The Manhattan Project

Now, the beta synchrotron sends the electrons through this magnet,

which bends the course of them down to the reaction vessel.

Stay away from that elbow joint.

All right. Bran, you wanna get that?

Now, this is a tunable excimer laser.

It's tuned to the exact resonance of the plutonium-239

that's in that reaction vessel, down that end. Now,

if we're all set, and hit it.

Now, watch your eyes. Roper!

This is where electrons bombard the stuff.

Lasers ionize it and send it off to the condenser.

Now it's a conductive element.

Now to the condenser.

Here it gets converted into its liquid metallic state.

Would you repeat that, please?

This is where it's converted

into its liquid metallic state.

This all happened about 50 seconds ago.

It's the purest plutonium in the universe.

Pretty, isn't it?

- 99%? - No.

99.997.

Bob, what do you think?

A weapon this big with 20 times the punch of anything anybody's got?

- Is he kidding? - No, he did it, all right.

It's a brilliant achievement.

- He'd get the Nobel if he could publish. - Publish?

I said "if."

All right. I want a prototype facility fully operational, before Geneva if possible.

Everything goes through Energy in Washington, need-to-know, SCI clearance.

Set him up. Whatever he needs. Someplace quiet. Away from prying eyes.

And keep an eye on him.

Here we go.

Hi, Mom.

Paul, it's 4:30 in the morning.

What's the book?

I don't know. Some cheap novel.

Come on. I'll buy you a drink.

Be careful, it's hot.

What? What's the matter?

You're growing so fast.

Yeah, but that's no reason to have a nervous breakdown.

Come here.

We got to get you a Valium or some heroin or something.

Hurry up. He's coming.

- What is that? - Nitrogen triiodide.

- What does it do? - Unstable with respect to shock.

- Well, what does that mean? - Once it dries, if you touch it, it explodes.

- You're crazy! - You say that like it's a bad thing.

- Whose drawer? - Roland's.

- Poor Roland. - No, he'll love it. Builds character.

He's coming!

Hiya, Roland, could I borrow your English notes?

You've got to be kidding me.

But I lent you my math homework at least 10 times.

Sorry, Stephens, it's a dog-eat-dog world out there.

I gotta look out for number one.

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.

Last time, we learned that plutonium

is perfectly suited for the release of enormous amounts of energy

due to its ability to fission under the action of slow neutrons.

Now, here we have the isotope

plutonium-239.

And here,

we have two very interesting inventions based on this.

Now, can anyone tell us the principle behind the implosion device?

Paul, can you enlighten us?

Yes, Roland.

Yes. Your implosion design simply uses a chemical high explosive

to squeeze a subcritical piece of weapons-grade plutonium-239

until it's supercritical, thereby producing an atomic explosion.

- Thank you, Roland. - Thank you, Mr. Wilke.

He did it. Him! Paul Stephens is sick.

- Bye-bye. - Bye-bye.

Hi, Jen.

- Hi, Paul. - Did you lose something?

It's so dumb. I locked my car keys in the glove compartment

because I always lose them. So, now I've lost the keys to the glove compartment.

Dumb, right?

You got a nail file in there?

- Yeah, why? - Let me see it.

- What are you gonna do? - Don't worry about it.

- It's a new car. - Trust me.

That was terrible, you know?

- What? - Roland.

Terrible? I thought it was very effective.

Not bad. Thank you.

- Where did you learn that? - CIA child recruitment program.

Listen, what you are doing Sunday night?

Nothing, why?

- You wanna study? - You mean together?

What about Mr. Perfect?

Who, Eric? Don't worry about Eric. He's just pretty.

- What do you say? - Sure.

My house. 115 North Highland near Thurston.

You gonna write it down?

8:00, all right? I'll have to babysit my little brother.

Babysitting. Does he bite?

No. I'm the one that bites.

Yo!

Hey, Stephens, how about it?

- Excuse me, Doctor? - Yeah?

Hi, I'm Elizabeth Stephens.

Hi.

- Please have a seat. - Thanks.

Could you spell this for me, Doctor? I can't seem to read your writing.

M-A-T-H-E-W-S-O-N.

John Mathewson.

And you're interested in a one-bedroom sublet, furnished.

- Yeah. - Any special requirements?

It should be quiet and in an English-speaking country.

I think we can handle that.

- Children? - No.

- No children. - Pets?

No pets, no children, no flamenco dancing.

- So it's just you and... - Just me and my books.

And my memories, of course.

We have a very nice garden condominium.

On sublet.

New building. Good neighborhood. $500 a month, including utilities.

- The particulars are inside. - No, no. That's okay.

- You don't like it? - I love it. I'll take it.

- You'll take it? - Yeah.

Just like that.

- Without looking at it? - Well, you said it was nice, didn't you?

Well...

Okay. That was easy.

I'm very easy.

Well, so that's that.

If there's anything else I can do...

- As a matter of fact, there is one thing. - Yes?

Can I ask you a question?

- Okay. - The thing is,

I've been here for six weeks down at the Carriage House Motel,

and I don't know a soul in town, and you've been so nice.

I thought...

Perhaps some night you'll let me buy you dinner?

- Is that crazy? - I can't. No.

- No? Really? - It's sweet of you, but it's quite impossible.

No, no. Hey! I understand.

You have something.

Well, if you'll excuse me,

I'll go back to my room and watch them rewrap the soap.

- It's not that bad, is it? - It's not wonderful.

Paul, come say hi.

Dr. Mathewson, this is my son, Paul.

Your son? I didn't realize you...

- This is terrible. I feel like a perfect ass. - Nobody's perfect.

I'm sorry. That was not called for.

As a matter of fact, my husband and I are separated.

I mean...

Hi, Paul. I'm John.

You a science buff?

Lasers. Fantastic things, lasers.

You ever seen one in the flesh?

- No. - Would you like to?

Sure.

Well, the funny coincidence is

I have access to the sexiest lasers in the entire free world.

If your mom says it's okay, you can come down to the lab

and I will give you the grand tour. Laser heaven.

In return, I get to take you and your mom to dinner.

Sunday. Deal?

State your name and business.

Hi. My name is Paul Stephens, and I'm here to see Dr. Mathewson.

Go through the gate and up to the main building.

Would you put these on and see that gentleman over there, please?

Thank you.

The laser will fire in 12 minutes.

Please clear the active areas.

- What are those things? - Motion detectors.

Really? What do they do?

Anything that moves, they detect it.

Three yellow suits to the loading dock, please.

Jack, pick up on five.

Harry, seven-two, seven-two.

Dr. Mathewson.

So, what do you think?

- Not bad. - Not bad?

I just cut through a steel plate with a beam of light!

He says it's not bad.

A copper vapor laser, the most powerful that I've worked with.

Here's the main reaction chamber.

Reaction column.

Vacuum assembly.

Everything back there in the cage is the assay area.

Everything's run by the robot.

What did your old man do for a living?

He taught architecture at Cornell.

- What's that? - What?

- That stuff. - Lubricating oil for the robot.

No, no, no. That green stuff in those bottles.

That. That's americium-241.

It's one of the things we make here. Come on.

I'll show you the grounds.

Down by the lake. It's beautiful down there.

- Where's your father now? - Saudi Arabia.

Really? What happened?

I guess he didn't like being married anymore.

Some guys don't know when they are well off.