NASA
Discovery, confirm contact.
Discovery
This is Discovery, confirming contact.
NASA
What is your position, Discovery?
Discovery
I am now 9,000 miles from the surface of Pluto.
NASA
Excellent. Inform us immediately if you see anything unusual.
Discovery
By the way, is my wife on the line?
Daniella
How does it look up there?
Discovery
Stark and lonely. But it's beautiful.
Discovery
Wish you were here.
NASA
Loss of contact begins in t-minus 60 seconds.
Daniella
When will I hear from you again, Martin?
Discovery
I'll be back in contact in 22 hours.
Discovery
I'll have man's first photos and measurements of Pluto by then :)
Daniella
I’m proud of you, Martin. I love you.
NASA
Contact with Discovery has been lost.
NASA
We will regain contact in t-minus 22 hours.
Daniella
But I didn't get to say goodbye!
NASA
Don't worry, Daniella.
NASA
Discovery should be entering the shadow of Charon, Pluto’s largest moon, right now.
In the evening, when Daniella is back home, her laptop lights up.
She hears Martin’s voice.
Discovery
It's incredible.
Daniella
Martin???? Is that you? OMG.
Discovery
Pluto is bright with ice.
Discovery
There is a dark expanse around its equator.
Daniella
It's only been 11 hours. How are you contacting me??
Discovery
I can confirm that Pluto has no fifth moon.
Daniella
Are you in contact with NASA?
Daniella
Martin, are you OK?
Discovery
I’m looking at the photo I brought.
Discovery
Of Christopher squeezing his little red ball.
Discovery
He never let it go.
Discovery
Do you remember?
Discovery
He slept with it.
Daniella
Yes, I remember.
Daniella
He loved that ball.
Daniella
And Martin, he loved you very much.
Daniella
Until the day he died.
Daniella
The disease took him from us too soon.
Discovery
Daniella, something is happening here.
Daniella
What do you mean? Is everything okay?
Discovery
There is something here. It is reaching for me.
Discovery
I love you, Daniella.
Daniella
I love you too, Martin.
Daniella
What is happening, Martin?
NASA
Daniella, are you there?
NASA
We are sorry to tell you that we’ve lost all traces of Discovery.
Daniella
But Martin was just in contact with me less than a minute ago!
NASA
We have no evidence of recent contact.
Daniella
I just heard his voice over the radio!
NASA
Ask him to send us his vital signs.
Daniella messages Discovery.
Daniella
Martin, are you there? Answer me.
Discovery
I wish you were here.
Daniella
Honey, you need to send your vital signs to the NASA doctors.
Discovery
It’s so beautiful here.
Confused, Daniella messages NASA.
Daniella
Can you hear what he’s saying?
NASA
Negative. What is it?
NASA
Tell him to send his pulse.
Daniella quickly messages Martin.
Daniella
Please send them your vital signs now!
Daniella
You’re not on their systems, baby.
Discovery
Do you see? Do you see?
Daniella
What is happening?
Discovery
I’m going to be with him now.
Daniella
With who, Martin? You’re up there alone.
Discovery
We Are Taking Him Now.
Discovery
He Will Be Ours.
Discovery
They Will Both Be Ours.
Daniella
That doesn’t sound like you, Martin!
A message appears on Daniella’s laptop.
NASA
Are you currently in contact with Martin, Daniella?
Daniella
But he doesn’t sound like himself at all.
NASA
We have no oxygen readings, Daniella.
NASA
All life-sustaining systems have shut down.
Daniella
Oh god no. How long does he have?
NASA
We have critical shutdown on all systems.
Daniella
Baby, can you hear me?
NASA
We are aborting the mission.
NASA
And commencing return procedures.
NASA
I’m so sorry, Daniella.
NASA
Martin is no longer alive.
In her despair, Daniella messages her husband.
Daniella
Martin, please answer me.
Daniella
I can’t lose you too.
Daniella
I love you so much.
She begins sobbing uncontrollably.
Two weeks later, Daniella receives a text from NASA.
NASA
We have confirmation from the radio dish in California that Discovery is on a trajectory for the Baltic Sea.
NASA
We have teams situated there.
NASA
We will notify you when we have opened the spacecraft.
NASA
You will be able to view the remains in private.
One minute later, Daniella’s laptop lights up.
Discovery
The Contract Is Sealed.
Discovery
He Too Is Ours.
Daniella
Martin, what is going on?
Discovery
They are about to take me.
Daniella
They said you were dead!!
Daniella
This isn’t possible!!
Discovery
I have someone here who wants to talk to you.
Discovery
They took him too.
Discovery
Christopher, say hello to your mother.
Daniella
This isn’t funny.
Discovery
Hello mommy. Daddy found me.
Discovery
I was so sick in the hospital.
Discovery
It hurt so much.
Discovery
But now I’m here.
Discovery
And now Daddy is here too.
Discovery
There’s no more pain.
Discovery
It’s so beautiful.
Discovery
We’re playing and laughing.
Daniella
Christopher? Could that really be you?
Discovery
We are sending something down to you as a sign.
Discovery
We are up here now.
Daniella
What are you sending me?
Daniella
Please talk to me!
NASA
Daniella, we can see Discovery on radar.
NASA
The Hubbell Telescope confirms visual that Discovery is re-entering our atmosphere.
NASA
Daniella, Discovery has landed intact.
NASA
Teams are stationed around the craft.
NASA
We have breached the seal and are inside Discovery.
NASA
This is baffling. No one is here.
NASA
There is no trace of Martin or his remains.
Daniella
How can that be?
NASA
There is no evidence that Martin was ever here.
NASA
We did find a red ball.
Daniella
You mean a photo of our son holding a red ball?
NASA
No — not a photo. An actual red ball.
Daniella
But Martin didn’t take a red ball with him into space.
Daniella
We haven’t seen that ball since our child was buried with it.
Daniella
That must have been the sign.
Daniella
They said they would send a sign.
Daniella
It’s a sign that my husband and son are out there.
Daniella
And that other life is out there too.
NASA
Request has been granted to send a probe to investigate astronaut Martin Hale’s mysterious disappearance.
NASA
And to commence a search for alien life.
