Now, the beta synchrotron...
sends the electrons
through this magnet...
which bends the force of them
down to the reaction vessel.
Stay away
from that elbow joint.
All right.
Bran, you want to get that?
Now, this is
a tunable excimer laser.
It's tuned
to the exact resonance...
of the plutonium-239...
that's in the reaction vessel
down at that end.
Now I think we're all set.
Hit it.
Now, watch your eyes.
Roper!
This is where the electrons
bombard the stuff...
lasers ionize it, and
send it off to the condenser.
Now it's a conductive element.
Down to the condenser.
This is where it gets converted
into its liquid metallic state.
Would you repeat that, please?
This is where it's converted...
into its liquid metallic state!
This all happened
about fifty seconds ago.
It's the purest plutonium
in the universe.
Pretty, isn't it?
- Ninety-nine percent?
- No.
Have some
of that French bubbly.
All right! You popped it.
Here we go.
Bob, what do you think?
A weapon this big...
with twenty times the punch
of anything anybody's got?
- Is he kidding?
- No. He did it, all right.
It's a brilliant achievement.
He'd get the Nobel
if he could publish.
- Publish?
- I said "If. "
All right, I want
a prototype facility...
fully operational
before Geneva, if possible.
Everything goes through Energy
in Washington.
Need to know, S.C.I. Clearance.
Set him up,
whatever he needs...
someplace quiet,
away from prying eyes...
and keep an eye on him.
Let's see about a Swiss bank
to put all this money in.
There we go.
Hi, mom.
Paul, it's 4:30 in the morning.
What's the book?
I don't know... some cheap novel.
Come on. I'll buy you a drink.
Be careful. It's hot.
What? What's the matter?
You're growing so fast.
Yeah, but that's no reason
to have a nervous breakdown.
Come here.
We gotta get you a valium
or some heroin or something.
Hurry up. He's coming.
- Hey, what is that?
- Nitrogen triiodide.
What's it do?
Unstable with respect to shock.
- What's that mean?
- Once it dries...
if you touch it, it explodes.
Paul, you're crazy.
You say that
like it's a bad thing.
- Whose drawer?
- Roland's.
Poor Roland.
Eh, he'll love it.
Builds character.
He's coming.
Hi ya, Roland. Listen, could I
borrow your English notes?
You've got to be kidding.
But I lent you my math homework
at least ten times.
Sorry, Stephens. It's
a dog-eat-dog world out there.
I gotta look out
for number one.
Good morning,
ladies and gentlemen.
Last time, we learned that
plutonium is perfectly suited...
for the release of
enormous amounts of energy...
due to its ability to fission...
under the action
of slow neutrons.
Now here we have the isotope...
plutonium-239...
and here we have two very
interesting inventions...
based on this.
Now, can anyone tell us
the principle...
behind the implosion device?
Paul, could you enlighten us?
Yes. Your implosion design
simply uses...
a chemical high-explosive to
squeeze a subcritical piece...
of weapons-grade plutonium-239
until it's supercritical...
thereby producing
an atomic explosion.
- Thank you, Roland.
- Thank you, Mr. Wilkie.
He did it! Him!
Paul Stephens! He's sick!
- Hiya, Jen.
- Hi, Paul.
- Did you lose something?
- It's so dumb!
I locked my car keys
in the glove compartment...
because I always lose them.
So now I've lost the keys
to the glove compartment.
Dumb, right?
Have you got a nail file
in there?
- Yeah, why?
- Let me see it.
- What are you gonna do?
- Don't worry about it.
- It's a new car.
- Trust me.
That was terrible, you know.
- What?
- Roland.
Terrible? I thought
it was very effective.
Not bad. Thanks.
Where did you learn that?
CIA, child recruitment program.
Listen, what are you doing
Sunday night?
- Nothing. Why?
- You want to study?
- You mean together?
- Uh-huh.
- What about Mr. Perfect?
- Who? Eric?
Don't worry about Eric.
He's just pretty.
- So what do you say?
- Sure.
My house, OK? 115 North
Highland near Thurston.
You gonna write it down?
to baby-sit my little brother.
Ah, baby-sitting.
Does he bite?
No.
I'm the one that bites.
Stephens, how about it?
- Excuse me, doctor?
- Yeah.
Hi. I'm Elizabeth Stephens.
- Please have a seat.
- Thanks.
Could you spell this for me,
doctor?
I can't seem to read
your writing.
M- a-t-h-e-w-s-o-n.
John Mathewson.
And you're interested in a one
bedroom sublet, furnished?
Any special requirements?
It should be quiet and in
an english-speaking country.
I think we can handle that.
- Children?
- No. No children.
Pets?
No pets, no children,
no flamenco dancing.
- So it's just you and...
- Just me and my books.
And my memories, of course.
We have a very nice
garden condominium on sublet.
New building,
good neighborhood...
including utilities.
- The particulars are inside.
- No, no, that's OK.
- You don't like it?
- I love it. I'll take it.
- You'll take it?
- Yeah.
- Just like that?
- Uh-huh.
Without looking at it?
Well, you said it was nice,
didn't you?
Well... OK.
That was easy.
I'm very easy.
Well, I guess that's that.
And if there's anything else
I can do...
Well, as a matter of fact,
there is one thing.
Can I ask you a question?
The thing is,
I've been here for six weeks...
down at
the Carriage House Motel...
and I don't know a soul
in town...
and you've been so nice...
I thought...
perhaps some night
you'd let me buy you dinner.
Is that crazy?
- I can't, no.
- No? Really?
It's sweet of you,
but it's quite impossible.
No, hey. I understand.
You have something.
Well, if you'll excuse me...
I'll go back to my room
and watch them rewrap the soap.
- It's not that bad, is it?
- It's not wonderful.
Paul, come say hi.
Dr. Mathewson,
this is my son Paul.
Your son?
Oh, I... I didn't realize you...
Look, this is terrible.
I feel like a perfect ass.
Nobody's perfect.
I'm sorry.
That was not called for.
As a matter of fact,
my husband and I are separated.
Oh. I mean...
Hi, Paul. I'm John.
You a science buff?
Lasers.
Fantastic thing, these lasers.
You ever seen one in the flesh?
- Would you like to?
- Sure.
Well, the funny
coincidence is...
I just happen to have access
to one of the sexiest lasers...
in the entire free world.
And if your mom says it's OK,
you come on down to the lab...
and I will give you
the grand tour, laser heaven.
In return, I get to take you
and your mom to dinner Sunday.
Deal?
State your name and business.
Hi. My name is
Paul Stephens...
and I'm here to see
Dr. Mathewson.
Come through the gate
and up to the main building.
Would you put these on...
and see that gentleman
over there, please?
Thank you.
The laser will fire
in twelve minutes.
Please clear the access areas.
- Hey, what are those things?
- Motion detectors.
Really? What do they do?
Anything that moves,
they detect it.
Three yellow suits
to the loading dock, please.
Jack, pick up on five.
Harry, seven-two, seven-two.
Dr. Mathewson!
So, what do you think?
- Not bad.
- Not bad?
I just cut through a steel
plate with a beam of light.
He says it's not bad.
The copper-vapor laser...
is the most powerful one
I've ever worked with.
Down here's
the main reaction chamber...
reaction column,
the vacuum assembly...
and everything back there in
the cage, that's the assay area.
Everything's run by the robot.
So, what did your old man
do for a living?
Taught architecture at Cornell.
- What's that?
- What?
That stuff.
Oh, that's lubricating oil
for the robot.
No, that green stuff
in those bottles.
Oh, that.
That's americium-241.
It's one of the things
we make here.
Come on. I'll show you
the grounds down by the lakes.
It's beautiful down there.
So where is he now,
your father?
- Saudi Arabia.
- Really? What happened?
I guess he didn't like
being married anymore.
Some guys don't know
when they're well off.
Actually,
he's a brilliant architect.
He's just kind of a shit in
his personal life, that's all.
So, uh, you gonna go out
with Elizabeth?
- Elizabeth?
- My mother.
Oh, right, Elizabeth.
I don't know. That's
pretty much up to her, I guess.
She's quite an unusual woman,
your mother. Don't you think?
Excuse me?
Your mother?
Yeah, right... very unusual.
Everything OK?
No more for me.
My head is spinning.
No, it's good for the head
to spin. It keeps it stable.
Paul, you haven't even
touched yours.
Oh, no, thank you.
I don't drink wine.
- Oh, why is that?
- It impairs my judgment.
- What's the matter?
- Air conditioning.
- Here, take...
- Here, take...
I left my sweater
in Dr. Mathewson's car.
Would you be a sweetheart?
So when he was six years old...
he started getting up at 2:00
every morning...
and staying up,
you know, till...
Here you go, mom.
- Ah. Is that better?
- Yes. Thanks, sweetheart.
Thank you very much for dinner.
It was very stimulating.
- Are you leaving? No dessert?
- Sorry, I have a date.
Wait, wait.
I didn't give you your present.
- Present?
- It's a brain teaser.
You have to get each of
the four balls in the corners.
A colleague of mine from M.I.T.
Invented it.
He's a games theorist,
wants to market it.
He says anyone who can
do it inside of two minutes...
I guess I'm gonna have to
come up with something harder.
Plus which...
there are only two uses
in the world for plutonium...
in weapons and in reactors,
right?
So if
they're making reactors...
why would they say
it's medical?
And if it is medical...
why are they fooling around
with plutonium?
It doesn't make any sense.
How do you know it's plutonium?
Maybe it's something else.
It's not. It's little flakes
of plutonium in a green gel.
It's called a scintillant.
Why would he just invite you
inside? It's crazy.
So, he's crazy.
Look what he does for a living.
He's hot for my mother.
He figures I'm a dumb kid.
He's hot for your mother?
Really?
You got a knife
or a screwdriver or something?
That's the drawer.
Plus which, he's got
all these security clearances.
I don't know what they are.
Los Alamos, Livermore Labs,
Oak Ridge.
Do you know
what they make at Oak Ridge?
What?
Nuclear warheads.
- So, what are you saying?
- I'm saying he lied, OK?
At the very least.
He invites me out there...
and then he lies,
like I'm some kind of a wimp.
I think you're overreacting.
- To what?
- I don't know.
Oedipal jealousy, maybe.
Oedipal jealousy?
What's that? Psychology class?
Does this look like
Oedipal jealousy?
- What is that?
- What does it look like?
A five-leaf clover.
Where did you find it?
Growing outside that lab.
You know the odds
on that kind of mutation...
happening naturally,
without chemicals...
or radiation or something?
- What?
- There are none.
I looked it up.
It's like a billion to one.
- It never happens.
- Maybe you're just very lucky.
Oh, my God.
Who knows about this?
Just us.
- We should do something.
- What?
I don't know. Tell somebody...
a newspaper, my father.
I mean, you can't
just waltz into town...
and set up a bomb factory
next to people's houses.
It's not a factory.
It's more like a laboratory.
What's the difference?
It's nuclear, right?
You have to have hearings.
You have to let the community
know about it.
- There are laws.
- It's a government lab.
They're not gonna let anybody
in there to look around.
They let you in.
A fluke. The guy was horny,
so he took a chance.
So we do nothing?
Is that it?
What do you suggest we do?
March on Washington?
My parents happen to have met
at a march on Washington.
Really? Very sixties. Were you
born at a Stones concert?
This isn't funny.
Do you know what this is like?
It's like when you read about,
I don't know...
Anne Frank or something,
and you say to yourself...
"Jesus,
why didn't they do something?"
The whole world was collapsing.
They just sat around,
life as usual...
"Maybe it will go away. "
But it never goes away.
It only gets worse.
Nobody thinks about the future.
What's the matter?
Who's Anne Frank?
A girl in my English class.
What are you looking at?
The storm...
there's a storm coming.
So?
The lab. They've got
a security system there...
TV cameras, motion detectors,
all kinds of stuff...
only the thing is,
it's all electric.
So?
Lightning. Lightning.
Don't you get it?
- No.
- We can get in there.
Gort? But he's a robot.
Without you, what could he do?
There's no limit
to what he could do.
He could destroy the earth.
If anything should happen
to me, you must go to Gort.
You must say these words... -
"Klaatu barada nikto. "
Please repeat that.
Klaatu...
barada nikto.
That's very bad for you.
Lots of stuff is bad for you.
Could you come here
for a minute?
- Hello. We're home.
- Jen?
Hi, mom. Hi, dad.
It's gonna come down.
Hello, sweetheart.
This is Paul Stephens
from my science class.
Very pleased to meet you both.
- Barnaby asleep?
- Uh-huh.
Hey, Chocolate chocolate chip.
What do you say?
I was just gonna drive
Paul home, actually.
- OK. OK. Raincheck, then.
- Sorry.
Drive carefully. They're
predicting some flooding.
There it is. German car, right?
Figures.
- Incredible.
- What?
Dr. Strangelove is in there...
hitting on my mother
and watching my tapes.
- Paul.
- What?
What if there's
more than one guard?
No.
The whole place is set up...
so it can be watched
by one person.
Look, trust me.
It's brilliant.
Besides, what can
they do to us anyway?
We're kids.
It's a prank, right?
Hello? Anybody home?
State your name and business,
please.
Where are you?
You're on a remote intercom,
ma'am.
What seems to be the problem?
This isn't Baker North, is it?
No.
This is Medatomics Company.
Where's Baker North? I've been
driving around for an hour.
The campus is on
the other side of town, ma'am.
What's wrong?
I don't know. I'm supposed
to meet my sister...
and I think there's
something wrong with the car...
and I'm a little scared.
OK. Come on through.
Tell me when.
OK, get ready.
Now.
Thank you so much.
Your left front tire's
flatter than a pancake.
- Oh, no. Really?
- Take it easy.
We'll get you fixed up.
Some night, huh?
You got a spare?
A spare what?
A spare tire.
Yes. Information...
you got a phone number
for emergency road service?
Yeah, I'll hold.
Excuse me. Call you back.
Central office?
Charlie?
Ben Bozeman over at Medatomics.
Is it raining down there?
Well, it is here.
Electric storm. It's
fritzing up the whole system.
What? No.
Radiation checkpoints are OK.
What can I tell you?
There's thunder and lightning.
I keep getting these brownouts.
What?
Of course I did.
They're just flipping over.
You know these damn things.
Every time you get
a power surge, they go crazy.
What?
A and B corridor
just both went at once...
if you can believe that.
Tell you what, I'm gonna do
an on-site check...
and wait till the storm passes
to reset. OK?
I hate to go in there, Charlie.
They got stuff in there that
zaps your gonads right out.
What seems to be the trouble?
You know something?
This jack isn't going to work.
This jack is Mickey Mouse.
- Hey, Ben.
- Hey, Terry.
Looks like rain.
What do you think?
What's the matter?
Damn storm
fritzed up the whole system.
- Did you call it in?
- Did I call it in?
To tell you the truth...
I'd rather have one good dog
than all that fancy equipment.
Why don't you give me a hand?
- Where's the lug nuts?
- The what?
The things
that hold the wheel on.
Um, what do they look like?
Well? Oh, my God.
You were brilliant.
All that crying with the guard.
Thanks.
Can we get out of here now?
Genius.
That's some sweetie, huh?
Come on, now,
you're a married man.
A man can still have a little
snack between meals, can't he?
Good-bye, sweetheart.
All right. First thing tomorrow
we take it to Dr. Nicci.
- Who?
- Bob Nicci.
A friend of my father's
in the chemistry department.
- He'll verify what it is.
- I told you what it is.
Yeah, but I need a second
source for my article...
like Woodward and Bernstein.
Who's that?
- Article, huh?
- Yeah. Why?
I have another thought.
Paul, that's very sick.
I thought you wanted proof.
That's proof.
But we have the stuff.
Isn't that enough?
- Enough for what?
- An article. An expos.
In, like, Rolling Stone.
I bet they'd publish it.
Rolling Stone? Come on.
Who's gonna care
about a couple of kids...
who stole some stuff
from a lab somewhere?
You want a story?
Write one about a kid
who builds an atomic bomb.
Do you realize
what you're saying?
- Yes!
- You are weird.
I'm weird?
I didn't make that stuff.
No.
It's too dangerous, isn't it?
It's just a piece of equipment
like a toaster or a clock.
A bunch of parts
that have to be put together...
so you just never
put them together.
Look, people used to be
afraid of cars...
because they didn't
understand them.
Cars don't kill people.
Cars have killed more people...
than all the atomic bombs
that were ever made.
That's not a logical argument.
I'm not talking about logic.
I'm talking about
the first privately built...
nuclear device
in the history of the world.
Well, thank you
for a very interesting evening.
- Science fair. Really?
- 45th annual science something.
You get to go to New York.
Oh, that's the same one
that Roland's entering, huh?
"Retinal deprivation
and auditory enhancement...
in the common cricetus. "
Zoology?
Uh-huh. I'm gonna raise
a generation of hamsters...
in the dark and see
if it improves their hearing.
Oh. That's kind of
a weird experiment.
The field's wide open. I think
I've got a chance to win.
Well, then, go for it.
It's great to see someone
turn over a new leaf.
C4, high explosive.
It's very stable.
It's fantastic stuff.
Just don't be around
when it goes off, OK?
Say, Paulie, what are you
going to do with this stuff?
No. Don't tell me.
Make it sixty.
So, you been down
to the garage much?
A little.
How's the army?
Eh, it's a living, right?
Take care, genius.
Don't blow yourself up.
Dr. Wilson, got a minute?
This is lot thirteen.
It's completely flat.
- Did you recheck it?
- Yeah. Three times.
Run a full spec analysis,
and keep this between us, OK?
Sure. Yeah.
Hydrolyzed animal protein,
glycerin, USFDA coloring #5.
- What the hell is it?
- It's shampoo.
Shampoo?
We think either one
of the generic local brands...
or maybe something called
Alberto's VO5, plus glitter.
Glitter?
Shredded aluminum foil like
they use on a greeting card.
Thank you, Howard.
Somebody has a pretty weird
sense of humor.
John, the timekey record
has you in the building...
four weeks ago Sunday night,
- This is a mistake.
- You weren't here?
- Somebody was, with your card.
- That's impossible.
Look, Miles, it's a computer.
They're not infallible.
Wait a minute.
Wasn't that the night
of that big electrical storm?
I don't know. So what?
- Oh, my God!
- What?
Well, there's your answer.
There was a power dropout...
and you had some garbage
in the system.
It says right here,
"Mathewson, 11:08 P.M."
I know, but do me a favor.
Just check it out, will you?
I mean, you know these guys.
It's like cabin fever.
It happens all the time.
I'm sure it'll turn up again.
Cabin fever?
When I was at Livermore,
there were two guys with mice...
It's a significant amount.
I have to report it.
Oh, come on.
They'll be all over us!
Look,
I'm on a crash program here.
You want to bring everything
to a dead stop...
just because
you've got a little glitch?
I'm sorry, John.
I don't make the rules.
Listen, can I talk to Paul?
Paul's away
till tomorrow night.
Oh? Where?
New York. He has a project
in a science fair.
He didn't tell you?
No.
What kind of project?
Something at school,
guinea pigs... no, hamsters.
Why, what's up?
Oh, it's nothing.
I just had some tickets
to the ball game.
- Oh, gosh.
- What?
They need me on the floor.
Listen, what hotel is he at?
The New York Penta.
OK, great.
Maybe I'll give him a ring, OK?
Great. Well, listen,
I better go. Bye-bye.
You're saying you never
actually went inside...
and saw what he was doing?
- No.
- Why not?
He never asked me.
What's the problem?
Was he sexually abusing
the hamsters or something?
You're in section ninety-six.
That's in the balcony.
The judges
are circulating now...
and final eliminations
start at 3:00.
- Do you have accommodations?
- I'm a guest of the hotel.
- What is that?
- The key to the room.
Ah, very scientific.
Hey, Roland, what do you say?
Keep away.
Just keep away from me.
- Good luck, Roland.
- Yeah, sure.
Keep in touch.
My project has to do
with tracking Halley's comet...
for the duration
that it will be here.
Halley's comet
will be most visible...
What are you doing
after the fair?
- Tonight?
- Yeah, tonight.
Electrodes discharge...
which makes an impact
with the atom...
- What number are we?
- Ninety-six.
There we are.
Wow, look at her.
OK. So we set it up...
and right before
the elimination...
We go downstairs to the car.
We bring it up here.
We unveil it.
We win first prize.
We get to go on television.
Am I leaving anything out?
Just the part where
we get shot for treason.
- That's great.
- Maybe we can go tonight.
OK. Sure.
It's downtown.
Where's your badge?
You got to have a badge.
- Jenny.
- Gelser.
- Dwayne.
- Joe.
- Jeffrey.
- What is that?
Nothing special.
Just some microwaves.
I invented a way
of using insects...
as a dietary supplement
for humans.
Beetles, ants, mosquitoes.
You grind them up...
low cholesterol.
Shut up, Eccles.
That's disgusting.
My project
is quite fascinating.
I took six common toads...
and froze them in liquid
nitrogen for six months.
- Why?
- Wouldn't you like to know?
My project is a study of
social behavior in elevators...
how people react
under pressure.
Her eyes moved away.
Don't you like me?
She doesn't like me.
You'll have to excuse him.
He's got a hormone imbalance.
What's your project?
Oh, nothing.
Just some hamsters.
He's lying. He blinked.
They're all afraid
of the competition.
What's the difference.
It's not if you win...
it's how you play the game,
right?
No, it's if you win.
Dr. Mathewson,
Lieutenant Colonel Conroy.
Defense nuclear agency.
- Hi. How are you?
- I've been better.
So, somebody took
your magic beans...
and built himself
a firecracker, is that it?
That's it.
How big a bang
are we talking about?
Fifty kilotons, give or take.
Doctor, unless I'm mistaken...
fifty kilotons could just about
evaporate a small city.
That's right.
Good Christ! And a kid
put this thing together?
Yeah. Kinda makes you think,
doesn't it?
Any idea who he's working with?
I don't think
he's working with anybody.
I think he did it by himself.
- What for?
- I don't know.
Maybe to see if he could do it.
- That's crazy!
- It's a crazy world.
OK, how's this?
"Paul Stephens, a high-school
student from Ithaca, New York...
"unveiled
a homemade atomic bomb...
"at the 45th annual
science fair today...
"thereby becoming
the first private citizen...
"to join the nuclear club...
"an exclusive group
whose other members include...
"the United States,
the Soviet Union...
Great Britain, France,
and China. "
If I'm in the nuclear club,
do I get a jacket?
You get anything you want.
- Jenny.
- What?
I never thought
I'd say this to anybody, but...
I got to go get the atomic bomb
out of the car.
Oh, yeah?
- Hi, Dr. Mathewson.
- Is this him?
Paul, what the hell
do you think you're doing?
Well, I thought we might start
with some kissing...
and then move
into the fancy stuff.
Cute, real cute.
Normal background radiation.
I don't think it's here.
- Wow. What is that?
- Neutron detector.
- Really? Who makes those?
- Don't try my patience, boy.
Come on, Paul.
Get that stuff
near the typewriter.
What's that over there?
Excuse me,
this is a private room.
Who are you?
My name is Jennifer Anderman.
My father's a lawyer.
Good.
You're gonna need him.
You know you can't come in here
without a warrant.
- It's unconstitutional.
- Yeah, what is this, Russia?
You have exactly 10 seconds to
come up with that damn thing.
I demand to make a phone call.
They can't do this, Paul.
It's illegal
search and seizure.
Would you please escort
this young lady outside?
Don't you touch me!
I want to know the charges!
- Yeah.
- The charges? OK.
How about theft
of government property...
transportation of stolen goods,
reckless endangerment...
violation of
the nuclear regulatory act...
and conspiracy
to commit espionage.
Is that good enough
for starters?
You're in a peck of trouble,
son.
You're not as smart
as you think.
Colonel, we're not going to
accomplish anything like this.
When I want your expert advice,
doctor, I'll ask for it.
- We demand to see a lawyer.
- When I say so.
Listen, I gave you an order.
This isn't a goddamn debate.
- Lf you would just...
- Get your hands off me!
I am making a phone call.
Don't you touch me!
Everybody, quiet!
Let's all just get
a little grip.
Now, we did kind of
burst in here.
Look, colonel,
what do you say...
me and Paul, we take a little
walk, just the two of us?
I'm sure we can
work this whole thing out.
What do you say, Paul?
Colonel?
You have five minutes.
Thanks.
- Kind of upset in there, huh?
- I don't know why.
It's just some lubricating oil
for the robot.
Oh, what did you want us to do?
Put up a neon sign saying
"secret weapons laboratory"?
I wish the world were a simpler
place, Paul, but it's not.
Well, don't worry about it.
They can't do anything to me.
- Why not?
- I'm underage.
Oh, that's really brilliant.
What do you think this is,
the school play?
They don't care
how old you are or how cute.
They're gorillas. They can
hurt you. Don't you get it?
You try to tough it out
with them...
they'll lock you in a room
somewhere...
and throw away the room.
It's really that important
to you, huh?
It's not just to me, Paul.
To everybody.
Now, what do you say?
That's better.
Where is it?
Oh, no, no. Not now.
What do you mean not now?
When?
- After the fair.
- Oh, come on, Paul.
But it's got to be judged.
I'm going to win first prize.
You're joking.
No. Did you see the junk
they got down there?
Paul, forget the science fair.
It's over.
No more science fair.
Look, this is top-secret stuff.
Nobody sees this, not ever.
You could start a war,
for Christ's sake.
Now stop screwing around
before it's too late.
Paul, for God's sake.
It was here, I swear!
Jenny must have taken it.
The girl hasn't been
out of our sight.
Then somebody must have
stolen it.
- Oh, Jesus.
- Come with us now, please.
- Now, just a minute.
- We'll take it from here.
Yeah, but
he's telling the truth!
Fine! Then he has nothing
to worry about.
It was in a box!
A toolbox!
My dad, he gave it to me
right before he left.
We really have to know
where it is, Paul.
I already told you,
I don't know.
Look, guys, I got to go...
Come on, guys. There's...
What is that?
Just to relax you,
to help you remember.
But I already told you,
I put it in the trunk. I swear.
But it wasn't in the trunk,
was it?
Just relax.
- You want the truth?
- That would be nice.
The truth is you guys
are a bunch of assholes...
and when I get out...
Very hostile, Paul.
Just hold him.
I can do it through the shirt.
Oh, what the hell?
Hey, you!
Is that thing
really a nuclear device?
- Uh-huh.
- Far out!
Ladies and gentlemen,
may I have your attention?
Your attention please,
ladies and gentlemen.
It gives me great pleasure
on behalf of the judges...
- Night vision. Army surplus.
- The lights are on.
You took it. How?
Simple. Hotel computer...
got your girlfriend's name...
Jenny Anderman...
accessed the department
of motor vehicles...
for the make and license
on the car.
- What's wrong?
- They gave him an injection.
Probably sodium amytal.
Do you have a bitter taste
in your mouth?
Just keep him moving.
He'll be OK.
- Have you got enough money?
- What for?
To get away. This place
is crawling with feds!
I have a credit card.
No, cash.
Come on. Money, money!
- You owe me eighty dollars.
- What's wrong?
You guys are beautiful guys,
you know?
- OK, OK. Send me a letter.
- Why are you doing this?
Because life, my dear, is
more than just freezing toads.
I got a taxi.
The coast is clear. Come on.
All right, folks.
Where to today?
- Ithaca.
- Funny kid.
- Ithaca?
- Shh. Plan.
Hey, mister, I bet you can't
guess what I got in this box.
- A human head?
- Wrong. An atomic bomb.
- Hey, you want to see?
- Not really.
Driver, if you only had $87,
and you had to get to Ithaca...
what would you do?
Come on.
Safe.
You sav-ed us.
Great.
Jenny. I love you, Jenny.
I want to be your wife.
Excuse me, can I help you?
Mrs. Elizabeth Stephens?
Lieutenant Colonel Conroy,
U.S. Army Delta Force.
These men are with the nuclear
emergency search team...
a duly authorized
government agency.
I'm empowered
to take over these premises...
as a temporary crisis center.
Nuclear emergency what?
What's happening?
It's Paul.
Something happened.
He's all right.
At least, I think he is.
"Paul Jacob Stephens,
born Ithaca, New York...
"February 14, 1970.
"Mother,
Elizabeth Adams Stephens...
"admitted maternity ward
given twenty-five milligrams
demerol. "
Good work.
That's gonna be real useful.
We have a recent photograph
of your family.
You and your husband
were separated...
six months ago, is that it?
Yes. Would you mind
not bending that picture?
Since then, has your son
had any nightmares...
anxiety,
or spells of depression?
You mean, is he normal?
Does he eat
an excessive amount of sweets?
What?
He got 7 new cavities during
this past school year...
and only one the prior year.
Hypoglycemic mood swings.
Attendant paranoia.
Does he feel
that people don't like him?
That he's special or different?
Is he unhappy with
the present political system?
Seven cavities? Are you sure?
Both state and federal
authorities...
are looking for him
and a female companion...
in connection with
what appears to be...
a nuclear burglary case.
Official sources say...
that what seemed to be
an innocent prank...
may turn out to compromise
the American defense posture...
with overtones of espionage
and international terrorism.
Barbara Collins
has more in New York.
Stephens?
A very disturbed person.
Definitely the criminal type.
- Paul.
- What?
- Let's just give it back.
- Not yet. Tomorrow.
- What are you going to do?
- Get you your article.
I don't know.
It's getting pretty weird.
Don't give up now.
Not when we got 'em.
- We've got them?
- Sure.
Come on.
If it was easy, it'd be easy.
What about nobody
doing anything? Remember?
What about the future?
What about all that?
If we get killed,
we won't have any future.
Of course we will.
You always have a future.
Apple?
Come on.
Let's get some sleep.
All I'm saying is, it would be
easier if you accepted...
that he wasn't
an innocent victim in all this.
Yes, I know. He's the criminal.
That makes it all so simple.
He did do some things
that are against the law.
Maybe there's a higher law.
- A what?
- A higher law.
What are you saying?
He did it for ethics?
For reasons of conscience?
Who do you think he is,
Galileo? He's a kid.
Kids don't have reasons.
They just do things.
What do you know
about children?
I used to be one.
- You don't know him.
- Oh, but I do.
He's got a gift, and he wants
to use it, that's all.
It's as natural as breathing.
Don't make him into
some kind of an activist.
What?
Who are these people?
They're in my house.
What gives them the right?
They know about everything.
They know about his teeth.
Look, it's almost 6:00 in
the morning. You're exhausted.
Why don't you do something,
for God's sake?
What do you suggest?
I don't know. Blow them up.
That's your field, isn't it?
Look,
he's a very resourceful kid.
He's gonna be OK.
I hope so, because if anything
happens to him... anything...
if one hair on his head
is harmed...
I promise you, I'm going
to find all of you people...
and I'm going to make your
lives absolutely miserable.
Who? Yes, I'll accept.
Hello, Paul?
Hi, mom. Don't get crazy.
Paul, what's going on? They're
saying all kinds of things.
Paul,
did you build an atomic bomb?
- Only a little one.
- Oh, my God!
Look, I'm OK.
I don't have much time.
I need to get a message
to John.
- I'm here, Paul.
- What?
It's me, Paul. It's John.
You're there in the house?
- They're all here, Paul.
- Who all?
Lots of government men.
The army. It's like an invasion.
- Jesus, are you OK?
- Yes.
Are you gonna give them
what they want?
Yes, but I want something
in return.
- What?
- A statement.
What kind of statement?
From you, signed by you,
about the lab...
what it is, where it is,
what happens inside, everything.
- What for?
- I just want it.
I can't do that. I've signed
a security clearance.
I'll go to jail.
You'll go to jail.
Look, that's the deal.
The gadget for the statement.
Now, come on.
I don't have much time.
OK. What do I do,
type something up?
- That'll do for starters.
- Starters?
Just meet me at the lab
in one hour. Main gate.
Why the lab?
Because that's what I want.
And make sure
that we can get inside.
I want photographs, too.
- Photographs? Come on, Paul.
- Yeah, lots of photographs.
And tell your pals
no funny stuff.
I'm very tense, and there's
no telling what I might do.
- Take it easy. You're fine.
- No, I'm a terrorist.
Haven't you been watching
television?
Paul,
what are you talking about?
Look, he trusts me.
Let me do it.
I'll get it back.
That's what we want, isn't it?
How do we know this thing
won't be armed?
- Armed?
- That's right.
He used the phrase,
"I'm a terrorist. "
Here.
"No, I'm a terrorist.
Haven't you been watching
television?"
You people really live
in your own world, don't you?
Well, we don't have the luxury
of living in yours.
Are you sure
you want to do this?
Look, it'll take me
about five minutes...
to make it to the main gate.
You know what to do?
Drive to the bait shop
and make the call.
- You got change?
- Yeah.
I'll do it. Don't worry.
- What else?
- Don't forget to focus.
Piece of cake.
This is unit one. The package
has arrived, and it's hot.
Is that it?
What is that, a cat box?
You got the statement?
Could you open it
and hand it to me, please?
What's D.O. E?
Department of Energy.
- They're the guys who...
- Yeah.
Let's go.
You don't want to really
go inside the building?
Paul, it's dangerous.
That's what makes it
so exciting.
Of course.
So, Paul,
why the big push for publicity?
Well, I was thinking,
this is such a neat place...
people ought to know about it.
No, really.
They got lots of cool
equipment, robots, plutonium.
Why keep it a secret?
They should have tours,
like Disneyland.
Paul, you may be having
some fun right now, but...
I'm not having any fun.
I'm scared out of my mind,
but I don't have any choice.
Of course you do.
Just give me the box.
- Oh, yeah, great.
- Why not?
Are you kidding? Do you think
they're gonna let me go home...
knowing what I know
about this place?
Jesus, you're more naive
than I thought.
So what do you think
they're gonna do?
I think they're gonna try
and kill me.
Oh. Why?
That's what I would do
if I was them.
- That's purely hypothetical.
- No, it's perfectly logical.
I'm the leak, so plug the leak.
What are you gonna do?
Don't worry.
I'm working on it.
Max. Thank God.
Jenny? Jesus, what's going on?
You guys have been on the news.
Someone said there was
a helicopter at Paul's house.
Listen, Max, you got to do
two things for us, OK?
It's a matter
of life and death.
- Yeah, sure. Whose?
- Everybody's.
First, call my parents...
and then call two people.
I don't care who.
And have them call two people.
And call the newspaper
and the TV station.
- Are you listening?
- Yeah! Go ahead.
OK, there's a place called
Medatomics Company on Route 81.
This is position two.
They're coming through,
approaching the detector.
OK, position two, we copy.
He's got it, all right.
There's the core,
explosive package...
electronics, tamper, batteries.
- Nice design, actually.
- Is it armed?
- Nope.
- You certain?
Mm-hmm.
It's all in sections.
We know it's not armed, Paul...
so I want you to just
put it down and walk away.
- Walk away?
- That's right.
I'm gonna count to three.
- Hey, let me talk to him.
- Doctor, stay out of this.
Let me talk to Conroy
on that thing.
- One, two...
- This wasn't part of the deal.
- Don't hit the box.
- Jesus.
- He's got plutonium in that!
- Oh, shit!
Keep your hands on the wall,
doctor.
Breath funny, and I'll blow
your fucking brains out, OK?
- Jesus.
- What?
Now he's really
putting it together.
Get me a status report.
Two, three, and four,
what have you got?
There's no way I can get him...
without hitting
that green stuff...
or going through the plexi.
- Me, neither.
- Same here.
Oh, boy.
OK, here's the deal.
We have an irrational child
down there with an armed device.
He seems to trust you,
so you get down there.
- And do what?
- Disarm him.
- Get him to take it apart.
- And if he won't?
Then just separate him from it,
and we'll do the rest.
- What? I can't do that.
- And why not?
Because I'm not a...
What? Killer? Is that the word
you're groping for, doctor?
And just what the bloody hell
do you think...
you've been working on
all these years?
What do you think
all this is for?
Your own personal amusement?
To stimulate you
intellectually?
You are what you are, doctor...
a son of a bitch
like the rest of us.
Now for God's sake,
take some responsibility...
and do what has to be done.
Hello again.
Mind if I sit down?
Two minutes. That's cutting it
kind of close, isn't it?
And what is that?
A car key?
And the reflector?
Salad bowls.
Why not?
What did you use
for the firing circuits?
Photo strobes.
Well, that's...
that's very pretty.
Thanks.
Now what do you say
we take it all apart...
before everybody goes crazy?
No, I'm sorry.
I can't do that right now.
This isn't accomplishing
anything.
- Sure, it is.
- What?
- Deterrence.
- Deterrence?
Yeah, you know.
Like when each side thinks...
that the other guy
is going to blow everybody up.
It's called
mutually assured destruction.
Yeah, I know what it's called.
- Well, it's working, isn't it?
- How do you mean?
I'm still alive, aren't I?
Don't talk like that.
The thing is,
I've been thinking about it...
and I'm not sure
that I'm crazy enough...
to actually turn the key.
That is the problem
with deterrence, isn't it?
So, I guess... I blew it.
What do you mean?
I'm not getting out of here.
Let me see this thing.
Paul, give it to me.
Come on.
Give it to me.
Hold it, gentlemen.
Fellow sons of bitches.
We're all what we are, right?
So here's my responsible act.
I'm taking him out of here.
And since you all like
scenarios so much...
I've got one for you.
It's called
a little game of chance.
I'll bet you
that I can turn this key...
and blow us all to hell...
even after you shoot me.
And you're gonna have
to shoot me, OK?
Everybody's problems
all solved...
in one millionth of a second.
Now...
who wants to play?
Red team, I do not want them
off the premises...
with that gadget,
do you copy?
Please, not in the building.
One stray bullet, and we've
got a containment breach...
All right!
All right, listen.
Yeah, copy, command.
No problem.
Give me a clear shot
behind the ear...
and I'll turn him off
like a switch.
Well, at least now
I can publish.
What do you mean?
I mean I think I just blew
my security clearance.
- I'm sorry.
- It's no problem.
Time for a change
of vocations, anyway.
There must be a place
in the private sector...
for an unemployed
nuclear weapons designer...
don't you think?
What? What?
You turned it?
No, no, it happened by itself,
spontaneously.
Jesus.
Damn thing's counting down.
It's gonna blow.
Probably neutron flux.
Radiation from the core...
can screw up this kind of
solid-state timing circuit.
I never heard of that.
Yeah, well, live and learn.
Gentlemen...
we got a little...
wrinkle here.
Listen carefully...
and do exactly as I say.
Come on, Terry, move it!
- Move it!
- Go!
Go for it!
Well, at least we have
I don't think so.
Time-based circuits tend
to deteriorate exponentially...
faster and faster.
You see?
Jesus. Why'd we
bring it back here, then?
Why not?
Where do you want to take it?
How about Truman Quarry?
- What?
- Sure.
It's a couple of square miles,
at least.
No one around. It's perfect.
"A couple of square miles. "
Paul, if this thing goes...
you're gonna get
a really good view...
of a fifty to seventy kiloton
explosion.
What?
You don't know
what you took, Paul.
This is special stuff.
It's very nasty.
It's so hot we don't even know
how to test it.
It's a miracle
you didn't kill yourself...
just carrying it home.
So, uh...
if I unscrew this,
I can get the core out, right?
OK, you got a screwdriver?
No, no, a bigger one.
What?
It's jammed.
Let me try.
It's funny,
the same thing happened...
at the trinity test
forty years ago.
Oh, really?
The core got stuck
halfway in...
while they were trying
to insert it.
I wouldn't bump it around
like that if I were you.
It might decide to fire
just for spite.
So what do we do?
- We could drill it.
- No, no.
We might get a static charge.
- Disconnect the batteries.
- What if we get sparks?
Cut the main lead.
Yeah.
Yeah, that's worth a try.
I'll need to remove
the middle plate.
Well, do it, do it.
Anybody have
a phillips-head screwdriver?
How much time do we have?
I don't know.
It's in exponential decay.
Can't you just answer
the goddamned question?
I never was any good at math.
All right...
as Y approaches infinity,
T=1+1/N to the...
to the Nth.
Right.
You're a bright kid.
You ought to do something
with it.
I make it just about...
three minutes to zero.
Oh, boy.
Excuse me, sir.
What about evacuation?
- Evacuation of who?
- The people.
Oh, you mean New York,
Pennsylvania...
Vermont, Canada? Those people?
- OK. I'm at the main connector.
- OK. Go ahead.
- Wire clippers.
- Yeah. Right here.
- What the hell's that?
- Firing circuit.
I programmed the photo strobes
to charge automatically...
ninety seconds from detonation.
The timer
must be all messed up.
Maybe I should have made it
ten seconds.
Anyhow, look,
it doesn't matter.
All I have to do
is cut the power.
It's this wire right over here.
All right, here I go.
Ready? One, two...
No, no, no! Don't cut it!
Don't do anything!
Don't do anything?
What are you, nuts?
Regular photographic strobe
units? That's what you used?
- Exactly.
- All right, here's the problem.
Once those things
are charged...
even if you turn them off
they can discharge...
while you're unplugging it.
This thing could detonate...
just from our trying
to disconnect it.
- Just wait.
- I'll wait. It won't wait.
OK, either that thing
is gonna work, or it's not.
If it's not gonna work...
we can all just stand here
until it reaches zero...
at which point
nothing will happen.
However,
I think it's gonna work...
which means
we have to disarm it.
- How?
- Cut the leads...
between the photo strobes
and the high explosives.
- How many leads are there?
- Six, along this strip here.
All right,
six leads, six wires.
Now the trick is...
we have to cut them
at exactly the same time.
- And I mean exactly.
- Or what?
- Oh, shit. Really?
- Come on. Let's just do it.
Colonel, you'll count for us.
Give him the cutters.
You're number one,
two, three, four, five...
You, over here.
This one's yours.
Right there.
Sorry about before, kid. Just
doing the job. Nothing personal.
Three hundred.
- OK, everybody ready?
- Wait. I don't have a cutter.
Get us another cutter.
Over there.
Come on, come on, come on.
I don't believe this. Are you
telling me I'm going to die...
'cause some asshole
didn't bring a pair of pliers?
- I got it. I got it.
- Is that going to work?
- I hope so.
- Two ten.
OK, I'm going to count backward
from five.
- Everybody ready?
- Wait, wait.
- Do we cut on one or on zero?
- One eighty.
On zero, like this...
three, two...
This is just a rehearsal.
Nobody do anything.
Three, two, one, cut.
Everybody understand?
- One ten.
- OK.
Anybody want to make a bet?
No? OK. Here we go.
For real this time.
Five, four, three, two, one.
That was interesting.
What do you think you're doing?
Letting a little fresh air in.
Get away from that door!
Give it up, colonel.
We blew it.
What are you going to do?
Make us all disappear?
Me... and him?
And all of them?
Too many secrets.
Dr. Mathewson, remember Jenny?
Good to see you.
- Paul.
- Mom.
It's OK.
I did something.
What happened?
Everything.
Tell you about it later.
Let's get out of here.