All language subtitles for X The Unknown (1956)

- One minute 14, dead.

- Very good, sir.

- Ah, well done, Webb.

- All right, back to your
place, Corporal Webb.

- Well, I think we'll
call it a day, Sergeant.

- Sir.

Sir.

- Yes, Lansing, what is it?

- Please, sir.

I haven't had a turn yet.

- That's right, Lansing,
you haven't, have you?

- I think I should, sir.

- All right.

Bury it again, Sergeant.

- All right!

Come on, Lansing, move!

What are you waiting for?

- Sergeant...

Bury it somewhere he won't
take all day to find it.

- Very good, sir.

- Aw, I told you, didn't I?

We'll be the last platoon
at the cookhouse again.

The food's bad enough when it's warm.

- I'll give him, haven't had a go yet.

- All ready, sir!

- Call him on!

Well, you men should
have a pretty good idea

how to use a Geiger counter by now.

Remember what you've learned here today.

It could save your life.

And one other thing...

You've been practicing with a piece

of harmless radioactive material.

If it ever comes to the real thing,

the radioactivity won't be harmless,

it will be extremely
lethal, so find it, mark it

and get out of the way quickly.

Leave it to be dealt with
by those that know how.

Right?

Good.

When Lansing's done his
bit, we'll call it a day.

- Oh blimey, look at jet moving.

- He'll take a week to find it.

- Not if I can help it, he won't.

- Shouldn't take long, sir.

- I think he's found it.

- Oh, don't be so sure.

He couldn't find the
nose on his stupid face.

There, what did I tell you?

- Lansing!

What is it?

- I'm getting a very good reading, sir.

- Give me the counter.

Sergeant, fetch Major Cartwright!

- Right, sir!

- I knew it.

We'll be out here all night.

- Aye, aye, talk of the devil.

- Bannerman
wants to speak to you, sir.

- Oh good, where is he?

- Over this ridge, sir.

- Mr. Bannerman?

I was just coming over
to see you, Bannerman.

Why haven't you got your men moving yet?

They missed all the
transport back to camp.

- There's something wrong here, sir.

We're getting a reading on the counter

where there shouldn't be one.

- Oh?
- It's strongest about here.

- Where have you got your stuff buried?

- Over there, sir, by the tree.

- All right, let's have a look.

- Lansing!

Mark this spot with my stick, will you?

- Very good, sir.

- Hang on here.

- Come on, Sergeant, where'd he put it?

- Somewhere around here, sir.

- Try the counter, Mr. Bannerman.

- Haggis, do you know what?

- No, what?

- It's uranium, that's what it is.

It's a bloomin' uranium mine.

I wonder if we'll get a
chance to stake a claim?

- No.

Not if the army get their hooks into it.

- Sir?

There's something
happening over here, sir.

- Look, just a minute, Lansing!

- Sir!

- See to it, Sergeant.

- Right, sir!

- You see, sir, the reaction
couldn't possibly be because...

- What on earth's that?

- I don't know, sir,
it sounds like thunder.

- Sergeant!

Get these men dispersed, quickly!

- Right, you men, you heard what he said!

Come along, all of you!

Come on, jump to it!

Come along, come along, men!

Lansing!

Go and get that man, he's got cloth ears!

- Come on, all, come on!

- Come on, now!

Move up there!

- Come on, Lance.

- Lansing, come out of there!

Lansing!

- Attention, please!

Attention, please!

Will Dr. Adam Royston

report to the director's
office immediately?

Attention, please!

Will Dr. Adam Royston

report to the director's
office immediately?

- Cobalt, container 19,
start your readings.

- Two, one, one point five.

- Doctor Royston,

report to the director's
office immediately!

Doctor Royston,

report to the director's
office immediately!

- Sounds as if your father's
after Dr. Royston's blood.

- He'll be after mine if
he catches me doing this.

- Open it!

- It's best to be the
office type, administration.

- Peter, just a moment.

Where is Dr. Royston?

- He asked me to stand by, sir.

- So I see.

- He's in his workshop.

It's all right, this is purely routine.

- Maybe it is, but that's no reason

for you to be doing his work for him.

- Last container coming up.

- Cobalt, container 20, start reading.

- What is Dr. Royston
doing in that lab of his?

- Just an experiment.

One of his own.

- Safe to come in, sir?

Safe to come in, sir?

- Oh, it's you, Russell, come on in.

Stay behind the screen,
it's all radioactive.

- Your radio needs fixing, sir.

Your radio, needs fixing,

it shouldn't make a noise like that.

Blimey, that's clever.

- What, Russell?

- Radio, sir.

- When I'm able to

cut the racket out of the radio without...

Putting that stuff back in there, then,

then that'll be clever.

Now,

what was it you wanted to see me about?

- The director wants you up
at the establishment, sir.

- Oh, no.

- Well, you got a car out here?

- No, sir, I came by bike.

- All right, I'll walk,

I need a little exercise anyway.

- Said it was urgent, sir.

Seemed a bit cross you might say.

- Yes, I'm sure he did.

Tell him I'll run all the way.

- I don't care what you say, Adam.

I am in charge here and I shall decide

what you will do and what you will not do.

While we're on the subject,

I do wish you wouldn't waste Peter's time.

- You mean I should be
wasting my own time?

- That is not the point.

Peter's job here is administration.

Oh, I know, he wants to be a scientist,

but, that's no reason
for you to encourage him.

He has a great future in front of him.

You must allow me to
decide what's best for him.

- Well, I'm sorry, John, I
didn't think for a minute...

- I know you didn't, Adam,
that's just the trouble.

Well, let's see it
doesn't happen again, eh?

Oh, by the way, the army has phoned in.

It appears they've picked
up some radiation reaction.

I'd like you to go and have a look at it.

- Well...

I've been working on a project.

Couldn't you possibly send somebody else?

- I'm afraid not, Adam.

Have a car out in front in
five minutes for Dr. Royston.

- May I see those solders now?

- Of course.

- There's no radioactivity
there now, there's...

You're quite sure there couldn't

possibly have been some mistake?

- Wait to you see those men,
there's no mistake about them.

- Back!

Back!

Whoa!

- Mr. Bannerman?

Just a moment, please.

This chap was nearest the explosion.

We thought he was just a
bit shaken up at first.

Then these burns started breaking out.

Not very pretty, is it?

- No, it isn't.

Thank you, boys.

What about the other fella?

- He's over here.

He went back to fetch that one.

He wasn't quite so near the explosion.

Let's have a look at your back, old chap.

What do you make of that, eh?

- Were you carrying this
when the explosion happened?

- Yes, sir.

- Excuse me.

- Okay, Sergeant.

- All right, sir.

All right, sir?

- Have you finished?

- Yes, thank you.

- All right, carry on, Sergeant.

- Come along, old chap.

- Major, I'd like to get some
further equipment out here.

I want to know if there's any way that,

that you can get a
message back to my office.

- Yes, I'll take care of it.

I'll send it over the air to HQ.

They'll phone it through from there.

- Good.

- Poor old Lance is in a terrible state.

Did you see him?

Horrible.

- I saw a man once,

fell up against a furnace door,
looked just about the same.

He's passed over the new.

- Passed over the what?

- Died.

- Oh.
- Screamed all night, he did.

- Hey, do you mind?

I'm just gonna have my tea.

- Tea?

We'll not be back in time for breakfast.

- Swing that light off!

- If it was so sudden, Major,

How did you have time to disperse...

- Major, you didn't answer my question!

Do you think it is atomic?

- Well, there certainly was radioactivity.

- What are they trying to do now?

- I think they're trying to sound the pit.

- You think?

- If the...
- Radiation?

How do you account for
the absence of it now?

- I don't know.
- What about those burned men?

What's to be done about them?

- They've been taken to the hospital.

- Military of civil?

- Military.

- This one that died, who was he?

- His name was Lansing.

- A National Serviceman?

- Yes.

- Is there anything in the fact

that the only one who died
was a National Servicemen?

- Good heavens, man, he
was nearest the explosions!

- Sir?

- Yes, Sergeant, what is it?

- Dr. Royston
wants to see you, sir.

- Aye, and we'd like to see Dr. Royston.

- I'm sorry gentlemen,
I told you once before,

no unauthorized person is
allowed to approach him.

Listen to me!

You are on War Department property.

I am in charge.

Either you do as I say

or I shall have to have
you escorted from here.

- Gentlemen, please!

Dr. Royston's over by the equipment, sir.

- Thank you, Sergeant.

Goodnight, Gentlemen.

- I'm fair starved.

- Did you hear the sergeant

tell those newspaper fella's off a strip?

- It's all right for him,
he's had something to eat.

- What's the matter with
you, have you got worms?

- You're quite
certain about that?

- Yes, sir.

I'm getting quite a number
of readings off the sides

but I don't think there can be any doubt.

- You want me, Royston?

- Oh, Major, yes.

There's nothing more we can do out here.

I suggest that you leave
a couple of men on guard,

even if it's only to keep people

from stepping over the edge.

- No point in keeping
men out here all night.

I'll have the area roped off

and put up a couple of keep off notices.

- Kiddo, you
get things wrapped up,

and I'll wait for you in the car.

- What is it anyway?

Have you found out how deep it is?

- How deep?

No, we haven't.

- Do you mean to tell me this
thing might be bottomless?

- I mean the operative range
of this equipment is limited.

Goodnight, Major.

- Goodnight, sir.

- How deep do you think
that fissure really is, sir?

- I don't know.

- Now, the Major was going
on about it being bottomless.

He said you told him.

- Did I?

That was very unscientific of me.

- We know it must have a bottom somewhere.

Whatever caused that split
had to have a beginning.

- Had to have an end too.

- Well, surely the forces

causing these surface
splits just disperse.

- Forces causing surface spits

don't burn a man to death by radiation.

- What are you getting at, sir?

- Peter, I'm not getting at
anything, I just don't know.

But, for the time being, let's
assume that you're right.

Now, let's not conjure up visions

of nameless horrors creeping
around in the night.

- It's all clear.

- My dad will kill me when I get home.

- So will mine.

But we swore and we can not break a swear.

Repeat the oath.

- I swear to get into the tower

and look to see if Old Tom
sleeps there every night.

- Are you scared?

- No.

- How will you then?

Let's get it over.

- You'll wait here?

- I'll wait for five minutes.

Three minutes.

Good luck, Willie.

Go on, make haste, Willie.

What was it, Willie?

What did you see?

Willie, wait for me!

Willie, wait!

Come on, Willie!

Don't leave me!

Willie, wait!

Willie!

- What rate, Doctor?

- 60 drops a minute.

Well?

- First degree radiation burns, Kelly.

- I thought so.

That's why I called you in.

- Kelly,

when did he come in?

- About an hour ago.

Perhaps you better see the
parents, they're outside.

Replaced the dressings, nurse, will you?

- Yes, Doctor.

- What's wrong with him, Doctor?

What is it?

- Is there anything you
can tell us, Doctor?

- Well, I'm afraid it's
a little early yet to...

- Your son has been badly burned.

If you could tell us how or...

- Burned?

Burned by what?

- That's what we're trying to find out.

When did you first notice anything?

- It was this morning.

- I went into his room to wake him up.

He was lying there with those
horrible marks all over him.

- Well, yesterday, what
happened yesterday?

Where did he go, do you know?

- We don't know.

He stopped out late with a friend of his,

Ian Osborne.

Ask him.

He'll be able to tell you
where they were last night.

- Oh, Ian.

Just a moment.

Excuse me.

Somebody wants to meet you, Ian.

Ian,

this is Dr. Royston.

Dr. Royston, this is Ian Osborn.

- How are you, Ian?

Thank you.

Let's sit down over here
for just a minute, shall we?

You know,

I've just come from visiting
your friend, Willie Harding.

He's not very well, Ian.

- What's wrong with him?

- You and he were out late
last night, weren't you?

And something must have
happened to him where you were.

I'd like you to tell me what it was.

Where did you go, Ian?

Where was it, Ian?

- I can not tell you.

We swore an oath.

- Willie is sick.

He's very sick, Ian.

- I can't, I can't.

We swore an oath.

- Yes, yes,

but that was when Willie was
fit and healthy, wasn't it?

Wasn't it?

Now that he's sick, see, that's different,

he'd want you to tell.

- Are you sure?

- I'm very sure.

- Well, we went out to
the tower in the marshes.

It was awfully creepy.

I dared Willie to go to the tower.

- Hello?

Anybody there?

Mister?

Wake up, mister.

- What, what, what is it?

Oh, look at the waste!

You care for a dram?

- No, no thank you.

I came up here because...

- Oh, come on, man.

Have a dram.

- That container, that's mine!

It came from my workshop.

Where'd you get it?

- This?

I found it lying about...

- Don't touch it!

- Here, man, mind what you're up to!

- Stay away from that!

You touch it and it may kill you!

Come in.

- Good evening, sir.

- Hello, Peter.

- I can see what you meant on the phone.

Is it safe?

- Unfortunately, yes.

- This is lead, isn't it?

- Half an inch thick.

- There's a sort of...

- I know, I found the same
thing up at the tower.

There's a towel over there.

You won't be able to wipe it off, Peter.

It'll just disappear in an hour or two.

- What is it?

- Well, whatever it is,
it's all over the place.

- How do you explain it, sir?

All this extraordinary damage

just to steal on old sample container.

- Do you know what's in
that container, Peter?

- No.

- It's Tritium.

Don't be alarmed now, completely harmless.

And how long would you say

Tritium retains its radioactivity?

- It's not a very stable
compound, about 30 years.

- 28, actually.

Now, take a radiation reading.

The counter's working
all right, here, look.

Just the luminous paint on my watch.

- What happened, sir?

I don't understand.

- Peter, I'm afraid I don't either.

Yesterday the material in that container

was giving a danger
point radiation reading.

Now, as you just saw, it's nothing.

- But that's impossible.

Isn't it?

- Yesterday I would have said yes,

but this fact is inescapable.

The energy trapped in that Tritium

has been sucked right out of it.

And furthermore, these windows were barred

and that door was locked all night.

So, whoever it was came in
here must be most unusual.

- Really, Inspector McGill.

- Tristin.

- I'm sorry.

But the whole thing's quite ridiculous.

I never thought anyone would
call you people in on this.

- The local police called us.

As you know, sir, any
crime, however small,

connected with this establishment,

automatically comes through to us.

- Quite possibly,

but this crime, if you can call it that,

has nothing to do with the establishment.

This tin can was stole from
Dr. Royston's own workshop,

it's purely a personal matter.

I should have thought the local police

were well able to take care of that.

As for the story of Dr. Royston's

about the tin containing
some radioactive material.

Well, I've spoke to the doctor about that

and I don't want to hear
anymore about the matter,

thank you.

- But I do, sir.

So, perhaps you can tell me
where I can find Dr. Royston.

- Obviously, Inspector,

Mr. McGill,

if you place any credence in this story,

you don't know the first thing

about the basic facts of science.

Now, let me...

- Dr. Royston does.

- Does what?

- Know about the basic fact of science.

Look here, sir, I've been sent up here to

pursue an investigation.

Perhaps you'll allow me to do just that.

Where can I find Dr. Royston?

- And fruit?

Thank you.

- Don't you chaps even stop to eat?

My name's McGill, do
you mind if I sit down?

- "United Kingdom Atomic
Energy Commission,

"Internal Security Police."

Sounds very impressive.

- Impressive, yes, except on paydays.

- Well, Inspector, what can I possibly...

- Mister.

- Okay, Mac, what can I tell you?

- It's about that child that was burned.

Any idea how it happened?

- Well, not for sure, no.

It's possible he may have handled

that sample container of mine.

- Oh, the case of the missing radiation.

Yes, I've heard about that already.

- From the Director?

- From the Director.

There's no doubt as to his
opinions about the matter.

- What about yours?

Oh, I'm not entitled to have any opinion.

I'm only interested in facts.

I was talking to that old reprobate

up in the tower, old Tom.

One fact I did manage to learn

was that child never went
near that container of yours.

He was burned by something else.

Dr. Royston, I'd like you to
help me find out what it was.

- I'm so sorry.

- Oh, Willie.

- I expect you'd like to stay
here for awhile, use my room.

- Thank you.

- The boy's parents.

Is he dead?

- I'm afraid so.

He never regained consciousness.

Adam, we've got to find out
how this thing happened!

- That's what we're trying to do, Doctor.

- Kelly.

- McGill.

That's why we came to see the boy.

- Dr. Royston, isn't it?

- Mr. Harding, how...

- There's nothing you can say will help.

I know about you, Dr. Royston!

You're a scientist, not a doctor.

You don't look after the sick!

You meddle with things that kill,

like they killed my boy in here!

You should be locked up, Royston.

Locked up with others like you.

Letting off bombs you can't control.

You're not safe.

You're a murderer.

- Mr. Harding, please.

- I don't know, Dr. Kelly.

I just don't know.

My wife...

- I don't think he really
meant what he said, Adam.

- Yes, he did, Mac, he meant it.

It isn't true, you know,
it isn't true at all.

We only try to create, not destroy.

- Two minutes?

Right.

Zena, in here.

- Hmm,

cozy.

- Convenient too.

- So I've heard from the other nurses.

You don't want to take any
notice of what they tell you.

- Oh, but I do, that's why I'm here.

What did you think I came down for?

A course of radium treatment?

- Zena, darling, why didn't
we start doing this earlier?

- I've given you enough
encouragement, haven't I?

- But you should've been more direct.

You should've come up and said,

Harry, I want...

I want...

What the?

- It switched on.

Must be your electric personality.

- Stay here, don't move.

- This is where we stored the radium.

- Yes.

Obviously, the radium was the target.

Safe proved no obstacle
whatsoever, did it?

- What sort of heat would
be required to do this?

- Heat far beyond anything
we ever dreamed of.

Don't forget the time element.

Whatever happened in here

must've taken place in a few seconds.

- Perhaps we'll learn a bit more

when we can talk to the girl.

Look, there's another thing, Adam.

- I know, it's all over the place.

- Same as in your workshop.

Any luck?

- I don't know if she'll recover,

but I think it would be a good thing

if we got here away from
here as quickly as possible.

- You mean she won't be able
to tell us what happened?

- She won't be able to
tell you her own name.

- Royston?

What is this?

What are we dealing with?

How could anyone get in here
when there are people outside

there in the corridor all the time?

- Well, apparently, this is the
only place it could come in.

- But, the grill doesn't open,
it's cemented to the wall.

- Came in through the grill.

- But, Adam, that's impossible.

Whatever it was that did all this

certainly wasn't small
enough to come through there.

- Well, how small is 10
thousand gallons of oil?

- What do you mean?

- 10 thousand gallons of oil would take up

a pretty large area, wouldn't it?

And yet, 10 thousand gallons of oil

could come through the holes
in that grill, couldn't it?

- Yes, it could.

- Then that's the way
it got into my workshop,

it came in under the door.

You know, obviously this thing can take up

any shape it needs to.

- Where do you think it is now?

- Somewhere out on the ridges.

Well, thank goodness that
Major didn't take my advice

and station a couple soldiers out there.

- But he did.

- Brew up!

- What's that?

- Tea.

- Do you not hear something?

- Like what?

- I don't know.

Must've been...

No, it couldn't have been.

Hey, Spider,

there's a really great glow out here.

- What is it, Haggis?

- I'm not sure.

You better go and have a look.

- Yeah.

Why me?

- Frightened?

- Yeah.

And I don't mind admitting it either.

You know these parts better
than me, you go have a look.

- I don't know these parts.

- You're a Scot, ain't ya?

- Aye, but I was born 300 miles from here.

- Doesn't matter
now, anyhow, it's gone away.

- Well, I suppose I'd
better go have a look.

Keep my tea warm, Spider.

- Okay.

Hey, Haggis!

Haggis, I've been thinking.

Why don't you and me go
to Glasgow on our next 48?

You can show me the castle!

- Hey, Spider,
come here, quick, look!

- Haggis?

Haggis?

What's the matter, Haggis?

What is it, Haggis?

Haggis?

Where are you, Haggis?

Haggis?

- Guard?

Guard!

- Looks like we're too late.

I suggested this meeting because I think

I have an idea of what
we may be dealing with.

Perhaps one of you may have a solution.

Then again, perhaps one of you may think

that I'm talking a lot of nonsense

and can offer a more logical conclusion.

- What's this gonna be
then, Adam, fact or theory?

- Partly fact, mostly theory.

- I see, well, carry
on, we're all listening.

- I'd like to resurrect for
just a moment, if I may,

a treatise I did when I was a student,

which has to do with the
cooling of the earth's surface.

Hundreds of millions of years ago,

the earth was like the sun.

No form, no solidity to it,

it was just a blazing mass of energy.

And then the Earth started cooling,

and as it cooled an
outer crust was formed.

The energy was still there,

but it was being compressed
beneath this crust.

As time went by, the crust grew deeper.

And the compression became
greater as this vast energy

was being squeezed into
an ever decreasing space.

- May I interrupt a moment, Adam?

What you're telling us is
something every schoolboy knows.

What's it leading to?

- I'm sorry, maybe I should
skip the preliminaries.

- No, don't skip anything, Adam.

I was never very bright at school.

- Well, then in a comparatively
short space of time,

a matter of a 100 thousand
years, man has evolved.

And man has evolved from nothing

to becoming the most intelligent creature

on the surface of this planet.

Now, considering the far
greater span of time involved,

isn't it reasonable to assume

that the forces contained
in the center of this earth

have developed an
intelligence of their own?

If we accept this, we must then consider

what these forces would think.

Their world is slowly being
compressed out of existence.

Therefore, survival must be
uppermost in their thoughts.

What's more natural in
their search for survival

than that they should return
to the face of the planet

where once they lived?

Now,

if you check, you will
find every 50 years,

by virtue of the position of
the Earth in the solar system,

a greater pull is exerted on
the surface of this planet

than at other times.

Quite unnoticeable to us,

but 2,000 miles down, who knows?

And during the short period of time

that this pull is at its most powerful,

you will also find there's
always been a freak earth tremor.

And that in each of these cases,

a fissure has opened in
the surface of the Earth.

Now, what if, on these occasions,

some of the vast energy trapped below

had caused the eruptions or tremors

in an attempt to reach the surface?

What if, in fact, it
did reach the surface?

It looked around for a means
to sustain its existence.

For to live, one must have nourishment.

And these forces are almost pure energy,

and what does energy live on?

- Energy.

- Exactly.

Energy can only be fed with more energy

or radiation, if you like.

50, 100, 150 years ago,
these forces found themselves

without any means of sustenance

and their mass became unstable
and they disintegrated.

Now,

we come to this 50 year cycle.

This time, there's radiation.

There was radiation in the hospital.

There was radiation in my workshop.

As long as this thing feeds, it will live.

And the more it lives,
the more it will grow.

- It's fantastic.

- I admit, it does sound
that way, doesn't it?

But if anyone can offer
a simpler explanation

of what's been going on,

I'd be grateful and relived to hear it.

- Are you trying to tell us

that some kind of creature
came up out of the fissure?

- Mac, I'm not trying
to tell you anything,

I'm just putting forward a theory

based on the facts that we know.

- So, what do we look for?

- I don't know.

- And what do we
do if we find something?

- I'm afraid I don't know that either.

- How big is this thing supposed to be?

- Might be the size of my fist.

Might be as large as a house.

- We can't stand about here.

We've got to find this
thing and destroy it.

- Destroy it?

How are you going to do that,
shoot it, burn it, blow it up?

- Listen to me, all of you!

We've been told a story
based on a little fact

and a great deal of fiction.

I'm amazed that this
story has been accepted

by all of you without the
slightest doubt or hesitation.

I said just now that I
thought the whole thing

was fantastic, I'll go further than that!

It's absolute rubbish!

Dr. Royston, you're a
scientist, you deal with facts.

A man of your intelligence
and capabilities

has no right to talk as you have.

You astound me!

- What about that boy being burned?

- We've been all through that.

- And that business at the hospital?

- There must be some

perfectly logical explanation for it.

I suggest we leave the police
to find out what it is.

- I'm the police, in a way,

and I've come here to
get Dr. Royston's advice.

- In that case, I'll waste no more time.

Good night, gentlemen.

- I'm sorry if anybody
else feels that way.

- Let's try and get a look at this thing.

- The only way we can do
that is go to the fissure.

- But we've been there
more than once already.

We've seen nothing.

- You misunderstood me.

Somebody has got to go
down in the fissure.

- Well, all ready, sir.

- Peter, now, you're quite sure

you still want to go through with this?

- Oh now, we've argued this out before.

After all, I did volunteer for the job.

- He's right, Adam.

- Okay, Peter.

- Thank you.

- Senior doesn't like it at all.

- Nor do any of us.

- Director of the establishment
has been on to him,

told him he thinks the whole
things a waste of time.

- I hope you're not in any trouble, Major.

- Not yet, but I have
strict orders what to do.

- All ready, sir!

- You're all right now, are you?

- Yes, sure.

- What's the drill?

- If there's any radioactivity
on that Geiger counter,

let us know and we'll
get you out of there.

- Mm-hmm.

Right, lower it away.

Keep going.

Lower.

Lower away.

Keep going.

Lower.

- You all right, sir?

Nothing to report, sir.

- Lower.

Oh.

Whoa.

Stop, stop there.

- Hold it!

All right, lower away again.

Stop lowering.

You all right, sir?

He's all right.

- Ugh.

Ugh.

- What is it?

He's all right but
something's happening, sir.

- No, it's all right, keep lowering.

Keep lowering!

Stop, stop lowering!

Get me out of here.

Get me out of here, quick!

Faster! Faster!

- Faster!

Fast as you can!

Come on now!

- Bring him up, boys.

Come on, boys!

- Faster, heave!

Fast!

Crank faster!

- Come on now, faster!

- You were right, sir.

There's a body of a soldier down there.

- It's all burnt up.

- What else?

- Well, never mind about that,
let's get away from here.

- Peter, what
did you see down there?

- I don't know what it was.

It was like something out of
a nightmare, it was horrible.

- We'll talk about that later,
you get in the car, Peter.

- I told you I had my orders, sir.

They were to take action if
anything was found down there.

- What sort of action?

- Kill whatever it is and
concrete the whole thing over.

- Concrete it over?

You don't mean that.

- Those are my orders.

- Well, Major, when do you start?

- Tonight, right away.

Sergeant?

- Right, sir!

- Well, you seem to be making a job of it.

- I think this should do the trick.

What about you?

You know this Royston chap,
brilliant of course, I'm sure.

But the trouble with some
of these scientific types

is they can't see the
easy way out of anything.

It's got to be complicated
if it's going to work.

- Come in, come in.

Hello, Mac.

Where you been all day?

Here, hold this.

- Down at the fissure.

- Oh, they finished down there?

What did they do, exactly?

- Practically everything.

Flame throwers, high explosive,

and a neat little concrete tombstone.

- Rest in peace, huh?

- You don't think it's
done any good, do you?

- Well, how could it?

Let's look at the facts, you know this...

Here, give me that.

There's this X, this unknown
quantity, whatever it is,

has forced its way through
miles and miles of solid rock.

How's a couple feet of
concrete going to stop it?

- But what about the
flamethrowers and explosive?

Nothing could live after that.

- Perhaps nothing we've
ever encountered before,

but, no, this isn't a living
organism, as we know it.

Its life source may be
the same as we've got here.

Stay on the side of the screen.

Excuse me.

Now, Mac, how would you
go about killing that?

- What is it?

- Its a particle of mud.

And by virtue of it's atomic
structure, emits radiation.

That's all it is, just mud.

How do you kill mud?

Have you informed anyone
in London about all this?

- No more than a half a dozen times.

- And?

- Well, at first they were
interested, but skeptical.

They suggested I get in touch
with the Director about it.

And later on, the Director
got in touch with them.

The result is, I've been
called back to London.

- When?

- Tonight.

I'm catching the last plane from Glasgow.

- Mac, I'm sorry to hear that.

You've become one of my staunchest allies.

- Adam,

this thing is going to
break out again, isn't it?

- In my opinion, yes.

- Isn't there anything
we can do to stop it?

- I don't know.

Something I've been
working on a long time now.

A method of disintegrating
atomic structure,

obviating with assault and explosion.

- What's that?

- Well, it's...

Look, what's an atomic bomb?

- It's a breaking up of
atomic particles, isn't it?

- Well, not quite, but
that's close enough.

You see, I'm trying to
achieve this breaking up,

without the explosion.

This is a...

Look, I'll show you.

Now, in that lead container

is an atomically unstable compound.

Two things can happen to it...

Either it will continue
to give off radiation

for the next 200 years,

or it can be subjected to an outside force

which will disintegrate it
in a fraction of a second.

- A bomb, in fact.

- Well, if you like, yes.

But, see, that's what
I'm trying to prevent.

Now, theoretically,

if you draw this stuff
between the scanners

and adjust the scanners
to a certain pitch,

a neutralizing affect should be achieved.

- You mean to say that this apparatus

would neutralize an atomic bomb?

- So that it wouldn't explode?

- That's my point, it couldn't.

It wouldn't be a bomb anymore.

It would just be a handful of mud

and a very expensive casing.

- But, Adam, that's fantastic!

- A step in the right direction
anyway, isn't it, Mac?

- Will you be able to use this

against that thing out there?

- Six months time, perhaps, but...

Yes, Russell, what is it?

- Mr. Peter sent me down to
remind you of the time, sir.

- Oh, yes, yes, thank you.

Oh, Russell, you were able

to locate Mr. Elliott, weren't you?

- Not yet, no sir.

- Oh, that's too bad.

All right, thank you, I'll be right out.

We're taking the cobalt
out of the pile tonight,

and we haven't been
able to locate John yet.

Well, Mac,

we're sure going to miss you around here.

- Goodbye, Adam.

Good luck.

- Oh, Peter,

is that truck ready?

- Yes, it's standing by outside, sir.

- Well, as soon as these are all out,

I want you to get a quick
reading, and then we'll load them.

- The pile is now inactive!

The pile is now inactive!

- Okay, boys, let's get
started and I'll get these out.

- No, sir, I don't.

I think we have every
chance of seeing it again.

Excuse me.

I'm sorry, sir, the line is bad.

Yes, I see.

But I only want one more night, sir.

If nothing happens,

I can catch the first
plane tomorrow morning.

- Station Sergeant speaking.

- Yes, of course.

- Aye.

Aye.

Where?

- Well, thank you, sir.

Oh, there's one other thing.

I believe the Director, Mr. Elliott,

got in touch with you earlier today.

- You must speak up, this phone's bad!

- Oh, yes, I've seen him.
- I've got that.

What about the occupants?

They what?

You must be mad!

- No sir, he doesn't, I
know, but all the same.

All right, sir.

Very well, goodbye.

- All right, I'll send
somebody out right away!

Williams, I want you to go
out, there's been an accident!

- Right, Sarge!

- Thank you, Sergeant.

- Right, sir.

And tell McGowan to report
to me when he comes off duty.

People melting, indeed.

- What's that you say?

- Oh, there's
been an accident, sir.

Four miles from here.

- Yes, I know, I heard that,

but what's this about people melting?

- Well, that's what the
man on the beat said,

I think he must be crackers...
- Let me have that address.

Thank you.

- Hey, what do you think you're doing?

Do you hear me?

I say, what do you think you're doing?

Sorry, sir.

- Where's the nearest telephone?

- The nearest public phone

is a couple of miles away, sir.

But maybe one of these people
will let you use theirs.

Anybody live near here with a phone?

- Aye, there's a phone in my shop,

half a mile down the
road, you can use that.

- Thanks very much.

Pop in the car, I'll drive you down.

- Dr. Royston?

- Oh,

John, we've just taken the
cobalt out of the pile.

There wasn't really time...
- On whose authority?

- Well, there wasn't really
time to check with you.

- You know how long it takes
to get that pile started again.

You'll put the cobalt bombardment
weeks behind schedule.

Entirely on you own initiative,

you break in on an official experiment.

You deactivate the pile
without consulting me.

This isn't your workshop, Royston!

This is a government...
- Hello?

- And I'm its director.

- Look, I'm sorry, you'll
have to speak louder.

No, he's busy right now,
this is Peter Elliott.

Oh yes?

Yes, I'll tell him right away.

Dr. Royston,

it's McGill.

It appears what you were
afraid of has happened.

It's just killed four people in a car.

The line's terrible but I
think he said they'd melted.

- Hello, Mac, this is Royston.

What's this all about?

Yes.

Wait a minute.

Just a minute.

Do you have a pencil, please?

Go ahead.

Yes.

Where?

Yes, right.

Right.

Got it.

Do you have a local
surveying map in your office?

- Yes, there's one up there.

- Let's take a look at it.

- Yes, of course, come on.

- This point right here is the fissure.

Now, here is the hospital.

This is where something was seen glowing.

Now, over here, is my workshop.

If we follow this line,
right here is the old tower.

You know, this thing can
obviously sense radioactivity.

And once it does, nothing can stop it.

Makes straight for the radiation.

And then returns to the fissure.

And by these lines, it's pretty clear

it returns by the same route.

Now, this latest report, this
burned out car, is right here.

Now, if we extend the line

from the fissure through this point,

somewhere along this extended
line is where it's headed.

- I see.

- Here?

- That's right.

It's on its way for the
biggest meal of its life!

- Hurry up, man,
hurry up, open the gate!

- All right, all right.

- Oh, come along,
man, open up the gate!

- Let's see your pass.

- Oh, you know me.

Come along, open up!

- Sorry, sir, let's see your pass first.

- Here.

- All right, sir.

- We daren't put that
cobalt back in the pile,

we've got to get it out of here fast.

There must be a limit

to the distance it can sense radiation.

We've got to get beyond that point.

- Adam.

I just wanted to say that,

oh, nevermind.

I'll go and warn the security people.

- Mac.

- Adam.

Any sign of it yet?

- No, not yet.

- It can't be far off.

I've warned everybody to keep indoors.

Upstairs, if possible.

I posted every man I could lay hands on

to keep watch for it.

I tried to phone London again,

but there's something the
matter with the lines.

Some sort of interference.
- Yes.

Well we've got the same trouble here.

Nobody spotted a thing, huh?

- None of my men have seen anything.

I'd like to know why?

A thing that big simply can't disappear.

- No, but it might alter its form

and become almost
invisible, isn't that true?

- What's going on here?

- We're trying to get this
cobalt loaded and out of here.

- What about the gates around this place?

- They're being watched.

I've got extra men patrolling the wire.

- I'd like to phone around
the gates, if I may.

- Yes, there's an internal phone in there.

The line isn't very good, I'm afraid.

- Raise it up!

Raise it up.

- Peter!

Check the main gate,
see if you can spot it.

- Right!

- Let's clear this yard, boys!

- Adam, what about the cobalt?

- There's nothing we
can do about that now.

- But if it gets near,
it might explode it.

- Then we'll be the first
to explode a cobalt bomb,

now clear out of here!

Boys, get out of this yard, come on!

- Hello!

Wait a minute!

Don't go near that gate.

Where can we see it from?

- Up that ladder, sir!

- Tell everyone you see to keep clear

of the west approach to
the reactor building.

It's coming in that way!

- Our only chance is the hope
that it absorbs radiation.

- Won't that make it as
unstable as the cobalt is now?

- Yes, yes, it would.

- Dr. Royston!

It's on its way!

The man on the main gate
had it just like the others.

It's coming in on the west side.

Look!

There it is on the roof!

- It's growing larger.

- The mass has to increase

to accommodate the extra radiation.

- How big will it get?

- The important thing is

how unstable is it going to get?

- Isn't there anything we can do?

- Well, we can try, but not here.

The only thing we can do

is to let it go back to the fissure.

Now we know the exact route it will take

so let's clear that route and
get everybody out of its path.

- I'll see if the army has a helicopter.

We can use that to keep a check on it,

in case it changes direction.

- What are you going to do, Adam?

- I'm going down to my workshop.

- It's moving.

- Any luck?

- I can't hear a thing.

The static's drowning out everything.

- The sergeant
says that's a sure sign

the thing's not far off.

- Aye.

Let's get back to Lochmouth.

- Aye!

- Come on now, hurry!

You'll all be safe inside the chapel.

Come on, now!

Inside!

Hurry!

- Do you need any help, Minister?

- I don't think so.

How near is it going to come?

- It should pass within a 100
yards of where you are now.

Between those trees.

- How much longer?

- About two minutes, as far as I can tell.

- Come on, Mrs. McGinty,
let me take your bundle.

Come on, it's nice and warm inside.

There you are.

- It's changed direction!

It's not following the same route!

- Plot a map the other way out.

- That was close.

Army copter to mobile,

heading out to Lochmouth, traveling east.

Oh, what's the use,

they'll never hear
anything in this static.

Have you got an Aldis lamp?

- Yes, one down on the right, sir.

- Well, fine, let's get
over to checkpoint three.

Just there.

- Come on, ladies, hurry!

There isn't a time to lose.

Hurry!

Inside, quickly.

Wait here.

- Every line out of this place is useless.

The radio's even worse.

We have no hope of getting
through to London now.

We've got to handle this ourselves.

- I still think that as soon
as it gets to the fissure,

we ought to leave it alone.

That is, until we can get
in touch with the ministry.

- Look, Mr. Elliott, Adam says
the larger this thing grows

the more its range will increase.

You know the next point it will make for?

There, that's it,

the experimental nuclear
power station at Glen Cardiff.

And to reach there,

it will go right through
the center of Inverness.

Now do you see, we've got to
stop this thing at the fissure.

And we've got to stop it for good.

- Well, Adam?

- How's it going?

- Not too good, I'm
just ready to try again.

Watch out now, just in case.

- That's it, it's worked!

- You've done it,
Adam, you've done it!

- Adam, look!

The container, it's glowing!

- What's happening, sir?

- Well, that won't do,
we'll have to try again.

- There's no time to try again.

- If a piece of material
no bigger than a pin head

can cause an explosion like that,

can't you imagine what
would happen out there?

We've got to have time!

- I don't care, Adam, we've
got to take the chance!

We've got to try and stop
this thing at the fissure!

- Dr. Royston!

Those scanners,

they could have slipped
out of synchronization.

- They might have, yes.

Might have been a hundred other things.

But could it have been the scanners, Adam?

- Yes, yes, they...

being out of sync might have caused it.

- Everything you've asked
for is at the fissure, Adam.

Trucks, radioactive
material, everything's ready!

- Well, if that's the way it's
got to be, let's get started.

- Tell them to get that
copter away from here.

Noise enough to wake the dead,

let alone that thing down there.

- Right, sir.

- Is everything here, Major?

- Half an hour ago.

- What are all these men doing?

Mac, let's clear this area.

- Well, if anything goes wrong, Adam,

it won't matter much where they are.

- True, but they'll get in our way.

Now, is this our Jeep?

- That's it, just as you ordered.

- You know what you got
on the back there is bait,

don't you?
- Yes, sir.

- The purpose is to entice
whatever is down there out.

Now don't you get any closer than 15 feet,

you understand that?

- Very good, sir.

- Let's get started.

Have the trucks follow.
- Right.

Mr. Thomson, follow this car down.

- Right, sir.

- Now, Peter, don't let that Jeep

get any closer than 15 feet.

Remember that, 15 feet.

- Right, sir!

- Can we do anything to help, Adam?

- No, Mac, just keep your fingers crossed.

- Right, well, we'll stay
out of your way, anyhow.

- Major, impress upon your men

the importance of keeping
these scanners in phase.

As soon as we're ready,

I'll give the signal for the switch on.

- Right.

- Everything all right?

- Watch it, sir.

I've got the cobalt out.

- I'll get the men under cover, sir.

- What?

Yes, yes.

- All right, you lads, take cover!

Come along, all of you!

Get your heads down behind this bank here!

Come on, Dole, what're you waiting for?

- What's going to happen, Sarge?

- I'm gonna kick your head in

if you don't get it down,
that's what's gonna happen!

- Give me the OK as
soon as you're synchronized.

- Right!

- You ready, number one?

- Ready, sir!

- Are you ready, number two?

- Ready, sir.

- Excuse me, Major.

Peter!

Turn on the Jeep!

- Bring out the Jeep!

Hey, what's the matter?

Right, come on, get out, I'll take it.

- Good luck, sir!

You better take cover too.

- It's Peter.

- What do you think you're doing?

- Well somebody's got to do it.

The driver's sick.

- That's no reason why you should...

Careful, son.

- What's he doing?

Peter!

Peter, don't go any closer!

Peter, don't go any closer!

Peter!

- Peter!

Peter, don't be a fool!

Get back, get back!

- Peter!

Peter, get out of the Jeep!

Get out of it, run for it!

Switch on one.

- Switch on!

- Switch on!

- Switch on!

- It's gone.

Adam, it's gone!

- It worked, Mac, didn't it?

Bring out the Geigers!

Let's have a reading!

- What was that?

- I don't know, but it
shouldn't have happened.

- But the thing's gone!

You should be very proud,
Adam, your theories worked!

- It has, Adam.