There is nothing wrong with your television set.
Do not attempt to adjust the picture.
We are controlling transmission.
We will control the horizontal.
We will control the vertical.
We can change the focus to a soft blur
or sharpen it to crystal clarity.
For the next hour, sit quietly
and we will control all that you see and hear.
You are about to participate in a great adventure.
You are about to experience the awe and mystery
which reaches from the inner mind to...
In Northern Greenland,
the mountains stand like a wall
along Victoria channel, whose straight course
marks the line of the Great Napin Fault.
Until recently, not even the Eskimos
ventured into this arctic waste.
But today, as in other lonely places of the world,
the land is dominated
by those instruments of detection
which stand as a grim reminder
of man's fear of man.
This is Point Taboo, a name given
this predominantly underground base
by a young officer who explained
that the letters in Taboo
stood for total abandonment of better understanding.
Some 200 men and a few women
make this their permanent residence.
Their task is to maintain a constant alert
against enemy attack,
and be prepared to respond to it devastatingly.
It's completely accident-proof, Colonel.
Yeah?
This lid's shielding keeps the radiation
at a safe level.
Fissionable components are separated
by graphite neutron absorbers.
There can't possibly be a detonation
unless the absorbers are removed.
And how's that done?
By this bar.
When it goes down, the absorbents are ejected.
The bomb explodes instantly.
Of course, the bar is locked in place.
It won't be unlocked until the bomb
is installed at the Isthmus.
And the keys to the lock?
There's only one key. I have it.
Then I must have that key.
Major Brothers!
I am the project engineer!
The Hekla Isthmus must be destroyed!
Now, hand over that key, Major Giles!
We've wasted enough time already!
But Major Brothers...
The Isthmus must be destroyed!
Attention, all personnel.
The disturbance you have just experienced
was a minor earthquake.
It's here. It's finally here.
Our instruments have detected that the epicenter
is near the Hekla Isthmus.
Other minor shocks may be expected
during the next 24 hours.
It's coming to get us! It's coming to get us!
Brothers!
Major!
If this machine works, it will be possible
for 2 minds to communicate directly,
to share the same thoughts and emotions simultaneously.
Emotions?
The psychiatrist.
The intellect is a useful but devious friend.
This machine will let me know
what the subject is really feeling
way down underneath the intellect.
I'm not sure
I want to go through with it.
Be a good girl.
Take a look at the oscilloscope.
Why, you can't tell too much
from that, can you?
Not too much, but in a moment,
I may know what you're really feeling.
Because I intend to amplify those waves
and feed them back through the machine
into a terminal instrument,
which is capable of translating them back
into the thoughts and emotions that produced them.
And that terminal instrument is my own brain.
So, that during the experiment,
our 2 minds will be joined.
To put it simply,
your thoughts will be in my head.
And yours will be in mine.
Right. Now, relax.
I'm bringing up the power.
I'm sorry, Dr. Hamilton.
You got a shock, didn't you?
Well, I...
I simply had no idea
that you... Thought of me that way.
Well...
The experiment was a total success.
I'll arrange for my transfer in the morning.
Transfer? Why?
N-now wait a minute, Ingrid.
Let's look at this objectively.
You don't happen to be a patient,
but when I do have a patient, it's...
A big part of my job is to... to help him
discover those secret wishes
and fantasies and bring them out
in the open, and when that's done...
Human factor center.
Yes, Colonel, yes.
Oh, he's right here, just a moment.
It's Colonel Campbell.
Yes, Colonel, what can I do for you?
I hope you can do something
for Major Brothers.
I'd hate to lose my top engineer,
but right now I'd call him a sick man.
When can you see him?
Well, I can see him right away.
Can you brief me?
Hang on a minute.
Hamilton's in.
Go have a talk with him.
Talk won't drive it away, Colonel.
Our only hope is to find out
where it is hiding and destroy it.
I want you to explain that to Dr. Hamilton.
Might've been the bump on the head
he got last night.
He insists the base is invaded
by some kind of alien being.
Well, uh, I call you
after I've talked with him.
No,
it's Dr. Hamilton I'm thinking of.
Uh, he needs someone who's intelligent,
efficient, and unemotional.
Yes, by morning.
Ingrid... secret thoughts
have a... have a way
of losing their effectiveness
when they aren't secret anymore.
I'm not leaving you, Dr. Hamilton,
because I'm embarrassed or ashamed,
but I'm not...
But I'm not exactly what you'd call
a masochist, either.
You see, while I was experiencing
your thoughts and emotions,
I felt your wisdom and your courage,
your gentleness, many lovely things,
but no love, only curiosity
and dedication, devotion...
And all for your work.
You don't need a woman or a wife.
Good afternoon, Major Brothers.
Good morning, Major.
Colonel Campbell told me
you were coming.
Colonel Campbell ordered me to come.
Well, you're not under arrest,
and if you don't mind
losing your escort, we can
be alone in the laboratory.
Have a seat, Major. Relax.
You know, it seems to me
that someone here on this base
wants me declared mentally incompetent.
But you will soon learn
that I'm not.
Well, go ahead, doctor.
Throw some tests at me. What is it?
Uh, calculus, tensor analysis, huh?
Round the rugged rock
the ragged rascal ran.
Heh heh heh!
That used to be a test for sanity.
You know, people with dementia
could never say that.
Round the rugged rock
the ragged rascal ran.
Round the rugged rock the ragged rascal ran.
Heh heh!
Fine. Then we can cross that off.
Nothing wrong with your speech centers.
Care for coffee?
I don't drink.
I've given up all habits that may...
Affect my nerves or weaken my mind
and my body.
These are, uh...
A lot healthier.
Sunflower seeds.
Heh. As the old woman said
as she kissed the cow,
each to our own tastes.
Now, just why do you think
that anyone on this base wants you declared
mentally incompetent?
We live in a world of cowards, Dr. Hamilton.
Every man is afraid of his brother,
and most men try to hide from that awful fact.
Even here, the men are afraid
to see the evil that is here on this base,
and they're responsible for it!
Responsible in what way?
If they had let me finish my job in time,
this base would've been safe now.
And your job was to remove
the Hekla Isthmus?
Annihilate it!
Blow it out of existence with atomic explosives.
Look, I'll show you.
Here.
This is the Victoria Channel.
Over here is the Baffin Strait.
This Ridge separating the two
is the Hekla Isthmus,
a mountain about a half a mile long.
And with this mountain gone,
there would've been a submarine channel
all the way through west to Alaska,
and that was my job...
To get rid of that mountain and the thing on it.
You, uh... You said something
I didn't quite understand.
You... you said the mountain...
And the thing on it.
That's why it's too late!
Because the thing that should've been
destroyed along with the Isthmus...
It's now here on this base!
Thing? Can you describe it?
Is it human? Alive?
Tell me, uh...
Tell me about the accident
last night, when you hurt
your head during the earthquake.
That was no earthquake.
Of course it was an earthquake.
After all, we're only a few miles
from the Baffin Fault.
We have these minor shocks fairly often.
Oh, you think that do you, huh?
Don't you realize that all the preparatory
work on the Isthmus has been destroyed?
All the shafts caved in
before we could plant the atomic cartridges?
That's exactly the same kind of damage
that an earthquake would have.
But it wasn't! It wasn't an earthquake!
It was the thing,
moving... breaking out...
Splitting the crevasse,
coming out...
And it must... It must be destroyed
before it destroys us.
To prevent it I'm willing to stake my life.
I mean that.
Risk my life.
You don't believe me do you, huh?
Yes.
Yes, I believe you.
You believe that I...
I saw it? The thing?
Major...
Self-sacrifice is a rare thing.
You must've had a very valid reason.
I want to know that reason
and be able to understand it.
Would you be willing to
participate in a rather
sophisticated experiment?
It would help me believe in you.
What is it? Some sort of a lie detector test?
It's a little more than that.
Are you afraid of it?
No.
No crime to be afraid.
It's a crime to run away from fear.
When I was a kid, I never did that.
Then you won't do it now.
Are you, uh...
Right-handed?
Yes.
Why? What has that got to do with it?
It's, uh...
It means that your speech center,
where you do most of your thinking,
will be a little on the left side.
What's happening?
Nothing. I'm just adjusting the controls.
Is thing gonna hurt?
No.
No, I'm...
I'm just raising the amplification.
Dr. Hamilton?
Unh. Major Brothers?
I'm here, Dr. Hamilton.
Incredible.
I am Dr. Hamilton.
My mind, my memories.
But I have your body.
And your Major Brothers with mine.
All right.
Come on, sit back in the chair
and we'll try to...
We'll try to undo it.
Guards!
What are you doing?
Take Major Brothers to the hospital
and see that he's locked in a safe room.
Now, wait a minute, men.
Now, I'm not Major Brothers.
I am Dr. Hamilton.
I was exploring Major Brothers' mind
when the earthquake caused a, uh...
Power surge and it reversed our minds.
Now just a minute, I can prove everything I said.
Let me conduct some tests.
Look, will you call Colonel Campbell, please?
Now I can prove that I am Dr. Hamilton.
Now just listen to me!
I was born in Billings, Montana.
I went to the University of Chicago.
I served my internship at the Menenger clinic.
Now I can prove everything I say. Listen...
This man is trying to destroy
everyone on this base!
I'll call and order a strong sedative.
I was born in Billings, Montana...
And I went to the University of Chicago.
And I'm going to destroy everyone on this base.
Dr. Soldini...
I know you.
I know you!
I know both your sons... Joe and Lou.
Dr. Soldini, we played chess last week.
You trapped me with a knight sacrifice
on the seventh move.
Now ask me anything you want to know
about Dr. Hamilton and I'll tell you.
He sure made a thorough study of Dr. Hamilton.
Dr. Hamilton was telling me
he had a patient once
thought he was Albert Einstein.
This man not only knew every detail
of Einstein's private life,
but he could talk very lucidly
on the theory of relativity.
Dr. Soldini, I must stay awake.
Now someone has to listen to me!
Unh. Look...
The man that you think is Hamilton
is Major Brothers.
He's sick with guilt
and thinks that the base should be punished.
He's out to destroy it!
He's out to destroy us all!
Put him to bed.
He'll be out for some time.
Dr. Hamilton's here, Colonel.
Oh, come in, Jim.
Sit down. Sergeant,
get Dr. Hamilton his coffee.
I came to talk about Major Brothers.
Yes, how is he?
Not much hope.
I was afraid of that.
Well, I'll have him invalided home
on the next plane.
Before you'd do that I'd like to investigate
a little further.
I understand he struck his head
against an atomic cartridge.
That's right. I was right there and saw it.
It occurred to me that he might've received
a strong dosage of radiation
at the same time in the brain.
We know that ionizing radiation
can cause serious damage to the other organs.
There's no reason why the brain should be immune.
Might be.
Except that there was very little radiation.
I had Giles check that in particular.
In view of Major Brothers' condition,
I'd like to see that atomic cartridge myself.
If you think it's necessary.
But you see, Jim,
now that I have reason to think back on it,
I realize that Brothers
has been a sick man for some time,
and getting sicker.
That's not true!
Jim, I'm not trying to be the doctor.
Your coffee's getting cold.
Eh?
I only mean that I've worked
with the man a long time
and I've seen him change.
Change? How?
Well, it all started about 6 months ago.
They were out on a small
surveying party out on the Isthmus.
One of his men didn't come back.
Private Gorden.
You must remember the incident.
Yes. Yes, I remember.
Apparently, Gordon fell into a crevasse,
and it was impossible to get him out,
at least that's the way Brothers reported it.
Well, it was true, wasn't it?
Well, I wish I knew.
Brothers was quite upset
when he halted work to investigate.
Called it an unnecessary delay.
It served no purpose.
No, because by the time
the rescue party got there
fresh snow had covered everything,
so we had to take Brothers' word.
But during the investigation,
one of the men said they wanted to
attempt a rescue,
but Brothers wouldn't permit it.
The man in the crevasse may have been dead.
An officer must think of the welfare
of all of his men,
not risk their lives on a possibility.
That's exactly what Brothers said.
How did you know?
Well, I... I heard it from him
when he was in my office yesterday.
Oh, yes, of course.
I forgot that you fellas can find out anything.
Anyway, Brothers left Gordon there.
And, as an officer, he may have done
exactly the right thing,
but sometimes it's more important
to be a man than an officer.
And if I'd have been there,
I'd have gone down into that crevasse.
I don't care if they broke me back to private.
I wouldn't leave one of my men
down in that ice
if there was a whispering chance
of getting him out alive.
What's wrong Jim? You look sick.
It's nothing.
You keep your office too warm.
You usually complain that I keep it too cold.
Anyway, it was after that
that Brothers began to change.
That's when he started talking
about courage, devotion to duty,
complaining about delays.
It was almost as though he wanted
to destroy the Isthmus
because that's where Gordon's body lay.
That's why I don't think bumping his head
on that atomic cartridge
had anything to do with it.
But of course, if you think otherwise,
you'd better look into it.
Yes. I'd like Major Brothers
to have every chance.
I'd like to see that atomic cartridge
as soon as possible.
In that case, I'll call Major Giles
and tell him you have my permission.
I think he should be there to explain things.
Heh heh. He'll have to be there.
I slept on it.
And you were right about secrets seeming
less effective when they're out in the open.
Or maybe they're more effective.
What is it?
Get out! Go back where you belong!
Stop accusing!
Go! It was your fault, not mine!
There was nothing I could do!
Dr. Hamilton!
Get out!
What are you doing here?
I don't understand.
Surely I must have a pistol.
Thank you, that's all.
Dr. Hamilton...
That's all!
Get me Major Giles.
Yes, Dr. Hamilton.
Major Giles...
Can you meet me in front of the atomic storeroom?
About 10 minutes?
Good.
"Major Brothers arrived at lab, 4:15.
"Behavior pattern of deep guilt.
"Feelings of persecution
mixed with delusions of grandeur."
"Every man is afraid of his brother.
Does he mean every man is afraid of Brothers?"
"Nervous habit of eating sunflower seeds."
"But what is this thing he sees?"
Should I link my mind with his to find out?
"It worked with Ingrid."
Yes?
No, he isn't here at the moment.
Oh, I'm glad to hear that Major Brothers
is feeling better this morning.
What?
He's stopped insisting that he's Dr. Hamilton?
262? Yes, sir, just a moment.
I'm sorry, miss Larkin, Sgt. Peterson has to OK
all visits with Major Brothers.
Well...
May I have Major Brothers' chart, please?
Miss Larkin.
Uh, Dr. Hamilton asked...
Excuse me, please. Just let me make these notes
before I forget what he said.
I, uh, hear he was insisting that he's Dr. Hamilton.
He stopped that.
Well, is he calm enough for me to talk to him?
Well, Dr. Hamilton asked me to.
Just give me a minute.
Stay at your post.
Major Giles and I won't need you.
Regulations, doctor. No one, not even myself,
is allowed in the storeroom alone.
You won't be alone. I'll be with you.
You men remain outside.
Sorry, sir. Orders.
I told you to remain out...
What difference does it make? They won't be in the way.
It's simply that I see no reason why more than 2 of us
should be exposed to the dangers of radiation.
I know you're thinking about the welfare of others, doctor,
but really, there's no need to worry. No danger at all.
He's right in there.
You'll have to talk to him through the grill.
Tell me who I am.
Ingrid.
Ingrid!
What did I tell you yesterday?
You told me that you loved me.
Look in my eyes.
Here.
Dr. Hamilton.
I'll tell them.
No, wait. Listen.
They won't believe you.
That's what I've been trying to tell them myself,
and they wouldn't listen,
and now there's so little time.
Major Brothers' mind is in my body.
He means to destroy the base.
Ingrid, you've got to get me out of here.
How?
The keys. You've got to get the keys.
Keys?
There.
You see? Even in direct contact,
the radiation level is quite low.
Of course, if a man stayed here for several hours,
he might become contaminated.
But this control bar,
suppose his head struck that and jarred it enough to move
the neutron absorbers. Couldn't that have caused
a temporary burst of radiation?
No. It can't move.
The safety controls are perfect.
No controls are perfect.
How is the bar released?
With a key.
How did you find him, miss Larkin?
I think I'll have to talk to Dr. Hamilton again.
Would you mind calling his office for me?
Not at all. What's his extension?
26...
Heh. Imagine forgetting your own number.
Here, I'll look it up for you.
Heh heh.
Oh, yes. Here it is.
It's 269.
Mind handing those to me, miss?
Hand you what?
The keys.
Oh, yes, of course.
Thanks.
But if the key releases this lever bar,
it can't be absolutely motionless when locked.
There'd have to be some play in it.
Maybe microscopic, but when you're dealing
with radioactive materials,
even a micron too much can be deadly.
You don't seem to understand very much
about safety devices, doctor.
It's not they kind of a key that you turn.
It's a magnetic key.
It fits into those 2 openings there,
and releases the controls by magnetic force.
There's no movement at all.
Well, what does such a key look like?
Well, I can't see what bearing that has
on the case of Major Brothers, doctor,
but if you're interested, I can show it to you.
First, I'll need the key that unlocks the key.
Hey, what are you doing?!
Open it up!
Now, these 2 prongs,
actually 2 magnetic poles,
fit into these 2 openings
here on the cartridge.
And if that were done,
then the cartridge would be turned into a...
An atom bomb?
Well, not quite.
In order to show you how perfect
these safety devices are...
Now you still can't move the bar.
Go ahead, try it.
I don't know. He just ran out.
Call security. Give the general alarm.
Tell them the man is dangerous.
Hello, security? Send out a general alarm.
So, you see?
The chances of the thing going off accidentally
are nonexistent.
Well, then, how do you release the controls?
Well, it's simply a matter of adjusting this dial here
to release the safety.
Wait. I didn't see that.
Attention all personnel.
Colonel Campbell speaking.
Major Robert Brothers
has just escaped from the hospital.
I repeat, Major Roger Brothers.
He is dangerous.
I repeat, dangerous.
Anyone seeing him, notify security immediately.
Dr. Hamilton,
return to your office immediately.
The key. Put it back.
You were showing me how the dial works.
You heard Colonel Campbell.
You're wanted in your office at once.
No, he hasn't returned yet.
No, he didn't tell me where he was going.
All I can do is let you know when he comes in.
Where is he?
Watch out!
The electrodes! Hurry!
Go ahead, kill me.
That's what everyone wants to do. Kill me.
I'm not trying to kill you.
I'm trying to save you.
Turn it on.
The gun!
Uhh. Help me.
Help me.
The electrodes. Hurry.
Tell me what to do.
Amplifica... Amplification.
Raise the amplification.
Dr. Hamilton.
No.
No, Ingrid. I'm here.
Yesterday, I found out that you loved me.
I didn't place much value on it, Ingrid.
I'm sorry.
I guess I just never needed it.
Heh.
Too many people need it.
What this world needs
is more people who want it.
How did you know
it was my mind in Brothers' body?
I thought you knew.
It's your mind that attracts me most.
I felt him die.
Did you find out what death is?
No.
But I'm sure for Major Brothers,
it's more pleasant than life.
He's free now of the ghost of private Gorden.
The ghost?
An hallucination.
A creation of his own guilt-ridden mind.
When they ask you how he died,
what'll you tell them?
Only the truth.
Major Brothers shot himself.
A weapon?
No, only an instrument,
neither good nor evil until men put it to use,
and then, like so many of man's inventions,
it can be used either to save lives
or destroy them,
to make men sane or to drive them mad,
to increase human understanding
or to betray it.
But it will be men who make the choice.
By itself, the instrument is nothing
until you add the human factor.
We now return control of your television set to you
until next week at this same time,
when the control voice will take you to...