"Sorry we had to get you up at this hour, Mr. Grant." "I thought I was on vacation." "What's it all about?" "I can't tell you that." " Where are we going?" " I can't tell you that either." "You're to stay inside, Mr. Grant, and wait." "Your ID card, please." "Thank you." " Hello, Grant." " General Carter!" "Good to see you again." " The Pentagon, wasn't it, General?" " That's right." "Only you weren't in that uniform." "Come on." "Benes!" "What the devil happened?" "The other side got to him." " How bad off is he?" " Brain injury." "He's in a coma." "Before or after what he wanted to tell you?" "Before he could breathe a word." "He's the only scientist who knows the answer to what we're after." "That's why we have to operate." "And why we need you." "Me?" "I can't even put a Band-Aid on my finger." "Here's the surgeon." "Duval." "Dr. Peter Duval." "Top brain man in the country." "Ever hear of him?" " Sorry, I'm rusty on surgeons." "Who's the girl?" " Cora Peterson, his technical assistant." " You'll be joining Duval and the others." " What can I do?" "Except maybe pass out." "Mike?" "Yes, Alan." "Meet Grant." "This is Dr. Michaels, chief of the medical section." " Glad to have you with us, Mr. Grant." " I wish I knew why." "Tell him where he fits in, will you?" "I've got a few things to check out." "We need you for security purposes, Mr. Grant." " At an operation?" " They know they failed to kill Benes." "Security thinks they'll try again, first chance they get." "We're afraid of sabotage." "Surgical assassination." "Surgical assassination?" " That means you suspect..." " Duval." "That's right." "Well, I don't agree." "Just because he's often difficult." " Difficult?" "He's impossible." " That's no reason to suspect him of disloyalty." "Why take the chance?" "There must be other doctors." "Duval's the most skillful brain surgeon in the country, and there's no time." "Besides, he's right here at hand." "I wouldn't know if he's trying to save him or kill him." "I'll be standing by." "I would know." "No matter what happens, you're to take orders only from Dr. Michaels." " Understand?" " Right, sir." "Come on along." "They'll be operating shortly." "See you later, Mike." "His technician okay?" "In addition to the looks department?" "No question of her loyalty." " I'll take that, Corporal." " Yes, sir." "I don't mean to be inquisitive, but this CMDF." "For all I know, it could stand for the..." "Consolidated Mobilization of..." "Delinquent Females." "Combined Miniature Deterrent Forces." "Say that again?" "We can reduce anything down to any size we want." "People, ships, tanks, planes." "General, I've heard some wild ones, but this takes it." "We can shrink an army with all its equipment." "Put it in a bottle cap." "That's why we call it Combined Miniature Deterrent Forces." "If the other side of it gets a hold of a thing like that!" "They have." "But we both have the same problem..." "Lack of control." "They can only miniaturize things for exactly 60 minutes." "After that everything starts growing back to its original size." " I assume Benes knows how to control it." " That's right." "He wanted us to have the secret, not them." " That's why they tried to kill him." " They'll probably try again." "No wonder you want me to stand by during the operation." "And take a little trip with him." "Trip?" "Where to?" "Well, the only way we can reach that clot is from inside the brain." "So, we've decided to put a surgical team and crew into a submarine, reduce it way down in size, and inject it into an artery." " You mean I'm going along?" " As part of the crew, yes." "Wait a minute." "They can't shrink me." " Our miniaturizing can shrink anything." " But I don't want to be miniaturized!" " It's just for an hour." " Not even for a minute!" "General Carter, sir, I really think you should reconsider your choice." "I just don't think I'm the right kind of man for this kind of job." "Grant, you're going to a briefing." "Miss Peterson volunteered to come along." "So did every male technician in this unit." "A woman has no place on a mission of this kind." "I insist on taking my technician." "You'll take along who I assign." "Don't tell me who I'm going to work with, not on this operation or any other." "I'll do what I think is best without interference from anyone!" "Dr. Duval has relied on Miss Peterson for years." "And since she wants to come along, I think it's for the best, Dr. Reid." "Well, I disagree with you." "Since you're in charge, go ahead and do as you please." "But I want it all on record as being against it." "Grant, Colonel Reid, operational commander." " How are you?" " You've met our medical chief." " Dr. Duval, head surgeon." " I've heard of you, Doctor." "Miss Peterson, his technical assistant." " And this is Captain Bill Owens," " How are you, Miss Peterson?" "designer of an experimental submarine for the Navy's research and development program." " Out of your element, aren't you, Captain?" " Sort of." " That makes two of us." " Grant is uniquely suited to this mission." "He's a communications expert and he was a frogman during the war." "Besides that, he brought Benes into this country." "And the fewer people who know about that, the better." "In any rate, you'll find Grant invaluable should anything go wrong once you're underway." "Okay, Don." "Here's the overall target area." "Doctor?" "Benes's brain." "As near as we can map it stereotaxically." "The clot is right here." "It's impossible to get at without damage to the intervening tissue, which would prove fatal to Benes." "The only way to reach it is via the arterial system." "Phase one calls for miniaturizing a submarine, with crew and surgical team, and injecting it into the carotid artery." "How small will it be?" "About the size of a microbe." "We're putting Benes in deep hypothermia." "What?" "That's freezing him as low as is compatible with human life." "It'll slow down his heartbeat, circulation and all other physical processes." "Well, even so, Colonel, because of our size..." "Well, I mean, the lack of it, we'll still be cruising pretty fast." "We'll be smashed to bits if there's any turbulence." "The only danger of turbulence is in the heart." "And we're not going through it." "Once in the carotid artery, we remain within the arterial system until we reach the point of the damage, where Dr. Duval will attempt to dissolve the clot with a laser beam." "Thank you." "After the operation, we return by way of the venous system until we reach the base of the neck, where we'll be removed." "Right here." "With a hypodermic." "How will you know where the sub is at any aprticular moment?" "Dr. Michaels is a circulatory specialist and will act as your navigator." "He'll know just where you are and you can communicate directly with us by wireless." "Besides that, the sub is nuclear powered." "And we'll be tracking it, just as we would any radioactive tracer." "There'll be a team of surgeons standing by." "They'll be prepared to remove you immediately should anything happen." "In any event, you must be out within 60 minutes." "After that, you're in danger of attack." "Attack?" "Who?" "Or should I say what from?" "Benes's natural defenses." "Oh, white corpuscles, antibodies." "You see, once you begin to grow, you become a menace to the body and you'll trigger them off." "And there may be other unknown factors." "We can't be certain of anything." "Any further questions?" "Anybody?" " Just one, General." " Yes, what's that?" "Where do I get a cab back to town?" "Dr. Michaels, I think you'd better proceed to the sterilization section." "Yes, sir." "Will you follow me?" "How much can a man give to his country?" "Your attention, please." "Make the final preparations." "Heart." "How's it look, Henry?" "Holding steady. 32 per minute." "Respiration." "Jack, what's the report?" "Respiration is down to six a minute." "I wouldn't take him down any further." "Hypothermia." "Any problems, Dr. Sawyer?" "No, sir." "We're holding him at 28 degrees Centigrade." " How do we stand?" " Medical's ready." "Colonel, they're now entering the sterilization corridor, sir." "Please board and check all your equipment immediately." "Here's the particle, sir." " Everything aboard?" " All squared away, sir." "Dr. Michaels?" " Yes?" " Here's your chart table right here." "These are all the maps and charts in sequence from left to right." " And here's your checklist." " All right." "Dr. Duval and I will just check the charts." "Fine." "Mr. Grant?" " This is your wireless station right here." " Oh, good." " Ocular motor nerve." " I see." "Brain." "No." " Need any help, skipper?" " Oh, yeah." "We'll save some time, Mr. Grant." "Open this thing for me, would you?" " Okay." " Set it down there." " Where?" "On the deck here?" " Yeah, right there." " That's radioactive material!" " It's atomic fuel." " Is it all right to open it?" " Oh, it's perfectly safe." "There's a microscopic radioactive particle inside." "Nothing big enough to be seen with the naked eye." " Is that it?" " Yeah, that's it." "If it's no military secret, how ca a sub run on a microscopic particle?" "Well, they can't reduce nuclear fuel." "But once the reactor's been miniaturized along with the submarine, a microscopic particle should put out enough energy to activate it." "That's cutting it mighty close for a perfect fit." "Well, it should work, theoretically." "If it doesn't, the whole mission's off." "You see, this craft is nuclear powered." "All except for your wireless." "All in all, quite a canoe." "Designed for piscatorial research." "Spawning habits of deep-sea fish." "That reminds me, I'd better spawn a radio message." "Test message from the Proteus, sir." ""Miss Peterson has smiled."" " Well, that's an auspicious sign." " Confirm receiving." " Captain?" " Mmm?" "How will you be able to follow my charts from up there?" "Well, there's no power on right now, but once there is..." "May I have this chart, please?" "...you just place the chart right here, and it will come through on that repeater." " Repeater?" " Yeah, the devi..." "Come on, I'll show you." " There, that's it." " Oh, yes." "It all seems quite simple to operate." "Actually, it is, although the controls are highly sophisticated." "Look here." "There's a button and a switch for everything." "Bet you're pretty handy around the house." "Can you cook?" "We're pushing oxygen today." "I'll have some laughing gas, ma'am." "You sound as if you're not looking forward to it." "It's not exactly a pleasure cruise, you know." "I think it's very exciting." "We're going to see things no one has ever seen before." "Not just something under a microscope." " Think about it." " That's the trouble, I am." " Being shrunk!" " You may learn to like it." "Excuse me." "For a nice young lady, you play with the damnedest toys, Miss Peterson." "That'll teach you where to keep your hand." "Now I know." "That could be quite a lethal weapon." "It could kill, not cure." "Not in the hands of a great surgeon like Dr. Duval." "The beam from this laser can be regulated to one millionth of a millimeter." "I understand you've been Dr. Duval's assistant for quite some time." "He must have snatched you out of a cradle!" "I've been with him since I got out of school." "He brought me into the CMDF over five years ago." " That's a long time with one man." " Not working with someone like Dr. Duval." "He's..." "Well..." " Prepare for miniaturization." " Positions, please." " I still have something to check." " Right." "Mr. Grant?" "There are two seats under the chart table." "Would you pull them out, please?" "Secure your safety belts." "Miss Peterson, this is your chair right here." " Here, Doctor, let me help you." " No, no, no, it's all right." "I can manage." " Doctor?" " Yes, Cora." "I..." "I wanted to say that..." "What is it?" "Is anything wrong?" "No, nothing." "I just wanted to say... thank you for taking me along." "Thank you for volunteering." "Right, Mr. Grant." "You can tell them the Proteus is ready." " The Proteus?" "What's that?" " It's the name of this vessel." "Sounds better than calling it the U-91035." "Proteus reports all secured, sir." " Miniaturizer." " Miniaturizer." " All stations, stand by." " All stations, stand by." "All medical posts, stand by." "Check scanner." "Computer 9-5." "Checks out on radar." "Instruct computer for a plus 6-0-9." " Phase one." " Phase one." " Colonel?" " Okay to proceed." " Phase two." " Phase two." " Elevate zero module." " Elevate zero module." " Lower zero module." " Lower zero module." "Halt and transfer." "HDR in order." " Elevate zero module." " Elevate zero module." "We'll have to submerge manually." "Mr. Grant, open induction valves one and two." " Where are they?" " Oh, there's one port and one starboard." "On the bulkhead right behind you." " I'll get the other." " Fine." " You ready?" " Yeah." " Induction valve open." " Check." " Valve open." " Check." "Close valves." " Valve closed." " Valve closed." "Right." "That's all for the present." " I can't breathe." " Dr. Michaels." " I can't breathe." " Dr. Michaels!" "I've got to get out." "It's too late for that." "Now, we must go on." "I'm sorry." "I've got claustrophobia." "I was..." "I was buried alive in an air raid in England." "Two days." "I thought I'd got over it." "Please forgive me." "I'll really be all right now." "Come on." "You'll feel better once we're underway." "Thank you." "Lock and hold." " Okay, Colonel." " Okay." " Phase three." " Phase three." "All stations, 60 and counting." " Inform Proteus they are at full reduction." " Yes, sir." " At full reduction." " Right." " That air feels good." " Yes." " Are you all right?" " Yes, I'm okay." "Mr. Grant, tell them the Proteus is on power." " Proteus on power, sir." " Okay, Don, it's all yours." " Phase four." " Phase four." " Elevate zero module." " Elevate zero module." "Check thermal blanket." "Tracking." "Contact Proteus." " Stand by for injection." " Right." "Inject." "Tracking post." "The medieval philosophers were right." "Man is the center of the universe." "We stand in the middle of infinity, between outer and inner space." "And there's no limit to either." "I never imagined it could be anything like this." "I always thought it was nothing but red." "Only to the naked eye." "Those corpuscles carrying oxygen give the stream its color." "The rest of the plasma's very much like sea water." " An ocean of life." " End to end, 100,000 miles long." " Dr. Duval?" " Hmm?" "What could those be?" "That looks like the molecular structure of proteins." "I don't agree." " I think we should stop and investigate." " No, I'm afraid we haven't time." "Captain, keep your present heading until we're in the clear." "Arterial wall to the left." " What's our speed?" " 15 knots." "You should reach the main branching artery in two minutes." "Keep the wall at its present distance when you turn." "That should bring you safely into the middle of the branch." "Right." "Captain, correct your course and speed!" "She won't respond." "We're in some sort of current." " But that isn't possible." " Not in a sealed vessel like an artery." "There must be something wrong with your controls." "No, it's a current." "It's too strong." "I can't seem to break out of it." "Whirlpool!" "Strap yourselves in!" "Anyone hurt?" "Cora?" "I'm all right." "Thank you, Doctor." "Where are we?" "The corpuscles are blue." "Captain, what's your compass heading?" "Proteus off course." "They've... crossed over into the jugular vein!" "That can't be." "There's no direct connection between the two." "Well, normally not." "Unless there's an arteriovenous fistula." "A what?" "It's a forced joining of a vein and an artery." "It must have happened when Benes was hurt." "Yes, a fistula too small to show up in the tests." " But big enough for us." " Captain, can you head back into the artery?" "No, we can't fight that current." "It's physically impossible." "Well, try not to drift down any further." "I'll do what I can." "If we can go back, is there an alternate route?" "Well, we can go forward on this course, but... that means going directly through the heart." "No, no, we can't do that either, remember?" "We decided in the briefing." "This craft could never stand the turbulence." "Yes, it would be a hundred times worse than the whirlpool." "That's just dandy!" "We can't go forward and we can't go back." "There's only one thing we can do." "Call off the mission." "Well, we've no choice." "We've got to take them out." "No." "We've still got 51 minutes." "Leave 'em in." "But it's hopeless." "They can't go back and they can't go on." "I tell you there's nothing else we can do but remove them." "Not until the very last second." "We gotta think of something." "Something to save the situation." "Proteus reports trapped in venous system." "Requests removal, sir." "Well, there it is." "What do I tell them, General?" "Doctor..." "Without killing him, how long could we stop his heart?" " Well, the less time the better." " I know, I know, but what's the maximum?" "Well, in his comatose state and everything slowed down, no more than 60 seconds." "At top speed, adjusting distance for degree of miniaturization... the sub should get through the heart in exactly 57 seconds." "That gives us only three seconds to revive him." "What are the problems involved in stopping the heart?" "Nothing compared with starting it up again." "We're wasting time, Colonel." "Let's get on with it." "Message to Proteus." " Cardiac red alert." " Maintaining maximum speed, the sub should get through the heart in 57 seconds." "This will allow us three seconds to spare, in which to revive him." "In order to minimize the turbulence, we will have to arrest the heart." "Prepare for cardiac shock." "Remove the radar." "The Proteus will proceed to the entrance of the right atrium, at which point the heart will be stopped, by electric shock." "57 seconds." "And if it should take longer for us to get through?" "We can't take a second more." "Captain, head in the direction of the flow and then drift with it." "Well, that looks pretty complicated." "But I shall be able to guide you once we're inside." "Okay." "Ready for cardiac shock." "Cardioscope." "Tracking." "Listen..." "The heart." " Yes." "It's slowed down a great deal." " Sounds like heavy artillery." "It lays down quite a barrage." "Over 40 million beats in a year." "And every beat separates a man from eternity." " Stand by." " Stand by." "They're about to stop the heart!" "Full power when we enter the valve!" "Hit it!" "24 seconds left." "Including three to revive him." "19 seconds, Doctor." "The semilunar valve should be on our left any second now." "Stand by to revive." " There it is!" " Bear to your left!" " Can you see it, Captain?" " Yes." "I see it now." "Brace yourselves." "There should be a tremendous surge when the heart starts up again." "If it does." "8 seconds left." "Now!" "They're in the pulmonary artery." "Well, they'll make up some time once they get through that and reach the pleural cavity." "Respiration post." " What's his rate, Jack?" " Back to 6 per minute." "Damn it!" "I just had them cleaned." "They all lead to the same place..." "The lungs." "Dr. Michaels, the channel is getting awfully narrow." "Yes, we're entering a capillary." "Try to stay in the middle." "The wall's transparent." "It's less than one ten-thousandth of an inch thick." "And porous." "Doctor, just think of it." "We're the first ones to actually see it happen." "The living process." "Mind letting me in on what's going on out there?" "Oh, it's just a simple exchange, Mr. Grant." "Corpuscles releasing carbon dioxide in return for oxygen coming through on the other side." " Don't tell me they're refueling!" " Oxygenation." "We've known that it exists even though we never saw it." "Like the structure of the atom." "But to actually see one of the miracles of the universe, the engineering of the cycle of a breath." "Well, I wouldn't call it a miracle." "Just an interchange of gases." "The end product of 500 million years of evolution." "You can't believe all that is accidental?" "That there isn't a creative intelligence at work?" "Well, the creative intelligence..." " Mr. Grant..." " What is it, skipper?" "I'm losing pressure in the flotation tanks." "Would you check the manual control panel?" "It's aft on the starboard side." "All right." "The left tank's losing pressure." "There must be a short in the electrical valve circuit system." "Yeah." "That takes care of the valves." "I suppose it happened, because of that electric shock." " Is there any damage?" " Not to the valve." "But we've lost so much air, we can't make it the rest of the way." "What do you propose to do, Captain?" "There's nothing we can do." "We can't continue without full tanks." " Any reserve air?" " Enough to breathe, but that's all." "Excuse me." "Just a few cells away from a vast air chamber, one of the countless alveoli of the lung, and we can't get enough air to fill a microscopic tank!" "Maybe we can." " Skipper, is there a snorkel on this sub?" " Yes, there is." "Could I run a tube through that wall without harming Benes?" "At our present size, I should think so, certainly." "If those corpuscles can take on air, there's no reason why we can't." "All we have to do is hook up the snorkel to that air chamber you were talking about, and when Benes inhales, there should be plenty of pressure to force the oxygen into the tank." "How's that sound to you, skipper?" "Well, it's a dangerous procedure." "If I miss the timing, we could explode the air tanks, but..." "I'm willing to try it." "I think we should." "Yes, of course." "We must try it." "One more thing." "It'll be safer, if everybody leaves the sub but me." "I'll get the equipment." "Cora?" "Looks like you didn't fasten it down too well." " But I did!" "I'm positive!" " Then how come it worked loose?" "I've no idea." "How badly is it damaged?" "I don't know, Doctor." "We'll have to test it." "That'll have to wait until after we're refueled." "I can't imagine how it possibly could have happened." "I distinctly remember fastening it down." "Must've been jarred loose during the whirlpool." "Better get these on as quickly as possible." "They've stopped on the outer limits of the left lung." "Another delay, with only 42 minutes left." "It'll be close, but there's still a margin of safety." "Let's find out what the devil's holding them up." "Contact the Proteus." "Must be some kind of mechanical difficulty." " I thought I told you to cut down on the sugar." " Uh?" "Oh, I can't help it." "I'm just weak, I guess." " Shouldn't you answer that?" " Not now." "We need air, not greetings." "Come on, Doctor." "Come on." "Now remember, be sure to secure the bottom hatch once you're outside." "Right." "It's full of rocks." "Those are impurities embedded in the lung." "Carbon from smoke and specks of dust." "Well, we'd better get on with it." "Careful!" "There's a tremendous air pressure in there in relation to our size." "I'll try to hold her from the other side of the wall." "Maybe that will do it." " Tie my safety line to the sub." " Here." "Let me have it." "All right, now." "Push the snorkel through as soon as I get inside." "Wait for the lull between the time he inhales and exhales." "Now!" "Full." "He's gone!" "What can we do?" ""Delay caused by stop to refuel air."" ""Proceeding through pleural cavity."" "Refuel air?" "Why not?" "They had a choice of over a billion alveoli." "And a broken trigger wire." "A smashed transistor." "No way to fire the lamp." "Well, that's the end of the laser." " You must carry spare parts." " Nothing that's built into the chassis." " If it only hadn't come loose!" " That's beside the point now." "Isn't there another surgical procedure you could try?" "No." "No, there's no other way." "I really don't see the sense in going on with this." " But we must!" " With no laser?" "If you had a transistor about this size and power output and a thin enough wire, could you piece it together?" "Yes, but it requires absolute precision." "A surgeon might." "Yes." "Yes, I could do it." "Well, if I had the parts!" "I've got a source." "All we have to do is tap it." "Grant, just a minute." "You're surely not going to dismantle the wireless!" "It's just one transistor and a circuit wire, that's all it takes." "That'll knock out our communications." "We'll be cutting ourselves off from the outside." "They'd still be able to track us by radar, because of the radioactive fuel." "What's it to be?" "The wireless or Benes' life?" "Send a message to the control tower." "Message from the Proteus, sir." ""Cannibalising wireless to repair laser."" " They're what?" "!" " "This is our last message."" "Incommunicado!" "Now they're really on their own." "We can track 'em, but that's all we can do." "Something told me I got into the wrong end of this business." "Inner space..." "The transistor will do, but the wire is much too thick." " There's nothing closer." " Let me see." "I might be able to scrape it thin enough." "Cora, would you bring me a number 11 scalpel, please?" "Yes, Doctor." "Looks like the sea at dawn." "We're safe as long as it remains that color." "We're in the pleural sac." "It keeps the lungs from rubbing against the wall of the chest, up there." "When those membranes become inflamed, we end up with pleurisy and a racking cough." "Cough?" "If he can kick up a storm by just breathing!" "His pleura's in fine condition." "Should be plain sailing from here on." "Let's hope so." "So far, someone's tried to sabotage this mission twice." "Sabotage?" "I don't quite understand." "I saw the laser just before we started." "It was fastened down securely." "You don't suppose what happened was an accident?" "Any more than my safety line snapping after it was tied off to the sub." " Surely you don't seriously suspect Duval." " That line was tampered with." "I don't know what to say." "Well, I know he's under a cloud, but..." "There's not a more dedicated man in the entire medical profession." "We still never know what's going on in anyone's mind." "I don't believe it." "Whatever happended, was an accident." " Two in a row?" " It's possible." "Look at those walls up ahead." "We're entering the lymphatic system." "Those are nuclei of cells lining a duct." "I always had an idea there was only one system, the circulatory." "The lymphatic system drains off excess fluid from the tissues." "Without it, we'd all blow up like balloons." " Looks like quite a navigation problem." " Only until we get through the nodes." "The lymphatic glands." " Keep your present compass heading." " Right." "Skipper, we're picking up seaweed, or whatever that is." "Reticular fibers." "We ought to be clear of them soon." "Well, I hope so, Doctor." "Because if that stuff clogs the vents, the engines will overheat." "What's causing all this?" " Looks like somebody declared war." " That's exactly what it is." "Antibodies destroying bacteria or any other foreign invader that threatens the system." "Look, it's taken on its exact shape!" " It's like hand in glove." " Much closer." "Like two atoms." "We'll never get there in time at this rate." "Isn't there another route so that we can bypass all this?" " No." " Yes!" " There's no other suitable route." " Yes, there is." " We can transfer to the inner ear." " Yes..." "And go by way of the endolymphatic duct." "Why don't we take it?" "Because it's infinitely more hazardous than the route we're following now." "You see, once in the ear, any noise at all in the operating theater would be disastrous." "At our reduced size, any vibrations inside the ear would have a shattering effect." "Well, they're tracking us topside." "Once they see where we're going, I'm sure they'll take every precaution." "All right." "Let's hope they realize the danger." "Captain, I'll give you a new heading." "Proteus turning, in quadrant 7-3." "Finally." "They're heading for the inner ear." "About time they realized they'd never make it the other way." "Your attention, please." "Proteus is about to enter the inner ear." "You are not to walk, talk, or make a sound of any kind." "Absolute silence must be maintained until they are out of the danger area." " What's wrong, skipper?" " Just what I was afraid would happen." "That stuff that we passed through that looks like seaweed?" " Yes, reticular fibers." " Mmm." "Well, it clogged the intake vents." "We're not getting any propulsion." " Well, there's only one thing to do." " What?" "I'll see if maybe there's some way I can clear those vents." "How long do you think it'll take?" "Quite some time." "Wouldn't it be quicker if we all helped?" "Yes, you're quite right." "We haven't a minute to spare." " Would you... help?" " Oh, yes." "I'll stay behind." "I'd better use the time to finish repairing the laser." "Why don't you start on the engines?" "Report no movement of the Proteus since entering quadrant 7-4 at level D." "24 minutes left, maximum." "This is just what we need, another delay." "You'll wind up a Hindu." "They respect all forms of life, however small." "Help!" "Please, help!" "There she is!" "She's damaging those fibers." "Antibodies will attack any moment." "Grant, the pressure." "I..." " I can't..." " Get back to the sub." "I'll get her out." "Hurry!" " Where are they?" " They're below the cells of Hensen." "If the antibodies reach her, they'll attack as if she were bacteria." "Open it!" "Open it before they get here!" "I can't till the hatch is flooded." "They're tightening!" "Please!" "I... can't... breathe." "I can't..." "They've crystallized." "It's all right, Cora." "It's all right." "They're on their way again." "12 minutes left." "What a time to run out of sugar!" "Looks like quite a way to go." "We should reach the base of the brain shortly." "From there it's not far to the site of the injury." "But we're running out of time." "Where's that light coming from?" "It's from the outside world." "Filtering in through Benes' eardrum." "That puts us right here." "Which means we can head for the subarachnoid cavity." "The Proteus has passed the inner ear and is now in the channel leading to the brain." "I thought I'd die when the scissors dropped on the floor!" " It's against my better judgment." " Better judgement?" "To wait until the actual operation when it may be too late?" " I've done all I could with the laser!" " All I'm asking is..." "I'm only asking him that he test it beforehand." "If it doesn't work, it's beyond my power to fix it." "But if it does work, there's no telling how long it'll stand up." "It's a jury-rig at best and we'll need every second of use we can get out of it." "That's why I don't want to put any extra strain on the connections by running unnecessary tests!" " Dr. Duval, I insist that you test the laser." " I'll do nothing of the sort!" "The operation is my responsibility." "I won't do it, and that's final." "All right." "As usual, you want everything your own way." "Only this time there's more at stake." "I know perfectly well what's at stake, Dr. Michaels." "Imagine!" "They're in the human mind!" ""Yet all the suns that light the corridors of the universe" ""shine dim before the blazing of a single thought..."" ""...proclaiming an incandescent glory:" "The myriad mind of Man."" "Quite poetic, gentlemen." "Let me know when we pass the soul." "The soul?" "The finite mind cannot comprehend infinity and the soul, which comes from God, is infinite." "Yes, but our time isn't." " If my calculations are correct..." " Doctor, what's that up ahead?" "That's it!" "That's the site of the injury, that dark spot." " We'd better get prepared." " There just isn't time." "I don't see how you could possibly operate and get out of here before the hour's up." "Captain, you'd better head for the removal point." "Removal point?" "What are you talking about?" "We've only six minutes left." "We'll just barely make it." "Hold it, skipper." " What happens if we overstay?" " Once time's up, deminiaturization begins." "Then, within a matter of seconds, the ship will grow big enough to become a danger to the system." "Then, white corpuscles will swarm to destroy it as they would any other invader." "Skipper, how long will it take us to get from here to the removal point?" "About two minutes." "That still leaves me four minutes to operate." "All you'll succeed in doing is getting us trapped." "I simply won't hear of it." "Captain, return immediately to the removal point." "All right." "Grant, what are you doing?" "My power's gone!" "Dr. Duval, get the laser." "Grant, I'm in charge of this mission." "You were instructed to take orders from me, not to give them." "I'm sorry, the situation has changed." "Nothing's changed, so far as my authority goes!" "We've got to get out of here now!" "It's sheer suicide for all of us." "I'm not gonna let him operate!" "Dr. Michaels, you're in no condition to make any decision." "Duval, you're not gonna go through with this." "I absolutely forbid it." "I won't allow you or anyone else to leave this ship!" "I'm going to do all I can to save Benes." "You fool!" "Don't you see what you've done?" "You've given him a perfect opportunity to kill Benes." " I don't believe that." " Why not?" "Because of all his gibberish about God and the soul?" "Camouflage, that's all that is, to blind the gullible IQ and cover up his real identity." "A fanatic whose only purpose is to kill Benes!" "And now you've made it possible." "I've come up against fanatics before and Duval just doesn't fit the pattern." "Skipper, I'm going out there." "Maybe I can be of some help." "Remember, we need at least two minutes to get out." "How does it look, Doctor?" "If I can relieve the pressure on a few key vessels..." "Doctor, we've had it." "If I can clear this central nerve, that may be enough." "Captain, there seems to be something wrong with the escape hatch." " What do you mean?" " Fluid is seeping through." "I think you'd better have a look at it." "Fluid?" "There shouldn't be any fluid..." "Yes, you'll see it underneath the door." "That should do it." "Look!" " It's heading right for the nerve!" " I don't understand." "The laser." "Let me have the laser!" "Give me your widest beam." "Full power!" "The ship's finished." "We'll have to get out on our own." "Is there a quick way out?" " What about Dr. Michaels?" " White corpuscles!" "We've got to get them out." "They'll ingest the ship and everything in it." "Stay here, both of you." "Hold them off if you can." "What happened?" "Dr. Michaels went berserk." " Berserk, nothing!" " Grant, help!" "Get me out!" "Get this on, quick." "If a window blows we'll lose this airlock." "Grant, help!" "I'm trapped!" "Help me!" "Grant, can't get my..." "Can't get my hands out." "Get me out of here." "My hands are trapped." "I can't move... my hands." "I can't move my... hands." "I can't move my hands." "Get me out!" "Get me out of here!" "Get me out!" "Get me out!" "Come on, it's no use!" " That's the end of the laser." " You said there was a quick way out." "We could follow the optic nerve to the corner of the eye." "Time's up." "We'll have to take them out immediately." "It means killing Benes." "For all we know, they may have completed the operation." "Damn it to hell!" "Attention, please!" "You will remove the Proteus immediately." "Remove the radar." "Prepare for trephination." "Light impulses." "On the way to the brain." "We're nearing the eye." "Hold it, Doctor!" "What is it?" "That blip we're picking up might only be a radioactive particle." "The Proteus may already be destroyed." "What are you getting at?" "If I were in their place, and I'm running out of time," "I'd abandon ship before I grew to dangerous size and use the extra few minutes to get out the quickest way possible." "On my own." "Along the optic nerve to the eye." "Wait 30 seconds." "Glass slide, quick!" "Open that door, please!"