Speaker 1: Mm hmmm.
Speaker 2: Colt 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 Street and Smith, publishers of Astounding science fiction, presents.
Speaker 3: He minus minus tonight's story The Outer Limit by Graham
dor We go ahead now in time to nineteen sixty five.
We're on a vast concrete runway set in the desert
of the Southwest. A giant metal ship stands before us,
prow pointed for the stars, and in five minutes the
signal will flash and it will tear up through the
atmosphere to the outer Limit.
Speaker 4: Attention, attention, he taker. Five minutes.
Speaker 5: Steve right, warm her up, Charlie.
Speaker 4: I want to go over procedure against Steve.
Speaker 1: Don't worry, I got it straight. We'll just make sure, okay.
I take her up on jets the fifty thousand. Then
I cut in the rocket.
Speaker 4: No lore or your tail blast will burn out three counties.
Speaker 1: I climb four minutes on rockets, then start maneuver test,
Remember that no more.
Speaker 4: Than four minutes. The ship isn't like those strato rockets
as you've been testing. She's the first one built for
outer space. If she works, you can go clear to
the moon.
Speaker 5: But no not, I've brought my toothbrush.
Speaker 4: Not too straight. I'll get this, Steve. You've got power
there to clear the Earth's gravitational field. But remember, after
you cut in the rockets, you've only got ten minutes fuel.
You'll go beyond the outer limit and don't save fuel
for the return. You won't get down again. Ever, you'll
drift out into space. Get that now, ten minutes fuel.
Speaker 5: Okay.
Speaker 4: As far as I'm concerned, this project is a lot
more important than that cosmic ray bomb that they're testing
out in the Pacific tonight.
Speaker 1: The Security Commission brass doesn't think so. I don't see
any undersecret Terry's under anything.
Speaker 4: Don't you worry, Steven. The long run, our ship will
make the see our bomb back paid stuff. But in
the meantime it's just as dangerous. Now, remember half the
principles in this ship are pure theory. Slide rulestune. If
anything goes wrong, we may have to scrape you off
the landscape with a soup spoon.
Speaker 5: You have a charming sense of humor.
Speaker 4: Here's what I'm getting at, Steve. We're risking your neck
in this test. Anything blows, we don't want to have
the next man pull the same boner. So keep your
mic open, keep talking. If anything goes wrong, we want
to know exactly why, and we won't be able to
ask you. Let us know before you pull every switch,
before you do anything. Got there, even if you only
have to blow your nose, I get those self away. Well,
I guess that's about all, Steve.
Speaker 1: Hey, that reminds me. If Mary calls, I'm just up
in a milk run. I didn't tell her today, was it?
Speaker 4: How is Mary?
Speaker 1: She's okay, but she's due about now, and I don't
want her to get nervous.
Speaker 4: Hey, I didn't know the baby was that close, Steve.
You know I really ought to be sending a single
man on this job.
Speaker 5: And cutting me out of a soft paycheck. We get it, Hank.
Speaker 1: You know you can't get anybody else who can take
fifteen g's acceleration when those rockets cut in.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I know it's time, Steve.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I'll see you later.
Speaker 1: Don't worry, Hank, I'll sweat for both of us, wetting
her up.
Speaker 5: Charlie, So long, Hank.
Speaker 6: So long.
Speaker 4: We'll get you the night from Control.
Speaker 5: X two JD R to control. Are you there yet? Hacked?
Speaker 4: Okay, Steve, I'm ready to go, mister Hanson. Ready on
the radar, sergeant, mister Hanson, you better see this message
set up with Steve.
Speaker 7: Missus Western just left for the hospital.
Speaker 4: Hello, hello Steve, Yeah, stand.
Speaker 5: By a minute?
Speaker 7: Shall I hold it up? Mister Hanson?
Speaker 5: Ah?
Speaker 4: Yes, no, no, wait just a minute.
Speaker 5: It's too late.
Speaker 7: Are you gonna tell him?
Speaker 4: Maybe he's got enough to worry about.
Speaker 5: Hey, what's holding us up? Pick something on your mind?
Speaker 4: No, no, there's nothing, Steve. I just wanted to say good luck.
All right, Charlie, give him the light? All right, Steve,
I'm reading your Claire.
Speaker 1: I'm a twenty thousand air Speed six hundred. It's running fine.
Soundproofing works. There's a three degree waiver in the agy pressure.
Speaker 4: Cut that Charlie chick that said run right down advances
fifty thousand.
Speaker 1: Nah, I'm cutting loose the port jet, I'll the starboard.
I'm off jets airspeed dropping. I'm opening the rocket ports
sweatsticks a little Charlie, oxy alcohol pressure three fifty. All right,
now I'm advancing the edition key. Here goes rocket.
Speaker 4: One, Steve, Steve, you all right?
Speaker 5: Yeah?
Speaker 1: You don't like somebody slug me with a sledgehammer. Uh here,
speed now twelve hundred. Here goes number two. She's okay, Hank,
running like a Swiss watch.
Speaker 8: She's okay, Hello, Steve. Elapsed rockets.
Speaker 4: Time is now four minutes. What's your altitude?
Speaker 8: Over to you?
Speaker 1: Speed forty four hundred, still climbing altitude two hundred and
ninety seven miles.
Speaker 4: All right, you're at the outer limit level off for
maneuver tests. You've got exactly six minutes fuel left.
Speaker 1: I'm starting a three degree left bank. She's a little sluggish,
are It's all right. There's a low vibration somewhere, maybe
the cockpit cover I viewed screens, a little fog.
Speaker 5: I'm straightening eyed five minutes to left. I'm starting a
three degree right. Hey, Well, what's the matter.
Speaker 8: What's wrong?
Speaker 5: There's something up here, something shining.
Speaker 4: What are you talking about?
Speaker 5: There's something above me, Hank, I'm gonna chase it.
Speaker 4: Steve Steve. You're at the outer limit.
Speaker 5: Now it's see it plane now, Steve.
Speaker 8: Don't go any higher you want to?
Speaker 4: Got four minutes left.
Speaker 5: Getting extatic.
Speaker 4: I can't hear you, Hank.
Speaker 1: It's better ahead now I'm gonna make a pass that
and get a good luck.
Speaker 5: Here goes Hey, it's swerving to meet me. It's better
ahead now.
Speaker 7: We got it ahead.
Speaker 4: Hello, Hello, Hello Steve, Steve, come in. Nine minutes gone, Hello, Hello, Steve.
What happened? Try to get the christ squad out. Tell
the army squadron to alert their search plane.
Speaker 7: Nine and a half minutes gone.
Speaker 4: Hello, Hello, Steve, Steve, listen to me. What's happened?
Speaker 5: Where the kettle is he? Hello?
Speaker 4: Come in, Steve, Steve, come in, Hello, Hello Steve, Hello,
Hello Steve.
Speaker 7: Ten many that's the end of the fuel.
Speaker 4: How long has it been there?
Speaker 9: Ten hours, mister Hanson, Nothing.
Speaker 4: More on radar, Sergeant Black a.
Speaker 7: Colonel Caruly called in. The search plans are back. Couldn't
find anything.
Speaker 4: Should be some trace.
Speaker 7: He couldn't have bailed out, Putty.
Speaker 4: You don't hit the silk at forty four hundred miles
an hour. We either went past the outer limit and
ran out of fuel or something blue, and we'll find
the pieces scattered from here to the coast. Why does
it have to be the best man, always the best man, Charlie.
We've got to figure out what was wrong, right, Something
must have blown, mister Hanson.
Speaker 7: There's a message from north Side housepitble book, Steve.
Speaker 4: Well, what is it?
Speaker 5: Missus?
Speaker 7: Weston is fine.
Speaker 4: It's a boy, Thank you, Elsie. It's a boy, Charlie. Yeah, fine, fine,
it's a boy. He didn't even know that she went
to the hospital. How am I going to tell Mary that?
Speaker 7: No, it wasn't your fault, mister Hanson.
Speaker 5: The ship was testing.
Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, and we'll build another and some other flying pool
shoot past the outer limit in the space. Well, I'm
getting old, Charlie. You can remember when I used to
take him up myself. Now I've got to send other men.
Speaker 5: Look, it's a job, mister. Now.
Speaker 4: I'm afraid. Every time I hear a jet go off,
I jump. Every time I have to send somebody up
on a new model, I start to sweat. Yeah, I
think I've got something on the radar. Oh, flight schedule,
inn are there, Elsie? No, the whole day is cleared,
coming in behind us. Harry comes over the building. Yeah,
what crazy jockey is buzzing the field like that? Is
that an army playing? Charlie, I can't see Harry comes
back again. I know that engine. Yes, it's Steve. That's impossible.
Look that's his ship. It can't be circling back from line, Charlie.
Clear the field. He's coming back here. Mister Hanson has
had another sip in the world that looks like that.
I tell you it's gotta be Steve, Thank God. All right,
sit down over there, Steve Quicker, we get this dundee Quicker,
you get over to see Mary on the baby. Elsie,
give the order to check and refuel the rockets. I
don't want anybody in here un till I get Steve's reports.
Barry Nichols, all right, Steve, what's happening? What the devil
happened to you?
Speaker 5: Heck? A cosmic ray bomb? Does it still go off tonight?
Speaker 4: What are you talking about? Straightened out? Steve? Where have
you been for the last ten hours?
Speaker 5: Listen? Heck, there's something more important.
Speaker 4: How come on, come on, I've got to get a
report on the screen to Washington, So let's have it,
will you. I've got to know how you stretch ten
minutes fuel to keep you in the air for ten hours.
Speaker 1: One thing before I talk, Steve, will you have the
Geiger men run over the ship before they refuel.
Speaker 4: What did you run into?
Speaker 5: So help me, Hank. I don't know. We better check
and make sure it isn't radioactive.
Speaker 4: Elsie and a Geiger report on the standard check Steve.
Maybe we better have the medics look you over to.
Speaker 5: Oh no, no, I'm all right. They said, I'd be
all right.
Speaker 4: They look son, I know you've had a tough time,
but we've had this fuel on the alert for ten hours. Boy,
one of the army boys cracked up looking for you,
and he's hurt bad. So let's have the story. Let's
have it straight.
Speaker 1: I don't know how to tell you, Hank, Hank. I
saw something up there at three hundred miles. I chased
something up there, Hank, and I caught it.
Speaker 4: Now, don't hand me there, Steve.
Speaker 5: Listen.
Speaker 1: I was cruising along, just starting the right bank when
I spotted something must have been going about half my speed.
Speaker 5: It was egg shape and smooth. I made it pass
at it.
Speaker 1: I came back for another and then there was a
humming sound, humming, sort of a vibration, and then I
blacked out. I was headed straight forward at forty four
hundred miles an hour. I thought it was gonna be
the biggest smash since Hiroshima. And the snag is they're
drinking that bottle.
Speaker 4: Yeah yeah, sure, Well what happened?
Speaker 5: I came to inside their ship.
Speaker 4: Steve, this whole thing has been the devil of a
straight on you. I'm gonna call Major Donaldson from the
Army base, ask him to sit in.
Speaker 5: There's the chiatrist.
Speaker 1: Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, that's a good idea.
Speaker 5: Let him run his tests. They'll tell you.
Speaker 1: I'm not kidding, because Hank, unless I miss my guests,
I've just been tipped off to the way the world ends.
Speaker 9: You should be getting drowsy. Now out backwards from ten
and nine eight.
Speaker 5: So.
Speaker 9: Say a kay, he's under Now we attached the head
played electrodes and the quarter will pick up. We'll look
up for that way, miss Hansen, three oh sitting and
thirty one point three, Now throw that switch, mustanser. I
have to start him off by suggestion. All right, Steve,
you're in your ship. Now you're in the rocket rock
you're in the rocket. You're in the rocket, and you've
just cited something strange.
Speaker 5: I'm starting a three degree right, what's that? Hey, there's
something up here, something shining.
Speaker 9: In his memory, Patter picking it up at the.
Speaker 5: Tronic above me, Hank, I'm gonna chase it.
Speaker 9: Piped through the audio.
Speaker 5: Circus, ecstatic.
Speaker 1: I can't hear you hang.
Speaker 4: This is where we lost contact with it.
Speaker 5: I'm want to make a pass that in it. Hey,
it's roving to meet me.
Speaker 7: It's that ahead now with God.
Speaker 5: That no one m.
Speaker 9: It's very blacked out. I'm telling how long minutes or hours?
Speaker 4: What's that noise?
Speaker 9: I don't know.
Speaker 5: Where? How did I get here?
Speaker 9: What?
Speaker 1: Who are you?
Speaker 5: Is he saying things? Electic patrol? What's that?
Speaker 9: What are they saying?
Speaker 5: Steve?
Speaker 9: What are they saying?
Speaker 1: It's it's about nuclear fissure. They know about it, they
know the danger of it. Long ago they had wars
that almost destroyed them, but finally they learned.
Speaker 5: How they've outlawed war.
Speaker 9: Go on, Steve.
Speaker 5: They patrol space.
Speaker 1: When their detective picks up an atomic explosion, they send
a patrol. They've been observing Earth and they found wars
and rumors of wars.
Speaker 9: What are they going to do.
Speaker 4: They've quarantined us quarantined.
Speaker 1: They've isolated all Earth because we're infected with a communicable disease,
because we don't know how to control ourselves yet until
we learn, will be a menace to the whole universe.
Speaker 9: How are they going to do it, Steve?
Speaker 1: Well, they've spread out a layer year of I don't
know what to call it.
Speaker 5: It's all around the Earth.
Speaker 1: It's miles deep, and when there's an atomic explosion on Earth,
the radioactive particles will drift up to this layer and
set off a chain reaction.
Speaker 5: It'll go around the world and micro seconds.
Speaker 8: And that's the end.
Speaker 5: Yes, yes, I understand it. You're gonna bring back the warning.
Speaker 9: You're gonna put me back in my ship to bring
the warning. No, like that out again. I guess that's all.
Speaker 5: What does all that mean?
Speaker 9: It's what he remembers. You don't think that that really happened. No, No,
narco psychometry circuits produced. What he remembers just means that
Steve believes this happened.
Speaker 4: Oh, I don't like to see this. I've seen too
many top pilot snap Steve is the best I've known.
How bad do you think he is?
Speaker 9: Frankly, I've sided the presence of this well organized hallucination
and no signs of unbalanced may not be too serious.
If he had a more plausible story, I'd be inclined
to believe the warning.
Speaker 5: Warnie, Hank, it's all right boy. Did you hear it? Hank?
Do you understand sure? Sure?
Speaker 4: We've been quarantined?
Speaker 9: Yeah, let me give yoursel I think to make your steep, Steve.
Speaker 1: Don't you understand they fixed it so that if we
set off one more nuclear explosion we will have had it.
Speaker 9: Of course, of course, don't go just sleep that you
don't believe me.
Speaker 4: I'll take it easy, Steve.
Speaker 1: But the test they're setting off the cosmic ray bomb, Hank, tonight?
Speaker 5: What time is it?
Speaker 4: Eleven twenty?
Speaker 5: Schedule for midnight. Think we've got to stop that bomb.
Speaker 4: Let Donaldson give you the high pos.
Speaker 5: You gotta believe me. I saw him, I got the warning.
Speaker 1: If we touch off the cube bomb tonight will be
the biggest s galactic Fourth of July of all time.
Speaker 5: The whole earth will go up like a Roman candle.
April tenth, nineteen sixty five.
Speaker 4: The end looks Steve, you better calm down now, don't
you want to see Mary and the baby. You've got
a new son, Remember, it's just it.
Speaker 5: I want to see my son. I want him to live.
If the bomb goes off, think we gotta stop it.
Speaker 9: Mister Hanson. I think we get over to the base hospital.
Speaker 5: Thank you gotta believe me.
Speaker 4: You're sure, Steve, if there's something to it. Look, look,
it's out of our hands now, Steve, I'll put it
in a report, shove it into Washington in the mod
in the morning.
Speaker 5: There won't be any morning, Hank.
Speaker 1: You've got to call Washington now, get the head of
the Security Commission and postpone the test.
Speaker 5: Now. You know I can't do that.
Speaker 4: My neck would be out a mile. Besides, this is
nineteen sixty five, not forty five. Twenty countries have the
atomic bomb. Now, what's the use of stopping justice one?
The rest will keep right on popping them all.
Speaker 5: They will have to call an international conference. Can't you understand, Hank.
The first one that goes off finishes us. It's the end.
They've given us the quarantine warning. Deve.
Speaker 9: I think you'd better go with us to the base.
Speaker 4: Look, Steve, we can call up for a detail if
we have to.
Speaker 5: All right, all right, I'll go with you. You don't
need a straight jacket.
Speaker 9: That's the way, Steve. You'll probably feel better by morning.
Speaker 5: Let's go tomorrow.
Speaker 4: I'll drive you over to the hospital to see Mary
and the kid.
Speaker 5: Ah.
Speaker 4: Sure, look at the ship under the floodlights.
Speaker 5: Pretty.
Speaker 4: You'll be flying her again soon, Steve. Don't worry.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I guess so. Uh what you doing out on
the line. They refuel her.
Speaker 4: Yeah, we've got close of what's coming in tomorrow from
Denver for another test. Figure. We give you a day off.
Speaker 5: That's good. That's fine, Steve.
Speaker 4: I they go, come on Donaldson, Steve, Steve, come back here.
Speaker 5: He's heady for the rockets.
Speaker 4: I'm crazy, Steve. Get down off with their stieve. We
can't get at him.
Speaker 8: Now.
Speaker 4: That hood his armor glass. He's waving its control the radio.
Come on, I said, have got to help.
Speaker 5: Come on.
Speaker 4: Radio is too Hello, Hello, Steve, listen to me.
Speaker 5: Hey, you gotta call Washington. Now.
Speaker 4: Look, Steve, come out of the rocket.
Speaker 5: Don't try anything. Hang They raped through over the rocket
for tomorrow.
Speaker 4: Take it easy, Steve.
Speaker 5: Listen, you know what will happen to a fire of
the rocket.
Speaker 4: Tube down here, Steve, don't please turn.
Speaker 5: Out everypelling for five miles, all of us on.
Speaker 4: What do you want, Steve?
Speaker 5: You gotta stop that, Bob. You gotta call Washington now.
Speaker 4: They won't believe me you make that caller.
Speaker 7: I cut in the rocket.
Speaker 8: I mean it, Hank.
Speaker 5: You hook my screen to yours in parallel. I want
to see exactly what you're doing.
Speaker 4: All right, all right, just don't fire those rockets that's
going Hank.
Speaker 1: You got twelve minutes to make that call and stop
the bomb.
Speaker 4: All right, I'm making the parallel hook up now, Donaldson,
do you think you'll really blast?
Speaker 5: I don't know.
Speaker 9: Ups now, I'd almost say it was normal. But this Henson,
he's able to do anything.
Speaker 4: Steve. There you're getting it on your screen. Yeah, I'll
put that call through, all right, Operator Visits Screen to Washington.
Speaker 9: The visits screen circuits are busy, sir.
Speaker 4: If you try again, half now, this is a security
decommission priority break in. Get me a line, just a moment,
please listen, Steve, I'm trying. Ready to take your Callson,
Washington Security Commission three urgent. I want Under Secretary Herbert
Ames Washington three one moment, please hurry. Will you please?
Speaker 8: One moment please.
Speaker 3: Icago, San Marco call in Washington busess screen three urgently,
Washington three, one moment please?
Speaker 5: What time is it?
Speaker 9: Donaldson eleven fifty one? Do you think he will fire
those rockets?
Speaker 5: He might?
Speaker 9: Washington, Oh hands, San Marco visits screen three.
Speaker 6: Mister Herbert Ames, that is.
Speaker 7: A coded exchange.
Speaker 4: I cannot accept your call without clear listen, Washington put
this through. This is mister Hanson of Hanson Rockets Incorporated
at San Marco Air Base. This is the priority call.
I'm coded.
Speaker 7: One moment please, I will check your code number.
Speaker 5: Throw Hank that bunkers off at twelve?
Speaker 4: Will you be reasonable, Steve, Your call has.
Speaker 7: Cleared San Marco, Washington business green the ree, Herbert Aim.
Speaker 4: This is your CALSA Security Commission, aims Ah listen, listen
to Ames. You've got to get me the chief kidding?
Speaker 5: Is it the test control O?
Speaker 4: Yes? I know, but gutting for me?
Speaker 1: Hey? What's up?
Speaker 4: You look glausy or is it a bad There's no time, Ames,
I've got to get him before the test. It's about
the ray bomb.
Speaker 9: I can't take the responsibility.
Speaker 5: Did it throw a hack or blast? Hey?
Speaker 4: What's going on there, aimes, my project has a high
enough rating. This is a priority A call.
Speaker 8: What wow, it's going act Okay, I'll try to get
him for you.
Speaker 5: He's in the control room, though.
Speaker 8: You'll have to switch off your screen speaker and go
on earphones. Too much going on in there, security.
Speaker 4: You know you hear that, Steve, I've got to cut
the screen, all right, eight minutes Hank. Hello, Hello, Yes, sir,
this is Hanson at San Marco. No, sir, priority a
request to cancel the bomb test.
Speaker 5: Now.
Speaker 4: Look, look, I'm serious. I'm deadly serious. We sent the
x t JTR up today to the outer limit and
we uncovered evidence, yes, on the automatic instruments. What's then, No, No,
this possible chain reaction. No, I can't tell you the
whole story there in time. Yes, I'll bring the readings
into Washington in the morning. You've got to postpone the
test till you see them. Yes, I understand that, I
understand about the press. I'll take complete responsibility for this.
What's that. Look, I've worked on contracts for the Commission
for ten years now. Yes, I have complete confidence in
my information. You can record that, all right, all right,
I'll call you back immediately. Goodbye.
Speaker 5: Hi.
Speaker 4: Hey, he's agreed to cancel. The ray bomb won't go off,
thank god. All right, Steve, you can come down out
of the ship.
Speaker 5: There it comes.
Speaker 9: He's opening up.
Speaker 4: All right, Steve, come on down out of the ship.
Speaker 5: Hank. I was scared. I was plain scared.
Speaker 4: It's all over.
Speaker 5: Bomb won't go off, Thank god. He look. I want
to see Mary and the baby. Can you get me transportation? Now?
Speaker 4: Wait a minute, it's almost twelve. They won't let you
in the hospital.
Speaker 9: Now I want to see the baby. Sure you do,
but you've been under the strain. I've got a shot here, boy, Steve.
Give you a good night sleep all right, roll up
your sleeve. Sure now, that'll make you sleep. Saga will
find you in bed on mister Weston.
Speaker 5: Well, good night, Hank. I am kind of beat that
tough night.
Speaker 9: Sure it has. But for a minute he was going
to blast those rockets and send us all the king
can come. Yeah, why just not getting the ray bomb?
Speaker 5: Test called off?
Speaker 10: It isn't called off, but the cold James couldn't get
the chief I was talking to a blank screen. Bomb
goes off in a couple of minutes.
Speaker 9: Oh, poor Steve. He's one of the best.
Speaker 5: He was the best.
Speaker 4: One in ten million.
Speaker 9: Some story of his book. Guy. While he almost had
me believing in that quarantine. That's a very common delusion,
the end of the world.
Speaker 5: Last night.
Speaker 4: Never saw the stars so bright.
Speaker 9: Let it be getting in and whin, it's cold.
Speaker 11: Bomb goes off in thirty seconds, Pour Steve, You know Hanson,
there's this one thing.
Speaker 9: Yeah, it's outside my field. But I'm curious, how did
he keep that ship in the air for ten hours
with only ten minutes fuel.
Speaker 3: You have just heard X minus one, presented by the
National Broadcasting Company in cooperation with Street and Smith, publishers
of astounding science fiction. Tonight by transcription, X minus one
has brought You The Outer Limit by Graham Dorr, as
adapted for radio by Ernest Cannoy. Featured in the cast
were Joseph Julian, Wendell Holmes, Joe Desatus, Bob Hastings, James Ducas,
and Freddie Chandler.
Speaker 5: You're announcer Fred Collins.
Speaker 3: X minus one was directed by Daniel Sucker, and there's
an NBC Radio Network production.
Speaker 4: You don't have to.
Speaker 6: Stop whatever you're doing to listen to your radio, though
you may have a lot to do.
Speaker 9: Do whatever you've got to do, NBC.
Speaker 6: We'll still get through music and drama a lifetiorama. NBC
has always got something brewing. Listen and you agree that
there's always a smile from the twist of the diary
Speaker 7: Radio and this is unfound of me.