Adventures in time and space told in future tense.
The National Broadcasting Company, in cooperation with Street and Smith, publishers of astounding
science fiction, bring you Dimension X.
Twenty years had passed since the last of the giant migration ships had crashed to the
surface of Mars, bearing its pitiful handful of survivors of the Earth Wars.
Twenty years of scratching of the stubborn Martian soil.
Twenty years of trying to devise new solar engines that would use the strange fuel they
found on Mars.
Twenty years of longing, of turning eyes toward the green Earth as it hung on the horizon
like a beckoning light.
And now it was done, and the first new ship, built of shining Martian chromaton, had lifted
bravely toward home with three men locked in its metal belly.
Would they return to an Earth made barren by cosmic dust, to a blackened radioactive
hell?
Or would they find intelligence still alive on the scourged planet?
What had twenty years of death and radioactivity done to our beloved Earth?
That's it, Captain.
We've intersected the course vector.
Williams.
Yes, sir.
Prepare for deceleration.
Forward, fishing ready, Captain.
Read us off, Athens.
We landed the gravitational field of the Earth in exactly ten seconds.
Nine, eight, seven, eight.
Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three.
Fire two and four.
One, two, three.
Two and four.
What's our momentum, Evans?
Negative three.
Fire one.
One.
Negative four now.
Steady as she goes.
How are we?
On parabola now.
If we can hold, we should breach the heavy side layer, somewhere north of what used to
be Mimansk.
Let's have a look at her.
Visor, please.
Yes, sir.
Mother Earth.
Twenty years.
We're going home, Evans.
We're going home.
Home to what, Captain?
Home to a burned out, radioactive planet that is incapable of supporting human life?
Evans and I don't agree with that, Williams.
We think the Earth is ready for us again.
That she'll give us another chance.
I'm sorry, Captain, but I was born and brought up on Mars under the new central government.
We younger men disagree with you about migrating back to Earth.
For us, Mars is home.
Well, we'll see.
If there is some form of life on Earth, we'll find out soon enough.
Williams, head for New York.
There it is, Captain.
You can barely see the top of the Atomic Trades building in the twilight.
They never finished building it.
Dark as a tomb.
Slow to cruising speed.
Cruising speed.
It begins to look as if Williams is right, Captain.
Not a sign of life on four continents.
Ah, we'll make a radiation check and then head back for Mars.
You agree with me, gentlemen?
That for all practical purposes, the planet is dead?
It's still my captain.
What is it?
Am I going out of my mind?
Look out that way to the west.
Could that be...
By heaven, it is.
Those are lights.
Turn the ship.
Heading west, southwest.
Full speed.
They are lights.
Captain, it's a city, a whole blasted city lit up like a Christmas tree.
Well, what do you think of your dead planet now, Williams?
We shall see, Evans.
Remember, the commission wants evidence of life as we know it.
Desalination negative five.
We're going to take her down.
There's an open area just on the edge of the city.
Yes, sir.
Hold on, gentlemen.
We're about to land.
Landing jacks are down, sir.
Open the airlock.
Close.
All right, gentlemen.
Before we go out, security at all times.
Williams, you have the blast gun.
I have it.
If anyone becomes separated, fire a shot and make for the ship.
How's the radiation, Evans?
Safe enough so far.
This seems to be a light area.
Very well.
Open the lock.
Oh, it's unbelievable.
We've been walking for hours now and not a soul to be seen.
I must be someone.
How do you explain the situation by the way you're in?
Well, I have a very good idea.
There must be someone. How do you explain the lights?
I don't know. Municipal building.
Shall we have a look here, sir? Possibly the records might contain some clue.
Good idea. Keep your weapons ready.
This door is in good working order. Almost as if it had been oiled recently.
Long corridor, lights blazing in every office.
William, stand watch here in the corridor. Fire a blast if you need us.
Yes, sir. Evans, you come with me. We'll start right here with the city clerk's office.
Better check radiation again.
Not enough to do any damage.
Gives you the creeps, doesn't it?
Look at this desk.
Papers crumpled, ink stand.
Just as if somebody came in and worked here every day.
Calendar. June 18th, 1987.
Why, that's the day of the evacuation.
The dust cloud had already blanketed New York and was heading west.
Dog licenses. Hunting permits.
Somehow I have a peculiar feeling that...
Good Lord.
Pick it up, Evans.
Hello?
No answer.
Hello?
I hear something. A scratching sort of noise.
Good day, Doctor.
What?
How are you?
I called to ask some advice about a trepanning problem.
Can you tell me if the lateral cut should be made first?
Hello? Hello?
This is absolutely insane. Hello?
Thank you, Doctor. I'll do that.
By the way, how is your wife Alice?
And the girls?
And your son John?
Fine boy, John.
I'll call again tomorrow.
Goodbye, Doctor.
Hello? Hello?
It's gone dead.
Who was it?
I don't know.
Strange voice carried on a conversation about some surgical operation
without paying the slightest attention to anything I said.
Captain, the lights are out.
Good Lord.
Captains! Captains!
I have a torch. Come on.
Williams, what is it?
I don't know.
You fired a shot?
Yes, sir. Just as the lights went out, I...
I'm sure I saw a figure.
It looked like an old man in a white robe.
It moved across the end of the corridor down that way.
Flash your torch down the heavens.
Nothing there. Are you certain, Williams?
I'm not certain. The lights.
They're on again.
We're going to get to the bottom of this if...
Wait, wait.
What?
Listen. Quietly.
Someone is coming, walking slowly toward the corridor.
Coming closer.
Cover him when he turns the corner.
It'll be a pleasure.
Don't fire unless I give the word.
What?
Shumping Jupiter.
Are you...
Is it really someone or...
Am I having hallucinations?
We're no vision.
No.
No, you seem to be real.
I saw the ship come down.
I thought perhaps I was losing my mind.
It's been so many years.
I'm Captain John Parsons.
These are my assistants, Dr. Evans and Mr. Williams.
We've returned to Earth from Mars.
Oh, then it's happened.
We're not alone anymore.
Forgive me, gentlemen.
I seem moved.
I waited and hoped for so long.
You survived the radiation?
We did.
There are others?
My family were the only ones.
I answered the phone a moment ago.
Who was it?
You heard my voice, Doctor.
Your voice?
To break the loneliness, I've recorded my voice
and rigged up an automatic telephone.
It's pleasant to hear the phone ring.
I come here to do my work.
I take it you're a medical man.
My name is Cornelius Hathaway.
Hathaway.
Hathaway the Brain, Sergeant?
You know my name.
Who doesn't?
I watched you on television at college.
I saw you 23 years ago.
You performed a difficult surgery for a cerebral tumor.
Marvelous.
Thank you.
I'd almost forgotten.
My mind, you see, I'm almost 80 now.
You look fine, sir.
Well, we've had the best of everything.
An entire city to choose from.
Cold storage, the best equipment.
But come, when I saw your ship, I told Alice, my wife, you know,
to prepare a feast.
This is a great day for me, gentlemen.
A great, great day.
This is my wife, gentlemen.
Alice, Captain Parsons, Dr. Evans, and Mr. Williams.
How do you do?
Now, if you'll follow me, gentlemen, we'll meet my children.
Oh, for a beautiful woman.
She looks no more than 35.
These are my daughters, Susan and Marguerite.
This is my son, John.
Oh, how nice to have you.
Sit down, gentlemen, sit down.
We'll have a feast in honor of this occasion.
Susan, Marguerite, get the best silverware and the dammost napkins.
John, fetch the glasses.
Oh, yes, Father.
It'll only take...
Excuse me, John.
Sir?
How old are you?
23, sir.
Thank you.
Now, if you'll excuse me.
What is it, Captain?
Something wrong?
Nothing except that it's impossible.
You see, Dr. Hathaway's son was already in college when I started.
That will make him at least 45.
That was a wonderful meal, Mrs. Hathaway.
Doctor, your wife is an exceptional woman.
Thank you, sir.
How would you gentlemen like some fresh gingerbread with your coffee?
I baked it this morning.
Oh, wonderful.
Smell that, Evans?
Oh, it's like coming home, Mrs. Hathaway.
We enjoy having you here.
Mrs. Hathaway, may I compliment you on your having preserved your youth and beauty so well.
Thank you.
We have had no worries here, no competition.
Only the things we need for material comfort.
Parsons and I were wondering, Dr. Hathaway, if the radioactivity had any effect in preserving tissue.
Your children all look so young, too.
It is possible, gentlemen, of course.
Radiation does strange things to living tissue.
Alice, could we have some champagne?
Of course. I'll only be a moment.
An amazing woman. Did you ever see such grace?
Such complete relaxation.
It doesn't seem quite natural.
I beg your pardon, gentlemen.
Captain Parsons was just about to ask how you and your family managed to escape, Dr. Hathaway.
We were very fortunate. I was working in the Sierra Mountains at the time.
I had a lead-lined laboratory where I did X-ray research on my pet project.
And what is that, sir?
The study of machines as they relate to human function and the corollary of...
Well, to continue, when the dust cloud covered America, we remained in the laboratory, well supplied with food and water.
Later, when the radiation permitted, we made our way east, back to our old home, in the hopes of finding other survivors.
But by that time, every living creature had been evacuated to Mars.
We were stranded. The migration ships didn't wait for stragglers.
That's true. My father and I were on the last rocket out of New York.
I've always loved this old house. But the loneliness of those first years...
At least you had your wife and children.
Yes. Yes, I had my family.
If it were not for them, gentlemen, I assure you, I would long ago have put a bullet in my head.
Here we are. Champagne, Captain.
Oh, thank you, Mrs. Hathaway. May I propose a toast?
Oh, let me. Gentlemen, to Earth.
To Earth.
May she never be a stranger to man agai...
Hathaway, what is it?
Nothing really. It's just rather sharp pain in the chest.
I think you should lie down, Doctor.
Yes.
Perhaps you're right.
Let me help you.
No, no, no. John and Susan will help.
Of course, Father.
Why don't you gentlemen go out on the porch, enjoy the air? I'll see you all in the morning.
Good night, Doctor.
Good night. Come, John.
Yes, Father.
Well, what do you think of old Mother Earth now, Williams?
Smell that summer breeze. Look at that view of the city lighted up against the sky.
It has a certain quality.
Well, score one point for the back to Earth proposal.
I didn't say that.
You're beginning to feel it though, Williams. I can tell.
If you don't mind, gentlemen, I'm quite tired. I think I'll turn in. Excuse me.
Well, Captain?
Well, what?
What do you make of all this?
I don't know what you mean.
There's Hathaway and his family. There's something strange and unnatural going on here. I can sense it.
I think you're reading things into it, Evans.
So? Perhaps.
Well, I'll turn in too. Are you coming?
In a moment. I want to smoke a cigarette.
Beautiful view.
What?
Is it not?
I didn't hear you come out. How is he?
Resting. I've never seen him this bad.
Yes, he's an old man. I'm sorry, but the difference in your ages is so apparent. You must have been married very young.
My husband is a very great man, Captain. It's too bad there was no one to appreciate him.
Once he wired the whole city with sound speakers, and when he pressed a button, the whole town lit up and made noises, as if 10,000 people were living in it.
He must have been very lonesome for people. Although with a woman such as you, I don't understand.
Perhaps one day you will understand. Good night, Captain.
Good night, Mrs. Hathaway.
Captain. Captain Parsons.
Who is there?
It's Dr. Evans.
What time is it?
Two a.m.
What's wrong?
I couldn't sleep. A few minutes ago, I heard someone slip out the front door. The moonlight I saw, it was the old man. He was headed toward our ship.
What are you suggesting, Evans?
Nothing, except that it's fairly unnatural for an old man with a bad heart to go wandering off at two in the morning.
Very well. We'll follow him.
See him yet?
No.
Look, I hear they're on the hillside. Isn't that Hathaway kneeling in the moonlight?
Yes, I think so. Can we get closer?
Let's head for that clump of bushes.
This is far enough.
What do you suppose he's doing there? What are those things on the ground?
Good Lord. Those are grave markers. Four of them.
You're right. He seems to be praying over them.
Listen.
Do you forgive me for what I've done? I had to do it. I was so terribly lonely. You do forgive me, don't you?
Yes, I feel you do. I'm glad. I think perhaps I can rest now. I think I...
He's having another attack. Come on.
Hathaway! Dr. Hathaway!
Raise his head, Evans.
His lips are moving.
What is it, Doctor?
Leaning closer. I'm sorry I had to spoil all of this. I've expected it for some time.
We'll fix you up.
No. No, this is the end for me. It really doesn't matter. Except for them.
What about them, Hathaway?
You... you suspect it, didn't you?
Yes, I suspected it, but I couldn't believe it until now. Do they know?
No. No, they wouldn't understand. I wouldn't want them to know ever. The Earth...
Don't try to talk.
The Earth is so fair.
Doctor!
He's dead, Captain. He knew it was the end this time.
Yes, he knew.
What was it he meant about your suspect?
Light a match, Evans. Look on those four grave markers and tell me what you see.
Good Lord.
Well?
Alice Hathaway, Marguerite Hathaway, Susan Hathaway, John Hathaway. Died July 1987.
But that's 20 years ago. If these markers are correct, then who are those others?
Can't you guess, Evans? Can't you guess?
Mrs. Hathaway, are you awake?
Yes, Captain.
May I come in?
Yes. It's about my husband, isn't it?
He'll knew.
I saw him go out tonight. He felt it was near the end.
He died less than an hour ago. I'm sorry.
Thank you.
How do you feel?
He told us it would happen one day and that he didn't want us to cry. He didn't teach us how, you know.
He said it was the worst thing that could happen to know how to be lonely and unhappy.
What will happen to us now that he's gone?
I don't know.
Will you stay with us?
I would like to, but I cannot.
You know about us.
Yes, I know. I didn't think that you knew yourself.
The children don't. I've been aware for a long while.
No one would have guessed. You're so perfect.
Oh, he would have liked to hear you say that. He was so very proud of us.
After a while he came to love us and at the end he took us as his real wife and children.
He even forgot sometimes that he had made us.
You gave him great deal of comfort.
Yes. Over the years we sat and talked. He loved so much to talk.
I was first, you know. Then he became lonesome for the children and so he made them.
He told me about the things he did, about his laboratory.
Surely the children must suspect.
Oh, no. You see, there were no other beings with which to compare themselves.
He must have been a great, great genius.
Each morning he took a recording of his voice into town and put it on the automatic telephone.
Each night it would call us.
I think what with the phone ringing and the sound of voices and the lights on, he was happy.
There was only one thing, one flaw.
And that?
He couldn't make us grow old.
And so he had to watch himself become an old, old man while we stayed young.
It was a great blow to him.
And so we commend the body of this man, Cornelius Hathaway, to his maker.
Ashes to ashes, dusts to dust returneth. Amen.
Come, John.
Yes, Mother.
Susan.
Marquis.
Evans, Williams, stay here a moment, please.
What is it?
Let them go back to the house. I want to speak to you.
I know what you're going to tell us, Captain. I saw the names on the grave markers.
Well?
It's a mockery, a blasphemy of everything we believe in for a man to do something so evil.
Can't you imagine what he faced?
Can't you imagine what it must have been like to have watched his wife and children die slowly of radiation burns?
To know that he was the last man on the face of the earth?
Alone?
Eternally and unalterably alone?
Good Lord, man, what would you have done if you'd had his medical and technical genius?
That's incredible.
Yes, it is. But with an entire American city on which to draw for supplies and equipment, a brilliant man might accomplish anything, even that.
What are you suggesting, Captain? That we take them back?
We haven't enough space in the ship for that. Every ounce counts.
Still, to leave them here, like that, alone?
I think I have an answer, cold-blooded as it may seem.
Go on.
I suggest that we turn them off.
Do you think that I could do that?
No, but I could. After all, they aren't human. They're worse than robots. They're ghoulish.
Have you talked to her? Has she smiled at you with that quiet, beautiful smile?
Captain, we can't take them with us, and it would be less than human to leave them here, without Hathaway.
Could you do it, Evans?
Give me the blast gun, Williams.
We'll wait on the ship. Take off in half an hour.
Half an hour.
Six twenty-five. He should be back soon.
Yes.
He's doing the only humane thing, Captain. They are less than human.
Are they?
Well, it's done now, and no one will ever...
That's the airlock. He's back.
Well, here's your gun.
Did you do it?
When I entered the house, she looked at me with those fine, intelligent eyes.
I couldn't do it. It would be murder, cold-blooded murder.
I prayed you wouldn't be able to do it.
They will never be anything as fine as they are.
Built to last two hundred, three hundred, perhaps a thousand years.
Well, get the course in the integrator, Williams.
We'll take off in twenty minutes. I should be back by then.
You're going out, sir?
I'm going to say goodbye.
You've come back.
Only to say goodbye.
It was nice of you.
I wanted you to know that I am coming back some day.
When will you come?
I don't know. It will take many years to prepare fuel for another trip.
Six, seven, perhaps ten years.
I will watch the sky at night, just as he watched it.
I'm afraid I must go now.
I understand.
Strange. I have a new feeling.
One which he did not teach us.
A feeling of longing, of sadness.
That one is not taught.
It comes of being alive.
Yes. I am alive.
Even though he created me, I'm a person now.
Goodbye, Alice Hathaway.
Goodbye, John Parsons.
You have just heard another adventure into the unknown world of the future.
The world of...
Demand, John.
When the time comes for man to explore the universe,
to deal with the strange inhabitants of other worlds,
to explore the world of the future,
there will be much to remember.
Perhaps the most important lesson of all
will seem too fundamental to be included in the training manuals.
Listen at this time next week as Dimension X
brings you a story from the pages of the August Astounding Science Fiction,
a story called Courtesy.
Dimension X is presented each week by the National Broadcasting Company
in cooperation with Screet and Smith,
publishers of the magazine Astounding Science Fiction.
Today, Dimension X has presented Dwellers in Silence,
written for radio by George Lefferts from the story by Ray Bradbury.
Featured in the cast were Peter Cappell as Captain Parsons,
Bill Griffiths as Captain Hathaway,
and Gertrude Warner as Ellis.
Your host was Norman Rose, music by Albert Berman.
Dimension X is produced by William Welch and directed by Fred Way.
Dragnet, the story of your police force is next on NBC.
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