"Since the beginning of recorded time, man has sought to conquer the sky, to touch the stars." "For centuries, men of genius had sought to emulate the majestic flight of God's creatures." "Leonardo da Vinci dreamed of a flying machine and said "There shall be wings."" "Jules Verne wrote of flying machines, of radar, electronic communication, television, and even rocket bombs." "The dreams of these men however were not as strange as the contraptions man devised in his first efforts to conquer the sky." "This machine tried to beat the air into submission." "This one tried to frighten the sky into surrender." "Traffic problem?" "Just fly over the guy in front of you." "Like this." "This inventor had something." "Broken bones." "This man is in a hurry." "He's late for dinner." "But he'll eat standing up." "From all this groping, some flying machines actually began to fly." "Some still did not." "Then with the Wright brothers first successful conquest of the air man truly became." "Master of the World." "I'm bored, you hear me, bored!" "Worlds full of action... revolution, exploration, war!" "But do you and I have any part of it?" "No, we don't!" " Agreed, agreed." " We're living in a cemetery." "This is the most boring and monotonous town in the entire United States." "Morgantown, Pennsylvania, a place where nothing could possibly happen." " Wha...what's that?" " An earthquake!" " In Pennsylvania?" "!" " Look, look, the mountain!" "The mountain!" "It's erupting!" "Run for your lives!" "The whole town's blowing up!" "Come near, ye nations, to hear;" "And hearken, ye people... let the earth hear, and all that is therein." "For the indignation of the Lord is upon all nations, and His fury upon all their armies." "He shall utterly destroy them!" "Will you kindly be quiet!" "This meeting of the London Balloon Society will kindly come to order!" "Mr. President!" "Quiet, gentlemen!" "Quiet, quiet, quiet!" "Quiet!" "Mr. President!" "The Chair recognizes Mr. Evans!" "If I may continue?" "You may continue, sir, if you can conduct yourself as a gentleman... and not as a howling banshee!" "I believe the point being made, Mr. President, was the following:" "In the matter regarding at which end of the new balloon the propeller should be installed!" "It should be installed in the front!" "Pardon me, miss." "Miss!" "Pardon me." "Would you point out Mr. Prudent, please?" "Oh, my father." " Your father?" " Yes." "That's him." "The one with the gavel." "Thank you." "And the other gentlemen is my fiance, Mr. Evans." "I cannot see, sir, any evidence to support your highly dubious contention that the propeller should be installed in the front." "How long's this go on?" "Sometimes for 2 or 3 days." "Uncommon balderdash, sir." "Historical evidence has shown conclusively... that the most efficient propellers are installed in the rear of the balloon." "In the rear?" "!" "In the front, in the front!" "Mr. Strock, I'm glad to see you, sir." "My butler told me you were here." "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting." "Quite all right, sir." "Now, sir, what can I do for you?" "Well, as I wrote in my letter, I work for the department of the Interior." "Now they've ordered me to find out what's inside the Great Erie." "You see, if the people of Morgantown face some calamity of nature... they must be informed of the danger which threatens them, sir." "And do your geologist actually believe that there's a volcano inside that mountain?" "Why no, sir." "They regard it as highly improbable." "You see, the Appalachian system is nowhere volcanic in origin." "But still, the violent trembling of the earth and that roaring noise... something caused them, sir." "And the voice, Mr. Strock, volcanic action?" "Couldn't say, miss." "And the alleged quotation from scriptures, that's all very interesting, sir." "All very interesting!" "But I fail to see how we can be of any help to you." "It's been established that the Great Erie is impossible to climb." "I come to you therefore with the hope of acquiring the use of your new balloon." "So that the crater may be inspected from the air, sir." "Of course, yes, yes, me." "Well, you see, after all, I'm not the last word." "This is Mr. Evans, who is my partner and the co-sponsor of the project and the flight." "My apologies, sir." "I approach you both then." "The United States government petitions the use of your new balloon, sir." "I hardly see how we can risk landing it in a mountain crater." "Shouldn't be necessary, sir." "By using a telescope, the investigation can be made from aloft." "You know, while the balloon is passing over the crater, sir." "That's all very well and good, young sir, we should be delighted to let the government use our balloon... except for the fact that there are certain details that are stopping her completion." " Such as, Mr. Prudent?" " Such as the location of the propeller." "Only an idiot would maintain that the propeller should be in the front!" "Father, father!" "I'm sorry, my child." " Sir, may I make a suggestion?" " Of course." " Why not install a propeller in the rear?" " Never!" " Oh, yes!" " And one in front as well, sir." "I think that's a fine idea." "Of course, it's a splendid idea!" "As a matter of fact, I thought of that myself." "Mr. Evans and I will pilot the balloon, and my daughter will accompany us." "Your daughter, sir?" "Of course, of course, she always goes with us." "There's no danger." "We're not going to descend into the crater." "Here is to the success of our venture." "Out with the ballast!" " First time aloft, Mr. Strock?" " Yes, sir." "Does the altitude bother you?" "Not at all, I find it interesting." " Where was this built, sir?" " In one of my factories." "Why, you're in munitions, aren't you?" "Yes, yes, and we manufacture cannons, rifles, pistols, powder, high explosives, and the like." "For our government?" "Primarily yes, but of course we also sell to any government who has the money to pay for it." "Why, I notice the name of Prudent on this knife." " One of your products?" " Yes, that's one of our best sellers." "We ought to be getting close by now." "See anything yet?" "There it is!" "Don't be alarmed, miss." "Wishful thinking, Mr. Strock?" "Miss?" "What makes you think I'm alarmed?" " Excuse me, father, may I?" " Why certainly, my dear." "Is he annoying you, Dorothy?" "I think it's the other way around." "See anything yet?" "Well, there seems to be something inside the..." "Look!" "Steer it away from the crater!" "It's our only chance!" "I can't." "I can't!" "Everybody down on the floor and brace yourselves." "Oh, I'm sorry, Miss Prudent." " Who is it?" " Strock." "What are we doing here?" "I don't know, miss, I don't know what either of us is doing here." "Or where "here" is even." "The crash!" "Father!" "Let me help you." " Are you in pain, miss?" " My back is..." "Father?" "Father..." "Propeller in the rear..." "as always and don't argue with me!" "I will not be... ow!" " Did you hurt yourself?" " Of course I hurt myself." "Dorothy?" "Phillip!" " Here, Father." " Thank you, dear." "Where the devil are we anyway?" "Looks like a ship's cabin." "Can you get it unlocked?" "I already have, but it seems to be bolted on the outside." "Maybe I can cut through one of these shutters and stick my hand through it." " This is very strange." " What's strange about it?" "Look at that." "It isn't wood, yet..." "it isn't metal either." "Huh?" "Give it here." "What is it?" "..." "Come with me!" "Are we on a ship?" "!" "Answer me!" "You were asked a question, my good man." " Best do as he says, gentlemen." " This way." "Come, dear, come." "Must be a ship from the size of it." "A riverboat." "We were shot down in a mountain crater, how the devil could we be on a riverboat?" "A flying ship!" " A heavier than air ship." " Impossible!" "On the contrary, not only possible, but actual." "You are be carried through space by a ship of several tons weight, at a speed of some 150 miles per hour." "150...!" "And why exactly are we being carried though space, Mister?" "..." "Robur!" "The name is Robur, sir." "Welcome aboard the Albatross, good people." "As to why you are all here, the reason is twofold." "Primarily, left within the carter of that mountain, you would most likely have perished." "And secondarily, in the unlikely event that you had survived the crash of your balloon..." "Which crash you caused!" "In of necessity, sir." "However, since you did survive the crash... had you managed to make your way back down that mountain you might have given knowledge of what you had seen." "Why should you fear that?" "That, sir, is my concern alone." "And is it your concern alone, sir, that we, as American citizens, have been wantonly fired upon and then abducted?" "Well, you can scarcely regard yourselves as victims of an abduction, sir... since you are free to come and go on this ship as you choose." "Do you ever intend to release us, Mr. Robur?" "At the appropriate time, miss." " And when will that be?" " When I am ready, sir." "But surely you must all be hungry." "Turner will show you where to freshen up." "Dinner will be in a half hour." "This is Tapage, our chef." "Mademoiselle." "Messieurs." "And your names, good people, what might they be?" "Perhaps you'd better identify yourself first." "Well, I thought I had done so, sir." "A name is no identification, sir." "Where are you from, your background, your nationality?" "Well, as to that, sir." "I have no nationality." "No nationality!" "No, sir, my crew and myself like to think of ourselves as citizens of the world." "Oui, Monsieur." "My name is Dorothy Prudent and this is my father." "Prudent?" "And this is Mr. Evans, my fiance." "John Strock, sir." "Well, it is my pleasure to meet all of you." "I'm afraid I cannot say the same for myself." "It was this ship then, that caused the trembling of the Great Erie?" "Yes, Mr. Strock, it was." "I hoped that it caused no undue alarm to the people of that area." "They thought it was a volcano, sir." "A volcano, did they?" "Well, I'm sorry about that." "However, we were compelled to perform certain maintenance operations." "But surely you gentlemen must be curious about my ship." "Having flown to that mountain crater by the outmoded means of a balloon." "Outmoded!" "You question this, sir?" "Emphatically and categorically!" "Even if you could perform the navigation, which you could not... it would take 10 years for a balloon to circuit the Earth." "The Albatross can do it in 10 days." "No, gentlemen, no, the day of the balloon is behind us." "The future belongs to the flying machine." "These engines not only drive our suspensive and propulsive blades... but they supply our ship with light and heat as well." "What is there source of power?" "Electricity, created by a mass of metal cutting through what I call the magnetic force lines." "Fantastic!" "Incredible!" "Come this way." "Why does he need an armory?" "150 feet long by 20 wide." "Quite literally a ship of the sky, complete with deck and cabins and crew." "But you said before that the ship weighs several tons." "Surely it must weigh more than that!" "And it would indeed, Mr. Strock, were this ship not built entirely of paper." "Paper?" "That's ridiculous!" "Not at all, sir." "Straw paper, impregnated with dextrin and clay and... squeezed in a hydraulic press." "Now, if you will follow me." "This is our control center." "The very heart of the Albatross." "And here we have the viewer of our telescope." "A system of powerful prismatic lenses." "Each one adjustable by one of these levers." "And now... if you will all make yourselves secure..." "I would like to demonstrate for you the ships maneuvering ability." "First, the vertical lift..." "All right, Mr. Alistair, the vertical lift." "If you will please note the height meter... we have now reached 6,000 feet." "Now..." "level off." "Hold on tightly, please..." "a left turn." "Now... a right turn." "What was that?" "Take the wheel, Mr. Alistair." "It was your own voice, miss." "You accidentally opened the voice magnifier." "That explains the voice the people of" "Morgantown heard, coming from the Great Erie." "A voice quoting from the Bible." "Yes, sir." "Yes, it was I, the... voice magnifier was inadvertently left open." "What's the purpose of the voice magnifier, Mr. Robur?" "Now, as to speed..." "Full propulsive power, Mr. Alistair!" "Take the wheel, Mr. Alistair." "The wind pressing against this vane... actuates the needle which indicates the speed." "We have now reached a speed of 203 miles an hour... which is quite fast enough for now." "Resume normal speed, Mr. Alistair." "Take the wheel." "Quite impressive, sir." "The government would be most interested in your ship." "Yes, I'm sure they would." "Are we to infer from that, sir, that you do not intend informing our government?" "Regarding this ship, I shall inform no government at all, sir." "You 3 gentlemen will share this cabin... and you, miss, will be quartered here." "You will each find a change of apparel in your cabins... but unfortunately, miss, there is no female clothing available." "Please regard the Albatross as your home." "And I only ask that you try in no way to interfere with its operation." "Now, good afternoon." "If you'll excuse me." "I wouldn't wear that stuff, it's a badge of servitude." "This ship... this is like living in a dream." "More likely like a nightmare." "What does he need an armory for?" "And that telescope, and the machine he uses for enlarging the voice." "And what was it he fired at our balloon?" "I wish I knew, I could make millions manufacturing it." "Well, what are we going to do?" " Then what would you suggest?" " Make plans for our escape." "It's 6,000 feet in the air." "I caution you, sir, do not tax my patience too far." "The point is, Mr. Prudent, sooner or later this ship has to land for repairs or supplies." "We must make certain that when this occurs we're prepared to use the moment to our advantage." "And how do we know it has to... how do we know it has to land?" "Well, it landed in that mountain crater, didn't it?" "It may have been the first time in years!" "By Fate, sir, I do believe this blaggard has convinced you his ship is magical." "He has... he has." "It is... magical!" "What happened?" "Please, monsieur." "Robur, you know, he don't warn me... when he has plans to do tricks with the Albatross." "And voila... chaos!" "Pots and pans keep tumbling on my poor head." "Grease is spilled all over the galley!" "And the oven door..." "the oven door oven door fly open..." "Souffle... everywhere, eh!" "Climatically... a snowfall of souffle." "Ah, no, too much!" "Mr. Tapage..." " Oui, monsieur." " This Mr. Robur..." "I suppose he's an American." "Confidentially, I have heard said that he is an ex-minister of the Argentina Republic." " Huh?" " Oh?" "Ah, oui... oui." "But, on the other hand..." "I've heard it also said... confidentially... that he is a former Lord of the British Admiralty." "At other times, a former Viceroy of the Indies, ex-president of the United States of America..." " a former French ambassador to Istanbul..." " Thank you, thank you!" "Thank you for why?" "I want to help, monsieur." "You have been no end of help." "Thank you very much." "Hey, but remember, monsieur, anytime you want help, Tapage is at your service." "That bad, miss?" "Oh, I'm sorry, did I startle you?" "Yes." "We're leaving the country!" "Father, we're crossing the Atlantic!" "The Atlantic!" "Why, this is outrageous!" "I'll see that fellow Robur clapped in irons for this if it's the last thing I do!" "Oh, look, a boat!" "Ship ahoy!" "You!" "Boat!" "This is Prudent of Philadelphia!" "We're... we're being abducted!" "Notify the President!" "Notify Congress!" "This is Prudent..." "of Philadelphia!" "Prudent of Philadelphia?" " The arms manufacturer?" " And what business is that of yours, sir?" "This is the father of all irony." "Isn't it enough that we're your prisoners, must you spy on us as well?" "Sir, the lookout reports a warship ahead." "A warship?" " Return to your station." " Yes!" "Phillip, can you not learn to control your temper?" "Please keep it in check until it's wanted." "I've heard enough from you too, sir!" "Phillip..." "Now why should he concern himself with warships?" "And what the devil business is it of his that I manufacturer arms?" "It's an American ship, sir!" "Does it matter what flag it flies, Mr. Turner?" "It is time to begin." "Take her down!" "Take her down within hailing distance!" "He's heading directly for it!" "What the devil is going on here?" "!" "Hold her at 300 feet and hover." "Officers and crew of the American war vessel, this is Robur speaking." "You have exactly 20 minutes to evacuate your ship!" "At the end of that time it will be destroyed!" "I give you this warning because I bear no malice toward any man aboard!" "Believe me in what I say!" "I do not exaggerate!" "In 20 minutes your ship will be sent to the bottom." "Your time commences... now!" "All right, Mr. Turner, take us up!" "Attention all crew, stand by for bomb run!" "Attention all crew, stand by for bomb run!" " He can't be serious." " Can't he." "This is your last warning!" "Abandon your ship before it's too late!" "Tell me when we're directly above them, Mr. Turner." "We're directly over them, sir." "Sir, we're directly over them." " Better get her inside." " Yes." "I'll talk to that maniac myself!" "Gone... as if it never existed." "It never should have existed, Mr. Turner." "It is better destroyed." "Destroyed." "Feeling better?" "I suppose it's shock of what we saw this afternoon." "I can still hardly believe it." "I know, I feel the same." " Where's Father?" " In the dining hall." "Why aren't you?" "I wouldn't sit at the same table with that butcher!" "Mr. Strock?" "That he should eat with Robur is no surprise to me." " Why do you hate him so, Phillip?" " I don't hate him, Dorothy, I... it's not that important to me..." "I have contempt for him, because he's a coward." " Perhaps he's only waiting..." " For a propitious moment?" "No, my dear..." "It's the duty of a gentlemen to show his colors at the very start... danger or no." "Not to wait for the convenience of safe opportunity." "But let's not talk of this, you must be hungry." "Not very." "But you have to eat." "I'll go to the galley and fetch you some supper." "And you expect us to believe, sir... that because you gave that ship warning... that your actions of this afternoon were justifiable?" "I expect nothing, sir." "What you did was an act of pure barbarism." "And were it not for the love I bear my daughter, and for the respect and esteem in which" "I hold Mr. Evans and Mr. Strock, I would rather the four of us perish in the sea... than that this hell ship be preserved for the commission of further atrocities." "Was it not an atrocity that that warship was built for the sole purpose of destruction." "And do you consider yourself, sir, a government unto yourself, that you can condemn other nations and wantonly declare war upon them?" "I am a man unto myself, Mr. Prudent, who has declared war against war." "That is my purpose, sir!" "The purpose for which this ship was built." "To end for all time the scourge of warfare." "But you..." "Bah!" "How do you propose to do that, sir?" "By using the threat of invincible power, Mr. Strock." "Or if necessary, by using that power itself, as you saw this afternoon" "I have already notified the leaders of your government and instructed them to make plans to scrap their navy and immobilize their army." "The government of Great Britain will be similarly notified." "Every major government in the world will be given the selfsame ultimatum." "Disarm or perish!" "You, sir, are mad!" "Quite, quite mad!" "How like the reasoning of your kind, Mr. Prudent." "All well and sane to be the owner of factories, the products of which cause the violent deaths of millions in war time, and in peace." "But to kill hundreds or even thousands... with the aim of ending such deaths for all time... this is madness?" "And, sir... do you consider a man who makes a weapon... responsible for the action of the man who buys it?" "Yes, I do, sir!" "All men are responsible to all other men!" "That Robur is mad, utterly and completely mad." "Threatening to destroy the world." "Mr. Prudent, I should like a word with you, sir." "All right, son, speak your mind." "This is for your ears alone." "Don't be silly, Mr. Strock is one of us!" "Is he, sir?" "Of course he is, we have no secrets from each other!" "Very well..." "against my better judgment however." "I just heard from the cook that the water tanks are empty... and they're to be refilled tomorrow morning over Ireland." "In Ireland!" "We must take advantage of that landing Mr. Prudent it may be our only chance to escape." "Yes, it may, it may." "You look something less than elated, Mr. Strock." "I'm sorry, I can't join you, gentlemen." "What!" "We understand, only too well." "Think what you will, Mr. Evans." "If Robur is informed about our plans for escape..." "I shall kill you, Mr. Strock." "Phillip!" "I must confess, I do not understand that man at all." "What is there to understand?" " Come, let's make our plans." " Yes, I'm not so keen about this Ireland." " Why?" " Well, I'm not very popular there." "You see, some years ago, much against my better judgment, I..." "I sold arms to the British." " Good morning." " Good morning." "Father told me what happened last night." "About the plan to..." "About the plan to escape." "Do you really intend to stay aboard?" "I have no choice, miss." "Even if escape is possible, of which I'm not at all sure... it can in no way jeopardize Robur's plans." "I don't understand." "Well, since I represent our government, I can't look for escape." "I must remain aboard and do what I can to stop Robur." "Then you believe his ambition's an evil one." "His ambition, no... but his method, yes!" "I suppose you're right." "Still, there is something kind of wonderful about his dream." "Oh, Father also told me what Phillip said last night." " I'm sure he didn't..." " That isn't important, miss... but what is important is the escape you're planning." "Are you sure..." " Thank you, Phillip." " Good morning, Father." "Good morning, my dear." "Mr. Strock." "Good morning." "Ahh..." "Ireland!" "Ireland!" "Your decision still stands, Mr. Strock?" "Yes, it does." "Phillip, Mr. Strock is remaining on board..." "It isn't necessary to explain, miss." "No, it isn't." "The choice is yours of course." "We'll need the use of your knife however." "Have you carefully thought this out, Mr. Evans?" "Your knife, please." "You're not responsible for yourself only, Mr. Evans." "Your knife." "I hope you know what you're doing." " Are we doing the right thing, Phillip?" " Has his cowardice affected you too?" "He is not a coward." "He's remaining on this ship to stop Robur." "Is that the goal of a coward?" " Is that what he told you?" " Do you doubt it?" "He'll do nothing against Robur..." "nothing!" " But he hasn't..." " It isn't important, Dorothy... our escape is." "You have the knife, let's not waste anymore time." "Shield me, both of you." "Attention all crew members... report to your stations for taking on water." "Attention all crew members... report to your stations for taking on water." "Lower the water hose." "Hey, what the devil is he doing?" "You said we were gonna land." "I don't understand." "He's not going to land at all." "Look..." "look!" "They're going to pump the water up to the ship through a hose." "This changes everything." " No... no, we can still make it." " How?" "For that matter, it improves our chances." "The current of the river will carry us out of their range." "And they certainly can't land on the water to pursue us." "This is all very well, my dear boy, but I can't swim." "I'll help you." "We could break our backs jumping from this height, Phillip." "Not if we're careful." "Well, it's now or never, do you want to remain aboard this ship permanently?" " No, of course not." " I'll go first." "Hold it!" "Move along." "Take your hands off me, young man." "I shall report you to your superior officer." "I'll kill you, Strock, I swear I will." "Whose idea was this escape?" " Mine!" " That's not true!" "Miss Prudent and her father had nothing to do with it." "You no doubt think I admire your courage in assuming the responsibility, well, you are quite mistaken, Mr. Evans." "Your kind of gentlemanly naivete is repugnant to me." "Stay out of my way, Mr. Evans!" "I have work to do... and I will brook no interference from anyone!" "From anyone, do you hear me?" "!" "You will perhaps remember that when you have been properly disciplined." "You're not frightening me, sir!" "Mr. Turner, take him to the ropes!" "Just a moment, sir." "You assured me there would be no reprisal." "And there will be none, Mr. Strock." "As captain of the Albatross, I would be well within my rights to have Mr. Evans executed on the spot!" "But your intercession has spared him that." "However, he will be taught for once and for all... the foolishness of tampering with me." "Take him to the ropes!" "Rope him up, Mr. Shanks." " All right, lower him!" " No!" " No!" " Lower him!" "Well, sir, I trust you're satisfied!" " Surely you don't think..." " I don't care to listen to your excuses!" "They're as worthless as your punishment." "Is this how you hold life sacred?" "15 minutes, Mr. Turner." "Get him up!" "Do you hear what I said?" "!" "Get him up!" "Put him over as well!" "No, please!" "You can't do that." "He's not a young man." "He can't..." "Have a care, Mr. Strock." "Your position is not so secure..." "Perhaps you would like to take his place." "No one takes my place!" "All right... drop him!" "I said I'd kill you..." "Use your head man, we can't hope to survive if you don't." "We can't survive anyway, but at least I'll get the satisfaction of..." "Turner!" "What is that vibration?" "Turner, the steering cabin!" "Mr. Turner, quick, we're losing height!" " 15 minutes... 15 minutes!" " Yes, sir!" "Those thunderheads... get the captain up here, he was down in the bow hold." "Mr. Turner wants you, sir." "We're heading into thunderheads." "Mr. Turner, what seems to be your trouble?" "Sir, we're losing height, and I have full power." "Gentlemen, will you please all go immediately to your emergency posts!" "Now... now is our chance to get them up." " I can't see them anymore!" " They're lost in the clouds." " All right." " Pull!" "Well, apparently we're in the clear, gentlemen." "Call them and ask them to resume normal power." "Yes, sir." "Engine room." "Engine room." "Resume normal power." "Take over the wheel." "Those men!" "Those two men!" "We've got to get Mr. Strock up." "He's still down there." "Come here." "You take that handle." "Those two men!" "They're still down there!" "Both of you, Mr. Alistair!" "Mr. Turner, go down!" "Get them up!" "It's both of them!" "So what matters the wreckage in a small cabin, when we are trying to prevent the wreckage of the world!" "Yes?" "Who is it?" "I am Mr. Prudent, sir." "I'd like a few words with you." " How are the young men?" " As well as can be expected." "Well, sir, what do you want?" "I'm here to offer you the sum of 10 million dollars, if you will return this ship to the United States and surrender it, and yourself." "I can guarantee you full amnesty if you comply with..." " Seems to amuse you, sir." " Not really, sir." "10 Million dollars." "That's most generous." "Well, what do you say?" "What if I were to tell you that I could get 20 million dollars from Great Britain?" "Then I should tell you, sir, that my government will better any offer..." "Enough, Mr. Prudent!" "Enough!" "It is quite obvious that you do not understand me and in all probability you never will." "Do you actually believe that I started this project of mine... with the aim of ultimately selling out to the highest bidder?" "You are a fool Mr. Prudent." "I beg you pardon!" "And worse than that, you are a cynic!" "A man who has come to regard money as the solution to all human problems." "Here is the text of a leaflet which we will soon drop on London." "Quote:" "To the British Government..." "You will, upon receipt of this message, commence a program of disarmament." "Which is to include the scuttling of all Royal Navy ships... the demobilization of all ground forces and the elimination of all arms and ammunitions." "Failure to comply..." "But I'm sure you get the point, Mr. Prudent." "You will be stopped, sir." "As surely as there's a heaven above us, you will be stopped!" "And who is going to stop me, Mr. Prudent?" "You?" "Mr. Evans?" "Mr..." "Yes..." "Perhaps..." "How are you feeling?" "Oh, a little worse for wear." "No wonder." "How's Mr. Evans?" "Asleep." "John..." "Why did you tell Robur about our plan to escape?" "When I knew you'd never make it." "It would've been difficult enough had the ship landed... but hovering 20 some feet above a river, Dorothy." "Then you did it to save us." "Mostly to save you." "Would you like some hot soup?" "Yes, yes, thank you." "Come in." "How are you, Mr. Strock?" "I'm all right, Mr. Robur." "And Mr. Evans?" "I don't know, he's still asleep." "I have come to offer you my apology, Mr. Strock." "I realize that that is hardly compensation for what you went through." "However..." "I admire you, Mr. Strock." "You do what feel you must do without caring whether you alienate anyone or... whether they understand you or not." "That is my way." "That is the only way for a man of dedication." "I know that you would like to stop me, sir." "For that reason, my impulse is to have you destroyed." "My desire, on the other hand, is to... have you join me." "You're an intelligent man, Mr. Strock." "Surely you must appreciate my ultimate objective?" "I would also have to believe in your method of achieving this objective." "I don't." "What alternative method is there, that would not require centuries more of... of violence and bloodshed?" "Enough!" "It is too long to wait!" "With courage and daring... worldwide peace can be achieved now!" "Not with my help, Mr. Robur." "Is that final, sir?" "Yes, it is!" "Then shall I have you executed?" "Mr. Robur, you're the captain of the ship." "Will you give me your word of honor, sir, that you will not try, in any way, to interfere with my work?" "That is the only chance remaining to you, Mr. Strock." "Yes." "I'm satisfied." "If you should change your mind about joining us..." "I shall always be glad to welcome your help." "You survived to... once more knuckle down to him." "No good to smile at me, Mr. Strock, I heard you promise not to interfere with him." "Did you?" "What would you say, Mr. Evans, if I told you... that I will not only interfere with him, but I will stop him." "I heard you give your word of honor to him." "This is the world we're living in... not a drawing room, so don't speak to me about words of honor!" "We happen to be prisoners on the ship of a man who would willingly destroy the world in order to save it, Mr. Evans!" "The world!" "Reality!" "Now open your eyes and look at it hard!" "What should I have done?" "Proclaimed in ringing gentlemanly tones that I would resist him to my last breath?" "Well, believe me, Mr. Evans, that last breath would be shortly forthcoming." "It was risk enough to refuse joining forces with him!" "And I think that was a mistake!" "If I had joined forces with him I could've found his weaknesses more easily." "Now I'll have to work in the dark, Mr. Evans, but at least I'm alive to do so." "Perhaps somewhat less than a perfect gentleman, but alive!" " Without honor, sir." " Oh, honor be damned, Mr. Evans!" "Stop this!" "How dare you talk that way to the man that saved your life!" " What?" "!" " Yes, your life!" "Your rope broke and he carried you until he was pulled aboard again!" "And as for you, Mr. "I have a job to do" Strock, if every man in the world were as ruthless as you..." " I didn't..." " I don't care what you meant!" "Here, feed yourself!" "Mr. Robur, Turner calling." " Yes!" " London ahead, sir." " Are the leaflets ready for dropping?" " They are, sir." " Very well, and Mr. Turner..." " Sir?" " Ready the bomb racks!" " Yes, sir!" "Attention, all crew!" "Attention, all crew!" "All hands, report to your battle stations!" "Repeat..." "All hands, report to your battle stations!" " Bomb rack all loaded, sir." " All right, stand by!" "Bombs all ready, sir." " Drop the leaflets." " Yes, sir." "Drop the leaflets!" "What's he dropping?" "He's dropping leaflets on the British government, telling them to disarm." " You shouldn't be up." " I'm all right." " Is that London?" " Yeah... we're headed straight up the Themes." "All right, take us down, Mr. Turner." "To within hailing distance, and hover." "You below, this is Robur speaking!" "You have exactly 20 minutes to evacuate the area!" "At the end of that time, every vessel in sight will be destroyed!" "Do exactly as I say, you have no choice!" "You cannot harm my ship!" "You can however save your lives!" "The bombs are in position, sir." "Take us away from here, Mr. Turner." "I think it's time we faced the situation as it is." "There is little, if any, likelihood of escaping." "And at the same time I don't see that we can merely sit by and watch Robur decimate the entire world." "And what else can we do, Mr. Strock?" "Destroy the Albatross." "And ourselves with it?" "We'll have to decide which is more important, our own survival or that of the world." "I suggest a vote." "Then I vote for the destruction of the Albatross." "My dear child, have you thought over carefully what you're saying?" "No... if I thought it over, I might change my vote." "Very well then..." "I too vote to destroy the Albatross." "And I vote... for destruction." " Is it unanimous, Mr. Evans?" " Unanimous." "We may as well die friends." "I thank you for saving my life, only to destroy it again." "Then it's decided." "At the first opportunity... we'll destroy the Albatross... and all she carries." " Sir?" " Yes?" "We're almost there." " Is everything ready?" " Yes, sir." "Today we meet our greatest challenge, Mr. Turner." "The ending of a war." "I can see both armies in the telescope, sir." " They're at the other end of the valley." " Thank you, Mr. Turner." "Approximately how far away are they, Mr. Turner?" "I can't see them from here, sir!" "Tell them to give us more propulsive power or we won't be able to stop them!" "Engine room, give us more propulsive power!" "Today is going to be a very busy day." "I will not be able to cook later on so... you better eat whatever you can, eh!" "Now what the devil do you suppose that is?" "My pots!" "See what's happening." "All right, Mr. Turner, take the wheel." "Hover." "War..." "They want war..." "I'll show them war." "Take us lower, Mr. Turner." " Lower, sir?" " You heard me!" " But sir, if we go any lower..." " Mr. Turner, you do as I say!" " Sir, we'll get hit by our own bombs!" " Turner, will you let go of me!" "Miss Prudent... inside." "Mr. Prudent!" "Alistair, get up here!" "The captain's wounded!" "John!" "Don't go out there!" "Steer north!" "Mr. Prudent!" "We'd better get inside, sir!" "Mr. Prudent!" "Mr. Prudent!" "Mr. Prudent!" "Mr. Turner, sir!" "Mr. Turner!" " What is it?" "!" " I can't get the ship any higher." "Then leave it where it is." "Don't bother me!" "But look ahead, sir!" "Then turn her around!" "I can't, she'll only turn about a few degrees to either side!" "I'm coming up!" "They won't work." "We'll have to land!" "We can't, the winds will bash us into the bottom of the canyon." "Engine room... engine room!" "Give us more propulsive power!" "Our forward overhead blades are not functioning!" "Engine room... engine room!" "Give us more power on the vertical lift!" "Mr. Turner, we need more altitude!" "We can't, sir, the suspensor blades are working at maximum." " We can't turn around, nor can we land!" " Well, stop all forward motion, then." "If we go any slower, sir, we'll fall!" "There just isn't enough power in the overhead blades!" "Engine room!" "See if you can give us more power in the overhead blades." "Try and give us more altitude!" "Mr. Turner!" "Get all of the crew members to stand by with the poles!" "Emergency, all crew members!" "Out on deck and stand by with poles." "Repeat, out on deck and stand by with poles!" "All right, out on deck, all of you!" "All right, you men, ward her off on the starboard, ward her off." "All right, stave us off then." "Now, stave us off on the starboard!" "Stave us off, push hard, push hard!" "Keep the prow sharp up, Mr. Turner!" "We must get into position to fire the rocket!" " Keep her that way." " We're through!" "Yes..." "Yes, Mr. Alistair, we're through!" "We should be able to reach that island within the hour." "Have enough of the overhead blades been repaired so that we can hover?" " Yes, sir." " Then we'll stay aloft... then anchor ourselves to the island... if we work all night, we should be able to complete the repairs by dawn." " Shouldn't you be resting, sir?" " Yes, I will, I will." "Mr. Turner..." "I'm a... sorry about what happened before, I..." "I had no right to jeopardize everyone's life." "You were wounded, sir." "You didn't know what you were doing." "Thank you." "Didn't know what I was doing." "Mr. Turner." "See that your anchor crew is ready with the hook." "Yes, sir." "Attention, all crew members!" "Proceed to your repair stations!" "I repeat, all crew members, proceed to your repair stations!" "Hover at 150 feet!" "Drop the hook, Mr. Turner!" "Easy with that pulley." "Easy with that pulley!" "It looks like now is the time to destroy the Albatross, gentlemen." "Why now?" "Because the crew's too occupied to keep a close watch on us." "And because we may have a chance to escape at the same time." " How?" " Down the anchor rope." " Of course!" " But first the ship." "Dorothy and Mr. Prudent, would you wait in the cabins, please?" "Quite right, come dear." "Watch that pulley, the lines bowing!" " Mr. Evans, you come with me." " Right!" "Two of the blades are fused together, sir." "It might be quicker if we used a small explosive to remove them." "Very well, Mr. Turner, go down to the armory and get what you need." "Yes, sir." "Give me a piece of that rag." "It's the first mate." " Get some rope." " Right." "That should give us about 15 minutes." "All clear." "All of you, down the rope!" " I shall go first." " Be careful, Father." "I will, dear, you be careful too." "John, what about you?" "I have to go back to the armory and set the fuse." "Be careful." " Take care now." " You too, Phillip." "I will." " The charge is set, sir." " All clear up there?" "All right, clear, you men." "Clear away." "What was that?" "It seems to be coming from in here." "It's Shanks." "Lower corridor, sir." "Yes?" "Shanks was tied up and thrown into a storage room by two of the prisoners." " Mr. Turner!" " Yes, sir." "Go bring the prisoners up here." "If they aren't in their cabins, look below." "Yes, sir." "All crew members!" "Be on the lookout for the prisoners." "When you find them, bring them to the steering cabin, immediately!" "All crew members!" "Be on the lookout for the prisoners." "When you find them, bring them to the steering cabin, immediately!" " We gotta move out of here." " But we can't... where is he?" "I don't know, but you heard them, they're searching for us." "Come on, we've gotta move out of here." "I'll explain it to you later, come on." "Mr. Turner!" "One of the prisoners just started down the anchor rope." " Mr. Robur..." "Mr. Robur!" " Yes!" "At least one of the prisoners escaped down the anchor rope, likely all of them!" "Crank us down, Mr. Turner." "Put every crewman on that island!" "I want them back!" "Come on, come on, crank her down!" "It's too late now!" "Please, Phillip, please!" " Take her, will you, sir?" " All right." "Mr. Turner, stay where you are!" "I'll put you back on the island!" "Mr. Robur!" "Turner, sir!" "What happened?" "The prisoners must have set some kind of a bomb before they left, sir." "The damage, Mr. Turner?" "What was the damage, Mr. Turner?" "!" "She's finished, sir." "Are you sure?" "There's nothing we can do, sir." "The fire's out of control!" "Have all my men stand by, Mr. Turner." "Have them ready the life rafts... and prepare to abandon ship." "Strock..." "If only he'd joined me." "I want to thank you for your loyalty, Mr. Turner... gentlemen." "Abandon ship!" "Come in." "I thought I ordered you to leave!" "Begging your pardon, sir... the only order you've ever given that we couldn't obey." "Mr. Turner... gentlemen..." "I'm glad you came back." "Thank you, sir." "Our flight is almost over now." "And He shall judge among the nations... and shall rebuke many people... and they shall beat their swords into plowshares... and their spears into pruning hooks." "Nation shall not lift up sword against nation." "Neither shall they learn war... anymore."