"Good morning, Professor." "I said, good morning, Professor." "* *" "(eerie whirring)" "(eerie whirring)" "* *" "(coins clank into phone)" "David... they're here." "(no audio)" "Julian!" "Julian, are you all right?" "Julian!" "(echoing):" "Julian!" "What is it?" "Are you all right, Julian?" "Julian!" "(echoing):" "Julian!" "Are you all right, Julian?" "(eerie tapping sound)" "Julian!" "Are you all right, Julian?" "Julian!" "(tapping stops)" "(eerie whirring)" "(body hits ground)" "NARRATOR:" "Starring Roy Thinnes as architect David Vincent." "The Invaders... alien beings from a dying planet." "Their destination... the Earth." "Their purpose... to make it their world." "David Vincent has seen them." "For him, it began one lost night on a lonely country road looking for a shortcut that he never found." "It began with a closed, deserted diner and a man too long without sleep to continue his journey." "(eerie whirring)" "It began with the landing of a craft from another galaxy." "(whirring intensifies)" "Now David Vincent knows that the Invaders are here, that they have taken human form." "Somehow, he must convince a disbelieving world that the nightmare has already begun." "The guest stars in tonight's story:" "Joanne Linville..." "Donald Haren..." "Kent Smith... and special guest star Charles Aidman." "NARRATOR:" "Professor Julian Reed, a member of David Vincent's group of believers has been hospitalized as insane." "But is he a victim of the aliens or of his own mind?" "(doorbell rings)" "Hi, Pat." "I'm sorry." "Very, very sorry." "Oh, it's so good to see you, David." "Come on in." "David... this is our son, Frankie." "Frankie." "Nice to meet you." "How are you?" "Fine, sir." "Good." "Mr. Vincent going to be spending a few days with us." "Listen, Pat, I know you're having a rough time, so if I'm in the way-- please." "Oh, no." "Nonsense." "How's Julian?" "Hey, isn't it past your bedtime?" "Sure, Mom." "Pleased to meet you, Mr. Vincent." "Thank you." "See you tomorrow." "Okay." "Good night, darling." "FRANKIE:" "Good night." "(door closes)" "You needn't have come, David, you know?" "There's really nothing that you can do." "How bad is he?" "Oh, I don't..." "I don't believe that he's, uh... insane." "I just think he's... just emotionally tired, that's all." "How did it happen?" "I'd rather not go into it right now." "Sit down, David." "Pat, I have to know." "But I can't!" "Just... just give me a day or two, all right, David?" "I'm sorry." "Where is he?" "In Brookside." "David." "Hi, Julian." "I'm glad to see you." "How do you feel?" "A lot better, thanks." "I had a few wild hours there." "Hallucinating, overtones of paranoia..." "It's all over, thank God." "How long you been here?" "Couple of weeks." "Still hazy about a few things." "You mind sitting over there?" "You suspect him?" "I suspect everyone." "(sighs)" "When they told me I had a visitor," "I thought it might be Pat." "How is she and how's Frankie?" "Haven't you seen them?" "Well, Pat is very busy with her work, I guess." "Well, they're, uh... fine." "And Frankie and I are getting to be friends." "They're fine." "David... it's no accident that I'm here." "The psychosis that I had was induced deliberately." "They used the dream machine." "I, uh..." "I'm not sure I know what that is." "What's a dream machine?" "Well, it's at the core of the project that I'm involved in now." "How much do you know about the Slaton Research Center?" "Just what I've read in the papers and magazines." "What's the expression they use?" "Uh... it's a think factory." "John Slaton has gathered together some of the finest minds in the country to think out problems relating to our space program." "Much of it is highly secret." "Now, I'm not sure whether the aliens are merely observing" "or actively interfering, but some of the projects have already been canceled." "So you, uh..." "think they're here." "I'm sure of it." "My assistant, Jeff Brower, is one of them." "He knows that I found out about aliens being at Slaton." "And tried to discredit you by... driving you out of your mind." "I'll get on it right away." "I wish I could be out of here and helping you." "(heavy sigh)" "We haven't got much time, David." "Find John Slaton." "Warn him." "Okay." "Take care of yourself, hmm." "The aliens are the result of Julian's sick mind, not the cause." "Well, I just had a talk with him." "He's as rational as you or I." "You should've heard him two days ago." "He'd begun using himself in his experiments, and I guess they just got away from him." "Mr. Vincent... accept it as a tragic accident." "Is it logical that a man like Julian Reed would put himself in a position where he'd be driven insane, even accidentally?" "(soft chuckle)" "Scientists are a strange breed, Mr. Vincent." "In their zeal for knowledge, they'll push themselves beyond normal limits." "To the extent of playing Russian roulette with their sanity?" "Yes." "Look at Pasteur." "He risked a hideous, painful death by injecting himself with rabies, not certain that his treatment would work." "That's pushing, wouldn't you say?" "Now, I've given you all the time I have to spare." "Edgar Scoville..." "All I'm asking is that you investigate your employees." "My associates." "Whatever." "You're poking around in the dark for something that isn't there." "Mrs. Fielding, these are next." "I don't want to instigate a witch hunt on the say-so of a deranged man." "Do you mind if I ask a few questions?" "Frankly, I do." "Yes." "But since Scoville's an old friend of mine, he's done me a few good turns, I..." "Where do you want to start?" "The dream machine." "(quiet humming)" "Actually, it's an electroencephalograph." "We call it a dream machine because it records brain impulses and indicates when someone is dreaming." "What do dreams have to do with sanity?" "Forgive me for sounding rude, but I'm a busy man, Mr. Vincent." "Are all these questions really necessary?" "I think so." "The need to dream is so strong that when people are deprived of them, they will actually dream while awake." "Hallucinate." "If the person is continually deprived of dreaming, he becomes mentally deranged." "That's hard to believe." "I assure you I am not making it up." "How does it work?" "The electrodes are attached to the scalp." "The electrical impulses which the brain gives off are registered here." "When a dream starts, a bell will automatically ring, which wakes the subject." "At this point, he has total recall of the dream, which we record on tape for our records." "Now, if you'll excuse me, Mr. Vincent," "I haven't had any lunch." "Well, you, uh, still haven't explained why Julian Reed became psychotic." "Before I left him for the night," "I turned on the machine." "Left him alone?" "That's the usual procedure." "That way, nobody has to stay up all night." "There's a relay here." "After five interruptions, this switch turns off the machine and allows uninterrupted dreaming for the rest of the night." "Unfortunately, the relay failed." "Unfortunately." "Professor Reed had been without dreams for too long-- for over a week." "He was nearing the point of breakdown." "That's why the machine was set for only five a night." "What about this?" "We also record pulse, respiration, heartbeat." "(rhythmic beeping)" "Hmm." "(rhythmic beeping)" "What the devil are you doing?" "(rhythmic beeping)" "Thank you for your help." "Then I didn't take you away from any major discoveries." "No, today was a very discouraging day." "I discovered about as much as you did." "You're a celebrity, you know." "The whole staff is taking bets as to whether you actually believe in planetary intruders or if it's a magnificent put-on." "I'm used to that kind of stuff." "Can't make any sense out of it." "I've checked everything Julian's told me." "And found nothing because there's nothing to find." "I'm going to see him tonight." "Come with me." "I can't, David." "Why not?" "These are our friendly night watchmen." "Ralph, Alfie, I'd like for you to meet Mr. Vincent." "So long, Mrs. Reed." "Good night." "(dog barks)" "(both barking)" "Pat, he wants to see his family." "I don't want Frankie to see his father like that." "Not till he's better." "He is better." "He's calm, he's rational, he's fully aware of what happened." "Anyway, you wouldn't have to take Frankie." "I know." "You haven't seen him since he's been there." "Think I don't feel guilty about that?" "I'll go see him soon, David." "I promise." "I don't understand." "I want you to understand, David." "I suppose I have seemed very cruel and... and unfeeling." "My grandfather... was a wonderful old man." "And I loved him dearly." "When I was seven... we were left alone." "My parents had gone out." "And all of a sudden, he just... he just lost his mind." "He just went berserk!" "He just smashed everything in the house..." "Before one of the neighbors could subdue him." "That was the first time in my life" "I'd ever felt... terror, I suppose." "I've just never been able to forget it." "Well, that's all very unfortunate, but that's a long time ago." "First my grandfather and now Julian." "I keep looking at Frankie." "He seems so withdrawn ever since Julian is..." "I just hope it's my imagination." "Pat, you know insanity is not hereditary." "No, but the tendency is." "You know, the weakness." "David, Julian was always so strong, and I need him now." "I need him the way he was." "He needs you, too." "I'll tell you what, why don't you sleep on it, huh?" "And I'll give him your love." "No." "No, I'll give it to him." "David, did Pat say when she... ?" "Oh." "I'm sorry I didn't come before, but I couldn't." "Aw, that's all right." "I understand." "Hey." "Hey, this is no kind of behavior for a scientist." "How's Frankie?" "He's fine." "We're both fine." "Nobody's bothered you?" "No." "How are you?" "Oh, good appetite, pulse normal, ready to get back to the wars and a little homesick." "David... what about Brower?" "You saw him?" "Yeah." "He's, uh, kind of pompous, but, uh... he's just not an alien." "I checked his heartbeat." "Well, it's some kind of trick." "That-That's wrong." "There's no question about it." "Well, he's an alien." "He-He rigged the machine." "Well, he explained that." "He said, uh, the relay broke down on the machine." "And you believed him?" "Julian, please." "DAVID:" "It was an accident." "Please." "I think you're covering up for him because Jeff Brower is an alien." "There were no signs." "You don't believe me, do you?" "Neither of you do." "The only one that does is Frankie." "Frankie... what?" "He saw them, didn't he tell you?" "What's the matter?" "You're one of them." "I never saw that before." "Saw what?" "You're one of them!" "Julian!" "Julian!" "Julian!" "You're one of them!" "He's an alien!" "Look at his hands!" "He's an alien!" "Don't you see him?" "!" "Go after him!" "Don't hold me!" "He's an alien!" "You should be after him, not me!" "Sorry you came all this way on a wild-goose chase." "I'm not." "I had to find out." "(sighs)" "And you won't let me drive you to the airport?" "No." "I'll catch a cab." "Pat, if there's anything I can do to help Julian..." "I'll call, of course." "Will you and Frankie be all right?" "Mmm." "I'm going to work very, very hard." "Hmm... kids bounce back." "(barking and snarling)" "I don't believe it." "That's how they die here." "Doesn't that prove something?" "No." "It just seems impossible." "Julian wrote me before his illness and told me about the aliens and he was right-- they are here at Slaton." "Now, he thought they were here because of the sophisticated projects that are going on here." "Can you tell me anything about the projects?" "Well, they, they cover a... a pretty broad area-- some environmental systems, space medicine, nutrition." "My own project is a theoretical propulsion engine." "Electromagnetic?" "How did you know that?" "Some of the people I've worked with think that's the kind of engine they use to propel their spacecraft." "Have you, uh, had any unusual problems with the project?" "Any interference?" "None." "How about the other projects?" "Well, we've had a few projects scrapped." "Some, we had high hopes for." "It could be sabotage." "David, that's impossible." "We send duplicate reports to Washington." "They keep a record of everything." "Do you send the reports yourself?" "No, we give them to..." "John Slaton." "All the reports go through his office." "Do you think there's any possibility that, uh..." "That he's one of them?" "Not a chance." "I've known him for years." "What if he sold out?" "I don't believe it." "He was more than cordial when I told him you were coming." "Can you give me any more?" "Only that if I were an alien," "I'd give priority to a propulsion system they're working on here." "It happens to be Pat Reed's project." "Agreed." "I'll put in a call to Washington." "Thanks, Ed." "Let me know." "Frankie?" "Frank?" "Mind if I come in?" "Frankie, last night, when I saw your dad... he said you had seen something." "What was it?" "I don't know what he meant." "Something strange, spooky." "I didn't see anything, honest." "Frankie, this is important." "No, I didn't." "Really, I didn't." "All right, I believe you." "Mr. Vincent... he made me promise not to tell anyone." "He won't mind you telling me." "I'd been down on the pier, fishing, by the amusement park, and I saw a couple of kooky-looking guys go in there." "Why was that strange?" "Well, 'cause it's all shut down for the winter." "Anyway, I climbed the wall just to take a look, and there was a lot of funny-looking machinery." "I told my dad and he started poking around there." "And... and the next thing I knew, he... he, he was..." "Hey, Frankie, Frankie..." "It wasn't your fault." "I'm afraid if they found I... found out I know... they're going to do it to me, too." "Don't worry about that." "Just don't worry." "Your mom will be home in a few minutes." "Will you tell her I went to the amusement park?" "Where is it?" "West side of town." "Okay." "(seagulls screeching in distance)" "* *" "* *" "(alarm sounding)" "There's somebody in the restricted area." "Jensen, take over." "* *" "* *" "* *" "(bubbling)" "It's so strange." "It doesn't make scientific sense." "It's not strange, Pat." "Turn a computer loose on it." "It's like an infinite number of typewriters and an infinite number of monkeys." "BROWER:" "Do you really think you'd get Hamlet?" "What happened to you?" "Where have you been?" "The amusement park." "Fall off the roller coaster?" "David..." "I don't believe you know all these gentlemen." "May I introduce to you Art Llewellan, this is Paul Meyers, and Jeff, I believe you know." "David Vincent." "Vincent." "Aren't you the fellow that...?" "I'm the one." "I thought so." "We were just discussing going to other planets." "Sit in." "Tell us about your spacemen." "I can do better than that." "I can show you some." "After all, if we can go to other planets, why can't people from other planets come here?" "We're not saying there's no such animal." "We're willing to acknowledge the possibility of life on other planets, but in the absence of proof, we rather doubt that that life is here right now." "I can show you proof." "David, you must be freezing." "BROWER:" "Proof is to him as he sees it, which means that what may be proof to you is not necessarily proof to us." "There's alien machinery at the amusement park." "Well, the, um, penny arcade or the Tunnel of Love?" "You're beginning to sound like Julian." "What kind of machines?" "I don't know." "LLEWELLAN:" "Describe them." "I was jumped before I could see them." "I only heard them." ""Jumped"?" "By whom?" "Julian's psychosis must be contagious." "Do you have feelings of persecution, Mr. Vincent?" "Can't you stop playing psychologist for a moment?" "I'm not being paranoid." "Gentlemen, the meeting is over." "Good night." "All I ask is that one of you come with me." "I thought scientists explored every possibility." "But on a cold night, we also weigh the probabilities." "Good night, Mr. Vincent." "Good night, Pat." "See you tomorrow." "LLEWELLAN:" "Good night." "PAT:" "Good night." "(door closes)" "I saw them, too, and so did Dad." "You march on out of here, mister, and go to bed." "I told Mr. Vincent that..." "Move!" "You're turning your back on this whole thing." "(door closes)" "Now, look, I won't have you involving my son in your fantasies." "But it's true." "He saw something." "Will you listen to me for a minute?" "No, I won't listen to you!" "I am sick to death of hearing about aliens and being reminded that my-my husband has had a nervous breakdown, and now you're trying to involve my son." "I-I like you, David, but I think it would be better if you found another place to stay." "Pat..." "No." "It-it would be best." "Really." "I don't like the idea of you and Frankie being alone." "Will you stop it, David?" "!" "Sorry." "You're sorry;" "I'm sorry;" "the whole world is sorry." "I've just had too much happen to me in too short a time." "I know." "No, you don't know." "You think you do, but you don't." "I need Julian, David." "I am so weak without him." "David." "I just had a long session with Washington." "They reached a decision yesterday on Pat Reed's project." "They're going to cancel." "Did they give any reason?" "Faulty chain of reasoning-- something pretty esoteric, but they feel they're no further along than they were six months ago." "After what happened to Julian and now this." "Pat's going to be crushed." "I know." "It's a darn shame." "She'll probably get official notification sometime tomorrow." "Listen, is it possible that someone could have changed those reports before the government people saw them?" "It's possible." "I'll try to get hold of a copy." "Can you break away from the plant?" "Good." "Yeah, I'll be staying at the Rancho Motel." "Okay, fine." "Bye." "Pat." "What reports?" "(sighs)" "Yours." "That was Edgar Scoville." "I'm afraid the reaction in Washington was rather negative." "That's not possible, David." "We've made a real breakthrough." "It is possible that someone tampered with those reports before they got to Washington." "Oh, I don't believe that, David." "For your sake, I hope we're wrong." "(car horn honking)" "That must be my cab." "(sighs)" "You call me if you need me, will you?" "Yes, I will." "(rhythmic beeping)" "(rhythmic beeping)" "You don't believe me." "Nobody believes me." "Julian, stop it!" "You're one of them!" "Stop it, Julian!" "That's what you are." "You're one of them." "You're an alien!" "DAVID:" "Yes." "Look at his hands!" "He's an alien!" "DAVID:" "Yes." "Julian, stop this!" "He's an alien!" "Why don't you go after him?" "He's an alien!" "Go after him!" "He's an alien!" "He's an alien!" "He's an alien." "Don't you realize that?" "!" "He's an alien!" "(bell ringing)" "(ringing stop, rhythmic beeping)" "What's proof to you, Vincent, may not be proof to us." "Alien machinery at the amusement park." "Where, in the Tunnel of Love?" "You sound just like Julian." "What kind of machines?" "DAVID:" "I'm not sure." "Then how do you know they're alien machines?" "I heard the sound." "I was jumped." "By whom?" "(men chuckling)" "I don't know." "You sound just like Julian." "What kind of machines?" "(men laughing)" "DAVID:" "I don't know." "(laughter)" "I don't know!" "(laughter)" "I don't know." "I don't know." "I don't know." "I don't know!" "I don't know." "I don't know." "I don't know!" "(rhythmic beeping)" "And that's all they said-- canceled." "I can't understand it, either." "I'm sorry, Pat-- really sorry." "(sighs)" "But you read the reports, John." "They were good reports." "They were better than good." "They staked out a whole new direction for us, a whole new way of investigation." "If this were the first time," "I'd charge it up to Washington red tape or bureaucracy or lack of funds." "Well, at least it doesn't come as a surprise." "What do you mean?" "David told me last night." "David Vincent." "He talked to Scoville." "Scoville had talked to Washington." "It was so incredible that I could hardly make myself believe it." "Let me check this through." "In the meantime, you go out and buy yourself an expensive lunch." "You'll feel better." "Thank you, John." "(bell ringing)" "(rhythmic beeping)" "(bell ringing)" "(bell ringing)" "(rhythmic beeping)" "He's already here?" "Don't worry." "I'll take care of my end." "Yes, he said the Rancho Motel." "He never registered." "Has a Mister..." "a Mr. Scoville come by?" "Yes, I know where that is." "Well, if you see either one of them, will you have them call Pat Reed, please?" "Yes, thank you." "Oh!" "Jeff." "Thank God you're here." "What's wrong, Pat?" "Oh, just everything." "It's just like some crazy nightmare." "Julian ill and David disappeared and my project canceled." "It just..." "Take it easy." "There are answers for these things." "Vincent will show up." "But what about my project?" "Why was it canceled, like he said it would be?" "I know it's a blow, but back off for a day." "Give Slaton a chance to follow through." "No." "It was going too well." "I've got my research notes, and I'm going to get them to Washington now." "Good idea." "If I can help..." "No, Jeff, you're very dear to offer, but I've got to ask someone who can take them straight to the top." "Dr. Slaton?" "No." "David has a friend-- a man by the name of Mr. Scoville." "He said he'd be at the motel but no one's seen him." "He'll turn up, Edgar." "Chances are he's off looking for aliens someplace." "Don't put him down, John." "I'm not putting him down." "It's just that, well, he's created quite a stir among some of our people." "Let me tell you something." "These aliens you're scoffing at are possibly responsible for some of your projects being canceled." "Edgar, a week ago, if anybody tried to talk to me seriously about invaders from outer space," "I'd have tossed them out on their ear, but today..." "Today I'll buy any explanation of what's going on, rational or otherwise." "That magnetic propulsion engine is one of our key projects." "Pat Reed has the most extraordinary facility for blending science and imagination." "I've read all the reports." "They're excellent." "Then why did they cancel?" "I don't know." "Edgar, what's it all about?" "Here's a copy of your report, the way it arrived in Washington." "I suggest you read it." "(phone rings)" "Dr. Slaton's office." "This is Pat Reed." "Uh, has an Edgar Scoville been there?" "No, Dr. Reed." "No one's been by here since lunch." "Oh." "Well, if he comes in, or if you see David Vincent, would you have them call me in my lab?" "It is terribly important." "Of course." "Edgar, these aren't the reports I read." "They're the ones that went to the government." "Who had them after you?" "Nobody." "They were typed up fresh and sent in." "Who typed them?" "Mrs. Fielding, my... secretary." "Empty." "Half our records are gone." "Including Pat Reed's report." "Well, is there another copy?" "She'll have her research notes." "That'll be good enough." "(phone rings)" "Hello." "Sorry, she's not back from lunch yet." "Sure." "Glad to." "Who was that?" "Somebody for your assistant." "Sounded like a boyfriend." "Oh." "Scoville left word at the motel that he'd be at Slaton's office." "I'm going over there and wait." "If anybody can get these reports to Washington, it's him." "Like me to come with you?" "I'd appreciate that very much." "Hold it!" "Oh, n-never mind." "You go right ahead." "I-I forgot something." "What's the matter?" "That man-- his hand." "Didn't you see it?" "David says some of the aliens have hands like that with a mutated finger." "Pat..." "I'm sorry, Jeff, I'm afraid to go up there." "Tell you what." "Come over to my lab." "You'll be safe there." "I promise you I'll find Scoville." "Okay." "There's not a sign of them." "Where the devil can Pat be?" "I'm John Slaton." "Oh, yes, sir, I know." "This is important." "When Professor Reed gets back from lunch have her contact me immediately." "Have you got it?" "Yes, sir, but, uh, well," "Mrs. Reed got back from lunch almost an hour ago." "She got back?" "Oh, yes, sir." "She just left the building with Mr. Brower, just a couple of minutes ago." "Brower?" "Yes, that's Julian Reed's assistant." "Brower?" "That could have been..." "That was Brower on the phone." "You'd better come with us." "(rhythmic beeping)" "I think I'll call the motel again." "(bell ringing)" "(ringing continues)" "David." "What?" "!" "What are you...?" "!" "Jeff!" "Jeff..." "You can't be one of them." "The heartbeat." "Figure it out." "You're a scientist." "A mechanical heart." "A pacemaker." "(knocking on door)" "It's Fielding." "(screaming)" "(screaming continues)" "Get the car." "Take care of him." "Break it open." "(gunshot)" "David!" "(gunshot)" "David, are you all right?" "This is what they did to Julian." "Feeling better?" "Yeah." "Another couple of minutes..." "Thank you, Edgar." "Sorry, Pat-- checkmate." "(chuckling)" "Can't win 'em all." "I have a plane to catch." "Take care of yourself, huh?" "Mr. Slaton's anxious to put you back to work." "Thanks for everything, David." "I'll see you to the door." "Okay." "Have I told you lately how much I appreciate you?" "No, not for a half hour." "Don't worry." "He's going to be all right." "He's responding to treatment." "If you hadn't come, I wonder how all this would have turned out." "Oh, come on." "Good-bye." "Bye-bye." "NARRATOR:" "Perhaps it has ended for the Reed family, but for David Vincent it is still the beginning."