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four three two X minus one Fire from the far horizons of the unknown come
transcribed tales of new dimensions in time and space. These are stories of the
future adventures in which you'll live in a million, could be years, on
a thousand, maybe worlds. The National Broadcasting Company, in cooperation with Galaxy
Science Fiction magazine, presents HE minus minus one Tonight story Hello Tomorrow. After
the Third Atomic War, when the Earth was a mass of red radioactive dust,
a handful of men and women went deep underground. In the struggle for
survival. A new civilization was built deep underground, a civilization which must keep
a ceaseless vigil against the deadly gamma rays which filtered down through the earth.
A civilization where the prime consideration is the genetic survival of the race. It
is to this civilization, in the year of our Lord forty one ninety five,
that we take you now, Professor Lois Burton. Yes, I have
a call from the Director of Emotional Stability for the third oblong go answer Hello,
dear, how is the Director of Emotional stability? By? How impressive
that sounds? Sorry? How are you? You sound tired? You have
some bad cases, mostly frantic mothers who insist on imparting their feelings to children.
I suspect it's chromosomes affected by gamma ray leakage from the surface. But
the head of the psychotechnic division says, the glandular cases. But that isn't
why I called. I have good news. What is it? The genetic
board has approved our application for marriage so soon. Our chromosomes tested perfect.
We can marry any time we want. As a geneticist, you should know
that our offspring should be ninety percent dile of perfection. I know what's the
matter. You are happy about it? About you, of course, terribly
happy. I'm coming right over to the left. You have to give me
some time, no trouble. You know that genetic survey. I've been working
on it. Well, I've finally gotten permission to study an actual living case,
a specimen of imperfect genetic transmission. Really, they're bringing him or it
up from the condemned cages on a lower level. You will be careful.
There's nothing to be afraid of. The specimen is x J twelve. It's
been studied before many times and is quite well trained. Oh there's my door
signal. I'll have to hang up, darling, see you later. Yes,
Professor Burton, Yes, I'm from the Phylogenetic Institute. Oh you brought
my specimen? May I come in? By all means? Oh? Huh,
horrible? It all depends on your viewpoint. I happen to have a
twisted lege my parents were genetically unsound. But then you, yes, I
am specimen x J twelve. I see. I hope you aren't shocked.
No stable person permits feelings to enter into his work. I will admit to
surprise. I was expecting something a little more abnormal. Well, I try
to be as abnormal as possible. It pays off. The phylogenetic Institute allows
me out of the genetic cages ever so often, so I can breathe the
pure air of the upper levels and mingle with the genetically perfect. You seem
quite well educated. I spent the first years of my life here in the
upper levels? How is that possible? As a small child, my mother
concealed me from the director of herepity, my mother actually dreadful words loved me.
That would explain your obviously low threshold of emotional control. Hum you choose
to call it that. You er seem to be struggling to repress a few
feelings yourself. We will confine ourselves to the impersonal aspects of our work as
you please. I shall require you as a demonstration for electure I am delivering
to one of my classes tomorrow at your service. Sit here, Please grip
these electrodes tightly. I'm going to calibrate your electrochemical tension. I am quite
familiar with the procedure. I realize that as an imperfect I am expendable,
but I should hate to be electrocuted. The charge is not lethal. Humm
plus fifteen surface tension. No, you have beautiful hair plus twelve at a
depth of four centimeters. My hair meets minimal requirements for the genetic code.
Lovely blue eyes, crystal clear plus ten at seven centimeters. Pretty, a
perfect woman, lovely expressive hands uh, and a heart of stones like all
the rest of you, perfect survival type. Shut up? Could it be
you do have feelings? I seem to sense an air of emotional tension.
It's nothing, dear. This is the specimen, you specimen. Tell this
dog who I am, Lewis. This is the director of emotional stability for
the third oblong. You will address him as mister director. Mister director,
This creature seems quite impertinent. He's only a specimen, darling. Well use
him and ship him back to the cages. He's probably radioactive. Attention,
attention. The next demonstration will be conducted by Professor Lois Burton of the Institute
of Genetics. Her topic the probability of radioactive damage in the chromosome heredity of
imperfect non survival types. Professor Burton, as you know, most imperfects are
destroyed at birth. However, those who for one reason or another manage to
survive are segregated in cages on a lower level for study purposes. The specimen
we have today has been trained to tell in his own words about the factors
in his upbringing. You will have to forgive his immature emotional control factor.
He is, as you can see, quite different Specimen x J twelve.
You will proceed, Please thank you. My mother was a psychotechnician in the
Fifth Oblong. My father was an historian specializing in the records of pre atomic
surface culture. In the earthquake of twenty one hundred and seventy, apparently some
hard radiation filtered down through the tunnels and penetrated the Fifth Oblong. The effect
on my hereditary factors is quite apparent in this twisted leg my father taught me
in the last days before he was executed. But every human personality is born
with certain inalienable natural right, the rights to have feelings, the right to
mature, and above all, the right to be different from every other living
organism, because it cannot be otherwise. I submit to you, distinguished students.
But the attempt by this society to abridge these rights is a violation of
nature. I submit that the imperfects, the mutants, those who are different
have as much right to exist and be free as you and I say,
break open the cages, give us back the right to the individuals of it
all. Perhaps that will teach you, Professor Burton, take this specimen back
to your laboratory and confine him. Hold still while I your head. You'll
be all right. Nice. Those you detest me for getting you into trouble,
I don't detest you what. I don't know why. But as you
spoke, something began to stir in me. Tell me what you feel.
If I moved you, then I must have moved the other some of them,
at least for some reason, I took pride in what you were doing,
seeing you stand up against them. Why do you look at me like
that? I can't help it. I wish you wouldn't. You're only an
imperfect you know. Please. My name is Arran. Please say it arn
Arren again, Arren Lois Arreyn loss Loss Lois all touching, Walter. I've
been listening for some time, Walter. How could you in my facity as
director of emotional stability, it is my duty? What are you going to
do Specimen next j twelve will be disposed of quite systematically by the state,
for the good of the state, for the good of the genetic code,
and in the name of emotional stability. Walter, I have to talk to
you. Go right ahead. Well, you mustn't destroy him the specimen.
Why not? He's emotionally unstable. You have to expect irrational behavior. Aren't
you forgetting something, my dear, that you were responding in much the same
manner, or had you forgotten you see, I'm having him liquidated for your
sake. He has an upsetting effect on you. Then send him back to
the cages. But don't kill him. You speak of the destroying and infury
her creature as if it were something on ethic. Pater Walter, Please,
for my sake, I understand that you have entered a plea for postponement of
marriage at the Record's Bureau. Yes, I was too upset to go through
with it. It came as a great disappointment to me. I'm sorry.
I was hoping that link to a stable personality such as mine, you might
settle down if you were married to me. I might even be persuaded to
send him back to the cages. Instead of having him destroyed. Think it
over if I refuse the choice as yours, Well, my dear, perhaps
you're right. I suppose I ought to be rational about this. After all,
he's an imperfect I'm glad you've come to your senses. When can we
be married tomorrow? If you like, the sooner the better. Let me
talk to the custodian please. Hello, this is the Director of Emotional Stability
for the third oblong. I would like you to cancel the execution of Specimen
x J twelve, turn him over to be remanded permanently to the genetic cages.
You'd better go. I'll pick you up and say an hour and we'll
make plans. All right, Yes, yes, of course. Hello,
this is the Director of Emotional Stability Again. I want you to cancel that
last order. Proceed with the execution, but under conditions of absolute secrecy.
No, don't use the lethal chamber. Take him through the upper level to
the tunnels. Yes, yes, I'll issue a pass for the radiation checkpoint
into the elevator. Very well, why are we going toward the surface.
The cages are on the lower levels. Radiation check I've never done that before.
New procedure. Walk Oh, you can't go beyond this point. There
is radioactivity in the tunnels. I have a pass from the Director of Emotional
Stability for the third oblong special mission. I'll open the air lock, march
inside, turn around. So this is how they get rid of the imperfects
before you dispose of me? Yeah, help security Security. What's happened?
The prisoner struck me. He escaped into the tunnels. He won't last long.
Can you go after him? I could send a robot, but it
isn't worth the trouble. There's no way back from the tunnels except through here.
The only other direction he can go is toward the surface, and the
closer he gets, the hotter the radiation. Oh, I think you can
consider your prisoner officially dead. No, thank you, Walter. You look
very beautiful, my dear, very beautiful than you. The wedding will be
a small affair. The director of end the crime control, the chief of
the security was he returned to the cages. Why must you spoil it?
Well, as a matter of fact, there was a little difficulty. Difficulty,
Yes, you see x J twelve escaped, Oh, where he struck
a guard and ran off into the tunnel. The tunnels. But that's your
death. He's free to return anytime he chooses. Don't become upset. Dollar.
You planned it, didn't you. Walter stability, Darling, stability,
stability. Here's what I think of stability. State your business. I'm Professor
Britton of the Genetic Institute. You can't go into the tunnels, Professor.
You'll have to let me buy on the fiance of the Director of Emotional Stability.
Oh, I suppose you're after the one who escaped. Yes, he's
quite dangerous. Handnder stand I'm well armed. Wouldn't it be better to send
a robot. I'm quite capable of handling him. He was my subject.
All right, miss, it's your risk. H checkpoint. This is the
Director of Emotional Stability. Yes, sir. If Professor Burton tries to pass
the checkpoint, I want to take it into custoder. Professor Burton just passed
her, she said, vidiot. But sir, she said, she said,
stop up. Send robots after a get hop back. Yes, sir,
at once, sir, Robot control checkpoint to robot control order out all
televocal robots into the tunnels. Have them bring back any humans. This is
a first priority order. Orrin, Orrin, Orrin, Orrin, Orren,
Horren Horren. Where are you, Horren Horren? It's Lois this way behind
the rock over here, Oh, darling, darlings, I was Why did
you come here? It's suicide. Dear darling, are you all right so
far? You've got to turn back, give yourself up. You can't stay
here. The radiation is plus four at this point. It gets worse as
you approach the surface. Lois, Darling, go back. What will you
do? I'm going in here that you can. I can. I'm going
to the surface. It's certain death. Not even the robots can survive it.
At least I'll be the first human in eleven hundred years to see what
the surface of the earth looks like. Come back with me, then,
I'm going with you. Don't try to stop me, Doling. There's nothing
to go back to now, nothing but Walter in emotional stability. You really
want to come with me? Yes, you know what it means. I
don't care. My mother used to believe there was a life after death,
a place called We'll believe it too. No, I can't let you go.
I love you, see I know how to say it. Now say
it again? Horn I love you. What's that it sounds like or it's
a robot patrol. They're looking for us? All right, come on this
way, Warren way. It can't be much father time. Robots they're coming.
I can see their lights now listen mid stop. The lights is swinging
round horn. They see us. Come on, look he us. Look
ahead. You can see the lights reflecting from something. It looks like a
lead doors. Come on through. That must me some way to close it
here. Let let me help. Ah, Well, they won't get through
that, it's solid lead, Arren. I feel so strange. Where are
we? I don't know. Look up there a huge round light. Lois,
Yes, Auren, Lois. That's Luna, the moon. We're on
the surface. How strange and red everything looks. How it glows. It's
the radioactivity. Quiet and peaceful and deadly. Sit here and rest a while.
Put your arm around me, Arren, Oran, I'm afraid, Oran,
we're gonna die. I don't think about that. Just think about us
alone, the first humans to stand on the surface of Earth in eleven hundred
years. That door must have been placed there by the last handful of survivors
who went underground after the Atomic Wars. Those other lights, the small ones,
they must be stars. Or I'm so tired. Go to sleep,
Darling. Put your head on my shoulder and sleep. Hold me, Oran,
hold me very close, Oran, mmmmm, Oran, wake up?
Mm hmm what. Look it's light. The whole universe is light. Are
in? How beautiful? Look? This must be the heaven my mother talked
about. See the plants all green and fresh, and the birds, how
strange they look? Laws this, this isn't heaven. But we must be
dead orin we should be dead. The radiation by all the laws of nature,
Yes, by all the laws of nature, Orn Horn, we're not
dead. This is earth and we're alive. We're not going to die.
But low is the radiation. It's present. You can see it's affect Lauren.
Did you ever hear of geotropism? There is a natural law of adaptation
by which an organism will try to adjust itself to its environment by changing.
It's called geotropism. Don't you see all these generations we've been bombarded by radiation
filtering down through the earth. Each successive generation must have inherited some degree of
immunity. But Horn, if they had heard this, don't you see we're
immune we're probably the first generation to inherit sufficient immunity. Telling If that's true,
then then we can transmit that immunity. We can pass it along to
our children, candy to their children. Come on, we'll have to find
food and water. The practical wife, Wait a minute, what are you
doing with that rock? I want to scratch something on the outside of this
led door. Lois and Or forty one ninety five AD, Hello Tomorrow.
You have just heard X minus one, presented by the National Broadcasting Company in
cooperation with Galaxy Science Fiction magazine. It was an original story by George Leffards,
starring Jan my eran John Larkin and directed by Daniel Sutter. Next Week
A Gun for Dinosaur by l Sprague de Camp on X minus one. This
is the NBC Radio Network.