Cosmos (2019)

[bunniefuu]

[solemn music]

[static crackling]

[dramatic music]

[eerie music]

[bird squawking]

[electronic frequencies]

-[electronics beeping]
-[static crackling]

[garbled speech on radio]

[radio host] News conference
a couple of days ago--

a couple days ago-- a discovery

of possible Earth-like planets,

so we'll keep our eye
on that one.

Heh, well, what's next?

All aboard the QE2.

Not really, you don't
want to board this thing.

It's an asteroid the size
of multiple cruise ships.

1998-QE2 is on the way for
a close encounter with Earth.

Well, near Earth, meaning
it'll be no closer than

3.6 million miles. [laughing]

But still, as far as
a big asteroid's concerned,

that's pretty close.

They say it's not
going to hit us,

which is good,
and I hope they're right.

But I always have to think,

are there any companions
that are traveling with it?

You know, I'm not
a doom-and-gloom guy,

but I'm just logical,

logic tells me that

when these things are traveling,

there's probably things

traveling along with them.

You never know, so,

asteroid 1998-QE2

is going to be coming by.

Okay, this has been SpaceGab,

as always you can hear this
podcast and many others,

Bye-bye.

He was on last week talking
about farmers on Mars.

I tell you, Roy,

it's really great to
have you coming back out.

What's it been,
two months, three months?

Four.

Well...

well, it's great.

It's not been the same.

[shaking]

So, anyway, um...

finally got a camera
hooked up to the telescope.

You wouldn't believe
the detail I'm getting
with these clear skies.

I'm telling you, Roy,
once it's fully kitted out,

I will be giving NASA
a run for their money.

Once again, Harry, your humility
is an example to us all.

[laughs]
Honestly, Roy, she's a beauty.

You've named it, haven't you?

Yeah, well, she's special.

Of course.

So, what you going
to do this evening?

I don't know.

Harry?

[laughs] Sorry.

I mean, I can
just fold it up, actually.

Yeah.

Astraeus?

Mike?

Yeah.

He works with you?

Yeah.

He's been coming out
the last couple of weeks

trialing some new tech
he's developing.

[vehicle bumping]

Could be some pretty
game-changing stuff apparently.

-According to who?
-Well...

According to Mike. [chuckles]

Seriously, he's not out
here having fun like us,

he's actually got
a lot riding on it.

But to be honest,
it's all a bit above my head.

Another classic astronomy pun.

Like space,

which is also above my head.

I get it.

I thought it was funny.

Since you haven't
been here for a while,

we had to move some
of your stuff in the back.

Mike needed the room.

Yeah, I noticed.

You guys good friends?

Why?

Just wondering.

Is that okay with you?

Why wouldn't it be?

I can think of a few reasons.

[gentle music]

You got yours?

You going to wear it?

Nah.

[car door shuts]

[Mike groaning]

Looks heavy.

Yeah, it is.

Actually, could you just
give me a hand here?

I'm busy.

Doing what?

Listen, while you were
snoring your head back there,

I was watching the road.

You mean you actually meant
to hit all those potholes?

-What was that?
-Huh?

Make sure you don't
drop that thing, okay?

Yep.

-You comfortable there, Roy?
-Oh, he's busy.

Just helping Mike get all your
junk out of my new office.

I'm surprised you guys
don't have this down
to a fine art yet.

Just shut up and drink
your damn tea, okay?

Well, here she is.

Roy, this is Annabelle.

Annabelle, Roy.

Oh, my God. Does your
wife know about this?

[Harry] Does she know
about what?

That you've named
this thing after her.

No, no. Not yet, no,

but I think it's kind
of romantic, you know?

After all, this thing's
beautiful, slender,

makes life worth living.

It's also stiff, and emotionless

and weighs a ton,

but I'm sure she'll
appreciate the sentiment.

Yeah.

Just gimme a hand
with it, will you?

I've already asked him.

[gentle music]

[Mike scoffs]

[machines whirring]

Fire in the hole.

[mechanical noises]

Take it easy on the guy, okay?

I haven't said anything, have I?

I never say you said anything.

I'm saying give him a chance.

He's a decent bloke.

-Yeah, don't worry about it.
-No, I mean it, Roy.

I don't want any of
your funny business.

Harry, I said,
don't worry about it.

I was thinking tonight might
be my last night anyway.

[solemn music]

[computer beeping]

[mechanical whirring]

-[Mike] All set?
-Yeah, yeah.

Could you pass me
that cable, Harry?

-This one here?
-Yeah.

-You got it?
-Yeah, thanks.

Excuse me.

Harry, if you route anymore
g*dd*mn cables through there,

-there's going to be
no room for me.
-Calm down,

this is the only one I need.

Well, then what are
the rest of these for?

Can I rig this through here?

[Harry] Yeah, I'm sure
Roy won't mind.

Bring on the wireless
revolution, I say.

Actually, Roy, could you just
pass me that other blue cable?

Roy?

It's just on the floor, yeah.

Too many wires for my liking,
but what can you do, eh?

Here.

Cheers.

Come on, last one, in you go.

I tell you, whoever figures
out how to run this stuff

without cables will be
a bloody millionaire.

You know, it's actually
quite cramped in there, Roy.

I don't know how you're
going to fit in there
with all them cables.

[Mike] Okay, think
we're pretty much rigged.
Should be good to go.

[Harry] Great.

[Mike] What are your
plans tonight then?

[Harry] More testing
on the scope's camera,

thankfully the skies
are clear tonight.

[Mike] Chilly though,
it's always a trade-off really.

[gentle music]

[Mike] Yeah, actually,
I just need one more cable.

[Harry] Which cable
is it you want?

[Mike] That's the blue one
there, yeah, that's the one.

-[clunking]
-What the hell is going on?

[Mike] Yeah, okay, great.

-[rubbing against glass]
-[Mike laughing]

[knocking]

-[Mike] Roy looks happy
in there.
-[Harry] Yeah.

[sighs] This is going
to be a long night.

[machine whirring]

[typing on keyboard]

[Harry sighs]

[door closes]

Bloody cold, actually.

I guess the summer's over then?

Yeah, all two weeks of it.

[chuckles] Yeah, nothing
like a British summer.

[groans]

What is...

It's for the scope.

Sometimes branches
get in the way.

-Harry?
-Yep.

-What the hell is this?
-Uh, well, that is a claw.

I can see it's a claw.
What's it doing in the car?

Well, it's for, you know,
clawing things.

Doesn't matter,
just give it here, thank you.

It's for clawing things,
of course, how stupid of me.

No wonder there's no room.

Right then, boys.
Let's get to work.

Mint?

Not for me.

Go on.

No.

Thank you.

Harry, mint?

Yeah, go on then. Thank you.

[machines whirring]

[electronic beeps]

[static crackling]

[upbeat swing music]

[solemn music]

[static crackling]

[b*at pulsating]

[tense rhythmic music]

1420.

[static crackling]

Can I have a cuppa, Roy?

Oh, sorry. That was my last one.

If I'd have known.

Oh, well.

No worries.

Have I said something wrong?

Why?

Just Roy seems
a bit off with me.

[chuckles] No, he's off
with everyone lately.

He's just complicated like that.

I'll move my stuff in the boot,
give him his old spot back.

Mike, trust me.
It's nothing you've done.

He'll come around.

So, how's all this
coming along then?

Uh...

well, slow. [chuckles]

Slow. Yeah,
that sounds about right.

Yeah, quite.

They said if I can't
get a working prototype

by the end of the month,
they're going to cut my funding,

which is...

not good, really.

The tweaks we made last
week are looking good,

so I'm hopeful for tonight.

Well, I was telling Roy about it
on the way over, actually.

He seemed pretty interested.

Maybe you should run it by him,
see what he makes of it.

Yeah.

-Yeah, I will do.
-He'd like that.

He's a bit of a socially
awkward person really.

Yeah.

I know what you mean. [chuckles]

So...

How'd you get
into all this, anyway?

Well,

my dad's to blame for that one.

Which is always the way, right?

Took me to see
the Perseid meteor shower

when I was about seven.

And that was that.

[soft music]

I never looked back.

I remember him telling me that
everything down here on Earth,

everything we are,
everything we're made of,

comes from up there.

[Mike chuckles]

20 plus years later,
I'm a doctor of astrophysics,

and I'm getting paid
to study distant stars.

It's all a bit crazy, really.

And here we are. [chuckles]

And here we are.

Want to listen
to some more SpaceGab?

Yeah.

[radio host]
As I've been reporting
and gabbing about

on SpaceGab two podcasts ago,

they're looking for Martian
farmers. [radio host laughing]

Not really, not looking
for Martian farmers up there.

[laughs] It's a big thing
growing food up there

because you could only eat
so many tubes of steak

or whatever else they're going
to bring up there with them...

Roy?

Hi, Roy.

I don't think we've been
properly introduced.

I'm Mike.

Harry's told me a lot about
you over the last few weeks,

and it's great
to finally meet you.

It sounds like
you two go way back.

Yeah.

Anyway, he was telling
me you were interested

in the project I'm working on.

Right.

Still trying to
debug the system,

making a few tweaks,
but it should work now.

So, I listen to space.

That's what I do.

Nothing new, but still
pretty incredible, eh?

Do you know much
about radio astronomy?

Not a lot.

That's cool.
Basically, I study
distant objects in space

through their radio frequencies,

and there's
a lot of things up there:

stars, Pulsars, Quasars,

and they all emit radio waves,

and these waves travel
through space like light,

and we can listen in using
radio equipment, like this.

-[static crackling]
-[gentle music]

But if we use radio telescopes,

we can take it a step further,

capturing all this incoming
data and convert it into images.

Learn more about the Universe
that we live in.

Obviously,
we can't see radio waves,

but if we could see radio waves,
then this is what we'd see,

that's Saturn, this is the Moon,

and these are
a couple of galaxies.

Check this out, if we collect
all of this incoming data,

then you can build
a picture of what space...

sounds like.

Beautiful, isn't it?

I'm hoping to make
my own with this program.

Anyway, the super cool
thing about radio astronomy

is that you can see the universe

in a completely different way.

You know, get her to give up
more of her secrets. [laughs]

Now, but the problem
with all this incoming data

is that it usually takes weeks,
months to process,

but I think I've found a way
to see what we're getting
as we're getting it,

effectively a real-time
visual render program,

which will seriously speed up
the whole process.

In theory.

In theory, yeah.

Unfortunately, that's
what most of my investors

are beginning to think it is,

but I it will work.

I just need more time.

Obviously, it's tough for him,

his antenna's nothing
compared to the big ones.

Yeah.

But it'll give me enough
to prove the system works.

Anyway, let me show you.

[tense music]

Wait, that's not right at all.

Well, what's that, what the
hell is that supposed to be?

-Is it the Moon again?
-It's not the Moon.

[sighs] It's another glitch.

I'm sorry, Roy.
I thought I was close

but it's still not working.

[solemn music]

I wish I could show you.

Stick with it, Mike.

You'll cr*ck it
eventually, I know it.

[tense music]

[static crackling]

[garbled speech]

[suspenseful music]

[light rhythmic thumping]

1420.

[static crackling]

[static crackling]

[machine beeping]

-Harry?
-Mm-hmm?

Harry?

Listen to this.

What?

-What? what do you mean, "What"?
-What am I listening to?

Well, the blips.

I don't hear no blips, Mike.

Did you record it?

No, I was asleep.

-It's 1420.
-Oh, no.

Not little green men again,
is it, Mike?

-You going to send these lot
a message as well?
-Look, don't start.

Have the others
replied yet, by the way?
It's just I've only got

22,000 years
to get the house straight.

Did you ask them if they liked
lemon sponge or fruitcake?

It's just I want
to be ready, that's all.

Harry, it's 1420.

I just don't like
unexpected visitors, Mike,

especially the little
green kind.

1420, that's the water hole.

Well, the water hole's dried up.

Maybe it's those farmers on Mars
complaining about lack of rain.

-Oh, for goodness sake.
-This is your
long-range weather forecast

for all you
crop-growers out there.

It looks like a cool
minus 55 outside

and this dusty, dry spell
sweeping in from the east

is here to stay for
the next million years. [laughs]

It wasn't funny
last week, Harry.

-I bet it was a Pulsar.
-Pulsar?
-Yep.

-No.
-I know what a bloody
Pulsar sounds like, Mike.

I might not listen to them for
a living, but they're very
much in my field.

-I'm sure you do, Harry, but you
didn't hear this, did you?
-Did you hear it?

But it wasn't a Pulsar,
not with this antenna.

Well, it's not little green men
if that's what you're saying?

-That's not what I'm saying.
-Then what are you saying?

-Well--
-Look, a Pulsar--

It wasn't a Pulsar.

I know Pulsars, all right?

I listen to them day in,
day out. It wasn't a Pulsar.

Look, I wouldn't worry
about it, Mike, everyone's
listening to the water hole.

If you've heard it,
they've heard it too.

So, you've all been listening
to Pulsars together.

Right, I'm going
to re-calibrate the scope.

I'll be back in a bit.

Remember,
lemon cake or fruitcake?

I know which one you are,
I just want to know
which ones they prefer,

but I think I know that already.

Get the hell out of here.

Pulsar.

Look, it wasn't a Pulsar.

[static crackling]

[tense music]

Roy?

Roy?

Roy?

[soft tense music]

Oh.

[radio host] Okay,
you're listening to DJ Jimmy

playing all
the classic club bangers!

101.4 throughout the night--

[Roy snoring]

[Mike sighs]

[gentle music]

Greetings on behalf of
the people of my world.

This is Mike Webster...

of Planet Earth.

We are here.

We are not afraid.

If you are out there
and you are listening,

this is a routine response

to an acquired signal at...

01:33 GMT,

16.10.16.

Unidentified source.

Your signal made it.

We are listening.

Oh, and if this is
the local police station,

I'm sorry if I'm interfering
with your gear again.

But perhaps you should have
invested in some better
radio equipment.

[tense music]

So.

[Mike sighs]

Speak English, do they?

You heard that, then?

Probably the only person
who ever will.

Harry's certainly got
some interesting friends.

Oh, please, don't tell him.

Don't worry, I wouldn't dare
repeat some of the weirdness

I've heard in the company
of scientists.

So, should I set a place
at the table for the Pulsar?

Like I said.

Picked up some pretty
interesting things last week,
didn't you Mike?

Thought you'd made contact
with some intelligent life.

Yeah, not so intelligent life.

No, turned out to be two
traffic cops off the A38.

[Roy laughing]

-[Roy] Brilliant.
-It really was.

Played havoc
with their radio systems.

They thought it was
some sort of thr*at

from the local crime ring.

-Within minutes,
choppers were all over us.
-Yeah, all right.

-Still didn't catch you
though, did they, Mike?
-Okay, very good.

-[Roy laughs]
-He's a wanted man, you know.

[Mike chuckles]

[Harry laughing]

Harry, can I use
your scope on this pass?

Yeah, just give us a sec.

It's coming over in about two.

Uh, okay, do you want
to boot it up at your station

-or do you want to use mine?
-No, I'll stay here.

Right, just type in
your elevation

and bearings like before,
and the scope should auto-track.

Okay.

-[scope whirring]
-[gentle music]

[machine beeping]

What just happened?

-What's that?
-I, I don't know,
I've just lost it.

-What?
-Goodman, it's just gone.

-[sighs] I don't understand
what you mean, Roy.
-The Goodman, it's disappeared.

-All right, calm down.
-Well, I'm looking at it,
Harry, and it's gone.

[tense music]

What are you talking about, Roy?

It's right there.

-[Roy] I'm telling you, Harry.
-Satellites don't
just vanish, Roy.

-I know what I saw,
it just went blank on me.
-All right, guys.

Chill out.

It's just a satellite.

Just a satellite?

Yeah, what's the big deal?

Who the hell
do you think you are?

You have no idea,

no idea what's
going here, do you?

-He doesn't know.
-Well, he should.

He took my job.

For Christ's sake, Roy.
Give him a break.

You know what?
I've just about had
enough of this lecturing.

And what's that
supposed to mean, Roy?

It means what it means, Harry.

[door slams]

[Roy sighs]

Mike, I am so sorry about that.

[Mike] What did Roy mean,
I took his job?

There's something
you need to know about Roy.

Goodman,
that satellite up there,

that's his, or as good as his.

Do you remember ENSAT Aerospace?

Yeah, sure, yeah.

Well, Roy used to work for them

as their lead aviation engineer,

helped develop navigation
systems for the m*llitary,

you know, fighter jets,
that sort of thing.

I really looked up
to him, I still do.

But don't tell him I said that.

[Mike chuckles]

[solemn music]

A couple of years ago
ENSAT won a contract

to manufacture
a research satellite,

and Roy was selected
to head up the project.

I was assigned to help them
develop some of their

instrumentation
for the satellite.

That's how I met Roy.

He's a bloody
good engineer, you know?

Took the project well
beyond my expectations

for the science
we could achieve.

Anyway...

about a year ago,

three or so months
before delivery,

Astraeus, the company
you work for, came along
and acquired ENSAT.

And they fired him.

They fired him and all his team,

straight out, non-negotiable.

Astraeus wanted
the prestige of delivering
the satellite themselves,

so they got their own guys
to come in and finish it off.

I mean, we'd done 99%
of the work, of course, but...

that wasn't the point.

It hit him hard.

Three years he gave to Goodman.

He brought it to life,
he taught it to think,

and he wasn't even
invited to see it launch.

When you dedicate so much
of your life to something,

it becomes a part of you.

And Astraeus took it away
from him like it was nothing.

Harry, I had no idea.

Well, why would you?

But Roy just
sees you as Astraeus.

And although that doesn't
excuse what just happened,

it does explain why it happened.

I'm sorry.

It's my fault,
I should have explained it.

Being on the research team,
I didn't work for ENSAT,

so I stayed on and that
obviously complicated things.

I thought he'd be
over it by now, but...

This was our little group.

The Astro-Nuts.

Just me, Roy and another.

We all worked on the project,
dumb really,

but it was just a bit of fun.

Roy and I used to come out here

and imagine
seeing our satellite.

It was supposed to be this
great moment, you know?

We built that and it's in space.

But now Roy, just looks up and
he sees everything he's lost.

I thought you'd had
your last cup?

This is my last cup.

Thanks, Roy.

[Mike sighs]

Here, Harry, have some of this.

Ah, thanks, mate.

Lovely stuff.

Roy?

I'm good, it's all yours.

[Mike laughs]

Right.

What's going on with this then?

[garbled speech on radio]

[static crackling]

¶ Oh, Uncle Rat
He wanted a wife ¶

¶ Sing song kitty
Can't you kimeo ¶

¶ Well, he jumped on
A horse and he rid for life ¶

¶ Sing song kitty
Can't you kimeo ¶

¶ Kimo, kymo, derowall, mahai
Maho, rumstickydumadiddle ¶

¶ Sometimes pennywinkel
Lupdown, nipcat, setbag ¶

¶ Sing song kitty
Can't you kimeo ¶

¶ Oh, the rats
Are digging in despair ¶

¶ Sing song kitty
Can't you kimeo ¶

¶ Without a flannel shirt
To wear ¶

¶ Sing song kitty
Can't you kimeo ¶

¶ Kimo, kymo, derowall, mahai
Maho, rumstickydumadiddle ¶

¶ Sometimes pennywinkel
Lupdown, nipcat, setbag ¶

¶ Sing song kitty
Can't you kimeo ¶

¶ Oh, Uncle Rat
He wanted a wife ¶

¶ Sing song kitty
Can't you kimeo ¶

¶ Well, he jumped on a horse
And he rid for life ¶

¶ Sing song kitty
Can't you kimeo ¶

¶ Kimo, kymo, derowall, mahai
Maho, rumstickydumadiddle ¶

¶ Sometimes pennywinkel
Lupdown, nipcat, setbag ¶

¶ Sing song kitty
Can't you kimeo ¶

[all laughing]

¶ He woke up dead
Now what about that ¶

[garbled speech on radio]

¶ Oh, Uncle Rat
He wanted a wife ¶

¶ Sing song kitty
Can't you kimeo ¶

¶ Kimo, kymo, derowall, mahai
Maho, rumstickydumadiddle ¶

¶ Sometimes pennywinkel
Lupdown, nipcat, setbag ¶

¶ Sing song kitty
Can't you kimeo ¶

[light snoring]

[machine beeping]

-[machine beeping rapidly]
-[Mike gasps]

[Mike sighs]

[light rustling]

[eerie music]

[distorted voice] Greetings
on behalf of the people
of my world.

This is, this is Mike Webster

of Planet Earth.

We are here.

-I'm not transmitting.
-We are not afraid, not afraid.

Mike, Mike Webster.

[frequency signals]

If you are out there
and you are listening,

this is a routine response

to an acquired signal at...

That shouldn't be.

Signal, 16.10.16.

Unidentified source.

Your signal made it,
your signal made it.

We are listening.

[tense music intensifies]

[Mike panting]

What the hell is that?

Oh, my God.

Mike Webster, Mike Webster

of Planet Earth.

The people of my world
are not afraid, afraid.

Mike Webster, your signal
made it, your signal made it.

Greetings, Mike Webster.

[voices echo] We are listening.

We are here.

Wakey, wakey, sleepyhead.

What's going on?

Mike?

Mike?

I think I've found something.

[distorted voice] Mike Webster.

Greetings on behalf
of the people of my world.

This is Mike Webster

of Planet Earth.

It's 1420.

1420.

We are here.

We are not afraid.

Mike Webster.

We are here.

We are listening.

-What is this?
-Mike?

-Is this your message?
-Message, what message?

Mike, what is this?

It's coming back.

Listening.

16.10.16.

-It's a return.
-A return?

No, run a diagnostic,
check your system.

The system's normal.
Everything's fine.

Are you sure? 'Cause earlier
you said it was glitching.

No, no, no, that was
my program, this is different.

-It's got to be bouncing.
-What, off the ionosphere?

-No, it's not bounce.
-It's got to be.
It's got to be bounce.

Look, we're talking milliseconds
to come back off the ionosphere.

-Well, the Moon then.
-No, still just over a second.

Well, it's got to be a ping-back
or something up there.

Mike, when did
you transmit this?

1:33.

-It's now 2:58.
-So, that's 85 minutes.

-42 each way.
-If it's bounce--

-And it's not.
-What's 42 light minutes away?

Look, nothing. Nothing's
42 light minutes away.

-Well, there's got to be.
-Well, there's just not.

Okay, light travel time.
Jupiter's 30, Saturn's 70,

-minimum, there's nothing
in between, trust me.
-Are you rolling on this?

-No.
-May I suggest you do.

-Yep.
-[machine whirring]

[distorted voice] If you are out
there and you are listening,

this is a routine,
this is a routine response,

routine response
to an acquired signal at...

Why does it sound like this?

Can you not clean this up?

That's all I'm getting.

It's on a very
thin frequency. Watch.

-[machine whirring]
-[tense music]

-It's got to be bang smack on.
-Is that not normal?

None of this is normal. If it
were normal, I'd be expecting to

get at least some bleed
across the frequencies,

but the falloff on this thing's
like nothing I've ever seen.

We are here, we are not afraid.

[tense music]

Mike, what was your cycle rate?

-Cycle rate?
-Yeah, how many cycles
did you transmit?

-[Mike] Why?
-Because we're hearing this
thing loop over and over.

I dunno, a half a dozen or so.
Look, it was just a bit of fun.

Yeah, but have we not heard it
more times than that already?

-Yeah, definitely.
-Then it can't be
a straight bounce.

-That's what I've been saying.
-No, no, no, what you're
saying is it can't be a bounce

as there's nothing at that
range to bounce back off from.

What I'm saying is,
how can this be a bounce

if it's now looping more times

than the original
cycles you transmitted?

Am I right?

I'm right, right?

[dramatic music]

Are you sure
you're rolling on this?

-Yeah, hundred percent.
-Holy Christ.

We need confirmation
on this, Mike, rapid.

Call it in.

I'll check to see if there's
any chatter over at SETI.

[phone ringing]

[suspenseful music]

-[receptionist] British
Space Observatory.
-Dave?

-No, sorry,
Dave's unavailable.
-Well, where is he?

-He's off duty,
so he's sleeping.
-Can you go wake him up?

His shift finished two hours
ago, so he's unavailable.

No, I understand
he's not available, but could
you make him available, please,

-could you just go
and wake him up?
-What, wake him up right now?

-Yes, right now!
-Uh, please hold.

-Jesus, these people.
Could you look after that?
-Mm-hmm.

[receptionist] Dave, sorry.
There's some guy on the phone,

he's being quite persistent.

-[Dave] Who is this?
-Dave, it's Mike Webster.

Oh, my God.
Mike, look at the time.

Dave, you got anything
going on there tonight?

Mike, why are
you calling me up now?

-You're on the desk tonight?
-No, I'm not, my shift is up.

-Look, Dave, you got
anything interesting?
-Of course not, Mike.

If something was--
Look, if something was going on,

-someone would have woken me up.
-Well, What the bloody hell
do you think I'm doing, Dave?

-Get up!
-I've got to be up at four
o'clock in the bloody morning.

Dave, we've got
a target signal here.

What? Where are you?

What do you mean where am I?
It doesn't matter where I am.

Can you just get up, we need
an affirm on this, ASAP.

Okay, okay, give me a minute,
I'll go to the control room.

-Any talk on the servers?
-No, I guess everyone's
just working the signal.

We must have caught it early.

[suspenseful music]

Dave? Dave, you there?

Yeah, you got
a frequency for me?

-Yeah, are you ready to copy?
-Go ahead.

1420.163.

-Read back?
-1420.163.

Yeah, good read-back.
Run the numbers.

The Waterhole?
Mike, we're listening

-to that frequency 24/7.
-Dave, run the numbers,

I'm telling you, you'll hear it.

Okay, hang on a minute,
we'll have a listen.

We've got a lot of
surface clutter, Dave.

See if you can
clean it up your end.

Will do.

Mike, what is the Waterhole?

The electromagnetic spectrum

is just cluttered
with garble, right?

Trying to spot an intelligent
signal within that

is like trying to have a
conversation at rock concert,

you just can't do it,
but at 1420 megahertz,

there's a natural dead spot.

It's like a quiet tunnel
cutting through all the noise.

-And that's the Waterhole?
-Right.

If you want to send
a signal out into space,

the Waterhole's your best chance

of getting it heard.

Dave?

How's it looking there, mate?

Uh...

Standby. We're not
hearing anything yet.

Like I said, there's a lot of
clutter, but the transmission's

pretty damn obvious,
you know what I mean?

Yeah, we're still getting
zip here, Mike.

Well, I don't understand
how that can be, we've got it

loud and clear here.

Negative,
I'm just hearing static.

-Well, then, scan the band.
-Look, Mike,

I've checked
and there's nothing.

Your gear's faulty.

No.

What are you hearing?

-Mike?
-Uh...

[solemn music]

We've got a voice.

Say again, Mike, sounded
like you said, "A voice".

That's affirm, Dave.

We're getting a voice.

Right. Well, we're not hearing

anything of the sort, Mike.

Please, Dave.
I'm serious, listen.

[distorted voice] If you
are listening, this is

a routine response
to an acquired signal--

Mike, is this some kind of joke?

You're really not reading
anything on this band?

I'm not quite sure
what's going on here,

to be honest, Mike.
But if there's nothing else

I can help you with,
then I've really got to go.

-Sure.
-Okay, Mike.

-Okay, Dave. Well thanks for...
-All right, mate. See you.

[dial tone buzzing]

...trying for me.

[tense music]

So, what just happened?

I don't understand how
they're not reading this.

They've got an array
of 50-meter dishes.

All we've got is
this piddly little thing.

It doesn't make any sense.

There's absolutely
no talk of this online?

Zilch. I mean, are we
the only one's getting this?

I can't understand how
that could be the case.

I don't see how that's possible.

I know.

The whole world's listening
to this frequency.

It's almost a cliché that
somethings coming through on it.

But there is something
coming through?

Yeah, look, I scroll away...

[static crackling]

...it sinks beneath the static.

I roll back to 1420

and there it is, plain as day.

There's no two ways about it,
this is an incoming signal.

Look, forgive
my ignorance here, but before
we get ahead of ourselves,

can you just explain to me
how this, your message,

is the same as a signal
from outer space?

-It could be a leader signal.
-Like a beacon.

Right, like a beacon.

Something we'd recognize
that we could latch onto.

Once we hook on,
there could be more.

Yeah, but isn't all this just
a little too specific to us?

I mean, it's almost too good
to be true, not to mention fast.

You only sent the damn
thing a few hours ago.

Look, Roy.

[soft instrumental music]

There's a hell of a lot going
on here that I can't explain.

But I can't argue with this.

[distorted voice]
we are listening.

You can't argue with this.

If we are the only ones
getting this...

and we sit on it, or worse, just
let it slip through the net.

I'd rather be wrong
and have done the right thing.

And if I'm wrong, I'm wrong.
So what?

But if we're right about this...

and what's happening here
is what I think
is happening here...

this changes everything.

Okay.

So what's our next move?

Yeah, we're going to need
all the power we can get.

Okay, let's get to it.

[dramatic music]

Mike, this is Roy.
Comms check, over.

-[radio static]
-Do you read me?

Comms check, comms check, over?

Roger, reading you
10-square, Roy. You set?

Yeah, just waiting on Harry.

Understood, he's on
his way out, over.

Hook 'em up.

Mike, we're on station
and ready to copy.

How do you read?

[radio static]

Received, standby one.

I've re-routed all the power
from the main battery,

that should give us enough,
but can I shut down
Roy's system to be sure?

Over.

That's affirm.
And don't forget my scope.

Yeah, right-o.

All set this end, Harry.

Copy. Waiting on you.

Okay, guys, separate
the antennas and spread out.

I'll monitor the incoming signal

and direct your
position from here.

With my primary antenna
on the car,

and your two hand-helds
we can establish

three individual
receiving sectors.

Basically, a giant
triangle with each one

of our antennas acting
as one of the points.

This'll give us a stronger
system and a stronger signal.

-Got it?
-[Roy] Got it.

[soft tense music]

Okay, let's do this.

You heard the man.

I'll go that way.

Stay in radio contact.

[Harry] Okay, Mike,
we're on the move.

I'm pushing west,
Roy's going to head east.

[static crackling]

[robotic voice]

[tense music]

[static crackling]

[robotic voice]

[distorted voice] 1:33 GMT.

1:33 GMT

Unidentified source.

We getting anything here, Mike?

Yeah, we're definitely
getting movement.

Keep going.

Copy that.

[Mike] The signal strength
is increasing.

Copy that.

[distorted voice]
We are not afraid.

You are listening.

[animal screeches]

[high-pitched whine]

Roy?

Do you read me, Roy?

[suspenseful music]

This seemed like
a better idea in the car.

[distorted voice] If you are
here and you are listening,

this is a routine response
to an acquired signal

at 01:33 GMT.

16.10.16.

It's working.

Unidentified source.

It's working, guys.

Keep spreading.

[Mike] Keep spreading.

Why don't you come out
here and keep spreading?

Yup, roger that.

[dramatic music]

[distorted voice]
Greetings on behalf of
the people of my world.

This is Mike Webster.

[repetitive b*ating]

[b*ating continues]

[high-pitch radio static]

-Stop!
-Jesus Christ.

-Harry, Roy, stop.
-What the hell, Mike?

Just hold there, will you?

Okay, yeah, understood.

[dramatic music]

[garbled speech on radio]

Say again on your last, Mike?

[garbled speech on radio]

Mike, do you read me, over?

[static crackling]

Roy, Harry, stop moving.

We're losing the signal.

I'm not moving.

Roy?

Come in, Roy.

Roy, stop moving,
hold your position, okay?

Stop moving.

Say again, Harry?
You're breaking up.

Hold your position, Roy.

Just stay right where you are.

Repeat. Hold your position.

Do you read?

What have you got?

Well, I've got some
serious ghosting here,

something faint beneath the
surface, I knew it was a beacon.

[Mike] Harry,
hold your position.

Roy, you're going to have
to retrace your steps,

work your way
exactly back, slowly.

Roger. Working back now.

[animals squawking]

[static crackling]

[dramatic music]

Slowly.

That's real good, Roy.

[Mike] Keep coming.

That's it.

-That's it, guys.
-[repetitive b*ating]

It's working.

[Mike] It's working.

Keep coming.

[b*ating intensifies]

[dramatic music intensifies]

Stop!

Nobody... move.

[soft tense music]

Mike?

Mike?

Listen to this.

[static crackling]

[patterned beeping]

[dramatic music]

I hope you're
taking this down, Mike.

You're damn right I am.

Plant the antenna, come on in.

Copy that.

[dramatic music intensifies]

[patterned beeping continues]

[machine crackling]

Whoa.

We're getting some
serious spikes here, guys.

Get back here now.

[static buzzing]

[buzzing intensifies]

[tense music]

[static screeching]

[static crackling]

[music intensifies]

[Mike gasps]

Mike!

[Mike sighs]

[Mike sighs]

-Mike?
-I'm here.

Bloody hell, you scared me.

There you are.

What happened
to the power?

Some sort of surge, I think.

Harry, get that
thing out of my face.

Oh, yeah, sorry.

Check the breakers.

[Roy] I got it.

That's done the trick.

Try it now.

[static crackling]

Where's it gone?

[soft tense music]

It was right here.

-I had a ghost signal, Harry.
-You recorded though, right?

Yeah.

Thank God. I'll load the system.

Wait?

No, no, no, no, no,
access master system 2.

No.

No.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

Access memory module.

[machine beeping]

[machine whirring]

My system seems fine.

[Roy] Yeah, mine too.

The recordings?

They're all gone.

Everything from tonight.

Oh, Christ.

What about your program?

I mean, yeah, that's fine.
I can reboot the system
from this drive.

Your system's fine?

Yeah, well, being powered down

must have protected it
from the overload.

Here we go.

[electronic beeping]

I can't believe it.

That's that then.

If we can't reacquire
this signal and get some
recordings down,

we'll have no proof of
anything that's happened here.

No one's going to believe us.

It's hard enough to explain
when you can hear
the bloody thing yourself.

It'll come back through, Mike.

It'll come back through.

[Mike sighs]

[somber music]

[Roy] What are you
doing out here, Mike?

Nothing.

I figure there's two
types of scientists, Mike.

Those that look down at Earth...

trying to figure out
what's going on here.

And then there are those
who look up to space...

searching for
the answers out there.

But they're both really
looking for the same thing.

Who are we?

What are we?

What does all this mean?

I'm an engineer, Mike,

I...

don't hunt for the science,
I just put it to work.

But if wasn't
for people like you...

people who are brave enough
to push the boundaries

of what we know...

we'd all stand still.

[uplifting music]

I don't know anything
about these signals.

To me, it's all science fiction.

But if we're the only people
receiving this signal,

then we're the only people
that can make sure
the world hears it.

Because if this
really is first contact

with an intelligent
extraterrestrial race,

then we're about to do something

that humans have dreamt
about since the beginning.

Mike?

I'll help you if I can.

But it's really all on you.

It's the choice you make
right now that counts.

You make the right moves here

and you have in your hands

the greatest discovery
in the history of mankind.

The answer to the question.

The answer to everything.

Roy...

-about Goodman.
-Don't worry about that now.

No, I'm...

sorry what Astraeus did to you.

[gentle music]

Harry told me.

I wanted to tell you,
I was there...

at the launch.

I didn't know what
the project was, I'd only just
joined at the time, but

I was there.

It was incredible.

I've never seen anything
like it. You know, the power...

I felt it,
it physically shook me.

I was literally willing
her to go, and she did.

She punched a hole in the sky.

You should be so proud of
what you achieved, of Goodman.

Just 'cause you weren't there,
Roy, doesn't change anything.

She's yours. No one can
take that away from you.

But what they did to you,
you didn't deserve that.

Neither of you did.

Neither of us?

You and Harry.

I can't imagine what
it must have been like

to lose your jobs like that.

What are you talking about?
You work under
Harry at Astraeus.

Not anymore.

He got the push months ago.
I thought you knew.

Astraeus fired him. He kicked
up a stink about something.

[sighs] God, no.
I didn't know that.

You're more alike
than you think, Roy.

He's a good friend.

He just wants you
to be his again.

Mint?

[both chuckle]

Cheers.

Mike?

Thank you, Mike.

[phone ringing]

Hello?

Yeah, can I speak
to Dave, please?

No, I need to speak
to him, really. It's urgent.

[Mike] Yeah. Yeah, I called
earlier, and you put me through.

Well, yeah, I understand that,
but if you--

Yeah, but if you'd just let me
explain to him them I could--

Yeah, yeah, I understand that--

No, I realize that,
but if you could just
let me explain it to him,

then I reckon
he'll be able to speak.

[Harry]
¶ Uncle Rat, he wanted a wife ¶

[Harry humming]

¶ Carry me home ¶

[Harry humming]

¶ Dum dum da da da,
Carry me home ¶

Why didn't you tell me?

Mike let that one slip then?

What the hell happened, Harry?

I didn't want
to make things worse.

Come on, Roy.

You know there's been
this friction about

you being fired
and me staying on.

I didn't want to make
you feel guilty as well.

Guilty?

Guilty about what, Harry?

Why did they fire you?

They didn't fire me.

No, I--

I quit.

I didn't agree with
how they treated you.

And I got on the wrong side
of the decision-makers.

So, they basically said
they couldn't care less

who worked for them.

So...

I quit.

[somber music]

I'm not going to
push forward some company

that doesn't value
its people, Roy.

What were you thinking, Harry?

I don't care.

Anyway, I'm back with the uni's
research group now, so.

I had no idea.

Oh, it's not so bad for me.
I'm a scientist,

I belong in a lab anyway.

[Harry chuckles]

Besides, it's you
I'm worried about, Roy.

Working for ENSAT
and the Goodman project,

it meant everything to you.

It meant everything
to both of us.

Honestly, I'm fine.
It's all fine.

No, Harry.

It's not fine.

This whole time
I've not able to let go.

And I've been
ignoring our friendship.

You've been trying to help me
and not once did it occur to me

that you may have been
affected by what happened.

-It's okay.
-No, Harry. It's not okay.

I'm sorry you lost
your job because of me,

and I'm sorry
I've treated you this way.

-If I'd known--
-Roy.

Look, what we're
doing tonight...

out in the field as mates...

this... right now...

This is what it's about.

Not some job.

[Harry chuckles]

It's a shame
you don't have yours.

I thought you said
you didn't bring it?

I said I wasn't
going to wear it.

With Goodman,
I was part of a team.

And I lost that.

But I now realize I've always
been a part of this team.

[uplifting music]

Right, let's get to work.

Don't you start
bossing me around now.

Well, I am the head
of the Astro-Nuts.

Head of the Astro--

That's not funny, Harry.

Harry? Let's talk about this.

Harry? I thought I was
the head Astro-Nut?

You were, but you
were gone so long

-the board voted you out.
-The board?

Harry, there's only three
members, how is that a board?

Clearly, we both deemed
you unworthy of the title.

Well, who put you
in charge then?

We had a vote. Naturally
everyone voted for themselves,

so we had to draw straws, but...

I won.

That's so you.

Nice hats. Look, right,
I'm just on the phone to Dave,

not a happy chap.
Anyway, nothing, not a peep,

Look, apparently, we've
got some telemetry dropout
from a few satellites.

-Goodman.
-Right.

Look, I dunno what it means,
but we can't rule anything out

as coincidence.
When's she due to pass

-over again?
-Eight minutes.

Okay. Well, let's get on it.

There's something going on here
guys I reckon we've got the jump

on everyone else.
Harry, go fire up the scope.

Absolutely. That's more like it.

[Mike] Yep, we're going to have
to speak to you later, Dave.

-[Dave] Yeah, great.
-Yeah.

-Okay, bye.
-Yeah.

-[phone beeping]
-[tense music]

Mike?

[uplifting music]

Now, we're talking.

Right, chief. Let's do this.

[dramatic music]

[clock ticking]

-One minute!
-One minute!

[Roy] Come on, load
the last recording.

[Mike] Okay,
I've got it, here it is.

I need some numbers, Roy.

I know, I know.

Come on, come on, fast forward.

There.

I told you.

Numbers?

We've got 30 seconds, guys.

Elevation, 18 degrees,
south by south-east.

18 degrees, south, southeast?

Bearing, one-five-niner.

One-five-niner.

20 seconds!

Scope set, we're rolling.

Ten seconds, here she comes.

Keep your eyes peeled, boys.

Five,

four,

three,

two,

one.

Got it.

Tracking.

[dramatic music intensifies]

[soft tense music]

Hold that position.

I told you.

What did I tell you, huh?

What in God's name
is going on here?

Sky map.

Mike, your sky map.

Sky map?

No, the image from
your system earlier.

It's gone,
his hard-drive's fried.

-Damn it.
-Well, look, I lost
the one from earlier,

-but I can
run the program again.
-Do it.

-Do you remember it doesn't
work properly, right?
-Do it.

Okay.

[machine whirring]

[Roy] There.

That.

Yeah, what about it?

What if this is
no system glitch?

What if your program
works perfectly?

And this...

this is no error.

What if this,
whatever this is...

is what's blocking
the satellites?

You said yourself your program
is looking straight up

and that should not be there.

[dramatic music]

Harry, has your
scope got infrared?

Yeah.

Yeah, it does.

That's not right.

Space should read
as dark red in IR mode.

Black is wrong.

There's nothing there,
there's not even stars.

Wait, Harry, stop.

[soft tense music]

Pan right.

Stop.

Stars.

Zoom out.

Keep coming.

There's something up there.

Oh, my God.

[dramatic music]

I don't believe it.

I do not believe it.

It's been there all night.

Right above us.

You are recording this right?

Roy?

Roy, get a load of this.

I can't see anything.

Well, it's no wonder.

Whatever it is,
it isn't reading on the scope

in the visible spectrum, but in
infrared it's crystal clear.

Yeah, and I'm getting
a strong radio signature.

Christ.

Do we report this?

I wouldn't know what to report.

Well, surely, if it's visible
through infrared, NASA's
got to be picking it up.

Probably.

To be honest,
anyone with an infrared scope

would be able to see this,
but you know,

it's not exactly drawing
attention to itself.

It's got to be a couple
of hundred meters wide,

probably about the size
of a football stadium,

and although, yeah,
that's pretty big,

compared to the rest
of the sky it's pretty small.

Unless you were combing
systematically across
the whole sky,

you'd easily miss it,
look, watch.

It's basically
a shadow in space.

Pretty hard to see
shadows in the dark.

I never would've believed it.

[machine beeping]

What the hell?

What is that?

I mean, that's sound.

It's real time imaging,
it works.

Look, my system works,
it actually works.

[all laughing]

[patterned beeping]

No.

It's the source of the signal.

Look, it's transmitting,
I mean, these pulses,

they sync with the clicks
coming through the tuner.

-It wasn't a bounce back at all.
-No.

It was being broadcast
from orbit.

Sounds like Morse Code.

No.

No, it's binary.

Yeah, it's binary.

It's got to be a loop pattern.

-Is it random?
-Non-random,
binary is never random.

-Why are they
transmitting binary?
-Out of pure logic.

Maths is the language
of the universe,
no translation required.

Yeah, two plus two
will always equal four
no matter where you come from.

If an alien civilization is
intelligent enough to transmit,

let alone travel through space,
then they need maths.

Yeah, and if another
civilization is advanced enough

to intercept this signal, then

they'll definitely know maths.

But surely, they're more
advanced than simple binary?

Substantially, yeah,
but they don't know we are.

It's the best way
to make first contact.

And maths is common ground.

You know what else
is binary, don't you?

-Arecibo.
-Arecibo.

This is insane.

Look, tell him about Arecibo.

Okay, Roy, get this,
in the '70s,

a binary message was
broadcast into space

from the Arecibo
Observatory in Puerto Rico.

1,679 digits, right?

Yeah, yeah, yeah
something like that,
but it was never really

a serious attempt
to make contact.

No, not really,

its purpose was to demonstrate

the telescope's capabilities.

I mean, they were aiming
it at a star system

that was 25,000
light years away.

That's 50,000 years
for a reply at best.

Well, you're going to
run up a hell of a bill

-being kept on hold that long.
-Yeah.

It could have been intercepted.

It's a possibility.

I think everything's just moved

from a possibility
to a probability.

What did you say it was?

1,600 and?

79.

[gentle music]

[machine beeping]

1,679.

[dramatic music]

Can you decode on that?

Silly question.

Do you have a copy of
the original Arecibo message?

Again, silly question.

The Arecibo is
a simple binary code,

when arranged correctly,
it reveals...

this.

This is what
the original looked like.

It's a visual message
containing basic information

about humans
and life on our planet.

Earth biochemicals, the formula
for DNA, that sort of thing.

If I remember correctly,
it's 73 columns wide

with 21 digits in each.

Arrange the incoming
signal like that,

let's see what we get.

[dramatic music]

I don't believe this.

It's Arecibo all right.

See, the base-10's
is exactly the same
as the original. We've got

carbon-based biochemistry,

DNA nucleotides,
the double-helix,

it's all there.

Wait...

There are differences here.

Where?

Look.

Subtle but significant.

Why is it doing that?

It's not Arecibo.

It's a response to Arecibo.

[dramatic music intensifies]

It's almost identical.

Meaning?

Meaning we're
of common cosmic origin.

My God.

[machine beeping]

No.

No, no, no, I'm losing power.

-What?
-Look, my batteries
are dying here.

Jesus, Roy, I thought
you designed these things
to last all night?

For two systems, Harry.
We're running three here,

plus your scope
and these aerials.

If we lose power,
we lose everything.

-What do you mean,
we lose everything?
-The recordings.

My hard drive's fried, remember.
We got no long-term memory.

[Roy] Christ.

Look, my system can only
hold data while it's running.

Use my drive.

This transfer is going
to take time and guzzle power.

If we can't get the files across
before I lose that power,

then the system will die.

-We'll lose the recordings.
-Jesus.

Roy, pull the plugs on
everything you've got
in the back.

Got it.

Come on, come on, come on.

Roy, pull it.

Look, we've got 18 minutes,
that's not going to be enough.

Do you have any spare batteries?

I don't know, do we?
You guys packed the car.

-I didn't pack 'em.
-You mean you
packed all this,

and didn't think
to bring some more batteries?

Harry, we've got
a serious problem here.

We've got more than a problem.

What do you want me to do, Mike?

We've got no spare batteries.

[dramatic music]

What do you want to do, Mike?

Well, listen,
I've got some power units
back at the station.

-We got to go.
-We'll never make it.

Look, we don't have a choice.

We might be the only
ones getting this data,

and if we want to save
these recordings,

we got to do something.

We've got 18 minutes.

If we're going to go,
we've got to go right now.

-Mike, we'll never make it.
-We can make it.

I'll get you there.

Tell me what to do.

Okay, okay, let's do it.

We'll get the gear,
you cut loose what you can.

Wait, Harry!

What if there's more to come?

If I pull the transmission,
we'll miss it.

Look, we've got
to k*ll it anyway.

We can't move the vehicle
with the aerials deployed.

It's better to save what
you've got than lose the lot.

I can't believe
I'm going to do this.

[dramatic music]

[tense music]

Roy, grab the aerials,
I've got the scope.

I'm on it.

Come on, come on.

-How we looking?
-Transfer's going, but
it is drinking power, okay?

-we don't have much time.
-This is going to be tight.

[Mike] Be as quick
as you can, Roy!

Harry, get your gear loaded,
and get the car started.

I'm on it.

Come on, come on, get
that thing in here.

Hang on, I need
to get the tripod.

Bloody tripod.

[dramatic music]

Key.

Mike, where's the key?

I don't have it,

why would I have it?

Where's the key?

Where the hell is Roy?

Harry, get this car started.

Key, give me the key!

Damn it.

Mike, get this gear
loaded and ready to go.

Yeah.

[engine stuttering]

No, no, no, no, no.

Come on, come on.

Come on.

Come on!

Eight percent.

Come on, come on, hurry.

[Roy] Harry,
get this car started!

-It won't start!
-We got to go, guys.

Let me try.

-Come on.
-[engine stuttering]

Come on, Roy. Come on, Roy.

Come on.

Come on.

Come on, get it started, Roy.

Come on, start.

Come on.

[engine revving]

[all laughing]

Well done.

Mike, get in!

It won't fit.

I can't get
the scope to fit, Harry.

She'll fit, Mike.
You're not doing it right.

-Leave it.
-What?

We're running out of time.

-No, she'll fit.
-Harry there's no time
for this, come on.

-Get back in the car.
-She'll fit,
she'll fit, she'll fit.

This is ridiculous.

I'm sorry, Harry.
She's not going to fit.

Come on, Annabelle,
get in the car.

Harry, get back in the car,
we've got to go now.

Come on, we've got 12 minutes,
we've got to go.

Just exactly how it was.

-We haven't got time for this.
-What are you doing,

-just get in the car.
-Just over here.

Harry!

You've got to leave her.

We got to go.

[Harry sighs]

[soft tense music]

What's he doing, Roy?
We need to go.

Harry, if you don't come now,
I'm going to leave you here

in this field, all on
your own, with Annabelle.

[engine revving]

It's just a telescope,
I'll get you another one.

Roy, just a telescope?

Yes, I know, I'm sorry.
Put your belt on.

Look come on, come on.
Put your foot down, Roy.

Let's go.

-[engine revs]
-[dramatic music]

Bloody hell.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, Roy.

-You just missed a turning.
-I'm not going that way.

-We've got to go back.
-No, I know a shortcut.

It's the only way
we're going to make it.

-You sure?
-Trust me.

[machine beeping]

[phone ringing]

-Dave. Yeah, good.
-[Dave] Mike?

I was just about to call you.

You were right,
we're beginning to--

-What?
-Incoming transmi--

Dave, you're breaking up.

Signal strength is--

[tires screeching]

Dave, I need you
to get to the storeroom

and pick out
the size 47 power unit.

-What?
-Size 47.

-Mike, why do you
need the power unit?
-Dave, I can't hear you.

-Mike, I'm losing you,
can you hear me?
-What?

-Mike?
-Dave?

-Dave you're--
-[phone beeping]

-I've lost signal.
-Yeah, I've got nothing.

Time check?

Look, we've got
11 minutes battery.

-Go, Roy, go.
-Hold on.

Come on, all these damn cables,

I can't get a bloody signal.

Whoa, whoa, Roy, Roy!

Roy!

[tires screech]

[all panting]

-Shortcut?
-Just get it.

It's locked!

Damn it.

This is not good.

Look, we've got six percent!

We're never going to make this.

-Harry, get the boot.
-They're not bolt
cutters, Roy.

They're all we've got, go!

[Roy groaning]

[machine beeping]

Come on.

[Roy grunts]

[dramatic music continues]

[phone ringing]

-Dave, can you hear me?
-Yeah, I can hear you.

Yeah, Dave, I need
the size 47 power unit

-from the storeroom.
-What, why?

Look, I don't have
time to explain, okay?

We're coming into
the Block C car park.

[Dave] Block C, copy.

[machine beeping]

No, no, no, no,
my hard drive's full.

Look, Harry,
I need your hard drive.

Dave, get the power unit.

Harry, hurry up!

Come on, come on, come on.

[Dave] Mike, we're getting
a major incoming
transmission here.

I know, I know,
I bloody told you.

Signal strength
is off the charts.

It's Arecibo,
it's a response to Arecibo.

Arecibo?

Look, it's binary,
it's a reply to Arecibo,

but my system's fried,
we're losing power.
I need that power unit.

Otherwise, we're going
to lose all the data.

[Dave] Okay, I'm in
the storeroom.

Okay, good, it's in a gray

pelican case on the top shelf.

-Which shelf?
-Yeah, top shelf,
top shelf, Dave.

Got it, got it.

We're coming into
the Block C car park.

We're about five miles out.

Block C, roger.

Come on.

[cars beeping]

Hold on.

[tires screeching]

The transfers going,
we are back in business.

[machine beeping]

What the hell is that?

We've got four percent battery.
That's five minutes till

complete system failure.

Yeah, I'm working on it.

Dave, you better be there.

-Move!
-[car honking]

Get out of the way!
Come on, move.

[car honking]

Get out of my way.

Roy, red light, Roy.

Red light, Roy, red light.

Time?

Less than four minutes.

Oh my god.

-Hold on.
-Hold on!

Whoa, Roy, Roy. Roy, slow down!

Roy, Roy!

-Roy, we're never
going to make it.
-Roy, what are you doing?

-We're never going to make it.
-Roy!

-Roy!
-Roy!

[cars honking]

[Mike sighs]

Christ, that was close.

[Mike] I don't think
I can breathe.

[Mike panting]

[Harry] You are never
driving my car again, Roy.

[machine beeping]

[dramatic music]

-[machine beeping]
-[horn honking]

We're here, where do I go?
Mike, where do I go?

Block C car park.

There, there.

[Roy] I got it, I see it.

Come on, come on.

Stop, stop!

[tires screeching]

Run, Mike, run!

One minute, Mike.

Dave, over here!

Dave!

[Harry] Come on, Mike, this way!

Come on, in here!

Give me the cables,
give me the cables!

Thirty seconds.

Come on, come on, come on.

Hook 'em up.

Come on, come on.

Fifteen seconds.

Red light, you hooked up?

-Okay, got it. Go!
-Do it, do it.

[dramatic music intensifies]

[Mike sighs]

Jesus.

-[Harry laughs]
-[Roy sighs]

It doesn't get
any closer than that.

[Mike laughs]

[Dave sighs]

-Harry.
-Dave.

-You remember Roy?
-Of course.

-It's been a while.
-Too long.

Good to see you
out in the field again.

Sounds like you chaps have
had an interesting night.

You could say that.

I didn't know
you all knew each other.

[Mike chuckles]

Oh, it's like a secret clan.

Oh, you have no idea.

So, what is
the score here, Dave?

This is the real deal.

SETI have just released
an official statement.

Within the last few minutes

tracking stations
around the world

have identified a craft

in low Earth orbit.

[Harry] Hiding in
the infrared spectrum?

How'd you know that?

Have we got some
data to show you.

[machine beeping]

That's everything safe.

On this drive,
we have audio recordings

of a binary loop pattern
that decoded

is a clear response
to the Arecibo message.

-My God.
-Yeah, and if there's anything
left on my hard drive,

we may well have
the initial beacon signal,

and Harry has got
infrared video footage

of that thing in orbit.

Mike, this is incredible.

What time was your
acquisition of signal?

[Mike] 2:54.

My God.

that's the earliest
recorded acquisition

of signal we've had.

Do you realize what this means?

You guys are the first.

[uplifting music]

The first.

[satellite whirring]

[patterned beeping]

That's us replying.

All our tracking stations are
broadcasting the same thing.

What does it say?

What else is there to say?

"Welcome to Earth."

[dramatic music]

Come on, come on, come on.

Oh my god.

I don't think you'll
have any problems

with your funding
from now on, Mike.

[gentle music]

[uplifting music]

I never thought...

No one ever thought
they'd see this.

The world's going to wake up
in a few hours' time

and it's never going
to be the same.

[eerie music]

[dramatic music]

[gentle music]