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There was a time I knew everything in the sky.
Every satellite...
every constellation...
souvenirs of space walks and astronauts...
and rockets launched by NASA in the '60s.
As a kid, I looked up and felt the future.
It belonged to me.
Hey, hey, man, check this out.
Then 2008 happened.
Budgets crashed.
NASA was just another business looking for cash.
The billionaires took over.
Satellite pirates with deep pockets, drunk with the idea of ruling the world.
I left the military and took a job with the biggest billionaire of them all.
Carson Welch. I went to the gray side.
Messed up bad in Kabul, Afghanistan, broke about 18 bones in two legs.
Lost my gig.
For a year, I waited for scraps...
like a hungry cat outside a seafood restaurant dumpster.
Finally, I got a crappy second chance.
- At least I was going back to Hawaii. - Woody.
Just wanted to say hello before we landed.
How you doing?
How's the contractor job going? Miss the uniform?
Sometimes.
Heard you popped your balloons in Afghanistan. Thought you were dead.
I'm excited about this gig.
I'm delivering a blessing on a pedestrian gate.
Only in Hawaii, huh?
- Below the aloha exterior. - Casablanca, baby.
Tracy's gonna flip out when she sees you.
- Colonel Lacy? - Yes, sir.
Are you aware of the so-called Arrival myth?
- What's that? - The calendars say...
that this week is the return of the playful Hawaiian god Lono...
and he will wreak havoc in the sky with the fire goddess Pele.
Mitchell? Hey. Okay.
Sorry. Sorry. He's a Hawaiian-myth buff.
Yeah, of course he is.
All right, Mitchell, be cool. Relax and enjoy a bitching summer.
Make love not war, huh?
- Morning, captain. - Morning, airman.
Good to go.
Well, shit. Looks like we're down to dwindling resources, huh?
Colonel, I'm here to save you, you great white obsolete whale.
After Kabul, I'm surprised you can make a joke.
- Can I be honest? You look terrible. - I've missed your psychotic hands.
Good times. When's the last time we worked together?
- Silent Reaper? - Jesus. Silent Reaper?
Yeah. It's been a while.
- How's your life? - I got no life. You're my life, Fingers.
"You're my life, colonel." Nobody calls me Fingers anymore.
I'm a big old deal around here. Got my name on the wall.
I'm so powerful, I'm erect just thinking about it.
Present arms!
Of course, the old ex-girlfriend.
Pause for the memories.
She handles all these ceremonies around here now.
All right, Gilcrest, I want to introduce you to your Air Force liaison. A fast burner.
F-22 pilot on loan to Space Command for "career broadening." Yep.
Decorated two years ahead of schedule. General Dixon's favorite.
Meet your watchdog.
Enjoy.
Captain Allison Ng, sir. I know you have a meeting.
I'll take us on a flyby of the island.
I'd like to take you through how this is gonna work.
Hey! I refuse to talk to you.
Well, you just broke that promise.
Are you okay?
So good. Super, super good.
Woody never told me you were coming.
- He never tells me anything. - Sir, if I may?
- He talked to me. - Oh, yeah?
- Yeah. - Because you're not married to him.
Hey, I called you five times last year.
- I was worried about you. - You still in Forensics?
I'm head of the department. I make my own hours.
Will you stop getting more beautiful?
An awkward silence lasts four seconds. I'll end this in three.
Sir? If I may?
- You've gotta meet my kids. - Yeah.
I'll be right back, captain.
Don't get lost now.
Never. Sir.
Tracy. Tracy. Tracy.
- I got my bag. - Oh, so sorry.
Mitch. Mitch, come out of the flag, please.
I want to introduce you to Brian Gilcrest.
- Pleasure. Hey. - Hey.
- Mitchell is 10 and Gracie's 12. - Gracie. Brian.
- Brian and I haven't seen each other in... - About 13 years.
Thirteen years. Right.
- Dad. - There you are.
- Hey, Dad. - You're back.
There she is.
- Are you the Arrival? - No.
But in five days, sadly, I'm the departure.
There's a blessing we're gonna take care of on the new gate.
Gilcrest. Carson. Come on.
You know the deal.
Myths and bones and ghosts.
Well, hey, why don't you come for dinner?
- Say yes. - This week?
Say yes.
- Come on. - All right.
- I'd love to. - Yeah? Great.
The house across the street from the Officers' Club. It's the corner house.
So good. Super, super good. Okay.
Are you familiar with the Hawaiian god Lono?
- No. - In the Arrival myth, he saves Pele...
the Hawaiian goddess...
Look forward to hearing the rest at dinner. Thanks for the lift.
- For you. - Yes.
Yes, yes, yes.
This is very important for our book. I wanna hear about your childhood.
Childhood.
That's nostalgia and a trap.
Carson, the new king of space exploration.
Aloha, boys.
I saw your TED Talk on the way.
Oh, that. Yeah, Bono talked me into that.
Oh, how is Bono?
As if I knew him. That's...
Everybody wants to launch a rocket.
Right. Sure.
Good at that.
Smooth.
It's good to be back.
Oh, God.
I didn't abandon you.
I saved you.
Let's do some great stuff here.
All right, start with the blessing, and we'll move on from there.
Okay.
And welcome back.
Killed it.
Oahu traffic, Seneca 128.
Alpha-Romeo over Rabbit island, 2000 feet.
Our appointment with the sovereign king...
and the head of the state of Hawaii, Dennis "Bumpy" Kanahele, was rejected.
He's a fierce man, sir. He's a descendant of King Kamehameha the Great.
I know Bumpy. I helped him get elected.
We've all worked together before. And you don't have to call me "sir."
Sir, I will also be an invaluable addition to our joint mission.
I am a quarter Hawaiian.
Call me "sir."
The Royal Aloha. Careful on those steps.
- I see them. - I know about the leg.
Sir, I'd love to get a beverage.
Or a peppermint tea.
And discuss all kinds of stuff.
The sky. The future. Yeah.
Everything.
- I'm a peppermint-tea girl. - You have a good time.
- I meant with you. - Captain Ring, I...
it's Ng. It's like "ring," but without the R or the I.
It's just Ng. It's short.
Short. Short's good.
Small talk and conversation, Ng. There's no time for it.
You are never going to offend me by being blunt.
Handful of words, boiled down.
No more than five. One, two, three, four...
- Five. Yeah. - There you go.
Let this be our longest conversation.
Good evening, captain.
Warmest aloha, sir.
Okay, let's talk about Gilcrest.
So finally we meet, right?
This is a great story.
This is good. Yeah.
So much paperwork on this guy. A surprising amount of paperwork.
Flirting with Pakistani princesses. Yeah, yeah.
Something with the daughter of Princess Hafa El Yassein.
- He got married and divorced... - I lived a full life.
...from a fake heiress.
Oh, yeah. Homegirl took him down.
But before that all came apart, there was greatness in this guy.
Oh, now you're gonna compliment me?
He's got kind of...
like a chilly presence.
Like, you look into his eyes and it's miles of blue.
He's just a brilliant...
compelling, innovative...
commanding...
Stop it.
...fricking wreck of a guy.
He's like a...
A sad city coyote.
You know?
- Okay. I love you too, Mom. - A great relation with your mother.
Hey, look up at 10:37 tonight because there is a Jupiter-moon conjunction...
that you will not wanna miss.
Okay, good night.
A double espresso.
Morning, sir. I'm so jacked for today.
Make that a triple.
Thank you for the camaraderie, sir.
- I didn't say anything, captain. - No, it's your manner.
I find your manner very down-to-earth.
You have links to the National Reconnaissance Office, don't you?
Even if I was NRO, captain, I couldn't tell you, but I'm not.
You were trained top to bottom...
on every aspect of maintaining these birds.
How did you end up supervising a gate blessing? If I may.
I'm sad.
You were listening?
I mean, honey... I'm not even a guy who says "honey."
...you got a baritone built for Broadway. - Shit.
- Oh, shoot. Shoot, shoot, shit. - Well, which is it?
- Is it "shit" or "shoot"? - I am deeply offended by myself, sir.
Let me ease you off the shit-shoot mountain, captain.
I work for Global One. Carson Welch is a private citizen...
who outfits struggling countries with communications and freedom.
Private citizen?
Communications and freedom?
- I'll withhold my comment, sir. - Good.
Don't text your father about the washer, honey. He's in Kuwait.
Why is he always in the places where the war is over?
Oh, I don't know, sweetie.
That's why your mom takes long walks.
Mitchell, time to put the camera down and join the land of the living here.
What's different about you, Mom?
Your bad mood's not convincing.
Okay, drink water, not soda, and I don't want you to eat too late.
Gracie, work on your formal dress like we talked about. Mitchell, camera down.
Next sign of the Arrival:
Ancient Hawaiian spirits begin to appear.
This place has a lot of mana. That's Hawaiian for...
I know what it means, captain. Power and spirit.
- We're stuck. - No, we're not. I know a shortcut.
- Yeah? - Right up that hill.
- Can you make that, captain? - Oh, I can make that.
Do you need help?
Watch your step.
Do I need help?
Super good, captain.
Super, super good.
- Captain. - Yes?
When we get to the Kingdom, I'm gonna need Bumpy all to myself, you know that.
It'll be a beautiful dance, sir.
You know, I was once a dancer.
- I broke my tibia. Joined the Air Force. - Yeah, well, I dance alone.
I'll back you up. We all work together. It's life.
We got three wars going on right now. We're not in Coachella...
waiting for the Molly to kick in so we can writhe in the mud...
and wait for Tupac's hologram to come on and make us feel things.
- Understood. - Good.
You're cynical. I get it. I really do.
Call it what you will, captain. I go hard, I go deep, sometimes, I break things.
Okay?
- Okay. - There will come a point...
I'm gonna give you a look. That means it's Brian's time.
Who's Brian?
I'm Brian!
"Miles of blue," remember?
You never had a partner?
I know your ex-wife gave you the heave a year ago.
Hey. That'd be off-limits repartee for us, captain. I lone-wolfed it all the way.
- That's who I am. End of speech. - Understood.
By the way, my ex-spouse did not give me the heave.
She met some rich guy who sold comic books...
and in this economy, that's enough to vaporize a marriage.
You get replaced by a comic-book version of yourself.
Nobody wants to live where they are. They wanna be in a fantasy. All right?
She gave me the heave.
Boy, did she blow it.
- If I may. And you have to know that. - I know what you're doing.
You're not gonna pick my brains. They're unpickable.
And your attempt to get under my hood and ask barbed questions is, frankly...
Fantastic.
Thank you.
What is that?
I'm tempted to say menehune.
They're like Hawaiian leprechauns.
Or chipmunks. It's something.
There is a lot of mana up here.
Upside-down flag.
Symbol of a nation in distress. We're here.
Nice shortcut, by the way.
Who this?
- You lost? - Afternoon. Here to see the king.
You can stop right there.
We're...
I'm Brian Gilcrest.
That name will carry weight with the king.
No?
There he is.
Love of country.
So, you're a paycheck warrior now.
Plaything of billionaires, in bed with the military.
I just need a little help. This is Captain Ng.
- Aloha, Captain Ng. - Aloha.
Heard you blew up in Afghanistan.
You looked better when you were younger.
- Oh, thank you. - So pale now.
Keith Richards looks like a teenager next to you.
Okay. Okay.
One year, I went out and played poker. Didn't do anything else.
Like, maybe five, six years ago.
First game was on a military base.
This black guy, could've been 20-something years old...
and I'm like all anti-military, U.S., the whole thing, right?
He comes to me and goes, "Uncle, you like warm water?"
And I go, "Right on, brother."
And that was it. That changed my whole turn on military.
So a military? Bigtime respect for them when they're doing the right things.
It's an honor to be here.
It's just a budget thing, Bumpy.
We're combining two bases and moving the pedestrian gate...
and you can move the bones wherever, not one tibia will be out of place.
We just need a 20-minute blessing.
My people respect you, and they want your approval for the community.
- Carson Welch is... - Sir...
Your people are crooks.
Children of white missionary that stole our country in 1893. You get it.
Bumpy, mohe, my old friend, this is your nation, but we are in America.
Yeah, under military occupation.
You're on the wrong side, brah.
You hungry?
Great to see you. Aloha.
Come on, brah.
The word is, something big coming through.
Gonna threaten the whole world. Something in the sky.
Weapons, maybe.
- Don't know anything about that. - No. No, king.
- Captain. - That would be a violation...
of the Outer Space Peace Treaty of 1967.
The sky belongs to no one country and no weapons shall exist in the sky.
The sky is sacred. The shelter over all of us.
Working for the military here, I am authorized to offer the Kingdom this.
Fourteen agriculturally-perfect acres on the other side of this mountain.
Now, Sunday...
Sunday at 10, we swing a ceremony.
Couple of guys in the garb, little hula-hula, blow the horn.
We all work together.
No, brah. Grab some food, listen to the music and go home.
How can we make this work, Bumpy?
- He says two mountains. - What?
- Two mountains. - Captain, please.
- What? - My kupuna says the two mountains...
the two at the foot of the valley. In good faith.
I can't... I can't give you back Hawaii, Bumpy.
And free cell-phone service. We don't get but one bar.
- In fact, we hardly get that. - I can't do that.
- You're making it impossible for me. - Take it or leave it.
- King. - Captain.
I believe in our land and our myths and our traditions...
and more than anything, in the sky.
- What are you doing? - This is not the military of old, Bumpy.
This is the new.
And you have my word, as a member of the 15th Airlift...
of the United States Air Force Space Command...
that we will not put weapons above these sacred islands.
You can trust me.
Bumpy, I'm sorry.
Will you do one thing for me?
- Of course. - Can I hear "Waimanalo Blues"...
- ...in the style of Gabby? - Sure.
I used to have a cassette version and I lost it...
and I crave it, and I know they can play it.
I guarantee it. Let's do that.
Okay.
Yeah.
- Oh, yeah. - Yeah.
- Sorry. - Okay.
- Free cell service and... - Half a mountain.
- Two mountains. - No cell phone, one mountain.
- Three mountains, no cell phone. - Two mountains, cell phone.
- We're there. You're tough. - Tough? I gave you everything.
- Hey, I didn't wanna give it. - Thanks for bringing the car up.
- Yeah, brah, no problem. - This is our sovereign flag.
My gift to you because we always ohana.
I felt a lot of mana from the two of you tonight.
Especially you.
Thank you, king. I'm deeply moved.
Warmest aloha, Mr. Kanahele.
Sky has a lot to say tonight.
Stick around.
You're gonna skin your knees on eternity, brah.
- Love of country. - Love of country.
Never fuck you over, brah.
I think the sky is speaking to us.
Something's coming.
You know this is all metaphorical. This is how Hawaii works.
We speak money, they speak myths and sky...
but the sky doesn't actually speak...
and give an opinion.
That was all about land, cash and cell phones.
Nothing's sacred.
It's all for sale.
Tell me you don't believe in the sky.
You think it's just air up there?
It's the future.
That is the pull of the unknowable. That's the answer to every question.
Let's just keep it to the gate and the blessing.
Cell phones, mountain, blessing on Sunday.
Aloha.
February 11, 1983, I asked for a telescope.
My dad drove to the Meade telescope company in Long Beach...
and got me this maroon scope.
That was the summer of the iridium flares.
The iridium flares?
It's the glint of the first satellites.
A lot of them are dead now...
but still streaking across the sky, picking up the light of the sun.
Where has that guy been?
Stop the car. Stop. Stop the car. Stop, stop, stop.
- Look down. Look down. - You okay?
- What is it? What is it? - It's the night marchers of Waimanalo.
Ancient tribal warriors that are paying respect to their ancestors.
They're looking for their burial sites. Show respect by looking down.
You can't look up or you're cursed because you're not Hawaiian.
I'm aware of the myth.
It's probably just a reenactment.
Just making sure we're still alive.
Are we?
- Hey, you. - Hi.
I miss Dad.
I always miss Dad.
But he's gonna be home tomorrow.
And Brian Gilcrest is coming over.
Let's get you something to eat.
Thanks, Hannah. Have a good night.
Thanks, Mom.
My dad was half Chinese, half Hawaiian. And my mother is Swedish.
She's of Swedish descent, so I am a quarter Hawaiian.
How great that they met.
They had so much fun together. They really did. What else can I do?
Put the wings on this platter and take it out, along with the salt.
- That would be fantastic. - Perfect.
- That looks good. - Thank you.
You wore the uniform.
Came from work.
Filling out a report on me?
- We shared an apparition last night. - Reenactment.
I salute your elaborate system of denial, sir.
- Hey, Spielberg. - Don't look into the camera.
- Okay. Is your mother in there? - Yep.
Yep.
Hi.
Would you like a beer?
- No? - I'm okay.
- I'll ease into it. Do you have a soda? - Yeah.
- I'll take that. - Here you go.
That's lovely.
Thank you. Very thoughtful.
- I apologize in advance for Captain Ng. - Oh, my God, are you kidding?
She showed up early and helped me with housework. I wanna keep her.
She tell you she was one-quarter Hawaiian?
Yeah, like 50 times.
Why don't you just have what you want?
What? Well, do you have what you want?
Your dad is Johnny Woodside.
I'm gonna teach you Woodside children to salute.
It's something that you know.
Cut at the corner of your eyebrow...
and then drop it back down the center line.
Straight up. And back down.
Mitchell, put your camera down. I gotta see your salute.
You've got it now on film forever. Here we go.
- He's got everything on film. - Ready?
Just go up the middle line of your body and drop it back down.
But up strong.
And drop.
You gotta be strong with it. That was a little bit wobbly.
You're gonna slice the air.
Up to the eyebrow. Good.
And, with some power, drop back down.
I'm getting the hang of this.
And here we go.
Slice up. Straight up.
And drop.
That's good.
- I am gonna have that beer. - Okay.
In answer to your question, Woody doesn't speak.
But you know what? He's a great dad.
I don't think I'm ready to talk to you like a girlfriend...
so just stop me before I talk to you like a girlfriend.
He is a great dad. He's a really great dad when he's here.
And he got us this corner house, and I really don't wanna lose it.
So things are good.
I'm not sure if it's supposed to make it easier with him, you know, flying...
to all these confidential locations and not being able to tell me or...
I'm just... I'm stressed. I'm stressed.
I'm stressed all the time. And if I'm stressed in Hawaii...
I mean, can you imagine what I would be like somewhere else?
You even recognize the girl who ran through Sheppard's Field naked...
- ...after a Cure concert? - Who could forget that girl?
- You know what? - What?
Don't ever have any regrets.
- I'm totally girlfriend-ing you right now. - I like it.
I don't even remember why we broke up.
Because you didn't show up on our vacation.
I didn't mean to actually talk about that.
I had three days planned in San Francisco.
I had things for us to do and things to tell you, and you stayed in Guam.
Guam? Really?
Don't pretend like you don't remember.
I've waited for this.
- If you calm down, I'll try and remember. - I'm calm. This feels good.
Hey, you know what, I do remember.
You said, "if you don't show up, then that's it."
Because you're a workaholic who creates work to avoid real work.
I'm still working on that.
But to me, you see, a vacation can't be an ultimatum.
How can you relax on an ultimatum? The whole concept is stressful.
You just had to show up. I was looking for a gesture.
It didn't have to be bold, just something.
I just wanted you to show up.
Hey.
I really loved you.
And you wrecked everything.
All our plans.
Loose plans.
And I put it back together by myself.
I found a life in spite of you, and you need to hear this...
because I've waited a long time to tell you this. You need to hear this.
Maybe not all of it.
You can't just let people go.
- Okay, do you see what I mean? - No, he said a lot, actually.
What did he say?
Well, for starters, he said:
"Good evening. Welcome to my home."
Then he walked over to me and put his hand on my shoulder and he said:
"I know you used to see my wife." And then somewhere in there he said:
"Check out my manliness. I've been working out." Right?
- And then... Right? - I don't know. I don't know what he said.
No, that was the order. Yes.
He closed with, "I moved in the second she was available...
and I'm too handsome and happy to ever see you as a threat.
Good evening." Then he left with his beer.
- He said all that? - And more. He's very talkative.
- Mom? - Oh, honey.
- Hi, Mom. - Hi.
How's this for winter formal?
I don't want her to get one minute older.
- I like the sleeves. - I like the sleeves.
Wow, she looks just like you.
Thank God.
Mr. Gilcrest?
Cool room.
Thanks.
- The Corona Borealis constellation. - Yeah.
- Nice collection. - Thanks.
My man.
That's very interesting.
That's a lovely couple.
Did you almost marry my mom?
Many, many times.
Why would anybody break up with my mom?
- What's that? - That's The Arrival.
The Arrival.
The fourth and fifth signs are lining up.
Sacrifice and the healing of his wounds.
Are you Lono?
How does the myth end, so I know how to plan my summer?
The Arrival myth ends when Pele claims Lono...
and takes him to her volcano for a thousand years of...
revenge sex.
To be eased only through eruption...
and the creation of the next Hawaiian island, Loihi.
Then you become raindrops.
That's not a bad deal.
- Mr. Gilcrest? - Brian.
Brian.
You are Lono.
- Just flip it around. - You wanna see it? Here.
I'm so touched by the hula.
Aren't you?
It's just such an expressive gift.
My teacher tells me that my arms are the problem.
No, not a problem.
Don't think about your arms.
Just address the land and the sky...
Woody, you ready?
- Fixed? - ...and the water.
Fixed.
She's got a wicked hula.
Majorly, captain.
Beautiful.
Okay, everybody, let's do it.
I'm Lono.
I love him.
Dude, I love my lawn.
I know.
Love my lawn.
All right, you two.
- There you go. - Thank you.
General Dixon. Shit is going on.
- Nice to see you. - Happy holidays, general.
Good to see you, sir.
- Happy holidays, sir. How are you? - Hello, general.
Get it, get it, get it. Yeah.
You guys want something to drink?
Yeah. I'll take a Kamehameha lemonade.
Same for you?
- Got it. - I'll help.
Can I get two Kamehameha lemonades and a Jack and Coke, please?
Can I have a beer, please?
Careful.
- Did you feel that? - What's that?
They say the menehune come in with wind...
and they haunt the Officers' Club at night.
And they mess with the photos of the old airmen.
Captain, come on. Not every noe lani is a puka lani.
- Not every gentle mist is a gate to heaven. - Nice.
What is the future?
The future isn't just something that happens.
It's a brutal force with a great sense of humor...
that'll steamroll you if you're not watching.
But we're all gonna take a girls' trip in her minivan.
- Great. - Love it.
- We're leaving the kids and just going. - Okay.
How is it that a high-ranking professional is alone on the holidays?
Well, I don't hook up, I get deployed.
- Tell me about it. - You know the truth.
I mean, two years is too long to keep anything going, and I'd rather be alone.
It's been guys who are like me. I call them "Alone Togethers."
- Maybe you should go civilian next time. - Are you kidding me?
Can you think of a way to make "I'm a fighter pilot" sexy?
Well, you just have to work on your delivery, Ng.
I'm a fighter pilot.
Try going a little lower.
I'm a fighter pilot.
See, that's just strong stuff. I think that just works.
Kamehameha. All right. I'm gonna... I'll see you at the table.
- Out here. Out here. - Thank you for the camaraderie.
- "Everybody Wants to Rule the World." - Coming right up, sir.
Don't stand up, Gilcrest.
- On second thought, do stand up. - It's good to see you, general.
Is it true you cut a deal with Bumpy for the blessing?
Carson Welch is very impressed with you.
He's important to us, so don't screw this up.
- Yes. Two mountains, cell phone service. - Half a mountain, no cell phone service.
General Dixon, sir.
Gilcrest, don't give me any more reason to dislike you.
I didn't know you disliked me.
Happy holidays, bottom feeder.
Happy holidays, general.
- What did you say to Dixon? - I let him insult me.
He loves you. You are bringing a very studly game to Brave Angel.
I want you to have this. From Carson Welch's people.
It's a gift to give Brave Angel.
- Oh, what is it? - New codes. That's all I know.
Welcome to your expanded job description.
Carson wants to speak to you. Wait in the hallway.
What, now?
Now.
Nice work, Gilcrest.
You're back in the bird's nest.
- What are we putting up there, Carson? - We're doing things...
this country was built to do before 20 layers of government...
- ...slowed us down... - Okay.
...and let China kick our keisters all over the Pacific.
We are taking command personally.
Yes, I was angry with you about Kabul.
I knew what was going on, about the skimming.
I never thought twice about it.
But that money you pocketed from the Afghanis, that was different.
You destroyed yourself for 100 lousy K.
You thought I never knew. I always knew.
- Carson... - So, you're back in the game.
Now, if you can stay on track, you'll find a way to get this done...
down and dirty, smooth like Indian silk.
And this crazy little Mayberry base...
will be the center of a whole new operation.
TNO, Gilcrest. Tell no one.
You're back.
Captain Ng, this is Carson Welch.
Captain Ng.
Your reputation as a dancer precedes you.
One, two, three, two. One, two, three, two.
Happy New Year, Carson. There you go.
Cheers. Cheers.
Excuse me. Excuse me.
God bless America!
Bless you.
Thank you.
What you doing?
E-mails, trying to bail my brother out online, parking tickets.
Are you dressed?
No, I'm not.
Yes, you are.
Hey, about tonight, sir...
Yes, captain?
- ...I had fun. - Fun is good.
And some shots.
Are you kidding?
I danced with the devil, and I liked it.
Well, captain, I will tell you this for sure...
in any of its many forms, I have found that nothing beats fun.
Maybe purpose.
Do you wanna come over?
That's peppermint tea.
Thank you.
Hey. Have you seen the latest spec of all the birds we have up in the sky?
- No. - Can you imagine all of this...
with weapons?
What?
Oh, that's my dog. Hold on.
That's my mom and dad.
This, with weapons.
All those dots are satellites.
It's like a celestial traffic jam.
I mean, if we can't look up and see purity or promise, we are finished.
That's why we have a space treaty.
What are all those stickers on your unit?
Well, there's one for each adventure, captain.
Do any of those adventures wear dresses?
Some. Some are for missions and some are for cities.
What's the yellow one?
That's...
the Helena Project.
I love the Helena Project. I mean, I knew that you studied black holes...
and Geodymetric physics, but I didn't know you pioneered sound transducing.
I was sound transducing when you were still in a ballerina costume.
The use of sound in space.
Why is that so exciting to me?
Yeah, good times.
I've never been shot.
You've never been shot?
- That's a good thing. - Prepare me.
What's it like?
Well, captain, I feel that question in about 18 different parts of my body.
Me too.
They say that you can tell most of the time by the sound.
A well-aimed shot from a weapon sounds like nothing else. It's like...
Home-run ball coming off the bat.
Boy, did I mess up in Kabul.
I was surrounded by all this brutal ugliness.
Philanderers.
Nothing black and white.
Soul-crushing mercenaries.
And I was one of them.
I saw that missile coming for me, and I didn't get out of the way.
I didn't care.
You lost your iridium flares.
Tonight...
it's kind of the first night I'm truly happy I lived.
Gilcrest.
- Really? - I'm a major select, sir.
I'm at a crossroads where I can't mess up.
And I don't wanna wind up a decal on your laptop.
Because I couldn't breathe.
All flattened out there with everybody else, so it's...
Wanna see something you've never seen before?
I think I left my sunglasses at the Kingdom.
Oh, that's a tough asset to lose.
Can't stop looking at it, can you?
It's mesmerizing.
- Just try and look away. - I can't.
It's impossible.
It was the Sudan. It was me and two guys. We stepped on a PBD mine.
There was a horrible doctor...
and he sewed one of the guy's toes onto my foot.
- What? - Yes.
That's another guy's toe? Oh, my God.
Yeah, if you look closely...
you'll see the entire Middle Eastern conflict on my leg.
Feels like we're in the room with another person.
We are.
I believe everything you say.
Well, you shouldn't. I'm a contractor, nothing more.
Here I am complaining about my sunglasses.
And here I am complaining about nothing.
Come on, let's move!
Morning.
Hey, Hula. Happy Saturday.
- Hey. - Are your parents home?
I just wanted to thank them for the other night.
They're not home.
I am stuck babysitting the baby.
- Shut up. - Hey, baby.
I'm kidding. Can I leave a note?
- Of course. Come in. - Okay.
What are you watching?
Some footage that I shot.
You shot this?
Holy mackerel.
What do you think it is?
Look at the size of that thing.
It seems very sophisticated.
This is a big covert operation.
I bet the whole Pacific is in play.
When did you shoot this?
Middle of the night.
Two nights ago.
Butt-kick, stick it to the back. Nice.
I called you because I think I have to tender my resignation.
- Is "tender" the right word for that? - Come on. It's Saturday. Don't do this.
I'm sorry to disturb your Saturday.
I got Troy and Melissa here. I got a girlfriend's kid, Don.
Have you met a baby named Don?
No, sir. Hi, Don.
Come on. This feels more like a Monday kind of thing.
- Tell me everything you know. - I don't know what's going on up there.
It's not an Air Force launch. They let me know what they want me to know.
Private money's running the whole thing. We work for them.
This is the new military, captain.
Kesha could launch a satellite.
She doesn't have to tell us what's on it either. No treaty for that.
This one looks like a dual-purpose launch vehicle that will amp up...
a worldwide rush to fill the skies with weapons.
I didn't get the memo on that. We don't know what's on this launch.
If that's true, we're in worse trouble than I thought.
Don't resign, all right? You'd have better luck talking to privateers.
Contractors are running everything.
Global One is running the lead on this operation.
- It's Carson Welch's rocket. - Gilcrest?
How much does Gilcrest know, sir?
Now that he's back with Welch, how much does he not know?
You know what? I'll take that hat too.
Oh, boy, am I a goner.
Hello, sir.
Hello, captain.
It is a victory and an honor to steal you away this afternoon.
Got you a peppermint tea.
Oh, the hat.
You must be wondering about this hat. This hat serves no purpose.
The entire idea of including sunglasses in the actual hat...
is ridiculous and unwieldy in execution.
Yet somehow...
you lost your sunglasses and somebody stole your badass look.
Anyway...
you may now wear the hat.
I understand your reluctance. I know what it represents.
My first civilian gift to you.
And what do I really have to offer you?
Everybody I've gotten close to, I've managed to detach myself in some way.
And frankly, just floating the idea of you and me as a couple...
all I see are problems. I am talking about world chaos.
I'm talking about panic in the streets.
Demonstrations, riots, problems with your promotion, strange incidents.
And let's just be honest, it'll end as it began.
A flicker of an impossible dream and an avalanche of emotional chaos.
And I'm sorry, but...
I'm in for all of it.
Is that a yes?
- I think I have an allergy. - It's going around. You loving the hat?
I feel silly.
Well, you wear silly well.
I know what you know.
What?
Stop with the games.
Oh, my God. I got personal with you.
I never get personal.
- I had fun with you. - Good.
- I believed you. - Good.
That's...
- You told me not to. - No, no, no.
That might be the worst part. I believed you, and you told me not to.
- No. You got this all wrong. - I didn't come here to argue.
You came to knife me in a gut-and-run. I know the type. I am the type.
What am I saying?
I need you to believe in me.
I know what you know.
And what do I know?
You lied to everybody.
You knew about the launch.
You knew about that ASAT rocket.
You were distracting those Hawaiians and giving them what?
Property they already owned a thousand years ago?
- I don't have mountains to give them. - You let me lie to the Hawaiians.
I'm Hawaiian. You lost your signal.
You are lost.
Hey!
Hey! Hey, I just wanted to say, good luck with your career!
I'm sure you're gonna get NRO. Find somebody else to recommend you.
- You think that's what this is about? - You tell me.
I'm here because you needed a babysitter.
I volunteered to be your watchdog.
I defended you when everybody said, "You better watch out for that guy.
He's morally bankrupt and the guy you get to do your dirty work."
Who's everybody? Everybody in the streets?
In the world? Were they all gathered at a mountaintop and sing to you?
Your cynicism is astounding, Mr. Gilcrest.
Thank you for the hat, by the way. It's a nice souvenir.
- Are there weapons in it? - Just leave it.
- I was your last chance. - Right, yeah, and you know so much.
And you knew everything.
You sold your soul so many times, nobody's buying anymore.
Oh, hey, Dad.
Hey, Woody.
Can I get your autograph?
- Hey. - Hey, Dad.
- Thank-you notes, huh? - Yep.
- How was winter prom? - Nice.
- Yeah? - It was good. Yeah.
Except it's winter social.
Sorry, bunny.
How was work?
Yeah, good.
Okay.
And that's it? That's all we have to say about it?
Yeah. Good.
Just gonna...
This is all Gilcrest's fault.
This is not Gilcrest's fault.
We had problems long before Gilcrest showed up.
- Maybe it's not his fault, but I... - But what?
What?
Just talk to me.
You don't talk to me.
Say something.
Woody, I can't take this silence anymore.
You stay.
- I'm leaving. - No.
No.
I'll go.
I'm always going.
All right, so...
I'll go.
Hello?
Are you leaving?
I got one more appointment with Bumpy, then the gate blessing.
Grace, could you just go down and check on your brother?
- Okay. - Okay.
Okay, not so fast.
We have stuff to deal with before the famous Gilcrest exodus. Look...
She's a great girl. Woody is a lucky father.
Hey, I think that you came back here for a reason whether you knew it or not...
- ...and I think you did. - The Arrival is departing.
Hey, it's time, okay?
- You're going to tell me what I may know. - What...? What is that?
Say it.
Just say it.
Let's just straight-up talk about it before I explode.
- Let me ask you like this. - Okay.
Let's say it's Father's Day.
Do I have something to celebrate or not?
You celebrate.
Okay.
Finally.
Come back! Come back! Come back!
Oh, my God.
There's a lot of you there.
Excuse you. Stop it!
Who else knows?
Well, let's see.
It's been me for 13 years.
Woody?
No, we never discussed it.
- But then... Yeah. - The silent thing.
You could've had the discussion without knowing.
Exactly.
He left last night.
He left?
- Was he angry? - He decapitated Santa Claus.
Don't call me "bunny." I don't like it. Stop.
Stop it.
I should go.
- Grace? Honey? - Mitchell.
We're gonna go.
Stop teasing your sister.
Yes. Let's go.
I am standing at the groundbreaking ceremony...
for the Hickam Air Force Base pedestrian gate...
where ancient Hawaiian bones will be blessed by local leaders.
Relocating the gate will enable the Air Force's new partner...
Global One's Carson Welch, to build new factories...
and fully privatize space exploration from Hawaii.
And look at the excitement in the air.
- Shenanigans. - Both of you, come on. Let's go.
Excuse me, lips moving. Talking to you both.
We've been compromised. We're moving up the launch.
- They need you. Carson asked for you. - I'll do it.
Excuse me, is this happening now? I am not a part of this. I will not be.
We are 20 minutes away from an incident.
I'll do it.
- What does she know? - Too much.
- Can we drop her off? - Hey! You guys are stuck together...
until DoD unsticks you.
DoD says the Chinese might have hacked into the payload.
- They're not gonna cancel the launch? - Thank you. Finally, a good idea.
It's already in motion. Carson has the window. Time is a big factor.
- You're the guy to do this. - He's past his prime.
- You peaked in dancing school. - Enough!
- I'll do it. - Good.
There's a black outpost six minutes away.
Take it easy, brah. Relax.
It's a beautiful day for flight here at our equatorial launch site...
134 miles south of Hawaii in international waters.
The launch vehicle is ready for its most direct route to geosynchronous orbit.
All systems are looking good at this time.
The weather for today's mission is good.
Move quickly. We have a room in the back.
Fingers.
They just pulled me onto this. I thought we had till Monday.
You wanted back in the game. This is the game.
- Who's in charge? - Parts of all of us. Here.
- You work for Welch, don't you know? - Everybody thinks I know everything.
- Welcome to my world. - Everybody, turn off your jingle bells.
Let's bleach this hack. Who we got at Kaena Point Tracking Station?
- We got Roy up there at HULA? - Yeah. Hey.
- Roy. - Hey, Gilcrest.
Alive again, back from the dead.
Enough of this make-out session. Focus on the launch.
- Carson. Carson for you. - Yeah.
- Welcome back to the driver's seat. - At your service.
We have a small window to gain control of our cyber intruder.
Yes, we do. So why don't you just sit back and watch it happen, sir.
- Never loved you more than I do now. - You're gonna love me a lot very soon.
Go ahead and launch, and I'll grab the hack.
Roy, can you get all the codes on a monitor?
- Yeah. - Thank you for saving the world.
- You're so welcome. - Prepare for liftoff.
Five, four...
three, two...
one.
- Brian? - Liftoff.
Main engine continues with nominal thrust.
Begin control status.
Final destabilization established as nominal.
Go, go, go.
Propulsion system performance status, nominal.
Okay, all systems look good.
Second stage. Main engine ignition.
Carson.
- Gilcrest. - Have you done the job?
- Did you bleach the hack? Is it gone? - Reversing the panic code.
Pinging it through the first transponder, then out back through the system.
Speak to me in subservient English.
- Quiet. - The Chinese hack, sir...
is gone.
- Outstanding, Gilcrest. - Good save.
Flight is now transonic.
We are in orbit.
Way to do it.
- Excellent. - Yeah!
Second stage renewed. Main engine ignition.
In position and normal.
- Roy? - Yeah?
Bring up the deck from the Helena Project in '05, okay?
Do a little old-school sound transducing.
- Sound transducing? Why...? - Ask questions later. Just do it.
Come on, Roy.
- You got it? - Got it.
Okay, good. Send a message up there to Brave Angel fast.
Brave Angel? What are you doing?
Prepare the deck for upload. No time for questions. Do it.
It's dangerous to spoof it with sound. You could destroy the whole thing.
- Yeah, exactly. - We got it.
Okay, I got it. Prepare for upload of the asset.
- What are you pinging it with? - Every bit of recorded information...
- ...in the history of sound. - Jesus. That's a big ping.
- The biggest. - I see what you're doing...
- ...and I'd advise against it. - Release.
Oh, God. You absolutely sure about this?
- Roy, release. - It is not easy being your friend.
Release.
Do it.
Hello?
One of the most unique...
- Yeah. - I like that.
We will see you...
Yesterday, December 7th, 19...
Welcome, travelers.
No, no, no.
On video with the sounds of man in...
That's how we do things downtown.
What is this?
- Enjoy this speedy, easy way. - Darn, darn, darn. Now, who...?
No hot water, no toilets, no lights, but Whitey's on the moon.
No. Stop, stop, stop.
- Let me in there. - I've got no experience with this.
This is crazy time.
He hates these cans!
Stay away from the cans!
What's in the box?
Stella!
- You can't handle the truth! - There's no crying in baseball!
My God.
Goodbye, Roy.
You're gonna have to stay away from me now. I'm radioactive.
Well, this is gonna be a topic of conversation.
I'm gonna get some air.
Yeah. Don't go too far.
I'm on it, sir. Yes.
Hey. You did the right thing, Brian.
Listen to me. From this moment on, don't get near me.
- You can't stop me. - Don't be naive. Save yourself.
In five seconds, someone's coming out and everything between us is over.
You are just starting, I am finished.
It's over.
- You're late. - Am I?
I get it.
I left you for dead in Kabul...
and this is your pretty cheap revenge.
Can't buy the sky, Carson.
Let me get this straight.
I'm the bad guy to you...
because I'm trying to protect our country...
our American culture.
You can't stop the future with one silly, desperate act.
I'll build another rocket.
There was a second payload, with weapons...
and you almost got it by everybody.
You're about to become the single biggest joke...
- ...in the history of aerodynamic flight. - Can't hurt me, I've been dead before.
Not like this, pally.
Your life is gonna become very...
very complicated.
Just remember, the general always speaks first.
Don't say a word. You let him say what he has to say, you sit there, you take it.
Hopefully, the holiday spirit will have him in a good mood.
Happy New Year's, general.
- Happy New Year. - And the general is here.
Gilcrest is here, that's why.
- Well, I remember the good times. - There were no good times!
How does it feel to set back our footprint in the Pacific by a decade?
You cost us our prime new partner, future missions...
a new space-command center, all gone...
because Carson Welch canceled his contract with us. And why?
Why did it all go bad? Because cool guy here, Mr. Sexy Pants...
Brian Gilcrest, lost Brave Angel!
You did that.
And now you're gonna go to the Hill, and you are gonna testify.
And, oh, it will not go well.
The best you can hope for is some trailer-park honey falls in love with you...
on C-SPAN, and you get a conjugal visit every other month...
always in the presence of a chaperone named Tex.
Good times.
Just around the bend.
General, there was a weaponized second payload on Brave Angel.
Weapons? You think you saw weapons? Let me tell you what you saw.
You saw a complex, philanthropic telecommunications satellite...
co-venture between Global One and Facebook!
Designed to help six poverty-stricken countries in the Pacific Rim.
Now teenagers in Equatorial New Guinea can't meet and date because of you.
Nobody tells me anything. I didn't know that.
Shut up and keep flexing your crazy fingers!
- I told you he would be a disaster! - Yes, sir.
And one more thing, Mr. Three-Day Beard Boy.
Stay away from Allison Ng!
We've got six and a half years invested in her.
She's part of Hillary Clinton's Star Guard. Know what that is?
Well, neither do I!
When she gets off the plane in Oahu, she likes to see Allison there.
She likes her salute. And so do we.
Stay away from our girl!
Current lat and lon is 34, 52...
85 east, 69, 17, 17 north.
Poor Gilcrest. You took the vanity road, didn't you?
You ruined yourself to impress a girl.
And did you get the girl?
No, I didn't.
Close, though.
Well, that's too bad. She was a good one.
I got you a new Santa Claus. Very strong neck.
They were giving them away. Christmas is over.
It's the holiday of chill.
Brian, that is bizarrely sweet of you and completely unnecessary.
- Guess what. - What?
- Woody wrote me a letter. - You're kidding.
Nope. Words and everything.
Really?
"Dear Tracy.
You asked me to speak my mind, so here it is. My mind.
Do not penalize me for not being one of those flowery people...
who shoot their feelings in a spray like a fire hydrant on a summer day."
No worry about that.
I've never seen him do that.
"I just hated the way you changed when Gilcrest came back to town.
But I don't like to hate.
It's bad for my brain.
Every night...
when I come home, I start fresh.
I don't bring what happens up there down here.
I may not be the original owner of your heart...
but I am the better owner and a much healthier option too!"
Exclamation point there.
Mom, there's a new Santa outside.
- Hi. - Hi.
I liked him a little better when he was silent.
But keep going.
"You have no...
You have no idea the fear you calm in me...
every night I come back home through that squeaky back door.
Aloha, Woody."
Well, anywhere you turn, somebody's heart breaks.
Well, come on.
You gotta take a big bite out of your life. Your husband wrote that.
Are you trying to play matchmaker now?
I was on the fence till the door part, but that was the final blow.
- Oh, really? - I didn't even hear that squeaky door.
I think I...
I just completely lack that romantic gene.
Just noise to me.
He's your guy.
My opinion?
Go be with Captain Ng.
That girl lit up your sky.
No, I messed that up.
Trust a girl who's been on the other side of your mega mess-ups in the past.
Take those blue eyes and go to her.
Yeah, you don't want it to be taut, all right?
You want it to billow.
And that's how you hang a flag.
I like it.
Are you okay?
- Is that Dad? - Dad's home?
- Yeah, Dad's home. - Hey, Dad.
- Where were you? We missed you. - Dad.
- Tell him what it is. - Well, we decided...
Well, who wants to help me clean up the Christmas decorations?
Not me.
Welcome to your hearing, Gilcrest.
Congratulations. You're a hero.
Your buddy Carson Welch was setting a nuclear outpost for himself...
up in the sky.
- Get the Great One a drink. - He hid it from everybody.
He wanted to arm America with his own nuke.
He would've owned the sky. He would've been his own country.
Everybody knew a little, but nobody knew everything except...
Welch.
- It'll all be labeled as a malfunction. - It was a bit messy.
But you made us look good. I'll take all the credit, of course.
Interpol and our guys are taking over. They're picking Carson up in Japan...
in just about 30 seconds.
This is what we get for letting civilians into space. Drop your bat, go out on a hit.
All the great ones do.
Captain Ng?
Let it go.
She's on her way.
Get lost, Gilcrest.
I wanna know what you were like growing up.
What was your favorite pair of shoes?
What was your favorite cereal? What was the first car you drove?
I mean, I'm just getting started here. I wanna know everything about you.
Why are you still here?
Wherever you're flying, come back, I'll be waiting for you.
Ten words.
That's a lot more than five, Gilcrest.
I love you...
Allison.
It's four. That's not bad.
I'm staying.
Now we're talking.
Can I give you a lift, captain?
Oh, yeah.
Absolutely, Brian.
There's one more thing I need to do.
- Yes, you do. - Yeah.
This is protection.
Right on.
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