Lieutenant Colonel Mick Canales is an Army combat veteran and double amputee. Ever since he lost both of his legs he feels like he is half a man and his new physical therapist Samantha Shane tries to help him overcome this. Samantha takes him on a walk up a mountain near the NASA satalite array and Mick complains that its so easy that his grandmother and dead dog could do it. During the walk, the two see an alien transport pass overhead and encounter police officers who warn them about the alien attack and tell them to get off the mountain. Instead, Mick insists on finding out what's going on and after seeing the police jeeps wrecked, Mick changes his mind and has Samantha get the keys to a jeep left behind from one of the dead police officers so they can drive off of the mountain. When they return to the jeep, Samantha tries to call for help, but a scientist, Cal Zapata arrives and warns them about the alien plan to use the transmitter to send a signal and how that could spell doom for the Earth. After learning that with a piece of equipment he left behind Cal could get the radio working, Mick forces him to go back and get it. With the equipment, the three are able to get the radio working and Mick makes contact with the destroyer John Paul Jones. After her boyfriend Alex Hopper comes on the radio and explains the situation to Alex including the fact that they had four hours until the aliens could transmit. Mick, Cal and Samantha get to a safe distance, but after witnessing the aliens destroy the John Paul Jones, Mick decides to try to buy Earth another day and asks Samantha to drive the jeep through the cables connecting the alien equipment and the NASA array. While she agrees, Cal refuses and stays behind. Mick's plan works, but Samantha ends up stuck in the jeep along with his gun so Mick, regaining his fighting spirit, jumps out and takes on an alien coming after them in hand to hand combat. Mick holds his own at first, pulling off the alien's helmet and using its sensitivity to sunlight against it, but is knocked down and nearly killed before Cal intervens and knocks it down. Mick strangles the alien to death while Cal gets Samantha out. The three make it to saftey before the battleship Missouri fires a shell into the alien equipment, destroying it and the NASA array. After everything is over, Mick is awarded a medal for his actions.
Trivia[]
- Director Peter Berg, having seen news articles about Gadson, decided to cast him as an Army officer trying to recover from the loss of his legs.