One Under the Sun (2017) Movie Script
1
...about the upcoming launch of the
Samsara International mission to Mars.
Sources within the European space
agency, speaking off the record,
have confirmed that the upcoming
International mission to Mars
could be in jeopardy,
after last week's assassination
of Chinese President Tzang Wanzhou.
When NASA defunded
its extra-planetary projects
as part of the 2024
agency restructuring,
China's national Space administration
stepped into a leadership
role in the Samsara mission,
amid rumors that the PRC's involvement
is a cover for its military ambitions.
NASA's Samsara liaison continues to deny
that the mission has been compromised,
insisting that the Samsara
mission's International crew
is united in their goals and focus.
I believe we can
send humans to orbit Mars
and return them safely to earth.
And a landing on Mars will follow.
And I expect to be around to see it.
Like the scientific missions
based in Antarctica,
Samsara exists outside of politics.
As the world mourns
the death of madame Zhang,
mission commander Robert Liu has
met with all the agencies involved
to reassure them
that the fight will go on.
Man will step foot on Mars
before the end of the year.
- Where is she?
- In the lab.
- You left her there alone?
- She's fine.
Bianca's doing the blood work.
- She likes Bianca?
- Yeah.
Yeah, she does.
Okay, let's go.
Kat... Kat.
What... What?
- Doctor wants to talk to us.
- No!
- Without Amelia.
- No!
Kat... We need to hear
what he has to say.
I'm sorry.
You said it was gone.
What I said was
that it was in remission.
We always knew
that there was a chance...
You said it was gone.
It's never that simple.
Explain it then, huh?
Feel free to use short words.
- The tumors have spread...
- Tumors?
As in more than one?
What are our options?
Chemo, surgery, radiation, what?
- I'm afraid...
- None of the above!
I'm gonna be in the lab with Amelia.
All available personnel to the ER.
Kathryn's been under a lot of pressure.
The mission coming up.
I can imagine.
And now this.
It must be very frustrating
to come so close and then
have to step aside,
to hand over your place
in history to someone else.
She's not stepping aside.
We all agree.
Kathryn's going to Mars.
How long?
There's no way of telling, you know.
In cases like this...
Amelia.
Her name is Amelia!
So this is where the party is.
Daddy!
We're all done here,
but you may want to swing by the
cafeteria to get some juice, okay?
'Cause I took a lot of blood.
Mm. Juice sounds good.
Cras-ras?
Oh, I know, I know, I know.
Pickle juice and strained Sauerkraut!
Sound good?
No. I want to go home.
I'm tired.
Oh, baby.
Piggyback ride, hmm?
Come on, come on, come on, come on.
Come on.
Oh, yeah!
- Bye, Bianca.
- Bye.
Thank you.
Before I met you,
the only constellation I could
name was the big dipper.
Everybody starts with the
big dipper, and Orion.
Amelia asked me
for a telescope for Christmas,
so she could see you on Mars.
I'm thinking maybe you should get
it for her birthday instead.
Doctor said...
Doctor said that we should appreciate
the time we have with her,
whether it's three weeks or three years.
Three years?
He said three years?
He was that specific?
- He said three years?
- It could be longer.
I won't be back for three years.
It could be longer, he said.
Amelia's strong.
She's a fighter.
- She's like you!
- Like me.
I mean, what kind of mother
abandons her dying child?
You are the greatest mother
a little girl could ask for.
And the greatest wife.
You don't just belong to us.
What you're doing,
it's gonna make the world
a better place.
Not just for me and you
and Amelia but for everyone.
If there's even a mission.
You don't think
the Chinese will pull out?
No, but the guy who shot the
president, he was American.
That's not on the news.
Yeah, they're trying to embargo it.
The PRC intelligence agents
tracked him down to Hong Kong,
and took him into custody this morning.
He claims he's part of a group
that doesn't want
humanity to leave earth.
If God wanted man to fly,
- he would have given him wings.
- Exactly.
What a mess.
It's all a mess.
And all we're going to do
is bring our problems with us.
Man's greatest export to the universe.
My grandad once told me,
that when he was 15, it was the
worst year he's ever lived through.
Robert Kennedy was just assassinated,
and Martin Luther King.
The My Lai Massacre happened.
Russian tanks were rolling
into Czechoslovakia.
It was just one God-awful thing
after another,
and there was no reason
to believe that 1969
would be any better.
And then Apollo 11 made it to the moon.
And Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong,
they left their footprints
in the moon dust.
And my grandad said that
when he saw those footprints,
he felt like crying,
because he knew that
everything was gonna be okay.
You need to leave your
footprints in the Mars dust,
so that everyone will know
it's gonna be okay,
that no matter what's
happening right now,
there's something bigger out there.
You need to give people hope.
I'm going to enhance
these beautiful cheekbones.
You all right, sweetie?
I don't feel so good.
You don't?
Oh.
It's okay, baby.
It's all right.
Oh, thanks.
Oh, don't cry, sweetheart.
Do you need the bathroom?
It's just out the door to the right.
I'm so sorry.
You know, the meds she's on, it's...
My son had a bad stomach.
Cancer.
He had cancer.
My baby.
You need some roses on your cheeks.
Sit.
All right, roses coming up.
It tickles.
Sissy!
How are you, my lovely girl?
- Oh my.
- Safari Njema.
- Oh.
- Did I say it right?
Perfectly, my dear.
I'll see you out there.
Constance, can I speak to you
for a second?
Oh.
You look beautiful.
Safari nem...
- Njema.
- Njema? What?
It means "bon voyage" in Swahili.
Ahh.
Well, look at you.
Constance gave me roses.
Roses in her cheeks.
Constance felt that she was
looking a little pale.
I threw up in front of Constance.
Was this before or after
she gave you the roses?
Before.
I'm thirsty.
Yeah, why don't you guys go grab
something from the snack cart?
Yeah? Even if the press
conference starts on time,
you've got about half an hour.
- You want anything?
- No.
I know you didn't eat breakfast.
- What's breakfast?
- The most important meal of the day.
That's right.
Get you a muffin.
Come on.
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome
the Samsara international space team.
Jeff Taylor, Toronto globe and mail.
My question's for Dr. Liu.
You have a long history in heterogeneous
catalyst and surface science.
You've pioneered work with nanotubes,
nanomaterials and nanostructures.
How will your work be
integrated into the mission?
It is the mission.
Without nanotechnology
and nanomaterials,
there is no Mars colony.
Without me, there is no mission.
So wait, you mean I can stay
home and watch the world cup?
Hello, Elvis.
Hi, Myra.
Nice to see you again.
Mira Morganthau.
Io9.Com.
You'll be in charge of communications
for the Samsara mission,
is that correct?
That is the word on the street.
So essentially you'll be wiring Mars.
Designing the colony's
communication infrastructure, yes.
And once I'm done,
you'll never be able to say in space
no one can hear you scream.
Hiroko Okamura, NHK.
Dr. Voss.
You've said that you will be
conducting studies
into the nature
of the dark matter principle.
Yes, and expanding on
the groundbreaking work
conducted by David Klein.
Can you explain to my viewers
exactly what dark matter is?
Well, if I knew that, hiroko,
I wouldn't have to go to Mars.
Amina Labibi, Al Jazeera.
My question is for you, Dr. Biira.
Yes.
Your role on this mission is...
More observational,
less action, is it not?
Are you asking me if I'm with the band?
Forgive me my little joke.
I understand that my function
may not seem as important
as those of my colleagues.
I won't be conducting atmospheric
studies like Kathryn
or doing biomedical research
like Lucien,
but I'd like to think
my work on group dynamics
could prove useful in the future.
I'll be expanding on
the Mars 500 experiments
from 2009 to 2011,
and on the year-long
hi-seas project of 2015,
which focused on crew member
cohesion and performance.
Mars is a long way away,
and the quarters we'll be
sharing are rather small.
It's not like we can send
someone back to earth
for a time-out if they get cranky.
Speaking of that, don't you think,
given the considerable
cost of this mission,
that we should be focusing
on colonization,
not simply exploring.
I think you should consider us
more as a landing party
rather than an invading army.
Our goals are no less ambitious.
Our commitment is total
but our scope is more focused.
We are there to prepare the way.
Hmm.
Was the failure of
the Mars first initiative
forcing a re-evaluation
of this mission?
- Did science fail us?
- Suzanne, s'il te plait.
Um, the Mars first disaster
was not a failure of science.
It was a failure of trust.
And you, you trust this mission?
I do.
We'll be back.
Are you really going
to leave your dying child
to go off on this adventure?
I'm sorry, you're with...?
Dr. Liu.
Perhaps you'd like to comment
on the allegations
that your agency plans to plant
the Chinese flag on Mars
and claim all the resources
for the PRC alone?
You know about the Antarctica
treaty of 1959.
It prohibits military
activities, mineral mining,
and detonating nuclear
explosions in Antarctica.
To date, 71 nations have signed it.
The Mars treaty is fashioned
on the very same principles.
This is a scientific mission
being conducted by an international team
for the benefit of all mankind.
You mean humankind.
Have I answered your question?
Yeah, but, um...
Just one thing...
As far back as 2015,
the international academy
of astronautics proclaimed
that mineral resources found in
space are actually game changers.
They even went on to recommend as how we
can further leverage these resources.
Are you familiar with the study?
I believe one of the co-editors
was your mentor at the Beijing
institute of technology.
What is your question?
Just what does Antarctica have
that anyone would want?
Penguins?
But Mars? It'll be an
intergalactic gold rush.
Gonna be hard to stay high-minded.
This is what's wrong with capitalism.
My parents have come
to watch the launch.
My mother is cooking tonight.
All my favorites.
Will you come?
You and John and Amelia.
I have to go now, baby.
I know.
I made this for you.
That's Mars.
I was gonna draw sissy
and Elvis and Dr. Liu,
and Lucien-Pascal
but I didn't have room.
Oh, that's okay.
We can pretend they're visiting
the other side of the planet.
Okay.
I wish I could go with you.
I want to float through space.
I'll make you a deal.
When I come home, we'll float together.
- Really?
- I promise.
Daddy's sad you're going away.
He says he's happy, but I can tell.
You are just gonna take care of
him while I'm gone, all right?
Make sure he doesn't eat ice cream.
And that he smiles at least once a day.
- He really likes ice cream.
- I know.
But it's not good for him,
so remind him.
Okay.
And if I'm not here,
grandma will remind him.
Grandma?
If I'm not here.
Don't be sad if I'm not here
when you come back.
I'll make you lots of pictures.
Mom?
You're squishing me.
Sorry, sorry.
- Sorry, baby.
- It's okay.
My ride's here.
Mommy's gotta go, sweetie.
- Okay.
- Okay.
- Promise you'll come home?
- I promise.
Nothing's gonna stop me
from coming home to you.
Ignition sequence starts.
Six, five, four,
three, two, one.
Prepare for separation. One.
Call to Samsara.
Crew be advised,
we are ready to initiate
the docking sequence.
All I'm saying is,
we need to think about it.
For 70 years we've been stuck with
"one small step for man,
one giant leap for mankind."
Where is the poetry in that?
Why are you worried?
You're not gonna be the first
one out the door anyway.
Okay. So what are you gonna say?
I'll think of something.
Yeah, see, that's what I'm afraid of.
Remember Yuri Gagarin.
The first words a human
ever spoke in space.
He said, "orbiting earth
in this spaceship,
I saw how beautiful our planet is.
People, let's preserve and increase
its beauty, not destroy it."
He also said,
"I looked and looked,
but I didn't see God."
Yeah, well, he was a godless communist.
- No offense.
- None taken.
Actually, he was a Russian orthodox,
and he never said those words.
That quote came
from a speech Kruschev made.
Now he was a godless communist.
Amen, brother.
My controller's here,
looking very carefully at the situation.
Obviously a major malfunction.
We have a report from
the flight dynamics officer
that the vehicle has exploded.
Flight director confirms that.
We are looking at checking
with the recovery forces
to see what can be done at this point.
If you're just joining us,
here's what we know so far.
At 2:57pm, the Samsara Spacecraft,
returning from
its three-year Mars mission
suffered what NASA is calling
"a catastrophic event."
The craft suffered
an in-flight breakdown
as it entered the atmosphere,
leaving debris stretching
across three states.
NASA officials have confirmed
the accident was not survivable.
Mr. Voss!
Mr. Voss! Do you know anything about...
The cable went out.
I went online
and none of the news stations
say anything about the accident.
Maybe it was a mistake,
some sort of a freak meteor
shower, you know,
and then some yahoo
at a news desk panicked
and then he went on the air.
They just don't want us to know!
She promised she'd come home.
She said nothing on earth could
stop her from coming home.
I stayed here for her.
It hurt so much, but I stayed here.
I know, honey, I know you did.
Stop it!
Take a deep breath, Amelia.
Remember what the doctor said?
- Deep breaths.
- I don't care what the doctor said.
- Honey...
- I want mom!
Amelia!
Amelia!
Amelia, honey?
Amelia?
Oh, my God.
Look.
What is this?
Check it out.
Hey, come here!
Hurry up!
Oh, my God.
Was it a missile?
A meteorite? A goddamn
lightning bolt from heaven?
I need some answers right now.
Yes, right now!
Sir, you need to see this.
- Where'd you get this image?
- The satellite feed.
There's a satellite
above the debris field?
- Blind it.
- We can't do that.
Do it!
Sky news is calling.
Ignore it, I said.
- No one talks to the press!
- It's Google.
No one talks to Google.
Elvis... Dr. price-Johnson
worked for them.
No one talks to Google,
no one talks to the families,
no one talks to no one.
This never happened.
Are we clear?
- Are we clear?
- Yes, sir.
Where are you?
I need you in Nevada, now.
Good morning.
You missed breakfast,
but it didn't look very tasty.
Poached egg and grits.
Thirsty?
My name is Wyatt Roberts.
I work for the director
of national intelligence.
You've never heard of us.
We're the guys who brief the president
when there are incidents like yours.
Incidents?
- I don't...
- Amnesia.
Seriously?
That's your play?
Why are you dressed like that?
You're in quarantine.
Do I have Ebola?
We're not sure what's going on with you.
Let's just say you're in quarantine
until we can figure out
why you're still alive.
It's kind of a miracle.
Ha!
Aah.
Oh, yeah.
Elvis was looking for you.
Uh...
You missed the morning news dump today.
Let me guess.
Terrorist attacks in London,
world currency in free-fall,
mass graves found in Mexico.
Actually, it was terrorist
attacks in Paris.
You know, it's the same every day.
I don't even know why
they go through the trouble.
How's Amelia?
She's alive.
I don't know how, but she's alive.
You know, there are all sorts of studies
showing that people can stave off death
when there's something they're
willing to stay alive for.
She's waiting for me.
It won't be long now.
- It won't be long! Oh!
- We're going home.
- We're going home.
- Yeah.
- We're going home.
- We're going home!
We're going home.
We're going home.
Yes.
What's the last thing you remember?
I was in my daughter's room,
and I was looking at the stars.
I have a daughter.
You were looking at the stars.
Out the window?
On the walls.
She has posters.
My daughter, Amelia,
she must be worried about me.
I need to go see her.
I have to go see her.
You're not going anywhere.
- What...
- I told you.
You're in quarantine.
We have some more tests to run on
you before you can be released.
I need to see my little girl.
And John.
I need to see John.
I need to see my husband
and my little girl.
And you will.
Just as soon as we know it's safe.
Is that why the door is locked?
Is the door locked to keep me safe?
No, Dr. Voss.
It's locked to keep us safe.
You want to run some tests, right?
Let's do it.
Where are my clothes?
You don't have any clothes.
We found you naked.
Found me...
Now you listen to me,
you son of a bitch.
The only thing
that's kept my daughter alive
these past three years is the thought
of seeing her mother again,
and this afternoon, she saw
her blow up on television.
I've got a dead wife
and a kid in the hospital,
and the phone number of CNN's
science reporter on my speed dial.
Now if I don't get some answers
pretty damn quick,
I'm gonna start making some noise.
Oh, national security?
Don't pull that homeland
security crap on me.
If you don't have the clearance
to give me some answers,
you'd better find me somebody who does!
We're gonna be measuring the
electrical activity of your brain
using these electrodes.
Yeah, I'm familiar
with the EEG technology.
Okay. And this afternoon
we're gonna be doing a pet scan
and establishing baselines,
and compare what we get to
the tests NASA has on file.
What are you doing?
Mapping the pleasure
centers of my brain.
We already know where they are.
True.
But there's nothing like...
Ooh.
Primary research.
Perv.
Okay, let's begin.
State your name.
Dr. Kathryn Voss.
Whoa.
Can you tell from the brain activity
if she's faking amnesia?
- Huh.
- What?
This is off-the-charts weird.
Weird how?
Weird as in impossible.
What kind of questions
were you asking her?
We ran the scan three times
with the same results.
- And?/ - Every time she showed
the same pattern of activity.
It's like she has complete control
of her subconscious mind.
Then she's faking the amnesia.
Faking?
No.
Post-traumatic amnesia's very common.
But forget about
the bizarre brain waves.
Her blood work is what's really strange.
We tested her blood
and found 71 amino acids.
71?
Can you just tell me what that means?
Two weeks before she went to Mars,
Kathryn Voss had only
21 amino acids in her body.
So?
- What I mean...
Amino acids, they're... They don't...
Human beings only have 21.
You're saying she's not human.
Not anymore.
Plus sign.
Star.
Square.
Star.
Wavy lines.
Star, star, star, star, star!
Star!
How are the oxygen levels?
Down to 19%.
And, um, how's the night vision?
Won't be a problem
unless it goes below 17%.
But the sooner you get those oxygen
generators online, the better.
Mm-hmm.
You know, I keep thinking...
If I look at those plants long enough,
one of them is going
to morph into a cigarette.
You smoke?
I'm French.
Of course I smoke.
Well, not for years,
but I still remember the taste.
Maybe you can ask Robert
to have his nanites
whip up some cigarettes.
Cigarettes, huh?
And what would you ask him to whip up?
- Hmm?
- Mm-hmm.
Um...
Chocolate.
Chocolate.
Mm, I like that.
Amelia, I'm waiting for you.
Amelia, It hurts so much!
No! No!
Mom!
Kathryn.
Calm down, calm down.
I'm okay.
Just dizzy.
Oh, no.
You've got a fever.
- I'm fine.
- Robert.
Can you come to the greenhouse?
Kathryn is not well.
Calm down, calm down.
Hello, agent Roberts.
How did you know it was me?
Your, uh, scent is distinctive.
You hesitated. You were
gonna say something else.
I was gonna say "your aura"
but I thought
that might be too woo-woo for you.
You're right.
What does my aura look like?
It's pink and sparkly, like a unicorn's.
That's what I thought.
You're not wearing your gear.
Does that mean I'm not contagious?
I want to see my daughter.
What lesson have you
brought back to her?
What did you learn that you
couldn't have learned on earth?
I want to see my daughter.
I'd like world peace, but it
isn't going to happen today.
You know what else
isn't gonna happen today?
Me playing Guinea pig.
I want to see my daughter.
Above my pay grade.
Then get out!
I'm not the only one
with questions, Dr. Voss.
And some of those people with questions,
they're not as nice as I am.
Well, are they the ones
that blew the Samsara?
Who said it blew up?
What do you remember?
Everything was normal aboard the craft.
Everyone was excited.
Elvis?
Elvis was taking selfies.
And then we saw this streak of light
coming right at us.
I thought it was a UFO.
It's not what I remember, agent Roberts.
It's what I'm learning now.
You've kept me pretty sequestered,
but I can hear the people talking.
I can hear the fear in their voices.
There weren't supposed
to be survivors, were there?
You thought you could claim
catastrophic vehicle failure
and all would be fine?
But now the Chinese diplomats
are demanding to know
what really happened.
I want to see my daughter.
I'll make a call.
You do that.
Yeah.
Sir, we've got a problem.
She remembers the missile.
That's unfortunate.
We have the contingency covered.
- Activate Shan.
- Sir, are you sure...
Oh, you have such a good heart, Wyatt.
But you have to remember
that this... this woman
is an abomination.
The whole mission is an abomination,
an act of global hubris.
An insult to the creator!
The whole issue is the whole
dominion over this life!
This earth!
Nowhere is it written that we must
spread our seed across this universe!
Activate Shan...
Or do it yourself!
What the hell are you looking at?
Good evening, Dr. Voss.
Looks like we're in for a treat tonight.
Chicken teriyaki and some rice.
But I'm a vegetarian.
Oh, darn.
Well, looks like somebody
screwed up the meal orders.
What are you doing?
Would have been a lot easier
had you cooperated.
What's in that needle?
It's a little something
to help with those memories.
Ah, the missile.
This is about the missile.
Who shot that missile?
Wrong question, Kathryn.
Aah!
- Why?
- You wouldn't understand why.
Too filled with
your faith in technology,
worshiping a false God.
Why can't you die?
Because I am supposed to do something.
It's not my time.
Stop!
You've been lying to me!
You're never gonna let me see
my family again!
You're never gonna let me go!
If you leave, you will be
putting lives into danger!
Your husband's, your daughter's!
They don't even know I'm alive, do they?
No, they don't.
Now do you really want
your little girl to know
that her mommy went to Mars
and came back a monster?
Stay, and we can answer
your questions together.
I don't think so.
Yes?
John Voss?
Wyatt Roberts.
I got it.
I want to see a warrant.
Call your lawyer if you want,
but we're taking the laptop with us.
- I want a receipt.
- Of course. Pope?
You want to tell me why
you're taking my computer?
Because we have records of transmissions
your wife sent to your daughter
that mention something strange
and wonderful going on.
Do you have any idea what that meant?
Strange and wonderful?
You mean her dreams?
Dreams?
What dreams?
Kat told Amelia
she was having these dreams,
that she was swimming in
a river of stars and galaxies.
- Is that code?
- Code?
You gotta be kidding me.
You think my wife
was sending messages in code.
What's going on here?
How come no one will tell me
what happened to the Samsara?
There was that one special
report and then nothing.
Special report. I don't know
what you're talking about.
You're lying.
And you have been lying all along.
I have.
Yeah, you, the government,
for all I know the damn Illuminati!
Someone has a vested interest
in keeping the truth from us.
If you're looking to technology
to save you, John,
you're looking in the wrong direction.
Why are the Chinese
suddenly rattling sabers?
Why have our diplomats
been expelled from Beijing?
Why are pundits suddenly rethinking
the whole space program?
Because it's an obscene waste of money
when people right here
on earth are going hungry,
and children are dying of cancer.
Get out of my house.
Don't try to leave.
Pope?
- Hey, girl!
- Hi.
- It's good to see you./ - Good
to see you. How are you doing?
- I'm doing fine.
- Good.
- See you went shopping.
- Yes.
- What'd you get?
- Check this out.
Is this real leather?
- I know, right?
- Yeah, it's so good.
Oh, and then...
So this material
is super, super soft, right?
Very soft.
Well, you didn't buy me one.
Hey!
- God, look what you did!
- Please.
Forgive me.
- Oh, my God, are you okay?
- Sorry, are you?
Oh, I'm sorry.
I'm fine.
I'm sorry.
Hey, she just took your stuff!
It's just stuff.
She obviously needed it more than I did.
Should we order?
You know, you shouldn't be touching
that with your bare hands.
Afraid it's a martian virus?
I'll take my chances.
Ooh.
Huh.
Looks like something you could
pick up in the Arizona desert.
Like a little bit like home.
Did you ever read
William Blake in school?
Sure.
"Tyger, tyger, burning bright.
In the forests of the night."
I never liked that one much.
But "auguries of innocence,"
"to see a world in a grain of sand,
and a heaven in a wildflower,
hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
and eternity in an hour."
That's beautiful.
My wife translated
all of William Blake's work.
You didn't tell me you were married.
My ex-wife.
She was politically unreliable
and I wanted to go to Mars.
And now here I am, quoting poetry
by a 19th century English mystic.
When I was a kid,
my mother won a cruise
to Australia for four.
It was one of those contests
where you fill out a form,
and you forget about it,
because no one ever wins.
- Somebody has to win.
- Right?
My mom won.
It was a trip for four,
so it was me, my parents,
and my mother's best friend, joy,
who was always up for an adventure.
And the first night we were at sea,
I went out on the deck
to look at the stars.
Even then I knew
I wanted to be an astronaut.
And I realized, I didn't
recognize any of the stars.
I'd never been in the
Southern hemisphere before.
I knew the constellations
were different,
but to look up at the sky
and not recognize
- any of the stars was...
- Disorienting?
More of a reminder
that you can't see
all sides of the universe
looking at it from one perspective.
And if we saw earth from space...
That would change everything.
I wonder what Newton
would have thought of this,
you know, of us being here.
Building a habitat on Mars is proof
that humanity
can life on another planet?
He would have been
first in line to buy a ticket.
And he wouldn't have minded
not coming back.
You betcha.
You betcha.
You need help, hon?
Oh, no, I'm...
Yes.
Yes, I do.
Do you have any shoes?
Oh, let me think.
These look to be about your size.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
I can't pay you for anything.
Did I ask you for money?
I'm sorry.
I... I...
I'm just not good at being
the one asking for help.
I'm sorry.
It's just... I just feel out of control.
You think you're in control?
The more tightly you hold onto things,
the more they slip through your fingers.
It's like trying to stop time,
and hold off death.
Amelia.
No, hon, my name is Evangeline.
Evangeline, like the poem.
Thank you.
You said that already.
We are all in this together.
And God knows none of us
will make it out of here alive.
We're all in this... Together.
Again, thanks, everyone, for
sharing tonight. It was good.
You look familiar.
Have you been here before?
No, it's my first time.
Anything to share?
Not tonight.
Just not ready.
Well, take your time.
Thank you.
Hang out.
Enjoy the cake and coffee.
- The coffee is really good.
- Oh, really?
The cakes are kind of stale.
Hmm.
Chocolate and caffeine.
You've picked up some bad
habits, since you've got back.
Lucien.
How are you feeling?
I feel great.
You're relieved?
Yeah, I though I'd become a monster.
Because you survived?
Now I can sense things.
I can do things.
I can do everything I want to do,
except the thing I want to do the most.
See Amelia again.
You'll see Amelia again.
Maybe not in your time frame,
but in time.
Sounds like something sissy would say.
I know I'll see Amelia again.
I know it.
And I know that's
the reason why I'm still here.
But why else?
Why? "Why" is the most useless
question in the universe.
And yet, it is the question
we are born asking.
And it's only answered when we die.
So you know the answer,
now that you're dead?
I know that we should not fear this.
As for the rest,
your guess is as good as mine.
Remember what we saw when
we flew away from earth?
Remember how even Robert
was moved to poetry?
Yeah, and Elvis said that he felt
like he overdosed on ecstasy.
Yeah, well, Elvis...
So if a spiritual experience
can cause a cognitive shift,
why can't it cause a physical
evolution, as well?
Someone just took your picture.
Go now.
Lucien.
I'm just not sure, man.
Yeah, remains to be seen.
Target's been spotted, headed West.
West.
She's headed to her house.
We'll get there first.
Let's hit it!
Come on. Let's go.
What are you waiting on?
Let's hit it!
Oh God.
What have I done?
What have I done?
Lost?
Seems kind of silly that you can
find your way home from Mars,
and then get lost in your own hometown.
Lost.
That's a good word to describe
how I feel. I'm lost.
You heard what they're saying
about our mission,
that it was all for nothing,
that it cost a fortune
and everybody died.
Except I didn't.
An inconvenient truth.
You have to tell people
why we went to Mars.
People think that it was
to find humanity a new home.
It wasn't?
What do you think?
I think... I think the real purpose
was to look back
at our world and see it.
Really see it, you know?
The home of all humanity. No borders.
No barriers. Just us.
That's what I think.
Exactly,
and you can share that message.
I can't preach to anyone.
I'm not Jesus, or Mohammad, or Buddha.
Or Neo.
But who's talking about preaching?
I'm talking about showing, not telling.
You already know what you can do.
You've already felt it.
We've come so far as a species,
but sometimes, we get lost.
And every so often,
someone special comes along
to help us get back on our path,
someone who can see the bigger picture
that we're all one, under the sun.
That's kind of abstract.
Not sure people would think
a hallmark card sentiment
was worth the bazillion dollars
that it took us to go to Mars
and get us back.
Well, me back.
Mm.
But why me? I'm not special.
Oh, come on.
You don't believe that.
I know how hard you worked
to put yourself through school.
I know what you sacrificed
to train for this mission.
If you weren't special, you
would have quit a long time ago.
But here's the question...
What would humanity pay for peace?
Peace of mind.
No. Peace.
As in the absence of aggression,
the cessation of hostilities,
the end of conflict.
Would that be worth
the bazillion dollars
it took to take us to Mars
and bring you back?
You know it would.
You can reveal that.
- All by yourself in one hour.
- What?
You're not just dead, you're crazy.
One hour?
Kathryn, I'm
a communications guy, right?
I know networks.
Right now, humanity is
one big mess of individuals
acting as if they're the only
ones on the planet,
acting with no regard to how their
actions affect other people.
They're disconnected.
You can change that.
Well, if I can...
I can tap into this power,
then I can save Amelia.
Right?
Right?
I can't?
I can save humanity, but I
can't save my little girl?
Who made that rule?
You have to let go of your anger.
Well I have a right to my anger.
You know, I am angry because
my little girl is dying.
And I've got 71 amino acids
fizzing in my body,
and I can mind meld
seven billion people,
but I can't save my little girl?
No!
No!
Amelia's already made her choice.
Now you have to choose.
What's it going to be?
It's too hard.
When has anything been too hard for you?
I'm on my way to the hospital
to grieve with my dying daughter
over the death of her mother,
so I suggest you get
the hell out of here
Mr. Voss, I understand
how you must feel.
I don't think you do.
Your family's in danger.
I need you to back inside,
until we assess the situation.
- No.
- Sir, I must insist.
Hey, I served in Iraq.
I survived the Battle of Fallujah,
you think you can stop me from
seeing my dying daughter?
Not on your best day.
Sir, what do you want us to do?
Stay here and wait for the wife,
and if she comes back,
take her into custody.
I'll be back at the hospital.
Okay.
Agent pope, I believe you've
been looking for me.
I need help.
I'm Kathryn Voss.
How do you know my name?
I honestly don't know.
So what, is that one
of your new abilities?
You're psychic?
I guess so.
Don't be scared.
I need a ride to the hospital
to see my little girl.
I'm not going to hurt you.
You don't want to kill me, Eli.
You're not angry at me.
You're mad because your wife
wants a divorce and you don't.
You think she's sleeping
with your neighbor,
but she isn't.
And you love her so much,
you're afraid to tell her
how angry you are, because then she
might never speak to you again.
So you're angry at me.
But I forgive you.
Will you forgive me?
I forgive you.
We need to go now, Eli.
There's something I need to do,
and I don't have much time.
You know...
The reason why you can't
remember what happened on Mars,
is because what happened,
didn't happen on Mars.
It happened on the way there.
I was wondering when
you were going to show up.
Time is a river.
What did I see?
What did I see that caused all this?
You've already remembered.
I don't know what you're talking about.
We were talking about what we
were going to say when
we stepped out on Mars
for the very first time.
And you quoted Yuri Gagarin,
"the earth is so beautiful."
Yeah.
The planet is so beautiful.
We saw the earth.
Out the starboard window.
It is so beautiful.
So blue, so peaceful.
And you thought?
And I thought, "we're all one
on this small blue planet.
There are no boundaries.
There are no nations.
It's just us...
Under the sun."
I am no astrophysicist
like some people I know,
but I once heard someone say
that the unifying principle
in all the universe, the glue
that puts it all together,
is love.
Love makes the world go round?
Time is running out, Kathryn.
A lunatic named Creighton Bowe
has claimed responsibility
for the explosion on the Samsara,
and has admitted killing the
Chinese president three years ago.
Why?
He left a manifesto.
I did my thesis on
the manifesto of mad men
and it never really matters
why they do things.
Left.
Stirred up a hornet's nest
and then disappeared,
to avoid getting stung.
The PRC has nukes, Kathryn.
Go away. You're a figment
of my imagination, go.
Albert Einstein said that imagination is
more important than knowledge.
I know. I used to have a T-shirt
with that quote printed on it.
A world without war.
You can make it happen.
But if you wait, you will be too late.
I am a figment of my own imagination,
a ghost walking aimlessly
amongst the living.
How can I save the world?
I can't even save my daughter.
Our greatest fear
is not that we are powerless,
but that we are powerful beyond measure.
You sound like a fortune cookie.
You're deflecting.
You know what you have to do.
You know why you were given this task
and the power to complete it.
Power? Power has only led me to pain.
This universe has made a mistake.
There are no mistakes, only reminders.
It's easy to give up,
to fall into despair.
It is only when we endure, that we find
it in ourselves to achieve greatness.
But I am all alone.
I have no one left.
You are not alone.
John.
Oh my God.
John?
You guys don't have that much time.
Roberts will be back.
John.
Oh my God, John.
I thought I'd never see you again.
They told me you were dead.
They told me that it wasn't
safe for me to be with you,
that I would contaminate you
or infect you.
We saw the Samsara blow up.
We saw it on TV.
And then NASA officials said
there were no survivors.
Then they pulled every scrap
of footage off the air,
they said that it never happened,
that it was a mistake,
that we must have imagined it.
I'm so sorry.
I didn't want to believe it,
but we saw it blow up.
We saw it!
John, there's something I have to do.
That's the reason I survived
this accident.
If you're here,
there has to be a reason.
I know you're part of something
bigger than my own understanding.
- I missed you.
- I missed you, too.
Every hour you were gone.
If you hadn't gone, you wouldn't
be the woman I fell in love with,
and that I love.
John.
I'm not strong.
I'm not strong at all.
When Amelia got sick,
I felt like my whole world
was falling apart.
I felt so selfish for leaving,
but I just couldn't sit here
and watch her die.
So I ran and I ran all the way to Mars.
I cannot forgive myself for that.
But I forgive you Kathryn.
Amelia forgives you.
You need to forgive yourself.
Oh, Amelia.
Now go,
say goodbye to Amelia,
and go do what you have to do.
Why'd you have to survive?
If you'd just died, everything
would have been fine.
But no, you had to give
the people a miracle
so they'd keep putting
their faith in technology.
We don't have to save ourselves.
Science will save us.
We don't have to clean up our oceans,
because we can just move
on to another planet.
You survived,
and that was a miracle.
Well, I don't believe in miracles.
Look at me when I'm talking to you!
I'm sorry.
Were you having a moment there?
Is it really you?
Yes, beautiful.
It's me.
You came home from Mars.
I did.
I promised, didn't I?
I had a dream.
You took me to a river of stars
and we dived in and swam,
and there was galaxies floating
past us like rainbow fish.
We caught them and petted them,
and then we threw them back
and then we danced in
the middle of a cloud of stars.
It was so beautiful.
You're so beautiful.
You're crying.
Why are you crying?
Sometimes you see something so precious,
you just want to hold onto it
for as long as you can.
Is she in there?
Yes, Dr. Voss is inside.
She what? Just showed up
here and waltzed in?
She wanted to speak to her daughter.
I found John Voss in her room.
You have something to do with that?
There's a reason she's alive, sir.
She got to you.
What if she's not crazy?
What if we're the crazy ones?
What if what we're doing is wrong?
You're in my way.
I don't want to hurt you, sir.
Shame.
I can't say the same about you.
Don't be sad.
I wish...
What, baby?
What do you wish?
I heard the nurses talking.
Yeah?
They're scared there's
going to be a war,
because the Chinese astronaut burned up.
So, I wish for there not to be a war.
I wish that tomorrow, everyone
would wake up and be happy.
- And not be mad any more.
- Yeah?
And what about getting well?
Wouldn't you wish for that?
No.
- I think you only get one wish.
- Yeah?
And you'd give up your wish
for everybody else?
I'd give my life for them.
Yeah?
Isn't that what you're doing?
What?
Come here.
It's beautiful.
Help me show it to everyone.
How?
Just hold on. It won't hurt.
We are all one.
...about the upcoming launch of the
Samsara International mission to Mars.
Sources within the European space
agency, speaking off the record,
have confirmed that the upcoming
International mission to Mars
could be in jeopardy,
after last week's assassination
of Chinese President Tzang Wanzhou.
When NASA defunded
its extra-planetary projects
as part of the 2024
agency restructuring,
China's national Space administration
stepped into a leadership
role in the Samsara mission,
amid rumors that the PRC's involvement
is a cover for its military ambitions.
NASA's Samsara liaison continues to deny
that the mission has been compromised,
insisting that the Samsara
mission's International crew
is united in their goals and focus.
I believe we can
send humans to orbit Mars
and return them safely to earth.
And a landing on Mars will follow.
And I expect to be around to see it.
Like the scientific missions
based in Antarctica,
Samsara exists outside of politics.
As the world mourns
the death of madame Zhang,
mission commander Robert Liu has
met with all the agencies involved
to reassure them
that the fight will go on.
Man will step foot on Mars
before the end of the year.
- Where is she?
- In the lab.
- You left her there alone?
- She's fine.
Bianca's doing the blood work.
- She likes Bianca?
- Yeah.
Yeah, she does.
Okay, let's go.
Kat... Kat.
What... What?
- Doctor wants to talk to us.
- No!
- Without Amelia.
- No!
Kat... We need to hear
what he has to say.
I'm sorry.
You said it was gone.
What I said was
that it was in remission.
We always knew
that there was a chance...
You said it was gone.
It's never that simple.
Explain it then, huh?
Feel free to use short words.
- The tumors have spread...
- Tumors?
As in more than one?
What are our options?
Chemo, surgery, radiation, what?
- I'm afraid...
- None of the above!
I'm gonna be in the lab with Amelia.
All available personnel to the ER.
Kathryn's been under a lot of pressure.
The mission coming up.
I can imagine.
And now this.
It must be very frustrating
to come so close and then
have to step aside,
to hand over your place
in history to someone else.
She's not stepping aside.
We all agree.
Kathryn's going to Mars.
How long?
There's no way of telling, you know.
In cases like this...
Amelia.
Her name is Amelia!
So this is where the party is.
Daddy!
We're all done here,
but you may want to swing by the
cafeteria to get some juice, okay?
'Cause I took a lot of blood.
Mm. Juice sounds good.
Cras-ras?
Oh, I know, I know, I know.
Pickle juice and strained Sauerkraut!
Sound good?
No. I want to go home.
I'm tired.
Oh, baby.
Piggyback ride, hmm?
Come on, come on, come on, come on.
Come on.
Oh, yeah!
- Bye, Bianca.
- Bye.
Thank you.
Before I met you,
the only constellation I could
name was the big dipper.
Everybody starts with the
big dipper, and Orion.
Amelia asked me
for a telescope for Christmas,
so she could see you on Mars.
I'm thinking maybe you should get
it for her birthday instead.
Doctor said...
Doctor said that we should appreciate
the time we have with her,
whether it's three weeks or three years.
Three years?
He said three years?
He was that specific?
- He said three years?
- It could be longer.
I won't be back for three years.
It could be longer, he said.
Amelia's strong.
She's a fighter.
- She's like you!
- Like me.
I mean, what kind of mother
abandons her dying child?
You are the greatest mother
a little girl could ask for.
And the greatest wife.
You don't just belong to us.
What you're doing,
it's gonna make the world
a better place.
Not just for me and you
and Amelia but for everyone.
If there's even a mission.
You don't think
the Chinese will pull out?
No, but the guy who shot the
president, he was American.
That's not on the news.
Yeah, they're trying to embargo it.
The PRC intelligence agents
tracked him down to Hong Kong,
and took him into custody this morning.
He claims he's part of a group
that doesn't want
humanity to leave earth.
If God wanted man to fly,
- he would have given him wings.
- Exactly.
What a mess.
It's all a mess.
And all we're going to do
is bring our problems with us.
Man's greatest export to the universe.
My grandad once told me,
that when he was 15, it was the
worst year he's ever lived through.
Robert Kennedy was just assassinated,
and Martin Luther King.
The My Lai Massacre happened.
Russian tanks were rolling
into Czechoslovakia.
It was just one God-awful thing
after another,
and there was no reason
to believe that 1969
would be any better.
And then Apollo 11 made it to the moon.
And Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong,
they left their footprints
in the moon dust.
And my grandad said that
when he saw those footprints,
he felt like crying,
because he knew that
everything was gonna be okay.
You need to leave your
footprints in the Mars dust,
so that everyone will know
it's gonna be okay,
that no matter what's
happening right now,
there's something bigger out there.
You need to give people hope.
I'm going to enhance
these beautiful cheekbones.
You all right, sweetie?
I don't feel so good.
You don't?
Oh.
It's okay, baby.
It's all right.
Oh, thanks.
Oh, don't cry, sweetheart.
Do you need the bathroom?
It's just out the door to the right.
I'm so sorry.
You know, the meds she's on, it's...
My son had a bad stomach.
Cancer.
He had cancer.
My baby.
You need some roses on your cheeks.
Sit.
All right, roses coming up.
It tickles.
Sissy!
How are you, my lovely girl?
- Oh my.
- Safari Njema.
- Oh.
- Did I say it right?
Perfectly, my dear.
I'll see you out there.
Constance, can I speak to you
for a second?
Oh.
You look beautiful.
Safari nem...
- Njema.
- Njema? What?
It means "bon voyage" in Swahili.
Ahh.
Well, look at you.
Constance gave me roses.
Roses in her cheeks.
Constance felt that she was
looking a little pale.
I threw up in front of Constance.
Was this before or after
she gave you the roses?
Before.
I'm thirsty.
Yeah, why don't you guys go grab
something from the snack cart?
Yeah? Even if the press
conference starts on time,
you've got about half an hour.
- You want anything?
- No.
I know you didn't eat breakfast.
- What's breakfast?
- The most important meal of the day.
That's right.
Get you a muffin.
Come on.
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome
the Samsara international space team.
Jeff Taylor, Toronto globe and mail.
My question's for Dr. Liu.
You have a long history in heterogeneous
catalyst and surface science.
You've pioneered work with nanotubes,
nanomaterials and nanostructures.
How will your work be
integrated into the mission?
It is the mission.
Without nanotechnology
and nanomaterials,
there is no Mars colony.
Without me, there is no mission.
So wait, you mean I can stay
home and watch the world cup?
Hello, Elvis.
Hi, Myra.
Nice to see you again.
Mira Morganthau.
Io9.Com.
You'll be in charge of communications
for the Samsara mission,
is that correct?
That is the word on the street.
So essentially you'll be wiring Mars.
Designing the colony's
communication infrastructure, yes.
And once I'm done,
you'll never be able to say in space
no one can hear you scream.
Hiroko Okamura, NHK.
Dr. Voss.
You've said that you will be
conducting studies
into the nature
of the dark matter principle.
Yes, and expanding on
the groundbreaking work
conducted by David Klein.
Can you explain to my viewers
exactly what dark matter is?
Well, if I knew that, hiroko,
I wouldn't have to go to Mars.
Amina Labibi, Al Jazeera.
My question is for you, Dr. Biira.
Yes.
Your role on this mission is...
More observational,
less action, is it not?
Are you asking me if I'm with the band?
Forgive me my little joke.
I understand that my function
may not seem as important
as those of my colleagues.
I won't be conducting atmospheric
studies like Kathryn
or doing biomedical research
like Lucien,
but I'd like to think
my work on group dynamics
could prove useful in the future.
I'll be expanding on
the Mars 500 experiments
from 2009 to 2011,
and on the year-long
hi-seas project of 2015,
which focused on crew member
cohesion and performance.
Mars is a long way away,
and the quarters we'll be
sharing are rather small.
It's not like we can send
someone back to earth
for a time-out if they get cranky.
Speaking of that, don't you think,
given the considerable
cost of this mission,
that we should be focusing
on colonization,
not simply exploring.
I think you should consider us
more as a landing party
rather than an invading army.
Our goals are no less ambitious.
Our commitment is total
but our scope is more focused.
We are there to prepare the way.
Hmm.
Was the failure of
the Mars first initiative
forcing a re-evaluation
of this mission?
- Did science fail us?
- Suzanne, s'il te plait.
Um, the Mars first disaster
was not a failure of science.
It was a failure of trust.
And you, you trust this mission?
I do.
We'll be back.
Are you really going
to leave your dying child
to go off on this adventure?
I'm sorry, you're with...?
Dr. Liu.
Perhaps you'd like to comment
on the allegations
that your agency plans to plant
the Chinese flag on Mars
and claim all the resources
for the PRC alone?
You know about the Antarctica
treaty of 1959.
It prohibits military
activities, mineral mining,
and detonating nuclear
explosions in Antarctica.
To date, 71 nations have signed it.
The Mars treaty is fashioned
on the very same principles.
This is a scientific mission
being conducted by an international team
for the benefit of all mankind.
You mean humankind.
Have I answered your question?
Yeah, but, um...
Just one thing...
As far back as 2015,
the international academy
of astronautics proclaimed
that mineral resources found in
space are actually game changers.
They even went on to recommend as how we
can further leverage these resources.
Are you familiar with the study?
I believe one of the co-editors
was your mentor at the Beijing
institute of technology.
What is your question?
Just what does Antarctica have
that anyone would want?
Penguins?
But Mars? It'll be an
intergalactic gold rush.
Gonna be hard to stay high-minded.
This is what's wrong with capitalism.
My parents have come
to watch the launch.
My mother is cooking tonight.
All my favorites.
Will you come?
You and John and Amelia.
I have to go now, baby.
I know.
I made this for you.
That's Mars.
I was gonna draw sissy
and Elvis and Dr. Liu,
and Lucien-Pascal
but I didn't have room.
Oh, that's okay.
We can pretend they're visiting
the other side of the planet.
Okay.
I wish I could go with you.
I want to float through space.
I'll make you a deal.
When I come home, we'll float together.
- Really?
- I promise.
Daddy's sad you're going away.
He says he's happy, but I can tell.
You are just gonna take care of
him while I'm gone, all right?
Make sure he doesn't eat ice cream.
And that he smiles at least once a day.
- He really likes ice cream.
- I know.
But it's not good for him,
so remind him.
Okay.
And if I'm not here,
grandma will remind him.
Grandma?
If I'm not here.
Don't be sad if I'm not here
when you come back.
I'll make you lots of pictures.
Mom?
You're squishing me.
Sorry, sorry.
- Sorry, baby.
- It's okay.
My ride's here.
Mommy's gotta go, sweetie.
- Okay.
- Okay.
- Promise you'll come home?
- I promise.
Nothing's gonna stop me
from coming home to you.
Ignition sequence starts.
Six, five, four,
three, two, one.
Prepare for separation. One.
Call to Samsara.
Crew be advised,
we are ready to initiate
the docking sequence.
All I'm saying is,
we need to think about it.
For 70 years we've been stuck with
"one small step for man,
one giant leap for mankind."
Where is the poetry in that?
Why are you worried?
You're not gonna be the first
one out the door anyway.
Okay. So what are you gonna say?
I'll think of something.
Yeah, see, that's what I'm afraid of.
Remember Yuri Gagarin.
The first words a human
ever spoke in space.
He said, "orbiting earth
in this spaceship,
I saw how beautiful our planet is.
People, let's preserve and increase
its beauty, not destroy it."
He also said,
"I looked and looked,
but I didn't see God."
Yeah, well, he was a godless communist.
- No offense.
- None taken.
Actually, he was a Russian orthodox,
and he never said those words.
That quote came
from a speech Kruschev made.
Now he was a godless communist.
Amen, brother.
My controller's here,
looking very carefully at the situation.
Obviously a major malfunction.
We have a report from
the flight dynamics officer
that the vehicle has exploded.
Flight director confirms that.
We are looking at checking
with the recovery forces
to see what can be done at this point.
If you're just joining us,
here's what we know so far.
At 2:57pm, the Samsara Spacecraft,
returning from
its three-year Mars mission
suffered what NASA is calling
"a catastrophic event."
The craft suffered
an in-flight breakdown
as it entered the atmosphere,
leaving debris stretching
across three states.
NASA officials have confirmed
the accident was not survivable.
Mr. Voss!
Mr. Voss! Do you know anything about...
The cable went out.
I went online
and none of the news stations
say anything about the accident.
Maybe it was a mistake,
some sort of a freak meteor
shower, you know,
and then some yahoo
at a news desk panicked
and then he went on the air.
They just don't want us to know!
She promised she'd come home.
She said nothing on earth could
stop her from coming home.
I stayed here for her.
It hurt so much, but I stayed here.
I know, honey, I know you did.
Stop it!
Take a deep breath, Amelia.
Remember what the doctor said?
- Deep breaths.
- I don't care what the doctor said.
- Honey...
- I want mom!
Amelia!
Amelia!
Amelia, honey?
Amelia?
Oh, my God.
Look.
What is this?
Check it out.
Hey, come here!
Hurry up!
Oh, my God.
Was it a missile?
A meteorite? A goddamn
lightning bolt from heaven?
I need some answers right now.
Yes, right now!
Sir, you need to see this.
- Where'd you get this image?
- The satellite feed.
There's a satellite
above the debris field?
- Blind it.
- We can't do that.
Do it!
Sky news is calling.
Ignore it, I said.
- No one talks to the press!
- It's Google.
No one talks to Google.
Elvis... Dr. price-Johnson
worked for them.
No one talks to Google,
no one talks to the families,
no one talks to no one.
This never happened.
Are we clear?
- Are we clear?
- Yes, sir.
Where are you?
I need you in Nevada, now.
Good morning.
You missed breakfast,
but it didn't look very tasty.
Poached egg and grits.
Thirsty?
My name is Wyatt Roberts.
I work for the director
of national intelligence.
You've never heard of us.
We're the guys who brief the president
when there are incidents like yours.
Incidents?
- I don't...
- Amnesia.
Seriously?
That's your play?
Why are you dressed like that?
You're in quarantine.
Do I have Ebola?
We're not sure what's going on with you.
Let's just say you're in quarantine
until we can figure out
why you're still alive.
It's kind of a miracle.
Ha!
Aah.
Oh, yeah.
Elvis was looking for you.
Uh...
You missed the morning news dump today.
Let me guess.
Terrorist attacks in London,
world currency in free-fall,
mass graves found in Mexico.
Actually, it was terrorist
attacks in Paris.
You know, it's the same every day.
I don't even know why
they go through the trouble.
How's Amelia?
She's alive.
I don't know how, but she's alive.
You know, there are all sorts of studies
showing that people can stave off death
when there's something they're
willing to stay alive for.
She's waiting for me.
It won't be long now.
- It won't be long! Oh!
- We're going home.
- We're going home.
- Yeah.
- We're going home.
- We're going home!
We're going home.
We're going home.
Yes.
What's the last thing you remember?
I was in my daughter's room,
and I was looking at the stars.
I have a daughter.
You were looking at the stars.
Out the window?
On the walls.
She has posters.
My daughter, Amelia,
she must be worried about me.
I need to go see her.
I have to go see her.
You're not going anywhere.
- What...
- I told you.
You're in quarantine.
We have some more tests to run on
you before you can be released.
I need to see my little girl.
And John.
I need to see John.
I need to see my husband
and my little girl.
And you will.
Just as soon as we know it's safe.
Is that why the door is locked?
Is the door locked to keep me safe?
No, Dr. Voss.
It's locked to keep us safe.
You want to run some tests, right?
Let's do it.
Where are my clothes?
You don't have any clothes.
We found you naked.
Found me...
Now you listen to me,
you son of a bitch.
The only thing
that's kept my daughter alive
these past three years is the thought
of seeing her mother again,
and this afternoon, she saw
her blow up on television.
I've got a dead wife
and a kid in the hospital,
and the phone number of CNN's
science reporter on my speed dial.
Now if I don't get some answers
pretty damn quick,
I'm gonna start making some noise.
Oh, national security?
Don't pull that homeland
security crap on me.
If you don't have the clearance
to give me some answers,
you'd better find me somebody who does!
We're gonna be measuring the
electrical activity of your brain
using these electrodes.
Yeah, I'm familiar
with the EEG technology.
Okay. And this afternoon
we're gonna be doing a pet scan
and establishing baselines,
and compare what we get to
the tests NASA has on file.
What are you doing?
Mapping the pleasure
centers of my brain.
We already know where they are.
True.
But there's nothing like...
Ooh.
Primary research.
Perv.
Okay, let's begin.
State your name.
Dr. Kathryn Voss.
Whoa.
Can you tell from the brain activity
if she's faking amnesia?
- Huh.
- What?
This is off-the-charts weird.
Weird how?
Weird as in impossible.
What kind of questions
were you asking her?
We ran the scan three times
with the same results.
- And?/ - Every time she showed
the same pattern of activity.
It's like she has complete control
of her subconscious mind.
Then she's faking the amnesia.
Faking?
No.
Post-traumatic amnesia's very common.
But forget about
the bizarre brain waves.
Her blood work is what's really strange.
We tested her blood
and found 71 amino acids.
71?
Can you just tell me what that means?
Two weeks before she went to Mars,
Kathryn Voss had only
21 amino acids in her body.
So?
- What I mean...
Amino acids, they're... They don't...
Human beings only have 21.
You're saying she's not human.
Not anymore.
Plus sign.
Star.
Square.
Star.
Wavy lines.
Star, star, star, star, star!
Star!
How are the oxygen levels?
Down to 19%.
And, um, how's the night vision?
Won't be a problem
unless it goes below 17%.
But the sooner you get those oxygen
generators online, the better.
Mm-hmm.
You know, I keep thinking...
If I look at those plants long enough,
one of them is going
to morph into a cigarette.
You smoke?
I'm French.
Of course I smoke.
Well, not for years,
but I still remember the taste.
Maybe you can ask Robert
to have his nanites
whip up some cigarettes.
Cigarettes, huh?
And what would you ask him to whip up?
- Hmm?
- Mm-hmm.
Um...
Chocolate.
Chocolate.
Mm, I like that.
Amelia, I'm waiting for you.
Amelia, It hurts so much!
No! No!
Mom!
Kathryn.
Calm down, calm down.
I'm okay.
Just dizzy.
Oh, no.
You've got a fever.
- I'm fine.
- Robert.
Can you come to the greenhouse?
Kathryn is not well.
Calm down, calm down.
Hello, agent Roberts.
How did you know it was me?
Your, uh, scent is distinctive.
You hesitated. You were
gonna say something else.
I was gonna say "your aura"
but I thought
that might be too woo-woo for you.
You're right.
What does my aura look like?
It's pink and sparkly, like a unicorn's.
That's what I thought.
You're not wearing your gear.
Does that mean I'm not contagious?
I want to see my daughter.
What lesson have you
brought back to her?
What did you learn that you
couldn't have learned on earth?
I want to see my daughter.
I'd like world peace, but it
isn't going to happen today.
You know what else
isn't gonna happen today?
Me playing Guinea pig.
I want to see my daughter.
Above my pay grade.
Then get out!
I'm not the only one
with questions, Dr. Voss.
And some of those people with questions,
they're not as nice as I am.
Well, are they the ones
that blew the Samsara?
Who said it blew up?
What do you remember?
Everything was normal aboard the craft.
Everyone was excited.
Elvis?
Elvis was taking selfies.
And then we saw this streak of light
coming right at us.
I thought it was a UFO.
It's not what I remember, agent Roberts.
It's what I'm learning now.
You've kept me pretty sequestered,
but I can hear the people talking.
I can hear the fear in their voices.
There weren't supposed
to be survivors, were there?
You thought you could claim
catastrophic vehicle failure
and all would be fine?
But now the Chinese diplomats
are demanding to know
what really happened.
I want to see my daughter.
I'll make a call.
You do that.
Yeah.
Sir, we've got a problem.
She remembers the missile.
That's unfortunate.
We have the contingency covered.
- Activate Shan.
- Sir, are you sure...
Oh, you have such a good heart, Wyatt.
But you have to remember
that this... this woman
is an abomination.
The whole mission is an abomination,
an act of global hubris.
An insult to the creator!
The whole issue is the whole
dominion over this life!
This earth!
Nowhere is it written that we must
spread our seed across this universe!
Activate Shan...
Or do it yourself!
What the hell are you looking at?
Good evening, Dr. Voss.
Looks like we're in for a treat tonight.
Chicken teriyaki and some rice.
But I'm a vegetarian.
Oh, darn.
Well, looks like somebody
screwed up the meal orders.
What are you doing?
Would have been a lot easier
had you cooperated.
What's in that needle?
It's a little something
to help with those memories.
Ah, the missile.
This is about the missile.
Who shot that missile?
Wrong question, Kathryn.
Aah!
- Why?
- You wouldn't understand why.
Too filled with
your faith in technology,
worshiping a false God.
Why can't you die?
Because I am supposed to do something.
It's not my time.
Stop!
You've been lying to me!
You're never gonna let me see
my family again!
You're never gonna let me go!
If you leave, you will be
putting lives into danger!
Your husband's, your daughter's!
They don't even know I'm alive, do they?
No, they don't.
Now do you really want
your little girl to know
that her mommy went to Mars
and came back a monster?
Stay, and we can answer
your questions together.
I don't think so.
Yes?
John Voss?
Wyatt Roberts.
I got it.
I want to see a warrant.
Call your lawyer if you want,
but we're taking the laptop with us.
- I want a receipt.
- Of course. Pope?
You want to tell me why
you're taking my computer?
Because we have records of transmissions
your wife sent to your daughter
that mention something strange
and wonderful going on.
Do you have any idea what that meant?
Strange and wonderful?
You mean her dreams?
Dreams?
What dreams?
Kat told Amelia
she was having these dreams,
that she was swimming in
a river of stars and galaxies.
- Is that code?
- Code?
You gotta be kidding me.
You think my wife
was sending messages in code.
What's going on here?
How come no one will tell me
what happened to the Samsara?
There was that one special
report and then nothing.
Special report. I don't know
what you're talking about.
You're lying.
And you have been lying all along.
I have.
Yeah, you, the government,
for all I know the damn Illuminati!
Someone has a vested interest
in keeping the truth from us.
If you're looking to technology
to save you, John,
you're looking in the wrong direction.
Why are the Chinese
suddenly rattling sabers?
Why have our diplomats
been expelled from Beijing?
Why are pundits suddenly rethinking
the whole space program?
Because it's an obscene waste of money
when people right here
on earth are going hungry,
and children are dying of cancer.
Get out of my house.
Don't try to leave.
Pope?
- Hey, girl!
- Hi.
- It's good to see you./ - Good
to see you. How are you doing?
- I'm doing fine.
- Good.
- See you went shopping.
- Yes.
- What'd you get?
- Check this out.
Is this real leather?
- I know, right?
- Yeah, it's so good.
Oh, and then...
So this material
is super, super soft, right?
Very soft.
Well, you didn't buy me one.
Hey!
- God, look what you did!
- Please.
Forgive me.
- Oh, my God, are you okay?
- Sorry, are you?
Oh, I'm sorry.
I'm fine.
I'm sorry.
Hey, she just took your stuff!
It's just stuff.
She obviously needed it more than I did.
Should we order?
You know, you shouldn't be touching
that with your bare hands.
Afraid it's a martian virus?
I'll take my chances.
Ooh.
Huh.
Looks like something you could
pick up in the Arizona desert.
Like a little bit like home.
Did you ever read
William Blake in school?
Sure.
"Tyger, tyger, burning bright.
In the forests of the night."
I never liked that one much.
But "auguries of innocence,"
"to see a world in a grain of sand,
and a heaven in a wildflower,
hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
and eternity in an hour."
That's beautiful.
My wife translated
all of William Blake's work.
You didn't tell me you were married.
My ex-wife.
She was politically unreliable
and I wanted to go to Mars.
And now here I am, quoting poetry
by a 19th century English mystic.
When I was a kid,
my mother won a cruise
to Australia for four.
It was one of those contests
where you fill out a form,
and you forget about it,
because no one ever wins.
- Somebody has to win.
- Right?
My mom won.
It was a trip for four,
so it was me, my parents,
and my mother's best friend, joy,
who was always up for an adventure.
And the first night we were at sea,
I went out on the deck
to look at the stars.
Even then I knew
I wanted to be an astronaut.
And I realized, I didn't
recognize any of the stars.
I'd never been in the
Southern hemisphere before.
I knew the constellations
were different,
but to look up at the sky
and not recognize
- any of the stars was...
- Disorienting?
More of a reminder
that you can't see
all sides of the universe
looking at it from one perspective.
And if we saw earth from space...
That would change everything.
I wonder what Newton
would have thought of this,
you know, of us being here.
Building a habitat on Mars is proof
that humanity
can life on another planet?
He would have been
first in line to buy a ticket.
And he wouldn't have minded
not coming back.
You betcha.
You betcha.
You need help, hon?
Oh, no, I'm...
Yes.
Yes, I do.
Do you have any shoes?
Oh, let me think.
These look to be about your size.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
I can't pay you for anything.
Did I ask you for money?
I'm sorry.
I... I...
I'm just not good at being
the one asking for help.
I'm sorry.
It's just... I just feel out of control.
You think you're in control?
The more tightly you hold onto things,
the more they slip through your fingers.
It's like trying to stop time,
and hold off death.
Amelia.
No, hon, my name is Evangeline.
Evangeline, like the poem.
Thank you.
You said that already.
We are all in this together.
And God knows none of us
will make it out of here alive.
We're all in this... Together.
Again, thanks, everyone, for
sharing tonight. It was good.
You look familiar.
Have you been here before?
No, it's my first time.
Anything to share?
Not tonight.
Just not ready.
Well, take your time.
Thank you.
Hang out.
Enjoy the cake and coffee.
- The coffee is really good.
- Oh, really?
The cakes are kind of stale.
Hmm.
Chocolate and caffeine.
You've picked up some bad
habits, since you've got back.
Lucien.
How are you feeling?
I feel great.
You're relieved?
Yeah, I though I'd become a monster.
Because you survived?
Now I can sense things.
I can do things.
I can do everything I want to do,
except the thing I want to do the most.
See Amelia again.
You'll see Amelia again.
Maybe not in your time frame,
but in time.
Sounds like something sissy would say.
I know I'll see Amelia again.
I know it.
And I know that's
the reason why I'm still here.
But why else?
Why? "Why" is the most useless
question in the universe.
And yet, it is the question
we are born asking.
And it's only answered when we die.
So you know the answer,
now that you're dead?
I know that we should not fear this.
As for the rest,
your guess is as good as mine.
Remember what we saw when
we flew away from earth?
Remember how even Robert
was moved to poetry?
Yeah, and Elvis said that he felt
like he overdosed on ecstasy.
Yeah, well, Elvis...
So if a spiritual experience
can cause a cognitive shift,
why can't it cause a physical
evolution, as well?
Someone just took your picture.
Go now.
Lucien.
I'm just not sure, man.
Yeah, remains to be seen.
Target's been spotted, headed West.
West.
She's headed to her house.
We'll get there first.
Let's hit it!
Come on. Let's go.
What are you waiting on?
Let's hit it!
Oh God.
What have I done?
What have I done?
Lost?
Seems kind of silly that you can
find your way home from Mars,
and then get lost in your own hometown.
Lost.
That's a good word to describe
how I feel. I'm lost.
You heard what they're saying
about our mission,
that it was all for nothing,
that it cost a fortune
and everybody died.
Except I didn't.
An inconvenient truth.
You have to tell people
why we went to Mars.
People think that it was
to find humanity a new home.
It wasn't?
What do you think?
I think... I think the real purpose
was to look back
at our world and see it.
Really see it, you know?
The home of all humanity. No borders.
No barriers. Just us.
That's what I think.
Exactly,
and you can share that message.
I can't preach to anyone.
I'm not Jesus, or Mohammad, or Buddha.
Or Neo.
But who's talking about preaching?
I'm talking about showing, not telling.
You already know what you can do.
You've already felt it.
We've come so far as a species,
but sometimes, we get lost.
And every so often,
someone special comes along
to help us get back on our path,
someone who can see the bigger picture
that we're all one, under the sun.
That's kind of abstract.
Not sure people would think
a hallmark card sentiment
was worth the bazillion dollars
that it took us to go to Mars
and get us back.
Well, me back.
Mm.
But why me? I'm not special.
Oh, come on.
You don't believe that.
I know how hard you worked
to put yourself through school.
I know what you sacrificed
to train for this mission.
If you weren't special, you
would have quit a long time ago.
But here's the question...
What would humanity pay for peace?
Peace of mind.
No. Peace.
As in the absence of aggression,
the cessation of hostilities,
the end of conflict.
Would that be worth
the bazillion dollars
it took to take us to Mars
and bring you back?
You know it would.
You can reveal that.
- All by yourself in one hour.
- What?
You're not just dead, you're crazy.
One hour?
Kathryn, I'm
a communications guy, right?
I know networks.
Right now, humanity is
one big mess of individuals
acting as if they're the only
ones on the planet,
acting with no regard to how their
actions affect other people.
They're disconnected.
You can change that.
Well, if I can...
I can tap into this power,
then I can save Amelia.
Right?
Right?
I can't?
I can save humanity, but I
can't save my little girl?
Who made that rule?
You have to let go of your anger.
Well I have a right to my anger.
You know, I am angry because
my little girl is dying.
And I've got 71 amino acids
fizzing in my body,
and I can mind meld
seven billion people,
but I can't save my little girl?
No!
No!
Amelia's already made her choice.
Now you have to choose.
What's it going to be?
It's too hard.
When has anything been too hard for you?
I'm on my way to the hospital
to grieve with my dying daughter
over the death of her mother,
so I suggest you get
the hell out of here
Mr. Voss, I understand
how you must feel.
I don't think you do.
Your family's in danger.
I need you to back inside,
until we assess the situation.
- No.
- Sir, I must insist.
Hey, I served in Iraq.
I survived the Battle of Fallujah,
you think you can stop me from
seeing my dying daughter?
Not on your best day.
Sir, what do you want us to do?
Stay here and wait for the wife,
and if she comes back,
take her into custody.
I'll be back at the hospital.
Okay.
Agent pope, I believe you've
been looking for me.
I need help.
I'm Kathryn Voss.
How do you know my name?
I honestly don't know.
So what, is that one
of your new abilities?
You're psychic?
I guess so.
Don't be scared.
I need a ride to the hospital
to see my little girl.
I'm not going to hurt you.
You don't want to kill me, Eli.
You're not angry at me.
You're mad because your wife
wants a divorce and you don't.
You think she's sleeping
with your neighbor,
but she isn't.
And you love her so much,
you're afraid to tell her
how angry you are, because then she
might never speak to you again.
So you're angry at me.
But I forgive you.
Will you forgive me?
I forgive you.
We need to go now, Eli.
There's something I need to do,
and I don't have much time.
You know...
The reason why you can't
remember what happened on Mars,
is because what happened,
didn't happen on Mars.
It happened on the way there.
I was wondering when
you were going to show up.
Time is a river.
What did I see?
What did I see that caused all this?
You've already remembered.
I don't know what you're talking about.
We were talking about what we
were going to say when
we stepped out on Mars
for the very first time.
And you quoted Yuri Gagarin,
"the earth is so beautiful."
Yeah.
The planet is so beautiful.
We saw the earth.
Out the starboard window.
It is so beautiful.
So blue, so peaceful.
And you thought?
And I thought, "we're all one
on this small blue planet.
There are no boundaries.
There are no nations.
It's just us...
Under the sun."
I am no astrophysicist
like some people I know,
but I once heard someone say
that the unifying principle
in all the universe, the glue
that puts it all together,
is love.
Love makes the world go round?
Time is running out, Kathryn.
A lunatic named Creighton Bowe
has claimed responsibility
for the explosion on the Samsara,
and has admitted killing the
Chinese president three years ago.
Why?
He left a manifesto.
I did my thesis on
the manifesto of mad men
and it never really matters
why they do things.
Left.
Stirred up a hornet's nest
and then disappeared,
to avoid getting stung.
The PRC has nukes, Kathryn.
Go away. You're a figment
of my imagination, go.
Albert Einstein said that imagination is
more important than knowledge.
I know. I used to have a T-shirt
with that quote printed on it.
A world without war.
You can make it happen.
But if you wait, you will be too late.
I am a figment of my own imagination,
a ghost walking aimlessly
amongst the living.
How can I save the world?
I can't even save my daughter.
Our greatest fear
is not that we are powerless,
but that we are powerful beyond measure.
You sound like a fortune cookie.
You're deflecting.
You know what you have to do.
You know why you were given this task
and the power to complete it.
Power? Power has only led me to pain.
This universe has made a mistake.
There are no mistakes, only reminders.
It's easy to give up,
to fall into despair.
It is only when we endure, that we find
it in ourselves to achieve greatness.
But I am all alone.
I have no one left.
You are not alone.
John.
Oh my God.
John?
You guys don't have that much time.
Roberts will be back.
John.
Oh my God, John.
I thought I'd never see you again.
They told me you were dead.
They told me that it wasn't
safe for me to be with you,
that I would contaminate you
or infect you.
We saw the Samsara blow up.
We saw it on TV.
And then NASA officials said
there were no survivors.
Then they pulled every scrap
of footage off the air,
they said that it never happened,
that it was a mistake,
that we must have imagined it.
I'm so sorry.
I didn't want to believe it,
but we saw it blow up.
We saw it!
John, there's something I have to do.
That's the reason I survived
this accident.
If you're here,
there has to be a reason.
I know you're part of something
bigger than my own understanding.
- I missed you.
- I missed you, too.
Every hour you were gone.
If you hadn't gone, you wouldn't
be the woman I fell in love with,
and that I love.
John.
I'm not strong.
I'm not strong at all.
When Amelia got sick,
I felt like my whole world
was falling apart.
I felt so selfish for leaving,
but I just couldn't sit here
and watch her die.
So I ran and I ran all the way to Mars.
I cannot forgive myself for that.
But I forgive you Kathryn.
Amelia forgives you.
You need to forgive yourself.
Oh, Amelia.
Now go,
say goodbye to Amelia,
and go do what you have to do.
Why'd you have to survive?
If you'd just died, everything
would have been fine.
But no, you had to give
the people a miracle
so they'd keep putting
their faith in technology.
We don't have to save ourselves.
Science will save us.
We don't have to clean up our oceans,
because we can just move
on to another planet.
You survived,
and that was a miracle.
Well, I don't believe in miracles.
Look at me when I'm talking to you!
I'm sorry.
Were you having a moment there?
Is it really you?
Yes, beautiful.
It's me.
You came home from Mars.
I did.
I promised, didn't I?
I had a dream.
You took me to a river of stars
and we dived in and swam,
and there was galaxies floating
past us like rainbow fish.
We caught them and petted them,
and then we threw them back
and then we danced in
the middle of a cloud of stars.
It was so beautiful.
You're so beautiful.
You're crying.
Why are you crying?
Sometimes you see something so precious,
you just want to hold onto it
for as long as you can.
Is she in there?
Yes, Dr. Voss is inside.
She what? Just showed up
here and waltzed in?
She wanted to speak to her daughter.
I found John Voss in her room.
You have something to do with that?
There's a reason she's alive, sir.
She got to you.
What if she's not crazy?
What if we're the crazy ones?
What if what we're doing is wrong?
You're in my way.
I don't want to hurt you, sir.
Shame.
I can't say the same about you.
Don't be sad.
I wish...
What, baby?
What do you wish?
I heard the nurses talking.
Yeah?
They're scared there's
going to be a war,
because the Chinese astronaut burned up.
So, I wish for there not to be a war.
I wish that tomorrow, everyone
would wake up and be happy.
- And not be mad any more.
- Yeah?
And what about getting well?
Wouldn't you wish for that?
No.
- I think you only get one wish.
- Yeah?
And you'd give up your wish
for everybody else?
I'd give my life for them.
Yeah?
Isn't that what you're doing?
What?
Come here.
It's beautiful.
Help me show it to everyone.
How?
Just hold on. It won't hurt.
We are all one.