In just a moment X minus one. But first, some of the funniest
situations you've ever witnessed occur every Wednesday night when the devilish imagination of MC Jack
Bailey sets to work on NBC's Truth or Consequences. You won't believe it until
you hear it, so listen in tomorrow. Then another laugh session is in
store later on with the wise and witty Graucho Marx as he and contestants play
You Bet Your Life, while for the melodic note on your Wednesday evening schedule.
It's music and fun on airtime with Josel McKenzie. And now stay tuned
for X minus one on NBC. Come down for Blast Off X minus five
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 Galaxies
Science Fiction Magazine presents HE minus one Tonight Hallucination Orbit by J. T.
Macintosh. It's Choka stand by the release pickup rocket. Yes, sir,
We'll break Orbit in eight hours. Have damage control pull the rods on the
number three pile check leakage. Yes, sir, try and have the locks
cleared of all unessential personnel when that pickup rocket comes back. There's no point
in making trouble. I understand, sir. Pick up rocket a waste.
Very well, take over, mister Choker. I will be in my quarters
if I'm wanted. Well now then, mister dan Berry, make yourself comfortable.
I thank you. Can you care for a drink Scotch and that bob
Bourbon in the other No, thank you. I cann could quite used a
squirting liquor from a rubber bowel as if I were oily. I'm daring,
and you'd have a devil of a time pouring from a bottle in free fall.
Well, how are you enjoying your trip? Very interesting? Very nice
you to give me a lift. You know it would have been eight months
before another ship came along, a lot more than that with the main Pluto
beam station out, probably eight years. Really that long? I thought the
whole round to Pluto was under eighteen months. Yes, it is when the
beam is running. To see mister Danberry. We left Earth twenty seven days
after the beam broadcast from Pluto station broke. We've been spaceborne close to six
years. I suppose that's why you're in orbit around this planet picking up supplies
or something. Eh oh oh, this is a standard pick up for the
space Beam service. We sent a rocket down to take off a man who's
been the only inhabitant of this planet for a little over two years. Well,
and I expect he'll be glad to see you. Well, there's no
telling. I know I would after two years of duty. Mister Danberry,
you might not know anything. Oh, psychiatric troubles, solatosis, it's from
the Latin solas alone. Is that much of a problem only in space?
Here? Look a look through that port seems empty. It is. It's
empty of horizon, sky, sunlight, ground, It's empty of time,
it's empty of people. You can't live in it too long without something happening.
I see. But surely people have been alone before spaceflying. Yes,
but they have been on the same world with other people, and that seems
to make a difference. You take a hermit on Earth, he may spend
his life trying to escape civilization. Put him on a deserted world. He
turned psychotic. Is it a cure culture put him back with people at least
about forty people. That seems to be the critical number. See, I
have forty eight in this ship's complement. I could run her with about a
but if I tried to, I'd have psychos on my hands. Six months
have to blast off. But then every one of these men on the beam
stations. They're all alone, aren't they. That's right, well, then
they must get it they do. It wouldn't pay to leave more than forty
men on a space station, and less than forty is too dangerous. Solatosis
can be homicidal. So they leave one man. How he gets it all
right, But you can snap him out of it just by taking him back
to Earth. That's why I like to have as few people as possible around.
When the pickup ship comes back, it can be pretty unpleasant. And
what are they like? How does it defect them? Well, so far,
I've picked up about twenty eight space station officers. I've seen twenty eight
different sets of symptoms. I wouldn't want the job of getting those guys out
of their stations and into that pick up rocket. Captain here, pick up
rocket sick all right, mister choker, prepare to receive the pickuplert the psychiatric
staff, and I'll be right there. Would you care to see them?
Bring em inster Dan Barry, You're welcome if you have a strong stomach.
I don't think so, Thank you, Laurright, mister Chaka, as soon
as the rocket is secured, make a trajectory for the next station. Answer,
that's Pluto station three. Carry on, huh, Pluto station three.
That will be a honey of a job. He has been on that lump
of rock all by himself, or close to six and a half years.
Pluto Station three Daily Report, colinord Space Officer. Everything is in fine shape.
Through my port, I can see Mars, Earth, Saturn, Mercury.
M Ah, that little devil he's hiding behind the sun. He's been
quite furtive lately. Why I'm required to record this report every day escapes me
because it's quite obvious to any empty headed brass hat at the Central office that
not a word of this has been worth the tape it's been recorded on for
the last five and a half years. But if it amuses you, gentlemen
to hear me, wander. After all, you are paying for the tape.
Oh, which gives me a fine thought. I'm going to set the
pickups through the whole station and leave the tape running. That'll give you a
daily report all day. So keep on listening. Right now. I have
the distinct impression that Earth is winking at me rather suggestive lewd wink. It
helps see the planets, doesn't it. Hmm? Oh, I thought you
were reading. I was. You know, if you hadn't been able to
see the planets you would have been a stray jacket case long ago. Who
knows, I'm not one now you don't anyway? Well, I think that
so long as you talk sanely about madness, you can't be so far gone.
M It's out there somewhere, isn't it? The rescue ship somewhere?
How long now come it? Where could they be now? If they started
whenever the beam failed. I haven't worked it out since the last time you
lasked, but they could be very close. If the beam hadn't failed,
they would have been here long ago, wouldn't they. Oh? Sure,
eleven months with the beam over six years without it. Well, anyway,
that triple time six years pay adds up to quite a pile. M.
You'll be set up the life when you get back to earth, won't you?
And at twenty nine I'll be rotten with money. Oh well, it's
been nice knowing you. That's because of the others before you. I've learned
a lot. I'll never talk of the others, and above all, I'll
never talk of any others to come. I'm sorry. Would you like to
play chess? It's a long time since we did. I don't think so,
not anymore. I'm a little tired of chess. Oh, I know,
I know. I won't bother you. I'll go to my room.
Color. Well, don't get upset. I'm not. I understand you're just
tired of chess. You still listening, Gentlemen, that last few minutes might
have been a little confusing. You'd like to know who I was talking to,
wouldn't you. I'm afraid you can't hear her on the tape. That's
una. Now I'll tell you what she looks like. You might find it
interesting. She's beautiful, but rather cool. She always wears a white shirt
and sharp creased green slack. She's got a good figure, but in a
calm sort of way. She plays a good game of chess, although I
beat her two out of three. Times. Of course you know why you
can't hear her on the tape, But I still know too. That's point
in my favor, isn't it? That brings up an interesting question, gentlemen.
Because I'm tired of Una, I'm beginning to find her a long,
cool, slightly unappealing bore. My problem is how to get rid of her.
I can't just tell her to vanish. She's a little too real for
that. I dreamed up a ship to bring her. I'll have to find
another to take her away. Well I might as well get to it.
Oh no, No, I'm not going to bother about the ship. It's
too much mental effort. I'd have to think up everything I saw, and
frankly, gentlemen, I'm I'm too tired. Maybe she'll take the hint A
lot of them did, Susie did? And Alice uh? I remember Margie.
There was a girl A load of bricks had to fall on her head.
Took me four weeks to get rid of her. No, let Una
figure her own way to get off the station. Well she's gone. I
thought she might. Her ship's gone too. Well. All in all,
I don't think Una was really very satisfactory. One of these days, I'll
start believing in them, and I'll be really gone. Well, if I
activate the main screens now, i'll see a ship coming into land pretty soon.
Every once in a while I have a thought that when the ship really
comes, I'll think it's make believe. Yes, there it is a small
ship curving in for landing. I suppose I could check on the detectors.
I know they register anybody within a hundred thousand miles. But I don't bother
checking them anymore, because someday the moment will come when I check the detectors
and I'll see just what I want to see. All the ship's coming in
for a landing. Now i'll go out to meet it. I'm rather interested
to find out what the explanation will be for the girl. Naturally it will
be a girl. It's all right. You can take your helmet off.
The ears all right in here? You must be Baker. Oh, good
heavens, no Baker was before me. Here. You can't be one of
his dreams. Seven years late. I'm ORed, colin ord. Where we
go any further? Just how does solutosis affect you? Well, that's new.
None of them ever asked that before. It makes me see things that
aren't there, and you know there's nothing there. Mm. Sometimes do you
know I'm here? I'm making a point of not wondering about it. Well,
one thing you can be sure of this. Do you see this?
This is a gun. I just want you to know I'm not Heaven's little
gift to lonely space station offices. Isn't that clear? Oh? Yes,
yes? What's your name? Elsa cutterline? You want to know why I'm
here? Of course, not particularly what? Well, that's always the weakest
part of the story. I don't like to press it. Why don't you
uh take off your space suit. I'll tell you why, just the same
I killed a man? Why and how? It doesn't matter. I had
access to an experimental ship I thought if I disappeared for about So please don't
labor over it. I'm not asking questions. Why not? Well, when
we get around to it, I would be interested in the story you can
concoct. For being dressed like the cover of a magazine story in rather minimal
clothing. It's been years since I thought of anything like that. You must
be a throwback. What are you talking about? You know you're gonna have
a tough time with that gun when you get tired of holding it. It's
a heavy gun. How long do you think it'll be before I take it
from you? After all, you have to sleep. There's no door in
the station you can lock that I can't get in. I know. I
just wanted to make sure you weren't violent. I think I can get on
with you. Ort mm, yes, yes, I see. The question
is, my dear, whether you're real or not? Well, oh,
yes, but that doesn't prove anything. As a matter of fact, the
realer you look, the worse off I might be. But then there still
is the remote possibility that you might actually have killed someone decided to hide out
on a space station. Shall I tell you something else, Elsa, what
I'm suddenly tired of the whole business. Breathe there a man with soul so
dead. I'm sure you know the rest of it. I would suddenly like
to have enough people around me so that I could be sane. I would
like to find women as part of life, instead of having them pop up
here from the depths of my rather pornographic subconscious. Ah, but you've shaken
me, Elsa. Twenty four hours ago, I was congratulating myself that solatosis
hadn't really gotten me. But now I don't know. Just don't try anything
funny, or you'll find out whether I'm real. Hard way anyway is the
hard way. First, I'll go out and have a look at your ship.
Fourteen pounds per square inch air heat. Now I take a gasoline lighter.
There the flame lights. But on the other hand, if there was
no lighter and I see it, I could also see it burn when there
isn't any air. As a matter of fact, how do I know that?
I can read a meter for air pressure? And now that I look
again quickly, I find I haven't got a lighter in my hand, and
as a matter of fact, the pressure meter reads zero. There's no air
on this ship. As a matter of fact, there isn't any ship else.
They's no more real than una. All right, comin, old boy,
Sit here and concentrate for about fifteen minutes, and you'll be able to
walk through the walls of this ship. Well, what did you find out
there? You'd better leave. It was a mistake. You're coming here.
I'm sorry. No, don't come any closer to me. Put down the
gun back on morning. You'll keep back. You see, it's no use.
Oh you're a good shot. You got me right between the eyes.
But I couldn't feel a thing. I can't let myself be shot. Now,
can I give that to me? Yeah? Now, remember, if
you shoot me, nothing happens. But if I shoot you, you die.
Do you know that? Yes, I know that. I'll give you
about twenty minutes to get that over stuffed figure back into that spacesuit and get
off my planet. Frankly, I'm getting tired of hallucinations. Tired. No,
no, no, I'll keep that after a while, I'll put it
in a drawer. It'll stay there until I forget it, and there won't
be any gun anymore. From now on, my overblown figment, there will
be no more Else's, or Susi's or Margie's. I am not going to
give in to salatosis. Maybe maybe I'll bring Una back. At least she
could play chess. Pluto Station three Daily Report, Colin ord Space Officer,
Gentlemen, I have successfully fought off salatosis for two days, and I have
been alone. However, I'm afraid I'll lose. As I watch my main
scope. Now I see a ship coming in again. I wonder what this
one will be like. It's a launch from a large your spaceship, maybe
a lifeboat. Dorothy came in a lifeboat. I wonder what this one will
be like. I've got to find out when she comes whether she's real.
That's the key. As long as I know if she's real. When I
don't care anymore, that's when it's really got me. The ship's down.
Now there she comes out of the airlock. I've got to find out whether
she's real. Colin aud that's right. I'm doctor Lynn, a fourth star
lines Marilyn Lynne. Very pretty. You're going to tell me your story now?
Or do I have to wait? I'm not going to tell you anything
till I've found out a little more about you. Well, you're an improvement
on the last one. At least. You're young and beautiful, and you're
not fantastic, and you look intelligent. What do you mean, don't worry
about me. I see things that aren't there, particularly people. Oh so
you don't believe I'm here? Would you if you were me? Do you
know I'm not here? No? That comes with time, at least it
always has so far. You mean, you've always proved to yourself that your
visitors were mere fantasy with a struggle interesting controlled solitosis. I never heard of
it before. It's a pleasure to meet you, mister Hud. No,
No, that doesn't make you real. They all say that. Why should
I want to make you accept me as real? I don't know, but
they all do. When will you know? Oh? I can't say.
Maybe in five minutes, maybe not for hours. How do you do it?
You don't shoot me to see if if I die or anything like that,
do you? No, nothing like that. If I shoot you,
you do die like the witches in history. They'd die if they were and
they'd die if they weren't. Your mind has remained agile enough, naturally,
I never heard of solatosis inhibiting intelligence. Would you like some coffee? Is
that part of the test whether more coffee is actually drunk than you drink yourself?
No? No, that doesn't help. It would be very easy for
me to make half what I thought I made, to fill a cup with
nothing and pass it back. H You look afraid? Why should I be?
What am I doing? Am I doing something I don't know I'm doing?
No? Would you like me to wash the cups for you when we're
done? It won't prove anything. Next time they were used, I could
just imagine they were washed, couldn't I Where are you going to find out?
If you're real? My ship? Go ahead? Good luck? What's
she afraid about? It? Something I said? None of the others were
really afraid of me. I can't tell yet, nothing's happened. The meters
all read fifteen pounds to the square in chair pressure. But that's no good.
I can't tell if I'm reading them at all. Oh, well,
the walls solid enough. My hand hurts. That doesn't prove anything. Supposing
I open my face plate, if there's no ship and no air, all
right, my face plate's open. I'm breathing air. And then again,
on the other hand, my face plate may still be closed. Maybe I
only think it's open. I can't tell. I can't tell that she isn't
real. That means it's finally gotten me, It gets everyone. I don't
really know if anything's real, if I'm real, if this space station is
real, the planet, the universe, the galaxy. Maybe all life is
in my mind. I think therefore I am yes, I remember that from
school. Oh, I'm tired. I got to get back to the station,
very tired. Close my face played if I ever opened it. You
get back to the station. Got a headache, terrible headache. I'm very
tired. Are you all right now here? Drink this? What happened?
You came in the station lock and passed out? How how long have I
been out? About twenty four hours? You're a very sick man, mister
rowd. Huh. Reality very important thing, isn't it. It's the most
important thing there is to learn, merely to you. Solatosis naturally affects what
matters most to the individual. But we needn't talk about that. But I
know now you're not real. You can't be, even though I feel you
are. How did you decide that I couldn't prove you weren't not on your
ship. I'm too far gone to figure out any test that'll work. But
if you are real, then how did you avoid solatosis? The only way
there is. There are forty eight men and women in the relief ship that's
in orbit around your planet right now. I came down in the pick up
rocket. We have well above the critical number of people. I keep rational
by knowing they're up there in the orbit, And as soon as I'm ready,
I'll take you back up there. I suppose I can wait. I
don't really care care if you're real or not anymore. I know it'll take
a long while before you care. You sound sad. What's the matter.
It's the way you look at me. What do you mean? What do
you see when you look at me? What? You're strong? Sort of
quietly beautiful? But my age, you're wearing a tunic and slacks, and
you don't have a wedding ring. I noticed that that's what I thought you
saw. I'm real, but not your picture of me. I'm a doctor,
mister Rord. All first contacts with station offices are made by trained psychiatrists.
I'm a doctor, and I was a girl once, but that was
forty years ago. I'm sixty six. You can't be Oh. Yes,
it was very nice to be a girl again. I could see myself in
your eyes, and I almost felt young again as I grow old. In
the next few weeks, mister Rhud, you will be recovering. That will show