Meteor Page #2

Nobody else is coming.

- Lucas, Fillmore, Steinberg?

- I didn't ask them.

- Why not?

- You know why not

Because we don't need them!

You. You originated Hercules.

Out itout, Paul. I know how you feel.

- Dredging up old...

- I'm dredging up nothing.

- I can taste it right now.

- Now, look.

It wasn't my decision

to turn Hercules...

- Into what?

- Will you listen to me?

It wasn't designed as a nuclear weapon,

with 14 warheads pointed at Russia.

- Not only Russia.

- Or China. Whatever else!

Those rockets were supposed

to point outwards, not in!

They were meant to defend us

against the threat we're facing now.

- Didn't I yell at them?

- Yeah.

- Didn't I stand up for you?

- Yes.

Then listen to me!

Will you listen to me?

That meteor's five miles wide

and it's definitely gonna hit us!

It would make a hole big enough

to put the Atlantic in.

Sh*t Five miles.

Now walk out!

And General Adlon? Isn't he in charge?

Adlon's a good man, technically.

But he's two-dimensional.

You know that.

We've got to find a way

to move him out.

That's problem number one.

Problem number two,

there are about 100 guys

stupid enough to resist using Hercules

because of what

it would mean politically.

- What am I supposed to do?

- Help me ride over them.

OK you son of a b*tch. I'll help,

but i want it straight up and down.

You've got my word.

Those rockets have got to be realigned

and we've got exactly five days.

I hope no one has been so foolish

to contact the Russians about all this.

It would be inadvisable...

No one would think of doing that

without your approval, Mr Secretary.

You can be sure they know all

there is to know about the meteor.

They don't know

what we're planning to do.

What we're discussing.

I hope it's still discussion.

General Adlon, I assure you

that no decisions have been made.

That's what this meeting's

been called for, to decide what to do.

You're in charge of Project Hercules.

If the result of this meeting

is to make use...

There's nothing else.

The only thing we've got is Hercules.

Dammit Hercules is not up there either,

as far as anybody but we are concerned.

It's got to stay that way.

We have never admitted to Hercules.

- If we admit to it now...

- We have to!

You can't keep the whole world

in the dark about what's going on.

Once they know that a five-mile hunk

of rock is gonna hit at 30,000 mph,

people will want to know

whatwe intend to do about it.

You're gonna tell the entire world

we have nuclear rockets out there

in direct contradiction to every

international agreement we've ever made?

That's an invitation to being called

liars and warmongers by every...

It's

international murder if we don't!

What do you wantto do?

You want to meet it

with BB guns and slingshots?

Please! Gentlemen!

Dr Bradley, would you please

tell us what would happen

if this meteor struck us?

A massive rock, one mile wide,

travelling at 30,000 miles per hour,

would cause a crater 50 miles across

and five miles deep.

Orpheus is five miles wide.

Its striking force is equal to...

...2,500,000 megatons of TNT.

That is ten orders of magnitude

above the largest earthquake

ever recorded.

It would throw into the

atmosphere five billion tons of earth,

and reduce solar radiation

for decades to come.

It could cause another Ice Age.

What if the thing doesn't hit?

There's some chance.

- Every scientific facility...

- You have been wrong!

You were wrong

to send Challenger II off its course!

I don't have to listen to this!

Please!

You're out of order!

At ease, gentlemen.

Dr Bradley, where are you going?

I need air.

I don't give a damn what Russia says

about America or vice versa!

I told you what's gonna happen

when that meteor hits!

If you think you can prevent it

by burying your heads

under a blanket of sh*t fine.

If you reach a decision,

I'll be in the bar across the street.

I'll have to discuss this

at the White House.

In time,

because there's damn little time.

We are now

going to replay a recording

of a broadcast made

by them earlier today.

The British Cabinet met to discuss the

announcement by Jodrell Bank Observatory

that a piece of an asteroid

knocked out of orbit by a comet

is on possible collision course

with Earth.

In less than a week, this

giant object could strike our planet,

causing untold damage

and great loss of life.

The Prime Minister is in consultation

with the American President...

Put the game on!

...and volunteered every assistance

the government can give.

We consider it deplorable

that the American people

should he dependent on the BBC

to supply us with facts

that we have a right to know.

I consider it deplorable

I don't have a drink.

- Yes, sir?

- Scotch.

- A large one.

- A large one.

What happened?

They're calling the President.

What if he says no?

A couple of years ago,

my son, Andy, started to complain

about pains in his stomach.

All the junk food kids eat,

I wasn't a bit surprised.

But he kept on complaining.

I had a talk with Miriam

and we decided to take him to a doctor.

Just for an opinion, you understand.

Appendicitis, the doctor said.

Miriam said, "Let's wait till tomorrow.

The pain will go away. "

You know my Miriam. She can't

stand the thought of an operation.

That night when she went to bed,

she cried herself to sleep.

I went and picked him up

and took him to a hospital.

Six hours later his appendix was out,

he was feeling better,

and Miriam... Miriam was all smiles.

You get my point?

Yeah.

How do you sneak me into a position

where I can fire nuclear warheads

without Miriam knowng?

I'll do it,

if I can't do it any other way.

Is there a Mr Sherwood. here?

- Yeah, that's me.

- Telephone, right through there.

Thanks.

Mr Secretary, I'd rather not call back

I'd appreciate it if you held on.

Yes, Dr Bradley is checking out

the information to verify.

Yes, sir, I do think it's urgent.

- No, sir. Paul.

- In a minute.

It's coming up now, sir.

- What do I tell him?

- How good is his health?

- Confirmed?

- Confirmed. Hercules is light.

Mr Secretary, it's been confirmed.

So, what you're telling me is that...

...even if we admit to Hercules

and I give you my permission

to realign the rockets,

we still need more firepower?

More nuclear mega-tonnage?

More rockets?

That's right Mr President.

- Mr Secretary, do we have more rockets?

- Not in space, sir.

What are we supposed to do,

conjure them out of air?

Mr President, would you confirm

what I'm about to say?

The Russians have their own equivalent

of Hercules out in space.

True or not true?

True.

Mr President, we need

the combined power of theirs and ours.

- They'll never admit it

- We'll make them.

- How?

- General Adlon,

for the time being,

until this crisis is resolved,

I am putting Dr Bradley in charge

of Operation Hercules.

I rely on you to give him

every aid and assistance.

- I hope I'm public-spirited enough...

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