"153 degrees." "Turn complete, sir." "Commence second run." "We have a radar trace, sir." " 'Bridge.'" " We have a radar trace, sir." "'Bearing 147, speed Mach 5, reducing fast.'" " Mr. Cooper." " Sir?" "Can you see anything?" "No, sir." "Yes!" "Yes, there!" "What is it, sir?" "I don't know." "I have never seen anything like this before." "It's coming down." "Action stations." " It's attacking, sir?" " I think it is, Mr Cooper." "Open fire." "Straker." "'General Henderson's here, sir'." "Right." " Commander." " Morning, General." " You've read it?" " Hasn't everybody?" "If this is why I'm here, there'll be an official denial tomorrow." "Yes, I expected that." "I stress the word "official"." "Apparently it was a test flight of one of the Navy's prototype aircraft." " Unfortunate." " Yes." "Straker, you're getting too suspicious." " Is that bad?" " That photograph could be anything." " Yes." "Including a UFO." " There was an immediate inquiry." "I was in touch with the naval board personally." "They were satisfied." "It's a false alarm." " General, are you warning me off?" " No, even if it sounds like it." "How many sightings turn out to be aircraft?" "This was a highly-trained naval crew, on a ship equipped with every modern detection device." "Let's have some breakfast." "It happened too fast." "The wreckage sank with no attempted salvage." "The ocean is too deep at that point." "I take it you've no objections if I conduct my own investigations." "No, none at all." "But don't expect any cooperation from the naval authorities." "They've accepted the findings." "You have checked the records for that day?" " Yes." " And?" "There were no UFO sightings, if that's what you mean." " None got through?" " No." "None that we know of." " But they have before." " Not for a long time." "Since your defence tightening." "Gen., don't underestimate them." "It has always only been a matter of time before they discovered a way to pierce our screen." " Toast?" " No, thank you." "Try hitting the sand behind the ball." "Oh, Paul, you're supposed to smooth over your tracks." " Tell me, what do you see in this?" " Relaxation, exercise." "Chance to forget your problems." "You've only talked about them since we started." "I have a lot on my mind, Paul." "Well, here you are." "I suggest you try a number 9 iron on this shot, Paul." "Good shot." "You said Henderson thought that ship's sighting was a false alarm." "Did I?" "Yes, I suppose he did." "Your theory about the aliens piercing our defences screen doesn't hold up." "Why?" "The Interceptors destroyed a UFO this morning." "Yes." "True." "How come we managed to stop that one?" "Paul, it's a battle of wits between us and them." "If they have made a breakthrough they wouldn't want us to know." " This morning was a sacrifice?" " Could be, couldn't it?" "We destroy a UFO, feel secure in our defences, then they just write off that sighting." "If it was a UFO, why didn't it fire on the ship?" "That would have been proof." " You don't buy it, do you, Paul?" " No." "Well, you could be right." "Depth 600." "620." "Maximum safe depth." " 640." "Colonel..." " I heard the first time, Captain." "Continue the dive." "680." "750." " Pressure malfunction." " Level." "Level out." "Paul, do you know Sheringham?" " The Admiral?" " Yes." "Not personally." "Do you know anyone in his department?" "Now I know why I'm here." "All right, what do you want me to find out?" "I want to find out why that admiralty board reached such a fast decision." "You see, I think that ship was where it was for a special reason." "A reason the Navy want to keep secret." "The aliens want to know why and so do we." " Yes?" " 'Turbines not responding, sir.' 820." "'Engines overheating.'" "Hold full power." "Forward plates are buckling." "870." "'Turbines still not responding, sir.'" " Hold power." " 'We'll burn out, sir.'" " Hold full power." " 880." "It's slowing." " Steady at 900." " Maintaining level course, Captain." "Take her back to 600." "Up to 600." " Sonar?" " Colonel." " Find anything?" " No, Colonel." "Nothing?" "How much water below us?" " 200 fathoms, Colonel." " Thanks." " We could try again." " No." "No, it's too deep." "Thank you, Captain." "Over 1,000 fathoms deep." "The trench runs for about 30 miles." "It sounds ideal." "Come in." "If you could sign these sometime this afternoon, sir." "This is the amendment of the second pavilion." "All right." "Thank you, Miss Bosanquet." "Well, the assignment's due on the ninth." "My crew are on 24-hour stand-by." "Over 1,000 fathoms deep." "An even greater safety margin than we need." "All right, Captain." "I approve the location." "Thank you, sir." " Steven." " Yes, sir." "Good luck on the ninth." "We may need it." "And remember: one slip and life on this planet could..." " Straight through?" " Yes." "Be with you in a minute." "Make yourself at home." " Nice place." "Very comfortable." " It's convenient." "Would you like coffee or something stronger?" "I would prefer something stronger." " Scotch?" " Fine." " May I?" " Oh, please do." "Your drink." "Oh, thanks." " Unusual hobby." " Is it?" " Are you an expert?" " I wouldn't say so." "What's the bright star at top left?" "Spica." "Magnitude 1,2." "Forms an isosceles triangle with Arcturus in Bootes and Denebola in Leo." "Really?" "By studying Spica and the star Rigel in Orion," "Hipparchus discovered the procession of the equinoxes." "Here's to good old Hipparchus." " You don't waste time, do you?" " Well, you've got your hobby." "How long have you been with the Ministry?" " Not long." "Why?" " I hadn't seen you before yesterday." " You probably have." " What department are you in?" "Let's say it's my job to know everyone else's." "Take you, for example." "Sarah Bosanquet." "Young, beautiful." "Ten years' service." "Currently with Sheringham." "Where's my birthmark?" "I'm much too much of a gentleman to mention that." " What's Sheringham like?" " Why?" "I mean, to work for." "I was thinking, with the responsibility he's carrying," " he might be taking it out on you." " I can look after myself." "I'm very independent." " How is Paul progressing?" " He's still working on it." " Well, what have we got?" " There's a deep trench here." "Virtually bottomless." "If that was a UFO and it did go down there," " then it's lost forever." " Anything from Sonar?" "No." "We took Skydiver down as deep as we could." "Deeper." "Nothing." "Well, the wreckage is of no longer any importance, but that trench is." " What's the next step?" " A meeting with Admiral Sheringham." "General Henderson can do the groundwork." "He can say I'm a safety officer from the Ministry of Aviation." "Mr Straker is anxious to discover as much as he can about the incident." "I appreciate that." "Please, sit down, gentlemen." "Right." "Well, what particularly can I do for you?" "I want to interview the captain of the ship." " I'm afraid that won't be possible." " Oh?" "He's on an assignment?" "Naval security prevents me from answering that question." "Oh, I see." "Excuse me." "I'm sorry." "I take it you've read a transcript of the inquiry?" "Yes." "My office was able to supply those details." "I've studied the report, and there seems to be a great deal left unsaid." "I don't understand." "It appears to me that the findings in the report were arrived at with, might I say, unnecessary haste." "Mr Straker, the facts that we had were the only ones likely to be available for all time." "In the circumstances, it would have done nothing to delay." "Yes, I can see that." "But Admiral, nowhere in this report can I see any mention of the steps taken by the captain and crew to verify identification of the aircraft." " The incident was over in seconds." " Yes, but your captain ordered the destruction of an aircraft." "A layman, such as myself, might be excused for thinking he could equally have taken steps to identify it." "I am sure the captain acted as he thought best." "You..." " We weren't there." " But the ship sustained no damage, proving there was no aggressive action." "Admiral, it could have been a civilian airliner." "I've really nothing further to add to the report." "Of course, if the ship in question were actively concerned in some mission or other, then the action of the captain might be more understandable." "Will you come in, please?" "I'm afraid I can spare no more time, gentlemen." "Miss Bosanquet will show you out." " You wanted to see me?" " Yes, Paul." "Come in." "How are you making out with Miss Bosanquet?" "Well, Rome wasn't built in a day." "Yes, I have heard that before." " There's something I want you to do." " Sure." "Find out if your new friend knows him." "Yes, she does." "There's a picture like this in her apartment." " Are you sure?" " Positive." " That's very interesting." " Who is he?" "Are you taking Miss Bosanquet out tonight?" "Well, I..." "Good." "Make it something special, will you?" "I'll try." "Oh, and Paul, you might let me have the key to her apartment." "Take a look at this." " Should be perfect." " I'll set it up." "A sighting device." "With all this, I'd say you could line up on any point in space." "It's pretty sophisticated for an amateur." "That's for sure." "Look." "There's a setting marked." "You better take this down, Colonel." "East 817... 9... 2802." "East 8179-2802." "'Yes, that's correct." "Have this course computed." "'Then station an Interceptor directly on the line." " 'You understand?" "'" " Yes, sir." "'Good." "I want this carried out round the clock." "'At all times an Interceptor is to be in position.'" "Yes, sir." "'Interceptor 1, immediate launch." "Immediate launch.'" " Mr Cooper." " Sir?" " Make a signal." " Yes, sir." "Proceeding on schedule." "Target date: twelfth, 0300." " Mr Cooper." " Sir?" " Code it." " Yes, sir." "Interceptor 1 to Moonbase." "Routine check, 1500 hours." "Nothing to report." "Roger, 1." "Routine check 1500 hours received." " Confirm negative report." " 'Report confirmed.'" "This patrol wouldn't be so bad if I knew what I was waiting for." "'Inter... ceptor 1 'to Moon... 'base.'" "Moonbase to Interceptor 1." "Come in, 1." "This is Moonbase Control to Interceptor 1." "Moonbase to Interceptor 1." "Come in, 1." " I just can't believe it." " How is the pilot?" "He regained consciousness and was able to land the Interceptor." "He was checked out and cleared for duty." " Do we know what it was?" " No, not for certain." "The lab boys think that telescope sent out some sort of laser signal..." " Picked up in deep space." " Exactly." "The signal, whatever it was, must have got through." "With such a highly concentrated light beam, it would pass through Interceptor 1 as if it wasn't there." "But why?" "I still don't understand why." "Paul, do you remember that photograph I showed you?" "The one Sarah had in her apartment?" "Yes." "That was her father, John Bosanquet, one of the experts who helped build Moonbase, 5, 6 years ago." " You said he was her father." " Yes." "He was posted as dead but in fact, he disappeared." "You see, in those days, accidents on the lunar surface happened much more frequently." "There was a search but he was never found." " You mean the aliens got him?" " It seems to add up." "Contact with Miss Bosanquet before SHADO became operational would have been quite simple." "And she's been forced to send them information ever since." "Forced or controlled." "Doesn't make any difference." "And that ship has put out to sea again." "Now, why would the ocean depth be of interest to Admiral Sheringham?" "Colonel Lake, I'm assigning you back on Skydiver." " To follow that ship?" " Yes, and don't let it out of your sight." "And me?" "Sorry, Paul." "You startled me." "I didn't expect you." "I know, Sarah." "I know all about it." "I'm sorry, Paul." "I don't know what you mean." "What did you tell them?" " Paul..." " What did you tell them?" "We have all the proof we need that your Miss Bosanquet has been supplying the aliens with information from your office." "What Straker says is true, Admiral." "UFOs are a fact." "It's fantastic!" "I can't believe it." "Well, I won't argue with you there." "Whatever you're doing, the aliens know about it, make no mistake." "And if they're interested, so am I." "Look, whatever you're doing, you've cloaked behind a veil of secrecy that we've been unable to penetrate officially or otherwise." "But now, Admiral, I have to know!" "Well, I'm chairman of a committee dealing with the destruction of obsolete weapons, and military equipment and so on." "Some time ago, a thousand gallons of an experimental nerve gas were manufactured in Europe." "Further tests revealed that the gas was too dangerous even to be handled." "It was arranged that the gas be destroyed in laboratory conditions." "Then it was discovered that the gas was virtually indestructible." "It was therefore decided that the gas should be dumped at sea." "What if there's a leakage?" "The gas is sealed in very special containers, geared to corrode over a period of several hundred years." "When that gas escapes into the atmosphere, it will be harmless." "And if the aliens attack the ship and the containers are destroyed?" "Then that would be the end, Commander Straker." "There's enough gas on that ship to destroy every form of life on earth." "You mean we can't contact the ship at all?" "Exactly." "The ship's captain is maintaining a radio blackout." " Security." " Ironical." "Could an aircraft pick them up?" "We've got Search Task Force combing the entire area." "But the ocean's a big place to look for a small ship that doesn't want to be found." " We do know their destination." " Yes." "And by the time they get there it'll probably be too late." "What about Skydiver?" "Is this our best speed, Captain?" "Midnight, sir." "Right on schedule." "It'll be light about 300 hours." "Then we'll start dumping immediately." "The men will be ready, sir." "Think I'll go back to my cabin." "There's not much I can do here." " Call me, Mr Cooper." " Aye aye, sir." "What about Sheringham?" "He's convinced all right." "I'm letting him watch the operation." "If it's a success, he'll get the usual amnesia shots." "If it isn't, doesn't really make any difference, does it?" " Can we stop them?" " I don't know, Paul." "I just don't know." "I still think they've discovered a way to break through our screen." "Well, the Interceptors are skyborne." " Visual contact?" " That could be our only hope." "Thank you, Mr Cooper." "0230 hours, anything to report?" "Yes, sir." "Radar reports increased aerial activity." "UFOs: 2." "Sighting." "0122-7074." "Sector 14." "Unable to confirm UFO sighting." "Interceptor 1 to Moonbase Control:" "confirm sighting." "Reading negative." "Repeat, negative." "Repeat, we are failing to get a reading." "Moonbase Control to Interceptor 1:" "confirm trajectory." "0122-7074." "Sector 14." "Moonbase, can Interceptors 1 and 2 give assistance?" "Compute Interceptor range." "'Interceptor range computed." "'ETA Interceptor 2:" "47 minutes." "'ETA Interceptor 3:" "170.'" "Interceptor 1 to Moonbase Control:" "I'm moving in." "You were right." "They've got through our defensive screens." "Some kind of radio jamming, using waves to break up the frequency." "Can our technicians fix it?" "Depends on whether we're still here tomorrow, doesn't it?" "They're separating." "'The best I can do is to get one.'" "Sir, trajectory report on surviving UFO." "Thank you." "Heading for a point somewhere near Newfoundland." "That's nowhere near the ship." "The ship's in the South Atlantic." " Everything ready, sir." " Good." " Commence dumping." " Sir." "Bridge to deck party, commence dumping." "There's a change in course, sir." "The UFO's veered off." "Its trajectory is now the South Atlantic." "This is it." "Trace, sir." "Bridge." "We've picked up a radar trace." "Bearing 281, Mach 5, reducing." "Action stations." "'Action stations!" "Action stations!" "'Seal all watertight bulkheads." "'Gun crews on immediate stand-by." "'Repeat, gun crews on stand-by.'" "Missile in position, sir." "Launch missile, Mr Cooper!" "'Clear for firing." "Clear for firing.'" "Get that missile launched, Mr Cooper." "Bridge to missile control: fire!" "Repeat, fire!" "It's the damage officer, sir." "Missile guns' electronics have been affected by the explosion." "What the blazes happened?" "It's no use, sir." "Missile systems are negative." "Alert gun crews." "Bridge to guns, stand by." "Bridge to guns, stand by." "There it is." "Open fire!" "Radar puts it out of range, sir." "One more shot." "Maybe two." "That's all." "What the devil's that?" "Well, we were lucky." "Very lucky." " Sometimes we need it." " Moonbase reported?" "Yes." "We ran tests on the radar." "It was a radio wave jammer, but by using a double frequency we can plot them again..." "until they find an answer to that." "Well, I suppose it's another incident closed." " I'll be in touch." " There's the girl." "Sarah Bosanquet." "There'll be no proceedings against her." "In the circumstances we could hardly hold her responsible for her actions." "Of course, someone will have to explain what became of her father." "That's not what I meant, General." "How many others are there like her?"