Skybound Page #5

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before we found him.

Down there it's easy to

infuse the air cycle machine

with any sort of

foreign substance.

But just why would I

do that?

The air cycle machine?

Well, planes create

an artificial pressure

and temperature environment,

otherwise people

wouldn't be able to survive

at such a high altitude.

Think of the whole cabin

as a giant oxygen tank

we all breathe from.

It's true.

I read about similar

experiments

with hallucinogenic drugs

on airplanes.

I heard enough.

Hey, what are you doing

with that?

- I need those!

- Odin, what are you doing?

So much for your goddamn

drugs, you piece of sh*t.

[water rushing]

You just signed

my death warrant.

Are you out of your mind?

Don't worry Kyle,

he won't die.

What Matt described

makes perfect sense.

These must have been

the drugs we read about.

Just how can you be sure

of that?

You might have killed

the man.

He might have killed you!

[somber music]

All I wanted to do was

cross the border to Mexico.

Just cross the border.

Hey!

Hey.

Don't fall asleep.

[panting]

He's going into a coma.

Can't we give him some sweets

or something with sugar

in case he didn't lie about

his condition?

No, not while someone's

unconscious.

Things can't be changed

anymore.

Here's what we do.

We exchange our cabin air,

now,

before we try to land under the

possible influence of drugs.

To be on the safe side.

Exchange the air.

That's it, man.

We'd have to release

the cabin pressure

and open the emergency

exit at the same time.

We'd have to descend

significantly for that.

So?

The turbulence is gone.

I mean, if there ever were

was any in the first place.

Kyle, you'll be the pilot.

Odin and I will open

the emergency exit.

Everyone else...

fasten your seat belts.

All right,

ready when you are.

Okay,

put it around your waist.

Like this, see?

This way we won't be sucked

out or something, right?

Well, at this altitude

we won't anyway.

It'll only be windy,

very windy.

Okay, ladies, listen up.

Just try breathing normally,

okay?

Okay, here we go.

Kyle?

[intense suspenseful music]

[air whooshing]

Let's bring it in.

Now!

[wind howling]

[dramatic vocalization]

Why is the snow... hot?

[labored breathing]

It's probably

just withdrawal symptoms.

I experienced

something similar once.

This is not snow!

It's ash!

[watch beeping]

He's dead.

[softly] What?

It's just like

a diabetic shock, he...

He might've been telling

the truth all along, I...

Come.

[suspenseful music]

[intense dramatic

build-up]

What... is this?

A nuclear explosion.

But... couldn't this still be

a hallucination from the drugs?

No.

I don't think so.

We're at war.

[ominous chords]

You think the aluminum hull

could protect us from

radioactivity?

I don't know.

Maybe.

What do you mean,

radioactivity?

My cousin lives in Denver.

That's not far from here.

I wanna land right now.

I wanna talk to her.

I said land!

Land this plane,

God damn it!

I wanna talk to my family.

Your cousin's dead,

Roxy!

Dead, along with everyone

else within hundreds of miles.

And we'll die too if we

even set foot on the ground.

How can you be sure?

You're not an expert, Matt.

How can you even be sure

it's a nuclear explosion

and not a hydrogen bomb

or whatever?

That's a nuclear bomb

too.

It even explains

the random failure

of our electronic devices,

doesn't it?

I mean, a blast like that

sends out

electromagnetic pulses

that could burst

sensitive equipment, right?

No chance.

We were too far away.

What if this isn't

the only one?

That green glow sure looked

like what we saw underneath

the clouds in Kansas,

and before even.

They say that in

a nuclear explosion,

everything inflames like

paper within seconds.

For miles and miles and miles.

Right, but there was

nothing in flames

in Chicago, was there?

No, but the radioactivity

could've extended there.

Maybe that's why no one

wanted to land.

We're still close enough.

I'm tired of this mystery.

I'm gonna find out what's going

on in the ground right now.

[tense music]

My God.

[dramatic orchestration]

[bison roaring]

[cell phone

playing tune]

What is that?

It's my cell.

I put it back in my bag.

[tune continues]

Hello?

Lisa, sweetheart!

Dad!

Oh, thank God

that you're alive.

I've been trying to reach you

for hours.

Where are you?

I'm onboard an airplane

with some friends.

I... We were on our way to L.A.

Dad, you have to tell us.

There's been nuclear attacks,

right?

I mean, we've got almost

no information up here.

Yes, Lisa, there have.

The Continental United States

was hit

by 11 nuclear missiles

in the course of the night.

Millions of people were killed

in the explosions alone.

At the moment,

everybody is trying

to escape from the radioactive

contamination.

I'll probably drive further

north in the morning myself.

Dad... who...

who did this?

What they say is that

unknown rebel forces

have taken over a military

base in the Russian outback

from which the missiles

were launched.

The execution of that attack

must've been

highly professional.

About an hour ago,

the Russian Government

claimed they've regained

control of the facility.

So... the attack is over?

[cell phone beeping]

Lisa. Lisa.

Are you still there?

[beeping]

Oh no, my battery's low.

Dad, Dad can you hear me?

Lisa, listen to me.

- Dad...

- Listen to me.

You must stay in the air

to avoid the radiation.

All airplanes are advised

not to land

but to fly out of

the contaminated area.

Since the bombs

exploded on the ground,

even a few minutes

of ground exposure

is already said to be lethal.

Get away from the mainland,

as far as possible.

Stay skybound.

[beeping]

Dad?

Stay skybound!

Dad?

[busy signal beeping]

I love you.

[whispers] Hey.

So... bearing in mind

what Lisa's dad said,

what course should we set

with our remaining fuel?

How far do we have to

fly away from

let's say our major

mainland cities

not to be affected by

radiation?

Great,

nobody here knows anything

about radiation or its range.

Without cells, radio, or at

least an internet connection,

there's no way to find out

anything up here.

And we can't... [pound]

land... [pound] either!

[groans]

Hey, isn't that entertainment

and education package

still on the hard disk

of the video system?

What?

You mean that kid's

encyclopedia?

Come on.

[whispers] Don't be damaged.

Don't be damaged.

- Yes!

- What is that?

It's just a collection

of games and movies

in case you get bored during

the flight... it's useless.

Well, we just need

range information, right?

At least just a vague idea.

There's gotta be

some kind of entry

on the bombings of

Hiroshima or Nagasaki.

Ha. You can't be serious.

[boing]

It really is for children.

[electronic clicking]

All right.

"Although the explosive

forces of today's bombs

"are about seven times higher,

"the bombings of Hiroshima

and Nagasaki

during World War II

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