Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea Page #8

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for more cigars.

Delusions are typical in cases like this.

- I'll be in my quarters.

- Aye, aye, sir.

[KNOCKING]

- Yes?

Hi. Buy you a cup of coffee?

- Look, Lee...

- Now, wait... wait just a minute.

I appreciate your blind loyalty

to the admiral.

I felt that way myself until his lunatic

actions started to follow a pattern.

- Lunatic actions?

- All right, is this rational?

No search for survivors on Ice Floe Delta.

Crash-dived in New York

with police on deck.

Sent a minisub into a minefield

which killed two of my men.

He had to take the chance.

Drove a fine officer

to sabotage and suicide.

Produced a threatening note

which he probably wrote himself.

Then he dreamed up this

so-called murder attempt...

which was actually his smoking in bed.

- I believe him.

- And now, the final straw!

He approves of desertion...

when we desperately need

every able-bodied man on this sub.

- Lord knows what he'll do next.

- Or what you'll do next. Is that it?

"Procedure under which

a subordinate officer...

may relieve a superior of his command."

- That's just in case.

- Of what?

If I decide the admiral is irresponsible.

Irresponsible?

Then what are you going to do

about the missile? It has to be fired.

Why? If the admiral is crazy,

his plan is crazy too.

The U.N. Thought so. They've got

subs out looking for us right now.

Well, Professor Emery believes in it.

I'm sorry, but until I say so,

the matter's closed.

[DOOR SLAMS SHUT]

Sir.

Less than eight degrees

to Dr. Zucco's burn-out point.

165. Let's hope he's right.

Hang it up.

What's our position?

Guam's due south of us, sir.

Just 12 miles to target.

[NELSON ON SPEAKER] Yes?

- This is the captain.

We're 12 miles and 50 minutes to zero.

Missile ready for firing?

- All ready, sir.

- I'll speak to the ship.

- Sparks, pipe the admiral though the ship.

- Aye, aye, sir.

CRANE:
Go ahead, sir.

This is the admiral.

The missile is primed...

and in exactly 49 minutes it will be fired.

Shortly thereafter, we should know...

if our long voyage across the world

has been justified.

With luck, we'll soon be on our way home.

That is all.

Connors, we're all out of aspirin here.

I'm sorry, sir. I'll get some.

- Susan, where do you keep the aspirin?

- Top drawer, over there.

Thank you.

- Lucius, what happened to you?

- Oh, nothing.

I got a little too close to one of my sharks.

You know Bessie.

- Will he be all right, doctor?

- It's not serious, Admiral.

I thought Bessie was a friend of your...

Lieutenant, you should be on duty.

Not me, sir. I'm beat.

- Aren't we all? Get forward.

- Sorry, sir.

As a sick man,

I take my orders from the doctor.

Sick, huh? In my judgment, you're faking.

With due respect, sir, I think

your judgment's been a little rocky lately.

Why, you goldbricking pip-squeak!

What brought that on?

- Go on, tell him.

- I don't know.

What do you mean, you don't know?

Tell him.

First, the doctor tells me to rest.

Then the admiral comes in

and orders me back to duty, then pow.

Doctor, I request you certify the admiral

as irresponsible, if you agree.

- What?

- I certainly do, Captain.

Master at Arms, Sick Bay on the double.

Hold it, sir. It was all my fault.

I was disrespectful.

- Captain, you can't arrest the admiral.

- Of course you can't, Lee.

Any other decision would be dangerous

for everybody else on board.

Captain, that missile's scheduled

to be fired at 4:00.

Are you still going to permit this?

I guarantee the admiral's plan is sound.

Dr. Zucco and our finest

scientific minds don't agree.

- Dr. Zucco.

- You can't do it, and I'm going to warn him.

Lieutenant, confine yourself

to your quarters. That's an order.

Follow me.

[INTERCOM BUZZES]

- Yes?

- Dr. Hiller, this is the admiral.

- Is the captain still there?

- He has just gone forward, Admiral.

Sir.

Sir, I deeply regret this,

but under federal regulations...

number 249,

governing conduct on the high seas...

I am forced to relieve you

of your command.

Arrest?

- Not arrest, sir. I'm placing you on sick list.

- And if I refuse?

I'm afraid you have no choice.

I must also inform you of this, sir.

- I've decided not to fire the missile.

- Lee, for the love of heaven...

Most of the scientists agree the fire

will burn itself out at 173 degrees.

I'll wait and see.

Lee, you must fire that missile at 4:00,

or we lose the angle of trajectory.

- Detail.

[MAN ON SPEAKER] Captain, this is Sonar.

Unidentified fast propellers

bearing 0-9-0...

about 2,000 yards astern.

They've found us.

Torpedo approaching to starboard!

Left full rudder. Battle stations.

Take off.

Sparks, contact that sub

and tell them we're not firing the missile.

Sonar, switch pickup into the P.A.

Battle stations!

Battle stations!

- Move! Move!

- Battle stations!

[TORPEDOES PASSING OVERHEAD]

Too close.

Sparks, can't you reach that sub?

- There's no answer, sir.

- Rig for attack! Ready torpedoes!

No, no! We can't fire on a U.N. Sub.

We've got to make a run for it.

Torpedoes approaching starboard!

Left full rudder!

- We're a sitting duck. Dive!

- I'm giving orders aboard this ship.

I'm not challenging that,

but I built this ship!

We can take the pressure of the Mariana Trench.

That sub can't dive as deep.

- Dive, Lee, dive, for heaven's sake!

- Dive, dive!

- Dive! Dive!

[KLAXON BLARING]

- 400 feet!

- 400!

- 1,200 feet.

- 1,200.

- 1,400 feet.

- 1,400.

- 2,300 feet.

- 2,300.

2,400.

- 2,500 feet.

- 2,500.

Torpedoes approaching port side.

Right full rudder!

Fools. They'd better get up fast.

- 3,200 feet.

- She'll blow!

- All stop! Check for damage!

- All stop!

Damage control, make check!

Fire detail, on the double!

Return to stations!

Return to stations!

- Full emergency power!

- Full emergency power!

All full!

Captain, this is Sonar. We're picking up

something else, real close.

- Well, it can't be another sub.

- Not at this depth.

Lee, what the...

CRANE:
Power Room, reactors up full.

Shoot a charge through the hull.

- Aye, aye, sir.

[ELECTRICAL CRACKLING]

It must give way.

- Full emergency power!

- Full emergency power!

It's breaking loose.

That did it, Lee.

- All ahead full.

- All ahead full.

[SUB POWERING DOWN]

Now what happened?

Power Room. Power Room!

- Power Room! Power Room!

- No answer?

Negative.

Control Room,

what happened to the reactors?

- Don't know, sir. They just quit.

- I'll find out myself.

[DR. ZUCCO's VOICE]

The admiral's scheme is suicidal insanity.

[NELSON's VOICE] If you pick up

a fatal dose of radiation, it glows red.

[MAN's VOICE] You gotta stop the admiral.

He'll destroy the world.

Doctor, what were you doing in there?

Making sure you don't reach

your target position by 4:00.

- So you were the saboteur.

[EXPLOSION]

[SCREAMS]

[SCREAMING]

Control Room! Switch to auxiliary, fast!

Aye, aye, sir. Moving on batteries, sir.

Very well.

What's the temperature reading?

173.2, and the fire's still burning.

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