Atomica (2017) Movie Script
[male narrator] Auxilisun meets
the high demands of your busy day
with affordable, renewable energy.
But it wasn't always the power choice
for 99% of the world's
governing economic bodies.
Auxilisun was born
from innovation required
after the three-plant meltdown turned
the world away from nuclear energy.
Oil barons and green extremists
drove energy costs higher and higher,
resulting in the energy crisis of 2018.
The world descended into chaos
until Auxilisun introduced
the tri-fission engine.
An Auxilisun containment facility
was constructed over
the three-plant disaster site,
so the tri-fission engine could
clean up the dangerous radiation.
Progress was slow.
But independent scientific studies prove
that Auxilisun's miraculous
tri-fission engine not only worked,
but it also created new energy from
the radiation it was cleaning,
and thus began
the energy revolution of 2025.
No more dirty biofuels,
inconsistent wind or expensive solar.
Tri-fission engines clean up old waste
while Auxilisun continues to build its
next-generation plants across the world.
Today nuclear energy,
powers everything you do,
and Auxilisun is there to make sure
it stays safe, sustainable,
and, most importantly, affordable.
Auxilisun... Creating a new future
by cleaning up the past.
[clunking]
[whirring]
- [beeping]
- [gasps]
[beeping continues]
Lights on.
[beeping continues]
[sighs]
Alarm off.
[Beeping stops]
[line ringing]
CSE Dixon, it's the middle of the night.
David, communications are down
with both of the field techs...
It's Christmas Day.
Is this something that
can wait until tomorrow?
Gibson Desert North is
the largest nuclear waste repository
in the southern hemisphere.
It doesn't take the day off.
Something's wrong.
We don't have anyone available.
- I'll go.
- What?
You don't have anyone available.
I'm going out there myself.
Call the transpo.
I'll be ready in ten.
Coming in on the red zone now.
Completely uninhabitable. You do
not wanna lose your fuel out here.
So Auxilisun's sending a tech
assistant to a facility this remote.
No chief engineers available?
I am a chief tech engineer.
[chuckles]
- How many facilities you engineered?
- None.
I was recently promoted.
My work's been lab-based.
Live view up.
Now, that's what a real-life Auxilisun
containment facility looks like.
You don't see that in a lab.
This your first flight schedule too?
There's nothing in here about a pickup.
We've lost communication
to Gibson Desert North.
Once I get them back up, I'll
contact Auxilisun HQ for a pickup
and request that they don't send you.
[beeping] [female electronic voice]
System activated.
[rapid clicking]
[clicking]
[clicking]
Decontaminate.
Begin decontamination.
[Klaxon blaring]
[clicking]
Abby Dixon reporting.
I.D. HEB0511.
Entry 001.
Upon my entry into the facility,
no employee response.
The facility itself
is in a state of disrepair,
possibly deserted.
I will log my entries and upload them
as soon as I get the comms back online.
[clinking]
Hello!
- [Abby gasps]
- Who are you?
I'm a technical facility engineer
from Auxilisun.
Mm-hmm.
What are you doing here?
Your communications are down.
I'm here to get you back online.
Some ID?
Can I see some ID?
I can't connect to openwork.
Openwork's not worth shit down here.
- Do you have a scanner?
- There's a scanner.
There. On the table.
Yeah.
[sighs]
[scanner beeps]
Mm-hmm.
- Happy?
- Mm-hmm.
My name's Dixon.
Abby Dixon.
How'd you get here?
I was just dropped off
by a company tri-copter.
Just you?
Yeah.
- Just you.
- Just me.
Mm-hmm.
I'll be here long enough
to get you back online.
Which one are you?
Zek or Robinson.
Robinson. I'm Robinson.
Yeah.
You almost gave me a heart attack.
Making noises in the corridor.
They don't teach you how
to knock at Auxilisun HQ?
Where's Dr. Zek?
He's out.
What do you mean "out"?
Where?
Does surveys.
In the desert.
I don't know.
It's not my job.
Well, when will he be back?
He didn't say.
Took the buggy.
[sighs]
- [Klaxon blaring]
- What is that?
It's nothing.
I got it under control.
What do you mean it's nothing?
It's... It's obviously something.
It's not.
[blaring continues]
What are you talking about?
Right here it says, "Error code 8627B."
What does that mean?
What's the procedure? Mm-hmm.
[blaring continues]
The procedure is you need to chill out.
Okay, this is not a joke.
This is a sophisticated facility,
and I'm here to assess
the communication breakdown,
and this could potentially
be a communication...
[blaring stops]
I pulled that lever.
Did you see me pull that lever?
It resets the system.
Yeah.
It makes all these red lights go green.
I told you I had it under control.
Hmm?
[Chuckles]
Will you at least show me to my room?
Mm.
I wasn't...
Expecting guests.
I'm sure you'll love
your accommodations.
[Robinson grunting]
All right.
General...
Common area.
Um, kitchen, obviously.
And up those stairs is the sunroom.
Doesn't look like it gets much use.
No. Um,
not really the tanning type.
Right. But that's not the point.
- The sunrooms were designed...
- To provide a certain amount of UV,
to keep your mind in the right...
My mental health is fine, thank you.
- Is this sick bay?
- Yeah. Your own doctor as well.
It's kind of fun.
So... this...
Yeah, that's you.
Guest quarters.
It's not much, but you know...
Maid comes at 10:00 a.m.
for a fluff and fold.
Merry Christmas.
[sighs]
[whirring, clanging]
Robinson?
[bat squeaking, wings flapping]
Robinson?
[guitar strumming]
Robinson.
[strumming]
Oh.
Hello.
Wow.
I didn't realize this was
gonna be a formal occasion.
I would've shaved my face.
What's that?
In case I need to reach you
in the facility.
Aw, you don't need that.
You're never too far away.
So this is what you
came here to see, huh?
[beeping, whirring]
[beeping]
[beeping, whirring]
[beeping]
[beeping, whirring]
- What's wrong with it?
- [beeping]
Ah, I very much enjoyed
our conversation.
I was feeling a little lonely
before you turned up.
You are just a breath of fresh air.
I'm not here to talk.
I'm here to fix your facility.
Yes.
What's that?
Universal comm unit.
The nerve center for our
whole communication array.
How do you not know this?
The thing's a dinosaur.
Like everything else around here.
Gibson Desert North is not a dinosaur.
It's the prototype that our
entire company is hinged on.
And our proudest achievement.
Oh. Well, then that's
just a little bit sad.
[whirring]
[strumming continues]
So?
[low humming]
Sorry.
Can you fix it?
There's no power.
I have batteries.
I'm gonna have to run a
diagnostics scan on the entire facility
to see where the breakdown
in the system is.
Diagnostics scan, huh?
Yeah.
Yeesh.
Would you mind showing me
to the machine room?
Sure.
[strumming stops]
Now.
Don't touch the guitar, please.
[sighs]
What facility do you work at?
I don't work at any one
particular facility.
I'm based at HQ.
Oh. So you don't know
anything about SDP then.
Sensory deprivation psychosis.
I came up with that.
What is it?
Well, you know, you spend
too much on your own
in a place like this.
No windows...
You go a little...
You go a little psycho, you know.
I mean...
That's why we give psychological
profiles to all of our employees
- before they get the job.
- Yeah.
Well, it's not that simple.
When did you say Dr.
Zek is gonna be back?
I didn't.
Well, you have to know
something about his schedule.
No. I mean, you know, he works in a
completely different
part of the compound,
behind a locked door.
He's the one with the Ph.D., remember.
I stay out of his way,
take out the trash.
And he just goes out
every now and again?
Look, I'm not the boss.
He is. I'm not his mum.
That's not what I'm suggesting.
I'm just...
We're almost here.
It's through here to his lab?
Yeah, yeah. It's down
the end of this corridor.
Get a chance to, uh,
see Dr. Zek's crazy
scientific experiments up close.
I've read his reports.
There's nothing in Dr. Zek's work
that is outside of company parameters.
Oh, yeah?
Why does he do it all
behind a locked door?
Never lets me in.
You're obviously creating
some kind of fantasy.
Is this the isolation psychosis
you're talking about?
No.
Well, maybe.
Take a look at his lab.
It'll bore you to death.
[lock opens]
Just don't touch anything.
Oh.
Wow!
That... is something.
[whirring]
Is this where they keep all the shit?
The shit?
Nuclear shit.
No. The waste is kept in Deep Burial,
behind those doors.
You think this place is impressive?
Deep Burial is ten times the size.
What's this then?
The cooling system.
Maglev fan built to last 200,000 years.
But that's nothing compared to this.
This is the real secret
to Auxilisun's success.
The tri-fission engine.
It takes the energy from the
radioactive decay in Deep Burial
and powers the fans.
I should have access.
This fan breaks down,
guess who has to fix it.
That's impossible.
If both fans stopped,
then this place would
fill up with gas so fast,
it would be like
a stick of nuclear dynamite.
And never in the history of Auxilisun
has even one fan broken down.
It's a brilliant design.
How come the only access through
it is through this doggy door?
Robotics are the only thing that
can fix a tri-fission engine.
Even in a hazmat suit, there's so much
radiation, you'd be dead in 48 hours.
You should know that.
Where's the other fan?
Down in Deep Burial.
We're in the part of the facility
that needs "golden ticket"
access to enter.
- Just looking.
- Okay.
You need level-14 access to
get down into Deep Burial sites.
Oh.
What are you, level 18 or something?
When they zap us with the scanners,
we just get the basic package.
You know.
Office, bedroom.
- Shitters.
- Did you fix the comms?
No.
All the fuses and
the cabling are all intact,
so the problem must be somewhere
between here and there.
Hmm.
You're gonna show me Deep Burial?
No.
No one goes down into Deep Burial.
Dr. Zek.
He goes into Deep Burial.
You're mistaken.
I hear him down there all the time.
Every time he opens that door,
it rumbles the whole facility.
You're wrong.
[chuckles] You think
I'm making this up?
No. I think you're confused.
Dr. Zek doesn't even have
fingertip access to Deep Burial.
You sure about that?
[coughing]
[coughing continues]
[body thuds]
Robinson?
[clanging]
Jesus! Robinson!
Robinson!
What? Wha...
- What?
- Are you okay?
- You're hitting me.
- I'm sorry.
- I just fell.
- What happened?
[groans]
Just a long day, you know?
I need some sleep maybe.
Do you generally pass out
when you're tired?
Well, I didn't really pass out.
I just had a moment of...
What are you doing? I'm fine.
When was the last time
you requested a medical exam?
I don't need a medical exam.
[footsteps departing]
Abby Dixon.
Entry 002.
I arrived this morning
to find Dr. Darius Zek,
the chief scientific executive, absent,
surveying the surrounding area.
But that is unconfirmed.
The facility's caretaker,
Robinson Scott, was uncooperative.
The comms are still down,
but my preliminary
tests as to why were inconclusive.
I've never seen
an Auxilisun facility like this.
It's... neglected.
And Robinson Scott...
I don't know who hired him, but...
[sighs]
[gasps]
[breathes heavily]
[screams]
Sor...
Sorry.
[singing]
- Oi.
- Hmm.
Dodgy lock in there.
Sorry about that.
Can you fix it?
Well, there's no point,
is there, really.
Not gonna make the same mistake twice.
I'm just not used to having guests.
You carry that thing everywhere, huh?
I heard you talking on it last night.
The walls are quite thin.
Well, I gather information,
report back to Auxilisun.
It's my job. It's protocol.
Is Dr. Zek back?
No.
Is it normal for him to be
gone overnight like that?
Sure.
Macchiato.
Oh. No, not for me.
That is the world's greatest macchiato.
You got to try it.
It's hot.
- Sugar?
- Uh, no.
I'm okay.
Leave her there.
Make me one.
I wanna do a medical
diagnostic test on you.
Medical...
Last night...
- No, that thing last night was fine.
- Uh, no.
You can have serious
health problems. Here.
That's very sweet, but I am fine.
Now I'm fine. When I was younger,
I had a thing.
My kidneys.
Gone now. I'm fine.
Was it from drinking?
It was cassies mainly.
Some drinking.
I have a sister, Margot.
She was... She's... your age.
She sobered me up.
Took care of me.
Got me better. Got me off it.
Everyone else left me behind.
She saw me right. I'm fine.
I'm fine.
It's gone.
Don't drink the water.
It's not good.
It's excellent. You're crazy.
Do you not want yours?
It's all yours.
Two cups of coffee for me.
Watch out.
Cheers.
I was cleaning out
this old guy's place, right?
This was something that we used to do
when they got kicked
out of their places.
And it was something
that I could kind of do,
when I was a little high
and stuff, you know.
Easy kind of job to do.
So cleaning out this guy's place,
throwing away his clothes and furniture
and things he's not gonna need.
And then I see at one point
he's got a bunch of CD's.
- So I'm thinking, "Oh, that's cool."
- Bunch of what?
He has a bunch of CD's.
Um, compound discs.
Uh, compact discs.
You know, the little music.
- Little silver disc things.
- Oh.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Like old turn-of-the-century music.
And he's got some stuff
that I kind of recognize.
Like Oasis. Remember?
Shed Seven. Um...
[clears throat]
East 17.
So I'm thinking while I'm cleaning this
house out, I'm gonna play some music.
I'm looking through his music.
"I'm gonna pick that. I'm gonna
pick that." And this bag falls out.
So I'm thinking, "Oh, well, you know,
he's kind of hiding that bag."
In this little zip bag.
So what's inside here?
I don't really know that much
about turn-of-the-century music.
Do know a little bit about
retro kind of drugs and stuff.
So I look inside and
there's this... this crystal,
this rock, you know.
Like, "Hello! Yes. Know
what that is. Crack cocaine."
So run around the house.
Run around the house.
Like, make sure
I'm kind of safe doing it.
Like, I need, like, a lighter and
a little bit of aluminum foil
and a little glass pipe type thing.
Get that all going.
You know, I'll do it.
Put it all in and break off
a little bit of crack.
Put it in the pipe thing and then...
[imitating flame]
Kind of fire it up.
Wait.
Nothing. Now, you're talking about
maybe, like, two, three minutes or so.
You should be off. You should be,
like, away, doing it.
Nothing. So I think, "Well, maybe
it's like weak crack or something."
So break off a little more,
put it in the thing.
Get the lighter... [imitating flame]
Kind of fire it up.
Nothing. I end up smoking
the whole piece of crack.
That's a lot of crack.
That is a lot of crack. Nothing.
Like, 20, 25 minutes in, man,
I get pounded by this, like, headache.
Just like my head gets filled with
cement or something like that.
Kind of feel a little sick.
The next thing I know, I pass out
on someone else's, like, floor.
It's not even my house.
I'm out, like this.
And the next thing I know,
the owner of the house, this old geezer,
the guy whose house we're clearing out,
like, wakes me up.
So I get roused and,
you know, I look around.
I'm trying to save face a little bit,
but he sees...
He totally sees what I'm doing.
He can see all the stuff.
You know what he says?
"My grandma brought that back in 1991,
you just smoked a piece of
the Berlin Wall."
[laughing]
[babbling]
Oh, man. Is that...
Like smoking history or something.
Went to hospital... I was in hospital
for two days, on my own.
And then, you know,
ended up my sister came.
Kind of gave me
a little bit of a talking to.
"Clean up your life. You need to make
some changes" kind of thing.
It's actually what brought me here.
She kind of... She and I
agreed to come out here, you know.
[beeping]
What about you?
Me?
Yeah, you know, family.
People you talk to, friends.
No. No. No family.
No family?
You an orphan, raised by Auxilisun?
No. I mean, uh, I have a dad.
But... technically,
I don't talk to him.
What is this?
I was just trying to make a friend.
Okay, so... holidays roll around,
you know, your birthday.
What do you...
Do you go for lunch on your own?
Play solitaire?
Just nap all day?
I have friends.
- You do?
- Yeah.
I'm skeptical.
- Name them. Name your friends.
- Tesla and Jobs.
- What type of names are those?
- That's... Come on.
- They're my dogs. They...
- They're your dogs' names?
[laughs] Come on.
What do you have?
Like little "wee wee wee wee"...
little yappy tiny little things
that fits in a little...
like a little bag of sugar?
This is not adding up.
The becquerel levels
are higher than they should be.
I think your calibrations are off.
Hmm. Well, maybe someone's
been in Deep Burial. Hmm.
- What?
- No single person, no one,
not even someone like Dr. Zek,
could create a spike like this.
I mean, it's got to be your gear.
It's not calibrated.
I'll leave you to it.
You'll work it out.
Dr. Zek is still missing.
I'm worried about his safety.
And there's... a problem.
According to this data,
the red zone is expanding,
which I know is not possible.
It must be just
a misreading with the gear.
Robinson is not as skilled
as I would expect.
[sighs]
I will recalibrate the meters myself.
[torch hissing]
[whirring]
[Abby gasps]
- [Robinson] What are you looking at?
- [gasps] Jesus!
Oh. Sorry.
I was gonna go on the roof,
hit some balls.
I thought I saw a man in the desert.
Okay.
May I?
Sure.
Hmm. I don't see anything.
What if it's Zek?
What if... What if he's out there
and he's hurt
and he needs our help?
I don't think Zek's coming back.
He's been gone four days.
No.
You said he left yesterday.
I didn't say that.
What are you not telling me?
He kind of lost it.
Sensory deprivation psychosis.
Big time.
I don't know if it was the isolation
or the tests he was running.
Maybe he was exposed
to radiation in Deep Burial.
But, you know, he's went a little...
And then the last night before...
You know, I'm gonna go hit
some balls on the roof.
No. No, listen.
The power lines were
intentionally severed.
He cut them?
Tell me what happened.
You know, most of the time,
just ignore him.
I stay in the control room.
He does what he wants. Fine.
And then before he left,
he just... Screaming.
Just screaming down that corridor.
It was getting louder and louder, at me.
"You did it. You did it.
You broke... You damaged it.
You broke the fan.
You broke the fan."
He's pointing at me and
accusing me and shouting.
He's a scary guy.
And I ran.
I ran and I hid.
And I heard the doors go, up top.
He took the buggy.
I don't... I mean...
I don't know how he'd survive out there.
I mean, I'm telling you,
I saw something.
Yeah, well, you know,
that... that could be...
this place.
It's the walls.
Ground.
The air...
Gets in you.
Hmm.
How have you been sleeping?
You've been dreaming?
Have you been dreaming?
Hmm.
Hmm.
You can spend as much time as you want
in that sunroom.
But it gets inside your mind.
I'm gonna go play golf.
[sighs]
[clunking]
[beeping]
[pinging]
[gasps]
Robinson?
[door opening]
[Klaxon blaring]
[breathing heavily]
[gasping]
[breathes heavily]
[grunts]
- [beeping]
- Robinson.
Robinson, it... it's Zek.
Can you hear... Can you hear me?
Open the door!
[Robinson on comm] I'm not sure
I should override the system.
We're both gonna die if you
don't open this door right now!
[breathing heavily]
[banging]
[door opening]
[Robinson] We don't know his
state of radiation exposure.
We don't have time to discuss this.
Help me move him.
[golf club clattering]
Go inside. I got him.
I think this is a mistake, Abby.
Go inside. Go! Go!
[grunting]
What the hell was that?
I'm just following contamination policy.
It's Dr. Zek.
You don't know it's Dr. Zek.
You don't.
Who else could it be?
We're in the red zone, 300 kilometers
from the nearest town.
Well?
Yeah, it's Dr. Zek.
- How is he?
- His pulse is even.
Is it?
He was pretty exposed out there.
What's that?
Hexomorphone.
[Air cartridge hisses]
[gasps]
It should help combat
the symptoms of radiation poisoning.
Hmm.
Didn't get very far, did he?
I don't know.
Maybe he came back.
[sighs] What happened to you?
[door opens, closes]
What is that?
- Precaution.
- He's dangerous, isn't he?
He's in a coma.
Well, you wake up from a coma.
- Okay.
- You need some help?
Why don't you just go back
to the control room.
It's good, you know.
He's back.
That's the important thing.
[door opens, closes]
[sighs]
[birds tweeting]
[clicking, hissing]
[clicking, hissing continue]
[cries out, gasps]
[sighs]
[gasps] Wha...
You were screaming.
I was concerned.
It was just a nightmare.
About your dad?
You said his name.
It's this place.
I'm fine.
Could've fooled me.
My dad euthanized my grandmother
when I was seven.
[Klaxon blaring]
[blaring continues]
[Robinson coughs]
Fan's not working.
Look, look!
N-No, that's impossible.
Just reset the console.
All of your readings have been off.
[Abby] I'm sure that's it.
[blaring stops]
[machinery whirring]
Whew. Okay.
That helped, but look.
It's still...
It's not movin'.
Okay.
[Beeping]
I'm gonna check it out.
You just... stay here.
Okay.
[door opens]
[machinery rumbling]
[Robinson] What happened?
Did you go back in there?
Huh? What?
[Abby] The fan.
I can't.
I don't have access.
Remember?
What are you accusing me of?
I'm sorry.
It... It's not possible,
unless somebody
sabotaged the engine room.
It just... it can't... it can't happen.
[sighs]
I need to get the comms back up.
Get back in touch with HQ.
This is beyond me now.
Okay, how serious is it?
Do we need to evacuate?
No. As long as the other fan is up,
it'll take days before the gases
build up to a dangerous level.
Zek.
We are experiencing unprecedented
shutdown of the machine and fan.
Requesting immediate
emergency facility repair team.
Reason for the shutdown is unknown.
A fan is down.
How does that make sense?
With Auxilisun systems,
a fan cannot go down unless...
Someone sabotaged it.
Signing off.
[strumming]
I don't like him being here.
He's handcuffed.
You don't know him like I do.
[plucking guitar string]
Look, why don't you let me
watch him for a while.
No, I got it.
You've got a job to do.
It's under control.
You can't just stand here
all night watching him.
I got this.
He wakes up...
he moves...
call me.
[plays guitar]
[sighing]
[heart monitor beeping]
[clicking, hissing]
- Wha...
- It's... It's okay.
- What?
- It's okay.
What is this... What is this place?
Where am I?
You're at Auxilisun Gibson Desert North.
- Gibson Desert North?
- Robinson. He's awake.
Robinson. Robinson?
Oh.
[chuckles] Okay.
- Okay?
- Thank God.
Wha... What?
Why am I...
I'm Abby Dixon. I'm the facilities
engineer from Auxilisun.
I was flown in.
What happened to me?
Just relax, and, uh,
we'll get you up to speed.
- [Zek] Uh...
- Dr. Sale told me to say hello.
Dr. Jeffrey Sale?
Three years in his class,
and then I was his intern.
He got me my first job
interview at Auxilisun.
[chuckles] He told me to tell you hi.
Oh. We haven't talked since I came here.
Jeffrey and I got our master's together.
I was in his wedding party.
Yeah.
He's got some very nice things
to say about you.
He made 'em up then.
[laughs]
Well, he says that
you are the most brilliant
nuclear containment scientist
that he's ever had the pleasure to meet.
[Abby] Here.
[Panting]
Hello.
Thank you, Robinson.
You're welcome.
How do you feel?
[handcuffs rattle] What's this for?
Do you not remember what happened
with the night that you left?
I can't recall.
- You went a little crazy.
- You had a nervous breakdown.
[Robinson] So that is, unfortunately,
the reason why you're in handcuffs.
For our safety,
but primarily for your safety.
- Thank you.
- You're welcome.
I'm not feeling well.
I'm gonna lie down.
[Robinson] Yeah, right. Relax.
Do you have a, um,
personal hygiene kit?
I just think... it'd make
Dr. Zek feel a lot better
to not have a week's worth
of desert filth all over him.
- You want me to go get it?
- I'll be fine.
Two minutes.
[door opens, closes]
Dr. Zek?
Is there something
you're not telling me?
Come here.
I have to know that I can trust you.
Well, of course you can trust me.
Dr. Jeffrey Sale's son,
tell me about him.
He's in his... 20s.
He just got married. I haven't
actually met him in person, but...
Tell me the truth about
Jeffrey Sale's son, now.
He's not Dr. Sale's real son.
[sighs] His wife was pregnant
when he met her, but I'm not
supposed to tell anyone that.
- Nobody knows that.
- I know. I know.
Except people worth trusting.
[sighing] Okay.
That man...
...isn't Robinson Scott.
What?
Dr. Zek,
you acted like you knew him.
Well, I had to. I'm handcuffed here.
The only reason he's not killing me is
because you think that
he's Robinson Scott.
Okay, look. The other night,
I was in my lab, alone.
I was working. And then suddenly,
there was a breach.
And Robinson...
the real Robinson Scott,
he went out to check it out, and he was
obviously overpowered by this guy.
And then this man, he found me.
I left Robinson.
So if this isn't... Robinson Scott,
then how did this person get here?
We're in the middle of the red zone.
I have no idea. He must have been
dropped in. I'm not sure. I don't know.
Do you know anything
about what he wants?
We need to get out of here.
We don't have much time.
So when's your next scheduled pickup?
I told them that I'd contact them.
Shit. Are the comms still down?
Yes, but the antenna on your buggy.
I can hot-wire it, use the universal
comm hub to get a signal.
Good. Then you send out
a Code 7 distress call,
but you can't let him know
that you sent it.
As long as he believes that you
don't know the truth, we'll be okay.
We will.
And why wouldn't he just kill us?
And he hasn't tried to kill you yet?
He needs you for something.
I'm setting up my two-way
tuned into my frequency.
So while I'm gone, if he comes back,
I'll hear everything that happens.
Good. Thanks. Abby.
Yeah.
We can do this.
[child giggling]
[beep] [Zek on comm]
Abby, he's here.
He's coming.
Okay. Here we go.
Where?
[chuckles] Where?
[beeping]
We have a problem.
Robinson is not Robinson.
Somebody broke into the facility.
That's why Dr. Zek attempted to escape.
We need help immediately.
So lie back.
Just lay your head back.
There.
Must feel nice.
Get that desert grime off you.
If you just put your hand down.
Gotta keep you handcuffed
for your own safety, Dr. Zek.
I know.
These razors are incredibly sharp.
Try and think
that you're in one of those old
movies... in a barbershop.
Where's Abby?
She went to my office,
to my lab, to get my tablet.
Just gonna... Yeah, that looks like
it's gonna work just fine.
Ah, yeah.
Okay. I'm actually gonna have to
just lean you back a little further.
Just can't quite reach those...
- Oh, no.
- Difficult areas.
You-You don't have to do my neck.
[Robinson over comm] Relax.
[Robinson] Just relax.
- Robinson?
- Just finishing up here.
[Robinson] Much better. Done.
You do look much better.
Here.
You forgot my tablet.
Your lab was such a mess,
I couldn't find it.
You'll have to give
me better directions.
Oh.
Yeah, of course.
[Abby] Dr. Zek,
you've had quite a day.
I know.
Think you could maybe use a little rest?
- Hmm? No, no, no.
- I'll give you this to relax.
I don't...
[exhales]
- Put him down, Robinson.
- Okay. Just keep an eye on him.
He was extremely nervous.
Well done for knocking
him out like that.
I just thought we would both
sleep a little easier
knowing that he was drugged asleep.
Yeah.
He doesn't seem to remember anything.
You believe him?
Does he seem dangerous to you?
Well...
Things aren't always what they seem.
Hmm?
[door opens, closes]
[snores, groans]
- Shh.
- What's happening?
- I had to inject you to wake you up.
- Where's the guy?
He's sleeping. We gotta
get out of here. Look away.
- Did you send the signal?
- Not yet.
That's where we're headed.
[Abby] We have to get out of here.
It's gonna take 40 minutes
for them to get here.
- We'll wait outside. Okay.
- Okay, let's go.
- Too late.
- [Abby gasps]
What are you doing, Abby?
[Abby] You're not Robinson Scott.
What are you talking about?
- Dr. Zek...
- Stay still!
- Dr. Zek told me...
- [Zek] Abby. Abby.
The doctor, eh? You trust the good
doctor? Is that how it works?
You tell the truth. You tell
her the truth right now!
What's he talking about?
The ravings of a madman.
You tell her about Gibson Desert North.
About Auxilisun's crown jewel, now!
- What?
- Tell her.
I have no idea
what you're talking about.
And you're willing to bet
our lives on that, are you?
- Um, yeah.
- [Abby grunts]
[Abby shrieks] Ow! Aaah!
[Robinson grunts] Aaah!
[Robinson groaning]
- Let me see.
- Am I bleeding?
Looks like the laser cauterized
the wound. Come here.
Aaah!
[grunts]
To the bed. Here.
What did he say about me?
[Grunts]
Don't touch it.
He told me you were
some kind of terrorist
that broke in here and
killed the real Robinson.
You believed him?
Dr. Zek is a respected member
of the scientific community.
- What was I supposed to think?
- Dr. Zek is a lunatic.
How am I gonna get
across the red zone?
How am I gonna get across
the size of that desert?
I'd have radiation poisoning
by the time I got here.
He destroyed the door mechanism.
[door warbles]
We're locked in here.
- He's gonna escape without us.
- No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
He's not escaping.
He's going to Deep Burial.
[Robinson grunts, gasps]
Bastard.
Just...
Hmm.
What did you mean?
When you said that...
That this whole place was a lie.
- It hurts.
- What did you mean?
This place
is supposed to be a secure
nuclear storage facility.
He's turned it into a bomb.
Thanks.
Abby, I don't...
I don't know what we do now.
- How do we get to him?
- He's in Deep Burial.
I have access.
- You do?
- Yeah.
That's great.
Hang on.
Okay.
I'm gonna rewire the door,
so the mechanism works from this side.
[grunts]
[instrument clattering]
[Robinson] You can do that?
[beeps]
[grunts]
[Robinson] Nice.
[Robinson grunts] Watch out.
We need to find him.
I can trace his location on my tablet.
No time for that!
[Robinson] No time!
[tablet beeping]
[gasping]
Fuck.
[beeping, whirring]
- [Robinson grunts]
- [Zek shouting]
[grunting]
[gun powers up]
- Drop the club.
- Okay, okay.
- Who are you?
- Okay, okay.
[Robinson, Abby groaning]
[coughs, retches]
You're the one with radiation sickness.
- You walked across the red zone?
- Shut up!
- Who are you? Please.
- Shut up.
- Who are you?
- Shut up!
Nothing can stop me from doing
what I came here to do!
Aaah!
[groans]
[Klaxon blaring]
[Abby] Aaah!
[gun powers up]
What are you doing?
Gibson Desert North has been decaying
at an unpredictable rate for years,
and you knew it!
You know that Auxilisun
system's fail-safe. There's no way...
What about Barrow Creek?
All of the closest inhabitable cities
are supposed to be well
within the green zone.
So unless Barrow Creek... the
entire town... got up and moved,
the red zone is expanding.
Yes.
When were you gonna tell Auxilisun?
Auxilisun already knows.
What?
Dr. Sale and I know the truth.
- The truth?
- Yeah.
The truth that you're killing people?
The truth is that the energy
we give the world
is more important than
some piece-of-shit small town...
But no, people di...
in the middle of nowhere!
His... That man's family.
How many have lived?
Do you know how many hospitals,
cities, homes use our energy?
There were 230 assholes in Barrow Creek!
Shut up!
[Gun powers up]
Aaah!
Shut up, okay?
[gun powers down]
You can find your own way out.
[Klaxon blaring in distance]
[Zek] Abby.
[child giggling on video]
[coughs] So you were the one
that was ruining the fans.
You walked across
the red zone by yourself?
How long have you been dying?
Not sure.
We all got sick at the same time.
I just lasted longer
than Margot,
and Sammy.
This won't bring them back.
I know what it's like
to lose your family.
[rumbling]
Then you know why I have to do this.
No. You're just gonna kill
more people. I can't let you...
- Don't follow me, Abby.
- Stop.
Stay back! Stop!
No! Stay back, Abby!
Stop.
Auxilisun, they took everything from me.
If you destroy this place,
you're no better than they are.
And you are?
[gasping]
- [Abby] No.
- [Robinson] The world needs a tragedy,
- to see what's been happening here.
- [gun powers up]
I'll kill you before I let that happen.
No, you won't.
[breathing heavily]
If we can get out of here,
I have all the information on my ADATA.
You and I, we can blow the whistle.
We can let everybody know.
No, Abby. They'll shut you down, Abby!
This thing's bigger than you!
The whole world, Abby!
They're being lied to!
Is this what Margot and
Sammy would have wanted?
Not sure.
I don't know.
Maybe I'll get a chance to ask 'em.
No!
[electricity crackling]
[Klaxon blaring]
[rumbling]
This is CTE Abby Dixon
to Auxilisun tri-copter.
Rhine, do you read me?
[explosions]
[explosions, rumbling continue]
[panting]
[explosion]
[explosions]
[respirator hissing, clicking]
[explosion]
[clicking]
the high demands of your busy day
with affordable, renewable energy.
But it wasn't always the power choice
for 99% of the world's
governing economic bodies.
Auxilisun was born
from innovation required
after the three-plant meltdown turned
the world away from nuclear energy.
Oil barons and green extremists
drove energy costs higher and higher,
resulting in the energy crisis of 2018.
The world descended into chaos
until Auxilisun introduced
the tri-fission engine.
An Auxilisun containment facility
was constructed over
the three-plant disaster site,
so the tri-fission engine could
clean up the dangerous radiation.
Progress was slow.
But independent scientific studies prove
that Auxilisun's miraculous
tri-fission engine not only worked,
but it also created new energy from
the radiation it was cleaning,
and thus began
the energy revolution of 2025.
No more dirty biofuels,
inconsistent wind or expensive solar.
Tri-fission engines clean up old waste
while Auxilisun continues to build its
next-generation plants across the world.
Today nuclear energy,
powers everything you do,
and Auxilisun is there to make sure
it stays safe, sustainable,
and, most importantly, affordable.
Auxilisun... Creating a new future
by cleaning up the past.
[clunking]
[whirring]
- [beeping]
- [gasps]
[beeping continues]
Lights on.
[beeping continues]
[sighs]
Alarm off.
[Beeping stops]
[line ringing]
CSE Dixon, it's the middle of the night.
David, communications are down
with both of the field techs...
It's Christmas Day.
Is this something that
can wait until tomorrow?
Gibson Desert North is
the largest nuclear waste repository
in the southern hemisphere.
It doesn't take the day off.
Something's wrong.
We don't have anyone available.
- I'll go.
- What?
You don't have anyone available.
I'm going out there myself.
Call the transpo.
I'll be ready in ten.
Coming in on the red zone now.
Completely uninhabitable. You do
not wanna lose your fuel out here.
So Auxilisun's sending a tech
assistant to a facility this remote.
No chief engineers available?
I am a chief tech engineer.
[chuckles]
- How many facilities you engineered?
- None.
I was recently promoted.
My work's been lab-based.
Live view up.
Now, that's what a real-life Auxilisun
containment facility looks like.
You don't see that in a lab.
This your first flight schedule too?
There's nothing in here about a pickup.
We've lost communication
to Gibson Desert North.
Once I get them back up, I'll
contact Auxilisun HQ for a pickup
and request that they don't send you.
[beeping] [female electronic voice]
System activated.
[rapid clicking]
[clicking]
[clicking]
Decontaminate.
Begin decontamination.
[Klaxon blaring]
[clicking]
Abby Dixon reporting.
I.D. HEB0511.
Entry 001.
Upon my entry into the facility,
no employee response.
The facility itself
is in a state of disrepair,
possibly deserted.
I will log my entries and upload them
as soon as I get the comms back online.
[clinking]
Hello!
- [Abby gasps]
- Who are you?
I'm a technical facility engineer
from Auxilisun.
Mm-hmm.
What are you doing here?
Your communications are down.
I'm here to get you back online.
Some ID?
Can I see some ID?
I can't connect to openwork.
Openwork's not worth shit down here.
- Do you have a scanner?
- There's a scanner.
There. On the table.
Yeah.
[sighs]
[scanner beeps]
Mm-hmm.
- Happy?
- Mm-hmm.
My name's Dixon.
Abby Dixon.
How'd you get here?
I was just dropped off
by a company tri-copter.
Just you?
Yeah.
- Just you.
- Just me.
Mm-hmm.
I'll be here long enough
to get you back online.
Which one are you?
Zek or Robinson.
Robinson. I'm Robinson.
Yeah.
You almost gave me a heart attack.
Making noises in the corridor.
They don't teach you how
to knock at Auxilisun HQ?
Where's Dr. Zek?
He's out.
What do you mean "out"?
Where?
Does surveys.
In the desert.
I don't know.
It's not my job.
Well, when will he be back?
He didn't say.
Took the buggy.
[sighs]
- [Klaxon blaring]
- What is that?
It's nothing.
I got it under control.
What do you mean it's nothing?
It's... It's obviously something.
It's not.
[blaring continues]
What are you talking about?
Right here it says, "Error code 8627B."
What does that mean?
What's the procedure? Mm-hmm.
[blaring continues]
The procedure is you need to chill out.
Okay, this is not a joke.
This is a sophisticated facility,
and I'm here to assess
the communication breakdown,
and this could potentially
be a communication...
[blaring stops]
I pulled that lever.
Did you see me pull that lever?
It resets the system.
Yeah.
It makes all these red lights go green.
I told you I had it under control.
Hmm?
[Chuckles]
Will you at least show me to my room?
Mm.
I wasn't...
Expecting guests.
I'm sure you'll love
your accommodations.
[Robinson grunting]
All right.
General...
Common area.
Um, kitchen, obviously.
And up those stairs is the sunroom.
Doesn't look like it gets much use.
No. Um,
not really the tanning type.
Right. But that's not the point.
- The sunrooms were designed...
- To provide a certain amount of UV,
to keep your mind in the right...
My mental health is fine, thank you.
- Is this sick bay?
- Yeah. Your own doctor as well.
It's kind of fun.
So... this...
Yeah, that's you.
Guest quarters.
It's not much, but you know...
Maid comes at 10:00 a.m.
for a fluff and fold.
Merry Christmas.
[sighs]
[whirring, clanging]
Robinson?
[bat squeaking, wings flapping]
Robinson?
[guitar strumming]
Robinson.
[strumming]
Oh.
Hello.
Wow.
I didn't realize this was
gonna be a formal occasion.
I would've shaved my face.
What's that?
In case I need to reach you
in the facility.
Aw, you don't need that.
You're never too far away.
So this is what you
came here to see, huh?
[beeping, whirring]
[beeping]
[beeping, whirring]
[beeping]
[beeping, whirring]
- What's wrong with it?
- [beeping]
Ah, I very much enjoyed
our conversation.
I was feeling a little lonely
before you turned up.
You are just a breath of fresh air.
I'm not here to talk.
I'm here to fix your facility.
Yes.
What's that?
Universal comm unit.
The nerve center for our
whole communication array.
How do you not know this?
The thing's a dinosaur.
Like everything else around here.
Gibson Desert North is not a dinosaur.
It's the prototype that our
entire company is hinged on.
And our proudest achievement.
Oh. Well, then that's
just a little bit sad.
[whirring]
[strumming continues]
So?
[low humming]
Sorry.
Can you fix it?
There's no power.
I have batteries.
I'm gonna have to run a
diagnostics scan on the entire facility
to see where the breakdown
in the system is.
Diagnostics scan, huh?
Yeah.
Yeesh.
Would you mind showing me
to the machine room?
Sure.
[strumming stops]
Now.
Don't touch the guitar, please.
[sighs]
What facility do you work at?
I don't work at any one
particular facility.
I'm based at HQ.
Oh. So you don't know
anything about SDP then.
Sensory deprivation psychosis.
I came up with that.
What is it?
Well, you know, you spend
too much on your own
in a place like this.
No windows...
You go a little...
You go a little psycho, you know.
I mean...
That's why we give psychological
profiles to all of our employees
- before they get the job.
- Yeah.
Well, it's not that simple.
When did you say Dr.
Zek is gonna be back?
I didn't.
Well, you have to know
something about his schedule.
No. I mean, you know, he works in a
completely different
part of the compound,
behind a locked door.
He's the one with the Ph.D., remember.
I stay out of his way,
take out the trash.
And he just goes out
every now and again?
Look, I'm not the boss.
He is. I'm not his mum.
That's not what I'm suggesting.
I'm just...
We're almost here.
It's through here to his lab?
Yeah, yeah. It's down
the end of this corridor.
Get a chance to, uh,
see Dr. Zek's crazy
scientific experiments up close.
I've read his reports.
There's nothing in Dr. Zek's work
that is outside of company parameters.
Oh, yeah?
Why does he do it all
behind a locked door?
Never lets me in.
You're obviously creating
some kind of fantasy.
Is this the isolation psychosis
you're talking about?
No.
Well, maybe.
Take a look at his lab.
It'll bore you to death.
[lock opens]
Just don't touch anything.
Oh.
Wow!
That... is something.
[whirring]
Is this where they keep all the shit?
The shit?
Nuclear shit.
No. The waste is kept in Deep Burial,
behind those doors.
You think this place is impressive?
Deep Burial is ten times the size.
What's this then?
The cooling system.
Maglev fan built to last 200,000 years.
But that's nothing compared to this.
This is the real secret
to Auxilisun's success.
The tri-fission engine.
It takes the energy from the
radioactive decay in Deep Burial
and powers the fans.
I should have access.
This fan breaks down,
guess who has to fix it.
That's impossible.
If both fans stopped,
then this place would
fill up with gas so fast,
it would be like
a stick of nuclear dynamite.
And never in the history of Auxilisun
has even one fan broken down.
It's a brilliant design.
How come the only access through
it is through this doggy door?
Robotics are the only thing that
can fix a tri-fission engine.
Even in a hazmat suit, there's so much
radiation, you'd be dead in 48 hours.
You should know that.
Where's the other fan?
Down in Deep Burial.
We're in the part of the facility
that needs "golden ticket"
access to enter.
- Just looking.
- Okay.
You need level-14 access to
get down into Deep Burial sites.
Oh.
What are you, level 18 or something?
When they zap us with the scanners,
we just get the basic package.
You know.
Office, bedroom.
- Shitters.
- Did you fix the comms?
No.
All the fuses and
the cabling are all intact,
so the problem must be somewhere
between here and there.
Hmm.
You're gonna show me Deep Burial?
No.
No one goes down into Deep Burial.
Dr. Zek.
He goes into Deep Burial.
You're mistaken.
I hear him down there all the time.
Every time he opens that door,
it rumbles the whole facility.
You're wrong.
[chuckles] You think
I'm making this up?
No. I think you're confused.
Dr. Zek doesn't even have
fingertip access to Deep Burial.
You sure about that?
[coughing]
[coughing continues]
[body thuds]
Robinson?
[clanging]
Jesus! Robinson!
Robinson!
What? Wha...
- What?
- Are you okay?
- You're hitting me.
- I'm sorry.
- I just fell.
- What happened?
[groans]
Just a long day, you know?
I need some sleep maybe.
Do you generally pass out
when you're tired?
Well, I didn't really pass out.
I just had a moment of...
What are you doing? I'm fine.
When was the last time
you requested a medical exam?
I don't need a medical exam.
[footsteps departing]
Abby Dixon.
Entry 002.
I arrived this morning
to find Dr. Darius Zek,
the chief scientific executive, absent,
surveying the surrounding area.
But that is unconfirmed.
The facility's caretaker,
Robinson Scott, was uncooperative.
The comms are still down,
but my preliminary
tests as to why were inconclusive.
I've never seen
an Auxilisun facility like this.
It's... neglected.
And Robinson Scott...
I don't know who hired him, but...
[sighs]
[gasps]
[breathes heavily]
[screams]
Sor...
Sorry.
[singing]
- Oi.
- Hmm.
Dodgy lock in there.
Sorry about that.
Can you fix it?
Well, there's no point,
is there, really.
Not gonna make the same mistake twice.
I'm just not used to having guests.
You carry that thing everywhere, huh?
I heard you talking on it last night.
The walls are quite thin.
Well, I gather information,
report back to Auxilisun.
It's my job. It's protocol.
Is Dr. Zek back?
No.
Is it normal for him to be
gone overnight like that?
Sure.
Macchiato.
Oh. No, not for me.
That is the world's greatest macchiato.
You got to try it.
It's hot.
- Sugar?
- Uh, no.
I'm okay.
Leave her there.
Make me one.
I wanna do a medical
diagnostic test on you.
Medical...
Last night...
- No, that thing last night was fine.
- Uh, no.
You can have serious
health problems. Here.
That's very sweet, but I am fine.
Now I'm fine. When I was younger,
I had a thing.
My kidneys.
Gone now. I'm fine.
Was it from drinking?
It was cassies mainly.
Some drinking.
I have a sister, Margot.
She was... She's... your age.
She sobered me up.
Took care of me.
Got me better. Got me off it.
Everyone else left me behind.
She saw me right. I'm fine.
I'm fine.
It's gone.
Don't drink the water.
It's not good.
It's excellent. You're crazy.
Do you not want yours?
It's all yours.
Two cups of coffee for me.
Watch out.
Cheers.
I was cleaning out
this old guy's place, right?
This was something that we used to do
when they got kicked
out of their places.
And it was something
that I could kind of do,
when I was a little high
and stuff, you know.
Easy kind of job to do.
So cleaning out this guy's place,
throwing away his clothes and furniture
and things he's not gonna need.
And then I see at one point
he's got a bunch of CD's.
- So I'm thinking, "Oh, that's cool."
- Bunch of what?
He has a bunch of CD's.
Um, compound discs.
Uh, compact discs.
You know, the little music.
- Little silver disc things.
- Oh.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Like old turn-of-the-century music.
And he's got some stuff
that I kind of recognize.
Like Oasis. Remember?
Shed Seven. Um...
[clears throat]
East 17.
So I'm thinking while I'm cleaning this
house out, I'm gonna play some music.
I'm looking through his music.
"I'm gonna pick that. I'm gonna
pick that." And this bag falls out.
So I'm thinking, "Oh, well, you know,
he's kind of hiding that bag."
In this little zip bag.
So what's inside here?
I don't really know that much
about turn-of-the-century music.
Do know a little bit about
retro kind of drugs and stuff.
So I look inside and
there's this... this crystal,
this rock, you know.
Like, "Hello! Yes. Know
what that is. Crack cocaine."
So run around the house.
Run around the house.
Like, make sure
I'm kind of safe doing it.
Like, I need, like, a lighter and
a little bit of aluminum foil
and a little glass pipe type thing.
Get that all going.
You know, I'll do it.
Put it all in and break off
a little bit of crack.
Put it in the pipe thing and then...
[imitating flame]
Kind of fire it up.
Wait.
Nothing. Now, you're talking about
maybe, like, two, three minutes or so.
You should be off. You should be,
like, away, doing it.
Nothing. So I think, "Well, maybe
it's like weak crack or something."
So break off a little more,
put it in the thing.
Get the lighter... [imitating flame]
Kind of fire it up.
Nothing. I end up smoking
the whole piece of crack.
That's a lot of crack.
That is a lot of crack. Nothing.
Like, 20, 25 minutes in, man,
I get pounded by this, like, headache.
Just like my head gets filled with
cement or something like that.
Kind of feel a little sick.
The next thing I know, I pass out
on someone else's, like, floor.
It's not even my house.
I'm out, like this.
And the next thing I know,
the owner of the house, this old geezer,
the guy whose house we're clearing out,
like, wakes me up.
So I get roused and,
you know, I look around.
I'm trying to save face a little bit,
but he sees...
He totally sees what I'm doing.
He can see all the stuff.
You know what he says?
"My grandma brought that back in 1991,
you just smoked a piece of
the Berlin Wall."
[laughing]
[babbling]
Oh, man. Is that...
Like smoking history or something.
Went to hospital... I was in hospital
for two days, on my own.
And then, you know,
ended up my sister came.
Kind of gave me
a little bit of a talking to.
"Clean up your life. You need to make
some changes" kind of thing.
It's actually what brought me here.
She kind of... She and I
agreed to come out here, you know.
[beeping]
What about you?
Me?
Yeah, you know, family.
People you talk to, friends.
No. No. No family.
No family?
You an orphan, raised by Auxilisun?
No. I mean, uh, I have a dad.
But... technically,
I don't talk to him.
What is this?
I was just trying to make a friend.
Okay, so... holidays roll around,
you know, your birthday.
What do you...
Do you go for lunch on your own?
Play solitaire?
Just nap all day?
I have friends.
- You do?
- Yeah.
I'm skeptical.
- Name them. Name your friends.
- Tesla and Jobs.
- What type of names are those?
- That's... Come on.
- They're my dogs. They...
- They're your dogs' names?
[laughs] Come on.
What do you have?
Like little "wee wee wee wee"...
little yappy tiny little things
that fits in a little...
like a little bag of sugar?
This is not adding up.
The becquerel levels
are higher than they should be.
I think your calibrations are off.
Hmm. Well, maybe someone's
been in Deep Burial. Hmm.
- What?
- No single person, no one,
not even someone like Dr. Zek,
could create a spike like this.
I mean, it's got to be your gear.
It's not calibrated.
I'll leave you to it.
You'll work it out.
Dr. Zek is still missing.
I'm worried about his safety.
And there's... a problem.
According to this data,
the red zone is expanding,
which I know is not possible.
It must be just
a misreading with the gear.
Robinson is not as skilled
as I would expect.
[sighs]
I will recalibrate the meters myself.
[torch hissing]
[whirring]
[Abby gasps]
- [Robinson] What are you looking at?
- [gasps] Jesus!
Oh. Sorry.
I was gonna go on the roof,
hit some balls.
I thought I saw a man in the desert.
Okay.
May I?
Sure.
Hmm. I don't see anything.
What if it's Zek?
What if... What if he's out there
and he's hurt
and he needs our help?
I don't think Zek's coming back.
He's been gone four days.
No.
You said he left yesterday.
I didn't say that.
What are you not telling me?
He kind of lost it.
Sensory deprivation psychosis.
Big time.
I don't know if it was the isolation
or the tests he was running.
Maybe he was exposed
to radiation in Deep Burial.
But, you know, he's went a little...
And then the last night before...
You know, I'm gonna go hit
some balls on the roof.
No. No, listen.
The power lines were
intentionally severed.
He cut them?
Tell me what happened.
You know, most of the time,
just ignore him.
I stay in the control room.
He does what he wants. Fine.
And then before he left,
he just... Screaming.
Just screaming down that corridor.
It was getting louder and louder, at me.
"You did it. You did it.
You broke... You damaged it.
You broke the fan.
You broke the fan."
He's pointing at me and
accusing me and shouting.
He's a scary guy.
And I ran.
I ran and I hid.
And I heard the doors go, up top.
He took the buggy.
I don't... I mean...
I don't know how he'd survive out there.
I mean, I'm telling you,
I saw something.
Yeah, well, you know,
that... that could be...
this place.
It's the walls.
Ground.
The air...
Gets in you.
Hmm.
How have you been sleeping?
You've been dreaming?
Have you been dreaming?
Hmm.
Hmm.
You can spend as much time as you want
in that sunroom.
But it gets inside your mind.
I'm gonna go play golf.
[sighs]
[clunking]
[beeping]
[pinging]
[gasps]
Robinson?
[door opening]
[Klaxon blaring]
[breathing heavily]
[gasping]
[breathes heavily]
[grunts]
- [beeping]
- Robinson.
Robinson, it... it's Zek.
Can you hear... Can you hear me?
Open the door!
[Robinson on comm] I'm not sure
I should override the system.
We're both gonna die if you
don't open this door right now!
[breathing heavily]
[banging]
[door opening]
[Robinson] We don't know his
state of radiation exposure.
We don't have time to discuss this.
Help me move him.
[golf club clattering]
Go inside. I got him.
I think this is a mistake, Abby.
Go inside. Go! Go!
[grunting]
What the hell was that?
I'm just following contamination policy.
It's Dr. Zek.
You don't know it's Dr. Zek.
You don't.
Who else could it be?
We're in the red zone, 300 kilometers
from the nearest town.
Well?
Yeah, it's Dr. Zek.
- How is he?
- His pulse is even.
Is it?
He was pretty exposed out there.
What's that?
Hexomorphone.
[Air cartridge hisses]
[gasps]
It should help combat
the symptoms of radiation poisoning.
Hmm.
Didn't get very far, did he?
I don't know.
Maybe he came back.
[sighs] What happened to you?
[door opens, closes]
What is that?
- Precaution.
- He's dangerous, isn't he?
He's in a coma.
Well, you wake up from a coma.
- Okay.
- You need some help?
Why don't you just go back
to the control room.
It's good, you know.
He's back.
That's the important thing.
[door opens, closes]
[sighs]
[birds tweeting]
[clicking, hissing]
[clicking, hissing continue]
[cries out, gasps]
[sighs]
[gasps] Wha...
You were screaming.
I was concerned.
It was just a nightmare.
About your dad?
You said his name.
It's this place.
I'm fine.
Could've fooled me.
My dad euthanized my grandmother
when I was seven.
[Klaxon blaring]
[blaring continues]
[Robinson coughs]
Fan's not working.
Look, look!
N-No, that's impossible.
Just reset the console.
All of your readings have been off.
[Abby] I'm sure that's it.
[blaring stops]
[machinery whirring]
Whew. Okay.
That helped, but look.
It's still...
It's not movin'.
Okay.
[Beeping]
I'm gonna check it out.
You just... stay here.
Okay.
[door opens]
[machinery rumbling]
[Robinson] What happened?
Did you go back in there?
Huh? What?
[Abby] The fan.
I can't.
I don't have access.
Remember?
What are you accusing me of?
I'm sorry.
It... It's not possible,
unless somebody
sabotaged the engine room.
It just... it can't... it can't happen.
[sighs]
I need to get the comms back up.
Get back in touch with HQ.
This is beyond me now.
Okay, how serious is it?
Do we need to evacuate?
No. As long as the other fan is up,
it'll take days before the gases
build up to a dangerous level.
Zek.
We are experiencing unprecedented
shutdown of the machine and fan.
Requesting immediate
emergency facility repair team.
Reason for the shutdown is unknown.
A fan is down.
How does that make sense?
With Auxilisun systems,
a fan cannot go down unless...
Someone sabotaged it.
Signing off.
[strumming]
I don't like him being here.
He's handcuffed.
You don't know him like I do.
[plucking guitar string]
Look, why don't you let me
watch him for a while.
No, I got it.
You've got a job to do.
It's under control.
You can't just stand here
all night watching him.
I got this.
He wakes up...
he moves...
call me.
[plays guitar]
[sighing]
[heart monitor beeping]
[clicking, hissing]
- Wha...
- It's... It's okay.
- What?
- It's okay.
What is this... What is this place?
Where am I?
You're at Auxilisun Gibson Desert North.
- Gibson Desert North?
- Robinson. He's awake.
Robinson. Robinson?
Oh.
[chuckles] Okay.
- Okay?
- Thank God.
Wha... What?
Why am I...
I'm Abby Dixon. I'm the facilities
engineer from Auxilisun.
I was flown in.
What happened to me?
Just relax, and, uh,
we'll get you up to speed.
- [Zek] Uh...
- Dr. Sale told me to say hello.
Dr. Jeffrey Sale?
Three years in his class,
and then I was his intern.
He got me my first job
interview at Auxilisun.
[chuckles] He told me to tell you hi.
Oh. We haven't talked since I came here.
Jeffrey and I got our master's together.
I was in his wedding party.
Yeah.
He's got some very nice things
to say about you.
He made 'em up then.
[laughs]
Well, he says that
you are the most brilliant
nuclear containment scientist
that he's ever had the pleasure to meet.
[Abby] Here.
[Panting]
Hello.
Thank you, Robinson.
You're welcome.
How do you feel?
[handcuffs rattle] What's this for?
Do you not remember what happened
with the night that you left?
I can't recall.
- You went a little crazy.
- You had a nervous breakdown.
[Robinson] So that is, unfortunately,
the reason why you're in handcuffs.
For our safety,
but primarily for your safety.
- Thank you.
- You're welcome.
I'm not feeling well.
I'm gonna lie down.
[Robinson] Yeah, right. Relax.
Do you have a, um,
personal hygiene kit?
I just think... it'd make
Dr. Zek feel a lot better
to not have a week's worth
of desert filth all over him.
- You want me to go get it?
- I'll be fine.
Two minutes.
[door opens, closes]
Dr. Zek?
Is there something
you're not telling me?
Come here.
I have to know that I can trust you.
Well, of course you can trust me.
Dr. Jeffrey Sale's son,
tell me about him.
He's in his... 20s.
He just got married. I haven't
actually met him in person, but...
Tell me the truth about
Jeffrey Sale's son, now.
He's not Dr. Sale's real son.
[sighs] His wife was pregnant
when he met her, but I'm not
supposed to tell anyone that.
- Nobody knows that.
- I know. I know.
Except people worth trusting.
[sighing] Okay.
That man...
...isn't Robinson Scott.
What?
Dr. Zek,
you acted like you knew him.
Well, I had to. I'm handcuffed here.
The only reason he's not killing me is
because you think that
he's Robinson Scott.
Okay, look. The other night,
I was in my lab, alone.
I was working. And then suddenly,
there was a breach.
And Robinson...
the real Robinson Scott,
he went out to check it out, and he was
obviously overpowered by this guy.
And then this man, he found me.
I left Robinson.
So if this isn't... Robinson Scott,
then how did this person get here?
We're in the middle of the red zone.
I have no idea. He must have been
dropped in. I'm not sure. I don't know.
Do you know anything
about what he wants?
We need to get out of here.
We don't have much time.
So when's your next scheduled pickup?
I told them that I'd contact them.
Shit. Are the comms still down?
Yes, but the antenna on your buggy.
I can hot-wire it, use the universal
comm hub to get a signal.
Good. Then you send out
a Code 7 distress call,
but you can't let him know
that you sent it.
As long as he believes that you
don't know the truth, we'll be okay.
We will.
And why wouldn't he just kill us?
And he hasn't tried to kill you yet?
He needs you for something.
I'm setting up my two-way
tuned into my frequency.
So while I'm gone, if he comes back,
I'll hear everything that happens.
Good. Thanks. Abby.
Yeah.
We can do this.
[child giggling]
[beep] [Zek on comm]
Abby, he's here.
He's coming.
Okay. Here we go.
Where?
[chuckles] Where?
[beeping]
We have a problem.
Robinson is not Robinson.
Somebody broke into the facility.
That's why Dr. Zek attempted to escape.
We need help immediately.
So lie back.
Just lay your head back.
There.
Must feel nice.
Get that desert grime off you.
If you just put your hand down.
Gotta keep you handcuffed
for your own safety, Dr. Zek.
I know.
These razors are incredibly sharp.
Try and think
that you're in one of those old
movies... in a barbershop.
Where's Abby?
She went to my office,
to my lab, to get my tablet.
Just gonna... Yeah, that looks like
it's gonna work just fine.
Ah, yeah.
Okay. I'm actually gonna have to
just lean you back a little further.
Just can't quite reach those...
- Oh, no.
- Difficult areas.
You-You don't have to do my neck.
[Robinson over comm] Relax.
[Robinson] Just relax.
- Robinson?
- Just finishing up here.
[Robinson] Much better. Done.
You do look much better.
Here.
You forgot my tablet.
Your lab was such a mess,
I couldn't find it.
You'll have to give
me better directions.
Oh.
Yeah, of course.
[Abby] Dr. Zek,
you've had quite a day.
I know.
Think you could maybe use a little rest?
- Hmm? No, no, no.
- I'll give you this to relax.
I don't...
[exhales]
- Put him down, Robinson.
- Okay. Just keep an eye on him.
He was extremely nervous.
Well done for knocking
him out like that.
I just thought we would both
sleep a little easier
knowing that he was drugged asleep.
Yeah.
He doesn't seem to remember anything.
You believe him?
Does he seem dangerous to you?
Well...
Things aren't always what they seem.
Hmm?
[door opens, closes]
[snores, groans]
- Shh.
- What's happening?
- I had to inject you to wake you up.
- Where's the guy?
He's sleeping. We gotta
get out of here. Look away.
- Did you send the signal?
- Not yet.
That's where we're headed.
[Abby] We have to get out of here.
It's gonna take 40 minutes
for them to get here.
- We'll wait outside. Okay.
- Okay, let's go.
- Too late.
- [Abby gasps]
What are you doing, Abby?
[Abby] You're not Robinson Scott.
What are you talking about?
- Dr. Zek...
- Stay still!
- Dr. Zek told me...
- [Zek] Abby. Abby.
The doctor, eh? You trust the good
doctor? Is that how it works?
You tell the truth. You tell
her the truth right now!
What's he talking about?
The ravings of a madman.
You tell her about Gibson Desert North.
About Auxilisun's crown jewel, now!
- What?
- Tell her.
I have no idea
what you're talking about.
And you're willing to bet
our lives on that, are you?
- Um, yeah.
- [Abby grunts]
[Abby shrieks] Ow! Aaah!
[Robinson grunts] Aaah!
[Robinson groaning]
- Let me see.
- Am I bleeding?
Looks like the laser cauterized
the wound. Come here.
Aaah!
[grunts]
To the bed. Here.
What did he say about me?
[Grunts]
Don't touch it.
He told me you were
some kind of terrorist
that broke in here and
killed the real Robinson.
You believed him?
Dr. Zek is a respected member
of the scientific community.
- What was I supposed to think?
- Dr. Zek is a lunatic.
How am I gonna get
across the red zone?
How am I gonna get across
the size of that desert?
I'd have radiation poisoning
by the time I got here.
He destroyed the door mechanism.
[door warbles]
We're locked in here.
- He's gonna escape without us.
- No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
He's not escaping.
He's going to Deep Burial.
[Robinson grunts, gasps]
Bastard.
Just...
Hmm.
What did you mean?
When you said that...
That this whole place was a lie.
- It hurts.
- What did you mean?
This place
is supposed to be a secure
nuclear storage facility.
He's turned it into a bomb.
Thanks.
Abby, I don't...
I don't know what we do now.
- How do we get to him?
- He's in Deep Burial.
I have access.
- You do?
- Yeah.
That's great.
Hang on.
Okay.
I'm gonna rewire the door,
so the mechanism works from this side.
[grunts]
[instrument clattering]
[Robinson] You can do that?
[beeps]
[grunts]
[Robinson] Nice.
[Robinson grunts] Watch out.
We need to find him.
I can trace his location on my tablet.
No time for that!
[Robinson] No time!
[tablet beeping]
[gasping]
Fuck.
[beeping, whirring]
- [Robinson grunts]
- [Zek shouting]
[grunting]
[gun powers up]
- Drop the club.
- Okay, okay.
- Who are you?
- Okay, okay.
[Robinson, Abby groaning]
[coughs, retches]
You're the one with radiation sickness.
- You walked across the red zone?
- Shut up!
- Who are you? Please.
- Shut up.
- Who are you?
- Shut up!
Nothing can stop me from doing
what I came here to do!
Aaah!
[groans]
[Klaxon blaring]
[Abby] Aaah!
[gun powers up]
What are you doing?
Gibson Desert North has been decaying
at an unpredictable rate for years,
and you knew it!
You know that Auxilisun
system's fail-safe. There's no way...
What about Barrow Creek?
All of the closest inhabitable cities
are supposed to be well
within the green zone.
So unless Barrow Creek... the
entire town... got up and moved,
the red zone is expanding.
Yes.
When were you gonna tell Auxilisun?
Auxilisun already knows.
What?
Dr. Sale and I know the truth.
- The truth?
- Yeah.
The truth that you're killing people?
The truth is that the energy
we give the world
is more important than
some piece-of-shit small town...
But no, people di...
in the middle of nowhere!
His... That man's family.
How many have lived?
Do you know how many hospitals,
cities, homes use our energy?
There were 230 assholes in Barrow Creek!
Shut up!
[Gun powers up]
Aaah!
Shut up, okay?
[gun powers down]
You can find your own way out.
[Klaxon blaring in distance]
[Zek] Abby.
[child giggling on video]
[coughs] So you were the one
that was ruining the fans.
You walked across
the red zone by yourself?
How long have you been dying?
Not sure.
We all got sick at the same time.
I just lasted longer
than Margot,
and Sammy.
This won't bring them back.
I know what it's like
to lose your family.
[rumbling]
Then you know why I have to do this.
No. You're just gonna kill
more people. I can't let you...
- Don't follow me, Abby.
- Stop.
Stay back! Stop!
No! Stay back, Abby!
Stop.
Auxilisun, they took everything from me.
If you destroy this place,
you're no better than they are.
And you are?
[gasping]
- [Abby] No.
- [Robinson] The world needs a tragedy,
- to see what's been happening here.
- [gun powers up]
I'll kill you before I let that happen.
No, you won't.
[breathing heavily]
If we can get out of here,
I have all the information on my ADATA.
You and I, we can blow the whistle.
We can let everybody know.
No, Abby. They'll shut you down, Abby!
This thing's bigger than you!
The whole world, Abby!
They're being lied to!
Is this what Margot and
Sammy would have wanted?
Not sure.
I don't know.
Maybe I'll get a chance to ask 'em.
No!
[electricity crackling]
[Klaxon blaring]
[rumbling]
This is CTE Abby Dixon
to Auxilisun tri-copter.
Rhine, do you read me?
[explosions]
[explosions, rumbling continue]
[panting]
[explosion]
[explosions]
[respirator hissing, clicking]
[explosion]
[clicking]