Fail-Safe Page #9

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Final.

Like he's made up his mind.

In a few minutes,

the bombs may be falling.

I have brought our forces

to a condition of full readiness.

Unless we can satisfy one another,

I must release those forces.

What do you propose,

Mr. President?

Do your people think there is still

a chance of bringing down the bombers?

There is always a chance.

But I'm asking you,

what if they cannot?

What will you do?

Have you made a decision?

Yes.

It's my decision,

and I take full responsibility.

Mr. Swenson...

are you on the line?

Yes, Mr. President.

- General Bogan?

- Yes, sir.

This is what will happen if even one

of the bombers gets through.

It will drop two

20-megaton bombs on Moscow.

- Jay?

- Yes, Mr. President?

You might hear

the sound of the engines...

just before the bombs drop,

maybe not.

In any case, you'll hear

the defensive missiles going off.

Right after that,

the bombs will explode.

I'm told that what we will hear

at this end...

will be a high, shrill sound.

That will be

the ambassador's phone...

melting from the heat

of the fireball.

When we hear that sound...

the ambassador will be dead.

You understand,

Mr. Ambassador...

you're to stay

exactly where you are.

Yes, Mr. President.

He's got to attack.

Is this your proposal?

To sacrifice one American

for five million Russians?

No, no, listen to me!

I've ordered a Vindicator bomber

into the air from Washington.

In a few minutes, it will be

flying over New York City.

It is carrying two

20-megaton bombs.

The moment I know

that Moscow has been hit...

I will order that plane

to drop its bombs.

It will use the Empire State Building

for ground zero.

When we hear the shriek

of Mr. Lentov's phone melting...

we will know that he is gone...

and with him, New York.

Holy Mother of God.

No.

He can't do it.

What else can he do?

I don't know any other way,

Mr. Chairman, unless...

unless you feel

the offer itself is enough.

Showing our intentions.

Would you think it enough?

If Russian bombers

were flying against New York...

could you accept

only my good intentions?

No.

I believe

this was an accident.

But I also believe

your action...

is the only way out.

I ask you to believe

I wish it were not so.

Yes.

We can still hope

I won't have to take that action.

How close to target?

Fourteen minutes, sir.

How many planes left?

Just us and number six.

Flynn.

Still here, Grady.

What's your condition?

Slight wing damage

from ordinary flak. Thats all.

Speed down to 1350.

Drag even.

How many decoys

do you have left?

How many do you need?

Well, I got the bombs.

You don't.

I want you to take some

of those fighters off my tail.

- Will do.

- Billy?

Yeah?

I depend on you.

General Bogan, can you

explain this maneuver?

One of your planes

has just appeared again.

It's standard procedure,

Marshal Nevsky.

That's our number six plane,

the decoy plane.

It's trying to draw your fighters

away from our other plane...

carrying the bombs.

I see.

It carries only defensive equipment.

You don't have to worry about it.

Thank you. We shall try

for a kill in any case.

You'll scatter your forces.

You don't have time for that.

I tell you, it doesn't carry any bombs.

You don't have to worry about it!

You're letting

our other plane get through!

I told you!

There has been a...

Marshal Nevsky has collapsed.

It appears...

Well, I dont know.

General Koniev

is now in command.

Bogan, what's happened?

Marshal Nevsky sent his fighters

after a plane that carried no bombs.

That means our number one plane

will almost certainly get through.

The marshal realized that.

It was too much for him.

General Bogan,

this is General Koniev.

Do you have the remaining plane

on your screen?

No, sir, we do not.

We cannot see it on our radar,

and it is flying so fast...

our anti-aircraft is useless.

I must assume

the plane will get through.

- Yes.

- I intend to focus...

all our remaining rockets

on the estimated path of the plane...

and fire them all off at once.

Our hope is to setup

a thermonuclear barrier...

that nothing can penetrate.

That might work.

It's worth a chance.

You speak English

very well, General.

I was liaison to your headquarters

in London during the war.

I was stationed

right outside of London.

Yes, I know.

With the 8th Air Force.

Did you like London?

Very much.

So did I.

The great cities are those

where one can walk.

I would walk

all the time in London.

Wherever you turn,

there's history.

General, are you in Moscow now?

No.

I was ordered to leave.

Is your...

It's a hard day.

Yes, a hard day.

Good-bye, my friend.

Good-bye, my friend.

- Colonel Grady, sir.

- What is it, Thomas?

The infrared indicator...

shows a large number of ground-to-air

rockets ignited ahead of us.

They should show on the scope soon.

What do you know

about those rockets?

They're no different

from ours, sir.

Designed to home in

on heat-producing engines...

like an airplane.

They can't be aiming at us. We're

too low. They'd blow themselves up.

What are they doing

with them?

- General Bogan?

- Yes.

They found Mrs. Grady.

She's standing by.

Mr. President.

- We have Grady's wife.

- Can we get through to him?

If he follows procedure, he'll contact

us when he within range of the target.

Those are his orders so that we know

how to evaluate the strike.

- He's been following orders so far.

- Yes, sir.

Keep your fingers crossed.

- Thomas.

- Yes, sir.

Would their rockets

follow missiles too?

I don't see why not.

A missile produces heat.

I think I know

what they're gonna do.

Explode the rockets on top of us,

hope to knock us down with a blast.

They can do it too. How many

air-to-air missiles are left?

Two.

The minute you see those rockets

ignite on the scope...

you fire our missiles and guide them

for maximum elevation straight up.

Straight up.

Yeah. Maybe their rockets

will follow the missiles...

explode too high to hurt us.

Yes, sir.

Colonel Grady, we're in range.

We have to report in.

Watch that scope.

Ultimate One,

this is Turkey One.

- Can you hear me?

- Grady, this is General Bogan.

Keep receiving no matter what you hear.

Do you understand? Keep receiving.

Jack.

This is Helen.

It's Helen.

Do you recognize my voice?

It's not a trick.

It's me.

Jack, you must turn back.

You mustn't drop those bombs.

- Do you hear me?

- Is it really your wife?

They've started their rockets.

Fire one.

Do you hear what I'm saying?

Fire two.

Keep them at least 2,500 feet

above the rockets.

- Yes, sir.

- Jack...

There's no war!

We're fine!

You must turn back!

They're at 18,000.

- Go! Go!

- Nineteen.

- 20,000 feet.

- The rockets are following them!

Boost them as much as you can.

The higher, the better.

I've never lied to you, have I?

- 50,000.

- I couldn't, no matter what.

You've got to believe me!

80,000 feet.

Ninety. A hundred.

- They're slowing down.

- 130,000. 140,000.

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