Phase IV Page #3

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Well, you saw how

they disabled the truck.

Listen, Hubbs,

I came down here

to get in a couple of weeks

of science in the sun,

I did not sign up for a war

against a bunch of goddamn ants.

And furthermore, why the hell

did you leave the truck

out there in the first place?

Bait.

Bait?

Well, I had to get them

to attack us, didn't I?

They're rather intelligent,

you know.

I thought you'd observed that

geometric pattern in the field?

You mean you saw it?

Of course I did.

Why didn't you say something?

Why didn't you?

Well, I didn't think you were

smart enough to appreciate it.

With all your high class

bug talk.

I was afraid that

you'd be terrified and run away,

and I need you.

Well, you're right about that.

When's the helicopter coming?

James,

we are faced with a power

that has appeared

and is exerting itself.

We have the opportunity

to study it,

to learn from it, to teach it

its limitations.

We can, in a word,

educate it.

You said you called.

We can try the blue, of course,

but they'd only readapt again.

So we have to consider

other alternatives.

You mean you didn't call?

It is absolutely vital that

we give them the opportunity

to try their strength

against ours,

and learn from its consequences.

I'm gonna call in, hubbs.

And I'm gonna tell them not only

to take that girl out of here,

I'm gonna tell them to take me

out of here too.

You wanna call?

You're just as fascinated

by this challenge as I am.

Ah!

We're cut off.

Then our success

will be all the sweeter.

Sunday, one o'clock,

the battle is on,

lesko is preparing

the counteraction

I have indicated.

The air conditioner

is being adjusted

to take account

of the temperature rise.

Human beings can exist

in temperatures of 120 degrees

or higher.

But our computer shuts down

at 90.

Kendra?

You wanna see

what we're doing?

Come on, I'll show you,

it's interesting.

The name of the game today

is king of the hill.

You see over there?

Now we wanna knock them down

before they burn us out, okay?

What's that?

White sound.

That's every sound in the world

all pushed together

to make one really

terrific noise

which we're broadcasting

to those mounds out there.

And that's what it looks like

as we send it out.

Okay?

Now when that sound

gets out to those mounds,

it bounces right back here

and winds up down there.

Good.

Something's missing.

One of the sounds we sent out

didn't come back.

Now let's just see if we can

find out what that sound is.

There it is.

Now that's the sound we're gonna

broadcast to those mounds.

And when we do, interesting

things better happen.

If you think that's loud for us

think about how those ants

are gonna feel.

That'll do it.

They're going crazy.

James?

James?

Damn air conditioner.

I'm afraid I'm feeling rather--

ow!

It's on fire.

Get away from it.

Get out of the way.

I just... I can't believe it.

To know our plans,

our strength,

our weaknesses.

Even the one machine

that everything else depends on.

How could they know?

This is impossible.

They knew.

I am choosing one of

my less painful moments

to record these notes.

Our equipment

only functions now

for a few hours at night.

Lesko believes

we're being allowed this time

for some purpose.

A hypothesis, I do not share.

If this were so

it would raise questions

I had not considered.

"Transfer to..."

"Nag tape unit three."

"Go straight six units."

"Right 120 degrees"

"four units."

"Right 60 degrees"

"four units."

"Right 120 degrees"

"six units."

What are you doing?

What are you doing?

I'm doing something my way.

I'm sending a message

to the ants.

Yes, I've been thinking

about that.

The conditioning process

must be working.

But they're not all affected

as yet.

They must be informed

of their losses

and their suffering

so they can draw

the appropriate conclusions.

Where is your message?

On the plotter.

This is no message.

Mathematics is

the universal language

among intelligent creatures.

If there's an intelligence there

I want it to know

there's an intelligence here.

Go away.

Please go away.

Hubbs:
We're reviewing data.

Previous analysis show...

Do you wanna drink this?

Analysis...

What?

Clear, they failed to achieve

a...

They will learn

we've made up our mind.

How did they know?

How did they know?

You!

Kendra:
Jim! Jim!

Jim:
What's going on

back there?

Hubbs. Hubbs.

Come on, come on.

I am not helpless,

I will not be humiliated.

Got him!

I'm sorry.

Come on, come on.

Could you hold me

for a minute?

James?

James?

If I was irrational during

the heat of the day,

I apologize.

Why don't they kill us?

Why roast us in here all day,

dare us to come out at night?

Why play these games?

What do they want?

I've been thinking about

specialization

among certain insects.

Take it easy.

Try to get some sleep.

In every ant colony...

Workers, winged males

and the queen.

Ants are organized

by the queen.

Keeping her alive.

She's the heart and soul

of their lives.

She's at the centre.

It is she who speaks.

If she died,

discipline, organization

would crumble.

The war's over, hubbs.

They have the power.

Only hope now is if they answer

our message in the morning.

Convince them

we're worth keeping alive.

I think I could locate the queen

and kill her.

Lock the tracker onto her voice

when she speaks.

What makes you think

she'd speak to you?

What is it?

Th--the--the--

lights.

Ha-ha, it's just a...

Bare in mind

we still have our hard suits.

Yeah, two of them.

They're sending back my message.

Hubbs, there's more.

What does it mean?

What the hell does it mean?

A circle with a dot.

Now I know how a rat feels

in a maze.

Rats in a maze.

It's almost like

a controlled experiment

in which we are the subjects.

Find out which rat

is the smartest.

The strongest.

An intelligence test.

Could the circle be this place?

And what does the dot represent?

Could the dot be a person?

Someone they want.

Who could they want?

They want somebody?

I think so.

But why would they want

somebody?

To talk to them.

You mean they...

They might be angry at someone

who did them some harm?

What would they do

with that person?

I don't know.

Would they let the others

go free?

James.

Come here.

I believe

I've located the queen.

She's in there.

Oh, sweet to walk

In the pilgrims way

Leaning on

the everlasting arms

Oh, how bright the path

Grows from day to day

Leaning on the everla--

Where are the grenades?

Used up when you destroyed

the towers.

All of them?

Then we must devise

something else.

James, please I...

My boots I...

Would you please,

I can't...

You're gonna walk out of here?

Trek miles through the desert?

Destroy a colony full of

poisonous ants

and a deadly queen?

You can't even

get your boots on.

Come on,Hubbs, sit down.

What we're gonna do

is send another message.

You must go!

You must show them

we will not...

Man will not give in.

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