"(Gasps)" "You two again." "The fantasy room." "Dr Joynton?" "Dr Joynton?" "What's happened, Bukov?" "She's dead." "The alarm went." "What's going on?" " How did this happen?" " l don't know." "The bell..." " Beth?" " Dr Joynton was in fantasy..." " You were in here?" "Everything normal?" " Yes." " Fantasy gear?" " Yes, sir." "Dr Joynton, she's dead!" "A simple diagnosis." "Do I have to spell it out?" " No, Director." " ls it the longevity drug?" " Yes, it's failed." " The longevity drug can fail." "I checked the prescriptions on brain link to the computer as usual." "They were accurate." "Dr Joynton took a dosage." "We all saw." " Correct?" " Correct, sir." "There's been criminal carelessness here." "It seems I can't delegate the least responsibility to anyone here." "I shall have to send a report to the lnternational Commission and I want you all to know I shall treat this as a case of murder." "Edith Joynton... useful colleague." " l'll look after things here, Director." " Yeah." "Larry." "Yes, Director?" " You are relieved of all duties." " You don't suspect me, sir?" "It must have been your fault." "The prescriptions were correct so the mistake was in the manufacture." "But I checked everything out." "Be silent." "Your error." "Who else could be responsible?" "You're not suggesting that I was responsible?" "That's not fair!" "Why don't you all leave Larry alone?" " l beg your pardon?" " How dare you speak like that?" "Because I'm not screwed up in things here like you." "I don't have to bow down to little tin gods." " l wouldn't be here if..." " Stop it!" " l only..." " No, Liz." "No." "What's going on here?" "Your relationship with this volunteer seems very close, Jean." "Not...close, Director." "Liz and Simon were just unhappy when they first came here, I tried to be kind to them - they are children." "is that all?" "Beth?" "I've tried to get rid of them." "They're not the right sort of people for the ice Box." "I have to report that when the emergency alarm went, they were in your office again." " What are you trying to do here?" " Just find out things." "There's plenty to find out, isn't there?" "What about the other computer in your office?" "What's it there for?" "She knows, she went in." "I see." "It's obvious I shall have to devote more attention to you two." "You are confined to quarters." "No, not quarters." "Somewhere where we can keep a constant eye on you." "The fantasy room, Beth." "Drop an electronic shield around them!" "Very good, Director." "As for you, a check on the computer memory bank will soon make it clear where you went wrong." "Whatever you say, Director." "What's the score, Beth?" "Do you think everything that goes wrong here can be put down to human error?" "There's nothing to talk about, Larry." "You're confined to quarters." "I know." "Untouchable at last." "That's what you wanted, isn't it?" "Well, you're safe from me now." "I'll never grow up to be like you." "Never." "Never!" "(Whirring and beeping)" "(Wavering tone)" "(Steady, high-pitched tone)" "(Wavering tone)" "(Steady, high-pitched tone)" "(Wavering tone)" "It says no evidence of error in operational process." "Larry couldn't have been responsible." "There are laws governing behaviour of staff here, have you studied them?" " Of course." " One states that any emotional involvement among personnel calls for automatic dismissal." " lf you mean that I'm..." " How dare you make a pronouncement that Larry was not responsible for Edith's death." " lt is for me to make judgments." " l dislike Larry." "That's an emotional response." "Your behaviour is extraordinarily like that of the female volunteer Liz." "You must purge yourself of all emotional reactions." "Ever since I took the intelligence enhancement course, I've had only one aim - the objective pursuit of science." "Then explain your relationship with Larry." "There is no relationship between Larry and me." "You will cease all communication with him." "Let us examine the evidence regarding the HA57 dosage to Edith Joynton." "Yep, we cannot accept this information as final." "A depth check, that's what we need." "The computer's operations are more subtle than anyone realises." " Very good, Director." " Subtlety." "That's the key note." "That's the nature of the communication between me and the computer." "We set each other little traps from time to time." "Did you know that?" "Posers." "Try to catch each other out, hm?" "Beth, are you in any doubt about what we're doing in the ice Box?" "Have I ever been in doubt, Director?" "I meant what I said about needing a personal assistant but I must be sure of you." "I've done everything I know to prove to you I'm totally loyal." "True. I gave you the servicing of the inner computer as I trusted no one else." "But do you know what that computer is actually for?" " The inner computer?" " Yeah." "I thought it was to help you in the general line of research." "That's only part of it." "There's a secret in there, too..." "Beth." "A very great secret which you can share one day if you prove loyal enough." "You still doubt that Liz and Simon were properly selected by the computer." " l had certain reasons..." " You trusted your own intuition against the terms of the directive." "Yet... in this case, that might not be reprehensible." "I don't understand." "I think that one day..." "when the truth is finally known, you'll find that you suspected Liz and Simon for the wrong reasons." "Larry was not responsible for the error in the operating process, so somebody else must have been." " Liz and Simon." " Someone who covered their tracks." "I believe we should program a complete history of those two into our depth check, don't you, Beth?" "We must get at the truth." "This is almost like the old time barrier." " What is?" " This electronic shield." "I wonder how it's done?" "Force field, I suppose." " Who cares?" " Yes... the downward thrust meets the upward attraction, the power... I wish you'd stop being so scientific!" "We're prisoners." " Maybe not for long." " Maybe forever." "All because of your curiosity about the longevity drug," " imagining yourself some genius." " lt's better than being stupid about it all." " Anyway, I think I've found out now." " You always do." "I must be to do with that other computer in the back room." "Bukov said there was a testament, so I assumed he meant something written down." "But with all these electronic gadgets, why bother writing things down?" " Sometimes I wonder if you're all there." " Get knotted." " Here we are, waiting to be given new..." " l don't think it'll happen." "What's to stop it?" "It's the only reason we're supposed to be here." "But this is the future, I don't see how anything can happen to you that isn't going to exist one day." "What are you going on about?" "Unless we're meant to come to the ice Box and have new arms and legs in 1990, it can't happen." "Maybe we are meant to come here in 1990." " No." " How do you know?" "Because you'd come here as Beth." "She hasn't got new arms and legs." "I am not coming as Beth!" "I won't!" "All right." "But you see what I mean." "Yes..." "Yes, I suppose I do." "Oh, why is it all so crazy?" " Who's there?" " Mummy!" "We're trapped." "Do you know how to get us out?" "No, but we must find a way." "You have to get away from here." "But I can't leave you here." "And what about Daddy?" "Liz, you must let us manage as best as we can." "Our lives have been very difficult, perhaps it'll be different for you." "My life doesn't seem to have made any sense at all." "Coming here was a terrible mistake." "Then it could have been different?" "Of course. lf l hadn't let Beth go in for that intelligence enhancement course, we could just have stayed at home and somehow helped my husband build up his business again." " Then that's it!" " What is what?" "Commander Traynor said that when we went into the past it was because of the energy that still existed." "Why do you keep bringing him up?" "But this is the future so the real energy doesn't exist yet." "So it's got to be energy of another sort." "Energy not outside someone's mind as yet, maybe not even outside your mother's mind." "What are you talking about?" "Don't you see?" "Liz says you can't remember letting us come to the ice Box, so that means it didn't happen for you as you are now, so why should any of it happen?" "Simply make up your mind that there isn't going to be any ice Box." " l don't have to be Beth after all?" " No." "And I wouldn't have to be here." "Simon, you and Liz must get back through the barrier. I must be, well..." "Warned!" "That's right, Mrs Skinner." "We must get back and warn you." "Good old Simon, always gets there in the end!" "Just too late." "Why couldn't you have thought of this yesterday?" "We're stuck now." "In jail!" "(Whirring and beeping)" "Larry!" "Why are you here?" "I thought you'd been confined to quarters." "That's all done with." "I just got the message I'm a free man." "The director giveth and the director taketh away." "Them that asks no questions don't get told no lies." " What's all that?" " Why do you ask?" "Sorry!" "Just computer tapes that I need to keep separate." " Why?" " Larry, how far can I trust you?" "I don't know what that means!" "I'm serious." "Perhaps you were never aware that Edith and I had a special job given to us here by the lnternational Commission - to keep the director under observation." " Under observation?" " Yes." " What for?" " l can't tell you any more." "I only need to confide in someone else with Edith dead." "These tapes, Larry, are vital to the report I must make." "Remember it in case anything should happen to me." "Ah, Bukov, old comrade." "Don't talk like an old Hollywood movie." " What's gonna happen to you?" " lt happened to Edith." "Have you got that depth check on Liz and Simon yet?" "It's proceeding, Director." "Just a moment, there's something here." "There's an important message..." "Beth!" "Wh..." "Why are you here?" "I've isolated an important message..." "How dare you!" "Y..." "You know I allow no one in here while I'm at work." "I give you...privileges and...you abuse them." "My staff hinder... rather than help me." " You're all alike." " Director!" "My staff hinder... rather than help me." "Oh..." "Beth." "It's all right, you can cancel that depth check." "I have it on personal depth contact that Liz and Simon are responsible for Edith's death." "No!" "They shouldn't have even been in the ice Box." "What?" " There was a change of plan..." " Are you mad?" "So easily deceived?" "That message is a forgery." "No such message was passed to me on brain link to the computer, therefore no such message ever existed." "Liz and Simon again, I fear." "Trying to undermine... the unity between me and the computer." "Destroy my work." "Error." "Ah!" "Larry?" "Yeah." "A bit warm in here tonight." "Check temperature control." "Yes, Director." "At once." "Hi!" "You've come to save me!" "Well, it shows my good taste." "But I wanted to see what's going on." "Nasty to think the same heat's being put on you as I got." " What heat?" " The rumour seems to be the big boss is blaming you and Simon for poor old Edith now." "Oh, no." "Why?" "Don't ask me." "Did you do anything?" " Such as what?" "!" " Shove a spanner in the works?" " Mess about with the computer?" " No!" " Of course not!" "Why would we?" " There must be a reason." "I'd hate to see you get in real trouble, Liz." "Oh, we'll be all right I expect, Larry." "It's just being cooped up in here that's so awful." "Yes, I know." "The funny thing is I could get you out of it, if I took it into my head." " How?" "!" " Just blow a fuse." "Come on, Larry, please!" "Liz, how would it help?" "There's only the rest of the ice Box beyond this room." "You'd be worse off than when you started." "No." "Larry!" "I can't stand being boxed in." "I never have, it drives me mad." " lt does, eh?" " l nearly started to scream a while ago." " Didn't I, Simon?" " You bet." "Right out loud." "And if I'm left here much longer, I'll have a fit or something." "Please, couldn't you blow a fuse?" " But you can't go anywhere." " All the same, just to be free." "You're a funny kid, but nice." "Why isn't Beth like you?" "I don't like Beth." "Tell you what, you teach Beth how to be nice to me and I'll let you out, OK?" "OK!" "You mean it, Larry?" "You can persuade her if you put your mind to it, twist her round your little finger." "Man was born to trouble as the sparks fly upwards." "Still, since I'm used to it..." "The boss man is right, it is warm tonight." "See ya." "He's going to do it for us, he is!" " You didn't have to flirt with him." " Flirt?" "!" "If you behave like that with every man you meet, you'll turn into a girl who is not very nice to know." "Larry, I've got to talk to you." "Since when do you wanna talk to me?" "Do stop, you've got me in enough trouble as it is." "I don't want to talk to you, I've got to." "There was a computer instruction telling us not to proceed with the AB experiment and not to expect volunteers, is that right?" "Yes, I remember that." "Then it wasn't a forgery." "I thought it had been countermanded the way these things often are." "The director had it all on brain link anyway, so he's the one to ask." "On brain link?" "What's the matter with you tonight?" "You're rushing around like a scared rabbit." "Something's up with the heating." "It's reached 25." " And it's still climbing." " What?" "Can't you feel it?" "That's it, Liz." "Quick!" "I just don't get it." "Everything's functioning normally." " Something's wrong." "The heat." " We're working on it." "Perhaps that's not necessary." "The needle's going down again." "(Alarm sounds)" " Right, get this suit on!" " Right." " There, normal again." " Just another power surge, eh?" " Looks like it." " Another break in process, like the water supply cutoff and the reactor failure?" " We've certainly had a lot lately." " Too much!" "And I would like to know why!" " Simon, hurry up!" " Sorry, Liz, I'm not going." " You're joking!" " l'm interested in that longevity drug." "Blow that!" "If you don't come now, we'll never live to use it!" "That's the only thing that matters now!" " Go and warn your mother of all this!" " No!" "Quick, before someone catches you!" "Daddy?"