2010: The Year We Make Contact Page #7

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You must leave within two days.

What?

Do you want me to repeat the message,

Dr. Floyd?

-Who recorded it?

-This is not a recording.

-Who's sending it?

-There is no identification.

-I don't understand.

-Neither do I.

-Is this message by voice or keyboard?

-I don't know.

My response is:

We don't have enough fuel

for an earlier departure.

The answer is:

I'm aware of these facts.

Nevertheless, you must leave

within two days.

-HAL, who the hell is sending this?

-I'm sorry, Dr. Floyd. I don't know.

Well, tell whoever it is

that I can't take any of this seriously...

...unless I know who I'm talking to.

-Dr. Floyd?

-Yes?

The response is:

I was David Bowman.

Do you want me to repeat

the last response?

No, no.

Tell Curnow that this is no time for jokes.

Dr. Curnow is not sending the message.

He is in Accessway 2.

Well, tell whoever it is that...

...I can't accept that identification

without proof.

The response is:
I understand.

It is important that you believe me.

Look behind you.

[IN COMPUTERIZED VOICE]

Hello, Dr. Floyd.

Please...

...believe me.

What are you?

This is very difficult for me.

I don't have much time.

I've been allowed

to give you this warning.

You must leave here in two days.

Allowed.

-By who?

-I can't explain.

You see, something is going to happen.

You must leave.

What?

What's going to happen?

Something wonderful.

What?

I understand how you feel.

You see, it's all very clear to me now.

The whole thing.

It's wonderful.

-Please, if--

-[IN NORMAL VOICE] Goodbye, Dr. Floyd.

We can have no further contact.

Remember:

You have two days.

We can't leave in two days.

There may be another message after

if all goes well.

What's going to happen?

KIRBUK [OVER RADIO]: Kirbuk.

FLOYD:
This is Floyd. I'm coming over.

Anyone on the Bridge, tell them get lost.

KIRBUK:
It's impossible.

You heard the orders. You can't.

FLOYD:

You want to arrest me, go ahead...

...because I'm coming over

and we're gonna talk.

-You wanna put the cuffs on?

-Cuffs?

-Never mind.

-What is so important that you do this?

Now, listen to me. Just listen to me.

We gotta get out of here.

We have to leave in two days.

What are you talking about?

Something....

Something extraordinary

is going to happen.

I don't know what.

But we have to initiate an escape launch

in two days.

You have been drinking

your whiskey from Kentucky.

Oh, I wish I had.

I can't tell you

why I know what I know...

...because if I told you you'd

never believe me. I'd never believe me.

You simply have to trust me.

Now, I know that trust doesn't come easy

with what's going on.

I can't just order us to leave here for no

reason. I am under orders and so are you.

The hell with those orders.

The people who gave those orders

don't know what they're doing.

-This is crazy.

-You bet it is.

Even if I should trust you,

which I'm not sure that I do...

...or even if I should want to leave here

for no reason, I can't, and neither can you.

We don't have enough fuel

until Earth is in the correct position...

...which is three weeks away.

So it's impossible for both of us.

You're wrong. We can't do it separately.

We can do it together.

Well, what are you talking about now?

We have enough fuel in Discovery

for a launch.

You have enough fuel in the Leonov

for the trip home.

We use the docking ring in the Leonov

to attach to the Discovery.

Then we use the Discovery

as a booster rocket for the launch.

When we use up the Discovery's fuel,

we detach.

She falls away and we use the Leonov

for the trip home. It'll work.

-Perhaps.

-If we start now.

No, you-- You ask too much of me.

I can't do all of these things

with no reason.

I can't disobey my country for no reason.

Forget reason. No time to be reasonable.

The politicians can go screw themselves.

We're not playing games. The war is over.

Good Christ.

It's-- It's gone.

[MOISEVITCH SPEAKING IN RUSSIAN

OVER TRANSMISSION]

MILSON [OVER TRANSMISSION]:

Message from Milson to Floyd. Top secret.

Switching to keys

alpha-slash-leader-7274, on your mark.

Mark.

Dr. Curnow asked ground

to furnish him with data...

...as to the stress points on Discovery.

The answers are being transmitted binary

in 15 minutes.

As to how much torque

it was designed to take, no one is sure.

We'd like to know the reason

for Curnow's request.

Please send your reply as soon as possible.

End transmission, Milson 2779.

Message from Milson to Floyd.

It's been 12 hours since my request

for information. I need a reply.

All hell is breaking loose down here.

I have enough problems

without you pulling some kind of a stunt.

I only hope there's a world left

for you to return to.

Report to ground as to what is going on

and make that report immediately.

And while you're at it, could you please...

...check out a black spot on Jupiter that

has been detected by satellite telescope.

It is on the dark side and should be coming

around your way in about four hours.

End transmission, Milson 2780.

ORLOV:

I have made the calculations.

To get enough velocity for an escape launch

with Earth that far out of position...

...we will need a full power burn

from Discovery of over 120 seconds.

If the engines shut down too early...

...we will not have enough velocity

to get back home.

Well, Discovery has enough onboard.

HAL should be able

to control the burn, right?

How long will it take you to program HAL

for the launch?

CHANDRA:

I....

I don't know. It's not as simple as that.

I have spent the last several weeks

programming HAL...

...for a 1000-day orbit back to Earth...

...and now all those programs will have

to be dumped.

How long will it take?

We know how sensitive he is to mission

objectives and now you are telling me...

...to program him for the destruction of the

Discovery as well as his own destruction.

Has anybody considered his reaction?

Are you saying that he might

disobey orders as he did the last time?

That isn't what happened. He was given

conflicting orders and he did his best.

Then what are you saying?

I am saying

that I don't know how he will react.

I'm sorry, but I don't.

-Have you discussed this with HAL?

-No.

Load the new program.

We don't have any choice.

Now remember,

he was programmed for curiosity.

If the crew was killed, he was capable

of carrying out the mission on his own.

He will question me

about the change in plans.

-What do you want me to tell him?

-Tell him Discovery's in no danger.

-That's not true.

CURNOW:
We don't know that.

He will suspect it. Otherwise, why would

we be leaving ahead of our launch window?

Whether we are based on carbon or silicon

makes no fundamental difference.

We should each be treated

with respect.

So our choice is him or us?

Well, I vote us.

All opposed?

The ayes have it.

Will he believe you?

Yes.

Then let's get started.

We haven't got much time.

-Are you as scared as I am?

-You kidding?

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