Orion (2025) Movie Script
1
Apollo,
can you hear me?
Are you able to walk?
Who is this?
Hello?
Hello?
I'm sorry, Apollo.
A little technical
difficulty here.
I hope you've taken the
clothes that were laid for you.
How are you feeling?
I got a fucking headache.
We were worried
you might have suffered
serious physical injury.
Could you give me
a brief rundown
from the last few weeks?
I'm sorry?
Do you remember anything from
the last few weeks, Apollo?
No.
I don't.
Take some time, all
the time you need.
Apollo, listen, we can
use any details, even ones
you might think irrelevant.
I don't know.
Blackness.
That's a start.
We just want basic answers,
nothing too complicated.
How about a basic
answer for me?
Where am I?
You're home.
It's a nice room, isn't it?
We're not sure if
you can have caffeine
yet, so I hope that water is
OK for you while I have my--
my morning wake-up call.
Oh, don't worry.
It's not poison.
I'm Jim Lee.
Sorry for the
smoke and daggers.
We had to wait until
your bruises cleared up.
And you were-- you were out
of it for quite a while.
I've been assigned to
help you with your case.
Oh, no.
Yeah.
Sorry.
That was a-- a
shot of adrenaline
that we had to give you to make
sure you didn't stay in a coma.
A coma?
Mm.
You were in an accident,
a pretty severe one.
While there was some
physical trauma,
there was a
possibility there may
have been some psychological
trauma as well.
What is this place?
Why don't you
tell me, Apollo?
Have I been here before?
You seem to be
focusing on that desk.
Is there anything
else in this room
that's speaking out to you?
This is called the
Madeleine Room.
It's designed for people to
feel at home in their senses.
I don't know.
I don't think I feel anything.
Oh, be patient.
There's a naturally-stimulating
effect in this room.
That one reminds me of
the trees in the city
when the cicada descended.
It was like a biblical
plague had befallen us.
What is all this stuff?
It's whatever
you need it to be.
Just breathe.
Are you feeling relaxed?
Yes.
Good.
I'm gonna do a little exercise
that may help with your memory.
Bear with me.
Do you feel connected to
your heart and your body
at this moment?
Yes.
Do you feel healthy?
For the most part.
Do you feel like your
body can comply with all
of your mind's commands?
Sure.
Do you feel physically
hurt or threatened?
No.
What emotions is
your heart feeling?
I want to feel a connection.
A connection?
Yes, connection.
I need to feel it.
To who, Apollo?
I'm not sure.
Do you trust me?
No.
But I'd like to.
Now, I don't know
anything about you.
Five years
ago, my wife was
pregnant with our
second daughter.
It was-- well, let's
just say it was
a very difficult pregnancy.
And they told us that Christa--
that she had a heart
condition and may
not survive past three months.
After she was born, those
were the most difficult
three months of my life.
Every day, I'd wake up and
I would wonder if today--
I did things that I never
anticipated I would do.
I prayed.
And she survived.
Why are you telling me this?
Because I want you
to know who I am so
know that you will trust me.
Only then can we
figure out who you are.
You have some form
of amnesia, which,
I will be honest with you,
we did not anticipate.
We don't want anything from
you other than the truth.
I'm not here to punish you.
What if I can't give
you what you want,
these answers
you're looking for?
We won't let that
become an option.
How are you feeling?
How do I feel?
Well, Jim, I feel
like I've been mentally pulled
and prodded and I still can't
remember a fucking thing.
I don't think this is working.
What do you feel
when you look at her?
She's beautiful.
Do I know her?
You tell me.
Why can't I
remember who she was?
I want to leave.
And go where?
If you're not gonna tell
me who I am or who she is,
or how I fucking know
her, then I want to leave.
You're not a prisoner.
But are you sure
you want to leave
the premises without resources
or knowledge of where you are?
Or most importantly,
who you are?
Then tell me who I am.
- I'm sorry.
- Please!
It doesn't work that way.
Believe me, I'm
trying to help you.
Fine.
I'll let you out.
You're on your own once
you exit federal premises.
Let's try and work together
for both our sakes.
Look, I need help.
I need real fucking help.
No more riddles,
no more games--
show me something,
anything that
will spark something in me.
What is all this?
I'm hoping that
you'll be able to tell me.
Am I supposed to know
what to do with this?
Yes, I think so.
I believe you do know.
The question is,
do you believe it?
I wouldn't even
know where to begin.
I use this?
As much as I'd like to, I
can't answer those questions.
Only you can.
Give it a try.
No, no.
I-- I--
Just focus.
Come on, let's go.
I believe you can do this.
No?
Sorry.
That's good.
You're good.
Keep going.
Let's play that again.
That's it.
Jesus Christ.
Good.
Keep going.
Shit.
I can't explain it, but my hands
were somehow connected to it.
I could feel it.
How is that possible?
Because you created it.
You brought it to
us two years ago.
OK, so something has
come back to you.
Now we just have to unlock
the rest of the mysteries
that are inside your head.
Come on.
What the fuck?
Try.
Imagine seeing her in person.
I know her.
She's my wife.
Yes.
Good.
What else is coming?
Is she OK?
She's just fine.
I need to see her.
And we will bring her to
you, but for security purposes,
we need you to
answer-- for security--
I need you to--
I need you to
see her right now.
I need you to remember.
I need you to remember!
What is your name?
I don't know.
I don't fucking know.
It's too difficult.
Perhaps we're making
it too difficult.
You need to feel your
way into these memories--
that sound, your wife.
Do you understand?
We need to find moments when
the emotions were palpable.
Do you remember your accident?
Accident?
Mm-hmm.
I remember--
I remember shouting and then--
Blackness.
I need to know exactly
what happened to you.
I wish I could tell you, Jim.
Jim?
What the hell is going on?
What's that noise?
Hey!
Oxygen content decreasing.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
Hello!
Somebody fucking hear me?
For fuck's sake.
Fuck.
Oxygen content decreasing.
Fuck.
Oxygen content decreasing.
One.
Oxygen content 10%.
What happened?
What the fuck was that?
All I'm trying to do
is make you yourself.
God.
You could have
fucking killed me.
The probability test was run.
It was statistically impossible
for you to have died.
And you know why?
Fuck you.
Because this is my helmet.
What happened, Apollo?
Something went very wrong.
I remember being in a
hallway hearing screams.
God, they were so loud.
They kept screaming
for it all to stop
and I couldn't do anything.
What exactly did
they want to stop?
I remember running,
trying to escape.
Escape what?
They're all--
They're all what?
The crew.
Oh my god.
What about the crew?
They're all dead.
Jesus Christ.
How did they die, Apollo?
How did they die?
It killed them.
Sorry?
It killed them all.
It?
Apollo, you know where that
name comes from, of course.
Apollo was the Greek
epitome of beauty.
Perhaps your vanity has
you believing, that's why
we're calling you Apollo.
But the Greeks were
not particularly
interested in Apollo's looks.
Apollo was the god of
truth and prophecy.
That's why he's important
in Greek mythology.
So many Greek plays derail
into train wrecks of tragedy
because Apollo predicted
things that people
did not want to believe.
Apollo is the teller
of hard truth.
And in a world filled
with deceit and desire,
Apollo was obsessed
with fire and light,
and he guarded it
jealously, so much so
that when an impostor,
Icarus, tried
to claim his equal by flying
too close to the source of that
light, his wings were melted
and he plunged into the sea.
What I want to know in this
little tragedy here is, is this
a truth that you're withholding
that could explain everything
or are you an impostor who
wanted too much at a cost?
Either way, we
need you to trust
me because I don't want this
to be a tragedy in the end.
Do you?
I remember flashing
lights and that noise
that just wouldn't stop.
Like a pounding
migraine all around me.
I saw blood on the walls.
I'm sorry.
I think I know
why you can't say.
No, you don't.
You weren't there.
OK.
So tell me what happened.
- I'm trying.
We need to know.
I'm aware.
Just let me try
to think first--
Apollo, are you sure
this is just some memory loss?
The fact that you
won't answer leads me
to some very dark conclusions.
This is what actually happened.
No.
Show me more.
I'd like to give you
the opportunity to talk.
What if I can't
remember exactly?
I think you can remember.
It wasn't me.
Open the door, please.
Open the fucking door.
- Sit down, please.
- Open the goddamn door!
- Sit down!
You said I was free to leave,
that I wasn't a prisoner,
remember?
So I want to leave.
Leaving is no
longer an option.
That was Lee, our captain.
She was--
She was the best.
So you do remember your crew.
I remember their
faces, but not--
Where did you find this feed?
Where your ship crashed.
I don't remember any of this.
Try.
Try.
What do you mean, try?
Jim, it wasn't me,
I swear to you.
I follow where the
evidence leads me.
So I will ask you for a
third time, who did this?
Why are you stalling?
I'm not stalling.
We already know that
you can play that.
Do you not want to
go back to your life,
your wife, your family?
That sound I was
creating before was a plea.
What do you mean, a plea?
I didn't know.
Didn't know what?
I didn't know that was gonna
happen to them, all right?
Please, you have to believe me.
You need to tell me more if
you want me to believe you.
I was trying to
get it to stop.
Get what to stop?
I am begging you
to let me help you.
What were you trying
to get to stop?
The cargo, Jim.
The cargo?
What was the cargo?
I have this image stuck
in my mind, when I was nine,
watching this
ridiculous segment
on TV called Einstein Bytes.
Let's try and confine
our images to those
that we think we can help.
There was
this one episode--
the host-- this
telephone-like experiment
to show how human
communication was inefficient.
Apollo.
It was the first time
I ever really thought
about words, semantics,
how we've corrupted
our tongues, false meaning.
It became my, I don't know,
obsession to find something
that was pure, honest.
While my peers
were all struggling
with elementary
French and Latin,
I was already on to
invest in Sanskrit.
I wanted much more.
Went deeper and deeper
into the indecipherable,
cuneiform, Sumerian,
the Voynich manuscript.
I followed the magnificent
journey of sudra's soul
re-soul Jim, and I
realized language
didn't need visual cues.
And then xenolinguistics.
I understand why you
brought me here, Jim.
This was my office.
This is where I sat every day.
You ever wonder why they sent a
linguist on the Orion, 24-month
mission into nothingness?
First contact.
The defining moment.
The 21st century.
So the cargo--
Is a life form.
What do you
mean, a life form?
Sentient and
conscious entity that
is designed a method
of communication
far beyond any comprehension.
Something of this
magnitude has consequences.
You need to tell me everything
that happened on that ship.
Be as specific as
possible, please.
It is like nothing
that we have ever
seen before, a being so
different from anything
we could have ever
possibly imagined.
Jim, it is beautiful.
Communicates solely
through sound.
And I spoke to it with
sounds and frequencies
that I created
with that machine.
You spoke to it?
Yes, I spoke to it.
The crash?
Yeah.
This crashed, so chaotic and
fast, how it all happened.
One minute we're in
space, descending
through the
atmosphere, and then--
I don't know.
Something must have went
wrong with our systems.
That ship was equipped
with the most sophisticated
of safety systems designed
to endure the most
catastrophic of events.
What aren't you telling me?
I'm telling you
exactly what I remember.
I'm violating every
single protocol,
even revealing this to you.
No one is supposed to
know about that life form.
I have the highest
level of clearance.
You violated nothing.
Then I guess I still don't
really know who you are, do I?
How do I know the
threshold of your loyalty?
Your obsession, as
you say, has been
the epicenter of
global competition
for the past two years.
Xenolinguistics.
You knew about this, about
the life form this whole time.
So what was this?
Just another goddamn
test to check my loyalty?
That's right.
This is about loyalty.
We both know the
value of first contact
and its potential to change the
world, particularly the power
structure of the world.
This mission, your research.
We were very lucky to find you.
Particularly you.
What do you mean, you?
Do you really not know
why I've been asking
you all these questions?
No, Jim, I clearly don't.
What are you accusing me of?
You think I sold out?
You think I'm a traitor?
I assess based on facts.
OK, so what is it
exactly that you're
accusing me of here?
You were the
only one who knew
how to control the life form.
You used it to get rid of your
crew while protecting yourself.
But the accident, of course,
that was a side effect.
That wasn't part of the plan.
I didn't plan any of it.
Wait, you found our ship.
Where's the life form?
It's secure.
Where?
The sonic chamber.
I'm the only one who
knows how to contain it.
ASA was able to access
enough of your research.
My research?
This is my life's--
I always believed there was
something out there capable
of better communication.
I watched as our
language deteriorated,
slowly witnessing a global
malaise, a fucking demise.
We can't even speak
to each other anymore.
Whole language is one giant
goddamn advertisement.
I kept myself going by
believing there was something
pure out there, like an
abstract expressionist
painting, medium
distilled to the simplest
of means that convey the
most essential messages.
There was a reason, Jim, to
make contact with something
beyond ourselves,
the search to find
a language incapable
of being commodified.
Feelings are candid.
They do not lie.
It is the only thing that
builds trust between anything.
When I found a
language based on this,
there is not a shot in hell I
would sell it to anyone, ever.
So please, whatever you say,
do not accuse me of being
a hypocrite to my life's work.
Many people betray the things
that they love for expediency.
They make terrible decisions.
I didn't make any terrible
fucking decisions, except maybe
to trust you.
Your perception of
yourself varies wildly
from the assessment
others make of you.
What is your
assessment of me?
That I orchestrated
this whole thing?
We believe that if
you survived the crash,
you intended to sell the life
form and your communication
to one of our
international competitors.
Please know that we have
significant evidence
to support this assertion.
I didn't betray anyone.
I didn't fucking kill anybody.
I want to see my wife.
You found my office.
You spoke to
people who know me.
You know goddamn
well where she is.
I want to see her!
It's you.
Oh, thank God.
Mary?
Hi.
Oh my god, baby.
You're alive.
I can't believe it's you.
I begged
them to let me see you.
They said-- they said you had
amnesia, that if I saw you,
I had to call you Apollo.
You're here.
That's all that matters.
Are you OK?
Are you in pain?
Don't worry about me.
How much do you remember?
Do you remember me?
I could never forget you.
You're not wearing
your necklace.
What's wrong?
Um-- I-- he--
Who?
Jim?
They told you something.
They told you
something, didn't they?
Baby, don't-- don't
believe them, OK?
They're lying.
You-- you listen to me, baby.
You know me.
Hey, hey.
I know you told them
who I am, right?
But my commitment
to my work, to--
to my country.
You told them, right, baby?
Right, baby?
Um--
Hey!
I'm sorry.
What are you talking about?
Mary--
I know that whatever you did,
you did with good intentions.
What do you mean, what I did?
What do you mean, what I did?
What did they tell you?
Hey, hey, just calm down, OK?
Calm down, Apollo.
My name is not
fucking Apollo!
Why didn't you tell
them the truth, baby?
Why?
- I did.
I did tell them the truth, OK?
I told them who you are,
who I know you to be.
I know why you went
on that mission.
And I understand why you
believe what you believe.
ASA was corrupted by
money and influence.
And of course, it wasn't
about the science anymore.
And of course, they stopped
caring about the language
that you studied.
And the mission was just
driven by enterprise
and not communication.
And I know you wanted to
instill something pure.
And I'm sure that running
the cargo to your enemies
was the only way to do that.
What the fuck are
you talking about?
Running the cargo--
hey, baby, you know me.
Come on, baby, you know me.
For Christ's sakes.
Nothing in our world
was real anymore.
It's all disinformation,
storytelling.
Everyone wants to
believe whatever
the fuck they want to believe.
Remember?
Yeah.
Look at me.
Look at me.
You told them that I would
never just leave you, right?
You told them that, right?
Because I love you.
Because I wanted to remain
the man that you fell in
love with, to give you a
better world to live in.
And this language, this--
this communication, this
was the answer, but that
doesn't make me a traitor.
Maybe they can't
see it like we can.
They don't see it
like you and I do.
Language, it's everything.
It defines our joy,
our grief, our anger.
Our pain.
I know.
It doesn't matter
what we believe.
It doesn't matter what you
believe or what I believe.
And I know you're
an honorable man.
Just admit to it and
cooperate with them,
and you and I can go home.
Mary, you're not listening.
I'm-- you--
Look at me.
Look at me!
You know I can't do that.
What is wrong with you?
Why are you choosing to
destroy everything right now?
You have the opportunity
to make this right.
Just tell them what you did
and we could go home together.
Please.
Please.
I can't.
OK.
Whatever happens, I love you.
What did you tell her?
Only what I
told you, the truth.
You know I didn't kill
anyone to sell the technology.
How do I know?
Because I would remember
orchestrating this betrayal,
crashing the ship, any of it.
The memories
of an amnesiac
don't come back with
the snap of a finger.
It's more of a--
a slow burn.
I remember the ship, Jim.
Mm.
But how can you be sure,
when all
your memories are such a blur?
I remember.
Mary!
Everything I did,
I did it for us.
I did it for you!
I don't believe him.
Hello?
What the hell is going on?
Oh, for God's sakes, tell
me this isn't happening.
It seems
there's been a large explosion
at Cape Canaveral.
It escaped.
Initial
reporting is scarce,
but viral videos are
surfacing around the Cape.
Citizen footage is coming.
Disturbing reports.
Let us play this for you now.
How is this
happening right now?
I don't know.
They're using your
research to control it.
You know what there is
out there now, they have
the research and they can't--
Please, help.
What the hell am
I supposed to do?
You already have my research.
It occupies--
- No, no, no.
--space.
It can be contained.
You're the only one
that knows the life form.
Everyone else who is
on that ship is dead.
Why?
There's a chance for
you to redeem yourself.
Please, help us.
I'm telling you, I
can't do anything more
than what you've already done.
- No, no, no, no.
Communicate with it.
Talk to it.
Come on.
We need you to control it.
It's gonna destroy half
the state of Florida.
No.
Everyone that
you know and love
is out there, including Mary.
This isn't just
speaking German, Jim.
I can't just use the
language to control it.
You can.
You can communicate with it.
That's what the
language is for,
to control the fucking thing.
This isn't about control.
That's not how this works.
That language I
created was meant
to build trust, a
salutation from us,
contact, communication.
And what did we do?
What did I do?
We harpooned a whale
for its blubber
without even knowing
the capabilities
of its intelligence.
Now, whatever's
happening out there
We brought that on ourselves.
No.
This is what you wanted.
You were playing
the instrument.
I was watching you.
Before it escaped,
you were playing.
You did this.
What are you talking about?
We were onto you, and
so you unleashed it.
This way, even
if everyone dies,
you escape dishonor and
the judgment of everyone,
including your wife.
I won't let you have it.
So what happens to
everyone out there?
Hmm?
What happens to those people?
What about them?
You know, that's
what people like
you always say when a
new technology unleashes
its destructive power.
This time, the tech
is better than us.
It can see right through us.
This is what the
world deserves.
Maybe we'll finally
learn that technology
comes at a human cost, Jim.
So this is what you want--
total destruction,
chaos, anarchy.
I am begging you one last time.
Think of Mary.
I can't.
And I'm sorry about it.
I believe you.
I know that you were
telling the truth.
They made me do that,
ask you those questions,
accuse you of those things.
Why?
They need the technology to
communicate with an alien life
form with unknown capabilities,
allow them access to everything
that it's capable of.
It'd be the most powerful
weapon in the world.
You're right, we didn't
care about language
itself, only how we could
enslave it for our use.
But I need to learn.
When I first heard
that sound, I was--
what if instead of an
intent to destroy--
what if it came here to
teach us something amazing?
What is this?
Today's news?
I don't understand.
There's nothing
about the life form.
How's-- it's not possible.
Because it didn't happen.
What do you mean,
it didn't happen?
I saw those buildings,
those people.
We made it all up.
Careful how you react.
They're watching.
We created that news story,
green screen
actors, little engineering
to shake the walls.
The goal was to get
you to use the language
to its fullest extent.
The more you play the
instrument, the more they
could observe,
the more we could
learn how to communicate
with the life
form, which we still can't do.
And the life form?
Still safe in the sonic chamber.
I want to help you.
Now you want to
help me through all
the lies and accusations.
How could I possibly
believe you?
You're right.
I am not a saint.
Not even close.
My ex-wife used to say that.
Maybe it's all the
lies from work.
But at some point, she figured
she never even knew me.
That was seven years ago.
And your daughter?
I don't have a daughter.
I had to get you to trust me
to answer my questions, right?
Who are you gonna trust, a
guy who prays for his sick kid
or-- or a guy like me whose
kid barely knows his name?
Yeah, she took him
when she walked out.
Said she didn't want Chris
exposed to someone like me.
He's eight now, though.
He had a birthday
a few weeks ago.
He's big into Super Mario.
He had a Mario-themed party.
Wonder what he
even thinks of me.
Why should I believe you?
Because in this time that
we've spent alone together,
I've listened to you,
I've heard what you said,
I've seen the language
that you speak.
And I was wondering if there
was some way for me to be
redeemed, to be the
kind of man my son
could look up to and respect.
Please.
Please, let me help you.
How can you help me?
I've been talking to my team.
There's a way that
you can be exonerated.
You have to admit to
conspiring with our rivals.
And then we can arrange to
send you home with Mary.
- You just fucking said that--
- No, I know.
I know.
I believe you.
I do.
But the others don't.
I can't convince them.
They have footage of evidence.
Someone was arranging
to frame you.
I don't know.
I don't know whether
it comes from ASA
or whether it's
someone in Washington.
I don't know.
But the bottom line is,
someone's going down for this.
And they're gonna take
someone, and it's gonna be you.
They want to hold
on to that life form
and they want to
keep it a secret.
What about me?
Hmm?
My entire reputation?
I'm supposed to lie and admit
treason so your son can feel
good about his deceitful dad?
You don't have a choice!
I am trying to get you
home and not in prison.
I presume they want
me to teach them the language.
Yes, but not all of it.
You don't have to
give them everything.
Just enough so
that they feel like
you're-- you're cooperating,
and then they will pardon
anything that's gone before.
Very few people
will know the truth.
What?
Nothing.
Well, there is one thing
I'm not overly proud of.
I lied to you from the start.
I've never had amnesia.
Didn't know if I
could trust you.
Should trust you.
Any of you.
It's all fake.
I did wake up somewhere
after a crash.
Didn't know where I was,
what the hell happened.
Something was off.
Felt different.
I'm a scientist too, Jim.
I conduct experiments.
That's what this was--
to buy time, see if
I could trust you.
And?
You love your son?
Yes.
You think he's a good kid?
Yes.
You think you're a good man?
For the most part.
You like lying, Jim?
No.
You value communication
as a tool to empathize?
Yes.
You believe
such communication
can be manipulated?
Yes.
Were you doing that with me?
Yes.
Are you doing
that with me now?
No.
You need to bring me Mary.
I need to see her.
I can't do that, Jim.
I want to see her.
No glass.
You want my full cooperation?
That's what I want.
Honey.
Oh.
Oh.
Oh, my love.
Hi.
Oh my god.
Baby.
Baby, I
wanna come clean.
I wanna move past all this.
I want to be a better
partner for you.
I'm gonna tell you
everything, OK?
Apollo.
No.
My real name.
Nathan.
Beard is good.
Your beard is actually good.
Maybe they've
given me a way out.
If I agree, we can be together.
OK.
That's all I've ever wanted.
I might have to give up
so much of what I fought
for, though, believed in.
What's the point
of fighting so hard
or something if you
end up with nothing?
Do you remember
the day I left?
Yeah, of course.
I was devastated.
- I'll never leave you again.
- OK.
I'm not gonna let you.
Do you remember
what I told you?
I just--
I just remember
being heartbroken.
But I'm-- I'm so
glad you're back.
Who are you?
Apollo.
Only my wife calls me Nathan.
So who the fuck are you?
I didn't-- what
are you doing?
Hey, baby.
You want me to
tell you the truth?
Hmm?
The last thing I said to you.
Uh-- hey, you're hurting me.
The last thing
I told you a week
before I left for the mission.
Nathan--
I said goodbye
forever, because that
is what you wanted.
We were both heartbroken.
No one else fucking knew.
Did you think I don't
know my own wife?
You look like her, exactly
like her, but you are not Mary.
I wanted Mary to find someone
that could be there for her.
We both knew that love meant
no longer being together.
You are not Mary.
Who the fuck are you?
Baby, I think
you're just confused.
It's me.
I don't know you.
Baby, I love you.
Who are you?
Target's on the floor.
Restrain him.
The truth, of course.
That's what we have to
offer him, Captain Lee.
I think it's clear to see
you recognize your crew.
You can't possibly understand
what you're seeing right now.
I think I have a
pretty good picture.
Years of planning and effort,
all right here in front of me.
I'm helping us,
humanity, the human race,
call it what you will, learn
about the greatest discovery
known to man since fire.
That discovery
was mine, not yours.
This was never yours.
It was always bigger than you.
Don't you think your
country and their allies
wouldn't make the same efforts
if the situation were reversed?
Where am I?
The truth?
Svalbard, halfway between
Norway and the North Pole.
Jim.
Jim.
How do you think this
is going to end, Lee?
That depends on you.
You know, when you talked
about an unadulterated form
of communication, I'm curious
how far that conviction goes.
You can save them and
yourself, you know that.
You just have to make a choice.
I can't do it.
It's your choice,
what happens to them.
They don't deserve to
die because of my beliefs.
No, of course not.
I didn't assess you
for a selfish man.
If I help you, teach you the
language, connect it to you,
you have to abide by your word,
release my crew unharmed.
You have my word.
Everything is ready
for the session.
Wait.
Everyone needs to leave.
- We stay.
I'm trying to give
you what you want.
This many people in the
room will overstimulate it.
Fine.
He's playing us.
He knows the
species, we don't.
We want him to teach us.
He won't unless
he gets something.
Not you.
He needs to be here.
Why me?
We can't leave you alone
in the sonic chamber.
We need to postpone
the session,
discuss our plan of action.
This life form reacts
solely on sensation, energy.
We need to be allies.
Once it trusts you, you'll
get what you want and I
get what I want, my crew--
their freedom.
This life form is a
foreign sentient being.
Communicates in a
language entirely
different from our own.
Its language, my
communication with it,
has been 100% honest,
without any double speak.
I cannot stress that enough.
And what if--
what if it senses something,
something that startles it?
It's a highly-evolved being
in an uncontrolled environment.
Likely annihilate us both.
And then--
Well--
Apollo is right,
Jim, what he said to Lee--
the thought, the planning
that went into this.
And despite all that
effort, he called the ruse.
My education and
training have been
an attempt to try
and understand
the truth beyond words.
Don't listen to
what he's saying.
Feel the frequencies.
I can tell he's lying.
And my experience tells
me something different.
Everybody out of the chamber.
Now!
We are together now.
Don't tense up.
It can sense the
smallest idiosyncrasies.
Just relax.
Jim, if I can sense
it, so will it.
I need you to trust me.
I do.
Connect with me.
We have a bond.
We respect each other.
Remember, Jim, together.
You need to trust me.
We're together.
What are you saying?
Telling it that we're
a unit, that it's safe.
Jim, go.
Jim.
Security.
Enter the chamber.
I repeat, enter the chamber.
It was never
meant to destroy.
It was meant to
explore, connect.
Hell, maybe even love.
You sure you can
live with yourself,
letting the greatest
discovery of humankind go?
One day, when
we're ready, we'll
make contact again, for the
purpose of contact, to learn,
not to take it for ourselves.
Arrange for my crew and I to
return to the United States.
Now, why would I do that?
Because I believed you when
you said you were a good man.
What's more, is that
thing believed you.
If it hadn't, it'd ripped you
apart from the inside out.
You need to come up with
a story to the press
and politicians will devour.
No, no, no.
This-- this never happened.
We rescued you and your
crew after a crash.
There was never any cargo.
This-- this is what you wanted
from the beginning, isn't it?
You know, if we'd met
in a bar, we might have
had a few beers, a few laughs.
Maybe even had a
real conversation.
If only.
That's not the
world we live in.
We're just getting word
that the crew of American
Aeronautics Space Agency space
shuttle Orion safely
returned to the United States
due to a joint effort
between the United States
and the International
Arctic Commission's
Search and Rescue efforts.
Previous reports that China
or Russian intelligence
had sabotaged the shuttle have
been dismissed as president
of the United States praises
his allies for their help
in returning the crew.
Apollo,
can you hear me?
Are you able to walk?
Who is this?
Hello?
Hello?
I'm sorry, Apollo.
A little technical
difficulty here.
I hope you've taken the
clothes that were laid for you.
How are you feeling?
I got a fucking headache.
We were worried
you might have suffered
serious physical injury.
Could you give me
a brief rundown
from the last few weeks?
I'm sorry?
Do you remember anything from
the last few weeks, Apollo?
No.
I don't.
Take some time, all
the time you need.
Apollo, listen, we can
use any details, even ones
you might think irrelevant.
I don't know.
Blackness.
That's a start.
We just want basic answers,
nothing too complicated.
How about a basic
answer for me?
Where am I?
You're home.
It's a nice room, isn't it?
We're not sure if
you can have caffeine
yet, so I hope that water is
OK for you while I have my--
my morning wake-up call.
Oh, don't worry.
It's not poison.
I'm Jim Lee.
Sorry for the
smoke and daggers.
We had to wait until
your bruises cleared up.
And you were-- you were out
of it for quite a while.
I've been assigned to
help you with your case.
Oh, no.
Yeah.
Sorry.
That was a-- a
shot of adrenaline
that we had to give you to make
sure you didn't stay in a coma.
A coma?
Mm.
You were in an accident,
a pretty severe one.
While there was some
physical trauma,
there was a
possibility there may
have been some psychological
trauma as well.
What is this place?
Why don't you
tell me, Apollo?
Have I been here before?
You seem to be
focusing on that desk.
Is there anything
else in this room
that's speaking out to you?
This is called the
Madeleine Room.
It's designed for people to
feel at home in their senses.
I don't know.
I don't think I feel anything.
Oh, be patient.
There's a naturally-stimulating
effect in this room.
That one reminds me of
the trees in the city
when the cicada descended.
It was like a biblical
plague had befallen us.
What is all this stuff?
It's whatever
you need it to be.
Just breathe.
Are you feeling relaxed?
Yes.
Good.
I'm gonna do a little exercise
that may help with your memory.
Bear with me.
Do you feel connected to
your heart and your body
at this moment?
Yes.
Do you feel healthy?
For the most part.
Do you feel like your
body can comply with all
of your mind's commands?
Sure.
Do you feel physically
hurt or threatened?
No.
What emotions is
your heart feeling?
I want to feel a connection.
A connection?
Yes, connection.
I need to feel it.
To who, Apollo?
I'm not sure.
Do you trust me?
No.
But I'd like to.
Now, I don't know
anything about you.
Five years
ago, my wife was
pregnant with our
second daughter.
It was-- well, let's
just say it was
a very difficult pregnancy.
And they told us that Christa--
that she had a heart
condition and may
not survive past three months.
After she was born, those
were the most difficult
three months of my life.
Every day, I'd wake up and
I would wonder if today--
I did things that I never
anticipated I would do.
I prayed.
And she survived.
Why are you telling me this?
Because I want you
to know who I am so
know that you will trust me.
Only then can we
figure out who you are.
You have some form
of amnesia, which,
I will be honest with you,
we did not anticipate.
We don't want anything from
you other than the truth.
I'm not here to punish you.
What if I can't give
you what you want,
these answers
you're looking for?
We won't let that
become an option.
How are you feeling?
How do I feel?
Well, Jim, I feel
like I've been mentally pulled
and prodded and I still can't
remember a fucking thing.
I don't think this is working.
What do you feel
when you look at her?
She's beautiful.
Do I know her?
You tell me.
Why can't I
remember who she was?
I want to leave.
And go where?
If you're not gonna tell
me who I am or who she is,
or how I fucking know
her, then I want to leave.
You're not a prisoner.
But are you sure
you want to leave
the premises without resources
or knowledge of where you are?
Or most importantly,
who you are?
Then tell me who I am.
- I'm sorry.
- Please!
It doesn't work that way.
Believe me, I'm
trying to help you.
Fine.
I'll let you out.
You're on your own once
you exit federal premises.
Let's try and work together
for both our sakes.
Look, I need help.
I need real fucking help.
No more riddles,
no more games--
show me something,
anything that
will spark something in me.
What is all this?
I'm hoping that
you'll be able to tell me.
Am I supposed to know
what to do with this?
Yes, I think so.
I believe you do know.
The question is,
do you believe it?
I wouldn't even
know where to begin.
I use this?
As much as I'd like to, I
can't answer those questions.
Only you can.
Give it a try.
No, no.
I-- I--
Just focus.
Come on, let's go.
I believe you can do this.
No?
Sorry.
That's good.
You're good.
Keep going.
Let's play that again.
That's it.
Jesus Christ.
Good.
Keep going.
Shit.
I can't explain it, but my hands
were somehow connected to it.
I could feel it.
How is that possible?
Because you created it.
You brought it to
us two years ago.
OK, so something has
come back to you.
Now we just have to unlock
the rest of the mysteries
that are inside your head.
Come on.
What the fuck?
Try.
Imagine seeing her in person.
I know her.
She's my wife.
Yes.
Good.
What else is coming?
Is she OK?
She's just fine.
I need to see her.
And we will bring her to
you, but for security purposes,
we need you to
answer-- for security--
I need you to--
I need you to
see her right now.
I need you to remember.
I need you to remember!
What is your name?
I don't know.
I don't fucking know.
It's too difficult.
Perhaps we're making
it too difficult.
You need to feel your
way into these memories--
that sound, your wife.
Do you understand?
We need to find moments when
the emotions were palpable.
Do you remember your accident?
Accident?
Mm-hmm.
I remember--
I remember shouting and then--
Blackness.
I need to know exactly
what happened to you.
I wish I could tell you, Jim.
Jim?
What the hell is going on?
What's that noise?
Hey!
Oxygen content decreasing.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
Hello!
Somebody fucking hear me?
For fuck's sake.
Fuck.
Oxygen content decreasing.
Fuck.
Oxygen content decreasing.
One.
Oxygen content 10%.
What happened?
What the fuck was that?
All I'm trying to do
is make you yourself.
God.
You could have
fucking killed me.
The probability test was run.
It was statistically impossible
for you to have died.
And you know why?
Fuck you.
Because this is my helmet.
What happened, Apollo?
Something went very wrong.
I remember being in a
hallway hearing screams.
God, they were so loud.
They kept screaming
for it all to stop
and I couldn't do anything.
What exactly did
they want to stop?
I remember running,
trying to escape.
Escape what?
They're all--
They're all what?
The crew.
Oh my god.
What about the crew?
They're all dead.
Jesus Christ.
How did they die, Apollo?
How did they die?
It killed them.
Sorry?
It killed them all.
It?
Apollo, you know where that
name comes from, of course.
Apollo was the Greek
epitome of beauty.
Perhaps your vanity has
you believing, that's why
we're calling you Apollo.
But the Greeks were
not particularly
interested in Apollo's looks.
Apollo was the god of
truth and prophecy.
That's why he's important
in Greek mythology.
So many Greek plays derail
into train wrecks of tragedy
because Apollo predicted
things that people
did not want to believe.
Apollo is the teller
of hard truth.
And in a world filled
with deceit and desire,
Apollo was obsessed
with fire and light,
and he guarded it
jealously, so much so
that when an impostor,
Icarus, tried
to claim his equal by flying
too close to the source of that
light, his wings were melted
and he plunged into the sea.
What I want to know in this
little tragedy here is, is this
a truth that you're withholding
that could explain everything
or are you an impostor who
wanted too much at a cost?
Either way, we
need you to trust
me because I don't want this
to be a tragedy in the end.
Do you?
I remember flashing
lights and that noise
that just wouldn't stop.
Like a pounding
migraine all around me.
I saw blood on the walls.
I'm sorry.
I think I know
why you can't say.
No, you don't.
You weren't there.
OK.
So tell me what happened.
- I'm trying.
We need to know.
I'm aware.
Just let me try
to think first--
Apollo, are you sure
this is just some memory loss?
The fact that you
won't answer leads me
to some very dark conclusions.
This is what actually happened.
No.
Show me more.
I'd like to give you
the opportunity to talk.
What if I can't
remember exactly?
I think you can remember.
It wasn't me.
Open the door, please.
Open the fucking door.
- Sit down, please.
- Open the goddamn door!
- Sit down!
You said I was free to leave,
that I wasn't a prisoner,
remember?
So I want to leave.
Leaving is no
longer an option.
That was Lee, our captain.
She was--
She was the best.
So you do remember your crew.
I remember their
faces, but not--
Where did you find this feed?
Where your ship crashed.
I don't remember any of this.
Try.
Try.
What do you mean, try?
Jim, it wasn't me,
I swear to you.
I follow where the
evidence leads me.
So I will ask you for a
third time, who did this?
Why are you stalling?
I'm not stalling.
We already know that
you can play that.
Do you not want to
go back to your life,
your wife, your family?
That sound I was
creating before was a plea.
What do you mean, a plea?
I didn't know.
Didn't know what?
I didn't know that was gonna
happen to them, all right?
Please, you have to believe me.
You need to tell me more if
you want me to believe you.
I was trying to
get it to stop.
Get what to stop?
I am begging you
to let me help you.
What were you trying
to get to stop?
The cargo, Jim.
The cargo?
What was the cargo?
I have this image stuck
in my mind, when I was nine,
watching this
ridiculous segment
on TV called Einstein Bytes.
Let's try and confine
our images to those
that we think we can help.
There was
this one episode--
the host-- this
telephone-like experiment
to show how human
communication was inefficient.
Apollo.
It was the first time
I ever really thought
about words, semantics,
how we've corrupted
our tongues, false meaning.
It became my, I don't know,
obsession to find something
that was pure, honest.
While my peers
were all struggling
with elementary
French and Latin,
I was already on to
invest in Sanskrit.
I wanted much more.
Went deeper and deeper
into the indecipherable,
cuneiform, Sumerian,
the Voynich manuscript.
I followed the magnificent
journey of sudra's soul
re-soul Jim, and I
realized language
didn't need visual cues.
And then xenolinguistics.
I understand why you
brought me here, Jim.
This was my office.
This is where I sat every day.
You ever wonder why they sent a
linguist on the Orion, 24-month
mission into nothingness?
First contact.
The defining moment.
The 21st century.
So the cargo--
Is a life form.
What do you
mean, a life form?
Sentient and
conscious entity that
is designed a method
of communication
far beyond any comprehension.
Something of this
magnitude has consequences.
You need to tell me everything
that happened on that ship.
Be as specific as
possible, please.
It is like nothing
that we have ever
seen before, a being so
different from anything
we could have ever
possibly imagined.
Jim, it is beautiful.
Communicates solely
through sound.
And I spoke to it with
sounds and frequencies
that I created
with that machine.
You spoke to it?
Yes, I spoke to it.
The crash?
Yeah.
This crashed, so chaotic and
fast, how it all happened.
One minute we're in
space, descending
through the
atmosphere, and then--
I don't know.
Something must have went
wrong with our systems.
That ship was equipped
with the most sophisticated
of safety systems designed
to endure the most
catastrophic of events.
What aren't you telling me?
I'm telling you
exactly what I remember.
I'm violating every
single protocol,
even revealing this to you.
No one is supposed to
know about that life form.
I have the highest
level of clearance.
You violated nothing.
Then I guess I still don't
really know who you are, do I?
How do I know the
threshold of your loyalty?
Your obsession, as
you say, has been
the epicenter of
global competition
for the past two years.
Xenolinguistics.
You knew about this, about
the life form this whole time.
So what was this?
Just another goddamn
test to check my loyalty?
That's right.
This is about loyalty.
We both know the
value of first contact
and its potential to change the
world, particularly the power
structure of the world.
This mission, your research.
We were very lucky to find you.
Particularly you.
What do you mean, you?
Do you really not know
why I've been asking
you all these questions?
No, Jim, I clearly don't.
What are you accusing me of?
You think I sold out?
You think I'm a traitor?
I assess based on facts.
OK, so what is it
exactly that you're
accusing me of here?
You were the
only one who knew
how to control the life form.
You used it to get rid of your
crew while protecting yourself.
But the accident, of course,
that was a side effect.
That wasn't part of the plan.
I didn't plan any of it.
Wait, you found our ship.
Where's the life form?
It's secure.
Where?
The sonic chamber.
I'm the only one who
knows how to contain it.
ASA was able to access
enough of your research.
My research?
This is my life's--
I always believed there was
something out there capable
of better communication.
I watched as our
language deteriorated,
slowly witnessing a global
malaise, a fucking demise.
We can't even speak
to each other anymore.
Whole language is one giant
goddamn advertisement.
I kept myself going by
believing there was something
pure out there, like an
abstract expressionist
painting, medium
distilled to the simplest
of means that convey the
most essential messages.
There was a reason, Jim, to
make contact with something
beyond ourselves,
the search to find
a language incapable
of being commodified.
Feelings are candid.
They do not lie.
It is the only thing that
builds trust between anything.
When I found a
language based on this,
there is not a shot in hell I
would sell it to anyone, ever.
So please, whatever you say,
do not accuse me of being
a hypocrite to my life's work.
Many people betray the things
that they love for expediency.
They make terrible decisions.
I didn't make any terrible
fucking decisions, except maybe
to trust you.
Your perception of
yourself varies wildly
from the assessment
others make of you.
What is your
assessment of me?
That I orchestrated
this whole thing?
We believe that if
you survived the crash,
you intended to sell the life
form and your communication
to one of our
international competitors.
Please know that we have
significant evidence
to support this assertion.
I didn't betray anyone.
I didn't fucking kill anybody.
I want to see my wife.
You found my office.
You spoke to
people who know me.
You know goddamn
well where she is.
I want to see her!
It's you.
Oh, thank God.
Mary?
Hi.
Oh my god, baby.
You're alive.
I can't believe it's you.
I begged
them to let me see you.
They said-- they said you had
amnesia, that if I saw you,
I had to call you Apollo.
You're here.
That's all that matters.
Are you OK?
Are you in pain?
Don't worry about me.
How much do you remember?
Do you remember me?
I could never forget you.
You're not wearing
your necklace.
What's wrong?
Um-- I-- he--
Who?
Jim?
They told you something.
They told you
something, didn't they?
Baby, don't-- don't
believe them, OK?
They're lying.
You-- you listen to me, baby.
You know me.
Hey, hey.
I know you told them
who I am, right?
But my commitment
to my work, to--
to my country.
You told them, right, baby?
Right, baby?
Um--
Hey!
I'm sorry.
What are you talking about?
Mary--
I know that whatever you did,
you did with good intentions.
What do you mean, what I did?
What do you mean, what I did?
What did they tell you?
Hey, hey, just calm down, OK?
Calm down, Apollo.
My name is not
fucking Apollo!
Why didn't you tell
them the truth, baby?
Why?
- I did.
I did tell them the truth, OK?
I told them who you are,
who I know you to be.
I know why you went
on that mission.
And I understand why you
believe what you believe.
ASA was corrupted by
money and influence.
And of course, it wasn't
about the science anymore.
And of course, they stopped
caring about the language
that you studied.
And the mission was just
driven by enterprise
and not communication.
And I know you wanted to
instill something pure.
And I'm sure that running
the cargo to your enemies
was the only way to do that.
What the fuck are
you talking about?
Running the cargo--
hey, baby, you know me.
Come on, baby, you know me.
For Christ's sakes.
Nothing in our world
was real anymore.
It's all disinformation,
storytelling.
Everyone wants to
believe whatever
the fuck they want to believe.
Remember?
Yeah.
Look at me.
Look at me.
You told them that I would
never just leave you, right?
You told them that, right?
Because I love you.
Because I wanted to remain
the man that you fell in
love with, to give you a
better world to live in.
And this language, this--
this communication, this
was the answer, but that
doesn't make me a traitor.
Maybe they can't
see it like we can.
They don't see it
like you and I do.
Language, it's everything.
It defines our joy,
our grief, our anger.
Our pain.
I know.
It doesn't matter
what we believe.
It doesn't matter what you
believe or what I believe.
And I know you're
an honorable man.
Just admit to it and
cooperate with them,
and you and I can go home.
Mary, you're not listening.
I'm-- you--
Look at me.
Look at me!
You know I can't do that.
What is wrong with you?
Why are you choosing to
destroy everything right now?
You have the opportunity
to make this right.
Just tell them what you did
and we could go home together.
Please.
Please.
I can't.
OK.
Whatever happens, I love you.
What did you tell her?
Only what I
told you, the truth.
You know I didn't kill
anyone to sell the technology.
How do I know?
Because I would remember
orchestrating this betrayal,
crashing the ship, any of it.
The memories
of an amnesiac
don't come back with
the snap of a finger.
It's more of a--
a slow burn.
I remember the ship, Jim.
Mm.
But how can you be sure,
when all
your memories are such a blur?
I remember.
Mary!
Everything I did,
I did it for us.
I did it for you!
I don't believe him.
Hello?
What the hell is going on?
Oh, for God's sakes, tell
me this isn't happening.
It seems
there's been a large explosion
at Cape Canaveral.
It escaped.
Initial
reporting is scarce,
but viral videos are
surfacing around the Cape.
Citizen footage is coming.
Disturbing reports.
Let us play this for you now.
How is this
happening right now?
I don't know.
They're using your
research to control it.
You know what there is
out there now, they have
the research and they can't--
Please, help.
What the hell am
I supposed to do?
You already have my research.
It occupies--
- No, no, no.
--space.
It can be contained.
You're the only one
that knows the life form.
Everyone else who is
on that ship is dead.
Why?
There's a chance for
you to redeem yourself.
Please, help us.
I'm telling you, I
can't do anything more
than what you've already done.
- No, no, no, no.
Communicate with it.
Talk to it.
Come on.
We need you to control it.
It's gonna destroy half
the state of Florida.
No.
Everyone that
you know and love
is out there, including Mary.
This isn't just
speaking German, Jim.
I can't just use the
language to control it.
You can.
You can communicate with it.
That's what the
language is for,
to control the fucking thing.
This isn't about control.
That's not how this works.
That language I
created was meant
to build trust, a
salutation from us,
contact, communication.
And what did we do?
What did I do?
We harpooned a whale
for its blubber
without even knowing
the capabilities
of its intelligence.
Now, whatever's
happening out there
We brought that on ourselves.
No.
This is what you wanted.
You were playing
the instrument.
I was watching you.
Before it escaped,
you were playing.
You did this.
What are you talking about?
We were onto you, and
so you unleashed it.
This way, even
if everyone dies,
you escape dishonor and
the judgment of everyone,
including your wife.
I won't let you have it.
So what happens to
everyone out there?
Hmm?
What happens to those people?
What about them?
You know, that's
what people like
you always say when a
new technology unleashes
its destructive power.
This time, the tech
is better than us.
It can see right through us.
This is what the
world deserves.
Maybe we'll finally
learn that technology
comes at a human cost, Jim.
So this is what you want--
total destruction,
chaos, anarchy.
I am begging you one last time.
Think of Mary.
I can't.
And I'm sorry about it.
I believe you.
I know that you were
telling the truth.
They made me do that,
ask you those questions,
accuse you of those things.
Why?
They need the technology to
communicate with an alien life
form with unknown capabilities,
allow them access to everything
that it's capable of.
It'd be the most powerful
weapon in the world.
You're right, we didn't
care about language
itself, only how we could
enslave it for our use.
But I need to learn.
When I first heard
that sound, I was--
what if instead of an
intent to destroy--
what if it came here to
teach us something amazing?
What is this?
Today's news?
I don't understand.
There's nothing
about the life form.
How's-- it's not possible.
Because it didn't happen.
What do you mean,
it didn't happen?
I saw those buildings,
those people.
We made it all up.
Careful how you react.
They're watching.
We created that news story,
green screen
actors, little engineering
to shake the walls.
The goal was to get
you to use the language
to its fullest extent.
The more you play the
instrument, the more they
could observe,
the more we could
learn how to communicate
with the life
form, which we still can't do.
And the life form?
Still safe in the sonic chamber.
I want to help you.
Now you want to
help me through all
the lies and accusations.
How could I possibly
believe you?
You're right.
I am not a saint.
Not even close.
My ex-wife used to say that.
Maybe it's all the
lies from work.
But at some point, she figured
she never even knew me.
That was seven years ago.
And your daughter?
I don't have a daughter.
I had to get you to trust me
to answer my questions, right?
Who are you gonna trust, a
guy who prays for his sick kid
or-- or a guy like me whose
kid barely knows his name?
Yeah, she took him
when she walked out.
Said she didn't want Chris
exposed to someone like me.
He's eight now, though.
He had a birthday
a few weeks ago.
He's big into Super Mario.
He had a Mario-themed party.
Wonder what he
even thinks of me.
Why should I believe you?
Because in this time that
we've spent alone together,
I've listened to you,
I've heard what you said,
I've seen the language
that you speak.
And I was wondering if there
was some way for me to be
redeemed, to be the
kind of man my son
could look up to and respect.
Please.
Please, let me help you.
How can you help me?
I've been talking to my team.
There's a way that
you can be exonerated.
You have to admit to
conspiring with our rivals.
And then we can arrange to
send you home with Mary.
- You just fucking said that--
- No, I know.
I know.
I believe you.
I do.
But the others don't.
I can't convince them.
They have footage of evidence.
Someone was arranging
to frame you.
I don't know.
I don't know whether
it comes from ASA
or whether it's
someone in Washington.
I don't know.
But the bottom line is,
someone's going down for this.
And they're gonna take
someone, and it's gonna be you.
They want to hold
on to that life form
and they want to
keep it a secret.
What about me?
Hmm?
My entire reputation?
I'm supposed to lie and admit
treason so your son can feel
good about his deceitful dad?
You don't have a choice!
I am trying to get you
home and not in prison.
I presume they want
me to teach them the language.
Yes, but not all of it.
You don't have to
give them everything.
Just enough so
that they feel like
you're-- you're cooperating,
and then they will pardon
anything that's gone before.
Very few people
will know the truth.
What?
Nothing.
Well, there is one thing
I'm not overly proud of.
I lied to you from the start.
I've never had amnesia.
Didn't know if I
could trust you.
Should trust you.
Any of you.
It's all fake.
I did wake up somewhere
after a crash.
Didn't know where I was,
what the hell happened.
Something was off.
Felt different.
I'm a scientist too, Jim.
I conduct experiments.
That's what this was--
to buy time, see if
I could trust you.
And?
You love your son?
Yes.
You think he's a good kid?
Yes.
You think you're a good man?
For the most part.
You like lying, Jim?
No.
You value communication
as a tool to empathize?
Yes.
You believe
such communication
can be manipulated?
Yes.
Were you doing that with me?
Yes.
Are you doing
that with me now?
No.
You need to bring me Mary.
I need to see her.
I can't do that, Jim.
I want to see her.
No glass.
You want my full cooperation?
That's what I want.
Honey.
Oh.
Oh.
Oh, my love.
Hi.
Oh my god.
Baby.
Baby, I
wanna come clean.
I wanna move past all this.
I want to be a better
partner for you.
I'm gonna tell you
everything, OK?
Apollo.
No.
My real name.
Nathan.
Beard is good.
Your beard is actually good.
Maybe they've
given me a way out.
If I agree, we can be together.
OK.
That's all I've ever wanted.
I might have to give up
so much of what I fought
for, though, believed in.
What's the point
of fighting so hard
or something if you
end up with nothing?
Do you remember
the day I left?
Yeah, of course.
I was devastated.
- I'll never leave you again.
- OK.
I'm not gonna let you.
Do you remember
what I told you?
I just--
I just remember
being heartbroken.
But I'm-- I'm so
glad you're back.
Who are you?
Apollo.
Only my wife calls me Nathan.
So who the fuck are you?
I didn't-- what
are you doing?
Hey, baby.
You want me to
tell you the truth?
Hmm?
The last thing I said to you.
Uh-- hey, you're hurting me.
The last thing
I told you a week
before I left for the mission.
Nathan--
I said goodbye
forever, because that
is what you wanted.
We were both heartbroken.
No one else fucking knew.
Did you think I don't
know my own wife?
You look like her, exactly
like her, but you are not Mary.
I wanted Mary to find someone
that could be there for her.
We both knew that love meant
no longer being together.
You are not Mary.
Who the fuck are you?
Baby, I think
you're just confused.
It's me.
I don't know you.
Baby, I love you.
Who are you?
Target's on the floor.
Restrain him.
The truth, of course.
That's what we have to
offer him, Captain Lee.
I think it's clear to see
you recognize your crew.
You can't possibly understand
what you're seeing right now.
I think I have a
pretty good picture.
Years of planning and effort,
all right here in front of me.
I'm helping us,
humanity, the human race,
call it what you will, learn
about the greatest discovery
known to man since fire.
That discovery
was mine, not yours.
This was never yours.
It was always bigger than you.
Don't you think your
country and their allies
wouldn't make the same efforts
if the situation were reversed?
Where am I?
The truth?
Svalbard, halfway between
Norway and the North Pole.
Jim.
Jim.
How do you think this
is going to end, Lee?
That depends on you.
You know, when you talked
about an unadulterated form
of communication, I'm curious
how far that conviction goes.
You can save them and
yourself, you know that.
You just have to make a choice.
I can't do it.
It's your choice,
what happens to them.
They don't deserve to
die because of my beliefs.
No, of course not.
I didn't assess you
for a selfish man.
If I help you, teach you the
language, connect it to you,
you have to abide by your word,
release my crew unharmed.
You have my word.
Everything is ready
for the session.
Wait.
Everyone needs to leave.
- We stay.
I'm trying to give
you what you want.
This many people in the
room will overstimulate it.
Fine.
He's playing us.
He knows the
species, we don't.
We want him to teach us.
He won't unless
he gets something.
Not you.
He needs to be here.
Why me?
We can't leave you alone
in the sonic chamber.
We need to postpone
the session,
discuss our plan of action.
This life form reacts
solely on sensation, energy.
We need to be allies.
Once it trusts you, you'll
get what you want and I
get what I want, my crew--
their freedom.
This life form is a
foreign sentient being.
Communicates in a
language entirely
different from our own.
Its language, my
communication with it,
has been 100% honest,
without any double speak.
I cannot stress that enough.
And what if--
what if it senses something,
something that startles it?
It's a highly-evolved being
in an uncontrolled environment.
Likely annihilate us both.
And then--
Well--
Apollo is right,
Jim, what he said to Lee--
the thought, the planning
that went into this.
And despite all that
effort, he called the ruse.
My education and
training have been
an attempt to try
and understand
the truth beyond words.
Don't listen to
what he's saying.
Feel the frequencies.
I can tell he's lying.
And my experience tells
me something different.
Everybody out of the chamber.
Now!
We are together now.
Don't tense up.
It can sense the
smallest idiosyncrasies.
Just relax.
Jim, if I can sense
it, so will it.
I need you to trust me.
I do.
Connect with me.
We have a bond.
We respect each other.
Remember, Jim, together.
You need to trust me.
We're together.
What are you saying?
Telling it that we're
a unit, that it's safe.
Jim, go.
Jim.
Security.
Enter the chamber.
I repeat, enter the chamber.
It was never
meant to destroy.
It was meant to
explore, connect.
Hell, maybe even love.
You sure you can
live with yourself,
letting the greatest
discovery of humankind go?
One day, when
we're ready, we'll
make contact again, for the
purpose of contact, to learn,
not to take it for ourselves.
Arrange for my crew and I to
return to the United States.
Now, why would I do that?
Because I believed you when
you said you were a good man.
What's more, is that
thing believed you.
If it hadn't, it'd ripped you
apart from the inside out.
You need to come up with
a story to the press
and politicians will devour.
No, no, no.
This-- this never happened.
We rescued you and your
crew after a crash.
There was never any cargo.
This-- this is what you wanted
from the beginning, isn't it?
You know, if we'd met
in a bar, we might have
had a few beers, a few laughs.
Maybe even had a
real conversation.
If only.
That's not the
world we live in.
We're just getting word
that the crew of American
Aeronautics Space Agency space
shuttle Orion safely
returned to the United States
due to a joint effort
between the United States
and the International
Arctic Commission's
Search and Rescue efforts.
Previous reports that China
or Russian intelligence
had sabotaged the shuttle have
been dismissed as president
of the United States praises
his allies for their help
in returning the crew.