The Atomic Submarine Page #3

- Maximum angle, maximum depth.

- Aye, aye, sir.

Take her down.

Maximum angle, maximum depth.

Sir Ian has evolved a theory.

At first I wasn't about to buy it...

but we have eliminated one by one

every other logical explanation.

Mmm. It is rather fantastic.

But, uh...

here...

is a chart of the Arctic region.

On it I've plotted every instant of these

peculiar phenomena...

the sinkings, electrical storms...

our own experiences.

Now, uh...

here is where we encountered

the electrical storm.

The Sturgeon was lost about here.

The others here, here...

and here.

- Do you see it?

- See what?

The pattern. The pattern.

Each incident occurred almost precisely

A line drawn through

the points of occurrence...

makes almost a complete circle

around the Pole.

Which adds up to what, Sir Ian?

I cannot accept the idea

that these phenomena were...

either random or natural.

I believe they were motivated by...

some sort of intelligence.

Do you mean that somebody is -

I didn't mean to imply

a human intelligence.

Well, what on earth

kind of intelligence is it, Sir Ian?

Oh, perhaps...

it's not an intelligence on Earth.

Perhaps it's an intelligence

from beyond the Earth.

What can we do about it, sir?

I've been thinking about that.

As you see, these occurrences

were on this line...

almost a perfect circle

around the Pole.

However, there may be

a significant break in that ring...

here in the area of the Queen Victoria Sea

near FranzJosef Land...

north of Murmansk and Finland.

Supposing your theorizing is correct...

then this could be

the next danger point.

Yes. Yes.

But supposing we, uh,

anticipated a little.

Supposing...

the Tiger Shark was

lurking there, waiting.

He could be right.

We'll chart our course right straight across

the Pole and bring us here.

The Queen Victoria Sea.

[Narrator]

So, swiftly, implacably...

the Tiger Shark moved across

the top of the world...

toward a rendezvous with what?

We've been running due south

along the 30th degree of longitude.

By my reckoning we should be about here,

just short of our planned position.

- And that should be -

-Just about the critical point,

if we're on the right track.

- Prepare to surface. Flank speed.

- Aye.

Prepare to surface.

Flank speed.

Mr. Milburn.

Quick, look at this.

Skipper, Reef!

Those chunks of ice

are coming right at us. Dive! Dive!

Dive! Dive!

- Determine extent of damage.

- Aft to torpedo room, report.

This is Griff, Captain.

Moderate leak in overhead plates.

Damage to main driveshaft housing.

Forced to full stop.

- We're dead in the water.

- [Dave] Captain.

[Reef]

Whatever it is, it certainly can travel.

Course and speed.

Speed, about 22 knots.

Course, due north.

Directly toward the Pole.

- Are you two flounders about set?

- We're ready.

Now, try and remember,

you're not going out to rehearse a water ballet.

- We need a damage report.

- I never should have volunteered.

If I had enough sense, I would have -

Hey, uh, look out for the sharks, huh?

A pure oval shape...

with this cyclops-like eye,

or turret, on top.

I'd estimate its diameter at,

oh, 300 feet.

No discernible orifices.

The eye of Cyclops.

What did you say, Sir Ian?

Just musing about

our one-eyed adversary...

and the Homer legend.

The Cyclopes were

the sons of heaven...

who forged the thunderbolts

thrown by Zeus.

Our own cyclops throws

quite a thunderbolt itself.

I knew there was something familiar.

Take a look.

This picture was taken by

an amateur astronomer over New Mexico.

I've had it since I served

on the Air Force Evaluation Board...

for U.F.O. Reports.

''Unidentified flying objects.''

Then this is a flying saucer.

That was the popular designation, yes.

Weren't all the sightings in the sky,

not underwater?

This would explain why there were

never any reports of landings.

It's quite possible that whoever or...

whatever inhabits this craft...

is not a land creature at all...

but some form of marine life.

That would make our little green men

actually little green fish.

Undersea flying saucers.

- Excuse me, skipper.

- Yeah, Griff?

All internal repairs completed,

and frogmen report exterior damage minor.

- Good.

- Then we can get under way, huh?

- Right, sir.

- Dave, you plotted the course of Cyclops?

Then that's our course.

Where he goes,

we go until we get him.

Or perhaps until he gets us.

[Narrator] So the Tiger Shark began

relentlessly stalking her space enemy.

Up to the Role,

back to the Arctic Circle, again and again.

A week, a fortnight, a month.

[Narrator] Never a glimpse of their enemy,

but there were reports.

New disasters,

new ships and lives lost.

Invariably, the Tiger Shark

made for the scene...

only to arrive after Cyclops had left.

For all its desperation,

the pursuit seemed fruitless.

And then on July 3,

Dr. Kent and Sir Ian...

held an urgent discussion

with Reef and the skipper.

Why does Cyclops invariably

turn to the Pole between attacks?

Never two in succession.

Always away and back,

away and back.

We've asked ourselves that

over and over a thousand times.

But answers are what we need,

not more questions.

We think now we have them.

We took for granted

his source of energy was nuclear.

But suppose it isn't at all.

What if it is magnetic?

Yes. Yes.

We harness energy on a small scale

by cutting magnetic lines of force.

Supposing Cyclops does it

on a superscale?

The North Pole is the positive end

of the biggest magnet of all: the Earth itself.

What you're getting at

is that you think our saucer friend...

must return to the Pole regularly

to recharge his batteries.

That may be oversimplifying it.

But, uh -

Now, uh,

our present tactics are useless.

But suppose we place ourselves

between Cyclops and the Pole.

In such a way as to prevent him

returning to the Pole to...

as you put it,

recharge his batteries.

If we are lucky enough to catch him

with his power depleted.

Then we polish him off

with an atomic fish.

We wait till the next report of trouble,

and then we lie in wait for him...

right in his path,

and bushwhack him.

- ''Bushwhack''?

- Yes, it's an American tactical expression.

Oh.

[Narrator]

So, a change of tactics.

Now the Tiger Shark cruised

almost over the North Role...

waiting for the radio report

that would put the plan into effect.

On July 1 3,

at 1 600 hours, it came.

- We got it, Reef.

- Cyclops?

Sounds like a distress signal from a small freighter

between Ellesmere Island and Greenland.

- One Mayday, then nothing.

- Where's the skipper?

Already in the conn.

- [Dave] We're here.

-[Wendover] All right.

This is where Cyclops

knocked off the freighter.

This is the way he has to

head for home - the Pole.

Here we are, right in his path.

Sonar and TV-scan the bottom. Find

a good place to hide and lie in wait for him...

maybe a cave or a valley.

Rig for silent running.

As soon as we're on the bottom,

secure everything that hums or buzzes.

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