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About this Episode
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Transcript
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Countdown for blast off.
X minus five.
Four.
Three.
Two.
X minus one.
Fire.
From the far horizons of the unknown come transcribed tales of new dimensions in time
and space.
These are stories of the future adventures in which you'll live in a million could be years
on a thousand maybe worlds.
The national broadcasting company in cooperation with street and smith publishers of astounding
science fiction presents.
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In the South Pacific night comes on rapidly.
The sun dips below the flat horizon, the sea is crimson for a moment, and then night falls.
But on to Hane 8th Hall, giant arc lights turn night into day.
Across the waters of the lagoon within the barrier reef, launches and tugs skitter back
and forth, while on the curving half moon of the island, army trucks and jeeps scuttled
down the rough roads, bulldozed by the seabees just six weeks ago.
A low-quonset hut stands near the beach surrounded by tangled wire.
This is the preliminary command post, and inside is General Frank Gadash, Field Director
of the Test, Operation Destruction.
Everything's on schedule, General, radiological surveys complete, instruments placement
checked, or get me Navy until I'm H.R. as is ordered.
Send a periodic time check to Air Force on any week talk, an observation control on
the Missouri.
Yes, sir.
I want a complete rust to check on all personnel before H.R.
Yes, sir.
Mr. Nate Cohen wants to see you.
Who the devil is he?
A.P. man.
He's been selected by the press radio pool to interview.
I haven't got any time.
Tell him to speak to Major Dwight Friedenberg.
He's the P.R.O.
I think perhaps you'd better see him, sir, the directive on public relations from Washington
was very clear.
How in places am I supposed to run a bomb test and play mother-handle a bunch of reporters?
Washington said.
All right, all right.
Bring him in.
For rally?
Yes.
Give me some black coffee.
Yes.
This is Mr. Cohen, General Gadash.
How do you do, General?
Lousy, as a matter of fact.
Is that an official statement?
No.
You can run some of that.
The world is at the crossroads below me.
I wrote that yesterday.
General, what effect do you think the new bomb will have on the world's situation?
I can't tell you that, even if I knew.
My job is to set the blasted thing off and see that nobody gets hurt and collect the
data.
Can I speak to you a moment later, Alan?
Go ahead, Cohen.
Can you release anything on the scientific principles involved?
I don't even understand of myself.
There.
Wait a minute.
Dr. Muller.
Yes?
Come over here a minute, will you?
This is Dr. Fred Muller, a civilian scientific director.
He's the only one who knows what's inside that warhead.
How do you do, Mr. Cohen?
How about a statement, doctor?
Oh, I'm afraid all I'm allowed to say is that the bomb is new.
It's extremely powerful and off the record.
It's very tricky and dangerous.
What'll happen if it goes off prematurely?
I don't think we have to worry about that.
In fact, we wouldn't even know about it if you'll excuse me.
How about the natives?
Well, what about them?
Aren't they going to be evacuated from the island?
They already have been.
General Gadash.
I saw that the honey chief outside when I came in.
The whole tribe squatting down at the motor pool, having a conference.
What?
Alan, I've been trying to tell you, sir, that honey is still on the island.
Why?
The LCTs are ready, aren't they?
Yes, sir, but they won't go.
They refuse.
The schedule called for their evacuation to buy Lani three hours ago.
I realize that, sir, but I hoped we could still get them off without violence.
Look, Alan.
They're either on the island or off.
Wait a minute.
Cohen, that's all.
What are you going to do about the natives, General?
Never mind, Alan.
She was statement later.
You're going to force them?
No, I haven't had time.
All right, General.
Thanks.
Thanks a lot.
All right, Alan.
Let's have it.
Well, sir, that honey has been kicking up all along.
They won't leave.
They won't.
Do they know what's going to happen to the island?
Do they know that we're going to blow it higher than a kite?
I told the chief.
He just said they won't go.
They'll go all right if I had to.
Yeah.
Hey, get him in here.
The chief?
Yeah.
And that lieutenant who interprets.
Yes.
How do you like that, Dr. Muller?
I haven't got enough trouble.
You know, I feel rather sorry for the honey.
Can't make much sense to them.
We arrive until them.
They've got to get up.
Look, I appreciate your finer feelings, Muller,
but I can't let the canokas hold up the bomb test.
They're not canokas, General.
Captain Cook discovered the island in 1788.
Oh, what's the difference?
In Gilbert reporting, sir.
Hey, look, I haven't got time for ceremony, Gilbert.
Tell the chief he and his tribe have got to get off the island.
We're providing homes for them on my Lani.
I caught a swath here.
He went.
Translate Gilbert?
As he says, you do not understand.
My Lani is a bad island.
My people have lived on Tahani from the time that our ancestors
were cast away on the island.
The spirits of our ancestors are buried in the earth.
Our fathers are buried here.
Our fathers' fathers.
If he thinks I'm going to move his graveyard, he's crazy.
In our ancestors' time, the Tahani came in a great bird canoe.
We were cast away on this island.
We have made it our home.
What right have you now to carry us over the sea to a strange land
where we would die weeping for our homes?
We will not go.
The waters of Babylon there, we sat down and we wept.
When we remembered Zion, well, thank you, Dr. Muller.
You're a great help.
Hey, Gilbert.
Yes, sir.
Tell him I have no choice.
He's got to midnight to get his tribe on board those LCTs peacefully.
Or I'll have the Marine Detachment carry him aboard.
Yes, sir.
I'd rather harsh, General.
After all, justice is on their side.
We're preparing to blow up their island.
And we haven't asked him about it.
Dr. Muller, will you kind of confine yourself to the scientific aspects of this operation?
I'll take care of administrative matters.
If you could explain to them what's at stake here.
Any further explaining I've got to do, I'll do with the Marine Detachment.
I'm not going to hold up my schedule.
Well, Gilbert.
I told him, sir.
All right, get him out of here.
I've had enough.
No, no, no.
What the devil's that?
Some kind of a cursor.
I can catch some of it.
The island will remember the tears of its children and punish the invaders.
The great destroyers will not destroy.
And the evil man who is the chief will travel far through the blackness of night.
Even as the children of the island end so will he.
All right, Gilbert.
Take him away.
Colonel Allen.
Get a detail from the Marine Detachment with tear gas and small arms down to the motor pool.
And in one hour, have those natives on that transport, and I don't care how they do it.
Is that my coffee, Vareli?
Yes, sir.
They must know about the bomb.
The great destroyer will not destroy.
You worried about that curse?
I should think you might be.
He threatened you personally.
If I were you, I'd carry a pistol till they got off the island.
The chief looked as if he'd cheerfully strangle you with his bare hands.
I'm supposed to end the way they do.
What's that?
Probably the Donnie saying goodbye to their island.
I think I'll go down to the motor pool.
I'll stay out of the way.
And get back here in an hour.
You've got to have this wrapped up and headquarters moved out to the Missouri by dawn.
Instrument room checking, sir.
That's the last.
Have the Missouri take over control and send for my jeep.
Yes, sir.
Are the LCTs standing by those natives?
Yes, sir. They're on the beach.
The bomb unit has assembled in place, General.
2330 right on the nose.
Robin, study evacuation procedure.
But the honey you've stopped.
Allen's probably moving them out to the beach.
Check in with Navy and Air Force, Vareli.
Yes, sir.
What's that?
Coming to the beach.
But the honey making trouble.
Come on.
General, hey you.
Help her.
What is it?
Colonel Allen ordered the Marines.
Well, what happened?
The natives just got up and started marching.
And they embark.
You don't understand, sir.
They marched up the cliff and right off into the lagoon.
What?
All of them, the women and the kids too.
They didn't even try to swim.
What were you doing all this time just standing around with your thumb and your mouth?
There was a Marine detachment.
We couldn't stop them, sir.
They just walked over the cliff.
They didn't even scream.
Not even the kids.
We sent the crash boats out, but we couldn't get them any of them.
The crazy idiots.
Were there any reporters there?
Well, go on in a life photographer.
We'll get his film and hold it.
I release it.
What are you going to do, General?
Respond to HR.
It's too late for that now.
And calling HR off isn't going to bring the natives back.
One hundred men, women and children just walking into the water.
It's horrible.
I know.
I'm not happy about it either.
There's nothing we can do now.
I gave him a chance to get off.
I was just thinking about the curse the chief put on you.
Even as the children of the island end, so will he.
That's what he said to you, General.
I know I heard him.
Your chief's waiting, General.
The great destroyer will not destroy.
That must mean the bomb.
Don't worry, Dr. Muller.
You'll take more than a mumbo jumbo curse from a native witch doctor to stop this operation.
And HR, that bomb goes off.
It is now eight hour or minus one minute thirty seconds.
Eight minus one thirty.
Video screens hooked in sir.
All right, check control stations.
Observation station one.
Observation station one.
Radiation station.
Radiation control check.
Test the firing circuit, Dr. Muller.
Right, General.
Damage control station.
Damage control check.
Also.
Communication.
All check inser.
It is eight minus one minute.
Eight minus one.
Take a good look at the aisle and on that screen, Dr. Muller.
When you throw that key, it just won't be there anymore.
Nothing but an atom mushroom over the lagoon.
Right, a funeral pyre for the town and stubborn idiots.
They can't get in the way of progress.
Progress?
I wonder if it is, you know.
It is eight minus thirty seconds.
Eight hour minus twenty nine.
Twenty eight.
Twenty seven.
The great destroyer.
That's what he called the bomb.
Hold it, Muller.
Alan report.
All check inser.
Hammer is running.
Sound fire warning.
Stand by for firing.
Ready, Muller?
Ready.
Ten.
Nine.
Eight.
Seven.
Six.
Five.
Four.
Three.
Two.
One.
Fire.
General.
It didn't go off.
The bomb didn't go off.
The rally.
Signal stand by.
Condition red.
Alan, check readings.
Muller, what's wrong?
What happened?
I don't know.
The bomb didn't go off.
What do you mean?
Why didn't it?
I don't know.
Except for one thing.
Honey chief said the great destroyer would not destroy.
It didn't, General.
The bomb didn't go off.
What about it, General?
What happened?
Have you got a statement?
Nothing you can use, Cohen.
Not till we find out what went wrong.
Hey, who let you come aboard this ship?
I walked on.
You don't know why the bomb failed?
It didn't fail.
It just didn't go off.
What's that tank thing on the deck, General?
They called it a bottom crawler.
Somebody going down?
Well, that bomb is down there in the lagoon somewhere.
Could go off at any second.
Somebody's got to go down and find it and disarm it.
That's a lovely job.
Who's elected?
I am.
Wow.
And Dr. Muller.
He's the only one who knows how to dismantle it.
Callers ready, General.
All right.
Come on, Muller.
I'm ready.
Alan, as soon as we hit shallow water, get those gates open.
We'll pull the crawler out.
Then you get away in a hurry.
If that bomb goes while we're working on it, I don't want any casualties.
Yes.
Inside, Muller.
All right.
I'm in.
Now, remember.
Get this LST out of the lagoon in a hurry.
You got that, Alan?
You take your orders from Admiral Yancy.
Yes, sir.
Good luck.
Closing the hatch.
The radar and Geiger counter warmed up, Muller.
We're just thinking of something, General.
That curse, part of it, came true.
The bomb didn't go off.
Well, the second part of that curse was that you would end where they ended.
That was at the bottom of the lagoon.
Are you trying to do, Muller?
Nothing.
I was just thinking this crawler is going to take us right down there where the Tahani died.
I'm not worried about a handful of dead natives, Muller.
I'm worried about that bomb.
Okay, they're opening the gate.
Let's go.
You.
USU-4 to control.
Depth 50 feet, bottom sandy, dropping off sharp.
Anything on sonar, Muller?
School of fish.
You ever been down in a crawler before?
Only in the tank at New London.
Think I've got a Geiger reading, Dead ahead.
Hang on, getting something on sonar now.
Left to point.
USU-4 to control.
Over.
USU-4 to control.
Over.
It's a fine note, the radio's out.
Dead ahead.
Looks too large to be the bomb.
Can't see much on the forward vision plate.
Wait a minute.
That's part of the reef ahead.
That's where the Geiger reading indicated.
The bomb must have settled in the hole in the reef.
We'll have to go after it in diving suits.
The suits are in the locker.
Let's get this over with.
The less time I spend down here waiting for that bomb to blow,
the better I like it.
Muller, is your helmet clamp tight?
You're getting me all right on your headset?
OK.
I'm going to fill the lock.
Here goes the outer door.
Let's go.
This isn't like that diving tank at New London.
Look out for that car, it can cut you to ribbons.
There's a hole of some sort there.
We'll get the lighter.
See if we can get a Geiger reading out of that hole.
Just it.
There.
It's down there all right.
Careful.
I'll drop down first.
Is there anything down there?
Muller, get down here fast.
What is it? Find something?
The bottom of this hole, it's metal and the sides.
But it's the coral reef.
Look, welded joints.
These are whole plates of some kind.
Look out above us.
It's closing.
Grab it.
Too late.
A metal hatch.
It just slid over the top.
This is impossible.
What's going on?
It's like an airlock.
The water's being pumped up.
General, do you realize what this means?
I'm not sure.
There's an inner door opening.
Careful.
It's a passageway.
What are we doing now?
There is a much we can't do.
We can take off our helmets though.
The dial shows good air.
All right.
Come on.
What is this?
Under C4?
What's it doing here?
What does it mean?
Whatever it is, our bomb must be down here.
Wait.
There's someone there.
I can't see.
There's a shadow.
Who is it?
Who's there?
Welcome, Dr. Muller.
Welcome to our ship.
We've been waiting for you.
General, it can't be.
Do you see it?
It's the Tahani Chief.
How long has the bottom crawler been down, Barale?
Four hours, sir.
Two since we lost contact.
I'll keep trying.
Yes, sir.
I've given him enough time.
I'm going to send another crawler down.
What do you think you're happened to him, Colonel?
Well, there are a lot of things.
Hey, how did you get in here?
I walked in.
What are you going to release us, Colonel?
It's the biggest story since the election.
Bama, dead, and Dr. Muller and Dr. Muller
are in jail.
I'm going to kill him.
I'm going to kill him.
I'm going to kill him.
Just imagine the election.
Bama, dead, and Dr. Muller and General,
and Gamedar, dead.
They're not dead.
At least we don't know they are.
Go on as that bomb doesn't go off, there's there's still a chance.
What happened, Mom?
Driving in, condition red.
Gilbert, radiation control into action.
Get the hot squad into Tahani Lagoon as soon as it's cleared.
Now get me a PT boat with radiation screening.
What is it, Colonel.
What happened?
Bama must have blown.
Now, housing arms are garlic 280 chilies.
They're a little deaf.
Great Asian reading 75 and steady take her in as close to the beach as you can steady as she goes any danger of any more explosions
Oh when she goes she goes radiation 82 that's still safe going is that something on the beach
Yeah looks like a body maybe a blue one with a honey back out of the lagoon no no moving
government classes yes sir it's a man all right head into the beach
who is it Kevin can tell he's in a diving suit it's either a muller or a general gait off
get his helmet off easy enough twist to the right
yeah it's muller uh gilbert help me get him out of this diving suit we've got to get him no medics
there's no radiation burns superficial bruises mild shock you'll be all right Colonel can he talk for a
while mom go off it didn't he's still out of his head quiet going Dr. Muller what did you find the
ship the giant metal ship there under the lagoon no no it was a spaceship spaceship camouflage right
next to the reef when when we went inside we found that the honey chief and all the tribe alive
what they drowned in the lagoon I saw no they didn't commit suicide as we thought they just
dived underwater into the rocket airlock rocket airlocks now look my I know you've suffered a shot
but but it's true can't be a spaceship built by Polynesian savages but they're not savages they're
the castaways they're from another planet don't you understand their spaceship was wrecked here
four hundred years ago they've been waiting ever since for a chance to go home he's out of his mind
better give him a sedative doctor no no no wait a minute Colonel remember their story about the
great bird canoe maybe there's something to the legend not the legend it's true they'd exhausted
their fuel came down out of space couldn't find anything here on earth to replace their fuel
saws until we developed atomic power atomic power you mean they stole our bar that's right
fished it out of the lagoon hauled it aboard yes but how could they convert it to atomic dry they
made me dismantle it for them at the point of a gun then just before they blasted off they let
me go but what about the general remember that the honey curse I see you mean they kill him you
don't understand I said I dismantled that bomb at the point of a gun it was general gada she
was holding the gun what he was one of them one of their spies sent out to bring back the rocket
fuel they needed and the tahani curse wasn't the curse at all it said that when they left the
island so would he I mean he's with them now yes and after 400 years the castaways are going home
you have just heard x minus one presented by the national broadcasting company in cooperation
with street and Smith publishers of astounding science fiction your announcer Fred Cowan
x minus one was an NBC radio network production
you
