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X Minus One - "Tunnel Under the World" (Old Time Radio, 1956) · X Minus One | Old Time Radio

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Guy Burkhart wakes on June 15th from a dream of
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: an explosion, then finds small irregularities gathering around him. An
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: old friend fails to know him, and a familiar advertising
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: message repeats without end. From NBC Radio's X-1 comes Tunnel
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: Under the World, Episode 42, first broadcast March 14th, 1956.
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: Adapted for radio by George Lefferts from Frederick Pohl's Galaxy
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: Science Fiction Story, it stars Les Damon as Guy Burkhart,
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: with Ginger Jones, Bob Hastings, and John Larkin as narrator.
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: The setting is an American industrial town, where an accountant's
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: ordinary workday begins to yield unsettling questions. And now, we
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: return to the original broadcast.
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: In just a moment, X minus one. But first, your
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: home will be filled with the voices of top entertainers
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: and fascinating experts in the homemaking field tomorrow when Virginia
• 0:56
  Speaker 2: Graham and Mike Wallace bring you another broadcast of NBC's Weekday.
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: Among the special guests is Rita Gam, Hollywood star and
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: one of Grace Kelly's prospective bridesmaids. And Rita will be
• 1:07
  Speaker 2: joined by a singer whose unique style is well known
• 1:10
  Speaker 2: to as many fans, Johnny Ray. Then from Britain, it's
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: actor Trevor Howard. Meet them all tomorrow when NBC's weekday
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: brings you another day of fact and fun on this station.
• 1:21
  Speaker 3: Now stay tuned for X-1 on NBC. Countdown for blastoff. X-5, 4, 3, 2, X-1, fire.
• 2:02
  Speaker 4: From the far horizons of the unknown come transcribed tales
• 2:05
  Speaker 4: of new dimensions in time and space. These are stories
• 2:10
  Speaker 4: of the future. Adventures in which you'll live in a
• 2:12
  Speaker 4: million could be years on a thousand maybe worlds. The
• 2:16
  Speaker 4: National Broadcasting Company, in cooperation with Galaxy Science Fiction Magazine, presents.
• 2:22
  Speaker 5: X minus 1.
• 2:36
  Speaker 3: Tonight, a story by Frederick Pohl.
• 2:39
  Speaker 4: Tunnel Under the World.
• 2:49
  Speaker 6: On the morning of June 15, Guy Burkhardt woke up screaming.
• 2:58
  Speaker 6: It was more real than any dream he had ever
• 3:01
  Speaker 6: had in his life. He could still hear and feel
• 3:04
  Speaker 6: that sharp metal ripping explosion, that searing wave of heat.
• 3:09
  Speaker 3: He sat up. Mary, Mary.
• 3:11
  Speaker 6: Mary.
• 3:13
  Speaker 3: Mary!
• 3:13
  Speaker 7: Mary! Where are you?
• 3:15
  Speaker 8: Guy, what's wrong? You're trembling.
• 3:17
  Speaker 3: Where were you?
• 3:18
  Speaker 8: In the kitchen cooking breakfast. What is it?
• 3:20
  Speaker 3: I don't know. A dream, I guess. An explosion.
• 3:23
  Speaker 8: Did you say an explosion?
• 3:25
  Speaker 7: Yes.
• 3:26
  Speaker 8: But that's the dream I had.
• 3:28
  Speaker 5: What?
• 3:28
  Speaker 8: I dreamed there was a big explosion and then something
• 3:31
  Speaker 8: sort of hit me on the head.
• 3:32
  Speaker 3: Holy smokes. Maybe there really was some sort of explosion
• 3:37
  Speaker 3: and it started us dreaming.
• 3:39
  Speaker 8: Well, there'll be an explosion down at your office if
• 3:41
  Speaker 8: you don't hurry and get to work.
• 3:55
  Speaker 6: Coming in on the bus, Burkhart watched to see if
• 3:57
  Speaker 6: there was any evidence of an explosion.
• 4:00
  Speaker 3: There wasn't. If anything, the town looked better than ever.
• 4:04
  Speaker 6: The only thing that seemed strange to him was the
• 4:07
  Speaker 6: fact that none of the usual crowd was on the bus.
• 4:11
  Speaker 6: He was a little relieved when his old pal, Henry Swanson,
• 4:14
  Speaker 6: finally got on.
• 4:17
  Speaker 9: Excuse me. Henry!
• 4:19
  Speaker 3: Pardon me, sir. Henry, what's the matter with you? It's me,
• 4:23
  Speaker 3: Guy Burkhardt. Burkhardt? Sorry, I don't believe we've met. What? Henry,
• 4:28
  Speaker 3: for Pete's sake, it's me. If you'll excuse me, this
• 4:30
  Speaker 3: is my stop. Well, I'll be... How do you like that?
• 4:34
  Speaker 5: Oh!
• 4:41
  Speaker 6: Guy Burkhart got off in front of the gigantic Contro
• 4:44
  Speaker 6: Chemical building, took the elevator to the 98th floor where
• 4:48
  Speaker 6: he had worked in the accounting department for 12 years.
• 4:51
  Speaker 6: It wasn't until he was almost at his floor that
• 4:54
  Speaker 6: he realized the speaker was not playing the usual commercials.
• 4:59
  Speaker 10: Friends, are you happy with your present home freezer? Of
• 5:02
  Speaker 10: course not. Well, the answer to your problems is a
• 5:04
  Speaker 10: Beco freezer. Beco freezers are better freezers. Most wives would
• 5:08
  Speaker 10: do anything for a Beco freezer.
• 5:11
  Speaker 5: Friends, are you happy with your present home freezer?
• 5:20
  Speaker 3: Morning, Miss Horne.
• 5:21
  Speaker 8: Good morning, Mr.
• 5:21
  Speaker 3: Burkhardt. Well, new hairdo, I see. Why, yes.
• 5:25
  Speaker 8: Do you like it?
• 5:26
  Speaker 3: It makes a lot of difference in your appearance. Mr.
• 5:29
  Speaker 3: Barth in? No, sir.
• 5:31
  Speaker 11: He had an appointment with Mr. Dorchin of the Human
• 5:33
  Speaker 11: Research Institute.
• 5:35
  Speaker 3: Today? But today's the 15th of June. He has to
• 5:38
  Speaker 3: sign the quarterly statement.
• 5:39
  Speaker 8: He said he wouldn't be in.
• 5:40
  Speaker 5: Huh.
• 5:41
  Speaker 3: That's mighty peculiar.
• 5:43
  Speaker 8: Yes, sir.
• 5:44
  Speaker 3: Oh, by the way, Miss Horne, what the devil is
• 5:47
  Speaker 3: a feckle freezer? A feckle freezer? There's some new copy
• 5:51
  Speaker 3: on the elevator commercial. Dorchin must have landed another account.
• 5:55
  Speaker 3: Feckle freezers.
• 5:56
  Speaker 8: I really don't know, Mr.
• 5:57
  Speaker 3: Burkhardt.
• 5:58
  Speaker 5: Huh.
• 6:00
  Speaker 3: It's a funny day. Can't quite put my finger on it,
• 6:03
  Speaker 3: but there's something strange going on.
• 6:11
  Speaker 6: He couldn't shake the thought out of his mind. It
• 6:15
  Speaker 6: persisted all through the day and through dinner. He was
• 6:17
  Speaker 6: still brooding as he and Mary got ready for bed.
• 6:23
  Speaker 8: Dad, dear? Oh, no. Anything wrong?
• 6:28
  Speaker 3: I don't know.
• 6:30
  Speaker 8: Well, I guess I'll get a good night's sleep. Cummings?
• 6:33
  Speaker 3: I think I'll sit up and read for a while.
• 6:35
  Speaker 8: Well, good night, darling.
• 6:37
  Speaker 3: Night, dear.
• 6:46
  Speaker 6: At exactly midnight, Guy Burkhardt lapsed into a sudden, deep sleep.
• 6:53
  Speaker 3: And the following morning, he woke up, screaming.
• 7:00
  Speaker 8: Darling, what is it? What's wrong?
• 7:03
  Speaker 3: Oh, nothing. Bad dream, I guess.
• 7:07
  Speaker 8: You gave me such a shock.
• 7:10
  Speaker 3: I seem to be having a lot of nightmares lately.
• 7:12
  Speaker 8: Really?
• 7:14
  Speaker 3: Yes, the one I had yesterday. This was the same.
• 7:16
  Speaker 3: A big explosion and then nothing.
• 7:19
  Speaker 8: You had a dream yesterday?
• 7:21
  Speaker 3: Well, of course I did. You had the same sort
• 7:23
  Speaker 3: of dream. I did?
• 7:25
  Speaker 8: Guy, you're mistaken. I don't remember dreaming.
• 7:27
  Speaker 3: No, Mary, you told me.
• 7:29
  Speaker 8: Guy, you're mistaken.
• 7:30
  Speaker 3: But, Mary, you.
• 7:31
  Speaker 8: Maybe you dreamed I had a dream.
• 7:33
  Speaker 11: Maybe.
• 7:33
  Speaker 3: Oh, yes, I might have done that, I suppose. Everything
• 7:37
  Speaker 3: did seem sort of strange yesterday.
• 7:39
  Speaker 8: Oh, that's probably it. You better get dressed, dear. Today's
• 7:41
  Speaker 8: the 15th. That's when the quarterly statement.
• 7:43
  Speaker 3: 15th?
• 7:44
  Speaker 8: Yes.
• 7:45
  Speaker 3: Well, it must have been a dream, because yesterday was
• 7:47
  Speaker 3: the 15th.
• 7:58
  Speaker 6: Guy Burkhart got up, dressed, ate breakfast, and took the
• 8:02
  Speaker 6: usual bus to work. Once again, everything seemed even brighter
• 8:07
  Speaker 6: and newer than usual. And once again, he was puzzled
• 8:10
  Speaker 6: when he noticed none of the old crowd on the bus.
• 8:16
  Speaker 3: Pardon me, please. Oh, look, don't shove so. Oh, morning, Henry. Morning.
• 8:22
  Speaker 12: For God's sake, don't talk to me. Is it you
• 8:25
  Speaker 12: being followed or something?
• 8:26
  Speaker 3: Don't you know?
• 8:28
  Speaker 12: I was sure you remembered.
• 8:29
  Speaker 3: Remembered what?
• 8:30
  Speaker 12: I can't talk.
• 8:32
  Speaker 8: This is my stuff.
• 8:33
  Speaker 3: Will you excuse me, please?
• 8:34
  Speaker 7: Henry.
• 8:35
  Speaker 6: Henry, for Pete's sake. As in yesterday's dream, Guy Burkhart
• 8:48
  Speaker 6: got off at his stop and took the elevator to
• 8:51
  Speaker 6: the 98th floor. The speaker in the elevator heard a
• 8:54
  Speaker 6: new commercial this time.
• 8:57
  Speaker 5: Marlin cigarettes.
• 8:59
  Speaker 13: They're sanitized. Does your present cigarette make your throat feel
• 9:04
  Speaker 13: raspy and unpleasant? Marlin cigarettes contain a miraculous new drug
• 9:09
  Speaker 13: which actually gives you the sensation of smooth, creamy smoke.
• 9:16
  Speaker 13: Marlin cigarettes.
• 9:18
  Speaker 5: Marlin.
• 9:22
  Speaker 3: He walked down the marble corridor to his office.
• 9:30
  Speaker 8: Good morning, Mr. Burricard.
• 9:32
  Speaker 3: Good morning, Miss Horne.
• 9:32
  Speaker 11: Do you like my new hairdo?
• 9:37
  Speaker 9: Uh, yes.
• 9:39
  Speaker 3: Is Mr. Barth in? No, sir. He had an appointment
• 9:43
  Speaker 3: with Mr. Dorton at the Research Institute.
• 9:45
  Speaker 9: I know. You know?
• 9:47
  Speaker 3: Well, I guessed it anyway. And today is the 15th
• 9:50
  Speaker 3: of June, and he won't be here to sign the
• 9:51
  Speaker 3: quarterly statement, and I'm going nuts. Let me have a cigarette,
• 9:54
  Speaker 3: will you? Yes, sir.
• 9:56
  Speaker 8: Try one of these. They're marlins.
• 9:58
  Speaker 12: Marlins?
• 10:00
  Speaker 3: Heard of Marlins before today. What are we, a bunch
• 10:02
  Speaker 3: of guinea pigs?
• 10:03
  Speaker 8: Something wrong, Mr.
• 10:04
  Speaker 6: Burkard?
• 10:05
  Speaker 3: Wrong? Perish the thought, Miss Horne. Perish the thought. He
• 10:17
  Speaker 3: went to his desk and stared at the mails.
• 10:20
  Speaker 6: Before he opened it, he knew that the factory distributor's
• 10:23
  Speaker 6: envelope contained.
• 10:24
  Speaker 3: An order for 12 new electronic computers.
• 10:27
  Speaker 6: He knew that the development journal contained an article about
• 10:30
  Speaker 6: a new method of transprinting selective brain circuits of human
• 10:34
  Speaker 6: engineers onto the electric brain circuits of robot engineers to
• 10:39
  Speaker 6: facilitate the operation of automatic factories. He knew that there
• 10:43
  Speaker 6: was a complaint from Feinbeck & Sons about the Controchemicals'
• 10:46
  Speaker 6: newest household robot circuit. After a long while, he forced
• 10:53
  Speaker 6: himself to open them.
• 10:55
  Speaker 3: They were exactly as he suspected. Hello?
• 11:03
  Speaker 5: This is Swanson. Henry Swanson.
• 11:05
  Speaker 3: What is it?
• 11:06
  Speaker 5: Do you remember?
• 11:07
  Speaker 3: Remember what?
• 11:08
  Speaker 12: Just remember.
• 11:10
  Speaker 3: All right, now listen, Henry. Let's stop playing games. Yesterday,
• 11:13
  Speaker 3: either I was dreaming or you stubbed me on the bus. Today,
• 11:15
  Speaker 3: the same thing happened.
• 11:16
  Speaker 5: Oh, you do remember. Thank heavens. I thought so when
• 11:19
  Speaker 5: I saw you, but I couldn't be sure.
• 11:21
  Speaker 3: What is it you want?
• 11:23
  Speaker 5: Listen, tomorrow morning, when I get off the bus, you
• 11:26
  Speaker 5: get off with me.
• 11:28
  Speaker 10: Be casual.
• 11:29
  Speaker 5: They may be watching.
• 11:31
  Speaker 3: Who may be watching? Swanson! Hello!
• 11:43
  Speaker 8: You buzzed, Mr.
• 11:44
  Speaker 3: Bearcar? Yes, I'm still out of cigarettes. Would you buy
• 11:47
  Speaker 3: me a pack of Kelvins?
• 11:48
  Speaker 11: Wouldn't you rather have Marlins?
• 11:50
  Speaker 3: I smoke Kelvins.
• 11:52
  Speaker 8: But, Mr.
• 11:52
  Speaker 11: Burkhardt, Marlins have that soft, creamy smoke that's so soothing
• 11:57
  Speaker 11: to your throat.
• 11:57
  Speaker 3: Oh, do you really believe that stuff?
• 12:00
  Speaker 8: Well, it's true. I wouldn't say this, Mr.
• 12:03
  Speaker 11: Burkhardt, except that, well, I've gotten to know you pretty well,
• 12:07
  Speaker 11: and I've grown to admire you so much.
• 12:12
  Speaker 3: I see.
• 12:13
  Speaker 11: Would you mind, Mr. Burkhardt, if I told you that
• 12:15
  Speaker 11: for months now? I wanted to, well, just comfort you.
• 12:21
  Speaker 11: I know how troubled you feel.
• 12:24
  Speaker 3: Well, you've never mentioned your feelings before, Miss Horne. April.
• 12:30
  Speaker 8: My first name's April.
• 12:33
  Speaker 3: That's a pretty name.
• 12:34
  Speaker 8: You see, I do have your welfare at heart.
• 12:37
  Speaker 11: That's why when I see you smoking Kelvins, and I
• 12:40
  Speaker 11: know Marlins are so much better, won't you let me
• 12:43
  Speaker 11: buy some of them for you?
• 12:45
  Speaker 3: Well, I suppose so. Why not? Here, bring me a carton.
• 12:52
  Speaker 11: Oh, thank you, Mr.
• 12:54
  Speaker 3: Descartes. Guy. I, uh, I think you ought to go.
• 13:00
  Speaker 8: I'll be back.
• 13:09
  Speaker 6: There was something wrong. Something definitely peculiar about what was happening.
• 13:15
  Speaker 6: The call from Henry Swanson. The strange behavior of his secretary,
• 13:19
  Speaker 6: Miss Horne. These new products, the dream. Guy Burkhart went
• 13:24
  Speaker 6: home that night feeling like a man in a nightmare.
• 13:28
  Speaker 8: Is that you, dear?
• 13:31
  Speaker 3: It's me.
• 13:32
  Speaker 8: Did you have a good day?
• 13:33
  Speaker 4: Fair.
• 13:35
  Speaker 8: Oh, before you sit down, will you go down to
• 13:37
  Speaker 8: the cellar and put in a new fuse? The switch
• 13:39
  Speaker 8: in the hall closet blew out. I shut it off.
• 13:42
  Speaker 3: Okay.
• 13:43
  Speaker 8: Supper will be ready in a minute, so don't start
• 13:44
  Speaker 8: fooling around with that old boat hull you've been building.
• 13:47
  Speaker 6: I won't.
• 14:04
  Speaker 3: Mary!
• 14:05
  Speaker 5: Mary!
• 14:07
  Speaker 8: What is it?
• 14:07
  Speaker 3: Come down here. Hurry up.
• 14:11
  Speaker 8: What is it?
• 14:12
  Speaker 3: I don't know. I'm not sure. I was looking for
• 14:15
  Speaker 3: a fuse, and I thought maybe I'd drop one under
• 14:17
  Speaker 3: the boathouse, so I scratched around. Look. Let me put
• 14:20
  Speaker 3: the flashlight on it. Well? Look at the floor.
• 14:25
  Speaker 8: What about the floor?
• 14:26
  Speaker 12: It's supposed to be cement.
• 14:28
  Speaker 8: Well?
• 14:29
  Speaker 12: Well, it's copper.
• 14:31
  Speaker 3: There's a thin layer of cement, but underneath it's metal.
• 14:34
  Speaker 3: Look here. Underneath the concrete, more metal. And here on
• 14:42
  Speaker 3: the wall. See? Metal. Metal under the floor, behind the walls,
• 14:48
  Speaker 3: every place.
• 14:49
  Speaker 8: Well, I don't really understand.
• 14:50
  Speaker 3: Mary, I know this sounds crazy, but somebody, for reasons
• 14:53
  Speaker 3: I can't even begin to guess, has taken this house
• 14:55
  Speaker 3: and replaced it with a clever imitation.
• 14:56
  Speaker 11: Guy!
• 14:57
  Speaker 3: Mary, I'm going to look around a little more.
• 14:59
  Speaker 8: Well, your dinner will be ready.
• 15:00
  Speaker 6: All right, save it for me. There are a couple
• 15:02
  Speaker 6: of things I've got to figure out. The following morning,
• 15:12
  Speaker 6: Guy Burkhardt woke up screaming. He dragged himself into the
• 15:18
  Speaker 6: kitchen where his wife, Mary, was preparing breakfast and discovered
• 15:21
  Speaker 6: it was still June 15th.
• 15:25
  Speaker 3: Mary, where's the morning paper? Where is it?
• 15:27
  Speaker 8: Outside the door, I guess.
• 15:29
  Speaker 3: Uh-huh. June 15th.
• 15:35
  Speaker 8: You'd better hurry, dear. Today's the day Mr. Barr fills
• 15:37
  Speaker 8: out the quarterly tax return.
• 15:39
  Speaker 3: Oh, no, it isn't.
• 15:40
  Speaker 5: Why?
• 15:40
  Speaker 3: He won't be there. He'll get a meeting with that
• 15:43
  Speaker 3: crackpot Dorchin at the Human Research Institute.
• 15:45
  Speaker 12: Mr.
• 15:45
  Speaker 8: Dorchin?
• 15:46
  Speaker 3: He'll be there. And Miss Horne will have a new hairdo,
• 15:49
  Speaker 3: and the elevator will be selling some new product, and Swanson...
• 15:52
  Speaker 3: What about Swanson? Swanson, he said... I wonder if it's
• 15:57
  Speaker 3: going to be the same today, or whether.
• 15:59
  Speaker 8: Guy, what in the world are you talking about?
• 16:03
  Speaker 3: Nothing, never mind. Where's my coat?
• 16:04
  Speaker 8: You haven't had any breakfast yet.
• 16:05
  Speaker 3: I don't want to miss my bus. I'll see you tonight.
• 16:10
  Speaker 3: Guy Burkhart got on his bus.
• 16:12
  Speaker 6: There were the same unfamiliar faces, the same unusually new-looking buildings,
• 16:17
  Speaker 6: the same unusually bright sunshine. And on the customary corner,
• 16:22
  Speaker 6: Henry Swanson, pale and furtive, climbed aboard.
• 16:29
  Speaker 3: Excuse me, sir.
• 16:30
  Speaker 5: It's quite all right.
• 16:32
  Speaker 12: Do you remember the phone call?
• 16:33
  Speaker 3: Yes.
• 16:34
  Speaker 12: Oh, thank heaven. Get off at the next corner and
• 16:36
  Speaker 12: follow me.
• 16:37
  Speaker 3: Where are you going?
• 16:38
  Speaker 7: There's an excavation for a building about a block down.
• 16:41
  Speaker 7: Make sure you aren't followed.
• 16:43
  Speaker 12: I'll go first.
• 16:55
  Speaker 3: Burkhart.
• 16:57
  Speaker 12: Here, behind the fence.
• 17:00
  Speaker 3: All right, now. Henry, what's this all about?
• 17:02
  Speaker 12: I'm not sure....
• 17:04
  Speaker 7: First I thought perhaps they were Russians. Now I'm beginning
• 17:07
  Speaker 7: to think they're Martians. No humans could have accomplished what
• 17:10
  Speaker 7: they've accomplished.
• 17:11
  Speaker 3: Now, wait a minute. Start from the beginning, Henry. What's
• 17:13
  Speaker 3: going on?
• 17:14
  Speaker 12: Look, Burkhardt, peculiar things have been happening to you, right?
• 17:19
  Speaker 11: Yes.
• 17:20
  Speaker 12: A lot of your friends are missing. Your house seems changed.
• 17:22
  Speaker 3: There's something stranger than that. The date. Today is June 15th.
• 17:28
  Speaker 3: Yet I could swear yesterday was June 15th and the
• 17:30
  Speaker 3: day before that.
• 17:31
  Speaker 12: You got it, friend. It's always June 15th. And you
• 17:34
  Speaker 12: and I are the only ones who know it.
• 17:37
  Speaker 3: Why, Henry? How?
• 17:39
  Speaker 12: I'm not sure. I think it's some sort of mass
• 17:42
  Speaker 12: hypnosis or something.
• 17:43
  Speaker 3: Well, why doesn't it work for us? My wife, Mary,
• 17:46
  Speaker 3: doesn't remember a thing.
• 17:47
  Speaker 12: Somehow, when it happened, they missed us.
• 17:50
  Speaker 7: We were protected from the full force of the rays
• 17:53
  Speaker 7: or whatever they used.
• 17:56
  Speaker 12: Burkhardt, where were you on the night of the 14th
• 17:58
  Speaker 12: about midnight?
• 18:00
  Speaker 3: You say that was Sunday night?
• 18:01
  Speaker 7: Yes.
• 18:03
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I was down in the cellar under the boat
• 18:05
  Speaker 3: I'm building.
• 18:06
  Speaker 12: And I was in my darkroom developing some pictures.
• 18:09
  Speaker 3: This just doesn't make any sense to me. Russians, Martians.
• 18:13
  Speaker 3: What makes you think that?
• 18:14
  Speaker 12: I've seen them.
• 18:16
  Speaker 11: Where?
• 18:17
  Speaker 12: At the end of the tunnel.
• 18:18
  Speaker 3: What tunnel?
• 18:19
  Speaker 12: The one they built under Tylertown. A tunnel under Tylertown? Yes,
• 18:23
  Speaker 12: that's right. It's made out of copper or some alloy.
• 18:27
  Speaker 3: Copper? Wait a minute. I found a copper layer under
• 18:30
  Speaker 3: my cellar floor last night.
• 18:31
  Speaker 12: So did I. That's how I discovered it. I found
• 18:35
  Speaker 12: a way to get in, too. It's at the bottom
• 18:37
  Speaker 12: of this excavation.
• 18:39
  Speaker 3: Holy mackerel. Henry, why don't we tell the police?
• 18:41
  Speaker 12: Because we can't trust them. Even the police may be
• 18:44
  Speaker 12: Martians in disguise.
• 18:45
  Speaker 3: Oh, come on. Now you're being melodramatic.
• 18:47
  Speaker 12: Oh, am I? Well, you just come with me.
• 18:49
  Speaker 3: Where?
• 18:50
  Speaker 12: Into the tunnel.
• 18:50
  Speaker 3: I'll show you.
• 18:58
  Speaker 6: Henry Swanson led Guy Burkhardt to a small hole on
• 19:01
  Speaker 6: the side of the excavation. There he removed a cut-out
• 19:03
  Speaker 6: piece of metallic substance and they crawled into a dimly
• 19:06
  Speaker 6: lighted tunnel. They walked for what seemed like two miles
• 19:09
  Speaker 6: until Swanson held his finger to his lips.
• 19:14
  Speaker 3: We've got to be quiet now. Henry, this is fantastic.
• 19:18
  Speaker 3: We've got a tunnel right under the whole town.
• 19:20
  Speaker 7: Oh, you haven't seen anything yet. There's a room a
• 19:23
  Speaker 7: little farther down. We'll be able to look through a glass.
• 19:26
  Speaker 12: In the door.
• 19:27
  Speaker 3: Is it safe?
• 19:29
  Speaker 12: It's perfectly safe unless one of them comes along.
• 19:32
  Speaker 7: Come on.
• 19:33
  Speaker 3: Okay.
• 19:38
  Speaker 12: Here.
• 19:40
  Speaker 7: Burkhardt, look through this glass. Now, just so I know
• 19:44
  Speaker 7: I'm not completely insane, tell me what you see.
• 19:47
  Speaker 3: Go to Lord. Well, a tremendous panel with dozens of telescreens.
• 19:56
  Speaker 3: And in front of each of them is a servo robot.
• 20:00
  Speaker 3: They seem to be computing something. Yes, I've watched.
• 20:02
  Speaker 7: They're evaluating data from the screens.
• 20:06
  Speaker 3: Have you gotten a chance to look at the data
• 20:08
  Speaker 3: on those screens?
• 20:09
  Speaker 12: No. I've been afraid of going. There might be a
• 20:13
  Speaker 12: warning circuit somewhere.
• 20:15
  Speaker 3: Well, if we knew what those robots were working on,
• 20:18
  Speaker 3: we could go to the authorities. I'll risk it if
• 20:21
  Speaker 3: you will. All right, it's worth the chance. We're lost anyway. Okay.
• 20:28
  Speaker 12: Open the door.
• 20:36
  Speaker 3: So far, so good.
• 20:37
  Speaker 12: Come on.
• 20:39
  Speaker 3: Let's take a look at that data.
• 20:40
  Speaker 12: Don't interfere with the robots.
• 20:42
  Speaker 3: Don't worry. Here, let's look at this screen. Listen to this.
• 20:49
  Speaker 3: Tests in the 47K12 group with Marlon cigarettes pulled 80%
• 20:54
  Speaker 3: using the soft feminine approach. Indications are that an extension
• 20:58
  Speaker 3: of this approach would influence at least 70% nationwide. The
• 21:03
  Speaker 3: direct elevator pitch pulled only 10%. This should be abandoned
• 21:06
  Speaker 3: and a new series of high persuasion personal elements introduced.
• 21:11
  Speaker 12: Henry, do you know what this means?
• 21:13
  Speaker 3: I haven't the faintest idea. I don't blame you. This
• 21:16
  Speaker 3: is crazy, but it fits the facts when I think
• 21:18
  Speaker 3: about it. Do you know who's behind this?
• 21:21
  Speaker 12: Martians?
• 21:22
  Speaker 3: No, not Martians, Henry. Humans. What? Humans who are interested
• 21:26
  Speaker 3: in developing the perfect propaganda machine.
• 21:28
  Speaker 7: What?
• 21:28
  Speaker 3: I don't know who they are or how they've done it,
• 21:31
  Speaker 3: but somehow they've taken Tyler Town over. Hypnosis? Hypnosis, drugs,
• 21:37
  Speaker 3: maybe some kind of array or something. However they do it.
• 21:39
  Speaker 3: What happens is that they let us live through a
• 21:41
  Speaker 3: single day. During that day, they pour all kinds of
• 21:44
  Speaker 3: suggestions and propaganda into us. At the end of the day,
• 21:47
  Speaker 3: they evaluate the results. See how we've reacted. And at midnight,
• 21:51
  Speaker 3: they wash the day out of our minds. And the
• 21:53
  Speaker 3: next morning, we start the same day over again with
• 21:55
  Speaker 3: different stimuli.
• 21:56
  Speaker 12: Do you know what that means, Henry?
• 21:58
  Speaker 3: Suppose one man learned how to influence people 100%. Why,
• 22:02
  Speaker 3: in a year, he could sell us anything from freezers
• 22:04
  Speaker 3: to political candidates. Wait a minute. We're guinea pigs, Henry.
• 22:08
  Speaker 3: This whole community is one big test tube for Dorchan's
• 22:11
  Speaker 3: propaganda research.
• 22:12
  Speaker 12: Berg, what do we do?
• 22:13
  Speaker 3: I don't know, but somehow we've got to get out
• 22:15
  Speaker 3: of this town and get to the FBI.
• 22:16
  Speaker 12: How do you think we can?
• 22:17
  Speaker 3: It's worth a try. Come on. Wait. What is it?
• 22:21
  Speaker 12: Look through the door. There's somebody coming down the tunnel.
• 22:24
  Speaker 3: We've got to hide.
• 22:25
  Speaker 12: Behind the circuit box.
• 22:29
  Speaker 3: Good Lord, it's Dorchan, the head of the research institute.
• 22:40
  Speaker 5: All right, Burkhart, come out.
• 22:44
  Speaker 9: We know you're in this room. Miss Horne has informed
• 22:48
  Speaker 9: us that you remember. I must warn you that it's
• 22:53
  Speaker 9: useless to buck us. Come out peacefully. Let our maintenance
• 22:58
  Speaker 9: crew adjust you properly so you don't remember from one
• 23:01
  Speaker 9: experiment to the next. It will be quite painless. If
• 23:07
  Speaker 9: you don't come out peacefully, we'll have to get you.
• 23:11
  Speaker 3: Take this wrench. When I give the word, jump in.
• 23:14
  Speaker 12: But he may be armed.
• 23:15
  Speaker 3: We've got nothing to lose. Very well.
• 23:19
  Speaker 5: I'm coming after you.
• 23:22
  Speaker 12: No!
• 23:28
  Speaker 3: Burkhart, I've killed him.
• 23:29
  Speaker 4: Wait.
• 23:30
  Speaker 3: Get his coat unbuttoned. Maybe his heart is still beating. Henry!
• 23:36
  Speaker 8: What is it?
• 23:36
  Speaker 3: What's wrong? Look underneath his coat. Heaven help us. It's
• 23:41
  Speaker 3: a robot. A humanoid robot designed to look like Dorchin.
• 23:46
  Speaker 12: Come on, let's get out of here.
• 23:47
  Speaker 3: Wait.
• 23:48
  Speaker 12: What's that?
• 23:48
  Speaker 3: The loudspeaker.
• 23:49
  Speaker 5: I told you it was useless, gentlemen. Who are you?
• 23:53
  Speaker 9: Mr.
• 23:54
  Speaker 5: Dorchin, naturally. The real Mr. Dorchin.
• 23:58
  Speaker 3: What are you trying to do to us?
• 24:00
  Speaker 9: Merely trying to prevent you from damaging my experiment, gentlemen.
• 24:04
  Speaker 3: You can't get away with this, Dorchin. Sooner or later, somebody,
• 24:07
  Speaker 3: the FBI or somebody, is going to get wind of
• 24:09
  Speaker 3: this madness.
• 24:09
  Speaker 5: Really, Burkhardt, you're quite naive.
• 24:13
  Speaker 9: Now, why not be reasonable and let the maintenance crews
• 24:15
  Speaker 9: adjust you?
• 24:17
  Speaker 3: And if I refuse, I suppose you'll kill me.
• 24:20
  Speaker 5: That would be quite impossible.
• 24:22
  Speaker 11: Oh?
• 24:23
  Speaker 5: You see, Burkhardt, you're already dead.
• 24:28
  Speaker 3: Dead?
• 24:29
  Speaker 5: You're shocked. It's quite true. You and everyone else in
• 24:34
  Speaker 5: this town.
• 24:35
  Speaker 9: were killed by a premature atomic blast at the Chondro
• 24:38
  Speaker 9: chemical plant. The blast occurred at 7 a.m.
• 24:41
  Speaker 5: On June 15th.
• 24:43
  Speaker 9: That is the last thing imprinted on your minds. That
• 24:46
  Speaker 9: is why you wake up screaming each morning.
• 24:48
  Speaker 3: No, it isn't true.
• 24:49
  Speaker 5: But it is.
• 24:51
  Speaker 9: What I and my associates did was take the brain
• 24:53
  Speaker 9: circuits from your dead bodies. We stored them in electrochemical
• 24:56
  Speaker 9: batteries till we had a chance to rebuild the cities
• 24:59
  Speaker 9: and begin our tests.
• 25:01
  Speaker 3: Do you think I believe a fantastic tale like that?
• 25:04
  Speaker 9: I imagine you find it incredible. Of course, we didn't
• 25:07
  Speaker 9: rebuild everything exactly. After all, it only has to last
• 25:11
  Speaker 9: for a single day, June 15th.
• 25:14
  Speaker 5: At midnight, we turn off the power and wash out
• 25:16
  Speaker 5: the memory of the day.
• 25:18
  Speaker 9: You and your friend Swanson, unfortunately, have defective circuits.
• 25:22
  Speaker 5: You remember.
• 25:23
  Speaker 3: Burkhart, it's no use.
• 25:24
  Speaker 12: We're trapped.
• 25:25
  Speaker 3: Give up. No, not me.
• 25:26
  Speaker 12: What can we do?
• 25:27
  Speaker 3: We can make a run for it down the tunnel.
• 25:28
  Speaker 3: Come on.
• 25:29
  Speaker 5: It's useless, Burkhart.
• 25:30
  Speaker 3: Keep going.
• 25:31
  Speaker 5: It's useless. Useless. Useless.
• 25:49
  Speaker 3: Now, now, this door is open. It opens.
• 25:53
  Speaker 5: Oh, no.
• 25:58
  Speaker 3: No, I don't believe it. Swanson, look.
• 26:08
  Speaker 6: They were standing on a ledge of smooth, finished metal.
• 26:12
  Speaker 6: At their feet, the ledge dropped away into a chasm
• 26:15
  Speaker 6: so deep they could not see the bottom. Beyond was
• 26:19
  Speaker 6: only a glare so bright that their eyes could not
• 26:22
  Speaker 6: stand to look into it. And yet, just at the
• 26:27
  Speaker 6: limit of their vision, something towered. Something so huge it
• 26:33
  Speaker 6: was almost inconceivable.
• 26:36
  Speaker 3: Something.
• 26:37
  Speaker 5: Worker?
• 26:39
  Speaker 9: Yes?
• 26:40
  Speaker 5: This is Dorton. Now do you understand why it's useless?
• 26:44
  Speaker 3: Yes. The great looming figure moved closer.
• 26:49
  Speaker 6: It seemed to take shape now, and yet it was
• 26:53
  Speaker 6: so gigantic as to be unbelievable.
• 26:56
  Speaker 3: It came closer. The glare was partially blocked.
• 27:00
  Speaker 6: And then, Guy Burkhardt knew that the towering shape was
• 27:05
  Speaker 6: none other than Dorchin himself.
• 27:08
  Speaker 9: You see how I did it, Burkhardt? I took your
• 27:12
  Speaker 9: brain circuits and had them reduced. so they could be
• 27:16
  Speaker 9: transferred to tiny humanoid mannequins. That's what you are, Burkhart.
• 27:22
  Speaker 5: A tiny miniature of yourself.
• 27:25
  Speaker 9: And this city, this whole experiment I'm conducting, is built
• 27:30
  Speaker 9: on a tabletop.
• 27:45
  Speaker 6: It was the morning of June 15th, and Guy Burkhardt
• 27:50
  Speaker 6: woke up out of a dream, screaming.
• 28:11
  Speaker 4: You have just heard X-1, presented by the National Broadcasting
• 28:14
  Speaker 4: Company in cooperation with Galaxy Science Fiction Magazine, which this
• 28:19
  Speaker 4: month features another story by tonight's author, Frederick Pohl. It's
• 28:23
  Speaker 4: the second installment of his novel, Slaveship. Your announcer, Fred Collins.
• 28:29
  Speaker 4: X-1 was directed by Daniel Sutter and is an NBC
• 28:33
  Speaker 4: Radio Network production.
• 28:43
  Speaker 1: Our visit with X-1 and Tunnel Under the World now
• 28:46
  Speaker 1: draws to a close.
• 28:47
  Speaker 3: Good night.