The Outer Limits (1995–2002): Season 1, Episode 5 - White Light Fever - full transcript

Leave the cell door open.
Let him escape. Let him.

It's our only chance.

Damn cable TV!

Do you hear me? Destroyed!

Son of a bitch!

Is this a late night
or an early start on the day?

Same difference.
How about you?

Been in surgery all evening.

A twelve-year-old kid shot
through the femoral artery.

I'm glad I'm out
of emergency medicine.

What are you working on?



The latest computer simulations
for the exocardial frame.

- And?
- Very promising.

Mac, your boss is calling.

Oh, God.

The way these people
run a hospital...

I could soon be on damn welfare.

Yeah.

You never give up, do you?

Neither does Harlan Hawkes!

Let's go, let's go!
Let's not lose him, guys!

It's Harlan.
He's in arrest again. Got defib?

There he is.

Careful over here.

- Okay, careful.
- Get a bag on him.



Bag him.

- Hit him. Clear.
- Clear.

- Clear!
- Clear!

There is nothing wrong
with your television.

Do not attempt
to adjust the picture.

We are now controlling
the transmission.

We control the horizontal...

and the vertical.

We can deluge you
with a thousand channels...

or expand one single image
to crystal clarity...

and beyond.

We can shape your vision...

to anything
our imagination can conceive.

For the next hour...

we will control
all that you see and hear.

You are about to experience
the awe and mystery...

which reaches from
the deepest inner mind to...

The Outer Limits.

The one certainty of
the human experience is death.

But what might happen when our
effort to prolong the inevitable...

starts to turn
that battle around?

Will someone or something...

step in to ensure
the final outcome?

Doctor.

The audio on my beeper cut out.

Well, I think from
what I'm paying you...

you could damn well find
a beeper that beeps!

Yeah, well, if you would
at least allow us...

to install the proper
monitoring equipment...

chances would be a lot less.

We've been through
all this before, McEnerey.

I won't live hooked up
to any damn machines!

- Suit yourself, Harlan.
- That's my life's mission.

Now, if you could
round us up a heart...

that will beat for more
than an hour at a pop...

we'll be in business.

That's not gonna be easy. Your last
transplant was less than two years ago.

What difference does that make?

The review board is reserving
donor organs for younger candidates.

They want more cash.
That's all.

They know they got me,
and they're upping the price.

They're good businessmen.
I respect that.

Well, the chairman is undergoing
an ethics probe.

Trust me, your money's
not gonna help us here.

Well, how did the latest
exocardial frame tests come out?

- Close to flawless.
- If I remember correctly...

the review board has
a different priority system...

for research projects.

That's true.

That would put us at
the top of the waiting list...

and get a heart.

- The frame's not ready yet.
- It's ready.

I wanna do some
further modifications.

Bull. You're stalling.

Afraid of failure?

I've invested a fortune
of my money in this project...

and it's high time that I see
some return for my investment.

If you put
the exocardial frame inside me...

your picture will be on
every magazine cover...

from coast to coast.

It's time to go
for the brass ring!

Get the paperwork ready.

Should have the material
by the end of the day.

Yeah, I'll be here
in case you need anything.

Well, that's good to know,
Dave. Thank you.

And thank you
for all your help.

Right. Bye-bye.

Well, it's in the hands
of the committee now.

- So, what do you think?
- Stats look good.

I need some more time to review them
before I can give you a real opinion.

But from the looks of it,
the results are solid.

- Your frame's gonna work.
- If I can make the modifications in time.

It's a shame it has to work
on Harlan Hawkes.

I could think of a few other people
who could benefit from this invention.

Hawkes made this
invention possible...

not to mention
the antirejection drug...

and all the other projects
I've developed for him.

And Hawkes owns all of it.

That's right.
So, what's your point?

You don't think Hawkes is just gonna
give all this technology away, do you?

Most of the work you've developed
over the years is ready for public use...

and he hasn't allowed
any of it to leave this hospital.

He's hoarding it,
just like he does with his money.

Well, if you feel that way,
why do you help me out here?

The same reason I took your vascular
surgery clinic back at Hopkins.

You're a good teacher.
You still are.

That's why I came to work for this
hospital- to work with you, and hopefully-

- What?
- What the hell is this?

- You all right?
- Yeah.

This is crazy.

John, what's going on
with the electricity?

- My computer just blew up.
- I have three electricians working on it.

- And?
- All they've been able to figure out...

is that the disturbance is centered
around Hawkes's suite.

- It's the weirdest thing-
- I don't care what it is.

I just wanna know
what they're gonna do about it.

Look, I'm not
your damn secretary, okay?

Doctor Silcase, excuse me.
It's the ICU.

They need a cardiologist stat,
and Delaney's 20 minutes away.

- I wouldn't normally ask, but-
- Tell them I'm on my way.

- He's on his way.
- I'm sorry. Just solve this thing.

Thanks for getting here
so quickly. In here.

Hello. I'm Dr. McEnerey.
Jessie.

- Not feelin' so well.
- I've felt better.

You wanna tell me
what happened?

I'm getting married
in two weeks...

and my girlfriends
threw me a stag...

and there was this stripper,
so I guess I got too excited.

Is that your fiancé out there?

Yeah, that's him.

He know about the stripper?

I don't wanna give him
a heart attack.

Mind if I have a listen?

- So, how long have you had the myopathy?
- Since I was 12.

- When was the last episode?
- About a year ago.

We'll have 200 mils of esmolol...

and let's set up for an echo.

So, Jessie, we're gonna do
a few tests.

Doctor, I just wanna
get married, okay? And-

- Can you help me do that?
- Don't worry.

The nurse is just
gonna prep you.

Take care.

Doctor, how is she?

- It's too soon to tell at this point.
- Stephen?

- Anne.
- Hi, sweetie.

- It's good to see you.
- I just found out she's here.

- This is my baby brother Stephen.
- Hi, Stephen.

- Can I go in and see her?
- Sure. Go ahead.

Tell me something, pal.

How much do you make an hour?

Eleven dollars.

And they wonder why
health care costs are what they are.

The needle seems to be
holding steady...

so it looks like I'm
out of your hair, Mr. Hawkes.

Get away!

Get away! Let go!

Somebody help me!

I want that electrician fired!

Is that clear?
That bastard almost killed me.

You might wanna hold off
on that, Mr. Hawkes.

He's not expected
to pull through.

- Why part with all that severance pay?
- Good point.

- Where's McEnerey?
- He asked me to supervise this transfer.

They have to conduct
more tests in your suite.

You haven't answered
my question.

Where is my doctor?

He's running the final series of tests
on the exocardial frame.

He's doing what he's been doing
for the last 10 years.

What you pay him for-
fighting to keep you alive.

- You got a problem with that, do you?
- Sorry?

I can smell an attitude
a mile upwind in a hurricane.

Right now,
yours stinks somethin' awful.

Mac should be at
a university- teaching...

conducting his research,
performing surgery.

I am not talking
about that crap.

You've got a problem
about my wanting to stay alive.

I suppose you have a right
to fight for your life.

And you think I've had
more than my share, right?

People die every day.

It's a natural consequence
of living.

You've lived a full life,
Mr. Hawkes.

I have a different standard
for "full."

- What are you so afraid of?
- Let me ask you something.

Have you ever seen death?

Of course I have.
I'm a doctor.

I'm not talking about
some senior citizen...

cashing in from pneumonia.

I mean...

seeing your
own family massacred.

No.

When I was four,
our village was attacked...

and the enemy
herded us all...

into the center of town
and began shooting.

My mother and father were hit
and fell on top of me.

The blood from their wounds
soaked my face.

I only got hit
with one bullet...

in the knee...

and I laid like that
for three days and nights...

too scared to call out...

trapped by the weight...

of my family's bodies
rotting above me.

That's death.

And you say it's natural.

I say, to hell with nature.

There was no exposed wire.
It should not have happened.

It's not my fault.

It was not electricity.

- It wasn't electricity?
- It was something else.

It was cold-

cold, but alive.

It wanted-

- Wanted what?
- Hawkes.

- Are you okay?
- If I were okay...

I wouldn't be in
this hospital, now, would I?

I guess not.

Well, looks like we're
gonna be roomies.

Don't get used to it.
This isn't my floor.

Start the CVP
at 25%.

Okay, cardiac cycle
is established.

Let's take it up to 50.

Fifty percent.

Systolic is holding.

- Take it to 85.
- All righty.

Isovolumetric contraction
phase is steady.

Ejection phase steady.
Okay, Michael, let's go to a hundred.

Here we go.

Damn. Disengage.

- Cut the power.
- It's not responding.

Not again.

We're not gonna continue
until we figure out...

what the hell's
going on here.

Dr. Mansfield to Orthopedics.

Dr. Mansfield to Orthopedics.

- Those the test results?
- Yeah.

The frame went into arrest
on one of the runs.

I don't know whether
it's a design flaw...

or something to do with these
power fluctuations we've been having.

But once it's
been checked for damage...

the next test
is gonna be on full battery.

So, how's your brother's fiancée?

Your diagnosis
was right on the money.

- I'm sorry.
- I've started the paperwork...

but the chance of this hospital
getting two donor hearts...

in that short time frame
is practically nil.

I wish there was something
I could do, Anne.

There is.

The heart that Harlan Hawkes is getting-
You can give it toJessie.

Don't do this.

You can use the same antirejection drugs
on her that you used on Hawkes.

It's not even a question of ethics.
It would be fraud.

What do you call what
you're doing with Hawkes?

Look, I know he's
scared of dying...

and after talking to him today,
I understand why.

But Jessie-

Jessie's scared
of dying too, Mac.

And she's 18.
Harlan Hawkes is 102!

He's lived his life.
You're using research...

as an excuse to bump him
to the top of the line!

It is not an excuse.
It is legitimate research-

At the expense
of an 18-year-old girl?

- She's my baby brother's fiancée, Mac.
- I know.

I know.
But like it or not...

I am bound by contract
to Harlan Hawkes.

You mean, you've been bought
by Harlan Hawkes.

- Call it whatever you like.
- I'm not gonna let this stand.

If I have to, I'm gonna go
directly to the committee.

You let your personal feelings
get involved...

with the functioning of this hospital,
and I will have you removed.

Don't make me do that, Anne.

Live! Code blue!
Get in here!

- Code blue.
- Live!

Harlan, live!
Come on!

That was close last night,
wasn't it?

- Yes, it was.
- Yeah, I felt it.

You know, in every culture...

they rely on some myth...

about what death is supposed
to look like...

and they describe it
as a white light.

- But they miss one thing.
- What is it?

It's cold.
It's cold as hell.

At least it was with me.

You'll always bring me back,
won't you, Mac?

- Bring you back?
- From death.

It's been hunting me...

ever since the day
my family was massacred.

I should've died that day.

Now, I haven't told
anybody this, so-

I drank...

the blood of my family
as it dripped on me...

just to stay alive.

I refused to die!

And then two days ago,
it almost got me again...

but it failed again.

You'll always come
and get me back, won't you?

Promise me.

We've given him a run for his money
up until this point.

We won't let up now.

- Hi, Dr. McEnerey.
- Hi, Jessie.

Well, your arrhythmia's
gone down. Good sign.

Yeah. Anne says it's just
a matter of waiting now.

I'm on a waiting list
for a new heart.

Anne's a good doctor.
You're in good hands.

- What are you reading?
- The Power of Positive Thinking.

Stephen gave it to me.
I don't know.

- Do you believe in this stuff?
- I certainly do.

I think the best prescription
I can give is never give up hope.

Well, I'm hoping.
I'm hoping with all my heart.

It's funny, isn't it?
I mean, we say things like that...

like the heart
carries our spirit.

I love you with all my heart.

That's one I never used...

until I met Stephen.

- Have you ever used that one?
- Doctor McEnerey?

Good to see you again,
Jessie.

Bye, Doctor.

The donor heart has arrived.
It's being transported to surgery now.

Thank you.

Silcase says the elevators
checked out normal.

- It was just the storm.
- No, I think it's more than that.

I think whatever it was
that I saw in that elevator...

and what I saw trying
to get to Hawkes is alive.

Come on.

No, it's as if it tried to get to Hawkes
through the electrician...

and then it tried to get to him
directly through the ECG wires...

and when that failed,
it tried to destroy the exocardial frame.

- And I think it just tried to kill me.
- What "it"?

I don't know.

Do you believe
in life after death?

I believe there's something
after we die.

Earlier, Hawkes was telling me...

about his afterlife experience...

and he said that
the white light was cold.

And Walker's wounds are more like
intense frostbite than electrical burns.

- And?
- And when I was in the elevator...

and that electrical thing-
whatever it was-

was over me, it felt cold.

- So, what are you getting at?
- That Hawkes is right...

when he says he's hunted,
and that this thing is death.

Dr. Crain to the ICU ward.

- Dr. Crain to the ICU ward.
- Back to work.

You're really going through
with this thing, aren't you?

- Yes, I am.
- You know, Mac, for the record...

I don't think it's death
that's after you.

I think it's your own guilt.

How could you have
let this happen?

You're a doctor!

You should've done something!
You shouldn't have let her die!

- Sweetie, come here.
- Damn you!

There is no problem
with the exocardial frame.

Well, you're right.

The frame is working perfectly, but I
still want to postpone the operation.

I'm on my deathbed...

the exocardial frame is ready...

which you have worked on
and I have funded for six years...

and you wanna hand my heart
over to somebody else?

Harlan, the next man on the list
has a wife and child.

Does that make him special?

Every third moron in America
has a wife and a kid.

How many men
have 1.3 billion dollars?

This isn't about money.

For once in your life,
can't you try and think of someone else?

I am. I'm thinking of you.

We made a contract.

I'll fund your research,
you keep me alive.

If you break that contract,
I'll have so many lawyers on you...

you'll have to live to be my age
before you get out of court.

And if they don't land
your ass in jail...

you'll spend the rest of your life
paying legal bills.

You are a son of a bitch.

You think I'm
a son of a bitch in life?

Wait until I'm dead!

I own you.

I own your research.

Don't you want to know
what's in my will?

It states that in
the event of my death...

all research derived
from the Hawkes Foundation...

will be collected
and destroyed.

- You wouldn't do that.
- Never underestimate...

my fear of death.

If I don't get the frame,
no one will.

On the other hand,
if you perform the surgery...

give me the heart,
I will amend the clause.

You can save 23-year-olds
with wives and kids...

to your heart's content.

I want an answer!

Nurse'll be in
to prep you for surgery.

Hawkes- Must disconnect.

Disconnect or chaos.
Rupture in the continuum.

- It's over?
- It's over.

It's incredible.
I feel great.

I can feel it beating.

This is utterly fantastic!

And you've done it!

I can live forever.

I can live forever!

I don't understand.

- Where are the bandages?
- There aren't any.

There was no operation, Harlan.

I sent the heart
to Boston General.

You sent it away?

I saw it, Harlan.

I knew what it
was trying to say to me.

That you've lived past
your time, and...

something terrible is gonna happen
if you keep on living.

That's not possible.

- Get the heart back.
- It's already in someone else.

You think you can
get away with this?

There are other surgeons, McEnerey.

There are other doctors
who'll save my life...

while I'm busy ruining yours.

I ought to thank you.

You've given me
a new purpose for living.

From this point forward,
my existence...

will have one clear meaning-

to make you suffer.

No, not now.
Not now!

Not now.

- Nurse-
- Yes, Mr. Hawkes?

- He's killing me.
- Who's killing you?

McEnerey is killing me!

You can't do this to me.

- Hello?
- Yes, I can.

You bastard!
What are you doing?

Please, I don't wanna die.

I'm sorry, Harlan.

I won't die. I won't!
I won't die.

Forgive me.

Mac, let us in.

Mac, let us in.

Let me go with you.

I can't, Mr. Hawkes.
We're not going to the same place.

Where I'm going is warm.

Funny, I always thought
it was the other way around.

I'm ready for you!

I hope you're ready for me!

What have you done, Mac?

Something good, I hope.

Something good.

For one man, the battle
against death is over.

But for the rest of us,
the war rages on.

At what point
does the cost of survival...

become too high a price
for us to pay?