 Countdown for Blastoff. X minus five. Four. Three. Two. X minus one. Fire. From the far horizons of the unknown come transcribed tales of new dimensions in time and space. These are stories of the future. Adventures in which you'll live in a million could be years on a thousand maybe worlds. The national broadcasting company in cooperation with Street and Smith publishers of astounding science fiction presents X minus one. Tonight's story, the castaways by Ernest Kenoy. In the South Pacific night comes on rapidly. The sun dips below the flat horizon. The sea is crimson for a moment and then night falls. But on to Honey Atoll, giant arc lights turn night into day. Across the waters of the lagoon within the barrier reef launches and tugs skitter back and forth. While on the curving half moon of the island, army trucks and jeeps scuttle down the rough roads bulldozed by the sea bees just six weeks ago. A low quonset hut stands near the beach surrounded by tangled wire. This is the preliminary command post. And inside is General Frank Gadosh, field director of the test. Operation destruction. Everything's on schedule, General. Radiological surveys complete. Instruments placement checked. Well, get me Navy and tell them H-Hours is ordered. Send a periodic time check to Air Force on 90-week talk and observation control on the Missouri. Yes, sir. I want a complete roster check on all personnel before H-Hours. Yes, sir. Oh, Nate Cohen wants to see you. Who the devil is he? AP man. He's been selected by the press radio pool to interview. I haven't got any time. Tell him to speak to Major Dwight Breedenburg. He's the P-R-O. I think perhaps you'd better see him, sir. The directive on public relations from Washington was very clear. Well, how on blazes am I supposed to run a bomb test and play Mother Hand to a bunch of reporters? Washington said... All right, all right. Bring him in. Barelli? Yes, sir. Give me some black coffee. Yes, sir. This is Mr. Cohen, General Gadosh. How do you do, General? Lousy, as a matter of fact. Is that an official statement? No. You can run some of that. The world is at the crossroads, Baloney. I wrote that yesterday. General, what effect do you think the new bomb will have on the world's situation? I can't tell you that, even if I knew. My job is to set the blasted thing off and see that nobody gets hurt and collect the data. Can I speak to you a moment, sir? Later, Allen. Go ahead, Cohen. Can you release anything on the scientific principles involved? I don't even understand them myself. Wait a minute. Dr. Mueller? Yes? Come over here a minute, will you? Cohen, this is Dr. Fred Mueller, civilian scientific director. He's the only one who knows what's inside that warhead. How do you do, Mr. Cohen? How about a statement, doctor? Oh, I'm afraid all I'm allowed to say is that the bomb is new. It's extremely powerful and off the record. It's very tricky and dangerous. What'll happen if it goes off prematurely? I don't think we have to worry about that. In fact, we wouldn't even know about it, if you'll excuse me now. How about the natives? Well, what about them? Aren't they going to be evacuated from the island? They already have been. General Gadoch? I saw that the honey chief outside when I came in. The whole tribe squatting down at the motor pool, having a conference. What? Allen! I've been trying to tell you, sir, that honey are still on the island. Well, why? The LCTs are ready, aren't they? Yes, sir, but they won't go. They refuse. The schedule called for their evacuation to Bailani three hours ago. I realize that, sir, but I hoped we could still get them off without vials. Look, Allen, they're either on the island or off. Wait a minute. Cohen, that's all. What are you going to do about the natives, general? Never mind. I'll issue a statement later. Go on. Get out. I haven't got time. All right, general. Thanks. Thanks a lot. All right, Allen. Let's have it. Well, sir, the honey have been kicking up all along. They won't leave. They won't. Do they know what's going to happen to the island? Do they know that we're going to blow it higher in the kites? I told the chief. He just said they won't go. They'll go all right if I had to... Yeah. Hey, get him in here. The chief? Yeah. And that lieutenant who interprets. Yes, sir. How do you like that, Dr. Mother? I haven't got enough trouble. You know, I feel rather sorry for the tani. Can't make much sense to them. We arrive and tell them they've got to get out. Look, I appreciate your finer feelings, Muller, but I can't let the Kanakas hold up the bomb test. They're not Kanakas, general. Captain Cook discovered the island in 1788. Well, what's the difference? Lieutenant Gilbert reporting, sir. Hey, look, I haven't got time for ceremony, Gilbert. Tell the chief he and his tribe have got to get off the island. We're providing homes for them on Maelani. Translate, Gilbert. The chief says you do not understand. Maelani is a bad island. My people have lived on tani from the time that our ancestors were cast away on the island. The spirits of our ancestors are buried in the earth. Our fathers are buried here. Our fathers' fathers. If he thinks I'm going to move his graveyard, he's crazy. In our ancestors' time, the tani came in a great bird canoe. We were cast away on this island. We have made it our home. What right have you now to carry us over the sea to a strange land where we would die weeping for our homes? We will not go. By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and we wept when we remembered Zion. Well, thank you, Dr. Muller. You're a great help. Hey, Gilbert. Yes, sir. Tell him I have no choice. He's got till midnight to get his tribe on board those LCTs peacefully or I'll have the marine detachment carry him aboard. Yes, sir. I'd rather harsh, General. After all, justice is on their side. We're preparing to blow up their island and we haven't asked them about it. Dr. Muller, will you kind of confine yourself to the scientific aspect to this operation? I'll take care of administrative matters. If you could explain to them what's at stake here. Any further explaining I've got to do, I'll do with the marine detachment. I'm not going to hold up my schedule. Well, Gilbert? I told him, sir. All right, get him out of here. I've had enough. No, no, no. Some kind of a curse, sir. I can catch some of it. The island will remember the tears of its children and punish the invaders. The great destroyers will not destroy. And the evil man who is the chief will travel far through the blackness of night, even as the children of the island and so will he. All right, Gilbert, take him away. You in here, sir. Colonel Allen. Get a detail from the marine detachment with tear gas and small arms down to the motor pool. And in one hour, have those natives on that transport. And I don't care how they do it. Is that my coffee, Virelli? Yes, sir. They must know about the bomb. The great destroyer will not destroy. You worried about that curse? I should think you might be. He threatened you personally. If I were you, I'd carry a pistol till they got off the island. The chief looked as if he'd cheerfully strangle you with his bare hands. I'm supposed to end the way they do. What's that? Probably that the honey is saying goodbye to their island. I think I'll go down to the motor pool. Well, stay out of the way. And get back here in an hour. You've got to have this wrapped up and headquarters moved out to the Missouri by dawn. Instrument room checking in, sir. That's the last. Have the Missouri take over control and send for my jeep. Yes, sir. Are the LCTs standing by for those natives? Yes, sir. They're on the beach. The Navy unit is assembled in place, General. 2330, right on the nose. Robin, start evacuation procedure. But the honey, you've stopped. Allen's probably moving them out to the beach. Check in with Navy and Air Force, Barelli. Yes, sir. What's that? Coming to the beach. But the honey making trouble. Come on. General! Hey, yo! What is it? Colonel Allen ordered the Marines. Well, what happened? The natives just got up and started marching. Did they embark? You don't understand, sir. They marched up the cliff and right off into the lagoon. All of them, the women and the kids, too. They didn't even try to swim. What were you doing all this time? Just standing around with your thumb in your mouth? There was a marine detachment. We couldn't stop them, sir. They just walked over the cliff. They didn't even scream, not even the kids. We sent the crash boats out, but we couldn't get them any of them. You crazy idiots. Were there any reporters there? Well, Cohen and a life photographer. Well, get his film and hold it till I release it. What are you going to do, General? Prespawn, H-hour? It's too late for that now. Calling H-hour off isn't going to bring the natives back. One hundred men, women and children just walking into the water. It's horrible. I know. I'm not happy about it either. There's nothing we can do now. I gave him a chance to get off. I was just thinking about the curse the chief put on you. Even as the children of the island end, so will he. That's what he said to you, General. I know. I heard him. Here, jeeps waiting, General. The great destroyer will not destroy. That must mean the bomb. Don't worry, Dr. Mueller. It'll take more than a mumbo-jumbo curse from a native witch doctor to stop this operation. At H-hour, that bomb goes off. H-hour minus one minute thirty seconds. H minus one thirty. Video screens hooked in, sir. Alright, check control stations. Observation station one. Observation station one, check. Radiation station. Radiation control check. Test the firing circuit, Dr. Mueller. Right, General. Damage control station. Damage control check. All set. Communication. All checked in, sir. It is H minus one minute. H minus one. Take a good look at that island on that screen, Dr. Mueller. When you throw that key, it just won't be there anymore. Nothing but an atom mushroom over the lagoon. Quite a funeral fire for the two honeys. Stop an idiot. They can't get in the way of progress. Progress? I wonder if it is, General. It is H minus thirty seconds. H-hour minus twenty-nine. Twenty-eight. Twenty-seven. Twenty-six. A great destroyer. That's what he called the bomb. Hold it, Mueller. Island report. All checked in, sir. Cameras running. Sound fire warning. Stand by for firing. Ready, Mueller? Ready. Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. Fire. General, it didn't go off. The bomb didn't go off. Raleigh. Signals stand by. Condition read. Yes, sir. Allen, check readings. Mueller, what's wrong? What happened? I don't know. The bomb didn't go off. What do you mean? Why didn't it? I don't know except for one thing. The Tahani chief said the great destroyer would not destroy. It didn't, General. The bomb didn't go off. What about it, General? What happened? Have you got a statement? Nothing you can use, Cohen. Not till we find out what went wrong. Hey, who let you come aboard this ship? I walked on. You don't know why the bomb failed? It didn't fail. It just didn't go off. What's that tank thing on the deck, General? Undersea salvage unit, Mach 4. They call it a bottom crawler. Somebody going down? Well, that bomb is down there in the lagoon somewhere. Could go off at any second. Somebody's got to go down and find it and disarm it. That's a lovely job. Who's elected? I am. Wow. And Dr. Muller. He's the only one who knows how to dismantle it. All those ready, General. All right. Come on, Muller. I'm ready. Allen, as soon as we hit shallow water, get those gates open. We'll pull the crawler out. And then you get away in a hurry. If that bomb goes while we're working on it, I don't want any casualties. Yes, sir. Inside, Muller. All right. I'm in. Now, remember, get this LST out of the lagoon in a hurry. All right, Allen. You take your orders from Admiral Yancey. Yes, sir. Good luck. Closing the hatch. The radar and Geiger counter warmed up, Muller. I was just thinking of something, General. That curse, part of it came true. The bomb didn't go off. Well, the second part of that curse was that you would end where they ended. That was at the bottom of the lagoon. What are you trying to do, Muller? Nothing. I was just thinking this crawler is going to take us right down there where the Dahoney died. I'm not worried about a handful of dead natives, Muller. I'm worried about that bomb. Okay, they're opening the gate. Let's go. USU-4 to control. Depth 50 feet, bottom sandy, dropping off sharp. Anything on sonar, Muller? School of fish. You ever been down in a crawler before? Only in the tank at New London. I think I've got a Geiger reading dead ahead. Hang on, getting something on sonar now. Left to point. USU-4 to control, over. USU-4 to control, over. Find out the radio's out. Dead ahead. Looks too large to be the bomb. Can't see much on the forward vision plate. Hey, wait a minute. That's part of the reef ahead. That's where the Geiger reading indicated. The bomb must have settled in the hole in the reef. We'll have to go after it in diving suits. The suits are in the locker. Let's get this over with. The less time I spend down here waiting for that bomb to blow, the better I like it. Is your helmet clamp tight? You're getting me all right on your headset? I'm gonna fill the lock. Here goes the outer door. Let's go. Look out for that coral. It can cut you to ribbons. There's a hole. Where do I get the light up? See if you can get a Geiger reading out of that hole. Careful. I'll drop down first. Muller, get down here fast. Nothing. The bottom of this hole, it's metal and the sides. But it's the coral reef. Look, welded joints. These are hull plates of some kind. Look out above us. It's closing. Grab it. A metal hatch. It just slid over the top. This is impossible. What's going on? It's like an airlock. Realize what this means. I'm not sure. There's an inner door opening. Careful. There isn't much we can do. We can take off our helmets, though. The dial shows good air. All right. Come on. What is this? An undersea fort? What's it doing here? What does it mean? Whatever it is, our bomb must be down here. Wait. There's someone there. I can't see. There's a shadow. Who is it? Who's there? Welcome, Dr. Muller. Welcome to our ship. We've been waiting for you. General, it can't be. Do you see it? It's the T'Honey chief. How long has the bottom crawler been down, Birelli? Four hours, sir. Two since we lost contact. Now, keep trying. Yes, sir. I've given him enough time. I'm going to send another crawler down. What do you figure happened to him, Colonel? Well, there are a lot of things. Hey, how did you get in here? I walked in. When are you going to release this, Colonel? I'm going to tell you a story since the election. Bomb had been dead and Dr. Muller and General Gaydash had been dead. They're not dead. At least we don't know they are. As long as that bomb doesn't go off, there's still a chance that... Gilbert, radiation control interaction. Get the hot squad into T'Honey Lagoon as soon as it's cleared. And get me a PT boat with radiation screens. What is it, Colonel? What happened? Bomb must have blown. How about Muller and the general? If they were down there in that lagoon, you guess. Now get out of my way. I'm busy. Reading 75 and steady. Take her in as close to the beach as you can. Once she goes. Is there any danger of any more explosions? No. Once she goes, she goes. Radiation 82. That's still safe. Cohen, is that something on the beach? Yeah. Looks like a body. Maybe you blew one of the T'Honey back out of the lagoon. No, no. It's moving. Gilbert, glasses. Yes, sir. It's a man, all right. Head into the beach. Who is it, Colonel? I can't tell. He's in a diving suit. It's either Muller or General Gaydash. Get his helmet off. Easy enough. Twist to the right. It's Muller. Gilbert, help me get him out of this diving suit. We've got to get him no medics. No radiation burns, superficial bruises, mild shock. He'll be all right, Colonel. Can he talk? For a while. Bomb go off. It didn't. He's still out of his head. Quiet, Cohen. Go on, Dr. Muller. What did you find? A ship. A giant metal ship there under the lagoon. Submarine? No, no. It was a spaceship. A spaceship? Camouflaged right next to the reef. When we went inside, we found that the honey chief and all the tribe are alive. What? They drowned in the lagoon. I saw them. No, they didn't commit suicide as we thought. They just dived underwater into the rocket airlock. Rocket airlocks? Now, look, Muller, I know you've suffered a shock, but... But it's true. It can't be. A spaceship built by Polynesian savages. They're not savages. They're the castaways. They're from another planet. Don't you understand? Their spaceship was wrecked here 400 years ago. They've been waiting ever since for a chance to go home. He's out of his mind. Better give him a sedative, doctor. No, no, no. Wait a minute, Colonel. Remember their story about the great bird canoe? Maybe there's something to the legend. Not the legend. It's true. They'd exhausted their fuel, came down out of space, couldn't find anything here on Earth to replace their fuel source until we developed atomic power. Atomic power? You mean they stole our bomb? That's right. Fished it out of the lagoon, hauled it aboard. Yes, but how could they convert it to atomic dry? They made me dismantle it for them at the point of a gun. Then just before they blasted off, they let me go. But what about the general? Remember the honey curse? I see. You mean they killed him? You don't understand. I said I dismantled that bomb at the point of a gun. It was General Gadas who was holding the gun. What? He was one of them, one of their spies sent out to bring back the rocket fuel they needed. And the honey curse wasn't a curse at all. It said that when they left the island, so would he. I mean, he's with them now? Yes. And after 400 years, the castaways are going home. You have just heard X-1 presented by the national broadcasting company in cooperation with Street and Smith, publishers of astounding science fiction. Your announcer Fred Collins. X-1 was an NBC radio network production.