Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1964–1968): Season 1, Episode 25 - Cradle of the Deep - full transcript

WE'RE ALMOST THERE.

[Beeping]

[Beeping Intensifies]

- THE ELEMENT'S
BECOMING UNSTABLE.
- IT'S BEEN UNSTABLE BEFORE.

[Man #1] NEVER LIKE THIS.

[Beeping Rapidly]

[Man] VOYAGE TO THE
BOTTOM OF THE SEA.

STARRING RICHARD BASEHART,

DAVID HEDISON.

VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA.

VERY INTERESTING, DOCTOR.



I KNOW IT MUST SEEM LIKE JUST
A SIMPLE, ONE-CELLED PROTOZOA,

BUT IT DID TAKE NATURE TWO
BILLION YEARS TO EVOLVE IT.

IT'S A WONDERFULLY
COMPLICATED LITTLE THING.

SIMPLE AND COMPLICATED.

DR. BENTON AND I WERE VERY
CLOSE TO FINDING THE ANSWERS.

GENTLEMEN.

AH, CAPTAIN CRANE.
THANK YOU AGAIN.

MOST OF MY THINGS ARE ON
BOARD. NOT ONE BROKEN TEST TUBE.

THE DOCTOR'S JUST BEEN
SHOWING ME A FASCINATING FILM.

A PROTOZOA PRODUCED
UNDER LABORATORY CONDITIONS.

UNFORTUNATELY, KEPT
ALIVE ONLY FOR MOMENTS.

AH, IT'S AMAZING. I'M
SURPRISED THEY LIVED AT ALL.

WE CAN DO MUCH MORE.

THERE'S TOO MUCH HUMAN MISERY.



THERE'S NO REASON TODAY FOR ALLOWING
HUMAN BEINGS TO BE BORN DEFORMED.

THAT'S WHY THIS
VOYAGE IS IMPORTANT.

WHY IT MUST BE SUCCESSFUL.

YOU SEE, MOST OF OUR WORK TO DATE
HAS BEEN CONFINED TO THE LABORATORY.

WE'RE GOING TO LEARN
SO MUCH MORE NOW.

WE'RE GOING TO THE
VERY CRADLE OF EXISTENCE.

WE'RE GOING TO OBTAIN THE
BASIC MATERIALS OF HUMAN LIFE.

DOCTOR, IS THERE
AN EXACT POSITION?

I'LL NEED TO MAP
COORDINATES TO GET US THERE.

WE'VE JUST BEEN WORKING THAT
OUT, LEE. HERE ARE YOUR COORDINATES.

MMM. WELL, THIS SETS
US RIGHT BETWEEN, UH,

MALVIS RIDGE...

AND THE VEMA SEAMOUNT.

I KNOW. IT'S A PRETTY ROUGH
STRETCH OF OCEAN BOTTOM.

ROUGH? IT'S THE MOST TREACHEROUS
PIECE OF OCEAN IN THE CHARTS.

THERE MUST BE SOME OTHER PLACE
YOU CAN PICK UP THESE ELEMENTS.

NO. NO, THERE'S NO SPOT
LIKE IT ON THE ENTIRE PLANET.

IT'S WHERE EVOLUTION BEGAN.

IT'S THE PLACE WE MUST GO IF
WE'RE, UH, TO RECREATE LIFE...

EXACTLY AS IT WAS
FOUR BILLION YEARS AGO.

WE CAN'T SET DOWN
IN THE VEMA SEAMOUNT.

THAT AREA'S BEEN CALLED A
GRAVEYARD OF SUBMARINES.

IT'S THE ONLY PLACE THIS EXPERIMENT
HAS A CHANCE OF SUCCEEDING.

ADMIRAL, IF THAT'S THE CASE,

I SAY WE STOP RIGHT NOW,

NEVER EVEN CAST
OFF FROM THE PIER.

I KNOW IT'S, UH,
IT'S RISKY, LEE.

I ALSO KNOW IT'S WORTHWHILE.

I'LL PUT TO SEA AS SOON AS THE REST
OF YOUR EQUIPMENT IS ABOARD, DOCTOR.

WE'LL REACH OUR POSITION AT
APPROXIMATELY 1400. FINE, CHIP.

AMAZING, THE AMOUNT OF POWER
YOU'VE BUILT INTO THIS ENERGIZER.

YES, WELL, WE'LL NEED ALL THE
ENERGY WE CAN POSSIBLY GET.

IT'S NO SMALL MATTER SPEEDING UP
THE ENTIRE PROCESS OF EVOLUTION.

ADMIRAL, WE'RE
APPROACHING THE AZANIAN SEA.

WE'LL REACH OUR DESTINATION
COORDINATE AT 1400.

HOW DOES IT LOOK? ROCKY.

RADAR SHOWS SURFACE
TURBULENCE ALL ALONG OUR COURSE,

AND SONAR SHOWS THE
SAME THING UNDERSEA.

TAKE YOUR CHOICE.

WELL, IT'S YOUR DEPARTMENT, LEE.
YOU DO WHATEVER YOU THINK BEST.

CHIP, TAKE HER DOWN.

LEVEL OFF AT 200 FEET.

KEEP A STEADY
GRIP ON THAT WHEEL.

WE'RE HEADING INTO
40 MILES OF BAD ROAD.

HI. IS IT TIME FOR
YOUR WATCH ALREADY?

YEAH, THOSE FOUR HOURS
OFF GO BY PRETTY FAST.

THEY SURE DO. WELL, WE'RE ON COURSE
NOW, SO KEEP HER STEADY AS YOU GO.

HERE'S OUR
DESTINATION RIGHT HERE.

THAT'S RIGHT NEAR THE
VEMA SEAMOUNT. MM-HMM.

LET ME KNOW AS SOON AS WE'RE
READY TO SET DOWN. CAPTAIN?

THAT AREA'S UNSAFE. SAFE OR
NOT, THAT'S WHERE WE TOUCH DOWN.

YEAH, BUT EVEN
WASHINGTON SAYS IT'S UNSAFE.

NAVY SUBMARINES NEED SPECIAL
PERMISSION TO MANEUVER THERE.

THAT'S RIGHT. BUT
WE'RE NOT IN THE NAVY.

THAT'S ONE OF THE
REASONS WE'RE ABLE TO GO

PLACES THAT ARE OFF-LIMITS
TO OFFICIAL VESSELS.

THAT DOESN'T GIVE US A
LICENSE TO COMMIT SUICIDE.

NOW, WAIT A MINUTE. YOU'RE ONE
OF OUR NEW JUNIOR OFFICERS NOW,

BUT YOU'VE STILL GOT A LOT
TO LEARN ABOUT HOW WE WORK.

YES, SIR, I KNOW THAT. IT'S
OUR BUSINESS TO TAKE RISKS.

BUT WE DON'T TAKE THEM BLINDLY.

THE ADMIRAL'S IN CHARGE
OF SCIENTIFIC PROJECTS,

AND, BELIEVE ME, HE DOESN'T WANNA
LOSE THIS SHIP ANY MORE THAN WE DO.

WELL, THAT ALL
SOUNDS FINE, CAPTAIN.

BUT I HAD AN OLDER BROTHER.
HE WAS THE EXEC ON THE SEA LION.

I'M SORRY. I DIDN'T KNOW THAT.

NOW, THEY WERE THE LAST SUBMARINE
TO CRUISE NEAR THE VEMA SEAMOUNT.

WE KEEP ON THIS COURSE, PRETTY SOON WE'RE
GONNA BE SEEING THE SEA LION'S WRECKAGE.

IT'S SPREAD OUT ALL
ALONG THIS TRENCH.

ADMIRAL NELSON HAS
SET DOWN A COURSE,

AND WE'RE GONNA KEEP TO IT.

RIGHT, MR. CLARK?

RIGHT, SIR.

[Knocking]

ADMIRAL, YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE
WHO CAN ABORT THIS MISSION.

YOU'VE GOT TO. WE
CAN'T GO IN THERE.

YOU GET BACK TO
YOUR POST IMMEDIATELY.

YOU DON'T KNOW THE
VEMA SEAMOUNT. I DO.

MY BROTHER KNOWS IT EVEN BETTER.

HE AND 120 MEN OF THE
SEA LION ARE STILL THERE.

I'M SORRY ABOUT
THAT. BUT, FIRST,

YOU WILL RETURN TO
YOUR POST IMMEDIATELY.

THEN, I WILL LISTEN
TO YOUR OBJECTIONS...

IN THE MANNER PRESCRIBED ACCORDING
TO THE ARTICLES OF THIS VESSEL.

BY THAT TIME, YOU'LL
HAVE KILLED US ALL!

MR. CLARK, YOU ARE
RELIEVED OF ALL DUTIES.

YOU'LL CONFINE YOURSELF TO QUARTERS
FOR THE REMAINDER OF THIS VOYAGE.

YOU WON'T KILL US. I WON'T LET YOU.
I'VE ALREADY CHANGED THE COURSE.

WE'RE GONNA BYPASS
THE SEAMOUNT AREA.

WHAT?

YOU CHANGED OUR COURSE
WITHOUT PERMISSION?

CHIEF JONES, THIS IS THE ADMIRAL.
YOU COME TO MY CABIN ON THE DOUBLE.

I HAD TO! DON'T YOU SEE?
YOU WON'T SAVE US! I HAD TO!

YOU'RE UNDER ARREST, MR. CLARK!

WE HAVE AN OCCUPANT
FOR THE BRIG.

NAVIGATION, GIVE ME A READING
ON OUR PRESENT POSITION.

AYE, SIR. COORDINATES
"A" FOR APPLE,

1-2-7, "D" FOR DOG, 7-0-8.

VERY WELL. RIGHT ON THE BUTTON.

WELL, NOW THAT WE'RE BACK ON
COURSE, SEE THAT WE KEEP IT THAT WAY.

LEE? YES?

WHAT GOT INTO HIM?

CLARK?

I DON'T KNOW.

I WOULD'VE SWORN BY
HIM AS A DECK OFFICER.

SO WOULD I. I SUPPOSE
THIS MEANS HIS JOB.

OH, I HOPE NOT. HE STILL HASN'T
GOTTEN OVER THE DEATH OF HIS BROTHER.

AND NOW WE'RE HEADED
STRAIGHT FOR THAT SAME AREA.

BUT HE'S NO COWARD. I KNOW HIM
WELL ENOUGH TO BE SURE OF THAT.

IT HAS NOTHING TO
DO WITH COWARDICE.

WE ALL GET SCARED A
LITTLE BIT SOMETIMES.

BUT THIS THING WITH CLARK...

I GUESS YOU'D CALL IT AN
EMOTIONAL BREAKDOWN.

IT'S HARD TO BLAME HIM FOR
CRACKING UP. I HOPE HE GETS OVER IT.

MMM. I HOPE WE ALL DO.

HERE WE ARE. "X" MARKS THE SPOT.

ALL RIGHT, CHIP. SET HER DOWN.

WE'RE JUST ASKING FOR TROUBLE.
ASKING FOR IT? WE'RE BEGGING FOR IT.

WE'LL START SEARCHING FOR
THE ELEMENTS RIGHT ALONG HERE.

THE SEISMOGRAPH'S STILL
COMING UP WITH BAD NEWS.

TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, A
PRESSURE AREA IS BUILDING UP.

THIS TRENCH CAN CAVE
IN ON US AT ANY TIME.

IT IS BEGINNING TO LOOK BAD.

ALL RIGHT, THEN LET'S GET OUT
OF HERE. I SAID BAD, NOT HOPELESS.

[Doctor] WE HAVE TO STAY.

JUST BEYOND THAT WINDOW...

IS THE BEGINNING, THE
CRADLE OF THE DEEP.

WELL, THAT DEPENDS
UPON YOUR POINT OF VIEW.

TO SUBMARINE COMMANDERS,
IT'S THE COFFIN OF THE DEEP.

ADMIRAL, WE'VE TRAVELED A
LONG WAY TO GET THESE ELEMENTS.

NOW, IF AN UNDERWATER
UPHEAVAL IS IMMINENT,

IT MERELY MEANS THAT WE SHOULD
START GATHERING THEM THAT MUCH SOONER.

IS THIS MISSION IMPORTANT ENOUGH TO
ENDANGER THE LIVES OF EVERYONE ABOARD?

I THINK DR. JANUS IS RIGHT, LEE.

HE MUST START COLLECTING THOSE
ELEMENTS, AND THE SOONER, THE BETTER.

SOME MORE BAD NEWS
FROM THE SEISMOGRAPH, LEE.

IT LOOKS AS IF WE'VE GOT A GOOD
CHANCE AT BEING RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE...

OF OUR OWN PRIVATE
DISASTER AREA.

A SMALL, SIMPLE "THANKS"
HARDLY SEEMS ENOUGH.

CHIEF! RIGHT.

CAREFUL. CAREFUL,
NOW. BE CAREFUL.

THESE ELEMENTS HAVE BEEN
RESTING FOR BILLIONS OF YEARS.

WE DON'T WANNA DISTURB THEM NOW.

I MUST GET THESE TO THE
ENERGIZER IMMEDIATELY.

COMING, ADMIRAL?

AND MISS THE START OF EVOLUTION?
I WOULDN'T MISS IT FOR ANYTHING.

STILL BAD? MMM.

AND GETTING WORSE BY THE MINUTE.

BILL.

WE'RE NOT MOVING. WHERE ARE WE?

AT OUR OBJECTIVE... THE
BASE OF THE VEMA SEAMOUNT.

WE CAN'T STAY HERE.

GET THIS SHIP OUT OF HERE.

WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH YOU? I'VE
NEVER SEEN YOU PANIC LIKE THIS BEFORE.

LISTEN, I KNOW WHAT CAN HAPPEN
TO ME BECAUSE OF WHAT I'VE DONE.

BUT I DON'T CARE!

IT'S IMPORTANT THAT YOU
GET THIS SHIP OUT OF HERE!

DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND THAT?

THERE'S A LOT I DON'T UNDERSTAND,
AND THAT'S WHY I'M HERE.

YOU'RE A GOOD MAN, BILL. THAT'S
WHY YOU GOT THIS PROMOTION.

YOU COULD'VE MADE A FINE
OFFICER. WHAT'S WRONG?

I DON'T CARE ABOUT THAT NOW!

YOU'RE GONNA KILL
ALL OF US ON THIS SHIP.

NOW, GET IT OUT OF HERE!

I'VE ASKED THE DOCTOR TO
COME BRING YOU A SEDATIVE.

[Groans] I WON'T TAKE IT!
NOW, YOU LISTEN TO ME.

WE'RE HERE UNDER ORDERS, ALL OF
US. THERE'S NOTHING WE CAN DO ABOUT IT.

ORDERS. WHOSE
ORDERS? THAT SCIENTIST?

THIS IS A VITALLY
IMPORTANT MISSION!

DR. JANUS IS ON THE BRINK
OF AN IMPORTANT DISCOVERY.

OH, DR. JANUS!

[Morton Over Speaker] SKIPPER, WE'RE
GETTING ANOTHER SEISMOGRAPH REPORT.

VERY WELL. I'LL BE RIGHT THERE.

I'LL HAVE THE DOC COME
DOWN HERE WITH THAT SEDATIVE.

DR. JANUS.

THIS IS DR. BENTON'S
ACHIEVEMENT.

BUT IT'S YOURS NOW TOO.

NO, BENTON BLAZED
ALL THE TRAILS.

MY CONTRIBUTION HAS JUST
BEEN THE ENORMOUS LUCK...

IN FINDING THESE VITAL ELEMENTS.

THE ENERGIZER HAS
DONE ITS INITIAL WORK.

IT'S JUST A MATTER OF
SITTING AND WAITING.

LEE, TAKE A LOOK AT THIS.
ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE.

THIS IS WORTH A LOOK TOO.

YES. DOCTOR, HOW LONG
IS THE GESTATION PERIOD?

TWENTY-FOUR HOURS.

THE SEAVIEW MUST REMAIN AS
STEADY AS POSSIBLE FOR THAT PERIOD.

AND HOW ARE WE GONNA DO THAT WITH THE
OCEAN BOTTOM KICKING UP ALL AROUND US?

EVERYTHING SEEMS
TO BE ALL RIGHT.

IT MAY BE ALL RIGHT IN THAT TEST
TUBE, BUT IT'S NOT ALL RIGHT OUT THERE.

THESE REPORTS SAY "SEA
QUAKE," BAD ENOUGH TO

CAUSE AN AVALANCHE
THAT COULD BURY ALL OF US.

THE SPECIMEN DOES LOOK
EXACTLY AS IT WAS BEFORE.

THEN LET ME GET THIS
SHIP OUT OF DANGER.

WELL, IF WE COULD BE SURE THAT THE
VIBRATION WOULDN'T TRIGGER A REACTION...

YOU CAN'T EVER BE SURE
OF AN EXPERIMENT LIKE THIS.

- THEN FORGET THE EXPERIMENT!
- THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE.

ANOTHER FEW HOURS. IN ANOTHER
FEW HOURS, WE'LL BE DEAD.

LET'S DUMP THIS SPECIMEN
AND GET OUT OF HERE.

THERE'S A WHOLE UNDERSEA
MOUNTAIN READY TO FALL ON TOP OF US.

NOW, THAT'S ENOUGH TROUBLE
TO HANDLE AT ONE TIME...

WITHOUT DR. JANUS GETTING IN OVER
HIS HEAD WITH AN UNSTABLE ELEMENT.

CAPTAIN, I TOLD YOU.
THE SPECIMEN SEEMS...

IS AS STABLE AS IT WAS BEFORE.

YOU CAN SEE HOW SURE HE IS.

LET'S GET OUT OF HERE FAST.

ADMIRAL, WE CAN'T
DISRUPT THE EXPERIMENT.

WE MIGHT NEVER AGAIN BE ABLE TO GATHER
THESE ELEMENTS UNDER THE SAME CONDITIONS.

NOW, THIS, UM, SPECIAL CRADLE,

ARE YOU SURE IT'S BEEN COMPLETELY
ABSORBING ALL THE SHOCKS?

I'M CERTAIN. IT WAS BUILT
EXACTLY FOR THAT PURPOSE.

THEN IT WOULD ALSO MUFFLE
THE VIBRATIONS OF THE SHIP...

IF WE GOT UNDER WAY AT
A SLOW BUT STEADY SPEED.

YOU'RE SURE THERE ARE NO SIGNS
OF INSTABILITY IN THE SPECIMEN?

POSITIVE.

ALL RIGHT, LEE.
PROCEED TO A SAFE AREA,

SLOW AND EASY.

COMING?

UH, NO. I THINK I'LL STAY
JUST A WHILE LONGER.

WELL, THERE'S NOT MUCH YOU CAN DO
HERE TONIGHT. AS YOU SAID YOURSELF,

ALL WE CAN DO NOW IS WAIT.

IT'S BEEN A LONG DAY.
LET'S GET SOME SLEEP.

WE'LL CHECK THE SPECIMEN FIRST
THING IN THE MORNING. YES, OF COURSE.

SET A COURSE FOR HOME,
CHIP. CONSIDER IT SET.

FULL AHEAD ONE-THIRD. ONE-THIRD?

ONE-THIRD, CHIP.
FULL AHEAD ONE-THIRD.

DAMAGE CONTROL, REPORT. WE'VE
RECEIVED OUTER HULL DAMAGE.

THE MISSILE ROOM IS TAKING
ON WATER. PUT HER DOWN, CHIP.

WHERE? THAT TRENCH
AREA'S BLOWING UP BEHIND US,

AND THE OCEAN FLOOR
FALLS AWAY AT 10,000 FEET.

GET ME A READING ON THE PLATEAU.

DISTANCE: 1,000 YARDS. DEPTH:
250 FEET. MAKE FOR THAT PLATEAU.

MISS IT, AND WE'VE HAD IT.

CHIP, GET A REPAIR CREW
WORKING OUTSIDE. AYE, SIR.

KEEP IT SECURE!

IT HAS TO HOLD UNTIL THE
REPAIRS ARE COMPLETED!

YES, SIR, CAPTAIN!

ADMIRAL, WE'VE GOT A
COFFERDAM UP OVER THE LEAK.

IT'LL HOLD FOR THE TIME BEING.

[Nelson] GET SOME
DIVERS WORKING.

I WANT THAT OUTER HULL
REPAIRED BY MORNING.

RIGHT!

I DON'T UNDERSTAND
IT, BUT... IT'S WONDERFUL.

IT'S TURNED COMPLETELY
INTO MATTER OVERNIGHT.

YOU MEAN THIS GREW IN
JUST THOSE FEW HOURS?

FANTASTIC SCIENTIFIC
ACHIEVEMENT.

HOW BIG IS IT GONNA GET
BEFORE IT STOPS GROWING?

THAT'S AN INTERESTING
QUESTION, DOCTOR.

IT'S MATTER... PURE,
ORGANIC MATTER...

AND WE CREATED IT FROM NOTHING.

WELL, NOT EXACTLY FROM NOTHING.

YOU STILL HAVEN'T TOLD
US WHEN IT STOPS GROWING.

I DON'T KNOW. THERE'S STILL
SO MUCH TO BE LEARNED.

DON'T YOU REALIZE WE'VE MADE A
FANTASTIC SCIENTIFIC BREAKTHROUGH?

WE'VE TAKEN A STEP
OF SUCH ENORMITY...

THAT THE WORLD WILL STILL BE REAPING
ITS BENEFITS A THOUSAND YEARS FROM NOW.

THAT'S ALL VERY WELL AND GOOD,
DOCTOR, BUT MY CONCERN IS HERE AND NOW...

THE SAFETY OF THE SEAVIEW
AND EVERYONE ABOARD.

NOW, I WANNA HEAR SOME EXACT FIGURES.
WHEN DOES THIS THING STOP GROWING?

ALL RIGHT, LEE. WE'LL
WEIGH, MEASURE AND TIME...

EVERY FACET OF THE
SPECIMEN'S GROWTH.

WE'LL PUT IT ALL IN THE COMPUTER
AND GET SOME DEFINITE ANSWERS.

IT'S DOUBLING IN SIZE
EVERY THREE HOURS.

ITS WEIGHT... THAT'S MORE
IMPORTANT AND MORE DANGEROUS.

ITS WEIGHT'S MULTIPLYING DOZENS
OF TIMES FASTER THAN ITS BULK.

I CAN'T PRETEND THESE
FIGURES AREN'T ALARMING.

WELL, THERE'S ONLY ONE THING TO DO:
DESTROY THAT THING BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE.

NO. ADMIRAL, LISTEN TO ME.

WE'VE HAD THIS FANTASTIC STROKE OF
LUCK. WE'RE ON THE THRESHOLD OF SUCCESS.

YOU'RE A SCIENTIST. YOU KNOW
WHAT THIS DISCOVERY COULD MEAN.

WE MUST GET THE SPECIMEN SAFELY
BACK TO THE FOUNDATION LABORATORIES.

YOU'RE NOT GONNA
LISTEN TO HIM, ARE YA?

THAT ELEMENT'S UNSTABLE. THE FASTER
WE DUMP IT OVERBOARD, THE BETTER.

NO, WE CAN'T DO THAT,
NOT WHEN DR. JANUS...

IS ON THE VERGE OF SUCH
ENORMOUS DISCOVERIES.

ANYTHING HE DISCOVERS ISN'T GONNA
DO HIM OR ANYBODY ELSE ANY GOOD...

IF WE DON'T MAKE
IT BACK TO LAND.

WE CAME ALL THIS WAY
TO GET THAT SPECIMEN,

AND IF IT'S AT ALL POSSIBLE, WE'RE GOING
TO GET IT BACK TO WHERE IT CAN BE STUDIED.

THAT'S WHAT WE SET OUT TO DO, AND
THAT'S JUST WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO.

YES, BUT WHEN WE SET OUT, THE CARDS
WEREN'T SO HEAVILY STACKED AGAINST US.

AND ON TOP OF ALL THAT,
WE'VE GOT A DAMAGED HULL.

WHICH HAS BEEN
REPAIRED. TEMPORARILY.

[Chuckles] AREN'T YOU
MAGNIFYING THINGS?

OUR POSITION IS SIMPLY
NOT THAT PRECARIOUS.

SURE, I'M MAGNIFYING THINGS, JUST AS
THE COMPUTER'S MAGNIFYING THINGS.

ALL THOSE SCIENTIFIC VISIONS OF
TOMORROW RUNNING AROUND IN YOUR HEAD,

YOUR DESIRE TO SEE THIS
EXPERIMENT COME OFF...

[Sighs] WELL, JUST MAKE
SURE OF ONE THING:

YOU DON'T MINIMIZE THE DANGER.

CHIP?

IF WE DECIDED TO MAKE A RUN FOR
HOME, WHAT KIND OF TIME COULD WE MAKE?

MMM...

FORTY, 41 HOURS. MM-MMM.
THAT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH.

IF WE PRESS IT,
MAYBE 37, 38 HOURS.

NO. THAT'S STILL NO GOOD.

WE COULD RUN THE
REACTORS FULL SPEED.

FOR 20 OR 30 HOURS?
THEY'LL BURN OUT.

ADMIRAL, YOU STILL THINK ALL
THIS RATES THAT HIGH, DON'T YOU?

YES, YES, I DO, LEE.

THE REACTORS WEREN'T BUILT TO
RUN AT FULL SPEED FOR THAT LONG,

BUT, UH, WE COULD TRY.

CHIP, IF WE RUN AT TOP SPEED, WE
SHOULD MAKE IT IN 24 HOURS, RIGHT?

WE'LL BE CUTTING IT AWFULLY
THIN. WE'VE CUT IT THINNER BEFORE.

THANKS, LEE.

YOU HEARD THE MAN.
TWENTY-FOUR HOURS.

REACTOR ROOM, THIS IS THE
EXEC. VACATION TIME IS OVER.

FULL POWER, AND RIGHT AWAY.

[Creaking]

WHAT'S HAPPENING? ITS GROWTH
RATE IS REMAINING CONSTANT.

AND RAPID. IT HASN'T
ACCELERATED ANY.

IT'S STILL DOUBLING IN
SIZE EVERY THREE HOURS.

WHAT ABOUT ITS WEIGHT?
IT'S STILL ACCELERATING.

NO, UH... NO FASTER THAN BEFORE.

WELL, THE COMPUTER
FIGURES STILL PREVAIL.

IF WE KEEP TRAVELING AT TOP SPEED,
WE SHOULD MAKE PORT IN PLENTY OF TIME.

CHIP, EVERYTHING ALL RIGHT?

WE'RE STILL ON COURSE, AND
WE'RE STILL GOING AT TOP SPEED.

YOU KNOW, THE ADMIRAL MIGHT BE RIGHT.
WE MIGHT MAKE IT TO HOME PLATE AT THAT.

WE'VE STILL GOT 10 HOURS TO GO.

I'VE GOT 10 HOURS LEFT TO
GO. YOU GO GET SOME SLEEP.

[Sighs] I THINK I'LL STICK
AROUND HERE FOR A WHILE.

NOT ON MY WATCH, YOU WON'T. I'M THE
WATCH OFFICER. YOU GO GET SOME SLEEP.

AYE, AYE, SIR.

KEEP HER STEADY AS YOU GO.
WE GOT A LONG NIGHT AHEAD OF US.

AYE, AYE, SIR.

GOOD MORNING, CH...

CHIP?

HIYA! GOOD MORNING
THERE, SKIPPER, OLD BUDDY.

WE'RE IN PRACTICALLY THE SAME
SPOT WE WERE IN LAST NIGHT!

YOU'VE BEEN TAKING
US AROUND IN CIRCLES!

WE'LL NEVER MAKE IT
BACK TO PORT IN TIME NOW!

♪ CIRCLES WE'RE GOING
ROUND IN CIRCLES ♪

COME TO A BEARING OF
3-5-8 DEGREES. YES, SIR.

SWIMMING ROUND AND ROUND...

I WANT A BEARING OF 3-5-8
DEGREES, AND I WANT IT NOW!

KEEP IT ON THAT HEADING. YOU
STRAY ONE FRACTION OFF COURSE,

AND YOU'RE GONNA DRAW
BRIG TIME UNTIL YOU'RE 80!

SURE, CAPTAIN. ANYTHING
YOU SAY, CAPTAIN.

NOW, IN WORDS OF ONE SYLLABLE,
FIRST, HOW? AND THEN, WHY?

SURE. ANYTHING MY SKIPPER SAYS.

MY SKIPPER KNOWS I'LL ALWAYS TELL
MY SKIPPER ANYTHING... NO, YOU WON'T!

WE'RE A THOUSAND MILES OFF COURSE. WE'VE
BEEN GOING AROUND IN CIRCLES ALL NIGHT!

NOW, BEFORE I PLACE YOU UNDER ARREST, I
WANT SOME ANSWERS AND I WANT THEM FAST!

WHAT'S WRONG? I DON'T
KNOW. LOOK AT THEM.

THEY'RE EITHER DRUNK,
OR OFF THE DEEP END.

MR. O'BRIEN, GET THE DAY WATCH TO
THE CONTROL ROOM ON THE DOUBLE.

[Morton] ♪ WE'RE GOING
ROUND IN CIRCLES ♪

SICK BAY, THIS IS NELSON.

GET THE DOCTOR TO
CONTROL ROOM IMMEDIATELY.

MR. O'BRIEN, YOU
TAKE OVER THE WATCH.

YES, SIR. YES, SIR. KOWALSKI?

SIR? HELP THE DOCTOR TO GET
THESE MEN DOWN TO SICK BAY.

AYE, AYE, SIR. AYE, SIR.

STEADY AS YOU GO.
HEADING OF 3-5-8.

[Whirring]

[Snoring]

LEE, I'M STILL IN THE SICK BAY.

I THINK I MAY HAVE SOME ANSWERS.

[Crane] BE RIGHT THERE.

DOESN'T LOOK LIKE ANY BLOOD
SAMPLE I'VE EVER SEEN BEFORE.

WELL, IT'S BLOOD, ALL
RIGHT. AS A MATTER OF FACT,

IT'S A SAMPLING OF
CHIP MORTON'S BLOOD.

THE REASON IT LOOKS SO STRANGE, IT HAS
AN ABNORMALLY HIGH NITROGEN CONTENT.

NITROGEN? WHERE COULD
THAT HAVE COME FROM?

THAT'S NOT THE
QUESTION. THE QUESTION IS,

WHERE DID ALL THE OXYGEN GO?

I BROUGHT YOU SOMETHING
TO EAT, MR. CLARK.

YOU NEED ANYTHING?

KOWALSKI! SIR?

EVERYTHING SEEMS SO STILL.
WHAT'S GOING ON UP THERE?

I DON'T KNOW.

THEY GOT THE WHOLE NIGHT
WATCH CREW IN SICK BAY. SICK BAY?

WELL, ALL OF THEM? YES, SIR.

WHAT FOR? WHAT'S
WRONG WITH THEM?

I DON'T KNOW. SCUTTLEBUTT HAS
IT THAT IT'S GOT SOMETHING TO DO...

WITH WHAT THAT DR. JANUS
IS DOING IN THE LABORATORY.

SO, THAT'S IT. YOUR SPECIMEN
IS FEEDING ON PURE OXYGEN,

LEAVING US TO BREATHE A
NITROGEN-HEAVY MIXTURE.

RAPTURE OF THE DEEP.

I THOUGHT ONLY
SKIN DIVERS GOT THAT.

ANYONE WHO DOESN'T BREATHE
ENOUGH OXYGEN CAN GET IT.

IT HAD MY CONTROL ROOM CREW ACTING
AS IF THEY WERE ON A PAYDAY BINGE.

WE WOULD'VE BEEN AFFECTED
TOO IF WE HADN'T BEEN ASLEEP...

AND OUR BODILY PROCESSES
AT THEIR SLOWEST.

HOW DO YOU KNOW
IT'S THE SPECIMEN?

THEN TELL US SOMETHING THAT
CONVINCES US IT'S NOT. I DON'T KNOW!

I'M STILL CONDUCTING
TESTS! WHEN ARE YOU

GONNA HAVE YOUR FILL
OF ALL THIS BLUNDERING?

LET'S KILL IT, DUMP
IT, AND GET RID OF IT.

O'BRIEN, WHAT'S GOING ON UP
THERE? I DON'T KNOW, CAPTAIN.

WE'RE LOSING TRIM. I'VE TRIED TO
COMPENSATE WITH EXTRA POWER,

BUT THE REACTOR'S GIVING OUT.

RIG FOR BOTTOM COLLISION! ALL
HANDS, RIG FOR BOTTOM COLLISION!

[Rhythmic Thumping]

WE'VE GOTTA KILL THAT THING.

YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT
YOU'RE DOING. I KNOW ENOUGH.

IT'S GONNA MURDER US!

[Grunting] [Clattering]

YOU ALL RIGHT? YES.

ALL RIGHT, COME ON.

[Thumping]

DAMAGE CONTROL
SAYS IT'S NOT TOO BAD.

BUT THE OUTER HULL TOOK A
ROUGH JOLT. AND THE REACTOR ROOM?

THERE'S JUST NOT ENOUGH POWER
TO GET US UP OFF THE OCEAN FLOOR,

LET ALONE KEEP THE SEAVIEW IN TRIM
WITH THAT THING'S WEIGHT LOADING US DOWN.

ADMIRAL, I JUST WANTED TO SAY...
THERE'S NOTHING TO EXPLAIN, CHIP.

AT LEAST, RIGHT NOW THERE
ISN'T. FOR A WHILE THERE,

I DIDN'T KNOW WHETHER TO THROW
YOU IN THE BRIG OR OVERBOARD.

THEN I'M LUCKY TO HAVE A
FOOLPROOF MEDICAL ALIBI.

WELL, IT'S AMAZING THAT YOU AND THE
OTHERS WERE ABLE TO STAY ON YOUR FEET...

WITH ALL THAT NITROGEN
IN YOUR SYSTEM.

NO, NO, NO. WE DON'T HAVE
TO WORRY ABOUT THAT NOW.

THE FILTER SYSTEM IS
COMPENSATING FOR THE OXYGEN...

THAT SPECIMEN'S
TAKING OUT OF THE AIR.

NOW, FIRST THINGS FIRST.

DR. JANUS.

FOR THE SAFETY OF THE SEAVIEW AND EVERYONE
ABOARD, THAT SPECIMEN MUST BE DESTROYED.

NO, I, UH...

I CAN'T LET YOU DO THAT.

HASN'T IT DONE ENOUGH
DAMAGE? ONE OF MY OFFICERS

HAS BEEN DRIVEN TO
THE EDGE OF INSANITY.

I DON'T KNOW WHO'S GONNA CRACK NEXT,
AND WE'RE LYING HELPLESS ON THE BOTTOM.

ITS WEIGHT IS KEEPING US
DOWN, AND IT'S GROWING SO FAST,

IT'LL SOON BE BURSTING
THROUGH THE BULKHEADS.

GROWING. THAT'S... THAT'S
IT. I'LL-I'LL STOP ITS GROWTH.

I'VE LEARNED ENOUGH ABOUT ITS CHEMICAL
MAKEUP. I'LL ADD ANOTHER ELEMENT,

NEUTRALIZE IT, WE'LL
KEEP IT ALIVE JUST AS IT IS.

WELL, THEN YOU ALSO MUST'VE LEARNED
ENOUGH TO TELL US HOW TO KILL IT.

I WON'T... I WON'T KILL IT.

DON'T YOU SEE? I CAN'T!

IT'S ALMOST AS IF...

[Chuckles] NO.

NO, IT'S NOT ALMOST
AS IF YOU CREATED IT.

MAN... MAN DOES NOT CREATE LIFE.

UM, IT WAS A FINE EXPERIMENT,

BUT, SOMEHOW, IT TURNED
OUT TO BE A HORRIBLE ACCIDENT.

I'M... I THINK IT WAS A MISTAKE
FROM THE VERY BEGINNING.

BUT THAT DOESN'T MATTER
NOW. WHAT WE HAVE TO DO NOW...

IS TO DESTROY IT AND
DESTROY IT IMMEDIATELY.

YES, ADMIRAL, OF COURSE. I'LL,
UH... I'LL HELP YOU ANY WAY I CAN.

WELL, WE KNOW THAT
IT'S FEEDING ON OXYGEN...

AND SOMEHOW CONVERTING
IT INTO ORGANIC MATTER.

HOW? I DON'T KNOW.

HONESTLY, I DON'T. MY, UH...

MY TESTING HADN'T
PROGRESSED THAT FAR YET.

AND THE ORGANIC MATTER...
NOW, WHAT IS ITS COMPOSITION?

SAME AS THE HUMAN BODY.

I DID WHAT I
STARTED OUT TO DO...

ACCELERATED EVOLUTION
BEYOND ALL POSSIBLE IMAGINING.

ALL THAT SEARCHING TO
FIND THE REASON WHY...

IT TOOK NATURE
FOUR BILLION YEARS...

TO EVOLVE FROM PROTOZOA TO MAN.

I KNOW THE REASON NOW.

EVOLUTION IS SUCH A GRADUAL,
SEEMINGLY ENDLESS PROCESS.

ITS SECRET IS ITS
SUCCESS. ADAPTABILITY.

SEE, I CREATED MATTER
WITHOUT GIVING IT TIME TO EVOLVE.

THAT, UH, SPECIMEN
IN THE LABORATORY...

IS A LIVING, GROWING
THING WITH NO ADAPTABILITY.

I DIDN'T GIVE IT THE TIME
IT NEEDED TO DEVELOP...

INTO SOME MEANINGFUL FORM,

THE TIME IT NEEDED TO, UH,

EVOLVE ITS OWN THINKING PROCESS.

SO NOW, INSTINCTIVELY, IT'LL FEED
AND GROW UNTIL IT DESTROYS ITSELF.

DESTROYING US LONG BEFORE THAT.

YES, I'M AFRAID SO. WE'RE
WASTING TOO MUCH TIME.

NOW YOU AGREE THAT
IT FEEDS ON OXYGEN.

ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS SEAL OFF THE
LABORATORY AND CUT OFF ITS OXYGEN SUPPLY.

WHY SHOULD SUCH A
COMPLEX PROBLEM, CAPTAIN,

HAVE SUCH A SIMPLE SOLUTION?

I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG
IT COULD EXIST ON THE

AMOUNT OF OXYGEN IT
HAS IN ITS SYSTEM NOW.

EVEN IF IT SURVIVED LONG ENOUGH
TO DOUBLE IN SIZE JUST ONE MORE TIME,

IT WOULD SPLIT THE
SEAVIEW APART AT THE SEAMS.

SO I GUESS THAT'S
THE ONLY WAY OUT.

CUT OFF ITS SUPPLY OF
OXYGEN, IT STARVES TO DEATH.

WHAT IS ITS CHEMICAL
COMPOSITION?

SODIUM, HYDROGEN,
NITROGEN, CARBON.

AN OVERDOSE OF WHAT
ELEMENT WOULD KILL IT QUICKEST?

CARBON.

CARBON.

IT MIGHT WORK AT THAT. THE SPRAY
BREAKS DOWN INTO CARBON DIOXIDE...

TWO PARTS OXYGEN,
ONE PART CARBON.

BUT WILL THE SPECIMEN ABSORB
THE CARBON ALONG WITH THE OXYGEN?

I JUST KNOW THAT THE OUTER
LAYER OF MEMBRANE CAN ABSORB IT.

WHETHER IT WILL
IS ANOTHER MATTER.

AND WHETHER OR NOT THE CARBON
WILL KILL IT IS ALSO ANOTHER MATTER.

OF COURSE, FEEDING THIS DIRECTLY INTO
IT, WE'RE TAKING AN ENORMOUS CHANCE.

THE INFUSION OF SO MUCH
OXYGEN DIRECTLY INTO ITS SYSTEM...

WILL CAUSE AN IMMEDIATELY ACCELERATED
GROWTH IN BOTH SIZE AND WEIGHT.

I'M AWARE OF THAT.

LET'S JUST HOPE THAT
THE CARBON DESTROYS IT...

BEFORE IT GROWS LARGE
ENOUGH TO DESTROY US.

CHIEF!

GET THESE UP TO CORRIDOR
"B" OUTSIDE THE LAB.

YES, SIR.

I STILL SAY THREE OF US WILL
HAVE A BETTER CHANCE THAN TWO.

NO. IF WE'RE NOT SUCCESSFUL...
IF ANYTHING HAPPENS IN THERE,

THEN IT'S ENTIRELY
IN YOUR HANDS.

[Rhythmic Thumping]

WELL, LET'S SEE IF IT'LL
ABSORB THE CARBON DIOXIDE.

[Thumping Continues]

IT WORKS. THE SPRAY'S INGESTED
DIRECTLY INTO THE SYSTEM.

NOT ONLY THAT, IT SEEMS TO BE
LIKING IT. WE ALREADY KNEW ABOUT THAT.

LET'S SEE IF WE CAN FORCE ENOUGH
CARBON INTO IT TO HAVE IMMEDIATE EFFECT.

I'LL MOVE AROUND
TO THE OTHER SIDE.

WE'LL FORCE-FEED IT FROM
BOTH DIRECTIONS AT ONCE.

MORE! MORE!

NELSON! NELSON!

[Electrical Sparking]

GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT!

WE'VE KILLED IT, LEE.

YOU ALL RIGHT? YEAH.

DAMAGE CONTROL, REPORT.

[Man Over Speaker] THERE'S A LEAK
FORWARD, AND ONE IN THE MISSILE ROOM.

BUT WE'RE GOING
TO HOLD TOGETHER.

FIRST, DR. BENTON,
THEN, DR. JANUS.

I KEEP WONDERING WHY.

BUT THEN, THERE ARE SO MANY
THINGS THERE ARE NO ANSWERS FOR.

MAYBE IT'S BETTER THAT WAY.

WELL, PERHAPS ALL THE
ANSWERS ARE RIGHT HERE.

"AND THE LORD GOD FORMED
MAN OF THE DUST OF THE GROUND...

"AND BREATHED INTO HIS
NOSTRILS THE BREATH OF LIFE.

AND MAN BECAME A LIVING SOUL."