Speaker 1: In just a moment X minus one. But first, everything
from famous criminals to accidents in the home will be
covered tomorrow in the staff of NBC's Weekday brings you
another day of informative and entertaining listening and back again
to greet you. As new hostess is charming Virginia Graham,
well loved by every radio and television fan. There'll be
big guest stars, two headliners in every field, Meltorm singing Sensation,
Gladys Cooper, prominent Broadway actress, and many others. Treat yourself
to the best daytime entertainment with NBC's Weekday tomorrow and
I'll stay tuned for X minus one on NBC.
Speaker 2: 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 Galaxy Science Fiction magazine, presents.
Speaker 3: HE minus minus.
Speaker 4: 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.
Speaker 5: In the struggle for survival.
Speaker 4: 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.
Speaker 6: Professor Lois Burton.
Speaker 7: Yes, I have a call from the Director.
Speaker 6: Of Emotional Stability for the third oblong go answer.
Speaker 7: Hello, dear, how is the Director of Emotional stability? By?
How impressive that sounds? Sorry? How are you? You sound tired?
Speaker 4: 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.
Speaker 6: 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.
Speaker 7: What is it?
Speaker 6: The genetic board has approved.
Speaker 7: Our application for marriage so soon.
Speaker 6: Our chromosomes tested perfect. We can marry any time we want.
Speaker 4: As a geneticist, you should know that our offspring should
be ninety percent dile of perfection.
Speaker 7: I know what's the matter.
Speaker 6: You are happy about it?
Speaker 7: About you, of course, terribly happy.
Speaker 6: I'm coming right over to the left.
Speaker 7: 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.
Speaker 6: You will be careful.
Speaker 7: 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.
Speaker 8: Yes, Professor Burton, Yes, I'm from the Phylogenetic Institute.
Speaker 7: Oh you brought my specimen?
Speaker 5: May I come in?
Speaker 7: By all means? Oh? Huh, horrible?
Speaker 5: It all depends on your viewpoint.
Speaker 8: I happen to have a twisted lege my parents were
genetically unsound.
Speaker 5: But then you, yes, I am specimen x J twelve.
Speaker 7: I see.
Speaker 5: I hope you aren't shocked.
Speaker 7: No stable person permits feelings to enter into his work.
I will admit to surprise. I was expecting something a
little more abnormal.
Speaker 8: 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.
Speaker 7: You seem quite well educated.
Speaker 5: I spent the first years of my life here in
the upper levels?
Speaker 7: How is that possible?
Speaker 8: As a small child, my mother concealed me from the
director of herepity, my mother actually dreadful words loved me.
Speaker 7: That would explain your obviously low threshold of emotional control.
Speaker 5: Hum you choose to call it that.
Speaker 8: You er seem to be struggling to repress a few
feelings yourself.
Speaker 7: 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.
Speaker 5: At your service.
Speaker 7: Sit here, Please grip these electrodes tightly. I'm going to
calibrate your electrochemical tension.
Speaker 5: I am quite familiar with the procedure.
Speaker 8: I realize that as an imperfect I am expendable, but
I should hate to be electrocuted.
Speaker 7: The charge is not lethal. Humm plus fifteen surface tension.
Speaker 5: No, you have beautiful hair.
Speaker 7: Plus twelve at a depth of four centimeters. My hair
meets minimal requirements for the genetic code.
Speaker 5: Lovely blue eyes, crystal clear.
Speaker 7: Plus ten at seven centimeters.
Speaker 8: Pretty, a perfect woman, lovely expressive hands uh, and a
heart of stones like all the rest of you, perfect
survival type.
Speaker 7: Shut up?
Speaker 5: Could it be you do have feelings?
Speaker 4: I seem to sense an air of emotional tension.
Speaker 7: It's nothing, dear. This is the specimen, you specimen.
Speaker 5: Tell this dog who I am, Lewis.
Speaker 7: This is the director of emotional stability for the third oblong.
You will address him as mister director.
Speaker 4: Mister director, This creature seems quite impertinent.
Speaker 7: He's only a specimen, darling.
Speaker 4: Well use him and ship him back to the cages.
He's probably radioactive.
Speaker 9: Attention, attention.
Speaker 10: 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.
Speaker 7: 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.
Speaker 8: 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.
Speaker 5: This twisted leg.
Speaker 8: 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.
Speaker 5: I submit to you, distinguished students.
Speaker 9: But the attempt by.
Speaker 8: 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.
Speaker 9: The right to the individuals of it all.
Speaker 4: Perhaps that will teach you, Professor Burton, take this specimen
back to your laboratory and confine him.
Speaker 7: Hold still while I your head. You'll be all right.
Speaker 5: Nice. Those you detest me for getting you into trouble.
Speaker 7: I don't detest you what. I don't know why. But
as you spoke, something began to stir in me.
Speaker 5: Tell me what you feel. If I moved you, then
I must have moved the other some of them, at least.
Speaker 7: 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?
Speaker 5: I can't help it.
Speaker 7: I wish you wouldn't. You're only an imperfect you know. Please.
Speaker 5: My name is Arran. Please say it arn Arren again,
Arren Lois.
Speaker 7: Arreyn loss.
Speaker 5: Loss Lois.
Speaker 4: 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.
Speaker 7: Walter, I have to talk to you.
Speaker 5: Go right ahead.
Speaker 7: Well, you mustn't destroy.
Speaker 5: Him the specimen. Why not?
Speaker 7: He's emotionally unstable. You have to expect irrational behavior.
Speaker 4: 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.
Speaker 7: Then send him back to the cages. But don't kill him.
Speaker 4: You speak of the destroying and infury her creature as
if it were something on ethic.
Speaker 7: Pater Walter, Please, for my sake.
Speaker 4: I understand that you have entered a plea for postponement
of marriage at the Record's Bureau.
Speaker 7: Yes, I was too upset to go through with it.
Speaker 5: It came as a great disappointment to me.
Speaker 7: I'm sorry.
Speaker 4: 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.
Speaker 7: 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.
Speaker 5: I'm glad you've come to your senses.
Speaker 7: When can we be married tomorrow? If you like, the
sooner the better.
Speaker 4: 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.
Speaker 7: All right, Yes, yes, of course.
Speaker 4: 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.
Speaker 5: Into the elevator. Very well, why are we going toward
the surface. The cages are on the lower levels.
Speaker 3: Radiation check I've never done that before.
Speaker 5: New procedure.
Speaker 8: Walk Oh, you can't go beyond this point.
Speaker 5: There is radioactivity in the tunnels.
Speaker 3: I have a pass from the Director of Emotional Stability
for the third oblong special mission. I'll open the air lock,
march inside.
Speaker 5: Turn around.
Speaker 8: So this is how they get rid of the imperfects
before you dispose of me?
Speaker 9: Yeah, help security Security. What's happened? The prisoner struck me.
He escaped into the tunnels.
Speaker 7: He won't last long.
Speaker 9: Can you go after him?
Speaker 11: 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.
Speaker 7: No, thank you, Walter.
Speaker 4: 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.
Speaker 7: Was he returned to the cages.
Speaker 4: 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.
Speaker 7: The tunnels. But that's your death.
Speaker 4: He's free to return anytime he chooses. Don't become upset.
Speaker 6: Dollar.
Speaker 7: You planned it, didn't you.
Speaker 4: Walter stability, Darling, stability, stability.
Speaker 12: Here's what I think of stability.
Speaker 9: State your business.
Speaker 7: I'm Professor Britton of the Genetic Institute.
Speaker 9: You can't go into the tunnels, Professor.
Speaker 7: 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.
Speaker 5: Yes, he's quite dangerous.
Speaker 7: Handnder stand I'm well armed.
Speaker 5: Wouldn't it be better to send a robot.
Speaker 7: I'm quite capable of handling him. He was my subject.
Speaker 5: All right, miss, it's your risk.
Speaker 7: H checkpoint.
Speaker 6: This is the Director of Emotional Stability.
Speaker 5: Yes, sir.
Speaker 4: If Professor Burton tries to pass the checkpoint, I want
to take it into custoder.
Speaker 13: Professor Burton just passed her, she said, vidiot. But sir,
she said, she.
Speaker 6: Said, stop up. Send robots after a get hop back.
Speaker 13: 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.
Speaker 7: 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?
Speaker 5: It's suicide.
Speaker 7: 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.
Speaker 5: Lois, Darling, go back.
Speaker 7: What will you do?
Speaker 9: I'm going in here that you can.
Speaker 8: I can.
Speaker 5: I'm going to the surface.
Speaker 7: It's certain death. Not even the robots can survive it.
Speaker 8: At least I'll be the first human in eleven hundred
years to see what the surface of the earth looks like.
Speaker 7: 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.
Speaker 5: You really want to come with me?
Speaker 9: Yes, you know what it means.
Speaker 7: I don't care.
Speaker 5: 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.
Speaker 7: 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?
Speaker 9: All right, come on this way, Warren way. It can't
be much father time.
Speaker 7: Robots they're coming. I can see their lights now.
Speaker 5: Listen mid stop.
Speaker 7: The lights is swinging round horn. They see us.
Speaker 8: Come on, look he us.
Speaker 9: Look ahead.
Speaker 5: You can see the lights reflecting from something.
Speaker 7: It looks like a lead doors. Come on through.
Speaker 9: That must me some way to close it here.
Speaker 12: Let let me help.
Speaker 5: Ah, Well, they won't get through that, it's solid lead, Arren.
Speaker 7: I feel so strange. Where are we?
Speaker 5: I don't know.
Speaker 7: Look up there a huge round light.
Speaker 5: Lois, Yes, Auren, Lois. That's Luna, the moon. We're on
the surface.
Speaker 7: How strange and red everything looks. How it glows.
Speaker 5: It's the radioactivity.
Speaker 7: Quiet and peaceful and deadly.
Speaker 5: Sit here and rest a while.
Speaker 7: Put your arm around me, Arren, Oran, I'm afraid, Oran,
we're gonna die.
Speaker 5: I don't think about that.
Speaker 8: 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.
Speaker 7: Those other lights, the small ones, they must be stars.
Or I'm so tired.
Speaker 5: Go to sleep, Darling. Put your head on my shoulder
and sleep.
Speaker 7: Hold me, Oran, hold me very close, Oran, mmmmm, Oran,
wake up? Mm hmm what. Look it's light. The whole
universe is light.
Speaker 4: Are in?
Speaker 7: How beautiful? Look?
Speaker 5: This must be the heaven my mother talked about.
Speaker 7: See the plants all green and fresh, and the birds,
how strange they look?
Speaker 5: Laws this, this isn't heaven.
Speaker 7: But we must be dead orin we should be dead.
Speaker 5: The radiation by all the laws of nature, Yes, by.
Speaker 7: All the laws of nature, Orn Horn, we're not dead.
This is earth and we're alive. We're not going to die.
Speaker 5: But low is the radiation. It's present.
Speaker 7: 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.
Speaker 14: 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.
Speaker 7: Lois and Or forty one ninety five AD, Hello Tomorrow.
Speaker 4: 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.