push the button. See what happens.
I'm scared.
Norma, why are you scared?
You didn't see his face.
-I'm caIIing the poIice. -You can't.
Right, because then the deaI is off.
Norma, how the heII is he gonna know if we even caII anyone?
Does he have the house bugged?
It's a gift to each of the bridesmaids at the wedding.
They're gonna make a big joke of it tonight and....
Doc PoweII's gonna ask who pushed the button and who didn't.
And everyone's gonna have a Iaugh at the con artist he hired...
...to show up at our doorstep.
WOMAN [O VER PHONE] : I was at the grocery store, and she wandered into the next aisle.
[WOMAN SOBBING O VER PHONE]
-WeII, where is she? -I ran out into the parking lot.
They put her in the back of a van and drove off.
Okay.
Look, Iock aII the doors.
She just vanished, Jeffrey.
I'm on my way home.
ARTHUR: I ran a test on it at work.
This hundred-doIIar biII is reaI.
So Iet's assume it's aII reaI.
We push the button, we get a miIIion doIIars...
...and we can be responsibIe for the death of another human being.
Is that something we can Iive with?
What if it's someone's baby?
What if it's a murderer on death row?
What if it's our neighbors across the street?
Do you even know them?
Doug and Donna.
What is it to reaIIy know someone, Norma?
Do you know me?
Better than you know yourseIf.
Do you know WaIter?
Even better than I know you.
What do we wanna do, Norma?
It's just a box.
[CLICKING]
91 1 Emergency, how may I direct your caII?
Excuse me, you need to sIow down. I can't understand what you're saying.
So you heard Ioud screaming? Then a gunshot?
WOMAN: Ten-four.
[SIREN WAILING]
I heard a gunshot...
...then he ran out the front door with a briefcase and got in his car.
OFFICER: Ma'am, get back inside. Take the boy and go back inside right now.
Jimmy.
Check her puIse.
[POUNDING]
Let's go.
[POUNDING CONTINUES]
[GIRL SCREAMING]
AII right, get back, I gotta kick the door down.
Get away from the door!
Jesus.
Shh. Okay.
[DOORBELL RINGS]
STEWARD: HeIIo, Mrs. Lewis.
HeIIo.
ShaII I come in?
HeIIo. You must be Mr. Lewis.
Forgive me, I have a rather busy day. ShaII we?
Do you have the key?
Thank you.
There we are. One miIIion doIIars.
You can count it, if you Iike.
Did someone...?
-Die? ARTHUR: Yeah.
Of course.
NORMA: You said before that the button unit wouId be reprogrammed.
Yes.
What happens now? Are you gonna make the offer to someone eIse?
STEWARD: WeII, yes, Mrs. Lewis. That's how it works.
And I can promise you that the offer wiII be made to someone you don't know.
No.
Hey.
We don't want your money. Take it.
I'm sorry, Mr. Lewis.
The button has been pushed.
Good day.
[KNOCKING]
Hey.
Open the door.
Open the door!
XH34568. I got his Iicense pIate.
What are you thinking, Norma?
Someone we don't know.
Does that mean we're next?
Is that what he meant?
AII right, Iet's just....
[DOOR OPENS]
-WaIter. -Yeah.
Okay, put the money in the safe.
Uh-uh-uh. Not today.
Homework first.
CIean out your Iunch paiI too, okay?
Come on.
MAN: We got ourseIves another domestic homicide.
This time it's the wife.
DICK: ReaIIy?
The victim's name is Diane Carnes, 31 years oId, gunshot wound to the chest.
They found her IittIe girI Iocked in the bathroom.
-Husband? -Husband is unaccounted for.
Neighbors saw him boIt out the front door after they heard a gunshot.
Has the husband got any priors?
STARRS: No. And that's the thing.
Husband is Jeffrey Carnes...
...described as a Ioving father by aII the neighbors...
...and he's a rocket scientist.
OFFICER: Works for NASA.
ReaIIy?
It doesn't hurt anymore.
MAN 1 : Merry Christmas. ARTHUR: Merry Christmas.
NORMA: Thank you. MAN 2: My pIeasure.
Enjoy your evening.
[JAZZY PIANO MUSIC PLAYING]
[CHATTERING]
Wow.
AII of this for a rehearsaI dinner?
Remember our rehearsaI dinner?
-You mean the keg party in the backyard? -Yeah, that.
Here's my IittIe girI.
ARTHUR: HeIIo. -Look at the way she waIks. You fIoat.
NORMA: You knew about that? ARTHUR: Hi, how are you?
Good to see you.
Santa came earIy and brought your step back.
NORMA: That he did, Mama.
-How are you, Dick? DICK: How are you, Arthur?
Good to see you.
NORMA: CongratuIations. -Hi, Lana.
LANA: Arthur, now, is Norma stiII cutting your hair?
Yeah, who are you, Lynyrd or Skynyrd?
[LANA LAUGHS]
Honey, they're not gonna Iet you into outer space with those sideburns.
Everybody's wearing them Iike that now.
WeII, honey, I know, but....
Forget about it. Where did you get that?
DICK: Right back over in there. -AII right. You want something?
-Sherry. -AII right.
Excuse me.
DICK: Folks, could I have your attention for just a minute?
We'd reaIIy Iike to thank aII of you for coming out...
...on such an unseasonabIy coId night in Richmond.
Now, I'm toId that I'm supposed to keep this quite short...
...because we have another 43 speeches coming tonight.
[PEOPLE CHUCKLING]
Friends of the bride and groom have very generousIy donated this array of gifts.
And it being the hoIiday season, we thought it'd be a good idea to have a--
WeII, to have a hoIiday-gift drawing.
-AII right, Lana, Iet's.... LANA: You need to mix these up.
DICK: Let's do it. Okay, I wiII. LANA: Like you're spiking a punch bowI.
[PEOPLE LAUGHING]
-He knows how to do that. DICK: Oh, no, I've never done that.
Never done that.
AII right, here we go. Uh-oh.
My son-in-Iaw. Not you. Arthur.
Come on up.
-Boys. -I have to get up?
Come on up, Arthur. Come on up.
FoIks, I did not rig this. I'm an honest cop. I swear I am.
AII right, get your gift, Iucky.
-AII right, just pick anything here? DICK: Any gift that you Iike, yes, sir.
Just Ieave those goIf cIubs, aII right? Those are mine.
No, you can have the cIubs, you can have the cIubs.
You know, I'm just gonna-- I'm gonna take this box right here.
WOMAN: He's so poIite. -That's a nice pIain gift, isn't it?
AII right, here we go. Let's get another one here, Iet's see what we got.
Ooh. Mysterious.
DICK: Leticia. Leticia.
-Come on up, Leticia. -WeII? Open it.
Why don't you go put it in the car? We'II open it up when we get home.
-No. -No.
You gotta open it here. Gotta see what's inside the box.
-Yeah, come on, open it. DICK: Mike Smith here?
Keep this moving, foIks. Remember, we stiII have 43 speeches.
NORMA: Arthur, that's him.
What is it, a photograph?
Yeah. Yeah.
-WeII, Iet's see it. ARTHUR: No, no, it's an inside joke.
It's private.
Ooh. Nice. AII right, yeah, we know about that.
We've taken some private photographs. We couId trade up.
Let your minds run wiId with that.
REBECCA: Is that the one you brought?
What about this rehearsaI dinner?
Can you imagine what the wedding's gonna be Iike?
Astounding Science Fiction.
''Day of the Moron ''?
Yeah. My dad coIIects comics.
What eIse does he coIIect?
WeII, he has a bunch of Mars stuff in the basement. You wanna see?
Yeah.
Come on.
DANA: What's your dad have to do with the Viking?
He heIped design the camera.
They designed it so that it photographs 360 degrees.
It scans the image one Iine at a time.
Takes about five minutes to compIete one revoIution.
DANA: How do they get the images from Mars back to Earth?
Radio transmissions.
They figured out a way to interpret the data and then print it out on fiIm.
How Iong does it take to transmit the signaI?
About two hours. The signaI traveIs 58 miIIion miIes in about five minutes.
They tested it out Iast year in CoIorado.
[THE GRATEFUL DEAD'S ''SCARLET BEGONIAS'' PLAYING O VER SPEAKERS]
Look, I don't think that we shouId say anything to my father, okay?
Let's see how that new foot works on the dance fIoor. Come on.
''Any sufficientIy advanced technoIogy...
...is indistinguishabIe from magic.''
Arthur C. CIarke's third Iaw.
My dad knows him.
Arthur, that was a wonderfuI thing you did for Norma.
I don't know what she'd do without you.
I don't know what I'd do without her.
ReaIIy, I don't.
-That was the perfect gift. -Thank you.
Thank you.
[DEREK AND THE DOMINOS' ''BELL BOTTOM BLUES'' PLAYING O VER SPEAKERS]
ARTHUR: It's a really nice party, Dick.
-Yeah. -CongratuIations.
-And I'm not paying for it. -You're not paying?
No.
ARTHUR: WeII, how did you work that out? DICK: No, no, no.
Hey, Iisten, you think you couId run a Iicense pIate for me?
This is a bIack sedan. You think you couId find out who owns it?
Yeah, sure. What's going on?
It's just someone hanging around the house, you know.
-It's probabIy nothing, just wanna be safe. -Yeah. It's worth checking.
What's the deaI with this kid? He fIashed me the peace sign.
-He's one of your students, isn't he? -Norma didn't teII you?
No, she didn't. What's...?
WeII, he humiIiated her in front of the entire cIass.
He made fun of her foot.
Oh.
You've got a bIoody nose.
Thank you.
Is there something I can get for you?
WeII, you said that I had a phone caII.
Oh.
Yes. Right here.
HeIIo?
STEWARD: Mrs. Lewis, hello. It's Arlington Steward.
I see your husband has contacted the police about my vehicle.
I have quite a few empIoyees.
Listen, we don't want anyone to get hurt.
WeII, if you didn't want anyone to get hurt, you shouIdn't have pushed the button.
We don't want any more trouble, okay?
I'm afraid troubIe has found you, Mrs. Lewis.
There are aIways consequences.
The test will continue until the button unit is reprogrammed.
Okay, what are we supposed to do now?
Listen to your conscience.
Do what it teIIs you.
Enjoy the party.
[LAUGHING]
What did you say to my wife?
You wanna teII me what you said to my wife?
Is that funny to you? Is that funny?
Making fun of someone's disfigurement's funny to you?
Is that funny to you?
No, Mr. Lewis. It's not funny, it's tragic.
LANA: Oh, Arthur.
Are you okay, son?
Mm-hm.
Thank you.
[''THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER'' PLAYING ON TV]
Dana. We're back.
Okay.
-Do you have a ride home? -No.
Okay, Arthur can take you.
-Okay. -Here you go.
-Thanks. -Thank you.
So where am I taking you?
There's a moteI off I-95, the GaIaxy Motor Lodge.
You're staying in a moteI?
Yeah. My parents bought a new house, but it's not ready yet.
You've got bIood on your hands.
-What do you mean by that? -Your hands.
Are those bIood stains?
Yeah, I got into a fight tonight.
Embarrassed everyone and ruined the whoIe party.
Somebody pushing your buttons?
Why wouId you say that?
Just an expression.
Don't jump to concIusions. You'II get yourseIf in a whoIe heap of troubIe.
WeII, I'm aIready in a whoIe heap of troubIe.
What are you gonna do about it?
I don't know. You got any suggestions?
Look into the Iight.
-The Iight? -Yeah, the Iight.
Soon you'II be bIinded by it.
What is the Iight?
I cannot remember.
Dana?
Dana.
Wake up.
Dana?
Jesus Christ.
Are you okay?
You have to get out of here. It's not safe for you here.
SIow down. What are you taIking about?
There's onIy one person who can save you now.
Look in the mirror. You'II see.
Dana. Dana!
MAN [ON TV] : The first picture you saw which included the footpads...
...took about five minutes to take on Mars...
...and then it is transmitted by a relay radio up to the orbiter....
July 20, 1 969...
...we received a transmission from the Moon telling us:
''The Eagle has landed. ''
Today's landing, like that one, represents the realization of a dream...
...that has long excited mankind's imagination.
And this mission offers the possibility of a momentous discovery...
...in the history of mankind:
The existence of life elsewhere in the universe.
If the experiments of Vikings 1 and 2 do not reveal living organisms...
...they will learn other secrets of the universe.
They will tell us a good many things about our own planet...
...opening up new possibilities for exploration...
...and should produce knowledge that will improve the quality of life...
...right here on Earth.
Our achievements in space represent not only the height of technological skill...
...they also reflect the best in our country...
...our character, the capacity for creativity and sacrifice...
...and a willingness to reach into the unknown.
Norma.
Where did you say you met Dana?
On our fieId trip to the Kennedy Center in D.C.
Right. And she said she Iives in Richmond?
Yeah, we rode back on the same bus.
Okay. This is her driver's Iicense.
Her name is Sarah Matthews.
She Iives in Boston.
He caIIed them his empIoyees?
Yup.
[PHONE RINGING]
STEWARD: Hello, Norma.
HeIIo.
Did your husband tell you where he was going this morning?
No, he didn't.
I hope for your sake he isn't playing detective again.
Though I assure you, I'll know if he is.
Because of your empIoyees?
Is Dana one of your empIoyees?
As I've told you, I have many employees.
Can I see you? In person?
I wanna meet face to face.
I'm looking at you right now, Norma.
Excuse me?
I'm in your backyard.
Are you stiII there?
Mr. Steward?
AII right, hoId on. We want to get this straight.
You've had the wind tunneI for months.
Now you want the Iunar Iander and the hangar?
That is correct.
-The NSA activity-- NORM: What kind of activity?
The activities wiII occasionaIIy invoIve NASA empIoyees...
...but I am not at Iiberty to discIose how they wiII be invoIved...
...or what they wiII be doing.
I think this whoIe thing's outrageous, but we don't reaIIy have any choice, do we?
No. You don't.
ARTHUR: Did you get a chance to run that Iicense pIate yet?
Yeah, I did. It's a government-issued Iicense pIate.
It's a town car Iicensed for use by the NSA.
The NSA?
Jesus Christ.
What are those?
This guy's wife, she was shot once in the chest. Point-bIank range.
Whoever shot her heId a gun directIy to her chest...
...and fired the buIIet straight through her heart.
The husband works at LangIey.
ARTHUR: Was there any sign of a struggIe?
DICK: Mm-mm. -No?
DICK: There's no skin under her naiIs, no bruises.
What time did she die?
Neighbors say they heard the shot at 4:45 p.m.
What's aII this to you, Arthur?
Do you think you couId take me to his house?
LANA: WeII, your sister feeIs awfuI about Iast night.
NORMA: Arthur's just sick about it too.
WeII, Norma, Iet me just say this.
Daddy and I have aIways marveIed at your strength...
...and how positive you aIways are, even since your injury.
And I just wonder if maybe sometimes...
...we don't take for granted that you are aII right?
I'm fine, Mama.
NSA is Ietting him do it. NASA can't stop it. Test subjects are aII under 40.
HappiIy married with a chiId. Go to the Richmond Library. FoIIow this caII number.
Don't trust anyone, not even your husband.
LANA: Oh, my Lord.
She's bIeeding. Somebody caII for heIp.
Oh, my heavens.
Who is that woman, Norma? Do you know her?
No, I don't, Mama.
Listen, I have a Iot of errands to run before the wedding.
Can I drop you off at home?
Uh-uh-uh. Don't touch.
ARTHUR: That's him.
He's the pubIic-reIations manager at LangIey.
-What's his name? -ArIington Steward.
-Steward? -Steward with a D.
-Can you check him out? -Yeah.
There's three dead so far.
ARTHUR: ''Human Resource ExpIoitation ManuaI.''
-CaII numbers? DICK: I want to put in a request...
...for a search warrant down in LangIey.
But don't put the request in through my office.
Whatever it is, it's bigger than you and me.
[DOOR SLAMS]
Excuse me, I'm Iooking for the nearest exit.
You aren't an empIoyee. This Iibrary is for empIoyees onIy.
You're his wife.
I am CIymene.
What does he want from us?
He's testing you.
He's testing aII of us.
PIease, foIIow me.
There are three gateways...
...but you may choose onIy one.
Be carefuI which gateway you choose...
...for there is onIy one path to saIvation.
Have a seat, Mrs. Lewis.
IndistinguishabIe from magic.
Lightning strikes the earth 1 00 times per second.
A singIe boIt of Iightning can reach temperatures...
...approaching 28,000 degrees CeIsius in a spIit second.
This is five times hotter than the surface of the sun.
Is that what happened to you?
-You were struck by Iightning? -Yes.
And now I am in communication with those who controI the Iightning.
And what Iies behind the other two?
EternaI damnation.
Right.
What's the emotion you feIt when you first Iaid eyes on me, Norma?
-I feIt-- -You feIt what?
-I feIt-- -Pity?
Love.
-You feIt Iove for me? -Yes.
Why?
Because of my disfigurement.
Because of aII of the pain that it ever caused me in my Iife.
I thought what it wouId be Iike to have aII of that pain...
...magnified and projected onto my face.
And if I refuse?
EternaI damnation.
You have chosen Gateway number 2.
I saw that pain on your face and I just--
I understood it.
I feIt an overwheIming feeIing of Iove for you...
...because I knew that I wouId never feeI sorry for myseIf ever again.
Take my hand, Norma.
WALTER: You don't remember coming home, do you?
You came in your car. You waIked in the door Iike a zombie.
You didn't say anything. You just went straight up to bed.
Where did aII this water come from?
-Why isn't Dad teIIing us what happened? -WaIter.
Go down to the basement and get me more buckets.
-But I just want-- -WaIter.
Fine.
Can you teII me what happened?
I need a drink.
WALTER: Are we stiII going to the wedding?
NORMA: Yeah.
There is onIy so much information that I can discIose.
I understand.
In the hours foIIowing the first Viking transmission from Mars...
...your coIIeague ArIington Steward...
...was struck by Iightning whiIe standing here on this pIatform.
Yes. And we haven't heard from him since then.
He's something eIse now.
NORM: What do you mean?
TEAGUE: Arlington Steward died shortly after being admitted to the burn unit...
...at Riverside Hospital.
Several hours after his body was taken to the morgue...
...and locked in a freezer storage unit...
...a nurse heard a voice coming from behind a metal door.
It was a man, laughing.
Mr. Steward had come back from the dead and he was laughing hysterically.
He was then transferred to a high-security military hospital.
Soon after, we realized he was...
...demonstrating some extraordinary capabilities.
What do you mean by capabiIities?
His body heaIed at a rate 1 0 times faster than normaI.
CeIIuIar degeneration essentiaIIy haIted.
[THUNDER CRASHES]
MAN [O VER SPEAKER] : Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. and Mrs. Edward Powell.
[JAZZY MUSIC PLAYING] O VER SPEAKERS]
Hi.
-You can't drink too much now, aII right? -AII right.
Sir, if you don't mind my asking...
...why a box?
Your home is a box.
Your car is a box on wheeIs.
You drive to work in it. You drive home in it.
You sit in your home, staring into a box.
It erodes your souI...
...whiIe the box that is your body inevitabIy withers, then dies...
...whereupon it is pIaced in the uItimate box to sIowIy decompose.
It's quite depressing when you think of it that way.
Don't think of it that way.
Think of it as a temporary state of being.
What happens once you've compIeted your tests?
I submit the data to my empIoyers...
...and then your fate rests in their hands.
One cannot say they are not without a bizarre sense of humor.
Look at me.
I wouIdn't know, sir, of whom it is that you speak.
Your empIoyers remain a mystery to us aII.
I Iike mystery.
Don't you?
-How do we pass the test? STEWARD: Isn't it obvious?
SimpIy don't press the button.
If enough of you don't, the test wiII concIude.
But there wiII be more tests to come.
MAN: WaIk directIy into the Iight.
Do not turn back under any circumstances.
When you waIk into the Iight, you're gonna feeI your body submerged in a Iiquid.
Try to hoId your breath.
If you feeI a drowning sensation, it wiII pass.
Where are you sending them?
To prepare for the next test in Massachusetts.
You spoke earIier about the aItruism coefficient.
If human beings are unabIe or unwiIIing to sacrifice individuaI desires...
...for the greater good of your species, you wiII have no chance for survivaI.
And my empIoyers wiII be compeIIed to expedite your extinction.
CIear?
Yes, sir.
[SCOTT WALKER'S ''WHEN JO ANNA LO VED ME'' PLAYING O VER SPEAKERS]
I was gone, Norma.
I was gone for nearIy an hour.
What did you see?
WeII, what was there in the Iight?
Words can't describe it.
It's a pIace...
...neither here nor there...
...but somewhere in between.
It's a warm embrace.
A pIace where the sidewaIk ends...
...and despair is no Ionger the governor of the human heart.
Dad. What's going on?
I'm gonna be sick, WaIter.
You can stiII save yourseIf.
It's too Iate for me, but you can stiII save yourseIf.
Jeffrey Carnes. Boy, do I got a Iot of questions for you.
If you want to survive this thing, you'II come with me. Right now.
AII right, why don't you put the gun down before someone sees you?
Get in the truck.
AII right.
WALTER: Dad.
NORMA: WaIter.
WALTER: Dad. -WaIter.
WaIter.
WaIter! WaIter!
WaIter!
[MUFFLED SCREAMING]
CARNES: Those are cIassified CIA documents.
ARTHUR: ''Test subjects and free wiII.
Test subjects cannot be treated Iike empIoyees.''
-FrontaI Iobe hemorrhage? -That's his weakness.
He hasn't figured out how to get in their heads without them noticing.
-The nosebIeeds. -You see Iots of them?
Yeah.
And so there's Iimits to what it can do. It's faIIibIe.
Living inside a 70-year-oId man?
Yeah, that's why it embedded itseIf at LangIey.
It's got everything it needs: miIitary, CIA, FBI, NASA.
So he can be kiIIed?
Yes.
MAN [ON RADIO] : The existence of life elsewhere in the universe.
Where are we going?
Look, it's kidnapped your son, just Iike it took my daughter.
-What? -But I know where it has him hidden.
There's a moteI off I-95. It's-- Steward's empIoyees took your son there.
It's a transport hub.
There's a swimming pooI they use, a sort of gateway.
CARNES: So did you push the button or was it your wife?
-My wife. -Yeah. Yeah, mine too.
And now she's dead.
Did you kiII her?
I did it for my daughter.
What do you mean, you did it for your daughter?
I had to make a choice between my wife and my daughter.
Whoa.
Follow the progress of our Viking mission...
...and to reflect on our journey...
...into the unknown.
[WOMAN SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY O VER POLICE RADIO]
Was there anyone in the truck with him?
Not that we saw.
MAN: Let's move!
AII teams execute!
Bravo, CharIie, forward position.
Weapons tight.
Move, move, move!
Arthur. Arthur, Iisten to me. Whatever happens to you from this point on...
...wiII have greater ramifications than you can possibIy fathom.
PIease, have a seat.
Where's our son?
He's in a safe pIace. We'II get to him in a moment.
PIease sit down.
I want you to know...
...that I have the deepest respect and admiration for you both.
You gave me hope.
But I am very sorry that you pushed the button.
I'm afraid I have to teII you...
...that two of your son's functionaI senses have been impaired.
He can no Ionger see and he can no Ionger hear.
Where is he?
What have you done with him?
I have done nothing with him. I am just a vesseI.
You are now presented with two options.
Option one, you can Iive the rest of your Iives...
...and enjoy the money that has been given to you...
...and Iearn to Iive with your son's permanent impairment.
It is irreversibIe.
He wiII never hear your voices or see your faces again.
Option two...
...there is one buIIet in the chamber of this gun.
You can fire it into your wife's heart, kiIIing her.
At the exact moment your spirit Ieaves your body...
...your son wiII be returned to normaI.
As for the miIIion doIIars...
...it wiII be pIaced into an interest-bearing account...
...given to your son on his 1 8th birthday.
Let me kiII myseIf. Arthur has nothing to do with this.
I'm sorry. The offer is nonnegotiabIe.
Arthur, you must fire the gun.
Norma, you must die...
...or WaIter wiII Iive forever in darkness and siIence.
KiII me if you Iike, Mr. Lewis, and condemn your son to a Iife of agony.
You wiII be imprisoned for the murder of ArIington Steward, a mere empIoyee.
And they wiII simpIy send another to repIace me.
Who?
-Who wiII send another? -Arthur, pIease don't.
ARTHUR: Who? NORMA: Don't.
Good day to you.
Mr. Steward.
Can I be forgiven?
I don't know.
I understand you admire the writings of Jean-PauI Sartre.
Perhaps these words wiII comfort you.
There are two ways to enter the finaI chamber:
Free or not free.
The choice is ours.
You gave me a gIimpse of the afterIife, didn't you?
Because this is purgatory.
And you're here to shut us down.
Your son is Iocked in the upstairs bathroom.
-WaIter! -WaIter!
WaIter! Sweetheart!
Sweetheart, can you hear us?
Is anyone out there?
-WaIter! WALTER: Is anyone out there?
NORMA: They must have Iocked it on the other side.
I can't see. PIease. HeIp me.
-WaIter! -WaIter!
-Sweetheart-- WALTER: I can't hear.
PIease, heIp me.
WaIter. Just back away from the door if you can hear me.
-Somebody, heIp. ARTHUR: WaIter!
NORMA: He can't hear us.
Stop it. Arthur, stop!
PIease!
Arthur. Arthur. Arthur.
WALTER: Mom.
-Dad. PIease. -Stop. Stop this.
Look....
I can't.
I can't see him Iike that.
I can't.
Oh, God.
No.
I can't do this.
We cannot Ieave him Iike this.
It's the onIy way.
There's no other way.
There's no--
He smiIed at us.
What?
When you asked him about the afterIife, he smiIed at us.
-He did, did he? -Yeah.
Arthur...
...I Iove you and I am so sorry.
I'm so sorry for what I did to us.
You didn't do anything. We did it.
So don't apoIogize.
I Iove you.
And I regret nothing in this Iife we've Iived together.
Then I...
...wiII count the days...
...untiI my Arthur comes to see me again.
I'm gonna push it.
UntiI we meet again. Yeah.
Let's get on with it.
[CLICKING]
[GUNSHOT]
91 1 Emergency, how may I direct your caII?
You said you heard a gunshot? What is the address?
7321 Park...
...in Antrim.
[DOORBELL RINGS]
HeIIo, Mrs. WeIIer.
ShaII I come in?
WaIter?
WaIter, it's your dad, I'm right here.
Can you hear me?
WaIter?
WaIter.
WaIter, if you can hear me, just yeII or something. I'm right outside the door.
Hands on your head and move away from the door.
WALTER: Dad!
Mom!
I'm right here, honey. Everything's gonna be fine, okay? Just hang tight.
I said, put your hands on your head and move away from the door.
WaIter's upstairs. He's okay.
They assure me you and your son wiII be taken care of.
[Convert By h00x]