Original subtitles

Madam President, I accept the election.

After an hour-long election procedure in Bonn's Beethoven Hall

a festive mood arose with the words of Richard von Weizsäcker.

Von Weizsäcker received more votes than in his first election five years ago.

He achieved the second best result since the election of Theodor Heuss.

It is no coincidence that Weizsäcker is just today beginning his second

term in office because the Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany was

passed exactly 40 years ago to the day, on May 23, 1949.

Rita Süssmuth and Helmut Kohl are among the first congratulators of Weizsäcker's.

The folder has to go in a moment, but first we have a drink.

To celebrate the day.

- Just a little nip. - We'll manage the rest on our own.

Oh, will you please open the bottle? I can't.

I don't remember exactly how many times I read the novel "llluminatus!”.

50 times, 60 times.

In any case, one passage has always fascinated me the most.

All great anarchists died on the 23rd of some month.

The 23rd is a good day to die.

Karl, come back!

Watch out!

Can you please explain this to me?

Where did you get them from?

It doesn't matter.

If I hadn't prevented this, it would be in the newspaper today.

- It's embarrassing the way you're acting. - Why embarrassing?

We are fighting in Brokdorf against the crap that your generation built.

This is nonsense.

If you would just once inform yourself,

you would realize that this is blooming nonsense.

My father was the editorial director of a right-wing Hanoverian daily newspaper.

We had fights all the time.

When you have someone like him for a father, you have only two choices.

Either you adapt,

or you rebel.

Are you done? Have a nice day.

Beate.

Can we meet in the newsroom right now?

Yeah sure, I'll let Alex know.

The TAZ writes,

"By mid-morning, well over 10,000 demonstrators had gathered peacefully.”

Frankfurter Rundschau, "8,000 at protest against nuclear plant."

And now Hannoversche Rundschau, "Not quite 5,000 demonstrators,"

"many of them violent sympathizers from the autonomous scene."

They're nuts.

Did your father have anything to do with it?

At least he signed off on it.

The bourgeois press manipulates the number of demonstrators.

Everything you need to know. For only one mark.

Karl?

Is this page from you?

Is it forbidden to speak your mind?

The Cactus, the new Cactus...

Hey, what is this shit. There is freedom of the press.

What is written there, fulfills the facts of slander.

You know very well that this is not true.

Prove it to me.

- I'll send you to boarding school... - Yes.

...So that you finally learn respect.

Yes, then your girlfriend can move into my room.

You can croak for all I care!

Six months later, my father was dead. He died as a result of a brain tumor.

Although I had the vague feeling of being to blame for this

it was difficult for me to feign grief.

Unlike my stepmother. She got the apartment and his securities.

I inherited a savings account with 50,000 marks and his desk.

I immediately closed the account. Saving has never been my strong point.

- Why haven't you moved in yet? - I don't like living alone that much.

Would you like to? There is enough space.

And what is the condition?

Everybody can do whatever he wants.

This is a research station for free life.

- Do you want to be alone? - I'm just looking at it from here.

- It's a good party, isn't it? - A little crowded.

I don't know most of the people.

I think it's okay.

I like it when there are many people in the apartment.

Will you come with me?

I want to show you something.

The colleagues from the editorial office found this in his desk.

That's cute: Youth research. Ingenious hairstyle.

I got this book from my father for my 14th birthday.

- This is the author: Robert Anton Wilson. - He looks a little scary.

Completely blind purchase.

He thought this was a nice science fiction novel for little boys.

Then he took it away from me again because he realized how dangerous it was.

Now I get it all back.

"Nothing is true. Everything is allowed.”

"The history of the world is the history of wars between secret societies."

Wilson says, "The world is not what it seems."

Behind the scenes, a powerful secret society pulls the strings: The illuminati.

But there's still Hagbard Celine.

An anarchist cruising the seas in his golden submarine.

He tries to track down the illuminati.

The heart of the submarine is a huge computer,

which constantly calculates how likely World War III is.

The computer has a strange name. "Fuck up.”

What?

FUCK UP: First Universal Cybernetic Kinetic Ultramicro Programmer.

I can loan it to you if you're interested.

Yes, I'd be happy to.

Does anyone have 500 marks for the pizza?

If you do not stop this spectacle immediately, I will call the police.

Alex!

Outside, someone urinated on the mailboxes.

Why don't you take a look at the mess?

- Hey, who's the ass? - My landlord.

It would be nice of you if you could go home now.

I'm sorry, otherwise I'll get in trouble.

Beate hadn't taken "llluminatus!” with her, and Alex was only

interested in the parts that had to do with sex and drugs.

He didn't understand what it was about at all.

What Wilson wrote about political assassinations, assassination attempts

and secret societies was as exciting as a thriller.

I read the book again and again, looking for people I could talk to about it.

That's when the first chat lines came up, where

all kinds of people were talking about all kinds of topics.

All on the computer.

I had only a paltry Commodore, but even with that you could do a lot of things.

It felt like I was discovering a mysterious new continent.

I knocked on the doors of all the huts in the global Village,

Jetting around the world in seven-mile boots.

I did not have to think long about the name with which I wanted to go on a journey.

In a mailbox where only "llluminatus!” was discussed, I learned, that

Wilson wanted to come to Hamburg for a meeting of the Chaos Computer Club.

This was where computer geeks from all over Germany met.

The guys looked quite harmless, but some of of them were amazingly resourceful.

It's a bit like getting a chemistry kit and then starting to build bombs.

Scarabaeus had brought the scoreboard at Frankfurt airport

under his control, Conan the power grid in Luxembourg.

Pufferfish had raised an illegal mailbox at the nuclear research center in Geneva.

And then there was David from Hanover. His pseudonym was Goliath.

Wilson talked about computers changing society completely in the next few years.

It will no longer be important to hoard possessions, but information.

"Knowledge is power," says Wilson.

And that power will be concentrated in a small, conspiratorial group.

And those were the very people Hagbard Celine was fighting.

I realized that "llluminatus!” might have more to do with reality than I thought.

You know what I find exciting?

What it says here about the secret number of the illuminati: 23.

- And the 5. - Why the 57

The 5 is the cross sum of the 23.

The Department of Defense of the USA is located in the Pentagon.

Pretty unusual building, don't you think?

And you think the illuminati are in there, don't you?

Who knows.

In any case... it's true about the assassinations.

Quite a few of those really happened on some 23rd.

Kennedy was assassinated on a 22nd, though.

And Oswald on the 24th. In between is the 23rd.

Can you maybe stop with the stupid babbling in the middle of the night.

Do the illuminati exist or not? Wilson doesn't bring the proof either.

It does not matter at all if you call them the illuminati, P2 or the Rosicrucians.

Secret lodges definitely exist.

You can read that in any history book.

Yeah, sure, but... still...

He makes some things sound so absurd,

as if he had had smoked a few thick joints while writing.

Drugs are not all bad after all.

A little bit of smoking pot stimulates the imagination, doesn't it?

Yeah, sure.

Do you dare to smoke a joint here?

Yeah, sure.

I just don't have one now.

Do you dare to sing a song here?

And what?

"Thoughts are free". But standing up.

What are the lyrics?

Thoughts are free, no one can guess them.

They fly by, like shadows at night.

No man can know them, no hunter can shoot them.

Thoughts are free, no man can know them.

They fly by, like shadows at night.

- Listen, you can't do that. - Hey, why isn't anybody singing along?

Have a good trip!

Where on earth did they kick us out of here?

Fallingbostel. Beautiful town, we should take a look.

Shit, I got a biology test.

If I'm not in school by 12, I get zero points. It's almost 11 now.

11 and 12 is 23.

So, is this a good sign or a bad sign?

Have you ever noticed that with VW?

V is the Roman five and W is the 23rd letter of the alphabet.

Brockhaus. The knowledge of the world in 23 volumes.

- No, 24. - Really?

Yes, we have it at home.

Too bad.

Apollinaris. The world drinks from this spring.

But it's only a triangle.

This is not a triangle. That's a pyramid from the front.

That 23 is really all over the place. Unbelievable. For example:

With the hereditary material of the human being.

That is passed on through the chromosomes.

Yes, banged.

- Hey, we are not in construction here. - Now calm down.

Watch out, how many are there?

- What, people? - Nah, chromosomes.

- 237 - Nah, 24... Of course 23.

Anyway, "llluminatus!” is fiction. It's a novel after all, not a factual account.

Watch this.

What do you see here?

A dollar.

The symbol of the illuminati. On the most important currency in the world.

And who do you see now?

George Washington.

But then this is also George Washington.

He is. You can see that.

This is Adam Weishaupt.

And he is the founder of the illuminati. 1776 in Ingolstadt.

I don't believe it.

When the illuminati were banned, Weishaupt went to America,

had George Washington eliminated and became president in his place.

And that's why the Masonic pyramid is on the dollar.

That's such bullshit.

They all looked the same with their wigs back then anyway, didn't they?

Would you like to go away with me for a few days? To the sea.

- What about school? - What about the sea?

Are you coming? A little out of the hick town, experience something.

First I don't hear from you for weeks and now you want to go to the sea with me?

Sure, why not?

But there is a demo on the weekend. It is important that many people come.

They do what they want anyway. That little bit of running around,

getting splashed. You can have that at the seaside, too.

Come on, don't talk such nonsense.

Besides, I have to work. I have just 20 marks left.

Here. This is for you. Then you can ride along.

Well, take it.

Do you feel superior now?

All I want is that we can go away together for a little while.

Since your father died, you have really mutated to an asshole.

I'm not interested in your money.

Stop it. What are you doing?

- Stop it! - I don't want the fucking money.

- I want you to stop! - It's only bringing me bad luck.

Hanover. Venue of the largest computer fair in the world. The industry is booming.

Soon we will be moving through the world's data networks by modem.

Will security fall by the wayside in the process?

Dear fair guests, dear spectators.

And now we have here a so-called hacker.

He calls himself Hagbard, comes from Hanover

and will soon graduate from high school.

How long have you been a hacker?

Like a couple of months?

Hagbard, what is a hacker anyway?

A hacker is someone who researches data networks

and security holes in mainframe computers.

Uh-huh. And what are you showing us here?

This is the Post Service's new BTX system.

They are now advertising that you can use BTX to manage your bank accounts.

But that's totally immature.

We create a bit of chaos there and then we tell them,

"Guys, you need to improve this."

You guys let the people concerned know afterwards though, right?

Sure. We don't want to break anything.

So that means there is some kind of hacker ethos?

Knowledge is power. Right information leads to wealth,

wrong information leads to poverty.

Actually, information should be equally accessible to everyone.

Would you accept an offer from business?

Hello! I find quite interesting what your friend is doing.

Young computer geeks like Hagbard are the future.

They have soaked up the chip with their mother's milk,

so to speak and deal with bits and bytes as a matter of course.

This guy is full of shit.

How can you even get involved with him?

I was trying to correct the image of hackers in the public.

And to get 200 marks, admit it!

I didn't say a word about internal things.

Besides, with whom you can drink every night,

smoke pot and run up the phone bill? With me!

Karl, I would like to introduce you to someone.

This is Lupo.

Lupo, this is Karl.

Pleased to meet you.

In principle I find your activities quite funny.

But to help the Post Service with BTX is child's play.

Are you a hacker, too?

Nah, nah, not at all.

I am a programmer, specialized in big machines.

But not here in Hanover.

No, in Berlin. I only have a job here at the moment.

Continental. They're reorganizing the whole sales department at the moment.

Lupo thinks we are wasting our talent.

Yes, it is time to start redistribution.

Why don't you hack away at the nuclear industry?

Or with American defense companies?

And then?

Yes, and then? Over with it to those who are technically behind.

Just think about it calmly.

A friend of mine has contacts with the Russians.

Is Pepe there?

On the balcony.

One thing is for certain. Data transfer to the Eastern bloc will make money.

We are actually more concerned with hacker ethics.

Ethics? The world is full of assholes.

Everyone should see for himself what he makes of it.

I am interested in the ethics.

Let's hear what you guys have in mind?

Democracy is possible only among equals. Information must be freely accessible.

This practically means that the networks should be open.

I don't quite understand how this is supposed to work?

The Americans have satellites, that see half a year in advance,

whether the famine breaks out in the Sahel zone.

Of course, the people down there have no idea and perish

because they don't have access to the information.

The Eastern bloc is third world in terms of data.

So we give them water before the Yanks control everything.

You guys hack, Pepe brings it over.

I don't know. It's all going a little fast for me.

We don't really know each other yet.

That's what I said to my girlfriend when she got pregnant.

I think it's pretty dangerous, too. I mean... Industrial espionage.

You'll have the Federal Criminal Agency and Intelligence Service on your heels.

What kind of people are you?

Are you spectators or do you want to do something yourselves?

Olof Palme is dead.

He fell victim to an assassination in downtown Stockholm last night.

The two fatal shots fired from a handgun...

- Who was this Palme, anyway? - When in doubt, a politician.

Nah, he was Swedish or Finnish prime minister, or something like that.

- Man, he looks stupid. - Can you guys maybe shut up.

Come on, take some more of that dope and get out of here.

- What the hell is this? - This is important here.

...reacted with sadness and dismay at the Palme murder.

US President Reagan called Palme one of the most respected politicians in the world.

I have something on Palme.

"Police were already on the scene before the alert was issued,

but it wasn't until 24 hours after the attack, the arterial roads were closed.

Police deployment plans were falsified after the fact."

They were looking for a lone perpetrator for a long time.

It says, "leads suggesting a conspiracy were neglected.”

Isn't that the same number as Kennedy, where they blamed everything on Oswald?

The illuminati have become so powerful so quickly,

that they were banned after only ten years.

But in the underground they have continued to work and slowly spread.

They had their own calendar and their own names for cities.

Munich was called Athens. Ingolstadt Ephesus.

Weishaupt himself called himself Spartacus.

Here it says who all were members,

"Mozart, Herder, Freiherr von Knigge, Goethe."

The report of the police...

I don't believe it!

The day has 24 hours and each hour has 60 minutes and exactly at 23:23 he's shot.

Do you want to tell me now, Palme is on the account of the illuminati?

I'm just saying that there are conspiracies and powers that we don't know about.

You mean CIA and World Bank and so on?

Doesn't matter. He was on the hit list. They just killed him.

I was thinking about what Lupo said.

I think we should use our talent.

Pepe was kind of a nice guy.

He dealt in used cars, electrical equipment, and drugs.

But the better I got to know him the more I got the feeling

that the East contacts didn't exist at all.

Lupo had gone back to Berlin and had little time,

but Pepe promised to take care of all further steps.

He said we should only use the code word "Paris" for "East Berlin."

So we asked, "When are we going to Paris?" And he answered:

When I reach the tour guide.

When I had almost forgotten about the matter, Pepe ordered us to meet downtown.

He had a rather adventurous story in store for us

that he didn't want to talk about on the phone.

Pepe had gone to East Berlin and had paid a visit to the Russian embassy.

I said to the doorman, "I'd like to go to the KGB."

The monkey, of course, first acted as if he didn't know what I was talking about.

I said to him, "Then I'm very sorry.

I can also go over to the Chinese.”

Then all of a sudden he quite happily wanted me to stay.

- Mr. Conrad? - Yes.

I speak German. Guten Tag.

Mr. Conrad, what I would like to know...

Why are they doing that?

I have something against the Americans. They are imperialists.

Are you a communist?

Nah, I am a free citizen of the world.

I told him the whole story.

After that, he talked to his boss for quite a long time.

I didn't catch exactly what it was about. But one thing is clear.

They want everything you can get.

And Mr. Conrad, next time please don't come to the embassy.

Here, this is my office at Leipziger Strasse. And please come without a car.

I see.

Here, you can put these next to your computer now.

And now it's your turn, guys.

We hacked at anything we could get our hands on.

At random, we copied some files from universities, companies or libraries.

Often it was quite easy to crack the huge machines.

People just had no imagination in inventing their passwords.

Some just called it a "password.”

Others took the name of their wife or dog.

To take advantage of the cheap call rates,

we left the day world and immersed ourselves in the night world.

Instead of 7 days with 24 hours, our week now had 6 days with 28 hours each.

This, of course, brought problems.

We're closed.

Bach was the first hacker. The harpsichord was his computer.

Can you play it forward and backward.

Actually, he was a mathematician. If he were alive today, he would be a programmer.

The first delivery was complete quickly.

In addition to the new material, we packed a whole stack of floppy disks

that had accumulated over the past few weeks.

Pepe felt like James Bond.

He was enjoying the agent role and had brought

a suitcase made of Argentine cowhide.

Every border guard will frisk you.

I don't bring the things in an Aldi bag over to the KGB.

How would that look like?

- He wants to meet you. - Who?

Our man in Paris.

He wants you to come with me the first time. After that, I'll go over by myself.

What kind of a junk car is this?

The engine dies when you step off the gas.

Poor thing.

Then why didn't we go with your car?

Drive!

- Hey, there's a line. - Where?

Well, here. Stop the car!

Stop the car!

Fuck, we are over.

- I don't believe it. Go back. - No, don't go back!

Just shut up. I'll take care of it.

Good day. Can you maybe repaint the line.

You can't even see it anymore.

Open the case, please.

When they opened the case, I thought, it was over.

But Pepe suddenly came along with Sergej's business card.

Look.

They called and then we were able to get through without any problems.

Like in a bad agent movie.

Well then, good luck.

- Aren't you coming over? - Nah.

It turned out that Lupo had run away from the Bundeswehr.

He had ignored a couple of criminal warrants and now

he was a permanent tenant in a hotel in West Berlin under a false name.

He left the city only by plane,

because on domestic German flights there were no identity checks.

The whole thing was on shaky ground.

We had gotten involved with a dealer and a deserter.

- The suitcase, please. - And what about the money?

First we check the material, then we talk about money.

I'd like to have that back, though.

We are in socialism here. Nobody gets stolen from.

Hagbard. Interesting name.

Your parents died at an early age. I'm sorry to hear that.

Your father was a journalist?

Yes.

I don't want to seem curious,

but we never had to deal with partners that young before.

Later we should discuss some behavioral rules.

That's not a problem at all.

I have already explained the most important things to the guys as well.

Sorry.

Your material is interesting for us.

Please sign.

Bureaucracy applied across systems.

Come on, open up, I'm freezing.

- I lost it. - And where?

I don't know.

- I'll go down quickly. - Not in that attire.

Wait a minute, there is another way.

We'll send your material to Moscow.

There it will be checked in more detail, then we will see.

I will then get report on what our economy needs.

For now, in any case, dialing numbers and passwords are very valuable.

But it is not so easy with passwords.

- I know. - It will work out if the cash is right.

Don't worry about it, Mr. Conrad.

Procure what you can get.

I'm already curious about your next delivery.

For months, everything went very well. We delivered and got money for it.

At some point, however, the headlines about mainframe break-ins started piling up.

A law came out that made hacking a crime.

This made little impression on us.

The problem was that people started protecting their machines better.

The longer the nights at the computer got,

the more I needed the coke to keep me awake.

My inheritance was long gone, and in order to pay Pepe, I needed Sergej's money.

And to get that, we sat in front of the computer around the clock.

When it was David's birthday, his father gave him a new Atari.

David put all his ambition into a program he made himself.

It had stored the 500 most common passwords, dialed into other

people's computers and then rattled off the whole list automatically.

Unfortunately, the little Atari was unable to cope with this.

Please don't.

That was the work of two weeks. That was supposed to be a surprise.

But the idea is ingenious.

It's because of the computers. They are too weak.

It's stupid to fool around on this amateur level all the time.

Now calm down.

- We need for a professional computer. - Wait a minute!

First you pay your debts to me. I still get 5,000 marks.

- Four! - Five!

Four!

You know Hagbard, I sometimes feel you don't like me.

Maybe you should get your coke somewhere else.

Then you'll get to know the prices on the open market.

With me you pay friendship prices.

Because I like you quite well.

Do you know the Micro PDP-11?

Heard of it, yes.

There is one standing around near Darmstadt.

Used, for 10,000.

Call if there is a problem.

And make sure you have a serious sales contract.

Don't you trust me to do that?

This is the PDP-11, forerunner of the Micro PDP-11.

So it's not the same?

No, but I explained that to you, just now.

The Micro PDP-11 is sold.

But this is really a super cheap alternative.

It's similar in performance, just a little bit bigger. Very robust.

Yes, it just runs well.

She's great, isn't she?

The machine was at the Jülich nuclear power plant. It's a real workhorse.

What, at the nuclear power plant?

Yes. You can imagine what high demands they have.

Shit.

Lupo is not here.

What if we call Pepe?

He has no idea at all.

The seller must think we are completely moronic.

- Come on, let's buy it now. - The machine would be just right.

Yes, and if we wait any longer, it will be gone.

That's the absolute pro!

This is not the Micro PDP-11, this is the predecessor.

A bit bigger, but a workhorse.

This one was at the Jülich nuclear power plant. Lupo, the receipts.

And here are a lot of documents with everything.

We can hack into that, just as a warning to the nuclear people.

Shut up for a minute.

Must think.

Is something wrong?

You should have bought a Micro PDP-11, right?

- Yeah right, but this one... - This one needs heavy current!

Then we'll just have a connection laid.

Yes, and a venting system at the same time,

otherwise you can open a sauna club in your apartment.

We tried to call you, but you were not there.

What is this. Is this broken?

The controller. You've got to be kidding me. I'm about to freak out.

We'll get it all fixed, you just have to make the announcements.

Or we can just bring it back.

You can't bring it back, man! Look at the receipts!

It can't be such a problem. It'll be up and running in a week at the latest.

You've got to be kidding me. My money. All gone. Everything's fucked up!

Wanker!

- I'll have a word with him. - Leave him! Leave him alone.

Fucking shit!

Dude!

Drive off! Drive now!

We had no choice but to continue with my Commodore.

We got pretty behind on deliveries for the Russians.

And Pepe tried to stall Serge.

I desperately needed money to pay Pepe and Lupo back what I owed them.

There was a pub in Hanover at that time where hackers met regularly.

The guy who had interviewed me at the trade show kept showing up there

from time to time to talk to people for a TV show.

He had no idea about computers and I made up a little story

about the printouts from Jülich for him.

Jochen, I have something that might interest you.

We hacked into Jülich, into the nuclear power plant. Here are the excerpts.

What?

You really made it into Jülich?

Yes.

How much would a story like that be worth?

It depends on what happened there.

Well, we had the fuel rods going on and off.

Well, that's interesting. With your little Commodore?

Yes, it is quite simple.

Is there any way to trace or prove that?

Prove how?

With a hack into the nuclear power plant, for example. On camera.

Following the economic boycott imposed by the U.S.,

combat operations occurred in the Great Syrte yesterday.

Libyan armored cruisers fired several warning shots at two U.S. aircraft carriers.

Revolutionary leader Muammar al-Gaddafi has once again

underlined that he claims the entire Gulf for himself.

US Secretary of State Schulz confirmed...

Thank you.

All right. He has time.

We are thinking about doing a program on this story.

Could you imagine being part of it?

A few interviews maybe?

You introduce Mr. Maiwald to the scene, show him the tricks.

You, of course, remain completely anonymous in what we want to do.

And somehow it's also in your interest to educate people, isn't it?

Right. I think it's important that people know what's going on.

Absolutely.

Nuclear power plants are a real danger.

If everybody who has a Commodore at home gets in there...

Then we are in principle in agreement.

One moment, I would like to discuss this very briefly.

Did you see what he smokes? Ernte 23.

Let's first be specific about what we're going to do and what we're not going to do.

Maybe they are broadcasting on UHF 23

and the broadcasting council consists of 23 members.

A completely [lluminati-infested station.

Okay, what do we do?

We sit down and hack to Jülich. Over.

And there's coal for that. It's quite simple.

Good. But no long interviews. And certainly no introduction to the scene.

They keep it confidential. Jochen is a good guy.

Jochen always acts like peace, but in his head there's an entirely different program.

The attempted break-in to Jülich is a criminal offense.

If it comes out that this happens on our initiative, then the station is involved.

I'm very careful about that.

We're not going to do it here. We're going to my apartment.

Then I'll get in touch with the people in Jülich

and check if they have noticed anything.

One thing must be clear. If anything goes wrong, I don't know about anything.

It's all on you.

If this thing turns out to be a blast, I'll make sure you get tenure.

Thank you. That would make me very happy.

That's all right, Maiwald. What kind of advance did they have in mind?

I offered them 5,000.

- Here. - What is this?

This is the first installment. The rest will come in a few days.

Where is this from?

I was selling stuff. Records and furniture and stuff.

There are rumors in the scene that you met with a journalist.

Oh yes, that guy. He hangs around sometimes and chats up people, but I've...

Do me a favor and ask me before you make any extra trips.

There was nothing. I would never do something like that.

All right.

We are a team, aren't we?

This is the wish list of Sergej.

He just picks the cherries now.

I know they are hard to crack.

But see what you can do. I don't like to disappoint him.

- These are defense companies. Military. - We are fighting for world peace.

These things have ciphered passwords. I have no idea how to get that.

He wants to pay 60,000 for it.

Could pay off your debt.

Finally sleep peacefully again.

Everything was completely out of control.

It was long past the point,

to distribute any information fairly.

Captain Hagbard's fight against the secret World Conspiracy

had fallen completely by the wayside.

While I might still have thought I was working against the illuminati

I was probably long since part of their plan.

Without realizing it, we had become hired hands...

To spies on the payroll of the KGB.

Shit, cops.

- What's going on here? - I don't know.

The discotheque "La Belle" offered a picture of horror in the early morning hours.

The explosion that rocked the well-attended dance club

shortly after midnight has so far claimed two lives, including a U.S. soldier.

Over 200 people were injured, some seriously.

Just hours after the attack, a U.S. government spokesman speculated,

that Libyans smuggled in from East Berlin were responsible.

Where are you going in now, Hagbard?

We've now come down the Datex line to the gate of the computer.

Now he's asking me to log in.

- You need a password for that? - Correct.

- Where did you get it? - Trade secret.

Uh-huh.

You know that there are severe penalties by now.

- Aren't you afraid you're going to...? - No.

Good. So what's the next step?

How do you get to the fuel rods?

So, first of all, you can look around in the computer a little now and then...

- Then it doesn't go on at all. - And why not?

Because you can't just walk around in the plant so easily.

All right. I'll ask it like this.

How difficult is it for a resourceful hacker

to manipulate the control systems of a nuclear power plant?

You guys were running the fuel rods up and down there. Is that right??

Nonsense, who says something like that?

So, in principle, it's quite simple.

- What are you doing here!? - Now let me!

I do not let myself be fooled here!

We hacked into Jülich. That's all we should do, okay?

The questioning really gets on a really weird track.

David.

David!

What kind of shit did you tell them about fuel rods?

I had to bait him with something.

What a risk. Imagine, he believes that.

He's making a big story out of it.

Calm down. Nothing happened.

I can't give you more than the advance for this, Karl. You have to understand that.

Listen.

I will do a little research and then we will see if it can be made into a program.

And then what's the next step?

We will definitely stay in touch. I'll get back to you.

Good.

- Oh, hello, Mr. Koch. - Good day?

The radiator meters have to be read.

I took the opportunity to have a look at the apartment.

There are burn holes and wine stains in the carpet.

I'll fix it up. You can count on it.

Yes, good.

You've changed since you've been with those assholes.

One more thing like that and you can move out.

It's just my opinion. I'm allowed to say that, aren't I?

That's not what I'm talking about. You let the landlord in.

Don't ever do that again, all right?

I didn't let anyone in at all. Bruckner has his own key.

He should notify beforehand.

He can't just come in and snoop around as he pleases.

What was going on today? I'm looking for you everywhere.

Can I maybe come in?

Where was he?

I think I'll take this one.

Is there a second key in there?

Not with the special offer.

I can make a second key if you want.

Yes, fine.

Look. Pretty, isn't it?

Pepe, I think I have an idea.

Passwords are like keys.

What we have done so far is like walking along a line of cars

and pressing the handles until a door happens to be open.

Here you go.

What we need is a duplicate key.

That is quite simple.

Wait a minute, my shoes. The ankle boots.

Here you go.

This is the computer we want to get into.

It has a door and we can't get in there.

Fuck it. We'll just build a second door in front of it.

A little program that pretends to be the right entrance to the computer.

Someone comes marching in, enters his password.

Then our door says, "You did something wrong. Please try again.”

He wonders a bit, enters his password again

and now he's at the right door and inside the computer.

But, and here's the thing...

Our door remembered the password for us.

Done.

It only needs a name.

How about "spread legs and enter"?

No.

Trojan horse.

Why is that?

With this, the Greeks conquered Troy.

Him again. Pretends to be smart.

Karl, your program has caught a password. Have a look!

Someone took the bait.

- Strange. - What?

The light is still on on the second floor. That's a shipping company.

No one usually works there at this time.

Let's move on.

What's going on here?

This is my parting gift. I'm moving out.

Hey, smurfs. How's it going?

We copied a lot of stuff over.

Good! The main thing is to finish today. Tomorrow we'll deliver to Sergej.

What, tomorrow already?

Of course.

If it gets tight, you work all the way.

I've been up for 24 hours now.

I don't care about that. Here we are working. For world peace.

- Open your little hand. - What is this?

You too.

Amphetamines. Makes you horny for hacking.

And if everything works out, there's a little party at Lupo's.

The dispute between Libya and the USA is coming to a head.

Revolutionary leader Gaddafi stressed,

that he still claimed the entire Gulf for himself.

Federal Foreign Minister Genscher is on his way to Washington

to prevent an American bombing of Libya.

Meanwhile, the crews of 33 U.S. warplanes await their mission orders.

- Karl, what is it now? Are you coming? - Yes, right away.

Do you hear that?

These are airplanes.

Are you feeling sick?

They are bombing the cities.

These are the winter tires. They just hum a little bit.

Should we stop?

- Too late. They are coming. - Who is coming?

What's going on? Hey!

- Shit, get out of here. - Hey, are you crazy?

- Let me out. - What is he doing?

Damn it, Karl! Pull yourself together!

Geez, Hagbard, what kind of stuff are you doing?

- How long have I been asleep? - Almost 5 hours.

I messed up everything, didn't I?

Greetings from Sergej. He was very fond of your work.

I've raised the prices right away.

I knew I could count on you.

It has just been announced that U.S. warplanes

have attacked the Libyan cities of Tripoli and Benghazi.

Although the attack was aimed at military targets

there are many civilians among the approximately 100 casualties.

Revolutionary leader Gaddafi has in an initial statement

already threatened a retaliatory strike.

This is an extension of the conflict

to the entire area in the Middle East to be feared.

The illuminati are here.

I don't see them. Can you show them to me?

I can feel them.

Hey, this is getting boring. Put in another disk.

Lupo, just leave him alone, will you?

Come on now, eat something and drink some more.

- So? - Always the same.

He can't get away from it.

Hagbard, about the illuminati. I think I noticed that with me, too.

- Yes? - Yes.

I feel it here.

What do you feel?

Well, these voices. And then it burns down the back like that.

All the way down the back.

And what do the voices say?

I can't understand them. It burns so bad. Look.

Take off your pants and see if you have that too.

Karl, wait a minute.

Pepe was trying to make a joke. He was trying to make you laugh.

There's nothing to laugh about when I care about something!

Karl, it's just a game with this crappy 23!

But not for me! For you, maybe.

Do you actually understand what's going on here?

You don't seem to get it anymore.

You tried to get out of a car today at 112 mph.

What do you think we are doing here?

David.

Can't you see what's going on?

Don't try to explain to me that the Illuminati were standing at the roadside.

You know what your problem is? You do too much coke.

What does that have to do with it?

Promise me that you will always stay with me.

I have no one else.

- I do not like this. - Shipping company "Fischer", I found it.

Five, four...

two, one...

four, seven.

Spedition Fischer. Good evening.

Yes, Muller here.

Are the Federal Criminal Agency colleagues still there?

I beg your pardon?

Muller, Federal Criminal Police Office Cologne.

I would like to speak to the colleagues.

Oh, yes. One moment please, I'll connect.

Hello.

- They are cops. - Shit.

Don't touch anything, leave everything as it is.

So, who could have known about this?

- Alex, maybe he told something. - Nonsense, he doesn't do that.

More like my landlord. I haven't paid rent for two months.

Why doesn't he complain?

That may be true. They grabbed him and said,

"You let them live there now. The rent will come from us from now on."

- But why? - Because there are bugs in the apartment.

They would have to get into the apartment first. Was there something?

Could be, yes. My landlord was in there with a workman.

They can't pin anything on you at all.

Sitting at the computer at night is not forbidden.

At Sergej's you were only once at the very beginning. They didn't notice that.

Then why are they following me, if they don't know about anything?

This is called "bumper tactics".

They besiege you until you panic and fuck up.

For me, anyway, it's over.

At the beginning it was still fun, but now I know how it works.

I found it exciting to get into the big machines.

They don't have a shred of evidence. Otherwise, they would have struck long ago.

The risk is just too big for me. I don't want to mess up my future.

The cops are stupid.

They can't even tell a floppy disk drive from a toaster.

We are always one step ahead of them, no matter what we do.

They didn't get on you by hacking, they got on you by drugs.

Pepe is a dealer, everybody knows that.

And you used to buy stuff from him all the time.

Wait a minute, what are you saying?

As conspicuous as you behave.

Look at how ridiculous you look.

- Something you don't like? - Yes.

I am curious.

Talked to a hooker, because you can't get it up at home.

- Shut up, you stupid asshole or else... - Don't touch me.

Idiot! Get the fuck out of here!

This is what I do business with? What does this garden gnome want?

He is smarter than all of us combined.

Shut the hell up already.

Wanker.

We are a team and we have done it together until now

and we won't let some stupid cops piss in our soup.

It's about 15,000 marks for each of us. So don't panic, yeah!

We'll wait for a few days now.

Nobody is meeting with anybody. No activities.

Then you get a hotel room and from there you pull the rest of the data.

Everything that is on Sergej's list. Got it?

15,000 each.

But only if you do it too.

Let's do this one more thing. After that, we'll separate from them.

Okay, we'll do it. But because we want to, not because you guys want to.

Of course, just because you want it. Sure!

And if it gets really tight, Sergej will help us.

There is a plane ready that will take us to Moscow.

- Nice idea. - It's even worse than Hanover.

Well.

Mr. Bruckner.

- Hello, Mr. Bruckner. - Ah, Mr. Koch.

Yes, good morning. I wanted to ask what about my rent.

- Your rent? - I'm two months behind.

I haven't noticed yet. Well, why don't they just transfer it?

I don't believe you.

What if I don't pay?

I will not pay in the future either! Not a penny!

Throw me out!

I want you to give me notice!

All right?

Promise me you'll log off if anything is suspicious?

Let me do it.

It's just for tonight.

You promised me something. Do you remember that?

I know. I totally stand by that, too. Got off that stuff.

But tonight I need it.

- Don't you want to stop? - I'm watching out.

What is this?

A trap circuit. Log off now!

I'm in the middle of the hack, what's the point?

- Let's get out of here. - Are you stupid?

Do you know what it means when they shut down the line? They're going to trace us.

We've got to get out of here.

Put a bit more money in.

I found something. This is the last thing on Sergej's list.

- Let's drag that over. - Do you know what that is?

I don't know. I'll copy it, won't take long.

There's a weird car over there.

Then go and look.

- What is it? - Some Russian cities.

This is a simulation for a nuclear war.

Shit, Karl. You panic all the time.

These are nuclear power plants. Here, number of reactors.

Let me finish this in peace. I don't want to get caught either.

That's how the next war starts. They'll blow up one of those things.

Shit, Karl, get lost! You're pissing me off. Get lost!

The news. Moscow. As reported by the Soviet news agency TASS,

there has been an incident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine.

The extent of the damage is not yet known at this hour.

Measures have been initiated, the agency announced without further details.

From Finland and Sweden increased radiation levels

were reported since the early Morning hours.

That was us. I know it has something to do with us.

Now stop it. It's really bad with you.

David, you had Chernobyl on the monitor.

But we weren't in Chernobyl, we were in some Yank machines.

The fact that the name Chernobyl now appears in the news is a coincidence.

The thing I thought in the phone booth, that they would blow up one of those things.

That's exactly how it happened.

If somebody wants to blow up Chernobyl, they can do it without you.

You don't have to think about it first.

They use my thoughts.

I don't know how they do it, but they do.

When my father died. Tripoli. Olof Palme.

I always thought about it beforehand, and then it happened just like that.

The nuclear accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine is the

greatest disaster that has ever occurred in the field of nuclear energy.

At the hour relief workers are trying to seal the damaged Reactor unit with concrete.

Karl.

Your turn. 350 marks in the account.

- 300. - "W" as in Wilhelm.

Sorry, not in the puzzle. Jurgen, another chance for you!

Hello.

I wish you 1,000 marks.

I still have some clothes for you here. And your books.

Other than that, I got all the suspicious stuff to me.

That's in your best interest, isn't it?

I have no contact with Lupo and Pepe at the moment. We...

In Hamburg there were house searches at hackers.

We were really lucky that we stopped in time.

I was not lucky.

Sorry.

It's very difficult for me since...

Sometimes I think I'm in a car going down a twisty road.

Suddenly I realize I can't brake or steer.

Someone else does it.

Maybe the [lluminati don't exist.

They never existed.

Then I would be crazy.

Just don't think about the stuff we did anymore, okay?

I just think about the future now.

Next week I will get out of here. I have a place in the dormitory.

Okay.

I couldn't wait to get out of the hospital.

But when the time finally came, I felt helpless and weak.

It will be good for you if they cook and eat with the others here.

A sheltered, ideal world awaited me in the dormitory.

The medication calmed me down and made my anxiety disappear.

Slowly I recovered, gained distance and tried to forget everything.

The events of the last few months receded into the far distance

until Jochen Maiwald showed up.

I can well imagine that you have other worries at the moment.

But I have a problem.

The police were at the station and, yes, they had a search warrant.

Shit.

- How could this happen? - I don't know.

They searched my office and then they went to my home and continued there.

All the documents for the feature, they took all that.

And the videotape?

They don't have that, thank God. But the printouts...

They have the Jülich stuff.

So what?

What can be done now?

My boss wants to talk to you.

I can't very well leave here now.

Karl, he is here.

Come on, it won't take long.

You have to make a statement to the police.

The hack to Jülich took place through their own initiative.

Neither Mr. Maiwald nor anyone else from the station induced you to do it.

The fee was solely for an interview.

Do they have my name?

So far we have been able to avoid this.

But now we have to do something to prevent damage to the station.

For Mr. Maiwald, the situation is difficult too.

This may cost him his job.

I can't go to the police.

I am sick.

I'm sure your illness will help to get things done quickly.

That was rash, a silly boyish prank.

It can't cost more than a fine.

I have to think about it.

I have to talk about it with David. It depends on what he says.

I'll wait until tomorrow morning,

then our our legal advisor will tell the police your names.

I'm sorry, but I can't drag this out any longer.

I had an interview with a technician in Jülich the other day.

Maybe he called the police and said,

"Feel out the Maiwald, he has contact with the hackers."

Although I can't imagine it. I was really careful.

They throw me out of the home.

I don't have a penny.

We'll get out of this, Karl.

There were other things.

What?

Other hacks?

Did you guys do any bigger stuff?

I can't talk about it.

No matter what you did.

I'm sure you'll get away better if you turn yourself in.

If money is the problem, we could do something with a magazine.

I have a good contact at Stern.

They pay up to 50,000 marks for an exclusive story.

That would be a start.

You could build something with that.

All right.

And then? What happens then?

We go there together.

- That's crazy, Karl. - That's just a thought.

Then finally everything would be over.

Then nothing is over at all.

Then everything really starts. You can't sell yourself to them.

Yes, you can.

If you do that, then you are dead to me.

Not everyone has parents who stuff it down your front and back.

Stop this shit!

Should I go to my parents and say,

"Sorry, I did something there"?

- What if I talk to them? - No.

Well, have fun with your parents. I feel sorry for you.

What do you think Lupo thinks about it? I don't think he'll put up with it.

Is that supposed to be a threat?

Look at what you have become.

A crazed cokehead, a nursing case.

But go. Go! Go!

Here. Please.

But you better do some therapy first, otherwise nobody will believe your story.

Go! Go, go!

Hello.

- Can I help you? - Can I talk to you outside for a minute?

We have had a visit from David. Do you know what he said?

He says that you want to blow the whistle. Is that true?

I want to know if that is true!

No.

What's with this journalist crap?

It's over!

Over! I will turn myself in.

How naive are you, tell me?

Do you seriously think that I will let this happen?

Yes? Do you believe that?

You tell anybody anything, and you're done for, Hagbard.

Yeah, well, then you're done too.

You little rotten bastard.

Listen. I never existed in this game.

No permanent residence, no border crossing, nothing.

You don't even know my name.

Pepe may go to jail for a few years, but it's your turn, my friend.

One call to the cops is all it takes

and the whole drugs and spy shit comes crashing down on you.

On you alone.

One could think about a special broadcast.

The story is absolutely exclusive.

Karl could sell us the broadcasting rights and Stern the printing rights.

First he has to face the authorities.

Every further day without confession makes us accomplices.

You turn to the constitutional protection.

They must be very interested.

Tell the truth without reserve, mention all the names...

that will significantly improve your situation in the trial.

Do you know about the new witness protection law?

They did that for the RAF terrorists.

Whoever blows the whistle gets immunity from prosecution and a new identity.

You start somewhere else with a new name.

And before that, we'll do a great show together. Like a real hit.

Prime time.

This is good for you and good for me.

Among friends. That's how it works.

Then I will ask you a few questions now, Mr. Koch.

Can I read out a statement before the interrogation starts?

Sure. But one thing in advance.

We are not interrogating here. This is just an interview.

Read it out.

I cooperate with the Office for the Protection of the Constitution,

even if it is against all hacker ethics.

I was assured that immediately after the arrest of the accomplices

a press publication of my story is possible.

Go ahead and read. I am listening to you.

I need the money because I want to make a new life for myself.

I have tried to make information available to all

because I wanted to prevent an impending war.

I failed with that.

Captain Hagbard Celine no longer exists.

But as Karl Koch, I will start all over again in another city.

After two weeks of grueling interrogations at the Federal Office

for the Protection of the Constitution and Federal Criminal Agency,

I could take no more. I was burnt out, just wanted peace.

My apartment was broken up and all evidence seized for the trial.

I was procured a small room in a quiet suburb and

a part-time job as a driver for the city government.

I was constantly afraid of running into Lupo or Pepe

and tried to to find out if and when they would be arrested.

I therefore called the station to inquire,

but Weber was not to speak for me and Maiwald, it was said, had quit.

When the time finally came, the images seemed so unreal to me.

Weber played it up mightily.

The names of all involved were stated.

I never received any money.

Secretary of the Interior Zimmermann spoke of the biggest espionage case

since the unmasking of Chancellery spy Guillaume.

Dear David, if you read these lines,

the first journalists will already be on our heels.

No matter what happens,

I want you to know that our friendship has always been most important to me.

Remember the phrase from Hagbard Celine.

“Nothing is true. Everything is allowed.” Yours Karl.

Madam President, I accept the election.

After an hour-long election procedure in Bonn's Beethoven Hall

a festive mood arose with the words of Richard von Weizsäcker.

It is no coincidence that Weizsäcker just today begins his second term in office,

because the Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany

was adopted exactly 40 years ago to the day, on May 23, 1949.

On May 23, Karl Koch left for a business trip from which he never returned.

A week later, his charred body was found in a birch forest

near the federal highway from Hanover to Wolfsburg.

The exact circumstances of his death remain unexplained to this day.

Karl was 23 years old.

Six months later, the trial of the so-called KGB spies

began in Celle with lively public participation.

The prosecution failed to prove that any damage

was actually done to the Federal Republic or the USA.

Lupo was sentenced to 14 months imprisonment, Pepe to 24 months.

Both sentences were suspended.

David appeared in court as a key witness and went unpunished.

He reported exclusively on the KGB hack in Stern.

Subtitles: Christopher Coco © 2021 Turbine Medien GmbH