Original subtitles

That spring, we were all watching the events in space

and wondering what the final effect would be.

Astronomers argued over theory,

while engineers got pretty excited about variables and magnetic fields.

Mystics predicted earthquakes and the end of life as we knew it.

When the effect came, it was almost unnoticed...

Because it happened to such a small and insignificant form of life.

One biologist, an englishman, Ernest hubbs, saw something, got nervous...

And started investigating.

While I was playing around with number theory at the university...

Hubbs was already onto something.

Ordinary ants of different species...

Were doing things ants don't do.

Meeting.

Communicating.

Apparently making decisions.

By summer, the rest of the world had moved on to other things.

But hubbs kept making notes while the threat grew.

Only fragments of what he knew got out.

He kept most of it to himself.

So, when I got into it, I didn't know a damn thing.

Memorandum to r. Flanders Smith, secretary, national science foundation,

committee on biological controls.

From e.D. Hubbs, senior fellow, coronado institute.

Subject, biological imbalance in an upland Arizona valley.

Facts on hand.

Traditional antagonisms among several ant species

have come to a dramatic halt.

At the same time, there has been an apparent disappearance

of those insects which prey on ants.

Specifically mantises, beetles, millipedes and spiders.

If these conditions persist,

they must inevitably lead to increases in ant population.

Proposal. An immediate, full-scale attack

on the threat of biological imbalance to other life forms in the subject area.

Mode of operation.

An experiment station to be built and maintained

with equipment sophisticated enough to control the problem

and any potential consequences.

Personnel. One senior scientist, myself, plus one associate,

a qualified information specialist with cryptological background.

In this connection, I have been impressed with the recent work

of j.R. Lesko at the naval undersea center of San Diego.

Location of installation.

It is suggested the experiment station be placed in the locale

of the most recently observed phenomena.

Conclusions and recommendations.

Speed is of the essence.

This is the place.

This is the place?

This is it.

No bodies, I hope.

The population moved itself out some days ago.

You got some pretty powerful friends.

Just another desert development which did not develop.

You did your major work

applying game theory to the language of killer whales.

Well, it seemed cheaper than applying it to roulette.

Did you actually succeed in making positive contact with the whales?

Only with the emotionally disturbed.

- How were you able to determine that? - We talked.

Is that a joke?

Look, I'm sorry. I'm strictly a pencil and paper guy.

I wouldn't know the front end of a whale from a hole in the ground.

I know that games are your business, James.

You play them very well.

That's why you're here.

But this is a serious game.

Well, that's the best kind, isn't it?

Wednesday, three o'clock

further discoveries this afternoon on a nearby farm...

To be added to those observed earlier.

I might have pointed them out to lesko,

but it will be better to let him learn at his own pace.

There are certain Equatorial ants that will attack anything,

insects, mammals, anything at all that threatens their food supply.

The smell triggers their behavior.

Yeah.

They are picky eaters.

Now this thing here, you see what we're doin'.

We're runnin' lines from these fuel tanks,

and if those ants get over that water trap,

we're gonna set fire to this here ditch and watch 'em all burn.

What do you think?

You've done a lot of good work.

I'd say they started pullin' out...

Three, four weeks ago, couple of families at a time.

What else?

That's about the size of it.

I guess there must've been some kind of infestation,

but, well, I couldn't say for sure.

Maybe the heat got too much for 'em.

- There's a collapsed house down there. - Well, I wouldn't know about that.

I didn't really get to know those people. They were... they were city folk, mainly.

Tell me about the towers.

Don't know. Wasn't there.

'Course it's been a dry year. You know, we do get ants in dry years.

I talked to an entomologist,

up at the state department of agriculture, one time.

- He said these things were cyclical. - They weren't talkin' about those ants.

Mildred, come on out here.

- That's all right. - It isn't all right.

These people will think I've got you chained up in there.

These gentlemen are from the university.

They're gonna develop a new spray for those ants.

You know what I think.

You know, if she didn't have somethin' to worry about,

she wouldn't know what to do with herself.

I'm afraid you're going to have to leave for a few days, Mr. Eldridge.

Evacuafion?

Look, I...

- Mr. Eldridge... - I don't understand this.

- It's for your own protection. - Evacuation?

What's this all about, anyway?

Why, this isn't right.

- They can't just push us off our own land. - Didn't you hear what the man said?

It's for our protection.

When do they get their farm back?

That depends.

Friday, eight o'clock.

The zone should now be clear of population.

We can proceed with the next step.

The facility is completely self-contained, except for a primary power source,

and the generator in our truck supplies this.

The experiment has begun.

What's wrong?

Well, I guess they're not ready to play yet.

Dr. Hubbs, there's already been a 12-day over-run,

which averages out at 36 percent

when projected over the course of the total program.

The controller would like to get the final figure

before the fiscal period ends on the 14th.

Shall we put you down for one more week?

I'm sorry, this is not a precise business.

Well, can you give us an estimate?

We cannot study the ants until they make an appearance.

Can we put you down for ten more days?

This is not a controlled experiment.

In our judgment, another occurrence in this area is highly probable,

but we cannot command the ants to appear.

Well, is there something you can do to hurry them up?

We have been thinking about that.

You know, of course, there is concern over possible outbreaks in other areas.

I share that concern.

My associate, Mr. Lesko, has something to say.

Listen, I want you to do me a favor. I want you to call miss dobson,

d-o-b-s-o-n, at 662-0799 in Los Angeles.

Tell her not to take the plane to Vegas on Thursday.

Tell her it'll be a couple more weeks and she'll hear from me. Okay?

- Did you say a couple of weeks? - That's right.

Mr. Lesko, that's not going to be possible. Accord...

Let's see some activity!

Hi, there.

Clete!

Ants!

They got the horse. Clete, light the fire!

- Ginger! - Grandpa!

Oh, my god, they're here! Ants!

Grandpa, can't you do something?

Ginger!

Don't worry, I'm coming! Ginger!

- 0h, my god. - Grandpa!

Clete, get over here!

- Can't you do something? - Get me the gun!

- No, don't! - Let me go! Ginger!

Clete, get her in the house! Get her in the house!

Don't kill her! Don't kill her!

All set?

Keep down now! That's right. Hang on!

This is really interesting.

You see, what I do is I get to the parameters of the problem

by breaking down the movement of a vector of a single ant unit.

Now, I don't know what they're doing. I don't care.

I'm just breaking down their simple basic moves.

Stop. Go.

Turn.

Duration. That's it, period.

Okay?

Now I take my ant signals, I run 'em through the digitizer,

I record 'em on tape, I write 'em down,

and I search for a correlation between what they say and what they do.

Now, assumption.

What we're seeing and hearing are commands being directed at the central mass.

They warned us.

Relax!

I forgot...

To turn out the light.

Stop! Cut it out! What's the matter?

- Cut it out! - Look!

- Come back here! - We've got to get...

- Goddammit, will you sit? - Stop! Stop!

They're all over the place!

- Clete, take care of the women. - Get some help!

Now, I make various adjustments...

Make up for time lag and a couple of other things, don't worry about it.

And I come up with...

Are you ready for this?

I come up with a positive correlation, on the order of 80 percent

between this little squiggle and the command

we commonly know as "stop,"

and a positive correlation between that little squiggle and "go."

And that means these little mothers talk to each other.

Now, I think if I... hey, the lights!

They've got into the generator. Don't move!

The back-up unit cuts in automatically.

Now, I'm going to counter with 100 percent yellow.

You're letting some get away.

Maybe they've learned something.

Come over here, James!

This is really fascinating.

People are dead back there.

Yes.

A tragedy.

I don't understand it. They accepted the order.

Why should they come here? Irrational behavior.

Very sad.

Now just look at this, James.

Consider the execution of this maneuver.

In order to explode the generator, they had to create a living chain...

Listen, hubbs, those people are dead, don't you understand?

People get killed sometimes.

I think this yellow should hold its potency for three or four days.

We can start collecting now.

Little sons of bitches.

No, no, no. They're not individuals.

They are individual cells, tiny, functioning parts of the whole.

Think of the society, James, with perfect Harmony...

Perfect altruism and self-sacrifice,

perfect division of labor, organized for pre-ordained roles.

Think of the building of elaborate and complex structures,

according to plans that they know nothing of...

And yet execute perfectly.

Think of their ability to evolve...

And adapt in ways that are...

So beautiful...

And still so unknown. And all contained...

In one simple form.

So defenseless in the individual...

So powerful in the mass.

Well, let's begin...

With the first behavioral series.

Heat"

cold...

Isolation, starvation...

Slow pressure...

And threat.

Mantises prey on ants, as you know.

Now if...

If you're still with us, James.

When are we gonna get her outta here?

That's going to be a little difficult, I'm afraid.

Turn on the microphone, please.

Call in and have 'em send out a helicopter.

I'm afraid the bureaucrats...

Will be rather unhappy to learn of our casualties.

Now...

Mantises are at this end of the maze...

- And the ants are at the other... - What are we gonna do with the girl?

What is your concern with her?

She's in shock! We can't just...

- She's a kid! - Please, don't shout.

This is a problem that will have to be dealt with over the next few days...

Until we're finished.

If you won't call the base, I will.

I'm very much afraid that that will end our mission.

Screw our mission.

I finished eating.

You know, I don't know your name.

- Kendra. - I'm Jim. That's Dr. Hubbs.

Come in. Come on.

You, sort of, had a close call out there, didn't you? How do you feel?

Well, I'm ready to go home now.

I'll send a message today.

Somebody will come along and pick you up tomorrow,

if that's convenient.

They killed my horse.

Kendra, I'm sorry.

Kendra! Stop it. Stop it!

Back away! Don't touch anything.

It's all right. It's all right. It's all right.

That should do it.

You've been bitten.

So, we thought if you knocked down one of the towers,

taking proper precautions, of course, you might get an interesting reaction.

We'll consider it.

- Just an idea, doctor. - Appreciated.

One other thing.

Yes?

We've had a report about a family in your vicinity.

You haven't contacted any civilians, have you?

Monday, 2:00 A.M.

Lesko continues to make progress

deciphering the ant language

from the tapes recorded during the first skirmish.

If he maintains this pace...

We should be ready for their next move.

It's a rather crude language.

I think if I keep building up my library of sound words, I might even...

Strike up a conversation with them.

Of course, then the ants would have to come back.

We'd have to be here for a while.

- When's the helicopter coming? - It'll be here.

I'm sorry about that.

Not your fault.

Listen, you really want to see something?

Another way of visualizing their signals. Watch this.

And I don't have the faintest idea what it means.

Hey.

Remember me?

- Yeah. - How do you feel?

- Better. - That's good.

- How is... - Dr. Hubbs?

- Yeah. - He'|I survive.

Good.

I'm really sorry about that, I...

Listen, if I were you, I'd have bopped those ants pretty good myself.

You know, you've got a mean swing.

Well, the main thing is you're all right.

We'll get you outta here today.

What's the matter? Don't tell me you like this place.

My grandparents are dead...

Aren't they?

Yeah, they are.

Well, don't you have parents?

Well, you must be hungry.

Come on. I'll get you some breakfast.

Okay.

Follow me through the hardware department.

- Can I ask you a question? - Yeah sure, go ahead.

What do you do here?

Just a little research into statistical probabilities.

Really?

Must be interesting.

Well, we've got powdered eggs, powdered milk, powdered juice...

Dehydrated bacon...

Just like home.

- James? - Are you all right?

- Yeah. - See you in a little while.

Okay.

Good morning, James.

As you can see, we're under siege.

- What the hell's that? - Well, it's more than reflected sunlight.

Our temperature's already up five degrees.

And there's another interesting detail.

How do you suppose those ants managed to build

on a poison strip where they absolutely cannot live?

- Did you say five degrees? - In an hour and a half.

And, of course, the sun's not yet at full strength.

- Now, watch this. - An hour and a half...

You really must watch this. This is fascinating. There!

Beautiful adaptation, isn't it?

We challenge with yellow chemistry, they respond with yellow creatures.

We're gonna try in here.

Question.

What do they want?

- What are their goals? - They have no goals.

Well, you saw how they disabled the truck.

Listen, hubbs, I came down here

to get in a couple of weeks of science in the sun.

I did not sign up for a war against a bunch of goddamn ants!

And furthermore, why the hell did you leave the truck out there

in the first place?

Bait.

Bait?

Well, I had to get them to attack us, didn't I?

They're rather intelligent, you know.

I thought you'd observed that geometric pattern in the field.

- You mean you saw it? - Of course I did.

- Why didn't you say something? - Why didn't you?

Well, I didn't think you were smart enough to appreciate it,

with all your high-class bug talk.

I was afraid

that you'd be terrified and run away, and I need you.

Well, you're right about that. When's the helicopter coming?

James...

We are faced with a power that has appeared and is exerting itself.

We have the opportunity to study it, to learn from it,

to teach it its limitations. We can, in a word, educate it.

You said you called.

We can try the blue, of course, but they'd only re-adapt again.

So, we have to consider other alternatives.

You mean you didn't call.

It is absolutely vital that we give them the opportunity

to try their strength against ours,

- and learn from its consequences. - I'm gonna call in, hubbs.

And I'm gonna tell 'em not only to take that girl outta here,

I'm gonna tell 'em to take me outta here, too.

You won't call. You're just as fascinated by this challenge as I am.

We're cut off!

Then our success will be all the sweeter.

Sunday, one o'clock. The battle is on.

Lesko is preparing the counteraction I have indicated.

The air conditioner is being adjusted to take account of the temperature rise.

Human beings can exist in temperatures of 120 degrees or higher,

but our computer shuts down at 90.

Kendra.

You wanna see what we're doing?

Come on, I'll show you. It's interesting.

The name of the game today is king of the hill.

You see over there?

Now, we wanna knock them down before they burn us out. Okay?

- What's that? - White sound.

That's every sound in the world all pushed together

to make one really terrific noise,

which we're broadcasting to those mounds out there.

And that's what it looks like as we send it out.

Okay?

Now, when that sound gets out to those mounds it

bounces right back here and winds up down there.

Good. Something's missing.

One of the sounds we sent out didn't come back.

Now, let's just see if we can...

Find out what that sound is.

There it is.

That's the sound we're gonna broadcast at those mounds,

and when we do, interesting things better happen.

If you think that's loud for us, think of how those ants are gonna feel.

That'll do it.

They're going crazy.

James.

James.

Damn air conditioner!

I'm afraid I'm feeling rather...

- It's on fire! - Get away from it! Get out of the way!

I just...

I can't believe it.

To know our plans, our strengths, our weaknesses,

even the one machine that everything else depends on?

How could they know?

This is impossible.

They knew.

I am choosing one of my less painful moments to record these notes.

Our equipment only functions now

for a few hours, at night.

Lesko believes we are being allowed this time for some purpose,

an hypothesis I do not share.

If this were so...

It would raise questions...

I had not considered.

Transfer...

Mag tape...

Unit three.

Go straight...

Six units.

Right...

Hundred...

Twenty degrees...

Four units.

Right, 60 degrees...

Four units.

Right, 120 degrees...

Six units.

What are you doing?

What are you doing?

I'm doing something my way.

Sending a message to the ants.

Yes, I've been thinking about that.

The conditioning process must be working...

But they're not all affected as yet.

They must be informed of their losses, the suffering...

So, they can draw the appropriate conclusions.

Where is your message?

On the plotter.

This is no message.

Mathematics is the universal language among intelligent creatures.

If there's an intelligence there, I want it to know there's an intelligence here.

Go away.

Please, go away.

Process...

Reviewing data...

Convinced analysis will show...

- Do you want to drink this? - Analysis...

- What? - Clear...

They've failed to achieve...

They will learn we've made up our mind.

How did they know? How did they know?

Jim! Jim!

What's going on back there?

Hubbs, hubbs!

- Come on, come on. - I am not helpless.

I will not be humiliated!

Got him!

I'm sorry.

Come on, come on.

Would you hold me for a minute?

James...

James?

If I was... irrational... During the heat of the day...

I apologize.

Why don't they kill us?

They roast us in here all day...

Dare us to come out at night.

Why play these games?

What do they want?

I've been thinking about specialization among certain insects.

Take it easy.

Try to get some sleep.

In every ant colony...

Workers...

Winged males...

And the queen.

Ants organized...

By the queen.

Keeping her alive.

She is the heart and soul...

Of their lives.

She's at the center.

It is she who speaks.

If she died...

Discipline...

Organization...

Would crumble.

The war's over, hubbs.

They have the power.

Only hope now is if they answer our message and we...

Convince them we're worth keeping alive.

I think I could locate the queen...

And kill her.

Lock the tracker onto her voice...

When she speaks.

What makes you think she'd speak to you?

What is it?

They... they...

Lights.

It's just...

Bear in mind, we still have our hard suits.

Yeahuu

two of 'em.

They're sending back my message.

Hubbs, there's more.

What does it mean?

What the hell does it mean?

A circle...

With a dot.

Now, I know how a rat feels in a maze.

Rats in a maze.

It's almost like a controlled experiment in which we...

Are the subjects.

To find out which rat is the smartest.

The strongest.

An intelligence test.

Could the circle be this place?

Then what does the dot represent?

Could the...

Dot be a person?

Someone they want?

Who could they want?

They want somebody?

I think so.

But why would they want somebody?

To talk to them.

You mean they...

They might be angry at someone who did them some harm?

What would they do with that person?

- I don't know. - Would they let the others go free?

James, come here.

Ibefieve...

I've located the queen.

She's in there.

How sweet to walk

in the pilgrims' way

leaning on

the everlasting arms

oh, how bright the path

grows from

day to day

leaning on the everlast...

Wait!

Where are the grenades?

Used up when you destroyed the towers.

All of them?

Then we must devise something else.

James, please, I...

My boots, I... Would you please? I can't.

You're gonna walk out of here? Tramp miles through the desert?

Destroy a colony full of poisonous ants and a deadly queen?

You can't even get your boots on.

Come on, hubbs. Sit down.

What we're gonna do is send another message.

Then you must go!

You must show them,

we will not...

Man will not give in.

Did I tell you I figured out their first message?

The dot is you.

They want you.

Then they shall soon have me.

I'm sorry, hubbs. It's not gonna happen your way.

Kendra.

- Stop! - She's there.

That hill.

- The queen. - Hubbs, you can't do it.

- Now, come on. Come on! - Queen!

Hubbs! Hubbs!

Hubbfl

hubbfl

god damn you!

Hubbfl

I would still like to believe that, given time,

we could've come to an understanding.

Some rational accommodation of interests, some...

Agreement.

But that's not the way it's going to be.

I've made some calculations about their rate of expansion

using their intelligence, their powers of organization,

their network of communications, their poisons,

their ability to adapt genetically.

I believe that after this test run,

they'll move rather quickly into desert areas...

Taking over the countryside first, then laying siege to towns and cities.

I believe they will learn as they advance,

anticipating our moves, and continue to stay a move ahead.

We have only one chance.

The counterattack suggested by Dr. Hubbs.

A direct assault on their queen.

Jesus, I wish it wasn't me.

There you are.

They wanted...

We knew then we were being changed...

And made part of their world.

We didn't know for what purpose...

But we knew we would be told.