The Land Unknown Page #2

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Is it the beginning of a new heat wave

or the tail-end

of a million-year-old cooling-off process?

Just how warm is this water?

Warm enough to swim in. 68 degrees.

Base to Helicopter X-3, Over,

Helicopter X-3 to base. Over.

Base to Helicopter X-3. There's a storm front

developing south of bay.

Wind velocity 45,

direction south-south east.

Return at once,

Try to skirt it in westerly direction,

Do not fly through it! Over,

Received your message.

Am returning to base. Out.

Bad weather building up.

We've got to get back to the base.

There she is.

How high

can we go?

Not high enough.

Lieutenant, I've gotta get home.

I've got a kid that's gonna be born in June.

What's your hurry?

It's only the beginning of February.

Are you going to

fly around it?

And then refill at the nearest gas station

to get home? No, can't do.

Couldn't we just land here?

Look down.

Even if we could, it would be

a nice three-week stroll back to base.

Why don't we go back

to the warm water lakes and just sit it out?

Ever hear of the point of no return?

It's back there.

Now, what we need is

to find a break in this weather.

Over there.

That's what I've been looking for.

It's taking a chance,

but there's no other way.

Okay, hold on to your parkas.

I hope to get out of this

before we're iced up.

What's your altitude?

Three thousand.

Our collective control is damaged.

The only way I can go is down!

Helicopter X-3 to base.

Helicopter X-3 to base.

The aerial's gone!

Hang on!

We should break through any second.

I don't get it.

We dropped below sea level.

Lieutenant, look at the temperature.

What is it?

We've just gone through a

temperature rise of about 50 degrees

in less than two minutes.

It's still going up.

What's your altitude?

Twelve hundred feet below sea level.

We could be inside the crater of a volcano.

I hope it's got a bottom.

What's the temperature now?

91 degrees.

It's so hard to breathe.

It's the humidity. Must be close to 100%.

We're now 2,500 feet below sea level!

And the temperature's still going up.

We're breaking through!

Look out!

Hang on! We're gonna hit!

Now, can you see where we got hit?

I can't see anything from here.

I'll take a look up top.

Do you know what's wrong?

No. Not yet.

Steve, while you're up there,

see what the antenna damage is.

Lieutenant, I'm gonna need some tools

up here.

It's the push-pull tube assembly.

How bad?

Well, I won't be able to tell you

till I take it apart.

But it looks as though all it is

is a bent tube.

Tools coming right up, Steve.

Oh, Commander,

you better take a quick look around.

We're not gonna be here very long.

That's all right with me, Jack.

Why?

Where's that inquiring

reporter's mind of yours?

Come on, let's take a look around.

Here we are practically at the South Pole.

A few minutes ago it was 60 below zero.

Wait here.

Alan! Alan!

Maggie, over here.

Where are you?

Right here.

See this?

It's volcanic activity, all right.

Somewhere beneath us,

hot gases under tremendous pressure

have found a channel

to approach the surface.

We'd better get back to the ship.

This is Helicopter X-3 calling base.

We are down.

Helicopter X-3 is down.

Our location, between grid 30 and 32.

We're invisible from the air.

Can you home in on my signal?

Do you read me? Over.

You got the radio fixed?

I'm not so sure.

I haven't been able to pick up a thing.

What about your transmitter? Do you think

you're getting through to them?

If I was, they'd answer me.

There's nothing wrong with my receiver.

It could be atmospheric conditions.

Yeah. I'll try again a little later on.

Lieutenant.

It's the push-pull rod, isn't it?

Yes, sir.

All we have to do is straighten it.

Lieutenant, I just realized,

this tube is a magnesium alloy.

What are we gonna do now?

Well, in the first place,

within the next few hours

there won't be a square mile of this area

that won't be covered by search planes.

What good'll that do?

They won't be able to see us.

They can pick up our radio signal

and home in on it.

They can get us out of here in a few hours.

Right, Lieutenant?

Right.

Steve, help me get out the survival kit.

We might as well

make ourselves comfortable.

Commander, you're an excellent

naval officer and a brilliant scientist,

but you're a very poor liar.

Commander,

would you give me a hand here?

Excuse me.

Well, we won't starve for a while, anyway.

Enough rations in here

to feed a small army for a couple of months.

If we're not found within 30 days,

we'll have to do better than that.

The expedition pulls out

at the end of February,

and there may not be another one for years.

Can I be of any help?

Yes. You can carry this water jug.

It may have to last us for some time,

so be careful.

Well, come on.

Hello, hello!

This is Helicopter X-3 calling base.

Mayday! Mayday!

This is Helicopter X-3 calling base.

We're down and lost.

Please come in. Please come in.

This is Helicopter X-3 calling base.

Mayday! Mayday!

This is Helicopter X-3 calling base!

Mayday! Mayday!

Well, what about that scream?

Didn't you hear it?

I heard it.

I heard something.

Rising volcanic heat

melts the ice on top of those cliffs

and turns it into the clouds

that hang over this valley.

It keeps the heat and the moisture

sealed in permanently.

Climatic change, one of the main causes

of evolution, doesn't exist here.

See that tree?

It's a species that disappeared

from the Earth millions of years ago.

What are you trying to tell us, Commander?

We're liable to meet

some ape men around here?

Even the apes are millions

of years in the future.

It's my guess that this valley

is still in the Mesozoic era.

Do you think there's any kind

of animal life down here?

Yes, I'm pretty sure

that there is.

Tastes like rotten eggs.

Listen!

Hello, navy rescue.

Helicopter X-3 down. Helicopter X-3 is down.

Calling mayday! Calling mayday!

Get a fix on us please.

We can hear your engines.

You're very close to us.

I'll keep talking as long as I can.

You won't be able to bring a plane in here.

It'll take a copter.

We're at the bottom of a deep canyon,

about 3,000 feet below sea level.

There's a heavy cloud layer, some 1,500

feet that you'll have to break through.

We have a broken push-pull tube assembly.

If you drop us a replacement, we can fly out.

We have enough gas to return to base.

Our physical condition is good.

We have enough food for six weeks.

Hello, navy rescue. This is Helicopter X-3.

My battery is running low.

Am forced to discontinue.

Will try to contact you

when you return to this sector. Out.

They're right over us!

Why can't they hear us?

I don't think our signal is strong enough.

Can't understand it.

We had enough power last night.

What're you gonna do, Miller? Wait!

A flare's only good for 400 feet.

Why don't we save them

until they can see it?

Whoops.

Sorry, Maggie.

I just felt so darned messy.

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