Quatermass II (1955) s01e02 Episode Script

On tests in Northern Australia, a prototype of the nuclear motor designed to power the Quatermass II rocket has gone into a runaway reaction, ending in a disastrous explosion.
In the rocket research station in England, its twin reveals the same latent faults.
Professor Bernard Quatermass and his staff, now including Doctor Leo Pugh and his own daughter Paula, realise that the extensive project to colonise the Moon may have to be abandoned.
Then an interruption.
Captain John Dillon has tracked falling meteorites by radar and, against orders, has managed to recover one.
Reassembled, the object proves to have been hollow.
Visiting the scene of the incidents, Quatermass and Dillon come upon a closed area and a vast government plant that is said to be heavily guarded.
Its appearance disturbs them.
Then, as they venture closer to the place, another meteorite falls.
They are able to locate it, still in one piece.
Can you smell it? Ammonia.
Dillon! There's something on your face! Dillon! It's gone, but there was something, I swear.
Are you all right? All right? Don't know.
Uh don't know.
Whatever else came out of that, there was certainly ammonia.
You got a lungful.
Take some deep breaths.
Try! Similar to the first one.
Hollowed in the same way.
Thistledown.
What I saw What I thought I saw was transparent.
Just for a moment it shone and then Is your face still sore? Let me see.
Look up.
Look to the light.
Yes, there is something there.
A kind of Just on the hairline.
A discoloured indentation.
Don't touch! Keep back! Tell them.
Tell.
All right, Dillon.
If you won't start talking, I will.
Take a look at this.
Be careful - it needs expert examination.
It's some sort of meteorite.
We saw it fall and came to examine it.
- Who are you? - That doesn't matter.
- You are in a restricted area.
- Let me talk to somebody in authority in there.
- I'll explain when we get there.
- Explain.
It was intact when it fell.
That's almost unknown for a meteorite.
It broke up as we looked at it.
This man was affected.
Something came from it.
Gas, at any rate.
Is this a military establishment? Get those pieces.
No! Don't you realise the importance of observations? - Take him.
- Wait a minute.
- He will be given treatment.
- There? - He must come.
- Are you arresting him? - He must.
- Yes - I'm sorry, Dillon.
I'll explain.
- You will go.
Now.
While you can.
- But I will tell them that I am responsible.
- Do not try.
Go.
Dillon, I'm sorry I got you into this mess.
I'll find some way.
No, don't follow.
Don't try to follow! - Dillon! - Go now.
Go.
Psst! Hi there.
- Who are you? - I got no business here, same as you.
Have they gone? Yes.
Lucky they didn't pinch you, too.
You were watching? - Through there.
- Did you see that thing fall? - What thing? - That that stone.
Stone? Nah.
I was asleep until all the whistles and shouting.
I come here last night, after dark.
Woke up and seen all them fellas around with guns all over the place.
So I lay low all day.
- Soon be dark again.
- Why are you here? Got a gasper? I reckon to pass by this way once a year.
- There used to be a village here.
- Yes.
Winnerden Flats.
Ta.
I heard tales of this coming along the road, but I didn't believe it.
They must have smashed the whole place flat with them bulldozers.
Why? There was nice people about here.
Open-handed.
When you were here a year ago, the place was normal? Thriving.
Woman gave me a brace of chickens.
Give 'em to me.
But there was a government research unit? Only a few little huts.
I didn't mind them.
They didn't bother me very much.
A bit different from that.
It's not finished yet.
All day long, banging and riveting.
And the men they've got working in there.
Thousands of them.
Like an army.
I've seen 'em come, I've seen 'em go.
In big lorries.
- Where? Do you know? - Look - On the horizon? - A whole town.
New-built.
I come through there.
No good.
Not all these prefab estates.
They've got no time for trampers.
"Dig the garden and I'll give you your dinner.
" "I'm going on," I said.
Somewhere I can get proper treatment.
Winnerden Flats.
What have you got there? A flint? Plenty of them about.
- Too many.
- It's not a flint.
- Of course it is.
- It's worn and weathered by long exposure.
What else could it be? Look, they're all over the place.
You're a funny fella with stones, aren't you? What do you do? Collect them? You'll bust your pockets.
You'd better get going.
How far to that prefab town? - Turn north by the sea, then about five miles.
- Thanks.
Here.
Don't hang around.
Gone down to the boozer for a quick one, I suppose.
Yes.
Yeah, keep an eye out for him.
And chase the mother up here, will you? Tell them Tell them she's been wandering again.
Yes.
Yes, thanks, Bob.
I was right.
Why these people can't look after their kiddies, I don't know.
- Hello.
What can I do for you? - Are there any police in this town? - Police? - There are none? Well, we're the police.
The Camp Committee.
- What if you can't handle something? - Doesn't often happen.
- With construction teams and labour gangs? - Look, mister, if we need police assistance, we get it from outside.
Now, what's your business? I'm worried about a friend of mine.
We were near that plant where your men work.
- He was taken ill, the guards took him away.
- It's a prohibited area.
You must have known.
This is a free country in time of peace.
I have rights and will use them.
Right.
You've used them.
Happy? What are you supposed to represent? A publicly appointed committee? We represent the workers on that project.
We're doing all right.
A lot more than all right.
We're asked to co-operate by keeping our mouths shut.
Just like in the war.
- We try to do our best.
- You succeed! We don't like people who make it difficult.
I have trodden where some bureaucrat didn't wish me to tread, but does that put me beyond your aid? Look, mister, your friend will have been taken to the infirmary.
He wouldn't have come to any harm.
Let's check that, shall we? - Shall I ring? - Telephone the police.
I'll make a full statement of what happened.
What are you grinning at? - You said you call in police help sometimes.
- Yes.
Their police.
Those guards.
It's a security arrangement.
Shall I ring? Now, look, don't worry about your friend.
- They'll take him to another hospital.
- I'll ring the county constabulary.
No! Honestly, they wouldn't deal.
Wouldn't deal? What IS this place? Oh, really, mister.
Can't you read? Excuse me Oh, there she is.
Poor little love.
Mr Dawson, I'm ever so sorry about this, about all the trouble you've had.
I've told her a hundred times, but it makes no difference.
- Where was she? - Heading up there.
Bob Rigby found her.
- You naughty girl.
- There'll be trouble.
- I know, I know! - No one's allowed there.
Yes, Mr Dawson.
I don't like to blame her.
Since she was sick, she's not been the same.
- Sick? - Are you still here? - Tell me about it.
When did it happen? - A few months ago, just after we moved here.
She was out playing somewhere and was taken queer.
She seemed to get over it, but since then she wanders.
- Where to? - Only up there to the place.
Eh, Mr Dawson? Did you ever see anything like this? Did you find something once? When you were playing? That broke into pieces like this? And then you were sick? And then there was this mark? I seen it a long time ago.
It's never given any trouble.
Are you making out I neglect her? - Was anybody else sick? - Nobody! Is he some sort of inspector? No.
I'm putting a stop to this.
A little while ago, I asked you to leave.
Now I'm not asking.
- Don't be a fool, man.
- Fool?! I think there's something wrong.
Danger.
Tell me! - Tell you what? - Oh, I don't know the full facts.
- What is this place? What's being made there? - You're mad.
For heaven's sake, forget these posters for just five seconds! Get on your way.
You want to meet those guards again? I'll give you a count of three.
- That got rid of him.
- Well! You were right.
He must've been mad.
The things he was saying.
Why This isn't nothing.
Look, Mr Dawson.
Is it, now? - Dr Pugh? - Yes? - Ready for the test.
- Oh, good.
Mm, not a bad section.
It's difficult to find a decent one from one of these fragments.
That's a trace of metallic mineral, isn't it? There.
Yes.
Let's see.
If that etches into the standard pattern, this must be a normal meteorite.
- Yes.
- Leo, am I interrupting something? Oh, not at all.
- Is your father back? - Not yet.
- What are you looking for? - An etched pattern.
A Widmanstatten shape.
A test for a genuine meteorite.
No, nothing.
- It isn't one? - No.
- It may not be.
- What about the fact of it being hollow? A small cavity is not unheard of.
But according to the ploughman there was a smell of gas.
Seven different gases can occur in stony meteorites.
We've nothing positive to go on.
- Father, did you find out anything? - Some.
- Where's Johnny? - He's not with me.
- I'm afraid he's in some sort of trouble.
- Trouble? Yes, he's not well.
He's being looked after.
- But where is he? - In a strange place.
- A very strange place.
- For heaven's sake, tell us! We went to the ploughman as we intended.
He wasn't very co-operative.
No, there was nothing more you could have done.
I see that.
I didn't leave it at that.
I went to the county police.
They were polite, but said they had no jurisdiction.
How do you connect these meteorites with this mysterious production plant? - Think they came from it? - No, I'm certain of that.
- What do you think is wrong with Johnny? - He was affected with this gas.
- How about phoning where he is stationed? - He's at a temporary training post.
The base camp.
They may know something.
Yes, I'll do that.
- Leo, there's more to it.
- I thought so.
It wasn't only the gas that affected Dillon.
There was something else.
- You saw it? - Just for a minute, clinging to his face.
- What? - I may be wrong, but just for a moment It was like a soap bubble that burst.
It wasn't unlike a bubble.
Perhaps I'm imagining it.
But ever since that time, so long ago - Perhaps I'm too ready to to expect - Take a look at this.
I got a plaster cast made of the first meteorite.
Now, assuming that the shape suffered from ablation in the higher levels of the atmosphere, with a little reconstruction the original might well have been like this.
- You've been busy.
- It's more than a guess.
We worked it out.
Something like this, travelling at the correct angle, not too fast Could skim through Earth's atmosphere before breaking itself up, gradually losing speed through braking ellipses and even land in one piece.
- The same principle as rocket descent.
- And that, of course, implies a great deal.
Rocket descent.
The result of knowledge.
Mathematics.
Precise planning.
Intelligence.
Now, we know the weight, the approximate speed of descent, mass - I've got some further data.
- Excellent.
How do you feel? Up to making a start? If we can find some sort of a source - Any news? - He couldn't return to his unit.
He's being transferred.
- The radar post? Moved from that position? - Could that be significant? Probably not.
I'm going up to London tomorrow.
I'll probably get the answers then.
Paula, you must leave us.
We have work to do.
Oh, don't worry about that.
It's just some idle speculation of Leo's.
No No! Come in, sir.
Do sit down.
You've come at a most awkward time.
I'm just tying up a very difficult case.
- You asked to see Inspector Lomax.
- I know him.
I'm afraid he's no longer with us.
- I hope I won't embarrass you with this query.
- It won't be easy, sir.
Try.
Last night I happened to trespass upon a prohibited area.
Really? An army range? Excuse me.
Inspector Clifford.
Uh-huh? Yes, I know.
The embezzlement case.
You've got him there? I suppose there's no doubt that he was a witness? Right you are, Sergeant.
Well, keep him there for a moment, will you? - Now, sir, about this prohibited area.
- I admit it's a technical offence.
We shall assume you did not go there as an enemy agent.
When we were near the plant, my friend was taken ill.
The guards arrested him.
- The plant.
Where exactly was it? - At a place called Winnerden Flats.
- I'm afraid I can't help you.
- There are matters needing investigation.
- I can do nothing.
It's under special authority.
- What authority? What's its purpose? - Now you do embarrass me.
- This man was ill.
He was affected by I've got to know his condition.
Great Heavens! I didn't expect to find bureaucratic idiocy here! I know my duty, sir.
If you must have special favours, go to your own contacts at the Ministry.
Ministry? I must ask you to leave now.
I have things to do.
- The same Ministry that handles my research? - Good morning, sir.
Tell Sergeant Best to bring that man up right away.
The embezzlement witness! We've a great deal to get through.
Pompous, self-important people coming here Well, there you are.
You've got all the evidence I can produce, all the facts as I know them.
Now, Fowler, it's up to you.
Man, haven't you ANY reaction? I want you to get in touch with Mr Vincent Broadhead.
In the lower conference room.
441, isn't it? Find out if they're in recess.
Ask him to come up here as soon as he can.
- Was that a sufficiently dramatic response? - I hope you're not taking this lightly.
On the contrary.
I'm going beyond the limits.
Quatermass, we've had dealings for a number of years, you as a driving force of an enterprise of the future, I as one of the obstructive civil servants you have to contend with.
- My dear Fowler - How's it going? - I haven't referred to that.
- How is it? - Badly, since that trouble on test.
- You'll want extra funds? And you'll refuse them? We've been cutting you down.
The decision lies elsewhere.
- It always does.
- It's policy to support a number of projects.
- That makes them, in a sense, your rivals.
- What are you getting at? Well, it could be said that to come with such a curious account about a rival project - Are you serious? - I must put it to you.
But I didn't know it was yours! - Thank you.
I accept that.
- Now, what is it? - Strictly between these walls? - Of course.
The place at Winnerden Flats is harmless.
It's to make synthetic food.
Synthetic food?! Guards and guns?! Oh, I have no personal knowledge.
It's an entirely different section, a new special section.
- You don't like it either.
- Like it? Oh, I expect I'm hidebound.
Nothing you can pin down.
A face in the corridor.
Yes Petty mysteries.
An overheard phrase.
Altered routines.
Changes.
Hello.
Yes? The recess? And Mr Broadhead? - Thank you.
On his way up.
- Who is he? You don't read the newspapers? He's usually a rugged individualist or a damned troublemaker.
- An MP? - Quite a new boy.
I knew him years ago.
He's a talker.
Just now he's engaged in a sort of one-man inquiry that he's managed to force.
- Inquiry? - He's ahead of you.
It's into Winnerden Flats.
- Mr Fowler's expecting me.
Broadhead.
- Oh, yes, sir.
Somebody with him? What's this about, Fowler? I hope you realise how little time I've got.
Here's someone I think you ought to meet.
Don't take any calls for the next few minutes.
Yes, sir.
- And all this happened last night? - All that I was personally concerned with, yes.
I don't know what to make of it.
There's oddness enough.
- At the inquiry? - Aye.
I resume in five minutes.
- What sort of oddness? - Confine yourself to giving information.
No, it's too much.
All this stuff you're telling me is speculation.
- It's true.
I have expert knowledge.
- You specialise in rockets and things.
- The specialist sees things in his own light.
- A stupid generalisation.
There were those armed guards A sick man arrested.
I'll try to use that.
- Who are on this inquiry? - Please, please.
No, let him ask it.
I've been sickened with damn secrecy this morning.
Members of the Commission and me.
It's to be a one-man confidential report.
Silly, isn't it? More secrecy, but the fight I had even for that and, in the end, through a technical loophole.
How's it going? Finding what you wanted? They're beating me, I admit it.
Evasion! Never once an answer that means anything.
And this is the joke - I'm trying to help them! - Do you know what Winnerden Flats is? - Synthetic food.
A revolutionary process.
Years of vain experiment.
Suddenly, bingo - they've got it! - When? - About a year ago.
A headlong rush then to get a factory built.
Tremendous costs.
- What was the hurry? - To beat the rest of the world to it.
- Now they're ready to go ahead.
- Production? - Any day now, apparently.
- I see.
There's no signs of a distribution set-up.
No sales organisation, nothing.
They're trapped in their damn secrecy! And now this.
- A production plant.
- Aye, an aerial photograph of it.
- Here's another.
The same? - Seems to be.
That one was taken on an inspection flight over Central Siberia.
- What?! - And this.
Brazil.
Not much doubt about it, is there? Other people are in on this "revolutionary process"! - They've got competitors before they start.
- No, that's not it.
- How long since those were taken? - All very recent.
Broadhead, get me into that inquiry.
As a witness.
I've got to get in there! All right.
Come on.
Here you are.
Sit down.
All here? This is Professor Bernard Quatermass.
I've asked him to attend.
He has certain information I wish to bring forward.
But, first, have you considered what I put to you before the recess? A leakage of information.
In spite of all precautions.
In spite of what seemed excessive precautions.
Will you look at these aerial photographs again? You, sir, Mr Stenning.
As Chief Biochemist to the Commission, can you give me an expert opinion? Pick 'em up and look at 'em.
There - the mark.