( man ) There is nothing wrong with your television set.
Do not attempt to adjust the picture.
We are controlling transmission .
lf we wish to make it louder, we will bring up the volume.
lf we wish to make it softer, we will tune it to a whisper.
We will control the horizontal.
We will control the vertical.
We can roll the image, make it flutter.
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.
We repeat, there is nothing wrong with your television set.
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.
( voice booming indistinctly from loudspeakers) ls this the day? ls this the beginning of the end? There is no time to wonder, to ask, ''Why is it happening?'' ''Why is it finally happening?'' There is time only for fear, for the piercing pain of panic.
Do we pray, or do we merely run now and pray later? Will there be a later? Or is this the day? Gentlemen .
Monday's near miss was the fourth such incident of the thermonuclear age.
So long as nations are armed against each other, we're bound to have more such accidents.
And eventually, soon , one must prove fatal.
These nations must unite.
We must make them unite.
- And, gentlemen , we can make them unite.
- (angry squawking ) We're here today to proceed with our plan .
lt is one of us who must submit to that ordeal.
(angry squawking continues) Whatever reading of history you take, the pattern is always the same.
Whenever a bacteria invasion strikes, a fire rages, or a wild beast roams the streets, then and only then do men stop fighting and work together to save themselves.
A common enemy, a common fear, that is the only answer.
lf all the men of the Earth are threatened by an enemy from a hostile planet, well, gentlemen , we are going to create that enemy out of someone in this room.
To turn a human being into a thing like that.
Suppose something goes wrong? The leading biologists and medical men will be examining our enemy from outer space.
They will be fooled.
Our studies, our surgical procedures, our entire plan is perfected.
The man chosen will be as perfect as that thing in there.
A perfect inhabitant of the planet Theta.
Perfect? Perfect.
( low screeching ) (squawking ) (animal cries of distress) All right, gentlemen .
lt's agreed.
We've all written our names.
Allen Leighton .
A little higher to the left.
Ah.
You could have had a great career in a Turkish bath.
You'll wanna know how we're gonna do this.
We'll call in specialists as needed.
l'm to do the basic medicine here, if you want.
- Don 't just nod! You have to have - Phil, you're the only guy l choose.
Your system will take an incredible jolt.
- You have to handle it physically as well as - Emotionally.
- lf you can 't, say.
- We've been through this.
l know.
l don 't think it's sunk in yet.
Are you aware, we're gonna change every organ in your body? Yep.
You understand that once l hit you with the hormone, there's no turning back? Yes.
(woman ) Allen ! Allen ! - Go ahead.
- Aren 't you gonna let me in ? l'll be there in a moment, darling.
Go ahead.
Hi.
Did l break up something important? l hope.
- (she laughs) Hello! - Art critic.
The eyes red and glassy.
Yeah, all right.
- Aw, come on .
- l can window-shop here.
l'm a married woman .
Oh, isn 't that pretty? lt's pretty.
lt's kind of for a special occasion , though, wouldn 't you say? Do you mean am l? No.
Not yet.
Honey Dr Truxel told you to forget about that.
Dr Truxel seems to have changed his mind.
About what? Oh, darling! That's what l came in town for today.
To see him.
Everything's OK.
Heart's stopped murmuring.
lt's just b*ating now.
l can have quintuplets if l want to.
- lf it only happened five years ago - Allen ! You talk as if we're pushing 80.
lf something happened to me, how would you raise a child alone? Happened to you? Mark against evil.
- ( low whirring ) - ( Allen ) Phil! ( Allen shouts ) l'm gulping for air.
That's an expected reaction , Allen .
l'll relieve pressure in a minute.
Steady yourself.
You'll fall back.
l have to give you one final jolt.
Hang tight.
The pressure will go up to seven atmospheres.
Put on your oxygen mask.
All right.
(whirring intensifies and increases in pitch ) (breathes rapidly) (wheezes) You all right? ow was t? ow was w hat? - lt was your idea.
- What was? That l should open up a Turkish bath.
Let me see the palms of your hands.
Ah, yes, l see a long journey in your future.
( monkey chattering ) During which you will become a small, dark stranger.
Your cell structure's taken the nitrogen .
How long until l begin to sound like that? l'm due at my genetics seminar.
- You lie here and rest, for at least an hour.
- OK.
Al, l Al, l've been avoiding this, but You'd better begin winding up your activities and decide how best to arrange your Death.
Right.
(whimpering ) ( Allen ) l hate to leave you .
(wife ) Do you have to go? To Peru of all places? l didn 't pick it.
know Sometimes l wish you'd just take some plain old teaching job in a college in Podunk.
A little late now, folks.
Yes.
Still, l wish you high-powered scientific brains would do something about this world .
.
instead of tackling all those others out there.
We could use a few good normal years ourselves.
What made you say that? What, darling? Nothing.
You know what we really need, to stop fighting among ourselves? Something else to fight.
Somebody else.
Really.
Something has to come along that'll scare us all right out of our skins.
We stop fighting each other, we start fighting the scarecrow? That's a gorgeous solution .
Well, we don 't exactly fight it, but we fear it, so we unite against it.
And if the thr*at continues long enough, we gradually become used to being united, we actually grow to like it.
Some scarecrows don 't even scare crows.
One might.
(buzzer) - Yvette.
- Allen , l've changed my mind.
l am going to the airport with you .
(coughs) Honey, Phil's got to go on to a meeting, after he drops me off.
And you'd have to come home alone.
And l'd worry.
Please.
To mark against evil.
(door closes) - Allen .
- Doctor.
lt had to be different enough to be conceived on Theta, yet conform to sound aerodynamic principles.
What are you using for metal? We made a spectroscopic analysis and came up with something that fits Theta's mineral formation .
Three times lighter than aluminum, four times the tensile strength of steel.
Let me show you our overall plan .
Once we get you into orbit, you'll line up with the Andromeda constellation .
lt'll look like you're descending directly from Theta.
Then you move into the arc here to give you the correct re-entry angle.
You'll follow the flight pattern right to the UN .
You should get there while the General Assembly's in session .
- Should l land in the street? -No.
Come down on the terrace in front of the Secretariat.
lt's wide enough.
- lf l miss by 1 00 feet, l'll be in the East River.
- Don 't worry.
The capsule will float.
You can even propel it to the nearest shore.
You'd better start learning to pilot your ship, Allen .
Don 't get too fond of that instrument panel.
You're going to have one with an infrared display.
Learn quick, Allen .
We've got a lot of work to do at the lab.
We should return tonight.
(static) One, two, three, four, five, six - Cigarette? -No, thanks.
Any unusual reactions to the treatment? Some.
What, nightmares? Heart palpitations? - Terrors? - l can only sleep for 20 minutes at a time.
Then l wake up in a sweat.
When l think about never seeing Yvette again , it gets bad.
Come on , don 't sit on your fears.
Uncork.
Can 't see how making a fuss is gonna help things any.
That's courage, Allen , of the highest order.
Hemingway put it into words, ''grace under fire''.
You told her yet? You're gonna have to.
You can 't keep her hanging, not hearing from me.
l was waiting till l composed a telegram.
l'll do it today.
She's coming by for lunch.
She'll be here any minute.
- Phil, help! - Here.
Hey.
You haven 't heard from Allen , of course? Yes, l have.
Oh, why didn 't he write to me? They were flying over the Andes.
Why wasn 't it in the papers? lt was a secret mission .
l suppose it will be, if they ever find the plane.
l don 't believe it.
lf he were dead, l'd know.
-No, he's not dead.
- Yvette.
Yvette.
Come on .
Let me take you home.
Come on .
We're all familiar with kidney transplants.
Our problem here is basically the same.
Except, of course, we have massive restructuring to do.
l'll do our first procedure on the digestive tract, combining the oesophagus and trachea in one tube.
Why not begin with the blood chemistry exchange of iron to copper? l know what you're thinking, it would facilitate healing, but it's too tricky.
We don 't know the overall effect.
(breathes heavily) Allen ? Al, what's wrong? l was a little wobbly.
Like l was seasick.
tcomes n waves - When did it start? - Just now.
lt could be yesterday's sh*ts, but it should pass.
How bad is it? lt's nothing l can 't handle.
ow s Yvete ? - She loved you very much.
- Phil.
You will take care of her? Sorry.
( man ) Doctor.
l suggest three stages.
Why not all major work, stomach, lungs, gas diffusion , in one operation ? ( 2nd doctor) Healing will take weeks.
How do we keep him alive? You're talking about respiration .
We can handle it through the bloodstream.
That'll give us a chance to recycle slowly from oxygen to nitrogen .
- l think it's too much.
- Easier on him than going through it again .
You might be right.
He's getting worse.
Allen .
Listen , there's more to this levitation than just the physical.
l am really able to fly.
- Are you aware of that? - Snap out of it! lt's me, Phil Gainer.
No, l know Phil Gainer, Professor Gainer.
Dr Gainer.
( German accent Herr Ober Doktor Gainer Allow me to present these mad doctors here, constant as you are of the space-time continuum.
They're globules of solid (snorts and laughs hysterically) - .
.
propellant.
- Come on .
To send me on my long journey.
Through the underworld or the overworld.
Listen .
You'd better put pennies on my eyes.
( Phil) OK, now.
Come on .
Come on , lie down .
( Allen ) According to Fechner's Law (whooshes) (clattering ) ( mimics laser fire laughs) - Better tie him down .
- Better catch him first.
l see you all.
You got fat faces, you know that? Baby eyes over baby pouts.
Come on .
Skitter along here on your little rat's feet.
l am Callaghan Caliban .
(sniggers) With a PhD.
Baa, baa, black sheep, have you any krell? Upstairs, downstairs, in my lady's nightshade All around the town , crying through the locks Are the children in their beds? Now it's eight o'clock Stay back.
Stay back.
You think your podgy little hands can hold Prometheus, Odysseus, Ticostar? (excited monkey chatter) Goosey, goosey, gander Where did he wander? Back.
Stay back.
l turn on this X-ray machine, there's no more you .
To heaven .
Only the rent can raise.
- (buzzing ) - Must be the nitrogen .
lt could be any of a dozen things.
Go round and get his attention .
Go on .
l want to talk to my son ! ( Y vette ) Hello? Hello? Who is it? Who is it? Who's there? Who's there? You had a schizophrenic episode.
- When ? - A few days ago.
- We've had to keep you sedated.
- l thought it was a nightmare.
- You did a lot while l was out.
-No, that's normal tissue growth.
Did l hurt anybody? No.
lt won 't happen again , so don 't worry.
We found the cause.
lt was one of the hormone extracts.
We're going ahead.
l'll prepare you for surgery.
(buzzer) - You mustn 't come in .
- l'm Mrs Leighton .
My husband worked here.
- ( man ) Please stay outside, Mrs Leighton .
- ( Y vette ) What's the matter? l want to see Dr Gainer.
Yvette, you mustn 't keep coming here.
l have to ask you something.
l came to get Allen 's things and the strangest feeling came over me.
l can 't shake it.
l have the feeling he's here.
Yvette, you've lost someone very close.
But you can 't keep on with these morbid fantasies.
Allen is gone.
The other night, the phone.
l went to answer it.
- There was no one there.
- Yvette, stop it! He's dead.
Accept it.
Please, go home.
You've got a baby to think about now.
Body temperature? All right.
We can suture the abdominal wall.
lt's all yours.
Starting in the lung cavity.
Attach artificial lung.
Lungs removed.
Attach nitrogen system.
Better fix the fluid balance.
He's from a dry planet.
Two microns perceptible moisture.
- Move, artificial lung isn 't handling the load.
- Hypo! (sobs) Detach artificial lung.
- Can you hear me? - lt's blasting.
Sorry, Allen .
ls that better? You can answer.
You're hooked into the voicebox.
lt'll make the sound for you .
Come on , Allen .
Keep at it.
lmagine how it felt to speak.
( mechanical monotone ) Odd sensation .
.
to speak with nothing moving.
You're doing fine.
Go on .
Very little pain now.
But occasional bizarre .
.
nerve patterns.
Toothache in arm.
Eyeballs itch.
Headache in back of neck.
- How about psychological reactions? - At first, deep depression .
Lifting now, but feel removed, in limbo.
Thoughts primitive.
Dream of Yvette.
)ross shops Dr Herschel's been coordinating plans for your space sh*t.
He wants to talk to you .
ls my mike registering? l spoke to our people on the Atore.
We're flying you out there.
The plan is to send you into orbit as a weather satellite.
The flight has been cleared with the appropriate government agencies.
They have no idea, of course, that we're doing this.
Once in orbit, you will be retro-rocketed to the pre-designated position .
Then begin re-entry sequence to destination .
At arrival, proceed directly to the General Assembly.
See that they realise you are the first to come, that more can come at any moment.
Allen .
The laser w*apon .
Use it only as an emergency.
ls there anything you want to say before? ( Allen ) Wait.
Can it really work? Allen , there are no absolutes.
You know that better than anyone.
l put your probability of success at 70, 80 per cent.
Millions of soldiers have gone into battle in wars of hate with less odds and with less cause.
l did need that.
Thanks.
( TV) This is Carl Port in New York.
The latest on that unknown space capsule, know edge o f whose ex stonce s den cd by everyono lt is now descending to Earth.
lt will enter our atmosphere at 1 1 .
49 a.
m.
, approximately ten minutes from now.
According to all calculations, it should land in this vicinity.
Listeners are urged not to telephone newspapers or the police.
Stay tuned for the latest developments.
( high -pitched whine ) - ls there any indication of it? - The re-entry pattern is off.
At 1 1 .
49, the capsule entered the Earth's atmosphere and all radio contact was lost.
Officials are speculating whether the spacecraft met with an accident or its radio transmission was cut off by design .
The capsule was last received by the Point Arguello tracking station .
(beeping ) There he is! - He's not on target.
-Not the UN .
He'll return to the lab.
We must be there.
(whines) Hey, you guys! Come here.
ls that that mystery thing they've been talking about? ow wo u d I know ? Let's go take a look.
- (barks frantically) - Ginger! Ginger, come back here! (barking continues) - Let's get out of here.
- What's that? United Laboratory.
Hurry! (buzzer) (angry squawking ) (squawking continues) Allen ? lt's Allen ! Yvette.
Please try to understand.
We thought that Well l know what you thought.
He told me what you thought.
But how could you think? lt could have been any of us.
We drew lots.
Men like you .
.
using tricks.
A scarecrow would change everything.
You k*lled him.
And for what? Yvette.
lf he could go so far to save us all, maybo everywhero peeple .
.
all of us might be shamed into stooping just a little to save ourselves.
( man ) Scarecrows and magic and other fatal fears do not bring people closer together.
There is no magic substitute for soft caring and hard work, for self-respect and mutual love.
lf we can learn this from the mistake these frightened men made, then their mistake will not have been merely grotesque, it will have been at least a lesson , a lesson at last to be learned.
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.