– English Lyrics

Lyrics & Translation

[English]

What's going on?

Confidence level?

Gather the NSC plus five and kick it to CiC comms - immediately.

What the hell is it?

Early warning satellites detected multiple Russian launches.

What?!

- Salnikov can't be that crazy.

He said he'd get us back after Syria.

By launching nukes?

- AGENT: Cover Falcon!

Cover Falcon!

CIA's psych eval of Salnikov indicated volatility and mood swings.

We just killed - 300 Russians in Aleppo.

Mr. President, I have STRATCOM.

Put them on speaker, Captain.

Yes, sir.

Colonel McPherson is on the line.

McPherson?

- General Bradley is off duty, sir.

NSC plus five is being patched in.

Colonel McPherson, what's the sitrep?

Mr. President, SSPARS is now tracking more than

400 Russian ICBMs heading for US mainland, striking in about 20 minutes.

Colonel, is there anything indicating a possible intrusion in the network, anything at all?

No, sir. Every indication is that we are under attack, Mr. President.

Sir, I recommend initiating Night Watch continuity of government protocol immediately.

Do it.

Major, open the football.

if you don't launch before the Russian missiles hit, they could take out our silos, - severely

limiting our response.

We'd lose an entire leg of the nuclear triad.

There has to be a better option than just responding in kind to an all-out Russian attack.

It'd almost certainly bring on a nuclear winter, killing everyone on the planet.

We have to think about that.

HILL: Nuclear winter is a theory, Russell.

The president has to execute what we've been gaming and planning for decades.

There's only one way to fulfill your constitutional obligation, Mr. President

It's Major Attack Option One.

Does anyone disagree with that assessment?

Do we have the Pentagon War Room on the line?

Yes, Mr. President.

General Nelson here.

Ready to authenticate the nuclear launch codes on your call.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER) - (ALARM BLARING) - Here we go.

Not a drill.

Unlock launch keys.

I agree.

Alpha. Zulu. X-Ray.

I have a match.

Authentication confirmed.

I agree.

Belt up.

Insert launch keys.

Mid-course phase.

Warheads detaching.

Tracking more than 2,000.

Oh my God

No, no! Abort! Abort!

General Bradley

Now!

Send a new EAM aborting it!

Just do it!

Oh, for God's sake.

- Abort, abort.

Launch actions.

Hands on keys.

I agree.

Fire on my mark.

Three, two, one, mark.

- (ALARM BEEPING)

I just had a nice chat about organic juicing with my son in Santa Barbara, who I thought

I was never going to see again, so this better be good, Gordon.

As you recall, sir, STRATCOM recently upgraded its systems; hardware, software

Are you telling me this was some kind of glitch?

No, sir.

Apparently, General Bradley wanted to run a stress test on this new equipment to see

how it would interact with personnel.

- A stress test?

- So he had his CTO upload a simulation on the backup system at the end of his shift

last night because he wasn't gonna be in for the weekend.

God forbid he be inconvenienced.

DALTON: A simulation?

I almost ended the world because of a simulation?

Bradley didn't inform staff.

He wanted them to believe it was real.

Planned on running it when he got back in, but the primary system unexpectedly failed

and the backup came on seamlessly, so no one in the GOC knew.

Pretty convincing simulation.

I think that's the point.

Fire Bradley.

I've already relieved him of duty, sir.

HILL: Didn't we change our procedures on simulations after '79?

Supposed to be on computers off-site.

Like many four stars, Bradley doesn't lack confidence.

He ignored the rule.

And what if General Nelson didn't have clearance issues?

Would Bradley have arrived in time to abort the launches?

No, sir.

It slowed the order by almost two minutes.

We were down to the wire in a few of our launch control centers.

So the world was saved by a philandering general.

Maybe his mistress should get a medal.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
launch /lɔːntʃ/ B1	verb - to send or throw something into the air or into space noun - the act of sending something into the air or into space
nuclear /ˈn(j)uːkliər/ B2	adjective - relating to the nucleus of an atom or to nuclear energy
satellite /ˈsætəlaɪt/ B1	noun - a device sent into space to orbit the Earth and collect information
intrusion /ɪnˈtruːʒən/ B2	noun - the act of entering a place or situation without permission
volatility /ˌvɒləˈtɪlɪti/ C1	noun - the quality or state of being like to change rapidly or unpredictably
authenticate /ɔːˈθentɪkeɪt/ C1	verb - to prove or verify the authenticity of something
simulation /ˌsɪmjuˈleɪʃən/ B2	noun - the act or process of simulating or the state of being simulated
protocol /ˈproʊtəkɒl/ B2	noun - a set of rules or procedures
warhead /ˈwɔːrhɛd/ B2	noun - the front or forward part of a bomb or missile that contains the explosive charge
abort /əˈbɔːrt/ B1	verb - to stop a process or activity before it is complete
upgrade /ˈʌpɡreɪd/ B1	verb - to raise or improve something to a higher level or quality
personnel /ˌpɜːrsəˈnel/ B1	noun - the people employed in an organization or engaged in an organized undertaking
interaction /ˌɪntərˈækʃən/ B2	noun - the act or process of interacting
convincing /kənˈvɪnsɪŋ/ B1	adjective - causing someone to believe that something is true or real
procedure /prəˈsiːdʒər/ B1	noun - a particular way of accomplishing something or of acting

Key Grammar Structures

• What's going on?

  ➔ Present continuous for immediate action/situation

  ➔ The phrase uses the present continuous (“is going on”) to inquire about a current, unfolding event. It's a common way to ask about what is happening *right now*.

• We just killed - 300 Russians in Aleppo.

  ➔ Past Simple with 'just' to emphasize recent completion

  ➔ The use of 'just' before the past simple verb 'killed' highlights that the action of killing 300 Russians in Aleppo happened very recently. It adds a sense of immediacy and shock.

• There has to be a better option than just responding in kind to an all-out Russian attack.

  ➔ Present Perfect with 'has to be' expressing necessity/logical deduction

  ➔ The phrase 'There has to be...' indicates a strong belief that a better solution exists. The present perfect ('has to be') suggests that the possibility of a better option is logically deduced from the situation.

• It'd almost certainly bring on a nuclear winter, killing everyone on the planet.

  ➔ Conditional clause (would + infinitive) expressing a likely consequence

  ➔ The use of 'It'd' (contraction of 'It would') followed by 'almost certainly' indicates a very high probability of a negative outcome – a nuclear winter and the death of everyone. The gerund 'killing' functions as a result of the nuclear winter.