The Six Million Dollar Man (1974–1978): Season 3, Episode 3 - The Price of Liberty - full transcript

FLIGHT COM:
It's looks good at NASA One.

B- 52 >PILOT:
Roger.

BCS Arm switch is on.

FLIGHT COM:
Okay, Victor.

B-52 PILOT:
Landing Rocket Arm switch is on.
Here comes the throttle.

Circuit breakers in.

STEVE:
We have separation.

B-52 PILOT:
Inboard and outboards are on.

I'm comin' forward with the side stick.

FLIGHT COM:
Looks good.

PILOT:
Ah, Roger.



STEVE:
I've got a blowout in damper three.

SR-71 PILOT:
Get your pitch to zero.

STEVE:
Pitch is out. I can't hold altitude!

B-52 PILOT: Correction. Alpha Hold is oil“.
Threat selector is emergency.

STEVE: Flight Com. I can't hold it!
She's breaking up! She's breaking...

ANNOUNCER:
Steve Austin. Astronaut.

A man barely alive.

Gentlemen, we can rebuild him.

We have the technology.

We have the capability
to make the world's first bionic man.

Steve Austin will be that man.

Better than he was before.

Better, stronger, faster.

(MAIN TITLE THEME)



You're like an old mother hen,
you know that?

Yeah, I guess I am.

It's just gonna seem pretty strange walking
through this room in the mornings...

without finding her here.

Oh, she'll be back...

and think of how many people'll get to see
her while she's on the Bicentennial Fleet.

A lot of folks that might
never see her otherwise.

Yeah.

And she's gonna have some
pretty high class company...

escorting her to the dock this morning.

Vice President still coming?

And half the Cabinet
and a bunch of others.

Yeah...

Oh, that astronaut fellow
called a little while ago.

Steve Austin?

Right.

Said he was gonna come by early
and pick up that historical information...

he wants to work into his speech
at the ceremonies.

I'll get it together.

Hey.
Come on, get some coffee.

Alright.

(DOORBELL BUZZES)

That's probably Colonel Austin.

Morning.

How can I help you?

We've come to get the bell loaded up.

Oh, really?
Can I see your papers?

Sure.

We weren't expecting you until later.

Well... the early bird, you know?

I thought they were gonna load the bell
on the flat bed...

so the people could see it
during the parade.

No, there's been a change of plans.

Hey, these...
These aren't the right security papers.

Well, like I said,
there's been a change of plans.

(MEN COUGHING)

Never mind him.
Kill the alarm system!

Morning, Colonel Austin.

Morning.

You're up awfully early for Sunday.

Well, I've got a speech to write
this morning...

and the way I write 'em I've got to
get an early start, you know?

Need a taxi?

No, I'm just going to Independence Hall,
the walk will wake me up.

Have a nice day, sir.

That's it.
Easy now, easy.

Get the doors, will ya'?

Easy!

(TRUCK ENGINE STARTS)

(DOORBELL BUZZES)

(BOTH COUGHING)

(BOTH COUGHING)

(BIONIC EYE SOUND EFFECT)

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

(BIONIC SOUND EFFECT)

(CLANGING)

(METAL CREAKING)

Hey, you!

(OMINOUS MUSIC)

(ENGINE REVS)

MEYER:
Hold it there!

What's he doing here?

I don't know.

He must have pried the top with a crowbar
or something and dropped down in.

So I gassed him.

Well, get him out of the way,
come on!

There's work to be done... quickly!
Come on!

Bring 'er back about three feet.

Easy. Whoa!
That's good!

Come on, boys!

MEYER:
Bang a right. Easy.

That's it.

(CHIMES)

Ah, that's good.

There we go!
A couple of these...

Alright, you know what to do with this truck.
Get rid of it.

What about that guy?

I don't care,
let him go with the truck.

(DOOR SLAMS)

(TRUCK ENGINE STARTS)

(COUGHING)

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

(BIONIC SOUND EFFECT)

(BIONIC SOUND EFFECT)

(TIRES SQUEALING)

(TRUCK CRASHING)

(TRUCK EXPLODES)

(EXPLODES)

OSCAR: This is Oscar Goldman,
priority code one Snow White.

To all law enforcement agencies...

Colonel Steve Austin has just
informed me that the stolen Liberty Bell...

is being transported in a thick
somewhere within an area...

25 miles southeast of Philadelphia.

All state police and National Guard units
are to converge on that area.

I need a helicopter immediately
to pick up Colonel Austin.

He will lead the search.

Any luck yet, Oscar?

No, Steve, but our security roadblocks were
set up 15 minutes after you called.

They couldn't have tried to get
through them yet.

Anything on the first truck?

Yes. The truck was rented
to Robert Meyer...

war here, World War II,
top demolition man for the Allies...

graduate of MIT, 1951

post graduate and doctorate at Cal Tech.

Well, they got some good schooling.

Try over that way.

You bet he has. It says here 12 years as
a highly specialized aerospace technician...

for Stockwell.

Get this, he designed the explosive bolts
used on all of our space capsules.

What happened after that?

Well, it doesn't say... that was 1967.
What do you got here?

Oh, here's his health record.

High blood pressure severe heart attack,
1967... I aid up for 18 months...

And by the time he got back on his feet...

the bottom had dropped out of the
space industry. Couldn't find work.

Right, Steve.
No real job since 1967.

Yeah, well, he sure pulled himself
a job today.

That's all I got, pal.

We got him, Oscar.
Quadrant three.

Is he trying to escape?

(BIONIC EYE SOUND EFFECT)

You know,
I don't know what he's doing.

Well, I've been waiting for you all
to find me...

though I'm a bit surprised
it's you who've come, Mr...

Austin.

Ah, the astronaut. Yes.

I thought you looked familiar.

Where's the Liberty Bell?

Right there.
Sitting quietly inside that truck...

and may I hasten to add that it must
continue to sit very quietly inside that truck.

Any attempt to tamper with it,
will destroy the Liberty Bell...

by setting off the time bomb within.

Have you found out who I am yet?

Robert Meyer.

Very good. Then you must also know that
I'm rather a genius at pyrotechnics.

There are three explosive charges
inside that truck...

each one capable of destroying
the Liberty Bell...

and let me assure you I am the only one
capable of describing the method...

for defusing them.

So you must be very careful not
to let anything happen to me.

There's a timing device,
similar to this one inside that truck...

which will set off the explosive charges
and destroy the Liberty Bell...

in exactly...

seven hours and 47 minutes...

unless I am paid...

five million dollars.

OSCAR: No, Steve. No.
Absolutely not.

You think I'm gonna allow that
neurotic man to intimidate us...

us and the whole country?

He's not going to tell us
how to defuse those bombs...

until he's paid off and transported
to a country that won't extradite him.

I've got men
surrounding the hills here...

and the Philadelphia Bomb Squad
will be here any minute.

Oscar, maybe you don't understand.

Robert Meyer has the expertise to build
an incredibly sophisticated time bomb.

Any ordinary bomb squad going in there
and trying to deactivate it...

is gonna get themselves
and the bell blown to bits.

All right, all right...
what do you suggest I do?

Pay him the money.

Steve...

Oscar pay him the money,
give him the safe passage he demands.

Then I'll go along with him to make sure
he discloses the defusing techniques.

Somehow I'll find a way to get him back here
with the money to stand trial.

I guarantee it.

I don't know.

Oscar, the Liberty Bell happens to be one
of the most important symbols...

of what America stands for.

Now we can take care of Meyer later...

but I think we should worry
about saving that bell.

And we got seven hours
and 40 minutes left.

You have six hours
and five minutes.

Helicopter is standing by.

Good.

Yes.

Doug Witherspoon, sir.
Captain, Philadelphia Bomb Squad.

Good. This is Colonel Austin.

How do you do?

I hope that we won't have
to use your men, Captain.

Oh, I understand that, sir,
but we'll be standing by.

You ready?

Yep.

I take it
my demands have been met?

That's right.

There's still time for you to reconsider.

Forget that, Mr. Austin!

Just like this country forget me.

They push you until they have
no further use for you...

and then they throw you out
with the garbage.

Well, it's not always like that.

They had a good chance to throw me out,
but they saved me instead.

Then you're one of a kind, fella.

Listen, Meyer, you gotta blame part of this
on your own health, you know.

What?

The high blood pressure,
the heart attack?

They pushed me into that, too.

Do more, do better... then do nothing.

The American dream is like
a beautiful balloon, Mr. Austin...

but balloons have a way
of bursting in your face...

and then there's nothing left but air.

Meyer, be reasonable.

This conversation is at an end,
Mr. Austin.

The clock is ticking away.

I trust...

I trust you brought the money.

Right here.

And my transportation?

(HELICOPTER APPROACHING)

Right on cue, very good.

Let me reiterate...

that until I have described the process
for deactivating those bombs...

you cannot afford to let anything
happen to me, Mr. Austin.

We understand.

That's why I'm going with you.

Well, I'd anticipated such an arrangement.

Now, I want you to open that suitcase.

Oh, my God.

(HELICOPTER HOVERING)

(CHUCKLES)

Let's go!

(DRAMATIC SOUND EFFECT)

(GASPING)

Meyer!

Call a medic!

Meyer! Meyer!

Heart attack!

I can't feel his pulse!
Medic!

Get that oxygen on him!

Meyer, how do we diffuse the bomb?

Red, white and blue.

What about it, Meyer?
What about it?

What about shock!?

Yeah! Yeah!

(BIONIC SOUND EFFECT)

(METAL RIPPING)

(METAL RIPPING)

(ELECTRICITY BUZZES)

Drag him over here.

Get his shirt open.

You get anything?

Still nothing?

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

How much time we got?
We've got five hours and 45 minutes.

Alright, we got no choice now.

Ah, Dick, tell the boys to get ready!

Captain? Meyer was a genius.
It would be suicide to try to go in there now.

Mr. Goldman, I'm not about to
stand by and do nothing.

I think I may have just found us
some help.

Get that helicopter going, will you?

The FBI just finished running
a high-speed computer trace...

on the bomb experts
trained by Meyer.

Any luck?

Well they came up with five names.

One was killed in an explosion last week.
Two are in Europe.

Too far.

Another on the West Coast,
that's also out of reach.

The nearest one is a Neils Lindstrom,
Annandale, Virginia.

We could be there
in half an hour by jet.

I'll get the helicopter to get me
to Wilder Air Force Base.

I got a jet waiting.

Doug, you and your men get all the
equipment we need up to that truck, huh?

(NO AUDIBLE DIALOGUE)
(HELICOPTER ENGINE REVS)

I'll be right back with Lindstrom.

You'll have to pull some strings for me
while I'm enroute.

He may not be too eager to help us.

Why not?

Listen.

Why do you have to go get him?

He's the sort of fellow who needs an escort.

He's in Annandale Federal Penitentiary.

(KEYS JINGLING)

(CELL DOOR CLANGS OPEN)

STEVE:
Lindstrom?

I need your help.

Is that a fact?

Robert Meyer created a time bomb
that's gonna destroy the Liberty Bell...

in less than five hours.

I heard.
Ain't that a shame.

(ELECTRIC RAZOR BUZZING)

You're the one man that might be
able to diffuse that bomb.

(laughs)

And I ain't interested.

You're in for safe cracking, aren't you?

How much time you got left to serve here?

Oh, 15 to 20.

I'm empowered to offer you
a full congressional pardon...

and a fresh start if you help us.

Are you serious?

Yes... how 'bout it?

Meyer built it, huh?
Where's he?

He's dead.

And that's what's gonna happen to me
if I start fooling around with his work.

You know what kind of a genius he was?

(RAZOR BUZZING)

You're our one shot at saving that bell.

And this is your only chance
to get out of here.

Yeah... yeah, it is that, isn't it.

Get him into a flight suit.
I want to check the flight plan.

How are we doing?

Tell the tower I'll be estimating take-off
at 15:30 hours.

Tell them to be sure and have that chopper
rewed up on the other end, okay?

Thank you.

You alright?

(INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER)

Lindstrom!

(CAR ENGINE STARTS)

(BIONIC SOUND EFFECT)

(BIONIC SOUND EFFECT)

(CLANGS)

(BIONIC SOUND EFFECT)

(CLANGS)

STEVE: Lindstrom!

Give it up, Lindstrom,
there's no time for this.

You forget it, Austin.

It's a 100-to-1 against diffusing
one of Meyer's bombs.

I'll take my shot at liberty right now.

(CLANGING)

(BIONIC SOUND EFFECT)

(CLANG)

(BIONIC SOUND EFFECT)

Look, Lindstrom,
there's a job to be done.

Now if you want to tackle it, fine.

If you don't,
I'll put you right back in the can.

Alright...

but under one condition.

If I'm gonna get myself blown up,
you are gonna be in there with me.

Where else do you think I'd be?

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

Oscar, Neils Lindstrom.

How do you do?

We've got everything out
by the truck, Colonel.

I'll be going along with Lindstrom.

You won't have to.

I'd like to be there, Colonel.

You'd better know your stuff, pal.

Two hours and 12 minutes.

Well, we might as well die now as later,
let's go, Austin.

Where are you going?

They may need me in there, Oscar.

No, no. No chance, Steve.
No way.

STEVE:
Two hours and 11 minutes.

Alright, what'd Meyer say,
three main charges?

Yeah, plus some booby traps.

LINDSTROM:
That's his style all right.

We found a trip wire running
all the way across here.

It starts here.

Don't touch it!

It runs all the way from here, underneath,
all the way over to this side.

So much for the rear door.

How do the sides look?

They look okay.

Yeah, they would.
I better check.

Cut through that
and we'll break the connection.

Like a burglar alarm.

Only this'll be a lot noisier.

Let's try the top.

I'll get the other side.

(BIONIC SOUND EFFECT)

Hey, what kind of a man are you?

How's it look?

Well, it's okay, but...

sawing or drilling through it
may trigger a trembler switch.

What we really need is a great,
big can opener.

(BIONIC SOUND EFFECT)

(METAL CREAKING)

Trap!

(BOOMING EXPLOSION)

You okay?

Yeah.

(RADIO CHATTER)

Lindstrom's in, Oscar.

Good.

(THUDS)

I thought there were three charges?

There's some wiring down here.

Don't touch anything!
Not a thing, huh?

The third charge is under the bell.

Now look. Be careful of these.
They're trip wires. All of them.

What is it, Doug?

I was just remembering the last time
I took my boy to see the bell.

Okay, knock off the sight-seeing, huh?

The first thing we've gotta do
is isolate the three main charges...

then defuse them one at a time.

Give me a time check, Oscar.

92 minutes, Steve.

92 minutes.

Boy, we gotta be crazy.

Okay, Witherspoon,
set out the tools...

and don't forget the box wrenches.

Austin, will you get the voltmeter
and calibrate it to zero ohms.

Let's see if he's using the body of the truck
as a grounding trigger.

Needle's steady as a rock.

A routing switch,
too easy for old Meyer.

Well, let's get the hat off.
Gimme a 7/16th's.

Easy, boy.

(SQUEAKS)

He should have oiled it.

(CLICKS)

Well, no springs.

No strings.

Good. That's the way we do it, guys.
Delicately!

Let's get the rest of the bolts off.

Okay, now, always pick it up
evenly and slowly.

Slow it up. Slow.

Easy.

Little more.

It should come right off.

What is it?

Well, it's one of Meyer's
favorite traps.

Take a look at this wire
all the way around.

I've gotta sever this wire
in order to unbolt the cap...

but once I do sever the wire,
it starts the detonator inside...

and there isn't time to unbolt the cap
and stop the explosion.

So we lose either way.
Yeah.

But can't you be careful
removing these bolts?

No, but we'd still never get them off
before the master timer blows.

Go ahead and cut the wire,
I'll get them off in time.

Give me the cutters.

If you don't make it, they'll be
picking us up with a sponge.

Ready?

(ALARM SOUNDING)

(POWER DRILL SOUND EFFECT)

(POWER DRILL SOUND EFFECT)

Go!
Okay, up.

Good.

I got it.

(ALARM CONTINUES)

Ah, here it is.

(ALARM STOPS)

Okay, the three charges
are now separated...

but each one has
its own internal timer.

Now we've got to diffuse
each one of them.

And fast.

And fast.

And what would you do now?

I'd...

I'd slip an insulator into the relay,
keep the circuit open.

Right idea, wrong move.

Look.

You see that wire?

It's no bigger than a thread.

The circuit's not open, it's closed.

If you push an insulator in,
it would break the wire.

It's guaranteed to ruin your day.

Meyer always baited
his traps like this.

Set up an obvious step
and then do the opposite.

Now let usjust hope I'm right.

My eyes sure aren't what they used to be.

I guess it's a good thing
I'm retiring in three months.

You mean you'll be clear
in three months...

and you're in here risking your neck?

Man, you gotta be crazy.

(SIGHS)

What's the matter?

I'm stuck,
I can't read this circuit board.

I know a little bit about aerospace circuitry.
What are you looking for?

The resistor feedback crossover.
Here.

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

(BIONIC EYE SOUND EFFECT)

(CHIMES)

(BIONIC EYE SOUND EFFECT)

Got it.

Clip it and the first bomb should be inert.

(BIONIC EYE SOUND EFFECT)

(CLICKS)

Done.

Okay.

One bomb down and two to go.

If Meyer built them all alike,
the last two should go faster.

They'll have to,
there's only eight minutes left.

We've got eight minutes.

(METAL CLANGS)

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

Okay, Austin, try it.

Good.

You know, maybe Meyer had the right idea,
putting America over a barrel.

This country is giving some people
a raw deal.

Yeah, some people have given
this country a raw deal.

Nothing's perfect, Neils.

This country is basically what we make it,
nothing better, nothing worse.

There's gonna be a lot of people
grateful to you for saving the bell.

Look, all I'm interested in is
saving my own skin.

(SIGHS)
Yeah, sure.

Watch out for number one.

It's a good thing our ancestors
didn't feel that way...

or this country never woulda' had
a Liberty Bell to worry about.

Well, it doesn't mean anything to me.

My ancestors were Swedish.

Hey, Austin, help me clip this wire.

You ready?

Swedish, huh?

You know the first time
this bell was cracked in 1752...

it was re-cast in Philadelphia
by a man named Sven Bergman...

who just arrived from Stockholm.

Uh, look, I'm not interested in your nickel
and dime philosophy or history lessons.

Man, you must bore that kid of yours stiff.

Yeah.

Maybe I did.

Not anymore.

I lost him in Korea.

Okay. I'm gonna break the relay.

Oh, no, no. I tripped it.

(WHIRRING)

It's gonna blow!

(METAL CREAKING)

(WHIRRING CONTINUES)

Steve!

Steve! Do you hear me?

Steve!

I don't understand you.

With your strength and speed,
you could have just beat it out of here...

saved your own tail.

I wouldn't expect you to understand.

Doug!

Doug, you alright?

I'm okay. I'm okay.

You get that third bomb diffused.

Hurry. Go on!

Come on. Do it.

Ah, he's nuts.

NEILS:
You're nuts!

I'm nuttier than both of you
for being here.

I mean, what is this thing anyway?
An old hunk of metal.

The government's willing to blow
five million bucks over it...

and Meyer, he fades a bad bet
and winds up dead over it.

I say let it blew, who cares?

Let's get out of here.

Sure, go ahead and run...

and every creep, freak and two-bit hustler
with a chip on his shoulder can say,

"Look at that, it's like taking candy
from a baby."

No way.

Win or lose, we're gonna show them
there's people that care enough to fight.

Oh, come on. Step playing that
flag waving, glory boy stuff on me!

Well, you go ahead, Lindstrom,
that leads to a nice, safe prison cell...

and on your way out, you tell Doug's boys
I need a couple of replacements...

with guts!

They'd never have a chance against Meyer.

You do.

Austin, it's just too long a shot
for the price.

It was a long shot for the colonies
back in 1776, for the price.

The price of liberty comes high,
Lindstrom.

STEVE:
Theirs then, yours now.

Steve, there's less
than three minutes to go.

We've got three minutes.

I gotta be out of my mind.

Alright, alright.

Do you think you can lift the bell,
so I can get under it?

I'll try. Come on.

(METAL CREAKING)
(BIONIC SOUND EFFECT)

Good.

Hold it! Stop! No higher!

What is it?

There's a trip wire. Let it down.

(BIONIC SOUND EFFECT)

If we raise it any further,
we'll blowthe final charge.

Austin, I'm telling you
it's a dead end.

OSCAR: Steve, there's less
than two minutes, get out of there!

Keep us posted, Oscar.

Less than two minutes.

Can't we disable the detonator
by grounding it out?

By using some of the wires
we disconnected earlier?

Well, maybe... but...

No, it's just too risky.

One minute, 30 seconds, Steve.

Risky?
We got a minute and 30 seconds.

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

Are those the ones?

Well, if they're not,
we'll be the first to know.

Can you lift it again?

(BIONIC SOUND EFFECT)

Alright.

The right combination of three of these four
might de-activate the explosion.

The wrong combination...

Yeah.

OSCAR:
45 seconds, Steve.

45 seconds.

One of these'll kill us for sure.

The other maybe not.

I don't know which.

You take your best shot.

Blue.

Red, whiteand blue.

Blue.

You want the blue? Okay.

No, listen, they were Meyer's dying words.

What were?

STEVE:
Red, white and blue.

Well, then he gave us the answer.

But was he telling the truth?

OS CAR: 20.

There's only one way to find out.

Wait! What did you say about Meyer,
always baiting his traps with the obvious?

But they were his dying words.

And his final stab at the country
he'd grown to hate.

OS CAR: 12.

Connect the yellow.

OSCAR:
Nine seconds, Steve.

Connect the yellow!

OSCAR:
Eight, seven, six...

five, four, three...

two, one.

(METAL CREAKING)

We did it, huh?

(CHUCKLES)
Yeah, we did it.

I'm proud of you, Mr. Lindstrom.

Alright, boys, easy.

Take him up.

Okay, lift him up.

Easy.

Good work, Captain.

Good job.

Well, you're a pretty lucky guy.
What?

It's not everybody that's got their own
personal symbol of freedom.

Yeah.

C'mon, let's get these back doors open.

(END THEME MUSIC)