Battle Beneath the Earth Page #2

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...confirms our belief that

no suspicion of sabotage...

...or other external

causes exist."

Any way you look at it, Jon, there

is no basis for Kramer's story.

Just another accident,

like Sealab VII.

Now, look, Jon, don't try

stretching coincidences too far.

You might wind up in a padded

cell along with Kramer.

Thanks for the advice.

Anytime.

You got that?

Yeah. Force:
3.9.

Grid location:
A90 by 44B.

Depth:
Sea level minus 60.

- Routine check, please.

- Roger.

Preparations Room,

what do you read?

Location:
Construction site

above the King River Dam.

Roger.

We've been briefed to expect high-level

dynamite blasts starting today.

Got that?

Thank you, Preparations Room.

We've got the entire

world bugged.

So it seems.

Yeah, if champagne corks pop in

the Kremlin, we pick it up here.

I hope you're right.

This is the lower section,

beneath the elevator shafts.

It's pretty dismal.

This way, sir.

One time this gallery looked promising

but the coal seams petered out.

Anybody here at the

time of the cave-in?

No, they were up on Number 2

Level. Mind your head, sir.

Gallery K is cleared.

We're ready to break through

into the bottom shaft.

Thanks, Pete. This

way, commander.

Cut the drill.

Okay, Mac.

Right, Charlie, get

in with that hammer.

Okay, that ought to do it.

- Looks like an explosion.

- Strange, this shaft's been closed for years.

- There's another.

- What is it?

Watch it!

- Are you all right?

- Yeah.

Hey, you better keep close.

No telling what'll go next.

What's this?

I don't know.

We never dug through there.

Perfectly cut sides.

Let's have the chisel.

Commander.

Look at this.

I hope to hell you know

what you're talking about.

I think so, sir.

This is Colonel Wilson,

Army Intelligence.

- How do you do, sir?

- Hello.

Well...

...there's no question about it.

Your tunnel samples are a

mixture of rock and soil...

...typical of the Placer area...

...and fused under extremely

high temperatures.

By some kind of

tunneling machine?

It can't be ruled out

as a possibility.

But that would require a

fantastic amount of heat.

Exactly.

Such a machine is beyond our scientific

knowledge at the present time.

- This the medallion you told me about?

- Yes, sir.

What do you make of that?

Sir, I'm completely puzzled.

Oh, excuse me, sir.

Glad to see you, Arnold.

How is he, doctor?

The shock treatments seem

to have been effective.

Thank you. I'm sorry we can't ask

you to stay but it's regulations.

I understand.

In any case, I feel

safer in my own asylum.

- Goodbye.

- Goodbye, and thank you.

So you found one of them.

No, only these traces.

I've told them about your research,

Arnold. They'd like to hear more.

As you all know, one of man's

dreams has been to understand...

...and predict earthquakes

and volcanic eruptions...

...to prevent needless death

and wanton tragedies.

For the past seven years, I've devoted

my life and my resources to this task.

But your government

wouldn't help...

...nor would the great foundations.

However, I persevered.

Working alone, I

designed and built...

...extremely advanced and

sensitive equipment.

About six months ago...

...while I was studying that archvillain

of Japanese volcanoes, Asamayama...

...I began to detect strange

patterns of movement...

...beneath the Earth's surface.

Do you have a chart of the

Pacific here, please?

- Of course.

- Thank you.

Mysterious underwater sounds were

creeping along beneath the ocean...

...moving towards our coastline

in a steady methodical manner...

...unlike any natural force.

I presume you charted all this?

Asamayama erupted

quite suddenly.

My records, my equipment,

were all burnt to ashes.

I only escaped with my life.

That's about the wildest

yarn I've ever heard.

Is it?

As an experienced seismologist,

I can assure you that what I...

Severe landslide above San Francisco

reported a few minutes ago.

Nothing recorded

on our equipment.

Get back in that mine.

Take a team of men.

- Find out what's at the end of that tunnel.

- Yes, sir.

And, Jon, be prepared

for anything.

Yes, sir.

This is priority,

double-scramble the line.

- There it is.

- Move them up, sergeant.

Pick it up, Grasso.

What's that?

Hold it. Sergeant.

- Another set of tunnels...

- Shh!

Douse the light.

Chinese.

Yeah.

With atom bombs.

We move in?

What about the bombs?

We assume they're not triggered.

Take your men and

fan out over there.

- Go in when I go in.

- Right.

Grasso, Greenberg, Hawkins.

Ready?

Let's go.

Sergeant Mulberry?

Get the disposal team.

Hawkins, Greenberg, Grasso.

Take two men back up the

tunnel, about a hundred yards.

- Take those boxes, set a barricade.

- Yeah.

- Come on, move it, move it.

- Hey, guys.

Put it right up

against the wall.

Come on, let's move it, let's

move it. Come on, come on.

Yes.

Identical to the Mark III.

Yeah, copied lock, stock

and imploding pin.

It's a Mark III assembly.

Disarm and destroy. And watch

your step. It's tricky.

Got one.

Got two.

Got three.

Four.

Five.

Got six.

Hawkins.

Hawkins.

Move back, commander.

Okay, let's get out.

- Give us five minutes.

- I can't! Let's move!

Number eight, sir.

That machine, it's coming back!

Come on!

Hawkins, come on.

Grenades. Hit the

treads with grenades.

Come on, everybody out!

- See to the wounded, Chai.

- Yes, general.

So the Americans

have discovered us?

Sooner or later, it

was bound to happen.

- How many bombs are still operative?

- Only two.

- And your technicians?

- One survivor.

I'm sorry.

- Our most valuable men.

- They will be replaced.

But when? And the bombs?

- Even now, our deliveries fall far behind.

- We have prepared for a long struggle.

Five new atomic squadrons

will be dispatched soon.

And what about Peking?

The old men quake in their

boots, they dare not interfere.

General Chan, the advance force have

bored into the Colorado caverns.

- They await instructions.

- Good.

This is no time for a

faint heart, Kengh Lee.

The enemy lies naked before us, we rely

on your brilliance to see us through.

Hand me that fragment, Jon.

Thank you.

If Kramer's right, then he's years

ahead of your entire operation here.

Now, that's not fair, sir. We were set

up to detect underground explosions.

- Then how do we trace the tunnels?

- I've been talking to Dr. Kramer.

He's sketched out these new circuits.

He thinks they might be the answer.

What do you think, Vance?

- It's pretty wild.

- Well?

- Hell, it's worth a try.

- Okay, get started.

Admiral?

It's a laser drill, all right.

As I feared.

Admiral, this multiple drilling

head can cut through steel...

...concrete, rock,

anything, just like that.

Fantastic.

Oh, they're on the ball,

all right, colonel.

While we've been wasting

billions up there...

...they've been working

down there where it counts.

Can we duplicate this laser?

- Given time, it's a possibility.

- How much time?

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