Fantastic Voyage Page #22

556-

557

557AEXT. VENTRAL HATCH

Grant drops out and starts toward Duval and Cora.

558SECTION OF THROMBUS IN BRAIN

The laser beam is slowly dissolving away a small portion of the vast

darkness. Grant swims up. He glances at his wrist watch.

GRANT:

How does it look, Doctor?

DUVAL:

(as he works)

If I can relieve the pressure on a

few key vessels...

More of the dark area lights up.

559

560INT. PROTEUS - AT BOW WINDOWS

Watching, Michaels responds grimly to the increasing number of

flashing lights in the injured area. He turns with grim resolution

from the bow.

MICHAELS:

(up at Bubble)

Skipper...

560AINT. BUBBLE

Owens is startled to hear:

MICHAELS' VOICE

(from below)

There seems to be something wrong

with the Escape Hatch...

OWENS:

What do you mean?

MICHAELS' VOICE

(from below;

imperatively)

Fluid is seeping through. Better

come down and have a look!

Quickly, Owens starts slipping out of his harness, starts down the

ladder leading into:

560BINT. PROTEUS - AT ESCAPE HATCH DOOR

Michaels is not visible in the angle of the shot as Owens moves to the

Escape Hatch, looking for the seepage. Seeing nothing wrong:

OWENS:

(turning; puzzled)

I don't see any sign of --

He breaks off, his expression reflecting horrified surprise as a hand

wielding the heavy crank of the winch smashes down on his head before

he has a chance to dodge it. Owens slumps to the floor at the feet of:

561MICHAELS

He drops the heavy tool, goes quickly to the Manual Panel, throws the

switches back into the ON position, restoring all the controls to

where they were before Grant changed them. Then he climbs up into:

562INT. BUBBLE

The lights over the buttons are all on again, indicating the controls

are in working order. As Michaels sits down hastily and begins to slip

into the harness, with him we see:

563

564EXT. SITE OF INJURY

Duval is aiming the laser in short bursts at a dark area around the

large Central Nerve. Grant glances at his wrist watch.

GRANT:

Doctor, we've just about had it.

DUVAL:

It I can clear this Central Nerve,

that be enough...

Unseen by them:

565LONG SHOT - PROTEUS

In the distance it is swinging around in a wide arc them.

566-

567

568INT. BUBBLE

As Michaels maneuvers into position, he responds grimly to:

569EXT. SITE OF INJURY - P.O.V. INT. BUBBLE

Light begins to play along sections of the Central Nerve.

570-

571

572INT. BUBBLE

The bow is now lined up straight with the Central Nerve. Face set,

Michaels presses the FULL SPEED button.

573EXT. JETS

The churning indicates full power is on. The Proteus spurts ahead,

speeding toward:

574EXT. SITE OF INJURY - CENTRAL NERVE

More and more of the Central Nerve lights up as the intervening

darkness is dissolved by precise bursts of the laser beam. Unaware of

the oncoming sub, Duval and Cora keep working. As Grant glances at his

wrist watch, electrical impulses begin racing in a continuous flow

through the Central Nerve, which is now incandescent along its entire

height.

DUVAL:

That should be enough...

He looks critically at the results, as he normally would.

GRANT:

We better get back to the sub. Every

second counts now.

CORA:

(suddenly)

Look! They follow the direction of

her glance, are startled to see:

575EXT. PROTEUS

Speeding directly toward the Central Nerve high above them. The person

in the Bubble is indeterminate at the distance and angle.

CORA'S VOICE

(o.s.)

It's heading right for the Nerve!

DUVAL'S VOICE

(o.s., confused)

I don't understand...

576EXT. SITE OF INJURY

As they watch helplessly:

GRANT:

(getting idea)

The laser! Let me have the laser!

Grant grabs the laser from Duval. With Cora trailing, holding the

power unit, Grant leads the way upward at an angle to intercept:

577-

589

590EXT. PROTEUS

It is speeding toward the Central Nerve like a projectile homing in on

a target.

591INT. BUBBLE

The incandescent Central Nerve looms closer and closer. Michaels holds

the controls in place with the fixed look of a pilot on a suicide

course.

592GRANT, CORA AND PROTEUS

He stops swimming. She remains near him. The sub is now over their

heads, at an angle which makes the rudder visible.

GRANT:

Give me your widest beam! Full

power!

Cora turns a dial on the power unit. Grant takes careful aim. A wide

beam shoots out from the laser, across the intervening distance and

hits:

593EXT. RUDDER AND REAR HULL

The concentrated light disintegrates the rudder and burns open a large

section of the hull.

593AINT. LAB SECTION

Fluid pours through the hole into:

594

594AINT. PROTEUS

The intact section with its trapped air holds off total inundation.

The unconscious Owens stirs, face up, the liquid just short of

covering him. The sub begins to keel, owing to the inflow.

594BINT. BVBBLE

Michaels wrestles with the controls, trying to keep on course, as the

Central Nerve ahead looms closer and closer. For a moment it appears

he will be able to ram it. But the increasing tilt suddenly causes:

594CEXT. PROTEUS - CENTRAL NERVE

To dive at a sharp angle, just barely missing the Central Nerve.

595INT. BUBBLE

Michaels wrestles with the controls, but to no avail. Through the

Bubble, he is startled to see:

596EXT. FOREST OF DENDRITES - P.O.V. BUBBLE

It looms closer and closer as the Proteus dives inexorably toward:

597EXT. FOREST OF DENDRITES

Treelike branching nerves form an intricate mesh as if in a dense

forest. The Proteus careens into it, tearing loose a section of nerve

fibers. The sub keels over on one side.

598

598AINT. BUBBLE

Now at a sharp tilt. The impact causes one of the arms of the swivel

chair to spring out of place, pinning Michaels to the seat. Lying at

an angle, he struggles to break loose, without avail. Suddenly his

startled eyes fix on:

599THE MINUTE RECORDER ON CONTROL PANEL

It flashes . The lights begin to dim.

599AINT. CONTROL TOWER - MINUTE RECORDER

Flashing . The SOUND of a warning siren is on loud. It continues

during the scene, adding urgency to the reactions of all. Reid and

Carter exchange grim looks.

REID:

Time's up... We'll have to take them

out immediately.

CARTER:

It means killing Benes...

(savagely)

And for all we know, they may have

completed the operation!

(slamming table)

Damn it to hell!

He turns away. Reid goes to the window overlooking the OPERATING R00M.

REID:

Remove the Proteus...

599BINT. OPERATING ROOM

For a moment only the undulating wail of the warning siren is heard.

Then:

CHIEF SURGEON:

Prepare for trepanation...

One of the Surgical Technicians begins swabbing Benes' head with

alcohol.

599C

599DINT. BUBBLE

The lights are almost out. It is now lit only by the eerie glow of the

pulsing flashes in the Forest of Dendrites. Michaels is vainly trying

to pry the steel arm loose, but it holds him in a vise-like grip in

the chair. He looks fearfully toward the bow window, as if knowing

what to expect next.

600EXT. EDGE OF FOREST OF DENDRITES

Grant, Duval and Cora are swimming through the maze of nerves toward

the sub lying at a sharp keel.

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