Unearthly Stranger Page #2

No one regrets Professor

Munroe's death more than I do.

If he could've been warned, if his life

could've been saved, it would've been.

And what about Mark?

Am I just to sit here each clay knowing he

may be killed, and just forget about it'?

No one's suggesting he was going to be killed

- except you.

What chance is there of the

Russian reports being false?

Deliberately planted to mislead us?

Every chance in the world.

But I can tell you the

American scientists died.

And were they murdered?

Their bodies showed that they died from

the same shock, but what that was, nobody knows.

And until we do, there will be

the utmost security, otherwise...

-That's all that matters to you,

isn't it? Security. No one must know.

You're all the same.

You lose sight of the

important things...

...because the endless chase to keep things

secret makes you blind to what really matters.

What matters to me is the

safety of this country.

What matters to me is the

safety of the individual.

You put the State first, and the

word "democracy" becomes meaningless.

If you put the safety of the individual before

the State there'll be no democracy anyway.

Now, look, I must ask you not to disclose

any of the information I've given you.

When the time comes to let Dr

Davidson know, I'll tell you.

He is now in charge of the project.

He has the right to withdraw.

There is no reason at all for him to be in total

ignorance of the kind of danger he may be in!

I'll see if I can get you an appointment

with the Director, but he's terribly busy right now...

Have you got the

schedule ready for the next series?

Yes, I've

got it right here, sir.

And we've

got the names of posted?

- Yes.

- That's good... good.

Amazing how this stuff

accumulates over the years.

Yes.

Mark, would you like me to give you a hand

putting all this in the drawers, and so on?

Er, no, thanks. I think I'd better do it myself,

otherwise I'll never know where everything is.

Well, thank you!

Oh, I didn't mean it

like that, honestly!

- What's going on in here?

- Just changing offices, Professor Lancaster.

I thought you might be superstitious.

Oh, what? Sitting in dead men's chairs?

- There's nothing wrong in being superstitious.

- Well, I'll do that.

That's all we need, Professor Lancaster.

Here she is, working for two scientists,

and does she rely on facts? Oh, no.

She relies on the unknown...

what she can't see but

can only fear, deep down.

Excuse me.

- Look after that, will you?

- Yes, Professor.

She's funny, isn't she?

- Who do you mean -

Miss Ballard? - Yes...

She's like a lot of women.

Not like my woman, she isn't.

You know, if I were in Security I might wonder why you're

keeping your wife hidden away from all your friends.

- Are you afraid we'll steal her away from you?

- Well, you could try, but you wouldn't succeed.

No, it's just that... Julie's lived a

sheltered life and she's a bit shy, that's all.

It's all very new to her

- England, and things.

She needs to get used to our ways a

bit before she meets the likes of you.

Ah, I see.

- I'm not ashamed of her. She's no fool.

- I'm sure she's not.

And I haven't just fallen for her

body, if that's what you were thinking.

Look, I haven't suggested any

such thing. it's only that...

- As a matter of fact, she's

an extremely brilliant girl.

Look, Mark, you don't have

to defend her. Calm down.

When you think the time's right I hope

you'll ask me over. Let's drop it now.

Oh, we'll fix up a time next week.

Come in.

I'll talk with her

when I get home tonight.

You're a lucky man. A very lucky man.

- You left these behind, sir.

- Oh, thank you.

Is there anything wrong, Mark?

All seems so unreal,

moving in like this.

Yes... Hey,

look, this book's mine.

Any news of what caused

Professor Munroe's death?

Did the Major have

anything of interest to say?

You know the cause. He

died from a heart attack.

John, everyone who

dies, dies from a heart attack.

But what made that strong heart

of his suddenly stop beating?

What makes you think

he had a strong heart?

You know and I know that every morning

he came up those stairs like a man half his age,

so don't let's play

games with each other.

If the Major doesn't want you to tell

me anything, that's perfectly all right.

It isn't all right.

The secrecy surrounding the whole thing's

absolutely beyond my understanding.

Well, at least they haven't

kept it secret from you.

They most certainly have.

But why?

Oh, they're probably working

on some theory or other.

But they must have finished examining the body by now

- after all, the funeral's tomorrow.

They won't bury him tomorrow.

What do you mean?

All the arrangements have been made.

Oh, there'll be a funeral all right, and

his widow will be crying over his coffin.

Only she'll be crying over

a coffin-load of bricks.

What are you talking about?

What I say. Someone is

keeping the body safe and sound,

and I think we ought to know why.

This is it.

Here it is.

Look at this.

Yes.

Have you found

what you're looking for?

I'm slipping.

I should've taken your set of

keys this morning, shouldn't I?

Now we're all in danger

of losing our jobs.

Or shall we all keep quiet about this?

This was entirely my idea.

Dr Davidson is in no way responsible.

It says here that traces of Triemorphinide

were found in Professor Munroe's arteries.

What is it?

It's a powerful and totally immediate

sedative, a part of the morphine group of drugs.

Traces of which were found clinging to

the inside of certain space capsules,

which had been in outer space

and returned again to Earth.

- But how could this Triemphin...

- Triemorphinide.

...be found in Professor Munroe's body when the only other

place it's been found is the inside of a space capsule?

You're telling me this stuff's all around us

- like radioactive dust?

It's doubtful it would

appear in that form.

It certainly doesn't respond

to any Geiger counter.

Then what are you saying?

I don't know.

But I'm beginning to think we're up against something

more powerful and destructive than either of you realise.

Triemorphinide...

Julie?

"Couldn't stay awake any longer. Hope

you're not too tired. Love, Julie. "

John.

Yes, Mark?

- Are you free at the moment?

- Is it urgent? I'm dictating.

Yes. Well, I think so.

If you could leave it

till later, I won't be long...

No, I can't.

Oh - er - put them

on my desk, please.

Make three copies

of that, Miss Ballard.

Oh, er, you'd better make it six...

and you'd better send the top copy to

the Ministry. You know how fussy they are.

Yes, I do, Professor.

Thank you.

D'you know something? I

think I'm going raving mad.

Oh? Not more than usual, I hope.

Last night, when I got home,

I went upstairs to see Julie.

- She was in bed by the time I got home.

- Sensible girl.

I thought she was dead.

- What did you say?

- I'm telling you, I thought she was dead.

She was lying on the bed,

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