Island in the Sky Page #2

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If he was lucky enough to come down

in one piece, how long can he live up there?

That depends on a lot of things.

Ditson, you're the Arctic expert.

Is there any game in that region?

No one knows, Colonel.

No one's ever been up there before.

If he flew to the end of his gas supply,

he's at least 200 miles in uncharted territory.

Why, even the Eskimos won't have it.

We've got to organize

a search party, somehow.

The catch is, where?

We can't send airplanes out

on a wild goose chase.

Even the weather is lousy.

We gotta be sure we don't lose more planes

and have to do something about them.

The whole thing can become

very embarrassing.

- Cord?

- Yes, sir.

How many ships have we available

for a search mission, right now?

- Five, sir. Counting the general's ship.

- The general can walk.

Harper!

What's the disposition of the civilian

airline pilots attached here at the moment?

I'll have to check to make sure, sir.

They're hard to keep track of.

Can you give me an idea

how many are available?

Let's see.

Willie Moon is either in Goose Bay

or out of there by now, westbound.

Stop him if you can. Who else?

Stannish is in or just out of Greenland.

We haven't had a signal in two days.

Great communication system.

What about J.H. Handy and Stutz?

Handy ought to be on his way to Iceland.

Stutz is on his way out of there.

McMullen and Fitch are supposed to be

over at the hotel.

I'll have to dig for Wally Miller.

He's got that dame in Boston.

Get him out of there.

Have everybody you can get ahold of

in the briefing room at 9:00 am.

Turner, see that all five ships

are fully equipped with arctic kits.

Get with Ditson and work out the stuff

to be carried for dropping.

Cord.

You haunt the radio room and let me know

the minute anything worthwhile comes in.

Now, have you gentlemen any further ideas?

We better have some by morning.

Those airline boys

are gonna be hard to hold.

Hiya, Walrus!

- Did you bring any whiskey?

- No, we brought some fresh milk.

Milk? Milk is for babies.

Hello, Stannish. How are you?

Good to see you.

Hello, Breezy. How was the trip?

What do you guys mean by coming up here

without a drop of the blood of man?

What did you bring, anyway?

Parts of a snowplow, groceries,

a lot of medicine and wastebaskets.

- But no whiskey?

- No whiskey.

Hear anything in particular

on your way over?

Static. I guess the weather is bad behind us.

It is.

I suppose we go on to Iceland

in the morning.

I'm telling you right now,

I won't wear this shirt another week.

Maybe you won't.

I've got some bad news for you.

We got word from Presque Isle

just before you landed. Dooley is down.

- Where?

- I don't know. They didn't say.

- They reported heavy ice.

- What kind of a load did he have?

Two engines for overhaul and full tanks.

I don't think he went in the drink.

I did some figuring,

he must have come down over land.

- Breezy, let's get out of here.

- Wait a minute, Stannish.

I know how you feel, but you gotta rest.

We've got to find Dooley.

We'll rest another time.

I don't want to put you under armed guard.

You won't. I'm a civilian and I'm leaving.

- I can and I will.

- Dooley may be freezing to death!

I know that, but you got to wait.

The weather is stinking

at Goose and Presque Isle.

What do we do? Sit here and wait

until summer comes to the Arctic circle?

You'll only hurt Dooley's chances

if they have to go out and look for you, too.

Now, get about four hours' sleep.

We gonna have some late dope by then.

All right. Four hours, but no more.

The captain of Lighthouse Lil

wants to talk to you.

- Penelope to Lighthouse Lil. Go ahead.

- Have you heard about Dooley?

I can guess. He got himself transferred

to the nice warm Pacific.

- He's down, Stutzie.

- Repeat that.

Dooley is down. It happened early last night.

- Where?

- Nobody knows.

- Can't they find out? Did he go in the drink?

- They don't seem to think so.

He's supposed to be way up somewhere.

That's definite.

They're starting the search today.

If you get there in time, you'll get in on it.

Hey, Sunny, come to life!

Things are happening!

- What goes?

- Dooley is down.

That's too bad.

Poor old Dooley. He was a good guy.

He may still be alive.

They don't think he went in the drink.

- Are you awake?

- Yeah, sort of.

Listen, we're going to stick out

our necks more than usual.

The search starts tomorrow

and we can make it if we don't stop...

at Greenland for gas.

We'll fly straight on through.

It's okay by me, whatever is customary.

You're down.

Yeah, right in the middle of a big nowhere.

On a lake, yes. But where's the lake?

In the morning,

if God will let the sun shine...

you can take a shot

with the octant and find out.

Maybe.

Now, keep thinking so you won't be so cold.

You've got to think of everything.

There's about 30 gallons left in the tanks,

maybe a little more. That's wonderful.

You'll have generator power for the radio.

You can send a position

from nowhere to somewhere...

if you can get an engine started in this cold.

Now the food.

Three tins of salmon, eight chocolate bars,

some C-rations...

two marmalade sandwiches

left over from last night.

One with a bite out of it.

You've got to spread those out somehow...

make them last five men

for maybe six days.

But you've got to be careful, awful careful.

This is no raft floating on a warm sea.

Keep your strength.

It's the only chance against this cold.

They're all depending on you.

You've gotta watch them because

this night is going to be the easiest.

They ate today and they're still strong...

but tomorrow, or the day after...

they'll start getting ideas about living.

They'll want to set out on their own

and find their way out of nowhere...

because they're human.

But you can't be human.

You've got to tell them every day

that it can't be done...

tell them it will be like a sickness, creeping.

They'll want to lie down and rest

and they won't ever get up.

So, find food. That's number one.

Find out where nowhere is.

That's number two.

Then you can help the others find nowhere.

Stannish, McMullen, Stutz...

J.H. Handy and Willie Moon.

They'll come, just like you told

the others they'd come.

They won't leave you alone

waiting on a pinpoint in nowhere.

They'll come, if it takes all winter.

But you've only got six days.

Our Father, who art in heaven...

hallowed be thy name.

McMullen! Wake up!

Come on, McMullen, wake up.

I'm sorry, I didn't mean...

Now, Mac. Please.

Please, Mac.

Mac, you shouldn't. No, Mac.

One, two, three.

McMullen. Wake up.

Come on, Mac. The field wants you

to come right over.

Get out of here!

- Give me them blankets!

- No, Mac! Now, please.

You and Fitch have got to get up.

They want you at the field, right now.

Get Fitch up, then, and leave me be.

Please, Mac.

I ain't going to wake you up no more

if you keep heaving me out of the window.

All right!

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