Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea Page #4

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if the temperature should rise

to 175 degrees.

Now, in the last five days,

the recorded temperature rise...

has been two degrees every 24 hours.

If that rate is maintained...

our planet has a life expectancy

of about three weeks.

[CHATTERING]

Therefore...

Therefore, if we are to avoid cremation...

we must act at once.

Lucius, let me have those charts of ours

and the maps, will you, please?

Thank you. Now,

if I may make a comparison.

When a diseased appendage

threatens the life of a human body...

a doctor has no choice but to amputate.

We have no choice either.

We must amputate the belt, or die.

Amputate? How?

Not with a knife, doctor,

but with a shot in the heart.

The burning belt must be exploded

clear of the Earth's magnetic field.

And we have exactly 16 days and...

three hours in which to do it.

How do you arrive

at that particular timing?

How? The admiral and I have worked out

the mathematical formula...

and, believe me, our figures are correct.

Oh, he irritates me.

The shot must take place

on August the 29th at exactly 4:00 p.m.

The location of this operation

is as vital as the time.

A place...

205 miles north-northwest of Guam

in the Marianas Islands.

To be exact...

Where are those figures, Lucius? Ah.

To be exact, latitude, 15 degrees north...

longitude, 145 degrees east.

The location and the time

are dictated by the Earth's rotation...

and the consequent trajectory of firing.

Firing of what, Admiral?

An atomic missile, doctor,

fired from the submarine Seaview.

The missile will arc

along the burning belt.

As it detonates, it will seed the flames

with an overdose of radiation...

'causing the belt to explode

outward into space.

To simplify it, take a toy balloon.

A little too much air, and poof.

No balloon.

A little too much radiation, and...

- Poof! No world!

[SHOUTING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

Insanity! Insanity!

This lunatic scheme will destroy us all.

You gentlemen care to look at our figures?

Give me those.

The admiral's scheme is suicidal insanity.

You should know that, Commodore.

Explode the belt,

and you explode the world!

Not if the blast is directed away from us.

No, no, no!

I am diametrically opposed.

I know the chemical composition

of the gases within the belt...

at the rate of consumption by fire.

My calculations cannot be wrong!

I say the belt will burn itself out.

At 173 degrees, it will burn itself out!

Fine. What if it doesn't burn itself out?

You have your plan. I have mine.

Time will judge which one is right.

Doctor, our plan can't wait.

You say the belt

will burn out at 173 degrees.

At the present rate of climb,

that's August the 30th.

We say it won't burn out,

but we can't wait to test our theory...

because we must fire the missile

on August the 29th.

Otherwise, we lose our angle of trajectory.

Then this scientific body

must decide which one of us is right.

I'm not gonna wait and watch

the world burn to a crisp.

I have 16 days to get to the Marianas...

and I shall need every ounce of speed

and every precious moment of time.

Lucius, have the captain stand by

to get under way.

[CHATTERING]

[GAVEL POUNDING]

I say the admiral's scheme

be referred to committee!

[INDISTINCT]

- There's no time.

- Then I call a vote.

- All those in favor of the admiral's scheme?

[SHOUTS OF "Aye"]

- All those against?

[SHOUTS OF "No"]

- There's your answer.

- Not mine, yours.

My answer shall come only

from the president of the United States.

[CHATTERING, SHOUTING]

- Look out!

- We'll never get out of the building.

We go out the basement.

Sir, what about

the congressman and admiral?

There's no other way.

We'll have to leave them behind.

Whew. This heat. Hold these, Lieutenant.

Get out of this.

Aboard ship!

Cast off! Clear the decks!

You all right?

I'll tell you in just a minute

as soon as I get my breath.

- Crash dive.

- What?

You heard me. Crash dive.

The U.N. Police are on deck.

A crash dive will kill 'em.

Give 'em a 15-second warning to clear off,

and then dive. That's an order.

Come on, Lucius.

Attention. This is the captain.

This sub will dive in 15 seconds.

Clear the deck.

- Sound the klaxon.

[KLAXON BLARING]

- Camera.

- Sail camera on.

Close all main ballast tank vents.

CRANE:
Repeat warning. This sub

is diving immediately. Clear the deck.

Clear the deck.

- All right, take her down.

- Prepare to dive!

[KLAXON BLARING]

- Ballast tanks full.

- All green. Dive! Dive!

Bow's under. Deck's awash.

Stern gone.

Take the conn, Lieutenant.

I'll be in the admiral's cabin.

Aye, aye, sir.

Lee! He had no other choice.

I hope Washington agrees with you.

I don't understand ordering

a crash dive with men on deck.

- Zucco just can't be right.

[KNOCKING]

- You'd better make deadly sure he's wrong.

[Knocking Continues]

- Come in.

- Sir.

Oh, forget it, Lee. Military police swim

like fish. It's part of their training.

Now here's our goal the Marianas.

And we've only got 16 days to get there.

What do you think, Captain?

If the Panama Canal is knocked out...

to go around the Horn

doubles our distance.

In my opinion, I'm afraid it's impossible.

Impossible? Sounds like Zucco.

Nothing is impossible.

We'll make it if we get

the president's permission.

Captain, set your course for the Marianas

as though we already had that permission.

- And give us all the speed you can make.

- Sir...

Captain!

Very well, sir.

Doctor. Mr. Alvarez.

I'd forgotten you two were still aboard.

My orders did not include a trip to

the Marianas or wherever you're headed.

Admiral, I must get off this submarine.

There may be no chance

to get into port, doctor.

I'm afraid you'll both

have to go along for the ride.

[INTERCOM BUZZING]

- Yes?

Sparks, sir. No contact yet.

Since the heat went over 139,

radio contact is highly erratic.

The radiation has set up a field of static.

Forget the technicalities. Keep at it.

I must talk with the president.

- Aye, aye, sir.

- Now, look here, Admiral...

Doctor, as I remember, your

research project was "Men under stress."

You couldn't have picked

a better laboratory.

Glad to see you up and about, Mr. Alvarez.

Sorry you didn't get ashore...

but I'm sure we'll be able to find

something to keep you busy.

Don't worry about me, Admiral.

Man must accept what is ordained.

That's a convenient rationalization,

but under the circumstances...

there seems to be no alternative.

- Check the heat.

- Up scope.

- How hot is it up there?

- 141.2 degrees.

No snow today.

Down scope.

- U.S.O.S. Seaview calling Washington.

[BEEPING, STATIC]

Come in, Washington.

Twenty-five hours of static in my ear.

Man, I'm gettin' shell shock.

And I'll say it again, loud mouth.

You talk pretty big...

behind the admiral's back.

Yeah? Well, here's a message for you,

special delivery.

[All Shouting]

Break it up! Hold it!

Hold it! Knock it off!

All right, Smithy!

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