Adam Reed, age 13, and still grieving the sudden death of his father a year earlier, walks into his garage one night to find a wounded pilot hiding there. This mysterious pilot turns out to be the older version of himself from the future, where time travel is in its infancy. He has risked everything to come back in time on a secret mission. Together they must embark on an adventure into the past to find their father, set things right, and save the world. The three working together, both young and grown Adam come to terms with the loss of their father and have a chance to heal the wounds that have shaped them. Adding to the challenge of the mission, the two Adams discover they really don’t like each other very much, and if they’re going to save the world, they’re first going to have to figure out how to get along.
* * *
[“Gimme Some Lovin'” by The Spencer Davis Group]
♪ Hey ♪
♪ Well, my temperature’s risin’ And my feet on the floor ♪
♪ Crazy people knockin’ ‘Cause they’re wantin’ some more ♪
♪ Let me in, baby I don’t know what you got ♪
♪ But you better take it easy ♪
♪ This place is hot… ♪
[man 1] That’s not good.
♪ And I’m so glad we made it ♪
♪ So glad we made it ♪
♪ You gotta gimme some lovin’… ♪
[gasps]
♪ Gimme, gimme some lovin’… ♪
[bleeping]
[grunts]
[woman on comms] What are you doing, Captain?
I think it’s pretty obvious. I’m stealing this jet.
[woman] I think it’s pretty obvious you’re trying to.
You know I can track your jump.
Yeah, but you know that I know that.
So one of us doesn’t know something else, right?
[man 2] Ma’am, he’s initiated wormhole sequencing.
[woman] Adam, I want you to listen very carefully.
If you don’t abort right now, I will shoot you out of the…
I’m sorry to interrupt what I’m sure is gonna be a scary threat, but if I’m right, your tracking system is about to…
[bleeping]
…crash.
♪ We made it, baby ♪
♪ And it happened to you ♪
♪ And I’m so glad we made it ♪
♪ So glad we made it ♪
♪ You gotta gimme some lovin’ ♪
♪ Gimme some lovin’ ♪
♪ Gimme some lovin’ ♪
♪ Gimme some lovin’ ♪
[distorted] ♪ Gimme some lovin’ Every day… ♪
[sounds return to normal]
[engines blast]
[groans]
[grinding]
Okay, let’s not die!
[alarm beeping]
♪ Hey! ♪
[boy] Adam!
I’m gonna kill you!
Reed!
[Adam panting]
Oh!
Oh no. I’m so sorry.
That’s my bad. Hi.
No.
Okay. Bye!
[boy] Reed! Get your ass back here.
[Adam] Ow!
Got anything else you wanna say?
Actually, I…
[groans]
Huh? No more jokes?
Oh, I’m gonna enjoy this.
[Adam] Who talks like that?
Did you order, like, a “Bully Starter Kit” on Amazon or somethin’?
I mean, do you even hear yourself? Chuck, we talked about this.
I didn’t say anything.
Shut up, Chuck.
[groans]
[Chuck] That’s what I’m talkin’ about. [laughing]
[sighs]
[wheezing]
[man on PA] There will be an assembly in the gymnasium now.
Please proceed to the gymnasium.
Not a word.
[sighs]
[man] Mrs. Reed…
[Mrs. Reed] See his face?
And, what, you’re gonna suspend Adam? Because what?
You think he started a fight with that thug Ray?
Was it Ray Dollarhyde again?
It’s barely been a year since we lost his father.
You could show some compassion.
[Adam] It wasn’t my fault.
I know you, Adam. I know that mouth of yours.
I know exactly what got you punched.
He was giving me crap in front of the whole class.
I couldn’t just take it.
He’s twice your size.
Everyone is twice my size. I’ve seen babies bigger than me.
I don’t understand you.
Dad would.
[Mrs. Reed sighs]
What’s going on, honey? Can you just tell me?
If I keep having to leave work in the middle of the day,
I’m gonna lose my job.
It’s the third time you’ve been suspended for fighting.
You’d think I’d be better at it by now.
This goes on your permanent record. Get that? Care about your future?
Do you?
Son, you’d better start caring, because the future is coming,
sooner than you think.
[Adam sighs]
[Mrs. Reed] Hey, Adam.
Adam, I’m headed out.
Come and have your dinner.
[dog barks]
Where you goin’?
Oh, just out to dinner with a friend.
Which friend?
His name’s Derek. We work together.
You’re goin’ on a date.
Not a date. I don’t think it’s a date.
Your dress thinks it is.
Oh, it is a date. I am going on a date. Why am I going on a date?
Can we please stop saying “date” now? Thanks.
Adam, I’m sorry. We… we should have spoken about this.
I don’t know how to handle it. Let’s talk about it now.
Dear God, no.
No! You can have any kind of feeling.
It’s normal. As long as we’re a team…
[phone alert]
Oh! Time to go.
[Mrs. Reed] He texted me?
Well, look at that.
It’s a whole new world.
But we will talk about it tonight, honey.
Mom, wait.
What?
Turn around.
Make good choices, okay?
Said the boy who got suspended.
[chuckles] I love you, honey.
I love you too, Mom. More than I know.
[Mrs. Reed] Listen, while I’m out, lock up the back.
No ovens, no answering the door, no video games.
[power surges]
[rumbling]
[dog whining]
[dog growling]
[barking]
[faint creaking]
Hawking?
[barking]
[Hawking barking]
What is it? You see something?
[whining]
Hawking, stop! Hawking!
[breathes heavily]
[echoing] Hawking!
[rustling and scrabbling]
[soft clicking]
[creaking]
[low rumbling]
Whoa!
[Hawking barks]
[Hawking whimpers]
Oh my God. You scared the crap out of me.
[rustling]
Who’s there?
I don’t think we should be out here.
[Hawking barking]
[heavy rumbling]
[wind whistling]
[wheezing]
[exhales]
We’re okay.
[clattering]
[barking]
Hawking!
[Hawking barking]
[breathes heavily]
[low creaking]
[high-pitched creaking]
Take it easy.
[yelps]
Or, you know, fall down and scream.
[clattering]
Jeez. Who the hell are you?
Put the bat down.
Put the bat down. I’m not gonna hurt you, I promise.
What are you doing in here?
Mostly bleeding.
[sighs] Wait, how old are you?
What?
How old are you?
Twelve.
[whispers] Twelve…
Shit!
How did you get in my dad’s garage?
I… It was open.
No, it wasn’t. And that is a flight suit. Are you a pilot?
Yeah. Yeah, listen to me. Uh…
Don’t… Hey, don’t call anyone. Put the phone down. I won’t hurt you.
You said that already.
Well, it bears… God damn it!
[squelching]
[winces]
Uh, it bears repeating.
[sighs]
That’s a lot of blood.
Well… well, I have so much more in my body. Where’s your mother?
On a date.
With who?
What?
With who? What’s his name?
I don’t know. Derek?
Derek?
Derek. Derek, Derek, Derek.
That’s, yes, the guy with the, um… with the mouth mullet.
The goatee?
Yeah.
So say goatee.
Yeah, he doesn’t matter.
None of them matter.
Oh, uh…
Nice dog.
I’m gonna go inside the house.
I’m gonna get some stuff.
Hey, careful with that.
Stay here.
[clattering]
[Hawking barks]
[groans] Come on.
Ah…
[grunts] Told you to stay in the garage.
And let some creepy dude just wander around my house alone?
Yeah…
I don’t think so.
Yeah, believe me. I don’t wanna be here any more than you want me here.
I just gotta stop bleeding long enough.
Gotta dress the wound, prevent a nasty infection,
and I will be on my merry way.
Don’t touch that.
I was just looking.
Don’t touch my stuff.
Is this a lightsaber?
No, it’s not.
Okay.
No. Enough with the bat!
[clattering]
If I wanted to hurt you, I would have.
If I’m being honest with myself, you have a very punchable face.
Oh my…
God! That…
Gah! That bullet went straight through. Good.
Cool.
Wait, wait, wait. Bullet? You were shot?
Yeah… No, actually, no.
No, I was stabbed with a bullet. What do you think, you moron?
I’m a moron? You’re the one who was shot.
All right, okay, that’s it. [coughs]
[farting sound]
That… Wow… That, uh…
That’s weird. It farts when I cough.
[coughs]
[farting sound]
Gross.
Super gross.
I’m gonna go upstairs, grab some stuff. Stay cool. You can trust me.
Easy for you to say. I’m the one who ends up in a therapist’s office,
telling them about where the bad man touched me.
Oh God! That’s where you go? Immediately? You are dark, man.
[young Adam] Who even are you?
That is classified.
Why are you here?
Also classi… classified.
Are you in the air force?
When I say “classified,” what does your brain hear? Chocolate?
What’s with the lightsaber?
It’s not a lightsaber.
Jesus Christ, Adam.
I need you to play it cool.
Wait.
I know playing it cool isn’t your thing.
Wait.
It never has been…
Wait, wait! How do you know my name?
You’re Adam Reed. Born February 10th, 2010.
Your parents are Ellie and Louis Reed. Louis would’ve died about a year ago.
You don’t play any sports because of acute asthma.
Plus you’re freakishly small for 12.
[frantic barking]
You go to Franklin Middle School,
where you’ve been suspended two, three times for fighting,
which is ironic because you can’t fight to save your life.
[in unison] Hawking! Zip it!
[whines]
How do you know my dog’s name?
Because I named him.
Where are you goin’?
[gasps]
[wheezing]
Oh God.
[shakes inhaler] All right.
Here, ready? Deep breath.
Hold it.
Three, two, one.
[exhales]
Everybody gets a trophy.
[grunts]
When I was seven,
I ran into a table on the patio.
I got 12 stitches.
[in unison] Right here.
You knew how to get into my dad’s garage.
You knew how to close the fridge.
You knew how to time my breathing.
We have the same scar.
And you’re wearing my dad’s watch.
This watch.
This watch.
You’re me.
Holy shi…
That’s classified. But yes…
I once was.
[coughs]
[wound farts]
I can’t believe you’re future me.
Okay, you came to terms with that pretty quickly.
It’s a little disturbing, actually.
So why are you here?
Rescue mission.
I wasn’t supposed to land here. I was aiming for 2018.
I need to get there as soon as possible.
Who were you trying to save in 2018?
Really?
Fine. Can you at least tell me how you got here?
I’ll show ya.
[whooshing]
[power crackles and fades]
What was that?
Crap.
What?
Uh, we’re gonna switch to plan A, which is where you come in.
You see, time jets, like all tech in the future,
is coded to its user’s DNA.
Because I’m injured… aah, the jet won’t even clear me to fly,
which means I can’t get in there to fix her.
But guess who can?
[whirring]
[power building]
[engine humming]
There she is.
[dramatic music playing]
[Adam] Away we go.
Okay. Sit down.
Oh my God.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Sit down.
Let’s see what we’re dealing with here. All right, some minor shield damage.
Coolant leaks.
[beeping]
I don’t know what that is, but when is a flashing red light ever good?
Ah-da-da-da-da-da.
I know you wanna touch all the pretty buttons
with your sticky little child fingers, but the reactor has a quantum signature.
You fire it up, they can find us.
If they’re here.
Who are “they”?
I’m glad that you didn’t ask me that because “they” are classified.
I already know you’re from the future.
Believe me, I regret that.
I had no intention of coming back to revisit… this.
Jesus. Okay.
[chiming]
Okay, I’ve isolated the damaged relays,
so the ship should be able to start repairing itself.
How long will that take?
Ah, it’s at 50% capacity,
so hopefully less time than it takes me to heal.
[young Adam] Wait.
Do you remember this?
Remember what?
This. Right here, right now.
You being here in 2022?
Know where you’re going with this.
If this is happening to me…
You’re wasting your time.
That means it already happened to you.
Unless it works like a multiverse,
where each ripple creates an alternate timeline…
It’s not a multiverse!
My God, we watched too many movies.
I just wanna know.
[sighs]
Okay.
Okay, the prevailing wisdom is that when I go back to my fixed time,
my memory… our memories, they reform, they reconcile.
But not while I’m here.
Fixed time? What’s that?
There’s only one place in time where you belong on a quantum level,
where you’re not screwing around with the cosmos like I am.
That is your fixed time.
Where you actually belong.
So by being here and telling me this,
you may have just changed my whole future?
Honestly? Your future is pretty tragic either way.
[laughs] I’m kidding! I’m kidding.
I’m not kidding.
I’m kidding. Let’s go. Come on. Here we go.
[young Adam] So what happens now?
Nothin’. I’m just gonna lay down. Let this bullet wound heal.
Think about some key investment opportunities for your future.
Wait, like Biff from Back to the…
Are you out of your tiny mind?
Get back in the house before our mother gets home, and don’t make it weird.
[sniffles]
Hey.
[frustratedly] Yes?
This is amazing.
Isn’t it, though?
Mind hitting the light on your way out?
[door closes]
[sighs]
[Ellie sighs]
Oh, hey. I’m surprised you’re still up.
Well, this night’s been full of surprises, mother.
That’s chilling. What happened?
How was your not-a-date? Will you be seeing him again?
No. I don’t know. I don’t think so.
[knocking at door]
Hi.
Hi.
Me again.
Yes, it is.
You left your scarf in my car.
I did. Gosh, thanks.
[Derek] Oh, hey there, kiddo.
Oh. This is my son, Adam. Adam, this is Derek.
Oh, hey, Adam.
Hello. You have a wonderful mouth mullet. You must be very proud.
Oh my gosh, Adam. [laughs]
Never heard it called that before.
Well, thanks again.
Sure. See you soon.
Unlikely, but I’ll put in a good word for you.
Okay. Okay. I’ll see you at work.
[Derek] Yeah.
Bye.
[Ellie sighs]
He seems nice.
What?
You can be a real jerk sometimes.
You know that? [sighs]
[sighs]
Hey there. Good morning.
Shouldn’t you be at work?
Yeah, I need to pay the insurance on the house today.
Had it in the calendar, but I can’t find the statement.
[Adam] With that filing system?
Shocking. It should all be online.
The minute I find myself with a few extra hours,
I will set up those accounts.
Until then, this is how your dad did it.
Hey, grab a pile.
Sorry. I gotta get to my room to think about what I’ve done.
Okay.
I gotta go.
Call me if you need me.
[Adam] I won’t.
[over stereo] ♪ The only key to your heart ♪
♪ That can stop you fallin’ apart ♪
♪ Try today, you’ll find this way ♪
♪ Come on and give me a chance to say ♪
♪ Let my love open the door ♪
♪ It’s all I’m livin’ for… ♪
[grunts]
Mom’s gone to work.
♪ Release yourself from misery… ♪
Dad’s favorite song.
♪ There’s only one thing ♪
♪ Gonna set you free… ♪
Yeah, me too.
♪ That’s my love… ♪
See, we agreed on something.
Maybe the only thing.
♪ That’s my love… ♪
♪ Let my love open the door ♪
♪ Let my love open the door ♪
♪ Let my love open the door… ♪
What?
I just… You’re… kinda ripped.
♪ Let my love open the door ♪
♪ When everything feels… ♪
Okay.
Do you work out?
My genetics don’t…
Ever have a thought and not let it out?
Could be fun to just keep it in.
Maybe in the future, there’s, like…
like, gene therapy or nanotechnology for…
Don’t do it. Don’t… don’t do it.
♪ Let my love open the door ♪
♪ Let my love open the door… ♪
So when does… all this happen.
Does everyone skip leg day in the future?
♪ To your heart… ♪
Does it happen in college?
♪ To your heart… ♪
Oh, wait. Do we get a lot of girls in college?
I…
Adam, time travel exists.
[laughs] It exists. Isn’t that crazy?
Every conceptual idea you have about the universe
has just been thrown out the window.
Yet your big question is, “Do I get laid?”
Do I?
[Adam] Jesus Christ.
I was just wondering.
[Adam] Wonder in silence.
♪ Let my love open the door ♪
Oh my God! It’s gonna happen!
Where you goin’?
Drugstore.
I need to get this wound closed up.
You’re gonna go dressed like that?
Why don’t you wear some of Dad’s clothes?
How long ago was Dad’s accident?
About a year and a half ago.
She still hasn’t cleaned out his closet.
She’s not much of a housekeeper.
Hey. You have her to take care of you. She has no one. You understand?
Do you understand?
She wakes up every morning
with a broken heart and a closet full of his clothes
and gets nothing from you but a fistful of crap,
and not even, like, ten seconds of genuine empathy.
I’m you, you know.
Tell me about it.
You know, 30 years, you still get sick to your stomach
every time you remember how you treated her now.
I used to love this jacket.
Dad did too.
I keep waiting to wake up and miss him less,
but that hasn’t happened yet.
Do you still miss him?
Missed him while he was here.
It’s not gonna fit you.
Sure it will.
[bleeping]
[young Adam] How’s the jet?
It’s gettin’ there.
So the person you came to save is in 2018.
And somehow, you ended up in 2022. How does that work? You just missed?
Well, I got shot when I was stealing the plane.
So, uh… I was losin’ blood. Ship was comin’ apart.
I jammed the coordinates. I didn’t have time to double-check ’em.
Wait, you stole the jet?
It’s encoded to me.
So I didn’t exactly steal it. I borrowed the shit out of it.
There’s a difference. Give me some cash.
You don’t have money?
We don’t use money in the future.
Really?
Of course we use money in the future. Stay here.
[muzak version of “Time After Time” playing]
[Chuck laughs] What’s up, Reed?
Crap.
Well, look who we have here.
Ray, can we just take a break from the ass kicking today?
I have a lot going on.
Hey, guys. Enjoying our suspension?
I am now.
[young Adam groans] That’s my spleen.
[Adam laughs]
I remember these little turd-burpers.
Hey, man, we’re, uh… just playin’ around.
Quiet, Ray. This isn’t about you.
Chuck.
Hey, what’s goin’ on? Huh?
Get it together. Ray’s ready. You’re embarrassing yourself.
So you’re not gonna break this up?
God, no. That’d be irresponsible of me.
You’ll just figure out some other way to pound the crap out of him.
You always do.
He’s got a big mouth. I get it.
Point is, this fight needs to happen right now.
So just give us a second, okay, Ray?
Stretch out. You don’t wanna pull a hammy.
What are you doing?
Hey, Ray Dollarhyde has been bullying you for years
because you’re small, and fragile, and you have a big mouth.
But here’s the thing. He doesn’t wanna fight.
I don’t wanna fight either.
He doesn’t know that, does he?
So you’re gonna walk over there, and you’re gonna raise your hands,
and then you’re gonna look Ray right in the eye.
You’re gonna smile in a way that says,
“I’ve waited my entire life for this moment.”
Like you can’t wait to watch his soul exit his body.
Then you’re gonna drop to your knees
and punch him hard in the private bathing suit parts.
I’m sorry, the what now?
Ah! Are we gonna smoke this banana?
Or are we gonna talk about it all day? Let’s go, go, go, go, go.
I’m gonna smoke your banana, motherf…
No, no, no, no! No. That… that’s not what we talked about.
[young Adam grunts]
[groans]
[groans]
[Ray] Boom!
[laughing] Oh yeah!
[Chuck] Nice, man.
[Ray] You crying, Reed?
Oh no, Chuck. Look, we made him cry.
[Chuck] It’s like he was trying to lose.
Run away, Reed!
What the hell?
I’m not supposed to do this.
Ever hear the expression, “Every bully has a bully”?
Yours isn’t holding up his end of the bargain, so I’m gonna take over.
What are you talking about?
[shushes]
You’re a good fighter. You like to kick ass. You’re a big kid.
But if you go near Adam again, I’ll know, and I will find you, Ray.
And it won’t be like a couple of kids in a playground scrap.
I will pull bones out of your body.
I will sharpen them.
I will use them to stab little Chuckie.
What did I do?
Shut your mouth, or I’ll fill it with Ray’s feet.
You understand what I’m saying? Got all of it? The bones?
Yeah.
Your feet in Chuckie’s mouth?
[liquid running]
Good. Are you peeing right now?
Yeah.
You’re a real streamer.
Get yourself home and clean yourself up.
Be the change you wanna see, okay?
God, I hated those assholes.
[birdsong]
Oh, come on.
Hey, Adam.
Get out of my stuff and open the door.
Put the drone down. It will kill us both.
Hey, look, you lost one fight. I figured you’d be used to that by now.
You coulda helped. You just stood there.
Christ. You’re so sensitive.
Hey, you had to lose that fight.
You had to. Trust me.
You don’t go from bein’ you to bein’ me without gettin’ your ass kicked,
a lot, all the time.
I’m sorry if I went too far today.
Shouldn’t have done that.
[young Adam] Who’s this?
Who’s who?
Put that back.
You put that back.
As soon as you tell me who she is.
That’s my wife, Laura.
We have a wife?
No, we do not have a wife anymore.
[Ellie] Hey.
Hi.
[man] Aah. Hi, there. How are you?
Hey, Paul.
[Paul] Been a while.
[Ellie] Yep, how you doin’? That baby sleeping yet?
Uh, not really. No.
[chuckles] No. Well, you’ll miss those days when they’re gone.
Ah, I find that hard to believe.
[Ellie] Believe it. Babies are pure love.
They grow into teenagers, who grow into be assassins of happiness.
Thank you, thank you.
Mm, well, somethin’ to look forward to. [chuckles]
Sorry. It’s been a rough day.
Year. Couple of years.
Hmm. Your boy still havin’ a hard time?
[sighs]
He hates me.
[Paul] Hmm.
It’s not his fault. He’s… he’s just dealing.
It’s fine. We’ll be fine. It’s good. Good, good, good.
I wish I knew what I was doin’ wrong.
You’re not doin’ anything wrong.
Sorry. [laughs]
I’m sorry.
[laughing] Sorry, you scared me.
I was eavesdropping. I’m sorry.
Yeah.
[chuckles] You’re right, though. Teenage boys are horrible.
It’s like living with a urinal cake that yells at you.
[laughs]
Mothers are usually the ones who take the hit.
Yeah.
But I’ll tell you somethin’.
Mmm?
Boys always come back for their mamas.
That’s nice.
It sounds like you’re speaking from experience.
I am.
You have a good mom?
[Adam] I do.
Oh.
[whispers] I have the best mom.
Good.
I hope you’re right.
I’m still researching boarding schools in Fallujah, so…
Good.
[both laugh]
No, I don’t mean that. He’s such a sweet kid.
I’m crazy about him.
We lost his dad in a car accident year before last.
Yeah. That’s tough.
Yeah. You have no idea.
Well, I have some idea.
Oh, sorry.
Sorry.
Jinx.
Thank you.
[Adam] Thank you.
Aren’t you grieving too?
Yeah.
[Adam] Yeah.
I am. Of course I am.
So tell him.
You should tell him.
I don’t think he needs it.
You think you’re being strong for him,
and the problem with acting like you have it all together is…
He believes it.
Maybe he needs to know that you don’t.
It’s okay if you don’t.
[Adam chuckles]
My husband had a jacket just like that.
Oh, this is a classic.
Yeah.
It was really nice chatting with you. I’ll see you later.
Oh, hey, um…
He doesn’t hate you.
He loves you.
More than he knows.
Hey! Hey!
[breathing heavily]
[engines rumbling]
[bleeping]
Locked and docked.
Start the area scans for his jet.
Let’s find him and get the hell outta here.
[stomps]
Find him.
[cutlery clinking]
So you came back for your wife, Laura?
We’re not getting into that.
Hey, she’s my wife too.
You know what? We should get into that.
Thank you.
Met in the academy.
She was 20 minutes late to the wrong classroom
in the wrong building.
I offered to walk her to the right one, and…
Man, I was all in before we even made it outside.
A couple of years ago, she didn’t come back from a jump.
They told me her jet broke up on reentry, but she was the best pilot in the program.
She wrote the book on reentry. Didn’t make sense.
And you were trying to get to 2018 ’cause that’s where she went before?
Yeah.
What was she doing there?
I don’t know.
They changed the jump logs.
Somebody was hidin’ somethin’.
Maybe she saw something Sorian didn’t want her to see.
Wait, “Sorian”? Maya Sorian, Dad’s partner?
She was always so nice to me.
Hmm.
Yeah, trust me. She’s no friend.
Nope.
After Dad died, she got rich off of his tech.
Bought all the right people.
Next thing you know,
she has exclusive control over the most valuable resource on Earth,
time.
Wait a minute. You’re saying Dad invented time travel?
Yeah.
Not on purpose.
The magnetic particle accelerator. Remember that?
He called it The Adam Project.
[Adam] Yeah, or as I like to call it, his favorite child.
So what happened to Laura?
Mmm. Well, I think your nice friend Maya had her killed.
What?
Yeah.
That’s why I gotta get back to 2018 as soon as possible.
The jet’s almost ready. I’ll lay low in the shed.
I’ll heal for a few more days until I can get a clean read
and then fly out of your life.
But going back to save her.
Talking to me.
[whines]
Everything you’re doing right now just to rescue one person.
You’re changing the future. That’s gotta be against the rules.
You’ll feel differently when you meet her.
[rattling]
And when you lose her.
What?
[shushes] Grab that bag. Get ready to run.
Why? What’s happening?
We’re going that way. Be ready.
[whirrs]
[whooshing]
[crackling]
[groaning]
Move!
[whooshing]
[Adam grunting]
[groaning]
[grunts]
Stay behind me. [exhales]
Don’t you do it! Don’t you do it, Reed!
Wanna see something cool?
[clanking and whirring]
That’s a lightsaber, dude.
Quiet now.
[grunting]
Time to go. Let’s go.
[rumbling]
[Sorian] Hello, Adam.
[man] Reed, don’t move!
[Adam] Christos. They’ll let anyone into this time stream.
Who’s that?
That’s Christos. We were in the academy together.
He’s a decent pilot but a terrible person.
He runs security for Sorian.
Ouchie, with the face. Did I do that?
God, I hope the boss lets me kill you.
[chuckles] In fairness, though, you did shoot me first.
On the bright side, your… your face now matches your soul.
Anyone say you talk too much?
All the time.
It’s come up.
[Sorian] That’s enough.
Adam, before this goes any further, let’s just go home, please.
Uh, no!
Just… just no.
So you’re risking your own young life
over some paranoid delusion that I somehow killed Laura.
I loved Laura. You were both like family to me.
I would never have hurt her. I hate that it’s come to this.
Guns.
[clanking and whirring]
Christos, please escort Adam back to 2050.
You’re up.
Yeah. All right, drop the Mag-Cyl.
This?
Yeah.
Yeah. Okay.
All right.
Wanna start low or go high?
[Adam groans]
[young Adam] Stop! Get off him!
[Adam groans]
[guns power up]
[Christos] Come here!
[“Good Times Bad Times” by Led Zeppelin]
♪ In the days of my youth… ♪
Move!
♪ I was told what it means ♪
♪ To be a man ♪
♪ Now I’ve reached that age ♪
♪ I’ve tried to do all those things ♪
♪ The best I can… ♪
[Hawking barking]
♪ No matter how I try ♪
♪ I find my way to the same old jam ♪
♪ Good times, bad times ♪
♪ You know I’ve had my share ♪
♪ When my woman… ♪
What is happening?
Dying outside your fixed time is messy.
What are you doing here?
Saving your ass, honey. Behind you!
[sizzling]
I can’t believe…
I can’t believe you’re here.
♪ Good times, bad times ♪
♪ You know I’ve had my share ♪
♪ When my woman left home For a brown-eyed man ♪
♪ Well, I still don’t seem to care ♪
Hey.
Hi.
That was awesome.
[engine roaring]
We should go.
Yep. Let’s go.
Come on, come on, come on!
Go. Go!
[revs engine]
[tires screech]
[horn blares]
I knew you’d come someday. I just didn’t know when.
[Adam] Of course I came.
[young Adam] Eyes on the road, please.
[Adam] They said you lit up on reentry.
That’s crap. I have the top reentry stats in the program.
[young Adam yells]
Oh yeah.
[young Adam coughing]
Laura, this is… me.
Hi.
Parallel contact, babe?
Well, you’ve always said that you wished you’d met me earlier.
Here I am.
Yeah.
All right, can we maybe slow down a bit now?
There’s no one even following us.
Don’t look back. Look up.
[Adam] Gotta get off this road. We’re too exposed.
Okay, baby, it’s about to get busier.
Go, go, go, go, go, go, go!
[gunfire]
[Laura yelps]
[young Adam yelps]
[gunfire continues]
Stop the car.
What?
What?
Stop!
[Laura yells]
[soldier shrieks]
Okay, back, back. Go, go, go! Reverse!
Back! Back!
Go, go, go, go!
[young Adam grunts]
They’re leaving.
They’re not leaving. They’re regrouping.
We have to get off this road fast.
[young Adam] What road?
[birdsong]
[Adam] I… I don’t understand. How did you find us?
[Laura] You don’t think I’d be watching your back, even in the past?
[Adam] Why did you make the jump back in the first place?
I was analyzing data when I found something strange in the jump logs.
A time jet returning from 2018.
How’s that strange?
Because no one ever flew to 2018.
[Adam] I don’t get it. How did it come back if it never left?
Unless someone went back and altered the time stream,
so the future the jet had left from had already been changed.
God, it’s like I traded my brains for those muscles.
It’s a shit deal.
Cute kid.
Precious, isn’t he?
Don’t you just wanna hold him underwater till the bubbles stop?
[chuckles]
Oh, I freakin’ hate myself.
How did this happen?
[Laura] That jet that went back? It was Sorian’s.
She went back to November 2018 for a reason.
What happened in November 2018?
I’ll tell ya. [sighs]
This happened.
Your father’s magnetic particle accelerator,
The Adam Project, had just gone online.
That was the first step toward practical time travel.
Sorian must’ve come back to 2018
and given her younger self some kind of future intel.
What for?
My guess is enough future stock tips to amass her fortune
and get rid of whatever political obstacles
were keeping her from gaining control of the time program.
She already had that.
But did she?
No.
No, she didn’t.
No.
So this world, our world,
everything has already been changed by Sorian.
And your fixed time, 2050, is it bad there?
We’ve seen Terminator, right?
Obviously.
That’s 2050 on a good day.
[Laura sighs]
Sorian must’ve spotted me and planted an altitude bomb on my jet.
Here, eat something.
I managed to eject, but it didn’t matter.
[mouths]
Without my jet, I was a permanent castaway.
So I had to follow protocol, you know, live out my life here,
avoid contact, minimize my footprint,
and hope you were crazy enough to come look for me.
Alone. All this time.
Four years.
That’s the job, right?
Yeah, but, baby…
It’s…
It’s fine. I got used to being alone.
Not anymore.
[sighs]
[Adam] Hey.
I found you.
[Laura chuckles]
I found you.
You found me.
[Laura and Adam moan]
I’ll take my eyes and ears for a walk.
[Adam] Bye now.
[young Adam] You kids have fun.
[sighs] Hey.
Hi.
[Laura moans]
[Adam grunts]
[moans] Ah, da-da-da-da…
What’s wrong?
I got shot.
You got shot?
By a gun, yeah.
Reed?
Yeah?
Suck it up.
Yes, ma’am.
[whispers] Yes, boss.
[birdsong]
You know what you have to do.
Nooooo.
No, I came back for you.
I know.
But we can’t have a life here. Not like this.
Now you have to go back to 2018, and you have to put things right.
You have to put an end to all this.
What do you mean “put an end to it”?
I mean, stop time travel
from ever being invented and save the future.
Fine, come with me, and we’ll…
Your jet is meshed for your DNA. It won’t fly with anyone else.
You’re smart. You can figure it out.
Adam!
We meet in the program. We meet there. Do you understand that? We can’t…
If I go back and stop time travel,
and that’s an extremely big “if” with Sorian on my ass,
we never meet.
We never happen.
We never happen, Laura.
We did happen.
Every moment we ever had will always have happened.
Even if we correct the time stream,
somewhere in us will be the echo of this one.
And we will find each other.
I really believe that.
What if we don’t? What if… what if you’re wrong?
And you’re probably wrong.
When am I ever wrong?
Hey, hey.
[sobs]
I can’t do this again, okay?
I can’t do this again, please. I can’t afford to lose you. Don’t do this.
[loud bleeping]
What is that?
They found us.
[dramatic music playing]
[bleeping continues]
[gasping] Damn it!
There’s a dirt road around the bend.
I’ll buy you time to get to your jet.
No, no, no. Hey. I’m not leaving.
You have to.
What are you talking about?
Those guys’ll kill you.
No! I’ve had years…
I’ve had years to rig my defenses. They’ll never see me coming.
If they catch you, it’s over.
That’s the only reason…
Adam! Stop it! Please. [sobs]
I know you came for me.
[sobbing] Now you have to leave for me, please.
Please.
[whispers] We can fix this.
Hey, I love you.
[Laura sighs]
That’s why I know you’re gonna find me again.
Go.
Go!
God damn it!
[grunts]
[device powering up]
Come on.
Come on.
Boom.
[Adam] Jet’s not reading me because of my vitals.
I’ll need your DNA to start her up.
When we get to altitude, the bio stop will come down, and then I can take over.
We have to move fast, or they’ll be on us before we can jump to 2018.
Wait. What? I’m not coming with you.
Yes, you are. Let’s go. We need to go.
[Laura] Christos!
[Christos yells]
[panting]
It’s good to see you, buddy.
Laura, is that you?
You’re not still mad at me for blowing up your jet, are you?
If I’m being honest, yeah, I’m still kinda pissed.
Will you stop and listen to me?
This is my fixed time. You already had my childhood.
You had adventures, you flew planes,
and I’m still the nerd with an inhaler who gets his ass kicked.
I want the rest of it.
Want the rest?
Yeah.
Here’s the rest of it. Dad’s death screws you up more than you ever realize.
You get depressed. You get angry.
You wander around school without making a social dent.
College is a high point, until after a year, you lose your scholarship
for something that is so unbelievably stupid
I cannot even say it out loud right now.
You end up in the air force. Turns out you could really fly.
And then along comes time travel, and the whole world starts to fall apart
until the only woman you have…
The only woman you ever loved gets taken away.
Do you understand me?
Till you lose…
She… she just gets taken away.
[sighs]
There’s gotta be more than that.
[Adam] There is, kid.
And thanks to Sorian, none of it’s good.
We can fix it.
By destroying time travel?
That’s right.
How are we gonna do that? What’s your plan?
I’m not gonna explain my plan to a nerd with an inhaler…
You don’t have a plan.
Because I do not have a plan.
Exactly.
That is correct.
But I know somebody who might.
Dad.
Dad.
You’re gonna find Dad.
[Adam] Nope.
We’re gonna find Dad.
So are you in or are you…
[engine whirring]
Tell your husband to get his bitch ass out here.
He’s busy right now,
but I’ll tell him you stopped by.
[whirring]
Hello, Laura.
You should have stayed dead the first time.
Now, where is your husband?
[Adam panting] Okay.
Here we go. All right, give me your hand.
[whirring]
Like that, yep.
Nice, healthy DNA right there.
Okay, we’ll park it down there,
grab on to that railing,
hold on for dear life, and try not to pass out from the G’s, okay?
What’s a… Jesus!
[exhales shakily]
What’s happening?
That.
[young Adam yelps] What are you doing?
[gunfire]
Gotcha!
Hang on.
[wails]
[yelling]
[yelling]
I told you to hang on.
Don’t give me that stink eye.
Where you going?
Shit!
[Adam] Okay, hold tight. I’ve always wanted to try this.
[young Adam] Did you just turn the plane off?
[Adam] Yes, I did.
[young Adam] Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God,
oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God,
oh my God, oh my God!
Where the hell are they?
[Christos] They gotta be here somewhere.
[Sorian] Adam, check your ion readings.
The reactor’s damaged.
You have one jump left.
If you don’t come back now, you never will.
[exhales]
What do you say, kid? Your call.
We don’t pull this off, we’re not gettin’ back, either one of us.
Punch that shit.
Oh yeah!
[“Gimme Some Lovin'” by The Spencer Davis Group]
[bleeping]
Gotcha.
[whirring]
♪ Hey ♪
♪ Well, my temperature’s rising… ♪
Come on!
♪ And my feet on the floor ♪
♪ Crazy people knockin’… ♪
Adam!
I got this.
♪ Let me in, baby I don’t know what you got ♪
♪ But you better take it easy… ♪
Come on, Reed. Come on.
[young Adam] Adam!
[Adam] I got it!
Adam!
I got it!
[young Adam] Adam!
♪ So glad we made it… ♪
Come on!
Let’s not…
[alarm bleeping]
Die!
[young Adam yelling]
♪ Every day ♪
[man] It’s not meant to be easy.
Listen, guys, instead of moaning about it,
give yourself permission to be inadequate, and then get to work.
You can’t be good at something unless you’re willing to be…
[blows raspberry] …at it first.
[laughter]
Professor Reed.
Sophie.
It’ll take two semesters just to begin solving that.
[Louis] Oh, good God, at least that.
[Sophie] Even then, we’ll fail the class, because this is bonkers.
[Louis] Sophie, you can do this.
Listen, guys, that is the beauty of physics.
[voice fading] That is the beauty of life…
[inaudible]
It’s really him.
[Louis] Now, guys.
Yep.
[Louis] If you think you’ve got…
He’s so…
[Adam] Yeah.
Alive. Come here for a second. Hey.
Let me do the talking in there.
We have to tell him what happens.
He doesn’t have to die.
We say nothing, okay?
Only what he needs to know. Everything else…
We can’t.
I wanna hear you say it, “I won’t tell him.” Say it.
Say it.
I won’t tell him.
Physics is a slog. It’s a slog.
We are meant to work on problems that our children will solve.
You might find the odd solution here or there.
I just got your shirt, by the way. It’s very clever.
But you will die before your life’s work is done.
Your cold, lifeless husk will be moldering in the ground
while generations that come after you
will be finishing the work that you started.
To quote the Romans,
“Enjoy yourselves.
It’s later than you think.”
[Adam] Guy Lombardo.
[Louis laughs]
I am s… I’m sorry?
[Adam] Guy Lombardo. That was… Yeah.
The quote, um… “It’s later than you think.” It’s not the Romans.
It’s a singer. Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians.
It was Guy Lombardo,
and it was from his 1949 classic, “Enjoy Yourself.”
But long before that,
it was the Romans who etched it on their sundials.
So, uh… so we’re both right.
It’s interesting that you, uh… you know that.
I’m sorry, do I know you?
Just auditing the class. [chuckles]
Any other questions?
[alarm beeps]
All right, the, uh, reading’s on my website, and I’ll see you Tuesday.
Adam?
Dad.
Dad.
[Louis] Adam?
Is… is this time travel?
[Louis] He came from 2050 and got you?
[young Adam] Yes.
How old are you now?
[young Adam] Twelve.
Why did you need your 12-year-old self?
[Adam] I didn’t.
You needed me to fly the jet.
Jet? There… there’s a jet?
My jet.
Oh.
What I meant was I didn’t need you originally.
2022 was a mistake.
Wh…
And you flew this jet?
Yes.
Did you, though?
Is that my jacket? Looks tight on you.
That’s what I said.
It’s fine.
Like a condom with buttons.
This is fun. I’m having fun, are you?
Condom!
And why was 2022 a mistake?
I wasn’t supposed to be there.
You’re not supposed to be here.
You don’t say.
They shot him when he stole the jet.
Please don’t tell him that.
You stole a jet?
Why would he need to know that?
Okay, stop. Both of you stop talking now.
Do you realize how absolutely wrong this is?
You can’t be here. You can’t be anywhere but your own timeline.
What do you think we’re doin’ here? Think we’re short of hugs in the future?
There’s a reason I need to talk to you.
I don’t… I don’t care.
He doesn’t care.
Don’t get me wrong.
I’m very happy to see you, and I mean this in the best possible way,
but you need to piss off to where you came from.
Anything you say or do could cause a divergence.
Can you please shut up for a second?
I’m not gonna listen…
For a second and listen.
Shut the physics fountain in your face.
What you are doing is reckless.
Dad!
[groans]
[young Adam] You okay?
God damn it!
[groaning]
[Adam] In fairness, I…
It’s okay.
I asked him nicely to shut up and listen.
He did no such thing, so…
It’s okay. It’s fine. I’m fine.
So… Oh, you…
That’s what you get. We don’t hit people in this family.
What was that?
That’s what you get.
God!
How did you turn out to be an asshole? I thought you loved me.
I do!
None of it matters anymore.
Are you kidding me? Of course it matters.
Dad.
They don’t have safeguards where you come from?
Dad.
Protocols?
Maya and I agreed.
Dad.
There’d be an ethics panel…
Dad!
With real oversight.
None of it matters anymore.
Wait. It already happened? Somebody already altered time?
Who?
Sorian.
Maya?
Maya.
She’d never do that. She knows the consequences.
She’s been funding my work for years.
The Adam Project.
Yes, I theorized that with a powerful enough pulse,
we could generate utilitarian wormholes in space.
And we did it four weeks ago.
But I was… I was just playing with the theory
that you can use wormholes for time travel.
That part’s theoretical.
Right.
Still theoretical.
This theory needs to take a leak. So let’s go.
Holy shit! I’m the godfather of time travel?
Nice hit, Dad.
[whispers] I think I broke my hand.
[Louis] I’m… I’m sorry. This is my fault.
My… my ego. My hubris.
My need to be best, to be first, to be the smartest guy in the room.
And here we are.
A disgusting character flaw.
He didn’t know.
[Louis] But I should have.
Yeah.
Mankind has no business tampering with the mechanics of the universe.
There are forces greater than science.
Right. That’s why we’re gonna put the genie back in the bottle.
Destroy time travel before it’s even invented.
Uh…
What’s done, no matter how terrible,
should not and cannot be undone under any circumstance.
Even us being here, talking like this, we’re perverting fate and time.
I told you Sorian already did that. She’s had the world by the balls since.
And you know that for a fact?
Do you have scientific proof that she changed things?
No, you don’t because you can’t know. But I will tell you this.
You being here opens up the potential for catastrophic reconfiguration.
And that is quantifiable, that…
Stop. Stop.
Stop.
Stop what?
Stop being a scientist.
But I am a scient…
Be a father.
You were always more interested in the universe than your son.
That’s not true.
[Adam] That is true.
And when you’re older, you’ll realize that. It…
You know what? It’s…
That ship has sailed. It’s too late for me. So, you know, whatever. I’m fine.
But he needs you.
[Louis] Hmm.
And you? What do you need?
[chuckles]
I need to go for a walk.
[door opens]
I can’t be here, Adam. I… I have to go.
Please don’t go.
I have to.
Please.
This is… this is bigger than any of us.
It’s too dangerous what he’s asking me to do. I can’t.
All right. We’ll see each other again.
Wait.
I need to tell you something.
No, you can’t say anything else to me.
I can’t know the future.
I’m sorry.
I have to go home. Your mom and you are waiting.
[woman] Yes, Senator.
Except the stability of these wormholes is no longer a hypothetical,
and the work we are doing here is simply ahead of the current statutes.
So you can either support my program and be a part of the future,
or you can get left behind in the past.
[Sorian] Hang up the phone.
What are you doing here? You said I wouldn’t be seeing you again.
Did I? Hmm.
When was that? Remind me.
[Maya] The last time you just showed up, two months ago.
Oh, well, for me, it was 32 years ago.
So sorry if I’m a little fuzzy on the details.
Anyway, times have changed.
You can’t be here.
You know the potential for catastrophic changes to the time stream.
It’s incalculable.
God, I was such a nerd.
Will you please just stop talking?
Everything you asked me to do.
The stock buys, the offshore accounts, all of it. It’s unethical.
And illegal.
This isn’t a joke. It’s dangerous.
The environmental impact alone from the companies you had me pick
could be devastating.
In fairness to us,
the environment was pretty much toast before we came along.
And by the way, Maya, you did it, all of it,
because somewhere inside that cheap suit and ridiculous ponytail is me.
I’m leaving.
Where you going?
You seeing someone?
No, you’re not. You’re too busy.
[clicks tongue] Thing is, you always will be.
This company is all you will ever have.
[sighs]
It is your personal life.
It’s your family.
But this is our legacy.
And if we had let the government take it from us,
then everything we sacrificed,
all that loneliness,
all that loneliness,
would’ve been for nothing.
And I did it.
I fixed that future where we had been forgotten.
Then why are you back here now?
I’m back
because we can’t control time travel if it never existed.
And your buddy Adam Reed is about to betray you.
Adam? He’s just a little kid.
Yeah, well, that little kid…
[laughs] …he grows up to be a very big pain in our ass.
[sighs] Trust me. You’re gonna want this.
[crickets chirping]
[door opens]
[door closes]
What?
I know you think you know more than me because you’re older.
Go away, Adam. [sighs]
And I know why you hate him so much.
Really?
[laughs] Well, do tell. I’m on the edge of my seat here.
Holy shit. I wonder what it i… Was it because he’s narcissistic,
or, uh, never came home from work
or cared more about his job than his son…
It’s because he died.
You hate him
because he died.
You made yourself hate him
because it was easier than missing him.
And I remember some stuff that you maybe don’t wanna.
Oh yeah?
Like what?
He played catch with us
almost every night.
Catch.
He’d get home from work,
be so tired, and I’d be in the yard throwing the ball against the pitch back.
You remember the pitch back, right?
Oh, I… I remember the pitch back.
Yeah, he bought it so he didn’t have to play with me.
Nope.
He bought it because they had one in the window of Altman’s.
And every time we passed that store,
I begged him to buy it for me,
so that’s what Dad did.
He’d see me throwin’ in the yard, and no matter how tired he was,
he’d always grab his mitt to come out for a catch.
Things happened to you, to us.
And we suck at dealing with it.
I’m starting to think it’s something we do.
I give Mom a hard time now, and…
I think…
I think it’s easier to be angry than it is to be sad.
And I guess, when I get older,
I forget that there’s a difference.
How’d you get to be so smart?
How’d you get to be so dumb?
[sighs]
Nice try, asshole.
[Ellie] Adam, make sure you feed Hawking before you leave for school, honey.
Oh.
[sizzling]
You’re still here.
[Louis] Oh.
And you’re cooking. What are you making? Hi.
Uh, I know you like the Denver omelet.
That’s not a Denver omelet. That is a cry for help.
The eggs are burnt, and the bacon’s still somehow totally raw.
Oh, you… Oh, no, no. No, no, no. Wha…
Do you wanna talk about why you’re still here
instead of being at work?
I… I… Well, I just wanted to stay home with you today.
You don’t say. I like this guy.
This guy likes you.
What’s going on with you, honey?
Does he seem, uh… does he seem sad to you?
No.
He’s an odd duck, like his dad.
I happen to collect odd ducks.
I don’t know if I should’ve built that game for him.
Shouldn’t he be outside, playing with the rest of the kids?
How is he gonna find his place in the world?
“His place in the world”? He’s a kid. We’re his place in the world.
You’re his place in the world.
[sighs] Okay, whatever is going on, listen, I can tell you the truth
or something that’s gonna make you feel better.
I’d rather cut to it and tell you the truth, if you’re up for it.
I… I’d rather something that’ll make me feel better.
[laughs] Yeah, I know.
Kidding. Sort of.
Okay, tell me.
When you are with us… [clicks tongue]
…you’re with us 100%.
It’s amazing.
And when you’re not…
[laughs] …it’s like… pfft.
So is he a little lonely?
Yeah, probably.
But does that make you a shitty guy? No.
I’ve gotta do better.
Hey, buddy, I have good news for you.
He doesn’t need perfect. He just needs you.
Your cooking makes you a borderline serial killer,
but the rest of you is pretty awesome.
Ellie.
You know I love you.
Yeah, I know.
I’m extremely lovable.
Yeah.
[Ellie] Hmm.
I have to go to work.
Okay, okay, okay.
And, hey, you got time.
[sighs]
“It’s later than you think.”
[ominous music playing]
[young Adam] Really think we can?
Maybe, maybe not. We’ll see.
But we’re gonna try anyway.
Destroy time travel. How will we do that?
This is the world’s largest electromagnetic accelerator.
It’s 2018, so EM technology isn’t stable yet.
So here’s what we’re gonna do. We’re gonna blow this bitch up.
Blow it up?
Yep.
How did I live this long? That’s a terrible idea.
Yeah, well, when a bad idea is the only idea, it becomes a great idea.
Who said that?
You. Nine years from now, right before you get arrested.
What?
Try to focus.
We’ll have to deal with security. You know this bag of toys you love?
Yeah.
Being a geek is about to pay off.
Reading me?
[young Adam] Roger that, Red Leader.
This is Butternut Sippy Cup. Ten-four, over.
Let’s just talk like normal people, okay?
[young Adam] Copy that…
Red Leader.
Somethin’s wrong.
There’s nobody here.
Which means they’re here.
Sorian warned her younger self we were coming.
Are you sure?
[whooshing]
Oh, pretty sure.
Don’t move. On your knees.
I’m sorry. What?
We’re taking you back to 2050, Reed.
I can’t hear you through the helmet. It muffles a bit. It’s hard to hear you.
Don’t get me wrong, your outfits are incredible though.
They’re intimidating but also scream, “Please don’t hurt me.”
[soldier] On your knees. I won’t tell you again.
Well, you… you’re right about that.
Adam, what are you doing? I’m about to get my ass kicked.
Don’t worry. He doesn’t wanna fight.
They wanna fight. They really, really wanna fight.
Just look him in the eyes and smile.
Smile in a way that says, “I want this.”
“I’ve been waiting my whole life for this.”
Then hit him in the private bathing suit parts.
Adam!
Roger that.
Pyeow!
[soldiers grunting]
Yeah!
[tires screech]
Adam, you’re on those cars, right?
Roger that, middle-aged Adam.
[bleeping]
Bye. Pfft.
Adam!
[gasps, grunts]
[Louis] Whoo!
That was invigorating!
Dad?
Dad?
I’m sorry. Are you okay?
This close!
That was amazing.
This close!
Where’s little Adam?
He’s fine!
Hey, hey!
Hey?
That’s your mother’s car.
The car?
What are you doin’ here?
I went to the motel, and when I didn’t find you there,
I… I figured I’d find you here.
It’s not like you’re keeping a low profile, obviously.
What the hell is this?
Tell you what? You come up with a plan, and we’ll do it your way. Sound good?
Oh God. Thank God. There’s a plan.
I was beginning to think you were making this up as you went along.
Adam, I’m goin’ inside. Cover the perimeter.
No one gets in behind me.
Sorry. That was harsh.
Roger Dodger.
[Adam] Harsh? You shaved my ass with a Subaru.
I… I saved your ass with a Subaru, son.
What’s Dad doing?
Dad’s being critical. Big surprise.
Okay, I…
You’re trying to break into a highly sensitive, secure facility
with a sixth-grader.
I am not being critical. I’m… I’m narrating.
Will you just stop? Stop. Where the hell are you going?
To destroy your accelerator, and I’m gonna enjoy it.
Do you realize that you have broken every rule?
You’ve blown past every conceivable ethical boundary like it wasn’t there.
Yeah? Then why are you here, Dad?
Because you can’t do it without me.
[sighs]
Some people dream of the future.
Here at Sorian Technologies, we’re building it.
[Louis] If you destroy the accelerator, Sorian will simply rebuild it.
[Adam] So what will work?
[Louis] What you’re after is ISPCA.
Infinitely Shifting Plasma Containing Algorithm,
which I designed to stabilize the wormholes.
That is the mathematical equation that will make time travel possible.
How do you destroy math?
I’ve never written the algorithm down or demonstrated it to another human being,
so it lives here in the old bean,
and in the subbasement in a diamond-hard neuromorphic processor.
Are you talking about your penis?
Can… can we be serious now?
Yes. No. Yes.
It’s a hard drive, okay?
[chuckles]
God, you’re such a child.
Sorry.
There is a crystal hard drive running the algorithm in a closed loop.
That is the nerve center of the accelerator.
So we go there, destroy the hard drive, prevent time travel from being invented.
Theoretically, time travel…
Oh my God! You’re killing me with the theoretical.
Yes, that should do it.
Good. Let’s do that.
Okay. Okay.
Okay. Okay.
Okay.
[whirring]
[elevator chimes, dings]
This is where you work.
Yes.
Only took you 44 years to bring me here.
Fair.
I am so keeping this thing.
[ominous music playing]
[Louis clears throat]
[whirring]
[bleeps]
[Adam] So this is it?
[Louis] This is it.
I gotta hand it to you, Dad. You were not messin’ around.
This is where we house the hard drive.
[Adam] What happens if you pull it out?
[Louis] One of two things.
The accelerator will continue to run on a dormant loop.
But without the algorithm, no one will ever be able to program it again.
Or?
Or there’s a cataclysmic meltdown
that will destroy all living things within 100 miles.
Well, let’s hope it’s the first thing.
[alarm beeping]
[computer] Neuromorphic hard drive panel accessed.
[Louis exhales sharply]
Screw it.
Oh!
Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho!
Whew! [laughing]
[Maya] Louis.
[Louis] Maya?
Long time no see.
Oh, this shit’s about to get weird.
Were you really gonna steal that from us? Destroy everything we’ve worked for?
[Louis] Our work was supposed to have moral ground rules.
We were gonna change the world.
Change the world?
The only thing that’s changed is you. Have you lost your mind?
All these years, I funded your work.
I’m not the villain here. I spent millions…
Hundreds of millions of my money, my wealth.
Mmm.
Just to fund your every indulgence.
But this…
This is mine to do with as I please.
Now,
Adam,
give me… the drive.
No.
Just… no.
I thought you were gonna say that.
[ominous music playing]
[whirring, beeps]
Come here.
Gimme the gun.
Maya, Jesus Christ.
What are you doing? Are you crazy?
Oh, I think that’s well established.
Adam, just listen to her.
It’s okay. It’s all right.
‘Cause Adam’s gonna give me the drive right now.
[kisses]
Shhh.
Aren’t you, Adam?
Adam?
Adam?
[Sorian] Hey, beautiful idiot. If I shoot him, you die too.
[Louis] Adam?
I’m thinking it over.
What? What do you mean you’re thinking?
Yeah.
It’s a complicated issue.
What is there to think over?
It’s a big decision!
No, it’s not!
It’s not.
I need to think it through!
I’m about to lose my shit here!
Give her the drive!
Give her the drive, man!
Give her the drive!
[Maya] Please!
[gun fires]
[computer] Electromagnetic seal compromised.
[low humming]
[humming intensifying]
[pulsating hum]
[“Foreplay/Long Time” by Boston]
[yells]
[groans] Run!
[yelling]
[computer] Commencing emergency protocols.
[soldier] Come here.
Dad!
Adam!
[young Adam] Ow!
[grunts] Hey! Let me go!
[Louis] Adam, just hang on!
[young Adam] Let me go!
Get me that drive! Now!
[computer] Access denied.
[young Adam] Get off me! Dad!
This way!
[“Foreplay/Long Time” continues]
♪ Well, I’m takin’ my time ♪
♪ Just movin’ along ♪
♪ You’ll forget about me After I’ve been gone… ♪
[groans]
♪ And I take what I find ♪
♪ I don’t want no more ♪
♪ It’s just outside of your front door ♪
♪ Oh, yeah ♪
♪ It’s been such a long time ♪
♪ It’s been such a long time… ♪
[shushes]
[gasps]
[crashing]
[Christos growls]
[rumbling]
[soldier groans loudly]
Yeah.
♪ Well, I’m takin’ my time ♪
♪ Just movin’ along ♪
♪ Takin’ my time ♪
♪ Oh, movin’ along… ♪
Get the drive!
The drive!
[whispers] Superhero landing.
Ever had your ass kicked by a 12-year-old nerd with an inhaler?
Suppertime, Spanky.
No.
[yelps]
No!
[grunting]
[Adam gasps]
[Christos growls]
[gasps]
Finish him!
Ahh!
[alarm blaring]
[intense whooshing]
[Christos] Come on!
[choking]
[yells]
[clanging]
[metal groaning]
[yells]
[Sorian] Christos!
No!
[computer] Core breached.
Reactor stability compromised.
Commence evacuation.
Lockdown in two minutes.
Buddy, it’s time to go. Come on.
I can’t shut it down!
[Maya] Stop!
I want my drive.
You can’t have it.
Shoot him now.
Get behind me, both of you.
Look, Dad, Dad, those guns shoot armor-piercing bullets.
So even behind you, we’re still Swiss cheese.
Thanks for that information.
You’re welcome.
Maybe spread out a little.
Maybe a good idea.
[Louis] Maya, you’re not a murderer.
Not yet, anyway.
[Sorian] Listen to me.
Everything we’ve worked for,
it goes away unless you pull this trigger.
Okay, come on.
[computer] One minute 30 seconds until lockdown.
[Sorian] You can do it.
Do it!
Maya, you’re better than this.
[Sorian grunts]
Sorry, Louis, but you brought this on yourself.
Maybe so.
You think I’m playing?
Ask your son how I play.
I had to kill his wife twice to protect the integrity of my program.
Now, don’t think I won’t put a bullet right through you.
Give it to me!
No.
[computer] One minute until lockdown.
You just never understood the bigger picture. [chuckles sadly]
[yells]
And you never understood the science.
How did you know that would work?
Those armor-piercing rounds contain a magnetic steel core.
Sometimes it pays to be a nerd, guys.
[crashing]
[computer] Containment protocol initiated.
[alarm blaring]
Ten seconds remaining.
Whoa.
Yeah, we should run.
Yep.
[computer] Nine.
Eight.
Seven.
[computer] Six.
Five.
[Louis] Go!
Four.
Three.
[Louis yelling] Oh, shit!
[computer] Two.
One.
[elevator dings]
Well, I’d say Bring Your Kid to Work Day was a huge success.
Uh-huh.
Yep.
[birdsong]
[Adam] What are you looking at?
[Louis] You’re still here.
I figured after we eliminated time travel, you two would go back to your fixed times.
It probably takes a while for 30 years of changed time
to sort itself out.
[young Adam] I don’t think we have long.
I can feel somethin’ happening.
[Adam] Me too.
Sure it’s okay for us to be here?
[Louis] It’s fine. Your mom takes you to science club on Thursdays.
[Adam sighs]
Look, um… Dad.
[sighs] There’s somethin’ we need to tell you.
I… I already know.
I knew the moment I saw you.
I’m sorry, boys. I’m, uh…
I’m sorry that I’m… I’m not gonna be there for you down the road,
and I’ve given it a lot of thought,
but you cannot tell me how or when it happens.
You came back here
because no one has a right to change the future, including us.
It’s your future.
No.
You’re my future.
Both of you.
And how lucky am I
that I got to see it?
I haven’t been there for you.
And I’m sorry.
But I saw you being born.
I watched you take your first breath.
And after that happens, nothing is ever the same again.
You’re my son, Adam,
and I love you.
You’re my boy, and I love you.
Okay. You don’t have to do all…
I loved you from the first minute that I saw you.
And that will never change.
I… I get that.
Adam, you’re my boy.
Dad? We really don’t have to do all…
You’re amazing.
[Adam] Okay.
I love you.
I get it, Dad.
I don’t think you do.
I am proud of you.
Okay.
[Louis] I love you, son.
Know that inside your heart. Know… Come here.
Come here.
[Adam sobs]
[Louis] You’re my boys, and you’ll always be my boys.
Throughout all time.
[Adam sniffles] I love you, Dad.
[Louis] I love you, buddy.
[whispers] Don’t carry this around anymore.
I need you, Dad.
It’s so hard without you.
I know.
You’re gonna be okay.
You’re gonna be better than okay.
You don’t know that.
Are you kidding me?
Have you seen this guy?
[chuckles]
There’s gotta be somethin’ we can do.
I can think of somethin’.
[Adam] You really gonna do this?
Oy.
[chuckles]
All right.
All right. Can you do me a favor?
I don’t know if we’re gonna remember any of this,
but maybe there’ll be an echo or somethin’, like Laura said.
But just in case,
give Mom a hug for me.
Would you do that?
Not one of your lame-ass side hugs either.
I’m talkin’ the break-a-rib kinda hug. Yeah?
Yeah.
Holy shit.
What?
I spent 30 years trying to get away from the me that was you.
And I’ll tell you what, kid.
I hate to say it, but you were the best part all along.
Are we gonna smoke this banana or sit…
Play ball!
[sentimental music playing]
[Hawking barking]
[whimpering]
[whining]
[whines]
Hey there.
Aren’t you late for work?
Yeah. I need to pay the insurance on the house.
It’s in the calendar, but I can’t find the statement.
With that filing system? Shocking.
Shocking.
[Adam] It should all be online.
[Ellie] This is how Dad did it.
Grab a pile, would you?
I’ll be late for school.
Oh my gosh. You’re right. Okay. Have a great day, honey.
Adam.
[Adam] Yeah?
Just making sure I wasn’t getting mugged.
Maybe you are.
[mimics attack noises]
[mimics defense noises]
Get over here! Get over here!
Aaargh!
[Adam chuckles]
I love you, honey.
Love you too.
[man] So, as I said earlier,
our goal is to calculate the variability of gravitational force,
which depends entirely on whether your path of motion
is toward the Earth or away from it.
So let’s define the gravitational force of the Earth on an object
by Newton’s gravitational formula.
F is equal to big G, Newton’s gravitational constant,
multiplied by m sin 1 times m sin 2
divided by r squared.
And m sin 1 is the mass of the Earth, m sin e,
m sin 2 is the mass of the object the Earth is exerting force on.
And r…
Can you believe this guy?
He’s been talking for 15 minutes. Managed to put the entire class to sleep.
[lecturer] …force is directly…
You look awake.
No. No, no, no, no, no.
I’ve trained myself to…
To fall fast asleep but keep my eyes open.
Check it out.
[snoring]
[laughs]
…gotta believe in the miracle…
Are you serious?
[snoring]
Cool, right?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Super cool. [chuckles]
I’m Adam. Adam… Adam Reed.
Laura Shane.
Nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you too.
I’ll, um… I’ll be quiet.
Okay.
Where do they find these guest lecturers?
[snickering]
Right?
It’s like they’re genetically engineered to bore us to death.
You’re totally a guest lecturer, aren’t you?
Yes, I am. Yeah.
Shit.
What’s your field?
Um… computational linguistics.
No way!
Yeah.
I don’t know what that is. Um…
Oh.
What does that have to do with flying?
Uh… not a damn thing.
Oh.
Yeah.
Oh. You’re in the wrong place, I think.
That’s subjective. This is Schaefer 309?
Literally in the wrong place. Farrel 309.
No.
Yep.
No.
Yeah.
[Laura] I don’t think that…
[Adam] Yeah. Oof.
Okay. Oh.
I knew it.
Okay. All right.
Bingo. Yeah.
Okay. Okay.
Then I’m in the wrong building.
Actually, you’re in the wrong campus.
[sighs]
Then I’m lost.
Not anymore. I found you.
I can… I can walk you to Schaefer.
Are you sure? I mean, I would hate to disturb your sleep.
I’ve, uh…
I’ve got time.
[“Let My Love Open the Door” by Pete Townshend]
Plus…
[snoring]
[laughs]
Okay.
Okay.
Yeah.
♪ When people keep repeatin’ ♪
♪ That you’ll never fall in love ♪
♪ When everybody keeps retreatin’ ♪
♪ But you can’t seem to get enough ♪
♪ Let my love open the door ♪
♪ Let my love open the door ♪
♪ Let my love open the door ♪
♪ To your heart ♪
♪ Let my love open the door ♪
♪ Ooh ♪
♪ Let my love open the door ♪
♪ Let my love open the door ♪
♪ Ooh ♪
♪ Let my love open the door ♪
♪ Ooh ♪
♪ The only key to your heart ♪
♪ That can stop you fallin’ apart ♪
♪ Try today, you’ll find this way ♪
♪ Come on and give me a chance to say ♪
♪ Let my love open the door ♪
♪ It’s all I’m livin’ for ♪
♪ Release yourself from misery ♪
♪ There’s only one thing Gonna set you free ♪
♪ That’s my love ♪
♪ That’s my love ♪
♪ Let my love open the door ♪
♪ Ooh ♪
♪ Let my love open the door ♪
♪ Ooh ♪
♪ Let my love open the door ♪
♪ Ooh ♪
♪ Let my love open the door ♪
♪ When tragedy befalls you ♪
♪ Let my love open the door ♪
♪ Ooh ♪
♪ Don’t let it drag you down ♪
♪ Love can cure your problems ♪
♪ Let my love open the door ♪
♪ Ooh ♪
♪ You’re so lucky I’m around ♪
♪ Let my love open the door ♪
♪ Let my love open the door ♪
♪ Let my love open the door ♪
♪ To your heart ♪
[sentimental music plays]
[dramatic music playing]
