The Day The Earth Stood Still

Thiobacillus, which,

William, is a remarkable bacterium

because...

It's the only known organism

that lives in sulfuric acid.

That's right, and...

- Yes, Miss Rouhani?

- Deinococcus radiodurans.

First discovered in 1956, breeding

inside drums of radioactive waste.

That's correct. So, pompejana,

Thiobacillus, Deinococcus.

Which of these three

would most likely survive

in the extreme environment

of the Jupiter moon Callisto, and why?

Tom, can you get the lights, please?

That's your lab report question

for this week,

and it's due in my box

by midnight on Friday.

That's all for today. Thank you.

So, are you coming

to the faculty conference tonight?

To listen to Dean Stoff lecture

about how the universe

is like a beautiful woman?

- Think I'll pass.

- Come on. It'll be fun.

- Uh-uh.

- I could pick you up.

Um...

Can't. I have to get back

to my own extreme environment.

But thank you.

- See you tomorrow.

- Yep.

Come on. Go.

- Jacob?

- Go, go!

Come on, come on.

- Yes!

- Jacob, dinner.

- You finished your homework?

- Yes. You just killed me.

Good. Now that you're dead,

you can shut that off

and come down for dinner.

Did you order pepperoni tonight?

- No. Are these clean?

- Yeah.

We've had pizza twice this week,

so I made you a proper meal tonight,

with vegetables.

Vegetables? Ew.

Stop being such a stepmom.

Where'd you get this?

It was Dad's.

Yeah, I know. Where was it?

I found it in the downstairs bathroom.

It's mine now.

Okay.

Okay. Come on, I said please shut that off.

- You didn't say "please. "

- Jacob.

Helen.

- Hello?

- Helen Benson?

- Yes.

- Dr. Helen Benson?

- You're at 106 Longwood Road?

- Who is this?

Someone should be there shortly.

What do you mean,

someone's coming here? Who is this?

Everything will be

explained to you en route.

En route where?

- Hello?

- They should be there soon.

Yes, they're at your door now.

Hold on a minute.

Dr. Benson, if you'll come with us...

- What's happening?

- Everything will be explained,

but you must come with us right away.

- Am I under arrest?

- You're in Federal custody.

Why?

- What is this about?

- Everything will be explained en route.

I have a child here.

Is there anyone

who can look after the boy?

- No.

- Can his father take care of him?

No, his father isn't here.

- I can take care of myself.

- Jacob, you can't take care of yourself.

- There's just no way...

- You're coming with us, Dr. Benson.

Helen?

Jacob, grab your coat.

You're gonna stay at Isabel's.

Attention, Bravo,

prepare to move out.

It's going to be okay.

Dr. Benson, there isn't much time.

Okay, we've got her. Let's go.

Two stoplights down, then left,

there's an on-ramp to the highway.

- Do you see it?

- This must be a mistake.

Helen Benson,

Social Security number 51-48-7843?

- Yeah.

- There's no mistake.

- What is this about?

- Everything will be explained.

Stop the car.

- Can you stop the car, please?

- Ma'am.

I'm not under arrest. You can't do this.

- This is a matter of national security.

- National security?

Well, that just means

whatever you want it to mean.

I'm just asking you to tell me

why I'm needed, or to let me go.

Ma'am, I can't tell you

why you're needed because I don't know.

But I know they need you,

and I know it's urgent.

How do you know that?

Where are all the cars?

- They shut down the highway.

- They shut it down?

- For what?

- For us.

- Hi. I'm Yusef.

- Helen.

Helen, do you have any idea

why this is happening to us?

- No.

- Well, think.

What do we have in common?

- What do you do for a living, Yusef?

- I'm a nuclear physicist.

- I'm an astronomer.

- A geologist.

- I'm an astrobiologist.

- Fossil record study?

No, microbiology.

Theories of life beyond Earth.

- All right, so we're all scientists.

- No, not me. I'm a civil engineer.

Put it all together. What do you get?

I've participated in government

mobilizations like this before.

War games and preparations

for certain scenarios...

- Is that what you think this is?

- No.

Whatever it is, it's not a game.

Your attention, please!

Make your way directly across

the courtyard to the main barracks.

Leave all your cell phones

and cameras here.

I repeat, cell phones

and cameras are not allowed inside.

Leave any cell phones and cameras here.

Helen!

Can we bring her up?

...you need to give up

your cell phones...

- Your attention, please...

- Thank you.

...make your way directly across

the courtyard to the main barracks...

- Helen.

- Hi, Michael.

- Been a long time.

- Are you behind all this?

Yes. I'm glad you came.

- It's not like I had a choice.

- Sorry about that.

I had you put on the "vital" list.

I thought it was important

to have you part of this team.

Why?

I've been keeping up with the work you've

been doing with Professor Barnhardt.

What does it have to do with this?

I'll have to crash-brief you

in the conference room.

Object 07/493 was first spotted

just beyond Jupiter's orbit

by the Spaceguard program.

It was notable for the fact that it was

not moving in an asteroidal ellipse,

but rather, it had a hyperbolic orbit

and was shooting

through our solar system.

The object was moving at speeds

of up to three times 10-to-the-seventh

meters per second.

At first, it was projected to pass

millions of miles outside of Earth's orbit.

However, we soon discovered

that the object

was not following

a gravitationally freefall trajectory.

As such, its path was recalculated.

It was at this time

a crisis response team was activated

and everything you see around you

was set in motion.

Can we launch a missile to intercept it?

The military is attempting to do just that.

In fact, they may launch several.

But, given the speed

at which this object is moving,

our chances of success are slim, at best.

Why don't they evacuate the area?

We simply do not have enough time.

The affected area contains

some 8 million inhabitants.

The best we can do

is to plan for the aftermath.

How long do we have?

Seventy-eight minutes.

Hey.

What did the cops want, anyway?

Well, there's going to be

a big storm tonight,

and they needed some scientists

to help out, you know,

with planning stuff. So...

Pretty soon you're all gonna

go down to the basement, okay?

I already told Isabel.

I haven't seen anything on TV about...

Jacob, just...

Just do it. All right?

All right. I should go.

Wait... Can we talk

just a little bit longer?

We're having dinner now.

I really should go.

You know I love you very much.

Okay. Bye, Helen.

Is that a cell phone?

Can I borrow it?

What are the odds of an asteroid

making impact in Manhattan?

Astronomical.

Plus, there's no light signature.

Then it can't be an asteroid.

- A primordial black hole, perhaps.

- Do you know what that would mean?

Look, whatever it is,

if this object is moving

at three times 10-to-the-seventh

meters per second,

there will be no aftermath.

If they can't stop it before it hits,

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