The Six Million Dollar Man (1974–1978): Season 4, Episode 15 - Danny's Inferno - full transcript
A boy experimenting with chemicals accidentally stumbles onto a thermonuclear reaction, creating a dangerous and powerful power source. A corrupt fire chief and some unscrupulous investors are out to discover the formula and it's up to Steve Austin and the boy to stop them.
(OMINOUS MUSIC)
(SIZZLING)
(WHISTLING THROUGH AIR)
(EXPLOSION)
Wow!
FLIGHT COM:
It 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)
Mr. President, Mr. Secretary,
members of the National Security Council...
as a point of information,
it seems that what we should...
(DOOR OPENS)
RUDY: Oscar?
Rudy, I'm not a stickler for privacy,
but just a small knock, you know?
Check it out.
Hal? The information's coming through the
satellite, patch it through to Oscar's office.
That satellite data's been confirmed by three
heat tracking stations on the West Coast.
It happened about four minutes ago.
What are you saying, Rudy?
One of the most concentrated
heat blasts I've ever seen.
And it's pin-pointed to
a suburb of Los Angeles.
In plain language,
what does it mean?
All I know is that the intensity
of the blast was so fantastic...
if it covered a large area...
I hope Los Angeles is still standing.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC)
Hold it!
I work for the government.
I'd like to see the crater.
Right this way.
Boy, this is the craziest
thing I've ever seen.
Got any ideas what it is?
No, it beats me.
I'll talk to you later.
Now is that all you have?
No, I have some more
in my home in my garage.
I'm gonna take these
to my lab for analysis.
I have your home address,
and I will get in contact with you.
You know, you're very lucky
that I got here first.
Somebody else might
have thrown you right in jail.
Oh, and one more thing.
Now don't speak to anybody about this,
understand?
Yes, sir.
Good boy.
(POLICE RADIO CHATTER)
(SIRENS WAILING)
(HELICOPTER HOVERING)
Thank you very much.
Say, who's in charge?
Bill Bruner, he's the head of the
Fire Department's Chemical Division.
He's over there by that van.
Awful young to be the
city's fire expert, isn't he?
Well, he was there...
talking to that kid.
Thanks.
Say, kid?
I didn't do anything!
Good, then I won't call out
the National Guard.
Were you just talking to Mr. Bruner?
Who are you?
I'm Steve Austin.
Where'd he go.
Steve Austin...
Steve Austin the astronaut?
That's right.
Listen, Mr. Bruner isn't here.
Can I talk to you for a minute?
Sure.
Let's go over here.
It's safer.
Is it safe enough for you?
Are you really Steve Austin,
the astronaut??
Yeah, now that you know
my name, what's yours?
Danny Lasswell.
Danny, what did you
want to talk about?
Mr. Bruner told me not to talk to anyone,
but I know I can trust you.
It's all my fault.
What, the fire?
I was just testing
a new rocket fuel I made.
I was trying to make Di-Nitrite Trioxide
from a dry ice condenser...
work as an oxidizing agent.
Where were you doing this,
in chemistry class?
No, I've set up a lab in my garage.
Your garage?
Working alone and unsupervised
with dangerous chemicals?
Yeah, I know now I shouldn't
have taken the chance.
I'm sorry.
STEVE: How'd you get a hold
of that much explosives?
DANNY:
It wasn't much.
I just need a few drops.
A few drops created that much heat?
Each of the two chemicals
is harmless by itself...
but when I combine them...
They became thermo-active
and created the fire.
How'd you know?
Danny, it sounds like you accidentally
invented a thermo-chemical energy source.
Wow.
Do you have any more of this chemical?
Uh, yeah,
I gave some of it to Mr. Bruner.
He's taking it back to the lab.
The rest I have at home in two jars.
But don't worry.
I have them tightly sealed in
two different areas of the garage.
MAN: Hey, we have a man
in trouble over here!
What's wrong?
Oh, we heard screams.
The janitor must be caught
in the boiler room.
The heat from the fire
welded the door shut.
Any other way to get in there?
No, it's built like a vault.
We got to get him out of there.
Even with the torch, I couldn't cut through
there in less than another half an hour.
Maybe you've loosened it up enough.
Give me a hand.
(METAL CREAKING)
(BIONIC SOUND EFFECT)
Hey, we really did it!
We did it.
You're stronger than
you thought you were.
Hey, what happened?
It was hot down there.
I couldn't get these doors open.
What are all these people doing here?
(SIGHS)
Are you sure this is where you put it?
Yes, I'm sure.
To keep them apart, I put one of the
chemicals in the footlocker...
and the other right
under this workbench.
I even locked the footlocker.
Well, somebody else knew
it was here...
and one heck of a hurry to get it.
Bruner was the only one that
knew about these chemicals?
DAN NY:
Yeah.
Can I use your phone?
DANNY:
Go right ahead.
(PHONE BUZZES)
Yeah.
Hold on.
Steve.
Thank you, Dr. Wells.
You're welcome.
Steve, what do you got?
Trouble.
The heat blast was caused by a young boy
trying to test a new rocket fuel.
A young boy?
Rocket fuel?
The tracking station reads it
as a thermo-chemical blast.
It was.
Better confiscate the rest of the fuel.
Unfortunately,
it's already been done.
Someone is walking around with enough
explosives to turn this city into a pancake.
Hold it.
Have Dr. Monica
ready for travel in one hour.
Steve, I'll be there at 3:00
with a thermo-chemical expert.
I'm heading West,
get there as soon as you can.
Right.
That's Bruner.
Bruner, B-R-U-N-E-R.
Now he knows who I am.
Lazarus?
This is Bill Bruner.
Of course, you know me.
I faked an electrical fire for you
a couple of months ago...
so you could build your new complex.
That's right.
Now look, I'll make this real short.
How would you like something that's
worth conservatively about $500 million.
Uh-huh.
Have you ever heard of
thermo-chemical energy?
I thought so.
Well, I've got it!
We'd have an energy source
that would make oil obsolete.
It's either a mistake, or the biggest
scientific breakthrough of the century.
Well, sir, you may be
fantastic as a scientist...
but your note-taking
leaves a lotto be desired.
It's not all there, Doctor?
Look, he states here
he used Di-Nitrite Trioxide...
which he condensed
from a distillation setup.
That's right.
That's wrong!
Because Di-Nitrite Trioxide would be
decomposed before it reached boiling point.
You know, there's no way of knowing
what you used for an agent.
I'm sorry, I guess I kept
forgetting to write things down.
You see, I can see traces
here of something, but...
there are so many dead ends,
these notes are incomplete.
Maybe there's another way.
Danny, can you repeat exactly what
you did this morning from memory?
Yes, I think so.
Danny, tell us the truth,
we have to be absolutely sure.
Yes.
I'll need a computer.
I'll have them fly out
a Trion 11-68.
Young man, do me a favor.
Go over that formula again
and write down anything...
anything you can remember, huh?
Yes, sir.
Do you realize, pal, somewhere
locked up in that boy's head...
is a formula that's worth billions?
What troubles me is that someone else
knows what that boy's worth.
No, not at all.
Listen, with the folks gone so much...
Danny and I are alone a lot,
so we enjoy company.
Hey, did we get any mail
from the folks?
I don't know,
I thought you'd check.
I didn't... Hey,
maybe we got something.
Listen, while you're out there, will you
set up the cot in the bedroom for Steve.
Okay!
I tried to set it up myself,
and the darn thing almost attacked me.
Those are very tricky.
I know.
Where are your parents?
Somewhere in the Amazon.
They're archaeologists.
Steve, is Danny in any kind of trouble?
Well, Danny has something in his head
that a lot of people are after.
Sort of wish the folks
were here right now.
You know,
when I was a little girl...
I used to take my parents
to the open house in school.
You know what that could be like.
Yet, they never made
me feel embarrassed.
(DOOR CLOSES)
But I'm sure glad you're here.
(DOOR OPENS)
The cot's up.
We got a post card from the folks.
The scenery is here,
wish you were beautiful.
(GIGGLES)
Are you sure you're gonna
be comfortable here?
I've slept on a lot worse.
(GIGGLES)
Your first slumber party?
Well, it's been a few years.
I feel like a den mother.
Anyway, it's a nice feeling.
I think I've been a sister too long.
Good night.
Good night, Glennis.
Good night.
You read all these books?
Naw, I just have them
around to impress girls.
Does it?
I don't know,
no girl's ever seen them.
(CHUCKLES)
It's not so funny.
Well, what's her name?
How'd you know?
Well, I may be an astronaut,
but I don't run on propane.
It seems I'm always falling in love
with some girl who's already in love...
with a guy named Doug,
who eats nails for a hobby.
Well, I'll tell you, Danny,
for the next five years...
you're gonna be waging a losing battle
with guys named Doug.
It seems that most girls aren't
looking for guys of your quality...
until they do some
growing up themselves.
What do you know about it?
I'll bet when you were 14,
your name was Doug.
Well, that's not true.
In fact, do you know what I did on
New Year's Eve when I was 14?
What?
Well, the girl that I had a crush on
was going out with a guy like Doug...
I sat home alone, watched a TV movie
on oceanography...
ate a triple banana split,
and woke up with a stomach ache.
Get ready for bed,
we got a long day tomorrow.
This doesn't look like
it's gonna be so bad.
(CRASHES)
That's not very funny.
(SIGHS)
This is the formula
to the best of your knowledge?
Yes, sir.
What concentration
nitric acid did you use?
I don't know.
He doesn't know.
Well, isn't the proportion
percentage on the readout, Dr. Monica?
That's the percentage,
not the concentration.
Now what proportion of the mix
was liquid amylnitrate?
A tablespoon.
What kind of scientific
measurement is a tablespoon?
Were you making lasagna?
What was the reaction temperature?
Uh, I didn't measure it.
"I didn't measure it."
How are we supposed
to find anything?
Look, we also found
some particles in the liquid.
What could have gotten
into your chemicals?
Well, I was, ahh,
I was eating a cupcake.
(CHUCKLES)
That gives us flour,
shortening, cornstarch...
egg yokes, whites, lecithin,
calcium sulfate...
sodium caseinate, sodium phosphate,
sodium stearyl-two-lactylates...
and butylated hydroxytoluene.
That's a cupcake?
Yes.
What else?
Well, I also had some peanut butter.
Class three emulsives...
hydrogenated vegetable oil,
maybe some glycerides...
and... peanuts.
There might be something else.
What?
Jelly.
Sucrose, pectin, sodium citrate...
sodium hexanate phosphate,
potassium sorbate and...
(LONG INHALE)
Raspberries.
Dr. Lasswell...
never, never
in my 35 years as a scientist...
Dr. Monica,
can I talk to you a minute?
Now that's not Dr. Lasswell
you're talking to, that's Danny Lasswell...
a very bright 14-year-old kid who
just happens to like to experiment.
Now we're trying to recreate his accident.
We're not trying to hang him.
So show a little patience, huh?
You're right.
There's just so much pressure,
I forget where I was.
Good. Now, go back
and tell him that.
Danny, I'm sorry.
Let's run what we've got
through the computer...
and see if we are going anywhere.
It's an elemental analysis.
It means that it could be
any combination of chemicals.
I'm afraid it's hopeless.
We're not going to find out
what Danny came up with.
There's only one thing to do.
Try and find the original chemicals.
We've had an APB on Bill Bruner
since yesterday morning.
(OMINOUS MUSIC)
You got 90 days, that's it.
Now you know what to do,
let's get on it.
You got it.
Strange place to meet.
I've got my reasons.
Are the thermo-chemicals in there?
You bet.
Let me show you.
Watch this.
Hey, what kind of
a rip-off is this?
Get him out of here!
Now wait! Wait, wait!
Thermo-chemicals take a few
seconds to generate their own heat.
(EXPLOSION)
Now...
that was two drops in a flask
half-filled with water!
Now that's more than
a ten thousand-to-one dilution!
How much you want for it?
$200,000.
For the formula?
No, the chemicals.
You can have it analyzed
and get the formula yourself.
I'm not an idiot, Bruner.
If it could be analyzed,
you would have done it.
Yeah, but the chemicals
themselves are worth...
They're worth nothing,
except to a terrorist.
I'm looking for
a new energy source.
Well, you're right,
I don't have the formula.
But I know who the inventor is.
Now I'll give you his address,
and the chemicals...
for $75,000.
You got a deal.
Now just so we don't go
kidnapping some milkman...
give these gentlemen
a description of this...
What's his name?
Daniel Lasswell.
8538 Laurel Place.
He's got brown, curly hair...
blue eyes and he's slim.
Height? Weight?
Height... well, he's um...
He's around 5'2 ", 5'3"...
weighs about 100, 110, 115,
I guess...
and uh...
And, and...
He wears braces.
Braces?
Just how old is this guy anyway?
He's 14.
(PHONE RINGING)
Oscar Goldman speaking.
Good.
They spotted Bruner.
Where?
All right.
Highway... where?
105, all right.
No, no, no, I want Steve
to go in and get him.
Right.
Thank you.
Come on, where is he?
At the Courier Trailer Park.
He hitched a trailer and was seen
heading west on Highway 105.
We've got him under surveillance,
Steve, I want you to go in and get him.
But be careful, he might have
the chemicals on him.
Danny will stay here, I'll take
care of him until you get back.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC)
(BIONIC EYE SOUND EFFECT)
(BIONIC SOUND EFFECT)
Hey! Who are you?
I'm impounding
your trailer and your car.
Now what for?
Section 352 of the
Motor Vehicle Code...
failure to fasten your trailer
safely to your car.
That's right.
(DOORBELL)
Morning.
Morning.
Is Danny in?
He's in school right now.
I'm Rod Linder
and this is Leon Setka.
We're with the International
Science Fair Society.
Oh, would you like to come in?
Thank you.
Danny submitted a project to us last year
and we'd like to talk to him about it.
Well, as I said before,
he's in school right now...
but he'll be back
some time this afternoon.
Where might that be?
GLENNIS: Well, why don't
you just leave your card...
and I'll have him get in touch with you.
Well, we'd really like to
talk to him today if possible.
LEON: But if not,
we'll try him again on the weekend.
Thank you for your time.
You're welcome.
Bye bye now.
Bye.
What are we leaving for?
We didn't get a thing.
Here's all the information we need,
including the kid's mug shot.
Martin Van Buren
Junior High School.
Is that the kid?
Yep, that's him all right.
Let's get him.
You never told me
what happened with Mr. Bruner.
Well, we tore his car
and trailer apart...
no chemicals.
And Bruner isn't talking.
Get down!
(BIONIC SOUND EFFECT)
Okay, out of there,
buddy, and easy.
(BIONIC SOUND EFFECT)
Simple job I give you.
Bring in one small,
14-year-old boy.
Look, they expected a snatch.
The kid had bodyguards.
Bodyguard, Rod said.
One!
Okay, maybe it was
just one man...
but for a minute there,
I got the feeling we were surrounded.
Well, what do we do now, huh?
Make the boy an honest offer
of ten billion dollars?
Come on, let's have
some suggestions!
You told me
you can't get to the kid!
What are we supposed to do?
Have him come to us?
Wait a minute.
Yeah, that's it.
We have the kid come to us.
Now how do we do that?
Simple...
We send him an invitation.
All I wanted to do was get
Danny out of there safely.
The truck was traced to
a moving company in Van Nuys.
The truck was stolen this morning,
we're at a dead end.
Excuse me, guys.
This was delivered to the Police
Department, it was addressed to the O.S.I.
To Oscar Goldman...
Listen, we have possession
of the thermo-chemicals...
stolen from Danny Lasswell's garage.
We have used a small portion
of the chemicals...
to make a thermo-time bomb
and place it somewhere in the city.
It is set to go off at 3:00 PM.
In exchange for the formula
for the thermo-chemicals...
we will give you
the location of the bomb.
Enclosed is a map.
We want Danny Lasswell to come
to the spot marked on the map...
and recreate the formula
in front of us.
If it turns out to be real, we will
give him the location of the bomb.
Remember, we still have
most of the chemicals...
so if you let this bomb go off...
we can keep making them
until you change your mind.
'To prove that
we do have the chemicals...
and to show you exactly
what they can accomplish...
we have hidden a small sample
somewhere in this letter.
(BIONIC EYE SOUND EFFECT)
The chemical's on the paper clip.
Get out of the office!
They put one drop of the chemicals
on each side of the paperclip.
When you pulled the letter out, the
chemicals combined, and activated.
There couldn't of been more than
a tenth of a gram on that paperclip, Steve.
Oscar, I've got a plan.
I can get in there with no problem.
What are you saying, Steve?
The building where
they want Danny to go...
and we have a little over an hour.
You're talking as if you're
gonna take that boy with you.
Lam.
No, you're not.
I'll send someone up in his place.
Oscar, they've got a picture of Danny.
Now you can't pass
an agent off as Danny?
Steve, what are you getting at?
I've been over those blueprints
a thousand times.
Now the building is incomplete.
They don't suspect anyone
can get in there undetected...
But I can, you know that.
STEVE:
Now you've gotta trust me.
Can I say something?
This whole thing's been my fault...
and I trust Steve.
Whatever he says,
I want to do it.
The problem is, Danny...
is that you forgotten the formula.
Rudy, don't you have some chemicals
he can use as a bluff?
As a matter of fact, I do.
Oh, you're in on this too, huh?
Oscar, it's not a conspiracy,
I'm just trying to help.
OSCAR:
Well, I guess I'm outnumbered.
All right.
But the top priority is this boy's safety.
Steve, if you're plan
starts slipping away...
I want you to get that boy
out of there and quick.
Come on, Danny.
Thanks for the help.
Oscar, it can work.
(BIONIC SOUND EFFECT)
What's in there?
Just some chemicals, I checked.
All right.
This is Dr. Spruger.
He's gonna make sure
you do everything just right.
Give him the formula.
Well, it looks like you have
everything I need here.
Just get on with it,
will you, sonny?
(BIONIC SOUND EFFECT)
Oh, I'll need some matches.
None of this is
amounting to anything.
DANNY:
Be patient, I'm almost through.
I'm doing exactly what I did before.
If I didn't know any better, I'd say you
were making it up as you went along.
DANNY:
I said be patient.
Just... Just hold on.
Everything's going just fine.
It's all done.
Now, if I combine chemical A
into chemical B...
within a few seconds,
they will create the thermo reaction.
It's not right.
Why, what's wrong?
According to my calculations these
chemicals would create absolutely nothing.
Check your notes again.
I'm telling you the boy
didn't make anything...
except possibly soap.
LAZARUS:
No, they wouldn't dare do that.
Keep going over these notes.
You think I didn't make anything?!
Watch this!
Hey, put that down!
(BIONIC SOUND EFFECT)
I did it!
I knew you would!
(METAL CREAKING)
Are you crazy?
Let us out of here!
(BANGING ON DOOR)
Cheap construction,
let's hope it holds.
In about four minutes,
this building will become a fireball.
In a cardboard box, there's a bottle
filled with a counteracting chemical.
If you use it within 40 seconds,
you'll stop the reaction.
Who is that?
The bodyguard.
STEVE: If you don't pour in the counter
chemical within 40 seconds...
nothing will stop the thermo-chemicals.
If you tell us where the bomb is,
we'll tell you which bottle to use.
Is he telling the truth?
Well, there is such a thing.
It's called a scavenger...
and it will stop
a chemical reaction.
Stop with the textbook!
Is he shucking me or not?
You'd better tell him
where the bomb is.
Still out there?
Right here.
It's at the foot of the dam.
The bomb is at the foot
of the Baysville Dam!
We've got about ten minutes,
let's go!
Well, come on, which bottle?
Which bottle?
They fell for it!
Yeah, they sure did.
Climb on my back.
What bottle?
(BIONIC SOUND EFFECT)
Don't waste your time!
What did I tell you?
Bubble bath...
Bubble bath.
14-year-old kid...
Bubble bath...
(DRAMATIC MUSIC)
You stay here.
(BIONIC SOUND EFFECT)
(BIONIC EYE SOUND EFFECT)
(BIONIC SOUND EFFECT)
How long does your arm
have to be in a sling?
Well, nothing broken.
Tomorrow it should be
good as new.
That's right, Glennis,
as good as new.
Are you sure it's safe for Steve
to go back to Washington?
I mean,
isn't it too soon after...
No, no, I'm sure it's okay.
And thanks to your brother, Lazarus and
his friends were all trapped in one room.
Do you know that we recovered
the rest of the thermo-chemicals?
Oh, good.
Steve, I'll see you at the airport.
See you later.
Bye, now.
Nice to have met you.
Bye.
I'm gonna say goodbye to Danny.
Steve, thanks for everything.
I just want to say one thing that Danny
is really feeling down about you going.
Well, maybe this present
will cheer him up a little bit.
Yeah.
Thanks for the use of your cot.
Thank you.
Bye.
Whenever I sulk,
I like to be alone, too.
Oh, I'm not sulking,
I'm reading.
Yeah? What trouble are you
reading yourself into this time?
Just Moby Dick.
Moby Dick.
Well, that's a good
safe book for you.
Here, I brought you a present.
Oh, what did you get?
It's kind of special.
They gave it to me
after my first moon mission.
Gee, Steve, it fits me great!
Really it does.
Well, you'll grow into it.
Are you gonna come back?
Sure I am.
I'm gonna miss you.
Thanks for everything...
and the jacket.
You bet, kid.
You take care now.
(END THEME MUSIC)
(SIZZLING)
(WHISTLING THROUGH AIR)
(EXPLOSION)
Wow!
FLIGHT COM:
It 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)
Mr. President, Mr. Secretary,
members of the National Security Council...
as a point of information,
it seems that what we should...
(DOOR OPENS)
RUDY: Oscar?
Rudy, I'm not a stickler for privacy,
but just a small knock, you know?
Check it out.
Hal? The information's coming through the
satellite, patch it through to Oscar's office.
That satellite data's been confirmed by three
heat tracking stations on the West Coast.
It happened about four minutes ago.
What are you saying, Rudy?
One of the most concentrated
heat blasts I've ever seen.
And it's pin-pointed to
a suburb of Los Angeles.
In plain language,
what does it mean?
All I know is that the intensity
of the blast was so fantastic...
if it covered a large area...
I hope Los Angeles is still standing.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC)
Hold it!
I work for the government.
I'd like to see the crater.
Right this way.
Boy, this is the craziest
thing I've ever seen.
Got any ideas what it is?
No, it beats me.
I'll talk to you later.
Now is that all you have?
No, I have some more
in my home in my garage.
I'm gonna take these
to my lab for analysis.
I have your home address,
and I will get in contact with you.
You know, you're very lucky
that I got here first.
Somebody else might
have thrown you right in jail.
Oh, and one more thing.
Now don't speak to anybody about this,
understand?
Yes, sir.
Good boy.
(POLICE RADIO CHATTER)
(SIRENS WAILING)
(HELICOPTER HOVERING)
Thank you very much.
Say, who's in charge?
Bill Bruner, he's the head of the
Fire Department's Chemical Division.
He's over there by that van.
Awful young to be the
city's fire expert, isn't he?
Well, he was there...
talking to that kid.
Thanks.
Say, kid?
I didn't do anything!
Good, then I won't call out
the National Guard.
Were you just talking to Mr. Bruner?
Who are you?
I'm Steve Austin.
Where'd he go.
Steve Austin...
Steve Austin the astronaut?
That's right.
Listen, Mr. Bruner isn't here.
Can I talk to you for a minute?
Sure.
Let's go over here.
It's safer.
Is it safe enough for you?
Are you really Steve Austin,
the astronaut??
Yeah, now that you know
my name, what's yours?
Danny Lasswell.
Danny, what did you
want to talk about?
Mr. Bruner told me not to talk to anyone,
but I know I can trust you.
It's all my fault.
What, the fire?
I was just testing
a new rocket fuel I made.
I was trying to make Di-Nitrite Trioxide
from a dry ice condenser...
work as an oxidizing agent.
Where were you doing this,
in chemistry class?
No, I've set up a lab in my garage.
Your garage?
Working alone and unsupervised
with dangerous chemicals?
Yeah, I know now I shouldn't
have taken the chance.
I'm sorry.
STEVE: How'd you get a hold
of that much explosives?
DANNY:
It wasn't much.
I just need a few drops.
A few drops created that much heat?
Each of the two chemicals
is harmless by itself...
but when I combine them...
They became thermo-active
and created the fire.
How'd you know?
Danny, it sounds like you accidentally
invented a thermo-chemical energy source.
Wow.
Do you have any more of this chemical?
Uh, yeah,
I gave some of it to Mr. Bruner.
He's taking it back to the lab.
The rest I have at home in two jars.
But don't worry.
I have them tightly sealed in
two different areas of the garage.
MAN: Hey, we have a man
in trouble over here!
What's wrong?
Oh, we heard screams.
The janitor must be caught
in the boiler room.
The heat from the fire
welded the door shut.
Any other way to get in there?
No, it's built like a vault.
We got to get him out of there.
Even with the torch, I couldn't cut through
there in less than another half an hour.
Maybe you've loosened it up enough.
Give me a hand.
(METAL CREAKING)
(BIONIC SOUND EFFECT)
Hey, we really did it!
We did it.
You're stronger than
you thought you were.
Hey, what happened?
It was hot down there.
I couldn't get these doors open.
What are all these people doing here?
(SIGHS)
Are you sure this is where you put it?
Yes, I'm sure.
To keep them apart, I put one of the
chemicals in the footlocker...
and the other right
under this workbench.
I even locked the footlocker.
Well, somebody else knew
it was here...
and one heck of a hurry to get it.
Bruner was the only one that
knew about these chemicals?
DAN NY:
Yeah.
Can I use your phone?
DANNY:
Go right ahead.
(PHONE BUZZES)
Yeah.
Hold on.
Steve.
Thank you, Dr. Wells.
You're welcome.
Steve, what do you got?
Trouble.
The heat blast was caused by a young boy
trying to test a new rocket fuel.
A young boy?
Rocket fuel?
The tracking station reads it
as a thermo-chemical blast.
It was.
Better confiscate the rest of the fuel.
Unfortunately,
it's already been done.
Someone is walking around with enough
explosives to turn this city into a pancake.
Hold it.
Have Dr. Monica
ready for travel in one hour.
Steve, I'll be there at 3:00
with a thermo-chemical expert.
I'm heading West,
get there as soon as you can.
Right.
That's Bruner.
Bruner, B-R-U-N-E-R.
Now he knows who I am.
Lazarus?
This is Bill Bruner.
Of course, you know me.
I faked an electrical fire for you
a couple of months ago...
so you could build your new complex.
That's right.
Now look, I'll make this real short.
How would you like something that's
worth conservatively about $500 million.
Uh-huh.
Have you ever heard of
thermo-chemical energy?
I thought so.
Well, I've got it!
We'd have an energy source
that would make oil obsolete.
It's either a mistake, or the biggest
scientific breakthrough of the century.
Well, sir, you may be
fantastic as a scientist...
but your note-taking
leaves a lotto be desired.
It's not all there, Doctor?
Look, he states here
he used Di-Nitrite Trioxide...
which he condensed
from a distillation setup.
That's right.
That's wrong!
Because Di-Nitrite Trioxide would be
decomposed before it reached boiling point.
You know, there's no way of knowing
what you used for an agent.
I'm sorry, I guess I kept
forgetting to write things down.
You see, I can see traces
here of something, but...
there are so many dead ends,
these notes are incomplete.
Maybe there's another way.
Danny, can you repeat exactly what
you did this morning from memory?
Yes, I think so.
Danny, tell us the truth,
we have to be absolutely sure.
Yes.
I'll need a computer.
I'll have them fly out
a Trion 11-68.
Young man, do me a favor.
Go over that formula again
and write down anything...
anything you can remember, huh?
Yes, sir.
Do you realize, pal, somewhere
locked up in that boy's head...
is a formula that's worth billions?
What troubles me is that someone else
knows what that boy's worth.
No, not at all.
Listen, with the folks gone so much...
Danny and I are alone a lot,
so we enjoy company.
Hey, did we get any mail
from the folks?
I don't know,
I thought you'd check.
I didn't... Hey,
maybe we got something.
Listen, while you're out there, will you
set up the cot in the bedroom for Steve.
Okay!
I tried to set it up myself,
and the darn thing almost attacked me.
Those are very tricky.
I know.
Where are your parents?
Somewhere in the Amazon.
They're archaeologists.
Steve, is Danny in any kind of trouble?
Well, Danny has something in his head
that a lot of people are after.
Sort of wish the folks
were here right now.
You know,
when I was a little girl...
I used to take my parents
to the open house in school.
You know what that could be like.
Yet, they never made
me feel embarrassed.
(DOOR CLOSES)
But I'm sure glad you're here.
(DOOR OPENS)
The cot's up.
We got a post card from the folks.
The scenery is here,
wish you were beautiful.
(GIGGLES)
Are you sure you're gonna
be comfortable here?
I've slept on a lot worse.
(GIGGLES)
Your first slumber party?
Well, it's been a few years.
I feel like a den mother.
Anyway, it's a nice feeling.
I think I've been a sister too long.
Good night.
Good night, Glennis.
Good night.
You read all these books?
Naw, I just have them
around to impress girls.
Does it?
I don't know,
no girl's ever seen them.
(CHUCKLES)
It's not so funny.
Well, what's her name?
How'd you know?
Well, I may be an astronaut,
but I don't run on propane.
It seems I'm always falling in love
with some girl who's already in love...
with a guy named Doug,
who eats nails for a hobby.
Well, I'll tell you, Danny,
for the next five years...
you're gonna be waging a losing battle
with guys named Doug.
It seems that most girls aren't
looking for guys of your quality...
until they do some
growing up themselves.
What do you know about it?
I'll bet when you were 14,
your name was Doug.
Well, that's not true.
In fact, do you know what I did on
New Year's Eve when I was 14?
What?
Well, the girl that I had a crush on
was going out with a guy like Doug...
I sat home alone, watched a TV movie
on oceanography...
ate a triple banana split,
and woke up with a stomach ache.
Get ready for bed,
we got a long day tomorrow.
This doesn't look like
it's gonna be so bad.
(CRASHES)
That's not very funny.
(SIGHS)
This is the formula
to the best of your knowledge?
Yes, sir.
What concentration
nitric acid did you use?
I don't know.
He doesn't know.
Well, isn't the proportion
percentage on the readout, Dr. Monica?
That's the percentage,
not the concentration.
Now what proportion of the mix
was liquid amylnitrate?
A tablespoon.
What kind of scientific
measurement is a tablespoon?
Were you making lasagna?
What was the reaction temperature?
Uh, I didn't measure it.
"I didn't measure it."
How are we supposed
to find anything?
Look, we also found
some particles in the liquid.
What could have gotten
into your chemicals?
Well, I was, ahh,
I was eating a cupcake.
(CHUCKLES)
That gives us flour,
shortening, cornstarch...
egg yokes, whites, lecithin,
calcium sulfate...
sodium caseinate, sodium phosphate,
sodium stearyl-two-lactylates...
and butylated hydroxytoluene.
That's a cupcake?
Yes.
What else?
Well, I also had some peanut butter.
Class three emulsives...
hydrogenated vegetable oil,
maybe some glycerides...
and... peanuts.
There might be something else.
What?
Jelly.
Sucrose, pectin, sodium citrate...
sodium hexanate phosphate,
potassium sorbate and...
(LONG INHALE)
Raspberries.
Dr. Lasswell...
never, never
in my 35 years as a scientist...
Dr. Monica,
can I talk to you a minute?
Now that's not Dr. Lasswell
you're talking to, that's Danny Lasswell...
a very bright 14-year-old kid who
just happens to like to experiment.
Now we're trying to recreate his accident.
We're not trying to hang him.
So show a little patience, huh?
You're right.
There's just so much pressure,
I forget where I was.
Good. Now, go back
and tell him that.
Danny, I'm sorry.
Let's run what we've got
through the computer...
and see if we are going anywhere.
It's an elemental analysis.
It means that it could be
any combination of chemicals.
I'm afraid it's hopeless.
We're not going to find out
what Danny came up with.
There's only one thing to do.
Try and find the original chemicals.
We've had an APB on Bill Bruner
since yesterday morning.
(OMINOUS MUSIC)
You got 90 days, that's it.
Now you know what to do,
let's get on it.
You got it.
Strange place to meet.
I've got my reasons.
Are the thermo-chemicals in there?
You bet.
Let me show you.
Watch this.
Hey, what kind of
a rip-off is this?
Get him out of here!
Now wait! Wait, wait!
Thermo-chemicals take a few
seconds to generate their own heat.
(EXPLOSION)
Now...
that was two drops in a flask
half-filled with water!
Now that's more than
a ten thousand-to-one dilution!
How much you want for it?
$200,000.
For the formula?
No, the chemicals.
You can have it analyzed
and get the formula yourself.
I'm not an idiot, Bruner.
If it could be analyzed,
you would have done it.
Yeah, but the chemicals
themselves are worth...
They're worth nothing,
except to a terrorist.
I'm looking for
a new energy source.
Well, you're right,
I don't have the formula.
But I know who the inventor is.
Now I'll give you his address,
and the chemicals...
for $75,000.
You got a deal.
Now just so we don't go
kidnapping some milkman...
give these gentlemen
a description of this...
What's his name?
Daniel Lasswell.
8538 Laurel Place.
He's got brown, curly hair...
blue eyes and he's slim.
Height? Weight?
Height... well, he's um...
He's around 5'2 ", 5'3"...
weighs about 100, 110, 115,
I guess...
and uh...
And, and...
He wears braces.
Braces?
Just how old is this guy anyway?
He's 14.
(PHONE RINGING)
Oscar Goldman speaking.
Good.
They spotted Bruner.
Where?
All right.
Highway... where?
105, all right.
No, no, no, I want Steve
to go in and get him.
Right.
Thank you.
Come on, where is he?
At the Courier Trailer Park.
He hitched a trailer and was seen
heading west on Highway 105.
We've got him under surveillance,
Steve, I want you to go in and get him.
But be careful, he might have
the chemicals on him.
Danny will stay here, I'll take
care of him until you get back.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC)
(BIONIC EYE SOUND EFFECT)
(BIONIC SOUND EFFECT)
Hey! Who are you?
I'm impounding
your trailer and your car.
Now what for?
Section 352 of the
Motor Vehicle Code...
failure to fasten your trailer
safely to your car.
That's right.
(DOORBELL)
Morning.
Morning.
Is Danny in?
He's in school right now.
I'm Rod Linder
and this is Leon Setka.
We're with the International
Science Fair Society.
Oh, would you like to come in?
Thank you.
Danny submitted a project to us last year
and we'd like to talk to him about it.
Well, as I said before,
he's in school right now...
but he'll be back
some time this afternoon.
Where might that be?
GLENNIS: Well, why don't
you just leave your card...
and I'll have him get in touch with you.
Well, we'd really like to
talk to him today if possible.
LEON: But if not,
we'll try him again on the weekend.
Thank you for your time.
You're welcome.
Bye bye now.
Bye.
What are we leaving for?
We didn't get a thing.
Here's all the information we need,
including the kid's mug shot.
Martin Van Buren
Junior High School.
Is that the kid?
Yep, that's him all right.
Let's get him.
You never told me
what happened with Mr. Bruner.
Well, we tore his car
and trailer apart...
no chemicals.
And Bruner isn't talking.
Get down!
(BIONIC SOUND EFFECT)
Okay, out of there,
buddy, and easy.
(BIONIC SOUND EFFECT)
Simple job I give you.
Bring in one small,
14-year-old boy.
Look, they expected a snatch.
The kid had bodyguards.
Bodyguard, Rod said.
One!
Okay, maybe it was
just one man...
but for a minute there,
I got the feeling we were surrounded.
Well, what do we do now, huh?
Make the boy an honest offer
of ten billion dollars?
Come on, let's have
some suggestions!
You told me
you can't get to the kid!
What are we supposed to do?
Have him come to us?
Wait a minute.
Yeah, that's it.
We have the kid come to us.
Now how do we do that?
Simple...
We send him an invitation.
All I wanted to do was get
Danny out of there safely.
The truck was traced to
a moving company in Van Nuys.
The truck was stolen this morning,
we're at a dead end.
Excuse me, guys.
This was delivered to the Police
Department, it was addressed to the O.S.I.
To Oscar Goldman...
Listen, we have possession
of the thermo-chemicals...
stolen from Danny Lasswell's garage.
We have used a small portion
of the chemicals...
to make a thermo-time bomb
and place it somewhere in the city.
It is set to go off at 3:00 PM.
In exchange for the formula
for the thermo-chemicals...
we will give you
the location of the bomb.
Enclosed is a map.
We want Danny Lasswell to come
to the spot marked on the map...
and recreate the formula
in front of us.
If it turns out to be real, we will
give him the location of the bomb.
Remember, we still have
most of the chemicals...
so if you let this bomb go off...
we can keep making them
until you change your mind.
'To prove that
we do have the chemicals...
and to show you exactly
what they can accomplish...
we have hidden a small sample
somewhere in this letter.
(BIONIC EYE SOUND EFFECT)
The chemical's on the paper clip.
Get out of the office!
They put one drop of the chemicals
on each side of the paperclip.
When you pulled the letter out, the
chemicals combined, and activated.
There couldn't of been more than
a tenth of a gram on that paperclip, Steve.
Oscar, I've got a plan.
I can get in there with no problem.
What are you saying, Steve?
The building where
they want Danny to go...
and we have a little over an hour.
You're talking as if you're
gonna take that boy with you.
Lam.
No, you're not.
I'll send someone up in his place.
Oscar, they've got a picture of Danny.
Now you can't pass
an agent off as Danny?
Steve, what are you getting at?
I've been over those blueprints
a thousand times.
Now the building is incomplete.
They don't suspect anyone
can get in there undetected...
But I can, you know that.
STEVE:
Now you've gotta trust me.
Can I say something?
This whole thing's been my fault...
and I trust Steve.
Whatever he says,
I want to do it.
The problem is, Danny...
is that you forgotten the formula.
Rudy, don't you have some chemicals
he can use as a bluff?
As a matter of fact, I do.
Oh, you're in on this too, huh?
Oscar, it's not a conspiracy,
I'm just trying to help.
OSCAR:
Well, I guess I'm outnumbered.
All right.
But the top priority is this boy's safety.
Steve, if you're plan
starts slipping away...
I want you to get that boy
out of there and quick.
Come on, Danny.
Thanks for the help.
Oscar, it can work.
(BIONIC SOUND EFFECT)
What's in there?
Just some chemicals, I checked.
All right.
This is Dr. Spruger.
He's gonna make sure
you do everything just right.
Give him the formula.
Well, it looks like you have
everything I need here.
Just get on with it,
will you, sonny?
(BIONIC SOUND EFFECT)
Oh, I'll need some matches.
None of this is
amounting to anything.
DANNY:
Be patient, I'm almost through.
I'm doing exactly what I did before.
If I didn't know any better, I'd say you
were making it up as you went along.
DANNY:
I said be patient.
Just... Just hold on.
Everything's going just fine.
It's all done.
Now, if I combine chemical A
into chemical B...
within a few seconds,
they will create the thermo reaction.
It's not right.
Why, what's wrong?
According to my calculations these
chemicals would create absolutely nothing.
Check your notes again.
I'm telling you the boy
didn't make anything...
except possibly soap.
LAZARUS:
No, they wouldn't dare do that.
Keep going over these notes.
You think I didn't make anything?!
Watch this!
Hey, put that down!
(BIONIC SOUND EFFECT)
I did it!
I knew you would!
(METAL CREAKING)
Are you crazy?
Let us out of here!
(BANGING ON DOOR)
Cheap construction,
let's hope it holds.
In about four minutes,
this building will become a fireball.
In a cardboard box, there's a bottle
filled with a counteracting chemical.
If you use it within 40 seconds,
you'll stop the reaction.
Who is that?
The bodyguard.
STEVE: If you don't pour in the counter
chemical within 40 seconds...
nothing will stop the thermo-chemicals.
If you tell us where the bomb is,
we'll tell you which bottle to use.
Is he telling the truth?
Well, there is such a thing.
It's called a scavenger...
and it will stop
a chemical reaction.
Stop with the textbook!
Is he shucking me or not?
You'd better tell him
where the bomb is.
Still out there?
Right here.
It's at the foot of the dam.
The bomb is at the foot
of the Baysville Dam!
We've got about ten minutes,
let's go!
Well, come on, which bottle?
Which bottle?
They fell for it!
Yeah, they sure did.
Climb on my back.
What bottle?
(BIONIC SOUND EFFECT)
Don't waste your time!
What did I tell you?
Bubble bath...
Bubble bath.
14-year-old kid...
Bubble bath...
(DRAMATIC MUSIC)
You stay here.
(BIONIC SOUND EFFECT)
(BIONIC EYE SOUND EFFECT)
(BIONIC SOUND EFFECT)
How long does your arm
have to be in a sling?
Well, nothing broken.
Tomorrow it should be
good as new.
That's right, Glennis,
as good as new.
Are you sure it's safe for Steve
to go back to Washington?
I mean,
isn't it too soon after...
No, no, I'm sure it's okay.
And thanks to your brother, Lazarus and
his friends were all trapped in one room.
Do you know that we recovered
the rest of the thermo-chemicals?
Oh, good.
Steve, I'll see you at the airport.
See you later.
Bye, now.
Nice to have met you.
Bye.
I'm gonna say goodbye to Danny.
Steve, thanks for everything.
I just want to say one thing that Danny
is really feeling down about you going.
Well, maybe this present
will cheer him up a little bit.
Yeah.
Thanks for the use of your cot.
Thank you.
Bye.
Whenever I sulk,
I like to be alone, too.
Oh, I'm not sulking,
I'm reading.
Yeah? What trouble are you
reading yourself into this time?
Just Moby Dick.
Moby Dick.
Well, that's a good
safe book for you.
Here, I brought you a present.
Oh, what did you get?
It's kind of special.
They gave it to me
after my first moon mission.
Gee, Steve, it fits me great!
Really it does.
Well, you'll grow into it.
Are you gonna come back?
Sure I am.
I'm gonna miss you.
Thanks for everything...
and the jacket.
You bet, kid.
You take care now.
(END THEME MUSIC)