The Final Countdown Page #4

Eagle Control,

this is Alert 1.

They just strafed the hell

out of that yacht!

Why would they

attack a yacht?

Their job would be to destroy anything

with a radio that could warn Pearl Harbor.

Providing you

and Mr. Einstein are correct.

Dick, where would the Japanese fleet be

at this time on December 6, 1941?

Well, sir, they'd be off the scope

but an educated guess

would be around about here.

Excuse me. They'd have to be here,

up around the northwest sector.

Let's get this settled once and for all.

Have the E-2 check it out.

I wanna see if the Japanese

task force is out there.

Yes, sir.

Eagle Control, Alert 1.

They're making another run.

Jesus! They'll shoot that

damn yacht to pieces!

Request permission

to arm and fire.

- For God sakes, Skipper...

- Negative.

- Charlie? Charlie!

- No, Laurel! Not now!

Come on! Those planes are coming in!

Come on!

Let's go! Come on, Harvey!

Eagle Control, they blew it to bits.

They must've hit the fuel tank!

- Any survivors?

- Stand by.

Affirmative.

One, two, three Mae Wests!

Hey, wait a minute!

Those bastards are turning back!

They're gonna strafe them in the water!

Request permission to fire.

This is Eagle 1. You are cleared to arm,

but do not fire.

Throw them off,

play with them, but don't fire.

Affirmative.

- Sam! Sam.

- All right. It's all right. I'm all right.

Look up!

Oh, no!

They're coming again!

Harvey! Get that life preserver off

and dive!

I can't swim!

Here they come!

He's dead.

It's okay. Easy, boy.

Up you go.

Hey, Fox, that woke 'em up!

I think we should

give 'em another shot.

Why the hell are we

playing with these guys?

Radar shows enemy planes

heading on course, 220.

- 220.

- Sweet Jesus.

Skipper, they're headed

straight for us

and we've got an armed strike force

just sitting on the deck.

Alert 1, this is Eagle 1.

You're cleared to fire.

Splash the Zeros.

I say again, splash the Zeros.

- Yes, sir.

- This has gotta be a dream.

Eagle Control, Alert 1.

Splash two. Repeat.

Splash two.

Possibly one survivor

in the water.

Captain, the E-2

is coming upon Point Charlie.

Eagle Control, we have

multiple radar contacts

picking up on 456 heading.

Possible carriers

and 24 escort ships.

Southeasterly heading.

Negative radio

or radar emissions.

Request instructions.

Over.

That is the Japanese

attack force.

Yeah. I guess

now we know.

Look, Dick. Take personal charge

of a rescue team

and keep the survivors

isolated.

- Crazy situation.

- Yes, sir.

- You know what I want.

- I understand.

Keep the fighters airborne

to cover the rescue.

Aye, aye, Skipper.

Now track and report all movements

of the Japanese task force.

- Aye, aye, sir.

- Do you still think it's a dream?

It's a nightmare.

Let go!

Forget the damn dog!

- Boss, 36.

- Go ahead, 36.

We got two survivors

and now we're waiting to pick up CAG.

- CAG? What the hell is he doing in the water?

- Damned if I know.

Charlie!

You all right,

ma'am?

How you feeling, sir?

What the hell kind of machine is this thing?

And what's your ship, Commander?

It's an aircraft carrier, sir.

I'm Air Wing Commander Richard Owens.

- Sam Chapman.

- Senator Samuel Chapman?

That's right.

Sure am glad

you were out here.

Yes, sir.

Okay, Senator,

watch yourself.

Watch your head.

- All right, take it easy.

- Hang on to me, sir.

You'll be just fine.

It's all right, ma'am.

Go with him.

I'll take the dog,

Commander.

Little bastard.

Corporal!

Mind the store, Ray.

I'm going forward.

- Holy cow.

- It's the whole Japanese fleet.

Have these things returned

to the Japanese pilot. Get this translated.

Captain's on the Bridge.

Mr. Lasky.

Gentlemen.

Captain's off the Bridge.

We can't ignore it

any longer.

Every man on this ship knows

that we have radar and visual contact

with a Japanese fleet

approaching Pearl Harbor

on December 6, 1941.

- Now, what do we do about it?

- Skipper,

what we do about it

is blow them out of the water.

The U.S.S. Nimitz declares war

on the Japanese empire?

That's what we'd be doing. But they haven't

attacked Pearl Harbor yet.

The only evidence we have that

they intend to is in the history books.

It opens up some

amazing possibilities.

Think of the firepower

of the U.S.S. Nimitz back in 1941.

What kind of possibilities,

Mr. Lasky?

Possibilities for the future,

Mr. Owens.

Think of the history

of the next 40 years.

I have a suspicion history will be a little

more difficult to beat

than you imagine,

Mr. Lasky.

I'm talking about

the classic paradox of time.

Imagine, for example, I go back in time

to meet my own grandfather

long before he got married,

before he had children.

We have an argument,

and I kill him.

Now, if that happens,

how am I ever gonna be born?

And if I can never be born,

how can I go back in history

and meet

my very own grandfather?

I'm not half the theorist

you are, Mr. Lasky

but I still have a gut instinct

that things only happen once.

And if they have happened, then there's

nothing we can do to change them

- nor should we try.

- How are you gonna avoid it?

It's already happening,

and we're already involved.

For Christ's sake, what is this?

Some half-ass Princeton debating society?

We are in a war situation.

This is a United States

warship

or at least

it used to be.

Or will be.

Or what the hell ever.

Oh, goddamn it, you can

drive yourself crazy

trying to think about this stuff.

- Jesus, I must be dreaming!

- Now, hold it.

All right.

Let's all calm down.

Let's take it one step at a time

and by the book.

If the United States of America

falls under attack

our job is to defend her

in the past, present

or future.

- And after that?

- After that, we take our orders

from the commander in chief

of the United States Armed Forces.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt?

- Everything all right here?

- You in command of this ship?

Oh, hardly. No, I'm a doctor.

Ship's commander is Captain Yelland.

I'm sure he'll be down to see you

as soon as possible.

- I certainly hope so.

- Meanwhile, you both seem

- none the worse for your little mishap.

- Mishap?

You call getting a boat shot out

from under you

and three people dead a mishap?

- Are we at war? Is that what happened?

- I'm not in a position to...

Am I glad to see you.

Doctor

would you please inform the captain

that Senator Samuel Chapman

cochairman of the Senate

Defense Committee

would like to see him at once?

Of course, Senator.

Doctor, I believe

I said at once.

First, a vitamin shot.

Now, if you'll both roll up your sleeves.

- Senator.

- No, goddamn it!

Now, you can take up

your needles, Doctor

and whatever's in them

and get the hell out of here!

Corporal?

What the hell

are we, prisoners?

Holy sh*t.

Smoking lamp is lighted

in all authorized spaces.

Son of a...

So, history may be tougher

to beat than I imagined.

You're becoming

a real pain in the ass, Lasky.

You take an awful lot of risks for someone

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