 Adventures in Time and Space. Transcribed in Future Tense. Dimension X. The National Broadcasting Company, in cooperation with Street and Smith publishers of astounding science fiction, bring you Dimension X. Or had been going on for generations. The sea and air were ruled by guided atomic missiles, radiations, and total destruction drove man underground. And there the war continued. The great beds of shale and limestone trembled as an underground cruiser chewed its way through the ageless rock. The ship was squat, ugly, the top of its cutting head 40 feet above the flattering caterpillar tread. It was windowless, and behind but grinding Duraloy blades were ugly lumps that concealed the guns. On the bridge Commander Sanderson fought the bucking vibration one hand tight on a stanchion. Culver. Aye sir. What's wrong with the insulation? It's hotter than oven up here. Port refrigeration unit went out. Starboard can't carry the load. I've got damage control on it. Go back. Aye sir. Give me a seismol reading. Severe shock 30 seconds back. Change course to 175 degrees and half speed please sir so I can chart the straighter. Mr Culver. Aye sir. 175 half speed. Aye sir. Navigation Lieutenant Watson. Bridge here. Change course to 175 Watson. 175. Aye sir. Yes Miss Watson. New course 175. 175 aye. Half speed. Half speed aye. What? We hit something. What is it Mr Watson? It's lava probably. Maybe it doesn't mean anything. No I guess not. Mr Watson. Yes Clark. We ever going to get out of here? You mean the lava? The whole business. We've been under rock for three months. You better keep quiet Clark. Psycho officer has rubber heels. I don't care about Carpenter. He's been over me already with those stinkin' reaction tests. If he gives me one more ink blot to look good on. I have one degree correction. Right. Mr Watson. What was it like? When? On the surface. I never saw the surface. I was born in the Denver cave half a mile down. That was a long time ago Clark. But you remember, don't you? You and Kovacs are the only ones on the ship who remember the surface. It was war then too. Kovacs was in the army in the infantry. The Queen of Battles. The Queen's death now. What was it like? You mean in the surface wars? Yeah. Well, they had chaplains. Chaplains? I guess you never heard of that. Now we have psycho officers. Yeah, I don't talk about religion much these days. It must have been something on the surface. I dream about that. I don't know what it was really like, but I dream about it. Then somebody takes me and shoves me down on the bottom of a hot closet. They shove a big hand over my mouth and I can't breathe. I wake up and I want to bust out of here with my fingernails. What's the matter, Clark? Nothing, Dr. Carpenter. Nothing? No, sir. We were just passing the time, Carpenter. When's the last time you had an emotional reaction, Test Watson? I don't know. I forgot. Just remember your seniority doesn't exempt you from psychiatric review. This isn't some slip-shot surface vessel with organized superstition aboard. The old chaplains weren't so bad. Not scientific. You know, I can remember when psychiatry and mental hygiene were the hope of mankind. Now look at it. That goes in my report, Watson. I'll make sure you spell my name right. Hear this. Now hear this. Attention all hands. Agneous rock. Stand by to go to quarters. I'll finish with you later. I've got to check combat detachments. Sure, sure. Go play with your inkblots. I'm busy. Now listen. Go on. Get out of the way. Get down to the combat detachment. They'll be happy to see you. Clark, check those dampers. I'll take three cards. I'll stand pat. Jake to the pat hand. Combat detachment, huh? What kind of a chicken guy are you? Anytime you want to start anything, you're lying, yelling, cheese. All right, all right. Don't flip your wig. All right. I don't want no trouble. Rubbers sold rat carpenter. He's worked us all over. All except Norman. Hey, Norman. Norman, how come you haven't been psyched out? I don't need it. I'm stable. I bet you any money he's a Stoley for carpenter. I've seen his 201 personnel file. It's blank. I heard a guy say he was born in a lab. What do you mean? You ever seen him eat? Oh, you're crazy. The science press has been working on something like that. Oh, crazy. You know how many men they felt short in the last draft? 900,000. So what? Well, suppose you run out of real men for soldiers. Suppose you figure how to make them. Artificial. If they ever thought I ain't going to talk about it until it's combat tested. Yeah, I never thought of that. Hey, Newman. What do you got inside of you? Giz? I'm not supposed to talk about myself. Yeah? Well, suppose I make you talk. Hey, sit down, chef. Sit down. Let go of me or I'll let you out too. Hey, cut it. Cut it. Cut it. That is men. Well, how's everybody feeling? You cook? All right. I'm all right, sir. Uh-huh. Sheen? Sheen? I'm all right, sir. Newman? I'm all right, sir. Of course. Very well. Carry on. I have my report. Later, carpenter. It's rather important. So serious personnel trouble is indicated below. It always is. Give you a report to Culver. I'm busy. But, sir... Go back and give me a G.O. reading every 10 seconds. Aye, sir. Read as steady as before. All right, Mr. Culver. Later. If you will initial the cycle report. All right, all right. Hurry up. This is no time for non-combat check-ins. Heisman reading. Sudden fault. Ignis activity ahead. That means the enemy. Mr. Culver? Aye, sir. Elevate the cutters 25 degrees. We're going up and come on the enemy from above. Aye, sir. Navigation Watson. Elevate 25 degrees. 25 elevation. Aye, sir. Digging ahead on sooner. Sounds like three. All right. Sound general quarters. Aye, sir. All right. General quarters. I have all this thinking luck. Aces like that. Get into your armor, you double-loss. Yeah. Give me a hand, Shin. Jackson, Bob, my helmet's stuck. My helmet's still tight. Ah, you eat too much. At least I ate. Not like Nohman. Yeah. Look at him. Full armor and he's still smoking. I bet he lives on nicotine. Hey, Nohman. Yes? You live on nicotine? Tobacco is necessary to me. Say that a rope. What did I tell you? All right. Shut up and test your helmet radio. Snap it down. Okay. Now I'll get mine. Wear those chow runners with battle breakfast. With griping coke. At least we eat. Half speed, aye. Clark? What? What's the matter? You got the shakes? No, no. I'm all right. Half speed. Do you hear that? Watch it. Prepare for action at full speed. Full speed forward. No, I won't. What? Come on. Full speed forward. No, no. Another inch. Stop this ship. Get away from there. I've got to stop this ship. I won't be killed. I won't. From the controls, Clark. Are you hurt? All right. Take it easy now. Watch it. Stop this ship. Stop it before I shoot you. I'll take it easy, boy. I won't be killed. I won't let him. I'll give you a three. Watch it, then I shoot. I don't know what you're doing. I'm going to stop the ship. What? You could have wounded him, carpenter. That would have been enough. My judgment was that Clark was more than a marginal risk. I acted according to him. Sure, sure. I'll get a detail to clean up after you. The commander says you rate a citation. If you had read my report, Mr. Colby, you'd understand. Carpenter. Aye, sir. Don't let the crew hear of this. Wouldn't do for them to know an officer was emotionally unstable. You won't keep it quiet, sir. There's a detail to remove the body. What's that? Hold it, Culver. Don't reverse engines. Turn on the drill with the tread stationary. Aye, sir. Full speed drill. Threads cut out. Blow up a cloud of dust with a blind air optical technician in the infrared. Stand by, Gunnery. Stand by, Gunnery. Right, sir. Do any second. There it is. All drill blades. Navigation. Cut out drill. Cut out drill. You will receive ceasefire, Mr. Culver. Contact signal. Cease fire. Enemy battery silenced, sir. Give the go-ahead to the combat men. They can move in. Two-trip battle on. Cut it off. Navigation to bridge. Bridge, aye. What's wrong down there? Why the emergency? I'll take over, Mr. Culver. Prepare to abandon ship. But the enemy diggers, sir. The atomic pile about to blow will have to advance, destroy the enemy, and take refuge in their ship. There's nothing else we can do. Look alive. Aye, sir. Attention. All hands. Prepare to abandon ship. Prepare to abandon ship. Prepare to abandon ship. Go backs. Have the ship's records packed and ready to go. Aye, sir. Commander. Watson, what are you doing up here? There'll be a lot more chance of getting out if the ship's engines were reversed. She crawled back down the tunnel before she flew. There's no way to set up remote control. I know. I thought I could stay and run her. But the pile's going to blow. I know. All right, Lieutenant. Permission granted. You may stay with the ship. Thank you, sir. You may go, Watson. Aye, sir. We can't let him do that, Commander. You can't ask any man to do that. This is no time for sentiment, Mr. Culver. Doctor, you're a louse. That's an unstable statement, Culver. It's obvious that Watson isn't worth much anyway. He might as well die. I've heard enough, Doctor. You've had this coming a long time. Get away from me. Culver. Culver. Pearson, get him. Let go of me, Culver. Yes, sir. All right, Culver. Release him. Aye, sir. Mr. Culver, I need you now. But if we come through this, I'll be forced to prefer charges. Covex, help Dr. Carpenter up. Aye, sir. All right, Mr. Culver. Give the order to abandon ship. We need to reverse. Aye, Mr. Watson. How long have we got before the pile blows? I don't know. Covex, why did you stay here? You could have abandoned ship with the others. I, uh... I've been saving the cigar. I got two. Would you like one? Oh, thanks. Oh, that's good. You didn't answer my question, Covex. Why did you stay? How about you, sir? Me? I was in the last class out of Annapolis before it went underground and merged into the Geo-Warfare Academy. I guess I just hang on to illusions. Dead traditions of service. I suppose I did it because I thought it was the right thing to do. Yeah, I guess that's it when you get down to it. Covex, you saved the cigar against the rules. I've got something, too. It's a book. It's out of the hotel room in Frisco in the old days. A Bible. Yeah. Psycho officers don't allow them on board. Carpenter would have had me in the cells if he'd known about it. There goes the gagger. I'm gonna blow any minute now. Covex, do you remember this? The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pasture. How cruiser looks like? Let's board here. The enemy left their landing trap down. That's Fonte. Kicked in his faceplate. But it'd be some resistance. Let's get outside. I don't like this. They should have been gods. Right? Okay, open. I'll put a sword. Bar and equipment. Sir, how soon can we get this enemy ship underway? Give me the damage report. Aye, sir. The port tread knocked out. Armor breached after the midships. Gun batteries inoperable. Lieutenant Adamson estimates we can make a limited headway in two days. Very well. Sir, is it necessary for me to have this guard tagging after me? You're under arrest, Covex. Excuse me, Commander, sir. Go ahead, Coke. There was a message or something under the guy with a sword when I broke in. I kept it as sort of a souvenir. Give it to me. I didn't mean anything wrong, sir. Hand it over. Culver, you read the enemy language. I'm afraid I'm under arrest as a prisoner. That'll do. Go ahead, read it. From supreme headquarters, as a code designate, to all field commanders, subject, secret weapon, X-39, failure of one, research project X-9 free, no, released on South America Front last night. X-9, a semi-living chemical process attacking all forms of protoplasm, was found to be uncontrollable, is spreading through our own armies all over the world. Two, you are instructed to... Well? That's all, sir. Quiet! Gentlemen, there is only one way to interpret this news. Carpenter, you will inform all hands that the destruction of the enemy is worldwide. The war is over. Dr. Carpenter. Aye, sir. You will instruct the Pope to serve double rations as a celebration. No, sir. I strongly advise against it that the psychiatric implications are... What's the matter? I don't know. Something... It's inside me. I've got to get out. Carpenter! Pope Newman, go after him. That can't happen to a man. Not that. It's Carpenter. You can see that. But that can't happen to a man. He's... What's going on here? You don't understand, Commander. You didn't listen to that enemy message. A semi-living chemical process attacking all forms of protoplasm. All forms. Carpenter and you and me. You understand why the enemy killed themselves. They knew. The war's over, all right. There's got to be something to do. Culver, some general quarters! It's too late for that, Commander. The war's over. They invented the perfect weapon. The human race is dissolved. That's funny. Dissolved like Carpenter. Yes. They're all dead, aren't they? Yes. Commander Sanderson was the last. I suppose so. How about you, helmet? It will not affect me. I am not made of protoplasm. I am an inorganic synthesis. You... Can't die then. No. I am atomic-powered. My breakdown point is calculated in thousands of years. I cannot destroy myself. I was conditioned against it. It's beginning. You'll be all alone, human. I know. Buried alive in Iraq for thousands of years. I'm sorry for you, human. I'm sorry. You'll be all alone. Hey! It's starting. Get down there! Can't I die? Why didn't they make me so I can die like the others? I can't even kill myself. Why can't I die? Why can't I die? He was master of the machine. But he always be. Listen next week for the story of a nightmare. Transcribed each week by the national broadcasting company in cooperation with Street and Smith, publishers of the magazine Astounding Science Fiction. Today Dimension X has presented The Last Objective, written for radio by Ernest Connoi from the story by Paul Carter. Featured in the cast were Lawson Zerbe as Culver, Ralph Bell as Dr. Carpenter, Wendell Holmes as Watson, and Jack Grimes as Newman. Your host was Norman Rhodes, music by Bert Berman, engineer George Mathis. Dimension X is produced by William Welch and directed by Edward King. Dimension X came to you from our Radio City Studios in New York. This is NBC, the national broadcasting company.