It's occurred to me
that some friendships are like a good game of hockey.
The right balance of teamwork and smooth skating
generally adds up to a winning combination.
Like me and Pete Thornton.
Partner, boss, friend --
you can't do much better than that.
But sometimes things come up
that test the best of friendships,
and this weekend of skiing was one of them.
It wasn't my fault.
Whose fault was it?
The guy cut me off!
What was I supposed to do?
Come on Pete, let's face it,
you did not belong on that slope.
It was for expert skiers.
What are you telling me, I should've been on the bunny slope?
Well...
Listen, that man was skiing like he owned the whole darn mountain.
Pete!
That man does own the whole darn mountain.
Well, that's still no excuse for him to swing on me.
Look, all I know is, I've been looking forward
to skiing that mountain for months,
and now I'm banned for life.
Did I ask for your help?
I could have handled him just fine.
That's not the point.
Now what's the matter?
We couldn't be out of gas, could we?
Could we?
Pete, you said you were gonna fill it up
when you went for pizza last night, remember?
Well I didn't. I messed up.
So sue me.
Oh, never mind.
Why let a little thing like this ruin a perfectly good vacation?
Now where are you going?
To find a gas station.
And I suggest you look the other way.
Fine!
First one to make it back here with a can of gas
goes after the other guy, okay?
Fine!
Put the body here in the back room.
Quickly. The truck should be here within ten minutes.
We have a problem.
No. Let me check him out first.
Hi.
What can I do for you?
My buddy and I ran out of gas a few miles up the road.
I can help you out.
You picked a nice day for it.
Your friend's not the walking type, huh?
No. I sent him up the other way to try his luck.
Kind of looks like you got a corner on the market.
You could say that.
Phoenix Foundation.
You work there?
Well, more or less.
My cousin Louise works in accounting.
You know her?
I can't say that I do. It's a big outfit.
You need a deposit on the can?
You've got an honest face.
Just bring it back when you're done.
Thanks.
Sorry I can't give you a lift. I'm here alone.
No problem.
You let him walk away?
For the moment.
He's with the Phoenix Foundation.
It could prove useful to us.
Then why didn't you take him now?
Because now we have more important matters to attend to.
More questions, Armin?
Frank.
Frank, are you there?
Do you read me, Frank?
Frank, come in.
Talk to me now, Frank.
Go ahead, Jonathan.
Frank, we have a problem I need you to deal with.
Hey!
Ah, thanks a lot.
You're the first good thing that's happened to me all morning.
I guess this is your lucky day, huh?
You'll love the food.
I've been coming here for years.
Never disappointed.
Good morning.
Well, where's Justine this morning?
She's at home in bed.
She's got the flu.
I'm telling you, don't even look at it.
This place makes a corned beef hash
that'll make you think you've died and gone to heaven.
Now, stay still.
Come on. Let's go, come on!
All right, take it easy. Ow!
Get over here.
Stay right there.
Don't move.
There we go. Get down there.
Get down!
He's going to come looking for his friend.
Why don't we have Frank put our new toy to the test?
You got it! Hot damn, you got it! Nice!
Did you get the friend?
Yeah. He's in the cellar.
Phoenix Foundation, too, am I right?
The other one will be here soon.
How much power will it take to stop his Jeep?
Point one percent of one capacitor.
That transformer's more than enough to juice it that much.
Help me with the cables.
Let's go with the cables.
Okay, here we go.
That'll do it. Point one percent.
We're in business.
That's it?
It's everything we can pull out of that transformer.
You just wait until we patch it in to Powertech's superconductor,
then you'll really see what this baby can do.
Show me how it works.
First you need some power to charge the capacitors.
Then the capacitors dump the electricity
into the vercador chamber here.
It generates the electromagnetic pulse
which discharges from the focus in the dish here.
Follow me.
Now, the whole procedure's operative when you push this button.
It also has an automatic sequence feature for remote operation.
All the modern conveniences, huh?
Good.
Armin!
Better get out there.
He'll be coming anytime now.
He's coming.
- Now! - Do it.
Now what?
Hold it right there.
What's going on?
Hey, I was gonna return the gas can.
Keep moving.
Let's go.
MacGyver!
How you doin', Pete?
Over there, both of you. Go now, over there.
Would you mind telling us what's going on?
History in the making,
and you two are going to be part of it.
You know, we'd be happy to just pass on that.
Aside from special operations,
your Phoenix Foundation engages
in speculation and analysis, right?
Tell me, how many men do you suppose it would take
to overpower the downtown core of a city,
and throw the lives of, uh,
oh, say a million people, into total chaos, how many?
Oh, I don't know. What do you think, uh?
Aw, you got us on that.
The correct answer is four.
With strategy, timing, the right technology,
we will show the rest of the world just how soft
and vulnerable you Americans really are.
Forget the rhetoric.
At 1:00 this afternoon,
a lot of people are going to wish it was simply talk.
When we are through with your city,
your streets will be filled with lifeless vehicles,
your, your communications will be shut down
and your financial center will be in a shambles
and your people will riot and panic and destroy one another.
Big plans.
And you are going to be part of them.
And if you behave yourselves, you may live to tell about it.
You gentlemen know how these work.
Pull the pin...
release the handle, and it explodes.
Crude, but effective.
Now then, if you gentlemen, uh, should try
to loosen your ropes, you will only succeed in blowing each other up.
Once we have achieved our objective,
we will notify the authorities as to your whereabouts,
and then you can validate our accomplishments.
You see gentlemen, you are our witnesses.
The videotape, is it ready?
It's all set. They'll definitely get the message.
Good. Come over here, look at this.
Frank and I will be finished at the microwave base by 10:40.
Armin, you and Lisa must have
the telephone switching station out of commission by 10:45.
No problem.
We will rendezvous here
at this intersection by 11:10, 1.5 kilometers from Powertech.
Understood?
Jonathan...
the Phoenix men.
Would it not be better if we killed them?
More questions, Armin?
What we are doing is a first and I want it witnessed.
We are going to accomplish more than just our leader's freedom.
And when it is over,
the American military complex will do everything possible
to cover up the fact that their defenses could not prevent
four lone individuals
from crippling one of their largest cities.
Jonathan...
really, there's no way to cover up something this big.
They will try.
But the Phoenix Foundation is a corporate white knight,
and when people come to them looking for answers,
Phoenix will tell them the truth.
And they will be believed.
It is time. We must go.
Did you hear that? Sounded like a truck.
Yeah, it's a big rig.
They've got something covered up on the back, too.
Any idea what that could be?
I haven't a clue.
So...
So how do we get out of here?
I don't know.
You don't know?!
MacGyver, don't do this to me. Come on, think!
I'm trying, Pete.
You know maybe you can come up with something.
All right, maybe I can.
Let's see, uh... uh...
Okay, I got it.
We throw one of the grenades up there, under the door.
We duck over there for cover,
and when it blows, we're out of here.
Yeah.
Except I think this place would cave in on us.
Oh... maybe you're right.
Uh... maybe we could find something to replace the pins.
Yeah.
That's better.
It's good, in fact.
Really?
Yeah. I'll need your lift ticket.
Oh, well, that's fine. How are you gonna get it?
Ever heard of a party game called "Pass the Apple"?
Take a look that way.
I'm not going to stand for this anymore.
You were right, no guard.
He only checks in twice a day.
Like I said, this place is an easy target.
This is what we patch in to all the broadcasting signals.
Help me with this thing.
Pull it.
Okay, right here.
This is suicide!
There's got to be another way.
Well, if you think of one in the next 30 seconds,
let me know.
Got it?
Yeah, I got it.
But hurry!
There.
I want it broadcast on all stations,
both radio and television.
I have to set the timer.
It's slipping.
Don't talk.
Yeah, but...
12,700 telephones.
All the eggs in one basket.
Ah.
Let's see...
Got another idea. You want to hear it?
Yeah, shoot.
The detonator in the grenade.
You think that'll blow those doors?
Nope.
Oh.
But you're onto something, Pete.
The C-4 inside it will.
Yeah?
You're doing good, Pete.
Ow...
Here.
Get the detonator out of there.
Yeah, sure.
Detonator.
Yeah, here.
Aw, it's just a power line.
There's no phone here.
We've got to get help.
Let's check the truck.
No keys.
Ah.
Listen, do you believe him?
You think they can really do what he said they could?
Yeah. How about you?
I don't think we can afford not to.
Let's get to a phone.
It's dead.
Look, the windows.
They clash with my fur.
This one's out, too.
I wonder if they got to a switching station?
Yeah, could be.
He talked about weak links.
This sure fits.
"Vectrocomp."
Ring any bells?
Yeah. We've work with them.
They've been tied up with the Air Force the last couple of years.
They specialize in electromagnetic technology.
You're the one who took my...
We the soldiers of the Black Dove Front,
have taken over your public airwaves
to demand the liberation of our leader, General Shakthi.
He is to be released before his scheduled court appearance
this afternoon at 1:00,
and taken to the airport where you will provide
a private aircraft to return him to his homeland.
If you fail to do this, we will strike a deadly blow
to the heart of your city.
We will attack your city at its most vulnerable points.
All electrical systems will be terminated.
Transportation will be brought to a standstill,
creating massive gridlock to all of your major thoroughfares.
Telephones, radios, television,
all forms of communication will be cut.
Every computer in the downtown core will be rendered useless.
Their operational memory
and the information they contain will be wiped clean.
Police and emergency services will be powerless
to deal with the riots and looting that will occur.
Many lives will be lost in the panic that will grip your city.
The choice is yours.
You have until 1:00 this afternoon to release our leader,
or we shall bring your city to its knees.
They set the deadline for 1:00.
That gives us less than an hour.
Well, if they have taken out a switching station,
it'll take at least that long to get a phone that works.
Think.
Did you hear what he said?
I mean, how could four people
possibly do that much damage to a city?
I mean, short of a nuclear bomb, that is.
Vectrocomp.
My watch stopped.
My Jeep.
Well, what's your Jeep got to do with your watch?
They both stopped about the same time.
It would take an electromagnetic pulse of some kind to do that.
And that is Vectrocomp's specialty.
Do you think they hijacked an EMP generator of some kind?
I'll bet that's what was on the truck.
Suppose they hijacked an EMP from these men.
Why would they take it to the cabin?
I mean, why would they bother to knock out a phone grid
this far from the city?
To create a dead zone to work within.
Well, what for?
Power.
They need power.
Power?
Powertech. Heard of 'em?
Yeah.
It's a multi-national energy development corporation.
They've got branches all over the world.
Maybe they've got a branch around here, in the dead zone.
Of course, it would take an enormous source of energy
to feed an EMP generator that could do that much damage.
"Powertech, High Voltage Lab.
1460 Iron Ridge Road."
Let's find it.
I saw a map in the truck.
I'm Marilyn Ross reporting from the Federal courthouse,
and with me is Dr. Cromwell,
best selling author of The Terrorist Game,
a book which detailed the activities of the Black Dove Front
in the Mediterranean last year.
Tell us, doctor, what is your assessment
of the televised threat they made?
Frankly, Marilyn, I don't buy a word of it.
The Black Doves are obviously making a last-ditch attempt
to keep their leader from going to trial.
Is there other technology they could use to carry out such a threat?
In principle, yes, but it's a good eight to ten years away.
The military has been experimenting
with electromagnetic pulse generators
that produce a similar atmospheric effect.
But I hardly think they'd have access to that kind of technology.
Everybody on the floor!
On the floor, get down, now!
Who's in charge?
I am.
Open the doors.
Open the doors!
Now close it! Close it!
Get down with the rest of them.
We have to be loaded up and out of here in 20 minutes.
Where is it?
Over here.
One high-density superconducting energy storage magnet
all recharged and rea...
What's going on?
- What's going on? Oh, no! - What's wrong?
It's empty, there's no power. It's dead.
What? We planted you here for two months
to make sure that everything was in place, and now this?
Hey!
The maintenance was scheduled to be finished last week.
It was supposed to be recharged two days ago.
All right. Charge it now.
This is not a flashlight battery.
It takes all day.
We must be out of here in 20 minutes.
There has to be another way.
Only one way.
What?
The high voltage regulator.
We can force-feed this sucker three million volts in one big gulp,
but it's risky.
It could blow up our generator.
Nothing is as risky as certain failure.
Do it.
You know, if they have an EMP,
and they get the right amount of power,
the electromagnetic pulse could wipe out
banking, social security records, pensions,
even the stock exchange.
I mean, it could be a threat to the entire nation's economy!
Put that on top of blackout, gridlock, looting --
it's kind of a grim picture.
Yeah.
I just hope we're not the only ones coming to this conclusion.
Tell me, colonel, could these terrorists
have stolen an electromagnetic pulse generator?
Absolutely impossible.
If we were experimenting with such a weapon,
it would be under such tight security there'd be no way
these fanatics could get within a mile,
let alone walk away with it.
You have to remember, Marilyn,
we would be talking about a massive piece of equipment here.
Come on.
Look at this place. No security. None.
As soon as you've got it locked down,
you need to run the ground cable over to the floor box,
then start connecting this cable to the magnet terminals.
Look at that!
They have got an EMP.
What are they up to?
Well that big tower looks like
some kind of high voltage generator.
I'd be willing to bet they're gonna charge up that magnet,
and yes, it can store enough energy
to do what they said they'd do.
I'm gonna have to climb up there and pull the plug on 'em.
Well, how are you going to do that without getting spotted?
I can't.
Maybe I can slow 'em down.
I want that magnet charged to its full capacity.
Mister, you're out of your mind.
That generator tower puts out over three million volts of electricity.
If we release a charge like that too fast,
this whole place'll go up.
We'll just have to take that chance.
Take over, Frank.
Come, come, come.
Three million volts, coming up.
Armin, get those cables hooked up.
Move it.
What have you got?
I'm gonna lock 'em in with that.
If they bust through...
give this a yank.
How much longer?
30 seconds.
It's that Phoenix man!
Lisa, come!
Hold it!
There goes the other one! He's going for the cable!
No! You'll hit the tower!
Finish that connection.
The moment it's charged, hit it.
Move, inside.
Move. Quickly.
Almost. That's it.
- Charged. - Fire.
No! Armin's still up there.
I said fire.
No!
You butcher!
Never mind! Never mind.
See if it worked.
The generator's fully discharged.
It worked.
Let's go!
You! You open the door.
Get back.
Hey! We've got your friend.
Interfere with us again and he's dead.
I promise you that!
- Move it! - All right!
Please, think -- did they say anything at all
about where they were taking that thing?
No, nothing. They just wanted to get the superconductor
storage magnet charged and out of here.
Do you have any idea what pulse range the EMP might have?
With three million volts on board?
I figure at least two miles.
All right, they've got 15 minutes before their deadline.
Where's the closest vantage point of the city?
There's only one -- at the end of the road.
Jericho Point.
First a witness, now a hostage.
You are a valuable man, Mr. Thornton.
Will you release Shakthi?
It's government policy that we will not give in
to the demands of any terrorist organization.
Your policy's about to expire.
Enjoy your front row seat.
...threat will continue.
With just five minutes left until 1:00,
we have received word that General Shakthi is now in transit.
It's not yet clear if he's being taken to the airport and released,
or brought here to the Federal courthouse to face trial as planned.
Get it going. Power up the capacitors.
Storage magnet drained. All capacitors charging.
Three million volts ready to go.
All right.
12:57. Set the timer for three minutes.
I will focus the dish.
Something is wrong.
Keep an eye on the power level.
Hey!
Frank?
Can you turn it off?
No. It's locked in automatic sequence.
Let's go.
No, what MacGyver did was connect the generator
to the superconductor, then back to the generator.
Right? Uh, yeah.
Sort of like giving it a shot of its own medicine.
This is a matter of national security, officer.
My men will debrief you.
Do you realize you've just destroyed
a multimillion-dollar piece of top secret military hardware?
Sorry.
Listen, it was the only way.
I'll give you the full details in my report.
There's not going to be any report, Mr. Thornton.
I feel a stonewall coming here.
Yeah, but it's not gonna happen.
Count on it.
So, Pete, what do you feel like doing next weekend?
Well, I...