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[Beeping]
Piedmont, New Mexico.
Population 68.
[Beeping Louder]
Come on.
I didn't
notice them before.
That's crazy. I didn't know
buzzards fly at night.
That's what they look like.
Here.
Boy, that's some dead burg.
Buzzards only come
when something's dead.
Well, I guess we better
go in and have a look.
This is Caper One
to Vandal Deca.
Caper One to Vandal Deca.
Are you reading? Over.
Yes, I'm reading.
Over.
We're about to enter
the town of Piedmont
and recover the satellite.
Very good, Caper One.
Leave your radio open.
[Caper One]
Roger.
[Caper One]
We're now inside the town.
[Caper One]
It's kinda spooky.
I see a church steeple
ahead on the left.
It's quiet here.
It's the damndest thing.
There's no sign of life.
The signals from the satellite
are getting very strong.
Sir!
You see that, Lieutenant?
See what, Crane?
Over by the fence.
It looks like a body.
[Lieutenant]
Easy, Crane.
You're imagining things.
[Brakes Squealing]
[Lieutenant]
Holy!
Sir, it's another one.
[Lieutenant]
You're right.
It looks dead.
Yes, sir, shall I...
No! Stay in the van.
Vandal Deca to Caper One.
What's happening?
- [Lieutenant]
We see bodies, lots of them.
- Are you certain, Caper One?
[Lieutenant]
Damn it, Comroe,
of course we're certain.
Your orders are...
proceed to satellite and retrieve.
[Lieutenant]
Roger, Vandal Deca.
[Motor Revs]
Stay at your stations!
Hit that security button!
Get me Major Manchek.
[Crane]
Somehow they don't hardly
look dead, Lieutenant.
They're all over the place.
Must be dozens of them.
Damn it, get this call through!
[Crane] It's sort of
like they just dropped
in their tracks, sir.
Sir!
Good Chri..!
Do you see that thing
in white?
Yeah, it's coming toward us.
Major, this may sound crazy,
but there's something strange
going on with Caper One.
Sir, I think we should
get out of h...
[Screams]
Hello, Ops, this is Major Manchek,
Scoop Control A-12.
We need a flyby
over Piedmont, New Mexico.
Infrared. A FLIR scan, all sectors.
Film to come direct to Scoop.
Assign Gunner Wilson,
if he's not crocked someplace.
Jeez!
I'm declaring
a state of emergency.
All personnel
restricted to base.
Everything seen and heard
in that room is top secret.
Yes, sir.
This is a recording.
State your name and
your message and hang up.
Major Arthur Manchek,
Scoop Mission Control A-12.
I recommend calling
a Wildfire Alert.
We have evidence here on film
of unnatural death caused by
Scoop 7 returning to earth.
Time check 0-1-4-7 inclusive.
[Doorbell Rings]
We'd like to see
Dr. Jeremy Stone, please.
Well, I'm Mrs. Stone.
We are having a party.
May I...
Does that man
have a gun?
Ma'am, we must see
Dr. Stone.
What is this?
Please call Dr. Stone
to the door.
Otherwise we'll go get him.
Just a minute.
I'll just wait here,
ma'am.
I'll come to Berkeley
anytime, Stone.
That $4 million must be
your largest federal grant.
May I see you, Jeremy?
The S.D.S. has arrived
no doubt.
Jeremy, there are
some Army types in the hall
and two more outside with guns.
They want to see you.
I'll take care of it.
Jeremy! If you knew
about this, you might've told...
I didn't.
I'll explain later.
I'm Dr. Stone.
Yes. I'm Captain Morton.
There's a fire, sir.
I've got to leave.
For God's sakes, Jeremy!
When will you be back?
I'm not sure.
The guns, is it...
Mrs. Stone, it's our job
to protect your husband.
From now on, nothing must
be allowed to happen to him.
I'll be safe
as in your arms.
Jeremy? Jeremy!
You tell the senator
it's his daughter!
[Senator]
Allison?
Dad, something very peculiar
has just happened, even for Jeremy.
A few minutes ago...
[Phone Beeping]
Dad, are you there?
What's going on?
[Woman's Voice]
This communication
is being monitored.
The connection
has been broken for reasons
of national security.
You will be briefed
at the appropriate time.
Thank you for your cooperation,
Mrs. Stone.
[Dial Tone]
I feel like Onassis.
It was the fastest thing
we could arrange, sir.
Thanks.
Yes?
General Sparks here.
I just wanted to inform you...
that all members of your team
have been cleared
and are now being called in.
Except for Professor Kirke.
He's in the hospital.
Appendectomy.
You'll get complete details
on everything
when your team is assembled.
You don't make sense.
You talk like
you've been brainwashed.
You don't understand.
Germ warfare people, Dad?
A lab accident?
Thank you.
It's different this time.
Don't pack, Claire,
I won't need anything.
A hippie.
He's going to a love-in.
I give up.
One minute you're fed up.
You talk about retiring...
to Alaska yet!
Now you've turned into
a cloak-and-dagger man.
My glasses.
Here they are, Dad.
Can't you at least tell me
who phoned
at this ungodly hour?
Grandpa, there's a car,
and they got guns.
Do they now?
Well, that's serious.
I'll watch out.
Honey, you've been dreaming.
I wish I were!
No. Uh-uh.
Get someone else.
Dr. Leavitt, I told you,
there's a fire!
My experiment's
at the critical stage.
I've been working
around the clock.
I can't just leave now.
I want that new plate read
as soon as it's developed.
Yes, ma'am.
My orders come
from Dr. Robertson,
the president's
science advisor in Washington.
There's a phone. Pick it up.
Call Robbie.
Tell him I burnt
my draft card.
Are you sick, ma'am?
We have a physician on call.
All Dr. Leavitt needs
is rest.
Knock it off, Bess.
If the physician certifies that
you are unable to continue...
No!
I'm fine.
Relax.
I'm going with you.
Skin knife.
Hold it, Mark.
Sorry to disturb you.
There's just been a call
from a Dr. Robertson
at the White House.
Your orders
are to break scrub.
Orders? I've got
a patient all ready.
Kelly will take over for you.
It's all arranged. You're expected
in the surgeon's room in 30 seconds.
Are you sure the satellite
isn't radioactive?
No. Manchek showed me
the telemetry reports.
Presumably, it could be
some form of space germ.
Presumably this stuff
is nonporous.
Why did you pick me?
You're an M.D.,
a talented surgeon
who knows blood chemistries...
and you're single...
the "Odd Man Hypothesis."
What the hell is that?
Didn't you read
the Wildfire material
I've been sending you?
Very little.
I never went in much
for science fiction.
Nor do I!
It seems to me, General,
Dr. Stone put one over on you.
In fact, he made us all think
his Wildfire Lab could handle
contamination from outer space.
I disagree with
the senator from Vermont.
Dr. Stone, a Nobel Prize winner,
twice president of the
National Academy of Sciences,
is well known here in Washington.
Is the implication that Dr. Stone
deliberately misled us?
Perhaps not deliberately,
Senator.
I'm reasonably certain
that before the night
the Wildfire Team was mobilized,
Dr. Stone didn't know
Scoop existed.
- I'm astounded.
- Reasons of national security.
Very smart.
We've had experiences
with scientists before.
Now, let's talk about
this famous letter...
Dr. Stone sent to the president
some two years ago.
From what you're saying,
it was just a shot in the dark?
Perhaps that's
a little unfair, Senator.
Dr. Stone and I were
consultants with NASA
on the Lunar Receiving Lab.
He wasn't completely
satisfied. He felt a more
advanced lab was required.
You mean more expensive,
don't you?
I call that Dr. Stone's
$90 million mash note
to Uncle Sam.
[Stone] "In a true biological
crisis which our exploration
of space could bring about,
"the present
Lunar Receiving Laboratory
might prove inadequate.
"I therefore urge
the establishment
of a facility...
"to deal specifically
with an extraterrestrial
form of life.
"The purpose
of this facility
would be to limit...
"the dissemination of
such an unknown organism
from outer space...
"and to provide laboratories
for its analysis.
"I recommend that this
facility be located...
"in an uninhabited region
of the United States,
"that it utilize all known
isolation techniques,
"and that it be equipped
with a nuclear device
for self-destruction...
"in the event
of an emergency.
Yours very truly,
Jeremy Stone."
Don't encourage
the president to think
scientists are wizards.
If things get out of control,
and they might,
even you can't work miracles.
I'd expect to have
your help, Charlie.
Piedmont approaching,
gentlemen.
Go over and give us
a look first, Dempsey.
[Stone]
I was afraid of that.
The birds'll eat
the infected flesh, and then
fly off and spread the disease.
If it is a disease.
Drop the gas canisters.
Someone's supposed
to be alive down there!
Somebody did something.
That's for sure.
Let's give it
a double dose.
[Stone]
That gas will only kill the birds.
Okay, Dempsey,
hover over the main street
and drop the ladder.
Do not attempt to land.
Is that clear?
Roger.
Clearer all the time.
When we climb down,
lift off to 1,000 feet
and hover at a safe distance.
And come back when we signal.
If anything happens to us,
you have your orders.
Yes, sir.
Proceed directly
to Wildfire and then...
If we're eliminated,
the aircraft and pilot
will have to be sterilized.
Wait a minute!
That's not what they told me.
Just incinerated.
Coronary?
I doubt it.
Hall!
Take a look at this.
Are you sure that isn't coronary?
[Hall]
No, coronary's painful.
They should grimace.
If it was fast,
they wouldn't have time.
Fast?
These people were cut down
in mid-stride.
[Door Opens, Closes]
Up there! Look.
An Air Force jet.
If we don't make it to Wildfire,
he'll see the helicopter does...
or shoot it down.
Well, for Dempsey's sake,
we better not slip up.
"The Day of Judgment
is at hand.
Have mercy on my soul and
to hell with all the others.
Amen."
Senile.
This took time!
Regardless of what
made her do it, it took time.
There's a chance
someone's still alive.
I wouldn't believe
you could commit suicide
that way.
Most of them died instantly,
but a few had time
to go quietly nuts.
Let's find
the damn satellite.
This injury,
there isn't any bleeding.
A cut like this... torn veins,
broken capillaries...
should bleed like hell.
Yes. Well, there's no blood
on any of them.
Even where it's chewed,
no bleeding.
[Beeping]
Hold it, hold it!
You'd better back up.
We gotta go to the... left.
[Stone]
We're damn close.
Bear right.
[Beeping Louder]
I'll bet they took it
to the doctor.
There it is.
[Stone]
The damn fool opened it!
Yeah, every country doctor
should run his office
like the lunar lab.
The capsule first, Hall.
We've got about 40 minutes
of oxygen left.
Have a look
at his buttocks.
That's not funny.
Not meant to be.
Normally blood
in a dead person goes
to the lowest points.
There should be marks
of lividity. Do you see
purplish marks on his butt?
No.
Careful you don't puncture
your suit.
[Hall]
Clotted blood!
Powdered!
I'll be damned!
No wonder they didn't bleed. It's
clotted throughout the entire system.
Five quarts of blood
turned to powder!
In theory, I suppose,
a single organism
could do it.
But, in fact, there isn't
an organism on Earth...
You mean
there didn't used to be.
[Clock Chiming]
[Baby Crying]
[Crying]
[Helicopter Motor Whirring]
I don't...
We heard it all right.
Go away!
Go back!
Get back!
Get outta here.
Go back!
[Stone]
Get away!
[Baby Crying]
[Crying]
This must be
the mother.
He's scared,
and hungry as hell.
Can't be more than six months.
There's probably a formula
in the kitchen.
Don't feed it!
He hasn't eaten
in at least 12 hours!
We don't do anything
until we get that kid
into a controlled situation.
Maybe feeding is part of the
disease process. Maybe those
who hadn't eaten lasted longest.
Whatever it is, with
our oxygen running out,
we can't take a chance.
Wait a minute.
This is a major break...
a survivor.
Too bad he can't tell us
what happened.
Maybe he can...
if he lives.
[Crying]
[Crying Continues]
[Man]
You!
You... you did it!
Give me that knife.
You're not human.
Everybody's dead.
What happened?
[Groans]
What is it?
[Groaning Continues]
What happened?
[Stone]
The town is finished,
contaminated beyond all...
Careful, sir.
This is an open transmission.
I'm aware of that, Manchek.
Order up a 7-12.
[Manchek] Only the president...
Precisely. Get on it. The town
must be neutralized immediately.
Has the president made his
decision on Directive 7-12 yet?
He doesn't jump into things,
Dr. Robertson.
First I've got to put together
a briefing for him.
The president's main concern is
the international consequences.
What do you think,
Mr. Secretary?
It's against
the Moscow Treaty of 1963...
to fire
thermonuclear weapons
above ground.
The Russians will have to be
privately informed we're
going to cauterize the area.
Then they'll ask
a flock of questions.
Some we don't want answered.
That'll take hours.
God knows how far the infection
can spread in that time.
[Phone Rings]
Yes, Chief?
Yes, sir.
Yes, Mr. President.
The president's decided
to postpone Directive 7-12
for 24 to 48 hours.
Instead he'll call out
the National Guard to cordon off
the area around Piedmont.
That's your department, Ed.
Safe and sound.
It should've been
left up to the scientists.
It's a colossal mistake.
Tell the president
I said so.
No, but...
I'll get you an appointment.
[Senator McKenzie]
By whose decision, General, was
the site for Wildfire chosen?
[Sparks] Dr. Stone's.
It seemed ideal
because of its remoteness.
There was no inhabited area
near Wildfire
for a radius of 112 miles.
Las Vegas is to the north,
Phoenix to the south,
Los Angeles west.
Weren't you worried
the infection might spread to them?
Yes, sir, I was, but
Dr. Stone and Dr. Robertson
assured the president...
Wildfire was foolproof
because of its device
for atomic self-destruct.
The military
had to take a backseat.
At least they could've sent
a licensed driver to meet me
at that crummy airstrip.
They keep personnel
to a minimum
for obvious reasons.
You're lost!
No one's been down
this goat path for years.
That's how
it's supposed to look.
They spent $50,000 on it.
Putting in the potholes?
Getting rid
of the tread marks.
Those big tractors leave
a lasting impression.
A lot of heavy equipment
has passed this way.
Where's our leader?
We'll catch up to him
and Hall very soon now.
Why'd they pick Hall?
He's no scientist.
Who needs an overpriced M.D.?
Relax and enjoy
your cigarette.
It's your last.
It starts here.
It's a great place
to grow pot.
Just a plain old crop of barley.
Still, it is rather clever, I think.
Something wrong?
I never liked red lights.
Reminds me of my years
in a bordello.
[Chuckling]
Howdy.
Howdy-do-dee.
You got the time?
My watch stopped at 11:46.
Darn shame.
Must be the heat.
[Buzzer Buzzing]
It's no fake,
believe me.
When I retire, I'd like
an agricultural station
like this in Alaska.
You, a sourdough?
Hmph!
The sourest.
This way.
Step in.
[Leavitt]
Cute.
The whole thing,
what a world we're making.
I can see why the kids
are dropping out.
We should've.
It's an emergency, Dutton.
We got tagged. Period.
Until I saw those photos
from Vandenberg, I...
They brought it on themselves.
Who?
The people in Piedmont?
What you said before,
you don't believe the infection
in that capsule was brought back
deliberately, do you?
Skip it. I hope
I'm talking through my hat.
Put your hands on that glass,
palms down. It's a finger
and palm print analyzer. It...
Reads a composite of 10,000
dermatographic lines.
How'd you know that?
Oh, Dutton, I have
a long criminal record.
Then you're in trouble.
This machine has a long memory.
It gives you final clearance
to enter Wildfire.
[Computer Voice]
Isothermal reading
for M.C. levels 4 and 5...
is Z.B. and R.A. over 2.9.
How's Piedmont?
I had to order up a 7-12.
How are you, Ruth?
No other way to halt
the infection spread.
Oh.
Oh, you two know
each other, don't you?
By reputation only.
Ah, yes, up to now
we've had to worship from afar.
Be good, Ruth.
Any messages for me
from the White House?
Not a thing, Dr. Stone,
or you'd have it.
No personal messages?
No, ma'am.
Nothing from Dr. Robertson?
Are you sure, Sergeant?
Dr. Stone, sir, I have
one thing to do. Just one.
Everything else is fully
automatic, computerized
and self-regulating.
I... I listen for
a little bell in here.
Ding-a-ling. That means
a message coming in
is for the Wildfire Team.
Precisely!
An M.C.N. communication.
I'm expecting one.
Yes, sir! Top priority.
Ding-a-ling.
I push a button...
and all five level
control centers are notified
the same time you are.
The bell hasn't rung, sir.
Thanks for the tour,
Sergeant.
Dr. Dutton.
Thank you.
Will you follow me,
Dr. Leavitt? And may
I have your glasses, please?
What for?
They'll be treated
and returned to you, Doctor.
They better be,
or I'll need a white cane.
Who picked Leavitt?
Talk about the Odd Man
Hypothesis, which we haven't yet.
She's really an oddball.
We're lucky to have her.
She's the best equipped of us
to double up for Kirke
in microbiology.
[Computer] When dressed,
the team will proceed directly
to conference room 7.
Keep this with you
at all times.
What's it for?
You're the Odd Man.
The key man,
quite literally.
This other key,
and Wildfire itself,
depend on your key.
Wildfire's equipped
with a nuclear device
for self-destruct.
In an emergency, it's
activated automatically.
I've just inserted the key
in the main station
that arms the mechanism.
The device is ready
for detonation.
When?
[Dutton]
Never, we hope.
It only goes off if
there's danger of infection
breaking out from here.
That silver key
can't be removed.
You're the only one
who can disarm the mechanism
by inserting your red key...
in one of the substations
located throughout the facility.
There's a five-minute delay
between the time detonation
locks in and the bomb explodes.
[Dutton]
That gives you a chance
to think...
and, please God,
call it off.
Look, I'm the new boy here.
Why me?
Because you're single.
You should have done
your homework, sport.
Page 255,
Robbie's Odd Man Hypothesis.
"Results of testing
confirm the Robertson
Odd Man Hypothesis:
"that an unmarried male should
carry out command decisions...
involving thermonuclear
destruct contexts."
Let me take a look at that.
[Stone]
It's of vital importance...
that you always know
where you are in relation
to the nearest substation.
To do that, you have
to be familiar with
the entire facility.
It can be studied on
this electronic diagram...
which rotates to afford
an overall view, or can
be stopped at any section.
Detailed plans of
the various levels and labs
are also stored in the system.
We're on level 1
of a five-story cylindrical
underground structure...
surrounded
by solid rock.
Each level has
three substations, indicated
by the yellow lights.
In the event the nuclear device
is triggered, you can
still cancel self-destruct...
by inserting your red key
in a substation.
After our last
simulation run,
we decided to add two more
substations per level,
but they're not finished.
So don't confuse them
with functioning ones.
At the bottom of the central core
is the apparatus for self-destruct.
Each level
is a different color...
based on a navy study of
the psychological effects
of color in environments.
Also, each level is
biomedically cleaner
than the one above it.
We don't want anything to
contaminate a possible organism.
That would make it twice as hard
to isolate and characterize.
It'll take us 16 hours
to descend...
through the programmed
decontamination procedures
on the first four levels...
to level 5 where
the main labs are.
Where, exactly,
are we now?
There's one way you can always
locate yourself or any of us instantly.
Simply by calling up projections
from the electronic diagram...
on any video monitor
anywhere in Wildfire.
Views such as this.
This shows we're in
conference room 7, level 1.
Each of us is indicated
by our initial.
Our movements are
continuously monitored
on the electronic diagram.
- Where are the patients?
- Where's the capsule?
The patients
are the yellow X's.
The red circle
is the capsule.
On level 5, the patients
and capsule will be isolated
in biologically secure setups.
Are you sure
the old man and the baby
are still alive?
What are their chances,
Hall?
Uncertain.
I'm hoping the intravenous
dextrose and saline will
hold them until we get to them.
[Signal Beeping]
We start decontamination
and immunization procedures now.
You really expect me
to fire the thing?
I'm afraid
you don't understand.
All you can do
is stop it.
In a biological emergency,
the bomb is activated
automatically.
It'll then go off
within five minutes unless
you get to a substation...
and lock in your key.
Oh.
[Computer]
Delta Five to all levels.
We are checking out ray-ban
emergency communications.
This is a test.
Proceed to infrared radiation
decontamination room 1-D.
[Dutton] Also it could be
an organism from another planet
released deliberately.
[Stone]
To wipe us out?
Really, Charles!
Just the opposite.
To make friendly contact.
A kind of messenger to show us
life exists elsewhere in the universe.
It could be benign
in its own environment.
[Hall] Pretty far-fetched.
We can't ignore
any possibility.
[Beeping]
[Computer] You are about
to undergo long-wave radiation.
A buzzer will sound.
Close your eyes and stand still
or blindness may result.
[Buzzer Buzzing]
We face quite a problem:
how to disinfect the human body,
one of the dirtiest things
in the known universe.
That is without killing the
human being at the same time.
It gets tougher as we go.
*** the taxpayers,
the way we burn up uniforms.
They're paper.
I'd swear
it was cloth.
New process.
Where's the next
substation, Hall?
Left of elevator on level 2.
Right. Across the corridor
from body analysis,
our next port of call.
Not for my alabaster body.
I mean it, Stone.
You can take your body
analyzer and you can...
[Computer]
Sit down, please.
Please look at the screen
in front of you.
Please place your body
so that all points
are obliterated.
That is fine.
We may proceed.
State your name for the records.
Surname first.
Mark Hall.
Hall, Mark.
Thank you
for your cooperation.
Yes, dear.
[Computer]
Please answer the following
questions yes or no.
Have you any allergies?
Yes, to ragweed pollen.
Okay, I'll repeat
for your memory cells...
Please repeat your response
for our memory cells.
Ragweed pollen!
This ends
the formal questioning.
Please undress.
This is a scan
for fungal lesions.
Dr. Stone,
this is level 2 control.
The answer is affirmative.
Major Manchek
contacted the White House
at 11:23 this morning.
[Computer]
Contact on all leads
is "R" for ready.
Do not be nervous.
I'm not nervous.
Physical parameters
are being measured.
There's no need to be nervous,
Dr. Leavitt.
Please raise your left arm.
Please sit up,
facing the scan screen
and watch carefully.
You have received
pneumatic injections
of booster immunizations.
You may get dressed.
Thank you.
This recording is now ended.
That body analyzer!
I want to be there
when the A.M.A. gets wind of it.
So far it's only been used by NASA
to diagnose astronauts in space.
You doctors better start
making house calls again.
[Laughing]
[Computer]
This is a xenon lamp apparatus.
To insure
complete effectiveness,
spread your feet apart.
To protect scalp
and facial hair,
place the metal helmet
securely on the head.
Make sure the helmet
is firmly seated
and the visor lowered.
Then raise your arms
and wait.
[Loud Beeping Noise]
You may now remove helmet.
You will notice a fine white ash
on your body.
This is the outer
epithelial layers of your skin
that have been burned away.
Please replace the helmet
in compartment and proceed
through shower in next room.
Then you may dress
and descend to level 4.
We're required to rest
for six hours on level 4 after
exposure to the xenon lamp.
So go to your rooms
and sleep.
At the end of the corridor
is the cafeteria.
We'll meet there
at 0400 hours... tomorrow.
[Computer]
Pharmacology
to maintenance L.B.
One of our R.F.s shows
six points over nominal
at pressure 3.
[Computer]
Watchdog to all levels.
Scoop 7 capsule secure.
Biocheck 66
plus 9 minus OL-5.
LEO control to KEEPSAKE 5.
The pressure integrity check
runs 2.54 G-CM to the second.
Please confirm.
[Leavitt's Voice]
A new form of life.
Like Rudolph Karp's bacteria.
Fools!
They refuse to believe
life exists in meteorites.
I showed them at
the Astrophysics Conference
what I just showed you.
But no,
even with a microscope,
they are blind.
What do I have to do?
Hit them over the head?
[Laughter]
I'm glad you're amused,
gentlemen, but it might
just turn out to be true.
During this symposium,
we'll discuss the possibility...
that intelligent life
on a distant planet...
may be no larger
than a flea.
[Everybody Laughing]
Perhaps no larger
than a bacterium.
[Signal Beeping]
[Computer]
Time to wake up, sir.
Time to wake up, sir!
Hello?
Time to wake up, sir.
Who are you?
Time to wake up, sir.
Do you wish something, sir?
Your name.
Will that be all, sir?
For the moment.
This is the
answering service supervisor.
We wish you would adopt
a more serious attitude, Dr. Hall.
Sorry.
Her voice is quite luscious.
The voice belongs
to Miss Gladys Stevens
who is 63 years old.
She lives in Omaha and
makes her living taping messages
for voice-reminder systems.
Much obliged.
Let's not get sidetracked
on Rudolph Karp
and his meteorite theories.
His technique
was worthless!
I still think we should
contact him.
Fair enough.
Where is he?
Behind the Iron Curtain.
He couldn't get
a research grant here.
[Computer]
H.P. nutrient now available
in the cafeteria...
for staff members
from sectors 1 through 6.
Hemlock!
All for you, Hippocrates.
Not your own venom?
Tastes like orange juice.
Nutrient 42-5.
Developed for
the astronauts.
Eight ounces
satisfy all daily
nutritional requirements.
Except coffee.
And lipid soluble vitamins.
For that we have these.
Help yourself.
So what's the point
of the cafeteria?
Wildfire isn't always
on crash status.
Maybe there's some sugar.
Nope.
Nothing that might provide
a bacterial growth medium.
Precisely.
No sugar in the gut.
I'd like a cigarette right now.
It's after meals you miss 'em.
You should have
no trouble on level 5.
You won't even get
this close to a meal.
We'll be entirely on
high-protein nutrients.
I planned our work
in three stages.
One: detection.
First step is to confirm
that an organism is present.
Two: characterization.
How's it structured,
how does it work?
Three: control.
How to contain
and exterminate?
Jeremy, on this matter
of extermination,
we should go slowly.
Without ever realizing it,
we might destroy a highly
intelligent form of life.
Why don't we get going?
I've got two patients
down there.
- The team has two subjects.
- They're not guinea pigs, Stone.
[Computer]
You may now proceed to level 5,
gentlemen.
Um, stop by your rooms
and insert these
before taking the elevator.
I have risked drowning
in that foul bath.
I have been parboiled,
irradiated and xenon flashed.
And now you suggest I...
I have to!
We haven't done anything
about the G.I. tract yet.
On level 5 we must be
as nearly germ free
as possible.
Anyone care to join me
for a smoke?
[Computer]
Watchdog to level 2, sector D.
You are
Red Kappa Phoenix status.
[Dutton]
Off the main corridor
on the outer rim...
are the living quarters,
conference room, cafeteria,
bio-safety maintenance, etc.
Inside are the labs.
Where is the library?
No need for books.
Everything's in
the computer.
Notice the capsule has
already been delivered...
by the sterile
conveyor system to
the main control lab here.
Your patients are here
in the hot room
of miscellaneous.
We can't have any
direct contact with them.
Poor souls.
[Computer] Dr. Dutton
and Dr. Hall are wanted
in main control immediately.
Hey!
If the patients are sealed off,
how do I get to them?
Ever used a glove box?
No.
Wildfire's gone
a step further.
Whole rooms that operate
like glove boxes.
You'll be working
in one shortly.
[Computer, Indistinct]
We have a magnetic "K" indices.
Give us a code 3
when you get it.
I wanted you here
while we find out...
if there's anything
still biologically active
in the capsule.
Suggestions?
Use a buffalo.
Audio.
[Computer]
Detectors "E" through "G"
correction.
Negative "N" scan.
Negative "N" scope in LY-1.
Affirmative.
"N" indicator in MP-4.
I will repeat.
Negative "N" scan.
Negative "N" scope in LY-1.
Affirmative.
"N” indicator in MP-4.
Whatever killed them
at Piedmont is still there
and still as potent as ever.
If potent's the word.
Let's try a rhesus.
Yeah. We'll want
a postmortem on it anyway.
[Computer]
Housekeeping to level 5.
Clean sweep schedule "B"
now in effect.
Germfree animal technicians,
please consult schedule "A."
So, okay.
Isolate and identify.
Right. You and I'll scan
the capsule, Ruth.
Charlie, you work
on these in autopsy.
Open the S.L., Ruth.
[Computer]
Adjust S.Y. system for
aseptricity as follows.
Points 2-A at 5.
Points 9 through 12 at plus 1.
Plus 3, plus 6 at minus.
Run an initial vector study,
Charlie.
Find out how the disease
enters the body.
Charlie?
Yes.
Yes, the vector study first,
then autopsy. Incredible.
Dutton, be careful.
Let our distinguished surgeon
handle the knife.
Fine, but not for a while.
First, I'm a pediatrician
and a geriatrist.
Take it easy. Charlie
will have a technician.
[Baby Crying]
[Crying Continues]
What's been done
for them?
Just plasma for the old man,
dextrose for the baby.
- Your therapy?
- No. Medcom's.
Do I call you
Miss Medcom?
If you like, Dr. Hall.
My name's Karen Anson.
Good. I couldn't cope
with two machines.
How does this work?
You're lucky.
Medcom's got one
of the best minds here.
It's a medical data analyzer
that can diagnose
as well as prescribe.
It's hooked up to
the main computer on level 1.
Every console and instrument
in Wildfire...
is plugged
into the main computer
on a time-sharing basis.
All our key lab studies
are done on automated machines.
I prefer the personal touch.
It's hard to come by
in those suits.
- Have you worked in them?
- Not for real. But I've been
drilling for three months.
Thank God for an expert.
This sort of thing's
new to me.
It's new to all of us.
Until now,
Wildfire's been like a game.
We've even had simulation
biowar games here...
with live subjects... volunteers.
I mean, I'm scared.
I never believed
this could really happen.
Well, it has happened.
I'll need some lab tests.
Use this to check off
what you want.
Just touch the pen
to the screen.
You draw the bloods,
I'll do the physicals.
Use the bar.
The tunnel seals off
automatically behind you.
The only way you might
possibly break your suit
is with a scalpel,
and a surgeon
isn't likely to do that.
[Computer]
Bio-safety to S.L.
An animal in airlock 0-9-5.
Reconfirm red R.D.P. status
before transfer.
[Sighs]
Second scan completed.
Score,
nothing to nothing.
Go to 100 power.
[Stone] No, Ruth.
Use only one microscanner.
You being paid by the hour?
We could cover the capsule
in one half the time.
There's less chance of
missing something when we both
concentrate on one screen.
Let's go directly to the inside.
We can assume they put the Scoop
on the thing...
to scoop something into it.
They sure got
what they were looking for.
We're not here
to make accusations.
We have a job to do...
purely as
scientists.
Maybe not so pure.
Continue the scan, Ruth,
on the outside.
[Sighs]
No, don't do that.
We'll use the hands.
Nothing can happen, sir.
I'm faster than the hands.
I want you out
of the hot room.
[Computer]
B.Z. Doris to I.Z. Alice.
S.D.T. energy output
is 1.8 to 3.0 joules...
with rate
two to three milliradians.
And we still need
those blankets.
No sweat, sir.
Those cages are airtight.
I wish you would sweat
a little more, Toby.
Sweat is a safeguard
against some kinds of bacteria
and carelessness.
Use the hands.
Wow!
Transmitted by air,
as we thought.
Now we've got to determine
its size.
Could be a gas
or some kind of a virus.
We'll use a hundred
angstrom filter to begin.
About the size
of a small virus.
All systems go, sir.
Whatever it is,
it's larger than a virus.
We'll try a one micron filter.
Hang in there, baby.
He must be pretty big.
I'm gonna get me a fly swatter.
Do that.
Here goes with two microns.
[Dutton]
Uh-huh.
Nasty.
At least we'll be able
to get a good look at it.
Dutton to Stone.
We've just found out its size:
about two microns in diameter.
Big enough to be
a complete cell.
Interesting.
There's a good chance
it's alive.
Airborne transmission?
Yes.
What have you found?
So far nothing.
Our Nobel laureate here...
won't scan on the inside
because he says...
All right, Ruth.
Thanks, Charlie.
Keep at it.
It's pointless
to go on scanning outside.
If it's two microns
in diameter, it would've
showed up at 440.
True, but we didn't know that
before, did we?
We'll start with five power
on the inside.
Stick to established procedure.
Establishment gonna
fall down and go boom.
Switch to manual, Ruth.
The interior's too irregular...
to probe on automatic.
More light, huh?
[Crying]
[Crying Continues]
Here's his blood value now.
Half normal.
Severely anemic.
[Crying Continues]
Wake up, sir.
Can you hear me?
What's your name?
J-Jackson.
What?
Jackson.
Stay awake, Mr. Jackson.
Stay awake!
[Crying Continues]
Tongue blade.
[Computer]
Sixty-eight degrees
on 1-4-0-7.
Sixty-one
on 1-2-0-3.
[Crying]
Loss rate is minus 0-0-12.
Please copy and confirm
all receiving locks.
[Dutton]
You can tell you're a bachelor.
What was that?
I didn't say anything.
We're doing an isotope scan.
How the bugs get into the body.
Thought you should watch it.
I assume it was inhaled.
Not likely it's absorbed
through the skin.
That's what we'll find out now:
the mechanism of death.
[Dutton]
We'll look at a replay of that
at speed 6.
[Dutton]
That tells us what
we want to know, Hall.
The organism is inhaled.
The clotting begins in the lungs
and spreads outward.
I didn't think it possible.
I didn't think
the total volume of blood
could solidify that fast.
I hoped maybe one crucial clot
might form in the brain, which
was what made them go insane,
and then the rest of the blood
clot more slowly.
We'd have a chance
to cure that.
Cure what?
We don't know what it is.
Stone and Leavitt
haven't been able to isolate
the hellish thing.
Of course they will
in time.
[Hall]
Of course.
[Stone]
Hold it.
At the edge of that shadow,
I think...
[Leavitt]
Me too.
[Stone]
It's an indentation.
[Leavitt]
Yes, about the size
of a pencil point.
[Stone]
Go to 40.
Go to 60.
[Leavitt]Jeremy,
do you think maybe...
[Stone]
Maybe it's just
a grain of sand.
Go to 80.
[Leavitt] What about
the bits of green?
[Stone] Paint.
For God's sake!
Pistachio ice cream!
There's no basis to assume
it's anything yet.
You're too good a scientist
not to be thinking
the same thing I am.
[Leavitt]
If this is really something new,
some brand-new form of life...
The best hope of cracking it
is to be grindingly thorough...
with the help of
computer number one.
Okay?
Now let's get on with it.
[Stone]
Hold it.
More pistachio?
[Stone]
I count four patches.
Keep going.
I'll computerize
the coordinates.
Let's take a look
at the rock at 100.
[Stone]
I doubt that's what knocked
the capsule off trajectory.
Unless the rock was going
at tremendous speed,
or unless
it's terribly heavy.
For Pete's sake, Ruth,
it can't be that heavy.
Hall and I could lift
the capsule.
However, it's possible
the rock is different in space;
out there it might do anything.
Maybe it has elastic properties
we don't even know yet.
Let's have a look
at the green patches.
They must've come off
the rock,
if it is rock.
[Leavitt]
You know something?
They do look like
spatters of paint.
Let's go back to the rock
and see it at 440.
[Stone]
If that's a meteor,
it's a damn peculiar one.
This left border
over here,
it's smooth, almost like
an artificial surface.
Painted, maybe.
Luminous paint.
If I keep watching it,
I might think so.
Wet paint sign and all.
Jeremy?
What?
Nothing.
You okay?
It's just my eyes are tired.
We've been at it
five hours straight.
We'll take a caffeine break
in a minute.
First I'd like to see
one of the separate patches
of green at 1,000.
[Leavitt]
Did you see that?
I saw it.
You didn't change
the lighting?
I didn't touch it.
[Leavitt]
Looks alive.
Yes.
[Leavitt]
It's bigger
than two microns.
Which means the infection
is spread by a mere fraction
of the green.
I'm bringing down cameras.
Let's have
the other microscanner.
Stone to Level Control.
I need a Mic-T.
Roger. Will send.
[Stone]
Jump it up to 1500.
Microscan doesn't go
any higher.
We can get
1500 light magnification
in microchemistry.
I'll send the rock through.
[Computer]
Attention C.L.T.s
on levels 4 and 5.
Main computer shows capacity
versus access time...
at ten to the twelfth bits.
For any change
in memory configuration,
C.L.T.s must check
their unicom op.
Beautiful, sir.
I'm the Mic-T.
You're real sharp on the hands.
Thanks. Nice to know one
hasn't lost one's touch.
The next step is to find out
what makes it grow.
We'll need samples from the
scoop to send through maxcult
for culture and isolation.
Roger, sir. In work.
[Leavitt]
Good God!
It's growing.
[Hall]
Not so good.
Naturally he has acidosis.
His blood pH was
nine points off normal.
But why? Stupid machine!
What makes his blood
too acid?
Ask the patient.
[Baby Crying]
Bio-safety to S.L.,
sectors 3 and 6.
Give us a code 3
when you get it.
Mr. Jackson?
Now, don't be scared.
I'm a doctor.
Bull.
Where am I?
A special laboratory
in Nevada.
We brought you here
from Piedmont. You're sick.
It's this damn stomach
of mine.
Bleeding?
Hell, yes,
bleeding!
Bleeding in your stomach?
You have an ulcer?
Damn tootin'.
Two years.
But you must have pain.
What do you do for it?
Aspirin...
and squeeze.
Squeeze?
What's that?
Ain't gonna tell ya.
So you're a Sterno drinker,
huh?
Works good.
[Crying]
Give him squeeze.
What's the baby's name,
Mr. Jackson?
- You the nurse?
- Uh-huh.
Shoot!
Can't see your legs.
[Crying Continues]
Do you know the baby's name?
Give us a butt first.
Smoking isn't allowed here.
Then go fish.
Yeah.
When you're finished,
we'll transfuse Jackson
and start ice water lavage.
He has a two-year history
of bleeding ulcers.
You seem delighted.
It may be the reason
he survived.
If only our young gourmet
weren't so normal.
Well, let's hope
nothing changes that.
We might have to
before this is over.
[Crying]
They should've dropped
the bomb.
They should've dropped it
two days ago, General.
This Phantom crashed
a good 60 miles
beyond the cordoned area.
Men on the ground can't
cordon off airspace, sir.
I just don't understand
why the Wildfire Team...
hasn't beefed about
the delay in 7-12.
It's been almost 24 hours,
and not a word from them.
I don't think Piedmont
had anything to do
with this crash, Manchek.
It was a fluke.
That plane was only over
the W.F. area for two minutes
at 23,000 feet.
It's a routine
training mission accident,
I bet you.
Pilot error.
Let's go.
Check with Wildfire
Message Center, Delta Five.
Make sure everything there
is nominal.
Send me word on scrambler
at Big Head crash base.
Okay.
Checklim program completed.
All circuit banks nominal.
Same thing on
the M.C.N. console, Captain.
[Senator Phillips]
Just a minute, Dr. Robertson.
You're saying Stone's
$90 million facility,
which you recommended,
was knocked out
by a sliver of paper?
[Chuckles]
You tell that
to the taxpayers!
[Robertson]
These were highly-trained
electronics men, Senator,
looking for
an electronic fault.
The trouble was
purely mechanical
of the simplest kind.
But for them, it was like
trying to see an elephant
through a microscope.
The sliver had peeled
from the roll...
and wedged between the bell
and striker, preventing the bell
from ringing.
I'm convinced we're
being held incommunicado.
Very flattering.
We don't know much more
than when we got here.
We know about Scoop now.
It's possible what Scoop found
was no accident.
I suspect they were looking for
the ultimate biological weapon.
Sounds like you're getting
a little paranoid
in this fun house.
What does Stone think...
about the ultimate weapon,
I mean?
We've isolated the organism.
It's in microchemistry.
We'll show you.
[Computer]
Watchdog to electrical support...
All right,
Lieutenant.
[Pilot On Recorder]
Albuquerque Center,
this is Air Force 561.
[Control] Go ahead 561.
[Pilot]
My air hose is coming apart...
like it's dissolving!
Everything made of rubber
is coming apart!
[Gasping]
I feel funny.
It's a fluke,
a vibration effect maybe.
Let's get up there.
Has Wildfire been informed?
You mean the germ people?
It went out to them
on the scrambler an hour ago.
This they can't ignore.
[Computer]
I.B. control
to cafeteria level 3.
Number 4 Charlie hatch
shows condition blue.
Alter responsivity characteristics
until you get condition green.
Ready.
[Leavitt] Nothing so unusual
about our rock after all.
Hydrogen, carbon, oxygen,
sulfur, silicon, et cetera.
Except the black rock
isn't rock at all.
It's some kind of material
similar to plastic.
How about that?
The green is even simpler.
Hydrogen, carbon,
nitrogen and oxygen.
The four basic elements
of life on Earth,
nothing else.
That's a relief.
I'd have been happier
if it'd turned out
not to be alive.
[Leavitt]
Green stuff, you really
had us going for a while.
A.A. analysis results
are ready, Dr. Dutton.
[Dutton]
Something's wrong.
It's not registering.
Yes it is, sir.
It's just registering
double-zero, double-zero.
We'll switch to
computerized analysis.
[Leavitt]
No amino acids!
[Dutton]
No proteins, no enzymes,
no nucleic acid.
Impossible! No organism
can maintain life without them!
You mean,
no Earth organism.
It must have evolved
in a totally different way.
You got it.
It doesn't come from here.
Without chemical reactions
there can't be life,
yet it grows, reproduces...
[Stone] Wait!
The infection at Piedmont
has been stopped by the bomb.
We're secure at Wildfire.
We have everything we need
to achieve a breakthrough.
All we have to do
is attack this problem
like any other in science.
[Dutton] You could spend years
working on a thing like that
without solving its structure.
But when you do, there'll be
some red faces around.
It could change everything.
Great.
Ruth, since Kirke isn't here,
you take over the growth program
in microbiology.
We're halfway home
if we find out what
will keep that from growing.
Charlie, you work with me
on the E.M. Hall...
[Dutton] All right.
Let me get back to my patients.
I'm sure they were protected
by the same thing:
some simple mechanism
I just don't recognize yet.
There's got to be something
that the old man and baby
have in common.
Oh, Hall?
Five minutes.
You told me before.
Yes, we wouldn't want you to get
too far from the substation now.
[Sparks On Megaphone]
Men, keep a sharp eye open
for pieces of rubber.
I'll repeat that for you.
Keep a sharp eye open
for pieces of rubber.
Major!
Major Manchek!
Take a look at that, sir.
We just found this, General.
It's a human bone.
Arm, I think.
It looks picked clean,
almost like it was polished.
That's right.
Well, I don't get it.
There is no actual rubber
on the Phantom F-4, General.
It's all a synthetic
plastic compound called polycron.
It has some of
the characteristics of human skin.
What the hell is that?
What's left of his oxygen mask.
It's made of polycron.
I'd say it was done
by a chemical reaction
of some sort.
Or maybe a microorganism.
Meaning?
Meaning there was something
in that plane that consumes plastic.
How's Maxcult coming, Ruth?
Will you be finished
by the midnight conference?
Easy.
Good. You can give us
the results then.
Feeling better,
aren't you, Mr. Jackson?
Yep!
Do you always have to wear
that iron suit?
Yep!
Maybe you'll tell us
the baby's name now,
Mr. Jackson.
Manuel Rios. Mex.
Real little heller.
Squalls mornin',
noon and night.
Neighbors wouldn't let 'em
keep their windows open.
[Crying]
Do you sleep
with your window closed?
No sirree, Bob.
Fresh air fiend.
Tell us what happened,
Mr. Jackson.
I don't want to think
about it.
You know what people will say?
Piedmont was bad.
That's why it was punished.
First the town went crazy
and then was destroyed.
You're crazy!
Folks at Piedmont was good,
decent, normal folks.
The man we found dressed up
in his doughboy's uniform,
call that normal?
Pete Arnold,
who worked at the store.
It was the disease.
How do you know?
'Cause the only thing wrong
with him before that night
was sugar.
Diabetes?
Did he take insulin?
A couple of times a day.
Hated the needle.
I tried to talk him
into usin' squeeze.
Insulin.
If he missed his treatment,
he'd go...
[Signal Beeping]
Thanks, Mr. Jackson.
[Signal Beeping]
[Signal Beeping]
Oh, my God!
[Computer]
Central C.C.
to big P.C. control, all levels.
Testing laser system.
Please maintain
random fringe drift...
within ten percent
of initial value.
Dr. Leavitt, you have
a midnight conference.
The signal has struck twice.
I heard!
I heard!
I-I've been busy.
The important thing is
something can slow it down.
I think it's some kind
of blood disorder.
If the old soldier
missed his insulin treatment,
he'd go into acidosis.
The same as Jackson
on Sterno.
I'll bet Leavitt finds
the organism shows no growth
on some of the blood cultures.
[Dutton]
What's wrong with
the baby's blood?
- Nothing... so far.
- Then you're back
where you started.
No. Somehow
they're all interrelated.
I'll have the answer when I know
why a 69-year-old Sterno drinker
with an ulcer...
is like a normal
six-month-old baby.
Did you get any
no-growth readouts...
No, but I'm not finished yet.
You told me
you'd be finished.
I decided
to play part of it back.
- What for? The first time
around should be...
- Knock it off, Hall!
[Stone]
Wait. Wait.
We're all tired.
Tired people
make mistakes.
They draw
wrong conclusions,
they drop things.
That mustn't happen.
Starting now, I want the team
to get six hours sleep
out of every 24.
Suits me.
Before turning in,
shouldn't we file
for a code name?
Yeah, good idea.
[Computer]
Nine over 4 over 8...
under 167.29.
Auto check in grade.
Auto check in grade.
[Dutton]
Why Andromeda?
[Leavitt] Andromeda's our...
Stone!
"Directive 7-12
has not been acted upon.
Alternative directive 7-11
now in effect."
They didn't drop the bomb!
It's an M.C.N. transmission
sent yesterday.
Idiots!
Put me through
to Dr. Robertson.
In work, sir.
Burke,
you didn't special alert
an M.C.N. message to us.
There haven't been any, sir.
The bell didn't ring...
Don't argue, damn it!
I've got one in my hand.
Well, well.
About time
we heard from you.
There has been
a communications foul-up.
Never mind that now.
Why hasn't that bomb
been dropped on Piedmont?
The decision on 7-12
isn't final. It was just
postponed 48 hours.
By then the disease could spread
into a worldwide epidemic.
It's because of rash statements
like that the president
doesn't trust scientists.
[Stone]
Warn the president
it may already be too late.
Stay on his back, Robbie.
You've got to make him call
a 7-12.
Can you get me
another appointment tonight,
Grimes?
Now let's all just keep
our heads screwed on.
Any thoughts about
the Phantom crash?
We sent you
a couple messages on it.
A Phantom jet strayed
over the cordoned area
around Piedmont.
- Any other information?
- Well, the pilot said...
that all the rubber on the plane
was dissolving.
His last communication
was pretty weird.
- Like he was crazy?
- He was mighty confused,
that's for sure.
Robbie, it's your job to get
the president to activate
a 7-12 immediately.
If he doesn't, there's no guarantee
anyone west of Piedmont
will be alive in the morning.
Simmer down, Professor.
I'll wake the boss.
But General Sparks says
the crash was just a fluke.
Forget the crash, Robbie.
Stay on that 7-12
and get back to me.
We'll be working
around the clock.
[Stone]
That's a good slice.
It's too thick.
I'm setting it
at 800 angstroms,
and I'm going
to a higher magnification.
Now we're
getting somewhere!
[Hall] Yeah.
But these can't be more
than a few molecules in depth.
[Stone]
That's the one,
that silver one.
[Computer]
This is a Villabach alert,
all levels.
This is a Villabach alert.
Electromagnetic waves
are not registering
on the D.I.R.
Sample in the button
and sealed, Charlie.
Start the vacuum pump.
[Pump Gurgling]
Stone, can I see you?
I have the results
of the growth cultures.
No, we can't leave now.
We have an Andromeda cell
in the E.M.
Okay, Charlie,
let's put it on the screen.
Let's run it
through the computer
for contrast expansion.
Stone?
What do you think?
[Leavitt]
It looks like a crystal.
- Well, gentlemen,
there's our answer.
- To what?
How Andromeda functions
without amino acids.
Crystalline structure.
Yes.
I've often thought
that living matter...
might be based on
crystals of some kind.
All these
wedge-shaped compartments,
they'd serve to separate
biochemical functions very well.
[Dutton]
It's dividing.
In a vacuum,
bombarded by electrons?
It shouldn't even be alive!
That's what I wanted to tell you.
The growth program...
shows Andromeda
can live on anything.
Only gas and light affect it.
- You didn't get any no-growth
results on the cultures?
- None. Look.
The poorest growth
occurs in pure oxygen...
incubated under infrared light.
Andromeda grows best in
carbon dioxide and hydrogen...
incubated under X rays.
No excretions.
No waste of any kind.
You'd expect that.
Andromeda's perfect
for existence in outer space.
Consumes everything,
wastes nothing.
Good Lord. Stone to Delta Five.
Put me through
to Robertson immediately.
What?
God, I hope
we're not too late.
- Tell me.
- It functions like
an atomic reactor.
An atomic blast
could provide it
with enough energy...
to grow into
a gigantic supercolony.
In one day.
You can relax now.
We've just left the president.
He agreed to drop the bomb.
No, you've got to stop 7-12
from being carried out.
Now, wait a minute!
We're not playing Ping-Pong.
We just got through
telling the president...
For God's sake, go back!
It grows when exposed to X rays
or any source of energy.
Tell him no nuclear device
must be detonated anywhere near it.
We just found out
Andromeda works like
a little reactor:
Converts matter to energy,
energy to matter directly.
Then the bomb would only provide
a fantastically rich
growth medium. Understand?
No, but I'll pass along
the recommendation.
[Chuckles] The boss
will be pleased to know...
that he made the right decision
on 7-12 in the first place.
Congratulate him
on his scientific insight.
[Stone]
And, Robbie?
You'd better get
the atomic self-destruct in here
disarmed as soon as possible.
Right. I'll start
on the clearances now.
It'll be done by morning.
No, no, no.
That won't work until
the damn thing's going.
[Dutton]
All the molecules
appear to be the same.
[Leavitt] Yes.
Andromeda isn't composed
of different substances...
like a normal cell.
All the subunits
are the same.
Damndest thing I've ever s...
Boy, a single substance.
[Dutton]
Then how the hell
does it operate?
How does anything so simple
utilize energy for growth?
[Stone]
No way of telling
from that structure.
Yes, there is.
With this new data,
we can get
a computerized version
of how Andromeda functions.
They're not uniform.
Could be mutations.
[Dutton]
What the devil?
[Stone] 601?
The computer's overloaded!
Too much data
coming in too fast.
Dividing and mutating
at the same time?
And nothing to stop it.
Normal Earth checks and balances
don't exist for it.
We'd better get
a biomath mapping of its
new growth potential and spread.
[Stone]
According to this,
there'll be a supercolony...
of Andromeda
over the entire Southwest...
Jeremy, these are
biological warfare maps.
Why, yes, so they are.
Oh, but simulations,
Charlie.
Defensive.
It's just a scenario.
That's not the point,
for God's sake!
Wildfire was built
for germ warfare!
Wildfire and Scoop.
And you knew, Stone.
You knew it!
That's not true, Ruth.
I learned about Scoop
the same time you did.
They already have
Andromeda programmed.
The purpose of Scoop was
to find new biological weapons
in outer space,
and then use Wildfire
to develop them.
It stinks!
You're blowing your tops.
We have no proof.
The map!
Don't be an ***!
That map only shows
what Andromeda could do
in the hands of an enemy.
Enemy?
We did it to ourselves.
Perhaps, but this is
hardly the time
to organize a protest.
Another giant leap
for mankind!
I wish I could believe you.
Whether you do or not,
the only important thing now
is to find the antidote.
Let's get on with it,
Charlie.
Test the cultured organisms
for biologic potency.
All right, I'll run them
against a rat in autopsy.
I want to seal up
the capsule.
Watch it.
Andromeda's altered.
Its effect might be
radically different.
I'll try to get us a photo
of the mutated form.
[Crying]
[Computer]
Photo lab to red map.
The offbeat access reference
reads at 649-F, 1,500...
Please copy.
[Crying Continues]
This may be the key
to beating Andromeda.
How, by starving him
to death?
No, but
don't feed him until I tell you.
[Alarm Ringing]
Contamination!
[Ringing]
[Computer]
A seal has broken in autopsy.
A seal has broken in autopsy.
Emergency procedures
are in effect.
What's the matter?
Infection spread.
Autopsy.
[Alarm Continues]
Is he alive?
I should've been with him!
Dr. Dutton!
It's no use.
It's sealed off.
Dr. Hall!
She's in trouble.
Ruth, are you...
[Groaning]
She's got the germ!
Someone bring 100 milligrams
of phenobarb in a syringe fast!
[Groaning]
There's no danger.
She isn't contagious.
There's no danger!
[Computer]
... to L-5, P.I.E. and E.T.E.
Your second quarter rest period
has been canceled.
Time R.A. has been reassigned...
according to crash program "E."
Come on!
Come on.
She can't hurt you.
Wasn't she with Dr. Dutton?
No, it's epilepsy.
Give her the injection.
She'll be all right.
Good girl.
Thanks.
I'm scared.
Oh, Lord, I'm scared.
You'll be okay, Charlie.
We're pumping pure oxygen
through your lab now.
We know Andromeda
doesn't do well in oxygen.
He's alive!
Where have you been?
Leavitt
had a seizure.
What?
Epilepsy. The red light
flashing at 3 per second
brought on a fit.
Why in the hell didn't
she tell us about it?
No top lab would have her if they knew.
Insurance, prejudice, all that crap.
From the Middle Ages.
[Hall]
Amazing he's still alive.
Well,
it's been three minutes.
He's on pure oxygen.
I don't know how long
that can hold him.
We're, uh, working on
some ideas, Charlie.
[Panting]
Ask your germ warfare friends.
They have lots.
[Stone]
Try to stay calm.
What happened?
Seal must've broken in there.
They had the same thing
at the lunar lab.
That's why we use
polycron gaskets here.
At least the rest of Wildfire
is secure.
Poor devil.
Look at the way
he's breathing.
[Stone]
He's scared to death.
That oxygen should relax him,
slow down his breathing.
No, we want him
to breathe fast!
In Piedmont, Jackson
was crocked on Sterno.
Sterno acidosis.
Acidosis: rapid breathing.
- What the hell you doing?
- Turn off the oxygen.
Put him on room air.
The baby, he's normal.
Cries all the time.
Can't catch his breath.
Rapid breathing?
It just can't be that simple.
It isn't.
Dutton, I think
rapid breathing helps.
Don't let the bug
in your lungs long enough
to penetrate blood vessels.
I want to turn off the pure
oxygen, then you start breathing
room air as fast as you can.
No! No.
I was running a test in here.
The air is thick with Andromeda.
Experiment with your own life, damn it!
We won't do it, Charlie.
Take it easy.
I know I'm close.
I'm sure it has something to do
with blood chemistry
and breathing.
Dr. Hall.
May I please feed the baby now?
He's been crying steadily...
That's what I want.
Keep him crying.
Run another blood value on him.
Get his pH measurements.
Yes, Doctor!
[Crying]
With all the yelling,
blowing off carbon dioxide,
the kid should have too little acid.
Alkaline: a blood condition just
the opposite from the old man.
Too much alkali.
Well, what good
does that do Dutton?
Karen,
where's the blood test?
It's coming through now
on your console.
Hell of a way to run a hospital.
[Stone]
Just what you expected.
Opposite blood chemistries,
the baby and the old man.
One of them should be
a dead opposite
But he's not.
There must be a connection!
They both stayed alive
at Piedmont
breathing the same air.
One's blood too alkaline,
the other too... acid.
Yes. Yes!
Dutton, I'm turning off
the oxygen.
Breathe fast and hard.
No, Jeremy!
Don't let him cut off
my oxygen.
No! The air in that room
is loaded...
Air doesn't matter.
Blood does.
That's the answer.
[Audio Turned Off]
I need 30 seconds
to run a growth program.
He could die in 30 seconds.
Besides, Leavitt checked
all the growth programs.
[Hall]
She might have missed something.
Epileptics blank out.
I want to see how the growth
of Andromeda is affected
by blood chemistry. The pH...
Oh, damn!
[Hall]
You do it.
[Hall] Excellent.
The graph's practically
straight up and down.
That means Andromeda
can only exist within
a narrow range of pH.
[Stone]
A very narrow range.
On either side
of the tolerance range,
no growth.
Nothing, right?
It's exterminated.
Dutton,
our troubles are over.
Look at your console.
[Hall] It grows within
a narrow range of pH.
[Stone] A very narrow range.
If your blood's abnormal,
if it's too acid or alkaline,
Andromeda can't survive
in the body.
So breathe as fast as you can.
Go into respiratory alkalosis.
Yes, fine. That'll shoot
your blood chemistry to hell.
It's what happens to the baby
when he cries too much,
or the old man on Sterno.
[Hall]
How do you feel?
Okay.
A little dizzy,
but okay.
He can't keep breathing
like that forever.
He'll hyperventilate, pass out.
We've got to get him something
to alkalize his blood.
We can't in there.
Charlie!
That cage...
in the hot room.
Right in front of you.
[Hall]
It's alive!
The rat's been exposed
as long as I have.
Longer. I exposed it
to the cultures
before the seal broke.
Precisely.
Andromeda's mutated
to a noninfectious form.
[Panting]
Holy!
Where does
that gasket lead?
Central core.
It connects all the labs.
The gaskets are decomposing.
It's Andromeda.
[Alarm Sounding]
Next sector.
There's no substation
in this sector.
[Alarm Continues]
[Computer]
Level 5 is sealed.
Level 5 is sealed.
Emergency procedures
are in effect.
When the bomb goes off,
there'll be a thousand mutations.
Andromeda will spread
everywhere.
They'll never be rid of it.
[Computer]
There are now five minutes
to self-destruct.
What about the other levels?
Can't tell. Each sector seals
off when it's contaminated,
even the elevator.
[Alarm Continues]
[Stone]
The defense system
is perfect.
It'll even bury
our mistakes.
What about
the central core?
The core's equipped
with safeguards.
Like what?
[Stone]
Gas, lasers, to prevent
escape of lab animals.
- What would my chances be?
- They don't exist for anyone
anywhere if you stay here.
How do I get into the core?
Through that service port.
Go ahead.
I'll ride shotgun for you
in main control.
I can't monitor
the lasers here.
Karen,
get me a scalpel.
[Computer]
There are now four minutes
and 30 seconds to self-destruct.
Cut it off!
Cut the panel off.
Karen, cut it!
Come on. Hurry up.
Hey, Doc, you ain't
leavin' us here, are ya?
The lasers are tuned low
for small animals, Mark.
You can make it if you're
not hit along the spinal cord.
[Computer]
There are now four minutes
to self-destruct.
[Stone] That's the ladder
across from you.
Go before the gas starts.
[Computer]
There are now three minutes
and 30 seconds...
to self-destruct.
[Stone]
That's the gas. Keep going.
The sensors
have picked you up.
Get moving.
Duck!
Keep going.
Duck!
Keep going.
Duck!
[Computer]
There are now three minutes
to self-destruct.
[Stone]
No, it's no good.
The level's contaminated.
You'll have to go to 3.
Go to 3!
[Computer]
There are now two minutes
and 45 seconds to self-destruct.
[Stone]
Sway! Weave!
You're zeroed in.
Duck!
[Computer]
There are now two minutes
and 30 seconds...
to self-destruct.
Keep going!
You'll make it.
[Computer]
There are now two minutes
and 15 seconds to self-destruct.
Fight the effect.
It's mostly shock.
You've lost some time,
but you can still do it.
See the door?
[Computer]
There are now two minutes
to self-destruct.
There is now one minute
and 45 seconds...
to self-destruct.
There is now one minute
and 30 seconds...
to self-destruct.
There is now...
You're in an airlock.
Turn the wheel.
one minute and 15 seconds
to self-destruct.
No, not that one.
The one near the door.
[Grunting]
[Computer]
There are now 60 seconds
to self-destruct.
[Alarm Continues]
There are now 55 seconds
to self-destruct.
There are now 50 seconds
to self-destruct.
Where is it?
There are now...
45 seconds
to self-destruct.
Come on. Where is it?
Help me!
There are now 40 seconds
to self-destruct.
There are now 35 seconds
to self-destruct.
[Alarm Continues]
There are now 30 seconds
to self-destruct.
There are now 25 seconds
to self-destruct.
[Alarm Continues]
Twenty seconds,
19, 18, 17,
16, 15,
14, 13, 12,
11, 10, 9...
Self-destruct
has been canceled.
[Stone]
Congratulations.
I take it the bomb didn't...
No, it didn't.
Eight seconds to spare.
Hardly even exciting.
What's happening?
The supercolony's
now off the coast...
and moving southwest
across the Pacific.
Apparently Andromeda
hasn't turned lethal again.
At least there haven't been
any reports of bizarre deaths.
We're applying an adaptation
of your antidote to it.
Cloud seeding.
We're seeding the clouds
above Andromeda...
with silver iodide.
The raindrops will carry
the organism into the ocean,
and the alkaline reaction
from seawater should kill it.
[Dutton]
Just as acids or alkali
in the blood stopped it.
[Senator Phillips]
This cloud seeding business,
you absolutely sure it worked?
You better be.
[Stone] All reports indicate
the experiment was successful.
[Senator Phillips] Then we can
feel confident your so-called
biological crisis is over?
[Stone]
As far as Andromeda's concerned,
yes.
We have the organism at Wildfire
and we continue to study it.
We now know beyond a doubt
that other forms of life exist
in the universe.
- [Senator Phillips]
Thanks to Scoop.
- Yes.
However,
with this new knowledge,
there's no guarantee...
that another so-called
biological crisis
won't occur again.
Hmm.
What do we do about that?
Precisely, Senator.
What do we do?