Alien Code

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[]

ALEX:

It's all already happened.

It was over before it began.

You know, the world

could end tomorrow, but...

[CHUCKLES]

You know,

but what else is new, right?

So maybe you...

You can't change how it ends

but you sure as hell can change

how you get there.

[LOCK CLICKING]

[]

ALEX:

Sh*t.

- [BREATHING HEAVILY]

- [PHONE CLICKING]

Come on.

Hey.

Oh, sh*t.

[EXHALES HEAVILY]

Hey.

[CONTINUES BREATHING HEAVILY]

[SIGHS]

[]

Jesus. F***.

[PANTING]

[QUIETLY]

What the f***?

"Watch me."

[MOUSE CLICKS]

[SIGHING]

Okay.

I know this is weird,

and you're probably

freaking the f*** out,

but just relax.

You're not dreaming.

You're not drunk,

and you're not high.

This is, um...

[BREATHES DEEPLY]

This is happening.

So if you could, uh...

You could stop your heart

from doing somersaults,

and your thoughts from drowning

in a sea of confusion, then...

Um...

Then I'll explain everything.

But, um...

you might wanna take

a shot or two of bourbon first.

What the f***?

ALEX [ON COMPUTER]: I'm serious, man.

It's gonna help.

Yeah, um...

Yeah. I... Sh*t. I...

Um, I'm... I'm not

really sure how to...

explain this because it's...

It's such a

gargantuan mind-f***,

so I'll just, um...

[SWALLOWS]

I'll start at the beginning.

[]

[DOORBELL RINGS]

[SIGHS]

[DOORBELL RINGS]

[GROANING]

[SIGHS]

[SIGHS]

[BANGING ON DOOR]

Alex Jacobs?

You a lawyer?

My name is

Rebecca Stillman.

I work for A.R.I.S.T.

May I come in?

Who the f*** is

A.R.I.S.T.?

Advanced Research Institute

of Science and Technology.

We're a private company

under contract with the NSA.

NSA...

Look, lady,

I've been cleared,

so if you wanna talk

to my lawyer...

I'm here to offer you a job.

Mmm.

That's, uh...

hefty.

That's a hell of an NDA.

Okay. So you're gonna

show up on my doorstep,

offer me a job,

but you're not gonna

tell me

what it is?

I can't divulge

any specifics

until you've signed

the non-disclosure agreement.

Yeah...

It's only a precaution.

No obligation.

Mmm.

All right.

As a gesture of

how important it is

for us that you

consider our proposal,

I'd like to offer a little

something just to hear me out.

What is this?

Sign, and it's yours.

[SCOFFS]

You're gonna pay me

just to sign the NDA?

You've got nothing to lose.

Well.

All right. Shoot.

We'd like to hire you to

decipher an encrypted message.

Okay. Why me?

Because you're arguably

one of the best

cryptographers

of your generation.

[CHUCKLES]

No, come on.

That's bullshit.

Look, I'm good,

but the best? No.

We like your work, Alex.

We were particularly impressed

with your Amber algorithm.

My Amber algorithm.

- Yes.

- [SCOFFS]

That, uh, pissed a lot

of people off, that one.

It did more than that.

Broke countless laws,

compromised

the security of hundreds

of multinational firms,

and folded the company

you worked for.

You know, I can't take

all the credit for that.

You see, the-the NSA,

they pressured us

into implementing

back doors

for the sake of

"national security."

And you do know after

that information leaked,

they turned their backs,

and they threw us

under the bus,

so thank you, Uncle Sam.

It's business.

It's conspiracy.

Come on. I signed

the NDA. What, uh...?

What ethically-ambiguous

scheme is it this time?

Two months ago,

we detected

a U.S. military satellite

in orbit.

A satellite we never sent up.

It was retrieved

and examined,

and inside, we found

an encoded message.

One that we've been

unable to decrypt.

What do you mean,

you didn't send it up?

We never sent that

satellite into orbit.

So it's not American.

It is.

It's ours.

Just not from now.

[INHALES SHARPLY]

We believe

it's from the future.

I'm sorry, uh, what?

There was a non-encrypted

message stating its origin.

Of course,

we were dubious at first,

but after undergoing

a variety of tests

we've come to

the conclusion that it was,

in fact,

sent back in time.

Okay, you're, uh...

You gotta be f***ing kidding me.

It contains advanced apparati

well beyond our...

This is gonna bounce, right?

The check?

That check's gonna bounce.

That check will not bounce.

I assure you.

Alex, I'm speaking to you

with utmost sincerity.

Let me get this straight.

You're telling me

that there is a satellite

that has been

sent back in time,

and it has

an encrypted message

that you want me to decrypt.

That's what you're saying?

We'd like to bring you

to a secure laboratory

where you will have all the time

and resources you need.

[CHUCKLING]

Wait a minute. You're serious?

Very.

A secure laboratory?

In a private facility.

Yes, if you agree

to my offer,

you'll be sedated

and transported.

- [LAUGHING] What?

- As a security measure.

Sedated? No! Okay.

Look, Alex, this is

the opportunity of a lifetime.

No. The NSA sent you here

to f*** with me, didn't they?

I understand

this is hard to swallow.

Look, if you're

trying to dupe me,

maybe you should

use something more credible.

Okay. Okay.

Take out your phone.

Why?

I just had that check deposited

into your bank account.

And that was just

for signing the NDA.

[]

You sign the contract

to work for us...

Your reputation's tarnished,

Alex.

No one wants to hire

a cryptographer

who specializes in

subverted implementations.

You're scraping by, freelancing

for start-ups under an alias.

You're drowning in legal debt,

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