Fantastic Voyage Page #6

100INT. PROTEUS

Thoughtful, listening to the wireless. Michaels is coming down from

the Bubble. As Grant reaches the wireless, the tapping comes to an

end.

GRANT:

(loud enough for all)

'Prepare for Miniaturization'...

OWENS:

Positions, please. And strap

yourselves in.

Grant and Duval begin putting on their safety harnesses, which are

attached to their respective seats. Cora appears out of the aft

compartment. Michaels moves toward it, a check-list in hand. He

disappears within. In the meantime, Owens is busy tightening every

lock-screw in evidence.

101AT THE KIOSK

Cora stops before Duval, tries to help him with the final stages of

getting into the harness.

DUVAL:

It's all right -- I can manage.

She starts to leave, stops.

CORA:

(with difficulty)

Doctor...

DUVAL:

(busy with harness)

Yes, Cora.

CORA:

I -- I want to say...

She falters as he looks at her.

DUVAL:

What is it?

(anxiously)

Anything wrong?

CORA:

(the moment gone)

I just wanted to thank you for

taking me along.

DUVAL:

Thank you for volunteering.

She turns abruptly, gets into one of the seats and starts putting on

her harness. In the meantime, Michaels appears from the aft

compartment, checking off a few items on the bottom of his list as he

moves quickly to the kiosk. He places the list into a pigeonhole, sits

down, quickly straps on his harness.

102WITH OWENS

Everything battened down, he now checks Cora's harness, then does the

same with Duvalls and Michaels'. All are now sweating. Finished with

Grant's harness, Owens moves quickly up the kiosk ladder leading to:

103INT. BUBBLE

Owens drops into the seat, and with the speed of much practise, slips

into his harness.

104INT. PROTEUS

Grant and the others hear:

OWENS' VOICE

(from above, in Bubble)

Okay, Mr. Grant. Tell them we're

ready.

As Grant begins to tap out message:

105INT. CONTROL TOWER

The message is coming in. The Wireless Technician writes it down, rips

it off the pad and the Communications Aide reads:

COMMUNICATIONS AIDE

'Proteus reports all secured.'

CARTER:

(to Technician)

Miniaturizer...

A TECHNICIAN at a panel marked throws a switch.

106INT. MINIATURIZATION ROOM

What appeared to be a solid wall at the end now slowly starts to slide

apart, gradually revealing:

107THE MINIATURIZER

A huge, honeycombed disc, suspended from a rail running along the

ceiling, begins to roll silently toward the sub.

108INT. PROTEUS

As Grant gets his first sight at what is going to shrink him, he

reacts quite convinced. He glances at Duval, Michaels and Cora. They,

too, are looking at the oncoming Miniaturizer, but with none of his

response. They apparently have seen it before.

109P.O.V. MINIATURIZATION ROOM - FROM CONTROL TOWER

Reid and Carter are looking down at the M1niaturizer as it rolls

slowly toward the sub. When the disc is directly over the sub, the

Techn1cian at the panel throws a switch, instantly stopping the

Min1aturizer.

REID:

All stations stand by...

A Technician presses a button. There is the SOUND of a warning claxon.

110MAIN OPS ROOM - P.O.V.

The last minute scurry, as all take their respective places. The GRID

OFFICER is seen moving up to the big center grid map of the Arterial

System with something in hand which we can't distinguish as yet.

110A-CUTS OF TECHNICIANS IN MAIN OPS ROOM

110D

Now all are mobile, waiting at their machines.

110EINT. CONTROL TOWER

Reid is now before the monitors, all of which are on. Carter turns

from the window overlooking the Miniaturization Room, looks at Reid.

The latter nods in silent affirmal. Carter turns to the Communications

Aide.

CARTER:

Commence Miniaturization.

COMMUNICATIONS AIDE

(into throat mike)

Commence Miniaturization.

111INT. MINIATURIZATION ROOM

The bottom of the Miniaturizer begins to glow with increasing

intensity. Simultaneously, the modules beneath the sub also begin to

light up with equal intensity. Gradually, the entire sub is encased in

a blaze of incandescence.

112INT. PROTEUS

The lack of ventilation and the tension is causing Grant and the

others to sweat profusely.

113INT. CONNING BUBBLE

From his vantage point, Owens can see the light of the Miniaturizer

reach the peak of intensity.

114INT. CONTROL TOWER

A light flashes on the panel. With Carter we see a grid on the

Technician's Control Panel as it becomes activated. Two blips from the

co-ordinates marked and flash on. Reid remains

at the monitors, eyes on the charts which keep flashing on, sending

Benes' temperature, heartbeat, etc.

115

116INT. MINIATURIZATION ROOM

The light is bathing the entire sub in an iridescent glow. There is a

dull hum.

117INT. PROTEUS

With Grant we get the first realization that the sub is

shrinking:
the proportions of what he can see in the Miniaturization

Room are changing. He looks about him in a moment of wonder.

118DUVAL AND MICHAELS

From their vantage points at the kiosk tower, they can see a little

more of the outside than Grant. They respond like scientists: with

intense absorption in the process.

119CORA

She responds enthralled.

120OWENS

Up in the Bubble, he gets the unlimited view -- and he is transfiXed.

For now the Miniaturizer stretches far, far up, and the honeycombed

light from the Miniaturizer disc seems as distant as stars. The walls

of the room are barely discernible in the distance.

121BACK TO GRANT

The final subjective reaction as with him we see:

122CONTROL TOWER - GRANT'S P.O.V.

Far, far up, the windows of the tower have merged into a tiny ray of

light.

123INT. MINIATURIZATION ROOM - P.O.V. CONTROL TOWER

Now with Carter we get the first view of the shrinking

Proteus as they watch it shrink down, down, down in the center of the

Zero Module, which we see is laced with intersecting lines. When the

sub reaches the size of a capsule about the length of a centimeter,

Carter looks down at the grid on the Technician's Control Panel. He

sees the blips on the co-ordinates approach closer and closer until

they finally merge into one. He looks back at:

124

125INT. MINIATURIZATION ROOM - P.O.V. CONTROL TOWER

The lights at the bottom of the Miniaturizer's disc go off. The hum

stops. At this distance, the sub looks like a speck on the floor.

CARTER:

Elevate Zero Module.

126THE ZERO MODULE - MINIATURIZATION ROOM

It starts to rise from the floor with the capsule-sub.

127INT. PROTEUS

Grant and the others respond as the vast parquet floor with its maze

of hexagonal lines seemingly stretching into infinity suddenly begins

dropping beneath them. The effect is that of becoming air-borne.

128INT. BUBBLE

With Owens we get the unobstructed view: everything is falling far,

far below. The bottom of the Miniaturizer seems an infinite distance

above.

129THE ZERO MODULE

Still rising slowly.

130THE ZERO MODULE - P.O.V. FROM INTERIOR CONTROL TOWER

The capsule-sub is now about four feet off the floor, on the Module.

The Zero Module comes to a stop.

131INT. PROTEUS - ON MODULE

All are sweating more profusely, showing increasing discomfort.

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