Atlas Shrugged: Part III

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This is a story that begins

on a warm spring night...

at a meeting of the 20th

Century Motors employees.

It was a night

I'll never forget.

When the owner of the company

died, his children took over...

and brought in a new plan

to run the factory.

The plan was that everybody would

work as hard as they could,

but share in their salaries

and the profit based on need...

That is, those who claimed

they needed the money most...

were the ones

who got paid the most.

This is a crucial moment

in the history of this company.

Now remember, each of us

now belongs to the other...

by the moral law we all voted

for and we all accept.

I don't.

I don't accept it.

His words caused confusion,

but he stood there like a man

who knew he was right.

And I'm going to put a stop

to this once and for all.

How?

I'll stop

the motor of the world.

Who is that guy?

And with those words,

he was gone.

In the 12 years that followed, lights

went out in the great factories...

which had stood as solid

as oak trees for generations.

Their gates closed as if some silent power

had turned them into lifeless shells.

The world was quietly crumbling

with no end in sight.

The high seas

weren't safe anymore.

Cargo no longer reached

its destination.

Shortages grounded airlines and it

was too expensive for most to drive.

Regulations strangled the production

of coal, gas, oil and nuclear power.

Power outages were frequent because

no copper was available...

to maintain

the transmission lines.

Taggart Transcontinental, the

largest railroad in the country,

was one of the few things

still operating.

We began to wonder, we began to

talk about what he'd said...

and thought maybe

he'd kept his word...

That perhaps he had stopped

the motor of the world.

Some even tried to look for him, but

he had vanished without a trace,

and so had

a lot of other people.

We wondered what sort of impossible

power he had to keep his promise.

All the best and the brightest seemed

to be disappearing without explanation.

Perhaps people kept asking

the question...

because they knew something had

gone missing from the world.

Perhaps this is why

we began to say it.

We couldn't help but think

of the young lab engineer...

who said he would stop

the motor of the world.

You see, his name was...

Who is John Galt?

John Galt.

Don't... Don't move.

Miss Taggart, you're hurt.

- You know me.

- For many years.

- Do I know you?

- I think you do.

- What is your name?

- John Galt.

Your name is John Galt?

Why does that frighten you?

Because I believe you.

Was it you I was following?

Yes.

Where's your plane?

It's...

It's on the landing strip.

Landing strip?

On the other side of the valley.

There was no...

There was nothing.

Look. Closely.

You see that refracted image?

It's to keep out the uninvited.

I'll call Doc Hendricks.

See what you can do.

Right.

Hey, Doc.

Yeah, it's the plane.

Dagny. Are you all right?

Is that Dr. Akston?

Well, thank goodness for that.

I saved what I could

from the wreck.

The last time I saw you, I told

you you would never find him...

- and now here you are in his arms.

- In whose arms?

The man you were looking for...

My philosophy student.

The man who invented the motor.

You invented the motor?

You're lucky

you didn't break your neck.

- Is she all right?

- Appears to be.

Well, we didn't plan for this.

She'll be my responsibility.

Where are we?

Mulligan's Valley.

Midas!

- That was quite a stunt, Dagny.

- What are you doing here?

I saw your plane.

I never imagined

it was being piloted...

by one of only two people

still missing from this valley.

Who's the other?

Hank Rearden, of course.

Glad you're in one piece.

Doc Hendricks will meet you.

If she's up for it, bring

her by my house tonight.

I'll arrange something.

- Your house?

- Mine, yeah.

All right.

Nice and easy.

Hi, Dagny.

I am Dr. Thomas Hendricks.

- May I have a look at your injuries?

- The neurosurgeon?

Yes. But here in the valley, I

practice other medicine as well.

Okay. This will only take

a second.

It's a diagnostic device I

developed here in Atlantis.

Every doctor should have one.

It's amazing what can be

accomplished without red tape.

Okay. Good news.

Nothing serious.

Sprained ankle,

some bruised ribs.

No sign of a concussion.

So, I would like you to stay off your

feet for a few days and get some rest.

Call me if you have

any questions.

- Thank you, Doctor.

- You're welcome.

Send me the bill.

Absolutely not. No, I...

I will pay for this myself.

- We'll discuss that later.

- Our first trespasser.

- Thank you, Doctor.

- All right.

So you invented the motor?

Let's get you to your room.

- I can walk.

- I know.

Here we are.

- Am I a guest or a prisoner?

- Well, that choice is yours.

How can I make that choice when

I'm dealing with a stranger?

But you're not.

Didn't you name the John

Galt line after me?

Yes, I did. But I named it

after my enemy.

Well, that's the contradiction you're

going to have to figure out...

sooner or later.

It was you, wasn't it?

You destroyed my line.

- You're the destroyer.

- Get some rest.

Midas invited us to dinner.

There will be some people there

looking forward to seeing you.

Why should I trust you?

The world crisis was worsening.

And as the head of state announced

that he would address the nation,

word was spreading quickly

that another giant of industry,

Dagny Taggart, had gone missing.

Meanwhile, the government

again increased its reward...

for the capture of pirate

Ragnar Danneskold.

Dagny. For a woman that just fell out

of the sky, you look pretty damn good.

Thank you, Midas.

And you... you look just the same.

Come on in.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Taggart Transcontinental.

Hear, hear!

Dagny, it's wonderful

to have you here.

Enjoy the evening.

Thank you, Rebecca.

Everyone here has a story.

- Is that Kay Ludlow?

- Straight from Hollywood.

How did you get here, Midas?

Me? I made my fortune lending people money

to buy houses and build businesses,

and I only loaned to those people

I was confident could repay me.

Sure.

They called me heartless,

which I could live with.

But when they forced me to give loans

to people who could never pay me back,

I got the hell out.

Come. You must be hungry.

When the politicians started

making medical decisions for me,

I decided I couldn't

be a party to it anymore.

Here in this valley, I treat my patients

using my professional judgment,

not some political directive.

Dagny, we are on strike.

What happened to Midas,

what happened to Doc,

it happened to each of us.

No man belongs

to another, Dagny.

But there are those in power who

would have you think otherwise.

We honor charity

and benevolence,

but it must be provided

on the giver's terms...

Voluntarily, and not by force.

The powerful try to make us

feel guilty for our success.

And we are guilty... guilty

for sacrificing ourselves...

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