Colony Mutation

If your heels are nimble and light,

you may get there by candlelight.

(indistinct whispering continues)

How many miles to Babylon?

Three score and ten.

Can I get there by candlelight?

Yes, and back again.

If your heels are nimble and light,

you may get there by candlelight.

How many miles to Babylon?

Three score and ten.

Can I get there by candlelight?

Yes, and back again.

If your heels are nimble and light,

you may get there by candlelight.

How many miles to Babylon?

Three score and ten.

Can I get there by candlelight?

Yes, and back again.

How many miles to Babylon?

Three score and ten.

Can I get there by candlelight?

Yes, and back again.

SUSAN (distorted): Jack?

What are you doing up?

Look, there's a...

You must've been having a dream.

It's no wonder you're stirred up.

I wasn't able to sleep, myself.

Out of sight, out of mind.

We should try and get some sleep.

It's gonna be a big day tomorrow.

Boo.

Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

Here.

That's it?

All my promises are about to come true.

No more worrying about the mortgage,

no more having to work for that S.O.B.

Let's see what they offer you before we start

counting any chickens.

Jack, go on, before you're late.

Maybe we'll celebrate our next anniversary on the moon.

Come on. Shit.

What time is it?

Sorry?

What time?

He should be here any minute, sir.

Excuse me, would either of you like a refill?

This is second cup, Alice.

If he's much longer, I will burst.

Sorry.

Hey! Off the lawn!

I'd just like to thank you, again, Professor,

for agreeing to sponsor our project.

I'm already starting to regret it.

Sorry.

Sorry. I'm here.

I have seminar starting.

We need to be fast.

The professor's taking us to see our new lab.

Lead the way.

Thanks for starting without me.

What was I supposed to do?

We had no idea when you were coming.

It's not my fault, my truck wouldn't start.

You think I'd be late

today?

Hey.

Smile, Rich, we made it.

You will be working here, under my guidance.

As I told Richard, before you made grand entrance,

you need to figure out the basic science of your work.

Even Wright brothers tested over 50 models

to establish new lift coefficient

before they make plane that can fly.

Well, we're gonna make their plane

look like a horse-drawn buggy.

What I mean is, uh, I expect the same theoretical rigor

from you two.

Here we are.

Home of Caltech's first ever rocketry team.

Let us hope it is not also the last.

Fantastic.

So this is the room you're giving us?

Once you clear out, of course.

Richard?

What about the rest of it?

My partner said sponsored projects

get all the resources they need from the university.

Normally, that is the case,

but yours is far from normal project.

You were able to produce

a-an impressive amount of thrust in the desert.

I'm giving opportunity to prove

this was not a fluke.

That was no fluke.

It was a breakthrough.

Maybe. But question is, uh,

can you repeat result without killing anybody?

Design a rocket motor that can sustain

200 pounds of thrust for at least a minute,

then we can talk about additional resources.

How are we gonna build anything without any money?

He said "design," not "build."

: This is why he gets perfect marks.

Yes, Richard, there will be

no tests on campus without my approval of a written proposal.

From humble beginnings,

I expect great things.

Welcome to Caltech.

What do you think this does?

No idea.

We should probably hold onto it, just in case.

We're supposed to be clearing the space out,

not adding to your personal collection.

Whoa, look at this old accelerometer.

It's probably broken.

Besides, we're not gonna be measuring acceleration

anytime soon.

Of course we will.

Were you listening?

We have to solve for the basic science

before we launch anything.

Just because we're at Caltech now

doesn't mean we have to completely change

the way we work.

Listen, I know that explosion might've spooked you a little.

No, what-what spooks me

is that it doesn't seem to have spooked you at all.

Well, we can either dwell on the past,

or we can start writing the proposal

for our next test rocket.

The sooner we do that, the sooner we get it built.

The sooner we get it built, the sooner we get funding.

No, Jack, we're not here to build rockets.

We're here to build rocket science.

What's the difference?

The difference...

Look, I don't think that we can do this alone.

I think we should fill out our team and find people

who have an expertise that neither of us possess.

Fluid dynamics, physics, applied mathematics.

You don't think we're capable of figuring that stuff out?

No, I don't.

We have access to some of the brightest minds on Earth, now.

Why wouldn't we take advantage of that?

Because we got this far on our own.

You remember what von Braun

wrote to me in his letter?

He has, he has 20 people working under him.

It's just how things are done here, Jack.

What we're doing wasn't done here at all until today.

I got to get back to work.

My "doctor's appointment" was supposed to be over an hour ago.

So we're agreed, then, yes?

Sure.

Whatever you say.

Parsons.

Don't care if you're sick, you're on the clock.

Plenty of other guys be happy for the work

if you don't want it.

Hey.

Ah, I'm just about done here.

Just need that magic ingredient.

The key, see if she starts.

You fixed my truck?

That was the idea.

Come on, get in.

See if she goes.

Really gun her!

Check she's firing on all cylinders!

Ain't that the sweetest sound?

What did you do to it?

Opened up the venturis, draw some more air in.

A trick I learned when I used to race stock cars.

You are gonna notice a lot more power.

What's going on?

I went in to find what was broken,

saw a way to make it even better.

Why?

That's what neighbors do.

We keep an eye out for one another.

Is this about what I saw?

Depends. What did you see?

That woman.

What woman?

The one who almost had

a knife put through her.

A human sacrifice? That'd be something.