Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1964) s01e25 Episode Script
Cradle of the Deep
I Clicks.]
We're almost there.
[ Beeping.]
[Beeping Intensifies.]
- The element's becoming unstable.
- It's been unstable before.
[ Man #7 .]
Never like this.
[ Beeping Rapidly.]
[Man.]
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.
Starflng Richard Basehart David Hedison.
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.
[Coughs.]
Very interesting, Doctor.
I know it must seem likejust a simple, one-celled protozoa but it did take nature two billion years to evolve it.
It's a wonderfully complicated little thing.
Simple and complicated.
Dr.
Benton and I were very close to finding the answers.
Gentlemen.
Ah, Captain Crane.
Thank you again.
Most of my things are on board.
Not one broken test tube.
The doctor's just been showing me a fascinating film-.
A protozoa produced under laboratory conditions.
Unfortunately, kept alive only for moments.
Ah, it's amazing.
I'm surprised they lived at all.
We can do much more.
There's too much human misery.
There's no reason today for allowing human beings to be born deformed' That's why this voyage is important.
Why it must be successful.
You see, most of our work to date has been confined to the laboratory.
We're going to learn so much more now.
We're going to the very cradle of existence.
We're going to obtain the basic materials of human life.
Doctor, is there an exact position? I'll need to map coordinates to get us there.
We'vejust been working that out, Lee.
Here are your coordinates.
Mmm.
Well, this sets us right between, uh Malvis Ridge and the Vema Seamount.
I know.
It's a pretty rough stretch of ocean bottom.
Rough? It's the most treacherous piece of ocean in the charts.
There must be some other place you can pick up these elements.
No.
No, there's no spot like it on the entire planet.
It's where evolution began.
It's the place we must go if we're, uh, to recreate life exactly as it was four billion years ago.
We cam set down "m the Verna Seamount.
That area's been called a graveyard of submarines.
It's the only place this experiment has a chance of succeeding.
Admiral, if that's the case I say we stop right now never even cast off from the pier.
I know ifs, uh, ifs risky, Lee.
I also know it's worthwhile.
I'll put to sea as soon as the rest of your equipment is aboard, Doctor.
- We'll reach our position at approximately I 400.
- Fine, Chip.
Amazing, the amount of power you've built into this energizer.
Yes, well, we'll need all the energy we can possibly get.
It's no small matter speeding up the entire process of evolution.
Admiral, we're approaching the Azanian Sea.
We?! reach our destination coordinate at 140D.
- How does it look? - Rocky Radar shows surface turbulence all along our courseâ.
and sonar shows the same thing undersea.
Take your choice.
Well, it's your department, Lee.
You do whatever you think best.
Chip, take her down.
Level off at 200 feet.
Keep a steady grip on that wheel.
We're heading into - Hi.
- Is it time for your watch already? Yeah, those four hours off go by pretty fast.
They sure do.
Well, we're on course now, so keep her steady as you go.
Here's our destination right here.
- That's right near the Vema Seamount.
- Mm-hmm.
- Let me know as soon as we're ready to set down.
- Captain? - That area's unsafe.
- Safe or not, that's where we touch down.
Yeah, but even Washington says it's unsafe.
Navy submarines need special permission to maneuver there.
That's right.
But we're not in the navy.
That's one of the reasons we're able to go places that are off-limits to official vessels.
That doesn't give us a license to commit suicide.
Now, wait a minute.
You're one of our newjunior officers now but you've still got a lot to learn about how we work.
- Yes, sir, I know that.
- It's our business to take risks.
But we don't take them blindly.
The admiral's in charge of scientific projects and, believe me, he doesn't wanna lose this ship any more than we do.
Well, that all sounds fine, Captain.
But I had an older brother.
He was the exec on the Sea Lion.
I'm sorry.
I didn't know that.
Now, they were the last submarine to cruise near the Vema Seamount.
We keep on this course, pretty soon we're gonna be seeing the Sea Lion'; wreckage.
It's spread out all along this trench.
Admiral Nelson has set down a course and we're gonna keep to it.
Right, Mr.
Clark? Right, sir.
[ Knocking .]
Admiral, you're the only one who can abort this mission.
You've got to.
We can't go in there.
You get back to your post immediately You doâ know the Verna SeamounU do.
My brother knows it even better.
He and 120 men of the Sea Lion are still there.
I'm sorry about that.
But, first you will return to your post immediately.
Then, I will listen to your objections in the manner prescribed according to the articles of this vessel.
By that time, you'll have killed us all! Mr.
Clark, you are relieved of all duties.
You'll confine yourself to quarters for the remainder of this voyage.
You won't kill us.
I won't let you.
I've already changed the course.
We're gonna bypass the Seamount area.
What? You changed our course without permission? Chiefjones, this is the admiral.
You come to my cabin on the double.
I had to! Don't you see? You won't save us! I had to! You're under arrest, Mr.
Clark! We have an occupant for the brig.
Navigation, give me a reading on our present position.
Aye, sir.
Coordinates âA for apple 7-2-7, âD" for dog, 7-0-8.
- Very well.
- Right on the button.
Well, now that we're back on course, see that we keep it that way.
_ Lee? _ Yes? What got into him? Clark? I don't know.
I would've sworn by him as a deck officer.
So would I.
I suppose this means hisjob.
Oh, I hope not.
He still hasn't gotten over the death of his brother.
And now we're headed straight for that same area.
But he's no coward.
I know him well enough to be sure of that.
It has nothing to do with cowardice.
We all get scared a little bit sometimes.
But this thing with Clark- I guess you'd call it an emotional breakdown.
It's hard to blame him for cracking up.
I hope he gets over it.
Mmm.
I hope we all do.
Here we are.
âXâ marks the spot.
All right, Chip.
Set her down.
- We're just asking for trouble.
- Asking for it? We're begging for it.
We'll start searching for the elements right along here.
The seismographs still coming up with bad news.
To make matters worse, a pressure area is building up.
This trench can cave in on us at any time.
It is beginning to look bad.
- All right, then let's get out of here.
- I said bad, not hopeless.
[Doctor.]
We have to stay just beyond that window is the beginning, the cradle of the deep.
Well, that depends upon your point of view.
To submarine commanders, it's the coffin of the deep.
Admiral, we've traveled a long way to get these elements.
Now, ifan underwater upheaval is imminent it merely means that we should start gathering them that much sooner.
Is this mission important enough to endanger the lives of everyone aboard? I think Dnjanus is right, Lee.
He must start collecting those elements, and the sooner, the better.
Some more bad news from the seismograph, Lee.
It looks as if we've got a good chance at being right in the middle of our own private disaster area.
A small, simple âthanksâ hardly seems enough.
- Chief I - Right.
Careful.
Careful, now.
Be careful.
These elements have been resting for billions of years.
We don't wanna disturb them now.
I must get these to the energizer immediately.
Coming, Admiral? And miss the start of evolution? I wouldn't miss it for anything.
- Still bad? - Mmm.
And getting worse by the minute.
Bill.
We're not moving.
Where are we? At our objective- the base of the Vema Seamount.
We can't stay here.
Get this ship out of here.
What's the matter with you? I've never seen you panic like this before.
Listen, I know what can happen to me because of what I've done.
But I don? care! It's important that you get this ship out of here! Don't you understand that? There's a lot I don't understand, and that's why I'm here.
You 're a good man, Bill That'; why you got this promotion.
You could've made a fine officer.
What's wrong? I don't care about that now! You're gonna kill all ofus on this ship.
Now, get it out of here! I've asked the doctor to come bring you a sedative.
- [ Groans.]
I won't take it! - Now, you listen to me.
We're here under orders, all of us.
There's nothing we can do about it.
Orders.
Whose orders? That scientist? This is a vitally important mission! Dnjanus is on the brink ofan important discovery.
Oh, Dr- j anus! [ Morton Over Speaker.]
Skipper, we're getting another seismograph report.
Very well.
I'll be right there.
I'll have the doc come down here with that sedative.
Dnjanus.
This is Dr.
Benton's achievement.
But it's yours now too.
No, Benton blazed all the trails.
My contribution has just been the enormous luck--- in finding these vital elements.
The energizer has done its initial work.
It's just a matter of sitting and waiting.
Lee, take a look at this.
Absolutely incredible.
This is worth a look too.
Yes.
Doctor, how long is the gestation period? Twenty-four hours.
The Seaview must remain as steady as possible for that period.
And how are we gonna do that with the ocean bottom kicking up all around us? Everything seems to be all right.
It may be all right in that test tube, but it's not all right out there.
These reports say âsea quake,â bad enough to cause an avalanche that could bury all of us.
The specimen does look exactly as it was before.
Then let me get this ship out of danger.
Well, if we could be sure that the vibration wouldn't trigger a reaction- You can't ever be sure ofan experiment like this.
- Then forget the experiment! - That's impossible.
- Another few hours.
- In another few hours, we?! be dead,.
Let's dump this specimen and get out of here.
There's a whole undersea mountain ready to fall on top of us.
Now, that's enough trouble to handle at one time without Dnjanus getting in over his head with an unstable element.
Captain, I told you.
The specimen seems- is as stable as it was before.
You can see how sure he is.
Let's get out of here fast.
Admiral, we can't disrupt the experiment.
We might never again be able to gather these elements under the same conditions.
Now, this, um, special cradle are you sure it's been completely absorbing all the shocks? I'm certain- It was built exactly for that purpose-.
Then it would also muffle the vibrations of the ship--- if we got underway at a slow but steady speed.
You're sure there are no signs of instability in the specimen? Positive.
All right, Lee.
Proceed to a safe area slow and easy.
Coming? Uh, no- I think I'll stay just a while longer.
Well, there's not much you can do here tonight.
As you said yourself all we can do now is wait.
It's been a long day.
Let's get some sleep.
- We'll check the specimen first thing in the morning.
- Yes, of course.
- Set a course for home, Chip.
- Consider it set.
- Full ahead one-third.
- One-third? - One-third, Chip.
- Full ahead one-third.
- Damage Control, report.
- We've received outer hul/ damage.
- The missile room is taking on water.
- Put her down, Chip.
Where? That trench area's blowing up behind us and the ocean floor falls away to 10,000 feet.
Give me a reading on this plateau.
- Distance: 1,000 yards.
Depth: 250 feet.
- Make for that plateau.
Miss it, and we've had it.
- Chip, get a repair crew working outside.
- Aye, sir.
Keep it secure! It has to hold until the repairs are completed! Yes, sir, Captain! Admiral, we've got a cofferdam up over the leak.
It'll hold for the time being.
[ Nelson.]
Get some divers working.
I want that outer hull repaired by morning.
Right! I don't understand it, but it's wonderful.
It's turned completely into matter overnight.
You mean this grew in just those few hours? Fantastic scientific achievement.
How big is it gonna get before it stops growing? That's an interesting question, Doctor.
It's matter- pure, organic matter- and we created it from nothing.
Well, not exactly from nothing.
You still haven't told us when it stops growing.
I don't know.
There's still so much to be learned.
Don't you realize we've made a fantastic scientific breakthrough? We've taken a step of such enormity that the world will still be reaping its benefits a thousand years from now.
That's all very well and good, Doctor, but my concern is here and now- the safety of the Seaview and everyone aboard.
Now, I wanna hear some exact figures.
When does this thing stop growing? All right, Lee.
We'll weigh, measure and time every facet of the specimen's growth.
We'll put it all in the computer and get some definite answers.
It's doubling in size every three hours.
Its weight- that's more important and more dangerous.
Its weighfs multiplying dozens of times faster than its bulk.
I can't pretend these figures aren't alarming.
Well, there's only one thing to do: Destroy that thing before it's too late.
No.
Admiral, listen to me.
We've had this fantastic stroke of luck.
We're on the threshold of success.
Yoifre a scientist.
You know what this discovery could mean.
We must get the specimen safely back to the foundation laboratories.
You're not gonna listen to him, are ya? That element's unstable.
The faster we dump it overboard, the better.
No, we can't do that, not when Dnjanus is on the verge of such enormous discoveries.
Anything he discovers isn't gonna do him or anybody else any good if we don't make it back to land.
We came all this way to get that specimen and ifit's at all possible, we're going to get it back to where it can be studied.
That's what we set out to do, and thafsjust what we're going to do.
Yes, but when we set out, the cards weren't so heavily stacked against us.
And on top of all that, we've got a damaged hull.
- Which has been repaired.
- Temporarily.
[Chuckles.]
Aren't you magnifying things? Our position is simply not that precarious.
Sure, I'm magnifying things, just as the computer's magnifying things.
All those scientific visions of tomorrow running around in your head your desire to see this experiment come off- [Sighs.]
Well,just make sure ofone thing: You don't minimize the danger.
Chip? If we decided to make a run for home, what kind of time could we make? Mmm- - Forty, 41 hours.
- Mm-mmm.
That's not good enough.
If we press it, maybe 37, 38 hours.
No.
That's still no good.
We could run the reactors full speed.
For 2O or 3O hours? They'll burn out.
Admiral, you still think all this rates that high, don't you? Yes, yes, I do, Lee.
The reactors weren't built to run at full speed for that long but, uh, we could try.
Chip, if we run at top speed, we should make it in 24 hours, right? - We'll be cutting it awfully thin.
- We've cut it thinner before.
Thanks, Lee.
You heard the man.
Twenty-four hours.
Reactor Room, this is the exec.
Vacation time is over.
Full power, and right away.
Full power, and right away.
[Creaking.]
- What's happening? - Its growth rate is remaining constant.
- And rapid.
- It hasn't accelerated any.
It's still doubling in size every three hours.
- What about its weight? - It's still accelerating.
No, uh- No faster than before.
Well, the computer figures still prevail.
If we keep traveling at top speed, we should make port in plenty of time.
Chip, everything all right? We're still on course, and we're still going at top speed.
You know, the admiral might be right.
We might make it to home plate at that.
We've still got 'I O hours to go.
I've got 'I O hours left to go.
You go get some sleep-.
[Sighs.]
I think I'll stick around here for a while-.
Not on my watch, you won't.
I'm the watch officer.
You go get some sleep.
Aye, aye, sir.
Keep her steady as you go.
We got a long night ahead of us.
Aye, aye, sir.
Good morning, Ch- Chip? Hiya! Good morning there, Skipper, old buddy.
We're in practically the same spot we were in last night! You've been taking us around in circles! We'll never make it back to port in time now! Circles We're going round in circles - Come to a bearing of3-5-8 degrees.
- Yes, sir.
Swimming round and round- I want a bearing of3-5-8 degrees, and I want it now! Keep it on that heading.
You stray one fraction off course and you're gonna draw brig time until you're 80! Sure, Captain.
Anything you say, Captain.
Now, in words of one syllable, first, how? And then, why? Sure.
Anything my skipper says.
- My skipper knows I'll always tell my skipper anything- - No, you won't! We're a thousand miles off course.
We've been going around in circles all night! Now, before I place you under arrest, I want some answers and I want them fast! - What's wrong? - I don't know.
Look at them.
They're either drunk, or they've gone off the deep end'.
Mr.
O'Brien, get the day watch to the control room on the double.
[ Morton .]
, ' We 're going round in circles , ' Sick bay, this is Nelson.
Get the doctor to Control Room immediately.
Mr.
O'Brien, you take over the watch.
- Yes, sir.
Yes, sir.
- Kowalski? - Sir? - Help the doctor to get these men down to sick bay- - Aye, aye, sir.
- Aye, sir.
Steady as you go.
Heading of3-5-8.
[whirring.]
[Snoring.]
Lee, I'm still in the sick bay.
I thinkl may have some answers.
[ Crane.]
Be right there.
Doesn't look like any blood sample I've ever seen before.
Well, it's blood, all right.
As a matter of fact Well, it's blood, all right.
As a matter of fact it's a sampling of Chip Morton's blood.
The reason it looks so strange, it has an abnormally high nitrogen content.
Nitrogen? Where could that have come from? That's not the question.
The question is where did all the oxygen go? I brought you something to eat, Mr.
Clark.
You need anything? - Kowalski! - Sir? Everything seems so still.
What's going on up there? I don't know.
- They got the whole night watch crew in sick bay.
- Sick bay? - Well, all of them? - Yes, sir.
What for? What's wrong with them? I don't know.
Scuttlebutt has it that it's got something to do with what that Dnjanus is doing in the laboratory.
So, that's it.
Your specimen is feeding on pure oxygen leaving us to breathe a nitrogen-heavy mixture.
Rapture of the deep.
I thought only skin divers got that.
Anyone who doesn't breathe enough oxygen can get it.
It had my control room crew acting as if they were on a payday binge.
We would've been affected too if we hadn't been asleep and our bodily processes at their slowest.
How do you know it's the specimen? - Then tell us something that convinces us it's not.
- I don't know! - I'm still conducting tests! - When are you gonna have your fill of all this blundering? Let's kill it, dump it, and get rid of it.
- O'Brien, what's going on up there? - / don't know, Captain.
We 're losing trim.
I've tried t0 compensate with extra power but the reactork giving out.
Rig for bottom collision! All hands, rig for bottom collision! [ Rhythmic Thumping.]
We've gotta kill that thing.
- You don't know what you're doing.
- I know enough.
It's gonna murder us! - [ Grunting.]
- [ Clattering.]
- You all right? - Yes.
All right, come on.
[ Thumping .]
Damage Control says it's not too bad.
- But the outer hull took a rough jolt.
- And the reactor room? There's just not enough power to get us up off the ocean floor--.
Let alone keep the Seaview in trim with that thing's weight loading us down.
- Admiral, I just wanted to say- - There's nothing to explain, Chip.
At least, right now there isn't.
For a while there I didn't know whether to throw you in the brig or overboard.
Then I'm lucky to have a foolproof medical alibi.
Well, it's amazing that you and the others were able to stay on your feet with all that nitrogen in your system.
No, no, no.
We don't have to worry about that now.
The filter system is compensating for the oxygen that specimen's taking out of the air.
Now, first things first.
Dnjanus.
For the safety of the Seaview and everyone aboard, that specimen must be destroyed.
No, I, uh- I can't let you do that.
Hasn't it done enough damage? One of my officers has been driven to the edge of insanity.
I don't know who's gonna crack next, and we're lying helpless on the bottom.
Its weight is keeping us down, and it's growing so fast it'll soon be bursting through the bulkheads.
Growing.
That's- That's it.
I'll-I'll stop its growth.
I've learned enough about its chemical makeup.
I'll add another element neutralize it, we'll keep it alive just as it is.
Well, then you also must've learned enough to tell us how to kill it.
I won't-l won't kill it.
Don't you see? I can't! It's almost as if- [Chuckles.]
No.
No, it's not almost as if you created it.
Man- Man does not create life.
Um, it was a fine experiment but, somehow, it turned out to be a horrible accident.
L'n"I- I think it was a mistake from the very beginning.
But that doesn't matter now.
What we have to do now is to destroy it and destroy it immediately.
Yes, Admiral, of course.
I'll, uh- I'll help you any way I can.
Well, we know that it's feeding on oxygen and somehow converting it into organic marten.
How? I don't know.
Honestly, I don't.
My, uh- My testing hadn't progressed that faryet.
And the organic matter- Now, what is its composition? Same as the human body.
I did what I started out to do- accelerated evolution beyond all possible imagining' All that searching to find the reason why it took nature four billion years to evolve from protozoa to man.
I know the reason now.
Evolution is such a gradual, seemingly endless process.
Its secret is its success.
Adaptability.
See, I created matter without giving it time to evolve.
That, uh, specimen in the laboratory is a living, growing thing with no adaptability.
I didn't give it the time it needed to develop into some meaningful form the time it needed to, uh evolve its own thinking process.
So now, instinctively, it'll feed and grow until it destroys itself.
Destroying us long before that.
- Yes, I'm afraid so.
- We're wasting too much time.
Now you agree that it feeds on oxygen.
All we have to do is seal off the laboratory and cut of fits oxygen supply.
Why should such a complex problem, Captain have such a simple solution? I don't know how long it could exist on the amount of oxygen it has in its system now.
Even ifit survived long enough to double in sizejust one more time it would split the Seaview apart at the seams.
Sol guess that's the only way out.
Cut of fits supply of oxygen, it starves to death.
What is its chemical composition? Sodium, hydrogen, nitrogen, carbon.
An overdose of what element would kill it quickest? Carbon.
Carbon.
It might work at that.
The spray breaks down into carbon dioxide- two parts oxygen, one part carbon.
But will the specimen absorb the carbon along with the oxygen? I just know that the outer layer of membrane can absorb it.
Whether it will is another matter.
And whether or not the carbon will kill it is also another matter.
Of course, feeding this directly into it, we're taking an enormous chance.
The infusion of so much oxygen directly into its system--- will cause an immediately accelerated growth in both size and weight.
I'm aware of that.
Let's just hope that the carbon destroys it before it grows large enough to destroy us.
Chief I Get these up to Corridor âBâ outside the lab.
Yes, sir.
I still say three of us will have a better chance than two.
No.
lfwe're not successful- lfanything happens in there then it's entirely in your hands.
[Rhythmic Thumping.]
Well, let's see if it'll absorb the carbon dioxide.
[Thumping Continues.]
It works.
The spray's ingested directly into the system.
Not only that, it seems to be liking it.
We already knew about that.
Let's see if we can force enough carbon into it to have immediate effect.
I'll move around to the other side.
We'll force-feed it from both directions at once.
More! More! Nelson! Nelson! [Electrical Sparking.]
Get out! Get out! Get out! We've killed it, Lee.
- You all right? - Yeah.
Damage Control, report.
[ Man Over Speaker.]
There's a leak forward, and one in the missile room,.
But we're going to hold together.
First, Dr.
Benton, then, Dnjanus.
I keep wondering why.
But then, there are so many things there are no answers for.
Maybe it's better that way.
Well, perhaps all the answers are right here.
âAnd the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground âand breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.
And man became a living soul.
â
We're almost there.
[ Beeping.]
[Beeping Intensifies.]
- The element's becoming unstable.
- It's been unstable before.
[ Man #7 .]
Never like this.
[ Beeping Rapidly.]
[Man.]
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.
Starflng Richard Basehart David Hedison.
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.
[Coughs.]
Very interesting, Doctor.
I know it must seem likejust a simple, one-celled protozoa but it did take nature two billion years to evolve it.
It's a wonderfully complicated little thing.
Simple and complicated.
Dr.
Benton and I were very close to finding the answers.
Gentlemen.
Ah, Captain Crane.
Thank you again.
Most of my things are on board.
Not one broken test tube.
The doctor's just been showing me a fascinating film-.
A protozoa produced under laboratory conditions.
Unfortunately, kept alive only for moments.
Ah, it's amazing.
I'm surprised they lived at all.
We can do much more.
There's too much human misery.
There's no reason today for allowing human beings to be born deformed' That's why this voyage is important.
Why it must be successful.
You see, most of our work to date has been confined to the laboratory.
We're going to learn so much more now.
We're going to the very cradle of existence.
We're going to obtain the basic materials of human life.
Doctor, is there an exact position? I'll need to map coordinates to get us there.
We'vejust been working that out, Lee.
Here are your coordinates.
Mmm.
Well, this sets us right between, uh Malvis Ridge and the Vema Seamount.
I know.
It's a pretty rough stretch of ocean bottom.
Rough? It's the most treacherous piece of ocean in the charts.
There must be some other place you can pick up these elements.
No.
No, there's no spot like it on the entire planet.
It's where evolution began.
It's the place we must go if we're, uh, to recreate life exactly as it was four billion years ago.
We cam set down "m the Verna Seamount.
That area's been called a graveyard of submarines.
It's the only place this experiment has a chance of succeeding.
Admiral, if that's the case I say we stop right now never even cast off from the pier.
I know ifs, uh, ifs risky, Lee.
I also know it's worthwhile.
I'll put to sea as soon as the rest of your equipment is aboard, Doctor.
- We'll reach our position at approximately I 400.
- Fine, Chip.
Amazing, the amount of power you've built into this energizer.
Yes, well, we'll need all the energy we can possibly get.
It's no small matter speeding up the entire process of evolution.
Admiral, we're approaching the Azanian Sea.
We?! reach our destination coordinate at 140D.
- How does it look? - Rocky Radar shows surface turbulence all along our courseâ.
and sonar shows the same thing undersea.
Take your choice.
Well, it's your department, Lee.
You do whatever you think best.
Chip, take her down.
Level off at 200 feet.
Keep a steady grip on that wheel.
We're heading into - Hi.
- Is it time for your watch already? Yeah, those four hours off go by pretty fast.
They sure do.
Well, we're on course now, so keep her steady as you go.
Here's our destination right here.
- That's right near the Vema Seamount.
- Mm-hmm.
- Let me know as soon as we're ready to set down.
- Captain? - That area's unsafe.
- Safe or not, that's where we touch down.
Yeah, but even Washington says it's unsafe.
Navy submarines need special permission to maneuver there.
That's right.
But we're not in the navy.
That's one of the reasons we're able to go places that are off-limits to official vessels.
That doesn't give us a license to commit suicide.
Now, wait a minute.
You're one of our newjunior officers now but you've still got a lot to learn about how we work.
- Yes, sir, I know that.
- It's our business to take risks.
But we don't take them blindly.
The admiral's in charge of scientific projects and, believe me, he doesn't wanna lose this ship any more than we do.
Well, that all sounds fine, Captain.
But I had an older brother.
He was the exec on the Sea Lion.
I'm sorry.
I didn't know that.
Now, they were the last submarine to cruise near the Vema Seamount.
We keep on this course, pretty soon we're gonna be seeing the Sea Lion'; wreckage.
It's spread out all along this trench.
Admiral Nelson has set down a course and we're gonna keep to it.
Right, Mr.
Clark? Right, sir.
[ Knocking .]
Admiral, you're the only one who can abort this mission.
You've got to.
We can't go in there.
You get back to your post immediately You doâ know the Verna SeamounU do.
My brother knows it even better.
He and 120 men of the Sea Lion are still there.
I'm sorry about that.
But, first you will return to your post immediately.
Then, I will listen to your objections in the manner prescribed according to the articles of this vessel.
By that time, you'll have killed us all! Mr.
Clark, you are relieved of all duties.
You'll confine yourself to quarters for the remainder of this voyage.
You won't kill us.
I won't let you.
I've already changed the course.
We're gonna bypass the Seamount area.
What? You changed our course without permission? Chiefjones, this is the admiral.
You come to my cabin on the double.
I had to! Don't you see? You won't save us! I had to! You're under arrest, Mr.
Clark! We have an occupant for the brig.
Navigation, give me a reading on our present position.
Aye, sir.
Coordinates âA for apple 7-2-7, âD" for dog, 7-0-8.
- Very well.
- Right on the button.
Well, now that we're back on course, see that we keep it that way.
_ Lee? _ Yes? What got into him? Clark? I don't know.
I would've sworn by him as a deck officer.
So would I.
I suppose this means hisjob.
Oh, I hope not.
He still hasn't gotten over the death of his brother.
And now we're headed straight for that same area.
But he's no coward.
I know him well enough to be sure of that.
It has nothing to do with cowardice.
We all get scared a little bit sometimes.
But this thing with Clark- I guess you'd call it an emotional breakdown.
It's hard to blame him for cracking up.
I hope he gets over it.
Mmm.
I hope we all do.
Here we are.
âXâ marks the spot.
All right, Chip.
Set her down.
- We're just asking for trouble.
- Asking for it? We're begging for it.
We'll start searching for the elements right along here.
The seismographs still coming up with bad news.
To make matters worse, a pressure area is building up.
This trench can cave in on us at any time.
It is beginning to look bad.
- All right, then let's get out of here.
- I said bad, not hopeless.
[Doctor.]
We have to stay just beyond that window is the beginning, the cradle of the deep.
Well, that depends upon your point of view.
To submarine commanders, it's the coffin of the deep.
Admiral, we've traveled a long way to get these elements.
Now, ifan underwater upheaval is imminent it merely means that we should start gathering them that much sooner.
Is this mission important enough to endanger the lives of everyone aboard? I think Dnjanus is right, Lee.
He must start collecting those elements, and the sooner, the better.
Some more bad news from the seismograph, Lee.
It looks as if we've got a good chance at being right in the middle of our own private disaster area.
A small, simple âthanksâ hardly seems enough.
- Chief I - Right.
Careful.
Careful, now.
Be careful.
These elements have been resting for billions of years.
We don't wanna disturb them now.
I must get these to the energizer immediately.
Coming, Admiral? And miss the start of evolution? I wouldn't miss it for anything.
- Still bad? - Mmm.
And getting worse by the minute.
Bill.
We're not moving.
Where are we? At our objective- the base of the Vema Seamount.
We can't stay here.
Get this ship out of here.
What's the matter with you? I've never seen you panic like this before.
Listen, I know what can happen to me because of what I've done.
But I don? care! It's important that you get this ship out of here! Don't you understand that? There's a lot I don't understand, and that's why I'm here.
You 're a good man, Bill That'; why you got this promotion.
You could've made a fine officer.
What's wrong? I don't care about that now! You're gonna kill all ofus on this ship.
Now, get it out of here! I've asked the doctor to come bring you a sedative.
- [ Groans.]
I won't take it! - Now, you listen to me.
We're here under orders, all of us.
There's nothing we can do about it.
Orders.
Whose orders? That scientist? This is a vitally important mission! Dnjanus is on the brink ofan important discovery.
Oh, Dr- j anus! [ Morton Over Speaker.]
Skipper, we're getting another seismograph report.
Very well.
I'll be right there.
I'll have the doc come down here with that sedative.
Dnjanus.
This is Dr.
Benton's achievement.
But it's yours now too.
No, Benton blazed all the trails.
My contribution has just been the enormous luck--- in finding these vital elements.
The energizer has done its initial work.
It's just a matter of sitting and waiting.
Lee, take a look at this.
Absolutely incredible.
This is worth a look too.
Yes.
Doctor, how long is the gestation period? Twenty-four hours.
The Seaview must remain as steady as possible for that period.
And how are we gonna do that with the ocean bottom kicking up all around us? Everything seems to be all right.
It may be all right in that test tube, but it's not all right out there.
These reports say âsea quake,â bad enough to cause an avalanche that could bury all of us.
The specimen does look exactly as it was before.
Then let me get this ship out of danger.
Well, if we could be sure that the vibration wouldn't trigger a reaction- You can't ever be sure ofan experiment like this.
- Then forget the experiment! - That's impossible.
- Another few hours.
- In another few hours, we?! be dead,.
Let's dump this specimen and get out of here.
There's a whole undersea mountain ready to fall on top of us.
Now, that's enough trouble to handle at one time without Dnjanus getting in over his head with an unstable element.
Captain, I told you.
The specimen seems- is as stable as it was before.
You can see how sure he is.
Let's get out of here fast.
Admiral, we can't disrupt the experiment.
We might never again be able to gather these elements under the same conditions.
Now, this, um, special cradle are you sure it's been completely absorbing all the shocks? I'm certain- It was built exactly for that purpose-.
Then it would also muffle the vibrations of the ship--- if we got underway at a slow but steady speed.
You're sure there are no signs of instability in the specimen? Positive.
All right, Lee.
Proceed to a safe area slow and easy.
Coming? Uh, no- I think I'll stay just a while longer.
Well, there's not much you can do here tonight.
As you said yourself all we can do now is wait.
It's been a long day.
Let's get some sleep.
- We'll check the specimen first thing in the morning.
- Yes, of course.
- Set a course for home, Chip.
- Consider it set.
- Full ahead one-third.
- One-third? - One-third, Chip.
- Full ahead one-third.
- Damage Control, report.
- We've received outer hul/ damage.
- The missile room is taking on water.
- Put her down, Chip.
Where? That trench area's blowing up behind us and the ocean floor falls away to 10,000 feet.
Give me a reading on this plateau.
- Distance: 1,000 yards.
Depth: 250 feet.
- Make for that plateau.
Miss it, and we've had it.
- Chip, get a repair crew working outside.
- Aye, sir.
Keep it secure! It has to hold until the repairs are completed! Yes, sir, Captain! Admiral, we've got a cofferdam up over the leak.
It'll hold for the time being.
[ Nelson.]
Get some divers working.
I want that outer hull repaired by morning.
Right! I don't understand it, but it's wonderful.
It's turned completely into matter overnight.
You mean this grew in just those few hours? Fantastic scientific achievement.
How big is it gonna get before it stops growing? That's an interesting question, Doctor.
It's matter- pure, organic matter- and we created it from nothing.
Well, not exactly from nothing.
You still haven't told us when it stops growing.
I don't know.
There's still so much to be learned.
Don't you realize we've made a fantastic scientific breakthrough? We've taken a step of such enormity that the world will still be reaping its benefits a thousand years from now.
That's all very well and good, Doctor, but my concern is here and now- the safety of the Seaview and everyone aboard.
Now, I wanna hear some exact figures.
When does this thing stop growing? All right, Lee.
We'll weigh, measure and time every facet of the specimen's growth.
We'll put it all in the computer and get some definite answers.
It's doubling in size every three hours.
Its weight- that's more important and more dangerous.
Its weighfs multiplying dozens of times faster than its bulk.
I can't pretend these figures aren't alarming.
Well, there's only one thing to do: Destroy that thing before it's too late.
No.
Admiral, listen to me.
We've had this fantastic stroke of luck.
We're on the threshold of success.
Yoifre a scientist.
You know what this discovery could mean.
We must get the specimen safely back to the foundation laboratories.
You're not gonna listen to him, are ya? That element's unstable.
The faster we dump it overboard, the better.
No, we can't do that, not when Dnjanus is on the verge of such enormous discoveries.
Anything he discovers isn't gonna do him or anybody else any good if we don't make it back to land.
We came all this way to get that specimen and ifit's at all possible, we're going to get it back to where it can be studied.
That's what we set out to do, and thafsjust what we're going to do.
Yes, but when we set out, the cards weren't so heavily stacked against us.
And on top of all that, we've got a damaged hull.
- Which has been repaired.
- Temporarily.
[Chuckles.]
Aren't you magnifying things? Our position is simply not that precarious.
Sure, I'm magnifying things, just as the computer's magnifying things.
All those scientific visions of tomorrow running around in your head your desire to see this experiment come off- [Sighs.]
Well,just make sure ofone thing: You don't minimize the danger.
Chip? If we decided to make a run for home, what kind of time could we make? Mmm- - Forty, 41 hours.
- Mm-mmm.
That's not good enough.
If we press it, maybe 37, 38 hours.
No.
That's still no good.
We could run the reactors full speed.
For 2O or 3O hours? They'll burn out.
Admiral, you still think all this rates that high, don't you? Yes, yes, I do, Lee.
The reactors weren't built to run at full speed for that long but, uh, we could try.
Chip, if we run at top speed, we should make it in 24 hours, right? - We'll be cutting it awfully thin.
- We've cut it thinner before.
Thanks, Lee.
You heard the man.
Twenty-four hours.
Reactor Room, this is the exec.
Vacation time is over.
Full power, and right away.
Full power, and right away.
[Creaking.]
- What's happening? - Its growth rate is remaining constant.
- And rapid.
- It hasn't accelerated any.
It's still doubling in size every three hours.
- What about its weight? - It's still accelerating.
No, uh- No faster than before.
Well, the computer figures still prevail.
If we keep traveling at top speed, we should make port in plenty of time.
Chip, everything all right? We're still on course, and we're still going at top speed.
You know, the admiral might be right.
We might make it to home plate at that.
We've still got 'I O hours to go.
I've got 'I O hours left to go.
You go get some sleep-.
[Sighs.]
I think I'll stick around here for a while-.
Not on my watch, you won't.
I'm the watch officer.
You go get some sleep.
Aye, aye, sir.
Keep her steady as you go.
We got a long night ahead of us.
Aye, aye, sir.
Good morning, Ch- Chip? Hiya! Good morning there, Skipper, old buddy.
We're in practically the same spot we were in last night! You've been taking us around in circles! We'll never make it back to port in time now! Circles We're going round in circles - Come to a bearing of3-5-8 degrees.
- Yes, sir.
Swimming round and round- I want a bearing of3-5-8 degrees, and I want it now! Keep it on that heading.
You stray one fraction off course and you're gonna draw brig time until you're 80! Sure, Captain.
Anything you say, Captain.
Now, in words of one syllable, first, how? And then, why? Sure.
Anything my skipper says.
- My skipper knows I'll always tell my skipper anything- - No, you won't! We're a thousand miles off course.
We've been going around in circles all night! Now, before I place you under arrest, I want some answers and I want them fast! - What's wrong? - I don't know.
Look at them.
They're either drunk, or they've gone off the deep end'.
Mr.
O'Brien, get the day watch to the control room on the double.
[ Morton .]
, ' We 're going round in circles , ' Sick bay, this is Nelson.
Get the doctor to Control Room immediately.
Mr.
O'Brien, you take over the watch.
- Yes, sir.
Yes, sir.
- Kowalski? - Sir? - Help the doctor to get these men down to sick bay- - Aye, aye, sir.
- Aye, sir.
Steady as you go.
Heading of3-5-8.
[whirring.]
[Snoring.]
Lee, I'm still in the sick bay.
I thinkl may have some answers.
[ Crane.]
Be right there.
Doesn't look like any blood sample I've ever seen before.
Well, it's blood, all right.
As a matter of fact Well, it's blood, all right.
As a matter of fact it's a sampling of Chip Morton's blood.
The reason it looks so strange, it has an abnormally high nitrogen content.
Nitrogen? Where could that have come from? That's not the question.
The question is where did all the oxygen go? I brought you something to eat, Mr.
Clark.
You need anything? - Kowalski! - Sir? Everything seems so still.
What's going on up there? I don't know.
- They got the whole night watch crew in sick bay.
- Sick bay? - Well, all of them? - Yes, sir.
What for? What's wrong with them? I don't know.
Scuttlebutt has it that it's got something to do with what that Dnjanus is doing in the laboratory.
So, that's it.
Your specimen is feeding on pure oxygen leaving us to breathe a nitrogen-heavy mixture.
Rapture of the deep.
I thought only skin divers got that.
Anyone who doesn't breathe enough oxygen can get it.
It had my control room crew acting as if they were on a payday binge.
We would've been affected too if we hadn't been asleep and our bodily processes at their slowest.
How do you know it's the specimen? - Then tell us something that convinces us it's not.
- I don't know! - I'm still conducting tests! - When are you gonna have your fill of all this blundering? Let's kill it, dump it, and get rid of it.
- O'Brien, what's going on up there? - / don't know, Captain.
We 're losing trim.
I've tried t0 compensate with extra power but the reactork giving out.
Rig for bottom collision! All hands, rig for bottom collision! [ Rhythmic Thumping.]
We've gotta kill that thing.
- You don't know what you're doing.
- I know enough.
It's gonna murder us! - [ Grunting.]
- [ Clattering.]
- You all right? - Yes.
All right, come on.
[ Thumping .]
Damage Control says it's not too bad.
- But the outer hull took a rough jolt.
- And the reactor room? There's just not enough power to get us up off the ocean floor--.
Let alone keep the Seaview in trim with that thing's weight loading us down.
- Admiral, I just wanted to say- - There's nothing to explain, Chip.
At least, right now there isn't.
For a while there I didn't know whether to throw you in the brig or overboard.
Then I'm lucky to have a foolproof medical alibi.
Well, it's amazing that you and the others were able to stay on your feet with all that nitrogen in your system.
No, no, no.
We don't have to worry about that now.
The filter system is compensating for the oxygen that specimen's taking out of the air.
Now, first things first.
Dnjanus.
For the safety of the Seaview and everyone aboard, that specimen must be destroyed.
No, I, uh- I can't let you do that.
Hasn't it done enough damage? One of my officers has been driven to the edge of insanity.
I don't know who's gonna crack next, and we're lying helpless on the bottom.
Its weight is keeping us down, and it's growing so fast it'll soon be bursting through the bulkheads.
Growing.
That's- That's it.
I'll-I'll stop its growth.
I've learned enough about its chemical makeup.
I'll add another element neutralize it, we'll keep it alive just as it is.
Well, then you also must've learned enough to tell us how to kill it.
I won't-l won't kill it.
Don't you see? I can't! It's almost as if- [Chuckles.]
No.
No, it's not almost as if you created it.
Man- Man does not create life.
Um, it was a fine experiment but, somehow, it turned out to be a horrible accident.
L'n"I- I think it was a mistake from the very beginning.
But that doesn't matter now.
What we have to do now is to destroy it and destroy it immediately.
Yes, Admiral, of course.
I'll, uh- I'll help you any way I can.
Well, we know that it's feeding on oxygen and somehow converting it into organic marten.
How? I don't know.
Honestly, I don't.
My, uh- My testing hadn't progressed that faryet.
And the organic matter- Now, what is its composition? Same as the human body.
I did what I started out to do- accelerated evolution beyond all possible imagining' All that searching to find the reason why it took nature four billion years to evolve from protozoa to man.
I know the reason now.
Evolution is such a gradual, seemingly endless process.
Its secret is its success.
Adaptability.
See, I created matter without giving it time to evolve.
That, uh, specimen in the laboratory is a living, growing thing with no adaptability.
I didn't give it the time it needed to develop into some meaningful form the time it needed to, uh evolve its own thinking process.
So now, instinctively, it'll feed and grow until it destroys itself.
Destroying us long before that.
- Yes, I'm afraid so.
- We're wasting too much time.
Now you agree that it feeds on oxygen.
All we have to do is seal off the laboratory and cut of fits oxygen supply.
Why should such a complex problem, Captain have such a simple solution? I don't know how long it could exist on the amount of oxygen it has in its system now.
Even ifit survived long enough to double in sizejust one more time it would split the Seaview apart at the seams.
Sol guess that's the only way out.
Cut of fits supply of oxygen, it starves to death.
What is its chemical composition? Sodium, hydrogen, nitrogen, carbon.
An overdose of what element would kill it quickest? Carbon.
Carbon.
It might work at that.
The spray breaks down into carbon dioxide- two parts oxygen, one part carbon.
But will the specimen absorb the carbon along with the oxygen? I just know that the outer layer of membrane can absorb it.
Whether it will is another matter.
And whether or not the carbon will kill it is also another matter.
Of course, feeding this directly into it, we're taking an enormous chance.
The infusion of so much oxygen directly into its system--- will cause an immediately accelerated growth in both size and weight.
I'm aware of that.
Let's just hope that the carbon destroys it before it grows large enough to destroy us.
Chief I Get these up to Corridor âBâ outside the lab.
Yes, sir.
I still say three of us will have a better chance than two.
No.
lfwe're not successful- lfanything happens in there then it's entirely in your hands.
[Rhythmic Thumping.]
Well, let's see if it'll absorb the carbon dioxide.
[Thumping Continues.]
It works.
The spray's ingested directly into the system.
Not only that, it seems to be liking it.
We already knew about that.
Let's see if we can force enough carbon into it to have immediate effect.
I'll move around to the other side.
We'll force-feed it from both directions at once.
More! More! Nelson! Nelson! [Electrical Sparking.]
Get out! Get out! Get out! We've killed it, Lee.
- You all right? - Yeah.
Damage Control, report.
[ Man Over Speaker.]
There's a leak forward, and one in the missile room,.
But we're going to hold together.
First, Dr.
Benton, then, Dnjanus.
I keep wondering why.
But then, there are so many things there are no answers for.
Maybe it's better that way.
Well, perhaps all the answers are right here.
âAnd the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground âand breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.
And man became a living soul.
â