When Worlds Collide Page #4

Randall, calling Plateau Tower.

Come in, please, over.

Schedules of train,

bus and plane departures

will be made available in all countries.

Attention, please.

The commanding general

will speak to you. Stand by.

This is an official order.

The evacuation will now proceed

in an orderly manner.

There will be planes enough for all.

Women and children will go first.

Families will not be separated for long.

I repeat this.

Families will only be separated

for the duration ofthe evacuation flight.

Women and children will now proceed

to the designated planes.

Never before

in the history of the world

has humanity felt so close to God.

As Zyra ineXorably rushes toward us

perhaps to destroy the earth,

men and women of all races and creeds

pause to think, to pray and to atone.

As evacuation of coastal cities

progressed,

tales of acts of heroism and sacrifice

poured into newspaper offices.

With few exceptions,

transportation and utility workers

volunteered to remain at their posts

until the evacuation is completed.

Overnight, populations of inland cities

were more than doubled.

Deserted, the once great city of New York

is a ghost town.

Ten million mighty roaring machines

suddenly shut off,

waiting for the approach of Zyra.

The silence, an eerie foretelling

of the destruction to come

at one o'clock, the hour of doom!

According to your figures,

by now we were supposed to feel

the effects of Zyra's passing.

Tidal waves, oceans torn from their beds...

Millions of dollars for a false alarm.

Ottinger called you a crackpot.

All you scientists are crackpots.

Nothing is going to happen.

Ferris!

- Are you all right?

- Yes, Dad. I'm over here.

Attention! The ship is breaking

loose. Emergency crews to ramp!

Move those l-beams to the ship!

Come on!

Go to the crane and use the hook

to stop the undercarriage.

Lower the block!

Look out! The crane is falling.

Bronson!

This is Emergency Camp 9 again.

Is anyone left?

Can anyone hear us?

We are located 11 miles

due north of Middletown.

That's about 100 miles from here.

There is desperate need here

for drinking water...

Anything else for the helicopter, doctor?

Those boxes. I'll bring the rest.

Repeating - we are remaining on the air.

Can anyone hear us?

We need drinking water

and medical supplies -

plasma and penicillin.

You needn't come, Randall.

I can fly a helicopter.

- I've done a lot of parcel dropping.

- I can handle it.

Sounds like somebody rubbed

you the wrong way.

That's an excellent diagnosis.

Would you like to prescribe a cure?

You're the doctor, you name it.

Now or later?

We need drinking water

and medical supplies desperately -

plasma and penicillin.

Later. Come on.

Can anyone help?

Can anyone hear us?

What's that?

For a minute, I thought maybe now

was that later you mentioned.

I gave it a passing thought.

We cannot postpone the inevitable.

This meeting is to choose those

to make the attempt to reach Zyra.

As you know, human cargo must be

restricted to 7,000 lbs, 44 persons.

Every pound consumes fuel,

which we cannot waste

ifwe are to have any chance.

About 900 lbs

already have been spoken for -

Mr Stanton, Dr Frye, my daughter,

myself, Dr Drake and Mr Randall.

Unless there is some objection we intend

to include another 40 lbs,

our latest addition to the camp.

To again emphasise our fuel problem,

most of it will be consumed

in overcoming earth's gravitational pull.

once this has been accomplished,

engines will be turned off

until we come into the gravitational pull

of the new world.

In turning the ship completely around

every ounce of fuel

will be needed to avoid crashing.

Dr Frye and I hope

we have worked out a sound plan.

It would be unwise for a man

to know he is not to go

while a man working at his side

is among the fortunate few.

In this envelope is a list of numbers

of those who will go.

In these boxes

we have placed numbered discs.

The one on the left for the women,

the other for the men.

Each ofyou will select and keep one disc.

This list will be posted

on the dormitory bulletin boards

shortly before the take off.

Is this plan satisfactory?

If there are no objections,

please start the drawing.

This is the men's box.

Your boX is here.

You pick both numbers.

This is the women's box.

You're already listed.

Hello, Dave.

I've been looking for you.

Not to quarrel about your sense of ethics -

just to ask why?

I haven't any more right

than any other man in this camp.

I'll grant you that.

I'll even admit my motive was selfish.

I want to do things according to Hoyle.

But Joyce is pretty important to me.

- And to me.

- I'm glad.

I'd do anything to ensure her chances.

Wouldn't you?

It isn't a free ride for Joyce.

She's qualified to go.

No more than some others.

We're stretching the point

because she's important to both of us.

Why not for her sake,

stretch the point further to include you?

Look, doctor. I've wrestled

with this thing for weeks.

I can give you a dozen reasons

why I shouldn't go.

Give me one good reason to include me.

She wants you, Dave.

That'll change. Tony will be there.

She's used to having him around.

They would have been married

if I hadn't come into the picture.

Anyhow, why worry?

Maybe I drew a lucky number.

You didn't take any number from that boX.

I had the exact number of discs in it.

one for every man and woman

except the six people I named.

If you had taken a number,

we would have been one short.

Look, doctor. The drawing is over.

You can't issue new numbers

without starting a revolution

among the lucky winners.

It's about time I donated something

to this setup.

I won't be needed. I never have been.

I didn't give up much by not drawing.

What's one chance in 600?

Leaving me will save fuel.

Let it stay that way.

And I hope you won't say anything

to Joyce. Good night.

Attention, everyone!

Bellus growing larger.

Getting closer every hour.

And with every hour

the time left gets shorter. So hurry!

More welders are needed

by Construction Crew 3.

Please rush!

Seven days left.

We're falling behind schedule.

Trucks are waiting to load plasma

and medical supplies. Hurry!

Less than six days left.

We're still behind schedule.

Construction Crew 5,

report to the main bunker.

This engine's all right.

Let's try this one.

I'll take it.

It will work out all right, Joyce.

Please.

only 79 hours to the collision with Bellus.

We're still more than three hours

behind schedule. Hurry!

- Worried?

- No.

This ship is really well put together.

If anything can make it to the new world,

this one will do it.

- Dave?

- Yeah?

How long would it take

to learn this flight panel board?

A few weeks, maybe.

But Dr Frye knows

every knob on the panel.

He can operate it in his sleep.

I hope so.

What'll happen when he blacks out?

Everyone will black out in the fast climb.

The direction will be set.

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