Timeless (2016–2018): Season 1, Episode 8 - Space Race - full transcript

Previously on "Timeless"...

Flynn outsmarting our
security so easily...

makes a lot more sense if
he had inside assistance.

From Anthony?

He doesn't need us
questioning his loyalty.

He needs us to save him.

You're helping Garcia Flynn?

Stop trying to interfere!

What are you trying to do?

What does this have to do
with Rittenhouse? Tell me!

Okay, sequence camera coming on.



Okay, I'm still on SLEW,

so we may tend to lose as
we gradually pitch over.

Let me try AUTO again.
I'll see what happens.

Rog.

Listen, babe. Everything's
going just swimmingly, beautiful.

Okay, all flight controllers,
go/no go for landing.

- Retro.
- Go.

Go.

- Control.
- Go.

- Telecom.
- Go.

- Surgeon.
- Go.

- Guidance.
- Air code 1202.

- What's a 1202?
- Looking.

- Are we a go or a no go?
- Could be malfunction.



Same alarm, and it appears to come up

when we have a 1668 up.

Go or no go?

Go.

If it doesn't recur, we're a go.

- We'll monitor his Delta-H Flight.
- Okay, looks like it's go.

CAPCOM, we are go for landing.

Eagle, this is Houston. We
are go for lunar landing.

We're go. Same type. We're go.

Altitude-velocity light.

3 1/2 down. 220 feet.

- Low level warning.
- Rog.

30 seconds of fuel left.

Still 100 feet up.

Lights on.

Gonna have enough fuel to land?

Looking good. Down a half.

Six forward.

20 seconds of fuel left.

- Still 30 feet up.
- Picking up some dust.

- 20 feet.
- More forward.

Drifting to the right a little.

That's... it...

Contact light.

Okay, engine stop.

Houston, Tranquility Base here.

The Eagle has landed.

Roger, Tranquility. We
copy you on the ground.

Okay, settle down, now.
Let's get on with it.

We got some work to do.

Whoo.

Not too many people realize

how close it came to disaster.

But we got 'em there,
and we got 'em back.

You can use this photo for
your book, if you'd like.

What was security like at NASA
on the day of the Moon landing?

I can only imagine stricter than usual.

Sure, threat of Commie spies...

I mean, that was really a big deal.

They gave everyone in my department

new ID badges with a special
magnetic strip, first of its kind.

You wouldn't happen to still
have that badge, would you?

I wish I did.

I could make a fortune with it on eBay.

We wish you did too.

- Lovely home.
- Thanks.

How long have you lived here, Mr. Ellis?

My whole life.

I grew up here and retired here.

And I plan to die here.

Ready?

After that, 38-year-old Neil Armstrong

will begin to step down the nine steps

of the lunar landing module
to the surface of the Moon

just before 2:00 Eastern
Daylight Time tomorrow afternoon,

but that could be changed,
of course, later on.

What a moment that will be.

We should get a black-and-white
television picture of those...

Greetings.

We come in peace.

Are you Mr. Wayne Ellis?

Yeah, w...

Hi. A pipe burst in the house.

How fast can you get here?

They also have not...

It's called punch tape,
old-school way to store data.

This one's basically a password.

I need it to access the system.

And this punch tape is
at Lockman Aerospace?

That's right.

And so is she.

All right, before I suffocate
myself in polyester again,

are we sure Flynn is headed to NASA?

Man landed on the Moon today.

NASA's the only thing
going on in Houston.

Believe me, it's the only
thing going on in the world.

And, Rufus, if Flynn's trying to screw
the Moon landing, how would he do it?

He'd use Anthony. That's how he'd do it.

Um, the problem is,

there's about a dozen ways
to scuttle it from the ground.

So what do you think Flynn's gonna do?

He's gonna knock over a radio
tower, shoot the place up?

Yes. No.

- I don't know.
- What?

Great, going in blind. Love it.

All right, when we get there,
split up. We got to find Flynn.

Badges should get you
in to Mission Control.

I just feel like I would be
able to cover a lot more ground

if I weren't a secretary
in the typing pool.

She says to the guy whose
only possible cover is janitor.

Touché.

You want to fit in to NASA in 1969,

that's the best I got for you.

Now get dressed and get going.

And these suits they wear...

- You called about a busted pipe?
- Come on in.

I got here as fast as I could.

Pardon me, miss.

Just one more moment.

Hello.

Um, sorry, sorry.

What... what can I do for you?

I'm looking for the computer
technology department.

Burst pipe.

They're down the
hall and to the left.

Maria.

Get this over to Peterson
at Mission Control ASAP.

Yes, sir, right away.

- Tough boss?
- No, not usually.

Just today he's a little
on edge, as we all are.

You know we helped
build the lunar module.

You don't say?

Is there anything
else I could help you with?

No, you've been a big help already.

I like your sketch there very much.

You're very talented.

Thank you.

We are now coming up on
30 seconds to acquisition

of the command module.

Hey.

We'll stand by for...

the command module.

Gene.

Wayne Ellis isn't here.

What do you mean, Wayne Ellis
isn't here? Where the hell is he?

It's not like him to miss
work, especially today.

Something must be wrong.

Well, something's gonna be wrong if you
don't find me another guidance officer.

Now!

I haven't seen Flynn yet.

Lucy hasn't either. You?

Hello? You conscious?

I'm sorry. I mean, look around.

That's Charles Duke right
there. He's an astronaut.

And that's Gene Kranz, flight director

with the flat top and
the ugly-ass white vest.

Wears one every mission for good luck.

This Moon landing means
something to you?

It means everything.

It's like all of my heroes in one room

on every Christmas
and July 4th combined.

It is pretty amazing.

No.

It's terrible.

What if Anthony and Flynn ruin this?

Today of all days?

Let's find them first.

I'll check Flight Ops.

Come on. Come on.

Hey, need some help?

No.

Just, um...

trying to get my card to work.

You got to have the right
kind of clearance to get in.

Yes, I'm supposed to
have all access, so...

Just like you do.

Sweetheart, grab me a cup of
coffee when you get a chance.

- No, no...
- I'll be in 241.

- Lots of cream, lots of sugar.
- But I don't...

Hey, Bill, question for you.

Have a good one.

Okay, all flight controllers,
go/no go for landing.

- Retro.
- Go.

Go.

- Control.
- Go.

- Telecom.
- Go.

- Surgeon.
- Go.

- Guidance.
- Go.

Eagle, this is Houston.

We are go for lunar landing.

We're go. Same type. We're go.

- Low level warning.
- Rog.

30 seconds of fuel left.

We're still 100 feet up.

Lights on.

Gonna have enough fuel to land?

That is looking good. Down a half.

Forward. 20 seconds of fuel left.

- Rufus.
- Surprised to see me...

after you leave us for dead in 1754?

- I'm sorry. That was Flynn.
- I really don't care,

'cause that doesn't even
touch what you're doing here,

with what today means
to you, to both of us.

- It's not me.
- It is you!

You are the same as Flynn
if you don't help me.

Contact light.

Okay, engine stop.

I'm sorry. It's already done.

Tranquility Base here.

The Eagle has...

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

Comm systems are down.

What the hell is going
on with the computers?

Computers are down. All comms are down.

Whole system's down.

Well, try another damn frequency, then.

Bounce the signal off our
tracking station in Australia.

There has to be some way
to get these comms back up.

Any luck?

Middle-aged white nerds
are swarming the place.

Bruhl could be anywhere.

No Flynn either.

How bad is all this?

Well, Armstrong and Aldrin are
basically trapped on the lunar surface.

There's no way they're
gonna be able to take off

without help from Mission Control.

If no one's there to fix it,

well, they run out of
oxygen and they die up there.

They got six hours, maybe.

This is about more
than the Moon landing.

The space race was much
closer than most people think.

The Russians have an unmanned
probe orbiting the Moon as we speak.

After Apollo 11, the Russians
basically throw in the towel.

They start to abandon
their missile program.

They sign the Anti-Ballistic
Missile Treaty.

If we fail today, the
Russians, they could succeed.

We could lose the Cold War.

Not to mention Neil Armstrong and
Buzz Aldrin are American heroes.

Hell, they're my heroes.

Okay, so really freaking bad.

Yeah.

Do we even know what Anthony did?

Best I can tell, he screwed with the
mainframe, tanked the whole system.

I can get my hands on a
computer, try and find out.

Maria Thompkins.

Anybody know who this is?

No.

Says she works at Lockman.

The defense contractor, right?

They helped build the lunar module.

They're going to help
build a lot more than that.

I mean, spy satellites,
fighter jets, drones,

pretty much our entire national defense.

Maybe this is about more
than tanking the moonshot.

Maybe this is about
tanking Lockman too somehow.

You think this Maria Thompkins
is somehow tied into this?

I don't know. I'm
gonna find out, though.

Here.

You two just make sure those
astronauts get off the Moon.

Man, we live weird lives.

Tell me about it.

Follow me.

Jeez.

I find it fascinating
Rufus got your briefcase

since he's supposed
to be stranded in 1754.

He must have repaired
the Lifeboat somehow.

- I guess I taught him well.
- Can Rufus fix the computer?

No way. It's an antiquated
platform he knows nothing about.

I taught him everything he knows,

but I didn't teach
him everything I know.

Are you sure?

Do I need to come back and intervene?

No, what you're doing is too important.

We're under control here.

I know Rufus.

He doesn't perform well under pressure.

Okay, just make sure he doesn't.

I swear, why do I even delegate?

Eagle, this is Houston.

Do you read?

Eagle, this is Houston.

Do you read?

What's error 1202?

System overload.

A steady stream of data
is flooding the computer.

It's crashing the network.

How long will it take them to fix it?

- 10, 20 years.
- What?

Anthony basically launched a
modern DDoS attack against NASA.

They've never seen a
virus like this before.

They've never even
heard the term "virus."

- Can you fix it?
- I can't even find the source.

I feel like a race car driver
behind the wheel of a Yugo.

There's more computing
power in my toaster

than there is in all this crap!

How could Anthony do this?

He knows what these
astronauts are going through,

probably more than anybody.

What do you mean?

It was Anthony who first
took out the Lifeboat.

Can you imagine...

being the first guy to
do something like that,

how terrifying it must have been?

I have some idea.

Yeah.

- So the first time, you didn't go?
- Hell no.

I swore to God I was not
getting in that damn thing.

Something went wrong.

We got Anthony back, barely.

He was laying in a hospital
bed for seven months.

I was right there beside him, every day.

I was happy to do it.

We were more than just
friends, coworkers.

We were brothers.

I thought I knew him as
well as I knew myself.

But after what he went through,

if he's willing to make those
astronauts go through worse,

then I don't know him at all.

Hey.

Hey.

This is not over.

We have time. We can fix
this. You can fix this.

Hey, we don't just need
to access the mainframe.

More than that, we need
someone who actually knows

how to work these antiques.

What?

I think I know who can help us.

Okay.

Who?

The smartest person in the
building works in the basement.

Katherine Johnson,
the NASA mathematician?

Graduated high school at
14. Graduated college at 18.

Calculated Alan Shepard's
first space flight,

plus a bunch of the
Mercury and Apollo missions.

John Glenn wouldn't
even trust a computer.

He'd only let Katherine do the math.

And she did this all as
a black woman in 1969.

You ever see the movie "Apollo 13"?

- Of course.
- Yeah, well, she wasn't in it,

even though she was a big part
of bringing that crew back home.

- I hope she can help.
- If anyone can, it's her.

And how about a refill, sweetheart?

Lots of cream, lots of sugar.

Hi.

Um, you're Katherine,
right? Katherine Johnson?

Yes, can I help you?

Um, Gene Kranz would like to see you.

Can you come with us?

What?

What is this about?

Um, well, Gene says it's important.

Really?

Can you be any more vague?

We need your help to save the Apollo 11.

You're the janitor.

Yeah, that's the guy.

He was in here earlier,
chatting up Maria.

So you think the guy's a Commie spy?

I mean, does he have anything to
do with that mess over at NASA?

I think I'd like to find
him as fast as I can.

So this Maria Thompkins,
what does she do around here?

She's my secretary. And
that's her desk right there.

All your secretaries work
on advanced aircraft design?

Well, she goes to school at night.

She's studying to be an
aerospace engineer one day.

Really?

Listen, what does a
Commie want with her?

I mean, what has she done?

Maybe it's not what she's done.

Maybe it's what she's gonna do.

What does that mean?

Where is she right now?

She takes her kid to the park sometimes.

You want to go play up there?

Be careful, okay?

Okay.

Don't climb too high.

Excuse me.

Didn't we meet earlier?

- You're the plumber.
- You're right.

- You're from Lockman.
- Yeah.

What are you doing here? Wait.

You're not following me, are you?

No, no. I, um...

Small world. Never know
who you'll run into.

Guess not.

One of those yours?

Yeah, the... the little monkey
on the jungle gym over there.

How old is he? Six, seven?

Good guess. He's 6 1/2.

Must be a hell of a day at your office

with what's happening
to those astronauts.

- Such a pity.
- Yeah.

They don't need you at work?

No, there's obviously
not much I can do.

Not much anyone can do.

Can I confess something?

I haven't been entirely forthcoming.

I was pleased to be at Lockman today.

I've been fascinated by
that company my whole life.

You got a thing for aircrafts?

You wouldn't believe some
of the vehicles I've been in.

What I wouldn't give to pick
your brain about the place.

Well, you're asking the wrong person.

I'm just a secretary.

Don't sell yourself short.

I saw that drawing on your
desk. You're very gifted.

I bet one day, you'll do some
remarkable things at Lockman.

- Thank you.
- Mommy?

Hi, sweetie.

Who are you?

I'm friends with your mom.

Who are you?

Gabriel.

Gabriel.

Very nice to meet you, sir.

Now I have a very important
question to ask you.

Do you like ice cream?

But...

that's...

impossible.

That's the trajectory we'd need

to get the Apollo back from the Moon

once the computers get back up again.

Check the math.

You're no janitor.

That's what I've been telling you.

Who are you people, really?

That part, you won't believe,

and we don't have time to explain.

It's just a couple hours
before those astronauts

run out of oxygen and die up there.

Um, here. Take a look at this.

What in God's name is all that?

That is a computer virus.

Works just like a real one.

Good news is, we can
stop it, save Apollo 11.

How?

Look, I just need
access to the mainframe,

but you know the hardware
much better than I do.

We need to take this to Gene.

No, I don't think that
would be a very good idea.

But he's the flight director.

He needs to know about this.

And how do you think he'll react
to hearing this from a janitor?

Probably about the same as me.

Look, we know that this is crazy.

But you tell us, what are
they saying in Mission Control?

That they've never
seen anything like this

and they can't fix it.

Well, he can.

And trust me, you have no idea how much.

Buzz Aldrin and Neil
Armstrong mean to him.

They mean a lot to me too.

Well, I can get them home.

I just need your help.

Hey, guys.

Gene wants to see you
upstairs... both of you.

Now? We're a little busy.

Don't look at me. I'm
just the messenger.

Wow.

This is, um...

impressive.

Our mainframe holds
two megabytes of memory.

Two whole megabytes.

Okay, so what do we do first?

Well, he downloaded the program
from a magnetic tape reel.

How do we access the
operating system to delete it?

First we need a punch tape.

Like this? Only not confetti?

I have some in my desk drawer.

I'll go get it.
You guys get started, okay?

Okay. Okay.

Okay.

Ladies and gentlemen, the
president of the United States.

Good evening, my fellow Americans.

Fate has ordained that the men who
went to the Moon to explore in peace

may very well stay on
the Moon to rest in peace.

These brave men,

Neil Armstrong and
Edwin Aldrin know that...

You all right?

Yeah. It's just hard to watch.

You know, I met Janet Armstrong once.

I just wonder what she's
gonna tell her kids.

That their father's up
there in the cold, forever?

I don't mean to pry, but you've
been through something similar?

Not like that, no. But...

yes, I...

I lost my husband.

Car accident.

I'm sorry to hear that.

And how long have you been married?

I was married.

With a daughter.

Where are they now?

They died.

I'm so sorry.

You had no way of knowing.

What happened?

They were killed, murdered.

Murdered?

Did they...

did they catch who did it?

No.

I can't even imagine.

Sometimes it's a lot.

Yeah.

Sometimes I wish I could just...

let go.

I'm sorry. I-I...

I know this is none
of my business, but...

if anyone ever hurt my boy,

I would go to the ends
of the Earth to find them.

There's absolutely
nothing I wouldn't do.

And I would never let go.

Thank you for saying that.

You know, he's usually
so shy around strangers.

There must be something about you.

People around the world are left
to worry at what went so wrong...

President Nixon just
concluded his speech

acknowledging that the
astronauts currently on the Moon,

Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin,

are stranded and will almost
surely die on the lunar surface...

Excuse me, sir.

Yeah, what can I do for you, Officer?

Can't park here.

Gonna have to ask you
to move your vehicle.

Yeah, not a problem. Sorry about that.

- Sources at NASA...
- Whoa. Hands where I can see 'em.

Whoa, easy, buddy.

I'm FBI.

I'm gonna reach in my coat pocket.

I'm gonna show you my badge, all right?

Suffered a catastrophic malfunction...

I'm sorry. I have to go.

Okay.

And insiders acknowledge
any rescue is impossible...

Sorry, Agent Mulder.

- I'm just doing my job.
- Not a problem.

So how long should it take to download?

Around ten minutes.

- Ten minutes?
- I know.

Fast?

You better be right about all this.

Those guys will be back any minute.

I can get into a world of trouble.

I am. Just trust me.

Trust you?

Maybe you haven't noticed,

but it isn't exactly raining
black women around here.

I've had to prove I
belong here every day.

Now I'm putting that
all on line for this?

For you?

I must be crazy.

You're right, I haven't given
you any reason to trust me.

But I'm asking you to anyway,

because the very last thing
I'd want to do is let you down.

Why is that?

Honestly, I'm a little
star-struck right now.

You're one of the reasons I am who I am.

What are you talking about?

I'm just a number
cruncher in the basement.

Not true.

To me, to a lot of people, you're...

you're just as important as
the guys in Mission Control

or the ones on the Moon.

There you are.

- Sweetheart, I never got that coffee...
- Sorry, very busy, okay?

Come on, now, doll. How busy can you be?

You know what? Come here.

Trust me.

You do not want to
drink the cup of coffee

I would you bring you
after grabbing me like that.

And, by the way, my name
is not Doll or Sweetheart

or anything else that
sounds like a baby.

The women here have actual names.

I'm sure you can learn their names.

It's not that hard, kind of
like making coffee for yourself.

You're a rocket
scientist. Figure it out.

I don't care what Nixon says.

I'm the one that has to
look those women in the eyes

and tell them their
husbands aren't coming home.

So we're not giving up.

There has to be some
way to restore comms.

We're working on it, Gene.

But something corrupted the software
in a way we've never seen before.

Well, then what the hell
are you doing up there?

Why aren't you down there fixing it?

Because you asked to see us.

Now, you just feed it through there.

Make sure it goes in straight.

Sounds easy enough.

Just relying on a very
thin piece of paper

with super-small holes in
it to save the lunar landing.

No big deal.

How do I access the mainframe?

You need to extract the
7-bit interpretive op code.

What a piece of...

state-of-the-art machinery.

It's binary. Fixed-point arithmetic.

Now just make sure
you type in "index"...

To store the specified memory address.

Okay.

Think I'm getting it.

Wow.

- Look at you go.
- All right.

It's deleting the virus.

Back away from the computer.

- You'll be okay, okay?
- Ms. Johnson.

It's a true honor to meet you.

Smart move, going to her, Rufus.

Go to hell, Anthony.

I'd say that's a foregone
conclusion at this point.

Now, I can't let you fix that computer.

Back away.

How could you do this?

Do what he says.

Anthony?

I was there...

when you first took the Lifeboat out.

That was our moonshot.

And it almost killed you.

Are you really willing to let the
same thing happen to those astronauts?

You don't get it.

You know I built the time machine,

more than Mason ever did.

So if Rittenhouse gets her hands on it,

with what they're
planning to do with it,

that's on me.

I-I just can't live with that.

What is Rittenhouse going to do with it?

No, what are you talking about?

Back away now.

- Rufus!
- It's all right!

Hey, it's all right.

It's all right.

He's not gonna shoot.

Is that so?

You wouldn't let your
soldier pal shoot me in Vegas,

because we're still friends, Rufus.

Because despite everything,

we still know each other.

Now put the gun down.

You don't know me,

not anymore.

Those astronauts are coming back home.

Katherine, why'd you tell...

God, please, don't shoot... don't!

- Wait, Rufus, come on.
- Don't move!

- I think it's time we go.
- Yup.

I'm sorry about all of this.

Just make sure that program finishes.

Thank you so much for helping us.

Eagle, this is Houston.

Do you read?

Eagle, this is Houston.

Do you read?

Come in, Eagle. This is Houston.

Do you read?

Eagle, this is Houston.

Do you read?

Come in, Ea...

Houston... this is an AO radio check.

Thank you.

Whoo!

Okay, okay, let's settle down now.

Let's get on with it.

Let's send our boys
outside for a little walk.

- A Russian spy?
- That's right.

But he... he seemed so kind.

That's how they operate.

It's a ploy.

So you have no idea what he wanted?

Something you're working on at Lockman

maybe you told him about?

I... he did say he was
interested in the company,

but no, I never told
him anything specific.

That's one small step for a man,

one giant leap for mankind.

Would you look at that?

Looks like the astronauts
are gonna be okay.

- That is really something.
- My God.

Gabriel should see this.

My God. My God, Gabriel!

Gabriel! What are you doing?

Get off of him!

Hey.

Flynn! Get back now!

It's medicine. It was a bee sting.

Gabriel was in anaphylactic shock.

It was a shot of epinephrine.

He just saved your son's life.

Stand back!

Every memory I have of you,

you were always sad.

And I know what it's
like to lose a child.

I didn't want to let you lose yours,

not if I could change it.

What?

It was good to see you again.

What the hell is this, Flynn?

You're all right.

We're all good.

The unredacted file on Garcia Flynn.

Wait.

You had this the whole
time, and you didn't show us?

The boss will be pissed I'm
showing it to you now, but...

you should have this
information, so screw him.

Maria was Flynn's mother.

The kid Gabriel was his half-brother.

When you met Maria, she
was a widow with a son.

Two years later, she becomes
an engineer for Lockman.

She works overseas, where she
marries a man named Asher Flynn.

They have a bouncing
baby boy named Garcia.

When Garcia eventually
goes to work with the NSA,

he says, and I quote,

"My mother worked in national defense."

"Guess it runs in the family."

- So where's the kid now?
- Gabriel? Alive and well.

Apparently living in Paris.

Severe allergic reaction to bee stings

listed in his medical file.

Which was supposed to kill
him until Flynn changed it.

I don't get it.

All you and I want to do is go back
and save the people that we love,

and Flynn, he just does
it without hesitation.

So why aren't we doing the same thing?

Because stopping Flynn
is still our top priority.

- But I gave you my terms.
- Lucy...

I know we have a deal.

The second Flynn is out of the picture,

we will find a way to
get you your sister back.

There you are.

Check it out.

"The unsung hero of
countless NASA missions,"

"Katherine Johnson finally
got the credit she deserves."

"During the Apollo 11 crisis,."

"Katherine singlehandedly
fixed the computers..."

- Singlehandedly.
- Well, that's what it says.

"Thwarting a Communist
attack on Mission Control."

So history mostly stayed the same.

For Katherine, looks like
it changed for the better.

They made her the first
female flight director.

Even made a movie about her.

Looks like things worked out okay.

What about you?

Are you okay?

Yeah. Fine.

Rufus, with what happened earlier today,

you didn't have a choice.

- It was self-defense.
- Yeah, I know.

I'm fine.

That's the problem.

Wh... what do you mean?

I killed a man, and I feel fine.

I really don't feel much of anything.

I'd do it again, probably shoot Anthony.

Flynn wouldn't have a pilot, and
we can go back to our normal lives.

Whatever "normal" means now.

When I first started all this,

I was, um... scared as hell,

practically afraid of my own shadow.

I never, never wanted to hurt anybody.

But now...

I don't know.

Lucy.

What am I becoming?