"Alpha to Eagle 1, come in, 1," "Alpha to Eagle 1, come in, 1." "'Eagle 1 to base, we copy.'" "Paul, we're returning to Alpha." "'Returning?" "'" "We had a close call." "We were descending at normal speed and were suddenly pulled down at tremendous speed." "As if the G-forces had increased enormously." "I checked that out, John." "G-forces remained constant." "No other force was recorded on the instruments." "Whatever force it was, it wasn't anything we know about." " Did you get that, Paul?" " 'Heard but not understood.'" "It took all our power to get away." " We're losing power!" " Paul, we're in trouble!" "'Control systems out!" "'" "Alpha to Eagle 1, come in, 1." "'Alpha to Eagle 1, come in, 1.'" "'Alpha to Eagle 1, come in, 1.'" "Paul, Computer's located them." "They crashed down in a crater." "Over 100 miles from here." "'Medical, physical condition?" "'" "Three are alive, Paul." "I can't get a reading from Commander Koenig." "Bob, his medical monitor is not registering." "'Get the medical team to launch pad seven.'" "We're on our way." " Paul, any word from them yet?" " 'Nothing, Doctor." "'But their communications systems are working now." "'We may hear from them at any moment." " 'How's the Commander?" "'" " Still no life readings." "Keep me posted, Paul." "Come in, Eagle 4." "Come in, Eagle 4." "This is Commander Koenig." "Commander?" "'Alpha calling Eagle 1, come in, Eagle 1." "'Alpha calling Eagle 1.'" "Come in, Eagle 1." "'Tanya, you've got the most beautiful voice in the world.'" "Paul," " Eagle 1 reporting in." " Commander Koenig?" "No, it's Carter, Paul." "'Are you all right?" "'" "Yeah, but the Commander's hurt pretty bad." "Do what you can, Alan." "A rescue unit's on its way." " We'll have you home in no time." " 'Make it soon.'" "Dr Russell, we've heard from Carter." "Commander Koenig's alive," " but badly hurt." " Thank you, Paul." "Paul, this is Commander Koenig." "Paul?" "Dr Russell?" "Helena?" "'Alan, this is Dr Russell." "'We're coming alongside now." "'Don't move anyone until I've examined them.'" "He's going to be OK, isn't he?" "I don't know." "We can't do any more without getting them to Alpha." "Paul?" "Yes, Alan." "Go ahead." "'Send us a cargo Eagle as fast as you can." "We can't move anyone.'" "We'll have to separate this section and have it carried to Alpha." "Affirmative." "Paul!" "I hope you enjoy your stay here on Zenno, Commander Koenig." "You must be exhausted after your long walk." "It is not a dream, but all very real, I assure you." "This is the planet Zenno, the major planet in the solar system known as Cryton." "Five million light years away from Earth." "Our computer checked every planet here." "They're all dead." "Yes." "Of course." "Your primitive machinery would record that fallacy, simply because I ordered it to." " You expect me to believe that?" " Why should I lie?" "You're thinking that our scanner system located your moon and you were brought here by spaceship - that is correct." "I can read your mind, you see." "All Zennites can." "We have no use of mechanical devices." "What we need, or want, we create with our minds." "The mind is master of all things." "This is my home." "It is made of light." "Outside is our city, one of many." "You are still sceptical." "Admirable." "Perhaps another view?" "A closer one." "Gently, Commander." "You will adjust to it in time." "The city of light." "Light is alive, colour is alive." "Magnificent." "At last you are impressed." "Allow me to impress you even further." "My name is Raan, your host." "I am as human as you are." "This must be a dream." "No, Commander." "It all happened here on Zenno." "I made it happen." "See for yourself." "Convinced?" "Why am I here?" "The inevitable question." " Because..." " Because... my father is the foremost anthropologist on Zenno." "You have not met formally." "Vana, may I present Commander Koenig," "Commander Koenig, my daughter, Vana." "You were saying?" "Like all scientists', my father's curiosity is insatiable." "He wants to learn from you." "I doubt if I could teach him anything." "Not about the present, or the future, but the past." "And now let us make you feel more comfortable, more at home." "Your quarters on Alpha." "I'm sorry it's not the real thing, only an image of it, but quite accommodating nevertheless." "Then, I take it I'm a prisoner here." "Oh, no." "No, no, no." "You are a guest in my home." "A permanent guest." "Unfortunately, your life span is only one tenth of ours." "I still don't see what you hope to learn from me." "I want to know your mind." "The mind of an Earth man." "All our ancient books, though very informative, are limited in knowledge." "But you, dear Commander Koenig, are flesh and blood." "You're real." "I've been searching for such as you for a long time." "You are our missing link." " We're all set, lower away." " 'All right, Alan.'" "When they've secured the module, I'll take over here." " 'Piece of cake.'" " Just keep your fingers crossed." "Your food, Commander." "Fattening me up for the slaughter?" "You must eat." "I suggest you resign yourself to the situation." "My being considered the caveman of the future is your idea of a situation?" "Do you know what your father intends?" "To use me as an experiment, like some kind of..." "Some kind of..." " animal." " Exactly." "Yes." "I've read of Earth people and their experiments with animals." "Exposing their brains and implanting electrical devices to record thought processes." "But if that is all he wanted to learn from you, he would simply read your mind." " As I would." " The principle is exactly the same." "I am being kept here against my will for scientific research." "What your father proposes is just as inhumane." "Or have the Zennites progressed beyond principles?" "I assure you, no harm will come to you." "Vana, I'm not a Zennite." "What's not harmful to you may be to me." "Tell your father I'll do everything I canto get back to Alpha." "That is impossible." "You will remain here till the end of your life." "Then that day'll come a lot sooner!" "'Alpha to Eagle 7, all secured." "Alan, hang on.'" "Ready for pick-up." "Countdown... 10 seconds." " Nine, eight, seven..." " Six, five, four, three, 'two, one, 'zero.'" "(Ream Ne need to open the door, Commander." "In my first experiment, I am returning you to Alpha." "John." "It's all right." "You're safe now." "You've been unconscious for two days." "The others?" "Carter and I made it through all right, but..." "Sandra's dead." " Sandra?" " Mm-hmm." "Helena did everything she could to save her, but it meant nothing." "The whole thing is ridiculous." "I mean..." "We're all of us gonna die." "Slowly." "One by one." "It's no use." "Come on, Victor." "I feel the same way about Sandra, but we all know that death's a way of life with us now." "Don't philosophise, John." "Not with me." "I'm not talking about Sandra!" "I'm talking about everything." "When are we gonna stop kidding ourselves?" "We're never going to get off this rock." "This is our tomb." "We walk about breathing, but we're not living, we're existing." "I tell you, I've had about enough of it." "I wanna live like a human being again." " We all do, Victor." " Oh, no." "Not you." "You're the big man around here." "How does it feel to play God every day?" "Where are you going?" "I want to talk to Paul." "What for?" "Listen, we don't have a chance here." "If you want to check out, that's your affair." " Open any air lock." " No!" "I want to live!" "Listen, all those planets out there, they're not all dead, you know." "One of them's alive." "Alive!" "We can go there." "A few of us." "We can start living again." "Don't be a damn fool!" "Life is waiting for us, John." "Let's take it" "That's just another way to die." "Paul!" "'Commander, you should have listened to Victor.'" "Raan!" "I'm not an experiment, I'm a man!" "I'm a man!" "Raaaaaan!" "Let go!" "Let go." "Noooooooo!" "Victor?" "Help me, Victor." "Help me." "Victor!" "Help me!" "Help me, Victor!" "Victor, help me!" "Victor!" "Help me, Victor!" "me!" "Help me." "Victor!" "His fear of my experiment manifested itself in strange, repulsive creatures, who appeared real and alive to him." "But it's his violence I find most fascinating." "I find violence very disturbing." "It is frightening." "Had I been present when he realised Professor Bergman was an image," "I do believe he would have taken my life." "I can see how the ancient books do not exaggerate." "Murder, war, torture, violence beyond description is a way of life for Earth man." "Perhaps he will prove too dangerous." "He may truly kill one of us." "You should neutralise his mind." "You may go too far." "No." "I can create situations for him, but his reactions must be true and his choice of dealing with them free, otherwise there'd be no point in making the experiment." "He must neutralise his own mind." "Conquer his violence." "There were four of us in that crash." "Three'll survive and..." "John..." "Why him?" "Why couldn't it be me or Alan or Sandra?" "It may simply be John's time to die." "Commander." "It was very wise to realise that your friend was not real." "But I do not see how you knew." "Victor would never give up on himself." "I wanted him to be real, otherwise, I'd have seen through your father's deception much sooner." "We are incapable of deception." "Every scientist makes that claim." "The end justifies the means." "I am too young to understand my father's reasoning." "But I know he did not intend to deceive you." "We Zennites are born free of negative emotions, thereby bringing us tranquillity and peace." "You see, however, it does not come easily" " or swiftly." " You're lucky." "Or are you?" "Without feeling hate, one cannot feel the joy of love." "We feel such joy, because we understand hate." "It is born of fear and we fear nothing." " Except death." " We do not believe in death." "Only in the continuing flow of life." "Therefore, your refusing food, your choice to starve yourself, is incomprehensible to me." "If I were to take you away from here, against your will, you'd understand." "If you were to remain here, of your own free will, you also would understand." "You clumsy fool!" "Is it so difficult to carry a tray of coffee?" "That's enough, Kano." " This inefficient..." " I said that's enough!" " Are you all right, June?" " Yes." "Don't ever do that again." " You're not in command here yet." " Right now I'm off duty." "So are you." "Paul." "Everyone back to their stations." "Raise it three points." "That could kill him." "Three points." "That's enough." "Have you got him?" "Only just." "As a scientist, I owe it to humanity to learn all I can." "It is the only way to help man." "To bring him closer to his true destiny." "But you can learn nothing from the Commander because whatever image you present to him is unreal, so that his reaction, though honest, is unreal as well." "To explore our own minds, and the mind of the universe, for knowledge and understanding, that is a good thing." "But John Koenig is neither of these." "He's an individual." "His blood is our blood." "We have no right to exploit him." "Do you wish me to send him back?" "I don't know." "It's all so confusing." "I was just thinking of you." "I know." "You can project music with your mind?" "You like it?" "It's beautiful." "But so sad." "I didn't think sadness existed here." "It does." "It does." "Tell me what's troubling you." "You know I can't read your mind." "I want you to stay." "I want you to stay with me." "Dr Russell." "You must not let him die." "A machine is keeping John alive." "Not himself, not me." "What difference does it make?" "He is still alive." "John is already dead." "His body is dead and his mind." "I can't deceive myself any longer." "Wait." "Please wait a while longer." "Look, there are wonders out there beyond your imagination." "Everything you've wished for on Earth." "The good things, I offer you." "A world without fear." "A world without fear." "Not your world, Commander." "It will be, Father." "We are to be united as one." "That is impossible." "But you have taught me that love is the bridge between all worlds." "Only when you know how to cross it." "You have yet to learn the way." "Do you presume that you can span two million years of evolution?" "I can try." "I've made my choice." "I want to stay here with Vana." "No one's being callous, just realistic." "The entire base is pulling for the Commander to make it." "But you can see the effect it's having." "Kano losing his temper." "Me as well." "Security have broken up three brawls already." " That is not the point!" " That is precisely the point, Alan." "We need a leader, even if it's just a name." "If John lives, that's fine." "Even if he doesn't, people will adjust." "It's not knowing getting us down." "And who's going to take over, you?" "You, Paul?" "Kano?" "The man in the moon!" "Koenig is still breathing!" "And while he is, for my money, he is still the Commander." "You're beautiful." "I think this is also a friend of yours." "No, no." "The Commander does not believe you are real." "I have instilled the facts in her mind." "Where she is and the situation." "But not her part in it." "That I leave to you." "It is true, Commander," "I know you have decided not to return to Alpha." "Father, did you have to bring Sandra here?" "You see?" "My daughter believes Sandra is real." "She trusts you." "I don't." "Very well, Commander Koenig." "Let me offer some proof." "There is my image of Sandra." "And my image of you." "However, your image on Alpha is dying." "Even I cannot sustain it indefinitely." "Only one of you will survive." "Dr Russell is going to disconnect your life support system." "She believes you are dead." " Now I can tell her..." " No." "You will not remember seeing the Commander alive and well." "The decision still belongs to Dr Russell." "I cannot influence that decision in any way." "No one can." "You brought Victor's image here." " Why not Sandra's?" " Sandra is real." "I understand not believing her because of my father." "Can you not believe me?" "I believe you." "Excellent." "Which world do you choose now?" "Come, Vana." "We should allow our guests a moment to themselves." "It is like a dream." "It's not a dream, Sandra." "There's nothing more you can do for him." "There is one thing." "Vana." "Sandra has convinced you to return." "No, Vana." "Your father only made me face the truth by bringing Sandra here." "I can't stay, knowing my place is with my own people, in my own time." "I will come with you." "I'm already part of your world, as you're part of mine." "It's the same for you." "The Zennites are your people, and this is your time." "You and I can never become one." "In time you'll understand." "What do I do till then?" "At this moment, all I understand is my love for you." "I do not want you to leave me." "Then cross the bridge between your world and mine." "I do not know how." "With your mind." "And with your heart." "As long as you think of me and feel for me," "I'll be with you." "I will try." "I will try." "Do not forget me." "Do not forget me." "Are you sure?" "I have to, Bob." "Leave it alone, Dr Russell." "You don't understand!" "You're not gonna kill him." " Carter, take it easy." " Not over this." "Take it easy." "Security to Diagnostic, Security to Diagnostic." "You're not gonna kill him!" "Although the experiment was a failure," "I did learn something from Earth man after all, so did Vana." "Perhaps Vana was the true reason you brought me here." "Perhaps it was." "Please take my gratitude with you." "I'll be taking much more." "Something YOU learned, I hope." "Not exactly." "I still believe it's more important to feel than to think." "It is the perfect balance between the two that must be achieved." "Both our worlds have yet to learn how." "But now you must hurry." "There's not much of your time left." "Until tomorrow, John Koenig." "Until tomorrow." "Helena." "Have I been gone long?" "Not long."