Fat Man and Little Boy Page #4

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to the Scientists by one run.

Dugan shakes it off.

Here's Merriman's pitch.

That's a hit.

Dugan digging for first base,

gonna go for two.

Look out. Here's the throw.

Safe at second base on a slide.

Apple scores.

That ties the game.

Yes?

Yes?!

Bad time?

The velocity's still presenting us

with something of a problem.

Who's this bimbo

you're running around with?

- What?

- Do I have to tell you?

I got it on the q.t.

from somebody who owes me.

What if the next guy

doesn't owe me?

Takes that kind of information

to the wrong guy?

That could be the end of you.

Could be the end of this project.

I don't understand you.

You think you're some kind

of bohemian or something.

Blind-sided.

I never expected to get

blind-sided like this.

And there it is.

A line drive.

Doctor, might I be of assistance?

What about me in all this?

This looks bad.

Reflects on me.

Reflects on my ability to choose men.

I was with this woman before

this project. This is not a new thing.

It's no matter.

I am not comfortable with the idea

that you could sink me.

This is someone that I care about.

She's a communist.

A communist.

Oh, my God.

It would be bad enough if she

were just some...

...sweet young thing from Indiana.

She's a card-carrying communist.

And your job, classified job. What do

I have to do, draw you a map?

Get on the phone, a secure line,

tell her...goodbye!

The pitch. It's a line drive!

It's out of there! It's gone!

Home run for Merriman.

Home run!

- It's all right, Bronson, we'll live.

- Yes, sir.

Well, that's it, folks,

Scientists win the game.

It's in your court.

Bridges, next time keep your head up.

All hail the conquering hero.

Pencil pushers defeat

the doughboys.

Robert!

- Frank.

- Good to see you, bro.

- Are we being followed or something?

- Don't joke.

I nearly asked you for your ID.

- That's ridiculous.

- Let's just leave as soon as we can.

They've been hounding me

for names of every person I've known

who had communist sympathies.

They monitor every move I make.

They listen to my phone conversations.

Why stay?

There's an order to it.

An order in some part of my life,

at least.

I'm sorry, I didn't get your message

till about 5.

I was still at the hospital, and I got

all whizzed up into a huge panic.

You look wonderful.

You look so serious.

What's the matter?

I don't have much time.

I have to go back tonight.

Tonight?

I cooked us dinner.

This can't be about dinner, Jean.

I didn't want to tell you

on the telephone.

And that's why I'm here tonight.

Is it because of what you're doing?

Fine.

We're going to spill the blood

before we get to the cocktails.

Jean?

Please...stay tonight.

Please.

Please.

Please.

Please.

What you're working on,

it's something bad, isn't it?

That's why you can't tell me.

I can't tell you

because it's a secret.

Tell me one good thing

that's a secret.

We were a good thing.

No, we weren't.

Not when you got married.

Give me up for something

I can understand.

Your wife or your child

or your conscience,

something alive.

Not something

that you have to hide.

Robert.

Oh, Robert, I dreamt you'd gone.

So that's what the silences were.

No letters, no contact.

I thought it was me,

something I'd done.

- I've told you it has nothing to do...

- Yes, but you didn't tell me...

What is it you're working on?

What is so important?

That's right. It is important.

So don't be so goddamn arrogant.

Is it arrogant to want

to know where you are?

What's happening to you? To want

to be close to you? To understand?

This was the man I loved.

I loved his dreams.

I loved what he saw but couldn't prove.

I loved the goodness in him.

He was my proof that the world

could be made better.

And if he's dead, I don't want to live.

The world is...different.

It's just not what we

wanted it to be.

It's just not.

You mattered to me so much.

You really did.

She told me that I had

a penchant for destruction.

That I'd lost faith.

Is she wrong?

No.

She's not wrong.

When this war's over, I want

to ride the mesa for six months.

No deadlines.

Nothing.

Thanks, Frank.

He just kissed his brother.

Gotta be a communist.

Set that over there.

Look at it, Oppie, it's twisted.

It's got to be flat.

I think implosion's nothing but a pipe

dream. I'm sorry I thought of it.

I can't do it.

Oppie, some way I have to focus...

I have to focus the shock waves.

Look at me!

God, I'm running out of ideas.

That's an excuse for not thinking.

If you can't, I'll find somebody else.

Oppie? Serber needs

you back at the lab right now.

- Oppie?

- You said it yourself.

Focus. Somebody's working on a way

to focus an explosive shock wave.

- I'm gonna find him. Keep working.

- Jesus!

You know, if Oppie doesn't let up,

he's going to implode.

Inside. Inside.

Good news is the new plutonium

makes lots of neutrons.

But the bad news is the spontaneous

fission rate is way too high.

The reaction will run away with itself.

There will just be a fizzle.

- No explosion.

- You're certain of that, Edward?

- Who did the calculations?

- Serber.

- Himself?

- Serber, personally.

So now plutonium is a problem. That

shifts the emphasis back to U-235.

Of course, Oak Ridge is not able

to produce that in sufficient quantity.

We must go with implosion, but

Neddermeyer has just announced to me

that he and implosion

have just reached a brick wall.

We can't fall behind.

Are you all right, Oppie?

You have a deadline to meet.

Banked almost a billion dollars on you

guys. That's not working on the cheap.

Only thing I want to hear is, ''Yes, sir.''

Don't talk to me like I haven't given

eight days a week to this project.

I've given up everything.

Don't... Don't give me that.

I don't want to hear

that from the...

I've given up everything.

You know exactly

what I'm talking about.

I don't give a goddamn

that travel was restricted.

It had to be done face to face,

and that's the way I did it.

Latest news

from the fighting front.

American armies are pushing the

Germans back on their own territory.

But fighting is desperate.

The Germans are building up

for a massive counter thrust.

Though the Allies are determined

to hold this new front...

Who's the Lone Ranger?

Explosives wiz.

I don't know about Tonto.

Neddermeyer gave up

on his explosion that goes in.

Not Oppie, though.

He brought in two explosive

experts from the outside.

We struggle on here

in our isolation.

And sometimes the war

seems a long way away.

You want a ride, doc?

Hey, Seth. When did you

get your driver's license?

- You come to see the boys at play?

- Yes.

- Oh, bad news, beautiful.

- Oh, no.

I'm not gonna be able to make

that movie tonight.

I can join you both for a drink.

It would make you happy.

- Sound good?

- Perfect.

Right, right.

Well, I promised the monkey

we'd be cutting a rug anyway.

It's just as well.

Michael, what's wrong with you?

Do you see much of him?

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