Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974) s01e10 Episode Script
The Energy Eater
The city of Chicago sparkles with architectural monuments to man's achievement- his artistic aspirations, his quest for the truth, his respect for the law.
Now, a different sort of monument.
There is a theory that dying institutions erect their own mausoleums before they die.
This particular monument was to be a hospital and a research center, dedicated to extending the life of man, improving the quality of that life.
It succeeded instead in introducing a new horror, a new way of death, a mystery.
I became involved just after the hospital's completion, covering the dedication.
The building's construction had been a little rocky.
Two Indian high steelworkers had fallen off the top floors, but that was quickly forgotten and never explained.
No matter.
Now it was dedication time, and everything was roses.
It was all I could do to stay awake.
Your name, please? Oh, yeah.
Carl Kolchak, I.
N.
S.
See? Here you are, Mr.
Kolchak.
Thank you very much.
Anybody important here today? No, just a bunch of reporters.
Thanks a lot.
Good afternoon.
"Mr.
Kolchak'"? Yeah.
This kit has been carefully prepared by the Public Relations Department.
It contains all of the general information about the hospital, plus a commemorative coin.
If you would like for me to get you a drink, I'd be happy to do so.
That's very good.
You remembered that all by yourself.
You wanna be an actress, right? You can tell? Yeah.
Good.
I'm just doing this for the exposure.
It's difficult for someone just starting to get exposed.
I wouldn't say that.
Anything in here that I should know that I don't? Gentlemen and ladies, the bar is closed.
- Yes.
The bar just closed.
- Temporarily.
That figures.
For, uh- For those of you who don't already know, on my left is Dr.
Ralph Carrie, the medical director of the hospital.
On my right, Walter Green, the gentleman who built this fine facility.
I would like to say a few words about these two fine men.
Our Dr.
Carrie comes from Toledo, Ohio, and his teachers there at Southside High remember him as a man with a fine mind, an athlete and a boy who always got things done.
Gung ho.
Now, when he was a- Dr.
Carrie won the- It's, uh- It's nothing at all, ladies and gentlemen.
As you can see, we're back to normal.
However, uh, time is growing short, so perhaps we had better begin the tour right now.
If you'll just step toward the elevators.
Excuse me.
Uh, we, uh- We're running a little short of time, so we will exclude the tour of the lower level, as it's listed in your program.
Now, uh, the hospital is already in use.
We already have some patients.
And you are about to see the most modern facility in existence.
Uh, "Nurse Eisen, Pathology.
" You enjoy your work? Oh, yes.
Yes.
A well-performed autopsy is a joy forever.
My name's Carl Kolchak.
I'm with the press corps on tour here.
Why aren't you with 'em? I got lost.
However- I'm sorry.
If this is an interview, you're going to have to clear it with Public Relations.
You mean you can't even talk to the press? How about having a cup of coffee? Or do you have to clear that with the cafeteria? Relax.
It's all right.
It does that a lot.
I've reported it.
I suppose they'll fix it eventually.
It's supposed to be brand-new, isn't it? They said it takes awhile to get everything working.
Yeah, well, I feel that way myself some mornings.
Why is it so hot down here? It's the air conditioner.
Air conditioner, huh? There's cold air coming out of there.
Maybe the P.
R.
Department closed off some of the vents, huh? Why don't you check that with them? I'm sorry.
I'm working.
Yeah.
Is this what caused the power failure? I don't know.
I'm just a broom-pusher.
Uh-huh.
Look at those cracks.
Sometimes if you pile drive to the lake bottom, you can have a settlement crack of that type.
Settlement cracks.
You seen a lot of those around here? Nope.
My foreman told me.
Oh.
Where's your foreman? I don't know.
What's his name? I don't know.
What's your name? I don't know.
Thanks a lot.
Hmm.
Hmm.
So the funds came from conventional sources, huh? I mean, no union pension funds or blind loans or anything like that, huh? You're sure? Okay, thank you very much.
Your angle on the hospital dedication, Carl- How did you come up with it? Oh, a little, uh, research and, uh, imagination.
Some angle- two pages condemning the lack of geriatric facilities.
What did you promise her this time? Orthopedic glitter boots? Well, Tony, there is a vast and growing proportion of our citizens in their autumn years, who are living on fixed income, faced with a growing inflation, possibly even recession.
I mean, they have their rights, their special needs.
- They're organized.
- Really? - What do they call it? Wrinkle Power? - That's disgusting.
They call it Gray Power.
And we're tough.
We're standing up for our rights.
Don't stand up too quickly, Emily.
I'm all right.
I'm sorry, Mr.
Vincenzo.
I may have come on a little too strong at first, but I can't stand to see senior people glossed over.
I'll see if I can soften it up a bit.
Well, that's not the point.
I assign the stories.
The idea is for you to do what you are supposed to do.
Now, what are you doing? Well, uh- What is all this? This? Yeah.
Oh, these are blueprints for the hospital.
The hospital? Mm-hmm.
Where did you get them? I stole them.
Kolchak, you stole the plans? Mr.
Vincenzo.
Yes? Telephone.
It's urgent.
Hello, Mr.
Kibbey? Don Kibbey, the architectural engineer? Yeah.
This is Carl Kolchak.
Kolchak! I gave you all that publicity you needed to combat those phony charges lodged against you in that building you designed.
You remember? I saved your reputation.
You said that if I ever needed a favor- That's right.
Kolchak.
Yeah.
Well, I'd rather explain it to you in person in my car.
I'll pick you up in about half an hour in front of your office building, okay? Right.
There was a shooting in Scorpino's Restaurant.
Two men with shotguns just blasted little Augie Cesare and his two bodyguards.
- Looks like a turf war.
- They're always shooting at each other.
- You don't seem too interested, Carl.
- I'm on a story.
And you always say, "One story at a time, Carl.
One story at a time.
" Besides, there's never any news in those gang killings.
You don't think there's anything printable here? No.
Nobody ever talks.
The last one I covered was typical.
Of the 30 people in the restaurant, and the rest of them claimed never to have heard one of the 18 shots that were fired.
All right.
I'll cover it, but it's a waste of time, as you'd know if you'd ever done one.
If I've done one? How do you think I got behind that desk? - I don't know.
How? - I was top crime reporter in this town when it was important, when it was dangerous.
If you weren't careful, you could wind up under a Pierce-Arrow.
Oh, boy, that was a long time ago, Tony.
Yeah, you've probably forgotten how.
No, I'll do it.
No, no.
I'm gonna show you how to dig out a story.
Good for you, Mr.
Vincenzo.
I like to see older people with spunk.
Yeah.
- I wanna see that hospital dedication story on my desk by the time I get back.
- Yes, sir! What do you think's gonna happen at the hospital? I think it's gonna fall down.
Good evening.
Good evening.
You look tired.
Been getting enough rest? Better sleep some more.
That's the problem with the world today- tension, anxiety, sleeplessness, insecurity.
Medical enemies one, two, three and four.
That's right.
I don't like this one bit.
Neither do I.
Just wait, if you think this is bad.
Wait for what? You'll see.
Well, now it's not gonna do it.
Do what? Never mind.
Come on.
Whew.
Don't they have air conditioning down here? See for yourself.
Yeah, it seems to be working all right.
Right.
This should be the coldest floor in the hospital.
Right.
Question is, why isn't it, huh? Why are they still using temporary work lights? Who knows? No juice, maybe.
Come on.
Now, I ask you - Is that a settling crack? No, I don't think so.
It looks like structural damage from stress.
Aha.
Dangerous, right? It all depends on how far deep down it goes into the foundation.
I'll show you some more.
Yeah, here.
Yeah, you're right.
There is a big problem here, and I don't think it's just in this section.
I saw a couple of walls back there that looked like they'd been refinished.
So what do you think's causing it? First I'd get a sample of concrete and have it tested.
- What if it's not the concrete? - Drill a hole through the wall and look for either poor-quality steel or not enough of it.
- What if the steel's okay? - What do you want from me? - What if the steel is okay? - Then have someone check to see if the geologist goofed.
And if that's not the case, look for a geothermal leak under the foundation.
And with this heat, that's a real possibility.
- Will you put all that in writing? - No.
Loyalty to your fellow engineers, huh, Kibbey? Look, I've been the victim of unsupported accusations.
So far, you've only enough to warrant a little more investigation.
"A little more invest"- What the hell is that? That's something that warrants a lot more investigation.
Where you going? I've had it! You're on your own! Wait for me! Where do you think you're going? Nurse Eisen to the Pathology Lab.
You? What are you doing here? Hi there, Miss Nurse Eisen.
You had me paged? That's right.
There's something very strange going on in this hospital, and I thought you might care enough to help me.
Everything is under control.
Everything's under control.
All right.
Let's recap.
How about the elevator and the heat and the plaster being knocked off the walls? And I hear that people are dying.
Of course people are dying.
This is a hospital.
Okay.
I think you ought to get an engineer down here so that more people don't start dying.
I'm afraid it's gonna take more than an engineer.
Oh? I don't know.
There's just no explanation for what's been going on around here.
Then what has been going on around here? Like this afternoon, a patient in a heart-lung machine was- was horribly killed.
And this is an earlier case.
Would you like to see for yourself? Yeah.
Yeah.
This morning, this was a healthy young man - a staff electrician.
He was found after the power failure in the hall.
Mmm.
First we thought he was electrocuted, and then we started an autopsy.
So what happened? What was the result? What- So, what? Mr.
Kolchak, all of these people had some connection with electrically operated equipment.
For the last time, Dr.
Carrie will not see any reporters today, and he has no comment on anything.
Dr.
Hartfield, go right in.
Thank you.
Doctor.
As far as I can tell, there is no precedence for this in the annals of medicine.
This tar-like substance is all that was left of the blood in the patient's body.
- Mmm.
What is the content of that substance, Doctor? - See for yourself.
Oh, thank you.
Mmm.
Oh.
Yes, of course.
That's incredible.
Mmm.
Dr.
Hartfield.
Amazing.
Virtually no plasma at all.
Mmm.
I've never seen such a concentration of blood cells.
Mm-hmm.
At first, it seemed to be a massive clotting- an acute case of polycythemia- but, obviously, it was much, much more than that.
Yes, yes.
You're Dr.
- Kolchak.
Oh, yes.
Gentlemen, please.
How do you do? Ah, Detective Webster.
Detective, these are among the leading pathologists of the city.
Gentlemen, if you'll follow me, we will proceed with the autopsy.
Dr.
Hartfield, would you mind preparing the toxicological report? Gladly.
Dr.
Kolchak, what do you prefer? Oh, I'm not fussy.
I'll take the feet.
Dr.
Kolchak? You're making a big mistake, Captain.
I know.
I ought to book ya.
For what, impersonating a doctor? You'd have to take Carrie and the rest of those- Will you wait a minute? Will you just wait? Those pathologists upstairs are trying to find out why this system blew out and what killed the patients.
The equipment is being tested.
That's what you're here for? I'm here checking out all the irregularities, including the possibility of sabotage.
Did you see those cracks in the basement? Yeah, they're settling cracks.
In your head.
What would you say if I told you there's a force beyond your comprehension that's trying to destroy this hospital? I'd say good-bye, Kolchak.
And don't try to come back in.
I won't be so nice next time.
Fact: There have been no documented irregularities in the way the new hospital had been built.
But, item: The generally reliable Indian high steelworkers had left thejob last October after several mysterious accidents.
I found the same Indian crew now hard at work on the Starette Building on Michigan Avenue.
The foreman told me as much as he could, but the high steelworkers talked only through their shaman, or medicine man, Jim Elkhorn.
Since Elkhorn was a high steelworker, I assumed I'd find him on the high steel.
It was only after I went all the way up there that I found that he was back on earth, eating lunch and taking care ofbusiness.
Look, I didn't mean to be supercritical the other night.
It's just that, uh- It's just that your legs really excite me.
And, uh- And when you wear that pants suit and that vest, it's- I'm just trying to do you a service.
You left your hairbrush and platform shoes at my place, and I figured maybe you wanted them, Valerie.
It's the oldest salesman's trick in the world.
You deliberately forget your hat, and then you have an excuse to come back.
You know what I mean? Valerie, I'm gonna have to hang up, because I'm just not used to that sort of language.
Carl Kolchak, I.
N.
S.
You Jim Elkhorn? 'Cause I'd like to know why you pulled your men off that job at the Lakefront Hospital last fall.
Was it because of unsafe working conditions you pulled them off? - That's tribal business.
I don't discuss that with reporters or outsiders.
- Your phone's ringing.
- Thank you.
Hello.
Hi, Melinda.
Before I say good-bye, can I step into your trailer and forget my hat? No, I'm not tied up, darling.
Hang on a second.
What happened at that hospital? How did those high steelworkers die? - Matchemonedo.
- What? - Matchemonedo, he killed my men.
- Matchi- Matchimo-Yeah.
Matchimo- Claudia Granov, age 22.
The little bit of movement she retained in her right hand wasn't even enough to let her wipe her own forehead, and the sudden heat was beginning to get to her.
Claudia couldn't sleep.
She was too concerned over what was going to become ofher life.
The truth was, nothing was ever going to become of Claudia's life.
Help me, please! Somebody help me! Help me, please! Here you are.
Thank you.
Uh, check those lines for any kind of break.
Doesn't it make you nervous with all this going on down here and a hospital full of people over your head? I mean, if anything goes wrong, you're gonna take the wrap.
I beg your pardon? Well, unless, on the other hand, of course, this hospital is built over a geothermal fault.
Geothermal fault? Or bad concrete- That's ridiculous.
Or a structural miscalculation.
Whatever it is, I suggest you stop scraping and patching these walls and start evacuating the hospital.
I think I'll start the evacuation with you.
Officer.
You can never find a cop when you need one.
Officer! Big problems, right? All the lab personnel are here.
We were called back.
It seems there's been another strange death, this time in the orthopedic ward.
What happened? Pretty much the same as the other one.
All the vital organs of the patient just seized up, and an electric orthopedic bed just went crazy and blew up.
Any leads at all? None, and I'm scared.
Yeah, well, so are they, but they're not honest enough to admit it.
Are you scared enough to go along with me on an idea? Jim! Now you're gonna bug me at home, huh? Look, I'm right in the middle of trying to fix something.
Uh, Jim Elkhorn, Janice Eisen.
Hello.
Janice is a technician over at Lakefront Hospital, and I just thought that you might be able to help us.
Oh, sure.
Please come in.
Uh, Janice Eisen, this is Diane Linnear from next door.
Diane, this is Charles Ko- Kolchak, Carl.
Hello.
Hello.
I feel like we're interrupting.
Oh, no.
Diane has got a raisin bread problem.
- I don't know why, but it gets stuck.
- No, it's my English muffins that get stuck.
Right.
Look, could I fix you people a drink? Oh, maybe later.
You were just about to get me a vodka on the rocks.
I'm sorry, babe.
Excuse me.
Jim-Jim, uh- - Are you sure, Charles? - About "Matchimodo.
" Is that any relationship to Quasimodo? You have a master's degree in business administration, and you still do construction work? Jim- Matchimodo? Matchemonedo.
Oh.
He was called a bear god, Charles, and I don't really know why since he was invisible.
Excuse me, please.
It's a question of economics, Janice.
You see, high steel pays $40,000 a year, and that thing over there was worth 16,500, and part of that was written off against public relations.
An Indian head is a high-visibility asset.
Bear god? Then you were putting me on.
- You knew there was sabotage going on in that hospital.
- Jim, my rocks are melting.
I'm sorry, darling.
Look, sabotage I don't know anything about.
Uh-huh.
Sit down, Janice.
But I can tell you about Matchemonedo.
I wish somebody would say something about it.
Now- - Carl said that you're a medicine man.
- Yeah, I'm a shaman.
It's a hereditary title, but I don't practice it much anymore since we got Blue Cross on our last contract.
- Janice.
- Oh, yes.
What about this bear god, Matche- monedo.
- That's right, Miss Linnear! Well, Matchemonedo always lived in thejungle area of where the hospital foundation is now.
And he was there before the Illinois tribe.
He was there before the Iroquois.
- Iroquois.
- He was even there before Chicago became Checagou.
- "Chicagow"? - Checagou.
He was referred to by some early French explorers too.
Hey, do you believe any of this? Sounds as good as most of the stuff I've been getting.
Well, anyway, to pacify Matchemonedo, my people used to drive buffalo over his place, and he would eat them, I guess, which is a pretty neat trick if you don't have a stomach.
Well, that turns mine.
Diane, I think your muffin's stuck in your spring again.
Mmm.
Stuff the muffin.
I'll eat instant oatmeal.
L- I really feel terrible about this.
- Hey, don't.
Oatmeal is very nutritious.
- And so is creamed farina.
If Matchemonedo really does exist, why haven't we heard from him in recent years? - Why does he remain dormant? - That lake has shifted.
That land was underwater until it was reclaimed, so maybe the water's had some effect.
You mentioned energy.
- Yeah.
- The dead patients all had the plasma congealed in their bodies.
Now, plasma is practically pure protein, and protein is pure energy.
And there is no other form of energy purer than electricity.
I don't know about that, Chuck.
Charl- Carl.
Come on, come on.
And then they cook it all right in the melon.
Sounds exquisite.
C'est magnifique.
The name of this place is Wu's Great Wall of Peking, and it's only about So if you get off work at 11:00, we are in good shape.
Uh-huh.
Well, give my regards to Chef Wu, will you? Good-bye, Janice.
Janice.
You know what your problem is? You have no time for the amenities.
Thank you, Dr.
Brothers.
Oh, boy.
Well? What do you expect me to do? Who knows? Try doing what your ancestors used to do.
- I don't think it's gonna work.
- Try.
Anything's worth trying.
- Do you understand mechanical stress at all? - No.
Do you have any idea the force that was required to split this concrete like this? No.
Well, it's too darn big to be driven off by any dancing.
Try.
Go on.
Try.
Go on.
Go on.
All right, all right.
- You put that thing away, or you'll get a close-up of my foot.
- Right, chief.
Look, it didn't work for my grandpa, and it's not gonna work for me now! No.
No, no, no.
Go on.
Try.
Shh.
Shh.
I heard something.
- What if he comes out, and we've got no buffalo? My grandpa told me about it, but I never thought I'd see it.
Don't touch that! X- rays.
I think our developing trays in the I.
N.
S.
Office will fit these plates.
Come on.
Grab them.
Got 'em? Yeah.
Ah! Uh-huh.
Huh.
There.
That's it.
Get me another one there.
Put one up on top.
Okay.
Try this one.
Let's see how this one- It might work.
No, no.
Let me see another one.
Wait a minute.
Hold one of these.
Uh-huh.
Uh-huh.
There it goes.
Tape that one to there.
See, they come like this.
There.
That's it.
We haven't got enough room.
That's a vertebrae.
What's that doing here? Well, let's- Let's give it a whirl, see what we've got.
All right.
That one.
Okay.
Let's see.
Holy- So that's Matchemonedo.
It seems that Matchemonedo predates any Indian records that exist.
All right.
Now, look at this.
These are cave drawings from an area very near where the hospital now sits.
Really? Neanderthal period.
Which means that Matchemonedo could have been there before man.
Yeah, maybe, maybe.
Go on.
Read on, read on.
Okay, here's some sightings.
Look at this.
In 1673, Father Bouvet mentions Matchemonedo in June.
I didn't know you read French.
That means that Monsignor de Nancy talked about him in July 1714.
All right.
Look at this.
The Iroquois talk about him in July and August.
Summer months! Kolchak, I know what are summer months and what are winter months.
Yeah, but apparently so does Matchemonedo.
I mean, there are no sightings in winter, right? So he hibernates.
What? Like a bear.
Kolchak, that's not bad.
That's not bad at all.
So when the lake shifted, the cold water at that depth kept it winter year-round.
That's right.
And then when they excavated the land, it heated it up, right? Right.
How do we get it cold? Hmm.
Look, Green's company has a refrigeration division.
He ought to know the building, man.
He put it up.
This is why you called us, huh? To tell us to evacuate the hospital and turn it into a refrigerator because of some old legends! Right! And this- this absurdity! If it's all that absurd, you tell us how those patients died! I guess it would be too much to hope that you two are finished.
You're saying that Matchemonedo is pure energy.
Is that right? Yeah.
He sort of breathes it in, magnifies it and blows it out.
It's a kind of super-energy.
It's like overcharging your patients, which is not unusual for a hospital, I suppose.
If I didn't hear this, I wouldn't believe it.
- He just sort of breathes it in and then blows it out.
- Something like that, yeah.
What's that supposed to mean? That you believe in any of this tripe? Of course not, Walt.
But if you're feeling pressured, why don't you have a talk with one of our staff psychiatrists? Whoo-hoo.
Mr.
Green is a bit testy today, isn't he? Well, some people do behave that way when faced with concepts Beyond the limited capacities of comprehension.
Here's something you better comprehend.
I'll have you arrested if you or any of your legends ever set foot in this hospital again! As the great Louis Pasteur once said, "Any schmo can invent a rabies vaccine, but when will we find a cure for stupidity?" Gentlemen, we'd better go to the basement immediately.
What's the matter? What? Look at that.
There's something in there.
What thing? Some kind of a thing.
Is it trapped, finally? Whatever it is, it looks like it's trying to get out.
No, it's not trying to get out.
No, no.
It went in there.
It's feeding on the cobalt.
It's growing stronger.
It's expanding.
Where are you going? We've gotta let it out of there.
Are you crazy? You're gonna let it get out? I gotta let it out of there! Matchemonedo had done me a favor.
He proved to the others that he existed.
But no one was ready for the immense problem of evacuating a giant hospital.
Beds had to be found in other hospitals.
Patients who were dependent on heart-lung or kidney machines had to be moved with the machine.
There was a shortage of ambulances and police cars.
And Matchemonedo was still to be dealt with.
Now, you're the public relations man, Frank.
Now, evade it with finesse.
Do I have to tell you your job? Aw, now, don't give me that, friend.
You've sliced baloney much thicker than this in your day.
All right, all right.
Spare me.
Now, here's your press release.
"Due to a weakening in the hospital's foundation, the authorities have deemed it advisable to evacuate the hospital pending further investigation.
" Et cetera, et cetera.
Can you work with that? Yeah, and, Frank, just give it to the major news services.
They released the story to the other news services.
Yeah, yeah.
After all we did! It's a complete cover-up! Listen to this.
Listen.
"The facility will be temporarily deactivated "so that a comprehensive facility study can be conducted.
A determination will then be made as to how to proceed with corrective construction.
" Have you ever heard such patent blather in your life? They know it's Matchemonedo.
They know that.
Are they gonna do anything about it? No! What are you doing standing there? Get dressed! Kolchak.
Look, Kolchak, many, many moons ago, when the buffalo roamed what is now the Loop, my ancestors offered up sacrifices to Matchemonedo.
Yeah.
Now I think it's becoming a police problem.
What do you mean, a police problem? It's your problem.
It's your heritage.
Yeah, you get the Loop, and I get Matchemonedo.
Is that the way the game goes? No, we got Matchemonedo.
What do you mean "we," white man? What do you think you're doing with two of our best cameras? I'm gonna hock 'em.
What do you think? You ask a stupid question, you get a stupid answer.
Some heavy trucks been rolling in and out of that hospital all day long today.
I'm gonna find out what's on 'em.
It's all very hush-hush.
So go and see, but leave the cameras for people who have some regard for expensive equipment.
Need I remind you that within the last year, you completely ruined two cameras and the electric pencil sharpener? Yeah, remind me of that sometime.
I'll also remind you I let you borrow my eight-millimeter projector.
When was that? Last New Year's Eve? And it came back with guacamole all dripped down into the gears.
That isn't funny.
It cost me 20 bucks to fix.
I didn't ruin that pencil sharpener.
Our Miss Emily went through a whole box of ballpoint pens.
Ah, you figured it out.
Will you listen to me, Kolchak? If you must use a big negative camera, isn't one enough? Do you need one for each hand? I am going to fill this one with infrared film and this one with ultraviolet film, and then I am gonna get an image, sir, of something that everybody else denies exists.
Infrared, ultraviolet? That means special film and processing.
Well- You're talking about mucho dollars, Carl.
Wait a minute.
What do you mean, something that everybody denies exists? I am gonna get a photograph of Matchemonedo, and you are gonna publish it.
A photo of who? A great energy force.
An Indian- Who is "Matcheminodo"? A Cuban.
Carlos Matchemonedo.
He's a bantamweight fighter, and he's absolutely terrific.
He's a real comer.
Here, put your money on him.
It's a voucher for ultraviolet and hue-grain film.
Forty dollars! Kolchak, come back here! Who is Matchemonedo? He's a Cuban fighter, a bantamweight.
Oh.
They were loading unmarked boxes into the hospital from an unmarked truck.
But for me, everything had "double cross'" written all over it.
You're getting all the way down to the basement, right? Walter, I'm gonna stay here.
I wanna watch what happens.
Use your head, Ralph.
You come in contact with the liquid nitrogen, you'll get serious freeze burns.
Well, I'll see that I stay well away from the flow.
As supervisor of this project, I'm not gonna let you do it.
Big, tough Walter Green, a man who's afraid to admit the truth, even when he's acting on it.
Please don't lecture me.
You're not afraid of frostbite.
You're afraid this thing may go wild when we try to freeze it.
You're afraid to admit that there's no logical explanation for this Matchemonedo- that he might have a personality, that he might react to us.
Go outside, will you? Will you please go outside? Well? Are we evacuated or not? My men are checking out all the floors for stragglers.
Some of your workmen are still in the kitchen.
Everybody's out, Captain.
Good.
Come on, Ralph.
Keep away.
Carl, it's all right.
Relax.
Take it easy.
Relax.
Oh, it's you.
Yeah, it's me.
Get me out of here.
Don't worry, Carl.
This isn't Lakefront.
This is good old St.
Vincent's.
Oh, St.
Vincenzio.
What? Oh.
What happened? You got some frostbite on your hands and your feet.
They decided not to amputate.
Well, I'm glad to hear that.
What about it- Matchemonedo? I mentioned Matcheme-what-do-you-call-it to the fellow Green that brought you in here.
He didn't know what I was talking about.
Sure he didn't.
You just take it easy, get some rest.
That's all you need.
You'll be out of here before I know it.
Wait a minute.
I got something for you.
Your film and tape.
The film- ruined by the cold.
- All that money down the drain.
- Forty dollars.
Hmm.
These came out though.
Don't ask me what they're supposed to be.
Oh, yeah.
Yeah, I'll never forget that.
Good-bye, Tony.
Lakefront Hospital won't be up much longer.
It's coming down to make room for a new marina- one with deep channels of icy lake water.
Dr.
Ralph Carrie has gone back to private practice from the safety and comfort of an office in his own home, I hear.
Walter Green, construction wunderkind, has another project going for him.
His company is building the new lakefront marina.
Some people can make a profit on anything.
Now, a different sort of monument.
There is a theory that dying institutions erect their own mausoleums before they die.
This particular monument was to be a hospital and a research center, dedicated to extending the life of man, improving the quality of that life.
It succeeded instead in introducing a new horror, a new way of death, a mystery.
I became involved just after the hospital's completion, covering the dedication.
The building's construction had been a little rocky.
Two Indian high steelworkers had fallen off the top floors, but that was quickly forgotten and never explained.
No matter.
Now it was dedication time, and everything was roses.
It was all I could do to stay awake.
Your name, please? Oh, yeah.
Carl Kolchak, I.
N.
S.
See? Here you are, Mr.
Kolchak.
Thank you very much.
Anybody important here today? No, just a bunch of reporters.
Thanks a lot.
Good afternoon.
"Mr.
Kolchak'"? Yeah.
This kit has been carefully prepared by the Public Relations Department.
It contains all of the general information about the hospital, plus a commemorative coin.
If you would like for me to get you a drink, I'd be happy to do so.
That's very good.
You remembered that all by yourself.
You wanna be an actress, right? You can tell? Yeah.
Good.
I'm just doing this for the exposure.
It's difficult for someone just starting to get exposed.
I wouldn't say that.
Anything in here that I should know that I don't? Gentlemen and ladies, the bar is closed.
- Yes.
The bar just closed.
- Temporarily.
That figures.
For, uh- For those of you who don't already know, on my left is Dr.
Ralph Carrie, the medical director of the hospital.
On my right, Walter Green, the gentleman who built this fine facility.
I would like to say a few words about these two fine men.
Our Dr.
Carrie comes from Toledo, Ohio, and his teachers there at Southside High remember him as a man with a fine mind, an athlete and a boy who always got things done.
Gung ho.
Now, when he was a- Dr.
Carrie won the- It's, uh- It's nothing at all, ladies and gentlemen.
As you can see, we're back to normal.
However, uh, time is growing short, so perhaps we had better begin the tour right now.
If you'll just step toward the elevators.
Excuse me.
Uh, we, uh- We're running a little short of time, so we will exclude the tour of the lower level, as it's listed in your program.
Now, uh, the hospital is already in use.
We already have some patients.
And you are about to see the most modern facility in existence.
Uh, "Nurse Eisen, Pathology.
" You enjoy your work? Oh, yes.
Yes.
A well-performed autopsy is a joy forever.
My name's Carl Kolchak.
I'm with the press corps on tour here.
Why aren't you with 'em? I got lost.
However- I'm sorry.
If this is an interview, you're going to have to clear it with Public Relations.
You mean you can't even talk to the press? How about having a cup of coffee? Or do you have to clear that with the cafeteria? Relax.
It's all right.
It does that a lot.
I've reported it.
I suppose they'll fix it eventually.
It's supposed to be brand-new, isn't it? They said it takes awhile to get everything working.
Yeah, well, I feel that way myself some mornings.
Why is it so hot down here? It's the air conditioner.
Air conditioner, huh? There's cold air coming out of there.
Maybe the P.
R.
Department closed off some of the vents, huh? Why don't you check that with them? I'm sorry.
I'm working.
Yeah.
Is this what caused the power failure? I don't know.
I'm just a broom-pusher.
Uh-huh.
Look at those cracks.
Sometimes if you pile drive to the lake bottom, you can have a settlement crack of that type.
Settlement cracks.
You seen a lot of those around here? Nope.
My foreman told me.
Oh.
Where's your foreman? I don't know.
What's his name? I don't know.
What's your name? I don't know.
Thanks a lot.
Hmm.
Hmm.
So the funds came from conventional sources, huh? I mean, no union pension funds or blind loans or anything like that, huh? You're sure? Okay, thank you very much.
Your angle on the hospital dedication, Carl- How did you come up with it? Oh, a little, uh, research and, uh, imagination.
Some angle- two pages condemning the lack of geriatric facilities.
What did you promise her this time? Orthopedic glitter boots? Well, Tony, there is a vast and growing proportion of our citizens in their autumn years, who are living on fixed income, faced with a growing inflation, possibly even recession.
I mean, they have their rights, their special needs.
- They're organized.
- Really? - What do they call it? Wrinkle Power? - That's disgusting.
They call it Gray Power.
And we're tough.
We're standing up for our rights.
Don't stand up too quickly, Emily.
I'm all right.
I'm sorry, Mr.
Vincenzo.
I may have come on a little too strong at first, but I can't stand to see senior people glossed over.
I'll see if I can soften it up a bit.
Well, that's not the point.
I assign the stories.
The idea is for you to do what you are supposed to do.
Now, what are you doing? Well, uh- What is all this? This? Yeah.
Oh, these are blueprints for the hospital.
The hospital? Mm-hmm.
Where did you get them? I stole them.
Kolchak, you stole the plans? Mr.
Vincenzo.
Yes? Telephone.
It's urgent.
Hello, Mr.
Kibbey? Don Kibbey, the architectural engineer? Yeah.
This is Carl Kolchak.
Kolchak! I gave you all that publicity you needed to combat those phony charges lodged against you in that building you designed.
You remember? I saved your reputation.
You said that if I ever needed a favor- That's right.
Kolchak.
Yeah.
Well, I'd rather explain it to you in person in my car.
I'll pick you up in about half an hour in front of your office building, okay? Right.
There was a shooting in Scorpino's Restaurant.
Two men with shotguns just blasted little Augie Cesare and his two bodyguards.
- Looks like a turf war.
- They're always shooting at each other.
- You don't seem too interested, Carl.
- I'm on a story.
And you always say, "One story at a time, Carl.
One story at a time.
" Besides, there's never any news in those gang killings.
You don't think there's anything printable here? No.
Nobody ever talks.
The last one I covered was typical.
Of the 30 people in the restaurant, and the rest of them claimed never to have heard one of the 18 shots that were fired.
All right.
I'll cover it, but it's a waste of time, as you'd know if you'd ever done one.
If I've done one? How do you think I got behind that desk? - I don't know.
How? - I was top crime reporter in this town when it was important, when it was dangerous.
If you weren't careful, you could wind up under a Pierce-Arrow.
Oh, boy, that was a long time ago, Tony.
Yeah, you've probably forgotten how.
No, I'll do it.
No, no.
I'm gonna show you how to dig out a story.
Good for you, Mr.
Vincenzo.
I like to see older people with spunk.
Yeah.
- I wanna see that hospital dedication story on my desk by the time I get back.
- Yes, sir! What do you think's gonna happen at the hospital? I think it's gonna fall down.
Good evening.
Good evening.
You look tired.
Been getting enough rest? Better sleep some more.
That's the problem with the world today- tension, anxiety, sleeplessness, insecurity.
Medical enemies one, two, three and four.
That's right.
I don't like this one bit.
Neither do I.
Just wait, if you think this is bad.
Wait for what? You'll see.
Well, now it's not gonna do it.
Do what? Never mind.
Come on.
Whew.
Don't they have air conditioning down here? See for yourself.
Yeah, it seems to be working all right.
Right.
This should be the coldest floor in the hospital.
Right.
Question is, why isn't it, huh? Why are they still using temporary work lights? Who knows? No juice, maybe.
Come on.
Now, I ask you - Is that a settling crack? No, I don't think so.
It looks like structural damage from stress.
Aha.
Dangerous, right? It all depends on how far deep down it goes into the foundation.
I'll show you some more.
Yeah, here.
Yeah, you're right.
There is a big problem here, and I don't think it's just in this section.
I saw a couple of walls back there that looked like they'd been refinished.
So what do you think's causing it? First I'd get a sample of concrete and have it tested.
- What if it's not the concrete? - Drill a hole through the wall and look for either poor-quality steel or not enough of it.
- What if the steel's okay? - What do you want from me? - What if the steel is okay? - Then have someone check to see if the geologist goofed.
And if that's not the case, look for a geothermal leak under the foundation.
And with this heat, that's a real possibility.
- Will you put all that in writing? - No.
Loyalty to your fellow engineers, huh, Kibbey? Look, I've been the victim of unsupported accusations.
So far, you've only enough to warrant a little more investigation.
"A little more invest"- What the hell is that? That's something that warrants a lot more investigation.
Where you going? I've had it! You're on your own! Wait for me! Where do you think you're going? Nurse Eisen to the Pathology Lab.
You? What are you doing here? Hi there, Miss Nurse Eisen.
You had me paged? That's right.
There's something very strange going on in this hospital, and I thought you might care enough to help me.
Everything is under control.
Everything's under control.
All right.
Let's recap.
How about the elevator and the heat and the plaster being knocked off the walls? And I hear that people are dying.
Of course people are dying.
This is a hospital.
Okay.
I think you ought to get an engineer down here so that more people don't start dying.
I'm afraid it's gonna take more than an engineer.
Oh? I don't know.
There's just no explanation for what's been going on around here.
Then what has been going on around here? Like this afternoon, a patient in a heart-lung machine was- was horribly killed.
And this is an earlier case.
Would you like to see for yourself? Yeah.
Yeah.
This morning, this was a healthy young man - a staff electrician.
He was found after the power failure in the hall.
Mmm.
First we thought he was electrocuted, and then we started an autopsy.
So what happened? What was the result? What- So, what? Mr.
Kolchak, all of these people had some connection with electrically operated equipment.
For the last time, Dr.
Carrie will not see any reporters today, and he has no comment on anything.
Dr.
Hartfield, go right in.
Thank you.
Doctor.
As far as I can tell, there is no precedence for this in the annals of medicine.
This tar-like substance is all that was left of the blood in the patient's body.
- Mmm.
What is the content of that substance, Doctor? - See for yourself.
Oh, thank you.
Mmm.
Oh.
Yes, of course.
That's incredible.
Mmm.
Dr.
Hartfield.
Amazing.
Virtually no plasma at all.
Mmm.
I've never seen such a concentration of blood cells.
Mm-hmm.
At first, it seemed to be a massive clotting- an acute case of polycythemia- but, obviously, it was much, much more than that.
Yes, yes.
You're Dr.
- Kolchak.
Oh, yes.
Gentlemen, please.
How do you do? Ah, Detective Webster.
Detective, these are among the leading pathologists of the city.
Gentlemen, if you'll follow me, we will proceed with the autopsy.
Dr.
Hartfield, would you mind preparing the toxicological report? Gladly.
Dr.
Kolchak, what do you prefer? Oh, I'm not fussy.
I'll take the feet.
Dr.
Kolchak? You're making a big mistake, Captain.
I know.
I ought to book ya.
For what, impersonating a doctor? You'd have to take Carrie and the rest of those- Will you wait a minute? Will you just wait? Those pathologists upstairs are trying to find out why this system blew out and what killed the patients.
The equipment is being tested.
That's what you're here for? I'm here checking out all the irregularities, including the possibility of sabotage.
Did you see those cracks in the basement? Yeah, they're settling cracks.
In your head.
What would you say if I told you there's a force beyond your comprehension that's trying to destroy this hospital? I'd say good-bye, Kolchak.
And don't try to come back in.
I won't be so nice next time.
Fact: There have been no documented irregularities in the way the new hospital had been built.
But, item: The generally reliable Indian high steelworkers had left thejob last October after several mysterious accidents.
I found the same Indian crew now hard at work on the Starette Building on Michigan Avenue.
The foreman told me as much as he could, but the high steelworkers talked only through their shaman, or medicine man, Jim Elkhorn.
Since Elkhorn was a high steelworker, I assumed I'd find him on the high steel.
It was only after I went all the way up there that I found that he was back on earth, eating lunch and taking care ofbusiness.
Look, I didn't mean to be supercritical the other night.
It's just that, uh- It's just that your legs really excite me.
And, uh- And when you wear that pants suit and that vest, it's- I'm just trying to do you a service.
You left your hairbrush and platform shoes at my place, and I figured maybe you wanted them, Valerie.
It's the oldest salesman's trick in the world.
You deliberately forget your hat, and then you have an excuse to come back.
You know what I mean? Valerie, I'm gonna have to hang up, because I'm just not used to that sort of language.
Carl Kolchak, I.
N.
S.
You Jim Elkhorn? 'Cause I'd like to know why you pulled your men off that job at the Lakefront Hospital last fall.
Was it because of unsafe working conditions you pulled them off? - That's tribal business.
I don't discuss that with reporters or outsiders.
- Your phone's ringing.
- Thank you.
Hello.
Hi, Melinda.
Before I say good-bye, can I step into your trailer and forget my hat? No, I'm not tied up, darling.
Hang on a second.
What happened at that hospital? How did those high steelworkers die? - Matchemonedo.
- What? - Matchemonedo, he killed my men.
- Matchi- Matchimo-Yeah.
Matchimo- Claudia Granov, age 22.
The little bit of movement she retained in her right hand wasn't even enough to let her wipe her own forehead, and the sudden heat was beginning to get to her.
Claudia couldn't sleep.
She was too concerned over what was going to become ofher life.
The truth was, nothing was ever going to become of Claudia's life.
Help me, please! Somebody help me! Help me, please! Here you are.
Thank you.
Uh, check those lines for any kind of break.
Doesn't it make you nervous with all this going on down here and a hospital full of people over your head? I mean, if anything goes wrong, you're gonna take the wrap.
I beg your pardon? Well, unless, on the other hand, of course, this hospital is built over a geothermal fault.
Geothermal fault? Or bad concrete- That's ridiculous.
Or a structural miscalculation.
Whatever it is, I suggest you stop scraping and patching these walls and start evacuating the hospital.
I think I'll start the evacuation with you.
Officer.
You can never find a cop when you need one.
Officer! Big problems, right? All the lab personnel are here.
We were called back.
It seems there's been another strange death, this time in the orthopedic ward.
What happened? Pretty much the same as the other one.
All the vital organs of the patient just seized up, and an electric orthopedic bed just went crazy and blew up.
Any leads at all? None, and I'm scared.
Yeah, well, so are they, but they're not honest enough to admit it.
Are you scared enough to go along with me on an idea? Jim! Now you're gonna bug me at home, huh? Look, I'm right in the middle of trying to fix something.
Uh, Jim Elkhorn, Janice Eisen.
Hello.
Janice is a technician over at Lakefront Hospital, and I just thought that you might be able to help us.
Oh, sure.
Please come in.
Uh, Janice Eisen, this is Diane Linnear from next door.
Diane, this is Charles Ko- Kolchak, Carl.
Hello.
Hello.
I feel like we're interrupting.
Oh, no.
Diane has got a raisin bread problem.
- I don't know why, but it gets stuck.
- No, it's my English muffins that get stuck.
Right.
Look, could I fix you people a drink? Oh, maybe later.
You were just about to get me a vodka on the rocks.
I'm sorry, babe.
Excuse me.
Jim-Jim, uh- - Are you sure, Charles? - About "Matchimodo.
" Is that any relationship to Quasimodo? You have a master's degree in business administration, and you still do construction work? Jim- Matchimodo? Matchemonedo.
Oh.
He was called a bear god, Charles, and I don't really know why since he was invisible.
Excuse me, please.
It's a question of economics, Janice.
You see, high steel pays $40,000 a year, and that thing over there was worth 16,500, and part of that was written off against public relations.
An Indian head is a high-visibility asset.
Bear god? Then you were putting me on.
- You knew there was sabotage going on in that hospital.
- Jim, my rocks are melting.
I'm sorry, darling.
Look, sabotage I don't know anything about.
Uh-huh.
Sit down, Janice.
But I can tell you about Matchemonedo.
I wish somebody would say something about it.
Now- - Carl said that you're a medicine man.
- Yeah, I'm a shaman.
It's a hereditary title, but I don't practice it much anymore since we got Blue Cross on our last contract.
- Janice.
- Oh, yes.
What about this bear god, Matche- monedo.
- That's right, Miss Linnear! Well, Matchemonedo always lived in thejungle area of where the hospital foundation is now.
And he was there before the Illinois tribe.
He was there before the Iroquois.
- Iroquois.
- He was even there before Chicago became Checagou.
- "Chicagow"? - Checagou.
He was referred to by some early French explorers too.
Hey, do you believe any of this? Sounds as good as most of the stuff I've been getting.
Well, anyway, to pacify Matchemonedo, my people used to drive buffalo over his place, and he would eat them, I guess, which is a pretty neat trick if you don't have a stomach.
Well, that turns mine.
Diane, I think your muffin's stuck in your spring again.
Mmm.
Stuff the muffin.
I'll eat instant oatmeal.
L- I really feel terrible about this.
- Hey, don't.
Oatmeal is very nutritious.
- And so is creamed farina.
If Matchemonedo really does exist, why haven't we heard from him in recent years? - Why does he remain dormant? - That lake has shifted.
That land was underwater until it was reclaimed, so maybe the water's had some effect.
You mentioned energy.
- Yeah.
- The dead patients all had the plasma congealed in their bodies.
Now, plasma is practically pure protein, and protein is pure energy.
And there is no other form of energy purer than electricity.
I don't know about that, Chuck.
Charl- Carl.
Come on, come on.
And then they cook it all right in the melon.
Sounds exquisite.
C'est magnifique.
The name of this place is Wu's Great Wall of Peking, and it's only about So if you get off work at 11:00, we are in good shape.
Uh-huh.
Well, give my regards to Chef Wu, will you? Good-bye, Janice.
Janice.
You know what your problem is? You have no time for the amenities.
Thank you, Dr.
Brothers.
Oh, boy.
Well? What do you expect me to do? Who knows? Try doing what your ancestors used to do.
- I don't think it's gonna work.
- Try.
Anything's worth trying.
- Do you understand mechanical stress at all? - No.
Do you have any idea the force that was required to split this concrete like this? No.
Well, it's too darn big to be driven off by any dancing.
Try.
Go on.
Try.
Go on.
Go on.
All right, all right.
- You put that thing away, or you'll get a close-up of my foot.
- Right, chief.
Look, it didn't work for my grandpa, and it's not gonna work for me now! No.
No, no, no.
Go on.
Try.
Shh.
Shh.
I heard something.
- What if he comes out, and we've got no buffalo? My grandpa told me about it, but I never thought I'd see it.
Don't touch that! X- rays.
I think our developing trays in the I.
N.
S.
Office will fit these plates.
Come on.
Grab them.
Got 'em? Yeah.
Ah! Uh-huh.
Huh.
There.
That's it.
Get me another one there.
Put one up on top.
Okay.
Try this one.
Let's see how this one- It might work.
No, no.
Let me see another one.
Wait a minute.
Hold one of these.
Uh-huh.
Uh-huh.
There it goes.
Tape that one to there.
See, they come like this.
There.
That's it.
We haven't got enough room.
That's a vertebrae.
What's that doing here? Well, let's- Let's give it a whirl, see what we've got.
All right.
That one.
Okay.
Let's see.
Holy- So that's Matchemonedo.
It seems that Matchemonedo predates any Indian records that exist.
All right.
Now, look at this.
These are cave drawings from an area very near where the hospital now sits.
Really? Neanderthal period.
Which means that Matchemonedo could have been there before man.
Yeah, maybe, maybe.
Go on.
Read on, read on.
Okay, here's some sightings.
Look at this.
In 1673, Father Bouvet mentions Matchemonedo in June.
I didn't know you read French.
That means that Monsignor de Nancy talked about him in July 1714.
All right.
Look at this.
The Iroquois talk about him in July and August.
Summer months! Kolchak, I know what are summer months and what are winter months.
Yeah, but apparently so does Matchemonedo.
I mean, there are no sightings in winter, right? So he hibernates.
What? Like a bear.
Kolchak, that's not bad.
That's not bad at all.
So when the lake shifted, the cold water at that depth kept it winter year-round.
That's right.
And then when they excavated the land, it heated it up, right? Right.
How do we get it cold? Hmm.
Look, Green's company has a refrigeration division.
He ought to know the building, man.
He put it up.
This is why you called us, huh? To tell us to evacuate the hospital and turn it into a refrigerator because of some old legends! Right! And this- this absurdity! If it's all that absurd, you tell us how those patients died! I guess it would be too much to hope that you two are finished.
You're saying that Matchemonedo is pure energy.
Is that right? Yeah.
He sort of breathes it in, magnifies it and blows it out.
It's a kind of super-energy.
It's like overcharging your patients, which is not unusual for a hospital, I suppose.
If I didn't hear this, I wouldn't believe it.
- He just sort of breathes it in and then blows it out.
- Something like that, yeah.
What's that supposed to mean? That you believe in any of this tripe? Of course not, Walt.
But if you're feeling pressured, why don't you have a talk with one of our staff psychiatrists? Whoo-hoo.
Mr.
Green is a bit testy today, isn't he? Well, some people do behave that way when faced with concepts Beyond the limited capacities of comprehension.
Here's something you better comprehend.
I'll have you arrested if you or any of your legends ever set foot in this hospital again! As the great Louis Pasteur once said, "Any schmo can invent a rabies vaccine, but when will we find a cure for stupidity?" Gentlemen, we'd better go to the basement immediately.
What's the matter? What? Look at that.
There's something in there.
What thing? Some kind of a thing.
Is it trapped, finally? Whatever it is, it looks like it's trying to get out.
No, it's not trying to get out.
No, no.
It went in there.
It's feeding on the cobalt.
It's growing stronger.
It's expanding.
Where are you going? We've gotta let it out of there.
Are you crazy? You're gonna let it get out? I gotta let it out of there! Matchemonedo had done me a favor.
He proved to the others that he existed.
But no one was ready for the immense problem of evacuating a giant hospital.
Beds had to be found in other hospitals.
Patients who were dependent on heart-lung or kidney machines had to be moved with the machine.
There was a shortage of ambulances and police cars.
And Matchemonedo was still to be dealt with.
Now, you're the public relations man, Frank.
Now, evade it with finesse.
Do I have to tell you your job? Aw, now, don't give me that, friend.
You've sliced baloney much thicker than this in your day.
All right, all right.
Spare me.
Now, here's your press release.
"Due to a weakening in the hospital's foundation, the authorities have deemed it advisable to evacuate the hospital pending further investigation.
" Et cetera, et cetera.
Can you work with that? Yeah, and, Frank, just give it to the major news services.
They released the story to the other news services.
Yeah, yeah.
After all we did! It's a complete cover-up! Listen to this.
Listen.
"The facility will be temporarily deactivated "so that a comprehensive facility study can be conducted.
A determination will then be made as to how to proceed with corrective construction.
" Have you ever heard such patent blather in your life? They know it's Matchemonedo.
They know that.
Are they gonna do anything about it? No! What are you doing standing there? Get dressed! Kolchak.
Look, Kolchak, many, many moons ago, when the buffalo roamed what is now the Loop, my ancestors offered up sacrifices to Matchemonedo.
Yeah.
Now I think it's becoming a police problem.
What do you mean, a police problem? It's your problem.
It's your heritage.
Yeah, you get the Loop, and I get Matchemonedo.
Is that the way the game goes? No, we got Matchemonedo.
What do you mean "we," white man? What do you think you're doing with two of our best cameras? I'm gonna hock 'em.
What do you think? You ask a stupid question, you get a stupid answer.
Some heavy trucks been rolling in and out of that hospital all day long today.
I'm gonna find out what's on 'em.
It's all very hush-hush.
So go and see, but leave the cameras for people who have some regard for expensive equipment.
Need I remind you that within the last year, you completely ruined two cameras and the electric pencil sharpener? Yeah, remind me of that sometime.
I'll also remind you I let you borrow my eight-millimeter projector.
When was that? Last New Year's Eve? And it came back with guacamole all dripped down into the gears.
That isn't funny.
It cost me 20 bucks to fix.
I didn't ruin that pencil sharpener.
Our Miss Emily went through a whole box of ballpoint pens.
Ah, you figured it out.
Will you listen to me, Kolchak? If you must use a big negative camera, isn't one enough? Do you need one for each hand? I am going to fill this one with infrared film and this one with ultraviolet film, and then I am gonna get an image, sir, of something that everybody else denies exists.
Infrared, ultraviolet? That means special film and processing.
Well- You're talking about mucho dollars, Carl.
Wait a minute.
What do you mean, something that everybody denies exists? I am gonna get a photograph of Matchemonedo, and you are gonna publish it.
A photo of who? A great energy force.
An Indian- Who is "Matcheminodo"? A Cuban.
Carlos Matchemonedo.
He's a bantamweight fighter, and he's absolutely terrific.
He's a real comer.
Here, put your money on him.
It's a voucher for ultraviolet and hue-grain film.
Forty dollars! Kolchak, come back here! Who is Matchemonedo? He's a Cuban fighter, a bantamweight.
Oh.
They were loading unmarked boxes into the hospital from an unmarked truck.
But for me, everything had "double cross'" written all over it.
You're getting all the way down to the basement, right? Walter, I'm gonna stay here.
I wanna watch what happens.
Use your head, Ralph.
You come in contact with the liquid nitrogen, you'll get serious freeze burns.
Well, I'll see that I stay well away from the flow.
As supervisor of this project, I'm not gonna let you do it.
Big, tough Walter Green, a man who's afraid to admit the truth, even when he's acting on it.
Please don't lecture me.
You're not afraid of frostbite.
You're afraid this thing may go wild when we try to freeze it.
You're afraid to admit that there's no logical explanation for this Matchemonedo- that he might have a personality, that he might react to us.
Go outside, will you? Will you please go outside? Well? Are we evacuated or not? My men are checking out all the floors for stragglers.
Some of your workmen are still in the kitchen.
Everybody's out, Captain.
Good.
Come on, Ralph.
Keep away.
Carl, it's all right.
Relax.
Take it easy.
Relax.
Oh, it's you.
Yeah, it's me.
Get me out of here.
Don't worry, Carl.
This isn't Lakefront.
This is good old St.
Vincent's.
Oh, St.
Vincenzio.
What? Oh.
What happened? You got some frostbite on your hands and your feet.
They decided not to amputate.
Well, I'm glad to hear that.
What about it- Matchemonedo? I mentioned Matcheme-what-do-you-call-it to the fellow Green that brought you in here.
He didn't know what I was talking about.
Sure he didn't.
You just take it easy, get some rest.
That's all you need.
You'll be out of here before I know it.
Wait a minute.
I got something for you.
Your film and tape.
The film- ruined by the cold.
- All that money down the drain.
- Forty dollars.
Hmm.
These came out though.
Don't ask me what they're supposed to be.
Oh, yeah.
Yeah, I'll never forget that.
Good-bye, Tony.
Lakefront Hospital won't be up much longer.
It's coming down to make room for a new marina- one with deep channels of icy lake water.
Dr.
Ralph Carrie has gone back to private practice from the safety and comfort of an office in his own home, I hear.
Walter Green, construction wunderkind, has another project going for him.
His company is building the new lakefront marina.
Some people can make a profit on anything.