"'Liftoff complete." "Onboard read-out is go.'" "'Roger." "You are clear for EO." "Out.'" "'Lunar Module to Control:" "separation A-OK.'" "'This is Lunar Module to Moonbase Control.'" "'Have visual contact.'" "'Roger, Lunar Module." "Have you on track for auto landing.'" "'The Lunar Module with Colonel Freeman on board is docking now.'" "Hello, Gay!" "Shall we start?" " Hello, Nina!" " Hello, Colonel!" " How's everything going?" " Fine." " How are things, Joan?" " Fine, sir." " Is that your report?" " You'll find everything's in order." "I'm sure I shall." "Shall we continue?" "The spares situation might need reviewing." " I'd like the level up 20 per cent." " Funny you should say that." "Straker asked me to get your ideas on the subject." "He had the same idea." " Hi, Colonel!" " Hi, Lew!" "What times are you making on the Interceptor launches?" " About 125 seconds flat." " That's pretty good." "Well, that's it for this month." " I'll report a clean bill of health." " Fine." "'I have a possible sighting." "'Will relay details of speed and trajectory.'" "'I have a trace bearing." "'062-415 green." "Confirm sighting." "Yellow alert." "'I repeat, yellow alert.'" "Good luck, Mark." "OK, let's go!" "'UFO has entered area blue 634." "'Interceptors are in position, awaiting confirmation." "'Will compute attack coordinates and missile firings 'as soon as possible.'" "The next sweep should tell us." "'Red alert." "Red alert." "'Confirm Unidentified Flying Object.'" "This is Moonbase Control." "Red alert." "'Red alert." "Interceptors, immediate launch.'" "Interceptors, immediate launch." "Interceptor 3:" "R-checks A-OK." "Interceptor 2:" "R-checks A-OK." "Interceptor 1." "R-checks A-OK." "Switch to radio link 4, onboard computer waveband 066." "'Confirm speed 0,SOL 8.'" "Bearing?" " 342-047." " That's it, don't lose it." "Base to Interceptors." "Have the UFO on positive track." "Speed SOL 0,8." "Speed SOL 0,8." "'Bearing 342-047.'" "'UFO maintaining course." "'Predict Interceptors in range 51 seconds.'" "Control to leader: get onboard computer for the autocount." "Roger." "Missile launch:" "5 seconds." "4, 3, 2," "1, 0." "Have visual contact with explosion." "Detonation positive." "Did they get it?" " I still have a contact, Lieutenant." " Double-check." "Positive." "'Predict UFO on collision course with Interceptors." "'Impact: 32 seconds.'" "'Interceptor 2, alter course to 024-201.'" "'Impact: 14 seconds.'" "Interceptor 1 to Base." "Request new course." "'1 to Base." "Request new course!" "'" "Control to Interceptor 3." "Alter course to 124-186." "'9 seconds.'" "Interceptor 1 to Base." "Request new course." "Interceptor 1, alter course to 024-218." "It's too late, Lieutenant." "Come in, 1." "Come in, 1." "'Impact confirmed." "Interceptor 1 destroyed.'" "Why, Alec?" " You've read the report." " Yes." "An astronaut killed, a UFO through the outer defences." "The report tells me what happened, I want to know why." "I don't really know." " Alec, I know you better than that." " Things happened so fast." " Meaning?" " I can't be sure." "I'll settle for an educated guess, Alec." "The error could have been human." "A decision was taken, it could have worked, but it didn't." "Right." "I want the 2 surviving astronauts and Lieutenant Ellis back here on the next moon flight." "Right." "Oh, what happened to the UFO?" "We lost it in a radar blind spot." "But one thing's certain:" "it landed." "Landed?" "Where?" "Just about the worst place possible." "Somewhere in an area of 50,000 square miles in northern Canada." "Everything we got that flies is out looking for it." "Have completed grid search." "Nothing to report." "'OK, skiper." "See you in one hour.'" "No, I'm going around again." "It'll stay light long enough for one more run." "It looks a long way off, doesn't it?" "Might as well be at the other end of the universe." "Has anyone seen Lieutenant Ellis?" " She's in Central Park." " Thanks." "There's a lucky one who'll be back on terra firma tomorrow." "If by terra firma you mean Straker's carpet, rather them than me." "Gay, we all took the same chance." "Ken was unlucky." "These things happen." "Nobody's to blame." "Don't give me that crud, Masden." "Find it!" "If you need more aircraft, appropriate them." "Yes." "Yes, I'm giving you the authority." "Yes." "Right." "Right." " What now?" " 'The Moonbase personnel are here.'" "Send them in." " Now, look, Alec..." " I know, I know." " You want that UFO located." " Yes." "Bradley, Waterman, Lieutenant Ellis..." "I assume you know why you are here?" "I'd like to say something, sir." "As Interceptor leader," "I want to accept complete and sole responsibility for what happened." "Very gallant." "Yes, that's a very brave gesture." "But out of line." "I know what happened, now I want to know why." "You people were selected because of your outstanding character, as well as intellect." "What went wrong?" "Anything from those satellite shots?" " No, sir." " Well, keep looking." "It's got to be there somewhere." "'Have relocated UFO in area blue.'" " Straker." " 'We've picked it up.'" "Great." "I'll be right there." "Thank you, Greenland." " Where is it?" " Crossing the Atlantic seaboard." "Speed is down." "The Interceptors must've damaged it." " Alert Sky 1." " Right, sir." "'SHADO HQ, skipper." "They've located the UFO.'" "Be right there!" "I've got the UFO's fix." "If we steer 042 we meet in 18 minutes." "Right." "Alter course to 042!" "Give her everything she's got!" "Maximum speed!" "Lieutenant Ellis, Waterman, begin the computer test while I interview Bradley." "Right." " Cigarette?" " Thank you." "Nervous?" "No." "There's no need to be." "This is all quite confidential." "Please sit." "There." "Before we start, I'd like to get one thing straight." "I've no liking for you blacks." "Have you ever heard that phrase on Moonbase?" "No, never." "You didn't seem surprised when I said it." "I assumed you didn't mean it." "Good." "Good." "This time we'll get it." "Range 800 miles, sir." "Closing." " Launch stations." " Launch stations!" " Liftoff stations." " Yes, sir." "Good luck." "Right." "Stand by for liftoff." "Levelling off at 10,000." "Roger." "Sky One airborne, sir." "Thanks." "Word association." "Ready?" " Father." " Mother." " Hot." " Cold." " Geometry." " Variable." "Yes, of course." "You were a pilot before an astronaut." " Apple." " Teacher." " Sun." " Moon." " Tree." " Pine." " Hate." " Love." "Love." "'This is SHADO Control." "'UFO 48 miles from your present position.'" "Thanks, Control." "I have it on the scope." "Have visual contact." "Closing for attack." "Sky 1 reports a hit but UFO has turned and is still airborne." "Signal all radar stations." "Tell the commanders if they lose it this time, they'll answer to me." "Get some rest, Alec." "You look tired." "SHADO Control to all radar tracking stations." "UFO has been hit, but is still airborne." " Did he say anything else?" " No, just that I'd been cleared and I'm on the next flight back to the moon." "And us?" "He's the one who needs looking at." "'Don't worry, he can't hear in that glass case.'" "Tell me something." "Does SHADO have anyone checking him out?" "If they did it would probably be a computer." "Lieutenant Ellis, will you come in, please?" "Please sit down." " Coming down, sir." " Great." "When it lands, let me know its exact position." "Oh, have a seat, Alec." "I don't believe it!" " Oh, that's for you." " Thanks." "Well, the UFO has landed, but this time, we know where." "Exact position?" "Close enough to Lexfield Air Base for you to be there by first light." " Fine." " I want them, Alec." "I want them alive." "I'll do what I can." "You'll be the Field Commander." "I'll monitor the operation from here." "Central Control will give you all the details, but the Transporter will be ready for takeoff at 2100 hours." " Fine." " Oh, one more thing, Alec." "Dr Shroeder has finished with the Moonbase personnel." "His report is quite clear." "I'd like you to handle that, too." " I'll do it before I leave." " This is the way I want it done." " 'Mahogany.' - 'Table.'" " 'Grass.' - 'Green.'" " 'Laugh.' - 'Cry.'" "This is an interesting reaction." "Watch this carefully." " 'Sunrise.' - 'Morning.'" "'Black.'" "'Black.'" "'Bird." "Blackbird.'" "'Blackbird." "Ah, yes, yes." "Good.'" "A 2.04 second delay." "You could see her mind racing." "She was consciously avoiding giving the standard answer: white." "Look at the stress factor at that point, 5 times normal." "And your conclusions are based on that?" "They're based on 8 hours of exhaustive tests, 20 years of experience and the computer's conclusion." "That example was one even a layman might understand." "I'll leave you to it." "Come in, come in." "Sit down." "I won't waste time with the details of this report because you'll be given copies." "But I'd like to read its conclusions." ""1) Taking into account the circumstances at the time, it was clearly the duty of Lieutenant Ellis to decide the type of evasive action to be taken."" ""On that count, Lieutenant Ellis is cleared, provided the decision was in no way influenced by emotional factors."" ""2) The three personnel concerned took standard psychiatric and psychocomputer tests with the following results."" ""Astronaut Lew Waterman, clear on all counts."" ""Astronaut Mark Bradley, emotion count .48 paranormal, clear on other counts."" ""Lieutenant Ellis, stress factor 1.28 paranormal."" ""Emotion count .35 paranormal, clear on other counts."" ""3) These results are attributed to an emotional attachment between Lieutenant Ellis and astronaut Bradley."" "It ends with a recommendation as to what action should be taken." "We'll just hope this thing sorts itself out." "Straker's given you separate postings." "Bradley," " you'll report to Moonbase." " And me, sir?" "SHADO Headquarters, earth." "Everything's fine with the Air Force, you'll get their fullest cooperation." " I'll be on my way." " Oh, Alec..." " Who are you taking?" " Does it matter?" "No, except that I hadn't seen the list of personnel." " Mark Bradley and Lieutenant Ellis." " Your decision?" "My decision." "Without the aid of a computer." "They'll be back inside 3 days to take up their new postings." "The Transporter's just landed at Lexfield, Canada, sir." "Fine, fine." "'SHADO Mobiles 1, 2 and 3, proceed to search the area.'" "'This is Control." "In position on airfield perimeter.'" "The other Mobiles are on their way, sir." "Good." "SHADO Mobile 1 to Control." "In position." " 'Roger, 1.'" " No visual contact." " 'SHADO Mobile 2 in position, sir.' - 'SHADO Mobile 3 in position.'" " All three Mobiles in position, sir." " Good." " Send one in." " Which one, sir?" "The one in the best position." "Standard procedure." "Control to SHADO Mobile 3." " 'Close in for final assault.'" " Roger, Control." "They should be able to see it any second." "There it is!" " Have visual, 300 yards ahead." " Any sign of movement?" "No, nothing." "We're going in closer." "'Right." "Take it easy.'" " SHADO Mobile 3 under attack." " Head back to the ridge." "We're still under fire..." "SM 3, can you hear me?" "Come in, SM 3." "Radio and tracking link negative." "They must've been hit." "Send the next one in." "I know the risk." "Send it in." "This is Control to SHADO Mobile 1." "Close in on UFO." "'Roger.'" "This is Colonel Freeman." "Assume SM 3 is non-operational." "'Stop just below the ridge and proceed on foot.'" " I repeat, proceed on foot." " 'Understood.'" "OK, let's go." "Roger." "Backup forces in position and standing by, sir." "OK, fan out." "250 yards from UFO." "Closing in." "They're closing in, sir." "Take cover!" "Keep down!" "Look out!" "The UFO, sir!" "Get down!" " Hello, Mark." " Hi." "Quite a day!" "Yes, they're flying the alien back to HQ now." " You all right?" " I'm fine." "Mark, there's something I must tell you." "After Mobile 3 was hit, Freeman told me to send another one in." "Mobile 2 was in a better position." "It's OK." "I was glad of the action." "Don't you understand what I'm saying?" "I risked your life to prove a point." "You did it to prove that Straker and the computers were wrong." "Well?" "Much the same situation we've experienced before." "The alien was breathing a liquid containing a bioaquaphilic compound, imparting the usual green tint to the face and neck." "The hair was unaffected and the eyes have protective shells." "We've reverted the respiration to normal atmosphere." " Successfully?" " 5 hours is not enough to tell." "It's long enough to tell us if we're dealing with a young alien." "Past experience has shown that once they breathe our atmosphere, they deteriorate to their true age." "I want to see if I can get anything out of him." "How soon can he be ready?" "We're crossing new physiological frontiers." "How can I say?" "Well, I..." "I suppose he's as ready now as he'll ever be." "Right, Doctor." "He appears to be humanoid and highly intelligent." "The biosensor tells us his eyes and ears are in excellent condition." "Computer reports indicate he's in perfect health." "There must be some way we can communicate." "You've been interrogating him for 43 minutes." "How much longer?" "Why?" "We must remove the compound from his hair to assist oxygen absorption." "All right, all right." "Now, let's go over it once again." "The answers are needed to certain questions." "I'm asking you to cooperate." "It's no good, Alec." "He either can't or doesn't want to understand." "There's no alternative." "I'll try one of the new anodynes to break down his resistance." "Which do you recommend, Doctor?" "GL-7 is the most effective in my experience but..." " but in this case..." " Well?" "I can't guarantee the results." "It could be dangerous." " How dangerous?" " Who knows?" "But the decision and the responsibility must be yours." "Your reactions are all right, you heard that clearly enough." "All right, Doctor." "Now, the drug will lower your resistance, it's no use fighting it." "You must help us." "You must cooperate." "Pulse rate increasing." "Still increasing." "Hold him." "Hold him down!" " Drink, Alec?" " No thanks." "I'd like you to accept this." "We've worked together a long time, Alec." " Maybe too long." " Can't we talk about it?" "There's not much to say." "It's a difference in temperament." "You think I wanted him to die?" "It was a calculated risk." "It's not only that." "You make all your decisions based on cold logic." "Computer predictions." "1984." "I wonder what it's going to be like in 20 years' time." "Will the computers take over completely?" "Why don't you ask them?" "They have all the answers even now." "We build them, program them and they tell us what we're going to think before we know ourselves." "You'd better make that phone call." "I'll sleep on it." "Straker." "It's for you, Alec." "Freeman." "When did you find this out?" "You know what it means, don't you?" "Right." "No, no." "No, leave that with me." "Yeah." "Bye." " Mark Bradley." " Important?" "He thinks it is." "Well, it looks like you were right." "You and your computers." "Oh, by the way, Alec." "Would you tell Lieutenant Ellis and astronaut Bradley to return to Moonbase immediately and assume their normal duties?" " The report didn't recommended that." " Not the first report, no." "But this report analysed the flight paths, and it shows that, had normal procedure been followed, we would have lost all three Interceptors." "You mean her decision wasn't influenced by emotion." "You tell me." "See you."