Space: 1999 s02e16 Episode Script

214 - The Beta Cloud

What is it? Trying to get a reading, Commander.
- What about its range? - Constant.
Seems to me like it's closing.
It isn't, Commander.
Its range is constant.
I checked this calculation against the computer Oh! Les? Maya, what about its composition? Hydrogen - Nitrogen, mainly.
- Mainly?! Certain elements unidentifiable.
- 'Medical.
' - I need help.
'Les Johnstone has just passed out.
' Gerry, as soon as you can, a stretcher team to corridor B.
Give me a hand.
Someone give me a hand! Come on.
Easy All right, now, just take it easy.
Let's see.
Anything more substantial on the sensor? All gaseous? Nothing solid? That cloud's affecting everything.
My readings are not clear.
John? I'm all right, Tony.
I'm all right.
- Scanners are malfunctioning.
- (Beeping) (Maya) And sensors erratic.
'John, people are passing out all over the base.
' We think we know the source - Give me a hand, someone.
- 'John?' It's a cloud, Helena.
It's a cloud.
Take it easy, John.
(Helena) 'Moonbase Alpha status report.
'1,503 days after leaving Earth orbit.
Dr Helena Russell recording.
'Seven days ago, a cloud containing unknown elements 'appeared in our east quadrant.
' Suddenly, lassitude, depression and loss of will has incapacitated most of our personnel.
'It has defied analysis by the medical equipment at my disposal.
'Some of the personnel appear to have immunity.
'This skeleton crew is keeping Moonbase barely operational.
'Astronaut Tom Graham, who appeared immune, 'was sent out four days ago in Eagle 6 to enter the cloud 'to collect particles for analysis so I could make a diagnosis 'and, thus, devise an antidote.
'Eagle 6 has failed to return from its mission.
' - Tony! - (Computer beeping) Put it on the screen.
(Sandra) Eagle 6! (Tony) That's impossible.
- It would have exhausted its fuel.
- But that is Eagle 6.
Eagle 6, this is Moonbase Alpha.
We're glad to see you! Welcome back.
Eagle 6, this is Moonbase Alpha.
Do you read me? Come on, Graham, wake up! Answer me.
Eagle 6, this is Moonbase Alpha.
Come in, Eagle 6.
Tony, sensors pick up no life forms on Eagle 6.
What?! There is no life on board Eagle 6.
- Yes, Tony? - 'Helena, let me talk to John.
' He's in no condition to talk.
'Helena, Eagle 6 is right over our heads.
' - That's great! - 'Negative.
'It exhausted its fuel two days ago and sensors pick up no life forms.
' I'll try.
John? John? - It's no use.
- 'I've got to talk to him.
' If you talked to him he wouldn't be listening.
Tony? Eagle 6 is landing.
'Security.
' - How many men still on their feet? - 'Three.
' I want one at the travel tube, two at Command Center.
Fraser, let's go.
Graham! - (Door opens) - Graham? - What is it? - I don't know.
Whatever it is, it brought our Eagle back.
Whoare you? Where's Graham? No further or we'll stop you.
Fire! Run! Maya, tell Security I want them at the travel tube armed with rocket guns, on the double.
- 'Tony, are you all right?' - Yeah, for the moment.
- What did you find? - The cloud, there's new activity.
What's its range? - (Computer beeps) - Still 22,000.
(Maya) I'm getting readings.
Do you think what the Commander says is true? - That cloud is causing all this? - Well, it's a strong possibility.
Something's emitting high-frequency impulses.
There's a mass of some kind.
You mean there's a planet or an asteroid hidden in there? Well, sensors can't define specifically, but there's something in there beyond just gas vapour.
Anything comes out of that tunnel, fire the rockets without hesitation.
Give me a fix on its position.
(Echoing voice) 'Relative positions are of little consequence.
' Who are you? 'Who we are is too complicated for your comprehension.
' - Try me.
- 'Time does not permit.
' We've got time - a lot of it.
'You are in error.
You have very little time.
' - What do you want? - 'Your life support system.
' - You mean we just give it to you? - 'We have sent for it.
' We can't exist without it.
'Neither can we.
So we must deprive you of yours.
' Tony! Travel tube.
'I will return your screens for you to observe.
' Fire! - Get down to Medical Center.
- Tony - Tony! - Don't argue! I want to stay! If you want to help me, get the hell out of here! Move! (Groans) (Man yells) - We must help.
- Hold it.
- We've got to do something! - We're going to do something.
(Helena) 'Medical.
' Let me know when Maya and San get to you.
'Right.
- 'Tony?' - Yeah? - 'Maya and San are here.
' - OK.
Computer, priority one.
As of now, all doors are non-operational.
Repeat, all doors to be opened only at my voice command.
'Your efforts are futile.
'Give up your life support system and die peacefully.
' We don't die on request.
- 'We do not mean to be violent.
' - Oh, sure(!) 'Unless our needs are denied.
' Open as ordered.
Close! 'You are in Command Center.
'The life support system is not in that location.
' - Split up here.
- What about Life Support? If it reaches it we're finished.
I'll decoy it.
You get to Life Support, set up a defence.
Right.
No, John, it's not a good idea.
You haven't the strength.
I do.
Tony ordered me away.
I must help him.
If you want to help let him do it his way.
If we don't help, we'll die! I'm all right.
Maya, your comlock.
(Beeps) Tony must have programmed the computer to lock all doors.
Then no one can help him.
If that thing is what you say, he did what he had to.
Alan! - Yeah, John? - I can't hold up.
You take over.
All right, come on, John.
Here we go.
Take it easy.
You're gonna be OK.
All right, now, you ought to get back into bed as well, Alan.
- (Beeping) - Now, wait a minute I feel better.
Weak, but better.
Your fever's gone.
Look, you got it first.
Maybe it's run its course.
Are you all right? Yeah.
I'd better be.
Now, go ahead, get into bed.
(Beeps) Yes, Alan? - 'What's the situation?' - Desperate.
- 'How can we help?' - Just keep everybody out of the way.
- Where are you? - 'Tech-lab 5.
'I'm trying to get it in the vacuum chamber.
' - Uh-oh.
Trouble.
- 'Don't take any chances.
' If this works, maybe I won't have to take any.
What's happening? Tony! Tony, answer me! Maya, he shouldn't have to worry about you now.
But he's out there on his own.
If he can decoy that thing into the vacuum chamber Nothing can live in a vacuum.
- And if the creature won't go in? - Then you will have to help.
(Footsteps) You can use this, the dosages are computer-coded.
- (Comlock beeps) - Yes, Tony? - Helena, let me talk to John.
- He's under sedation.
- I'm sorry, Tony.
- Nothing to be sorry about.
Let me talk to Alan.
Helena? Helena, are you all right? - Tony, she's fainted.
- Help me.
I'll be all right.
I'll be all right.
Come back here.
(Helena) I think I'll be all right.
She has the sickness, Alan.
Take care of her.
Tony, you wanna talk? It's in the vacuum chamber.
Everything's under control.
Alan! (Alan) You've got to help him, Maya.
(Sandra) But we can't release the doors.
(Alan) Maya doesn't need the doors.
Maya, get out of here! (Groaning) Run, Maya! Come on.
Open.
Close.
- Hey, you better get off your feet.
- I'm all right.
Maybe I'll think better sitting down.
How's John? Still under sedation.
You said everything was under control.
Well, I was a little premature.
The creature's still on the loose? Lasers or lack of oxygen don't affect it.
A massive dose of anaesthetic might do it.
Even we had something, how could we apply it? High-pressure injector gun.
Load it withionethermyocin.
It's the most powerful stuff we have, it's it's too powerful for a human being.
Yeah, well, human this thing ain't.
Right, it's simple to use.
Just place it against the body and push the button.
OK.
You're gonna have to take over in here.
- I just can't make it.
- What do I do? Tyomoxin tablets - give them to everybody that can swallow them.
Are you all right? This might not work on that creature.
Something's gotta work.
How are we going to get close enough to use it? I don't know.
We've just got to.
She's sleeping now.
Let's see if we can find it.
(Maya) It's heading for Life Support.
Yeah, let's go.
Tony, I'm going with you.
That's all I need, you passing out on me.
Tony! It'll be OK.
Open.
Close.
It'll get to Life Support before we will.
Maybe.
In here.
Open.
Close.
There it is.
(Alarm beeping) What's that?! It's confused.
Let's see how confused we can get it.
Creature! You, creature! 'Creature! Here I am!' - (Alarm continues) - 'I'm over here!' He's falling for it.
The Hydroponic Experimental Section, lead it there.
- We can fill it with chlorine.
- OK.
Open.
Close.
Creature! Here I am! 'I'm over here!' 'Here I am! I'm over here!' (Comlock beeps) Tony, I'm at Hydroponic.
Can you open the door? (Beeps) Computer, open door to Hydroponic Section.
- 'Alan.
' - The red alert? 'It's a ploy to confuse the creature.
' We're gonna hit it with chlorine.
- 'Can anybody else help?' - Only Fraser.
He's in Life Support.
If the chlorine doesn't work, we've had it.
No, no, maybe not.
I haven't got time to explain.
Get over to the Hydroponic unit.
Right.
Open.
Close.
Open! Close.
- 'Life Support.
' - Fraser Set up an electrical barrier across the approach to Life Support.
- 'I wouldn't know how to do it.
' - No, me neither.
San's the expert.
She'll tell you all about it.
Bill, listen carefully.
Go to the main electrical unit in corridor 34.
All right, San.
'Take the limpets used for emergency cable runs.
' Got them.
Fix them both sides of the corridor.
Make a cable barrier.
Right.
- 'All right, San.
' - Good, Bill There are cable rolls on the shelf.
'You need type HT 15.
'I will give you details when you get there.
' Right.
Close! - You ready? - Yeah.
- How do we get it in? - The chlorine-breather on Kreno.
Right.
Creature! I'm over here! Open! Close! (Comlock beeps) - 'Tony?' - Yes, Alan? - How's it going? - 'The chlorine is having no effect.
' Can she hit it with the anaesthetic? No.
I need to get in to help her.
'No.
Get in amongst that chlorine, you'll die.
That won't help Alpha.
' I-I'm OK.
I think I'm gonna be OK now.
- You have to stay off your feet.
- I've got to go and help them.
Tony and Maya can handle it if anybody can.
Now, come on.
Open.
Open! Maya! Stay down! What do you think? If we could get enough voltage through it, it could work.
Get the mobile HT generator and take it to the barrier.
'I will take you through it step by step.
' I'll call you when it's in position.
Right.
Alan, it didn't work.
Where is it now? 'Hunting for our life support system.
'It won't take him long to find it.
' Tony, go to Life Support, but be very careful.
Fraser is setting up an electrical barrier.
'OK.
' Maya, there is one way we can get on an equal footing with that creature.
- You become one.
- I've tried to.
But you can change into any life form.
Not this one.
Its molecular structure eludes me.
'Why do you resist the inevitable? We don't want to inflict pain.
' I know.
You're gonna kill us with kindness(?) 'Sarcasm in your circumstances is no defence! - 'Accept your fate.
' - Come on, Maya.
- You did say terminal 42? - 'Terminal 42 - four-two.
' All right, San.
'Now take the remote switch gear through the barrier.
'It should be all right, but don't touch the barrier, just in case.
' Thanks(!) It is safe.
Back! - Let's go.
- Tony We've tried everything.
Nothing works.
We have to keep trying.
- We can't stop it! - We can't give up! Nothing we've done has had an effect.
I know that, but Wait, there is something we haven't tried - the cloud.
Yes, the cloud! That's what controls it.
If we can threaten it, it'll have to call the creature back.
- How? - Come on.
- Give me range and elevation.
- Range, 43,000.
Elevation, 27-3.
On target.
Right, here goes.
- It's thinned out a bit, Tony.
- Yeah.
Tony - That must be its control centre.
- Yeah.
Target.
Range, 43,200.
Elevation, 27-7.
- It worked! - We've done it! 'Futility, Mr Verdeschi.
An exercise in futility.
' (Tony) The one on the left.
Range, 44,000.
Elevation, 28-2.
The one on the right.
Range, 44-7 elevation, 28-3.
(Manic laughter) Let's get out.
Hold it! It is safe.
I tested it.
Am I glad to see you! Everything set? Maya better check it.
I don't know about electrics.
Do you think that'll stop it? Nothing else has.
That's what it's after.
Yeah, and if it gets it Tony.
OK, Maya.
Circuit activated.
Right, come over here.
Next time, it's gonna make it.
I know.
Maya This isn't exactly the time I'd pick to say this - Say what? - Psychon's my favourite planet.
We don't have time to play with words, Tony.
Maya, I love you.
(Fraser) Tony.
Fire! How can any life form take that? Tony, it's no life form.
Oh, yeah? When Eagle 6 came down my sensors showed no life form.
It lived in a vacuum.
Chlorine, lasers, electricity - nothing affects it.
Open! Fraser! (Fraser yelling) Tony, it's a robot! It doesn't matter what it is if it gets that core.
- We can beat it.
- How? - Get to its control centre.
- We don't know where it is.
(Fly buzzing) (Buzzing continues) Maya (Alarm beeping) (Fly buzzing) - He's taken the core! - Yes.
(Groans) (Fly buzzing) M-Maya.
(Maya) It won't get up again.
Oh, you're awake.
I always sleep with my eyes open when I'm in traction(!) - Tony! - What's that? Solitaire?! How come I'm alone here? This place was jumping with patients.
- They're well now.
- And John? He's assessing the damage the creature did.
- Helena? - Checking out life support systems.
What about Bill Fraser? Why isn't he here with me? He only suffered bruises and contusions, - and he heals quicker than you.
- Very funny(!) Talking about friends, that cloud, is it still on the screen? It's disappeared.
It's really eerie.
Something almost kills us and then just disappears.
Mmm.
Look, this is how it's done.
The cards are played from one level to the next.
Like that.
Uh, Maya? You know all that wild garbage I handed you? Wild garbage? Yeah, the heavy syrup, the thousand violins, all that romantic stuff.
That's wild garbage?! A guy says a lot of strange things when he's under pressure.
Right? Hmm! Right.
Well, how about that? She's really crazy about me.

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