Project Blue Book (2019) s01e04 Episode Script
Operation Paperclip
1 Previously on "Project Blue Book" Everybody else thinks I'm crazy.
And what do your husband do? I can't really talk about it.
HYNEK: You want me to investigate flying saucers? I want you to help me prove to the public the truth They don't exist.
MIMI: Someone's been following me.
HYNEK: Fedora hat, trench coat? Allen, what are you talking about? You're scaring me.
I'm sorry.
I'm just upset.
HARDING: I just didn't like him asking so many questions.
The consequences of our actions impact every man, woman, and child on the planet.
[WIND HOWLING.]
[AIRPLANE ENGINES HUMMING.]
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS.]
Say thank you.
Thank you.
[RUMBLING.]
It's okay.
[CLUNK!.]
[SCREAMING.]
Mommy! It's okay.
We're just experiencing some unexpected turbulence.
- It's okay.
- [CLANG!.]
- What is that? - Oh, God.
MAN: It's enormous.
But it doesn't have any wings.
- Excuse me.
Let me through.
- Sorry.
It's matched our speed, but it's not making any sound.
I swear it's been stalking us.
[AIR SIREN WAILING.]
JOEL: I think I have everything I need.
- You can stand up? - Yep.
- [LAUGHS.]
- I have my ray gun here.
My portable radio here.
Stopwatch.
Got my pajamas in there, some comics, my sleeping bag.
Wait.
Do you have the flashlight? - I do.
- Okay, good.
MIMI: That's all I have.
The one thing I have that you don't.
[BOTH LAUGH.]
Okay, so if this was a real air raid, what would we do? We would lock all the doors.
And tape up all the windows, right? Uh-huh.
Allen? Allen, come on.
We're trying out the new fallout shelter.
You go on.
I have work to finish here.
Dad, no one works on a Saturday.
He's been planning all week for this.
Mimi, hiding in a plywood shed during an actual nuclear attack would not save us.
Not from a direct hit, anyway.
Well, his teachers all feel that it's important for him to feel safe at home.
And with you leaving again, I don't know But if we want him to feel safe, let's not encourage all this paranoia.
A boy his age should be out playing, not hiding in a shelter on a Saturday afternoon.
Come on! I'm timing us.
Every second counts.
Right, honey? Yeah.
- Got everything? - Yeah.
- Okay.
- Let's go.
Let's do this.
Let's go to the street first, and then the shelter.
QUINN: So according to the report, this guy described the same craft the witnesses on the plane saw.
[ENGINE SHUTS OFF.]
- Gentlemen.
- Allen Hynek.
- Dan Davis.
- Captain Quinn.
Spaceship killed all my hogs.
I had 20 healthy hogs the day before.
The morning after I see it, I came out to pour the feed, and - They all died the same night? - Yes, sir.
Thought I was gonna die just watching it hover up there.
Uh, you're saying that it was hovering now? I remember this strange smell in the air, too.
Witnesses on the plane described a cigar-shaped craft.
Maybe.
It was lit up.
Hard to tell.
The airport's not far from here.
I've lived here my entire life.
Seen planes fly over all the time.
This weren't no plane.
It's more like a rocket, huh? Yeah, more like a rocket.
Sir, thank you for your time.
Right.
Uh, thank you.
Yeah.
He is our only witness on the ground.
What makes you so sure we're done here? 'Cause I know what he saw.
I know where it came from.
And would you care to enlighten me? You know about Operation Paperclip, right? Government recruitment of German scientists after the war into the United States.
Huntsville, Alabama, to be exact.
Turned the whole town into a Bavarian village from what I heard.
It's not far from here.
You know what they're working on.
The space program.
That's the official story.
Wernher von Braun built a V-2 rocket that took out half of London.
He's the head of the whole thing.
I'd like to ask him a few questions about our UFO.
You think von Braun had something to do with this? Cigar-shaped craft that nearly takes out an airplane? Air base with former Nazis working on rockets? You're goddamn right I want to ask him a few questions.
[ENGINE STARTS.]
Hello.
I am Wernher von Braun, aerospace engineer.
As a young boy, I would often look up to the sky, trying to imagine what it would be like to travel beyond Earth.
Today, I'm proud to be heading up the American program that will one day take us to the moon.
It is an ambitious project, but one I believe will change the course of history.
Because going to the moon is not just about men conquering space.
It means understanding the mysteries of the universe.
And when we do that, we will better understand the greatest mystery of all ourselves.
So please, stay tuned.
There's so much more to discover.
- And cut! - [BELL RINGS.]
That was great, Professor.
But if I am to be the spokesperson for American space program, it needs to be better.
It need to be perfect.
Can we do it again? - Yeah.
- Thank you.
Professor von Braun, you have an urgent call.
Identification, please, sir.
What's he doing over there? Captain Michael Quinn.
Well, it's not like they were expecting us.
Sorry, gentlemen.
You don't have clearance to enter the base.
I'm a captain of the United States Air Force.
I understand that, sir.
However I Are you saying the Germans can come in and out of here all day, and I can't? It seems wrong to me, too, but there's nothing I can do.
If you could just let Professor von Braun know that we're here from Project Blue Book, and we simply want to ask a few What are you doing? [ENGINE REVS.]
Hey! Captain, what are you doing?! - Alert the CO.
- [SIREN WAILING.]
Got a security breach! Oh, my God.
Pull over! JOEL: But Nick's mom lets him ride his bike to school.
I know, honey, but you have to walk with the other kids.
The older boys pick on me.
What older boys? Joel, you just tell me who they are, and I will have a talk with them.
It's fine.
[SIGHS.]
Hey! Hey! I want to talk to you! Who are you, and why are you following me? - I'm not following you.
- Yes, you are.
You were at my house the other day.
It's very important that I speak to your husband.
What do you know about my husband? I met him at Fargo.
He's the only one that believed me.
About my song.
Is this about Allen's Allen's work? Is this about Blue Book? Look, your husband's in danger.
We're all in danger! These men are no threat.
Can we let them out, please? Mm-hmm.
It's okay, Brian.
I just got off the phone with General Harding.
Thankfully, he was able to shed some light on this whole unfortunate circumstance.
Captain Quinn, let me apologize for what happened at the gate.
Those men were just following orders.
Yeah, well, we both heard that before, haven't we? And you must be Dr.
Hynek.
Multi-frequency study of relativistic jets in active galactic nuclei.
You're familiar with my work.
I came across your article some years back during my research.
I found it revolutionary.
That's, uh not a lot of people read that article.
Surprising to me.
But then again, most men ahead of their time tend to be overlooked in the present.
So, we are here about the sighting.
The passengers who saw one of my rockets? Saw? It almost took down a plane full of American citizens.
Can you explain how that happened? How about I show you instead? VON BRAUN: So, this is just one of the few prototypes I'm hoping will someday take us to the moon.
Looks like a V-2, but modified.
Larger fuel cell, higher elevation.
An improved American version.
We don't call them V-2s anymore.
You can call 'em what you want.
We all know what they are.
[VISOR CLICKS.]
[MAN SPEAKS GERMAN.]
Gentlemen, I must stress again, no one outside the program has seen what you're about to see.
[SPEAKS GERMAN.]
The main capsule will reach the upper thermosphere before disengaging and returning to Earth, landing somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico.
So he says.
Since the incident with the plane, we are in touch with local air traffic control.
They will even hold flights for us, if need be.
Oh, well, they'd have to.
The gyroscope on that rocket's guidance system is only accurate to about 600 meters.
So now they give you the power to control civilian aircraft.
Captain, I understand your point of view here.
I do.
But if you want my help, a little courtesy will go a long way.
I just broke protocol to indulge your curiosity.
Curiosity? We're here regarding a national security issue.
As am I.
Defeating Russia in the space race is paramount to America's security in the world, which means my life is committed to protect yours now.
WAKEFIELD: Captain Quinn, sir.
There's an urgent phone call for you back at the base.
It's from the Pentagon.
[SNIFFS.]
Smell that? Refined kerosene.
You've managed to get the rocket's fuel to burn cleaner.
That's impressive.
I knew you would understand.
We have a witness on the ground not too far from here who describes something hovering over his property along the flight path your rockets use.
I assume your rockets don't hover yet.
Any astrophysicist knows the speed of a rocket and its distance from the ground could create the illusion of hovering.
It's a simple parallax equation.
You're familiar with that, yes? - Yes, of course.
- There you have your answer.
I wasn't kidding when I said I'm familiar with your work.
A man with your talents could lend a lot to our program.
So if you're ever looking for a partner who appreciates the capacity of your mind, please don't forget today.
Oh, there's little I forget, Professor.
Well, thank you, again.
You're always welcome back.
You kids have fun? Well, his rocket theory is a plausible one, but this notion of hovering? I don't know.
I'd have to make some calculations based on Case is closed.
That was Harding on the phone.
You're gonna have to catch a flight back from here.
Why? What's happening? To you, nothing.
I, on the other hand, have just been suspended upon further review for breaking onto a base and jeopardizing America's space program.
It's been fun, Doc.
[DOORBELL RINGS.]
[KNOCK ON DOOR.]
[SIGHS.]
Are you okay? I came as quick as I could.
Mimi.
[SNIFFLES.]
He really said that, "We're all in danger"? And then he just ran off.
You're sure it was the same guy? What did the police say? They'll try and send someone over.
That was an hour ago.
I could tell they thought I was crazy.
Well, you're not crazy.
I saw him, too, remember? Why can't you get ahold of Allen? Because he's in Alabama.
He gave me the number for his motel, but he hasn't checked in yet.
You don't think something happened to him, do you? Can't you call his office? Maybe they could get ahold of him.
No, he didn't give me the number.
This job is so top secret, I Mimi.
What exactly is Allen working on? We have to go.
Where? I need you to drive.
I can't concentrate.
Mimi, I'll drive.
But where are we going? Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
Allen is investigating flying saucers for the government, and I need to find out what the hell's going on.
Hello! Hello! What are you doing back here? Well, sorry to bother you, Mr.
Davis, but I still have a few questions I want to I I don't want any more trouble.
Well, you're not in any trouble.
Look, I said I'd keep my mouth shut so long as you got me back on my feet.
Has there been someone else here recently besides us? Wasn't you the ones that sent 'em? [PIGS OINKING.]
20 new hogs? You got me back on my feet again.
[PIGS OINKING.]
FAYE: He was supposed to catch a flight back two hours ago.
He never got on the plane.
Why not? Where is he? They couldn't say.
I told them to call if they heard That is not good enough.
I'm sorry.
Who are you? I'm the friend that Mrs.
Hynek called when this lunatic threatened her and her family.
The question is, what are you going to do about it now? Her young son is going to be home from school soon, and then what? I mean [BREATHING HEAVILY.]
Are you okay? This whole thing is just hitting me now.
It's so upsetting.
Is there a washroom? I just I need to put some cold water on my face.
It's just down the hall there.
Thank you.
I'm okay.
Just keep pressing her.
See what you can do.
- Are you sure? - Mm.
What about the motel he's staying at? Is there someone else that we can contact? I've called everyone I can call.
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS.]
[CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING.]
Given the line of sight, the rocket couldn't possibly have been here.
It was here.
[MUSIC PLAYING ON JUKEBOX.]
[CONVERSATIONS IN GERMAN.]
Uh-oh.
Look out.
He found me.
Well, it wasn't exactly rocket science.
That supposed to be funny? I thought you'd be headed home by now.
Yeah, I was going to, but then I heard about this great bar where you can get drunk, feel sorry for yourself.
So, you know.
[LAUGHS.]
I thought I'd check it out.
Sooner I get back, the sooner I have to listen to Harding chew my ass out, so So, should we get another round, then? - Why not? - Excuse me.
Could he have another one, and I'll have a Macallan neat? What, you think you're the only one needs a drink after a long day? I did get offered a job, though.
Von Nazi? I hope you took it.
Somebody needs to keep an eye on him.
I went back and visited the farm.
I found these under the path Here you are, gentlemen.
Thank you.
Macallan for you.
And for you.
I found these under the flight path of the rocket.
You know what a parallax equation is? Okay, well, then you'll have to believe me when I tell you that von Braun was lying about the trajectory of that rocket.
And I think these circles are caused by the launch of some unknown propulsion force.
The grass is melted to the root as if heated from above.
You're gonna have to help me out here.
I been drinking since it was light out.
Okay, well, during the war, uh, it's rumored that Hitler was developing an alternate propulsion system.
Something that would give him the advantage over Allied aircraft.
- Prost! - Prost! Guess who was supposed to have been in charge of the program? Von Braun is hiding something on that base.
The question is, does anyone outside of Huntsville know or is his biggest secret his alone? [SLAMS TABLE.]
Now you want to see things my way, huh? [BELCHES.]
I'm sorry.
Sorry.
[SPEAKS GERMAN.]
You know what your problem is? You're so smart, you're dumb.
- Oh! - Hey! - Whoa! - Take it easy! - [SPEAKS GERMAN.]
- What'd you say? You're in America.
Speak English, assholes.
We are saying you're a drunken idiot, and you better get home before you get yourself hurt.
Oh, I like you.
I'm gonna save you for last.
QUINN: Hey.
It's gonna be all right.
Trust me.
How long do we have? 20 minutes till shift change.
What is going on here? Turns out, Private Wakefield shares my disdain for German war criminals serving in our military.
A few of the guys who've worked here just up and vanished.
Reassigned, they tell us.
But it just never sat right.
The chain of command you obey, but a fellow soldier is family.
So the fight, getting back onto the base, it was All a plan.
Except for you.
Private, thank you.
My pleasure, sir.
His office is right over there.
Be careful.
This is crazy.
We'll be imprisoned.
- You're welcome to leave.
- I can't let you do this again.
You ever see what 21,000 people look like after they've been starved? Just left in ditches like trash? I was one of the first to liberate Buchenwald, and I will never forget what I saw or what it taught me.
You want to kill a mass amount of people and keep it a secret? You hide it in plain sight.
Like maybe you tell the world you're going to the moon, and what you're really doing is building rockets to shoot down airplanes and take out cities.
If you want to go, you go.
What time does Joel get home? If If I'm not home after school, he's he's at Donna's next door.
He knows to wait there.
Do you have someplace else you could stay? You and Joel? Just until this gets settled? So you can feel safe? That's a good idea.
I'll take Joel to my mother's.
Before you go, call and give Faye that number so Allen can reach you.
[PARKING BRAKE CLICKS.]
Do you want me to come in? No, I'll just I'll pack my bag and go, but Thank you.
For everything.
Call me if you need anything.
I knew I could trust you.
[DOOR OPENS.]
[DOOR CLOSES.]
[LOCK CLICKS.]
[THUMP.]
Joel? You know what Harding told me? The Pentagon want to make him a TV star now, sell the public on the idea of space travel.
Well, yeah.
How do you make a Nazi look legitimate? Have Walt Disney give him his own special, beam him right to your living room.
[CHUCKLES.]
Doc, come here.
Joel? Shit.
I've flown just about everything with wings at some point.
I've never seen anything like these.
[AIR HISSES.]
Joel, honey? Honey, what are you Don't be afraid.
I'm I'm not here to hurt you.
I just I need to know the truth.
That's that's not human, right? [AIR HISSES.]
What's that? Change in stasis.
I bet someone's just been made aware.
[ALARM BLARING.]
All right.
We should get the hell out of here.
No.
Wait.
[CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS.]
You need to get closer to the glass.
Why? Need something in the foreground to give it scale.
QUINN: Foreground, my ass.
Come on, let's go.
Doc! [WATER DRIPPING.]
[SPEAKING RUSSIAN.]
FULLER: I'm not gonna hurt you.
Just [ PANTING.]
I need to know the truth, okay? Are you going on a trip? I'm just gonna see my mother.
I told you, Allen's not here.
That's because he doesn't really live here, does he? I said, it's because he doesn't really live here, does he? No, Allen is he's traveling.
He travels a lot.
That's bullshit.
I've been coming here for days, and Have you been trying to trick me? Trick you? No.
- No, I want to help you.
- Stop.
I want to help you if you could just tell me what you need.
Stop, stop, stop! The last time somebody told me they were gonna help me, I got this, okay? But I got out.
I got out.
You see, they don't think that I know, but I do.
I know who the bad men are.
Aah! - Aah! - [HIGH-PITCHED RINGING.]
Ugh.
Are you Are you okay? [TELEPHONE RINGING.]
Don't you dare! [RINGING CONTINUES.]
[LINE RINGING.]
My wife hasn't heard from me in almost two days.
Call her from the airport.
Shouldn't we call Harding first? We just found what is either advanced human experimentation or some sort of extraterrestrial creature.
I mean, if Harding isn't aware What if he is? What if we just discovered something that might get us both fired? - [STATIC BUZZING.]
- You hear that? This is how they communicate.
I haven't given them a name yet.
They're not from here.
They're from the other world.
It's okay.
They're here to help.
They told me so through the radio.
You hear that? It waited until we got the bomb.
Now they're here to save us from ourselves because we are not as evolved as they are.
We're not.
And if we're not careful, we can destroy the entire planet.
You really don't hear that? I don't.
I'm sorry.
I can't.
[SOBS.]
She's one of them.
Which makes you part of the problem.
SUSIE: Get away from her! I said back away.
Let's get out of here.
Oh, come on, go! Oh, shit! Reverse, reverse! Reverse! I'm sorry if that was a bit dramatic.
I'd hoped you realized these men work for me.
Your own private SS, right? For protection? But we saw that thing you're trying to protect.
Oh, you met Albert.
My rhesus monkey.
First one ever shot into space.
Made three rotations before it perished.
We keep him to study the effects of space on muscle tissue.
One day, we'll put a man up there, and his biology has been invaluable for our research.
So, when did you sneak into my office? All right, first off, you lying sack of shit, that was no goddamn monkey.
You really put a primate into space? That is That's incredible, Professor.
Thank you.
It was also top secret.
May I speak to you in private? VON BRAUN: I'm disappointed, Doctor.
After our last talk, I would have thought you'd come directly to me if you have any concerns.
Your parallax theory was a smokescreen.
What you described as hovering would have been impossible from a farmer's perspective, to say nothing of the passengers on the plane.
So, I did some math and went back out to the property.
And I found this.
These fell directly beneath the flight path of the rocket.
If, indeed, it was a rocket, which I doubt that it was.
So, I suppose you don't believe it was a monkey, either.
The parallax theory was less a smoke screen than an attempt to delay the inevitable.
The inevitable what? Limits of my own imagination.
I've seen these markings.
I heard about the sightings.
I can't explain it, either.
I know you went back to the farm.
I was hoping you'd find something.
Some explanation, something I missed.
You don't want that from me or from anyone else.
It's why you silenced the farmer with those pigs.
I'm not sure what you're referring to.
Lying comes so naturally to you now, doesn't it? You're not interested in real science.
You use it, yes, for your own political gain.
But I guess you're used to that.
You don't know me.
You don't get to question my intentions.
There is no question.
After what you did during the war, it makes sense you're gonna want to be liked now.
But you're not fooling me, Professor.
I see who you really are.
You still didn't ask why I'm here.
I got a call from your office.
It's about your wife.
My wife? What about her? My husband and I were mugged once in New York.
It scared us so much.
That's why we left the city.
Cal bought the gun after that.
He keeps it in the car because I refuse to let it in the house.
But how did you know to come in? I got home and thought, "She shouldn't be alone.
" When I came back, I saw what was going on, and I guess I I should thank you.
[CAR APPROACHING.]
General.
So, what can we expect to go wrong this time? I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.
No more propulsion tests in the woods.
We are ready to take her to full power now.
WAKEFIELD: I don't want to do this.
You're doing your country a great service, soldier.
I salute you.
Why is it so important to you that I rehire Quinn? Firing him would raise only more attention.
I'm glad you didn't.
And how exactly are you gonna cover our tracks? Give a man like Hynek a small victory, he'll never realize he lost the whole war.
Excuse me.
MAN: Clear the area! [MAN SPEAKS GERMAN.]
Whoa.
[GRUNTS.]
[PANTING.]
Move, move.
Come on.
Don't stop.
I [PANTING.]
No! [ENGINE POWERING UP.]
[SHOCK WAVE RUMBLES.]
Did it teleport? Disintegrate? I mean, what the hell just happened? It worked.
GIRL: [ECHOING.]
8, 1, 5, 4, 5, 6, 5, 9.
And what do your husband do? I can't really talk about it.
HYNEK: You want me to investigate flying saucers? I want you to help me prove to the public the truth They don't exist.
MIMI: Someone's been following me.
HYNEK: Fedora hat, trench coat? Allen, what are you talking about? You're scaring me.
I'm sorry.
I'm just upset.
HARDING: I just didn't like him asking so many questions.
The consequences of our actions impact every man, woman, and child on the planet.
[WIND HOWLING.]
[AIRPLANE ENGINES HUMMING.]
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS.]
Say thank you.
Thank you.
[RUMBLING.]
It's okay.
[CLUNK!.]
[SCREAMING.]
Mommy! It's okay.
We're just experiencing some unexpected turbulence.
- It's okay.
- [CLANG!.]
- What is that? - Oh, God.
MAN: It's enormous.
But it doesn't have any wings.
- Excuse me.
Let me through.
- Sorry.
It's matched our speed, but it's not making any sound.
I swear it's been stalking us.
[AIR SIREN WAILING.]
JOEL: I think I have everything I need.
- You can stand up? - Yep.
- [LAUGHS.]
- I have my ray gun here.
My portable radio here.
Stopwatch.
Got my pajamas in there, some comics, my sleeping bag.
Wait.
Do you have the flashlight? - I do.
- Okay, good.
MIMI: That's all I have.
The one thing I have that you don't.
[BOTH LAUGH.]
Okay, so if this was a real air raid, what would we do? We would lock all the doors.
And tape up all the windows, right? Uh-huh.
Allen? Allen, come on.
We're trying out the new fallout shelter.
You go on.
I have work to finish here.
Dad, no one works on a Saturday.
He's been planning all week for this.
Mimi, hiding in a plywood shed during an actual nuclear attack would not save us.
Not from a direct hit, anyway.
Well, his teachers all feel that it's important for him to feel safe at home.
And with you leaving again, I don't know But if we want him to feel safe, let's not encourage all this paranoia.
A boy his age should be out playing, not hiding in a shelter on a Saturday afternoon.
Come on! I'm timing us.
Every second counts.
Right, honey? Yeah.
- Got everything? - Yeah.
- Okay.
- Let's go.
Let's do this.
Let's go to the street first, and then the shelter.
QUINN: So according to the report, this guy described the same craft the witnesses on the plane saw.
[ENGINE SHUTS OFF.]
- Gentlemen.
- Allen Hynek.
- Dan Davis.
- Captain Quinn.
Spaceship killed all my hogs.
I had 20 healthy hogs the day before.
The morning after I see it, I came out to pour the feed, and - They all died the same night? - Yes, sir.
Thought I was gonna die just watching it hover up there.
Uh, you're saying that it was hovering now? I remember this strange smell in the air, too.
Witnesses on the plane described a cigar-shaped craft.
Maybe.
It was lit up.
Hard to tell.
The airport's not far from here.
I've lived here my entire life.
Seen planes fly over all the time.
This weren't no plane.
It's more like a rocket, huh? Yeah, more like a rocket.
Sir, thank you for your time.
Right.
Uh, thank you.
Yeah.
He is our only witness on the ground.
What makes you so sure we're done here? 'Cause I know what he saw.
I know where it came from.
And would you care to enlighten me? You know about Operation Paperclip, right? Government recruitment of German scientists after the war into the United States.
Huntsville, Alabama, to be exact.
Turned the whole town into a Bavarian village from what I heard.
It's not far from here.
You know what they're working on.
The space program.
That's the official story.
Wernher von Braun built a V-2 rocket that took out half of London.
He's the head of the whole thing.
I'd like to ask him a few questions about our UFO.
You think von Braun had something to do with this? Cigar-shaped craft that nearly takes out an airplane? Air base with former Nazis working on rockets? You're goddamn right I want to ask him a few questions.
[ENGINE STARTS.]
Hello.
I am Wernher von Braun, aerospace engineer.
As a young boy, I would often look up to the sky, trying to imagine what it would be like to travel beyond Earth.
Today, I'm proud to be heading up the American program that will one day take us to the moon.
It is an ambitious project, but one I believe will change the course of history.
Because going to the moon is not just about men conquering space.
It means understanding the mysteries of the universe.
And when we do that, we will better understand the greatest mystery of all ourselves.
So please, stay tuned.
There's so much more to discover.
- And cut! - [BELL RINGS.]
That was great, Professor.
But if I am to be the spokesperson for American space program, it needs to be better.
It need to be perfect.
Can we do it again? - Yeah.
- Thank you.
Professor von Braun, you have an urgent call.
Identification, please, sir.
What's he doing over there? Captain Michael Quinn.
Well, it's not like they were expecting us.
Sorry, gentlemen.
You don't have clearance to enter the base.
I'm a captain of the United States Air Force.
I understand that, sir.
However I Are you saying the Germans can come in and out of here all day, and I can't? It seems wrong to me, too, but there's nothing I can do.
If you could just let Professor von Braun know that we're here from Project Blue Book, and we simply want to ask a few What are you doing? [ENGINE REVS.]
Hey! Captain, what are you doing?! - Alert the CO.
- [SIREN WAILING.]
Got a security breach! Oh, my God.
Pull over! JOEL: But Nick's mom lets him ride his bike to school.
I know, honey, but you have to walk with the other kids.
The older boys pick on me.
What older boys? Joel, you just tell me who they are, and I will have a talk with them.
It's fine.
[SIGHS.]
Hey! Hey! I want to talk to you! Who are you, and why are you following me? - I'm not following you.
- Yes, you are.
You were at my house the other day.
It's very important that I speak to your husband.
What do you know about my husband? I met him at Fargo.
He's the only one that believed me.
About my song.
Is this about Allen's Allen's work? Is this about Blue Book? Look, your husband's in danger.
We're all in danger! These men are no threat.
Can we let them out, please? Mm-hmm.
It's okay, Brian.
I just got off the phone with General Harding.
Thankfully, he was able to shed some light on this whole unfortunate circumstance.
Captain Quinn, let me apologize for what happened at the gate.
Those men were just following orders.
Yeah, well, we both heard that before, haven't we? And you must be Dr.
Hynek.
Multi-frequency study of relativistic jets in active galactic nuclei.
You're familiar with my work.
I came across your article some years back during my research.
I found it revolutionary.
That's, uh not a lot of people read that article.
Surprising to me.
But then again, most men ahead of their time tend to be overlooked in the present.
So, we are here about the sighting.
The passengers who saw one of my rockets? Saw? It almost took down a plane full of American citizens.
Can you explain how that happened? How about I show you instead? VON BRAUN: So, this is just one of the few prototypes I'm hoping will someday take us to the moon.
Looks like a V-2, but modified.
Larger fuel cell, higher elevation.
An improved American version.
We don't call them V-2s anymore.
You can call 'em what you want.
We all know what they are.
[VISOR CLICKS.]
[MAN SPEAKS GERMAN.]
Gentlemen, I must stress again, no one outside the program has seen what you're about to see.
[SPEAKS GERMAN.]
The main capsule will reach the upper thermosphere before disengaging and returning to Earth, landing somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico.
So he says.
Since the incident with the plane, we are in touch with local air traffic control.
They will even hold flights for us, if need be.
Oh, well, they'd have to.
The gyroscope on that rocket's guidance system is only accurate to about 600 meters.
So now they give you the power to control civilian aircraft.
Captain, I understand your point of view here.
I do.
But if you want my help, a little courtesy will go a long way.
I just broke protocol to indulge your curiosity.
Curiosity? We're here regarding a national security issue.
As am I.
Defeating Russia in the space race is paramount to America's security in the world, which means my life is committed to protect yours now.
WAKEFIELD: Captain Quinn, sir.
There's an urgent phone call for you back at the base.
It's from the Pentagon.
[SNIFFS.]
Smell that? Refined kerosene.
You've managed to get the rocket's fuel to burn cleaner.
That's impressive.
I knew you would understand.
We have a witness on the ground not too far from here who describes something hovering over his property along the flight path your rockets use.
I assume your rockets don't hover yet.
Any astrophysicist knows the speed of a rocket and its distance from the ground could create the illusion of hovering.
It's a simple parallax equation.
You're familiar with that, yes? - Yes, of course.
- There you have your answer.
I wasn't kidding when I said I'm familiar with your work.
A man with your talents could lend a lot to our program.
So if you're ever looking for a partner who appreciates the capacity of your mind, please don't forget today.
Oh, there's little I forget, Professor.
Well, thank you, again.
You're always welcome back.
You kids have fun? Well, his rocket theory is a plausible one, but this notion of hovering? I don't know.
I'd have to make some calculations based on Case is closed.
That was Harding on the phone.
You're gonna have to catch a flight back from here.
Why? What's happening? To you, nothing.
I, on the other hand, have just been suspended upon further review for breaking onto a base and jeopardizing America's space program.
It's been fun, Doc.
[DOORBELL RINGS.]
[KNOCK ON DOOR.]
[SIGHS.]
Are you okay? I came as quick as I could.
Mimi.
[SNIFFLES.]
He really said that, "We're all in danger"? And then he just ran off.
You're sure it was the same guy? What did the police say? They'll try and send someone over.
That was an hour ago.
I could tell they thought I was crazy.
Well, you're not crazy.
I saw him, too, remember? Why can't you get ahold of Allen? Because he's in Alabama.
He gave me the number for his motel, but he hasn't checked in yet.
You don't think something happened to him, do you? Can't you call his office? Maybe they could get ahold of him.
No, he didn't give me the number.
This job is so top secret, I Mimi.
What exactly is Allen working on? We have to go.
Where? I need you to drive.
I can't concentrate.
Mimi, I'll drive.
But where are we going? Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
Allen is investigating flying saucers for the government, and I need to find out what the hell's going on.
Hello! Hello! What are you doing back here? Well, sorry to bother you, Mr.
Davis, but I still have a few questions I want to I I don't want any more trouble.
Well, you're not in any trouble.
Look, I said I'd keep my mouth shut so long as you got me back on my feet.
Has there been someone else here recently besides us? Wasn't you the ones that sent 'em? [PIGS OINKING.]
20 new hogs? You got me back on my feet again.
[PIGS OINKING.]
FAYE: He was supposed to catch a flight back two hours ago.
He never got on the plane.
Why not? Where is he? They couldn't say.
I told them to call if they heard That is not good enough.
I'm sorry.
Who are you? I'm the friend that Mrs.
Hynek called when this lunatic threatened her and her family.
The question is, what are you going to do about it now? Her young son is going to be home from school soon, and then what? I mean [BREATHING HEAVILY.]
Are you okay? This whole thing is just hitting me now.
It's so upsetting.
Is there a washroom? I just I need to put some cold water on my face.
It's just down the hall there.
Thank you.
I'm okay.
Just keep pressing her.
See what you can do.
- Are you sure? - Mm.
What about the motel he's staying at? Is there someone else that we can contact? I've called everyone I can call.
[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS.]
[CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING.]
Given the line of sight, the rocket couldn't possibly have been here.
It was here.
[MUSIC PLAYING ON JUKEBOX.]
[CONVERSATIONS IN GERMAN.]
Uh-oh.
Look out.
He found me.
Well, it wasn't exactly rocket science.
That supposed to be funny? I thought you'd be headed home by now.
Yeah, I was going to, but then I heard about this great bar where you can get drunk, feel sorry for yourself.
So, you know.
[LAUGHS.]
I thought I'd check it out.
Sooner I get back, the sooner I have to listen to Harding chew my ass out, so So, should we get another round, then? - Why not? - Excuse me.
Could he have another one, and I'll have a Macallan neat? What, you think you're the only one needs a drink after a long day? I did get offered a job, though.
Von Nazi? I hope you took it.
Somebody needs to keep an eye on him.
I went back and visited the farm.
I found these under the path Here you are, gentlemen.
Thank you.
Macallan for you.
And for you.
I found these under the flight path of the rocket.
You know what a parallax equation is? Okay, well, then you'll have to believe me when I tell you that von Braun was lying about the trajectory of that rocket.
And I think these circles are caused by the launch of some unknown propulsion force.
The grass is melted to the root as if heated from above.
You're gonna have to help me out here.
I been drinking since it was light out.
Okay, well, during the war, uh, it's rumored that Hitler was developing an alternate propulsion system.
Something that would give him the advantage over Allied aircraft.
- Prost! - Prost! Guess who was supposed to have been in charge of the program? Von Braun is hiding something on that base.
The question is, does anyone outside of Huntsville know or is his biggest secret his alone? [SLAMS TABLE.]
Now you want to see things my way, huh? [BELCHES.]
I'm sorry.
Sorry.
[SPEAKS GERMAN.]
You know what your problem is? You're so smart, you're dumb.
- Oh! - Hey! - Whoa! - Take it easy! - [SPEAKS GERMAN.]
- What'd you say? You're in America.
Speak English, assholes.
We are saying you're a drunken idiot, and you better get home before you get yourself hurt.
Oh, I like you.
I'm gonna save you for last.
QUINN: Hey.
It's gonna be all right.
Trust me.
How long do we have? 20 minutes till shift change.
What is going on here? Turns out, Private Wakefield shares my disdain for German war criminals serving in our military.
A few of the guys who've worked here just up and vanished.
Reassigned, they tell us.
But it just never sat right.
The chain of command you obey, but a fellow soldier is family.
So the fight, getting back onto the base, it was All a plan.
Except for you.
Private, thank you.
My pleasure, sir.
His office is right over there.
Be careful.
This is crazy.
We'll be imprisoned.
- You're welcome to leave.
- I can't let you do this again.
You ever see what 21,000 people look like after they've been starved? Just left in ditches like trash? I was one of the first to liberate Buchenwald, and I will never forget what I saw or what it taught me.
You want to kill a mass amount of people and keep it a secret? You hide it in plain sight.
Like maybe you tell the world you're going to the moon, and what you're really doing is building rockets to shoot down airplanes and take out cities.
If you want to go, you go.
What time does Joel get home? If If I'm not home after school, he's he's at Donna's next door.
He knows to wait there.
Do you have someplace else you could stay? You and Joel? Just until this gets settled? So you can feel safe? That's a good idea.
I'll take Joel to my mother's.
Before you go, call and give Faye that number so Allen can reach you.
[PARKING BRAKE CLICKS.]
Do you want me to come in? No, I'll just I'll pack my bag and go, but Thank you.
For everything.
Call me if you need anything.
I knew I could trust you.
[DOOR OPENS.]
[DOOR CLOSES.]
[LOCK CLICKS.]
[THUMP.]
Joel? You know what Harding told me? The Pentagon want to make him a TV star now, sell the public on the idea of space travel.
Well, yeah.
How do you make a Nazi look legitimate? Have Walt Disney give him his own special, beam him right to your living room.
[CHUCKLES.]
Doc, come here.
Joel? Shit.
I've flown just about everything with wings at some point.
I've never seen anything like these.
[AIR HISSES.]
Joel, honey? Honey, what are you Don't be afraid.
I'm I'm not here to hurt you.
I just I need to know the truth.
That's that's not human, right? [AIR HISSES.]
What's that? Change in stasis.
I bet someone's just been made aware.
[ALARM BLARING.]
All right.
We should get the hell out of here.
No.
Wait.
[CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS.]
You need to get closer to the glass.
Why? Need something in the foreground to give it scale.
QUINN: Foreground, my ass.
Come on, let's go.
Doc! [WATER DRIPPING.]
[SPEAKING RUSSIAN.]
FULLER: I'm not gonna hurt you.
Just [ PANTING.]
I need to know the truth, okay? Are you going on a trip? I'm just gonna see my mother.
I told you, Allen's not here.
That's because he doesn't really live here, does he? I said, it's because he doesn't really live here, does he? No, Allen is he's traveling.
He travels a lot.
That's bullshit.
I've been coming here for days, and Have you been trying to trick me? Trick you? No.
- No, I want to help you.
- Stop.
I want to help you if you could just tell me what you need.
Stop, stop, stop! The last time somebody told me they were gonna help me, I got this, okay? But I got out.
I got out.
You see, they don't think that I know, but I do.
I know who the bad men are.
Aah! - Aah! - [HIGH-PITCHED RINGING.]
Ugh.
Are you Are you okay? [TELEPHONE RINGING.]
Don't you dare! [RINGING CONTINUES.]
[LINE RINGING.]
My wife hasn't heard from me in almost two days.
Call her from the airport.
Shouldn't we call Harding first? We just found what is either advanced human experimentation or some sort of extraterrestrial creature.
I mean, if Harding isn't aware What if he is? What if we just discovered something that might get us both fired? - [STATIC BUZZING.]
- You hear that? This is how they communicate.
I haven't given them a name yet.
They're not from here.
They're from the other world.
It's okay.
They're here to help.
They told me so through the radio.
You hear that? It waited until we got the bomb.
Now they're here to save us from ourselves because we are not as evolved as they are.
We're not.
And if we're not careful, we can destroy the entire planet.
You really don't hear that? I don't.
I'm sorry.
I can't.
[SOBS.]
She's one of them.
Which makes you part of the problem.
SUSIE: Get away from her! I said back away.
Let's get out of here.
Oh, come on, go! Oh, shit! Reverse, reverse! Reverse! I'm sorry if that was a bit dramatic.
I'd hoped you realized these men work for me.
Your own private SS, right? For protection? But we saw that thing you're trying to protect.
Oh, you met Albert.
My rhesus monkey.
First one ever shot into space.
Made three rotations before it perished.
We keep him to study the effects of space on muscle tissue.
One day, we'll put a man up there, and his biology has been invaluable for our research.
So, when did you sneak into my office? All right, first off, you lying sack of shit, that was no goddamn monkey.
You really put a primate into space? That is That's incredible, Professor.
Thank you.
It was also top secret.
May I speak to you in private? VON BRAUN: I'm disappointed, Doctor.
After our last talk, I would have thought you'd come directly to me if you have any concerns.
Your parallax theory was a smokescreen.
What you described as hovering would have been impossible from a farmer's perspective, to say nothing of the passengers on the plane.
So, I did some math and went back out to the property.
And I found this.
These fell directly beneath the flight path of the rocket.
If, indeed, it was a rocket, which I doubt that it was.
So, I suppose you don't believe it was a monkey, either.
The parallax theory was less a smoke screen than an attempt to delay the inevitable.
The inevitable what? Limits of my own imagination.
I've seen these markings.
I heard about the sightings.
I can't explain it, either.
I know you went back to the farm.
I was hoping you'd find something.
Some explanation, something I missed.
You don't want that from me or from anyone else.
It's why you silenced the farmer with those pigs.
I'm not sure what you're referring to.
Lying comes so naturally to you now, doesn't it? You're not interested in real science.
You use it, yes, for your own political gain.
But I guess you're used to that.
You don't know me.
You don't get to question my intentions.
There is no question.
After what you did during the war, it makes sense you're gonna want to be liked now.
But you're not fooling me, Professor.
I see who you really are.
You still didn't ask why I'm here.
I got a call from your office.
It's about your wife.
My wife? What about her? My husband and I were mugged once in New York.
It scared us so much.
That's why we left the city.
Cal bought the gun after that.
He keeps it in the car because I refuse to let it in the house.
But how did you know to come in? I got home and thought, "She shouldn't be alone.
" When I came back, I saw what was going on, and I guess I I should thank you.
[CAR APPROACHING.]
General.
So, what can we expect to go wrong this time? I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.
No more propulsion tests in the woods.
We are ready to take her to full power now.
WAKEFIELD: I don't want to do this.
You're doing your country a great service, soldier.
I salute you.
Why is it so important to you that I rehire Quinn? Firing him would raise only more attention.
I'm glad you didn't.
And how exactly are you gonna cover our tracks? Give a man like Hynek a small victory, he'll never realize he lost the whole war.
Excuse me.
MAN: Clear the area! [MAN SPEAKS GERMAN.]
Whoa.
[GRUNTS.]
[PANTING.]
Move, move.
Come on.
Don't stop.
I [PANTING.]
No! [ENGINE POWERING UP.]
[SHOCK WAVE RUMBLES.]
Did it teleport? Disintegrate? I mean, what the hell just happened? It worked.
GIRL: [ECHOING.]
8, 1, 5, 4, 5, 6, 5, 9.