Contact
FADE IN:
INT. ARROWAY HOUSE - EVENING
We open on the upstairs of a two-story house, where we see a young girl talking into a radio transmitter.
YOUNG ELLIE
CQ, this is W9GFO. CQ, this is W9GFO here, come back. CQ, this is W9GFO here, come back. CQ, CQ, this is W9GFO, is anybody out there? (looks to her father) It’s not getting anything.
TED ARROWAY
Small moves Ellie, small moves.
YOUNG ELLIE
CQ, this is W9GFO here, come back.
RADIO OPEARATOR
Copy W9GFO. K4WLD here.
YOUNG ELLIE
What do I say?
TED ARROWAY
Just be yourself.
YOUNG ELLIE
Where are you K4WLD? Come back.
RADIO OPEARATOR
Pensacola, over.
YOUNG ELLIE
Pensacola? Where’s Pensacola?
TED ARROWAY
I’ll give you a hint... orange juice.
YOUNG ELLIE
Copy that K4WLD, how’s the weather down there in Florida?
TED ARROWAY
Pensacola, Florida. I have to tell you sparks, 1116 miles. That’s the farthest yet.
YOUNG ELLIE
Dad, can we hear all the way to New York?
TED ARROWAY
Sure.
YOUNG ELLIE
Can we hear all the way to California?
TED ARROWAY
Absolutely.
YOUNG ELLIE
Can we hear all the way to Alaska?
TED ARROWAY
Yea, on a really clear day.
YOUNG ELLIE
Can we hear all the way to China?
TED ARROWAY
On a really, really clear day.
YOUNG ELLIE
Could we talk to the moon?
TED ARROWAY
Well, if it was a big enough radio, I don’t see why not.
YOUNG ELLIE
Could you talk to Jupiter? Or what’s the one after that? Umm, don’t tell me..
TED ARROWAY
I’ll give you hint... hoolahoops.
YOUNG ELLIE
Saturn! Can we talk to Saturn?
TED ARROWAY
Uh huh.
YOUNG ELLIE
Dad, could we talk to Mom?
TED ARROWAY
I don’t think even the biggest radio can reach that far.
TED ARROWAY
Alright, no more stalling.
YOUNG ELLIE
K. (holds up a picture she drew of a beach in Florida). Pensacola!
TED ARROWAY
Oh Ellie, that’s a beauty. Better get some sleep.
YOUNG ELLIE
Hey dad.
TED ARROWAY
Yea?
YOUNG ELLIE
Do you think there’s people on other planets?
TED ARROWAY
I don’t know sparks, but I guess I’d say, if it is just us, it’s seems like an awful waste of space.
INT. ARROWAY HOUSE - NIGHT
That night, Ellie sneaks back into the room with the radio transmitter...
YOUNG ELLIE
CQ, CQ, CQ, this is W9GFO. Repeat, this is W9GFO, come back. CQ, this is W9GFO, come back. I’m gonna need a bigger antenna.
CUT TO:
EXT. ARECIBO TELESCOPE - DAY
FISHER
What do you think Doctor Arroway? Ain’t she a beauty?
ELLIE
It’ll do.
FISHER
The village is five miles away. There’s a general store in the cantina. They can pretty much order anything you need from San Wan.
ELLIE
When can I get some dish time?
FISHER
(laughs) Dr. Clark said you wouldn’t be able to wait. You’re first shift is up tonight.
ELLIE
Alright!
INT. ARECIBO CONTROL ROOM - NIGHT
Ellie is sitting in the dark, with a headset on. She removes the headset, and we can hear the static she’s listening to.
KENT CLARK
Go back.
ELLIE
What?
KENT CLARK
Try back a little, you had something there.
KENT CLARK
(Ellie moves the dial) There.
ELLIE
Right there?
KENT CLARK
Yea. Do you hear? Right there, yea, that’s it.
ELLIE
Yup. It’s by 1221.46. That’s well in the L-band.
KENT CLARK
Check off axis.
ELLIE
Uh huh, on it. Umm, it’s not in the neighbourhood. Ah, there it is. J1741 plus 2748. Cataloged November 4, 1982. Pulsar. (Sigh) Well, I don’t know, it must have been a glitch in the timing that threw me.
KENT CLARK
I think it’s great that you listen. Most people don’t do that anymore.
ELLIE
Ah, it’s just an old habit. You know, it makes it feel more real. (Putting out her hand) Ellie.
KENT CLARK
Kent, Kent Clark (puts his hand out, but misses Ellie’s, we realize that he’s blind)
ELLIE
Hi.
KENT CLARK
They said you’d been up at Owen’s valley working under Drumlin. How’d you like him? (after Ellie doesn’t answer) That much? And about what I’d expect after what he had to say about you.
ELLIE
What was that?
KENT CLARK
He said you were brilliant, driven, a major pain in the ass, and obsessed with a field of study that he considers tantamount to professional suicide.
Other scientist’s enter the room, turn on the lights.
DR. THADIA
Yo, what’s up?
KENT CLARK
Umm, those were the highlights.
KENT CLARK
Dr. Thadia, Dr. Burman... Dr. Arroway (greetings all around) and I believe you’ve already met our tireless research assistant, Mr. Fisher (who happens to be wearing a Cornell University Shirt).
ELLIE
Yup.
KENT CLARK
You can’t miss his cologne.
FISHER
(laughs) hey!
KENT CLARK
Chris is looking at the Black hole at the center of M87. Eli is studying Marcarian 541, a major Gama-ray source, and Dr. Arroway here will be spending here precious telescope time listening for uh, listening for uh...
ELLIE
Little green men.
INT. ELLIE’S CABIN - NIGHT
ELLIE
(Sticking a thumbtack into a start chart) One down, couple of billion to go.
INT. CATINA - DAY
Ellie buys two packs of thumbtacks from the general store merchant. Then sits at a table and nurses a beer, when PALMER JOSS approaches.
PALMER
Arecibo, right?
ELLIE
Does it show?
PALMER
Yea. (opens up a box of crackerjacks, and offers some) Crackerjack?
ELLIE
No. Thanks.
PALMER
Mind if I sit down.
ELLIE
Sure.
PALMER
I hear the locals; they call it El-Radar. They think is has some dark military purpose.
ELLIE
I think we’re pretty harmless.
PALMER
(holds out his hand) Palmer Joss.
ELLIE
(shakes his hand) Ellie Arroway.
PALMER
Nice to meet you, Ellie. What are you studying up there?
ELLIE
Oh, the usual. Nebulae, quasars, pulsars, stuff like that. What are you writing?
PALMER
The usual. Nouns, adverbs, adjective here and there.
ELLIE
I’m working on a project called SETI.
PALMER
Search for extraterrestrial intelligence? Well, now that is out there.
ELLIE
Wait, are you a student or something?
PALMER
I’m a writer, I’m writing a book. Doing some research. It’s how technology affects third-world cultures. I’m also looking for this guy David Drumlin, he’s the new head-honcho of the national science foundation; I’m trying to get an interview with him. I take it you know him?
ELLIE
Uh huh. You can say that.
PALMER
’’SETI, man. Thats fringe. Ive crossed paths with this guy before. I mean something like that must really chap his ass, huh? <fringe.mp3>
PALMER
(pulls the toy out of the crackerjacks box) Compass. For you El.
ELLIE
You better keep this. Might save your life some day.
PALMER
Will you go out with me tonight?
ELLIE
I don’t make a very good research subject. I’m just not very quotable.
PALMER
No quotes, no quotes, scout’s honor. Just good meal, good company.
ELLIE
I gotta go. (gets up to leave), but Drumlin’s coming in this Tuesday.
EXT. ARECIBO - DAY
A jeep pulls up with Drumlin in it. David gets out and is greeted by the team of scientists, except Ellie.
DAVID DRUMLIN
(getting up and stretching) Now I remember why I took that desk job. (greetings all around) How are you?
KENT CLARK
Glad you could make it David.
DAVID DRUMLIN
If I knew I was gonna take three planes, I might have reconsidered.
KENT CLARK
How is that new office?
Ellie comes running up the hill towards them.
DAVID DRUMLIN
Well, I’m still settling in. Of course there are... (Ellie arrives, out of breath) Ellie. Still waiting for ET to Call?
DAVID DRUMLIN
(turning to Kent, and walking away) Well, I understand we’re having a little reception tonight...
ELLIE
(calling after him) Good to see you too. (and under her breath) Asshole.
EXT. RECEPTION - NIGHT
ELLIE
Uh Oh. Look like it’s gonna be a long night.
DAVID DRUMLIN
Science must first and foremost be accountable to the people who are paying for it, the tax payers. We need to stop wasting money on pie in the sky abstractions, and start spending it on practical, measurable ways to improve the lives of the people who are after all, footing the bill.
DR. Burman
Not unlike my L-band globular cluster experiment.
ELLIE
Wait. You’re saying you want to do away with all pure research now?
DAVID DRUMLIN
What’s wrong with science being practical? Even profitable?
PALMER
(emerging from the crowd) Nothing, as long as your motive is the search for truth. Which is exactly what the pursuit of science is.
DAVID DRUMLIN
Well that’s a rather interesting position coming from a man on a crusade against technology, Father Joss.
PALMER
I’m not against technology, doctor. I’m against the men who deify it at the expense of human truth.
DAVID DRUMLIN
(deciding not to further the conversation) Kent. I’ve been meaning to have a word with you. Over here please. (Mr. Fisher leads Kent off in another direction)
PALMER
(walking over to Ellie) I think that hurt my chances of that interview, what do you think?
ELLIE
You’re a priest?
PALMER
No, not really. I got my masters in divinity, then I dropped out of seminary and went off to do some humanitarian work. Coordinating the efforts of the third world churches. Couldn’t live with the whole celibacy thing. You can call me a man of the cloth... without the cloth.
ELLIE
Wanna get out of here?
EXT. ARECIBO TELESCOPE - HILLSIDE - TWILIGHT
ELLIE and JOSS sit under a tree on the hillside, looking out over the dish; the long hanging bridge to the aiming array dwindles into twilight. They lie back, looking up at the stars.
ELLIE
Alright, you see that large W-shaped constellation right there, that’s Cassiopeia. And Cassiopeia has itself a whole lot of radio signals; I actually listen to that one a lot. It’s a remnant of a supernova.
PALMER
When did you know you wanted to be an astronomer?
ELLIE
’’’’Well, when I was about eight years old, I was watching the sunset, and I asked my dad, "whats that bright star over there", and he said that it wasnt really a start at all, but it was actually a whole planet called Venus. (pointing to the sky) Which should be over there soon. He said, "you know why they called it Venus? because they thought it was so beautiful and glowing. And what they didnt know is that it was filled with deadly gases and sulfuric acid rain", and I thought, "this is it, Im hooked". <venus.mp3>
’’
You know, there are four hundred billion stars out there, just in our galaxy alone. If only one out of a million of those had planets, and just of out of a million of those had life, and just one out of a million of those had intelligent life; there would be literally millions of civilizations out there.PALMERWell, if there wasnt, itd be an awful waste of space.ELLIEAmen. <billions.mp3>
INT. ELLIE’S CABIN - NIGHT
ELLIE and JOSS have spent the night together.
PALMER
... there I was just looking at the sky, then I felt something. I don’t know. All I know is that I wasn’t alone, and for the first time in my life I wasn’t scared of nothing, not even dying. It was god.
ELLIE
And there’s no chance that you had this experience because some part of you needed to have it?
PALMER
Well, I’m a reasonable intelligent guy, but this... no not this. Not intellect; it couldn’t even touch this, no.
ELLIE
I went to Sunday school a few times.
PALMER
(laughs) uh huh, and?
ELLIE
Well, I just kept asking all these really annoying questions like, where did Mrs. Cain come from? Pretty soon, they called my Dad, and asked him if he wouldn’t mind just keeping me home form now on.
PALMER
Your Dad? Is that this guy? (pointing to a picture of Ellie and her father)
ELLIE
Yea.
PALMER
You’re close to him, aren’t you?
ELLIE
Yea, I was. He died when I was nine years old. I never got to know my mother.
PALMER
I’m sorry, that’s gotta be tough.
ELLIE
Yea.
PALMER
Being alone.
PALMER
What do you say we pack a picnic tomorrow and hike up to Mount Aricebo?
ELLIE
(getting up) I don’t think I can, I gotta work.
PALMER
Alright, how ‘bout dinner then? Tomorrow night, I know a great place.
ELLIE
(laughs) No, I don’t think so.
PALMER
Ellie, did I miss something?
ELLIE
Huh? No. Shit, I’m late. I told Kent that I’d meet him at 10:30.
PALMER
You know, I’m not trying to push you.
ELLIE
No, no. Don’t be silly. I’ve been wanting to look at this sector for weeks. Look, just hang around, sleep in, and there’s a bunch of food in the fridge, k?
PALMER
How can I reach you?
ELLIE
Oh, just leave your number, I’ll call you.
Ellie steps outside and looks up at the sky to see a shooting start. We FLASHBACK to the past, where a young Ellie is on an exterior balcony with two telescopes set up in front of her.
YOUNG ELLIE
Dad. It’s starting, you’re gonna miss it.
YOUNG ELLIE
Dad. There’s another one, hurry up.
TED ARROWAY
In a minute Sparks, almost done.
YOUNG ELLIE
Oh there’s another one! Common, hurry up, Dad.
We hear a dish fall to the ground.
YOUNG ELLIE
Dad?
She goes back inside
YOUNG ELLIE
Dad?
YOUNG ELLIE
Daddy?
Goes down a flight of stairs, and sees her father lying on the ground.
YOUNG ELLIE
Dad. (starts to cry, but gets a hold of herself). Dad? Dad! I’ll get the medicine.
Runs up the stairs to the medicine cabinet in the bathroom and grabs his medication.
CUT TO:
EXT. FUNERAL - DAY
PRIEST
Ellie. I know its hard to understand this now, but we aren’t always meant to know the reasons why things happen the way they do. Sometimes we just have to accept it as god’s will.
YOUNG ELLIE
Should have kept some medicine in the downstairs bathroom, then I could’ve gotten to it sooner.
She goes into the house, and up to the radio transmitter.
YOUNG ELLIE
CQ. This is W9GFO, do you copy?
YOUNG ELLIE
Dad, it’s Ellie, come back.
YOUNG ELLIE
This is Eleanor Arroway, transmitting on 14.2 Mhz. Dad, are you there? Come back. Dad, are you there? Dad, it’s Ellie.
INT. ARECIBO OBSERVTORY - CONTROL ROOM - MORNING
Ellie is working, sees Kent outside, and goes to join him.
EXT. ARECIBO OBSERVATORY - DAY
KENT CLARK
Ellie.
ELLIE
Hey Kent, what are you doing up so early?
KENT CLARK
I was thinking, we’d make a pretty good team.
ELLIE
What?
KENT CLARK
We could put together a kick ass ad hoc SETI program.
ELLIE
What are you talking about?
KENT CLARK
You know the very large array in New Mexico? It would be a dynamite place to do some serious SETI work.
ELLIE
What are you talking about, Kent?
KENT CLARK
Drumlin pulled the plug. We’re homeless.
Ellie speeds down a dirt road in her jeep towards where Drumlin is working.
ELLIE
Is it true? Huh, did you pull the plug?
DAVID DRUMLIN
I know you can’t see it now, but I’m doing you a favour. You’re far too promising a scientist to be wasting your gifts on this nonsense.
ELLIE
Look, I don’t consider what could potentially be the most important discovery of the human race nonsense, ok? There’s four hundred billion stars, and we have not even started!
DAVID DRUMLIN
There are only two possibilities. ’’’’’’’One, there is intelligent life out there, but its so far away youll never contact it in your lifetime. And two, (she tries to cut him off, but he raises his voice), theres nothing out there but noble gases and carbon compounds, and youre wasting your time. In the meantime, you wont be published, you wont be taken seriously, and your career will be over before its begun. <drumlin.mp3>
ELLIE
So what?! It’s my life!
INT. CABIN - DAY
Ellie sees Joss’s phone number and compass thumbtacked to a chart on her wall. She takes them down and places them on her night table. Ellie picks up the phone and makes a call.
ELLIE
Hey, Kent. You were right, screw Drumlin. We’re gonna raise the money ourselves. We’re going to New Mexico.
EXT. CABIN - RAINING - DAY
Ellie, Kent, and Fisher are all packing their things into a car.
KENT CLARK
...Chicago’s all set up, you’ll call me and let me know how it goes. Oh, and I’ve got some more corporate stops set up on the East Coast for you. Hey, Fish. Did that private investor from Houston ever get back to us?
FISHER
Uh, I’m gonna hit him up a little later, in LA.
ELLIE
Try begging for some of that Hollywood money. Why not, they’ve been making money off aliens for years.
KENT CLARK
They say that begging is good for the soul.
ELLIE
We’ll see about that.
KENT CLARK
Just do me a favour. Try not to be too confrontational.
ELLIE
Huh, confrontational, me?! What are you mean? (laughs) Let me just see if I left anything.
Ellie looks at the paper with Joss’ phone number that she left on her night table, and decides not to take it. The compass is nowhere to be seen, so apparently she took that.
INT. HADDEN INDUTRIES - CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY
ELLIE
This is a unique time in our history, in the history of any civilization. It’s the moment of the acquisition of technology. That’s the moment when contact becomes possible. The very large array in New Mexico is the key to our chances for success. With its 27 linked radio telescopes, we can search more accurately than any earth conventional facility. Now, we’ve already gotten the preliminary approval to buy ourselves some time from the government. Now, all we need is the money.
EXECUTIVE
Nice Presentation, doctor. But while our foundation arm doesn’t mandate to support experimental programs. We must confess that your proposal seems less like science and more like science fiction.
ELLIE
Science Fiction. ’’’’You're right, its crazy. In fact, its even worse than that, its nuts. (slams her presentation books closed) You wanna hear something really nutty? I heard of a couple guys who wanna build something called an airplane, you know you get people to go in, and fly around like birds, its rediculous, right?! And what about breaking the sound barrier, or rockets to the moon? Atomic energy, or a mission to Mars? Science fiction, right? Look, all Im asking is for you to just have the tiniest bit of vision. You know, <nutty.mp3>
ELLIE
I’m sorry. I just spent the last 13 months coming to places like this and talking to people like you, and the truth is, you’re my last chance, so I’m sorry I wasted your time.
EXECUTIVE
(Picks up the phone. Ellie makes to collect her things, but he calls after her.) Doctor.
EXECUTIVE
(Talks into the phone.) Yes sir. Yes sir. Yes sir.
EXECUTIVE
(Back to Ellie) You have your money.
ELLIE
(To executive) Thank you.
ELLIE
(To camera in corner of room) Thank you.
FOUR YEARS LATER
EXT. VLA - DAY
A children’s size wading pool is set up and Willie is fishing in it.
WILLIE
Oh, perfect catch. common fishy. Oh Frank, look at the size of that son of a bitch.
Van pulls up. KENT gets out.
WILLIE
Welcome back Dr. C. How’d it go? How was the trip?
KENT CLARK
I’ve had better.
INT. VLA - CONTROL ROOM
ELLIE
What is this, a personal vendetta?
KENT CLARK
It’s not just Drumlin, there’s been enormous pressure from other scientists as well.
ELLIE
It doesn’t matter anyway, cause Hadden is funding us for another two years.
KENT CLARK
’
’
’’Umm, these are government owned telescopes, they can lease them to whomever they want, and they dont want the high priestess of the desert using them anymore.ELLIEWhat?KENT CLARKStaring at static on TV for hours at a time. Listening to washing machines. Did you really think these stories wouldnt get out?ELLIEI was looking for patterns in the chaos, common!KENT CLARKIt doesnt matter anymore. Were a joke to them. They want us out. <priestess.mp3> We’ve got three months until the paperwork goes through.
ELLIE
(Sigh) Fine, we’re still looking for other funding, I’ll just start writing...
KENT CLARK
Could you face reality please. Just this once, Ellie. We lost, it’s over.
Ellie is standing in front of a sign that reads "Astronomy is looking up".
ELLIE
(Sigh) Alright. I’m not stopping. If I have to go it alone, I’ll go it alone, I’ve done it before.
Ellie leaves the room and slams the door behind her, and drives up to a canyon not too far from the array, to think.
INT. VLA - CONTROL ROOM - NIGHT
Fisher and Willie are on duty, they are watching Larry King on Television.
LARRY KING
My guest tonight is author and theologian Palmer Joss. He’s become a spiritual councilor of sorts and a recent fixture at the White House. God’s diplomat, according to the New York Times. His latest book, Loosing Faith is currently number on that publication’s best-seller list. Thanks for being with us Palmer. You have had quite a ride these last couple of years.
PALMER
I sure have Larry...
WILLIE
Yo, fish. I was thinking. Who would make the best astronomers? Think about it. Who has the perfect symmetry of career and lifestyle?
FISHER
I give.
WILLIE
Vampires! (turns around with fake vampire teeth and laughs)
LARRY KING
... are you anti-technology? Are you anti-science?
PALMER
No, not at all. The question I’m asking is, are we happier? As a human race, is the world fundamentally a better place because of science and technology? We shop at home, we surf the web, but at the same time, we feel emptier, lonelier, and more cut off from each other than at any other time in history... (gets drowned out by Pulses from outer space).
PALMER
... maybe it’s because we’re looking for the meaning, well what is the meaning? We have mindless jobs, we take frantic vacations. Deficit finance trips to the mall to buy more things that we feel are gonna fill these holes in our lives. Is it any wonder that we’ve lost our sense of direction?
EXT. VLA - BASE OF TELESCOPE - PRE-DAWN
Ellie wears a pair of headsets. We hear the SOUND of the COSMOS, the background wash of empty STATIC and a faint BEEPING, FADING IN and OUT of reception. Ellie slowly swims up to consciousness. After a moment her eyes open. She sits up...
ELLIE
Holy Shit!
She jumps back in her car and drives back to base.
ELLIE
(Yelling into a walky-talky) Right ascension, 18 hours 36 Minutes, 56.2 Seconds. Declination, left. 36 degrees 46 Minutes 56.2 Seconds.
INT. VLA - CONTROL ROOM - PRE-DAWN
ELLIE
(Over the radio) Confirm. Right ascension, 18 hours 36 Minutes, 56.2 Seconds. Hey, Is anyone awake in there? I’m moving the array. Confirm!
FISHER
Processing bogey.
ELLIE
Right ascension, 18 hours 36 Minutes, 56.2 Seconds. Declination, left. 36 hours 47 Minutes and 1 Second.
FISHER
We’re on it.
ELLIE
Don’t touch the dishes. I’m moving the rest of them now, and need you to confirm the coordinates
FISHER
Check the status of the array; She’s doing all the dishes.
WILLIE
All systems nominal. (sees the pulses on screen) Hello.
FISHER
I need a full systems check!; coordinates confirmed, Willie’s checking the system now.
ELLIE
Stay on top of the systems diagnostic. Check the record point offsets. I want you off axis on 27 the second we get there; and tell Willie to break out the Big Boy!
FISHER
Copy that. Willie is... what? Go, go Ellie.
ELLIE
I can here it on the headphones, so we gotta be sure about this.
FISHER
Give me another array status.
WILLIE
Her four are online, the rest are tracking in.
FISHER
(to Ellie) Your four are online, the rest are tracking in.
WILLIE
But there’s a bad drive on 16.
FISHER
(to Ellie) Your four are online, the rest are tracking in, but there’s a bad drive on 16, copy that? What do you want me to do about the source point?
ELLIE
Forget about it and hold the queue. Go get ready to set the target frequency to manual, the second we’re live, do you copy? I want you to go off axis on 27 the second we’re there, and leave the L-band frequency where it is. Stay on it, just don’t let it get away. If you lose it, just scan the band, run every frequency you can think of.
ELLIE
(Running into to the Control Room) How you doing?
The array falls into place at the same time.
ELLIE
Talk to me guys.
FISHER
Linearly polarized, set of moving pulses, Amplitude Modulated.
WILLIE
We’re locked. Systems check out. Signal across the board, what’s the frequency?
ELLIE
4.4623 GHz. Hydrogen times Pi. Told ya.
FISHER
Strong sucker too.
WILLIE
I got it, I got it, I got it, I’m patched in!
ELLIE
Alright, let me hear it.
Pulses are played through the stereo (Big Boy) <message.mp3>
ELLIE
Listen to that. Make me a liar, Fish.
FISHER
Uh, could be AWACS out of Kirtland jamming us, but I’m stumped.
ELLIE
Alright, let’s see if FUDD’s reading it too.
ELLIE
Willie, patch it back and give me the off-axis. Are we recording?
FISHER
Never stopped.
ELLIE
(Kissing computer monitor) Thank you Elmer.
FISHER
AWACS status is negative.
ELLIE
How about White Sands?
FISHER
On this frequency? No.
ELLIE
I’m gonna punch up the charts. How’s the sky guys? Common. Alright.
FISHER
Florida’s not tracking any spoofs on this vector. Shuttle Endeavor’s in sleep mode.
WILLIE
Ok. Point source confirmed. Whatever it is, it ain’t local.
ELLIE
Position?
WILLIE
I checked the interferometry. Somewhere in Lyra I think.
ELLIE
Um, Vega?
FISHER
Can’t be, it’s only 26 Light-years away.
ELLIE
Adjust the peak intensity.
FISHER
On it.
ELLIE
Vega? Vega. Can’t be, I’ve watched it many times at Aricebo. It was negative results, always.
FISHER
Guys. I’m reading over a hundred janskys.
WILLIE
Jesus. I can pick that up on my...
The pulses stop and we hear background static.
ELLIE
No.
Two pulses.
ELLIE
Come on.
Three pulses.
ELLIE
Alright. It’s restarting. Wait a minute, these are numbers. That was three, the one before it was two. Um, base 10 numbers, just start counting now and see what you can get.
Five Pulses.
WILLIE
Five.
Seven Pulses.
ELLIE
Those are primes 2, 3, 5, 7. Those are all prime numbers, there is no way it’s a natural phenomenon.
WILLIE
Holy shit.
ELLIE
I know, I know, just calm down, and focus the stockpile on Vega.
FISHER
It doesn’t make any sense, the system is too new. So it can’t have a planetary system, let alone life.
ELLIE
Well, maybe they didn’t grow up there, maybe they’re just visiting, I don’t know.
FISHER
Ok, so a spacecraft? No, this system is full of debris, it would get clobbered.
WILLIE
Well, not if they used their laser blasters and photon torpedoes (laughs).
FISHER
That’s not funny, Willie.
WILLIE
Well, how else would you explain it?
ELLIE
Willie’s right. If we go public with this, and we’re wrong, that’s it; it’s over, we’re cooked. God, I wish Kent was here.
WILLIE
Whatever the signal is, we better do something soon, Vega’s gonna set.
Ellie goes on a conference call with IAN BRODERICK in Australia.
IAN BRODERICK
Deposition is confirmed. We’ve got 4.4623 Ghz. Confirmed, we’ve got 112 janskys.
ELLIE
Alright, do you have a source location yet?
IAN BRODERICK
We put it right smack in the middle, Vega.
ELLIE
Ok, thanks Ian. Just keep tracking and we’ll get back to you.
IAN BRODERICK
Yea, right-O.
FISHER
Ok, 101. The pulse sequenced through every prime number between 2 and 101.
WILLIE
Who we gonna call now?
ELLIE
Everybody.
EXT. VLA - DAY
The next day, the VLA is swamped with news people.
NEWS REPORT 1
Rumours are a fly, the implications extraordinary. This morning, detection of an unidentified radio source from deep space can neither be confirmed, nor denied...
NEWS REPORT 2
... living outside of our solar system. Again, there is no confirmation that an official...
MICHAEL KITZ steps off a helicopter.
KITZ
I want all these people out of here.
INT. VLA CONTROL CENTER - DAY
FISHER
...twice the stations worldwide now confirming the signal. Vega is currently below our horizon, so what you’re hearing is the signal from the original recording.
DAVID DRUMLIN
Let’s get the decryption people in here. Lunacharsky’s visiting at Cal-Tech.
KITZ
Explain this to me. If the source of the signal is so sophisticated, why the remedial math?
SENATOR
Exactly, why don’t they just speak English?
ELLIE
Well, maybe because 70% of the planet speaks other languages. Mathematics is the only truly universal language, Senator. It’s no coincidence that they’re using primes.
KITZ
I don’t get it.
ELLIE
Prime number. That would be integers that are only divisible by themselves and 1. Well, we think that this may be a beacon. Some kind of announcement to get our attention.
DAVID DRUMLIN
Well, if its attention you want, I think you got that. One thing, Vega. People have been looking at Vega for years, no results, and now yesterday they start broadcasting primes, why?
ELLIE
Well, it’s hardly yesterday, because the signal has been transmitting for 26 years.
KITZ
Doctor Arroway?
ELLIE
Excuse me, who are you?
DAVID DRUMLIN
Ellie, this is Michael Kitz, national security advisor.
KITZ
Doctor, let me first say that your reputation...
ELLIE
Actually, first could you ask the gentlemen with the firearms to wait outside? This is supposed to be a civilian facility.
The soldiers leave the room.
KITZ
Doctor, with all due respect, your scientific knowledge...
ELLIE
(Kent walks in) Excuse me. (she goes over to him) Hey, hey. Hi. I’m so glad you’re back. Come on, I have something for you to hear.
KENT CLARK
Who are all these people?
ELLIE
I have no idea. Sit down, and we could use some help with the spectrum analysis, ok?
KENT CLARK
Oh god, listen to that. I’ll get right on it.
ELLIE
I’ll get you a headset.
KITZ
So I’ll get right to the point, shall I? Your having sent this announcement all over the world may well constitute a breach of national security.
ELLIE
This isn't a person-to-person call. You can’t possibly think that a civilization sending this kind of message would intend it just for Americans.
KITZ
I'm saying you might have consulted us; obviously, the contents of this message could be extremely sensitive.
ELLIE
You want to classify prime numbers?
DAVID DRUMLIN
Um, Mike, please. Because of the Earth’s rotation, we’re only in line with Vega so many hours a day. And the only way to completely monitor the signal is to get the cooperation of other nations. If doctor Arroway hadn’t acted quickly, we could have lost key elements.
Kent is turning up the volume on the stereo.
KITZ
Ok, so they got the primes; but if you’re right about there being a more significant transmission still...
ELLIE
We’ve asked everyone who’s helping to receive it, to decode it
KITZ
Doctor, do you understand my job?
KENT CLARK
Shhh. You hear that?
ELLIE
I hear it.
KITZ
Hear what?
ELLIE
Harmonics?
KENT CLARK
Bingo. Retune to 8.9247 Ghz. There’s a lot more here folks.
ELLIE
Alright Fish, let’s get on the negative side band.
FISHER
On it.
KITZ
What is going on?
ELLIE
We’re tracking the signal at double the frequency, it looks like... somebody get a TV monitor.
ELLIE
Alright, patch the recording into this processor.
FISHER
You want the new data?
ELLIE
Yea, the new frequency, the one we just recorded.
FISHER
Alright.
KITZ
David, would you explain this to me please.
DAVID DRUMLIN
Along with the primes there’s another signal, looks like a TV transmission.
WILLIE
We’re on.
ELLIE
Alright, do me a favour, go get the blinds. It has a lot of glare.
FISHER
You’re patched in.
ELLIE
It’s definitely an image. Try to stabilize it. What do you make if this, Fish?
FISHER
It’s almost like there’s two different interlaced frames. Frame one.
ELLIE
Nah, it’s just noise.
FISHER
Trying frame two.
WILLIE
Uh, I’ve got an offset carrier here, I think it’s audio.
ELLIE
Plug it in, plug it in.
DAVID DRUMLIN
Center that segment.
FISHER
Centering.
ELLIE
Can you clear it up anymore Fish?
FISHER
I’m working on it.
KITZ
What the hell?
ELLIE
Try zooming out.
FISHER
What is that?
DAVID DRUMLIN
Reverse values.
ELLIE
Try zooming out again.
ELLIE
Rotate 90 degrees counterclockwise.
DAVID DRUMLIN
Oh my god.
Video of Hitler.
KITZ
O-Kay.
KENT CLARK
Uh, What’s going on?
WILLIE
You’re not gonna believe this.
ELLIE
Does Anybody speak German?
KENT CLARK
Umm, I declare the games in Berlin, at the celebration of the first Olympics of the new era, as open.
INT. WHITE HOUSE - DAY
CONSTANTINE
Twenty million people died defeating that son of a bitch and he’s our first ambassador to outer space?
ELLIE
Actually...
DAVID DRUMLIN
(Cutting Ellie off) The broadcast of the ‘36 Olympics was the first television transmission of any power that went into space. The fact that they recorded it, and sent it back, is simply their way of saying hello, we heard you.
KITZ
Or saying, "Hi, you’re our kind of people."
ELLIE
Wait a minute. Hitler and his politics have nothing to do with this. It’s highly unlikely that they would understand what they were looking at. People have to understand...
CONSTANTINE
The people are in very good hands, doctor Arroway. We’ll take it from here.
NEWS REPORT
The White House has just released a statement confirming that a message of unknown origin emanating from deep space has been received by American scientists. Clair Shipman is at the White House.
CLAIRE SHIPMAN
...We’ve just been told that the president will have only a few brief remarks about today’s extraordinary announcement, and that he won’t be taking any questions from the press.
BILL CLINTON
Good Afternoon. I’m glad to be joined by my science and technology advisor. This is the product of years of exploration, by some of the world’s most distinguished scientists. Like all discoveries, this one will and should continue to be reviewed, examined, and scrutinized. It must be confirmed by other scientists. But clearly, the fact that something of this magnitude is being explored, is another...
INT. VLA CONTRON ROOM - DAY
Everyone is watching the president’s speech.
WILLIE
What is this story? I thought Ellie was supposed to be on.
KENT CLARK
Uh, Uh guys. You know those interlaced frames we thought were noise? I’m getting structure.
BILL CLINTON
...If this discovery is confirmed. It would surely be one of the most stunning insights into our universe that science has ever uncovered. It’s implications are as far reaching and awe inspiring as can be imagined. Even as it promises answers to some of our oldest questions, it poses still others even more fundamental. We will continue to listen closely to what is has to say. As we continue the search for the answers, and for knowledge that is as old as humanity itself, but essential to our people’s future. Thank you.
The president is bombarded by reporter’s questions as he leaves the room.
CONSTANTINE
(On camera) ... the message was received Friday morning at 6:31 am mountain standard time. It was largely mathematical, and despite the reports that you may have seen to the contrary, appears to be completely benign in nature. Let me say that again; the message is completely benign. The president has been in touch with heads of state from around the world, and every possible security measure is being taken. To better explain to you the events of the last 48 hours, I’m turning you over to the leader of the scientific team that made this remarkable discovery (Ellie begins to walk toward the podium), Doctor David Drumlin, special science advisor to the president.
DAVID DRUMLIN
(On camera) Thank you Rachel. Hello. In 1936 a very faint television signal transmitted the opening ceremonies of the Olympic games as a show of German superior technology. That signal left Earth at the speed of light and 26 years later arrived in the vicinity of the star we call Vega. That signal has been sent back to us hugely amplified. An unmistakable sign of intelligence. Now...
Ellie gets a page. She leaves the room, sets up her laptop, and calls Kent.
ELLIE
You’re on line Kent, go ahead.
KENT CLARK
The Adolf transmission used 25 frames per seconds, but we’re receiving 50 frames per second...
ELLIE
Uh huh.
KENT CLARK
...So we put the other 25 through a series of search algorithms, to see if there was anything else. We found a series of markers on the top of each frame, are you ready?
ELLIE
Uh, yea, go ahead.
KENT CLARK
Ok, send it Willie. Ok, here it comes.
Ellie receives the picture.
KENT CLARK
It’s digital, massive amounts of data, which extend right to the higher harmonics.
ELLIE
Jackpot!
INT. WHITE HOUSE - CABINET ROOM - DAY
ELLIE
Alright, as you’ll see, interlaced with the frames of the original Hitler image, we found these sections. Now we thought they were just noise, but they’re actually data, huge amounts of it. And when we combine this, with the data from the amplification of the original signal, we get these encrypted pages of text. Now, no two are alike, and we’ve uncovered over 10 000 already.
CONSTANTINE
What does it mean, doctor?
ELLIE
Well, we have no idea. It could be anything. It could be the first volume of an encyclopedia Galactica...
KITZ
...Instructions to acquaint us with their colonization procedures.
DAVID DRUMLIN
...Maybe a few billion new commandments.
CONSTANTINE
How long will it take to decode it?
ELLIE
It could take forever, we really need a primer, uh...
DAVID DRUMLIN
(Cutting off Ellie) We need to get the best decryption people we have. I intend to use the VLA as my command post, in the meantime, my office has made up a preliminary budget.
ELLIE
Wait a minute. This is a privately funded operation. We’re only leasing this time from the government.
KITZ
Doctor, if there’s a precedent case in this domain, I’ve never seen it. I’m going to recommend to the president that we militarize this project immediately.
ELLIE
What?! This is my project! I mean nobody knows more about these scenarios than I do, David, tell them how many years...
DAVID DRUMLIN
Ellie, I’m sorry.
CONSTANTINE
Can we calm down here? Now, I’m going to recommend that Dr. Drumlin administer and coordinate the decryption effort. However, in light of Dr. Arroway’s long experience in these matters, for the time being, she will continue to direct operations at the VLA. With the express understanding that any future discoveries will be kept in the strictest of confidence, until such time as the president can decide the most suitable course of action. Understood?
Every television station is talking about the message...
JAY LENO
So it turns out there’s life on other planets, boy this is really gonna change the Miss Universe contest, don’t you think...
NEWS REPORT
Health officials from around the world are concerned that the message from Vega might trigger a rash of mass suicides not unlike the recent cult deaths near San Diego.
NEWS REPORT 2
...even a scientist has to admit that there are some pretty serious religious overtones to all this.
NEWS REPORT 3
...let’s hear from someone who’s organization has been accused of conducting it’s own inquisitions in recent days. Richard Rank, head of the conservative coalition.
RICHARD RANK
Thank you. This is yet another example of science intruding into matters of faith. Now...
JAY LENO
... a TV signal that was sent off in the 1930s, they’re just getting it. Imagine how disappointed they’re gonna turn out to be if they’re Cubs fans.
NEWS REPORT 4
... we now go to the very large array in New Mexico.
REPORTER
Like a bolt from the blue it came. What is being called the message from Vega has caused thousands of believers and non-believers to descend upon the VLA facility here in the remote desert of New Mexico. Many have come to protest, many to pray, but most to come to participate in what has become the best show in town.
EXT. VLA - AERIAL SHOT - DAY
Campfires, BBQs, tents of all shapes and sizes litter the plains surrounding the telescope array in all directions. A huge banner in the distance reads "There are Aliens Among us." Lines for the porta-potties a quarter mile long. Woodstock, 2001. Songs such as "Flying Purple People Eater" can be heard. Elvis impersonators with signs reading "Viva Las Vega" can be seen. Hot Air Balloons that say "Vega or Bust".
People dressed in green with tin foil antennae on their heads, people trying to hear the message themselves through their RCA digital TV dishes. Neo-Nazies with signs saying, "Hitler Lives!". even a choir singing "Hail to Vega".
EXT. VLA ENTRANCE - CONTINUOUS ACTION
As the convoy is slowed by the crush of people we become aware of a crowd concentrated around a young man speaking on a small jerrybuilt platform; JOSEPH. As he speaks he doesn't come off at all like a fanatic -- in fact he seems quite rational, persuasive in his passion. His amplified voice rings out:
JOSEPH
...but they have failed. It’s the same people who have again and again brought us to the brink of destruction. Who polluted our air, poisoned our waters. Now these scientists have had their chance. Are these the kind of people you want talking to your God for you?
CROWD
No!
NEWS REPORT
Efforts continue around the clock, but for now, almost two full weeks after the message’s arrival, scientists here at the VLA still have no answers. Only more questions. Jeremy Ross, CNN, Socorro, New Mexico.
NEWS ANCHOR PERSON
More on the quest for the message’s meaning after this...
ELLIE
We’ve gotta align them somehow.
DECRYPTION EXPERT
But this one doesn’t fit either. We’ve tried over a billion permutations.
LUNACHARSKY
Curious, I could only get 3 quarters to fit. I don’t understand the significance.
Ellie gets home. Her computer is flashing that she has E-mail. She sees that it's in Real time. She starts the Chat and sees the message, "Take me to your leader."
ELLIE
(Typing) Who are you?
The response is "I’ve got a secret", and then a picture of one of the pages.
ELLIE
Huh, what? Somebody broke in.
ELLIE
(Typing) WHO ARE YOU?
The phone rings. She picks up.
ELLIE
Hello. Listen, I don’t know who you are, but you broke into the database, and I’m... what? Now? Where?
A fax comes in... showing her a location and an arrow saying, "meet me here".
ELLIE
I’ll be there.
EXT. HADDEN’S AIR CRAFT - NIGHT.
GUARD
You should feel fortunate, he rarely lands for anyone.
Ellie goes inside. Walks through the halls to...
INT. HADDEN’S OFFICE - NIGHT
HADDEN
Dr. Arroway, I presume.
ELLIE
Mr. Hadden.
HADDEN
I’ve had my eye on you a long time. I consider you one of my most valuable long term investments, and when it comes to my investments, I always do my homework.
He starts up a video sequence on a wall monitor.
HADDEN
Eleanor Ann Arroway, born 25th August 1964 in DePere, Wisconsin. Mother, Joanna, died from complications during child birth. Early testing indicated high pre-disposition towards science and mathematics. Father, Theodore, advised to provide enrichment activities along these lines, did so conscientiously until his death by myocardial infarction November 10, 1974.
You graduated from high school in 1979, almost two full years early. Rewarded full scholarship, MIT, graduated magna cum lauda. Doctoral work, Cal-Tech, where you did breakthrough work on the lansamine built ruby maser, dramatically increasing the sensitivity of radio telescopes.
Subsequently, offered a teaching position at Harvard University, which you turned down, to pursue SETI work at the Arecibo observatory in Puerto Rico. Changes in NSF policy gave rise to certain funding problems, at which point you came to my attention.
ELLIE
You compromised our security codes.
HADDEN
Once upon a time, I was a hell of an engineer, please sit Doctor. I have visitors so rarely, it’s important to me that they feel welcome in my home.
ELLIE
You live here?
HADDEN
I find it convenient to keep my interests mobile. Anyway, I’ve had my fill of life on the ground.
ELLIE
Well, I guess I should thank you for bailing me out all that time.
HADDEN
I know a good bet when I see one. (hands her a tea) Earl Grey, no sugar, no milk, I believe.
ELLIE
What am I doing here?
HADDEN
(laughs) The powers that be have been very busy lately, clawing over each other to position themselves for the game of the millenium. Maybe I can help deal you back in.
ELLIE
I didn’t realize that was out.
HADDEN
Well, maybe not out, but certainly being handed your hat. I’ve had a long time to make enemies, doctor. So many governments, business interests, even religious leaders that would like to see me depart this Earth. I’ll grant them their wish soon enough, but before I do, I wish to make a small contribution, a final gesture of good will to the people of this little planet who have given me... from whom I have taken so much.
ELLIE
You found the primer.
HADDEN
Clever girl. Lights.
Another video appears on the wall monitor.
HADDEN
Pages and pages of data. Over 63 thousand in all, and on the parameter of each...
ELLIE
...alignment symbols, a registration marks, but they don’t line up.
HADDEN
Ahh, but they do. If you think like a Vegan. An alien intelligence is going to be more advanced. That means efficiency functioning on multiple levels and in multiple dimensions.
The video reflects this by combining three pages in 3 dimensions... they match up.
ELLIE
Yes! Of course. Where’s the primer?
HADDEN
You’ll see. Every three dimensional page contains a piece of the primer, there it was all the time, staring you in the face. Buried within the message itself, is the key...
INT. WHITE HOUSE - CABINET ROOM - DAY
ELLIE
...to decoding it. Within the layering of the matrix, we have these basic equations. So with this very elementary foundation, they have given us a kind of general scientific vocabulary. We now have the symbols for true and false...
DAVID DRUMLIN
(Cutting Ellie off) ...This was the key, to put it simply, that allowed us to decipher their language for physics, geometry, chemistry, next frame Ellie.
ELLIE
Yes, and when we apply this to the rest of the message, we find this...
KITZ
Those look like engineering schematics, almost like blueprints.
DAVID DRUMLIN
Yea
ELLIE
Yes, It is our belief that the message contains instructions for building something. Some kind of machine.
CONSTANTINE
A machine? That does what, doctor?
ELLIE
Well, we don’t know. It might be some type of advanced communication device, or it could be a teaching machine of some kind, or it might... turn out to be some kind of a transport.
KITZ
Transport?
DAVID DRUMLIN
There’s no proof of that.
KITZ
The fact is, you don’t know what it does. It could be anything. It could be a Trojan horse. We build it and out pours the entire Vegan army.
MILITARY GENERAL
Why bother even risking the personnel. It could be a weapon
MILITARY GENERAL 2
Right, some kind of doomsday machine.
KITZ
Exactly, every time they detect a new civilization, they fax down these construction documents from outer space. We poor saps build... whatever this thing is, and blow ourselves to kingdom come.
ELLIE
There’s no reason to believe that their intentions are hostile.
KITZ
Why is it always the default position of the eggheads that aliens would always be benign, why is that?
ELLIE
We pose no threat to them. It would like us going out of our way to destroy a few microbes on some ant hill in Africa.
DAVID DRUMLIN
Interesting analogy. And how guilty would we feel if we went and destroyed a few microbes on an ant hill in Africa?
KITZ
I hope you’re right, doctor. I really do. But right now, my job is to protect American lives from any plausible threat, and in that regard I am obligated to assume the worst.
RICHARD RANK
Well, yes, and I’m forced to agree with you. My problem is this; The content of that message is morally ambiguous at best. Now our internal numbers show that support for this is incredibly soft, so if the president wishes to stay this course, I guarantee you’re gonna find his numbers going south like a duck in winter.
ELLIE
This is nuts.
RICHARD RANK
Excuse me miss, we know nothing of these creatures' values. The fact of the matter is we don’t even know whether they believe in god.
ELLIE
Now this doesn’t make any sense, I mean if you were to ask...
CONSTANTINE
Excuse me Dr, Arroway, we won’t be suppressing any opinions here today.
ELLIE
No, of course not, it’s just that the message was written in the language of science. Now, if it had been religious in nature, it should have taken on the form of burning bush, or a big booming voice from the sky...
Joss walk in.
PALMER
But a voice from the sky is exactly what you found, Dr. Arroway. I’m sorry I’m late, ma’am. Now, I agree with Mr. Rank that there are unavoidable religious implications at stake here, but that doesn’t justify taking an alarmist’s position. My hope here is that we can find a common ground, break through any obstacles that may have kept us apart.
KITZ
Right well perhaps we can just...
ELLIE
Yea, and I need to make a point...
RICHARD RANK
...our organization will not be qualified to bang heads with flowery, new age rhetoric from...
CONSTANTINE
Mr. President.
The president walks in, everyone stands up...
NEWS REPORT
The president met with his top advisors today regarding the latest efforts to decode the message. While there has been reports of some progress, the official line remains a cautious one.
DAVID DRUMLIN
If you’re asking me when we’ll find out what the purpose of that machine is, maybe tomorrow, maybe next year, maybe never.
ELLIE
Here he is, the man with his finger on the spiritual pulse of a nation, huh?
PALMER
It’s so good to see you Ellie.
ELLIE
You too.
PALMER
Your discovering all of this, it must be a real vindication. I’m really happy for you.
ELLIE
Are you ?
CONSTANTINE
Mr. Joss, the president’s waiting.
ELLIE
(laughs) The president’s waiting.
PALMER
Ellie, see you at the reception tonight?
ELLIE
Uh, yea, I wouldn’t miss it.
PALMER
Alright, good.
ELLIE
Excuse me, Miss Constantine, may I speak to you.
CONSTANTINE
Certainly.
ELLIE
I have a big problem.
CONSTANTINE
Yes?
ELLIE
Do you know where I can find, like a really great dress.
Ellie arrives at the reception, where there is a crowd of protestors. People are chanting, praise God. She sees Joseph again.
INT. RECEPTION - NIGHT
PALMER
Wow. You look beautiful Ellie.
ELLIE
So do you.
PALMER
Wow, you really do.
ELLIE
I read your book.
PALMER
Here we go.
ELLIE
Would you like me to quote you? Ironically, the thing people are most hungry for, meaning, is the one thing that science hasn’t been able to give them.
PALMER
Yea, yea.
ELLIE
Come on. It’s like you’re saying that science killed God. What if science simply revealed that he never existed in the first place.
PALMER
I think we’re gonna need to get some air.
ELLIE
What?
PALMER
And a few more of these (taking two glasses of champagne)
EXT. RECEPTION - NIGHT
ELLIE
Whew, it’s a little chilly out here.
PALMER
Yea, this is nice.
ELLIE
Hey, I’ve got one for you.
PALMER
What have you got?
ELLIE
Occam's Razor, you ever heard of it?
PALMER
Hackem’s Razor, sounds like some slasher movie.
ELLIE
No, Occam's Razor, it’s a basic scientific principle. And it says, all things being equal, the simplest explanation tends to be the right one.
PALMER
Make sense to me.
ELLIE
Alright. So what’s more likely (Joss puts his jacket around Ellie), thank you...
PALMER
You’re welcome.
ELLIE
...An all powerful and mysterious God created the Universe, and then decided not to give any proof of his existence, or that he simply doesn’t exist at all, and that we created him so that we didn’t have to feel so small and alone?
PALMER
I don’t know. I couldn’t imagine living in a world where God didn’t exist. I wouldn’t want to.
ELLIE
How do you know your not deluding yourself? As for me, I’d need proof.
PALMER
Proof. Did you love your father?
ELLIE
Huh?
PALMER
Your Dad, did you love him?
ELLIE
Yes, very much.
PALMER
Prove it.
Just then they both get a page.
ELLIE
Kent.
PALMER
The White House.
They go back inside, and someone calls Joss away.
DAVID DRUMLIN
... I don’t want excuses, whoever’s responsible, I want their head on a platter, ok?
ELLIE
What happened?
DAVID DRUMLIN
You were right all along.
NEWS REPORT
The decryption team here at the VLA has been working around the clock, and all the hard work has finally paid off. This key section uncovered tonight, and obtained exclusively by CNN, shows an illustration of what is unmistakenly a human figure inside a geometric structure of some kind. This and other contextual clues, now lead scientists to believe that the message is in fact...
PALMER
The president’s just called a meeting.
NEWS REPORT
... device designed to take a single human occupant into space. Presumably to the star named Vega.
Ellie is waiting for the meeting to finish. When the door opens, everyone floods out. Ellie walks towards Joss.
KITZ
Damn, I missed my mother's birthday party, could you get her on the phone for me?
ELLIE
(To Joss) Tell me.
PALMER
They’re gonna build it.
ELLIE
Who gets to go?
PALMER
The president’s just called it international to spread the risk and construction cost.
ELLIE
Who gets to go?
PALMER
Well, it’s complicated Ellie.
ELLIE
What?
PALMER
They’ve formed a group of international candidates. Now, it was your discovery, and they understand that. You’re at the top of a very short list. But they’re also putting together a formal selection committee, it’s made of scholars, theologians, scientists, philosophers...
ELLIE
You’re on it?
PALMER
I’ve been asked, yes.
ELLIE
I guess that means that you’re a selector and I’m a selectee, and we can’t...
PALMER
Yea, but what you don’t understand Ellie is...
DAVID DRUMLIN
Ellie, I want you to know that whatever happens as far as I’m concerned... well, good luck.
ELLIE
Well, whatever you do, just make sure he doesn’t monopolize the committee.
PALMER
He’s not on the committee Ellie.
ELLIE
What?
PALMER
He just resigned as science advisor, he wants to be the one to go.
And the media goes crazy again...
NEWS REPORT
The president is already beginning to feel the financial pitch. Consortium sources say the cost of the project is spiraling to more a third of a trillion dollars. Making this, what may be the most expensive single project in all of human history.
NEWS REPORT 2
Meanwhile, months of debate finally reached a conclusion of sorts last week as ten international candidates were selected by the IMC, representing a cross section of political, philosophical and religious figures. Many of these scientists are the same experts who have been consulting on the machine’s design and function. As such, they will be actively participating on site during the construction process. The choice of these ten candidates has not been without controversy. Nearly one third the candidates are American. Many international observers are asking why?
CONSTANTINE
(Being interview) The US is shouldering an enormous percentage of the financial burden.
REPORTER
But Isn’t it true though a lot of the large contractors, like Hadden Industries are actually making those contributions in exchange for technology rights.
CONSTANTINE
Different nations are being compensated in different ways. For example...
NEWS REPORT
Japan made headlines last month when it announced it would forego candidate representation in exchange for the lucrative systems integration sub contract.
LARRY KING
On what basis do you choose a human being to represent humanity?
DAVID DRUMLIN
Good question Larry...
ELLIE
Yes, well, if nothing else, they should be someone who’s fluent in the language that the message was given in, science in this case.
REPORTER
Dr. Arroway, despite your obvious enthusiasm, there’s been a lot of criticism of late that this whole endeavour is simply too dangerous. Some of that criticism from scientists. One noble prize winner recently noted his words, "There is every indication that this is simply beyond our capabilities. That this endeavour will fail, and that the machines occupant will pay for that failure with their life." How do you respond to something like that?
ELLIE
Well, this message is from a civilization that may be anywhere from hundreds to millions and millions of years ahead of us. I have to believe that an intelligence that advanced knows what they’re doing. All it requires on our part is...
REPORTER
Faith?
ELLIE
I was going to say a sense of adventure.
NEWS REPORT
And in other news, Major John Rusell, a former astronaut considered to be the leading American candidate for the machine seat, has unexpectedly dropped out of the running. Rusell met with reporters this afternoon as his Houston home.
JOHN’S SON (Robert Zemekis’ son in real life)
(On camera) I told my dad that I didn’t want him to go.
JOHN’S DAUGHTER
Daddy, don’t go.
JOHN RUSELL
Nothing would give me more pride than to represent my country, but what can I say to this?
NEWS REPORT
Consortium officials have no comment, but sources within the American delegation have disclosed that Dr. Arroway appears to be the front runner for the machine seat.
EXT. WASHINGTON PARK - DAY
ELLIE
"Meet me at noon, must talk". I wasn’t expecting any messages from you.
PALMER
Thanks for coming.
ELLIE
So is this kosher? Fraternizing with the enemy? Selectors and selectees mingling around (laughs).
PALMER
Can we talk about Einstein?
ELLIE
Yea, sure, ok.
PALMER
Special relativity. This machine, now if it works and you travel to Vega at even close to the speed of light when you come back...
ELLIE
...if you come back.
PALMER
If you come back, you will only be 4 years older, but over 50 years will have passed here on Earth, and everybody that you care about will be gone, dead and buried.
ELLIE
If you came back, if you survived it all, which is... look Palmer, no one’s saying that this isn’t dangerous, alright. I - The rest of the candidates and myself we fully understand the implications, the risks that we’re taking.
PALMER
Why?
ELLIE
Because it’s a historic opportunity, because the world needs...
PALMER
You, Ellie, you. You personally. I mean by doing this you’re willing to give your life to it, you’re willing to die for it... why?
ELLIE
For as long as I can remember, I've been searching for something, some reason why we're here -- what are we doing here, who are we? If this is a chance to find out even just a little part of that answer, I don’t know, I think it's worth a human life, don't you?
PALMER
You’re an incredibly brave Woman, Ellie.
ELLIE
Incredibly Nuts.
They kiss, and then just hold each other.
ELLIE
Palmer, I’m confused.
PALMER
So am I.
INT. IMC BUILDING -DAY
FRENCH REPRESENTATIVE
I think I speak for us all when I thank you for your patience. Myself, I have one final question Dr. Arroway. If you should meet these Vegans and were permitted only one question to ask of them. What would it be?
ELLIE
Well I suppose it would be, umm, how did you do it, how did you evolve, how did you survive this technological adolescence without destroying yourself. That more than any other question is the one that I would personally like to have answered.
And in an office somewhere watching what’s happening.
CONSTANTINE
Not too bad, Mike.
KITZ
Eh.
Back at IMC.
CHAIRWOMAN
I join Dr. Bergeron in expressing thanks for your patience Dr. Arroway. We’ve all been more than impressed with your candor and your stamina. I believe we are ready to move on to your final statement.
PALMER
Madame Chairman, I have one more question.
CHAIRWOMAN
Yes Mr. Joss.
PALMER
Dr. Arroway. Would you consider yourself a spiritual person?
ELLIE
I don’t really understand the point of the question. I consider myself a moral person.
CHAIRWOMAN
I’m sure we all agree that is the case, but I think what Mr. Joss is in fact asking is...
PALMER
Do you believe in God, Dr. Arroway?
ELLIE
As a scientist I rely on imperical evidence, and in this matter, I don’t believe that there is data either way.
CHAIRWOMAN
So your answer would in fact be that you don’t believe in God?
ELLIE
I - I just don’t understand the relevance of the question.
ENGLISH REPRESENTATIVE
Dr. Arroway, 95% of the world’s population believes in a supreme being in one form or another. I believe that makes the question more than relevant.
CHAIRWOMAN
Dr. Arroway?
ELLIE
I believe um, I believe I’ve already answered that question.
DAVID DRUMLIN
I’m proud of what we’ve achieved as a species, and as a civilization. I would hate to see all we stand for, all that we have fought for, for a thousand generations, all that God has blessed us with, betrayed in the final hour because we chose to send a representative who did not put our most cherished beliefs first. Thank you.
INT. ELLIE’S ROOM - NIGHT
Ellie is packing her bags. There’s a knock on the door. Ellie opens it. She sees its Joss and goes back to her packing.
ELLIE
Why did you do it?
PALMER
Our job was to select someone to speak for everybody. I just couldn’t in good conscience vote for a person who doesn’t believe in God. Someone who honestly thinks the other 95% of us suffer from some form of mass delusion.
ELLIE
I told the truth up there and Drumlin told you exactly what you wanted to hear.
She retrieves the crackerjack compass from her bags. She gives it back to Joss.
EXT. CAPE CANAVERAL - DAY
DAVID DRUMLIN
With full humility and utmost gratitude I accept this great honor, and I promise I will do my best to represent my nation, my planet, and my God on this historic journey. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
NEWS REPORT
There’s a carnival atmosphere here at Cape Canaveral. As the International Machine Consortium holds as much a media event as a systems test. David Drumlin is supervising the on-site portion of the test. We spoke to him earlier today.
DAVID DRUMLIN
(on camera) We’ll be able to monitor the stresses and effects using the robot passenger who we loving call Elmer.
Ellie pulls up in a car.
REPORTER
Dr. Arroway, we would like to ask you a few questions as soon as you’re done with Dr. Drumlin.
DAVID DRUMLIN
...there will be a substantial amount of energy generated at the core. We’ll be able to monitor the stresses and effects using the robot passenger who we loving call Elmer.
ON SITE WORKER
Sir, they’re ready for you at the site.
DAVID DRUMLIN
Uh, ya. Just a minute.
DAVID DRUMLIN
Ellie.
ELLIE
Congratulations David.
DAVID DRUMLIN
Glad you could come. I didn’t expect to see you here.
ELLIE
Well, I’m still crew ops at the control center, and I suppose the fact that I discovered the message means that I have PR value.
DAVID DRUMLIN
Of course. Ellie, I know you must think this is all really unfair. Maybe that’s an understatement. What you don’t know is that I agree. I wish the world was a place where fair was the final line, where the kind of idealism you showed at the hearing was rewarded, not taken advantage of. Unfortunately, we don’t live in that world.
ELLIE
Funny; I’ve always believe that the world is what we make of it.
ON SITE WORKER
Excuse me, Dr. Drumlin, sir.
ELLIE
Good luck on the tests.
INT. CAPE CANAVERAL - CONTROL ROOM - DAY - MAIN MONITOR
The alien, spherical pod rests on a complex drop mechanism that in turn hangs from an overhead track. The track extends out along the long gantry arm that hangs over the top of the machine's three immense concentric rings.
DAVID DRUMLIN
Test director, everything looks good up here, we’re ready to go.
DIRECTOR
Alright people, I want things double and triple checked here. We only get one shot at this, let’s get it right.
DIRECTOR
Ladies and Gentlemen, we are ready to start up. For all controllers, I need a go/no go for test initiation. Mechanical?
MECHANICAL
Go.
DIRECTOR
Electrical?
ELECTRICAL
Go.
DIRECTOR
Dynamics?
DYNAMICS
Go.
DIRECTOR
Communications?
COMMUNICATIONS
Go.
DIRECTOR
Life Support Systems?
LIFE SUPPORT
Go.
DIRECTOR
Safety?
SAFETY
Go.
DIRECTOR
Crew Ops? Verify all pretest procedures are complete.
ELLIE
Yes, verified, am go.
DAVID DRUMLIN
Ground leader, we’re looking good here, everything ok with you?
GROUND LEADER
Roger, the pad is a go.
DAVID DRUMLIN
Test initiation on my mark. 5...4...3...2...1...mark. System?
SYSTEM
Rings are unlocked. Power levels indicate a good start.
Rings start spinning. <ring.mp3>
NEWS REPORT
... and we have begun the full scale test of Earth’s first system built by the sharing of knowledge with a neighbour in our Universe.
SYSTEM 1
Power sources are going up to bust.
SYSTEM 2
IPV Power transfer complete.
SYSTEM 3
Ring motion detected on Alpha, Bravo, Charlie.
DIRECTOR
Jerry. How we looking?
JERRY (Ground Director)
Looks good. We’re underway.
DAVID DRUMLIN
Looks like we have a normal start up.
DIRECTOR
Roger. David, It’s looking good here.
DIRECTOR
Mechanical, we still happy?
MECHANICAL
Roger that.
DAVID DRUMLIN
I’ll tell you, this is very exiting from up here.
SYSTEM
We’ve got 4%.
DAVID DRUMLIN
We’re confirming, 4%
SYSTEM
Frequency, niner point eight five. Dynamics in the green. Queue level one point one. 5%
DIRECTOR
Confirm, we are at 5%. David how’s it looking to you?
DAVID DRUMLIN
Ok, I’m gonna take a look and show you what we’ve got.
SYSTEM
All test subject instrumentation looks good.
SYSTEM 2
Confirmed. We have a good picture from Dr. Drumlin’s PRD.
DAVID DRUMLIN
I hope you guys can see what I’m seeing.
SYSTEM
All systems are go.
DAVID DRUMLIN
Now this is really something.
NEWS REPORT
For the purpose of this test, Dr. Drumlin will on top of the gantry frame that’s over the machine. We’ve got some video animation to show you just this machine, it is thought, will work. The passenger pod will be released, it’ll come down to the center of the rings, and into the machine’s core.
The big question everyone here is asking is of course, what happens then? Some believe that the rings’ function as some sort of an accelerator or something, sending its energy into this passenger pod making it rocket away at near the speed of light. Other people believe it might open up doorway to some other dimension. Who’s right? That’s what today’s test is all about.
SYSTEM
35%... 40%
SYSTEM 2
We’re ready
SYSTEM 3
Confirm, 40%
DIRECTOR
All controllers stand by to initiate drop sequence, on my mark.
SYSTEM
All systems ready for drop sequence.
SYSTEM 2
45%
SYSTEM 3
We’re ready at 45%
DAVID DRUMLIN
Can Verify closure.
SYSTEM
46%
DIRECTOR
All controllers stand ready to initiate IPV drop sequence, on my mark.
SYSTEM
49%
DAVID DRUMLIN
System Director, I’m feeling a very strange vibration, are you reading it down there?
DIRECTOR
Jerry, can you confirm any vibration out of place?
JERRY
Negative, everything looks good here.
DIRECTOR
Crew Ops?
ELLIE
Nothing wrong with Elmer.
DIRECTOR
David, we’re not seeing anything abnormal here.
DAVID DRUMLIN
No good, hold the sequence, I’m gonna take a direct reading.
DIRECTOR
What the hell’s he talking about?
SYSTEM
Can anyone say Grand standing?
SYSTEM 2
He sure knows he’s on TV.
SYSTEM 3
Back home, that’s what we call an overcooked ham.
DAVID DRUMLIN
What’s your reading on the G levels?
SYSTEM
G levels are right on.
DYNAMICS
Director, we just reconfirmed all readings. We’re go.
DIRECTOR
Copy that dynamics. I think we’re ok, but we’ll let him finish. Mechanical you still ok?
MECHANICAL
Roger that...
ELLIE
(who’s been moving one of the cameras and sees Joseph on the gantry) We’ve got a security problem here.
DIRECTOR
Ellie, are you sure?
ELLIE
Yea, this guy, he shouldn’t be there, I know him.
DIRECTOR
Jerry, execute the rapid shut down sequence...
ELLIE
Get me Drumlin on a secure loop please.
SYSTEM
You got it.
ELLIE
David, can you hear me?
DAVID DRUMLIN
Yes, I hear you.
ELLIE
We’ve got a security breach here. Right behind you, the tall guy, the technician, see him? He’s not supposed to be there. David, he’s got something in his hand.
DAVID DRUMLIN
Him. Stop him, security breach.
ON SITE WORKER
A bomb, he’s got a bomb.
DAVID DRUMLIN
He’s on the gantry now
ON SITE WORKER 2
Security. Stage one alert.
ON SITE WORKER 3
Oh my god!
Joseph sets off the bomb, the monitors go blank one at a time. And the machine gets destroyed in a spectacular explosion. Pieces of it go flying in all directions.
DIRECTOR
Alright, alright, back to your stations. I need you to be professional people, settle down.
NEWS REPORT
...today, which David Drumlin, advisor to two presidents and winner of the national academy of science’s lifetime award of excellence, was laid to rest at Arlington national cemetery. And in the latest story, last night...
VLA CONTROL ROOM - NIGHT
Ellie has returned to the VLA. She is watching the news report on a TV in the control room. There is someone on duty there.
PERSON ON DUTY
Can I help you? Oh, you’re... I’ve got some mail for you.
NEWS REPORT
... a video. The apparent suicide note of the leader of the terrorist group, now believed responsible for the explosion in Florida this week.
JOSEPH
(on video) What we do, we do for the goodness of all mankind. This won’t be understood, not now, but the apocalypse to come will vindicate our faith.
Ellie walks over to the stereo system and listens to the message at the original frequency.
KENT CLARK
Welcome home. She goes to Kent and hugs him.
INT. ELLIE’S ROOM - NIGHT
Her room has a bunch of strange equipment scattered around. There’s a note that says, "hit any key". She does, and everything comes to life, specifically a screen where she sees a cosmonaut floating around. The Cosmonaut talks to someone in Russian and then...
COSMONAUT
Oh, Comrad Arroway, we have been expecting your call. Um, one moment please.
Ellie sees S. R. Hadden peeling a banana in zero G.
ELLIE
Mr. Hadden?
HADDEN
Doctor. How kind of you to call.
ELLIE
Mr. Hadden, where are you?
HADDEN
The Russian government was kind enough to give me accommodations on Mir.
ELLIE
You’re living on a space station?
HADDEN
Its quite simple really; the low oxygen, zero gravity environment is the only thing keeping the cancer from eating me alive. Actually, I quite like it up here. My little room has one hell of a view. I wanna show you something (hits some buttons on a keypad, we see a satellite image of an island). Hokkaido Island.
ELLIE
The systems integration site.
HADDEN
Look closer (hits more buttons, image zooms further in on the island).
First rule in government spending, why build one when you can have two at twice the price. Only, this one can be kept secret. Controlled by Americans, built by the Japanese sub contractors, who also happen to be recently acquired, wholly owned subsidiaries of...ELLIE AND HADDEN...Hadden Industries.HADDENThey still want an American to go, doctor. Wanna take a ride? <wanna.mp3>
INT. HOKKAIDO STATION - DAY
EQUIPMENT PERSON
... and augmenting our restraint in communications consort sub systems, we have your personal recording unit. Normal, infrared and Ultraviolet lenses. Digital microchip, good for thousands of hours of recording.
ELLIE
Ok, I understand the reason for recording and documenting the mission, I just want to go on record one more time; the transmitted specs never said anything about a chair or a restraining harness or survival gear. Why can’t we just trust the original...
SUPERVISOR
Because the IMC board and the SI team carefully reviewed the matter and concluded that design impact is negligible. Bottom line is we are not putting anyone aboard this machine unless there is some sort of minimal protection. Minimal protection, end of story.
ELLIE
Ok.
SUPERVISOR
(Handing her a tablet of cyanide) Ellie, we’ve been giving these to the astronauts since the beginning of the space program, it’s never been made public, of course. It’s fast and its painless.
ELLIE
I’m gonna travel 26 light years to commit suicide?
SUPERVISOR
Something may go wrong, there might be an unforeseen mechanical failure, you could be marooned, unable to return. There are a thousand reasons we can think of for you to have this with you, but mostly its for the reasons we can’t think of.
INT. ELLIE’S ROOM ON HOKKAIDO - NIGHT
There’s a knock at the door.
ELLIE
Come in.
GUARD
Dr. Arroway, time to get ready.
ELLIE
Thank you.
Joss appears at the door.
PALMER
I know you don’t have much time, as soon as I found out about the machine I called the President. I came with Kitz. I had to see you one more time. Oh God, I’m sorry.
ELLIE
It’s ok. I’m glad you came.
PALMER
Listen, there’s something I gotta say to you. The reason I didn’t want you to go, was a good reason, but it wasn’t the real one. I didn’t want you to go, because I don’t want to lose you. (handing her back the compass) You find your way home, alright?
NEWS REPORT
...23 hours ago, the world was stunned by announcement of the existence of a second machine, and its passenger, Eleanor Ann Arroway. Now, the question that’s on everyone’s mind, will history repeat itself? With a piece of engineering this complex, with so many unknowns, could the unthinkable occur? The security in Hokkaido has been incredibly tight. No reporters whatsoever have been allowed near the site.
INT. MACHINE GANTRY - NIGHT
Ellie is escorted across the gantry by two Japanese guards. We hear the rings spinning, and are aware of Ellie’s breathing. She is magnetically attached to the chair in the IPV.
SYSTEM
Magnetic restraints secure, all life support functions are normal.
DIRECTOR
Roger that. Ellie this is control, do you copy?
ELLIE
Ellie to control. Reading you five by five.
DIRECTOR
Comm one, get me on the PRD.
ELLIE
Video unit recording, transmitting. Are you reading me?
DIRECTOR
That’s affirmative. Video looks good.
ELLIE
Copy that, control.
DIRECTOR
Ok, Ellie, we’re going to proceed to button you up.
ELLIE
Roger control, ready.
The walkway begins to retract, and the door begins to slide into place.
ELLIE
I can confirm the walkway retraction.
DIRECTOR
Communications?
COMMUNICATIONS
Go.
DIRECTOR
Life Support?
LIFE SUPPORT
Go.
DIRECTOR
Ellie, we are go for closure.
ELLIE
I’m go here.
DIRECTOR
Mechanical, initiate IPV closure sequence.
Joss and Kent come into the room.
KENT CLARK
Nice to smell you again, Mr. Kitz.
KITZ
You too.
KENT CLARK
(To Joss) I wouldn’t peg him as a polo man.
ELLIE
Got a visual on the door.
DIRECTOR
Door is looking good.
ELLIE
Door alignment looks good.
The door closes, the seams around it disappear.
DIRECTOR
Ellie, we are showing green across the board.
ELLIE
Roger that control. IPV is secure.
SYSTEM
We are at 30%
ELLIE
Copy that, 30%
KENT CLARK
How you doing in there, El?
ELLIE
Kent? Is that you?
KENT CLARK
That’s a big affirmative.
ELLIE
Well, who let you in there, huh?
KENT CLARK
A higher power intervened. (Joss and Kent exchange glances)
ELLIE
Well, I’m glad you came.
SYSTEM
35%
ELLIE
Copy that, 35%
SYSTEM
40%
ELLIE
I’m picking up a moderate vibration here.
DIRECTOR
Dynamics, can you confirm vibration?
DYNAMICS
Everything looks good here. She’s feeling the same thing they felt at the Cape at this point.
DIRECTOR
Ellie, the vibration is normal.
SYSTEM
We’re at 50%, all systems go.
ELLIE
Copy that, 50%.
ELLIE
Vibrations getting a little stronger now.
SYSTEM
We’re picking up some low frequency noise.
DIRECTOR
Mechanical, can you confirm?
MECHANICAL
Looks fine to me.
DIRECTOR
Roger. Jerry what do you think?
JERRY
I say go.
DIRECTOR
People, we are still go.
ELLIE
Something’s happening... There’s a light, do you see that? I’m seeing something, I can’t tell whether its daylight or not, its... there it is again, its coming from the bottom... Here, let me show it to you, do you see that?
DIRECTOR
Negative. Ellie, you’re breaking up. Comm one, can we boost her signal?
COMM ONE
Already at maximum.
ELLIE
The material is changing. Its bordering on translucent. But the system’s intact. Its gotta be some kind of electro-magnetic field. Are you reading this?
DIRECTOR
Negative, we’re seeing only interference.
ELLIE
It’s becoming completely translucent, I can’t describe it, I can’t even explain it.
SYSTEM
70%
DIRECTOR
People, we’ve got intermittent comm, but we are still go. Initiate secondary drive systems.
SYSTEM
Initiating auxiliary booster sequence... We’re go for ignition... We have auxiliary booster ignition.
Two rockets fire off one of the rings.
DIRECTOR
Life support, how’s she doing?
LIFE SUPPORT
Heart and respiration within limits, she’s ok.
DIRECTOR
Ellie, do you copy?
ELLIE
If you can hear me, I’m ok to go.
SYSTEM
80%. All vibrations and T-levels are in the green.
ELLIE
Control, are you reading me? I am ok to go... ok to go.
SYSTEM
85%
SYSTEM
90%. We’re detecting some structural instability.
DIRECTOR
Confirm, how’s she holding?
LIFE SUPPORT
We’re within limits, barely.
ELLIE
I’m ok to go. I’m ok to go.
A huge ball of energy erupts in the center of the machine.
DIRECTOR
My God!
ELLIE
Ok to go, I’m ok.
SYSTEM
100%; target velocity.
JERRY
Steve, we’re picking up tremendously high levels around the machine, all field measurements are pegged off scale high... Steve, we’re approaching our abort limits.
The Director is about to push the abort button...
ELLIE
Ok to go.
KENT CLARK
I hear her, I hear her! Barely, but she’s there.
ELLIE
Ok to go.
KENT CLARK
She says she’s ok to go.
JERRY
Steve, we’re real close.
DIRECTOR
Electrical, what’s your reading in the core?
ELECTRICAL
The internal environment looks normal. Inside the core, the weather is beautiful.
ELLIE
Ok to go, ok to go, ok to go.
DIRECTOR
Initiate drop sequence... on my mark. 10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...
ELLIE
Ok to go...
The IPV Drops into the core and Ellie starts falling though a tunnel of sorts.
ELLIE
Oh God!!! Ellie to control, do you read me? I’m gonna try to keep recording. I’m going through some kind of tunnel. There’s a light source ahead, brilliant, blue/white...
The IPV Emerges from the tunnel.
ELLIE
It’s a star. I must have gone through a wormhole. It’s Vega.
Ellie sees the radio telescopes that were used to send the message to Earth, but then the IPV gets pulled into another wormhole.
ELLIE
I’m in another wormhole now, a series of them. Some kind of transit system...
The IPV Emerges from the wormhole.
ELLIE
Ok, I’ve gotta keep talking.
She looks out the IPV.
ELLIE
A triple, no, quadruple system. Oh, it’s beautiful.
She sees a spaceport on the planet below her.
ELLIE
They’re alive.
The IPV gets pulled into another wormhole. She’s experiencing massive amounts of turbulence.
ELLIE
Another wormhole. This one has more turbulence.
She lets go of the compass in her hand. She notices that it’s floating in zero G, and unbuckles herself from the chair and begins floating. The chair shakes itself loose, and then all is silent until she emerges from the wormhole and the chair is pulled up to the top of the IPV. All is dark. Ellie turns on a flashlight.
ELLIE
Some celestial event. No - No words. No words to describe it. They should’ve sent a poet. So beautiful, So beautiful... I had no idea.
Her words are echoed as she passes out. She wakes up on a celestial beach that looks a little like the picture of Pensacola she drew when she was young. She reaches out and her hands brushes against something invisible that makes a sound. She touches somewhere else, a different sound. She continues to do this, making beautiful music, until she sees something in the distance... her father.
TED ARROWAY
’’
’
’
’’’
’’’’’
’
’
’Hiya Sparks.ELLIEDad?She gives him a hug. TED ARROWAYI missed you.ELLIEI missed you (crying).TED ARROWAYOh, Im sorry I couldnt be there for you sweetheart.ELLIEYoure not real. None of this is real.TED ARROWAYThats my scientist.ELLIEWhen I was unconscious, you downloaded my thoughts, my memories, even Pensacola.TED ARROWAYWe thought this might make things easier for you.ELLIEWhy did you contact us?TED ARROWAYYou contacted us. We were just listening.ELLIEThen there are others?TED ARROWAYMany others.ELLIEThey <pensacola.mp3>
She takes one last look at the sky and the stars, and then... the IPV drops into the net at the bottom of the machine.
DIRECTOR
She’s though!
SYSTEM
She’s in the net!
KITZ
She’s alive, get a medical team over there right away...
DIRECTOR
Ellie, Ellie, this control do you copy?
DIRECTOR
Ellie, just hold tight, we’re still trying to determine the nature of the malfunction, but the important thing is you’re ok.
ELLIE
What?
DIRECTOR
It’s ok Ellie, the important thing is that you’re safe.
ELLIE
What malfunction? Where am I? What day is this?
DIRECTOR
I’m sorry Ellie, did you say, "what day"?
ELLIE
How long was I gone?
DIRECTOR
Ellie, the IPV dropped straight through the machine, you didn’t go anywhere.
CUT TO:
INT. MEDICAL FACILITY
ELLIE
But I did. I did go. That’s what I’m trying to tell you. The headset didn’t record a single image?
KITZ
Just this... static. Now doctor, let me show you what we saw.
We see the IPV dropping straight through from many different angles.
KITZ
43 separate remote cameras show the exact same event. The IPV dropped straight through. Everyone who watched saw the exact same thing. Nothing happened. How do you explain this, doctor?
ELLIE
I can’t.
BILL CLINTON
I would encourage you not to inflame this situation beyond the facts. Let us deal with this on the facts. We are monitoring what has actually happened. We are taking what we believe is factually appropriate steps.
NEWS REPORT
In a flurry of accusations and counter accusations by the nations representing the Machine consortium. The government has ordered a special executive inquiry. However, the appointment to the committee of Michael Kitz, who has recently resigned as national security advisor, has raised a number of eyebrows on capital hill.
KITZ
(on camera) Uh, I have made no decision to run for congress. I have announced no candidacy. And the fact that I have resigned as national security advisor has nothing to do with anything other than I want to devote all of my energy to this inquiry. The people of the world have a right know what really happened.
INT. WHITE HOUSE - DAY
SENATOR
...and yet every scientific instrument confirms the IPV was out of contact for only a fraction of a second, isn’t that correct, doctor?
ELLIE
A fraction of a second, Earth time, yes.
SENATOR
Earth time?
ELLIE
Senator, I believe that the machine opened up a wormhole, a tunnel through the fabric of space-time. Also known as an Einstein-Rosen bridge. Now because of the laws of general relativity, what I experienced as 18 hours, passed instantaneously on Earth.
KITZ
Now isn’t it true that these wormholes you speak of are theoretical predictions. There is no evidence they actually exist, is there?
ELLIE
There is no direct evidence, no.
KITZ
Tell me something doctor, why do think theses aliens would go to all this trouble, bring you tens of thousands of light years, and then just send you home without a single shred of proof.
ELLIE
They said that’s how its been done for billions of years.
KITZ
That’s very deep, doctor. You have no proof, because they didn’t want you to have any. A phenomenon known in psychiatric circles I believe as a self-reinforcing delusion.
ELLIE
Is that what you think, that I was delusional?
KITZ
Oh, I do think you may have suffered some kind of episode, yea. I do. Doctor, I’d like to propose an alternate hypothesis, if I may, and I’d like you to bring your considerable scientific expertise to bear on it. To fake a signal from Vega, what would you need?
ELLIE
You would need a satellite to transmit the signal, but it would be impossible to simulate something...
KITZ
...you would need a satellite, and you would need launch capabilities to put the satellite into orbit. And of course the message itself. To put something like this together, so complex, drawing on so many different disciplines...
ELLIE
... would be impossible.
KITZ
Impossible? Impossible? Is there anyone who might have been up to the challenge? Someone with extraordinary technical expertise. Enormous financial resources. Someone perverse enough, eccentric enough to have come up with the idea in the first place?
ELLIE
Hadden?
KITZ
S. R. Hadden.
ELLIE
You’re implying that this was all some kind of a hoax, that he engineered this...
KITZ
...S. R. Hadden. A legendary card broker and manipulator, in perhaps his final bid for immortality. Maybe he wanted to explore and exploit experimental technology and get the governments of the world to pick up the tab. Perhaps this was his final altruistic gesture to unite the world in some common goal. Maybe all of the above. S. R. Hadden, a brilliant and complicated man.
Meanwhile on Mir. Cosmonauts are putting Hadden in a body bag... he’s dead.
KITZ
Doctor, are you familiar with the scientific precept known as Occam’s Razor?
ELLIE
Yes, it means that all things being equal. The simplest explanation tends to be the right one.
KITZ
Exactly. Now, you tell me, what is more likely here? That a message from aliens results in a magical machine that wisps you away to the center of the galaxy to go windsurfing with dear old dad, and then a split second later, returns you home without a single shred of proof? Or, that your experience is the result of being the unwitting star in the farewell performance of one S. R. Hadden? <skeptic.mp3> A man with the means, the motive, and the opportunity to play you, and indeed the rest of us, as pawns in the biggest, the most elaborate, the most expensive hoax of all times.
SENATOR
Dr. Arroway. You come to us with no evidence, no record, no artifacts, only a story that, to put it mildly, strains credibility. Over half a trillion dollars was spent, dozens of lives were lost, are you really gonna sit there and tell us we should just take this all on faith?
Ellie hesitates.
KITZ
Please answer the question, doctor.
ELLIE
Is it possible that it didn’t happen, yes. As a scientist I must concede that, I must volunteer that.
KITZ
Wait a minute, let me get this straight. You admit that you have absolutely no physical evidence to back up your story?
ELLIE
Yes.
KITZ
You admit that you very well may have hallucinated this whole thing.
ELLIE
Yes.
KITZ
You admit that if you were in our position, you will respond with exactly the same degree of incredulity and skepticism?
ELLIE
Yes.
KITZ
(Yelling) Then why don’t you simply withdraw your testimony and concede that this journey to the center of the galaxy, in fact, never took place?!
ELLIE
Because I can’t. ’’I had an experience I cant prove, I cant even explain it, but everything that I know as a human being, everything that I am tells me that it was real.
I was part of something wonderful, something that changed me forever; a vision of the Universe that tells us undeniable how tiny, and insignificant, and how rare and precious we all are. A vision that tells us we belong to something that is greater than ourselves. That we are not, that none of us are alone. <alone.mp3> I wish I could share that. I wish that everyone, if even for one moment, could feel that awe, and humility, and the hope, but... that continues to be my wish.
After the inquiry, Ellie goes over to Joss, and they embrace each other.
EXT. WHITE HOUSE - DAY
As they leave the White House, there is a crowd of people surrounding them dressed in blue and carrying signs that read, "Ellie has discovered the new world" and, "We believe you, Ellie", and things to that effect. Ellie gets into the car avoiding any questions.
REPORTER
Palmer Joss, what do you believe?
PALMER
As a person of faith, I’m bound by a different covenant than Dr. Arroway, but our goal is one and the same, the pursuit of truth. I for one, believe her.
Ellie holds his hand. He gets in the car and they drive away.
INT. - WHITE HOUSE - DAY
Constantine and Michael Kitz are video conferencing.
KITZ
So what now? We give here a medal?
CONSTANTINE
I say at least a healthy grant. I assume you read the confidential findings report from the investigating committee?
KITZ
I flipped through it.
CONSTANTINE
I was especially interested in the section on Arroway’s Video unit. The one that recorded the static.
KITZ
Continue.
CONSTANTINE
The fact that it recorded static isn’t what interests me.
KITZ
Continue.
CONSTANTINE
What interests me, is that it recorded approximately 18 hours of it.
KITZ
That is interesting, isn’t it?
18 MONTHS LATER
EXT. VLA - DAY
Ellie is giving a tour of the array to a group of children on a field trip from school.
ELLIE
You can see over there, we’re building 45 brand new dishes. And that means that when you put them together with all the different radio telescopes all over the world, then we get to hear further into space than anybody’s ever heard before.
A Kid raises his hand.
ELLIE
Yup.
KID
Are there other people out there in the Universe?
ELLIE
That’s a good question. What do you think, huh?
KID
I don’t know.
ELLIE
That’s a good answer. A skeptic, huh? The most important thing is that you all keep searching for your own answers. I’ll tell you one thing about the Universe though. The Universe is a pretty big place, it’s bigger than anything anyone has ever dreamed of before. So if it’s just us, seems like an awful waste of space, right?
Ellie sits in front of the canyon, contemplating life, as we...
FADE TO STARS
THE WORDS "FOR CARL" APPEAR ON SCREEN AT THE BOTTOM RIGHT
FADE TO BLACK
THE END