Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1964–1968): Season 4, Episode 25 - The Death Clock - full transcript

Corpsman Mallory's 4th Dimension Machine causes Captain Crane to kill Admiral Nelson, but did he really? A hunted Crane tries to prevent the event from happening.

PATTERSON:
Ski! I can't get
these fires out!

KOWALSKI: Well,
belay it then!

Lend me
a hand with
these dampening rods.

It's no good, Ski.

We can't
get the reactor
to stop from blowing.

Get on the horn again.

We gotta
get some help
down here, fast!

Red alert! Red alert!

Get those Damage Control boys
down to the Reactor Room
on the double!

She's going to blow any second!

PATTERSON:
Red alert! Red alert!



We need help in
the Reactor Room.

Emergency status.
Emergency status!

Follow me.

Get them over there!
I'll take care of
the reactor.

(SHOUTING ORDERS INDISTINCTLY)

Shut down the power!

What do you think, Doc?

He's still in a deep coma.

Radiation shock?

That could account for it.

Only you don't think so.

Well, there's no doubt that
he received a massive
amount of rays

when he shut down the reactor.

So did Kowalski and Patterson,



but you were able to
send them back to duty.

Let's just say
the coma is much deeper
than would seem warranted.

And this anti-radiation
unit isn't helping.

So, what are you
going to do about it?

When the knowledge in
the medical books
fails us,

we doctors have
one final resort.

Yeah, I know. Wait
and see what happens.

Exactly. In the meantime,
he's in no immediate danger,

and they'll notify us
if there's any change
in his condition.

Let's check out
the contamination
in the Reactor Room.

(WARBLING)

Lee! Well,
it's good to see
you're feeling better.

Anything wrong?
Nothing, Admiral.

Now, you should be in Sick Bay.

You're still in shock.
Hold it.

Was there, um, anything
you wanted to see me about?

Yes.

I've been thinking
about you, Admiral.
Very seriously.

Oh!

You're a hindrance to me.
You're a stumbling block.

Well, I'm sorry, Lee.
I, uh...

I didn't realize that.

You are, very definitely.

Well, why don't you
tell me about it?
Perhaps...

Perhaps there's
something I can do.

There's nothing you can do.

I just have to remove you.

Oh, I'm sure
that nothing as drastic
as all that is necessary.

But it is.

There's nothing
else I can do,
you see.

(SIGHS) Absolutely nothing.

(NARRATOR READING)

NARRATOR: Voyage to
the Bottom of the Sea.

Morning, sir.

Wonder what's eating him.

Admiral?

Admiral, what's the matter?
What happened?

(STAMMERING) Control Room?

This is Chief Sharkey.
Come in, please.

CHIP: Go ahead, Chief.

Is that you, Mr. Morton?

Right.
What's on your mind?

Uh...

Could you
please come down
to the Admiral's cabin?

Please, sir.

Is there something wrong
down there?

Yes, sir.
Very wrong.

I think the Admiral's dead.

You said you
saw Captain Crane
leaving the cabin.

Yes, sir.
What was that about a gun?

(STAMMERING)

He had one in his hands,
a sidearm.

As he came out of the cabin?

Yes, sir.
Did you say anything to him?

I think so, sir.
Something...

Something about it
being a good morning.

Then what did he do?

Nothing. He just acted
as though I wasn't there

and moved off down the corridor.

Oh, no. No!
Not the skipper.

He couldn't do
anything like that.

It wouldn't be
possible for him...

I'll have
a Guard of Honor posted.

Chip?

What else can I do, Doc?

I'll have
to arrest Lee Crane
on suspicion of murder.

(DELIRIOUSLY) No, no.

I couldn't kill him.

(MOANING)

(SCREAMS)

(SIGHS IN RELIEF)

Oh, my God.

I gotta find out.

It's no use, Captain. There's
no use trying to call the
Admiral.

You did kill him, you know.

Who are you?

Does it matter?

All that really concerns you

is that
you deliberately murdered
Admiral Nelson in cold blood.

No!

Who are you?
It doesn't matter.

The deed is done.

Admiral Nelson
died by your hands.

Even though it won't
occur until tomorrow.

Tomorrow?
You're not
making sense.

Presumed
realities of time and space
are confusing only to those

who are not familiar
with the fourth dimension.

The fourth dimension?

You will find, Captain,
that only in this area

are you in a familiar
time-space continuum.

Everything
outside that door is
in the world of tomorrow.

And it is in that world

that you killed Admiral Nelson.

No.

No, you're lying.

It's not true.

(WARBLING)

Is the Admiral still inside?

I'm talking to you, sailor.
Is the Admiral's body
still inside?

Answer me!
Is the Admiral's...

Where is he?
What have they
done with him?

(SHOUTING) Why
can't you answer me?

What have they done
with the Admiral?

CHIP: (OVER PA) Now hear this.

The burial ceremony
for Admiral Nelson
is about to begin.

All work
aboard Seaview
will come to a halt.

There will be five minutes of
silent prayer and meditation

by all members of the crew.

No. They can't bury him.

CHIP: "'I am the resurrection
and the life, ' sayeth
the Lord.

"'He that believeth in me,
though he were dead,
yet shall he live.

"'And whosoever liveth and
believeth in me shall
never die.'

"We brought nothing
into this world,

"and it is certain
we can carry nothing out.

"The Lord gave,
and the Lord taketh away."

Blessed be the name of the Lord.

Stop it!

I didn't kill him!
I didn't!

Arrest him.

He's alive.

Ski, he's alive.
I know he is. He's alive!

"According to
the mighty working,

"whereby he is
able to subdue all
things unto himself,

"we therefore commit
this body to the deep."

Amen.

(SPLASHING)

Security detail,

you will
take Captain Crane
and place him in the brig.

Come along, sir.
Ski, wait a minute.

Pat.

What's the matter with you men?

What's wrong
with everybody
aboard this ship?

You know I didn't
kill the Admiral,
don't you?

(SOFTLY) Don't you?

Come along, sir.

Let's go.

Halt, or I'll fire.

Stand right there.

(WARBLING)

(DOOR OPENING)

I was about
to call you, sir, to
report on Captain Crane.

Is there
any change in
his condition?

None at all.
Still in a coma.

He hasn't
moved a muscle
since he was brought in.

Mmm-hmm.

You see?
It's just as I told you.
There's nothing we can do.

Look for yourself.

You sure
there's nothing
more to be done?

No results from this
anti-radiation machine?

None.

The machine is new, but
it's been thoroughly
laboratory tested.

Mallory here's been
completely checked
out on its functions.

Oh, yes, Mallory.

The biology lab
at the institute
gives you an A1 send-off.

Thank you, sir.

I'd gladly give up
the compliment if I could be
of any help to Captain Crane.

Well, keep trying.

Admiral, the repairs
on the reactor have
been completed.

We're ready to proceed.

Good. Good, Chip. Head for
Santa Barbara, flank speed.

Aye, aye, sir.

Do the best
you can, Mallory.
We'll be in the lab.

(WARBLING)

He's not here.
Yeah.

Well, we'll find him.
Come on.

Sir,
we're ready
to get underway.

Very well, Chief.
Control to maneuvering.

MAN: Maneuvering, aye.
Set course 270.

All ahead, one-third.

Bearing 270 relative,
all ahead, one-third.
Aye, sir.

Sir, excuse me.
Yes, Chief.

About the skipper,

I think
maybe we jumped to
a wrong conclusion.

I'm not interested in
what you think, Chief.

I'm now in
command of the Seaview.
You just follow my orders.

Aye, sir.
Get down to Engineering

and make sure
we don't have any further
breakdowns during this cruise.

Aye, aye, sir.

LEE: Well done,
Commander.

CHIP:
Where did
you come from?

Don't ask questions, Commander.

Now it's your turn to
follow orders.

Take him!

(MACHINE GUN FIRING)

I wouldn't advise
any more resistance.

I couldn't care less
whether you live or die.

Change course, Commander.

Bearing 020 relative.

That'll take
us directly away
from Santa Barbara.

That's right.
And all-ahead flank.

Move.

Maneuvering, this is the exec.
MAN: Aye, sir.

Belay former course,
make it 020.

Aye, sir.
All-ahead flank.

All-ahead flank.
Aye, sir.

Excellent, Commander.

Now, I suggest you all
resume your duty posts until
we arrive at our destination.

CHIP: And then?

I thought
it was obvious
to you by now.

You're all gonna die, of course.

(GROGGILY) You're
gonna die, of course.

Gonna die, of course.

Going to die, of course...
(GROANS SOFTLY)

Not the crew!

Not the crew.
I can't kill...

(DELIRIOUSLY) I can't kill...

(GASPS)

I'm not wounded.

Of course not, Captain.

That won't happen
till some future time.

(STAMMERING) What's
happening to me now?

I think you have some idea.

The Control Room...

I, uh...

I seem to
be doing something
in the Control Room.

You will, Captain,

when the time comes.

Time?
Tomorrow.

That's when you kill
the Admiral, remember?

No.

Now you will
take this submarine
to an island I know of,

and you will kill the crew.

(SHUDDERS)

No.

And then, Captain Crane,

in a fourth-dimensional sphere
in which time and space exist
in a manner

which your weak mind
could never comprehend,

the people of
this world will serve me
as slaves for all eternity.

No! (ROARING)

(WARBLING)

Chip? What's going on here?

What's your reading?

Picking up
a strange bounce at
about 5,000 yards, sir.

Can you scan it?

There's no clear
definition. No, sir.

Keep trying.

(HISSING) Chip!

What's happening here?

I think
sonar's picking
up your destination.

I know it is, Commander.

We're coming to the end
of the journey for all
of you.

Chip, why don't you answer me?

(SHOUTING)
What's happening here?

If we're going to die anyway,
there's no reason to let you
take us like this.

You prefer the gun?

Why not?
What difference
will it make to us?

You're lying, Commander.

As long as there's
breath in your body,

as long as there's hope,

you won't choose
death over the unknown.

Ski.

Ski!

What's going on here?

What's happening to all of us?

Intensity's increasing, sir,
but there's still no clear
definition.

Keep trying.

What's going on here?

Why don't any of you answer me?

There it is, Commander.

There's our destination.

Any minute now, Commander,
we'll arrive,

and the death you
wondered about
will be here.

Activate collision doors.

Close them!

(WEAKLY) Stop it.
You've got to stop it.

Stop it.

(GROANING WEAKLY)
Stop it.

Stop it.

Chief.
Stay there.

I'm warning you, skipper,
you stay right there.

Where is everybody?
What's happening?

I just came up
from Engineering,
and found it this way.

So maybe you better tell me.

(PANTING GROGGILY)

Put that gun away...
Skipper.

Hold it!

I can't do it. No matter
what you've done,
I can't do it.

Thanks, Chief,
but I haven't
done anything.

Haven't done anything?
Man, oh, man.

You just
killed the Admiral,
that's all you did!

And for all I know,
you're responsible
for all this!

No, no.
Not for this, or
the Admiral. Not yet.

Chief,
have you ever heard
of the fourth dimension?

Fourth?
Yes.

Yes, sir.
I guess so, yes.

Do you know what it is?
No, sir, I don't!

I'm not sure anyone else
knows what it is either.

Except that
it could be some sort of
a different space and time

that we don't know about.

Different space and time?

I think the Admiral
was killed in it,

the crew disappeared in it,
and we're living in it
right now.

The only thing is,
it hasn't all happened yet!

Yes, maybe it hasn't.

But until it does, don't you
think I ought to take you
down to Sick Bay

and have the doc give
you a pill, or something?

I don't need a pill.

Look out there.

Well, there's
nothing out there.
Nothing but blackness.

But there should be water!
Light refraction! Something!

Chief.

Is Sick Bay right
outside that hatchway?

(INCREDULOUSLY)
What are you talking about?

There's a corridor
leading to the sea deck.

Then how did I enter this
Control Room right directly
through the Sick Bay door?

Well, so what is the answer?

There's
a corpsman
named Mallory.

He's got a machine aboard
that can throw everything
into the fourth dimension.

It's responsible for
everything that's happened.

Where is it?
It's in Sick Bay.

We've got to destroy it.

Are you with me?

What are we waiting for?
(SIGHS IN RELIEF)

Look out, skipper!

Fourth dimension, huh?

A tidal wave in
the sea deck corridor.

How do you fight
something like that?

We look for another
way out. Come on.

Sir, even if we get up there,

there's security guards
patrolling the corridors,
looking for you.

If they're still aboard.

(RUMBLING)

(RUMBLING CONTINUES)

It's getting rough, skipper.

There must
be a way out.
We just have to find it.

Yeah.
We could try topside.

Yeah, it's either that,
or the Flying Sub.

You check topside.
I'll test the
Flying Sub.

Aye, sir.

Chief, are you all right?
No permanent damage, sir.

But, man,
there's a fire
up there big enough

to make the
San Francisco thing look
like a piece of kindling.

All right.

You better
give me a hand with this.

Careful, skipper.

There's no telling what's
liable to come out of there.

Let's go.

What do you think?

(SIGHS) I think
we've been herded here.

What?

Our friend Mallory,
he could want us to
take the Flying Sub out.

That's why all the
other exits are blocked.

Well, do we go along with it?

Do we have a choice?

(HATCH CLOSING)

Looks like she's ready to go.

Yeah. Question is,
to where?

All right.
You ready to launch?

(ENGINES POWERING UP)

Ready, sir.

Launch.

(WARBLING)

What's happening, sir?

I don't know.
But hang on.

(SHOUTING) Chief?

Chief!

Welcome aboard, Captain.

If you hadn't
damaged my space-time unit
while escaping from Sick Bay,

I would've been
able to greet you
directly upon arrival.

All right, Mallory.

You brought me here.

Wherever we are.

And I imagine
the rest of the crew is
around here somewhere, too.

That's true.

What do you hope
to accomplish now?

What are you gonna
do with all of us?

Well, I'm experimenting,
Captain.

I have my fourth
dimension unit,
but I'm...

I'm not certain, as yet,
exactly how powerful it is,

what its limitations
and its abilities are.

So, that's what
this is all about.

You're using us as guinea pigs.

You're testing 125
men and the Seaview

to satisfy your
own personal curiosity.

That would be
a fair statement, yes.

But why on us?
Why on human beings?
With a discovery like that,

you could get the backing
of every major power in
the world.

And give up what I now
possess entirely alone?

No, Captain.

This way,
when I've discovered
exactly what I can do with it,

the world will come to me.

I'll be the one in power.

A man who wants to play God.

Why not? Wouldn't you do it
if you were in my place?
Wouldn't anyone?

No, Mallory, not anyone.

Doesn't matter, Captain.

You're here, and the next
phase of my experiment
is about to begin.

What's it to be now?

An attempt to see if the
human mind can outwit
my machine.

You're in the jungle.

You have no weapons,
no sense of direction,

you're in a maze.

If you say so.

But there's death
all around you,
Captain.

Behind every
bush and every tree,
along every footpath.

And you can throw out
your usual book of rules.

My machines erased them.

Problem's a simple one.

Get out alive.

I'd say it was a rather
interesting experiment,
wouldn't you?

(ROARING)

(CREATURE ROARING)

(LAUGHING MANIACALLY)

(MANIACAL LAUGHING CONTINUES)

(LAUGHING MANIACALLY)

(WARBLING)

(GRUNTING)

(GUN COCKING)

Hold it right there.

Chip.
You seem surprised to see us.

That's the
understatement of the year.
I thought you were all dead.

We know that.

But we don't know why, or what
caused you to turn into
a mad killer.

Mad killer?

Whatever it was,
we propose to put
an end to it right now.

I haven't killed anyone.

You killed the Admiral,
and you shot down two
of my buddies

in cold blood in
the Control Room.

No. No, Ski, you're wrong.

You can't lie out of it.
We all saw you do it.

What are we waiting for,
Mr. Morton?

Let's execute him now
and get it over with.

We will.
I want to hear what
he has to say first.

What can I say?

You ought
to know it wasn't me
who committed those murders!

Then who was it?

Somebody, something
from the fourth dimension!

(DOUBTFULLY)
The fourth dimension?

That's right, Chip.

There's a machine aboard
Seaview. Mallory made it.

The corpsman, Mallory!

He's using it right now
to move us around in
space and time.

He's experimenting
with lives, Chip!

He's the one who's
the mad killer, not me!

You don't believe me, do you?

No.

Prepare for execution.

Ready?
(MACHINE GUN FIRING)

(MACHINE GUN FIRING)

Get out of there, skipper.

Come on, let's go!
Where?

Where I got this, on
the Flying Sub. Come on!

That way.

Flying Sub.

(GUNSHOT)

Chief! Come on.

(EXHALES)

You're doing well, Captain.

Very well.

You didn't expect me to
survive this long,
did you?

Frankly, no.

You surprised me when you
chose to jump over the
imaginary cliff

rather than face
the more real danger.

The other Lee Crane,
he was a killer.

It was the lesser of the evils.

Yes. The fourth dimension
unit created him.

He is what you might have
become in another time,
another space.

Oh, no.

He's only what your warped
mind's idea of the other
Lee Crane might be.

It doesn't matter.

He already exists in the future.

He has already killed,

and he will kill again.

What about me?

What happens to
the Lee Crane
of today?

Of this world?

Of the solid,
sane third dimension?

You will die here
with the others.

Where's here?

See for yourself.

An island located in
the fourth dimension,

floating in an endless sea
of changing time and space.

I first
built my machine here,
conducted my experiments.

And now,
where I will destroy you

and the
others of the Seaview
who are aware of them.

You have nine minutes to live.

What's that?
Call it a death clock.

Who's to say whether time
moves forwards or backwards

as death approaches?

You have
a little more
than eight minutes.

At that time,
this island will
disintegrate into atoms.

And what about you?

Well, surely, Captain,
you've guessed.

I'm not even here.

I'm where it's still yesterday.

Back onboard the Seaview,
in the Sick Bay.

(GENTLY) Chief.
(GROANS WEAKLY)

(WEAKLY) Skipper?

Yeah, listen.
Can you manage to move?
Can you get about a little?

I think so.
Okay, good. Come on, try.

That's it. Come on.

Now, you've
got to help me get the
Flying Sub out of here.

Is she operable, sir?

I think so.
Mallory may know
about fourth dimensions,

but the Flying Sub's my baby.
Can you manage the controls?

I think so, sir.
All right.

I don't get it, sir.

(STAMMERING)
What happened to us?

I think
we were hit by
an electromagnetic field

when we
tried to launch
it from the Seaview.

It's a side-effect of
the fourth dimension unit.

Even if you're right,

all our
main propulsion
circuits must be blown.

They are.

(SIGHS)
Or maybe I can jump the
circuits with a 135 T-bar.

SHARKEY: A 13...

That's like putting
a penny in a fuse box
loaded with 10,000 volts.

We'll be blown sky high.

Well,
we've got three
minutes to find out.

Prepare for takeoff.
Aye, sir.

(ENGINES POWERING UP)

Ready.

Take off.

Think we'll make it, sir?

Hold on.

We made it, sir.

No, Chief,
I'm afraid we haven't.

At least
we managed
to get off, sir.

But that island's gone,
and all our men with it.

We still might be
able to save them,

and the Admiral.

How's that, sir?

If we can get back to
Seaview, and yesterday.

Just like we left it.

Finding our way back
hasn't helped any.

It's still yesterday
in Sick Bay, Chief.

If you say so, sir.

But there's no
way out of here except
the Flying Sub, remember?

I'm not so sure.

(STAMMERING) A grenade?

It'll take
one to make sure
that machine's destroyed.

It could blow up Seaview.

At least
we'll die in
our own world.

Now wait here,
I'm going through.

For God's...
Sir, there's
a tidal wave out there!

I have to go out!

Don't!

DOCTOR: Nothing wrong with him
that a good tour of duty
wouldn't cure.

Well, that's good to hear.

Physically,
he might be all right,

but I'm not so sure
about him mentally.

That fourth dimension
yarn that he...

You know, Admiral,
my feelings could
be hurt.

Except, I never listen to
a man who's been murdered
and buried at sea.

That Mallory.

He was brilliant, all right,
but a little bit mad
at the same time.

I wonder whatever happened
to him after you destroyed
that thing.

I don't know.
But there's one
thing I'm thankful for.

Mmm? What's that?

Wherever he is,

that world of tomorrow
that he planned for us
will never happen.

All right,
Captain, you heard
the doctor's prescription.

Another tour of duty for you.

ENGLISH - US - LINE 21