Terminal Entry

The film opens with Lady Electric and Bob being chased through a corridor, ending with them plunging into an elevator. Bob snaps out of his daydream at the last second. He later learns that his friends have also 'lost' the game in the same deadly fashion, foreshadowing the real-world consequences of their hacking.

Back in the dorm, the Caltech students crave another game and discover Terminal Entry is password protected. Tom resolves to crack the password and run the game during a weekend trip to the mountains. They suspect the password scheme was set up by MIT members, fueling their determination.

Colonel Styles and Captain Jackson inform General Stewart of the terrorist situation via video conference and request additional personnel to bolster the border. The General, skeptical of a quick solution, decides to fly out to take command personally.

The terrorist network commander watches a news interview of General Stewart and vows to strike him. The plan is nearly foiled when Captain Jackson escorts the general, interrupting the assassination attempt at the hotel.

Back at the dorm, Gwen, invited to the weekend retreat, defeats the computer game 'Dr. Fly' with a single command. Her win unsettles the group and shows that a nonchalant approach to games can still outsmart the system. The moment also signals the growing skill of the teenagers with technology.

The terrorist commander, in a video conference with his leader, reminds them of the stakes and sets an initiation timeframe for their coordinated attack. They outline the targets and the urgency of their plan.

The Army anti-terrorism unit makes progress by locating the terrorist network's bulletin board system through searches of known listings. To infiltrate, they pose as Hassan, the operative the team had killed earlier, sparking internal conflict for Dan Jackson over orders.

During the weekend getaway, the six teenagers fail to crack Terminal Entry through brute force. The mounting pressure and the looming threat push them to search for alternative ways in. Their persistence foreshadows a deeper connection between their play and real events.

Bob drops a Twinkie on the keyboard, accidentally typing the numbers 5.9.125.35 and 1/5.25.35, which match Lady Electric's clues from the beginning. Access is granted, and the group discovers a complex program they mistake for a game. The moment marks a turning point where their exploration begins to blur with real consequences.

Inside the system, they find a powerful, complex program that appears to be a game. They interact with it, unaware of how their in-game actions will ripple into the real world. The line between virtual commands and real events begins to blur.

The Army locates the terrorist command post and initiates an assault, but the six students are pulled into the action. As they play the game, their in-game commands trigger real bombings, assassinations, and acts of terrorism, including an attack on a Russian peace delegate and damage to an oil refinery in Los Angeles.

Bob, unaware of the full impact, places the six on a hit list and Operator 23 is dispatched before countermeasures can stop them. Their car won’t start, forcing the group to retreat to the house to arm themselves. The situation escalates as the threat closes in on them.

Night falls as a large group of terrorists descends on the house. The anti-terrorist unit is one step ahead and rescues the kids, then proceeds to eradicate the immediate terrorist threat. The group narrowly escapes with their lives intact.

Bob, guided by the voice of Lady Electric in his head, returns inside to put his initials into the computer as the winner. The win comes at a tense moment, reinforcing his emerging sense of agency within the chaos. The act also foreshadows the ongoing struggle beyond this victory.

Even with the terrorists defeated and the kids safe, Captain Jackson and Colonel Styles acknowledge that the war is not over. The closing scene suggests further threats loom on the horizon, leaving a sense of unresolved danger.