Epoch

FORGOT TO PAY YOUR ELECTRIC BILL AGAIN, DOC.

I WILL MISS YOUR JOKES.

REALLY?

REALLY THOUGHT OF MYSELF IS THAT FUNNY.

WELL, I'M SURE NOT GONNA MISS

THOSE HORSE NEEDLES OF YOURS, DOC.

I'M SORRY THE TREATMENTS WERE NOT MORE HELPFUL.

SO, HOW LONG HAVE I GOT?

TWELVE MONTHS, PERHAPS MORE.

TAKE A LONG VACATION.

THE LESS STRESS, THE MORE TIME YOU'LL HAVE.

THAT WILL COME AND GO.

IN THE MORNING IT WILL BE WORST.

TELLING ME.

I DON'T THINK IT'S A GOOD IDEA FOR YOU

TO DRIVE BACK TO THE UNITED STATES.

I'LL BE FINE.

THERE'S A LOT OF BAD COUNTRY BETWEEN HERE AND THE BORDER.

MUCHOS HOMBRES, MALOS CABRONES.

YEAH. BUT WHAT ARE THEY GONNA DO, DOC?

KILL ME?

AMIGO, LIFE IS PRECIOUS.

YOU HAVE TO MAKE THE MOST OF IT HOWEVER LONG YOU HAVE.

YOU'RE RIGHT.

TRY TO MAKE PEACE WITH YOURSELF AND LIFE, MASON.

HUH.

YOU KNOW, IN STRATEGIC WEAPONS DESIGN,

THERE IS AN OXYMORON FOR LIFE.

WELL, IF YOU CAN'T MAKE PEACE WITH YOUR LIFE

AT LEAST TRY TO MAKE PEACE WITH YOUR CAR.

THAT'S NANCY.

BORN ON THE EVE OF WOODSTOCK.

WE STRUGGLED THROUGH THE YEARS OF THE REAGAN YOUTH,

ONLY TO BECOME CHIC IN THE NEW MILLENNIUM.

WE'VE BOTH SEEN BETTER DAYS.

WELL, MY PRAYERS ARE WITH YOU.

VAYA CON DIOS.

THANKS, DOC.

- GOOD LUCK. - THANKS.

HELLO, MISS CZABAN,

THIS IS NURSE FOLEY AT LINCOLN CLINIC.

I'M AFRAID I HAVE SOME BAD NEWS.

THE TEST RESULTS FROM THE INSEMINATION WERE NEGATIVE.

THE DOCTOR WOULD LIKE TO SEE YOU

FOR ANOTHER EXAMINATION.

PLEASE CALL BACK AND SET UP AN APPOINTMENT.

HELLO?

SCIENTISTS ARE STILL IN A LOSS TO EXPLAIN THE PHENOMENA

WHICH CAUSED MASSIVE POWER DISRUPTIONS

THROUGHOUT THE WORLD TODAY.

A STATEMENT FROM THE HOME SECRETARY DESCRIBES

THE OCCURRENCE AS A NATURAL ATMOSPHERIC

DISCHARGE ORIGINATING FROM THE BHUTAN REGION

NEAR CENTRAL ASIA.

THE SHOCKWAVE RECORDED BY N.A.S.A. SATELLITES

IN THE EARLY HOURS OF THIS MORNING,

DISCLOSES THE PHENOMENON AS THE PRINCIPLE

CAUSE OF THE POWER OUTRAGES THAT CREATED CHAOS

THROUGHOUT THE NATION TODAY.

CHINESE AND INDIAN GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS HAVE DENIED

ANY KNOWLEDGE OF THE INCIDENT

WHILE U.S. MILITARY SPOKESMAN HAVE STATED

THAT THE SHOCKWAVE COULD BE A DIRECT RESULT

OF A CONTINUAL TESTING OF NEUTRON-TYPE-WEAPONS,

BY EITHER CHINA OR THE OTHER RESPECTIVE ASIAN GOVERNMENTS.

I'LL BE RIGHT THERE, SIR.

AND SO IT BOILS DOWN TO THREE QUESTIONS.

WHAT IS IT?

WHERE DID IT COME FROM? AND WHO,

IN THE NAME OF GOD, PUT IT THERE?

WE DON'T KNOW, ON ALL THREE COUNTS.

AND UNTIL WE DO,

I'M ISSUING A RECOMMENDATION TO THE PRESIDENT

THAT OUR ACTIVITIES BE OFFICIALLY CLASSIFIED.

AND THAT WHATEVER THIS THING IS,

IT BE CONSIDERED NON-PASSIVE

UNTIL IT'S PROVEN TO BE OTHERWISE.

I WANT ANY AND ALL INFORMATION GATHERED TO BE

PROCESSED THROUGH THIS DEPARTMENT.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, I WOULD SUGGEST YOU

CONTACT YOUR HUSBANDS, WIVES, WHOMEVER.

IT LOOKS LIKE WE MAY BE HERE FOR SOME TIME.

SIR, IT'S A LITTLE LATE TO KEEP THIS FROM A PUBLIC ENQUIRY.

SECRECY WILL ONLY GENERATE MORE INTEREST.

THANKS TO THOSE MORONS AT THE WHITE HOUSE.

THE PUBLIC HAS BEEN TOLD THAT IT IS A WEATHER PHENOMENA.

THAT'S ALL THEY NEED TO KNOW RIGHT NOW.

THE ONLY WITNESSES OF THIS THING ARE THESE BHUTANIACS.

BHUTANESE, SIR.

WHATEVER.

THEY SEE ITS ARRIVAL AS A RELIGIOUS OCCURRENCE.

WELL, THAT'S A BLESSING.

NO PUN INTENDED.

AS LONG AS WE'RE TALKING RELIGION,

NOBODY WILL GIVE A DAMN.

IF, HOWEVER, IT BECOMES ALIEN THEN WE HAVE HYSTERIA.

THAT'S TRUE.

ACCORDING TO THE LOCAL NOMADS,

THEY HAVE OBSERVED THE DEAD BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE,

THE SICK CURED.

PEOPLE, UM, I NEED TO KNOW WHERE WE ARE.

THE PUBLIC'S PERCEPTION IS THE PRESIDENT'S PRIMARY CONCERN.

SAM, AT THIS JUNCTURE, WE KNOW VERY LITTLE.

NOW I'VE ASSEMBLED A RESEARCH TEAM.

AND THERE WILL BE MILITARY SUPPORT

BUT IT WILL BE NOMINAL.

SIR, THE KING OF BHUTAN HAS INVITED US TO STUDY THE OBJECT.

MILITARY PRESENCE HOWEVER SMALL COULD PROVOKE

UNCOOPERATIVE REACTION.

WELL, WE'LL JUST HAVE TO TAKE THAT CHANCE.

WE'RE RIGHT ON THE CHINESE BORDER.

WE HAVE TO HAVE BACKUP.

I AGREE.

BUT I WANT A LOW PROFILE, AL.

I DO NOT WANT THIS TO BECOME AN INTERNATIONAL INCIDENT.

I TRUST THAT EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM UNDERSTANDS THAT.

- UH-HUH. - MM.

WHEN DOES THE RESEARCH TEAM ARRIVE?

WELL, THE BASE CAMP IS GOING IN RIGHT NOW AS WE SPEAK.

AND I AM STILL PUTTING TOGETHER THE TEAM.

WHO DO YOU HAVE TO LEAD IT?

UH, CAN YOU SEND HER IN, PLEASE?

YOU SHOULD LOOK AT THIS.

GOOD DAY, EVERYONE.

- GOOD MORNING, MA'AM. - YOU CAN SIT HERE.

THANK YOU.

HAVE YOU BEEN BRIEFED?

YES, I HAVE, SIR.

YOU ARE THE ONE WHO HELPED US IN PAKISTAN, RIGHT?

YES, SIR.

WELL, UH, MISS, UM...

CZABAN.

CZABAN?

UNFORTUNATELY, THIS SITUATION IS CONSIDERABLY MORE COMPLEX.

WE ARE NOT DEALING WITH FANATICS.

WE'RE DEALING WITH SOMETHING UNKNOWN.

A DELICATE APPROACH WILL BE A KEY.

I UNDERSTAND.

WE FOUND RAND YET?

YES, SIR. WE'RE PICKING HIM UP RIGHT NOW

WHEN WE EXPECT TO BE AT THE BHUTAN SITE WITHIN 14 HOURS.

SHIT.

YEAH.

YOU KNOW THESE OLD CARS.

SI. WE KNOW THE OLD CARS.

YOU'RE FAR AWAY FROM HOME, AMIGO.

IT SHOWS, HUH?

WHAT DO YOU GOT IN THERE?

NOTHING MUCH.

JUST SOME DIRTY CLOTHES.

NEW GEORGE JONES C.D. YOU FELLOWS LIKE GEORGE JONES?

HE'S MY FAVORITE.

THAT'S IT, HUH?

YEAH, THAT'S IT.

EXCEPT, OF COURSE, THE UH $500,000 IN CASH IN THE TRUNK.

TRYING TO BE FUNNY, PENDEJO?

I THOUGHT I WAS DOING PRETTY WELL.

THINGS CAN GET REALLY SHITTY FOR GRINGOS AROUND HERE.

WHEW.

YOU'RE NOT SHITTING ME.

LET ME ASK YOU SOMETHING.

HAVE YOU EVER BRUSHED YOUR TEETH?

YOU WANNA DIE, CABRON?

- DO I HAVE A CHOICE? - NO.

WHY'D YOU ASK?

ADIOS, PENDEJO.

I DON'T KNOW A FUCKING WORD OF SPANISH.

IT MEANS GOODBYE ASSHOLE.

YEAH. NOW I KNOW AT LEAST TWO.

ADIOS, PENDEJOS!

NOW WHAT?

NOT SOME ROMEO ACT.

HI. MASON RAND.

YOU MIND TELLING ME WHAT I'M DOING HERE?

CAPTAIN TOWER OVER THERE.

CAPTAIN TOWER.

IT SOUNDS LIKE A COMIC BOOK, DOESN'T IT?

ANYWAY, UH, HE SAID THAT,

I'D BE BRIEFED UPON ARRIVAL AT THE SITE.

GOT ANY IDEA WHAT SITE HE WAS TALKING ABOUT?