Original subtitles

[man] So you abandoned ship?

Yes, sir. It's in the report.

I've read the report.

It's quite a tale.

I've also read the investigation report

provided by the Judge Advocate's office

and their recommendations.

I'm afraid it isn't good news, Bill.

The agency can't ignore The evidence of what you did.

What I did?

They say you deliberately stayed up there far too long.

But, sir, I was perfectly fine.

They disagree.

They think you lost your mind up there.

And by your insistence on prolonging your assignment,

you allowed yourself to become psychologically unhinged...

and that you killed your own people.

What?

They're wrong.

I didn't kill anyone.

You have to convince the hearing of that.

Hearing, sir?

Captain William Clark,

by order of the Chairman's office,

I'm directed to place you under arrest

for violation of your duties as an officer of the fleet,

and for the murder of three of your crew.

[Gordon] Video log science module one.

Mescadrine study 254-J continues.

Crystal formation has remained constant

over the last 12-hour period.

As expected, zero-gravity environment has accelerated crystal growth.

Pressure valve on chamber seems normal.

0.6%.

[sighs] He says he'll take another year

to perfect an antidote for space psychosis.

Which is gonna put off any long term space assignments.

Bill, you've already been up for a year and a half.

At some point you'll have to go back.

Yeah? To what?

To your life.

A life outside this shoe box.

Frankly, I don't understand your obsession with staying here.

Even our engineer's showing signs he's been on board too long.

The problem with you, Doc, is you can't tell the difference

between space sickness and a hangover.

Either is enough to keep you under observation.

Hey, Gordon's been under observation for over a week now.

I'm short on crew.

That space debris that hit us left a hell of a mess.

Sorry, but he stays on light duties.

I don't mind, honest.

All right, what about repairing

an air duct in the service module?

Very simple.

That light enough, Doc?

Well, I suppose it could be.

-Gordon. -Sir?

Off to air duct land, please.

Have fun.

[boy] Dad?

Dad.

Dad.

You promised we could play some ball.

Billy?

Billy, is that you?

Dad!

Come on, let's play some ball.

Come on, you promised.

How the hell did you get in the airlock?

[giggles] Come on, Daddy.

[alarm sounding]

Billy, come here. Come on, come on.

You shouldn't be in here.

Billy! Come on!

[female voice] Five seconds to airlock closure.

Four, three, two, one.

No!

Commencing depressurization.

[laughing]

[control voice] There is nothing wrong with your television.

Do not attempt to adjust the picture.

We are now controlling the transmission.

We control the horizontal and the vertical.

We can deluge you with a thousand channels

or expand one single image to crystal clarity

and beyond.

We can shape your vision

to anything our imagination can conceive.

For the next hour,

we will control all that you see and hear.

You are about to experience the awe and mystery

which reaches from the deepest inner mind

to The Outer Limits.

[control voice] The search for truth is a uniquely human process,

A quest guided by our perception of an event.

But what happens to the truth

when what we see and what we think we see

are two very different things?

How did it happen?

I don't know. I was in the habitation module.

He definitely used his password.

Access at 16:23.

But why? I thought he was fixing an air duct.

That's what he was supposed to be doing.

All right. Conduct a module diagnostic.

I'll contact Earth Command.

Captain.

He was your best friend.

If you prefer, one of us can tell them.

Really, Captain, I've got important work to complete.

[woman] Aren't you coming back to bed?

This is impossible!

Everything is possible, my love.

Touch me.

Find out for yourself.

Don't stop there.

My God, I've missed you.

I brought you some wine.

[gasping and choking]

[female voice] Attention! Security alert.

Keep the diagnostics running. I'll check it out.

Attention! Security alert.

Attention! Security alert.

[beeping]

[William] Somerset!

Captain?

Laura.

You always were so predictable.

[chuckling]

You can't be real.

I put you in the prison myself.

Laura.

Did you really think they could keep me in there?

Keep me from coming after you?

You bastard!

[alarm sounding]

Where's Laura?

She's in the lab.

Then it's killed her. It's gonna kill us, too, unless we get off the station.

-What are you talking about? -There was an explosion in the lab.

What about Somerset?

He's dead. We've got to escape while we still can.

No, I can't just leave.

-Doctor, that's an order. -Tell me what's happening.

Doctor, that's an order. Go!

Go.

[beeping]

[engine powering up]

Defense Counsel.

It's almost time.

How's the panel look?

Fair.

Admiral Jones will be acting as chair.

The Russians have appointed Admiral Yurov,

and the Brits have sent Admiral Birch.

Birch?

Why don't they just shoot me now and get it over with?

He's only one voice.

Besides, they're all obligated to give you

the benefit of the doubt.

I've been in this game long enough to know one thing.

Their only obligation is to find a scapegoat.

We should get in there.

Robin, I want you to know something.

No matter what happens in there,

I'm grateful for your help.

It's nothing.

With all we've been through,

I didn't even know if you would.

I had to think about it.

What made you decide?

By now I probably know you better than anyone else.

I know your strengths and I know your faults.

And I know that you couldn't have been responsible for what happened up there.

So now here I am

defending the very thing that tore us apart,

the one thing that I hated more than anything else.

Your job.

Guard.

Court martial number 99658,

in relation to the International Space Agency's

orbiting platform Meridian shall commence

in camera under the jurisdiction conferred upon this panel

by the Space Exploration Act of 2025.

[woman] Recording and backup confirmed.

You may proceed.

Colonel Bell, you're appearing

for the Judge Advocate's prosecution branch in this matter?

I am, sir.

Captain Clark, I understand you've retained your own counsel.

Robin Dysart, Admiral.

I'll be representing the Captain.

[Birch] Highly unusual to hire your ex-wife.

Aren't you concerned about the potential conflict?

Not at all, sir.

I have every confidence in her professionalism.

She's the best in her field, sir.

Even so, you're a long way from your normal practice, Ms. Dysart.

You realize the rules are different here,

that protocol is less formal than in normal criminal proceedings?

I'm well aware of that, Admiral,

but as I understand it, the objective remains the same.

Oh?

A full and impartial hearing for my client.

[Jones] You ready to present your first witness, Colonel Bell?

Yes, sir.

I would ask the commander of the rescue shuttle,

Louis Bidwell to take the stand.

Commander Bidwell.

Describe what happened.

We were on a routine satellite repair mission

when the distress signal from the pod came in.

Two survivors.

Dr. Helene Dufour and Captain William Clark.

[Bell] And their condition?

Physically they both seemed fine.

The doctor was maybe a bit frightened.

And the Captain?

He, uh...

He seemed to be under a bit of strain.

You can't go back up there.

I have my orders.

Forget the orders! Forget the orders, Louis!

Command doesn't understand the situation.

You'd be endangering everybody. Everybody on this shuttle.

But there may be other survivors.

-It's possible. -How many times I gotta tell you?

There are no other survivors!

They killed them all. I saw it with my own eyes.

-You mind telling me what-- -I don't know what it is, Louis! I don't know!

I don't know where it's from.

But it's up there, and I guarantee it will kill us one by one.

We have got to get back to Earth. You can't go back up there.

-Listen to me! -You are out of line, Captain!

-This is my ship! -You gotta trust me on this.

You cannot go back up there!

Sorry, Captain.

So despite the Captain's objections,

you docked with the Meridian?

Yes, we searched the station for other survivors.

The lab module had been gutted by flames,

but otherwise, everything seemed relatively normal.

And were there any other survivors?

[Bidwell] No, sir.

The other three were dead just like Captain Clark said.

Admiral, this is a blast analysis

prepared by the agency's investigative branch.

It seems the lab explosion

likely resulted from detonation of cyroxin gas.

You'll note that a possible cause

is the firing of a standard issue N-39 hand weapon

which struck one of the canisters,

causing an explosion sufficient to destroy the lab and anyone in it.

But not strong enough to open the compartment to space.

Wouldn't it have engulfed the shooter?

Not if he was standing just outside the hatch.

A difficult angle,

but certainly possible for a marksman of Captain Clark's ability.

I object to the implication.

I'll withdraw the comment.

When Captain Clark was sedated,

you were able to seize his weapon.

An N-39, correct?

That's right.

Had it been fired?

Yes.

Thank you, Commander.

Those are all my questions.

Your witness, Ms. Dysart.

Commander, you're aware of standard procedures aboard the Meridian.

Who else would have carried a sidearm?

The security officer.

Whose body was identified as the one in the lab.

Knowing that Captain Clark had just lost three of his crew,

including his best friend, does it surprise you

that he may have been distraught?

I guess not.

[Dysart] And wouldn't you agree that it's possible

his determination not to return to the Meridian

was based on the legitimate fear

for the safety of the shuttle and its crew?

It's possible.

[Birch] Anything's possible, Ms. Dysart.

But this panel is only interested in what is probable.

Unlike a normal criminal trial, we do not have time

for endless speculation by Defense Counsel.

So unless you have something more cogent to ask, I suggest we move on.

I think we've made our point.

No further questions.

It performs virtually the same function

as a black box does on an airplane.

One of these recorders was built into

each of the modules that make up the Meridian,

maintaining a continuous audio log of the events on board.

Some of the more sensitive departments...

Engineering and the lab module, for example,

also ran visual as a precaution.

With your permission,

we'll play only those portions which are immediately relevant.

Proceed.

Run Meridian audio,

module 5, marker 50.

[Gordon on tape] Billy.

Billy, is that you?

How the hell did you get in the airlock?

No!

May I remind the tribunal that the only Bill or Billy present

on the station at the time

was Captain William Clark.

Then why don't we hear his voice?

They were colleagues and best friends.

Why don't we hear him?

In fact, how do we know there was anyone else present at all?

You analyzed the log.

Can you say for certain that someone else was there?

No, not for certain,

But it is possible that the sound of someone else in the compartment

was obscured by the ambient noise.

The recording from the lab module is a bit more clear.

Unfortunately, it is incomplete.

The chemicals that Dr. Somerset was using

had a corrosive effect

on both audio and video.

Mr. Chairman, surely the JAG office

isn't intending on introducing a partial record.

How can that do anything but prejudice my client? I object.

But all the relevant portions are intact

and will prove conclusively

who was in the lab with Dr. Somerset at the time of his death.

Then I see no reason why we shouldn't view it.

Objection overruled.

As I was about to say,

we've combined the best of the video and audio logs that were salvaged.

Run Meridian audio-video merge, module 11.

You'll note from the log that this is moments before Dr. Somerset died.

Really, Captain, I've got important work to complete.

Stop, uh... Back it up, please.

Freeze.

The Captain's stripe is clearly visible

on the sleeve of the uniform.

The explosion that killed Commander Nabokov

occurred approximately 10 minutes later.

And the whereabouts of Captain Clark?

There's no record until he returned to the service module.

I'm confused.

Colonel Bell did say that this would show us conclusively

who was with Dr. Thomas Somerset,

but this is a picture of a uniform.

Obviously there's someone in it.

The Captain's rank is clearly visible on the shoulder patch.

Ignoring that for the moment,

how tall might this person be?

I couldn't say.

That angle doesn't give us any indication of height.

And the person probably weighs

less than it might appear on camera.

It does tend to add a few pounds.

Then without knowing the height, weight, or facial features,

can you really say who it is?

Well... There is the uniform.

The uniform. One of many which might have been in storage.

Wouldn't you agree that anyone could be wearing that uniform?

It could be a woman, for all you know. Look at it.

I guess it could.

Ms. Dysart, it's not just what the person was wearing.

We all heard Somerset on audio address him as Captain.

Before he turned around.

He didn't know who it was. He made the same assumption you have.

Dr. Dufour, you were the Meridian's Medical Officer.

That's right.

I was appointed six months ago,

around the same time as Dr. Somerset began

the second phase of his mescadrine studies.

I'd been asked to assist him with his work if necessary.

Why was that?

I'd had a lot of experience with space psychosis,

an ailment related to long term space assignments,

and which we hoped mescadrine would cure.

-Space psychosis? -It causes illusional states

similar to those associated with cabin fever.

Run medical Saturn 5 7-a.

The patient here was part of our last attempt to reach the outer planets.

For most of the time he displays behavior

which is well within the normal parameters.

He's intelligent, coherent, shows remorse.

Remorse?

He killed one of his crew in the midst of a paranoid delusion.

[screaming]

The psychotic incident can occur at any time, without warning,

resulting in violent acts against self or others.

[screaming continues]

Early symptoms are notoriously difficult to recognize.

Persistent headaches, such as those Commander Gordon was experiencing,

can be a good indicator.

And Captain Clark.

I'd have to say that prior to the incident,

the Captain's behavior was well within the norm.

Exhibited all the qualities of a first-rate officer.

In fact, there were no marked deviations

until after he'd forced me into the lifepod.

[William] We have to find a way to destroy this thing.

[Helene] Please calm down, Captain. We'll be picked up soon.

It looks like us, you know.

It tried to fool me, but, I figured out what it was.

I went to kill it, but this damned thing just wouldn't die.

[Helene] You said it looked like us?

[William] Yeah. I'm going to have to just destroy the whole station.

It's the only way we're gonna be sure that that thing is dead.

Doctor, how would you characterize

the behavior you've just described?

I'd say it was unusual for the Captain.

Would you describe it as psychotic?

[Helene] Well, that's difficult to say.

[Bell] Then let me put it this way.

Given your expertise in the field,

was Captain Clark exhibiting symptoms

consistent with space psychosis?

In some respects, perhaps.

And could this have been Related to his length of stay on board the Meridian?

[Helene] The correlation between the disease

and time logged on space assignments is very high.

And does that mean that the longer that the Captain was in space,

the greater his risk in contracting the illness?

-Basically. -And based on your studies,

was his stay longer or shorter than the majority of patients

diagnosed with space psychosis?

Maybe a bit longer.

As a medical officer of the fleet,

you would have been obligated to warn him of this danger in this.

-Correct? -That's correct.

And did you?

Did you, Doctor?

Yes.

Oh, uh, just one more question.

During your time on board the Meridian,

did you observe anything which, in your medical opinion,

would justify shutting down the station?

No, I didn't.

Thank you.

Doctor, let's talk about mescadrine.

Ten years ago, you worked with

Dr. Rachel McDonald's neuropsychology team at Harvard.

In a very junior capacity.

I assisted in her schizophrenia studies.

And that's where you met Dr. Thomas Somerset?

That's right.

[Dysart] Because he was using that research

to develop new drug therapies

for the treatment of mental illness.

In fact, isn't that the genesis of mescadrine?

Possibly one of them.

In the Halifax journal of psychology,

Dr. McDonald cited a student paper you wrote

in which you posited the use of mescadrine-like substances

as a cure for isolation-related mental disorders.

What possible relevance does Dr. Dufour's term paper have to these proceedings?

I, for one, fail to see any.

I beg the panel's indulgence.

-[Jones] Proceed. -Thank you.

As I was saying, Doctor, in your paper,

you saw the potential for mescadrine,

but you also saw a huge drawback

in the crystallization process.

The cost was prohibitive.

I'm referring to the use of cyroxin.

The drug Somerset had been developing

had cyroxin gas as a component.

The creation of mescadrine requires massive amounts of that chemical.

And as you pointed out in your paper,

even small amounts of cyroxin can induce immediate, though not permanent,

psychotic breakdowns in humans.

Are you suggesting there was a leak?

I am.

Then why wasn't Bidwell or any of his crew affected?

It has a short life when combined with oxygen.

It became inert before they docked.

And I am willing to bet that neither Dr. Dufour

nor Dr. Somerset warned anyone of the potential danger.

There was no danger.

It was stored in sealed containers.

Every precaution was taken.

But if there was a leak, even infinitesimal,

in an enclosed space like the Meridian,

it would drive every one of you insane.

Commander Gordon, Dr. Somerset,

Commander Nabokov, the Captain, and you.

Isn't it possible that a gas leak aboard the station

caused an outbreak of mass hysteria

and that in the grip of paranoid delusion

they killed themselves?

Well, I can't say for sure.

Isn't it possible?

Yes, it's possible.

Defense Counsel.

Even Bell agrees, the mescadrine issue

blows the whole thing wide open.

They're going to get back up to the lab, they're going to check it out,

they're gonna figure out there was no damn gas leak.

Check what? There's not enough of it left to prove anything.

As I explained to the panel, any cyroxin which entered the air supply

has long since become inert.

So they just think we all went crazy?

Politically it works.

A simple space accident.

It's no one's fault.

Business as usual.

Well, they'll probably issue some guidelines about hazardous materials,

but you know, the mescadrine studies, they won't stop.

They're too important.

What about me?

Well, without definite proof of culpability,

you'll be cleared.

You'll be able to go back.

It's everything you could ask for.

You were good out there.

Probably better than I deserve, considering, you know.

Forgot how good you were.

How good we were.

Robin, this isn't over.

I was up there. I know there was no damn gas leak.

I saw what I saw.

-I got to tell them. -Tell them what?

Tell them the truth.

For God's sake, Bill, don't you get it yet?

All right, they are not looking for the truth.

They never were. They are looking for an out,

and the cyroxin gas leak gives them that out.

-That's not how it happened. -They don't care.

Right now it is the most likely, most palatable scenario,

and they don't wanna hear otherwise.

When the Meridian reopens for business

and others go up there and they die,

and I knew all along,

and I didn't say anything, what happens then?

If you take the stand,

you could end up living in a prison cell.

You would be risking everything.

Guard.

Captain, in the interests of time it might be best

if you limit your testimony to those events

that happened after Commander Gordon's death.

Yes, sir.

As you already heard, I went to the lab module

to tell Dr. Somerset about the accident,

and it was there that I saw what happened to him and what killed the others.

[woman] Hi, Bill.

Since you wouldn't come to me...

You're not here.

I know you're not here.

Of course I am.

I'm as real as you are.

Touch me.

Don't you want to touch me?

Hmm?

What are you?

So I went back to the service module

to warn Dr. Dufour and Commander Nabokov.

Unfortunately, it was too late for the commander.

Let me get this straight.

You're telling this hearing

that you saw an alien on board the Meridian?

[William] That's correct.

Captain, you'll have to admit it is a bit far-fetched.

Well, no more than the life forms we discovered on Mars, sir.

Terrestrial single-celled organisms are hardly a comparison.

I'm not even sure what you're comparing them to.

Is it psychic?

Is it a shape-shifter? Really, Captain.

I had no idea the psychogenic effects

of cyroxin could last this long.

[William] it was no gas leak.

I did an air-quality check myself. It was clear on all levels.

How do you know that?

Maybe it affected you and you weren't aware of it.

How can you be sure of anything that went on up there?

But I know what I saw!

I'm sorry, sir.

Please just hear me out.

There are reef fish in our own seas

that do have the ability to change their appearance.

There are aquatic mammals that we now believe

may have some rudimentary psychic ability.

What if there's similar creatures in the ocean

that the Meridian sails through?

One of them could have come into contact with the ship

when the space debris hit us.

It must have found Commander Gordon first

and somehow reached into his psyche and seized the image of his son

and then became that person just the same way it did with me.

We all heard on the audio.

Gordon said, "Billy, is that you?"

But Gordon only referred to me as "Bill."

He was referring to his child who he named after me.

Somehow when it linked up with Gordon,

it must have absorbed everything he knew.

His memories, his knowledge of the ship,

of the station, of the crew.

After that, it must have been easy for it

to become a familiar image to Dr. Somerset, Nabokov.

Each time using this emotional connection to lure

each one of the crew to their deaths like some sort of siren.

Then how do you explain your ability to resist its influence?

I don't know. Maybe because it shows the image

of someone that I have conflicted feelings about.

And then, there was the way that it did not react to the acid.

But it could have killed you in the passageway, and it didn't.

-Why not? -I don't know, sir.

Maybe it couldn't.

Yet according to you, it showed remarkable vigor in killing the others.

And for what purpose?

Mark new territory, protection of young,

some sort of predatory instinct.

I am not sure what purpose.

All I know is that I did see the end result.

Where is it now, Captain?

It's got to be up there.

It must be.

And that's why you have to destroy that station.

And throw away a project

that has such fundamental importance

to the future of our planet?

-But it will kill again. -Excuse me, but, as I recall,

Commander Bidwell searched the station and he didn't find

any aliens on board.

Yes, Colonel Bell is right.

Gentlemen, are you listening to me?

This thing can assume any shape it wants to.

There are a thousand different places it could hide.

Bidwell did not have the time to do a proper search.

What can I do to convince you?

Oh, you have convinced us most eloquently of the dangers

associated with our mescadrine studies.

Sir, this has nothing to do with mescadrine, or cyroxin,

or any other substance.

This as got to do with a creature that is intelligent, that can hunt.

A creature that killed three of my crew and will kill again.

And I'm telling you that you're a very sick man caught up in a delusion

that can only be linked to toxic exposure

and the long duration of your space assignment.

I am not crazy.

Perhaps this might be time to take a recess.

I think we've heard enough to render a decision.

Please, gentlemen, listen to me. It is still up there.

It is still up there.

This thing will kill again.

Gentlemen, there was no gas leak.

I know what I saw.

The panel has considered all the evidence presented to it

and is now prepared to render a decision.

We were unanimous in concluding

that the deaths resulted from a mass outbreak

of temporary psychosis caused by a leak of cyroxin gas.

And that they were, in fact, suicides.

[Yurov] Enough of a doubt has been raised

to acquit Captain Clark of all responsibility.

[Jones] However, the persistence

of the Captain's delusion greatly concerns us.

It's clear that the length of his assignment

combined with the exposure to cyroxin

has had a detrimental effect on his health.

Therefore he will be relieved of his command

of the Meridian and transferred

to the agency's mental health clinic for treatment

pending medical discharge from the fleet.

Admiral, please don't do this.

I'm not crazy, I'm not sick.

What I saw up there was as real as you or I.

Captain, though it may seem like it, this is not a punishment.

You've sailed through space longer than most men.

And like all mariners, you've felt the solitude of your voyage.

A solitude that breeds life into legend.

Mermaids, sirens, sea monsters.

These are creatures of the mind, Captain,

and they're a sign that it's time to rest.

This matter is now concluded.

[William] There's got to be a way to fight this.

I'm not so sure.

We could appeal, but I doubt we'd have much success.

You're lucky the panel didn't find you criminally negligent.

Otherwise you'd be on your way to a jail, not a hospital.

I could go public. I could tell the press the truth.

They wouldn't believe your story any more than the panel did.

Come on. Legitimate papers, they'll ignore it.

And the tabloids, they'll make a fool out of you.

Accept their decision.

I gave them everything.

I know.

Better than anyone, I know.

-[door opens] -But even Ulysses went home...

-[door shuts] -[footsteps approaching]

Eventually.

[Nabakov] Could I speak to the Captain, please?

I'll go check on your transfer papers.

Guard.

I can't believe it turned out this way.

It wasn't your fault. You did what you had to do.

Why didn't you tell me about that cyroxin?

Somerset wouldn't let me.

Do you now believe it was responsible?

I don't know.

I used to think I knew what happened,

but I'm not so sure anymore.

I believe you.

You do?

Why wouldn't you say anything?

Because then they might have destroyed the Meridian,

and I had to make sure that didn't happen.

I still have a lot of work to do up there.

What work?

[distorted voice] There are such things as sea monsters, Captain.

It was you.

You killed them all.

I need that station.

What's the matter, Captain?

I brought you back.

You are a hero.

I won't let you do this.

I can't let you do this.

[alarm sounding]

Guard!

-He attacked me. -I had to.

Hold on. You don't understand. She killed my crew.

She killed my crew and she's going to kill again.

He's so much worse than we thought.

You can't listen to her. She's not human.

You can't let her get away. You can't let her go back up there.

You can't let her go! Listen to me.

I'm telling you the truth! You got to listen to me.

Don't let her go.

I'll find you!

You have no idea what you're dealing with.

What happened?

He's so sick.

I had no idea the psychosis could be this strong.

They'll give him the best possible care.

I hope so.

He now thinks I had something to do with it.

It's just the sickness talking.

I heard you're going back to the Meridian.

Duty calls.

Even after all that's happened?

Your place is here, Ms. Dysart.

Mine's up there.

[control voice] Some say that the truth is

only what we persuade others to believe.

If so, we should be wary,

for truth is easily and often hidden

by the arguments of those who are false.

[alien chittering]