The Sound Barrier Page #5

Darling, stop a minute, will you?

Paper.

Thank you.

I remember you telling me once that one

of the reasons you love flying so much

was that you found a sort of peace up there

that you couldn't find anywhere on Earth.

When we seemed to be hanging up

there between heaven and Earth,

I found a strange, secure sort of peace too.

Almost like the feeling one gets in

one of those especially comfy dreams.

I never thought it would be like that.

Darling, will you stop at the office

block? I want to see Dad about something.

Of course.

I've just spoken to them.

- And do they know what happened?

- No more than you read there.

- And what speed?

- The fastest yet achieved anywhere on Earth.

"Disintegrated... Wreckage lies

scattered over a mile-wide area. "

It looks as if it really

had exploded in the air.

- But they must know more than this.

- They don't. There's nothing left to tell.

- They may have hit something.

- Aye, he hit something all right.

He hit the speed of sound.

Well, it looks as if I might

have been wrong after all.

Cos you can't get through this thing. That

was a great aircraft, flown by a great pilot.

- Yes, I know.

- Well...

Do we go on?

Well, that's for you to decide, isn't it?

Yes, I suppose it is.

I wanted to know how you feel about it.

Could we get a full report on all this

and could I look at it? It might help us.

Oh, and if you're sending a wire,

you might put my name on it too.

He was a good bloke, old Geoffrey.

I'd better say it at once. I'm going

on with this sound-barrier business.

Why, Tony?

It's difficult to explain. I... just

feel it's got to be done, that's all.

By you?

Yes, by me.

Was... he married?

Yes, I believe he was.

Is there anything I can say

that will stop you, Tony?

No, Sue. Nothing.

Don't you see, I... I

can't let the show down now.

Let the show down? Is there no thought

in your mind of letting me down, or him?

- Oh, Sue.

- If only I could understand, Tony.

But I can't, you see.

I can only see a great wall in the sky

strong enough to smash an aircraft to pieces.

And beyond it, nothing.

Nothing at all.

I'm sorry, Sue.

Darling...

I promised to speak to Dad and ask him whether

I mightn't give up this job, but after...

Well, after this, how could I?

Don't you see what he'd

have felt about me if I had?

I've heard those words before, Tony.

Christopher said them to me

the night before he was killed.

He was scared too Father

might think he was a coward.

Oh, it isn't that.

I just don't want him to think I'm ratting on

a job because someone else got killed doing it.

- Where are you going?

- I can't face him tonight.

Oh, darling.

Leave me alone.

Oh, Sue is not feeling very

well. She's not coming down.

Oh.

Sorry.

You know, when I first started flying,

some people, religious people,

thought what we were doing was wrong.

They thought it was breaking a law of nature.

Sounds funny now, of

course, but they used to say,

"If God had meant us to fly,

he'd have given us wings. "

Now, this sound barrier...

people might feel again that God had

put it there for his own good purpose.

That it can't be broken.

That it would be wrong to try.

Now, I wouldn't blame anyone

who believed that. I...

I wouldn't blame them at all.

- Do you believe that, Tony?

- No, Dad.

If I believe anything,

it's the exact opposite.

Oh, if only I were 30 years younger.

Well, sorry about Sue. We'll

get Factor to send her up a tray.

Let's go in, shall we?

Mummy, somebody at the door.

Yes, dear, I know.

Oh, Sally, don't play on the

stairs, dear. I've told you before.

- Hello, Jess. Am I disturbing you?

- No, of course not. Do come in.

I was shopping and I thought I'd drop in.

- Hello, Bobby.

- I made this.

Oh, isn't that lovely.

Jess, I wanted to speak to

Philip rather urgently. Is he in?

No, but he'll be back quite

soon, I expect. Let's go in here.

Oh, I do think you've done this charmingly.

You know this is the house

I'd set my heart on, don't you?

Why did you want this when you've got

that big house almost to yourselves?

I just did.

Here he is and I haven't got

the pie in the oven. Excuse me.

- Hello, darling.

- Hello, sweetie.

- Look who's here again. Isn't that nice?

- Oh.

I'm just getting lunch.

- Hello.

- Hello. I was passing and I thought...

Well, it was a nice thought.

Come on, come and sit down.

- How was the flight?

- Wonderful. Tony was kind about my flying too.

- No regrets, then?

- None at all.

Why does everyone I'm fond

of have to be a test pilot?

Why can't they sit in offices

like the rest of humanity?

The rest of humanity doesn't

know what it's missing.

When Tony's flying these days...

I try to go to the cinema.

You can't hear the sound so clearly in there.

Philip...

How does Jess feel about all this?

Oh, I think she accepts it

just as a job like any other.

I wish I were like Jess. I'm

not very brave, I'm afraid.

When's he testing the

Prometheus at full speed?

I don't know.

You do, I think. But perhaps

it's best you shouldn't tell.

- What's he doing at this minute?

- He's up for half an hour on a routine test.

- Will you stay for lunch?

- Oh, won't that be difficult for Jess?

- Has she enough?

- She'll manage somehow.

Susan, you mustn't worry, you know.

There's no better pilot in this country.

Philip, I believe to have courage,

one must also have understanding.

If only I could understand

the purpose of it all.

You know, I don't think that sort

of understanding comes from up here.

Only from here.

Jess, lay on another place, will

you? Susan's staying for lunch.

- Well?

- Tomorrow at 3:
00.

- What, the full test?

- Yeah.

That's good work, Will.

She's still nose-heavy over Mach 9.0.

- Well, give up the test if you're worried.

- Of course I'm worried! Wouldn't you be?

Tony says it's not serious.

He can correct easily.

He doesn't want to wait any longer. Nor do I.

- You need a rest, Will.

- Of course I need a rest!

I've needed a rest for over 35 years.

- Give me a drink.

- You know where to find it.

- Where is Tony now?

- He's over with the new test pilot.

That boy's a good flyer, by the

way. Tony says he's better than him.

That's not true. No one's better than Tony.

Tony hasn't got it up here.

That's what a pilot needs

nowadays. Brains and imagination.

- Isn't that what they've always needed?

- Maybe. Well, here's hoping.

- Well, what is it, Dad?

- A galaxy in Andromeda.

- And how far away is that?

- Oh, about 700,000 light years.

You mean that what I am seeing now is the

way this galaxy looked 700,000 years ago?

That's right.

Hm.

- I'm looking at the past, then, aren't I?

- In a manner of speaking.

Is there a way of looking into the future?

- Yes.

- How?

Through that telescope. What you see there is

the past, the present and the future, all in one.

The process of continuous creation.

Stars die, stars are born.

No beginning, no end.

Yes, you can see into the

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