Original subtitles

Here we go.

Good evening, America.

There are decisions that we are asked to make in our lifetimes

that are truly humbling.

Decisions that in previous times would have been left to the gods.

But the current crisis requires that we act

from the limited perspective of human experience.

I have prayed for guidance,

sought out the wisdom of fellow G22 leaders

as well as members of the scientific community, the business community,

and religious and Indigenous leaders of every stripe.

And we have come to a decision.

I will be signing CIT 2, the Climate Intervention Treaty,

and extending the moratorium on geoengineering

or any act that seeks to artificially manipulate the climate.

Technology alone is not the solution we require.

Alpha, off.

- Hey, Ro. - I can't watch this.

Congrats, Dad. The president took your advice.

- Kiddo, come on. - Now we're all fucked.

I hope you're proud of yourself.

I gave her that advice to try to protect your future, man.

I'm sorry, everyone.

Hey, Alpha, on. Sorry.

We must look elsewhere if we are to solve this crisis.

You hear from Rowan yet?

For what it's worth, I think it's shitty.

He said he was coming. He should be here.

It's Father's Day. You're his father.

I remember being 20, and Father's Day was not my priority holiday either.

And my dad didn't get married three times, so there is that.

Well, we don't have to be back until tomorrow,

so why don't you decide what you wanna do to celebrate,

- and I'll go make us something to eat. - Okay.

Call Rowan again.

Gonna make my speech here...

and there'll be a huge reveal behind these glass doors.

Is it Jonathan?

Maybe you should answer it.

Yeah, and say what?

Well, "Happy Father's Day."

Well, that's the easy part. It's everything after that.

You know, your father used to quote Hemingway to me.

"The world is a fine place and worth fighting for."

Maybe you should try that.

It would kill him to know that I was helping you.

Maybe he'd be proud.

I guess we'll find out soon enough.

Okay, so we're never gonna agree on geoengineering, I get it.

But this is six months, you know. It's like he's got complete tunnel vision.

It's like we can't talk about anything else.

He needs some space. It's...

Sorry.

Rowan?

Did you find him?

Djibouti. Logged on to his Alpha social.

- Is she with him? - This is wrong on many levels.

Come on. Make it look like normal course of business checks.

- We did this all the time. - You don't work here anymore,

so that would be a lie.

And the last thing we need is a story about Alpha spying on random people.

Please. This isn't surveillance.

We're not hacking her password.

Just look at payments.

Did she, you know... Did she get a pedicure.

Did she search for her favorite fucking sneakers,

- or... This is plain vanilla. Come on. - Jon, seriously.

- This is easy. - You're a US government official now.

Just ask the CIA to do it.

Or try the old-fashioned approach and just call your son.

Yeah, I've done that like a half a dozen times. He doesn't even pick up.

Now you know why I never had kids.

Why are they in Djibouti?

I didn't say, "they." I said, "Rowan."

And if you didn't want him to join her fan club, you shouldn't have married her.

Thanks. Yeah, well, keep at it. Just keep me updated.

- Any news on Rowan? - Nope. Work drama.

When I was his age, I fought with my parents relentlessly.

You did? Their Ivy League superstar. Over what?

Typical teenage stuff.

My pick of boyfriends. The fate of the world.

From humble beginnings to greatness.

The daughter of a math teacher and an engineer in Badlapur, India,

Gita Mishra stands before us today as CEO and founder of New Sky Initiatives

to celebrate the inaugural flight

of the world's first unmanned, fully carbon-neutral cargo plane,

capable of staying aloft perpetually.

The Rowan.

Gita Mishra, everyone.

Thank you, Hiram. And thank you for your help in getting the Rowan in the air.

Yes, the Rowan.

Named for my stepson and colleague, Rowan Chopin, who is here today.

Come and take a bow.

Do you like the name?

Yeah.

Rowan's work on the computer interface of our plane

has made unmanned flight possible at a level never before seen.

I'd say he takes after his stepmother,

but I suspect his father has more to do with it.

Now, as many of you know, I am a betting woman.

And I want to thank all of you here today who invested,

for betting with me and on me.

And to make it clear

just how much confidence I have in our carbon-neutral tech,

I'm actually going to lead today's test flight myself.

The planes have all been loaded

with a maximum payload of 250 tons for this morning's demonstration.

If we are asking people to trust the Rowan with their most precious cargo,

then I think it only natural that I make myself the guinea pig.

Thank you.

I don't know why I'm telling you this, but I found them.

"Them?" So, they are together? Goddamn it.

I'm sending you something right now.

Thank you, Hiram. And thank you for your help in getting the Rowan in the air.

What the fuck is that?

You're supposed to say, "thank you."

Thank you. What the fuck is that?

It's NSI's new pilotless cargo drone. Very hush-hush. Full media embargo.

How'd you get it?

Scraped it off an illicit phone in the room.

And spare me the surprised face.

Evidently, she named the plane "the Rowan."

My God.

Certainly explains why he's there.

Doesn't explain why he didn't tell me about it.

It also doesn't explain why she's flying a plane that's supposed to be pilotless.

Does that make any sense to you?

None of this makes any sense to me, Jon.

I'm erasing all of it.

Thank you, Martha. I know you're going out on a limb.

Not to add insult to injury,

but Mr. Bilton might order a few depending on how it goes today.

What?

What? She's using our batteries.

Good night.

- You know, he probably already knows. - How would that happen?

And when he does find out because he will, everyone will in a few hours.

Just tell him it was all my idea.

Tell him that I tricked you and that you had no idea what I was up to.

I'm not gonna lie to him.

Remind him of our honeymoon.

We were at an old hotel in Bali and the toilet broke.

And Jonathan couldn't fix it.

I mean, the man could model albedo feedback loops on sea-level rise

that were accurate to the centimeter,

but was baffled by a chain and float in a 20th-century commode.

And I used to fix it daily.

When we got home, I bought him a copy of the Whole Earth Catalog from 1968.

First edition. It was autographed as well.

And that told you how to fix toilets?

How to fix everything.

The first line,

"We are as gods, and might as well get good at it."

And today, we're fixing something a little bigger.

The other planes, they're all ready?

I'll put in the coordinates once they're airborne.

You release your cargo. They do the same.

They'll never let it get that far, right?

- It's just... - Hey, Ro.

If you don't want to be here anymore, you can leave, you know?

I just want it to be tomorrow.

It will be soon.

You're changing all of those?

Gita wanted all the passcodes changed.

It's been six years of work. Can't get hacked now.

Did you know about this?

Did I know she was worried about security? Yeah.

There. Done.

Leader one, leader one, NSI tower.

Go for leader one.

Locked and loaded for 19.1668 north and 73.2368 east.

Thank you, NSI tower.

Wait. Where are you going?

Badlapur. Haven't been there in years.

Why?

Hometown girl makes good. Maybe I'll inspire the next generation.

If we are asking people to trust the Rowan with their most precious cargo,

then I think it only natural that I make myself the...

The planes have all been loaded with a maximum payload of 250 tons

for this morning's demonstration.

You're up early.

We are asking people to trust the Rowan with their most precious cargo...

You're lucky I don't have the gene for jealousy.

No, watch this.

The planes have all been loaded with a maximum payload of 250 tons

for this morning's demonstration.

Rowan's with her.

- Where? - There.

Most precious cargo,

then I think it only natural that I make myself the guinea pig.

I've gotta tell someone what's going on here.

Tell them what? Tell them your son is going through a phase?

Tell them he prefers his stepmother's company to his father's?

No. Why do you think she's getting ready to pilot an unmanned aircraft?

I don't know, Jonathan. I also don't particularly care.

- Why do you? - Because of this.

- Watch. - In 1991,

there was a volcanic eruption. Mount Pinatubo.

This is what it's all about.

It sent ash ten miles up into the stratosphere.

What is this?

It's Rowan's science project in fifth grade. Listen.

The ash spread all over the stratosphere.

Billions of particles. And these particles reflected the sun's rays.

That year, the planet actually cooled .5 degrees.

After years of consistent warming, it cooled.

So, some scientists started experimenting with reproducing that effect.

My stepmom is one of those scientists.

And she says this will solve climate change.

And my dad says she's right.

Sir, she's ascending.

You hit a button up there by mistake, Gita?

Nope. New heading.

Any reason?

Because I think it's important for people to see what the Rowan is capable of.

48,000 feet. Over.

Okay, that's above the ceiling for most commercial aircraft.

We're not selling most commercial aircrafts.

We did not file this as part of your flight plan.

Military is gonna be all over us now.

So much for keeping this hidden.

NSI tower, let's take the other planes up to 48,000 feet.

Yep. On it.

Leader out.

Alpha, give me the earnings performance

of the top chemical companies for the last quarter.

BASF is down 1%. Sinopec, down 2%. Dow Chemical, unchanged.

What about Alpha Chem?

Alpha Chemical Resources up 16%.

Alpha is always up. They own the world.

Slow down, Jon.

This doesn't prove anything other than that Nick Bilton is a very rich man.

Hey, what is this?

I ordered some lab steaks from Alpha Protein.

We're gonna have a really nice dinner tonight.

Your delivery has arrived.

Alpha, call Martha private.

- Are you out of your mind? - Maybe.

- I need to know something. - No, I need to know something.

Why don't you have any boundaries?

Look, I need to know if Alpha Chemical sold NSI any of the following substances.

Calcium carbonate, hydrogen sulfide, or sulfur dioxide.

I can't possibly answer that.

Come on. Those are controlled substances now under CIT.

I have every right to know if significant quantities have been ordered,

especially by a buyer without purchasing history.

No, I'm not answering.

A significant amount of any of those substances could be used

in an act of global terrorism. Do you wanna be an accessory to that?

Martha, just tell me if I'm wrong.

I've gotta know if I'm calling the authorities here.

I'll need to speak to our chief counsel, Jon.

I've always thought of you as a friend, and I felt horrible when Nick let you go,

but I'm gonna have to ask you to never contact me again.

Wait, wait. Are...

Fuck.

Gita, are you turning around soon? We have AFRICOM asking about us.

They're already in touch with DC, with NATO.

- I don't know what you're doing, but... - Hiram, put Rowan on, please.

And give us a private line.

Hey, it's me.

I think we need to assume they know by now.

We're on everyone's radar higher than we should be.

It's time, hon.

They'll contact your father when they've figured it out.

You need to move now.

Yeah, good to see you.

- Hi. - Hey.

I'm Special Agent Sanchez from the FBI's counterterrorism unit.

I'm looking for Dr. Jonathan Chopin.

Jonathan?

Yeah, hi. Thanks for coming. Come on in.

- You called the FBI? - Yeah. Come in. We need to talk.

Perhaps someday,

we will have a machine that safely and reliably removes carbon from the air,

but until then, we have something even better. Trees.

So, thank you to the Sunrise Movement for this,

the one-millionth tree planted in Virginia.

Now we just need Congress to do its job

and work together to pass bipartisan legislation to curb emissions.

What next?

There is a situation developing over the Gulf of Aden.

A fleet of planes headed east.

AFRICOM is tracking it. I have Major Gutiérrez from AFRICOM.

Good morning, Major. What can you tell me?

We just heard from Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti.

It's a demonstration flight. Some sort of new technology.

A formation of private aircraft built by New Sky Initiatives.

Gita Mishra's company. Was this authorized?

The flight was, yes, ma'am,

but then they changed their flight plan while aloft.

They're now currently at 43,000 feet and rising.

- Did they give a reason for the change? - No, ma'am.

- Have they responded to any communication? - No, ma'am.

Is there a reason to believe that there's an issue with the plane?

- A distress signal? - No, Madam President.

Well, thank you, Major. Keep me apprised.

The FBI has been made aware. Counterterrorism.

- Who asked for that? - You remember Jonathan Chopin?

Remind me.

Secretary of State Garrett appointed him to the carbon commission.

Used to work for Nick Bilton over at Alpha.

That's right. Chopin.

Also used to be married to Gita Mishra. He reached out to us.

About his ex-wife?

He has a pretty crazy theory.

We may want to consider distancing ourselves from him.

So you think your son is involved with some sort of illegal activity?

I haven't spoken to my son in many weeks.

We've noticed a fair amount of phone activity between your number and his.

If you looked at that, then you also noticed he hasn't answered me even once.

That's... That is not normal for him.

Could mean a lot of things besides international terrorism, Doctor.

You might wanna call a family therapist instead of the Bureau.

No, no. Wait, wait, wait.

This isn't about my family. I'm talking about a global security event.

I'm one of President Burdick's lead science advisers.

I have a security clearance.

I know who you are, Doctor. I took the liberty of reviewing your background.

Okay, so then... Then you know, in the past,

I was an advocate for something called geoengineering, okay?

And my very famous ex-wife and I put a lot of resource

and focus into not just imagining it,

but contemplating how would you actually do it.

She called it the biggest and the brightest

new business opportunity of the century at Davos.

Here's the thing. We were wrong. We were arrogant.

We disrespected one of the most fundamental principles

of scientific investigation,

which is that an experiment has to be able to be replicated

to get the same results, or based on the data,

to change the experiment.

Geoengineering doesn't allow for that, okay?

You get one shot, and then you live with the results.

That's not science. That's gambling.

And you decided you weren't a gambler.

With the planet as the table stakes? No. No.

And how exactly does this tie into your son?

Because he's with her.

He's with her, and he's gone dark on me because she's planning something.

And if we don't wanna be a part of the gamble that she's taking,

you need to help me get to Washington. I need to get to DC.

Dear President Burdick and other world leaders.

By the time you see this, I will be over the Indian Ocean.

Gita's a donor. You actually spoke at an event she hosted.

I am aware. And the ex? Chopin?

He's inbound. We did confirm that his son is with her.

- In the plane? - Possibly.

Any attempt to stop me by violent means

will cause a worldwide deployment of calcium carbonate,

which cannot be stopped by military intervention.

We do have a SEAL team in the region.

My demands are simple, Madam President.

I'm only doing what should've been done by world leaders years ago.

Temperature on Earth has risen 65 degrees since the Tel Aviv Accords.

It continues to rise.

The cost to the world economy is immeasurable.

This is the only way to slow temperature increase immediately.

Is it a Band-Aid? Yes.

But when one is bleeding the way our planet is bleeding, a Band-Aid is needed.

If the United States will commit to geoengineering,

I will land without incident, and we can solve this problem together.

How far is she from landfall?

- Two hours and 12 minutes. - Let's get everyone together.

Rowan, tell me when you're safe. Over.

Let's go! Everybody on the ground.

- Now! - Move your hands.

Where are they?

Ro, do you copy?

Go, go! Stay where you are.

- Nobody move. - He's not here!

Where's the kid?

Where is he?

Come on, Ro. It's okay if you've changed your mind.

Just let me know you're safe.

Go for squadron leader.

Ro, you're okay.

All good.

It's like I'm sitting off your tail.

Do you see that up there?

- India. - It's Mumbai.

My mum helped design the seawall there.

I remember watching them build it when I was little.

What's taking Burdick so long? I know she received our demands.

They're trying to figure out a way to publicly condemn me,

privately thank me, just like the rest of them.

Alpha. The oil companies.

You're an hour out.

It all looks so beautiful from up here.

You'd never know how badly we fucked it up.

Madam President, I know you're very well-informed on all of this,

so for the benefit of everyone...

I think it helps to look at climate change like a bear.

And the whole planet's been in the ring wrestling with the bear for decades now.

And so far, the bear's been kicking our ass.

Geoengineering is like taking a lion

and deciding to put it in the ring to help you fight the bear.

It's certainly gonna change things,

but not necessarily guarantee that you're gonna win.

If she does what she's threatening, what are we looking at?

Changes in rainfall patterns that lead to crop failures and floods.

Extreme weather events leading to mass migrations,

social unrest, stress on infrastructure.

All the wonderful things that we're so familiar with,

except now in new and totally unpredictable places.

Hence, CIT 2. I think we need to call this what it is. It's terrorism.

I spoke to other leaders. Oliveira, Liang, Richter.

They all stand by CIT and feel that the legal exposure here is ours.

How's that?

New Sky is a Delaware corporation based in New Mexico.

The rest of the world sees a violation

of the treaty as an act of unilateral aggression.

You know her. You think she'd actually do it?

I wouldn't doubt her resolve for one minute.

I mean, she's worked these models for years.

You've seen her lectures. You've hosted one, Madam President.

But can she?

She didn't start a social network to get rich.

She's one of the most talented chemical engineers of our generation.

She gets a lot more right than she gets wrong.

I would not bet on her failure.

We don't hand over policy to individual billionaires,

even ones that are good at guessing.

With all due respect, I'm not sure that's historically accurate.

But Gita's success has never rested on waiting for permission.

But why this? Geoengineering, it's not a one-time event.

You'd need to do it every few years.

You know, I think she just wants to change the conversation.

She thinks when it works, people will start to follow her lead.

But that's... That's not the core of the problem.

If it works,

all the oil and gas and coal and other dirty, polluting industries,

they're gonna be knocking on your door asking

for permission to continue the carbon party.

That's... That is why I'm here with you and not up there with her.

- She's made contact. - Okay.

We managed to establish communications. She wants to talk.

Ms. Mishra.

Madam President.

The last time I saw you was at Davos.

I apologize for the circumstances.

Well, I'd like to see those circumstances change.

I was wondering if I could convince you

to come back here and talk things over.

I learn something new every time I'm with you.

And so do I, Madam President.

I learn that even very talented and powerful people, like yourself,

can be confined by broken systems that limit them.

I appreciate that,

but CIT 2 is the decision our broken system came to,

and it would be an even more broken system if you take unilateral action.

There are ten million people from my homeland

trapped between a resource war to the north and droughts to the south and east,

- and tens of millions more... - Come on.

In every country and every continent

- dying in the heat every day. - This has nothing to do with the science.

And the very people who have done the least

to cause this catastrophe are perishing because of it.

I'm assuming that all of you are sitting in an air-conditioned room

- discussing their fate with me right now. - I'm only the president of one country.

And that is why I would like you to land safely, so that we can discuss this.

I cannot promise you that the Chinese, or the French,

or the Israelis are gonna offer you the same option.

And they are aware of your location.

You know, all it takes is two million tons

of calcium carbonate dispersed into the atmosphere to begin to cool the planet.

And how many children might die because of the additional air pollution?

Madam Secretary, I can't answer that,

but far fewer than are currently dying in Africa,

in Indonesia, in Texas even.

There are better ways, Ms. Mishra. Even you must see that.

Yeah, of course, there are.

You know, and if the billionaires this century gave birth to had focused on them

instead of proving their manhood by shooting rockets into space,

- I would not be here now. - Keep her talking.

Then her plan no longer works, and she'll call it off.

Gita, I know that there's...

There's a way that we can work together on this.

We have the same goal.

What if I... What if I try to reconvene the G22,

and we meet with you and try to see if we can find some middle ground?

I think you already had that meeting, Madam President.

Look, we have the technology to solve a problem.

Are we going to use it,

or just sit by while the problem solves us?

But what if it's us that's the problem, Gita?

What... It's human behavior.

It's how we move ourselves around and how we eat and how we build.

We've treated this planet like an all-you-can-eat buffet for 250 years

since we started burning fossil fuels.

And changing the chemical composition of the atmosphere is not going to fix it.

Jonathan, there you are.

Madam President, I'm sure Jonathan has told you about the bear and the lion.

And maybe he's told you

that what I'm doing is a reckless experiment

- that can only be done once, but... - That's right, because it is.

- Okay, look, you... - But...

You don't know what's gonna happen.

Even if you get it right, what'll happen to the ozone layer?

You don't know.

What'll happen to the oceans? You don't know.

What, the two billion people you say you're trying to save.

You're about to drop another climate volatility event right on their heads.

How does that help?

But the real reckless experiment is the one civilization has been running.

You know, adding carbon to the atmosphere, adding plastic to the ocean.

Removing species from ecosystems.

Nobody was trying to change the climate.

We didn't even think that we had that capacity.

We didn't know better, but we do now.

And yet, human behavior doesn't change.

The sky is easier to reengineer than the human brain, Jon.

Exactly.

And if you tell that greedy monkey brain it's cooled off,

and everything's okay, it's gonna say,

"Give me a little bit more. Just let me burn a little bit more.

Just let me mortgage a little more of the children's future

so that I can make sure I can juice this quarterly balance sheet.

I just need that one." It's... Gita.

Gita, even if you got all of the chemical interactions right.

If you got the dispersal pattern right.

The problem here is bigger than the heat of the sun, Gita.

It's the way we see the world.

And you alone up in a plane with this technology,

- this is not gonna solve the problem. - Yeah, so says the problem.

Rowan?

That's my son.

Please tell me that you're not up there with her.

- I'm not gonna tell you that, Dad. - Oh, God.

What? Gita, what are you... What are you doing to him?

- Why? Why would you involve him in this? - I'm not.

She's not doing anything to me.

She's trying to stop things from getting worse.

And what are you doing?

- Going to another conference? - I haven't talked to him in months.

Setting another goal then moving the goal?

You told me when I was six that we had ten years left

- before the feedback loops. - He's under her in...

I'm 22 now.

This is about her, it's not him.

You know this is the only way.

Jonathan, I can see the shore now.

And the last time I was here was with you. Do you remember?

We were bringing battery tech to Badlapur.

- My mother was there. - She's gonna do it.

She's not talking...

We were going to use it to power water pumps...

What was that? What happened? Rowan? Rowan?

Why... What did you do?

- Just a flyby. - A flyby?

But then why did we lose contact? Why can't we hear them?

We don't know who else they're working with. We had to jam them.

Are you out of your mind? We...

We've gotta talk to them. I know he's...

How do we know where his allegiances lie, Madam President?

- He could be working for them. - What did you say? What?

Hold on. He came here of his own volition.

He alerted us. You just heard what he said.

I'm the one who dialed you up and let you know what was going on.

He's well beyond his security clearance here,

- Madam President. - You don't... Come on.

I'm one of the only people who understands

what the fuck is going on up there.

I'm afraid I need to ask you to step outside.

If I can talk to him, he really can be a help.

He has influence with her... Trust me.

- He's not a kid. He... - Let's go.

- Okay, okay. Okay. - Please.

Please, Rowan, if you can hear me,

there's a... There's a better way to do this, man.

Okay, let's go.

Am I under arrest? I mean, I'm in the fucking closet.

You are here until this is resolved. If I were you, I'd work on calming down.

Okay, I'm sorry, but I need to be in the room with the president.

- You blew that. - Something's way off.

Gita's talking two million tons of calcium carbonate. She's only...

- I've gotta go. - Can I get my phone?

- No. - Can I get a piece of paper and a pencil?

Seriously, let me work on something.

- Fine. - Okay.

Our people at Langley confirm it is possible

that the planes are rigged to release if we take her out of the sky.

So, that's ten planes loaded with calcium carbonate?

- Yes, Madam President. - Worst-case?

What Chopin said.

The estimate from NASA is localized weather disruption,

but the knock-on effects are unknowable.

One rogue actor changes life on Earth.

A flood in Shanghai, a snowstorm in Hanoi.

You can see how this can destabilize the world order.

I think that's a likely knock-on effect. And it's opening the door for others.

If we do nothing, we'll look complicit.

I think we need to act now.

What if her gambit ends up helping?

Helping? Helping what?

Solve a problem that diplomacy is failing at.

We're so far off Tel Aviv, we'll be lucky to keep it under 2.5,

even three degrees by the end of the century.

You wanna talk about those ramifications?

Madam President, you're wanted on the phone.

Not right now.

I think you wanna take this.

Can we have the room?

- Hands in the air! - Freeze! Don't move!

Stay where you are.

Keep your hands up!

It's a hologram. Where the fuck is he?

I don't know how long we have before they jam us again.

They sent a woman to collect me. I guess I should be flattered.

At least it's not a drone.

What is she doing?

- She's pointing? - At what?

Down. She wants me to land.

Are you okay?

Yeah.

Guy next to me just got obliterated by some aliens, though.

She probably only has enough fuel for a few more minutes.

Likely from a carrier in the Persian Gulf, she's just there to scare you.

Well, she's doing that.

Maybe we've done enough now,

shown them that anyone with the resources can...

If someone shoots me down, you must promise to go ahead.

You need to promise me that.

It doesn't have to be you. It doesn't.

The President will meet with you. G, you can land.

We can go home. They know now.

What your father says, it won't work. You know that. We know that.

Let's call their bluff.

Mr. Bilton, I'm wondering what your awareness is

around Gita Mishra's actions today.

Yes, Gita. Alpha also received her demands.

Well, I thought so, and as you and I have discussed,

my own feelings about geoengineering are very aligned with yours.

Well, it's a pity the rest of the world doesn't agree with it.

Another problem looking for a solution.

Well, we have planes in the air, Mr. Bilton,

but I can't help but wonder

if there isn't a way of resolving this outside of official channels.

Are you familiar with the term "cover for action"?

Interesting turn of phrase.

I'm sure the scrutiny you face limits your options, Madam President.

Madam President?

You know what they call this desk?

The Resolute desk was a gift

from Queen Victoria in 1880 made from the timbers of the HMS Resolute.

You know what happened to the HMS Resolute?

I don't, Madam.

Was abandoned in the Arctic ice in 1854 in Melville Sound off of Alaska.

Stuck in place.

There's not any ice there anymore, hadn't been for 20 years.

You know, when I first got here I...

I thought they gave the President this desk to inspire them to be tough.

Now I feel like it's to prepare them for being trapped.

AFRICOM is waiting for your order.

How old is the kid again?

Rowan Chopin is 22, Madam.

But that's not possible. That...

I need to speak to the President. Or Secretary Garrett.

Get someone, please. They're gonna want to see this.

Last time I spoke to President Burdick,

she told me she thought this was the best way forward.

Better for business. Better for humanity.

Why didn't she do it herself then?

Because everybody wants the result, nobody wants to take the risk.

That's how fear runs our lives.

- Ro, they're leaving. - Who is?

The Air Force. They're all gone now.

I think we did it, Ro! They caved!

Should I shut the other planes down? Call them back?

No. Let me contact Burdick, see what the plan is.

I think they're finally ready to work with us.

We did it. We... You did it.

The gamble worked. I mean...

like Hemingway said, "The world is a fine place"...

Gita?

Come on.

- What is that? - What?

- Can't you see that light? - That?

Maybe it's the sun and we'll all be dead in eight minutes.

You come on. Come on...

Gita?

What was that?

I thought we sent the planes back? Why did we engage?

- Wasn't us. - Who was it?

Who brought her down?

I wanna know what happened, Tom.

We have satellite imagery, but it's hard to make heads or tails.

Russia's blaming India. India's blaming Pakistan.

Iran's blaming the US.

Maybe it was a private military contractor.

She had enemies.

Dr. Chopin has something urgent to share.

Send him in.

I'm sorry, but I was thinking about it,

and she's got us focused on ten planes that take 250 tons each,

but she mentioned two million tons of calcium carbonate.

We need to look into how much she actually procured.

If she's got anything close to two million tons,

then all this with the planes is a performance.

It's a distraction from something else.

She's gotta have many more, like, thousands more.

We need to talk to Gita.

I'm afraid that's not possible.

What, why?

What's happened?

Her plane was destroyed over India.

You shot her down?

I can assure you it was not us.

I'm so sorry, Doctor.

What about my son? Was he on the plane?

We don't know.

- What did you mean by "more"? - More what, Doctor?

Madam President,

the other nine planes just released their payloads.

We're picking up a message on the hailing frequency.

Please.

"The world is a fine place and worth fighting for." Right, Dad?

Gita told me it was on your desk.

What the hell is he talking about?

"And I hate very much to leave it."

Trace his signal.

"And I hate very much to leave it."

That's the end of that, Rowan.

Rowan, wherever you are and whatever you're doing,

just stop it. Stop it!

Just step back from it, pal.

I'm doing what Gita taught me, what you taught me.

Mount Pinatubo.

No. No, you need to come home.

You need to come home and turn yourself in before you get hurt, Rowan.

I cannot listen to you get hurt.

You can't fight for the world if you're not here, pal.

She told me, Dad.

She told me about the book she gave you.

"We are as gods, and we might as well get good at it."

That's what the book said, right?

No, no. We're not gods.

None of us. Not Gita, not you, not me.

We're just parents and children. Please come home. Just come home.

It's too late now, Dad.

The line's gone dead.

It's go time.

Release. Release. Release.

Release. Release. Release.

Release.

What the hell?

What is going on?

Oh, my...

There are reports of dispersals everywhere, Madam President.

They used drones.

Thousands of Alpha delivery drones.

What's gonna happen now?

I don't know.

Nobody does.