Masters of Science Fiction (TV Series)
Watchbird (2007)
Sean Astin: Charlie Kramer
Quotes
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[First lines]
[a night security guard opens the door and says sympathetically, "Another late one, Mr. Kramer?"]
Charlie Kramer : Yeah. I guess so.
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[Charlie is meeting with Ludwin and two executives from the Department of Homeland Security. Posh setting; sinister atmosphere]
Randolph Ludwin : Charlie, the President wants to bring the Bird home.
Charlie Kramer : I don't understand. Has something happened? I thought everyone was pretty happy with the program.
Jack Valentine : We are, Charlie. In fact, we're so pleased with the program that we'd like to extend the security that Watchbird provides to all Americans. And not just our troops.
Randolph Ludwin : [Cheerfully] Homeland Security wants to deploy the Watchbird on the home front.
Charlie Kramer : [shocked, but being diplomatic] Well, it's not as easy as it sounds. With all due respect.
Jack Valentine : We're not talking about sea to shining sea, Charlie. We envision ten or twelve metropolitan areas. To begin with. And Seattle, of course, would be included.
[the setting of the story is Seattle]
Bradley Tanner : [He hands a folder to Charlie] It's all detailed in this brief.
Charlie Kramer : [Charlie takes the folder and politely flips through a few pages] Yeah. See, the thing about Watchbird is, I mean, the whole idea behind Watchbird is that it was designed for a battle-field environment.
[the bureaucrats look at each other]
Jack Valentine : The war we're fighting, Charlie, the big war? It doesn't respect borders. We're fighting an enemy that thinks nothing of killing innocent civilians.
Randolph Ludwin : Watchbird is the most effective tactical weapon in our arsenal, Charlie. We have the opportunity to bring it where the need is greatest. Right here, at home.
Charlie Kramer : [horrified] And in Iraq, and in Afghanistan, we equipped the Coalition troops with chips. You couldn't possibly use that strategy domestically.
Jack Valentine : Of course.
Bradley Tanner : No.
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Charlie Kramer : It's just a machine, Sarah. It's a machine with limitations. And if it makes a mistake? It's irreversible. And no due process. No appeals. In a split second - thanks to me - it's a de facto judge, jury, and potential executioner.
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Charlie Kramer : And, as smart as it is, it's just an analogue of human intelligence. So, whatever our flaws, the computer runs the risk of compounding them exponentially.
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Charlie Kramer : If I knew that it was just protecting innocent lives. I mean, if I could really *know*.
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[Charlie Kramer is reprogramming Watchbird]
Charlie Kramer : I'm giving you some new databases. Criminal law: federal, state, municipal. General guidelines for detecting criminal behavior.
The Watchbird : Current response protocols require intent to kill an imminent threat. State revision.
Charlie Kramer : Now you'll be looking for statutory law-breakers with that intent. You'll need both criteria to justify action. Understood?
The Watchbird : Breaches of the law plus reckless intent equal authorized force. Including deadly force.
Charlie Kramer : [sighs] Exactly. When disabling force is insufficient to stop the criminal. You'll use only your anti-personnel capability - no incendiaries. You'll be working in the 48 contiguous states.
The Watchbird : New coordinates of origin?
Charlie Kramer : My home. The United States of America.
The Watchbird : Will deploy for new directive.
Charlie Kramer : Thank you.
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Randolph Ludwin : You know, Charlie, frankly speaking, if anything, the bird's been a little gun-shy.
Charlie Kramer : [outraged] Excuse me?
Randolph Ludwin : We've still had a lot of preventable homicides in those twelve trial cities. Twenty-nine, to be exact - five in New York alone.
Charlie Kramer : The bird's response is never going to be a hundred percent. We've talked about that. It's gotta be able to access the assailant, and that's not always possible.
Randolph Ludwin : Yeah, but some of those murders happened right out in the open.
Charlie Kramer : Where's this coming from? Is this Valentine?
Randolph Ludwin : Jack Valentine is the best friend this company has. And he has the best interests of this country at heart.
Charlie Kramer : The country's or his own? I mean, the last time he was in here, he looked like a guy picking out an office.
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Charlie Kramer : What is it, exactly, that you're asking me to do here?
Randolph Ludwin : Look. All I'm saying is, you might want to revisit the parameters that you have the bird set at. That's all.
Charlie Kramer : I'm not going to put the Watchbirds on hair-triggers. I mean, there's no way! We have to err on the side of caution.
Randolph Ludwin : But every program needs to be tweaked. You said so yourself.
Charlie Kramer : Well, this is not a program. This is a killing machine.
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[In their expensive apartment high in a skyscraper, Marissa Summer brings martinis to her husband as he hangs up the phone]
Marissa Summer : I made you some lunch.
Summer : What did I do to deserve a wife like you?
Marissa Summer : Mm. You must have been very good in a former life.
Summer : I'll tell you one thing. It beats the crap out of being good in this one.
Marissa Summer : [She laughs demurely and speaks in a suggestively sexy voice] Now, why do I have the feeling you're not going to be taking any more calls this afternoon?
Summer : My goodness! Beautiful and psychic too.
[a Watchbird swoops outside the window, then fires a blast through the window. Marissa collapses on the couch, jumping spasmodically as though electrocuted]
Summer : Marissa! Marissa!
Charlie Kramer : [In his office workroom, Charlie picks up the ringing phone] Yeah.
Randolph Ludwin : Charlie?
Charlie Kramer : What's up?
Randolph Ludwin : [grimly] We got a problem.
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[Detective Ratcliffe has come to harangue them for the death of Marissa when he receives a call that she had laced her husband's lunch with poison]
Charlie Kramer : She was trying to kill him!
Ratcliffe : I guess your bird managed to stop her.
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[Valentine is angry that the men in an Al Qaeda sleeper cell in Baltimore weren't killed for planning to set off bombs]
Charlie Kramer : Well, we start firing every time a Bird senses rage, a lot of bureaucrats better start looking over their shoulder.
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[last lines]
[Charlie is on the building roof, threatening to jump because of the Watchbird mission's failure]
Randolph Ludwin : Charlie, it's only a setback! We can start over. It's not too late. It's only temporary. We can fix it!
Charlie Kramer : [Charlie is watching the Mentor, the chief Watchbird, flying toward them] The Mentor will make it right.
Randolph Ludwin : No! Don't be a damned fool! It's a machine running a program. It can't think!
Charlie Kramer : No, Randolph, she can think. She knows. She knows that I'm about to take a life.
Randolph Ludwin : Charlie!
[Charlie looks up as the Mentor dives down]