01x08 - The Human Factor

Episode transcripts for the TV show "The Outer Limits". Aired: September 16, 1963 – January 16, 1965.*
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Anthology of self-contained episodes, sometimes with plot twists at their ends.
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01x08 - The Human Factor

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( man ) There is nothing wrong with your television set.

Do not attempt to adjust the picture.

We are controlling transmission .

We will control the horizontal.

We will control the vertical.

We can change the focus to a soft blur or sharpen it to crystal clarity.

For the next hour, sit quietly and we will control all you see and hear.

You are about to participate in a great adventure.

You are about to experience the awe and mystery which reaches from the inner mind to The Outer Limits.

( man ) ln northern Greenland, the mountains stand like a wall along Victoria Channel whose straight course marks the line of the Baffin fault.

Until recently, not even the Eskimos ventured into this Arctic waste.

But today, as in other lonely places of the world, the land is dominated by those instruments of detection which stand as a grim reminder of man 's fear of man .

This is Point Tabu , a name given this predominantly underground place by a young officer who explained that the letters in Tabu stood for Total Abandonment of Better Understanding.

Some 200 men and a few women make this their permanent residence.

Their task is to maintain a constant alert against enemy att*ck and be prepared to respond devastatingly.

- lt's completely accident proof, Colonel.

- Yes? This lead shielding keeps the radiation at a safe level.

The fissionable component is separated by graphite neutron absorbers.

There can 't be a detonation unless the absorbers are removed.

- How is that done? - By this bar.

When it goes down , the absorbers are rejected, the b*mb explodes.

The bar's locked in place.

lt won 't be unlocked until the b*mb is installed.

- And the key? - l have it.

- l must have that key.

- Major Brothers.

l am the project engineer.

The Heckler lsthmus must be destroyed.

Hand over that key.

We've wasted enough time.

- But Major Brothers - lt must be destroyed! (rumbling ) (rumbling fades) ( man on PA) Attention all personnel! Attention all personnel! The disturbance you have just experienced was a minor earthquake.

- lt's here.

lt's finally here.

- Our instruments indicate the epicentre .

.

is near the Heckler lsthmus.

Other minor shocks may be expected during the next 24 hours.

- lt's coming to get us! - ( men shout after him ) Major! ( howling wind) (buzzing ) lf this works, it will be possible for two minds to communicate directly, share the same thoughts and emotions simultaneously.

Emotions? To psychiatrists, the intellect is a useful but devious friend.

This machine will let me know what the subject is really feeling way down underneath the intellect.

- l'm not sure l wanna go through with it.

- Be a good girl.

a ke a ook at the osc oscope.

(she laughs) You can 't tell too much from that, can you? No.

But in a moment l may know what you really feel because l intend to amplify those waves and feed them back through the machine into a terminal instrument which can translate them back into the thoughts and emotions that produced them.

And that terminal instrument is my own brain .

So that during the experiment our two minds will be joined.

To put it simply, your thoughts will be in my head.

- And yours in mine.

- Right.

Now relax.

l'm bringing up the power.

(steady pulse ) (pulse rate increases) l'm sorry, Dr Hamilton .

You had a shock, didn 't you? l l simply had no idea that you thought of me that way.

Well The experiment was a total success.

- l'll arrange for my transfer in the morning.

- Transfer? Why? Wait a minute, lngrid.

Let's look at this objectively.

You don 't have to be a patient.

But when l do have a patient, a big part of my job is to help him discover those secret wishes and fantasies.

- (phone rings) - When that's done Human Factors Centre? Yes, Colonel.

Yes.

He's right here.

Just a moment.

lt's Colonel Campbell.

- Colonel.

What can l do for you? - l hope you can help Major Brothers.

l hate to lose my top engineer, but he's sick.

- When can you see him? - Right away.

Can you brief me? Hang on a minute.

- Hamilton 's in .

Go talk with him.

- Talk won 't drive it away, Colonel.

Our only hope is to find where it's hiding and destroy it.

l want you to explain that to Dr Hamilton .

Might have been that bump on the head.

He insists the base is invaded by an alien .

l'll call you after l've talked with him.

( lngrid) No, it's Dr Hamilton l'm thinking of.

He needs someone who's intelligent, efficient and unemotional.

Yes, by morning.

lngrid, secret thoughts have a way of losing their effectiveness when they aren 't secret any more.

l'm not leaving you , Dr Hamilton , because l'm embarrassed or ashamed.

l'm not.

But l'm not exactly what you'd call a masochist either.

While l was experiencing your thoughts and emotions, l felt your wisdom, your courage, your gentleness.

Many lovely things.

But no love.

Only curiosity, dedication , devotion .

And all for your work.

You don 't need a woman or a wife.

Good afternoon , Major Brothers.

Good morning, Major.

Colonel Campbell told me you were coming.

- Colonel Campbell ordered me to come.

- You're not under arrest.

lf you don 't mind losing your escort, we can be alone in the laboratory.

Have a seat, Major.

Relax.

lt seems to me that someone on this base wants me declared mentally incompetent.

But you will soon learn that l'm not.

Well, go ahead, Doctor.

Throw some tests at me.

What is it, calculus, tensor analysis, huh? Round the rugged rock the ragged rascal ran .

That used to be a test for sanity.

You know, people with dementia could never say that.

Round the rugged rock the ragged rascal ran .

(fast Round the rugged rock the ragged rascal ran .

Fine.

We can cross that off.

Nothing wrong with your speech centre.

Care for coffee? l don 't drink.

l've given up all habits that may affect my nerves or weaken my mind and my body.

These are a lot healthier.

Sunflower seeds.

Yes.

As the old woman said as she kissed the cow, ''Each to our own tastes.

'' Why do you think anyone on this base wants you declared mentally incompetent? We live in a world of cowards, Dr Hamilton .

Every man is afraid of his brother.

And most men try to hide from that awful fact.

Even here.

The men are afraid to see the evil that is here on this base.

- And they're responsible for it! - Responsible in what way? lf they had let me finish my job in time, this base would have been saved.

Your job was to remove the Heckler lsthmus? Annihilate it! Blow it out of existence with atomic expl*sives! Look, l'll show you .

Here.

This is the Victoria Channel.

Over here is the Baffin Strait.

This ridge separating the two is the Heckler lsthmus, a mountain half a mile long.

With this mountain gone, there would have been a submarine channel all the way to Alaska.

My job was to get rid of that mountain and the thing on it.

You said something l didn 't quite understand.

You said, ''The mountain , and the thing on it.

'' That's why it's too late.

Because the thing that should have been destroyed with the isthmus is now here on this base.

Thing? Can you describe it? ls it human ? Alive? Tell me Tell me about the accident last night when you hurt your head during the earthquake.

- That was no earthquake.

- Of course it was an earthquake.

After all, we're only a few miles from Baffin fault.

- We have these minor shocks fairly often .

- You think that, do you? Don 't you realise that all the preparatory work on the isthmus has been destroyed? All the shafts caved in before we could plant the atomic cartridges.

The kind of damage an earthquake could do.

But it wasn 't! lt wasn 't an earthquake! lt was the thing moving.

Breaking out, splitting the crevasse.

Coming out.

And it must be destroyed before it destroys us.

To prevent it, l'm willing to stake my life.

l mean that.

Risk my life.

You don 't believe me, do you? Yes.

Yes, l believe you .

You believe that l saw it? The thing? Major Self-sacrifice is a rare thing.

You must have had a very valid reason .

l want to know that reason to be able to understand it.

Would you be willing to participate in a rather sophisticated experiment? lt would help me believe it.

What is it, a lie-detector test? lt's a little more than that.

Are you afraid of it? No.

lt's no crime to be afraid.

lt's a crime to run away from fear.

- When l was a kid, l never did that.

- Then you won 't do it now.

Are you right-handed? Yes.

Why? What has that got to do with it? lt means that your speech centre, where you do most of your thinking, will be on the left side.

- What's happening? -Nothing.

l'm just adjusting the controls.

(steady pulse ) - ls this thing going to hurt? -No.

No, l'm just raising the amplification .

(pulse rate increases) Dr Hamilton ! - Major Brothers? - l'm here, Dr Hamilton .

lncredible.

l'm Dr Hamilton .

My mind, my memories.

But l have your body.

And you're Major Brothers with mine.

All right.

Come on , sit back in the chair.

We'll try to undo it.

Guards! What are you doing? Take Major Brothers to the hospital and see that he's locked in a safe room.

Wait a minute, men .

Now, l'm not Major Brothers.

l am Dr Hamilton .

l was exploring Major Brothers' mind when the earthquake caused a power surge and it reversed our minds.

Just a minute.

l can prove everything.

Will you call Colonel Campbell? l can prove that l am Dr Hamilton .

Now just listen to me.

l was born in Billings, Montana.

l went to the University of Chicago.

My internship was at the Menninger Clinic.

l can prove everything l say.

This man is trying to destroy everyone on this base.

l'll call and order a strong sedative.

l was born in Billings, Montana.

And l went to the University of Chicago.

And l'm going to destroy everyone on this base.

Dr Soldini.

l know you .

l know you ! l know both your sons, Joe and Lou .

Dr Soldini, we played chess last week.

You trapped me with a knight sacrifice on the seventh move.

Now ask me anything you want to know about Dr Hamilton and l'll tell you .

He sure made a thorough study of Dr Hamilton .

Dr Hamilton told me he had a patient once thought he was Albert Einstein .

He knew every detail of Einstein 's private life, and he could talk very lucidly on the theory of relativity.

Dr Soldini, l must stay awake.

Now, someone has to listen to me! Look, the man that you think is Hamilton is Major Brothers.

He's sick with guilt and thinks the base should be punished.

He's out to destroy it.

He's out to destroy us all! He'll be out for some time.

Dr Hamilton 's here, Colonel.

Oh, come in , Jim.

Sit down .

Sergeant, get Dr Hamilton his coffee.

- l came to talk about Major Brothers.

- How is he? -Not much hope.

- l was afraid of that.

l'll have him invalided home.

Before you do that, l'd like to investigate further.

- He struck his head against an atomic cartridge.

- That's right.

l saw it.

lt occurred to me he might have received a strong dosage of radiation in the brain .

We know that ionising radiation can damage the other organs.

- There's no reason the brain might be immune.

- Might be.

Except there was very little radiation .

l had Giles check.

ln view of Major Brothers' condition , l'd like to see that atomic cartridge myself.

lf you think it's necessary.

But you see, Jim, now that l have reason to think back, l realise that Brothers has been a sick man for some time.

That's not true.

Jim, l'm not trying to be the doctor.

Your coffee's getting cold.

Here.

l mean that l've worked with him a long time and have seen him change.

Change? How? lt all started about six months ago.

They were in a surveying party on the isthmus.

One of his men didn 't come back.

Private Gordon .

You must remember.

Yes, l remember.

Gordon fell into a crevasse.

lt was impossible to get him out.

At least, that's the way Brothers reported it.

Well, it was true, wasn 't it? l wish l knew.

Brothers was upset when we halted work to investigate.

- Called it an unnecessary delay.

- lt served no purpose.

No, because by the time the rescue party got there, fresh snow covered everything.

But one man said they wanted to attempt a rescue but Brothers wouldn 't permit it.

The man in the crevasse was dead.

An officer must think of all his men , not risk their lives on a possibility.

That's exactly what Brothers said.

How did you know? l heard it from him when he was in my office yesterday.

Yes, of course.

l forgot you fellas can find out anything.

Anyway, Brothers left Gordon there.

As an officer, he may have done the right thing.

Sometimes it's better to be a man than an officer.

lf l'd been there, l'd have gone down into that crevasse.

l don 't care if they demoted me to private.

l wouldn 't leave a man in that ice if there was a whispering chance of getting him out alive.

- What's wrong, Jim? You look sick.

- lt's nothing.

- You keep your office too warm.

- You usually complain l keep it too cold.

Anyway, it was after that that Brothers began to change.

That's when he started talking about courage, devotion to duty, complaining about delays.

lt's as though he wanted to destroy the isthmus because that's where Gordon 's body lay.

l don 't think bumping his head had anything to do with it.

- But if you think otherwise, look into it.

- Yes.

l'd like Major Brothers to have every chance.

l'd like to see that atomic cartridge.

l'll call Major Giles and tell him you have my permission .

l think he should be there to explain things.

He'll have to be there.

l slept on it.

And you were right about secrets seeming less effective out in the open .

Or maybe they're more effective.

What is it? What is it? Get out.

Go back where you belong! Stop accusing.

Go! lt was your fault, not mine.

There was nothing l could do! - Dr Hamilton - Get out! What are you doing here? l don 't understand.

(clattering ) Surely l must have a p*stol? - Thank you .

That's all.

- Dr Hamilton - Get me Major Giles.

- Yes, Dr Hamilton .

Major Giles? Meet me in front of the atomic storeroom.

About ten minutes? Good.

(as voiceover) ''Major Brothers arrived at lab 4.

1 5.

'' ''Behavioural pattern of deep guilt.

'' ''Feelings of persecution mixed with delusions of grandeur.

'' ''Every man is afraid of his brother.

'' ''Or does he mean every man is afraid of Brothers?'' ''Nervous habit of eating sunflower seeds.

'' ''But what is the thing he sees?'' ''Question : should l link my mind with his to find out?'' ''lt worked with lngrid.

'' (phone rings) Yes? No, he isn 't here at the moment.

l'm glad to hear that Major Brothers is feeling better this morning.

What? He's stopped insisting he's Dr Hamilton .

Sorry, Miss Larkin , Sergeant Peterson has to OK visits with Major Brothers.

Can l have Major Brothers' chart, please? Miss Larkin .

Dr Hamilton asked Just let me make these notes before l forget what he said.

l hear he was insisting he was Dr Hamilton .

- He's stopped that.

- ls he calm enough for me to talk to him? Dr Hamilton asked me to.

Just give me a minute.

Stay at your post.

We won 't need you .

Regulations, Doctor.

No one is allowed in the storeroom alone.

You won 't be alone.

l'll be with you .

Remain outside.

- l'm sorry, sir.

Orders.

- l told you , remain Why? They won 't be in the way.

No more than two of us should be exposed to radiation .

You're thinking about our welfare, but there's no need to worry.

No danger at all.

He's right in there.

You'll have to talk to him through the grille.

( lngrid) Tell me who l am.

lngrid! lngrid! What did l tell you yesterday? You told me that you loved me.

Look in my eyes.

Dr Hamilton ! - l'll tell them.

-No, wait! Listen .

They won 't believe you .

That's what l've been trying to tell them myself.

And now there's so little time.

Major Brothers' mind is in my body.

He means to destroy the base.

- You've got to get me out of here.

- How? - The keys.

You've got to get the keys.

- The keys.

- ( Geiger counter crackles) - There.

- (silence ) - See? Even in direct contact, the radiation level is low.

lf a man stayed here for hours, he might become contaminated.

But this control bar, suppose he struck that and jarred it enough to move the neutron absorbers? - Couldn 't that cause a burst of radiation ? -No, it can 't move.

The safety controls are perfect.

No controls are perfect.

How's the bar released? With a key.

- How did you find him, Miss Larkin ? - l need to talk to Dr Hamilton .

Call him.

- What's his extension ? - 26 lmagine forgetting your own number! Here, l'll look it up for you .

Oh, yes, here it is.

- Mind handing those to me? - What? - The keys.

- Oh, yes, of course.

Thanks.

But if the key releases this lever bar, it can 't be motionless when locked.

lt may be microscopic, but with radioactive materials, a micron too much can be deadly.

You don 't understand much about safety devices.

lt's not a key that you turn .

lt's a magnetic key.

lt fits into those openings and releases the controls by magnetic force.

- There's no movement at all.

- What does such a key look like? l can 't see what bearing that has on Major Brothers.

But if you're interested, l can show it to you .

First l'll need the key that unlocks the key.

Hey! What are you doing? Open it up! (orderly pounds on door) These two prongs, actually two magnetic poles, fit into these two openings on the cartridge.

And if that were done, the cartridge would be turned into an atom b*mb? Not quite.

ln order to show you how perfect these safety devices are You still can 't move the bar.

Go ahead.

Try it.

- He just ran out.

- Call security.

- Give the general alarm.

He's dangerous.

- Security? Put out a general alarm.

So the chances of the thing going off accidentally are non -existent.

How do you release the controls? lt's simply a matter of adjusting this dial here to release the safety.

- l didn 't see that! - ( man ) Attention all personnel! Colonel Campbell speaking.

Major Brothers has escaped from the hospital.

l repeat, Major Brothers.

He is dangerous.

( Campbell on PA) l repeat, dangerous.

Anyone seeing him, notify security immediately.

( Campbell on PA) Dr Hamilton , return to your office immediately.

The key.

Put it back.

You were showing me the dial.

You heard Colonel Campbell.

You're wanted in your office.

No, he hasn 't returned yet.

No, he didn 't tell me where he was going.

All l can do is let you know when he comes in .

Where is he? Watch out! The electrodes, hurry! Go ahead, k*ll me.

That's what everyone wants to do, k*ll me.

l'm not trying to k*ll you .

l'm trying to save you .

Turn it on .

- The g*n ! - (g*nsh*t Help me.

Help me.

The electrodes.

Hurry.

(steady pulse ) Hurry.

- Tell me what to do.

- Amplification .

Raise the amplification .

(pulse rate increases) Dr Hamilton ! No, lngrid, l'm here.

Yesterday, when l found out that you loved me .

.

l didn 't place much value on it, lngrid.

l'm sorry.

l guess l just never needed it.

( laughs) Too many people need it.

What this world needs is more people who want it.

How did you know it was my mind in Brothers' body? l thought you knew.

lt's your mind that attracts me most.

l felt him die.

Did you find out what death is? No.

But l'm sure for Major Brothers it's more pleasant than life.

He's free now of the ghost of Private Gordon .

- The ghost? - An hallucination .

A creation of his own guilt-ridden mind.

When they ask you how he d*ed, what will you tell them? Only the truth.

Major Brothers sh*t himself.

( man ) A w*apon ? No, only an instrument.

Neither good nor evil until men put it to use.

Like so many of man 's inventions, it can be used either to save lives or destroy them.

To make them sane or drive them mad.

To increase human understanding or to betray it.

But it will be men who make the choice.

By itself, the instrument is nothing, until you add the human factor.

We now return control of your television set to you until next week at this same time when the control voice will take you to .

.

The Outer Limits.
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