Fantastic Voyage Page #13

Racing at top speed through the immobile forest of tendrils.

296INT. PROTEUS

Suddenly, off to the side, Grant sees a small opening, half-moon in

shape.

GRANT:

There it is!

MICHAELS:

Fasten yourselves in. There should

be a tremendous surge when the Heart

starts up again.

DUVAL:

If it does...

Grant throws him a look as they quickly start to get into their

harnesses.

297INT. BUBBLE

Steering for the opening, Owens glances at the Second Recorder on the

panel.

OWENS:

Eight seconds left --

298INT. CONTROL TOWER

On edge, Reid and Carter are watching the blip on the OVERLAY MAP OF

THE HEART on the Radarscope. If the sub makes it, it will be exactly

in 57 seconds. There are now only six seconds left.

299

300INT. OPERATING ROOM

All are focusing on the Radarscope. Five seconds left.

HEART SPECIALIST

Stand by.

The Technician at the Cardio-Verter is set to press the red button.

301INT. CONTROL TOWER

Carter and Reid hold their breath as they see:

302STOP WATCH

It now reads .

303

304OVERLAY MAP OF THE HEART

As the blip approaches the Semi-Lunar Valves, a warning buzzer SOUNDS.

305INT. OPERATING ROOM - RED BUTTON OF CARDIO-VERTER

A finger presses it.

306PULSE RATE NEEDLE ON CARDIO-VERTER

It swings over, recording the first shock.

307CARDIOSCOPE SCREEN

The cathode tube registers nothing.

308HEART SPECIALIST AT CARDIO-VERTER

Concerned, he never takes his eyes off the Cardio-scope Screen. He

increases the pulse rate.

309

310CARDIOSCOPE SCREEN

It still records nothing. The Heart Technicians and the Surgical Team

exchange tense looks. Again the Heart Specialist increases the pulse

rate.

311-

312

313PULSE RATE NEEDLE ON CARDIO-VERTER

As it swings over, recording a higher and higher output.

314EXT. PROTEUS - IN RIGHT VENTRICLE

Bathed in weird St. Elmo's fire as it keeps racing toward:

315SEMI-LUNAR VALVE

which suddenly dilates into a huge opening. And with it comes an

immense surge of the stream from behind, and the first boom of the

Heart.

316EXT. PROTEUS

It is swept through the Semi-Lunar Valve and into:

317ORIFICE OF PULMONARY ARTERY - SHOOTING TOWARD SEMI-LUNAR VALVE

Out of which the Proteus is thrust on a great tidal wave of the bluish

stream.

318INT. OPERATING ROOM - CARDIOSCOPE

The electronic pattern is on full -- a leap of life. The Heart

Specialist and the others react with relief as now the EKG and the

other instruments begin recording Benes' return from the dead.

319

320INT. CONTROL TOWER

Reid and Carter are at the window overlooking the OPERATING ROOM.

COMMUNICATIONS AIDE

Proteus in Quadrant 161 Level E...

They leave the window and walk over to the one where they can view the

MAIN OPS ROOM. They see the Grid Officer is moving the tiny sub into

the wide channel leading to the Lungs.

CARTER:

They're in the Pulmonary Artery.

REID:

They'll make up some time, once they

get through that and reach the

Pleural Cavity.

(to Technician)

Respiration Post...

On the monitor next to Reid, a Technician flashes on the INTERIOR OF

THE RESPIRATION POST. The calibrated charts marked INHALATION and

EXHALATION indicate the return to breathing.

REID:

What's his rate, Jack?

LUNG SPECIALIST:

(over TV)

Back to six per minute.

Reid reaches out, knocks a cup of coffee off the Central Control

Section, spilling it on his trousers.

REID:

Damn. And I just had them cleaned.

321-

322

323EXT. PROTEUS - IN PULMONARY ARTERY

It is now flowing down to its normal speed. Through the smooth

endothelial walls, we see the outlines of what appears to be a maze of

mammoth conduits arching above and beneath the channel through which

the sub is proceeding. Smaller conduits divide and subdivide from the

circular immensity, to be lost in the distance. The effect is that of

a multi-level series of Over and Underpasses.

324INT. PROTEUS

All are out of their harnesses. Grant, Duval and Cora are at the bow

windows, looking out. Michaels is at the console, plotting their

position on a detailed Map of the Lungs.

GRANT:

I'd hate to get lost on that

Freeway...

DUVAL:

They all lead to the same place --

the Lungs.

325INT. BUBBLE

In the light of the headbeams, Owens can see the Walls becoming

increasingly narrow and more transparent. He glances at his Repeater,

sees the Lung Chart reflected, with the co-ordinates pinpointing their

position.

OWENS:

Doctor -- the channel's getting

awful narrow.

MICHAELS' VOICE

(from below)

We're entering a Capillary. Remain

in the middle.

OWENS:

(fascinated)

The Wall's transparent...

MICHAELS' VOICE

(from below)

It's less than one ten-thousandth of

an inch thick. And porous.

326INT. PROTEUS - AT WINDOW

Grant reacts as he sees a peculiar phenomenon: the big-bluish

corpuscles which stream past the submarine are turning bright red the

instant they impinge against the Capillary Wall. They keep moving on,

in a constant flow, taking on their new color during:

GRANT:

(amazed)

Look at that...they're changing

color...

CORA:

(thrilled)

Doctor -- is it possible? That we're

seeing it happen before our eyes?

DUVAL:

(quietly)

Yes, Cora... We're the very first to

see the process.

They both look out, too deeply moved to speak. Atter a moment:

GRANT:

Mind letting me in on what's going

on out there?

DUVAL:

A simple exchange, Mr. Grant.

Corpuscles releasing carbon dioxide

-- the moment they touch the Wall of

the Lung -- in return for oxygen

coming through from the other side.

GRANT:

Don't tell me they're refueling...

DUVAL:

(almost in a reverie)

Oxygenation...

Cora turns to look at him, feeling close in this shared moment. Grant,

too, is moved by Duval's manner. Michaels glances up from the Lung

Map.

DUVAL:

(still gazing out)

We've known it exists -- even though

we never saw it...like the structure

of the Atom... But to actually

behold one of the miracles of the

Universe -- the engineering of the

Cycle of a Breath...

He is too moved to continue.

MICHAELS:

(into the silence)

Nothing miraculous about it. Just an

interchange of gases. The end

product of five hundred million

years of Evolution.

DUVAL:

You can't believe all that's

accidental? That there isn't a

Creative Intelligence at work --

Before Michaels can answer, they hear a warning buzzer SOUND in the

Bubble above.

327INT. BUBBLE

The buzzer is going while a red light is flashing on the panel. Owens

looks startled at:

328PRESSURE GAUGE ON PANEL

The indicator is dropping rapidly toward a red horizontal line

delineating the danger level. Owens flicks the button off and on

rapidly, as if testing the mechanism, but the indicator keeps

dropping. He shuts off the buzzer.

OWENS:

(imperatively)

Grant.

329INT. PROTEUS

All look up toward the Bubble, at the urgency of his tone. Grant moves

from the bow toward the console during:

GRANT:

What is it, Skipper?

OWENS' VOICE

(trom Bubble)

We're losing pressure in the

Flotation Tanks. Check the Manual,

right over there.

Grant can see him pointing to the Manual Control Section at the rear

of the kiosk.

GRANT:

Right.

He moves quickly to:

330MANUAL CONTROL SECTION

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