Original subtitles

(RADIO CHATTER)

STEVE: Control, this is NASA test.

This is NASA test.

That last orbital adjustment was a beaut. Boosters performed perfectly.

DONNA: Looked real good from here too, Steve.

Well, that completes our agenda. Anything else on yours?

Yes, reentry.

I mean, you have to get me back down there...

or someone made you a better offer for the weekend?

Nope, standing by, Colonel. You're stuck with me.

That's a copy, now let's have a mark.

Okay, I'll count you down.

Reentry will commence 60 seconds from...

Five...

four, three, two...

Mark. Standing by.

Steve? This is Oscar.

I want to congratulate you.

You, too, Rudy.

I know how hard you both worked in the development of booster fuel.

Test data tells us...

it's gonna have an important impact on the future of deep space travel.

Well, that's what we were hoping for.

We finally got it Steve, an inexpensive, recyclable booster fuel that works.

Puts us years ahead!

Ten seconds.

Have a good ride, pal!

DONNA: Three seconds.

I have retro-ignition.

Copy that.

This is telemetry control. All recovery units...

reentry has commenced, splashdown now stands at T minus 20 minutes.

Trajectory looks nominal.

Air speed is 16350.

Automatic fuel jettison completed.

Looking real good from...

(DEVICE BEEPING)

I have a problem up here.

DONNA: This is Control.

STEVE: Come in, Control... Donna?

Donna, I have a trajectory change.

Control? Come in?

This is... STEVE: Come in?

Unexplained acceleration, air speed increasing rapidly.

Come in, Control.

This is NASA test. Come in, Control.

Come in, Control!

This is Control.

Control, come in!

We've lost contact.

You can't make any adjustments at all, huh?

We have no control over the capsule.

We've lost contact completely.

We don't know where the capsule is.

We don't know where it's gonna land.

Oscar, I'm not sure if it's gonna land at all.

What?

Last data that was transmitted indicated the reentry angle was very shallow.

The capsule may not be able to penetrate the earth's atmosphere.

It could just bounce off.

Maybe, maybe it's my tracking equipment?

The primary encoding analyzer, maybe it...

Donna, get over to main tracking, see what you can do there.

Ow!

You all right?

Uh, yeah.

Are you sure?

Yeah.

Do you want me to go with you?

Oscar needs you here.

You take it easy.

Let's hope it is just the telemetry equipment.

And if it isn't?

If it isn't, Steve is on an infinite journey into deep space.

FLIGHT COM: It looks good at NASA One.

B-52 >PILOT: Roger.

BCS Arm switch is on.

FLIGHT COM: Okay, Victor.

B-52 PILOT: Landing Rocket Arm switch is on. Here comes the throttle.

Circuit breakers in.

STEVE: We have separation.

B-52 PILOT: Inboard and outboards are on.

I'm comin' forward with the side stick.

FLIGHT COM: Looks good.

PILOT: Ah, Roger.

STEVE: I've got a blowout in damper three.

SR-71 PILOT: Get your pitch to zero.

STEVE: Pitch is out. I can't hold altitude!

B-52 PILOT: Correction. Alpha Hold is oil“. Threat selector is emergency.

STEVE: Flight Com. I can't hold it! She's breaking up! She's breaking...

ANNOUNCER: Steve Austin. Astronaut.

A man barely alive.

Gentlemen, we can rebuild him.

We have the technology.

We have the capability to make the world's first bionic man.

Steve Austin will be that man.

Better than he was before.

Better, stronger, faster.

(MAIN TITLE THEME)

(BIONIC SOUND EFFECT)

(CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYS)

Hello, over there!

STEVE: Can you hear me?

Hello, hello, over there!

ESSEX: You all right?

Yeah.

You lost?

Where am I?

Mulberry Island, in the Whelan group.

It's in the southern Pacific, off the coast of New Zealand.

Pacific?

You must have made a navigational error.

Your boat all right?

No, I came down in a space capsule.

Well, obviously you missed your recovery zone.

Yeah, by a couple of oceans.

Well, welcome, my name is Reverend Essex.

I run a small mission here.

I work with the islanders.

I'm Colonel Steve Austin.

Yes, yes, I've heard of you.

You're somewhat famous.

That music, is it coming from a radio?

Yes, my only link to civilization.

Does it have a transmitter?

Not very powerful one, but it does keep me in touch with the main island.

Come on.

ESSEX: Mother Church, come in please.

Mother Church, come in please.

This is Mulberry Parish calling Mother Church.

Mother Church, come in please. Come in.

Mother Church here, come in Mulbeny. Essex?

Yes, yes, it's Essex here.

Everything all right out there?

Oh, yes, perfectly fine. Thank you.

I have a visitor, a downed astronaut.

You have what?

You heard me. Washed right up on my beach.

I'd better let him talk to you before we get our frequency fuzzed up here, huh?

This is Colonel Steve Austin.

What can I do for you, Colonel?

Can you patch me through to Washington DC?

You mean to the United States?

Yes, if you're using a direct input transmitter...

your reference code would be beta-9-7-zebra-8-O.

Hold on there a minute, Colonel.

I'm afraid the best that our equipment can do is relay a message...

to an American installation on a nearby island.

I didn't know we had one out here?

It's a small outpost, one of your tracking stations I believe.

Well, that'll be fine.

Give them my location and have them get in contact with an Oscar Goldman...

through O.S.I.headquarters in Washington DC.

Oscar Goldman, O.S.I. headquarters.

I will do, Colonel. Hope you enjoy your stay.

Thank you.

Delicious.

You know, it's the first meal I've had in awhile that didn't come out of a plastic tube.

I'm not much fond of it anymore.

Wild pig five, six times a week, well, after a while, you know.

How long you've been here?

Um, ever since I left the seminary.

That's five years ago.

No, six years ago.

No, wait, let's see, I was ordained in '78.

ESSEX: That's six years ago.

Don't be bashful, Colonel. Eat up.

When did you say you were ordained?

In 1978, Christchurch, New Zealand.

That's what I thought you said.

Does it surprise you that one would turn to the ministry so late in life?

Oh, no, no, it's just...

I mean you got ahead of me there.

For a minute, I...

You know, I'm under the impression that it was 1978.

That's a good one.

I guess time does tend to slow down, down here, doesn't it?

I mean, in comparison to what you're used to...

it mustn't seem like 1984 down here, does it?

You're serious, aren't you?

Did you ever see one of these?

February 6th, 1978.

Amazing gadgets, but the batteries do tend to run down.

I'm afraid yours are due for a changeover, Colonel.

Yeah.

It's from my Bishop in Auckland.

(HELICOPTER APPROACHING)

Colonel Austin?

You sure are a welcome sight.

Could you identify yourself officially, please?

Sure, Colonel Steve Austin, United States Air Force Reserve.

O.S.I. identification: 384-172.

Colonel Austin, I've been ordered to inform you...

you're being placed under arrest.

Arrest?

You're charged with theft of government property, desertion of duty, and treason.

Treason? Wait a minute. What is this?

That's all I can tell you now, Colonel.

Let's go.

Now wait a minute, all you have to do is check with the O.S.I. office in Washington...

they'll straighten the whole thing out.

Edward Barris, Deputy Director, O.S.I., Washington.

We got your message, Colonel.

Deputy Director? When did Oscar hire you?

He doesn't have an assistant.

Who?

Oscar Goldman, the director.

Oh, Mr. Goldman.

Six years is a long time.

Many things have happened since you defected.

I'm afraid Oscar Goldman's death was one of them.

Wait a minute, this doesn't make any sense.

It's a shame that didn't occur to you before you defected.

Look, I didn't defect. I've been on a mission.

A week in orbit.

I mean I had some trouble in reentry and landed in the wrong ocean.

But I mean, my capsule's right down there on the beach.

Capsule?

I'm afraid I don't have time to play games with you, Colonel.

Look, this is ridiculous.

Come on, I'll show you the capsule.

The beach is less than half a mile away.

All right, let's take a little walk.

God be with you.

Well, here it is.

Colonel, NASA stopped flying that obsolete type over five years ago.

BARRIS: Your name is Steve Austin?

Yes.

You're a citizen of the United States?

Yes, lam.

You have worked for the O.S.I.?

Yes, yes.

What actions have you taken against your government during the past six years?

Look, I told you, none!

Listen, Austin.

I left the session of the National Security Council...

I've been flying all night to hear your side of it.

I'm hearing nothing.

I'm sorry, General.

General Winston Hayden.

Look, General, I'm trying my best to remember.

Continue.

Do you recall giving information?

Classified information to any adversary government?

Look, this is ridiculous! I know! didn't defect.

Please Colonel, just answer the question.

Do you remember or don't you?

Look, I'm telling you the truth, I was flying a mission.

I was flying an orbital space test flight.

Yeah, yeah, we know all about that.

You arranged in advance the Soviets to fish your capsule out of the drink.

Neat. We thought it failed to reenter, skipped off into space.

Until these showed up a couple of years later.

Red Square, May Day, 1979.

You remember that day, Colonel?

This looks like me, but I've never been to Moscow, General.

He's a highly trained agent, General.

I'm sure he's had intensive schooling in amnesia techniques.

Come on, Barris, that stunt's older than Eisenhower jackets.

Now what do you say, Colonel?

You know as well as I do, the amnesia bit went out with B38's.

Now I want to hear it, all of it.

Look, General, you have heard it. I didn't defect.

My capsule splashed down on that beach yesterday.

Colonel, that dinosaur didn't fly anywhere yesterday.

Now where would you have us believe you've been for the past six years.

Look, I can't explain the time discrepancy.

I don't understand it.

But if I had defected, why would I come back? For this?

You had no choice, Austin.

They sent you back confused, brain washed, used-up.

See that's part of the game, Colonel.

Psychological warfare...

a message to the enemy...

"We got everything we wanted from this guy. Sweat a little."

What about the capsule?

Obsolete technology.

So they send it back with you to rub in a little salt...

and I'm the guy it's burning!

Look, I don't know what to say, General.

I don't understand it either.

Look, let me talk to somebody.

Somebody I know.

Somebody from O.S.I., Dr. Wells.

Dr. Rudy Wells, is he still there?

General?

Why not?

I've had enough of this.

Lock him up until we get a line through.

Come on, Colonel.

Thanks for your concern, Sergeant.

Well, sir, it's been...

Well, it's a real thrill to be able to talk to a guy like you.

An astronaut.

I've been a space buff as long as I can remember.

Yeah, I know what you mean.

I guess it was the moon missions that impressed me the most.

Were you in on any of those?

Yes, I was.

GUARD: Which one?

Apollo 17.

(CHUCKLES)

I remember that.

The high school days, before I enlisted.

Say you know when I get off duty today I'm gonna go over and look at your capsule.

It's here?

Yeah, they brought it in with a chopper this afternoon.

Well, it's a...

I better get going. It's been a pleasure.

Sergeant, how old are you?

35...

Yeah, I'm gonna have my 20 years in before you know it.

Time just kind of zips by, don't it?

(PHONE RINGING)

Security, Section Four.

GUARD: Yes, Mr. Barris.

Your office.

Yes, sir, I'll bring him right away.

I'm sorry, I didn't get that.

Wells. Yes, sir.

They got a line open to DC, Colonel.

Mr. Barris has put a call through to a Dr. Wells.

You want to come with me?

Yes, of course, Mrs. Wells, I understand.

Hold the line a moment, will you, please?

He's not there.

Who were you talking to?

Mrs. Wells, you can talk to her if you'd like.

Mrs. Wells? Rudy isn't married.

Now's your chance to tell that to his wife.

It's up to you, Colonel. I can't tie up this cable forever.

Mrs. Wells? This is Colonel Austin.

Yes, Colonel...

Rudy's gonna be very disappointed he missed your call.

I guess I am too.

He talks about you all the time.

Everything is Steve. I feel like I know you.

I wish you did, Mrs. Wells, I'm trying to figure out what happened to me.

I know Rudy would do everything he could to help you.

Yes, I'm sure he would.

STEVE: Where is Rudy?

On a special mission.

I don't know where. He wasn't about to tell me.

I'm sure you know all about those things.

Yes, I do. When do you expect him back?

Some time tomorrow.

Will you have him contact me?

Of course.

Do we go through our embassy in Moscow...

or is there another procedure he should use?

I'm not in the Soviet Union, Mrs. Wells...

I've never...

I'm sorry, Mrs. Wells.

Would you hold on a minute?

Will you give her the information?

Colonel.

I heard you were back.

Donna?

Why?

Why did you do this to your country?

DONNA: To yourself?

I'm still in the telemetry business.

They upped me to director three years ago.

Three years ago?

Barris told me about this disorientation thing you're having.

I can't explain it.

I thought you were lost in space forever.

I thought my equipment was responsible for your disappearance.

When I heard you were alive...

I didn't know whether to jump for joy or scream with anger.

I want to believe you, Steve.

Will you answer a question for me?

Of course, I will.

Oscar? How did he...

So unnecessary, so young.

How did it happen?

Car accident... late at night.

He was exhausted and he shouldn't have been driving.

After you...

What happened, he...

worked all the time compulsively...

and Dr. Wells thought he blamed himself.

Steve.

You weren't responsible.

I'm sorry if I made it sound that way.

Maybe I was...

but it wasn't because I was disloyal to my country.

You have to believe that.

I do.

Deep down inside I always felt there had to be another explanation.

I'm gonna need help to find it.

Where do we start?

The guard said they brought my capsule here.

I saw it.

I want to take a look at it.

You arrange that kind of help?

Sure.

That's right, General.

He will not be running loose, he will be with me...

and besides, where could he go?

This is an island.

Don't Mizz Hoffman me, General Hayden.

I think you're being unreasonable.

My responsibility?

In case you've forgotten, this island is a tracking station.

Everything here is my responsibility.

Now you're talking.

I'll put him on.

Anything?

I looked, the reentry timer...

reads eight hours, four minutes, 17 seconds.

It should read about 20 minutes.

Did you check the retro termination indicator?

They coincide.

Eight hours from retro-fire to splash-down?

Well, that's what they say.

Look, you know a lot about this equipment, any chance it malfunctioned?

Well, it would be the first time if it did.

It's highly unlikely.

It means I was still in space...

for eight hours after I thought I'd landed.

That's what the data implies.

I don't know what to conclude.

Boy, if I was confused then, I'm twice as confused now.

Come on. Put me back in my cage.

Oh, no, I'm gonna go for a walk.

You can come along if you think you can behave.

You mean if I promise not to defect again.

That's better.

Don't give up on it, Steve.

There's got to be an explanation somewhere.

Sure.

Hmm.

You know, they say that men age more gracefully than women.

I think they're right.

Oh, come on now, I know I'm not a kid any more...

but it's not that bad.

Oh, no. You're as beautiful as ever, but...

(SCOFFS)

I knew it was coming.

Oh, yes, here it comes.

No, no. Take a look at my face.

In six years I've hardly aged at all, have I?

It's totally unchanged, isn't it?

You want to share a secret with an old friend?

You know it's like time stood still...

I mean, but just for me....

I mean, suppose you were right...

suppose I was lost out there, like you thought.

Six years? But that wouldn't explain why you haven't aged any?

No, no. Not for six years. Just for eight hours.

I mean, maybe I went through some sort of time warp upon reentry.

Time warp?

You would have to be travelling at the speed of light and that is impossible.

Yeah, but wait a minute. Time does slow down at those speeds.

Yeah, theoretically, 6,500 to one.

In other words, over a year, the earth would age over 6,000 years...

and I would have aged only one?

In 24 hours, the earth would aged roughly 18 years.

Close enough.

And in eight hours, six years!

I mean, it sounds crazy, but it sure fits.

Do you think Hayden and Barris are going to believe you have been traveling around...

at the speed of light for the last six years into the future?

They're gonna chalk it up to brainwashing.

No, not if I can prove it.

Prove it.

Wait a minute, you're supposed to be helping me, remember?

Yeah, but it's so far out.

(SIGHS)

Let's start from the beginning.

Let's talk about the mission.

Well, it's purpose was to test a new booster fuel.

Do you think that fuel was capable of accelerating to the speed of light?

No, I doubt it.

You see, it was based on a new molecular concept.

No, no, that's not the answer.

Wait a minute, what if it was exposed to some natural phenomena...

that super-charged the molecules?

You mean, like a solar flare?

Admittedly it's reaching, but it is a possibility.

How do we go about checking it out?

Oh, uh, we need to start with a formula.

I'll put it through the computer and take half an hour.

All right.

Ever work one of these?

Yes, six generations back.

I forgot.

Well, that's the input terminal. Hasn't changed much in six years.

To key in the formula, I will set up a program that'll give us some answers.

All right.

All set?

I'm not sure if that's it. Give me a minute.

Okay, that's it, that's the formula.

Great, burn into memory.

To start this, I'm gonna run a solar flare profile.

Take me a few minutes.

All right, I'll wait.

Steve, I hope I haven't given you any false hope.

Ha! Travel at the speed of light.

The fuel's gotta be something powerful in its own.

Yeah, well, we believed that it was.

Come here. Let me show you something.

At the time of our test, it was taking nine months...

to send a probe to the surface of Mars.

With this fuel, it would take nine weeks.

Oh, well, maybe it isn't such a long shot.

Nine weeks to Mars.

Regardless of its orbital position.

Oh.

Think about it.

Venus takes 200 days to orbit the sun.

Instead of...

Wait a minute.

What is it?

I'm not sure, but something isn't right.

What?

Venus, it's at the same position as it was during my flight.

If the day is August, 1984, its orbit would have carried it below the horizon.

I mean, we shouldn't even be able to see Venus.

What are you gonna do?

We've got to erase that tape!

But there's a built-in safeguard. You have to key in an override factor.

Well, then do it! Hurry!

BARRIS: Donna...

Erase it! Quick!

BARRIS: Donna...

Colonel, I know you're accustomed to giving orders and having them obeyed...

but here I'm afraid she responds only to my commands.

Give me the tapes, Donna.

(BIONIC SOUND EFFECT)

(BIONIC SOUND EFFECT)

Donna, bring him down with the scrambler.

The scrambler?

We almost destroyed that capsule when we brought it down.

I said bring him down, not kill him.

Lower the output so it just stuns him.

BARRIS: Donna, do it!

(BIONIC SOUND EFFECT)

Now!

(BIONIC SOUND EFFECT)

BARRIS: Now!

(ELECTRONIC WHIRR)

How does it look? Is it all there?

It appears to be.

That's a very interesting concept.

It utilizes an in-tandem precipitation process...

with post manufacture combination.

So I can understand it, please.

It's very simple really.

It means that the fuel is manufactured in two parts and then combined.

How long to make enough fuel for a maximum thrust test?

This afternoon.

What about Austin?

I've been thinking about him.

He has a built-in technology that might command a nice price...

from some of our clients.

Well, see that he doesn't break away.

Not until we know for sure that formula checks out.

Well, relax, I've given orders he be placed under heavy sedation.

Donna, I would like to know what makes him so strong, so fast.

And it might be easier if you could get him to cooperate.

(BIONIC SOUND EFFECT)

How is he?

Sleeping like a baby, but he doesn't have skin like one.

I've gotta get a new needle.

(BIONIC SOUND EFFECT)

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

Come on. Come on. Activate that scrambler.

(BIONIC SOUND EFFECT)

Kill him.

Kill him!

You will do as I command.

Kill him!

Obviously, Steve Austin still has great control over your emotions.

I don't know why I disobeyed you.

Let's return to the lab.

Colonel Austin calling Mission Control, come in.

Come in.

Colonel Austin calling Oscar Goldman.

Steve?

Well, Oscar, thank God, you're alive.

Well, I'm supposed to say that to you.

Are you all right?

I think so, yes.

Well, what happened?

We've been monitoring your frequency since yesterday.

Somebody jammed my radio...

controlled my reentry with a high-powered scrambler.

We thought it was our telemetry.

Donna's been working on her equipment all night.

No, she hasn't, she's here...

under the control of a couple of guys who are pretending to be on our side.

They call themselves Barris and Hayden.

She's in a lot of trouble.

Trouble is their specialty, Steve.

And espionage, too.

Whatever they get, they sell it to the highest bidder.

They got the booster fuel formula.

Steve, where are you? Can I send you some help?

I don't know where.

I'll leave my transmitter on, maybe you can pinpoint the signal.

But, Oscar, I'm afraid it'll be long gone before you make it here.

As soon as they test the fuel, they'll be taking off.

Where are they testing?

Somewhere on this island.

Don't worry. I'll find them.

(DRAMATIC MUSIC)

Colonel.

I think I'm gonna take you to see Mr. Barris.

I thought you had her mind controlled.

I only lost control for a few seconds.

I needed more time for the drug to break down all barriers.

When you substituted those pills for hers, you should have doubled the dose.

That would have killed her.

The drug's effectiveness is dependant upon slow accumulation.

How much longer?

A couple of minutes.

(ALARM SOUNDING)

You're a long way from Mother Church, Reverend.

I ordained myself, Colonel, and I defrocked myself.

That's it. All right, let's go.

You know what to do!

I don't want to leave any trace of our presence here.

Set the charges for 30 seconds and then get out.

Yeah. Hey, what about the girl?

She's on her own.

(BIONIC SOUND EFFECT)

Come on, Donna.

I'm so confused, they tried to make me to kill you.

I couldn't. I...

(BIONIC SOUND EFFECT)

(BIONIC SOUND EFFECT)

(BIONIC SOUND EFFECT)

OSCAR: Hello there! Hi!

Hi.

Well, this how they did it.

What, travel at the speed of light?

No, how they got me to work against you.

We analyzed the contents...

and we discovered it contained a lot more medication than I prescribed for Donna.

A malefactor additive.

Yeah, a derivative of the oheno-triaggravate group.

Oh, I'm familiar with its effects.

Somehow they managed to substitute these for Donna's supply.

Can the effects be reversed, Rudy?

Definitely, she has to keep taking them in order for the effect to continue.

You know what she needs now is rest, relaxation.

Well, I'm sure that Steve could use something like that, too.

Couldn't you, Steve?

(ROMANTIC MUSIC)

(END THEME MUSIC)